VEI - 2024 Holiday Quiz - Vertex Environmental

This year’s represents the Tenth Annual version of VEI’s holiday quiz! To mark this milestone event we are doubling the prizes! This year, instead of one winner we will have TWO lucky winners!

Answer all questions correctly and your name will be entered into a draw for a chance to win:

$100 Amazon gift card
Vertex swag package!
One (1) Free Pass to the SMART Remediation event of your choice in 2025.

Quiz Deadline:

All submissions must be received by Friday, January 3, 2025 to qualify for the draw.

Quiz:

1. December marks the end of the calendar year and the annual VEI Holiday Quiz! There are lots of traditions and celebrations taking place this month making it an extra memorable time of year. Which of the following December-related statements is not true?*
- In 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford broadcast "Jingle Bells" from space while aboard the Gemini 6.
- Coca-Cola helped popularize the image of Santa Claus that we know today.
- Traditionally, animals only speak to people on December 24th.
- Mistletoe is an aphrodisiac and mistletoe kissing originated from fertility rites.
2. This year the Canadians had an excellent showing in the pool at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris bringing home an impressive 8 medals, including 3 golds (all of which were won by Summer McIntosh)! An Olympic swimming pool contains about 2,500 m3 of water. However, not all water is as clean as in those pools. How many equivalent Olympic-sized swimming pools of PFAS impacted water did VEI’s Systems Division process via Pump & Treat technology in 2024?
2. This year the Canadians had an excellent showing in the pool at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris bringing home an impressive 8 medals, including 3 golds (all of which were won by Summer McIntosh)! An Olympic swimming pool contains about 2,500 m3 of water. However, not all water is as clean as in those pools. How many equivalent Olympic-sized swimming pools of PFAS impacted water did <a href="https://vertexenvironmental.ca/services/treatment-systems/pump-treat/" target="_blank">VEI’s Systems Division</a> process via Pump & Treat technology in 2024?*
- 400 pools (1,000,000 m3)
- 250 pools (600,000 m3)
- 100 pools (250,000 m3)
- 10 pools (25,000 m3)
3. During 2024 there was a lot of talk around MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani, especially in Canada since earlier this year it was rumored he might sign a long-term deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ultimately Ohtani won the World Series in October with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Which of the following statements about Shohei Ohtani is not true:*
- Ohtani is known for his rare ability to excel both as a pitcher and a hitter, as such he is often compared to Babe Ruth. In 2021 he became the first player in MLB history to be named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a position player.
- Earlier this year Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest in professional sports history.
- Ohtani had dreams as a youth to get into the environmental field, since his mother worked at Environment Canada and his father worked as an environmental consultant.
- On September 19 this year, Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season.
4. This year has been a bonanza for sky watchers. First, we had the total solar eclipse visible in parts of Southern Ontario in April. Then, we had amazing light shows of the Aurora Borealis in May, August and October. Finally, we had the bright comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas visible in October. Which of the following is false?*
- Auroras also occur on other planets in our solar system, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Mars.
- It is safe to view an eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun.
- While total solar eclipses happen in a given location on average every 360–410 years, a total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth on average every 23 months.
- Comets have inspired superstitions throughout history, usually thought to portend evil or bad luck.
5. VEI primarily offers remediation, treatment systems, high-resolution site characterization and dewatering services in Canada. Occasionally, we are asked to work internationally and are currently exploring opportunities in China. On a recent trip there, VEI’s Robert Lin (left) and Pete Craig (right) had the chance to meet up with the legendary John Cherry (center)! Which of the following books did Dr. Cherry author?
5. VEI primarily offers remediation, treatment systems, high-resolution site characterization and dewatering services in Canada. Occasionally, we are asked to work internationally and are currently exploring opportunities in China. On a recent trip there, VEI’s Robert Lin (left) and Pete Craig (right) had the chance to meet up with the legendary John Cherry (center)! Which of the following books did Dr. Cherry author?*
- “On the Origin of DNAPL”, the groundbreaking work with Chuck Darwin (great grandchild of Charles) that presents the theory of DNAPL and society’s natural selection of and evolution of the use and disposal practices of these heavy beasts.
