The Rack - Fall 2020

Price : Lakehead Engineering Student Newspaper Issue: Fall 2020
Date: November 2020
Victoria Carlyle
The Duckling Program
2020-2021 is the very first year of the Lakehead Engineering Students
Society Duckling Program! The duckling program is a peer mentoring program
that matches incoming first years with upper year engineering students.
The goal of the duckling program is for upper year students to be able
to mentor their ducklings socially, professionally, and academically! The
transition to university is not an easy one. The transition to university amidst
a global pandemic seems nearly insurmountable. It is our hope that having a
parent-duck to look up to and ask questions helped ease the transition for a lot
of our incoming first years!
My name is Victoria Carlyle and I am this year’s VP Social for the
Lakehead Engineering Society. I piloted the duckling program because of one
of my greatest role models, Brianne Walford. Just last year, I was a first-year
student. I am all too familiar with the stress that comes from being thrust into
the world of university. I distinctly remember sitting in the Lakehead Faculty
of Engineering and watching the student panel. Everyone wants you to get involved
in things, and warns you to go to class. They tell you a little bit about
ESS and the discipline societies and send you on your way.
I found, especially as a first year living in residence, the transition was
lonely. Profs are scary, classes are hard and reaching out to anyone can seem
terrifying. Fortunately, I decided that applying for the FYIC (First Year Integration
Conference) was exactly what I needed to make friends and learn
more about how to get involved in engineering. I successfully interviewed for
Brianne, and then was fortunate enough to attend this conference with her in
Toronto. Following the conference, Bri completely took me under her wing.
(Haha pun intended… Duck… Wing… Get it?)
I became her ‘duckling’. Brianne was also fortunate enough to have a
mother duck in her younger years. Julie Hauth had similarly adopted Brianne,
and given everything Julie had helped her accomplish, it seemed only fair to
pay it forward and carry on the tradition.
She introduced me to all of her upper year friends, helped me when I
was confused in classes, and supported me as I became more involved with
the ESS. More importantly, she made me feel valued. I was about as small
and froshling-y as they come, and yet I had a network of upper year students
that cared about me and my successes! My relationship with Brianne was
such an asset to me, that I felt this was something every incoming first year
should have.
Obviously the duckling program is far from perfect. It is my hope that in
the next few years I will be able to fine-tune it and give Lakehead ESS something
really valuable to continue.
Engineering is hard. We all know that. But engineering is a lot harder
when you have to go through it alone. Here’s to hopefully many years of students
supporting students. Thank you for your interest and participation in the
duckling program.
Brianne Walford and Victoria Carlyle at
FYIC 2019
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A Look Inside
Page 1: The Duckling Program
Page 2: What’s inside?
Page 3: Some of our sponsors
Page 4: Who are we?
Page 5: Online Frosh
Page 6: Where can I meet other Engineering students?
Page 7: Duckling Information!
Page 8: Getting Involved
Page 9: Engineering At Home!!
Page 10: Covies in the (Socially-Distanced) Community
Page 11: Engineers A-Z
Page 12: Memes (because why not?)
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The 2020/21 Executive
President: Spencer Cameron
VP External: Garret Hoegi
VP Internal: Idoko Ameh
VP Social: Victoria Carlyle
VP Publications: Kayla Huneau
Where can you find us?
Instagram: LakeheadESS
Facebook: LakeheadESS
Twitter: LakeheadESS
Website: ess.lusu.ca
Email: ess@lakeheadu.ca
Issue Contributors
Kayla Huneau, Victoria Carlyle, Idoko Ameh, Luke
Lore-Spacek, Holden Wasner, Mark Reckzin, Alex
Wilcox
Rack Editor: Stephen Vasilopoulos
Are you interested in volunteering for ESS?
Did you have an idea for an event you want
to see this year?
Email esssoci@lakeheadu.ca
The ESS
The Engineering Student Society (ESS) of
Lakehead University is an organization that
collaborates with students, professors and industry
professionals to enhance the quality of
students’ education experience at LU. The
purpose of our organization is:
• To publicly promote the science of engineering
and the knowledge of its membership
in connection with all facets of engineering.
• To promote and support educational, social
and athletic events
• To provide information to the membership
regarding all professional engineering organizations
• To promote the history and traditions of the
profession of engineering
• To hold and attend conferences, meetings
and exhibitions for the discussion of engineering
problems and the exchange of
views in matters related to engineering
• To maintain and uphold the objectives of
the ESS and to constantly encourage membership
participation in ESS endeavours.
