RENOWNED SPIRIT, UNRIVALED EXCELLENCE: THE UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE APSC 200/293: Nurturing critical thinking The vast majority of Canadians enjoy all the amenities of a first-world lifestyle, but for many northern communities the comforts we take for granted, such as reliable electricity, comfortable homes, and indoor plumbing, simply don’t exist. A second-year course that features a project on designing solutions for northern Canada is giving students more than technical training—it’s challenging them to think creatively about these kinds of real-world issues and constraints, and to work collaboratively to solve them.
A student tests out a prototype for an APSC 200 design challenge
The Tea Room, located in Beamish-Munro Hall, is entirely student run, and thanks to an ambitious recycling and composting program, creates zero waste.
The APSC 200/293 course is a natural extension of APSC 100, introduced in 1997 as a mandatory course to help students develop creative and openended problem-solving skills through a team design project. Created as part of the Faculty initiative to implement a fouryear Engineering Design & Professional Practice component in all programs, the APSC curriculum aims to provide students with the professional skills they need to succeed after graduation. “Technical skills are critical, but they are only a part of what makes an engineer,” says Professor David Strong, the NSERC Chair in Design Engineering and one of the creators of the APSC program. “If we want our engineers to thrive, we need to build on those skills with creative, critical thinking, using problems and
environments that exist in the real world.” Twice-weekly lectures provide “just in time” information for interactive workshops that are directly related to team projects. Throughout the process, students learn and begin to apply various approaches to their project using creative thinking, design engineering, and shared expertise. They report on their progress on a regular basis and receive feedback on both technical and communication elements, allowing them to build vital communications and professional skills. This year’s project involves defining and providing engineering solutions for a northern community, such as energy generation, storage, modular home development or heating, plumbing, and ventilation. Teams were instructed to choose a community without year-round roads and with a significantly harsh climate. These constraints bring added—and very real—complexities to design. “It’s that much harder to design products or systems when you are working in bitter cold that can embrittle materials and stiffen lubricants,” says Strong. “And a lack of sunlight, which is a reality of life in the north, impacts opportunities such as photovoltaic energy generation and solar heating, just as a lack of year-round roads constrains shipments of supplies. We want students to think beyond the high-tech solution, to really focus on the process of problem identification and to generate ideas that are best suited to the needs and capabilities of the community.” Throughout the course, students gain experience working in both a multidisciplinary and discipline-specific environment. “The individuals within the teams need to learn how to work together for mutual benefit,” Strong says. “Engineering design is increasingly an integrated field, with systems that require expertise in many disciplines.” Strong notes that the course also fulfills many of the learning outcomes required by new Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirements. “This professional spine is now seen as a core competency for engineers who need to be able to adapt to rapidly changing environments. The APSC curriculum gives our students the critical skills they need to succeed in the global workforce.”
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Nicol Hall turns one hundred Completed in 1912, Nicol Hall houses various Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science departments. It is named after William Nicol, Queen’s first professor of Metallurgy and Mining, and also the person who donated the funds for the building’s construction. Originally a student at Queen’s, William Nicol returned to Queen’s in 1896 as a Professor of Mineralogy. He was known as a strict disciplinarian in the classroom but was also known to provide financial support to students in need. Nicol was a great collector of mineral samples and donated them to Queen’s, where they are still displayed today as part of the Miller Museum of Geology. His generous donation of $40,000 to the University resulted in the building of Nicol Hall. He is considered one of the founders of Queen’s Engineering.
Just the facts William Nicol was inspired
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to study at Queen’s at a lecture given by Nathan Dupuis—although he claimed that it was not so much the words that Dupuis spoke but rather his curiosity about the oxyhydrogen flame in a lantern in the room that was used to project pictures.
The cost to build Nicol Hall
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was $70,000—the difference was covered mostly by alumni.
During the First World War, the
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attic of Nicol Hall was used as an army barracks.
William Nicol
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If you ever see a good specimen in a private collection, try to get the
owner to present it to the university. If he won’t do this, try to buy it. If he won’t sell it, steal it.
— William Nicol, to his class.
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