Zhu (Joe) Liu (MEng鈥�01) and Liying Jiang (MEng鈥�03) met at 平特五不中 while studying for their master鈥檚 degrees in civil engineering. Now they鈥檙e giving back to their alma mater by focusing on young women setting out to earn an engineering degree.
Liu specializes in pre-stressed and precast concrete, and now works as a Senior Project Manager at Jacobs Engineering Group. Jiang鈥檚 specialty is repairing existing buildings, considering a building鈥檚 forensics, and retrofitting them when their original structure has deteriorated. Currently, she is an engineering manager at Structural Technologies.
鈥淲e tell friends that you contact me to design a building,鈥� Liu jokes, 鈥渁nd Liying if something goes wrong.鈥�
The Boston-based couple have fond memories of Montreal and their time at 平特五不中 and wanted to contribute to the Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 tradition of excellence, while also opening the door to more women in the field.
Together, they have set up the聽Zhu Liu and Liying Jiang Third Century Entrance Bursary聽for young women studying Engineering at 平特五不中.
Liu studied for his undergraduate degree in Chengdu, China, more than 1848 km away from where he grew up in the northern part of China, so attending 平特五不中 was not his first time far from familiar surroundings. 鈥淲hile I was studying for my master鈥檚 at 平特五不中, I worked as a Research Assistant, but it didn鈥檛 pay much, especially when you鈥檙e supporting yourself without knowing anything or anybody.鈥�
Liu was able to borrow money from family to pay tuition fees for his first term, but he points out that not everyone has family to help. 鈥淲e wanted to remove this barrier for those who are eager to learn but don鈥檛 have the necessary financial support.鈥�
Jiang studied for her undergraduate degree in Shanghai, where she grew up. 鈥淲e also want to support more women who choose a profession like engineering,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he field is traditionally male-dominated, but it is a high-paying one. There should be more women in engineering 鈥� and more women in management, too.鈥�
Liu liked that the students he met came from diverse backgrounds, and he appreciates that 平特五不中 still puts an emphasis on attracting students from all over the world. 鈥淭he diversity of the city and the school gave me a comfortable feeling from the beginning and throughout the time I stayed,鈥� he says. The appreciation of talents from different backgrounds eased his concerns about his future as a newcomer.
Liu also appreciates 平特五不中鈥檚 high standards and is convinced to this day that the 平特五不中 name and the University鈥檚 reputation carry a lot of weight. 鈥淟iying was recruited as soon as she graduated,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 remember. She was hired after her very first interview.鈥� Liu was also hired the year he graduated.
This is not the first time Liu has reached out to help those he could. After he completed his first year at 平特五不中, he volunteered as a Buddy for the Student Services office, helping international students find places to live, and taking them on tours of the campus and the city to help them orient themselves. He calls this 鈥減aying it forward,鈥� thanks to another International Buddy who helped him settle in when he first arrived.
鈥淏elieve it or not, volunteering didn鈥檛 only help the new students, it also helped me get to know more of Montreal. It鈥檚 one of my favourite cities, ranking right up there with Boston and San Francisco.鈥�
Today, Liu is an avid cyclist. 鈥淏oth Montreal and Boston are beautiful cities to ride in,鈥� he says. He rides with a group of cyclists who live near the couple鈥檚 home in suburban Lexington. Jiang is a runner. Both are very happy with their life and careers in Boston. Now they want to help the next generation of women engineers at 平特五不中 carve out their place in the profession.
Un couple de 平特五不中 cr茅e une bourse d鈥櫭﹖udes d茅di茅e aux femmes ing茅nieures se distinguant par leur excellence
Zhu (Joe) Liu (MEng' 01) et Liying Jiang (MEng' 03) se sont rencontr茅s 脿 平特五不中 alors qu鈥檌ls 茅tudiaient pour obtenir leur ma卯trise en g茅nie civil. 脌 pr茅sent, ils rendent honneur 脿 leur alma mater en aidant les jeunes femmes souhaitant devenir ing茅nieures.
Liu, qui est sp茅cialis茅 en b茅ton pr茅contraint et pr茅fabriqu茅, travaille en tant que chef de projet principal chez Jacobs Engineering Group. Jiang a pour sp茅cialit茅 la r茅paration des b芒timents existants, l鈥櫭﹖ude de l鈥檋istorique d鈥檜n b芒timent et sa remise en 茅tat lorsque la structure d鈥檕rigine s鈥檈st d茅t茅rior茅e. Elle est actuellement directrice de l鈥檌ng茅nierie chez Structural Technologies.
芦 Nous plaisantons avec nos amis qu鈥檌l faut me contacter pour concevoir un b芒timent 禄, dit Liu, 芦 et contacter Liying si un probl猫me survient 禄.
