Fresh off of finishing with a first place and two second place showings at the Ontario Engineering Competition, Engsoc Student Teams from Smith Engineering will be actively competing in the national Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) at Dalhousie University in Halifax for the week of March 4-11th that is hosted annually by the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) and a different member school.
The representation from Smith Engineering is the strongest representation from our engineering students since two Engsoc student teams qualified for the CEC competition in 2023. This year’s Engsoc and Smith Engineering presence at CEC includes 10 students represented on three teams in the categories of Junior Design, Programming and Parliamentary Debate. That is the best representation on record since 2017.
“The strong performance of the Smith Engineering teams at this year’s Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) was spectacular,” said Ethan Powell, Director of External Relations for the Queen’s Engineering Society. “For me the defining characteristics of our success was the common themes of collaboration and cumulative experience that helped all three teams achieve such strong results.”
Powell noted that a collaborative, real world learning experiences and the benefit of was a characteristic shared by the Mech and Robotics teams that took first place for Junior Design and the Programing team from Computer Engineering that finished second in the Ontario competition. In addition, he felt that the year over year experience of working dynamically within Engsoc and in competitions really helped the Parliamentary Debate team garner second place standing at the OEC competition.
Kevin Deluzio, Dean of Smith Engineering is particularly proud of the strong showing that the Engsoc teams have made this year at OEC and is excited about what lies ahead for these teams at CEC in March.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to compete alongside their peers from across the country,” said Deluzio. “I am gratified to see that the learning environment we are fostering at Smith Engineering—one that emphasizes collaborative learning and real-world problem-solving—is paying dividends in how our students are perceived by their counterparts across Canada. This is tangible proof of why Smith Engineering is a global leader and how we are preparing our students with the engineering skills needed to tackle society’s grand challenges”
The Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) is an annual student-run, three-day competition that brings together more than 300 of the province’s brightest students. Competitors demonstrate their engineering skills in a competitive environment, while also developing meaningful relationships with their peers. Over the past 46 years, the competition has grown to become one of the largest and highly anticipated engineering competitions in Canada.
For a team to qualify for OEC, they must win their respective university's qualifier competition. Teams are composed of 2-4 delegates, and there are nine available categories from which to compete: Junior and Senior Design, Programming, Debate, Re-Engineering, Consulting, Communications, Innovative Design, and Bio- Engineering. These categories test delegates' innovation, problem-solving, and leadership skills - all key qualities of a successful and well-rounded engineer. The highest performing teams from OEC then move on to represent Ontario at the Canadian Engineering Competition.