VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 2 • May 2015
canada’s skill gap AGM 2014 Predicting Future Needs
Best Year Ever!
Apple Watch
Confused by Tattoos
our future. our choice.
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
Leadership in Technology is the official newsletter of TechNova, the Society of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Nova Scotia.
Leadership in Technology is published biannually by:
202 Brownlow Avenue Cambridge 1, Suite 308 Dartmouth, NS B3B 1T5 Tel: (902) 463-3236 Fax: (902) 465-7567 Toll Free: 1 866 723-8867 info@technova.ca www.technova.ca Please direct all inquiries, submissions and subscription requests to TechNova at the above address. Leadership in Technology is published in conjunction with:
Design Works Publishing Group 331 Lacewood Dr. Unit 111 Halifax NS B3S 1K6 Tel: (902) 982-3099 Fax: (902) 482-5118 dmgcreative@gmail.com
From the Editor 4 Open Letter to All Members
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President’s Letter 6 New Members 7 Fixing Canada’s Skills Gap 8 2015 MATE NS Underwater ROV Competition
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AGM Report 12 Why the Apple Watch is Confused by Tattoos
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Registrar’s Report 15 How Mobile Technology Is Changing Canadian Health Care 16
EDITOR Mike MacLean, CET EDITORIAL DIRECTION Vivian Ernst CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mario Zamfir The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association. TechNova assumes no responsibility or liability for damages arising from any error or omission or from the use of any information or advice printed in this publication. Letters regarding the newsletter should be addressed to the Editor at the Society’s address.
STORY IDEAS WELCOME Leadership in Technology strives to present news, stories and other content in the course of each year that is of particular interest or pertinence to TechNova members. We rely in part on your input to guide and generate articles. This is your publication and you are always encouraged to contribute. NEWS: Your technology career is ever-changing. Let others know about the changes and trends in your particular field, discipline or worksite. PROFILES: Want to share your own story? Leadership in Technology is a great way to demonstrate the ways that members utilize technology in their careers. FEEDBACK: Write to us and share your viewpoints (members and non-members alike). Write to info@technova.ca or send your letter/article to the TechNova office.
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From the Editor After a grueling winter in Nova Scotia, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the warmer temperatures that accompany the arrival of spring! We’ve been busy at TechNova over the past few months, leading up to our AGM at the end of March. The AGM saw the introduction of Janice Kidson as President and Mark Bamford as Vice-President. I wish them all the best in their new positions, and I can assure the membership that TechNova is in good hands with Janice and Mark at the helm. Council has seen some changes over the past few months, with three new members showing interest in joining council. As always, new members are always welcome! There are various committees and roles that require volunteers to ensure TechNova satisfies all of the requirements of the membership. I would like to thank Hugh Campbell for his valuable contributions to TechNova, who as of the AGM is officially retired. Hugh served as a council member from 2005 to 2015, and held the positions of Act Enforcement Officer, Awards Official, Vice-President, President, Past President and CCTT Director. I wish Hugh all the best in his future endeavours. As Communications Director, I am working on several projects this year with the intent on improving the flow of information to the membership. This means an increased presence on social media, LinkedIn, and use of the website. One of the most exciting developments for this year is the addition of the SmartBoard technology to the office. Aside from the ability to collaborate with our fellow provinces, we now have the ability for the certification board to work together remotely at any time, the ability to participate in webinars, and perhaps the best part - we now have the ability for members living throughout the province to be members of council, participating in meetings from anywhere with an internet connection. I’ll be posting further details on the website in the coming weeks. I wish all members a safe and happy summer, and we’ll see you in the fall.
