Filipino engineers’ annual general meeting February 24

by Ethel Clemente-Fernandez

The Filipino Members Chapter of Engineers Geoscientists of Manitoba (FMC-EGM) will hold its Annual General Meeting on February 24, 2018, followed by two Professional Development (PD) Seminars.

The first part of the event will be the annual general meeting with reports on the group’s finances and activities over the past year.

A new set of chapter executive officers will also be inducted during the general meeting.

Two professional development seminars follow the general meeting.

	Jitendra Paliwal, Ph.D., P. Eng., FEC

Speaker Jitendra Paliwal, Ph.D., P. Eng., FEC, will present the Evolution of the Experience Review Committee (ERC).

Completing 48 months of supervised engineering/geoscience work is an essential component to become a registered professional engineer/geoscientist in Manitoba. The Experience Review Committee (ERC) is entrusted by the association to ensure that all members-in-training (MITs) gain certain competencies prior to registration. ERC’s apparent duty is to review this work experience diligently. However, another important aspect of this committee is to make sure that its review process keeps pace with the ever-changing needs of our profession and membership. As the former Chair of the ERC, Jitendra Paliwal will shed light on the review process currently followed by the committee and how this process has evolved to keep up with the changing times.

Dr. Jitendra Paliwal is a professional engineer, academic, engineering consultant and motivational speaker. He is a Professor of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba where he is also currently serving as the Associate Dean (Graduate Program) in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Jitendra started volunteering his time with Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba in 2006 as a member of the Experience Review Committee, which he later chaired from 2014- 2017. He is currently serving the Association as an elected Councillor. Jitendra is a regular contributor to the Ingenium conference where he has given professional development seminars related to cross-cultural sensitivity and professional responsibilities. His services to the profession of engineering have been recognized through various awards including the Association’s Technical Excellence Award in 2017 and Engineers Canada’s Fellowship in 2016.

	Michael Gregoire, P.Eng., FEC

Michael Gregoire, P.Eng., FEC, will speak on the topic Changing ABCs – Acts, By-Laws and Code of Ethics.

This year saw a purposeful shift in the approach that Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba is taking with regard to changes to its ABCs ­– Act, Bylaws, and Code of Ethics. This session will begin by looking back at the philosophy and process that was used to develop the 2017 bylaw proposals. A proposed roadmap will also be discussed for future changes to the bylaws, guidelines, and the act, with a focus on the project to re-write the entire collection of bylaws.

Michael Gregoire, P.Eng., FEC, is the Director of Professional Standards at Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, where he has been working for approximately 10 years. Prior to joining Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Mike worked in consulting engineering for five years with a focus on structures and building envelope design and remediation; marrying his academic background in engineering with his undergraduate from the Faculty of Architecture.

As Director of Professional Standards, Mike’s role includes: development of practice standards and guidelines; legislation; investigations of complaints against practitioners; the continuing competency program and; compliance with the Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act.

In the spring of 2017, Mike completed his MBA with a focus on Leadership and Corporate Sustainability.

Attendance to this event can be claimed towards PD hours for professional members and interns as well as networking and branding activities for university and IEEQ students.

A light lunch will be served after the general meeting, before the seminars. Refreshments will also be available throughout the day.

Family, friends, colleagues and non-members are also welcome.

This event will be held at the Viscount Gort Hotel, 1670 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2018. The cost is $10.00. Online registration is required.

Visit http://www.apegm.mb.ca/Events.html#Event1653 or at http://fmc-egm.ca/EventRegistrations

Ethel Clemente-Fernandez is a professional engineer registered in the province of Manitoba. She is an active member of the Filipino Members Chapter - Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba (FMC-APEGM). www.fmc-egm.ca.