TECHNICAL LEARNING

 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024

Risk Management for Geotechnical Engineering 

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

An inherent feature of engineering projects, and particularly geotechnical projects, is uncertainty in parameter values, analysis methods, and operating conditions. The reliability of designs is enhanced by the application of risk management in which the uncertainty is quantified in terms of the probability of failure and the possible consequence of failure, where the product of probability and consequence is risk. Calculated risk can then be compared to levels of risk that are generally acceptable to society. Risk management can be applied to both events that occur repeatedly, and to individual projects such that designs can meet a required level of reliability.

Speakers

Dr. Duncan C. Wyllie, P.Eng.  

Sustainable Energy Engineering - A New Domain to Tackle Climate Change  

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

The impacts of climate change on infrastructure, economic activities, and societal processes are exacerbating. The occurrence of unprecedented weather patterns, extreme climate events (e.g., floods, droughts, forest wildfires), increasing economic losses, and threats to people's lives and livelihoods should all give us pause. The engineering profession needs to develop and deliver systemic and effective responses. Sustainable Energy Engineering is one such response that led to establishment of a new school at SFU in 2019. This engineering field involves the development of solutions for the harvesting, storage, transmission and use of energy, with careful consideration of economic, environmental, societal and cultural implications. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, it is defining the boundaries of this new engineering domain through cutting-edge research and academic content. 

Speakers

Dr. Zafar Adeel, P.Eng.  

Dr. Adeel serves as Director pro tem, SFU School of Sustainable Energy Engineering, and as Executive Director of the SFU Pacific Water Research Centre. He has over 25 years of experience in a broad range of environmental science and policy issues, including 18 years as a senior United Nations official. He also chaired a group of over 60 organizations called UN-Water (2010-2012) and co-chaired the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment team that produced the global desertification synthesis in 2005. His research focuses on the intersection of water security, technological innovation, and community-engaged activities. 

Fostering Continuous Improvement in Public Hydrogen Infrastructure  

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

HTEC, the first company to establish and operate Canada’s hydrogen fueling station network, has six hydrogen fueling stations in BC, that serve approximately 300 hydrogen light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and has multiple clean hydrogen production facilities underway. Through trailblazing initiatives, HTEC is enabling the transportation sector’s transition to a low-carbon future, including heavy-duty FCEVs. HTEC is creating the supply needed to expand hydrogen fueling stations, driving growth in the zero-emission FCEV market, and addressing BC’s hydrogen supply and demand problem. This presentation will share HTEC's journey, and how reliability engineering principles were used to continuously improve station operation today and how we will continue fueling the drive to Hydrogen. 

Speakers

Tom Ng, P.Eng.  

As manager of operations and reliability engineering at HTEC, Tom Ng leads an engineering team who diagnose and engineer fit-for-purpose solutions to HTEC's growing network of H2 production sites and public hydrogen fueling stations in B.C., Alberta, and Quebec.  Originally from Calgary and educated at UBC Materials Engineering in 2006, Tom is a licensed Professional Engineer for 13 years with engineering experiences in change management, reliability/maintenance, operations support, failure investigations, and public policy and regulations in Western Canada.  In his spare time, Tom volunteers as a Camp 5 iron ring warden and actively sails in the summer and ski in the winter. 

Wood Use in BC – Navigating the Code and Alternative Solutions  

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

This is a two-part presentation starting with an explanation of encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) and the evolution of building types in response to code changes over the last 20 years up to the current code changes in the BCBC and current strategies in wood construction. This is followed by a discussion of the background and best practices in the use of Alternative Solutions, including guidance on what to include and how to support your proposal with rationale and analysis. 

Speakers

Derek Ratzlaff, P.Eng., Struct.Eng.  

Derek began his career in the wood industry in high school working on single and multi-family light wood construction. He then received a degree in civil engineering and worked in structural consulting engineering for close to 20 years. Derek has worked in all types of wood construction, and played key roles in the delivery of iconic BC wood structures, the Richmond Olympic Oval and Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre. He brings his experience in design and construction to support the industry as the Woodworks BC Technical Director. He is registered as a P.Eng and Struct.Eng with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. 