- “Darcy’s Law and other Legal Blunders” by John Cherry and Navier Stokes, this masterpiece reads like a courtroom drama as it details stories of young hydrogeologists who misunderstand how to apply simple formula to complex systems, and the dangers of forgetting to divide by “n”.
- “Silent Springs and Turbulent Flow” by John Cherry and Rachel Carson Jr, this book details the harmful effects of dissolved constituents in fast flowing groundwater at ecologically sensitive locations around the world.
- “Groundwater”, the textbook he co-authored with Alan Freeze that has been the standard text in hydrogeology courses world-wide and conclusively settled the debate as to whether groundwater was one word, two words or hyphenated.
6. As of July 1, 2024, Vertex Environmental Inc. officially rebranded as VEI Contracting Inc. Woohoo! What was the reason for this name change?*
- The company no longer offers only environmental-related services, as it has branched out into clean water management in the construction field.
- Very oddly, there were just too many companies in the environmental field named “Vertex” around, who would have guessed the popularity of this word back in the company’s inception days of 2003.
- Staff kept complaining about having such long email addresses!
- All of these.
7. This past July saw the much-anticipated release of the Marvel super anti-hero movie Deadpool & Wolverine© starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Having earned over $1.3 billion US at the box office to date, it holds the record for the highest box office worldwide for an R-rated movie. Which of the following statements is not true.*
- Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are friends in real life.
- Alternate variants of Deadpool that appear in the movie include Babypool, Dogpool, Lady Deadpool and Canadapool.
- Knowing the movie was in development Stan Lee filmed a cameo before his death in 2018 to maintain the MCU tradition.
- Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool) previously appeared with Wolverine as the mutant “Weapon XI” in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
8. Just over a year ago, VEI completed the world’s first ever injection of Fluoro-Sorb® adsorbent into the bedding material around a storm sewer at a site in Alberta to create a barrier to the flux of PFAS-impacted groundwater from discharging into a sensitive wetland. Total PFAS reductions of approx. 89% were observed after 4 months. Longer term monitoring data are now available. What are the current PFAS reductions at the site?
8. Just over a year ago, VEI completed the world’s first ever injection of Fluoro-Sorb® adsorbent into the bedding material around a storm sewer at a site in Alberta to create a barrier to the flux of PFAS-impacted groundwater from discharging into a sensitive wetland. Total PFAS reductions of approx. 89% were observed after 4 months. Longer term monitoring data are now available. What are the current PFAS reductions at the site?*
- Getting better at 93%
- Its terrible, we’re back at starting concentrations – 0% treatment
- Getting worse at just 53% treatment
- Holding steady at 89%
9. Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour took Canada by storm this year with a total of 8 shows in Toronto and Vancouver and playing to sold out crowds of over 400,000 Swifties. The entire tour is expected to gross over $2.2 billion by the time it is done in ticket sales alone. But the host cities are expecting huge spinoffs in revenue as well. How much is the estimated economic benefit of The Eras Tour to Toronto and Vancouver (in Canadian dollars)?*
- Approx. $157 million
- Approx. $1.415 billion
- Approx. $852 million
- Approx. $439 million
10. This past summer, VEI expanded its Dewatering Services to include in-house wellpoint installation to support construction and utility installation projects. The capabilities of this division are truly impressive: At one site, dewatering discharge rates of up to 2,500 Lpm were achieved through a combination of wellpoints and VEI’s dewatering pumps! Guess how many linear meters of wellpoints our team has installed since August?
10. This past summer, VEI expanded its Dewatering Services to include in-house wellpoint installation to support construction and utility installation projects. The capabilities of this division are truly impressive: At one site, dewatering discharge rates of up to 2,500 Lpm were achieved through a combination of wellpoints and VEI’s dewatering pumps! Guess how many linear meters of wellpoints our team has installed since August?*
- 400 m
- 200 m
- 700 m
- 1,100 m
11. VEI has released its all-new charity calendar for 2025: The Men of VEI. 100% of proceeds will go to the International Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Field Techs© (ISPCFT©).*
- True
- False
Name*
Email*
Company*
The quiz must be submitted by Friday, January 3, 2025. The two highest scores will be selected, and in the event of a tie, the two winners will be drawn at random. Prizes will be awarded in January, 2025 and the winners announced in the next VEI Newsletter.