Whether its humanoids like Sophia, Domino's autonomous pizza delivery robot Nuro R2, or supercomputer like Watson, the rise of automation is showing no signs of slowing down. According to McKinsey, 88% of businesses worldwide plan to adopt robotic automation into their infrastructure. 

The subject of robots in the workplace is a divisive one; but it's not all doom and gloom. Robots have and will continue to play an important role as we approach the future of work. In fact, robots have played an important role in fighting COVID-19. 

As Windsor-Essex looks to diversify and compete on the world stage, STEM education, training and inspiration will be critical. Lucky for us, Windsor-Essex FIRST Robotics has spent nearly decade preparing and inspiring our future innovators and STEM leaders. 

It was March 2019 since we last witnessed the energy that once filled the University of Windsor's St. Dennis Centre with 1000s of FIRST student and enthusiasts. As Frank Merrick said perfectly in his Miss You Blog Post, "there’s something magical about being around the energy of a FIRST team working on their robot or getting ready to go into the Chairman’s Award interview room. It’s precious and irreplaceable."

In this episode, we talk with members of the Windsor-Essex FIRST community on how FIRST has continued to shine despite the pandemic, what they miss most, on how FIRST® continues to push the limits of student success in STEM and beyond. 

Episode Co-host: Adrianno Fallone, grade 11 student at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, FIRST student & Tech Connect High School Ambassador at WEtech Alliance.

Episode Guest: Windsor-Essex FIRST Coordinator, Sherri Lynn Koscielski and Windsor-Essex FIRST Alumni & Mentor, Jaeleen Koscielski

Without a doubt, 2020 has been a year like no other. Despite the challenges that the world and this community have faced, we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to highlight the regional stories of resilience and expose the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the tech community coming together to make 3D printed face shields, to seeing our clients pivot, grow and innovate, to supporting the future proofing of Mainstreet through digital transformation, listen in to hear the WEtech Alliance's annual end-of-year retrospective and year-ahead predictions.

Episode Guests: John-Marc Vachon, "The Adams", Michelle Teno-Wachter, Noah Campbell, Kate Tomen, and Michael Seguin

Every year, young entrepreneurs from across the globe unite at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance (YEA) Summit to share insights, learnings, expertise focused on entrepreneurship and more importantly, unite their voices in an urgent call to action for the G20 Leaders.

This year, 48 of the nation’s best and brightest young entrepreneurs were selected to represent Canada at the first-ever digital summit hosted by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Among the Canadian delegates included two Windsorites, Saameer Mansoor, Founder of The Prototype, and Yvonne Pilon, President & CEO of WEtech Alliance. Read Futurpreneur G20 YEA Delegate Media Release. 

DYK: SMEs and entrepreneurs are the main job creators in the G20 economies, employing more than two-thirds of the private sector workforce and providing more than 80 percent of net job growth.

DYK: According to a recent report commissioned by Monsha’at, 50 percent of working-age Saudi women and 30 percent of men are launching or running businesses that are less than 42 months old.

In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with G20 YEA Canadian Delegate and new resident to Windsor, Saameer Mansoor and G20 YEA Canadian Sherpa, Mégane Visette. We talk about G20 YEA's mission and global network, key takeaways from this year’s summit in Saudia Arabia, and key recommendations that will be presented to G20 leaders at the G20 Summit.

Episode Guests: Saamer Mansoor, Founder of The First Prototype and a 2020 G20 YEA Canadian Delegate and Mégane Visette, Bilingual Government Relations Specialist at Futurpreneur & Sherpa, Canada – G20 YEA. 

Follow Futurpreneur and G20 YEA on Social Media at @Futurpreneur & @G20YEA. 

Links to Other Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Futurpreneur: https://futurpreneur.ca/

Despite its size and steady growth, Canada’s technology sector has a disappointing track record on workforce inclusion. Research by the Brookfield Institute revealed substantial gaps in terms of who works in, who benefits from and who makes decisions in the tech sector.

South of our border, Black tech workers make up only 9.3 per cent of the industry. At major organizations like Google, black employees comprise around 4 percent to 5 percent of the workforce. In 2018, a U.S. study found just 1 per cent of venture-backed founders were black. 

In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with Black Boys Code, a technology start-up that introduces young Black boys to the STEM disciplines with a focus on computer science. We talk about Black Boys Code's mission and national reach including their newest Chapter in Windsor, ON, how they hope to change the face of the tech world and ways that we can create a more colorful and diverse national and local tech community. Read Windsor Star article published on June 29, 2020. 

Episode Guest: Claudius Thomas, Tech Entrepreneur and Chapter Lead for the newly launched Windsor Chapter of Black Boys Code and Colin McClean, Program Manager at Black Boys Code.

