Benchmarks spring 2019 by Memorial University

Spring 2019

Graduate students best in the world in field development challenge

Engineering professors inducted as Fellows of the Engineering Institute of Canada

Engineer received international prize for maritime research

Engineering honours outstanding alumni

FROM THE DEAN

Welcome to the spring 2019 issue of Benchmarks. Dr. Greg Naterer P. E N G . , P H D , F C S M E , FA S M E , F E I

It has been another successful year in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and we’ve captured the highlights for you in our annual newsletter, Benchmarks. The newsletter is our way of sharing our achievements and highlights with you on an annual basis.

The Core Science Facility is on schedule for completion in 2020. The new science and engineering building will help with a major expansion of modern teaching, research and laboratory space. The faculty’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is excited to be moving into one of the three pavilions in the new building. Other departments will gain additional space for their expansion in the S.J. Carew Building. Memorial engineering continues to be a national leader in closing the engineering gender gap. According to a recent article by Engineers Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest percentage of women undergraduate engineering students in Canada for the fourth year in a row at 26.9 per cent. We are very proud of this accomplishment. As with previous years, many of our students and professors received national and international awards. Dr. Claude Daley, a professor in the Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering, was the recipient of the Dr. Kenneth S. M. Davidson Medal of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). He is the first Canadian to receive the prestigious international award for outstanding accomplishments in ship research.

FA C U LT Y O F ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2019 EDITOR Jackey Locke GRAPHIC DESIGN Kristine Breen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kelly Foss Jeff Green Kathryn Hong Jackey Locke Lisa Pendergast Dave Penney Elyse Summers Susan White PHOTOGRAPHY AAU Rich Blenkinsopp Chris Hammond Dave Howells NASA Benchmarks is a publication of Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Please address any questions, comments or suggestions to: Jackey Locke Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science Memorial University 240 Prince Phillip Drive St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5

A team of Memorial engineering graduate students won the 2018 European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers’ Laurie Dake Challenge in Copenhagen, Denmark. A multi-disciplinary team of Memorial undergraduate students was one of the firstplace winners of the national Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) student competition. The competition challenges students to use their creativity to develop innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions to accessibility-related issues for persons with disabilities. The students created a head device, called the ‘MatHat,’ for a young boy with severe cerebral palsy to help prevent his head from tipping side to side.

email: jackey.locke@mun.ca or telephone: 709 864 8287 Faculty-of-Engineering-andApplied-Science @MUN_Engineering

W W W. M U N . C A / E N G I N E E R I N G

We are delighted to share these, and other, highlights from 2018 with you. We hope

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you enjoy reading about them, and look forward to continued success in 2019.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is one of Canada’s premier engineering schools. Using a co-operative education model, the faculty has six accredited undergraduate engineering programs, which are among the best in Canada and provide students with valuable experiential learning opportunities and up to two years of practical work experience prior to graduation. Undergraduate programs include: • • • • •

civil engineering computer engineering electrical engineering mechanical engineering ocean and naval architectural engineering • process engineering Students also have the option of taking offshore oil and gas engineering electives, which are available in all six undergraduate programs. The faculty’s graduate programs include research-based programs at the master’s (M.Eng.) and doctoral (PhD) levels in: • • • • •

civil engineering computer engineering electrical engineering mechanical engineering ocean and naval architectural engineering • oil and gas engineering • process engineering In addition, the faculty offers coursebased master’s (MASc.) programs in: • computer engineering • environmental systems engineering and management • oil and gas engineering • safety and risk engineering • energy systems engineering (to be launched in Fall 2019) Over the past eight years, engineering graduate enrolment has been explosive – from 303 graduate students in 2008 to 678 students in 2018. The 124 per cent

increase is the result of new, innovative programs, increased funding levels and new faculty hires. The faculty is home to state-of-the-art laboratories, such as the Northern Region Persistent Laboratory; Autonomous Ocean Systems Laboratory; Manufacturing Technology Centre; Computer Engineering Research Laboratories; Thermo-Fluids Laboratory; Structures Laboratory; Enhanced Oil Recovery Laboratory; Advanced Drilling Laboratory; Multimedia Communications Laboratory and the Ocean Engineering Research Centre, among numerous others. The faculty has a strong and proud history and reputation for excellence in engineering research and education. Our researchers aim to make a major, positive impact on the community, economy, job creation and the environment – with a special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our strategic areas of focus are energy, ocean technology, environment and sustainable infrastructure, and information and communication technology. The faculty also has an 11,700-square-foot R&D centre for offshore engineering, which supports a collaborative environment whereby our researchers and students collaborate with industry to solve challenging engineering problems. One of the primary outcomes of our research is the education and training of highly qualified personnel. Researchers aim to generate new knowledge and understanding that will lead to the creation of new products and technologies. It combines the efforts of researchers, graduate students and entrepreneurs. Our research programs are funding new solutions to global problems and educating future innovators and leaders in society. Our faculty members are leading researchers, internationally renowned and award-winning in their respective fields of research. They continue to secure research grants and contracts from industry, government and other organizations.

Contents 04

COVER STORY

FEATURES

CIVIL ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

OCEAN AND NAVAL ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING

PROCESS ENGINEERING

AWARDS

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

GRADUATE STUDENTS

ALUMNI

C O V E R S T O RY

Graduate students best in the world in field development challenge A team of Memorial graduate students won the 2018 European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers’ Laurie Dake Challenge. The Memorial Aion Energy Team was one of eight international teams that presented fully integrated development and evaluation plans to a jury at the event in Copenhagen, Denmark. Memorial was one of two Canadian universities to compete in the final challenge. The Laurie Dake Challenge began in 2011 as a method of promoting cross-disciplinary geoscience and engineering integration within universities. Multi-disciplinary teams, comprised of full-time geoscience and petroleum engineering students and one PhD student per team, compete for a grand prize and worldwide recognition. Memorial teams competed in the competition in the past, but never made it past the first round. Until the 2018 competition. The winning team included students Jenny Kim and Daniel Sivira, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and Larry Sandoval and Francis Mujica, Faculty of Science.

The Memorial team chose to do an interactive and graphical video. Their decision was the right one and they moved into the final competition in Copenhagen. The team members say the final round was the most challenging. They received additional data around three weeks before they were due in Copenhagen and were required to update their volumes, development plan and economics in time for the championship. As winners of the challenge, they received a cash award; toured the offices at Total, a major energy operator and the world’s fourth largest oil and gas company; were invited to the company’s scientific headquarters in Pau, France, to learn about the business and high technology facilities; and met with Total’s global chief geophysicist and engineers. “We are a multi-disciplinary team and integrating our disciplines was extremely important,” said Ms. Kim. “This was challenging to do because we were always on a tight deadline, but the work we are each doing is interrelated and it made sense to collaborate every step of the way. We all learned more about technical details of other disciplines, but, most importantly, we learned so much about teamwork.”

The 2018 challenge began with 41 teams. Each team submitted a report of a development plan for geological data set to evaluate possible opportunities in an oil field. All teams were given the same data, which is provided by a different company each year.

The students say they could not have done it without the tremendous support from Dr. Lesley James, the team’s faculty advisor, and their friends and family. ■■■

The Memorial group was one of 10 successful teams to advance to the next round of the competition, where the challenge was to create a three-minute video.

F R O M L E F T A R E T H E M E M O R I A L A I O N E N E R G Y T E A M L A R R Y S A N D O VA L , F R A N C I S M U J I C A , D A N I E L S I V I R A A N D J E N N Y K I M .

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Memorial ranks high for ocean technologyrelated research in world university rankings

F R O M L E F T A R E C H E L S E A H O W E L L , TA E J H A Y O U N G A N D VA N E S S A M C L E A N , B A C H E L O R O F E N G I N E E R I N G G R A D U AT E S AT M E M O R I A L’ S 2 0 1 8 S P R I N G C O N V O C AT I O N .

