MacEngineer Spring 2018

S P R I N G 2018

MacEngineer

Celebrating 60 years of McMaster Engineering

Why learning from experience is the educational wave of the future seen as the responsibility of the post-secondary sector, where students face a wider set of expectations not only to learn and synthesize subject matter, but to adapt it and put it to use almost immediately.

Learning by doing

THE UNIVERSIT Y EXPERIENCE HAS CHANGED. It used to be enough for students to spend four years working hard on assignments, labs and exams to earn a useful undergraduate degree that signalled competence and was redeemable for a good job.

Employers would spend weeks or months training their newly hired graduates, sometimes in cohorts, shaping their broad knowledge so it could be applied to the specific needs of the company or government agency.

Today, in contrast, employers want fresh graduates who they don’t have to train.

That means students must learn and apply their knowledge at the same time, inside and outside the classroom, all without adding extra months or years to their studies. After completing their degrees, they are expected to be ready to compete for jobs and jump into working life immediately, without further training.

In the ongoing global drive for efficiency and competitiveness, education and training are now

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This idea of learning by doing is what is now called “experiential learning,” and though it’s demanding, it is also very effective. It is vital to the mission of all advanced institutions of higher learning, including the one where I am dean of engineering, McMaster University in Hamilton.

In class, this method of learning means replacing chalk-and-talk pedagogy of the past with inquiry, problem-based and project-based learning, sometimes using the tools of what we call a maker space — an open, studio-like creative workshop.

These methods recognize that lectures on complex, abstract subjects are difficult to comprehend, and that hands-on, minds-on learning by experience not only makes it easier to absorb complex material, it also makes it easier to remember.

Outside class, experiential learning takes the

“We are teaching students not only to be workers who drive the modern economy, but also to be engaged citizens.”

form of clubs, activities and competitions for fun, such as the international EcoCAR competition, converting muscle cars from gas to electric power, or hackathons that see students compete to solve complex technical and social problems.

This year at McMaster, experiential learning has been both the competition and the prize as six winners of an extracurricular Big Ideas competition flew off to tour Silicon Valley facilities where they hope one day to work or learn how to start up their own ventures.

Experiential learning also means engaging undergraduates directly in high-level research that was once the exclusive domain of graduate students and professors, exposing them to scholarship at the highest level from early in their academic careers.

In the community, experiential learning is learning through service, both within and beyond one’s area of study — rebuilding hurricane-damaged communities, for example, or helping at local soup kitchens. We are teaching students not only to be workers who drive the modern economy, but also to be engaged citizens.

Work-integrated learning sees students stepping into the actual workplace to get a flavour of what working life is like in their fields, including managing time, working independently, multi-tasking, and adapting to the particular culture and expectations of a specific workplace, all as part of their formal education.

We want students to understand and approach the grand challenges and wicked problems facing our world, such as climate change and opioid addiction, which are not solely issues of science or technology, sociology or economics, but complex, layered issues that demand broad thinking and collaboration.

Canada needs innovators We want our students to be innovators. If life in Canada is to improve, especially in the context of challenging trade relationships such

as NAFTA, we need a workforce that can address global problems with innovation that is relevant —technologically, socially, economically, with respect for all cultures and genders.

All of this learning drives students to begin thinking and acting with their careers in mind from their very first year of study.

Is that fair?

It is important to remember that high school has changed too. Students are better prepared than they were a generation ago. By the time they enter university, they are more aware of the new demands on their time and achievements.

Much more information is also available about

“We cannot change the fact that the world is more competitive, nor that it takes more to succeed than it used to.”

employment and specific employers from portals like Glassdoor, allowing students to make more informed choices about their co-op placements or the permanent employers they will target or reject, based on reputation and organizational climate.

We cannot change the fact that the world is more competitive, nor that it takes more to succeed than it used to.

What we can do is make sure that the extra work that goes into creating and completing a fully realized university experience is as valuable as it can possibly be.

Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in The Conversation Canada https://theconversation.com/ca

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Contents Do you have something to say or news to share?

We would like to hear from you.

Why learning from experience is the educational wave of the future

Big Ideas – California

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New Manager of Engineering Co-op & Career Services

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Alumni Profiles

18 Design Thinking at W Booth School

F E AT U R E :

Celebrating 60 years of McMaster Engineering Excellence

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26 News

27 Engineering grads win Dyson Award

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Kudos

32 Alumni Events

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Contact Carm Vespi Tel: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24906 Fax: (905) 546-5492 vespi@mcmaster.ca eng.mcmaster.ca The MacEngineer is published by the Faculty of Engineering for its alumni. Distribution assistance is provided by the Engineering Alumni OfďŹ ce.

Editor: Carm Vespi Managing Editor: Monique Beech Art Direction and Design: Steve Janzen Writing: Kim Arnott Ciara McCann Sara Laux Monique Beech Photography: Jin Lee, Brian Zheng, Mike Lalich Publications mail agreement No. 40063416 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation department: 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7 vespi@mcmaster.ca

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Celebrating 60 years of McMaster Engineering Excellence It started with a Big Idea: Broaden McMaster University’s researchintensive mandate to create a full-fledged Faculty of Engineering.

In February 1958, under the leadership of the first Dean John Hodgins, it became a reality.

Watch the videos: McMasterEng

W H AT F OL L OW ED W ERE Y E A RS OF BIG aspirations to foster a dynamic community, research environment, innovative spirit and premier education. This year, we are honouring some of our faculty, students and alumni who have had #BigIdeas, and want you to share yours.

Here are some of the stories of those who have helped shape McMaster Engineering, and continue to make a big impact on our world through research, education, innovation and community. We’ll be sharing 36 stories this year in six categories: Diversity Champions, Risk Takers, Thought Leaders, Engineering Explorers, Community Connectors and the Performers. These exemplify our Faculty’s core mission to educate engaged citizen scholars who will transform the world.

Learn more about Big Ideas and follow all of our 60th anniversary stories at eng.mcmaster.ca/about/big-ideas

THOUGHT LEADERS: Setting the direction for McMaster Engineering

John Hodgins It’s the house that Jack built.

BUT YOU LIKELY KNOW HIM AS JOHN. JOHN W. Hodgins was McMaster University’s first Dean of Engineering appointed in February 1958.

But to friends and colleagues, like Civil Engineering Professor Emeritus Art Heidebrecht, he was Jack; Jack who helped design the building that bears his name: The John Hodgins Engineering building, known as JHE. The house and Faculty that Jack built alongside Henry Thode— then McMaster’s head of the Faculty of Science called Hamilton College — and a small but determined group of professors helped build the foundation for McMaster Engineering for the next 60 years. Hodgins believed in common first year classes for engineers, monthly guest lectures from arts, science and the community and making research practical to suit the needs of industry.

“Those were foundations he set that set the Faculty on the right path,” said Heidebrecht, who became a Civil Engineering faculty member in 1963 and would later go to hold various roles at the University, including Dean of Engineering in the 1980s.

Jack Hodgins was born in Thorold, Ont., in 1917 and worked for the Defence Research Chemical Laboratories in Ottawa during WWII, serving as a captain. He came to McMaster from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1955 where he was professor of chemical engineering. He would often regale his McMaster students with his tales from the war during the engineering practice courses that he taught.

Hodgins became director of engineering studies at McMaster, and was the founding

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dean of engineering, appointed in February 1958. He helped design the engineering building, which opened in October 1958, and in 1978 would officially bear his name.

For Hodgins, engineering was about more than teaching students technical skills. He championed exposing students to applied science research and opening their minds to other disciplines, including politics and the arts.

“Being an engineer means dealing with people and you have a life in the world at large. An interest in the humanities and the arts was viewed as an important part of that experience,” said Chemical Engineering Professor Emeritus Cameron Crowe, who was the second member of his department to be hired in 1959.

Hodgins left McMaster in 1975 and, at the time of the naming ceremony in May 1978, was vice-president of Research and Environmental Technology at Domtar.

