Kailey Beckie is a Schulich Scholar and in her second-year of the Mechanical Engineering program at the School of Engineering on UBC’s Okanagan campus.

What drew you to Mechanical Engineering?

I chose to major in Mechanical Engineering because I view it as being the most broad, and because there is an opportunity to work in a biomedical field with this degree without the education specialization.

What’s it been like attending classes in-person this year? Since you were living on campus last year, was the transition big or small?

My first introduction to university last year was completely online and I developed a routine specific to online learning. The biggest adjustment from last year to now has been re-learning how to learn at a university level. I underwent this adjustment once before from high school to online university, and feel like I’ve just figured out how to move from online to in-person within the last two weeks.

When classes were completely online and campus was fairly empty there were very few distractions and interruptions throughout the day. I could set up in front of my laptop and work in my dorm room. When I started to lose focus, it was easy to find a quiet secluded spot on campus to work. I had to adjust this year to packing up, going to class, finding a place to study for an hour, packing up and going to another class, walking home and setting up again. I was used to changing tabs and opening zoom to go to my next class, and found it hard initially not to lose my train of thought when my new days were sectioned and interrupted in such a different way. It’s changed how, when, and where I study.

Living in residence last year helped me transition from online to in-person learning by giving me an amazing friend group. My friends are my support and stress relief, and I am extremely grateful for finding such a great group of people. Because there were fewer people on campus last year, I ran into the same people all the time and got to know them on a deeper level faster than I think I could this year. They made it easy to find roommates, focus on school, unwind, and explore Kelowna.

You have been very active since you arrived at UBC Okanagan, describe what drives you to undertake these challenges?

I know that the opportunities I’m being given right now by UBC Okanagan won’t always be there. I wholeheartedly believe that I can do and try things in university that would be a lot harder to pursue later on in life. I want to take advantage of these opportunities because the more exposure I have, the more hirable, understanding, and informed I believe I can be. Now is the ideal time to be diverse in the interests I pursue. I want to specialize my career into a field later in life but in order to discover what I’m passionate about and to stay informed and open to a wide variety of things I’m enjoying branching out.

In addition, I have the chance now through UBC Okanagan to give back to my community and pay forward the opportunities and experiences I was fortunate enough to have in high school and university. Outreach opportunities like the UBCO ‘Your Degree’ event and platforms like the Engineering Society allow me to advertise and speak about opportunities students can get involved in and steps they can take to set themselves up for success. The reason I heard about internships, research opportunities, co-ops and other programs was through this type of advocacy, and these opportunities continue to set me up for success. I’m driven to participate because I want to pay it forward.

Last year, you were awarded a CEMF Ambassador Award – what did receiving the award mean to you? Have you had a chance to receive mentorship through the program yet?

Being selected as a student Ambassador for the profession of engineering and being able to act as a role model for other young women pursuing STEM was extremely exciting and important to me. I’m honoured to be affiliated with an organization that supports students so actively.

As you may know SOE and EngSoc will be unveiling a 14 Not Forgotten Memorial Art Installation outside the EME, from your perspective, why is the monument and the annual ceremony important?

I think it’s an extremely important installation not only to honour those who lost their lives but also to remind us of the importance of educating against prejudice. As a female in STEM, hearing about this event made me appreciate the efforts and initiatives that exist to promote women in engineering. I realized that I take for granted how far we’ve come, for me to be in the position I am in now, and that not all women are free from gender barriers in this field.

What other new and exciting things are you up to?

I was invited this past year to help establish an ISA student section at UBC Okanagan. The section just got approval so a lot of things are currently in the process of being finalized, but it sounds like it’s going to be a great resource for students looking to connect with industry.

In addition to this, the Makerspace at UBCO is running at a higher capacity than last year and is accepting drop-in’s, so I’ve been taking advantage of the technology and staff. I think it’s an important prototyping skill, so I took on a project to 3D print a working model of a manual transmission, and have been learning a lot about 3D printing and slicing software from staff.

The 2021 UBCO Mentorship program just started this past week as well, so I’m excited to make a connection in a field of interest and hear about engineering in real life. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to learn.

Some students describe having big scholarships as a burden, extra pressure to achieve, what’s your take on that?

