OSPE - The Voice - Summer 2013 - (Page 2)

VIEWPOINT MESSAGE fROM YOuR ChAIR I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address you for the first time in The Voice. My involvement with OSPE began in 2005, and I joined the Board of Directors in 2012. I am honoured to now serve as your President and Chair and to use this space to keep you informed of OSPE’s goals and progress. OSPE has tremendous potential to make a difference in the lives of engineers. To make sure we do that effectively, your new Board is focusing on three key priorities over the coming year: growing membership, building on relationships with PEO Chapters and strengthening stakeholder relations. Membership development is our number-one priority this year. Through OSPE surveys, members continue to tell us how important it is to them that we advocate with governments and the public to ensure that the knowledge and expertise of engineers is understood, respected and valued. Advocacy work like this demands a strong membership base, enabling us to show policy makers that we speak on behalf of all Ontario engineers. To grow our membership, we need to demonstrate how we deliver value to our members. This includes advocating for improved public policies in key sectors: energy, transportation, infrastructure and, as you will see in this issue, research and innovation. OSPE research shows that gaps in public policy can lead to gaps in engineering employment, gaps in skills development and imbalances in the engineering labour market — issues that OSPE is working to address. Second on our priority list is expanding our relationships with PEO Chapters. In many ways, Chapters represent the lifeblood of engineering communities across the province. OSPE has much to offer in terms of event execution and content delivery. OSPE is partnering with Chapters province-wide to present summer BBQs, technical talks, networking events, continuing education programs and more. Collaborations like these benefit both OSPE and PEO Chapter members by providing more comprehensive local programming. Third, we are working to develop and strengthen our relationships with stakeholders, including PEO, technical societies, educational institutions, industry associations and other engineering-related bodies. Over the past year, OSPE’s Board and PEO’s Council made a significant effort to improve relations between our two organizations. You will see an example on Page 22, with our recent joint OSPE-PEO policy forum. Delivering measurable returns to you, our members, is paramount. OSPE will continue to engage with governments, PEO, the public and other stakeholders to deliver more value to OSPE members and to all Ontario engineers. Paul Acchione, P.Eng. President and Chair 2 TheVoice Summer 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Summer 2013

OSPE - The Voice - Summer 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Newsbytes
Anne Sado, P.Eng.
National Engineering Month Ontario 2013
Engaging Tomorrow’s Engineers
Student Ambassador Profile
Innovation
The OSPE Research and Innovation Guide
The Advocacy Agenda
Maintaining and Expanding Our Engineering Capability
Engineers as Leaders
Why Throw It Away?
Connecting with Queen’s Park
Can We Engineer Better Drivers?
Insuring Your Work
Closing the Gap
Bridging the Gap
Learn, Develop, Grow Your Career
Grow Your Engineering Team

OSPE - The Voice - Summer 2013