Keep your eyes on the skies! Canadian Astronaut & Engineer Chris Hadfield will be taking the first Canadian stroll in space April 19, 2001. Check out the official countdown and watch the live broadcast of the launch via the live NASA video feed.
Final exams are almost over - Stay tuned for bigger and better 'geer stuff!
Ever wonder how they build something like the Golden Gate Bridge? Or a VW Bug, for that matter? Like puzzles or solving problems? Have a knack for disassembling, rewiring or reprogramming things before you've even read the instruction manual? You may have "enginuity" - the quality associated with Engineers.
Engineers thrive on solving problems with the tools at hand. From the car you drive to the
International Space Station over your head, an engineer had an idea, designed a solution, came up
with a proposal and carried it through.
Some Common Symptoms:
You're never satisfied with the first answer to a question.
You think space sickness is just an interesting problem to solve.
You amaze friends and relatives when you reprogram your fridge to answer the door.
You disassembled every clock in the house when you were seven.
You know Lego can be used to solve real-world problems.
(so does Lego! - check out "InMotion" and help Lego and Johnson Controls design the next generation of automobiles.)
You may not know George Steinmetz, but you should be thanking him every time you plug into electricity - he solved the math behind AC power distribution.
Interested in other hostile environments? Check out the only newspaper in Antartica by the
scientists who live and work at McMurdo Base,
or the people who build autonomous submersibles for exploring the depths of the ocean at
International Submarine Engineering, right here in British Columbia!
Creo-Scitex is a Canadian company that develops new printing technology.
Engineers are also drawn to research facilities on the cutting edge of technology...
TRIUMF - They say breaking the atom in a particle accelerator is like driving a car into a brick wall
to see what it's made of. Very fast. With very expensive cars. Take their virtual tour!
SNO - short for Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. Ever wonder what they can do with 1000 tonnes of heavy water?? Well, they can detect these tiny, possibly massless elementary particles called neutrinos for one...
University of British Columbia is a wildlife preserve for more than engineers - there are over 1700 hectares of forest to get lost in, a beach you can walk to downtown on, and biking trails to hone up for Storm-the-Wall.
Remember what got you started in engineering? Send us your favourite engineering project's website and we'll add it in! Don't forget to tell us why!
A simple iron ring identifies a Professional Engineer. To become a Professional
Engineer (PEng) in Canada, you must complete a an internship with a professional
engineering company, gaining experience in your field before you attain the full
responsibility of an engineer.
There are also organizations to support different disciplines, under the umbrella of the
Engineering Institute of Canada promoting continued education of its members by
supplying information on conferences in your field and community involvement.
Check out these links:
Companies
