Connection – CECA U of T Student Chapter

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 Kin Hey Chan case competition 2020, Connection, Uncategorized

CECA 4th Annual Case Competition

Despite the challenges and restriction during COVID-19 , CECA held its 4th case competition virtually on Nov 10th! In this competition, we challenge student teams to present a 7min proposal to a panel of judges on how a community service facility can save energy. The facility is Christie Refugee Welcome Centre in downtown Toronto, the center provided emergency shelter for refugee families from all ethnic, racial or religious backgrounds for more than twenty years.

Prior to competition, all participants were given information on energy use, lighting, plug loads, HVAC and resident testimonials⚡. Each design team was asked to come up with innovative solutions to reduce 60% of facility’s energy use, along with financial feasibility and community outreach.

The panel of judges included U of T Instructor Ian Sinclair; Angelo Suntres (Ellis Don); and Greg Peniuk (IESO, CECA U of T alumni).

During the competition, each team presented their solutions, followed up by a Q&A session. At the end, participants had a great opportunity to network and ask questions to judges. The winning team is Margo, Eliza, & Joanna! Congratulations?!

?️We’d like to thank all our participants for the hard work and dedication! The exec team and judges are all impressed by the solutions and the detail of design! Great job!

?️We’d also like to thank our judges, Ian Sinclair, Angelo Suntres, Greg Peniuk for the continuous help and support! Thank you for dedicating the time to join us and offered lots of insights and valuable feedback! It is a great opportunity for students to learn about the contracting and building energy industry and expand networks!

Group Photo of Case Competition with Participants, Judges and the Exec Team

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020 Kin Hey Chan Connection

New Exec Team 20/21

Happy July!

The new semester is around the corner and CECA is going to provide a great virtual experience. Want to know the amazing people at CECA who are planning ahead? Meet our new exec team!

Sarah De Sousa

-Role: President

Sarah will be doing a co-op (PEY) at the coming semester. She has strong skills in sustainable building and project management; Sarah hopes to learn more regarding energy retrofits and building science in CECA. She will continue to strengthen leadership and communication skills as she believes these are both very important to have as an engineer.

Rose Zhang

-Role: Vice President

Rose is entering her third year at Civil Engineering. She has rich past experience in CECA and is hoping to make the club more inclusive for general members and execs as well as managing club’s finance. Rose is also interested in clear and effective communication among team members.

Mahia Anhara

Role: Co-Project Manager

Mahia will be doing a co-op (PEY) at the coming semester. She has participated in the GEC competition and gained problem-solving and leadership skills.

Mahia has a strong interest in sustainable cities and is hoping to guide all members in CECA to have a positive and meaningful experience.

Moranne Parsons

Moranne will be doing a co-op (PEY) at the coming semester. She has a strong interest in sustainable buildings. She joined CECA because she wanted to help a great group of engineering students design something interesting and useful.

Moranne hopes to work with a team to help improve buildings in Toronto be more sustainable.

Kin Hey (Nicole) Chan

Role: Communications Coordinator

Nicole is entering second year of Civil Engineering. She joined CECA last semester through mentorship event and gained many experience in GEC Community Engagement section. She enjoyed learning the social and environmental impact buildings can have to community.

She is hoping to reach out to partners and students that are interested in CECA.

Communications Coordinator: Kin Hey Chan

March 24, 2020July 11, 2020 Noah Cassidy Connection

Catching up with the CECA U of T Alumni

The CECA U of T student chapter is a constantly shifting organization. Across our six years, we’ve had over 100 active general members and worked with tens of different organizations and contractors, across multiple competitions and events. We’ve all had a lot of time to reflect on our past as we sit inside all day, and we thought it would be a good idea to check up on where those previous members have gone.

We asked them two questions:

What was your favourite memory from your time in CECA U of T?
What’s a key takeaway or message you want to share with the current students?

Dmitri Naoumov

Current Position	Structural Engineer at WSP Group
Last Position in CECA	2016 Project Manager

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

I really enjoyed the opportunity to fly out to Honduras. U of T partnered with Penn State University to do a solar installation for a rural community.

