Red River College’s Building Envelope Technology Access Centre (BETAC) was in the news this week, with a mention in the Journal of Commerce by ConstructConnect. The article highlights BETAC’s partnership with SMT Research Ltd. to monitor the health of the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre as it was being built.

“SMT partnered with Red River College’s (RRC) Building Envelope Technology Access Centre (BETAC) to monitor the structural health of the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre (STTC) as it was being built on the RRC Notre Dame campus in Winnipeg.

Structural health monitoring helps to ensure that new buildings are energy-efficient, durable and perform as expected.

BETAC and SMT installed a wide network of sensors throughout the building as it was under construction.

A total of seven different building envelope types were instrumented throughout the exterior building envelope, as well as the roof and green roof assemblies.

The effectiveness of the STTC’s building envelope, which helps protect its occupants from the extremes of Winnipeg’s climate, will continue to be monitored in real time.”

Read the full article here.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has opened up applications for the next round of the Community Investment Program.

The application period is open until 2:00 p.m. on February 28, 2019. Grants are open to researchers at universities and colleges working on projects that contribute to building a better online Canada, as well as to non-profits and registered charities. Grants are available up to $100,000, with one grant available up to $250,000.

This year, CIRA is focused on the following key funding areas:

• Infrastructure: Developing connectivity services for regional, rural, remote and/or underserved communities
• Access: Providing individuals and communities with the ability to connect to the internet
• Digital Literacy: Enhancing Canadians’ knowledge and skills to use the internet effectively and safely
• Engagement: Research and knowledge-sharing activities that broaden public understanding and participation in Internet policy development and governance and cybersecurity
• Services: Building online apps and platforms that address social, economic and/or environmental needs

Visit the CIRA website for more information!

For the fifth year in a row, Colleges and Institutes Canada(CICan) is looking to showcase student talent on the walls of the association’s national office at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. For the 2019 Art Showcase, CICan invites students from colleges and institutes across the country to submit their artwork.

CICan will be selecting a winner from the following categories:

• Printmaking
• Textile/Mixed Media/Sculpture
• Photography
• Digital illustration/animation
• Painting
• Drawing

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2019. To learn more, please visit the CICan website.

Culinary Research & Innovation (CRI) may be relatively new to Red River College, but the program has accomplished a lot in a short timeframe. CRI has created or improved more than 95 new products, processes, and ingredient applications for 40 companies, thanks to the work of research chefs, food scientists, and culinary students.

With the new research kitchen set to open in June 2019, there will be new opportunities for students, instructors and companies to participate in this exciting program.

Don’t just take our word for it – listen to what others are saying about CRI!

Student opportunities for part-time work (around your academic schedule) can be found here: jobcentral.rrc.ca. New positions will be posted at the beginning of each term, so check back frequently.

Companies can get more information about the program here or by contacting Mavis McRae at mmcrae30@rrc.ca or 204-632-3993.

Research Manitoba has launched a new provincial initiative called RITHIM (Research Improvement Through Harmonization in Manitoba) in an effort to keep the province up-to-pace in research administrative and regulative processes. RITHIM aims to harmonize the system for impact, privacy, and ethics review to significantly improve the coordination and time-to-conduct of clinical and data intensive health research in Manitoba.

The RITHIM initiative will enhance coordination in our province allowing researchers the ability to engage in the most efficient practice of patient-orientated research and in turn advance our national standing.

Check out the RITHIM newsletter to learn more.

Application for the Faculty Mobility Program is now open for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Available through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), the Faculty Mobility Program provides Canadian faculty from post-secondary institutions with short-term opportunities to teach or conduct research in eligible countries (CARICOM countries, Central America, Latin America, Mexico). It is available through the Government of Canada International Scholarships program.

The program aims to increase the number of institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between Canadian and foreign institutions eligible under ELAP. These agreements are created between colleges, technical or vocational institutions and universities in Canada, Latin Americas and the Caribbean.

The deadline to apply is February 19, 2019. Please visit the Faculty Mobility Program website for more information.

Ray Hoemsen, executive director of Research Partnerships & Innovation (RPI), was in Katowice, Poland earlier this week for the UN Climate Change Conference. Hoemsen attended as an observer with accreditation via the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, of which Red River College is a member and Hoemsen is a Director.

