Okanagan College News

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Thursday, November 26, 2009

Scholarship support welcomed by career-changing student

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

Dr. Dianne Crisp, John Leech, Aaron Edis and
Dr. Andrew Hay

Completing his Electronic Engineering Technology diploma at Okanagan College is going to be a little bit easier for second-year student Aaron Edis, courtesy of some welcome financial support.

Edis was the happy recipient of a $1,000 Canada Technology Bursary scholarship last week, sponsored by TD Meloche Monnex and presented by John Leech, AScT the Executive Director of the Applied Science Technicians and Technologists of British Columbia (ASTTBC).

While his 91.6 per cent average in the first year suggests that getting through the second year of the two-year diploma program won’t be a struggle academically, Edis admits that it can be a struggle financially, even though his wife works full-time to support his studies.

“This will definitely help,” said the 23-year-old who decided to build on a short career as an electrician by pursuing a credential in Electronic Engineering Technology. “The money will be very useful, but it’s also very encouraging to see support from ASTTBC and from companies like TD Monnex Meloche. It’s a strong message that people see the value in our education and want to encourage us.”

It’s an education and an area that Edis thinks warrants promotion. “I recognized that there is a need for technologists and technicians and that the demand is only going to grow in the years ahead. That’s one of the reasons I decided to pursue the diploma.”

“There is already a significant issue meeting the skills gap in this area,” said Leech. “And as the effects of our demographic situation hit home and the economy accelerates, it is only going to get worse.”

“It’s companies like TD Meloche Monnex, which has been a steadfast contributor to the ASTTBC’s Foundation for Education and Advancement in Technology, who will help us encourage more interest in technical and technological careers,” said Leech.

The cheque for the scholarship was presented to Edis at a gathering of senior officials of Okanagan College, the Okanagan Science and Technology Council and the City of Kelowna.

Later that day, Edis joined more than 150 other students attending a Kelowna campus event, who received 98 awards, worth $141,627. He received three other awards: the Electronic Engineering Technology department award, a BC Hydro Scholarship, and the Walter Gray Endowment Fund Award in Electronic Engineering.

The Okanagan College Foundation expects that by the end of the fiscal year (March 31, 2010) it will have distributed approximately $1 million to students this year.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Groundbreaking at Centre of Excellence - Penticton

Posted by: Public Affairs

B.C. Government Press Release
For Immediate Release
2009ALMD0045-000658
November 20, 2009
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Industry Canada

COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND FOR $28M CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

PENTICTON – Construction is set to begin on Okanagan College’s new $28-million Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation following the official groundbreaking by provincial, federal and college representatives. The project will create up to 179 direct jobs.

“The investment in Okanagan College will provide a significant economic stimulus to our community and will create jobs in this region,” said Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla. “Our government is investing in innovation to create jobs, to help our economy recover quickly and to improve the quality of life for Canadians. Young people and older citizens in increased numbers will benefit from the ongoing excellence of Okanagan College.”

“This new centre for green technology at Okanagan College will stimulate Penticton’s economy and increase our community’s vitality as more youth can affordably stay here to get a world class, state of the art education,” said Bill Barisoff, MLA for Penticton. “The skills being learned here will translate into real career opportunities that capitalize on the new green economy.”

The Centre of Excellence is being built to meet the Living Building Challenge, a set of building standards that exceeds LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum. The Living Building Challenge is comprised of seven performance areas; site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty. The facility should achieve a net-zero energy consumption by incorporating building elements that are a first in Canada and North America and is already being recognized for its world-class design. It is expected that building costs associated with meeting this very high standard will be similar to conventional construction.

“Okanagan College has been contributing to the social and economic vitality of our communities for over 40 years,” said John Slater, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. “This centre takes the college boldly into the twenty-first century and ensures it will continue to be a positive force in our region for many decades to come.”

Once complete, the 7,000 square metre centre will offer innovative programming in geo-thermal, onsite alternative energy sources, metering and monitoring of green buildings, building envelope construction, life cycle site management, refrigeration mechanics, applied conservation technician, H-VAC and power lineman.

“This is an exciting project that will enable Okanagan College instructors and students to become leaders in the development of sustainable building practices,” said Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. “This investment with our federal and college partners will ensure that B.C. students continue to be well prepared to take advantage of future opportunities.”

The facility will provide space for start-up companies to explore and develop new ideas and the centre will host research and development activities in partnership with industry and not-for-profit organizations. Students will benefit by being involved in the research of cutting-edge technology, while curriculum will be designed to meet ever-changing needs.

