2022 Technology Report Contest

2022 Technology Report Contest Winners

Technology Accreditation Canada (TAC) announced the 2022 Technology Report Contest prize winners today. Awarded the top prize of $1,000 are Wade Ellett, Trent Murray, Matthias van Nieuwenhuyze, and Benjamin Robb, graduates of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, (NAIT), with their “Seat Height Adjustment Kit”.

This project was the design of an add-on height adjustment kit to improve the existing air suspension seat assembly used in heavy-duty equipment and was completed for Ultra Seat Corporation. Measurements, and extensive testing were done on an actual seat provided by the company. Several design options were evaluated regarding advantages, disadvantages, and specification requirements before choosing a final design. Detailed parts design, exhausting calculations, fabrication, and testing was completed for the selected solution to confirm that required specifications were met and in this case, they were exceeded. Detailed instructions were developed as to the manufacturing and installation of the kit, through the entire design the safety of the operators was an integral consideration in the design.

Every semester, NAIT instructor Mr. Scott Sparling sends inquiries to local businesses to see if they have any problems that he can present to his students for them to tackle during the next term’s capstone class. The Seat Height Adjustment Kit was a request made to Ultra Seat Corporation by the manufacturers of construction equipment. They wanted to be able to use one seat suspension in various machines that have different ride heights. With the suspension being in the seats of heavy equipment not the vehicle, all bumps are transferred to the operator these bumps, without the aid of the seats, transfer the impact into the spine of the operator. These kits allow for the ride height adjustment to be pre-set for a range of heights to allow for easier setting, thus lessening the chance for the seat to bottom out and diminished injury to the operator. Ultra Seat was able to make some minor changes to the manufacturability and design of the project and already have the Seat Height Adjustment Kits in production. Mr. Sparling noted, “winning first place in Technical Accreditation Canada’s, Technical Report Writing Competition is a validation of the hard work and excellent instruction we instructors of NAITs Mechanical Engineering Technology program put into teaching our students. It helps to illustrate the drive to succeed, and the confidence that we instill in our students to not only aim for perfection but to succeed. It highlights our student’s ability to compete on a national stage against other grads from across Canada.”

Mr. Dennis Sheppard, Dean of the School of Applied Science and Technology at NAIT noted, “We are so incredibly proud of our students’ 1st Place Win in the Technology Accreditation Canada (TAC) 2022 Technology Report Contest. This truly is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students along with outstanding support and guidance from our program staff. It demonstrates loud and clear that our instructors, our program, and our students are amongst the best of the best in Canada. TAC accreditation ensures our students learn the skills necessary to successfully enter the workforce and make a difference in their chosen fields.”

Alex Ford, and Nick Leslie, graduates of the Electronic Engineering Technology program at Nova Scotia Community College collected the second-place prize of $500 for their Technology Report, “Geothermal Greenhouse.”

With their report titled, “James Houlihan Park Redesign “,Kira Kirk, Jacob Ash, Chemi Tenpa, and Dylan Thor, graduates of the Civil Engineering Technology program at Camosun College collected the $300 third place prize.

The contest, open to TAC nationally accredited programs, saw twenty reports submitted. A panel of TAC auditors from select engineering technology and applied science disciplines form the technical review panels to conduct an initial rating of the reports. The top two reports in each discipline group were assessed by a final judging panel of three certified professionals, each with extensive education, industry, and audit backgrounds. Reports were scored on their topic selection, methodology, research, analysis, conclusions, originality, innovation, and presentation. 

Stephen Morley, Chair, Technology Accreditation Canada, noted, “Congratulations to our outstanding Technology Report contest winners! Your dedication to research and the pursuit of knowledge exemplifies the very essence of our Organization’s vision, mission, and values. Your innovative contributions have set a new standard for excellence in academia, and we are proud to have you as the recipients of our annual contest. We thank students and the project sponsors for their participation and support.”

   1st Place                            2nd Place                           3rd Place        

Contest Details

Eligibility: One Technology Report submission per TAC or CTAB accredited program, written by one student or in a group up to four students, in their final year of their program

Report Criteria: Produce a written, minimum 3,000 word Technology Report, following general learning outcome GY01 Technology Report, which includes research, design, testing, analysis and conclusions related to a significant technology-related issue

Judging Criteria: