McKenna Institute

[En français ci-dessous.] We are thrilled to welcome Armand Doucet as Senior Advisor on Artificial Intelligence, a new role with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development funded in part by the McKenna Institute. Armand is a member of the Order of Canada and is globally recognized as a thought leader for his contributions to digital integration in education. In this role, he will serve both anglophone and francophone schools and provide guidance on the use of AI for grades K-12. This role was created as part of our ongoing investment in the five-year Digital Transformation Roadmap partnership with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The role is aimed to strengthen and augment the work already started by the EECD/MEDPE teams, who hosted the AI Think Tank and D-IA-logue summits in the past year. We are committed to our ongoing partnership with the leadership of EECD/MEDPE in both the Anglophone and Francophone sectors and believe strongly that New Brunswick must accelerate our understanding of AI implications in education to remain relevant in the rapidly changing landscape and take advantage of opportunities that AI is creating for our future. -- Nous sommes ravis d'accueillir Armand Doucet à titre de conseiller principal en intelligence artificielle, un nouveau rôle au ministère de l'Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance financé en partie par l'Institut McKenna. Armand est membre de l'Ordre du Canada et est mondialement reconnu comme un leader d'opinion pour sa contribution à l'intégration numérique dans l'éducation. Dans ce rôle, il servira les écoles anglophones et francophones et fournira des conseils sur l'utilisation de l'IA pour les élèves de la maternelle à la 12e année. Ce rôle vise à renforcer et à augmenter le travail déjà commencé par les équipes EECD/MEDPE, qui ont accueilli les sommets AI Think Tank et D-IA-logue l'année dernière. Ce rôle a été créé dans le cadre de notre investissement continu dans le partenariat quinquennal de la Feuille de route de transformation numérique avec le ministre de l'Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance. Nous sommes déterminés à poursuivre notre partenariat continu avec les dirigeants de l'EECD/MEDPE dans les secteurs anglophone et francophone et croyons fermement que le Nouveau-Brunswick doit accélérer notre compréhension des implications de l'IA dans l'éducation pour rester pertinent dans un paysage en évolution rapide et profiter des opportunités qui L'IA crée pour notre avenir.

"The reason for the [McKenna Institute Rural Strategy for Digital Transformation] can be seen in the demographics and the unique challenges faced by over half of New Brunswick's population that resides in rural areas. Despite their integral role in defining the province's character, these areas are marked by challenges such as demographic shifts, reliance on natural resources, inconsistent digital access, and limited public services. The Rural Strategy proposes a purposeful shift—using digital technology as a lever to turn these challenges into opportunities. Digital transformation can dramatically enhance the work of rural businesses, from mom-and-pop shops to larger enterprises, enabling them to streamline operations, boost productivity, and tap into global markets. Imagine local businesses thriving through enhanced digital marketing and sales, reaching customers far beyond traditional geographic limitations." Read the full op-ed by Ginette Gautreau, Strategic Program Director at the McKenna Institute, about our Rural Strategy in the Telegraph-Journal: https://lnkd.in/gfsSDUWy

The McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick is excited to announce the funding of the first five projects through its ongoing collaboration with Shoppers Drug Mart! The objective is to create innovative, patient-centric community health care solutions, these initiatives will advance work to help address health care gaps in the province and across the country. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3WbfzH7

We're excited to share the funding of the first five projects through our collaboration with Shoppers Drug Mart. Shoppers Drug Mart will fund five projects through NB Institute for Research, Data and Training, Pond-Deshpande Centre at UNB, and the Université de Moncton. Learn about these innovative projects here: https://lnkd.in/gHTjNPjD

Last week, we wrapped up our first AI Integration Masterclass with IBM SkillsBuild! We welcomed almost 20 New Brunswick emerging leaders and business executives to participate in the 3-week cohort to garner an understanding of AI technologies. We were also excited to welcome Brad Wasson from NeuroAI to deliver a talk on the last day about use cases for Artificial Intelligence in business! Stay tuned for more opportunities to join future cohorts!

Adrienne Oldford, our Executive Director, was a guest on this week's Acadia Broadcasting Corporation Insights podcast with Don Mills and David Campbell. Take a listen to hear about the Institute's past, current projects, and plans for the future. https://lnkd.in/gu5p2bs6

Last month, we were honoured to receive a Partners in Education Award from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Future NB, Future Wabanaki, and New Brunswick Centres of Excellence and experience some of the great work students are doing across New Brunswick as part of their Partners Appreciation Summit. We are humbled to contribute to the innovative digital education of students across the province!

By using underwater robots called gliders, researchers are working together to protect North Atlantic right whales. This project is made possible in part by a $300,000 donation by the Murphy Family Foundation through the McKenna Institute. https://lnkd.in/g745i2MT

We want to extend our sincere thanks to the team at the Vector Institute for hosting the Team New Brunswick delegation in conjunction with the McKenna Institute yesterday in Toronto! We were happy to be joined by members of UNB Faculty of Computer Science, NB Institute for Research, Data and Training, UNB Research Institute in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Moncton, TechImpact, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Opportunities New Brunswick, IGT, Horizon Health Network, and Réseau de Santé Vitalité.

We were happy to be a part of 'The State of Tech and Innovation in New Brunswick' with TechImpact a couple weeks ago! We are also excited to be assisting TechImpact with the 2024 InnovateNB Celebration and Awards on Wednesday, November 13th. More information coming soon!