INNOVATION September-October 2015

pres i den t ’s award s 2015 President’s Awards Recipients Our annual President’s Awards recognize excellence in professional, technical and community service by APEGBC members. On Friday, October 16, at the President’s Awards Gala, APEGBC will honour seven recipients for their contributions to the engineering and geoscience professions and communities in BC.

C.J. Westerman Memorial Award Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., FGC

R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award Dr. Duncan Wyllie, P.Eng. A renowned expert in rock engineering, Duncan Wyllie has dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to the study and practice of rock mechanics, with the objectives of developing innovative ideas and sharing his work with the professional community. As a co-founder of Wyllie & Norrish Rock Engineers, Duncan has worked as a consultant to Canadian Pacific Railway since 1975, providing services and guidance for their Rock Slope Stabilization Program, an integral element to improving the safety of train operations. He also introduced his slope management system to U.S. highway projects, which was the precursor to the Rockfall Hazard Rating System in use today. His technical expertise is in demand both in BC and overseas. He has worked on the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project, and on assignments in New Zealand and India. Sharing his expertise with others, he has authored and co-authored a number of widely read postgraduate-level textbooks that have been translated into Korean and Turkish. An active member of the engineering profession, Duncan has volunteered with the Tunneling Association of Canada and the U.S. Transportation Board. For his exceptional leadership in developing practical and effective ways to improve safety and performance in the profession, APEGBC is proud to present Duncan Wyllie with its highest engineering honour, the R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award. As the President of Kirkham Geosystems, Garth Kirkham has built an impressive career that spans four decades, with specialized experience in supplying high-technology services and related products to the mining, oil and gas, geotechnical and environmental industries. Dedicated to improving the profession and public safety, Garth has been an influential advocate of best practices and improved guidelines in the exploration and mining communities through the support of industry-wide standards such as the NI 43-101. In 2010, he was awarded the Canadian Institute of Mining’s J.C. Sproule Memorial Plaque in recognition of his longstanding dedication to the development and practical use of 3D geological and geostatistical modeling for northern mining projects. Garth has tirelessly served his profession through volunteer roles with APEGBC, the Geological Association of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Earth Scientists, Geoscientists Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), where he currently serves as President. Providing leadership to the future geoscience community, Garth has been a national Distinguished Lecturer for CIM and guest lecturer at UBC, SFU and BCIT. For his significant technical achievements in geoscience and for his exemplary service to his profession and community, APEGBC is pleased to present Garth Kirkham with its highest award for a geoscientist, the C.J. Westerman Memorial Award.

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