Electrical Design Considerations for EV Infrastructure

Date: Tue., Nov 14th, 2023, 12:00 PM (noon) – 01:00 PM (MST) Alberta

Location: Virtual

Register Online Here

Sponsor: IEEE Southern Alberta, Jt. Chapter, PES/IAS Society and Northern Canada, Jt. Chapter, PES/IAS Society

Speaker: Jeff L. Small Sr. — owner of Curve Technology LLC.

Topic: Electrical Design Considerations for EV Infrastructure

In the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles (EVs), ensuring a seamless and safe charging experience is paramount. “Electrical Design Considerations for EV Infrastructure” delves into the critical aspects of designing and implementing EV charging infrastructure, addressing the growing demand for sustainable transportation solutions. The presentation will highlight Charger Ratings and Topologies, shedding light on the various charging options available and their implications for design. Exploring the importance of Site Power Distribution Options, the presentation outlines strategies to optimize power delivery while considering practical constraints. Special attention is given to Designing Grid-to-Charger (G2C) Circuits, providing insights into the intricacies of electric grid integration. Join us in this enlightening presentation to explore the pivotal role of electrical design in shaping the future of EV charging.

Virtual Workshop: Negotiate for the Compensation You Deserve

Date: Wed., Nov 15th, 2023, 12:00 PM (noon) – 01:00 PM (MST) Alberta

Location: Virtual

Register Online Here

Sponsor: IEEE Quebec Section WIE/YP Affinity Groups and the Montreal Section WIE Affinity Group, IEEE Southern Alberta Women in Engineering (WIE) and Young Professionals (YP) Affinity Groups.

Speakers: Jillian Climie of The Thoughtful Co. and Sophie Warwick of The Thoughtful Co.

Topic: Negotiate for the Compensation you Deserve

In conjunction with the Quebec Section WIE/YP Affinity Groups and the Montreal Section WIE Affinity Group, we are pleased to offer an online workshop on how to negotiate for the compensation you deserve. See below for more information.

The Thoughtful Co, invites you to take part in a transformative event that can change the way you approach your career and compensation. This Workshop is designed to empower you to confidently ask for the compensation you truly deserve.

This workshop will enable you to feel confident in asking for the compensation you deserve. We cover everything from how to navigate asking your manager for more money, to what you should be looking for before signing a new employment contract. We leave time for group discussion and Q&A to ensure all your questions are answered. This workshop is led by Jillian Climie, who has spent her career in executive compensation, and Sophie Warwick, who specializes in developing in-house gender equity policies and chairing Employee Resource Groups.

Speaker Biographies:

Jillian Climie

Jillian Climie of The Thoughtful Co.
Co-Founder of The Thoughtful Co, has spent her career advising and leading teams in executive compensation and corporate governance, both as a consultant, and in-house at two global retailers. Most recently at Lululemon, she led the global equity compensation and executive compensation programs. After taking a pause, she realized she wanted more of three things in her professional life: thoroughness, passion and freedom. She Co-Founded The Thoughtful Co so she can leverage her niche and technical experience, coupled with her passion for gender equity, to empower women to get paid what they deserve.

Sophie Warnick

Sophie Warwick of The Thoughtful Co.
Co-Founder of the Thoughtful Co, specializes in developing in-house gender equity policies and chairing Employee Resource Groups and advocacy groups. She uses her data analysis expertise from her engineering background to define targets and track growth and retention. In 2018, she Co-Founded Women in Consulting Engineering (WCE), a non-profit organization with over 500 members and monthly events to support and empower women in engineering. She co-founded The Thoughtful Co so she could build more gender inclusive workplaces and build representation of women at senior levels in all industries.

Software Engineering Principals, Titus Winters, Principal Software Engineer at Google

Date: Mon., Oct 23rd, 2023, 04:00 PM – 05:20 PM (MDT) Alberta

Location: Virtual and at Mount Royal University in Calgary

Register Online Here

Sponsor: IEEE Southern Alberta Computer Chapter Sponsored Event

Speaker: Titus Winters, Principal Software Engineer at Google

Topic: Software Engineering Principles

What is the secret to software engineering at Google? Over the years, we’ve come to recognize three key principles that guide our practices and decisions: Time, Scale, and Tradeoffs. We recently published a book with O’Reilly on those principles, and we’ll share the key ideas here.

Software engineering and programming are related but different problems. If programming is about producing code, software engineering is about maintaining that code for the duration of its usefulness. It is about the practices, policies, and decisions that support robust and reliable code. It is about building for growth and for the ability to manage change, sustainably.

