UOIT unveils IEEE McNaughton Learning Resource Centre

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Student Branch at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) recently celebrated the opening of the IEEE McNaughton Learning Resource Centre, which will provide UOIT Engineering students with a space to work together on academic and community-focused projects. The facility, located in the Automotive Centre of Excellence, was opened with the support of the IEEE Canadian Foundation, the Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities, and the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS).

“We are grateful for the financial support of the IEEE Canadian Foundation, which has enabled us to open this facility,” said Dr. Vijay Sood, Associate Professor, FEAS. “The McNaughton Learning Resource Centre is a resource our students can really appreciate. Not only does it provide a space for students to work on academic projects, but it also opens doors to industrial connections and networking opportunities with their peers in other universities.”

Students will have access to tools and instruments such as:

• Arduino boards/software (tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world than a desktop computer)
• Function generators
• Oscilloscopes
• Power supplies
• Raspberry Pi computers (Linux-based, credit-card-sized computers used to explore computing and learn how to program)
• Various components such as resistors, capacitors and transistors

“The McNaughton Learning Resource Centre will inspire our undergraduate students to take the things they have learned in the classroom and build on them in a lab environment through extracurricular activities and projects,” said Rudy Lang, second-year Electrical Engineering student and McNaughton Learning Resource Centre Co-Chair. “It is already being used for projects involving the Oshawa community and for promoting science, technology, engineering and math disciplines to elementary and high school students.”

For example, the centre supplied parts for projects displayed at the Oshawa Mini Maker Faire, a creative do-it-yourself festival held on Family Day 2014. The projects were used to encourage discussion about new technologies, promote the Engineering programs at UOIT, and run workshops for children attending the event. Some of the parts were also used to develop projects displayed at the Go ENG Girl event, held at the university in October.­­­­­­

The facility also provides students with opportunities to develop non-technical skills. “Since the McNaughton Learning Resource Centre is managed and operated by students, it gives them a chance to learn and apply some of the broader business skills employers look for, such as budgeting, project management and leadership,” explained David Whyte, President, IEEE Canadian Foundation.

Carla Cain, fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student and Vice-Chair of the university’s IEEE Student Branch, hopes the centre will also help encourage more female Engineering students to get involved in IEEE and connect with the university’s Engineering community. “I know what it’s like to struggle in your first or second year as a female in a male-dominated area of study,” she said. “My hope is that this centre will help female Engineers feel they belong and are capable of excelling in their chosen profession.”

The centre is currently available to the university’s IEEE Student Branch members from electrical, computer sciences, engineering and related disciplines. “Eventually we would like to grow this to include all undergraduate students,” Lang said.

The IEEE Canadian Foundation awards a number of grants each year to assist with the opening of McNaughton centres in universities and colleges across Canada. The centres are intended to enhance the learning experiences of IEEE student members, as well as encourage membership and activities, and interaction between IEEE student branch and local IEEE sections.

The McNaughton Learning Resource Centre is named in memory of General Andrew G. L. McNaughton, one of Canada's most distinguished electrical engineers.

• Read General McNaughton’s biography
• Learn more about IEEE McNaughton Learning Resource centres and grants
• Follow the UOIT IEEE Student Branch on Facebook