Category Archives: Talk

IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members Affinity Group Inauguration Meeting (Draft)

Join Us for the IEEE Thompson Okanagan Section Life Members Affinity Group Inauguration Meeting 

This event marks a significant milestone for our IEEE community in the Thompson-Okanagan region, and we look forward to celebrating with you.

IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members Affinity Group Inauguration Meeting

Date: Thursday, July 10th, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: HS 101 and in Zoom, Okanagan College

Register here to access Zoom and place food orders: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/489172.

Agenda (Draft):

  • The IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members (LM) Affinity Group (LMAG) Introduction (5:00 pm – 5:30 pm)
    • S. Carl Zanon, IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members Affinity Group Chair
    • Y. Khmelevsky, IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Section (IEEE TOK) Chair
  • Guest Speaker, Wolfram Lunscher, R7 LM Coordinator (5:30 pm – 6:00 pm)
    • Introducing the benefits and goals of LMAG formation to the life members of the  TOK section.
  • Guest Speaker 2 (TBA) (6:00 pm – 6:30 pm)
    • Mentoring session for IEEE LM, IEEE Student and Graduate Members, Young Professionals and Consultants.
  • A coffee break and light supper (6:30 pm – 6:45 pm)
  • IEEE TOK Student Branches (Okanagan College, UBC Okanagan and TRU) introduction and mentoring (6:45 pm – 7:15 pm).
    • Kristina Cormier, Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and Student Section Representative
    • Dylan Huitema, Secretary of the Okanagan College SB: IEEE Student grants and future grant applications (Cybersecurity, Algorithmic Trading, new applications to NSERC, IEEE Societies, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and other funds).
  • Open Discussion (7:15 pm – 7:30 pm).

This is an excellent opportunity to connect with IEEE members, learn more about IEEE benefits, and participate in discussions about the section’s future.

Bios:

Wolfram Lunscher (https://life.ieee.org/meet-lm-committee-member-wolfram-lunscher/):

Wolfram has been an IEEE member since his engineering undergraduate years in the late 1970s. However, his father was a member before him. So, IEEE has been a part of his life, and he’s been reading Spectrum, almost as long as he can remember. Since his retirement, he has been involved as a volunteer with the Ottawa, Canada section, assisting with local conference organization, leading STEM Outreach, and serving as a Life Member. Professionally, Wolfram is a retired spacecraft instrumentation engineer with a B.Sc. in physics (’74) from the University of Toronto, and a B.A.Sc (’80) and M.A.Sc. (’83) in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia.  He first joined the Canadian space industry in 1987, pursuing a diverse range of projects with companies such as Com Dev, EMS Technologies and Canadian Astronautics Ltd. These include data communication hardware flying on the International Space Station, a patented tracking algorithm developed for optical satellite communication that has been adapted to control the James Webb Space Telescope, and a radio science instrument aboard Canada’s CASSIOPE spacecraft.

He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Life Senior Member of the IEEE (currently serving as the Canada-wide coordinator of the IEEE life members), a PMI Project Management Professional, and currently a mentor for the Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation.

Wolfram Lunscher

 

Kristina Cormier’s:

Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

For further information, please get in touch with us
Youry Khmelevsky (email: tok-section [at] ieee.org) and
Subscribe to the news at NEWS-THOMPSONOKANAGAN@listserv.ieee.org

Refreshments and a light supper will be provided

Join Us for the IEEE Thompson Okanagan Section Informal Meeting at Okanagan College

Join Us for the IEEE Thompson Okanagan Section Informal Meeting in HS 101 at Okanagan College or Online

We invite you to the Okanagan Thompson (TOK) Section Meeting. This event marks a significant milestone for our IEEE community, and we look forward to meeting with you. After the meeting you can join the TOK Executive Comittee meeting. 

Date: Tuesday, May 06, 2025
Time: 17:00 – 18:00 
Location: HS 101, Okanagan College or online (see registration below)

Register here: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/483258

Agenda:

  • 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm | Chapters discussion
  • 5:30 – 5:45 pm | Affinity Groups (YP, WiT, Life Members)
  • 5:45 pm – 6:00 pm | Committee discussion

This is an excellent opportunity to connect with IEEE members, learn more about IEEE benefits, and participate in discussions about the section’s future.

Data Warehouse Design for Multiple Source Forest Inventory Management and Image Processing

Kristina Cormier, Computer Science Department
Okanagan College, BC

Data Warehouse Design for Multiple Source Forest Inventory Management and Image Processing

Time & Date: Wed. Apr. 23, 2025, 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Location: HS-301 and Zoom, Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Rd., Kelowna, BC, V1Y 4X8.
Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/482421

Abstract:

This research aims to implement a data warehouse (DW) to manage data for a YOLO (You Only Look Once) model, which identifies objects in images. It does this by integrating advanced data processing pipelines. Data are also stored and easily accessible for future use, allowing for comparisons between current and historical data to understand growth or decline patterns. Additionally, the design is utilized to optimize resource utilization. It also scales easily, not affecting other parts of the data warehouse when adding dimension tables or other fields to the fact table. DW performance and estimations for growing workloads are also explored in this presentation.

