NAIT Media Advisories

NAIT hosts National Boilermaker Apprentice competition this week

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:23:44 -0700

WHAT: The top six Boilermakers from across Canada will be at NAIT's Souch Campus this week - demonstrating their well-honed rigging, welding and fabricating skills. Only one person will be named the ultimate champion of the competition.

The competitors hail from Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C.

Each day the competitors will demonstrate their different skill sets. They will practice picking up an object with a crane and moving it through an obstacle course of steel equipment - all in an effort to get the object placed in a specified location. Competitors will also demonstrate their excellence in welding steel plates together and in fabricating.

Each contestant will receive a gold ring with the boilermaker crest on it and the year they competed in. As well, each contestant will receive a monetary gift and various other prizes from the affiliated locals. The winning contestant goes home with a bronze sculpture symbolizing a boilermaker journeyperson assisting an apprentice on the job. The bronze sculpture is designed and produced by local artist and Boilermaker, Don Begg, at his studio in Canmore.

What do boilermakers do? They build pressure vessels, do construction and maintenance work at refineries, build storage tanks and work at nuclear power plants. For more information on boilermarkers go to: www.tradesecrets.org

WHEN/WHERE:
Monday, June 21 - Thursday, June 24th
8 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily
Room Z120 (the Boilermaker Shop) and in the yard
Souch Campus - 7110 Gateway Boulevard

WHY: Find out more about the boilermaker industry and see first-hand their impressive skills.

For more information, please contact:
Glen Gibson
Associate Chair of the Structural Steel and Platefitter programs
P 780.378.1036 C 780.919.8320 E gleng@nait.ca

Baking Team Canada practices at NAIT

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:23:42 -0700

WHAT: The newly assembled Baking Team Canada will be practicing at NAIT Saturday, June 12, 2010. The team has its sights set on the World Cup in Paris, but first has to qualify this fall in Las Vegas, something a Canadian team has never done. A Canadian team has also never before taken such a strategic approach to winning. They have organized earlier, are working together more and are putting in more hours of training.

WHERE: NAIT
11762 -106 Street NW
O009 Bakery - (basement next to Common Market)
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: Saturday, June 12, 2010
10 am to 2 pm

WHY: See Canada's representatives in action. The caliber and expertise of bakers assembled will be impressive. The team will be running through an actual competition scenario this weekend. Baking Team Canada coach Clayton Folkers has had tremendous success with Culinary Team Canada as a competitor and also as a coach. He can offer perspective on why Canadian bakers haven't fared as well on the world stage as our Canadian culinary teams and why it might be different this time around.

Category - Baguettes & World Bread
Patrick Le Jallé from St. Jerome Quebec - Instructor at Calixa-Lavallée, Montréal-Nord
Marcus Mariathas - ACE Bakery in Toronto
Category - Vienesse Pastries
Tanya Heck from Calgary - owns Urban Baker
Manuel Latruwe - Belgian Patisserie and Bread Shop in Calgary
Category - Artistic Piece
Leopold Newsimal from Calgary - instructor at SAIT

Coaches:
Clayton Folkers from Edmonton - instructor at NAIT
Volker Baumann from Calgary - instructor at SAIT
Mario Fortin from Montreal - owns baking consulting business Forma-Lab

Team Manager/Coach
Alan Dumonceaux from Edmonton - Chair, Baking Program at NAIT

For more information, please contact:

Alan Dumonceaux C.B.S.
Chair - Baking Program
NAIT School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts
P 780-471-8693 C 780-906-7895 E adumonce@nait.ca

(Alan will have his cell on, but the reception isn't great in the Bakery. Media is welcome to just to show up Saturday between 10am and 2pm)

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Province invests $4.3 million in state-of-the-art health equipment

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 11:41:38 -0700

WHAT: Students in NAIT's four Diagnostic Imaging programs are working on the latest equipment thanks to a $4.3 million investment by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. The medical equipment will be showcased at an open house on Thursday. The four programs benefiting are Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Medical Radiologic Technology.

WHERE: NAIT
hp Centre - W205 (event parking Zone U)
11762 - 106 St.
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: Thursday, June 10, 2010
4:30 pm - Meet & Greet
5:00 pm - Ceremony
5:20 pm -Tours of newly renovated Diagnostic Medical Sonography lab and Medical Radiographic Technology lab, as well as the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) demo classroom, which houses MRI simulators.

WHY: The final pieces of equipment are just been installed, which now means NAIT's diagnostic imaging labs are some of the best equipped in the country. For the students it means they will be entering the healthcare field with the experience and confidence of working with the latest technology. A Picture Archived Communications System (PACS) has been installed which enables all of the DI Labs to enhance its teaching files and curriculum delivery strategies. The new equipment has also allowed NAIT to increase the number of students in all of its Diagnostic Imaging programs: Medical Sonography increased by 50% (up 10 students), Medical Radiologic increased by 31% (up 11 students), Combined Lab X-ray increased by 30%. (up 9 students), and an annual increase of MRI students, instead of the former every other year intake.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Lab
3-D and 4-D ultrasound systems
Vivid 7 echocardiography system
Two new simulators - echocardiography and obstetrical
Phantoms for ultrasound scanning

Combined Laboratory and X-ray
Vitros Chemistry analyzer
Spectrophotometer

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Three MRI Simulators
Anatomical phantoms

Medical Radiologic Technology Lab
A completely "filmless" lab
Digital Radiography (DR) and Computer Radiography (CR) equipment
Digital Mobile X-Ray machines
C-Arm (fluoroscopy)

For more information, please contact:

Denise MacIver
Chair, Diagnostic Imaging Operations
P 780.378.5981 E denisem@nait.ca

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Chief of Dene Tha' First Nation receives NAIT's highest alumni honour

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 11:22:08 -0700

WHAT: James Ahnassay, Chief, Dene Tha' First Nation is the 2009 Alumni Award of Distinction recipient. Chief Ahnassay graduated from Civil Engineering Technology in 1988. He will receive his award at a ceremony on June 1. Chief Ahnassay is in his fourth term as Chief of Dene Tha' First Nation. Since graduation he has continued his connection to NAIT - he was instrumental in bringing NAIT's project management and leadership training to his staff. He is also working on a youth leadership project.

WHERE: NAIT
Ernest's (Enter on 118 Ave. under blue awning - see attached map)
118 Ave. & 106 St. NW
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: June 1, 2010
6 pm

WHY: Recipients of the Alumni Award of Distinction are living alumni, recognized for their truly outstanding professional accomplishments. These individuals are renowned for their leadership roles, industry expertise and merit. Nominees for this award demonstrate significant service to NAIT, as well as the community. NAIT started recognizing its alumni with this award in 1997. Chief Ahnassay's bio is below. For a list of previous winners: http://www.nait.ca/44204.htm

For more information, please contact:

Chief James Ahnassay
P 780 321.3774 C 780.926.1592
E James.Ahnassay@denetha.ca or jahnassay@incentre.net

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

The Bio - James Ahnassay, CET

James was born on November 13, 1957 in Habay, Alberta on the Hay Lakes I.R. 209 and is a member of the Dene Tha' First Nation.

After taking a sabbatical from work with the federal government to attend Grande Prairie Regional College in 1986 James entered Civil Engineering Technology at NAIT. James graduated the spring of 1988. He became a certified member of the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta in 1990 and is still a member today.

After 10 years with the federal government, in 1989 James started working for the High Level Tribal Council (now known as the North Peace Tribal Council) as the Fire Safety and Housing Advisor. In 1992, James started working with Dene Tha' Public Works as the Manager of Operations and Maintenance. In June 1993, James became the first elected chief of the Dene Tha' First Nation. Prior to his tenure as the chief, the selection of the chief was done under a traditional selection by the elders of the Dene Tha' Nation. James served two terms from 1993 to 2001.

