Mech 2 Design Competition

April 15, 2011

UBC Mechanical Engineering Remote Control Vehicle Design Competition

Date: April 20, 2011
Location: Riley Park Ice Rink (map)
Time: 12:30- 3:30

The Challenge:

20 teams from UBC Mechanical Engineering will be competing in a fastpaced design competition. Each team has designed and built a small propeller-driven vehicle – as an added challenge, teams also had to design and manufacture their own propellers. Using remote control, the teams will race their devices head-to-head over five rounds of competition that will test speed, endurance, manoeuvrability, and more.

The Opportunities:

-> Get a close look at the different vehicle designs
-> Learn about engineering by speaking one-on-one with the students
-> Watch and cheer as the teams faceoff in an exciting head-to-head competition

The Event:

Everything takes place starting at 12:30pm on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at the Riley Park Ice Rink. This event is open to all.

-> 12:30- 1:30pm Vehicles on display
-> 1:30- 3:30pm Competition

For more information contact Peter Ostafichuk at ostafichuk (at) mech (dot) ubc (dot) ca or visit the website.

2011 Capstone Design Celebration

March 29, 2011

The fourth year Mechanical Engineering students will be showcasing their capstone projects on April 21st from 2-4pm in the Fred Kaiser Building atrium. This event gives the students a chance to present their designs to other students, the public, and industry. The event is open to the public so please come take a look at the designs!

More details to come as the event approaches.

Dr. James Olson Appointed Pulp and Paper Center Director

March 25, 2011

Dr. James Olson, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been announced as the new director for UBC’s Pulp and Paper Centre.

“He will be taking on the leadership of the center at a very critical time when the industry is at a crossroads,” says Applied Science Dean Tyseer Aboulnasr. “Dr. Olson is committed to ensuring the necessary transformation of the center and building on its current excellence. He is dedicated to working across faculties at UBC and expanding the reach of the Pulp and Paper Centre with external institutions and with industry to ensure that B.C. is best positioned to lead this transformation.”

An expert in the application of physics and fluid mechanics to problems associated with the pulp and paper industry, Olson’s current research includes reduction of energy used in mechanical pulping, modelling turbulent fibre suspensions, and high-performance energy-efficient equipment design.

He currently leads a $2.4 Million 5 year university-industry NSERC collaborative research program with BC Hydro, FP Innovations, the BC mechanical pulp producers and the key supplier industry focused on reducing energy consumption in that sector. This research recently demonstrated a technical potential of 20% energy savings through the development of several innovative technologies. The savings potential is equivalent to 1000 GWh/yr or approximately 91,000 homes in BC

Central to a partnership between UBC, government, and the pulp and paper industry, Olson has helped develop three high-efficiency pulp screen rotors that produce high-quality product while nearly halving energy consumption. Pulp screens are an essential part of the papermaking process, removing wood particles, staples, dirt and other debris from pulp before it is made into paper or tissue. The rotor within the screen is critical to clearing the small screen slots, so that the pulp can flow through the screen. Over one hundred new rotors were installed in 30 mills across Canada and a series of BC Hydro-funded demonstration projects showed that the rotors reduced electricity consumption by approximately 50%, representing potential annual energy savings of more than $8m in B.C .alone. This partnership and innovation was recognized with the 2007 NSERC Synergy Award and the 2008 BC Innovation Council Lieutenant Governors Award for Innovation.

Olson’s work on advanced process design and optimization has also been well recognized by the industry and the technical community. He was awarded the Van den Akker prize for paper physics from the fundamental Research Committee in 2009 for his work in low consistency refining, the Paptac Weldon medal in 2001 for his work on fibre separation process design and a second NSERC Synergy award for the development of the Optest – Fibre Quality Analyzer™ that is now the industry standard for pulp fibre analysis world-wide.

Olson will serve as director of the Pulp and Paper Centre until December 31, 2015.

Registration for CSME Student Design Contest Due Today!

February 15, 2011

The CSME Student Design Competition for 2011 will be held this time during the 23rd Canadian Congress of Applied Mechanics (CANCAM) between June 5 and June 9, 2011.