Mike MacLean, CET Editor, Councillor and Communications Director
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Janice Kidson, C.Tech Vice-President Mark Bamford, CET Treasurer Mark Cormier, CET Councillors Sean Piercey, CET Joy Brown, CET Louis LeBel, CET Mike MacLean, CET Mark Cormier, CET Eric Jury, CET, Past President Certification Board Doug Bach, CET, P.Eng, Chair David MacMillan, CET Dawn Ryan, CET Don Jardine, P.Eng, CET (Hon) Ian Mitchell, CET Mike Rushton, CET Joe Simms, CET, Registrar Patricia Power, CET Sean Piercey, CET Patrick Lukeman, CET Keith Lavers, CET
OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS What were you doing Saturday morning 29 March between the hours of 8:00 and 12:00? I hope that it was something interesting, challenging, important and rewarding like doing your Income Tax! During that time frame over 29 of the 1239 active members of our Society attended the Annual General Meeting. Guests enjoyed breakfast and lunch together, were busy approving reports presented by the Officers of the Society, including a budget of $250,000, and listened to interesting presentations from guest speakers and presidents from our sister societies. On March 28th about the same number attended a Meet and Greet where free snacks and refreshments were served. At both events, guests received give away gifts, including three tablets. These items are covered by the cost of your Membership Dues. While it is true that we all have busy lives and family commitments, we were really hoping that a few more of the remaining 1200 active members could have found time to join us.
CCTT Director Sean Piercey, CET CTAB Director Joy Brown, CET
Some may say that it is a bad time of year for a meeting. But March break has passed, skiing is over, golf and camping haven’t started yet! However, the bylaws of our Society specify that the AGM is to be held between January and March 31st.
Communications Director Mike MacLean, CET
During the event a call went out for volunteers to serve on committees such as the Certification Board, the Council, the Finance Committee and to assist with the Accreditation of Technology Programs at NSCC and UCB. Interestingly, over half of the members present are currently volunteering on one or more of these committees.
Registrar Joe Simms, CET Executive Staff Officer Joe Simms, CET Office Manager Vivian Ernst
I would like to take this opportunity to invite anyone who is interested in volunteering to call or email the TechNova office and someone is sure to follow up right away. Ed Lingley C.Tech
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From the President Dear Members, I am delighted to introduce myself to you as your new President. As a member of TechNova since 2008, and a member of council since 2010, I have held various positions within council during this time. From the great pleasure of handing out student awards to top-performing graduates in our 13 accredited technology programmes throughout the province, to the equally important work of upholding the standards of our organization as Chair of the Act Enforcement committee, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent volunteering with TechNova. This is an exciting time for our organization. Our leadership team is reorganized for the coming term, with Mark Bamford stepping up as Vice President, Mark Cormier coming forward as Treasurer, and Eric Jury helping to guide us along as Past President. We look forward to bringing forth some ambitious new initiatives in the coming months. Stay tuned! I want to thank all our members of council, staff and certification board for the invaluable work they do. I firmly believe that you can only expect to get out of something, as much as you are willing to put into it. We are always looking for participation from the membership, whether it be volunteering on council or cert board, helping out with triennial reviews, or contributing content to our newsletter. This is your organization! If you want to take part, please don’t hesitate to contact the office. Our AGM was a success again this year, despite the poor weather that day. Members and guests joined us from across the province and indeed, across the country. We were thrilled to have the Presidents from the provincial associations of Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and New Brunswick in attendance. Our Past President Eric Jury made a concerted effort during his term to reach out to the other provinces, and this has certainly paid off in a strengthened relationship which we hope to continue in the future. As the weather is finally beginning to improve, I want to wish all our members a safe and happy spring and summer. Thank you, Janice L. Kidson, C.Tech President
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
NEW Members NOVEMBER 2014 - APRIL 2015
Associate Technologists Michael Pichkar Jessica Davies Clayton Fiander Michael MacNeil Associate Technician Matthew Newman Certified Engineering Technologists Bradley Kirk Ashley Hill Steve Mackie Derek Pinet James McCallum Simoneau Guillaume Sam Younis Jay Corkum
Joshua Sheridan Adam Barker Stephen Dunn Stephen Barker Darryl LeRoux Jonathan Bentley Jason Snow John Atsyor Peter Mann Evan Boutilier Applied Science Technician Cameron Wainwright Certified Engineering Technicians David Richardson Crystal Hull Edward Hare
