Library:Research Skills For Engineering Students/Introduction/Page 02
Knowing where and how to find different types of information will help you solve engineering problems, in both your academic and professional career. Lack of investigation into engineering guidelines, standards, and best practices can result in failure with severe repercussions.
An example of engineering failure is the Mount Polley Tailings Breach.
On August 4 2014 without any apparent warning, a breach in the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond dam released years of mining waste into Polley Lake, B.C. An independent expert engineering investigation and review panel found that the failure was primarily within the design, specifically:
- Lack of recognition of a weak underlying layer of glacial deposits in the dam’s foundation
- Subsurface investigations were not tailored to complex geologic environment
- Construction of the dam’s downstream rockfill zone at a steep slope of 1.3 horizontal to 1.0 vertical, placing a higher load on the foundation
- Original design criteria proposed a slope of 2.0 horizontal to 1.0 vertical
As an engineer, your ability to conduct thorough and accurate research while clearly communicating the results is extremely important in decision-making processes.
CEAB Graduate Attributes
Your undergraduate engineering program at UBC is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). This ensures you have the education required for future licensure as a professional engineer (P.Eng.) in Canada.
It is expected that UBC Engineering graduates possess certain attributes, to be used as foundation for continued professional development. A number of CEAB Graduate Attributes speak directly to your ability to locate and use engineering information effectively (Accreditation Criteria and Procedures Report 2014):
- 3.1.7 Communication skills
- 3.1.8 Professionalism
- 3.1.9 Impact of engineering on society and the environment
- 3.1.10 Ethics and equity
- 3.1.12 Life-long learning