2018 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering and Honourable Mention

The Angus L Macdonald Bridge recently underwent a major rehabilitation which included a full replacement of the suspended bridge spans. Construction was undertaken during overnight and weekend closures with the bridge remaining open to the travelling public during week days. Major upgrades to the structure included the complete replacement of the suspended spans (deck and stiffening truss); new hangers; raising the vertical road profile to improve vertical navigation channel clearance; cable dehumidification system; new overhead sign structures and lighting; and, new maintenance travellers, catwalk and cable hand strands. A brief background on the project will be presented as well as an overview of the various structure upgrades. A detailed view of a typical deck segment replacement weekend along with the key steps for replacing a deck segment will be highlighted. A discussion on the various challenges encountered during construction will also be included.

Presenter Bio:

Sarah Foster Hardy is a structural engineer with Harbourside Engineering Consultants. In 2010, she relocated to Halifax to join Harbourside Engineering Consultants, a firm specializing in design and construction engineering for heavy civil and infrastructure projects.  

Shortly after joining Harbourside, Sarah became one of four Harbourside engineers embedded in the Angus L Macdonald redecking design team. She worked with the design team for over two years on the detailed design of the suspended span replacement. During this time she was responsible for the design and analysis of the Lifting Gantry used to replace the individual deck segments as well as the design of other permanent structural elements.

Following the award of the Contract, she continued with the project, addressing requests for information (RFI’s) and reviewing submittals. Once construction began, Sarah was a member of the site services team, performing Quality Assurance and providing technical support for the project during the replacement of the suspended span deck segments.

Following the completion of the suspended span deck segment replacement, Sarah returned to Harbourside where she works on the design and construction of new bridge structures as well as the rehabilitation of existing structures in the Atlantic Provinces and Ontario.

Jon Eppell, Chief Bridge Engineer and Big Lift Project Manager

Jon Eppell is the bridge engineer at Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) seconded to manage the $205 million project to replace the suspended spans of the Macdonald Bridge. Known as the Big Lift, the project represents HHB’s largest capital project since the MacKay Bridge opened in 1970.

Jon graduated with a civil engineering degree from TUNS in 1988. Prior to joining HHB in 2006 Jon spent many years as a consulting engineer working on projects locally and internationally.

Bio:

Thomas McNutt is a Bridge Engineer with COWI North America's Halifax office. After completing his Masters of Applied Science at Dalhousie University he spent a year working for a local design consultant on the design of new structures and retrofitting existing structures.

In 2011, he started working for COWI and throughout the design phase of the MacDonald Bridge Suspended Spans Redecking project worked on the design of the final structure, including on the design of the main cable dehumidification system. He took on the role of Deputy Project Manager during the fabrication and segment replacement phases of the project. After segment replacement was complete,  the focus on the project shifted to Main Cable Dehumidification, Thomas has taken over the role of COWI's Project Manager. 

2018 Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Engineering –  Honourable Mention

NEW COLCHESTER-EAST HANTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
& TRURO CIVIC SQUARE

The Town of Truro had embarked on a journey to find a suitable use for the Old Normal College heritage building within its downtown core after sitting vacant for 15 years.  It was in a deteriorated condition beyond being habitable without significant renovations and restorations work.  After several attempts to market the building failed, it was decided that the building would be restored, and along with an addition, it was transformed into the new home of the Colchester-East Hants Public Library and Truro Civic Square, restoring the Old Normal College to its former glory.

The Town made a significant investment in one of its largest heritage assets. Valued not only as an architectural landmark located in the centre of the Civic Square, but for its association with the development of Nova Scotia's public education system in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The building is municipally and provincially designated and because it is felt that such historic significance is worthy of national recognition, application has been made to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board for Federal designation. 

The new Colchester-East Hants Public Library and Truro Civic Square project completed in early 2017 demonstrates a high quality of Professional Engineering standards and excellence in engineering design while enhancing the image of the profession by demonstrating Nova Scotian leadership in the practice of engineering as well as demonstrating the benefits of restorations and renovations of existing historic buildings and properties as a sustainable and environmentally responsible practice. 

Doug Bach, CET, FEC, P.Eng.

