…an interesting story and good advice

A co-op student’s journey to Harvard and back

by Andreea Perescu

Jonathan Ranisau knows the secret to having a successful co-op work term –and he insists that it takes more than just raw talent alone. Having completed two work terms at Harvard University, Ranisau has some advice for his fellow co-op students: seek out jobs that help improve your individual skill-set.“During co-op, you discover what abilities you need to develop and what knowledge you need to gain for your future goals. You become better at developing your skills, and you are more passionate about your work since you realize their importance,” explained Ranisau, who is in his fourth-year of chemical engineering at Waterloo.During his first work term at Harvard, Ranisau was assigned tasks that tested his knowledge and allowed him to find ways to improve. “I did a lot of fundamental research investigating new areas, helping with some different publications and initiatives,” he said. “I think one huge aspect of co-op is that it allows me to work towards finding interesting solutions rather than just solving problems.” Ranisau’s passion for knowledge and research helped earn him a spot at the Ivy League school for a second work term.To land a highly sought co-op position, Ranisau suggests that students come prepared during interview season. “Securing most of my positions involved a lot of online research on the companies I was interested in,” said Ranisau. “I always wanted to position myself as a knowledgeable candidate.” Other employers that Ranisau has worked with include Xerox Research Centre of Canada, Saint-Gobain Abrasives Canada Inc., Natural Resources Canada and AMBRI INC. He’s exceeded expectations in all of his previous roles and has been asked to return on multiple occasions.Ranisau is excited about his future. He intends to continue learning and making a positive impact wherever he goes. “My ultimate goal is to start my own company,” he said, offering one last piece of advice: “Don’t sit back and let life toss you around – educate yourself enough to set a direction.”

Source: Wednesday, November 23, 2016 | Daily Bulletin

Amy, a little yellow submarine with a pedal-powered heart, needed a pint-sized pilot.

Source: UW team dives into submarine racing

(Note:  I didn’t realize that we had a student team building submarines until I saw this.  Always something new!)

(Note:  an interesting story about my Civil Engineering colleague’s work with water supply and treatment.  Not something you would immediately think about when it comes to wildfires, but clearly a big issue.)

As residents try to resume their lives more than a month after a ferocious wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, crucial questions about its impact on their water supply still have no clear answers. It’s why Monica Emelko, a University of Waterloo expert in water quality and water treatment, left for the devastated Alberta city last week after spending countless hours on the phone with government officials since the crisis escalated in early May.

Source: Is Fort McMurray’s water supply contaminated by the wildfire? | Waterloo Stories

Waterloo’s Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) is known around the world for their Mathematics and Computing Contests (Fermat, Hypatia, Euclid, etc) and the workshops they arrange for students and teachers.   Since proficiency in mathematics is so important for engineering, we always support and recommend participation in those things.

More recently, CEMC has launched some online courses that are of potential interest, especially the Grade 12 mathematics and introductory computing courses.  There are two math courses, “Advanced Functions”  and “Calculus and Vectors”, and these are based on what Ontario high school students take (and similar to other Canadian provincial curricula).  “Advanced Functions” is what some curricula (like in the U.S.) would call Pre-calculus.

Our first-year engineering curriculum is based on the assumption that our in-coming students have a strong background in these two courses.  So for students starting engineering this September (whether at Waterloo or any other Ontario university) it might be a good review or test to go through the material and see how well you really know it.  For students starting Grade 11 this September, if you want something to do you could start working through the Advanced Functions course for a head start.  Maybe it will help boost your marks.

As I mentioned in another post, for students with no programming experience the CEMC introductory Python course would be useful, and having some experience with Web basics might be a good skill to have for future jobs.