Meet our October 2022 Graduands

October 03, 2022
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Meet a few of our amazing students who are graduating from the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering this October!

MACKENZIE CALDER 

BASc, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?
The highlight of my degree was getting to go to class each day with a small group of people, all of whom became my close friends. Being in a graduating class of only three people is truly unique and is an experience I do not think many SFU students will ever have the pleasure being a part of.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?
My time at SEE has thoroughly prepared me to work and in fact, I have just started a job in the industry. SFU's mandatory co-op terms have been invaluable in exposing me to the engineering workforce and they were what allowed me to get hired right out of school.

What advice would you like to share to students in their first year?
My best advice to any student joining an engineering degree is to make friends as quick as you can. Nobody makes it through one of these programs alone and learning how to tackle difficult projects through teamwork is the key path to success.

What are your current plans?
Currently, I am working for BCIT as an Energy Specialist trying to reduce the institution's greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy usage. My long-term career goals focus on moving into more of a project management role in engineering. I hope to one day receive my MBA and play a role in furthering large-scale engineering projects that help make our world more sustainable.

Mackenzie is among the first to complete the undergraduate program from the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering. Read more here.

For his capstone project, he  and his team had the opportunity to collaborate with CityStudio Vancouver and the City of Vancouver to design a zero-emission retrofit for the Stanley Park Train. Read the full story here.

SARAH GARNER

MASc, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?
My favourite moment from SFU was attending and presenting at conferences. I learned a lot by hearing about recent research and networking. I also felt really accomplished after I presented, and I think this was a great opportunity to develop soft skills.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?
The biggest thing I learned is that nothing ever goes right the first time and plans change all the time. I think this is important to remember for my career because I still got to the end of my degree despite many setbacks. Therefore, I will make it in my career despite the many more setbacks to come.

What advice would you like to share to students in their first year?
I think it is important to take breaks and turn off your notifications and do something you love. For me, talking with people in the lab often helped me think through problems and learn different perspectives. I also think that taking breaks to go skiing or take a hike really helped me calm down. I find when I’m relaxed, I subconsciously think of solutions to problems which also helps.

What are your current plans?
I will be working for Dongyue Chemical as a research scientist working in fuel cell development.

Sarah's research focused on analyzing the characterization and degradation of fuel cell membranes. Her goal was to characterize the membranes and look for links between this characterization and the degradation of the membrane in mechanical testing. The research results can be applied to future generations of fuel cell membranes to make more durable fuel cells.

THOMAS HRUBY

BASc, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?
My highlight was learning in an environment with small class sizes and a wonderful staff. I got to know so many students in the program as well as professors and TAs with a much closer connection than with classrooms of 30 plus people. I wish everyone could study and learn with such a connected group of people like I did.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?
My Capstone project encapsulated knowledge and skills spread over the 4 plus years I had attended SFU and had shown SFU's commitment to our success. The achievement won us an award and even convinced the City of Vancouver’s decision makers to approve funding for parts. It had shown that everything we learned during our time in the program had a purpose.

What advice would you like to share to students in their first year?
Engineering is about teamwork and asking questions. At first, the classes had simple questions with straightforward answers, but it can get quite challenging near the end of the degree. Having peers that you can talk to and learn from is critical to being successful in this field. Teaching staff also want to help, so ask them questions, it's worth it.

What are your current plans?
I plan on transitioning from my current job in Software to an engineer-in-training position in 2023 to work towards my P.Eng, while also taking classes to further my education. I eventually plan on completing my MBA to balance business and engineering based on my job role preferences.

Thomas is among the first to complete the undergraduate program from the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering. Read more here.

For his capstone project, he and his teamhad the opportunity to collaborate with CityStudio Vancouver and the City of Vancouver to design a zero-emission retrofit for the Stanley Park Train. Read the full story here.