Opportunities arising from the School of Engineering’s Professional Activities Fund (PAF) are truly limitless. The Fund supports co-curricular projects and activities with a focus on enhancing the professional development of undergraduate engineering students. Whether students wish to enter competitions, attend conferences or participate in field trips, the PAF committee considers all submissions that meet the stated guidelines.
The PAF is supported by a $100 fee levied to each student per academic year. The intent of this funding is to support short-term, student-initiative projects by subsidizing travel and supporting sustainable activities that benefit students. The School of Engineering continues to fund curricular activities outside of the PAF.
PAF funding recently supported a group of School of Engineering ambassadors to attend UBC’s Student Leadership Conference. Ten student ambassadors attended the conference on UBC’s Point Grey campus with transportation and accommodation covered by PAF. Apart from the conference sessions, the students were also able to take part in three tours hosted by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus as Living Lab Green Building Initiative (https://sustain.ubc.ca/) and the TRIUMF Laboratory (https://www.triumf.ca/).
“Choosing to attend SLC this year was one of my best decisions yet” says fourth year electrical student Yukti Zode. “It was my first time attending the conference and the activities and workshops were greatly organized.”
Fifth-year civil student Andre Pipke says the trip served as a great opportunity for student ambassadors to envision ideas for growing programs at the School of Engineering. “The leadership conference provided me with a lot of ideas for how to bring more inclusivity to our engineering program. We are making great strides to increase diversity and gender equality in the engineering program, but the stories and exercises of those at the conference gave such a better idea of how we can tune our systems to make everyone feel welcome in our program.”
“Attending the SLC was a fantastic professional development experience, as it brought forth many community leaders for engagement and collaboration” according to fourth-year civil student Kayla Bruce. “I truly feel as though I learnt plenty regarding the areas of public involvement, developing and leading a team, as well as venturing ‘Beyond Your Lines’.”
“Attending SLC was a great experience to work on professional development as current and future leaders in our community” says fifth-year civil student Sheereen Aminuddin. “By communicating and working with other community leaders, I feel as I was able to push beyond my comfort zone and challenge my ability to think outside the box. This experience now gives us the opportunity to bring back our redefined knowledge on leadership and improve our community here at UBCO by breaking down barriers and promoting inclusivity, equity, and willingness for change.”
Third-year mechanical student Venedict Tamondong has attended the conference the past two years, and says it continues to have an impact. “I have been able to meet some truly remarkable people, from meeting with students who do outreach, to hearing from leaders who encountered extreme adversity and overcame their struggles. I am truly grateful for the opportunity and I am excited to bring this knowledge back to our school.”
For more information on the Professional Activities Fund (PAF) visit https://engineering.ok.ubc.ca/student-resources/professional-activities-fund/