From 2001 to 2005 James was self-employed for 14 months, 10 months with Public Works & Government Services Canada and 2 years as Director of Public Works for Little Red River Cree Nation.

James was again elected as chief and served from 2005 to 2009, and re-elected to begin his fourth term of office in the fall of 2009 to end in the fall of 2013.

During his tenure as chief, he, the council and staff successfully acquired funding from the nation's trust funds and government funding for community development projects for the three communities they served: Chateh, Bushe River and Meander River.

In 2008, James was instrumental in promoting and bringing in NAIT training for his senior and support staff in the Project Leadership and Project Management Certificate Program. After the 2009 election, the same training was brought in and the new Council members and frontline supervisory staff successfully completed the Project Leadership training.

Chief Ahnassay, the council and staff continue to promote the importance of getting the children, youth and adults to receive education and training. The long term goal of the Dene Tha' First Nation is to get through the arduous journey of getting out of joblessness and poverty through education and training.

James and his wife Darlene have two sons, a foster daughter and a grandson.

NAIT students offer teeth cleaning for just $10 an appointment

Mon, 17 May 2010 09:15:14 -0700

WHAT: Dental Assisting students are NAIT are cleaning patients' teeth and providing fluoride treatment for just $10 an appointment. There are still spots open this week and for their June clinic which runs from June 7-11. Anyone from the general public, between the ages of 4-21, can book an appointment at the teeth cleaning clinic by calling 780.471.8827.

This is an annual initiative by NAIT students in this program. The students typically deal with 1,200 patients during their $10 clinic that runs throughout May and part of June.

In addition to a getting a gleaming smile, patients also receive thorough dental health education. Topics covered include proper brushing/ flossing, and what the good, bad and "ugly" foods are for your teeth.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Dental Lab - Room F207 in Dental Health Sciences Wing in Building "F"
NAIT Main Campus
11762 106 St.
Edmonton, AB

WHY: This annual initiative benefits both the public and NAIT students. Members of the public can have their teeth professionally cleaned for only $10 and NAIT students get real world experience working on patients.

For more information, please contact:

Linda McCaughey
Education Lab Technologist in Dental Health Sciences Operations
P 780.471.8841 E lindam@nait.ca

Raquel Maurier
Media Relations Specialist
P 780.471.8447 E raquelm@nait.ca

NAIT Bakes: A Canadian Masters Workshop

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:56:20 -0700

WHAT: It's a unique opportunity for Canadian Bakers. This is the only gathering of its kind in Canada. It is a hands-on professional development workshop for Canadian bakers. Participants will get a chance to learn and practice techniques with two of North America's most renowned baking educators.

Workshop 1: Artisan Breads at their Best - Didier Rosada, Red Brick Consulting - Bakery O009 (basement -next to Common Market)
Workshop 2: Whole Grain Breads and Whole Grain Flours - Peter Reinhart, Johnson and Wales University - Desserts Lab O122C

WHERE: NAIT
11762 - 106 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: May 4-7, 2010
9 am to 10:30 am daily working with the dough
2 pm to 3:30 pm finished product will be coming out of ovens

WHY: This is the inaugural NAIT Bakes: A Canadian Masters Workshop. 28 bakers from BC to Ontario will be coming to work with the two master bakers. Two spaces have been reserved for the top baking grad in NAIT's full-time program and NAIT's top third year apprentice.

For more information, please contact:

Alan Dumonceaux C.B.S.
Chair - Baking Program
NAIT School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts
P 780-471-8693 C 780-906-7895 E adumonce@nait.ca

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Culinary students donate toys to the Stollery Children's Hospital

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:50:06 -0700

WHAT:    NAIT culinary students wearing their chef jackets will be making a special delivery to the Stollery. They will be dropping off toys they purchased with money raised at a fundraising dinner they put on earlier this month. $900 was raised at the event. Ten family members of children at the Stollery were also treated to complimentary tickets to the dinner.

WHERE: Stollery Children's Hospital
                 8440 112 Street
                 Edmonton, AB

WHEN:    Friday, April 30, 2010
                 2:00 pm

WHY:       The students belong to Club Culinaire, a club which has been active at NAIT for over 30 years. One of the student driven club's goals is to serve the community through volunteer events that "better the place they live." Club Culinaire is the group that also helps host the annual Thanksgiving dinner at the Boyle Street.

Media arrival on site:
Alberta Health Services Communications will meet all media at the University of Alberta Hospital entrance (8440 - 112 Street, Edmonton) between 1:45pm-2:00pm and escort the media to the Stollery Children's Hospital.

Media parking:
• Media vehicles may park along the outer perimeter of the 112th St. driveway in a non-reserved parking area. Alternatively, media vehicles may park in the West Parkade and use the 4th floor pedway (and then proceed to the 112 street entrance).
• Do not park at the inner circle of the 112th St. driveway, as this is an emergency access for fire trucks.

For more information, please contact:

Jeff Gordon B. Ed.
Instructor, Culinary Arts
School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts
P 780.471.8690 F 780.471.8914 E jeffg@nait.ca

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Edmonton businessman honoured at NAIT center opening

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:31:37 -0700

WHAT: The NAIT Gateway Mechanical Services Centre for Building Environment Technology is officially being opened in a ceremony that will celebrate the success of a man who turned his Edmonton family business into one of Western Canada's leading mechanical service companies. A plaque of Bill Ohe, the founder of Gateway Mechanical will
be unveiled at the ceremony. Gateway, which is now run by Bill's son, Mark Ohe (Mark graduated in 1981 from NAIT with a diploma in Air Conditioning Engineering
Technology), is a strong supporter of NAIT.

WHERE: NAIT
11762 - 106 Street NW
Building "C" (easiest access off 118 Ave. see attached map)
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
2 pm

WHY: The NAIT Gateway Mechanical Services Centre for Building Environment Technology is state of the art. Without the support of business and industry NAIT would not
be able to train students on the latest equipment. The equipment provided by Gateway Mechanical and the other corporate donors has transformed the learning
environment for our students.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

NAIT student projects reduce noise pollution at an Amazon mine and save PCL $100,000 a year with a hi-tech tracking system

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:09:46 -0700

WHAT: Back in September, students in the BTech Capstone class were split into 11 teams and then matched with local companies. Each team, comprised of three or four students, had six months to come up with a solution to a real world problem their business partner was faced with. Each team invested between 600-800 hours working on the industry solutions. Last week, judges selected the top four teams to present their work at a symposium on Wednesday with the first place team winning a $1,000 prize donated by novaNAIT.

One team has come up with a way to reduce noise pollution at an iron ore mine that will be situated in the Amazon rainforest. Another team has developed a hi-tech tracking system for PCL that will save the business $100,000 in its first year of use. (The system would allow PCL to track any piece of equipment within minutes using GPS, time-stamping, and tracking and reporting software.) Another team has developed a system that will measure nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions - a key issue facing many wastewater management facilities around the world. Another team has come up with a system that will allow scientists and researchers from around the world to use NAIT's chemical testing equipment at anytime from anywhere - similar to what MIT does with remote lab facilities.

