UBC teams sweep podium at 2013 Enterprize Canada Business Plan Competition

February 22, 2013

Three UBC student teams swept the podium at 2013 Enterprize Canada Business Plan Competition, a part of Enterprise Canada’s Entrepreneurship Conference, February 8th–10th at the Sheraton Hotel in Vancouver, B.C.

With UBC teams Agile Monitoring Equipment placing first, Aaisth second and SoundIT third, UBC entrepreneurs dominated the competition. The teams consisted of engineering and business students from UBC’s New Venture Design course. A fourth UBC team, T5 Analytics advanced to the final round of the competition with their product LiveShelf.

The Enterprize Canada Entrepreneurship Conference is in its twelfth year of operation and connects young Canadian entrepreneurs with industry professionals by offering a variety of workshops, events and networking opportunities.

Consisting of three rounds, teams advanced to compete in the weekend’s semi-final and final round competitions after qualifying in one of four regional district competitions held across Canada. Five teams participated in the final round of competition, four hailing from UBC, to present their business plans to a panel of judges.

The winners of the competition, Agile Monitoring Equipment (AME) comprises engineering students Daryl Pritchard (EECE), Brad Bycraft (ENPH) and Nathan Chan (ENPH), working in collaboration with commerce students Michal Luptak, Diana Hu and Shaan Narang.

The start-up developed a technology to reduce the impact of pinhole leaks in the oil pipeline industry.

“Currently, no technology exists that can accurately detect these small yet damaging leaks,” says engineering physics student Nathan Chan. “Our technology navigates inside the pipeline, using an array of micro-sensors to map the size of the hole.”

Aasith includes engineering students Davis Wuolle (MTRL), Colin Daw (MECH) and André Herath (MECH), collaborating with commerce students Beverley Cheng, Monica McMahen and Sean Fleming. Their product, the Quick Dry Bag that rapidly dries a swimsuit, targets the competitive swimmers’ market.

By drying a suit in two hours, the Quick Dry Bag allows a suit to be worn multiple times in a day –invaluable for a day of competition with several heats – reducing the need for swimmers to purchase several costly high performance suits.

SoundIT was created by engineering students Anuj Mehta (EECE), Nick Adams (EECE) and Samuel Chan (EECE) and commerce students Sonal Haria, Douglas Cheung and Eric Seto. Their product, SoundIT, is a mobile application that allows customers to listen to their choice of music at their favorite bars, pubs and lounges by using a ranking system to create a playlist for the venue.

New Venture and Design (APSC/COMM 486) pairs senior engineering students with business students. The students are divided into eight groups, each developing their own product and business plan. The teams have been actively participating in entrepreneurial and business plan competitions throughout the two-semester course.

Enterprize Canada— one of Canada’s most prominent student-run entrepreneurial organizations— provides an environment for students to engage and challenge their entrepreneurial spirit.

Founded in 2001 by UBC Commerce student Michael Lee, Enterprize Canada hosts an annual national entrepreneurship conference, a business plan competition as well as community events on university campuses across the country.

Celebration of Achievements 2013

February 13, 2013

The Department of Mechanical Engineering recently held their annual Celebration of Achievement ceremony. Please take a look at the photos below!

The event was held at the First Nations House of Learning. It was an opportunity to recognize the achievements of exceptional students within the Mech department. Congratulations to all recipients!

2012 Department Scholars (This honourary designation may be given to a student at any point in their graduate program, and they hold the designation through the remainder of their degree): Benjamin Blumer, Ramin Dastanpour, Graham Hendra, Maziyar Jalaal, Alireza Jalali, James Montgomery, Matthew Pan, Mohammad Rezayi Khoshdarregi

Graduate Student Leadership Award (Graduate students that excel as leaders among their peers): Ambrose Chan, Ehsan Faghani, Hannah Gustafson, Murat Kilic, Tarek Mohammad, James Montgomery, Ajung Moon, Eric Pospisil, Sina Radmard, Behnam Razavi, Navid Shirzad, Jenny Sullivan, Carolyn Van Toen

