Research & Innovation a Product of Partnership: Maclean’s
Maclean’s recently interviewed Teaghan Wellman, Director of Research & Development / QA / QC at Cypher Environmental, and Said Hassan, Life Sciences Instructor at Red River College, following up with an article regarding the partnership between Cypher Environmental and Red River College in the development of Cypher’s latest product, DUST STOP® . The dust control and soil stabilization product is the culmination of a relationship established between the Winnipeg company and college in 2014 by Todd Burns, Owner & President of Cypher Environmental. A graduate of Red River College’s Life Sciences program, Teaghan Wellman, along with approximately 70% of Cypher’s staff are graduates of the college, showcasing RRC’s ability to create jobs for its graduates through partnerships with companies like Cypher.
“It was really unique for me to apply my practical skills (and) my learned skills from the college, and some of that textbook work, and put it to a real-world problem . . . something that could provoke a change, and something that could be sustainable for the economy over time.”Teaghan Wellman, Director of Research & Development / QA / QC, Cypher Environmental
One of Red River College’s primary objectives is bridging the gap between education and industry; whether by implementing work placement programs or the facilitation of student research grants, among other initiatives. These types of opportunities created by the college have been instrumental in securing jobs for recent graduates, including Wellman, and other employees of Cypher Environmental, who started on as co-op students and were kept on long-term. These initiatives also inspire exciting new innovations, such as DUST STOP® , which help to stimulate the industry.
“When we engage in applied research with industry, one of the main things we have to have in mind is student involvement. Even beyond that, how the project leads to enriching the curriculum and how we teach students. So student engagement is actually a major issue in [the] applied research that we do.”Said Hassan, Life Sciences Instructor, Red River College
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