Ah, Spring is finally here and the harsh Saskatchewan Winter is behind us. Now that the province is in an overall good mood, itis a good time to reflect on the past semester of school.

2014 had an ambitious start when I traveled to Edmonton in January to compete in the Western Engineering Competition (WEC) Junior Design challenge. We were given a set of materials to “buy”, then design a system to complete the given challenge in a cost effective manner. It was a great experience for learning, building leadership, and also making contacts with new friends from across western Canada. How did we place in the competition you might ask? Oddly enough, I can’t seem to remember who finished first…

Upon returning from WEC and catching up on nearly a week of missed school work (somehow), I resumed my work with the Robotics Club. I have really enjoyed being a part of the club, and it has given me a better idea of where I want to go with my career. Initially I didn’t know the first thing about a microprocessor. By the end of the winter term, I had a complete design for my robot and now a month into summer I have my first fully functional robot (call me nerdy, but I am proud of it!).

As far as classes went, I did well and enjoyed them all very much, which made this year quite enjoyable. In particular, I enjoyed my digital electronics class above all others, which tied in quite nicely to my robotics design. Over the next two years, I decided to take classes in both power and energy, and digital signal processing and applications. From there, only my imagination is the limit.

This summer I am working as a research assistant here at the U of S in the Numerical Simulation Laboratory. I am working on a number of projects, one of which involves creating a digital model of the Resistivity Method used in Geophysics, and investigating different errors associated with the method. Also this summer I am playing on a slow pitch team, I am taking a six week night class, and I am registered to compete in the Spartan race in Calgary this August.

In summary, I had another successful year, and I continue to strive to make Seymour Schulich proud to name me as a Schulich Leader.