In 1983, Heidebrecht and the Faculty established the J.W. Hodgins Memorial Lecture series. In 1985, Hodgin’s wife, Jean, created a scholarship in his memory.

But it’s the building in his name that is Hodgins’ legacy on campus. He was personally involved in the building design, which was intended for 700 undergraduate and graduate students. Today, the Faculty has more than 6,000 students, and several buildings.

“He used to say he wanted McMaster Engineering to be the MIT of the North,” said Crowe, who was a student of Hodgin’s at RMC. “He aspired to excellence and influence in the engineering world. He didn’t think small.”

ENGINEERING EXPLORERS: Pushing the boundaries of research

Leyla Soleymani Disease detective Leyla Soleymani builds sensors that make finding disease faster, easier and more accurate.

ONE IN 10 WOMEN WORLDWIDE HAS ENDOMETRIOSIS, a condition where the tissue that usually lines the inside of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body, causing pain, internal scarring and adhesions, and, in some cases, infertility. The disease can be devastating – and yet, because it can only be diagnosed through a surgical procedure, it takes an average of seven to nine years to get a confirmed diagnosis.

Leyla Soleymani, associate professor in the department of Engineering Physics and the School of Biomedical Engineering, wants to change that by making endometriosis detection as easy as checking blood glucose, which only requires a pinprick’s worth of blood.

“We’re working on devices that are easy to use as a blood glucose monitor but can detect specific DNA molecules or proteins that are available in very low concentrations,” said Solymani, Canada Research Chair in Miniaturized Biomedical Devices. “The idea is to make a platform that can be ‘universal sensing’ – able to look at molecules that are different classes, like protein or nucleic acids like RNA or DNA, on the same platform.”

Soleymani and her team, including colleagues in McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences, have already seen success in creating a handheld, solar-powered device for diagnosing tuberculosis quickly using a saliva sample, and are currently also working on developing a more accurate diagnostic test for prostate cancer.

And along with affecting the trajectory of diseases like endometriosis and prostate cancer, something else Soleymani would like to change are preconceived – and limited – ideas about engineering: that it’s a traditionally male profession, that engineers aren’t creative, and that the discipline is only about buildings and bridges.

“People are surprised when I tell them I’m an engineer, and they’re even more surprised when I tell them what kind of engineering I do,” she said. “To be an engineer, you don’t have to be male, you don’t have to be tough – you just have to be creative and love science. Balancing work and family is not easy, regardless of your career path. But when you love your work, it makes any difficult decisions and situations totally worth it. Engineering is for everyone.”

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DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS: Engineering is for everyone

Barry Hill Describing Barry Hill as a well-rounded man is a vast understatement.

IN THE SPACE OF AN HOUR-LONG STROLL ACROSS campus, Hill (B. Eng. ‘66, M. Eng. ’68, Mechanical Engineering) recalls the details of his 1967 Master’s thesis related to high altitude research, stops at JHE’s lobby piano to play a quick tune, pulls out his smartphone to check the price of soybean futures, and talks about a career spent planning power generation facilities for Ontario Hydro.

And following nearly three decades as a professional engineer, Hill has transformed himself into a successful commercial farmer.

A Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River, he is also an amateur historian, a published author, an organist, and a recognized and beloved “Community Treasure” in his home community.

The only child of a schoolteacher mother and a farmer father, Hill grew up on a small Ohsweken farm.

From a young age, Hill says he knew he wanted to be an engineer.

At 14, he earned a scholarship to the prestigious Upper Canada College boarding school, and from there, joined McMaster’s newly-minted engineering faculty in 1962.

Along with the attractive novelty of the nuclear

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reactor, Hill says the school’s offerings of courses in reliability engineering, value engineering and business marked the engineering program as modern and forward-thinking. “McMaster was a small school and quite innovative for its time,” he said. “It allowed you to think outside of the box, as they say today.”

During his years with Hydro One, he had the opportunity to impart some of his Indigenous values to the organization, establishing a native circle for employees, and contributing to the organization’s sustainable development policy.

Eventually Hill decided he could grow fields of crops with the same effort he was dedicating to his vegetable garden in Oshweken. So with an engineer’s diligent preparation, he enrolled in crop farming correspondence courses from the University of Guelph, and planted a soybean field.

Upon retirement from Hydro, Hill relocated to Ohsweken, and along with his wife Cheryle, founded what has become Hillsfield Farms, a successful 2,000 acre grain and oilseeds farm.

His advice for today’s young engineers is simple: “No matter what you’re doing, set yourself up to be open to change.”

RISK TAKERS: Exemplary business leaders and entrepreneurs

Sonia Sennik No matter the brilliance of an idea or invention, there’s a big gap between inspiration and successful execution.

N A R R O W I N G T H AT G A P H A S BE E N BO T H A career focus and a pastime for Sonia Sennik (B.Eng. ‘08, Eng. Physics) over the last decade.

Joining the consulting firm Hatch after graduation, Sennik spent almost 10 years working on major capital projects worth up to $500 million for some of the world’s largest mining and metals companies. As engineering manager and project manager, she led multi-disciplinary teams responsible for shepherding process innovations from idea to implementation.

“I really loved working as a team to build things that had never been created before,” she said.

Her experience in bringing innovation to life is serving her well as she settles into

a new position as the inaugural executive director of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). Using an objectives-based coaching and mentoring process, CDL offers an eightweek program to help entrepreneurs commercialize science and technology advances.

Founded at the Rotman School of Management, where Sennik recently earned an MBA, the Creative Destruction Lab is currently operating across five Canadian universities, with plans for further expansion.

The position is an exciting one that lines up with her values, she said. “The energy here is really infectious. It’s great to see all these fresh ideas walk through the door.”

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COMMUNITY CONNECTORS: Making a difference to society

Jim Cotton Jim Cotton knows the real work begins in our communities.

THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR’S vision is to build sustainable energy systems in communities across Ontario. Now, with the creation of a novel energy research cooperative, his work could help shape the city of the future.

Currently, most of the energy used in industrial production and other businesses goes to waste. In fact, up to 70% of energy is lost in the use and transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil pathways to our communities.

Cotton wants to solve this problem with his integrated energy systems research. His idea is to combine thermal and electrical energy technologies to harvest waste heat, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“It is a grand heat transfer problem,” said Cotton.

“We waste more energy than we use in society. Why would we waste it when we can capture it?”

From 2014 to 2017, Cotton has received

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more than $8M from government and industry partnerships to support his research, which aims to help meet Ontario’s Climate Change Plan to reduce GHG emissions by 37% in 2030.

“Climate change is a global problem but I think it takes a community approach to fix it. The cities will drive it.”

Cotton’s technology powers, heats and cools areas in communities with intense energy demands such as, big block stores and condominium complexes. With the support of 17 energy industry partners on the project, including HCE Energy Inc., GridSmartCity (a group of 13 community Local Distribution Companies), GeoSource Energy Inc., S2E Technologies Inc. and Siemens Canada Limited, Cotton’s vision is turning into a reality.

“All these players individually can’t do it on their own but if you form a co-operative, the financial and political motivation becomes apparent, and you start to realize that we can make this happen.”

THE PERFORMERS: Bringing an artistic flair to engineering

Lacey Wice When Lacey Wice, a ballerina since age 3, finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of getting pointe shoes, she did one thing: Cut them open to see what was inside.

SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. DANCING ON HER TIPTOES had been a dream since she was three, when she paired a tutu with a diaper. But her dream was to have the classic pale pink shoes that all of her friends had. Lacey got dark orange instead; The kind with extra support but no beauty. So the scissors came out, and the exploring began.

She cut straight down the back of the delicate shoe, peeling layers of satin, leather and paper to discover a small piece of steel in the shank where the heel sits: A future engineer with a dancer’s spirit was born.

“Some ballerinas have to work on the flexibility of the foot,” said Wice, a third year Mechanical Engineering and Society student with a minor in Biology at McMaster, who

continues to explore the biomechanics of ballet as a Hamilton City Ballet student.

