Their work might entertain you, teach you something, or even save your life – and on November 24, they will be recognized for their achievements at the Colleges Ontario Premier’s Awards. Banner, L-R: Jerry Popowich, Cat Baron, Eli Fathi, Frank Demizio, Shawn Hickey, Trent Correy.
Where can a college education take you? Just about anywhere, it would seem.
Trent Correy can attest to that. In 2009 he graduated from Algonquin College’s Animation program. It took him four years to get into a talent development program at Disney, but when he finally did – beating out 1,300 of his peers – he received a job offer and began work on a little movie you might have heard of called Frozen.
While Trent’s Algonquin College education took him to California, Shawn Hickey’s took him right around the world. Shawn, President of Site Cast Construction Corporation, graduated from the Architectural Technology program in 1988. Since then, he has travelled the world showing local labour forces how to use the technique to build stronger, less expensive homes and buildings.
Building on that theme of Algonquin College graduates helping those right around the world is Frank Demizio. Frank – owner of HRI Healthcare Consulting and 1978 graduate of Respiratory Therapy – has worked from Canada to Dubai to improve not only the treatment of the patients under his care, but also the healthcare systems he’s helped manage and shape.
Of course, many Algonquin College graduates choose to work and live in the Ottawa Valley and become local success stories.
Entrepreneurs like Eli Fathi, Co-founder and Co-CEO Fluidware Corporation and 1976 graduate of Electronics Engineering Technology, has had an impact right in our own backyard, supporting organizations like the Community Foundation of Ottawa and Citizens Academy. For five years, Eli also organized the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility (CCSR) conference held at Algonquin College, bringing together speakers from around the world to celebrate and encourage social innovation.
There are also graduates like Cat Baron, who graduated from the College’s Community and Justice Services program in 1998 and now coordinates that same program! After graduating from Algonquin, Cat worked with homeless and at-risk youth, women fleeing abuse, and teens entering the justice system, providing support, counselling, and sex education services. She’s worked with United Way, the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa (where she served as president for four years), and she founded the Community Adult Justice Network of Ottawa.
And of course there are graduates who pursue great opportunities elsewhere, and then return to our great city. Jerry Popowich, the Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs for Ottawa’s Mercury Filmworks, has worked on a number of projects including The Simpsons, Woody Woodpecker, and Mickey Mouse to name a few. Jerry is another proud Animation graduate, from the class of 1992.
Each of these six excellent individuals have been nominated for Premier’s Awards – an annual awards program organized by Colleges Ontario. The awards will be given out Monday, November 24 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Toronto. There are six categories, and each of Ontario’s 24 colleges are eligible to nominate a graduate in each category.
As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at Algonquin College, students will compete in an entrepreneurship tournament to either get “rich” or have fun trying.
Date of event: Thursday, November 20 in the AC Hub, Ottawa campus (Registration)
Students, faculty, community partners and the general public are invited to experience TRACTION, an entrepreneurship simulation game recently featured in Forbes magazine.
The game, developed at and through a collaboration with Algonquin College Applied Research & Innovation, enables participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills in creating a start up company through two phases of pre- and post-revenue.
Students will have the opportunity to compete with and against successful real world serial entrepreneurs. Participants will have a chance to win great prizes, including a dinner and consultation with leading serial entrepreneurs, Starbucks gift cards and more!
Over the course of Global Entrepreneurship Week, students will get to:
“We are thrilled to support Global Entrepreneurship Week and the many entrepreneurial activities going on across the College, ” says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “We believe exposing students – across all of our programs and faculties – to the skills and knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs and graduates will enhance the economic prosperity of our community.”
“We gather today at Algonquin College to honour the memory of our parents, grandparents, friends and relatives who gave of themselves in wartime, so that we could live in peace. It is thanks to their courage that we are able to live freely and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of living in Canada.”
With these words, Students’ Association President Christina Miller began the Woodroffe campus Remembrance Day ceremony. Joined by hundreds of students and employees, along with Canadian Forces veterans Mr. Maurice Lavoie and Mr. Ted Lawson, numerous members of the School of Military Mapping, and many others, the College came together for a solemn moment of silence recognizing the sacrifices of thousands of Canadians in conflicts around the world and close to home.
“This year, we are especially mindful of the bravery of our fallen soldiers as we reflect on the tragic events of the past few weeks,” added Miller. “Today we honor the memories of Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, as well as pay tribute to the heroic actions of our first responders and front line staff who continually work to keep us safe.”
Following the introductory remarks, there were four wreaths laid – one was laid by President Cheryl Jensen, on behalf of College employees. The second was laid by nursing students on behalf of Canadian nurses in wartime. The third was placed by Geomatics student Sapper Sebastien Renaud, on behalf of Algonquin College students. Finally, Jason Kicknosway, a Chippewa-Ojibway from Walpole Island and a current College student, laid a wreath in honour of all Aboriginal veterans, past and present.
