Lively Engineering Week draws hundreds of students
Seen at the Women in Engineering session are ECA student president Shahnaj A. Shimmy, speaker Gina Cody, Professor Sabine Bergler, and conference co-chair Rosalynn Nguyen.
Photo by Kate Hutchinson
National Engineering Week is being celebrated across the country this week. This is the 21st edition of the event at Concordia, and as always, it’s a great opportunity for students to compete, show off their skills and enjoy one another’s company.
An important goal of Engineering Week is to give students the chance to make connections with the industry in which they will spend the rest of their working lives, to motivate them and excite them about engineering.
Monday was set aside for Women In Engineering, a day devoted to addressing the issues faced by women in what has been, in North America, a male-dominated field.
Young women from Montreal colleges and high schools came to Concordia to hear some sound advice from Associate Professor Sabine Bergler, Gina P. Cody, president of Construction Control Inc., Jon Ng, a graduate of McMaster University, and Patricia Bamatter, of Ericsson Canada Inc.
On Tuesday, there was a conference hosted by the Desjardins Bank on financial help for engineering students.
Throughout the week, there were industry workshops and speakers talking about their own achievements and experiences.
These workshops are invaluable for students to discover what to expect in the job market, and get tips on how to become better engineers. Companies expected to attend: Multec Canada, Electronic Arts, Allan Crawford Associates, Ubisoft, Bell Helicopter and IT company ORSYP.
The Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA) and its various societies had displays on view in the Hall Building mezzanine from Tuesday to Thursday, including alternative-fuel vehicles and the only Canadian entry in the international Solar Decathlon.
These clubs are linked to similar groups across Canada, which can lead to great rivalry. For example, members of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering (CSCE) will hold the 21st Annual Troitsky Bridge Building Competition on Friday.
Always a popular event, named in honour of its founder at Concordia, the Bridge Building Competition invites teams of students to construct the sturdiest, most attractive model bridge they can out of basic materials such as toothpicks and glue. This year, 43 teams will subject their creations to The Crusher, and may the strongest bridge win!
The week winds up on Friday night with a dinner and award ceremony.
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