C o n C o r d i a E n g i n E E r i n g n E w s

Fall 2011

Focus on Aerospace

Table of ContentsMessage from the Dean 1

CIADI: The Next Generation 2 The Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation reinvents itself

Research in Action 5 Luis Rodrigues

Spotlight on Students 6Anthony Toteda and Michelle Royce

Co-Op Corner 8 The Concordians of CAE

Alumnus Profile 10 Sami Girgis

News and Events 11 Keep up with the Faculty’s busy schedule

The Concordia Engineering News is published by the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science

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October 2011

manufacturing of lightweight composites — both professors are generating significant breakthroughs that will make commercial aircraft greener.

It’s no surprise that our alumni are also intimately involved in the aerospace industry. Despite the fact that Sami Girgis graduated before CIADI even existed, the internship he undertook at Pratt and Whitney Canada while still an undergrad at Concordia led him directly into a career in aerospace. And we’ve got four future alums featured in our “Co-Op Corner,” who just might follow in Girgis’s footsteps!

From undergraduates to PhD candidates, professors to alumni, this is a Faculty that is truly focused on aerospace. I hope that you’ll enjoy learning more about our involvement in this ever-evolving industry and look forward to sharing more good news on the subject very soon….

Until then, happy reading and best wishes for a productive autumn,

Robin A. L. Drew

Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science

Welcome to our special “Focus on Aerospace” issue of Concordia Engineering News! With so much exciting progress being made in this dynamic field, we thought that this was the perfect time to share some of our aerospace-related stories with you.

For a decade now, the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation has led the way in aerospace teaching and research in Montreal. As CIADI celebrates its tenth anniversary, we take a look back on how it all got started and provide a forecast as to where it’s headed. From the Institute’s beginnings under the leadership of Hany Moustapha to its current incarnation with the dynamism and expertise of Bob Fews at its helm, CIADI has come a long way with its mandate of providing leading edge training for engineering students in aerospace.

Speaking of students, just like the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, CIADI would be nothing without them! To that end, we’re happy to introduce you to two perfect examples of what it means to be a CIADI intern. In the pages that follow, you’ll meet Anthony Toteda, an undergraduate whose studies have taken him all the way to Europe; and Master’s student Michelle Boyce, whose research has taken her from Antarctica to Outer Space!

With our interdepartmental aerospace faculty now consolidated under one umbrella on the 12th floor of the EV Building, aerospace research is also taking off. Just take Luis Rodrigues, for example. The associate professor from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is pioneering new research into autopilots. Whereas Suong Van Hoa from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is doing innovative work on automated

MESSAGE FROM ThE DEAN

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more, approximately 41,000 people are employed locally within the aerospace industry.

Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science has long recognized the importance of its placement within Montreal and the attendant necessity of an educational and research presence in the aerospace industry. Indeed, in order to support this important relationship between the industrial and university sectors, the Faculty established the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design

and Innovation (CIADI). Inaugurated in 2001, CIADI’s original focus was to recruit students with a keen interest in aerospace and place them in industrial internships, where they would work on real-world research projects. Over the past decade, this program has helped many of our students go on to promising careers in the aerospace industry. It is a particular point of pride for this Faculty that, through CIADI, Concordia was able to initiate the Montreal Aerospace Institute (MAI), a strategic organization with a mandate to unite aerospace students in engineering or science from several Montreal institutions and enhance their training by introducing industry-driven courses, projects, and university exchanges.

The Faculty has also developed significant aerospace-related curricula: within the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, an aerospace option is available in the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s degree program; and, in a Faculty-founded partnership with several other universities, a Master’s of Aerospace Engineering degree is offered. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is also showing leadership in Airborne Systems and Flight Control, with new course options in Avionics and Control in the Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s program and Avionics and Embedded Systems in the Computer Engineering Bachelor’s program.

The strong research relationship between this Faculty and the aerospace industry actually dates back over a decade. As a founding member of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ), the Faculty, with strong support from Concordia’s Office of Research, was involved in the

CIADI: ThE NExT GENERATIONThE CONCORDIA INSTITUTE OF AEROSPACE DESIGN AND INNOvATION REINvENTS ITSELF

With over 50% of Canada’s aerospace revenues coming from the province of Quebec, it is no surprise that Montreal has become something of a national headquarters for the industry. As one of the few places on the planet in which an aircraft can be built from start to finish, this city represents the ideal locus for advanced research and teaching on aerospace. Indeed, Montreal is among the largest aerospace clusters in the world and is home to every discipline necessary to put an airplane together, including aerostuctures, engines, landing gears, avionics and systems. What’s

Left to right: Dr. Nadia Bhuiyan , Dr. Robert Fews and Jayne Claassen.

