M03057 Eng. MAG

Gwyn Morgan(Mechanical ‘67)

EngineerS U M M E R 2 0 0 3

Uof A

Keeping in Touch withKeeping in Touch with

Uof A

AlumniAlumniEngineer

LeaderLeviathan

of a

Waking the Giants

The Truth in Veritas

The Rig Master

Having a Blast

h s summer arrives for U of A Engineer there is much progressto celebrate.

We enjoyed meeting alumni in Ottawa (February), Edmonton and

Fort McMurray (April) and Calgary (May). We look forward to

receptions this fall in Toronto, Victoria, and Vancouver.

The highlight of the fall will be Reunion 2003 (Edmonton, October

2–5). Meet with fellow alumni at the Dean’s reception, the Dean’s

brunch or the alumni hospitality lounge, or take your family and

friends to the Faculty’s Preview Day open house.

If I do not get an opportunity to greet you personally at Reunion

2003, I still hope you will keep in touch. Please send updates on

your career, address, and family developments to engineer.alum@

ualberta.ca.

Your ongoing contact and interaction reflects your pride of affiliation.

It also shows a deep appreciation for your academic past. Engineers

have a strong tradition of expressing professional pride. The spirit of

our alumni continually inspires us.

Our Faculty is among North America’s leading engineering research

and teaching centres. With 4,100 students, 20 research chairs, 100

new staff, several new buildings, and upgraded facilities, the Faculty

pulses with a growing and compelling spirit of opti-

mism.

Our alumni play a key role in that optimism

and pride—past, present and future. For that,

I thank you.

David M. PetisAssistant Dean,External Relations

Faculty of ENGINEERINGUniversity of Alberta

UofAEngineerU of A Engineer is the Faculty of Engineering

Alumni magazine. It is published three times

a year by the Dean’s Office and is

distributed to Faculty of Engineering

alumni, friends, and staff.

Dean of Engineering

David T. Lynch (PhD Chemical ’82), PEng

Assistant Dean, External Relations

David M. Petis

External Relations Team

Jennifer Brockington, Laurie Hanasyk,

Rochelle Marshall, and Leanne Sim Nickel

Advisory Board

David Budney (Mechanical ’64), PEng

Marcella deJong (Chemical Co-op ’91), PEng

Gerry Devine (Civil ’76), PEng

Pascale Malouin (Mechanical Co-op ’95), PEng

Marvin Severson (Electrical ’89), PEng

Publisher/Managing Editor

Sherrell Steele

Art Direction

Halkier + Dutton Design

Contributing writers and photographers

Bluefish Studios, Edmonton Journal, Candace

Elliot, George Ford (Civil ’42, M.Sc. Civil ’46,

Honorary D.Sc. ’88), David Gavriloff, Keith

Gerein, Phil Haswell, Dr. Bert Hunt, Laurie

Hanasyk, Tom Keyser, Todd Korol, The Mair

family, Rene (Moose) Morin, Leanne Sim

Nickel, Edward Parsons (Edmonton Journal),

Mark A. Shepard, Veritas DGG Inc., Richard

Siemens, Sherrell Steele, Randy Vanderveen,

April Weavell, Larry Wong

Send your comments to:

Sherrell Steele

Faculty of Engineering

E6-050 Engineering Teaching

and Learning Complex

University of Alberta,

Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4

Tel: 780.492.4514 or 1.800.407.8354

Fax: 780.492.0500

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.engineering.ualberta.ca

Summer 2003 I s sue 11AA

U of A Eng i n e e r2

U of A Eng i n e e r 3

of ContentsTable S u m m e r 2 0 0 3

I hope you enjoy the summer issue

of U of A Engineer. New to this

issue is a column entitled “Virtual

Engineer,” an on-line interview with

an alumnus far afield, across

Canada (in this case) and across the

world (in future instances).

I am constantly amazed

and impressed by the

far-flung contributions

of U of A engineers!

I hear from graduates

working in California,

the United Kingdom

and Singapore. This

new column will illustrate the wide

impact made by U of A engineers

nationally and internationally.

This is but one change to the

alumni magazine; more changes are

to follow. But what will continue is

the need for feedback from you,

our alumni. Please feel free to call

(780) 492-4514 with comments

and suggestions. Your feedback to

[email protected] will

continue to be an asset. Now, enjoy

the magazine!

Sherrell SteelePublisher/Managing Editor

thefrom

EditorMessage

8 Leader of a LeviathanEntrepreneur Gwyn Morgan describes the creation of EnCana, ina merger widely viewed as one of the most important in WesternCanada.

16 The Rig MasterFred Pheasey, founder of Edmonton Dreco Energy Services Ltd., isinducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame.

12 The Truth in VeritasCanada’s Entrepreneur of the Year and horse enthusiast DavidRobson rides to success at Texas-based Veritas DGC Inc.

4 Waking the Giants Dr. Bert Hunt unearths ice age artifacts in Grande Prairie.

11 Crosshairs on History The grand man of the grand match, Alex Mair, is fondly remembered.

18 Having a Blast as an EngineerRene (Moose) Morin, a consulting engineer in Ottawa, tells of his explosive career.

22 Sidewalk SuperintendentsPhil Haswell provides an update on the Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility.

20 Countdown to Reunion 2003On your mark, get set for the fall gathering of green and gold.

GG


W a k i n g t h e

Dr. Robert Hunt (Mechanical ‘68, PhDGeophysics ‘74) holds a fossilized

humerus from a pachyrhinosaurus inGrande Prairie.

Giants


or almost 20 years Dr. Robert(Bert) Hunt, PEng, has volun-teered countless evenings, week-ends and summers to unravelthe mysteries of northwest

Alberta’s prehistoric life. This might seem anunlikely role for an engineering and physicsinstructor at the Grande Prairie RegionalCollege (GPRC), but fossils have become away of life for this outdoors enthusiast.

It started as a hobby and a keen interest,but Hunt has become more than just an ama-teur palaeontologist. He has worked along-side professionals from the Royal TyrrellMuseum and the Provincial Museum ofAlberta, helping to establish Grande Prairie asthe world’s largest horned dinosaur bone bed.

Hunt’s journey into the prehistoric beganunexpectedly during his early years at theGPRC. Leaving his tenure track position asan instructor at Jamaica’s College of Arts,Science and Technology (currently Universityof Technology), he was hired in 1974 tobegin GPRC’s University EngineeringTransfer Program. His colleague, Dr. Desh

Mittra, offered him his first taste of palaeon-tology. “As Desh expanded his geologycourses and brought in rocks and fossils, Iused to just watch and learn,” says Hunt. “Itwas all so interesting.”

He credits his first big palaeontologicaldiscovery in 1984 more to his engineeringbackground than to his interest in palaeontol-ogy. A quarry operator discovered somebones protruding from a terrace 50 metresabove the river and asked the college to iden-tify them. Mittra enlisted Hunt’s help with theexcavation. The two retrieved a few bonesand sent them to Dr. Jim Burns, curator ofquaternary palaeontology at the ProvincialMuseum of Alberta. The bones turned out tobe those of a 10,000-year-old elk, later dis-covered to be a complete skeleton.

Hunt suddenly found himself with thetask of preparing the site for Dr. Burns—organizing facilities and equipment, andoverseeing the operators as they removed theoverburden.

Once the skeleton was excavated, the skullwas taken to the Provincial Museum. The rest

of the bones had to be glued together, howev-er, since many of them were either splinteredor fractured. An avid fan of jigsaw puzzles,Hunt could not resist this three-dimensional10,000-year-old challenge. “I told Jim I’d behappy to restore each of the bones as best Icould,” he smiles. “I spent my whole summerrestoring each of the body bones except forthe skull. I had the lab full of clamps, holdingbits and pieces of bone together.”

Three years later, his engineering skillsonce again landed him in the middle of anextraordinary find. A crew from the RoyalTyrrell Museum was excavating a 72 million-year-old new species of pachyrhinosaurus(thick-nosed dinosaur), in what would turnout to be a most extraordinary finding.

The fossils in this single-species bed indi-cated five different maturity levels. Mostbone beds contain only two maturity levels(adults and their annual offspring). Findingfive “age sizes” together (babies, young, juve-niles, sub-adults, and adults) suggests a socialstructure more highly evolved than in mostanimals living today.

The Grande Prairie area is renowned for its vast natural resources. Beneath the soil, though,

lies another silent treasure. Creatures, some forgotten for over 70 million years, wait patiently

to be discovered and recognized. Soon a set of gentle, knowing hands will sweep away a few

traces of soil, revealing a vertebrae, or hopefully a skull—a story waiting to be brought to life.

F

GiantsBy April Weavell


quickly felt the itch to get more involved.Soon he was right where he wanted to be,down on his hands and knees alongside thepalaeontologists, uncovering fossilized frag-ments of the past. The following summer hespent an entire 10 weeks on-site, excavatingand restoring hundreds of bones.

Hunt wasn’t the only member of his fam-ily to get “hands-on” experience. “One of thepalaeontologists was becoming increasingly

Three years into the project, however, theteam became concerned that the excavationsite was slumping, increasing the possibilityof an injury accident. When Hunt learnedabout this at the college, he volunteered tomonitor the movement of the banks aroundthe excavation to assess the danger. Thisallowed the team to continue its work.

Watching such a momentous piece of pre-history unfold in front of his eyes, Hunt

frustrated trying to piece together a brokenrib. My 15-year-old son Nando (now aMechanical ‘97 graduate) walked in, shuffledthe pieces around, and in less than 10 secondshad the pieces in order,” he laughs. “Whatmade it even funnier is that when the guytried to glue the pieces together he mixedthem up, and Nando had to help him again.”

