January 26, 2021
Meet Aidan Luscombe! A fourth year Nanotechnology Engineering student currently in his 4B term.
Why did you choose your program?
I chose Nanotechnology Engineering because it sounded like a very unique degree that simultaneously kept many doors open. Nano offers such a variety of courses that if someone wanted to go to medical school after this degree, they could take courses focused on nanomedicine and biotechnology to gain the required background. However, the larger focus of the program is on a mix of materials science, quantum mechanics, chemistry, and electronics, which gives graduates of the program a great breadth of opportunities.
Tell us about one of your co-op placements. What did you do? What did you enjoy about it?
For one of my co-op placements I worked at a company called Sila Nanotechnologies in California. The company is producing next generation battery materials. In my time working there, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about battery engineering and the challenges facing the energy storage industry as a whole. This co-op was very influential on my career path, as I now aim to work in battery engineering specifically for the electric vehicles industry. Something I enjoyed about this co-op (and all my co-ops) was that I was treated as a real full-time employee and given the same respect and responsibilities of other full-time employees at the company. It really gives co-op students the chance to experience what the real world of engineering is like and how it feels to contribute meaningfully to projects.
What are you most excited for this year?
This year I’m excited to be finally putting together the prototype of my fourth year design project (FYDP)! This is a project that my group members and I have been working on since Fall 2019, so it’s very exciting to see our ideas finally being brought to fruition.