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ENGINEERING & GEOSCIENCE WEEK
MESSAGE FROM THE ACEC-SK CHAIR This year’s Engineering and Geoscience Week is like no other. As we approach one year since the pandemic impacted our industry, and our overall society, one can’t help but reflect on the challenges we have faced and overcome, and the opportunities that have been identified.
The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK) represents engineering firms working in the private sector. Member firms provide technology-based consulting services to government and private sector clients in Saskatchewan, across Canada
Province’s engineering firms adapted quickly to pandemic challenges
and in numerous countries world-wide. ACEC-SK congratulates the Engineering and Geoscience industry in its resilience, resolve and fortitude as it quickly adapted to the new landscapes and challenges, effectively keeping the industry active and focused as an essential service, always
2 0 2 0 A S S O C I A T I O N O F C O N S U LT I N G E N G I N E E R I N G C O M PA N I E S – S A S K AT C H E WA N ( A C E C - S K )
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION Patrick Lalach, P.Eng. 2020 - 2021 Chair ACEC-SK Board of Directors
with the priority mandate of protection of the public. ACEC-SK has made strides in increasing our relevance to government and demonstrating our value to the economy. The provincial government focus on economic recovery and the identification of Stimulus Program spending
is applauded. We were at the table with government identifying opportunities for investment, while addressing issues such as capacity and program rollout challenges. With increased focus on maximizing investment within Saskatchewan, our members need to be creative in
balancing local talent with required specialties that are not locally available. Our experienced engineering and geoscience resources are building their own capabilities, with support from ACEC-SK. We are excited to see how quickly advanced education was able to pivot during the pandemic and able to keep graduating the talent required to keep growing the engineering and geoscience industry in Saskatchewan. We all should be proud of our role in this economic rebound and the professionalism and effectiveness that interaction has improved. We look forward to continued interaction with policy and decision makers as we identify the best value solutions that will most benefit Saskatchewan. Stay safe, follow the protocols identified by our health authorities, be kind to one another and have faith that we are all getting through this, together, and will be much stronger as we come through the other side.
YOUNG PROFESSIONAL AWARD
The 2020 Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK) Young Professional Award recipient is Kai Li, B.E., P.Eng.
Suite 12, 2010 7th Avenue, Regina SK S4R 1C2 P: 306.359.3338 F: 306.522.5325 E: info@acec-sk.ca www.acec-sk.ca
CONSULTING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
PRESENTED BY THE MINISTRY OF HIGHWAYS AND INFRASTRUCTURE Tetra Tech Canada Inc. were the ACEC-SK firm with the highest average Performance Evaluation score from November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020, while meeting the following award criteria: • Minimum Contract Value - $75,000 • Minimum # of Performance Evaluation scores in MHI database – 3
BRIAN ECKEL PROJECT AWARDS
BRIAN ECKEL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
PINNACLE AWARD & AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
2020 Brian Eckel Memorial Scholarship Award was presented to Minh Au, a third-year University of Saskatchewan student pursuing a dual degree in Engineering Physics and Computer Science.
(Project Management Category) Associated Engineering (Sask) Ltd. & Cima + Project: Regina Bypass Project Client/Owner: Government of Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways & Infrastructure
MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE & WATER RESOURCES CATEGORY AWARD OF MERIT AECOM Canada Ltd. Project: River Street Reservoir and Pumping Facility Client/Owner: City of Prince Albert
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AWARD
Stantec received ACEC-SK’s 2020 Community Initiative Award for their Stantec and YMCA Regina Partnership. The award acknowledges the donations of time and/or services of a member firm to the benefit of Saskatchewan communities or groups.
TRANSPORTATION CATEGORY AWARD OF MERIT Stantec Consulting Ltd. Project: Ring Road over Wascana Creek Bridge Replacements Client/Owner: City of Regina
THIS SECTION WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION.