“Since I have a naturally curved foot, the steel reinforced that bend in my foot. Unfortunately, I was stuck with the orange pair since they were the only ones with that steel reinforcement.”

One of the 20 year-old’s many aspirations is to use her engineering education to inform dancers about injury prevention.

“Many dancers don’t realize they have small injuries that can lead to more serious surgeries and prosthetic replacements later in life. I want dancers to know what their bodies can physically handle. I want to tell them the maximum force their foot can take so they can avoid injury.”

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California A four day whirlwind exploration of California tech companies was better than a trip to Disneyland for McMaster Engineering students.

Touring Google, Facebook, Apple, Tesla and Corning was both surreal and life changing for six lucky students who won a trip to San Francisco from Feb. 20 to 23. To earn their way, Andrew Aslanidis, Elizabeth DaMaren, Salma Latuke, Justin

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Licari, Jesse Wang and Adit Patel competed in the Faculty’s first Big Ideas contest, where they pitched their innovative solutions to nagging engineering problems and nudged out more than 60 other applicants to win the dream trip.

What they got in return was a behind-the-scenes look at some of the world’s largest and most influential companies, and one-on-one time with the McMaster Engineering alumni who work there.

First stop? Tesla, where students scoped out the open-concept workspace of one of the world’s most innovative transportation companies.

“It’s surreal,” says DaMaren, a Mechatronics Engineering & Society student, as a Tesla sign towers behind her in the distance. “I’ve admired Tesla for years and to finally get to California and to see them and meet McMaster alumni working here, I have no words at this point.”

Alumni Mitch Kos (B Tech ’15), Brandon Sarjoon (M. Eng. Policy ‘16), Don Pathirana (Mech Eng ’ 14) and Eunice Lee (Chem Eng ’ 16) regaled students about their experiences working at Tesla — all of them hired within the last 18 months. The group described a dynamic and fast-paced work environment where teamwork to solve problems and draw on expertise from other areas reign supreme.

Recent graduate Kos, who has worked at Tesla for more than a year, offered this advice to students: “Follow your passions and your hobbies. Stay in school and perform at the highest

level you can. Pursue the passions that you have whether that’s joining a school club, sport or an activity that you find interesting — those are the things that offer more opportunities to get jobs.”

“I appreciate how they gave very honest and candid insights into what it’s like to actually work here,” says Wang, a Mechanical Engineering student. “The most surprising thing is how everyone has a very different background environment, not just in the auto industry.”

Apple’s Tech Playground The Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, California is a tech playground. Light pours in from floor to ceiling windows, illuminating a range of Apple products. Students scatter to test out gadgets, including a 3D model of Apple’s campus, brought to life by augmented reality technology.

The low rumbling sound of steaming milk lures students into the center’s cafe where three McMaster Engineering alumni and Apple employees welcome them. Nilay Desai (B.Eng ‘13); Waleed Shinwari (MA ‘07, Ph.D ‘11) and Tyler Roschuk (MASC ‘ 05 & PhD Physics ‘09) engage in a relaxed

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conversation about their career experiences.

“When I was in school I didn’t even think about interning at Apple or Google,” says Desai, who is excited to welcome McMaster Engineering students for the first time to Apple. “We’re exposing students to the fact that this is out there and it’s in your realm. This is something you can get.”

The guidance Adit Patel received during the trip will help him turn his big idea into a startup.

The third year Software Engineering Embedded Systems student already has a prototype for his Smart Vent that uses Internet of Things technology to fix the temperature imbalance in homes.

Winning the Big Ideas Contest inspired Patel to apply to compete at this year’s Forge@Mac Startup Competition.

“Meeting McMaster alumni and learning from their experiences in Silicon Valley has been a highlight for me. Seeing what steps you need to take and the kinds of experiences you will have here especially with a startup, it’s really informative and let’s you know that you can go anywhere. You just have to find the right people, the right products and fit it all together.”

Facebook’s Disney village Facebook’s sprawling campus in Palo Alto lays before the students like a street at Disneyland,

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a pedestrian street leading them to an ice cream parlour, arcade, town square and signs encouraging employees to ‘Hack’ their way to a better platform and world. Surprisingly, there’s no branding or famous ‘F’ in sight.

Alumnus Gurbir Dhulla (B. Eng. ’15) happily leads the group on a tour of the campus, taking a moment to answer questions in what looks like a town square — the site of many Facebook hack-a-thons.

“You feel like you’re part of something much bigger here and people value you,” Dhulla tells the captivated group. “For me, that really stood out.”

Dhulla completed five four-month internships at various companies, including Facebook — which stood out for its laid back and startup feel.

“There’s not many companies where you can say the code that I wrote impacts two billion people every day.”

Standing on top of Facebook’s nine-acre rooftop garden, Aslandis is blown away by his experience and how it’s enriching his worldview.

“It really is possible to come down here and work for them,” says Aslandis, a second year Mechanical Engineering & Society student. “It’s not the dream that’s on a pedestal, like I had in my head. These students, they went through McMaster, they did a job in Ontario and now they work at Tesla (and other tech companies). To me, it was eye-opening to see that such an experience is within reach for me.”

Channeling Willy Wonka at Google At Google, colourful rainbow-coloured bicycles, dreamy oversized suckers and gingerbread men — a nod to different iterations of Android’s operating systems — and a dinosaur skeleton dominate.

Cue Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.

Instead, fellow student, Shawn Jin, who is a McMaster Engineering international student from Shanghai, greets the group. He is on a co-op placement at Google, and he’s dressed the part by sporting a Noogler beanie hat — given to all

hires— and a branded backpack and sweatshirt.

He’s two weeks into his placement, and besides the great experience he’s gained on the job working on the company’s mobile virtual network, the next best thing about this Google experience is clear: The free food — a mainstay at the world’s biggest tech companies.

“We have great restaurants and we eat the freshest foods,” Jin gushes.

It was also awesome to have a visit from his institution, says the Software Engineering student who caught up with Engineering Co-Op & Career Services Manager, Kathryn Leistner and Career Development & Relationship Manager, Jesse Sahota.

“I feel great I think McMaster cares about me. I had a site visit and I’m very glad that I can host the entire tour. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

What impressed Licari, a fourth year Computer Science student, most was the culture of Google and the other tech companies he visited. “One thing that’s amazing to see is the culture of technology and how it’s kind of seeped out of Silicon Valley into other tech companies around the world.”

Dragon’s Den pitching at Corning Salma Latuke takes a deep breath before launching into her two-minute pitch: A big idea to create a personal safety app that tracks your GPS co-ordinates and sends information to emergency services.

A group of accomplished McMaster Engineering alumni, now mainstays in Silicon Valley, are listening, ready to give feedback, Dragons Den-style.

Experienced investors and tech leaders Waguih Ishak (Ph.D. Electrical ’78), Nitin Chopra (B. Eng. Electrical ’05), Faizel Lakhani (B. Eng. Electrical ’93) and Mark Costin (B. Eng. Chem Eng ’81) gather around a boardroom table at the Corning West Technology Center. Pitching their ideas was part of the deal for McMaster Engineering’s six Big Ideas contest winners, and Latuke loved it.

“We got to speak to people who actually do create startups and fund them,” says Latuke, a final year Chemical Engineering student. “Just hearing their experiences and their words of advice really helped.”

For Lakhani, an established entrepreneur who runs a data analytics company, the experience of hearing the bright ideas from the next generation of engineers and innovators was rewarding.

“I called myself a failed student because I wasn’t that great at anything I did,” Lakhani told the crowd, including Dean Ishwar K. Puri. “But I was able to learn quickly from what people were saying and I was always listening because I knew I was dumb and as a result of knowing you were dumb you were always trying to find people who were smarter and learn from them.”

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Introducing our #BigIdeas Contest Winners Andrew Aslanidis Program: Mechanical Engineering and Society, Level 2 When he’s not studying: Aslanidis is a manufacturing team lead for the McMaster Formula Electric team.

