The first student engineering journal offers undergraduate students the chance to publish their findings on short-term experiments and get feedback from the engineering world.
Training
TORONTO
The first student engineering journal offers undergraduate students the chance to publish their findings on short-term experiments and get feedback from the engineering world.
The Student Journal of Automation, Robotics, Mechatronics and Manufacturing (SJARMM) is a premiere initiative from Ryerson University that is attracting attention from engineering departments at other universities, such as Toronto, Western and Simon Fraser.
“If undergraduates wait for their results to enrich and be significant enough to be published in a scientifically recognized journal, then they have to stay working on the project for years, like a graduate program,” said Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University.
And that’s not always a practical approach.
“Initially, we had decided on publishing one issue per year, but now, given the publicity and encouragement from the student body, we will publish three issues per year.”
Five departments at Ryerson are taking part in the initial launch, including Mechanical and Industrial, Electrical and Computer, Computer Science, Aerospace as well as Chemical Engineering.
Seven professors sit on the editorial board, while an additional three students act as associate editors and officers.
“As long as the articles are somehow related to the scope of the journal — automation, robotics, mechatronics and manufacturing — so it is general engineering,” said Janabi-Sharifi.
Articles from all aspects of engineering are accepted, as long as they involve some element of innovation.
Experimentation with new fabric formwork out of polyolefin geotextiles is an example of what will be accepted in the journal.
“If the author recommends a new mold that does not exist, or it exists, but has not experimented with, then the author can take the initiative and experiment with that. Of course, it is acceptable,” commented Janabi-Sharifi.
“[Résumés] are another way to look at it. Students will use this as an opportunity to show that what they have done has been published,” said Janabi-Sharifi.
“The perspective employer looks at this as a positive.”
Another benefit for promising young engineers is they receive comments from professionals on their work.
“It is a two-way journal. One of the purposes of it is to get feedback from professionals which improve on the [students’] work.”
It is too early to start printing three issues per year, but for the following school year at Ryerson, Janabi-Sharifi is planning to publish three per semester.
“Engineering wise, this is the first student journal. I haven’t seen anything like this. There are student journals in law, but nothing in engineering.”
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed