Simon Woodside
Founder
Topic TBA
Semacode

Simon Woodside is the founder of Semacode Corporation, maker of software for reading barcodes with mobile phones. He is a University of Waterloo-trained Computer Science graduate with experience managing the Mac OS X on Intel project at Apple in California and several open-source projects.

Dr. Kalai Kalaichelvan
Chairman and CEO
WIMAX: The New Wireless Wave
Eion Wireless

Dr. Kalai Kalaichelvan founded EION in 2001, and has since grown the business to become a world leader in IP software and wireless networking solutions. He was the Chairman and co-founder of iPine Networks prior to its acquisition by Nakina Systems. Dr. Kalaichelvan brings over 20 years of experience in the communications industry in business and technology leadership. For his entrepreneurial innovation, CATA Alliance and National Research Council honored him with Innovator of the Year 2004 Award. He is currently the only Canadian member on the Advisory Board of Samsung Electronics, Seoul, Korea.

Prior to founding EION, he held the position of Vice President in Nortel Networks in the wireless and carrier networking division. Dr. Kalai Kalaichelvan holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Marie-Josée Potvin
Research Engineer
Membrane Antennae for Space
Canadian Space Agency

Dr. Marie-Josée Potvin is a research engineer working at the Canadian Space Agency. She is working on two main types of research. One involves developing flapping-wing devices that could be used to explore Mars. There is not enough air on Mars to fly like an airplane, but flying as insects do, by swirling small amounts of air around their wings, could be possible. The other research program is involves building satellite antennae made of plastic sheets. Rather than using long and large plates of aluminium as radars, plastic sheets could be unrolled and carry out the same function. Another part of Dr. Potvin's work is to supervise the construction of satellites done by Canadian companies. Finally, but not least, Dr. Potvin is the mother of four children, one girl and three boys, aged 14, 13, 11, and 7 years old. She is also in charge of the Scouts group of her small town.

Prakash C. Patnaik
Director
Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) in Aerospace Systems - A Multidisciplinary Approach
Institute of Aerospace Research (National Research Council Canada)

Current responsibilities as Director of the Structures & Materials Performance Laboratory (SMPL)one of the five Laboratories of NRC Aerospace include the management of the research and development and testing evaluation of aerospace Structures, Materials/coatings for aircraft engines, spacecraft applications and Aeroaquostics & Structural Dynamics , NDE and airworthiness certification related various collaborative projects with Canadian industries and other Canadian Government Departments.

Dr. Patnaik received his bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from India, Masters and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from McMaster University in Canada in 1984. After spending 2 years at NRC-NAE as NSERC Visiting Fellow, he continued with industry serving Orenda//Magellan Aerospace Corporation for 16 years. Joined the Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR), National Research Council Canada in 2002 as Chief of Materials. A fellow of the American Society for Materials International (1998), a distinguished Canada Council Lecturer in 2001 and a winner of the MacDonald Young Award in 2003 and Morris Cohen Award winner from CIM, Canada, he is very active in the professional field of Aerospace Materials representing many organizations such as ASM, TMS, NACE and ASME-IGTI.

Currently he is the Canadian Panel member in Metals & Ceramics Panel (TP-1) in the TTCP Defence collaboration program in between Canada, USA, U.K, Australia and New Zealand. He is also a member of the NATO-RTO-AVT Mechanical Systems and Materials Technical Committee and was recently elected to be the Vice-Chair. He has published in excess of 130 technical papers in journals & conference proceedings and 70 technical reports, edited books and conference proceedings and organized several conference sessions and symposia. He is currently the Co-Chair of the International Conference on Fracture (ICF-12) planned for 2009 in Canada. He holds adjunct professorships in the department of Aeronautical & Mechanical Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa and the department of Metals & Materials Engineering in the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Nigel Stokes
Chairman, CEO & President
Need for Innovation and Entrepreneurism in the IT industry
DataMirror Corp.

Nigel Stokes guides DataMirror's strategic vision and direction. Under Nigel's leadership, DataMirror was named to the Deloitte & Touche Fast 500, and he won Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young. Nigel has 25 years of IT experience with a variety of companies and industries.

