Lethbridge Polytechnic's Spatial Technologies Applied Research and Training (START) Centre was a finalist in three different categories at the recent ASTech Awards gala. It was only fitting that it came away with an award in the Regional Innovation - Rural category.
Photo (from left to right): Anamaria Turuk, START applied research operations officer, Tyler Heaton, START research chair, Carla Otto, executive director, entrepreneurial investments, Alberta Innovates.
Dr. Andrew Dunlop, associate vice-president - research, for the polytechnic's Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE), says it was particularly satisfying to see START recognized.
"The award draws attention to, led by START, exciting extended reality innovation that is happening outside large centres like Calgary and Edmonton," he says. "The technology innovation and student skills development occurring within START will play an important role in diversifying southern Alberta's economy."
The centre was also a finalist in the Digital Innovation and Alberta-Wide Champion/Special Award categories of the Technology Alberta event, which brings together industry, academia, government and entrepreneurs to reward excellence and inspire innovation in the province.
The START Centre opened in March 2023 as a space for applying virtual and augmented reality technologies to enhance operational efficiencies and solve real-world problems experienced by partners in sectors including agriculture, energy, architecture, health care, cultural heritage and emergency response. The centre also provides valuable experiential learning opportunities to polytechnic students and grads.
The Regional Innovation award specifically noted START's role in advancing extended reality through research and collaboration. START Research Chair Tyler Heaton says the recognition is meaningful in that collaboration is core to everything the centre does.
"We want to work with businesses and organizations to help them realize the value of this technology in what they do," Heaton says. "By collaborating and doing that applied research, we're creating value for the business community while also understanding more about the technology and its uses across a wide spectrum of industries."
That collaboration is what makes Lethbridge Polytechnic different from other types of post-secondary institutions, adds Heaton, in that it involves industry and community. That research has an impact. It is applied, and it is practical.
The ASTech award acknowledges START's position within the technology innovation community in Alberta. Heaton says it also validates the technology within the province and shows that the community is starting to understand the place of spatial technology and immersive technology and their potential impact on business and how products and solutions are created.
While attending the awards gala and related events, START team members were able to network with others doing interesting, innovative work across Alberta. "It's an opportunity to share what we're doing, see where the crossover is and see where the synergies exist," says Heaton, adding it also inspires them to try different things.
The world of spatial technologies is rapidly evolving and there's a lot of different directions START's research can take it. While the centre began with a focus on virtual reality and extended reality, he says they're now looking at other opportunities like real-time 3D.
Lethbridge Polytechnic placed 11th in the 2023 Research Infosource ranking of Canada's top 50 research colleges and polytechnics. Research in agriculture, food and environment is one of five research themes in the polytechnic's Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE). To see highlights of CARIE's work, download a copy of the centre's latest annual report.
