The Bridge: February 2019 Edition

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February Edition

The Bridge

February 2019

Table of Contents Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................... 1 Publications Team .................................................................................................................................... 2 ESS Headshave! ........................................................................................................................................ 3 5 Things to Do in the Oh-So-Brief Window between Midterms and Finals ............................... 6 Effective Communication in the Workplace ...................................................................................... 8 Holidays! ...................................................................................................................................................10 Cultivating Self-Love After Valentine’s Day ....................................................................................11 Horoscopes: The Signs as Chemical Elements .............................................................................13 Word Search .............................................................................................................................................14 Engg Valentines ......................................................................................................................................15 February Photo Highlights! ..................................................................................................................16

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February 2019

Publications Team Roanne Andaya Tana Angaman Gurbani Baweja Joanna Bibangco Mohammad Abdullah Hashmi Abby Paul Aishwarya Venkitachalam

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February 2019

ESS Headshave!

by Mohammad Abdullah Hashmi, First Year Amongst the many ESS events is one that is not only entertaining, but charitable as well.

The Engineering Headshave took place on February 13 in the ETLC Solarium with the goal of raising funds for the noble cause of cancer treatment.

Before the event started at 10 in the morning, hard-working volunteers swarmed into the Solarium to set it up for a fun-filled day. Once everything was in place, the opening remarks delivered to highlight the initiation of this event, the hairdressers got to work on the kind souls that volunteered to have their precious locks of hair removed. Anybody who wanted their head shaved or their hair dyed registered in advance and by making a contribution to the fundraising goal of the event. With all the giggling, shivering, and sometimes moaning and weeping, the event was a sight to behold for someone looking to get a few laughs in their day. Needless to say, some really eye-catching pictures symbolic of the good vibes were taken throughout that day so those not in attendance could also experience the fun.

Delicious coffee and donuts served to everyone in attendance, whether it was to have their head shaved, or simply to enjoy the event with a few friends. There was joy involved, but also an appreciation that the reason for this event is to raise funds for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The head-shave reminds us of the battle that the victims of cancer bravely fight, as well gives us the opportunity to help, even by means of a few dollars.

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Photo by: Ethan Chua

Photo by: Joanna Bibangco

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Photo by: Joanna Bibangco

Photo by: Ethan Chua

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February 2019

5 Things to Do in the Oh-So-Brief Window between Midterms and Finals

By Roanne Andaya, First Year

After spending Reading Week catching up on your classes and cramming for midterms, those legendary few days in after midterm season and before finals season are looking as elusive as ever. Make the most of your time in the eye of the hurricane by doing something to relax and to take care of yourself, both mentally and emotionally, before Final Exam Sample Equation Sheet.pdf pops up on eClass. Here are five things that you could to calm your nerves and to simply have fun!

1. Ice Castles Edmonton This is an activity that you could do alongside a couple of your friends or bring your date along for a very late Valentine’s Day outing (No, babe, I didn’t forget).

The Edmonton Ice Castles, located

in

Hawrelak

Park,

showcases multiple man-made ice sculptures which enhance the beauty of Winter. Complete with an ice throne, a fireplace and multiple slides, this venue is best visited in the evening where lights illuminate the structure, or during the day when the skating rink next door is also open.

2. Art Gallery of Alberta If you’re more of an artsy person, check out the Art Gallery of Alberta. If you’re stressed and need a bout of inspiration, the calming exhibitions and thought-provoking artwork will get you calm. Who knows? Maybe your artsy side will pop out during your visit!

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3. Hexagon Board Game Cafe For those of you that get a little competitive with your friends, the Hexagon Board Game Cafe on Whyte is for you. Just a 10minute bus ride from campus, the cafe offers over 600 board games at an affordable price. Better yet, the cafe offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so don’t be afraid to go a little wild.

4. Escape Room In need of a challenge after midterms? Weird flex, but okay. Escape rooms are here to offer you both a challenge, and a team building exercise, and nothing spells team building more than having to escape a room in a given amount of time. Check out EXIT escape room on Whyte, or GTFO downtown.

5. Netflix and (Literal) Chill If you’re more of a stay-at-home kind of person, take the time to finally binge through that one show you forced yourself not to watch during midterms. Make some snacks while you’re at it and reward yourself for all the hard work you’ve done so far this term.

