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v1.2 2008
3
UpFront
tablE oF contEnts
10 22
i Cover
FeATures
depArTMeNTs
10
22
innovate
Masterpieces
Lookingatfinefurniture
inanewlight
byJasonNess
upFroNT
6
Contributors
Greenscape f Alumni
A breath of fresh air
Interiordesigner’swaron
toxinscreateshealthier
placestoliveandwork
byLisaRicciotti
14
16
Cover photograph
JasonNess
Frazz Dazzler and the
sunny Day Delay
Guitarpedalsthatstretch
theboundariesofsound
The Good Doctor
prescribes . . .
Musicians around
the world tune in to
Dr. scientist
Coverstoriesby
KarenRawlines
WeB exTrA
B-sides
Viewthecoversthatdidn’tmake
thecutandshareyourcomments.
flickr.com/nait
4
techlifemag.ca
35
38
People f Alumni
invisible man
Award-winningvisual
effectsartisthopeshisbest
workisnevernoticed
byGlenEdwards
7
editor’s note
7
letters
8
President’s connections
9
newsbytes
TeChNoFIle
18 over a barrel
Prototypepromisesto
makeyourrainbarrel
usefulandbeautiful
20
Gadgets
BlackberryandiPodaside,
whatgadgetcouldn’tyou
livewithout?
30
contents
35
INNovATe
21 victoria’s secret
people
42 Mentor
heal the past
Feed the future
Formerresidential
schoolstudentlaunches
nationwidechallenge
Howtohaveyourcake
andeatittoo
NAITspACes
26 heavy metal practice
NAITSandvikCoromant
CentreforMachinist
Technology
28
30
TeChNIQue
52 Go naturel
44
Greenyouryardwithtips
fromthedesignersofthe
EdmontonHomeand
GardenShow’sbackyard
showcase
Alumni
Freestyle sole
RyanZahacydesign–
agoodfit
56
Ask an expert
Kickupyourworkout
withmixedmartialartist
ChrisAde
Piping hot
NAITEnCanaCentrefor
PoweringEngineering
Technology
47
Postcards
Trekking for cancer
fromLucasPoznanski
CulINAIT
58 recipe
in full bloom
MainCampuslandscapes
48
Postcards
Wish you were
here to here
fromC.J.Wilkins
60
49
3 questions; 10 people
50
reading room
greeNsCApe
33 hat trick
Sustainabilityofficer’s
winningapproachbuilds
environmentalmomentum
lobster eggs Benedict
Profile
Culinary champ casts
a wide net
Formerexecutivechefof
Calgary’sCatchrestaurant
dropsanchoroffCanada’s
WestCoast
62
À la carte
Catch of the day
63
Platings
eating out
Directoryofrestaurants
featuringNAITculinary
grads
posTsCrIpTs
65 Click
Featuresattechlifemag.ca
66
rewind
The puck stopped here
84/85Ooksperfecthockey
seasoncommemoratedon
WallofFame
v1.2 2008
5
UpFront
contribUtors
Adam Blasberg
PAGE f 38
WhenAdamBlasbergwalkedintoabusyfilmproduction
studiotoshootBruceWoloshyn–whohadalready
workedafullday–hewaspleasantlysurprisedto
findanextremelycharismaticsubject.“He’savery
professionalandoutgoingperson,”saysBlasberg,who
alsophotographedTomShepanskyfortechlife’sinaugural
cover.Blasberg’scareerchoicecameaftercyclingsolo
fromNewfoundlandtoB.C.Fiveyearsaftertrainingin
hishometownofVancouver,he’sstillthere,asserting,
“I’mconstantlychallenged,completelydevotedand
totallypassionateaboutwhatIdo.”Hesharedthat
enthusiasmwithNAITstudentStephanieLindsay,who
tookthispictureofBlasbergduringapracticumwiththe
photographer.
Lisa Gregoire
PAGE f 42
FreelancewriterandformernewspaperreporterLisa
Gregoirespent12yearsatweekliesanddailiesacross
Canada,includingtheEdmontonJournal,whereshe
developedspecialtiesincrime,nativeissuesand
provincialpolitics.Since2002,shehasbeenaregular
contributortoCanadian GeographicandEdmonton’s
Avenuemagazine,aswellasQuill & Quire,Canadian
Lawyer,Alberta ViewsandUnlimited.Shesaysresidential
schoolsurvivorDianaBlackmaninspiredhernotonly
bywhatshesaid,butbyhowshelives.“Articulate,
headstrong,generousandcommittedtohercommunity,
sheisbothmentorandleader.”
Jason Ness
PAGE f 22
Award-winningphotographerJasonNessgraduated
fromNAIT’sPhotographicTechnologyprogramin2000.
Aftertwoyearsonstaffhere,hewentintobusinessfor
himselfasacommercialphotographerinEdmonton
andabroad.HerejoinedtheNAITteaminJune2007,in
timetohelpphotographtheinauguralissueoftechlife–
andwinabronzeinCASEDistrictVIII’sCommunication
Awardsforhispictureofrunningmap.comcreator
RandyTroppmann.Forthisissue,Nesssourcedand
photographedfinefurnitureandsayscapturinganother
artist’sworkisalwaysaninterestingchallenge.“You
neverwanttomitigatetheintegrityofthedesigner’s
workwithyourownassumptionsofaesthetic.”
karen rawlines
PAGE f 10
BasedinMoncton,N.B.,KarenRawlinesisawriter,
musicaficionadoandaward-winningjournalist.She
workedforseveralyearsasanewspaperreporter,
editorandfeaturewriter,haspublishedarticlesin
Quill & QuireandFibre Focusandisnowbringingher
desiretotellcharacter-drivenstoriestoradio.Shesays
theDr.Scientistcoverstoryprovided“oneofthose
rareinterviewsthatsprawledintoeasy,effervescent
conversation.TanyaandRyanwereadream–open,
keenandinspired.Bytheendofit,I’drekindledmyurge
topickuptheguitar,ifonlytostartapedalcollection!”
Inthemeantime,RawlinesisfillingherearswithThe
RaconteursnewCD,Consolers of the Lonely.
techlife
v1.2 2008
people technology innovation
techlifemag.ca
editor
SherriKrastel
managing editor
KristenVernon
associate and online editor
DianeBégin-Croft(Marketing’97)
art director
DerekLue
associate art director
BonnieKozak
copy editor
JillPringle
advertising and circulation manager
JodyFath(Management‘02)
contributing writers
CaitlinCrawshaw,GlenEdwards,DonovanFrancis,
KathyFrazer,LisaGregoire,RayneKuntz(Radioand
Television’88),CherylMahaffy,KarenRawlines,
LisaRicciotti,RyanSmith
contributing photographers
AdamBlasberg,JohnBook(PhotographicTechnology
’87),LeighFrey(PhotographicTechnology’01),
JasonNess(PhotographicTechnology’00),HughNutt,
LornaPaterson(PhotographicTechnology’79),Roth
andRamberg(DaleRoth–PhotographicTechnology’87;
MicheleRamberg–PhotographicTechnology’87),
EvanWill(PhotographicTechnology’07)
digital designer
ChristianDendy
digital video specialist
Kim Brix
flash developer
RobertBelland
web project liaison
MarcBrisbourne
postcards
LucasPoznanski(BachelorofAppliedInformation
SystemsTechnologystudent),C.J.Wilkins
contributing experts
ChrisAde(PersonalFitnessTrainer’03),StephenHeller
(LandscapeArchitecturalTechnologystudent),
ShaneGaignard(LandscapeArchitecturalTechnology
student),NellGasiewicz(LandscapeArchitectural
Technologystudent)
contact info
techlifemag.ca
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techlifemag.ca
30%
EDitor’s notE • lEttErs
UpFront
“thE rEwArds of turninG
PErsonAl PAssion into
succEss cAn comE in mAny
diffErEnt, And somEtimEs
unExPEctEd, forms”
w
henTanyaBachandRyanClarkebeganbuildinganddesigning
guitareffectspedalstwoyearsagointhebasementoftheir
SherwoodParkhome,theyneverdreamedtheirlittlestomp
boxeswouldsoonbecovetedbymusiciansinmeccaslikeLondonand
NewYorkfortheiruniquesoundsandfunky,handcrafteddesigns.Our
coverstoryexploreshowtheentrepreneurialcouplehastakenapassion
formusic,technologyanddesignandcreatednotonlyasuccessful
product,butworldwidedemandinanichemarket.
Hereattechlife,ourrewardshavecomefromourpeers.We’rethrilled
toannouncethatDistrictVIIIoftheinternationalCouncilforthe
AdvancementandSupportofEducationgaveourinauguralissueagold
forBestPeriodicalandabronzeforthephotoofrunningmap.comcreator
RandyTroppmann.TheAlbertaMagazinePublishersAssociation
recognizedtheCorbinintheKitchenfeaturewiththeirannualawardfor
BestFeatureLayout.Admittedly,oneofthebestrewardsfordoingwhat
youlovetodoisgettingacknowledgedforyoureffort.
Whileexploringtheunionofdesignandtechnologyinthisissue,we
discoveredthattherewardsofturningpersonalpassionintosuccesscan
comeinmanydifferent,andsometimesunexpected,forms.
Thankyoutothemanyreaderswhowroteusfollowingourdebutissue.
Keepsendingusyourthoughtsontechlife’sevolution,asweworktoward
fulfillingourmandatetobringyoustoriesontechnologyforyourlife.
StephaniCarter’srewardcameonceshewasabletoreconcileherlove
ofinteriordesignwithherconcernfortheenvironment.Sincehanging
outEcoAmmo’sshinglenearlytwoyearsago,Carterhasbeenbusy
convincingpeopletochoosebuildingproductsthatarelessharmfulto
boththeenvironmentandtheirhealth(ABreathofFreshAir,p.35).
Ifyouhaven’talready,gototechlifemag.catosubscribetoourmonthly
e-newsletter.Andvisitflickr.com/naittoletusknowyourthoughtson
thecoverdesignsthatdidn’tmakethecut.
Andalthoughdesigningshoesisnotlikelytoturnintoafull-time
occupationforRyanZahacy,thepartstechnician’sloveofboarding
inspiredhimtoproducethewinningshoedesigninanationalcontest
(FreestyleSole,p.44).Peopleacrossthecountryarenowwearingthe
shoeandZahacyislookingforhisnextdesignchallenge.
letters
Iwantedtotakeamomentto
saywhatanoutstandingjob
youhavedoneonthefirstissue
oftechlife.Itisafirst-class
magazineanditgreatlyexceeded
myexpectations.Iopenedit
expectingtoblowthroughitin
twominutes,thinkingitwould
bealittlebitofa“highschool
production,”butitisanexcellent
pieceofprofessionalwork.Sorry
fornothavingmorefaith.Ilook
forwardtothenextedition.
Mark Grubisich
Marketing’87
SherriKrastel
Editor
Wewelcomeyourcomments.E-maileditor@techlifemag.caormailyourcomments
toSherriKrastel,editor,techlifemagazine,11762 – 106St.nw,Edmonton,ABt5g 2r1.
Includeyournameandphonenumber.
Justanotetocongratulateyou
andyourstaffonthefirstissue
oftechlife.Thequalityofthe
magazineissuperbwithavariety
ofarticlesappealingtomost,I
think,readers.Thebarhasbeen
sethighforfuturepublications.
Yourstruly,
William J. (Jack) Milner
FeaturedinMakinganImpact,
p.6,NAIT Report on Giving
2006-2007
Iamveryimpressedwiththe
revisionofthispublication,
however,Ihaveattemptedon
severaloccasionstoviewthe
videofeaturesandhavehadno
success.Iamwonderingifothers
arehavingthesameissueorit’s
justmysystemandifyoucan
helpmethroughtheprocess.
Betty Jandewerth
AlbertaMinistryofInternational
andIntergovernmentalRelations
Editor’s reply: We’ve received a
few inquiries about video problems.
Most techlife videos are in Flash
format, which requires Adobe Flash
Player. It is a free download at
adobe.com/flashplayer. If the videos
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Another common concern that we’ve
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v1.2 2008
7
UpFront
prEsiDEnt’s connEctions
technical education: hArnEssinG thE PotEntiAl
NAITisinauniquepositiontoprovideinnovativeappliedresearchand
technologysolutionstomeetthedemandsofAlberta’srobusteconomy.
AsarticulatedsowellinarecentreportbytheCanadaWestFoundation,
thisprovincehasallthetoolsatitsdisposaltocreateadiversified
economicbase–aneducatedworkforce,ahighlyentrepreneurial
cultureandexcellentpost-secondaryinstitutions.Yet“thereisalack
oftractionwhenitcomestofosteringtheresearch,developmentand
commercializationofnewtechnologies.”
AtNAIT,we’reexcitedaboutthepotentialoffullyharnessingthe
creativity,practicalityanddiversityofAlberta’sknowledgebase.Forover
adecadeourstaffandfacultyhavebeenundertakingappliedresearch
infieldsfromfuelcelltechnologytogaschromatographytofindingnew
waystouseRFID(radiofrequencyidentification)technology.Inaddition,
thefederalgovernmentiscreatingopportunitiesfortechnicalinstitutes
likeNAITwithfundingfromtheNaturalSciencesandEngineering
ResearchCouncilofCanada.
We’rehelpinginventorslikeCarrieVosturnideasintoproducts.Withthe
assistanceofourPrototypeDevelopmentProgramandtheNAITShell
ManufacturingCentre,Vos–agrad-turned-instructor–builtaprototype
forauniquerainbarrellid(OveraBarrel,p.18)thatcouldsoonbeagreatnewgardeningproduct.Andwe’re
workingwithaleadingoilcompanytostudytheeffectofplantlifeonthewaterqualityintheirtailingsponds–one
ofmorethan60appliedresearchandprototypingprojects.Wehopetobringyoumoreonthatexcitingresearchin
anupcomingissue.
It’sallpartofourvisiontobegloballyvaluedforstudentsuccess,appliedresearchandinnovation.Avisionshared
byourstakeholders,whoseoutstandinginvestmentsinour$50-millionBuildingonDemandcampaignallowedus
toincreaseaccesstosomeofthebesttechnicaleducationintheworld.Thecampaign,whichwrappedupinAprilat
$80million,increasedfinancialassistancetostudents,helpedcreatesixworld-classtrainingcentreswithtwomore
underwayandupdatedlabsandequipmenttomeetindustrystandards(seeenclosedReport on Giving).
It’sallpartofourtrackrecordofprovidingmeaningfulsolutionstosupportbusinessandindustryinAlbertaand
beyond.Sendmeanoteordropmealinetoletmeknowhowwe’redoingandwhatyouthinkaboutthefutureof
technicaleducationinAlberta’sevolvingeconomy.
Dr.W.A.(Sam)Shaw
PresidentandCEO
sams@nait.ca
NAIT: A soluTIoNs provIder
1
Training a skilled
workforce
Providing250certificate,
diploma,applieddegree
anddegreeprograms
8
techlifemag.ca
2
Continuing
education
Offering1,400courses
includingleadership
trainingandproductivity
enhancementservices
3
Applied research
Usingnewand
existingknowledge
tosolvereal-world
challenges
4
Business incubation
DuncanMcNeill
CentreforInnovation
providesNAITexpertise
andstate-of-theartfacilitiestohelp
entrepreneursdevelop
theirbusinessideasinto
profitableenterprises
5
Prototyping
NAIT’sPrototyping
DevelopmentProgram
helpsinventorsturnideas
intoproducts
UpFront
nEwsbytEs
goAl sMAshed by $30 MIllIoN
celebrating an $80-million achievement
NAITwrappedupitslargest-evercapitalcampaign
onApril9.BuildingonDemand–TheNAITCampaign
launchedinOctober2005withtheambitiousgoalof
raising$50milliontohelpmeettheneedsofbusiness
andindustrywithsolutionsdesignedtoincreaseaccessto
high-demandtechnicaltraining.
Twoandahalfyearslater,$80millionhasbeenraised
forequipment,studentawardsandfacilities,including
eightworld-classtrainingcentresinsteeltechnologies,
instrumentation,millwright,manufacturing,machinist,
buildingenvironment,pipingsystemsandpower
engineering.
