Physics students reach business contest final
A team of Edinburgh physics students has made it to the final of a competition which aims to develop their employability and enterprise skills.
They have qualified for the final of IBM Universities Business Challenge (UBC) Worldwide, the world’s longest established and leading undergraduate simulation-based competition.
Students Imran Marwat, Fidel Elie, Ziyi Zhang, Adamos Spanashis and Brandon Christman came second in their semi-final, securing them a place in the final in London on 24 March.
The team also won Best Business Idea on the day, beating 19 teams from other UK universities.
Business challenge
Supported by leading UK universities and graduate employers, more than 25,000 students have benefitted from taking part in the UBC Worldwide Challenge since 1998.
The School of Physics submitted two teams to the competition, and one of these made it through to the semi-final, which took place in Edinburgh.
After a keynote introduction from Shelagh Green, Director of the Careers Service, the teams did a series of intensive, timed business simulations culminating in a 60-second innovation pitch.
Professional development
The team is being mentored by Mike Ross from Standard Life Investments and supported by Susan Bird, the link Careers Consultant for the School of Physics,
This demonstrates how Schools and industry partners work together to support the employability and professional development of students at Edinburgh.
Combined with creativity and hard work, physicists can be successful in any field of our interest. I have met some of the most talented people in physics, and we should all branch out to areas outside of our textbook, and explore our hidden potential.