UOIT and BlackBerry Academic Program co-ordinate mobile computing summit

Academics and computer industry leaders from across Canada gathered at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in late May as UOIT hosted a Faculty Summit on Mobile Computing, in partnership with the BlackBerry Academic Program team.

In addition to gaining some hands-on training on the latest applications, the summit attendees from as far away as Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University in Halifax shared best practices about mobile ecosystems, mobile application development, mobile app security and the future opportunities that exist for mobile computing in the classroom.

“UOIT has always championed the philosophy that technology-enriched learning translates into a highly engaged student experience, so we were delighted to be the host venue for this key academic gathering,” said Qusay Mahmoud, Professor and Chair, Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering (ECSE), Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, UOIT. “The feedback on the summit has been overwhelmingly positive and participants look forward to further Blackberry Academic Program exchanges on what the advent of mobile computing means for Canadian universities and colleges.”

Summit speakers and panel discussion members included: 

• Manny Elawar, BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion) Developer Evangelist
• Devin Fallak, Toronto BlackBerry Developer Group Leader
• Dr. George Jarjoura, Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
• Ignac Kolenko, Professor and Chair of School of Engineering and IT, Conestoga College
• Ed Lee, Sales Field Engineer, QNX Software Systems Ltd.
• Dr. Qusay Mahmoud, Professor and Chair, Department of ECSE, UOIT
• Shawn McEwen, Program Manager, Desire2Learn
• Dr. Bill Muirhead, Associate Provost, Academic and Information Technology, UOIT
• Yasha Prikhodko, Undergraduate Student, UOIT
• Jawaad Sheikh, Professor, Sheridan College
• Dr. Tarlochan Sidhu, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, UOIT
• Christopher Smith, Vice-President, Application Platform and Tools, BlackBerry
• Daniel Vijayakumar, Graduate Student, University of Guelph
• Dr. Glenn Wurster, Security Researcher, BlackBerry
• Jin Xu, Global Education Program Manager, QNX Software Systems Ltd.