Moreinformationonthecampaignisavailablein
A Report on Giving: Building on Demand – The NAIT Campaign
(seeinsertp.34andonlineattechlifemag.ca/donors.htm).
– DiAne BéGin-CroFT
MAke IT your busINess
FAsTer, hIgher, sMArTer
New degree prepAres eNTrepreNeurIAl leAders
hoNours sTudeNT dAle-MArIe CuMberbATCh
owNs The reCord book
NAIT’snewbusinessbaccalaureateisuniquenotonlybecauseof
whatstudentslearn,buthowtheylearnit.TheBachelorofBusiness
AdministrationinEnterpriseManagement(BBA)–launchingin
September2008–focusesonfounding,managingandleadinga
businessenterprise.
AccordingtoDr.BerryCalder,provostandvice-presidentacademic,the
goalofthedegreeisto“developbusinessleaderswhocanmakebetter,
faster,moreconsistentbusinessdecisions.”
Tothatend,BBAstudentswillgetastrongbackgroundinthefoundations
ofbusinessmanagement,includingsupervision;willbecomeskilledin
usingbusinesstechnologiesthatimproveanalysisanddecision-making;
andwilldevelopexpertiseinutilizingavarietyofresearchskills.
Socialresponsibilityinallaspectsofmanagerialdecision-makingisalso
oneofthedefiningdifferencesbetweentheBBAandothercommonly
offeredundergraduatebusinessdegrees.BBAgraduateswillbewellversedinthetriplebottomline–theeconomic,environmentaland
socialelementsthatfactorintoresponsibledecisions.
BBAstudentswillbeworkingwithcasestudiesofrealAlbertabusiness
scenarios,whichwillexposethemtotherealitiesofday-to-daybusiness
operations.Suchcontext-basedlearningisahallmarkoftheworldfamousHarvardBusinessSchool.Infact,aHarvardadministrator
collaboratedwithNAITonthedesignofkeycourseswithintheBBA.
Otherrenownedleadersinbusinesseducationhavealsolenttheir
expertise.BabsonCollegeinMassachusettshelpeddeveloptheBBA’s
innovative,integratedsocialsciencescourses,andexpertsatthe
UniversityofWesternOntario’sRichardIveySchoolofBusinessare
workingwithNAITfacultytodeveloptheirexpertiseinusingcase
studiesandsimulations.
BBAstudentscanstudyfulltime,parttimeorviaonlinecourses.
– KAThy FrAzer
Itseemsthatbreakingrecordshasbecomesomethingofahabitfor
Dale-MarieCumberbatch,aguardandforwardontheOokswomen’s
basketballteam.
Afterscoringarecord-breaking602pointsinthe2006/07season,
Cumberbatchwasatitagainthispastseason,rackingupawhopping
620points.Indoingso,the19-year-oldbecametheonlyplayerinthe
historyoftheAlbertaCollegesAthleticConference(ACAC)toscore
morethan600pointsinconsecutiveseasons.
Onherwaytosettingthatrecord,Cumberbatchalsosetarecordby
scoring1,000pointsintheshortesttimeever.Suchafeatusuallytakes
topscorersintheACACwomen’sleaguefouryears.Cumberbatchdidit
inoneandahalfseasons.
Addedtothat,sheestablishednewACACrecordsforthenumberof
two-pointfieldgoalsscored(199)aswellasthenumberoffreethrows
made(186).
BothCumberbatchandhercoach(anddad),CurtisNelson,saythe
contributionoftheotherplayerswascrucialtoherrecord-breaking
performance.“Thegirlsarekindoflikemysecondeyesonthefloor.
Allofmyrecordswerescoringrecordsandtheywouldnothavecome
withoutsomegreatpassesfrommyteammates,”shesays.
Cumberbatch’smotivationtodowellthispastseasonwasdrivenin
partby“therespectissue.”Thecoachesandplayersintheconference
“respectedmealittlebit,butalsothoughtthatmyperformanceduring
myrookieyearwasafluke.Andthisyear,thatkindofmotivatedmeto
comeouthereandprovethemwrong.”
TheDigital&InteractiveMediaDesignstudent’sambitionisevident
offthecourtaswell.Shescoredtopmarksinherstudiesandisnowan
honoursstudent.
– DonovAn FrAnCis
v1.2 2008
9
coverstory
fraz
ANd
The
ryan clark and tanya bach often
work deep into the night, building
the dr. ScientiSt Story into each
of their guitar effectS pedalS.
10 techlifemag.ca
sun
zz dazzler i
nny day delay
guITAr pedAls ThAT sTreTCh
The bouNdArIes oF souNd
Story By
KAren rAWlines
PhotoS By
JAson ness
t’sthedeeppartofthewhisperingnight,andthereis
alightoninthelaboratory.Here,somewhereinouter
space–oratleastontheoutskirtsofEdmonton,in
aninconspicuousneighbourhoodofnewhousing–
Dr.ScientistSoundsishardatwork.Thequest:the
perfectguitartone,wrangledtorigorousspecifications.
Theproduct:auniquelineofhandcraftedguitareffects
pedalsthatareslowlybutsurelybeingheardaround
theworld.
Dr.ScientististhehappyunionofRyanClarke’s
technicalprowessasanelectronicsengineerandTanya
Bach’sflairasagraphicdesigner.Atouroftheirsmall
basementstudioisproofofacreativelifestylegone
terriblyright.Here,bothforcesbehindDr.Scientistwork
theirownhourstodeliveraproducttheybelievein,
accordingtotheirownstandardsandethics.
Chancesare,audienceswilloverlookthelittle
boxonthegroundinfrontoftheguitarist.Buttothe
musician,itisthekeytonewsonicterritory,bending
andteasingsoundfortheauralpleasureofearthlings.
Seeminglyinnocent,thepedalmakesthedifference
betweenabasicchordstrummedonaguitarandone
withattitude.
AndDr.Scientistdeliversthedifferenceinspades.
Inessence,thesmallmetalbox,roughlythesizeof
yourhandandtwiceasthick,isfilledwithathinpadof
circuitsdesignedtochangeoraddtothesoundaguitar
putsout.Withtwistsofitsknobsanddials,thedevice
adjuststhesoundtheguitarpumpsin,addingnew
texturesofdistortionorfuzzorreverboranymanner
oftricks.
Sincebeginninginearnestin2006,Clarkeand
Bachhaveshippednearly750handcraftedpedals
outoftheirbasementlaboratoryincarefulbatchesof
abouttwodozenperorder.Musicstoresincitiesas
distantasLondonandNewYork,andcountriesasfar
awayasDenmarkandNorwayaresellingthepedals
tomusiciansincludingrock‘n’rollJunonomineesand
countrymusicguitarists.
It’salongwayfromtheyearsof12-hourshiftsinthe
oilfieldClarkeleftbehindtoreturntoschool.
Dr.Scientistbeganin2005,whenClarkebegan
hismissiontocreatehisfavouriteguitareffectsashe
thoughttheyshouldbebuilt.Abouttograduatefrom
ElectronicsEngineeringTechnologyatNAIT,Clarke
hadtheskillsandtheplantobuildthepedals.Hemade
someprototypesandtheysoundedgood.Allthatwas
leftwasthelook.Atfirsthefiguredhecoulddecorate
thelittleboxeswithaSharpiemarkertogivethema
littleextrasass.Butitwasn’tquiteright.Yet.
v1.2 2008
11
coverstory
thEy work this hArd not
to sAtisfy thEir customErs,
thEy sAy. thEy Just wAnt to
blow thEm AwAy.
Itwasaboutthenthathewashavinglunchat
TheNest,thecampusbarandrestaurantwhereBach
worked.Shecouldn’thelpbutnoticehim.
“Heorderedpieandicecream–forlunch,”says
Bach,whograduatedfromGraphicSignArtsin2002.
Thereweremoreoftheselunches,shesays,until
theygottochattingand,soonenough,thechemistry
beneathDr.Scientistbeganbubbling.Bachinstinctively
knewwhatthepedalsweremissing.
ThepedaltalkpiquedBach’sdesignsensibilities,
promptingthoughtsofsweetvinyl,amediumthat
intriguedherandbeggedtobeexploredonasmaller
scalethanthetypicalstorefrontsigns.Sheconsidered
thewayslicksegmentsofcolourwouldmakethepedals
popinawaynoothersdo.Eachgraphicelementiscut
withmeticulouscare,assembledbyhand,andsealed
withalayerofclearcoatvinylthat’sthenheat-gunnedto
giveitresilienceagainstthewear‘n’tearofrock‘n’roll.
Theyhadtheirfirstpedals.
WiththeinputandsupportoffriendBryanKulba,
theygottheircomputerandInternetlogisticsinline
–detailslikeansweringe-mailsandcustomerservice
inquiriesandallofthoselittlethingsthatturnoutto
bebig.
ThesedaysClarkeandBach,whoserelationship
grewalongwiththeirbusiness,workoutoftheirhome,
oftenintotheearlyhoursofthemorning,fornoother
reasonthantheyenjoythebuzzofputtingthepedals
together.
Theyworkthishardnottosatisfytheircustomers,
theysay.Theyjustwanttoblowthemaway.
“Wedon’tmindworkingallnight,becausewelove
it,”Bachsays.
12 techlifemag.ca
Therearetimeswhenitdoesn’tgosoright,she
admits,andthatjustpushesthemharder.Bachsaysit’s
notunusualtorolltheworkinto5a.m.,justtryingtoget
theimagesperfect,cuttingeachedgeandelementwith
thestrictestcare.
Everyaspectofthebusinessisdesignedthatway–
extraordinarilyunique.ThenameDr.Scientistisnothing
morethansomethingClarkethoughtwas“funnyand
cool,”butithintsatsomethingbuiltintoeachpedal.
Alittlesecret.Alittlemystery.
Clarke,32,isallexcitementandtousledhair,
sittingbarefootandsportingaT-shirtwiththe
Dr.Scientistroboticon;Bach,25,iswarmthandsincere
attentiveness,evenwithLittleMiss,aMaltese/Yorkie
puppy,tuckedintoherlap.
“Ifyou’regoingtodothis,youreallyhavetotakeit
upacoupleofnotches,”Clarkesays.“TheDr.Scientist
mythologyispartofthewholething.Youneedmore
thanagoodsound.Youneedagoodlook.Youneeda
goodstory.”
Withdescriptionsthatincludethebirthofmankind,
sonicallysinistersyntheticlifeforms–a.k.a.robots–
roamingtheuniverse,whitecoatsandclipboards,sunny
daysandsecretdimensions,teachingtheuniversetosing
inperfectharmonyandlawyersinthe’80sdrivingFerraris,
thesepedalsareasfunastheyaretechnicallyrewarding.
Andcustomersarebuyingmorethanpedals.
AccordingtoDr.Scientist,they’rebuyingintothe
experience,theideaandthevision.Theremaybea
pinchofmadness,butthereisnothingdiabolicalin
theirscience.
Banteringoverthebusinessandbuildingoneach
others’sentences,ClarkeandBachradiateagenuine
loveofwhattheydo,everyaccomplishment–andevery
littlemistake.
Clarkeadmitsthatashewasdevelopingoneofthe
pedals,hetrippedup.Hewasworkingonthedesignof
aspecial-soundingfuzzcircuitandmadeamistakewith
theorientationofacomponent.
Thattinymisstepresultedinsomethingunexpected
–andcool.“Imadeapedaldevelopedaroundthe
wrongness,”Clarkesays.“Icuddledthewrongnessand
madeitsomethinggood.”
ThatpedalistheFrazzDazzler,thepetofthewhole
operation.“Frazzismybaby,”saysClarke,pullinga
guitarofftherackandtakingitthroughitspaces.
Ofcourse,themistakeisbuiltonClarke’stechnical
foundation;heknowshiscircuitryandhowitmakes
goodaudiobetter.Butit’salotofexperimentation,
too.“It’ssopersonal,”Clarkesays.“Ifyou’reacreative
person,youcanturnanythingintoacoolsound.”
Theduostillattendstoeverydetail.Andthat
matterstothemasmuchasitdoestotheircustomers.
Althoughanaudiencemayhavelittlecarewhatpedal
theguitaristhaskickedon,Clarkesays,itreallymatters.
“Rock‘n’rollersaresopickyabouttone.”
TheDr.Scientistteamappreciatespickiness.
Bachwillcustomizethepedalstoparticulargraphic
preferences.Clarkewilladdanextraknobfor
adjustingsound,ifthat’swhatmakesthedifference.
AtDr.Scientist,“it’sstillaboutrollingupyoursleeves
anddoingallofthework,”Clarkesays.
Dr.Scientistisevolving.Thepedalsareslowly
changingasClarketweaksthecircuitryandBach
explores125coloursofvinyl.Gonearethedayswhen
Clarkeusedtocookupcircuitboardsfromscratch,a
labour-intensive–andratherdangerous–processthat
hassincebeenmovedtoaprofessionalmanufacturer.
Butthey’rereluctanttoreleasecontrolofproductionto
theworldoutside.
Theguitarpedalindustryfallsintotwostreams:big
manufacturersandboutiquebuilderslikeDr.Scientist.
Withtheboutiquecrowd,it’sthecraftsmanapproach
todetailthatmatters,cateringtothediscriminating
musicianwhovaluesauniquesoundinaworldof
factory-madestandards.Whiletherearerowsof
mass-manufacturedguitarpedalsavailable,Clarkesays
thatisnotwhattheyareabout.Theywantthingstobe
personalandrefined.
“Weshootforperfect,”hesays.
Thiscommitmentinvolvesastrongfocuson
customerserviceandquality,andhasmadethempopular
amongeveryonefrombasementmusicianstotouring
professionals(Musiciansaroundtheworld...p.16).
Talkofgettingbiggerelicitsuncharacteristic
discomfortfromtheyoungentrepreneurs.Theysaythey
areplanningongettingtotheNAMMShowby2010–
abigstep.Thelargestmusicproductstradeshowinthe
UnitedStates–attracting80,000intheindustry–it
couldmeannewartistsandnewmediaattention.
Buttheyareintentoncontinuingwhattheyhave
here.Clarksaystheywon’tsacrificethatforgrowth.
“We’realreadysucceeding,”Clarkesays.“Welive
onthis.We’vegotacareerwe’repassionateabout.”
Inthisbasement,there’sproofthatit’spayingoff.
HereisanemptybottleofFrenchdessertwinethat
couldencapsulatetheveryessenceofDr.Scientist.
ItcamefromFrance,sentbyaclientnamedRomain
fornootherreasonthanhewastouchedbythework
theGoodDoctorputintotweakingapedalhe’d
previouslypurchased.
ClarkeandBach,thoughnotmuchondrink,
gleefullytippledeverylastdrop,asweettoastto
gettingthingsright,somewherebetweenAlbertaand
thestars.
centre: rollS of vinyl
provide the pedalS
(far left) with their
eye-popping colour.
right: clarke’S baSement
workStation.
Web Extra
Beforethetechlifearticle,there
wasthismade-in-SecondLifelook
atDr.ScientistSounds.
techlifemag.ca/drscientist.htm
v1.2 2008
13
coverstory
the Good doctor prEscribEs…
CosMiChorus
Thinkcheesy‘80s.TheCure.And
DepecheMode.“Itallinfluenced
thewayIlookatsound.”
Dr.Scientist’swebsiteproclaims
thepedal“doesitall...from
thickandlushtothinandsparkly
tointensechorussounds,”witha
loadofvariation.
rADiCAl reD reverBerATor
“Ourflagship.Itgotuswellknown
intheboutiqueworld.Oneofthe
onlynaturaleffectsinpedals.
‘Reverb’isoutintheworldwaiting
foryou”withitseightgreatsounding,studio-qualityreverb
effectsincludingspacioushalls
andsmallrooms.
FrAzz DAzzler
“Thisonewasmypassionproject.
Thesongthatinspireditwas
the1998coverofNewOrder’s
BlueMondaybyOrgy.Ithasa
revolutionaryguitartone–itblew
mymind–agrindingchainsaw
sound.It’sallaboutthedesirefor
extremegreattones.Ittookalong
time,butit’shere.”
