Originally, the Canadian Society for BioEngineering (CSBE), or La Société canadienne de génie agroalimentaire et de bioingénierie (SCGAB) in French, is a technical society representing all professionals and students with an interest in the application of scientific and engineering principles for the sustainable production of food, bioproducts, and bioenergy. With “bioengineering” defined as the application of engineering principles, practices, and technologies to the fields of medicine and biology, especially in solving problems and improving care, its continued use in the name of our technical society was both inaccurate and misleading. Actually, “bioengineering” refers in essence to biomedical engineering. Therefore, a change of name was required.
After a long selection process, Danny Mann presented at the 2022 AGM, Society name voting results in favor of the Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CSABE), or La Société canadienne de génie agroalimentaire et des biosystèmes (SCGAB) in French. During the fall 2022, the Council retained the attorney firm Taylor McCaffrey (Winnipeg, MB) for help in formalizing the name change for both Society and Foundation. In winter 2023, the name reservation for "The Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering" was rejected because the name contains the word "Engineering". During the years 2023 and 2024, I obtained information from each governing regulator and contacted the 12 bodies to get consent letters for both entities (Society and Foundation) for the English and French names. In the fall 2024, we obtained the consent from Engineers Canada. Corporations Canada finally ratify the new designations as our legal names on January 27, 2025. We encourage you to use them from now on.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Sébastien Fournel
CSABE|SCGAB Society Manager
Each year, the CSABE/SCGAB presents Awards and Grade of Fellows during the AGM to celebrate and encourage excellence within the Canadian agricultural and biosystems community. Please consider nominating a member.
Only CSABE/SCGAB members in good standing may nominate or co-nominate candidates for the Society's awards. The recipient shall be a member of CSABE/SCGAB except for nominees for the Industrial Award. The recipient shall have made noteworthy contributions of achievement as described in each award (https://csbe-scgab.ca/about/awards):
- Maple Leaf Award – Leadership in the profession;
- John Ogilvie Award – Recognize innovation and ingenuity;
- Young Engineer of the Year Award – Outstanding work by young members;
- John Turnbull Award – Building and waste management;
- Glenn Downing Award – Machinery and bioenergy;
- Jim Beamish Award – Soil, water and environment;
- John Clark Award – Food engineering;
- Industrial Award – Outstanding product or service;
- Fellow Award – Honorary status.
Please use the nomination form in each award description for submitting a nomination. The nominator of the candidate for the Award shall submit a nomination to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Attn: Awards Committee Chair) by May 2 11:59 PM EDT.
Dr. Prasad Daggupati and his team at the University of Guelph are actively working with ASABE headquarters to make local arrangements for the ASABE conference in Toronto. Please visit https://www.asabemeetings.org/ for more details.
ASABE provides a range of sponsorship levels to accommodate diverse marketing goals and budgets. Each sponsorship tier includes unique benefits designed to maximize brand visibility and engagement. Please contact Lisa Metts (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you would like to sponsor.
Dr. Stephane Godbout was elected as CIGR Incoming President on the election of December 15th, 2024. CIGR Incoming President Dr. Stéphane Godbout After his Ph.D. studies, Dr, Godbout started his professional career in 1997 at the Quebec Hog Development Center Inc. (CDPQ) in Quebec as R&D engineer. He served on many committees and workgroups to produce guides, training courses, symposiums and technical reference materials for improving the housing design and reducing the environmental impact of the swine production. In November 2000, he moved to the provincial Institute for Research and Development in Agricultural Environment (IRDA) as a Research Engineer where he continues developing and leading an engineering research program on the environmental impact of animal production. He is co-author of more than 175 peer reviewed papers and holds two patents.
Early in his career he developed strong ties with University Laval where he holds an Adjunct Professor position and trained more than 50 master and doctoral students. Many of his students today occupy research or professor positions in many countries. During his professional career, he participated in many international meetings and symposiums establishing links with foreign researchers and Institutions building friendly and long-lasting relationships.
He is a member of the CSBE of more than thirty years, where he was regional director (from 2008 to 2021) and more recently was elected president. Over his career he received many awards and recognitions, such as Young Engineer of the Year, John Turnbull, and Fellow awards.
