While we are only a few weeks into the semester, the University of Regina is already looking towards next year as they introduce three first of their kind programs.
As part of the engineering program, students will be able to concentrate their studies in three new energy-based programs.
Petroleum engineering, sustainable energy engineering and energy transportation and storage will all be offered starting in the fall semester of 2023, as the faculty puts a focus on researching renewable energy.
“The energy landscape in not only this province, but nationally and even globally, is rapidly changing and as a faculty we need to be proactive in our programming to ensure our students have the skills and training they need to be successful in this increasingly demanding field,” said Dr. Phillip Choi, dean of the faculty of engineering and applied science in a press release.
“No university in Canada offers an energy-related curriculum as comprehensive as the proposed Energy Systems Engineering program.”
The faculty says as the energy sector continuously changes, new research is needed to prepare the next generation of engineers.
“Our country has a lot of challenges moving forward with respect to energy supplies, food supplies, clean water, all sorts of issues,” said David deMontigny, associate academic dean of the faculty of engineering and science.
“We need young people to be interested in engineering. And on the energy front, clearly, that is an area that is going to require a lot of attention moving forward.”
The majority of new classes will be introduced in the students’ fourth year as they begin to specialize in certain areas of study.
“As students, we see ourselves as being responsible for the preservation of our planet by creating sustainable, clean energy while continuing to understand the importance of the oil and gas industry,” said Bailey Armstrong, president of the Regina Engineering Students’ Society.
“It’s exciting that the faculty is taking the lead in adapting to the evolving energy sector by creating a diverse and unique program that will certainly be intriguing to students who want to be at the forefront of that change.”
The current, undergraduate Petroleum Systems Engineering (PSE) program is being phased out and admission has been suspended; however, students currently in PSE will be able to continue in the program through to graduation.