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The good news is: it is not snowing here. The bad news is: it is snowing a lot in Alberta. The better news is: it is time for another post-secondary news roundup! Keeping warm by the fire? See last month’s roundup here.

BU Mini University Extends STEM Programming for Kids and Youth

While Brandon University’s ‘Mini University’ has wrapped up for the season, planning is already underway for next summer’s Mini-U camps.

Federal funding from Actua, a national organization that represents thirty-eight STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) outreach programs, will provide $80,000 in new student and teacher training over the next two years, with a focus on digital education.

Mini-U director Nancy Stanley says that the emphasis is on using technology to create more active learners and citizens. “Our programs are promoting the development of digital skills so that youth move away from being passive consumers of technology to active. We are promoting quality productive screen time for kids to engage [with] technology in productive, confidence building ways.”

UWinnipeg Prof Shortlisted for Book Prize

Writer and UWinnipeg scholar Dr. Jenny Heijun Wills is one of five writers shortlisted for the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Her book, Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related  explores the impact of being raised by a family of different ethnicity and culture. 

Dr. Wills is an associate professor at UWinnipeg’s Department of English. She writes about race and ethnicity, both as a scholar of literary and cultural studies, and a creative writer. She is currently writing a confessional novel entitled Sip, inspired by the life of the surviving Korean adopted child of notorious cult-leader and mass murderer, Jim Jones.

The Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction is awarded for excellence in the category of literary nonfiction. It will be awarded at a ceremony in Toronto on November 5th.

UM College of Pharmacy Expands Experiential Learning

Heading into the new academic year at the University of Manitoba, Ron Eros is the new director of experiential education at the College of Pharmacy in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

As a result of Eros’s new initiative, students will spend their final year of the Pharmacy program completing thirty-two weeks of experiential education. It is Eros’s responsibility to oversee the establishment of this new opportunity for learners.

“My role is to expand the opportunities that are available to students,” says Eros, “We need to make sure we’re expanding placements in community pharmacies, hospital and primary care sites. It will take some time but the work has already started.”

ACC to Host Activities for Indigenous Awareness

Assiniboine Community College will host its first-ever Indigenous Awareness and Education Week, from September 30th to October 4th, across its five campuses.

Each day of the week centers around a specific theme and the themes are diverse: ‘Every Child Matters,’ Indigenous Languages, Indigenous Worldviews, and Reconciliation.

“This week is about recognizing and celebrating Indigenous culture and perspectives and offering a time for reflection,” said Kris Desjarlais, ACC’s Director of Indigenous Education. “In doing so, we aim to educate staff, students, and the public on Indigenous history, while providing a venue for compelling visions of the future.”

RRC Staff Pulls Out a Win for United Way Winnipeg

Last Friday, Red River College staff and students rolled up their sleeves for United Way Winnipeg’s 16^th annual Plane Pull – with RRC’s crew achieving the fastest time for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules pull.

The team of employees pulled the plane twenty feet in 11.12 seconds. The RRC Stevenson Campus student team pulled the Boeing 727 the same distance in 16.45 seconds, for a 6^th place finish.

“I was happy to be part of a great team,” said Joan Machendagoos, administrative assistant for Skilled Trades and Technologies at RRC. “This gave us the opportunity to meet staff that we only see in emails, to bond as a team. And giving back to the community was a bonus.”

UCN Welcomes Lieutenant Governor

On September 25th, the Honourable Janice C. Filmon, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, visited The Pas campus of University College of the North (UCN). She was given a tour of the Health Lab by Bachelor of Nursing students and visited the Mamawechetotan Centre, where she visited students from the Kelsey Learning Centre.

“We’re proud of our campuses at UCN,” said Governing Council Chair Cam Mateika, who attended the tour. “I am very proud of our students, who did an excellent job explaining the equipment in the Health Lab. The Lieutenant Governor was very engaged in the discussion with students about their careers and the importance of health care in general.”

The visit was part of a larger tour of northern communities, including The Pas, Cranberry Portage, and Flin Flon.

Government of Canada Funds USB to Train Students in Legal Translation

The Government of Canada has announced $710,410 in funding over four years to the Université de Saint-Boniface’s Bachelors of Translation Program. This funding will support the introduction of ten new courses in legal translation and law to be added to the existing undergraduate curriculum. The new courses will be offered online, to ensure that all interested students, practicing lawyers and translators can benefit from the courses, no matter where they are located.

The goal is to enhance the justice system to serve Canadians as fully as possible in both official languages.

“The School of Translation at the Université de Saint-Boniface is pleased to receive funding from Justice Canada to develop online courses to be included in its online bachelor’s degree curriculum”, said Carmen Roberge, Director of USB’s School of Translation. “USB is pleased to contribute to increasing access to justice in both official languages ​​and to make the public aware that they should use French in their interactions with the justice system.”

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Campus Manitoba is a consortium of Manitoba’s public universities and colleges. Through collaborative projects and shared services, we facilitate student mobility and expand access to post-secondary programs for students in Manitoba. In addition to campusmanitoba.ca, our websites include ecoursesmb.ca, setyourcourse.ca, and openedmb.ca.