On January 20th, 2023, 170 engineering students from across the Atlantic provinces travelled to Dalhousie Sexton campus to participate in the annual Atlantic Engineering Competition. Dalhousie hosted the competition this year, with 26 hard-working students responsible for organizing and planning every last detail. Dal students from all three campuses competed, along with students from UPEI, UNB, StFX, Memorial, Acadia, SMU, and UdeM. The competition consisted of eight categories: Junior Design, Senior Design, Consulting, Debate, Communications, Programming, Innovative design, and Re-engineering. Dalhousie covered almost every category with 40 competitors and created an ultra-competitive team. Students contested for the opportunity to win a coveted Atlantic scarf and a spot at the 2023 Canadian Engineering Competition hosted by the University of Waterloo in February.

Whether it’s a cozy family gathering, a lively social event, or a blackout night during a snowstorm, board games never fail to be a reliable and entertaining option. Recognizing that board games are a staple, DalBox Build a Board Game Challenge took place on Sexton Campus on the 10th and 11th of February and gave the participants a platform to showcase their creativity and ingenuity by constructing their own board games.

Over the weekend on February 17th-19th, the Université de Moncton hosted this year’s Engineering Leadership Summit (ELS). ELS is a conference put on every year by the Atlantic Council of Engineering Students (ACES). Half of ELS is devoted to the lecture series on leadership and the other half for the governing body of ACES to hold elections for their executive board and make policy changes in their General Assembly. The theme of ELS this year was the Four Pillars of Leadership: Talent Development, Communications, Responsibility and Vision. The lecture series was held in one of UdeM’s auditoriums and this lecture space taught us something important: not all auditorium seats have to be as uncomfortable as G109.

We open on G109, the Irving Auditorium, people sparsely distributed around the room enjoying the luxurious seating. As per usual there are a few people up front navigating the treacherous waters of connecting a laptop and opening a presentation while broadcasting on Zoom. While this may seem like just another Tuesday in the auditorium there is one vital difference: the audience is genuinely interested in the presentation (well I suppose most of the audience, excluding the students only there to receive the extra credit given in the hydrogeology course). On Tuesday February 7, esteemed hydrogeologist, John Cherry, held a presentation on the importance of groundwater

While discussing what it means to be a woman in STEM, one challenge that everyone faced was sexism. Microaggression towards women in male-dominated fields, and a sense of workplace inferiority have been common for a while now. Genny recalled hearing her peers exclaim at how surprised they were that she knew what she was doing; as if they were expecting her to be bad at her work because of her gender.  Dr. Faridi talked about how she faced sexism in the United States compared to her home country, and how she was considered less intelligent than her peers there just because of her gender. Dr. Kamal put forth an example of how one woman in a workplace is held accountable for the representation of every woman. Dr. Marignani talked about the sexism she faced from other women during her time, who were often threatened by the fact that they could be replaced by her, causing unfriendly behavior.  

Have you ever wondered how you can get an engineering degree in Canada and practice not only in every province but internationally? This is all because of a process called accreditation, performed by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) and is part of a larger, international agreement called the Washington Accord. The Washington Accord has 21 international signatories that allows people to get an engineering degree in one country and have that degree recognized in the other 20. To make this possible, all engineering programs must be accredited.

Society Held Pumpkin Painting Event

By: Rory McPhail

Halloween. The spooky season of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and trying to survive that midterm that your prof thoughtfully put on November 1. A staple of any Halloween celebration is the pumpkin: pumpkin pie, pumpkin costumes, pumpkin shaped decorations, and baked pumpkin seeds. Most importantly is pumpkin carving. There’s nothing quite like slicing the top off a pumpkin and scooping out the innards. Cutting the perfect face or shape in your pumpkin and placing that first candle in to see the eerie glow is a joy unique to Halloween.Halloween. The spooky season of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and trying to survive that midterm that your prof thoughtfully put on November 1. A staple of any Halloween celebration is the pumpkin: pumpkin pie, pumpkin costumes, pumpkin shaped decorations, and baked pumpkin seeds. Most importantly is pumpkin carving. There’s nothing quite like slicing the top off a pumpkin and scooping out the innards. Cutting the perfect face or shape in your pumpkin and placing that first candle in to see the eerie glow is a joy unique to Halloween.