2025 Okanagan Innovation and Technology Expo – March 22

Join us for the Okanagan Technology Expo 2025, an exciting event hosted by the IEEE UBCO Student Branch where innovators, industry leaders, and students come together to showcase cutting-edge technology and groundbreaking ideas. This year’s theme, “The Timeline of Innovation,” highlights the journey of technological advancements, celebrating the progress and perseverance behind every great invention. https://okgntechexpo.carrd.co/

Agenda:
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Opening Ceremony Welcome remarks and an introduction to the event theme: “Timeline of Innovation.”
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM Keynote Speaker 1 A thought leader shares insights on the journey of innovation and the future of technology.
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Mingle & Booth Tour Explore student and industry booths showcasing cutting-edge projects and developments.
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Speaker Series Presentations by a leading professor and a standout student innovator.
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Booth Competition & Catering Experience hands-on demonstrations and interactive exhibits, and enjoy catered refreshments.
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM Competition Winners Announcement Celebrate the best booths as the winners are revealed, with prizes awarded to the top three teams.
8:30 PM – 9:00 PM Keynote Speaker 2 A renowned industry professional closes the evening with an inspiring talk.
9:00 PM – Onward Networking & Wrap-Up Continue conversations, forge connections, and wrap up the event.

📅 Date: 22nd March, 2025
📍 Venue: KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence

Explore a dynamic lineup of speakers, including industry pioneers and student innovators, as they share insights on the past, present, and future of technology. Engage in hands-on demonstrations, connect with professionals from top tech and engineering firms, and witness the creativity of student-led projects in our Booth Competition, where the most innovative displays will compete for prizes.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a student passionate about STEM, or simply curious about the next big thing in technology, this is your chance to experience innovation in action. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn, network, and be inspired!

🎟️ Tickets available now! Secure your spot today. Buy tickets

Student team achievements at the IEEExtreme Programming Competition 2024

Congratulations to the student teams from the Thompson-Okanagan Section for their remarkable achievements in the IEEExtreme 2024 Programming Competition. IEEExtreme is a global 24-hour challenge in which student teams solve a series of complex programming problems under time pressure. Organized by the IEEE, this competition fosters innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence among the next generation of computing professionals.

Okanagan College demonstrated outstanding performance, ranking #18 in Canada out of 50 participating teams and #2235 out of 8793 globally. The team OCExceptionHandlers secured the #1 rank within the institution, showcasing exemplary programming skills (the Original post is here).

Castanet: “Okanagan College students tackle 24 problems in 24 hours” https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/521987/Okanagan-College-students-tackle-24-problems-in-24-hours

Thompson Rivers University’s team also achieved a commendable result, placing #40 in Canada and 4656 globally, reflecting the institution’s growing strength in competitive programming.

These achievements highlight the dedication and technical expertise of students from both institutions, who have contributed to advancing digital research and computational science.

Congratulations to all participants for representing their institutions on the global stage!

Digital Research Infrastructure Workshop: Research Data Management (RDM) and High Performance Computing (HPC) Resources for Researchers

Time & Date: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Thu. Feb 20, 2025
Location: Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Rd., Kelowna, BC, V1Y 4X8, Room E-202 and Zoom (for a Zoom URL, please r
egister here: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/469570).

Explore Digital Research Infrastructure with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada

Join us for an engaging workshop on the Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) of Canada’s Digital Research Alliance (DRA). We will explore the tools, resources, and opportunities to enhance digital research. The event will feature presentations by student researchers who will share their experiences and insights into utilizing DRI in their projects.

This workshop provides an excellent opportunity to learn from peers, exchange ideas, and explore how DRI can elevate research efforts and unlock new possibilities.

Highlights:

  • Introduction of Digital Research Alliance
  • Research Data Management
  • Introduction and Tutorial of High-Performance Computing
  • Insights into the promotion and implementation of DRI for capstone and research projects

Don’t miss this chance to deepen your understanding of DRI and connect with the research community!

