Research & Innovation (R&I) is pleased to welcome Saeed Assarzadeh, PhD, to the Niagara College team. He is the new Advanced Manufacturing Scientist, Product Innovation and Manufacturing Research, for the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC).

Saeed will be leading and supporting our technical team in the various applied research projects and technical services through which we enable industry innovation.

Saeed is a mechanical engineer with extensive knowledge in engineering software and comes to us with more than 10 years of experience, having taught mechanical engineering, engaged in private and post-secondary research environments, and most recently in private sector aerospace engineering and design consulting.

As a licensed Professional Engineer of Ontario (PEng), Saeed holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, an MSc in Manufacturing Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology.

“My experience with Research & Innovation has been great so far. WAMIC is involved in a wide range of projects, and we have a strong, dynamic, and experienced team capable of handling different projects in various fields to serve the needs of industry.”

During Saeed’s onboarding, he’s enjoyed WAMIC’s strong focus on teamwork. “My experience with Research & Innovation has been great so far. WAMIC is involved in a wide range of projects, and we have a strong, dynamic, and experienced team capable of handling different projects in various fields to serve the needs of industry,” he says.

“I found Niagara College to be a great workplace, giving me more opportunities to obtain invaluable experience by applying my knowledge and expertise on different applied industrial projects, which also helps promote the reputation of the College in industrial sectors,” says Saeed. “It also provides me the chance to share my experience with students and new graduates helping them acquire the skills to land good careers in today’s challenging job market.”

In his personal time, Saeed enjoys taking trips to the countryside, going to national parks, having picnics, hiking, and biking with my family and friends, especially during the summer.

For more information on the Saeed’s role or to get involved with WAMIC, you can contact Saeed via email at [email protected], or by phone at 905-735-2211, ext. 7058.

Applications are invited for the position of Research Program Manager, Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC), located at our Welland Campus, in the Division of Research and Innovation.

Reporting to the Director, Research and Innovation, the Research Program Manager will be responsible for managing a wide range of applied research projects and related activities.  The Research Program Manager will manage outreach activities with business and industry, liaise with funders and form and manage applied research project teams that include faculty, staff, students, and industry partners.  The Research Program Manager is responsible for identifying and responding to research opportunities, developing concepts, generating funding proposals, preparing and managing documents and reports, managing financial and human resources for research projects, as well as coordinating dissemination and outreach activities.

We are a top-10 research college in Canada. Come work with us and see why.

See the full Research Program Manager (WAMIC) job posting for more details. 
The closing date is Friday, January 6, 2023.

We thank all applicants; however, only those qualifying for an interview will be contacted.

We are pleased to welcome Elina Ojanen to Niagara College in the position of Communications Lead with SONAMI.

As the Communication Lead, Elina heads a full range of communications services for the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI), within the Research & Innovation (R&I) division at Niagara College, and implements communication plans to support projects, events, publications, and media relations.

Elina’s role is centred around raising awareness for SONAMI among industry partners and students, as well as showcasing the capabilities of our institutional partners.

“I get to tell the stories of the people and companies that work with us. Every day is different for me. One day I might be writing a success story to highlight the impact our projects have had on our industry partners, the next day I may be writing content for our promotional material or website. Then there are days that I may pitch a story to the media or work with team members to develop our communication plan for the year,” says Ojanen.

Another important part of her role is to build and maintain relationships with the project managers and communications professionals across the SONAMI Network, collaborating with them on campaigns and communication material.

As for her experience at the College so far, she noted, “It’s been an amazing experience. The culture at Niagara College and SONAMI is warm, welcoming, and collaborative. The onboarding experience was excellent, and I felt that I was being taken care of from the moment I walked through the door.”

Elina brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in communications, marketing, project management, and event planning to the role. Most recently, Elina has worked at McMaster University as a Communication Manager promoting programs and events aimed at entrepreneurs and innovators.

“I look forward to being part of a team supporting students and companies in Southern Ontario. Through SONAMI projects, students are given the opportunity to apply theory and academic content to solve real-world problems for small- and medium-sized companies.”

She spent over seven years working within higher education institutions and innovative companies in Canada and the United States. She holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Communication Studies from The College of Wooster, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Cleveland State University, both located in Ohio.

“I have always enjoyed working within the higher education sector and working at Niagara College, one of Ontario’s premier post-secondary institutions, was a great fit. When I came across the Communications Lead position at SONAMI I was instantly interested in the role and the organization’s mission,” says Ojanen.

“I look forward to being part of a team supporting students and companies in Southern Ontario. Through SONAMI projects, students are given the opportunity to apply theory and academic content to solve real-world problems for small- and medium-sized companies. Being part of SONAMI is highly rewarding because my work positively impacts students’ lives, businesses in Southern Ontario, and educational institutions within the SONAMI network,” says Ojanen.

