After spending the spring season at home during quarantine, it was easy to notice that many people found themselves taking a shot at starting their own plant and vegetable gardens. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or someone with a brand-new green thumb, successfully keeping plants healthy can be a challenge and nearly all plant-parents have experienced over-watered plants.
Empathize. Ideate. Prototype. Test. Iterate.
The entire University of Guelph community has felt the impact of COVID-19. Faculty, staff and students have all had their own unique experience in coping with the global pandemic. As many co-op placements have been postponed, university administrators have had to find unique and innovative ways to help students gain hands-on, applied learning that U of G’s co-op program is known for.
As an entrepreneurship and innovation centre we teach others the importance of pivoting and remaining flexible. Like many we had to put those teachings into practice as we faced sudden changes that came as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Despite these changes we are happy to announce that our hub incubator program lives on in an online environment!
On Friday, March 6th the University of Guelph hosted the third annual Improve Life Challenge, a one-day immersive experience where interdisciplinary student teams work with community partners to develop solutions to real-world problems.
The theme for this year’s Improve Life Challenge was Hack the Farm in a Climate of Change, which focused on challenges facing the agriculture and food sector including aging demographics, advancements in technology, and pressure for sustainable practices.
As we begin a cold and snowy winter semester, inside the JD MacLachlan building another wonderful and bright group of entrepreneurs enter both our Hub Start and Hub Build Incubator Programs.
You can hear the 80’s glam rock coming out of room 149 as soon as you open the doors to Macdonald Hall. What sounded like a Bon Jovi concert was actually a super successful entrepreneur getting fired up to deliver his keynote talk at the University of Guelph.
Ryan Smoklin, CEO and founder of Smoke’s Poutinerie, was once like the students sitting in front of him. He was born and raised in Pickering, Ontario and went to school at Wilfrid Laurier University. He now spends his days travelling North America, inspiring entrepreneurship!
As students return to University, another promising group of entrepreneurs join the Hub Incubator Program offered through the John F. Wood Centre.
From making fashionable golf towels to advancing 3D printing in modern veterinary medicine, these students/alumni are passionate about improving the lives of others.
With that goal in mind, the Hub Incubator Program provides students and/or alumni with funding, mentorship and advisory services to help them bring their ideas to life.
How Two OVC Veterinarian Students Turned into Entrepreneurs!
In March 2018, a veterinary surgical oncologist from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph used 3D-printing technology to replace the majority of a dog's cancer-ridden skull. It was a novel procedure that marked a major advancement in veterinary medicine.
