Profession Honours Great Engineers

Seven outstanding Canadian engineers whose work has enhanced people’s quality of life in Canada and around the world, along with a building project that could help Canadian researchers find a cure for cancer and Alzheimer’s, and an outstanding student, each received one of the engineering profession’s highest honours today — a Canadian Engineers’ Award. Dr. Wallace (Wally) Read, P.Eng. and Emad Rizkalla, P.Eng. of St. John’s, Nfld.; Pierre Desjardins, ing. of Laval, Que.; William McDonald, P.Eng. and Dr. James Graham, P.Eng. of Winnipeg; Dr. Valerie Davidson, P.Eng. of Guelph, Ont., Dr. Claire Deschênes, ing. of Cap-Rouge, Que., Sara Ehrhardt of Moncton, N.B., and the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron project at the University of Saskatchewan were honoured during a presentation ceremony attended by the leaders of Canada’s engineering profession, MPs and guests from the United States. “This year’s Canadian Engineers’ Awards recipients exemplify the values that Canada’s engineering profession is built on – protection of the public, preservation of the environment, service to one’s community and profession, excellence in education, and enhancing quality of life,” said Marie Lemay, P.Eng., CEO of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers. “One brought electricity to people in remote corners of his province; another helped instigate a province-wide sewage treatment program in order to protect the environment; and one – the first recipient of our new Gold Medal Student Award – is using her engineering and humanitarian talents to help less fortunate people enjoy a better life. Each of our recipients has made our world and our profession better through their work.”

Presented annually by CCPE, the Canadian Engineers’ Awards recognize engineering and teaching excellence, community and professional service, efforts to open the doors of the engineering profession to women, and entrepreneurship and innovation by engineers. They also honour engineering students for beneficial contributions to society that enhance the image of the profession, and exceptional engineering projects or achievements. This year, the engineering profession’s highest honour — the Gold Medal — was presented to Dr. Read. Beginning in the 1960s, this former chairman and CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro was the guiding force behind the development and expansion of Newfoundland and Labrador’s electric power system. His work brought electricity to people in rural Newfoundland, enhancing their quality of life and economic potential. He also served as the first full-time president and CEO of the Canadian Electricity Association, and on the Standards Council of Canada. In his retirement, Dr. Read is an independent consultant for the province’s current Electricity Policy Review. Fellow Newfoundlander Mr. Rizkalla received CCPE’s Young Engineer Achievement Award for outstanding contribution in a field of engineering by an engineer 35 years of age or under. The co-founder, president and CEO of one of Newfoundland’s hottest IT firms, ZeddComm Inc., he was acknowledged for his leadership in establishing an innovative business whose clients include Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Canon Corp. and Health Canada. “I congratulate both Dr. Read and Mr. Rizkalla for receiving awards from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, and commend them on their work,” said Newfoundland Premier Roger Grimes. “The life-long achievements of Dr. Read have contributed greatly to the province’s energy industry, and Mr. Rizkalla has furthered the information technology sector in Newfoundland and Labrador. Their recognition on a national level speaks to the standards of excellence they have set for themselves and for their peers.”

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland, which includes both recipients in its membership, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Mr. Desjardins, a civil engineer who was instrumental in establishing Quebec’s successful sewage treatment program, received the Meritorious Service Award for Professional Service. The award acknowledges his many years of volunteer service with l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and CCPE. Also a civil engineer, Mr. McDonald received the Meritorious Service Award for Community Service in recognition of his more than 35 years of volunteer contributions to the City of Winnipeg. He’s given his time and engineering expertise to numerous projects and groups, including Rossbrook House, an inner-city recreation and education centre for aboriginal youth. The Medal for Distinction in Engineering Education was presented to University of Manitoba geotechnical engineering professor Dr. James Graham, whose hands-on, practical, instructional style has been shaped by a firm belief that universities are not teaching institutions but rather learning institutions. Designed by an team of engineers from the Saskatoon office of UMA Engineering Ltd., the building and systems that will ultimately house the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron received the National Award for Exceptional Engineering Achievement. The highly sensitive $173 million synchrotron will help Canadian scientists to research everything from computer chips to cancer to environmental waste. Co-awards for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession were presented to Dr. Davidson, an engineering professor at the University of Guelph for her contributions as a role model and leader in women’s issues, and Dr. Deschênes, an engineering professor at the University of Laval and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/Alcan Chair for Quebec women in science and engineering who is addressing a broad range of women’s issues in education as well as in business. Ms. Ehrhardt, a third-year undergraduate student studying systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo, received the profession’s new Gold Medal Student Award. She was instrumental in establishing the Engineers Without Borders internship program, and now sits as the only student on its board of directors. An active volunteer both in Canada and abroad, she recently led a community development construction project in Guyana. “We are very proud of this fine group of engineers who have contributed so much to the health, economic well-being and safety of the people of Canada,” said Ms. Lemay. “They reflect the high values of Canadian engineers who are committed to protecting and advancing the quality of life for all Canadians.”

IEEE Student Branch at RRC Holds Annual Student Paper Competition

The Red River College Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) held their annual student papers competition on May 22, 2002 at RRC. Four student groups presented their papers to an audience of 25 attendees. The students competed for cash awards of $150., $100., and $50., sponsored by the Winnipeg Section of IEEE.

Tim Stampe and Colin Mantay (Electronics Engineering Technology) took first place in the competition with their project, Automated Wire Dispenser. As first place recipients, they also received the Ted Glass Award, in honour of a former chair of the IEEE Winnipeg Section.

Second place went to Ryan Primmett (Electronics Engineering Technology) for his paper, entitled Autonomy and Robotic Vision via Ultrasonic Sensors (ARVUS). Quincy Robinson and Michael Noonan (Communications Engineering Technology) were awarded third place for their project, Voice Verification Security System.

The first place paper will be submitted for competition with the Western Canada Council of IEEE, where it will be eligible to win the Palin Award (for best paper from a college) or the Life Member Award (for best overall paper from a college or university). Entrants from Red River College have won either the Palin Award or the Life Member Award 16 out of the 19 years.

Nominate a Senior Member Initiative Continued for 2002

With 1,515 elevations in 2001, the Nominate a Senior Member Initiative (NSI) surpassed its goal of 1,500 new Senior Members. This program pays Sections and Societies with cash awards for successfully nominating Senior Member candidates. Last year the Electron Devices Society (EDS) used the program to earn US$1,250 by sucessfully nominating 125 EDS members to IEEE Senior Member grade. The NSI program is being continued for 2002 - with a new “stretch” goal of elevating 1,750 new Senior Members. Region 7 has a goal of 70 new members.

For more details on the NSI program and SM goal chart updates for 2002, see http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/smprogram.html.

The following members were upgraded to Senior Member status at the May 2002 Admission and Advancement Panel meeting in London, UK.

• H. Douglas Barber - Hamilton
• Robert Beresh - Hamilton
• Peter John Edmonson - Hamilton
• Eric Harrison - Hamilton
• Skipper Poehlman - Hamilton
• Hardy Sonnenberg - Hamilton
• Manfred Vormbaum - Hamilton
• Anup Basu - Northern Canada
• Mario Caron - Ottawa
• Ian Niel Glenn - Ottawa
• Raymond Chik - Toronto
• Thomas G. Purdy - Toronto
• Fei Yuan - Toronto
• Bill S. L. Lee - Vancouver

For more information on the Nominate a Senior Member Initiative (NSI) Program, please visit http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/smprogram.html.

• 2002 International Microwave Symposium

2-7 June 2002
Seattle, Washington
For more information please visit http://www.ims2002.org/index.html

• 2002 METRICS 2002: 8th International Symposium on Software Metrics

4-7 June 2002
Ottawa, Ontario
For more information please visit http://www.software-metrics.org/

• VLSI Technology Symposium on Technology and Circuits

11-13 June 2002
Hawaii
For more information please visit http://www.vlsisymposium.org/

• International High Performance Computing Systems and Applications Symposium (HPCS'2002)

16-19 June 2002
Moncton, New Brunswick
For more information please visit http://www.umoncton.ca/hpcs2002/

• Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements (CPEM 2002)

16-21 June 2002
Ottawa, Ontario
For more information please visit http://www.nrc.ca/confserv/cpem02

• 48th Annual Pulp and Paper Industry Technical Conference

17-21 June 2002
Sheraton Centre, Toronto
For more information please visit http://www.pulpandpaper2002.com

• 2002 International Conference on Telecommunications (ICT)

23-26 June 2002
Beijing, China
For more information please visit http://www2.elec.qmul.ac.uk/~wee/

• IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (Infocom 2002)

23-27 June 2002
New York City
For more information please visit http://www.ieee-infocom.org/2002/index.htm

• IEEE International Conference on Power Engineering (LESCOPE'2002)

26-29 June 2002
The Sheraton Hotel
Halifax, Nova Scotia
For more information please visit http://is.dal.ca/~lescope/

• Seminar on Lightning Challenges in Ontario

June 27, 2002, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
An IEEE Toronto Power Engineering Society Presentation. For more information please visit http://www.tor.ieee.ca/events/lighting.htm

• 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory

30 June - 5 July 2002
Palais de Beaulieu
Lausanne, Switzerland
For more information please visit http://isit02.epfl.ch

• 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: Macro to Nano

7-10 July 2002
Washington, DC
For more information please visit http://www.biomedicalimaging.org

• International Symposium on Antenna Technology and Applied Electromagnetics (ANTEM 2002)

30 July - 2 August 2002
Canadian Space Agency
St-Hubert, Quebec
For more information please visit http://antem.ee.umanitoba.ca/

• International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED)

12-14 August 2002
Monterey, California
For more information please visit http://www.ee.ucla.edu/~islped

• International Conference on Modeling and Simulation of Electric Machines, Convertors and Systems

18-21 August 2002
École de technologie supérieure
Montreal, Quebec
For more information please visit http://www.electrimacs2002.com/

• International Telecommunications Symposium (ITS2002)

8-12 September 2002
Natal, Brazil
For more information please visit http://its2002.ufrn.br//

• IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP 2002)

22-25 September 2002
Rochester, NY
For more information please visit http://icip2002.com/

• Accelerated Stress Testing Workshop 2002

2-4 October 2002
Hotel Wyndham Montreal
Montreal, Quebec
For more information please visit http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/cpmt/tc7/ast2002/index.html

IEEE Montreal maintains a page of upcoming events at http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r7/montreal/evenements_e.html.
IEEE Toronto maintains a page of upcoming events at http://www.tor.ieee.ca/events.htm.
For more IEEE conferences, visit IEEE Conference Search at http://www.ieee.org/conferencesearch/.

You can send any submissions by email to the editor:
Abhi Gupta at a.k.gupta@ieee.org

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