Undergraduate Student Leadership Award (Undergraduate students that excel as leaders among their peers): Jordan Balanko, Ryan Beaumont, Greg Bossons, Jayson Bursill, Edward Chu, Katelyn Currie, Ergasun Elacmaz, Kome Eto, Ruvie Eto, Adrian Granchelli, Jason Haer, Terence Hui, Amy Leson, Brenden Scott Oke, Andrea Palmer, Natasha Palmer, Kaitlin Paris, Lisa Restall, Michael Rooney, Richard Schaap, Connor Schellenberg-Beaver, Matt Schlacht, Jeremy Van Horn, Andrew Wong, Jeff Yeo, Steven Zhu

Go PLM Certification for NX (Students that passed the certification exam for the NX CAD software): Jeffrey Chow, Milton Sai Ho Choy, Jason Hui, Jay Leong, Justin Man Hei Li, Owen Lu, Chris Perttula, Prem Pinto, Aiden Sotres, Yihan Yanglou, Arnold Yeung, Vivian Wong

Undergraduate Academic Achievement: Kenard Agbanlog, Joshua Begin, Thomas Curran, Kristopher Lendl De Asis, Trevor Jordan Fisher, Christopher Geelhoed, Jay Roderick Hope, Masashi Karasawa, Anson Yan Shun Kung, Qiubo Li, Pegah Maghsoud, Megan O’Brien, Brenden Scott Oke, Daniel Thomas Paterson, Alistair James Deuchars Pimlott, Shalaleh Rismani, Ajaydeep Singh, Steven James Stewart, Lee Sutton, Denise Xiao Wen Wong, Yutian Xing

Article: "Putting our heads together safely"

February 12, 2013

Dr. Cription’s research on concussions and spinal injury was recently featured in an article on the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s website. The article describes the prototype sports helmet, the Pro-Neck-Tor™, that was developed by him and his team, and the helmet is able to concussions and spinal injury. This helmet is application in preventing injuries in sports such as hockey and football, where there is a lot of physical contact between players. This helmet was also recently featured in a radio talk show on CFAX as well.

Full article: https://www.innovation.ca/

UBC and Fraunhofer Society Enter $4.9 Million Clean Energy Partnership

February 8, 2013

The University of British Columbia and Germany’s Fraunhofer Society have entered in a $4.9 million clean energy partnership. The principal investigator on the project is one of our department’s faculty members, Prof. Walter Mérida, who is the associate director at the Clean Energy Research Center.

“‘This partnership will allow both institutions to accelerate solutions for sustainability challenges facing the world,” said Prof. John Hepburn, UBC Vice President Research & International. “The partnership is also a key component of UBC’s International strategy to actively link with other global leaders to further knowledge discovery, development and demonstration that will benefit current and future generations.'”

Article: "Two in MECH receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal"

December 18, 2012

Congratulations to Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, UBC Mechanical Engineering professor emeritus, and Shalaleh Rismani, fourth-year UBC Mechanical Engineering student, for receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for their significant contributions as Canadian citizens.

For his humanitarianism and philanthropy, Dr. Iqbal received the medal from Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra Joyce Murray at a special ceremony on Sunday, December 16, 2012.

Dr. Iqbal retired in 1996 after a 31-year career of teaching and research in mechanical engineering at UBC. Three years later he co-founded the family-run Maria-Helena Foundation in 1999, a non-profit, non-sectarian Pakistani-Canadian organization that focuses on development in South Asia, primarily Pakistan. Its goal is to reduce poverty by supporting education (especially for girls), skills training for women, and health care for children.

For her cultural outreach within her community, Ms. Rismani was presented with her medal by Nassreen Filsoof, president and founder of Canadian Iranian Foundation on Sunday, December 16, 2012.

In the summer of 2009, Ms. Rismani started teaching Azeri dancing – a traditional folk dance from Azerbaijan and Northwestern Iran. These classes led to the establishment of the Chichaklar Azeri Dance troupe, whose aim to increase awareness of Azeri-Iranian culture in the Canadian society, especially amongst the youth. This troupe has been performing in many cultural venues and was featured on CTV Morning Live.

About the Medal

This new commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians. During the year of celebrations, 60,000 deserving Canadians will be recognized.