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February 2019

Effective Communication in the Workplace An Interview by Tana Angaman Interviewee: Elorm Sekyi, MSc., P.Eng., Process Engineer at Syncrude Canada Ltd., February 18, 2019 To understand the impact of oral and written communication in the workplace, I conducted a phone interview with Mr. Elorm Sekyi on February 18, 2019. Mr. Sekyi is a Process Engineer at Syncrude Canada Ltd., an oil and gas company. As a Petroleum Engineering student, I was especially interested to learn from Mr. Sekyi’s experiences.

First, he introduced himself as a Process Engineer who was born and raised in Ghana, and obtained his Bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Jacobs University Bremen and the University of Alberta, respectively.

Throughout his career, he has worked at companies such as the Dow Chemical Company in Fort Saskatchewan, and Suncor Energy in Fort McMurray.

My first question was about the importance of communication in Mr. Sekyi’s workplace. Mr. Sekyi stated that effective communication is “extremely important” because engineers must be able to communicate their ideas to the team members or leaders. He explained that every morning he sends emails to operators, and those emails should be “unambiguous, legible, and straight to the point” so that meaning is clear to the recipients. He added that he writes a lot of reports whenever he does design

“ Engineers should be mindful

calculations, and the reports should be

that the ideas that they are

concise.

communicating may be

My second question was about

understood in a different way ”

what employers look for in a job interview.

Mr. Sekyi emphasized the importance of

the engineer’s ability to verbally convey their thoughts to whomever they are speaking to.

In other words, employers observe how well you know the subject and how confident you are. Therefore, engineers should be mindful that the ideas that they are communicating may be understood in a different way.

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My third question was about any challenges Mr. Sekyi faced in effectively communicating when he first started to work. He said it was not that easy to effectively communicate, but that he did not particularly struggle in doing so as he had previously taken some courses in management. He understood how to write reports, emails, memos while some of his colleagues did not. Their reports and recommendations were sometimes “circled by the manager.� Mr. Sekyi added that in some companies he worked, there were people with a strong technical background, but poor communication skills; these people encountered hard time to socialize with others when they first arrived.

Continuing on this theme, I asked Mr. Sekyi how those struggling with their communications skills are able to improve. Mr. Sekyi described some of the strategies he has seen in his career, most of which involve seeking constructive feedback. For example, an employee can have their reported reviewed by one of the leaders. This review does not only check for calculations, but also for grammar so that employees can continue to develop their written communication skills. Employees can improve their oral communication skills by seeking feedback on their presentations. Training may also be given on effectively communicating in difficult situations, such as when dealing with an upset client.

Finally, I asked Mr. Sekyi for any advice he had for a career as a Petroleum Engineer. He advised that I should pursue industry experience as soon as possible, such as an internship at an oil and gas company. Mr. Sekyi also encouraged me to work hard, develop positive relationships with coworkers, seek mentorship, and to continually expand and maintain a network of professional contacts.

Thank you again to Mr. Elorm Sekyi for sharing his experience and some valuable advice on effective communication and a career in engineering!

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February 2019

Holidays!

By Abby Paul. Third Year Environmental Engineering

Missed out on the Valentine’s Day celebrations because you were hopelessly alone busy with midterms?

There are plenty of ways to get your festive fix this month by observing the days below. You can also get creative and make up your own special day!

Achieve your maximum potential and be responsible for another result in a Google search for “fun March holidays.”

February 24 – Tortilla Chip Day Still trying to eat healthier in 2019, but not willing to put in that much effort? Celebrate Tortilla Chip day by cracking open a bag of Tostitos and “accidentally” and eating the whole bag in under an hour. They aren’t potato chips, so they’re obviously fine, right?

February 27 – No Brainer Day On No Brainer Day, you aren’t allowed to do anything that requires mental effort.

Assignments? Probably illegal. Midterms? Arguably immoral. If you wanted an excuse, this is it.

February 28 – Sleep in Public Day Exhausted after a long day of not thinking yesterday? On February 28, continue your welldeserved break by taking a nap whenever and wherever you feel like it. Make this day extra-special by passing out on one of the nice ECERF tables in the middle of the day.

March 3 – If Pets Had Thumbs Day Just… think about it. Really think about it. Don’t limit yourself to cats and dogs, either.

Birds, snakes, fish, and more are all pets to consider on this very important day.

March 6 – Frozen Food Day Make your roomate’s week by celebrating Frozen Food Day and finally cooking up that Digiorno that’s been sitting in a dented box since October. It falls on the floor every time they want to treat themselves to a toaster strudel, and they want it gone.

