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Red River College Extreme weather testing facility coming to RRC Red River College has announced the next steps in the


construction of MotiveLab, a highly specialized extreme weather testing facility that will be the first of its kind in Western Canada. MotiveLab is a 3,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facil-


ity – essentially a giant heater or freezer – that will provide opportunities for industry testing on heavy vehicles of all shapes and sizes, including transit and highway buses. Al- ready, companies have identified more than 65 full days of demand for MotiveLab’s research and development services. It will serve Manitoba’s heavy vehicle manufacturing


sector. A total of $6 million has been earmarked for the construc-


tion of a climatic chamber that allows for year-round testing to be conducted at extreme temperatures and under full loads using a 1,000 horsepower, three-axle dynamometer. Te program will also train students in this highly special- ized and emerging program area. “The heavy vehicle sector is faced with increasingly


stringent environmental demands, which has its players pushing the envelope in terms of new design and technology implementation,” says Ray Hoemsen, executive director of Research Partnerships & Innovation at RRC. “MotiveLab will be a unique Western Canadian facil-


ity that will help give Manitoba firms a competitive edge.” Construction of MotiveLab, which will be located at Notre Dame Campus inside the Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre, is expected to be completed in 2018. Funding for the second phase of the MotiveLab project


was made possible through a $3-million grant from the federal Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, along with a $1.5 million investment by the province and $1.5 million from RRC. Tis is in addition to $4 million raised for the first phase of the project. Manitoba Education Minister Ian Wishart and Winnipeg


Centre MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette joined with representa- tives from research and industry to announce the new grants. Named the top research college in the prairies for 2016


(Research Infosource), Red River College is no stranger to providing advanced facilities and equipment – as well as highly skilled students – for use in projects that respond to newly emerging industry research, testing, and training needs. Flagship projects include the all-electric transit bus,


developed in conjunction with New Flyer, Manitoba Hydro, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), the province, and oth- ers; and Manitoba Hydro’s downtown headquarters, where RRC helped test and evaluate design and building products used to make the structure one of the most energy efficient in North America. RRC also led the way with the establishment of the Electric


Vehicle Technology and Education Centre, and the Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure – one of the first research labs of its kind at a Canadian college.


Canadian Mennonite University


CMU announces $1.7 million Centre for Environmental and Economic Resilience Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce


the creation of a new centre that will incubate and nurture social enterprises.


Shown above (from left): Ray Hoemsen, Executive Director, Research Partnerships & Innovation, RRC; Paul Vogt, President and CEO, RRC; Robert-Falcon Ouellette, MP, Winnipeg Centre; Ian Wishart, Minister of Education and Training, Province of Manitoba; Thomas Small, Director, New Product Development, New Flyer Industries; Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh, Vice-President, Strategic Development, RRC.


Te Centre for Environmental and Economic Resilience


will develop policy, design, and enterprise innovations for a resilient economy that improves social equity and environmental protection. Te centre will occupy 6,500 square feet of space on the


fourth floor of CMU’s building at 500 Shaftesbury Blvd., formerly the School for the Deaf. “Tis Centre will serve as a generative hub of partnering


social enterprises with mandates towards economic and environmental health and well being,” said CMU Presi- dent Dr. Cheryl Pauls. “As partnering entities take ten- ancy in the space they will form a collective incubator.” James Magnus-Johnston, Instructor of Political Studies


and Economics at CMU, has been contracted as Director of the Centre. In addition to his academic background, Magnus-


Johnston has entrepreneurial experience as one of the co-owners of Fools & Horses Coffee. He also serves with a number of organizations, including Assiniboine Credit Union, the Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, the Green Action Centre, and Transition Winnipeg. He is also a singer and actor. Magnus-Johnston began his work last month and says


that one of the things that excites him about the Centre is that it is designed specifically for collaboration. Te Centre will serve as an academic hub, allowing


partnering organizations to collaborate on research among other partners at the centre, take part in educa- tional and research seminars, consultations, and confer- ences, as well as present opportunities for students at the university to take part in various experiential learning or “co-op” options. “There is a lot of grassroots enthusiasm about this


initiative from folks who are interested in taking up residence or collaborating on projects” Magnus-Johnston said. “When you can get innovative thinkers from inter- secting disciplines in the same room together, I think we can move some projects forward more effectively.” Te provincial and federal governments announced


more than $1.1 million in joint funding to create the Centre, which will cost $1.68 million. CMU will contribute the remainder of the balance. Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart and MP Doug Eyolfson, joined CMU President Cheryl Pauls at the


Global ambassadors MITT students, staff, help bolster Institute’s reputation at home and abroad


H


e’s more than 10,000 kilometres from home and on this frigid January day coping with a Winnipeg deep-freeze


that’s about 70 degrees Celsius colder than current conditions in his native Nigeria, yet Emmanuel Oseghale sports a warm grin as he talks about his experience at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. One of the biggest perks since his arrival


last February to train in MITT’s CAD Tech- nician program has been getting to meet people from around the world. “It’s been interesting,” says Oseghale, 19.