Paul Gray David MacMullin Transfers In Christopher Howe John Napier Transfers Out Shamus Noseworthy Jeffrey Allen Douglas Hewitt Gordon Hanson Jason Giles Kyle Fetterley Upgraded from Associate Technologists to Certified Engineering Technologists Scott Lovatt
Zakaria Manas Nimat Yousif John-Francis Rooney Mark Kustudic Jason Zundel Upgraded from Associate Technicians to Certified Engineering Technicians Stephanie Lijs Students Breagh MacDonald Matthew Trainor Cory Stewart Darren Snyder
stronger. together. www.technova.ca
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Fixing Canada’s Skills Gap It’s been debated, misstated, mythicized and widely misunderstood for years. It’s been called a crisis, a lie, a disgrace and a blip. Now, finally, consensus is building about what exactly Canada’s skills gap is, and how we can fix it. We may have turned a corner, in terms of understanding the problem and finding solutions, with two national skills summits held earlier this summer. Both gathered leaders in government, industry and education to reimagine
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the future of skills in Canada. At the National Skills Summit hosted by Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney in Toronto, participants agreed upon the need for longer-term solutions and better collaboration among their sectors. And at the Skills for the Future symposium in Charlottetown, organized by provincial education and labour ministers, stakeholders discussed the need for higher skills across the labour market. The dialogue is one that universities welcome. We
LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
know that Canada needs skills of all kinds – and that all skills need to be valued – if our country is to remain competitive in the fast-paced and rapidly changing global economy. The real challenge is trying to predict Canada’s skills needs in the future, and preparing for them today. While the future of our country will be shaped in large part by the educational experience of today’s postsecondary students, Canada has so far failed to properly equip them with the information needed to make decisions
about their own futures.
The most urgent priority in addressing Canada’s current and upcoming skills needs is for better labour market information. Students can’t make career decisions and governments can’t develop policy based on anecdote. We need the best possible labour market data drawn from reputable and reliable sources.
Secondly, we need an approach to skills development that includes all levels of postsecondary education.
Yes, we need more graduates from apprentice programs, colleges and polytechnics. And we need more university graduates. Consider that Canada has fallen from fifth in university participation to 15th amongst OECD countries (for 25- to 34-year-olds). Trying to promote skilled trades by devaluing the benefits of university takes Canada in the wrong direction. Think about the impact of media commentaries telling a whole generation of Canadians that their futures are bleak. It’s a corrosive and irresponsible message, especially when the evidence shows high employment and strong incomes for university graduates. Energy and mining industries, for example, rely just as much on university grads as they do on college grads and skilled tradespeople, but for different types of jobs – including positions in engineering, management and community relations. Since 2008 in Alberta, 56 percent of net new jobs have been for university graduates. That’s almost double the number of net new jobs for college grads and more than triple those for tradespeople.
And finally, we must pursue more than short-term solutions for our country’s skills challenges. We have to look at what Canada will need five, 10, 20 and more years down the road and start preparing now. Narrowly defined skill sets aren’t enough. Employers already require a wide array of skills and abilities, including in technical positions. And many of today’s students will create businesses or be employed in new fields that don’t yet exist. We must equip all students to adapt, collaborate, lead and learn throughout their lives. We’re taking steps in the right direction. Government, industry and educational institutions are doing more now to support experiential learning, which helps students transition to careers while also bringing fresh ideas to employers. Today, half of Canada’s university undergraduates have a co-op or internship experience before they graduate. But we can do more. Getting the skills equation right is how we’ll equip a generation of young Canadians to achieve their potential and contribute to a new kind of Canada. In that respect, it’s hard to think of a better investment of our time, energy and resources. Republished Source Paul Davidson
President of the Association of Universities & Colleges of Canada. (Source: http://www.cctt.ca)
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2015 MATE Nova Scotia Underwater ROV Competition For the second consecutive year, I was thrilled to represent TechNova at the NSCC Underwater ROV competition. Organized by NSCC, this year’s competition featured seven high school robotics teams competing in various challenges. The teams were required to design, build and operate an underwater remotely-operated vehicle; and were required to complete a full technical report, marketing poster and give an oral presentation.
