University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...

in Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. As of 2010, it has 6,346 undergraduate students, 1,844 graduate students, and 264 professors. It had over 27,000 alumni in 2006, making it one of Canada's largest engineering faculties. The Faculty of Engineering houses 8 academic units and offers different degrees in a wide variety of engineering disciplines.

The Faculty of Engineering is unique in the way that all undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the co-operative education program, in which they alternate between academic and work terms throughout their five years of undergraduate career.

History

The faculty was originally conceived in 1957 as an extension of the then Waterloo College (now known as Wilfrid Laurier University

Wilfrid Laurier University

Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....

). It was originally named the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the Waterloo College Associate Faculties, and was created to satisfy local businesses who claimed the university needed a technical school.

The "associate faculties" grew rapidly and were eventually separated from the college in 1959, becoming the University of Waterloo, and the faculty became the Faculty of Engineering.

The first year of students to attend the school was a group of 75 men who wanted to learn engineering. It was with this class of engineers that the co-operative education program that the University of Waterloo is so famous for was developed. These students would alternate being in school and working in industry every three months. Since then, the program has changed to a four-month term system, and has been adopted by all other faculties in their co-op programs.

The faculty itself has expanded dramatically since that first graduating class into one of the largest and most reputable engineering faculties in North America. The faculty is currently headed by Dean Adel Sedra

Adel Sedra

Adel S. Sedra is an Egyptian Canadian electrical engineer and professor.-Career:Born in Egypt in 1943, Sedra received his B.Sc. from Cairo University in 1964 and his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, in 1968 and 1969, respectively...

, who is considered a world leader in the field of Microelectronics

Microelectronics

Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture of very small electronic components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-scale or smaller,. These devices are made from semiconductors...

Programs

Currently, there are a total of 13 undergraduate programs available through the faculty. These include Chemical

Chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

, Civil

Civil engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

, Computer

Computer engineering

Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...

, Electrical

Electrical engineering

Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...

, Environmental

Environmental engineering

Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...

, Geological, Management

Management engineering

Management engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on optimizing complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials and/or processes....

, Mechanical

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...

, Mechatronics, Nanotechnology, Software

Software engineering

Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...

and Systems Design Engineering as well as Architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. Each of Waterloo Engineering's eight academic units (schools and departments) also offers graduate degrees.

Within these 13 programs of engineering, there are many options that can be taken in the later years of the undergraduate studies. These options allow the faculty of engineering to branch out even more and present more opportunities to the prospective engineering students. Some options include mechanical, computer, electrical, or control systems for the Mechatronics Engineering program.

The Nanotechnology Engineering program was added in Fall 2005 as a more research-oriented program and to support the university's nanotechnology research. The newest undergraduate program is Management Engineering

Management engineering

, offered through the Department of Management Sciences, introduced in Fall 2007. According to the Vision 2010 Plan, there are talks of new disciplines such as Architectural Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

Computer and Electrical Engineering Program

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering currently consists of Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering programs. The two classes are blended until the first semester of second year. The two programs are then divided through program specific courses, with the Computer Engineering class required to take Embedded Microprocessor Systems and Systems Programming while Electrical Engineering students are required to take Advanced Calculus II, and Electrical Properties of Materials. As of June 2011, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering had 173 and 208 students registered respectively for the fall 2011 semester. The Department also offers specialized classes for Nanotechnology, Mechatronics, and Software engineering students. The department is currently chaired by Dr. Manoj Sachdev, PhD.

Mechatronics Engineering Program

Mechatronics Engineering, commonly referred to as "Tron", is administrated by the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and was introduced to the University of Waterloo in 2003, with the first class graduating in 2008. It is a multidisciplinary field of study, combining computers with electro-mechanical technology in order to create robotic and automated systems. Though the program begins with students required to take a spectrum of mandatory courses, it later allows an extremely broad range of electives. Technical electives in 4th year include Applied Artificial Intelligence, Computer Architecture, Machine Intelligence, etc. Through these electives, students are able to strengthen skills within the mechanical, electrical, or computer aspect of Mechatronics. The program only offers a 4 stream plan, meaning students begin their work term in their second semester of university. The department is currently chaired by Dr. Sanjeev Bedi, P.Eng and has 130 first year students enrolled as of November 2011.