Corporate Members
49North Engineering Corp. a division of Building Solu!ons Apogee Inc. AECOM ALFA Engineering Ltd. Allnorth Arcadis Canada Inc. Arrow Engineering Associated Engineering Beckie Hydrogeologists (1990) Ltd. BBK Engineering Saskatoon Ltd. BCL Engineering Ltd Brownlee Beaton Kreke (Regina) Ltd. CAE Solu!ons Inc. Ca#erall & Wright CIMA+ Cli"on Clunie Consul!ng Engineers Ltd. DKM Engineering Ltd. DL Minter Engineering Inc. Daniels □ Wingerak Engineering Ltd. Dillon Dri"stone Consul!ng Inc. Dynamic Earth Solu!ons Inc. ECO ENGINEERING LTD. ENGCOMP Gold Standard Engineering Golder Associates Ltd. Ground Engineering Consultants Ltd. HDA Engineering Ltd. ISL Engineering & Land Services Ltd. Integrated Engineering J C Kenyon Engineering Inc. J. D. Mollard and Associates (2010) Limited KGS Group Key West Engineering Ltd. Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd. MPE Engineering Ltd. March Consul!ng Associates Inc. Matrix Solu!ons Inc. Missinipi Water Solu!ons Inc. NEES Consul!ng Corp. NewFields P. Machibroda Engineering Ltd.
PINTER & Associates Ltd. PWA Engineering Ltd. Prairie Road Solu!ons Inc. Prakash Consul!ng Ltd. R.J. England Consul!ng Ltd. Rempel Engineering & Management Resource Management Interna!onal Inc. Ritenburg & Associates Ltd. Robb Kullman Engineering LLP Rockford Engineering Works Ltd. SAL Engineering Ltd. SRK Consul!ng SNC-Lavalin Inc. Soli Solu!ons Inc. Stantec Consul!ng Ltd. Tetra Tech Thurber Engineering Ltd. Topping Engineering Ltd. Trace Associates Inc. Urban Systems Walker Projects Inc. WaterMark Consul!ng Ltd. Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solu!ons WSP
Associate Members
Associa!on of Professional Engineers & Geoscien!sts of Saskatchewan (APEGS) Brock White Construc!on Materials Canadian Concrete Pipe and Precast Associa!on (CCPPA) Concrete Saskatchewan Engineered Pipe Group Henderson Insurance Inc. Ipex Inc. Levene Graduate School of Business, University of Regina Morsky Construc!on Ltd. Municipali!es of Saskatchewan Nilex Inc. Saskatchewan Construc!on Associa!on (SCA) Saskatchewan Environmental Industry & Managers Associa!on (SEIMA) Saskatchewan Heavy Construc!on Associa!on (SHCA) Saskatchewan Masonry Ins!tute (SMI) Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP) Xylem
ACCELERATING INNOVATION AND RESEARCH TO REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND INCREASE PRODUCTION OF SUBSURFACE ENERGY
Setting Pre-cast Reservoir Walls by Crane
As a fully integrated firm, AECOM connects knowledge and experience across our network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. AECOM is proud to support Engineering & Geosciences Week.
Main Floor - Distribution Headers A and B
ILL HEAVY OIL HEAV V Y OIL HEAVY OIL HEAVY OIL HEAVY OIL HEAVY O OIL HEAV V Y OILL HEE A A NCED OIL RECOV ERY E ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY ENHANCED OIL R ECOVER RY EN N H AN N TO O RAGE & U TILIZATTION T CO 2 STORAGE & UTILIZATION CO 2 STORAG GE & UTILII ZATIO O N CO MAL ENERGY Y GEOT HERMAL H ENERGY GEOTHERMAL ENERGY GEOTH HEERMAL E NERG GY G HII UM EXTRA ACTION LITHIUM EXTRACTION LITHIUM EXTRACTION L ITTHIUM E XTRA AC TIO
The City of Prince Albert River Street Reservoir and Pumping Facility ACEC-SK 2020 Brian Eckel Award of Merit Municipal Infrastructure & Water Resources Category
Main Floor - Distribution Headers A and B Pumping Facility Steel Structure
www.aecom.ca
Visit us at ptrc.ca
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Regulating the professions. Protecting the public. A profession is a calling requiring specialized knowledge, academic preparation and a demonstrated ability to engage in professional practice. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) licenses and regulates approximately 14,000 engineering and geoscience professionals in the public interest. Through the Government of Saskatchewan, the public has granted the professions the privilege and the responsibility of self regulation because professionals are in the best position to assess the qualifications, competence and conduct of those who practice the professions. APEGS sets high admission standards for qualified engineers and geoscientists to become licensed professionals in Saskatchewan. A requirement of ongoing professional development ensures that licensees remain proficient and competent to protect the public. All persons registered with APEGS are expected to comply with the Code of Ethics (see sidebar). As part of its regulatory obligations, APEGS is required to investigate allegations of professional incompetence and professional misconduct in accordance with The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (see below). APEGS also protects the public by taking action to prevent the unlicensed practice of professional engineering and professional geoscience and misuse of the protected titles related to engineering and geoscience by people who are not registered.
