Discussions

Received the following press release this morning regarding each of Jeffrey Simpson, Andrew Souvaliotis, Jay Ingram and Dr. M Sanjayan speaking at the Prairie Innovation Forum. Their bios et all are below.  
 
 
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For Immediate Release – Assiniboine Community College and the Royal Bank of Canada are pleased to announce a dynamic series of speakers for the third annual Prairie Innovation Forum. The forum will play host to recognized personalities such as Jeffrey Simpson, Andrew Souvaliotis, Jay Ingram and Dr. M Sanjayan.  
 
“This year’s forum is very exciting. We’re proud to be hosting such a diverse array of speakers that are so well-known throughout Canada and the United States,” says Jack Moes, Associate Vice-President of Research and Innovation at Assiniboine Community College.  
 
Jeffrey Simpson is an author, journalist, television personality and Officer of the Order of Canada. He has been the Globe and Mail's national affairs columnist since 1984. Simpson will speak in Brandon on March 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium (WMCA). Simpson has won the Governor-General's award for nonfiction writing: the National Magazine Award for political writing: and the National Newspaper Award for column writing. He has also won the Hyman Solomon Award for excellence in public policy journalism. His views have been published in Saturday Night, the Report on Business Magazine, The Journal of Canadian Studies and The Queen's Quarterly.  
 
Andrew Souvaliotis, Chief Impact Officer of the AIR MILES Reward Program, will also speak on March 9th at the WMCA (1:30 p.m.). Souvaliotis is the original founder of Green Rewards, an innovative business that sought to create a green shift in Canadians’ shopping patterns by harnessing the potential of loyalty marketing. Green Rewards was acquired by LoyaltyOne in 2008 and has been integrated into the AIR MILES Reward Program, adding a new dimension to the power of the unique reward miles currency to influence consumer behaviour across Canada. Souvaliiotis holds an MBA from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Brandon University. He has been trained by former US Vice-President and Nobel laureate, Al Gore to help raise public awareness of the impact of climate change. He will speak on the impact global climate change has on the business community.  
 
Jay Ingram the co-host of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet will speak on March 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the WMCA. Ingram is one of Canada's best known science media experts. The Daily Planet is televisions first daily science show. His segment, Jay's Journal is a well-known regular feature of the program. Ingram also hosted CBC Radio's science program Quirks and Quarks from 1979 to 1992, earning him two ACTRA Awards, including one for Best Host. In the 1980s, he was also contributing editor to Owl Magazine.  
 
On April 8 & 9, Dr. M Sanjayan, the Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy will speak in both Brandon & Dauphin. As seen on the David Letterman Show, Dr. Sanjayan’s primary responsibility is to communicate the scientific and conservation breakthroughs they are pioneering at the Nature Conservancy. Sanjayan’s past work has focused on conservation genetics, conservation planning, wildlife corridors, wildlife sampling, conservation policy, and conservation measures. He has also been featured in Planet Earth: The Future, a 2006 BBC documentary series on the environment and conservation. It was produced by the BBC Natural History unit as a companion to the multi-award winning nature documentary Planet Earth. Sanjayan will speak in Brandon on April 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church.  
 
As the college develops its new campus on Brandon's North hill, it intends to establish the Prairie Innovation Centre (PIC). The PIC will be a dedicated LEED-certified facility for research, demonstration and training that supports the emerging renewable energy and bio-economy sector. This will enable ACC to contribute toward the emerging Western Canadian bio-economy including energy, fibre, and other bio-products derived from agriculture. The Prairie Innovation Forum supports the Prairie Innovation Centre.  
 
For more information visit, www.prairieinnovation.ca.  
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