Supporting those affected by conflicts

Supporting those affected by conflicts

October 24, 2023

UBC Mechanical Engineering believes violence is not an answer for conflict, and we lend our support and compassion to those who are affected by current world conflicts. As world conflicts deepen and innocent civilians are caught in the tragic repercussions in Israel, Gaza and elsewhere, the implications are distressing for those with families and friends affected. The Department joins the University and the individuals, organizations and nations here in Canada and around the world in calling for dialogue towards peaceful resolution.

Students seeking support should reach out to UBC Mechanical Engineering Student Services (for referrals or academic concession support), the Applied Science Counsellor in Residence, or community supports (costs for which can often be supported by your student extended health plan).

Information about supports for students in Vancouver is available here:

Information about supports for faculty and staff is available here:

MECH Stands with our 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities

September 20, 2023

UBC Mechanical Engineering stands with its community – its whole community, including people from across gender and sexuality spectrums – in condemning the anti-transgender and anti-queer actions taking place on campus and across the country.  As a community and a society, we are at our best when we bring diverse perspectives and experiences together, and at our worst when we allow rhetoric to invalidate the lived experiences of any given demographic of people.

As a Department, we value diversity.  We value community.  And we value each person that brings diversity to our community.  There is no room for hate or intolerance.

As a place of education, we firmly stand by our transgender, nonbinary, and all 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ right to a safe, inclusive and equitable learning environment. Instructors will offer appropriate concessions where possible to those who miss class or assignment deadlines due to these events.

With actions scheduled on campus for September 20th, members of our community who feel unsafe are encouraged to walk between classes with others, or stay home and take advantage of appropriate concessions.  There are safe spaces open for 2SLGBTQIA+ students such as the Women’s Centre and Resource Lounge in the AMS Nest.  Students can visit Mech Student Services (CEME 2205) and Faculty and Staff can visit Mech Administrative Services (CEME 2053), which are available from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm on weekdays.

Other Resources

  • If anyone needs to reach out for emotional support, consider calling:
    • Trans Lifeline: (877) 330-6366,
    • Crisis Centre BC: 1 (866) 661-3311, or
    • Crisis Services Canada: 1 (833) 456-4566
  • Students can also use AMS Safewalk from 8pm-2am if they want support walking across campus: (604) 822-5355.
  • In case of an emergency, dial 911. For non-emergency threats, call Campus Security: (604) 822-2222.

 

MECH staff honoured with UBC President’s Staff Awards

September 18, 2023

Sean Buxton and Jen Pelletier, Mechanical Engineering staff recipients of 2023 President's Staff Awards.

Congratulations to Mechanical Engineering staff members Sean Buxton and Jen Pelletier, who have each been recognized for their contributions to UBC through the 2023 President’s Staff Awards. The President’s Staff Awards “recognize the personal achievements and contributions that our staff make to UBC, and to the vision and goals of the university.” They are awarded to staff who make outstanding contributions in six categories, with Buxton receiving a President’s Award for Creativity and Innovation, and Pelletier recognized with a President’s Award for Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence.

Creativity and Innovation

Sean Buxton (he/him) is UBC Mechanical Engineering’s Program Support Electrical Engineer, providing undergraduate technical instruction and support while overseeing the department electronics shop and student lab. Sean finds creative ways to enhance the student learning experience, such as during the COVID-19 lockdown when he developed a “lab in a box” to bring technical instruction to students regardless of their location. Creating over a hundred boxes for students all over the world, this innovation allowed students to experience hands-on learning while unable to access campus facilities.

Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Seeking to create a safe and welcoming workplace and learning environment, Senior Manager of Administration, Jen Pelletier (she/her) has continuously created opportunities for Mechanical Engineering faculty, staff, and students to engage in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. Beyond developing and leading EDI workshops and training for faculty, staff, and teaching assistants, she has continuously explored opportunities to embed content into graduate and undergraduate courses. Collaborating across units, Jen has worked to bring EDI topics to the Applied Science community as a whole.