“This Centre of Excellence will be a beacon for sustainability, not just in terms of its actual construction, but also in terms of the programming and approaches it represents,” said Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton. “It is already attracting national and international attention. What’s most important is that it will provide access to unique programs and educational opportunities for residents of the South Okanagan and the entire province.”

This is one of 40 projects at post-secondary institutions across the province funded through a joint federal-provincial investment of $497 million. The total investment in these projects is $519 million including contributions from institutions.

This project is also part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province that will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan sets out to stimulate the Canadian economy over the next two years and to improve our long-term competitiveness through $12 billion in new infrastructure investment, which includes the $2-billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

For more information on the provincial government’s three-year job creation plan, visit www.gov.bc.ca/infrastructure . For more information about the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program visit www.ic.gc.ca/knowledge-infrastructure .

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Contact:
Craig MacBride
Public Affairs Officer
250 356-7882
250 213-1649 (cell)

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.

Monday, November 23, 2009

BMO supports Centre of Excellence

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

BMO Financial Group Announces Major Donation in Penticton

Higher learning and environmental sustainability supported with Okanagan College gift from BMO

PENTICTON, BC, November 23, 2009 – BMO Financial Group announced a major donation in Penticton – a $75,000 gift to Okanagan College’s new Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation.

“Companies like ours have a responsibility to take a leadership role in environmental sustainability – to go where our customers are going,” said Sean Armstrong, Vice-President, B.C. Central Interior, North and Yukon, BMO Bank of Montreal. “This means that we must adopt environmental best practices into everything we do as well as support those organizations such as Okanagan College who are leading the way in green initiatives.”

This gift is also in keeping with BMO’s corporate core values and commitment to education and life long learning.

At the groundbreaking ceremony held Friday in Penticton with Federal, Provincial and City officials, Okanagan College President Jim Hamilton said, “BMO has been a long time supporter of our scholarship program at the Kelowna campus. This level of support for our Penticton campus demonstrates their commitment to the region, our communities and students.”

About Okanagan College’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation
The new $28 million Centre commenced construction in July 2009 and is due for completion in 2011. The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation aims to be recognized by both potential students and the construction industry as the foremost teaching centre for green and sustainable construction and for research, development and commercialization of new approaches and methods of building construction and alternative energy production.

About BMO Financial Group
Since its founding in 1817 as Bank of Montreal – Canada’s first bank - BMO Financial Group has been committed to corporate and social responsibility and the principles of sustainable development. In 2008, BMO contributed $47.7 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events, supporting communities and thousands of charities and not-for-profit organizations across Canada.

BMO has been making great strides on the environmental sustainability front – and in certain areas is leading the pack among Canadian Financial Institutions. The Bank announced in 2007 that it would be Carbon Neutral as an enterprise for energy and travel emissions by 2010.

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Media Contacts:
Laurie Grant, BMO Financial Group, 604-665-7596, laurie.grant@bmo.com
Allan Coyle, Okanagan College, 250-862-5413 acoyle@okanagan.bc.ca

Monday, November 23, 2009

PCL Contributes to Education - Okanagan College

Posted by: Public Affairs

PCL contributes $100,000 to fund education in the South Okanagan

After breaking ground at the site of Okanagan College’s $28 Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation, construction leader PCL has announced a $100,000 financial commitment in support of programming expansion and educational opportunities that will be developed as a result of the new building.

PCL was selected by the College as the contractor for the project, which broke ground Friday in Penticton. The building, which is on schedule to be complete in early 2011, will utilize green technology and innovative construction practices.

“It was a natural fit for PCL to support the Centre of Excellence in Penticton,” said Sean Brock, District Manager for PCL. “Our company is known for excellence in leadership and we are focused on growing our commitment to sustainability by building green. We see an incredible return on investment in being so closely involved in this great community project and know that our added support will contribute to the long term growth and wellbeing of the region.”

Federal and Provincial government support through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) will fund $23 million of the building. The remainder of the project cost will be generated through a community fundraising campaign.

“We have known for several years that PCL is a strong partner of Okanagan College,” said Kathy Butler, Executive Director of the Okanagan College Foundation. “We are extremely grateful for their continued support and feel fortunate to have them on board to build our Centre of Excellence. Now, as major contributors to our fundraising campaign, the role PCL is playing in this community is even more vital and speaks to the organization’s commitment and values.”

