TECHNICAL LEARNING
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2024
Seismic Resources and Global Lessons Applied to BC
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The tone for this session will be set with an introduction to effects on infrastructure from earthquakes, followed by an overview of the seismic setting in BC. A summary of the important lessons from the 2023 Turkiye/Syria earthquake will be shared based on UBC’s 6- and 18- month post-event reconnaissance missions. Then, a discussion of how our local codes, standards, professional practice guidelines, and emergency response plans are influenced by earthquakes that occur in other parts of the world will be presented. The session will also provide with an overview of the methodology and application of the Seismic Retrofit Guidelines to school and other low-rise buildings and conclude with an introduction to the newly published (summer 2024) Metro Vancouver Seismic Microzonation Mapping Project (MVSMMP) maps and complementary professional practice guidelines.
Speakers
Allison Chen, P.Eng.
Allison is a registered professional engineer with experience in the structural design of buildings, from high-end custom homes to recreation centres to mid-rise concrete towers. As a practice advisor at Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Allison is responsible for managing the development of professional practice guidelines and advisories for a variety of different areas of practice, primarily related to building design (all disciplines) and seismic initiatives. She is the staff support for the development of the Seismic Retrofit Guidelines.
Dr. Carlos Ventura, P.Eng., FEC
Dr. Carlos Ventura is a Civil Engineer specializing in structural dynamics and earthquake engineering. Since 1992, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. Currently, he is the Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF) at UBC. Dr. Ventura has authored over 650 papers and reports on earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, and modal testing. With over thirty-seven years of research experience in earthquakes and structural dynamics, Dr. Ventura has made significant contributions to the field. Notably, he and his collaborators have developed and implemented performance-based design methods for the seismic retrofit of school buildings, known as the Seismic Retrofit Guidelines (SRG) Project. He also established a unique seismic structural health monitoring program for bridges in British Columbia (BC), referred to as the BCSIMS project, and initiated the first network-based earthquake early warning system for schools and public institutions in BC. These projects have played a crucial role in reducing seismic risk in the region.
Decarbonization of the Medium and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Transportation Sector
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (MHDVs) comprise less than 10% of the vehicles on the road but contribute to over 50% of the total transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in North America. The path to a Net Zero future must include the decarbonization of the MHDV sector. While this sector presents ample opportunities to reduce our emissions, it also poses numerous challenges in transitioning to meet our net-zero targets. Challenges such as technology readiness, operational requirements, consumer adoption, the cost of transition, and ease of maintenance are among some of the hurdles. Achieving decarbonization in this sector demands true commitment and leadership from all stakeholders, including engineers. Referencing our experience in consulting and implementing fleet electrification for many transportation companies. The presentation will highlight the learnings, as well as provide practical advice for engineers taking on projects in British Columbia's energy transition, particularly the MHD transportation sector.
Speakers
Ali Syed, P.Eng.
Ali is a highly accomplished Project Developer and Electrical Engineer with a track record of completing many successful electrical infrastructure projects around the world. He brings a wealth of project experience from many sectors, working in cross-functional finance, engineering and construction teams with the highest standards. Ali is very passionate about environmental sustainability and is currently in the forefront of the energy transition towards a decarbonized economy as a Thought Leader, Project Developer and Professional Engineer. He has been consulting corporations on their decarbonization roadmaps and executing Cleantech projects across North America. Most recently Ali has been leading the transition to Zero Emission fleets through techno-economic fleet assessment studies, vehicle & charger procurement, charging infrastructure develochepment, vehicle-charger interoperability tests, building energy use optimization and BMS/CMS software deployment.
Interfacing Between Technical Analysis and Policy Direction in Flood Risk Management at Public Safety Canada
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
In this session, you will learn about natural hazard research and technical policy initiatives from Public Safety Canada. We will discuss best practices for considering the broader implications of technical analysis, and our insight into ensuring that technical analysis and design fits within a broader policy landscape of effective, holistic risk management. We will frame these lessons through our last several years of work with Canada-wide flood hazard models and risk assessments. We will share intelligence and findings from our work, discuss our integrated flood risk management approach and highlight the data-informed evolution of policy programs such as Federal Flood Insurance, Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, and Federally Identified Flood Risk Areas.