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consortium’s very first program concerning the design and manufacture of a composite wing box structure, which at the time was probably the largest thick walled graphite/epoxy structure ever built in Canada. The groundbreaking project (which also involved significant collaboration between Concordia, Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited, Pratt and Whitney Canada, the National Research Council of Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, and supply chain companies) involved complex agreements between CRIAQ, Concordia, supporting industries, Federal and Provincial Governments and the US Department of State. The project was recognized by the Association de la recherche industrielle du Québec (ADRIQ) as a model collaboration and was awarded its prestigious Prix de partenariat. Our Faculty members in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Industrial Engineering have also been key participants in all five rounds of CRIAQ programs to date, working on projects involving materials developments, new structural applications, lean engineering, airborne systems and flight controls. As a result, strong research relationships have been developed with major original equipment manufacturers, as well as several major supply chain companies.

Through initiatives such as these, the Faculty aims to turn Concordia University into Canada’s preeminent provider of aerospace education and research. In order to achieve this goal, CIADI is undertaking a renaissance of sorts. Under the leadership of its new director, Dr. Robert Fews, supported by associate director Dr. Nadia Bhuiyan (see sidebar), CIADI administrator Jayne Claassen and with the full backing of the Faculty, CIADI is expanding to become what will truly be a full-fledged aerospace institute. With the ultimate goal of establishing a solid aerospace curriculum across the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD programs, CIADI is about to embark on an ambitious new phase.

The next three years are set to be CIADI’s busiest ever, as the forecast is to offer a Bachelor of Aerospace,

an Executive Master’s of Aerospace (targeting mainly new recruits within industry, who would spend three weeks on the job for every one week in class during the 2-year program), and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. In order to ensure that the new curricula associated with these programs are at the vanguard of both teaching and research, the faculty has established a Curriculum Development Committee under the leadership of Dr. Martin Pugh (see sidebar). This committee, in conjunction with internal curriculum development, will expand CIADI’s horizons. In this respect, important trans-institutional partnerships are being established and dual degrees could eventually be offered jointly through Concordia, in partnership with prominent international aerospace universities in Europe, India and Australia.

CIADI has also begun to undergo a kind of rebirth of a more tangible sort, which can be easily seen in its newly renovated headquarters on the twelfth floor of the EV Building. Offices for CIADI’s academic and support staff are now co-located there, alongside support facilities, meeting rooms, and lecture space. What’s more, academic expertise is being diversified and strategic recruitment of new faculty is now underway, a greater emphasis on aerospace research is being embraced within CIADI, and affiliate professors from the industry are being sought for both research and teaching partnerships.

Through all these changes, CIADI will continue to operate as it always has, working to promote awareness and provide leading edge know-how among engineering students in aerospace design and innovation. In order to enhance and complement the education of undergraduate students, CIADI will continue to conduct collaborative, industry-driven design and research internships and has established a new internship program development committee led by Dr. Bhuiyan with a mandate to strengthen and grow the existing program. With the 2011 students already selected and internships underway, the future is certainly bright for CIADI – and for the aerospace industry itself!

Directing CIADI

Hany Moustapha – 2000-2007

CIADI owes a lot to its founder, Dr. Hany Moustapha, who used his passion for academics and a strong sense of business savvy to help establish Concordia as a leader in aerospace. He worked closely with the Faculty and Concordia’s senior administration in the late 1990s to turn his bright idea of offering aerospace internships to a select group of passionate students into a reality. He was known by many as a great motivator whose persistence paid off – as is evidenced now by CIADI’s continued success a decade after its founding.

Marius Paraschivoiu – 2008-2011

From Paris to Toronto, Quebec to Colorado, Dr. Marius Paraschivoiu’s education and career path has taken him far and wide in pursuit of higher learning. Paraschivoiu came to Concordia in 2003 and is now a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. He helmed CIADI from 2008-2011, and it was under his leadership that the institute was able to weather the storm that befell the aerospace industry during the global economic downturn.

Robert Fews – Present Director

In late spring 2011, Dr. Robert Fews became CIADI’s new director. Since 2009, he has held the position of Aerospace Special Advisor, a role that was established within the Faculty in order make the existing aerospace program more relevant to the current needs of industry. Through his firsthand knowledge of the aerospace industry, Dr. Fews has been creating important research opportunities for the Faculty, including the development of an aerospace-related Senior Industrial Research Chair.

Nadia Bhuyian – Associate Director

Dr. Nadia Bhuiyan joined CIADI as Associate Director in 2002 to overlook the academic side of the Institute and represent Industrial Engineering. The number of internships offered to Industrial Engineering students grew considerably and today, their demand in the aerospace industry continues to be strong. Dr. Bhuiyan’s ongoing involvement concentrates on CIADI’s regular operations, and her current focus is to increase industry participation in the institute.

Martin Pugh – Director of the Curriculum Development Committee

Dr. Martin Pugh is the Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, a member of the Provost’s Circle of Concordia University, and recipient of the Teaching Excellence award from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. As the Director of CIADI’s Curriculum Development Committee, Dr. Pugh will help establish important trans-institutional partnerships and dual degrees that could eventually be offered jointly through Concordia, in partnership with prominent international aerospace universities.

Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation

Developing today’s engineering students to face tomorrow’s Canadian Aerospace challenges through real industry driven design and research projects

h t t p : / / c i a d i . c o n c o r d i a . c a /

Robert Fewes Director CIADI & Aerospace Special Advisor

Nadia Bhuiyan Assoc. Prof., Assoc.Director, CIADI

Jayne Claassen Administrative Assistant

Eva Abdul-Malak Rolls-Royce Canada

Parastoo Dastjerdi Pratt & Whitney Canada

Imtiaz Ahmed Bombardier Aerospace

Patrick Balazinski Bombardier Aerospace

Jeffrey Beaudet Pratt & Whitney Canada

Imad Berechid Pratt & Whitney Canada

Michelle Boyce Bombardier Aerospace

Norris Chan Pratt & Whitney Canada

Timothy Chan Rolls-Royce Canada

Brandon Chau Pratt & Whitney Canada

Adil Chaudhry Rolls-Royce Canada

Jean-Francois Colin Pratt & Whitney Canada

Michael Di Tirro Pratt & Whitney Canada

Jonathan Dorai Pratt & Whitney Canada

Adam Fagnani Rolls-Royce Canada

Andrew Farag Bombardier Aerospace

Sara Fawal Rolls-Royce Canada

Frédéric Fortin Pratt & Whitney Canada

Simon Gyba Pratt & Whitney Canada

Joseph hum Pratt & Whitney Canada

Firas hussein Pratt & Whitney Canada

Sabrina Ibarra Rolls-Royce Canada

Issa Ibrahim Bombardier Aerospace

Alexandra Katakis Pratt & Whitney Canada

Ilias Karrouz Bombardier Aerospace

Jamal Khayyat Pratt & Whitney Canada

Stephen Krujelskis Bombardier Aerospace

Damon Kwan Rolls-Royce Canada

Michael Lanktree Pratt & Whitney Canada

hamza Assi ULB, Belgium

Stephen Krujelskis MTU Aero Engines, Germany

Christopher Sharp MTU Aero Engines, Germany

Raissa El-haddad Airbus Military, Spain

Niccolo Cymbalist Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Vincent Panfili Rolls-Royce Canada

Robert Ponterelli Pratt & Whitney Canada

Keroles Riad NSERC, Pratt & Whitney Canada

Nadine Safah Pratt & Whitney Canada

Jad Saleh Bombardier Aerospace

Samuel Leith Pratt & Whitney Canada

Soraya Linge Pratt & Whitney Canada

Moustafa hamdy Moustafa Rolls-Royce Canada

Egor Sookhostavets Rolls-Royce Canada, Pratt & Whitney Can.

Christian Sulik Pratt & Whitney Canada

Cynthia volpe Pratt & Whitney Canada

Fahd Ali Nasser NSERC

Alexander Gallo Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Gavin Kenneally University of Pennsylvania, USA

François Paquin ULB, Belgium

Karim Sarhan MTU Aero Engines, Germany

Anthony Toteda Airbus Military, Spain

Mohammed-Latif Maguiraga Pratt & Whitney Canada

Joseph Marone Pratt & Whitney Canada

Billy Marquez Pratt & Whitney Canada

Ankit Mehta Pratt & Whitney Canada

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“The sky is the limit!” often sounds cliché, but when Luis Rodrigues says this, you know he really means it. This associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering sets his goals high as he revolutionizes the aerospace industry through his unprecedented work in control and automation.

“This might surprise you, but more than 75 per cent of commercial flight time worldwide is performed on autopilot,” says the affable professor. “That may sound dangerous,” he continues, but “the reaction time of an autopilot and its ability to perform fine-tuned maneuvers is significantly better than what a human can do — provided the disturbances from wind and turbulence are not larger than the ones the autopilots were designed for.”

Improved flight performance is just one potential benefit arising from the use of autopilots in commercial airliners. Through computer-based analysis of data such as wind speed, angles of roll and pitch, trajectory and velocity, autopilots can be programmed to make tiny adjustments that add up to significant energy savings. Rodrigues’s research is taking autopilot technology beyond merely giving pilots a bit of “time off” to significantly reducing the currently enormous carbon footprint of commercial airliners.

“If you multiply the amount of flight time by the number of flights per year, there is a lot you could save in terms of emissions — even if it’s only a reduction of one per cent,” enthuses Rodrigues. “Aerospace corporations are currently focused on producing the next generation of aircraft, but those won’t be commercially available for another 10, 20 or 30 years. My research looks at what we can do in the short term to make the aerospace industry more environmentally friendly.”

He is fortunate enough to have the perfect facilities in which to test his newly developed autopilots: a flight simulator housed in the Hall Building. Rodrigues was instrumental in bringing this important equipment to Concordia. He worked closely with the Montreal-based simulator company Mechtronix Inc. to ensure that the simulator would be housed at the university. The simulator is now an essential research tool for both faculty and students involved in aerospace-related projects.

