September 18, 2020
The University of Saskatchewan has launched the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR), which offers research support and consulting to academic researchers, governments, not-for-profits, and other companies. CHASR offers support for research projects in every phase, including design, data collection, data analysis and processing, and presentation of results. “Other academic institutions in Canada and the U.S. have some of these pieces, but no one else has pulled them all together,” said Jason Disano, director of CHASR. “By having all of these complementary services under one roof, we can support bigger, more complex, more sophisticated research projects.”
USask (SK)
The University of Saskatchewan has launched the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR), which offers research support and consulting to academic researchers, governments, not-for-profits, and other companies. CHASR offers support for research projects in every phase, including design, data collection, data analysis and processing, and presentation of results. “Other academic institutions in Canada and the U.S. have some of these pieces, but no one else has pulled them all together,” said Jason Disano, director of CHASR. “By having all of these complementary services under one roof, we can support bigger, more complex, more sophisticated research projects.”
USask (SK)
Saskatchewan Polytechnic will receive $7.8M from the Government of Saskatchewan for skills training programs. With this funding, Sask Polytech will provide programs for adult learners, such as Adult 12, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Essential Skills for the Workplace (ESWP). The ABE and ESWP programs teach adult learners employable skills and allow them to gain workplace experience, while Adult 12 allows students to gain secondary credits for entrance to universities and polytechnics. “This funding will help us achieve the important goal of preparing Saskatchewan people with what they need to continue their training or move directly into employment,” said Jeremy Harrison, Immigration and Career Training Minister.
Sask Polytech |
SK (SK)
St Clair College has begun construction on its 40,000-square-foot Zekelman Centre of Business and Information Technology. The building’s design includes a large auditorium, classrooms, student study areas, meeting rooms and offices, and an Esports Arena. St Clair says that this Esports Arena is the first of its kind in Canada and will set the bar for collegiate esports facilities in Canada and internationally. “The Zekelman School of Business and Information Technology will provide a platform for future entrepreneurs to launch their careers and pursue their dreams,” said Barry Zekelman, Chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries.
St Clair (ON)
Portage College’s Lac La Biche campus will soon host an Indigenous Smudging and Cultural Awareness Venue, thanks to a grant from the Canada Infrastructure Plan. The cultural venue will provide students and staff a dedicated gathering space for smudge and cultural practices. “The College recognizes the cultural significance of smudging and views it as an important support to student mental health needs,” said Portage President Nancy Broadbent. “Portage looks forward to building this impactful new venue and greatly appreciates the support from the governments of Canada and Alberta.”
Portage (AB)
Grande Prairie Regional College and Terrapin Geothermics have signed a MOU to pursue collaboration opportunities in Alberta’s new energy industries. The two partners will work together to provide enhanced career and learning opportunities for students, faculty, and practitioners in the Grande Prairie region. “This partnership with Terrapin is exciting for GPRC, our students, and northern Alberta,” said GPRC President Robert Murray. “It brings students together with meaningful experiential learning opportunities, equips highly trained graduates with the skills they need to compete in a rapidly changing labour market, enhances research and innovation capacity in clean energy, and strengthens economic growth in the region.”
GPRC (AB)
An employee at McMaster University and a student at the University of Windsor have tested positive for COVID-19. McMaster reports that the employee who contracted COVID-19 was last on campus on September 8 and tested positive on September 12. McMaster says that the employee has been “very helpful in sharing information, which has helped McMaster respond quickly and thoroughly.” The UWindsor student who tested positive for COVID-19 was an off-campus student and has not been on campus for classes. UWindsor says that this was a low-risk exposure, and that the student has been following the university’s COVID-19 response plan as well as working with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
McMaster |
UWindsor (ON)
Selkirk College has installed 46 solar panels at the Mir Centre for Peace to enhance sustainability and lower its carbon footprint. These solar panels are expected to exceed the energy needs of the Mir Centre for Peace, and are tied to the FortisBC grid to enable the export of excess power. “This is a terrific project that fits in well with our sustainability goals and also provides access to students in different programs who can utilize the project for educational purposes,” says Selkirk Facilities Project Manager Mike Giesler.
Selkirk (BC)
Canadore College is one of a number of organizations receiving funding from the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor). The college will use the $1.7M to invest in technology, research, and development, as well as manufacturing PPE and hiring COVID-19 responsive interns at its Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping (ICAMP). ICAMP Director Brad Gavan said the funding “will help companies in the North, in the region, to research development, create new products, fight COVID, (and) see how to use new technology in the world we live in today.” The funds are part of $6.7M in investment into organizations in Northern Ontario.
The North Bay Nugget (ON)
Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) is launching a new Technicien au retraitement des dispositifs médicaux program that will train technicians to meet the anticipated increase in local demands for medical devices. The program, which is adapted from Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s program of the same name, has a 36-week self-paced delivery model followed by a 400-hour internship. After completion of the program and its components, students will be eligible to take the Canadian Standard Association certification exam.
CCNB (NB)
James M Lang of the
Chronicle of Higher Ed argues that institutions must focus first on gaining the student’s focus to create the ideal circumstances for concentration in the classroom. Lang explains that people have always struggled with distraction: Biologically it has played a strong role in survival, as well as given people a curiosity that drives them to innovate. “Today’s technology poses heightened challenges,” writes Lang, who says that modern technology like phones and apps are designed to capture the user’s attention. However, deep focus is still possible, and he encourages instructors to “make attention a value in your teaching” in order to be more likely to succeed.
Chronicle of Higher Ed (International)
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