That’s why this year’s Applied Research and Innovation in Education (ARIE) funded projects involve over 27 different industry, academic, and community partners.

The 2016-2017 cohort of researchers prove that collaboration is the key to creating better learning opportunities for Mohawk students, creating stronger opportunities for environmental sustainability, and generating innovative solutions that can solve industry and community challenges.

With these applied research, innovation in education and program quality projects, Mohawk will continue to redefine the concept of campus and classroom, with partnerships playing out everywhere from brownfield sites in Hamilton and Burlington, to a multi-sensory Snoezelen Room, to local a local software coding club and even, in virtual and augmented reality.

In total, Mohawk will be investing $150,000 of funding in support of faculty innovation.

The following projects have been funded:

Supporting innovation in industry and in our community

Project: Waste heat recycling and LED lighting
Project Lead: Zhenyu (Frank) Zhao, Electrical Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: Elizabeth Pietrantonio
Academic Partner: McMaster University

Project: Physiological impact of multi-sensory environments
Project Lead: Kaela Miller, Human Services
Dean: Paul Armstrong
Associate Dean: Neil McMahon
Community Partners: Community Living Agencies, Brain Injury Services Hamilton, Building Blocks Speech Pathology, Early Words: Blind Low Vision Program, Rigel Homes, and Christian Horizon.

Supporting environmental sustainability

Project: Brownfields testing and remediation
Project Lead: Chris McCrory, Chemical Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: George Miltenburg
Industry and Community Partners: Hamilton Port Authority, Royal Botanical Gardens, and CICAN.

Project: Isolation and Identification of psychrophilic (or psychrotolerant) microbes from Canadian soil and lake samples
Project Lead: Athanasios (Ethan) Paschos, Chemical Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: George Miltenburg
Industry Partner: Tri-Phase Group

Project: Comparative testing of restored and new windows for energy efficiency
Project Lead: Shannon Kyles, Architecture
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: Dan Havercroft
Community Partner: Architectural Conservancy of Ontario

Supporting teaching and learning

Project: Explore the use of Microsoft HoloLens technology as an assistive device for online and classroom learning
Project Lead: Richard Tasse and Henry Lammers, Electrical Apprenticeship
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: Wayne Ostermaier
Industry Partners: Microsoft HoloLens and Unity 3D

Project: Using virtual reality to create visual content in Media and Entertainment programs
Project Lead: Tracey Kadish, Broadcasting Television
Dean: Alison Horton
Associate Dean: Kurt Muller
Industry Partners: Secret Location and William F. White International Inc.

Project: Develop a mathematical model to study the evolution of multi-drug resistant bacteria
Project Lead: Nasim Muhammad, Mathematics
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: Dan Havercroft
Academic Partner: McMaster University

Project: Improving the teaching of early computer programming
Project Lead: Kevin Browne, Software Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: Elizabeth Pietrantonio
Academic and Community Partners: Hamilton Code Club, IEC Hamilton, and McMaster University.

Project: Foursight assessment with MSLA
Project Lead: Christine Boyko-Head, Interdisciplinary Studies and Elyse Pipitone, Student Services
Dean: James Vanderveken
Associate Dean/Manager: Gary Jennings and Rochelle Reid
Academic and Industry Partners: Creative Education Foundation, Creative Problem Solving Institute at SUNY Buffalo, the International Centre for Studies in Creativity at SUNY, and Foursight LLC.

Project: Student reflection on practice (Multi-disciplinary approach)
Project Lead: Chris McCrory, Chemical Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: George Miltenburg

Project: Intercultural experiential simulation course
Project Lead: Michelle Turan, Child and Youth Services
Dean: Paul Armstrong
Associate Dean: Neil McMahon
Academic and Industry Partners: Humla Fund (Nepal), Global Autism Project (New York City), SOREM (India), and Cross Cultural Solutions (Guatemala)

Project: Enhancing student learning and experience through interprofessional faculty and students collaboration on blended learning
Project Lead: Nancy Matthew-Maich, Collaborative Nursing
Dean: Paul Armstrong
Associate Dean: Donna Rawlins
Academic: McMaster University

Project: Create video vignettes to portray common behavioural interventions​
Project Lead: Laura Adlington​, Autism and Behavioural Science Program
Dean: Paul Armstrong
Associate Dean: Neil McMahon

Project: An Interprofessional Education Event for Health Sciences
Project Lead: Mary Allen, Collaborative Nursing and Brooke Malstrom, OTA/PTA
Dean: Paul Armstrong
Associate Deans: Donna Rawlin and Lori Koziol
Industry Partner: Hamilton Health Sciences

Project: An educational model to support the career needs of young professionals
Project Lead: Evan Divalentio, Continuing Education
Dean: Alison Horton
Industry Partner: Hamilton HIVE

Project: Incorporating 3D printing into a collaborative-based curriculum in Visual Arts
Project Lead: Christopher Reid Flock & Duncan Aird, Continuing Education
Dean: Alison Horton

Project: Student success initiatives retention plan
Project Lead: Catharine Ozols, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Manager: Cebert Adamson

Project: Redesign of a Chemical Engineering Laboratory course
Project Lead: Greg Matzke, Chemical Engineering
Dean: Tony Thoma
Associate Dean: George Miltenburg
Industry Partners: Xerox Canada and Apotex Pharmachem

This is the second year that the ARIE Fund will support faculty and staff research and innovation activities at Mohawk College. ARIE projects are funded by the Vice President Academic and managed by iDeaWORKS.

Want to learn more about the projects? They will be profiled throughout the year at www.mohawknewsdesk.ca.