Now Innovating CJSW 90.9 FM

In episode 18, we revisit many of the incredible conversations we have had on [now innovating]. We launched this podcast from the Office of the Vice President (Research) in the fall of 2021 with the intention of engaging incredible changemakers in our community. We believe conversations with those who have both failed and succeeded in innovation and entrepreneurship can help the next generation of changemakers move into this space with confidence. The idea this week is that we return to some of the best advice we’ve heard from our guests to date. Call it a greatest-hits episode but this is advice worth revisiting!

In this episode, we speak with Alice Reimer who is the Site Lead at Creative Destruction Labs Rockies (CDL) in Calgary. Alice is a successful entrepreneur, previously co-founding Evoco which has become the standard construction management system for global retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, and Staples. Alice has also served as CEO of Chaordix, a pioneering software leader in the crowdsourcing and open innovation space, with global clients including LEGO, Procter & Gamble, KPMG, and IBM. Alice was the recipient of PROFIT’s W100 designation as one of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs and was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People for 2013. Alice shares her insight into what type of team is well suited to join the program at CDL and how these teams should approach the scaling up phase.

The Culture of Innovation with Dr. Stephen Larter and Jeff Ryzner





This month's episode features a conversation with Dr. Stephen Larter, PhD, and Jeff Ryzner. Stephen Larter is an Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation) in the office of the Vice-President (Research) and a Professor of Petroleum Geology. Jeff Ryzner serves as the Innovation Program Specialist alongside Stephen. Dr. Larter says impact-related outcomes should be an important metric for universities. He also stresses the importance of researchers and innovators sharing their stories of failure. Jeff Ryzner echoes this sentiment, suggesting researchers and innovators should not fear being associated with failure. Jeff offers solutions for normalizing failure.





Dr. Stephen Larter has been a cofounder of numerous technology startup companies, including Gushor Inc. (now part of Schlumberger), and he currently advises several university-based student, postdoctoral, and faculty startups. A recipient of numerous academic and civil awards, Professor Larter is a fellow of the Royal Society, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Arts.



Jeff Ryzner supports the Innovation portfolio in the Vice President (Research) office, working closely with Stephen Larter. His work contributes to growing innovation levels and achieving UCalgary's vision of becoming Canada's most entrepreneurial university.

In this episode we speak with Dr. Aleem Bharwani, Director for Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships with the Cumming School of Medicine, and the lead for Public Policy at the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. Dr. Bharwani shares his insights into bridging difference toward positive change in our community. He is interested in solving ways of bringing people back together in a world where community trust is declining.



Dr. Bharwani is a specialist in internal medicine with graduate training from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in public policy and public administration. He also actively serves as the Scientific Director for the Office of Leadership Development at the Cumming School of Medicine. He was a recent resident of the Venture Incubation Program at the Harvard Innovation Lab. In addition to annually winning teaching awards, he has been recognized for his leadership by two international societies (American College of Physicians and Society of General Internal Medicine). Dr. Bharwani remains an active community citizen, serving on a variety of community and corporate boards.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Karen Benzies who has recently been appointed the Director of Social Innovation in the Office of the Vice President (Research). Karen is also a professor in the Faculty of Nursing and adjunct research professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary. Karen shares details of her new role in leading the Social Innovation Initiative at UCalgary.



The Social Innovation Initiative (SII) was developed to enable faculty to engage in social innovation by scaling existing academic experience, disciplines, and expertise to advance their efforts. The SII complements existing structures and processes by linking with social innovation-based activities, programs, support services, resources, and funding providers, including the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Innovate Calgary, Knowledge Engagement, the Office of Sustainability, Trico Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Centre, W21C, and the broader UCalgary community.



View the SII website: https://research.ucalgary.ca/innovation/social-innovation