The Winnipeg Free Press’ Martin Cash recently shared news about RRC’s new program that will provide a key resource for both entrepreneurial RRC students and local startups.  RRC students get hands-on learning and experience in a real startup, and the startup receives development assistance at no cost, other than their time and effort in mentoring the students.

Ace that Startup

RRC launches program to help entrepreneurial students to turn their ideas in to businesses.
Writeen by Martin Cash and published in the Winnipeg Free Press on 01/14/2016
Excerpt:
From the vantage point of its Princess Street campus, Red River College has the perfect perspective on the potential of Innovation Alley.

That’s why it launched a new program that some believe could become the missing link between the education system and the burgeoning entrepreneurial eco-system in Winnipeg.
Read the full article.

For its building airtightness testing activities at Fort Whyte Alive, Red River College’s Building Envelope Technology Access Centre was recently featured in the Globe and Mail’s Property Report.
Read more about the BETAC →

The objective of this applied research project is to conduct airtightness testing on the interpretive centre at Fort Whyte Alive, located in southwest Winnipeg.

Background

The interpretive centre will be undergoing a major envelope upgrade that is projected to take place in 2016.

Services Provided

• The project will involve the testing of the existing building prior to the renovations as well as comparative testing after the work has been completed.
• During the pre-renovation test, major leakage paths will be identified through the use of diagnostic tools such as smoke machines and infrared thermography.

Results

• The results of the pre-renovation testing, which was completed in December 2015, will help guide the scope of work for the retrofits.

An article about the pre-renovation testing was published in the Globe and Mail.

Red River College’s partnership with Granny’s Poultry Co-operative was featured in the NSERC Research News recently. Read the full story here.
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Gluten-free Turkeys from Freezer to Oven

Two new turkey products have been introduced to retail stores in the Prairies thanks to testing and tasting at Red River College’s (RRC) School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts.

Granny’s Poultry was able to launch two new products. The Cornbread Stuffed Turkey and an Unstuffed Slow Cooker Turkey Roast are now sold through a major retailer in over 100 stores across the Prairies. The products are the first on the market to be naturally gluten-free and cooked straight from the freezer without thawing.

“By working closely with chefs and students at the college on the final phase of development we were able to fine tune our unique corn bread stuffing formula and validate cooking methods,” said Wortzman. “After testing our finished product on a broad demographic we were able to confidently partner with a national retailer on an ambitious new product launch plan.”
Read more.

Red River College has received funding to continue its applied research activities focused on energy efficiency of large institutional and commercial buildings. A new $1.75-million grant will ensure the continuation of the activities that were started with the Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group (SITRG).
Read more about the BETAC funding →

WINNIPEG, MB – Red River College (RRC) has been recognized as Canada’s top research college in partnership growth for 2014, as well as 8th overall by Research Infosource in their annual Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges 2015 list.
The College has placed in the top 10 overall every year since Research Infosource first published its Top 50 list in 2013.
“Applied Research & Commercialization at the College continues to create and deliver more applied research and innovation resources for our partners and the communities we serve,” said Paul Vogt, president and CEO of Red River College. “Next to workforce-ready graduates, applied research offerings are key to our business community. It has led to many innovations in products, production methods and services delivered by Manitoba enterprises.”
Along with leading the nation in partnership growth (a new category), RRC increased its ranking in total number of partnerships from 12th to 6th and total number of projects from 15th to 11th.
The only sub-category in which the College’s ranking lowered was in research intensity, which can actually be looked at as a good thing. Research intensity is calculated based on total research income and the number of researchers engaged.
“While our research income remained relatively stable in 2014, we engaged more researchers in our projects,” said Ray Hoemsen, director of Applied Research & Commercialization at Red River College. “An increase in researchers engaged translates to a net benefit towards curriculum development and applied student learning and contributes to the long term growth of our research capacity.”
Overall, Canadian college research income growth took a sharp decline in 2014, going from over 30 per cent growth in 2012 and 2013 to only 4.7 per cent in 2014.
“Our relative research income stability in 2014 is a testament to our role and integration into Manitoba’s business and innovation ecosystems,” said Vogt. “Our initiatives are predominantly tied to solving problems for businesses, and helping them innovate. That also happens to be what the federal funders are looking for from colleges – practical and meaningful research tied to a business case.”
RRC’s research income in 2014 was tied to focus areas, including aerospace and manufacturing; sustainable transportation, like the Zero Emissions Transit Bus Project; and social innovation, like the Science of Early Child Development.

This objective of this applied research project is to conduct airtightness testing on Ecole Noel Ritchot, located in St. Norbert, Winnipeg.

Background

Ecole Noel Ritchot will be undergoing a major envelope upgrade in 2016. Also, a planned expansion of approximately 30,000 sq.ft. will be added to the school around the same time.

Services Provided

• The project will involve the testing of the existing building prior to the renovations and expansion as well as comparative testing after the work has been completed.
• The tests will be designed to enable the pre- and post-renovation air leakage rates of the existing portion of the school independent of the new addition.
• Post-renovation testing will also provide air leakage rates for the new, larger building as a whole.

Result

Pre-renovation tests were completed during the summer of 2015.

• The Public Schools Finance Board has expressed interest in collaborating with RRC to further the research activities on large building air leakage testing.

The research project described in this report was carried out to explore some of the unique problems associated with performing airtightness tests on occupied Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs).

Background

Current airtightness testing methods and standards are predicated on the assumption that the testing agency has complete control over the building and its operation during the test period.

With unoccupied buildings, this is seldom a problem. However, if the building is an occupied MURB, then major issues arise. Occupant access has to be limited during certain critical portions of the testing, interior doors must be kept open and suite windows have to be kept closed. These last two issues (interior door and suite window positions) were the main focus of this project.

Our Research

Using two unoccupied and four occupied MURB’s, ranging in size from 8 to 124 units, a series of airtightness tests were conducted to determine if reliable results could be obtained with interior suite doors closed and a limited number of windows partially open.

Results

• The results of this work indicated that conducting an airtightness test with occupied suites and closed doors is indeed possible by applying a correction factor; however all windows must be kept closed during testing.
• It was found that building owner cooperation and participation during the test is essential.

See the final project report

The new investment to build a construction research centre that will spark partnerships with Winnipeg’s construction industry was highlighted with a visit from representatives from both the federal and provincial governments.
Read more about the investment →

(L-R): Rick Marshall, Bird Construction; David Stones, CBEP Advisory Board Chair; Lawrence Toet, MP for Elmwood-Transona; David Rew, interim President of Red River College; Hon. Peter Van Loan, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

Lawrence Toet, Member of Parliament for Elmwood–Transcona and the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Leader of Government in the House of Commons, and on behalf of Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), were at Red River College on July 7, 2015 to highlight a new investment to build a construction research centre that will spark partnerships with Winnipeg’s construction industry.

Red River College is receiving a Technology Access Centres Grant of $1.75 million—allocated over five years under the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program—to build the Building Envelope Technology Access Centre. Red River College will work with the local construction industry to support innovation in building envelope design and construction, conduct applied research, and provide specialized education and training.

The CCI Program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Read More →