Engineers are challenged by poor public perception. According to multiple surveys conducted by the American Society for Engineering Education, engineering falls far below professions in fields such as medicine and academics in terms of prestige. The common public understanding is that engineers simply build or fix things.

These viewpoints do not line up with the perception engineers have of themselves. In a recent survey of 190 first-year Engineering students at UBC conducted by the teaching assistants of Applied Science 150, 83 per cent of students considered engineering to be a “helping profession.” When ranking the role of engineering in society, 72 per cent of students polled chose “to address societal problems and needs” in the top three of six choices. “Getting drunk and throwing people in ponds” was not included as a choice in the survey.

There is a crucial need for engineers to understand the societal context that their work takes place in: policy-making, economics, and the environment are among related disciplines affected by the work they do. This has been recognized by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), which has started placing higher importance on professional ethics and the understanding of the role of engineers within society. In order to solve global problems, engineers need to understand the correlations between social and technical issues so as not to accelerate problems such as climate change or extreme poverty.

Whether it’s the Women in Engineering program addressing issues of gender empowerment, the Electric Car Club fighting for renewable energy or Engineers Without Borders reaching out to high school students on a weekly basis, there are hundreds of Engineers at UBC that are promoting a healthy, sustainable world.

Engineers Without Borders

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada is a national, student-driven organization dedicated to promoting and supporting human development by empowering Canadians to look at the root causes of poverty and engage in innovative solutions. With an emphasis on global human connections, EWB advocates for a variety of issues including agricultural development, fair trade and clean water infrastructure.

In collaboration with engineering faculties across the country, EWB is building the concept of the “global engineer.”

This type of engineer will need to be able to create innovative solutions to the complex issues facing our new global society. Superior communication skills, cultural understanding, interdisciplinary teamwork, entrepreneurial skill and the ability to understand complex and interlocking systems define the global engineer.

As university education continues to improve to meet evolving demands from industries and professional organizations, many engineering students hope that UBC will live up to the EWB’s global engineering mandate to “increase the focus on social issues and sustainability, [and] train engineers as leaders with the knowledge and skills to be successful in helping solve the issues of today.”
Dan Boland, a Mechanical Engineering student, feels that engineering influences society in many ways, including “the water we drink, the food we eat, the appliances and technologies that we use, the way we communicate and receive information.”

Boland, along with many other engineering students at UBC, is already embracing and acting on the principles of the global engineer.

The UBC chapter of EWB is the second-largest in the country, with 40 core members who are supported by more than 200 volunteers from across the university. They are global citizens and strong advocates for positive social change not only in Africa, but also in Canada.

Their annual Bridging the Gap Conference, the largest of its kind in Vancouver, addresses important questions about international development and global poverty, such as the way that the economy, education and health of developing nations are linked. Every March, EWB volunteers take to the streets in an attempt to engage Canadians to support the poorest in the world by distributing information about how local action—such as buying fair trade goods or donating to a cause—can have far-reaching impacts. They are also highly involved with high school outreach and local education programs.

In Africa, EWB volunteers from UBC have worked hand-in-hand with local organizations in everything from coffee farming to earth-dam maintenance. Every year, EWB sends “Junior Fellows,”

Engineering undergraduate students with the drive to learn firsthand about development, to African nations to work directly with local organizations on local development projects. Overseas volunteers are currently working in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Zambia.

UBC Electric Car Club

Photo courtesy of Ricky Gu

The UBC Electric Car Club has an ambitious goal—to compete in the upcoming Zero-Emissions Race and have their electric car race around the world in 80 days. They are currently the only team representing North America in this competition. Their team is comprised of UBC students from various engineering faculties who have come together for the common goal of promoting sustainability and finding innovative ways to break fossil fuel dependence.

Women in Engineering

Women in Engineering (WIE) at UBC is a program developed to help female engineering students with personal development and networking—allowing them to “be a leading force both on campus and in the community” according to current WIE student coordinator Kerry Black. Their vision is “to create a safe and inclusive environment that allows female students to participate fully and equitably in the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC.” This is achieved through formal leadership and career development seminars.

Emerging Green Builders

The UBC Emerging Green Builders (EGB) are an interdisciplinary network of students and young professionals concentrating on the environmental impact of our buildings and infrastructure. Founded in 2008 by a group of UBC Engineering students, EGB has provided seminars and workshops on green building design and sustainability. “We intend to accelerate a sustainable transformation of our buildings, neighbourhoods and communities,” said student participant Stefan Storey.

EGB has members coordinating with the SUB Renew sustainability committee, the Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability and the Bright Green Builders Project. The organization recently received recognition in the UBC Alternative Energy X-Contest.

