Faculty of Engineering

Sending our Western Engineering community warmest wishes for the holiday season. This year brought with it many unforeseen circumstances, but the support of family, friends, colleagues and communities helped us come together to stay focused on doing the right things to keep everyone healthy and safe. May the coming weeks bring you time to relax and connect with loved ones. Stay safe and best wishes for the new year!

I routinely tell myself I will return to working in the civil engineering field one day. But then I remind myself that I use my engineering degree every day both personally and professionally. Western Engineering alumnus Tim Fernihough, BESc/BSc’09, co-founded Toronto-based software studio Myplanet, where he is now the Director of IT and Standards & Compliance. Read Tim's full story and learn more about Myplanet's Fellowship program for students. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Alumnus-promotes-real-world-learni

Congratulations to Western Engineering's Director of Development Terra Ahrens and Undergraduate Services Manager Clare Tattersall who received 2020 Western University Awards of Excellence. This award represents the highest level of campus-wide recognition for the exceptional performance of Western staff. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Honouring-exceptional-commitment-i

Today, the Ontario government announced the Middlesex-London Health Unit region is moving from the orange (restrict) to red (control) level of the COVID-19 resp...onse framework, effective Monday, December 14, 2020. There is no impact on classes or exams at this time. In-person structured teaching, instruction and exams can continue to take place with physical distancing limitations. The total number of students in the space cannot exceed 50. Western Libraries and study spaces remain open, and research activities can continue. Faculty and staff can continue to access campus to carry out work and meet and serve our students. In the red level, Ontario gathering limits have been reduced to five people indoors and 25 people outdoors however, we strongly encourage all social gatherings be postponed. All meetings on campus are limited to 10 people with physical distancing. For more information on the impact to a few specific areas on campus, visit: https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/updates/dec11.html

Over the past few weeks, we have had the privilege of sharing insights from various Western Engineering community members; we are very grateful to those who ple...dged to join the White Ribbon Campaign. We hope that these perspectives have prompted you to reflect upon the École Polytechnique Massacre and the murder of Lynda Shaw, and to consider how we can grow as an inclusive community. As a club, we pledge to take a stance against violence towards women and will continue to provide a safe space for women in engineering. Although the December 6th Memorial Ceremony was smaller this year due to Covid-19, we felt it was still imperative to show our respect to these fallen women. Thank you to Engineering Dean Dr. Coley for his involvement, and to the Western Engineering Faculty for arranging this event. We encourage you to take the time to watch the memorial video and to take a moment of silence to honour these women. Western University Faculty of Engineering - Western University #whiteribboncampaign WiE Members in video: Jules Thomas Stefani Aleksanderek

Dear Western Students, Faculty and Staff, What a year this has been. The pandemic has challenged us in ways nobody could have predicted.... Thank you to each and every one of you for your flexibility, understanding and perseverance during these extraordinary times. The winter break is quickly approaching. A time to truly pause, recharge, and safely enjoy the holidays with the ones we love. I’m writing to let you know that the University will close for the holidays a little earlier than originally planned. Western will close on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. after the last exam has been written and will reopen Monday, January 4, 2021. With the approval of Senate, we have also decided to extend the holiday break for students. Classes will now resume on January 11, 2021. I have heard from many of you that this has been a particularly trying year. Assignments, labs, essays and exams have left you feeling more than a little worn out. We hope this extra time off will allow you to rest and recover a little longer, coming back stronger and ready to take on the winter term. Students in professional programs should consult their home Faculties for more information on activities that will start January 4. This will mean a shorter final exam period from April 14 to April 30. We will work closely with each Faculty to mitigate additional stressors at the end of the term. We are also working with the deans to encourage instructors to be flexible in helping you finish your term strong. To adapt their teaching and learning strategies to focus on the most important elements of course work. To our faculty and staff you have been working tirelessly for many months. The long hours, working weekends, and going above and beyond to help ensure the safest and highest quality learning and research environment possible has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for all your efforts. I know balancing work and home life during these uncertain times has not been easy. With this in mind, we are offering all Western employees two flex days to use between January 4 and May 31, 2021. We will also be closing campus on Friday, July 2, creating an extra-long weekend to kick off the start of summer holidays. For some, your summer vacation was disrupted due to the pandemic. You may wish to work with your supervisor to extend your December holiday into January by using your vacation or flex days. We hope this extra time off will give you and your families some flexibility as you continue to navigate the pandemic. I want to end by encouraging all of you to think about your well-being now, throughout the holidays and into the winter term. Please, never feel alone in this. Students, we have supports for you if you need them. I encourage you to access our workshops, counselling and peer-to-peer supports. Faculty and staff, Western's Employee and Family Assistance Program can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This holiday break is important. Please, take the time to take care of yourself. Be well and be safe. Alan Shepard President and Vice-Chancellor