I can understand how having a scholarship, especially one dependent on keeping a certain grade average, can introduce pressure when it comes to studies. My take on that pressure is that it can be shaped into motivation. I know that there have been times I’ve been burnt out, and the last thing I want to do is study, and the Schulich has been a very concrete reminder that I want to be the best version of myself I can possibly be. As long as I know that I’ve done everything in my power to achieve my goal and keep my scholarship then the outcome is actually less important than my effort. If I get a bad grade on an exam, but I know I studied as hard as I possibly could and I got up and hit the books when all I wanted to do is sleep in, then I’m ok with a bad grade. To be the best version of myself I need to keep my promises to myself long after the good mood and motivation I felt when making that promise is gone. To me, that solidifies the type of person I want to be moving forward, and will teach me skills and habits I want to carry through the rest of my life. In this way, having a big scholarship is a burden, but in a way that can help shape my character for the better.

The Wilden Living Lab (WLL) was recently awarded the 2021 EGBC Sustainability Award for its on-going success in empowering stakeholders to make climate-action decisions that achieve sustainable outcomes. The WLL, a pioneering research initiative, investigates sustainable homebuilding through support from NSERC and Mitacs.

The project led by Professor Shahria Alam, the Director of UBC’s Green Construction Research and Training Centre, in collaboration with Blenk Development Corp, FortisBC, AuthenTech Homes, and Okanagan College was launched in 2017. In 2021, it is expanding upon its original two home comparison to a third home. The Home of Today and Home of Tomorrow will be compared with a new Net-Zero Home that is currently under construction. The latter home is designed to adhere to BC Energy Step Code 5 and be net-zero.

The WLL collaboration continues to co-create technological ideas and validate them through experimentation in a real-life environment. It investigates how innovative materials and technologies can address energy-performance-based code requirements, such as the BC Energy Step Code, for new building construction.

The multi-faceted research initiative also provides training for students at both Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering related to energy consumption monitoring, alternative construction materials, state-of-the-art technologies, and best construction practices.

As a living lab, WLL is acquiring continuous data from its homes. Researchers are gathering, evaluating, and analyzing this data to include in their publicly accessible peer-reviewed research.

WLL UBC Okanagan researchers include Dr. Shahria Alam (Sustainable Construction), Dr. Kasun Hewage (Life Cycle Management), Dr. Rehan Sadiq (Life Cycle Management), and Dr. Mohammad Khalad Hassan (Machine Learning). Other collaborators include Karin Eger-Blenk (Blenk Development), Carol Suhan (FortisBC), Scott Tyerman (AuthenTech Homes), Trent Novakowski (Genesis Building Controls), Mo Bayat (City of Kelowna), and Angus Wood (Okanagan College). In addition, support in building systems and monitoring are provided by GeoTility, Genesis Control, Honeywell, Thermo Matrix and West Excel.

Currently in its second phase, WLL is developing a decision-making support framework and tools that integrate the requirements of the step code to assist builders and other stakeholders in constructing and maintaining economically feasible low-energy homes in the Okanagan and around the world.

The Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) Sustainability Award “recognizes the important contribution that engineering and geoscience professionals lead in greenhouse gas emission reductions, developing climate adaptation options and seeking to achieve both in realizing sustainable outcomes. It further seeks to recognize the positive role of human qualities such as ethics, imagination, reason and common sense in achieving this end.”

One of BC’s leading energy storage companies is expanding its collaboration with UBC Okanagan School of Engineering researchers and students. Atlas Power Technologies has a been an active collaborator with UBC researchers for the past three years, and now through an extension of Mitacs-funded projects and a donation of equipment, the company is taking that collaboration further.

“From my perspective as a researcher, I recognize that companies like Atlas play a pivotal role in making concepts into reality,” says Jian Liu, assistant professor and Principal’s Research Chair in in Energy Storage Technologies. “Through extending their Mitacs projects and the donation of equipment, many of our students are directly benefiting from access to world-class opportunities and equipment.”

Based in the Lower Mainland, Atlas Power Technologies has several Mitacs-funded projects with UBC Okanagan including investigating and designing large supercapacitor banks, developing activate carbon from thermal coal and petroleum-coke by-products, designing new converter technology for supercapacitor charging, and developing double layer electrolytic supercapacitors for wholesale grids. Most of these projects relate to developing the next-generation energy storage technology.

Innovating energy storage solutions is a focus for Dr. Liu. He is the Principle Investigator at UBC Okanagan’s Advanced Materials for Energy Storage Lab where his research has generated over $2-million in funding through collaborations with partners such as Atlas. To date, he has filed three U.S. Provisional Patents on battery and supercapacitor technologies.

According to Atlas Power Technologies Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Bradley Miller, as a result of successes to date additional collaborations between Atlas and UBC are in the works. “UBC Okanagan researchers and students are exceptional, and together we are achieving remarkable things. Dr. Liu and his colleagues have seamlessly complimented our research and development initiatives, and this partnership is truly paying dividends through innovation.”

