Congrats to these local SSMARt-y pants

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE
INNOVATION CENTRE

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On June 24, the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) honoured the outstanding achievements in local science and technology at the eighth annual SSMARt Innovation Awards.

Over 100 members of the community, MP Bryan Hayes and MPP David Orazietti came out to support local business, students, graduates and academic researchers by attending the gala dinner and awards ceremony at the Grand Gardens ballroom.

”Once again, the SSMARt Awards showcased the impressive talent in the science and technology sectors in the Algoma region,” said Tom Vair, executive director, SSMIC. “It is an inspiration to see the companies, researchers, youth and educators that are building a brighter future for Northern Ontario.”

The following winners were announced in the eight award categories:

Innovation Company of the Year: N-Sci Technologies

N-Sci is an energy industry focused company providing a broad range of professional engineering and consulting services to utilities, power generators and large electricity users primarily in Ontario and Alberta.

Founded in 2003, this company is uniquely positioned within the renewable energy industry to provide Smart Grid and Energy Storage solutions.

N-Sci Technologies has been involved in all recent new generation initiatives in the Algoma region, had involvement in the development of the 60 megawatt of solar generation in Sault Ste. Marie, and was instrumental in challenging the paradigm of limiting renewable generation penetration on the local distribution grid.

As a result, there are periods of time throughout the year when the entire city of Sault Ste. Marie is being supplied with electricity from local solar projects.

Innovation Leader of the Year: Jeff Elgie (pictured)

Jeff Elgie has been a trailblazer in leading the local and regional creative industry as a successful entrepreneur for over a decade.

During his time at Lucidia, he helped the company become the largest integrated marketing communications agency in Northern Ontario with international, national and regional clients.

Diverging from Lucidia last fall, Elgie formed the Digital Intelligence Group Inc. (or DIG), which offers leading digital consulting services related to building online traffic, increasing online acquisitions or conversions, and optimizing digital revenues.

The company maintains a portfolio of over 100 web domains, and ownership interests in sites including Mackinac.com and SooToday.com.

This leader, executive, and entrepreneur inspires passion in his teams, volunteers his time, and offers support through mentorship to other growing businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

His vision and creativity, coupled with hard work and ambition, has already won him a number of national and international web, creative and marketing awards.

Innovation Project of the Year: Arthur A. Wishart Library and Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre

The Arthur A. Wishart Library and the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre at Algoma University and their use of technology in contributing to the advancement of Aboriginal archives and Residential Schools Legacies has had a significant and tangible impact on partnering associations, the University and survivors.

Particularly in the latest phase of this project, from 2010 to 2012, the partnering groups worked to chronicle over 24,000 images, hundreds of thousands of pages of primary documents, and hundreds of audio and video recordings with elders and survivors of residential schools.

The Chronicle digital archive platform was built and refined using Open Source technologies.

The project involved managing over $400,000 in grant funding from private, regional, provincial and federal funding sources, and fourteen individuals were hired to work on the project in collaboration with Algoma University and McMaster University.

This new archival system allows Survivors to see photographs and recognize settlements, and educational institutions to use it as a learning tool.

Innovation Researcher of the Year: Dr. Paula Antunes

Dr. Antunes is a scientist whose career has focused on applied research and development in environmental chemistry and toxicology.

Dr. Antunes has worked on a number of projects, including those focused on landfill leachates, water quality guidelines, environmental remediation and monitoring, and the Remedial Action Plan for the St. Marys Rivers.

She has also worked extensively to provide academic support for valuable local community initiatives.

She has served on the Board of Directors for the Central Algoma Freshwater Coalition, and has been a member of the Binational Public Advisory Council for which she was elected Chair in 2012.

She continues to engage students with respect to water quality issues and resources, with the creation of sustainablewater.org.

Dr. Antunes is currently employed by AquaTox Testing and Consulting as the Senior Research Scientist to carry out applied R&D projects that help industry ensure regulatory compliance with soil and water quality guidelines and to advance computation modelling for metal speciation chemistry.

Innovation Educator of the Year: Dr. Isabel Molina

Dr. Molina has demonstrated creativity and commitment to teaching both fundamental and applied sciences in the classroom by developing a novel laboratory exercise to teach plant physiology and techniques commonly used in plant biotechnology.

Her innovative teaching method has been published in Biochemistry and Molecular Education, and made available to instructors who wish to incorporate this unique teaching activity in their classrooms.

Dr. Molina was responsible for teaching and mentoring students while at Michigan State University, and she continues to do so in her current role as Professor in Algoma University’s Biology department.

She continues to make ground-breaking research, and receive prestigious grants including the NSERC Discovery Grant.

Her work in the community and the classroom continues to attract students from around the world to Sault Ste. Marie.

Innovation in Web and Social Media Award: Miramar Design Studios

After establishing a website committee, and collaborating with PUC staff, Miramar Design Studios restructured the PUC website with a focus on clean, easy to navigate features and a customer-centered, rather than company-centered, interface.

Using JQUERY to visually illustrating water, electricity, customer service, conservation, safety, and careers, coupled with a text narrative, users can quickly link to any area of the site.

Miramar also developed a means for customers to report and submits issues, allowing staff to quickly access the information needed in resolving the problem.

Other features include: archived PUC files and reports, a mobile design, and a stand-alone app allowing customers to view electricity usage and E-Billing.

Innovation Student/Graduate of the Year: Valerie Platsko

Valerie Platsko is a recent graduate of Algoma University’s Computer Science program, where she volunteered her time in the Algoma University Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) laboratory.

Valerie’s undergraduate thesis in the computer science program shed new light on some issues in interface development and yielded published results in a study that required ongoing, independent research.

Her results were indisputable, yet call into question conventional thinking about interface development as they are contrary to traditional wisdom in the area of presentation paradigms.

Her work increases the speed of a BCI without sacrificing accuracy, and this increases quality of life for those with Lou Gehrig ’s disease or ALS, and who are paralyzed, allowing them to communicate and operate a computer using only their thoughts.

ALS patients will benefit by the improvements her research brings.

In addition to having an overall grade point average of 3.9, the recipient of this award also received the Algoma University Computer Science Award for having the highest average in the program.

Innovation Youth of the Year: Daniel Lance

This year’s Innovation Youth of the Year award recipient is a Grade 11 student at St. Mary’s College with an overall average of 94.5 percent.

A young entrepreneur, he started his own video production company filming a number of community and private events, and theatrical productions.

This young man filmed interviews for Sault United, edited footage for Les Miserables, is a Youth Engagement Theatre leader for Algoma Public Health, and is a Committee Member of the Lifteen Youth Group.

Daniel began his video production business, Lancealot Productions, in 2012 and has also worked closely with the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board in filming promotional commercials.

One of his teachers describes him as “an asset to the classroom, and a role model for others.”

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