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The College of Physical and Engineering Science (CPES) is one of the colleges at the University of Guelph located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. In 1989, the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) School of Engineering was merged with the College of Physical Sciences to become the CPES.
Contents
- History of College
- Albert A Thornbrough Building
- Department of Chemistry
- Undergraduate Programs offered
- Graduate Programs Offered
- School of Computer Science SoCS
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Department of Physics
- School of Engineering
- Math Stats Learning Centre
- Extracurricular
- CPES Student Council
- References
The College of Physical and Engineering Science offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in five disciplines. They are Chemistry, Computing and Information Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. These five disciplines follow a three to five year structure with some programs including a co-op option. The dean of the college is Dr. Anthony Vannelli, and is further administered by ten personnel.
History of College
The College of Physical and Engineering Sciences was created in 1989 as a result of a number of significant department merges and divisions within the University of Guelph. The Ontario School of Agriculture (later changed to the Ontario Agriculture College and Experimental Farm in 1880. The Macdonald Institute and The Ontario Veterinary College were all created in 1874, 1903 and 1922 respectively and were subsequently merged under the University of Guelph Act of 1964 forming a single institution. Five years later these three departments were divided into three new colleges being the College of Arts, the College of Physical Sciences and the College Social Sciences, but not before the Macdonald Institute formally became the College of Family and Consumer Studies. Then, in 1971, the College of Biological Science was constituted from the College of Physical Education, OAC’s Department of Nutrition and parts of OAC’s departments of Botany, Microbiology and Zoology. Finally in 1989 OAC's school of Engineering was merged with the College of Physical Sciences to become the College of Physical and Engineering Sciences.
Engineering has been taught at the University of Guelph since 1984. The first building constructed was towards agricultural mechanics in 1905 and measured 146 ft by 64 ft. The program was developed in the early twenties through the Farm Power short courses and consultation services offered by the department. The Agricultural Engineering Department was created in 1928 with the incorporation of the Physics, Farm Mechanics and Manual Training departments. After World War I there was an increase in the mechanization of Ontario farms and an agricultural engineering option was planned to meet this development. Thus, in 1946, the first class of twelve enrolled in the new Agricultural Mechanics Option and in 1948 were awarded a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA).
With time, the University expanded its programs and in 1954 students had the option of completing an additional year in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto earning them a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) degree along with their BSA degree. Furthermore, in 1957 University of Guelph students had the option of completing Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto. In addition, 1957 was also the year the Department of Agricultural Engineering changed its name to the Department of Engineering Science.
In 1965, the Senate of the University of Guelph established The School of Agricultural Engineering further adding the B.Sc. (Eng) degree. Students in their final year had the option of choosing Agricultural Engineering, Biological Engineering or Water Resources Engineering as one of their majors. This new undergraduate program began in the fall semester of 1969 and was fully operational in 1972-73 school years, after being certified by the Canadian Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers. The program later expanded in the 1980s and included optional minors in Food Engineering and Environmental Engineering. Then, in 1984, a cooperative educational program was created for individuals with outstanding rankings.
In 2008, the University of Guelph launched Canada's first full-fledged Nanoscience major, which is provided by CPES. CPES also launched a new Mechanical Engineering program in 2009. The new program allows students to specialize in wind and solar energy, mechatronics, food and beverage engineering, biomechanics and prosthetics manufacturing or to do a combination depending on their interests. Additionally in 2010, CPES has added two more programs, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
In addition, on May 31, 2010, the University of Guelph Senate approved a proposal to create the faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences which will include the CPES departments of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics & Statistics. Furthermore, the Department of Computing and Information Science (CIS) will be renamed the School of Computer Science, falling within the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Sciences.
Albert A. Thornbrough Building
The Albert A. Thornbrough building was opened on June 23, 1973. It was named after Albert A. Thornbrough, president of Massey-Ferguson Ltd., and Vice-Chairman of the University Board of Directors and Chairman of the University Finance Committee from 1968 to 1973. Massey-Ferguson Ltd., a major agricultural equipment manufacturer donated $750,000 toward the $2,000,000 building costs.
