This document provides an introduction to the Professional Engineering Practice course taught by Mike Stewart and Fariborz Taghipour. It outlines the course agenda, including introductions of the instructors and an overview of course expectations and assessments. Students are informed of an upcoming quiz worth 15% of their grade on February 10th and that passing the final exam is required to pass the course. Contact information is provided for both instructors and the course website is listed for additional resources.

1. Professional Engineering Practice
Course Introduction
Mike C. Stewart, J.D., M.A.Sc., P.Eng
Fariborz Taghipour, PhD, P.Eng
APSC 450
Mike.stewart@ubc.ca
Tel: 778-986-4818
Course website:
https://connect.ubc.ca/
Fariborz.taghipour@ubc.ca
Tel: 778-875-7414

2. Agenda
• About me
• About Dr. Taghipour
• What to expect over the next 12 weeks
• Many many convincing reasons for you to
attend lectures

3. Introductions

4. Introductions
Mike.stewart@ubc.ca
Tel: 778-986-4818
Call me Mike, Prof Mike, Prof
Stewart…just not Mark

5. Engineering
Designed and built waste
gas (flare gas) to power
facilities in Alberta, BC,
Saskatchewan

6. Research
• Designed and built
fluidized bed reactors
for coal (Ottawa) and
biomass (UBC)

7. Lawyering
www.ataclaw.ca
ATAC Law Corporation
• Engineering law
• Professional liability
• Intellectual Property
• Administrative Tribunals

8. Persuasive Communication

9. how to party
• Lan tournament circa
2004 (Counter-Strike
1.6)
Mike

10. Why am I here?
How to emulate a clown

11. This class is about three things
• Law
• Ethics
• Professionalism
• And within professionalism:
– Communication
– Presentation
– Entrepreneurship
– Decision Making

12. Why you think you shouldn’t be here
• “I don’t need to learn ethics. I am ethical!”
• I’m not a lawyer nor will I ever become one.
• There aren’t any equations.
• I would rather watch pikachu vape on insta

13. Why you want to be here (#1)
• Your brain doesn’t always do what you think
it’s doing.
• A simple problem… A ball and a bat.

14. Why you’re here
• A Ball and a Bat cost $1.10. The Bat costs
$1.00 more than the ball. How much is the
Ball?

15. A ball and a bat problem
• A Ball and a Bat cost $1.10. The Bat costs
$1.00 more than the ball. How much is the
Ball?
The point is: you may think you are doing the
right thing, but we are so often deceived by
our wonderful brains.
X + (X + 1.00) = 1.10

16. Why you want to be here #2:
It pays to be a Professional
• Credibility
• Community
• Continuous learning
• Satisfaction with job and life

17. It pays to be a Professional (literally)
https://www.apeg.bc.ca/Careers/Compensation-Survey

18. Fariborz Taghipour
• Research @ UBC
• Industry experience
• International experience
• Photographer
• Engineer… and not a
lawyer… so, Ethics.

19. What Veresk Bridge story tell us?
• Fear that the train wouldn’t be able to pass!
• The engineer and his family stood under it
when the first train passed!!!

20. Engineering Ethics &
Law…………why needed?
• Obligations by engineers to
society, to their clients, &
to the profession.
• It is important to know the
rules of the game

21. Engineering related issues
• Engineering related accidents:
– The Bhopal disaster…………….
+ 500,000 were exposed to gas
8,000 died in 2W & +8,000 later
– Canada:
• Bridge collapse QC 1907: 75 deaths
• Ocean Ranger NF 1982: 84 deaths
• Engineering related concerns:
– Global warming, internet & privacy,
pipeline, mining, food engineering

22. • Technology is not
necessarily or always good
– Examples: Automobile; cellphone
• There is more to Eng. than
technology alone
– elements of law, business, safety,
psychology, philosophy, etc.
Engineering…..is it all technology?