Memorial engineering leads in national female undergraduate enrolment Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is a national leader in closing the engineering gender gap. According to a 2018 article by Engineers Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest percentage of women undergraduate engineering students in Canada for the fourth year in a row, at 26.9 per cent. Since becoming dean in 2012, Dr. Greg Naterer has led several initiatives aimed at providing a positive and more supportive learning environment for women in engineering to reach their full potential and aspirations. The faculty’s successes have been achieved through a multi-year strategic plan that includes partnerships with organizations such as WISE-NL, Let’s Talk Science and Girl Quest. Building upon Engineers Canada’s 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to raise the percentage of newly licensed female engineers to 30 per cent by the year 2030, the faculty has adopted a 40 by 30 initiative for women undergraduate students and a 30 by 30 initiative for women faculty members and graduate students, in partnership with the faculty’s industry advisory council, the Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Council (EASAC). The faculty has eight undergraduate engineering scholarships in support of women students. Under the faculty’s Vision 2020 strategic plan, undergraduate and graduate student enrolments have grown by about 20 and 80 per cent, over the past six years, respectively. There are four areas of focus in the plan for increasing female undergraduate enrolment: the engineering image on campus; the admissions process; modifying the curriculum to attract and retain female students; and increasing the number of female faculty members. ■■■

M E M O R I A L W A S T H E O N LY C A N A D I A N U N I V E R S I T Y T O M A K E T H E L I S T O F T H E W O R L D ’ S T O P P O S T- S E C O N D A R Y I N S T I T U T I O N S F O R THE STUDY OF MARINE/OCEAN ENGINEERING, ACCORDING TO 2018’S GLOBAL RANKING OF ACADEMIC SUBJECTS.

Last year, Memorial was the only Canadian university to make the list of the world’s top postsecondary institutions for the study of marine/ ocean engineering. Memorial placed 38 among global universities ranked in the Engineering field as reported last July by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, which included 44 top universities in its marine/ocean engineering listing. That’s an improvement over Memorial’s 2017 score when it was not included among the top 50. The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2018 contains standings for universities in 54 subjects in the fields of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences. In total, more than 4,000 universities were ranked. In the Engineering field, Memorial ranked among the top 301-400 universities in the subject areas of computer science and engineering, chemical engineering and environmental science and engineering. The university also ranked among the top 401-500 universities in the subject of electrical and electronic engineering. The Shanghai Rankings include a number of ranking indicators, including the number of papers authored by researchers at an institution in an academic subject; the average impact of papers authored by researchers at an institution; the per cent of internationally co-authored papers; the number of papers published in top journals and conferences; and the total number of staff winning a significant award in an academic subject. ■■■

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Federal funding boost to expand digital programming for kids RECIPIENTS OF THE 2018 DIRECTOR’S AWARDS.

Engineering co-operative education holds inaugural director’s awards In March 2018, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s Co-operative Education Office celebrated the exceptional achievements of some senior engineering students at its inaugural Director’s Awards last spring. Memorial’s highly acclaimed engineering co-operative education model is fundamental to the success of its undergraduate engineering program. It provides participating students with up to two years of industry work experience prior to graduation. The awards were presented to students who had exemplified excellence on work terms over the course of their academic program.

C A M P PA R T I C I PA N T S L E A R N C O D I N G .

The engineering outreach office received a federal funding boost of $95,000 in Feb. 2018. Memorial Engineering Outreach (MEO) benefitted from CanCode, a $50 million fund announced in the 2017 federal budget to support the development of coding and digital skills for youth across Canada. MEO, which is housed in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, received the funding through its membership with the Actua network. Actua was named the largest recipient of funding from the Government of Canada funding program. The funding has gone towards scaling up MEO’s community programming to reach even more local youth with inspiring, hands-on coding and digital skills experiences. MEO was one of 35 network members that received CanCode funding through Actua. Actua’s 35 network members will reach 500,000 youth and over 10,000 teachers across every province and territory with CanCode funding. With files from Kathryn Hong and Actua.

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In addition to the student awards, there were awards for exceptional contributions and employer recognition. The Director’s Award for Exceptional Contributions was presented to Ray Gosine Sr. for his noteworthy and significant contributions to the engineering co-operative program. Mr. Gosine has reviewed and assisted with grading work reports for well over a decade. Approx. 30 work-term employers were presented with Employer Recognition Awards for providing exceptional mentoring and promoting an environment for student success. The co-operative education program at Memorial is as beneficial to employers as it is to the students. Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science adopted one of the first engineering co-operative education programs in the country, and is credited with one of the best programs in the country. In 2016, it was awarded full accreditation to Dec. 2021 by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education. ■■■

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Mel Woodward Cup invests $40,000 in student entrepreneurs THE WINNING STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS.

Innovative business ideas related to health care and lighting design won the top prizes at the 2018 Mel Woodward Cup. BreatheSuite, VitalMIST and WARPAR Corp. won $10,000 each during the business idea competition for Memorial University’s student entrepreneurs. The trio of companies were among eight finalist teams that pitched their ideas to a panel of judges from the business community during the event, hosted by the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE) at the Johnson GEO CENTRE. Mechanical engineering student Brett Vokey’s company BreatheSuite developed an add-on device for inhalers that will train patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to receive optimal dosages of medication. VitalMIST, founded by mechanical engineering student Anna Gosine tackles the challenge of helping patients maximize doses of medicine. The company is developing a nasal optimizer that allows physicians to administer liquid medication effectively.

WARPAR Corp. was founded by electrical engineering student Warren Parsons. The company makes a light dimmer called Enzo, a WiFienabled light-dimmer switch that provides power-monitoring, is compatible with most bulbs on the market and can be controlled through a smartphone or other device. The controller board was developed through a different company. The Mel Woodward Cup, which provides up to three prizes of $10,000 each to teams of Memorial University students for their innovative business ideas, was created from a donation in 2017 by the family of the late Dr. Mel Woodward, a well-known entrepreneur who founded the Woodward Group of Companies. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency provided a further $130,000 for the competition. The MCE is a pan-university centre initiated as a partnership of the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. ■■■

Emera invests $7 million for entrepreneurship programming at Memorial If you ask Florian Villaumé how to best support young innovators at Memorial, his answer is straightforward.

Initiated as a partnership of the faculties of business and engineering and applied science, the MCE serves undergraduate and graduate students across Memorial’s St. John’s campus.

“We need to get students on the path to entrepreneurship to ensure that aspiring entrepreneurs stay in our province and join the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through inspiration, guidance, resources and a community, we create an exciting environment where those students work on entrepreneurial projects and shine.”

The contribution from Emera will create a funding model to sustain and enhance student innovation and entrepreneurial programming. The funds will be directed primarily to the MCE, the Centre for Social Enterprise (CSE), Genesis and other innovation initiatives.

As the director of the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE), Mr. Villaumé was thrilled with the announcement this past fall when Emera Inc. announced it was contributing $7 million to student innovation and entrepreneurship programming at Memorial. The MCE stands to receive a portion of that investment and he’s enthusiastic about how this will help create a dynamic environment for student entrepreneurship.

The CSE is another emerging student innovation entity at Memorial. Created through a unique partnership between the Faculty of Business Administration, the School of Social Work and the School of Music, but engaging the entire Memorial community, the CSE seeks to enhance the quality of the human experience via social enterprise and social innovation. While the three centres operate as distinct entities, their student programs will be enhanced to better support and complement each other. ■■■ SPRING 2019

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Engineering professors inducted as fellows of the Engineering Institute of Canada

Two Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science professors were among 20 engineers inducted as fellows of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) recently for their exceptional contributions to the profession. The institute annually recognizes outstanding engineers among its academic- and industry-based member societies for their excellence in engineering and their services to the profession and to society. Dr. Octavia A. Dobre joined Memorial University in 2005. She is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Research Chair in Subsea Communications. Prior to joining Memorial, she was a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fulbright Scholar and a U.K. Royal Society Scholar. Dr. Dobre has been instrumental in establishing new wireless and optical communications laboratories at Memorial. She has secured more than $7 million in research funding and made significant research contributions in the field of communications, specifically enabling technologies for 5G wireless networks, Internet-of-Things and optical and underwater communications.