WooFer WAiler “Itwasinspiredbythemarket.
It’sahugesound,animportant
sound.”Anotherdescription
breaksitdown:“Ananalog
overdriveunitthatcangive
agrittyvolumeboosttofat,
crunchyoverdriveorloud,crispy
distortionandalotofother
variations.”
dr. sCIeNTIsT’s ArseNAl oF seveN pedAls wAs NoT AsseMbled
by ACCIdeNT. They Are ryAN ClArke’s TAke oN hIs seveN FAvourITe
guITAr eFFeCTs. buT whICh Is whICh? ClArke FIlls us IN.
14 techlifemag.ca
PhotoS By
ryAn ClArKe
dr. ScientiSt’S handcrafted guitar effectS pedalS
appeal to the diScriminating muSician who valueS a
unique Sound in a world of factory-made StandardS.
alBuM coverS By
TAnyA BACh
Web Extra
LinktotheDr.ScientistplaylistsoniTunes.
techlifemag.ca/drscientist.htm
itunes playlists
ryan clarkE’s
inspirational
soUnDs
Auto Pilot
QueensoftheStoneAge
Going steady
DeathFromAbove1979
stripped
DepecheMode
Friend is a Four letter Word
Cake
Bloody Murderer
Cursive
sunny DAy DelAy
“Noteverybodywantsalotof
effects,buteverybodywantsa
delaypedal.It’sinspiredbythe
warmthofananalogdelay.”
The TreMolessenCe
“Tremolohasbeenaroundsince
the’50s.It’savolumemodulation
tomakethesoundquietand
louder.ThinkBangBangbyNancy
Sinatra.”
Web Extra
The CleAnness
“Autilitypedalinspiredbythe
factthatsometimesyoujust
wantabitofaboost.”Bonus
descriptor:“TheCleannessisan
all-analog,high-impedancebuffer,
three-bandactiveequalizer,and
greatsoundingboosterallinone
neat-lookinglittlepackage.The
bufferkeepsyourtonestrong
andsparkly,whilethelowness,
midnessandhighnesscontrolslet
youdramaticallyalterthebass,
midrangeandtreble.”
Close to Me
TheCure
Teenager
Deftones
Total Job
TheFaint
The Chauffeur
DuranDuran
Cruella
Deadsy
tanya bach’s sonGs
to sinG alonG to
living under June
JannArden
summerland
Everclear
My own Kind of hat
MerleHaggard
i love rock n’ roll
JoanJett&TheBlackhearts
Bukowski
ModestMouse
Where is My Mind?
Pixies
straight to video
MindlessSelfIndulgence
Good Woman
CatPower
uncool
CourtneyLove
The Most Beautiful Girl
in the room
FlightoftheConchords
RyanClarketakestheguitareffects
pedalsthroughtheirpaces.
techlifemag.ca/drscientist.htm
v1.2 2008
15
coverstory
musicians around the world tune in to
Dr. scientist
PhotoS By
JAson ness AnD
huGh nuTT
how does A bAseMeNT-bAsed CoMpANy IN
AlberTA soMehow wINd up IN New york CITy?
deNver? CopeNhAgeN? IT’s NoT oN The wINgs
oF A loT oF FreQueNT Flyer poINTs.
RyanClarkeandTanyaBachsay
theonlinemusiccommunityhas
beenaboontoDr.Scientist’s
business,chatteringaboutthe
pedalsandseedinginterest
worldwide.Itonlytakesone
persontopostagreatreviewof
apedalonanInternetforumfor
thingstotakeoff.
That’show Joe lightfoundthem.
HeworksatVintageandRare
GuitarsinLondon,England,an
independentshoplargelyfocused
russell Broomisa
guitaristbestknown
forsome14years
ofworkwithJann
Arden.Hecountsthe
Tremolessencetremolo
pedalamongthestars
inhisarsenal.
Ofcourse,thewayhe
cameuponthepedal
isasDr.Scientistas
anythingelsethe
companydoes.“It’sa
bitofafunnystory,”Broomsays.“IwasdoingmylaundryinEdmonton
inthemidstofaJannArdentour,andtherewasamusicstoredown
thestreetfromthelaundromat.Ipoppedinwhilemypantswereinthe
dryerandsawthewholelineofDr.Scientistpedalsinadisplaycase.”
Sincethen,theTremolessencehasbeenpermanentlystucktoBroom’s
pedalboard,havingitswaywithBroom’stoneonvirtuallyevery
recordingsessionorlivegig.“Ilovedhowyoucouldmakeitsound
completelyawfulandunusable,”hesays.“Iprefertousepedals
thatgotomoreextremesthanthegenericmass-producedones,
andthiswasthemostuniquetremolopedalIhadheard.Itsounds
great.”AddsBroom,it’s“notjustupdatesorsmallvariationsofmore
classicdesigns,butactuallynewandinterestingdesignsandwaysof
processingaguitar.”
16 techlifemag.ca
onvintagegearaswellasthe
speciallittleextras.
“Peopledocometousexpectingto
findsomethingcoolanddifferent
thanwhatyouwouldfindinthe
largerchainstores,”Lightsays.“It’s
alsogreattobeenthusiasticabout
whatyouaresellingandthese
arejustsomuchfuntodemo.Itis
reallyrewardingtobeworkingwith
smaller,qualitymanufacturersthat
takealotofprideintheirproducts
andwhattheydo.”
TheRadicalRedReverberatoris
probablythemostsoughtafter
intheshop,Lightsays,aunitof
remarkablequality.“WhenI’ve
demonstratedittocustomers,
99percenthaveboughtitthere
andthen.”
ThatDr.Scientiststorybaked
rightintothemetalcasingof
thepedaldoesn’thurt.“Ilove
thelookofthepedalsandthe
approachthattheseguyshave
totheworld,”Lightsays.
ryan Podlubnyhasallbutone
oftheDr.Scientistpedals(he
lackstheWooferWailersincehe
figureshegetsthejobdonewith
hisCleannesspedal),andhad
themallcustom-designedwith
catgraphics,includinganinjacat,
acatinthewindowofahouse
andarobotcat.
Whenperformingwiththeband
PassengerAction,Podlubny
setsuparegularlineofabout
13pedals,givinghimdifferent
soundstodrawfrom.Hesays
thesixDr.Scientistpedalsathis
feetsupplyhimwithhisownlittle
lightshow,assomeofthepedals’
lightsflickerandpop.
Andthosecatpedalshonehisabilitytoachievetheexact,singular
tonehehasinmind.
“IwouldsayI’mgettingclosetoplayingthepedalsasmuchasI’m
playingtheguitar,”hesays.
BeyondhisworkinPassengerAction,Podlubny,whoworksatAcoustic
MusicShopinEdmonton,theplacethatfirstacceptedtheDr.Scientist
pedalsintothefold,sayshealsoenjoysjustfiddlingwiththepedals
andhasevenroutedhisuprightbassthroughthemacoupleoftimes.
In today’s ever-changing world there are
challenges and opportunities...
NAIT helps you meet these challenges at the new
NAIT Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology!
www.spartancontrols.com
SPARTAN CONTROLS
technoFile
ovEr A bArrel
proToType
proMIses To
MAke your rAIN
bArrel useFul
ANd beAuTIFul
Story By
Cheryl MAhAFFy
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
Setting for Photo
Provided By
GreenlAnD
GArDen CenTre
carrie voS
demonStrateS
her rain barrel lid
prototype. deSigned
to meld with the
elegance of her yard,
the topper dreSSeS
up a rain barrel by
Serving aS a planter.
18 techlifemag.ca
c
arrieVosistheproudownerofa
one-of-a-kindrainbarrellidthatnot
onlyletsinwater,butalsoserves
asaplanter.That’sherhope,anyway.
Havingdesignedthetopperandacquireda
prototype,she’sitchingtomovetestingto
theoutdoorsnowthatspringishere.
ItallstartedlastApril,whenVoswent
searchingforrainbarrelstomatchthe
eleganceofheremergingeco-friendly
landscaping.“SinceIwasgoingthrough
allthistroubletomakemyyardnice,Iwantedthe
barrelstobeestheticallypleasingaswell,”recallsthe
NAITEngineeringDesignandDraftingTechnology
grad,whoalsoholdsaB.Sc.inEnvironmentaland
ConservationSciencesfromtheUniversityofAlberta.
Walkswithherdogbecamescoutingexpeditions,
saysVos.“ButIcouldn’tfindanybarrelsIliked.”
Thenaneighbour’swillow-filledpotsseededan
idea:“Ineedarainbarrelwithplantmaterialcoming
outthetop.”
Vossketchedabarrelwhoselidlookslikeabagel
slicedinhalf,withawellaroundtheoutsideforsoil
andaholeinthecentreforadownspout.“Thiscan’t
beoriginal,”shethought.Butasearchforprecedents
turnedupnothing.Perhapsshehadsomethingthe
growingcadreofavidgardenerswouldbuy.
Thusbeganajourneythatisfarfromover.
Discoveringthatproducinganentirebarrelwould
beprohibitivelyexpensive,Vosfocusedoncreating
atoppertofitexistingbarrels.Takingasummeroff,
shehiredapatentlawyerwhilesearchingforan
affordablewaytocreateaprototype.
ThesearchendedwhenaclassmateinNAIT’s
BecomingaMasterInstructorcourse–Vosteaches
intheEngineeringDesignandDraftingprogram–
pointedhertotheInstitute’sPrototypeDevelopment
Program.SincelaunchinginApril2006,the
programhasofferedone-stoptechnicaladviceand
prototypingfornearly70projects,withinventors
payingjusthalfthecostthankstoathree-yeargrant
fromAlbertaAdvancedEducationandTechnology.
PrototypeDevelopmentProgramcoordinator
DavidBurryarrangedforVos’stoppertobecreated
onarapidprototypingmachineattheNAITShell
ManufacturingCentre,basedonanelectronicfile
shesupplied.“Themachinehassizelimitations,so
shehadtocutthedesignintofourpieces,”herecalls.
Theprinterspenttwodaysbuildingupthousands
oflayersofpolymerintoquarter-circles,whichVos
thengluedtogether.
OnceVoshasfinishedtestingtheprototype,she
planstomanufactureandselltherainbarrellid.In
themeantime,prototypeinhand,Vosisagainonthe
prowl–thistimeforaterracottarainbarrelthat’s
pleasingtotheeye.
the rapid prototyping
machine at the nait
Shell manufacturing
centre Spent dayS
building up thouSandS
of layerS of polymer
into quarter-circleS
(below), which carrie
voS then glued together
to create a rain barrel
topper ready for
teSting (left).
turning ideaS
into productS
AplacewhereCanadianinventorsandentrepreneurslike
CarrieVoscanturntheirideasintosaleableprototypes,
theNAITShellManufacturingCentreisaone-stopshop
formanufacturingtechnologyeducationandservices.
Thecentre,whichofficiallyopenedinNovember2007,providesclientswith
accesstoleading-edgeideasandmanufacturingprocesses,aswellasservicesand
support.Inaddition,thecentrepreparesstudentstoworkinthemosthigh-tech
manufacturingenvironments,withafocusonimprovingproductivity.
StudentsofseveralNAITengineeringtechnologyanddegreeprogramstrain
onstate-of-the-arttechnologiessuchasadvancedhydraulics,metrologyand
radiofrequencyidentification(RFID)devices.ByAugust,computerintegrated
manufacturing,roboticweldingandlasercuttingwillbeaddedtothecurriculum.
AppliedresearchanddevelopmentisdoneincollaborationwithNAIT’sPrototype
DevelopmentProgramandtheDuncanMcNeillCentreforInnovation,aswellas
theNationalResearchCouncilofCanada’sIndustrialResearchAssistanceProgram.
Thecentrealsoofferstraininginbusinessleadershipandmanagementthrough
productivityenhancementservices.Thesepart-timecertificateprogramsare
designedtohelpmanagersandotherprofessionalsbecomemoreeffectiveand
efficientintheglobaleconomy.
– DonovAn FrAnCis
v1.2 2008
19
technoFile
GaDGEts
Skullcandy Smokin Buds headphones
NAITTechStorecustomerserviceclerk
Tunc GunesgivesanodtotheSkullcandy
SmokinBudsheadphones,“anamazing
pieceofmachinery,amonster,one
couldsay.”
These ITeMs ANd More
AvAIlAble AT The NAIT
TeCh sTore, or oNlINe
AT www.NAIT.CA/
oNlINesTore
gadgetS
Whatmakestheseheadphones
somind-blowing?“Theyofferthe
absolutehighestqualityaudioatthe
bestprice,”Gunessays.“Built-inearplugs
blockoutunwantednoise.Acustomcase
protectstheheadphonesfromearthquakes
andtsunamis.Seriously.”
Availableinwhite,pink,brown,blackand
rasta(pictured).
TeChlIFe Asks, The ubIQuITous Ipod ANd blACkberry
AsIde, whAT gAdgeT CouldN’T you lIve wIThouT?
iHome iH6 dual-alarm clock radio for iPod
“ThetopgadgetouttodayistheiPod.Everyoneandtheirgrandma
hasone,”saysshaun nystrom,customerserviceclerkattheNAIT
TechStore.“Sincenobodycanlivewithoutthisitem,mytop
gadgetisaniPodaccessory–theiHomeclockradio.
“Gotosleeptoyourfavouritesongsandwake
uptothemaswell.Hittingthesnoozebutton
hasneverbeensofun.”
Thissleekandstylishdeviceisavailablein
blackorwhite.Acentraldockstationallows
youtoeasilyconnectiPodsofanysize,including
thetinyShuffle.Theclockradioevencomeswith
aremoteforallthelazyiPoddersoutthere.
NoiPod?Noproblem.Theclockradiohasaline-in
allowingyoutoconnectanyMP3playeroraudio
device.
Portable USB hard drive
Physicallylargerthanaflashdrive,
butstillsmallenoughtofitinajacket
pocket,theportableUSBharddriveis
James Deslauriers’spickfortheease
withwhichitallowshimtotransport
databetweencomputersortobackup
importantfiles.
“Sinceitusesalaptopharddrive
internally,youcanbuildyourownby
choosingaharddrivecasethatyou
like(variouscoloursareavailable)and
aharddrivesize,”saystheNAITTech
Store’scomputersystemssupport
tech.“Laptopharddriveswillsoonbe
availableinsizesupto320gigabytes.”
20 techlifemag.ca
Digital picture frame
Despitealloftheintensecircuitryandelaborate
technicaldetailinhisguitarpedals,Dr.Scientist
Sounds’ryan Clarkeinsistshe’spracticallya
Luddite.Nevertheless,Clarkehasfoundan
interestingadvantagetoonelittlegizmo.
Some220imagesofDr.Scientistguitarpedals
flowasaslideshowonadigitalphotoframe
setnexttothecomputerinClark’sbasement
workshop.Theframecanimporttheimages
fromtheRSSfeedviathecompany’sonline
Flickrphotosharingaccount,oritcanbe
pluggedintothecomputer’sUSBport.
innovate
victoria’s
secret
how to have
your cake and eat it too
a few SquareS a
day of quality dark
chocolate (foreground)
iS a healthy way to include
chocolate in your diet. rear: raw cocoa
powder on the Spoon, cacao podS (right),
cacao nibS (left).
Chocoholicsrejoice!Thereisagrowingbodyofscientificevidencethatchocolateisgoodforyou.VictoriaLaine,
nutritioncounsellor,NAITcookinginstructorandauthoroftheradicalHealth by Chocolatecookbook,believesyou
canhaveyourcakeandeatittoo–thatis,ifit’smadewithhigh-qualitychocolate.Here,Laineprovidesaninnovative
lookatoneoftheworld’sfavouritefoods.
techlife:Wheredoeschocolatecomefrom?
techlife:Anyhealthriskstochocolateconsumption?
VL:Cacao,thefundamentalingredientinchocolate,
comesfromcacaobeansharvestedfromthefootballshapedpodsofthecacaotreeintropicalclimates.
VL:Overconsumptionofchocolatecanmeanan
overconsumptionofdailyfatcalories,ascacaobeans
arehighinoverallfat.Somestudies,however,have
shownthatthefattyacidsincacaoactuallyreducethe
oxidationofthe(bad)LDLcholesterol.
techlife:Howischocolatemade?
