OPEA 1 THE GLOBE AND MAIL • FR IDAY , NOVEMBER 3 , 2017

No one would be happier thanCatherine Karakatsanis if moreyoung women in Canada chose

engineering as a profession.The recipient of this year’s pres-

tigious Ontario Professional Engi-neers Awards (OPEA) Gold Medal,Ms. Karakatsanis says many womenwant careers in professions with ahumanitarian and socially engagedfocus, and she is confident they willfind that in engineering.

“There are wonderful career oppor-tunities for women in engineering,”she adds. “They have the capacity to

gain the knowledge and skills to notonly become a larger proportion ofthe profession, but to become leadersin the field.”

Ms. Karakatsanis points out that onlyabout 13 per cent of members of theengineering profession in Canada arewomen, even though women com-prise nearly half the total workforce.

“Engineering is essential in securingCanada’s health, safety and economicprosperity, and we must include thegreatest possible range of knowledge,skills, experience and perspectives inthe profession. That means ensuringmore women are joining and stayingin the profession – and leading it aswell,” she adds.

Ms. Karakatsanis is regarded as a rolemodel for aspiring women engineersand admired as a devoted advocate forcreating a more diverse profession. Astructural engineer by training, sheis chief operating officer of MorrisonHershfield Group Inc., one of Canada’slargest engineering consultancies,overseeing operations across Canada,the U.S. and internationally.

Ms. Karakatsanis is modest abouther achievements, preferring not to

single out any one of her contributionsas the most important.

“I started volunteering early in mycareer. I recall being immensely proudto be associated with the professionand keenly aware that engineering hasa tremendous impact on the quality ofour lives,” she says. “I simply wantedto help further the profession that Icared so much about in any way thatI could.”

As a career-long volunteer trailblazerin Canadian engineering, Ms. Karakat-sanis is the only engineer in Canada

to have led their provincial regulator(Professional Engineers Ontario), pro-vincial advocacy body (Ontario Societyof Professional Engineers) and nationalorganization (Engineers Canada).

Ms. Karakatsanis credits the peopleshe has worked with over the yearsfor much of her success.

“Looking back, I have been incred-ibly blessed with the meaningful,collaborative and professional experi-ences I have had through my volunteerwork,” she says. “As an engineer, Iam gratified that I helped build ourcompany from a 100-person firm to a1,000-person firm while maintainingour collegial, strong ethical culture andour reputation for technical excellenceand professionalism.”

SPONSOR CONTENT

Role model for aspiring women engineers receivesprestigious award

This content was produced by RandallAnthony Communications, in partnershipwith The Globe and Mail’s advertisingdepartment. The Globe’s editorial

department was not involved in its creation.

“Engineers approach theirwork as a privilege, toprotect and contribute tothe betterment of society.”

“Siemens Canada’s DualEducation Program issuccessful and sustainable,and I am very proud to bepart of it.”

EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERINGTHE 2017 ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AWARDS

Online? Visit TGAM.ca/opea2017

Siemens Canada’s Dual Education Program is designed to provide a set ofcomplementary skills and experience required by industry. SUPPLIED

ABOUT

GOLD MEDAL

AWARD FOR ENGINEERINGPROJECT OR ACHIEVEMENT

2017 ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AWARDS GALA

Since 1947, the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) gala hasserved as the province’s most prestigious and anticipated engineeringevent of the year. This annual affair brings together industry innovators,business leaders and policy-makers to honour and be inspired by engineer-ing excellence and achievement.

The 2017 OPEA gala – to be held on November 18 at the Toronto CongressCentre – will celebrate the substantial impact the engineering profession hasmade on the development of Canada over the last 70 years. The event isproudly co-presented by Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the profes-sion’s regulatory body, and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers(OSPE), the profession’s advocacy association.

Today, engineers continue to lead the advancement of every facet ofsociety, creating innovations that are launching Canada into its excitingfuture. From aerospace and automotive to clean technology, biomedical,mining and robotics, the innovations of engineers continue to lead Ontario’smajor industries and solve society’s most pressing challenges.

PEO and OSPE congratulate the 2017 award recipients, all of whom il-lustrate the highest standards and ideals of the engineering profession.

For more information on the OPEA gala, please visit www.opeawards.ca.

With a goal of closing theskills gap between knowl-edge learned at school and

the know-how required at modernmanufacturers, Siemens Canada’s DualEducation Program aims to developand nurture the next generation of thefirm’s engineers and leaders.

This innovative work-integratedlearning program equips Canadianengineering and engineering technol-ogy students with the educational andprofessional foundation required forsuccessful 21st century manufacturing,industry and infrastructure advancedtechnologies careers.

The pioneer behind the Dual Edu-cation Program is Tom Murad, PhD,P.Eng., head of Siemens Canada’sEngineering & Technology Academy.