Hunt is proud that some of the find hasreturned home to Grande Prairie for the public to view and appreciate. A full-sizefree-standing skeleton cast of the pachyrhi-nosaurus and a floor mount of the elk are ondisplay at the college, and a second dinosaurcast resides at the Grande Prairie Museum.On the lower level of the city’s Centre 2000Trade and Tourism, an animated, full-sizepachyrhinosaurus keeps guard over the fossildisplay.

Always ready to share his knowledge andexperiences, Hunt offers presentationsthroughout the community and in localschools. “The whole awareness of ourdinosaur past has become my major chal-lenge, my personal goal,” he says.

He has honed his palaeontology skills evenfurther since receiving his first excavation permit 14 years ago. Palaeontologists oftencall upon his skills to assist them. During thewinter they have even mailed him collectionbags of bone fragments for restoration.

It is not unusual for him to receive aphone call from a palaeontologist asking himto return to fossil or excavation sites for mea-surements, or to calculate technical data.Alongside his hammer, chisel, and bluntknife, he carries his most important tool, acamera, which he uses to accurately recorddetails of every find and excavation. Throughtrigonometry, the photos quickly provide himwith the exact location of a site years after ithas been excavated.

Though his engineering background andhis interest in palaeontology have facilitatedhis involvement with the area’s prehistory,Hunt factors one more item into the equa-tion. As an instructor, he has access to thecollege’s vehicles, resources, and facilities.“Because I’m in a discipline with science labs,computers, and field equipment, it makes it

“Every day I find something that hasn’t seen daylight for over 70 million years.

No human has ever seen it before.”

Dr. Hunt and his son Nando at the Pipestone Creek bed.

Fossil of a 10,000-year-old elk.


easy for all of these palaeontological oppor-tunities to just wash into my life,” says Hunt.

This summer, Hunt will head down toDinosaur Provincial Park in Brooks for aweek to learn and labour with palaeontolo-gists from around the world. He will beright at home with the steady pace and 16-hour days. His eagerness to learn will no

In the fall of 2001, while prospecting near

Pipestone Creek southwest of Grande

Prairie, Dr. Bert Hunt discovered an unusually

well-preserved skull of a new species of

pachyrhinosaurus. This new species, about the

size of a modern rhino, has a unique array of

horns and other projections on its head and

frill, distinguishing it from all other horned

dinosaurs.

Darren Tanke, a technician from the Royal

Tyrrell Museum, planned to excavate the skull

the following May, so Hunt spent the winter

preparing. He planned every detail, right from

determining the best method of removing the

fossil from the site, to arranging the necessary

resources and equipment.

No amount of planning, however, could

predict what Mother Nature had in mind for

the month of May. A visit to the site one week

before the excavation revealed that the creek’s

water-level was much higher than anticipated.

Initial plans—to lower the skull and move it

out along the creek-bed using quads and a tan-

dem trailer—would be impossible. The only

option was to protect the 360-kilogram skull

in a steel cocoon and haul it straight up the

steep 400-metre bank. Before they left the

site, Hunt and his colleague Dr. Desh Mittra

decided to construct a small plastic tent over

the excavation site “in case it got a little cool.”

Shortly after, it began to snow.

Throughout the week, as 30 centimetres of

snow fell, Hunt had a steel sled fabricated, and

found 400 metres of steel cable, a tow-truck,

and a driver—all donated. Asking for donations

was the easy part. “I usually show people my

pictures, tell them what I am doing, and invite

them out to the bone bed to meet the palaeon-

tologists,” he says. “Most people get excited.”

The soil was wet and slippery, the weather

was freezing, and the excavators were exhaust-

ed and covered in mud. Excavations often

require great physical and mental effort, but

this one proved especially tough. Hunt recalls

the Tyrrell supervisor claiming it was the tough-

est and most unfriendly excavation he had

experienced in his 24 years of fossil research.

Despite the conditions, work beneath the

tent continued. The team encased the

pachyrhinosaurus skull in a plaster jacket, then

secured it to the sled. Slowly, using the dou-

ble-winch tow-truck and steel cable, they

brought it safely to the top. It now awaits a

new species name and restoration at the

Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Skull of a pachyrhinosaurus encased in plaster and ready for removal.

Dr. Hunt with the tow-truck driver removing the 360-kilogram pachyrhinosaurus skull.

Raising the Pachyrhinosaurusto New Heights

doubt make him a valued team member during the long, hot days.

Throughout it all, he continues to beinspired by the thrill of discovery. “Everysingle time I go out prospecting I wonderwhat I will find that day,” reflects Hunt.“Every day I find something that hasn’t seendaylight for over 70 million years. No

human has ever seen it before. You look at apiece of bone, or skull, or an animal skele-ton and you know that 70 million years ago this was a walking, breathing creature.And then, in your mind, you put some skin on it and see it standing before you. It’s exhilarating.”


Gwyn Morgan(Mechanical ‘67)


hortly after celebrating EnCana’sfirst birthday, President and ChiefExecutive Officer Gwyn Morgan(Mechanical ’67) looks back on the

process which led to the seamless integrationof two corporate giants. Then the formerAlberta Energy CEO utters the kind of hum-ble remark you don’t often hear from corpo-rate decision-makers.

“I’m sort of in awe,” marvels the 57-year-old CEO. “We gave our last integration reportto the EnCana board in December becausethere was nothing more to talk about.”

Most industry analysts were surprisedand impressed by how swiftly things cametogether. During its first 12 months, the newcorporate leviathan met a capital growth tar-get said to be the largest ever executed inNorth America. Meanwhile, EnCana wasable to achieve the highest productiongrowth targets in its sector.

“When you’re merging two $15-billioncompanies, you’d expect integration to take18 to 24 months,” remarks Brian Prokop, anoil and gas analyst for Peters and Company

of Calgary. “This has been done in less than12. It’s really gone well.”

Though Morgan lavishes praise on hissenior managers and staff, he typicallydeclines to dwell on his own contributions,which were enormous. Among them was theconcise corporate brand itself: EnCana. Bycoining the name, Morgan provided a usefulskeleton key to the heart and mind of a cor-porate philosopher-king.

The first syllable refers, of course, to theenergy industry. The last, to Morgan’s homeprovince of Alberta. But the second syllablespeaks loudest: Can, with a capital C. ForCanada.

“When a Canadian-based company doesbusiness internationally, it allows Canadiansto demonstrate their skills in various parts ofthe world. At the end of the day, graduates ofthe U of A, as well as university graduatesfrom other parts of Canada, will stand shoul-der-to-shoulder against anybody in theworld. Here in Canada we have the skill setsto headquarter companies which can be trueglobal champions.”

Morgan is widely known for his strengthof will and independence of thought, as wellas an inclination to speak his mind. His vividand sometimes fierce nationalistic vision hasfrequently placed him at odds with federalpoliticians, particularly those whose outlookextends no further west than the lush lawnsof the Parliament buildings.

It’s a vision which germinated in therolling rural countryside northwest ofCalgary, about 45 minutes’ drive from theCEO’s downtown office.

Morgan reflects on the circumstances ofhis birth in a mood of bittersweet irony. Heentered the world through a door left open bythe departure of his paternal uncle and name-sake, Gwyn Morgan. His uncle, a RCAFfighter pilot shot down during World War II,was the second of three Morgan brothers tolose his life.

The Canadian military gave his father anearly discharge as the family’s sole survivingadult male, and the younger Gwyn Morganwas born soon after. “The fact my UncleGwyn got killed is the reason I’m here,”Morgan murmurs.

Descended from Welsh miners, theMorgans settled and farmed near Carstairs.Youngest of a family with three older sisters,Gwyn was quickly put to work. He gainedhis earliest perspective on the land he lovesfrom the seat of a tractor, rumbling acrosssummer fallow.

He has also kept his love for remote places.A dedicated outdoor enthusiast who worksobsessively to stay in shape, Morgan recentlytold Maclean’s magazine he has “hiked, cycled,canoed and skied literally thousands of kilome-tres” throughout the West and far North.

GwynMorgan

BY TOM KEYSER

In January 2002, EnCana Corp. was created amid the ele-

gant furnishings and plush broadlooms of a board room in

downtown Calgary. When shareholders approved the

merger of Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. and PanCanadian Energy

Corp., the $30-billion hybrid instantly became North

America’s largest independent producer of oil and gas.

S

L e a d e r o f a L e v i a t h a n


While Gwyn was attending Grade 10classes, his father developed a medical condi-tion and the six Morgans moved to Calgary.Once in the city, the youngster’s career aspi-rations took a sharp turn away from agricul-ture. Intrigued by society’s builders andproficient in math and science, he consideredengineering for the first time, “although Ididn’t really know what an engineer did.”

He found out after his acceptance to the U of A. Opting for a major in mechanicalengineering, Morgan enrolled and excelled inthe petroleum options and, at one stage, seriously considered a career in bio-medicalengineering.

His grades were as healthy as a plough-horse, but his bankroll was on life support. “Iwould’ve been accepted to medical schoolbut that would be two more years. Then a

PhD on top of that—another three years. ButI was more than broke, I was in debt.”

Morgan thought it significant that, of avariety of jobs offered him upon graduation in1967, all came from the United States. Seattle-based Boeing recruited him for its aeronauticaldesign division, but Morgan, who had spent

his summers “doing grunt work for ImperialOil,” leaned to the energy field.