VL:Cacaobeansareremovedfromthepodandthen
fermented,driedandroasted,beforebeingcrushed
toformadenseliquidofpeanutbutterconsistency
knownaschocolateliquororcacaomass.High-quality
chocolateismadefrom70percentorhighercacao
masswithcocoabutterandsugaradded.Low-quality
chocolatehasalotofprocessedsugar,inferiorfatsand
milkpowder.
techlife:Whatarethehealthbenefitsofeating
chocolate?
VL:Thehealthbenefitsofhigh-qualitychocolateare
derivedfromtherawcacaoingredients.Researchersat
theUniversityofTexasSouthwesternMedicalCenter
atDallasdiscoveredthesameantioxidantpropertiesin
chocolatethatarefoundinredwineandreducetherisk
ofheartdiseaseandcancer.Researchperformedatthe
UniversityofCalifornia,Davis,foundthatchocolatehas
ananti-clottingpropertysimilartolow-doseAspirin.
ResearchersattheNeurosciencesInstituteinSanDiego
foundthatchocolatecontainssubstancesknownto
havemood-elevatingeffects,includinganandamide.
AnandainSanskritmeansbliss.
PhotoS By
JAson ness
below, victoria laine
aSSembleS ingredientS
for triple omega energy
ballS.
techlife:Doeschocolatehaveanynutritionalvalue?
VL:Yes!Darkchocolate,whichhashighcacaocontent,
ishighinmagnesiumandcontainsiron,calcium,
phosphorus,potassium,someBcomplexvitamins,
vitaminCandvitaminE.Usedwiselyandwithwhole
foodingredients,chocolateisadeliciousandhealthy
choice.
techlife:Howmuchchocolateishealthy?
VL:Eatingafewsquaresofdark,dairy-freechocolate
dailyisahealthywaytoincludechocolateinyourdiet.
techlife:Whatarethebestwaystogetyourchocolate?
VL:Inrecipes,useeitherrawcocoapowder(notDutch
processed)ordark,dairy-freemeltingchocolate(bars,
chipsordrops)of70percentorhighercacaocontent.
Whenpurchasingchocolate,considerthesource.
Wheneverpossible,purchasechocolatewithaFair
Tradesymbol,whichensurescacaofarmersgetfair
pricesfortheirproductsandthatchildslaveryisn’tused
inharvestingthebeans.
Web Extra
VictoriaLaine’srecipefor
tripleomegaenergyballs.
techlifemag.ca/chocolate.htm
– sherri KrAsTel
v1.2 2008
21
Innovate
photographer Jason Ness
adjusts the lighting as
he prepares to capture
furnishings handcrafted
by graduates of NAIT’s
Advanced Woodworking and
Furniture Design program.
Featured:
Table and clock
by Jon Gri, details on
p. 24 and p. 25
Nakaloof Chair
by Brian Guenther
(Advanced Woodworking
and Furniture Design ’07)
Walnut and tiger maple
$1,800
22 techlifemag.ca
MASTERPIECES
photo by
evan will
shot in the NAIT Petro-Canada
Centre for millwright
technology
looking at fine furniture
in a new light
v1.2 2008 23
innovate
PhotoS By JAson ness
top and right:
ahab’S ghoSt by Jon gri
(advanced woodworking
and furniture deSign ’04)
figured and curly maple
$3,800
below: untitled
by rogelio menz
(nait materialS
engineering
technology
inStructor)
Steel, braSS,
StainleSS Steel
and wood
$600
available from
rowleS & company ltd.
(rowleS.ca)
right and below:
untitled by rogelio menz
Steel, copper and wood
$3,000
available from rowleS &
company ltd. (rowleS.ca)
unleSS otherwiSe indicated,
pieceS featured here are
available at the tu gallery
(tugallery.ca)
24 techlifemag.ca
Web Extra
Gointothestudiowithcraftsman
GeorgeHeagleasheshareshis
philosophyonfurnituredesign:
“Ialwaysstrivetocapture
resonanceandharmonyofform
andfunction,whilecelebratingthe
inherentbeautyofwood.”
techlifemag.ca/furniture.htm
left and below:
tanSu by george heagle (parttime nait furniture deSign and
conStruction inStructor)
bubinga and cedar from
lebanon with hand forged
hingeS
$5,200
DEsiGn
desTINATIoN
Youwon’tfindproduction-line
knick-knacks,mass-produced
wares,run-of-the-milldecorative
orassembly-linefurniturehere.
Fromsmallobjetsd’art,metal
sculpture,handblownglassware
andfine-artphotographyto
one-of-a-kindfurniturepieces,
Edmonton’sTUGalleryprides
itselfonbringingbeautiful,
functionalhandcraftedworkinto
publicview.
Whilestudyingfurnituredesign
atNAIT,AlexPatersonwas
introducedtoseveralAlberta
artistswhoweredesigningand
buildingfinefurniture,andwas
surprisedtofindthattheywere
withoutagallerytoshowcase
theirbeautifulcreations.
Recognizingaholeintheworld
ofdesign,Patersonandhiswife,
Lorna–agraduateoftheNAIT
PhotographicTechnologyprogram
–tookituponthemselvestofillit.
Thetwosetouttobringamore
publicvoicetotheword-of-mouth
worldoffinefurnituredesignin
Edmonton,andtheTUGallerywas
born.Inthreeyearsthegallery
hasbecomeoneofthepremier
finefurnituregalleriesinWestern
Canada,offeringaplacefor
artisansofhandcraftedfurniture
todisplayandselltheirwork.
– JAson ness
Photo By
lornA PATerson
top and left:
Sarah’S nurSing chair
by Scott mcrae
(advanced woodworking
and furniture deSign ’07)
cherry, bird’S eye maple
and leather
$2,650
right:
pariS 1925 by Jon gri
birch and walnut
$1,750
v1.2 2008
25
naitspaces
Machinist cEntrE
hEAvy mEtAl PrActicE
PhotoS By
JAson ness
Web Extra
Morephotosat
flickr.com/nait
26 techlifemag.ca
nait Sandvik coromant centre
Above,apprenticesintheFirstYearMachinistLabintheNAITSandvikCoromantCentrefor
MachinistTechnologyworkonenginelathes.Thecentre’sMarchopeningmarkeda50percent
increaseincapacityto660apprentices.ThecentreishometoMachinistapprenticesand
ComputerNumericalControl(CNC)Machinisttechnicians,bothofwhichmanufacturemetalparts.
Right:ashotoftheCNCMachinistLab,machiningasteelshaftonanenginelatheandanassortment
ofcuttingtools.ThecentreislocatedonthenorthwestsideofMainCampusinEdmonton.
for machiniSt technology
v1.2 2008
27
naitspaces
powEr EnGinEErinG cEntrE
PiPinG hot
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
28 techlifemag.ca
nait encana centre for power engin
neering technology
ThePowerEngineeringLabintheNAITEnCana
CentreforPowerEngineeringTechnologyreceivesfull
afternoonsunthroughawallofsouth-facingwindows.
Thecentreunderwentarenovationtoincreasecapacity
by50percentto180students.Powerengineerswork
onmachineryandboilersthatprovideheat,poweror
refrigerationtobuildings.Thepipinginbothimages
includeshighandlowpressuresteamandcondensate
lines.Someofthepipesbringsteamfromboilersto
turbinesandgenerators.Thecentreislocatedonthe
southwestsideofMainCampusinEdmonton.
v1.2 2008
29
naitspaces
coUrtyarDs + FlowErbEDs
in full bloom
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
main campuS landScapeS
TuckedawayinNAITentrywaysand
courtyardsaredozensoflushflowerbeds
enjoyedbyvisitors,staffandstudents
throughoutthesummerandfall.
Thefresh-lookingphotosonthesetwo
pageswerecapturedonMainCampus
inEdmontonlastsummer,attheheight
ofthebloomingseason.
30 techlifemag.ca
botanical nameS
1 gAIllArdIA grANdIFlorA (bACk)
seduM speCTAbIle (MIddle)
FesTuCA glAuCA (FroNT)
2 heMeroCAllIs “sTellA de oro”
3 TIArellA
4 gAlIuM odorATuM
5 dIANThus delToIdes
6 FIlIpeNdulA ulMArIA
7 seduM spurIuM
8 osTeosperMuM
9 eChINACeA purpureA
10 bruNNerA MACrophyllA
11 TrollIus x CulToruM
common nameS
blANkeTFlower “burguNdy”
showy sToNeCrop “AuTuMN Joy”
1
blue FesCue
dAylIly “sTellA de oro”
FoAM Flower “sprINg syMphoNy”
sweeT woodruFF
dIANThus “CoNFeTTI MIx”
MeAdowsweeT “Flore pleNo”
sToNeCrop “drAgoN’s blood”
osTeosperMuM “orANge syMphoNy”
CoNeFlower “MAgNus”
heArTleAF ForgeT-Me-NoT “JACk FrosT”
globeFlower “orANge globe”
4
3
2
6
9
5
11
7
10
8
v1.2 2008
31
INTRODUCING THE BACHELOR OF
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Where the classroom meets the boardroom.
@] pfl [i\Xd f] Y\`e^ X jlZZ\jj]lc Ylj`e\jj gif]\jj`feXc# k_\ 998 [\^i\\ ]ifd k_\ AI J_Xn JZ_ffc f]
9lj`e\jjn`cc^`m\pflk_\k_\fip#`ejkilZk`feXe[i\Xc$nfic[\og\i`\eZ\pfle\\[kfkXb\pflim`j`feXe[
dXb\`kXi\Xc`kp%N`k_]lcc$k`d\#gXik$k`d\Xe[fec`e\c\Xie`e^fgk`fej#n\ZXe_\cgpfl]`e[k_\gif^iXd
k_Xk]`kjpflijZ_\[lc\%8e[`]pflXci\X[p_Xm\XYlj`e\jj[`gcfdXfi[\^i\\#pfldXpY\\c`^`Yc\kf\ek\i
XjXP\Xi*jkl[\ek%
EfnXZZ\gk`e^Xggc`ZXk`fej]fi]Xcc)''/%:Xcc./'%+.(%//.+fim`j`knnn%eX`k%ZX&[\^i\\YYXkfc\Xiedfi\%
hattrick
Story By
DiAne BéGin-CroFT
Photo By
John BooK
sUstainability
Greenscape
SuStainability officer’S
winning approach to building
environmental momentum
Apersonalquesttomakealarge-scaleimpactontheenvironmentbrought
KatieLaviolettetoNAITinSeptember2007.Herpositionassustainability
officerwasafirstforpost-secondaryinstitutesinEdmonton,posinganexciting
opportunitytohelpforgeanewpath.
Theopportunityalsobringswithitthechallengeofconvincinganorganizationwith
morethan3,000employeestoadoptmoresustainablepractices.Laviolette,
whosepriorworkexperienceincludesprovidingtrainingandawareness
programstoEdmontonGarrisonstaff,seesthischallengeasateam
effort,inwhichchampionswithinNAIT’sschoolsanddepartments
willhelpbuildthemomentum.
“Iamtryingtogetstaffandinstructorstoencouragesustainable
practices,leadbyexample,andcollectivelyproduceagreater
effectforNAIT,”saysLaviolette.
Thescopeofherpositionincludesestablishingasustainability
policy,creatingbestpractices,supportingtheecoNAIT
environmentcommittee,representingtheInstituteon
externalcommittees,andencouragingeco-friendlywork
practicestosaveresourcesandenergy.
Environmentalstewardshipemergedasakey
themeduringstaffconsultationsinearly2007
–andit’sanareaNAITtakesseriously.
Laviolette’srolealsosupportsNAIT’s
corporatesocialresponsibilityinitiative,
whichwillcreatetriplebottomline
benchmarksforimprovingthe
Institute’seconomic,socialand
environmentalfootprintsaspartof
yearlybusinessplanning.
Sinceshestarted,NAIT’soverall
environmentalfootprinthasbegunto
shrinkwiththeintroductionofdegradableplates
andbiodegrablecutleryincafeterias,areusablemug
campaignandmorerecyclingbinsoncampus.
nait food ServiceS haS Supported katie laviolette’S call to
action, introducing a greener line of diSpoSable plateS and
cutlery in the cafeteriaS.
Now you see TheM, buT sooN you woN’T
Theplates,cutleryandpackagingusedinNAIT
cafeteriasmightlooklikeregulardisposables,but,
madefromuncoatedpaperandcorn,theyare
designedtobreakdowneasilyandhavelessimpact
ontheecosystem.
“Today’scustomerismuchmoreenvironmentally
consciousandwantstosupportsustainablesolutions,”
saysFoodServicesmanagerKathrynHowden.
“Aswell,ourleadershipteamfeelsstronglyabout
operatingasustainablebusiness.Wearealarge
departmentservingover8,000customersperday,so
wehavetheopportunitytomakeabigdifference.”
FoodServicesintroducedthenewplates,cutlery
andpackaginglastfall,greeningsomeofthelargestvolumedisposableproductsusedinthecafeterias.
Whilebiodegradablecorncutleryandsandwich
containersprovedtobereliablealternatives,
biodegradableplatesdidn’tpassthehotmeal
testandFoodServicesultimatelysettledonan
uncoateddegradablepaperplate.
“Theyjustdidn’tholdupunderourheartydishes,”
foodprocurementcoordinatorKimAllensaysofthe
cornplates.Oneevenbrokedownunderaplatefull
ofspaghetti.
– KrisTen vernon
Degradable:Breaksdown
significantlyintosmaller
particlesasaresultofphysical
processes,suchasweathering
Biodegradable:Amore
activebiologicalstep,where
materialbreaksdownfurther
intoitsbasicelements(water,
carbondioxideandother
inorganicsubstances)bybeing
consumedbymicroorganisms
suchasbacteria
Compostable:Biodegradation
bysoilorganismsaspartofa
compostsite
v1.2 2008
33
Investing
in education
There are few investments
more important today than
with
a focus on
math, science
& technology
promoting the skills and
abilities of our young
people. At Imperial Oil,
we sponsor a wide
range of educational
programs designed
to spark Canadian
students’ interest
in science,
mathematics and
technology – skills
– one of the
ways we’re
contributing
to Canada’s
future
www.imperialoil.ca/giving
essential to our
country’s prosperity.
alUMni
Greenscape
She’scomesofar,so
fast.Lookingatthe
successStephani
Carterhasachieved
inlessthantwoyears,
it’shardtobelieve
thatjustbefore
settingherselfupas
aself-titled“ecointerior-designitect”
andsustainable
buildingmaterials
specialist,Carter,28,
almostabandoned
thedesignworld–
tostudymonkeys.
v1.2 2008
35
Greenscape
andretailcomplexat10830Jasper
Ave.,Edmonton’sfirstLEED-CSbuilding,
acertificationforthecoreandshell
(tenantsarebeingencouragedtoseek
thecomplementarycertificationforgreen
interiors),andtheVillageAtGriesbach,
anurbanrenewaldevelopmentonthe
formermilitarybaseinEdmonton–the
city’sfirstLEED-ND(neighbourhood
design)pilotproject.
Thingsaregrowingsoquicklythat
inApril2007,anEcoAmmodatabase
ofsustainablebuildingproductsand
materialscalledGreenAlbertabranched
offtobecomeitsowncompany.
YetCarterdoesn’tneedany
remindersfromKermitthefrog:it’s
noteasybeinggreen.Tryingtobalance
herdualpassionsforinteriordesign
andenvironmentalismprovedtobean
ongoingstruggle.
Doubtsaboutenvironmental
responsibilitysurfacedduringherfirst
jobwithanEdmontonfirm,where
Carter,whograduatedin2001from
NAIT’sInteriorDesignTechnology
program,helpedredesignandrenovate
largeofficespaces.“Ilikedthework;
itwaslikeplayingTetris,”shesays.
“ButIkeptwonderingwhereallthe
oldfurniturewent.Therewassomuch
waste.”Asshedelveddeeperintothe
compositionofbuildingmaterials,Carter
washorrifiedtodiscovermanywere
fulloftoxinsandknowncarcinogens.
