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Electronics Shop Team receives Award of Recognition for powering teaching, research and student innovation
The Electronics Shop Team in Western Engineering’s department of electrical and computer engineering has been named a recipient of the 2025 Engineering Award of Recognition for the breadth of impact they deliver — often without anyone in the room knowing they were the reason the experiment worked, the lab ran on time or the student project crossed the finish line.
The team includes:
• Eugen Porter - Technical Specialist
• Robert Barbeito - Technical Specialist
• Trent Steensma - Technical Specialist
• David Liu - Technical Specialist
• Ron Struke - Technical Specialist
For several years, the team has been independently coordinating teaching support, research builds, safety inspections and equipment stewardship across the Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics Systems Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Systems Engineering programs. The trust placed in them shows up in the words colleagues use to describe their work.
“Their contributions are essential to the functioning of our teaching laboratories, the success of student design teams and the progress of faculty research programs,” wrote Ana Luisa Trejos, Tier-II Canada Research Chair in Wearable Mechatronics, in her nomination letter. “They embody collaboration, initiative, creativity and service to the Faculty of Engineering in the highest sense.”
Behind every lab, before any student arrives
Long before students walk into a teaching lab, the Electronics Shop has reviewed the schedule, set up the stations and tested every component. When equipment fails — as it inevitably does — the team troubleshoots on the spot, often repairing or replacing parts so the class can keep going.
Their proactivity is the kind that goes unnoticed precisely because it works. They handle CSA safety inspections, vet incoming equipment specs, train teaching assistants when no lab manager is in place and screen capstone teams’ purchase requests so students don’t spend their limited budgets on equipment that won’t do the job.
During the COVID transition, the team sourced, packaged and distributed lab components so that hands-on engineering education could continue in students’ homes — a contribution colleagues say protected the quality of remote instruction.
Mentors to student innovators
For student design teams, the Electronics Shop is more than a workshop — it is a sounding board. Members regularly attend design reviews for clubs, contributing the kind of practical knowledge that comes only from years of building real systems.
One student leader recalled a critical board failure just before a competition mission.
“Eugen quickly devised a creative workaround by repurposing a broken board to perform a mission-critical task,” the student said. “Without this solution, our rover would not have been able to receive power and the mission would have failed.”
For another student leader, the team’s mentorship has been formative:
“Eugen and David exemplify the quiet leadership and dedication that make Western Engineering such a strong community…“Their impact extends far beyond individual tasks or projects and they actively shape the learning experiences, confidence and future success of the students they work with.”
Much of this mentorship is provided on a 100 per cent volunteer basis.
Quiet engineers of research
The team’s reach into faculty research is equally significant. Their work has supported technically demanding interdisciplinary projects across Western Engineering, including an Alter Magnetron system, a redesigned 16-port methane bubbler, fMRI-safe cabling and high-speed drone blade sensors.
“This team is among the best that I have had the pleasure of working with and plays a pivotal role in the success of our programs,” wrote John Makaran, assistant professor in mechanical and materials engineering and MME 4499 capstone project coordinator.
A team that runs itself — and welcomes everyone in
What makes the Electronics Shop a fixture of ECE is not only what they do but how they do it. Colleagues consistently describe the team’s warmth alongside its technical precision — a culture that pulls students in rather than keeping them out.
Trejos noted in her letter that even her dog, Lizzie, has noticed. Every time they walk past the Electronics Shop door, Lizzie pulls on her leash to go in.
“This small anecdote captures something true about the group,” Trejos wrote. “They are not only technically exceptional but also genuinely kind.”
From the team
Asked to reflect on the recognition, the Electronics Shop Team responded with a joint statement that turns the spotlight back on the people they support.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate and support us. We are sincerely appreciative of this recognition and remain committed to providing the highest level of service to our students, faculty, staff, and research partners for years to come.
Congratulations to the Electronics Shop Team. For years, your steady, expert and generous work has helped power Western Engineering’s teaching, research and student innovation — often without the credit you deserve. This award is one small way of saying we see it.
The Western Engineering Award of Recognition honours faculty or staff members each year for outstanding contributions to the Faculty’s academic, research, public service and administrative missions.