D R . O C TAV I A D O B R E

Her research findings have been disseminated through more than 230 referred international journal and conference papers and more than 30 technical reports for industry and two patents. Dr. Faisal Khan is head of the Department of Process Engineering and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Offshore Safety and Risk Engineering. D R . FA I S A L K H A N

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Since joining Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in 2002 as an associate professor, Dr. Khan has conducted research on safety and risk engineering and applied these risk-engineering concepts to safety, asset integrity management, pollution prevention and renewable energy. His research contributions have received over 15,000 citations in the technical literature. Dr. Khan has developed new advanced risk-based safety and integrity management methodologies and models, which are widely used by industry and academia. Dr. Khan founded the Centre for Risk, Integrity and Safety Engineering (C-RISE), which currently has 45 team members. He is the recipient of the Memorial’s President’s Award for Outstanding Research, President’s Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Supervision and the Dean’s Award for Graduate Student Supervision. “There are over 20,000 members of EIC, of which up to 20 Fellows are selected annually,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “The grade of Fellow of EIC represents less than 0.1 per cent of the combined membership of all EIC member societies and thus brings significant prestige to Memorial University. I’m delighted to see these awards to Drs. Dobre and Khan in recognition of their excellence in research and exceptional contributions to the profession of engineering.” ■■■

CIVIL ENGINEERING

DR. CARLOS BAZAN

New entrepreneurship chair appointed at Memorial Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science professor was appointed the Engineering Chair in Entrepreneurship.

chief financial officer, finance manager, program manager and project manager for several organizations.

Dr. Carlos Bazan’s background and expertise in entrepreneurship make him an ideal choice to provide academic leadership of entrepreneurial activities in engineering in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In his new role, Dr. Bazan will build research capacity in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation in the province, and lead research aimed towards better understanding, and contributing to, a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem in the province.

Dr. Bazan, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, has a diverse range of teaching experiences at the undergraduate and graduate levels in engineering, finance and economics and has managed research projects in several disciplines. Outside of academia, he has substantial management and business startup experience and has helped start several businesses in various industries. He has served on the board of directors of several companies and institutions, including a Fortune 500 company, and worked as a

He says his goal is to work at the intersection of academia, industry and entrepreneurship. Dr. Bazan received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and an MBA from the Catholic University of Asuncion, Paraguay. He received a master of science degree in numerical methods from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, and a master of science degree in business administration (finance) and PhD in computational science from San Diego State University in San Diego, California. During his graduate studies, he was a Fulbright Scholar sponsored by Harvard University.

He has taught several courses in finance, engineering economics, civil engineering, computational science and applied mathematics. He has co-authored 18 journal articles, conference papers and technical reports in a wide range of areas from biomedical sciences to computational finance. He also holds a patent in financial modelling. “As the new Engineering Chair in Entrepreneurship, Dr. Bazan has provided a valuable addition to the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “Dr. Bazan will have an active role in the engagement of students and faculty members to strengthen the entrepreneurship climate on campus. Also, his research on the assessment of the health of Newfoundland and Labrador’s entrepreneurship ecosystem will lead to better understanding and targeting of activities in support of technology startup companies in the province.” ■■■

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DR. KAMAL HOSSAIN

Engineering professor received federal investment for harsh climate research

This past fall, research ranging from developing sustainable road pavements for harsh Canadian climates to evolutionary drivers of variation in bat migration were among more than 60 projects that received roughly $8.8 million from the Government of Canada. The funding comes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and supports early-career and established researchers, as well as the next generation of innovators. Dr. Kamal Hossain, assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering, received NSERC funding to further his research focused on pavement performance and sustainability in harsh environments. “Canada has more than a million kilometres of paved roads; although it has rich natural beauty and geography, it also has a unique and harsh climate,” said

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Dr. Hossain, who leads Memorial’s Advanced Road and Transportation Engineering Lab which aims to better understand the characteristics of road materials and develop improved pavement design. “Since the country is significantly large, the climate varies between regions.” Through his NSERC funding, Dr. Hossain says he and his team will be able to develop recommendations on application rates for enhanced moisture repellent additives, rut resistant polymers and optimal mixture designs containing local and recycled materials for harsh climatic conditions. “The extended service life of pavements, through the use of performance enhancing additives and polymers, will reduce the cost of construction and maintenance, and environmental impacts,” he said. “This research program will also contribute to training highly qualified personnel and advancing the field.” ■■■

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

A N E X A M P L E O F T H E C U B E S AT S AT E L L I T E .

DR. ERIC GILL

Funding for engineering students to build, launch and operate satellite

Electrical engineering professor accorded the designation professor emeritus

Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), a team of engineering students are designing and building their own satellite. The CSA-led project, called the Canadian CubeSat Project, offers students from post-secondary institutions from each province and territory to take part in a real space mission by designing, building, launching and operating their own CubeSat, a breadbox-sized satellite. Once the CubeSats are ready, there will be an opportunity to launch it into space from the International Space Station in 2020-21. Memorial is one of 15 university teams, composed of 37 organizations, chosen to participate in the CSA project. Thanks to several inter-regional, inter-provincial and international collaborations, 29 Canadian institutions and eight institutions from Australia, Belgium, France, Norway, Portugal, Russia and the U.S. are participating. Teams will operate their satellites and conduct scientific experiments and/or validation of their technology development from space according to the objectives of their respective missions, which could last up to 12 months. Students will gain science and engineering expertise from building a satellite destined for space, as well as valuable expertise in project management, leadership and communications. The CubeSat project at Memorial also includes a partnership

Dr. Eric Gill, who retired in 2017, was accorded an honour reserved for highly distinguished faculty members, professor emeritus. Dr. Gill is a highly accomplished educator, researcher and graduate student supervisor. He holds post-secondary teaching certifications from the province. Prior to joining Memorial, he taught for 23 years at the College of the North Atlantic. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and served for many years on the IEEE Newfoundland Section executive. He is an internationally renowned researcher in the area of high frequency surface wave radar remote sensing in marine environments. He has made outstanding contributions to ocean remote sensing. Several radar remote sensing models developed by Dr. Gill and his team have been used in industrial and scientific application of the technology. He has received numerous awards, including the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching; the inaugural Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador Teaching Award. Candidates for the rank of professor emeritus/emerita are nominated by their academic units and, as with candidates for honorary degrees, the nominations are then reviewed by the Senate’s Committee on Honorary Degrees and Ceremonial. The candidates must then be approved by the university’s Senate and Board of Regents. ■■■

with C-CORE and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s Industrial Outreach Office. ■■■ SPRING 2019

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Provincial professional association recognizes engineering professors

DR. WEIMIN HUANG

Three members of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science received excellence awards from the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL) association at its 2018 annual awards event.

sion across Canada. His research involves techniques for design and verification of software and computer systems with a particular focus on high-performance computing, real-time applications and parallel or distributed processing.

Dr. Weimin Huang received the Teaching Award for his exemplary contributions in engineering education. The award not only recognizes exemplary teaching but also personal teaching effectiveness, leadership and outreach and continuing education activities.