CANCAM is a biennial event that is hosted this time by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The competition is open only to undergraduate students of Mechanical Engineering departments at Canadian universities, and is intended to be a venue for them to showcase the best they can offer. Competitors must have been registered full time for at least one term in the 2010/2011 academic year. A design project entry must have been carried out in its entirety as part of the participant’s course of study. Typically, capstone design projects or undergraduate design theses are good candidates for such a competition. Only one entry is permitted from a given department, and must be sponsored by that department. A team can only submit and present one entry. Judgment will be based both on a submitted design report and an oral presentation in front of a competition judging panel. The top three entries will be awarded cash prizes. Last year, these prizes where between $1000.00 and $300.00.

Student participants in the design competition who are student members of CSME (student membership is $15.00 per annum) can observe some conference sessions at no charge if they so wish. Banquet charge (to be determined by the Conference Organizing Committee) apply if they wish to attend the banquet. Standard congress student fees apply for non-CSME student members who wish to compete. Awards are announced during the banquet, however, attending the banquet is not required to receive an award.

Important dates:

Declare interest in participating: 15 February 2011
Submit design project report: 30 April 2011
The time of the oral presentations and the announcements of the awards will be decided in consultation with the Conference Organizing Committee.

Enquiries and Registration:

Dr. Amor Jnifene, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston
Ontario K7K 7B4
Phone: (613) 541-6000 x6455
Fax: (613) 542-8612
Email: Amor.jnifene@rmc.ca

MECH 410E & P: Global Engineering Leadership & Optional Practicum in Mexico 2011

February 9, 2011

MECH 410E: Global Engineering Leadership
MECH 410P: Global Engineering Leadership Practicum (optional)

Global Engineering Leadership is designed to introduce senior engineering students to concepts, theory and practice of engineering leadership in an international service learning context. The course will develop engineering leadership characteristics, understanding and respect for individual and cultural differences in team building, service and management contexts, managing change, conflicts, and crises; and understanding real-world ethics and core values.

MECH 410E: Global Engineering Leadership

May – June 2011; afternoon classes on Point Grey Campus
Counts as a General List Technical Elective for Mechanical Engineering students (excluding those who came through the Camosun Bridge program)

MECH 410P: Global Engineering Leadership Practicum in conjunction with Go Global

Pre-requisite: Mech 410E
July – August 2011 in Comitan, Chiapas, Mexico
Counts as an Impact of Technology on Society elective for Applied Science students

7-week International Service Learning program in Mexico, working with our community partner Tsomanotik, an eco-agricultural centre for just and sustainable community development. Projects involved may focus on small clean energy development (solar panels and wind power), water and energy usage reduction in agriculture using appropriate technology.

Sign up for the ISL practicum portion (July/August) in Mexico is available at the UBC Go Global Website. Mech 410E can be registered for through the SSC – limited space is available.

*Extended* Application Deadline for Summer 2011: Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 4:00 pm

For full course information visit: http://www.students.ubc.ca/global/learning-abroad/international-service-learning/current-programs/global-engineering-leadership/

How Will Your Work Change the World?

February 8, 2011

Malcolm Shield

PhD candidate in clean energy transport solutions, Greenest City Action Team Scholar

A mechanical engineer by trade, Malcolm Shield came to UBC from London in 2004 to research natural gas combustion for his PhD. But an opportunity to work as one of 10 interns with the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team Scholars program got him thinking even bigger about sustainability. “I’m now looking to work on untangling the energy conundrum,” he says. “This experience opened my eyes and my interest in greening the transportation system.”

Building the World’s Greenest City
With its goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020, the City of Vancouver is working in a variety of ways to reduce emissions, and transport—Shield’s area of focus—is a big piece of that. So part of his internship involved planning for the implementation of electric vehicles. “Next year many big auto manufacturers are launching electric vehicles and the City of Vancouver is working to have charging infrastructure in place.”

Change Through Action
As he wraps up his internship and puts the finishing touches on his PhD thesis, Shield wants to find a way to continue to work on practical green solutions. “I don’t want to do research for the sake of research. Engineering is practical and I believe in making things happen.”

How will your work change the world?

Transportation is such a huge way of life. We need big progress, but this is made in little steps. The work I do isn’t the final goal, but it’s a stepping stone that will allow us to get to the final goal. Energy goes to the core of society – it’s a cliché but it’s true. And that’s the appeal to me.

