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Inspiring programs
The Queen’s Innovation Connector began in 2012 as a joint effort by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Smith School of Business. It has evolved into a pan-university initiative under the Office of the Provost and VicePrincipal (Academic) with strong continuing support from its founding faculties. Through a variety of programs, services, and resources, the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre encourages, enables, and supports the innovation activities of students, professors, entrepreneurs, and Canadian companies. Since its founding, and with the support of generous campaign donors, the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre has worked with and supported fifty ventures. Twenty-eight of them are still operating.
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Program update: October 31, 2016 Innovation and entrepreneurship programming at Queen’s University has received support from distinguished alumni. The Dunin Foundation—established by Andrew Dunin, Sc’83, MA’87, and his wife Anne Dunin, Artsci’83— and Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, PhD’79, and his wife Jaishree Deshpande jointly have provided a significant gift to the Queen’ s Innovation Connector. In recognition of this support, the university-wide initiative to support student innovation and entrepreneurship will now be known as the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre.
“Universities will play a different and an important role in the 21st century; they have to be relevant to the world and have both social and economic impact,” says Dr. Deshpande. “I am pleased that Queen’s University is taking a lead to make innovation and entrepreneurship be a part of its DNA and redefine the role of universities in Canada.” In the words of Mr. Dunin, “Students and graduates will be creating jobs, not just taking jobs.”
Q&A with Shelby Yee: A winning pitch leads Queen’s grad to a new career
The Complete Engineer sat down with Shelby Yee, Sc’16, a member of the winning team at the 2016 Queen’s Innovation Connector Summer Initiative (QICSI) competition, to find out what the program meant for her and how it’s shaping her career.
CE: Congratulations to you and your team on winning the QICSI pitch competition. What’s next for RockMass T echnologies?
SY: We’re in the office every day, working toward a bold goal of getting our first sales by March 2017. Right now, product development is our first and foremost focus. On the business end we’re obtaining funding, growing our network, and finishing up on some market research. We are busy applying
Shelby Yee, Sc’16
to the government grants, in addition to seeking out a small amount of private investment. The mining industry is actually a fairly connected and collaborative community, so we have been building our network in Kingston and Sudbury. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s the best job we could all ask for, and we’re excited to be building a company from the ground up!
CE: What important lessons did you take away from the program?
SY: As a team, we’d be asked to develop new reports, dive deep into market research, and present in front of potential clients at a moment’s notice. It’s critical that we worked as a team to do so, and it usually meant picking up a task you had no idea how to approach and figuring out how to do it— as quickly and effectively as possible. Adaptability was key, and a major lesson I learned was don’t be afraid to ask for advice when you need to.
CE: What would you like to say to those who have donated funds to support the program?
SY: Thank you! If you asked me to look back and see what shaped my university experience the most, it would be the QICSI program and the executive team’s support.
Aboriginal Access to Engineering
Aboriginal Access to Engineering is committed to increasing the number of Aboriginal engineers in Canada. Through a number of activities and campus support services, students learn more about the opportunities that are available to them with an engineering degree and receive support throughout their time in Engineering at Queen’s. Thanks to contributions from our donors, we’re running outreach programs for elementary and high school students, introducing them to a range of engineering careers and fostering an interest in math and science. We also work with campus and community partners to provide culturally relevant support to Aboriginal students enrolled in the Faculty, including tutoring, exam prep sessions, social opportunities, mentoring from practicing Aboriginal engineers, and liaison with industry.
Supporting access to engineering
Gay Loveland and Norman Loveland, Sc’65
Studies show that Aboriginal youth are falling behind in maths and sciences, critical subjects for those who want to pursue engineering careers. Norman and Gay Loveland want to do something to improve that situation. Having donated regularly to Engineering and Applied Science, they decided that their Inspiring Greatness Campaign contribution would be directed to the Aboriginal Access to Engineering (AAE) program, which takes a multi-faceted approach to increasing the participation of the Aboriginal community in engineering through support programs, campus partnerships, and outreach activities.
“We know that Aboriginal students are underrepresented in engineering programs,” says Norman Loveland, who graduated from Queen’s Civil Engineering in 1965. “We want to help reverse that deficiency.”
The Aboriginal Access to Engineering program provides culturally relevant support services to Aboriginal students enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Working in partnership with the Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre, the program provides access to tutoring and exam prep sessions, mentoring opportunities with practicing Aboriginal engineers, and liaison with industry. An outreach component encourages Aboriginal elementary students to develop an interest in math and science, and promotes the study of engineering.
Gay Loveland says that the interdisciplinary approach to the program is a critical component to its success. “As a former educator and student counsellor, I’m well aware of the need for support beyond the classroom,” she says. “The AAE program takes a holistic approach, providing not just academic guidance, but physical, spiritual, and emotional support.”
The Lovelands are very enthusiastic about the way that Queen’s has used donor funds to develop strong initiatives like AAE. “Queen’s is an excellent institution, so it’s easy to get on board with its aspirations,” says Norman Loveland. “We had a great education, and it’s an enduring pleasure to be able to give Aboriginal students the same opportunity to reach their full potential.”
Saying thank you “ ” I was the first person in my family to go to university—but without the philanthropy of the Wasmund Family and the Hatch Aboriginal Scholar Awards, I wouldn’t have been able to afford to finish my degree. Having their support and being able to finish my degree really changed the outlook on my life. It’s allowed me to give back to my family and will allow me to give back to students in the future—and show them that you don’t need to start from somewhere to get somewhere. Nickoli Parcher, Sc’15 (Mining) Recipient of the Wasmund Family and Hatch Aborginal Scholar Awards Nickoli Parcher, Sc’15