Key Takeaway

Find your passions early. Everyone can get decent grades – but not everyone has a passion. It doesn’t have to be engineering related either – just find something that you really enjoy!

Matheos Tsiaras

Current Position	Transportation Engineer at Parsons
Last Position in CECA	2015 Project Manager, 2016 Communications Coordinator

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

One of the highlights of every year being a part of CECA is attending the NECA Conventions. I was lucky to be able to attend three conventions, 2014 in Chicago, 2015 in San Francisco, and 2016 in Boston, and it seemed like every year it got bigger and better. But I think the most memorable moment from my time in CECA was seeing our project with Good Shepherd Ministries come to fruition. Even though we didn’t place in the top 3 of the Green Energy Challenge that year, seeing our design actually get implemented, and seeing the joy and gratitude on everyone’s faces when we visited after construction was completed in 2017, sure felt like a win to me; it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire university career. Getting published in the Toronto Star was pretty cool too 😉

Key Takeaway

My advice to students would be to take advantage of all the extra-curricular activities at UofT, even if you don’t think it will be directly relevant to your career path. They will allow you to not only take a break from your homework, but you’ll end up meeting so many amazing people and creating so many amazing memories; you may be able to hone in on a particular hobby or passion you have, or you may find a new one. I’m a prime example of this when it comes to CECA; I’m not working in anything remotely related to building science or sustainable energy, but the experience I gained with CECA, among the other extra-curriculars I was a part of throughout university, was incredibly rewarding, and forms my most fond memories of my time at UofT.

2015 Green Energy Challenge Team in San Fransisco

Greg Peniuk

Current Position	Planner at the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
Last Position in CECA	2016 President

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

My first energy audit for GEC was at Good Shepherd Ministries. After some very generous donations from the contractors’ associations, the lighting retrofit was actually implemented. It was amazing to go back there and see how much everything had changed.

Key Takeaway

Something CECA helped me learn: know your audience. In any kind of communication, be aware of your audience’s preconceptions, background knowledge, and priorities.

Greg (Center) at the 2017 GEC Audit, with Nataliya Pekar on the right and Patrick Minardi on the left.

Ernesto Diaz Lozano Patiño

Current Position	WSP Canada
Last Position in CECA	2016 Secretary

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

The first NECA conference was amazing. I saw the potential for the club there, seeing the awesome stuff other groups were doing. Every conference afterwards was fantastic as well.

The Mexico City trip (January 2019, for the Student Passport 2017 competition) was wonderful. So rewarding to see our work pay off.

Key Takeaway

CECA is a place to explore opportunities. There are plenty ways the club can grow to help people achieve their goals and advance their career options.

Ernesto (Far Left) talking with residents in Xalostoc, Mexico, on our last visit after the implementation of our 2017 Student Passport project.

Syed Imam

Current Position	Associate Transportation Engineer at Parsons Canada (With Matheos Tsiaras)
Last Position in CECA	2018 Treasurer

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

The time spent during the submission for the Green Energy Challenge was one of my favorites – seeing the entire team collaboratively sitting together at the same time working towards the submission was packed with strong displays of collaboration, teamwork, adrenaline, and learning.

Key Takeaway

Set high personal standards for yourself and explore something new that you traditionally would avoid, whether it be through a club, a course, or an event, even if you are determined to pursue a specific direction for your degree. You’ll be surprised as to how many options there are for you, what you can learn, and who you’ll meet when you decide to try something new.

Nataliya Pekar

Current Position	Alta Planning + Design
Last Position in CECA	Solar Team Lead

Favourite Memory from CECA U of T

Evaluating the roof of the Waterfront Neighborhood Center was an awesome experience! We’ve got pictures on the roof during the energy audit. Of course, the conference was incredibly fun! A great memory was presenting as a team, feeling very proud and also relieved to have it done, and then getting to go to a big party at the Pop Culture Museum. All of the fantastic seafood in Seattle was also a big plus.

Key Takeaway

Pursue what you like to do and what ultimately makes you feel good at the end of the day, whatever that may be. No amount of prestige or money will make up for the compromises along the way. That’s what I tell myself anyway, I’m not nearly old and wise enough to be living proof quite yet!