MotiveLab™, Red River College’s vehicle research facility, was recently featured on The Hill‘s Global Lenses: Canada series, sponsored by Invest in Canada.

The 7,000 square-foot test facility includes a climatic chamber that can reach temperature highs of + 50 C or lows of – 40 C, no matter the outdoor temperature. The lab was the perfect setting for The Hill’s recent feature, “Cold Starts in Canada.”

From The Hill:

“Canada has long been a hub for cold weather transport testing. Now it’s becoming an incubator for technologies that test alternative fuels and high-efficiency vehicles in extreme environments. That tracks with Canada’s ranking as first among G20 countries on the Global Cleantech Innovation Index. At Red River College in Winnipeg, researchers are helping global companies warm up to a brighter clean tech future by investing in Canada.”

Check out the video by clicking the image above, or by visiting their website.

On April 6, 2017, industry leaders, students, instructors and researchers came together for our first-annual Applied Research & Innovation Day to celebrate student applied research and our research partnerships at Red River College. Thank you to the eTV team for putting this video together. View here:

Red River College (RRC) has announced it has awarded over $80,000 in research funding to College faculty, staff, and students through the 2013 College Applied Research Development (CARD) Fund.
Applied Research & Commercialization (AR&C) provides the CARD Fund to encourage RRC faculty, staff, and students to engage in research activities at the College. The intent is to develop and build internal research capacity within RRC, while providing a platform for innovation for those who are eager to conduct practical research, but are in need of opportunities and resources.
This year’s projects – which were selected from a record 21 submissions requesting over $160,000 – are a diverse group that ranges from removing chemical pollutants in wastewater to researching the density of amphibian eggs.
The complete list of awardees, projects, and awards is below. Congratulations to all!

For more information on the opportunities available through the CARD fund, please contact:
Rob Spewak
Research Manager, AR&C
(204) 632-2357
rspewak@rrc.ca

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) has named Ray Hoemsen, Red River College’s (RRC) Director of Applied Research & Commercialization as their prestigious Gold Leadership Excellence Award winner.
“Mr. Hoemsen was recognized for the exceptional work he has done in creating and leading sustained applied research, innovation, and commercialization programs in Manitoba,” said James Knight, ACCC President and CEO. “His leadership in this area has been a model for other colleges regionally and nationally.”
Every year, the ACCC recognizes an individual from a Canadian college that has made the greatest impact on his/her institution and, as a result, the communities it serves.
“We were proud to nominate Ray for this award and are delighted that he has won,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC.  “Ray is creative, dynamic, and has shown a sustained level of leadership excellence in his field and amongst his communities.”
Ray is credited with launching the College’s applied research enterprise in 2004.  Since then, he has been the driving force behind the creation of four applied research centres and a key factor to RRC winning several government and industry awards that amount to several million dollars in funding for the College.
“RRC continues to overachieve in the area of applied research with Ray leading the way,” said Ken Webb, VP, Academic and Research at RRC. “But the impacts he has made extend far beyond RRC and include leadership roles both nationally and internationally.”
Ray has been a leading advocate in driving the public policy change to recognize the strategic role played by Canadian colleges in Canada’s research and innovation agenda.
“Canadian colleges’ historical focus has been on providing technical education and training,” said Ron Britton, Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Manitoba. “Ray successfully made the case for applied research at the college level to create the program we see today at RRC, and at other Canadian colleges.”
Ray’s leadership contributions are indeed far reaching. He has led, or played a notable role in over 70 community organizations in post-secondary education, engineering and technology, policy leadership, national and local sports, and neighborhood clubs.
“It has been said, half in jest, that a committee that is working for the betterment of our community isn’t officially sanctioned unless Ray is a member,” said Britton.  I’ve known him since his undergraduate days, and even then, you could tell he had that something extra.”
Ray has historically led by example and shown humility.  He was no different in accepting this award.
“This is really a team award,” said Hoemsen. “I love what I do and am lucky to have been surrounded by people who can embrace change and make things happen. “

Ray Hoemsen, RRC’s Director of Applied Research and Commercialization and Tom Akerstream from Manitoba Hydro discuss their private- public-sector collaboration to construct the most energy efficient and sustainable office building in North America