Reema Abdullah and students from a Kelowna Secondary School Engineering 12 class demonstrate their mechatronics project at UBCO.
A unique partnership between UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering and Kelowna Secondary School (KSS) is helping students in Grades 11 and 12 kickstart their engineering education.
The course, Engineering 11/12, led by KSS teacher Jim Strachan, sees UBC faculty and graduate students visiting KSS or hosting KSS students at UBCO to discuss an array of topics across civil, mechanical, electrical and manufacturing engineering. This year, 17 students participated in the course. They went to UBCO to showcase their projects and toured the university’s engineering labs during a symposium to celebrate the program’s completion.
“As an educator, it’s very rewarding seeing students develop an interest in engineering, connect with professors and be inspired to come to UBC Okanagan,” says Strachan. “Some of the students who have pursued an engineering education originally had no interest in the topic. It’s wonderful to see how this partnership opens students’ eyes to the opportunities. It inspires them and shows them they can do it.”
Students explore topics like construction materials, building structures, sustainable infrastructure, sensors and radars, solar power, SolidWorks (computer-assisted design), fluids and thermodynamics, water quality and treatment, renewable energy systems, mechanical heart valves, engineering ethics and more.
Among the 17 students who participated this year was Reema Abdullah, who graduated from KSS this month and will start at UBCO’s School of Engineering this fall.
“I loved the practical, hands-on nature of the course,” explains Abdullah, who has enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Management dual degree program. “We built concrete boats and learned the science and processes behind so many of the things in our world that engineers study, build and improve.”
Abdullah says lessons on mechatronics sparked an interest in both electrical and mechanical engineering.
“Between the supportive, inspiring faculty and the course content, I knew this was the path for me. I’m very excited to start my studies at UBCO this fall. My advice to any student thinking about taking this course would be not to be afraid. Step out of your comfort zone. Try it, and see if this field is for you.”
That message is echoed by Dr. Claire Yan, Senior Instructor and Coordinator of the program and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UBCO’s School of Engineering.
“The School of Engineering is always looking for ways to inspire students to step into the classroom or the lab and just get a sense of what the pathways are,” says Yan.
“Whether or not students pursue an engineering degree, they will come away with some invaluable problem-solving and teamwork skills—and a desire to better understand the world around them. This will serve them well as engineers or whatever field of study they choose.”
View a photo gallery of the engineering symposium at UBCO at: flickr.com/photos/200160808@N07/albums/72177720317888014.
