Every year, National Engi-neering Month has a theme.And this year’s is a special

one – engineering, innovation,entrepreneurship – designed toalert Canadians to the fact thatengineers are about more thanbridges and blueprints.

In fact, the engineering sectoris at the forefront of economicgrowth and prosperity, andtoday’s engineers are innovatorsand entrepreneurs.

As Ontario shifts away from itsreliance on heavy manufactur-ing towards a knowledge-basedeconomy, engineering innova-tion will be pivotal to its future.

“Engineers make good busi-ness people,” says Rob Hughes,senior project manager withStantec Consulting Ltd. andchair of the National EngineeringWeek Ontario Steering Com-mittee. “This year’s theme is allabout promoting an understand-ing that engineers have a strongpresence in the business world;that they are innovative and de-velop ideas that contribute to theoverall betterment of not onlytheir own personal success, butalso the overall economy.”

He says, as natural prob-lem solvers, engineers are theideal candidates for moving theeconomy forward. “The spin-off innovation that comes withthat problem-solving ability iswhat drives and expands theeconomy.”

With sectors such as greenenergy, computing technologiesand environmental engineer-ing currently emerging as thefoundation of Ontario’s eco-nomic future, engineers will playa significant role in all three, saysMr. Hughes.

“The nature of the engineer isto ask, ‘How can we do it better?’”says Patrick Lamarre, executivevice-president of power at SNC-Lavalin, “‘How can we create thenext generation of products thatare to be rolled out?’”

At SNC-Lavalin, engineers areworking on cutting-edge environ-mental solutions.

Working in conjunction withPlasco Energy Group – whichhas created a plasma technologyto convert waste into energy –SNC-Lavalin is helping transitionthe pilot project into a full-scale

productivity plant.As well, SNC-Lavalin is work-

ing with SaskPower on the firstcommercial unit to capture CO2from a coal plant.

“It is important for govern-ment to work with research anddevelopment programs andprivate-sector companies to getnext-generation, first-of-its-kindtechnologies out the door,”says Mr. Lamarre. “That is howCanada will grow as a leadingengineering economy. If we don’tdo it, other countries will.”

Jonathan Hack, manager ofstrategic technology engineer-ing, university and governmentrelations at Bombardier Aero-space, says, to remain glob-ally competitive, engineeringinnovation is one of the skill setsthat makes Bombardier a leaderin the industry. And it is part-nerships such as the Consortiafor Research and Innovation in

Aerospace in Quebec that assistin bringing new technologies tomarket.

“By working together, andworking with government, weare able to take emerging tech-nologies that are not yet provenand put them into test programsand flight demonstrators to vali-date the technology and get it tomarket,” says Mr. Hack.

Universities play a large rolein such partnerships.

James Andrew Smith, anassistant professor of Electrialand Computer Engineering atRyerson University says twobig engineering-faculty develop-ments of late are helping pushadvanced technologies intouse. First, Ryerson’s Centre forUrban Energy is focused on theneed for inexpensive, reliableand clean energy.

As well, Ryerson’s professorsin the Biomedical Engineering

undergrad program – Canada’sfirst stand-alone undergradu-ate program in this field – arealready producing some market-ready innovations.

For example, Dr. Victor Yang,who heads the Biophotonics andBioengineering Laboratory atRyerson, is involved in severalnext-generation medical imaginginnovations. He is working withHologic and Tornado MedicalSystems to develop an innova-tive optical guidance system forthe accurate placement of biopsyneedles in breast and prostatecancer diagnosis.

Rod McNaughton, director ofthe Conrad Centre for Business,Entrepreneurship and Technologyat the University of Waterloo, says,“Engineers are behind the innova-tions that drive economic prosper-ity by helping industry to be moreproductive and use resourcesmore efficiently.”

E lectric cars, wind- andsolar-power generation, asix-degree-of-motion flight

simulator – these are just some ofthe cutting-edge research projectsbeing undertaken on campus byOntario engineering students.

“We want students to innovateand push the engineering enve-lope,” says Dr. Metin Yaras, chairof mechanical and aerospace en-gineering at Carleton University.

Fourth-year students at Car-leton work in multifunctionalengineering teams on projects

that include developing a gasturbine-based power-generationfacility that utilizes supercriticalcarbon dioxide, a patient simula-tor for teaching medicine and anopen-wheeled race car based onhybrid propulsion.

The projects are designed sostudents learn more than justexisting technologies. “We’rechallenging them to take thingsforward,” Dr. Yaras says.

Two years ago, for example,Carleton students built a proto-type unmanned aerial vehicle

(UAV) with a 16-foot wingspanconstructed of carbon composites.The UAV, designed for geologicalsurveying, is now being preparedfor its first flight – an importantfirst step towards commercializa-tion.

“By engaging in projects withreal-world applicability, studentsexperience engineering in ac-tion,” says University of Windsorpresident Dr. Alan Wildeman.

Windsor students and facultyare researching ways to makealternative energy sources, such

as wind and solar, efficient andcost-effective. They are also work-ing with the automotive industryon many projects including theelectrification of drive trains andimproving child-safety features.

This spring, UWind-sor will open the “IndustrialCourtyard” section of its new300,000-square-foot Centre forEngineering Innovation (CEI).The Courtyard will allow com-panies to engage students andfaculty in real-life engineeringresearch projects.

“We’re completing the innova-tion pipeline by linking educa-tion, research and industry,” Dr.Wildeman explains.

When completed in 2012, theCEI building itself will be a livinglab. For example, through sensorsbuilt into pedestrian bridges, stu-dents can learn about load distri-butions and strain. Other sensorswill allow students to monitor ef-ficiency of the building’s heating,ventilation and air-conditioningsystem and learn about conceptssuch as heat transfer.

Thursday, February 24, 2011 • THE GLOBE AND MAIL A special information feature celebrating National Engineering Month NEWOSC 1

Commercialization partnerships give engineeringstudents opportunities for cutting-edge research

LEADING!EDGE PROGRAMS/COLLABORATIONS

Innovators. Entrepreneurs. Economic drivers.These are Ontario’s

inside: Engineering job opportunities o!erchance to make a di!erence

National Engineering Month eventsyou won’t want to miss

Lighting the CN Towerpurple2 3 6

Engineers

National EngineeringMonth (NEM) is a nationwide celebration of engineering and technology.This year marks the 19th annual National Engineering Month. Volunteers in each province and territory will host events and

activities designed to increase public awareness of engineering and engineering technology and encourage young people toconsider careers in these fields.National Engineering Month will be celebrated in Ontario from Saturday, February 26 to Sunday, March 6. Volunteer organizers

from across Ontario are hosting activities ranging from bridge-building, egg-tossing and robotics competitions to sustainabilitychallenges and engineering design demonstrations. See NEWOSC 3 for details on events in your area.

online? Visit www.engineeringmonth.on.ca for more information.

National Engineering Month in Ontario: Celebrating from February 26 - March 6, 2011

Sponsors:

Patrons:

See the Ontario Event Calendar at www.engineeringmonth.on.ca