The Queen’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders ends its boycott of the national office. An opinion piece on competency-based assessment. An engineer appointed to the Order of Canada. And the UBC president hails the benefits of liberal arts. These were the most-read stories in the media monitoring in late January.

Queen’s boycott: The Queen’s University chapter of Engineers Without Borders has ended its five-month boycott of the national office, it announced on January 13. The group said the decision to re-engage with the national office came after “extensive discussions.”

Competency-based assessment: An opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, followed by a CBC story, highlighted the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals’ use of competency-based assessment.

Order of Canada: University of Windsor engineering graduate, University of British Columbia engineering professor, and the 2016 recipient of the Engineers Canada Gold Medal Award, Donald Mavinic, has been appointed to the Order of Canada for his contribution to environmental engineering science and technology.

The benefits of the liberal arts: UBC president Santa J. Ono, a medical biologist, in an interview with the CBC, argues that liberal arts are often under-funded and under-promoted. He argues that the liberal arts courses that he took in his education have made him a better scientists and have provided him with a moral foundation for his work.