Here is your monthly dose of my Canadian engineering news created for licensed and aspiring engineers, geoscientists and technicians in Canada.
- A group of third-year engineering students from Waterloo University won the AI EarthHack competition at Microsoft's headquarters in Toronto with EcoPulse--an app using generative AI for circular economy investments. Valerie Fernandes, Tanmay Pilla, and Ekanshh Praveen refined the app, impressing judges with innovative features. Their success earned them recognition from tech giants like Microsoft and Harvard Digital Data Design Institute.
- Concordia professor Osama Moselhi was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada by Governor General Mary Simon on December 28, 2023. This is the country's highest honour for his contributions to engineering, education, and construction. With over four decades in construction engineering, he's mentored 100+ students and authored 400+ scientific works, leaving a significant impact.
Introducing Mindset smart headphones: the revolutionary approach to enhancing concentration naturally invented in Montreal, Canada. By monitoring your focus and providing real-time alerts when concentration wanes, Mindset trains your brain to combat distractions effectively. Leveraging technology employed by ADHD treatment, Olympic athletes, and NASA, it offers accessible focus enhancement for all.
Introducing Doly, designed in Markham, Canada, the AI-powered companion with an innovative developer platform. With its groundbreaking design, Doly evolves a unique personality and emotions through interactions. From facial recognition to voice commands and self-charging capabilities, Doly offers an immersive experience. Mold Doly's character through interactions, shaping its responses, expressions, and movements from day one.
Introducing Hudify, a $45 head-up display for your car, ensuring your eyes stay on the road. With this transparent GPS, enjoy a safer driving experience, choosing from 5 Optimized UI options: navigation, digital speedometer, classic speedometer, sport red speedometer, and sport blue speedometer.
What technology or gadget are you currently enjoying and would recommend to other aspiring and licensed engineers? Let us know in the comments below.
Here are the news links to every Canadian Association. If there is anything beyond the standard stuff (elections, new appointments), I'll try to list them below. The news tends to slow down during certain parts of the year (e.g. Summer, X-Mas).
- APEGA News - Polls now open for the 2024 APEGA Council election
- APEGS News - Job Opportunity-Communications and Public Relations Specialist-Two Openings
- APEY News
- ASET News
- EGBC News - Board Discusses AGM Motion to Cap Fee Increases
- EGM News
- Engineers Nova Scotia News - Coastal Protection Act Update
- Engineers PEI News
- NAPEG News
- PEGNL News
- PEO News
Engineering careers extend beyond technical expertise; they require business proficiency. Developing robust business skills is essential for success because as engineers progress, they assume managerial roles, overseeing teams, projects, and budgets. Read this article to learn essential business skills every engineer needs to advance their careers.
Head over to our recruitment page, where you can send us your resume and enter our select candidate pool. We'll contact you if your resume matches one of our client's open jobs.
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Embarking on a career, particularly in engineering, can feel overwhelming. This article offers advice on securing your first engineering job, while Byensi Ndorelire, an entry-level civil engineer, shares insights for excelling in this pivotal role.
- The engineering profession calls for a paradigm shift in today's rapidly evolving world. In this TedTalk, meet Philippe, a passionate engineering student from Imperial College who advocates for engineers to engage in global discussions and hone their communication skills to convey their groundbreaking innovations effectively. This shift is crucial in light of the escalating demands for localized engineering solutions that are applicable worldwide.
- At the time of this TedTalk, Cassandra Cole, was a third-year mechanical engineering student at the University of Waterloo. As Formula SAE Team Lead, model, designer, and part-time NASCAR worker, she embodies versatility. Explore her path as she came to realize her dream job is a Race Engineer, and how she succeeds as a woman in engineering.
"The story of civilization is, in a sense, the story of engineering-that long and arduous struggle to make the forces of nature work for man's good."
-Lyon Sprague DeCamp
Thanks for reading, and have a great month!
Gavin Simone, P.Eng. (AB), LEED AP
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Thank you for reading!
