Alumni spotlight
Embracing the change and leading on
My name is Bo Feng, and I graduated from the Mechanical Engineering department in 2015. Upon graduation, I worked as a Development EIT at Repsol; I was responsible for developing the horizontal drilling program of high condensate gas in the Montney formation. After 10 months, I got laid off – I wrote and passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to make use of my new found free time. In 2017, I was head hunted to Vancouver to work as an assistant to the president and CEO, at a self-funded, non-profit organization, Technical Safety BC. I was involved with organizational oversight and governance, and supported the executive team and board of directors. After two years of managing the CEO’s office, I worked as an EIT reviewing and registering engineered designs (i.e. boilers, vessels, pressure and power piping, elevators, escalators and gas equipment). In addition, I led corporate projects across the organization, which allowed me to further develop my interpersonal and strategic thinking skills.
We each offer tremendous value and beauty to society, and it is our collective strength, diversity and cohesiveness that catalyzes the continued growth of humanity.
Bo Feng
BSc (Eng)'15
What is your favourite memory from your time at UCalgary?
My favorite memories are the extracurricular activities that I engaged in. During second-year university, I was part of the FSAE racing team, where I redesigned the exhaust system of the miniature F1 race car (600cc Honda CBR 600 engine). That car was brought to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the annual FSAE tournament with universities from across the globe. Other activities included being part of the Youth with a Mission team to build a house in Tijuana, Mexico, and also a Mechanical Engineering trip to Munich, Germany. As a big car enthusiast, it was an absolute dream come true to tour the manufacturing plants of BMW and Audi, and their respective museums. In addition, experiencing the Autobahn in a 560-horse power, rear-wheel drive BMW M5 during winter was a fun experience. We achieved 254 km/h, but my goal is to one day visit Berlin and achieve a new speed of over 300 km/h.
What did you learn about yourself while you studied engineering?
Regardless of how horrible we may feel or how severe certain setbacks may be, it is important to realize we are enough. We each offer tremendous value and beauty to society, and it is our collective strength, diversity and cohesiveness that catalyzes the continued growth of humanity. We are absolutely not as “stupid” as we or others say we are. The greater the pain we endure, the greater the growth potential there is on the other side of that pain. Hard work is easy work.
What is the career highlight or professional accomplishment that makes you proudest?
Although there are several professional accomplishments that I am very proud of, the highlight is definitely designing an Apple iOS application. Application design had always seemed like a mystery to me. In 2014, while eating lunch in downtown Calgary, I noticed the inefficiency of the food ordering process; people spent upwards of 20 minutes to wait in line to order food, waited for it to be prepared, and then picked it up at the front counter only to then go find an available spot to eat. I wanted to invest my savings to design a food-order app to alleviate that inconvenience, but I didn’t know who to talk to or how to hire someone. As part of leadership training at Technical Safety BC, I was very fortunate to be part of a wonderful program called Leadership.Everywhere. During the module called Leading Others, I worked with a colleague in IT to design a leadership coaching app to support the coaching process. With support from my wonderful leader and the organization, Leadership.Everywhere. is now available for free download on the Apple App Store. This accomplishment made me realize that application design is no longer a mystery.
How did your engineering degree help you get to where you are today?
My engineering degree, including the challenges and experiences that came with it, allowed me to be confident in resolving a wide spectrum of complex problems, whether inter-personal, ethical or technical in nature. By applying critical thinking, remaining open and curious, and embracing change, I am able to remain effective in achieving optimal solutions. Whether it’s solving for the efficiency of an internal combustion engine on a thermodynamics midterm (that second midterm, regarding cycles) or overcoming risks associated with a work project, the fundamental approach to both problems remains the same: understand what’s known, understand what’s unknown, understand what the desired outcome is (the vision), and come up with a way of getting there (via formulae or organizational resources).
How has your career path evolved and changed since your graduation?
Interestingly, I never expected my career path to evolve in the way it has. I began in the technical field, transitioned directly into administration/leadership, then back to engineering. I am now back in school to pursue my MBA. I guess my career path went back to where it all began: the University of Calgary main campus. However, in all seriousness, my career path has become much broader than it was when I first graduated from Schulich. By gaining new skills, perspectives and strategies, I am able to appreciate the greater picture of the engineering profession, and the values we bring to society, its people and its greater ecosystem by leveraging the different skillsets we all possess.