"It’s great that engineers are being seen as people who not only react to opportunities, but as ones who are proactive and seek them," says Jason Foster, a senior lecturer at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Engineering, with a hint of pride.
He has good reason to be proud. Three hundred of his first year students are showing off the result of several weeks of hard work at UofT's Hart House. It's all part of the university's Engineering Design program, a project-based course that asks students to apply the skills they're learning to real-world problems.
"We asked our students to explore what is for many of them a new city, to engage with a community that they themselves are interested and passionate in—or know nothing about—and then to identity an opportunity," says Foster. "We very deliberately asked them for opportunities, not problems, because we want them to be more open and forward looking."
Foster's students identified 65 opportunities. With his help, along with that of his colleagues, the students narrowed down the fields to 11 projects. They then split up into groups and worked on the project they felt most passionate about. One of the more interesting projects saw one of the groups collaborate with the
West End Food Co-op to develop a new low-cost delivery system to bring fresh produce to those living in the Parkdale community.
For the most part, the designs here are still early—after all, most of the students here have less than a year of engineering experience under their belt—but that hasn't stopped students in past years from attempting to realize their ideas.
According to Foster, a previous year saw one group work on redesigning the City of Toronto's green bin. A representative from the city was present at that year's showcase, and noted the changes the students suggested.
"We’re still working on closing that loop to get these solutions into the hands of communities," says Foster. "Now that our students have demonstrated that they're really engaged with the community, we’d like to make sure these communities have a channel to take what the students have started and pursue it in greater depth."
Photo: Roberta Baker