Tom Bielecki is an 19 year old engineering student at the University of Calgary. He has volunteered with several businesses and organizations around campus, and the city of Calgary. Involved in several clubs around campus, Tom is striving to reach his goals of improving the quality of life of others, lowering his impact on the environment, and promoting sustainable development. He is currently working on projects such as NASA's Space Elevator project, and the 2009 Solar Decathlon, which is a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. His lifestyle is surrounded by efforts at becoming a "green" citizen, and his older sister is an interior designer who works with LEED standards. He is a frequent viewer of several environmental and sustainable design websites, and reads scientific magazines and papers quite often. Tom is a member of both the Engineering Students Society (ESS) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). He had a significant input in the UNESCO Canadian Youth Forum, on the topic of sustainable development, and hopes to continue his involvement in the organization in the future.
His involvement in the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR)team has already paid off, with a winning entry into the logo competition, and he is helping out with construction, communication and logistics teams in preparation for the race in early 2008. Tom is hoping to enter the Schulich Engineering Competition, and move his way up to regionals, and then to nationals.