“I’ve met people from Russia, India, China, Pakistan and Korea. It’s good to meet differ- ent people and learn about their countries, their culture; you learn to respect and ap- preciate them.” Currently, Oseghale volunteers as a stu-


dent ambassador at MITT. During MITT’s winter orientation for international students – the college’s largest winter intake to date, which attracted 256 students from 23 differ- ent countries – he provided a helping hand and friendly face to newcomers trying to find their way around campus. “Last week, I was at Henlow campus talk-


6 Smart Biz


ing to international students,” he says. “I tried to make them feel comfortable, told them about the classes, the rules, learned about where they came from, and found out why they came to study here.” Oseghale said the response from new


students was great. “They feel more comfortable talking to


me,” he says. “Tey can see that I’m also a student, just like them.” Helping creating a warm first impression


of the Institute for newcomers is not the only opportunity Oseghale has had to highlight MITT during the past year. Trough his CAD program, he also worked on renderings for the 50th anniversary Canada Games that take place in Winnipeg this summer. (As part of its sponsorship of the Games, MITT’s students in the Graphic Print Technician, Carpentry and YouthBuild MITT programs are also providing support.) Tough his plans after graduation are not firm – he is court- ing a move into the business world at some point – Oseghale says he would “love” to stay in Winnipeg. While the network of ambassadors – stu- dents, staff, faculty, alumni and industry


– telling Manitobans the story of MITT’s world-class training and student experi- ence continues to grow, pitting our students against rivals across the province and the country in friendly skills competitions has provided another vehicle to boast about the quality of training it provides. Few have led this charge over the years with more zeal than Industrial Mechanic/Millwright Ap- prenticeship Instructor, Dan Zvanovec. A millwright instructor at MITT for more


than 30 years, Zvanovec got involved with Skills Canada around 2004. Since then, says Zvanovec, no college in Canada has more awards at the national level than MITT; eight banners hang on the wall of the millwright shop alone. Millwrights could compete for national


acclaim in Canada and elsewhere, however, the trade still lacked a truly global reputa- tion and that did not sit right with Zvanovec. So, he kick-started an effort back in 2006 to gain millwrights entry into the big show: the bi-annual World Skills Competition. Persis- tence paid off as Zvanovec and his fellow supporters got an audience with World Skills member countries during a competition in


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announcement, which took place on Friday, December 9 on campus in Marpeck Commons. Te Centre for Environmental and Economic Resilience is slated to open in spring 2018.


In case you missed anything – a roundup of facts we picked up last month


University of Winnipeg New research chair enhances theological study at UWinnipeg


Te University of Winnipeg congratulates Dr. Arthur


Walker-Jones on his appointment to the newly created position of Te United Church of Canada Research Chair in Contemporary Teology — the purpose of which is to provide a fiscally sustainable way to continue the tradi- tion of theological research and education at UWinnipeg. “Te title of the new research chair at Te University


of Winnipeg honours our longstanding association with Te United Church of Canada and signals our intention to continue the tradition of theological study on this cam- pus,” says Dr. Mavis Reimer, Dean of Graduate Studies. Te United Church of Canada and its predecessors, the


Methodist and Presbyterian churches, were the found- ing bodies of UWinnipeg. In 1967, the United Church donated United College to the Province of Manitoba, and the University was incorporated as a public institution of higher education. Te Church financially supported the University’s Faculty of Teology (now called Te United Centre for Teological Studies) until 2010, when declining denominational funds caused the church to discontinue its endowments. Walker-Jones has been a Professor of Biblical Literature


in Teology Programs at UWinnipeg since 1999 and his research focuses on interpretations of the Bible as they relate to the environment and global ecological issues, such as climate change. He has published numerous scholarly articles on the


topics of ecological hermeneutics and has explored the ways in which Psalms can influence environmental un- derstanding in his book Te Green Psalter: Resources for an Ecological Spirituality. “I’m looking forward to fostering theological research


and reflection in keeping with the traditions of the United Church,” says Walker-Jones. “Especially theological re- flection that is contextual and engages issues of interfaith dialogue, and social and ecological justice.”


Manitoba Institute for Trades and Technology


Adobe Creative Cloud courses coming to MITT in February 2017. Learn essential Adobe Creative Cloud Skills.


Organizations of all types and sizes require an increas-


ing range of print and web materials. From graphics for web and social media to holiday cards to annual reports, the need for in-house creative skills has never been higher. Go beyond word processing and into the modern desktop publishing environment, and you'll bridge the gap between 'good enough' and 'polished professional'. Premium creative skills will allow you to stand out like never before. Who will benefit most from these courses? • Administrative office professionals - add premium


skills to your toolbox for advancement. • Existing workers in the graphic and digital media


industry - update and expand your skill-set enabling you to be confident providing creative services. • Entrepreneurs and self-employed workers - DIY is


your mantra; refining your visual brand could give you that extra edge. MITT is the only post-secondary school in Winnipeg


offering in-class delivery of these particular stand-alone Adobe courses. Courses will be scheduled to allow work- ing individuals to learn without interruption to their work day. Introduction and Advanced courses will be offered.


Leipzig, Germany in 2013. With their sup- port, millwright debuted at the 2014 World Skills Competition in Sao Paolo, Brazil. While Zvanovec was unable to attend the competition, his crusade came full circle when he was name project manager for the millwright portion of the 2017 World Skills Abu Dhabi Competition. Zvanovec is bound for Dubai at the end of


January to go over top-secret blue prints of the “widget,” as he calls it, which millwrights from around the world will have four days to successfully build and test. He will return for 20 days in October for the duration of the competition – which, he notes, will draw in excess of one million visitors. Tought MITT is not fielding any competi-


tors for October, Zvanovec sees tremendous value in the opportunity to participate in the event. He’ll get to see the latest millwright techniques and technology from around the world and bring what he learns back to the classroom. Moreover, in the high-profile role of project manager, he will be the face of MITT and Canadian millwrights to countries around the globe. “It will give [millwrights in Canada] a lit-


mus test of where we are in the world overall, in terms of our skills,” he says. “But more than anything else, it will be about getting the name of MITT out there. To tell the world, we have the technology here, and we are one of the best schools in Canada.”


February 2017


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