He is an active volunteer in both the professional engineering community and the broader community. He is a former chair of PEGNL and is the immediate past chair of the Qualification Board of Engineers Canada where he has been integral in transforming the delivery of services and quality to regulatory bodies. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

While courses that Dr. Huang teaches involve complex theory and mathematics that are generally not favoured by students. Students report that they highly regard Dr. Huang’s delivery of the material. One of Dr. Huang’s teaching techniques is to prepare extensive sets of gapped course notes, which the students complete during class lectures. He believes this technique reduces the note-taking load on the students and enables effective and dynamic interaction in the classroom.

DR. DENNIS PETERS

In addition to his classroom teaching, Dr. Huang has supervised several capstone projects for the senior students, which attests to the fact that he is highly committed to establishing the faculty’s reputation for a commitment to undergraduate education.

D R . G LY N G E O R G E

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Dr. Glyn George was recognized with the Honorary Membership Award. It is an award the PEGNL board confers upon any person who, through his/her own initiative and leadership, has rendered eminent service to the profession which improves society through the development of new material, equipment, techniques, philosophy or management related to engineering or geoscience.

Dr. Dennis Peters received the Award for Service for his service to the profession and his substantial contributions to PEGNL.

In addition to Dr. George’s professional work as a university professor, he has volunteered with the K-12 education system as a board member and elected officer, web master and community representative. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. George has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Dean’s Award for teaching Excellence and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Academic Service.

Dr. Peters is a highly respected member of the engineering community and has made a significant impact to the profes-

All three individuals are in the faculty’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. ■■■

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Engineering professor received Atlantic Canadian Distinguished Teaching Award O N B E H A L F O F T H E A A U , D R . M A R Y B L U E C H A R D T, P R E S I D E N T A N D V I C E - C H A N C E L L O R , M O U N T S A I N T V I N C E N T UNIVERSITY AND INCOMING LIAISON TO THE AAU COUNCIL, PRESENTED DR. RIDEOUT WITH HIS AWARD.

The secret to Dr. Geoff Rideout’s teaching success is rooted in his passion for his students, their success, and his unique ability to view the curriculum he teaches from his students’ perspective. While wearing inline skates, the mechanical engineering professor throws a bag of cement to demonstrate how conservation of momentum will propel him backwards. Dr. Rideout demonstrates shaft whirl by using a foam pool noodle and a cordless drill. He asks students to predict how far ice will be thrown from the blades of a wind turbine and to verify the police report concerning the speed of a vehicle in a traffic accident in which he was involved. It is because of his hands-on approach to teaching that Dr. Rideout was presented with the 2018 Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) Distinguished Teaching Award on Sept. 20. While he uses his personal experiences as an individual and as a professor in his teaching, Dr. Rideout recalls a tutoring experience when he was in graduate school that taught him that everyone has a different learning

style and that his students will have different challenges than he did. “One day we were having a seemingly unrelated conversation where he wanted me to tell him how a real-life engineering system worked. I became concerned as my explanation touched on material from more advanced courses. To my surprise, he became energized and motivated because he made a big-picture connection that worked for him.” Dr. Rideout says that student did well in the course, and was almost in tears as he expressed his gratitude. When it comes to the impact he’s having on his students, Dr. Rideout’s response is humble. “A firefighter knows that once they’ve put the fire out, they’ve made a difference,” he said. “As a university teacher, I can only try to give my students some base knowledge, connect that knowledge to things that are meaningful to them and hope it combines

with all their other experiences to make them better practitioners and people. I have to take it on faith that I’m making an impact.” Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, is proud of professors like Dr. Rideout. “Congratulations to Dr. Rideout on receiving this teaching excellence award,” he said. “This award is well-deserved. It is with efforts and dedication to teaching like Dr. Rideout’s that give Memorial’s engineering programs such a high reputation across Canada. His exceptional passion and priorities on quality student learning are inspirations to all of us as educators.” Dr. Rideout has received numerous teaching awards throughout his career, including the Professional Engineering and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL) Teaching Award in 2015; the President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2014; and the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in 2013. With files from AAU.

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

D R . K E V I N P O P E W O R K I N G AT T H E S O L A R / W I N D E N E R G Y S I M U L AT O R .

Master’s program will focus on engineering sustainable energy With the world’s ever increasing demand for energy and a finite quantity of available resources on Earth, humans need to develop innovative solutions for the production and efficient use of energy — and soon. A new master’s degree program in the Faculty to be launched in fall 2019, aims to do just that with its fresh focus on sustainable energy. The program will provide students with expertise in the technological, financial, social and environmental impacts of energy system engineering. Its innovative focus includes courses in energy economics and policy, fundamentals of energy systems and energy and the environment. The program will be jointly offered by the faculty’s mechanical and electrical and computer engineering departments. The interdisciplinary collaboration allows the faculty to maximize its broad expertise for a cutting-edge, educational experience. The program will have two streams: stream A will focus on energy generation and utilization; stream B will focus on electrical aspects of energy engineering. Both streams will provide students with state-of-the-art proficiency of the technological, financial, social and environmental impacts of energy systems engineering. The energy systems engineering degree program will give engineers the skills needed to develop more sustainable techniques to achieve energy production and utilization that is financially viable, readily available and environmentally friendly. ■■■ 14

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Dean of Engineering and Applied Science publishes new second edition textbook Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, published a second edition of a book on heat transfer, titled, Advanced Heat Transfer. Dr. Naterer wrote the first edition of the book in 2002. Since that time, the subject of heat transfer engineering has expanded in many new and emerging technologies. The first edition was well received and used at other universities around the world, which are some of the reasons he decided to write a second edition. While the first edition provided unique content that covered each mode of heat transfer, like conduction, convection and radiation, the second edition better covers a range of advanced methods of analysis and a broader range of applications, such as emerging fields in combustion and nanotechnology. Key features of the book include detailed coverage of both single and multiphase systems of heat transfer; the treatment of conduction, convection, radiation, and phase change heat transfer; expanded coverage of two-phase and chemically reacting flows; analysis of multiphase flows with droplets, particles, solid-liquid and liquid-gas phase change; and solution methods for both single and multiphase flow problems. The book provides a unique source of content for courses in a range of engineering and applied science disciplines. Advanced Heat Transfer, Second Edition was published by CRC Press in May 2018. Using the latest solution methods, it is a valuable resource for a range of engineering majors taking a second-level or graduate-level courses or module(s) in heat transfer or thermal sciences. ■■■

O C E A N A N D N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R A L E N G I N E E R I N G

C I S M A R T 2 0 1 8 W O R K S H O P PA R T I C I PA N T S .

The Canadian Network for Innovative Shipbuilding, Marine Research and Training (CISMaRT) – a world-class network with members that undertake collaborative research and development in marine technology and improve education and training of highly qualified personnel for Canada’s current and future shipbuilding and marine industries, continues to make progress.

National network to enhance Canada’s marine industry making great progress

jointly hosted by CISMaRT and Transport Canada, focused on the issue of technologies for mitigating underwater noise from ships.

This past November was a busy month for CISMaRT members with two back-to-back workshops.

This workshop included a short course on an introduction to underwater noise caused by ships, a number of invited presentations by leading experts in relevant subjects, two breakout brainstorming sessions and a general discussion session. The first breakout session addressed general topics related to underwater noise from ships, while the second focused on the technologies used to mitigate ship noise.

The first workshop, also known as a progress meeting, comprised updates on three pilot projects, a number of invited presentations and a breakout session designed to identify projects for CISMaRT to execute in the future.

The second workshop developed a strategy for raising the international profile of the shipnoise issue, which paved the way for another similar workshop held at IMO premises in London.

The pilot projects are in various stages of execution. The project on the strength of lowor non-ice class ships operating in ice-infested water began this past October. The development of CFD best practices is the next project and is making good progress. Analyses have been performed and the results will contribute to the development of quality assurance procedures for typical ship problems. The third project concerns the effect of manufacturing tolerances on propeller performance. Some preliminary work has been done and shows great promise.

In addition to the partnership with Transport Canada, another major partnership is with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). CISMaRT members are given 35 days of CCG ship time per year for five years to conduct engineering research.

