and ePOWER was to encourage the participation of individuals from a variety of areas both within and outside Queen’s to foster the synergy that can result from interdisciplinary research. In ePOWER collaborative initiatives are under way, including co-supervision of graduate students with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, through the Solar Calorimetry Laboratory and the Queen’s-RMC Fuel Cell Research Centre, and participation of ePOWER researchers in a successful grant submission by the School of Business. The Solar Calorimetry Laboratory is plays key role in the NSERC Solar Buildings Research Network which includes 10 universities across Canada and funds researchers in Mechanical and Materials Engineering and in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The focus on photovoltaics has been driven, in part by Queen’s 22 year history of solar vehicle development. The Faculty intends to expand energy initiatives through the formation of the Energy Institute at Queen’s.
Section 3 Outline the current and future relationship between research and teaching in your unit and programs. Speak specifically to:
Undergraduate participation in research (current and future) Current This is an area of growth for the Faculty. Most departments engage students in research through 4th year thesis projects, NSERC and SWEP summer student positions and by incorporating research examples into course work. However undergraduates who responded to the Engineering Society survey indicated that the integration of research in classroom varied from some (37.4%) and none (18.1%). A portion of the students, 44.8% indicated that they would like to be provided research material in the curriculum. The Centres also provide vehicles for the involvement of undergraduates in research by providing research opportunities through summer projects and directed studies. The extent of undergraduate involvement in research is summarized below. In total this year, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science had 104 undergraduate students involved in Research directly. The breakdown is as follows: i. NSERC undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) for the summer of 2009 (Domestic students only) 59 applicants, quota of 32 [Chemical (8), Civil (6), Electrical (8), Mechanical (8) and Mine (2)] – the lowest accepted average was 73% and the highest was 88% ii. Charles Allan Thompson Undergraduate Student Research Awards for 2009 (International students only) 6 applicants awarded 4 [Chemical (2), Electrical (1), Mechanical (1)] Page 48 of 60
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science: Create, Collaborate, Communicate