On Tuesday September 13th, the Centennial College Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ARIES) group held their first welcome party for their engaged students and faculty titled “Get Ready to Innovate”. The event was held at the Wearable, Interactive and Mobile Technology Access Centre in Health (WIMTACH) – one of ARIES’ innovation facilities – and saw over 70 students, staff and faculty researchers and entrepreneurs come together to kick off the new academic year.
The event kicked off with Jonathan Hack, Dean of Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, welcoming the students and introducing them to the various innovation initiatives at ARIES – including opportunities at WIMTACH, in Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing, in Energy and Transportation, and in entrepreneurship through the Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COIE). He stressed the importance of developing skills – especially soft skills such as communication and teamwork – in addition to academic success, as well as the opportunities at ARIES that are available to the students including internship opportunities, workshops and training opportunities, and experiential learning opportunities.
All attendees received a “Centennial Innovates” T-Shirt and enjoyed a buffet of pizza, samosas and drinks while catching up and reconnecting with their peers and fellow researchers and teammates. The T-Shirts were sustainably sourced and locally made from organic deadstock fabric, saving 450lb of fabric from going to the landfill. The event also featured a photobooth as well as a raffle for prizes including “Centennial Innovates” swag.
The event ended on a high note with a closing from Glen Lowry, Associate Vice-President, Applied Research, HyFlex Learning and Academic Partnership, who reflected on the impressive level of community that innovation has brought together at Centennial College. Following his remarks, the welcome party concluded with a video that showcased each team member at ARIES sharing how Centennial Innovates:
Centennial Innovates | Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship - An Introduction
With the success and engagement of this event, ARIES looks forward to planning more events of this kind throughout the year. Thank you to everyone who attended!