Academic News

Creative Arts

Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge Powered by Canada Life

July 24, 2023

REGISTRATION – We have reached our registration capacity. Thank you for your interest.

Sprint to Innovate, powered by Canada Life, brings together post-secondary students from varied disciplines such as technology, business, entrepreneurship, and more. Sprint to Innovate is brought to you by University of Manitoba – Faculty of Science, Red River College Polytechnic, and Tech Manitoba. All Winnipeg Post Secondary Students are invited to participate. Students will learn about innovation while collaborating in a fun and exciting challenge to build a minimum viable prototype in two days.

We are pleased to announce that our next Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge is the weekend of February 1 to 4, 2024! This year we will be starting the event with a Networking session on Thursday, February 1 with a keynote speaker at University of Manitoba.

We invite all companies to review our sponsorship and mentorship opportunities, and to consider submitting a business challenge; and for post-secondary students to consider participating.

HOW THE EVENT WORKS

Teams of 4 to 6 students will choose from available business challenges provided by industry. Students will then work together with support from mentors to create a solution, including developing a prototype to be presented to judges on the final day. Thanks to our sponsors there is $11,000 in prize money!

A prototype is a simple experimental model of the proposed product used to learn from. Prototypes range from low-fidelity (paper-based) prototypes that are used to explain concepts all the way to high-fidelity prototypes that have functional elements with more detail.  Teams may consist of technology and business students.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

As an Organization

  1. Sponsor the event.
  2. Volunteer your time as a mentor.
  3. Provide us with a Business Challenge that your organization has by emailing ckubara@rrc.ca or sgrusko@rrc.ca.

As a Student

Students from any Manitoba post-secondary student may participate in a team at Sprint to Innovate.

Students may register a team of 4 to 6 students. Register by Friday, January 19, 2024. REGISTRATION has reached capacity and is now closed.

Title Sponsor

Thank you to our Title Sponsor Canada Life!

Refreshment Sponsor

Thank you to our Refreshment Sponsor Access Credit Union.

Networking Event Sponsor

Thank you to our Networking Event Sponsor Bioscience Association Manitoba

Event Sponsors

Thank you to our Event Sponsors.

Challenges

CHALLENGE #1 How might we raise cybersecurity awareness and preparedness among SMEs and small and medium-sized non-profits? – Popp3r Cybersecurity

CHALLENGE #2 How might we create a safer and more secure Winnipeg, significantly improving the well-being of its citizens in their daily lives and places of work? – City of Winnipeg

CHALLENGE #3 How can we create opportunities for post-secondary students to connect with their peers and give students the best chance at developing new friendships and connections? – My Student Wellbeing

CHALLENGE #4 How can we use technology to help improve the mental well-being of Canadians? – Canada Life

CHALLENGE #5 How can we revamp Riipen’s user experience, leveraging innovative strategies and potentially AI, to empower learners in discovering, registering for, and engaging in meaningful work-integrated learning projects? – Riipen

CHALLENGE #6 How might the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) develop a program focused on enhancing and supporting the careers of students and early-stage IT professionals? – CIPS

Sponsorship Opportunities

REFRESHMENT SPONSORSHIP – $3500

We are looking for a sponsor to provide $3500 for
our student participants on Sunday, February 4.
Your $3,500 sponsorship would earn you:

  • Recognition on Sunday, February 4 at our
    refreshment table at breakfast, snack, and
    lunch
  • Recognition on event materials, website and
    registration.
  • Social media recognition
  • The opportunity to be a mentor to a team
    throughout the weekend.

EVENT SPONSORSHIP – $1000

We are looking for sponsors to provide $1000
towards prize money to the winning teams.
Your $1,000 sponsorship would earn you:

  • Recognition throughout the event
  • Recognition on event materials
  • Social media recognition
  • The opportunity to be a mentor to a team
    throughout the weekend.

Be a Mentor

We are looking for professionals to mentor one team throughout the Sprint to Innovate event weekend.

Mentors are asked to provide well-rounded support to their student team in the following area.

  • Help the team establish and foster a positive
    team environment
  • Provide ideation tips and tricks
  • Advise on prototype development
  • Advise on pitch preparation
  • Review final pitch presentation and provide
    advice
  • Be available for support throughout the weekend

Provide a Business Challenge

Student teams will be provided with a list of business challenges that they will have a choice between to work on. This is where you come in! We are asking a few different companies to provide a general business challenge and students would create a solution.
Do you have a general business challenge that our student teams can help solve?
Commitment:

  • Prepare your Challenge Information document with Challenge Context and background, a description, challenge statement, and relevant resources.
  • Prepare a 2-3 minute video pitching your business challenge outlining what the problem is, and why you need it.
  • Assign at least one person to speak about the problem and be prepared to answer questions about it from a student team on Friday, February 2 (Around 4:00/5:00 PM).
  • Available to answer questions from the teams on Saturday
  • Attend and judge the final presentations for your Challenge on Sunday to see what solutions the teams came up with; select one team to advance to the finals.

Applied Computer Education and Creative Arts Inspire Conference

July 20, 2023

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 – RRC Polytech – Exchange District Campus

Red River College Polytechnic’s Applied Computer Education and Creative Arts departments will host the Inspire Conference on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, from 8 am to 4 pm at the Exchange District Campus. The Inspire Conference is for over 1000 students in the following programs:

  • Business Information Technology
  • Business Technology Management
  • Data Science and Machine Learning
  • Information Security
  • IT Operations
  • Game Development
  • Full Stack Web Development
  • Graphic Design and Film
  • Pathways to IT (Indigenous)

Our talented students will be the audience during a virtual keynote, breakout sessions, an exhibitor area, and an industry networking lounge available throughout the day.

