Spanning a century

A Mechanical Engineering student completes a year-end project. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Every time you drive safely over a bridge, gaze at a pleasing building or stand on a wharf around the province, take a moment to consider how that structure got there.

Chances are a graduate of Dalhousie’s Faculty of Engineering had a hand in building it. From Oct. 4 to 6, the faculty will celebrate 100 years of educating engineers.

“We have educated the engineers who have really built Nova Scotia,” says Dr. Joshua Leon, dean of Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Engineering.

“There aren’t many projects that our graduates haven’t had a hand in, in some way or another.”

The other big contribution, he says, is the ongoing research that professors and engineering students carry out every day on campus. That encompasses everything from developing new technology such as steel-free decking for bridges to creating biodiesel — a mix of fish oil and diesel used to power Metro Transit buses in Halifax.

“We’re attracting excited students who are working closely with the province on clean air, clean water and clean land,” he says. “Students are coming out of here with a very clear idea of the environment and how we interact with it. This isn’t a fad that we just jumped into; it’s something that we’ve been into for a very long time and it just happens that the rest of the world is now very interested in the environment, too.”

Environmental concerns may attract more women to the profession, says Dr.Corinne MacDonald, assistant professor of industrial engineering. She was one of seven women out of a class of 35, when she completed her undergraduate degree.

“I think the way we’re going to see more women in engineering in future is the realization that engineering is a profession that has a profound impact on society,” Dr. MacDonald says, “especially now in the 21st century where we’re dealing with issues like global warming.”

Rosalie Hanlon was doing a degree in geology and chemistry, with an interest in community water treatment work, when it was suggested to her that she should enroll in the environmental engineering program. She hesitated, fearing engineering would be too difficult.

“But I’m very happy with my decision — it’s been a pretty intense number of years. The profs are absolutely wonderful, they’re very supportive,” Ms. Hanlon  

“They do a lot of interesting research, and there are a number of them that really make the extra effort to engage with their students.”

Dr. Leon is very proud of the faculty’s hands-on approach to learning. Students spend hours in design labs building and developing actual projects. Students are encouraged to work as teams and enter design competitions.

“How do you solve the problem? It’s no different than it was in 1907, when you set about to teach a student how to break a large problem down into manageable pieces, how to gather the important information they need to solve each of the pieces, and finish it off,” says Dr. Leon.

“That’s what we do; we take science and scientific knowledge and use it to solve real world problems.”

Dr. John Newhook, associate professor of civil engineering, has already built steel-free bridges with instruments embedded in them to monitor wear and tear.

Now, he’s looking at building even smarter structures.

“You build a structure with sensors and components, and those components can actively change the condition of the structure, based on the types of loads being applied at any time, such as large storms,” he says.

“We’re starting a research program looking at that concept. It’s a very intriguing idea that maybe our future structures will not always be so passive.”

Twenty years ago, Ajith Rai founded Suprajit Engineering Ltd., in Bangalore, India. It has grown from one small unit into the largest automotive cable company in India, with global reach. With 1,500 employees and a manufacturing capacity of about 75 million cables, Mr. Rai expects gross revenues of $70 million (CDN) this year.

A student in the Internetworking program. (Nick Pearce Photo)

“Our vision is to become a global major in the automotive cable business by developing a global footprint of supply chains across North America, Europe and Asia,” Mr. Rai says.

He credits TUNS and his mentor, Eldon Gunn, professor of industrial engineering, for his success, teaching him to think independently and “take rational and logical decisions.”

“It helped me to visualize, plan and execute. It taught me that ‘I can, if I think I can.’ I could challenge myself, motivate myself, set goals and execute,” Mr. Rai says.

“In short, I got a solid foundation for my future years. I can safely say that the wonderful grounding that I got at TUNS, in a large measure, is responsible for my business success.”

Jack (John George) Flemming says the quality of education has always been excellent because of the small size of the faculty.

But the owner and president of Ocean Contractors Ltd. in Dartmouth says alumni will have to step up over the next few years to pay for upgrades to the faculty’s infrastructure.

“The quality is still there, but the equipment and labs have to be renewed,” Mr. Flemming says. “I can see a financial campaign, dedicated just to engineering.”

Amalgamating with Dalhousie has had a positive effect, he says, both financially and in establishing a worldwide reputation.