Doug Bach, CET, FEC, P.Eng. is a 1974 graduate of the Civil Technology program at the New Brunswick Institute of Technology and is the Practice Lead for Industrial and Co-practice Lead for Buildings & Structures.  He has worked as a technologist until 1993 when he completed all academic requirements for a license to practice with the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (APENS).  The required academic training was obtained during part time and full time studies at the NSAC in Truro and at TUNS in Halifax.  He has been employed in the Truro area since 1974 and has been involved with a variety of engineering projects, primarily throughout the province of Nova Scotia.  He is a past president of the Society of Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Nova Scotia, is the current chair of the Certification Board for TechNova, and Engineers Nova Scotia Councillor from 2010 to 2012.

Oliver Browning, PMP, FEC, P.Eng.

Oliver Browning, PMP, FEC, P.Eng. is the Practice Lead of Infrastructure & Municipal Services and the Co-Practice Lead of Buildings & Structures and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).  He has acquired over 15 years experience within the engineering and construction industries.  He is a graduate from the University of New Brunswick and holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters certificate in Project Management from Saint Mary’s University.  Oliver has worked in design, engineering, and project management capacities for many Building Design and Construction projects including Structural Evaluations, Design-build, and Property Condition Assessments, as well as numerous Civil, Municipal, and Agricultural projects locally and all over the Atlantic Provinces.  Oliver has served as a Sessional Lecturer in the Department of Engineering at Dalhousie Agriculture Campus for the engineering degree program.  Oliver is also the current Colchester Zone Representative for Engineers Nova Scotia and serves on the Atlantic Board of Directors of the American Concrete Institute.

You can feel the energy in Elmsdale as Nova Scotia Power embarks on a cutting-edge project with industry leaders to learn more about how battery storage can help the utility deliver cleaner, affordable and more reliable energy to Nova Scotians.

The pilot project, known as the Intelligent Feeder, involves the installation of residential energy storage batteries (Tesla Powerwalls) at 10 homes in the Elmsdale community and a much larger grid-sized battery (Tesla Powerpack) at the Elmsdale substation. These batteries will be connected and feed into an electrical grid powered, in part, by the nearby Hardwood Lands wind turbines. Sensors will be placed on the powerline to monitor and gather data about local system activity and be fed back to Nova Scotia Power’s control centre for analysis and planning of Nova Scotia’s future energy needs.

The future potential of integrating battery storage and intermittent renewable energy - such as wind power – for electricity generation is an exciting prospect being explored globally, and Nova Scotia Power is proud to be one of the first to partner with industry leaders to test this technology solution in Canada.  As Nova Scotia Power adds more renewable energy to the grid, batteries can provide the utility with more flexibility to reliably address peak electricity demand with stored energy. As this technology advances, Nova Scotia Power will be able to apply learnings from the pilot project to create value for its customers.

Presenter Bio: 

Jill Searle, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Smart Grid Program Manager, Nova Scotia Power

Jill is the Program Manager of Smart Grid for Nova Scotia Power Corporation where she is responsible for the development and execution of a grid modernization strategy, including leading and managing Nova Scotia Power’s Smart Grid initiatives.  Jill has also worked as a Team Lead in transmission and distribution capital management and is a member of the Emergency Operations Centre at NS Power.

Prior to joining Nova Scotia Power in 2013, Jill worked as a Program Manager for the Department of National Defence on their Environmental Management portfolio. Additionally, she has several years of experience in the private sector as an engineering consultant and project manager with Jacques Whitford and Stantec.

Jill has a Masters of Applied Science from Dalhousie University, a BSC in Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and a BSC from Acadia University. She is a registered professional engineer in the province of Nova Scotia.

As TCP/IP network adoption by SCADA/PLC devices increases, the intersection between cybersecurity and critical infrastructure and the automation industry grows. Because of this growing relationship it’s beneficial to begin discussing how to detect and prevent these threats now and into the future. We are going to discuss the history of the Stuxnet worm/rootkit and how it delayed Iran's nuclear program.

Stuxnet was first discovered in 2010, after it had spread past its intended target and undergone at least 3 revisions. Because Stuxnet is a rootkit it was able to hide its malicious activity from the users the infected endpoints. Its man-in-the-middle (MITM) functionality allowed it to fake industrial process control sensor signals so infected systems would not shutdown in response to abnormal behaviour. Not only was it able to modify control sensor signals but it was also able to spread within an air-gapped environment using a series of 0-day exploits, classifying this malware as a worm as well as rootkit. The combination of these behaviours prevented operators from discovering critical faults in their nuclear centrifuges.