Red River College is committed to sustainability and the development of clean technologies. The conference was an ideal setting to raise awareness of RRC’s ongoing work in the field of clean technologies, and RPI’s capabilities related to climate change. The conference also presented opportunities to identify potential  research collaboration and partnerships with other academic institutions, non-government agencies and industry.

For more information on the conference, please visit the website.

The Winnipeg Free Press published a great article on Research Partnerships & Innovation in their 2018 Winter Education section.

Next year marks the 15-year anniversary of RPI at Red River College. From battery-operated transit buses, to energy efficient office towers, to creative uses for agricultural by-products, and many more exciting initiatives, RPI has had a busy and successful 15 years thanks to the contributions of talented staff, students, and industry and community partners.

The support of organizations such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC – IRAP), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Research Manitoba, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), Strategic Innovation Fund (SFI), and the Province of Manitoba ensures RRC is able to continue doing groundbreaking work in a variety of fields. The success of RPI would not be possible without significant contributions from a community of supporters, and the College looks forward to even greater achievements in the years to come as the result of these partnerships.

Efforts will only grow with new partnerships, capabilities, and research centres – like the Innovation Centre, MotiveLab, Smart Factory, and Culinary Research Kitchen – cutting-edge technology labs that will enhance student learning and strengthen our industry partnerships.

See the article below, and visit the Winnipeg Free Press website for the full section.

RRC celebrates 15 years of Research Partnerships & Innovation

By Jennifer McFee

Winnipeg Free Press | Dec. 6, 2018

Red River College will celebrate a milestone year in 2019 by marking the 15-year anniversary of Research Partnerships & Innovation.

What is amazing about this milestone is how quickly RRC grew from a newcomer to research into one of the leading research colleges in the country. Just recently, RRC was once again recognized as one of Canada’s top 10 research colleges.

“Other than the establishment of the research enterprise at the college, I believe our first major accomplishment was the work we did with Manitoba Hydro to help them develop their downtown office, Manitoba Hydro Place,” said Ray Hoemsen, executive director of Research Partnerships & Innovation.

“We were involved with the prototyping and testing of the building envelope, which is the skin of the building. We have an almost 15-year partnership with Manitoba Hydro, which was recognized by NSERC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. We received an NSERC synergy award for innovation because of our partnership with Manitoba Hydro.”

This project led to a major research program in sustainable infrastructure, which in turn led to the development of a Building Envelope Technology Access Centre.

As well, the college was a driving force in the development of a battery-powered all-electric transit bus in collaboration with Manitoba Hydro and multiple other stakeholders.

On the aerospace and manufacturing side, the college will soon have a Smart Factory coming on stream to provide another applied research space to build on the work done at the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing.

“We’re fortunate to have two technology access centres — one in aerospace and manufacturing and the other in building envelope technology,” Hoemsen said.

“Basically, there are 17 of these outside of Quebec and we have two of them. They’re intended to support regional clusters, so we’re supporting the aerospace and manufacturing sector in one and the building construction sector with the other.”

The Smart Factory will focus on emerging technology such as robotics, automation, additive manufacturing, high-speed robotic inspection and industrial networking. 

Looking beyond the 15 years of impressive achievements, the future looks bright for Research Partnerships & Innovation. 

Construction is already underway on the Innovation Centre, a new facility located in the Exchange District next to the existing Roblin Centre building. With an expected completion date of 2020, the $95-million Innovation Centre will be a hub where education and industry will intersect. The 100,000-square-foot facility will feature adaptable classrooms and “collision spaces” as well as a roundhouse auditorium to foster collaboration. 

The ACE Project Space is another area that offers an interactive environment for students, faculty, industry leaders and entrepreneurs to use cutting-edge technology to find solutions to real-world business challenges.

In addition, Red River College is adding several more new facilities that will bolster the potential of both students and industry. These include an extreme weather vehicle-testing facility called the MotiveLab.

“We’ve done a lot of work with the heavy vehicles sector, which is very important in Manitoba,” Hoemsen said. 

“The MotiveLab is a new specialized test facility that will be unique in Western Canada. It allows us to test vehicles on a year-round basis in a controlled environment. We can go from -40 C to 40 C within a chamber year-round.”

Construction has also begun on the Culinary Research Kitchen, which will offer state-of-the-art research kitchens plus an analytical and culturing lab, a specialized food photography room and collaborative spaces for working together. 

