The Professional Edge is produced by Martin Charlton Communications. Lyle Hewitt has been the editor of The Professional Edge for the past 12 years and throughout his 19 years with the company has been contributing content to The Edge. Lyle is moving on in his career and Martin Charlton’s Craig Slater, who has been a contributing writer/editor on the magazine for the past two years, takes over this issue as editor.
Q. How long have you been working onThe Edge?
A: I started writing for the magazine in 2000 and took over as managing editor in 2006.
Q. As editor of The Professional Edge over the past 13 years, what did you enjoy most about serving in that role?
A: I always enjoyed the opportunity to meet and interact with engineers and geoscientists personally in any context. My favourite part of the magazine was Member Profile. So many engineers and geoscientists have such interesting lives and careers yet they are typically so humble about it. On countless occasions, the interview subject would say “oh, I don’t know why you’d want to interview me. My life is pretty dull”. But then I’d ask him what he does in his spare time and he say something like “my wife and I like to spend our summers building orphanages in India”. That was an actual answer one time.
Q. During that time, do you have a favourite article that you wrote?
A: I have a general and specific answer to that. In general, I always enjoyed learning and writing about the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron. Too few people in Saskatchewan are aware that we have this world-class research facility that is helping to make discoveries in innumerable fields.
Specifically, my favourite was the time I interviewed Steve Halabura, P.Geo. about his travel experiences. The guy is such a hoot it was hard to complete the interview because he had me in stitches the whole time.
Q. You’ve attended many APEGS conventions and met dozens of APEGS members over the years. Is there a memorable moment/interaction that stands out?
A: All the social events were a ton of fun. The most memorable was the casino night we had at one of the annual meetings. The weird thing about casino nights is that people are insanely luckier when they’re playing with fake money. I have this vivid image of former APEGS President Leon Botham, P.Eng. at the roulette table. He seemingly couldn’t lose. He had this mountain of chips in front of him and just kept letting it ride.
Q. What’s one thing you learned about engineers and geoscientists that you didn’t know before you started working on the magazine?
A: That’s a tough one. I have to try to think back 19 years. I suppose, like so many people, I previously had thought of engineers as just the guys who build roads and bridges. As the years went on, I never stopped learning about all the ways engineers and geoscientists improve our lives.
Q. What will you miss the most after you step away from the Professional Edge?
A: The Annual Meetings. I looked forward to those all year. They were always a totally fulfilling experience. I got to learn a lot from the track sessions, meet many new and interesting people and attend some killer parties.
Q. If you could be reincarnated as any superhero, who would you choose and why?
A: That’s too easy! A picture says a thousand words. I have been a life-long Batman aficionado. I’m one of those crazy fans. I keep a Batman collectible in every room in my house – for good luck, you know.
The picture is from a time I went to San Diego Comic-Con International, the world’s greatest nerd convention. In costume (homemade), I stood in line to view a replica of the Batmobile used in the movie Batman v. Superman. When I got to the front of the line, I said to the attendant “Could you ask the valet to bring my car around?” to the great amusement of the crowd.
Q. What are your new endeavours?
A: Over the past two years, I’ve worked half-time as Director of Business Development for White Rabbit VR, a virtual reality venture. It’s taken us some time to get momentum, but we seem to have found our niche developing VR training simulators for fields such as the construction and aerospace industries.
As an additional side venture, I’m working with a media production company that’s trying to get a documentary produced about my favourite subject – the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron.
Q. Any final thoughts?
A: I’d like to thank all the APEGS staff and committee volunteers I’ve worked with over the years. Of course, at the top of the list would be the various staff liaisons I’ve dealt with – Robert MacDonald, Chris Wimmer and Sheena August. But I’d also like to give a shout out to all the administrative staff who did so much in the background to make my job easier. At the Annual Meetings, I always liked to sit with the administrative staff at banquets. They were always the most fun.