A licensed professional engineer and professor at St. Clair College has scooped up top honours as the Windsor-Essex County Engineer of the Year.
Dr. William Tape, who teaches in the School of Engineering Technologies at St. Clair College received the honour at the 42nd annual Windsor-Essex Engineering Month Luncheon.
Dr. William Tape receives the Engineer of the Year Award at the 42nd annual Windsor-Essex Engineering Month Luncheon on March 28, 2025. (Courtesy: Edwin Tam)
This marks the first time a St. Clair College professor has received the award.
"Congratulations to St. Clair College's own Dr. William Tape, a deserving recipient of the Engineer of the Year Award," said John Byng, the Chair of the School of Engineering Technologies. "Students are fortunate to have a professor like Dr. Tape, an industry expert bringing real-world experience into the classroom."
Dr. Tape is an accomplished civil and structural engineer, holding a master's degree and a doctorate in civil engineering. He's licensed to practice in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Tennessee and Michigan and has worked on bridges, buildings, specialty structures, structural assessment, investigations, expert witness testimony, sewer and watermain designs, industrial designs for platforms, accessways and equipment supports.
"His extensive knowledge and experience make him a valuable asset in resolving complex engineering challenges and ensuring project success," read an excerpt from the Engineering Month Luncheon Facebook page.
Dr. William Tape poses with his family after receiving the Engineer of the Year Award at the 42nd annual Windsor-Essex Engineering Month Luncheon on March 28, 2025. (Courtesy: Edwin Tam)
His design work has brought to life projects in Canada, the United States, Russia, Bahrain and the Caribbean.
Dr. Tape also holds the designation as a consulting engineer through Professional Engineers Ontario and regularly does scene assessments for Windsor Fire and Rescue.
Notable projects in the area include working as a contracted structural engineer to ensure the safety of Ambassador Bridge, assessing multiple heritage buildings and investigating buildings lost to fire for structural integrity.
Dr. Tape has been in the classroom for 25 years, starting at the University of Windsor in 2000, and first lecturing at St. Clair College in 2003. He's lectured at every level in higher education, from College to Ph.D. level students through the years, but found his place at St. Clair College as a full-time professor in 2019.
"Which means I have been lecturing longer than most of my students have been alive. I feel very, very old right now," Dr. Tape joked.
Aside from teaching, Dr. Tape serves as a principal and senior engineer at Haddad Morgan and Associates, based in Windsor, Ont.
"Professor Tape is a highly visible member of the Windsor construction and engineering industry," said Byng. "Not only does he bring that wealth of experience and contacts into the classroom but also brings students out of the classroom and onto the jobsite on some of his charitable projects in the community."