THE ENGINEERS’ AND GEOSCIENTISTS’ CODE OF THICS
Members of the engineering and geoscience professions follow a code of ethics—a set of enduring principles guiding their conduct and way of life. The code requires that they conduct themselves in an honourable and ethical manner, upholding the values of truth, honesty, and trustworthiness. Specifically, they are bound by law to:
APEGS introduced the resource for Engineering and Geoscience Week 2020 and it has continued to evolve. New resources are also available under the Extras! menu tab, including links to lesson plans. The easiest way to access it is by Googling “GeoExplore Saskatchewan” or visiting apegs.ca and clicking the “Public” menu item.
Join our 14,000 members in congratulating our newest professional members – dedicated professionals who have completed a minimum of eight years of university study and work experience to earn the designation of Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.), Engineering Licensee or Geoscience Licensee. Pictured below are some of the 900 professionals who have received their licence to practice engineering or geoscience in Saskatchewan in the past year.
2. Offer services and advise on or undertake assignments only in areas of competence. 3. Act as faithful agents of their clients or employers, maintain confidentiality and avoid conflicts of interest. 4. Maintain their own competence and advance the body of knowledge of their profession by seeking professional development opportunities for themselves and their subordinates. 5. Conduct themselves with fairness, courtesy and good faith towards clients, colleagues, employees and others.
Ackerman, Lindsey, P.Eng., Nicholson Construction Company
Ahokas, Tawny, Engineering Licensee, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Alabi, Wahab O., P.Eng.
Alam, Abid, P.Eng.
Alilanj, Taulant, P.Eng.
Aryal, Arjun, P.Eng., Gang-Nail Trusses
Awume, Bennet, P.Eng., PINTER & Associates Ltd.
Ayilara, Ajibola, P.Eng.
Berzins, William E., P.Eng., West Earth Sciences
Bustamante, Mauricio, P.Eng.
Chung, Chi Yung, P.Eng., University of Saskatchewan
Davis, Scott A., P.Eng.
Dhungana, Monika M., P.Eng.
Ebuehi, Jude O., P.Eng.
Farahzadi, Mahdi (Matthew), P.Eng.
Fedorchuk, Jeremy, P.Eng.
Fremont, Gregory M., Engineering Licensee, AECOM
Gerow, Geoffrey E., P.Geo.
Gray, Kristin, P.Eng., Associated Engineering Ltd.
Groat, Pamela, P.Eng.
Hassan, Dr. Mohamed, P.Eng., YEG Engineering Group Inc.
Hudd, Carissa, P.Eng.
Hunt, Seth E., P.Eng., Co-op Refinery Complex
Hussain, Samrat, P.Eng., Jassar, Ravi Inder Singh, Rural Municipality of P.Eng. Torch River No. 488
Kacar, Stanko, P.Eng., Siemens Canada Ltd.
Kimber, Alyssa K., P.Eng.
Lavoie, Hilary D., P.Geo.
Leonard, David J., Engineering Licensee, Entuitive Corporation
MacEwen, Ryan C., P.Eng., MacEwen Constructors Inc.
McWillie, Justin, P.Eng.
Medforth, Erin, P.Eng., Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Miller, Brian R., P.Eng.
Moeller, Scott C., P.Eng.
Mohamed, Mohamed I. Sh., P.Eng.
Mondragon Sanchez, Carlos A., P.Eng., International Road Dynamics Inc.
Mucha, Derek, P.Eng., Shermco Industries
Munro, Josh, P.Eng., Wolfrom Engineering Ltd.
