In a world where coexisting with artificial, or machine, intelligence has become part of our every day lives, EWU engineering students were determined to show they could out-duel even the most sophisticated contraptions at the annual Human vs. Machine Golf Challenge earlier this month.
Designed to support EWU’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) club, the second annual event at Fairways Golf Course featured 52 golfers and eight machines. Students were challenged to combine their engineering and golf skills – with the former by far and away the most impressive accomplishment on the pitch that day.
The human element was on full display when it was time to actually hit the course for a 9-hole golf scramble, as many teams seemed to think it was like an academic test where the highest score wins (note to those not familiar with golf: you want the lowest score!).
The event raised $2,050 for the EWU ME/MET Alumni Scholarship Fund, bringing the fund’s overall total to $21,400. The goal is to fully endow the scholarship at $25,000 by September 2020.
The ASME club noted the support of several local companies helped make the event a success, including Coffman Engineers, Knight Construction & Supply, Western States Fire Protection and Tedder Industries.