Speakers
Julie Van de Valk, EIT
Julie has a water resources engineering and disaster and emergency management background with experience in the public and private sectors. She works on data analysis and policy supporting Integrated Flood Risk Management at Public Safety Canada. Her work includes synthesis and application of Canada-wide flood hazard models, and policy development for programs including Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, flood insurance, flood risk awareness portal, and resilient infrastructure guidelines.
Hardware-in-the-loop Real-Time Electromagnetic Transient Simulations
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
The modern electrical power system provides invaluable benefits to British Columbia, however, people have more technical and non-technical demands from the grid, pushing the electrical grids to its limits. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time (RT) electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations provides away to improve the technical reliability of the electric grid while allowing more renewable energy penetration.
Speakers
Ska-Hiish Manuel, P.Eng.
Ska-Hiish is Secwepemc from Neskonlith and is specialist engineer with over 12 years of experience in BC Hydro. Ska-Hiish performs electromagnetic transient simulations for power systems including distribution, transmission and solar, battery, wind, and hydroelectric generation simulations. Ska-Hiish has a master of applied science from UBC-O and is a registered professional engineer in BC.
Beyond Limits - Pioneering Paths to Net-Zero Emissions
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
While the interest in decarbonizing buildings and fleets is on the rise, numerous hurdles hinder progress, spanning from procedural complexities to cost uncertainties. This presentation delves into leveraging a blend of technology and expertise to efficiently overcome these challenges, highlighting impactful projects: BCIT campuses, with their diverse portfolio of nearly 80 buildings featuring varied equipment and advanced control systems, partnered with SISA Energy to drive sustainability. Together, they utilized millions of historical and live control data points to deliver optimized decarbonization upgrades with minimal cost and electrical capacity requirements.
Speakers
Mahsoo Naderi, P.Eng.
Mahsoo Naderi, P.Eng, PMP, M.Sc., is Director of Facility Services at BCIT where she oversees all 5 BCIT Campuses Facilities and a team of 80 employees. In her previous role, she served as Director of Engineering Projects at the City of Burnaby where she managed a team for the Capital Project Delivery of Infrastructure Projects’ Portfolio as well as managing the Survey Department. Mahsoo is a dynamic and seasoned strategic leader with 20 years of experience in Management, Governance, and Program Delivery in Public and Private Sector. Expert in complex multi-discipline and cross-functional organizations, Mahsoo holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Environmental sciences, and she got her Master of Engineering Management from the University of Alberta with a specialty in Risk. Mahsoo is an avid advocate for Climate Resilient and innovation, as well as enhancing Equity and Inclusion. She has been a former Elected Councillor for the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) from 2014-2017 and elected board member with Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia from 2022-2024.
Dr. Sina Salari, P.Eng.
Dr. Sina Salari, P.Eng, CEM, is the CEO and founder of SISA Energy. He holds a Ph.D. in energy system modeling and has extensive experience as a senior energy consultant, energy manager, and retrofit project manager. He identified a critical need for a collaborative and data-driven approach to expedite building energy retrofits which led to the creation of SISA Energy. Under his leadership, SISA Energy delivers projects ranging from high-level building screenings to continuous data monitoring and optimization of energy and GHG emissions-saving opportunities for clients.
The Fraser River Tunnel Project - Fully Immersed
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Join BC Hydro and Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) for a co-presentation on the first immersed tube tunnel project in British Columbia in over 65 years. The Fraser River Tunnel Project will replace the existing George Massey Tunnel, BC’s first immersed tube tunnel, with a new eight-lane immersed tunnel that will also include a separate tube for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition to the transportation infrastructure, BC Hydro is assessing alternatives to relocate a 230 kV transmission line that was routed through the existing tunnel in the 70s, as the existing tunnel will be decommissioned as part of the works. Ti Corp will give an overview of immersed tunnel technology and the project, along with an immersive trip report on a site visit to four immersed tunnel projects in Europe, three of which were under construction. BC Hydro will also share an overview of how it is working to relocate its transmission line.
Speakers
Antigone Dixon-Warren, P.Geo., FGC
Antigone has more than 20 years experience of managing people and projects. She currently works at BC Hydro overseeing a diverse team of professionals who manage transmission, distribution, and substation projects. Prior to BC Hydro, she spent fifteen years delivering infrastructure and research projects for various municipal, state, and provincial governments. She has a Bachelor of Science in Geography, a Master of Science in Earth Sciences, Certificate in Advanced Project Management, and a Citation in Contract Law. She is a Professional Geoscientist, a Project Management Professional and is a Fellow with Geoscientists Canada. Antigone is a long term volunteer with Engineers and Geoscientists BC and past roles include Chair of the Geoscience Committee and a Councillor.