Nawara, Omar, P.Eng.
Olamilehin, Olakunle, P.Eng.
Qin, Wayne, P.Eng.
Sam, Saju J., P.Eng.
6. Give credit where it is due and accept, as well as give, honest and fair professional criticism. 7. Present clearly to employers and clients the possible consequences if professional decisions or judgments are overruled or disregarded. 8. Report to the Association any alleged illegal practices, professional incompetence or professional misconduct by members. 9. Be aware of, and ensure their clients and employers are aware of, societal and environmental consequences of actions or projects. 10. Build their reputations and offer their services on the basis of merit and compete fairly with others considering all relevant factors, not just fees. (Adapted from The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Regulatory Bylaws)
APEGS makes the movie Dream Big: Engineering Our World and accompanying educational resources available to teachers on the Ministry of Education’s ROVER service (Recommended Online Video Education Resources). Students can explore how engineers solve big and small problems to improve people’s lives. APEGS introduced the movie and resources to all Saskatchewan schools for Engineering and Geoscience Week 2019. The public can view the movie on Netflix and the educational resources (short videos and written lesson plans) at www.dreambigfilm.com/education.
Investigation and Discipline Individuals and corporate entities registered and/or licensed with APEGS are required to practice competently and ethically (see sidebar). As part of its regulatory obligations, APEGS is required to investigate allegations of professional incompetence and professional misconduct in accordance with The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act. Persons that believe that an engineer’s or geoscientist’s conduct constitutes professional incompetence or professional misconduct may make a complaint to APEGS. All complaints must relate to professional misconduct or professional incompetence as these are the only matters that APEGS may investigate. Complaints are managed through investigation and discipline processes as defined in the act. The investigation process starts when APEGS receives a written complaint or when APEGS’ council requests consideration of a complaint. It is the responsibility of the Investigation
Our Newest Professional Members
1. Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and the protection of the environment and promote health and safety within the workplace.
Learn about geoscience and engineering
APEGS and the Saskatchewan Geological Society created GeoExplore Saskatchewan, an interactive map and online resource for teachers and the public. It features information on an array of geological points of interest and geoscience concepts that explain their origins.
S A S K AT O O N S TA R P H O E N I X
Committee to investigate the complaint, determine whether sufficient evidence exists to lay a charge, and refer a complaint to the Discipline Committee to proceed to a discipline hearing. The Discipline Committee hears a complaint. It may determine a finding of professional incompetence or professional misconduct and apply the appropriate order (penalty). When the Investigation Committee believes the person under investigation may be guilty of a criminal offence, the committee may discontinue its investigation and shall report its findings to the president of APEGS and the Deputy Minister of Justice. A similar obligation exists for the Discipline Committee at the conclusion of a hearing. For more information on the investigation and discipline process on or submitting a written complaint, go to www.apegs.ca under Complaints & Discipline.
Santos, John K., P.Geo., Orano Canada Inc.
Schultz, Mathew C., P.Eng.
Taylor, David, P.Eng.
Seabrook, Sara R., P.Eng., Semenoff, Tynan, P.Eng. Golder Associates Ltd.
Thiemann, Blake E., P.Eng.
Tran, Viet N., P.Eng.
Shenouda, Bassem, P.Eng.
Uwagboe, Osaze A., P.Eng.
Tang, Hongshan (William), P.Eng.
Zhang, Xiao T., P.Eng.
SPONSORED BY: AECOM, Associated Engineering Ltd., Co-op Refinery Complex, Entuitive Corporation, Gang-Nail Trusses, Golder Associates Ltd., International Road Dynamics Inc., MacEwen Constructors Inc., Nicholson Construction Company, Orano Canada Inc., PINTER & Associates Ltd., Rural Municipality of Torch River No. 488, Shermco Industries, Siemens Canada Ltd., Stantec Consulting Ltd., University of Saskatchewan, West Earth Sciences, Wolfrom Engineering Ltd., YEG Engineering Group Inc.
