Kristen Strader admits that for some people, a dental office can seem like a scary place. But it doesn’t have to be, says the 2015 graduate of Algonquin College’s Dental Hygiene program.
As a teenager, Strader was a patient at a dental office so welcoming and non-scary; it inspired her to get into the field. “I never really had a bad experience at (that dental office),” she says, “and everybody really worked well as a team. It was always a really good atmosphere. And I thought, why don’t I go into that?”
Now, as a full-time hygienist, she tries to give her patients the same experience. “I try to make it a really welcoming atmosphere. I try to make it all about the patient,” she says. “You’ve got to make yourself seem knowledgeable so they are going to be comfortable with the services you are providing.”
Her reward for such personal service is a relationship with patients and their families that is more than just primly professional. “I really like getting to know people,” she says. “You get to know generations of families. I get to hear some amazing stories from people.”
Strader credits her ability to inspire confidence in her patients to her thorough training at Algonquin College. “They have a lot to offer. Carrying over to my career, I had everything I needed to get started. It was a really smooth transition.”
Employers in her field look for the school’s grads, she says. “(They say) we always pick Algonquin grads as our top tier because we know it’s such a good college to go to.”
During Strader’s time at the College, dental hygiene became more than just a career. She began volunteering at community centres and through the Youth Services Bureau, providing oral health care to seniors, children and at-risk youth. Her efforts were recognized in her final year at Algonquin with the first-ever Student Advocacy Award presented by the Ontario Dental Hygienist Association. Strader continues her advocacy as a professional.
Her advice to students currently in the College’s dental programs? “Go with the flow.”
“There are so many different offices out there with so many different technologies,” she says. “Some may not have computers, some may be super high-tech. It’s about getting to know the people you’re working with and trying to fit in as well as you can.”
Four Developmental Services Workers (DSW) and Algonquin College graduates have their eye on the prize.
Their health initiative is a Top 10 finailist for the William G. Davis Innovation Fund. The current round of public voting in the provincial contest takes place from Sept. 5 to Nov. 5. (Log in for free to vote here.)
The alumni group includes (photo: from left to right): Claire Maxwell, Elisabeth Van Kooy, Dawn Tait, and Lisa Murray. Laura Rogal-Black (one of their DSW professors at Algonquin College) also helped guide them along the way. Read more >
On Friday, Sept. 15, students and staff can (virtually) explore the yet-to-be-completed Library, innovation centre and institute for Indigenous entrepreneurship. Experience VR in the C Building hallway off the Four Corners across from the 50th Anniversary legacy centre display.
What: Virtual Reality demo of AC’s new building, opening spring 2018 Date: Friday, Sept. 15
Time: 3 to 4 p.m.
Location: C Building hallway off the Four Corners across from the 50th Anniversary legacy centre display
Project Profile:
If you build it (virtually), they will come. Come for an early visit to the yet-to-be-completed Library, innovation centre and institute for Indigenous entrepreneurship.
Using a headset and hand-held controller, participants – either individually or in small groups – can experience the sensation of walking the floors, climbing stairs, and inspecting the building from many angles. The technology was recently showcased at last week’s Applied Research Day.
Virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video are quickly becoming critical tools in such fields as driver/flight simulations, architecture, and product research.
“This project has proven to be a strong benefit to the actual architects and designers of the structure,” said Ali Monette, 3D technical artist, Algonquin College Game Development graduate, and member of the development team. “They have entered the VR project several times to review and give copious feedback on all the elements of the structure, and the team has used the feedback to refine and ensure the final product is highly accurate to the last building.”
The VR project began early this summer, undertaken by an AC group that consisted of Game Development grads and a Game Development coordinator. Following the success of the first two VR demos created for the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum’s steam punk gala, the team was tasked with creating the new building, the future home of the Library, innovation centre and institute for Indigenous entrepreneurship building.
The core group consisted of Monette, Dushan Horvat, project designer and main lead (Game Development co-ordinator and full-time professor); Tilan Gunawardena, project technical lead (Game Development full-time professor); Cameron Zylinsky, 3D technical artist (Game Development grad); Alvaro Chavez-Mixco, 3D programmer (Students & staff can (virtually) explore the yet-to-be-completed Library, innovation centre and institute for Indigenous entrepreneurship. Experience VR in the C Building hallway off the Four Corners across from the 50th anniversary legacy display), and Juan Calvin Raymond, 3D programmer (Game Development grad). The team also included other students in Applied Research programs, along with the building’s original architects and designers.
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Horvat and Gunawardena had already worked on leveraging, creating, and ultimately merging new technologies, allowing Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality to work on the same platform in a fully collaborative, multi-user environment. When the new building project came about, it was absorbed into the original technology framework. The resulting VR experience is a showcase of the structure. Several tools — including a transporter function — give the various architects, designers, and other stakeholders the ability to explore the building and annotate.
Monette explains that “several powerful annotation tools were developed to allow this feedback to be captured and saved. Reviewing structures in VR, along with these annotation tools, will prove to be highly advantageous to architectural firms and complex projects, giving Algonquin a stronger foundation on which to adopt and implement all the new, exciting technologies emerging from industry.”
Although the virtual reality project is in a pre-alpha stage, it is projected to be officially launched Oct. 31. At the conclusion of the project, the public can fully explore all areas of the IELC structure and even have a designated tour leader for multi-users.