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I was tasked with marking the technical reports and judging the marketing posters, in addition to representing TechNova on competition day. The competition took place in the Survival Systems pool in Dartmouth.
and innovation. I evaluated these two schools consecutively, with the first team proudly displaying their 3D- printed propeller shrouds. The following team on the other hand, used popcorn cups for their propeller shrouds.
I was blown away by the quality of the reports, and the knowledge and passion that each student displayed, but I was particularly impressed by a pair of schools that displayed two key design considerations - use of modern technology
I discussed the benefits of each with the students, such as lower production costs and maintenance of the popcorn cups, and the customization and futuristic capabilities of 3D printing.
LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
As the overall theme of the competition is for
the students to “sell” their ROV to industry, I have to say, my money would be on the team with the popcorn cups. In the event of damage to a prop shroud, they could have a stack of them on hand for a quick replacement, while the other team’s 3D printer is back in the shop. This remains a truly rewarding experience, and I look forward to doing it again next year! Mike MacLean, CET
“I was blown away by the quality of the reports, and the knowledge and passion that each student displayed”
Photography By: Mike Bayer, NSCC
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TechNova held its 2014 AGM on Saturday, March 28th at the Ramada Hotel in Burnside. Despite the nasty weather outside we had a decent turnout, though the number of members who attended left a lot to be desired. We were delighted to have guests from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Alberta and British
Columbia on-hand. The AGM saw the introduction of Janice Kidson as the new President of TechNova, taking over for Eric Jury. Thank you for your contributions to TechNova, Eric! Mark Bamford, previously the treasurer, moved into the VicePresident position. We were treated to an interesting
presentation by our guest speaker from the Osco Group, giving us insight into their work in the steel, concrete and construction industry. Thank you to everybody who made it to the meeting, we look forward to seeing even more of you next year.
Joe Simms delivering his Registrar’s Report.
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
Photography By: Mark Bamford
Incoming President Janice Kidson with Past President Eric Jury.
The AGM is an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow members of TechNova.
2015 Meloche Monnex Continuing Education Award Winner Zoe van Lingen
2015 Ray Fiske Education Award Winner Julie MacQueen Rice
Special thanks to Hugh Campbell, who as of the AGM is officially retired from TechNova after serving many positions, including President.
Despite the poor weather, the AGM had a decent turnout.
www.technova.ca
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Photo: www.apple.com
Why the Apple Watch Is Confused by Tattoos Some Apple Watch users who have tattoos are running into problems when using the device’s heart-rate monitor and other features, as it appears the ink in tattoos can interfere with the watch’s sensors. This week, one person noted on the website Reddit that the Apple Watch’s auto-lock would engage when it was placed over an arm tattoo, possibly indicating that the device was not registering that it was being worn. And the heart-rate monitor gives different readings when
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placed over tattooed and nontattooed skin, with very dark ink colors appearing to cause the most trouble, according to the website iMore. The Apple Watch monitors heart rate in the same way as the Basis Peak, the Fitbit Surge and other wrist-worn fitness trackers — they all use a light that shines into the skin to measure pulse. The light strikes the blood vessels in your wrist, and then sensors on the devices detect how much light is
LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
reflected back, which lets the devices detect the changes in blood volume that occur each time your heart beats, pushing blood through your body. The Apple Watch has an LED light that flashes many times per second to detect your heartbeat, the company says. However, changes to the skin, including permanent tattoos, can affect the heartrate sensor’s performance, Apple says. “The ink, pattern and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings,” Apple’s support website states. If users are experiencing
issues with the heart-rate monitor because of tattoos or other factors not related to the device itself, they can use an external heart-rate monitor (such as a cheststrap monitor) and connect it to the Apple Watch via Bluetooth, the company says. Not all wrist tattoos will interfere with the Apple Watch›s sensors — iMore found that lighter-colored tattoos did not disrupt readings as much as darkercolored tattoos, and that patterned tattoos did not appear to cause problems. The type and design of a person›s tattoo may determine whether he or she experiences problems with the device, according to iMore.
