Geotechnical News • June 2019
23
COMPUTING IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
From the GS Board
CGS Sustainable Geotechnics Com-
mittee, as Vice President Communica-
tions for two terms (2013-2016), and
as the CGS representative to the CSCE
(2013-2016, 2018-2019). Catherine
has also served on several conference
organizing committees, including as
the Technical Program Chair for the
66
th
Canadian Geotechnical Confer-
ence (GeoMontreal 2013). Recently,
she was the co-Chair for the Geoenvi-
ronmental Speciality Conference held
in conjunction with the CSCE annual
meeting.
Having many notable achievements,
Catherine has twice received the
Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award
(2003 and 2005), as well as, the Con-
cordia Sustainability Champion Award
(2013), and the ASTM Editorial Award
(2014). In 2017 she was identified as a
CIM Woman of Innovation. Catherine
is a Fellow of both the CSCE and the
EIC. In 2018, she was the recipient of
the EIC’s John B. Stirling Metal.
Angela Kupper
Originally from Brazil, Angela gained
an appreciation for geotechnical
engineering while working as a sum-
mer intern on a large Brazilian dam
project. Following completion of her
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in
1979 (University of Sao Paulo) and
1983 (Catholic University of Rio de
Janeiro), respectively, she worked
with Geotecnica, a Brazilian con-
sulting firm, in South America and
Africa. Subsequently, she came to
Canada where, in 1991, she was the
first woman to receive a Doctorate in
Geotechnical Engineering from the
University of Alberta. Over her career
she has worked with AMEC (formerly
Hardy BBT) on several high profile
large dams, including the Travers,
Bennett and Dickson dams. Since
2013, Angela has been with BGC
Engineering working, among other
projects, as the Engineer of Record for
the new A21 Dike at Diavik Diamond
Mine in the Northwest Territories.
Angela has been involved in the
Canadian geotechnical community at
both the local and national levels. She
served on the Executive Committee of
the Edmonton Geotechnical Society
from 1993 to 1997 and was Chair
from 1996 to 1997. Nationally, she has
served as the Technical Program Chair
of the 51
st
Canadian Geotechnical
Conference (1998) and as CGS’s first
female Vice President Technical, serv-
ing two terms from 2013 to 2016.
Some of Angela’s other notable
achievements include being a recipi-
ent of the CGS’s R.M. Quigley Award
(1998), the Stanley Thompson Award
from the Edmonton Geotechnical
Society (2010), and the Distinguished
Lecturer of the American Society of
Civil Engineers given at the Univer-
sity of California, Berkley (2011).
Anne Poschmann
Anne pursued engineering at the urg-
ing of her brothers, graduating from
Queen’s University as a Geological
Engineer in 1978. After working
with the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources studying Champlain Sea
clay in Eastern Ontario, and working
for her father’s pottery clay mining
and supply business in Nova Scotia,
Anne joined Golder Associates in Mis-
sissauga, ON in 1982. At Golder she
focused on soil mechanics associated
with landslides, foundation engineer-
ing and tunneling. With Golder’s
support Anne completed her Master’s
at the University of Waterloo in 1986.
She was appointed Golder’s first
female Associate in 1989, their second
female Principal in 1994, and served
as a member, then Chair, of the Golder
Associates Ltd. (Canada) Board from
2008 to 2014.
Over her career, Anne has been
involved with many organizations,
including the CGS’s Southern Ontario
Section, Professional Engineers
Ontario (PEO), Consulting Engineers
of Ontario (Chair in 2005), Associa-
tion of Consulting Engineering Com-
panies-Canada (Chair 2014-2015),
and WTS Canada (a group focused on
advancing women in the transporta-
tion field). For the CGS national body,
Anne was the Executive Committee’s
first female Vice President Finance
1999-2000.
In 2001 Anne received the A.G.
Stermac Award from the CGS. She is a
Fellow of the CSCE (2006) and Engi-
neers Canada (2009). In 2014 Anne
was named by the Women’s Executive
Network (WXN) as one of the Top
100 Trailblazers and Trendsetters. In
2016 Anne retired from geotechnical
engineering.
Anne Poschmann.
Angela Kupper.
