Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 6, 2016

Sir Terence Matthews to Co-Chair New Advisory Panel on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
with Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen

Oct. 6, 2016 (Ottawa) — Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen is pleased to announce a new President’s Advisory Panel on Innovation and Entrepreneurship to help guide the College in the coming years.

Canadian business magnate and high-tech entrepreneur Sir Terence Matthews will be co-chairing the panel with President Jensen, who was recently named to the board of directors of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship — making her the only Canadian representative on the board of the American organization.

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Terry and our other panel members to Algonquin College — each one of them brings a different perspective and different skills to the table,” said Jensen. “Our students already have an entrepreneurial spirit, but this panel is going to give them the edge when it comes to turning their dreams into reality.”

The panel had its first meeting on Oct. 5 and enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion on topics such as 5G networks and building smarter cities.

Other members of the panel who participated in Tuesday’s meeting included:

• Eli Fathi, Chief Executive Officer, Mind Bridge Analytics
• Ian Faris, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce
• Michael Oster, President, Ottawa Community Loan Fund
• Paul LaBarge, Founding Partner, LaBarge Weinstein
• Peter Charbonneau, Lead Director Mitel
• Brian O’Higgins, Executive Fellow, Mistral Venture Partners
• Robert Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

The panel will advise on innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives at the College, overall strategic direction, fundraising strategies, potential partnerships and will also provide input on entrepreneurship programming and supports.

Under President Jensen, Algonquin College has increased its focus on entrepreneurship. In February it opened Ignite AC, an entrepreneurship centre for students that offers mentorship, guidance and resources.

More recently the College submitted a multimillion-dollar proposal to the federal government to help fund its state-of-the-art Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre and Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship. An announcement regarding this proposal is expected very soon.

For more information:

Ruth Dunley, Communications Officer

Public Relations and Communications, Algonquin College
Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 6452

Mobile: 613-406-0970

dunleyr@algonquincollege.com
About Algonquin College:

www.algonquincollege.com:

The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.

Cheryl and the president of Nipissing University, Dr. Mike DeGagné, signed a letter of intent on Friday that supports opportunities for indigenous students at Algonquin College and Nipissing. Continue reading →

CBC Radio was on campus Monday afternoon to learn about Algonquin College’s ambitious Umbrella Project. Continue reading →

L-R: Alessandra Bottero, Initial PR; Bryant McNamara, Initial PR; Councillor Marianne Wilkinson; President Cheryl Jensen; Alex Scantlebury, Initial PR; Graham Spero, Initial PR; Councillor Rick Chiarelli

We’re open for business, and students are all fired up about it.

At today’s launch event for Algonquin College’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the centre’s official name – IgniteAC – was formally unveiled, and students were introduced to the resources designed to help them launch their businesses during their studies.

“We believe that college is the best place to start your business, and in the coming years you will hear us talking more about how we are building that entrepreneurial culture internally with our students and employees,” said Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “Algonquin College has long been known within the college sector as an innovator, and by opening this centre we are placing more tools in our toolbelt and better equipping our students and graduates for success.”

The centre, located in room C151, is open to students and employees of the College. It offers office and meeting space, and connections to a variety of College entrepreneurship resources including events, education, and programming (like the upcoming SUMMIT Summer Intensive entrepreneurship ‘boot camp’ this summer).

The centre complements existing entrepreneurship support offerings within the College, including Applied Research – a business incubation service uniting innovators, students, and faculty mentors to tackle business challenges.

The Algonquin Students’ Association’s Executive-in-Residence, Andrew Foti, also supports students working out of this space and guides students through the many community resources outlined at www.algonquinsa.com/entrepreneurship

In addition to the centre’s opening, guests were treated to a surprise announcement – a business launch! Initial PR, a public relations firm headed up by four Algonquin College students, officially unveiled itself to the world. Company president Bryant McNamara spoke to his classmates’ burning desire to start their own business.

“We are honoured to be a part of this new facility, as this is precisely what we need at this time to make sure that we succeed in our career and in the economy of today,” said McNamara. “This economy is one that requires entrepreneurship to grow, and Algonquin has heard that call. IgniteAC will be a valuable resource, supporting us as we blaze our own trail into the working world.”

