> Co-op students rise to the top
Co-op students rise to the top
Contact:
Paul R. Carriere, 604.319.3193 (cell), pcarrier@sfu.ca
Tristen Gilchrist, 604.341.5205 (cell), tgilchri@sfu.ca
Mehrdad Saif, SFU School of Engineering Science director, 778.782.3119, saif@ensc.sfu.ca
John Grant, SFU Co-op, 778.782.7374, jagrant@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Paul R. Carriere, 604.319.3193 (cell), pcarrier@sfu.ca
Tristen Gilchrist, 604.341.5205 (cell), tgilchri@sfu.ca
Mehrdad Saif, SFU School of Engineering Science director, 778.782.3119, saif@ensc.sfu.ca
John Grant, SFU Co-op, 778.782.7374, jagrant@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
May 14, 2008
Paul Carriere (Port Coquitlam resident) and Tristen Gilchrist (Vernon resident) are not just exceptional Simon Fraser University students and ambassadors. They’re also key team members within their respective co-operative education (co-op) employment environments.
The two were named SFU’s 2008 co-op students of the year in acknowledegment of their passion for motivating people around them.
The B.C. chapter of the Association for Co-operative Education also recognized Carriere as this year’s top co-op student for his outstanding work at Burnaby’s D-Wave Systems. The company is the world’s first and only source of quantum computing for commercial applications.
The senior engineering science student, armed with a 4.15 grade point average (maximum is 4.33), worked easily alongside doctoral researchers on the development of the world’s first practical quantum computer.
“The job gave me some excellent experience along with a new perspective into what type of work I wish to pursue when I graduate,” says Carriere. The Port Coquitlam resident has also been volunteering with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) for the past three years.
“Also, working with other engineers made me realize the skills that I have to improve on to become more successful.”
Gilchrist, a chemistry co-op student who is being awarded his Bachelor of Science degree at this year’s June convocation, spent his third and fourth co-op work terms working with Burnaby’s Xenon Pharmaceuticals.
Gilchrist, originally from Vernon and living in Burnaby, was part of an interdisciplinary team charged with isolating and developing novel drug candidates for the treatment of chronic pain.
Despite the significant level of chemical complexity involved, Gilchrist rapidly caught on and produced results that show promising pharmacological properties. His work is so promising it will likely be incorporated into an upcoming patent application submission.
Like Carriere, Gilchrist also finds time for volunteer work, in his case as member of the AIDS Vancouver reception services team.
“When I look back at my experience with co-operative education, the strangest thing to me is that I originally did not intend to do it,” says Gilchrist.
“As it turns out, going into co-op was one of the best decisions I've ever made.”
— 30 — (electronic photo file available on request)
The two were named SFU’s 2008 co-op students of the year in acknowledegment of their passion for motivating people around them.
The B.C. chapter of the Association for Co-operative Education also recognized Carriere as this year’s top co-op student for his outstanding work at Burnaby’s D-Wave Systems. The company is the world’s first and only source of quantum computing for commercial applications.
The senior engineering science student, armed with a 4.15 grade point average (maximum is 4.33), worked easily alongside doctoral researchers on the development of the world’s first practical quantum computer.
“The job gave me some excellent experience along with a new perspective into what type of work I wish to pursue when I graduate,” says Carriere. The Port Coquitlam resident has also been volunteering with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) for the past three years.
“Also, working with other engineers made me realize the skills that I have to improve on to become more successful.”
Gilchrist, a chemistry co-op student who is being awarded his Bachelor of Science degree at this year’s June convocation, spent his third and fourth co-op work terms working with Burnaby’s Xenon Pharmaceuticals.
Gilchrist, originally from Vernon and living in Burnaby, was part of an interdisciplinary team charged with isolating and developing novel drug candidates for the treatment of chronic pain.
Despite the significant level of chemical complexity involved, Gilchrist rapidly caught on and produced results that show promising pharmacological properties. His work is so promising it will likely be incorporated into an upcoming patent application submission.
Like Carriere, Gilchrist also finds time for volunteer work, in his case as member of the AIDS Vancouver reception services team.
“When I look back at my experience with co-operative education, the strangest thing to me is that I originally did not intend to do it,” says Gilchrist.
“As it turns out, going into co-op was one of the best decisions I've ever made.”
— 30 — (electronic photo file available on request)