Issuu

MARCH 2021 Vice President of Communications

Director of Publications

Delaney MacIntosh & Elizabeth DeCorby

Safiya Ahmad

Junior Editor

Cover Design

Jason Tao

Ejouan (EJ) Agena

Contributors

Engineering Art Show Diversity in Engineering Bhavnoor Kaur Jennifer Long Andrea Schmitz

All materials appearing in The Bridge bear copyright to their creator(s) under the Engineering Students’ Society (ESS) and may not be used without written consent.

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email essint@ualberta.ca

Photo: Delaney MacIntosh

DEAR READER, Engineers can be so many things — artists, leaders, athletes, advocates, volunteers, and so much more. This edition of The Bridge reflects all of the things that we are and all that we might become. We are very proud of our community of engineers who have continued to persevere through the ups and downs of this past year and are honoured to have been able to share your stories. This month, the Engineering Art Show team pulled off an incredible series of online events and showcased many fantastic art pieces. The Art Show features shared in this edition show us how integral this tradition is to engineering culture. Diversity in Engineering continues to be a key support for students, faculty, and clubs. We are so grateful for their advocacy and education efforts to continue to improve inclusivity in Engineering. DivE shares two pieces in this edition: Notable LGBTQ+ figures and Pride trivia. As the semester wraps up, there is have lots to celebrate and lots to look forward to. This edition of The Bridge is just a taste of the accomplishments and plans unfolding in the UAlberta Engineering community. Warm Regards, Delaney MacIntosh & Elizabeth DeCorby Vice President of Communications P.S We wish the 2021 graduates all the best! You rock!

C LE OF ONT ENT S

6 Engineering Art Show

Story of Art Show Art Feature Events Recap (Unity — 2021) Volunteers Feature

16 Diversity in Engineering

Notable LGBTQ+ Figures in STEM

24 Brain Games

Pride Trivia Crossword

TAB

28 Engineering Traditions

The Calling of an Engineer: Iron Ring Which Discipline is Right for You? 10 Things to Know before Second Year

34 Features

Student Feature — Alex Huang ESS Elections Recap

The 2020-2021 Engineering Art Show team decided on the theme of Unity for this year! With the current pandemic, staying safely connected as a community is more important than ever. During uncertain times, unity is required for the engineering community to connect and accomplish unprecedented feats. Therefore, the objective of the 2020-2021 Unity: Engineering Art Show is to empower individuals and unify the engineering community through events and initiatives. To embody the theme of this year, the engineering art show team decided to combine the traditional gear with a multicoloured wave design. The wave symbolizes the power of unity within the engineering community. As the currents of various colours flow along the same direction in a harmonic way it can remind us that when our community is unified and that we can create something beautiful together.

The 10th Annual Engineering Art Show is a volunteerdriven initiative that celebrates creativity in engineering over the course of two-weeks in March. The 2020-2021 Engineering Art Show will run online from March 15th 26th, 2021 and involve featuring artwork and performances, creating a collaborative art piece, paint night, DIY bird feeders event, baking night, cooking night, a talent show competition, and conclude with a closing ceremony showcase.

Engineering students and engineers are commonly stereotyped as being science and calculus inclined; however, in order to come up with innovative solutions, this profession requires individuals to be fundamentally creative. Creativity exists in all facets of engineering. The Engineering Art Show was founded 10 years ago to showcase the diverse talents within the community; since then, it has become an annual tradition to devote two weeks in March to promote art and diversity in engineering through volunteer-driven events. The significance of celebrating art and diversity in engineering is to foster community and break down the barriers of what an engineer is defined by. Ultimately, having individuals with different backgrounds and experiences in engineering is essential for innovative and creative ideas.

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The Engineering Art Show is hosting a Bob Ross Paint Night on March 17 from 5:308:30 PM via Zoom, where participants can paint by following the Paint Night lead! Participants may obtain the painting materials as listed on the material list and be reimbursed up to $10.00 CAD if the reimbursement form is submitted.

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The Engineering Art Show will call for submissions 1 month prior to the start of the events and workshops. Starting Monday, March 15, we will feature an artist and their art or performance piece on our instagram @engartshow. We plan to showcase work every weekday during the two weeks engineering art show is run.

