The Bridge: The Comeback (21/22)

AUGUST 2021 Vice President of Communications

Director of Publications

Junior Editors

Cover Design

Contributors

Copyright

Breanne Bacani & Faryal Faisal Mariko Gardiner Balreet Grewal Habiba Hamza Tahmid Al Hafiz Polina Reisbig

Safiya Ahmad Joel Kayanja Amelia Taylor Xinkai Xu

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.

Website

essualberta.ca

Contact

esscomm@ualberta.ca

Instagram

@essualberta

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Facebook

Engineering Students’ Society of the University of Alberta

Photo: Breanne Bacani

DEAR READER, Welcome to The Bridge!

The Bridge is a monthly publication that serves as a creative outlet for engineering students to indulge in their artistic passions. With the engineering community at the University of Alberta being incredibly diverse, it is our goal to showcase the many talents that our students possess to show that we can find strength in our diversity.

This edition pays tribute to how some of our engineering students have been keeping busy over the summer and exploring ways that they have grown as individuals. Whether it was practicing an old hobby such as photography, creating new playlists for road trips with friends we haven’t seen in a year or exploring our creative writing, there are many things to be grateful for.

This last year has been one that has challenged us all in different ways, and although the engineering community was separated by thousands of kilometers we were connected in a virtual world that we have created. Though we may be returning on campus in the fall, the Bridge will continue to be a virtual creative outlet for students.

Best, Breanne Bacani & Faryal Faisal Vice President of Communications

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C O N T E N T S 4

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Photo A Sum Summ

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Lucy L Of Dw Road

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Summ Horos Cross

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ography Made Simple mmer Reflection mer Activities

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Looselips warves and Giants Trip Playlist

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PHOTOGRAPHY MADE SIMPLE Trying to up your Instagram game? Wanting to show off a beautiful view?

Photography is easier than you think!

THE RULE OF THIRDS Divide your potential image into a 3x3 grid. Your subject LIGHTING should take up one third of the picture.

Be aware of the time of day you're taking pictures. If the sun is directly overhead your subjects may be covered by shadows.

General rule of thumb: The sun should not be behind your subject

COMPOSITION Composition is the most exciting part about photography! "Rule of Thirds" is a fun starting point but if you get bored try out the following: Symmetry Leading Lines Use of Negative Space

Repeating Shapes Focus on colours Texture 7

A Summe Reflectio Photos by Tahmid Al Hafiz

a collection of photos taken by Tahmid Al Hafiz and curated by Safiya Ahmad. Enjoy a gallery of the little creatures that visit our campus and its beauty in the summer.

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er on

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Fun things to do around Great Falls, Virginia, USA

By Mariko Gardiner

Here is a list of activities I like to do around my hometown of Great Falls, Virginia. Similarly, you can explore your hometown or areas in Edmonton like the River Valley or the Alberta Aviation Museum. Seize your summer!

Smithsonian If you ever find yourself in the DC area, the Smithsonian is a must see. It's the largest museum research and education complex in the world and includes attractions for everyone. Some of my favorites are the National Museum of Natural History, which includes exhibits such as fossils and meteorites, the National Zoo, and the Udvar-Hazy center, which is an air and space museum located near Dulles International Airport. Here you can see all manner of flying machines, such as the space shuttle Discovery and Concorde passenger plane.

Great Falls National Park Great Falls, as the name suggests, is known for its waterfalls.

Located along the Potomac River, the falls can be seen from viewpoints in the park, and Maryland can be seen on the other side. Thrill seekers may enjoy kayaking down the falls. There was once a canal and lock system beside the river, but it’s dry on the Virginia side. However, the locks are still intact on the Maryland side for those interested. As well as the falls, the park also has miles of trails through the woods and along the river.

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Riverbend Park Located beside Great Falls National Park, Riverbend has a much calmer section of the Potomac. Here, the river widens as it bends, and visitors can ride paddle boats or kayak far more peacefully. Paddle boats are available for rent, as well as fishing boats on certain occasions. Swimming is not recommended, but boats are welcome. There are also trails through the forests around the river, and it is often far less crowded than Great Falls National Park. It is also free, as it’s not a national park.

