Get
involved

The Faculty of Engineering works closely with the alumni (Faculty of Engineering Alumni Chapter), friends and the community to form relationships that will promote innovation and assist the Faculty in its recruitment, teaching, research and outreach initiatives.

It's easy to get involved. Whether it's being a mentor in Science Venture, speaking to an undergraduate class, or hiring a co-op student, there are many ways you can can help tomorrow's engineers and computer scientists invent the future.

To learn more about assisting the Faculty in creating and and promoting student awards, research grants and equipment funds, contact the Faculty of Engineering Development Office.

Featured
fund

Dr. Trevor John Williams graduated from Imperial College in 1987 with a B.Eng. in Aeronautical Engineering followed, a few years later, by a M.Sc. in Management Science from Southampton University.

Trevor worked for 23 years in the aerospace industry, for British Aerospace (UK), SENER and CASA (Spain), Dynacs (USA), Eutlesat (France) and MDA (Canada). During this part of his career, Trevor worked on communications satellites, human-rated vehicles and low earth orbit observation satellites

In 2008, Trevor continued his lifelong pursuit of knowledge by commencing his PhD studies at UVic. The title of Trevor’s dissertation is Probabilistic Power Flow Modeling of Renewable Energy and PEV Grid Interactions. This research makes significant contributions to our understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration into distribution networks of plug-in electric vehicles and distributed energy resources

A special convocation ceremony was held for Trevor at Royal Jubilee Hospital on January 10th, 2013. On behalf of the Senate of the University of Victoria, Dr. David W. Capson, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, awarded Trevor a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Trevor passed away peacefully the following morning surrounded by family and friends

At the convocation ceremony, Trevor’s wife Valerie was by his side, as were his brothers Stephen and Philip Williams and his mother Mair Williams, from Wales. Trevor also generously shared this celebration with his fellow students, colleagues, friends as well as UVic faculty members who had the pleasure of working with Trevor during his doctoral studies.

The Faculty of Engineering has established the Dr. Trevor John Williams Memorial Fund to create a legacy in Trevor’s name. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Trevor, you can give via credit card here
https://extrweb.uvic.ca/pages/annual-giving/in-memory-of-dr.-trevor-john-williams
or please contact Kate Hollefreund by phone at 250-472-4210 or by e-mail at
khollefr@uvic.ca

Alumni
profiles

UVic Engineering alumni Jacques Van Campen has come full circle from UVic Engineering outreach participant to Senior Vice President of Power Monitoring and Control at Schneider Electric.

An innocuous grade 9 career day visit marked the beginning of Van Campen's journey towards becoming an electrical engineer and a Senior Vice President for Schneider Electric. In 1988, Jacques Van Campen was one of 26 engineers in the first graduating class from the Faculty of Engineering.

• Read the rest of the story...

• When asked why he chose to study at the University of Victoria, Jacques explained that he had originally enrolled in a program at the University of Waterloo, but came back to UVic when the Engineering Co-op Program was put into place. In his mind, UVic was a great school and the addition of a co-op program convinced him to move back home. At the time, UVic?s class sizes were small, there were brand new sparkling labs, and there was superior one on one support from professors.

  Jacques remembers many of his professors, most of who are still actively teaching. He recalls that Vijay Bhargava, now an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, was a wonderful student advocate and, that Adam Zielinski had a great passion for undergraduate learning.

  Jacques Van Campen has come full circle. A teenage participant in outreach in the 1970s, today he is a father of four and an executive in a prominent company. He is an advocate for scientific literacy and outreach to kids from grade school through to UVic. He believes in nurturing and supporting UVic grads so that they stay in the community and he feels that we all have a responsibility to engage kids as soon as they show an interest in engineering and technology.

Jerome Etwaroo, a recent graduate from the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was attracted to UVic through its Engineering Bridge program. Jerome had previously worked in Ontario where he held a diploma in electronics engineering. "I have always thought about pursuing a degree in engineering. The turning point for me to return to college and university came when I realized that the work I was doing was very similar to the work of an engineer. Getting an engineering degree would provide me with the necessary credentials and open doors of opportunity."

• Read the rest of the story...

• Jerome recently started work at the Innovation and Development Corporation (IDC), University of Victoria?s university-industry liaison office. He was pleasantly surprised as it was the first application he submitted and his first interview following his graduation in August of 2008.

  "IDC works with all faculty, staff and students within the university," says Jerome. Working at IDC allows him to assist everyone at UVic by managing intellectual property (IP) and facilitating its commercialization.

  As a Technology Transfer Officer, Jerome conducts IP assessments to determine if the invention is protectable and free from infringement. He also conducts market analysis to identify if the invention is commercially viable. These are only some of the duties assigned to Jerome. Following these checks and assessments, IDC assists members of the UVic community in IP protection and facilitates commercialization of IP by creating licensing opportunities, industrial collaborations or by creating spin-off companies.

  Merging what he learned from the UVic engineering program and applying it to his work with IP is a highlight of Jerome's career. Understanding the research concepts and inventions from his coursework has been an asset in his work.

  Jerome's experience studying at UVic had a positive impact on his decision to work on campus, "Overall it was a good experience; the courses were challenging and they were really worthwhile. The faculty was encouraging and gave me good advice, not just about courses, but on jobs, work, life and even offered to serve as references." Coming full circle from being helped by his professors at UVic, Jerome now looks forward to assisting them through his work at the IDC.

