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Mechanical Technician – Toolmaking students help All Saints Catholic High School Robotics Team

Over the past few months students and Faculty from the final year of the Mechanical Technician – Toolmaking program have been busy helping students from the All Saints High School Astechz robotics team manufacture parts for their entry into the First Robotics Competition. The All Saints’ team – Astechz – Team 2994 will be competing at the First Robotics Competition being held from April 24th through April 26th in St. Louis.

Parts for ASTECHZ robot

The parts manufactured by the students took approximately six hours of programming time and a further six hours of CNC machining to complete. Over the last few years the Faculty of Technology and Trades has both sponsored and provided technical help for the All Saints Team and in the spirit of the First Robotics Competition for the last year we have also been building our relationships with other local high schools looking to also compete in this prestigious annual competition.

For more information on the Astechz please visit their website. For more information on the First Robotics Competition please view the following page.

Machined parts for All Saints Robot Third view of machined parts for All Saints CHS robot Another view of machined parts for All Saints CHS Robot

 

Are you interested in joining our Mechanical Engineering Technology student club?

The Mechanical Engineering Technology Club is geared towards competitions, design, entrepreneurship and professional networking and has been put together by students in the three-year Mechanical Engineering Technology program.

The first contest that is being put together by the club is a competition to see who can come up with the design for the most accurate and simple trebuchet. The competition will be held April 1, 2014 in the College’s gymnasium at 9:00am. Please don’t hesitate to contact Graham Falt or Sam Kelsey if you are interested in finding out more information.

The club is also looking for more members from any of the Engineering Technician or Technology programs at the College.

If you are interested in joining this club or finding out more information about the competition please contact Graham Falt (falt0003@algonquinlive.com) or Sam Kelsey (kels0023@algonquinlive.com).

Algonquin College Instrumentation and Control Technician program featured in Manufacturing Automation Magazine

The Algonquin College Instrumentation and Control Technician apprenticeship program is featured in the January/February 2014 issue of Manufacturing Automation magazine and outlines how 140 employees at Abbott Point of Care are receiving training to help them “adapt to a changing manufacturing industry”. Please click on the following link and surf over to page 12 to find out more about this great opportunity and how Abbott Point of Care is investing in their workforce.

Motive Power Pre-Apprenticeship program offered in conjunction with University of Guelph

The University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus, in partnership with Algonquin College announces a new Motive Power Pre-Apprenticeship program being offered starting April 14th and running through to October 24th, 2014. Please view the University of Guelph flyer at the following link – https://www.algonquincollege.com/sat/files/2014/02/UofG-MotivePowerPreApprenticeFlyer2014.pdf

Cost: Free for selected applicants

Entrance Requirements: OSSD or equivalent, Mechanical Reasoning Test, personal interview.

No previous experience required

Space is very limited – please call Angela Rodger Casey at 613-258-8336 ext 61377 or email arodger@uoguelph.ca for more information.

Algonquin College Aviation Programs Take Flight With Donation from Pratt & Whitney

An aircraft engine donated by Pratt & Whitney Canada to Algonquin College’s Aviation programs will mean hundreds of Algonquin students – current and future – are that much closer to acquiring their Transport Canada Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) license. The engine was donated at an event on campus this morning.

“We are proud of the strong connections we have with industry, which give our students access to the best possible hands-on training with the latest equipment,” says Chris Janzen, Dean, Faculty of Technology and Trades at Algonquin College. “Pratt & Whitney’s donation demonstrates how Algonquin is working together with industry to form relationships that maximize our students’ applied learning opportunities, and we want to thank them for their support of our students.”

“We are delighted to be donating this PT6A-41 engine to Algonquin College as part of our commitment to support schools that are training the next generation of engine technicians,” says Richard Bertrand, Vice President, Government Relations, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “This engine is a member of our iconic PT6 engine family, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and has helped to change the face of modern aviation. It will give students concrete experience with a real engine and will be an excellent teaching tool.”

Algonquin College has over 60 students enrolled in its General Arts and Sciences – Aviation Management diploma program, and 40 enrolled in the Aviation Techniques – Aircraft Maintenance certificate program. The donation could help the program expand in preparation for market demand. A study by Boeing shows the aviation industry will need to supply approximately one million new commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians between now and 2032 to support the growth of the industry.

Aviation programs at Algonquin College are delivered in collaboration with the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Currently, students in the Aircraft Maintenance program attend their first year in Ottawa and can take a second year at Centennial College in Scarborough, which provides an 18-month experience credit towards their Transport Canada AME license.

For more information, please contact:

Phil Gaudreau
Communications Officer, Algonquin College
613-220-7796
Email: gaudrep@algonquincollege.com

Computer Programmer alumnus named Prime Minister of Somalia

Congratulations to Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, alumnus of both the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College, who has been named Prime Minister of Somalia. In addition to studying Economics at the U of O, Sheikh attended Algonquin College’s Computer Programming diploma program more than 10 years ago. Read more about him at the following link.

$2000 Bursary from Flight Training International

Algonquin College Aviation Management Professor, Bruce Dwyer

Algonquin College Aviation Management Professor, Bruce Dwyer, receives a cheque for $2,000 as a continuation flying bursary for two Algonquin students that competed for this
year’s Top Amateur Pilot Award, the Webster Trophy. A third Algonquin student, Takahashi Hirose, was named as Canada’s Top Amateur Pilot. As a result of Algonquin having the winning competitor, Flight Safety International has provided two of his classmates with $1,000 each as competitors. Kody Clement and Ben Shaw-Wood are both in their final stages of flight training and will soon be graduated as Commercial Pilots. Many thanks to Flight Safety, this is an awesome runner up prize, you shoud see what the winner gets….

