Rodger Liu- A Trajectory from Biosource Engineering to Architecture and Design

Rodger was an anchor to HKSN. As a former VP Public Relations, he was in charge of crafting wonderful promotion videos of our events, including for the ski trip back in 2014. He graduated from McGill in 2015. In this interview, he describes what he has been working on after his graduation.

Tell us about what you studied at McGill.

My major is in Bioresource Engineering at the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Science

­ What are pros and cons about your program?

Pros:

Engineering taught me to analyze my information, think critically about the problem I had to solve, and then ask the right questions to find the solution.

While this sounds painfully obvious, mastering this process comes only with practice.

Cons: Collaboration. I’ve had great group interactions and I’ve also had unmitigated disasters. The point is engineering requires you to collaborate often, and there are so many lessons to be gleaned (mostly from disasters).

For me, showing humility and fully trusting teammates to deliver their best work is something I take to heart now.

In engineering, I often got things done just to get it done. With mountain-loads of work, I just wanted to be efficient and earn the grade. I would say “why am I even learning this”, but never “why am I learning this?” I suppose the disconnection between classroom and real life is bridged somewhat by internships and extracurriculars.

­ What have you been currently working on after graduation?

Just 2 months before graduation, I exchanged emails with a TEDx speaker who works in the field of sustainable architecture. The ideas he discussed strongly aligned with my personal views and in a broad sense, touch on my personal agenda of environmentalism and sustainability. I asked for and was offered an unpaid internship despite the fact I have no formal training.

The beginning was so uncomfortable because I really know much. I kept a good attitude and hit the ground running. Within a few months, I developed a working knowledge in 3 different software, asked countless questions, and expanded the boundaries of work I could be entrusted to do. Fostering good relationships with co-workers was absolutely essential during this period. Simultaneously, I was working evenings 4 days a week in a restaurant to support myself (70 hour weeks).

Things were difficult and I was often overworked, but I discovered a new passion for architecture and design.

By the end of my internship period, I was producing quality 3D models and CAD drawings, while also applying engineering principles like heat transfer and modelling to check the energy performance of our projects.

I was offered a full time position and I presently do my best to learn every day and be an asset to the team.

­ Proudest thing you’ve done at McGill.

I made really good friends.

­ What advice would you give to current undergraduate students at McGill?

Learn how to learn. And then learn how to think.

Thinking is the extrapolation beyond your current knowledge, knowledge which is applied with boldness.

“Do what you can with what you have where you are.”

This quote has been lately motivating me.

Also, it is often the pursuit of the useless and silly which should be life’s greatest goal.