OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 7
VIEWPOINT
If you open the doors to innovation
centres, collaboration hubs or
prototyping labs across the province -
or better yet, across the country - you'll
discover creative environments filled
with engineers and engineering alumni.
So why then is there a common misconception that engineers are not innovative or
entrepreneurial?
I think that the answer is twofold. It is partly because the profession breeds a culture of
humility, where individuals want to be recognized for their contributions and solutions,
and not for their status. The second reason is that entrepreneurial enterprises are all
about risk-taking. They are characterized by lean start-ups, efficient decision-making
and 'fast failures'. Risk-taking is not typically something one would consider inherent in
traditional engineering education - which is founded on thorough systems of analysis
and troubleshooting - but as problem-solvers and natural innovators, engineers are
well-equipped to become key players in the entrepreneurial process.
The saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child." As a parent, I know that it is
impossible to teach your kids everything they need to know in life to become fullyparticipating members of society. The external support of various influencers - from
teachers to peers - shape our personal experiences from an early age and help mold us
into the people that we become.
My April visit to Concordia University's District 3 innovation centre and my
attendance at the Halton Futures Innovation Summit & Awards in June confirmed that
in much the same way, it takes a collaborative ecosystem to nurture robust start-ups
and well-rounded business ventures. For engineering-entrepreneurs to become truly
successful, they require diverse partnerships and co-operative networks outside of their
usual professional circles.
District 3's innovation space encourages collaboration between engineering and nonengineering students in order to broaden market access and to develop an integrated
system for problem-solving. By better connecting engineers with those they are designing
their solutions for, markets are able to fully appreciate what a given solution is intended
to do.
The work at Haltech Regional Innovation Centre similarly demonstrated how
innovation, collaboration and smart integrated technologies are transforming everything
from industrial manufacturing and healthcare to clean energy, communications and
social networks. By fostering integrated communities of experienced innovators,
academic thought-leaders and burgeoning entrepreneurs, technological advancements
and new business ventures can enjoy a more comprehensive reach and impact.
Marrying an entrepreneurial culture of risk-taking with analytical and methodical
frames of thought is not a requirement unique to the engineering profession. In fact, it
is a broader Canadian cultural necessity. As a nation, Canada must develop a bolder and
more sophisticated culture of risk-taking to more effectively compete on an international
scale, and to ensure that the very citizens who drive innovation and economic growth
in our country have access to the resources and opportunities that they need to succeed.
OSPE's own entrepreneurial program hopes to connect engineer-entrepreneurs with
new investors, collaborators and markets to which they may not have previously had
access. After all, who is better suited than engineers to unite scientific discovery with
real societal need, in order to create a better world for all of us?
Message froM Your
chief eXecutive officer
Sandro Perruzza
ChieF eXeCUtiVe OFFiCer, OsPe
September 2016
The VOICe
7
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - September 2016
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - Cover1
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - Cover2
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 4
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 5
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 6
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 7
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 8
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 9
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 10
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 11
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 12
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 13
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 14
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 15
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 16
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 17
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 18
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 19
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 20
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 21
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 22
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 23
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 24
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 25
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 26
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 27
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 28
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 29
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 30
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 31
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 32
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 33
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 34
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 35
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 36
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 37
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - 38
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - Cover3
OSPE - The Voice - September 2016 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2020Winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/covid_19_Provincial
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/covid_19_Federal
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2020Fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2020summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2020spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2019winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2019fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2019May
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2019March
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2018dec
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2018Sept
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2018june
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_March2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_december2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_September2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_June2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_March2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_september2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_june2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_march2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_december2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2015winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2013summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/ospe/thevoice_2012fall
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com