Nov. 23, 2016 (Ottawa) — If you’ve ever been sick, you know the important role of food in your recovery. Food can provide energy, help build immunity, and put us in the positive frame of mind that’s needed to get us back on our feet. For these reasons, hospitals around the world are taking note of how they can help their patients by updating their menus. Continue reading Diagnosing the Future of Hospital Food
The Algonquin Students’ Association Pride Centre opened Wednesday morning with a ribbon-cutting attended by about 60 people and a cupcake reception in the bright new space. Continue reading Ribbon-cutting opens Pride Centre on the Ottawa campus
An innovative program that aims to enhance Indigenous student recruitment, retention, and success is underway at Algonquin College and Cambrian College. Both institutions will be working with Indigenous communities on a new Indigenous Student Performance Success Program focused on producing research that will identify factors that help or hinder Indigenous students as they pursue postsecondary studies at each institution. On Monday, November 21, at the Higher Education Summit in Toronto, Algonquin President Cheryl Jensen and Cambrian President Bill Best signed an agreement that will enable the two Colleges to collaborate on research that will enhance the postsecondary experience for Indigenous students. Continue reading Indigenous student success program launched by Algonquin College and Cambrian College
OTTAWA — Algonquin College and The Ottawa Hospital are embarking on a unique partnership in health research, innovation and training. The College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hospital’s research institute to “encourage and facilitate the development of mutually beneficial linkages” in areas such as digital health, clinical trials and biotherapeutics manufacturing. Continue reading Algonquin College and The Ottawa Hospital form new partnership
Algonquin College students won first prize in the inaugural Mayor’s Cyber Challenge Cup on Saturday, beating out teams from Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and La Cité. Continue reading AC students win Mayor’s Cyber Challenge Cup!
Under the theme of “dream big,” Algonquin College’s Pembroke campus held its first TEDxPembroke event this past weekend, drawing a sell-out crowd. The Saturday afternoon event featured seven speakers, including the CEO of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Mark Lesinski, and the Director of Emergency Services for Renfrew County, Michael Nolan. Continue reading Sell-out crowd attends Pembroke campus’s first TEDx event
A strong AC contingent joined the excitement and inspiration of WE Day on Wednesday, as volunteers and participants, along with 16,000 other students and educators.
The event is part of a movement that gives people the tools to change the world and uses stadium-sized events and star power to spark the change. Continue reading AC volunteers, students, employees among 16,000 at WE Day
The 2016 edition of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges was released on Thursday — and Algonquin College continues its upward performance.
The College is now in 20th spot in the rankings, up from 24th in 2015.
“This is a great motivation boost for our Algonquin College community as we continue to deliver in our strategic priorities around innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Cristina Holguin-Pando, Director, Partnerships, Applied Research & Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. “It’s a journey that really gained momentum through our current strategic plan, and will be consolidated in the new strategy documents that will see Algonquin College at the forefront, delivering an education model based on innovation and entrepreneurship leadership in a few years ahead.”
Other stats from the report include:
• Algonquin’s research income rose 51.1 per cent from the previous period, taking the fourth spot in research income percentage growth.
• Algonquin is now third in the number of paid students conducting research among Canada’s large colleges.
• Algonquin takes the seventh spot in the country in terms of faculty members leading research projects.
• In total grants received from the federal government’s Tri-Council (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR) in the 2011-2015 period, Algonquin ranks fourth across Canada with more than $6 million research income.
“It is truly rewarding to evidence the college’s success by consistently increasing the number of faculty, and of course students, engaged in applied research projects,” said Holguin-Pando. “While it is always exciting attaining growing levels of funding, the reality is that funding availability is in decline, making it increasingly challenging.”
The report, compiled by Research Infosource Inc., noted that combined research income of 15 Ontario colleges fell by 4.6 per cent.
“Although many individual colleges performed well the total Ontario college income drop of 4.6 per cent somewhat underperformed the national trend of 0.5 per-cent growth,” said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource, in a press release. “Of concern is that industry funding of college research in the province declined by -21.8 per cent, falling to $2.9 million. The positive news is that the number of formal research partnerships grew by 37.6 per cent and the number of completed research projects expanded by 17.5 per cent.”
And Holguin-Pando said there are plenty of signs that Algonquin is on the right track.
“The best indicator, the real success story here, is in our ability to provide our faculty and our students with opportunities to meaningfully engage with industry partners in solving real-life problems that are at the cutting edge of technology,” she said. “This is what we do best.”
More information, and the full rankings, are available here.
The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour was on the AC campus Friday afternoon to take part in a conversation to mark the end of Women’s History Month.
Mihychuk joined Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen and three other women on a panel discussion held in The Hub on women in non-traditional fields. About 60 people gathered for the panel and 1,000 others watched online.
The minister spoke about how she was one of the first women hired as a geologist under a government “affirmative action” program, and yet some 30 years later sees that women are still underrepresented in non-traditional fields.
“It just doesn’t make sense to exclude 50 per cent of our people from the STEM sector,” she said, referring to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics streams.
Cheryl, who trained and worked as a chemist, said we should be used to women taking their places in leadership in government, industry, academia and elsewhere, and she pointed as examples to many of the women leaders here at Algonquin College.
“We believe that the best person for the job is the best person for the job,” she said. “We want everyone to sit at the table.”
Also on the panel were Nathalie Méthot, manager of the Office of Research and Innovation at La Cité, Algonquin College Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning student Joan Bailey, and Crystal Michaud, Algonquin College alumna from the School of Hospitality and Tourism and an entrepreneur.
The panel was emceed by Kathryn Rielander, Professor and Coordinator, Electrical Engineering Technology Program.
Women’s History Month, which ends Monday, celebrates the achievements of women and girls as trailblazers throughout our history.
Read a release about the event here.
The first sacred fire at Algonquin College was lit in the C building courtyard Thursday afternoon, celebrated by more than 100 people who gathered outside just as it began to snow.
Indigenous Cook Pre-Apprenticeship Program student Rohahes Mitchell played the drum as the ceremony began, and elder Barbara Hill welcomed those gathered to the “Caring for the Spirit” celebration on behalf of the Algonquin Nation. Elder Peter Decontie prepared the smudging bowl and, after Cheryl addressed the gathering, lit the sacred fire.
Cheryl said the fire was like a light or a beacon for guiding the college forward as it builds a new Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship.
“This centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Algonquin College and our Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship is for you,” she said. “It is for you to bring new ideas for all of us here at Algonquin.”
She said the college would be looking to the Indigenous community to help articulate what the centre should look like, how it should function and what it should do.
In his remarks, Ron Deganadus McLester, Algonquin’s recently appointed Executive Director and Special Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Initiatives, challenged those gathered to consider what Indigenous entrepreneurship looks like, and how it might differ from traditional entrepreneurship, where entrepreneurs “start their own businesses, take their own risks and reap their own rewards.”
He told the gathering what he thought Indigenous entrepreneurship might look like: “Indigenous entrepreneurship is to focus on our community, our young people and our elders.”
After the lighting of the fire and the smudging, in which dozens of people participated, the crowd moved inside, where they heard the Ottawa River Singers perform drumming, watched dancer Ben Wawatie, in full regalia, perform, and were invited to participate in the dancing.
Inside, those gathered also had a chance to give their ideas about the new Indigenous entrepreneurship centre by answering a survey. They also heard from two Indigenous entrepreneurs.
The afternoon was capped with a barbecue.
Photo: Dancer Ben Wawatie