National Engineering Month Ontario College Challenge Winners Announced

OACETT has selected teams from Seneca College, Centennial College and St. Clair College, respectively as, the first, second and third place winners of the 2021 National Engineering Month (NEM) Ontario College Challenge.

Sponsored by OACETT’s chapters, the NEM Ontario College Challenge invites engineering technology students from colleges across the province to organize events that promote lifelong learning and allows them to compete to win cash prizes and complimentary one-year OACETT memberships.

This March, five student teams from four colleges (Centennial, Seneca, St. Clair, and St. Lawrence) delivered interactive live Zoom presentations. Of these presentations, Seneca’s “Pathways in Chemical Engineering” panel discussion came out on top after successfully hosting a conversation on what learning for life means to industry professionals in the chemical engineering technology field. These professionals spoke about their career experiences, including what they do, the impact of new technologies on their work, and their pursuit of professional development. They also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of working in the chemical engineering profession and provided advice.

As the competition’s first-place winner, Seneca’s student team, made up of chemical engineering technology students Christine Liu, Duc Quang Nguyen, Sadd Siddiqui, and faculty member Peter Angel received a $3,000 cash prize and complimentary OACETT memberships.

The notable runners-up included Mehrdad Tirandazian’s team from Centennial College, who finished strong with a second-place win and Jacob Hunter’s team from St. Clair College, who placed third.

The competition’s runner-up Centennial College put on a “Networking and Panel Conversation” that focused on building awareness about the engineering technology field. Patrick Kelly, dean of engineering technology and applied science, talked about Centennial’s engineering technology programs and their relationship to industry. Other speakers discussed employability skills, emerging areas in the profession and participated in a Q&A session.

Third place winner St. Clair College’s “2021 Shoreline Protection Panel” brought industry professionals and students together to discuss the unique world of shoreline protection. In addition to their discussion, the students provided data and engineering analysis and interviewed shoreline engineer Chris Patterson, P.Eng.

Congratulations to all teams, their colleges and the OACETT chapters for participating in the Challenge and inspiring the next generation of engineering technicians and technologists!

To view presentations from NEM’s College Challenge and other NEM events, please visit their YouTube channel.