Bio:

Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided

Case Study for Gamification for Cybersecurity

Dylan Huitema, Computer Science Department
Okanagan College, BC

Case Study for Gamification for Cybersecurity

Time & Date: Wed. Apr. 23, 2025, 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm
Location: HS-301 and Zoom, Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Rd., Kelowna, BC, V1Y 4×8.
Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/479819

Abstract:

This presentation examines how gamification can enhance cybersecurity education by addressing challenges such as outdated teaching methods and a shortage of qualified instructors. It reviews current literature and showcases a real-world case study of a gamified cryptography tool, highlighting how hands-on, engaging learning experiences can better prepare students for the evolving cyber threat landscape.

Bio:

Dylan Huitema is a third-year Computer Science student with an enthusiasm for cybersecurity. An active IEEE member, Dylan is passionate about bridging technology and education and is currently working toward developing and researching engaging educational cybersecurity games. His research aims to increase cybersecurity awareness and build critical thinking skills through interactive, immersive learning experiences.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided

Diagram Annotation and Classification for Visually Impaired People in Higher Education

Ajitesh Parihar, Computer Science Department
Okanagan College, BC

Diagram Annotation and Classification for Visually Impaired People in Higher Education

Time & Date: Wed. Apr. 23, 2025, 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Location: HS-301 and Zoom, Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Rd., Kelowna, BC, V1Y 4×8.
Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/479830

 

Abstract:

Despite advancements in accessibility for visually impaired individuals in higher education, non-textbook content, such as diagrams, remains a significant barrier. This presentation explores the development of an accessible system that leverages machine learning to classify and extract diagram features and topology. Attendees will learn about the key steps in diagram processing and the tools created to support dataset generation for training ML models.

Bio:

Ajitesh Parihar is a fourth-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cybersecurity, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided

Testing Data Pipeline Limits for Stock Market Forecasting with Machine Learning Integration

Joshua Padron-Uy, Computer Science Department
Okanagan College, BC

Testing Data Pipeline Limits for Stock Market Forecasting with Machine Learning Integration

Time & Date: Wed. Apr. 23, 2025, 6:30 pm – 7:15 pm
Location: HS-301 and Zoom, Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Rd., Kelowna, BC, V1Y 4×8.
Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/482426

Abstract:

This research aims to investigate the performance of a data pipeline system implemented using an extract, transform, load (ETL) tool under increased data volume. The system utilizes a data warehouse (DW) to support an XGBoost machine learning model for forecasting closing stock prices. The data source comes from the Financial Modelling Prep (FMP) API, which provides large amounts of real-time and historical data from the stock market.

Bio:

Joshua Padron-Uy is a fourth-year Computer Science student working on a research project in the COSC 448 Research Methodologies. He is an aspiring student seeking to work in the tech industry. He is eager to learn about various areas, including software engineering, DevOps, data science, and most recently, data engineering.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided

IEEE Okanagan Section Year End Winter Social Event

IEEE Okanagan Section Year End Winter Social Event (Thurs Dec 19 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Time & Date: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Thursday, December 19th, 2024
LocationRoom HS 101 and online in Zoom at Okanagan College (in-person and online)
Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/454022 (IEEE Okanagan Section) and https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/453118 (IEEE OK SB)

Celebrate the end of the year with the IEEE Okanagan Section and IEEE Okanagan College Student Branch! Enjoy good company, festive drinks, and delicious food as we reflect on the past year.
Our invited speaker, Martin Mallinson, has over 100 patents and founded Silicon Intervention. They work with analog neural networks and construct analog signal processors using advanced techniques.
We’ll also share details about our upcoming Section Elevation Celebration in early 2025—don’t miss it!

Agenda

4:00 pm – 4:15 pm Intro (Youry Khmelevsky)

4:15 pm – 4:30 pm  IEEE Vancouver (Jacqueline Nichols & Matthew Wilder)

4:30 pm – 4:45 pm OK SB (Kristina Cormier & Ajitesh Parihar)

We take a look back at this year to cover all the fun activities that students participated in and share our plans for upcoming events and activities.

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm Women in Tech (Kristina Cormier / Dolcy Sareen / Keona Gagnier / Thais Damasceno)

Celebrating women in tech and engineering. Highlighting the IEEE Affinity groups and activities. We aim to inspire and empower the next generation of women in STEM through insights and strategies for success.

5:00 pm – 5: 15 pm Open Science Principle: EDIA Research (Ajitesh Parihar)

Discussion about the importance of using open science principles for effective research along with the activities planned for the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s DRI EDIA Champions Program.

5:15 pm – 5:30 pm Pizza & Social

5:30 pm –  6:30 pm Martin Mallinson

Martin Mallinson is the founder of Silicon Intervention. They are working with analog neural networks and constructing Analog Signal Processors using advanced techniques.