From electric vehicles to electronics, researchers are investigating ways to create low-cost and safe supercapacitors to meet demand. “Through our collaboration with Atlas, we have uncovered a combination of hybrid electrolyte with thermal-coal derived carbon that deliver a high-rate supercapacitor with the best capacitance and energy density reported to date for activated carbons, including 41.2 F/g (18.3 F/cm³) and 35.0 Wh/Kg at 1 A/g,” explains Liu. Initial findings suggest the hybrid electrolyte is safer, and performs better than organic or aqueous-based supercapacitors. This work has recently been published in the prestigious Journal of Power Sources, 498 (2021) 229905.

“Having partners that share the same drive for innovation truly empowers our research,’ says Liu. “I applaud Atlas for not only supporting our research, but also supporting our students at the School of Engineering.”

Along with the expansion of Mitacs projects, Atlas has also generously donated over $60-thousand dollars in equipment.

For more information about Dr. Liu and his Advanced Materials for Energy Storage Lab visit http://nesc.ok.ubc.ca/.

Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world. For over 20 years, Mitacs has worked with federal and provincial governments to build partnerships that support industrial and social innovation.

UBC research empowers financial risk algorithm to be more socially and environmentally-driven

Financial institutions use a variety of tools to assess the viability of loans to individuals, corporations, and governments. Those tools analyze the borrowers’ ability to repay and several others variables to determine potential benefits and risks of the loan.

“Most of borrowing analysis criteria are based on financial conditions, but through the advancement of industry/government policies and regulations  these tools are evolving to evaluate critical factors associated with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects,” explains Gyan Chhipi Shrestha, a research associate at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering. Shrestha and researchers at the School’s Life Cycle Management Lab are developing key indicators and criteria for assessing the ESG risk of projects as they relate to the financial sector.

Working collaboratively with Environmentally Sustainable Socially Accountable Finance (ESSAFIN) Logic Ltd, a firm founded in Vancouver, BC that provides ESG risk analysis for financial institutions, UBC is scientifically validating their approach while developing state-of-the-art assessment tools.

“ESSAFIN has always taken a life cycle thinking approach to risk characterization and evaluation, so partnering with one of the only life cycle management research facilities in Canada just makes sense,” says ESSAFIN Founder and CEO Darren Brown. With a PhD in Civil Engineering, Brown and his team were drawn to UBC’s School of Engineering because of their expertise in this area.

According to Brown, most of their competitors offer tools that are built upon unverified voluntary reporting mechanisms.  “Our goal is to push the boundaries and accuracy of our tools to provide a more meaningful analysis with verified information to standardize the ESG risk analysis process for the finance industry.”

Analysis of social, environmental, and governance risk are vital to support the financial sector in avoiding negative impacts of development  in environmentally sensitive areas including those affected by extreme climate, flooding, and wildfires.

With funding from a Mitacs Accelerate Grant, UBC researchers are seeking to build the most robust ESG evaluation tool ever developed. “The complexity of this tool is unique in that it seeks to compare existing risk assessment methods with advanced mathematical methods that incorporate uncertainty while assessing multiple scenarios,” says a research fellow Haroon Mian.

The Life Cycle Management Lab is led by Professors Kasun Hewage and Rehan Sadiq, who have developed numerous environmental risk assessment system projects over the past twenty years.

The researchers are in the midst of developing a comprehensive database that enable algorithms to quickly and accurately assess multi-scenarios and potential outcomes. “Think of the modelling as the inner-workings of a crystal ball where the magic is in the computer-generated numerical assessment of mountains of data,” says Shrestha.

Over the course of the next year, the researchers will work closely with ESSAFIN to develop the new components of the tool than validate its effectiveness by comparing the new tool with the existing one.

“We’re really excited to see where this research collaboration goes, because not only will it benefit our financial institution clients in making more informed decisions,” explains Brown, “but as a result of its focus on ESG, it also plays a role in changing our world for the better.”

The School of Engineering is thrilled to welcome alum Joses Akampurira to the Academic Services team. Joses completed his BASc in Civil Engineering in 2018, and currently works as Traffic Operations Engineer with the City of Surrey. In his role with Academic Services, he will support international students and lead recruitment activities for UBC Okanagan’s engineering programs.

Originally from Uganda, Joses earned the prestigious Donald A. Wehrung International Student Award to attend UBC. Recipients are recognized for exceptional academic achievement and intellectual promise, as well as impressive extracurricular and community involvement. He graduated among the top scholars in his year, and was the Convocation Student Speaker for his graduating class.