Sticking close to home, he took his “firstreal job” with the Alberta Oil and GasConservation Board, an early incarnation ofthe Energy and Utilities Board, as a reservoirengineer. Morgan describes himself at thistime as “very technical,” a “focused petrole-um reservoir engineer,” not at all inclinedtoward the executive suite.

With a low chuckle, he answers theinevitable question: “Did I ever think I wasgoing to run an oil and gas company? Notwhen I was cleaning out the pig barn. Evenlater, I couldn’t have imagined what I’m doingtoday.

“Today’s kids think they need a plan,”Morgan begins. “Well, there isn’t any plan.It’s a question of decreasing entropy,” he says,

repeating a favourite phrase learnedin a U of A physics class. “You startout with a world of possibilities.Then you narrow the possibilities as you progress. Just get out and do it.”

Morgan did. After two years, hemoved from the ConservationBoard to the Canadian subsidiaryof an Omaha-based gas pipelineand transportation business,Northern Natural Gas. There,Morgan’s problem-solving efficien-cy was rewarded by a promotion to manager of operations and engineering. He was only 28.

When the Alberta Energy Company wasformed in 1975, Morgan got in on theground floor, joining AEC a month before itsshares began to trade publicly.

The opportunity to work for an Alberta-based energy company appealed to Morgan’ssense of national pride. “This was more than

just a start-up. It was my first chance to workfor a company that made its decisions righthere,” says Morgan, who ultimately rose tothe job of AEC’s Chief Executive. “From thestart, I was proud of the company’s Canadianheritage and maybe a bit protective of it.”

Though he wears his nationalistic sympa-thies on his sleeve, Morgan doesn’t pretend to be an altruistic knight-errant, single-handedly defending Canadian honour. Yethe’s sincere when describing the AEC/PanCanadian merger as a conscious effort tobeef up Canadian industry presence on theglobal stage.

“David O’Brien (the PanCanadianChairperson) and I created EnCana Corp.because, obviously, we think it’s good forshareholders,” Morgan begins. “But we alsodid it, in some ways, because we’re patriots.That’s how we feel about the country.”

Morgan complains that the federal govern-ment hasn’t shown appreciation for the impor-tant role the energy business plays in drivingthe national economy. “Our MPs in Ottawawouldn’t know that energy exports are thebiggest net generator of foreign exchange rev-enue in the country, which is a key reason whythe dollar hasn’t grown even weaker than it is.

“They wouldn’t know the industry provides the largest portion of corporateincome tax. They wouldn’t know that oneCanadian company in this business is thebiggest single investor in three provinces:British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.That’s our company.”

His long-term vision for EnCana includesgrowth, growth, and more growth.

That’s difficult to imagine. EnCana Corp.is already the most significant private oil pro-ducer in Ecuador, a major player in Canadianoil sands production, and the mightiest interms of offshore production. EnCana isexcited about recent exploration successes inthe North Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and poisedfor new discoveries from the Mackenzie Deltato Australia, from Alaska to Azerbaijan.

Production forecasts for 2003 exceed theequivalent of 800,000 barrels of oil a day —before royalties.

How far can an oil patch leviathan go?For a one-time reservoir engineer without acareer plan, a just-do-it guy whose instinctsled him to the biggest job in the Canadianenergy industry, the sky’s the limit.

“You start out with a world of possibilities.

Then you narrow the possibilities as you progress.

Just get out and do it.”


Cross Hairson History

“His life was gentle and the elementsso mixed in him that nature mightstand up and say to all the world ‘Thiswas a man.’”—William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar,

Act V, Scene 5

With the passing of Alex Mair (Civil ’48), this magazine lost oneof its best feature writers, and our

city lost an icon. Edmonton won’t be thesame without this beloved author, historian,and storyteller.

Alex cared deeply about people in his com-munity, about the people who went beforehim, and the events that surrounded theirlives. We will all sadly miss his quick wit, softScottish accent, and gentle sense of humour.

Alex was born at Edmonton’s RoyalAlexandra Hospital in 1926. He grew upwishing to be a writer, but his Scottish par-ents discouraged that. Being an obedient son,he earned a degree in Civil Engineering at theUniversity of Alberta in 1948.

He was a drummer with the EdmontonSchool Boys’ Band, but sold his drums to buyan engagement ring for his future wife

Vivienne. His contact with fellow drummerscontinued throughout his life.

After graduation, he joined his father atthe City of Edmonton. While in this postingin the early 1950s, Alex wrote his first arti-cle—on the problems of installing sewers inthe Highlands community, with its sandysoils and pockets of quicksand. He was ecsta-tic when he received $25 for his efforts.

While working for the city and later forthe marketing division ofInland Cement, Alex contin-ued to write and submitgeneral interest articles tovarious magazines.

After Inland Cement, hehelped establish the Radioand Television program atthe Northern AlbertaInstitute of Technology(NAIT). He left NAIT in1982 to devote his time to writing and broad-casting. From then on, he haunted Alberta’snewspapers, museums, and archives, seekingout interesting stories, facts, and ideas to pre-sent to the public in his own quaint way viaradio, articles and books.

His skills as a researcher and historianwon repeated recognition. He was honouredwith two consecutive terms as HonoraryChief Factor at Fort Edmonton. He receivedawards from the Alberta Historical Societyand the Edmonton and District HistoricalSociety, plus membership in the City ofEdmonton Cultural Hall of Fame.

His last book, Gateway City, published inDecember 2000 and a bestseller for six

months, contains 60 short stories ofEdmonton’s past. He took great joy in writ-ing about the city he loved.

Alex will always be remembered as a “manfor the people”. Like his fellow Scot, RobbieBurns, he loved to visit with his cronies, dis-cuss the affairs of the day, and recount storiesof the past. Many wintry Saturday nights hewould show up at Northlands curling rink toplay, but mostly for the “after draw” of coffee

and doughnuts. Inevitably, hewould raise the idea of “TheGrand Match”. When finallyquestioned about such anevent, he would smile, sipsome coffee and say:

“It was like this. Everyseven or so years it gets coldenough to freeze over a smalllake in a small town halfwaybetween Glasgow and

Edinburgh. Whenever that happened, eightold cronies, four from each city, would agreeto meet for a curling match. In order toensure a level playing field, the winners ofeach end would be required to have a ‘weedrop’ of the finest single malt Scotch. By thesixth end, the playing field was flatter thanSaskatchewan. By the eighth end, the leadswere shaking hands and congratulating eachother while the skips roared, ‘We’re notthrough yet!’ And by the 10th end, not eventhe skips worried about who had won— butaye, it was a grand match!”

Such stories were the lifeblood of AlexMair—a storyteller who loved Edmontonand its people.

the

by George Ford (Civil ’42, MSc Civil ’46, Honorary DSc ’88)

Grand Manof the Grand Match


DaviRobson

b y T o m K e y s e r

T h e T r u t h i n V e r i t a s


hough he’s chief executive officerof a $550 million corporation, thefounder of Texas-based VeritasDGC Inc. avoids debt like theplague, as his father did. And in an

era of paper fortunes and stock-market mar-gins, Robson retains a profound respect forcold, hard greenbacks.

“I get a cash report daily from our con-solidated global position. That way I knowexactly what our receipts were yesterday,”grins the affable 63-year-old Robson.

Today, Robson is the senior strategistwhose decisions affect 3,800 Veritas DGCemployees in 20 countries. He spent 28 yearsnursing Veritas from a near-bankrupt Albertaseismic data processing company to its cur-rent status as the global energy industry’sthird-largest supplier of integratedseismic/geophysical services.

Along the way, he somehow found time toearn $80,000-plus by riding in cutting-horsecompetitions. In fact, he claims he owes most of his accomplishments to a lifelonglove of horseflesh.

“My original motivation was I wanted tohave good horses,” Robson explains at thecompany’s Canadian headquarters in down-town Calgary. “I also wanted my own placeto keep them. I knew I couldn’t do that on asalary,” says Robson.

One of the most relaxed and forthrightsenior execs in the North American oil patch,the self-deprecating Robson is more likely toregale you with tales of his failures than histriumphs.

He remembers flunking his first U of Aphysics exam because the prof was delivering amessage: this freshman class would be requiredto meet high standards. “I think everybodyfailed,” he laughs, “but it was a shock to thesystem. I’d never failed an exam before.”

Not long after he nailed his degree, hefound himself employed by a Calgary electri-cal contractor, sweating over plans for theproposed new Foothills Hospital.

“I hated that,” Robson grumbles. “I wascounting fixtures on the hospital drawingsbefore it was built, and my mind was else-where. The boss came in and said: ‘You madetoo many mistakes. You’re fired.’” Robson’sresponse was immediate and ecstatic. “I said,‘Good, I’m so glad to get outta’ here.’”

Of course, the future entrepreneur was anaive stripling at the time. Eventually, hesqueezed almost everything he wanted fromlife. And when he glances back over roadstravelled, Robson’s mind always goes back toBawlf. “Two towns east of Camrose, onHighway 13,” recites Robson, whose mother

d

It’s a long road from Bawlf, Alberta, to the glittering glass

towers of corporate Houston. But David Robson (Electrical

’61), Canada’s 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year, managed

the journey without losing touch with the tried-and-true

business values he absorbed on his parents’ farm.

T


still lives in the region. It was there he learnedto ride, build a barn, wire a farmhouse—practical knowledge which has served himwell.