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ENGINEERING & GEOSCIENCE WEEK APEGS: Advancing the engineering and geoscience professions in Saskatchewan
Andrew Lockwood, P.Eng, FEC., is president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS). SUPPLIED
Through online ads and radio ads, as well as billboards, APEGS is running an advertising campaign to raise awareness about the professions and to reinforce the organization’s regulatory mandate to protect the public. SUPPLIED BY ELIZABETH IRELAND
Whether we think about it or not, many aspects of life in Saskatchewan are impacted by the engineering and geoscience professions. This includes everything from safe drinking water and stable roads and bridges to mining, internet connectivity and home heating. Me c h a n i c a l e n g i n e e r Andrew Lockwood, P.Eng, FEC., is president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS). The regulatory organization passed its 90-year milestone during the fall of 2020 and represents more than 14,000 licensed engineers and geoscientists in the province. Lockwood’s leadership role as APEGS president is volunteer and he is serving a oneyear term. “The word association is a bit of a misnomer. It makes APEGS sound like a club, but we are actually more like
SGI. We are obligated to the public as a regulatory body that licenses professional engineers and geoscientists. These two brother and sister professions impact all facets of life in Saskatchewan,” says Lockwood. Professionally, Lockwood is principal functional safety at BHP Potash. He works on the Jansen mine project (the mine site is located 140 km east of Saskatoon). Lockwood grew up in Meadow Lake and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2001. In his role with BHP Potash, Lockwood has responsibility for three main engineering duties: sustainability in design, process safety and functional safety. In Canada, the provinces and territories delegate the authority to regulate engineers and geoscientists to professional licensing bodies, such as APEGS. These organizations are maintained and governed by the professions themselves, meaning that it
is a system of self-regulation. On a national level, APEGS is a member of the umbrella organizations Engineers Canada and Geoscientists Canada. Any individual doing engineering or geoscience work on a project (or property) located in Saskatchewan must be registered with APEGS as a professional engineer or professional geoscientist. Alternatively, they must be supervised by a professional engineer or professional geoscientist registered with APEGS. “In this way, we are also like SGI. If you are a capable, competent and safe driver, SGI wants you on the road. APEGS wants all engineers and geoscientists with the education and good character to be allowed to work in their chosen discipline in Saskatchewan,” says Lockwood. APEGS is proud of the breadth of things the engineering and geoscience professions are involved in
and how they protect Saskatchewan residents, dayin and day-out. To provide some context on APEGS members, currently the top three disciplines in the province are civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. “The lion’s share of our members are engineers. Our members are encouraged to keep their tools sharp, both with skills upgrades and ethics training, which is just as important,” says Lockwood. As an organization, APEGS has evolved over the past nine decades to increase safety and protect the public interest. Adaptations include adding geoscientists as a regulated profession and the emergence of many more engineering professionals in recent years. Interestingly, the regulation of the geoscience profession in Canada became widely accepted after the Bre-X gold mining scandal. Changes in technology, and changes in society
overall, mean that emerging disciplines such as biomedical engineering, nanoengineering and environmental engineering continue to gain ground. Through online ads and radio ads, as well as billboards, APEGS is running an advertising campaign to raise awareness about the professions and to reinforce the organization’s regulatory mandate to protect the public. “Imagine a world without engineering and geosciences, especially a COVID-19 world where we expect technology to connect us seamlessly,” says Lockwood. As with most organizations, APEGS’ ability to deliver its services was transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Regina office is closed to the public and most staff are working remotely. The organization continues with licensing, registering and regulating the professions, and added more video meetings and
conferences. Continuing professional development for members has successfully gone online. Lockwood credits Bob McDonald, executive director and registrar of APEGS, for leading the organization’s ability “to pivot really quickly. Bob did a fantastic job. APEGS has continued to process applications at a similar rate as before COVID-19.” Lockwood concludes, “I’d like to grab everyone by the ear and tell them how the engineering and geoscience professions serve the public and keep people safe in our province and across Canada. Our goal is not so much to attract people to the engineering and geoscience professions, as to break down barriers for underrepresented groups, such as women and Indigenous people, to enter the professions.” Find out more about the engineering and geoscience professions in Saskatchewan at www.apegs.ca.
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ENGINEERING & GEOSCIENCE WEEK How have engineers joined the fight against COVID-19?