VOCs(volatileorganiccompounds)and
urea-formaldehydeturneduprepeatedly
inpaintandsubstratematerialslike
medium-densityfibreboardselectedfor
projects.“EverywhereIlooked,Isawan
industrynotinlinewithmyvalues.Iknew
Ihadtodosomethingordropoutofthefield.”
Inearly2003,Carterlearnedaboutagroupof
fellowbuildingindustryprofessionalswhowereforming
acoalitiondedicatedtosustainablebuildingpractices.
Shegrabbedtheopportunitylikealifeline,helping
tofoundtheAlbertaChapteroftheCanadaGreen
BuildingCouncilatthesametimethenationalcoalition
wasestablished.In2004,CarteracquiredherLEED
professionalaccreditation.
Alsothatyear,shemovedtoManascIsaac
Architects,whichCarterdescribesasthegreenest
designcompanyinEdmonton.Carter,whoeventually
cametoheadupateamofgreeninteriordesigners,felt
shenowhadtheopportunitytomakeadifferenceby
creatinghealthierlivingspacesthatalsomadefewer
“crEAtinG hEAlthy work And
livinG sPAcEs is whErE i cAn
mAkE A diffErEncE”
Web Extra
StephaniCartershowsyouwhat
tolookforwhensearchingfor
greenbuildingproducts.
techlifemag.ca/greening.htm
above, Stephani carter
collaborateS on
SuStainable building
materialS at the
riverdale netzero
duplex.
36 techlifemag.ca
SincestartingEcoAmmo,acompanyfoundedonthe
principlesofsustainableinteriordesign,inJune2006,
Carterhasrapidlymadeanameforherselfinthenew
andequallyfast-growinggreenbuildingfield.She’sin
demandeverywhere,speakingatenvironmentaland
buildingindustryconferences,conductingworkshops
andteachingcourses.Fromaone-womandream,
EcoAmmohasexpandedtoastaffoffour,allkeptbusy
providingresearchonenvironmentallyfriendlybuilding
materialsandactingasLEED-certificationfacilitators.
TheLeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign
(LEED)ratingsystemisthebenchmarkforgreen
buildingdesign,constructionandoperation.
CurrentEcoAmmoprojectsincludesuchhighprofiledevelopmentsasthe11-storeyProCuraoffice
demandsontheearth’sresources.Shecontinued
researchingbuildingmaterialsoff-hoursandstartedto
beknowntosuppliersandcontractorsas“thegreengirl
whoaskedtoomanytoughquestions.”
Butsomethinghadtogive.EventhoughManasc
Isaacwasattheforefrontofsustainabledesign,green
interiordesignonlyaccountedforasmallfractionof
Carter’swork:somanyclientsstillweren’treadyto
gothegreenroute.“I’dfallenoutoflovewithdesign,”
Carterexplains.“Listeningtodiscussionsaboutpaint
choices,allIcouldthinkwas,‘Don’tyouknowthat
brandistoxic?’Colourwasn’timportanttome.”Goodlookingdesignwasnolongerenough;goodhealth
andgood-for-the-earthwerewhatmattered.
InMay2006,shepackedherbagsfora
much-neededescape.
Carterretreatedtothejunglesof
SriLanka,workingasanEarthwatch
volunteerona40-year-runningstudyof
toquemacaques.There,duringamonth
away,Carterponderedwhetherto
returntohercurrentcareeror
staywiththemonkeys.TimeoutinSriLankaconvinced
Carterthesolutionwasto
“commit100percentto
pursingsustainabilityin
builtenvironments.”To
dothat,she’dhavetogo
intobusinessforherself.On
herreturn,shepromptlystarted
EcoAmmo,andshe’sbeen“waging
warontoxins”eversince.
Carterhasmorecompanyin
thatbattletoday.“Ihavethehighest
regardforherenergy,dedicationand
passion,”saysPeterAmerongenof
HabitatStudio&Workshop,who’s
currentlycollaboratingwithCarteron
Edmonton’sRiverdaleNetZeroProject,
anenergy-efficientduplexwithsolarelectric
andthermalsystemsthatwillproduceallitsown
energyforlighting,appliances,hotwaterandheating
overthecourseofayear.“She’sverypersuasiveand
aninspiration,eventoanoldguylikemewho’sbeen
involvedinenergyconservationsincethelastoilcrisis.
Withhertalentandintelligence,shecoulddoanything
shewants.Butsustainabledesigniswhereshe’smade
hercommitment.”
Themonkeyslostaresearcher,butsustainable
buildingdesigngainedastrongadvocate.“Iwanttogive
backtotheworld,”saysCarter.“Creatinghealthywork
andlivingspacesiswhereIcanmakeadifference.My
smallideahasgrownintosomethingbiggerandnowthe
wholeindustryischangingasitrecognizesconsumers’
desireforgreenproducts.It’saveryexcitingtime.”
inSet: SuStainable building materialS,
cork, granite, linoleum, Salvaged
hardwood, fSc hardwood and bamboo.
greeN?
or greeN-wAshed?
As environmentally friendly products become more popular, some
home-building manufacturers are marketing products as green
without having the sustainable benefits to back up those claims.
Beware the “green-washing” effect, says Stephani Carter of EcoAmmo.
But how can a consumer know what’s genuinely green?
Bottom line: start scrutinizing labels, says Carter, and look for third-party
certification that a product really delivers the green goods. For example, wood
products will have a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) symbol or a CSA (Canadian
Standards Association) rating. Look for a Green Seal or EcoLogo symbol on paint,
and choose carpets that are CRI (Carpet & Rug Institute) certified.
Be your own researcher, says Carter, who offers the following questions to
consider: Where does a product come from? (“Buying locally is intrinsically being
sustainable,” she says.) Where does the material in a product come from? Is it
recycled? Natural? From a chemical process?
Carter also advises consumers to decide what factors are most important to them,
whether that’s a product’s recycled content, durability, cost, toxicity or ability to be
recycled, and to seek products that fit those priorities.
To learn more and to nominate a product to be verified by Green Alberta, visit
greenalberta.ca. The product database is currently being developed.
v1.2 2008
37
people
alUMni
Story By
Glen eDWArDs
Photo By
ADAM BlAsBerG
bruce woloShyn createS
viSual effectS that enhance
tv and film ScriptS.
38 techlifemag.ca
invisible
man
AwArd-wINNINg
vIsuAl eFFeCTs
ArTIsT hopes
hIs besT work Is
Never NoTICed
t
oday’smovie-magictechnologycancreatea
futuristicmetropolis,butitcan’tmakeastoryon
itsown.
Award-winningvisualeffectsartistBruceWoloshyn
hasspenthisentirecareertellingstoriesthrough
pictures.AndWoloshyn,44,knowsthatnoamountof
computer-generatedflashcanblindanaudiencetoa
badscriptorsillyplotpremise.Fromhisdaystellingthe
storybehindthegameastechnicaldirectorofNBAand
NHLbroadcaststhroughtohisworkontelevisionand
featurefilms,Woloshyn’sfocushasneverchanged.
“EverythingI’vedone,fromlivesportstoTV
dramas,isintheserviceofenhancingthestory,”says
Woloshyn,visualeffects(VFX)supervisoratCIS
Vancouver,formerlyRainmaker,anaward-winning
visualeffectscompanywithsisterofficesinHollywood
andLondon.
Woloshynbelieveshisbestworkshouldneverbe
noticedbyaudiences.Themostabsorbingmovieisone
thatmakesyouforgetthepeopleseatedbesideyou,
thewallstoyourleftandright,andthestalepopcorn
stickingtothespilledsodabyyourfoot.Entertainment
ismeanttobeescapist–soyoushouldn’tfindyourself
returningtorealitythinking,“Thisshotmusthavecosta
lotofmoneytomake.”
“IfIdoareally,reallygoodjob,youshouldn’teven
knowit.IfIgetacommentonit,maybeIdidn’tdoit
right,”saysWoloshyn,aGeminiandLeoawardwinner,
aswellasmultipleEmmyawardnominee.
show ANd Tell
bruCe woloshyN reveAls how he
CreATed These sCeNes usINg vFx
niGht at thE
MUsEUM
Night at the Museum©2006.
TwentiethCenturyFox.
AllRightsReserved.
Notallcharactersarereal.
Infact,moreandmore
charactersinfeaturefilms
areacombinationofmany
artists,notjustasingle
actor.TheJackalsinNight
at the Museumarethe
culminationoftheworkof
anentireteamofproduction
personnel,computer
modellers,animators,
riggingandlighting
specialists,anddigital
compositors.Everyone
workedtoseamlessly
integrateintothefilm
characterswhoneverreally
existed–exceptinour
imaginations.
i original greenScreen photography
i JackalS computer model wireframe
i JackalS cg color render
i final vfx Shot from film
v1.2 2008
39
people
f
AluMNI
WhenWoloshyngraduatedfromNAIT’sRadioand
Televisionprogramin1984,hiscurrentjobdidn’teven
exist.Butascomputergeneratedimagerycameofage
intheearly1990swithfilmslikeTerminator 2, Jurassic
ParkandForrest Gump,Woloshyn,whowasalready
workingasafull-timetelevisioneditor,
waswell-positionedtomeettherisingfilm
industrydemandforcomputergraphicsto
createspecialeffects.In1995,Rainmaker
founderBobScarabellirecruitedWoloshyn
tojoinhisnewvisualeffectscompany.Today,
sci-fichannels,eye-poppingHDTVshows
andblockbusterfranchiseslikeLord of the RingsorHarry
Potterallhavethesimpledigitalpixeltothank.
ButWoloshyn’smostcherishedHollywoodmovie
memoryalwaysservesasahistorylessontohiscraft.
“Oneofmyfavouritefilmsistheoriginal1933King
Kong.Icanwatchitoverandover.YoufeltforKingKong
attheendwhenhedied.WhenI’mwatchinghimget
shotbythosebiplanesatthetopoftheEmpireState
Building,Istillfeelbadfortheguy.ButKingKongisjust
astop-motionpuppet–themarvelisthattheymadea
realcharacteroutifit,”hesays.
Today’sVFXcaneasilycreatelifewherethere
oncewasnone.Butabsolutepowercorrupts–and
sometimesthesizzlereplacesthesteak,withmovies
trumpetingshinynewtechnologyratherthana
compellingplotorgreatacting.
“Overindulgencewasabigproblemearlyon.Ithink
mostofushavesincerealizedyoucan’tuseVFXasthe
onlyvehicleforamovie.Infact,projectsthatarenot
overtlyVFX-driventeachyouthatthemost,”Woloshyn
says.
CaseinpointisWoloshyn’sworkonGlobal’sThe
Guard,anewone-hourseriesthatfollowsthelivesof
fourcoastguardrescuespecialistsastheyendurethe
dailydangersoflifeonthePacificOcean.Theshow
tellsstoriessetinanunforgivingenvironmentthatis
neitherfilm-friendlynorconducivetolivingalonglife.
Woloshyngetstheepisodescriptassoonasit’swritten
andmarksupscenesthatwouldbeimpracticaltoshoot
forreal,orwhereVFXcouldaddvaluetothestory.
“Brucealwayslooksatwhatweneedtomakethescene
betterwithjusttheminimumamount,”saysRaymond
Storey,The Guard’sexecutiveproducerandcreator.
Oneepisodehadamanfightingforhislifeonthe
highseas.Woloshynandhisteamturnedfootageofan
actortreadingwaterinastudiotankintoacameraflyby
revealingalostsouladriftintheoceanwithnolandor
rescueinsight.ThevisiondrivingWoloshynwasnothis
VFXsoftware,butthestory.
“WhatattractsmetoThe Guardarethecharacters,
becausetheygiveyouastoryandthat’swhatmakes
itinteresting–notVFX,”saysWoloshyn.“Youwanta
projectwithagoodstorybecauseyou’regoingtohaveto
lookatitformonthsandmonthsinpost-production.”
show ANd Tell
(continued)
todAy’s vfx cAn
EAsily crEAtE lifE
whErE thErE oncE
wAs nonE.
40 techlifemag.ca
28 wEEks latEr
28 Weeks Later(TM)and©2007.
TwentiethCenturyFox.
AllRightsReserved.
Sometimes,it’sthesubtletiesthatmakethe
difference.Forthisscene,asTammyandAndyrejoin
theirfatherinLondon(28weeksaftertheoutbreak
ofthelethalvirusthatannihilatedthepopulationof
GreatBritain),theywalkpastamakeshiftmemorial
ofcandlestothoselostinthedisaster.Onthedayof
filming,thewindwassuchthatnoneofthecandles
wouldstaylit.Theanswerwastolateraddaflame
toeachindividualcandle.
i original greenScreen photography
starGatE: atlantis
Stargate: Atlantis©2004-2008.
MGMGlobalHoldingsInc.Stargate: Atlantisisa
trademarkofMetro-Goldwyn-MayerStudiosInc.
AllRightsReserved.
Sometimesvisualeffectsarejust
notmeanttobesubtle.Agenre
thatseemsmadeforthiskind
ofwork,sciencefictionoffers
analmostlimitlesspalettefor
thevisualeffectsartist.Landing
theDaedalusspacecraftinthe
oceanbesidethecityofAtlantis
simplycan’tbefilmed.However,
thatiscertainlynottosaythatit
can’tbeseen.
i computer model wireframe
i final vfx Shot from film
i original background photography
i final vfx Shot from epiSode
thE GUarD
The Guard©2007-2008.
AirSeaProductions(BC)Inc.
AllRightsReserved.
Foradramaticseries,visual
effectsneedtomaintain
consistencywithalloftheother
non-visualeffectsphotography.
Thesecondthatanyvisualeffects
shotpullsyououtofthedramatic
momentistheseconditfails.On
anepisodictelevisionschedule,
thatisevenmorechallenging.
Fromtheseriespremiere,
Waheguru,thisimageshowsthe
character,Duff,asheislocated
bytheCoastGuardBO-105
helicopter.
i final vfx Shot from epiSode
v1.2 2008
41
people
MEntor
hEal thE past
fEEd thE
futurE
ForMer resIdeNTIAl
sChool sTudeNT lAuNChes
NATIoNwIde ChAlleNge
Story By
lisA GreGoire
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
diana blackman
JoinS StudentS at
mimiw Sakahikan School
for their breakfaSt for
learning-SponSored
morning bowl of cereal.
the non-profit program
feedS 13,580 alberta
School children
each day.
42 techlifemag.ca
Whenevershegotanxious,DianaBlackman
wouldtastepuddinginhermouth.Foryearsafter
leavingLebretResidentialSchoolinFortQu’Appelle,
Saskatchewan,Blackmannotonlyrememberedthe
lousy,often-expiredfoodservedtoher,shetastedit.
Anyanxietiesalwaystransportedherbacktothatdining
hallanditsrowuponrowofconfused,fearfulchildren.
Andthatpastycustard.
“Iwouldhavetoclearmythroat,”saysBlackman,
NAIT’saboriginalliaisoncoordinator.“Itwasalways
whenIwasfeelinghelpless,whenIwasstuck.It
triggeredthatmemoryofbeingpowerless.ButIknow
I’mnotthathelplesslittlegirlanymore.”
Withasuccessfulcareerineducationandsocial
workandtheknowledgethatnativechildrenarestill
goingtoschoolconfusedandhungry,Blackman,44,
hascontrivedawaytoslayherchildhoodmemories
andhelpnativestudentsgetapropereducation:she’s
donating$500fromherfederalresidentialschool
settlementtothenational,non-profitBreakfastfor
Learning(BFL)program–andchallengingother
survivorstodothesame.
“Weareincrediblygratefulfortheleadership
andsupportofDianaBlackmanandherchallengeto
Canadians,”saysWendyWong,BFL’spresidentand
CEO.“Hercommitment,andherchallengetoothers
acrossthecountry,willhelpmakeapositiveimpacton
studentswhowillreceivethepropernourishmentthey
requiretostayalertandengagedinclass.”
Blackman,whoismostlySioux,wasbornthe
youngestof10anddirt-poorontheWhiteBearReserve
insoutheastSaskatchewan.Shewasinhermother’s
wombwhenherfatherdied.Ashorttimelater,herolder
brotheralsodiedandafterthat,hermotherseemedto
giveup,turningtoalcoholforescape,Blackmansays.