 

Sean and Jen have received two of eleven awards given across UBC, a number which also includes Applied Science’s Sarah Buse, Director of Experiential Learning and Academic Services, who received a President’s Staff Award for Leadership. Read about all of UBC Vancouver recipients of the 2023 President’s Staff Awards and the President’s Service Awards for Excellence

$1M in NSERC funding awarded to MECH research

August 30, 2023

Mechanical Engineering researchers have been awarded over $1 million in new funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which is funding five projects through their Discovery Grants, including one Discovery Launch Supplement, as well as critical research equipment through the Research Tools and Instruments grant.

NSERC Discovery Grants

The NSERC Discovery Grant program fosters Canadian research innovation by funding long-term research projects. The additional Discovery Launch Supplement is awarded to early career researchers embarking on their initial Discovery Grant.

Stochastic approaches to design of structures and materials in Additive Manufacture (StochAM)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Adam Clare

Enhancing the Concepts of Machine Intelligence in the Context of Mechanical Dynamic Systems
Principal Investigator: Dr. Clarence de Silva

Sustainable and Resilient Smart Large-Scale Infrastructure through Game-Theoretic Predictive Control
Principal Investigator: Dr. Dominic Liao-McPherson  |  Supported by the Discovery Launch Supplement

Advanced Control of Floating Offshore Wind Farms
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ryozo Nagamune

Mechanics of materials across time, length, and composition scales
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mauricio Ponga de la Torre

NSERC Research Tools and Instruments

Supporting innovation by contributing to cutting-edge facilities, the Research tools and Instruments grant enables researchers to purchase key equipment for their work.

Replacement of a Multi-function Tribometer
Dr. Dana Grecov, Industrial and Biological Multiphysics Laboratory

Read more about all the Applied Science research recently supported through the NSERC, B.C. Knowledge Development Fund, CFI John R. Evans Leadership Fund programs.

Media Mention: Washington Post speaks to Dr. Lyndia Wu on brain impact of heading the ball in soccer

August 29, 2023

WASHINGTON POST: “A number of studies suggest that the powerful forces involved in heading a ball may lead to thinking and memory problems, and possibly dementia”

“Astronauts during rocket launch may experience a few g’s of acceleration,” said Lyndia Wu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia who led the study. “A car traveling at 35 mph running into a wall could experience about 30g of acceleration.” In Wu’s study, heading often resulted in impacts of 22g or more, with some of the impacts surpassing 30g.

APSC Rising Star Yi Yi Du

August 20, 2023

This article is from APSC Student and Alumni Stars. 

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Overcoming hardships, a team effort

“Perseverance. Commitment. Dedication. 3 imperatives to success.”

Yi Yi Du

Waking up from a two-month-long coma, I found myself on a rarely trekked path toward graduating from the University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Mechanical Engineering with a Biomechanics and Medical Devices Specialization. Hit by a car on September 13, 2021, outside of UBC, I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and finally understood the dire situation that someone with a TBI could be in.

Ironically, my undergraduate research and what I want to focus on in a PhD is specifically centred around the mechanisms of TBI. My SB3C2020 conference presentation on my research of in-vitro modelling of mild TBI now has a more profound personal significance. Despite my functional physical abilities and memory significantly deteriorating from the accident, one thing remained clear to me: my perseverance in the academia of traumatic brain injury research will prevent others from experiencing ICU and enduring months of hospitalization as I aspire to develop effective traumatic brain injury prevention and rehabilitative devices.

Why did you choose to go into your field of study at UBC?

Initially, I intended to specialize in the Thermofluid Option in the second year of my mechanical engineering degree as I was fascinated with rocket engine design. However, I had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Lyndia Wu to discuss getting involved in research at her lab, the Sensing in Biomechanical Processes Lab (SimPL). After a semester of working with graduate students at SimPL, I saw the direct impact an engineer could have on health care. I decided to apply to the Biomechanics and Medical Devices Option in Mechanical Engineering and dedicate myself to bettering health care.

