An alternative hive of activity at the Schulich Library

IMG_9328Most visitors to the Schulich Library are probably unaware that there are two thriving beehives on the roof of our building, maintained by the Urban Beekeeping Collective at Santropol Roulant of which I am a member.

IMG_9325Santropol Roulant is a local charity whose aim is to “…use food as a vehicle to break social and economic isolation between generations and cultures”. The Beekeeping Collective works towards this goal by promoting and fostering urban beekeeping, and by educating Montrealers about the importance of pollinators to the source of our food.

Collective members make regular visits to the hives to check on their health (these pictures are from last Sunday’s visit) – as well as to prevent uncontrolled swarming!  The good news is that both hives are doing very well and we’re quietly hopeful for a bumper crop of urban honey as Summer progresses.

And the winning CCOM 206 paper is…

I could not be more excited to be a member of the CCOM 206: Communication in Engineering Writing Recognition Committee, alongside some of the fantastic course lecturers. One of the assignments in CCOM 206 is to write a research paper and the committee had the difficult task of awarding the best paper to one student in the fall term. There were 337 students enrolled in the course and 12 papers were shortlisted for the award by instructors. We carefully considered the originality and practicality of the research question and proposed solutions in each paper, along with the depth of research and academic sources referenced, argument coherency and consistency, and overall clarity and quality of the writing.

The best paper among all those excellent research papers chosen for consideration is “Recycling Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites: A Market and Environmental Assessment” by Maxime Lauzé.

McGill Library is hosting the winning paper in eScholarship, a digital repository which stores and showcases the publications and theses of McGill University faculty and students. Maxime will also receive a formal certificate from the McGill Writing Centre and a $50 gift certificate for the McGill Bookstore.

Here is the abstract of the winning paper:

Both environmental and economic factors have driven the development of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) waste recycling processes. This paper will present the causes of increased use of carbon fibre composites as well as the consequences of such growth. As well, the advantages and disadvantages of three current recycling technologies available are discussed, focusing on fibre quality, commercial flexibility, and environmental impact. Chemical recycling produces best quality fibre with negative environmental impact while mechanical recycling produces bad quality fibre with good environmental impact. As a result, this paper argues that the best recycling method available today is a thermal process called conventional pyrolysis, because it produces good quality recyclate while being very energy efficient, tolerant to contamination and therefore also the best commercial candidate.

On behalf of the Writing Recognition Committee, congratulations to all those who were shortlisted for the award!