Stuxnet targeted Windows-based Siemens PCS7, WinCC, and STEP7 software applications, and Siemens S7 PLCs. After the infection had been discovered, Bruce Dang from Microsoft oversaw the reverse engineering team that identified several 0-day vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system that were later patched. Additionally, Siemens released a detection and removal tool for Stuxnet.

We at GoSecure have witnessed malware infection of endpoints connected to SCADA/PLC devices. We have decided to discuss Stuxnet to present an example of a real world threat in an effort to foster an awareness of cybersecurity issues in the engineering community.

Presenter Bio:

Lilly Chalupowski works with GoSecure on the Threat Intelligence team. She started her information security journey through self-teaching and making hacking tools in her spare time. A few of these tools are Chameleon (custom base64 steganography), Badger (DLL security enumeration including ASLR entropy), and Dirty-Needle (DLL Injection Tool), among others. She has presented at the Atlantic Security Conference on PE File Structure Security Enumeration and Custom Base64 Steganography and at HASK (Halifax Area Security Klatch) on using file upload vulnerabilities to obtain shell access to a webserver using injection techniques. She has also spoken at Digital Discovery Camp on Phishing Awareness and SQLi with interactive demos to help children understand the ethical approach to cyber security, while also encouraging an interest in the cyber security profession.

Each generation is uniquely shaped by their prevailing social and economic times.  Hence, successfully leading, engaging, and motivating each generation will vary.  Join Tanya Sieliakus and learn more about what defines each generation and how to successfully leverage differences across generations. 

Bio:

Tanya Sieliakus, Managing Partner, HR pros Inc.,has been referred to as one of the most technically astute and competent human resources and safety consultants in the Maritimes. Tanya is a graduate of Dalhousie University and is an international diversity trainer, HR practitioner and safety auditor.

She is unique insofar as she has extensive experience in all functional areas of human resources management; including recruitment, orientation and onboarding, personnel policy, safety policy and auditing, performance management, training and coaching, succession planning, and organizational design.  Tanya has worked within a wide range of industries as a human resources practitioner and consultant; including engineering, mining and manufacturing, IT, entertainment, construction, government, sales, contact centre, professional services, policing and security, etc.  Tanya is valued for her project management skills as well as her results-oriented and eclectic approachto problem solving.  Tanya may be reached tanya@hr-pros.ca Visit HR pros on FB or at www.hr-pros.ca

Innovating the Rural Economy

Rural communities have always had to be innovative.  Often these innovations were born out of necessity and served to solve challenges that were facing them in the present moment and standing between them and their basic survival needs.  This culture of innovation continues to this day.

This innovation in the rural economy is not without its challenges.  Continued migration of talent pools from rural communities to larger urban centres puts stress on the rural economy to satisfy staffing requirements of employers as well as the generation of new startup ventures in these regions.  This migration also puts stress on urban centres where there are more and more people demanding more and more services.  The importance of fostering an innovation and startup culture in rural regions is an important cornerstone in growing the economy of Nova Scotia and helping both rural and urban centres flourish. 

We will explore how the rural communities of Nova Scotia are continuing to innovate and the importance of fostering a startup and innovation culture in these regions.  What are the roles of Engineers in these communities and why it is important to have more young students entering careers in STEM fields to help grow the overall economy of our province.

Bio:

Doug Jones is a serial entrepreneur, educator, inventor and strategist.  After attending Saint Mary’s University in Halifax to study Commerce, he stayed and settled in rural Nova Scotia and began his business career. Doug has always been passionate about sports and he has focused his businesses on the sporting goods industry working with large international companies including Wilson Sporting Goods, Louisville Slugger, SKLZ, Toronto Blue Jays, Phil Simms Quarterback Camps, Honda Super Camps and more.  His specialty is in product development, product launch and marketing and he currently has 6 of his product designs under license with Wilson Sporting Goods and Louisville Slugger.  Doug has also been a Faculty Member with the NSCC for 25 years in Business and Information Technology.

Doug is also passionate about rural business and education.  He and his founder group have recently launched Ignite Labs in Yarmouth, NS, an innovation and incubation hub for business startups and education.  The Ignite Labs Project was launched in partnership with ACOA, The Province of NS and the NSCC to help foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Southwestern Nova Scotia.  Ignite Labs offers all the supports a new business needs to help them grow and connect with customers around the world. Ignite Labs is also working directly with the education system. colleges and universities to expose students to startup, technologies and innovation culture. 

