Try building a contraption to move objects across a table, sort them and stack them. To top it off, part of the machine’s energy needs to come from wind power. That was the challenge for first-year design students this semester.

Six community leaders who are passionate about engineering education are lending their time and expertise to the Schulich School's Engineering Leaders campaign, an initiative to build the best in engineering schools.

Frank Meyer and Suncor Energy were presented with leadership awards at the Dean's Holiday Reception on December 1.

Schulich graduate Jason Long, president of Engenuics Technologies Inc., provides students with hands-on experience with embedded systems.

The first ever Auto Show at the Schulich School of Engineering featured Schulich Racing, the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) Team, the Baja SAE Team and the University of Calgary Solar Team.

A licensing deal has been reached to market a high-tech tracking collar to help wildlife researchers learn more about the movement patterns and behaviour of grizzly bears.

Creativity and an eye for the unusual. Congratulations to the winners of this year's Internship Photo Contest!

Research into avalanche risk control at the Schulich School of Engineering has helped Parks Canada develop a new tool to keep backcountry users safer.

Lynne Cowe Falls will receive the honour during fall convocation ceremonies on November 10.

Glen C. Schmidt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Laricina Energy Ltd., has been recognized with an award from Ernst & Young.

Students from the Schulich School of Engineering and Faculties of Medicine and Science will compete at MIT in the Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) World Championships.

Innovation and research excellence receive accolades at the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation Awards on October 28.

Student team The Matrix wins the first ever street hockey tournament hosted by the Schulich School of Engineering. The event raised more than $800 for the United Way.

A $100-million gift from Seymour Schulich will create the Schulich Leaders Scholarships, awards for students with leadership potential entering science, technology, engineering and math programs.
It is the second largest education endowment in Canada's history.

Highlights of innovation, research and student success at the Schulich School of Engineering over the past year.

University of Calgary finishes in 19th place among 37 teams after racing 3,000 km through the Australian Outback in the 2011 Veolia World Solar Challenge.

Engineering students have the Schulich Axiom solar car primed and ready to race 3,000 km through the Australian Outback.

Seven faculty members, including Schulich's Alex De Visscher, Nigel Shrive and Arin Sen, were honoured for their exemplary contributions at the Killam Research and Teaching Awards ceremony on Oct. 4. The Killam Trusts—funded by the estate of Dorothy and Izaak Walton Killam—support advanced education and research in Canada. The university is proud to be one of only five universities that benefit from the trusts.

Two years ago, a multidisciplinary team of University of Calgary students interested in sustainable energy technologies submitted a proposal for the 2011 Solar Decathlon with a vision of creating a culturally relevant, net-zero home that addressed housing needs in First Nations communities. The team placed tenth overall in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, which challenges student teams to design, build, and operate an energy-efficient, livable, and affordable home.

Imagine your backyard transformed into a mini power station with your very own wind turbine and every house on your street equipped with solar panels. The university has announced the new NSERC/ENMAX Industrial Research Chair in Renewable Energy at the Schulich School of Engineering to explore ways to implement renewable energy solutions at the household level.

The University of Calgary Solar Team held its final meeting today before leaving for Australia to race in the 2011 Veolia World Solar Challenge. The student-built solar car, Schulich Axiom, will be put to the ultimate test crossing 3,000 km through the Outback, from Darwin on the north coast to Adelaide on the south. Nearly 40 teams from around the world - including three other Canadian teams from Ontario and Quebec - will compete in the event October 16 - 23.

After four days of rain and cloudy weather, the sun finally came out over the solar village on Sunday afternoon. Canada’s team has already shown an estimated 7000 people - including Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer - through the Cenovus TRTL solar home - more than any other team so far in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon.

The 2011 Solar Decathlon gets underway September 23 in Washington, D.C. and when the University of Calgary’s student-built solar house goes on display for all the world to see, Adam Cripps will be especially proud. He is a fourth-year civil engineering student in the Energy and Environment specialization at the Schulich School of Engineering. Cripps played a key role in designing and building Canada’s only entry in the international solar house competition.

Peihua Gu, a long-time professor in the Schulich School of Engineering, has been appointed Provost of Shantou University.

