Nataliia Bon

Among 177 students from 13 membership societies across the Atlantic Provinces, Memorial University’s Engineering Faculty students got 2nd place and qualify for nationals - Stefan Rohm (Term 5) and Ruth Pepple (Term 3). They represented the Communication category, which required them to perform a 30-minute presentation on a technical topic - Unleashing Wind Energy Potential in Newfoundland and Labrador: Overcoming Barriers for Sustainable Progress.

Guys had been diligently preparing. “Practiced in school, at the airport during a layover and online at the hotel”, Ruth Pepple said. She also added the most challenging was trying to speak clearly with the right pacing between words. Stefan Rohm said there was a career fair that had lots of Atlantic Canada engineer employers, so it was a very rewarding networking event. Ruth and Stefan were very excited and they are going to practise together before going to next competition in Calgary, Alberta, in March.

Among 20 MUN students, Emily Pike and Anna Goldworthy, (Engineering One), performed very well in the debate category and got 3d place. Using the format of parliamentary debate, they were assigned to either defend or refute a previously undisclosed resolution. Girls debated for two rounds throughout the competition. The first round was Nuclear energy vs Tidal energy. The second round they argued sustainable transportation vs budget - friendly transportation. 

Unfortunately, their flight was canceled so they participated online. “It was even more exciting to win after having so many difficulties trying to travel to New Brunswick for the competition”, said Emily. They also added that adjusting to the virtual competition setting was initially the hardest part for them. “Overcoming this challenge was definitely a demonstration of our willingness to compete even when it wasn't how we had planned”, girls said.

Congratulations, guys! Great job!

The Atlantic Engineering Competition is an annual student-run competition that hosts students from all across Atlantic Canada. It began in 1983 and has since grown into one of the largest and most renowned engineering competitions in Canada.

The University of New Brunswick hosted this year’s competition in Fredericton, NB, from January 19^th-21^st. This year's competition theme was Rise with the Tides: Building a Better Atlantic Canada.