Big Idea: Electric buses powered by charging plates that are built into the ground at terminals. Instead of burning fossil fuels when stopping at a terminal, buses would park over the plate and charge automatically using induction.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with his career aspirations: “I am interested in entrepreneurship and by visiting Silicon Valley, I would meet so many like-minded people who could inspire me to start my own company, or come up with my own product that could improve the lives of others.”

Elizabeth DaMaren Program: Mechatronics Engineering & Society, Level 3 When she’s not studying: DaMaren is a teaching assistant for the Engineering Design and Graphics course and is a software engineering co-op student for Telus.

Big Idea: Ever get tired of scrolling through photos of celebrities, fashion trends and cats on your phone all day? DaMaren wants to develop Insight, an app that tracks your social media activity and shows you articles on topics outside of your usual social media bubble. The app would share articles and videos on topics such as global hunger and climate change, helping to broaden peoples’ knowledge on issues that matter and develop their own big ideas to change the world.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with her career aspirations: “I want to be a part of the generation of engineers that helps to develop technologies that both improve society and the environment.”

Justin Licari Program: Computer Science, Level 4 When he’s not studying: Licari is a self-employed SEO consultant. He also develops web apps for startups.

Big Idea: Getting work experience as a full-time student can be challenging. Licari wants to help students by launching a software program that helps students gain valuable work experience through part-time, short-term projects with startups.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with his career aspirations: “Meeting with tech companies in Silicon Valley would give me the exposure to launch my software platform.”

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Salma Latuke Program: Chemical Engineering, Final Year When she’s not studying: Latuke is a student fundraising representative for McMaster.

Big Idea: When Latuke walks home late at night, she wants to feel safe. Her idea is an app that connects the user with trained volunteers from all over the world. No matter how late it is, there is always someone from a different time zone available to keep you company over the phone on your walk home. In case of an emergency, the app has the GPS coordinates of your location, your local emergency services information and your physical description.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with her career aspirations: “My long-term career aspiration is to build a company. Going to Silicon Valley would give me the opportunity to network with those in the entrepreneurial community and potentially gain a mentor…I want to learn how innovators got their start in entrepreneurship and the resources that were helpful and instrumental to their success.”

Adit Patel Program: Software Engineering Embedded Systems, Level 3 When he’s not studying: Patel was a volunteer at last year’s First Robotics event.

He also designed and developed products for Elevety Inc. using 3D modelling.

Big Idea: Patel wants to develop smart vents to fix the temperature imbalance that often occurs with heating and cooling systems in the home, helping homeowners save thousands on energy costs. The Internet of Things technology uses a duct fan, bluetooth and WiFi to control the temperature in every room in the home.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with his career aspirations: “The next steps for turning this big idea into a sustainable company is to learn from what others have done, this is what I hope to accomplish by going to the valley.”

Jesse Wang Program: Mechanical Engineering, Level 3 When he’s not studying: Wang is on the McMaster Solar Car Project team Big Idea: A universal interface for charging battery packs on alternative, greener methods of electric transportation such as e-bikes and electric skateboards. A universal interface could lead to the creation of portable charging stations for any green method of transportation.

How a trip to Silicon Valley aligns with his career aspirations: “I find electric vehicles fascinating and the opportunity to visit a company such as Tesla would certainly be a unique opportunity to gain insight about this field from leading innovators. And also maybe meeting Elon Musk.”

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Alumni Profiles “I think the lesson here is that an engineering degree sets you up to do almost anything.”

From Engineer to Entrepreneur to Academic IT ’S NOT UNCOMMON TO HE A R PEOPL E TOU T the broad versatility of an engineering degree. Anyone looking to bolster that argument could point to the living example of McMaster grad David Goad.

Building on the foundation of a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering and Management (‘91), Goad has constructed a career spanning several continents, several industries and multiple successes.

From his start in the nuclear industry after graduation, he headed into chemical manufacturing, then on to business consulting and software sales.

Working as an IT consultant in Australia eventually led him to launch his own systems integration business, eSavvy, which he sold in 2014.

Along the way, he also earned a Masters in Finance from McMaster, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from York University. Now living and working in Australia, Goad teaches at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales business schools while working on his PhD.

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“I think the lesson here is that an engineering degree sets you up to do almost anything,” says Goad. “It trains you to learn and think in a structured way, which helps in most career scenarios.”

With the sale of his successful business, Goad now enjoys the luxury of following his passions.

His PhD research focuses on the Internet of Things (IoT), and he combines freelance consulting on business issues related to the IoT with teaching and mentoring of entrepreneurs.

“It’s been predicted that by 2020, more than half of all major new business processes and systems will incorporate some element of the Internet of Things,” says Goad. “The degree to which IoT will change business strategies and business models promises to surpass even the dramatic technology changes we’ve seen in recent decades.”

In his spare time, he also works as a volunteer firefighter and ambulance attendant while enjoying the abundance of outdoor opportunities that Sydney offers him and his young family.

Alumni Profiles “A lot of what’s interesting in patent law right now has to do with software.”

Combining a Legal Mind with an Engineering Brain WHEN INVENTORS ARRIVE IN JUMI K ASSIM’S Minnesota patent law office, they’re usually pretty happy to learn that she speaks their language.

As a software engineer turned lawyer, she understands what makes a technology novel, and can move forward with patent applications to protect crucial intellectual property developments.

“I like to say my job is as a translator, translating from the technical side to a language the law requires,” she explains.

“It’s actually kind of rare for someone to have a software engineering degree and be a patent attorney, even though a lot of what’s interesting in patent law right now has to do with software.”

In 2002, Kassim graduated from McMaster’s first software engineering and management class.

Along with several classmates, she travelled to Minnesota where she spent more than a decade working as a software engineer for Boston Scientific.

But when her engineering colleagues began seeking MBAs to further their careers, she looked a bit more broadly at the implications of technology. “The law just seemed interesting to me.”

Working as a patent attorney since graduating from law school in 2014, Kassim says she enjoys the variety of her new job.

“When I was working as a software engineer, I knew pacemakers and defibrillators really well, and especially their communications systems because that’s what I worked on,” she says. “Now I get to work on a different technology every day, every hour.”

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Alumni Profiles “My engineering degree was foundational in developing my critical thinking and analytical skills.”

Finding the Opportunity Needle in the Data Haystack WHEN IT COMES TO BIG DATA, VOLUME IS ONLY valuable when merged with understanding.

That’s a truth that Elaine Kwan (B.Eng. ’04, Electrical) works every day in her role as a specialist in data analytics with Hydro One Networks Inc. Early in her career, Kwan recognized her passion for shaping reams of information into useful patterns, in order to spot trends and opportunities. Those patterns and trends provide a path for improving operations and making processes more efficient and reliable.

“I love what I do,” she says. “Data visualization combines my love for visual arts to interpret data into meaningful insights to tell a story, resulting in actions with measurable business benefits.”

While she originally came to McMaster intending to study software engineering, a shift to electrical and two co-op terms in the utility industry paved a path to her career with Hydro One. “My engineering degree was foundational in developing my critical thinking and analytical

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skills,” says Kwan. “And being surrounded by amazing, supportive friends at McMaster shaped me into who I am today.”

She’s settled into her role in data analytics after working in positions in Supply Chain and Procurement, Asset Management, Performance Benchmarking, Mergers & Acquisitions and Design Engineering.

Away from work, one of Kwan’s passions is travelling. She’s hiked Patagonia and Machu Picchu, walked along the Egyptian pyramids, and slept under the open sky in the deserts of Jordan.

“I’ve traveled to five continents and over 30 countries,” says Kwan. “I love to explore different cultures, try different foods and meet people. And once you experience it, it changes you and you’re never the same.”

“Travelling gives me something that school or books can’t. It’s like an endless classroom, where I can learn agriculture in Mexico, process efficiency in Japan or the history of Hinduism in India.”

Alumni Profiles “To engineers looking to share their expertise in the developing world I would say, go for it.”

Building Around the World IN THE DECADE SINCE HE GRADUATED FROM THE Civil Engineering and Management program, David Heska has put his professional skills to work on a range of interesting construction projects.