Students from the Schulich School of Engineering made a number of presentations and brought home top awards from a mix of conferences over the summer. Sean Dawson, a master’s student in chemical and petroleum engineering, took home first prize at the 104th Annual Conference of the Air and Waste Management Association in Orlando, Florida; four students presented papers at the American Rock Mechanics Association's 45th Geomechanics Symposium; and graduate students Mikhail Anisimov and Leon Prebeau-Menezes competed in the FortisBC Energy Challenge.

A team of graduate students in the Applied Electromagnetics Group at the Schulich School of Engineering received the Best Station Award and a $300 cash prize for designing the most engaging challenge for high school students to solve at the 2011 Science, Engineering and Technology Challenge in August.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has announced $1.8 million in funding for nine research projects at University of Calgary. The awards are among a total of $53.3 million supporting 207 projects at 42 institutions across Canada through the CFI's Leaders Opportunity Fund which helps attract and retain top researchers.

From zero to 100 kilometres per hour in under four seconds. The University of Calgary’s race car SR-13 tore up the track at the 2011 Western Canadian Shootout on August 27 and 28, posting a top lap time of 58.484s, good enough for second fastest in the time trials.

By Rebecca Penty, Calgary Herald
A study released Thursday by the University of Calgary heralds a dramatic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Alberta that would result from the widespread adoption of windpowered cars. The university's School of Public Policy, in a 12-page technical report authored by four electrical engineers, envisions a future provincial power grid equipped with socalled smart technology that could control the charging of an army of hybrid electric cars so they refuel while the wind is blowing.

The University of Calgary’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011 is ready to be shipped to the National Mall in Washington D.C. for the competition September 23 to October 2, 2011. On Wednesday, the team hosted a send-off ceremony, during which sponsors were recognized and the home was officially blessed for its 4,000 km journey.

Congratulations to the 42 Schulich School of Engineering teaching assistants recognized for their demonstrated excellence and effectiveness over the past academic year. Awards were presented by Dean Guy Gendron at the Advanced Teaching Assistant Workshop held on Tuesday, August 9th.

For the next four years, Michael Sideris, professor of geodesy in the geomatics engineering department, will play a central role in coordinating international efforts in the scientific study of the earth. Sideris has been elected Vice President of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).

University of Calgary research to make energy pipelines safer and more efficient is taking a step forward thanks to a new agreement between the federal government and the University of Alberta. The university has entered a collaborative research agreement with Natural Resources Canada’s CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory and U of A that will promote collaboration on metal and materials research, particularly work related to pipelines.

An engineering school isn’t where you normally hear about advancements that could improve heart health, but researchers at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering have used a device that simulates blood flow to uncover new information that could help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Trusted Positioning Inc. (TPI), a spin-off company from the department of geomatics engineering that specializes in multi-sensor integrated navigation, has pre-qualified for the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP). TPI was selected to enhance safety and security with next generation navigation technology that offers accurate and reliable positioning at a low cost.

Josephine M. Hill, Zandmer/Canada Research Chair in Hydrogen and Catalysis, was recently featured in the Science, Technology and Innovation Council's State of the Nation 2010 - Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation System.

The topic of cowboy hats came up. How do you buy a good one? As rodeo fans know, you need to check the X rating inside the brim. The higher the X, the more beaver fur in the felt, the better the hat. Of all of the things that a new dean of engineering coming to Calgary would need to know, this is one – especially for a start date in the middle of Stampede week. As of July 11, 2011, Dr. Guy Gendron takes up the reins as dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. X factor aside, much of what he needs to know for the job is already second nature.

Stampede week events here at Schulich: Engineering Social Committee Stampede Breakfast - July 13, 8 to 11 am, Firesticks Courtyard;
Summertime Wine and Cheese with Dean Guy Gendron - July 14, 4 to 6 pm, Firesticks Courtyard; University of Calgary Alumni Stampede Party - July 15, 6 to 9:30 pm, Rangeland Tent, Stampede Park

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s biggest radio telescope, will be so powerful it will be able to detect an airport radar on a planet 50-light years away. It will also help shed light on some of the mysteries of our universe. But there are many steps before perfecting the science and engineering behind the SKA.

A total of 66 University of Calgary science and engineering researchers have been awarded Discovery Grants valued at a total of $2,649,098 through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) 2011 competition. In addition, two of the winners were awarded a Discovery Accelerator Supplement, including Dr. Richard Wan, civil engineering. Valued at $120,000 over three years, these supplements are given to top-ranked researchers judged by their peers to show strong potential for becoming international leaders.

