Welcome back!
2 0 1 8 January Edition
GEER WEEK
76
The Bridge
January 2018
GEER WEEK BY THE NUMBERS
40+
$1,601.25 raised for the Stollery
volunteers
Children’s Hospital Foundation
34 people donated blood to
240
Canadian Blood Services
Engineering Ball tickets sold
375 + $125
513
items donated to the Campus Food Bank
Battle of the Bands tickets sold
124
564 Individuals competed
spelling bee words spelled correctly
in at least one event
1,000+
22
Students attended
events over
2
8
days
The Bridge
January 2018
CONTENTS FEATURE
Ask Stacey: Engineering Employment Centre (EEC)
4
AVP Publications Solbee Seo / Marianne Rosal
Jr. Editors Abby Paul
Aishwarya Venkitachalam
Derek Shultz
Krizelle Mendoza
Marianne Rosal
Megan Rowbottom
GEER WEEK NEWS
7
Engineering Spelling Bee
Canstruction
Scavenger Hunt
Geer Week Movie Night
Debate
8
9
10
14
Design Competition
15
17
17
Geer Week Score Sheet
18
Geer Week Quiz
19
CAMPUS NEWS
Career Fair 2018
CFES Congress
DIVERSIONS
3
The Bridge
January 2018
Ask Stacey: Engineering Employment Centre by Megan Rowbottom
The Bridge has paired up with Stacey Sayler from the Engineering Employment Centre to answer your pressing questions about resumes, interviews, and more!
Q: How can I become better at interviews? (2nd year Electrical/Computer)
you need to get better at in order to perform well in the role? Why are you the best
A: This is a challenging question to answer in a few short paragraphs. However, I would say that 4 keys to getting better at interviews include: Reflection (know yourself), Research (know the company, and what their hiring need is), Practice (get comfortable talking about yourself), and Attitude.
candidate?
Reflection: Why are you interested in working
Research: One key way to set yourself apart from the competition is to research the company, position, industry, and interviewers. Having a base-level understanding of what the company does, who it serves, how the department you’re interviewing with fits into the company’s larger picture, and what role you’d play if hired can help you ensure you talk about the right things. Understanding key industry trends and how they are, or could, impact the company can also contribute to you being seen as a more qualified candidate.
Having answers to these questions and being able to incorporate them into the responses you give during an interview will help you ensure you’ve done your best.
for the company? Why are you interested in the role? How do your values and work preferences fit the company’s operating structure, values, culture? What strengths do you have (both technical and soft skills) that will enable you to meet or exceed the position’s requirements? What experience has prepared you for the role? How and why have you been successful in the past (education, employment, volunteer, extracurricular activities, etc.)? How does the position fit with your short-term and long-term career goals? Which areas, technical or soft skills, would 4
The Bridge
January 2018
Practice: We’ve all heard that practice makes
For more detailed information on the above,
perfect, and the same applies to interviewing.
and additional strategies you can use to
If you’re unable to find someone to conduct a
ensure you do your best at future interviews,
mock interview with you, consider asking
I’d recommend attending one of the EEC’s
yourself the question and recording your
upcoming Acing an Interview workshops later
answer. When listening to your answer, put
this month, reading our Interview Skills & Tips
yourself in the role of a hiring manager – what
and Sample Questions handouts, and
would impress you about what you said? What
checking out some of the Job Search
wouldn’t? When preparing for interviews I’d
Resources identified on our Engineering Your
advise against memorizing answers as delivery
Career: Access Helpful Resources handout.
can come across as robotic and insincere.
Q: What’s the best way to answer the “tell In addition, joining groups like Toastmasters to
me about yourself” question in an
develop your overall communication skills, and
interview? (2nd Year Environmental)
conducting informational interviews (where you’re interviewing someone working in a role
A: By asking you to “tell me about yourself,”
you might be interested in having in 10+ years)
interviewers get a sense of what you see as
can help prepare you to communicate
being most important, and also your ability to
effectively.
handle unstructured questions on the fly. What they’re hoping to learn from your answer is:
Attitude & Personal Attributes: Hiring
Can you do the job? Will you do the job? And,
managers often express that attitude plays a
will you fit in with the team and company
key role in who’s offered the position. Your
culture?
body language and words need to
“4 keys to getting better at
c o m m u n i c a t e c o n fi d e n c e , i n t e r e s t ,
interviews include: Reflection (know yourself), Research (know the company, and what their hiring need is), Practice (get comfortable talking about yourself), and
enthusiasm, and positivity. In addition, you should convey traits you have that align with their hiring need. Examples might include: critical thinking, willingness to learn, ability to listen, dedication, team player, customerfocused, results-oriented, self-motivation, resilience, ability to work independently, hardworking, etc.
