USask Engineering Spring 2020 Graduation Award Winners

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
Mechanical engineering has a lot of variety in the courses offered. There are so many different opportunities to choose from within the program.

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
Presenting my research at the Alberta Biomedical Engineering conference in Banff. (My research focuses on analyzing quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) parameters of the meniscus tissue in the knee joint. The goal is that the analysis will help to better characterize the tissue.)

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Never be afraid to ask for help. Your professors and peers want to see you succeed and will do their best to help you reach your goals.

What are your post-graduation plans?
I am currently working for the City of Saskatoon as an Operations Engineer and continuing work on my undergraduate research project.

Hometown: Melfort, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
My favourite thing about chemical engineering is the opportunity to learn about, and work in, various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, food processing, mining, and energy, to name a few. During my degree, I really enjoyed the chemical engineering labs that we had the opportunity to complete, having great professors that take an interest in each student's learning, and being with a great group of peers.

What's a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
After all the hard work my capstone design group and I did in the last year of school, we got to celebrate handing our project in the day before the university was closed.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Find a way of studying that really works for you, whether that be going through and repeating assignment questions by yourself, working with a group, or another way. My other advice is the importance of finding a balance in your life. School and keeping up with work are just as important as ensuring you are taking time for your own mental health and doing things outside of school, such as spending time with friends and getting some fresh air.

What are your post-graduation plans?
I will be working for BASF Canada in a production engineering role. I will continue life-long learning through colleagues, friends, seminars, and possibly working towards additional degrees and certificates in the future.

Hometown: Swift Current, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
What I enjoy most about civil engineering are the many opportunities for field work. I loved being outside during survey camp and spending time onsite during my internship. It can be such a hands-on discipline and you don't have to be stuck behind a desk all the time.

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
My best memories from my four years at the college will always be the times spent just doing homework in the library with my friends and group members. There is an amazing sense of camaraderie within the college. Everyone is in this together, and we are always willing to help each other out.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
My advice for undergrads is to find a good group of study buddies and to never be afraid to ask for help. Professors, TAs, and study groups are all there to help you succeed and you should take full advantage of that.

What are your post-graduation plans?
I will be returning to the college in the fall to pursue a Master's degree in the geotechnical field.

Hometown: Martensville, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
I enjoy many aspects of electrical engineering; it is a discipline that will continue to evolve and innovate throughout the years. I found the labs and practical elements of the program particularly interesting and learned a lot. A big thank you to the support engineers who were not only helpful but became friends over the years. Special shoutout to Jason and Peyman!

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
One of our classes involved working out of the SyLMAND lab at the Canadian Light Source. We used their cleanrooms to design and fabricate a microfluidic mixer, which was a great way to get out of the classroom setting and put our knowledge to use. 

Another great memory was working with my awesome capstone design group members (Landry, Curtis, and Kelvie) on designing a solar power installation for a school and medical clinic in Burundi, Africa.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Your education should be about more than just studying. Get involved with extracurricular activities. Network and make meaningful connections with your classmates, profs, and industry reps whenever possible. Pursue an internship opportunity. It will make your job search a lot less stressful. And a good capstone group will make your life much easier!

What are your post-graduation plans?
My post-graduation plan is to continue working at Hatch Ltd. in Saskatoon as a Control Automation & Electrical Engineer-in-Training. I completed an internship with them though the Engineering Professional Internship Program and am looking forward to starting my career. The majority of my job has to do with designing electrical power and control systems for potash mines throughout the province.

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
I enjoy the exposure to a wide range of topics including fundamental experiments and cutting edge theory.

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
Some of my best memories from my time at the college are playing campus rec with friends from other disciplines and colleges.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Finding a few people you enjoy working with makes everything more manageable and enjoyable.

What are your post-graduation plans?
I will be pursuing a Master of Science degree in Physics and Engineering Physics at the U of S, with a project at the Canadian Light Source.

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
I really enjoy how environmental engineering requires a combination of so many different types of knowledge. To do their jobs effectively, environmental engineers have to combine principles from many different disciplines, such as geology, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Thus, we acquire a diverse set of skills and often get to work with specialists on site. As someone with a passion for learning who enjoys meeting new people, I look forward to developing my engineering skill set and meeting knowledgeable people during my career.

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
Honestly, it's really difficult for me to choose only one memory. I had a fantastic time at the Engineering Winter Formal in first year, several amazing opportunities to attend the C.J. Mackenzie Gala, and a lot of fun competing in design challenges with my friends. While I will treasure these memories, I think the memories that stand out the most come from the many, many fantastic times I had with my fourth-year capstone design group. That group was the best team of people I have ever worked with. Whether we were meeting to discuss our project or spending time together at one of the Environmental Engineering Students' Society (ENVESS) events, they were a joy to be around. I will never forget the incredible sense of accomplishment we all shared when we submitted our final report, the product of eight months of hard work and time spent together. I gained three lifelong friends from that project, as well as a wonderful supervisor, Dr. WonJae Chang, for my graduate degree.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Undergrad can be difficult sometimes, but it really helps if you have a) A strong support network of friends and b) At least one activity that can give you a break from school for a while. In my experience, finding like-minded friends who can be there for you when you're stressed (which, if you're like me, is a lot of the time in this degree) and finding an activity that lets you relax and take time away from school are both crucial to success in this program.

What are your post-graduation plans?
I am currently working on a Master's of Science here at the U of S. My project involves creating and testing a novel remediation technique for hydrocarbon-impacted sites under saline conditions. After my master's, I hope to continue working in contaminated site remediation in Saskatchewan or Alberta.

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
I enjoy coding and learning about computer technologies.

What’s a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
Our professors getting pied in the face for Pi Day.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
My advice would be to manage your time wisely by prioritizing tasks and taking breaks to relax.

What are your post-graduation plans?
Starting my career at Microchip as an Engineer-In-Training.

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

What do you enjoy about your discipline?
The part I enjoyed the most about geological engineering is the family-like atmosphere that the discipline has to offer. With smaller class sizes and the fourth-year field school trip to Alberta and British Columbia, you have a great opportunity to get to know all your classmates and professors on a personal level.

What's a good memory that you will take with you from your time at the College of Engineering?
A good memory I will take away from my time at the college is the life-long friendships that I made throughout my degree.

Do you have any words of advice/encouragement for undergrads still working on their degrees?
Never be afraid to ask for help from your friends, classmates or professors.

What are your post-graduation plans?
Working towards my master’s degree under Dr. Grant Ferguson from the Geological Engineering Department.