Simulink Game Day at USACH: Our Experience Bringing Control Systems to Life
Today’s guest bloggers are members of the Control Systems Society (CSS) Student Branch Chapter at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), who recently organized a Simulink Game Day on campus. Let’s hear from them..
We’re the Control Systems Society (CSS) Student Branch Chapter at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), and earlier this year, we hosted a Simulink Game Day on campus. Our goal? To give our fellow students a hands-on, interactive experience with control systems using tools like MATLAB and Simulink—and to show that these topics can be exciting, approachable, and even fun.
We were thrilled to see our efforts recognized beyond just the event itself—our department even highlighted our success on their official website, which made the experience even more meaningful for our whole team.
This event was organized by four of us: Antonio Gallardo, Paula Huichacura, Bastián Jasimino, and Ralitza Mancilla. Together, we worked to bring this idea to life from start to finish—and we’re excited to share what we learned along the way.
Why We Organized It
We’ve always been passionate about control systems, and we wanted to share that with others. For many of us, this field felt intimidating at first—but once we started working with Simulink, we realized how powerful and accessible it really is. Organizing this competition was our way of encouraging more students to explore the possibilities and get involved.
What We Learned from Planning
One of the biggest challenges was finding the right time to hold the event. We had to work around exams and busy schedules to make sure people could actually attend and enjoy it. Planning the logistics and making sure everyone understood the challenge also pushed us to communicate better and stay flexible as a team.
Favorite Moments and Takeaways
Seeing the participants dive into the challenge and come up with creative solutions was definitely a highlight. Some teams had hilarious bugs in their final presentations that made everyone laugh, but even then, they were proud of what they built. It was amazing to see students collaborating, asking questions, and getting genuinely excited about control systems.
What We’d Do Differently Next Time
Next time, we’d love to give participants a bit more time and offer clearer instructions from the start—maybe even go over the code together before kicking things off. We also think it would be cool to integrate a real drone to show how small changes in code can make a big impact in a physical system.
Our Advice to Other Chapters
Don’t wait for the perfect moment—just start. It’s okay if things aren’t flawless. What matters is creating a space where students can learn, experiment, and connect. And if you can, set aside time after the event to chat and reflect with participants (snacks help!).
Hosting Simulink Game Day was such a rewarding experience for all of us. It brought us closer as a team, and it reminded us why we love sharing what we do. We’re excited to keep building events like this in the future—and we hope more chapters will do the same.
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