Julie DiCicco, P.Eng., environmental engineer at Dillon Consulting Limited, will discuss working closely with the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority (AFNWA) to develop individual Asset Management Plans for Water and Wastewater Systems for participating First Nations Communities in Atlantic Canada (NS, NB, and PEI). The presentation will examine the milestones achieved as part of this project, including the development of an asset management framework, asset hierarchy, data collection methodology, asset analysis tools, and treatment facility assessments. The presentation will also discuss the management of a complex, innovative project that is providing a framework for a new approach to managing water and wastewater infrastructure in First Nations communities.

What is one rewarding experience that you didn't expect to be involved with as an Engineer?  
My first project at Dillon was to complete a climate change vulnerability assessment for infrastructure components within a First Nation community using a proprietary tool applied for the first time at a community scale. I continued to work with the same community to implement the adaptation options resulting from the vulnerability assessment, increasing the community's resiliency to climate change. Seeing the community benefit from the work I contributed to was and continues to be very rewarding.

 What do you find inspiring about your current role?  
My current role at Dillon allows me the flexibility to establish new ways of delivering engineering services to our clients. Dillon supports my professional and personal development, and that inspires me to become a better person, engineer, and consultant.

Were there any drivers that lead you to pursue engineering and/or your discipline selection? If so, please describe.  
I was interested in Environmental Engineering for its wide-reaching topics, from air quality, to solid waste management, to contaminated sites. I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in water treatment technologies to specialize in a skill set before joining the workforce. 

Dr. Noreen Kamal, P.Eng., Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Dalhousie University, is leading the ACTEAST (Atlantic Canada Together Enhancing Acute Stroke Treatment) project. Dr. Kamal will discuss working with interdisciplinary improvement teams from 35 hospitals across Atlantic Canada to increase the portion of stroke patients that receive treatment, and reduce the time to treatment to a median of 30 minutes from arrival at hospital for alteplase treatment. The ACTEAST project aims to improve access to treatment for stroke patients and improve the timeliness of treatment across all 4 Atlantic Canadian provinces.

What is one rewarding experience that you didn't expect to be involved with as an Engineer?  

As a young engineering graduate, I did not appreciate that healthcare was a career destination.  However, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  The peak of my career was to see the significant improvement in patient outcomes from my work in improving stroke treatment times across Alberta.   

What do you find inspiring about your current role?  

What I find most inspiring about my current role is being able to make an impact on patient outcomes.  I love being an academic, as it gives me the freedom to explore areas of study and methods that will have the greatest impact on improving lives of people everywhere. 

Were there any drivers that lead you to pursue engineering and/or your discipline selection? If so, please describe.  

What drove me to work in healthcare was to be a part of (and lead) meaningful work.  It was really altruistic in a way, as I wanted to move away from profit motive to society motive.  In other words, I want my work to make an impact on people and society. 

Natalie Leonard, P.Eng., a civil engineer with a Bachelor of Engineering from TUNS, is the first Certified Passive House Consultant and Certified Passive House Builder in Canada. Natalie will discuss the Net-Zero Passive House Sunflower Social Housing Project in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This project is a housing complex for the underserved populations of women and children. Passive Design Solutions, worked with the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia and Adsum for Women and Children to design 25 residential units on the site of a former school. This presentation will look at the design requirements for the project and the solutions created to meet these goals.

What is one rewarding experience that you didn't expect to be involved with as an Engineer?  

The amount of collaboration. I initially thought that we sat on our computers and solved problems but that’s not the case. I really enjoy project collaboration as it makes for better and more creative solutions.

What do you find inspiring about your current role?  

Making a contribution in the fight against climate change – using our technical skills in impacting the future of the planet. It is great knowing that you are part of the solution, and impacting the way we build buildings.

Were there any drivers that lead you to pursue engineering and/or your discipline selection? If so, please describe.  

Everyone in my family is an engineer. Also, where I am mildly dyslexic, numbers and spatial skills are easier for me so it was natural that I pursued engineering.