All graduates from University of Toronto Engineering, your GNCTR 2020 Organizing Committee is as follows:
(Click on photos for more information.)
Co-Chair
Aidan graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. A survivor of six GNCTRs, Aidan has held various roles such as superstructure lead, dance floor designer, alumni team captain and OC-in-training. He was also involved in a myriad of other clubs and student groups while at U of T such as building parade floats, leading bus trips to unsuspecting small-town establishments and being a leader for Engineering Orientation Week. Aidan is currently pursuing his childhood dream of working for a toy company as a direct sourcing specialist at Spin Master in Toronto.
Fun fact: Even after six GNCTRs, Aidan still doesn’t understand the first thing about how concrete works.
Co-Chair
Ozan has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the UofT as well as a Master of Applied Science from the UofT's Institute for Aerospace Studies. He joined GNCTR a total of five times and served as co-captain, the sustainability lead, and OC-in-training during this time. During his time as co-captain, he helped revolutionize the toboggan design by introducing carbon fibre to the team in 2016. That year, UofT won the Most Innovative Toboggan Design and Most Aesthetically Pleasing Toboggan awards. Besides Concrete Toboggan, Ozan also wrote for an engineering satire newspaper, lead social events, and built pride parade floats.
An avid fan of aerospace, Ozan uses a blowdryer to do his hair on a daily basis. In fact, his favourite GNCTR moment was being late to the bus while blow drying his hair upstairs.
Vice-Chair Logistics
Cory graduated with a Master of Engineering in 2019, with emphasis on transportation systems and artificial intelligence. He has been involved with GNCTR since 2015, and has helped the team with engineering communications and concrete mix design. He has extensive experience with event planning and administration, having hosted the Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition in 2016, as well as various events and conferences. Additionally, he has headed multiple design teams, committees, and initiatives over the years. Cory does not like writing blurbs about himself and wishes people would stop asking him to do so.
Fun fact: Cory is also somehow able to ski on 2x2’s. We’re unsure how.
Vice-Chair Operations
Liz graduated from the University of Toronto in 2018 with a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering. During her undergraduate career, she has attended five GNCTRs in various capacities including musical spectator, painter/decorator, and Sponsorship Director. She has extensive experience in event planning and operations, most notably from her involvement with SuitsU and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE). After acting as the Undergraduate Program Co-Chair for the 68th CSChE Conference in October 2018, Liz is excited to engage even more students in her hometown of Toronto at GNCTR 2020. Liz currently works in inside sales at Peel Plastic Products Limited.
Fun fact: Liz grew up less than 500 metres from where competitors will be staying!
Vice-Chair Finance
Molly has recently finished up her final year in Chemical Engineering at UofT. Molly has been involved with GNCTR for several years and made her competition debut at Waterloo in 2018 as the Technical Exhibition Director. Molly has been getting involved in the UofT Engineering community in many different facets over the past five years and most notably served as a Vice Chair of Finance for UofT’s Engineering Orientation Week in 2017. Molly enjoys travel to anywhere and everywhere as well as finding the few and far between trails in Toronto to run toward nothing in particular.
Fun fact: Molly knows very few humans who share her name but has met more than 50 dogs who do.
Vice-Chair Media & Branding
Stephen obtained a degree in Industrial Engineering from UofT in 2019. Attending every GNCTR since Ottawa in 2016, Stephen began as a general member and has acted as the Media and Branding Director and resident bootleg electronics guy since 2017. Stephen also has held leadership roles in various spirit groups at UofT Engineering and has most recently served at the Vice-President Communications of the UofT Engineering Society from 2018-19, responsible for communications to over 5500 undergraduate students. Stephen began employment at a Spin Master toys as part of a Management Development Program in July, 2019.
Fun Fact: Stephen hasn’t responded to his first name in years. If you call him Stephen he’ll probably not notice you.
Vice-Chair External
Melissa studies Civil Engineering and is currently on her Professional Experience Co-op Year in Civil Engineering working at IBI Group. She first joined the University of Toronto Concrete Toboggan Team in her second year as a general member of the concrete division and has since been to GNCTR three times, serving as the Concrete Director and the Sponsorship Director in subsequent years. Melissa is also part of various clubs and activities in the UofT Engineering community including Engineers in Action and the Ultimate Frisbee team. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys exploring the Toronto food scene, keeping up with fashion, and binge watching TV shows.
Fun fact: Melissa likes making play-dough like concrete that she can play with.
Vice-Chair Technical
Orhun graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Civil Engineering in 2016. He has attended GNCTR as the Concrete Lead (Ottawa), on the Alumni team (Waterloo), and as an O.C.I.T. (Edmonton). Orhun appreciates the supportive structure of the competition, meeting Engineers from across Canada, and sharing the love for the Great Toboggan in the Sky. Aside from working on Toboggans, Orhun followed the University of Waterloo model of making Concrete Canoes for the summer.