Republished Source Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer www.livescience.com
(Source: http://www.livescience.com)
Registrar’s Report 2015 Processed
Total Files
Nr.
Decision of Board
17
Applicants were awarded status as Technologist.
9
Applicants were awarded status as Technicians
2
Applicants were awarded status as Associate Technologist
2
Applicants were awarded status as Associate Technician(s)
1
Applicants were upgraded to Technician
5
Applicants were upgraded to Technologist
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New members >> Year to Date: 30 We have successfully completed and processed a total of six foreign applications and letters have been sent to successful applicants. These applicants are now in the process of applying for immigration to Nova Scotia. We are receiving an average of 2 to 6 inquiries per week from foreign applicants. We are in the process of reviewing our By Laws and Certification Board Policy to ensure applicants from other countries have every available opportunity to apply for certification with TechNova. The TQAC self-assessment tool is ready for release, we are also waiting for the outcome of our latest funding grant in order to continue with phase two of the program. I have also started the process of scanning and sending applications to Board Reviewers in order to hasten the review process. The files after the preliminary review can then be readily processed at the monthly meetings. Yours in Membership Joseph Simms, CET
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How Mobile Technology Is Changing
Health Care
Innovation -- it’s a term we use often when it comes to emerging technology, but the word itself comes from the Latin “innovare,” meaning to do something a new way, or to have a new “idea” about approaching something. When it comes to healthcare, where much of what trainees learn in medical school is decades behind current practice, the time is ripe to apply principles of innovation -- both in ideas and action, to improve healthcare and
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health management for all Canadians. Given the debates surrounding recent healthcare cuts, the 11th annual Canadian Mobile Healthcare Summit held last week in Toronto couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Indeed 2014 was an incredible year for health innovation. While Ebola dominated the news, we heard little about the role of emerging health technology such as the
LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
UNICEF Innovationbacked mHero -- a mobile application designed in Uganda that allows frontline workers to track the outbreak. Now in 2015, particularly with Obama’s recent announcement on “precision medicine,” is likely to see growth, further development and integration of other groups “disrupting” healthcare closer to home, such as Theranos (a patientled blood diagnostic service) and ZocDoc (a patient-led
method to book physician appointments). In particular, mobile health technology, or simple “mhealth” has the potential to get rid of silos so typical of modern-day academic medicine, and leverage expertise from the business and technology world. As a public health enthusiast myself, I have long believed that low-tech solutions are ideal -- examples of this include hand-washing,
vaccines (which have been around for centuries), and health promotion activities. I have discussed some of these ideas as it pertains to child health previously. However, as I have been exposed to emerging health technology, I now realize that a two-pronged approach is needed to improve and maintain health and well-being in Canada and globally. Traditional public health measures are one avenue of course. The second aspect is mobile technology and emerging “high-tech” solutions that can be costeffective and potentially improve accessibility and equity related to healthcare and common healthcare indicators. This is most commonly seen in the extremes of society -pediatrics and geriatrics. In pediatrics, as Dr.Karim Jessa, Chief Medical Information Officer of the Hospital for Sick Children described at the Summit, the integration of electronic medical records (EMR) is one very obvious example of where health technology can help to streamline patient care, reduce medical errors, and lead to better providerprovider communication. This was further elaborated by Deputy Minister Dr. Peter Vaughan, with Nova Scotia’s plans for “one patient, one record” -- an initiative meant to harmonize hospital and outpatient care and management. With these advancements, as former Ontario Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, cautioned, efforts need to be taken to ensure that patient information is secure and safe from external tampering or hacking. Dr. Michael Docktor, the Director of Clinical Innovation
