Now Innovating

In this episode, host Julia MacGregor leads a panel discussion with four guests who are making an impact in circular plastics:         Tammy Schwass, BA'10, Executive Director, Alberta Plastics Recycling Association (APRA)         Dr. Rohen Prinsloo, PhD'22, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science         Dr. Daniel Castañeda Mogollón, PhD'22         Eric Tang, Production...

This episode, w e are exploring cybersecurity with Dr . Hadis Karimipour , PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering , and a Canada Research Chair in Secure and Resilient Cyber-physical Systems . We discuss cyber threats to critical infrastructure such as utility centers, transportation systems and hospital networks and how he...

In our Season 7 premiere, we celebrate the launch of the XPRIZE Canada Hub at the University of Calgary by speaking with UCalgary and XPRIZE alum, Madison Savilow, BA'19, BComm'19, of Carbon Upcycling. This carbon capture and utilization company was a finalist team in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition. Their process developed with UCalgary researchers, transforms C02 and industrial waste mat...

In this episode , we speak with Sue Crawford , RN, MN '20 , m anager of the Health Systems Transformation Initiative (HIVE) in the Faculty of Nursing and co-founder and executive director of Enable, a social enterprise that facilitates meaningful matches between people with disabilities and support workers.     Sue discuss es how t he HIVE initiative utilizes nursing expertise to empower innovator...

In this episode , we speak with Dr. Lina Kattan , PhD, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering , and Canada Research Chair in Integrative Transportation Systems Through Automation and Connectivity . Lina discuss es how transportation systems are key to creating smart and sustainable cities and highlights her research exploring different traffic mana...

In this episode , we speak with Dr. Chris topher Clarkson, PhD, a professor in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment in the Faculty of Science , who received the 2024 Synergy Award for Innovation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Chris discuss es his research with the Tight Oil Consortium, which develops new technologies and methods for sustai...

In this episode , we speak with Dr. Eleanor Dickinson, PhD, a 2024-2025 Innovation P ostdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine . Eleanor discuss es One Health , and how her work in the Kutz Research G roup utilizes different strategies to develop new approaches for Ar c tic wildlife h ealth monitoring and management for caribou and muskoxen. She speaks to the importance of building...

In this episode , we speak with Dr. Greg Welch , PhD, P rofessor in the Faculty of Science's Department of Chemistry , and one of the inaugural Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship's Academic Co-Leads in Energy Futures. Greg discuss es transdisciplinary scholarship at the university and how th is connects to innovation. He also shares an example of a transdisciplinary research project f ro...

In our season 6 premiere episode , we speak with Dr. Kelly Dean Schwartz, a registered psychologist and associate professor in the Werklund School of Education , about the Family First Responder project . This research project has led to the development of a social innovation to provide mental health supports for first responder families .   This episode , we will learn more about his research wit...

For our season five finale, we explore a startup 's journey through the UCalgary Innovation ecosystem that l ed them to the Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies.   We speak with Dr. Dion Kelly, a UCalgary grad and Co-Founder & CEO of Possibility Neurotechnologies .    Her research in neuroscience to develop brain-computer interface technologies is creating opportunities for children with severe neur...

In this episode we speak with Dr. Stephen Larter, UCalgary's outgoing Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation), and a Professor in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment in the Faculty of Science. Steve takes us back to 2004, talking about the state of innovation from when he first arrived at the University of Calgary twenty years ago to how the ecosystem has connected and grown....

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ryan Peters, PhD, an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Human Performance Lab. His research explor es the neural control of balance and mobility that has led to the commercialization of a wearable technology to support balance impairments in older adults , athletes , and astronauts .   We learn more about our neural systems and how they affect...

In this episode , we speak with Dr. Nicole Culos -Reed , PhD, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and director of the Health and Wellness Lab. Her research is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those impacted by cancer through the development of movement-based programs.    We learn more about her research in the Health and Wellness Lab with the ACE and EXCEL programs to make exer...