Follow Black Boys Code on Social Media at @BlackBoysCode. 

Links to Other Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Black Boys Code Website: https://blackboyscode.ca/

In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with mortgage industry leader, Bekim Merdita of Edison Financial, a new digital mortgage startup proudly based in Windsor, Ontario. We talk about Edison's partnership with Rock Holdings Inc., the parent company of Quicken Loans®, its mission to transform the Canadian Mortgage industry, COVID-19 impacts, job opportunities, and discuss the company’s "for-more-than profit impact” plan.

Episode Guest: Bekim Merdita, VP of Market Development at Edison Financial. As a digital mortgage startup, Edison provides excellent customer service and a streamlined, modern experience to defy expectations of the Canadian mortgage industry. Using Lendesk Spotlight – a search platform that compiles all lender rates and policies into one place and updates it daily - Edison has industry-leading technology along with extensive knowledge of the Canadian mortgage process. Edison Financial will be located on the second floor of Rock Holdings’ Rocket Innovation Studio in downtown Windsor (156 Chatham St. W), formerly the Loop/Fish Market building. 

Follow Edison Financial on Social Media at @EdisonFinancial. 

Links to Other Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Quicken Loans (Windsor Office) Photos and History: https://bit.ly/3fox5Rw 

Stuck at home with the kids because of coronavirus? In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with Mr. Maker, Chuck Stoffle, who has launched daily bite-size STEM YouTube challenges for homebound kids and parents. We talk makerspaces, tools and resources for parents and educators to support students' STEM learning during school closures and discuss how the global and local makers community is helping fight COVID-19.  

Episode Guest: Chuck Stoffle is an Educator and Maker who runs Windsor's Hetherington Elementary Makerspace. In May 2019, Chuck became one of the first teachers in Canada to be STEM certified by the American non-profit organization STEM.org that provides curriculum coaching and credentialing. Chuck is also an active mentor for the Robohawks, a FIRST Lego League (FLL) team that was assembled in 2018 which participates in the prestigious and global FIRST Robotics competition. Follow Chuck at @ChuckStoffle. 

Links to Other Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Daily STEM Challenge YouTube: https://bit.ly/39pjwxt 

Most people would not associate tech with whisky. In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with The Mad Scientist of Whisky, Don Livermore, on the rise of technology and innovation in the whisky industry. We talk Windsor's distilling history, disrupting technologies and discuss what's being done to balance tradition with innovation and technology? 

Episode Guest: Don Livermore is a Master Blender; Canadian Whisky Blender of the Year 2019 & 2020; PhD Brewing & Distilling from Heriot-Watt; CDN Whisky of Year Pike Creek 21 Year Old. With over 20 years in the distilled spirits industry, he served in the quality and research and development of alcoholic beverages and has been responsible for Research and Development for Canada and the United States for Pernod Ricard. Follow Don at @CDNWhiskyDoc. 

This episode was produced by MediaWorks Studios. 

In this impromptu episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne is joined by Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazers Sarah Jumah, Founder of StyleID and Innovate Inclusion, Naudia Banton (University of Windsor Alumni), Director of Operation at IntelliFLEX Innovation Alliance and Alana Arthur (University of Windsor Alumni), Owner of Freedom Cycle and Global Marketing Manger at eSentire. Yvonne and guests talk getting more people of colour into tech and entrepreneurship, the success of the Kitchener-Waterloo community, stories of triumphs and failures, mentorship, Black History Month, and more.

Innovate Inclusion, a not for profit that advocates for the success of underrepresented communities in technology and entrepreneurship. In May 2018, the organization released the Ontario Incubator Diversity Report, for which they conducted a scan of four leading Ontario government funded Incubators. 

Looking to recognize, study & celebrate the many cultural, scientific, political & economic contributions of Black people to the development of Windsor & Canada this #BlackHistoryMonth? Visit http://ow.ly/SlbR50yav2r for the 2020 Black History Month Activity Schedule. 

Right now, there are more people who watch esports than HBO, Netflix and ESPN combined. In this episode of #TechInTheCity, Yvonne talks with local esports expert and professor, Shaun Byrne, on the rise of esports in Windsor-Essex. We talk educational pathways, regional growth opportunities, answer common questions such as "Can my son/daughter really build a career by playing video game?" and discuss what's being done on campus and within the industry to help diversify the eSports field. 

Episode Guest: Shaun Byrne, Esports Director at St. Clair College. Shaun is tasked with the development, implementation and management of the Saints Gaming Collegiate Esports team at St. Clair College. Shaun also played a leadership role in developing and launching the Esports Administration and Entrepreneurship program at St. Clair College. Follow Shaun on Twitter at @TheEsportsProf. 

This episode was produced by MediaWorks Studios.