and Clinical Mobile Solutions at Boston’s Children’s Hospital described a series of new efforts to encourage trainees and more senior pediatric physicians to revisit common healthcare issues -- both for specific conditions and the healthcare system in general -- and work together to brainstorm “out of the box” solutions using existing technology. As the founder of “Hacking Pediatrics,” which was modelled after the MIT “Hacking Medicine” model, his group encourages multidisciplinary handson approaches to existing dilemmas in pediatric medicine. This is an area that myself and my cofounder are excited to be part of, with our mobile application “Kidzie,” and is a field of pediatrics that has recently received quite a bit of traction in the media, particularly as it can be used for specific chronic pediatric conditions and for global child health. In geriatrics, there are a number of very exciting developments coming out of Canada. Dan Levitt of Tabor Village described a number “gerontechnology” initiatives such as “GPS shoes,” meant to help prevent morbidity and mortality related to seniors with dementia who may be prone to wandering. These shoes will also have the ability to detect slight changes in gait and alert a caregiver or healthcare provider so that rapid assessments (e.g. by an occupational or physical therapist) can be made to ensure safety and prevent falls. Given that hip fracture is a strong determinant of subsequent mortality, this initiative has enormous potential for our aging population. Levitt also
described how some companies equip their developers with “Empathy suits” -- they look a bit like space-suits with built-in pathologies (e.g. compression fractures of the vertebrae) so that they can design care spaces with these aspects in mind. This could allow for seniors to stay in their own homes for as long as possible before transitioning into longterm care. Levitt estimates that these technologies, if widely adopted, have the potential to cut Emergency Department visits and Alternate Level of Care (ALC) admissions by 15-20 per cent a year. Furthermore, there are a number of ways in which mobile health technology can be used to serve marginalized groups in Canada -- many of whom have inequitable access to healthcare. As the ability to safely monitor homeless Canadians continues to be an issue, Dr. Cheryl Forchuk of the Lawson Health Research Institute describes a Canadian initiative to use “iris-scanners” (using a team that created this technology for airports) to identify individuals who are underhoused and homeless -- a sector of the population that may not readily carry a healthcard, or may use an alias. Her research indicates that this would allow providers to accurately track health status over time, and that this technology is more acceptable than a finger-print method. The latter has historically been linked to the criminal justice system, and does not allow for rapport and trust between the population and their advocates. The Mobile Healthcare Summit was an excellent conference that touched
upon a number of emerging innovations in medical health and technology. The emphasis was on medical mobile applications and patient informatics, though there were a number of excellent presentations on wearable technology as well. The danger of some of the “precision health” innovations -- Theranos for example -- is that many view diagnostics as a commodity and the actual validity of the result may be held in question; the principles behind why and when we screen seem to be abandoned as well, and could lead to increased anxiety around ones personal health status at any point in time. As with all innovation, as physicians will need to carefully evaluate each emerging innovation, and ensure that the risk-benefit ratio is in favour of the patient. Health systems and government ministries will further need to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of each innovation. For instance, the costs associated with investing in gerontechnology compared to building more long-term care homes for an aging population. Lastly, patients will need to have open and honest discussions with their provider about these new advances, and how they may or may not fit within their own health and wellness management plan. Needless to say, mobile health and technology is a very worthwhile area to stay updated about, and hopefully the field will lead have a positive impact on Canadians and our global community. Republished Source
Amitha Kalaichandran
Pediatrics Resident Physician, Global Health Epidemiologist, Cofounder, Kidzie (Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca)
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Promotion ends August 31, 2015. All prices include embroidery and setup, freight and tax is extra. Prices on stock IN availability at timeSpring of ordering. LEADERSHIP TECHNOLOGY 2015 Allow 10-14 days for delivery. 18 based
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Screwing Up Artificial Intelligence Could Be Disastrous, Experts Say From smartphone apps like Siri to features like facial recognition of photos, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a part of everyday life. But humanity should take more care in developing AI than with other technologies, experts say. Science and tech heavyweights Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking have warned that intelligent machines could be one of humanity’s biggest existential threats. But throughout history, human inventions, such as fire, have also posed dangers. Why should people treat AI any differently? “With fire, it was OK that we screwed up a bunch of times,” Max Tegmark, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said April 10 on the radio show Science Friday. But in developing artificial intelligence, as with