He was appointed representative to the CIGR executive Board in 2017 where he actively participated in setting the direction of CIGR. However, his involvement with CIGR began in 2002 when, as president of the organizing committee, hosted the XVII CIGR Word Congress jointly with the CSBE. Since then, he participated in CIGR International Meetings and CIGR World Congresses. Held in 2010, the XVII Word Congress brought together more than 800 delegates from 54 countries, allowing it to obtain a special distinction from the city of Quebec (ambassador of the year). He was also the chairman of the organizing committee of the 5th CIGR International Conference 2020 held online jointly withs the CSBE annual meeting in 2021. He is also a member of CIGR Section II.
His extensive experience and active engagement within the CIGR framework make him a qualified candidate for the roles of Incoming President, President, and Past President for the next six years.
The CSABE-Ontario Region successfully launched the Guelph Food Engineering Conference in 2023 (GFEC’23) and hosted GFEC’24. The overwhelming response has inspired us to elevate the event to a national level this year.
The Canadian Food Engineering Conference is scheduled for two days, April 24 and 25, 2025, at the University of Guelph campus. The conference will feature a variety of activities, including panel discussions, poster and oral presentations, workshops on various topics, a startup pitch competition, and much more.
We invite all CSABE members to participate in the conference.
Conference website: https://cfeconference.ca/
Congratulation to Dr. Amit Kumar, Professor at the University of Alberta and CSABE member for is induction as Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC).
The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, 5 April at the HILTON LAC-LEAMY Hotel, located at 3 Casino Boulevard, Gatineau-Ottawa, QC. See the invitation below.
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Dear colleagues/friends of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC),
The EIC, founded in 1887, is pleased to announce the winning recipients of its 2025 senior engineering awards and fellowship inductees. The senior awards of the EIC are the highest distinctions made by the Institute and are awarded to deserving members of its 14 constituent societies. Additionally, the EIC is happy to announce the election this year of an exceptional individual to the rank of Honorary Member of the Institute, an honour last bestowed in 2015.
Six professionals will be awarded EIC’s 2025 engineering medals in recognition of their outstanding achievements and service to the engineering profession. In addition, a total of 21 engineers will be inducted as 2025 EIC Fellows for their exceptional contributions to engineering in Canada.
The list of 2025 award winners may be viewed/downloaded: English version / French version. If the name of someone you have nominated this past round is not among the current winners, please kindly consider resubmitting your nomination in a future year.
The EIC Gala has a very long history of being uniquely treasured as a warm/joyous in-person celebration with family and friends. The 2025 edition will be held on Saturday, 5 April at the HILTON LAC-LEAMY Hotel, located at 3 Casino Boulevard, Gatineau-Ottawa, QC. The gala will be a formal ceremony, including a cocktail reception (@ 6 PM) followed by a sit-down 4-course dinner/banquet (@ 7:30 PM) during which the awards will be presented.
We invite you to join us to celebrate these truly outstanding professionals. Gala seats and supportive sponsorships may be purchased/reserved online at https://eic-ici.ca/eic-awards-
Best regards,
(Sent on behalf of:)
Marius Paraschivoiu, FEIC, FCSME
President
Engineering Institute of Canada
Dr. Mohammad Nadimi received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba in October 2018, specializing in the development of novel laser systems with biological applications. After spending a year as a Sessional Instructor in Statistics at the same university, Dr. Nadimi embarked on postdoctoral research in the Department of Biosystems Engineering. His research has focused on quality monitoring of grains, oilseeds, legumes, and their derivatives using advanced optical techniques. In September 2023, Dr. Nadimi joined Wawanesa Insurance as a Senior Data Analyst, focusing on large-scale data analytics. In April 2025, he returned to the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba to begin his tenure as an Assistant Professor. His current research integrates photonics techniques and large-scale data analytics into grain storage systems to improve crop quality assurance and storage. An active contributor to the academic community, Dr. Nadimi has published 42 peer-reviewed articles and 22 conference papers. He also serves as a Senior Editor for the Elsevier journal 'Measurement: Food', collaborating with the editorial team to advance knowledge in innovative measurement techniques for food quality and safety.
