After taking home first place at the 2023 Western Engineering Competition (WEC), BCIT Electrical Engineering students Laurel Kinahan and Ramon Vicencio proceeded onto competing at the Canadian Engineering Competition 2023 (CEC) in Waterloo, Ontario. Their impressive entry on the Digital Divide in Canada earned them first place in the Communications category. Congratulations Laurel and Ramon on this outstanding achievement!
CEC is an annual event that brings together 200 of Canada’s brightest engineering students to compete in one of eight categories. Each category challenges its participants to develop innovative solutions for real-world problems in the engineering industry.
In the Communications category, the goal was to present a current technological topic or issue, along with its social, economic, and environmental implications. Laurel and Ramon’s topic of choice was the Digital Divide, which is the unequal distribution and access to digital information and resources. During their presentation, they spoke on the current limitations of networking communications and the potential future of satellite technology.
Laurel and Ramon participated in the CEC while juggling a full-time school workload. Although demanding, they noted that their experience was positive – embracing the challenges while gaining a rewarding experience. Laurel and Ramon expressed that they were both proud of what they had achieved, no matter the outcome of the competition.
Ramon gained extensive knowledge in mathematics and electricity throughout his four years of studying engineering at BCIT and participating in the competition furthered his communication skills.
“I have a great appreciation for people who are able to communicate effectively and inspire the next generation to care about what they’re sharing,” he says.
A big thank you to Yui Nguyen and Marcus Redford, co-chairs of the BCIT Engineering Students’ Society (ESS), Matthew Pedley, P.Eng., Associate Dean of BCIT Electrical Engineering and Technology, Katherine Golder, sounding board and mentor, and the instructors at BCIT who encouraged the growth of Laurel and Ramon’s engineering skills and instilled confidence in their communication skills.
Congratulations to all the other BCIT engineering students who participated in the competition, including the Senior Design team: Faran Bhatti, Jimmy Bates, Tom Kuzma, and Clinton Gaudet, and the Consulting team: Andrew Cheng, Andrew Chen, and Jordan Wong.
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