Civil Engineering

Chan Wirasinghe wanted to be a civil engineer from about Grade Six, and completed his first engineering degree at his birthplace, Sri Lanka. At the time, Sri Lanka had compulsory civil service, so although he did not take transportation courses as an undergraduate, he was recruited to work for two years at the Department of Highways, which germinated his interest in transportation engineering. An American Fulbright Scholarship supported his Masters and PhD studies at the University of California at Berkeley under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Newell. His research involved the application of mathematical analysis to model public transport systems. He then joined the University of Calgary as an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, pleased to be the third transportation professor on faculty there. His subsequent research included: further work in public transportation systems; optimizing the geometrical design of airports; and, response to natural disasters, particularly tsunamis and tornados, through the International Institute of Infrastructure Renewal and Reconstruction. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for 12 years, overseeing the renaming of the Faculty as the Schulich School of Engineering for a total matched donation of $50 million, then the largest donation to a Canadian engineering school. He also led initiatives to increase the number of women faculty members and woman students in the Faculty.

Emily Cheung took civil engineering at the University of British Columbia because "dams and bridges, that's where I want to be." Her interests evolved from structural engineering to hydrotechnical engineering, and she earned a Master's degree in environmental fluid mechanics. She and her husband decided to leave Vancouver, where the housing market was "unreachable" and the work opportunities "not overly exciting" and found work in Prince George, where the opportunities were numerous and interesting. She designed small resource road and highway bridges and worked in small-scale hydroelectric development, including initial feasibility studies. She designed highway segments to replace segments that had been washed out by river floods. She and her husband spent time in Ecuador assisting with small hydroelectric developments, and continue to work with a Spain-based non-profit organization that does water projects in Africa. She discusses the need for teamwork in engineering practice and how the basis of design is much more holistic than it was when she started practicing. She also volunteered to serve on the Prince George Airport Authority Board, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, the council of Engineers and Geoscientists BC, the board of Engineers Canada. She also teaches design engineering at the University of Northern British Columbia and initiated the Prince George Camp of the Seven Wardens, Camp 28, which co-ordinates the local Iron Ring Ceremony.

Friends of Sarah Devereaux's family were civil engineers, so she knew from an early age that this would likely be her calling. While an undergraduate student at the Technical University of Nova Scotia, her interests transitioned from structural to environmental engineering, and she stayed to earn a Master's degree in Water Resources. She then joined Halifax office of Dillon Consulting, initially conducting construction reviews, and then transitioning into project management, starting with small projects and graduating t multimillion dollar assignments. She designed storm water systems, storm water ponds, and landfills and became the business unit manager for community infrastructures. She describes several projects, including: work for the Municipality of Guysborough, Nova Scotia; review of waste management systems for remote coastal communities in British Columbia; and resolving the "Million Dollar Hole" left at the US naval base in Argentia Newfoundland. She also volunteered with Engineers Nova Scotia, the Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, and eventually Engineers Canada. She has served on committees dedicated to increasing the participation of women in the engineering profession.

Wind engineer Dr. Nicholas Isyumov chose to study engineering at Western in London, his home town, and became interested – in the days before computers – in the use of physical models. His first job, in 1960, was with the Timber Mechanics Section of the Forest Products Laborator in Ottawa. While testing roof trusses, he had many technical discussions with Bill Schriever, a snow engineering expert with the Division of Building Research at the National Research Council. He took a paid leave of absence to return to Western to start a Masters degree, supervised by Alan G. Davenport, researching snow loads on roofs. After a busy year conducting model tests in a water flume to simulate the effect of wind on snow drifting, he returned to Ottawa to resume full-time work. In 1965, Davenport invited him back to Western to work at the new Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory (BLWTL), and complete his snow research to earn a PhD degree. The BLWTL became a world-renowned facility, developing the science of testing models in turbulent winds to detect potential structural instabilities and dynamic responses. The wind tunnel projects included Toronto's CN Tower, CIBC Commerce Court, the Bank of Montreal, Scotia Bank, Canada Trust Centre. International projects included the Sears Building – now the Willis Tower – and McCormick Place in Chicago, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Canary Wharf structures in London, England. Their clients included Skidmore Owings and Merrill in Chicago, Carruthers and Wallace in Toronto.

Civil engineer Dr. Susan Tighe was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 for her leadership and vision supporting Canada's transportation community. Although her undergraduate degree was chemical engineering, she worked summers for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and developed an interest in civil engineering materials, particularly pavements. She completed Masters and PhD degrees at the University of Waterloo and then carried on as a professor there. One of her major achievements was the publication of the Pavement Asset Design and Management Guide for the Transportation Association of Canada. Her other research has investigated polymer-modified asphalt, the use of nano materials in concrete and asphalt, the design of safe airfield runways, safety in construction work zones, and many other transportation-related topics. In her current role as Vice President, Academic and Provost of McMaster University, she continues to rely on her skills at project management, strategic thinking, and budgeting. She also describes some of her volunteer roles with the Transportation Association of Canada, the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association, and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, where she served as President.