Niagara Fall’s Great Wolf Lodge waterpark, for example. Lime Ridge Mall. Oh yes, and a college in South Sudan.

Heska’s current job – Southwestern Ontario director of the Building Sciences group with global engineering consulting firm WSP – gives him responsibility for managing multiple projects across the region and leading a team of about 30 engineers in offices from Hamilton to Windsor.

“I enjoy the fact that my job involves some technical design, some business development with clients, and the opportunity to train some of our junior staff,” he says.

In 2013, Heska, his wife Karen (’07, Nursing) and his two-year-old daughter Rachel spent a year

in South Sudan working with SIM Canada. He served as project manager for construction and repairs at the Gideon Theological College.

“My wife and I had both enjoyed the summer trips to Africa we had been on during our undergraduate studies, so when an opportunity came up for us to go in 2013 we thought it was a great fit,” says Heska, who took part in mission projects to Tanzania in 2005 and East Asia in 2007.

“To engineers looking to share their expertise in the developing world I would say, go for it. And when you’re there, listen and learn,” he adds. “I enjoyed learning Arabic and communicating with the construction staff, while learning from them some of the unique best practices in the area.”

Heska’s musings on construction practices and insights from his time in South Sudan can be found at http://theheskas.blogspot.ca.

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Alumni Profiles “I firmly believe that, if done properly, technology can have a positive social, economic and cultural impact.”

Being in the Wrong Place at the Right Time WHAT INITIALLY APPEARED TO BE A WRONG turn eventually made all the difference in Harpreet Geekee’s career path.

An aspiring nuclear engineer when he arrived at McMaster in 1988, Geekee accidentally stumbled into Dr. Barna Szabados’ course on control systems. Suddenly semiconductors and compilers piqued his interest.

“I became intrigued and entrenched into the dumb machines called computers,” says Geekee, who earned his degree in Computer Engineering in 1992 and entered the industry just as it was poised to transform the world.

That wrong turn has led him to work for some of the biggest names in the computing industry, and on some of the most innovative technologies.

As he launched his career with Nortel, Geekee was one of the initial team members working on Java. Eventually becoming a member of the Java Executive Committee, he helped define, standardize and review Java specifications.

Moving to Cisco in 2008, he spent five years working in India before returning to Canada as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Cisco Canada Solutions.

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In 2015, Geekee joined Juniper Networks as CTO, working with financial services institutions around the globe.

His career journey has seen him develop technology solutions for customers in industries including education, health care and transportation, and work on emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, eCommerce platforms and the Internet of Things.

“I firmly believe that, if done properly, technology can have a positive social, economic and cultural impact,” Geekee says.

Most recently, Geekee has launched his own venture, Highmark Global, which is focused on helping medical technology companies develop marketplace software solutions.

He also sits on the boards of multiple start-ups, offering advice on technical strategies.

“Over my career, I’ve realized that what I learned at McMaster was not simply theoretical knowledge. I gained the tools to be analytical, critical and observant of various possibilities and options, but also to respect the power of human networking and be able to look at problems from different perspectives.”

Alumni Profiles “Earning the respect of my peers in industry through my track record, so that terms such as ‘women in technology’ become outdated, and just accepted as normal, would be a terrific outcome in my view.”

Manufacturing a Composite Solution for a Changing World STANDING BESIDE A GROUP OF POLITICIANS, together with her business partner in front of friends, family and colleagues, at the grand opening ceremony of their new Simcoe manufacturing facility, the moment struck Gina Succi (B.Eng ‘88, Civil).

“It is one thing to get the key to a big, empty building, fill it up with equipment and products and sell them,” says Succi, executive vice-president of Westhill Innovation Inc. “But being part of a business recognized by all three levels of government, has been one of my biggest accomplishments.”

Westhill Innovation designs and manufactures custom lightweight and environmentally-sustainable composites for the transportation and construction industries.

In October 2017, the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Design announced a partnership with Westhill. Drs. Seshasai Srinivasan and Mostafa Soliman are currently leading 11 graduate students across the fields of mechanical, electrical and manufacturing engineering, through three new projects

with the company which involve recycled materials, advanced manufacturing, and solar energy applications.

“I love the energy these students bring, and their excitement to be working with us,” Succi says. “I am in awe of their abilities, their confidence, and in the way they approach their work.”

Succi began her career working as an engineer in the fields of logistics, mining, construction and steel manufacturing. She met Emil Radoslav, Westhill Innovations’ president & CEO, when they worked together on a special project at a Canadian steel mill. Years later, when Westhill was preparing to launch, Succi joined Radoslav as a business partner and has been instrumental in taking the company to the next level.

She hopes her 30 years of hard work set a good example for others. “Earning the respect of my peers in industry through my track record, so that terms such as ‘women in technology’ become outdated, and just accepted as normal, would be a terrific outcome in my view.”

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Engineering grads win Dyson Award for hand-held skin cancer-detecting device

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WHAT STARTED AS A FINAL YEAR ENGINEERING class project at McMaster University is now an internationally recognized improved solution for the early detection of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

the skin, which may indicate risk of melanoma.

Current diagnosis methods are purely qualitative and based only on visual inspection.

The sKan provides quantitative information about skin spots so that physicians can

Michael Takla, Rotimi Fadiya, Prateek Mathur and Shivad Bhavsar, all graduates of McMaster’s Electrical and Biomedical Engineering program, received the prestigious James Dyson Award and $50K to support the development of The sKan, the team’s skin cancer detection device last November.

The sKan was one of only two Canadian projects that made the shortlist of 20 finalists, selected from over 1,000 entries from 23 countries by a panel of Dyson engineers. Named after the renowned British inventor, designer and force behind Dyson, the home appliance technology company, the James Dyson award celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers.

The sKan assists physicians and the average person in detecting melanoma by creating a thermal map on the region of interest on the skin. The device is made up of 16 temperature-sensitive components called thermistors that look for areas of significant temperature difference on

select appropriate patients for a biopsy.

“We came across the issue of skin cancer and how technology hasn’t had the same impact on its diagnosis as it has on other fields in medicine,” Mathur said. “We found research that used the thermal properties of cancerous skin tissue as a means of detecting melanoma.

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However, this was done using expensive lab equipment. We set out to apply the research and invent a way of performing the same assessment using a more cost-effective solution.”

“We’re proud of The sKan team for winning this international award,” said Ishwar Puri, McMaster’s Dean of Engineering. “At McMaster Engineering we inspire all of our students to have big ideas through design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship.

We educate them to become engaged citizen scholars who will transform the world and solve those wicked problems our society faces.”

The team travelled to the UK in late October to accept the award from Dyson at his company headquarters. The Faculty of Engineering has also received $8,500 as part of the award.

The James Dyson Award is open to current and recent design engineering students.

Mac Eng Goes on U.S. Tour FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, RECRUITERS from McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering are heading south of the border to promote the school’s innovative academic offerings.

This fall, McMaster will take part in STEM-focused college recruitment fairs in Houston (Sept.30), Silicon Valley (Oct.7) and New York City (Oct.14).

For alumni living in those areas, the fairs offer a

chance to promote McMaster to their younger family members and friends, says Victoria Larke, acting manager of strategic recruitment and enrolment.

“We have clusters of successful and proud Mac grads working in many American cities, and we’d love to see them when we come for a visit.”

Watch our website (eng.mcmaster.ca/future) for additional details in the coming months.

New Manager of Engineering Co-op & Career Services McMASTER’S ENGINEERING a packaging company in Canada students dream big. But they have and the USA, she saw the business a new ally on their side in the quest impact of finding the right fit for a job. to make those dreams come true.

“My vision is that every student As the new manager of the should achieve his or her dreams, Engineering Co-op & Career Services and we need a strong team to make team, Kathryn Leistner brings a that happen,” says Leistner. “My wealth of professional experience in job is to support that team, and connecting students with jobs, and to rally and motivate them.” companies with the people they need.