Donald Trapp, P.Eng.
Donald Trapp is the Executive Project Director at Transportation Investment Corporation for the Fraser River Tunnel Project. Donald has held several leadership roles within the public and private sector, including engineering, and project and construction management in the energy, mining and hydropower industries. Most recently Donald has been supporting major transportation infrastructure delivery in BC’s public sector at both Infrastructure BC and now TI Corp.
Dr. Joost Meyboom, P.Eng.
Dr. Joost Meyboom is a Senior Technical Director based in Vancouver BC with an extensive background in the development, design, and construction of highway, bridge, tunnel, rail and heavy civil projects. He has more than 30 years experience in the transportation industry, a Ph.D. from the Swiss Technical Institute in Zurich, and a M.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto. Joost has worked in Canada and internationally on transportation and heavy construction projects ranging from pre-feasibility studies to detailed design and construction assignments. His responsibilities have included the management of project development strategies and studies including investment decisions and business cases; stakeholder consultation and management; procurement strategies, documents and processes; conceptual, preliminary and detailed design; definition and control of scope, schedule and budget during implementation. He has been involved with the design of a wide variety of structures including cable stayed bridges, segmental post tensioned concrete bridges, steel plate girders, moveable bridges, arches, iconic bridges and immersed tube tunnels. Joost has worked with contractors, financers, government agencies and architects to develop and implement award winning projects; participating in, and helping to win, international design competitions in Europe and Asia.
Remote Sensing in Fish Habitat Assessments
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
The emergence of remote sensing technologies is enhancing the water resources engineering practice. One major area in the practice is fish habitat restoration, which is always gaining importance from perspectives of both environmental and First Nations engagement. Using our recent project covering the Lower Adams River salmon habitat assessment as a case study, we will discuss the implementation of three emerging remote sensing techniques in salmon spawning assessment: drone LiDAR for data collection, gravel gradation from photos using machine learning, and image velocimetry on surface velocity. Our presentation will also provide attendees with lessons learned and future directions for these emerging technologies.
Speakers
David Moschini, P.Eng.
David Moschini is a senior water resources engineer and manager of the Water Resources and Infrastructure group at Tetra Tech. He is Professional Civil Engineer with over 25 years of experience covering numerous aspects of the profession. He graduated from UBC in 1998 with B.A.Sc. in civil engineering. As a Civil Engineer, David has managed, analyzed, designed, tendered, and managed the construction of numerous infrastructures. He brings experience in the design and construction of complex multidisciplinary projects requiring a practical approach. As a Water Resources Engineer, David also brings extensive experience in the development of flood control systems requiring extensive knowledge in risk and sensitivity analysis, hydrotechnical modelling, and environmental permitting. Over the years, he has worked on a number of assignments covering scour protection and river hydraulics.
Jason Yang, EIT
Jason has an M.A.Sc and B.A.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of British Columbia. His master’s thesis investigates the use of image velocimetry techniques on citizen videos recorded during the November 2021 flooding in Merritt, BC. He is currently working at Tetra Tech as a Water Resources Engineer-in-Training in the Water Resources and Infrastructure group.
Autonomous Vehicles and AI: Challenges and Opportunities
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
This presentation shares first-hand experience with applying the principles and methods of software safety engineering to development of safety-critical software for a fully autonomous vehicle including challenges associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Simon Diemert. P.Eng.
Simon Diemert, P.Eng., is VP Engineering at Critical Systems Labs (CSL) Inc. Following undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Victoria, he joined CSL in 2017 where he has provided expertise to clients across a diverse range of industries including autonomous vehicles, robotic systems, driverless trains and real-time embedded software. He co-authored Engineers and Geoscientists BC's Professional Practices Guidelines for the Development of Safety-critical Software, and currently chairs the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Software Engineering Advisory Committee. In addition to client projects. In 2022, he was recognized by Engineers and Geoscientists BC with its Young Professional Award and by the International System Safety Society with its 2023 Engineer of the Year Award.