6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Round table

Bios:

Martin Mallinson: With a lifetime of experience in electrical engineering, designing and developing devices worldwide, Martin would like to share his thoughts and experiences. These are very relevant to the new IEEE in the valley. The past 30 years of his work have taken place in companies in Okanagan. How can that be achieved in our beautiful valley while remaining connected to customers worldwide? We’ll hear how Martin manages to do that, the compromises, and the opportunities.

Kristina Cormier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has recently discovered a passion for machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She assists with organizing events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys being a mentor and helping others.

Ajitesh Parihar is a four-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is the Vice Chair of the IEEE Student Branch and enjoys meeting and working with talented individuals.

Dolcy Sareen is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College and the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch webmaster. She is passionate about learning new technologies and strongly focuses on data. She enjoys connecting with people and continuously learning from new experiences.

Keona Gagnier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College.

Thais Damasceno is the past chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch.

 

Photos from the event:

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments and pizza will be provided

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and Okanagan Subsection are hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0

 

Time & Date: 5 p.m. – 5 p.m. (24 hours), October 25 th, 2024
LocationRoom E301, E302, E303 and E108 (lunch room), Computer Science Department, Okanagan College (in-person)

Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and Okanagan Subsection are hosting IEEEXtreme 18.0

IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of IEEE Student members – advised and proctored by an IEEE member and supported by an IEEE Student Branch – compete in 24 hours against each other to solve a set of programming problems https://ieeextreme.org/

In previous years, over 6,000 teams, just under 15,000 participants, and 65 Countries competed. This includes over 600 Student Branches, over 700 Ambassadors, and approximately 2,500 volunteers.

Many kind sponsors and volunteers are contributing to help ensure the success of this event. Registration is open until Oct 12, 2024.

Castanet: “Okanagan College students tackle 24 problems in 24 hours” https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/521987/Okanagan-College-students-tackle-24-problems-in-24-hours

Photos from the Event:

Call for Capstone Projects at Computer Science Department, Okanagan College.

The Computer Science department at Okanagan College is looking for project proposals for its capstone CIS and BCIS project courses in 2024-2025

In the capstone courses, second-year students in teams of 3 to 5 and fourth-year students in teams of 7 to 13 work on projects proposed by industry or other organizations. Each team is supervised by a faculty member acting as the technical director and assisting or pointing the students to appropriate technical expertise; you’ll act as the client. The projects can be general in software development or specialized in software engineering.

The Computer Science department invites you to submit a project for our students to prepare them for industry better.

There are numerous benefits to your organization:

  • Exploration of research/development opportunities utilizing the expertise of OC faculty, staff and students.
  • Access to world-class research facilities and expert technical personnel at OC.
  • Engagement with the next class of new graduates to facilitate recruitment and networking.
  • Exploration of products or services outside your organization’s current business plan.
  • Introduction of your organization to the OC academic community.

Participation: How would you participate? You would submit your project requirements to capstones [at] Okanagan [dot] BC [dot] ca, and our students and faculty would work with you to develop potential solutions. You will have ample opportunity to be actively engaged in developing solutions.

The following outlines the curricular parameters of this final-year project courses (second and fourth years of study), what we have committed to the course, possibilities of participation with you, and suggestions for development going forward. Instructions and a fillable PDF form, COSC_OC_CapstonePartnerProposalForm.docx (please save the DOCX file to your computer before filling the form out), as well as a sample proposal, are available to help you submit your project (please contact by email for a sample).

Curricular Parameters: These courses will form a significant portion of the final-year diploma and degree requirements, representing six credits of coursework spread over two academic terms (usually September to April) in courses COSC 236/224, COSC 470/471 and COSC 436/437/419. Working in teams of 3 to 5 in COSC 236/224 and 7 to 15 in COSC 470/471, students will be expected to commit around 10 hours per week to complete this component, resulting in approximately 260 hours per student.

Our Commitment to Resources: The Computer Science department will commit instructional resources to support these students as they become highly competent and enthusiastic professionals. We will provide each student with support and instruction in design, project management, communication, solution quality assessment, life cycle analysis, and more.

Suggestions for Further Development: We believe that offering our students a solid and progressive integrative design experience in their final year of study can best be met in partnership with the community, whether for profit or not. The strength of this program will come from community involvement inside and outside Okanagan College, in which we hope to include you and your organization.

We understand that some issues still need to be addressed. One is that of Intellectual Property, and we are working to introduce easy-to-use templates for all parties to use.

Another is that of resources. The Computer Science department will commit a significant amount of financial resources. Still, to make this a successful partnership and a sustainable model, we hope you and your organization will commit similarly, if feasible. How this might take shape is currently open for discussion, and we welcome your thoughts.

We are very excited about offering our students this learning opportunity to work in partnership with individuals and organizations that have a significant stake in the current and future successes of software development and engineering. With your support and active contribution, we strongly believe this will be a successful undertaking that will benefit all parties involved.

We are very interested in hearing from you regarding this proposal and invitation. We hope that you will be interested in receiving further information about our initiative and that you will consider becoming an active participant in the program. We welcome any suggestions or input you might have, which can all be submitted to Capstones [at] Okanagan [dot] BC [dot] ca. We look forward to hearing from you.