This month’s questions are:
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course, and what did you learn?
Q2. What innovative sustainable engineering practices have you integrated into your projects to reduce the environmental impact, and what results have you observed?
Q2: I design-build pressurized piping systems and have developed a few key innovative engineering practices to contribute to a sustainable future. One such practice I adopt during engineering is to always specify several acceptable materials/grades rather than leave it to Contractor. Secondly, in the procurement stage, I try to maximize the use of off-the-shelf items that are available locally and close to project site by having more coordination with vendors and PMT. This not only reduces GHG emissions but also limits the carbon footprint of the project.
Hi Harsh,
Great examples. The more details in the tender documents seems like a wise strategy. Keep up the great work!
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course, and what did you learn?
I did took a RISA 3D Structural Analysis. Its a bit different from STAAD, but I like how it shows clearly the design calculation report.
Q2. What innovative sustainable engineering practices have you integrated into your projects to reduce the environmental impact, and what results have you observed? Insulated Metal Panel to envelop a building. All in one, framing and insulation, easy to install.
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course, and what did you learn?
UBC has a 100% remote “Mini” MBA that was really good. It gave me insight in to thinking about problems and decision-making from the lens of other functional groups (marketing, operations, supply-chain, etc.).
I took a course on being an expert witness, specifically geared towards professionals with no experience in court or limited exposure to legal projects. The course culminated in a mock court session where we were provided a case and prepared/presented evidence alongside a lawyer (in this case also a young professional in the course). Learned not just the skills but also a great chance to get out the first-time nerves in a safe environment!
Q.1 udemy has a really good course on benefits of using agile principles in the work place. Including how to be a good leader, as opposed to just supervising people. It is also included in Andrew Ramdayal’s PMP course on udemy. Definitely worth the listen/read.
I took project management course to learn engineering project management.
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course and what did you learn? Learn LEAN SIX SIGMA FOR THE BLACK BELT CERTIFICATION
Q2. Currently, im working as a Hydraulics Designer for a fluid power company. we install and service devices as well in the field. Lately, i have been allocating decommissioned high pressure caps to drainage spill protection. This means old caps no longer in service, are now repurposed as field installation drip caps so that less oil is spilled, and new products are not introduced where they are not required.
Q1: I have takedn Statistics Foundations 1: The Basics on LinkedIn Learning. The techniques I learned helped me understand data, prove theories, and save time, money, and other valuable resources—all by understanding the numbers.
I took an Artificial Intelligence bootcamp with a vendor, it was pretty interesting to parse documents with LLMs. Really interesting use cases!
I took the Professional Power BI: Data Visualization and Dashboards course on Udemy. I learned how to create interactive dashboards using Power BI. The course covered topics such as data importing, data modeling, creating relationships between different data sets, and designing visually appealing and informative dashboards. I also learned how to use various visualization tools and techniques to effectively communicate data insights to stakeholders. Overall, the course enhanced my data analysis and dashboard creation skills, enabling me to create more impactful and actionable reports for decision-making.
If anyone is interested:
https://www.udemy.com/course/professional-power-bi-data-visualization-and-dashboards
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course and what did you learn?
Ans. I took the PMI course ‘AI for Project Management’. I learned AI-based tools and techniques to improve efficiency in problem solving and work processes.
Q1. If you’ve taken any good professional development courses lately, what was the course, and what did you learn? – I learned PMP course, got familliar with project management processes starting from initiation to project closure.
Q2. What innovative sustainable engineering practices have you integrated into your projects to reduce the environmental impact, and what results have you observed? – Tested energy management system for power and control equipment
I took GDnT Course currently.
Having pivoted from IE to Mechanical, I felt that I was missing a few pointers here and there.
I have learned a lot in defining and communicating my intentions and understanding other people’s in return.
For Q1 I took the PSMJ Bootcamp to sharpen my project management abilities. Over the 8 hours the course instructor was really engaging and although the course could be used for any industry he tailored it specifically with engineering cases.