WHERE: Shaw Theatre
NAIT Main Campus
11762 106 St.
Edmonton, AB

WHEN: Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
9 a.m. - Noon - Student presentations
-1st presentation - system that allows scientist and researchers around the globe to use remote lab facilities at NAIT 24/7
-2nd presentation - system that measures nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater facilities
-3rd presentation - students' design that will reduce noise pollution at an iron ore mine that will be situated in the Amazon rainforest
-4th presentation - hi-tech tracking system developed for PCL that will save the company $100,000 in its first year of use

WHY: See for yourself how NAIT students have come up with real world solutions for real problems facing industry.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Klay Dyer
Associate Chair of the Bachelor of Technology program
P 780.378.1168 E klayd@nait.ca

Industry day for NAIT students will see parking lot transformed into giant outdoor lab

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:03:55 -0700

WHAT: Students in the Petroleum Engineering Technology program will get a chance to see and operate some massive oilfield equipment as part of their annual Industry Day. Some of the impressive equipment on site will include:

-a service rig with a 75-foot high mast;
-a 70-foot long truck with a 2500-horsepower engine and mounted pumps that will stimulate oil and gas production;
-trucks carrying coils of 4,000m of steel tubing used in horizontal wells;
-trucks capable of running electronic recording devices in extremely high pressure and temperature environments up to six km below ground;
-air quality monitoring equipment that was used to close a farm after a recent well blowout;
-a one-of-a-kind simulator used to train oilfield workers prior to exposing them to extremely hazardous situations

This year, three high-level executives from industry will also be on site to: discuss some of the latest hi-tech equipment and talk to students about what the future of the industry looks like (especially in light of changes to the royalty structure) and the latest innovations to revolutionize the industry.

WHERE: Parking lot "O" by Building "K"
NAIT Main Campus
10240 Princess Elizabeth Avenue

WHEN: Thursday, April 15th, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Equipment on display in parking lot "O" by Building "K"

Series of speakers in Shaw Theatre that day
8:40 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Industry outlook
9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The latest innovations in rig technology that have improved safety for employees (Speaker - Nabors Canada President and CEO Duane A. Mather)
11 a.m. - Noon - Canada's hottest oil property: Cardium unconventional oil deposits
2 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Cutting-edge equipment that will help technologists tap into oil inside Cardium deposits. This equipment, known as Horizontal Multi-Frac Well Design, has created a mini boom in unconventional oil and gas recovery

Nexen Theatre
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Innovation and Future Carbon Footprint of In-Situ Oilsands (Speaker is Neil Edmunds VP of Enhanced Oil Recovery with Laricina Energy)

WHY: See for yourself how gigantic some of the equipment is that students will soon work with in their industry. And find out why senior level executives wanted to come to NAIT to talk directly to soon-to-be graduates.

For more information, please contact:

Bruce Reinders
Chair of Petroleum Engineering Technology program
P 780.471.7776 C 780.918.9731 E brucer@nait.ca

SnowSeekers premiers movie Sunny on the Slopes

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:57:51 -0700

SnowSeekers, one of North America's leading snow minded new media companies, is pleased to invite you to the release of its documentary - Sunny on the Slopes.

Earlier this winter SnowSeekers - in partnership with NAIT's Digital Media Design program and its students - filmed 10 year old Sunny Gantumur take to the slopes for her first time.

The film, produced for the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance, will be seen around the country to encourage people of all ages to get outside and enjoy the snow through skiing.

The documentary chronicles Sunny's trials and tribulations in learning how to tackle the snow, lead by her Snow Valley instructor Christina Schmidtke, following them from day one right through till Sunny was ready to take on the Canadian Rockies at Castle Mountain Resort. SnowSeekers is a tenant of novaNAIT's Duncan McNeill Centre for Innovation.

Join us Thursday April 8th at 7pm-8pm in the multi-million dollar Nexen Theatre at NAIT to find out how it unfolded. The Nexen Theatre is located on the second floor of the Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology in Room Y240, located on 117 Ave & 102 St, east of the NAIT HP Centre.

For more information please contact:
Jim Barr, President - SnowSeekers Inc
780.983.9913
jim@snowseekers.ca
www.snowseekers.ca

Science wizards gather at NAIT for Edmonton Regional Science Fair

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 11:47:21 -0700

WHAT: More than 200 students in grades 4 - 12 from Edmonton and surrounding communities will compete at the regional science fair at NAIT this weekend. There are 16 different categories the students can compete in, such as: biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, engineering and computing, life sciences and physical and math sciences. The top eight participants from the Junior and Senior categories will get to go to the Canada Wide Science Fair in Peterborough, Ontario in May.

WHERE: Gym (Building E on attached map)
NAIT Main Campus
11762 106 St.

WHEN: Saturday, April 10th, 2010
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Judging (No public viewing)

Sunday, April 11th, 2010
Noon - 3 p.m. - Exhibits open to the public
3 p.m. - Awards presented to top projects in Grades 4 - 6 (Shaw Theatre - Top five entries in each grade recognized)
4 p.m. - Awards presented to top projects in Grades 7 - 12 (Shaw Theatre - Top three entries in Junior and Senior categories recognized)

(**Media can come on either Saturday or Sunday, but the general public is invited only on Sunday. Saturday may be a better day for media interviews because it is much quieter.)

WHY: Find out how much fun science can be and see the impressive projects students have come up with.

For more information, please contact:
Sue Chapotelle
Edmonton Regional Science Fair Publicity
P 780.681.2401 C 780.349.9845 E sbchap@telus.net

Mechanical engineering students take the mouse trap challenge

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 11:28:02 -0700

WHAT: Every year our second semester mechanical engineering students are given a challenge involving mouse traps which requires them to apply the engineering principles they have learned. The event is meant to be educational, fun and encourage some friendly competition.

This year the task is to lift a puck 50 millimeters out of a hole that is slightly larger than the puck and transport it two meters using the power of two mouse traps. The puck must never touch any surface. The first mouse trap has to trigger the second mouse trap. It is totally up to the students what they build to perform the task.

WHERE: NAIT
11762 -106 Street
Edmonton, AB
Shell Manufacturing Centre - building "B"

WHEN: Thursday, April 8, 2010
8:15 am - 10 am (32 students - 8 devices)
2:15 pm - 4 pm (48 students - 12 devices)

WHY: This project how much fun something as complex as mechanical engineering can be. There should be some good photo opportunities because it is a competition. There will be approximately 80 students on teams of 3 or 4 competing.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

NAIT business students host networking event to practice the art of schmoozing

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 09:03:04 -0700

WHAT: Nearly 25 students from the JR Shaw School of Business are hosting a networking event this week where they will get a chance to schmooze and rub shoulders with representatives from 15 different companies and prospective employers. The event gives students a chance to practice their schmoozing or "networking" skills.

A silent auction will also be held that night to raise money for YESS - the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. Last year, business students raised more than $10,000 for a charity at their silent auction night. They are hoping they will be just as successful this year.

WHERE: Ernest's (Building U on 118 Avenue )
NAIT Main Campus
11762 106 St.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

WHY: Find out the top five networking skills that can help you impress an employer - skills that are especially important during a recession.

For more information, please contact:

Keven McGhan
Marketing Instructor in the JR Shaw School of Business
P 780.471.7870 E kevenm@nait.ca

NAIT painting students give Hope Mission office a facelift

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 12:43:51 -0700

WHAT: Two painting instructors and 10 of their students will repair and repaint the Hope Mission office. This is the first time the program has helped out Hope Mission as part of their curriculum, but the program has done pro-bono work for other charitable organizations in the past - Chysalis, Habitat for Humanity, the Glenrose Hospital and the Edmonton Cerebral Palsy Association.

WHERE: Hope Mission Office
9908 106 Ave.
Edmonton, AB

WHEN: Tuesday, April 6th - Thursday, April 8th, 2010
8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. daily
On Tuesday, students will do drywall repair and spot priming of the office area and common area. On Wednesday, the group will do surface repairs and first coat. The final day, students and their instructors will apply the finishing coats.

WHY: Helping out charities is a way NAIT can give back to the community and give students some real world experience all at the same time. Find out why students and instructors think it's important to give back to those less fortunate.

For more information, please contact:

Andy Weaver
Painting Instructor at NAIT
C 780.902.8532 (Andy will be on site each day. His cell is the easiest way to reach him)

Ook Den - Where Dragon's Den meets American Idol

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 04:23:47 -0700

WHAT: Ook Den is a student initiative that has three local entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to a panel of experts enlisted to give honest feedback on their concepts. After all the presentations, the audience will vote for their favourite using a web based text application that updates results in real time.