BlackmanspentoneyearattheLebretschool,when
shewasaboutseven,andafewyearslater,thefamily
movedtoEdmontonwhereshehasspentmostofher
adultlife.
Food–ourenjoymentofitordesperatehungerforit
–occupiesapermanentplaceinourmemories.There’s
areasonwhyweturntoshepherd’spie,moosestew
andbannockorother“comfortfoods.”Foodcansatisfy
hungerandsoothethesoul.Itcanalsohelpyoulearn.
PauletteCameron,principalatMimiwSakahikanSchool
onthePigeonLakeReserve,saysthechangeinstudent
behaviourasaresultoftheBFL-sponsoredbreakfast
programwasastounding.“Itreallyhelpswithdiscipline.
Whenyou’rehungry,you’reedgy,”shesays.Aweek
aftersupplyingfruit,cerealandjuicetostudents,
theclassroomswerenoticeablycalmer.“Whentheir
tummiesarefull,theywanttolearn.Andithelpswith
attendancetoo.”
AsanaboriginalcounselloratSt.FrancisofAssisi
CatholicSchoolandlaterSt.JosephCatholicHigh
School,andevenatNAIT,Blackmanhaswitnessedfirsthandhowhungerimpairsastudent’sacademicability
andhence,theirconfidenceandself-esteem.Residential
schoolsurvivorshaveanopportunitytogivean
aboriginalchildafightingchance,shesays,something
thatchildmightneverhaveotherwise.
“I’mhopingpeoplecanlookattheirexperience
andsay,‘Oh,thiscanreallyhelpourgrandchildrenat
school,’”Blackmansays.
breAkFAsT For leArNINg
NATIoNAl progrAM Feeds 230,000 sTudeNTs
Launchedin1992byCanadian Livingmagazine,thenowindependent,non-profit
BreakfastforLearning(BFL)programdistributesroughly$2.5millionannuallyto
schoolnutritionprogramsacrossthecountrythatprovidebreakfast,lunchand
snackstomorethan230,000students.Thatsatisfiesabout28percentofcurrent
requests.BFL’sbudgetreliesentirelyoncorporateandindividualdonations.
Alberta’sBFLprogramreceivedtwogenerouscommitmentsfromEnmaxandthe
EdmontonOilersCommunityFoundation,bringingtotalgrantsforthe2007/08
schoolyeartomorethan$304,000,whichhelps283provincialschools–18of
themaboriginal–feed13,580studentseveryschoolday.
breakfastforlearning.ca
v1.2 2008
43
people
alUMni
frEEstylE solE
ryAN ZAhACy desIgN – A good FIT
Story By
ryAn sMiTh
PhotoS By
JAson ness
44 techlifemag.ca
r
yanZahacyisusuallyprettylaidback,buthe
doesn’tmindtakingrisks.Heisaskateboarder,
afterall.
“Ohyeah,Itakesomechances–you’vegottodosome
scarystuffnowandthenandpushyourself,”hesays.
“I’vebangedmywristandhadafewconcussionsand
whatnot,butthat’spartofthegame.”
Zahacy,22,sayshelovesskateboardingbecauseitgives
himfreedomtoexpresshimselfinarealmoutsideany
organizedrules.
“Withstreetskateboarding,youcanjustgoanywhere
anddoitanytimeyouwant.That’sthebeautyofit,”
saysZahacy,whorecentlybecameacertifiedparts
journeymanthroughNAITandnowworksatWestern
PontiacinEdmonton.
Theurgetotakechancesandexpresshimselfcompelled
Zahacytoenteracontesttodesignaskateboarding
shoeforGlobeShoes,withthewinningdesigntobesold
inWest49storesacrossCanada.Hisentrywasoneof
about250submitted.
“Ididn’ttellmyfriends,”hesays.“Ithoughtthey’djust
be,like,‘Whatever,you’llneverwin.’ButIshowed(my
design)tomygirlfriendandshewas,like,‘Thisisgood.
You’regoingtowin.’”
“Itreallydidquitewellforus.Wehadtwoorthree
sizerunsonit,sothat’scloseto100pairsatthis
storealone,”Lairdadds.“Thethingaboutthatshoe
isthateverybody’sboughtit.It’snotjustonetypeof
skateboarderoranotherthatboughtit.”
Theshoewasmanufacturedthispastsummer,and
Zahacy’sprizeforwinningthecontestwasadozenpairs
inhissizeandsomeotherGlobegear.Healsoearneda
rarehonour.
“WeaddedalittlefeatureforRyanthathedidn’tknow
about,andthatwastoputhisnameonthefootbed
oftheshoe.Itsays,‘DesignedforWest49byRyan
Zahacy,’whichmakeshimoneofaselectfewinthe
world,outsideprofessionallysponsoredriders,tohave
hisnameonaskateboardshoe,”Filicesays.
Zahacydidn’tenterthecontesttogainattention,buthe
saysitfeelsgoodwhenheseespeoplewearinghisshoe.
“I’veseenafewpeopleatNAITandaroundthecity
wearingthem,”hesays.“SometimesIwanttotalkto
themandhearwhattheythinkabout(theshoes),but
Idon’tgouptothemoranything.Iguessjusthaving
peoplewearthemisgoodenoughforme.”
Shewasright.
Zahacysaysheenjoyshiscurrentcareer,buthe’s
interestedindoingmoredesignwork,particularlyfor
skateboardandsnowboardclothes.
“ItwasthefirstdesignI’veeverdone,soIwaskindof
surprisedthatIwon,”hesays.“Iprettymuchjustdidit
thewayI’dwantittobeifIwasgoingtowearit.”
“Ihaven’tdesignedanyotherstuffsincethecontest,
butiftheygavemeachanceIwould.I’denteranother
contest,forsure,”hesays.
“Ryan’sdesignwasreally,reallybangon,”saysJerry
Filice,a33-year-oldskateboarderandseniorbuyerfor
West49.“EventheguysatGlobesaidtheythought
itwassomethingtheycouldseetheirownin-house
designerscomingupwith.”
FansofZahacy’sdesignworkshouldn’thavetowait
long.ThefirstcontestwassuchasuccessthatWest49
willlikelydoitagainnextyear,saysFilice.
Zahacydescribeshisdesignas“cleanandsimple.”
HetooktheGlobeicon,a“G-box,”andcreatedabrick
patternwithit.Thecoloursonhisshoeareblackand
white,withahintofredaddedtothelogo.
“Iknowforsurethatwhenwelaunchthenextcontest,I’ll
personallycallRyanandlethimknowaboutitandmake
surehegetsanentryin,”hesays.“Whenyoungpeople
likeRyanhavethatsortoftalentandlovefordesigning,
that’sourfavouriteworktogetourhandson.”
“There’salotgoingonin(thedesign),butit’salsojust
anice,simpleblackandwhiteshoethatreallyshows
offtheGlobebrand,”saysCaseyLaird,the26-year-old
skateboarderandstoremanagerofWest49’sstorein
WestEdmontonMall.
ryan zahacy performS trickS in
the weSt49 weSt edmonton mall
Skatepark. the focuS zahacy Shoe
(right) featureS a brick pattern
of the globe “g-box” icon.
v1.2 2008
45
skIlls hAve AN
expIrATIoN
dATe Too.
Elevateyoureducation-keepyourskillsandknowledgefreshand
up-to-the-minute.Continuingeducationcoursesareaperfectfitfor
busypeoplelookingtorevuptheirmarketabilitywithadegree,diploma
orcertificateorwithnewcoursesfeaturingnewtechnology.
our May to August Calendar offers hundreds of options for the part-time learner:
•BachelorofAppliedBusiness
Administration—Accounting
•BachelorofAppliedInformation
SystemsTechnology
•SupervisoryDevelopmentCertificate
•ConstructionTechnology
•ConstructionTrades
•GeothermalInstallation
•RadioFrequencyIdentification
•CulinaryBootCamps
•SpecialEventsManagementCertificate
•MotorcycleRiderSafetyTraining
•OccupationalHealth&Safety
•HealthSciences
•Radio&TV
•Andmore
For more information:
www.nait.ca/Continuingeducation
email: spring08@nait.ca to have a
calendar mailed to your door
an inStitute of technology committed to Student SucceSS
11762-106St.EdmontonAlbertaCanadaph780.471.6248
people
postcarDs
september 17, 2007
day 17 of hiS trek for cancer: lucaS poznanSki,
north of the notch, a prominent landmark on
the Skyline trail in JaSper national park.
TrekkINg For CANCer
TheSkylineTrailinJasperNationalParkwasbreathtaking.Theviewsof
thesurroundingmountainswerespectacular,leavinglittledoubtasto
whythisrouteissopopularduringthesummer.
Ibacktracked,thinkingthatperhapsIhadfailedtonoticeasmallertrail
leadingtothecampground.Walkingoverhalfakilometrebacknorth,I
sawnothingbutthickforest.
Carryingmy60-poundpack,Icovered35kilometresofhigh-impact
terraintoday.
Ibeganlookingforasuitableclearingformytent.Becauseofthethick
foliageframingthenarrowtrailonbothsides,Iwasunabletofindevena
mediocreplacetosleep.Closertothestream,Iwassurprisedtonotice
anobscuresignreading‘Hiker,’pointingright,toafainttrail.Within
secondsIhadfoundabridgecrossingthewater,ontheothersideof
whichwasthebackcountrycampground.
Itwas10:30p.m.whenIarrivedattheSkyline’ssoutherntrailhead.I
stillhadsixmorekilometrestotheTrapperCreekCampgroundonthe
MalignePasstrail.
Ireachedajunction,indicating‘left’toMalignePass.Althoughthetrail
wasdistinctandeasytofollowbyheadlamp,IkeptaneyeonmyGPS,
whichapprisedmeoftheremainingdistance.Afterabout90minutes,
itindicatedIhadpassedthewaypointby300metres,buttherewasno
signofthecampground.
Comingtoalargecreek,Icouldseethetrailresumingontheopposite
side.Ithadbeenalmost14hourssinceIbeganhikingthatmorning;
Iwastiredanddidn’tfeellikefordinganicystreambarefoot.
Itwasaround1a.m.whenIarrived.Irushedthroughalatedinner,before
gettingsomemuch-neededsleep.
luCAs PoznAnsKi
BACHELOROFAPPLIEDINFORMATIONSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGYCANDIDATE
operations Manager, 36ZeroWaste group inc.
InSeptember2007,Lucashikedmorethan550kilometresthroughthe
CanadianRockies,raising$3,000fortheAlbertaCancerFoundation.
Readmoreabouthistriponhisblog:cancertrek.ca.
v1.2 2008
47
people
postcarDs
dylan and c.J. wilkinS with their buell ulySSeS tour motorcycleS in calgary.
march 16, 2008
above from left: c.J. preparing in hiS garage, a bike equipped with a luggage
SyStem, front view of the ulySSeS and dylan and c.J. ready to roll.
wIsh you were hErE to hErE
ThissummermybrotherDylanandIwillberidingourBuellUlysses
motorcyclesmorethan32,000kilometresthrough26countriesand
areastoraisemoneyforStreetKidsInternational.Withlessthantwo
monthstogobeforewestarttheride,weareatNAITFairviewCampus
forsomeone-on-oneinstructionwithWallyandRandyoftheHarleyDavidsonTechnicianprogram.
Ourinstructorshavebeenincrediblypatientwithmy(lackof)
mechanicalability–evenwhenIbrokeasparkplugwireandoneof
theirtools.Similarly,theyhavehelpedDylan,whoisalicencedaircraft
maintenanceengineer,withtroubleshootingpotentialrepairsand
maintenanceitemsonthemotorcycles.DylanandWallyevenfigured
outhowwecanchangeatireusingtheBuell’skickstandandtheweight
48 techlifemag.ca
ofthebiketoleveragethetireofftherim.Ittooksomeseriouseffortand
I’mgladtheyfigureditoutbeforefatiguesetinattheendoftheday.
Nearlyadecadeago,Iworkedinaco-oppositionintheFairviewCampus
communicationsdepartment,givingtoursoftheTrevDeeleybuilding.
Havingonlystartedridingtwoyearsago,Ineverwouldhaveexpectedto
beworkingonmyownBuellmotorcycleintheverysameplace.
TheHeretoHereWorldTourlaunchesonMay10fromCalgary.
Tofollowourprogress,andtolearnmoreaboutthetourandabout
StreetKidsInternational,visitheretohere.com.
C.J. WilKins
Web Extra
Videopostcardat
PhotoS By JAson ness
youtube.com/techlifemag
people
3 qUEstions; 10 pEoplE
words of wisdom
we Asked 10 people To weIgh
IN oN Three QuesTIoNs
AshiF MAWJi
Alum; Founder of Upside
Software Inc.; BDC’s 2007 Young
Entrepreneur for Alberta
environment: Useenergyefficient
lightbulbs.Runbehindmywife
turningofflights,appliances,hair
straighteners,etc.
Designer: GiorgioArmanifor
fashionandinterior.
sTePhAni CArTer
nolAn Crouse
Alum; Sustainable building
material specialist, EcoAmmo
and Green Alberta
Alum; St. Albert mayor
environment:Liveinawalkable
community.Setupmytwo
companieswiththesmallest
ecologicalfootprintpossible–
weworkfromhome(orsatellite
offices).Madepactswithsome
relativestodonateineachother’s
namesinsteadofgivinggifts.
Designer:ArchitectWilliam
McDonoughforwhathe’s
accomplishedonsustainability.
EdwardMazriaforhiscarbon
neutralinitiativesinarchitecture.
Mac or PC: Mac.
BArB CoCKrAll
Volunteer and former chair,
SS Benefit NAIT Cruise
environment:Recyclehousehold
goodsandclothing–andfind
otherswhocanmakeuseofthem.
Designer:GiorgioArmanifor
men’sandwomen’sclothing
becauseofhispuredesign
andfabrics.
Mac or PC: PC.
environment:Walkandbiketo
workwhenpossible.Recycle.At
CityHall,we’redevelopingan
environmentalplanforthecity.
Designer: Thedesignerwho
keepsmelookingslim,regardless
ofwhoitis.
Mac or PC: PC.
MelissA DoMinelli
Alum; Edmontonians magazine
2007 Sizzling 20 Under 30;
Radio personality, 91.7 The Bounce;
TV host & producer, TDot TV
Designer:AlexeyDushkin,
award-winningarchitectofseveral
stunningmetrostationsinMoscow.
Mac or PC: PChandsdown.
Mac or PC: Mac.
Alum; Edmontonians magazine
2007 Sizzling 20 Under 30;
President, Freckle Creative
linDA henDerson
NAIT athletics director
environment: Recycle.Make
stopsonthewayhomefrom
worksoasnottousemyvehicle
unnecessarily.Cycletoworkwhen
nice.Turndownmythermostat
duringthedayandnightandlight
onlytheroomsIoccupy.
Designer: Ifit’sfunctional,fitsand
looksgood,I’mhappy!
environment:Recycle.Buy
recycledproducts.Usecompact
fluorescentlightbulbs.
Mac or PC: PCatwork.IfIhad
thechoice,itwouldbeMacall
theway!
Designer:DonnaKaran.Marc
Jacobs.Rock&Republicjeans
havethebestfit–myfavouriteis
VictoriaBeckham’sline.
riCK lee
Mac or PC: Mac.
JoDy FATh
Alum; NAIT advancement
relations officer
environment: Purchaseitems
madefromrecycledgoods,suchas
WASbags(wasnewzealand.co.nz).
Alum; Radio personality,
Sonic 102.9
environment:Recycle.Reuse.
Designer: TheentireIkeastore,
ifthatcounts.Puttingthe
stufftogetherisonething,but
simplicityandcostefficiencyis
key.The$1-breakfastsare
abonus.
Mac or PC: PC.
holly PlAnTe
environment: Recommend
post-consumerpaperproductsto
clients.Recycleofficepaper.Back
upe-mailselectronically.
Designer:Prada,butitmightbe
timeforimitation.Seemswhen
IbuynewPradasunglassesIdo
somethingsillylikediveintothe
lakewhilewearingthem.
