PARTNER PROFILE BARRETT CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Rockwell Automation’s five-year partnership agreement with Humber is addressing the skills gaps in the advanced manufacturing sector to equip students for the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) careers of the future. The partnership is helping to expand applied research in advanced manufacturing (Industry 4.0) related to programmable logic controllers (PLC) technology and connectivity in the digital factory environment. Rockwell Automation is also providing guidance and technical support to assist Humber and applied research partner companies to better integrate control systems into advanced manufacturing processes. The partnership includes, working together to focus on the creation of mini-hubs (living labs) such as industry automation, Industry 4.0, mechatronics and the Internet of Everything centres to support the vision of the Barrett CTI. The partnership fosters innovation and education by way of a STEAM Outreach program to engage youth within Canada, including FIRST and VEX robotics programs. “The Barrett CTI provides a unique environment where industry, business and students can collaborate to solve some of today’s most pressing business challenges and help companies unlock the value of digital transformation,” says Mike Hutchings, regional vice president, Rockwell Automation. PROFILE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Pictured above: Electromechanical Engineering Technology student and Barrett CTI Research Assistant Maramawit Demisse adjusts a mechatronics demonstration lab during an event. Demisse was one of the students who worked on the STEAM Outreach program this past summer.
Humber is moving full STEAM ahead One of the drivers behind the establishment of the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation (Barrett CTI) was to create a space to harness the expertise of faculty and businesses to introduce young students to education and careers in technology and trades. Building on this vision from Bob Barrett, co-founder of the Barrett Family Foundation, which donated $10-million to establish the Barrett CTI, Humber built a dedicated STEAM outreach room (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) for this purpose. The STEAM Learning Lab was designed to support current students and create learning opportunities for younger generations to explore learning pathways. Throughout the spring and summer of 2019, Humber hosted more than 25 workshops as part of its STEAM Outreach program for primary and secondary level students across various school boards in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. More than 1,000 students and their teachers participated in the workshops and were able to see firsthand the work being created by Humber students and how they are applying STEAM learning in and out of the classroom. The STEAM Outreach program began under the guidance of faculty members and students from the Project Management postgraduate program (PMPG) and is supported by Neal Mohammed, director of the Barrett CTI. The program exposes youth to areas, such as robotics, mechatronics, 3D printing, augmented/virtual reality, electronics, storytelling, prototyping, programming and other technological trends. ARTICLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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