Mechanical Engineering Alumnus Brent King wins the Manning Innovation Award for inventing the SPIDER

Mechanical Engineering Alumnus Brent King wins the Manning Innovation Award for inventing the SPIDER

September 29, 2009


Mechanical Engineering alumnus Brent King (B.A.Sc. ’96) has won the $10,000 Manning Innovation Award for inventing the SPIDER, a device that accurately and securely positions a patient’s limb during surgery.

The SPIDER Limb Positioner is used for specialized procedures such as rotator cuff repairs or wrist arthroscopy. Not only does the SPIDER improve the surgeon’s ability to do delicate work, it reduces costs in the operating room. The surgeon can reposition the limb in seconds simply by stepping on a foot pedal. Staff who would otherwise need to hold the limb during the surgery are free to perform other tasks.

Brent King is Co-Owner and Vice President of Operations of TENET Medical Engineering, Inc. and conceptualized and developed the SPIDER after joining TENET’s staff of two in 1997.

Further information on Brent King and the SPIDER is located here.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering congratulates Brent on such a prestigious accomplishment.

David Goosen, Dr. James Olson and Dick Kerekes are awarded the Van den Akker prize.

September 25, 2009

Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student David Goosen, Dr. James Olson and fellow collaborator Dick Kerekes were awarded the Van den Akker prize for advancements in Paper Physics at the Fundamental Research Symposium in Oxford UK. The contribution was for their paper entitled:

Goosen D.R., Olson J.A. and Kerekes R.J. “Role of heterogeneity in compression refining” J. Pulp Paper Sci., 33(2):110-114, 2007

The Johannes A. Van den Akker Prize for Advances in Paper Physics was created by the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia Tech, and was made possible through the generous donations of the family, friends, and students of Dr. Van den Akker, a former senior research associate and Chairman of the Department of Physics and Mathematics at the Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC). Dr. Van den Akker was known for his brilliant mind, demand for excellence, and leadership in the field of paper physics for over 40 years.

James Saunders and Malcolm Shields win the Alternative Energy X Competition

September 11, 2009

In June the UBC Sustainability Office launched a competition for plans to reduce UBC’s carbon footprint- the Alternative Energy X Competition.

Congrats to both James Saunders and Malcolm Shields on this accomplishment.

Professor Emerita Martha Salcudean receives Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Waterloo

September 11, 2009

Professor Emerita Martha Salcudean receives Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Waterloo at June Convocation

On June 13, 2009, UBC Mechanical Engineering Professor Emerita Martha Salcudean received a doctor of engineering degree and addressed convocation at the University of Waterloo. Salcudean is the Weyerhaeuser Industrial Research Chair Emerita in Computational Fluid Dynamics. A member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering, she has published widely in the area of heat transfer and fluid flow, especially in computational fluid mechanics and the modelling of transport phenomena in industrial processes.

Dr. Croft receives the Engineers Canada Fellowship

August 28, 2009

The Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC with Engineers Canada has recognized Dr. Croft’s noteworthy achievement and service to the engineering profession and has bestowed upon her the Engineers Canada Fellowship.

Dr. Croft’s current research can be viewed at the Mech Faculty page and her own website.

Congratulations to Dr. Croft for being selected for such a prestigious designation and for all her contributions to the Canadian Engineering profession.

EcoDrain, founded by alumnus David Velan, is a finalist for the INDEX:AWARD 2009

August 24, 2009

Alumnus David Velan, BASc ’02, has taken his mechanical engineering knowledge and love of the environment to found EcoDrain, a finalist for the INDEX:AWARD 2009. EcoDrain is a technology company working to recapture heat from shower water. The device is a specialized heat exchanger that transfers heat from hot shower water waste to cold incoming water.

The INDEX:AWARD bills itself as the biggest design award in the world, with 500,000 euros in prize money. Devices are entered into five categories: body, home, work, play and community. As a finalist, EcoDrain is eligible to win the people’s choice award. Vote at www.indexaward.dk

For more information on EcoDrain, visit www.ecodrain.com.

Proof of Principle funding (CIHR) awarded to Dr. Peter Cripton

August 19, 2009

Dr. Peter Cripton a Professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been funded from the CIHR Proof of Principle program (phase 1) for one of the many projects that the Department has running currently. The funding, 150k for one year, will fund a research engineer, biologic specimens and commercialization costs for a helmet project.

The University of British Columbia has received more than $26 million in research funding from the latest competition held by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Earlier this month, CIHR approved 403 projects across Canada through its Operating Grant program, a total investment of $255.6 million over five years. Forty-three projects led by principal investigators from UBC and its affiliated hospital and health authority partners received funding.

“UBC and its partners have consistently received approximately 10 per cent of CIHR funding, ranking amongst the top three in total funding in Canada,” says Don Brooks, UBC Associate Vice-President Research. “Our continued success in this merit-based funding competition speaks directly to our research excellence in areas such as genomics, brain research and the fight against cancer and HIV/AIDS.”

The majority of UBC’s health researchers, who received more than $60 million in total CIHR funding in 2007/08 through its various programs, work at clinical academic campuses that include Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, the Child and Family Research Institute, Providence Health Care Research Institute, and BC Cancer Agency.
“This research investment continues our funding of the best ideas and the brightest minds at UBC,” said Dr. Pierre Chartrand, Vice-President, Research, at CIHR. “We are confident that the projects we are supporting will advance knowledge in many important areas, and provide a stimulating environment for young Canadians training for careers in health research.”
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s agency for health research. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/

UBC Engineers place third in ASHRAE Competition

August 12, 2009

UBC Engineers place third in ASHRAE Competition
UBC’s ASHRAE Design Team— Ara Beittoei, Brent Kavelaars, Chu Lin, Jensen Metchie, and Tapio Pikkarainen —placed third in the 2009 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Student Design Project Competition.

