Mohawk Matters

Ideas Showcase shines light on Mohawk faculty and staff team projects

Dr. Min Basadur, a world-renowned thought leader in the field of applied creativity and innovation, delivered the keynote address to a group of 100 faculty and staff from Mohawk College today. 

Dr. Basadur spoke about the need for more creative problem solving in organizations and offered insights into how companies and government organizations can solve complex problems by simplifying the decision-making process.

Dr. Basadur's talk concluded Mohawk's Ideas Showcase that took place in the Learning Exchange at the Fennell Campus. The Ideas Showcase highlighted the excellent work of teams of faculty, support and administrative staff that have been implementing innovative ideas that make Mohawk an even greater place to learn and work.

 

Keynote speaker on applied creativity and innovation today at 11:15 a.m.

Dr. Min Basadur, a world-renowned though leader in the field of applied creativity and innovation, delivers the keynote speech at 11:15 a.m. today (Friday) in the Mohawk Learning Exchange at the Fennell Campus to close out Mohawk's Ideas Showcase. Teams of faculty, support and administrative staff are highlighting their work in implementing innovative ideas that make Mohawk an even greater place to learn and work. Everyone is invited to stop by for the keynote and to meet with the project teams.

Access to parts of C Wing at Fennell Campus to be restricted this weekend

Access to parts of C Wing will be closed this weekend as crews work to replace the flooring along the north-south corridor (Main Street) between the lobby and the upper level atrium and the east-west corridor between the President’s office and Main Street. 

The corridor will be closed to all traffic starting at 10 p.m. Friday, April 29 and remain closed until Monday, May 2 at 6 a.m. There are a couple of exceptions: 

• The exit doors from the McIntyre Theatre will be available for emergency use only and will have signs on the inside indicating they can be used in emergencies only. 
• Access to the Data Room will be maintained for IT personnel throughout the weekend.

Access to A Wing will be available from the lower level (cafeteria) of C Wing during the specified timeframe. The lower level can be accessed from the stair case in the front lobby and from stairs in the upper level atrium in C Wing.

For the latest news and information on the renovations to Mohawk's oldest and largest campus check out the Fennell Renewal blod at www.renewfennell.tumblr.com.

Mohawk iDeaWORKS launches Apps for Health student competition: technology solutions to real-world health challenges

Could medical response teams use mobile phones to access life-saving patient information in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes and tsunamis?

Could cellphones be used to help teens quit smoking and prevent eating disorders among female teenage athletes? Could tablets and touch screens be modified for people who have limited use of their hands?

These are among the challenges that teams of college and university students will look to solve during Apps for Health 2011 at Mohawk College May 27-28. 

Students will compete for more than $10,000 in cash and prizes by mocking up mobile health (m-health) and electronic health (e-health) solutions to real-world challenges put forward by a growing roster of organizations that include Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Sick Kids, Leave the Pack Behind and Canadian Medical Assistance Teams.

Apps for Health 2011 is presented by Mohawk College iDeaWORKS and sponsored by TELUS and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. iDeaWORKS brings industry and community partners together with Mohawk students, faculty and staff to work on applied research and innovation projects. More than 200 students, faculty and staff are currently working on 27 projects with industry and community partners.

Working alongside students to design and test a national electronic health record system inspired Mohawk professor Duane Bender to create Apps for Health. “Students are instinctively innovative and naturally collaborative,” says Bender, Professor of Software Engineering Technology and Principal Applied Researcher, eHealth with the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology. “We’ve created a competition at Mohawk where college and university students from across the country can put their skills to the test in solving real-world challenges from leading health organizations.”

Apps for Health brings together students from health and technology programs to work collaboratively on cross-disciplinary teams, says iDeaWORKS’ Christy Taberner, who is working with Bender to organize the competition. “By working together and sharing their expertise, students will come up with better and more innovative health and technology solutions.” Before joining iDeaWORKS, Taberner worked for 13 years as an occupational therapist and supported students with disabilities through Mohawk’s Accessible Learning Services department.

Registration is free and open to all college and university students in Canada. To compete in Apps for Health, students choose one of the health challenges posted on the Apps for Health website at www.appsforhealth.ca. Students then create or join a team and review background material provided by the health organization that put forward the challenge. On May 27-28, students will get an all-access pass to the facilities and technology at iDeaWORKS and the Mohawk Learning Exchange at the Fennell Campus in Hamilton. Students will then make a 10-minute presentation to a panel of health and technology experts that will award the $10,000 in cash and prizes. 

Mohawk College delivers a quality education to more than 16,000 full-time and apprenticeship students and 42,000 continuing education registrants. In the Ontario government’s most recent student satisfaction survey, Mohawk ranked first among all colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for overall student satisfaction and earned the highest marks from students for quality of learning, programs, services and facilities.

For complete details on Apps for Health 2011, go to www.appsforhealth.ca.

For more information, contact:

Duane Bender, B.Eng.Mgmt., P.Eng., Professor, Software Engineering Technology, Principal Applied Researcher, eHealth, Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, 905.575.1212 ext. 3653, duane.bender@mohawkcollege.ca

Christy Taberner, OT.Reg(Ont.) iDeaWORKS, 905.575.1212 ext. 3112, christy.taberner@mohawkcollege.ca

Jay Robb, Director of Communications, 905.575.1212 ext. 3965, jay.robb@mohawkcollege.ca

In the news: Mohawk may be on track for velodrome

The Hamilton Spectator has this story about Mohawk College as a potential site for the Pan Am Games Velodrome. Mohawk and the City of Hamilton have had very preliminary discussions. As with any capital project, the velodrome first and foremost must meet the needs of students. The final decision on the where to locate the velodrome rests with the City of Hamilton in consultation with HostCo, the committee that is overseeing the 2015 Pan Am Games.