Super milage

Photo courtesy of Morgan Lok

A team of UBC Engineers won the 2006 SAE Supermilage race, a yearly fuel efficiency competition held in Detroit, Michigan. Using standard fuel, a highly efficient engine and a futuristic design that required the driver to operate the vehicle lying down, the UBC students’ entry was able to travel over 5000 kilometres on less than four litres of gas. This UBC Engineering Team’s design was featured as one of TIME Magazine’s Inventions of the Year in 2006.

The Landing Pad

During his third year of studies at UBC, Integrated Engineering (IGEN) student Aaron Coret broke his neck in a snowboarding accident on the Whistler Blackcomb Glacier terrain park. Coret now spends his time completing his studies at UBC and working on his business, Katal Innovations. His main product is an inflatable “Landing Pad,” designed to provide a safe training mechanism for freestyle snowboarders. “This project is directly inspired by my desire to give something back to the sport I love so much,” said Coret.

Jess Barclay—Softball

Jess Barclay is this week`s athlete of the week. The T-Birds Women`s Softball team has just started their first season in the NAIA, and they have quickly proved that they belong. Jess has had several standout performances this season and was recently 10th in the NAIA in batting average, and thus far has a .500 batting average so far this year.

Martha McCabe—Swimming (Not Pictured)

This standout T-Bird was graced with the honours of CIS Female Swimmer of the Year  at the CIS Nationals in Toronto, winning gold in the 200 metre breaststroke, a silver in the 100 metre breaststroke and a bronze in the 50 metre breaststroke. The gold she won at Nationals was the first individual gold medal for the third-year Human Kinetics major, which aided the T-Birds team to a second place finish behind the Calgary Dinos. In addition to these achievements, McCabe was selected to be a member of Team Canada based upon her stellar performances over the past year.

The Athletes of the Week are selected by the Thunderbirds Athletics Council

A day after a heartbreaking loss that put their national championship hopes in jeopardy, the men’s basketball team rebounded with a 78–68 victory over the Simon Fraser Clan in the bronze medal match at the Canada West Final Four to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“This team is a special team, and we didn’t want to give up that chance at the nationals,” said Kyle Watson, who had seven points and a team high 12 rebounds in his final home game for the T-Birds. “We can keep winning, I think we just need to have fun. We’ve been having fun all year.”

The “fun” was abruptly put on hold Friday night, however, when the No. 10 ranked Saskatchewan Huskies shocked UBC 104–87 in overtime, giving the team its first loss at home all year, and silencing the 1411 fans in attendance who had hoped to see the Thunderbirds clinch a spot in the CIS Championship.

It was a game full of drama. Josh Whyte, UBC’s star player and Canada West MVP, had sat out practice all week with a sore hamstring, and though he played, it was clear the T-Birds’ offence was out of sync. Still, with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter and down by one, Whyte tied the game on a free throw. The Huskies had a chance to respond, as Nolan Brudehl was fouled under the basket with just 0.6 seconds left. All he needed was just one free throw to win the game. He missed both, and UBC was given a second lease on life.

But in overtime, UBC was lethargic and disorganized, and Saskatchewan dismantled them, outscoring the ‘Birds 19–2 in the five-minute frame. It was an embarrassment that led to a closed-door, 30-minute meeting immediately afterwards. It seemed to have worked, as UBC came out with a 10–0 lead to start Saturday’s game against the Clan—their last in the CIS before heading to the NCAA next season.

“I told the team…even Muhammad Ali got knocked out a couple times and got back up to fight again,” said head coach Kevin Hanson after the victory, “and that’s something we have to be ready to do.”

Blain LaBranche, who led UBC with 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting, continued with the boxing metaphors. “[The Huskies] outplayed us, and sometimes you take it on your chin, and come out punching the next day,” he said. “I’m praying we face Saskatchewan in the nationals now.”

Whether UBC gets that chance will have to wait until next week, when the wild card berth for the CIS Championships, held in Ottawa March 19–21, will be announced. After being ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the season, the T-Birds are expected to claim the spot, and Hanson hopes that the loss against the Huskies provides motivation.

“If we’re fortunate enough to get that wildcard, as an example we can look at the Olympics (men’s hockey tournament) where Canada lost to the US in the first round. It would be a great scenario to for us to have that same chance in two weeks.”

As most of the world knows, ice hockey is Canada’s game. During the coming Paralympic Games, Canada can further this reputation as it defends its title as Paralympic ice sledge hockey champions—right here on campus.

When the new Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre was built, it was done so with the Paralympics in mind. While UBC was only host to some of the preliminary women ice hockey matches during the Winter Olympics, it will host all of the ice sledge hockey games in the coming two weeks.

Starting March 13, eight national teams will be battling against each other, trying to keep Canada from winning its second consecutive Paralympic medal in sledge hockey.