Rodrigues’s own research began in a somewhat surprising place: the ocean off the coast of his native Portugal. While pursuing his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering, the young Rodrigues became fascinated by robotics. When it turned out that the most cutting-edge work in robotics being done was taking place under water, he joined the research team to help produce autopilots for a hydrodynamic robotic design as part of his Capstone project. The team later headed to the Azores with its automated “crew” to explore volcanic heat sources underneath the seabed.

After that, he was hooked and decided to pursue further studies. His passion for his work eventually led him to Stanford, where it just so happened that the underwater robotics group was located in the aerospace department. While that may seem like an odd pairing, Rodrigues says it makes perfect sense. “There are lots of things you can do under the water to simulate space environment,” he explains. “You’re weightless, and a lot of preliminary tests are done under water because it’s cheaper than doing them in space!”

Once exposed to the field of aerospace at Stanford, Rodrigues decided to get his feet out of the water and put his head in the clouds, so to speak. His PhD saw him both producing work on computer-aided switched control laws, as well as heading off to MIT as a visiting student.

Although he very nearly returned to Portugal for a job in industry, he wound up choosing academia when it turned out that Concordia had an opening that seemed tailor-made for his research interests. Now an official member of the expanding Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation

(CIADI), Rodrigues is confident that the industry will continue to evolve in positive directions, taking CIADI right along with it.

“I’m sure that CIADI, with its new focus on research opportunities and interdisciplinarity, is going to have increased success in the years to come, while strengthening its ties to industry,” he says, remaining confident that the sky is truly the limit when it comes to work in aerospace.

RESEARCh IN ACTION

Luis Rodrigues, associate professor – Electrical and Computer Engineering

and industrial engineering are two fairly new domains. I believe that they are going to be very important in the years to come. It’s great that Concordia is always growing and adapting programs to prepare us for work in any industry.

When you first enrolled at Concordia, did you plan to become part of CIADI?

When I first started at Concordia, I had no idea what the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation was! It was only after my second year that I heard about it and realized that it would be something that I’d like to do. The CIADI Global Initiative, which allows selected students to travel abroad and visit aerospace leaders in various countries, is what really drew me.

Do you feel CIADI has given you a competitive edge when it comes to the job market?

Definitely. The aerospace industry is extremely important in Montreal

and very well known worldwide. Many students finish their undergraduate degree with little to no work experience and I feel that CIADI really helps students gain industry experience through simple means.

have you been able to apply concepts you’ve learned in the classroom to the work you’re doing on the job for CIADI?

Yes, and it even surprised my supervisor! Last year, at Pratt & Whitney Canada, I was working on a continuous improvement project and applied many ideas from Lean, Six Sigma quality control. It’s always a great feeling when you can apply what you’ve learned in class to an internship.

What was the process like when it came to finding a CIADI internship?

Finding a CIADI internship is very easy. There is a list of projects per company that is put up on the website and all you have to do is read the description and pick which one is right for you! Soon after making your choices, you are contacted for an interview and shortly after — if everything goes well — you receive the job offer. It’s a simple, streamlined process that helps students get a taste of “job hunting” but without having to deal with HR and cover letters.

Is this your first internship?

Before I came to Concordia, I worked in IT support for Bombardier Aerospace through CGI for two years. In the summer of 2010, during my first internship through CIADI, I worked for Pratt & Whitney Canada in the transportation logistics department, as well as the distribution centre. For the summer of 2011, I was lucky enough to be selected for CIADI Global. Therefore, I went to Seville in Spain and spent four months with Airbus Military working in the product lifecycle management department.

What do you plan to do after graduation?

I’m still undecided. I graduate this year so I’ve started reading up on master’s programs and graduate job opportunities. I am going to start studying for the GMAT this fall and will most likely apply to do a master’s in Operations Research at the University of British Columbia. In a few years, I’d also like to pursue an MBA, but for now I’m unsure where.

For work, I’d like to go into management consulting and work long hours for one of the big multinational consulting firms. Otherwise, I’d like to focus on transportation logistics with a global distribution company or on supply chain optimization with pretty much any company.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid, I always wanted to be a marine biologist. I was and still am fascinated by everything in the underwater world. As I got older, however, I realized that it would be too difficult for me, seeing as I hated biology! I’ve loved math and physics for as long as I can remember, so engineering just became the logical choice.

Why did you choose Concordia?

I was attracted to the actuarial math program, but at the last second decided to reject it because I didn’t want to only do math for the rest of my life. I like the fact that Concordia has a wide variety of programs, instead of the “classic” degrees. For example, actuarial math

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGhT

ANtHoNy toteDA BAChELOR OF ENGINEERING, MEChANICAL ENGINEERING

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and Astronautics, I am heavily involved with Space Concordia, a group of Concordia engineering students designing a satellite as part of an inter-university competition called the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. The winning satellite will be sent into space!

I also participated in the Beihang University Summer School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Beijing, China. I really enjoyed the experience: its seminars, workshops, laboratory tours, and recreational activities. One of the main highlights was the visit to the Great Wall of China.