For more info on the medal, visit: http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14019

Simons Fellowship in Design Engineering

November 21, 2012

The Marcus Autism Center, in conjunction with the Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, is offering the Simons Fellowship in Design Engineering. They are interested in recruiting highly qualified students from the UBC’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Students who will receive a bachelor’s degree by June 2013 will be eligible for the position.The Simons Fellowship in Design Engineering will commence in July 2013 and is 2 years in duration. The training experience for the fellowship will involve developing innovative design solutions to answer experimental research questions. These solutions offer an opportunity to explore human factors engineering, product prototyping, and the design of environments for neuroscience research.The fellowship was previously sponsored by the Yale Child Study Center, and students can find further details here.

Sponsor Institution: Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University School of Medicine.

Program Directors: Ami Klin, Warren Jones, Gordon Ramsay.

For more information on the Faculty at the Marcus Autism Center, visit our website.

Award Amount: $32,000 per year (plus full healthcare coverage)

Term of Award: 2 years

Submission Deadline: January 7, 2013

U.S. Citizenship: Not Required

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible are college graduates who will have a bachelor’s degree by June 2013. Candidates are expected to have a background in design and a facility for creative problem-solving.

Please note that this fellowship is not offered concurrently with graduate studies. However for fellows leaving the program, the fellowship will serve as an important stepping-stone towards future graduate studies or careers in design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the FAQ page for questions regarding this fellowship and application.

Application Information

For more specific questions, interested applicants should contact simons.fellowship@emory.edu.

A complete application includes 1 paper copy of each of the following items:
1. A completed application form
2. A resume
3. A portfolio of design work
4. Official transcripts, undergraduate and graduate (if applicable)
5. A 2-page personal statement containing biographic material, relevant experience, and career goals – can be single or double spaced
6. Two sealed and signed letters of recommendation which speak directly to the candidate’s potential

Caltech Space Challenge

November 20, 2012

Attention MECH undergraduate and graduate students! Ever want to design a human mission to a Martian moon? Now’s your chance.

The Engineering and Applied Science Division at the California Institute of Technology invites current full-time graduate and undergraduate students from all over the world to participate in the second Caltech Space Challenge.

In 2011, 32 students were selected from the 270+ applicants (both domestic and international), and divided into two teams. Each team of 16 then had to design a manned mission to a near-earth object.

What: One-week mission design competition where students will be challenged to develop a mission to send astronauts to a Martian moon. Students will be supported with guest lectures and workshops from top scientists and engineers from NASA-JPL, Caltech, and other premier institutions.

Where: California Institute of Technology

When: March. 25 – 29, 2013

How: Apply by Dec. 15, 2012

For more information regarding the competition, please visit:

Official page: www.spacechallenge.caltech.edu
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/CaltechSpaceChallenge
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Caltech_SC2012

New Student Team: UBC BEST

November 20, 2012

Want to get involved in a UBC Engineering student team? Have you been wanting to work on a device with a medical application?

UBC BEST, a biomedical engineering student design team, has just been launched! Here’s what it’s all about:

Who: Undergraduate/Graduate students; any department

What: Work on a therapeutic device that will be entered into a health-related technology design competition, such as BMEStart/BMEidea

Where: Right on campus!

When: Member recruitment till December 2012, team organization and device design from January to April 2013, device design and prototype from May 2013 to April 2014, and competition around April 2014

Why: Be part of an epic team!

The best thing is that UBC BEST is a brand new team and wants its members’ suggestions and input for project ideas and competition involvement.

This is a great opportunity to be part of an initiative from the very beginning. If you have any questions, email best.ubc@gmail.com. Apply at our facebook page!

Article: "2012 Student Achievements"

October 17, 2012

2012 Top 24 Under 24:

Andrea Palmer

As technical lead and team captain of the autonomous soccer-playing robot team the University of B.C. Thunderbots, third-year mechanical engineering student Andrea Palmer has quite the responsibility.

Palmer oversees project management for the group that does everything from actual robot design to creating the systems that control the robots when they’re on the “field” in competition.