The second workshop on Ship Noise Mitigation Technologies for a Quieter Ocean,

The 2019 workshop will be held in Montreal in the fall. ■■■

While CISMaRT has been successful in obtaining funding to support its interim activities, further efforts are being made to seek additional funding for longer-term operations, particularly to support major new initiatives.

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Engineer received international prize for maritime research

DR. CLAUDE DALEY

Dr. Claude Daley, professor, Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering, is the first Canadian recipient of the Dr. Kenneth S.M. Davidson Medal – a prestigious international prize for maritime research – presented by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). SNAME was founded in 1893 to advance the art, science and practice of naval architecture, shipbuilding and marine engineering. Dr. Daley is considered one of the world’s leading authorities in ice class ship structures. “For me this is the highest level of professional recognition that I can think of in my field,” he said during a conversation with the Gazette. “I’m still somewhat shocked and trying to absorb it. “Winning the Davidson Medal is not like any other success I’ve had,” added Dr. Daley, whose expertise also includes marine structural design and analysis, offshore marine safety and simulation. “There is something more comprehensive about this that clearly goes beyond success in a project or a publication.”

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SNAME noted that Dr. Daley has played a pivotal role in the development of the world’s polar shipping rules as well as one of its main precursors, the Canadian Arctic Shipping Pollution Prevention Regulations. Dr. Daley began his work in ice mechanics and polar ocean engineering when he joined Arctec Canada Limited in 1979. In 1995 he joined Memorial, where he has led an active career. He was principal investigator on an $8-million Sustainable Technology for Polar Ships and Structures (STePS2) research project, which developed design and assessment tools for ships and offshore structures in the Arctic. Dr. Daley is a fellow of SNAME, Engineers Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He has also taken on leadership roles within his faculty, including serving as chair of the ocean/naval program and director of the Ocean Engineering Research Centre. Dr. Daley is also the former vicechair of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador board of examiners. He maintains strong collaborative working relationships with industry, government and academia.

Dr. Daley says receiving the Davidson Medal is “very heartening.” “I really think that there are great people here at Memorial, and many people who are at the leading edge of ocean engineering, especially as it relates to harsh environments and Arctic engineering,” he said. “In my mind, we are one of a mere handful of universities who together define the leading edge. This Davidson win lends support to my belief about Memorial’s position in the world. I just happen to have been selected, but I know that I have many colleagues who all help make Memorial’s reputation what it is and who have allowed me to thrive. This win says more about Memorial than it does about me.” SNAME was founded in 1893, to advance the art, science, and practice of naval architecture, shipbuilding and marine engineering. It currently has more than 6,000 members around the world in 85 countries. ■■■

PROCESS ENGINEERING

F R O M L E F T A R E D R S . C H R I S T I N A B O T TA R O , FA I S A L K H A N A N D K E L LY H A W B O L D T.

International experts convened in St. John’s to solve offshore challenges Researchers and industry partnered for a workshop and research symposium with the aim of saving billions of dollars for the world’s oil and gas industries. International experts were in St. John’s this past June for the event, which was co-hosted by Memorial and Genome Canada. The focus was on microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC): the deterioration of metals caused by metabolic activity of microorganisms. MIC is a major source of corrosion to different assets of the industry, including pipelines, offshore production lines and gathering lines. Dr. Faisal Khan, Canada Research Chair in Offshore Safety and Risk Engineering, and director, Centre for Risk, Integrity and Safety Engineering, organized the workshop and symposium along with Drs. Kelly Hawboldt, professor, Department of Process Engineering; and Christina Bottaro, professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science. Both Drs. Khan and Hawboldt are also researchers with the Ocean Frontier Institute.

Outstanding contribution to industrial and engineering chemistry research The head of process engineering has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry (I&EC) Research journal. The I&EC Research 2018 Excellence in Review Awards have been presented annually since 2016 to journal reviewers who stand out to editors because of the quantity, quality and timeliness of their reviews. In 2018 the journal used more than 5,000 reviewers; Dr. Faisal Khan was one of just 29 reviewers to receive special recognition. The I&EC Research journal is published by the American Chemical Society for applied chemistry and chemical engineering. It is the reliable and current source of new fundamental research, design methods, process design and development, and product research and development. This state-of-the-art journal contains original studies in the areas of applied chemistry, kinetics, catalysis and reaction engineering, materials and interfaces, process, design and control, separations and general research. Dr. Khan reviewed more than 30 journals in 2018 for I&EC Research. ■■■

All three are part of a collaborative research project involving four universities in Alberta and Atlantic Canada that received $7.8 million in federal government funding in 2016 to advance research on improving pipeline integrity. The project is managed by Genome Atlantic. The aim of the workshop and symposium was to allow researchers to share knowledge with industry and vice versa, and to discuss potential ways to share this knowledge with the broader audience in industry and academia through an effective communications strategy. ■■■ SPRING 2019

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Memorial has launched a master’s degree in safety and risk engineering A new master’s degree program in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is filling knowledge and training gaps in the safety and risk field. The master of applied science program in safety and risk engineering is a multidisciplinary program — the first of its kind in Canada. According to Dr. Faisal Khan, the Canada Research Chair in Offshore Safety and Risk Engineering at Memorial, the program is an important part of a growing natural resource industry of oil and gas, mineral processing and transportation.

Not only will students be equipped to contribute to the provincial and national goal of safe and sustainable development, they will gain skill sets that are in high demand by industry and consultancy and regulatory agencies. Students will gain a deeper knowledge on safety and risk engineering design and operational parameters and become highly skilled in safety and risk engineering practices. This knowledge is critical given that engineering systems operating in today’s harsh and challenging environments are highly complex. ■■■

“These industries are moving into areas that are very challenging from a natural hazards perspective and they are very large industries, so extraordinary thinking is required to support these developments,” he said. Designed for working professionals who want to advance their understanding and skills, the program provides students with qualitative and quantitative approaches and a deeper understanding of how related issues could be translated into risk.

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FA R.

ISA

H L K

AWA R D S DR. STEPHEN BRUNEAU

Excellence awards recognizes outstanding individuals in the faculty

DR. LESLEY JAMES

DR. ERIC GILL

The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science acknowledged several individuals for their outstanding contributions to the success of the faculty in 2018. Dr. Stephen Bruneau, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, received the Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching in the faculty in one or more of the following areas: teaching effectiveness; teaching innovation; and teaching scholarship and leadership.

DR. JOHN QUAICOE

Process engineering professor Dr. Lesley James received the Award for Research Excellence. The award recognizes faculty members for outstanding research accomplishments and significant contribution to advancing the faculty’s national and international reputation for research excellence. D R . R . V E N K AT E S A N

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision went to Dr. Eric Gill, a retired professor who received emeritus status in 2018. The award recognizes and encourages excellence in graduate student supervision. The Dean’s Award for Outstanding Academic Service recognizes exceptional contributions of academic staff members. Drs. John Quaicoe and Ramachandran Venkatesan in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dr. Leonard Lye in the Department of Civil Engineering and associate dean (graduate studies) received the award. Kathryn Hong, co-ordinator of outreach activities, and Adam Taylor, procurement and facilities co-ordinator, were the recipients of the Award for Exemplary Service. The award recognizes exceptional contributions of non-academic staff members in the faculty who always make an extra effort, contribute significantly to the success of the faculty and consistently provide outstanding support and assistance. Jamie King, president and CEO, Verafin, received the Outstanding Contributor Award. The award recognizes outstanding alumni who have had exceptional career achievements and made significant impact on an employer, society, community, and/or industry. ■■■

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K AT H R Y N H O N G

A D A M TAY L O R

SPRING 2019

B E NJ C HI EMKAI NRGK S AM

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Lunch & Learn Series… DR. GEOFF RIDEOUT

PA U L A M E N D O N Ç A

The Lunch & Learn Series is an initiative of the faculty’s Research Advisory Committee and the Engineering Research Office. Members of the pubic are invited to all lectures. There were five lectures in 2018: Dr. Geoff Rideout presented on a flipped engineering classroom.