What kind of work-study experience have you had while at Concordia?

I did an internship at Rolls-Royce involving thermoacoustic modeling of the Industrial Trent gas turbine engine combustion system. Industrial gas turbine engines are used for power generation and have stringent environmental requirements. Just as you can turn down the fuel on your barbeque to reduce cost and pollution, so too can you do this on gas turbine engines. The problem is that the flame on your barbeque can sputter and make noise. This also affects gas turbine engines, and can lead to considerable damage within the combustion system (and downstream). In a nutshell, I modeled this behaviour to be able to adjust the fuel mixture so as to avoid damaging the engine parts.

I am currently doing an internship at Bombardier on emerging technologies. Although it’s not credited towards my degree, this job is amazing. I get to go wherever my curiosity takes me: nanotechnologies, superconductors, turbulence avoidance systems, plasma actuators, all-electric aircrafts, futuristic propulsion systems, smart windows, hypersonic flight, etc.

how did you get to where you are today?

As a kid, I was fascinated by space and spent a lot of time thinking about the nature of reality. I went to a technical/vocational high school in Winnipeg, where I specialized in analogue electronics. I kept going deeper and deeper into the subject, asking lots of questions of my teachers.

Eventually, I asked myself: “What exactly is an electron?” That’s how I ended up in physics — an interest that eventually led me to pursue a PhD in high-energy particle physics at Carleton University. Since earning my doctorate, my work has taken me from UBC’s cyclotron accelerator to the AMANDA astroparticle physics experiment in Antarctica — an experience I will never forget!

How did you first become interested in studying aerospace?

After working in industry, I asked myself: “What next?” I took time to look back at my past accomplishments, to see where I could push my boundaries. Then I remembered that as a kid I always wanted to be an astronaut. I realized that the aerospace industry had a lot to offer in terms of personal growth and career opportunities.

Why did you choose Concordia?

I chose Concordia because I wanted the training that would allow me to dive back into industry. The Industrial Experience program was the perfect fit. Although I have academic career aspirations, I like to work with things that are used in our everyday world by everyday people. Concordia offered this… and, as I soon learned, a lot more. Concordia has a good mix of instructors from both academia and industry, allowing one to apply the rigours of theory to practical situations.

What kind of student activities are you involved in?

On top of being a member of the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation, and the American Institute of Aeronautics

What are your plans after graduation?

I have recently become incorporated under the name Texidyme Solutions Inc. and plan to do general R&D contracting, mainly in the aerospace and military industrial sectors. My future looks bright in this regard, as I am already starting to get some bites. As time goes on, I hope to one day employ people for contract work and general R&D product design.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I tend to go with ebbs and flows on that great path of life. That said, I see myself as a successful businessperson with a good work-life balance, sharing my appetite for knowledge with others through teaching. I want to bring innovation to the world, and I want to continue to enjoy life and appreciate the universe and all it has to offer.

GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGhTMICHelle BoyCe MASTER’S OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING (PROPULSION SySTEMS)

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The spirit of co-operation can be seen everywhere at Concordia. From students working together on group projects to professors collaborating on interdisciplinary research, the Concordia community is made up of people who know first-hand that we achieve better results and learn more about ourselves when working together.

Nowhere is this more evident than within Concordia’s Institute of Co-operative Education, a special unit that pairs career-minded students with potential employers, enabling undergrads to truly work towards their degrees by pursuing job placements in their chosen field.

For four students from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, the Co-op work-study program has been the chance to spread their wings. Terri-Anne Cambridge, Anthony Rubino, Stephen Jacobs and Sandeep Sandhu were all hard at work throughout the summer with placements at the Montreal offices of CAE, a global leader in modelling, simulation and training for civil aviation and defence.

Different reasons brought the four students, who are all about to begin the final year of their bachelor’s degree, to Concordia. For Anthony Rubino, a timely visit to Open House was what drew him. “The students had a much more friendly feel than at the other Montreal-based Engineering schools and that was what sold me,” he says.

Steven Jacobs came to Concordia after years of working as a technician. “I knew that the only way I could get the job that I really wanted was with an Engineering degree… and that learning French would also help open doors,” he says. “Montreal was the logical place

to do both, and I wound up choosing Concordia because it just felt right.”

For Terri-Anne Cambridge, coming to Concordia was a family affair: “I’m the youngest of all my siblings to go to Concordia,” she says with a smile.

But for Sandeep Sandhu, Co-op was the deciding factor. “I simply wanted to attend an English-speaking university in Montreal,” he explains. “I initially chose McGill, but when I went to the Concordia’s Open House, they mentioned Co-op and I was convinced.”

Co-op also wound up convincing Sandhu’s three CAE colleagues. Although Jacobs came to Concordia “not caring about Co-op,” the difficulties of the job market soon gave him a harsh reality check. “I tried to find a job myself, but then we went through the economic downturn and I had a meeting with Fred Francis (program co-ordinator for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering),” he recalls. “He was talking about how it doesn’t hurt to try. It’s good to have all those resources working together for you.”

