Tristan Lehari '06

Excerpt from Fall 2014 issue of The Link:

Tristan Lehari ’06 graduated from The University of Waterloo in 2011 with a degree in Mechatronics Engineering — the design of computer- controlled electromechanical systems. While at Waterloo, he competed on the Varsity Swim team all five years, serving as captain his final two, played trumpet in the Engineering Jazz Band, and was an executive on the athletics council. Tristan was also named an Academic All Canadian for maintaining an over 80% average while competing on a varsity sport.

“Mechatronics was an amazing (and tough) program, and the co-op aspect was a huge benefit. I recommend it to everyone I talk to who is going to university,” says Tristan. “Waterloo is also great, as you have to complete a final year design project in the last two terms, which allows for some pretty creative and impressive projects.”

For his final project, Tristan and a group of friends designed and built the first robotic replica of the hockey slap shot which allows manufacturers to test hockey sticks, thereby addressing the problem of stick breakage in the NHL.  They raised close to $100,000 in cash and in-kind investment in order to build the prototype for the final design symposium at the end of the term and were rewarded for having the best presentation.

Read Tristan's full story