Along with a Human Resources Previously a team member working Kathryn Leistner Management diploma from in co-op and career counselling roles at McMaster and a Bachelor of Niagara College and Brock University, Education in adult education, Leistner also has practical knowledge from the other Leistner is working on her Masters in Education, side of the fence. As a human resources manager for specializing in Indigenous education.

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Students at W Booth School Practice Design Thinking ENGINEERS PL AY A CENTRAL ROLE IN CREATING A barrier-free world. That’s why the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology invites students to pursue projects that help persons with disabilities overcome problems related to daily living.

The Design Thinking course (SEP 760) taught

by Dr. Robert Fleisig offers a platform for this kind of human-centred, experiential learning. Last semester, a team of master level design students completed a health-related project that exhibits the

W Booth School graduate Abraham Mousavi holds the final prototype of Coiner. hallmarks of design thinking — a dynamic process for creative problem solving. It’s often presented as an iterative model with five complementary elements: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test.

The students — Abraham Mousavi, Haysam Fahim and Hamid Saghaeian — began by searching for a person with a disability willing to be a project client.

They found Ms. Sandi Mugford, a Hamilton resident with rheumatoid arthritis. This autoimmune disorder affects the joints and causes painful swelling which can lead to bone loss and deformities. In Sandi’s case, it makes routine hand movements, such as gripping, pinching and twisting, difficult or impossible.

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The students met with Sandi to establish rapport and begin to understand the various challenges she experiences due to advanced rheumatoid arthritis.

During their initial conversation, Sandi talked about her love of fresh food and the physical problems she faces while shopping for groceries. One is carrying heavy items from aisle to aisle and to her car. Sandi said she can’t access a shopping cart because she doesn’t have the hand dexterity to operate the coin-activated lock mechanism. Defining this specific problem marked an ‘aha moment’ for Sandi and the students, and the starting point for the project.

Over several months, the students applied design thinking and technical know-how to create a viable solution. It’s called Coiner — a key-like device with a rounded end piece that mimics a quarter dollar coin. Made of light weight aluminum, it can be attached to the user’s key chain and easily inserted and removed from the lock assembly on most shopping carts. Sandi used the final functional prototype, and it worked. Success has led to the possibility of commercializing Coiner.

This specialized product is the outcome of an iterative design journey that placed Sandi front and centre. During the journey, she frequently met with the students to share additional insights and feedback, respond to a series of preliminary sketches, and test various prototypes. And she offered laughter and encouragement to keep everyone going through the rough patches.

Alongside interpersonal skills, such as relationship building and active listening, the students developed technical capabilities in computer-aided design and rapid prototyping. They also learned how to present their work and appropriately respond to the constructive criticism of peers and faculty.

“For many of our students, this holistic approach to engineering design is new and initially uncomfortable,” said Dr. Fleisig. “It’s rewarding to see them embrace discovery, learn by doing and grow through helping others. These are leadership attributes needed to build a brighter world for everyone.”

News New student centre dedicated to hands-on learning

THE ENGINEERING FACULT Y’S L ATEST BUILDING – the $11-million Gerald Hatch Centre for Engineering Experiential Learning is now officially open for business.

Inspired, designed and managed by undergraduate engineering students, the 28,000-squarefoot building is an innovation playground for teams, clubs, societies and others to collaborate, inspire and learn from one another.

Undergraduate students contributed $2 million toward the three-storey space, which includes a massive bay area for car teams, offices for the McMaster Engineering Society, workspaces, board rooms and student support services.

The building’s namesake, Gerald G. Hatch, the late founder and first president of the global engineering consultancy Hatch, generously donated $2 million toward the project. As well, several Hatch employees contributed funds with the company matching donations, totalling more than $1 million.

Gennum Corporation co-founder Doug Barber and wife, June, contributed $1.5 million and former

Chairman and CEO of the Timberland Group of Companies Walter G. Booth donated $1 million.

“For nearly 30 years, Hatch has been proud to support McMaster University and the School of Engineering, which provides students with exceptional learning opportunities and practical engineering experience,” said Kurt Strobele, Chairman at Hatch.

“The new Hatch Centre represents our continuing commitment to McMaster and its students, as they realize their potential to engineer for a better world.”

Open since September 2017, the Hatch Centre is a hub for the Faculty’s 5,000 undergraduate engineering students to foster hands-on learning and support work being done in the classroom.

“The Hatch Centre will greatly enhance the McMaster Engineering undergraduate experience,” said Mike Meier, former president of the McMaster Engineering Society. “One of the greatest aspects of McMaster Engineering, our unique community and students, will have a home. This centre will undoubtedly help generate effective student leaders for years to come.”

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News Professor aims to create collaborative capstone projects

A BIG IDEA TO CHANGE FINAL YEAR ENGINEERING projects promises to bring students together to solve major challenges facing the world.

Andre Phillion, an associate professor in Materials Science and Engineering, wants to smash walls between different disciplines, encouraging students to work collaboratively on capstone projects, the final major assignment of all engineering programs.

Phillion has recently been awarded a new position as a McMaster Engineering Faculty Leadership Fellow to realize his goal of creating an optional multidisciplinary capstone design project. The idea would

allow students from different engineering disciplines to work together in order to solve an industry-driven engineering problem and communicate their engineering design to industry and the public.

“By its very nature, engineering is a multidisciplinary profession,” Phillion said. “Whether it be a modern bridge design requiring electronic sensors for life-cycle monitoring or circuit design requiring classical heat transfer to ensure the device remains within its operating range, engineering design is most successful as part of a team effort with a range of expertise.”

Phillion’s plan is to start with five student teams focused on three key areas, including advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and challenges posed by different technical societies. The new capstone program is expected to launch by Fall 2019.

The Engineering Leadership Fellow program appoints fellows for a one-year term and provides leadership and professional mentoring while they work on a project of interest to the faculty.

McMaster outweighs competition at Troitsky Bridge Building event McMASTER UNIVERSITY MADE HISTORY AT THIS year’s Troitsky Bridge Building Competition, taking home first, second and third place at the 34th annual event, held at Concordia University in March.

Seven McMaster teams competed amongst 42 teams in total from universities across Canada.

Weighing only 6 kg, and constructed using just popsicle sticks, dental floss and glue, the first place bridge held a whopping 3707 kg of weight. The second place team came in closely behind with a bridge that held 3486 kg and third place held 1346 kg. As well, six McMaster bridges broke the 1000 kg load mark.

“The teams spent hundreds of hours outside of their normal class schedules to design and construct their bridges for the competition,” says Cody Van Der

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Kooi, McMaster Troitsky Team Coordinator. “Team members applied the concepts of structural engineering while gaining valuable experiences in collaboration, design communication and woodworking.”

News McMaster and Hamilton partner on successful Supercluster bid ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IS ONE OF FIVE superclusters that will bring industry, universities and other partners together as Canada unveiled a new, major investment to drive innovation and economic development.

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains announced the winners of Ottawa’s $950 million Innovation

Supercluster Initiative that received more than 50 applications from across the country.

“McMaster is proud to be able to bring its expertise and world class talent to this outstanding advanced manufacturing partnership,” said university president Patrick Deane. “Hamilton will be just one of the communities to benefit as together we drive innovation and new opportunities to build Canada’s economic future and create a brighter future for advanced manufacturing in Ontario.”

The Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster will focus on integrating sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence into manufacturing.

Hamilton and McMaster have been the heartland of manufacturing for generations and the super cluster investment will help both the city and the University continue to partner with companies such as ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Linamar to strengthen Canada’s manufacturing base through groundbreaking research.

The federal investment will be matched dollar for dollar by the private sector and is expected to create more than 50,000 jobs over ten years.

Students converge on McMaster for 24-hour hackathon for change HUNDREDS OF UNIVERSIT Y STUDENTS GATHERED at McMaster in January to take part in the third annual DeltaHacks hackathon for change.

Organized for students by students, the event encourages participants from all fields of study to come together for an intensive 24-hour marathon event to tackle real-world problems by building applications that create positive change.

