Preliminary Schedule - Highlights

Pre-Conference Social Activity

The University of Manitoba campus is fortunate to also be the home of Princess Auto Stadium which is the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers professional football team, the Valour FC professional soccer team, and the Manitoba Bisons university football team. Valour FC has a home game on the afternoon of Sunday, July 7^th. Your registration package includes a complimentary ticket to this game. We hope you will join us on Sunday afternoon (4:00 pm) to enjoy a Canadian Premier League game inside our beautiful stadium.

Networking Opportunities

Conferences are as much about networking as they are about learning new technical information. A Welcome Reception is planned at the Canad Inns Fort Garry on Sunday evening immediately following the Valour FC game. An outdoor BBQ is planned at Princess Auto Stadium on Monday evening and the Awards Banquet will be at the Pinnacle Club (Princess Auto Stadium) on Tuesday evening.

Keynote & Invited Speakers

Monday, July 8, 2024

Plenary 1 - INVITED SPEAKERS
“Wicked Problem #1: Plastic Pollution”

We are on the Horns of a Dilemma with the problem of plastic. We are fully dependent on this miraculous substance that also poses a mountain of problems regarding microplastic and solid waste pollution. Carefully engineered over the last century to meet goals of strength, flexibility, solvent and UV resistance, selective gas exclusion and many other traits, plastic is ubiquitous in our material world. Yet, it is so inexpensive that of the 785 million tonnes produced this year, we will throw away 580 million tonnes. Efforts to “simply recycle” have been exposed as largely wishful thinking. Recycling mainly targets packaging – and achieves only a small portion of that, at significant carbon cost. The chemistry of recycling reveals very limited re-melt cycles and unsolved problems with producing safe food-grade recyclate. The newly heralded “advanced recycling” (pyrolysis) requires catalytic cracking and condensers to produce a monomer with a heavy economic and carbon footprint also resulting in PAH byproducts and halogen contaminated residues. Manufacturing economics favours virgin polymer selection: more expensive and less versatile recycled plastic is competing with virgin polymers (which have never been cheaper). This Plenary session will delve into the wicked problem posed by plastic dependance and pose possible solutions. It will explain why the current “Blue Box” system does not work for plastic materials, and explore how synthetic biology, process engineering, composting and entomology can be combined to develop new strategies for plastic degradation.

• Dr. Joe Ackerman (University of Manitoba)
  Presentation Title: “Rethinking plastic recycling: a comparison between North America and Europe”
  
  
• Dr. David Levin (University of Manitoba)
  Presentation Title: “Microbial and enzymatic degradation of plastics”
  
  Bio: David B. Levin is a Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering, at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Levin received a Bachelor degree in Environmental Studies (BEs) at the University of Waterloo in 1977, a Master of Science (MSc) from the University of Guelph (in Entomology) in 1979, and a Doctorate (PhD) from McGill University (Virology) in 1987. His research is focused on biotechnologies for sustainability including biofuels, biodegradable polymers, bioremediation, microbial and enzymatic degradation of synthetic polymers, and microbial production of antioxidants. His research is multidisciplinary and integrates microbiology, biotechnology, and genome sciences with bioprocess and biosystems engineering.
  
  
• Dr. Bryan Cassone (Brandon University)
  Presentation Title: “Can insects solve the plastic pollution problem?

Plenary 2 - PANEL DISCUSSION
“Wicked Problem #2: Healthcare: Is there a role for engineering?”

Panelists:

• Dr. Jacquie Ripat, Professor (Occupational Therapy) & Vice-Dean (Academic Affairs)
• Ms. Sarah Kelso, Clinical Engineer, Shared Health
• Mr. Trever Gascoyne, CEO, Orthopaedic Innovation Centre
• Dr. Song Liu, Professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba
• Ms. Hunter Loewen, Medical doctor

Plenary 3 - INVITED SPEAKERS
“Wicked Problem #3: Sustainable Agricultural Production”

• Mr. Erron Leafloor, Manager, Advanced Engineering, Buhler Versatile
  Presentation Title: “The future of field power on Canadian farms”
  
  Bio: Erron Leafloor obtained a degree in Biosystems Engineering and has worked in several roles in the agricultural machinery sector including Product Validation Engineer with CNH Industrial, Design Engineer for seeding and tillage tools with CNH Industrial, Product Manager for production innovation with AGI, Product Manager for tillage with Buhler Versatile, Product Manager for telematics with Buhler Versatile, and his current role of Manager of Advanced Engineering with Buhler Versatile.
  