Dr. Curran Crawford's passion is energy and his research is motivated by a desire to enable a societal transition to a sustainable future. Raised in Victoria, Curran obtained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at UVic in 2001.

An interest in aerospace took Curran to MIT for his master's degree. During the first year there, he realized his true interests lay in sustainable energy technologies, so a transition took place towards wind turbines. Along with courses in the wider issues associated with energy, he continued his work on wind turbines during his PhD at Cambridge University in the UK.

• Read the rest of the story...

• Curran returned to UVic early in 2007 as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His goal is to teach beyond the basics and to support student projects, and he's involved with UVic Aero and the Design Engineering Office. His teaching philosophy is to relate course material to a wider engineering context and encourage the development of theoretical knowledge through real-world projects.

• He is building a research group focused on applying multidisciplinary optimization techniques to sustainable energy systems, including wind and tidal turbines, combined with energy system modeling. Outside of his academic interests, Curran is an avid builder and rider of bicycles, particularly recumbent and tandem.

Alumni
chapters

Ever wondered what happened to your lab partner from second year thermodynamics? Or maybe you would like someone to locate you! Join UVic's global Engineering Alumni Chapter and get connected with fellow alumni.

To connect with other graduates, learn about exciting events, and get the latest news on the UVic Engineering community, look up our alumni group on Facebook. Just search for "University of Victoria Faculty of Engineering Alumni" on Facebook.

To become involved in the Engineering Alumni chapter, contact Doug Ransom at doug.ransom@alumni.uvic.ca.

Media
releases

November 27, 2009 - Student EcoCAR team is going for gold
A team of UVic engineering students "is going for gold this year" after placing second overall in the first year of a three-year EcoCAR competition among 17 North American universities to design and build an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV), and will now be putting theory into practice on their recently delivered 2009 Saturn Vue hybrid. Read the rest of the story...

November 16, 2009 - UVic places second in computer programming contest
University of Victoria engineering students have ranked second among the Canadian teams in the Pacific Northwest regional portion of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest -- the oldest, largest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world. Read the rest of the story...

October 20, 2009 - UVic professor shares entrepreneurship award
The University of Victoria's Brad Buckham shared honours with tech entrepreneur and academic Gerri Sinclair yesterday in the first entrepreneurship fellow awards to be granted by the British Columbia Innovation Council. Read the rest of the story...

October 19, 2009 - Scientific breakthrough with light opens door for viral research
A Canada-Spain research collaboration between University of Victoria engineering professor Dr. Reuven Gordon and Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) group leader Dr. Romain Quidant has developed a new method to gently trap, manipulate and study tiny, active objects as miniscule as viruses without inflicting any damage. Read the rest of the story...

September 23, 2009 - New and renewed chairs strengthen UVic's research base
Two promising scholars in the fields of brain function and micro-engineering are the University of Victoria's newest Canada Research Chairs. Also renewed for a second term are three of UVic's existing Canada Research Chairs -- in law, engineering and environmental economics. Read the rest of the story...

August 11, 2009 - UVic students teach internet basics to seniors
Once again, University of Victoria computer science students are teaching seniors how to use the Net. The program, which began in January 2008, offers free training for people who are 60 years of age or older and have no previous knowledge about computers and the Internet. Read the rest of the story...

July 22, 2009 - "Smart" golf balls, medication reminders among projects on display
Golf balls that transmit the success, or failure, of your drive to your cell phone, hand-held devices that remind seniors to take medication, and a robotic Ringo are among the projects on display at this year's University of Victoria senior engineering student's presentation and demonstration on July 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Engineering Lab Wing. Read the rest of the story...

July 8, 2009 - UVic's green car design wins award
The UVic EcoCAR team's fuel-efficient, low-emission car of the future is an award winner. The team placed second overall at the EcoCAR Challenge student competition in Toronto for the design of its Extended Range Electric Vehicle that runs on electric power and E85 ethanol. It is also the winner of seven major awards, including the MathWorks Modeling Award, and has placed highly in numerous competitions. Read the rest of the story...

June 4, 2009 - New research collaboration makes waves for oceans day
As we get ready to celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8, the University of Victoria is teaming up with the federal government and industry to assess the energy-giving capacity of the ocean. The West Coast Wave Collaboration project (WCWCP) is a network of researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs and computer modeling experts who will collect and analyse information on the wave energy potential off western Vancouver Island. Read the rest of the story...

April 15, 2009 - CanConnect provides better communication, worldwide: UVic invention keeps seniors and those with special needs in touch
Seniors and people with cognitive and other disabilities from around the globe will soon find it easier to communicate and stay in touch with their families and friends thanks to a one-of-a-kind invention by CanAssist, the University of Victoria's leading-edge disabilities support program. Read the rest of the story...

April 7, 2009 - Ottawa invests in equipment for persons with disabilities
A University of Victoria program will be able to meet the growing demand for assistive technology equipment for persons with disabilities, thanks to federal funding announced today by the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. Read the rest of the story...

April 6, 2009 - UVic honours its top researchers for 2009
A mechanical engineer, an English scholar, an expert in European studies, an advocate for Aboriginal child health, and a university-wide team that assists people with special needs are winners of the University of Victoria’s 2009 Craigdarroch Research Awards. Read the rest of the story...

Visit the UVic Communications site for more media releases.