OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - 34

NEWS & EVENTS

OSPE MEMBERS WEIGH IN

on Suggested Topics for the
1st Annual Engineering Conference
OSPE is in the process of planning its first ever Engineering
Conference which will take place in spring of 2021. It will be a full
day event with collaboration as the goal. The engineering community
will be brought together with industry, academia and government,
to discuss innovations, challenges and Ontario's future. By utilizing
a cross-disciplinary approach, OSPE hopes to open up pathways
across sectors with a focus on staying competitive.
The conference will also offer attendees an opportunity to

enhance their business, communications and personal branding
skills through professional development sessions specifically
catered to engineers.
As part of the 2019 OSPE Member Satisfaction Survey (see
pages 32-33), we asked members what topics they were interested
in learning more about. Topics and survey respondents' level of
interest are presented in Table 1, with anything over 2 indicating
a high level of interest.

Level of Interest in Possible 2020 Conference Topics
2.21

Environment/Climate Change
Energy
Artificial Intelligence (tie)
Infrastructure (tie)
Compensation
Leadership & Management
Engineering Entrepreneurship
Licensure
Post-Secondary Curriculum
Women in Engineering
Advanced Manufacturing
Business Communications
Indigenous Knowledge/Communities
Personal Branding
International Engineering Grads

1.6
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.7
1.68
1.8

2.1
2.03
2.03
2.02
1.98
1.93
1.9
1.84
1.83
1.82
1.8

2

2.2

1=Not Interested
2=Interested
3=Very Interested

2.4

2.6

2.8

3

Table 1: Level of Interest on Possible Topics for Engineering Conference

The answers from the 372 respondents featured some hot button
issues: environment, climate change, infrastructure, and artificial
intelligence. Compensation, along with leadership & management,
were also topics of keen interest.
As part of the day, research co-supervised by OSPE will be
presented. Graduate students from Ryerson University and
University of Toronto will present on Planning and Operations of
On-Demand Transit, and Safety and Cyber Security of Autonomous
and Connected Vehicles. These topics have indeed been identified
as important and interesting by the OSPE Research and Innovation
Task Force.
OSPE is still planning on featuring topics beyond what is

34

THE VOICE Spring 2020

mentioned above and would love to hear from our readers. What
topics do you want to see covered at the first annual Engineering
Conference? Please be as specific as possible (see a list of potential
topics and ideas below as examples).
1. What would you like to see in terms of presentations and
discussions regarding the future of engineering in Ontario?
2. W
 hat sessions would be beneficial for you in terms of career
services or professional development?
3. I f you could present an idea for discussion or participate on a
panel at the Ontario Engineering Conference, what topic would
you discuss? Who else should be involved?
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020

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