Jeff Mitchell, P.Eng.  

Jeff Mitchell is a Professional Engineer and Certified Professional with 25 years of experience as a Building Code consultant, including 8 years as a Building Official with the City of Vancouver. Jeff holds a master’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Victoria. He is a member of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). Jeff is registered as a Professional Engineer in the province of BC. 

Fugitive GHG Emissions from Water Resource Recovery Facilities  

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) play a crucial role in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this interdisciplinary conference, three speakers—representing academia, consulting, and government—will delve into critical aspects. First, they will explore WRRFs’ significant contribution to GHG emissions and their impact on climate change. Next, they’ll discuss cutting-edge technologies for quantifying and monitoring fugitive emissions from these facilities. Finally, a compelling case study, conducted through an NSERC-funded project, will showcase the successful detection of GHG emissions across an entire WRRF. Join us to unravel the hidden climate implications of wastewater treatment.

Speakers

Dr. Farokh L Kakar

Dr. Farokh L Kakar, the Emerging Water Leader award winner, is a Research Portfolio Manager at Brown and Caldwell Consulting and Founder of Blue College of Water and Technology. Dr. Kakar is also the president of Canadian Young Water Professionals at the International Water Association (IWA). Dr. Kakar has 9 years of experience and completed her master's and doctoral studies in Civil Engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Elsayed Elbeshbishy

Dr. Elsayed Elbeshbishy is an Associate Professor and the Associate chair of the undergraduate program at Civil Engineering Department at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is the Past-President of the Canadian Association on Water Quality (CAWQ) and a Governing Member-IWA Canada. Dr. Elbeshbishy has extensive experience on developing new technologies for converting the organic wastes to renewable natural gas (RNG) and recovering the value-added products from municipal wastes. He is currently leading a team on quantifying the greenhouse gas emission (GHG) from Wastewater resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).

Jeff Carmichael

Jeff Carmichael has a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He manages the Business Development team at Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, where he has worked for 17 years on energy recovery, climate change, wastewater and water research, and sustainability issues. He is an adjunct faculty member at UBC, where he teaches engineering economics, and business planning and environmental analysis for scientists. Prior to his time at Metro Vancouver, he spent several years as a Research Associate at UBC, working on sustainability and climate change issues as well as water management concerns in the water-scarce Okanagan region of British Columbia.

Electric Vehicle, Lithium Ion Battery, and EV/LIB Charging Fire Safety - The Risk, Preparedness, and Fire Fighting Implications of Design  

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

The presentation is a variation of one from the 2023 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Annual Conference by Kevin in partnership with ChargePoint Inc. (one of the largest EV charging networks - access to hundreds-of-thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe). The session has been tailored to the design and fire safety community. 

Speakers

Kevin Cheong, P.Eng. 

Kevin is a senior electrical engineer that participates in code and standard development locally, nationally, in America, and internationally, and is known for expertise in Electric Vehicle Charging, amongst other specialties. 

Rick Cheung, P.Eng., FEC 

Rick is a senior fire protection engineer who has been actively involved in the development of the national building and fire codes for many years, and currently serves as an assistant fire chief with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. 

The B2E Best Practices Guide for Commercial Building Electrification  

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Buildings account for over half of the City of Vancouver's community GHG emissions. This is why Vancouver is setting emissions limits for existing buildings, starting in 2027 with commercial buildings over 100,000 square feet. Electrification is currently the most viable pathway to significantly reduce emissions from buildings in BC. To create the capacity needed to decarbonize BC’s existing building stock, the Building to Electrification Coalition (B2E), in partnership with the City of Vancouver, BC Hydro, and Metro Vancouver, has developed a Commercial Building Electrification Guide. The Guide is intended to provide the building industry, in particular mechanical consultants and building owners, with best practices and important considerations for electrifying mechanical systems in commercial buildings. 

