This post was authored by Tim Munro, Vice President of ISA's Toronto Section.
ISA Toronto Section was pleased to participate with Centennial College for their first annual “Technology Fair and Career Night” on March 20, 2012. This unique event, hosted by the Automation and Robotics Society brought together students, potential employers and Professional Societies. This event gave the students an opportunity to showcase devices they have built, whether in the classroom or independently, before their peers and professors. This event gave Centennial engineering students a chance to promote themselves, their school and their chosen fields.
There are many projects/devices that are built within the walls of Centennial College, as over one hundred accredited programs are offered in the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science also known as SETAS (Centennial, 2012). Generally these projects are available only to the student assembling the device, his or her immediate classmates and the professor grading it.
For example, each of the 5th semester students in the Automation and Robotics program is expected to engineer a small-scale pneumatic car. These uniquely built vehicles are given 90psig of compressed air and are required to travel 2ft while pulling a 6lb brick; to achieve a passing grade. At the end of the semester the entire class gets together and demonstrates their devices to the professor; the devices are dismantled shortly afterwards. In addition to the projects being built as part of the SETAS curriculum, many students have built devices on their own; either for an innovative solution to a problem, or a hobby, as engineers have a tendency to do.
The event was open to all Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems, Automation and Robotics students.
The event organizer, Adam Conner, commented:
“The response in the College community was very positive and approximately twenty projects were on display. By creating an event that will give the students a chance to showcase what they have built, we will be promoting healthy competition and school spirit within the technical departments.”
ISA Toronto section, participated with a booth display and a short talk on ‘Professional Volunteerism to develop Career skills”. Bruce Li, Ryan Kershaw and Tim Munro were in attendance from ISA Toronto Section.
Visit ISA Toronto's Facebook Page.
Toronto's Annual General Meeting is Thursday May 31st!
Location:
The Cool Brewing Company
164 Evans Avenue
Toronto, M8Z 1J4
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Dinner included.
Download ISA Toronto's Annual General Meeting notice
About the Author
Tim Munro is currently serving as Vice President ISA Toronto Section, Education Chair and has been working in the Industrial Automation Industry for the past 20 years.
