Students and faculty of Canadian engineering programs have been honoured at ASHRAE’s 2017 winter conference. Teams from the University of British Columbia and University of Regina were officially recognized for their first place efforts in last year’s student design and applied engineering challenges, while professors from Polytechnique Montréal and University of Saskatchewan were among 22 ASHRAE members worldwide to attain the grade of Fellow.

Michel Bernier and Carey Simonson — both professional engineers and professors of mechanical engineering — join the roster of ASHRAE Fellows who have gained distinction for the advancement of HVAC and refrigeration through research, professional service and mentoring.

Six UBC students contributed to the winning HVAC design calculations in the 2016 student design competition. Team members include Alexander Brosky, Samarth Joshi, Aubrey McNeill, Silvia Odaya, Cheng Yang and Ziran Yu, drawing on advice from faculty members, Nima Atabaki and Steven Rogak, and industry mentor, Ali Nazari of Integral Group. Teams from California State Polytechnic University and University of Central Florida received top honours in the competition’s other two categories, system selection and integrated sustainable building design.

A focus on sustainability issues in their own locale secured top standing in the 2015-2016 applied engineering challenge for Bradley Lulik, Eva Rennie and Brent Yeske of University of Regina. Their faculty advisor was Adisorn Aroonwilas.

The Canadian students and professors were acknowledged among 55 award recipients celebrated at the winter conference in Las Vegas, including winners of the 35th annual ASHRAE Technology Awards and six other awards for industry achievement.