In her free time, she loves to travel and explore the world. “I have travelled and lived in numerous countries and have learned about different places and cultures. I never turn away a good road trip with family or friends, as I find that to be the most relaxing way to travel, enjoying views along the way,” says Ojanen. She especially savours spending time with family and finds that her daughter reminds her how living in the moment is the secret to staying happy and enjoying life.

For more information on the communication objectives of SONAMI, you can contact Elina via email at [email protected], or by phone at 905-735-2211, ext. 7182.

Food insecurity and 3D printing don’t seem to have a natural connection to one another at first thought.

But if we examine a recent project that came out of the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) working with a company called Bluicity, you might just see that one fits with the other.

Sam Alesio is the senior vice-president at Bluicity, a company whose goal is to reduce global food and pharmaceutical waste by digitalizing the logistics chains.

They achieve this profitably for each chain member when information is shared live, from farm to fork, factory to pharmacy.

With Bluicity, low-cost Bluetooth tags are permanently affixed to the reusable pallets, bins in which perishable food or farmers products are shipped.

As products make their way through the logistics chain, Bluicity monitors the environment and builds a cumulative take on the condition of the product. Using a model for the remainder of the journey, Bluicity notifies chain participants in advance of spoilage and suggests preventive action.

A common issue with many small- and medium-sized enterprises can be in-house capabilities and resources to design, manufacture prototypes and have them 3D printed.

This led Sam on a journey to find the right partner to fill this gap.

Bluicity was a member of a local incubator which had them already connected into the Niagara region. “We originally were working with another company in Niagara, but their 3D printers were just too small for our needs. So, I reached back out to our contacts at the incubator and was then referred to the College,” said Sam.

This is where Brock Husak, Research Laboratory Technologist and the team at the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) came in, working to find solutions for Bluicity.

“We had no problems working with Brock and the WAMIC team. They helped fill a gap we had with 3D printing and we’re grateful to have been able to free up resources.”
~ Sam Alesio, vice-president, Bluicity

The company had already developed an electronic device used to monitor temperature and humidity in the food and pharmaceutical logistics chain. Known as the Gateway, Sam noted this device required an enclosure to house the exposed electronics.

The requirements for the WAMIC team were straight forward. This enclosure needed to be modified with injection mouldability and manufacturability in mind. It had to sufficiently house all the electronics and be a serviceable enclosure allowing the electronics to be accessed if needed. The design that Brock needed to modify had to also consider the work environment that this enclosure will be put into.

The alpha prototype that was produced and 3D printed will be used in the field and tested at an upcoming trial Bluicity has with a food producer.

“We’re currently working on building a trial this winter with a food producer, likely about three months, so having the enclosures 3D printed were important for this trial,” said Sam.

Sam’s experience overall working with the WAMIC team was a good one, he noted. “We had no problems working with Brock and the WAMIC team. They helped fill a gap we had with 3D printing and we’re grateful to have been able to free up resources,” said Sam.

Moving forward, they will work together to research and develop a process to ultimately get the enclosure to a point where it can be “mass” produced.

To learn more about Bluicity, visit their website or check them on social media on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The resources that were used to allow this successful partnership to take place were made possible by WAMIC’s Technoloy Access Centre grant funded by the Natural Resources and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Electronics Engineering Research Assistant, Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC)

The Electronics Engineering Technology Research Assistant will have a comprehensive skill set to work with Research Leads, Research Project Manager, and Industry Partners in the development of electronic systems. The Research Assistant will report to the Research Project Manager. Some duties will include assisting in the design, building and testing of electronics systems, troubleshooting and improving the developed circuits and systems and implementing robotic-based platforms (i.e. Arduino and Raspberry Pi) and related software.

See the full Electronics Research Assistant job posting for more details. 
The deadline to apply is Friday, October 7th at 12pm.

To apply, please email your resume, cover letter, class schedule and transcript to [email protected] and reference posting ‘WAMIC Research Assistant’ in the subject line.

We thank all applicants; however, only those qualifying for an interview will be contacted.

 

Software Developer Research Associate, Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre team

The successful candidate will work with the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre team. Work includes programming, testing and troubleshooting of interface software for product development of advanced manufacturing research projects. The position could involve development of web/cloud/IoT services, and helping to develop cloud technology. You will work with senior team members in Advanced Manufacturing developing new products, which require support in programming of Industry 4.0 applications.

See the full Software Developer Research Associate job posting and apply today.
The deadline to apply is Friday, September 23rd at 12pm.

We thank all applicants; however, only those qualifying for an interview will be contacted.