Shift by Alberta Innovates

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In this episode we talk with Dawn Trautman about data and smart agriculture in Alberta, including a discussion of the Alberta Innovates' led Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN).   

Dawn's bio

Dawn is a manager of Smart Agriculture and Food Innovation with Alberta Innovates. Her work involves designing programs and building relationships with the agri-food industry and scientific community to create a sustainable future for the industry.

She was recently chosen as one of four 2020 Scholars for Nuffield Canada. Her topic of interest is the adoption of smart technologies in agriculture to sustainably produce more with less. This includes identifying and investigating opportunities to bring traditional agricultural operations into the digital age

She grew up on a mixed beef-crop operation west of Edmonton, and was inspired at an early age to work in the agricultural industry. She has degrees in biology (BSc), agricultural economics (MSc), and business (MBA) at the University of Alberta.

Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.

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In this episode we talk with Bryan Helfenbaum about the value-add of using the bitumen in Alberta's oil sands for things other than fuel, and introduces us to the newly-launched Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge.

Bryan's bio

Bryan is the Executive Director of Advanced Hydrocarbons at Alberta Innovates, responsible for programs such as Recovery Technologies, Partial Upgrading, Digital Oilfield, and Bitumen Beyond Combustion.  

Prior to joining Alberta Innovates, he spent 20 years in a wide variety of technical, business, and innovation roles in industry, most recently as Technology Manager at Devon Energy.  

Bryan’s passion for innovation extends outside the office, where he teaches a course at the University of Calgary and has worked on innovative community residential development projects.  

Bryan has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, with a specialization in Global Energy Management & Sustainability, from the University of Calgary.

Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.

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In this episode we talk with Alberta Innovates' Sean DeWitt about health innovation in the province. We focus on the launch of the eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) program, and discuss the role of data in health care and Alberta Innovates' role as a convener in Alberta's innovation ecosystem.   

Sean's bio

Sean is the Senior Business Partner with Alberta Innovates, who oversees the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Health System program.  

He has an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences with a Business minor and an MBA – both from the University of Alberta. He has worked in operations and manufacturing with Afexa Life Sciences (makers of COLD-FX®), as well as in sales with Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb.  

Sean joined Alberta Innovates from Alberta Health Services where he worked with family physicians to enhance primary care governance and operations in Alberta. 

Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.