Doug works closely with numerous companies and organizations to help in business strategy, product development and marketing and brings a vision for not letting geographical boundaries stand in your way of doing business around the world.

Are you in need of an engineering resource but need to wait until a budget constraint is lifted? Do you support initiatives to increase diversity in engineering and support growth in Nova Scotia? Do you wish for an experienced engineer who is ready to help implement an important project on a tight deadline?

If you shouted ‘yes!’ to any of these questions, the Internationally Educated Engineer bridging program could be for you and your workplace. During this panel discussion, you will hear from an employer and internationally educated engineer who were connected through the program, as well as an ISANS Employment Specialist who facilitates the Program. They will give an overview of how it works, share their experiences, and answer any questions you may have.

Presenter Bios:

Ryan Doherty, P.Eng., PMP, is a manager with the Capital Projects department of Nova Scotia Power Inc. with over 14 years of experience delivering capital projects, capital programs, leading operational teams and industrial processes.  His work experience spans the sectors of consumer packaged goods manufacturing, the public sector and most recently electric utilities.  Skills and industry knowledge include process engineering, team management, continuous improvement, capital project delivery and budget management.  Ryan’s recent role with Nova Scotia Power Inc. has been focused on program and team management, enabling the team of engineers that deliver Nova Scotia Power’s largest hydroelectric capital projects.

Javier Ojeda Yepez, P.Eng. is a Mechanical Engineer, with more than 10 years of experience in renewable energy (since 2005).  He is currently directing his career through the path of the Energy Management since 2009, with the participation in the creation of a Special Unit in Energy Management in his past company, CORPOELEC, in Venezuela. Also, he obtained the Certified Energy Management® Professional Certification, by the Association of Energy Engineers, and in 2017 he obtained the Renewable Energy Professional® certification. During these years, Javier participated in the development of various projects related to the efficient use of energy on industrial, commercial and domestic facilities, working from the “utility side”, helping customers (mainly high consumption customers like steel and aluminum mills) to develop projects and measures to reduce their energy consumption, as part of a government directive. Javier also holds a Project Management Professional® international certification, and applies the PMI principles in his projects. He has coordinated and executed many interdisciplinary projects that required the use of his skills in Mechanical Engineering, Project Management, and the interaction with different departments in his company and other companies (suppliers, contractors, etc.). He is now living in Canada, and working for Nova Scotia Power, as a Project Manager for Hydro and Wind projects.

Dragan Pecurica, P.Eng. is a Manager of Portfolio Optimization, at Nova Scotia Power, and is responsible for optimal utilization of existing and future physical and financial resources leading to the least cost generating fleet dispatch and the lowest cost of electricity production.  Dragan has an Electrical Engineering background with 20 years’ experience in the utility business in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  His expertise includes electrical power production and delivery system operation simulation, long term resource optimization, electricity production system dispatch optimization, intermittent renewable energy integration analysis, and transmission system protection/automation.

Yuriy Mosiyenko has a Master's degree in Control Systems Engineering. He has worked as an Industrial Engineering technician and Control Systems Engineer for 18 years. This includes 6 years in manufacturing industries and 12 years in an offshore mining field.  Yuriy successfully completed a 1.5 year long new factory control systems design project in Georgia (Europe) as a leader of the project. Currently, Yuriy works at Hawboldt Industries as an Electrical Controls Designer, getting involved in new exciting projects of the company.     

Brent Fay, P.Eng. graduated from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1987 with a degree in mechanical engineering.  He immediately started working with Michelin Canada.  He held positions as a quality engineer, a project engineer and finished his career with Michelin as an engineering manager.  During his time with Michelin he worked in three facilities, Bridgewater, Michelin America’s Technical Division in South Carolina and finished up in Waterville Nova Scotia.  Leaving Michelin in 1999 he joined GN Plastics as their technical services manager in Chester Nova Scotia.  In 2005 he joined Tramar Products as a design Engineer.  In 2008 Brent started a new venture, CleanCount Inc., developing a new product for the pharmaceutical industry.  In 2012 Brent started BCF Engineering where he consulted until joining Hawboldt Industries as their engineering manager in the same year. 