BY GERALD VANDERPYL
In the worldwide fight a g a i n s t t h e C O V I D -1 9 pandemic, the expertise of engineers is coming to the forefront. From designing and producing personal protection equipment to ensuring hospitals can handle COVID patient loads and computer networks can accommodate the increase in people working from h om e , e n g i n e e rs h av e turned their attention to the pandemic. That includes several Saskatchewan engineering firms. “There’s a great deal of satisfaction in being able to help out in things that are very important for public safety,” says Darren Wingerak, P.Eng, principal engineer with Daniels Wingerak Engineering Ltd. “I think that’s one thing that all engineers have in common.” Wingerak says when the virus first came to Saskatchewan, the company became involved in the mechanical design needed to transform Merlis Belsher Place arena into the Saskatoon Emergency Field Hospital. He says thankfully the facility has not been pressed into service, “but it was capable of supporting patients that needed mild oxygen therapy” with the entire ice surface divided up into small zones with beds. A major project that actually started back in 2010 involved the design of the mechanical system for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital (JPCH) which opened in 2019, and for which the company won a Canadian Consulting Engineering Award in 2020. Wingerak says while not intended to house COVID patients there remained the risk that incoming patients might be infected. In keeping with modern hospital design standards,
he says JPCH was designed from the beginning to have what they dubbed a pandemic mode. “It is capable of running the entire hospital with full fresh air and exhaust without recirculating anything,” says Wingerak. Once the pandemic did hit, Daniels Wingerak Engineering also made changes to address additional safety concerns. “By virtue of the type of systems we have and controls we have on them, we were able to easily increase the air flows into the emergency exam rooms, for example,” says Wingerak, ensuring that air would be drawn into the room from a corridor rather than the other way around. The company also analyzed six area hospitals to see if their infrastructure could handle a greatly increased number of patients requiring oxygen therapy using a ventilator. Wingerak says improvements were made as needed to things like the size of supply pipes, oxygen bulk tanks and medical air compressors. Ventilators also became the focus for Jim Boire, president and founder of the RMD Engineering Group of Companies, after he got a text from his daughter in March 2020. “She’s an ICU nurse here, in Saskatoon. And she said this is real and has the potential to infect and kill a lot of people, so do what you can to minimize and push back this curve,” he recalls. With news stories saying that the world would need a million more ventilators for hospital emergency care units, Boire says RMD realized it had to act. “We never thought that if we had the opportunity we’d build medical devices. It was just one of those things, that when everybody sees that’s the direction you have to go, and you feel compelled, then you just do it.” He says after getting advice from health care pro-
fessionals to ensure that such a project would be feasible, RMD staff split up and went to work. Boire says some people worked on lathes to make parts, a computer programmer wrote an algorithm, another person put a control board together. “About six days after we started, we had the first prototype and it seemed to work,” he says. As the project moved for ward, Boire says it became apparent that RMD would need to produce most of the necessary parts in-house, as worldwide hoarding had already begun. “If we bought anything in greater quantities than 100, and it was anything that looked like it was used for ventilators, it then disappeared off the shelves.” Boire says rather than make large, hospital ventilators, they chose to design one that could be used in a hospital setting but also in an ambulance or field hospital. “So we made it very tight, very simple, and very compact. Something rugged you can pack up, open up, and use in minutes.” Fortunately, the worstcase scenario for increased ventilator use was avoided, and RMD has now provided 100 of its units to provincial facilities. “But now we are now letting the process catch up to the reality,” says Boire. “So we started building training ventilators. They’re very similar to a fully certified ventilator but they’re really gauged toward helping (train) nurses that haven’t worked in an ICU or for in remote locations.” Boire says the project was a great accomplishment for the Saskatchewan company. “The only people that beat us to get a prototype working that was certified by governing agencies was NASA. And we’re still the only private company that used its own money to build one and now make it commercially viable.”