Inspired by fellow Western University students who started The Basket Project a non-profit organization that provides COVID-19 hygiene and protection kits to the homeless a trio of Western Engineering students have initiated a division in Oshawa.

Congratulations to our 2020 Fall Awards recipients! Thanks to the generous support of alumni, foundations, corporate sponsors and donors, Western Engineering granted over 100 awards to students this year valued at over $250,000. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Donor-support-provides-over-100-st

Buckle up, Mustangs, there's a lot going on this week! Our students and faculty are in the thick of midterms and assignments as we enter the final weeks of the ...Fall term. And that's not all! This week, we are celebrating International Week and Global Entrepreneurship Week with rich schedules of virtual events fittingly available for our Mustangs all around the world, more global than ever! International Week at Western https://www.internationalweek.uwo.ca Global Entrepreneurship Week at Western https://www.ivey.uwo.ca//global-entrepreneurship-week-2020/ Photo Credit: Andrew Campbell #westernu #westernuniversity Western International-Learning International and Exchange Student Centre at Western (IESC at Western) Propel - Western’s Entrepreneurship Centre Ivey Business School Entrepreneurship at Ivey #globalwesternu #takeflightwesternu #GEW2020 Western Student Experience

Every year, Women in Engineering UWO participates in the White Ribbon Campaign. The White Ribbon Campaign's mission is to spread awareness of gender-based viole...nce. It was founded in response to the École Polytechnique Massacre that occurred on December 6th, 1989. WiE encourages Western Engineering members to reflect upon these events and continue to grow as an inclusive community. We encourage everyone to show their support by sharing a story/post with the #whiteribboncampaign and tagging @womeninenguwo. Over the next two weeks, we will be posting testimonials from members of the Western Engineering community. These members will share insights on their experiences in the community, the impact of the École Polytechnique Massacre and the murder of Western's Lynda Shaw, and why they pledged to join the White Ribbon Campaign. For more information about this campaign and events, please check out: https://womeninenguwo.ca//december-6th-memorial-lynda-sha/

Western Engineering Outreach is hosting a Q&A panel for female high school students who would like to know more about Western Engineering on December 5 from 10am-11am. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required for this event through the ENGSquad program. Register here: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSc6lMr41HxKbB-VQk/viewform

Research by Northern Tornadoes Project members Connell Miller and Gregory Kopp (+ Murray Morrison of https://disastersafety.org/) shows how wind acts on air gap...s in residential cladding, which often fail during wind storms. Study brings us closer to more accurate building codes. Faculty of Engineering - Western University Western University Free download of the paper for 50 days: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bxbmc73TXVPS Thank you Murray J. Morrison of (https://disastersafety.org/) for helping with the methodology, software, resources, project administration & funding acquisition!

Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD candidate Sadaf Mehrabi has received one of five Canadian Water Resources Association scholarships given annually to grad students from across Canada for her research using biofilm reactors to remove nitrogen from municipal wastewater.

Don't miss Virtual Fall Preview Day! All future Mustangs, friends and family are invited to our one-day virtual event. Meet professors, chat with students,... and ask your questions! November 15 , 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Eastern Time Register now

Happy Homecoming, Mustangs! We're counting down the hours to tonight's (virtual) coffeehouse with Ivan Coyote, Mina Gerges, Louise Pitre and so many more a...nd then tomorrow's signature Western Stories & Songs with hosted by CTV’s etalk L.A. correspondent, Liz Trinnear, and performances by BAM!, Genevieve Fisher, The McAuley Boys, Rick McGhie and superstar DJ duo and JUNO-award winners, Loud Luxury. And in between? We've got a special Gameday with Donnovan Bennett, Sportsnet and Brodie Lawson, CFL and Coach Greg Marshall. We've got the Golden Anniversary (virtual edition) for alumni celebrating reunion years: 1970, 1965, 1960, 1955, 1950, 1945 and 1940. And on top of all that, your home faculties and affiliates have planned special programming for you. Find it all on the Homecoming website: http://alumni.westernu.ca/events/homecoming-reunions/