nuclear weapons, “we really want to get it right the first time, because it might be the only chance we have,” he said. [5 Reasons to Fear Robots] On the one hand, AI has the potential to achieve enormous good in society, experts say. “This technology could save thousands of lives,” whether by preventing car accidents or avoiding errors in medicine, Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research lab in Seattle, said on the show. The downside is the possibility of creating a computer program capable of continually improving itself that “we might lose control of,” he added. For a long time, society has believed that things that are smarter must be better, Stuart Russell, a computer scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said on the show. But just like the
Greek myth of King Midas, who transformed everything he touched into gold, eversmarter machines may not turn out to be what society wished for. In fact, the goal of making machines smarter may not be aligned with the goals of the human race, Russell said. For example, nuclear power gave us access to the almost unlimited energy stored in an atom, but “unfortunately, the first thing we did was create an atom bomb,” Russell said. Today, “99 percent of fusion research is containment,” he said, and “AI is going to go the same way.” Tegmark called the development of AI “a race between the growing power of technology and humanity’s growing wisdom” in handling that technology. Rather than try to slow down the former, humanity should
invest more in the latter, he said. At a conference in Puerto Rico in January organized by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute (which Tegmark co-founded), AI leaders from academia and industry (including Elon Musk) agreed that it’s time to redefine the goal of making machines as smart and as fast as possible. The goal should now be to make machines beneficial for society. Musk donated $10 million to the institute in order to further that goal. After the January conference, hundreds of scientists, including Musk, signed an open letter describing the potential benefits of AI, yet warned of its pitfalls. Republished Source Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer www.livescience.com
(Source: http://www.livescience.com)
STORY IDEAS WELCOME Leadership in Technology strives to present news, stories and other content in the course of each year that is of particular interest or pertinence to TechNova members. We rely in part on your input to guide and generate articles. This is your publication and you are always encouraged to contribute. NEWS: Your technology career is ever-changing. Let others know about the changes and trends in your particular field, discipline or worksite. PROFILES: Want to share your own story? Leadership in Technology is a great way to demonstrate the ways that members utilize technology in their careers. FEEDBACK: Write to us and share your viewpoints (members and non-members alike).
Write to info@technova.ca or send your letter/article to the TechNova office.
20
LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
Meloche Monnex Continuing Education Bursary*
The Meloche Monnex Continuing Education Bursary awards $1000 (actually two awards of $500.00 each) to a member, or child of a member, who is enrolled in a recognized technology program at the post-secondary level. The winner is selected at random from all eligible applicants. 1st of October. Entries must include proof of enrollment.
2015 Receipient : Zoe van Lingen
Awards & Bursaries Provincial Awards & Bursaries • • • • •
Ray Fiske Education Award*
Named in honour of long-time Registrar Mr. Ray Fiske, P.Eng., CET (Hon.), TechNova awards a $500 bursary each year to the son or daughter of a member who is undertaking post-secondary studies. The winner is drawn at random from all qualified applicants. The deadline for entries is 1st of October.
2015 Receipient: Julie MacQueen Rice
President's Awarrd The Ray Fiske Memorial Award for Service Excellence Meloche Monnex Continuing Education Bursary Ray Fiske Education Award Student Achievement Awards
National Awards & Bursaries • • •
National Achievement Award Manulife Scholarship Canadian Technology Scholarship
* To apply, simply send a letter along with the name of your son or daughter and proof of his/ her enrollment at a college or university. See our website (www.technova.ca) for more information.
The Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB) is looking for qualified professionals to volunteer as PROGRAM EVALUATORS
If interested, please contact: Lorry Fortin, CTAB Program Coordinator Telephone: (613) 238-8123 ext. 223 Email: lfortin@cctt.ca
www.technova.ca
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PUBLICATION DATES SPRING EDITION Deadline: April 1, 2015 Delivery: May 25, 2015 FALL EDITION Deadline: October 15, 2015 Delivery: December 15, 2015
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015
www.technova.ca
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stronger.together.
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TechNova, the Society of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Nova Scotia.
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LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY Spring 2015