Movers & Shakers
MEMBER NEWS
OUTSTANDING MENTOR An Innate Ability To Mentor
CENTENNIAL LEADERSHIP AWARD A Half Century of APEGA Service — and a Critical Link to Medicine For nearly five decades, Gary Faulkner, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FGC (Hon.) , has provided outstanding leadership as a tireless volunteer, an innovative researcher, and an inspiring teacher and mentor. Dr. Faulkner served 27 years on APEGA’s Board of Examiners (BOE), which reviews the qualifications of engineering and geoscience applicants seeking registration with APEGA. He joined the board in 1989 as an academic examiner in mechanical engineering. He became Chair in 1995, a role he held for 21 years. In 2007, he received APEGA’s L.C. Charlesworth Professional Service Award in recognition of his long-term commitment. As BOE Chair, Dr. Faulkner supported the growth of APEGA’s membership while ensuring applicants met APEGA’s high standards for professional licensure. Contributing thousands upon thousands of hours of service, Dr. Faulkner also helped develop and update board policies. Nationally, he ably represented APEGA by volunteering with Engineers Canada on the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board and as Chair of a committee focused on international academic qualifications. Since 2009, Dr. Faulkner has been Director of Rehabilitation Research & Technology Development at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, where he’s developed pioneering treatments that use robotics, virtual reality, and other innovations. His work has led to faster recoveries and improved quality of life for hundreds of individuals. Numerous patients with severe facial disfigurement say his treatments have given them their lives back. He also supports the head-and-neck reconstruction unit at Misericordia Community Hospital. Dr. Faulkner, a three-time Summit Award recipient, is also a professor emeritus in mechanical engineering with the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering. At the U of A, he led development of the biomedical engineering program and chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering for seven years, leading it through a major reorganization and overseeing a 40 per cent increase in undergraduate enrolment.
Many accomplished leaders volunteer in formal mentoring programs. For a select few, however, inspiring and guiding others is innate. In the latter category is Andrzej Slawinski, P.Geol., PhD , who selflessly shares knowledge and time to help others reach their personal summits. The Chief Technical Officer at Waterline Resources Inc., the Calgary resident has more than five decades of experience in geology. Born in Poland, he completed his PhD in hydrogeology in 1977 at Warsaw’s Polish Academy of Sciences. In 1982, Dr. Slawinski and his family immigrated to Canada. He is fluent in three languages and has a working knowledge of four more — reflective of his work experience in Europe, Africa, southeast Asia, eastern Siberia, and South America. He is the author and co-author of numerous publications and hundreds of consulting reports. Always available and generous with his time, Dr. Slawinski has mentored many young talents. Some have changed jobs or moved from other provinces to work with him. Waterline Resources Inc. was formed by three of his mentees, who convinced him to delay retirement to join the company. He acts as a technical advisor for senior and junior professionals alike, encouraging critical thinking and respectful practice. Dr. Slawinski leads by example with an endearing, humble personality and a strong passion for adven- ture. An avid skier and mountaineer, he has attempted to climb the highest peak in North America twice — at the ages of 73 and 74. Although both times he has not made it to the 6,194-metre summit of Denali in Alaska, he has certainly engaged the hearts and minds of his colleagues, who tracked his progress from Calgary using a satellite messenger unit. In the words of one mentee, Dr. Slawinski is “an inspiring combination of a brilliant mind and an acces- sible person.” He has a genuine concern for science and people, combined with an exceptional ability to engage and lead young professionals. His integrity, honesty, and fairness make him an outstanding men- tor worthy of recognition — and a model of what it means to live by the APEGA Code of Ethics .
SUMMER 2017 PEG | 29
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