EUS Scholarship Recipients:

Connor Schellenberg-Beaver

Connor Schellenberg-Beaver is going into 4th year Mechanical Engineering in the Mechatronics Option this September. He has been interested in cars and sustainability since high school and, upon arriving at UBC, was naturally drawn to the UBC Supermileage Team. In addition to leading a group of 35+ students in their quest to build a fuel efficient vehicle, Connor, as Captain of the UBC Supermileage Team, presents at a variety of events, including Old Red New Red, SAE Industry Night, UBC Engineering Open House and UBC Welcomes You. This year he has also been volunteering with GEERing Up! giving presentations on aerodynamics to the campers. After completing his undergraduate degree, he hopes to get a job in the automotive industry working to create more environmentally-friendly and sustainable vehicles.

Maitrayee Dhaka

Currently a member of UBC Solar and Thunderbots At Home, I’m a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student, writer, and Nerdfighter.

In the past, I’ve been part of the Engineering Tri-Mentoring program, The Ubyssey, Residence Life, the AMS, JumpStart 2011, film fEUSt 2012 and Engineers Without Borders. I have been involved with the Engineers Without Borders’ UBC chapter since First Year, led School Outreach in my second year, and spent the summer of 2011 working in India with EWB India on a sanitation project at an under-funded residential school.

My favourite moments in the past 3 years include that time my friends filled my residence room in First Year with 200 balloons on my 18th birthday to resemble my favourite xkcd (We’re Grownups Now), getting told by Dan Mangan that I had a nice shirt, getting a NASA patch signed by an astronaut, the terrifying 40 seconds for which I flew a plane, and the landing of MSL Curiosity.

Nancy Peng

Ever since I was little, I always knew I wanted to be someone who can make a difference in the world. Aspiring to one day play an influential role in the community, I decided to study Engineering! This fall I will be studying my third year in the general Mechanical Engineering program. So far, my journey has been very satisfying and eventful.

In becoming a part of the UBC community in first year, I motivated myself to be active within the Engineering Undergraduate Society. I served in the First Year Council, volunteered as a general EUS volunteer and attended various events. In my second year, I started my year as a MUG leader, and a co-manager of our exciting engineering paraphernalia store, Red Sales. As a part of my goal to gain more hands-on skills, I also joined the UBC Supermileage student team to help build a super fuel efficient vehicle!

Aside from studying, volunteering and building super fuel efficient cars, I enjoy dancing, playing the piano and playing badminton.

NOV 15: MECH Lab Tours

October 17, 2012

The Mechanical Engineering Department (MECH) hosts annually a couple of guided lab tours for high school students, first year students, or anyone interested in mechanical engineering, to show them what the MECH faculty is all about and to give them an idea of what kind of research mechanical engineers do. Depending on the labs, students will get to see a variety of demos, presentations, cutting-edge technology and cool gadgetry. For those interested, there will be an 30-minute advising session held after the tour where students/prospective students can ask questions about the mechanical engineering department, curriculum, programs, enrollment, etc.

We are now accepting RSVPs.To RSVP for the tour, please send an email to studentassistant@mech.ubc.ca by Thursday, November 13th at 4pm.

When?

Thursday, Nov 15
9:15 AM – 11:00 AM

Where?

Guests are to meet at the lobby of the Engineering Design Studio at 9:15am.

Map and directions to the Engineering Design Studio provided in the link below:
http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=301

Labs featured on the day:

1) Aerodynamics Laboratory

The UBC Aerolab specializes in low speed wind tunnel testing for academic and commercial purposes. Our facilities house two subsonic wind tunnels, the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, and the smaller Parkinson Wind Tunnel.

Aerodynamics research at UBC was initiated in the early 1950’s by Professor Geoffrey Parkinson. The absence of a dedicated fluid mechanics research facility at UBC led Professor Parkinson to design and construct the Green Wind Tunnel in the mid 1950s, now named the Parkinson Wind Tunnel in his honour. In 1972, the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel was constructed adding the capability to test larger models. Both facilities are still in use today and offer a full range of testing capabilities.

2) Manufacturing and Automation Laboratory (MAL)

Arashpic

The Manufacturing Automation Laboratory (MAL) conducts research in the mechanics and dynamics of metal cutting operations, spindle design and analysis, micro-machining, virtual simulation of machining operations and CNC machine tools, design and digital control of high speed feed drives, precision machining, sensor assisted intelligent machining, chatter stability of cutting processes. Our academic articles receive the highest citation in the world in the field of manufacturing.

UBC teams sweep podium at 2013 Enterprize Canada Business Plan Competition

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