[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/clock_ring_ceremony_3_opt.jpg” caption=”Clock ring “]A double ring shape encircles a shield emblazoned with the McMaster coat of arms. Within it, two massive rings indicate the time.

This is the brainchild of mechanical engineering graduates Patrick Burton, Braden Kurczak, Michael Paddags and Peter Whitred, who today presented a “clock ring” perched atop the doorframe at the north entrance to the McMaster University Student Centre.

But even more than that, they presented their legacy.

“We wanted to give something back to the University,” said Whitred to the Daily News. “We all had such a great experience over our five-year degree and we love McMaster and engineering that we wanted to give something back. It's also a little immortality for us,” he said, adding whenever they come back to campus to see the clock it will remind them of their student years.

The clock will become a symbol of McMaster, believes Peter Smith, associate dean of engineering. “In 20 to 30 years to come, students will look up at this clock and will admire its beauty and workmanship.”

At the launch of the “clock ring”, the four were beaming. They worked long and hard to make the distinctive timepiece a reality.

Designing it was not an easy task, Whitred admits. At one point, they weren't sure if it would work at all. But they put their heads together and realized all they needed was a simpler design. “The first design was much too complicated,” said Whitred.

After a few modifications, it was a success. The design won second prize at the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering design competition last May, and they received a $1,500 prize.
“It was really fantastic to win,” said Whitred. “We put a lot of time and effort into this over the year and there were some times when we even doubted if we could do it at all.”

Most of all, it was a great learning experience, he says. “This project encompassed everything, from how to design it and build it, to how to raise money for it and how to get approval for it.”

They raised $15,000 for the clock and received support from the student centre last year to install it in the building. Several companies made donations to the project, including Dofasco, which donated steel and the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute, which donated labour. “These things would have cost, with our time included, $100,000,” he says.

The clock is one of the only pieces of permanent student art on campus, he says. The ring shape also is a reference to the traditional iron ring worn by engineering students on the fifth finger of their working hand. The iron ring is a symbolic emblem that reminds the engineers of their ethical obligations to society.
The clock was designed and constructed as the students' thesis project under the supervision of Tim Nye, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

“I am very proud to have worked with this group of students,” said Nye. “They have done something to benefit McMaster University and beautify the campus. It is something that everyone at McMaster can be proud of.”

Photo caption: From left, Braden Kurczak, Michael Paddags, Patrick Burton and Peter Whitred stand at the north entrance to the McMaster University Student Centre, where the clock ring is installed. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay

Also read Students give gift of time posted on Feb. 13 on the Daily News.