The first student Conference on Sustainability in Engineering is taking place in Prince George this week.
More than 80 engineering students from across Canada are about to converge on the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) campus to learn more about sustainability and how it applies to engineering and everyday life.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, sustainably is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.
This is the first conference of its kind to take place in Prince George. It was developed by the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES); the student-run organization represents 81,000 Canadian undergraduate engineering students from 51 engineering student societies.
“We are all very excited to be hosting the inaugural year of the Conference on Sustainability in Engineering and to be doing so at Canada’s Green University, UNBC,” says Anna Vu, one of the CFES co-organizers of the event, in a press release.
“We believe it is crucial to incorporate sustainability within all aspects of engineering and this conference will help provide that knowledge. This marks a milestone within the engineering community as we are moving towards building a more sustainable future and we are proud to be a part of it."
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn about UNBC’s Wood Innovation Research Lab, the Wood Innovation Design Centre and the bioenergy facility. They will also be able to attend sessions on smart cities, engineering the future of food production, low carbon economies, zero-net-energy tiny homes, and Canada’s low-carbon energy future, among other topics.
The conference is set for Feb. 22 to 25; attendees will also have the chance to take the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green associate certification course and participate in a competitive case study.