What has made your time at UBC memorable?

In the summer before my final year and the car accident, I reached out to Arc’teryx to be the client of my capstone project. My team and I partnered with them to create a rig that twisted pre-production shoes to characterize their durability. I led the prototyping of a pressurized silicone airbag system that realistically stressed the forefoot region of shoes while attending intensive rehabilitation after awakening from a coma due to a car accident. With the support from my team, professors and my Arc’teryx advisor, designing and validating a biofidelic airbag within a single semester gave me confidence in pursuing my original academic and research goals.

CAPSTONE PROJECTS UBC

Is there anything you wish you had known before you began studying your degree program?

Whether navigating through challenging problem sets or strategizing coursework for the upcoming semester to be not overly stressful, you need support and a second opinion to save you from unnecessary trouble. 

Rather than prioritizing having a solid foundational scientific knowledge and understanding before starting your mechanical engineering portion of your degree, I firmly believe that building a robust support network between you, your peers, your professors and your family is the paramount goal in your first year. You will naturally reinforce the weakest links in your knowledge base as you progress through your degree toward graduation. However, to do so, you must have someone supportive to rely on when in a tricky position.

Domenik Adamoski, and Yi Yi Du celebrating birthdays two weeks before convocation
Domenik Adamoski and Yi Yi Du celebrating birthdays two weeks before convocation

Were there any challenges you faced and overcame during your degree that you would like to share?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced during my undergraduate degree is overcoming the imposter syndrome after my car accident in my last second semester. It is common for those who have experienced traumatic brain injury to be cognitively compromised. I feared that because of my injury mechanism and severity, I would not have the intellectual capacity to do well or even finish my undergraduate degree. To recover my self-confidence, I focused on the small victories in my coursework and projects as I inched closer to the finals of my last second semester. Advocated by my mum, a civil engineer, I adopted the idea of evidence-based practice (EBP) as I should infer my performance of my future finals based primarily on my existing academic performance after the car accident rather than baseless assumptions.

Where do you find your inspiration for using your degree to make an impact on our world?

When I attended GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre’s Acquired Brain Injury Inpatient and Outpatient Programs, I was among the few who could not independently operate a manual wheelchair or walk steadily. Gradually, I re-acquired enough balance to walk a short distance by myself; yet, to this day, I still cannot effectively operate a manual wheelchair due to my left hemiparesis. The recovery journeys that many others and I are on inspire me to use my degree in mechanical engineering to advance our understanding of traumatic brain injuries so that we can develop more efficacious devices to prevent or rehabilitate traumatic brain injuries.

In the fall/winter of 2021, Yi Yi's dearest friends visited VGH and GF Strong Rehabilitation Center every weekend during Yi Yi's hospitalization
In the fall/winter of 2021, Yi Yi’s dearest friends visited VGH and GF Strong Rehabilitation Center every weekend during Yi Yi’s hospitalization

What are your future plans to make a difference in our world?

In the final year of my undergraduate degree, I took MECH 466 Automatic Control. Even though this course only covered classical control engineering theories, given the time limit of a semester, I enjoyed the material so much that I intend to learn modern and post-modern control engineering theories in my PhD and utilize control engineering theories to design traumatic brain injury prevention devices, like helmets with liquid shock absorbers, or rehabilitative and assistive devices, like autonomous power wheelchairs. Ultimately, I recognize the importance of control engineering as it touches many machines and processes we utilize daily.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING COURSES

How did your studies in the Faculty of Applied Science prepare you for the future of work?