About Okanagan College’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation

The new $28 million Centre commenced construction in July 2009 and is due for completion in 2011. The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation aims to be recognized by both potential students and the construction industry as the foremost teaching centre for green and sustainable construction and for research, development and commercialization of new approaches and methods of building construction and alternative energy production.

About the PCL family of companies  

The PCL family of companies is a group of independent construction companies which carry out diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets. Together, these companies have an annual construction volume of more than $6 billion, making them the largest contracting organization in Canada and one of the largest in the United States. Offices are strategically located in 27 major North American centers to support work across Canada, the continental United States, Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Caribbean.

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For more information contact:

Gary McEwan, PCL Construction

Special Projects Manager

250-869-3638

Kathy Butler, Okanagan College Foundation

Executive Director

250-762-5445 ext. 4775

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Robobros look to defend title at RoboCup Junior

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

robobros Reigning Western Canada RoboCup Junior champions Nelson and Hudson Schier will return to Okanagan College on Friday, Nov. 20 to compete in the fourth annual robotics competition.

After winning the robot dance competition in 2008, Nelson and Hudson qualified to represent Canada at the World RoboCup 2009 in Graz, Austria, where they were awarded Best Presentation for their performance at the international event.

The brothers will travel from Vernon to join student competitors from across the region, all of whom have a keen interest in science and technology. The students, who come from a variety of schools throughout the region, will test their problem-solving and team building skills in a variety of robotic challenges including soccer, rescue and dance.

Hosted by Okanagan College, the Western Canada RoboCup Junior is an internationally accredited educational competition which includes teams of students ranging from Grade one to Grade 12 working in teams to develop solutions to one of three specific challenges (soccer, rescue and dance) using robots.

This year will mark the fourth annual Western Canada RoboCup Games – a record number of students have signed up for the event, which will draw more than 100 elementary, middle, and secondary students from schools such as Kelowna Secondary, Naramata Elementary, A.L. Fortune Secondary and Peachland Elementary, to name a few.

The events get underway at 9 a.m. in the College’s Pit area with the soccer and rescue challenges. In soccer, teams comprised of two autonomous mobile robots track a special light-emitting ball in an enclosed field and attempt to score goals. In search and rescue, robots follow a course, negotiate hallways of a two-storey building filled with debris and identify victims within re-created disaster scenarios.

The dance competition begins at 12:30 p.m. in the College’s lecture theatre. Teams competing in dance perform with their robots in choreographed routines set to music and will be judged in a range of areas including robot programming, design, costume, use of stage and entertainment value.

Electronic Engineering Technology instructor Nadir Ould-Khessal has been involved with the International RoboCup Federation for the past 13 years both as a team leader and participant. He designed teams while teaching at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore and later at VAASA University of Applied Science in Finland. His involvement stems from a belief that the games are an excellent way to promote learning in a challenging and creative environment.

“RoboCup is a project that integrates many technologies at the same time,” said Ould-Khessal. “Students have to develop skill in construction, programming and most importantly, problem-solving. We stress education over competition. That is why the three challenges remain the same from year to year – so students can build on their previous success.”

Top performing students in Friday’s Western Canada competition will qualify to represent Canada in the World RoboCup Games in Singapore next June.

For more information about Western Canada RoboCup Junior, visit: www.okanagan.bc.ca/robocup. To find out more about RoboCup International, visit: www.robocup.org.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Truths of the Universe – stranger than fiction

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

The Vernon campus of Okanagan College will host a Science in Society Speaker Series that will probe some of the most complex questions about the Universe and leave listeners with a deeper understanding of the mystery of dark energy.

Dr. Chris Pritchet, an astrophysicist from the University of Victoria, will present: Supernovae and the mystery of dark energy on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vernon campus lecture theatre. He will explore dark energy - a mysterious energy of the Universe that causes its expansion to accelerate. The nature of this dark energy is completely unknown, and represents perhaps the greatest challenge to face physics and astronomy in the past century.

Pritchet and his co-workers have probed the geometry of the Universe, and detected the signature of dark energy with unprecedented precision. In this talk, Pritchet will focus on the telescopes that make this project possible and how observations of distant exploding stars reveal a mysterious new substance that fills space.

The Science in Society Speaker Series is sponsored by Okanagan College’s department of Science, Technology and Health and the Okanagan Science Centre. This presentation is co-sponsored by the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) as part of CASCA’s Galileo Lecture Series for the International Year of Astronomy (2009).

Admission is $5 in advance or $7 at the door. Please contact the Okanagan Science Centre or call 250-545-3644 for advanced purchase of tickets or more information.

