The Bridge: January 2020 GEER Week Edition

GEER WEEK EDITION 2020

lebrating Ce 1919

Y E AR S

2019

In this Edition

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Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference ………………………..4-7 AYSTAFY……………………………………………………………....8-9 Find Your Passion @the Career Fair…………………………….............10 Battle of the Bands………………………………………………….….11-12 Movie Night .………………………………………………..……….....13 Scavenger Hunt……………….………………………………..……….14 Things to (not) do this term…………………………………………. ..15-16 Horoscope Corner……………………………………………………...17 Centennial Engineering Banquet……………………………………....18-20 January Photo Highlights………………………………………………21-24

Our Publications Team Abby Paul Bryana Ruggia Devkaran Dhillon Joanna Bibangco Mokshita Sharma Roanne Andaya 2

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CANADIAN ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Delegates from the UofA attended the prestigious annual Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference which was held in Edmonton, AB this year from January 2-8. 46 Engineering institutions from across Canada were attendees. Following is a Q&A with the delegates representing our University, sharing their experience of the conference.

Name: Andrew Saretsky • What was your favorite session and why?

My favourite session was conflict resolution by Raymond Matthias. It had the perfect combination a great speaker, useful information, and engaging conversation. Conflicts happen every day and resolving them peacefully is a critical part of maintaining personal and professional relationships. This session taught some amazing tips for having a win-win-win 4

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solution by separating the people from the problem. Using the 2 basic principles of respect and finding the next best alternative solution, most conflicts can be resolved successfully. overall this session was my favourite as it was interesting and improved both my personal and professional life.

• What is something you learned that changed your perspective?

During this conference, the thing that changed my perspective the most was an activity in one of the sessions. In this activity, a group of 60 or so students had to pick what they thought was the most important aspect of becoming a critical engineer. There were eight different aspects, but the two that I am focussing on were " take responsibility" and "realize diversity". After everyone moved into a group separated by those who thought a particular aspect was more important, we discovered something that shocked me. Take responsibility was made up of a group of 8 males, while realize diversity was made up of 7 females. This was a startling discovery about the preconceived ideas between males and females in engineering and how such a discrepancy is still present in the underlying social values that we have.

Name: Annette Lau • What was your favorite session and why?

The session I attended which impacted me the most was Ania Ulrich’s presentation on “Engineering With Decency”. What made her session stand out the most wasn’t only that her presentation was very well put together, but also her personal connection to the issue at hand: the lack of effective listening skills on both an engineer’s side and the community they are serving. She drew light on the importance of enriching your career with community involvement. Not only do engineers focus on the technical aspects of their projects, they should also focus on the societal impacts their work has on communities such as the First 5

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Nations. This case study on giving students an opportunity to engage directly in the community they were serving opened up how important it is for engineers to listen. Although simple, her words opened up my perspective to not only the world of engineering but the world that is affected by its industry.

Her final point, “Engineer with decency but also with compassion” is what truly inspired me to become an engineer for others and not only for myself.

• What is something you learned that changed your perspective?

What definitely changed my perspective at CELC was both the huge variety schools across Canada had, as well as the strong sense of community felt among us. Although some schools had massive similarities such as Engineering Week and ESS events in general, there were also many aspects of engineering I had no idea existed. One of the huge ones was the chaotic patch deals. Engineers from all over Canada came to Edmonton sporting a wide range of coveralls, sewn head to toe with patches. I was confounded at the sheer energy and confidence they held wearing such extravagant attire but in the end, it was truly an eye opening experience and I got to trade some patches myself! In all, I learned that engineering isn’t all about studying and assignments, but the sense of union we hold as well through anything from patch trading to student leadership groups.

Name: Juyoung Kim • What was your favorite session and why?

Personally my favourite session was ‘Standing Out: The Value of Bringing Your Unique Strengths to the Table’. Because I think during this session I learned more information about the importance of extracurricular activities and it gave me more motivation. Also, in this session, I learned how to become a ‘necessary’ member to the team by developing unique skills that others cannot provide to the team. I think this was a very important lesson because it 6

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allows every member to feel they are actually part of the group by confirming they are meaningful to the team.

• What is something you learned that changed your perspective?

After solving ‘problems’ every time us, engineers are kind of use to the environment that right answer and wrong answer exists, but in ‘Macro Ethics: Navigating Value Tensions In Engineering’ I learned that when we make decisions in a world that actually affects the world there is not really a right or wrong answer. One of our discussion was about when some companies have technology about cancer treatment should we secure them or share them. If we had debate we would pick the side and discuss which one is better, but instead everyone had to think about the pros and cons of both sides. After discussion we figured out it is impossible to satisfy everyone just by picking one ‘winning’ side. We needed to mix and make a balance between the two sides to be successful. This changed my perspective which was we always have to pick the side. Sometimes it is important to find middle ground and make balance.