Work concerning all subjects is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. My study of mechanical engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science exposed me to a very interdisciplinary and tightly-knit work environment at Kardium Inc. during two of my co-op terms. From engineering a system that induced pulsatile saline flow patterns simulating cardiac hemodynamics in silicone heart models to supporting IDE clinical trials to bring Kardium’s ablative catheter to the U.S. market, I faced mechanical, electrical, system and surgical design challenges. To arrive at well-rounded and optimized solutions, knowledge and skillsets from many disciplines were required.

I think a quote from Harry Potter very much applies to everyone here: “Help will always be given at [UBC] to those who ask for it.” 

Having sustained a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (classified by the Glasgow Coma Scale), I identify as a person with disabilities. Because of my quick energy depletion rate, mobility disability and short-term memory problems, the Centre for Accessibility, my professors, my family and my peers remained supportive wherever possible. Without their help, I would have had a much rockier journey in finishing my undergraduate degree and recovering to where I am today.

Do not be afraid to seek out support. 

Capstone Project Profile: Micromanipulator for Mandibular Reconstruction Surgery

August 18, 2023

This article is from the Applied Science Student Project Spotlights. 

Anthony Zhou, Audrey Alianto, Cecile Ying, Daniel Andjelic, Yizhen Song

  • Community Partner: ISTAR Group at Vancouver General Hospital
  • Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
  • Program: Mechanical Engineering
  • Campus: Vancouver

Our project

Mandibular reconstruction surgery involves removing cancerous portions of the jawbone, which leaves the patient with a gap in their jaw. To allow patients to regain jaw functionality for eating, speaking and aesthetic purposes, the missing sections are replaced with bone segments from the patient’s fibula or scapula bone.

A micromanipulator device is a surgical tool that assists surgeons with aligning and securing the bone segments. We believe that the better the segments fit into place, the better the post-surgery tissue healing and patient recovery will be. The project is important because it benefits patients’ health and could reduce costs for the hospital.

Our inspiration

Anthony: My co-op experiences in the biomedical industry have instilled a passion in me to work on innovative medical devices and tools that could positively affect patients’ lives. Knowing my work could make a difference, no matter how small, has inspired me to work on projects such as this one.

Audrey: I have a strong interest in the biomedical field, so applying our technical knowledge to improve people’s quality of life is what inspired me to pursue this project.

Cecile: I have always been interested in biomedical engineering, and this project provided me with the opportunity to learn more about the design process for medical devices.

Daniel: The prospect of a school project that could produce something which benefitted patients’ lives was important to me. As I am interested in environmental and medical applications of mechanical engineering, this project ticked all the boxes for me.

Yizhen: I chose to pursue this project because it had relevance to my degree as a biomedical engineer. The fact that a family member is in the medical field was also a great motivation for me.

Team with their iron rings.

Our biggest challenge

Defining the scope of the project with the clients and generating a medically acceptable solution for real-world surgical use was the biggest challenge the team faced. Creating a medical device or tool was substantially more difficult than we had anticipated due to the strict requirements and changing needs of the surgeons and engineers.

What excited us most

The opportunity to observe a mandibular reconstruction surgery live in the operating room was the most exciting part of the project.

The most interesting/surprising thing we learned

The fibula bone, which can act as replacement segments for the removed jawbone sections, is NOT a weight-bearing bone. It means the bone is not entirely needed for basic movements. Only the top and bottom few centimetres are required for ankle stability, and therefore most of the bone is actually not needed. This was something interesting and surprising the team learned from our discussions with the surgeons we worked with.

Our project’s future

The group at Vancouver General Hospital is looking to patent the device mechanisms and ideas soon, after some iteration. We are excited that the medical device has impressed the biomedical engineers and surgeons we were working with, and we look forward to seeing the project succeed in real-world operating room use!

APSC Rising Star Phoebe Cheung

August 15, 2023

This article is from APSC Student and Alumni Stars. 

An engineering degree is more than just the academics

“Make the most out of every opportunity – you get out what you put in.”

