Elizabeth Giris, technical adviser at National Research Council Canada, poses with a student from the University of Ottawa chemical and biological engineering department.
On Nov. 15, 2016, the University of Ottawa Chemical Engineering Students’ Society (ChESS) hosted a Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) career night. “ChESS believes it is important for engineering students to be exposed to real world experiences while obtaining their undergraduate degrees,” says ChESS president Simon Nouadjou. “This provides the opportunity for students to learn about their possible career paths upon graduation.”
The evening saw speakers from industry, academia and the government. Department of National Defense group leader Vincent Horne spoke about the daily routine of a government engineer, PEO Ottawa Chapter chair of education and outreach Damien Letendre provided insights on the benefit of pursuing professional engineer (P.Eng.) status and University of Ottawa chemical engineering professor and associate chair of graduate studies Poupak Mehrani spoke about the benefits of pursuing graduate studies and the decisions that led her to pursue her PhD. Finally, technical adviser to National Research Council Canada Elizabeth Giris and technical adviser to Canada Post Corporation Chandra Laframboise spoke about the benefits and realities associated with work in the private and public sector.
The evening wrapped with a networking session between the guest speakers and about 50 students. The PEO Career Night received support from the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) Student Chapter Grant Fund, which was established this past September to support CSChE student chapter initiatives.