Even though ice sledge hockey has been around for nearly 50 years, it has only been a Paralympic sport since 1994. The sport itself resembles normal ice hockey in nearly every way. The rules and regulations are the same as ice hockey. The only difference is that equipment is adapted so that those with a lower-body disability can participate.

Athletes play seated on an aluminum sledge, which is fastened on two skates so as to allow the puck to travel underneath the frame. Using specially designed sticks, the athletes use picks at the bottom end to propel themselves forward. Also different is the fact that all players have two sticks each.

If you want to see the game in action, tickets are still available. Expect disturbances on campus as thousands of supporters travel nearly every day to and from the venue.

Preliminary rounds

March 13, 2010
10:00 – Canada vs Italy
13:30 – Norway vs Sweden
17:00 -United States vs Korea
20:30 – Japan vs Czech Republic

March 14, 2010
10:00 – Norway vs Italy
13:30 – Canada vs Sweden
17:00 – United States vs Czech Republic
20:30 – Japan vs Korea

March 16, 2010
10:00 – Czech Republic vs Korea
13:30 – Italy vs Sweden
17:00 – United States vs Japan
20:30 – Norway vs Canada

Qualifications

March 17, 2010
12:00 – Classifications 1
19:00 – Classifications 2

Playoffs

March 18, 2010
12:00 – Semifinal 1
19:00 – Semifinal 2

March 19, 2010
12:00 – 7th/8th
15:30 – 5th/6th
19:00 – Bronze Medal Game

March 20, 2010
12:00 – Gold Medal Game

BC native Josh Dueck never thought he would be competing in the 2010 Paralympic Games.

Actively involved in freestyle skiing since his early teens, Dueck competed on the World Cup circuit until the age of 22, when he retired from competition to become a moguls and aerials freestyle coach at Silver Star Freestyle Ski Club in Vernon.

It wasn’t until six years ago that Dueck discovered the Paralympic sport of sit-ski, after an accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.

While helping prepare Silver Star for the Canadian Junior Nationals, Dueck decided to try out one of the newly groomed jumps‚ the “superman.” During the test run he miscalculated his speed and overshot his landing.
As Dueck recalled, “I landed chest first and folded in half like a scorpion.”

When Ducek regained consciousness at Vancouver General Hospital, he faced the hard news: the passionate skier, coach and mentor had broken his back and would never walk again.

Despite this life-altering event, Dueck wasn’t about to give up on himself. Nine months after the accident his friend introduced him to the sport of sit-ski.

The actual sport of sit-ski is no different than downhill racing, except for the equipment. The “little pod” or sit-ski, which racers sit in, acts like a ski boot and is attached to a single ski.

Regardless of initial interest, coming back to the slopes after his traumatic accident wasn’t easy. With speeds on a sit-ski reaching upwards of 120km an hour, Dueck, who had just come out of the hospital, was hesitant.

“I knew I wanted to get back on the mountain. I knew that’s exactly where I wanted to be, but being that fresh from the hospital there was the fear that I would get hurt again,” he said.

He may have had reservations, but friends and family helped him overcome any uncertainty. After a few days on the beginner slopes he began to trust himself and soon took a liking to the sport.

“It gave me freedom. It gave me a new set of legs after I lost the use of my existing legs. It allowed me to do what ever I wanted on the mountain and that was just a lot of fun for me,” said Dueck.

Shortly after being introduced to sit-skiing, he dedicated himself to racing full-time and set his sights on the 2010 Paralympic Games.

While he struggled at first against seasoned competition, in the last two years, often competing against athletes with more than twice the experience, he has won medals at the 2009 World Championships in South Korea, the IPC World Cup finals in Whistler and has achieved his dream of qualifying for the Paralympics.

With his first race, the men’s downhill, on Saturday, Dueck expressed gratitude for everyone in the ski and local community who supported him on his journey.

“I had a vision, a dream that I wanted to be a Paralympic skier and my community came together. They supported me. They believed in my goals and dreams just as much as I did and with that we’ve proven that anything is possible,” he said.

As Dueck reflected on what it means to compete in the Paralympic Games in his home province, he added, “What I am looking forward to most is the gathering of all my friends and family, the gathering of communities and the gathering of a nation,” he said.

“The whole country, the whole world is going to be watching the best of the best go head-to-head during the Paralympics, and that is pretty cool.”

Labonté named flagbearer for opening ceremonies

Jean Labonté, Canadian men’s sledge hockey team captain, has been chosen to be the flagbearer for Canada at the Opening Ceremonies on Friday.

This is the Gatineau, Québec native’s fourth Paralympic Winter Games. He won a gold medal in 2006 and a silver in 1998. He has also participated in five International Paralympic Committee Sledge Hockey World Championships.