CENGN, launched recently in Kanata, is a consortium of industry, academia, and research institutes dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of next generation communications solutions.
(Ottawa, November 10, 2014) At the launch of the headquarters for the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN), Algonquin College was announced as one of the founding members of CENGN. Algonquin College has been involved as a key player in establishing CENGN for the past two years – from the concept and proposal preparation, to winning the bid, and now to CENGN’s launch.
“Algonquin College is proud to be a founding member of CENGN,” says Claude Brulé, Vice President Academic, Algonquin College. “This innovative centre will create additional hands-on learning and research opportunities for our students, and new opportunities for research and collaboration between the College and industry.”
CENGN is a consortium of industry, academia and research institutes dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of next generation communications solutions. CENGN will help bridge the gap between research and commercialization – a key component to building successful startup companies. CENGN members are collaborating to lower the barrier to entry for small and medium companies and researchers.
CENGN is an Ottawa-based not-for-profit that aims to ensure Canada maintains its position as a world leader in next generation network technologies. It has acquired $11.7 million over five years in federal government funding and will be receiving contributions from industry (cash & in-kind contribution) and from the academia (in-kind contribution) with a total of $54.7 million.
The College is a CENGN academic partner and will conduct collaborative research with industry in next generation communications. The Ciena Optophotonics lab at Algonquin College will be connected to CENGN’s testbed with the aim of accelerating research to commercialization.
“CENGN will establish Canada as a global leader in the commercialization of the technologies that will underpin the next generation of converged global communication networks,” says Professor Dr. Wahab Almuhtadi, Algonquin College representative at CENGN. “The College will make a difference in conducting applied research and providing high qualified faculty and students who will help industry from conducting research to commercialization.”
The Algonquin Thunder are once again champions of Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s soccer, defeating the four-time defending provincial champion Humber Hawks by a score of 1-0 at the 2014 belairdirect OCAA Men’s Soccer Championship hosted by Niagara College. With the win, Algonquin claimed its first OCAA championship since 2009.
The game served as a rematch of the 2013 gold medal game. It also served as a match-up between the 2014 OCAA goalkeepers of the year Alex Pothemont (Mississauga, Ont.) of Humber and Simon Brown (Ottawa) of Algonquin.
The two standouts gave up just combined six goals during 16 total regular season matches. Both keepers proved up to the task in the contest, as neither side was able to break the 0-0 tie during the first 90 minutes.
Finally, during the 105th minute, Kishoyian Kipusi (Kenya) found an opening and recorded the only goal of the game.
During the final 15 minutes of the game, Humber’s sense of urgency took over. The Hawks directed numerous quality scoring chances on goal, but were unable to beat Brown. He turned aside all seven shots he faced in the contest, and for his efforts was named to the tournament all-star team and overall championship MVP.
Congratulations also go out to the Thunder’s Stephane Emard (Ottawa), the 2014 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s soccer player of the year. The third-year player appeared in all seven regular season matches and was a work horse in the middle of the pitch. Although he didn’t appear on the score sheet, Emard was integral to the Algonquin offensive attack, being credited with eight assists throughout the season.
The Algonquin co-captain is also an OCAA all-star and a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) all-Canadian.
Woodroffe campus’ Remembrance Day service will be held in the Marketplace Food Court at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11. All are welcome to attend. A live stream link will be available at www.algonquincollege.com/live and a monitor and chairs will be set up in the ACCE foyer for additional seating – thank you to the Police Foundations program for organizing.
A Remembrance Day service will be held at the Pembroke Campus, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Pembroke Commons. During the service the cafeteria will be closed. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend this service of remembrance.
Perth employees are invited to join in the Town of Perth’s Remembrance Day ceremony at 10:45 a.m. at the War Memorial Hospital.
What is more important – receiving more money, or using it more effectively?
For Algonquin College, the answer is clear. Despite taking in less research dollars than some fellow Canadian colleges, Algonquin led the country in college research productivity in fiscal 2013, with 120 research partnerships and 180 completed projects.
“This is a fantastic result for our Applied Research team, and great news for our students” says Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh, Acting Executive Director, Partnerships and Applied Research. “Applied Research offers an exceptional work integrated learning opportunity by connecting our students with prospective employers who need their talents to succeed. We are thrilled to be able to offer this hands-on learning opportunity to so many of our students at all three of our Ontario campuses, and we look forward to expanding our offerings in the coming years.”
Algonquin College’s research dollars also grew approximately 28 per cent from 2012 to 2013, to just shy of $1.9 million.
You may be wondering – what are the kinds of research projects that Algonquin College takes part in? Take Gymtrack as one example. The two young founders of this Ottawa-based company approached the College looking for a place to test their new system, which allows gym members to automatically track their workouts and receive auditory feedback in real-time. Through the Algonquin Fitness Zone, the company was connected to the College’s Applied Research and Innovation team who linked the Gymtrack team with two students – a designer and a programmer. The two developed a mobile app – a core part of the Gymtrack system – and the company’s corporate image. Since then, the students have graduated their programs and they now work for Gymtrack full-time.
Gymtrack, meanwhile, has been invited into the prestigious 500 Start-ups Accelerator in San Francisco and also participated in the 500 Start-ups demo day, receiving ravereviews. They continue to work on their next stage of product development through the College and the Algonquin Students’ Association Fitness Zone.
In addition to linking companies, like Gymtrack, with students and funding, the College also assists in getting the word out about their product in the community. The Applied Research Office showcases the exciting research work being done three times a year at what are called “Applied Research Days”. Held at the end of each academic term, these events highlight between 30 and 80 Algonquin College Applied Research projects and partnerships across the Ottawa Valley.
See the full release of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges from Research Infosource here.
Congratulations to the Child and Youth Worker students! Their campaign through the month of October raised $835.39 for the Children’s Aid Foundation. The funds were the ‘bonus’ outcome of a month long, campus-wide, public awareness campaign hosted by CYW students to give voice to the importance and relevance of child abuse prevention. The cheque was presented Thursday October 30.
Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College are collaborating to support entrepreneurial youth
A $2-million investment by the Province of Ontario’s Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLA) program will support a new Capital Entrepreneurs program that will strengthen the capacity of local post-secondary institutions to support entrepreneurial youth.
Capital Entrepreneurs is a partnership among Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College dedicated to making Ottawa the best place to start and grow a business in Canada. The program, which is supported by Invest Ottawa, builds on the strengths of each institution, their alumni and their experienced entrepreneurs working in the community.
The collaboration is one of 10 approved CLAs in Ontario to support entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.
“Helping young entrepreneurs is another example of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy at work,” said the Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation . “These programs will help harness their ideas, their vision and their enthusiasm and turn them into jobs for today and for tomorrow. Their innovative spirit will build Ontario’s future.
A goal of the program is to provide youth aged 19-29 with broader and better access to entrepreneurial supports in the community. The educational outcomes will focus on mentorship and moving youths’ concepts from acceleration and incubation to creating institution-based, youth driven and community based startups in Ottawa.
The CLA program is an initiative of the Government of Ontario under the Youth Jobs Strategy and is being managed by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). CLAs are partnerships between universities and colleges and the province’s Regional Innovation Centres. OCE is a member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE).
“With these resources, we can engage more students and youth in hands-on entrepreneurial opportunities.” says Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen. “Algonquin is proud of the way we open our doors to the Ottawa community and we thank the government for supporting our efforts. We look forward to working with Carleton University and the University of Ottawa through Capital Entrepreneurs to grow the innovative spirit and mindset within our community.”
“The $2 million dollar grant to Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College places students first. It will provide support to launch and grow youth-led businesses, strengthen Ontario’s ecosystem for young entrepreneurs, and enhance the educational and training experiences of our students. We expect the main outcomes to be more jobs for youth and a more competitive Ontario,” said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte.
“The support of the CLA program to the Capital Entrepreneurs program enhances the uOttawa investment in our Entrepreneurship Hub programs. This regional partnership complements the entrepreneurship strengths of three post-secondary institutions and, together with Invest Ottawa, we are committed to driving creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement for our youth, our students and for our region” said University of Ottawa President Allan Rock.
Ontario is investing $295 million over two years in the Youth Jobs Strategy to help 30,000 more young people from across the province connect with the tools, experience and entrepreneurial support they need to find employment or start their own businesses. More than 20,000 job opportunities have already been created to date under the Youth Jobs Strategy.
“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario. I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success,” said Dr. Tom Corr, president and CEO of OCE.
Funded by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs is Ontario’s innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies and create jobs. For more information visit oneinnovation.ca.
Algonquin College Jazan reached a major milestone on August 28, hosting ACJ’s first commencement ceremony. Eighteen graduates walked across the convocation stage and received their Canadian certificate in Algonquin’s Electrical or Mechanical Millwright Technician program. Some of these students began their studies in a Preparatory Year Program as early as April 2010, learning first to speak and write in English before conquering the diploma curriculum! All have now joined the local work force because their strong bilingual and technical skills were immediately recognized by local employers across Jazan.
The event was emceed by faculty member Jacob Santos. “As a faculty member, it was an emotional moment to witness our proud graduates and family members rejoice in their achievements.”
The Convocation was enhanced by the presence of the Undersecretary of Jazan Principality, the Canadian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and a delegate from Colleges of Excellence. In their speeches, the Valedictorian and Past-President of the Student Council had only praise for the efforts of College faculty and staff that led to this celebration. The alumni were asked to start the “Algonquin College Nation” in order maintain their vivid memories and contribute the growth of a remarkable cohort of new trade professionals.