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ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIRST YEAR? By: Devkaran Dhillon The annual GEER Week trivia event, Are you smarter than a first year? (AYSTFY), was hosted on January 15th this year. It was held at the Round 2 bar on Whyte Ave. Engineering students of all disciplines, with drinks in hand, got busy working out solutions for a variety of problems. The atmosphere was full of nostalgia, with people gasping as they recognized questions from their first-year semesters.

Several rounds were played during the event; these rounds included general knowledge questions as well as questions from the categories of Physics, Chemistry, Math, Statistics and Programming. The categorised questions covered material from ENGG 130, CHEM 103, PHYS 130, ENCMP 100, MATH 100 and ENGL 199, whereas the general questions tested knowledge of campus, GEER week, the engineering profession, and geek culture.

It played out to be an entertaining evening. Every now and then you would hear someone exclaim, “Oh, this one!”, or maybe a strong-worded (yet light-hearted!) remark at a seemingly impossible question (Ahem…Mathematical Induction anyone?). Even folks who were not actively participating could be seen intrigued by some of the questions, joining the sea of focused expressions. A question about the Dean’s salary caught everyone’s attention and was met with uncontrollable laughter.

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(Spoiler!) It turns out that you probably aren’t smarter than a first year, as the First Year Engineering Committee (FYEC) emerged victorious. The Computer Engineering discipline nabbed second place, and Electrical Engineering (EE) finished third. A special mention for the particularly enthusiastic performance put on by the Mining Engineering Students.

A lively group of engineering students packed into a small bar, drinking and cheering on their discipline while they answer questions, is indeed a unique sight.

It is also a charismatic one, as within those loud yells and sighs you notice what the event really is – an homage to the true spirit of engineering that us together.

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FIND YOUR PASSION @THE CAREER FAIR By: Bryana Ruggia This past month, ESS held its Winter Career Fair from January 8-9th in the ETLC Solarium. With over 50 different companies in attendance, such as CNRL, EPCOR, TELUS, Teck, and WSP, it’s no wonder people were leaving with so many job prospects.

The career fair is a student’s best chance to network and find a company that best suits your career path, whether you’re set on what you want to do, or, for the first-year students, the looming decision of choosing a discipline seems overwhelming.

There were over 20 companies with opportunities for first-year students, so those with no industry experience can see the kinds of opportunities waiting for them outside of school. Companies like Syncrude, Associated Engineering, and PCL Construction give first-year students the chance to work with senior engineers and project leads to show them how their education pertains to the real world.

For more senior students, either in co-op or not, the career fair gives you the chance to see what your options are for co-op, summer, and post-graduation jobs. If you start up a conversation with some of the company representatives, they can give you the inside scoop of how the company operates and how your prospects are for securing a position. It’s also important to be personable as the representative can become your connection if you do choose to apply.

Missed the career fair? Don’t fret, lots of companies take applications online so you didn’t miss your chance. Be sure to check out any upcoming info sessions or email the companies directly for more information. It’s never too late to start making connections.

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS By: Bryana Ruggia

The Geer week competitions came to an end on Friday, January 17th with the highly anticipated Battle of the Bands competition. Held at Midway Arcade and Bar, the event attracted the attention of many students ready to come out and have a good time.

First up was none other than the First-Year Engineering Club with classic 80’s jams.

Other notable bands included the PET E club with their renditions of popular songs on 11

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the recorder, the CHESS club dressed as Mystery Inc, and the Winner of Battle of the Bands, the MEC E club.

With colourful lights, good music, alcohol, and arcade games when your ears needed a break, Midway was a great place to host. Thank you to all the people who performed and all the work you put into your performances.

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MOVIE NIGHT By: Roanne Andaya Kicking off the first night of GEER Week was the movie night. Each discipline has a chance to show off their filmmaking (or editing) skills as they create a movie based off of a blockbuster hit. This year featured a surprise live-action feature from the mining club, and many action packed scenes from each club. This year’s film list goes as follows:

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ChemE Nine-Nine - ChemE Club

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Hard Drive - CompE Club

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Single Phase - EE Club

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CivE-Doo! - CivE Club

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King of the Drill - PetE Club

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MatE McFly - MatE Club

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Mecision: Impossible - MecE Club

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Let’s Get Engg Physical - EngPhys Club

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Royal Rumble - MinE Club

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Geerate Kid - FYEC

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SCAVENGER HUNT By: Abby Paul The GEER Week Scavenger Hunt pits disciplines against each other to find, photograph, and sometimes fake their way through an eclectic list of items and challenges. With limited time and without the use of personal vehicles, teams braved sub -30˚C weather (or stuck to pedways) to complete as much of the 60-item list as possible.

