Projects have a broad scope and incorporate elements of sustainability and social justice.  Teams of 4-6 engineering students serve as consultants for business or organizations in the Design Clinic program. A project or partner is a business or agency that provides the student team with a real-world technological challenge from their operation.

Student design teams worked on three projects in collaboration with Parks Canada and Little Free Pantry

Parks Canada

Established in 1911, the Parks Canada Agency is a federal body that manages, on behalf of all Canadians, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas throughout Canada.  The agency’s mandate is to protect and present examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage.  Although protection of natural and cultural resources is the main focus of work, Parks Canada provides opportunities for Canadians and visitors to connect with these resources through engaging experiences.  In 2016, over 24 million people visited sites and places administered by Parks Canada.  Locally, the agency manages Prince Edward Island National Park, Port-La-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site (NHS), Ardgowan NHS, Green Gables Heritage Place, and Province House NHS, along with several monuments and commemorative plaques found throughout the province.

Design a New Racoon Proof Cover for Disposal Bins

Design of new cover for waste disposal bins that prevents raccoons from accessing the waste and making a large mess in the area. 

Design an Off-Grid Net-Zero Campground

Design an off-grid net zero campsite for Parks Canada to pilot. The design will include in-situ battery storage and renewable energy generation via solar power.

West River Community

'Little Free Pantries' (LFP) are boxes stocked by local residents to help those who may have fallen on hard times - and they are popping up all over the world.  Islanders in need can head to the pantry in front of Bedford MacDonald House on the corner of Fitzroy and Weymouth streets, where they can access healthy snacks like granola bars as well as toiletry items like tampons and toothbrushes. Many of the users are not able to access other resources like food banks. The pantry has been fashioned from an old repurposed Guardian newspaper box on which has been printed "Take what you need, leave what you can."

Design a Community Pantry

The objective of this project is to design and build a model of a sustainable design(s) for community pantries for the Charlottetown Little Free Pantry initiative.