april 2009 issue
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STUDENT COLUMN
Tears, Fears and Victory Cheers
With their midterms done, finals on the way, and, in some cases, rings on their fingers,
Schulich students begin the final push
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BY JEREMY KOOYMAN |
While some may think this is nonsense, I am firmly convinced that the Engineering Undergraduate Office takes pleasure in posting the official final examination schedule at least a week before midterms are over. Some find this very convenient, granting them the opportunity to organize their travel home well in advance; but the majority find that this schedule tests the boundaries of the university’s official examination scheduling guidelines.
The prospect of three finals in 24 hours may be terrifying, but in recent weeks there have been ample opportunities for extra- and co-curricular distractions from this travesty. Midterms permitting, of course.
A celebrity to any space fan, Canadian astronaut and University of Calgary alumni Robert Thirsk, E.I.T., made his last public appearance prior to his trip to the International Space Station in May. Speaking to a selection of students, faculty members and the media, Dr. Thirsk outlined his plans in a technical briefing, focusing more on the mission than on himself.
“It definitely gave me a new perspective on the space program,” said APEGGA university student member John McDonald of the Engineering Students’ Society. “One of the more interesting experiments outlined in his briefing was related to semiconductors and their materials and the behaviour at zero gravity. I thought that was pretty interesting because it related to what I am learning in my electronic materials class.”
Another highlight of the briefing was the unveiling of the mission patch, designed by First Nations artist Bill Helin. It featured a bird symbolizing different parts of the space station.
Dr. Thirsk’s first degree was his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary. He is a glowing example of where an undergraduate degree in engineering can take you.
Songs from the Iron
Continuing on with unsubstan-tiated speculation, a phenomenon sweeps through the engineering building every March. Students not in their final year of engineering studies report hearing tapping noises throughout the day, especially when they pass by the fourth-year homerooms.
Careful detective work has revealed that the tapping is caused by excited graduating students who have just received their Iron Rings. Apparently, they feel the need to broadcast this fact to everyone in earshot.
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RINGS IN A RING |
Held at the TELUS Convention Centre on March 7, the long-awaited Iron Ring and graduation ceremonies allowed students to finally turn off the countdown alarms on their computers and phones, and dress up for an evening of joyous celebration with family, friends and professors.
A highlight of every graduation ceremony is the Teaching Excellence Awards. One goes to a professor from each department. Nominees come from undergraduate students and winners are hand-picked by each department’s council.
Winners this year are
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Dr. Ayo Jeje, P.Eng., Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
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Dr. Jassim Hassan, Department of Civil Engineering
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Dr. Hamid Zareipour, P.Eng., Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering
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Dr. Michael Barry, Department of Geomatics Engineering
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Dr. Arief Budiman, P.Eng., Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
Three student awards are also given out at the grad banquet — the Donna Geekie, the Golden Geer and the Student of the Year.
Given to the student who exemplifies leadership within the engineering community, the Donna Geekie Leadership Award was won this year by APEGGA university student member Kim Yeats from the Department of Geomatics
Engineering. I asked the former Engineering Students’ Society president how she felt, receiving both a prestigious award and the Iron Ring in the same day.
“I really appreciated being recognized,” she said, “but like every other graduate I think the ring is more sentimental and could never be replaced by any award.”
Having witnessed her efforts since I began my undergraduate degree, I was curious if she’d ever considered limiting her involvement with the engineering community. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet as many wonderful people and learn from their experiences, if I hadn’t become involved,” she responded.
The Golden Geer award was presented to Jaana Wilkinson, the president of the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society, for demonstrating teamwork, attending engineering events and displaying outstanding enthusiasm for engineering. Jaana is the embodiment of engineering spirit, clearly demonstrated by her tireless efforts during Engineering Week.
I was among the six students responsible for organizing and judging Engineering Week. I can say without a doubt that Jaana was the most outgoing, enthusiastic student participating in the competition, showing up at more events than almost any other student, even though she was often working into the wee hours of the morning preparing for the next day’s Engineering Week activities.
Towards the end of the week every student knew who she was simply because of her outgoing personality and ability to lead her department to one of its strongest Engg Week showings in recent years.
The most straightforward award, Student of the Year, goes to a student who exemplifies engineering through academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service and sporting activities. This year APEGGA university student member Zahra Ould-Hamouda, from the Mechanical Engineering Department, stood out from other nominees for her ability to alter the space-time continuum — she packed in a full course load on top of volunteering for the SPCA, playing on a competitive soccer team, being involved with the Mechanical Engineering Students’ Society, and competing at the Western Engineering Competition.
All this while maintaining a respectable GPA. I feel I speak for most students when I say, “Please tell me your secrets.”
Fredericton Results
The Schulich School of Engineering sent two teams to the Canadian Engineering Competition, March 5-8, hosted by the University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Congratulations go out to the Junior Design team of Dustin Bahler, Paul Boone, Zachary Dunnewold and APEGGA university student member Agnes Soos, who tied for first place with a team from Université de Sherbrooke. They were tasked with a challenge in the style of Engineers Without Borders — design an apparatus capable of drying mushrooms for sale in a market but using only the heat from a desk lamp.
The team arrived home with a hand-milled trophy from the university, the possession of which was decided in the most sportingly way possible — a paper airplane race.
The last several weeks have been a tumultuous mixture of ups and downs for students. Some have been celebrating unexpectedly perfect marks on midterms, while others have learned that failing a thermodynamics midterm meant very little when the class average was 36 per cent.
The Final Push
Graduating students have come back to reality after a euphoric weekend, realizing that they still had about six weeks of classes remaining and could severely mess up their post-grad plans. An ambience of fear has begun to linger in the hallways, caused not by finals but by the impending doom that the annual Pi Week fundraiser brings to the engineering faculty every March.
If the tenacity of the graduating class is any indication, Schulich School of Engineering students still have enough left in them to make that final push to spring.
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