By Réjean Beaudin

This week we were presented with a different kind of project than we’re used to. All classes were suspended so that we’d have sufficient time to research, conceive, model, test and build a structure of interest. One that would weigh little, but carry as much weight as possible. The assignment required that the structure be at a scale of 1:5, span three metres and adhere to the condition that no single member (beam, column…) could be longer than 40 centimetres. We were divided into ten groups of five or six students.

This week was relatively easy going.  Busy as usual with a few late nights, but thankfully, no all-nighters.  I’m really focused and attending to the projects at hand, successfully managing the time to do the work and meet the quickly approaching deadlines. 

by Réjean G. Beaudin
This week is mostly a blur. The thing I’ve been trying not to do all term, the thing I’ve been planning against, taking steps to avoid, hit me – not once, but twice! This thing, of course, is the dreaded “all-nighter”.

By Réjean Beaudin

By This was a good week. As busy as usual, but with only one night ending at 4:30 in the morning. The thing that made it particularly good was the academic / creative breakthrough I’m experiencing. It’s the kind of occurrence that one might subconsciously anticipate, but it’s really only now after nine months of daily push, that I feel I’m seeing things come together.

by Réjean G. Beaudin

Let me take this week to introduce one of the most important and significant factors of my new life – my fellow classmates.

With spring just around the corner, Mark Cullen gives us some of his best spring planting tips from his book The Canadian Primer: An Organic Approach.


Planting tips:

- Bare root plants (i.e., roses, shrubs, and trees) should be planted early spring while they are still dormant.

- Trees with fleshy roots — magnolia, dogwood, tulip tree, sweet gum, red maple, birch, hawthorn, poplar, cherry, plum, crabapple and many oaks — are best saved for spring planting.