How to load external JS file in component using ember-cli

I have created an ember app with a component, and I am trying to figure out how I can load a external JS file that is stored in the vendor dir of the app within the component. The code for the component looks like the following,

// app/components/bubbles-page.js

import Ember from 'ember';

export default Ember.Component.extend({

    didInsertElement: function() {
    // this.$() is a scoped selector to the current view

    // bubbles();



    // window.onload = bubbles();

    // the below line gives the following error,
    this.$().bubbles();
    // ERROR
    //TypeError: this.$(...).bubbles is not a function
    // END ERROR
  }

});

And the ember-cli-build.js looks like the following,

/* global require, module */
var EmberApp = require('ember-cli/lib/broccoli/ember-app');

module.exports = function(defaults) {
  var app = new EmberApp(defaults, {
    // Add options here

    // 
  });

  // Use `app.import` to add additional libraries to the generated
  // output files.
  //
  // If you need to use different assets in different
  // environments, specify an object as the first parameter. That
  // object's keys should be the environment name and the values
  // should be the asset to use in that environment.
  //
  // If the library that you are including contains AMD or ES6
  // modules that you would like to import into your application
  // please specify an object with the list of modules as keys
  // along with the exports of each module as its value.
  app.import( app.bowerDirectory + '/d3/d3.min.js');
  app.import('vendor/bubbles.js');

  return app.toTree();
};