UBC Manufacturing Automation Lab partnering with Asco Aerospace Canada

December 8, 2010

A $7.7 million loan to Asco Aerospace Canada for the research and development of technology for the Defence Department’s new stealth fighter jets has been obtained.The multi-million dollar repayable investment will go toward Asco’s $19.2 million project that involves manufacturing technologies to produce aircraft bulkheads and specialized metal components to be used in the F-35 Lightning II aircraft that will eventually replace Canada’s aging CF-18s.

Asco will work in collaboration with the University of B.C.’s Manufacturing Automation Laboratory, to look at a manufacturing process capable of handling aluminum, titanium and other hard metals that are difficult to machine while reducing production time and costs.

Kevin Russell, vice-president of Asco Aerospace Canada states that “The manufacturing of those parts is extremely challenging and they’re very expensive parts some of the pieces of titanium alone are worth $300,000, and much of the work is done using computer simulation before the machine cuts into any metal. It’s certainly pushing us to another level from a manufacturing point of view.”

Russell added it is important for Canada to stay on the leading edge of technology development.

“We really feel this is really helping grow and develop very good high technology jobs here in British Columbia,” he said. “The way the global environment is today, if we don’t continue doing a lot of R and D and staying ahead of the technology curve, we will not be continually competitive in the world.”

Information for this post was sourced from The Province and South Delta Leader, for more information on this project please refer to their sites.

iMech – the Grad Student Blog

November 17, 2010

iMech: Graduate Student Introspectives on UBC Mechanical Engineering is a new blog featuring the writings of various graduate students. Read it at http://blogs.ubc.ca/imech/

A bit about your blogger:

Blogger 1 – AJung (MASc.)

First, a picture.

A snapshot of AJung from a while back, before the dark circles around her eyes became permanent.

Second, name: AJung Moon.

Whenever someone asks me what my name is, I usually don’t forget to spell my name out for them in addition to pronouncing it. I say “I’m AJung. Capital A, capital J, u, n, g.” That’s right, the second letter of my first name is also capitalized and there’s no hyphens or spaces between A and J. Why? It helps people remember me better (at least as ‘the girl with two capitals in her first name’).

Third, passion: Roboethics.

What does Roboethics mean? Bing it, or Google it, and you will soon realize that I am really into it. I am the blogger behind www.RoboethicsDB.com, where I talk about ethical issues related to robotics, and also the person behind @RoboEthics on twitter. I have been interested in the field of roboethics for years, and fascinated at how the moral landscape of this world is changing rapidly by the rise of robotics. Why? Well, that’s a story worthy of a blog post on its own!

Fourth, research: Human Robot Interaction (and…. Roboethics!)

I am a second year MASc student and a member of the CARIS lab, where robots daydream about how to be more helpful to people. I am working on making a robot hesitate when it runs into a conflict with someone, such as a robot and a person reaching for the last piece of chocolate at the same time… Why would a robot want the chocolate? Don’t know, but this YouTube video (0:11 to 0:12 to be precise) is pretty much what I want to recreate with the robots at the lab. Oh, and I am under the Mechatronics & Manufacturing research group. Want to know more about my research? Please visit my profile website.

Fifth, other activities: MEGA Communications and Public Relations Director

I am the acting Communications and Public Relations Director for MEGA (the UBC Mechanical Engineering Grads Association). So, I’m the person who spams everyone about MEGA’s weekly meetings (Wed. 11am – 12noon, CEME 2052D).

Sixth, best ways to contact: Email & Tweet

Email is always the quickest way to contact me (ajmoon at interchange). If you are on twitter, I want to follow you! Direct messages are always welcome to @RoboEthics and always read on regular basis.

UBC Mech’s Peter Cripton featured on Global News

November 16, 2010

On the November 12th broadcast of Global BC’s News Hour, UBC Mech’s Peter Cripton was featured in a segment on spinal cord research. Dr. Cripton was featured for his work with ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries), where he works to examine the biomechanics of human injury.