Already in his second year at Concordia, Jacobs wound up joining the Industrial Experience program. The program is designed for undergraduate and course-based master’s students enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science who are interested in pursuing summer work experience relevant to their studies. “I’m glad that they have the In-Ex program for people like me who realized later that they need it!” says Jacobs.

Cambridge and Rubino didn’t need any external prodding to realize that Co-op was where they belonged. “After my positive experience at Open House,

the Co-op program was really what attracted me to Concordia over the other Engineering schools in town,” says Rubino. “I wanted to have the experience working in industry.”

Regarding herself as a “typical student,” Cambridge saw integrating Co-op with her studies as a straightforward and logical step. “I figure what’s a bit of extra work? It’s more like you’re learning, and doing work and having fun. In the end, it does pay off.”

Their time with CAE has indeed proven that being part of Co-op is more than worth their while: it’s shaping their future. Working in real jobs, on real projects, with colleagues who often have decades of experience under their belts has given these four students a competitive edge over their peers. “For a lot of us, starting up with Co-op was really intimidating: it felt like companies would never hire us – we’re inexperienced undergraduates!” Cambridge says. “But once you get your first job and you learn a lot of things, your resumé starts to look way more complete and you realize that you have that competitive edge.”

Studies in the classroom, of course, are what helped pave the way for what can be complex tasks in the workplace. Rubino is a deployment systems specialist, Jacobs and Sandhu are both customer service engineers, and Cambridge is working on a sonar simulator in CAE’s engineering department. They are all putting the skills they learned at Concordia to good use as they help this global company develop cutting-edge flight simulators and related technologies.

Everyone’s eyes light up when they talk about their work. “I’m based in

REAChING NEW hEIGhTS WITh CO-OPFOUR STUDENTS SPREAD ThEIR WINGS WITh

WORK-STUDy PLACEMENTS AT CAE

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(From Left to Right) In the cockpit: Stephen Jacobs and Sandeep Sandhu; Seated: Anthony Rubino and Terri-Anne Cambridge; Standing: Jean-François Aubin & Richard Gauthier

the deployment department, where we prepare the simulators to ship out to the clients,” explains Rubino. “We’re the final frontier before the clients get their hands on the simulator.”

For Jacobs and Sandhu, customer service is providing exciting challenges, too. “As a customer service engineer, I get to handle every simulator that CAE has sent to a customer,” says Jacobs. “So if they have an issue with it, or they want something changed, or they don’t understand why something behaves the way it does, we have to provide those fixes. Every day it’s a little different.”

Sandhu echoes his colleague’s enthusiasm. Specializing in in-flight performance, he regularly conducts the qualification tests necessary to provide aircraft simulators with their yearly certifications. “Every week we get a different issue,” he says. “We have objectives that we have to meet every single day. It’s a constant flow, mostly dealing directly with airports, manufacturers, and the people who purchase the sims.”

Cambridge’s job on the software side of things is equally fascinating as she works with a European company on a cutting-edge sonar simulator. “Every so often there’s a team member who goes to a company to integrate our software with its machines. If there’s an issue, the company reports back to us to fix it. We’re still in the development phase, so we’re still developing features and fixing bugs. It’s very interesting; it’s very cool.”

Positive reports abound from their supervisors – CAE employees who have been with the company for years and who have worked with many student interns. Richard Gauthier is a CAE manager who has worked with Concordia’s Co-op students on several occasions. He notes that he is “very satisfied with the service and the work that these students accomplish.”

His colleague, Jean-François Aubin, a group leader who works with both Sandhu and Jacobs, echoes that sentiment: “We’re very, very happy that we’re able to train Co-op students. When they graduate, they have already

spent up to three semesters with us. If we decide to take them on board as employees, they’re ready for the job.”

And being ready for the job is what Co-op is all about, especially for Sandhu, whose words might best sum up the Co-op experience: “When I started Co-op at Concordia, I had no idea what I was going to do. But that’s why I became part of the program: I wanted to get industrial experience and narrow down my specialty. Co-op helped me to determine what sort of company I want to work for, what sort of people I want to work with, and what sort of role I want to play in the engineering sector.”

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Whitney Canada (PWC). “This was back in 1987,” he recalls, “when there weren’t many means through which students could get internships in industry.”

With the help of his professors, however, Girgis managed to get a summer internship with the Turbine Aerodynamics group at PWC. He wound up returning to same department when he graduated two years later. “It was wonderful to come back,” he says. “Everyone I had met was still there; the team was still there.” A decade later, he would manage the very same department in which he obtained his start as a young Concordia student. “I really started from the basement floor and worked my way up within the group,” he says with a laugh.

Before his career in management took off, Girgis returned to Concordia in pursuit of additional skills that he could apply in a hands-on

setting. “By 1992, I was starting to think about whether I would do a master’s or PhD in Engineering or branch out and cover the business side,” he explains. “So I started the MBA program at Concordia. I took a course here, a course there, and by 1998, I finished it. That same year, I became a manager within the company and found myself much better equipped to handle the challenges.”