March 9 – Panic Day Sit and reflect on how much time you’ve spent celebrating questionable holidays in the last two weeks. Your group project members have all but given up on you, and wasn’t it your cousin’s birthday last week? Happy Panic Day! 10

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February 2019

Cultivating Self-Love After Valentine’s Day

By Gurbani Baweja, First Year

So, it's the month of Valentine's They've all sorts of surprises ready, to make this month as special as their special someone.

A bunch of flowers will adorn their love, Sweetening it with a heart-shaped cake.

With the brightness of aroma candles, they'll lighten up this month of love.

But what about us?

The ones still looking for their valentine?

Is this month just for those who love someone else?

Is Valentine's Day all about romantic getaways?

What if we decide to celebrate this day for ourselves?

With a bunch of flowers adorning our room a heart-shaped cake baked to pamper our taste buds, With the brightness of aroma candles, we too can lighten this month for SELF-LOVE.

Being the unwilling witness of happy couples on Valentine’s Day can feel a little, well, tragic for anyone who is single. However, not having someone to take out for a dinner or gift flowers or chocolates to doesn’t make you unworthy. Though the absence of someone special can feel like a broken heart, your love for yourself can mend it. As Oscar Wilde suggests, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance". We should not forget to love ourselves more than anything else, not only around Valentine’s Day, but all the time. Use some of the tips below to make yourself your 24/7 Valentine: •

Take yourself on a date. Go on a walk in the River Valley listening to some good music and take in that majestic view. Can’t stand the outside world? Stay in and watch your favourite movie.

•

Pamper yourself. Buy a bouquet of post-Valentine’s Day clearance flowers, a new pair of pyjamas, and some ice cream. You could get just one of these things, but hey- you’re worth it.

•

Make your bed. This one is less about loving yourself and more about proving that you are a functioning adult.

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•

Actively seek to be grateful for what you already have. As Buddha suggests "Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have".

•

Spend time with the people you care about. Talk to your family ad friends – the people who love and appreciate you in good times and bad. You can also try throwing a party for all of your single friends. Your motives for this are your own!

•

Dress up for yourself. Choose any day and look so fine that your classmates think that you either have a job interview or are a lost business student.

•

Practice community service. Nothing beats the joy of seeing others smiling because of you.

Altogether, do what makes you happy and feel loved. The absence of a special someone in your life doesn't mean we are unworthy of all the love we deserve. Loving ourselves is a journey we should take to make our lives better. Loving ourselves is an important step to loving those around us.

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February 2019

Horoscopes: The Signs as Chemical Elements

By Abby Paul. Third Year Environmental Engineering

Aries Born March 21- April 19

Taurus Born April 20 – May 20

Gemini Born May 21 – June 20

Cancer Born June 21 – July 22

Leo Born July 23 – August 22

Virgo Born August 23 – September 22

Libra Born September 23 – October 22

Scorpio Born October 23 – November 21

Sagittarius Born November 22 – December 21

Hydrogen

Fluorine

Carbon

Nitrogen

Even where you’re least expected, you’re there. It makes you pretty hard to avoid, not that we’re trying to avoid you or anything...

Hey, friend. Could you maybe chill for, like, one second? No? Not even a little bit?

Okay, I’m just going to stand back here, well out of range of your intense reactions.

You know, the rest of us might be the building blocks for some other type of life that we just don’t know about yet, so lay off us a bit… our loyalty to your squad is unquestionable – almost nothing can break those bonds, but maybe give us some space.

Your friends are always genuinely shocked if you decide to leave your house to hang out with them. They didn’t even know it was possible outside of laboratory conditions.

Xenon

Sodium

Francium

Oganesson

Nothing is ever quite the way you want it to be – you’re always at least a little bit salty about something.

You are extremely unstable and, as far as the rest of us can tell, don’t do much. We can’t even figure out what you’re supposed to be doing.

No one really knows anything about you.

You’re just kind of… here, doing… something?

Your reputation is a little bit underserved. We all know you’re a real softy at heart, so check the attitude.

Gold

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Capricorn Born December 22 – January 19

Aquarius Born January 20 – February 18

Pisces Born February 19 – March 20

Mercury

Helium

Oxygen

Word Search

Engg Valentines

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February 2019 You don’t care about what anyone wants you to be. Non-toxic? Nope. Solid at SATP? Absolutely not.

You’ve been called tasteless, but even that doesn’t make you stop it with that weird voice you do sometimes. It’s not as funny as you think it is.

Listen, we love having you around. You’re important to us, and we need you. But maybe chill with all the fire, though, huh?

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Engg Valentines!

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February Photo Highlights!

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facebook.com/UAlbertaESS

@essualberta

@UAlbertaESS

bucklingESS

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February 2019