October 2008 issue
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THE SUMMIT SERIES
Engineering — The Way it’s Meant to Be
His career in Alberta allowed this internationally educated graduate to practice high-end engineering. But Dr. Om Malik, P.Eng., has also found time to give back to his professions and his Association
BY FRANCINE MAXWELL
The PEGG
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TWO-TIME WINNER |
When his Alberta-born friend from university asked Om Malik, P.Eng., to come to Canada, the decision to actually make the move was more of a whim than a career advancement plan.
As it happened, Dr. Malik was indeed accepted for immigration. And it’s here he found the freedom to practice engineering the way he thought it should be practiced. His appreciation of that freedom has manifested itself in an exemplary career of successes, accolades and awards.
The most recent of these is the 2008 L.C. Charlesworth Professional Service Summit Award. If his name seems familiar to PEGG readers, this could be the reason: it’s his second Summit. Dr. Malik also received the inaugural Alberta Ingenuity Fund Research Excellence Award in 2002.
The Charlesworth award goes to members who advance their professions and professionalism, and support their association. “I was a little surprised (to have won),” admits Dr. Malik. “A lot of my work has been for organizations other than APEGGA.”
That observation aside, Dr. Malik has still managed to give over 36 years of service to APEGGA, with countless volunteer hours put towards setting technical exams and serving the Honours and Awards Committee, the Nominating Committee, the University of Calgary Student Liaison Committee, and the Task Force on Career Counseling. All this happened on top of being a professor at the University of Calgary, authoring seven book chapters for 54 publications (including encyclopedias of electrical engineering), publishing 306 papers, and presenting more than 298 papers around the world.
On Track for Engineering
Engineering is, to say the least, important to Dr. Malik. And it has been for a long time.
“I knew at the age of five that I wanted to be an engineer. Of course, I thought it was the same as a family friend who worked on the railways. But all through school I took classes that would lead me to being an engineer. I never wanted to be anything else.”
Dr. Malik has a national diploma in electrical engineering from Delhi Polytechnic, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Roorkee, which is also in India, and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of London in the U.K.
That five-year-old who wanted to be an engineer went on to also become an international presenter, providing consultation under the likes of the United Nations Development Program in India. He also received funding from the Canadian International Development Agency to teach graduate students in Egypt and develop a research laboratory at the University of Cairo.
All of it is very important work, for sure. But back in Alberta, his professional association is important, too, Dr. Malik says. APEGGA and associations like it are an integral part of society. The work the organization does goes way beyond the licensing of professionals.
“The Association does a very good job and it maintains discussions within the professions. The U.S. is not as strong on professional associations as we are here, and APEGGA has brought up the standards for the public and for other engineers as well.”
The Call to Volunteer
Those sentiments may reflect the reason why Dr. Malik feels so strongly about being involved with the Association. He says more people should take up its causes.
“Technical and professional associations are run on volunteers. They’d never survive without them. Volunteering is very important. And the volunteers themselves, they get a lot out of it as well.”
Now “retired,” Dr. Malik still maintains supervision of a number of graduate students with his position of professor emeritus at the U of C. He and also keeps up on his favourite research, the protection of electrical systems.
And of course, there’s all his volunteering, not only with APEGGA but also with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and non-engineering organizations such as the Bill Howard Foundation, the Calgary Boys Choir, the U of C Senate and the Calgary Indo-Canadian Centre Association.
But for all his volunteering, Dr. Malik’s first love is his work.
“When I moved to Canada, I decided to go into academia. I came here looking for freedom to do what I wanted, not a nine-to-five job that was limiting. I found that and so much more here.
“These awards, they are good compensation. I feel happy and honoured to have my work recognized.”
The L.C. Charlesworth Professional Service Award is presented to members of APEGGA who have served their profession diligently for many years, and made substantial contributions to the operation of the Association and the advancement of its professional status.
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