Community connection on display at annual Engineering Design Fair

For many, it’s a symbolic end to their engineering education and a perfect segue into their professional careers.

The Engineering Design Fair, hosted annually by the Schulich School of Engineering and sponsored by TD Insurance, allows fourth-year students to showcase their innovation and teamwork through their capstone projects.

It’s the culmination of months and sometimes years of work where students team up with industry partners or work on their own entrepreneurial endeavours.

“There are disciplines that focus on trying to tell you what the problem is,” Schulich Dean Bill Rosehart told LiveWire Calgary. “Engineering is focused on trying to find solutions to problems or creating something, to create opportunity beyond what we have right now.”

He says he was inspired by what he saw during the April 4 event, as the students clearly took it to heart to have a real-world connection with the 130 projects on display.

“It’s exciting when you hear about students working on water purification on Tsuut’ina,” Rosehart said. “We had a group of students today that were presenting the new bike design for somebody who had upper above-the-knee amputation.”

“That is engineering at its heart: making our lives better. Often behind the scenes and so many ways – there’s engineering that we don’t even think about that’s there.”

Jack Hopkie is part of Stormwise Solutions, a team that won a silver medal in the Entrepreneurial Engineering category and is focused on creating a cost-effective solution for stormwater management.

He says students are appreciative of the opportunity to audition their ideas as they get ready for graduation in May and then entering the workforce.

“We’re all hoping to get some work experience behind us and get into the real world a little bit,” Hopkie told Global News. “But it was really neat to explore this idea and dive into it and definitely we think with some more research could be very, very promising.”

Read more about all of the winners here.

2024 Engineering Design Fair