Community

Community

One of the best things about MECH is that it feels like you’re part of this small community. In MECH 2, class sizes are smaller so everyone takes the same classes at the same time and it allows you to form strong relationships with so many peers. It also felt like there were special Profs just for us; since MECH 2 runs on a strange schedule they usually didn’t teach many other courses and had more time to dedicate to MECH 2 students. Without a doubt MECH 2 also has the best TA’s you’ll ever get, they are incredibly helpful and caring. And if the classes don’t bring you closer to your peers, the project course certainly will! You get the chance to learn a lot about yourself, how you work in a team, and the excitement of actually applying what you’ve learnt.

-Renee Bernard (MECH 2 student 2014-2015)

UBC Mechanical Engineering has a tightknit community of students, faculty, and staff. This is manifested both inside and outside the classroom. Our students are extremely supportive of each other, and can be found in all aspects of campus life.

The Department encourages holistic education, and we have vibrant student communities through student teams and Club Mech, the Mechanical Engineering student organization. As part of the annual Engineering Week, mechanical engineering students come together to compete against other departments. Below is their entry to the 2015 FilmfEUSt, the annual engineering film festival.

Club Mech

The Mechanical Engineering Department is proud of the high level of student involvement in extracurricular activities. Club Mech is a departmental club to which all undergraduate students are automatically admitted. Club Mech has its own lounge in the CEME building, complete with a foosball table, ping pong table, couches and vending machines. They also organize student representation to the department and to the Engineering Undergraduate Society, assist with organizing the Iron Ring ceremony for graduating students, and throw several student events throughout the school year.

Make sure to check out their Facebook page here!

MECH Student Teams

MECH also has a large number of student teams that compete throughout North America and the world. For example, the UBC Supermileage team won the SAE Supermileage Competition for four years in a row, and managed to achieve an amazing 3145 miles per gallon! Teams consist of students from a variety of disciplines and tackle a wide variety of design challenges, from lifting as much weight as possible with a remote controlled plane, to attempting to break speed records under 10m of water with only human power for propulsion. For a complete list of current student teams, follow the links below.

AeroDesign
UBC AeroDesign designs, builds and flies payload lifting, radio controlled airplanes to compete in the international SAE Aero Design Series. The team strives to design an aircraft that is light weight and yet, durable enough to take off with heavy payloads within 200 feet and using only 1000 Watts of power. These design limitations are parallel to real world challenges in the aviation industry, and push the team to innovate novel designs for mobility enhancement.

http://ubcaerodesign.com/

UBC BAJA
This engineering student team is involved in designing, building and racing a mini offroad-racing car each year. The completed car is taken to one of several Baja SAE competitions in North America where it competes against upwards of 80 other university and college teams from around the world.

http://ubcbaja.com/

UBC BEST
BEST builds feasible devices that have the potential to benefit the medical community while giving the team an opportunity to develop their technical skills. Past and current projects include an insole & leg brace project designed to aid patients while walking or standing by taking the sensory input on their foot and remapping it to their knee through digital vibrations, a device to assist musical therapists in their work with stroke patients, and others.

http://www.ubcbest.com/

Formula Electric UBC

UBC Formula Electric found its humble beginnings in the UBC Electric Car Club. It is an engineering design team out of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada that connects students from various engineering disciplines through the shared passion for creating a world that thrives by way of technological innovation and environmental sustainability. This passion is channeled through the design and construction of a fully electric Formula One race car that will be competing internationally at the Formula SAE Electric competition in the United States of America.

http://www.ubcformulaelectric.com/

Formula UBC
Formula UBC is an engineering student team that designs, builds, and races an open wheeled, formula style race car. Each year students build a new car from scratch. The team competes in the international Formula SAE (FSAE) Collegiate design series and has been active for the past 23 years.

http://www.formulaubc.com/

UBC Orbit
UBC Orbit is one of fifteen teams across Canada competing in the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. They are working on building a nano-satellite that will carry a scientific payload from off-the-shelf-parts. They hope to create an Amateur Radio Satellite constellation, a group of satellites which can communicate with each other.

