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ENGMAGsfall06.qxd 9/25/06 12:04 PM Page 1 F ALL 2006 WWW. ENGINEERING. UALBERTA. CA Keeping in Touch with Alumni Following the Family Flight Plan Reagan Williams (Mechanical ’92) and his father and company founder, A.D. Williams Plug and Play the Oil Game Poisson's Ratio PCL: The Pooled Collective Invested With Success ENGMAGsfall06.qxd 9/25/06 12:04 PM Page 2 Message from the Engineering Faculty of ENGINEERING Representative on the University University of Alberta of Alberta Alumni Council Vision To be one of the largest and most accomplished s Engineering representative on the U of A Alumni Council, I will represent engineering teaching and A thousands of my fellow graduates, as well as our collective interests. What does research centres, a leader in it matter if we stay in touch with the Faculty of Engineering and our classmates? How North America. important are alumni to the University? We are a source of inspiration and motivation Mission To prepare top for students, staff, and administration. Our pictures hang on the walls quality engineering professionals, so that current students have a constant reminder that it is possible to conduct world-leading to pass and move into this proud career. Names of alumni and their research, and to celebrate the various corporations are on buildings and classrooms and walls— first-class reputation and constant reminders of the success our education has brought us. outstanding accomplishments What can you do to show appreciation to the Faculty of Engineering? of alumni. Start by showing up at Reunion Weekend. It will be a fabulous oppor- Values Dedication, integrity, tunity to network. In my life, I can truly say that the most important professionalism, and excellence part, so far, has been the people I meet and the friends I make. I need you to be involved; in teaching, research, and service otherwise my voice on Alumni Council will carry little weight. Why should you do this? to the global economy and Because you were asked. community. Yours truly, Jim Funk (Mechanical ’86) President, Lubex Enterprises Ltd. Edmonton, AB NEW to www.engineering.ualberta.ca by Rusti Lehay Cultural Diversity Engineer hen Peter Janele (PhD Mechanical ’88) entered engineering, he W discovered that oil exploration was a bit more complex than he thought. As international team leader of reservoir modelling and To read the complete article, log characterization for Chevron, Janele has learned firsthand that oil onto www.engineering.ualberta.ca exploration can pose cultural and political challenges as well as tech- nical ones. Janele’s work has taken him around the world, including a five-year stint in Indonesia and four years in Kuwait. Meet a “cul- tural diversity” engineer online at www.engineering.ualberta.ca. 2 U of A Engineer ENGMAGsfall06.qxd 9/25/06 12:04 PM Page 3 Table Fall 2006 of Contents FEATURES COVER STORY 6 Advocate for Africa 18 Following the Representing Engineers Without Borders, Family Flight Plan Rachel Maser (Mechanical [Co-op] ’05) is Reagan Williams working in southern Malawi, Africa. She (Mechanical ’92) takes over has been actively involved in a combina- the pilot's seat at A.D. tion of engineering and development Williams, an Edmonton- projects. More importantly, she provides based engineering firm. local people with training, financial man- When founded by his father, 18 agement skills, and motivation. Allen, in 1978, the firm 11 Poisson’s Ratio focused on mechanical and forensic engineering. But to In 1986, Pierre Crevolin (Metallurgical ’70) meet demand, the company and his colleagues created a liner to put soon expanded to include into steel pipelines to avoid the broad spectrum of engi- the extreme corrosion caused neering disciplines.This by saltwater when the pipe is full-service shop now put in the ground. This employs more than 130 “elastic band” approach to people at offices in inserting a plastic liner into a Edmonton, Red Deer, steel pipeline became the 30 Winnipeg, Calgary, and strength of United Pipeline Yellowknife. Systems Inc. (UPSI). Industry responded. UPSI soon took 90 21 Plug and Play the Oil Game DEPARTMENTS percent of the market share, 11 Bruce McGee (Electrical ’80, MEng 5 Letter to the Editor all thanks to Poisson’s Ratio. Electrical ’84, PhD Electrical ’98) solved an 14 Invested With Success electro-thermal problem that had 17 Engineer.alum@ plagued practitioners for years: the finite When asked about memorable moments ualberta.ca length electrode problem. Essentially, in their lives, few people would cite the 24 Virtual Engineer McGee discovered how to efficiently time the mystery of electromagnetic transfer heat between electrodes, making Meet Ross Ulan (Electrical ’84), theory was unravelled for them. But that single, mesmerizing idea feasible. His doing voice communications with Jimmy Hsu (Electrical ’75) is no ordinary life’s hard work has culminated into the NAV CANADA in Greely, Ontario. person. Born in Singapore, Hsu came to Electro-Thermal Dynamic Stripping the U of A in the early 1970s on a 30 Cross Hairs on History Process (ET-DSP™), McGee’s patented Canadian government scholarship and is Follow the history of engineering process. now one of Asia’s most knowledgeable in Alberta and Canada from 1909 private equity investors. 