Vancouver Section’s IEEE Celebration Day - October 2019 - Bob Stewart

Professional Engineering and IEEE “My Journey in the Professional Engineering and IEEE Worlds” Vancouver Section’s IEEE Celebration Day - October 2019 - Bob Stewart

Preamble • My understanding is that today’s global event is to honour the roles IEEE members play in our society… • I am personally very pleased to be here as a distinguished member of the IEEE Vancouver Section to participate in this event … • I thank the IEEE Vancouver Section and, especially Dr. Bob Gill, a long time colleague, for giving me the opportunity to share the story of my journey … • This story links professional engineering and IEEE, and shows how this “technical society” is important to one’s profession career and to society as a whole …

Presentation Outline • Preamble … • Shortened introduction … • Some additional bits of personal information … • Overview of my career history … • Overview of my IEEE involvement … • Lessons learned from IEEE … • Results achieved … • Suggestions to others … • Summary of presentation …

Shortened Introduction • I am Bob Stewart, P. Eng … • I am a Principal Electrical Engineer at BC Hydro … • I have been with BC Hydro a long time … • I started as an Engineering Pupil, which was a forerunner to a summer student, and is now called a coop-student … • I have been an IEEE member for 41 years … • I have directly involved in the IEEE Substation Committee for 12 years and still review papers, plus I still provide input and advice to others …

Shortened Introduction con’t • The purpose of today presentation is to not only share my story on how IEEE influenced my Profession Engineering career … • It I also an opportunity for me to share some Lessons Learned … • and provide some “food for thought” to others on the positive impact IEEE could have on their careers …

Additional personal information • On my father’s side of the family I am second generation Canadian … • On my mother’s side of the family I am sixteen generation Canadian (Mayflower?) … • I was born in Germany near Baden Baden … • I have lived in Germany, Ontario and Northern BC as a child, and I have lived in Vancouver for nearly 55 years …

Additional personal information con’t • I presently mentor numerous engineers at various stages of their careers and enjoy working with EIT’s, plus Coop and Capstone Students … • I love to travel, hike, bike (a little) and taste wine … • I enjoy spending time with my family and friends …

Additional personal information con’t

Overview of Career History • I have had thirteen formal positions over the last 38 years within BC Hydro … • This gives an average of one position every 3.0 years or so …. • Including a year of being seconded to Ontario Hydro in 1987, and 2 years at GMS/Peace (1997-1999) …. • I have been a Principal Engineer for 13 years …

Overview of Career History con’t • I have been a Division Manager, Design Manager, Maintenance Services Manager, Maintenance and Operations Manager and Plant Manager … • I have been a Principal Engineer, Senior Engineer, a Designer, an EIT and an Engineering Pupil … • I have been a Design Supervisor, an Project Engineer, and acted as a Project Manager …

Overview of IEEE involvement • I have been an IEEE member for 41 years and I joined IEEE in first year of Electrical Engineering at UBC … • During the period of 1992 to 2004, I was involved in the following IEEE Substation Committees, sub-committees, working groups and task forces, all of which covered topics of interest to BC Hydro during that period: • Member of the Substation Committee from 1992 to 2004 … • Member of the IEEE Mobile Substation Safety Guide from 1992 to 1999 …. • Member of the Seismic Design Working Group (IEEE 693) from 1995 to 2004 …

Overview of IEEE involvement con’t • Member of the Trial Used Guide for Development of Specifications for Turnkey Substations, from 1993 to 1999 … • Chaired the Insulator Seismic Strength Task Force from 1999 to 2000 … • Chaired the West Coast Sub-Committee from 1999 to 2004 …

Overview of IEEE involvement con’t • Chaired the Grounding and Surfacing Task Force 1999 to 2004 … • Chaired the Flexible Connections for Seismically Active Areas Task Force from 1999 to 2004 … • Vice Chair of the Cable Systems in Substation Installation Working group from 2002 to 2003 ...

Overview of IEEE involvement con’t I also have been involved with the following: • Chaired the 2000 Annual Substation Committee meeting in Vancouver… • Coordinated and co-authored chapters on substation seismic design for the 2000 Electric Power Engineering Handbook, and the 2003 Electric Power Substation Engineering Handbook … • Volunteer Coordinator of the 2013 IEEE Vancouver General Meeting …

Overview of IEEE involvement con’t For my effort the IEEE Substation Committee showed their appreciation as follows: • As a member of the IEEE teams which created the following documents, I received Certificates of Appreciation from the IEEE Substation Committee: • mobile substation safety guide, • substation cables installation guide, • trial use turnkey specification guide, • task force report on seismic insulator strength, • recommended practice on substation seismic equipment and, • recommended practice on substation seismic flexible buswork… • 2000 Substation Committee Annual Meeting - Vancouver

Overview of IEEE involvement con’t I also received the following: • As a member of the team who created the recommended practice on Substation Seismic Design I also received the outstanding Working Group award along with the other members … • Certifications of Appreciation for my coordinating and contribution to chapters on Substation Seismic Design for the 2000 Electric Power Engineering Handbook and the 2003 Electric Power Substation Engineering Handbook … • I also received a Distinguished Service Award from the IEEE Substation Committee in 2005

