PEOPLE
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Surrey/North Delta Leader 45
Trading in a new Dean KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC University has
appointed Henry Reiser as Kwantlen’s new Dean of Trades and Technology, effective Sept. 1. Reiser joins Kwantlen from Lambton College where he has been the dean of the School of Technology, Applied Science and Apprenticeship and the School of Fire Sciences since September 2007. Before joining Lambton, he was the Henry Reiser Chair of Engineering and IT at Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (ITAL) in Kitchener, ON where he developed a successful track record of applied research for Research In Motion, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ventax Robotics, and Toyota; each of these projects was incorporated into the curriculum of the Integrated Advanced Manufacturing Applied Degree.
Fast-track to a career
IN FRONT OF MORE than 300 secondary school students, recent graduate Kevin Kirk expresses his passion for a school program that he says changed his life. “The ACE IT program is a win-win decision,” he told his former peers. Kirk graduated two years ago after taking the automotive Accelerated Credit Enrolment Industry Training (ACE IT) program at Seaquam Secondary. ACE IT allows students to begin accredited trades training while still in high school. Students complete secondary school and embark on a career in the trades simultaneously – giving them a head start on their careers. “It’s a really neat way to get into a career, and you can start in high school,” said Rodger Hargreaves, Manager of Youth Initiatives with the Industry Training Authority (ITA), the provincial crown agency responsible for overseeing B.C.’s industry training and apprenticeship system. Hargreaves and Kirk were both guest speakers at a recent trades forum held at Delta Secondary School. Kirk now works at Fountain Tire, apprenticing as a mechanic, and will be a journeyman by the time he is 20-years-old. He told the trades forum crowd that the ACE IT program is good at connecting students to great employers after high school graduation.
CA fellowship SURREY’S RODNEY JOHNSTON, FCA, has been honoured
with a fellowship by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC). The fellowship (FCA) designation is awarded to chartered accountants for contributions to the community and service to the profession. Johnston is the CEO and a director of Adventus Realty Trust, a Canadian-funded real estate investment trust. He started Adventus in 2011, after retiring from a distinguished career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
Random act of kindness Envision Financial’s Kim Houlind (left), Susan Byrom and Kirsty Jansen (right) presented Surrey Food Bank executive director Marilyn Herrmann with a cheque – part of a ‘random act of kindness’ of $14,000 recently split between 10 regional food banks.
An imaginative dance
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
Students from Harold Bishop Elementary perform a dance at Guildford Town Centre to raise awareness of ‘Imagine One Day,’ which supports schools in Ethiopia.
Students drive change in India
I
ndia’s declared “decade of innovation” is fueling change–and steering Simon Fraser University Beedie business student Fahad Yasin’s fu-
ture. Working in Mumbai as one of 10 SFU students benefitting from the BC-India Exchange and Mobility Initiative created in June, Yasin hopes to play a role in driving the change that will advance the country over the next 10 years. “On a high level, it is widely known that India has a demand for change– and on a micro level. I have experienced personally the inefficiencies faced here–the power outages, unsanitary water, congested transportation, and so much more,” he writes in his blog, www.thedarkhorsejourney.com “Seeing all of this at the same time SFU Co-op students Dulce Antonelli Nunez (left) and Fahad Yasin (right) was initially overwhelming, but I often recently met with SFU president Andrew Petter (second from left) and come back to the reason I am here and SFU Business dean Danny Shapiro at the Canada-India Business Council know that in some way I am helping Forum reception in Mumbai. create change.” Yasin, who met this week with SFU completing work terms in India under The term is a first step in a potential President Andrew Petter and Beedie the new initiative, which is funded long-term partnership to establish a Business School Dean Danny Shapiro by Western Economic Diversification collaborative R&D program at SFU and during their visit to India, is working (WED) Canada: an R&D company in Surrey to develop as a business development analyst with • Cho Wang of Burnaby and Vijay low-cost clean energy solutions for the Canada-India Business Council via Raju of Surrey are business students emerging markets. the Surrey Board of Trade. investigating joint venture opportuni• Daniel Zwart (SFU grad, from The job involves investigating joint ties for StoryPanda and other BC-based New West) and Sumangal Malhotra venture opportunities for B.C.-based video game companies, in relation to (Surrey) are also Mechatronics students clean energy companies and those in the cell phone gaming market in the who’ll be working with Sutlej Motors the Mumbai region. New Delhi region. bus facility in Punjab, another first step Yasin is working with SFU student • Bernard Ho (an SFU grad) and towards a potential R&D partnership Dulce Nunez to identify and match Nadar Moradi, both from Vancouver on developing clean energy for buses organizations with mutual interests in and SFU Surrey’s Mechatronics Sysusing fuel cell technologies. developing new business partnerships. tems Engineering (MSE) program, • Engineering science graduate “What is most interesting is are at Luminous Industry’s research student Sumanpreet Chhina (of Suradapting to the culture while simuland development facility in Gurgaon. rey) arrived at Shobhit University in taneously learning how to conduct New Delhi, to work on a colbusiness in a entirely new HOW TO SUBMIT laborative project that involves manner,” says Yasin, who ear- Submissions for People can be faxed, or e-mailed. an SFU developed biomedical lier spent five months at Dendevice and technology that mark’s Copenhagen Business The Leader’s mailing address is #200-5450 152 St., helps detect, diagnosis and School as an international Surrey, B.C., V3S 5J9. Fax: 604-575-2544. allow appropriate treatment exchange student. of infectious diseases in Email: bjoseph@surreyleader.com Among other SFU students infants in India.
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