Enginuity Spring 2003 - The Schulich School of Engineering ...

Student ProjectsThe largest residentialproject currently underway inEurope, has been a buzz ofexcitement and learning forstudents working on finalyear projects in the CivilEngineering Department.Two students teams from allcivil engineeringspecializations havedesigned, researched andapplied project managementprinciples to present urbanrenewal proposals for the cityof Lisbon, Portugal. Theirproposal will be submitted tothe development firm in asimilar manor to commercialengineering consultants’processes.The Lisbon urban renewalproject welcomed anCivil Students Takake on Lisbonuncluttered perspective of how to build anew community for about 50,000 peoplein a 300-hectare landscape outsideLisbon’s airport. Dr. Fernandaz, of thedevelopment firm SGAL (SociedadeGestoria da Alta de Liboa) spoke totwelve of the students who were invitedto Lisbon in September. “ If even onenew idea comes out of this alliance, itwill be well worth all the effort.”The 60 students eagerly approached allcommunication challenges that werepresented in terms of foreign languagedocumentation, varying assessmentfocuses and plans for their final yearproject. They will leave the universitywith a real life experience, that issignificant for both its magnitude interms of project size, but also the multidisciplinaryteamwork that was involvedwith their fellow students, industrypartners, university faculty support andLisbon contacts.Rarely does a Canadian institution offer afinal year project that is international andcan emphasize technical, human resourcesand business aspects as well as involve allCivil Engineering design aspectsincluding environmental, geotechnical,hydraulics, materials, structural andtransport.Civil Engineering Students in Lisbon.Student WinnersDavid Ata, Patrick Boyle,Charles Gunn, Michael Jamesand Collin Tsui, are members ofthe internationally recognizedUniversity of Calgary ModelUnited Nations Team(UCMUNT). The teamparticipates in simulations heldacross North America, whichallow students to compete in alife-like portrayal of theentrenched diplomaticinstitution.Although these engineeringstudents are typically up againstpolitical science and socialscience majors, they have proventhemselves time and again, andthis year’s performance placesthem among the cream of theModel UN crop.Model UN Students Shine at t ConfererenceenceThis year, the team attended two majorconferences, representing Spain at theMcGill Model UN Assembly(McMUN) and the daunting Iraq andAfghanistan at the National CollegiateSecurity Conference (NCSC), held byGeorgetown. The team brought homethe top prize at NCSC, which is addedto three team victories in the past fouryears at McMUN.“This kind of event is quite enrichingfor engineering students,” said TeamPresident Patrick Boyle. “Usually, ifyou walk into a room full ofinternational relations students fromIvy League schools and tell them thatyou are an engineering student, theyexpect you to be a pushover. On thecontrary, it turns out that having amind for details is a huge asset at theseconferences.”Faculty of Engineering is a key sponsor ofUCMUNT, and supports the diversity andpersonal growth these events bring to itsstudents.Story by Charles Gunn and Patrick Boyle(as seen above with Collin Tsui.)16enginuity