5
The Bridge
January 2018
For example:
If you answer the questions in the Reflection paragraph in the prior question,you should
“I love all sports, particularly soccer, and am an enthusiastic traveler, who’s always up for the next adventure. I grew up playing soccer where I developed strong teamwork skills and leadership qualities. Being involved at an elite-level of soccer, discipline and the ability to prioritize was critical to achieving success on the field, along with quality time with family and friends and meeting my academic goals. In addition to soccer, I’ve spent time camping, hiking and snowmobiling, and am the type of person that’s most comfortable working outside.”
have a strong answer to this question. For additional insight to answering this question check-out the “Answering Difficult Questions” section of the EEC’s Interview Skills & Tips handout.
Look for the Google Form in your weekly EnggLink to submit your questions for the EEC. They will be answered in the next editions of The Bridge!
The above communicates key traits that could be important, particularly for a field role, and also could help the interviewer determine whether or not you’d fit in. However, it fails to communicate anything about engineering or convey that you can do the job. Be sure your answer to this question also incorporates: •
your degree program and status, why you’re taking it, and what you’re learning that’s relevant to the role;
•
any key skills and experience related to the role (i.e., equipment, software, project management, etc.) whether from coursework, employment or volunteer activities; and
•
why you’re interested in the role and working for their company.
6
The Bridge
January 2018
Engineering Spelling Bee by Abby Paul In yet another attempt to try and prove that, yes, engineering students are literate, the Engineering Spelling Bee was held on Thursday, January 18, 2017 at Dewey’s as a part of the Geer Week festivities. This event saw disciplines try to outlast each other in an attempt to win points for their team (and, more importantly, drink tickets).
The rules of the spelling showdown were simple: each discipline started with five spellers, who all took turns attempting a spell word read out by the judges. Spellers were allowed to ask for the word used in a sentence as well as its country of origin. If a word was spelled incorrectly, the speller was eliminated, and the discipline with the last speller standing won the competition. One by one, the spellers were eliminated. Words ranged from challenging, like “pneumatic” to downright simple, like “I.” Some were humbled by homonyms, while some forgot the all-important “‘i’ before ‘e,’ except after
1st: CompE 2nd: ChemE 3rd: MecE
‘c,’” despite the number of times that phase was chanted.
7
The Bridge
January 2018
Canstruction by Marianne Rosal
Newton’s equations of motion and their significance as fundamental engineering equations have been imprinted on engineering students since our first year. How well this equation is put into practice is demonstrated with CANSTRUCTION, a competition of philanthropy and technical competency. Each discipline club began by collecting preserved canned goods to donate to the Campus Food Bank. However, before they were donated, the items were used to build a self-supporting stable structure (canned jenga, anyone?) in the allotted time. Each structure was judged based on height, creativity, and of course, the ability to uphold Newton’s laws of motion for zero net force (sorry, mechanical engineers, no acceleration here). This competition is an excuse for engineering students to kick the can for the day, and donate to charity in the process. Can anyone think of a better way to procrastinate?
1st: MecE 2nd: PetE 3rd: CivE 8
The Bridge
January 2018
Scavenger Hunt by Abby Paul From SUB to Whyte Avenue to flea markets around Edmonton, engineering students were showing their discipline pride at the Scavenger Hunt, taking place on Monday, January, 15. This year, participants were asked to find items ranging from an ordinary rubber duck to a car older than 1960, either by bringing them in, or posing for a picture to show the judges. Teams were also asked to choreograph dances, went caroling, and made a human pyramid, all to gather the most points for their discipline. Each item, picture, or activity resulted in points awarded to the team. After the 8:30 pm deadline, participants went to the Room at the Top while the judges tallied each team’s score.
1st: CivE 2nd: MecE 3rd: MatE
Some activities teams that were asked to complete:
• • • • • • • • •
were asked Some items that to find:
98
• A penny from 19 s Pizza • Fifteen Domino’ boxes
• A snorkel
completely • A chip that has elf
curved in on its ance
• A Gameboy Adv • A cactus
• An iron ring
• A pair of CrocsDonair • A Tombstone
Getting a free sample.
Dunking a basketball.
Shaking a police officer’s hand.
Starting a flashmob in SUB.
Recreating The Last Supper.
The Mannequin Challenge.
Cartwheeling 10 metres.
