September 2005 ISSUE
Newsmakers
CCPE Honours Renowned Geotechnical Engineer
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| APEGGA Member Wins Top Award |
APEGGA member Dr. Jack I. Clark, OC, P.Eng., received the Gold Medal Award at the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers awards gala in May. The award, which the CCPE calls engineering’s greatest accolade, went to Dr. Clark for his inspiring leadership and his strategic direction.
Renowned for his geotechnical engineering specialization, Dr. Clark’s many credits include the pipeline route and environmental aspects of the Canadian Arctic Gas Pipeline Project. He is noted for the design of a full-scale testing facility for investigations into frost heave, for design review of the foundation of the Hibernia Project, and for the geotechnical design review of the Vancouver SkyTrain.
Dr. Clark has served as a vice-president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and was a founding member and president of the Association of Research Organizations of Newfoundland and Labrador. He has served on numerous committees, including the Canadian Standards Association and the National Research Council.
A fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, Dr. Clark has received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions, including the Order of Canada. He also holds two honorary degrees.
Dr. Clark is currently president and CEO of the Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering.
Stantec Media Team
Wins Gold Quill
Telling the truth is a great communications strategy, Stantec has proven. Full
disclosure is at the heart of a crisis communication program adopted across Stantec’s
North American offices, and it has earned the company recognition from the International
Association of Business Communicators.
That recognition came in the form of a Gold Quill Award in the strategic communication processes category. As an excellence award winner, Stantec has demonstrated the full range of planning and management skills — research, analysis, strategy, tactical implementation and evaluation.
“It’s better to over-explain and over-communicate, it’s better to disclose it all,” says Jay Averill, Stantec media and communications lead. “Our rule is know it all, tell it all, tell the truth.”
Mr. Averill and Sandra Thornton, director of communications, guided the creation of training sessions for employees to help effectively and correctly handle media calls. The idea came after a miscommunication with the media that put the company in a bad light and offended one of its biggest clients.
Faced with potential losses because of some poorly chosen words, Stantec decided it was time to teach key employees how to respond to the media.
ATCO Electric Takes
Home Edison Award
Construction of the 350-kilometre, Dover-to-Whitefish transmission line in Alberta
has earned Edmonton’s ATCO Electric a major award. The project allows the
export of more steam-generated electricity from Alberta oil sands to serve southern
Alberta markets.
The International Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute goes to those who demonstrate distinguished leadership, innovation and contribution to the advancement of the electrical industry. This year marks the first time in the award’s 77-year history that a Canadian company has received the prestigious honour.
The award decision committee was impressed with the cost-efficient, environmentally friendly project.
“We were very impressed with ATCO’s speed and quality of the work, the innovative engineering and especially the great attention paid to the environment and the surrounding Aboriginal Peoples,” said Edison Electric Institute President Tom Kuhn.
Also nominated was EPCOR Utilities Inc. of Edmonton.
TELUS World of Science
Receives Outreach Award
Science in Motion, an outreach program of TELUS World of Science, was awarded
the 2004 Best Outreach Program by the Canadian Association of Science Centres
at a gala in Montreal this June.
The program has brought the wonders of science to some 70 rural communities in
Alberta through hands-on activities and demonstrations. It makes science fun,
dynamic and easy to understand, says a news release. Science in Motion entertained
and educated some 39,000 students in 2004.
“This is a tremendous recognition from our peers. Creating opportunities to learn about science and technology is not only a mission priority but also a hallmark of TELUS World of Science,” said George Smith, president and CEO of the former Odyssium. “This program gives students in rural Alberta valued learning opportunities that match their science curriculum and complements what teacher are doing.”
The program is supported through partnership with Suncor Energy Foundation, Muttart Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, UMA Group and Lehigh Inland Cement Ltd.
The award win follows TELUS’s recent announcement of an $8.2-million investment in the education and entertainment centre. The 20-year partnership includes naming rights.
Saskatchewan Oil Patch
Honours Members
APEGGA members J.G. Williams, P.Eng., and Leonard F. Maier, P.Eng., are among
five leaders in the Canadian energy industry recently inducted into the Saskatchewan
Oil Patch Hall of Fame.
The hall of fame recognizes industry veterans who have made significant contributions in Saskatchewan and beyond.
Mr. Williams’ career began in the early 1960s with what is now Syncrude Canada Ltd., researching the possibilities of the tar sands near Athabasca. He moved on to become the manager of engineering operations for Texaco in the Pembina oilfield.
Mr. Williams finished out his career with 25 years at Adeco Drilling and Engineering Company Ltd., which is now part of Trimac.
Mr. Maier was with Halliburton for his entire 37-year career. Starting out as a roughneck with the company, Mr. Maier was inspired to attend the University of Alberta and get his degree in petroleum engineering. He continued to work for Halliburton through the summers and joined Halliburton permanently in 1956.
Among his appointments during his career were field engineer in Regina, division engineer and later president of the Canadian division in Calgary, and regional manager in Singapore. He became VP of international operations in Duncan, Okla., and later Houston, Tex., supervising operations in 56 countries.
Enbridge Engineer
Wins Top Prize In
Piano Competition
Joyi Wei, P.Eng., out performed other pianists at the Honens Invitational Amateur
Piano Competition in Calgary recently to take top prize.
Ms. Wei, an engineer with Enbridge, gave the stellar performance in front of some 200 people at the University of Calgary’s Rozsa Centre. Performing pieces by Mozart, Chopin and Barber, Ms. Wei and her fellow competitors raised close to $70,000 for Honens outreach projects and concerts.
The competition is held annually as a fundraiser for the International Honens Piano Competition, which sees participants from all over the world compete for large monetary prizes and a chance at a three-season artistic and career development program. The amateur competitors are invited to raise a minimum of $5,000 in pledges — then find a match in donations from corporate Calgary.
McFarlane Appointed
to Boiler Board
The Alberta Boilers Safety Association has appointed Don McFarlane, P.Eng., to
its board of directors. Mr. McFarlane represents pressure equipment manufacturing
on ABSA’s five-member board. He is president and general manager of Cessco
Fabrication & Engineering Ltd.
ASME Recognizes
New Fellow
Dr. Ken Lau, P.Eng., has been named the newest fellow of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers. The fellowship is bestowed upon those who demonstrate
exceptional engineering achievement and contribution to the engineering profession.
It is the highest elected grade of membership within ASME.
Beginning with the Alberta Boilers Branch with the provincial government in 1982, Dr. Lau went on to become the assistant chief inspector, engineering, in 1990. He was appointed chief inspector of boiler pressure vessel safety in Alberta and is now Alberta’s administrator of pressure equipment safety and the chief inspector of the Alberta Boilers Safety Association.
Oil Sands Trust
Names CEO
Trevor Roberts, P.Eng., is moving into a new role as chief operating officer
of Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. and manager of the Canadian Oil Sands Trust.
With close to 30 years of experience, Mr. Roberts will be a welcome asset to the trust, said Canadian Oil Sands Trust President and CEO Marcel Coutu. “We are delighted to have an individual of Mr. Robert’s calibre to support Canadian Oil Sands in stewarding its Syncrude asset as we enter this new era of production growth.”
Professional Geologist
Appointed VP
At Canadian Spirit
Brian Mahood, P.Geol., has been appointed vice-president of exploration/operations
of Canadian Spirit Resources Inc., a Calgary-based natural resources firm. The
firm’s focus is on the exploration and development of natural gas from
coal. Mr. Mahood has spent the last 10 years in senior management and consulting
roles.