March is National Engineering Month. The month-long celebration recognizes the tremendous work that engineers do to continuously improve the world we live in, which, in turn, makes it a more efficient and comfortable place to live.
Engineers have designed and influenced a multitude of resources that we rely on daily, many of which we might take for granted because we’ve become so accustomed to them. However, when we drive across a bridge, take a flight in a plane, use a computer or use our smart phones, we experience the brilliant work of engineers. Thanks in part to their work, we can work more efficiently, play more safely and enjoy life more fully.
The Dalhousie Faculty of Engineering has been playing an active role in educating some of Canada’s finest engineers for over 100 years. A major priority for engineering professors at Dal is to provide students with hands-on and real-world experience. Dal Engineering students in both Halifax and Truro are involved in faculty research and design projects that go beyond traditional classroom education. These opportunities prepare students with the necessary skills to become leaders in the engineering industry.
A variety of perspectives
The Bachelor of Engineering program is offered in eight different disciplines, so students pursuing engineering at Dal have a range of disciplines from which to choose. Engineers are needed to tackle the major problems of today – from improving health care systems and creating better energy solutions to ensuring a safe and reliable water supply.
Throughout the month of March there will be several local events held to celebrate the engineering profession. Dal Engineering students will be taking part in the National Engineering Month Public Display at the Halifax Central Library on March 28. There will be student displays, activities for kids to enjoy information on engineering historic sites and various engineering projects from across the province.
Also happening on March 31, in the Sexton Campus Gymnasium, is the Second-Annual Engineering Design Expo. The poster competition and design expo is a showcase of senior design projects from all engineering disciplines. The design projects integrate course work and engineering design skills, many of which have provided innovative solutions for many local industrial partners
A key part of agriculture
Engineering plays a major role in the agriculture industry – and at the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture in Truro, N.S.
The Faculty of Agriculture offers a diploma in engineering, a two-year entry program to a degree in engineering. Students who earn a diploma in engineering earn an academic credit for the first two years of Dalhousie's Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) program. If they do not choose to enter the work force with their diploma, students can complete a BEng in Halifax.
At the Faculty of Agriculture, the engineering diploma program differs from engineering programs at other schools because of its focus on agriculture.
Every course required in the program has an agriculture focus or incorporates agricultural content. This allows students to concentrate on ways to apply their engineering expertise in the agricultural industry. Areas such as precision agriculture, bio resource, water and food engineering are topics of focus for graduates. In addition to the two-year diploma, students can complete all four years of an engineering undergraduate program, Integrated Environmental Management, on the Agricultural Campus.
Creating opportunities
Engineering students at the Faculty of Agriculture have the ability to work on agriculture-based projects within their first few years of study through the diploma or through the four-year undergraduate program. The Department of Engineering offers many summer job opportunities for students to work with researchers on agricultural engineering projects. They experience hands-on learning and guidance from experienced engineers, making these grads highly sought after.
The Department of Engineering at the Faculty of Agriculture also hosts an engineering society. It offers networking and career-focused events in partnership with organizations like Engineers Nova Scotia and the Canadian Society of Biological Engineers. Earlier this month, it held a networking event with Engineers Nova Scotia, which allowed students to interact with professional engineers from Truro and the surrounding communities. On March 13, the society celebrated Pi Day, and on March 31 it will host an Open Evening for Engineering.
To “engineer” means to “make things happen,” and the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Agriculture’s engineering department continue to do just that. For the full listing of events during Engineering Month, please visit engineersnovascotia.ca.