Environmental Engineering Program

Environmental Engineering is an accredited engineering program administrated by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Comprehensive in nature, the Environmental Engineering program at Waterloo is particularly well known and draws upon the expertise of some of the top researchers in water management and treatment, solid waste management, remediation of surface water and groundwater systems, biotechnology and contaminant transport. Fundamental technical engineering skills are complemented with technical elective courses in Earth Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Planning. As PEO accreditation requirements have become increasingly stringent, the flexibility of acquiring a diverse, cross-disciplinary skill set necessary as Environmental Engineers has diminished.

Geological Engineering Program

The Geological Engineering Program is part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Geological Engineering program at The University of Waterloo is unique since more than half of the courses that the students take don't come from the Faculty of Engineering but instead come from the Faculty of Science, particularly the Earth Science Department. The courses that are taken from the Faculty of Engineering by the geological engineering students are taken together with the environmental engineering students. The first year courses for the geological, environmental and civil engineering programs are exactly the same it is in second year when these three programs begin to differ.

Civil Engineering

The Civil Engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The program itself is very diverse with many graduates in fields ranging from traffic engineering to structural design. There are also many fields that a civil engineer can specialize in such as building structures, bridges, sanitation (public health), structures, harbours, aerospace, highways (roads and streets), railroads, pipelines, foundations, tunnelling (rock mechanics), surveying and cartography, urban and regional planning and overall project planning.

Management Engineering

The Management Engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the department of Management Sciences. This program at Waterloo provides a strong foundation in areas of engineering, mathematics, science and management. Graduates of this program are capable of working on many projects ranging from management of technological change to efficient operations. In the first year of undergraduate studies Management Engineering is offered in Stream 8.

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the department of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering. The Mechanical Engineering program is one of the largest engineering programs at the University of Waterloo. The program is focused around the application of fundamental principles and laws of nature to enhance technological society and culture. Graduates of this program have a foundation in all aspects of mechanical design: mechanics, power, control, and manufacturing. In the first year of undergraduate studies Mechanical Engineering is offered in both Stream 4 and 8.

Nanotechnology Engineering

Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo is administrated by the Department of Chemical Engineering as well as the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It is an unique program in North America being the only one of its type. Graduates of this program work in many different fields such as nano-engineered materials, nano-electronics, nano-biosystems, and nano-instruments. In the first year of undergraduate studies Nanotechnology is offered only in Stream 8.

Software Engineering

Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo is an independent, interdisciplinary program supported by both the Faculty of Mathematics

University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics

The Faculty of Mathematics is one of six faculties of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. As of Fall 2010, it has 5,741 undergraduate students and 629 graduate students, 200 full-time professors, and offers over 500 courses in mathematics, statistics and computer science.The Faculty...

and the Faculty of Engineering. Graduates of this program will earn a Bachelor of Software Engineering (BSE) degree. This program is focused around a systematic and disciplined approach to developing software. It applies both computer science and engineering principles and practices to the creation, operation, and maintenance of software systems. In the first year of undergraduate studies, Software Engineering is offered only in Stream 8.

System Designs Engineering

System Designs Engineering at University of Waterloo is administered by the Department of Systems Design Engineering. Systems Design is focused on creation or modification of systems. Examples of some systems include human physiological and psychological systems, ecological systems, transportation systems, communication systems, energy systems and mechatronic systems. Systems Design Engineering is offered as a Stream 4 Program during the first undergraduate year.