Mac or PC: PC.
BruCe Woloshyn
Alum; Visual effects supervisor at
CIS Vancouver
environment:I’mabigfanof
the“tapeless”environment.No
tapes,noDVDs,noshipping,no
garbage.
Designer: BurtRutan,designer
oftheVoyager(thefirstplane
toflynon-stoparoundtheworld
withoutrefuelling)andsuborbital
vehicleSpaceShipOne.
Mac or PC: Macathome.Both
atwork.
v1.2 2008
49
people
rEaDinG rooM
oPEn
conceptS
the deSign-minded offer eSSential
readingS on the art of creating
Exploring Visual
dEsign: tHE ElEmEnts
and prinCiplEs
JosephA.Gatto,AlbertW.
Porter,JackSelleck(2000)
Recommendedby
Fletcher o’Grady,
PhotographicTechnology
instructor
Everwonderedwhatmakes
greatart,photographyand
graphicdesigninterestingto
lookat?O’Gradyrecommends
Exploring Visual Design
forinsightintothetwodimensionalworldofdesign
andthefundamentalsneeded
tocreatevisualinterest.
Thefirstsectionofthebook
exploresthesixelements
ofdesign,whilethesecond
detailsthesixprinciplesof
design.
Hand Job: a Catalog
of typE
MichaelPerry(2007)
RecommendedbyTanya Bach
ofDr.ScientistSounds
(GraphicSignArts’02)
Theroughandtumble
characterofhandlettering
meansapersonisontheother
endofthepen.It’sauthentic
andpersonal–thequalities
Bachputsintoherwork.
Forinspiration,she
recommendsHand Job.The
antithesisofhow-tomanuals
thatteachpeopletomake
perfectgraphics,thebook’s
examplesoftypographyleap
fromthepage,thecharmof
theirimperfectionsandquirks
intact.
Bachsaysnow,perhapsmore
thanever,there’sanappetite
tocelebratehandmadeinan
automatedindustry.
gardEn dEsign MAGAzine
RecommendedbyDonna Brown,
LandscapeArchitecturalTechnologyinstructor
“Thismagazineincludesaward-winninglandscapedesignsfromallover
theworldandoftenpresentsdesignswithanon-traditionalapproachand
veryinnovativesolutions,”Brownsays.“Themagazinealsoshowcases
thelatestproductsandmaterials,high-endfurnishingsandgreendesign
ideas,includingroofgardens,raingardensandgreenwalls.”
AffiliatedwiththeAmericanSocietyofLandscapeArchitects,
gardendesign.comoffersinformativelinkstoprofessionalwebsites.
50 techlifemag.ca
amEriCan furniturE of tHE 18tH CEntury: History,
tECHniquE, and struCturE
JeffreyP.Greene(1996)
RecommendedbyJon Gri,finefurniturecraftsman
(AdvancedWoodworkingandFurnitureDesign’04)
Understandingthetechniquesandexpertiseoftheartisansofoldand
applyingthoseskillstofinefurnituremakingtodaybringsintegrityto
everypieceandensuresitwillbeenjoyedforgenerationstocome,
saysGri.Andthat’swhyherecommendsAmerican Furniture of the 18th
Centurytoaspiringfinefurnituremakers.
www.nexeninc.com
A CAREER WITH NEXEN
see the VALUE
Nexen Inc. is one of Canada’s largest independent oil and gas companies with operations worldwide.
technique
Story By
KrisTen vernon
illuStration By
shAne GAiGnArD
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
Go nAturEl
greeN your yArd wITh lANdsCApe opTIoNs ANd gArdeNINg TeChNIQues
FroM The desIgNers oF timeleSS elementS, the backyard ShowcaSe
FeATured AT The edMoNToN hoMe ANd gArdeN show.
desIgNed by
seCoNd-yeAr
lANdsCApe
ArChITeCTurAl
TeChNology
sTudeNTs sTepheN
heller, shANe
gAIgNArd ANd
Nell gAsIewICZ
– wINNers oF A
ClAss desIgN
CoMpeTITIoN – ThIs
eCo-FrIeNdly
ouTdoor spACe
wAs INspIred by
The eleMeNTs oF
NATure: eArTh,
wATer, wINd ANd
FIre.
right: rockS lining
the waterfall,
table Setting
on diSplay in the
backyard ShowcaSe.
52 techlifemag.ca
Earth
CoMposITe deCkINg
Notonlyarecompositedeckboardslowmaintenance,withnosanding,stainingorpainting
required,theycanbemadefromnon-toxicreclaimedorrecycledmaterials,includingplastic
grocerybags,sawdustandpallets.
watEr
poNdless wATerFAll
Awaterfallandstream,apondlesswaterfall
operatesmuchthesameasaregularpond,
withapumpcirculatingwaterfromthe
reservoirbeneaththerockstothetopofthe
waterfall.It’savirtuallymaintenance-free
alternativetoapond,simplyrequiringyou
totopupwaterthathasevaporated.And,
unlikeapond,there’snoecologicalneedto
keepthesystemgoingcontinuously,making
itanenergy-efficientchoice.Thiswater
featurerequireslessspacethanapondand
isidealforfamilieswithsmallchildren.
winD
shelTer belT
Plantinglargeconiferoustreesand
shrubsonthenorthandwestsides
ofyourhousecreatesawindscreen,
helpingloweryourheatingbillsinthe
winter.Plantingdeciduoustreesonthe
southsideofyourhousecanhelpkeepit
coolduringthesummer.
FirE
low-volTAge lIghTINg
Lightyournightscapewithanenergy-efficient
alternative.Low-voltagelightinguses12voltsof
electricity,insteadofthestandard110/120volts.
v1.2 2008
53
technique
Earth
watEr
CoMposT
xerIsCApINg
DescribedbytheCompostingCouncilof
Canadaas“nature’swayofrecycling,”
compostingisanexcellentwaytodivert
kitchenandyardwastefromthelandfill,
withtheorganicmaterialdecomposing
intohumus,whichcanenhancesoilquality.
Theprinciplesofthiswater-conserving
methodoflandscapingincludechoosing
nativeplants,whichonthePrairiesmeans
choosingdrought-tolerantplantssuited
toournaturalprecipitation(inareasless
than30centimetresayear),mulchingand
wateringefficientlyandreducingthesizeof
yourlawn.
When to water
Wateryourlawnbefore11a.m.toavoid
evaporation.Establishedlawnsonlyneed
2.5centimetresofwater,includingrain,
everysevento10days,advisesEpcor.
watEr
bIoswAles
Earth
orgANIC MulCh
Usecompost,woodchipsorotherorganic
materialsinyourplantingbedstokeep
weedsundercontrol,retainsoilmoisture
(reducinghowoftenyouneedtowater),
andkeepplantrootscoolonhotdays.As
themulchslowlydecomposes,itprovides
nutrientstotheplants.
FirE
wood pelleT bArbeCue
Acleanandefficientalternativetogas
orcharcoal,woodpelletsaremadefrom
wastewoodmaterials,includingsawmill
residue,thatwouldotherwisehavegone
intothelandfill.
54 techlifemag.ca
Shallowvegetatedchannels,bioswales
filterpollutantsandsedimentandslow
stormwaterrunoff.Relativelyinexpensive
andeasytoinstall,bioswalescanbe
locatednexttowalks,drivewaysor
waterspoutsandcansupplementcurbsor
gutters.Whiletherearedifferenttypesof
swales,dryswalesarerecommendedfor
residentiallandscapesastheyare,well,
drymostofthetimeand,betweenstorms,
aredesignedtodraininaboutaday.
watEr
rAIN hArvesTer
Therearemanybenefitstousingrain
harvestersorrainbarrelsinyourgarden
besidesthesavingstoyourwaterbill.
Storingrainwater,ratherthanlettingit
flowdirectlyintothegutters,easesthe
burdenonmunicipalwastewatertreatment
facilities.Itdecreasesstormwaterrunoff
andalsothechanceoflivesewagedumping
intotheNorthSaskatchewanRiverwhen
thesystemoverflowsduringheavy
precipitation.
InventorCarrieVoshasdesigneda
decorativecovertomakeyourrainbarrel
usefulandbeautiful(OveraBarrel,p.18).
Health. Opportunities.
Rewards.
At Sherritt International, with more than 80 years of business success
as a leading diversified natural resource company in Canada, these
attributes are fundamental to who we are and how we reward our
employees.
Health & Safety
Taking care of our employees is the key to taking care of our business.
A healthy workforce promotes success, so we strive every day and every
hour to ensure that our workplace meets or exceeds health and safety
standards.
Opportunities
Sherritt offers attractive salaries and incentives and provides our
workforce with a host of growth opportunities. Our five divisions:
Metals, Coal, Oil & Gas, Power and Technologies offer an array of career
options, both in Canada and internationally, with exposure to a wide
range of process technologies, projects and skilled people.
Rewards
Challenging and rewarding work. Opportunities for advancement. A
stable company that believes in, and values, its people. A safe and
positive work environment. These are just a few of the rewards that
Sherritt offers.
Please visit the Sherritt website at www.sherritt.com
for more information or to submit an application.
Sherritt International Corporation is a leading diversified natural resource company involved in the production of thermal coal, nickel, cobalt, oil and gas and
electricity. Sherritt’s success is built on utilizing innovative technologies and the breadth of its financial and operational expertise to increase productivity and
profitability. Sherritt continues to explore opportunities to grow its $5.5 billion asset base through expansion of its existing businesses, capital projects and
strategic acquisitions.
technique
ask an ExpErt
kick up
your workout
mixed martial
artiSt chriS
ade SuggeStS
longer than
normal training
SeSSionS to
prepare for a
martial artS
program.
Q:
ToNy hoANg
(CheMICAl TeChNology ’96) Asks,
“do you have a recommended fitneSS / Strength
training program for martial artS?”
do you have a
queStion you’d
like anSwered?
Sendto:
editor@techlifemag.ca
andoneofNAIT’smany
expertsmayprovidean
answerinafutureissue.
A:
Fitnesstrainingprogramsformartialarts
varyincontentandstylefromonetrainer
toanother.However,therearecertain
basicfeaturesthatshouldbeincludedinanyfitness
trainingprogram.
Warm-upexercisesshouldbepartofallfitness
sessions.Startwithlightweightsorlightcardiovascular
exercisestogetthebloodflowingintothemuscles.
Yourfitnessprogramshouldprepareyoutoendure
longandstrenuousmartialartssessions.Youshould,
therefore,completemultiplestrengthexercisesets
overalongerthannormalperiodoftime.Always
beginexercisingthelargestmusclegroupsfirst,before
workingyourwaydowntothesmallestmusclegroups.
56 techlifemag.ca
Giventhatmartialartsinvolvecontact,youwillneedto
alignyourselfwithacompetentteam.Onlybypractising
withotherscanyoudevelopgreattechnique.
Thefitnessprogramyouchooseshouldbeaspractical
aspossible,replicatingthemovementsofyoursport
andstrengtheningthemusclesyouusemost.
Throughtargetedapproachessuchasthese,youwill
behominginonyourspecificgoal–masteryofthe
martialarts.
Chris ADe
(PerSonal fitneSS trainer ’03)
PerSonal trainer & Mixed Martial artiSt
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
replicate the movementS
of your Sport
Shadowkickboxingisoneexercise
thatreplicatesthemovements
ofmartialarts.Itisaone-person
routinethatinvolvesconstant
punchingandkickinginamanner
thatsimulatesarealfight.
improve your phySical endurance
Ingeneral,non-martialartsstrengthtrainingexercisesaredoneintwotothreesetsofeightto12repetitionseach.Formartialartstraining,you’ll
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v1.2 2008
57
culiNAIT
rEcipE
lobstEr EGGs bEnEDict
reciPe courteSy of
BrAD horen
yield
4 servinGs
Butter-poachedlobster,smokedback
bacon,quaileggs,smokedscallopsand
lobsterBéarnaisesauce
8ozlobstermeat(biggerpiecesarenicer)
4piecesofsmokedbackbacon
4poachedquaileggs
4smokedscallops(slicedthinlyintocoins)
4ozlobsterBéarnaisesauce
2Englishmuffins(splitinhalf)
sMoked seA sCAllops
(15to20perpound)
Method: Soakcherrywoodchipsfor30
minutes.Drainwoodchipsandplaceina
panorwok.Coverthewoodchipswitha
roastingrack.Applymediumlowheatto
thebaseofpanorwokandcover.Whenthe
woodchipscreatesmoke,placescallops
onrackandcoverwithadomelid.Allow
scallopstosmokeuntilfirmtothetouch
(approx.5minutes).Removepanfromheat
andstandtothesideuntilneeded.
lobsTer béArNAIse sAuCe
(makes1 1/2cups)
6tbspBéarnaisereduction(seebelow)
6eggyolks
3/4cupclarifiedbutter
3/4cuplobsteroil(seebelow)
2tbspfreshtarragon
Method: AddthecoldBéarnaisereduction
totheeggyolksinalargebowl.Whisk
themtogetheroverapotofsimmering
water.Donotbringtoaboilorletthe
watertouchthebowlasitwillcausethe
eggstoscramble.Atthesametime,place
thelobsteroilandclarifiedbutterinapot
onthestoveonmediumlowheattokeep
itwarm.Whisktheeggyolkmixtureuntil
itdoublesinvolume,startstothicken
andbecomesapaleyellowincolour.
Slowlyaddthelobsteroilmixturetothe
eggyolkmixtureinasteadystream.The
sauceshouldbecomethickandrich.Ifthe
mixturestartstoseparate,addasmall
amountofcoldwateranditshouldbring
thesaucebacktogether.Oncealltheoil
andbutterarewhiskedin,finelychopthe
tarragonandmixintothefinishedsauce.
Seasonwithsaltandpepper.
58 techlifemag.ca
béArNAIse reduCTIoN
(makesabout6tbsp)
1shallot
2tbspfreshtarragon
3tbspwhitewineortarragonvinegar
3tbspwhitewine
2tbspwater
1tspwhitepeppercorns
1bayleaf
Method: Diceshallotandchoptarragon
intotwo-inchpieces.Bringallofthe
ingredientstoaboilinasaucepan.Reduce
theliquidbyhalf.Straintheliquidthrough
afinestrainerandcoolimmediately.
lobsTer oIl
2wholelobstershells(meatremoved)
4shallots
2bayleaves
4clovesgarlic
4whitepeppercorns
1litrecanolaoil
Method: Roastthelobstershellsin
a450Fovenuntiltheyturnredand
becomefragrant.Inalargebowl,crush
thelobstershellswithamalletuntilthey
areinsmallerpieces.Putalloftheother
ingredientsintoalargesaucepanwiththe
crushedshells.Placethepotoveralow
flameuntilsmallbubblescomeupthrough
theoil.Leavethepotoverlowheatfor
twohoursuntiltheoilpullsalltheflavours
outofthelobsterandaromatics.Strain
theoilthroughafinestrainerandcool
immediately.Theoilshouldhaveadark
orangetoredcolourandtastelikelobster.
Youcanfreezethisoilforupto6months.
lobsTer poAChINg buTTer
1lbbutter
2sprigsfreshtarragon
1quarteredlemon
Method: Meltbutterinapotonlowheat.
Addtarragonandlemonquarters.Allow
mixturetocometoasimmer.Addlobster
piecesandpoachfor5to7minutesor
untiltheyarefirmtothetouch.Whenthe
lobsterisready,removefrombutter.Keep
lobsterwarmuntilneeded.
Putting it all together: ToasttheEnglish
muffinstoalightgoldenbrown.Lightly
grillbackbaconjusttowarmthrough.
Layertoastedmuffin,backbacon,scallop,
lobsterandpoachedquailegg.Coatwith
thelobsterBéarnaisesauce.
reciPe courteSy of
chef’S brEAkfAst
BrAD horen
v1.2 2008
59
culiNAIT
proFilE
culinary champ
going for culinary
olympic gold: brad
horen, captain of the
alberta team, makeS a
buffet platter during
a practice SeSSion at
the Shaw conference
centre. the culinary
olympicS – the largeSt
food competition in the
world – take place in
germany in october.
