Mapiour receives University Staff Excellence Award

In 2021, the program gave special recognition to those individuals who made exceptional contributions through the unexpected challenges of the pandemic, enabling the university to succeed through these extraordinary times.

USask Engineering is proud to that the work of one of our employees, Majak Mapiour, was recognized.

Mapiour, a laboratory co-ordinator in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has made significant contributions to improve experiential learning in a safe and engaging manner by revamping and restructuring the experiments that all undergraduate chemical engineering students perform.

Mapiour received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering at USask in 2007 and 2010, respectively and has worked on campus since 2016 as lab co-ordinator, which involves overseeing more than 20 individual research laboratories, two pilot-scale research spaces and an instrumentation laboratory.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mapiour took a leadership role in making sure every senior-level student received the hands-on laboratory experience needed to complete their courses. His role included initial development of instructional videos, seeking feedback from the department head and faculty instructors and associated revisions, scheduling and co-ordination of laboratory sessions. He also served as a co-instructor and was instrumental in the successful delivery of these courses, which included developing 12 experiments for online delivery. He also delivered an in-person lab course for 18 students during the Winter 2021 term. This course was one of the first in the college to be offered in-person after the university closure due to Covid-19. Extensive planning and safety preparation was done to deliver this course safely and responsibly.

Mapiour also participates in the development of health and safety policies and the implementation of safety protocols in the undergraduate and research laboratories. He has served as the vice-chair of the Chemistry and Biological Engineering safety committee and as a member of the College of Engineering's local safety committee. Mapiour has substantially contributed to achieving this goal through his involvement in the renovation of the Chemical and Biological Engineering undergraduate laboratory and its affiliated spaces, acquiring and incorporating new experimental systems, revamping existing experiments development and/or renewal of instructional materials, especially digital media such as online videos that are easily accessible to our students.

Mapiour’s significant contributions to the department, before and during the pandemic, have significantly strengthened the Chemical and Biological Engineering program and gives the students the hands-on experience they need for their future careers.  

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