Engineers On Ice
Sports are one of the most common activities that college students can participate in. Many college students play sports with official college teams, clubs, or intramural programs. Many also follow a professional sports team as passionate fans. However, there seems to be a common misconception that engineering students do not participate in any other activities outside of math or science. To combat this silly stereotype, I interviewed Chris Buchanan, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student of the 2020 class.
Chris’s favorite sport is ice hockey because he gets to meet many new people. He said, “through various teams I have had the privilege of meeting some amazing people. I was coached by both retired NHL player Steve Halko and current coach of the Nashville Predators, Peter Laviolette. I have also met people such as the current coach of the Winnipeg Jets Paul Maurice, and retired professionals Martin Gelinas and Rod Brindamour.”
Chris recognized hockey as one of the main activities that defined who he has grown to be today and that it is so important to him as an engineer. According to Chris, “[hockey] is a very fast sport that requires both skill and physicality. You have to be both quick on your feet and strong in order to excel.” In other words, hockey is a great test for both the mind and body. He even sometimes looks at hockey from an engineering standpoint, saying “there are many aspects and feats of engineering that go into designing the best equipment possible for the game to balance comfort, robustness, and strength.”
