The Force was strong with these mechanical engineering students, taking part in a Star Wars-themed design competition.
(Edmonton) Superlative student experiences can make an engineering education a beautiful thing. Taking that shiny new knowledge from your brain and putting it into action is pretty important at the University of Alberta, and we continue to look for-and celebrate-ways to help students do just that. Here are just a few of the year's examples.
- SAT UP AND TOOK NOTICE: The AlbertaSat student team that built Alberta's first satellite was presented with the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation award for group innovation under 30. The team's first satellite, the Ex-Alta 1 will be deployed in March, 2017 with 40 other cube satellites as part of the international QB-50 mission to monitor space weather.
- THEY HAD A BLAST: Three University of Alberta engineering students went to Norway to launch a sounding rocket into the atmosphere, participating in international space research. They joined students from elsewhere in Canada as part of the Canada-Norway Student Sounding Rocket (CaNoRock) exchange program.
- BEYOND THE PUMP: After winning first place at an international competition in the U.S., the U of A EcoCar team represented Canada at a clean-energy race in London, England. Members of the student team competed in the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe and the Drivers' World Championships from June 28 to July 3, racing "Alice", a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered car they designed and built.
- BATTLEFIELD ROBOTS: U of A computer engineering graduate students were members of an Edmonton team battling for glory on the popular television series BattleBots. The team was ready to rumble with their robot Basilisc, which specialized in flipping and punching its opponents.
- THE BEST OF THE BEST: Every year the deans of every engineering school in Canada nominated two of their students for the C.D. Howe national Engineering Scholarship. From that list of nominees, only two are presented the prestigious award. This year both winners are from the U of A Faculty of Engineering. Electrical engineering student Brendan Calef and engineering physics student Natasha Pye were recognized for their outstanding scholarly and leadership achievements.
- STILL MORE WITH THE ROBOTS: Second-year students in the mechanical engineering program brought the Force with them as they participated in a Star Wars-themed droid challenge. Students in Mechanical Engineering 260: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design had to design and build a robot that could maneuver an obstacle course while it held a camera and took pictures of targets posted along the route.
- STEELY RESOLVE: The University of Alberta is a world leader in steel structures research and education. And the connections have been strengthened between the university and industry with the 2016 establishment of a new Canadian Institute of Steel Construction Centre for Steel Structures Education and Research. With it, students will have new opportunities and a conduit to work with industry on real projects.
- LEGO COMMUNICATORS: Ten lunch bags, 100 Lego pieces assembled in not-so-easy-to-describe objects-this was no ordinary task. Staged by the Engineering Students' Society as part of the annual National Engineering and Geosciences Week, the event, called Communication Breakdown, addressed the communication skills gap, highlighting-in a super-fun way-the importance of precise and accurate information in engineering.
- BRAIN BREAK: Engineering students are focused, maybe a little too much sometimes. In recognition of the fact that the brain needs time to play, this year university staff members showed up at popular study spots during the exams with board games, colouring books, Sudoku puzzles, a knitting set and a video game. Dubbed Take a Break sessions, students responded enthusiastically.
10. YOUR PAYCHEQUE: Faculty of Engineering Co-operative Education Program connects students to paid engineering co-op jobs introduce students to the rigours of higher academia and the workplace. The engineering co-op program equips students with technical engineering and soft skills through full-time paid work placements in Canada and around the world in many fields of engineering. Read about one student's experience in nanotech research.