As we celebrate 100 years of the department of electrical and computer engineering at UNB, we are proud to recognize the alumni who built its legacy. Throughout 2026, we will share profiles and stories highlighting the milestones and people who have shaped the department's history.
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When Mary Kaye (BScE’75) reflects on more than 40 years at UNB, her story traces the evolution of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) itself — always changing, deeply practical and responsive to new challenges.
It is also a deeply personal UNB story, one that begins not in a classroom or laboratory, but across from Queen Square, where she grew up “looking up at UNB out of my kitchen window.”
UNB was always present in Mary’s life. Generations of her family had studied there before her, and many would follow. That continuity feels especially meaningful as the electrical and computer engineering department marks its 100th anniversary.
Shaping what came next
Mary’s path into engineering wasn’t carefully planned. “I don’t know exactly how I got into the engineering faculty… but I really liked math.”
She began in civil before, as she puts it, "seeing the light and switching to electrical.” When she arrived in 1970, she was one of only four women in her cohort.
“I don’t know exactly how I got into the engineering faculty… but I really liked math.”
After graduating, Mary worked briefly with NB Power, but the pull of a changing field led her back to graduate studies in systems engineering at Carleton University. Microprocessors were emerging, opening doors to entirely new ways of thinking and building.
Her return to UNB came almost by accident. Encouraged to take a short-term teaching role, she resisted at first. “I said, Dad, I don’t have a PhD. There’s no job there for me, and I don’t want to teach.” Even after accepting the position, she assumed it would be temporary. “I took the job and assumed it would only be 11 months.”
It became 40 years.
Growing with a changing discipline
When Mary started teaching, digital systems were still a small part of the curriculum. “There was one course...there weren’t any PCs at that point... we had a computer down the hall.” They had to build everything from there. Over time, she developed close to nine courses, often redesigning them as the field rapidly evolved. “You had to make new labs: selecting new hardware, integrating software and redesigning everything,” she says, while describing a constant cycle of rebuilding as technology changed.
Her work soon extended beyond individual courses into shaping the department itself. She helped guide the development of computer engineering into a full program and contributed to the creation and accreditation of software engineering.
“I was instrumental in preparing course curriculum; materials for the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick brief to the New Brunswick cabinet; funding requests for lab equipment to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission and others; and all related paperwork required for new programs.”
“There was one course...there weren’t any PCs at that point... we had a computer down the hall.”
Her research followed the same applied, collaborative approach. “Everything I do is applied to somebody else’s application.” This included early work on microprocessor systems and environmental data collection to later projects in telecommunications, embedded systems and energy systems.
Collaboration was a constant. “I have been fortunate to be asked to work on various research projects with the majority of the faculty members in the ECE department and with faculty in several other departments.”
Teaching at the centre
Despite the scale of her work, Mary always returned to teaching. “I stayed teaching because I loved working with the students. I liked to be in the laboratories with them, and I made that a priority.”
Hands-on learning became a defining part of her approach. With support from the ECE tech shop, she designed and built lab experiences that allowed students to engage directly with the technologies they were studying, bridging theory and practice in meaningful ways. “I had very supportive technicians in the ECE tech shop… I could not have kept the labs going without them.”
Her connection to students extended beyond the classroom. She advised countless students, helping them choose courses, navigate programs and find their direction — often within programs she helped create. “I helped a lot of students pick their courses and advising. I also wrote many student references.”
The life around the work
At one point, Mary imagined a different path. In the first part of her career, she thought “when I have kids, I’ll stay home. That’s the plan.”
But when that moment arrived, she faced a difficult choice. “I had to decide, was I going to stay working or was I going to stay home.” She chose to stay, building a life that made room for both family and career.
Her children grew up alongside her career, shaped by a constant balancing act. There were short maternity leaves, fewer opportunities for travel and long evenings spent catching up on work. The expectations of the time made that balance even more complex, especially in a field where women were still rare.
And yet, she was present where it mattered most. “I went everywhere for all their sporting events, helped with schoolwork and took vacations as a family, I didn’t think I missed much of anything.”
Years later, that balance came into sharper focus. Her daughter would tell her she had been a “good role model.”
A legacy that continues
Today, Mary is retired and remains connected to UNB as an honorary research professor, continuing to support students and contribute to the academic community.
Looking back, she reflects on her career with characteristic honesty. “It was hard and not a nine-to-five job, but I enjoyed my career!”
She acknowledges the role she played over the years, while keeping the focus where it has always been — on the work itself and the people around her.
Impact
As electrical and computer engineering marks its 100th year at UNB, Mary Kaye’s story is part of that history — built through years of steady effort and commitment.
And while she didn’t set out to define a career or a department, she remained focused on what needed to be done — teaching students, solving problems and adapting as the field evolved.
That approach, over time, helped shape what UNB engineering is today.