Many surface waters in Atlantic Canada are sensitive to acid deposition (acid rain) attributed to the long-range transport of SO_x emitted by power generating processes (e.g. coal) in eastern Canada the United States. Successful acid rain control programs have resulted in substantial reductions in SO₂ emissions and SO₄ deposition in surface waters has also decreased.

As a result, some lakes throughout Atlantic Canada have shown signs of recovery from acidification as evidenced by increasing pH and natural organic matter (NOM) concentration with no corresponding increase in nutrient loading.  Other lakes in the region have experienced algal blooms, and even lakes with source water protection programs have shown increased productivity. A similar phenomenon has been observed in the U.S. and in Europe, where levels of organic matter have increased by up to 0.15 mg/L/year for some water utilities.

Given that NOM has a substantial impact on many aspects of water treatment including the performance of unit processes as well as the demand for water treatment chemicals, increases in the concentration of NOM will influence the provision of drinking water.

Using a case study approach, this will work evaluate the effects of successful acid rain controls on lake water quality and the subsequent impact on downstream water/wastewater treatment. It is anticipated that this work will provide insight on how engineered water infrastructure should be designed to account for more variability in water quality. 

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Graham Gagnon’s teaching responsibilities have included courses related to water quality, water treatment and environmental systems analysis. Dr. Gagnon is the NSERC/Halifax Water Industrial Research Chair in Water Quality & Treatment and also serves as the Director for the Centre for Water Resources Studies at Dalhousie. Drinking water research is highly multidisciplinary in which problems can be addressed from the perspective of: technological development; analytical and measurement development; and policy development.

As a NSERC Industrial Research Chair, Dr. Gagnon has had the privilege of supervising an energetic research team. The team comprises research support staff, Undergraduate Research Assistants, Master’s students, PhD students and Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs). As a result, Dr. Gagnon has trained more than 100-student trainees in his laboratory since he was hired in 1998. Research alumni from Dr. Gagnon’s laboratory have active careers across the water industry and academia.

In 2013, Dr. Gagnon was awarded the Fuller Award from American Water Works Association through the Atlantic Canada section for his constructive leadership to the water industry. Dr. Gagnon is a member of Engineers NS, AWWA, ACS, CSCE, AEESP and IWA.

Daryl will describe how the System Performance group at the NSHA is using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) software to work with clinicians to design our healthcare service delivery.  DES is being used for current service redesign as well as for the new facility design efforts on-going at QEII Health Sciences Center. The tools and methods will also be used as part of the redesign effort for the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and other Sydney area facilities.

Daryl MacNeil, P.Eng, MBA

Daryl has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and is currently the Manager, Project Services & Performance Improvement for the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA).  Daryl’s previous experience includes stops in various industries ranging from window manufacturing, to oil and gas distribution, to high-tech military manufacturing with for-profit, product-driven organizations.  Those industries sound simple to him now that he has spent the last 10+ years in the healthcare world!  Daryl is married with two teenage boys, he coaches minor basketball and is trying to introduce golf back into his life.

A panel discussion on Entrepreneurial Career Path options and some of the available resources in Nova Scotia for Engineers who may be interested in this career path.  To open the panel, Colleen Rollings, P.Eng. will provide a brief presentation on her experience of self employment as the Principal Project Manager of H3R Inc.  There are many reasons to consider an entrepreneurial career option, and a wide expanse of opportunities to realize your dream of business ownership.  The freedom and flexibility to determine your own schedule and hours of work may be appealing at many points in your career to accommodate family commitments, return to study or to dedicate time to community projects you value.

A discussion will follow with panelists representing organizations in Nova Scotia that support small business development.  The discussion will include advice from panel members on where to start to pursue your dream, skill sets that can be useful and resources available to assist you.  Join us for an hour. It may spark your next big career move.