DR. CECILIA MOLONEY

KARA STRICKLAND

Paula Mendonça and Kara Strickland of Memorial’s Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office presented on moving ideas toward commercialization. Dr. Cecilia Moloney presented on the thought process when solving problems. Dr. Mohammad Al Janaideh presented on high-precision mechatronics. Dr. Stephen Bruneau presented technical and artistic hobbies. ■■■

DR. MOHAMMAD AL JANAIDEH

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Speaking of Engineering Lecture Series…

SEAN LACOUR

DR. JOSEPH DARAIO

The Speaking of Engineering Lecture Series promotes engineering in our province and raises awareness of engineering-related issues among students, the academic community and the general public, which we feel is very important. The series is an initiative of Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and is co-sponsored by the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL).

DR. JOHN STEEN

electricity after 2017’s Hurricane Irma caused massive destruction. In April, Dr. Joseph Daraio, a civil engineering professor in the faculty, spoke about how resilient infrastructure can address climate change impacts on Newfoundland and Labrador communities.

There were four lectures in 2018.

This past Oct. Dr. John Steen, an associate professor at the University of Queensland, presented on some of the trends in the mining industry and what industry disruption in mining might look like.

In February, Newfoundland Power’s director of operations Sean LaCour spoke about how Fortis Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) restored the country’s

All presentations were recorded and can be viewed at https://www.mun.ca/engineering/community/ programs/lectures/. ■■■

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Engaging our youth with enriching summer programs

V I S I T O R S T O U R T H E S T R U C T U R E S L A B O R AT O R Y.

C A M P PA R T I C I PA N T M A K E S W E A R A B L E T E C H N O L O G Y.

C A M P PA R T I C I PA N T L E A R N S 3 D M O D E L L I N G S O F T W A R E .

The summer of 2018 marked significant growth for Memorial Engineering Outreach (MEO) programs. Almost 500 youth from across the province participated in our programs: Robotics and Junior Engineers, Girl Quest, Explore Engineering, Teen Circuit, the Boys and Girls Club, Memorial’s Childcare Centre and the Labrador Outreach program. The faculty increased capacity by offering multiple programs each week, including the new Explore Engineering program geared for high school students. All programs were a tremendous success. Youth were inspired to explore engineering through unique, hands-on activities. Working with the Memorial Campus Childcare Centre, MEO delivered a week of workshops to youth ranging in ages from five to 14. An exciting feature of the 2018 MEO programming was the delivery of the camps in five Labrador communities. Two students from Memorial spent eight weeks in Labrador, delivering exciting programs to local youth. This resulted in an amazing summer that our students and camp participants are not likely to forget. ■■■

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Annual open house a huge success The faculty’s annual open house is the perfect way to spend a day learning about all things engineering. The fifth annual open house in 2018 was a huge success with more than 280 visitors to our building. Guests were greeted with exciting booths that featured engineering related products and services. From there they toured a variety of laboratories to learn about the diverse field of engineering and how it’s shaping the world in which we live. Interactive stations for visitors of all ages allowed for handson learning and opportunities to experience the engineering design process first-hand. From underwater technologies, safety simulators, oil recovery, cool electronics and more, our faculty, staff and students put on a great show! ■■■

PROCESS ENGINEERING PROFESSOR DR. LESLEY JAMES SHOWS VISITORS H O W V I S C O U S O R T H I C K T H E O I L I S B Y M E A S U R I N G T H E T I M E I T TA K E S FOR A MARBLE TO ROLL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Memorial Engineering Outreach designs and delivers STEM programs to N.L. youth “Not only do we want young people in our province to be engaged and inspired by their potential in STEM, we hope when they are ready to embark on their careers, they will choose to stay in their home province,” said Ms. Hong. “We believe this will ultimately create a more innovative and sustainable Newfoundland and Labrador.”

In a world where there is an increasing demand to make science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs accessible to youth, the Memorial Engineering Outreach (MEO) office is delivering in a big way. MEO was established in 2013 with support from the Faculty to design and deliver STEM programs to N.L. youth. “MEO strives to make interactive STEM experiences more accessible to youth who may not otherwise be engaged,” said Kathryn Hong, coordinator for outreach activities. “Our goal is to inspire youth to discover the impact they can make with futures in STEM.” Introducing STEM programs to children is becoming increasingly important in a world that is becoming more technological, but for MEO it’s also about striving to make N.L. more sustainable.

C A M P PA R T I C I PA N T E A G E R LY AWAITING FOR HER 3D PRINTED OBJECT

In 2013, MEO delivered three on-campus programs during the summer months for youth ages nine to 18: Girl Quest, which explores STEM subjects in a fun and interesting format for nine to 12-year-olds; Robotics and Junior Engineers, which uses LEGO’s Mindstorm EV3 system and other engineering activities for ages nine to 12; and ArcticENGINEER, an enrichment program designed for high school students. Now in its sixth year, MEO currently offers on- and off-campus programming year-round. In addition to Girl Quest and Robotics and Junior Engineers, other summer programs include Teen Circuit and Explore Engineering. Year-round programs include public engagement events, school workshops, faculty tours, weekend clubs, an annual open house and other special events. “Due to tremendous interest in our summer camps, we now offer multiple sessions of three of our on-campus programs, and will introduce an exciting new program this

C A M P PA R T I C I PA N T S L E A R N I N G A B O U T I C E B E R G T O W I N G

summer called Nano Engineers for six- to eight-year-olds,” said Ms. Hong. “In 2016, MEO became a member of Actua,” said Ms. Hong. “One of the many wonderful benefits of this membership is that we will be able to engage with more than 100 youth in Labrador each summer as part of the Labrador Outreach Program.” In January 2018, MEO received funding from Actua as part of the federal government’s CanCode funding. Actua is Canada’s leading STEM youth outreach network representing 35 university and college-based members. Actua focuses on the engagement of underrepresented youth through specialized programs for Indigenous youth, girls and young women, at-risk youth and youth living in Northern and remote communities. MEO also received funding from NSERC’s PromoScience program, industry partner HMDC for Girl Quest (2012-present) and RDC for Arctic Engineer (2013-2017). “It’s an exciting time for MEO, said Ms. Hong. “Our increased funding allows us to engage more youth in our province. We are grateful for opportunities to partner with larger organizations and look forward to the positive impact that we are making in our community.” ■■■

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Engineering health care the university’s Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE) in partnership with the Health Innovation Initiative. The experience allowed them to job shadow professionals within Eastern Health, which helped them identify areas within the health care system that needed solutions. As a result, BreatheSuite and VitalMIST were born.

Engineering students Brett Vokey and Anna Gosine are tackling some real world health challenges with their companies BreatheSuite and VitalMIST, respectively. With their common goal to improve health care for people on a global scale, the students utilized entrepreneurial competitions to advance their businesses. It began when they completed entrepreneurial work terms through

them to monitor their patients’ inhaler usage remotely for maximum effectiveness. Ms. Gosine’s VitalMIST is an intranasal drug delivery device that aims to create a more effective nozzle that is also safer and more accessible.

Mr. Vokey’s company, BreatheSuite, developed an add-on device for inhalers to help people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The device trains patients to receive optimal dosages of their medication.

The pair competed in competitions such as the Mel Woodward Cup, an annual student idea competition that provides up to three prizes of $10,000 each to teams of Memorial University student entrepreneurs for their innovative business ideas; the Genesis Centre’s Pitch & Pick competition, which is part of the Centre’s Evolution Program for early stage technology-based start-ups.