Making a life-size snowman.
Mummifying a team member with toilet paper.
9
The Bridge
January 2018
Geer Week Movie Night
MecE - Trailer Park Mecs The Trailer Park Mecs (Ricky,
by Derek Shultz Couches lined the crescent of
Julian, and Bubbles) is a satire of the Trailer
ETLC E1-001. An excited murmur hangs in
Park Boys TV Series. The Mec E hoodlums
the air. Somewhere, a popcorn kernel pops.
decide to commit a series of pranks on
Welcome to the GEER Week Movie Night.
unknowing students such as stealing money
ESS representatives try to talk over
off of their OneCard.
the buzz of the crowded theatre. When they
finally get everyone’s attention, they explain
the rules of Movie Night: each discipline produces a short movie that reflects its
First Year - S^IT the Movie
An ominous warning from a student
club’s GEER Week theme. The movies are
warns a first-year engineering about
then ranked based on the audience’s
unspeakable horrors. Later, the student is
reaction, video quality, theme relevance,
alone as he walks down the hallways… Or is
originality, and creativity and entertainment
he? A clown is following him! The First
value.
Years' Engineering Club portrays an accurate description of being a first-year student in this psychological adaptation of the It Movie.
CompE - Bingsmen: The Microservice
Cookie, a Bingsmen secret agent, is covertly monitoring another intelligence 10
The Bridge
January 2018
agent when he receives a mission to acquire
what the viewer’s name is, and “AshEE” is
an intelligence chip carried by the enemy
entered on a keypad on the screen. He then
agent. This chip will unlock a device
tells AshEE to choose one of ten Pokémon,
containing important data. The Comp E club
each of which corresponds to a different
brings in a fast-paced action-packed
engineering discipline, but insists that
feature, with a surprising plot-twist finale.
AshEE take Pikachu, EE’s Pokémon. AshEE
sets off on an adventure, with his chosen
Pokemon, battling other engineering Eng. Phys- Rick and Morty
The film begins as Morty is
Pokemon’s. What starts of as a heroic
dragged out of bed by his grandpa Rick to
and sends the viewer into retrospection.
go on adventure: getting Morty to learn
enough to pass his upcoming 7 exams so
Mat E - Material Girl
adventure, ends up breaking the fourth wall
that he doesn’t get kicked out of Engg Phys. Rick reveals that Ricks from every dimension have been recording all of Morty’s lectures, which can all be uploaded to Morty’s brain using a device. This comedy brings to life an adaptation of the well-loved animated series, illustrating that Eng Phys students do, in fact, live in their own science-fiction world. EE - PokEEmon
Alum Inum, Titania, Dia Mond, and Polly Ethyl Ene are all competitors in the Material Girl Beauty Pageant. In this comedy, the Mat E club successfully weaves
A professor is grading papers,
narratives of the most
giving F’s to all of them. The professor asks 11
The Bridge
January 2018
important metals used in engineering, pins
BEERCADE Snaps
them according to their strengths and weaknesses, and tells the story of the hard choice that must be faced in the selection of the best material (girl).

 Min E - Gold
Pat Murphy Jr. inherits a mining company from his father and plans to spread it to every country on earth, even those without rich mining resources. Unfortunately, he is bad at business. He decides to change his mining company to a bitcoin mining company, but runs this company into the ground as well. Min E tells a tale of the struggles of two business partners fighting for a dream in the (bit)mining industry-a dream bearing gold.
12
The Bridge
January 2018
Civ E - The Envengers take CivElization
The hero learns that there is danger
GEER WEEK Snaps
on campus, and goes to DICE, where he runs into a bearded man who passes him a note instructing him to meet in “NERF”. The hero goes to NREF, where he overhears a villain talking to a captive. This tale brought by the Civ E/Env E club brings to life a story about a building in distress, and the redemption that comes once a team of civil and environmental heroes come to save the day.
Chem E - Jeb Sends It Jeb D. Nutter comes from smalltown Alberta who just wants to be a miner, but his mom forces him to study Chemical Engineering instead. Upon arriving at university, Jeb starts a vlog to record his experiences. Hilarity ensues when his vlog captures the struggles of the chemical engineering student life with the catchphrase “Send it!”
1st: CompE 2nd: EE 3rd: MecE 13
The Bridge
January 2018
Debate
Arguments were heated; some
by Krizelle Mendoza
rounds had judges stumped due to
notepads and well-reasoned arguments, if
advanced to the finals:
arguments that were equally good (or bad).