Sports Washington has teams for all major sports, and summer is baseball season. The Washington Nationals are the local MLB team, and they also have smaller feeder teams like the Potomac Nationals baseball team. For those that prefer playing to watching, there are leagues for most sports and fields along with areas for biking, skateboarding, BMX biking and more at Lake Fairfax.

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site One of the most historic buildings in Great Falls, the Colvin Run Mill was originally built in 1811, and although parts have been rebuilt over time, the structure is still the same as it was back then. The area around the mill also has other historic buildings, including a general store and blacksmith shop, which occasionally hosts blacksmithing classes. The mill itself still works, and visitors can purchase grains, such as flour, produced by the mill.

Picture taken from fairfaxcounty.gov

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xoxo, LUCY LOOSELIPS

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THE GREAT CLUB ROOM MIGRATION Did you hear that the Elko Engineering Garage blew up the club's hallway when they were trying to 3D print the table from “The Last Supper”?

Early in June, there were explosions that could be heard across campus, students and staff fled the building. When they returned, there was a hole leading all the way from the clubs hallway to the Dean's office on 9th floor DICE. Poor Simaan, he just moved in too.

At first, the ESS leader, Adrian, wanted the clubs to hang out in the crater, saying “It’s basic Feng Shui, it will be good for The Economy.” However, after some deliberation, it was decided that it was far too dangerous to have the EnvE’s and the PetE’s in the same space. In addition, there were some safety concerns with all the shrapnel laying around. That's why all the clubs are being reallocated to 5th floor MecE. How did the faculty find the space you are asking? Well, that building is on the verge of collapsing and the Engineering Faculty decided that this was no place for labs and classes anymore, so naturally, it's a fit for our student clubs. Where will the clubs go when the building is demolished? That's a later problem for another time.

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I heard that the Engineering Students’ Society President, Adrian, had to break the news to the clubs in June's BoD meeting. That poor bastard, anyone that has to deal with the whiny student clubs has their fate sealed. On that note, any student club that has to deal with the pretentious ESS is in for a headache.

As predicted, some clubs took this news well and others reacted as toddlers throwing tantrums in the middle of a crowded Walmart. MecE, CivE, and EE claimed that since their club rooms resided in other places, they shouldn’t be involved in this move. The point of all the clubs moving was to have all the students on the same floor to form a closer community, obviously furthering the ESS’ Communist Dictatorship.

On a more realistic note, MecE didn’t want anyone infiltrating their space. So naturally, they threatened to put Adrian’s head up on the wall, similarly to the moose head they have in their lounge. Some discipline clubs even went as far as saying that the ESS should be swept into a broom closet, everybody liked that idea.

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What did we learn from this? Bad behaviour is rewarded, and if you go crying to the Assistant Dean about the big, bad ESS you will get what you want, maybe rightfully so. All three clubs get to keep their club rooms and for once, the ESS can do nothing about it.

Two good things came out of this: the MatE club got to upgrade their broom closet to a small bathroom and allegedly, the relocation of the club rooms was too much of a task for the ESS’ pesky president making him resign. Looks like Johnny Lee will be replacing Adrian as the new president.

As for who I am, and how I know this? I guess you’ll never know.

Until next time.

XOXO - Lucy Looselips

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Of Dwarves and Giants

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BY MARIKO GARDINER

he traveller arrives during the night,

as he always does. His slight frame bends under the weight of the packs on his back as he makes his way to the village center, where he will rest as he waits for the village to come alive. In the morning, the people

mountains and create their homes within.

Most dwarves never left the mountain, being able to farm and built great structures within it, using the fiery heart to forge metals and steel like the world hasn’t seen since. There were, however, two

will wake up and go about their business,

brothers, mere teenagers really, who would

running errands, barely sparing a glance for

sneak out to climb a nearby tree. This tree

the weary traveller. But as the sun starts to

was the tallest, even taller than the giants,

become lower in the sky, a crowd begins to

and from its branches they could hide and

gather around him, and he springs to life.

watch the world go by. The fairies of the tree enjoyed the visits, and the brothers

He sings and dances, playing

would tell them stories from the mountain

songs and reciting poetry in exchange for bread and beer all afternoon. As the shadows grow longer, however, the mood

that tree with the fairies and everyone they

grows somber, and the traveller sits down

knew was in the mountain, the sky was

again. He pulls out a very large guitar,

filled with fire, then smoke, then darkness

whose notes shake the floor, and starts to

as the sun was blotted out. An explosion

talk, plucking the strings to the rhythm of

nearly threw them off a branch, and the

his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and

world as they know it changed forever. The

girls, non-binaries and genderless entities of all ages, gather round as I tell you a tale.

