Mina Labib, NE Class of 2013

Mina Labib grew up with two engineers in his family and knew he wanted to enter the profession himself, but he was interested in doing things differently. Raised in Kuwait, he was most familiar with engineers working in oil and gas or construction. In fact, he was acquainted with so many that he felt he needed to differentiate himself from what he calls ‘the masses with a traditional engineering degree.’

And so began his quest for ‘something different.’ After researching engineering programs in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, he soon narrowed his search to Canada. Consulting the rankings and speaking with classmates who had attended a Canadian university piqued his interest in Waterloo Engineering and its very strong reputation.  

The Nanotechnology Engineering program offered Mina the engineering discipline he wanted, plus the opportunity to study nanoscale at the forefront of computer chip and microprocessing technology. With his decision made, Mina moved halfway around the world to pursue his undergraduate degree.

Memories

Even after four years in the program, Orientation Week stands out as one of Mina’s most memorable experiences. His other favourite memories - studying with his classmates on group projects and the excitement of the Capstone Design Symposium - hint at Mina’s appreciation for people and the friendships he made while at Waterloo.

Mina Labib and a friend show off their true colours - engineering purple - at Orientation Week in 2008.

“I lived with some of my classmates, and we often studied together. Everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses and, for the most part, we complemented each other. We buckled down on our studies and sacrificed some fun times for studying, but we got through it,” says Mina with a smile.

Academic/Social Balance

Mina explains that he gave himself some breathing room to explore life beyond his studies. He wanted to get a well-rounded experience that included academics and social time with friends: “I was satisfied being mid-pack academically… while maintaining my sensibilities. I was constantly evaluating where I was at, deciding on my priorities and juggling things to accommodate them. Sometimes I went too far one way and sometimes the other way. Often I had to switch directions quickly, so it was a bit like a teeter totter ride, but it was worth it.”

In fact, Mina credits his personal relationships as a key advantage in finding enjoyable work quickly post-graduation. While in school, he reached out beyond his program to make friends with people in other departments. Through them, he learned about a wide range of subjects and specialties.

Advantage

Now, in his role as a Test and Process Engineer at Angstrom Engineering Inc., he works with many types of engineers, scientists and non-technical staff. He finds it useful to have a well-rounded ability to talk with people working in a wide range of subjects.

As a Test and Process Engineer for Angstrom Engineering, Mina travels the world to install specialized equipment and train researchers to use it.

Mina travels around the globe, installing Angstrom Engineering’s Physical Vapor Deposition and Chemical Vapor Deposition systems, making sure they work as requested and training researchers how to use and maintain them.

Mina’s multi-faceted position requires him to do many things well. His job is not purely nanotechnology, but his background is crucial because it allows him to understand how experts would use his company’s equipment and what challenges they might face. He deals with people from other functional units and backgrounds regularly. Thanks to his longtime efforts to familiarize himself with other fields through his university and business relationships, he can often ‘speak their language’ to pick up problems and help solve them faster than he could have without his broad background.

Co-op Work Term Employment History Materials Interconnect Lab Associate, Research in Motion Microfabrication Process Researcher, Centre for Integrated RF Engineering, UWaterloo Materials Characterization Intern, Fire Research Group, UWaterloo Porous Material Synthesis Specialist, Dr. Ting Tsui, UWaterloo

Lessons Learned

Mina often returns to University of Waterloo to see the Capstone Design Symposium and talk with classes about his experiences in the workplace. He regularly shares this advice with Nanotechnology Engineering students:

1. Your connections are more important than a 95% on your transcript.
2. Don’t sacrifice your academics too much, but relax on them to form relationships with the people around you – and not just in Nanotechnology Engineering. Have friends in other programs and learn to see the commonalities and differences among your fields.
3. Identify your skills and personal traits and then leverage them to find work you enjoy.