News archive for September 2010

On September 27, the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science was pleased to host a day on "Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering for Professors, organized by the Ordre des Ingenieurs du Quebec.

21 participants attended the daylong session, which featured a talk by Mr. Richard Thibault, ing. All attendees received an individual certificate of training for having taken part.

Professionalism and ethics in engineering are of great importance to this Faculty, as it seeks to help its students incorporate these concepts into their studies and future careers.

The Engineering and Computer Science Association welcomed hundreds of new undergraduates to the Faculty last week with its annual orientation session. A great time was had by all, as you can see from our Flickr slideshow!

Hashem Akbari, Professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recently featured on the NPR news broadcast. Akbari speaks of the 100 Cool Cities initiative and about using lightly coloured roofs to help reduce residential energy demands.

Dear ENCS Staff, Faculty and Students

As we begin the 2010-11 academic year, I would like to extend my best wishes to one and all for a busy and productive fall term. This summer has certainly been full of action for the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, what with SAE's action-packed trip to California, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette's acceptance of an honorary doctorate during our convocation, an unprecedented number of NSERC Discovery Accelerator grants awarded to our faculty members, and so much more.

As we look to the autumn term, new and returning students are our focus, as you'll see in the fall edition of our Faculty Quarterly magazine, due out soon. The Engineering and Computer Science Association has already begun to welcome its students back with its Frosh events, which are always wonderful opportunity for students and professors alike to socialize and get to know each other in an informal setting. Speaking of which, I hope to see you all at the ECA's Wine and Cheese reception in the EV atrium on Wednesday, September 15 from 5-7 pm.

Keeping the focus on our undergraduate students, I am also pleased to announce that the Faculty will be continuing its successful "Tutors-on-Duty" tutorial services. Tutors will be on-hand in the Hall Building Monday through Friday to help with assignments and homework problems or simply explain challenging concepts. Moreover, to help in the transition and integration of students from CEGEP or High School into Concordia, we have appointed 1st year Directors in each Department. Their role is to be welcoming and create a mentoring culture for incoming students through various means.

Shining the spotlight on our success stories now, I would like to extend my congratulations to the NSERC Solar Buildings Research Network as they mark the culmination of their 5-year mandate. I can only imagine what exciting things will be in store for this research group as it continues to evolve. I should also mention that two of our professors were named University Research Fellows earlier this summer, while three more received prestigious CFI grants in support of their research. The fact that both the federal government and our University are recognizing the groundbreaking contributions of our faculty shows that we are well on our way to establishing our reputation for cutting-edge research.

I begin this new term with the certainty that the year ahead will be characterized by many more such success stories--stories I look forward to sharing and celebrating with you.

With best wishes for a great fall term,

Robin A.L. Drew,
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.
Concordia University

Staff and professors alike from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science recently marked the end of summer and start of the fall term with a barbecue, held on the sunny 4th floor terrace of the EV Building