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Natural Resource Engineering PhD candidate selected for prestigious national award

Natural Resource Engineering PhD candidate selected for prestigious national award

Maryam Pourmahdavi celebrates Gordon M. Ritcey award for achievement in hydrometallurgy.

(October 5, 2022) - Maryam Pourmahdavi, PhD candidate of Natural Resource Engineering in Engineering Science at Laurentian University is the recipient of the prestigious Gordon M. Ritcey PhD award. This nation-wide achievement in the hydrometallurgy section of Mettalurgy and Materials Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (MetSoc) is an incredible accomplishment for Pourmahdavi, who is also a 2019 Ontario Trillium scholar and 2020 Parya Trillium scholar. This is the first time that a Laurentian student has been the recipient of this award. 

Pourmahdavi is originally from Lahijan, Iran. Her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering was obtained at Guilan University, and her M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology. When it came to the pursuit of her PhD, Pourmahdavi expressed interest in studying at a Canadian university. When she discovered Laurentian’s location in the unique mining landscape of Greater Sudbury, she recalled thinking, “this could be a great place for me, and the fact that I could further my career here was another reason why I chose Laurentian.” 

For Pourmahdavi, who remains humble despite her many achievements, her experience as a Laurentian student has been “very rewarding.” Working under the direction of her faculty supervisor, Full Professor, Dr. Dean Millar, her dissertation is titled “Design and verification of CO2 capture and sequestration systems utilizing the pressure swing absorption process in a hydraulic air compressor (HAC).” In other words, Pourmahdavi’s research hinges on finding solutions for reducing carbon dioxide emissions produced by the mining industry. 

Other members of Pourmahdavi’s faculty committee include Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Assistant Professor and Director of the Bharti School of Engineering, Dr. Meysar Zeinali, Associate Professor of the Bharti School of Engineering, Dr. Alex Hutchison, MIRARCO Rock Mechanics Lab and Field Work Manager, and Dr. François Caron, Professor Emeritus, School of the Environment. “All the members of my committee are so welcoming. So helpful.”  

Not only is Pourmahdavi interested in implementing change to support the environment, she is equally passionate about teaching. “All of the women in my family are teachers. I wanted to be a post-secondary lecturer. That is originally why I decided to do a PhD. My family, especially my mother, believed that if you want to make a change, you have to educate the next generation. I want to have an impact on the next generation, help them to have a better life, have a better career. This has really inspired me.” 

Because Pourmahdavi has a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) that finds her supporting faculty with their teaching responsibilities, she is pleased to have already had opportunities to positively impact other students. What’s more, in collaboration with MIRARCO, she is a co-instructor of undergraduate students studying Operation Research at the University of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology in Ganzhou, China. “I’ve really enjoyed these teaching opportunities.” 

In addition to teaching, Pourmahdavi is also keen to advocate for fellow graduate students, which is why she got involved as her program representative within Laurentian’s Graduate Students’ Association. Last year, she was the GSA’s representative on the University's Senate, as well as the graduate student representative on the University’s Presidential Advisory Committee for the Status of Gender Equity. “Grad students need someone to be there for them and be involved in the advocacy of their rights.”

Maryam Pourmahdavi is sure to inspire others. The Laurentian community is fortunate to benefit from her contributions and we will all be eager to hear of her successes after graduation. 

Postscript on behalf of Maryam Pourmahdavi, PhD candidate: 
"While I am very proud of my accomplishments and will continue to persevere in my academic pursuits, my heart goes out to my family, friends, and all those affected by the violence and tragedies ongoing in my home country. When I was a student in Iran, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of my university community. Although Iranian women form the majority of university students in Iran, they continue to face disproportionate inequalities and do not have many basic rights. However, they are so brave as they are active in public life. I hope to see a better future for Iran with equal opportunities for the growth and development of all Iranian girls and women."
 

Laurentian Bharti School of Engineering students triumph again

Laurentian Bharti School of Engineering students triumph again

Senior teams head to Nationals after winning at Ontario Engineering Competition

FEBRUARY 1, 2016 – Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering continued its dominance at the Ontario Engineering Competition, with its teams claiming top spot in two categories this weekend at the University of Waterloo. Laurentian students won first place in both the Senior Design category and the Consulting category at the province-wide competition.  The Bharti School’s winning teams will now advance to the Canadian Engineering Competition hosted by McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, March 3-6, 2016.

 

“This is another historic moment for Laurentian University and for the Bharti School of Engineering,” said University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux.  “We are thrilled for these students and the experience and hands-on training they are gaining.  We will all be cheering them on,” he added.

 

Laurentian’s Senior Design team is made up of third-year Mechanical Engineering students; Colin Roos, Stephane Labine, Matt Bennison and Aidan Simpson.  This same team won the Junior Design competition at the 2015 OEC and also won the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC).  

 

Laurentian students also won the Consulting category of the OEC and they will represent Ontario at the Canadian Engineering Competition.  The team consisted of fourth-year Chemical Engineering students; Frederique Belanger, Jasmina Omri, Joseph Fyfe and Tyler Provencal.