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The Engineering Art Show is planning to create the Paint by Circles collaborative art piece where students historically dropped by and painted a circle on a canvas. Since this academic year has been delivered online, participants will be provided with a circle template to design and submit their creation via Google Form. From there, the submissions will be collaged together to form the final piece and then printed out.

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The Engineering Art Show is collaborating with the Sustainability team to deliver a DIY bird feeder event! Participants will upcycle materials and be led by the workshop lead to create their very own bird feeder. During the event, participants will also be given facts/tips on how to attract specific bird species.

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The ESS Engineering Art Show will be hosting Closing Ceremonies on March 26th 6:00-8:00 PM via Zoom. There will be the final art showcase, speeches, and live performances.

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The Engineering Art Show will be hosting a Talent Show Competition via where Engineering students can perform or submit performance videos in advance for participants to watch. The set will last 2 hours and incentives will be given out to viewers throughout the event. Participants will get to rank performers in the submitted video and live performance categories and the performers with the most points in each category will receive a prize.

Come join us for a guided Cooking Night on March 23 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM through zoom! An experienced engineering art show team member will walk through a handful of simple, healthy, and university student-friendly recipes. Participants can follow along where all skill levels are welcome to participate. An ingredient list will be sent out prior to the event day and ingredients are expected to be purchased by participants to account for personal preferences/dietary restrictions.

Ivana I'm Ivana and one of the Engineering Art Show Coordinators for this year! I am passionate about the arts and empowering youth through the arts.

Elizabeth Hi! I'm Elizabeth and I'm a part of the engineering art show team! I've done art my whole life, but When I was 10 I was inspired to work towards improving my art skills. Another thing that I love even more than painting and drawing is sculpting!!

Kai Hi everyone, this is Kai from your engineering art show team! Painting and graphic design has been my side gig since elementary school. Being a huge sci-fi fan and anime enthusiast, I enjoy the freedom of imagination that art has offered me.

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Hi Friends, My name is Fra and I am also one of th Engineering Art Show Coordinators! Although I never excelled at physic mediums of art, I have alw resonated with photogra

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Penny Vu My name is Vu and I'm a general volunteer for the engineering art show! I have found myself expressing art through music (piano), baking, and photography.

Hi! I’m Penny and I’m a volunteer for the Engineering Art Show. I will be leading baking night so come bake some treats with me! Art can be found anywhere, or if you’re trying to be hipster enough :)

Rhianna My name is Rhianna and I'm a volunteer for the engineering art show! I don't create art very regularly, but I usually break out my drawing and painting supplies to make cute drawings of animals or my friends.

Notable LGBTQ+ Figures in STEM Presented by Diversity in Engineering A fundamental portion of any STEM field involves the application of mathematical and scientific principles to develop a better understanding of how the world works. This understanding allows us to present scientific solutions to many of the diverse challenges we face in our society. However, one’s ability to interpret the world around them is heavily influenced by perspective. It is human nature to think and construe information in a certain manner depending on various factors such as race, religion, and sexuality. Perspective continues to present a unique barrier when problem solving or working towards solutions in STEM, which is why it is so important to advocate for the inclusivity of traditionally underrepresented groups and benefit from the unique perspectives that they bring to the table. The eighth of March marks the start of this year’s Pride Week, a celebration of the 2SLGBTQ+ community at the University of Alberta, which is why the Diversity of Engineering team would like to highlight these notable 2SLGBTQ+ individuals who, despite the societal challenges they faced, presented their own unique perspectives and helped break obstacles in scientific development.

Alan Turing The British mathematician Alan Turing, born June 23, 1912, was undoubtedly one of the most significant and original minds of the twentieth century. Turing's fascination and flair in mathematics and sciences earned him much praise in his early days. He continued to pursue his passion for mathematics, achieving a spot at the King's College in Cambridge and graduating in 1934. He went on to complete his Ph.D. at Princeton. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Turing joined the Bletchley Park codebreakers at the Government Code and Cypher School. He oversaw attempts to decrypt ciphers by Nazi Germany's Enigma machine, which was deemed untrodden. However, after years of hard work, he developed an electromechanical machine known as the bombe which automatically deciphered Germany’s Enigma, giving the Allied Powers a huge advantage over the Nazis. This machine was a major technological advancement and laid the groundwork for modern technical computing. In 1952, Turing was convicted under Britain's laws for homosexuality and was forced to undergo chemical castration. On June 7, 1954, he was found dead; investigators found an apple laced with cyanide next to him. It is widely believed that he took his own life, although the evidence is also consistent with accidental poisoning. Turing's ideas helped develop modern computing, and played a significant role in World War Two, and yet he died a criminal for his homosexuality.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Sally Ride