Beyond his accomplishments in the classroom, Joses was heavily involved in campus life as a volunteer and organizer of UBC Okanagan’s Global Engineering Community, the Global Fest, the African and Caribbean Students Club, International Student Club, and Canadian Society of Civil Engineers’ UBCO Branch, and Jumpstart Student Orientation.

Please join us in welcoming back Joses to the School of Engineering!

Drs. Stephen O’Leary and Rehan Sadiq awarded Engineers Canada Fellowships

Two of the School of Engineering’s longest-serving faculty have been named Engineers Canada Fellows for their noteworthy service to the profession. Professors Stephen O’Leary and Rehan Sadiq were both recognized last year for research output ranking among the top 2% of cited scientists globally in their respective fields.

Dr. O’Leary investigates the characterization of novel electronic materials at the cutting-edge of applied physics. A globally recognized researcher, he equips emerging areas of the electronics industry with engineering methodologies for device design and optimization. These technologies include semiconductors, x-rays, radio networks, photovoltaics, and power systems.

A Senior Member of IEEE, Dr. O’Leary is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Materials Research Society, and the American Physical Society. Dr. O’Leary is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Regina, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Windsor, and the Department of Physics at the University of Windsor. He is also a registered Professional Engineer with both the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (EGBC).

Dr. Sadiq is an internationally recognized authority on asset management and reliability of water supply systems and a leading expert in environmental risk analysis and lifecycle assessment of built environments. He is the Executive Associate Dean and a Professor at the School of Engineering on the Okanagan campus. As a leader, administrator, educator and researcher, Dr. Sadiq is an exceptional researcher who continues to make outstanding contributions in the field of environmental engineering.

A Professional Engineer with Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia since 2009, Dr. Sadiq serves on the Pakistan Engineering Council. He is a Canadian Society of Civil Engineering (CSCE) Fellow, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE), and a University of British Columbia Distinguished Scholar (DSU).

The Engineers Canada Fellowships provides national recognition for recipients with respect to their service and contributions to the engineering profession. To learn more about the Fellowships visit https://engineerscanada.ca/awards-and-honours/fellowships

A UBC Okanagan / University of Mississippi Medical Center team outpaces stiff competition in virtual hackathon

A group of undergraduate and graduate students from UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering won the Overhead Imagery Hackathon (OIH). The international competition, hosted by the United States Air Force, University of Wisconsin Madison, and the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, pitted teams from across the globe in a hackathon geared towards utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) methods to classify different types of building damage caused by natural disasters, such as hurricane, flood, earthquake and fire.

The UBCO team included graduate students Junchi Bin (a 3^rd year PhD student), Ran Zhang, and Ray Wang under the supervision of Engineering Professor Zheng Liu.

“Our students performed admirably in a challenging competition that featured top programs from North America,” explains Liu. Liu’s students are accustomed to undertaking similar challenges as part of their research at the Intelligent Sensing, Diagnostics and Prognostics Research Lab. “Developing new sensing and measurement technologies is at the heart of our research so our team in this competition was well-equipped to leverage AI and ML to assessment structural damage resulting from natural disasters.”

The team was able to rapidly mobilize during the competition, which according to Team Leader Junchi Bin was key to their success. “In a hackathon, there are a lot of tasks to accomplish in a limited amount of time, and I was impressed by our team’s willingness to dive deep into the challenge to find a solution.”

The team collaborated with Dr. Yufeng Zheng, a renowned researcher on multi-sensor image fusion, from the University of Mississippi Medical Center to develop their remote sensing application.

The competition involved teams analyzing aerial images of disaster areas, and identifying impacts.

According to Liu, the team’s success is prompting them to further investigate this area of research. “We are identifying numerous applications for this including in the Okanagan when it comes to mapping the impact of forest fires and flooding.”

Anirudh Devarakonda is in his second-year of the Electrical Engineering program, and serves as the 2021 Vice-President Corporate Relations at the Engineering Society at UBC (Okanagan).

What drew you to engineering?

Engineering is my passion, and I wanted to pursue it. When I was applying to University, I researched the benefits of becoming an engineer and found they far outweigh the cons. I was attracted to the engineering field because of the wide range of lucrative career paths I could choose from that fit my passion and goals.

Was there a moment when it became clear that engineering was right for you?

I participated in the Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC). The CEC is an annual national competition where the top 150 brightest students across Canada come and join in their respective engineering events. Participating in the CEC proved to be the most rewarding opportunity of my undergraduate career so far because I was able to refine and improve my public speaking and soft skills. Most importantly, the chance to be able to represent my university on a national level amongst other top engineering students was highly gratifying. CEC made it clear that I was on the right path and mindset towards my future goals and career as an engineer.