Phoebe Cheung

Going into engineering, I knew that it would not be an easy degree. I genuinely enjoyed what I studied, however, making it a lot more manageable. I will forever be grateful for all the support I received from my family, friends, professors, and mentors to help me succeed academically and become a better engineer.

After five years at UBC, I am graduating from Mechanical Engineering in the Biomechanics and Medical Devices option. Since first year, I have been an active member of the UBC community, and I was able to explore my interests through a variety of experiences during my undergraduate degree. I had the opportunity to work in the medical devices industry, experience research in the soft robotics field, and be part of UBC AeroDesign. Needless to say,

I have made the most out of my time here at UBC, and I cannot wait to explore what the future holds for me beyond my mechanical engineering degree.

Why did you choose to go into your field of study at UBC?

In first year, I had a chance to learn about the biomedical side of engineering through BMEG 101/102. I was particularly drawn to the biomechanics part of it, and mechanical engineering offered a specialization in exactly that. Additionally, I was enjoying my time on the mechanical subteam on UBC AeroDesign, which further solidified my choice to study mechanical engineering. I also spoke with senior MECH students and attended the program fair, and from there, I was confident that mechanical engineering was the right path for me to pursue my interests.

UBC AeroDesign Engineering Student Design Team
Image credit: instagram.com/ubcaerodesign

What has made your time at UBC memorable?

My time on UBC AeroDesign has been one of the most memorable parts of my degree. I was part of the team since first year, working on the mechanical/airfoils subteam, and I had the honour of serving as team captain for two years. Being part of AeroDesign gave me the opportunity to be involved in a large-scale design project from start to finish, especially since we run on a year-long design cycle. And of course, the phenomenal and supportive team community is one of the things I love about AeroDesign.

One of my favourite memories on the team was attending my first test flight. It was a very rewarding experience to watch the plane take flight after all the hours we had put into designing and building the aircraft. Despite the late nights and (not so) occasional crashes, I enjoyed every moment with the team, and it is certainly one of the highlights of my time at UBC.

ENGINEERING DESIGN TEAMS

How are you applying the skills you’ve learned?

I became team captain of AeroDesign at the start of the pandemic when we could no longer be on campus for design team work sessions and virtual meetings became the norm. It was something that I certainly did not expect to have to learn to navigate through as part of my degree. In addition to training new members virtually, ensuring design tasks are being completed efficiently, and working with APSC to eventually transition back to in-person work, I also wanted to make sure the team maintained a strong sense of community despite the online environment. This experience has not only taught me to become a better leader, but it also allowed me to realize the importance of communication, adaptability, and resiliency.

What advice would you give to first-year engineering students?

You are not alone in your engineering degree – reach out early and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone around you wants you to succeed. Don’t forget that there’s more to your degree than passing all your courses. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things, whether that is joining a design team, going abroad for work/study, or working in a research lab. Your time at UBC will fly by quickly, so be sure to make the most out of the numerous opportunities available to you.

Most importantly, be proud of all that you have accomplished, no matter how big or small.

How would you describe the MECH student community?

The student community within MECH was very welcoming and inclusive. I have met some of the most amazing and supportive friends throughout my degree, whether it was bonding through the seemingly endless pile of homework or celebrating the end of a successful term. There were also many opportunities to meet upper year students who were always happy to provide advice and answer questions about school, work, and life in general.

I would never have made it this far without the support of all my peers!

How did your studies in the Faculty of Applied Science prepare you for the future of work?

Despite the constantly evolving field of engineering, the skills I have developed throughout my studies has prepared me for my future career. From learning how to learn through my engineering courses to understanding what it takes to lead a multidisciplinary team through UBC AeroDesign, I have the fundamentals needed to be a successful engineer.

Additionally, both my co-op and capstone experiences have given me a glimpse of life in industry. What’s most important is being able to adapt to changes that come my way and staying strong to my core values.

