OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 8

news

hIGhlIGhTs frOm
OsPe's Canada 150 lIsT
Canada Day is fast approaching and OSPE is proud to showcase the many ways that the engineering profession has shaped the
development of our country throughout its history. With your input, OSPE has been compiling a growing list of 150 examples
of Canadian engineering innovation.
By the end of 2017, we will have collaboratively created a vibrant online repository showcasing the remarkable influence that
engineering has on our daily lives. From aerospace, to infrastructure, clean technology, mining and industrial automation, OSPE
is celebrating the work of engineers in every sector of Canada's economy.
You can visit OSPE's Canada 150 list at www.ospe.on.ca/Canada150 to explore past, present and future engineering projects that
have and will continue to shape both Canadian society and the rest of the world.
here are a few eXamPles Of The many enGIneers and enGIneerInG PrOJeCTs feaTured On
OsPe's Canada 150 lIsT:

The earliest snow research

elsie macGill - Canada's first woman
aircraft designer

Ontario-born mechanical engineering graduate George
Klein was deemed "Canada's leading expert in snow cover
physics and mechanics" in the 1930s. Klein helped create the
international classification system for ground-cover snow, which
guides research in construction, transportation and avalanche
prevention. He was also a leading designer of aircraft skis,
which he added to bush planes to promote the exploration
of previously inaccessible areas of Canadian terrain. The
mechanical instruments he developed for the military during
WWII were later adapted to create the first military snow vehicle.

Elizabeth Muriel Gregory "Elsie" MacGill, was the
first woman to graduate with a degree in electrical
engineering from the University of Toronto. She
later became the first woman to earn a Master's
degree in aeronautical engineering. During WWII,
she became the chief aeronautical engineer
heading the production of the Hawker Hurricane
fighter aircraft. MacGill is considered the first
woman aircraft designer.

Creating connections through
waterways

Canada's early nuclear energy program

The Rideau Canal-the oldest continuously
operated canal system in North America-still
runs along its original line and with most
of its original structures intact. LieutenantColonel John By of the Royal Engineers
designed and supervised the construction
of the 202-kilometre canal through tough
rocky terrain and bush. The waterway played
a pivotal role in the early development of
Canada by transporting migrants and supplies.

William Gordon Morison, P.Eng., helped design the first CANDU
reactor and is remembered as a pioneer in Canadian nuclear energy.
Morison was head of engineering at Ontario Hydro during the
development of the nuclear power program in the late 1960s - early
1970s. He was Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s Chief Design Engineer
for both the Pickering and Bruce Nuclear Generating Stations.
Morison also played an instrumental role in maintaining the highest
safety and production standards during the construction of the
Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, despite Ontario Hydro's many
budgetary and scheduling setbacks.

The VOICe

June 2017

http://www.ospe.on.ca/Canada150

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