University of Alberta: Faculty of Engineering

Organization

Faculty of Engineering

The Sons of Martha

by Rudyard Kipling

The Sons of Mary seldom bother, for they have inherited that good part;
But the Sons of Martha favour their Mother of the careful soul and troubled heart.
And because she lost her temper once, and because she was rude to the Lord her Guest,
Her Sons must wait upon Mary's Sons, world without end, reprieve, or rest.
It is their care in all the ages to take the buffet and cushion the shock.
It is their care that the gear engages; it is their care that the switches lock.
It is their care that the wheels run truly; it is their care to embark and entrain,
Tally, transport, and deliver duly the Sons of Mary by land and main.
They say to mountains, 'Be ye removed'. They say to the lesser floods, 'Be dry'.
Under their rods are the rocks reproved - they are not afraid of that which is high.
Then do the hill-tops shake to the summit - then is the bed of the deep laid bare,
That the Sons of Mary may overcome it, pleasantly sleeping and unaware.
They finger death at their gloves' end where they piece and repiece the living wires.
He rears against the gates they tend: they feed him hungry behind their fires.
Early at dawn, ere men see clear, they stumble into his terrible stall,
And hale him forth like a haltered steer, and goad and turn him till evenfall.
To these from birth is Belief forbidden; from these till death is Relief afar.
They are concerned with matter hidden - under the earthline their altars are;
The secret fountains to follow up, waters withdrawn to restore to the mouth,
And gather the floods as in a cup, and pour them again at a city drouth.
They do not preach that their God will rouse them a little before the nuts work loose.
They do not teach that His Pity allows them to leave their work when they damn-well choose.
As in the thronged and the lighted ways, so in the dark and the desert they stand.
Wary and watchful all their days that their brethren's days may be long in the land.
Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat:
Lo, it is black already with blood some Son of Martha spilled for that:
Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, not as a witness to any creed,
But simple service simply given to his own kind in their common need.
And the Sons of Mary smile and are blessed - they know the angels are on their side.
They know in them is the Grace confessed, and for them are the Mercies multiplied.
They sit at the Feet - they hear the Word - they see how truly the Promise Runs:
They have cast their burden upon the Lord, and - the Lord He lays it on Martha's Sons.

Since 1908, the Faculty of Engineering has been graduating engineers who research and carry out world-class engineering design and contribute to the profession as well as the community.

Many people are aware that engineers take an oath and belong to a society of engineers when they graduate. This tradition at the University of Alberta dates back to 1930, just five years after the inaugural ceremony of The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, which took place in Montreal. The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer and the poem “The Sons of Martha” were written and provided to the Engineering Institute of Canada by Rudyard Kipling.

In the early years of the Faculty, professors R.W. Boyle, first director of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the National Research Council and Dr J.A. Allan, Head of the Department of Geology, contributed greatly to Alberta's economy through their teaching, knowledge, and research. Allan, through his work with the Geological Survey of Canada and his field research at Lesser Slave Lake and along the South Saskatchewan, North Saskatchewan, and Red Deer Rivers, determined that Alberta’s mineral resources were a great source of wealth for the province. Today, the professors at the Faculty of Engineering continue to support Alberta’s resource development through their lectures and their research; academic interests extend far beyond the geographical borders of the province. The fields of study for engineers have continued to broaden with new discoveries and the development of new technologies.

The Faculty’s research and dissemination of knowledge through its graduates and publishing initiatives extends through fourteen Canada Research Chairs, ten Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Chairs, four Foundation Supported Chairs, and six Endowed Chairs and Professorships.

Today’s Faculty of Engineering is noted for its research in communications and software; catalytic, interfacial and transport engineering; geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering, intelligent systems and control, nano-science and technology, and plasma science.

Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility (c. 1995-2007)

The Faculty has four departments: Chemical and Materials Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. An Engineering Management program is offered for students in all Departments as many graduates find work in managing engineering projects or with other engineers. Approximately 40 percent of engineering students beyond first year enroll in the Engineering Co-op Program which provides paid work experience for engineering students.

The Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering prides itself on conducting research with social purpose. Take, for example, the work of Dr Jacob Masliyah, who, in 2006, was granted his third term as NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Engineering: his research is aimed at recovering bitumen from oil sands—a rewarding recovery indeed! Other research in this department complements programs and courses leading to BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in chemical engineering, materials engineering, or process control. These areas of research include a Computer Process Control Group, Advanced Materials Processing Laboratory, and Advanced Coal Cleaning and Combustion.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recognized the interdisciplinary nature of engineering. This department also includes the School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering. Together they offer courses in construction, environmental, geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering, mining, petroleum, and structural and water resources engineering.

Programs and courses lead to undergraduate degrees in Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering (Environmental), Mining Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering. Graduate programs lead to MEng, MSc, PhD and to a combined MBA/MEng degree program that allows students to obtain a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Engineering at the same time. Areas of study include construction, environmental, geotechnical, hydrotechnical, structural, mining and petroleum engineering. Dr Mohamed Gamal El-Din, an associate professor in the Department, uses his knowledge of environmental engineering to study ways to treat wastewater product in petrochemical plants. In 2005, Dr Gamal El-Din received a Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award for his research. His efforts help maintain the integrity and quality of our water supply.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers programs and courses leading to a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering (including an option in Biomedical Engineering), BSc in Computer Engineering (including an option in Software Engineering), BSc in Engineering Physics (with an option in Nano-engineering), and a five-year program incorporating paid work experience as part of the Industrial Co-operative program in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Graduate programs lead to MSc, MEng, and PhD degrees.

Historically, this department is responsible for the creation of CKUA, the first public radio station; radar, and a crash locator for airplanes. Recent innovations from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering include the Edmonton Protocol for Diabetes Treatment and a medical diagnosis and cancer treatment tool called Lab on a Chip.

Mechanical Engineering Building (c. 1995-2007)

The Department of Mechanical Engineering pursues research in the areas of biomedical engineering, emissions reduction technology, greenhouse gas mitigation, nanotechnology, and interfacial phenomenon. In addition to BSc programs, the Department offers programs leading to MSc, MEng, and PhD degrees. Facilities for Department of Mechanical Engineering include state-of-the-art surface tensiometry, a biomechanics lab, and a single-cylinder engine test lab.

Dr Warren Finlay of the Department of Mechanical Engineering received an Killam Annual Professorship for his interdisciplinary work. He has worked with the industry to devise a mechanical system that works with inhalers to deliver nanoparticles of drugs to the lungs of cancer patients. Students in the Department benefit from Dr Finlay’s understanding of how medical fields interact with mechanical engineering.

Engineering and Technology Learning Complex

The faculty’s Engineering Employment Centre not only hosts job fairs each year, but also assists students with summer and career, post-graduate employment.

The Faculty’s DiscoverE and DiscoverElle programs provide courses and workshops to encourage grade-school students to consider a career in engineering.

Alumni from the Faculty of Engineering demonstrate that engineering is becoming as much a woman’s domain as it is a man’s. The Faculty boasts many families with multiple graduates from its Departments, indicating that engineering’s lineage of excellence is longstanding.

Deans of the Faculty of Engineering
1994–	David T. Lynch
1985–1994	Frederick Douglas Otto
1984	George Ford (Acting)
1976–1984	Peter Frederick Gordon Adams
1971–1976	George Ford
1963–1971	Robert Macdonald Hardy
1959–1963	George Wheeler Grovier
1946–1959	Robert Macdonald Hardy
1929–1946	Robert Starr Leigh Wilson
1921–1929	Robert William Boyle