Security Emergency Contact App takes top prize at Applied Research Day 11.2

New apps, trails, and other innovative products from the bright minds of Algonquin students were showcased at the Applied Research Day on December 3. Starting at 9:30 a.m., groups of students presented their projects in booths, many with hands on demonstrations for the public to see. Projects were judged by a panel and awards were given to the top three who showed an innovative solution to a common problem.

The first place prize was given to the Security Emergency Contact App, which was created by students Ryan Hughes, Nick Briglio, Alex van der Mout, Andre Drapeau, Gabriel Edwards and Keithton Li under the supervision of Professors Edmund Strange and Mel Sanschagrin. The app, created for Algonquin College Safety, Security & Emergency Management, uses GPS tracking on cell phones to alert campus security of persons in distress.

Second place was awarded to the KI Nature and Wellness Trail Signage and Development, a project created by Pembroke students Kate Ming-Sun and Ria Quik with Professors Ian Pineau and Cameron Dube. The group was tasked with designing physical activity and interpretive signage displaying the local history of the area and providing health and exercise tips along the trail (which was started as part of another Applied Research project!).

The third place prize went to PsychWizard Treatment/Response Monitoring, created by students Eric Llewellyn, Tamara Grbo, Riza Baltazar, Angela Kwok, Hamdan Al-Buhaisi and Abhishek Joshi with Professor Edmund Strange. The project aimed to take complex and sophisticated electronic health records to a computer, tablet, and smart phone, allowing them to update their medication and symptom changes prior to their next visit, and follow their treatment progress.

Applied Research Day is an event held at the College three times a year, and includes projects that are recognized on an international scale. Each unique project is designed to solve an every-day problem while creating a new product or service. Groups pair up with clients to create an innovation solution to a problem they have encountered within their business.

The event is an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and creativity of Algonquin’s student body and showcase their achievements to the community and employers. Congratulations everyone on another successful day!

WEET Program Electrifies at Awards Show of National Not-for-Profit

Innovation in HR Practices/Educational category from Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

 

Algonquin College’s Women Into Electrical Engineering Technology program takes home the inaugural top prize for the Innovation in HR Practices/Educational category from Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

It’s like all of a sudden, the lights came on – here’s a bold new way to get women into the electrical trades.

A two-year intensive program launched this year by Algonquin College which connects women with degrees with hands-on training and an internship in the electrical industry has received the inaugural top prize for Innovation in the HR Practices/Educational category from the Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

“The WEET program helps to meet a shortage in the electrical skilled trades industry by creating educational pathways to not only encourage women to seek employment in the electrical trades, but to give them the hands-on skills that they need to succeed,” explains Denyce Diakun, Director, Workforce and Personal Development at Algonquin College. “As the Construction Sector Council noted in their 2010 report, the State of Women in Construction in Canada, efforts to boost the participation of women in construction careers depend on effective career and educational pathways. At Algonquin College, we have connected women seeking a new career opportunity with the chance to try something they would not have considered before, and our economy benefits as a result.”

“This award is presented to an educational institution for its continued commitment to leadership excellence,” according to EHRC’s award criteria. “Above all, they have put in place curriculum dedicated for training that addresses workforce supply needs in the electricity industry.”

22 women enrolled in the first ever offering of the WEET program this year, while the traditional Electrical Engineering Technology three-year program typically attracts fewer than 10 women per year at Algonquin College.

The WEET program was made possible through the support of the Leacross Foundation and Hydro One.

 

For more information, please contact:

Phil Gaudreau
Communications Officer, Algonquin College
613-220-7796
Email: gaudrep@algonquincollege.com

Congratulations to Dmitry Klishch, winner of the IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference Student Poster Competition!

Second-year Mechanical Engineering Technology student Dmitry Klishch has won the very prestigious 2013 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) Student Poster Competition held October 20th-23rd in San Jose, California. Dmitry’s project included several design concepts he is developing to be included in his Exo Support Leg design. “Currently, because of the huge interest and
impact caused by the project at an early stage of its development, it leads to the creation of a new fully independent supportive device for people with movement restrictions. The very first prototype was powered by a specially designed pneumatic system. However, in the future work, the pneumatic circuit will be replaced by a hydraulic circuit, electric motors or combined system.” stated Dmitry. “The GHTC 2013 was a great experience. It was a lesson that I will remember for a long time, because it made me think – Wow, this new invention is something that people really need! And that there is a world wide application for the final product. This victory is something that just added a valuable sense into the work I have done.”

The GHTC is a voice amplifier and a forum for hot technological, social, and philosophical debates on the world’s urgent human necessities. The annual conference brings together communities and individuals – engineering, science, technology, industry, academe, government agencies, NGOs, charities, funders – interested in applying technology to develop effective solutions for the challenges facing the world’s underserved. The mission of the GHTC is to foster an exchange of information, networking, and cooperation in the humanitarian, focus attention of businesses on emerging
market opportunities and related technology enablers, impact in positive and meaningful ways lives of disadvantaged billions of people around the world and promote science, engineering and technology as key to development of solutions for disadvantaged communities and attract young people to these professional fields

Congratulation to Dmitry for winning this award and proving yet again that Algonquin College’s students can compete amongst the world’s best.