We often hear that studying engineering is grueling, what has been your experience?

Engineering is very hard. I have faced many difficulties in learning. The course load is designed to be very hard to emulate how demanding a professional engineer’s workload can be, but I genuinely appreciate this grueling journey because there is so much to learn from this experience. It tests my abilities and will mold me into a better person and a better engineer.

How do you approach your studies?

Instead of just reading the text in my courses, I apply myself to everything by connecting real-life examples to what I learn in engineering courses. Many of the first-year courses I took can be unrelated to my electrical engineering degree; however, I find many concepts to be present in upper-year electrical courses.

Why do you participate in extracurriculars?

I genuinely enjoy working in groups on projects for competitions. It gives me a sense of validation and an outlet to apply myself in a team setting. I can grow and learn from other people; something I find rewarding and gratifying. Another important outcome of participating in extracurriculars is that I can network with others in the industry. I enjoy meeting and talking to other people, and gaining valuable connections, which will later help me get a job. It’s essential to participate in extracurriculars to expand your perception and learn from different perspectives.

I participated in the Okanagan Engineering Competition in innovative design, where I researched a lot about stormwater filtration. This project earned my team a place in the regional Western Engineering Competition. (WEC). In WEC, I was also involved in researching mental health impacts due to the Pandemic. This project earned my team a spot in the 2021 National Canadian Engineering Competition.

Why should a prospective student consider engineering?

Engineering is comprehensive and diverse. A common misconception that prospective students might have is that engineering is very monotonous. However, that’s not true because there so many different pathways that you can choose from and thrive. If a person is good at STEM, they should consider engineering and enjoy the intrinsic rewards an engineering degree will provide.

The vast number of resources that the SOE provides for engineering students to network, participate in research, and work is outstanding. They offer excellent opportunities for students actively searching for these resources to improve their portfolios.

What are your future aspirations?

I enjoy studying STEM, and I want to pursue my studies in this field in the future. My primary aspiration is to earn a higher education degree, such as a MASc or PhD, from a reputed university in Canada, the USA, or the United Kingdom. I also want to work at a place where I am given the opportunity to perform intellectually through means of generating intuitive curiosity.

School of Engineering Assistant Professor & Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Advanced Materials and Polymer Engineering, Mohammad Arjmand has been awarded the 2021 Early Career Award by the Polymer Processing Society at this week’s 36th Annual International Conference of the PPS. The prestigious award honours an outstanding young researcher in the field of polymer processing (who is less than eight years from completing their PhD). Dr. Arjmand is the first Canadian recipient in the history of the award.

According to the Society the award “aims to recognize and stimulate originality and potential for continuing creativity in the science and technology of all polymer processing related areas.”

The Polymer Processing Society was founded in 1985 to provide a mechanism and format for interaction and presentation of research results in the international polymer processing community.

Message from UBC Okanagan School of Engineering Indigenous Caucus regarding the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to reflect on and recognize the lives that were lost and impacted by the residential school system. At the School of Engineering, we believe everyone should take this time to consider the tremendous negative impact that the residential school system, and more broadly, colonialism, has had on the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

The School of Engineering is growing our efforts to build and foster our connections with Indigenous communities and culture. However, there is much more to learn and do. With the support of our UBC Okanagan engineering community, we strive to build upon these initiatives. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, please reach out to a member of the School’s Indigenous Caucus to find out more.

We all play a role in reconciliation. Please participate by listening, learning, and working towards addressing the past wrongs done to Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Ian Foulds, Christopher Collier, Michael Benoit, and Lisa Tobber

School of Engineering Indigenous Caucus

Message from the School of Engineering’s Director pro tem

UBC will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th. The Day honors the children who suffered in the residential school system. I encourage you to read the full UBC statement, and BC’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation news release related to Orange Shirt Day. In particular, an important goal of observing the Orange Shirt Day is for us to:

… use this opportunity to consider what each of us can do as individuals to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to recommit to understanding the truth of our shared history, to accept and learn from it and in doing so, help to create a better, more inclusive British Columbia.

As a father, I can’t begin to image the horror of having your child taken from you. Not to mention having your culture and community destroyed as a result. As engineers, we have a role to play in renewing relationships with Indigenous peoples and their communities based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. I urge you to take a moment on September 30^th and reflect about what each of us can do to advance reconciliation.

Lukas Bichler

Director pro tem

Truth & Reconciliation Resources

• https://ok.ubc.ca/about/indigenous-engagement/orange-shirt-day/
• https://nctr.ca/education/trw/general-public-schedule/
• https://tkemlups.ca/drum/