Success Stories

HUBBUB 2026 Showcases Student Innovation and Community Collaboration

Student winners of HUBBUB 2026 with the Mayor of Ottawa

Every academic year, the HUBBUB Exhibition brings together the CityStudio Ottawa partnership with the City of Ottawa, community leaders, students and faculty from the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Algonquin College and Collège La Cité. It is a chance to see how learners turn local challenges into ideas that support a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable future for Ottawa.

On May 1, the CityStudio Ottawa community gathered to explore student work created for the City of Ottawa. Each project responded to priorities in the City’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan and the Strategic Plan 2023 to 2026.

Algonquin College’s President and CEO, Claude Brulé, Dr. Ian Zinck, Director of Applied Research, and Mary Grammatikakis, Director of Experiential Learning & Entrepreneurship, were in attendance, joining students, faculty, staff and community partners in celebrating the impact of this work. Their presence highlighted the importance of collaboration and the role Applied Research plays in strengthening our city.

HUBBUB Project

Algonquin College’s newly appointed Director of Applied Research, Dr. Ian Zinck, reflected on the event, noting, “What stood out at HUBBUB is how quickly collaboration can move from concept to impact. It reinforces that Applied Research isn’t just about generating ideas. It’s about connecting talent, partners, and real problems to deliver solutions that matter to our communities.”

HUBBUB Project

After the showcase, attendees gathered for the awards ceremony, recognizing teams whose work stood out for creativity, clarity and community impact.

Algonquin College’s Raising the Bar project earned the People’s Choice Award, presented by Mark Sutcliffe. Visitors cast their votes by placing marbles in jars at each exhibit while touring the HUBBUB showcase, making this recognition a true reflection of community engagement.

Raising the Bar tackles a familiar challenge with a creative lens: how to make public health messaging more engaging in social settings such as bars and restaurants. The team’s approach invites patrons to connect with Ottawa Public Health’s Party Safer resources in a way that feels natural, accessible, and low-pressure.

Their solution transforms everyday bar items, including coasters, napkins, and placemats, into subtle touchpoints for safety messaging. By incorporating playful, game-like elements, these materials encourage hydration and safer choices without disrupting the social experience. They meet people where they are and influence behaviour in a thoughtful, unobtrusive way.

Raising the Bar team member Kate Drohan shared that her biggest takeaway was that “it was eye-opening working with an actual client because you get to experience a project that benefits many people. You have to remain humble, be able to iterate, and do things you wouldn’t think to do for yourself but that truly benefit the people it’s for.”

Congratulations to AC learners Kate Drohan, Bing Bai, Hiruth Kariyawasam, Cysron Bugingo, and Evan Snider, and to their professor, Jed Looker, with the Human‑Centred Design Lab at Applied Research.

Student winners of HUBBUB 2026

This was followed by an interactive panel titled “How Does Community–Campus Engagement Enhance Our Communities? Lessons from CityStudio Ottawa and Thunder Bay.” Panellists, including Algonquin College’s Institutional Champion CityStudio Ottawa, Kevin Holmes, reflected on three years of shared learning across both cities and spoke about how community and campus partnerships can advance safety, well-being and long-term sustainability.

HUBBUB 2026 Panel

HUBBUB once again showed the power of bringing the community together. By connecting students with real challenges facing the City of Ottawa, the event continues to inspire new ideas and strengthen the relationship between local post‑secondary institutions and the community they serve.

Faculty, Get Involved!

Want to take part in groundbreaking projects? Discover more about the groundbreaking work achieved at CityStudio Ottawa by students and explore project opportunities to advance research opportunities in the upcoming academic year.

To learn more about CityStudio and explore collaboration opportunities, please contact Matthew Jerabek, Associate Manager, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at jerabem@algonquincollege.com.

Eight New Labs Launching Fall 2025 for Innovation and Industry Collaboration

Algonquin College is adding 20,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art lab space — including new biosafety, chemistry and applied research facilities.

These labs will give learners hands-on training with industry-standard equipment while providing partners across the National Capital Region with opportunities for real-world research and innovation.

See how these labs will help build the talent pipeline for the communities we serve — and help our learners achieve their career goals.

Learn more here.

7 years of The Social Innovation Lab

7 years of The Social Innovation Lab

It doesn’t feel like seven years have passed. It’s as if it were just yesterday that the Social Innovation Lab became a home for student-led social innovation. Since its opening, it has evolved from a promising idea into a vital hub for social innovation in Canada’s capital.

Over the years, numerous initiatives have emerged from the Lab. Some of our projects include:

  • SLiDE: Our inaugural program, designed to harness the talents of Algonquin College students from the Schools of Media and Design and Advanced Technology, supporting community-based organizations through digital technology.
  • SPEnD: A research initiative focused on exploring the capacity of Canada’s colleges for social procurement and finance, while developing market-driven social enterprises.
  • AWS AI Accelerator Hub: A new initiative aimed at helping local businesses and community organizations adopt cloud and artificial intelligence technologies.

