Manitoba Aerospace Week

Where vision takes flight U of M engineer-in-residence works to bring industry perspective to classroom I By Todd Lewys For the Free Press t's been about one year since Kathryn Atamanchuk's engineering career came full circle. "I was once a student, went to work in private industry, and now I'm in front of students," said Atamanchuk, who traded in her portfolio as StandardAero's Director of Engineering Services for a position as one of the University of Manitoba's Engineers-in-Residence for aero-engine testing. "It's exciting to be part of a program that's producing so many bright, young engineers." Turns out, Atamanchuk's role at the U of M ties nicely to the one she was filling at StandardAero just before she went on maternity leave. "My last role was to help support the relocation of the General Electric certification facility to the Winnipeg Airport," she said. "While on maternity leave, the U of M called. They said they had a position for a liaison between the province's two gas turbine engine certification testing facilities (GLACIER in Thompson and the GE Test, Research and Development Centre in Winnipeg) and the university. I would also be responsible for providing a course for students about the instrumentation technologies used by these facilities. The position seemed like a great fit, so I accepted." She said the decision has proven to be a good one. "After spending 13 years at StandardAero, I wanted to bring an industry perspective to the classroom. I wanted to show students how things work in the real world to prepare them for the job they'd be doing." Atamanchuk said her job is two-pronged: one of her first responsibilities is to help students gain experience through specific course offerings and cooperative job placements. The second is to act as a liaison between the test facilities and the university to help facilitate research initiatives. The first part of the job description – providing students with experience and guidance – has been going exceedingly well to date. "Right now, one student is going to Thompson in September, and we currently have two on summer placements at the General Electric facility here in Winnipeg," reported Atamanchuk, adding that both facilities have also provided projects for the U of M's Innovative Design for Engineering Applications (IDEA) Program this fall – a capstone design course for engineering students in their final year of studies. "The hands-on experience they gain is invaluable." With approximately 80 per cent of the new gas turbine engines produced for aircraft coming to Manitoba to be tested at one of the two certification facilities, the job placements and projects provide students with a chance to see cutting-edge technology and learn about it up close. At the same time, industry gets to see what the students have to offer. Looking at the bigger picture, the university's partnerships with these certification test facilities are going to have a resoundingly positive impact on the overall engineering program, she added. "It's a really exciting opportunity for Manitoba and the University of Manitoba to have in more ways than one," said Atamanchuk. "We're going to be directly involved in research initiatives which will add to our credentials as a leader in aerospace in Canada. At the same time, more high-tech, leading-edge jobs are going to come from the U of M's and Red River College's partnership with the test facilities. That's great news for the province's economy." Most importantly, the reputation of the U of M's engineering program is bound to increase, perhaps on an exponential level. "Our goal is to be a centre of excellence," she said. "We're going to provide the industry with research support, and will do our best to prepare our students to be able to step in and use their talents to be key contributors to the industry. We're very fortunate, as we've had a lot of support from the provincial government and Western Economic Diversification. Their support is going to play a huge part in our success as we move forward." In the meantime, the plan is to keep doing what she's been doing – educating the students, and being an advocate for the aero-engine test industry. "I'm excited to be here – I'm enjoying teaching, and the challenges involved in being an agent for the program – making sure people know about it, and all we're doing to support it. It's a very positive place to be," said Atamanchuk. WestCaRD is proud to be facilitating new technology growth and stimulating job opportunities in Manitoba Carlson has been proudly serving industry since 1939 Services offered: JIT Delivery, Automotive Paint Finishes, Prototyping, Composite Parts Mfg., and Tooling ISO 9001:2008 33 Allan Dyne Road, Winnipeg, MB | 204-471-9979 692 Mission St., Winnipeg, MB R2J 0A3 | www.carlsongrpco.com Manitoba Aerospace Week September 9 - 13, 2013 17

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