The device pairs with an app that tells the patient how well they are adhering to their medication plan, gives feedback on inhaler technique and ensures they receive optimal dosages of their medication. BreatheSuite is also beneficial for doctors in that it enables

Mr. Vokey also competed in the New York Health Challenge, an international health care entrepreneurship community challenge and he represented Memorial in the 2018 University Startup World Cup this past fall in Copenhagen, Denmark. ■■■

Student contest turned student-led research idea into reality The competition, which is administered by Universities Canada on behalf of Employment and Social Development Canada, challenges students to use their creativity to develop innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions to accessibility-related issues resulting in communities that are more accessible for persons with disabilities.

In June 2018, a team from Memorial was one of the first place winners of the Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) student competition.

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Mechanical engineering students Jack Chapman and Katie Gillespie, along with nursing student Emma Dornan and neuroscience student Grace Clarke won for their MatHat concept, a hat designed to mimic the feel and support of human hands to provide head support for individuals who live with severe cerebral palsy.

Named after Matt Squires, the 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who inspired the project, the MatHat concept began when the foursome met through the Tetra Society – a national organization that produces assistive devices for people with disabilities to achieve independent and fulfilling lives. With the help from mechanical engineering professor Dr. Oscar DeSilva, they came up with a concept and video which they submitted for the competition and a month later they learned they had won. While the students received a monetary prize and were invited to the 2018 Canadian Innovation Exchange, the most important outcome was a new assistive device for young Matthew Squires. ■■■

U N D E R G R A D U AT E S T U D E N T S

Student entrepreneur one of the first Canadians to vie for the world cup title

N E W P I A N O C A R T.

Student design improves music therapy at local nursing home BRETT VOKEY

Engineering students Amir Elzaher and Jaffer Alkarim Jaffer were completing work terms when the opportunity to work on some community projects with the Tetra Society came up. The Tetra Society is a national organization that produces assistive devices for people with disabilities to achieve independent and fulfilling lives. Sometimes students are hired to work on some devices as part of their co-operative education work terms. One of the four projects the students worked on was a piano cart for Deborah Hawksley, St. Patrick’s Mercy Home’s music therapist. Ms. Hawksley conducts group and individual music sessions with residents at the home. For individual sessions, she often visits residents in their rooms, which means she has to transport a heavy piano, as well as other smaller instruments, all over the building and on the elevators. Designing a new piano cart for Ms. Hawksley made a significant impact on the students. They learned that one of the key factors to a successful accessible design is the ability to see the problem from the perspective of the person who has the disability. For Ms. Hawksley the new portable cart made a world of difference for the delivery of her music therapy program at the home, especially for some individual residents. ■■■

D E B O R A H H A W K S L E Y A N D D R . L E O N A R D LY E

In 2018, fifth-year mechanical engineering student Brett Vokey was one of the first Canadians to compete at the University Startup World Cup in Denmark, where $25,000 USD was on the line for the winning startup. Mr. Vokey’s company, BreatheSuite, which developed an inhaler add-on device to help train patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on proper inhaler technique and proper adherence to ensure optimal dosages of their medication, was one of the competing startups. The device pairs with an app that tells patients how well they are adhering to their medication plan, gives feedback on inhaler technique and ensures they receive optimal dosages of their medication. BreatheSuite is also beneficial for doctors in that it enables them to remotely monitor their patients’ inhaler usage for maximum effectiveness. Mr. Vokey has benefitted from the support of local and international entrepreneurial opportunities and competitions to grow his company. In less than a year, BreatheSuite grew from one to seven team members including a doctor and a pharmacy doctoral student. Sixty-three teams representing 27 countries spent a week developing and presenting their business ideas, exploring the local startup scene, meeting with potential investors and competing to be named the best student startup company in the world. The other Memorial University entrepreneur was Duncan Wallace, who graduated from the bachelor of business administration program in the spring of 2018. ■■■

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T E A M M U M M O R I A L W I T H T H E I R S L E D , T H E U G LY S T I C K .

Engineering students nabbed two awards at national toboggan race In 2018, a team of winter-minded Memorial engineering students competed in the 44th annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) in Kitchener, Ont.

Since part of the competition is to choose themes for the sleds, the students dressed as mummers, naming themselves Team ‘MUMMorial’ and their sled, The Ugly Stick.

The GNCTR is the oldest and largest student-run engineering competition in Canada, challenging over 450 engineering students to design, build and safely race toboggans with a running surface made entirely of concrete.

Team MUMMorial, which consisted of 18 civil engineering students and two mechanical engineering students, was one of 19 teams from across Canada and the U.S. to compete in GNCTR 2018, which tasked students to design and build a toboggan with concrete runners that has a fully

functioning steering and braking system, weighs less than 350 pounds and handles an impact at 65 kilometres per hour. The competition included three events – Drag Race, Slalom and King of the Hill. While The Ugly Stick wasn’t one of the six toboggans to cross the finish line, it did make it one third of the way down the hill and got through one gate in the slalom event. The team also won two awards: Best New Team and People’s Choice. ■■■

Engineering students raised money for local charity In early 2018, students from the Engineering Student Society ‘A’ held the 12th Annual Winter Charity Ball as a way to give back to their local community. The event, which consisted of a catered dinner, silent and live auctions using donated items from businesses and members of the community, raised $19,000 in support of Stella’s Circle, a local community organization that provide services to adults who face many barriers, including mental health challenges, addictions, trauma, poverty, homelessness, criminal justice involvement, low literacy and long periods of unemployment. The goal of the annual ball is to help a local charity and to increase the sense of social responsibility among Memorial engineering students. The event, which takes place each year at the Johnson Geo Centre, becomes more successful each year and has become a well-known fundraising event among the local community. ■■■ M E M B E R S O F E N G I N E E R I N G S T U D E N T S O C I E T Y ‘ A’ P R E S E N T C H E Q U E T O S T E L L A’ S C I R C L E .

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From Bangladesh to Memorial: a passion for engineering

M A R J A N TA G H I B O R O O J E R D I

M D . TA N J I N A M I N

For recent graduate Mr. Tanjin Amin, the decision to move far from his home and family to study at Memorial was a difficult one.

PhD student took centre stage in campaign highlighting Canada’s next generation of researchers

While the move from his home country of Bangladesh meant he had to overcome some challenges, his love of learning helped him make it through.

In 2018, Memorial was featured prominently in a new promotional campaign led by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

When Mr. Amin decided he would complete a master’s degree, a good friend, who was living in St. John’s at the time, suggested he come to Memorial, but friendly city and great researchers aside, Mr. Amin struggled with mixed emotions when he arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador.

CFI celebrated a new generation of researchers who have chosen Canada to build a bright future.