Bio:

Meet Colleen Rollings, P.Eng., an Engineer who lives by the adage that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.  Ms. Rollings has spent nearly 25 years designing and installing infrastructure to  support public safety.  From natural gas pipelines to hospital patient safety systems, the public we serve makes it worth the hours of effort.  Colleen has taken her corporate experience in project and people management, and applied it to building a small company, H3R Inc.  Expanding her commitment to innovation and technology, Colleen also works part time in the Dalhousie Faculty of Engineering as an Engineer in Residence, providing a liaison between the students and industry.   For Colleen, the best part about being an Engineer has been applying her skills to help community-based groups with their initiatives including playground reconstruction, building maintenance and youth sports club development. You can follow her success at:  linkedin.com/in/colleenrollings 

Dr. Seto will present on the topic of marine robots in scientific, military and commercial applications through research she has contributed to.  These marine robots include unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The presentation will start with a primer on marine robots and the role they play.  Then, the on-board autonomy being developed for these robots to enable them to work in transformational roles for extended duration is described.  The on-board autonomy is necessary in remote and harsh environments like the ocean or space where the robot is unable to communicate with its human collaborators at high bandwidths and is deployed for extended periods.  This autonomy realizes the value of using a robot.    

The scientific research presented vary from intelligent sampling for characterizing ocean phenomena to development of leading edge fundamental robot localization, mapping and navigation methods.  Military-themed projects vary from search and rescue in the Canadian Arctic to advanced networking of all the above-mentioned robots for advanced underwater surveys.  Commercial projects with industrial partners from across Canada highlight the complementary role university laboratories can play to introduce Canadian industries to cutting edge technologies, inject innovation, and provide advanced technical services towards making these industries more globally competitive and diversifying their offerings. 

Dr. Seto will also highlight work in the areas of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle landings on ships in a sea state, tracking of ice in the Canadian Arctic and autonomous marine search and rescue. 

BIOGRAPHY:

Mae was born in Vancouver, B.C.  She did her undergraduate degree in the Electrical Engineering option of Engineering Physics and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering – both at the University of British Columbia.  She tenured her NSERC Industrial Post-Doctoral Fellowship at ISE Research Ltd., one of the top designers and manufacturers of marine robots in the world. She continued to work for 3 years at ISE after her post-doctoral fellowship was complete. 

Mae joined DRDC as a Defence Scientist in 2000.  Her areas of expertise are in autonomy and control of robots (above, on, and under water), marine robots, underwater navigation and communication, underwater acoustics and towed body systems.  In 2013 she was at MIT as a Research Scientist collaborating with the Marine Robotics Group in underwater robotic localization and mapping. 

To perform in-water validation of her research, Dr. Seto was Chief or Principal Scientist on many scientific trials all over the world including one to the Canadian Arctic and most recently, Unmanned Warrior 2016 in Scotland.  She has written many papers, book chapters, and articles in these areas as well as a Springer Verlag book for which she is editor and a contributor, Marine Robot Autonomy.   

In 2017, Mae joined Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Engineering as an Associate Professor and Director of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory.   She was also recently appointed the Irving Shipbuilding Research Chair in Marine Engineering and Autonomous Systems.  Dr. Seto collaborates with academic and industrial partners in Canada, France, U.S. and U.K.  Her areas of research include fundamental development and applications of marine autonomous robots to scientific, military and commercial purposes – the focus of today’s presentation.  Dr. Seto is also a consultant to the Dept. of National Defence on marine autonomous robots and a member of NATO Working Groups in robotic control systems.  She also contributes to the Observation Module within the Ocean Frontiers Institute.  

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Seto has worked in industry, government and academia on marine robotics and will present on this topic.  

Starr Cunningham (Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia) and Lyne Brun (Health & Wellness, Emera/Nova Scotia Power) will focus on eradicating stigma and raising your knowledge of mental health, mental illness and addiction. By sharing their personal stories of recovery and experience with workplace initiatives they aim to challenge stereotypes and get critical conversations started. Both Lyne and Starr believe in the power of hope, self-care and open discussion. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. It affects people of all ages, cultures and socio-economic levels. Its umbrella is huge – depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism, dementia, eating disorders, and the list goes on. Statistics say one in five of us will experience a mental illness or addiction this year. Starr and Lyne know that number is much higher. Together, they are hoping to change the way you think about mental illness and addiction.

Presenter Bios:

Starr Cunningham is the President & CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. An acclaimed journalist, best-selling children’s author, and dedicated community volunteer, Starr holds an Honours Journalism Degree from the University of King’s College. Starr is the Co-Chair of the Nova Scotia Minister’s Panel on Innovation in Mental Health & Addiction.  She is a National Recipient of a Difference Makers - 150 Canadians Leading for Mental Health Award from CAMH – Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She is the 2017 Halifax Business Awards Business Person of the YearSilver Recipient and the Northwood Foundation 2017 Live More Advocacy Award Winner. Starr currently serves on the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund Advisory Committee for the Atlantic Region and the Nova Scotia / Prince Edward Island St. John Ambulance Board of Directors. She writes a monthly column for Senior Living and is a regular contributor to Our Children magazine.