  
• Mr. Perry Klassen, MacDon Industries
  Presentation Title: “Advancements in Harvesting: A Prairie Perspective”
  
  Bio: Perry Klassen serves as the Product Manager at MacDon Industries, where he oversees the goals and expectations of the electronic and software features for the company's products. Hailing from a family farm in southern Manitoba, Perry holds a degree in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba. Leveraging his deep-rooted passion for agriculture and engineering, he actively contributes to shaping product strategies and crafting innovative solutions to address the evolving needs of customers.
  
  
• Mr. Darcy Cook, JCA Technologies
  Presentation Title: “The role of autonomous machines in sustainable agricultural production”
  
  Bio: Darcy Cook is the General Manager at JCA Technologies, where he leads the team of about 200 people in the development and deployment of autonomous agricultural machine control systems. JCA was purchased by AGCO Corporation in May of 2022, enabling the expansion of JCA’s OEM business towards retrofit autonomous solutions that can deliver value directly to farmers. Most recently a joint venture between AGCO and Trimble was announced where JCA will join with Trimble Ag group to further accelerate the deployment of agricultural autonomous systems. Darcy has more than 20 years experience in the development of electronics and software systems across various industries, including space systems (satellites), medical equipment (MRI), and off-highway mobile machines. Darcy holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba, and an MBA from the Asper School of Business.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Plenary 4: INVITED SPEAKERS
“Wicked Problem #4: Generative AI”

• Dr. Nancy Nelson, P.Eng., Director – Teaching Innovation, Conestoga College
  Presentation Title: “Generative AI – From Threat to Thought”
  
  Bio: Nancy Nelson is an award-winning educator with over 30 years in the Canadian post-secondary system. An engineer by profession, she is currently the Director of Teaching Innovation at Conestoga. Her current research areas include harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom, the educational development of STEM educators, and the effective and efficient use of educational technologies in the classroom. Nancy is nationally recognized for her educational leadership both in and beyond the classroom. She’s been awarded Engineers Canada’s Medal for Distinction in Engineering Education, Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Leadership Excellence Award for Faculty, and most recently a 3M National Teaching Fellowship by the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).

Plenary 5: INVITED SPEAKERS
“Wicked Problem #5: Truth & Reconciliation: An Engineering Perspective”

• Mr. Randy Herrmann, Director, Engineering Access Program, University of Manitoba
  
  Bio: Randy is the Director of the Engineering Access Program (ENGAP) at the University of Manitoba. ENGAP is a support program designed to assist First Nation, Metis and Inuit students seeking an engineering degree. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geological Engineering. For ten years he worked as a geotechnical engineer and a project manager before taking on his current role. Over the years Randy’s work with Canadian Indigenous communities and within the engineering field has shown him the lack of engineers of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit ancestry and the obstacles faced by these students to obtain a degree. His desire to help change these factors and make it easier for Indigenous students to pursue an engineering degree led him to become Director of ENGAP, a position he has held since 1998. He is a Fellow of Engineers Canada, and a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is also a member of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba.
• Dr. Jillian Seniuk Cicek, Assistant Professor, Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba
  
  Bio: Dr. Jillian Seniuk Cicek is a settler and Assistant Professor in the Centre for Engineering Professional Practice and Engineering Education in the Price Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. Her research in engineering education explores the integration of Indigenous knowledges and worldviews with engineering curricula and the impact on student learning; sociotechnical thinking; pedagogical practices; student engineering identity and competency development; and the development of engineering education research in Canada. She is motivated by the translation of research into practice to improve engineering curricula and advance engineering education research as a field. She teaches technical communication, decolonized engineering, career design, and engineering education and research courses. She has three wonderful adult kids, three fur babies, and one amazing husband. When she’s not working, she plays ringette with a group of neighbourhood moms on a team called, The Awesomes!
  
  
• Ms. Ella Morris, Instructor, Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba
  
  Bio: Ella Morris is an Instructor and Métis Indigenous scholar in the Department of Biosystems Engineering (Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences) at the University of Manitoba. She holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (University of Manitoba, 2017) and a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (University of Manitoba, 2020). Ella is working toward a Ph.D. studying bluff bodies in the Turbulence and Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Mark Tachie. She teaches fluid mechanics, engineering design, decolonizing engineering, and thesis. She is a lifelong learner who enjoys teaching and helping students succeed. Ella enjoys the challenge of finding ways to take complex ideas and turn them into simple concepts. Ella has a wonderful husband and four kids aged 3 to 14 years. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time outdoors in the garden.