We want you to thrive as a student and in your personal life. This has been an exceptionally difficult year and we want you to know you have resources available to you in Western Health and Wellness: https://www.uwo.ca/health/psych/index.html Additionally, the Canadian Mental Health Association is offering virtual crisis/drop-in appointments for Western Students Mon-Thurs from 5pm-9pm until Dec 17th. https://cmhamiddlesex.ca

Western Engineering alumnus Peter Lukomskyj, BESc'96, has created a career for himself by taking international companies to the next level, and his current role as General Manager for Lyft, British Columbia, is no exception. Before January 2020, Vancouver was the largest city in North America without ridesharing. Discover how Lukomskyj is navigating today's new normal in a new business. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Alumnus-Lyfts-company-to-new-heigh

University Machine Services, located here at Western Engineering, has teamed up with Facilities Management to create, sell and install plexiglass barriers all throughout campus to ensure a safer return for students, staff and faculty. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Plexi-barrier-project-ensures-safe

"It is 2020, and yet we are still transporting vaccines and organs in devices using primitive cooling methods like ice packs or ice cubes, with no control. A team of Western University researchers, including project lead and Western Engineering professor Kamran Siddiqui, has developed a portable temperature regulating device to transport temperature-sensitive items like organs or vaccines.

Calling all Western Alumni! We’d like to invite you to our virtual Homecoming on October 17th from 10:30-12:00. Learn about what the mega projects you were invo...lved in are up to now and meet the people who are making it happen. We can’t wait to see you there! . Sign-up here: https://www.westernconnect.ca/site/Calendar . #aerodesign #SAE #WesternUEng Faculty of Engineering - Western University See more

Calling all Rocketry alumni and students interested in our team! Sign up for our coffee chat and learn about what we've been up to this year on October 17 from ...10:30 am - 12:00 pm! https://www.westernconnect.ca/site/Calendar See you there! Faculty of Engineering - Western University

The IEEE Western Student Branch will be participating in Faculty of Engineering - Western University's Homecoming 2020. This year we have gone completely virtua...l, so no need to worry about travelling to London. The event will be held on Zoom, more details and registration can be found in the link below https://www.westernconnect.ca/site/Calendar

PhD candidate Megan Balsdon and Mechanical Engineering Professor Jeff Wood - both curling competitors - have co-authored a study that may explain why some broom heads affect a rock's curl. This new research rocks the science behind the sweeping debate some have dubbed Broomgate.

Western Engineering professor Jayshri Sabarinathan and her Western Space collaborators are set to contribute a one-unit CubeSat to a MILO Institute and University of Texas at El Paso flight mission. Read more about the international partnership: https://news.westernu.ca//new-international-partnership-l/

COVID Alert helps limit the spread of the virus and prevent future outbreaks by providing you with notifications about potential exposure. During this first pha...se, health authorities in Ontario will begin distributing one-time keys to people who test positive for the virus. Other provinces and territories will come on board soon! Download the app today: - Apple: http://ow.ly/WeNG50AVLnT - Android: http://ow.ly/u3OJ50AVLnU #COVID19

As a result of research conducted by Western Engineering professor Ashraf El Damatty and his group, the American Society of Civil Engineering has published the first guidelines in the world that provide means to design transmission line structures to resist tornadoes and downbursts. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//research-leads-to-re-design-of-tra

Western Engineering’s @ONWiE_ Go ENG Girl event is going virtual! This free event for girls in grades 7-10 includes an engineering activities kit and access to our live virtual event on October 3 from 10am-12:15pm. To learn more visit our website at: https://www.eng.uwo.ca//pre-un/just-for-girls/go-eng-girl/

Western Engineering PhD candidate Ali Fallah Yeznabad is the first student from Western University to be recognized by the Canadian Dam Association for his outstanding research efforts. Yeznabad's research project is meant to help emergency planners build safer and more resilient cities and structures against earthquakes. https://www.eng.uwo.ca//Yeznabad-receives-CDA-Award-of-Mer