Have you ever heard the story of the dwarves and the giants? No? Well, listen close.

brothers didn’t know immediately what had happened, but as they lay cowering under the leaves, the truth started to intrude on their thoughts. To distract themselves, they talked about how one day they would

“Once, a long time ago, before the oceans were filled with salt and the skies were filled with stars, the land was roamed by giants. These giants were greedy, violent creatures who would kill and eat anything on their land, including other giants. The other denizens of the world lived in constant fear of the giants, including the dwarves. The dwarves, in order to hide from the giants, would hollow out massive.

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“One day, as the brothers were in

become mighty warriors and defeat the giants, freeing their people from hiding.

They would show their families the trees and introduce them to the fairies. They told these things to each other and themselves, as ash rained from the sky for days. Five days later, the smoke started to clear and they could see again.

Immediately they looked for their mountain, usually so prominent against the horizon, but there was nothing, just an

“And having wished this, he

empty space, a smoking crater, where their entire lives once were. “The brothers

began to grow, larger and larger. He

realized what they had been fearing for so

thought to himself how he would be able

long. Everyone was dead, their families,

to protect his brother and keep him safe.

friends, even their enemies. The only

Maybe someday they will find another

people left now were each other. Somehow,

mountain with dwarves, or maybe they

whether it was luck or a mistake, the fiery

will hollow out one for themselves. As he

heart of the mountain had exploded, taking the entire dwarven clan with it. They were alone. Then, coming up over the crater, they saw a giant, the biggest they had ever seen. And, even worse, the giant saw them.

“The giant walked towards the tree, each step like an earthquake shaking the ground. He approached the tree and tried to grab the brothers, but they were too far up, and giants can’t climb trees. The

grew even larger, taller now than the smaller trees, his thoughts turned to the giant, and how he would destroy it. And he did. He ripped out its throat and released his brother from its grip. But he was a giant now, and giants kill to kill.

They do nothing but kill. In his hands was a dwarf, and while in his mind he loved this dwarf, this dwarf was his brother, he killed him because he was a giant.

brothers started to laugh, calling him names and sticking out their tongues, but they were afraid. They saw its eyes, and the eyes were empty. It was not mad nor hungry. It wasn’t not killing them for pride or joy. It was simply in a giant’s nature to kill, so it killed. The giant started shaking the tree, and the brothers grabbed at the branches, clinging desperately. A branch broke, and the younger brother started to fall. He grabbed on to another branch, but it was too low, the giant could reach him now. The giant continued to shake the tree as he reached out with one hand for the younger brother. The older brother started to fall. As he fell, a fairy landed on him.

‘Please,’ he said to the fairy, ‘please, help us.’ More fairies surrounded him until he was not falling anymore but floating. ‘What is your wish?’ He heard them in his head, a thousand voices in one. ‘I wish to become a giant, the mightiest one to ever live, strong enough to protect my brother and all of the dwarvenkind.’

“He realized what he had done, he knew it even as he was doing it, and he realized that he had lost the one thing he had left. Realizing these things, he grew angry and set out to find the other giants.

After all, this was their fault. The death of his people, the death of his brother, all of it was the fault of the giants. And so he sought them out, one by one, and killed them, until he was the last giant. And in his rage he smashed the dwarven mountains, destroying them and killing the dwarves. Then he cried, and his tears filled the oceans. And when he was all out of tears and he was all out of rage, he walked into the ocean and was never seen again.”

The guitar falls silent as the traveller finishes his story. He silently packs up his things and prepares to leave.

Tomorrow he will arrive in another village and tell another story.

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2002 - ANNE-MARIE An upbeat singalong with references to a few excellent throwback tracks

TRAVELS - KHAI DREAMS FT. ATWOOD The best song for beach vibes and summer drives

EVERYBODY TALKS - NEON TREES This song emulates vibes similar to Hey Ya! I would personally dislocate a body part dancing to this song.

