2024 William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award — Nathan Chong

Nathan Chong is one of the 2024 recipients of the William Muir Edwards award.

Like many students, Nathan Chong found his first year to be challenging, particularly as the pandemic limited opportunities to learn and socialize with this peer group. He also found that his classes did not align with his career goals in the way that he had hoped. It was at this turning point that Nathan decided to dig in and create the type of learning environment that was more reflective of his interests and abilities.

“Robotics and management was where I wanted my career to go, but these topics weren't covered in my classes, so I joined the Autonomous Robotic Vehicle Project (ARVP) , says Nathan, who is taking a mechanical engineering co-op degree with a business minor.

“In my first year on the team I learned about design for manufacturing, robotics and made connections with amazing peers. I wanted to pay back the community back for what I'd gained, so I became the ARVP lead. I learned even more about management, business, electrical engineering, etc. It also introduced me to the other project teams and kick started my involvement with the Engineering Students’ Society (ESS) . Most importantly, I was surrounded by highly passionate like-minded people.” 

Finding community within ARVP had such a profound effect on Nathan, he took on various leadership roles including project co-lead to build its reach and locate additional resources to further its success. “We've grown the team from 8 to 60+ active members and won the best team in North America at RoboSub 2023 ,” he says, adding that the support networks he established for team members was key to its success.

“The goal of my work with the ESS and ARVP is to provide structure, support and

mentorship to new engineering students,” he says. “I wholeheartedly believe everyone has the capabilities to build great things, but they need awareness of how to best set up projects and acquire resources.”

As Nathan began to move on from technical work into management, it gave him time to reflect on his journey. 

“My concerns about my career, desire for a friend group and general frustration about my

opportunities were in no way special,” Nathan explains. “In fact, in the other project teams, I saw people just like me — actively trying to create their own opportunities, but lacking the support and resources needed to be successful.”

To help out others like himself, Nathan talked to the leads of 18 project teams within engineering, made connections with the newly developed experiential learning team and engaged with the ESS, which led to the development of the Project Group Services Portfolio, which he would eventually lead. The goal, he says, is to give project teams a voice when liaising with the university, and to foster an environment of inclusivity, diversity, collaboration, resource-sharing and social cohesion among the teams. 

With graduation in sight, Nathan is proud of where he’s come from those early days in his program. 

“Being surrounded by smart friends and supported well by the faculty has given me amazing career opportunities,” he says. “I intend to pay it forward by helping out as a mentor and a guest speaker in the near and far future. I also plan to spend the next year in and around the Innovation, Creativity, Entrepreneurship (ICE) Engineering Incubator, hopefully garnering additional engagement between the project teams and the incubator."

Named in honour of the Faculty of Engineering’s founding professor, the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award recognizes Engineering at Alberta undergraduate students who have made exceptional contributions to society. It’s a celebration of citizenship and of engineering students who go to extraordinary lengths to make our world a better place. Special thanks to the David Morris Family Foundation for supporting our students and making the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Awards possible. 

Do you know an undergraduate student whose volunteerism, contributions, and efforts, both on-campus and off-campus, work to make the world a better place? Learn more about the nomination process »