“I felt engineering graduates neededopportunities to gain experience.There are co-ops, but more wasneeded. We teach students real-lifeengineering and allow them to visu-alize and innovate in an interactiveindustrial environment that is safe andengaging,” says Dr. Murad.

Modelled on Siemens AG DualEducation System in Germany, theCanadian program combines the

skills and knowledge acquired throughacademic programs with a parallelcurriculum delivered at corporate-sponsored academies. It is designed toprovide a set of complementary skillsand experience required by industry.ln addition, it offers a structured androbust mentorship program, as wellas a corresponding hands-on workexperience that enables young recruitsto immediately see the relevance andimportance of what they learn at bothacademic institutions and throughthe academies by placing them in areal-world work environment that

demonstrates the value and impor-tance of what they learn.

“Being recognized by OPEA is a greathonour for our program and for mepersonally. After many projects dur-ing 40 years of engineering on threedifferent continents, I see this as mybest achievement,” he says. “I feel Ihave done my part for my professionand the new generation of engineers.”

Dr. Murad says Siemens Canadareceiving the Award for EngineeringProject or Achievement tells him thefirm is going in the right direction.

“We are helping to build Canada’seconomy. Engineers are creators ofeconomic value – when you constructa bridge or a power plant, you createopportunities for wealth and economicdevelopment,” he adds.

Nurturing a new generation of engineers

CATHERINE KARAKATSANISP.Eng., FCAE, FECChief Operating Officer, MorrisonHershfield Group Inc.

SIEMENS CANADA –DUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMTHAMIR (TOM) MURADPhD, P.Eng., SM.IEEE, FECHead of Siemens Canada Engineer-ing & Technology Academy

ADVOCATING FOR A DIVERSE PROFESSION

HELPING BUILD CANADA’S ECONOMY

ENDRE (ANDREW) BAKOSBSc, P.Eng., C.E.T., ASMEProject Manager, Toronto TransitCommission

BENNY PANGP.Eng., DARKnowledge Domain Owner (Acous-tics) and Principal EngineeringSpecialist, Bombardier Inc.

Benny Pang is one of Canada’s fore-most experts on aircraft noise, work-

MARGARET KENDEP.Eng.Dean of Engineering Technology,Centennial College (retired), andPresident of Anteus Enterprises

For Margaret Kende, former dean ofengineering technology at Centennial

NICHOLAS STARKP.Eng., CE, LEED AP, ICD.DVice President, HH Angus

MAX MANTHAP.Eng., MBAVice President, Area Manager,EllisDon Toronto Civil and LoobyConstruction

Max Mantha has risen quickly andsteadily as an executive and engineerthanks to his extensive private andpublic industry knowledge, leadership,team-building skills and dedication.

In the last two years, Looby Con-struction has experienced unprec-edented growth, with Mr. Mantha lead-ing the firm to successful outcomes onmultiple, complex Ontario Ministry ofTransportation design-build projects.

During his tenure with InfrastructureOntario, Mr. Mantha was responsiblefor Metrolinx’s Up Express Spur Line,a rail link between Toronto PearsonAirport and Toronto Union Station.

Mr. Mantha is a foundingmember of Young Leadersin lnfrastructure, anorganization mandatedto engage and createrelationships among thenext generation of leadersin the infrastructure sector.

SAMANTHA ESPLEYMASc, P.Eng., FCAETechnical Director, Vale Base Metals

Samantha Espley is recognized as atrailblazer for women engineers inthe mining industry. She is one of afew female engineers to hold severalsenior positions in the sector whereshe has demonstrated engineeringand management expertise that hasled to significant health, safety andenvironmental advances. She has alsoimproved productivity and reducedcosts through the design of newmethods to mine and extract metals.

She co-authored Gaining Insightson Career Satisfaction for Women inMining, a paper that explored factorsthat improve and/or inhibit careersatisfaction for women in the industry.

Ms. Espley encouragesyoung women to considercareers in science andengineering and providesa support network forwomen in these fields.

JAN ANDRYSEKMASc, PhD, P.Eng.Scientist, Bloorview ResearchInstitute

Dr. Jan Andrysek’s work has improvedthe lives of hundreds of young ampu-tees living in resource-poor countriesaround the world. After first buildinga new prosthetic knee joint thatenabled a greater variety of physicalactivities for the user, he realized it wastoo expensive for use in developingcountries, so he engineered the cost-effective All-Terrain Knee.

To make the prosthetic availablein the countries where it was neededmost, and with backing from sup-porters and investors, he establishedLegWorks, an enterprise focusedon making the All-Terrain Knee andother assistive technologies acces-sible globally.

Over the past year,LegWorks has providedmore than 500 prostheticknee joints to amputees indeveloping countries.

