NEWS BEYOND OUR BORDERS
World’s largest miner appoints Canadian CEO
Postmedia News – Canadian Mike Henry will be the next chief executive of giant Australian miner BHP Group, a decision that could have consequences on whether it pushes forward with a massive potash project in Saskatchewan in the coming years.
Henry, 53, takes the helm in January 2020, leaving a month or so for him to transition from his current role as head of BHP’s Australian mining operations, where the company’s iron ore mines that account for nearly half its revenue are located.
One item on his eventual to-do list, though not necessarily at the top, will be whether the company will allocate $5 billion to construct the first phase of its Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan. The project would initially add four million tons of potash to the market and as much as four times that over time, which could drastically alter the supply and demand dynamics for existing producers such as Saskatoon-based Nutrien Ltd.
Although BHP has already invested a few billion dollars into Jansen, a decline in potash prices and investor pushback have clouded the project’s future.
Henry currently lives in Melbourne and joined BHP’s coal business in 2003 in Australia. By 2010, he had moved into marketing, eventually serving as chief marketing officer, before moving back to operations. In 2016, he was promoted to president of the company’s mining operations in Australia.
BHP is a diversified miner that produces metals such as iron ore, nickel, zinc and copper, as well as coal, and oil and gas.
The company has been debating whether to build its Jansen potash mine, about 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, which current CEO Mackenzie has said is part of a long-term strategy to help diversify away from fossil fuels.
Canada universities mourn those lost in plane crash
University Affairs – Canada’s university community is stunned and in mourning as the scope of the tragedy becomes clear from the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines flight outside of Tehran on Jan. 8. Dozens of students, professors and researchers from at least 18 universities from Victoria to Halifax have been identified among the victims.
All 176 passengers and crew members on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 en route to Kyiv were killed after the aircraft crashed just minutes after takeoff at Imam Khomeini International Airport. Some 138 of those passengers were ultimately travelling to Canada.
The University of Windsor confirmed Hamid Setarah Kokab, a PhD student in mechanical engineering; Zahra Naghibi, a PhD student in civil engineering who had been working with the turbulence and energy lab; and Pedram Jadidi, a PhD student in civil engineering specializing in coastal and offshore engineering died in the crash.
University of Toronto lost Mojtaba Abbasnezhad, a PhD student in electrical engineering and teaching assistant.
Western University confirmed four students among the victims, including Ghazal Nourian, a PhD student in mechanical and materials engineering; Milad Nahavandi, a PhD student in chemical and biochemical engineering; and Sajedeh Saraeian, an incoming master’s student in chemical engineering and biochemical engineering.
The CBC notes that some 30 victims were Edmonton residents, most with ties to the University of Alberta. Among them: Mojgan Daneshmand, an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering who held the Canada Research Chair in Radio Frequency Microsystems for Communication and Sensing; her husband Pedram Mousavi, a professor of mechanical engineering who’d received his PhD and MSc from the University of Manitoba; and Nasim Rahmanifar, a master’s student in mechanical engineering.
Université du Québec’s École de technologie supérieure announced Aida Farzaneh, a lecturer in the department of construction engineering at ÉTS, was among the dead.
The University of Waterloo identified two PhD students who were on the flight, including civil engineering student Mansour Esnaashary Esfahani.
At Dalhousie University, engineering student Masoumeh (Masi) Ghavi died in the crash.
McMaster University stated that two PhD students in the faculty of engineering, Iman Aghabali and Mehdi Eshaghian, were both on the flight.
Razgar Rahimi, a sessional instructor with the faculty of engineering and applied science at Ontario Tech University, was among the dead, according to local media reports. Dr. Rahimi received a PhD in electrical and computer engineering at the university in 2018.
Dean named to Top 100 list
University of Toronto – The Women’s Executive Network announced its list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 for 2019, and Dean Emerita Cristina Amon (MIE) is one of 12 selected in the category CIBC Trailblazers and Trendsetters.
The list recognizes the country’s highest achieving female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Amon served as dean of U of T Engineering from 2006-19. As the faculty’s first woman dean, she increased both the presence and leadership of women and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
For the past three years, the first-year cohort at U of T Engineering has been 40 per cent women; this year’s cohort is 42 per cent women, up from 20 per cent in 2006 and the highest percentage in Canada.
During Amon’s deanship, the number of women faculty members tripled, from 19 to 57. Nearly 40 per cent of the Faculty’s Canada Research Chairs are women, compared to 10 pe cent in 2006. Women lead many multidisciplinary research centres and institutes at U of T Engineering.
Under Amon’s leadership, the international profile of U of T Engineering has risen to be known as one of the world’s top public engineering schools in all international rankings.
Among her many accolades, Amon received the Engineers Canada Award for the Support of Women and the Engineering Institute of Canada’s most prestigious award, the Sir John Kennedy Medal. She has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Hispanic Engineer Hall of Fame, U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain and Royal Society of Canada and elected fellow of all the major professional societies in her field.
Electric aircraft takes flight
The Guardian – The world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft has taken its inaugural test flight, taking off from Vancouver and flying for 15 minutes.
“This proves that commercial aviation in all-electric form can work,” said Roei Ganzarski, chief executive of Australian engineering firm magniX.
The company designed the plane’s motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air, which ferries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities.
Ganzarski said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines and zero emissions.
Civil aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of carbon emissions as people increasingly take to the skies. New technologies have been slow to get off the ground.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has encouraged greater use of efficient biofuel engines and lighter aircraft materials, as well as route optimisation.
The e-plane – a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane retrofitted with a 750hp electric motor – was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air.
On top of fuel efficiency, the company would save millions in maintenance costs because electric motors require “drastically” less upkeep.
However, Harbour Air will have to wait at least two years before it can begin electrifying its fleet of more than 40 seaplanes. The e-plane has to be tested further to confirm it is reliable and safe. In addition, the electric motor must be approved and certified by regulators.
Battery power is also a challenge. An aircraft like the one flown could fly only about 160 kilometres on lithium battery power. While that’s not far, it’s sufficient for the majority of short-haul flights run by Harbour Air.