The New Discovery Centre Project – Building a Ship in a Bottle

Renovating an abandoned electrical generation station from the 1950’s is no easy feat, especially when the result is a 4-storey interactive museum that is Halifax’s new Discovery Centre.  In addition to the planning and coordination required to move all necessary materials and equipment through the sole access point – a 12 ft x 14 ft opening in the basement – the construction of the Dome Theatre’s spherical steel cage, exterior shell and interior 360 degree projection surface was unlike any project in Atlantic Canada.  Eva Parada will present highlights of the construction logistics and planning needed to meet the unique challenges of this project.   

Eva Parada is a professional engineer in Colombia and is in the process of becoming licensed in Nova Scotia. She is currently a Senior Project Manager at Lindsay Construction.

Alternative Treatment Technologies for Septic Systems Designs

On-site sewage treatment is a significant challenge for property owners, especially when traditional designs cannot be used.  Tasked with regulating the design and installation of on-site sewage disposal systems, Nova Scotia Environment is faced with the challenge of ensuring options are available when non-traditional designs are needed due to lot sizing, soil conditions or topography of the desired location.  Several alternative treatment technologies that have been approved under the external standards Nova Scotia Environment has adopted will be identified by Katherine MacLeod in this presentation.

Katherine MacLeod, P.Eng., is a Regional Engineer with Nova Scotia Environment.  She is Vice President of Engineers Nova Scotia and a Mentor for EIT’s.   

St. Margaret’s Bay Hydro – Rejuvenating for Renewable Future

Since 1922, the St. Margarets Bay Hydro system has been a reliable, dispatchable source of renewable energy.  The water starts back at Five Mile Lake and includes many assets between there and the Head of St. Margarets Bay.  These Nova Scotia Power assets required rebuilding not only to meet current dam safety standards, but also to ensure that the system will be able to keep providing for Nova Scotia’s energy needs well into the future.  Jennifer Gough will discuss the benefits of small hydro on an increasingly renewable grid and provide details of the ongoing rejuvenation work in St. Margarets Bay. 

Jennifer Gough, EIT, is a Project Manager with Nova Scotia Power. She is an organizing member of the North End Runners and volunteers with Techsploration as a role model.