CRAIG SIMMONSPhD, P.Eng., FCSMEDistinguished Professor ofMechanobiology, University ofToronto

As a world leader in heart valvemechanobiology and microtechnolo-gies, Dr. Craig Simmons has madeseveral fundamental discoveries thathave improved the understandingof heart valve function and disease.

A pioneer in mechanobiology –the study of mechanisms by whichmechanical forces control biologicalfunctions – Dr. Simmons exploreshow biomechanical forces regulatecell function in heart disease andregeneration.

He currently leads over 100 research-ers from engineering and medicinein the Ted Rogers Centre for HeartResearch, a bold interdisciplinaryinitiative that aims to dramaticallyimprove heart health.

Dr. Simmons’s goal isto develop improvedstrategies to treatcardiovascular disorders,the greatest health burdenfaced by Canadians.

If you’ve ever used Wi-Fi inside a To-ronto Transit Commission (TTC) subwaystation, thanks are in large part due toEndre (Andrew) Bakos, the TTC engi-neer and project manager who oversawthe successful implementation of itsWireless Services in the TTC Subwayinitiative that now delivers wirelessservices to subway riders on Canada’slargest public transportation system.

The achievement illustrates Mr.Bakos’s exceptional ability combined

ing to improve the quality of life ofpeople living and working around air-ports by continually seeking ways toreduce aircraft-related noise pollution.

Mr. Pang helped create a CanadianR&D program dedicated to airplaneand engine noise and emissionsreduction, which ultimately becamethe Green Aviation Research and De-velopment Network (GARDN). Sinceits launch, GARDN has supportedmore than 35 collaborative researchprojects and is now the leader inreducing the environmental footprintof the aviation sector in Canada andworldwide.

College, management consultant, andlifelong volunteer and mentor, citizen-ship has been an integral part of lifefor more than 50 years.

After immigrating to Canada in 1957,Ms. Kende attended the University ofToronto and was one of the first fourwomen to complete the civil engineer-ing program.

As a volunteer, she has used domes-tic and international platforms to ad-vance gender equity and human rights,and worked with the Toronto DistrictSchool Board to encourage students topursue careers in science, technology,engineering and mathematics.

Whether redesigning the HVAC systemin a new hospital in North Bay to cutenergy consumption and capital costswhile creating a healthier environmentfor patients and staff, or directingconstruction of the Centre Hospitalierde I’Université de Montréal project –one of the largest P3 projects in NorthAmerica – Nicholas Stark is known asa forward thinker.

His work on the Ontario Ministry

with genuine care in executing publicinfrastructure projects to ensure bet-ter health, safety and wellness forthe public. In addition to his work asa TTC engineer, Mr. Bakos helps andmentors young engineers, particularlynewcomers to Canada.

of Health and Long-Term Care’s Ge-neric Output Specifications and vari-ous Canadian Standards Associationcommittees has established a strongbaseline of design standards for healthcare in Canada.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL • FR IDAY , NOVEMBER 3 , 2017 SPONSOR CONTENT • OPEA 2

ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AWARDS

ENGINEERING MEDAL - ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

CITIZENSHIP AWARD

ENGINEERING MEDAL -YOUNG ENGINEER

ENGINEERING MEDAL -MANAGEMENT

ENGINEERING MEDAL - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) celebrate theaccomplishments of our province’s engineers. The awards recognizeengineers’ contributions to the well-being of the profession, and honourtheir commitment to innovation and excellence.

ENGINEERING MEDAL -ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Mr. Stark has made significant technical contributions to the design and construction ofhealth care facilities across Canada, particularly in HVAC design.

The Wireless Services in the TTC Subway initiative ranks as one of the most appreciatedservices for TTC riders.

Mr. Pang has contributed to alleviating the impacts ofaviation noise near airports for Canadians and citizensacross the globe.

Appointed as Canada’s first female engineering dean in1977, Ms. Kende used her engineering skills to facilitate theprogramming and future directions of Centennial College.

J. PAUL SANTERREPhD, P.Eng., FBSE, FAIMBE, FAAAS,FCAHSProfessor, University of Toronto

As a leader in biomaterials and poly-mer science, Dr. Paul Santerre has ledthe development of technology thatprevents blood clotting on medicaldevices like catheters, vascular graftsand dialyzers – an enormous problemthat reduces the service life of thesedevices and threatens patient safety.He founded Interface Biologics, acompany that builds on his work onbiomedical polymers and their applica-tion for medical devices, with a specificfocus on blood-contacting materialsand drug delivery applications.

He has also helped develop thenext generation of biomedical engi-neers, turning students into engaged,motivated and creative independentresearchers and engineers.

Dr. Santerre conceived andhelped launch a programto train young engineeringstudents to bring their ownideas to market.