Students traded their calculators for
Ultimately, it was ChemE and MecE who
only for a few hours, to participate in the debate. Each discipline submitted two
ChemE vs. MecE:
debaters for the competition. They were
Motion: The opposition’s discipline/field of study is superior to our own.
presented with a motion and given 10 arguments, then debated their ideas with
ChemE: MecE is better than ChemE because they have pride in their discipline,
another team. The winner of the debate was
as evidenced by their merch and
chosen based on the quality and
participation in Geer Week, while ChemE
presentation of each team’s argument.
has a low turnout for Geer Week events.
Several motions were presented with topics
MecE: But doesn’t that show the deep rooted insecurities of MecE’s? ChemE’s not
minutes to brainstorm and develop their
ranging from sports to engineering.
participating in Geer Week clearly shows that they have more discipline and care
CivE vs. MinE:
more about their classes.
Motion: Performance enhancing drugs should be allowed in sports.
ChemE: MecE’s have better employment prospects.
CivE: Education about these drugs is important.
MecE: ChemE’s have contributed more to society; MecE’s just invented cars which
MinE: Drugs are bad.
have caused a lot of deaths.
Winner: CivE
ChemE: But who put the fuel in cars?
CompE vs. CivE:
The MecE’s struggled to find justifiable reasons why ChemE is a much better discipline (which is admittedly almost impossible), so ChemE won the final round and the competition.
Motion: Mac is better than Windows.
CompE: Better user experience, clean design, more secure than Windows.
CivE: Windows is better for gaming, has m o r e s o f t w a r e c o m p a t i b i l i t y, m o r e
1st: ChemE 2nd: MecE 3rd: CompE
customizable.
Winner: CompE
14
The Bridge
January 2018
Design Competition by Marianne Rosal In any engineering discipline, safety is paramount, and there is no better way to demonstrate this notion than an i n t e rd i s c i p l i n a r y e n g i n e e r i n g d e s i g n competition. In this Geer Week event, each competing discipline attempted to design the most secure packaged system for the h i g h - p ro fi l e c l i e n t ,
“James Bond
Industries.” The objective of the design mission was simple: using materials at hand, construct an apparatus that transports two medium-sized raw eggs safely and securely
elastic support system using rubber bands.
down two storeys.
To increase the drag force during the fall, a parachute was fashioned from newspapers.
The competition became more
On the other hand, the Electrical
involved with the stipulation that each club
Engineering club designed the transport
must purchase their materials individually
system for discreteness; the outer shape
within a given budget to simulate real-world
resembled a cone, while the inner schematic
engineering application. After two hours of
was composed of a tubular structure made
planning and constructing, each club
of popsicle sticks, and newspaper padding
presented a schematic and a working
was added on all sides to cushion the eggs
prototype. This year, CIV E, COMP E/
from the fall. Meanwhile, Comp E designed
ENGPHYS, MEC E, EE, MIN E, CHEM E, PET E, and First Year clubs
their transport system, an assembly of 4-bar
tackled this
challenge as each club set to prove who
1st: MecE 2nd: CivE 3rd: MatE
were the best engineering design team.
The confident MEC E team took inspiration from the Alberta Sat Ex-Alta 1 model, which included a rectangular base reinforced with truss members holding up an
15
The Bridge
January 2018
mechanisms and trusses, to be a sacrificial structure to absorb impact. Subsequently, the courageous First Year team utilized their ENGG 130 skills by creating a truss structure which held the padded eggs at the center of the truss using a configuration of elastic bands. CIV E relied on their discipline’s knowledge of structural integrity. Inspired by the design behind cable state bridges, they strengthened their truss transport system by reinforcing the connections with glue and elastic bands.
F i n a l l y, t h e l a s t a n d m o s t distinguishing part of any design competition is the testing of the working prototype. Each designed mechanism was taken to the 4th floor of ETLC and dropped to the 2nd floor, in classic egg-drop style, to verify if the designed packaged system would suďŹƒciently secure the fragile cargo. From the 11 teams that competed, the designs that successfully held the 2 eggs without breaking were ENGPHYS, MAT E , MEC E, and, less surprisingly, CIV E.
Regardless of whether the teams brought home two intact eggs or cleaned up a spill after a decisive splat, the real takeaway of the competition was not simply to utilize years of engineering analysis, but rather the forging of relationships to establish a working team, allowing engineering innovation to happen.