WHERE:   NAIT
Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology - Building Y
103 St. and Princess Elizabeth Ave.
Edmonton, Alberta
Nexen Theatre - Room Y240

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
10:30 am - 12:00 pm (pitches start at 10:45 am)

WHY: The Ook Den is a project created by a team of students from the JR Shaw School of Business. They are taking a class called "Select Industry Seminars" as part of their Business Management Diploma and the project is an extension of the requirements to provide a speaker series to fellow classmates. The team consists of Casey DeLano, Lyndon Hodgins, Alison Rayner, and TJ Schroepfer. The students have taken a class assignment and put a very creative twist on it. The three entrepreneurs participating were actually recruited from the Dragon's Den auditions held in the city recently.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

NAIT students dream up new front entrance for Make-A-Wish office

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:42:41 -0700

WHAT: Interior Design students have come up with 12 dreamy ideas to spruce up the front entrance of the local Make-A-Wish office. Last year, the charity approached the Interior Design program at NAIT asking for some help and guidance on how to affordably redesign the entrance so the area would be both inviting and demonstrate the spirit of Make-A-Wish. Right now, the entrance is basic and simple with yellow walls and a few photos.

Instructors in the program said they would be happy to help out the charity and simply built the 'design dilemma' in to their curriculum. The 28 students in the program could either work solo or in a group to come up with a redesign. In the end, 12 designs were submitted to Make-A-Wish, who will unveil the winner and two runner ups this week.

All 12 designs will be on display at the event. The winning design will be permanently displayed in the front entrance - as a way to encourage donations to complete the redesign.

WHERE: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta
16007 118 Ave.
Edmonton, AB

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
10 a.m. - All 12 designs will be on display, then the winner and two runner ups announced

WHY: Helping out charities is a way NAIT can give back to the community and give students some real world experience all at the same time.

For more information, please contact:

Loni Demaine
Instructor in the Interior Design program at NAIT
P 780.471.7413 E lonid@nait.ca

Cathy Gabucci
Executive Director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta
P 780.444.9474 E cathy.gabucci@makeawish.ca

NAIT business students raise money for Youth Emergency Shelter Society

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:34:33 -0700

WHAT: Nearly 100 students and faculty members from the JR Shaw School of Business will hold a fundraiser to raise money for YESS - the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. The group hopes to raise about $2500 through a card playing event - with all proceeds going to the charity.

WHERE: Tower Lounge (Building T on attached map)
JR Shaw School of Business
NAIT Main Campus
11762 106 St.

WHEN: Thursday, April 1, 2010
5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

WHY: Find out why students think it's important to give back to those less fortunate.

For more information, please contact:

Keven McGhan
Marketing Instructor in the JR Shaw School of Business
P 780.471.7870 E kevenm@nait.ca

Mike Coxworth
JR Shaw School of Business student who is organizing event
P 780.668.8259 E coxworth13@hotmail.com

Jordache Rajah
JR Shaw School of Business student who is organizing event
P 780.908.7894 E jordacherajah@hotmail.com

408 "GOOSE" SQUADRON TO INVEST DR. SAM SHAW AS HONORARY COLONEL

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:08:33 -0700

STEELE BARRACKS, CFB EDMONTON, Alta - 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (THS) will invest Dr. Sam Shaw, President and CEO of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, as the squadron's Honorary Colonel on Thursday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m. in #2 Hangar located at the Edmonton Garrison. 1 Wing Commander, Colonel Chris Coates, will be introducing Dr. Shaw at the investiture.

Dr. Shaw will be the fourth Honorary Colonel/Lieutenant-Colonel for 408 THS.

An Honorary Colonel is an officer on virtually all issues except operations. They work behind the scenes and provide a much needed connection between the community and the Canadian Forces. Each unit decides who they want as an Honorary Colonel. On the recommendation of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Minister of National Defence approves all honorary appointments. These unpaid positions are usually for tenures of three years.

408 THS operates CH-146 Griffon helicopters in support of domestic and international operations. Almost 100 members of the squadron are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

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Note to Editors/News Directors:
It is recommended that media wishing to cover this event be in place by 10:45 a.m. Dr. Shaw, Col Coates and 408 THS Acting Commanding Officer, Major Trevor Teller, will be available after the town hall to speak to the media.

Media wishing to attend are asked to confirm their participation with Public Affairs Officers Captain Rod Dietzmann at (780) 973-4011 ext. 6012 no later than 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 25. For more information, please contact Captain Rod Dietzmann at (780) 973-4011 ext. 6012 or PDA. (780) 554-1574.

NAIT students build outdoor kitchen from trash for Home and Garden Show

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:50:03 -0700

WHAT: A group of Landscape Architectural Technology students are building a display garden again this year, which includes a "house" structure with an outdoor kitchen and outdoor living space. The overall theme is "upcycling" so the house and garden will showcase items that have been converted from tossed trash to trendy treasure.

Each year the second-year students in the program participate in a design competition for the Home and Garden Show. The winning team gets to manage the construction of the garden for the weekend exhibition. This year's winning team is Kerri Buksa, Joanna Linder, Leslie Kelly and Eric Gorda.

WHERE: Northlands, Edmonton Expo Centre - Hall "F"
113 Ave and Wayne Gretzky Drive

WHEN: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 23 & 24, 2010
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Students will set up at Northlands

Thursday, March 25 - Sunday, March 28, 2010 (Show opens at 4 p.m. Thursday)
Home and Garden Show runs

WHY: Visit the NAIT students' display to see how they combined their creativity, practicality and environmental savvy to come up with an awesome design.

For more information, please contact:
Donna Brown
Landscape Architectural Technology Instructor
P 780.491.3932 C 780.915.7015 (Donna will be on-site during set-up)

NAIT students give Hope Mission van a new, sleek look

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10:50 -0700

WHAT: Graphic Sign Arts students are wrapping the Hope Mission van. The new design is drastically different from their current one. For the last three years, the program has built it into their curriculum to redesign and wrap a vehicle for a charitable organization, which is worth about $5,000 in donated time and supplies. In previous years, the program has wrapped a vehicle for the Youth Emergency Shelter and for the Mustard Seed Church.

Each student in the program came up with a design and concept and Hope Mission chose the one they liked the best - work done by student Derek Harvey. (A pdf is attached of Harvey's design and concept)

WHERE: NAIT Main Campus
Building "M" (Actually located on the east side of 103 St - map attached)

WHEN: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
8:30 a.m. - Noon - Students will wrap one side of the van (They will be almost finished by 11 a.m.)
1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Students will wrap the second side of the van (The first side will already be completed)

WHY: NAIT programs regularly combine hands-on learning with real world solutions for local businesses and charities. Find out why students enjoy helping out charities through their regular curriculum work.

For more information, please contact:
Doug Holliday
Graphic Sign Arts Instructor at NAIT
P 780.378.6164 E dough@nait.ca

Ledcor takes a leadership role in oilsands research

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:18:46 -0700

WHAT: NAIT and the Ledcor Group are announcing the first-ever applied research chair in oilsands environmental sustainability at a college or technical institute in Canada. This is research not being done in academic isolation, it will be industry driven with practical applications. The Chair, who is currently being recruited, will have expertise in green chemistry and engineering.

WHERE:   Petroleum Club
319 5 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, Alberta


WHEN: March 23, 2010
11 am

WHY: Industry-driven applied research is about applying useful knowledge and ideas to solve today's challenges. This goal of this partnership is to positively impact the environment, the oilsands industry and the economy as a whole.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Lee Coonfer
Ledcor Vice-President Communications and Public Affairs
P 604.646.2469 C 604.833.5111 E lee.coonfer@ledcor.com

Dr. Roberta Bondar at NAIT to inspire women in technology

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:37:48 -0700

WHAT: Dr. Roberta Bondar is coming to NAIT as part of our Women in Technology speaker series. Dr. Bondar has chosen diverse careers from scientist, physician, astronaut, photographer and author to entrepreneur. Everything she has done she has done with passion and reached high levels of success. This afternoon she will be sharing her inspiring message with students. In the evening, tickets were sold to her public presentation.