At Google, we have learned many lessons related to the sustainability of software. Google arguably maintains one of the largest codebases ever. The expected lifespan of the codebase is at least another couple of decades. We’ve needed to figure out how to operate at a scale previously unattempted for a timespan longer than most others have considered. Learning from the difficulties that we have encountered along the way while wrangling with this unprecedented problem, we have developed practices around time, scaling, and evidence-based decision making. This is what has enabled us to operate as we do.

This talk will explore the themes of time, scale, and tradeoffs in the context of sustainable software engineering. We will discuss the impact that each of these factors has on the process of software development and maintenance and how Google has shaped its engineering practices to take these principles into account.

Speaker Biography:

Titus Winters, based in New York, NY, is currently the Principal Software Engineer at Google. As per Titus’s LinkedIn profile: Founder and TLM for Abseil (http://abseil.io). Tech Lead and manager for the team responsible for maintaining core C++ infrastructure code like the File abstractions, base networking infrastructure, and general data manipulation and data structure routines. Broad responsibility for the idioms, consistency, and maintainability of Google’s C++ codebase. Responsible for a number of massive API refactorings and the associated software engineering research necessary to perform those transformations..

ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre Tour (IEEE Members, Future IEEE Members, Guests of the IEEE Only Event. No IEEE Student Members or Student Guests)

Date:  Thu., Oct 26th, 2023, 12:45 PM – ~ 03:30 PM (MDT) Alberta

Location:  ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre (#9500, 100 St SE, Calgary, AB, Canada T3S 0A2)

Sponsored by the:  IEEE Joint Power and Energy (PES)/Industry Applications Society (IAS) Southern Alberta Chapter and the IEEE Southern Alberta Section

Registration Open:  Fri., Oct 06th, 2023, @ 1:00 PM MDT

ATTENTION: This event “Sold Out” before Sun., Oct 08th, 2023!  Look for the announcement of a second IEEE SAS, PES/IAS sponsored ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre Tour in the near future.

Register Online Here

(Attendance is capped at a maximum of 20 people, including IEEE organizers, as per ENMAX guidelines.)

Topic/Tour:  Are you a current IEEE Southern Alberta Section (SAS) Non-Student Member … (or a non-student, technical professional wishing to join the IEEE in the near future) … and interested in learning about Alberta’s largest natural gas electric power generation facility?  If you are, ENMAX, a “state-of-the-art” power generation facility owner, the IEEE Southern Alberta, Joint Power & Energy Society (PES)/Industry Applications Society (IAS) and the IEEE Southern Alberta Section (SAS), as a whole, are excited to invite you to an exclusive “in person” tour of the ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre electric power generation plant, located on the east side of Calgary, at approximately Glenmore Trail SE and Stony Trail SE.

During this tour, you will have the opportunity to see firsthand how the Shepard Energy Centre joint venture plant owners, ENMAX (50% Owner and Operating Partner) and Capital Power (50% Owner), generate electricity, via a combined-cycle process, using two natural gas-fired turbine powered, gen-sets, two Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG’s), feeding one common, steam turbine powered, gen-set, which when all combined, provides more than 860 Megawatts (MW) of electricity to the provincial grid – enough to meet almost half of Calgary’s current needs.  You will also learn about the latest technologies and innovations in electric energy production and get a chance to ask any questions you may have of the Shepard Energy Center team of experts, while on site.

Furthermore, this is a rare opportunity for IEEE Members or potential, future IEEE Members to gain insight into the inner workings of two successful Alberta power companies, their shared Shepard Energy Centre generation facility and understand the potential technical / career opportunities in this field.  Don’t miss out, … RSVP on Fri., Oct. 6th, 2023, after 1:00 PM MDT, when registration opens, using the IEEE vTools registration link provided above, to reserve your spot.  We all look forward to welcoming you to the ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre on Thu., Oct. 26th, 2023.

Registration:  Registration will initially be open for two weeks, from Fri., Oct 6th, 2023 to Fri., Oct. 20h, 2023.  (Perhaps longer, if we don’t get a good initial response.)

Cost/Fees:

#1.  $5.00 Cdn. for current IEEE General Members, IEEE Affiliate Members and IEEE Associate Members. (Less for some IEEE senior class Memberships: IEEE Senior, IEEE Life, IEEE Fellows)  IEEE Members: You will be asked to enter your IEEE Membership No. when you register.

#2.  $10.00 Cdn. for non-IEEE Members and/or Friends / Guests of the IEEE.

#3.  NOT Applicable, IEEE Student Members, IEEE Graduate Members are excluded from this particular tour.  (See more details below.)

