The South Central Branch of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) are pleased to announce the results of the 9th Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge Contest, held at the Trades and Technology Centre at TRU on Saturday March 3rd 2012. 

The contest features the loading of bridges built using 100 Popsicle sticks and wood glue that span 500 mm. This competition is held each year to have fun, celebrate National Engineering and Geoscience Week in Canada, and to raise awareness of the engineering program offered at TRU.

Seventy (70) bridges were entered by aspiring bridge builders in the elementary school category. Participating schools included A E Perry, Aberdeen, Bert Edwards, Clearwater, Lloyd George, McGowan Park, Pacific Way, Parkview, Skeetchestn Community School and South Sa-Hali.  Ten year old Julia Fabbro-Smith from Lloyd George won the category with a bridge that carried an impressive 107.8 kg (238 lbs).  The Polar Bear, Falcon, Fox and Moose Lodges of Scouts Canada also entered bridges.
Thirteen (13) entries were entered in the secondary school category. Twelve were from the Grade 11 physics class at Sa-Hali Secondary, however, a bridge built in Australia by Sarah Purvis and shipped to Canada specifically for the event won the category with a bridge that supported 168.1 kg (371 lbs).

Of the seven (7) entries in the open category, a bridge built by Ryan Watson and Kieren O’Neil carried the highest load: 316.7 kg (699 lbs). This was the highest load of all the bridges tested this year.
In the corporate category, intended to promote friendly competition and rivalry amongst the local engineering firms, a bridge built by Andrew Watson carried a load of 249.7 kg (551 lbs), enough to retain the silver stein for another year.
The top three bridges in each category were:

The organizers would like to thank the following sponsors of the event:

The 10th annual Popsicle Stick Bridge competition will be held in March 2012, at Thompson Rivers University.  We hope to see you there.  For more information please contact:

Andrew Watson, PEng                                                                             Normand Fortier PEng
APEGBC - South Central Branch                                                             Thompson Rivers University
Office:  374-5252                                                                                     Office:  828-5000          
Email:  watson@direct.ca                                                                       Email:  nfortier@tru.ca

Kamloops Curling Club
700 Victoria Street
Kamloops, BC V2C 2B6
Click here to see a GOOGLE MAP of our location

$25 before February 21st.  Late registration $30 as of February 22nd. 
(Buffet dinner with refreshments and dessert is included).

Jim Whittakker, Project Manager

Mr. Whittaker joined the Abacus team in late 2008, coming from the CRU Strategies regional office in Santiago de Chile, where his work was focused on business improvement for their mining sector clients. James was the leader of the Performance Improvement practice area, and he lead consulting projects in the realms of operational asset productivity, risk evaluation in strategic mine planning, and the audit of Greenfield and Brownfield capital investments.

Prior to this, James worked for the Placer Dome group for 15 years, and during that time he held responsibility for process operations in copper, gold and molybdenum operations in Canada and Chile, and continually enhanced shareholder value through improvements in operational productivity, project start-up, and resource protection.”Hope to see you all out there.

Mineral Exploration in Southern British Columbia and the Kamloops Area
This talk will be presented by Jim Britton, P.Geo, Regional Geologist for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operation.

Hope to see you all out there.

Ever wanted to try your hand at Frisbee Golf?  The South Central Branch is organizing a night of Frisbee Golf (Frolf) and Après Frolf fun at Mcrackens Pub.We will be meeting at the City of Kamloops Rose Hill Frisbee golf course at 6:00 pm on September 7th.  We will play nine holes, or however many you wish, and then meet up down the hill for drinks and eats.

For those of you that have never tried Frisbee golf, or are concerned about your throwing ability, we have just the thing.  A local expert has volunteered his services to do a bit of an introduction to frisbee golf.  He can give you a few pointers before letting you loose on the course.  We will also have lots of Discs (Frisbees) available for those that do not have one of their own. Hope to see you all out there!

Date/Time:

Thursday, June 9, 2011
5:30 – 6:00pm – Cocktails and networking
6:00 – 6:15pm – Branch business & announcements
6:15 – 6:45pm – Select choice dinner (View Dinner Menu)
6:45 – 7:30pm – Presentation by Ian Tomm, Executive Director of the Canadian Avalanche Association
7:30 – 8:00pm – Message from Jeff Holm, P.Eng., Vice-President APEGBC
8:00 pm  - Closing

Hoodoos at Sun Rivers
1000 Clubhouse Drive
Kamloops, British Columbia
Canada, V2H 1T9  

We will have three presentations at this dinner event.