http://ubcorbit.com/

UBC Open Robotics
UBC Open Robotics is a student engineering design team that aims to promote interest in robotics and provide an opportunity for students to develop technical skills through robotics based projects. Their mission is to provide an advanced, modular, full-size robotics platform and development resources to any driven and capable individual, to introduce students to robotics, and to increase general robotics knowledge.

http://www.ubcopenrobotics.ca/

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UBC Sailbot started as a team that built small scale autonomous sailboats and competed in the International Robotic Sailing Regatta. After taking home 3 first place prizes in a row, the team pivoted to up-scaling the technology to perform autonomous ocean crossings. Ada's story is the first attempt at achieving that goal and has set records in the trans-Atlantic challenge. The team is currently in the process of making an autonomous sailing vessel that will follow the Vic-Maui course. They are expecting to launch in the summer of 2020

 http://ubcsailbot.org/

UBC Solar
UBC Solar combines aerodynamics, lightweight materials, and high efficiency electronics into a solar car capable of highway speeds while using the same power as a household hair dryer. They build a new car every two years, and compete internationally at the World Solar Challenge Race.

http://ubcsolar.com/


SUBC is a team of mostly engineering undergraduate students that designs, builds, tests, and races a one-person "wet" submarine, meaning that it is water-filled and the operator requires SCUBA gear to breathe.

http://subc.ca

UBC Supermileage
Supermileage aims to build extremely fuel-efficient cars, and competes them in various "fuelathon" competitions. They currently have two cars, a Prototype Vehicle and an Urban Concept Car.

http://www.supermileage.ca/

UBC Thunderbots FC
The Thunderbots are an entirely student run team of thirty plus engineering and computer science students dedicated to creating a team of autonomous soccer-playing robots. They compete against other teams from all over the world.

http://ubcthunderbots.ca/

UBC Unmanned Aircraft Systems
UBC UAS strives to be at the cutting edge of Uncrewed Aerial Systems technology, and competes in the annual Uncrewed Systems Canada Student Competition. Each year the team creates a purpose-built unmanned aircraft for the given scenario. These are real-world scenarios that could benefit considerably from the use of unmanned aircraft.

http://www.ubcuas.com/

Student Clubs and Groups

Student Clubs provide students with the opportunities to get involved in professional organisations whilst still at school. These clubs hold networking opportunities, organise speakers and workplace tours, and run professional development opportunities. Learn more about the individual clubs by clicking below:

This UBC Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers focuses on the design of energy efficient green buildings. They arrange talks, tours, and other professional events.
https://www.facebook.com/ubcashrae/  |  http://ubcashrae.blogspot.ca/

ASME UBC aims to aid in student professional development through recurring activities such as guest speaker events, panel presentations, field trips, and much more. They help connect students with the competition, conference, and scholarship opportunities provided by ASME.
http://asme.mech.ubc.ca/

BMEGA Mentorship Program

The Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association (BMEGA) offers a mentorship scheme for all undergraduate students. If you are interested in finding out about what biomedical engineering is and what it entails at UBC, you are encouraged to sign up for this mentorship scheme. Our mentors will provide personal insight into life as biomedical engineers!

To sign up as a mentee or for more information, please visit http://bmega.sites.olt.ubc.ca/bmega-programs/mentorship-program/

The UBC Chapter of Engineers Without Borders is a launching pad for ideas to create a new generation of critical thinkers focused on alleviating poverty and abolishing apathy. They run a variety of services and events, from promoting fair trade and holding weekly pancake breakfasts, to community advocacy and outreach, to member learning in the form of discussions and presentations.
http://ubc.ewb.ca/

The SNAME Student Section is committed to fostering the professional development and growth of its members. It holds monthly meetings to discuss advancements to shipbuilding and ship design projects, and often feature regular guest lectures from local professionals. They go to local networking events, and arrange industry tours.
http://www.sname.org/ubc/home