BUILD IT: Karina Sapelnikova has launched the inaugural Aero-Day. Come out on October 5 to find out about careers in aerospace!
(EDMONTON) The idea came to Karina Sapelnikova, a fifth-year mechanical (co-op) engineering student, earlier this year while she was attending a conference in Toronto. The conference, put on by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI), was called AERO'17 and it gave Sapelnikova a real taste for careers in aerospace. She left Toronto wanting more events like it in Western Canada.
"The University of Alberta has an excellent mechanical engineering program and other programs that could lead directly to careers in aerospace," she said. "I wanted there to be better opportunities and awareness for students on campus who are interested in the field to connect with each other and with experts, here and elsewhere in Canada."
So, following the adage "if you build it they will come," Sapelnikova has decided to stage the University of Alberta's first Aero-Day, a networking event with three speakers, on Thursday, October 5, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. in the ETLC Solarium. "It's for any student who shares a passion for aviation and space," she said.
From 12 to 2 p.m. there will be a kind of open house for students to meet project groups and attend Research Expo, learning about new research opportunities applicable to aeronautics and space.
Following that, at 2 p.m., Michele Faragalli will deliver a lecture via Skype about his career in aerospace and his startup, called Mission Control Space Services. Next up, at 4 p.m., University of Alberta engineering alumnus Parham Zabeti, a senior development engineer at Pratt and Whitney, will talk about his career, building and testing engines.
At 5 p.m., the keynote will be delivered by special guest Capt. M. Siu. An engineer and member of the Canadian Armed Forces stationed in Cold Lake, Capt. Siu will talk about what an engineer doesn't learn in school. She will call on her experiences and challenges working on experimental projects with military helicopters and fighter jets. Some of her notable projects include: maritime on-ship helicopter landings in worst-case weather conditions; developing a new type of flare for tactical helicopters as an infra-red countermeasure; and outfitting a fighter jet with a new high-speed camera for operations.
Then Sapelnikova's real work begins. "Following this event, I will be launching a new club," she says, "The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute student branch." Aside from new members, she's looking for other students to take leadership roles, too.
Sapelnikova says all Aero-Day events are free, but participants should register in advance so she knows how many people to expect. She urges students to connect with Aero-Day on Facebook.
SCHEDULE:
12 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Project Group, Clubs and Research Expo
2 p.m: Michele Faragalli SPACE TALK; Mission Control Space Services startup
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.: U of A alumnus Parham Zabeti; senior development engineer, Pratt and Whitney
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: "What an engineer isn't taught in school" Keynote. (Captain MM. Siu, MSc, PEng)