 

“This is a tremendous testament to our engineering programs at Laurentian,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Bharti School of Engineering.  “Our Senior Design team defended its title at OEC in a very tough field, and, for the first time, Laurentian competed in the Consulting category and won.  Our students are exceptionally talented and I couldn’t be more proud,” he said.

 

Before the 2016 CEC in Montreal, Laurentian’s Mining Engineering students will be competing at the Canadian Mining Games at UBC-Vancouver, February 18-21.

 

Students from Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering have distinguished themselves in numerous provincial, national and international competitions.  They have won the Canadian Mining Games more often than any other university in Canada.  In 2011, Laurentian’s team won the NASA Lunabotics competition with their design for a remote lunar-mining module. 

 

For more information about the Ontario Engineering Competition visit oec2016.io and 

cec2016.com to learn more about the Canadian Engineering Competition.

Laurentian Engineering students make history

Laurentian Engineering students make history

Both Bharti School’s Junior, Senior Design teams Win Canadian Engineering Competition

Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering makes history as both Junior and Senior Design teams win the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Results of the CEC were announced at an awards banquet at Memorial University on Saturday evening. 
 

After the Junior Design team won the Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) last month and the Senior Design team came in second, both teams qualified to represent Ontario at the nationwide 2015 CEC. Laurentian’s Junior Design team members are: Aidan Simpson, Colin Roos, Matthew Bennison and Stephane Labine. Members of the Senior Design team are: Caitlin Roos, Jasmin Lemieux, Louis-Francis Tremblay and Philip O'Connor.  
 

“This is truly an exceptional moment for Laurentian University and for the Bharti School of Engineering,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Bharti School of Engineering. “For the first time in our University’s history we had both Junior and Senior Design teams represent Ontario on a national stage in the same year and we are inspired by their performance,” he said. 
 

Teams competed in the following categories: Communications Engineering, Consulting Engineering, Innovative Design, Junior Design, Extemporaneous Debate, Re-Engineering, and Senior Design. 
 

“Engineering is a signature program at Laurentian and an area of significant growth in the past few years, now serving 700 students from the undergraduate to PhD levels,” said University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “Our students and faculty have truly differentiated themselves and we are most proud of the esteem they continue to bring to our institution,” he added. 


Students from Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering have distinguished themselves in numerous provincial, national and international competitions. They have won the Canadian Mining Games more often than any other university in Canada. In 2011, Laurentian’s team won the NASA Lunabotics Mining competition with their design for a remote lunar-mining module. 
 

The Canadian Engineering Competition was hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, March 5-8, 2015. The Canadian Engineering Competition is an annual competition involving more than 170 of the best and brightest engineering students from across Canada. The competition strives to expand and advance the education of our future engineers. Additionally, it is designed to test the competitors to become innovative and creative engineers that always consider environmental, social and economic impacts of their decisions. 
 

For more information about the Ontario Engineering Competition visit www.oec2015.ca and www.2015cec.ca to learn more about the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition. 

Junior Design Team     Senior Design Team

Laurentian Engineering students headed to Nationals

Laurentian Engineering students headed to Nationals

Bharti School’s Junior, Senior teams win at Ontario Engineering Competition

February 25, 2015 - Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering will send two teams to the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition in St. John’s, Newfoundland, next month, after strong showings by both the Junior and Senior teams at the Ontario Engineering Competiton. Results of the OEC were announced at an awards banquet at Ryerson University earlier this month.

Laurentian’s juniors, who are all first- and second-year engineering students, placed first in the OEC Junior Design category with a victory over competitors from Royal Military College and Queen’s University. Laurentian’s senior team, comprised of third- and fourth-year students, finished a close second to University of Guelph, with the University of Waterloo placing third.
 

“It’s really a tremendous showing for our students and we are all very proud of them,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Bharti School of Engineering. “This is the first time that both our seniors and juniors have finished in the top three at the same OEC event, and the students are really pumped about taking their skills to the national competition next month,” he said.
 

Students from Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering have distinguished themselves in numerous provincial, national and international competitions. They have won the Canadian Mining Games more often than any other university in Canada. In 2011, Laurentian’s team won the NASA Lunabotics competition with their design for a remote lunar-mining module.
 

“This is another proud moment for Laurentian University and for the Bharti School of Engineering,” said University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “These students are proving that hands-on training, excellent faculty support and gritty determination are ingredients in engineering success. We will all be cheering them on,” he added.
 

An Open House event will be held on Thursday, February 26th from 1:30-2:30 pm in the Brenda Wallace Reading Room, where members of the University community, the media and the public can meet the members of both Junior and the Senior teams, and hear about their experiences at the OEC competition.
 

The Canadian Engineering Competition will be hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, March 5-8, 2015.

For more information about the Ontario Engineering Competition visit www.oec2015.ca. Visit www.2015cec.ca to learn more about the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition