News

John Newhook, Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Vice-President of Research at Dal, has received the Citizenship Award from Engineers Nova Scotia. The award is presented to engineers who have combined a professional career with outstanding service to the community.

John recieved his BEng in 1989, MASc, 1993 and PhD 1997 from Dalhousie (formerly TUNS). In his native Newfoundland, John's father was involved in road building and construction. John wanted to understand how roads and bridges worked. Today his focus is on developing innovations in design and monitoring techniques for bridges and other structures. Three notable projects are: the Steel-Free Bridge Deck on the Salmon River Bridge near Kemptville, NS, recipient of the 1996 Lt. Governor's Award for Engineering Excellence; monitoring of the Confederation Bridge; and the High-Tech Wharf in Hall's Harbour, NS.

From his undergraduate years, John contributed to the broader community of civil engineering by organizing and participating in national and international conferences, organizations and educational workshops. He recognizes the importance of these activities in communicating new technology to the engineering community in Canada and throughout the world.

John's list of memberships and activities in other engineering organizations is extensive and includes the International Society for Health Monitoring of Intelligent Structures, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineers (CSCE) and Engineers Nova Scotia, where he served on the Professional Development Committee and mentors Engineers-in-Training. John is chair of the Local Organizing Committee for the CSCE Annual Conference in Halifax, 2014.

In his 2012 Convocation Address, John encouraged Dalhousie Engineering graduates to take leadership, engagement and participation into their communities. "Volunteer for societies, especially those not work related, but for which you have a passionate connection," said John. "Play sports; participatie in cultural functions and coach, mentor, lead."

John's passion is curling. As a volunteer coach for young athletes, it was a short leap for him to recognize the benefits of bringing more science into the training of these young athletes. He is currently working with others to develop a smart curling broom which can provide feedback to the athlete as they train and improve their sweeping technique.