Five torchbearers from UBC to carry the flame

UBC has chosen five torchbearers to carry the Paralympic flame on campus Thursday, starting at 11am.
Katie Jeanes is a 2009 UBC alumna with a BHK in Kinesiology and Health Science and a minor in Commerce. She has coached Special Olympic basketball and currently works at the Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Function lab at VGH as a research coordinator.

Samantha Jung, fourth-year English and Psychology major, is the student media representative and is the News Editor for The Ubyssey. In January The Ubyssey conducted an online reader poll to gauge if students wanted her to take part in the torch run. Although participation was low, the majority said they wanted her to go.

Jennifer Krempien is a three-time Paralympic gold medalist for wheelchair basketball. As an MSc candidate at the Faculty of Land of Food System, she is currently researching nutrition for athletes with spinal cord injuries.
Branko Radmilovic, who works with UBC’s Plant Operations, is a major contributor for Parkinson’s Research. He helped raise over $186,000 in 2006 through Just Giver for Parkinson’s, a fundraising initiative he co-founded where participants ride their bikes for ten days for more than 1300 kilometres.

Bonnie Sawatzky, an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics, researches biomechanics of human movement at ICORD, the spinal cord injury research centre. “As someone who has a disability, carrying the torch symbolizes and celebrates the remarkable abilities that individuals can demonstrate, no matter what our challenges are.”

5000 to perform in Opening Ceremonies

Five thousand performers ranging from the ages of four to 92 will be participating in the Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games on Friday, reported The Province.

Patrick Roberge, producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, said it will be a “family-friendly event.”
—Sarah Chung

WATERLOO (CUP)—Dante Ryel has lost seven pounds since Parliament resumed. Living only on a diet of water and supplements, he’s fasting until he can get commitment from a senator to sponsor Bill C-311—the Climate Change Accountability Act.

“I’m extremely concerned about climate change,” said Ryel, “and the issue is becoming more and more critical as time goes on.”

The 26-year-old Waterloo resident and graduate of Lakehead University believes that the planet risks becoming less fertile if climate change progresses, while also having negative impacts on food security.

To some, it seems absurd to fast for such a long-fought issue, but Ryel said that, “if politicians don’t pass this bill, they put billions of people at risk for starvation.”

Bill C-311, first proposed in February 2009 by NDP MP Bruce Hyer, commits Canada to ambitious greenhouse gas targets.

The goal is to ensure that the country meets previous global climate change obligations as stated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by getting emissions to a level that is 25 per cent below the 1990 level by 2020 and 80 per cent below the 1990 level by 2050. Ryel will immediately start eating again once he gets Senate sponsorship—otherwise he will fast until March 31.

One week into his fast, Ryel said, “I’m not finding much loss of mental skills, but I’m physically drained. I’m not trying to hurt myself in any way, but I do think it is important to go as far as I can.”

If there are any long-term complications, Ryel will call off the fast. Ryel is also having regular check-ups with his doctor to monitor his health.

Being busy throughout the day, Ryel explained that he doesn’t have much time to think about food, but claims to dream about it every night—along with having cravings for ketchup and donair meat.

Ryel said that his family has been supportive of his drastic action towards the Climate Change Accountability Act.
“I think they’re really concerned with this problem and they can see where I’m coming from, because I don’t let the issue drop; I’m always talking about it,” he said.

Ryel’s video explaining his initiative, along with footage documenting the rest of his action for change, can be found on the YouTube channel Starving for Change.

The University of Alberta’s student newspaper, The Gateway, has received criticism from students for making alleged racist jokes in a recent humour piece.

According to The Vancouver Sun, the piece is part of the publication’s annual article that criticizes the posters of candidates in the University of Alberta Students’ Union elections.

The article comments on Board of Governors candidate Sangram Hansra’s poster, which refers to the candidate as “the brown guy in this election” and the “love interest in a Bollywood blockbuster,” caused students to send angry e-mails to The Gateway.

“They’re pretty critical, pretty rude,” Hansra told the Sun. “They have to realize they have a monopoly [on student media on campus]. There are standards to be kept.” Hansra went on to add that he didn’t think the piece was intentionally racist.

Gateway Editor-in-Chief Mike Kendrick issued a formal apology in a form of a letter to the student body on the paper’s website. “Considering the comments made by myself and others…it is clear that, regardless of original intent, they were poorly worded and potentially offensive,” he wrote.

“Because of this…I would like to apologize for any comments in the article that have caused offence to the candidates, our readers, or the general public.”

The administration at UBC has started a blog designed to better communicate with students the thoughts of UBC’s top executives.

The blog is called “The Admin Blog,” or as UBC VP Students Brian Sullivan colloquially called it, “The A-Blog.” It currently features posts on UBC’s budget and governance.

According to the site, the blog will include “senior admin observations, reactions and questions on events, ideas and issues as they emerge.” The blog can be found at blogs.ubc.ca/theadministration.
—Samantha Jung