Dr. Kefu Liu
"I like things in motion," remarks Dr. Kefu Liu.
The mechanical engineer and Lakehead professor is particularly interested in vibration, which can pose multiple benefits -- and many severe hazards. From the beautiful music we find pleasing to our ears to the massive earthquakes which rip through the planet, vibration is common to everyday life and produces highly varied effects.
As such, methods of vibration control are pivotal to the success of engineering endeavours in addition to human safety and comfort overall. To provide his students with an opportunity to acquaint themselves with this powerful phenomenon, Dr. Liu has established a lab equipped with a series of devices for vibration testing and experiments.
As well as a professor, Dr. Liu is the coordinator for the control engineering program - an interdisciplinary graduate option which combines knowledge from environmental, electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering disciplines to study the industrial applications of control theory and principles. Consequently, students in the program benefit from a well-rounded education and highly marketable knowledge and skills.
Many of Dr. Liu's students have launched into lucrative and exciting careers, from senior engineer at Ontario Power Generation to assistant professor at Carleton University. Other students continued on to further their studies and one is currently a Ph.D candidate at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
There are many factors Dr. Liu pinpoints as central to the program's success, including the competitive financial support. He explains that students are typically provided with at least $6,000 per annum for two years.
In addition, the faculty are highly dedicated. Dr. Liu, who prizes the value of education, comments on his experience as a graduate supervisor:
"I have found supervising to be extremely rewarding and fulfilling...A number of my students were new immigrants who struggled to find a job after they came to Canada. However, their studies opened them to new opportunities and they have been quite successful. I am proud of my former students, all of whom I now regard as friends. We keep in close contact."