Monday January 8, 2024 | SIDNEY, BC [Updated January 9, 2024]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Just ahead of this new year, Canada’s Ambassador to Germany John Horgan took a tour to see what sort of aerospace research projects are being worked on by University of Victoria engineering students at the UVic Centre for Aerospace Research in Sidney, BC.
Aspects of technology (including clean tech) and national defence were possibly of interest to Horgan in his new role in international diplomacy. Canada has recently asked the Canadian Armed Forces to find $1 billion in cutbacks while at the same time there is a personnel supply shortage, military equipment that is aging, repair personnel at a premium, and training is needed for new equipment being brought into service.
If Canada needed to engage directly in war (in particular on our northern and western shores), those challenges are already top of mind (as explored in a Global TV news interview on The West Block this past weekend with three former military leaders from air force, navy and army) including how tanks and ammunition supplies have been diminished while helping out with the war conflict in Ukraine.
Horgan and Parmar:
Horgan was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to Germany on November 1 and officially sworn-in as ambassador on December 8, 2023. Local MLA Ravi Parmar (Langford-Juan de Fuca) accompanied Horgan on December 21 on the tour of the University of Victoria’s Centre for Aerospace Research (UVIC CfAR).
Horgan still keeps one foot in the west shore here on Vancouver Island including as a leadership mentor for students at Royal Roads University in Colwood.
Parmar has been carrying on in Horgan’s footsteps since the Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election in June 2023. At age 29 he is aiming to connect directly with young adults in various sectors of education and the economy.
About the tour:
Leading the tour was mechanical engineer Afzal Suleman, PhD, P.Eng, who is the Canada Research Chair and Professor, Director, Centre for Aerospace Research. He specializes in multidisciplinary design optimization, computational and experimental mechanics with application to aerospace structures and systems.
About 40 people participated including about 20 engineering and co-op students (from 2nd year through Masters and doctorate levels) along with 20 engineering staff.
Today Parmar posted photos of the tour in social media.
Today Professor Suleman told Island Social Trends that the Ambassador viewed projects being done with Boeing, Bombardier, Canada’s Department of National Defence, and Embraer Brazil. One of the projects involved drones and another had to do with propulsion.
Parmar delivered some information about funding for students. The Province of BC offers grants for graduate students and of course students loans and other supports for undergrad students.
Students and engineers had the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with Horgan and Parmar.
About the centre:
Since 2012 the University of Victoria’s Centre for Aerospace Research (UVIC CfAR) has catalyzed innovation and develops unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for military, commercial and research applications. More specifically:
- The design, development, manufacturing and flight testing of scaled air-vehicle demonstrators allows for the low-cost opportunity to evaluate vehicle performance, novel aircraft configurations and emerging technologies in a reduced risk environment.
- Unique and cutting edge payloads can be vindicated by placing aboard a range of already flight-proved fixed wing aircraft and multirotors built by UVIC CfAR.
UVIC CfAR is located on McDonald Park Road in Sidney near the airport.
UVIC CfAR partners include Western Economic Diversification Canada, DROC, NSERC, National Research Council of Canada, Boeing, Green Aviation Research & Development Network, Bombardier, Harwood Custom Composites, Quaternion, Embraer, Qinetiq Security and Defence, Camosun College, CAE, AXIS Prototypes, and Mitacs.
===== RELATED:
- Horgan’s first day on the job in Germany (December 8, 2023)
- Horgan keeps one foot in the west shore (November 23, 2023)
- Horgan heads to Germany (November 1, 2023)
- Parmar picks up the Horgan torch in Langford-Juan de Fuca (June 24, 2023)
=== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends posts news daily news insights at IslandSocialTrends.ca and is launching a biweekly print/PDF edition in January 2024.
This independent news publication has been covering news through a socioeconomic lens in the south Vancouver Island region since 2008 under the leadership of Mary P Brooke as founder, editor and publisher, through a series of publications: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (since mid-2020).
Ms Brooke also reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery. She was nominated for a Jack Webster Journalism Award in 2023 for contributing to her community through journalism.
Island Social Trends is published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc in Langford, BC.