Nigel co-founded DataMirror in 1993 to produce intelligent data replication software for enterprise applications. He is an early innovator in data warehousing, ETL and data replication. He has designed and architected ETL, data replication and data warehousing products for industry since 1990. As a thought leader in the software market, he defined innovative concepts around active data warehousing, data transformation and intelligent data replication. Under his direction, DataMirror went public in 1996, completed strategic acquisitions, and in 1998 was the seed investor in the PointBase Java database.

Nigel was formerly Co-Founder and President of Nidak, Managing Director of SHL Systemhouse, and a Principal at Woods Gordon (now Ernst & Young). Nidak, which was purchased by SHL Systemhouse, specialized in the development of custom business applications, relational databases and data warehouses for corporate clients. Nidak ranked as the 11th fastest growing company in Canada and won two Canada Awards for Business Excellence.

As an executive and consultant, Nigel has delivered sophisticated software projects for financial institutions, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and other industries. He is a Certified Management Consultant and holds an M.B.A., an M.A.Sc., System Design Engineering, and a B.Sc.

Michael Sepa and S. Tarkan Karsidag
Use of SysML for the Design, Development and Life-cycle Support of the Integrated Mission System on the Canadian Forces CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter
General Dynamics Canada

It has been well and widely reported that the Canadian Forces' CH-124 Sea King maritime helicopters are "getting long in the tooth". The fact that these aircraft continue to be operated effectively despite their age is a testament to the skills and dedication of our armed forces personnel; however, these helicopters are certainly in need of urgent replacement. The Maritime Helicopter Project will do just that and much more…

Canada's biggest current defence program includes in its scope not just the provision of a replacement fleet of helicopters but also development and delivery of a wide range of trainers, simulators and support services. In addition, the program also includes second line maintenance and Integrated Logistics Support for a full 20 years ... all as part of a firm fixed price contract. Are there challenges? Absolutely! Is it a fun ride? You bet!

During the presentation, Michael Sepa will provide a brief description of General Dynamics Canada’s role on the Maritime Helicopter Project with a focus on the development of the Integrated Mission System and the decision to employ a SysML design methodology on this engineering effort. S. Tarkan Karsidag will then describe how General Dynamics is using SysML to model, define, design and test the Integrated Mission System.

Michael Sepa, MDMS Lead Systems Engineer, System Architecture
Michael Sepa leads the system architecture team for the MHP Mission Data Management System (MDMS). Prior to joining General Dynamics, Michael worked as a project Engineer at the Canadian Space Agency, a software Engineer at Lockheed Martin Canada and a software Engineer at Nortel Networks. In his daily activities on MHP, Michael leads a team of Engineers who analyze requirements, design to those requirements, and verify and validate the design against those requirements. In his off hours, Michael runs a robot building class for children ages 10--14 with an Ottawa based non-profit agency. Michael holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.

S. Tarkan Karsidag, IMS Lead - Interfaces and Integration
S. Tarkan Karsidag is the lead for Interfaces and Integration Testing of the Integrated Mission System. Tarkan holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and has authored a number of published papers. Prior to joining General Dynamics, Tarkan worked for the Havelsan, Inc. a subcontractor performing Systems Engineering activities for the Boeing Aerospace company. In addition, Tarkan has worked in a number of roles within Turkish Aerospace Industries most recently as Chief Engineer - Avionics , software and electrical systems. In his daily activities on MHP, Tarkan leads the Integration and Interfaces team while applying his keen analytical insights as well as the ability to develop elegant solutions to complex Systems Engineering issues.

David Wang
Professor
Haptics - a new frontier in communications
University of Waterloo

Prof. Wang is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He has been Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in that department and is currently the editor of the Faculty Association Forum. He is also a Founder and past-President of Handshake VR Inc. His research interests are in the areas of robotics, flexible manipulators, linear and nonlinear control, shape memory Alloys, hysteretic systems and virtual reality haptic interfaces

David Woodcock
Managing Director
Customer Driven Development: Adding Canadian Value in a Multinational Company
Motorola

