Ethan Flatt Wins Best Engineering Co-op Student Award

Ethan Flatt is the winner of the 2025-26 Best Engineering Co-op Student Award.

He is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Civil Engineering / Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, and he is also president of the Lakehead University Chapter of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE).

“I have really enjoyed my co-op experiences and have been able to gain a lot of practical and technical knowledge and been able to connect with many experienced industry professionals,” Ethan says.

Ethan has undertaken co-op placements at Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation in fall 2025, and TBT Engineering Limited in spring/summer 2026.

One of his managers noted that, "Ethan has been an exceptional co-op student who has consistently exceeded expectations. He has demonstrated strong technical ability, professionalism, dependability, and a genuine eagerness to learn.”

The award includes a $1,000 bursary from the Faculty of Engineering and a certificate of recognition.

“Ethan’s success is a great example of how co-op helps students build on their academic learning to gain real-world experience, and make a positive impression in the workplace. He has represented the Faculty of Engineering exceptionally well, and we are proud to recognize his achievement,” says Dr. David Barnett, Interim Dean of Engineering.

“I am proud to see our students consistently perform well during their co-op placements. Among them, Ethan distinguished himself through his outstanding performance across all evaluation criteria in the last academic year. I also commend all our co-op students for their continued commitment, professionalism, and high standards of performance throughout their placements. Their collective achievements reflect the value of our co-op program and the talent of our students," adds Dr. T. Akilan, Director of Engineering Co-op in the Faculty of Engineering.