Now Innovating University of Calgary

For our season five finale, we explore a startup’s journey through the UCalgary Innovation ecosystem that led them to the Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies. 

We speak with Dr. Dion Kelly, a UCalgary grad and Co-Founder & CEO of Possibility Neurotechnologies.  

Her research in neuroscience to develop brain-computer interface technologies is creating opportunities for children with severe neurological disorders to achieve greater independence and quality of life.  
 
Dion and Erica Floreani, Co-Founder and CTO, provide a demo of their Think2Switch device, and we will also hear from Heather Marshall, site lead of CDL-Rockies at the Haskayne School of Business to learn more about the program and its impacts. 
This episode is also available as a fully captioned and transcribed video that you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NurO_vpy5Rk
Learn more about Possibility Neurotechnologies: https://www.possneuro.com/ 

Learn more about CDL-Rockies: https://creativedestructionlab.com/locations/calgary/ 
Learn how to move your research-to-impact in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem: https://ucalgary.ca/innovation 

In this episode we speak with Dr. Stephen Larter, UCalgary’s outgoing Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation), and a Professor in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment in the Faculty of Science.
Steve takes us back to 2004, talking about the state of innovation from when he first arrived at the University of Calgary twenty years ago to how the ecosystem has connected and grown. We also discuss what is currently happening in the innovation space, and what he hopes to see within the next five years. We also take the opportunity to get to know Steve better by playing a game together. 
 
This episode is also available as a fully captioned and transcribed video that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/xyrglrt2-1w
 
Listen to the previous Now Innovating podcast episode with Steve Larter on the culture of innovation, available on all podcast services: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/now-innovating/id/20162039
 
Learn more about Ahead of Tomorrow - UCalgary’s 2023-2030 Strategic Plan: https://www.ucalgary.ca/about/ahead-of-tomorrow
Learn how to move your research-to-impact in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem: https://ucalgary.ca/innovation
 

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and director of the Health and Wellness Lab. Her research is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those impacted by cancer through the development of movement-based programs.  

We learn more about her research in the Health and Wellness Lab with the ACE and EXCEL programs to make exercise part of standard cancer care. We discuss the development and operation of the Thrive Centre, a social innovation which offers evidence-based exercise oncology programming for pediatric, young adult, and adults living with cancer, and their support persons. We also touch on what it means to be a social innovator, being open to learning new things, and that “your ego is not your amigo.”  

This is one of two episodes this season spotlighting research-to-impact within the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology, one of the top sport-science schools in North America. Thanks to a generous $20 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation, the Faculty of Kinesiology will expand and elevate its human performance, movement and sport science research and education program. 
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Yoga Thrive

Participate in research at UCalgary.
Learn how to move your research-to-impact in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem.
This episode is also available as a video that you can watch here.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ryan Peters, PhD, an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Human Performance Lab. His research explores the neural control of balance and mobility that has led to the commercialization of a wearable technology to support balance impairments in older adults, athletes, and astronauts. 

We learn more about our neural systems and how they affect our control of movement, and discuss Ryan’s innovation journey, including the patent process and overcoming the fear of failure in academia. 

This is one of two episodes this season spotlighting research-to-impact within the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology, one of the top sport-science schools in North America. Thanks to a generous $20 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation, the Faculty of Kinesiology will expand and elevate its human performance, movement and sport science research and education program.  

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Neursantys
Participate in research studies at UCalgary.

Learn how to move your research-to-impact in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem.
This episode is also available as a video that you can watch here.

In this episode, we speak with founders from three startup companies that were part of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking’s inaugural Summer Accelerator cohort: TurnCO2, MLCan and MHCombiotic.

The Summer Accelerator is a 12-week program designed to help UCalgary community startups continue to build and develop their companies, validate their business, and leverage resources in the UCalgary ecosystem. 

The three startups featured in this episode are comprised of UCalgary graduate students, alumni, and a former postdoctoral scholar. We will learn more about the research behind each of their companies, and the potential impacts of their technologies on their respective industries. We will also explore how the UCalgary innovation ecosystem has supported them on their entrepreneurial paths, including Hunter Hub resources such as the Summer Accelerator, Innovation Sandbox, and the Academic Entrepreneurs in Residence Program. 
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Listen to Now Innovating Season 4, Episode 4 to learn more about Molecular Organic Frameworks and the technology behind TurnCO2 with Dr. George Shimizu.

In this episode, we explore the experiences of the Parex Resources Innovation Fellowships that provide resources for UCalgary faculty researchers to concentrate on innovative projects that positively impact society. This spans a wide spectrum, including technological advancements, social initiatives, and novel approaches to addressing complex challenges. 

We speak with Belinda Heyne, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, and a former Parex Fellow about her innovation journey to advance a discovery, the risk she took to pursue a startup company, and how she has applied these learnings to her current research and teaching practices. 

We will also hear from Houston Peschl, a current Parex Fellow in the Haskayne School of Business, about his research in regenerative agriculture, and Pierre Kennepohl will tell us more about the opportunity the Parex fellowships can provide to all UCalgary faculty.