The King's Connection Magazine Volume 24 // Number 1 | Page 10
CAMPUS NEWS
KING’S STUDENT NATIONAL CYCLO-CROSS CHAMP
M
ICHAEL VAN DEN HAM, Politics-History-Economics
student, won the 2013 Canadian National Cyclo-Cross
Championship in the U23 Men category, held in Surrey,
B.C. on November 30. Van den Ham took a break from his
studies in the fall 2013 semester to train in Boston, MA with
professional cyclo-cross racer, Adam Myerson.
“Winning Nationals is the culmination of a lot of hard work,
sacrifice, risk and determination,” says van den Ham.
“Just a season or two ago, I would have never dreamed
that winning a national title would have been possible, but
because of the encouragement, support, and sometimes
patience of my family and friends my fiancée, Kiera,
and coach SHAUN ADAMSON (also a King’s student),
this dream slowly became a reality.”
In February he raced in the
2014 UCI Cyclo-cross World
Championship to in Hoogerheid,
Netherlands, the heartland of
cyclo-cross. He represented
Canada well in the racing
placing 40th overall.
“Of course, winning nationals was hugely exciting, but the
national title also belongs to the community of people who
got me there.”
Van den Ham is no stranger to national and international
championships. Last year he competed in the international
cyclo-cross race in Louisville, KY. In cyclo-cross, a
form of bicycle racing made popular in Belgium, France
and the Netherlands, racers complete short laps of 2.5
to 3.5 kilometers that include steep hills, stairs, mud
and rough terrain.
CHEMISTRY STUDENTS LAND SYNCRUDE INTERNSHIP
F
or two years in a row, King’s chemistry students are
gaining practical work experience in their field of
study thanks to a highly competitive one-year internship
with the Syncrude Research facility in Edmonton. MATT
RIPMEESTER finished his internship in May, working
on environmental aspects of oil sands processing, and
was offered an extension to continue working through the
summer. NATHAN FLIM will start his term with Syncrude
Research this May.
Flim first considered applying for the internship after touring
Syncrude’s facilities in his Industrial Chemistry course. Before
applying, both Flim and Ripmeester were looking to gain
practical experience in their field through a summer job.
The internship includes a few months of general analysis
and immersion in a longer research project. “I look forward
to learning more about working in a professional environment,
and to work on a research project on a team with other
professional chemists,” says Flim.
The internship, for third-year chemistry students, offers
an opportunity for students to acquire hands-on industrial
lab experience, just one of the many careers that are
open to students in the nationally accredited King’s
chemistry program, says Professor of Chemistry
DR. PETER MAHAFFY. The Syncrude internship, as
well as other internship opportunities, provides students
practical experience in the working world if they are willing
to take a year away from school. Both Ripmeester and Flim
have decided to finish their academic career at King’s by
taking evening courses while completing the internships.
As part of the application process, prospective interns need
to demonstrate that they are involved in extracurricular
activities. Flim says King’s has encouraged him to experience
extracurricular activities such as serving as the King’s student
representative for the Association of the Chemical Profession
of Alberta, which strengthened his application to Syncrude.
8 /// The King’s Connection /// Summer 2014
“The internship experience has taught me not only about
working in an industrial chemistry lab, but also about the job
market for chemists. The experience has rounded out my
education. I would highly recommend the experience to my
fellow students,” says Ripmeester.