During the competition, teams of three to four

students work together to develop “hacks” that aim to address real-world problems. Past winners have included an augmented reality (AR) app to educate children on the human body, as well as a headset for drivers to prevent falling asleep at the wheel.

DeltaHacks is organized by PhaseOne, which is a club for students interested in learning, building and experimenting with different computer and coding languages.

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News Youth programs receive federal funding to teach coding ACTUA, THE NATIONAL organization that represents Venture and LEAP camps at McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering, was named the largest recipient of funding from the Government of Canada’s new CanCode program.

CanCode, a $50 million dollar fund announced in the 2017 federal budget, supports the development of coding and digital skills for elementary school students. The program aims to equip youth, including traditionally underrepresented groups, with the skills and study incentives they need to

be prepared for the jobs of today and the future.

As a network member of Actua, Venture and LEAP youth programs, run through McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering, will receive funding of $280,000. The money will be used to strengthen community programming and provide more Hamilton-area young people with inspiring, hands-on coding and digital skills experiences.

“Venture and LEAP are working towards inspiring youth to pursue education and careers within the world of engineering and science and this funding allows us to give youth access, at no cost to them, to the tools and skill sets that will provide them with the confidence to work towards being the developers and innovators of tomorrow,” said Steph Elder, Outreach Director for the Faculty of Engineering Youth Programs.

Two McMaster Engineering researchers earn grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions McMASTER ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS WERE awarded more than $5M in funding to create innovative technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Jim Cotton and Ali Emadi earned grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Ministry of Research and Innovation and Science (MRIS) through the TargetGHG program administered by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) to address Ontario’s 2020-2030 greenhouse gas emission (GHG) targets.

The $2.7M in funding that Cotton received through government and industry partnerships will support his leading energy system research that combines thermal and electrical energy technologies to harvest waste heat, improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions. The system powers, heats and cools areas in communities with intense energy demands such as big block stores and condominium complexes.

“This technology will improve the ways in which Ontario communities manage electrical and

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thermal energy grids,” said Cotton, Associate Director, McMaster Institute of Energy Studies and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

“Communities will be able to site, design, optimize and control these more efficient systems.”

The systems store waste heat in the summer and combine it with smart electrification of heating with heat pumps and thermal storage techniques. By integrating thermal and electrical energy, the amount of natural gas normally needed to heat and power buildings is reduced, which in turn decreases GHG emissions.

Emadi, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Powertrain, is internationally recognized for his expertise in transportation electrification and smart mobility.

With $2.5M from NSERC, OCE and industry partner Sevcon, Emadi and his research team will develop advanced motor control technologies for emerging and existing electric vehicles. The intent is to reduce emissions, improve motor

News testing technologies and accelerate the timeto-market for new electrification solutions.

“Electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are of critical importance in helping society

significantly reduce its GHG emissions,” explained Emadi, professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. “Such electrified vehicles need advanced electric motors and controllers.”

McMaster Engineering alumnus pays it forward and shares award with student JUS T BEF ORE T HE HOL IDAYS, SECOND-Y E A R McMaster chemical engineering student Lindsay Kuyltjes received an unexpected gift.

She was selected for the Joseph K. Perkins Award, donated by Garnet Bremner ’93.

“I was so happy and a little surprised,” said Kuyltjes. Happy, because the money will go straight to her tuition – and surprised, since she had no idea that she would be receiving an award.

She learned it had been created through a donation from Garnet Bremner, a McMaster chemical engineering alumnus.

Last fall, Bremner had received his own welcome surprise. He had been selected for the Joseph K. Perkins Award for leadership and lifetime service from the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI). Named after a pulp and paper innovator,

the honour comes with US$1,000 – to be given to the institution of his choice.

For Bremner, it was a no-brainer. “McMaster was a door I stepped through, and all good things happened after that.” Although he graduated almost 25 years ago, he’s never forgotten the impact that McMaster had on his life and career.

In particular, he credits Phil Wood, longtime professor and former dean of students. “He had faith in me, and I’ve never forgotten his influence on my character and work ethic. I try to pay it forward every chance I get,” says Bremner.

A recipient of the prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship, Phil Wood helped launch the Student Wellness Centre, the Student Success Centre and the Les Prince Residence, among many other accomplishments. In June 2018, he will officially retire after 40 years of teaching.

McMaster develops better way of testing batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles A R E SE A RCH P RO J EC T BE T W E E N McM A S T E R University and academic and industry partners in Canada and China has resulted in new technology in the testing of battery cells and electric motors.

The three-year project between McMaster, D&V Electronics, a Canadian manufacturer of automotive test equipment, and Shanghai Edrive, one of the largest producers of electric motors in China, has created a better process to test the lifecycle and reliability of batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

This project led to the development of two advanced test cell products commercialized by

D&V Electronics for the testing of lithium ion battery cells and end-of-line production testing of electric motor starters and alternators.

“Our collaboration has led to the development of the most advanced systems for testing of electric motors and battery cells in the world. The research has been translated into commercial products that are being marketed internationally by D&V Electronics,” said Saeid Habibi, the NSERC/FORD Canada Industrial Research Chair in Hybrid/ Electric Vehicle (HEV) Powertrain Diagnostics and McMaster Mechanical Engineering Professor.

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Kudos Associate Dean honoured with prestigious lectureship award The Faculty of Engineering’s Associate Dean, Academic, Ken Coley, has been awarded the 2018 John F. Elliott Lectureship Award.

Established in 1990 by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), the award Ken Coley honours the late Professor John Elliott of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a leading educator in the field of chemical process metallurgy.

The award’s objective is to bring awareness to opportunities in chemical process metallurgy and to inspire students to pursue careers in this field.

As part of the award, Coley, who is also the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Chair in Ferrous Metallurgy, will present a lecture at several universities throughout the year on a topic related to chemical process metallurgy.

“Professor Elliott was a giant in the field of chemical process metallurgy,” says the Materials Science and Engineering professor. “I am over the moon to have been awarded the Elliott Lectureship. I can think of few greater honours than being chosen by my peers to introduce the excitement of our field to the next generation.”

Chemical Engineering professor named ONWiE chair A McMaster University professor has been appointed as the new chair of the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE).

Kim Jones, an associate professor in Chemical Engineering, will assume the role on July 1, 2018.

Kim Jones Formed in 2005, ONWiE is a network of 16 schools of engineering from across Ontario, inspiring young girls to pursue careers in engineering and supporting current female engineers and students.

The organization co-ordinates programs for

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youth, such as Go ENG Girl and Go CODE Girl, which allow female students to explore topics related to engineering and technology in a confidence-building hands-on environment.

Jones is a seasoned diversity champion. She served as a McMaster Engineering Faculty Leadership Fellow from 2016 to 2017 with a focus on improving diversity.

As a Fellow, Jones introduced a writing group for female faculty members, secured parking for those who are pregnant or on parental leave, worked to better understand the needs of underrepresented groups, supported women in engineering student groups and organized workshops for female faculty members.

As well, Jones is the chair of the Women in Engineering Committee, which supports female faculty members.

McMaster professor to be inducted into the Society of Plastics Engineers Chemical Engineering professor Mike Thompson is one of nine new Fellows, including three from Canada, being inducted into the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) as recognition for their contributions to the Society.

SPE members are honoured for Mike Thompson their outstanding contributions in the field of plastics engineering, science or technology, or in the management of such activities.

Only 334 members, including the new Fellows, have been awarded this title since it was introduced in 1984.

“It is an honour to be selected by my peers for this prestigious recognition,” Thompson said. “I have served the society since 1993, enjoying the close interactions it creates between industry and academia.”

Thompson, who is also Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, has spent his career developing new materials and processes, principally with extrusion technology, for the plastics, food, and pharmaceutical sectors. Prior to joining McMaster, he worked as a senior process engineer for DavisStandard LLC at their Connecticut headquarters.

Kudos Vector Institute names three McMaster trainees to inaugural Postgraduate Affiliate program Two McMaster PhD students and one postdoctoral fellow have been named to the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s Postgraduate Affiliate program.

Rober Boshra and Omar Boursalie, both second-year PhD students in the School of Biomedical Engineering, and Kiret Dhindsa, a postdoctoral fellow cross-appointed to Research and High Performance Computing and the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Department of Surgery, are three of 32 affiliates from Ontario institutions named to the program’s inaugural cohort.

The Vector Institute, a non-profit facility located at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, was launched in April 2017 with $90M in federal and provincial government funding and $80M from corporate donors.

Headed in part by one of the world’s foremost experts in machine and deep learning, Geoffrey Hinton, Vector will serve as a global centre for artificial intelligence research.

“Vector’s postgraduate affiliate program is a perfect opportunity for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows working in machine learning and artificial intelligence to be part of a broader community,” explains Ranil Sonnadara, a faculty member in the Department of Surgery who is also affiliated with the Vector Institute. “Canada has great people working in machine learning and AI, but they can be quite isolated. The Vector Affiliate program is the beginning of a bridge, focused on training, and building community and capacity.”

The affiliates from McMaster will not only work with leaders in the field, but also explore opportunities to take their research beyond the lab.

Associate professor named Philomathia Chair 2018 Sarah Dickson was named Professor, Water Policy and Research (Philomathia Chair) in January 2018. The Philomathia Foundation supports innovative, forward-thinking individuals and ideas, and established Sarah Dickson this research Chair to support a professor with expertise in Engineering and Global Water Policy. This Chair is part of the Water Project established in 2012 by the Philomathia Foundation and McMaster University in response to the Global Water Crisis.

Dickson’s expertise is in the field of hydrogeology, with a focus on fractured rock systems.

She and her graduate students conduct research on the characterization of these systems, and investigate the transport and fate of particulate and chemical contaminants within them.

A comprehensive understanding of these systems is required to inform aquifer vulnerability studies, and thus the risks posed to drinking water sources.

Dickson brings this background to the study of local water security, particularly in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. She collaborates with other disciplines towards a holistic understanding that encompasses the physical, social, cultural, and economic elements of local water security.

Professor earns grant to improve wastewater treatment plant management Zoe Li, an assistant professor in Civil Engineering, has been awarded $81,920 from the Advancing Water Technologies (AWT) Program, funded by Southern Ontario Water Consortium for a project titled “Development of an Integrated Toolkit for Predicting

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Kudos Influent Quality of Wastewater Treatment Plants.”

Li will be working with Hydromantis Environmental Software Solutions to develop an integrated influent forecasting toolset to help improve the simulation, optimization, and management of wastewater treatment plants.

Water and environmental managers face many challenges arising from climate change, human disturbances and enormous uncertainties and complexities. Li’s research goals focus on developing modeling and decision support tools to meet and overcome these challenges.

McMaster Engineering researcher awarded Canada Research Chair Recognized as leaders in their fields, a chemical engineering professor is one of 10 McMaster researchers to have been awarded $8.6 million from the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program to further their work, improve Canada’s Emily Cranston international competitiveness, and train the next generation of leaders.

Emily Cranston, associate professor, chemical engineering, is the Canada Research Chair in Bio-Based Nanomaterials (Tier 2). Emily uses biological components to develop environmentally friendly, high-performance and advanced materials from renewable resources like wood pulp with a focus on using nanocellulose. Her research will overcome barriers in the application and commercialization of nanocellulose and other bio-based nanomaterials, enabling widespread use in industries such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, paints, adhesives, and oil and gas.

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David Wilkinson named Engineer of the Year McMaster’s Provost has been honoured by the Hamilton/Halton branch of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers as the organization’s Engineer of the Year.

Wilkinson’s research focuses on the ductile fracture of metals and alloys, as well as lightweight materials for fuel efficient cars and advanced high strength steels.

His academic career has been recognized through a number of prestigious awards. He was awarded the title of Distinguished University Professor at McMaster University in 2008, a title that was then available to only eight active faculty members at a time. In 2009 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2010 as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Wilkinson served as Dean of McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering from 2008 to 2012.

Professor of Engineering Physics elected as chairman of the International Nuclear Energy Academy McMaster’s John Luxat, a highly regarded Professor of Engineering Physics, has been selected to lead an international academy that fosters the safe and economic use of nuclear energy around the world.

Luxat, an accomplished John Luxat researcher and educator in nuclear risk assessment and safety, was elected chairman of the International Nuclear Energy Academy for a two year term.

The INEA, founded in 1993, conducts studies and discussions and develops recommendations for the international nuclear community on nuclear energy matters.

The Academy includes more than 130 prominent senior nuclear energy experts from 25 countries around the world.

Alumni Events

McMaster Engineering Alumni Reception in Houston Wednesday November 8, 2017 Dean Ishwar Puri held a dinner reception for engineering alumni at Pappas Bros Steakhouse in downtown Houston. Alumni learned about McMaster Engineering’s rise in global rankings.

Annual Scotch Tasting Event Thursday, November 9, 2017 The Engineering Alumni office hosted another successful Scoth Tasting event, this time at the Scottish Rite. Alumni gathered and connected over delicious scotch and a lovely dinner. Thank you to everyone for coming out!

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@MacEngAlumni on Twitter

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Faculty of Engineering McMaster University Spring 2018

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Alumni Events

B-Tech Graduation Reception Wednesday, December 13, 2017 Congratulations to all of the Bachelor of Technology students who graduated in 2017! Best wishes to your future endeavors and we look forward to seeing what you accomplish.

Backpack to Briefcase: Alumni & Student Networking Event Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Thank you to the Engineering Mentors who attended our Backpack to Briefcase event.

It was our most successful networking and mentoring event yet! We had over 200 students connect and engage with over 100 mentors. Keep an eye out for future networking events in the near future!

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MacEngineer

Alumni Events

Women in Engineering – Female Alumnae in Industry Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Female engineering alumnae returned to McMaster to inspire and connect with current female engineering students. Thank you for all attending, making our event a great succes!

Computer Science & Business Informatics Graduating Class Reception (2018 Grads) Tuesday, April 3, 2018 Best wishes to the Computer Science and Business Informatics graduating class of 2018! Thank you to everyone who attended our reception.

Spring 2018

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Computing and Software 20th Anniversary The Founders of Computing and Software

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2018 9:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. Optional meet and greet with former professors: 8:30 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. MCMASTER UNIVERSITY- CIBC HALL 1280 MAIN STREET WEST | HAMILTON, ONTARIO TICKETS Alumni/Staff/Faculty: $25.00 per ticket Mamdouh Shoukri

Students: $15.00 per ticket

Professor Emeritus

Lunch is included in the event

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Paul Taylor Professor Emeritus Department of Computing and Software

TO REGISTER OR FOR INFORMATION CONTACT

David Parnas Professor Emeritus

Carm Vespi at (905) 525-9140 x

Department of Computing and Software

24906 or vespi@mcmaster.ca Register Online: www.eng.mcmaster/events

eng.mcmaster.ca

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TH

ANNUAL

ENGINEERING GOLF TOURNAMENT Piper’s Heath Golf Club

5501 Trafalgar Rd., Hornby (Milton), ON L0P 1E0

Friday, May 11, 2018 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Tournament Package Price: Early Bird Special - $135/Person Price After Friday, April 13th - $145/Person To register, please contact Carm Vespi at vespi@mcmaster.ca

Price Includes: BBQ Lunch • Access to lockers and showers • Golfers will have the use of shared power cart • 18 Hole Tournament (Shotgun Format) • Dinner Reception and PRIZES to be won!(Depending on Package Price Selected) • Various Contests: Longest drive, putting competition, closest-to-the-pin and lowest-score winning team!

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Applause and Accolades AN AWARDS CELEBRATION

2018

CELEBRATE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS AND PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI Thursday, May 3, 2018 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

LIUNA Station – Grand Central Ballroom 360 James Street North | Hamilton, Ontario

eng.mcmaster.ca

Venture Grades 1-8

Explore Discover Create

L.E.A.P

Grades 9-12

youthprograms.eng.mcmaster.ca