Watch video of Jonah at work as a co-op student at JDI.

Saint John, NB:  Jonah Tremblay graduates from UNB Fredericton with an Electrical Engineering degree this spring, and he already has a full-time job lined up at JDI.  Jonah, who was a co-op student at Irving Paper, says the experience of JDI teamwork and the attention to timelines and budgets helped him prepare for the Canadian Engineering Competition earlier this spring in London, Ontario.

"The competition involved solving a complex engineering problem. We only had 8 hours to come up with the best solution, and I credit teamwork and the ability to consider everyone's input as a big factor to our win," Jonah said.

Jonah's team won first place in the senior design category at the competition. Their task was to find a way to mitigate flash flooding in the fictional town of Cityville, located at the bottom of a valley.

The UNB team included four engineering students: two electrical, one chemical. and one civil.

The winning solution involved establishing real world applications to reduce the threat of flash flooding, including "rain gardens" within the town to collect and retain the water, and the construction of wetlands around the city to absorb heavy rainfall run-offs.

Jonah is a veteran of engineering competitions.  He's been participating at the Atlantic regional level since 2009.

With the national win, Jonah and his team are eligible to compete in the International Engineering Competition being held in Calgary in September.
 
In the meantime, Jonah is getting ready for graduation and a full-time job starting this summer at Irving Paper.

"I'm looking forward to an Engineering career at Irving Paper," Jonah said. "The company gives me lots of opportunities, including rotations throughout its three Saint John mills, and I'll also be offered 6 Sigma Management Training, which I'm really excited about."