WHERE: NAIT
Shaw Theatre - Building X (Building faces Princess Elizabeth Ave.)
11762 106 Street
Edmonton, AB

WHEN: Thursday, March 18, 2010
1:30 to 2:00 pm interview opportunities
2:30 pm keynote to students

6:45 pm - Colin Gerke, the winner of the Dr. Roberta Bondar photo contest will be bringing the inspiration of his winning photo, his 106 year old great grandmother to the evening keynote session of Dr. Bondar. The contest was open to high school and junior high school students. Here is the link to Colin's winning photo http://www.nait.ca/59100.htm . The evening session starts at 7 pm.

WHY: Women make up about 12% of the student population in our engineering technology programs at NAIT. The Women in Technology program is trying to increase that number by inspiring young women to enter non-traditional fields. Dr. Bondar is an example of an inspiring story of a woman who didn't follow a traditional career path.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Michele Parker
NAIT Women in Technology
P 780.378.5048 E mparker@nait.ca

Dr. Roberta Bondar
Biography

Diverse in careers from scientist, physician, astronaut, photographer and author to entrepreneur, Dr. Roberta Bondar is a much sought-after speaker who embodies the spirit that captures change, life-long learning, transferable skills and adaptability. Dr. Bondar's earned degrees include a BSc (zoology and agriculture), MSc (experimental pathology), PhD (neurobiology) and an MD. She is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in neurology (University of Western Ontario) with a subspecialty in neuro-ophthalmology (Tufts New England Medical Center and Toronto Western Hospital) and is a USA trained and certified Advanced and Basic Disaster Life Support Instructor.
Dr. Roberta Bondar, the world's first neurologist in space is globally recognized for her pioneering contribution to space medicine research. Aboard the first Discovery mission of 1992, she conducted science experiments in the space shuttle's First International Microgravity Laboratory on behalf of 14 countries. For more than a decade with NASA Dr. Bondar headed an international medical research team supporting over two dozen missions on the space shuttle and MIR, continuing to find new connections between astronauts recovering from the microgravity of space and neurological illnesses here on Earth such as Parkinson's disease. These techniques have been used in clinical studies at the B. I. Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and at the University of New Mexico.

A true renaissance woman, Dr. Bondar trained in Professional Nature Photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA, and is an acclaimed photographer of the natural wonders of our planet. Roberta Bondar has written four photographic essay books including: Touching the Earth, Passionate Vision ~ Discovering Canada's National Parks, Canada ~ Landscapes of Dreams and The Arid Edge of Earth.

Dr. Bondar's large fine art photographic prints are exhibited by the Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, The Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, The Loch Gallery, Toronto, Calgary and Winnipeg and Hoopers Gallery, London, UK. Her works are held in private, corporate and institutional collections in Canada, the USA and England.

Named by TIME magazine as one of North America's best explorers, Dr. Bondar has been recognized with the NASA space Medal, Officer of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario and is a Laureate of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and of the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame. She has received 24 honorary degrees from North American universities and is featured on the 2003 Canada Post Roberta Bondar astronaut stamp. In 2009, Concordia University awarded her the Loyola Medal in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the environment and education.

Dr. Bondar has recently completed her second term as Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough and is now an Adjunct Faculty member in the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program. There are five schools in Canada named after Dr. Bondar in recognition of her pioneering leadership in space, medicine and the environment, with the most recent officially opened in 2009.

Students engage in a little robot sumo wrestling

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:33:02 -0700

WHAT: NAIT's Electronic Engineering Technology students have built robots for the sumo ring.14 students in their fourth semester are competing tomorrow in a robot sumo event. It is a class assignment, but the students are following the rules of the official sport. The robots can be no heavier than 3 kilograms and the ring is 5 feet in diameter. The design of the robot is totally up to the student, but standard features include object sensors and white line sensors.

Robot sumo wrestling is a serious sport in Japan. Check out this YouTube video for idea of what you will see. http://www.videovat.com/videos/2007/sumo-wrestling-japan-robots.aspx

WHERE:   NAIT
11762 - 106 St. NW
Edmonton, Alberta
Building "H" room H212


WHEN: Friday, March 12, 2010
2:15 pm - 4:14 pm

WHY: This is a fun application of all the electronics engineering principles they have been learning.

For more information, please contact:

Richard Rusterholz
Electronics Engineering Instructor
P 780.471.8745 E richardr@nait.ca

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Celebrity Chef David Adjey NAIT's next Hokanson Chef-in-Residence

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:20:35 -0700

WHAT: Celebrity Chef David Adjey will be at NAIT for the week of March 15 to the 19 working with NAIT's Culinary Arts students. It is part of the Hokanson Chef in Residence program which kicked off last year with a $1 million donation from John and Susan Hokanson. The Hokanson family set up the endowment to fund one-of-a-kind mentoring opportunities for our culinary students. NAIT wants to build on its world-class reputation by bringing in some of the top chefs in the world. The program kicked off last year with Chef Rob Feenie.

WHERE: NAIT
Hokanson Centre for Culinary Arts
118 Ave. & 106 St. (NAIT Way) - use entrance under the Ernest's awning
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: *During the teaching sessions Chef Adjey will be able to do brief interviews, however, if anyone wants an in-depth one-on-one interview there are still time a couple slots Monday afternoon after 3:45 pm.*

All media please call my cell in advance to let me know which session you are planning on attending so I can greet you. Rayne - 780.916.8307

Monday, March 15, 2010
10:15 am - 12:15 pm - Chef Adjey with students - Garde Manger/cold kitchen
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - Chef Adjey - "Life as a celebrity chef"

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
8 am - 12:15 pm - Chef Adjey with students - Desserts, Soup & Veg labs
1:30 pm - 5 pm -¬¬ Chef Adjey with students - Mise En Place/prep

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
8:30 am - 12:30 pm - Chef Adjey with students - Range and Short Order labs
1:15 pm - 4 pm - Chef Adjey with apprentice students

Thursday, March 18, 2010
8:15 am - 1pm - Chef Adjey with students - Prep for VIP lunch service (120 special guests eating Chef Adjey recipes prepared by students under his guidance)
1:30 pm - 3:10 pm - Chef Adjey - "Great chefs are great communicators"
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Chef Adjey does a wine and food pairing exercise with Customer Service class

Friday, March 19, 2010
7:15 am - 10 am - Chef Adjey - "International Cuisine"
2 pm - 4 pm - Chef Adjey works with students in meat cutting

WHY: This is an opportunity to see Chef David Adjey in action as he passes on his expertise and shares his experiences with our students. Chef Adjey has excellent culinary credentials and is a colourful Food Network Canada star. He is a regular on "Restaurant Makeover" and will soon launch his new show on the network called "The Opener." He was a personal chef to actor Dan Aykroyd and has competed on Iron Chef America, where he tied his good friend from culinary school, Iron Chef Michael Symon in Battle Sturgeon.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Green building guru coming to NAIT

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:01:22 -0700

WHAT: Avi Friedman, an architect internationally known for his innovations in the housing industry - in particular the Grow Home and Next Home designs, will be at NAIT this week.

Friedman, a Green Building guru, holds degrees in Architecture and Town Planning from the Israel Institute of Technology, McGill University and the University of Montreal. In 1988, he co-founded the Affordable Homes Program at the McGill School of Architecture, where he currently teaches. His work has appeared in well-known American publications and he is the author of numerous books on housing including: Peeking Through the Key Hole and Sustainable Residential Development.

Friedman is the recipient of numerous awards including the Progressive Architecture Research Award, the J.-Armand-Bombardier Prize for Technological Innovation, and the United Nations World Habitat Award.