Lyne Brun is the Supervisor of Health & Wellness at Emera/Nova Scotia Power. A Certified Peer Support Specialist, Lyne has spoken at conferences across the country. She has served as a panelist for the Mental Health Commission of Canada and is a past recipient of a Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia Inspiring Lives Award. Lyne is a Past Board Chair for the Healthy Minds Cooperative and an active volunteer with the Halifax Police Victim Services Unit. Lyne works to ensure employee health is paramount. Her health and wellness programs optimize physical and mental health through a series of initiatives and services.

Project Management, done well, helps to deliver projects in less time using fewer resources. This is especially visible in construction, where Project Management principles are seen with concrete examples. The construction industry in Nova Scotia is a special case: Projects are only profitable in our local market through proper management.  

In their 60-minute presentation Bird Construction’s Rene Cox, Vice President - Atlantic Canada and Brian Paquette, Senior Director of Operations - Atlantic will share their experience on some of the most critical Project Management principles for construction. Rene and Brian each come with a wealth of experience across the business. They will review recent local success stories and the management principles that contributed to them. While reviewed through a construction lens, Rene and Brian’s insights are intended to be applicable in any industry and for Engineers of all experience levels.

Themes will include:

Using Project Management tools and practices throughout a project to maintain consistency and communication with the project team
Developing and maintaining key performance indicators, even on projects where the client may have a different background of expertise
Application of Project Management principles to different delivery methods, such as Design-Build

Take advantage of Bird Construction’s debut at the annual Engineering Conference and come ready with questions.

Rene Cox Bio:

From Mabou, NS, Rene attended St. Francis Xavier University before graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering from TUNS in 2000. 

A young Engineer, Rene was hired as a Project Coordinator, for Nova Scotia based General Contractor, Rideau Construction. After advancing through the ranks in various job positions, Bird Construction acquired Rideau in 2008 and Rene then took on the role of General Manager of Nova Scotia Operations. Rene is currently a licensed Professional Engineer and holds the title of Vice President Atlantic, where Birds operations carry out an excess of $300 million dollars in annual construction revenue. 

Rene resides in Fall River, NS with his wife Barbara of 15 years and their 2 daughters, Anneka (14) and Olivia (12). He enjoys woodworking, playing guitar, spending time in his garage, RV’ing, and many other physical outdoor activities. 

Heavily involved in the industry, Rene is the past Chairman of the Board for the Construction Association of Nova Scotia. He also involves himself regularly in local fundraising initiatives and throughout his career has made significant contributions to: Arthritis Society, IWK Great Big Dig, IWK Telethon, among others. Rene is currently involved in a fundraising campaign designated for student aid for the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC).

Brian Paquette Bio:

Brian attended St. Francis Xavier University before graduating from Dalhousie with a degree in Civil Engineering in 2008. Since starting at Bird Construction in 2009 as a Project Coordinator, Brian has grown to become the Senior Director of Operations in Atlantic Canada. This is largely due to his strong managerial skills: Brian recently completed the Saskatchewan Joint-Use Schools Project, valued at $385 Million.

Brian lives in Hubley, NS with his wife Catherine. He has sat on the IWK Great Big Dig Fundraising committee for the last 5 years, and he is a volunteer coach for the TASA Minor Hockey Association.

At Pratt & Whitney, we believe flight is an engine of human progress.  So we work with an explorer’s heart and a perfectionist’s grit to advance it.  Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC), is a global aerospace leader, shaping the future of business, helicopter, regional and general aviation.  Recently, the Halifax, NS manufacturing facility implemented an automated production line for the PW800 Pure Power® business jet engine program, machining Integrally Bladed Fans (IBF).  The IBF Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) employs state-of-the-art technologies and lean manufacturing principles to produce these complex, high-precision aerospace components.  The benefits of the AMCs are substantial: globally competitive productivity rates, very high and consistent product quality and safe and stimulating work environments that engage employees with a broad spectrum of advanced technologies and systems.

