Humber’s Students are Researchers and Innovators

By Anju Kakkar

AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN polytechnic education, Humber College has clearly defined Pillar #1: Career-Ready Citizens as a priority in developing 21st-century skills in Humber’s Strategic Plan 2018-2023. The institution’s learning outcomes outlined in the HLO Framework incorporate these essential skills and guide curriculum development that builds the very competencies required for our students to succeed in the real world.

At the Office of Research & Innovation (ORI), we are proud to support seasoned and emerging researchers who leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of research and innovation. A common thread that runs through every research project is the involvement of student research assistants. When we interact with the lead and co-investigators of research projects, we are reminded of their appreciation and acknowledgement of the contributions of research assistants who work closely with researchers, supporting them along the journey. What does a student Research Assistant do?

Depending on the scope of the research project, a research assistant has a wide range of responsibilities and roles, from collecting, interpreting and analyzing data, conducting literature reviews to supervising other students working on the project and preparing progress reports. These research assistants provide valuable support and conduct research using research methodologies, strategies and techniques as mentored by the supervising researcher. In turn, they gain hands-on work experiential learning opportunities in an academic setting. They also gain an invaluable opportunity to further develop critical skills required in today’s job market such as communication and organizational skills, multitasking, problem definition and problem solving, adaptability and time management. Indeed a STEM to STEAMS opportunity.

Anxhelo Mecollari is one such student turned Humber employee. Anxhelo is a research assistant in the Barrett CTI, providing expertise in mechanical and machining services in the Product Prototyping Facility located inside building (CTI 110). He oversees the day-to-day operations, maintenance and demonstration of the prototyping shop, which includes maintaining the milling, CNC machine and other equipment. He collaborates with faculty members and trains students how to use the machines, providing hands-on student learning. He also provides additive manufacturing expertise and support for applied research, capstone projects and industry events. Anxhelo is currently working on a project involving designing a new platform for a research project, “Power Supply Design-Phase 2”—to fabricate the platform using a milling machine and other equipment in the prototyping shop. His research journey began when he joined Dhimitri Gusho, professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, as a research assistant to innovate and develop a MICROSA Water Purification Project with industry partner Mikroen Solutions.

“This applied research project gave me hands-on experience and helped me learn more about the importance of developing sustainable tools. My hunger to get involved in further projects began here. I continue to stay motivated to participate in as many projects as I possibly can. Research has taught me so much because of the experiential learning opportunities. I have learned a lot about myself too. I have realized that I not only enjoy participating in research but that I would love to lead my own research project someday. I owe a lot of my success to inspiring faculty members, and just like them I would love to teach someday and give back to students.” —Anxhelo Mecollari Anxhelo confidently states that someday he would want to lead an applied research project of his own, and we are happy that he further shares Humber would, without a doubt, be his academic institution of choice to partner with.

MICROSA WATER PURIFICATION PROJECT THAT ANXHELO PARTICIPATED IN

Anxhelo Mecollari, 2020, Advanced Diploma, Mechanical Engineering Technology

Michallia Marks and Caelan PrescottBrown are current research assistants working alongside Mark Stoiko, professor in the Faculty of Business. Mark is the Principal Investigator on a research project, “Digital Transformation of Operational Processes,” funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Engage grant, in partnership with NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada Ltd. We asked Michallia and Caelan if they had a message for their peers and students to encourage them to participate in research and this is what they had to say:

“Encourage yourself to participate in research and push yourself out of your comfort zone because that is the only way you will really learn and get better. Research is the best way to get hands-on experience. Through research, you will find out what you want to or do not want to do and what you understand and do not understand. You can then work on acquiring those skills.” —Caelan Prescott-Brown

“With research, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You get to learn, and you get paid to do it. The skills and competencies you gain while working on a research project will take you far. The information will never go to waste. It will look great on your portfolio. You will learn to interact with real-life situations and solve real-world problems with the industry. It is an invaluable experience.” —Michallia Marks Mark shares that Caelan experienced valuable personal growth being a team lead in the research project and showed he was effective in building and managing client relations. In addition, Mark observes that Michallia remains highly motivated to learn and discover how digital transformation of manufacturing is being applied with an industry partner. His confidence in their abilities was evident in his remarks, “It is a win for the industry partner and for Humber College.” Caelan and Michallia were quick to acknowledge their unwavering gratefulness and thanks to Mark Stoiko. “He is great. He encourages us to keep going and always looks ahead. He believes in us, and that gives us confidence,” says Caelan. Michallia remarks, “He doesn’t micromanage at all. He is always available for any queries. He ensures we are clear on what we’re supposed to do and what’s expected of us. He’s really easy to work with.”

Caelan Prescott-Brown 2021 Digital Business Management Honours Graduate

Michallia Marks 2021 Digital Business Management Honours Graduate

Darian Bloomfield may not have had the opportunity to participate as a research assistant, but he had a chance to upskill and acquire critical thinking and problemsolving skills when he was encouraged to adopt the “How Might We” methodology for problem definition while participating on a condensed project during his Industrial Design program. The project “The Enchanted Object” was facilitated by Dennis L. Kappen, PhD., and Glenn Moffatt, professors in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology. The project focused on interweaving the significance of enchantment in the design of everyday objects while imbibing inspirations from the intersection of design and culture. Instead of the usual expectation of designing a product within a specific problem, students were asked to bring to class an enchanted object or an object of value to them. They were asked to define the things that made that object valuable and design a product/prototype that embraced and reflected those values.

Darian named his project “Harmony” and chose his acoustic guitar as the enchanted object. He associated memories such as it being his first big purchase, playing the guitar with his father, developing an artistic skill, reducing stress and making meaningful connections. Darian designed an ergonomic chair to complement the guitar. The result is this beautiful prototype, which Darian soon hopes to build as a gift for his father. Darian was quick to acknowledge that the skills he developed at Humber gave him a competitive advantage and assisted him to achieve success in the workplace. Soft skills such as communication, time management, problem solving and design thinking can be the most practical skills a student can acquire while working on applied research projects. These skills and competencies are in high demand and amplify employability opportunities in the real world.

A special shoutout to our aspiring students and research assistants; we thank you.

We have a question for our research assistants; move on to the next page for an opportunity to submit your answer via a video submission for a chance to be featured on our social media platforms. So, what are you waiting for?

DARIAN’S PROJECT “THE ENCHANTED OBJECT” ERGONOMIC GUITAR CHAIR

Darian Bloomfield, 2020, Bachelor of Industrial Design

Research assistants: What skills did you develop while working on a research project? How was your overall experience?

Submit your video answers to us via email at humberpress@humber.ca with the subject “Research Question” followed by your name. To submit, please fill out and e-sign this Video Submission Consent Form (https://ncv.microsoft.com/l8BejY0kYO). Videos should be between 45 seconds and 1 minute.