Capstone Project Profile: Designing and building fish identification and sorter for the Big Bar fish wheel

August 14, 2023

This article is from the Applied Science Student Project Spotlights. 

Ansel Hait, John Matheson, Ansen Ramsawmy and Kim Ristimaki

The challenge

The goal was to reduce the person-hours required to operate the fish wheel and make the process more efficient.

In 2019, a landslide near Big Bar in the Fraser River created severe rapids that prevented salmon from reaching their spawning grounds farther upstream. Since then, a lot of conservation work has been done to reduce the severity of the rapids, and chinook salmon are now generally able to make it to their upstream spawning areas. However, sockeye salmon, a smaller species, are still struggling. To help them, fish wheels have been installed that catch the fish and then measure, tag and transport them around the rapids.

We were asked to design a system that would automatically sort different salmon species, directing sockeye salmon to live tanks (from which they can be transported upstream) and redirecting chinook salmon to the river. The goal was to reduce the person-hours required to operate the fish wheel and make the process more efficient.

Our design process and challenges

We enjoyed taking something from an idea to reality and operating the lathe and milling machines to build our product.

At the start of the project, we met with stakeholders that included some of the operators of the fish wheel, members of the Gitksan Watershed Authority and representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. One of the main criteria that emerged from this discussion was the need to create a solution that could be assembled using conventional hand tools and installed directly on the existing fish wheel.

Fish Sorter Design

One of our first design decisions was determining how we were going to sort the chinook salmon – which are larger fish – from the sockeye salmon. We debated using a weight-based solution, but in the end decided that a machine learning system would be more reliable. The computer vision algorithm we developed detects the length of the fish and based on that makes a prediction of whether it is salmon or chinook.

Our final product consists of three main assemblies. It includes an inlet chute that is mounted to the arm that holds the fish wheel and is made of sheet metal to direct fish to the fish sorter. The fish sorter contains a tray mounted on a shift with the linear actuator and a lid with a mounting position for the camera. The final assembly, the electronics enclosure, incorporates the electronics components and is mounted on the side of the live tank.

MECH Tray Sorter

It was challenging to do the machining work and build the physical structure. But it was really fun too.  The machinists at UBC were great and taught us so much: they have a ton of experience and gave us just the right amount of guidance while letting us figure things out for ourselves.

What excited us most

One of the most rewarding things about our capstone was just seeing it evolve from an initial idea to a tangible and usable product by the end of term.

Over the course of this capstone project, we learned how important salmon are – both for First Nations people and for their role in bringing nutrients upstream. In watersheds, nutrients typically flow downstream, but when salmon migrate upstream to spawn and die, their decomposing bodies release valuable nutrients into the ecosystem.

It was also exciting to dive into machine learning. We didn’t have any experience in machine learning before working on this project, or much experience with software. This project was an excellent way to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Our project’s future

If the live testing goes well, we hope that the structure will be installed at the fish wheel near Big Bar. It can then start sorting out the sockeye salmon so they can be transported upstream and have a better chance of spawning.

APSC Rising Star Callum Woznow

August 13, 2023

This article is from APSC Student and Alumni Stars. 

Callum Woznow – Mechanical Engineering Graduate and Co-Founder of Zeeno

A global tech journey that led me to Silicon Valley

“Make big spontaneous decisions – it makes life interesting and leads to cool experiences.”

Callum Woznow

Throughout my time studying mechanical and biomedical engineering at UBC, I tried my best to fill my days with travel and building. I lived in Germany for a year to work in the automotive industry and learn a new language. During my time in Germany, I founded a technical consultancy called Strive which created technical work experience for 55+ UBC students and continues to operate on campus.

For my next internship, I followed my interest in sustainability and worked in hydrogen strategy in Washington DC. Here, I learned a lot, but realized that big companies aren’t my thing. I then moved to Singapore supported by the Cansbridge Fellowship to help build an early stage tech startup alongside some accomplished serial entrepreneurs.

