News archive for October 2011

Staff and faculty members from across Concordia's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science gathered together over their lunch hour afternoon to celebrate Halloween. While most came "disguised" as administrators, technicians, or professors, at least one Dr. Indiana Jones was spotted in the crowd.



A lavish Halloween lunch spread gave attendees the chance to mingle and snack. But the star attraction was by far the inedible pumpkin display. The giant orange gourds were carved with care by staff members and professors from across the faculty. A feather-boaed entry from the Centre for Engineering in Society, a pattie-stuffed pumpkin-burger from the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Michael Jackson-inspired pumpkin from the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering were just a few of the highlights.

The Faculty's Associate Deans and Department Chairs were named Official Pumpkin Judges and took their duties very seriously, judging each entry on several criteria. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering took the first place prize for their creative Pumpkinmobile hot rod, while the BCEE pumpkin-burger took second place.

Congratulations to all participants and happy Halloween!

Concordia held its annual Open House on Saturday, October 22, and representatives from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science were on hand throughout the day to talk to potential new students, as well as their parents and guardians.



Members of the Student Academic Services team counseled countless future Concordians, responding to questions ranging from "what program is right for me," to "what kind of career can I expect to land with a bachelor's in engineering?"

Faculty members were also front and centre, giving future students a better idea of what they could expect from their professors, as well as from the university. Professor Mourad Debbabi from the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, stepped into the spotlight for the Faculty Showcase, organized by the university's alumni relations unit. He gave a fascinating lecture on the subject of cyber security, convincing his audience of the real threat that is cyberterrorism, while providing helpful tips on how to fend off hackers.

All in all, it was a great day that will hopefully result in many future students electing to choose Concordia!

Gina Cody has again been named to Profit Magazine's W100, as one of Canada's Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs. She was No. 11 on the 2011 list. Dr. Cody is President of Construction Control Inc., a firm of consulting engineers and building scientists.

Dr. Cody obtained her undergraduate degree in Structural Engineering in Iran and her master's degree and doctorate in Building Engineering at Concordia. She is Past President of the Canadian Condominium Institute, Toronto and Area Chapter, and has been honoured with a fellowship award for her contributions to the industry.

Dr. Ahmed Kishk, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was one of seven Concordia University professors to have received new funding to advance research from the federal government's Canada Research Chairs program. Following the recommendation of a peer committee, Chairs were awarded to the select group of Concordia professors who are considered leaders in their field. The announcement was made at Concordia in the presence of Senator Larry Smith and Chad Gaffield, president of the the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and head of the Canada Research Chairs Program Steering Committee.

Kishk received his Canada Research Chair in Advanced Antenna Systems (Tier 1). His goal is to develop miniaturized antennas for smart phones that cover multiple frequency bands and can harvest solar energy to recharge batteries. He'll also investigate how to produce affordable, anti-collision radars for vehicles and microwave sensors for biomedical applications in cancer detection.

For each Tier 1 Chair, the university receives $200,000 annually for seven years. Professors granted a Canada Research Chair were also eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The CFI awarded a total of almost $2 million for the new chairs to acquire the latest equipment for their research -- an amount matched by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec. A further $500,000 was provided through in-kind support from equipment suppliers.

Stephen Birarda and Maude Chalin have just become Concordia's latest Killam Fellows, having received the prestigious awards to pursue their studies in the United States.

Birarda, a student in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, will head to San Francisco State University for the 2011-2012 academic year. While there, he plans to study web design and development while learning new ways to develop dynamic websites using various web programming languages and database systems.  

Meanwhile, Chalin - who is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering - will take her fellowship to Kansas State University for the 2011 fall semester. During her time there, she will study architectural engineering, combining both the internal functioning of structures with the aesthetic design.

"It gives me great pleasure to congratulate both Stephen Birarda and Maude Chalin on their achievements and on being selected as Killam Fellows," says Dr. Michael Hawes, Executive Director of the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America. Both students "recognize the cultural value of this program as well as its academic uses and are just the kind of Fellows we hope for."

Robin Drew, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, echoes the sentiments expressed by Dr. Hawes, noting that he is "particularly proud of these two outstanding individuals. It is a great tribute for the Faculty!"

Out of the 16 Canadian institutions who can count Killam Fellows among their ranks this year, Concordia is the only university to boast two awardees. A warm congratulations to both!


About the Killam Fellowships Program
The Killam Fellowships Program provides exceptional undergraduate students from select universities in Canada and the United States with the opportunity to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in the other country. The program is administered by the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America, a joint, bi-national, treaty-based organization created to encourage mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America through academic and cultural exchange. The Foundation is also responsible for administering the prestigious Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program which is supported by the Canadian Government, through Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, by the United States Government, through the U.S. Department of State, and by a diverse group of corporate sponsors, charitable trusts, and university partners.

The Killam Fellowships Program is now accepting applications for its 10th anniversary year. This program is generously supported by the American Killam Trusts and is a major initiative in their multifaceted efforts to foster mutual understanding between the citizens of Canada and those of the United States.

Congratulations to Suong Van Hoa, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, who was presented with the ASC/DEStech award in Composites by the American Society for Composites. The award was granded to Hoa in recognition of his significant impact on the development of composite materials through applied research, practice, education, service, advocacy, and leadership.

The award was presented on September 27, during the 26th ASC Annual Technical Conference (the Second Joint US-Canada Conference on Composites), which was held in Montreal from September 26- 28, 2011. The conference marked the continuing effort in collaborative research between the two countries and was jointly sponsored by the American Society for Composites and the Canadian Association for Composite Structures and Materials.

The American Society for Composites is an all-volunteer group of dedicated professionals in academia, industry, national laboratories, and federal agencies.The society's mission is to provide a communication forum for the engineering and scientific community in composite materials; to expedite the growth of knowledge gained from inter-disciplinary engineering and scientific research in composite materials; and to promote the exploitation of the unique properties of composite materials in emerging applications. For more on the ASC, visit their official website.