60 techlifemag.ca
Ifyouhadn’tmethimbefore,youmightthinkBrad
Horenagruffman;atfirst,hissentencesareshortand
hisexpressionashardasalobstershell.
Butwhileamanoffewwordsinmixedcompany,
thethirty-somethingmeltsliketemperedchocolate
whenaskedaboutcooking.Hespeaksfluentlyofthe
challengesofrunningamulti-million-dollarculinary
enterpriseandthethrillofinternationalcompetitions.
ChattingintheoysterbarofCalgary’sCatch
restaurant,withitsnauticalthemeandsalt-watersmell,
theexecutivecheftellsthestoryofhissuccess.Since
graduatingfromNAIT’sCulinaryArtsprogramin1996,
Horenhasearnednationalacclaimforhiscookingprowess.
Bythetimethismagazineispublished,hewillhaveleft
Calgary’stopseafoodspotforVictoria’sCaféLaureland
thesoon-to-openAurarestaurantattheLaurelPointInn.
He’llbringpowerfulambitiontohisnewroleatthe
88-seatwaterfrontCaféLaurel,whichmadetheCondé
Nast Travelerreaders’choicelistof20besthotelsin
Canadain2006andtheGoldListin2007.“I’vestillgot
agreatdesiretogrowandadvance,”heexplains.
“Iwanttodoeverythinglocal,WestCoast,highend.IwantCaféLaureltobeoneofthetophotel
restaurantsinVictoriawithinthreeyears.”
Hisplanistotakeadvantageofthearea’sfresh
produce(“Victoria’sgotagoodpushonforlocal
andorganicproducts,”hesays)andhisownflairfor
blendinginternationalflavours.
There’slittledoubthe’llmakeasplash–in2007he
wontheCanadianCulinaryFederation’sfirstnational
ChefoftheYearcompetition,takingthewesterntitle
beforegoingupagainstthethreeotherregionalwinners
inacook-off.
“He’sdemonstratedhistechnicalabilitiesasa
cook,andthat’sthecornerstoneofbeingagreatchef,”
saysJudsonSimpson,presidentofthefederationand
executivechefattheHouseofCommons.“Heput
himselfinfrontofhispeersandthat’snotaneasything
foracheftodo.”
Sinceitwasamodifiedblack-boxcompetition,
Horenknewwhatproteinswouldbesuppliedandwas
abletobringsomeofhisowningredientstothetableto
prepareathree-coursemeal,withwinepairings,for25.
“Wedidn’twantittobeamysterybecausewewanted
toensurewehadthechef’sbestfood,”Simpsonsays.
AlthoughHorenwon’tspeaktowhatitfeelsliketo
bethebest,he’seagertotalkaboutthecompetition
itself.Whilehecouldplansomerecipesinadvance,all
disheshadtobepreparedduringthattimeframe.“So,if
youwantedtouseareallynicechocolategarnish,you
hadtomakeittheretoshowyoucouldreallydoit.”
Intheworldofcompetitivecooking,whichHoren
admitsissimilartotheJapaneseshowIron Chef,there
aremanydifferenttypesofcompetition.Incoldfood
competitions,chefspreparethemenuitemsandthen
coolandglazethemwithgelatinbeforepresentingthe
foodartistically,whileinhotfoodcompetitions,they
actuallyservethemeal.“Theyreallywanttoseethat
youknowhowtocook.Youmayhaveashorttime,but
it’sabouthowyoureactandusestuffproperly.”
Whilecookingisknownforitsembraceofthe
senses,Horenhasapokerfacethatmustcertainly
beadisadvantagetonervouscompetitorsstruggling
tofinishtheirdishes.It’shardtotellifHorenisa
masterattimemanagementorexcellentatappearing
tohaveeverythingundercontrol.Eventoday,witha
hundredthingsonhisplate,he’sasplacidasalakeon
awindlessday.
Hisbrowfurrowsonlyslightlywhenhespeaksof
thecompetitionsthathehasn’trelished,liketheGlobal
The ForMer exeCuTIve CheF oF CAlgAry’s CATCh
resTAurANT drops ANChor oFF CANAdA’s wesT CoAsT
cAsts A widE nEt
ChefsChallengeContinentalFinalsheldlastJulyin
Orlando,Florida.
“Itwasthefirsttimetheyeverhadit–anditwas
adisaster,”saysHoren,whoplacedsecond.Theevent
simplybecametoopolitical.Fiveofthesevenjudges
wereAmerican,andcompetitorstookissuewithaU.S.
chefwinning.
What’smore,hygienewasn’tapriority.
“Whenweturnedonourburners,wehad
cockroachesrunningoutof(them)...thereweretons
andtonsandtonsofthem.Iwasalittleangry,soIgave
thejudgeahardtimeandhedidn’tlikeit.Butifthiswas
myrestaurant,it’dbeclosed.Youdon’tdothingslikethat.”
Bugsmaybecookedandeateninothercountries,
butHorenshakeshisheadattheprospect.Ingeneral,
however,he’snotafraidtodiveinandtrysomething
new.In2007,HorenappearedontherealityTVshow
Next Great Chef,asmentortofellowCatchchefMarc
Schoene,whosurvivedfourcook-offsagainstfellow
Canadianchefstotaketheshowtitle.
Asamentor,Horendrewonhiscompetition
experiencetohelptheyoungchefprepareforthe
elimination-stylechallengeand,onsetwithSchoene,
providedguidancethroughout.
“Itwasgood,”Horensaysoftheopportunityto
mentorCanada’snextgreatchef.
SchoeneisgratefulforHoren’ssupport.“Firstof
allIwanttostartoffbythankingabsolutelyeveryone,
especiallymymentorBradHoren.Withouthim,Iwould
nothavemadeitthisfar...”hewroteonhisblogthe
dayafterwinningthecompetition.
Thesedays,Horenisgearingupforafewnew
projects,includingtheCulinaryOlympicsinGermany
thisOctober,whichhe’sattendingasthecaptainof
CulinaryTeamAlberta(arolehe’llholduntiltheendof
theyear).Thelargestfoodcompetitionintheworld,40
countrieswillcompeteinthefour-dayevent,whichin
2004drew1,200chefsand23,000visitors.
HorenisalsoeyeingtheBocused’Or,arguablythe
mostprestigiousculinarycompetitionintheworld.
Winningthisoneinvolvesgrittywork(likede-feathering
andguttingpoultry),butgivesacheftherighttoworkat
literallyanyEuropeanrestaurant.
Withhiscareercontinuingitssteepupwardclimb,
it’samazingtothinkthattherewasatimewhenHoren
wasconsideringanentirelydifferentpath:accounting.
Initially,hepursuedBusinessAdministrationat
NAIT,butwhenherealizedhecouldn’thandledeskwork
foreighthoursaday,heswitchedtoculinaryarts,a
passionhe’ddevelopedasanadolescent,workingasa
prepcookinatinyEdmontonrestaurant.
Whileonthesurfaceaccountingandcooking
havenothingincommon,hisbusinessbackgroundis
increasinglyuseful,hesays.Becausefinerestaurants
canhaulinmillionsofdollarsinsaleseachyear,Horen’s
workmustseamlesslycombinetheartoffinefoodwith
thescienceoffinancialplanning.
ThiscontributestolongdaysforHoren,ashiswife
willattest:“He’sneverhome!Idon’treallyseehim,”
laughsJunkoSadahiro,afellowmemberofCulinary
TeamAlbertaandformerpastrychefattheHyatt
RegencyCalgary.
Thetwometin2002whentheywerebothemployed
atEdmonton’sShawConferenceCentre.Havingworked
withherhusbandprofessionally,Sadahiroadmireshis
dedicationbothtothecraftandhisstaff.
“He’ssuccessfulbecausehelooksafterpeople
whoworkforhimverywell.Hereallythinksabout
thatperson’sneedsandhecaresforpeopleasthey’re
growing.”
Story By
CAiTlin CrAWshAW
PhotoS By
leiGh Frey
v1.2 2008
61
culiNAIT
À la cartE
cAtch of thE day
For brAd horeN,
good Food begINs wITh
hIgh-QuAlITy, Fresh
INgredIeNTs. ThIs
MeANs buyINg loCAlly
wheNever possIble.
“Thelessit’sgottotravel,the
betteritwilltaste.Thequalityand
shelflifeisbetter,therearefewer
pesticidesandpreservativesinit.”
Thisisn’teasytoachieve
whenyou’rerunningaseafood
restaurantinaPrairiecity.During
histimeatCalgary’sCatch
restaurant,Horenmadeita
prioritytoseekoutlocalflavours.
“We(tried)tousewhitefishor
pickerelorwhateverwe(could)
getourhandsonfromfarmersin
Albertatosupporttheeconomy,”
hesays.
Nowthathe’scookingonthe
WestCoast,whichboastsa
temperateclimateandlonger
growingseasons,freshproducts
areeasiertofind.
top and bottom:
at calgary’S city
fiSh, brad horen
(left) and david yip,
general manager of
the fiSh wholeSaler
diStributor, inSpect
the weSt coaSt
oySterS and lobSter
on horen’S grocery
liSt. centre: lobSter
and ScallopS on ice.
“TheCowichanValleyisfullof
organicfarmers,sotheycangrow
moreallyearround.So,they’re
furtheraheadthanCalgary,”
hesays.
Hisspecial-occasionlobstereggs
Benedictisamixofbothlocaland
flown-iningredients,likelobster
fromNovaScotiaandAlbertapork
(whichtherestaurantcuresand
smokestocreatebacon).
“Alotofplaceswilldoasmoked
eggsBenedict–whynotdo
somethingalittlehigherend?
Lobsterismoreinterestingand
hasamorecomplexflavour.”
PhotoS By
roTh AnD rAMBerG
62 techlifemag.ca
eating
out
culiNAIT
platinGs
NAIT CulINAry grAds Cook up dININg
experIeNCes ACross wesTerN CANAdA.
seNd your lIsTINg To edITor@TeChlIFeMAg.CA
To be INCluded IN The plATINgs dIreCTory.
g GlEnDalE GolF
anD coUntry clUb
12410-199 St., edMonton
780.447.3529
theglendale.com
exeCuTive CheF Ariel BAluyuT
(culinary arts ’89)
fine dining for members looking for a
culinary experience following a game or
visit to the club.
botanica
Mayfield inn & SuiteS
16615-109 ave., edMonton
780.930.4060
mayfieldinnedmonton.com
sous-CheF
AnGelA PionTKoWsKi
(culinary arts ‘02, red Seal)
canadian favourites, kicked up with zest.
unique recipes, colourful presentations
and delicious entrees.
caFé laUrEl,
aUra (opening in May 2008)
the laurel Point inn
680 Montreal St., victoria, B.c.
250.386.8721
laurelpoint.com
exeCuTive CheF BrAD horen
(culinary arts ‘96)
fresh, seasonal West coast ingredients
prepared in a range of international
culinary styles. enjoy the sunrise over the
inner harbour or the city lights at night.
calGary pEtrolEUM
clUb
319-5 ave. SW, calgary
403.269.7981
calpeteclub.ca
exeCuTive CheF
liAnA roBBereChT
(cooking)
contemporary regional cuisine prepared
for members and guests, emphasizing
local and organic produce.
i MUsE rEstaUrant &
loUnGE
107-10a St. nW, calgary
403.670.6873
muserestaurant.ca
online reservations through
opentable.com
exeCuTive CheF
CAM DoBrAnsKi
(apprentice cook ’99)
fine dining featuring fresh local and
regional ingredients, including organic
meat and produce. located in the heart of
the Kensington district.
DEVinE
thE rED ox inn i
9420-91 St., edMonton
780.465.5727
theredoxinn.com
online reservations through
opentable.com
sous-CheF BriAn ForresT
(culinary arts ’04)
eclectic cuisine with an emphasis on local
ingredients.
i catch rEstaUrant
anD oystEr bar
100-8 ave. Se, calgary
403.206.0000
catchrestaurant.ca
online reservations through
opentable.com
sous-CheF PATriCK GAyler
(apprentice cook ’04)
fresh seafood including Japanese hamachi
and hawaiian marlin and a dozen types of
fresh oysters flown in jet fresh.
579-3 St. Se, Medicine hat
403.580.5510
devinegrill.com
CheF AnD oWner
ToDD linDsAy
(culinary arts ’00)
located in historic downtown Medicine
hat, offering globally inspired casual fine
dining, fine wines and excellent service.
Vic’s stEakhoUsE
Mayfield inn & SuiteS
16615-109 ave., edMonton
780.930.4062
mayfieldinnedmonton.com
sous-CheF AnDre Theroux
(culinary arts ‘96)
Sterling Silver steaks, prime rib, rack
of lamb, seafood - plus an extensive
canadian wine list.
v1.2 2008
63
SHOW YOUR NAIT PRIDE
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IF you’re AN AluM,
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adjustingtolifeinCanada.
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v1.2 2008
65
postscripts
Web Extra
Thecomplete,uncut
interviewwithformer
Ooks’coachPerryPearn,
nowanassistantcoach
withtheNewYorkRangers.
techlifemag.ca/
ookshockey.htm
rEwinD
A
tthestartofthe1984/85season,theOoks
men’shockeyteamwashungry.Therewerealot
ofveteransonthesquad–veteranswhocould
stillfeelthestingofdefeatfromaheartbreakingloss
totheCollegeofSt-GeorgesdeBeauceinthenational
semi-finalsthepreviousyear.
“Weoutshotthemabout50-20andlost3-2,”says
then-coachPerryPearn.“Ithinkitreallyspurredthe
teamontobeasgoodasitwas.”
Goodisanunderstatement.In1985,theteam
wontheCanadianCollegesAthleticAssociation
the puck
Story By
rAyne KunTz
Photo
nAiT hisToriCAl
ArChives
66 techlifemag.ca
championshipwitharemarkablerecord:25-0inleague
play,8-0inplayoffsand44-2overall.Thetwolosses
cameinexhibitionplayagainsttheUniversityofAlberta
GoldenBears.
Itwasclearatthestartoftheseasonexpectations
werehigh,butundefeatedwasalmostunimaginable.
“Youwinone,youwintwo,youwin10andyou’re
going,‘Oh,thisisagoodrun.’Thenyoucometosome
closegamesandwehadtopullitoffinthelastminute
andsometimesovertime,”saysRonAmyotte,NAIT’s
all-timepointleader,whowasarookiethatyear.“We
justneverwantedtolosethegamewewereplayingat
thetime.”
Whatmadethisteamsodominantwasthe
excellenceoftheprogramunderPearn,nowanassistant
coachwiththeNewYork
Rangers,saysoneofhis
then-rivals.
“Heisaveryintense
person,highlymotivated
andheheldhisplayers
accountable,”saysAllan
Ferchuk,formercoach
oftheRedDeerCollege
Kings.
Ferchuksayshe
lovedgoingheadtohead
withtheOoksbecauseoftheintensecompetition.
“Lookingbackatmystatistics...therewere70to
75hitsagame.TheaverageNHLgamenowhas20to
25hitsmax,”hesays.
“Wehadalittlebitofaformulathatwekindofran
on,”Pearnsays.“Ifwehad70hitsagameandlessthan
20turnovers,weweregoingtowinandthereweren’t
toomanynightswedidn’thitthetargetsonbothends.”
Lastfall,theteamwasinductedintotheNAITWall
ofFame.ThatrecognitionwasaspecialhonourforPearn.
“ProbablythegreatestfeedbackIhavehadasacoach,
thathashadthemostimpactonmeindividually,isthe
feedbackfromplayerswhoplayedatNAITandwhotold
meIhadapositiveeffectontheirlives,”hesays.
Amyotte,wholosthisfatheratayoungage,is
gratefulforthatbond.“PerryandIhadquiteafewtalks,”
hesays.“Itwasn’talwaysabouthockey.Hewasalways
theretolisten.Iowehimalot.”
AmoyttewasalsoinductedintotheWallofFame
lastfall,makinghimthefirstindividualhockeyplayerto
receivethehonour.
Butevenmorethantherecognition,Amyotte
relishestheexperience.“That’swhatisgreatabout
teamsportsandwinning,youalwayshavethatbond
andnoonecantakethatawayfromyou.”
stoPPEd hErE
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