These fees will go towards purchasing snacks and refreshments for the event, to be made available in the ENMAX Energy Center Conference Room, before and after the actual tour.   (A nominal fee to attend the tour also encourages registrants to actually show up to this event.)

No refunds!  So, be sure you won’t be missed at the office that afternoon.  (If you can’t make it, after you have registered, please phone R. McNeil, with plenty of notice, as per the mobile number provided in the IEEE vTools event invite.)

Parking/Access:  Please use the parking lot (visitor spots, if you can) and the main building entrance located on the north side of the plant to access the tour.  See further access instructions and the Google Map included in IEEE vTools invite for more details.

PPE:  All tour attendees shall wear appropriate flat walking shoes or preferably wear CSA rated safety boots / shoes.  Other PPE will be provided by ENMAX at the Shepard facility.  (Hard Hats, Safety Glasses, Safety Vests.)

Fitness Level:  You must be able to climb and descend a good number of stairs during the tour.  No limited mobility or wheel chair access will be available and/or be provided.

Transportation:  You must provide your own transportation to the event.  We will encourage, informally, some carpooling to the event.

Please be advised, that if this event fills up quickly, the IEEE Southern Alberta Jt. PES/IAS Chapter and/or the IEEE Southern Alberta Section will schedule another tour later this fall or in the winter of 2024.

Furthermore, special tours of the ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre, arranged for IEEE Student Members, IEEE Graduate Student Members and for potential, future, IEEE Student/Grad’ Student Members, will be scheduled at a later date, by the IEEE, University of Calgary (U of C) Student Branch, Jt. PES/IAS Student Chapter; … likely in the winter or spring of 2024.  FYI: The last such IEEE University of Calgary, Student Member and IEEE University of Calgary, Graduate Student Member tour of the ENMAX Energy Centre was successfully held back on Tue., Feb. 21st, 2023.

IEEE EMBS Chapter Distinguished Lecture (DL) Series: Wearable Acoustic and Vibration Sensing and Machine Learning for Human Health and Performance

Date: Wed., Sep. 20th, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (MDT) Alberta

Location: Virtual, organized out of the IEEE Southern Alberta Section (SAS), Calgary

Register Online Here

IEEE EMBS Chapter Distinguished Lecture (DL) Series:

Speaker: Professor Omer Inan of Georgia Tech

Topic: Wearable Acoustic and Vibration Sensing and Machine Learning for Human Health and Performance

Title: Wearable Acoustic and Vibration Sensing and Machine Learning for Human Health and Performance
Abstract: Recent advances in digital health technologies are enabling biomedical researchers to reframe health optimization and disease treatment in a patient-specific, personalized manner. This talk will focus on my group’s research in two areas of relevance to digital health: (1) cardiogenic vibration sensing and analytics; and (2) musculoskeletal sensing with joint acoustic emissions and bioimpedance. Our group has extensively studied the timings and characteristics of cardiogenic vibration signals such as the ballistocardiogram and seismocardiogram, and applied these signals for cuffless blood pressure measurement, heart failure monitoring, and human performance. We have also leveraged miniature contact microphones to measure the sounds emitted by joints, such as the knees, in the context of movement, and have examined how these acoustic characteristics are altered by musculoskeletal injuries and disorders (e.g., arthritis). We envision that these technologies can all contribute to improving patient care with lower cost and better outcomes.

Speaker Biography:

Professor Omer Inan of Georgia Tech
Omer Inan is Professor and Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair in Bioscience and Bioengineering in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Adjunct Professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, at Georgia Tech. He received his BS, MS, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford in 2004, 2005, and 2009, respectively. From 2009-2013, he was the Chief Engineer at Countryman Associates, Inc., a professional audio manufacturer of miniature microphones and high-end audio products for Broadway theaters, theme parks, and broadcast networks. His research focuses on non-invasive physiological sensing and modulation for human health and performance. He has published more than 340 technical articles in peer-reviewed international journals and conferences, and has twelve issued patents. He has received several major awards for his research including the US National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career (CAREER) award, the US Office of Naval Research Young Investigator award, and the IEEE Sensors Council Early Career award. He also received an Academy Award for Technical Achievement from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars). He is an Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and an IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Distinguished Lecturer. While at Stanford as an undergraduate, he was the school record holder and a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American in the discus throw.

IEEE, Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee (PCIC), Industry Applications Society (IAS), 70th Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. (Mon., Sep. 11th, to Wed. Sep. 13th, 2023)

Date: Mon., Sep. 11th, 2023 to Wed., Sep. 13th, 2023

Location: New Orleans, LA

Sponsored by: The IEEE, Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee (PCIC) of the Industry Applications Society (IAS)

Register Online Here

The Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee (PCIC), of the Industry Applications Society, of the IEEE, invites you to attend its 70th annual conference in New Orleans, LA.  The 2023 conference technical presentations will be held Mon., Sep. 11th, 2023, to Wed., Sep. 13th, 2023 and the conference tutorials will be held on Thu., Sep. 14th, 2023.