Friday, November 13, 2009

SIFE Okanagan and College partner with non-profit to elevate local disadvantaged youth

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

A group of community-minded business students from Okanagan College are putting their knowledge into practice through a partnership with Elevation Outdoors, a local not-for-profit organization that provides experiential outdoor activities for disadvantaged youth.

SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) Okanagan, in partnership with the Sports and Events Marketing course at the Okanagan School of Business, will co-host a fundraising evening - A Reason for the Season – on Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. at The Habitat in Kelowna to support Elevation Outdoors.

A Reason for the Season will feature the talent of local up-and-coming pianist and singer Thomas Kjorven. Guests will also enjoy a glass of complimentary wine from West Kelowna’s Kalala Organic Estate Winery. The event will also feature a silent and live auction with gifts donated by local businesses and a full bar will also be available. Ticket sales and proceeds from the auctions will support Elevation Outdoors.

Four Okanagan College students from Dr. Blair Baldwin’s Sports and Events Marketing course are involved in the project, which will enable students to directly apply their learned business skills in an interactive and creative way. Working with SIFE Okanagan and Elevation Outdoors, Kevin Slater, Matthew Collins, Latoya Bentley and Travis Fleming will help organize and execute the event, which will raise funds for the non-profit organization.

“Our approach at the Okanagan School of Business is to build bridges with the community,” explained Baldwin. “This course allows teams of students to develop event marketing plans for businesses and associations throughout the Okanagan. In this instance, the plan also comes alive with the assistance of SIFE Okanagan and will greatly aid the students in their learning experience.”

Elevation Outdoors, led by Tori Hanson, supports disadvantaged youth in aiding the development of various outdoor pursuits, skills, and passions while promoting healthy lifestyle choices and life skills, instilling respect for environment, and helping support disadvantaged young people in the community.

“We are excited to be working with SIFE and such enthusiastic students who want to make a difference and help our cause,” said Elevation’s Tori Hanson. “I am looking forward to a fantastic evening that will bring together supporters, provide great entertainment, and help us make the upcoming winter ‘Learn to Shred’ programs a success by providing more opportunities to underprivileged young people in Kelowna.”

SIFE Okanagan’s Co-President, Travis Fleming, has made it his personal goal to create a successful evening. “This project gives SIFE Okanagan a chance to work with a generous organization that is creating a positive impact in our community. Elevation is a unique organization that SIFE feels is helping troubled youth in a way that none of us could imagine and we want to use our resources to help them grow. We encourage our community to get involved and support Elevation Outdoors by coming out and enjoying a fun evening.”

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and can be purchased from Tori Hanson 250-808-1626 or Travis Fleming, 250-809-2199.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

$30,000 donation to College fuels next generation

Posted by: Public Affairs

Okanagan College Media Release

jacobsen A retired automotive mechanic had all the tools he needed to get the job done, and now the company he worked for is passing his legacy onto others with a anew Okanagan College achievement award.

Jacobsen Pontiac Buick has donated $30,000 to the Okanagan College Foundation to create the Jacobsen Pontiac Buick Lou Simonelli Achievement Award Fund.

“The College has always been a good source of potential technicians,” said Ron Jacobsen, pointing to the fund’s namesake – Lou Simonelli who worked 35 years with the dealership before retiring in August.

The fund will provide an annual $1,000 award to deserving mature students enrolled in the Automotive Service Technician (AST) apprenticeship program at the Kelowna campus.

Simonelli enrolled in the College’s automotive program back in 1976 when he made the move to learn as much as he could about his passion – cars.

“Education will change your life,” said Simonelli, who recently toured the shop on campus. He said the technical education he received - combined with ongoing training - gave him a fulfilling career that carried him through an industry that has become increasingly complex and innovative.

“This is a very generous award,” said Okanagan College Foundation president Steve Tuck. “Sometimes mature students don’t have the same level of support when coming back to school as high school students have. And mature students often have greater needs because they may have acquired families or debt and are not eligible for the same support that high school students get when they graduate.”

Jacobsen said mature students often make ideal employees.

“If we can help in any manner, it’s all part of the solution.”

The Jacobsen Pontiac Buick Lou Simonelli Achievement Award Fund is the largest award for the automotive program. Capital from the fund will be invested as a permanent endowment and the income earned from the fund will be used to provide the award.

Students eligible for the award will be enrolled in first, second or third year of the Automotive Service Technician (AST) apprenticeship program. They’ll be selected by their instructors based on overall academic performance and participation.