David Woodcock has extensive background in the area of wireless and wired telecommunications. Recently appointed as Managing Director of Sales, he is responsible for Motorola´s overall relationship with Rogers Communications, including the realization of Motorola´s "Seamless Mobility" vision for Rogers. Prior to this, David was Director of Product Management for Motorola´s Mobile Devices business in Canada. He was responsible for all aspects of Motorola´s cellular product portfolio, from determining customer requirements through product definition and development to end-of life planning. Previously, David has held the positions of Director, Business Development corporately with Motorola Canada Ltd, Canadian Markets Manager for Motorola´s Smartcard Solutions Division, and Engineering Manager with Motorola´s Commercial, Government & Industrial Solutions Sector. He has an MBA from Queen's University, and a degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Parham Aarabi
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair
The Cool Internet
University of Toronto

Prof. Parham Aarabi is a Canada Research Chair in Multi-Sensor Information Systems, a tenured Associate Professor in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the founder and director of the Artificial Perception Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. (2001) in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, M.A.Sc. (1999) in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto, and B.A.Sc. (1998) in Engineering Science (Electrical Option) from the University of Toronto. His recent awards include the 2002, 2003, and 2004 Professor of the Year Awards, the 2003 Faculty of Engineering Early Career Teaching Award, the 2004 IEEE Mac Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award, the 2005 Gordon Slemon Award, the 2005 TVO Best Lecturer (Top 30) selection, the Premier's Research Excellence Award, as well as MIT Technology Review's 2005 TR35 "World's Top Young Innovator" Award.

His current research, which includes multi-sensor information fusion, human-computer interactions, and hardware implementation of sensor fusion algorithms, has appeared in over 50 peer-reviewed publications and covered by media such as the New York Times, MIT's Technology Review Magazine, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics, the Discovery Channel, CBC Newsworld, Tech TV, Space TV, and City TV.

S.Keshav
Professor and Canada Research Chair
Very Low Cost Internet Access for Rural Kiosks
University of Waterloo

Professor Keshav is interested in developing and analyzing protocols and systems for tetherless computing.

A new type of computing is emerging from the convergence of several trends: computational costs have continued to shrink, mobile devices have gotten smaller and more powerful, and new broadband devices such as 802.11 (WiFi) access points are not only cheap but also allow wireless transmission of data at 500 times the speed of conventional cellular connections. Interestingly, a seemingly contrary trend of concentrating computational power in centralized, connected data centers has also emerged, revitalizing the role of large computers to aid in grid computing. In the new paradigm of "tetherless computing", client applications running on small, inexpensive, smart mobile devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tag readers, and mobile telephones, will maintain intermittent wireless connectivity with back-end services running on powerful computers, enabling novel classes of applications.

We have developed a robust system to provide Internet access to rural kiosks. It is based on two ideas. First, each kiosk has a small, cheap, tamper-resistant 'kiosk controller' that manages one or more refurbished PCs. Second, kiosk controllers exchange data with the Internet by wireless communication with similar single-board computers carried on vehicles such as buses, cars, and trucks. Vehicles opportunistically pick up messages from kiosks, carry them on board, and drop them off at gateways, where they enter the Internet.

Our system is low-cost and economically viable. We estimate that our system requires a capex of ~$100 - $700/kiosk, depending on the configuration, and an opex of ~$75/kiosk/month, including the cost of field technicians and capital depreciation. This is four to ten times cheaper than other solutions.

Our system is rapidly deployable: we successfully installed a prototype in Anandapuram village, Vishakapatnam district, AP, in two days during May 2006.

André Dagenais
Senior Vice President, Regions
How can Siemens' innovations make cities fit for the future and improve the quality of urban life?
Siemens Canada Limited

As Senior Vice President, Regions, Mr. Andre Dagenais is responsible for overseeing the execution of Siemens go-to-market strategy in its geographical operating Regions across Canada.

Mr. Dagenais began his career with Axel Johnson (Canada) Inc. in 1982 and later joined Moore Process Automation Solutions, where he served as the General Manager. He became a member of the Siemens family through the acquisition of Moore in December 2001. Most recently, he acted as the Vice President of Projects and SME Sales for Automation & Drives and played a key role in the establishment and management of the Siemens Project Council.

Parker Mitchell
Co-CEO and Founder
How Social Entrepreneurship is Changing the World
Engineers Without Borders

Parker Mitchell is the co-founder and co-CEO of Engineers Without Borders Canada, one of Canada´s leading international development charities. In the past five years EWB has sent over 200 young Canadian engineers to work in developing countries for up to two years to build capacity in the rural technical sector. And within Canada EWB is transforming engineering, attracting over 20,000 members who strive to make Canada the most pro-development country in the world.