Robson’s parents were typical of theirgeneration—they didn’t discuss familyfinances. But he did find out that his dad hadlost a piece of land during the Depressionbecause he couldn’t pay his taxes. From thattime on, the Robsons paid cash for everypiece of farm equipment they purchased.

“Another thing Bawlf had—a greatschool and a wonderful [group] of teacherswho really cared,” adds the Veritas CEO.“Our principal would tolerate no nonsense.He was one of those guys who just had tolook at you.”

Though an aptitude test suggested a med-ical career, Robson instead streamed intoengineering. Post-graduation, after an occa-sional wrong turn, the young engineer foundhimself in a Calgary lab, building seismicplayback equipment.

Robson described the business as slow-paced, although he didn’t particularly mind. “I was enjoying my quarter horses.” But afterthe Rainbow–Zama petroleum discovery inthe mid-1960s, the intensity level cranked upin a hurry. “We went seven days a week, roundthe clock, working flat out,” Robson recalls.

Eventually, Robson became operationsboss of an early digital computer groupassociated with the seismic outfit. Almostimmediately he found himself strugglingwith dysfunctional software. Solution: “Wehad to write new software from scratch,”says Robson.

“Roy Lindseth (legendary geophysicist,who pioneered work in digital signal pro-cessing) was the theoretical guy I workedwith. We wrote a new processing system inweeks. It was amateurish but it worked.”

In 1969, Robson left to join a small com-petitor as a partner. The business was doingwell but expansion opportunities in Australiaand the U.K. were funded with bank debt.

But then the exploration market soured.At one point, the Bank of Nova Scotia calledits loan and said, “We’re very disappointedin you.” Robson grimaces at the memory.

After that scrape, Robson personally tookcharge of company finances. While he learnedon the job, the company was able to placatethe bankers. Shortly thereafter, Robson led an

Still robust, fit and wiry at 63, Robson is one

senior executive who retains the go-for-broke

attitude he exhibited during his twenties.

Top: The SR/V Veritas Viking towing multiple streamers in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico.

Bottom left: Veritas has considerable expertise in acquiring seismic data in all types of environments worldwide.

Bottom right: Advanced cluster computingpower and proprietary algorithms help geoscientists extract as much subsurface information as possible from seismic data.

2004EngineeringPerspectivesCalendar

Call for photos for the

It’s not too soon to submit your photos for consideration for next year’s calendar. The theme is “Engineering Up Close.” Interpret this theme in a creative shot, and earnyour spot in the 2004 calendar. For further details, contact [email protected].


As profits grew, and as Veritas venturedinto foreign markets, it attracted the atten-tion of a Houston group—board membersof a “tired” U.S. company known asDigicon Inc., a specialist in offshore seismicoperations.

Digicon had cash flow problems butbrought superb technical capability and astrong employee base to the table. In 1996, negotiations led to a $72.3-million USmerger which Robson frankly describes as“absolute hell.”

“This was a deal driven by the Digiconboard,” (although Robson insisted on callingall shots, post-merger). “Senior managementwere unhappy about it. They didn’t know whothese upstart Canadians were.”

Though the integration process was diffi-cult at times, the last, lingering merger issueswere tidied up about a year ago, Robson says.

Today, Robson spends most of his timementoring, advising, and plotting fiscalstrategies with senior advisors.

When Veritas went public in Toronto,Robson lost his status as the company’smajority shareholder. And as the companyhas grown, he has taught himself to shareresponsibility for leadership with the presi-dents in charge of Veritas DGC’s eight corpo-rate divisions.

As Robson puts it: “We have to do what’sright for the company. Not what’s right forme, or for anyone else.”

Still robust, fit and wiry at 63, Robson isone senior executive who retains the go-for-broke attitude he exhibited during his twen-ties. When young people seek advice, he tellsthem to take a chance, to trust themselves.“Don’t worry about history because youcan’t change it. Move on. Life isn’t a smoothride. Strange things will happen and they

won’t all be what you planned. Just keepgoing and try to make progress.”

Robson also believes in the importance ofold-fashioned R and R. He gets his jollies run-ning the annual Canadian Supreme, a four-day western horse show in Red Deer.(Robson jokes that he runs it as benevolentdictator.) Last summer, the operators dishedout $289,000 in prize money.

But whether you seek success showinghorses or success in commerce, Robsoninsists, one ingredient supersedes all others:commitment. “We graduate people fromtoday’s universities who have wonderful tech-nical backgrounds. But it’s emotion that mat-ters. It’s drive, commitment.”

“It’s like the old joke about bacon andeggs,” the winner of Ernst & Young’sEntrepreneur of the Year award sums up witha chuckle. “The hen was involved—but thepig was committed.”

Top left: Dave Robson in a cutting horse competition, a sport he has enjoyed and promoted for over 25 years.

Bottom right: Veritas integrates geophysics,geology, petrophysics, and reservoir engineering to model hydrocarbon reservoirs

effort to raise $250,000 from a venture capi-tal fund, a financial boost which placed thecompany on a more secure footing.

By 1974, when he bought into the com-pany that evolved into Veritas DGC, Robsonhad already logged 10 years in the seismicbusiness. He applied his organizational andoperational experience to this new challenge,that of doing a “turnaround” of a financiallytroubled business.

The company name, suggested by the wifeof a previous owner, means “truth” in Latin.Most appropriate, Robson felt. “We didn’targue about the name for two seconds.Absolutely perfect,” he smiles.

From that point forward, Veritas (a spe-cialist in land seismic exploration) generatedsteady profits. Meanwhile, Robson grewincreasingly bored.

Tempted to go public, but intimidated bythe prospect, he and an associate started outsmall, creating a junior capital fund withRobson’s partner as CEO. By this means theygained valuable experience. Ultimately, theymerged the fund with parts of Veritas.

By 1992 they felt ready to take the nextstep. An initial public offering on the TorontoStock Exchange raised $25 million. Veritasfollowed that with a $15-million add-on.“That cleared off our debt and gave us about$15 million cash on the balance sheet.”


by Keith Gerein, Edmonton Journal Staff Writer

Fred Pheasey could be considered

an entrepreneurial genius. The

Edmonton company that Pheasey

founded, Dreco Energy Services

Ltd., has become one of the

world’s leading manufacturers of

drilling equipment, constructing

high-tech rigs for some of the

harshest environments Mother

Nature can dish out.

FRed PHeasey,

Inspirational Entrepreneur

Honoured for Oil Field Success

RiGthe

master

Fred Pheasey(Mechanical ‘65)


ut while the equipment is a marvel ofengineering, Pheasey insists the secretto his business success boils down to

a simple formula. “Listen and look after thecustomer. Find ways to add value,” he says.“Do it consistently and good things will hap-pen for all the stakeholders.”

“It’s not rocket science.” Pheasey's busi-ness principles have served him well over thelast three decades, a period in which hehelped shepherd Alberta's oil field servicesindustry onto the international stage. Lastyear, the 60-year-old entrepreneur receivedhis due with an induction into the CanadianPetroleum Hall of Fame.

While Pheasey is quick to credit Dreco’sstaff for the honour, those who have workedalongside him say the company would not havegone anywhere without his drive and ambition.

“Fred is an inspirational kind of guy,” saysDoug Frame, who served as Dreco’s executivevice president and headed up the company'sHouston office for more than 15 years. “Overthe years, he’s developed a tremendous confi-dence to tackle projects that others wouldn’ttouch. He’ll risk a lot to get something done.”

Dreco is a major Alberta success story.Rigs constructed by the firm span the globe,from the ice-fields of Alaska to the Amazonjungle, from the North African desert to theNorth Sea.

Thirty years ago, it was a different story.Pheasey and his friend Ron Sorokan were job-less after their former employer, BarberMachinery, was sold. The pair decided to starttheir own company, each contributing $8,000.

After receiving an investment of $45,000from Earl Griffith, one of Barber’s formerowners, and a grant of $235,000 from theAlberta Opportunity Company, they hadenough to get started.

It wasn’t much: a handful of staff in a1,000-square-foot tin shack on 75th Streetand 64th Avenue in Edmonton.

The company made its living by sellingmud pumps, although Pheasey had ambitions

to build oil derricks. The problem was that hecouldn’t convince anyone in Canada to buy aderrick from him. “At the time, contractorswere used to importing from the UnitedStates,” says Frame. “Everyone said that youcouldn’t build drilling rigs in Canada. But Fredabsolutely wouldn’t take that as an answer.”

Brazil, of all places, finally gave Pheaseythe opening he needed. He persuaded theBrazilian national oil company to take one ofhis rigs, then sold another to a firm withinterests in Alaska.

The Canadian market could ignore theupstart no longer and international successwasn’t far behind. In 1977, Pheasey recalls,the firm received one of its breakthroughdeals. A man from Denmark-based MaerskDrilling phoned early one morning wonder-ing if Dreco could build a derrick for an off-shore rig that would fit into a 747 airplane.

“I told him ‘no,’ but I didn’t think any othercompany could do it either,” Pheasey says. “Itook his name and did some investigating. Awhile later, I phoned him back and told him wecould deliver it in 60 days. He asked how muchit would cost to do it in 30 days.”

Dreco eventually got the project done injust 18 days, earning a fat bonus and a lot offuture business from Maersk.

Those were the heydays of Dreco’s devel-opment. From revenue of $600,000 andaround 100 employees in 1973, Dreco grewlike prairie weed and by 1981 had becomeone of the world’s three largest rig manufac-turers with revenue of $243 million US andclose to 3,000 staff.

