3938 APEG Mar.Apr Edit.indd - APEGBC

f eatures
Participation and professional
pride was top of mind for the
many APEGBC volunteers
who contributed to make National
Engineering and Geoscience Week
(NEGW) 2008 a memorable one.
February 1 to March 8, hundreds
of APEGBC members across the
province gave their time to organize
and run NEGW events in their
local communities.
The Okanagan Branch hosted
a weeklong speaker series at the
University of British Columbia
Okanagan in Kelowna. Each night
of the series, a volunteer speaker
presented a topic on engineering or
geoscience relevant to the Kelowna
area. This event had over 130
attendees, and the Branch hopes to
build on their success next year.
In Vancouver, the annual
E-Fest organized by the Vancouver
Branch drew nearly 6,000
visitors. At this community event,
32 MARCH/APRIL 2008 INNOVATION
APEGBC Volunteers Make National
Engineering and Geoscience Week a Success
engineering and geoscience-themed
exhibits lined the promenade of
the main branch of the Vancouver
Public Library. There was broad
representation from industry, engineering
organizations, as well as
students, showcasing projects and
interactive displays to the public.
A staple of NEGW in BC, numerous
popsicle stick bridge building
contests were held in a variety of
locations around the province. In
this contest, bridges are built out
of a limited number of popsicle
sticks and then load-tested to failure
to see how much force they are
capable of withstanding.
Th is year, the Central Interior
Branch hosted their contest at Pine
Centre Mall, attracting entries
from elementary and high school
students, adults and professionals.
A display of rock specimens supplied
by the local Ministry of Mines
offi ce was featured and garnered
much attention from adults as well
as children. Th e West Kootenay
Branch also hosted its contest, with
over 60 bridges submitted for testing
at their event.
Th e Sea to Sky Branch held its
eighth annual popsicle stick bridge
contest at Capilano Mall in North
Vancouver. Sixty-eight bridges were
entered in the competition and each
was load-tested to failure with the
audience watching each nerve and
wood-splintering moment on a live
digital display.
The Vancouver Island Branch
held its seventh annual popsicle
stick bridge contest at the Country
Club Centre in Nanaimo. With over
56 participants and 150 attendees
throughout the event, this proved to
be one of the branch’s largest competitions
to date.
The South Central Branch in
conjunction with Th ompson Rivers
University hosted their fi ft h annual
popsicle stick bridge contest. Th ere
were 56 entries in four categories
including entries from as far away
as Clearwater, Skeetchestn, Vavenby
and even Australia.
Fift een year-old Christina Noel of
Sa-hali Secondary won in the secondary
school category with her bridge
design capable of carrying 734 kg,
shattering the previous contest record
of 531.5 kg. A regular competitor at
the event, Christina is considering
a career in engineering. Her sister,
Anna, was not to be outdone, winning
in the elementary school category
with a bridge that carried an
impressive 598 kg.
The Peace River Branch held
popsicle stick bridge contests
and geoscience exhibits in three
communities in their region: Tumbler
Ridge, Fort St John and Fort Nelson.
Th e Geosciences Fun-time included
interactive geology and palaeontology
displays.
MATHChallengers hosted its
fourth year of mathematics competitions
for students in grades
8 and 9. MATHChallengers is an