14 ANNUM 2016
The team’s aerodynamic simulations were taking a lot of time, slowing down the team’s progress on the design: “Imagine waiting for an hour to open an email: that’s what it was like,” says Maksymowsky. “I suggested throwing more computing power at the problem, and found a way to distribute the task onto a cluster of 16 machines.” The additional computing power has allowed the team to run more simulations and experiment with the design in hopes of achieving the most aerodynamic vehicle shape possible. Between band practice, course work, solar car commitments and archery, Maksymowsky is also passionate about sharing his ECE experience with prospective students. “I applied to be an ECE Ambassador because I had a really positive experience with the department when I was deciding what university and program to attend,” says Maksymowsky. “At the time, it was great to hear from professors but what really helped me to decide was hearing the experience of current students so that is something I wanted to do for others.”
Year program and hasn’t looked back. “As I went through the courses, I found that the computer and electrical courses were my favourite so I pursued those,” says Sit. “Right now, I’m leaning towards electrical, but my courses are still a mix.” Sit is involved in the IEEE student branch in their hardware chapter and will next move into their power chapter. As director of events for the student branch, she has helped to organize networking events and hardware hackathons. She has also volunteered with the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s Outreach Office where she helps to promote science, technology, engineering and math education to pre-university students.
The ECE Ambassadors field questions from both prospective students and their parents at campus open houses, visits from high schools and recruitment events. While high school students often have questions about workload, courses and exams, parents are often interested in job prospects for alumni and internship programs.
In the short term, Sit is going through the process of applying to Professional Experience Year (PEY) internship placements and in her final year in ECE, she hopes to find a great team for her year-long capstone project. Long term, she’s ready to roll up her sleeves: “I’m keeping an open mind to all of the opportunities out there,” says Sit. “I hope to find a position that allows me to follow my interests and passions, and helps me to continue to develop both my technical and project management skills.”
For Sarina Sit (Year 2 ECE), applying to U of T Engineering was not a straightforward decision. But after a week at the Girls Leadership in Engineering Experience (GLEE) at U of T at the end of grade 12 she knew that engineering was not only on the table, but at the top of the list. “Throughout all of high school I had enrolled in courses that would allow me to apply for life sciences,” says Sit. “But I had such an amazing experience at GLEE that I knew I had to give engineering another look.” Sit was accepted to U of T Engineering’s General First
The PEY paid internship program is an opportunity for upper-year undergraduate students to work full-time in an engineering position for 12-16 months, and it allows students to make meaningful contributions and gain career momentum before they graduate. Robin Todd’s (Year 3 CompE) PEY placement combines two of her big passions: software development and healthcare. She is working on the Drive team at Synaptive Medical, writing code to help develop a neurosurgical robot arm. Though she was always interested in medicine, her first experience