The College’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship forms one part of the Capital Entrepreneurs program, a joint venture with Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and La Cité collegiale, which is supported by the Ontario government through the Campus Linked Accelerators program.

See more photos.

As the victims’ rights movement progresses in Canada and around the world, our country has seen the growth and development of a service sector of victim assistance workers tasked with supporting victims of crime – from an initial disclosure all the way to supporting a family when an offender is granted parole.

Despite a rapid expansion of services for victims of crime, there has been limited research on how victims of crime experience these services and how they navigate different service providers and negotiate to meet their needs.

That’s why the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), a federal research funding agency, is supporting an important new applied research project at Algonquin College – marking the first time the agency has supported an applied research project at Algonquin College.

As announced in Toronto this afternoon by Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan, SSHRC has awarded $207,210 in funding to the Algonquin College Victimology graduate certificate program over three years to fund the efforts of a team of seven – including Victimology students, in partnership with the Victim Justice Network (VJN) – to study how victims of crime can be best served by the support systems designed to help them.

“Our program was launched in part to offer enhanced training for service providers on the specific vulnerabilities and sensitivities of victims of crime as they respond to adversity and navigate the criminal justice system,” said Dr. Benjamin Roebuck, Coordinator, Victimology program. “Through this applied research project, we aim to create innovative training materials, contribute a Canadian perspective to international literature on the subject, and examine how the strengths of victims of crime contribute to their resilience. This project will be a meaningful learning opportunity for our students, and our team hopes that the results will be useful to survivors of violence and those who serve them.”

“We are fortunate to have the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for this important applied research,” added Marissa Locke, one of the students working on this project. “This will be both a significant learning opportunity for us and the industry which we will be working in, and I hope it will result in better, more informed services for victims of crime.”

“Our mandate is to promote awareness, understanding and support for victims of crime in our society,” said Priscilla de Villiers, Executive Director with the Victim Justice Network – a key partner in this project. “We are pleased to play a role and support this important applied research, ideally reducing the trauma experienced by victims of crime through their interactions with the criminal justice system.”

The project, which began in the fall, will run for three years and will include consultations with survivors and service provides, an online survey, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and a strong focus on knowledge dissemination. Findings will be presented in venues including the World Society of Victimology annual conference in Croatia, the Critical Criminology & Social Justice Conference in Ottawa, and at Algonquin College Applied Research Days and other project-specific events and webinars.

At its conclusion, a series of recommendations will be issued to Ontario’s Office for Victims of Crime and Ministry of the Attorney General, and articles will be submitted to peer reviewed journals.

Modern technologies are re-shaping the building industry. New tools and devices are changing the life cycle considerations of building design, construction, operation and renewal. Mobile devices are enabling new and faster modes of interactions between people.

These technologies bring promise of improved performance and productivity, but place new demands on people and processes. This shift presents a growing opportunity for Algonquin – check out our new Residential Living Lab being worked on at our Perth campus! Learn more.

April 16, 2015 – A group of Algonquin College students and professors have been working on Boardspace, an online app to help boards of directors complete administrative tasks more efficiently. Their hard work and time has paid off, as they won best stand-alone project award at Applied Research Day 13.0 on April 10, 2015.

“The Boardspace App helps everybody get organized,” said Chris Elliott, Principal Investigator for the Boardspace project. “We find this software works very well for boards of directors or boards of governors, but it is also effective for a wide range of companies.”

Other winners from Applied Research Day 13.0 were:

• Best ARI In-Class Project: Automated Epoxy Application & Curing System. Mechanical Engineering Technology students, in partnership with GasTOPS Ltd, developed a production oven that automates a complex manufacturing process.

• Best ARI Voucher for E-business (VEB) Project: BarnDoor Productions: Website Modernization. The project team developed a modern website for BarnDoor Productions/Full Circle Theatre, focused on branding and marketing principles to attract a new generation of theatre goers.

• Best Algonquin General Project: Improving workplace environments within hospitals to improve the physical and mental health of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are often left out of health care design. This project recommended design changes that could alleviate stress and strain that healthcare workers experience each day.

Applied Research Day, hosted by the Office of Applied Research and Innovation, is held three times a year at Algonquin College. The event highlights leading edge applied research being conducted at the College in collaboration with industry, institutional and community partners. 120 projects were on display on April 10.

Read more about the Boardspace project in the Ottawa Business Journal.