Daniels Wingerak Engineering designed the mechanical system for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital with a pandemic mode that fills the entire hospital with full fresh air and exhaust without recirculating anything. After the emergence of COVID-19, the engineering firm made additional changes to the mechanical system to address any new safety concerns. SUP PL IED
When the alarm sounded that there was a global shortage of ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients, RMD Engineering Group of Companies reacted and produced a prototype ventilator in six days. The engineering firm has now provided over 100 ventilators to provincial facilities and is currently building training ventilators for nurses in remote locations. SUP PL IE D
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ENGINEERING & GEOSCIENCE WEEK
RE-ENGINEERED: Supporting student success
The University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering aims to deliver the most robust first-year engineering program in Canada. BY JENNY GABRUCH
Some innovative changes are in store when the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering welcomes its first-year students this fall. That’s when it will introduce a newly re-designed first-year engineering program, called “Re-Engineered”. The goal is to provide a more supportive, engaging and inclusive learning environment to help students achieve and succeed. “The idea was there was a better way to do this,” says assistant professor Joel Frey, one of the three co-leads of the team responsible for redesigning the program from the ground up, an intensive process that began in 2016. “Our primary mission is to have students better prepared for their second year of study,” says Frey, a faculty member of the Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development and Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We are trying to minimize academic attrition. We want to support them as much as we can to make sure they are successful.” It meant updating and modernizing the college’s first-year courses, shifting assessment to a competency-based model, providing more handson learning opportunities and promoting a healthier school-life balance.
Frey notes today’s engineering graduates need a more robust and diverse skillset than ever before. But, for the most part, engineering education hasn’t been fundamentally revised in the past 100 years. Re-Engineered will change this. The course work won’t be easier, but the new program will be more thorough and supportive. “We never set out to make it an easier program. We set out to make a better, more effective program,” says Frey.
GRADING
A major shift is moving away from the traditional final exam periods in December and April. Rather, students will be tested on modules of content throughout their courses, using competency-based assessment, a concept somewhat new for Canadian engineering education. “It’s not about competition for grades,” says Frey. “It’s about making it more accessible for the students to get what they need out of the courses to be successful as engineering students, and then as engineers.”
COURSE CONTENT
The revitalized curriculum includes the addition of online Summer Top Up courses, such as chemistry, math and physics. This allows students to
During first-year engineering, students will learn more about each engineering discipline so they will be confident in their choice when they are welcomed to their discipline at the college’s annual Hard Hat Ceremony. SUPPLIED
identify and address any gaps from their high school classes, before starting their first year. Re-Engineered classes will vary in length and intensity, with material sequenced so when students acquire knowledge in one course, they can immediately apply it in another. Rather than taking five or six classes that last the full semester, shorter courses will cover a broader range of material that will be more relevant to real-world engineering. Courses such as computer-assisted design and computer programming, for example, will make students more employable at the end of their first year. “They will have a skillset that should be much more appreciated both by people looking to employ them after their first year or if they choose to take advantage of our Coop Internship Program,” says Frey. To help decide their engineering path, students can
participate in hands-on labs in various disciplines to see if their skills and interests align. Optional tutorial time and peer learning is also built into the program. “The best way to learn is to actually teach the concepts,” says Frey. “We think it will have a powerful impact on the way students work together.”
TIMETABLE
Re-Engineered introduces a consistent schedule with no night classes and a common lunch hour, so students can enjoy better time management and school-life balance. This makes it easier to take part in social and extracurricular activities, meet work or family commitments, and fit in exercise. The change is also conducive to a regular sleep schedule, vital for mental and physical well-being, and the learning process. “We’re hoping that it will facilitate a healthier life balance for students,” says Frey.
DIVERSITY
The new program aims to foster greater diversity to bolster the profession and build connections. “We know we can best serve society with as many unique and diverse perspectives at the table making decisions, solving problems and carrying out engineering design projects,” says Frey. “We’ve taken steps to make it a more open, accessible, welcoming and inclusive program.” An Indigenous Cultural Contextualization course has been built into the early part of the program.
“We want all of our engineering students to understand the unique relationships that exist in Canada, and certainly within Saskatchewan,” says Frey. “The U of S, especially on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, has a unique place in the world.” The program is now being fine-tuned for fall 2021 delivery, with the consultancy process continuing to assess the program along the way. “A big part of this will be feedback from students so we can adapt and improve,” says Frey.
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Providing Engineering Leadership for Over 40 Years In USask’s RE-ENGINEERED first-year program, handson learning is a priority. SUPPLIED
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