The UBC team competed against 14 others in the HVAC System Design category and tied with University of Central Florida as the third-place winner.

The prize includes a trip for one team representative to attend ASHRAE’s January 2010 meeting in Orlando, Florida where the award will be presented.

The team is affiliated with the Mechanical Engineering Design Project (MECH 457) course, where students work on a variety of design projects including HVAC design.

The project was supervised by Department of Mechanical Engineering Instructor Nima Atabaki, Ph.D., P.Eng., and Omicron’s Geoff McDonell, P.Eng., served as industrial mentor to the team.

UBC Heavy Lift team takes third in SAE Aero Design West Regular Class

June 5, 2009

2009 Heavy Lift Team test flight

The UBC Heavy Lift team placed third overall (Regular Class) in the recent SAE Aero Design West international competition, held March 6-8th in Los Angeles, California. The team also took second in the oral presentation.

The team’s 8lb plane successfully completed the empty weight bonus flight and scored a flight lifting 20.3lbs before crashing spectacularly in an overzealous attempt at lifting 24.1lbs.

This year, the Society for Automotive Engineers’ Aero Design West competition saw 54 teams (31 in the Regular Class) competing from across North America and abroad – including teams from Puerto Rico, India, and Poland.

The UBC Heavy Lift Team designs, fabricates and fly’s a remote controlled aircraft capable of lifting the heaviest payload possible while conforming to various competition restrictions. This coming year we are focusing on better project management and more engagement of new members. Participants from all branches of engineering will get a chance to try any and all of the necessary skills to complete a successful project, as well as experience the thrill of seeing it actually work.

The Heavy Lift Team website is undergoing renovations over the summer, but for more information on the team please send an email to ubchl@yahoo.ca. More details of the competition and its results can be found at http://students.sae.org/competitions/aerodesign/.

2009 Heavy Lift Team at Competition - took 3rd overall (regular class)

Team Members at the 2009 Competition:
Julian Fong – 2nd Year Eng Phys
Chu Lin – 4th Year Mech Eng
Ronald Chan – 3rd Year Mech Eng
Jason Currie – 4th Year Mech Eng

Pilot:
Gord Giles – UBC Alumni

Other Main Team Members:
Robert Lion – 2nd Year Mech Eng
Alan Hsu – Graduate Student, Mech Eng
Thomas Chang – 4th Year Eng Phys
Jake Sternig – 1st Year Eng
Jason Gao – 1st Year Eng

Faculty Advisor:
Dr. Pete Ostafichuk

The UBC Heavy Lift Team thanks all of the students who came out to participate and help the team, and their sponsors: UBC Mechanical Engineering, the UBC Engineering Professional Activities Fund, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, and the Walter H. Gage Memorial Fund.

Outstanding New Graduates Recognized

June 2, 2009

Many outstanding new graduates were recognized on May 26, 2009, at a reception following the graduation ceremonies. Alumnus Jay Drew congratulated the new class, and welcomed them to the alumni community.

Major award winners included:
Letson Prizes, for top graduates from the General, Mechatronics and Thermofluids Options: Christopher Bibby (General), Troy Adebar (Mechatronics) and Tu Minh Nguyen (Thermofluids).
Mechanical Engineering Prize in Biomedical Engineering, for the top Biomedical Option graduate: Jeff Kennelly.
Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering Gold Medal, for outstanding academic achievement: Thomas Huryn.
APEG Achivement Award, for a graduate who shows great promise: Pierre Couturier.
Outstanding Future Alumnus, Wesbrook Scholar, and other honours: Parisa Bastani.
Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Student Leader Award: Lana Rupp

Recipients of a Degree with Distinction include:
Degree with Distinction

Degree with Distinction recipients with faculty and staff representatives.

Troy Adebar, Dion Anggabrata, Parisa Bastani, Alan Beran, Christopher Bibby, Jeanie Chan, Arminta Chicka, Nicholas Comyn, Pierre Couturier, Paul Dirksen, Sean Fabris, Sandy Godwin, Thomas Huryn, Keigo Karakama, Jeff Kennelly, Bradley Neels, Tu Minh Nguyen, Chukwuemeka Nzekwu, Hedyeh Rafii-Tari, David Richard, Adnan Siddiqui, Daniel Tsang, Andrew Walsh, and Christopher Wong.

Recipients of the Mechanical Engineering Student Leadership Award include:
Student Leaders

Student Leadership Award winners with faculty and staff representatives.

Parisa Bastani, Arminta Chicka, Nicholas Comyn, Eric Kaarsemaker, Chu Lin, Katy Lue, Lachlan MacLean, Morgan Meents, Tu Minh Nguyen, Jad Saab, Michelle Salvail, Daryl Schubert, Richard Situ, Ian Tranter, Kristy Wiens, and Wojciech Ziemnicki.

Recipients of the Capstone Design Awards for outstanding accomplishments in Engineering Design:
Capstone Design

Capstone Design Award winners with faculty representatives.

Capstone Design Award in Mechanical Engineering, for the project “Design of a Resonant Drum Compactor:” Ameer Balouch, Michael Parras, Dane Reelie, Salim Semsarilar.
Capstone Design Award in Mechatronics Engineering, for the project “Three-Dimensional Haptic Emulation of Hard Surfaces with Applications to Orthopaedic Surgery:” Sean Fabris, Arya Oskui, Anthony Pak, Bradley Roger, Sina Sajadian-Mousavi, Adnan Siddiqui.