November 2026 engineering newsletter

Here is your monthly dose of my Canadian engineering news created for licensed and aspiring engineers, geoscientists and technicians in Canada.

Engineers Making Headlines

Suraj Persaud, a Materials Science and Engineering researcher at McMaster University whose work focuses on corrosion control in nuclear systems — a critical factor in extending the operational life and safety of Canada’s nuclear power infrastructure. His research directly supports Canada’s growing reliance on nuclear energy by helping ensure reactor materials remain safe and reliable over decades of use, and it ties into McMaster’s broader nuclear engineering initiatives, including the university’s new Candu Core design studio.
Maeesha Biswas, a BMO National Scholar, transformed a capstone engineering project into Chatforce, an AI startup with global ambitions. The BMO National Scholarship recognizes students who pair strong academic achievement with leadership and community impact, and Biswas’s path from classroom design project to founder of an active AI venture exemplifies how young Canadian engineers are turning coursework into real, scalable technology companies.

Crowdfunding Engineering/Technology Campaigns

Preion: Early Warning for Lithium Battery Fires, a safety device designed to sit next to lithium-powered equipment like e-bikes, scooters, or power stations. It detects failure gases emitted before a battery fire produces visible smoke and sends an alert to the user’s phone. This places it squarely in applied sensor engineering, requiring gas-sensing hardware, signal processing to distinguish failure signatures from normal off-gassing, and reliable wireless alerting.
Polarplot: 3D Printable Arduino Scara CNC Plotter DIY is a DIY SCARA-style plotter built around an Arduino controller and 3D-printed components. It lets builders draw with a pen or experiment with laser engraving, making it a hands-on project that spans mechanical design, motion control, and embedded electronics. The open-build approach and printable parts let makers study the arm geometry, calibrate motion paths, and customize the toolhead for different applications. It’s a solid example of accessible robotics engineering for hobbyists wanting to learn CNC and SCARA kinematics firsthand.

Aurora 03-MEMS +1DD +3BA Tribrid In-Ear Monitors is an in-ear monitor built around a tribrid driver architecture combining a MEMS solid-state driver, a dynamic driver, and three balanced armature drivers within a single acoustic shell. The shell itself is produced using precision 3D printing to achieve a complex internal acoustic chamber geometry that would be difficult to manufacture with traditional moulding. This is a strong example of applied acoustic engineering and advanced fabrication techniques pushing consumer audio hardware performance.

Association News

Here are the news links to every Canadian Association. If there is anything beyond the standard stuff (elections, new appointments, upcoming events), I’ll try to list them below.

Engineer’s Canada – Applying an Indigenous cultural safety lens in the engineering profession

Career: Working Smarter & Job Hunting Help

Changing direction in your engineering career — whether switching specialties, moving between industries, or leaving engineering altogether — is hard, but the key skill is manufacturing concrete evidence of your new capabilities before you ever apply. Building proof-of-work through free or low-cost projects in your target field gives you tangible evidence to show a hiring manager, rather than relying on a resume alone. Niche online communities like LinkedIn groups, Reddit, and Facebook groups help you learn the jargon and norms of a new field before interviewing, since career change is increasingly a constant rather than a one-time event even for people who stay in software engineering. Read more here.

TED Talks Expand

In this TED talk, Ning Zhao breaks down the engineering principles behind magnetic levitation trains, explaining how electromagnetism allows these trains to float above the tracks and travel at extremely high speeds without traditional wheels. It explores the physics of magnetic repulsion and propulsion that make maglev systems possible, along with the engineering challenges of building and maintaining such infrastructure. The talk highlights how this technology could reshape the future of high-speed transportation.
In this TED talk, engineer and entrepreneur Felix Brooks-church describes the design and development of a manufacturing machine created to address global malnutrition at scale. He walks through the engineering problem-solving process behind building reliable, efficient equipment capable of producing life-saving nutritional products for millions of people in need. The talk illustrates how practical mechanical engineering and inventive design can be applied directly to humanitarian challenges.

Quote To Ponder

“Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.”

-James A. Michener

Thanks for reading, and have a great month!

Gavin Simone, P.Eng. (AB), LEED AP

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