Professional Avalanche Risk Management in Canada – A 100 year history

Ian Tomm, Executive Director of the Canadian Avalanche Association, will present a 45 minute talk on professional avalanche risk management in Canada: how it started, its evolution over time and where it is today. Jeff Holm, P.Eng., Vice-President and President-elect for APEGBC will also be in attendance to give us an update on current and upcoming events and issues for APEGBC. At the meeting we will also provide a brief recap of 2010/2011 South Central Branch activities and will invite interested members to assist the executive group for the upcoming year.

APEGBC Vice President’s Update on Council initiatives and the Association

APEGBC Vice President, Jeff Holm, P.Eng. will speak to us and take your questions regarding current APEGBC affairs including an update on Council initiatives and the Association.

Jeff Holm, P.Eng.
Mr. Holm is a Senior Engineer with MMM Group, a Canadian and international company that provides multidisciplinary engineering solutions for a diverse range of assignments.  Serving his third term on APEGBC Council, Mr. Holm has acted as Chair for numerous Association initiatives, including the Governance Committee, Registration Committee, and Limited Licence Registration Task Force.  He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia.

South Central Branch Yearly Recap
At the meeting we will also provide a brief recap of 2010/2011 South Central Branch activities and will invite interested members to assist the executive group for the upcoming year.  If you are unable to attend the dinner event, but would like to get involved with the south Central Branch, please contact the current South Central Branch Chair – Matt Davis, at mdavis@urban-systems.com.

View Dinner Menu

$40 for members and guests who pre-register on-line at APEGBC.
$45 for late registrations at the door.

Date/Time:

Saturday, June 4th, 2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Work Party (Please bring appropriate clothing and footwear)
12:00pm – 1:00 pm – BBQ Lunch
1:00 pm  - Site Tour

The South Central Branch of APEGBC is proud to support the McQueen Lake Environmental Education Centre and is inviting APEGBC members and their families and guests to a Work Party, Site Tour, and BBQ.  This excellent facility is located in a diverse landscape just 17 km north of Kamloops and we will be assisting with some general improvements around the site (e.g., raking leaves, stacking wood, painting, etc.).  As a reward, we will be treated to a BBQ and tour of some of the unique, environmentally-minded facilities used at the McQueen Lake site.  These include the solar power system, composting toilets, and high-efficiency wood boiler used at the site.

We look forward to you joining us for this excellent opportunity to support an exciting facility right in our own backyard!

About McQueen Lake:
The McQueen Lake Environmental Education Centre is located 16.5 km northwest of Kamloops, B.C. on an easily accessible gravel road. The Centre is surrounded by mature Douglas fir forests, wetlands, and grasslands, making it one of the richest, most versatile, and exciting centers of its kind. The facility is one of few in the province that operates under the jurisdiction of the school district. Annually, thousands of students have the opportunity to enjoy the overnight and day-centre facilities, learning in a classroom with no boundaries and unlimited possibilities.

No charge but we will be accepting donations to support the McQueen Lake Environmental Centre.

Date/Time:

October 6, 2010 at 7:00 PM

The South Central Branch of APEGBC, Thompson Rivers University and the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) are pleased to invite you to a presentation and building tour of the Green Dream Home Demonstration Project.  The Green Dream Home is a winning project in the CMHC EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative and features many innovative energy mitigation, recovery and generation devices.  This home is the main prize for the current YMCA Dream Home lottery fund raiser, the winning ticket will be drawn on November 25. 

*Note: The presentation and tour will be followed by a discussion with members of the Green Dream design and construction team.

Ben Giudici, PEng, Electronics and Engineering Dept, TRU
Dale Parkes, maibc, Architectural and Engineering Technology, TRU
Brian Hayashi, NexBuild Construction

  
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/66409.pdf
 
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/su/eqho/eqho_024.cfm?period=mh
 
http://ydreamhome.org/

No charge
There is no charge for this event but space is limited to the first 24 registrants and guests.  We are suggesting a $5 donation at the door to the South Central Scholarship Fund. Door prizes will be awarded.  

Details:

The South Central Branch is pleased to invite you to a behind the scenes tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine.

When:  Saturday May 29th, 2010  9:00am – 12:30 PM
Where: Highland Valley Copper Mine, Logan Lake, B.C (A map will be emailed to registered attendees prior to the tour date)
Registration:
Please Register Online
Cost:
No payment is required up front, but registration is required.  At the time of the tour we will ask that attendees contribute a $5 donation to the APEGBC South Central scholarship fund. 

Schedule:
9:00am – Sign in at HVC security building
9:10am – Take tour of valley pit
10:10am – Take tour of Tailings Facility and L-L Dam
11:30am – Take tour of Mill
12:30pm – Sign out
Direct any inquiries to esears@urban-systems.com
Promoting solidarity and well-being among Engineers and Geoscientists.