In this episode , w e speak with founders from three startup companies that were part of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking's inaugural Summer Accelerator cohort: TurnCO2 , MLCan and MHCombio t ic . The Summer Accelerator is a 12-week program designed to help UCalgary community startups continue to build and develop their companies , validate their business, and leverag e resources in the...

In this episode , we explore the experiences of t he Parex Resources Innovation Fellowships that p rovide resources for UCalgary faculty researchers to concentrate on innovative projects that positively i mpact society. This spans a wide spectrum, including technological advancements, social initiatives, and novel approaches to addressing complex challenges.   We speak with Belinda Heyne, a profes...

In our season 5 premiere, we are celebrating UCeed , a series of early-stage investment funds, backed by philanthropic support from the University of Calgary and managed by Innovate Calgary.   We speak with Lor ian Taylor of L yf eMD , an evidence-based application to support diet and lifestyle solutions developed by health professionals. This social enterprise out of the University of Calgary has...

In our season 4 finale , we chat with Dr. Chris Hugenholtz , PhD, and Thomas Barchyn from the Faculty of Art 's Department of Geography . They are behind the technology and the research program for PoMELO , a vehicle-based methane emissions man agement system for the upstream oil and gas sector. They discuss how their research and technology for detecting methane emissions, a greenhouse gas, is an...

This episode, we chat with Dr. Viola Birss, PhD, a professor emerita in the Faculty of Science's Department of Chemistry and   co-founder of SeeO2 Energy.  She is joined by collaborators, Chengying (Arlene) Ai and Dr. Anand Singh, PhD, whose research with Viola has led to the creation of two start-up companies, Momentum Materials Solutions and BlissEarth Energy Research. They discuss how their res...

This episode, we chat with Dr. Anderson Hoff , PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science . Anderson discusses h ow his research in new organic compounds and large-area coating of functional films has led to advance d printing techniques for flexible organic photovoltaics (or solar cells) . He shares about the potential impacts of this technology for the energ...

This episode, we chat with Dr. Sandra Davidson, D ean of the Faculty of Nursin g. As a registered nurse, professor, and creative innovator, she understands the important role Canadian nurses play in innovating for good. Sandra discusses the culture of innovation in the practice of nursing , and what nurses have to offer in the realm of health care innovation, and how they can become leaders in thi...

This episode we chat with Dr. Kathleen Sit t er , PhD, an associate p rofessor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, and a Canada Research Chair in Multisensory Research and Knowledge Translation. Kathy discusses c e ntering accessibility in her research, and the social innovation model she has implemented into the community to create inclusive digital stories. Sh e also shar...

This episode we chat with Dr. George Shimizu , PhD, a p rofessor of inorganic chemistry in the Faculty of Science. Ge or ge discusses how his research led to the development of a unique carbon capture technology and how its impact was   demonstrat ed through research partnerships with industry. He also shares his experience with licensing his technology , mentoring students to encourage innovative...

This episode we chat with Dr. Chad Bousman, PhD, an associate professor in the Cumming School of Medicine and CEO and Founder of Sequence2Script. Chad discusses how his research and entrepreneurial paths aligned for his innovation journey, the mentorship programs that have supported him, and finding the market for his digital innovation that translates pharmacogenomics data for better prescribing...

This episode we chat with Julia Imanoff, a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Nursing, and co-founder and COO of the Brief Crisis Therapy Institute. Julia discusses how her passion for supporting mental health is forefront of her clinical practice and research, which led her to pursue social innovation. She shares her insights into what success of a social innovation looks like. She also provides adv...

Recorded at the University of Calgary's Alberta Centre for Advanced Diagnostics (ACAD), we chat with Dr. Stephanie Bishop, PhD, & Dr. Mehdi Mohammadi, PhD, post doctoral associates in the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. They share their innovation journey of how their research and expertise in metabolomics led to the creation of their company, Fluidome. Learn how to move you...