And many more projects have benefited the community in ways we never imagined. This success stems from a simple yet powerful idea: meaningful change happens when students are empowered to lead from the ground up. Rather than relying on top-down innovation, our Lab invites students to become genuine changemakers, working alongside mentors and dedicated community partners.

The Lab has been a home to many interns, and just as much, those interns have made the Lab a part of themselves. It’s a unique experience, one that continues to shape you even after you leave, echoing the impact every intern, mentor and partner has had on our community. At the heart of our mission is a commitment to helping this very community through student creativity and technological knowledge to create lasting social change.

None of this would have been possible without our generous community of supporters, mentors and funders who believed in our mission and walked alongside us every step of the way. As we celebrate this milestone, we eagerly anticipate the innovations still to come. The next chapter will deepen our commitment to student-led innovation, collaboration and meaningful social impact.

Thank you to everyone who has made the past seven years possible.

Interested in becoming part of our next chapter? Explore the Social Innovation Lab projects:

Visit the Social Innovation Lab homepage for more details.

Contribute to the Algonquin College Research Repository

Updated Applied Research Repository

At Algonquin College, we take pride in scholarly work, research achievements and intellectual contributions of our faculty and employees. To recognize and support these efforts, the library, in collaboration with the Applied Research Office, has established the Algonquin College Research Repository—a digital platform designed to preserve, showcase and provide access to the academic output of our community.

How to Get Started

Contributing is easy! If you’re a faculty or employee member at Algonquin College, you can submit your research and scholarly output through our simple online submission portal. Your research matters… Share it. Safeguard it. Celebrate it!

Please ensure you review the Declaration of Copyright under the Policies section before submitting.

What is the Research Repository?

The Research Repository is more than a storage space—it’s a searchable showcase of the academic, creative and research contributions of Algonquin College’s faculty and employees. Hosted online, it enables faculty and employees to share their work widely, helping to:

  • Highlight the scholarly and research achievements of faculty and employees.
  • Enhance academic visibility and discoverability.
  • Facilitate collaboration with other researchers and institutions.
  • Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration within and outside the College.

What Can Be Submitted?

A wide variety of scholarly and creative works are welcome in the repository. Submissions can include (but are not limited to):

  • Research papers and technical reports.
  • Peer-reviewed journal articles.
  • Conference papers and presentations.
  • Theses and dissertations.
  • Creative works, multimedia and project documentation.
  • Case studies.

Why Contribute?

Participating in the repository offers several key benefits:

  • Increased Discoverability: Your work becomes more visible to colleagues, students and the broader academic and professional community through search engines like Google Scholar.
  • Long-Term Preservation: Ensure your contributions are archived securely and remain accessible over time.
  • Professional Recognition: Strengthen your academic profile with a centralized, citable source of your publications.
  • Institutional Pride: Help demonstrate the breadth and depth of research and innovation happening at Algonquin College.

Questions? Contact us at library@algonquincollege.com for support or clarification.

Interactive Media Design (IMD) is now accepting Applied Research Project Applications for Winter 2022 In-Class Projects

On behalf of the Office of Applied Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ARIE) at Algonquin College, I am pleased to announce this call for proposals for in-class client projects for the Winter 2022 semester.

Interested companies can apply using the application form HERE. Our onboarding practice is to screen the online applications and invite the most promising proposals to a ‘Pitchfork’ session. Candidates are asked to do a 15-minute pitch via Zoom Meetings with interactive Q&A. The review panel is comprised of ARIE project managers, facilitators, and professors from the School of Media and Design who collectively select the projects that are ‘best-fit’ for our programs.

Key dates for Winter 2022 projects:

  • The deadline for applications is Friday, December 10th
  • ‘Pitchfork’ sessions will be scheduled between December 20th – 31st for invited candidates
  • Chosen candidates will be notified by January 7th
  • Projects starting the week of January 28st
  • Projects to be completed by end of term (mid-April)

Types of projects considered:

  • Websites (New designs and re-designs)
  • User interface prototypes for web and mobile apps
  • Animated videos

If your organization is looking for any of the above, we encourage you to submit an online application. In addition to registered for-profit businesses, we will be able to support a limited number of not-for-profits and social enterprises.

Have any questions? Contact David Solomon, Professor & IMD Applied Projects Facilitator – solomod@algonquincollege.com

Algonquin College’s Social Innovation Lab is now recruiting for Winter 2022 positions

We're Hiring! SliDE - Social Innovation Lab

Want to Make our World a Better Place? Join Algonquin’s Social Innovation Lab – SLiDE is Hiring for Winter 2022 positions.

The Lab operates SLiDE (Service Learning in Design & Engineering) with a mission of “Empowering our community by sharing student creativity and technological knowledge to drive social change”. We are looking for students that demonstrate Authenticity, Integrity, Ambition, Curiosity and Humility and want to help others in our community. #slideintoimpact Open Positions: All positions are part-time (~20 hours a week) for current Algonquin College Students and paid at Ottawa’s current Living Wage ($18.60/Hour).

The target start date for Winter Interns is January 10, 2022.

