ECA hosts national student congress
Engineering students from across the country at their annual congress’ opening banquet on Jan. 3. The event addresses common issues.
photo by Kate Hutchinson
The Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA) hosted more than 250 engineering students from across the country Jan. 2-8 for the 39th annual Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) Congress.
The event combined keynotes and workshop sessions with social events and tours of Montreal-area engineering organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency.
According to lead organizer George Papadakis (Mechanical Engineering, 2005), the congress is designed to support student governments in meeting the needs of their constituents. Sessions focus on ideas such as mentoring, fundraising, team building, and handbook development, as well as issues such as academic integrity, climate change and the future of the profession.
Concordia President Claude Lajeunesse, an engineer himself, welcomed delegates to Montreal at the opening banquet on Jan. 3. Other speakers included Marie Lemay, President of the Canadian Council for Professional Engineers, Nabil Esmail, Dean of Engineering and Computer Science, and Zaki Ghavitian, President of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.
Echoing the university’s former catch-phrase, this year’s CFES theme was “Real Engineering for the Real World.” Papadakis explained, “No matter what your pregraduation plans might be, the world has a way of changing things — you have to be flexible. We want all the delegates to leave feeling motivated, and with an understanding that an engineering degree gives them the flexibility to do just about anything.”
He would know. Since graduating Papadakis has worked full-time converting a building into a manufacturing plant for Outremont’s artisanal ice cream makers, Bilboquet, while organizing the congress with Connie Tedesco (Mechanical Engineering, 2005), and undergraduates Carolina Manterole, Kirk Papagiannakis and Peter Maroulis. “It’s been a wonderful experience, with a really supportive team.”
At the emotional closing ceremonies, Papadakis and his team received the Congress Cup which was inscribed, “Success is when preparation and opportunity meet.” Charity Challenge Awards were also handed out to the delegation with the best record of supporting local charities over the last year. Winners were McGill University in Quebec, Queen’s University in Ontario, Dalhousie University in the Maritimes, and University of Saskatchewan in the West.