Presenter:

Karen Anne Pierrynowski, P.Eng., IT, Capital, Process Planning Manager, Pratt & Whitney Canada

This session will provide information and perspectives on how to work with indigenous communities. Topics for discussion are cultural importance of land and water, communication and interactions within/with community, and working on reserve. This session is meant to increase awareness and understanding of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada among engineers and improve their professional efforts. 

Bios:

Maggie Stothart, P.Eng. graduated from the Civil Engineering program at the University of New Brunswick in 2007. Maggie is a Professional Engineer registered with APEGNB and works for the North Shore Mi’kmaq District Council where she assists their member communities in the administration of capital projects and planning. Maggie is an active member of the APEGNB at both the branch and provincial level. She is Treasurer of the Northeast Branch and helps organize events with the members and works to engage the public, school district and students in raising the profile of the engineering profession. At the provincial level, Maggie is Vice Co-Chair for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a strong supporter of diversity and believes in a diverse workplace which enriches the culture and enhances team productivity and growth.

Denise Pothier, MBA, P.Eng. has a background in chemical engineering and more than twenty-five years of industry experience in the oil and gas sector, working in regulatory compliance, quality assurance and management systems, process engineering, and risk assessment. She is currently the Vice President of Practice Services and the first-ever Vice President of Indigenous Relations at Stantec. For the last 10 years, she has helped develop, build, and now serves on Stantec’s Diversity and Inclusion council. She is a firm believer that a diverse and representative employee base, led by a diverse and representative leadership team, enhances and strengthens the cultures of quality, innovation, and health and safety within an organization. She sits on the board of directors of Techsploration and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB); she serves on Engineers Nova Scotia’s Council and the past-chair for the Women in Engineer committee. Denise is a champion for marginalized groups and a passionate volunteer in her community.

Pre-registration for the Annual Business Meeting is not required but will assist us in ordering breakfast for those who attend. 

There is no cost to attend the Annual Business Meeting. 

Join us before the AGM for breakfast and meet some of the students and organizations we support through our Student Affairs Committee.

The Annual General Meeting will include a presentation from Engineers Canada, the incoming President of Engineers Nova Scotia, financial statements, introduction of new Council members and an opportunity for members to ask questions regarding the business of the Association. 

There is no cost to attend this event and registration is not required, however breakfast is provided to those who attend so registration will inform the amount of food ordered. Members who attend will have two PD Participation hours added to their Professional Development Program record. 

Join us after the AGM for refreshments and appetizers. This will also be an opportunity to meet some of the organizations we partner with on various initiatives.

There is no cost to attend this event and registration is not required but appreciated. 

Join us after the AGM for refreshments and appetizers. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the organizations we partner with on various initiatives.

12:30—Awards Luncheon ($40/person) Join us to celebrate the winners of our awards below.

Engineering Award - Terry Boutilier, P.Eng., and Greg MacNeill, P.Eng.
Young Engineer Award - Holly Sampson, P.Eng.
Sarah L. Devereaux Award for the Advancement of Women in Engineering - Georgeta Bauer, P.Eng.
J.D. Fraser Service Award - Oliver Browning, FEC, P.Eng.
Citizenship Award - Kent Lane, FEC, P.Eng.

Tickets are $40/person
Tables are rounds of 8

If you wish to book a table for this event, please contact Christine@engineersnovascotia.ca. 

Join the Young Professionals Committee for their annual panel discussion. Leaders from industries such as urban planning, infrastructure planning, LEED certification, healthcare, and energy will discuss current trends.  

There is no cost for this event. 

In 1996, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition worked with Indigenous elders and teachers to develop an interactive way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught. The Blanket Exercise was the result; it has since been offered thousands of times and the fourth edition was released in 2016.

Want to know more?  Vist the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Website

How it works

The Blanket Exercise is based on participatory popular education methodology and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.

Source: https://www.kairoscanada.org/what-we-do/indigenous-rights/blanket-exercise 

There is no cost for this event. 

Note: If you wish to participate you must be in the room at 3 PM, thank you for your understanding. 

Celebrate the recipient of our most distinguished award, the F.H. Sexton Gold Medal to be presented to; Genanne Beck, FEC, P.Eng.  Reception will be held from 6:00-7:00 PM and Dinner at 7pm.

Tickets are $60/person
Tables are rounds of 8

If you wish to book a table for this event, please contact Christine@engineersnovascotia.ca.