You might say he has a split personality: on the one hand he's a serious engineering student, on the other, an outgoing theatre student starring in campus productions.
His prototype of a new medical device that will use a non-contact technique to test the pressure inside a patient's eyeball will help in detecting the development of glaucoma. He's also a web designer and a pool player. And Scott Logie, 24, is this year's Alumni Association Outstanding Student Leadership Award winner. The award is given each year to a third or fourth year student who has demonstrated a combination of outstanding academic achievement and outstanding performance or leadership at SFU or in the broader community.

Why are you interested in both drama and engineering?
I was always doing theatre in high school so I've been into it for a long time. When I came to SFU I steered towards math and sciences because I was good at them. I never thought seriously about a degree in drama until I was close to finishing all my engineering classes.

How do you balance the two?
They are difficult to balance at the same time so I always find that I am more heavily involved in engineering one semester and then more heavily involved in drama the next. I sway back and forth between the two interests and that's what keeps things exciting for me.

Which is most fun - engineering or theatre?
The engineering conference I organized last year was really the most fun ever. I can't describe another thing that even comes close to comparing to that. But right now I'm in theatre mode (Logie performed in Harold Pinter's A Kind of Alaska at the SFU theatre in February and March) so I guess that's most fun now. After three years of helping organize events for the Engineering Student Society I'm now treasurer and webmaster for the Theatre Music Student Society. It's relatively new on campus and trying to establish a presence so I'm really enjoying being able to help build the organization from the early stages.

What is your role in A Kind of Alaska?
I play the part of Hornby, a doctor who has dedicated half his life to caring for a woman suffering from encephalitis lethargica. She has been asleep for 29 years and over the course of the play is awakened. In many ways Hornby is an alter ego of psychiatrist Oliver Sacks on whose book, Awakenings, the play is based. It's an interesting role for me, because in a lot of ways Hornby is a man caught between having an artistic and creative mind, and a scientific mind. I have many experiences in my own life that helped me try to strike this balance in the character.

Where do you find time for extra-curricular activities?
I guess when you attach yourself to something that's exciting you are always able to find time. I got most heavily into leadership activities once I'd finished most of my engineering degree.

What do you do with your limited spare time?
I had a lot of time last summer to play volleyball. I also do some writing. Usually, though, I'm into something big, so what little time I have I spend relaxing with my girlfriend, family, and friends.

What do you credit for your abilities and your drive?
I've always been surrounded by other people who are accomplished and ambitious. And in engineering I found a department that has a lot of trust in students and lets us do a lot of things other departments might not. Part of my drive also comes from not having yet found a career that leaves me 100 percent fulfilled.

What accomplishment makes you most proud?
I'm most proud of the 2001 engineering conference (the Western Engineering Competition and Conference) I organized. I'd been part of previous conferences as a debate competitor so I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. This one allowed me to put together in one place all the best of what I'd seen. It let me run everything I've ever wanted to run - a hockey game, a competition, a career fair, a rock concert.

You've developed a new medical device to measure increased eye pressure that can help detect glaucoma. How did you come up with the idea?
I was looking for an undergraduate thesis project and asked for a challenge. I wanted to do something new and on my own rather just work with a company. I talked to one of my advisers and he knew someone who needed an engineering student to build a prototype. It's not in working fashion yet. I did the first half for my undergraduate thesis and will do the second half for my graduate thesis.

Is there a possible commercial application for this invention?
We hope people will use it on their own so that they can test their eye pressure at home and send in updated information to their doctor.

What's next for you on the engineering side?
Graduate studies in the fall - pending admission - I've applied to SFU.

And on the theatre side?
We'll see. I'm still working on my BFA.

Where will your career be?
Graduate studies in the fall - pending admission - I've applied to SFU.

Where do you imagine yourself in 20 years?
If I had any idea where I'd be in 20 years I don't think I'd have tried out all the variety of things I've done in the past five. I know that entertaining people makes me happy, whether I'm a performer, a writer, or behind the scenes coordinating a production. I also know that I have an entrepreneurial side to me that likes to explore new solutions to problems and tinker with ideas and gadgets. Whatever I am doing, it will have to be a continual challenge.

What's your favourite music?
Sometimes it's the oldies and Motown classics; sometimes it's newer rock and blues rock bands, particularly Canadian talents.

What's your favourite food?
Anything I barbecue myself. I'm usually pretty impressed by a steak on my barbecue.

Where do you hang out?
The pool hall, the theatre a little bit, at home.

What's your favourite movie?
I'm a big fan of movies with clever dialogue, so I'd have to say an older favourite of mine in this category is When Harry Met Sally; a newer favourite is High Fidelity. They both have strong, clever dialogue. I'm also a big fan of movies that tell a story in a way that hasn't been done before. Memento really stands out as a favourite of mine from the past year.

What's your favourite part of SFU?
What's made it special for me is having chosen two small, tightly knit faculties. We're all very close in both and it's really nice to be a part of that.

Check out Scott's web page or email him. aq

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