WHERE/WHEN:
Thursday, March 11, 2010
3 p.m. - Nexen Theatre - Avi Friedman meets with students to talk about Green Building and how this innovation will impact residential building and community planning in the 21st Century. There will also be time for a Q & A session with students.
6:30 p.m. - Shaw Theatre - Avi Friedman is the keynote speaker at this public event. His speech will focus on the importance of Green Building and Sustainable Housing.

(Avi will be available to do one-on-one interviews or studio appearances that day from about noon-2 p.m. Please contact Dr. Klay Dyer, listed below, to line up one-on-one interviews)

WHY: Learn about the latest developments in Green Building.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Klay Dyer
Associate Chair of the Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management Program
P 780.378.1168 E klayd@nait.ca

NAIT hosts Breast Imaging Conference

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 12:53:58 -0700

WHAT: NAIT is hosting a conference on Breast Imaging that will demonstrate the latest hi-tech equipment for ultrasound, as well as delve into various timely and sometimes controversial topics regarding breast health. Some of the topics to be discussed include:

-at what age should women start getting screened for breast cancer

-whether sonographers need to be specially certified to do breast screening

-use of the new technology known as elastography in diagnosing breast problems. Elastography can eliminate unnecessary biopsies (this practice deals with determining the density of the tissue because cancerous masses are more dense and firm than normal breast tissue. For more information go to: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/713172 )

Dr. Fern Karlicki, the first keynote speaker, from Winnipeg, will talk about the importance of looking at all test results to get the big picture when it comes diagnosis. This means taking into account: clinical breast exam results, mammograms, and MRI/CT and ultrasound information.

The second keynote speaker, Cindy Rapp, of Denver, will speak about the optimization of breast sonography and solid nodules.

WHERE/WHEN:
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Shaw Theatre - NAIT Main Campus, 11762 106 St.
8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. - Dr. Fern Karlicki's keynote address "Putting It All Together"
9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Dr. Ian Gardiner will speak on "Breast Ultrasound - a New Paradigm"
10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Cindy Rapp will speak on "Optimization of Breast Sonography"
11:05 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. - Dr. Hamid Tahmasebpour will speak on "Breast Elastography and Automated BI-RADS Ultrasound Worksheet"
12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. - Hot topics panel discussion with all speakers. Some of the topics to be discussed include: the need for specially certified technicians who can screen for breast cancer and whether women need to be younger when they start getting screened for breast cancer
1:30 - 2:15 p.m. - Dr. Fern Karlicki will speak on "Breast Cysts"
2:20 p.m. - 3:05 p.m. - Shirley Long will speak on "Correlating Mammography and Ultrasound in the Clinical Setting"
3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Cindy Rapp will speak about "Solid Nodules"

WHY: Find out more information about the latest technology and hot topics in breast health.

For more information, please contact:

Sally Neal
Conference Co-ordinator
P 780.378.5386 C 780.965.6985 E sallyn@nait.ca
(Sally will be on site that day and will have her cell phone with her)

Students learn winter survival tips while roughing it outdoors for one week

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 10:15:20 -0700

WHAT: NAIT's Forest Technology students will head to the woods near Kidney Lake - 57 km northwest of Whitecourt - to learn how to survive in bleak winter conditions. In total, 26 students and three instructors will rough it outside in the snow and cold. The students will be divided into camping groups of two and will learn wilderness First Aid, emergency signaling, fire lighting and how to build a snow mound hut. The program has had a winter survival camp for students for over 25 years.

(The group will have a photographer on site if any media are interested in using those images during or after the camp)

WHERE/WHEN:
Monday, March 8 - Saturday, March 13, 2010
Kidney Lake Camp - NW of Whitecourt

Monday, March 8
Drive up and set up

Tuesday, March 9
Noon & 2 p.m. (Two sessions run simultaneously)
How to cook over a fire
Fire lighting

Wednesday, March 10
10 a.m., 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. (Three sessions run simultaneously)
Snaring and fishnet construction
Wilderness First Aid - There will be mock accident scenarios
Emergency signaling - Students will learn how to use a heliograph or signal mirror and how to construct a signal fire that will put up a smoke plume

Thursday, March 11
10 a.m.
Quinzee (snow mound hut) building

Friday, March 12
Evaluation

Saturday, March 13
Pack up and return to Edmonton

WHY: Head out to camp and see if the students have the steely determination to rough it outdoors in an Alberta winter for nearly a week.

For more information, please contact:

Rodger DeChamplain
Chair of the Forest Technology program at NAIT
P 780.491.1369 C 780.722.9707 or 780.719.7990 E rodgerd@nait.ca
(He will be on site all week and can be reached on either cell)

NAIT holds going for gold pep rally for Kevin Martin's rink

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:45:56 -0700

WHAT: NAIT staff and students are holding a going for gold pep rally for NAIT alum Kevin Martin and his team which are coached by NAIT's longtime curling coach Jules Owchar. NAIT's bakery is making a large curling themed cake for the event. Mayor Stephen Mandel will also be on hand to extend his wishes to the Edmonton rink as it represents Canada on the world stage.

NAIT will be videotaping the event to send as a video greeting to the Martin rink. The video will be posted on NAIT's YouTube channel. Arrangements have been made to make sure the team sees it before their final game. http://www.youtube.com/techlifemag

Martin won an Olympic silver medal in Salt Lake City in 2002. He won the World Championship in 2008, and lost the World title last year to Great Britain.

WHERE: NAIT
11762 - 106 St. NW
Common Market - Building "O" (between North & South Lobby)
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: Friday, February 26, 2010
10:30 am

WHY: Jules Owchar has been coaching Kevin Martin for 25 years. Kevin decided to take Petroleum Engineering Technology at NAIT because he wanted to curl under Jules Owchar. Kevin graduated in 1987. The Team Canada's alternate is also a NAIT grad. Adam Enright graduated in 2003 from Petroleum Engineering Technology.

We are hoping to have members of the current Ooks curling team at the rally. Under Jules Owchar, the Ooks curling team has won 32 Alberta Colleges Athletic conference titles (ACAC), 2 Canadian College Athletic Association titles (CCAA) and one Canadian Junior Men's Curling Championship. Jules started at NAIT in 1969.

(Gold Performances) Kevin Martin skipped the Ook's curling team to the ACAC Men's title in 1984 +1987 and his all NAIT team to gold at the Canadian Junior Men's Curling Championship (CJMCC) in 1985.

There is a great feature on the Kevin Martin/Jules Owchar relationship in the latest issue of techlife - it is called "Men with brooms." Throughout the Olympics, Jules has been providing an insider's view to the Olympics in a series of articles which can also be found on techlifemag.ca. http://www.nait.ca/techlife/59760.htm

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

NAIT hosts National Badminton Championships March 3-6

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:48:06 -0700

WHAT: The country's top six badminton teams will be at NAIT next week engaged in high level competition - all in an effort to demonstrate which school has the best players in Canada.

There will be six teams here in total - one from Atlantic Canada, one from Ontario, two from B.C., and two from Alberta. NAIT is part of the ACAC team, which is 2nd going into the national championships.

The ACAC All-Stars team has eight spots and seven of those spots have been clinched by NAIT players. This is the first time in ACAC history where seven of the eight all-star spots have come from one college or school.

Joey Vandervet and Sinead Cheah, the current national mixed-doubles champions, will defend their title on home turf at the NAIT gym.

For results, photos and other information go to the nationals' website at: www.naitathletics.ca/ccaabadminton

WHERE/WHEN:
Wednesday, March 3 - Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gym - NAIT Main Campus

Wednesday, March 3
10:45 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Practice and accreditation

Thursday, March 4
1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. - Round 1
3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. - Round 2
6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. - Round 3

Friday, March 5
9 a.m. -11:30 a.m. - Round 4
11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Round 5
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Medal Semi-Finals

Saturday, March 6
10 a.m.-2 p.m. - Bronze Medal Matches & 5th/6th Matches
2 p.m. - Gold Medal Matches with Awards Ceremony to follow

WHY: Come out and watch some of the best badminton matches you'll ever see.