(Bonus points for the GLEE Version)

TOP 10 ROAD TRIP SONGS UR TO ADD TO YO PLAYLIST ...THAT

AREN'T "MR. BR OR "SW IGHTSI DE" EET CA ROLINE "

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THE WAY YOU FELT ALEC BENJAMIN No one does "feeling like I'm in a teenage coming of age movie," better than Alec Benjamin.

BOOGIE - BROCKHAMPTON Nothing is better than chaos and this song is straight chaotic-good.

Best lyric? - "Best boyband since One Direction"

JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY OLIVIA RODRIGO It would just be wrong to not have the most popular female pop artist of 2021 on your playlist.

HEY YA! - OUTKAST An absolute summer time classic.

Most probably the BEST song to start your road trip off on a good note

AIN'T IT FUN - PARAMORE A song that will make you want to stop the car and start dancing in the middle of the street (safely of course)

CRUEL SUMMER TAYLOR SWIFT Are you even surprised that Taylor Swift made this list?

ALL MY FRIENDS SNAKEHIPS This mellow tune is the song for when the drive is almost over or when the sun is setting.

BONUS TRACK: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - CRAZY FROG

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SUMMER STREAMING BINGE

Here are our picks for some binge worthy shows you must watch before fall semester begins.

For Marvel fans, we cannot leave out Disney's latest series into the MCU. 'Loki' follows the adventures of our favourite villain after the events of 'Avengers: Endgame'. This could be a one-day binge with a story line that helps set the basis for Phase 4 of the MCU.

Back with a second season, 'Outer Banks' follows John B. and his three best friends as they hunt for the legendary treasure that is tied to his father's disappearance. 'Outer Banks' is another quick binge with only 20 episodes.

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A classic binge-worthy show; no list is complete without a mention of 'Gossip Girl'. Now you can rewatch the original series and get started with the reboot series that began streaming this July. Both series revolve around the lives of a group of privileged upper-class adolescents in the upper east side of Manhattan.

A series coming to an end, now is the time to rewatch 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'. Relive the best moments of the show with Jake, a NYPD detective in the 99th precinct, before the final season begins later September.

Set during the Cold War, 'The Queen's Gambit' follows the chess prodigy Elizabeth Harmon as she rises to stardom while struggling with addiction. The small, 7 episode, series will have you wishing it was longer, so enjoy every minute of it.

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es i t i v i t Ac r e m m Su pe o c s o Hor r u o y for

Aries

Find a new trail and head out for an adventure.

Taurus

Set up camp in your backyard and roast some marshmallows.

Gemini

Plan a roadtrip! Go somewhere different and take some friends along.

Cancer

Spend a day in the sun and sand at a beach.

March 21 - April 19

April 20 - May 20

May 21 - June 21

June 22 - July 22 26

Leo

Spend time in the sun and pick up a new outdoor activity.

Virgo

Relax and have a picnic in the park. Bring some friends if you want.

Libra

Look for a clear night sky and go stargazing

Scorpio

Ambush your friends with a water balloon fight!

July 23 - August 22

August 23 - September 22

September 23 - October 23

October 24 - November 21 27

Sagittarius

Go travel! Plan a vacation and visit somewhere new..

Capricorn

Barbecue with your friends and learn some grill skills.

Aquarius

Go on a bike ride to explore your surroundings.

Pisces

Have a spa day! Rest, relax, and take the time to recharge.

November 22 - December 21

December 22 - January 19

January 20 - February 18

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C R O S S W O R D 1

Across 3. The site you likely loaded and refreshed a million times on registration day only for it to

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crash.

5. The _ _ _ _ Engineering Garage in ETLC is a maker-space for student projects and offers equipment, training, and

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learning resources.

6. As of July 24th, this band holds 4

the top Song of the Summer with Butter, according to

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billboard.com.

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7. What day did restrictions in Alberta lift?

9. Your favourite Nickelodeon

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teen sitcom that was renewed in

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2021.

10. The first day of school!

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Down 1. This initiative exposes children to science and engineering

2. Who is the new incoming Dean of Engineering?

4. Who invented the first AC induction motor?

8. This 1996 classic movie starring Michael Jordan was revived this year.

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Answer Key

events, and class workshops.

1. DiscoverE 2. Simaan AbouRizk 3. BearTracks 4. Tesla 5. Elko 6. BTS 7. Thursday 8. Space Jam 9. iCarly 10. Wednesday

through summer camps, unique

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