Mariko Michasiw 

Mariko Michasiw, CEM, Building to Electrification Program Manager: Mariko Michasiw is a green buildings professional who manages B2E, Canada’s first building electrification coalition—a program of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre. She works closely with the coalition’s members to achieve B2E’s mission to reduce BC’s building sector climate impacts and reliance on fossil fuels through electrification. As a Certified Energy Manager, Mariko has over a decade of experience planning and implementing energy-efficiency and decarbonization projects. Leading B2E, she has developed a keen understanding of the real-life challenges and solutions related to commercial and residential building electrification. 

Mike Reimer, P.Eng. 

Mike Reimer, P.Eng., LEED AP, Principal, FirstLight Energy Solutions: Mike's interest in buildings and construction dates back to Christmas 1985 when his uncle gifted him the King's Castle Lego set (#6080). This interest was further reinforced by tagging along to his Dad's office and construction sites as a kid. Mike has over 18-years of mechanical engineering experience working on a wide range of project types from building retrofits to new construction in healthcare, post-secondary education, institutional, commercial, and recreation sectors. Throughout his time in the industry, Mike has gained a reputation as a creative and collaborative problem solver. He is adept at not only working in the details but keeps the big picture in focus while developing solutions for his clients. Mike holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lakehead University and a Diploma of Technology in Mechanical Systems from BCIT. He is also a voting member of ASHRAE Standing Guideline Project Committee 36 for the development and standardization of high-performance control sequences. 

Brad White, P.Eng. 

Brad White, BASc, MASc, P.Eng., President, SES Consulting: Brad is a Professional Engineer with thirteen years experience in energy efficiency, low carbon technologies, and smart building systems. He has demonstrated his passion for the sustainable use of energy throughout his professional career and this continues to be a driving force in his work. Brad works closely with clients to integrate leading edge technologies and energy conservation strategies into existing buildings; these can include fault detection and analytics, low carbon heating systems, and advanced controls. Brad is a Contributing Editor to Automated Buildings. Brad is also a member of the board of directors for the BC Advanced Conservation & Efficiency Association. 

Leo Glaser 

Leo Glaser, Director, Net Zero, Third Space Properties: Leo Glaser is the Director, Net Zero at Third Space Properties Inc., where he leads the development and execution of the company's net zero transition plan. With a decade of expertise in building energy efficiency and commercial real estate portfolio decarbonization, Leo has successfully led numerous building electrification, energy conservation, and innovative technology pilot projects across multiple asset classes. At Third Space, his comprehensive approach targets achieving net zero emissions from all aspects of the business, including operational emissions from existing buildings, embodied carbon in new construction projects, and all other sources associated with the company's operations. Collaborating with various building energy and carbon reduction initiatives in Canada, Leo has made a significant impact on the sustainable commercial real estate management and development industry. He holds a master's degree from the University of British Columbia, is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC). 

Resilience Building and Sustainability Planning for Engineers 

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Are you looking to make your project resilient in the face of climate change? Join me, as I will share foundational sustainability concepts that provide context to the Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s sustainability guidelines. An example will be provided of how these guidelines can be applied. I will also introduce the ABCD’s of sustainability planning, based on the Natural Step method, which can be applied to a wide range of organizations using raw material resources. These organizations can be industrial facilities or commercial businesses. Some of the outcomes from a facilitated sustainability planning session are resilient solutions and team building.

Kerly A. Acosta Salgado, P.Eng. 

Kerly has 20+ years of engineering work experience in automotive, alternative energy generation, demand side management, environmental consulting, and teaching. Kerly’s mission is to steadily and collaboratively work towards a sustainable future. In 2005, Kerly earned a Masters in Sustainable Development. Currently the Program Head for three Energy Management certificate programs at BCIT, and Sustainability Facilitator. The programs Kerly manages are predominantly online and primarily focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.