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A passion for the environment led Sarah Masalmeh to the Engineering program at the Faculty of Agriculture.

鈥淭he Agricultural Campus has so much to offer. There are many opportunities to join varsity teams, make professional connections and even gain practical experience by working for the university,鈥� she said.聽 鈥淭he small campus also allows students to be recognized for their contributions to the campus community.鈥�

Sarah has taken full advantage of these opportunities, currently serving as the Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council鈥檚 undergraduate student research assistant for Dr. Ahmad Al-Mallahi and his Applied Intelligent Engineering Systems Research Group. In this role, she鈥檚 contributing to the early stages of an innovative project developing a robotic arm designed to detect and remove rocks from agricultural fields鈥攁 challenge she鈥檚 tackling through data collection and field research across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

鈥淭his job is my first experience with research,鈥� she explained.聽 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful to have been given this opportunity. I had been looking for a position where I could gain relevant experience and develop new skills.鈥�

This isn鈥檛 Sarah鈥檚 first hands-on experience. Last summer, she worked as a student assistant in the Engineering department where she helped develop course materials in areas such as calculus and computer-aided design. 鈥淚 really enjoyed simplifying complex topics and translating what I鈥檝e learned into resources for other students,鈥� she shared.

What sets the Truro Engineering program apart, according to Sarah, is its strong emphasis on hands-on learning. From her very first semester, she was immersed in practical projects, including building a 3D-printed, Arduino-controlled go-kart鈥攁n experience she found particularly rewarding.

Although her roots are in Syria, Sarah was born and raised in Nova Scotia, and commutes daily to campus from New Glasgow where she is completing her first two years of her Bachelor of Engineering before continuing her studies in Mechanical Engineering on the Halifax campus.

diploma of engineering with plans to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering.

Sarah is passionate about renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. Although her career path is still taking shape, she鈥檚 excited by the possibilities鈥攅specially after experiencing her first research role. 鈥淭his job has made me seriously consider returning to campus in the future to continue in research,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to be gaining relevant experience and new skills while exploring different aspects of engineering.鈥�

While engineering is often viewed as a male-dominated field, 32 per cent of the engineering student population in Truro is female.

鈥淗onestly, I鈥檝e never felt unsupported or excluded,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 often think about the gender gap because I鈥檓 constantly surrounded by amazing women鈥攂oth peers and faculty鈥攚ho are thriving in this field.鈥