BioAlberta
Past Events

Prairie Bioeconomy Guild

February 8th’s GUILD event was very exciting!

Faaiza Ramji, founder of Field Notes shared her start-up journey and how she continues to grow her business model by “Solving Big Problems, One Question At A Time.” 

It was interesting to learn how the first company in North America makes herbal liqueurs from a base spirit of distilled field peas out of Alberta.

 

Prairie Bioeconomy Guild

January 11th’s GUILD event was a great success!

Keenan Pascal, CEO of cannabis manufacturer Token Naturals, shared the barriers the company faced in a highly competitive and regulated industry, and how he took a creative problem-solving approach with the surprising turns to work around restrictions in order to grow and scale.

Prairie Bioeconomy Guild

December 14’s GUILD event was a great success! We ended the year with a bang with this sold-out event, where we all learned a lot from the speakers and other attendees about the Bioecomomy sector.

We heard from Tom Ogaranko, CIO at TrustBIX on “The importance of traceability to develop bioindustrial supply chains.”

TrustBIX Inc is a technology and services company providing Chain of Custody and Strategic Sourcing Solutions in supply chains and the Agri-Food Industry. TrustBIX Inc.’s focus is to create a world where we waste less, trust more, and reward sustainable behaviour.

We were also joined by Katarzyna Piliszek-Kaminska, CITP/FIBP the Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to Poland. She spoke on her work for the sectors ICT, Life Sciences, and Agri Food.

 

Hello Lethbridge!

BioAlberta’s fall visit to Lethbridge was fantastic – our last in-person visit was in 2020 just prior to the pandemic. It was nice to reconnect with members and friends, and meet new ones.

Some exciting things are happening in the vibrant life sciences ecosystem in Lethbridge. Our meetings with PIP International, Pea Pro, Amino Bio, Anderson Systems and Blue Sky Analytical come to mind.

Our visit to the Amino Bio lab was a stand out! We met co-founders Julie Legault and Justin Pahara, along with rockstar WIL-funded student intern Tim Uchikura. Amino Bio is doing fabulous work in the science education space. A lab tour and kit demonstrations were fun and informing! If you are an educator, we highly suggest checking out Amino Bio and what they can offer your students. Contact Julie for more information.

By empowering the next generation, making biotechnology education engaging and accessible, the next generation will become the innovators of tomorrow and will help to solve some of the most pressing global challenges. From L to R: Tim Uchikura, Julie Legault, Jamie Anderson-Reid.

We also hosted our latest Guild on the Go at The Collective Community. What a venue! We strongly suggest visiting this unique space in Lethbridge’s industrial district, just east of downtown. Great coffee, local goods and an intimate meeting space are just a few of their offerings.

Ross Tisdale of Blue Sky Analytical Labs Inc keynoted the Guild, with WIL student Marissa Black also participating in the presentation. We learned more about Blue Sky’s work and growth, and learned about the importance of talent development at the student level. Work integrated learning opportunities offer experiential learning, which is becoming increasingly important as we aim to retain our student talent in the province.

From L to R: Marissa Black and Ross Tisdale of Blue Sky Analytical Labs Inc.

Capping off our Thursday night was the Innovation Masterminds Lethbridge Social where we got to meet new Innovators and catch up with continuing Innovators, hearing about their progress in the IMyeg cycle.

Friday was all about STEM Fusion at the University of Lethbridge. A big congratulations to Brandie Lea and the entire STEM Fusion team for their event. It was a privilege to participate and to be in the space, meeting with the minds, and especially to meet some of the undergraduate and graduate students with big aspirations and research backgrounds to make those aspirations a reality.

BioAlberta President & CEO Robb Stoddard presenting at STEM Fusion

Lethbridge, you are still vibrant, and your life sciences ecosystem continues to grow.

We can’t wait to be back!