Gala evening celebrates the best of Ontario engineering

TORONTO , Nov. 8, 2011 /CNW/ - Ontario's finest engineers will be honoured at the annual Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) on Saturday, November 12 at 6 p.m.

This year the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards—presented by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and Professional Engineers Ontario—celebrates the engineering of Ontario's resources, from railways to forests and parks to mining.

The mining of chromite ore in the James Bay Lowlands could make Ontario a world producer of ferrochrome, a key component in stainless steel. Mining companies are waiting to develop the "Ring of Fire"'s deposits—the first discovered in North America .

Sam Marcuson, Vice-President of Vale Canada Limited, Base Metals Technology Department, will deliver the keynote address, "Sustainable Innovative Leadership." Mr. Marcuson will discuss leadership needs in resource engineering through the lens of sustainability and innovation.

2011 also marks 100 years of engineering service to Parks Canada , which is celebrating its centenary. Ontario contains five national parks, whose engineering successes range from Point Pelee National Park's floating boardwalk, to Pukaskwa National Park's swing bridge, to the magnificent Trent Severn Waterway that passes through Peterborough.

EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: Ontario Professional Engineers Awards Gala

WHERE: International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga

WHEN: Saturday, November 12 at 6 p.m.

2011 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards Recipients

Professional Engineers Gold Medal
Michael E. Charles, PhD, P.Eng., FCIC, FEIC, FCAE
Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto

Engineering Medal—Engineering Excellence
Robert Bryant , P.Eng.
Senior Technical Advisor, Union Gas

Engineering Medal—Engineering Excellence
Nils Voermann, P.Eng., MBA
Global Managing Director, Technologies, Hatch Ltd.

Engineering Medal—Management
Mohamed Attalla, PhD, P.Eng., FCSCE
Assistant Vice-President, McMaster University
Adjunct Professor, University of Waterloo and Ryerson University

Engineering Medal—Management
Anton Davies , PhD, P.Eng., FCAE
Vice-President, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc.

Engineering Medal—Entrepreneurship
Stephan Matusch, P.Eng., MBA
President, Ionic Engineering Limited

Engineering Medal—Research and Development
Elizabeth A. Edwards, PhD, P.Eng.
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, and Director, BioZone, University of Toronto

Engineering Medal—Research and Development
Douglas Perovic, PhD, P.Eng.
Celestica Chair in Materials for Microelectronics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Nanoengineering Major Chair, Division of Engineering Science,
University of Toronto

Engineering Medal— Research and Development
David Zingg , PhD, P.Eng.
Professor and Director, University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies

Engineering Medal—Young Engineer Award
Milica Radisic, PhD, P.Eng.
Associate Professor, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto

Citizenship Award
Anna Dunets Wills, P.Eng