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Victoria Carlyle
First Ever Online Frosh
Luke Loree-Spacek
Froshling Experience
September 12-13th, 2020 the Lakehead Engineering
Students Society held our first ever online Frosh
event! The event consisted of mostly online events with
the option to drop-in to campus to meet the executives,
pick up your complimentary frosh kit and attend coverall
and merchandise sales. The online aspect of the event
allowed us the unique opportunity to connect with students
we wouldn’t otherwise get to meet! A special
shoutout is in order to our Georgian partnership students
for being phenomenal at Frosh and excited for the year
to come! People from all over Ontario turned out for
online sessions, games, and shenanigans. It was a great
way to be introduced to fellow first year students, given
the unique circumstances of this academic year. Highlights
of the weekend include: wikiracing, engineering
memes, a virtual information session from our friends at
PEO, a keynote ‘Engineering Traditions and Culture’
presentation from our former executive member Brianne
Walford, and a free calculus textbook giveaway to the
winner of our completely virtual scavENG! A special
thanks to the executives that came together to make this
event happen and an even BIGGER thank you to the incoming
engineering students who took a chance on a truly
unique way of getting to know each other! I hope to
see you guys at our online events planned for the remainder
of the semester!
Frosh 2020 was tons of fun regardless of being online.
Loaded with activities like wiki-racing, meme competitions,
scavENG, and some great presentations from
both the ESS executives, and the PEO. It gave me an
opportunity to make some great connections with my
fellow first year, as well as a few upper year students.
Frosh gave us all some great insight as to what it is like
as an engineering student at Lakehead both in and out
of classes. We learned about the different discipline societies
and were given the opportunity to join them as
well as sign up for some coming events like the annual
CSME golf tournament. We got to learn about the many
traditions upheld by engineers, as well as the rivalries
between a few different programs. My most memorable
moment from the Frosh activities were looking over
some of the engineering memes that we made. On top
of all this we even got a presentation from the PEO who
were able to give us an understanding of what careers in
the engineering industry look like after graduation.
Overall, I found this to be a very fun and informative
weekend. This event definitely made my transition into
engineering at Lakehead much more comfortable.
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Be sure to keep up to date with ESS
social media and check your emails for
upcoming events and opportunities!
Engineering Clubs on Campus
If you haven’t checked out some of these amazing
groups, you should do so ASAP—the skills you learn are
all about what you put into it, not what you pay into it!
Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME)
Canadian Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE)
Lakehead Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE)
Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers (CSChE)
Lakehead Racing
(LUFSAE)
How to make friends in engineering
• If you think you are awkward, I assure you we all
are. Words are hard, Numbers easy. That’s why we
chose engineering, am I right?
• Private message someone on Zoom, I actually know
many people who made friends and study groups
this way.
• Come to a COVID-friendly ESS event.
• That’s all I’ve got, I’m not good at it either.
Engineering Discord
Holden Wasner, Mark Reckzin, Alex Wilcox
Hello Engineering Undergraduate Students!
With all courses being delivered online we know it
might be difficult to find a place to socialize and study
with others. The Lakehead Engineering Discord Server
already has over 500 members and is a great way to meet
and collaborate with your classmates. The server is organized
with channels for each coursework, general discipline
specific concerns, engineering discussion, videogame
prowess, and of course… memes! Join us on Fridays
to play Among Us and try to find the imposter(s)
among us. Stay up to date with the latest news from ESS
and CSME with their announcement channels.
Discord is user-friendly, and in addition to the text
chat it also allows you to have private and group chats
and calls, message others, and screen share when you
need to explain something. With several voice and text
chat rooms it is a great space to study, socialize, and
meet new people. There is an individual chat room for
each engineering class and room for electives to be added
along the way! If you are ever having technical issues
you can get help or reassurance that you are in the correct
Zoom meeting and it’s not just you waiting for the
professor to show up. The admins are always open to
suggestions on how to improve your experience with the
server.
There is an application for Windows, Android, Apple/IOS,
Linux, and a version for your browser. Join us
at https://discord.gg/wfD4erF
-Holden “WurstKaiser” Wasner, Mark “PrimeRib101”
Reckzin, Alex Wilcox
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Duckling Frequently Asked Questions
Various Ducks and Ducklings
Do professors actually use the textbooks?
It depends… Always be prepared and know where
to access and purchase the book before the course starts,
however wait to buy it! Usually after the first few classes
the professor will let you know how little or often they
use the textbook and whether or not it is worth it to buy.
What are tips for success?
Stay on top of your work! Yes, the workload is
something to adjust to definitely, but if you stay on top
of it, it is manageable. Take advantage of midterms!
Midterm season is stressful for sure but make sure to be
prepared and ask questions if you are unsure of something
most professors are very approachable and helpful.
Midterms can be a good way to prepare for exam layout
and what to expect while also ensuring you have a grade
you're happy with when walking into the exam. (Don’t
stress out if you do poorly though, it’s a learning experience)
Be efficient! The program can be heavy at times,
make sure you have allotted time for your work and
yourself.
How to deal with burnout?
Always, always, always, make time for yourself! It
can be difficult to juggle multiple things at once, so always
make sure no matter how much homework you
have or reports are due, at the end of the day you have
time for yourself. Whether it’s going out at the end of the
week once all of your assignments are done, or spending
a day to yourself, make the time! It makes all the difference!
Your education is important, but you are too.
Where can I find the exam schedule and drop dates?
