News archive for November 2009

On Tuesday, November 24, President Judith Woodsworth signed the renewal of the agreement with the Institut en Genie de l'Energie Electronique (IGEE), of which Concordia University is a member.

On hand for the signing were Dr. Hoang Le-Huy, Executive Director of the IGEE, as well as Dr. Bill Lynch, Concordia's representative on the IGEE Committee, and Dean Robin Drew.

The other signing institutions are: École polytechnique de Montréal, École de technologie supérieure, Université Laval, McGill University, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Québec à Chicoutimi, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Université du Québec à Trois Rivières, and Institut en génie de l'énergie électrique.

The IGEE's mission is to help train engineerse with a specialty in electrical engineering through industry partnerships. The organization's role is to facilitate collaboration and share resources between universities while allowing industry partners to become involved with the training of the next generation of electrical engineers.

Hydro Québec is a proud sponsor of the program. For more on the IGEE, visit their official website.

The morning of Monday, November 23, was a busy one for ENCS staff, who put together the annual bake sale in support of the University's Centraide campaign. Tasty treats attracted lots of buyers and a total of well over $1100 was reached!

Special thanks to the volunteer team, who did a wonderful job organizing this successful fundraiser.

Dr. Andreas Athienitis, Concordia University Research Chair - Tier I in Solar Energy  and Scientific Director of the Solar Buildings Research Network, was recently appointed contributing author on direct solar energy by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He will be contributing sections on passive solar buildings and integration of solar energy systems into buildings.

On November 13, hundreds of beaming students and proud friends and family members gathered at Salle Wilfrid Pelletier in Montreal's Place des Arts for the fall convocation of Concordia University.  In total, 68 ENCS students were granted a bachelor's degree and 201 students were granted a graduate degree (MASc, MEng, MAppCompSc, MCompSc, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, PhD).

This term, ENCS awarded an honorary doctorate to Robert Walsh, President and founder of Forensic Technology. After graduating from Loyola College in 1963, Walsh went on to study mechanical engineering at McGill. His Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) revolutionized the way that firearm crimes are investigated and solved by tracing digital fingerprints on bullets or cartridges.  Mr. Walsh spoke fondly of his time at Loyola College in the 1960s and delivered an inspirational message of hope and success to what he called the "connected generation."

For a photo gallery of the event, please visit ENCS's brand-new Flickr page.

On November 11, 2009, some of ENCS's brightest undergraduates were honoured at the annual Dean's Awards. The evening began with a special cocktail for award recipients in the second floor atrium, outside of the Dean's office. Award winners and honorees got the chance to mingle with each other, as well as with Faculty and staff members while having a drink and tucking into delicious canapés.

The awards ceremony was then held in the Normand D. Hébert conference room in the EV building, and was MCed by Dr. Christopher Trueman, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Faculty of Engineering. The first award of the evening was the Concordia Award of Distinction in Engineering, presented by Dean Robin Drew to Mr. Joaquim Frazao, an ENCS alumnus and a founder and vice-president of Mechtronix, a Montreal-based company that has become the third largest manufacturer of flight simulators in the world. Mr. Frazao delivered an engaging speech full of information about the evolution of his company and warmly expressed his grattitude at receiving the award from his "engineering family."

Undergraduate students from the three tiers of the Dean's List of Excellence were then presented with their awards before Dr. Nancy Acemian from the General Studies Unit was presented with the 2008-09 Teaching Excellence Award. The other awards of the night were the Normand D. Hébert Engineering Scholarship, The Memorial Endowment Entrance Scholarship, The Groupe LGS Inc. Scholarships in Engineering, The Aaron M. Fish Scholarship of Excellence in Mechanical Engineering, Bourses d'études Hydro-Québec de l'université Concordia, The Faculty of Engineering & Computer Science Distinguished CEGEP Entrance Scholarship, Association des ingénieurs-conseils du Québec - AICQ, and the Leadership Excellence Awards.

To see a full photo gallery of the event, be sure to visit the brand new ENCS Flickr page.

View the full list of award recipients.

The 5th annual Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation was held at the lovely Sofitel Hotel in Montreal on the evening of  November 6, 2009. Present for the dinner, speeches, and awards ceremony were past and present CIADI students, as well as professors and industry leaders.

After a welcoming cocktail and opening remarks by Robin Drew (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science) and Marius Paraschivoiu (Director of CIADI, pictured above), awards were giving out to the Institute's deserving students. These awards included the CIADI entrance scholarships, the Richard Cheng Design Award for Mechanical Engineering, the Capstone Design Awards for Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, the Certificate of Merit for Undergraduate Student Involvement in Extracurricular Activities Through Student's Associations, and the Silas Katz Memorial Scholarship Awards. The CIADI Students' Executive Team was also honoured.

Guest speakers at the event were Christian Faucher (Senior Project Manager at Pratt & Whitney, Canada) and Pierre Bérard (Vice-President of the Achieving Excellence System at Bombardier Aerospace).s for the fall convocation of Concordia University. In total, 68 ENCS students were granted a bachelor's degree and 201 students were granted a graduate degree (MASc, MEng, MAppCompSc, MCompSc, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, PhD).

For a photo gallery of the event, please visit ENCS's brand-new Flickr page.

Dr. Fitsum Tariku (right) recently received a 2009 Housing Studies Achievement Award from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for his PhD thesis on Whole Building Heat and Moisture Analysis.

The award came with a  $10,000 prize, as well as a merit certificate, which were presented  by CMHC Vice-President D. A. Stewart. Dr. Tariku completed his award-winning thesis in ENCS's Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering Department under the supervision of Dr. Paul Fazio (CBS) and Dr. Kumaran of the Institute for Research in Construction (NRC).

Dr. Tariku was one of three PhD winners. His research focuses on the reduction of energy waste in buildings, pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. He is now the Director of Building Science at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

To download a summary of Dr. Tariku's thesis, visit: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/graw/graw_010.cfm

The writing of Dr. Hashem Akbari was recently featured on "Tallahassee.com - Tallahassee's Homepage." In his article, entitled "Color is key for a cooler planet," Dr. Akbari explains:

Cool surfaces are a simple, tried-and-true technology for cooling the earth. Using them is a simple but effective solution to help reduce earth's climate change; and by doing this globally, we can gain international experience in how to work together to implement large-scale solutions to reducing global warming.

To read the entire article, visit tallahassee.com

As part of Concordia's Homecoming 2009 festivities, the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science played host to nearly 100 alumni from the classes of 1959 and earlier and 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984 and 1989. Former students and current and former professors gathered for a stimulating discussion, an eye-opening tour and a heart-warming reunion to celebrate their milestone years.

Back in the classroom

The day was kicked off by Pragasen Pillay, Concordia professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Hydro-Quebec Chair in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who spoke about the timely topic of "Renewable Energy for the Future." Pillay began the early-afternoon talk by polling audience members on their interests in renewable energy and then provided an overview of the planet's current energy crisis. Pillay said he's optimistic for a future that would be shaped in part by today's engineering students. He explained how modern wind turbines, solar panels and anaerobic composting can have a positive impact on our environment.

Pillay pointed to constructive initiatives, such as Sustainable Concordia and the Solar Research Building Network, led by his colleague, Andreas Athienitis, Concordia University Research Chair in Solar Energy and professor of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering Pillay described a potential renewable energy project, a huge industrial composter on the Hall Building roof. If the project, known as an "urban biomass system," were to receive funding, it would be the first of its kind in Canada, Pillay pointed out.

Touring the past and present

Engineering and Computer Science alumni and guests then joined Guy Gosselin, the Faculty's manager of Planning and Operations Facilities, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building) and Hall Building.

The first stop was the composites lab on the EV Building's14 th floor, where PhD candidates explained and demonstrated in-progress research projects. Then, the visitors headed across the street to the Hall Building to see recent renovations and visit their former classrooms. One alumnus joked, "The escalators still aren't working!"


Back at the bar for memories and drinks

To cap the festivities, about 60 alumni, professors and guests gathered in Reggie's Bar in the Hall Building and mingled, reminisced and happily imbibed Reggie's finest brews. Former Engineering and Computer Science associate dean Terry Fancott hosted the reception. Fancott pointed out Jose Bakker, S BEng 69, as the program's first female graduate. His nostalgic speech induced many laughs and he presented a slideshow featuring old photos of students and professors.

The crowd applauded the sight of former faculty members such as Clair Callaghan, Matthew Douglas and Jack Bordan. Bordan, the Faculty's first dean, appeared in a pre-taped video. He warmly thanked the Faculty for establishing the Jack Bordan Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships in Engineering and Computer Science. (For more information or to contribute to the scholarship endowment, contact Sarah Kenny, development officer, Engineering and Computer Science, at sarah@encs.concordia.ca or 514-848-2424, ext. 7026).

The group also heard from Robin Drew, the Faculty's current dean, and Roland Fabry, the first person to register for Sir George Williams University's Certificate Program in Engineering in 1958.

The evening wrapped up with alumni and professors sharing pints and good cheer and many said they were already looking forward to their next reunion.

Check out the slideshow of photos from the event!