U of S and Queen's engineering schools to work together

The arrangement was made possible through a broader funding initiative totalling $1.67 million announced by the U of S and the International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) on June 21, 2013.

The two engineering schools will explore opportunities to collaborate in general areas of academic training and capacity-building, research and scholarly activities, and student and faculty exchanges. They will share knowledge and experience to enhance community-university linkages and identify potential funding opportunities.

"We are excited to be embarking on this innovative path with our counterpart at Queen's," said Georges Kipouros, dean of the U of S College of Engineering. "We look forward to developing new and broadened teaching and learning opportunities for the graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members of both universities through this partnership."

The areas where in which both parties hope to collaborate include:

educational programs and exchanges of undergraduate and graduate students, via field study, summer school, experiential education or study abroad opportunities;

teaching roles by faculty during academic visits and exchanges between the two parties;

delivering courses or course components using distance education approaches such as massive open online courses, known as "MOOCs", and teleconference facilities;

sharing special laboratory facilities, including mobile laboratory equipment;

the possibility of offering a joint undergraduate degree;

collaborative research programs; and

exchanging information on funding opportunities to support collaborations.

IMII's participation involves costs associated with exploring the development of a joint mining engineering degree with Queen's. The 2013 U of S funding agreement with IMII will see the development and delivery of five additional mining courses and the creation of three new undergraduate mining options in geological, mechanical, and chemical engineering at the U of S.

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For more information:

Kate Blau, Communications Officer
College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan
306-966-7924 | kate.blau@usask.ca

Anne Craig, Communications Officer
University Communications, Queen's University

613-533-2877 | anne.craig@queensu.ca