Subject Information:
Located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Highland Valley Copper is the largest open pit copper mine in Canada and is one of the largest in the world in terms of tonnage mined and milled. The operation employs approximately 900 people.

The pits are mined by conventional truck and shovel method on a 24-hour-a-day basis, 365 days a year. The Valley open-pit contains two in-pit crushers feeding a 12,000-tonnes per hour conveying system that delivers ore to stockpiles at the mill. The Lornex pit has a pit rim crushing/conveying system rated at 4,000-tonnes per hour.

The mill processes approximately 135,000-tonnes of ore per day to produce 1,000,000-pounds of copper per day and approximately 14,000-pounds of molybdemnum per day. Mill tailings are stored in a large tailings impoundment dam structure designed to withstand a factor 6.5 earthquake. Process water is recycled for re-use in the mill processes.

Details:

Dear Branch Members,

We are pleased to invite you to the next lunch meeting of the APEGBC South Central Branch.

Speaker: Mr. Ralph Adams, M.Sc, P.Ag.
Subject: BC Ministry of Environments Decision to grant Domtar a permit amendment to use low-level stacks in Kamloops
When: January 28, 2010 12:00 – 1:15 PM
Where: D’Agostino Restaurant
258 Victoria Street, Kamloops
Registration & more info
Register Online

Cost (including lunch and presentation)
In advance (online registration)      $18

Please note that there is limited seating available so please Register Online.

Schedule
12:00 Noon:  
Introductions
Lunch served
Speaker Introduction and Presentation

Direct any inquiries to esears@urban-systems.com
Promoting solidarity and well-being among Engineers and Geoscientists.

Subject Information
The  recent decision by the BC Ministry of Environment  to grant Domtar a permit amendment to use low-level stacks in Kamloops for  the pulp mill’s power boilers created media coverage,  public discussion, and an appeal of the amendment to the Environmental Appeal Board. Ralph Adams, M.Sc, P.Ag., a meteorologist with the BC Ministry of Environment in Kamloops, will speak briefly on Domtar’s proposal to the Ministry; discuss the atmospheric modelling used to support the decision; the current air quality measured in Kamloops, and the other factors used in the decision. Mr. Adams will also briefly discuss the role and jurisdiction of the Environmental Appeal Board, the government agency set up to receive and adjudicate appeals of government decisions around permits.

After graduating from UBC Mr. Adams has worked as a climatologist with  the BC Ministry of Forests, Research Branch, participating in many forest climate, reforestation and forest hydrology projects. Since 2000 he has been an Air Quality Meteorologist with the Environmental Quality Section. His roles there include the analysis of data from the air quality monitoring network, air quality assessment , supporting airshed planning,  and environmental impact assessment of air discharges.

Mr. Adams is also a member of the Tetra Society, a volunteer based charity that designs and builds assistive devices for people with disabilities ... and is looking for volunteers.


Matt Davis, P.Eng
Chair, APEGBC South Central Branch

Details:

Speaker: Mr. David Wise
Subject: Plan for the Holy Cities of Makkah, Madinah and Al-Mashaer
When: November 26, 2009 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Where: D’Agostino Restaurant 258 Victoria Street, Kamloops
RSVP: Register Online

Cost (including lunch and presentation):
In advance (online registration)      $18
Please note that there is limited seating available so please Register Online

Schedule:12:00 Noon:  
Introductions
Lunch served
Speaker Introduction and Presentation


Direct any inquiries to esears@urban-systems.com
Promoting solidarity and well-being among Engineers and Geoscientists.

Subject Information

David will present an introduction to the Comprehensive Plan for the Holy Cities of Makkah, Madinah and Al-Mashaer, Saudi Arabia, the issues and opportunities involved with rapid growth and cultural change, and lessons learned.

David has been with MMM Group for over 5 years in British Columbia with a focus on physical planning and active transportation. David has been involved with private and public design projects across Canada and is currently working in Saudi Arabia, where he is involved in preparing a Comprehensive Plan for the Holy Cities of Makkah, Madinah and Al-Mashaer. In addition to his International work, David has been a key part of the planning and design of the Downtown and North Shore Transit exchanges in Kamloops, a community garden and (park)ing facility in Kelowna, the Integrated Growth Strategy for Merritt, and the Kamloops North Shore Plan.  In addition to his work with clients, David is a Director of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association, sits on the Policy Committee of the Canadian Institute of Planners, and teaches the Sustainable Site Planning and Transportation course at Thompson Rivers University. 

Credit:

1.0 PDH (Professional Development Hour)