July 15-18, 2012

LakeheadUniversity,

July 15-18, 2012LakeheadUniversity,Orillia, Ontario

For the first time since 2001, the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE/SCGAB) will join together with the Northeast Agricultural & Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) for our annual technical conference. It will be held from July 15th through the 18th, 2012.

NABEC is a community of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and invited CSBE/SCGAB to join them as we were planning to meet in Eastern Canada. There is considerable membership overlap as CSBE/SCGAB members resident in Eastern Canadian provinces are also members of NABEC. Members of both organizations are also members of ASABE.

NABEC has traditionally had an emphasis on student presentations both graduate and undergraduate and a delightful mix of 10 minute presentations by members and students. Their term for this is to "relax professionally".

CSBE/SCGAB has had more emphasis on 15 to 20 minute presentations in "themed" technical sessions. This organization also encourages student participation and, as well, supports undergraduate students through awards to each teaching institution for the best undergraduate design project and best undergraduate thesis.

With the joint nature of this conference, presentations could be made in either the long or the short format.

The Technical Conference includes the plenary sessions, technical papers, student poster sessions, a banquet, an evening barbeque, preconference workshops and post conference tours.

The Site

The conference will be held at the Orillia campus of Lakehead University located on the edge of the town in a rural setting. The brand new facilities, which opened only last year, are built to a LEEDS standard utilizing both geothermal heating and green roof technology. Accommodations will be available on this site in the student residence, as well as at the Best Western Hotel and Comfort Inn less than 3 km away into Orillia.

Preconference Workshops

A number of preconference workshops will be offered on Sunday. These stimulating and informative half-day workshops will be presented by leading experts, and geared toward practicing professionals, government and industry representatives, and students in programs related to bioengineering. Participants in the workshops will be will be eligible to receive Continuing Professional Development credit from their professional engineering associations.

• Biogas: Technical Approaches to Farm-Based Systems. This workshop will provide participants with a detailed understanding of the systems and equipment, and operational considerations for farm-based biogas systems.  The workshop will be run by Jake DeBruyn, Engineer for New Technology Integration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.  
• Composting Facilities: Design Challenges and Solutions. This workshop will review current design practices and technologies for municipal and agricultural composting facilities for organic waste recycling. The workshop will be coordinated by the Canada Composting Council.
• Energy Crop Production. This workshop will provide an analysis and understanding of the issues involved in production of biomass energy crops. The workshop will be run by Tim Rennie, professor of agricultural engineering at the Kemptville Campus of the University of Guelph.
• Nanotechnology: Practical Solutions in Agriculture, Food and Biological Systems. This workshop is focused on the development, advancement, and deployment of nanotechnology in the agricultural and food industry. The workshop will be run by Suresh Neethirajan (University of Guelph).

Further information about the workshops will be made available on the conference website: www.bioeng.ca/events. NABEC and CSBE/SCGAB gratefully acknowledge the support and involvement of the participating the organizations.

Post Conference Tours

A post conference tour is planned for Wednesday to the Holland Marsh, a 3000 hectare area of muck land which has been supplying Ontario with vegetable crops for 100 years. On the tour we will see the reclaimed muck land, the $25 million reworking of the drainage works, the muck crops research station, the greenhouse hydroponics projects and winery.

The Area

Orillia is located in the heart of Ontario’s vacation country 90 minutes north of Toronto in an area known as the Muskokas. It is famous for its beautiful lakes and rivers and its summer activities – boating, fishing, hiking and camping. The wooden pleasure boat industry was and is centred in nearby Gravenhurst. Consider extending time at the conference into a summer family vacation to explore the area.

Visit the CSBE/SCGAB website and follow the links on the front page to the NABEC - CSBE/SCGAB Technical Conference for more information on the conference including the technical programs, area attractions, vacation ideas and registration information as it becomes available. It is updated regularly. Registration and room reservations will open on February 15th.

Come join us in Orillia. We look forward to hosting you in 2012!

The Annual General Meeting of Members was held on Monday, July 7, 2011 from 12:00 to 14:00 CDT (Winnipeg time) in the Ballrooms, at Inn at the Forks Hotel.

Call to order (President Prasher)

Greetings and introductions

Participants list attached