Mech Student Shares his Go Global Experience

November 16, 2010

Written by Daniel Schwirtz:

Brief Synopsis

Two mechanical engineers (Daniel Schwirtz and Daniel Cho), one chemical engineer (Tom Wu), and two environmental science students (Erica Hansen and Shasha Wang) went to Lesotho, Africa this summer. Their journey was part of a 6 week placement through an International Service-Learning (ISL) program put on by Go Global – A UBC organization that develops and facilitates international learning through exchanges, group studies, and graduate research, among other programs. Partnered with a grassroots community volunteer program called Mohoma Temeng (translates as “Educating to Feed Ourselves) and several students from NUL (The National University of Lesotho), the team from UBC embarked on constructing VIP (Ventilated Improved Pit) latrines and talking to community members about proper sanitation practices in several rural villages. As the program progressed the project expanded, under the direction of Mohoma Temeng, to include the implementation of a preschool for the community’s orphans and organizing and facilitating youth HIV education through the local hospital. By the end of the 6 week placement, 6 VIP latrines had been constructed, the preschool was in its first week, and a formal youth HIV education session had been put on by one of the counsellors from the local hospital. As much as they accomplished with their partners overseas, the students from UBC all feel that they gained and learned much more from the community than they were able to give. Upon returning to UBC, the team of students were eager to continue learning and engaging with the topic of international development and spreading awareness. Having already hosted a post-engagement event for friends and family, the team is looking for ways to fundraise for Mohoma Temeng’s continuing cause.

Have you considered volunteering overseas? But are you unsure of how to get involved and the potential impact you could have? Maybe international Service-Learning is just what you’re looking for. Follow the link below to find out more information and ways to connect with Go Global:

https://global.ubc.ca/go-global

Brief Background on Mohoma Temeng

Mohoma Temeng has long standing relations with UBC. The founder, Mathabo Tsepa, received her PhD in the Environmental Education Program at UBC in 2008. When Go Global caught wind of her community based volunteer program, a partnership was formed, and in 2009 the first group of ISL students was sent over seas to partner with the organization. Being an advocated for her country for many years, Mathabo Tsepa has just received the honour of being appointed Lesotho’s High Commissioner to Canada.

Short Story

When I stepped off the plane in Lesotho, I didn’t quite know what to expect. But as my eyes readjusted from the glare of the sun I was met with a familiar scene. Bright blue sky abutted against mountains in every direction, low, earthy coloured vegetation, and an uncanny likeness to a desert that I knew very well. Born and raised in the interior of British Columbia in the semi-arid desert city of Kamloops, I felt like I was coming home. Me and two other teammates from UBC had just arrived in Lesotho, Africa to start our six week placement through Go Global in partnership with Mohoma Temeng, a local grass roots organization, and the National University of Lesotho. A taxi had been arranged to pick us up to take us to the small house where our other two teammates were staying, so we stood outside the terminal taking in our surroundings chatting to the Lineo Ntho, the NUL student sent to pick us up. Less than a minute after we had stepped outside, Lineo signalled that our ride had arrived. We turned to see something like a red Sierra Ford from the 80s with a cracked windshield and a missing side view mirror come to a stop in front of us. The taxi-driver promptly put the car in park, and with a huge grin ran around the side of the vehicle to give us all a hug. That was our introduction to the country and the start of an unforgettable six weeks!

It’s easy to encapsulate what we were sent to Lesotho to do in words: we were sent to help with a water and sanitation project involving the construction of latrines and sanitary education. What’s harder to encompass is the actual experience we had; somehow a 2-D literary rendering seems to fall short. How do you explain what it feels like to be a minority for the first time in your life; or the feeling of having a local priestess bestow a Sesotho name upon you that means “happiness”; or how inadequate you feel when a local brick layer shows you how to lay a foundation for the first time; or how humbled you feel when someone expresses gratitude in a language you don’t understand; or how lopsidedly humorous and heartbreaking it can be walking hand in hand with a little local boy that you’re trying to say goodbye to, but he just smiles and nods, not understanding and still expecting to see you tomorrow. I have tried but every time it just doesn’t seem to get across. I just can’t manage to bring a friend or even a family member to understand what I experienced with my team half a world away.

The only way I think anyone could understand is to go and see and do for themselves. But it’s not as easy as getting the right visa and hopping on a plane. You have to consider the implications and ethics of what you’re engaging in. And when you start thinking about that you won’t stop. Even after coming back I still question what exactly we were meant to do and if we actually made an impact whether positive, negative, or a little of both. And that’s why I really appreciated the facilitation of Go Global: they introduce you to the broader context before you go, help you reflect and understand while you’re there, and engage with you after to continue unravelling your experience. I would encourage any student interested in international development to seriously consider taking on a placement with Go Global. Once you go and see and do, you will come back and see things differently, you will do things differently, and where you go from that point will be forever shaped by that experience.