With no reason to think the boom of the’70s would end, the firm plunged into evengreater expansion, selling common sharesand piling up tens of millions of dollars inshort-term, high-interest debt.

Then the bottom fell out of the market.As world oil surpluses sharply reversed sky-

rocketing prices of only a few years earlier,the drilling binge abruptly ended.

For Dreco, the change translated into a huge demand for cash, large, difficult-to-collect accounts receivable, and bulginginventories. The company skidded intoreceivership.

“When something like that happens, youget a chance to talk with yourself,” saysPheasey. “Anybody can quit, but our groupof people wasn’t built that way.

“A friend of mine used to say that if you’rein a hole, the only thing you can do is to sellyour way out. And that’s what we did.”

The firm rode out the uncertain oil pricesof the ’80s and, by specializing in high-endrigs and pursuing foreign markets, it strungtogether an impressive run of profitable yearsthrough the ’90s.

In 1997, Dreco was acquired by NationalOilwell Inc. of Houston in a friendly share-swap deal worth $510 million. The mergercreated the largest oil rig manufacturer inNorth America, with a market value of morethan $1.4 billion.

More than five years after the sale,Pheasey reveals little sadness at letting go ofthe firm he started from scratch. “I lookback now and I can honestly say it was agreat decision,” he says. “Everyone is betteroff. Our customers, our employees, ourshareholders, and the community.”

Today, Pheasey remains a key player inthe industry as an executive vice-presidentwith National Oilwell, and says he doesn’tsee retirement in his future.

“I suppose I have to be practical. Myvalue to the company is going to diminish,”he says. “But I hope I can find a place,because retirement just isn’t an option. I'mhaving too much fun.”

Reprinted with permission of the Edmonton Journal.

B

“Over the years, he’s developed a tremendous confidence to tackle projects that others

wouldn’t touch. He’ll risk a lot to get something done.”

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VirtualEngineer


Having a

as an Engineer

Here we meet RENE (MOOSE) MORIN (Mining ’59),

owner/operator of Explotech, an Ottawa based firm

specializing in blasts and explosions (www.explotech.com).

He tells us about “having a blast” as an engineer.

What got you interested in explosionsand blasting?

Believe it or not, when I got my Boy Scoutmerit badge for mining, I visited the Star KeyCoal mine just out of Edmonton and got sortof turned on with mining. Also, my brotherworked there and used to bring home the oddstick of powder that we had fun with.

What was your path from graduationto owning Explotech?

My first employer upon graduation (in theYukon) was Bill Field, a mining graduate ofthe U of A.

I worked in the Yukon on a molybdenumprospect for the summer after graduation(jobs were hard to come by then). Then themanager plugged me into a friend who man-aged La Luz Mine in Nicaragua, so I wentthere for 13 months.

Once I paid off my school debts, I cameback to Canada, wrote 55 job applications,and got two offers—one surveying at a smallproperty in Salmo, B.C. and one cleaningditches at the old Brittania Beach mine justout of Vancouver (jobs were really hard to


come by). I took neither of these offers. I hadmet a nurse from Montreal in Nicaragua and,guess where I ended up? Once in Montreal, I made applications at DuPont and CILExplosives Divisions.

I was offered a job with DuPont andstayed there for 17 years in various capaci-ties: tech representative, branch manager,construction sales manager, bulk explosiveproduct manager, and, finally, national sales manager.

I left DuPont to work with a drilling andblasting firm in Ottawa—was there for twoyears—then hung out my shingle as a blastingconsultant. That was the only thing I knewanything about, and I felt there was a need.

I was extremely fortunate to keep thecompany going successfully for 25 years.

How or why is blasting and explosivesa good business?

There was a niche market for someone whohad hands-on blasting and engineering expe-rience but was not tied up to a specific explo-sives manufacturer.

How did your education and experi-ence at the Faculty of Engineeringequip you for your current business?

It would have been difficult to get the credi-bility without an engineering degree and, ofcourse, the varied experience.

What are your remaining connectionswith Edmonton or Alberta or theU of A?

The mining and metallurgy class was small—14 in all—and since the 20th year we havebeen having reunions every five years. Nowwe have them every two years, since some ofus have health problems and may not make itto the next one. Fortunately, we have onlylost one classmate so far.

I still have family in Edmonton. My brotheralso went to the U of A, as did all his children.I managed to make it back for the 25th reunionand we are planning on being at our 50th.

What fosters pride for you as an alumnus?

It’s great to see the Engineering Faculty mak-ing its mark. When I graduated, the privateschools like Queen’s and McGill were the bigshooters. I don’t think that is so anymore.

What emotional, sentimental, or intellectual connections still remainwith U of A?

I still think of some of our professors. Theywere really dedicated people and believed ingetting us though and into the workforcewith good knowledge.

Also, I flunked out, and the EngineeringFaculty let me back in (albeit after my havingto prove that I wanted to get back in). Theytook a chance and, although I still struggled,it certainly has made a heck of a difference inmy life.

What made your experience at theU of A better/different than your peersor competitors who graduated fromother universities? What is your com-petitive edge?

We had no delusions of grandeur. Most of uscame from farms or working-class back-grounds

What message do you have for fellowalumni?

Be proud of your school and be grateful thatyou were able to get a good engineeringdegree. Nothing rots my socks more than tohear a grad knock our school. It was a greatschool, and is now a better school. And itdoesn’t hurt to throw a little cash back at theplace that gave us our current lifestyle.

Mr. Morin was alumni host for the Ottawaregional alumni and friends reception.

Excavation for a low head hydro project on theTrent Severn Canal near Batawa, Ontario.

Sequential pictures of a marine pipeline blast.

Enlarging a tunnel bore by blasting in Ottawa, Ontario.

2003Reunion


Countdown to

EDMONTON

On Your Mark!Plans are brewing for Reunion 2003. U of A Engineer checked

in with class organizers, and here’s what they had to say:

Gregory Gulayets (Chemical ’78)invites fellow classmates to gather on“the old stomping grounds” and catchup with each other. “My daughter isgoing up there next year, so I’ll have achance to see all the changes on campusand imagine what her time there will belike,” says Gulayets.

Packing up photographs of their 3-year-old daughter, Jean and BobArmstrong (Mechanical ’93) plan toplay the role of proud parents to thehilt. Meeting up with fellow graduatesJanine Thompson and Gail Thornton,Jean will swap notes on career and fam-ily developments. Jean says, “It will befun to catch up with the non–co-ops

and the ‘Chemmies’ and ‘Mechies’.”Jean and Bob are both looking for-ward to their class’s first big reunion—the 10th.

Bob Reynolds, class organizer forChemical ’48 says, “We plan to tackon a 3-day trip to Jasper, Banff and theRoyal Tyrrell Museum for those nos-talgic for the mountains and prairies.”About a third of this class has settled inEastern Canada and another third hasbeen living in the United States. So this55th anniversary will truly be a home-coming. Adds Bob, “This group nevergot together until its 50th. But thatreunion went over big. Everyone wasdelighted.”

The Gulayets, Armstrongs, Reynoldsand all other class organizers issue a callto action—confirm your plans to attendreunion weekend this fall!

If you graduated in a year

ending in a “3” or an “8”—

like Gregory Gulayets,

Bob and Jean Armstrong,

and Bob Reynolds—you’re

celebrating a special reunion

year in 2003. Reunion 2003

will be held October 2–5 on

the U of A campus.

By now, you ought to have receivedyour Reunion 2003 brochure whichwas mailed out to alumni celebratingspecial reunions this year. Even if youdid not receive a special invitation,you are more than welcome to attendReunion 2003 activities.

Get set!

Dean’s Reception for ReunionAlumni and Guests

Friday, October 34:00 to 6:00 p.m. Faculty Club, U of A CampusCost: Complimentary

If you are an Engineering alumnus or alum-na celebrating a special reunion this year, Dr. David Lynch and Mrs. Lynch invite youand your spouse (or guest) to join them atthis complimentary event. This receptionoffers a wonderful opportunity to see allyour engineering classmates and colleaguesin one place.

Dean’s Brunch for 50+Reunion Alumni

Saturday, October 49:30 to 11:00 a.m.Engineering Teaching and LearningComplex (ETLC)Cost: Complimentary

Engineering alumni who are celebrating their50th, 55th or 60th reunions (graduating in1943, 1948 or 1953) are invited to bringtheir spouses or guests to a complimentaryhot brunch hosted by Dr. David Lynch andMrs. Lynch (other Engineering alumni whograduated more than 50 years ago are alsowelcome). Dr. Lynch will give a special pre-sentation during this event.

In addition to university-wide events, the Faculty of Engineering

will host several complimentary events specifically for

Engineering alumni and their families. Please include these special

activities in your Reunion Weekend schedule. Registration for

Engineering-specific events has already started. Don’t delay!

Go to www.engineering.ualberta.ca/alumni to register.

Here are just a few of the events you will enjoy:

Go!

Engineering Open House/Preview Day

Saturday, October 49:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Engineering Teaching and Learning ComplexCost: Complimentary

All Engineering alumni, their families andfriends, prospective students, and otherguests are invited to attend the Faculty ofEngineering’s annual Open House. Theimpressive new Engineering Teaching andLearning Complex (ETLC) will be the venuefor a wide variety of displays from all engi-neering disciplines. Take a guided tour of thenew complex, and drop by the alumni hospi-tality lounge to have a coffee and visit withold friends.

Written with contributions from and thanksto Leanne Sim Nickel.

