Conestoga news

April 18, 2008 8:00 AM

Tech@Work: Conestoga Students Show Their Best

In today's world, the proof and value of technical knowledge is how it can be used to develop new products, improve existing products, devise and perfect processes that generate economic growth and prosperity, and contribute directly to a better life and a more vibrant society. The goal is to merge knowledge, skills and imagination.

Senior-level Conestoga College students from more than a dozen diploma and degree programs will demonstrate and explain their comprehensive projects in a trade show/information fair setting on Tuesday, April 29 at the Conestoga Recreation Centre, located at the Doon campus in Kitchener.

Tech@Work is the name of the event. The time on April 29 is 1-5 p.m. (with the presentation of excellence awards beginning immediately afterwards). One key aim is for employers to see what these students can do, and to encourage dialogue between the two groups. But the general public is welcome to visit Tech@Work, and the event is free of charge.

A wide range of Conestoga technical programs will be featured, including fields such as architecture/construction engineering, electronics engineering, telecommunications, automated manufacturing, software engineering, computer programming and analysis, advanced manufacturing technology and woodworking. About 100 students will participate, showcasing almost 40 projects.

Here are a few examples:

  • The design for a congestion-relieving traffic overpass for the King St.-Fountain St. intersection in Cambridge;

  • A sound-to-light software package that lighting technicians could use to enhance the entertainment experience at night clubs and performance venues;

  • Hand- and computer-designed and machined custom furniture, both functional and imaginative;

  • A hunt-and-chase game employing artificial intelligence, involving two hunter robots in pursuit of a fugitive robot;

  • Detailed plans and a proposal for transforming a historic Cambridge fire hall into an upscale restaurant.

All projects are student-developed and student-produced, and reflect a full integration of skills gained during their years of study and co-op experiences in business and industry. The projects are student-driven in all aspects: concept, research, feasibility studies, consultation with professionals in the field, development, problem identification and resolution, costing and budget development, production and full documentation.

More information about Tech@Work can be found at http://techatwork.conestogac.on.ca.

CONTACT: Julia Biedermann, 519-748-5220, ext. 3212, or Mitch Wawzonek, ext. 3297