Ontario, Canada
Specializing in water treatment and distribution with an interest in microbiology and water chemistry used in public utility operations.
Operate as OIC in Class 2 water treatment and distribution systems as well as Class 2 wastewater collections system and Class 1 extended aeration wastewater treatment lagoon system. Provide coverage as Chief Operator/ORO for all four systems to cover vacation requirements. Currently hold class 2 licenses in Water Treatment and Wastewater Collections with Class 2 Licenses in Water Distribution and Wastewater Collections pending approval by OWWCO.
Responsible for the provision of safe drinking water for commercial, government and non-profit clients. Created and maintained monitoring and maintenance programs in compliance with Ontario regulatory requirements (O. Reg 170/03, O. Reg 318/319 , O. Reg 243). Maintained water treatment systems including UV, chlorination, greensand, softening equipment and various means of filtration. Also performed inspection and testing to ensure compliance with O. Reg 903 well regulations.
Key Skills Developed and Utilized: - Sample Management Techniques - Analytical Thinking and Technical Problem Solving - Data Management and Analysis - Technical Writing In response to the proposed development of the Northern Gateway pipeline, I was part of a group contracted to fill a data gap related to the aquatic toxicity of Diluted Bitumen oil products (DILBIT). In addition to general logistics, my responsibility was to prepare and analyze solutions of DILBIT for PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). I operated laboratory spectroscopy equipment to analyze water samples in-house and also coordinated with an analytical laboratory, packaging and shipping approx 1000 water samples for GC/MS analysis. The project followed a short and intensive timeline.
Key Skills Developed and Utilized: - Project Management - Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving - Planning - Speaking and Presentations Reporting to the Director of Research Services and the Senior Business Analyst, I provided technical and analytical support to the Tools for Research at Queen's (TRAQ) project. The TRAQ project is a $3.5M upgrade of existing software systems used for managing Queen's University’s Research Enterprise. My responsibilities include participating in many aspects of IT/ERP project management: needs assessment, business process mapping, process engineering, pilot testing software in test environments and creating and participating in demonstrations for stakeholders. In addition to contributing to aspects of project management and business process upgrades, other responsibilities include using business intelligence software (e.g. BI Query), data warehouses and business analytics strategies to provide institutional level research statistics and reports. Serving on committees and special research projects, I participate in pre-award and post-award activities of various types in various capacities (For example: Tri-Council [NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC] and MITACS awards)
Key Skills Developed and Utilized: - Environmental Toxicology Knowledge - Technical Writing and Editing - Advanced Mathematics and Statistics - Planning and Supervision - Safety and Compliance Monitoring Reporting to the Principal Investigator, I managed the day-to-day operations of an environmental toxicology lab. The focus of the lab's activities were aquatic toxicology and investigating the effects of chemicals and pollutants on aquatic organisms. My responsibilities included supervising and supporting graduate and undergraduate students in their research. Throughout this position, I participated in a number of projects, including institutional, national and international collaborative research projects. My contributions range from technical troubleshooting, assisting in experimental design, strategic procurement and international logistics to data collection and statistical analyses. In addition to this, I conducted research for many projects and published risk assessment of a series of chemical surfactants in the journal Green Chemistry. This research involved using toxicity testing and mathematical modeling to guide the design of safer chemicals for industry. The research describes the successful development of a QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) tool to estimate the toxicity of a chemical before even synthesizing it.
Conducted experiments and collected data for the Queen's University Molecular Ecology Laboratory, which studies population dynamics of various species using Microsatellite DNA analysis. I performed DNA extractions and electrophoresis on tissues from Polar Bears, Javan Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Black Rhinoceros, birds and amphibians. My responsibilities included collecting, summarizing and reporting data to other members of the lab.