C L A S S O R G A N I Z E R S

Over the past few months, enthusiasticand dedicated class organizers may havebeen in contact with you by mail,phone, or e-mail to discuss reunionplans. Class organizers play a key role intracking down long-lost classmates, andin arranging special class activities dur-ing Reunion Weekend (and at othertimes during the year).

If you have not yet been contacted by your class organizer call Leanne SimNickel in Edmonton at (780) 492-1317or Laurie Hanasyk in Calgary at (403) 531-5873. If you don’t see yourclass listed, you are still welcome to participate in any of the university-wideor faculty-specific activities.

’48 Chemical Bob Reynolds

’48 Civil Bruce Burgess

’48 Electrical Alan Robertson

’48 Mining Robert Spencer

’53 Chemical Bill Musgrove

’53 Civil Neil Longson

’53 Mining John Giovanetto

’53 Petroleum Art Wood

’58 Chemical Donald Thurston

’58 Electrical Bud Finley

’63 Civil Craig Harrold

’68 Civil Barry Temple

’73 Mechanical Jim Nygren

’78 Chemical Gregory Gulayets

’78 Civil Glen Davidson

’78 Electrical Curtis Sparrow

’78 Petroleum D. Kerry Fulton

’83 Chemical Raymond Lemieux

’83 Computer Samson Mah

’88 Electrical Michael Palamarek

’93 Chemical Chantelle Carley

’93 Mechanical Jean Armstrong,Janine (Babowal) Thompson, Gail Thorton

’93 Mechanical Janine Thompson

’98 Civil Jesse Kozak

’98 Mechanical Britt Laramee

See what has changed and what’s yet tocome at the University of Alberta.



by Phil Haswell, BEd, BSc

building was demolished in January 2003.The area formerly covered by the hydraulicslaboratory and its parking lot represents theapproximate footprint of the new, 28,000square metre gross (320,000 square foot)Markin/CNRL NREF.

The flumes, river trays, pumps, dataacquisition equipment, and other experimen-tal apparatus from the lab have either beenput in storage or temporarily relocated to thebasement of the Civil/Electrical Building.

Construction on the new building is wellunderway to meet the fall 2004 completion

ivil and Environmental Engineeringis the largest of the U of A’s four engi-neering departments, and the largest

civil engineering department in Canada.Unprecedented growth in graduate andundergraduate enrolment in the departmenthas strained the department’s teaching andresearch facilities, which are scattered overcampus in 10 different buildings.

The new Markin/CNRL NaturalResources Engineering Facility (NREF) willcollect these scattered elements in a singlefacility. NREF will provide a suitable spacefor research and collaboration, and willafford the department’s researchers theopportunity to expand their research activi-ties in technologically sophisticated sur-roundings.

The new building occupies the previoussite of the T. Blench Hydraulics Laboratory.Built in 1962, the single-story laboratory

Phil Haswell is Director ofFacilities for the Faculty ofEngineering and will be filingprogress reports each issue.

C

date. Shortly after the site was cleared inJanuary, the excavation contractor beganremoving approximately 45,000 cubic metres(about 5,000 dump trucks) of sand, till, siltand lacustrine clay, creating a hole bigenough to accommodate the foundations andthe two below-grade levels of the nine-storybuilding.

The Markin/CNRL Natural ResourcesEngineering Facility will be in full operationin 2005.

SuperintendentsR e p o r t i n g o n t h e E x p a n s i o nSidewalk

Scattered CIVILto be Reunited in

Markin/CNRLNatural Resources

EngineeringFacility

Markin/CNRL NaturalResources EngineeringFacility QUICK FACTS

Building area: 28,000 square metres gross(320,000 square foot).

Number of stories: nine, with seven above grade.

Research laboratories: 78

Undergraduate laboratories: 26

Undergraduate classrooms: nine

Graduate student spaces: 325

Project cost: $65 million

Follow the construction activity via our live webcam! Go to the Faculty

of Engineering home page at http://www.engineering.ualberta.ca

and follow the Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility

webcam link.

It’s Live!

The old T. Blench Hydaulics Laboratory

A computer rendering of the Markin/CNRLNatural Resources Engineering Building.


ation and the Alberta highwaymaintenance operations. TheCanadian ConstructionAssociation (CCA) representsthe interests of the constructionindustry to the federal govern-ment. Go to www.cca-acc.comfor further information.

CAMARTA, NEIL(Chemical ’75) PEng

was awarded theAlberta Chamberof ResourcesResource Personof the Year Awardat this year’s

annual general meeting andbanquet. Mr. Camarta hasbeen senior vice president, oilsands, with Shell Canada Ltd.since, 1999. He joined ShellCanada as an engineer in 1975and has held various technicaland management roles—pri-marily in gas production. InMarch 1996, Mr. Camartatook on the additional respon-sibility of pulling together amajor new oil sands miningproject on Shell Canada’s oilsands leases in Fort McMurray.In late 1999, Shell and its newjoint venture partners, ChevronCanada Resources and WesternOil Sands Inc., gave the go-ahead for the Athabasca OilSands Project.

The Alberta Chamber ofResources Resource Person ofthe Year Award is given annu-ally to an individual whoexemplifies the attributes andqualities that have madeAlberta one of the most pros-perous, entrepreneurial andforward-thinking jurisdictionsin the world.

GOMES, BOB(Civil ’78) PEng

has been appoint-ed president ofthe Board ofConsultingEngineers ofAlberta (CEA) for

the 2003/2004 term. Mr.Gomes is vice president forNorthern Alberta with StantecConsulting Ltd. This is histhird term in office with CEA.

BALL, BRUCE DR. (BSc Metallurgical ’69, PhDMetallurgical ’73) PEng

was recognized bythe ConsultingEngineers ofAlberta for hisparticipation inthe Coalbanks

Crossing Pedestrian Bridgespanning the Oldman River inLethbridge. This project wasgiven an Award of Excellencefor TransportationInfrastructure. The judgessaluted the bridge for its “fit”within the community and forits environmental worthiness,technical efficiencies andappropriateness in design, andmaterial selection. Dr. Ball,with Ball AssociatedEngineering Ltd., providedquality assurance on the steelportions of the project.

BARDELL, GARY(Civil ’78) PEng

has been appoint-ed president andCEO of theChurchillCorporation. Mr.Bardell has been

with Stuart OlsonConstruction (a subsidiary ofthe Churchill Corporation)since 1979 and has progressedthrough operations, businessdevelopment, and general man-agement. His mandate is toexpand Churchill’s industrialand commercial businesses.Churchill provides commercialbuilding, industrial construc-tion, insulation, maintenance,and related services throughoutWestern Canada.

BROWN, TOM(Civil ’71) PEng, GSC

has been appoint-ed chairperson ofthe 2003 Boardfor the CanadianConstructionAssociation. Mr.

Brown, senior vice president ofLedcor Alberta Ltd. inEdmonton, is responsible forthe Alberta road building oper-

HOGG, BRAD(Computer ’94)

representsVintacom MediaGroup, Alberta’sfastest growingcompany in 2003(according to

Alberta Venture magazine).Mr. Hogg is CEO and presi-dent of Vintacom, anEdmonton-based developer ofe-commerce applications andDreamMates.com, an on-linedating service. Established in1999, the company now has35 employees and experienceda 12,754% increase in salesover three years, with grosssales of $3,996,413 at year-end2002. Go towww.vintacom.com for furtherinformation.

JOHNSTONE, DWAYNE(Civil ’87) PEng

was recognized asa key player in theSpringbank Waterand WastewaterMaster Plans forthe municipal dis-

trict of Rocky View. This pro-ject won an Award of Merit,Studies, Software, SpecialProjects from the ConsultingEngineers of Alberta at thisyear’s Showcase Awards. Mr.Johnstone’s employer,Morrison Hershfield Ltd.,researched and identified infra-structure issues and technicaloptions in order to help theSpringbank area find a longterm solution for providingwater and wastewater servicesto its future 55,000 residents.The study employed detailedcomputer modeling and lookedat potentially merging 23 waterutilities into one or two waterand wastewater systems. Mr.Johnstone, co-author of thereport, is an associate withMorrison Hershfield Ltd. andmanager of infrastructure ser-vices for Southern Alberta.

KIEFER, WERNER(Civil ’73) PEng

accepted anAward of Merit inthe WaterResources, EnergyProduction cate-gory of the

Showcase Awards, sponsoredby the Consulting Engineers ofAlberta. His employer, StantecConsulting, was recognized forEPCOR’s E. L. Smith WaterTreatment Plant UV Additionproject—one of the world’slargest ultraviolet light installa-tions. The process uses ultravi-olet light to render harmfulprotozoan pathogens inactive.Stantec Consulting was salutedfor extending the technology,effectively managing the risks,and making a substantial bene-fit to society. Mr. Kiefer is pro-ject manager for StantecConsulting and provided pro-ject coordination on the E. L.Smith Plant.

LEFSRUD, LIANNE(Civil ’94, MSc Environmental ’96)PEng

has been appoint-ed assistant direc-tor, professionalpractice for theAssociation ofProfessional

Engineers, Geologists andGeophysicists of Alberta(APEGGA). Prior to this, Ms.Lefsrud was transportationengineer for TransportationPlanning at CN. She advancedthrough nine positions at CNsince May 1996. Ms. Lefsrudwill play a key role inAPEGGA’s regulatory function.

