I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Alberta Corridor Technical Symposium. This was the first joint symposium between SAIT, NAIT, and RDP and highlighted some of the work these institutions had been involved with both with their instructors and students. As a student in the BGIS program at SAIT, our capstone instructor suggested we submit a poster and presentation. In the end, the group had little interest in participating in the presentation portion, so I suggested we submit the poster at least.
After submitting the poster we were notified in a few weeks that we would indeed be presenting the poster, unfortunately, I was the only team member who was able to make the time on the day of the symposium, but more about the poster later.
The symposium itself was an entire day and included breakfast, lunch, and cocktails giving people plenty of time to sit and network with people in their area as well as get to know some of their peers in other areas. In addition to the breakfast and lunch, a keynote speaker was present for the lunch, Natalie Panek, and talked about her goals and views on problems, discussing her work on the ESA Mars rover, and her company's initiatives to help with the space junk problem. To round out the symposium there were two sets of three blocks of 30-minute presentations, with each block having one of three presentations to choose from.
I saw presentations on
The application of modern thermal storage solutions and how they can be incorporated into housing automation systems. - SAIT
Using drones to effectively determine the volumetrics of pulp mill chip piles and logs. - SAIT
Tracking cows with RFID tags as they are moved through feedlot co-ops gives the co-ops and farmers and better understanding of when cows arrive, and when they leave for slaughter. - SAIT
How data can be brought together to build a northern atlas including government data as well as the data from the First Nations people in the area, and the issues around data security - NAIT
How modern computing and 3d printing can be used to scan, model, and create implants for canines using PEEK plastics - Red Deer Polytechnic
Working with the University of Calgary to build a replacement carbon fiber spooling machine in a short timeframe and a small budget to replace a broken machine. - SAIT
The end of the symposium was the cocktail and poster presentation hour. This gave students the chance to explain their projects to anyone who was curious, partake in a drink and appetizers, and mingle with their peers. This was the area I was participating in and I got the chance to talk to a lot of people about the project we had completed for MNC, the poster can be seen here, as well as a quick description of the project we completed. I had the opportunity to introduce myself to a few of the daytime/on-campus BGIS students who also had a poster presented.
Overall the symposium was a positive experience that let me show off the work we had done as well as chat with numerous people from various backgrounds about my time at SAIT and what I had accomplished. It was a positive experience, and one I am glad I had the chance to participate in.
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