Student life

Many students in the faculty actively participate in the University of Waterloo Engineering Society. Due to the co-op nature of the program, the society is split into two subsocieties, named "Society A" and "Society B". Each term, one society is "on-stream", meaning they are in an academic term, and the other is "off-stream", meaning they are on co-op. The on-stream society for each term runs many different events both on and off campus as well as services in the society's office. The society also runs a number of charity events, including an annual "Bus Push" wherein student volunteers raise money for charity by pulling (despite the event's name as a "push") a Grand River Transit

Grand River Transit

Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge....

bus 7 kilometres from campus to Kitchener City Hall

Kitchener City Hall

The City Hall of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, has gone through many iterations through the 20th century, culminating in the current building, which opened in 1993....

.

First-year students receive yellow hard hats during their orientation week which signify their recognition and adherence of the principles of engineering. During the week, they are also introduced to the society mascot, a 60" (1,524mm) pipe wrench known simply as the TOOL (formerly the RIDGID

RIDGID

Ridgid is the brandname of the Ridge Tool Company of Elyria, Ohio. Founded in the 1920s as a manufacturer of professional plumbing and HVAC tools, it has branched out into more general-purpose hand tools and power tools. It is now a division of Emerson Electric Company.-External links:*...

TOOL). The TOOL is the centre of school spirit for engineering students, and it frequently appears at events organized by the engineering society.

Students in the faculty are grouped into classes based on their program. The class sizes tend to vary between disciplines, with class sizes of just over 100 for Nanotechnology, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Software and Systems Design Engineering, and smaller class sizes for Chemical, Environmental, Management, Civil and Geological Engineering as well as in Architecture. Classes generally spend the vast majority of their time together, whether it is in lectures on academic terms or on their designated co-op terms. Due to this, classes generally develop a sense of camaraderie and tend to become a cohesive group, sometimes even building friendly inter-class rivalries.

The school prides itself in the high calibre of students that it attracts every year. Although the workload is very heavy and challenging, engineering students are among the most active and competitive in the student body. UW Engineering students used to finish top in competitions such as the Canadian Engineering Competition, the Formula SAE Competition (1st of Canadian teams, 4th in the world in 2005), the Challenge X (1st overall in 2005), the North American Solar Challenge (Guinness World Record holder), and the International Aerial Robotics Competition. (Maintains 2nd place in 2005)

Academic and research units

The faculty presently houses six departments, one school, and one centre. They are the School of Architecture

University of Waterloo School of Architecture

The School of Architecture is one of the professional schools of the University of Waterloo. It offers a professional program in architecture accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board at the master's level . It is part of the Faculty of Engineering and is located on a satellite...

, Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of Management Sciences, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Department of Systems Design Engineering, and Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (CBET). Architecture joined the Faculty of Engineering after leaving Environmental Studies in May 2005, while CBET joined the faculty in June 2006, not having been previously affiliated to a faculty.

The faculty also boasts a number of research groups. With over 1600 graduate students and 240 faculty members, it is the largest school for engineering research in Canada. These groups include the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, Biotechnology & Health Engineering Centre, Nanotechnology Engineering Research, Institute for Polymer Research, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technology, and the Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering Group.

Professional Development for Engineering Students (PDEng)

PDEng is a series of courses which are to be completed by students in the Engineering Faculty during their coop terms. It was started in January 2005 with the objective of ensuring that students have professional skills to complement the technical skills students normally learn in class.

The courses attempt to teach students critical thinking to address common problems that occur in workplace settings, such as project management or collaboration between team members.

Ever since its introduction, the PDENG program has been widely criticized for its lack of effectiveness, failure to meet normal course standards for marking, and overworking students during their co-op work terms.

A final recommendation to overhaul the program was made May 12, 2010 by the Dean of Engineering. , which can be found here Dean of Engineering's Review of PDENG . PDEng currently still exists and is running regularly scheduled courses until Winter 2011, at which point either PDEng or WatPD Engineering will be offered. Many details on the switch are still not known, however all engineering students will still have a mandatory course on professional skills for at least 5 of their co-op terms.

External links

Departments

Disciplines

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.