For more information, please contact:

Jordan Richey
NAIT Badminton Coach
P 780.471.7579 C 780.619.7937 E jrichey@nait.ca

Kendal Da Costa
Results Personnel
P 780.471.7604 E kdacosta@nait.ca

NAIT staffer and NAIT grads team up to build homes for poor families in Honduras

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:41:54 -0700

WHAT: A NAIT staff member and four other volunteers, who include three NAIT alumni, are heading to Honduras in early March to build a home for a woman who is raising her five grandchildren in a sugar cane shack. The grandmother is raising her grandkids after her daughter died from cancer and her son-in-law abandoned his family.

Juana, 60, and her grandchildren currently live in Tulian Rio in a shack that has no real floor. When it rains, the water drips through the leaky roof and leaky walls and turns the dirt floor into mud. The family has tried putting cardboard on the walls in an effort to stop the water from getting in, but that hasn't worked. The only person who can help out Juana in Honduras is her 86-year-old mother who lives next door. The oldest grandchild, Santos, 16, works in the neighbourhood at a low-paying job in hopes of being able to buy enough food for everyone. Anything that the family has was given to them via donations. They own nothing.

Three years ago, NAIT staff member Shirley Auvigne took a couple from St. Albert to Honduras to work on a different volunteer project there. During that trip, the couple visited the home of a woman named Olga, who was raising her grandchildren. The couple was so upset at the conditions the family lived in they decided at that moment to fund a project to build a home for her. The couple asked Shirley if she could facilitate this project. She said she could but wasn't sure how it would all evolve. A few weeks later, Shirley ran into another friend, Trevor Hoover, at their church in St. Albert. Trevor told her his company, the Habitat Studio & Workshop, would like to donate their time and efforts to help build homes for the poor. Shirley smiled and a great volunteer initiative was born - an initiative which has resulted in an annual trek to Honduras to build a new home for a family each year.

The first family who received a new home through the volunteer initiative was indeed Olga, who was raising a daughter and four grandchildren. Olga stepped in to raise her grandchildren after her other daughter - the children's mother - was robbed and killed. The family lived in wretched conditions.

The second family the group helped was a husband and wife with two little boys. Before getting a home, the family lived in a small room at the back of a school where the wife worked. The husband, who has epilepsy, had a lot of trouble convincing employers to keep him as a worker due to his medical condition.

Trevor and Shirley will leave for Honduras in early March. Trevor and his crew will be on site for five days and during that time they'll do the framing, electrical, plumbing, roofing, drywall and window and door installation. They will also leave behind their tools for the locals. Shirley will act as one of interpreters for the group, find Honduran locals to help build the home, ensure volunteers have food and water, and ensure volunteers have all the building materials they need.

WHERE/WHEN:
Media Availability
1 p.m. - Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Room U 209F NAIT Main Campus - 11762 106 St.
Shirley and Trevor will have photos of Juana's current home and some of the brick work that has already been done on the new home before the Canadian volunteers arrive. They will also have photos from their previous two trips to Honduras.

WHY: Find out what inspires these individuals to use their collective talents and skills to help out complete strangers in a foreign country.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
Media Relations Co-ordinator
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Shirley Auvigne
Teaching & Learning Specialist at NAIT
P 780.491.1313 C 780.937.6560 E shirleya@nait.ca
(Shirley will have this cell in Honduras if any media need to reach her while she is there)

NAIT Woodworking department builds new tracks for annual Scouts competition

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:24:30 -0700

WHAT: The Advanced Woodworking department at NAIT has built more than 1500 ft. of race tracks for the Scouts Canada annual Kub Kar and Scout Truck Rally.

Usually there are multiple rallies held for various parts of the city or province, but this year there will be one main rally held at Northlands in early March with about 1,200 Scouts and Cubs, from Red Deer to Fort McMurray to the N.W.T. and Saskatchewan, invited to the competition.

Organizers thought it would be great if all the competitors had the same tracks to race with on site - which would create a level playing field for everyone.

Mark Trick, a NAIT staff member who is involved with Scouts, asked the Advanced Woodworking department for help. The department said they would be more than happy to donate their time to build 48 different sets of tracks. Scouts Canada paid for the material and the Advanced Woodworking department got to work building the tracks - each track is 20 inches wide and 32 feet long.

On the weekend, a group of 20 Scout leaders and youth will come to NAIT to assemble the 1500 ft. of track.

WHERE/WHEN: Saturday, February 27th, 2010
NAIT Main Campus
V114 - Woodworking Lab
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Track building ensues

WHY: See how much fun it is to assemble and be surrounded by 1500 ft. of track.

For more information, please contact:
Garth Fitzner
Beaver Hills Area Commissioner for Scouts Canada
P 780.960.2252 (*He will be on site on Saturday)

Malcolm Haines
Associate Dean of the School of Applied Building Science Operations
P 780.453.5432 E malcolmh@nait.ca

Chinese student club puts on large New Year's Eve event

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:11:55 -0700

WHAT: 100 performers, many of them NAIT students will take the stage of NAIT's Shaw Theatre Saturday night to help bring in the Chinese New Year. NAIT's Chinese Student Association is putting on the cultural celebration which is expected to fill the theatre's 300 plus seats. NAIT's Chinese Student Association is the largest student club on campus.

WHERE: NAIT
Shaw Theatre - Building X
11762 - 106 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta

WHEN: Saturday, February 13, 2010
7pm - 9pm

WHY: The NAIT celebration is good photo opportunity to mark a significant event in the Chinese calendar. Mayor Mandel will be in attendance.

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

A new approach to networking for high demand telecom students

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 12:22:53 -0700

WHAT: NAIT's Telecommunications Engineering Technology program has cast aside the traditional career fair for an industry style conference so their students can talk trends and network with potential employers in a more meaningful way. The keynote speaker at the conference is Ibrahim Gedeon - Chief Technology officer for Telus.

WHERE: NAIT
                11762 - 106 Street NW
                 Edmonton, AB

WHEN: Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010
10 am to 3:30 pm

Thursday Feb. 11, 2010
9 am to 4 pm

WHY: Telecommunications has remained a high demand field through the economic downturn. There is not a business that doesn't rely on telecommunications to operate; the result is the demand for our graduates has remained strong. One of the things the industry experts on hand for the conference will talk about is employment trends.

For more information, please contact:

Colin Polanski
Associate Chair, Telecommunications Engineering Technology
C 780.975.0674 E colinp@nait.ca

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Forestry students help feed the less fortunate

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:23:55 -0700

WHAT: Students in NAIT's Forest Technology program are using a portion of the money raised for their graduation celebration to provide a meal to the less
fortunate. The $1100 donation will feed up to 400 people within the inner-city this Friday night. The students will help prepare and serve the meal. The Mustard Seed asked for 10 to 15 student volunteers and there was a surplus of students wanting to pitch in.

WHERE: The Mustard Seed
                  10635 96 Street Northwest
                 Edmonton, AB

WHEN:     Friday, Feb. 5, 2010 - Meal Prep 4:30pm to 6:30pm

WHY:       This is a 100% student driven initiative. The students decided to try to make a difference in the lives of a few people who are struggling, instead of spending all their money on a
large social event.

For more information, please contact:

Jarret Whitbread
NAIT Forest Technology Student
C 1.780.838.7329 E jwhitebread@hotmail.com

Laura Bollinger
The Mustard Seed
Volunteer Coordinator
P 780.442.3568 E volunteer@mustard.ab.ca

Women's basketball team to raise money for Breast Cancer Foundation

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 01:04:41 -0700

WHAT: The NAIT Ooks' women's basketball team will be holding a Breast Cancer Fundraiser and Silent Auction on Saturday night during one of their regular season games. The entire team will be in pink uniforms with a pink ribbon on each of their jerseys. Even the refs will have pink whistles. (Edmonton basketball officials are having a Breast Cancer awareness week campaign from February 1 - 7 which coincides with the efforts at NAIT.)

