Susan McCahan - recently reappointed as Chair, First Year, has been a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering since 1992. Her role as Chair, First Year, includes oversight of the First Year curriculum, development of co-curricular activities to support transition to university, and outreach and recruitment. She recently managed the implementation of a new general Engineering First Year curriculum, TrackOne, which was successfully introduced in fall 2007.

She has received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions to Engineering education, including the 3M National Fellowship Teaching Award and the Alan Blizzard Award for collaborative teaching. Most recently, she received the Engineers Canada Medal for Distinction in Engineering Education. She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

1. What kind of music do you listen to when you want to relax?
   
   Blues (which also happens to be my favorite color).
   

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2. What book are you currently reading?
   
   I have taken to listening to books instead of reading (when they are available on iTunes). I recently started Daniel Goleman's book on Emotional Intelligence. I'm finding it a bit stressful so far.
   

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3. What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
   
   Teaching (you could have guessed).
   

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4. Do you have a personal mantra or favourite quote?
   
   First things first, second things second.
   

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5. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
   
   An architect or a secretary (but my clerical skills are awful). I'm also, by the way, a terrible waitress. I decided I wanted to become an Engineer when I was about 13 when I took an aptitude test that told me I should consider Engineering (and forget about being a secretary).
   

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6. Where did you grow up?
   
   Mostly in Scarsdale, NY, and Weston, MA.
   

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7. Why did you decide to study Engineering? And where did you receive your degrees?
   
   See answer to question 5. My father owned a 1930 model A. It was the first car my parents had when they got married. My first experience with mechanical engineering was rebuilding some of the systems on the car including rebuilding the emergency break (so I could register it) and adjusting the timing. I used to drive the A to my summer job, which was waitressing. (Which is how I discovered that I'm good at double clutching but terrible at waitressing.) I received my degrees from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
   

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8. Do you collect anything?
   
   I collect pottery a bit. I took courses in ceramic art for many years, including a summer at the Rhode Island School of Design when I was in university. I also took courses at the Massachusetts College of Art, and OCAD. I haven't worked in ceramics for a few years now, but continue to pick up a piece here and there, especially when I travel.
   

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9. Favourite place to vacation?
   
   Swan's Island, Maine, which is 5 miles off shore in the Atlantic. Although right now it is still a bit cold there.
   

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10. If you had not chosen a career in Engineering academia, what else would you have done?
    
    I think I would have gone into the alternative energy sector.

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