LONG, DEJIANG DR.(Civil ’91) PEng

accepted anAward ofExcellence in theInternational cat-egory from theConsulting

Engineers of Alberta. Dr.Long’s employer, GolderAssociates, was recognized for

T a k i n g p r i d e i n a c h i e v e m e n tKudos


Flood ManagementOptimization at the Sihu Basinin China. This internationalcooperation involved 28Canadian, Japanese, andChinese specialists and resultedin the successful development,testing, and application of astate-of-the-art decision sup-port system software. Thissoftware is used in optimaloperations for large and com-plex flood control and damagesystems in the Sihu basin,inhabited by 4.5 million citi-zens along the Yangtze River.The judges saluted this projectfor excellent collaborationamong industry and academicson an international stage andfor world-class expertise. Dr.Long is principal for GolderAssociates and was projectdirector on the FloodManagement project.

MONTGOMERY, COLINJAMES (JIM)(Civil ’73) PEng

was reappointedto a third term onthe Board ofDirectors for theConsultingEngineers of

Alberta. Mr. Montgomery is apartner with The Cohos EvamyPartners.

READY, LEE (MEng Electrical ’98) PEng

accepted the CIBCSmall BusinessAward ofDistinction fromthe AlbertaChamber of

Commerce at the 2003 AlbertaBusiness Awards of Distinction.Mr. Ready is founder of ReadyEngineering, an automationand electrical engineering firmbased in Spruce Grove. Startedin 1997 as a single client, two-employee firm, it has expandedsales into the United States,Australia, Indonesia, andRussia. It has 19 employees,offices in Washington andTexas, and had revenues of$2.5 million last year.

REINDERS, THOMAS (Civil ’96) PEng

accepted anAward ofExcellence inWater Resources,Energy Productionfrom theConsulting

Engineers of Alberta at thisyear’s Showcase Awards. Hisemployer, AssociatedEngineering, was recognized forthe Anthony Henday WaterTreatment Plant Expansion forthe Mountain View RegionalWater Services Commission.The design team overcame thechallenge of high levels of cont-aminant in the raw water usinginnovative pre-treatment of thewater integrated with state-of-the-art membrane filtration.Mr. Reinders is environmentalprocess engineer withAssociated Engineering and wasproject and process engineer onthe Anthony Henday PlantExpansion project.

RIDLEY, ROD(Mechanical ’78) PEng

has been appoint-ed manager of thenew SensorsEngineering busi-ness unit for theAlberta Research

Council Inc. (ARC). Mr. Ridleyhas been with ARC since 1979.His unit provides specializedmeasurement and monitoringsystems using various integrat-ed sensor devices to meet spe-cific customer needs. As well asdeveloping the appropriatesoftware, Sensors Engineeringcan adapt various hardwarecomponents for specific appli-cations that improve produc-tion processes for energy,power generation, oil sands,hard rock mining, pulp andpaper, and water utilities. Mr.Ridley will provide leadership,technical support, and exper-tise to take Sensors’ technolo-gies to the marketplace.

Alberta Research Council is aCanadian leader in innovationin global solutions in energy,life sciences, agriculture, environment, forestry, andmanufacturing.

ROGGEVEEN, COLIN(Civil ’94) PEngaccepted the Award of Meritfor Water Resources, EnergyProduction, from theConsulting Engineers ofAlberta. His employer,Edmonton Airports, was recog-nized for mitigating chemicalcontamination in stormwaterdue to aircraft de-icing. Thisissue was addressed, in part, bythe installation of storm sewersunder the airport tarmac. Mr.Roogeveen is project managerat Edmonton Airports.

SMITH, PETER(Mechanical ’69, MEng Mechanical’74) PEng

was mechanicalprocess lead andmechanical leadengineer on theCorridor PipelineFacilities project.

This project, and Smith’semployer SNC-Lavalin,received an Award of Merit inthe Natural Resources, Miningand Industrial category at thisyear’s Showcase Awards hostedby the Consulting Engineers ofAlberta. The Corridor Pipelinewas delivered on time and onbudget with zero lost time dueto accidents and a total record-ed incident frequency reportwell below target. The projectincluded design, procurement,and construction managementof the above-ground facilitiesand pipeline infrastructure.This project was also recog-nized for a facilities design thatincorporates operability, acces-sibility, maintainability, andenvironmental responsibility. Itwill be the model for futureTerasen pipeline pump stations.

SOMJI, NIZAR J.(MEng Chemical ’85) PEng

is the presidentand CEO ofMatrikon Inc.,recently recog-nized by AlbertaVenture magazine

as the sixth-fastest growingcompany in the province.Matrikon is an Edmontonweb-based industrial productand service provider. Foundedin 1988, Matrikon has 450employees with gross sales of$37,576,000 in 2002. Thecompany experienced a 136%increase in growth in the lastthree years.

Recipient of the top award, thePremier’s Award ofDistinction, as well as WesternEconomic DiversificationCanada’s Export Award ofDistinction at the 2003 AlbertaBusiness Awards ofDistinction, Matrikon exportsits industrial plant managementsoftware to Africa, Asia,Australia, Europe, the MiddleEast, South America, and theUnited States. The top honour,the Premier’s Award, goes tothe business that embodies theAlberta Advantage by exhibit-ing overall outstanding leader-ship and leadership in thebusiness community. TheExport Award recognizes out-standing achievement inexporting products, services,and technology beyond Albertaborders.

STEWART, JAMES (JIM) R. (Civil ’71) PEng

was reappointedto the 2003 Boardof Directors ofConsultingEngineers ofAlberta. This is

his fourth year on the Board.Mr. Stewart is senior vice presi-dent, manager for NorthernAlberta, and market sectorleader for the earth and watersector of UMA EngineeringLtd. He supervises 400 peoplein Northern Alberta and serveson the executive committee forUMA on the national level.

Kudos


VAN ANDEL, JOHN(Civil ’84) PEng

accepted theAward of Meritfor WaterResources, EnergyProduction at thisyear’s Showcase

Awards, hosted by theConsulting Engineers ofAlberta. His employer, UMAEngineering, was recognizedfor the stormwater manage-ment project at EdmontonAirport. This $6 million pro-ject included storm sewerinstallations underneath theairport taxiway and runway,extensive channel excavation, a300,000 cubic metre detentionfacility, and a sub-surface wet-land treatment center. Mr. VanAndel is project manager withUMA Engineering and workedas design engineer on theEdmonton Airports project.

VAN CAMP, KEVIN(Mechanical ’80) PEng

was recentlyappointed asdevelopment engi-neer with GenicsInc, a developerand manufacturer

of wood preservatives and partof the ATCO Group. Mr. VanCamp brings 20 years of expe-

rience in commercial, researchand institutional building ser-vices, and industrial equip-ment, process and plant designand construction.

WATT, DAVID(Civil ’78) PEng

serves on theBoard ofConsultingEngineers ofAlberta. Mr. Wattis principal of

D. A. Watt Consulting Group.

WIART, DENIS(Mechanical ’93)PEnghas joined ECO-Technica as aprincipal andmanager of

mechanical engineering. Mr.Wiart has worked in a widerange of industries includingpower generation, chemical pro-duction, pharmaceuticals, andaerospace technology andbrings extensive experience indetail design, project and quali-ty management. He will leadECO-Technica’s growth in themechanical disciplines. ECO-Technica is located inEdmonton and offers engineer-ing and project services.

YAMADA, MIKE(MEng Environmental ’91) PEng

accepted theAward ofExcellence inWater Resources,EnergyProduction at this

year’s Showcase Awards hostedby the Consulting Engineers ofAlberta. Mr. Yamada’s employ-er, UMA Engineering, was rec-ognized for the Gold BarWastewater Treatment Plant—Biological Nutrient RemovalRetrofit Project for the City ofEdmonton. This $18 millionproject included a full-scaleapplication of technology in ahostile environment and theapplication of new technologyto a plant that provided con-siderable physical challenges.Remarkably, it was completedin 15 months. UMA was the prime consultant on theproject; Stantec and MagnaEngineering were sub-consul-tants. Mr. Yamada is environ-mental process engineer withUMA Engineering and servedas process engineer on theGold Bar project.

in memoriamThe Faculty of Engineering sin-cerely regrets the passing of thefollowing alumni and friends.

Austin, Eric (Chemical ’32) Brooke, Edward Hugh (Chemical ’42)Coote, G. F. (Bud) (Civil ’40)Donovan, Joseph (Electrical ’49)Edwards, Milton C. (Electrical ’37)Grant, Norman Angus (Mining ’42)Hiller, Walter (Civil ’43)Holte, Donald Ervin (Mechanical ’63)Hope, Dr. Gordon (Electrical ’57)Kennedy, Elmer (Chemical ’50)Knight, Ronald James (Civil ’49)Meckelborg, Ewald (Wally) (MEng Civil ’72)

Prokopy, Peter (Civil ’39)Scott, Wallace (Electrical ’68)Wyld, Richard Charles (Civil ’51, MSc Civil ’58)

for the record(missed memoriams)

The Faculty of Engineering wasrecently made aware that thefollowing alumni passed awaymore than a year ago.

Anderson, Allen Richard D. (Electrical ’63)

Little, Earl Edward (Mining ’49)Young, J. Ross (Electrical ’51)

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E-mail, fax or post this information to [email protected] (780) 492-0500E6-050 Engineering Teaching & Learning ComplexEdmonton, Alberta T6G 2V4

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[email protected]


Civil

Hughes, Ralph

(Chemical ’61, MSc Civil ’63)

An old friend and U of A gradu-ate and PEng, G. F. (Bud) Coote(Civil ’40) passed away lastweek. He was an accomplishedman. (Received February 6,2003.)