Dale-Marie Cumberbatch, the captain of the team, has been working on the idea of a Breast Cancer fundraiser for about two years and is happy to see her idea come to fruition. Her aunt, Patricia Warrick, died from breast cancer five years ago on February 6th - the date of this first annual fundraiser. "This fundraiser will be very personal for me. I want to raise awareness about the disease and raise money for research," says Dale-Marie.

The official name of the event is the NAIT "OOKPiNK" Breast Cancer awareness basketball game, which is sponsored by Footlocker Canada. (The official mascot for the team is the Ookpik so there is a play on words there.)

WHERE/WHEN:
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
NAIT Gym - Main Campus
5 p.m. - Doors Open/Silent Auction 6 p.m. - Game starts

WHY: Help spread the word so the team can fill the gym. Ticket proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Breast Cancer survivors and other special guests will be attending the game to support the efforts of the Ooks' women's basketball team. This will be a lively event as well - with contest, draws and in-game entertainment.

For more information, please contact:
Curtis Nelson
Coach of the NAIT women's basketball team
C 780.996.0028 E curtisn@nait.ca

NAIT's annual Career Fair to play host to 83 employers

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:40:41 -0700

WHAT: More than 80 employers will be on NAIT main campus in hopes of meeting current students who would be a great fit once the economy rebounds and students graduate. Employers who will have exhibits on site come from all sectors of the economy including: Nexen, Imperial Oil Strathcona Refinery, Weyerhaeuser, Agrium, the RCMP, ATB, Sherritt, Telus, PCL, and the Edmonton Flying Club. Some of the employers, such as the Ledcor Group, will be actively recruiting at the career fair. The event is so important to Ledcor, the company's VP of Field Operations for the LTS Group - Jim Hallworth - will be on site in the morning to meet prospective employees.

WHERE/WHEN:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
NAIT Main Campus
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Gym, South Lobby and North Lobby

WHY: The Career Fair is an important networking opportunity for students, who are given some quick tips on how to impress employers on site. NAIT advisors help students master the art of the 15-second pitch - how to sell yourself, your skills, and your abilities in the time it takes to ride an elevator. When learning how to master this skill, students are taught some important lessons: sound conversational, have a strong voice, remember to smile and make an effort to be mindful of the recruiter's tone of voice and facial expressions to make sure you are still holding her attention. Students are also encouraged to research potential employers ahead of time, have a targeted resume, choose appropriate attire and get employers' business cards for follow-up conversations.

For more information, please contact:
Raquel Maurier
NAIT Media Relations Specialist
P 780.471.8447 C 780.983.3241 E raquelm@nait.ca

Pat Quilley (In-house expert on the art of mastering the 15-second pitch)
NAIT Student Advisor
P 780.471.8848 E patq@nait.ca

Robotics Lego competitors converge at NAIT this weekend

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:12:11 -0700

WHAT: Hundreds of children, ages 10 to 14, will go head to head in a high level competition as they demonstrate what their hi-tech Lego-engineered robots can do. Teams used sensors, motors, gears and software to build and program their inventions. This year's theme is "Smart Moves" so teams will download programs to their robots and then the robots have to complete "missions" while maneuvering around a 4-foot by 8-foot table top playing field.

Thirty-four teams from across Alberta and one team from Hay River, N.W.T., are taking part in the provincial FIRST Lego League Championship. There will be two all girl teams and three Francophone or French Immersion teams. There will also be six Junior Lego League teams, comprised of students in grades 1 to 3, who will have their Lego inventions on display in the South Lobby.

Other robots will be on display on campus that day as well, including a NAIT designed tactical surveillance robot with a zipper mast which has an on-board camera that can be raised almost 10-feet. The camera acts as the eyes and ears of police in dangerous situations.

WHERE/WHEN:
Saturday, January 23, 2010
NAIT Main Campus
8:30 a.m. - Noon - H & E Wings - Technical judging and project judging
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Common Market - Pit Area - Teams make last minute modifications to their designs
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. - South Lobby - Junior Lego League competitors will have their inventions on display. Other robots will be on display here too
12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Gym - Lego table top competition
4 p.m. - Gym - Winner announced

WHY: This is a high energy event with a lot of visuals. There is effect lighting and music in the gym during the table top competitions which creates a fun atmosphere. There are even referees on site wearing real referee shirts, which adds to the sports-like feel of the competition.

After looking at each team's research, design, creativity, teamwork and sportsmanship, the judges will choose a winner, who will go on to the World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia later this year.

The first Lego League program was kicked off in 2004 and 20 countries from around the world took part and held their own competitions - with more than 48,000 children taking part in the worldwide initiative.

For more information, please contact:

Mark Archibald
Media Relations for the Alberta FLL tournament
Chair of the Electronics Engineering Technology Program at NAIT
P 780.471.7640 C 780.991.0538 E marka@nait.ca

Vin Stocking
Alberta FLL tournament director
C 780.399.2717 E vin.stocking@epsb.ca

SnowSeekers Inc. launches first-ever ski guide iPhone App

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:29:05 -0700

WHAT: Official launch and demonstration of one-of-a-kind iPhone App for snow enthusiasts.

SnowSeekers Inc. is a new client in novaNAIT's Duncan McNeill Centre for Innovation. Its latest product, aimed at snow seekers, is a Go-Guide. It is essentially a downloadable travel guidebook for some of the best Western Canadian ski destinations.

Instead of pulling out a map on the hill to find the best runs or looking for the best après ski spot, this iPhone App will do it for you. There is a GPS feature and information such as ski conditions are updated in real-time.

The resorts included are: Whistler, Sun Peaks, Comox/Mount Washington, Kimberley, Big White, Fernie, Silver Star, Kicking Horse, Jasper/Marmot Basin, Revelstoke, Red Mountain/Rossland and Banff - featuring Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Nakiska.

WHERE: NAIT
Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology - Building Y
103 St. and Princess Elizabeth Ave.
Edmonton, Alberta
Nexen Theatre - Room Y240

WHEN: Thursday, January 14, 2010
10:30 am

WHY: This is the first guide book of its kind. It will be of interest to anyone who enjoys the mountains.

The expertise used to develop the application was sourced from NAIT's digital media team. Being able to access NAIT's vast resources is just one of the benefits of being a novaNAIT incubator client. novaNAIT: www.novanait.ca

ABOUT SNOWSEEKERS INC.:
SnowSeekers™ Inc., recently recognized as one of Canada's most innovative companies, is a new media company that specializes in delivering its audience the "best of the best" from the snow-filled destinations of Alberta and British Columbia. With a national TV series, an e-news magazine at www.snowseekers.ca and the SnowSeekers Go-Guide iPhone App, it is SnowSeekers Inc.'s mission is to provide the best information possible through first-person experiences for those planning winter vacations in Western Canada.

ABOUT novaNAIT:
novaNAIT is the home of applied research and enterprise development at NAIT. The centre supports and facilitates applied research and development, leading to relevant products and services.

Research at NAIT has an industrial and business focus and looks for opportunities to build student learning out of research. novaNAIT provides:

- Solutions to industry's challenges
- Beneficial partnerships
- Practical learning opportunities for students

For more information, please contact:

Rayne Kuntz
NAIT Media Relations Coordinator
Department of Corporate Communications
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E raynek@nait.ca

Jim Barr
President; SnowSeekers™ Inc.
P 780.983.9913 E jim@snowseekers.ca

SnowSeekers™ Inc. is a new media company who specialize in delivering our audience the "best of the best" from the snow filled destinations of Western Canada