As he assumed more responsibilities with the company, he was able to reconnect with some of his former professors at Concordia and start developing special projects with them. “Professors at Concordia really stay very much cutting edge in the applied side, as well as the academic side,” says Girgis. This synergy motivated him to become

part of the Faculty’s Industrial Advisory Council, an administrative body that helps enhance the development of the faculty’s relationships with industry.

Girgis enjoys his involvement. “It’s giving me a chance to give the company an even more formal voice in terms of helping to influence what the future curriculum is going to be like, especially for aerospace,” he explains. “The world is changing so quickly that if we have the opportunity to give the faculty an early heads-up about the changes that are coming, that’s always a good thing.”

As Girgis reflects on the path that brought him to where he is today, he can clearly see that it was the faculty’s solid connections to industry that guided his way. “Professors in this Faculty know what the needs of the outside world are in terms of future graduates – and I think that’s probably one of the biggest strengths of Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.”

He credits internship programs such as the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation and the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Co-op program for enabling employers like him to see students at work as potential future colleagues. “If we’ve had a student with us through an internship, we already know if they’re going to be a good fit because we’ve already seen them in action,” he says. “I’m one such example: the company’s management observed me for three months and wanted me back two years later!”

Girgis will return to his alma mater this winter to teach a course in gas turbine design – the very course he took as an undergraduate back in 1989. “It’s fun to come back and teach it after 20 years,” he says with a smile. “It’s one of those hands-on courses that actually inspired me to go into what I’m doing today, so I’m really looking forward to that.

“It’s my way of paying back and bringing real-life experience into the classroom,” he says. “I like being able to say, ‘this is the theory, but this is what really happens.’”

From an early age, Sami Girgis couldn’t wait to get his hands into something to find out how it worked. “As a child, taking things apart and putting them back together – if I still could! – was one of my main hobbies,” he recalls. That mechanical inclination eventually led him to choose Concordia for his Bachelor of Engineering. “From all of the things I had heard about Concordia, I knew it was more of a hands-on engineering program,” he says. “That was really the path that led me here.”

That same path would guide him toward a career in industry that has now spanned more than two decades. By the end of his second year at Concordia, Girgis had started working closely with a few professors who had solid connections with the aerospace industry, particularly with Pratt &

hANDS-ON LEARNINGSAMI GIRGIS

BEnG ’89, MBA ’98

NEWS AND EvENTS

Homecoming 2011

Never ones to shy away from a good party, well over one hundred engineers and computer scientists attended Concordia’s 2011 Homecoming festivities with many alums enthusiastically gathering at events celebrating this year’s “keeping in touch” theme.

The day kicked off with a special “alumni at play” session, featuring a demonstration of a telescoping active suspension arm vehicle by undergraduate student Gavin Kenneally. Next it was time for a quick visit with professor Luis Rodrigues who showed how Concordia’s impressive flight simulator works.

Attendance swelled for the tour portion of the afternoon. The tour included part of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the basement

of the EV Building, first to see the vibrations laboratory, and then for a visit with professor Suong Van Hoa in his structures lab.

In the Henry F. Hall Building, engineer-in-residence Dominic Ng gave the group an in-depth look at the engineering design and manufacturing lab, as well as the newly renovated facilities for the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Alumna Shun-Hui Yang from the Class of ’91 said that, “The school facilities have changed so much that it makes me want to go back to school all over again!”

All that touring made alumni work up a thirst, which was quenched at the evening’s reunion cocktail party. Former

students joined professors in raising a glass to the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science as they mingled, making new friends and reuniting with old ones.

One of the evening’s highlights was the speech by alumnus Denis Kefallinos. He said the evening’s goal was simple, “To honor the connection we all have for this institution, which has made the many experiences we’ve enjoyed possible.”

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To learn more about upcoming events organized by the Engineering and Computer

Science Alumni Chapter, visit alumni.concordia.ca/chapters/faculty/ec/

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Phot

os c

ourt

esy

IPI

Frosh 2011

The Engineering and Computer Science Students Association (ECA) welcomed newly admitted undergraduate students with their yearly “frosh” festivities in September. New students learned the lay of the land while making new friends and getting to know Montreal. It was the perfect start to the academic year! Here are some of the highlights…

Bowling and Pool @ Sharx

Students had the chance to unwind at the end of the day while becoming acquainted with fellow students during friendly pool and bowling tournaments at Sharx.

Amazing Race

Newly admitted students were introduced to the Concordia campus through a special challenge known as the “Amazing Race.” Students were given clues as to where to find certain objects as they navigated through Concordia buildings. They were informed of the many services offered within the university’s infrastructure. Every clue was placed at a station where the new students performed activities to gain points and find out the next clue.