26 PCL: The Pooled Collective to the 1950s. One hundred year-old PCL Construction 37 Kudos has been impacting the landscape in billion-dollar ways over the last century. 39 In memoriam 14 Despite the highly competitive, high-risk nature of construction, this western- rooted company has more than 500 projects across North America in progress at any one time. Fred Russell (Civil ’72) and Nadine Harder (Civil ’81) are two of PCL employees and shareowners. 26 U of A Engineer 3 ENGMAGsfall06.qxd 9/25/06 12:04 PM Page 4 EngineerUofA Fall 2006 Issue 21 U of A Engineer is the Faculty Message of Engineering alumni magazine. It is published three times from a year by the Dean’s Office and the is distributed to Faculty of Engineering alumni, friends, Editor and staff. Dean of Engineering David T. Lynch It is my pleasure to introduce a new colleague, Jim Sellers, who (PhD Chemical ’82), PEng is development and communications coordinator for Electrical Assistant Dean, External Relations and Computer Engineering (ECE). Sellers has put together a David M. Petis four-page discipline-specific insert for this magazine. If you are External Relations Team a graduate of Electrical and Computer Engineering you have Mandi Cronin, Matt Ferguson, Peggy Hansen, Allyson Haug, received a special issue of U of A Engineer Ana Herrera, Katherine Irwin, Leanne Nickel, Jim Sellers, with this insert. and Laurie Shinkaruk. Publisher/Managing Editor This insert features an intriguing device that Sherrell Steele will regrow teeth naturally, using ultrasound. Copy Editor This low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) Scott Rollans device is the creation of Dr. Jie Chen of the Art Direction Department of Electrical and Computer Halkier + Dutton Strategic Design Engineering. Contributing writers and photographers The insert introduces another professor, Dr. Blue Fish Studios, Michael Chomitsch, Andrea Collins, Chris Backhouse, who is finding new methods of making health Phoebe Dey, Engineers Without Borders, Joan Galat, Don technologies more accessible through miniaturization and inte- Hammond Photography Ltd., gration. He is directly tackling the problem of incorrect medical Tom Keyser, Rusti Lehay, Dr. Bruce McGee, PCL, Richard diagnosis. Siemens, TIF Ventures, University of Alberta Archives, Bruce White. You will also be introduced to Kenneth Chau, a doctoral student Send your comments to: Sherrell Steele working at the Ultrafast Photonics and Nano-optics Laboratory Faculty of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Chau is redefining the E6-050 Engineering Teaching & Learning Complex understanding and applications for terahertz (THz) light— University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 invisible light whose frequency lies between that of far infrared Tel: 780.492.4514 or 1.800.407.8354 and microwave radiation. Fax: 780.492.0500 E-mail: If you a graduate of a discipline other than ECE and interested [email protected] Website: in this insert, please contact me at [email protected] http://www.engineering.ualberta.ca I hope you enjoy this special insert. In fact, I hope you enjoy all the content in fall issue of the magazine. Feedback is always Publications Mail Agreement welcome. Contact me at 780.492.4514 or at No. 40051128 [email protected]. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta E6-050 Engineering Teaching & Learning Complex Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 e-mail: [email protected] 4 U of A Engineer ENGMAGsfall06.qxd 9/25/06 12:04 PM Page 5 Dear Editor: am writing in reference to the article, true. The writer suggests Halifax LV 907 a myriad of other bits and pieces. However, I “Restoring NA337, A Labour of Love.” (Friday the 13th), located in Yorkshire the bottom line is that this is not a restored More specifically, I am responding to the England is a Halifax Bomber fully restored Halifax, as no part of it originates from letter to the editor in your last edition. The to WWII condition. This is neither true nor LV907. letter was written by Ken E. Townend correct. Townend refers to the remains of (Electrical ’55). Townend suggests errors in The Yorkshire re-creation of a Halifax Halifax Wl048, a Mk II Bomber recovered three places that are misleading and can Bomber shares its roots with us. It started from a fiord, as being an intact Halifax. confuse the real circumstances. I would when the McKenzie family of Stomaway, The remains of this aircraft were recovered like to present our case and point of view Isle of Lewis, purchased two Halifax rear with the intention of restoring it.