Toward the end of my degree, I started an AI company called Zeeno with fellow UBC students Enrique Moran and Sophie Berger, and managed to secure $840k CAD in funding from a top Silicon Valley investor to pursue the company full-time in San Francisco upon graduation.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM OPTIONS

Callum during his internship in Germany at Smart Car

Why did you choose to study Mechanical Engineering?

I chose mechanical engineering because I have always loved to build physical things, figure out how things work, and work with my hands. It excites me to sit down with a bunch of random components and leave my desk with a new piece of technology. I wanted to focus on biomedical engineering as a specialty to open my mind to new problems that I wouldn’t typically encounter in my daily life that could potentially make people’s lives better.

How are you applying the skills you’ve learned?

I have taken many things away from my degree including a strong work ethic, the ability to run on small amounts of sleep, and guidance on how to start a company from my New Venture Design course. In addition to these general life skills, I did acquire a strong foundation of technical knowledge and one of the most satisfying ways I applied this was on a personal project.

I wanted to create something to help my long distance girlfriend and I stay connected between Canada and Germany. I built her a mechatronic stuffed bear with a robotic skeleton that could be controlled with a mobile app from any country in the world to give a firm hug. When I am on Facetime with her, and I see she is holding the bear, I tap a button in my app and the bear gives her a hug. This was one of the first times I applied my skills on a personal project and it was very satisfying.

Your advice to incoming UBC Engineering students?

If you have any ounce of desire to start your own side project, business, or organization, you should lean into it and do it. There will never be a point in time where it feels comfortable to start, and for this reason you just need to push yourself to take the first step. You can start by testing smaller projects or ideas and work your way up!

How do you feel your degree has benefitted you compared to a different field of study?

In terms of my specialization within engineering, I am happy that I chose mechanical. I felt that MECH covers such a wide breadth of engineering that it set me up well for any type of challenge I want to pursue in the future.

Looking back, I would not have chosen anything other than engineering as my field of study. The most important takeaway from my degree was putting myself through a true challenge and coming through the other end. Engineering is lots of work but no pain, no gain 🙂. I was exposed to everything from tissue engineering, programming and thermodynamics to complex mathematics, and economics.

What are your future plans to make a difference in our world?

I am a firm believer in entrepreneurship as a career path and I believe that to make a true impact in the world, you need to get your technology in front of people and into the market. For this reason, I am currently building an AI application company in hopes of giving millions of people a tool that they enjoy. In the future, I plan to apply my technical knowledge to build companies in the biomedical and/or clean energy sectors. I am particularly interested in combining generative AI with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to better understand what goes on in the brain’s visual cortex.

How did your studies in the Faculty of Applied Science prepare you for the future of work?

My degree did not teach me the quick way of doing things – it taught me the hard way.

We didn’t learn how to build an app with a pre-made machine learning model, we learned how to build a model from first principles. In the fast-paced world we live in, it is important to understand how to use quick tools to build things and get stuff done, but if you do not have the ability to work from first principles and do things the hard way, it will be impossible to push the boundaries of technology to create new innovations. During my degree it was sometimes frustrating that the course content was very theoretical, but I came to appreciate this when I started making my own projects.

Anyone can use pre-made models and tools to make things, but having a strong and broad theoretical background is rare and significantly expands your technical capabilities.

What was the most fulfilling part of your UBC experience?

At the end of my second year, I saw the need for an organization to helps students gain work experience with real technology companies while they take courses to explore different career avenues. With this, I founded an organization called Strive Consulting. This was the most fulfilling part of my UBC experience regarding my career as I got the opportunity to meet amazing people and help students get jobs! Throughout my time running Strive we had 55+ students, from Bachelor to PhD-level, gain work experience and internships with organizations such as a Bill Gates-backed startup and Caltech.

I have since passed Strive on to the next generation of students and I am excited to see where they take it!

Callum with the Strive Consulting team