Canada has produced some amazing engineers in the 20th century, largely thanks to an educational environment which welcomes innovation. Earning a CAD diploma can provide you with the knowledge and skills you’ll need to pursue your dream of engineering some of the worlds’ next great inventions. If you’d like to one day work on the fastest jet, or some of the world’s most incredible buildings, take a look at these great Canadian engineers for inspiration.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier
The original founder of Bombardier Inc.—known today as a prominent Canadian multinational aerospace and transportation company—was born in Valcourt, Quebec. While Joseph-Armand Bombardier did not have any CAD training, as computer-aided design software had not yet been invented during his time, he did have a strong interest in engineering from a very young age. Bombardier educated himself in mechanics and engineering by reading and practicing with small repairs until he opened his very own auto garage at the age of only 19. Here, he repaired cars, sold gasoline and worked on the development of new vehicles, like the snowmobile.
In 1936, the first-ever B7 (a seven-passenger Bombardier snowmobile) was sold for public consumption, and it turned out to be a major success. However, at the end of World War II, the demand for Bombardier’s snowmobiles declined. They were no longer deemed necessary because Quebec’s government made the decision to begin clearing the snow from most roads during the wintertime. This sudden decline in popularity prompted Bombardier to rebrand his snowmobile for recreational purposes. While his two-seater snowmobile did not fare well during his life, it did reach success shortly after his death.
Elon Musk
Students earning their computer-aided drafter certificate are no doubt familiar with this particular engineer. While some people might know him as the founder of PayPal, others may recognize him as the co-founder of the most prominent electric vehicle company in the world: Tesla Motors. Elon Musk was born in South Africa in 1971, and moved to Canada at the age of 17 to attend Queen’s University, gaining his Canadian citizenship. However, after several years, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and became a US citizen.
At the start of the internet boom in the mid-1990s, Musk abandoned his pursuit of a Ph.D. from Stanford University to launch his very first company, Zip2 Corporation; which was basically an online city guide. In 1999, he co-founded an online financial services company called X.com, and shortly after he created PayPal. In 2002, he founded SpaceX, a company that develops and manufactures space launch vehicles. On May 22, 2012, the company launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space with an unmanned capsule. Of course, Musk also co-founded Tesla Motors back in 2003—an auto company dedicated to the production of affordable, mass-market electric cars.
Dr. Kevin Englehart
Dr. Kevin Englehart is a current Canadian engineer from New Brunswick, specializing in the field of Biomedical Engineering. In fact, he works as a leader in prosthetic control systems and powered prostheses. In 2012-2013, Dr. Englehart was rewarded the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society’s Outstanding Canadian Biomedical Engineer Award for his work in advancing the functionality and robustness of multifunction prosthesis control.
What have other great Canadian engineers you heard of?