“It marries food science and the culinary arts,” Hoemsen said. “So basically you take ingredients that are good for you health-wise and make them appealing to consumers. We’ve been working with the producer groups to develop new recipes, which helps companies bring new products to market.”

Across the board, this hands-on approach to education results in benefits for students that extend beyond academic knowledge. 

“Research activity enables us to get some research infrastructure like facilities and equipment that can also be for teaching purposes. As a result, that benefits students who are taught using the latest and most current technology in education,” Hoemsen said.

“When they engage with a project, it helps with their skill development and work-integrated learning. It not only gives them technical skills but also soft skills that employers are looking for, like better communication and working as a team.”

For Hoemsen, it’s a source of pride that Red River College is highly ranked for its research capabilities. 

“It speaks to the collective effort of our students, instructors and research staff as well as the partners that we’re fortunate to work with,” Hoemsen said. 

“We’ve had over 500 research partners over the last 15 years and we couldn’t do it without them.”

To learn more about Red River College, visit rrc.ca.

Red River College, in partnership with Bioscience Association Manitoba, is pleased to welcome Dr. David Hughes, international speaker on global food and drink industry issues, to the Prairie Lights Dining Room on Monday, Dec. 3rd for a talk on “Insights and Trends in the Healthy Food Sector.” The event is free and all are welcome.

• Date: Monday, Dec. 3rd, 2018
• Time: registration is at 9am, session begins at 9:30am
• Location: Prairie Lights Dining Room, Notre Dame Campus
• Please register in advance at: biomb.ca.

Light refreshments will be served.

From Bioscience Association Manitoba:

Professor David Hughes is an Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London, and a Visiting Professor at the Royal Agricultural University, U.K. He is a much sought-after speaker at international conferences and seminars on global food industry issues, particularly consumer and retail trends. David has lived and worked in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa and South East Asia and has extensive experience as an international advisory board member with food companies and financial service organizations on three continents.

For 20 years, he was a Non-Executive Director of Berry Gardens Ltd – a U.K. farmer-owned berry fruit business (£230 million turnover in 2015). With his American business partner, David established, grew and sold a branded fresh produce business which served supermarkets in the USA. Around the globe, he works with food and beverage supply chain companies – including farm input, growers, manufacturers and ingredient companies, retailers and food service firms – to assist them in management training, strategy and Board level decision-making. David’s views are frequently sought by TV, radio and the printed press.

PARKING INFORMATION

If you are entering through the main entrance by the bus loop:

• Please go down to the Mall level,
• Proceed through the hallway on your right,
• Prairie Lights Restaurant is located on your right, next to Tim Horton’s in the Mall Level.

If you are entering through any other entrances:

• Please head to the Mall level
• Look for the Tim Horton’s (Prairie Lights is adjacent to it.)

Important research from the Science of Early Child Development (SECD) has received a funding boost from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), through the College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF).

SECD will receive $240,000 over two years for the research project “Science to Practice to Play: Transferring the Best of Early Child Development Evidence to Parents Through Integrated Health Equity Teams.”

“Through this NSERC grant, we now have the opportunity to put SECD to the test with NorWest Co-op Community Health Centre, located in the Inkster community area just moments from RRC’s Notre Dame campus,” said Jan Sanderson, research chair at RRC’s School of Health Sciences and Community Services. “The Nursing Department and the Research Team from Health Sciences and Community Services are very excited to be working right in the Inkster neighbourhood with an organization that is extremely committed to supporting families and improving the outcomes for young children in their community.”

Through a partnership between the College and NorWest Co-op, in collaboration with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the Province of Manitoba, RRC researchers will deliver SECD training to a community health and social services team. The team will in turn develop and deliver consistent messages, skills and activities to parents of pre-school children in their Bright Start parent/child programs.

“With the collaboration of the WRHA and the provincial government, we hope to learn lessons that can be applied across Winnipeg and around the province,” said Sanderson. “As the project title – Science to Practice to Play – indicates, we will be examining the capacity of SECD as a training and planning tool that can transfer scientific evidence to health/social service professionals who will in turn convert it into engaging, educational activities to support parents – a child’s first and most important teacher. We plan to measure the impact of the intervention on the NorWest Co-op’s planning process, the impact on parents’ knowledge of early child development and their parent/child interactions, and the impact on the children’s development.”

Learn more about SECD here.