Under the sponsorship of the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS), the PCIC Conference has become the premier annual application meeting for practicing electrical engineers. Following successful conferences in San Antonio and Denver, the New Orleans Local Conference Committee is planning an outstanding event for 2023.

The PCIC conference is noted for the high quality and practical application of its technical papers. The technical program this year will feature 61 papers focusing on the technology and issues faced by electrical engineers in the petroleum, chemical, and mining industries.

The discounted, “Early-Bird” Full Registration deadline has now been extended to Sat. Jul. 29th, 2023.

IEEE SIGHT Humangineering Series: Preserving Indigenous Culture and Stories with AR and VR

Date: Thu., May 18th, 2023, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (MDT)

Location: 856 Campus Pl NW (ICT building), Calgary, AB, Canada

Sponsored by the: IEEE Southern Alberta Section SIGHT Affinity Group

Register Online Here (No Cost for IEEE Members)

Topic: Join the IEEE Southern Alberta Section (SAS), IEEE Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology (SIGHT) Affinity Group for an engaging presentation from Levi First Charger, Operations Director at the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) as he presents USAY’s augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications that immerse users in Indigenous stories and culture. Aimed at telling the stories of present day and historical Indigenous peoples, the technology explores unique technology application and how it can be used for humanities education.

AltaLink Janet 74S Substation Tour (University Students only event)

Date: Tue., Mar 14th, 2023, 11:00 AM – 02:00 PM (MST) Alberta

Location: Janet Service Centre (235205 Garden Rd, Rocky View County, Alberta, Canada)

Sponsored by the: IEEE University of Calgary Student Branch, Joint PES/IAS Student Branch Chapter and AltaLink

Register Online Here (Carpooling provided!)

Topic: Are you a student at the University of Calgary interested in learning about AltaLink’s substations? If so, AltaLink, is one of Canada’s largest electricity transmission companies, is excited to invite you to an exclusive tour, for Students of the University of Calgary, of their transmission facility and High Voltage Equipment Facility.
This is a rare opportunity for students to gain insight into the inner workings of a successful company and understand the potential career opportunities in this field. Don’t miss out, RSVP by March 12th, 2023, to reserve your spot. We look forward to welcoming you to AltaLink Substation tour.

ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre Tour (Students Only)

Date: Tue., Feb 21st, 2023, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM (MST) Alberta

Location: ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre (9500 100 St SE, Calgary, AB T3S 0A2)

Sponsored by the: IEEE University of Calgary Student Branch, Joint PES/IAS Student Branch Chapter

Register Online Here

Topic: Are you a student at the University of Calgary interested in the learning about Alberta’s largest natural gas power facility? ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre, a state-of-the-art power generation facility, is excited to invite you to an exclusive tour of their plant.
During this tour, you will have the opportunity to see firsthand how ENMAX generates electricity combined-cycle technology, via two natural gas-fueled turbines and one steam turbine provide more than 860 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the provincial grid – enough to meet almost half of Calgary’s current needs. You will also learn about the latest technologies and innovations in energy production and get a chance to ask any questions you may have to our team of experts.
This is a rare opportunity for students to gain insight into the inner workings of a successful company and understand the potential career opportunities in this field. Don’t miss out, RSVP by February 16th, 2023 to reserve your spot. We look forward to welcoming you to ENMAX’s Shepard Energy Centre.

Vancouver TALK 13: Rural Electrification Association

Date: Sat., Feb 18th, 2023, 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM (MST) Alberta

Location: Virtual: Zoom

Sponsored by the: IEEE Vancouver Section Life Member (LM) Affinity Group, IEEE Southern Alberta Section Life Member (LM) Affinity Group, etc.

Speaker: Glen Fox, Chair of the Board of Directors of Equs REA

Register Online Here

Topic: In Canada, Rural Electrification Associations (REAs) are unique to Alberta. They provide power for consumers in rural communities each within a specific geographic boundary. Each REA has an elected board of directors that handles the business operations of the REA. After WWII, Alberta REAs brought power to the rural areas of Alberta, whereas in other provinces, the provincial governments and their generally provincially owned utilities brought power to their rural areas. Equs is now the largest member owned utility in Canada.

Glen’s presentation will describe how rural Alberta came together to create the many REAs and how they brought power to rural Alberta.