He had also been away from academic life for a couple of years and he worried that he would not be able to transition to full-time studies easily, on top of everything else. His family was equally worried. And, there was also snow … and lots of it. Mr. Amin had only seen snow in movies and, as a result, the local weather reality was a shock. Despite those initial fears and challenges and the weather, Mr. Amin thrived in his new country and school. He worked hard and completed his degree ahead of schedule and with a 90 per cent average. During his program, he published two conference papers and submitted papers to three journals; one paper was recently accepted to a renowned journal and the other two are under review. Drs. Faisal Khan and Syed Imtiaz were Mr. Amin’s supervisors. ■■■

PhD student Marjan Taghi Boroojerdi was selected to be featured in print, video and online as part of the promotion. Her research focuses on understanding the dangers posed by sea ice to ships and off-shore structures. After completing a master’s degree in naval engineering in her native Iran, she was drawn to Memorial for the opportunity to conduct experimental work at the world-famous labs in the faculty’s Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering (ONAE). Now, she studies the bonds that form between chunks of ice, as part of a team working to improve the safety of ships and oil rigs in arctic and sub-arctic conditions. Her video showcases Memorial’s world-class research expertise and facilities and includes interviews with ONAE professor Dr. Claude Daley and Dr. Rocky Taylor, the Centre for Arctic Resource Development (CARD) Chair in Ice Mechanics. The CFI campaign ran until spring 2019. As part of the promotion, Ms. Boroojerdi’s story was included on the CFI website and appeared in ads at the Ottawa airport. Her story was also featured in an ad in The Hill Times this past fall. ■■■

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K I M K E AT I N G A N D D R . N AT E R E R

Engineering honours outstanding alumni Engineering alumni Kim Keating and Earl Ludlow were the recipients of the faculty’s Distinguished Alumni Award for 2017 and 2018, respectively. The award recognizes outstanding alumni who have had exceptional career achievements and have made significant impact on an employer, society, community and/or industry. Ms. Keating, who is the vice-president fabrication, Technical, Construction Central and Western Canada, Cahill Group, graduated from Memorial in 1998 with a bachelor of engineering degree and earned her master of business administration from Athabasca University in 2003.

of the Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Council, and chair of the Rhodes Scholarship in Canada regional selection committee. She is past chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade, past president of WISE NL, a founding member of the International Women’s Forum (Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter) and a board director with the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation and Opera on the Avalon. She sits on the NL Oil and Gas Industry Development Council. She is a Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering – the first female inductee from Newfoundland and Labrador – and serves on the Academy’s board of directors.

She has 20 successful years of experience in the province’s offshore oil and gas industry. Throughout her career, Ms. Keating has worked with integrity and drive to ensure the companies she has worked for, their projects and the employees they represented has been successful on the provincial, national and world stages.

Mr. Ludlow graduated from Memorial with a bachelor of engineering degree in 1980 and a master of business administration degree in 1994. He retired from his position as executive vice-president, Eastern Canadian and Caribbean Operations, Fortis Inc. in 2017 after more than 40 years with the company, having worked in several Canadian provinces, Central America and the Caribbean.

She provides her knowledge in various capacities for business, societal and advisory groups. She is past vice-chair of Memorial University’s Board of Regents, a member

Mr. Ludlow promotes a culture of volunteerism and giving back in his professional and personal life. As a business leader, he believes that corporate, social and

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individual responsibility is paramount. This includes the safety of fellow employees and the general public, the support of charities and social agencies, and the mentoring of the youth of today. He is an active volunteer in the community. He is currently vice-chair of the Rooms, Governor of Commissionaires NL, a member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador advisory council and the RNC Historical Board. He served two terms on Memorial’s Board of Regents and is a past member of the Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Council, past chair of the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Foundation and past vice-chair of St Luke’s Homes. He served two terms as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 1st battalion. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and was awarded the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was inducted into the Atlantic provinces CEO Business Hall of Fame by Atlantic Business Magazine. He was designated as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross in 2010 and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Ms. Keating and Mr. Ludlow received their awards at the faculty’s annual reunion. ■■■

ALUMNI

Alumnus’ giving helps to bolster faculty’s world-class reputation During his acceptance speech Mr. Cahill extended a challenge to all Memorial alumni, organizations and industries that employ Memorial graduates.

Fred Cahill knows the importance of giving back. He also knows the value of a Memorial University education. It’s his passion for both that has made the president of the Cahill Group one of the university’s, and Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s, most outstanding contributors. Mr. Cahill, who graduated from Memorial with an electrical engineering degree, was honoured last fall at the university’s 37th annual Alumni Tribute Awards event. Mr. Cahill received the J.D. Eaton Alumni Award, which recognizes outstanding volunteer contributions to Memorial.

“Support this educational jewel, Memorial,” he said. “Find a way to give back through your time, energy and effort, whether it’s financially or volunteering your time, through political support or even through the continued employment of our graduates. Our province’s university will succeed or fail to the degree that all of us, citizens, government and businesses alike, are active contributors in building strong innovative and enriching communities. If not us, who? If not now, when?” Mr. Cahill gives back to Memorial and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in numerous ways. He is the current chair of the Genesis Centre’s board of directors and a member of the Board of Regents. He is the chair of the Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Council.

board member of the annual affinity NL (Calgary event). His family created the Cahill Nursing Simulation Centre to provide future health care practitioners with the opportunity to practice their clinical skills and knowledge using current technology in a hospital-type setting. Mr. Cahill admits that sometimes it can be challenging to give back but says gestures don’t always have to be grand or significant. He encourages all alumni to give something back to their university. “We all have different drivers that ignite our passion for what we do and how we do it,” he said. “The reality of our world is that we always prioritize activities or events in our lives, but sometimes those priorities shift or change. I think we need to get better at recognizing this and find a way to be less critical of ourselves. One thing I have learned is, if you find something you are passionate about, you will make time for it. For me, that continues to be about my interest in, and my connection to, Memorial.” ■■■

He initiated the creation of the Cahill Engineering One Student Success Centre, a program that better prepares students to enter the work force. He is an honorary

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ALUMNI

CoLab Software is changing the way engineers collaborate. Everywhere and anywhere. Remember the last time you turned down a job offer from Silicon Valley? Maybe not. But that’s exactly what Adam Keating and Jeremy Andrews did to follow their vision with tech startup, CoLab Software. The product at the heart of the company is a software platform they call Gradient. It’s an idea that started with a transformative student experience. Mr. Keating and Mr. Andrews first met as mechanical engineering students at Memorial, working closely together with Paradigm Hyperloop — an international team of engineering students from Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic and Northeastern University.

The duo credits the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE), the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and GlobalNL as their greatest supporters. The pair also note the engineering co-operative education program at Memorial as a valuable experience. Mr. Keating says the co-op. opportunities were the “best part” of his degree program. With these young, innovative Memorial alumni choosing to stay in the province, the future of Newfoundland and Labrador looks bright. ■■■

Up against student teams from around the globe, Memorial entered the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2017. An initiative of SpaceX and Elon Musk, the competition is based on their hyperloop concept, a tube, or series of tubes through which a pod may travel at high-speeds by significantly reducing, or eliminating air resistance, or friction. The Memorial-led group was one of 24 finalists in 2017. The team eventually took second place with their transport pod reaching a top speed of 101 km/hr. They were the only North American team to be awarded the chance to test their pod in the SpaceX Hyperloop tube and they made history as the first team ever to use an air-bearing system. While preparing for the hyperloop competition, Mr. Keating was working from St. John’s and Mr. Andrews was in Ottawa. They both say it was a challenge. The solution became their startup. They launched CoLab Software and developed Gradient, their signature, cloud-based design platform. The interface allows engineering teams to execute design reviews and manage issues in one space, no matter where people are physically located. The goal is to allow users to create technology in a cost-effective way that avoids unnecessary time delays and miscommunication. CoLab has already enjoyed early success, earning $600,000 in preseed financing, expanding to 16 employees and attracting advisors from companies such as Tesla, Google and Bosch North America. J E R E M Y A N D R E W S A N D A D A M K E AT I N G

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We are celebrating 50 years The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science is celebrating 50 years of engineering education in the province. Please save the dates, August 9-10, and celebrate 50 years of engineering education with us! On Aug. 9, Canadian space legend Dr. Roberta Bondar will speak at the Emera Innovation Exchange at Memorial Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Signal Hill campus. Dr. Bondar is Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female astronaut and first neurologist in space! Special thanks to the F.W. Angel Memorial Lecture for sponsoring this event. On Aug. 10, join us for a family-friendly open house in the S.J. Carew (Engineering) Building. The fun will begin in the main foyer of the engineering building with information booths and guided tours of working laboratories. For returning alumni, it is a great opportunity to take a walk down memory lane with your family. For more information, or to register visit: www.mun.ca/engineering/community/alumni/anniversary/ or contact Coreen Bennett: coreenb@mun.ca or (709) 864-6222.

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