Georgian College pulled back the tarps for a sneak peak at the latest construction site that will further the Barrie college’s reach in the technological world.
The Advanced Technology, Innovation and Research Centre won’t be open until September but local dignitaries got a construction site tour of the three-storey facility that will house students enrolled in current programs as well as those in new combined diploma and degree programs in partnership with Lakehead University.
Kevin Weaver is Georgian’s Vice President of International Workforce Development and Partnerships and has overseen the project from day one and is excited about many aspects of the building. One thing in particular that has Weaver anxious to get the students into the finished building is the telepresence room which will connect those in a room at Barrie’s Georgian campus to their counterparts at Lakehead many kilometres away.
“The technology has been around for a number of years and has been used a lot in corporations but not so much at the post-secondary level,” said Weaver. “It really does allow us to take our relationship and partnership with Lakehead to the next level as we can now use it for administrators, faculty and students and use it for advanced engagement. The great thing about the rooms is that it really will feel like you’re five feet away from the person you’re talking to, despite them being on the screen and a fair distance away.”
The ATIRC building will serve as a place for students and entrepreneurs to research ways to stimulate economic growth through commercialization and industry; areas within the building will include an incubator, changemaker and fabrication space. Weaver says that the tools will be available and the students will be given every chance to use them.
“The rooms within this building are being designed as such as to be more of a meeting of the minds as well as full of areas of high researching aspects,” said Weaver. “There are soundproofing designs and rooms with stimulating views and space to help the mind stay crisp and alert. Also for example the anechoic chamber is a sealed off room and the idea is that the cones on the walls will absorb any electro-magnetic waves. You could put a cell phone in there and we could test how much electromagnetic radiation is coming off the phone, and even throw in other interference and see how the phone reacts. Students using this facility will be able to research many innovative techniques and hopefully apply them to the region, putting the education back into our area.”
The building, which is facing Highway 400 and has a picturesque view of Little Lake, has been helped at provincial and federal level financially but has also received a $5 million commitment from both the City of Barrie and the County of Simcoe that has helped with construction. The project is still in need of more funding and is hoping to get some significant contributors and is even seeking a local name on the building.
“We are doing some fundraising and have four levels of support which we were so very grateful for,” said Weaver. “That left fundraising of $7 million and we are currently in campaign for that money; we have a little bit more work to do but are confident in getting it done.”