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, architect, and engineer living near Florence, Italy. Some of his famous work includes the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man. He often designed and built props for theatre productions and found unique mechanical systems to move set pieces around the stage. His creativity easily carried over to STEM, where he often sketched flying machines and hypothesised the idea of flight. At the time, flying was considered a radical idea, but it is truly impressive to look at his aircraft sketches which were drawn almost 500 years before the first aircraft flight in 1903 (Wright Brothers). Leonardo lived as an openly gay man in a time where homosexuality was a crime. At the time, the punishment for sodomy varied from region to region; luckily, Florence was a tolerant city and Leonardo was so popular that he could continue living his life the way he chose.

Sally Ride (1951-2012) was the first American woman to fly in space, and a member of the lesbian community. She held bachelors degrees in both english and physics, as well as a masters degree and PhD in Physics. Dr. Ride flew on the first two Challenger missions, and resided on the panel investigating the 1986 Challenger disaster. She was a reserved person; both friends and family had to work to get her to open up to them. Additionally, when serving with NASA, “not fitting in” could lead to serious consequences in her career. As a result, while she never hid her relationship with her partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, she did not publicly broadcast it either. After her space missions, Dr. Ride decided that she wanted to help women and girls who were interested in studying science, so she set up programs that helped young women find role models, like-minded friends, and a safe space to enjoy science and math.

Frank Kameny Franklin Edward “Frank” Kameny, born May 21, 1925 in New York City, was an American LGBTQ+ rights activist. After Kameny was fired from his federal government job in 1957 because of his homosexuality, he appealed his firing. Although unsuccessful at first, it set history as the first known civil rights claim based on sexual orientation. The circumstances of his situation encouraged him to lead an LGBTQ+ rights movement in the 1960s. In 1961, Kameny and Jack Nichols, fellow co-founder of the Washington branch of the Mattachine Society, led many protests for LGBTQ+ rights. They protested at United Nations buildings, the Pentagon, the United States Civil Service Commission, and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. Kameny even wrote to President Kennedy about changing the ruling on firing members of the government based on their sexual orientation. Then, in 1963, Kameny drafted a bill to overturn a sodomy law. He also fought and succeeded in removing the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder. Finally, after 18 years of fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights, he was successful in changing laws so that others wouldn’t have to lose their jobs due to their gender or sexuality. Although Kameny was not directly involved in a STEM field, his fight for civil rights played a huge role in bringing workplace equality to where it is today.

Ben Barres Ben Barres (1954-2017) was a transgender neurobiologist and a huge advocate for women in STEM at Standford University School of Medicine in California. With an undergrad from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a medical degree from Dartmouth College, a doctorate from Harvard University, and a postdoctoral position at University College London, Barren has made incredible strides in his field with his work on glial cells, which are cells in the nervous system. In particular, he has made many discoveries on how synapses form in a developing brain. During his academics, and before his transition, Barres never thought that one's gender could dampen their qualifications until witnessing a professor accusing him of plagiarizing since he assumed a woman couldn’t solve the problem. Due to the unaccepting society, he often felt like he had to choose between his career or his personal happiness. After a long battle with gender dysphoria, Barres transitioned in 1977 and began to live as a man. Because of his past struggles, Barres discussed his life openly in hopes of helping anyone who may be going through a similar struggle. Barres dedicated the last decade of his life towards advocating for change in the STEM community which he saw as fundamentally biased against women and other minorities. In April of 2017, Barres was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer but during his treatment he did not shy away from his work and mentoring his students.