Barbecue

This year’s barbecue was one of the largest events hosted by the ECA. Senior undergraduate students were encouraged to mingle with the froshies to pass on their wisdom over free burgers and hot dogs. It proved to be a great way for people to meet throughout the Faculty of Engineering!

Wine and Cheese

What could be more relaxing than smooth jazz with a glass of wine? After a tough first week of classes, students were encouraged to tell the ECA what their experience was like. At this event, students from different years had a chance to unwind, mingle and make new friends before preparing for the following week.

Inter-faculty Boat Cruise

The ECA and other associations joined together with CASA for an inter-faculty boat cruise. Students were able to meet with people from various faculties. It gave them a chance to broaden their horizons by socializing with students with different interests and backgrounds while touring the waters of the Old Port of Montreal.

To learn more about upcoming events being organized by the ECA, visit ecaconcordia.ca.

Space Concordia – another eCA newbie

Space Concordia is the newest member group of Concordia’s Engineering and Computer Science Association. The dynamic organization is made up of Engineering students who want to learn the techniques and processes of astronautical engineering. Their faculty advisor is Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Scott Gleason, whose more than 15 years of experience designing satellites has included work for NASA. To learn more about Space Concordia, visit spaceconcordia.ca.

Faculty Promotions Congratulations to the following faculty members on their recent promotions:

tenure

CIISEDrs. J. Bentahar, N. Bouguila, Lingyu Wang

ECE Drs. hamou-Lhadj, M. Z. Kabir, S. Williamson

CESDr. D. Dysart-Gale

MIEDr. L. Kadem

early promotion to associate professor

MIEDr. hoi Dick Ng

Promotion to professor

CIISEDrs. A. hammad, A. youssef

CSEDrs. T. Fancott, h. harutyunyan

MIEDrs. J. Dargahi, K. Demirli, G. Gouw, R. Sedaghati

ECEDrs. A. Agarwal, A. Ghrayeb, R. Raut, C. Wang

The annual research awards of Concordia’s Office of the Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, were held in early September. Our Faculty was front and centre! Ted Stathopoulos, professor with the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, was presented with a Concordia University Research Award in the established section of the Technology, Industry and Environment category. Zhigang Tian, assistant professor with the Concordia Institute of Information Systems Engineering, received a Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award.

Faculty members receive research awards

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Left to right: Prof. Ted Stathopoulos, Dean Robin Drew and Asst. Prof. Zhigang Tian

Accolades for Stathopoulos

For Ted Stathopoulos, professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, this summer has been a season filled with recognition of his success. In June, he received an honorary doctorate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. In July, he received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Dutch-Flemish Wind Engineering Association. In addition, The Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, which Thessaloniki has edited since 2005, increased its readership impact/subscription base by 50 per cent.

Building engineering doctoral candidates shine!Diane Bastien won the Prix Acfas — Ressources naturelles 2011 from the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas). She specializes in solar energy and is currently working to introduce new policies facilitating the integration of solar energy in buildings throughout the province.

Caroline Hachem was the only Canadian awarded a grant-in-aid from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers in 2011. She is studying the effects of a building’s shape, site layout and orientation on the design of net-zero energy solar neighbourhoods.

hoa honoured by the Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal

The ambassador’s Club of the société du Palais des congrès de Montréal has awarded dr. suong Van Hoa the title of ambassador by appointment, as well as the agora Trophy, to show its appreciation for his active and essential support. Thanks to dr. Hoa, the 19th international Conference on Composite Materials will be held at the Palais des congrès in July 2013, bringing thousands of experts on composites to Montreal.

CSE professor presented with honorary awardEusebius doedel, professor in the department of Computer science and software Engineering, received an honorary award from the american society of Mechanical Engineers in recognition of his significant contributions to computational dynamics. The award was officially presented at the 8th asME international Conference on Multi-body systems, nonlinear dynamics and Control.

honours from IEEE

over the past months, members of the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have received several important accolades from iEEE, the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology.

Professor Mojtaba Kahrizi was made a senior member of the iEEE in recognition of his contributions to the field of Electrical Engineering. His ECE colleagues, professor Pragasen Pillay and assistant professor sheldon williamson, were also honoured by the iEEE by being selected as distinguished lecturers, a designation that recognizes their commitment to sharing their knowledge and insights with others.

Most recently, associate professor amir aghdam was named President-Elect of iEEE Canada. He has been an active member of the association for nearly a decade and is currently the editor-in-chief of the iEEE Canadian review magazine.

Undergraduates receive prestigious Killam Fellowships

in early october, undergraduates stephen Birarda and Maude Chalin became Concordia’s latest Killam Fellows, having received the prestigious awards to pursue their studies in the United states. stephen, a CsE student, will head to san Francisco state University, where he plans to study web design and development. Meanwhile, Maude - who is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in BCEE - will take her fellowship to Kansas state University, where she’ll study architectural engineering. out of the 16 Canadian institutions that can count Killam Fellows among their ranks this year, Concordia is the only university to boast two awardees...and EnCs is the only Faculty therein!