Fun fact: Orhun is currently working at an engineering consulting firm alongside five GNCTR alumni that he once competed against.
Vice-Chair Competitor Interaction Day
Brianna is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Toronto, currently completing a year long internship at Bluewrist robotics, as a Mechanical Design Intern. She attended her first GNCTR as a first year, while assisting with fabrication. She then spent the next year at GNCTR as a general member helping with the brake design, and most recently, as Superstructure Captain. Her design contributions helped the team to win best braking in 2018 and the most innovative design in 2019. She has also been involved in other parts of the UofT Engineering community such as the Engineering Choir and being a Orientation leader. When she is not designing concrete toboggans, you can find her exploring the outdoors!
Vice-Chair Technical Exhibition
Alex completed his final year in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2019. He first experienced GNCTR in Ottawa in 2016, and has since taken on leadership roles in media and Tech Ex as well as being Co-Captain of the 2018 UofT team. He led the team’s 2017 rebranding with a new logo and marketing strategy, which led to increased turn-out and more diverse team membership. Alex has also acted as Vice-Chair Operations for the UofT Engineering Society’s Orientation week, where he oversaw the planning and execution of several major events over the course of a week for 800 incoming engineering students. Alex has recently joined the workforce as a Mechanical Engineering Designer in the manufacturing department at Cimco Refrigeration. He firmly believes that when it comes to GNCTR, if you did not help set up, you must help take down.
Vice-Chair Race Day
Pearl graduated from the University of Toronto's Mineral Engineering program in 2016 with a minor in Environmental Engineering. Despite her EIT designation, she is returning to college in fall 2019 to pursue Civil Engineering Technology. Pearl's rookie GNCTR took place in Vancouver 2013 and she fell in love with the camaraderie immediately. The love kept her returning as Theme, Spirit, and Tech Ex lead in the years that followed, and brought her back as an Alumni member in 2018. Pearl ran the UofT engineering pub in her 3rd year, managing volunteers and finances. Through this experience she learned the power of patience, communication and long term strategy. As a multitasker, Pearl almost always has three beverages on the go of varying temperatures.
Vice-Chair Spirit
John mistakenly attended his first GNCTR in 2014 when he thought he was attending a meeting for the Daryl Hall and John Oates fanclub. There, he fell in love with all things Toboggan and proceeded to attend the next three years as the Theme Director and costume designer for UofT’s team, as well as holding the role of Spirit Captain in Ottawa 2016, and then attending as an alumni member in Waterloo 2018. A dedicated member of the UofT engineering community, running the student pub in 2014-15, John has considerable experience with event planning and coordination. He graduated in 2018 from Chemical Engineering and is currently living in Waterloo working as an environmental consultant.
Fun fact: Whomst’d’ve gonna get giv’er’ed? Man, what?
Vice-Chair Social
Reena graduated in 2018 with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. She attended GNCTR in 2015 and 2018 where she helped make costumes and beautify their technical exhibition. Outside of the concrete toboggan team, Reena has served as Vice President Communications of the Engineering society, led a team of graphic designs to create an eye-catching yearbook, and organized the creation of dazzling costumes for a sketch comedy and musical revue. Reena currently works at Pliteq Inc, where she helps improve processes for making sound control underlayment from recycled rubber.
Fun fact: If you think you lost Reena, just look down! She's probably standing right beside you.
Alumni Coordinator
A-a-ron graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2017. He has attended GNCTR in spirit roles (London), on the Alumni team (Waterloo), and as an O.C.I.T. (Edmonton). In 2015-16 he was Leedur (sic) of the Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad (also sic), a renegade group of student “musicians” spreading cheer at events within UofT Engineering and Toronto in general. A-a-ron plays with dirt for a living as a Geotechnical Engineer at BGC Engineering and splits his time between Toronto and various mining camps across Canada.
Fun Fact: A-a-ron used to sing and play guitar in a Country and Classic Rock cover band.
Helper Dude
Trevor is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from UofT. After graduation, he moved to BC and is currently working as an EIT at a marine and heavy industry manufacturing company. A veteran of 5 ½ GNCTRs, Trevor has moved through the ranks from F!rosh cheerleader in 2014 to captain of the 2017 and 2018 teams. He was heavily involved in many facets of the UofT Engineering community. These include the annual engineering musical and sketch comedy revue, leading many social and construction events, and being the designated truck driver and handyman. Trevor’s favourite GNCTR activities include bathtub hot tubs, giving sweet brohawks/baehawks and scuba diving.
Mission
The GNCTR Organizing Committee will coordinate an educational experience for engineering students through a safe, just, and structured design challenge, focused around building technical skills and community growth.
Vision
GNCTR 2020 should be a logistically successful design competition valuing innovative engineering design and execution, in which all competitors feel safe, welcomed, and most importantly, are always having fun.