Rachael Padman Rachael Padman (1954-Present) is a transgender physics lecturer at the University of Cambridge. She first completed her undergraduate studies in electrical engineering from Monash University in Australia. Rachael then proceeded to work at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Radio Physics in Sydney, for two years; here she worked on research relating to antennas for radio astronomy. It was this work that then led Rachael in 1977 to pursue her PhD in mm-wave astronomy and instrumentation, she did her research work at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.

While studying for her PhD, Rachael came out as transgender and began to live full-time as a woman in 1981. In 1982, the same year Rachael completed her PhD, she also underwent gender affirming surgery. With her PhD complete, Rachael went on to the University of Berkeley as a Miller Research Fellow. In 1984, Rachael returned to the Cavendish as the Deputy Project Scientist for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. In 1998 Rachael became a University Lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge. From 2005-2009, Rachael remained primarily involved in the administration of teaching in the Department of Physics and sat on the Council and General Board of the University from 2009 to 2016. She has also served as the School of the Physical Sciences Director of Education from 2008 to 2014. Currently, Rachael chairs the Board of Graduate Studies and the UIS Operations Committee. She also sits on the University’s Environmental and Sustainability Strategy Committee and the Information Services Committee. In 2018 she was awarded the Barbara Burford Gay Times Honour and continues to serve as a role model for the LGBTQIA+ community interested in STEM.

Sarah Josephine Baker Sara Josephine Baker, born in 1873, dedicated herself to civil service and helped many impoverished people in the areas of New York. She was a lesbian, suffragist, and member of the progressive, feminist Heterodoxy Club, where she was called “Doctor Joe” by fellow members.

In the male-dominated career of public health, Baker felt the need to “fit in” by wearing masculine attire in an attempt to minimize her femininity. She managed to overcome this challenge, becoming the first director of the Bureau of Child Hygiene, focusing on preventative health measures against disease. Her work led to tremendous progress in lessening maternal and infant mortality; her retirement year with New York having the lowest infant mortality out of all major US cities. She also founded the American Child Hygiene Association and was the first woman to receive a doctorate in public health from Bellevue Hospital Medical College and New York University. She wrote 50 journal articles and 200 pieces about preventative care throughout her career before retiring to New Jersey with her partner.

To learn more about DivE, check out their socials! Website: https://divengg.wordpress.com/ Website: divengg.wordpress.com Youtube: Diversity in Engineering Instagram: divengg_uofa Instagram: divengg_uofa Facebook: divengg Facebook: divenggin Engineering Youtube: Diversity 23

DIVERSITY IN ENGINEERING PRESENTS

PRIDE

TRIVIA

ROUND 1

ANSWER KEY

1. Tan France 2. Two-Spirit 3. Sashay away 4. Drag daughter 5. Ivy League 6. Elliot Page 7. Serenity 8. Sophia Burset 9. Packing 10. Janis Irwin

1. This Queer Eye star is well known for his obsession with the French tuck. 2. The “2S” in LGBTQ2S+ stands for... 3. If you’ve just been eliminated from the Drag Race, RuPaul will boot you off the stage with these two words. 4. What title is used to describe a drag queen who is new to the art of drag and mentored by an experienced performer? 5. This YEG-based drag star describes herself as “the Science Queen [that] looks like a snacc”. 6. Icon that starred in the films “Juno” and “My Days of Mercy”. 7. The original pride flag designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker had eight colours: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo, and violet. He assigned a meaning to each colour. What meaning did he assign to indigo? 8. Transgender Icon, Laverne Cox, plays this hair stylist character on OITNB. 9. This word describes the act of padding to give the appearance of a penis/junk. 10. What is the name the only LGBTQ MLA in Alberta?