In the news: Mohawk students produce three lipdubs in 24 hours

The Hamilton Spectator has this story about the 100 Broadcasting -- Television and Communications Media students in their first year at Mohawk who created three lipdub videos in 24 hours as a class assignment.

Mohawk this Week (April 25 - April 30)

Friday, April 29: Ideas Showcase. Drop in and celebrate with the teams that are turning Simply the Best ideas in to accomplishments. Showcase starts at 10 a.m. Keynote speaker at 11:15. Location: The Link (Starbucks). Click to register.

Mark your calendar:

Wednesday, May 4 & Thursday, May 5:

The Centre for Teaching & Learning (CTL) will host Connections and Collaborations 2011 at The Learning Exchange. CTL's annual spring conference is devoted to sharing great ideas related to Teaching & Learning. Look for the invitation on e-Learn.

Thursday, June 2:  7th Annual Mohawk College Alumni Association Golf Classic. Flamborough Hills Golf & Country Club.

Mohawk College 2011 SPRING CONVOCATION

Monday June 13th, 2:00 p.m.
School of Human Services
- except Autism and Concurrent Disorders

Tuesday June 14th, 9:30 a.m.

School of Heath Sciences
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
School of Language Studies
School of Human Services
- Autism and Concurrent Disorders only

Tuesday June 14th, 2:00 p.m.
School of Business
- Business, Business Foundations, Business Administration,
- International Business, Small Business & Entrepreneurship
- Insurance, Accounting, Marketing, Advertising

Tuesday June 14th, 7:00 p.m.
School of Business
- Office Administration
- Travel and Tourism
- Event Management, Public Relations
School of Media and Entertainment

Wednesday June 15th, 3:00 p.m.
Sanderson Centre, 88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford
School of Public Safety and Security Studies

Wednesday June 15th, 7:30 p.m.
Sanderson Centre, 88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford
All Brantford programs in
·         School of Health Sciences
·         School of Human Services
·         School of Business Media and Entertainment
·         School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Brantford Apprenticeship Programs

Thursday June 16th, 10:30 a.m.
School of Building and Construction Sciences
School of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering Technology

Thursday June 16th, 3:00 p.m.
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology
School of Transportation and Industrial (STARRT)
School of Electrical Fuels and Green Technology (STARRT)
All Stoney Creek and Fennell Apprenticeship Programs

It's "last call" at the Arnie

 
 

It's last call at the Arnie from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today as Mohawk students and staff get one last look at the Fennell campus pub before it undergoes major renovations over the summer months. The student lounge-cafeteria-pub-theatre at the Fennell Campus is getting a $1-million makeover this summer, with plans to unveil the new look in time for its 25th anniversary year in September. The best part about the project is that the new design was created by Mohawk students. Work begins next week.

In the news: Little Brothers mark 50 years of caring

The Hamilton Spectator has this story about the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd. At a breakfast to celebrate Good Shepherd's 50th anniversary, Mohawk President Rob MacIsaac joined Member of Parliament David Christopherson, Ontario's Minister of Revenue the Hon. Sophia Aggelonitis and Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina in congratulating the organization's staff and volunteers. Rob thanked Good Shepherd for training generations of Mohawk students on field placements, for hiring Mohawk alumni and for serving on program advisory committees to help develop, refine and refine programs and curriculum. "Thank you for 50 years of caring unlimited and here's to 50 more years of a strong partnership with a community college that shares your faith in people," Rob said.

Mohawk Accounting students bring home silver from first Ontario College Case Competition

 
Mohawk Accounting students (l-r) Graeme Matheson, Stephanie Gunn, Daniel Kalcsa and Barry St. James competed in the first Ontario College Case Competition sponsored by the Certified General Accountants of Ontario.

Students from Mohawk College’s Accounting program brought home silver medals from the first-ever Ontario College Case Competition sponsored by the Certified General Accountants of Ontario (CGA).

Two teams of two students from Mohawk’s two-year Accounting program went up against 16 other teams from Ontario colleges for prizes that included up to $3,000 in scholarships. Mohawk Accounting students Daniel Kalcsa and Barry St. James won silver medals at the competition. Classmates Graeme Matheson and Stephanie Gunn won one of the three game contests. Both teams were coached by Mohawk professor Jo-Ann Lamore and the Accounting faculty.

For the competition the students had two hours to review a case before presenting an analysis of the issues and a set of recommendations for dealing with it to a panel of judges. The case the students were given focused on a northern Manitoba community that was suffering from a lack of access to their community that was resulting in infrastructure problems. The case called on the students to use their knowledge of world issues and understanding of financial concepts and social responsibility to come up with a solution to the community’s problems.

The CGA is a self-governing body that grants the exclusive rights to the CGA designation, and controls the professional standards, conduct and discipline of its members and students in the province of Ontario. In Ontario, there are more than 20,000 CGAs and approximately 8,000 students working towards their designation.