2009 - 2010 Speakers and Events

Climate Change Speaker Series

The issue of climate change and its impact on our environment is an important subject that attracts significant interest. Given the importance of the topic, not only from societal and economic aspects, but also as an opportunity for research and exploration, Western Engineering arranged a healthy discussion on the topic by inviting Dr. Slobodan Simonovic, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Dr. Christopher Essex, Department of Applied Math to each give a one hour talk debating the global climate change issue. Dr. Simonovic presented “Climate Change: It’s All About Feedbacks” on Thursday, February 18, 2010. Dr. Essex is presented “Why the Scientific Problem of Climate is Not Solved” on Thursday, February 25, 2010.

Canadian Oil Sands Discussion

Marcel Coutu, CEO of Canadian Oil Sands and Chair of the Board of Syncrude, Canada’s largest oil sands mining operation, will be visiting Western Engineering to talk about the impact of Canada’s oil sands on SW Ontario. He’ll provide an update on recent developments in the oil sands, talk about their economic impact to both Canada and Ontario, and speak to continual improvements the industry is making on their environmental performance. He’ll also provide you with a window on opportunities for business and industry in Ontario and London.

There will be a panel discussion with researchers and community members and then an Information Session and Dialogue for students where he can hear about what the people in London and at Western think about this issue.

Distinguished Lecture Series

As part of Western Engineering’s Distinguished Lecture Series, we hosted Dr. Donald Wallace, Executive Director, Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy on Thursday, November 26, 2009. He spoke to students, faculty, staff and community members about initiatives of the Centre and how engineers can get more involved in public policy development.

Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion Grand Opening

The Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion, Western's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building, officially opened its doors Saturday, October 3, 2009. The new four-floor building houses space for student engagement and educational experiences through hands-on design opportunities. Areas are available to promote collaborative learning, graduate student educational facilities, office spaces, and areas designed to promote informal idea and information exchange. As well, two floors of the building house laboratories for leading-edge environmental research. The day involved tours and researchers speaking to the community and current students about their environmental projects.
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The Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources Grand Opening

Western researchers are engineering new technology that converts agricultural waste into bio-oil – the essential building block of countless fuels, chemicals and plastic materials – in a new research facility known as The Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR). The new research facility, led by Engineering professors Franco Berruti and Cedric Briens, officially opened October 16, 2009 and will help place Ontario at the forefront of global biofuel research.
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Go ENG Girl

For the fifth year in a row Western Engineering participated in the province-wide initiative, Go ENG Girl. Michelle Chislett, a Western Engineering alumna, delivered the keynote address at the full-day event at Western. Michelle lets her passion and interests light her career path and she spoke about this and about her position as Vice-President of Solar Power at SkyPower Inc.
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2010 WORLDiscoveries Research Showcase

Western’s Faculties of Engineering, Science and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry hosted WORLDiscoveries Research Showcase at the London Convention Centre on February 5, 2010. The event included over 100 poster presentations highlighting the latest advances coming from the University, including the area of Environment and Energy Research. Jason Gerhard, CRC in Geoenvironmental Restoration Engineering delivered a “Tech Talk” at the event on the topic: Brownfield Restoration: Addressing the Industrial Pollution of Urban Environments.
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