ROUND 2

1. Paris is Burning 2. 1980 3. Moonlight 4. Edmonton Rage 5. Pansexual pride flag 6. Born This Way 7. Chapstick lesbian 8. Frank Ocean 9. Evolution Wonderlounge 10. 2005

ROUND 2

ANSWER KEY

1. This 1990’s film is credited for being the first widely-used example of the term “throwing shade”. 2. Year of the first Edmonton Pride celebration. 3. This is the first LGBTQ2S+ film, and the first film featuring an all-black cast, to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. 4. What is the name of Edmonton’s LGBTQ hockey team (not to be confused with the U of A Intramural LGBTQ+ hockey team, called The Other Team)? 5. Name the sexuality whose flag consists of three horizontal stripes of pink, yellow, and blue from top to bottom. 6. 2011 Lady Gaga song that says “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgender life / I'm on the right track, baby / I was born to survive”. 7. Similar to “soft butch”, this slang term is often used to describe a lesbian who presents somewhere between masculine and feminine, often dressing in comfortable or sensible clothing. 8. LGBTQ2S+ artist who released the album Channel Orange in 2012. 9. Name of the local Edmonton gay bar in downtown. 10. In what year did Canada legalize same-sex marriage?

ROUND 3

ANSWER KEY

1. Lil Nas X 2. Intersex 3. Kate McKinnon 4. Left 5. Lena Waithe 6. Sam Smith 7. St. Albert 8. 1981 9. Black Dog Freehouse 10. Death drop

1. This American rapper came out on the final day of Pride Month in 2019 and then went on to break the record for consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 2. Often confused with “transgender”, this term describes individuals born with chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or genitals that do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies 3. Gay comedian who joined Saturday Night Live in 2012 4. In the handkerchief code, which pocket would you place your handkerchief in to signal that you are a “top/dom” 5. Name the first LGBTQ woman of colour to win the Emmy for outstanding writing in a comedy series for the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None, which she also starred in. 6. Artist that said "I want to thank the man who this record is about who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys" in their acceptance speech 7. The first municipality to ban conversion therapy in Alberta? 8. In what year did the Edmonton Police raid the Pisces Bath House and arrest 56 gay men? 9. Local bar that holds Long Weekend Queer Dance Parties 10. Also known as a “shablam”, this term describes the move commonly used in drag performances that involves lowering oneself to the ground with one leg extended and the other tucked behind the back

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1. Coulomb 2. GameStop

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THINGS BE ENT SECO

S TO KNOW EFORE TERING OND YEAR

Meet Alex Huang Student Feature

“Make sure you have an outlet, be it a hobby, or a group of friends. It is a lot of hardwork. Reach out to your friends and prioritize yourself.”

Meet Alex, a fourth year mechanical engineering student and competitions coordinator of the ESS! Throughout his degree, he has stepped into various roles, both within and beyond the faculty. As competitions coordinator, Alex helps to organize and execute the University of Alberta Engineering Competition (UAEC). His passion for UAEC comes from his own experiences. This past year, Alex and his team placed first in UAEC, advancing to the virtual Western Engineering Competition. Alex’s passion

for design and engineering began in high school where he was a part of the robotics club for two years. As a member of this group, he learned all about the engineering design process and how machines work. Outside of engineering, Alex is a part of the Zeta-Psi fraternity and trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a martial art which focuses on self-defense through grappling and submission holds. Alex also loves to snowboard and ride motorcycles. After graduating, Alex would like to work somewhere he has never visited before. He wants to apply his knowledge in an environment that is completely new to him. He has a compassionate spirit and would like to give back to his family for helping him through university by contributing to his younger brother's tuition. Through all of these pursuits, Alex has developed his passion for mentorship, guiding younger students through the program. His advice to first year engineering students who are stuck in ‘Zoom University’ is to take breaks and make time for hobbies; it is important to put aside time to look after yourself.

ELECTIONS RECAP 2021-22 ESS Sr. Executive President: Adrian Wattamaniuk VP Internal: Johnny Lee & Zack Dorward VP External: Delaney MacIntosh VP Finance: Ethan Franz VP Comms: Faryal Faisal & Breanne Bacani VP Academics: Ivana Tieu & Franklin Gonzales VP Student Life: Holly Clark & Polina Reisbig

FAMF UPDATE Dear Students, We are pleased to share the the Engineering Faculty Association Membership Fee referendum passed with 74% of students voting 'yes'! This fee gives back to our community and allows students and student groups to keep doing amazing work. We'd like to thank you all for staying engaged with the community and supporting the Engineering FAMF. The current and future student leaders in our faculty will ensure that this money goes towards benefitting your student experience, impacting our community, and providing you unique opportunities throughout your degree. Most Sincerely, The 2020-21 ESS Sr. Exec Team