As vacationers get ready to hit the road this summer, they face the likelihood of record-high gasoline prices at the pumps. Imagine filling up your tank with fuel derived from straw or sawdust. Researchers at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering are developing new ways to produce biofuel from organic waste in a sustainable and affordable way.

By Anh Chu, Globe and Mail  “Landfills are garbage graveyards, or perpetual storage,” says Patrick Hettiaratchi, biocell research lead at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering. Unexpected finds have been unearthed from old landfills, where even organic waste such as yard clippings and kitchen scraps are slow to biodegrade in the dry, tomb-like conditions.

By Derek Sankey, Postmedia News At the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering, women comprise 25 per cent of the male-dominated field, with similar numbers in stereotypically male occupations such as information technology. Agnes Soos didn't let that image stop her from pursuing her passion for engineering.

As part of that funding, chemical and petroleum engineering professors Mehran Pooladi-Darvish, Hassan Hassanzadeh and their team at the Schulich School will study a novel method to store CO² as a semi-solid hydrate in depleted gas pools. The experimental method could make it possible to securely store CO² emissions associated with oil sands in northeast Alberta without the need for long distance transfer.

Big cities everywhere grapple with similar issues: what is the best way to reduce urban sprawl, revitalize aging neighbourhoods and create more sustainable communities? The answer could be an interactive, web-based platform to simplify the urban planning process and provide a better way to visualize various scenarios and predict the outcomes of decisions.

Dr. Guy Gendron has been appointed to the position of Dean of the Schulich School of Engineering and will begin a five-year term on July 11, 2011.

Dr. Gendron received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Université Laval in 1985, his Master in Civil Engineering from Laval in 1987 and his PhD in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech in 1991. He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the Université Laval since 2007.

A visit to the headquarters of major corporations and a meeting with scientists at IBM was a trip to remember for 40 students from the Schulich School of Engineering.

The continuous evolution of the engineering profession and its highly technical and specialized nature point to the need for a career centre that is tailored specifically to meet the needs of young engineers and their future employers.

Biomedical engineering students who are preparing to graduate present their fourth-year thesis projects today at the 4th Annual Biomedical Engineering Projects Day hosted by the Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education (CBRE).

Just over five years ago, the University of Calgary’s engineering school got a new name and took in a major cohort of top scholars with an unprecedented number of $30,000 and $50,000 scholarships. This spring, these extraordinary students will graduate.

Sixteen of the first group of Schulich Scholars are setting off on careers in research and industry, while two more have taken a fast-track to medical school.

Colin Williams was volunteering at a career fair on campus at the University of Calgary when he decided to take a walk around.

The second-year software engineering student saw the Microsoft booth, so he stopped by on a whim and struck up a conversation. Two months later, he had a 12-week summer internship job lined up at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters starting at the end of this semester.

I have a professor who is quite different from my others. No, it's not the hair or the shoes or the teaching method. She is a woman. And as an engineering student, she is my first full-semester female professor this year.

The University of Calgary's female enrolment in engineering is about 24 per cent. The national average is 17 per cent.

It's been five full years since the establishment of the Schulich Student Activities Fund. What does five years of support from the school's one-stop-shop for learning outside of the classroom look like? Well, since October 2005, the fund has sent 1245 students on international trips to places like Crete, China and New York, and allowed 821 to travel nationally to student conferences and competitions. No other engineering school in the country has a program like this to enrich student learning.

The Schulich School of Engineering has appointed Dr. Susan Skone as Associate Dean, Research.

"Dr. Skone's appointment will provide leadership to research initiatives as well as assist us in submitting high quality research proposals in order to elevate their success rate," said Dr. Anil Mehrotra, Interim Dean of the Schulich School of Engineering.

Researchers from the Schulich School of Engineering were awarded strategic project grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) at a formal announcement Thursday. Dr. Orly Yadid-Pecht and Dr. Naweed Syed are developing the latest innovation in lab-on-a-chip technology, and Dr. Steven Boyd is studying osteoporosis with the goal of developing new strength prediction methods and treatments.

Saeid Saidi has been working alongside professor Lina Kattan on adaptive ramp metering, using micro-simulation software to test the effectiveness of ramp metering onan eight-kilometre stretch of Deerfoot Trail. His research has earned him a spot on the Herald's list of 20 compelling Calgarians to watch in 2011.