Centenary Celebration
Celebrating a Century of Engineering Excellence
On September 23, 1908, the University of Alberta opened its doors to 45 students. Five of them studied engineering. This is the story of 100 years of engineering education at the U of A.
Past, Present, and Future in Engineering at the University of Alberta
By Larissa Douglass
The 100th anniversary of the University of Alberta - and the 100th year of engineering education at the U of A, is a time of reflection on the Faculty's past accomplishments, present contributions, and future goals. Founded in 1908, the University of Alberta provided engineering education in its first year, and established the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the forerunner to the Faculty of Engineering, in 1913. From the beginning, members of our Faculty have combined outstanding research with teaching, and community service.
Engineers from the University helped build the foundations of the province: the very first professor of Engineering, William Muir Edwards, redesigned the water treatment plant for the city of Strathcona, where the university was located. His efforts ended a typhoid outbreak plaguing the city.
Muir Edwards, a civil engineer, died of influenza in 1918 while aiding the sick during the Spanish flu pandemic, which claimed the lives of some 25 million people worldwide. Civil engineering professor Ibrahim Folinsbee Morrison evaluated structures and applied mechanics for other projects such as the Rossdale Power Plant, the 109th Street underpass, and water intake and purification for the city of Edmonton. Morrison also consulted on the construction of the Ghost Dam across the Bow River in 1929.
Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Michael Brett, right, is recognized not only as a renowned researcher but also as a dedicated teacher. Brett was awarded the University Cup, highest honour the U of A can bestow on a member of its academic staff, in 2007.
As our teaching and learning facilities and student body expand, so does our capacity for teaching. The Faculty boasts many achievements in this regard, and our professors have been recognized as much for their academic service as for their innovative teaching techniques.
At the national level, Dr. Uttandaraman Sundararaj of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering won the 2008 Engineers Canada Medal of Distinction in Engineering Education. Presented by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, this award is made to one outstanding professor each year and takes into account teaching impact, service to students, contributions to engineering education, and contributions to outreach.
Dr. Sundararaj was nominated by current students and colleagues who recognize his great abilities in the classroom, and his commitment to his students. Dr. Sundararaj has also recently won other prestigious teaching awards. In 1990, Dr. Fred Vermeulen, now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, which recognizes teaching excellence and educational leadership in higher education across Canada.
Within the University, the Faculty has produced 13 winners of the Rutherford Award since its inauguration in 1982. This award recognizes excellence in teaching across the University of Alberta, and encourages informed discussion of teaching and its improvement.
In 1997, Dr. Jacob Masliyah, Professor in Chemical and Materials Engineering, won the University Cup, the highest honour the U of A can bestow on a member of its academic staff. Dr. Michael Brett, Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, won the award in 2007. Most recently, Dr. Mani Vaidyanathan of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received the inaugural 2008 Provost's Award for Early Achievement of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The award recognizes and encourages teaching excellence among newly appointed academic staff. In addition to outstanding teaching standards set by Faculty members, students benefit from visiting international speakers who present lectures in the D. B. Robinson Distinguished Speaker Series and the Pheasey Lecture Series on Engineering Ethics.