23. Evaluation

24. Assignments Part 1 and 2
• Part 1: Individual Assignment – Choose a
topic, persuade your audience to do what you
want them to do
• Part 2: Group assignment – in groups of 5,
create a video based on ONE of the 5
individual assignments in the group

25. Assignments Part 1 and 2
• YOUR FIRST TASK: Find your groups. Submit
groups of 5 to TA Caroline Giacomin,
cgiaco@mail.ubc.ca
• Names and Student numbers for each
• Must have 5 group members.
• If you do not have 5 group members, you will
be assigned a group on the deadline.
• Deadline to submit group: FEB 17 (same day
that Part 1 is due)

26. Schedule (Tentative)
Date Lecturer Affiliation Lecture
Jan 4, Weds.
Mike Stewart &
Fariborz Taghipour
UBC Introduction to APSC 450
Jan 6, Fri Michael Isaacson UBC The Role of APEG BC
Jan 11, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC Introduction to the Legal System, Torts
Jan 13, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC Communication and Presentation
Jan 18, Weds. Fariborz Taghipour UBC Ethics & Engineering
Jan 20, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC Negligence
Jan 25, Weds. Greg Miller Lindsay Kenney When Things Go Wrong
Jan 27, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC The Act and APEGBC Code of Ethics
Feb 1, Weds. Fariborz Taghipour UBC Conflict of Interest//Whistle-Blowing
Feb 3, Fri. Mike Volker VANTEC/SFU Engineering and Entrepreneurship
Feb 8, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC Introduction to Intellectual Property Law
Feb 10, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC
Quiz; Dispute Resolution, Environmental
Law, Aboriginal Law
Feb 15, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC Employment Law in BC
Feb 17, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC Contracts; Assignment pt. 1 due
Feb 22, Weds. Midterm Break
Feb 24, Fri. Midterm Break
Mar 1, Weds Amrit Toor Intech Engineeing
Engineering in Practice: Forensic
Engineering
Mar 3, Fri. Craig Wallace SHK When Things Go Wrong - Part 2
Mar 8, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC
Business, Corporate Structures, Legal Issues
in Startups
Mar 10, Fri. Mike Stewart UBC Decision Making
Mar 15, Weds. Brian Hutchinson National Post SNC Lavalin
Mar 17, Fri. Michael Slater Slater Vecchio
Persuasive Communication and
Presentation
Mar 22, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC Cognitive Biases
Mar 24, Fri. Ross Beatty Alterra Power
Engineering in Practice: Alternative Energy
& Assignment pt. 2 Due
Mar 29, Weds. Mike Stewart UBC Presentations
Mar 31, Fri.
Mike Stewart &
Fariborz Taghipour
UBC Review

27. Assessment
• In-class Quiz (Feb 10) 15%
• Assignment Part 1 – Plan 10%
• Assignment Part 2 – Presentation 25%
• Final Exam* 50%
100%
*You must pass the final exam to pass the course

28. Quiz on Feb 10
• You must bring your laptop to class
• Open book
• You must be able to log into CWL and access
the course page
• You must be present in class with your laptop
to write the quiz
• No exceptions

29. UBC Connect

30. Sage advice from an older sister
• Do one: go to class, or do the readings
• Sadly (luckily?) there are not many readings in
this class (but there is one next for class!)
• Next Class: Dr. Isaacson on APEGBC
– READING: Becoming an EIT.pdf on CONNECT

31. Why you want to be here #3:
• “Love this course”
• “…One of the best I’ve ever had…”
• “I don’t want to miss a class”
-Anonymous student’s feedback

32. Important Details Summary
• Mike Stewart – Email mike.stewart@ubc.ca
• Fariborz Taghipour Email fariborz.taghipour@ubc.ca
• I have no Office! Office hours by appointment – Call
me 778-986-4818. Really, you can call me.
• Course website: https://connect.ubc.ca/
• There is a quiz on Feb 10 worth 15% of your mark
• You must pass the final exam to pass the course