16
The Bridge
January 2018
Career Fair by Marianne Rosal Nothing takes an engineering student out of holiday mode and back into the grind more than a career fair. On January 10 and 11, 2018, students welcomed the winter semester by flocking to the ETLC Solarium for the annual ESS Career Fair. In a span of two days, students, some with resumes in hand, weaved through employment booths, taking the opportunity to introduce themselves to representatives, professional engineers, and prospective employers from more than 40 companies, including WorleyParsons Canada, Schlumberger, Magna IV Engineering and Syncrude.
CFES Congress by Marianne Rosal On January 2-8, 2018, University of
of the organization for the upcoming year. At
Alberta Engineering Students’ Society
this meeting, the University of Alberta
representatives travelled to Dalhousie
delegates proposed to hold the nation-wide
University to attend
the Canadian
Congress at the University of Alberta for the
Federation of Engineering Students' (CFES)
year 2020. This bid was presented to 51
Congress. The CFES is the bilingual national
e n g i n e e r i n g s t u d e n t o rg a n i z a t i o n s ,
governing body for engineering students’
representing 81,000 engineering students
societies in Canadian universities. Every
across Canada, and, successfully qualified.
year, presidents and vice-presidents from 46
The CFES Congress in 2020 will bring the
engineering-accredited universities in
opportunity to bring Canadian engineering
Canada engage in the week-long retreat
students with a chance to learn from and
which holds the annual General Assembly,
through each other, right here at the
where representatives discuss the direction
17
University of Alberta.
The Bridge
January 2018
GEER WEEK SCORE SHEET Event
ChemE
CivE
CompE
EE
Eng, Phys.
1st Year
MatE
MecE
MinE
PetE
Tech Display
NA
2
8
5
6
NA
1
3
4
7
Dodgeball
1
5
8
10
6
3
7
2
9
4
Tug of War
6
3
7
9
8
10
4
1
2
5
Scavenger Hunt
7
1
5
9
10
8
3
2
6
4
Barrel Races
9
2
6
NA
7
8
4
5
3
1
Movie
9
4
1
2
5
7
6
3
8
NA
Toboggan Races
2
9
NA
6
3
5
7
8
4
1
AYSTAFY?
10
7
7
3
3
1
3
3
2
9
Beer Brew
3
1
8
6
5
9
2
4
10
7
Debate
1
4
3
NA
5
NA
6
2
7
8
Design Competition
4
2
5
8
7
9
3
1
10
6
Spelling Bee
2
4
1
7
10
8
6
3
5
9
Canstruction
6
3
NA
5
NA
NA
4
1
7
2
Band
NA
2
1
5
4
NA
NA
3
7
6
Dance
NA
1
3
5
4
NA
NA
2
6
7
Small Poster
5
7
2
6
1
9
3
4
8
10
Large Poster
9
8
2
5
1
6
3
4
7
10
Godiva
4
8
2
6
5
9
3
1
10
7
Overall
9
2
6
4
8
10
3
1
5
7
18
The Bridge
January 2018
GEER WEEK QUIZ 1. Where was Tech Display held? a. Telus World of Science b. ETLC Solarium c. Butterdome 2. When did the Geer Week tradition start? a. 1919 b. 1986 c. 1942 3. Who won Geer Week 75? a. Chemical b. Mining c. Materials 4. Who won Geer Week 76? a. Mechanical b. Civil c. Mining 5. What rap song did CompE cover in Battle of the Bands? a. Lose Yourself by Eminem b. Rockstar by Post Malone ft. 21 Savage c. Dat $tick by Rich Chigga
6. Which charity did Geer Week 76 support monetarily? a. Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation b. Canadian Blood Services c. YESS 7. What is the Geer Week newspaper called? a. The Bridge b. GEER Week Godiva c. GEER News 8. Which was NOT part of the scavenger hunt? a. Recreating the Last Supper b. Dabbing on the haters c. Shaking a police officer’s hand 9. In which Year was the first Engineering Ball held? a. 1939 b. 1942 c. 2011 10. Where was the Design Competition held this year? a. DICE b. Solarium c. NREF 19
Answers: 1a, 2c, 3b, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7b, 8b, 9a, 10b
The Bridge
January 2018
GEER WEEK 76 WINNER: MECHANICAL
Join
The
Bridge
Are
you
artsy?
Are
you
a
crossword
ninja?
Are
you
a
pro
collector?
Do
you
Are
like
you
talking
talented
Do
you
Be
engineering
Be
you.
meme
give
at
advise
to
@essualberta
students
@UAlbertaESS
people?
reading to
facebook.com/
the
people who
can
avp.publication@ualberta.ca
future?
all
the
time?
write/read.
20
bucklingESS