First Applied Research Chair in VR/AR appointed
Continuing its role as a leader in emerging technologies, Lethbridge College is pleased to announce its first President’s Applied Research Chair in Virtual and Augmented Reality. Mike McCready has been appointed to the role and will work to connect industry with the limitless potential of VR and AR technology. The research chair and the college’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship will work alongside the new Virtual and Augmented Reality one-year certificate program to build up the VR/AR ecosystem in southern Alberta. McCready is a Lethbridge College alumnus (Multimedia Production 1999) who has instructed in the Multimedia Production program since 2015. He previously worked at both NorQuest College and Lethbridge College in marketing and web positions. He was a driving force behind the creation and development of the college’s new Virtual and Augmented Reality program that launched this fall. He is also one of the instructors in that program.
Three institutions combine to tackle Agriculture challenges
Three of Canada’s leading post-secondary agriculture institutions teamed up for a one-of-a-kind training opportunity and competition in September at Lethbridge College. McDalBridge brought together students from McGill University, Dalhousie University and Lethbridge College to create innovative solutions to Canadian agricultural challenges. Funded by Farm Credit Canada, five students from each institution gathered for three days of instructional sessions, workshops and tours. The students divided into five cross-institutional teams where they used their diverse regional backgrounds to collaborate and provide solutions to agricultural issues, before presenting their prototype pitches to a panel of industry experts at the end of the training. The program builds on Lethbridge College’s successful Agriculture Entrepreneur in Residence (AgENT) extra-curricular program that allows students to work with industry mentors.
Agricultural Engineering and Technology chair named
Looking to support and augment southern Alberta’s agriculture industry, Lethbridge College introduced its first applied research chair in Agricultural Engineering and Technology in August. Dr. Chandra Singh joins the college’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE) as the latest stop in a distinguished professional and academic career. Dr. Singh’s work includes the creation of an Advanced Postharvest Innovation Centre. During his professional career, which included five years working as Principal Engineer and Grain Management Specialist with OPIsystems, a grain management technology company based in Calgary, Dr. Singh noticed a gap in postharvest handling and storage of produce and grains in southern Alberta. He says production and processing methods in this region are already world-class but he wants to help minimize the loss felt by producers once their crops are out of the field. He works within CARIE to create industry partnerships and research opportunities with the local agricultural community. He also works closely with other Lethbridge College researchers, instructors and students within the college’s Collaborative Centre of Excellence in Agriculture.
Diversity and inclusion pilot project launched
Lethbridge College is making a commitment to identifying and improving its equity, diversity and inclusion on campus. The college is one of just 17 Canadian post-secondary institutions chosen for the Dimensions pilot program, a national initiative designed to foster transformational change within research bodies and post-secondary institutions. The two-year project will see the college set up an internal self-assessment committee to evaluate what Lethbridge College is already doing to promote equity, diversity and inclusion, and identify areas in need of improvement. The goal of the program is to eliminate obstacles and inequalities in the research and post-secondary ecosystems to support equal access for all. Lethbridge College is one of only five colleges to be chosen among the 17 post-secondary partners and joins the University of Calgary as the only Alberta representatives.