In 2009, the School of Engineering embarked on a $22,300,000 expansion project to the Albert A. Thornbrough Building. Phase 1 of the project added 50,000 sq.ft. of space with a building connection to the Richards Building. This also includes an L-shaped addition to the southeast corner of Thornbrough to accommodate the School’s immediate requirement for shop space, labs and design studios for the new Mechanical Engineering program which has already commenced. Phase 1 also includes a four-storey addition connecting Thornbrough with Richards at Branion Square. This addition, supporting all three areas of growth identified above, adds computer labs, student presentation spaces, faculty offices and a unique rooftop sustainability research space complete with an associated support lab below. Phase 2 of the project renovated 52,000 sq.ft. of space in both the Richards and Thornbrough buildings. This achieved the greatest utility of existing facilities by consolidating the dry lab and faculty spaces in the Richards Building, which were to be gutted and retrofitted, while the core of the Thornbrough Building is reconfigured as a unified wet lab area. These major renovations accommodate the accumulating need for research and teaching spaces, design studios, and faculty offices as the expansion of the School of Engineering continues to unfold. In 2011, the expansion project to the Albert A. Thornbrough building is complete.
Department of Chemistry
The Department of Chemistry houses 20 faculty members active in the fields of analytical, physical, theoretical, organic and inorganic chemistry. Paul Rowntree is the chair of the department and faculty members are located in both the McNaughton Building and the Science Complex.
Undergraduate programs contain a co-op option, giving students the opportunity to apply their education outside of the classroom. For graduate studies, the University of Guelph has a partnership with the University of Waterloo, which is highly recognized across Canada as one of the best chemistry graduate programs in the country.
Undergraduate Programs offered
Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Chemistry B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Chemical Physics B.Sc. (Co-op available) Offered jointly with the Department of Physics
Nanoscience B.Sc. (Co-op available) Offered jointly with the Department of Physics
Toxicology B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Graduate Programs Offered
School of Computer Science (SoCS)
The School is located in the Reynolds building, where 19 faculty reside. The director of the School of Computer Science is Dr. Stefan C. Kremer. The School is committed to first rate research and innovation within the field of computer science. They offer a wide variety of co-op programs to give students a head start on their careers.
Undergraduate Programs offered
Computer Science B.Comp. (Co-op available)
Software Engineering B.Comp. (Co-op available)
Graduate Programs Offered
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
The department is located in the McNaughton building with over 20 faculty members and O.B. Allen is the chair of department. Chris Bauch is a member of the department who was featured at the TEDxGuelphU conference where he gave a talk on infectious diseases, vaccines and statistics. Co-op programs are offered for some majors.
Undergraduate Programs offered:
Mathematics B.A., B.Sc.,
Statistics B.A., B.Sc., Diploma—Applied Statistics
Applied Mathematics and Statistics B.Sc. (Co-op only)
Graduate Programs Offered
Department of Physics
The department of physics consists of 18 faculty members located in the MacNaughton building. In addition, the department has its own observatory located on top of the building. The telescope has four eyepieces and has a focal length of 3910 mm. Faculty members collaborate with many different institutions such as the Perimeter Institute and TRIUMF. The department also features numerous seminars and events on topics such as fusion energy, particle colliders and many more. Faculty member Ralf Gellert is a lead scientist for the Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) that is on board the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER).
Undergraduate Programs offered:
Physics B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Nanoscience B.Sc. Offered jointly with the Department of Chemistry
Theoretical Physics B.Sc.
Chemical Physics B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Biophysics B.Sc. (Co-op available)
Graduate Programs Offered
School of Engineering
Guelph's engineering programs focus on applying theory into practice by emphasizing engineering design projects. The department is located in the Thornbrough building, which holds over 43 faculty members. School of Engineering. School of Engineering Faculty. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://www.uoguelph.ca/engineering/faculty. There are seven different majors with a co-op option for each of them. An additional option, Undeclared Entrance, is also available since students take the same introductory courses in their first year. The University of Guelph offers a wide variety of support to engineering students via counseling, cluster living in residence, and peer helpers. Guelph's engineering programs focus on applying theory in practice, and thus, by the end of their undergraduate degree students will have completed at least six engineering design projects. Guelph emphasizes that enrollment in any of the seven engineering programs allows students to become very familiar with their peers and teachers due to the amount of interaction between them.