The exam schedule can be found under “Exams” on
your “MyInfo” and it will tell you when and where you
have to be for the exam. Drop dates and other important
dates can be found on Lakehead’s Academic Calendar on
the website.
Are covies worth buying?
Yes!!
How many courses is too many to take a semester?
The average we take is six a semester, sometimes
more sometimes less. It all depends on how much you
know you can handle. Usually best to wait until after at
least one semester to take on any more.
Extra Study Tips
• If you are having trouble staying focussed in class,
especially online, try to focus on the material for
that class at least. Maybe go over notes, learn new
material, or generate some questions you may
have.
• Make sure you have an organized, designated
study space where you can easily focus.
• Make sure to take breaks.
• Find a good study group, people who you are in
the same program or courses as.
• Practice the past exams available on D2L.
• Go over past midterms, quizzes, tests, and
assignments, see where you went wrong and how
to improve.
• Make sure you understand, not just memorize.
• Stay on top of your work and make a plan to get it
done.
• Seek help from the professor and use your textbook
effectively.
• Have good time management so you have time for
yourself, friends, and family.
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Getting Involved!!
Troitsky Competition 2021-Concordia University
Stephen Vasilopoulos
Each year Concordia University in Montreal hosts a
popsicle stick, dental floss and glue bridge building competition.
The competition is open to all engineering students
at Canadian colleges and universities in teams of
up to 6 people. Students are challenged with designing
and building their own bridges under strict criteria with
the main goal being achieving the highest ultimate load
capacity and load-to-weight efficiency. In 2019, the winning
team’s bridge, weighing approximately 5kg, held up
more than 4000 kg in weight applied by a hydraulic
press – without breaking! Traditionally, contestants from
across the country meet in Montreal in March of every
year for the 3-day competition over a weekend. This
year, the in-person component is tentatively scheduled
for summer 2021.
If this sounds interesting to you, consider registering
for the 2021 competition, with a (very fun) in- person
trip to Montreal in summer 2021 (pandemic friendly accommodations).
Registration is open now until December
23, 2020.
For more information visit www.troitsky.ca or
https://www.facebook.com/troitsky.official/
Places to Check Out
Engineers Without Borders-Lakehead
Chapter
ewb.ca
lakeheaduniversity@ewb.ca
PEO-Lakehead Chapter
lakehead.peo.on.ca
peonro@lakeheadu.ca
OACETT-Thunder Bay Chapter
www.oacett.org/
www.facebook.com/ThunderBayOACETT
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Learning Outside of the Classroom– At Home
Engineering Project
Stephen Vasilopoulos
Kyle Zobell, a 3 rd year Civil Engineering student decided
he would try his hand at plating household metals
at home. After all, what better to do with this extra time
at home! His process was this:
• Set up 2 baths of pure vinegar and salt
• Use a 12-volt battery with a nickel anode and cathode
as a catalyst in the process
• In the first solution, ‘cleanse’ metals by reverseplating
it by connecting a piece of sacrificial stainless
steel
• Then, take the cleansed metal and submerge it in the
second bath along with the plating metal, in this
case, Nickel
• Wait, and watch the magic happen!
• Et voila! You can now plate every metal in your
home nickel.
• Rinse and repeat for any metal objects you’d like to
try (coins, cuterly, eyeglass frames, etc.)
Not only was this project a great pass-time, it is
something unique to learn, and a great story to share with
your friends and the community!
If these types of projects interest you, try
one yourself and submit your engineeringesque
home project to ESS! Send your results
into ESS at esspub@lakeheadu.ca for a chance
to be featured in future releases of The Rack!
Fresh out of creativity? Here are some ideas to get
you started:
• Rube Goldberg Machine
• Build your own phone charger
• Make your own hand-crank rechargeable flashlight
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Covies in the Socially Distanced Community
Due to current events, we have not been able to hold events… :(
Here’s some social distanced Covies in the Community
Cannon Committee: Brianne Walford and Luke Loree-Spacek
Peter Van Arkel so proudly waving the Blue team flag at Frosh
VP Social and VP Publication: Victoria Carlyle and Kayla Huneau
Online Frosh (also featured on the ESS Instagram)
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Across
3. Design and build tunnels and bridges
6. Work in processing of oil reserves
8. Work on exploration
10. Insulate houses and buildings
13. Deal with movements humans make
16. Design electrical wires and poles
17. Design phones and how they transmit data to each other
20. They use the principles of math and science to design mechanical
products
21. Supervise lighting manufacturing
24. Oversees water quality and sewage treatment
25. Makes planes and spacecrafts
26. Design X-Ray machines
Down
1. Make anti-lock brakes for cars
2. Advances in technology and health
4. Maintain design of software systems
5. Design animal habitats
7. Make food processing machines
9. Design Nuclear power plants
11. Design components of railroads
12. Responsible for making sure utilities are available
14. Studies DNA
15. Makes medicine for animals
18. Test the stress point of materials
19. Design highways and traffic flow
22. Quality control
23. Make jet engines
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Featuring some of the Froshling’s memes
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