Lessons Learned from IEEE Technical Knowledge • I learned that gaining basic technical knowledge was only the first step … • That the next step was to be able to explain it to other engineers and non-engineers … • The ultimate step was being able to utilize the technical knowledge gained to expand the boundaries of society’s knowledge … Communications • I learned that effective oral and written communication was essential for the IEEE business and for the company I worked for …

Lessons Learned from IEEE con’t • Leadership • From my various leadership roles at all level of the Substation Committee, i.e.: chair, vice chair and sectary, for a sub-committee, working groups and task forces, I learned that a leader who tried to managetheir team was not as effective as one who lead their team, even with using the correct project manage tools ... • Relationship Building • I learned you did not get to pick your team and that you had to work with the people who volunteered, and that you had to use different approaches to first understand them and then work with them …

Lessons Learned from IEEE con’t • Project Management • That the use of the basic of project management involving scope, schedule, communications and getting the right people involved ensure success of the production of IEEE standards and any other project … • Business Impact • From my role as the Chair of the 2000 Annual Substation Committee Meeting in Vancouver, I learned how a failed meeting could have an un-foreseen impact on the committee’s budget and membership numbers …

Results achieved Technical Knowledge • Via the monthly IEEE magazine, Spectrum, I kept up to date and learned EGBC CPD points, plus learned about utility facilities to visit during technical society meetings … • I participate in areas outside my normal area of practice and become proficient in them, i.e.: seismic design, mobile equipment safety, and turnkey specifications, which my employer was interest in, plus I added to the body of knowledge in these areas … • I was recognized for my efforts by IEEE and my employer … Communications • I learned the value of both clear and concise written and verbal … • I able to also practice what I had learned in courses …

Results achieved con’t • Leadership • Through the various IEEE leaderships roles I has able to practice what I had learned for courses and seminars given in my workplace and become proficient … • I was also lucky to have several IEEE colleagues who mentored and encourage me along the way … • Relationship Building • Through observation of my IEEE colleagues I learned the best approach and practice … • I also had the opportunity to practice what I observed under their watchful eyes to be the best I could be …

Results achieved con’t • Project Management • After taking in basic course in Project Management, I gained real world by experience thru my involvement with IEEE … • This experience was sufficient for PMI to expect be to take the PPM program, and obtain my PPM destination, which I held for many years … • Business Impact • Learning about this topic thru my IEEE colleagues made very easy for me to apply it seamlessly in my workplace …

Results achieved con’t • Other benefits • I got to visit parts of the North American continent I would never think of going to via IEEE meetings • I was able to take my wife on several of the locations of interest to her • I was also able to visit facilities of other utilizes to see how they approach design • I was able not only able to increase my network of contacts, but also my circle of friends

Suggestions for others • First of all: • Have a life-long learning plan you update annually … • Have a personal competency/skill assessment to learn your strengths and weakness and remain aware of them … • 360 reviews are best - they enable you to see how others see you … • Work on improving your weakness, but exercise your strengths also - Have a plan and work the plan …

Suggestions for others con’t • Next: • Be prepared to learn from anyone … • Do some research and study on your own also … • Ensure you round out your experience - try new things … • Obtain both field and office experience - the order does not matter, for both are equally important …

Suggestions for others con’t • And: • Be broad in your skills and maintain your skills so you are flexible in your career options … • Make sure you try different approaches with different people and for a topic of concern … • Be open minded … • Be friendly and approachable, but be respectful, professional and courteous …

Suggestions for others con’t • And: • Be curious and ask questions, but first seek to understand … • Understand the rational not the opinion or passion … • Trust, but verify …

Suggestions for others con’t • Finally: • Involved in IEEE can provide you with many avenues and colleagues to help you with all of these items and give you a chance to learn and practice many of them in a safe environment… • I highly recommend engineers at all stages of their careers get involved in IEEE …

Summary of presentation • In closing I have to say my involvement in IEEE had a very positive impact on my Profession Engineering career, for it not only made me a better engineer, but also a better person. For example, in the area of: • Technical Knowledge • my involvement not only kept me current all these years, but also aware of the latest developments in all fields of electrical engineering, not just in my chosen area … • my involvement helped me increase my level of knowledge, so I could help push out the boundaries of the society’s knowledge … • my involvement also helped me develop a network of colleagues and friends within the industry, who may look at issues or topic differently or in ways I may not have thought of … • plus they may have knowledge and experience I do not have, and sometimes I am the “go to person” …

Summary of presentation con’t My involvement also enable me to learn, practice and hone the following skills and competencies: Communications - it helped me to develop into a better verbal and written communicator … Leadership- it helped me understand the difference was between management and leadership, and how to be a more effective leader … Relationship Building - it taught me not only how to build relationships, but maintain them …

Summary of presentation con’t Project Management - it taught me how important scope, schedule, budget, communication and the people on the team were, and to carefully manage the interfaces between systems and engineer disciplines … Business Impact - it also taught me to consider not only the economic impact, but also the impact on people from a safety, operability and maintainability point of view, plus the impact on the environment …

In Conclusion … Therefore, again, I highly recommend others get involved in IEEE, at whatever level they can, to help them improve both themselves and society as a whole … Thank you for listening … I hope you enjoyed my presentation … RPS

Vancouver Section’s IEEE Celebration Day - October 2019 - Bob Stewart