Alumni, industry and friends support Western Engineering students

Students' odds of receiving a student award or scholarship from the Faculty of Engineering has increased this year, thanks to two new donations.  The Professor Mel Poucher Award in Civil Engineering and The Vander Laan Undergraduate Scholarship in Engineering have just been added to Western Engineering's awards and scholarships list.

On behalf of the Poucher family, Carol Poucher-Urbshott established the Professor Mel  Poucher Award in Civil Engineering to honour her father, Professor Emeritus Mellor P. Poucher. This award will be presented to a full-time student in Year 2 or higher of the Civil & Environmental Engineering program, who has achieved a minimum average of 75% and is involved in extracurricular activities. Applications are available from the Faculty of Engineering and must be submitted, along with a description of the candidate’s extracurricular activities, by September 30, 2005. The recipient will be determined by the Faculty of Engineering.

Professor Poucher was the second Western Engineering faculty member.  He taught for forty years, from 1954 to 1994.   His warm and easygoing personality was well liked by both his colleagues and his students.  He passed away in June 2004, just prior to the Faculty's 50th Anniversary celebration.  Professor Poucher had volunteered a great deal of his time to help chronicle  the  major events for the Faculty of Engineering prior to his death.

Trojan Technologies Inc. established The Vander Laan Undergraduate Scholarship in Engineering in honour of their founder Hank Vander Laan.  This award will be presented to a full-time student in Year 2 or higher of any program in Engineering who has achieved a minimum 80% average and who demonstrates an academic interest in environmental topics or water issues. Applications can be obtained from the Faculty of Engineering and must be submitted, along with a short essay, by September 30, 2005. The recipient will be selected by the Scholarship and Awards Committee in the Faculty of Engineering. 

As a young entrepreneur, Vander Lann bought Trojan Metal Works in 1976. The company initially focused on fabricating metal toolboxes, but Vander Laan saw potential in the patent the company held on a small, UV treatment unit for homeowners to purify their drinking water. Based on a vision of transforming the fledgling metal fabricator into a dynamic global company capable of solving complex water problems, Trojan Technologies was born. Through the 1980's and 1990's, the company grew rapidly and is now recognized around the world as being the leader in advanced UV water treatment technology and is committed to aggressively leveraging its proprietary expertise in a growing number of key market sectors.  For more information about Trojan Technologies Inc. please visit http://www.trojanuv.com.