Agenda:

  • 12:00pm – 12:20pm – Welcome & Opening Remarks
  • 12:20pm – 12:50pm – Intro to DRI & discussion – Presentation slides
  • 12:50pm – 1:10pm – Coffee & Social
  • 1:10pm – 1:40pm – Research Data management – Presentation slides
  • 1:40pm – 2:10pm – Lunch
  • 2:10pm – 2:40pm – Intro and tutorial on High Performance Computing – Presentation slides
  • 2:40pm – 3:00pm – Coffee & Round Table

Bio:

Ajitesh Parihar is a fourth-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Workshop Feedback Survey:

https://qualtricsxmshmr9b7kh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e8twjbteORmJvJY

For further information, please get in touch with us (email:Email: tok-section [at] ieee.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments and Food will be provided (funded by DRI of Canada)

Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s Digital Research Infrastructure Workshop

Time & Date: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Fri. Jan 24, 2025
Location: Okanagan College, Room A-141 and Zoom (for a Zoom URL, please make a registration below)
Registration is open: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/451137.

Explore Digital Research Infrastructure with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada

Join us for an engaging workshop on the Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) of Canada’s Digital Research Alliance (DRA). We will explore the tools, resources, and opportunities to enhance digital research. The event will feature presentations by student researchers who will share their experiences and insights into utilizing DRI in their projects.

This workshop provides an excellent opportunity to learn from peers, exchange ideas, and explore how DRI can elevate research efforts and unlock new possibilities.

Highlights:

  • Presentations of four research projects showcasing the application of DRI tools and resources.
  • Insights into two accepted research papers from Computer Science students for the IEEE SysCon 2025 conference (Montreal, April 7–10, 2025).
  • Updates on four ongoing research papers planned for submission to IEEE CCECE 2025 (Vancouver, May 26–29, 2025).

Don’t miss this chance to deepen your understanding of DRI and connect with the research community!

Agenda:

9am – 9:15 – Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:15 – 9:45 – Ajitesh – Digital Research Alliance of Canada Resources and DRI EDIA Champions Program Project
9:45 – 10:00 – Coffee & social
10:00 – 10:15 – Kristina – DW for Individual Tree Species Classification
10:15 – 10:30 – Joshua Padron-Uy – Data Pipeline and Machine Learning Integration
10:30 – 10:45 – Charlotte Ford – UBCO IEEE Student Branch
10:45 – 11:00 – Coffee break & social
11:00 – 11:30 – Joshua Padron-Uy, Keona Gagnier, Dolcy Sareen, Kristina Cormier – Data Warehouse & Extraction, Transformation, and Loading process
11:30 – 11:45 – Ajitesh Parihar – Project Plans and Workshop Quiz
11:45 – 12:00 – Coffee & round table

Bios:

Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

Ajitesh Parihar is a fourth-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Joshua Padron-Uy is a fourth-year Computer Science student working on a research project in the COSC 448 Research Methodologies. He is an aspiring student seeking to work in the tech industry and is eager to learn about different areas such as software engineering, devops, data science, and recently in data engineering.

 

Dolcy Sareen is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. Dolcy is also the webmaster of Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She is passionate about learning new technologies, with a strong focus on data. Dolcy enjoys connecting with people and continuously learning from new experiences.

 

Keona Gagnier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. Keona finds intrinsic joy in developing functional systems and values the learning process that goes with it. She finds computer science to be a perfect integration of creativity and technical expertise, allowing her to apply both her artistic instincts and problem-solving skills. Keona has held the role of scrum master in various projects, and takes pride in her organizational and leadership abilities.

 Charlotte Ford is an Electrical Engineer specializing in robotics, with a passion for creating a meaningful impact through technology and innovation. With expertise in C++, VBA, AutoCAD, and SolidWorks, she has led her team to victory in the UBCO First-Year Engineering Design Competition and recently won the MassRobotics Forum as part of HEAT Robotics, where they developed solutions to real-world challenges. Charlotte has also spoken at TEDxYouth, advocating for empathy and anti-bullying. Through her technical skills and leadership, she aims to inspire others in STEM.