Note* All positions offer flexibility to meet students’ schedules and tentatively will include both in-person (Social Innovation Lab, Woodroffe Campus) and remote work components. All positions will be subject to the College’s Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

To apply, email your CV and a cover letter by the deadline of December 10, 2021: SLiDE@algonquincollege.com

Details can be seen on HireAC – Job ID 70117: https://hireac.algonquincollege.com/home.htm

IBM/SLiDE Intern – Social Sector Client Projects (5 Positions)

Applicable for students with digital technology skills (design, development, mobile, integration, adoption) or communications skills (branding, marketing, social media, written word, and videography).

Please note Intern Eligibility Requirements:
  1. Proof of full-time enrollment at Algonquin College in an Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM or Business program during the internship period
  2. Proof of Canadian Citizenship/ Permanent Residency/Refugee Status, Unfortunately, due to 3rd party funder requirements, International Students are not eligible for these positions at this time.

Students who self-identify within one of the following under-represented groups are encouraged to apply: Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Indigenous students, Newcomers (immigrants who immigrated within the last 5 years), students with disabilities, visible minorities and first-year students.

SLiDE Partners, CHEO and Eco-equitable (EE) are levelling up the mask game!

AC Student in mask

Last year, Algonquin College helped respond to the Ottawa/Canada PPE shortage assisting with efforts to create and decontaminate shields, and medical-grade mask. As part of this response two SLIDE partners, CHEO and Eco-equitable (EE) also initiated research into the design of a high performing re-usable mask for the community. After almost a year of development and testing, we would like to get the masks to the Ottawa public, with the goal of reducing COVID transmission during the third wave. To achieve this masks will be sold as part of a fundraiser for CHEO.

The masks are very comfortable, have an amazing fit and achieve > 80 % particle penetration (new) while retaining > 70% particle filtration after 50 machine washes. The mask easily meets the 50% particle filtration efficiency specification recently set by the ASTM for consumer/community masks. The vast majority of community masks only achieve 30-50% PFE.

CHEO and EE have manufactured an initial lot of 1000 masks and will be selling them through Ecoequitable’s website. They will also be available at Kardish Health Food stores.

Purchase a mask here: https://ecoequitable.ca/collections/ecoequitable-products/products/cheo-fundraiser-mask

Check out the full article in the Ottawa Citizen: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/cheo-doc-and-local-sewing-organization-help-tame-the-wild-west-of-masks

 

CHEO, Algonquin join forces to create scientific literature review software platform

Algonquin College

A group of students and researchers at Algonquin College has teamed up with CHEO to create a new software platform aimed at speeding up the often-laborious process of reviewing scientific research.

Launched in 2017, insightScope allows researchers, students, health-care professionals and citizen scientists to collaborate online to conduct systematic reviews of scientific literature. Such reviews are a regular part of the scientific process, allowing doctors and researchers to stay on top of the latest developments in medicine and other fields and help determine courses of treatment.

Read the full article here

Hey Ottawa! We’re looking for local Makers with 3D Printers!

we need your help poster

We are in this together!

The Canadian government is procuring medical supplies to address the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To address any shortage, groups of makers, engineers, and medical professionals are collaborating to find a way to address the PPE shortage here in Ottawa.

The Algonquin College MakerSpace has teamed up with CHEO, Hacking Health Ottawa, Thistledown Foundation and University of Ottawa medical students to lead the 3D print Maker community in the coordination and the rapid development of protective face shields.

Want to help? Are you an experienced Maker? Based in the Ottawa area? Have access to a 3D printer? Get in touch!

Register Here: www.ottawamakesppe.com

RE/ACTION Showcase Winners (August 2019)

Musclebound Mama Process Explanation Video

1st Place Winning Project

A live-action video explaining the 60-day challenge process with a combination of on-screen and full-screen overlay motion graphics. The graphics will define and help clients understand difficult and complicated concepts in a simple and effective way.

Industry Partner: Musclebound Mama
Presenters: Morgan Nordskog, Mona Eltahery, Stephen Gagne, Frah Aliaman
Professors: Adam Jarvis & Ken McGinn

Musclebound Mama Process Explanation Video group

Energy Efficiency and Performance Simulations of PEX Water-Heating Systems

2nd Place Winning Project

The aim of this project is to validate the performance of new hot water delivery (HWD) technology-both quantitatively and qualitatively. In particular, the study is to test, categorize, and benchmark the performance of new HWD systems using Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) Piping against conventional piping materials and their associated installations.

Industry Partner: Uponor.inc
Presenters: Karl Murray, Kuwar Dalal, Michael Stevens
Professors: Ali Elwafi

Energy Efficiency and Performance Simulations of PEX Water-Heating Systems group

ARCC – Autonomous Robotic Chimney Cleaner

3rd Place Winning Project

We have developed an autonomous chimney cleaning robot intended for the consumer market. It is capable of scaling the walls of a chimney, measuring distance both above and below, all while cleaning the walls of the chimney.

Industry Partner: Algonquin College
Presenters: Steve Sokolowski, Dhaval Khodiyar, Rajesh Kangar, Venkata Sai Yath Chakka
Professor: Gino Rinaldi

ARCC - Autonomous Robotic Chimney Cleaner group