Photonics News & Events
New Collaboration Between Ciena and Algonquin College Will Empower the Next Generation of Optical Communications Graduates
Tim Audet photographed at his place of work.
OTTAWA, November 2, 2012. Ciena and Algonquin College have marked the start of a new collaboration with the grand unveiling of advanced optical telecommunications equipment which is now installed in Algonquin College’s Ciena Optophotonics Lab.
“Through the Bachelor of Information Technology – Photonics and Laser Technology program, we aim to produce graduates who have hands-on experience with the leading edge technology in fibre optic communications technology,” explains Dr. Wahab Almuhtadi, Research Coordinator & Professor, Faculty of Technology & Trades at Algonquin College. “The optical equipment donated by Ciena will ensure they are receiving practical learning opportunities with technology that is in use in the networks of major telecommunication providers around the world. It also allows for greater collaboration with other educational institutions, laboratories, and advanced research and innovation networks to further their learning.”
The recent launch of the Bachelor of Information Technology – Photonics and Laser Technology program, along with this donation, is significant as the importance of the telecommunications field is growing. Currently, more than one third of the world’s population is online – and growing rapidly – and users expect the network to be fast and always available. To meet these growing demands for bandwidth, technology continues to evolve to provide greater efficiencies across the network for more affordable access to this critical economic tool.
“Technology is changing the world,” says Algonquin College President Kent MacDonald. “It’s changing how we do business. It’s changing how we conduct research. It’s changing how we tell time – just ask a student what time it is and you won’t find them checking their wrist watch but pulling out a mobile device. Their ability to grow, to discover and to innovate is even greater now thanks to Ciena’s donation. It has raised the bar on what is possible and given our students – and our future graduates – what they need to move confidently forward to accomplish their dreams.”
“Ciena is looking forward to this collaboration with Algonquin College and is pleased to provide state-of-the-art equipment that will help prepare graduates of the Bachelor of Information Technology – Photonics and Laser Technology program for high-calibre technology job opportunities both in Ottawa and throughout the world,” adds James Frodsham, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Ciena Corporation. “Our Canadian presence has always been focused on research and development and our participation in this initiative is another example of our continued commitment to helping create new high tech jobs, investing in the development of new technology and supporting the local community.”
Ottawa is home to Ciena’s largest research and development center, and is the company’s largest single location worldwide. “Ottawa has the best-educated workforce in North America, so it’s no surprise that technology companies are eager to do business here,” says Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Bob Chiarelli. “Algonquin College and Ciena are driving the agenda and helping to maintain and grow our city’s status as a top technology hub.”
The launch event concluded with a demonstration of the new technology by Claude Brulé, Vice President, Academic at Algonquin College, along with remarks from Dr. Alumuhtadi, Minister Chiarelli, President MacDonald, and Mr. Frodsham. Rodney Wilson, Senior Director of External Research at Ciena, also spoke to provide an overview of the Ciena technology now operational in the Optophotonics Lab. Students from the Bachelor of Information Technology – Photonics and Information Technology program, as well as students from the Wireless/ Mobility Telecommunications Engineering Technician program and representatives from the College’s Applied Research & Innovation department were present for the announcement.
Tim Audet, photonics program graduate update
Tim Audet, Photonics graduate 2009 reports back on his experiences at Algonquin College. “The Photonics course at Algonquin College has provided me with the knowledge base and hands on training required to successfully find a job in the real world. In the college you experience small class sizes, which gives you a lot more opportunity for additional help and training. Through my time at Algonquin I was also given great life experience, through the co-op program, and spent the summer at a high tech optics company called ELCAN. I was able to use key concepts there that I learned in class, and apply them to real world applications. I am now currently working full time at a local company, LightMachinery, in my field of study.”
Posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
On Friday, March 28th the IEEE Eastern Ontario Oral Paper Competition was held at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Among the competitors at the competition Mechanical Engineering Technology student Dmitry Klishch placed fourth overall with a score of 92%. Dmitry presented on his Exo-Supportive Device for Individuals with Restricted Mobility. The winner of the competition finished with 95% the second and third place winners finished with 94% and 93% respectively. The
spokesperson for the judges commented that the competition was very tight and if percentages were being given then it might be 4% between to first place and
the fifth place.
Rank,
%, Team, Presenters, Presentation Title
1, 95%, Queens, Al Amin, Syed Rubab, Tasnia Islam, Controlling a Speech Synthesizer through Gesture Recognition
2, 94%, RMC, Raymond Bailey, James Bayes, Tracking Moving Targets from a Moving Platform Using Model Predictive Coding
3, 93%, Carleton, Greg Kiar, Wade Skinner, Central Nervous System Augmentation
4, 92%, Algonquin, Dmitry Klishch, Exo-Supportive Device for Individuals with Restricted Mobility
5, 91%, Ottawa, Graham Brown, Spatial Characterization of Attosecond Light Pulses
Congratulations to all that competed.
Posted on Monday, March 24th, 2014
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.
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.
Posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
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).
Posted on Friday, February 14th, 2014
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.
Posted on Monday, February 10th, 2014
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.
Posted on Friday, February 7th, 2014
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
Posted on Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Robert C. Gillett Student Commons
(Building E)
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
General Info sessions at 10:00 a.m. and Noon*
* Guests are welcome anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., however we encourage all participants to attend one of the two general sessions for an overview of how the day will unfold, including locations of program displays, various workshops available and general questions and answers.
ARE YOU…
- Thinking about attending college after high school?
- Helping high school students choose their post-secondary education?
- Assessing career options or choosing a new career for yourself?
- An applicant and want more information?
THEN…
Don’t miss our Winter Open House!
Click here for a link to the Winter Open House website.
At Open House, you can:
- Obtain info on all of Algonquin’s full- and part-time programs
- Explore graduate certificate programs
- Speak to faculty and current students
- Check out the campus and take a tour of Residence
- Learn about all of Algonquin’s many services including financial aid, counseling, admissions, meal plans, and more.
- Speak with representatives from our Perth and Pembroke campuses
Posted on Friday, December 13th, 2013
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.
Posted on Friday, December 13th, 2013
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….
Posted on Wednesday, December 4th, 2013
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!
On Friday, March 28th the IEEE Eastern Ontario Oral Paper Competition was held at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Among the competitors at the competition Mechanical Engineering Technology student Dmitry Klishch placed fourth overall with a score of 92%. Dmitry presented on his Exo-Supportive Device for Individuals with Restricted Mobility. The winner of the competition finished with 95% the second and third place winners finished with 94% and 93% respectively. The
