protecting the environment

Yilin Huang (MSE 2T0 + PEY)

It was while working as a park ranger in Killarney Provincial Park, near Georgian Bay in Ontario, that Huang first realized the power of drones.

“During the summer after first year, a team of researchers came to the park with industrial drones for environmental monitoring,” she says. “I became really invested in the idea of using them to monitor and preserve whole, intact ecosystems and keep these places wild.”

Huang’s passion led her around the world. After her second year, she headed to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, where she co-authored a publication on a spectral library of urban materials used as training data for drones. This was followed by an academic exchange to the National University of Singapore where she specialized in Southeast Asian environmental management strategies.

After her third year, Huang spent a year in Switzerland on a Professional Experience Year Co-op internship at Flyability, a drone start-up that specializes in collision-tolerant inspection drones.

“What I learned is that when it comes to new technology, in many instances it’s not functionality that’s lacking, but rather regulations that prevent efficient implementation,” she says. After Convocation, she aims to bridge this gap by pursuing a Master’s degree in Science, Technology & Policy at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Outside of her research, Huang is an active proponent of effective altruism and is a fellow with Stanford’s Effective Altruism Fellowship. She is also an avid violinist, playing with Skule™ Nite's Band, the Lausanne Student Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, and the Hart House Orchestra, with whom she performed at Carnegie Hall in 2017.

Huang has some advice for new students.

"Instead of asking yourself what degree you'll get in five years, ask yourself what kind of person you want to be in five years,” she says. “Seek the experiences that build towards that and the degree will find a way to work.”

SOARING HIGHER

Zayne Thawer (EngSci 2T0 + PEY)

Thawer is the first in his family to attend post-secondary education, and like many students, struggled with ‘impostor syndrome’ when he first arrived at U of T Engineering.

“I definitely felt like I did not belong at first,” he says. “But I slowly worked through that fear by increasing my participation in extracurricular activities and building relationships with my peers and professors.”

One program that Thawer found valuable was the NSight Mentorship Program, which pairs first- and second-year students in Engineering Science with upper year students for guidance and advice. Thawer eventually became the co-chair of the program, overseeing more than 200 mentees and 70 mentors per year, as well as hosting academic workshops and professional seminars.

He also focused on gaining research experience. After his second year, he began working with researchers at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, using a virtual reality driving simulator to study the effects of cannabis use on driving performance and safety. After his third year, as well as for his undergraduate thesis, he analyzed unsteady aerodynamic effects over transonic aircraft wings with Professor David Zingg (UTIAS).

For his PEY Co-op internship, Thawer worked at Safran Landing Systems, collaborating with engineers in France, England, and the United States on the design of the upcoming Aerion Supersonic AS2 business jet. Next fall, Thawer is headed to the California Institute of Technology to pursue a PhD in aerospace engineering.

“Over the past five years, I have learned so much from some of the best professors in Canada and incredible group of peers in the Engineering Science program,” he says. “The knowledge and skills I have developed have given me the confidence to pursue my dreams and make a difference in the world.”