Be inspired!

Inspire skills – career development does not happen overnight, be inspired, and continue to learn and grow in your chosen field or explore other areas.

Inspire connections – get inspired by others, build your contact inventory, and network where you will talk and gain insights from their experience; you are not alone in your journey.

Inspire yourself – find your passion, take a personal inventory of where you are, and then look at the skills you will need to succeed.

Speak

We are looking for professionals to lead Breakout Sessions to inspire our students.

Network

Join us for an opportunity to meet our talented, enthusiastic students and let them be inspired in our networking lounge.

Sponsor

A variety of sponsorship options are available, including exhibitor booths.

How to get involved

Contact aceinfo@rrc.ca to learn more about the Inspire Conference and participation opportunities.

DMD Studio Project

May 19, 2023

DMD Studio Project is a course that allows students to pick their own term-long projects. Often it’s a dream project, something that lets them learn specific new skills and unleash their creativity in exciting new ways.

Below is a Studio Project from Video and Motion Graphics student Kayla Pilgrim, who wanted to push her 3D skills to the next level.

Below is a project from Kristin Lanyon, who wanted to explore using Redshift rendering in Cinema 4D. She created this amazing marble machine from scratch!

DMD Student Explainer Videos (2D and 3D Animation)

May 19, 2023

Here are some terrific student explainer videos. The challenge here was to use visuals, rich sound, a cohesive design, and both 2D and 3D animation to communicate an interesting statistic.

Learn Motion Graphic Design

December 20, 2022

The Digital Media Design program teaches motion graphic design, which nicely complements many of the other skill sets taught in the program: graphic design, 3D animation, videography, photography, and web design. Below some examples of motion graphic design assignments, which tasked the students to illustrate and animate a simple fact.

Here is another student motion graphic sample. The assignment was to create a 10 second motion graphic that starts and ends with a square. What they did in the middle was up to them. Students were told to focus on using simple shapes, great design, and audio/video synergy to create a compelling motion graphic.

Part-time “Business for Communicators” Program Widens Job Horizons

October 20, 2022

Just over a year ago, RRC Polytech launched Communication Management, a post-graduate diploma program to help professional communicators boost their business acumen and leadership skills. The program’s first cohort is a mix of professionals who specialize in various communication disciplines.

Their common link is that they’re all now working in organizational communications, and came to the Communication Management program to build experience that will open more professional opportunities.

“I have already put my new skills into practice in my work at Manitoba Hydro,” says Kathleen Hodgson, Community Investment and Public Safety Specialist at Manitoba Hydro. “The course content is designed specifically for people like me, who may have mastered the fundamentals of communications but are still eager to learn more. I believe the confidence I gained from taking Business for Communicators 1 gave me the edge I needed to bid on an exciting new role within my organization, and get it.”

“The program has really helped boost my confidence and renewed my passion for my work, which is great for me and Manitoba Hydro,” says Hodgson.

The Communication Management program is offered online, on weekday evenings. The courses cover traditional business topics ranging from operating fundamentals (finance, governance, reporting, labour law) to professional project management and leadership skills. In addition to those, courses provide deeper dives into skills particularly relevant to mid-level communicators, from stakeholder engagement to change management and digital content marketing.

To complete the program, each student will complete a capstone project that puts their skills into practice for a real-life client of their choice – either an employer or another organization they want to help.

“Our Creative Communications grads develop strong communication skills in their diploma program, but we just don’t have the time to build the extensive business knowledge, project management and leadership skills we’d like to,” says Melanie Lee Lockhart, M.A., APR, who coordinates the Communication Management program. “Having taught Public Relations and Communication Management in CreComm for more than a decade, I know the vast majority of our grads find industry jobs quickly. But some eventually need additional training to help them move up.”

“We developed the Communication Management program to connect CreComm grads’ communication skills with the business knowledge and management skills they need,” says Lee Lockhart.

The Communication Management program comprises 12 courses. This coming winter term (January – April 2023), the program will offer its Managing Major ProjectsDigital Content Marketing, and Labour Law and Management courses.

Communication Management

To enrol on a part-time basis in an upcoming course in Communication Management, you first need to submit an application. Learn more about the benefits of the program to apply with confidence, and get ready to advance your career.

Explore program

Learn Motion Tracking and Cinematography

April 8, 2022

In DMD, we teach DSLR cinematography: you’ll learn camera settings, composition, lighting and audio. Here are some samples of students integrating motion graphics into their video production. The goal here was to focus on composition, movement, natural light, colour correction, and designing motion tracked graphics. Once students have mastered basic camera and lighting, we move on to advanced digital filmmaking techniques with a focus on storytelling.

Grad Show 2021

May 5, 2021

Join us

On Thursday of this week, our graduating Graphic Design and Communication Design classes are hosting Industry Day as a virtual event.

This is a chance to celebrate all of their hard work, meet some new people, catch up with friends, and more.

They’ve been working hard on this and are looking forward to connecting with you. Please consider joining us for part of your day on Thursday!

OUR VOICE / SHIFT – INDUSTRY DAY

Thursday, May 6 from 12pm-9pm
To see the schedule or join the event, click here.

Scheduled at various times throughout the event:

  • Group sessions
  • One-on-one chats
  • Exhibition of student work

Please follow the updates on Instagram @rrcdesign21 and @shiftdesignshow for instructions and complete schedule of activities.

Grad Show website: https://2021.rrcdesignshow.ca/graphic-design/
Grad Show store: https://2021.rrcdesignshow.ca/shop/

Hope to see you there! Thank you for your support of our programs.

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.

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