cians, first responders and other in a wide range of procedures.” One example is the full-body trauma victim robot with modular limbs, which was licensed to Montreal-based CAE Healthcare and for which a patent has recently been issued. Married in 2011, Mark and Emily are expecting twins in November. A certified SCUBA diver and an aficionado of Latin and ballroom dancing, he expects to find his time devoted to the new adventure come the fall. n
Engineering – a Passion Anand Sinha (Computer Eng. ‘85) thinks McMaster University’s unique common firstyear engineering program is important for helping students determine their speciality. “In my case, it gave me the opportunity to learn about both computer engineering and engineering physics programs without having to make a commitment to either immediately.” He ultimately selected computer engineering which offered the full gamut of computer science and electrical engineering courses. “I was able to combine my love for electronics and computers in a practical way.” A favourite class was Dr. A. H. Kitai’s Digital Logic courses. “He was a fun teacher who took the time to explain things. He brought a positive energy to every lecture, Anand Sinha
and obviously enjoyed what he was teaching.” The majority of Anand’s career has been in software development. At the present time, he is Director of IT at Hamilton-based Mabel’s Labels, a company that makes and sells labels for all those items that kids don’t want to lose. Despite its down-home-style name, the company is very high-tech. “We built the software for the production system, imaging software, printing and cutting controls, customer management, order fulfilment, as well as the automation of our printing, cutting, packing, and shipping systems.” Prior to this, Anand was one of the original employees at Waterloo-based RIM and a member of the team that designed and built the first BlackBerry hand-held device. He was also one of the lead developers of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, for which he received two patents (two additional patents are pending). For high school students thinking of a career in engineering Anand has this advice: “It must be a passion for you. If you want to stay abreast of new technology and its applications and want to learn cool things for the rest of your life, then engineering is the way to go.” In addition to hiking, Anand follows sports: hockey (Montreal Canadiens), baseball (Toronto Blue Jays) and football (Hamilton Tiger-Cats). He owns a Telsa Roadster, one of the world’s first fully electric cars. However, much to his chagrin, none of his four children has the passion to be an engineer. n
Looking Beyond the Lab In 1989 Robert Leaker (ChemEng ‘96) came to McMaster University intent on taking a science degree. During molecular biology and biotechnology classes, he had a sudden realization. “If I was not going to work in a lab the rest of my life, I might want to explore more the applied sciences.” That’s how he ended up with degrees in both sciences and chemical engineering. Following graduation, Robert worked as a process engineer for an oil and gas refining company, but gradually shifted into business and management positions. Currently he is the Vice President, Emerging Markets and Innovation for Meridian Credit Union in
Robert Leaker
Ontario. His responsibilities include devising and testing new lines of business and business opportunities that will be of benefit to the institution’s members. His most recent initiative is the development of a new financial services distribution model that creates full service agencies operated by third parties. “If successful,” he says, “this will be the first of its kind in North America.” Robert is particularly grateful for the advice offered by McMaster professor Dr. Don Woods. “He taught me to avoid dog projects’ and to be sure to re-invent myself and my job frequently.” Robert, who also has an MBA from Queen’s University (2001), estimates that over 80% of his career has been self-directed. This was possible, he feels, because of the training and skills learned from engineering, which gives its grads a definite edge. Engineering, he adds, is a very practical discipline, and one that is very transferrable. He went from studying genetic engineering to working in the petro-chemical field, then on to retail, finance and general management positions. “Few degrees will give you that flexibility.” Robert is married to Andrea and the couple are raising four children in Hamilton. “I fell in love with Hamilton while at Mac, and we have settled here to raise our family.” In addition to martial arts, Robert enjoys photography and trail running, particularly ultra-marathon running. n
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