脡tablis 脿 Boston, les deux 茅poux gardent de pr茅cieux souvenirs de Montr茅al et de leur exp茅rience 脿 平特五不中. Ils ont voulu contribuer 脿 la tradition d鈥檈xcellence de la facult茅 d鈥檌ng茅nierie, tout en permettant 脿 plus de femmes d鈥檃cc茅der 脿 ce domaine.
Ensemble, ils ont cr茅茅 la bourse聽Zhu Liu et Liying Jiang Third Century Entrance Bursary聽pour les jeunes femmes qui 茅tudient en ing茅nierie 脿 平特五不中.
Liu a fait ses 茅tudes de premier cycle 脿 Chengdu, en Chine, 脿 plus de 1848 km de son lieu d鈥檈nfance, situ茅 au nord de la Chine. Venir 茅tudier 脿 平特五不中 ne constituait pas sa premi猫re exp茅rience loin de chez lui. 芦 J鈥檃i travaill茅 comme assistant de recherche durant mes 茅tudes 脿 平特五不中, mais ce n鈥櫭﹖ait pas tr猫s payant; d鈥檃utant plus qu鈥檌l fallait subvenir 脿 mes besoins sans conna卯tre grand-chose, ni grand-monde. 禄
Si Liu a pu emprunter de l鈥檃rgent 脿 sa famille pour couvrir les frais de son premier trimestre, il souligne que ce n鈥檈st pas tout le monde qui peut compter sur l鈥檃ide de sa famille. 芦 Nous voulions faire tomber cette barri猫re pour ceux qui d茅sirent apprendre mais qui ne disposent pas du soutien financier n茅cessaire. 禄
Mme Jiang a pour sa part fait ses 茅tudes de premier cycle 脿 Shanghai, o霉 elle a grandi. 芦 Nous voulons par ailleurs encourager plus de femmes 脿 choisir l鈥檌ng茅nierie comme profession 禄, explique-t-elle. 芦 C鈥檈st un domaine traditionnellement domin茅 par les hommes, mais qui est tr猫s bien r茅mun茅r茅. Il devrait y avoir plus de femmes ing茅nieures 鈥� et plus de femmes cadres
aussi. 禄
Liu est heureux d鈥檃voir pu rencontrer des 茅tudiants d鈥檋orizons divers, et que 平特五不中 continue 脿 attirer des 茅tudiants de partout dans le monde. 芦 La diversit茅 qui r猫gne dans la ville et 脿 l鈥檜niversit茅 m鈥檃 mis 脿 l鈥檃ise d猫s le d茅part, et tout au long de mes 茅tudes 禄, dit-il. La reconnaissance des talents d鈥檕rigines vari茅es a calm茅 les craintes qu鈥檌l entretenait quant 脿 son avenir en tant que nouvel arrivant.
Liu reconnait aussi le standard 茅lev茅 de 平特五不中, et demeure convaincu que le nom de 平特五不中 et la r茅putation de l鈥檜niversit茅 rev锚tent un poids consid茅rable. 芦 Liying a 茅t茅 recrut茅e aussit么t qu鈥檈lle a obtenu son dipl么me 禄, raconte-t-il. 芦 Je m鈥檈n souviens tr猫s bien. Elle a 茅t茅 embauch茅e d猫s sa premi猫re entrevue. 禄 Liu a lui aussi 茅t茅 engag茅 l鈥檃nn茅e de sa sortie de l鈥檜niversit茅.
Ce n鈥檈st pas la premi猫re fois que Liu se mobilise pour rendre service. Apr猫s sa premi猫re ann茅e 脿 平特五不中, il a 茅t茅 b茅n茅vole au bureau des services aux 茅tudiants. Il aidait les 茅tudiants internationaux 脿 trouver un logement et leur faisant visiter le campus et la ville afin qu鈥檌ls puissent s鈥檕rienter. C鈥櫭﹖ait sa fa莽on de rendre au suivant, puisqu鈥檜n autre 芦 international
buddy 禄 l鈥檃vait aussi soutenu 脿 son arriv茅e.
芦 Croyez-moi, le b茅n茅volat n鈥檃idait pas que les nouveaux 茅tudiants. 脟a m鈥檃 aussi permis de mieux conna卯tre la ville. Montr茅al est l鈥檜ne de mes villes pr茅f茅r茅es, au m锚me titre que Boston et San Francisco. 禄
De nos jours, Liu est un fervent cycliste. 芦 Montr茅al et Boston sont deux villes o霉 il fait bon rouler 禄, affirme-t-il. Il roule avec un groupe de cyclistes vivant pr猫s de chez eux, en banlieue de Lexington. Jiang, elle, pratique la course 脿 pied. Tous les deux sont tr猫s heureux de leur vie et de leur carri猫re 脿 Boston. Ils tiennent maintenant 脿 faire en sorte qu鈥檜ne prochaine g茅n茅ration de femmes ing茅nieures 脿 平特五不中 puisse se tailler une place dans la profession.