Computer Engineering

Bhasin, Sunny (Computer ’02)

Shortly after graduation, I start-ed a company, The BhasinGroup, with fellow ComputerEngineering alumni. Primarypartners include LindseyGeorge, Sameer Hirji, JeffBazinet and me.

The company gives us a basefrom which to launch products,in the hopes that one or morewill take off. To this end, we arecurrently involved in variousprojects. For more informationsee www.bhasingroup.com, orcontact me anytime [email protected].

@ualberta.caengineer.alum

Electrical Engineering

Braun, Darcy (MSc Electrical ’96)

I joined Operation TechnologyInc. (OTI) in 1996 after com-pleting my MSc in ElectricalEngineering. After seven years, I am still at OTI working as senior electrical engineer inLake Forest, California. OTIdevelops and markets the ETAPfamily of products, used by elec-trical engineers to design andanalyze electrical power sys-tems. Friends can contact me [email protected].

Does, Mark D. (Electrical ’91,

MSc Electrical ’93, PhD

Biomedical Engineering ’97)

After graduation I did a post-doc at Yale University from1997 to 1999. I served as associ-ate research scientist (this is aresearch-track faculty position)in Diagnostic Radiology at YaleUniversity School of Medicinefrom 1999-2001, then as assis-tant professor from 2001-2002.

From September 2002 to presentI have been an assistant profes-

sor, biomedical engineering, atVanderbilt University.

There are no real family develop-ments. I'm not really in the engi-neering profession—more of theacademic profession (researchand teaching). I'm proud to befrom U of A because of its veryhigh standards in education andresearch. Considering that I onlywent to U of A because I hap-pened to live in St. Albert, I feelquite fortunate.

Freeman, James (Electrical ’89,

MSc Electrical ’91)

I recently returned from theCzech Republic, where, with ahandful of other U of A gradu-ates, I formed part of an ex-patteam that helped start up a newmobile cell phone company. Iwas in Prague from late 1999until May 2002, and becamedirector of service developmentand pricing. In that role, my

team brought 13 products tomarket in 17 months, a toughchallenge in a young companywith inexperienced staff.

My wife Sandra and I are backfrom travels in Europe lastspring/early summer, and I amnow doing strategic planningand project management consulting from my university-area home. I am also activelytraining for the upcomingtriathlon season, and have

resumed instruction of the uni-versity-area karate club. I may bereached at [email protected].

Palladino, Tony (Electrical ’77)

In a effort to give back a little—to the U of A and to the electricindustry—after 26 years, I servedon the organizing committee forthe U of A sponsored DistributedGeneration seminar on February20 and 21. Go to www.ee.ualberta.ca/pwrsys/topics.html for moreinformation. This seminar wasimportant because there aremore and more smaller genera-tors connecting to distributionsystems (lower voltage systems).This is a change from the past.For orderly development—whichis in the public interest—we needto develop standards.

Petroleum Engineering

Dyer, Steve (Petroleum ’87, MSc

Petroleum ’89)

I work for EnCana as the manag-er of environmental and regula-tory affairs for the BuzzardDevelopment Project in the U.K.North Sea, based out of London.I have been living here for thepast three years with my wifeCheryl and son Mitchell. We arehaving a great time in the U.K.and look forward to spending afew more years in London andmaybe Aberdeen. My career con-tinues to evolve every three years,varying among engineering,operations, and other. Cheers,Steve.

Dr. Sid Simmonds is attempting to compile a history of the

Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) and is

anxious to hear from former participants in these races.

The University of Alberta was one of four engineering

educational institutions competing in the first GNCTR in

1974 and has participated in every race since. The second

and subsequent races were organized by the competing

students themselves—a truly remarkable achievement,

but one that prevented the keeping of continuous records.

Sid asks you to submit the year you competed, the name

of the host institution, the race location, the name of the

winning team, and other information of interest (such as

photos, copies of race rules, or other any memorable

or unique aspects of that race). Contact Sid at

[email protected] .ca.

Calling All GNCTR Alumni


Chemical ’58 – 45th Reunion

A reunion dinner for the class of ChemicalEngineering ’58 will take place in Calgary onFriday, September 19. Contact class organiz-er Don Thurston for further information.

Edmonton Alumni Reception

Graduates from Chemical, Materials andMetallurgical Engineering who reside in theEdmonton area are invited to an alumnireception at the Faculty Club in November. For a specific date and time check www.engineering.ualberta.ca/alumni.

Fall Convocation

Fall Convocation for Engineering graduateswill take place November 20. For furtherinformation contact Linda Arndt at (780)492-2376.

Toronto Regional Alumni and Friends Reception

Toronto alumni are invited to a reception in September. For a specific date and time check www. engineering.ualberta.ca/alumni.

Victoria Regional Alumni Tea

Victoria alumni and friends are invited to atea on Wednesday, October 29 from2:00–4:00 p.m. For location checkwww.engineering.ualberta.ca/alumni.

Vancouver Alumni Reception

The Vancouver alumni and friends receptionwill be held on Thursday, October 30, from5:30–7:30 p.m. For location checkwww.engineering.ualberta.ca/alumni.

EventsAlumni

The University of Alberta willhost Reunion Days fromOctober 2–5, 2004. The Dean’sreception will be October 3, theDean’s Brunch will be October 4and Engineering Open Houseand Dean’s Forum will beOctober 4.

AlumniReunion

Days

The second annual Ottawa Regional alumni and friends reception was held February 10at the Westin Ottawa. Host Rene (Moose) Morin (Mining ’59), along with his wifeDoris, welcomed 40 alumni and introduced the Dean, David Lynch, PhD. Dr. Lynchspoke about the great students, teachers and researchers, and new infrastructure at theU of A, and gave an update on the NaturalResources Engineering Facility (NREF), cur-rently under construction. The Dean issueda personal invitation to all to visit Edmontonand tour NREF once it’s completed.

Special guests included Francis Lionnetand Robert Roy, representing the NaturalSciences and Engineering Research Council,and Dr. Lloyd Pinkney (Engineering Physics’52), an early researcher on the Canada Armused on the space shuttle.

Ottawa A l u m n i R e c e p t i o n

Errors and OmissionsApologies to Dr. Vermeulen for the following errorsin photo captions in issue 10. The picture identifiedas having been taken on the Mountain River, NWT,actually depicts the Camsell River, between GreatBear Lake and Great Slave Lake, NWT (1989). Thepicture identified as the Starlight Range, WillmoreWilderness, Alberta, actually depicts The FritziLakes, Willmore Wilderness, Alberta.

In last issue’s [email protected], we incor-rectly identified Roman Z. Zaputowycz as a graduateof Electrical ’57. Make that ’56.

National ProfessionalPractice ExamsThe Association of ProfessionalEngineers, Geologists andGeophysicists of Alberta has set thedeadlines for registration for thenational professional practiceexams. The deadlines are June 3 forthe exam on July 21, and September1 for the exam on October 20. Goto www.apegga.org for furtherinformation.

Petrochem Expo 2003The Petrochem Expo will take placeSeptember 18 and 19 in WesternerPark in Red Deer. The show includespetrochemical, petroleum, pipeline,and refining equipment and services.Contact Linda McCaffrey, director,Uniglobe International ExhibitionsLtd., phone (403) 258-0705, fax (403) 258-0745 or [email protected] formore information.

Fourth InternationalConference on ComputerApplications in theMinerals Industries The fourth InternationalConference on ComputerApplications in the MineralsIndustries will be held September8–10 in Calgary. Deadline for on-line publication of manuscriptsis July 15. The contact for abstractsis Dr. Raj K. Singhal, P.O. Box68002, Crowfoot Postal Outlet, 28Crowfoot Terrace NW, Calgary, Alberta, T3G 1YOCanada, fax: (403) 241-9460, e-mail: [email protected] official CAMI 2003 website iswww.cami2003.com.

BulletinBoard

Dates to Remember

Moose Morin, left, and Dr. Gary Lindberg.

Your donation$75.00 $100.00 $500.00 $1,000.00to the U of A:

Your tax savings$27.00 $39.00 $195.00 $390for your gift:

CD Howe winners from left to right: John Cotton, Aaron Hryciw, Katherine Huggons, Tim Poon, Agnes Yuen, and Colm Ryan.

Faculty of EngineeringUniversity of AlbertaE6-050 Engineering Teaching & Learning ComplexEdmonton, AB T6G 2V4

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If you are an Alberta resident on December 31, 2002 and havealready given $200 elsewhere, your combined income tax savingswill be:

I would like my gift to support:

$ __________ Faculty of Engineering in support of undergraduate student projects, new educational initiatives in all disciplines, and general student life enhancement activities.

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Please return to: Office of the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta,E6-050 Engineering Teaching & Learning Complex, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2V4

ENGINEERINGU n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a

The Formula SAE is one example of anundergraduate student project you could support as a donor. This project provides students with valuable hands-on experienceapplying their textbook education to a real-world engineering design problem. The skillsacquired not only include engineeringdesign, drafting, and optimization, but also project administration, communication,

cooperation, problem solving, time manage-ment, and mentorship. Costs of this projectare considerable; thus, project sponsorsbecome an essential component of theteam's success. Sponsors not only providethe team with much-needed funds and men-torship, but also provide product, technicaladvice and public exposure.

David M. Petis

Assistant Dean

External Relations

Faculty of Engineering

University of Alberta

E6-050 Engineering Teaching &

Learning Complex

Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4

Tel: 780.492.5080

Fax: 780.492.0500

E-mail: [email protected]

Help support student projects

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M03057 Eng. MAG