July 2025
It’s July 2024, and it’s been almost five years since I last set foot on my former university campus. A lot has changed — a lot of new buildings or upgrades — but everything still felt familiar. Being back gave me so much nostalgia. Choosing to go to the University of Calgary was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as it really shaped who I am today. Growing up in small town Saskatchewan, I was like a little seed with bursting potential. It was Calgary that gave me the space, the permission, and the opportunities to really discover myself and bloom.
I got off at the University train station and started walking towards campus. Memories of pulling all-nighters at TFDL to finish assignments or ICT for group meetings in the cafeteria flooded back. It was strange to see it all again — so much time has passed.
Eventually, I reached the Engineering Building. It was under construction for most of my undergrad and only opened in my last year. At the time, I felt lucky to have experienced it before I graduated. I remember wondering why the walls were painted yellow. I later heard it was supposed to improve feelings of happiness and joy and meant to lift the spirits of stressed-out engineering students. But now, five years later, the yellow paint looked faded and dusty. It made the building feel more worn than I expected.
I finally arrived in Block E — the Civil Engineering Block and found Dr. Shrive’s office and knocked on the door. Gosh, he is in his eighties with so much energy and so sharp, it’s almost hard to believe. I was so thrilled to see my favorite university professor again - and we ended up talking for hours.
In my final year of university, I went through serious health issues that hadn’t been diagnosed yet. My grades dropped, which was hard for me, especially after how well I had done in previous years. When I started to struggle, Dr.Shrive didn’t make me feel embarrassed or bad. After I got my diagnosis and started the treatment and was put on a high dose of prednisone, Dr. Shrive — who also had a medical background — understood the challenges of prednisone, offered to meet with me weekly at office hours so I could catch up on what I had missed. Dr. Shrive is the epitome of what a teacher should be- his care for his student’s success and wellbeing is the example of a teaching profession. Moreover, through his affiliation with the faculty of medicine he was able to connect me with one of the best rheumatologists, specializing in lupus, in North America. I will also never forget how he altered his vacation plans to travel to Europe and was present at my convocation. It caught me by surprise and I was so overwhelmed by that act of thoughtfulness.
Naturally, when I was in Calgary recently for a friend’s wedding, I knew I had to take the opportunity to visit Dr. Shrive. What I expected to be a brief catch-up turned into nearly four hours of conversation, and it became one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve ever had.
It felt like I got to truly know Dr. Shrive beyond the lecture hall. He shared stories from his own student days in Oxford, his early passion for civil engineering, and how that eventually expanded into biomedical engineering—a field in which he has made groundbreaking contributions. Dr.Shrive is one of the pioneers of biomedical engineering (although he humbly denies it), crediting his own professor/mentor. I was captivated by the story of his Ph.D. defense, which lasted over six hours, focused on the load-bearing mechanics of joints. That experience, he told me, was one of the most academically grueling challenges he had ever faced.
What struck me most was how his research has had direct, life-changing impacts. He explained how, prior to his work, post-traumatic arthritis was often addressed by removing the meniscus in the knee—a treatment that led to long-term degeneration. His invention and patent of an artificial knee joint offered a vastly improved alternative and has since been implanted in thousands of people around the world.
Dr. Shrive's career is one of profound interdisciplinary collaboration - both in engineering and medicine. His partnerships with experts in molecular biology, tissue mechanics, and his own focus—joint functionality—led to innovations including a robot that could imitate the movement of a lamb and numerous orthopedic surgical devices developed through a company he co-founded and later sold. Despite his retirement, he continues to supervise graduate students, driven by his enduring passion for research, education, and mentorship.
What also stood out during our conversation was how deeply he cares—not just about science, but about people. He spoke of the joy and fulfillment he’s found in guiding graduate students for over five decades, often recalling specific students and their evolution throughout their doctoral studies. He talked about the difference between teaching undergraduate and graduate students, the future of the University of Calgary, and what he now looks forward to in retirement.
On a personal level, Dr. Shrive has been one of the kindest people I’ve met. He offered me extra office hours when I was struggling, never once made me feel ashamed of my illness, and even utilized his connections with the medical faculty to get me an appointment with one of the most prestigious rheumatologists in the world. He altered plans to Europe and attended my graduation and supported me at times when I truly needed it. Even his decision to retire was driven by complete selflessness, stepping aside to give his tenure position to a younger professor so that she could have the opportunity —a gesture that reflects his humility and kind heart.
Dr. Shrive embodies everything I admire in a person: intelligence, integrity, humility. Despite having every accolade imaginable and achieving remarkable success across medicine and engineering, he remains grounded and kind. His impact spans generations—touching thousands of patients, students, and colleagues. Many of the students he mentored have gone on to influence countless others, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond the classroom. “A career and life well lived”, I reflected after walking home from office hours. Imagine the satisfaction of having lived life to your fullest potential and touching the lives of thousands of people.
Meeting someone like him reminds me of the goodness that still exists in the world. In a time when values and morals are shifting to individualism or superficial recognition, people like Dr. Shrive are quietly changing lives. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had him as a teacher. He gives me hope—not just in the future of science and engineering, but in the capacity for human goodness. Witnessing a life lived with such purpose, impact and brilliance is profoundly inspiring.
Thank you Dr. Shrive. What an absolute pleasure to have been your student.