Movers & Shakers
LATITUDE
NEW FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM HAS AN EYE ON CLEAN TECH Alberta has a new pilot program focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building the province’s clean technology sector. The two-year GreenSTEM fellowship encourages entrepreneurship and provides support for expensive and challenging ideas presented by the successful applicants, who will be hosted by the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, or the University of Lethbridge. The fellows will report on their project’s progress to program leads and provide quarterly updates during cohort meetings. GreenSTEM is made possible by the Climate Change Innovation and Technology Framework, which was created to support Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan through technology and innovation. Three APEGA members have been accepted in the first cohort of 12 GreenSTEM fellows. Kurtis Broda, E.I.T. , and Christopher Robson, E.I.T. , hold master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta. Through their company, Wyvern, they intend to develop hyperspectral imaging technology to use in cube satellites, which will enable daily monitoring of global greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Gem Shoute, E.I.T. , has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Alberta. Through her company, Synthergy, she plans to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the nano-manufacturing technique used to make semiconductors and advanced coatings. Under the program, innovators will have access to $55,000 stipends each year, plus up to $65,000 annually for technology and business development, entrepreneurship programming with a technology focus, mentorship, and networking.
GREEN FELLOWS Alberta’s first GreenSTEM fellows are coming up with ways to advance the clean technology sector. Above, top, Kurtis Broda, E.I.T.; above, Dr. Gem Shoute, E.I.T.; left, Christopher Robson, E.I.T. -photos by Jane Humberstone, Director, Economic Development and Trade
SPRING 2019 PEG | 53
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