Here is your monthly dose of my Canadian engineering news created for licensed and aspiring engineers, geoscientists and technicians in Canada.
Engineers Making Headlines
Dr. Rachel Scholes, an environmental engineering researcher at the University of British Columbia, has received a $1 million Wall Fellowship from UBC’s Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. The prestigious award will support her research on protecting waterways from pollution and environmental degradation, advancing efforts to safeguard freshwater ecosystems and strengthen climate resilience and water security across Canada and beyond.
Christopher Lawson is an emerging engineering innovator at the University of Toronto whose work with SymBI Innovations is transforming organic waste into high-value bioproducts. Using a “self-driving lab” — an automated, AI-guided experimentation platform —Lawson and his team identify microorganisms that can efficiently break down waste and produce valuable materials, including a sustainable alternative to palm kernel oil, showing how engineering, automation, and machine learning can advance sustainability.
Crowdfunding Engineering/Technology Campaigns
- Tempest: Bridge your Memory Islands is an AI inference switch designed to connect up to 48 devices into a single local compute cluster for running large language models without per-token cloud fees. The project tackles complex hardware networking and systems engineering challenges, including memory pooling, low-latency routing, load balancing, and data locality across heterogeneous devices. By enabling consumer hardware to function as a unified inference cluster, Tempest reflects efforts to decentralize AI computing through purpose-built network hardware.
- LIVVOLT Electric Mini Jet Boat is a compact electric jet boat designed to handle like a go-kart, using electric jet propulsion rather than a traditional propeller drivetrain. Its low seating position and steering-wheel controls reflect deliberate ergonomic and handling choices, while the compact design presents engineering challenges involving battery placement, waterproofing, thrust efficiency, and weight distribution. The project combines marine engineering and electric vehicle technology in a niche application of EV powertrain concepts.
- Nexus 64X: The Next-Generation Intelligent Coffee Grinder combines a 64mm burr set with a 500W brushless DC motor and SmartDial motorized control for precise, repeatable grind settings. Its Smart Grind Guidance suggests an embedded control system that uses motor control and feedback to adjust or recommend burr positioning, presenting a notable mechatronics challenge. The anti-static, low-retention design and BrewPal screen further demonstrate integration of mechanical engineering, particle control, embedded systems, and user-interface technology in a compact consumer appliance.
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.
- APEGA News
- APEGS News – APEGS Seeking Chief Regulatory Officer
- ASET News – Public Member Update
- EGBC News – Four Registrants Elected to Board
- EGM News – 2026 By-law Proposals
- Engineers Nova Scotia News – APEGNB Issues Decision in Disciplinary Case
- Engineers PEI News – Proposed Changes to the Engineering Profession Act and the ByLaws
- NAPEG News
- PEGNL News
- PEO News
Engineer’s Canada – Q&A with Darlene Spracklin-Reid, Engineers Canada President
Career: Working Smarter & Job Hunting Help
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TED Talks Expand
In this TED talk, former NASA and Apple engineer Mark Rober explores how principles behind engaging, addictive experiences can be applied to make learning more enjoyable and effective. Drawing on his engineering background, he examines why traditional education can struggle to capture attention and how thoughtfully designed challenges, feedback loops, and curiosity can improve engagement.
In this TED talk, Kelly A. Boesch examines how artificial intelligence tools are reshaping creative and design workflows. Boesch argues that rather than displacing human designers and artists, AI can act as a collaborative instrument that expands creative possibility. The talk speaks directly to how design practice is evolving alongside emerging technology.
Quote To Ponder
“Scientists study the world as it is, engineers create the world that never has been.”
-Theodore von Kármán