 

Workshop Feedback Survey:

https://qualtricsxmshmr9b7kh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e8twjbteORmJvJY

 

Pictures from the event:

Digital Research Alliance Digital Research Infrastructure Workshop

 

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments and Pizza will be provided

Thompson-Okanagan Section Executive Committee and Student Branch OPEN First Meeting of 2025

Thompson-Okanagan Section and Student Branch OPEN First Meeting of 2025

Time & Date: 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday, January 2nd, 2025
LocationHS 101 and online in Zoom at Okanagan College (in-person and online)

Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/455922 (IEEE Okanagan Section) and https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/455866 (IEEE OK SB)

We warmly invite you to join us for our first meeting in 2025!

This is an excellent opportunity to learn who we are and what we do. During the event, we’ll share highlights from our past activities and give you a sneak peek at the exciting events we’re planning for the near future. We’d also love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Your input matters to us!

Publication shared by our invited speaker: Reflections by Settimo Carl Zanon

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided

IEEE Okanagan Section Year End Winter Social Event

IEEE Okanagan Section Year End Winter Social Event (Thurs Dec 19 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Time & Date: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Thursday, December 19th, 2024
LocationRoom HS 101 and online in Zoom at Okanagan College (in-person and online)
Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/454022 (IEEE Okanagan Section) and https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/453118 (IEEE OK SB)

Celebrate the end of the year with the IEEE Okanagan Section and IEEE Okanagan College Student Branch! Enjoy good company, festive drinks, and delicious food as we reflect on the past year.
Our invited speaker, Martin Mallinson, has over 100 patents and founded Silicon Intervention. They work with analog neural networks and construct analog signal processors using advanced techniques.
We’ll also share details about our upcoming Section Elevation Celebration in early 2025—don’t miss it!

Agenda

4:00 pm – 4:15 pm Intro (Youry Khmelevsky)

4:15 pm – 4:30 pm  IEEE Vancouver (Jacqueline Nichols & Matthew Wilder)

4:30 pm – 4:45 pm OK SB (Kristina Cormier & Ajitesh Parihar)

We take a look back at this year to cover all the fun activities that students participated in and share our plans for upcoming events and activities.

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm Women in Tech (Kristina Cormier / Dolcy Sareen / Keona Gagnier / Thais Damasceno)

Celebrating women in tech and engineering. Highlighting the IEEE Affinity groups and activities. We aim to inspire and empower the next generation of women in STEM through insights and strategies for success.

5:00 pm – 5: 15 pm Open Science Principle: EDIA Research (Ajitesh Parihar)

Discussion about the importance of using open science principles for effective research along with the activities planned for the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s DRI EDIA Champions Program.

5:15 pm – 5:30 pm Pizza & Social

5:30 pm –  6:30 pm Martin Mallinson

Martin Mallinson is the founder of Silicon Intervention. They are working with analog neural networks and constructing Analog Signal Processors using advanced techniques.

6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Round table

Bios:

Martin Mallinson: With a lifetime of experience in electrical engineering, designing and developing devices worldwide, Martin would like to share his thoughts and experiences. These are very relevant to the new IEEE in the valley. The past 30 years of his work have taken place in companies in Okanagan. How can that be achieved in our beautiful valley while remaining connected to customers worldwide? We’ll hear how Martin manages to do that, the compromises, and the opportunities.

Kristina Cormier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has recently discovered a passion for machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She assists with organizing events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys being a mentor and helping others.

Ajitesh Parihar is a four-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Dolcy Sareen is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch webmaster. She is passionate about learning new technologies and strongly focuses on data. She enjoys connecting with people and continuously learning from new experiences.

Keona Gagnier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College.

Thais Damasceno is the past chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch.

 

Photos from the event:

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments and pizza will be provided

Section adds to investment in Section Scholarship Fund

The section adds to investment in the Section Scholarship Fund

(reposting from https://vancouver.ieee.ca/2024/11/07/vancouver-section-scholarship-awards-increased/)

IEEE Canadian Foundation President David Whyte and Vancouver Section Chair Jacqueline Nichols

IEEE Vancouver Section Chair Jacqueline Nichols announcing scholarship award increases, and presenting the additional funding to IEEE Canada Foundation President David Whyte.

The IEEE Vancouver Section is happy to announce that the section has added an additional $30,000 to the scholarship fund for the 30th anniversary of the IEEE Canadian Foundation. This increase in funding will allow the Vancouver Section to award up to four scholarships of $2000 each year through the funds interest.

Scholarship applications will open in early 2025.

For more information on the specific scholarship awards offered by the Vancouver Section, please visit the Scholarships page on the section website:

 

The Vancouver Section Scholarship funds accounts are administered on behalf of the Vancouver Section by the IEEE Canadian Foundation. The fund is self-sustaining, and disbursements flow from the fund’s interest earned. Contributions are welcome to grow the fund and, therefore, the annual value that the section can award through the scholarships. Contributions to these Section Scholarship funds are tax deductible.

For additional information about the Foundation and to contribute to the Vancouver Section Scholarship Fund, please visit:

https://www.ieeecanadianfoundation.org/EN/donations.php

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and Okanagan Subsection are hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0

 

Time & Date: 5 p.m. – 5 p.m. (24 hours), October 25 th, 2024
LocationRoom E301, E302, E303 and E108 (lunch room), Computer Science Department, Okanagan College (in-person)

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and Okanagan Subsection are hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0

IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of IEEE Student members – advised and proctored by an IEEE member and supported by an IEEE Student Branch – compete in 24 hours against each other to solve a set of programming problems https://ieeextreme.org/

In previous years, over 6,000 teams, just under 15,000 participants, and 65 Countries competed. This includes over 600 Student Branches, over 700 Ambassadors, and approximately 2,500 volunteers.

Many kind sponsors and volunteers are contributing to help ensure the success of this event. Registration is open until Oct 12, 2024.

Castanet: “Okanagan College students tackle 24 problems in 24 hours” https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/521987/Okanagan-College-students-tackle-24-problems-in-24-hours

Photos from the Event:

IEEE Day at Okanagan Subsection

Time & Date: 5 – 7:30 p.m., October 9 th, 2024
LocationRoom E202 and online in Zoom, Computer Science Department, Okanagan College (in-person and online)
Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/438597

Abstract: IEEE Day is an annual event celebrating the first time in history when engineers worldwide gathered to share their technical ideas in 1884. One of IEEE Day’s objectives is to show how IEEE members in local communities collaborate on ideas that leverage technology for a better tomorrow. (https://ieeeday.org/)

Join us on October 9th at 5 PM for a gathering where the IEEE Okanagan Subsection and student branches from UBCO and OC will discuss the evolution of engineering, computer science, and others.

Agenda:

5 pm – 5:40 pm (OC)

            Kristina – A Retrospective View of STEM Milestones & Achievements

            Ajitesh – Open Science and DRA.  Open Science and DRA

5:40 – 6:20 pm (UBCO)

            Charlotte – A Canadian Engineer Who Made a Positive Impact on Society

            Fernanda – Women in Tech

6:20 pm – 6:30 pm Pizza break

6:30 pm – 7:00 pm (OC)

Dolcy & Brian – Evolution of Data & Networks

Alex – World Wide Opportunities

Bios:

Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

Ajitesh Parihar is a fourth-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Fernanda Alves has been working at UBCO for nearly three years. She received her Bachelor of Computer Information Systems at Okanagan College and has a degree. Fernanda is a passionate mentor and advocate for women in technology who enjoys connecting with other passionate individuals and sharing her skills and experiences to benefit others.

Dolcy Sareen is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch webmaster. She is passionate about learning new technologies and strongly focuses on data. She enjoys connecting with people and continuously learning from new experiences.

Alex Ross is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch secretary.

During the meeting: