For my fourth year project, I worked on the Carleton Formula SAE car. I was assigned the task of developing the design and manufacturing process for a carbon fibre monocoque chassis for the 2009 Carleton FSAE car. To do this I researched composite materials, monocoque designs and composite manufacturing methods. I also tried some manufacturing techniques including several wet manual layups with carbon fibre fabric and epoxy, Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding (VARTM) and wet manual layup with vacuum bagging. Throughout the year I made several presentations to update the team on the progress I have made. The last task was to document all my work for future students in reports and drawings.

After finishing my 3rd year of Aerospace Engineering at Carleton, I did a 16 month co-op placement with Transport Canada Flight Test Engineering. I worked for both the flight test and Occupant Safety sections, both of which deal with the certification process of aircraft in Canada. From this placement I have learned a lot about the aerospace industry (in both the US and Canada). I was involved in many project ranging from programming in C++ to doing wet runway testing in Mirabel, QC. A bonus of the job was that I got to be a passenger on many occasions in the different aircraft of the Transport Canada Fleet (Bell 206 helicopter, Beech King air 90, Cessna Citation II 550 and Cessna 182). During my time at Transport Canada I worked for two sections. First of all the Flight Test engineering section, and secondly the Occupant Safety and Environmental Control Systems section.

Some of the projects I was involved with were:

• Aircraft Performance Program (C++)
• Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO) research
• Runway Accident research
• Wet Runway Testing
• MMEL Transport Canada Supplements
• Aircraft interior materials flammability certification
• Child restraint systems in aircraft
• Head Impact Criterion (HIC) in aircraft
• Operation of aircraft doors in emergencies
• Aircraft icing
• Water and Waste systems onboard aircraft
• Door/Slide/Emergency Exit Inoperable dispatch procedures
• Design Standards/Regulations research

Below are some pictures taken from my time at TC Flight Test:

The summer after second year at Carleton I got a job at Transport Canada (TC) Aircraft Services as a stores clerk. Transport Canada has its own fleet of aircraft. TC Aircraft Services is where they maintain and overhaul their fleet. We were hired to do inventory and work as store clerks, getting parts for Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) from the stock, and returning serviceable parts. Also involved was shipping parts to the regions around Canada.

Below are some pictures from this summer:

The summer after my first year at Carleton University I worked for OC Transpo. There was a large group of students hired, and we were given many different tasks. These included cleaning bus garages, cutting grass, cleaning transit way stops, moving furniture, cleaning windows, taking out garbage, replacing maintenance workers when they took holidays as well as cleaning escalators. I enjoyed this job since most days you did something completely different than the last day. An added bonus was that I got to drive OC Transpo vehicles on the transit way.

I spent 3 summers at ABK. The first I volunteered for the summer. I worked that summer as a cooks chore boy, a canoe instructor, sports organizer, counselor and boat driver. After that summer I finished my bronze cross, and took my NLS (national lifesaving society) course. The following two summers I spent at camp I was primarily a life guard and swimming instructor, however I also still counseled, and drove the waterskiing boat. Those were great summers.

After finishing my year at Tyndale, I had 2 months before going to camp ABK (see above). The first month I relaxed, and the second month I worked for a local business called Pudding Stone Place. I was essentially a hired hand to do whatever was needed. I cut grass, help with maintenance, moved furniture, did landscaping, helped drywall and other construction and went and picked up supplies.

The summer after grade 10, I decided it was time to get my first job. About 1km down the road from my house was the St. Joseph Island Museum Village. I was lucky enough to get a job for the summer there as a tour guide (historical interpreter). My duties involved greeting people, taking the museum fee, giving tours, cleaning, reorganizing displays and learning as much history about as I could. My mom's family has been on St. Joe for over 100 years, and so it was great learning about my roots, and how my island came to be as it was.

Below are some pictures from my two summers at the museum: