UOIT Engineering students prove to be strong competitors at the Ontario Engineering Competition
April 26, 2006
Three teams from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology's Engineering programs recently competed in the 2006 Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) hosted by University of Toronto.
The junior design team consisting of Mohammad (Mo) Bina, Joe Vanderlaan, Brett Weir, and Bilal Rabah placed a strong third place for their prototype design of a tall tower-like structure that met the design requirements very well and was easily able to withstand testing on a vibration table.
Mark Bernacki, member of the senior design team along with Adam Kraehling, Zak Dennis, and Matthew Van Wiergingen gave a strong presentation and their prototype performed well compared with other teams. Speaking on behalf of the team, Bernacki said that they learned a lot about competing in engineering competitions.
A parliamentary debate team of Steven Anderson and Shahriyar Garmsiri also competed and did well.
Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev, the General Motors of Canada-NSERC Chair in Innovative Engineering Design was the lead faculty member working with the students. He says, "UOIT has been proudly presented at the Ontario Engineering Competition this year. Congratulations to the students for their exceptional dedication and the hard work preparing for OEC 2006. Special congratulations go to the junior design team that won the third place medal, which is a unique but not unexpected triumph. Both their clever design and sharp presentation were clear demonstrations of the very high profile technical abilities of our students that culminated at the design competition. This competition solidified my prior impression that there are some exceptionally beautiful minds among our students and that they are getting first-class education at UOIT."
Bernacki adds that the teams are extremely grateful to Dr. Pop-Iliev, "who provided motivation through words and constant support. He helped prepare us for how a real world competition works and really stuck by UOIT's goal of keeping the student first."
Vernon Kee, a graduate engineer and an OEC participant in the past who is now a UOIT Bachelor of Education student, acted as coach and mentor to the teams at the competition. He held multiple training sessions prior to the competition to get the teams ready and they are also thankful for his involvement. "This is the first time a non-accredited engineering program has won an award at this competition," Kee stressed.
UOIT must first have a graduating class before the entire program can be accredited but they were granted special permission to compete in the competition for the past two years.
Although UOIT is the new kid on the block at these competitions, the participants found that the "level of education that we are receiving from UOIT is equal to or greater than that of competing universities," adds Bernacki.
Members of the three teams all agreed that an important part of the competition was the opportunity to size themselves up against other engineering schools and students. They all felt on par with the other students and with the junior design team winning third place, feel they are in contention with and finally getting some acknowledgement and respect from students at competing schools.
Dr. Marc Rosen, professor and dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at UOIT attended the competition and says, "The students did great. They represented UOIT incredibly well and made other universities take note that we are right up there with them. Our teams' enthusiasm was extremely exciting to see. They got right into the design competition. Fortunately our engineering programs are design focused and this feature served them well."
The junior design team consisting of Mohammad (Mo) Bina, Joe Vanderlaan, Brett Weir, and Bilal Rabah placed a strong third place for their prototype design of a tall tower-like structure that met the design requirements very well and was easily able to withstand testing on a vibration table.
Mark Bernacki, member of the senior design team along with Adam Kraehling, Zak Dennis, and Matthew Van Wiergingen gave a strong presentation and their prototype performed well compared with other teams. Speaking on behalf of the team, Bernacki said that they learned a lot about competing in engineering competitions.
A parliamentary debate team of Steven Anderson and Shahriyar Garmsiri also competed and did well.
Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev, the General Motors of Canada-NSERC Chair in Innovative Engineering Design was the lead faculty member working with the students. He says, "UOIT has been proudly presented at the Ontario Engineering Competition this year. Congratulations to the students for their exceptional dedication and the hard work preparing for OEC 2006. Special congratulations go to the junior design team that won the third place medal, which is a unique but not unexpected triumph. Both their clever design and sharp presentation were clear demonstrations of the very high profile technical abilities of our students that culminated at the design competition. This competition solidified my prior impression that there are some exceptionally beautiful minds among our students and that they are getting first-class education at UOIT."
Bernacki adds that the teams are extremely grateful to Dr. Pop-Iliev, "who provided motivation through words and constant support. He helped prepare us for how a real world competition works and really stuck by UOIT's goal of keeping the student first."
Vernon Kee, a graduate engineer and an OEC participant in the past who is now a UOIT Bachelor of Education student, acted as coach and mentor to the teams at the competition. He held multiple training sessions prior to the competition to get the teams ready and they are also thankful for his involvement. "This is the first time a non-accredited engineering program has won an award at this competition," Kee stressed.
UOIT must first have a graduating class before the entire program can be accredited but they were granted special permission to compete in the competition for the past two years.
Although UOIT is the new kid on the block at these competitions, the participants found that the "level of education that we are receiving from UOIT is equal to or greater than that of competing universities," adds Bernacki.
Members of the three teams all agreed that an important part of the competition was the opportunity to size themselves up against other engineering schools and students. They all felt on par with the other students and with the junior design team winning third place, feel they are in contention with and finally getting some acknowledgement and respect from students at competing schools.
Dr. Marc Rosen, professor and dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at UOIT attended the competition and says, "The students did great. They represented UOIT incredibly well and made other universities take note that we are right up there with them. Our teams' enthusiasm was extremely exciting to see. They got right into the design competition. Fortunately our engineering programs are design focused and this feature served them well."
About Ontario Tech University
A modern, forwarding-thinking university, Ontario Tech advances the discovery and application of knowledge to accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation. We inspire and equip our students and our graduates to make a positive impact in a tech-focused world. For us, it’s not only about developing the next tech breakthrough. Understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology differentiates us as university. Learn more at ontariotechu.ca.
Media contact
Heather Middleton
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.3111 ext. 2197
heather.middleton@dc-uoit.ca