This year’s list included the following: •

a hand-drawn portrait of the head judge

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a set of identical twins

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a picture of pure 24k gold (with proof, of course)

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a 500-year-old book on witchcraft

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a time lapse video of the entire Metro Line

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THINGS TO (NOT) DO THIS TERM By: Roanne Andaya Old habits die hard, but with the beginning of a new year comes new resolutions that we promise to uphold for an entire year. Whether this be to better your health, your academics, or your relationships, we all make resolutions that we almost never keep. However, with the beginning of a new semester means the return of bad habits, and the promises of breaking them. We asked students to share what they have learned, and to offer insights on what not to do this term.

“I did this more in first year, but don’t skip class to go to Pokémon raids.”

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Annette Lau

“I had really really bad cases of cramming that led to so many sleepless nights.”

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Vu Nguyen

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“As important as school and academics is, never forget to take care of yourself. I prioritized my studies way too much last semester and forgot that making sure that I was okay before my grades were okay is the most important thing to do.”

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Anne Andaya

“Study well in advance for an upcoming midterm; don’t cram the day before! A week of studying will prepare you much more than a couple days, and it helps alleviate the stress too.”

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Eric Tran

“Never sacrifice sleep to study. Obviously studying is important, but getting enough sleep is important too, and makes sure that you can remember everything you study.”

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Tatiana Kopchia

“Not having a set plan of action when studying. Having good study habits is helpful, and preplanning your study schedule helps keep you focused.”

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EJ Navarro

“Don’t leave anything to the last minute. I crammed so many assignments last year because I thought I had so much time to finish them when I really didn’t” •

Joy Garcia

So hopefully all those bad habits will disappear this year. Good luck this year and kick all those resolutions in the butt!

Photo credits: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/5-tips-to-keep-your-brain-healthy

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How did you spend the week of extreme cold based on your zodiac sign?

By:Abby Paul

Sign

Activity

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

Binging You on Netflix

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Baking

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Wearing shorts to flex on the rest of us

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Hoarding canned food

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

Ordering a lot of Domino’s

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Using it as an excuse to go to none of your classes

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Clean apartment

Scorpio (October 23 – November

Telling everyone that is isn’t that cold

21) Sagittarius (November 22 –

Scouring the internet for deals on a

December 21)

warm vacation over reading week

Capricorn (December 22 – January

Business as usual

19) Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Doing weird stuff for Tik Tok

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Wearing snow pants every day Photo credits: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/snowflakes-background

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CENTENNIAL ENGINEERING BANQUET By: Bijan Boroumand As GEER Week 78 came to a close, we all had a chance to reflect on what went right, as well as what went wrong. Organizing it all with the smallest committee in years (the ESS coordinator team consisted of 2 members) was definitely a challenge, and we found ourselves severely lacking sleep by the time GEER Week hit. We conveniently all caught the flu right near the start of the week, and if you caught us at any of the events, you were probably wondering what on earth we were on, while in reality we were just all very sick and sleep-deprived. Despite all of these internal problems, I would say that GEER Week 78, taking place on the 100th anniversary of the ESS’ founding, was actually a success.

We got a lot of positive feedback, and most of the events ran pretty smoothly even if they started out kind of rough.

MecE club ended up beating CivE, the previous years’ champions, to come in first place. EE came in third, and FYEC ended up fourth in an impressive performance with help from an impressive 18

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“stunt�. CompE, although having high hopes from their movie win, ended in ninth, only above PetE which, finished in 10th place with 69 points.

The annual banquet was held at the Grand Imperial Banquet and Conference Centre, which was a nice venue despite the fact some may argue that it was located in the middle of nowhere, leading many terrified Uber passengers to believe that they were being kidnapped as their driver drove into the unknown territory that is east Edmonton.

Thankfully, everyone, including dean Fraser Forbes and his gang of faculty administrators, made it in once piece to present their speeches which were met with a thunderous applause. This year was unusually absent of the drama that is usually a staple of every GEER week, and everything seemed to run smoothly at the banquet. I did get a little intoxicated, and might have accidentally embarrassed myself by trying to talk to Mr. Forbes in my inebriated state, and I also might have gotten hit by a few fireworks during the finale (it actually hurt, I don’t know why no one told me to move away from the fireworkshole that I was unknowingly standing directly on top of), which caused a few laughs, but such incidents were few and far between and luckily had no major consequences 19

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(except for my firework burns). APEGA and the dean made speeches followed by a speech by Madame Présidente Ms. Mandy Lim of the ESS. I lost all of my money gambling in the fake poker games, and ate a few too many desserts, but for the most part, I can confidently say that myself, the committee, and everyone else thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Us in the ESS and the GEER Week committee want to thank everyone who attended this significant event, held on the ESS’ centennial year. Without you guys, none of this would be possible. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I can’t wait for GEER Week 79!!!

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JANUARY PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

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facbeook.com/UAlbertaESS

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