EWB has won a number of prominent national and international awards for our work, and has been featured in all of Canada´s major media outlets.

Parker graduated from the University of Waterloo as the gold medalist with a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts. He completed a Master´s in Development Studies at Cambridge University and has worked with McKinsey & Company and Magna.

For his work with EWB, he has been named one of Canada´s Top 40 Under 40 and was profiled in TIME Magazine as one of Canada's next generation of social leaders. He has also co-founded Canada25, an organization which seeks to engage Canadians active in public policy, and is the chair of the Board of the North York Community House.

Rahim Fazal and Steven Woods
Topic TBA
NeoEdge

Steven Woods is currently Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at NeoEdge Networks. Steven founded NeoEdge to help consumer, gaming, and online entertainment companies deliver highest-quality user online experiences, achieve unprecedented efficiencies, and reap increasing benefits from doing business over the Internet. His responsibilities include the evolution of truly innovative products, business models and opportunities for both NeoEdge and its customers. NeoEdge technologies and products provide simple and fast ways companies to integrate advertising and incremental selling revenues into popular gaming and consumer experiences.

As CEO at NeoEdge (formerly Kinitos) from its inception through 2005, Steven assembled a world-class team and drove the creation of the Company's patent-pending web services platform, positioning NeoEdge as the world's leading enabler of advertising business models for gaming and entertainment companies.

Prior, Steven was a VP of Voice Services for America Online, creating high-quality interactive consumer solutions for millions of users. He joined AOL through the acquisition of Quack.com , a company he co-founded, and which earned acclaim as the world's first consumer Internet portal accessible entirely by voice. At Quack.com Steven led all aspects of service innovation and technology development as CTO and VP Products. In addition to a background in enabling consumer products, Steven has an extensive experience in all aspects of software development, including previous senior roles at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, Australia's CSIRO and Canada's Department of National Defence. He has received numerous awards, is author of numerous patents, technical publications/books, and holds Masters and Ph.D degrees in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Rahim Fazal considers it a person's duty to always stretch personal limits and therefore grow as a human being. Certainly he has put that belief into practice throughout most of his life. At only 24, he is already a successful businessman, a dot-com millionaire, a fervent activist in his community, and now, an MBA graduate. Passionately willing to take calculated and essential risks in order to achieve his visions, Rahim quietly created an online business while still in high school, negotiated its sale while writing his Grade 12 final exams, and then spent two years creating a publicly traded company in the US and taking an expanding role in his community.

Rahim completed his MBA at Canada's top management school, the Richard Ivey School of Business. Because of his achievements, he was the youngest student in the school's 80 year history accepted without a prerequisite university degree.

A frequent and popular speaker, Rahim's life planning program, "Gettin' It", provides alternately hilarious and sobering education to youths on how to truly get what they want out of life.

Rahim is an advisor to the Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Corporation in New York City, an organization helping young people realize the value of pursuing entrepreneurship through education and outreach.

Rahim lives in Palo Alto, California and is working on an exciting start-up that places advertising in video games.

Rahim's profile can viewed online at www.rahimfazal.com

Shana Kelley
Professor
Using Electroactive Nanowires for Medical Diagnostics
University of Toronto

Prof. Shana Kelley is a professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology, and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Scripps Research Institute. A major component of her interdisciplinary research efforts are directed towards developing new nanoscale sensors for disease diagnosis. Kelley has received the Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award, a Research Corporation Innovation Award, a Dreyfus New Faculty Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and was named to MIT Technology Review's list of Top 100 innovators. Shana Kelley was a cofounder of GeneOhm Sciences, a company devoted to developing new clinical diagnostics.

Ian Wilkes
Second Life: Designing the Virtual World
Linden Lab

Ian Wilkes leads the infrastructure team at Linden Lab, providing a stable foundation for the continued growth of Second Life, and advising the development team on key scalability issues. Prior to joining Linden Lab, Ian surfed the .com wave as a technical lead at Zengine, Inc, where he managed the core application architecture and central databases. Previous experience includes development positions at the Department of Energy's experimental supercomputing division, and at game developer Hot-B USA.