The School of Engineering is also the home of the Guelph Engineering Society, the largest student organization operated under the College of Physical and Engineering Sciences. A variety of other student groups are also available to undergraduate engineering students, including but not limited to: the BioEngineering Club, Engineers Without Borders, Gryphon Racing (Formula SAE Team), the Guelph Robotics Team, and Women in Science and Engineering. As well as student clubs, students can associate with Research Groups such as: the BioNano Laboratory, Advance Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ARIS) Lab, the Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre (ORWC), or the Urban Systems Environmental Design (USED) Centre.
Undergraduate Programs offered
Biological B.Eng.
Biomedical B.Eng.
Computer B.Eng.
Engineering Systems and Computing B.Eng.
Environmental B.Eng.
Mechanical B.Eng.
Water Resources B.Eng.
Undeclared Entrance.
Graduate Programs Offered
Math & Stats Learning Centre
The Mathematics & Statistics Department within the CPES assists students by providing a centre in which tutoring is available for various 1000 & 2000 level Math & Stats courses.
Tutors are available in the fall and winter semester to work with drop-in students. The center is located in the McLaughlin Library, on the third floor and the hours vary depending on the time of year.
Senior undergraduate & graduate students are welcome to work at the Learning Centre for wages. They can apply at the Mathematics and Statistics office in the MacNaughton Building.
The Learning Centre also posts Self-Study Modules on its website which include problems such as Exponents & Logs, Trigonometry, Quadratics, Graphs, Equations and Lines. Students or anyone interested have the ability to attempt these modules at their leisure.
The website also hosts access to a repository of modules covering various topics to assist all University students with improving their numeracy and quantitative reasoning abilities. The Numeracy and Quantitative Reasoning Initiative, which began in 2005, was responsible for the creation of the Repository. The University of Guelph Library & Learning Commons, the Data Resource Centre (DRC), the Teaching Support Services (TSS) and the Computing and Communications Services work alongside the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to maintain the success of the Repository. Subjects include Percentages & Percentiles, Nominal, z-scores, Measures of Central Tendency, and t-tests, with the option to search the Repository for various topics.
Students are encouraged to reach out to the Learning Centre and to seek assistance through the Numeracy and Quantitative Reasoning Repository. Further help for Math & Stats students can be found through seminars held periodically in sections such as Colloquium Series, Thesis/Project Presentation, Applied Analysis, Biomathematics & Biostatistics, Operations Research, Quantum Information & Geometric Statistics, and Computational Statistics.
A program also exists through the Supported Learning Groups (SLG) which helps Math & Stats students with MATH 1080 (Elements of Calculus I) and STAT 2040 (Statistics I) by providing sessions led by Peer Helpers. Students are given the opportunity to work on course concepts, program vocabulary and are thereafter able to test themselves.
Extracurricular
The college encourages students to get involved in their respective fields of study by offering things such as social networking in the Computer Science department and job opportunities to undergraduate & graduate students. These are just some examples of ways students can get involved. Many of the people on the Gryphon Racing team, a student run club that builds an open-wheeled racecar each year, are Engineer majors. Nanoscience students involved in the Nanoclub participated in NanoDay at the Museum at The Waterloo Regional Children's Museum.
The college also hosts various events involving high-school students such as the School of Engineering's WindEng design competition and Roboticon, which is held by the School of Computer Science. CPES was instrumental in creating the Guelph Science Olympics in 2009 with involvement from the College of Biological Science and the Ontario Agricultural College.
CPES Student Council
The CPES Student Council (CPESSC) is a student run organization within the CPES that brings the college students together for social activities and also allows their voice to be heard by the college, the Alumni Association and the university community. The hub of CPES is in the Science Complex, where weekly meetings occur and offices of council members reside. These elected positions include a President, VP Internal, VP Social, VP Finances, VP Operations and Chairperson.
CPESSC also has the duty to support registered academic interest groups within the college. Each club has the right to vote on CPESSC issues during their weekly meetings. The clubs currently registered with the CPESSC are: