VIATEC Technology Awards

Josh Elsdon

June 11, 2015 by Tessa Bousfield

Josh Elsdon was recently named the 2015 VIATEC Awards’ Education Champion for his innovative teaching skills at Monterey Middle School. He accepts his robot trophy on June 26, 2015 at the Victoria Conference Centre, one night before his wedding day!

Josh began teaching in Victoria in 2006, and he’s spent the last 3 school years experimenting with tech programs with his students.

“I was excited at how enthusiastically my students responded, and when I talked to my friends who work in programming, they all said ‘I would have killed to do that in middle school!’” commented Mr. Elsdon. “I felt like I was on to something, so last year I asked my administration if I could expand the scope into a class dedicated to tech exploration.”

Mr. Elsdon followed through and started the first tech-based program at Monterey Middle School where students now learn programming, app design, robotics and 3D design.

They recently received a grant to buy a 3D printer, so his students are working furiously on designing stuff on TinkerCad and Blender.

“I am in awe sometimes. I love how meaningful the learning is to them… so solution-focused and relevant to what they are trying to accomplish.It gives them such a sense of independence and self-reliance.”

When Mr. Elsdon isn’t busy shaping minds, he enjoys Victoria’s art and music scenes and going up island to surf.

Congrats on your marriage Josh!
Love,

Tectoria.

AML Oceanographic Ltd.

April 23, 2015 by Tessa Bousfield

Announced earlier this month, AML Oceanographic Ltd. (AML) has been selected to supply CTDs (Instruments used to determine the conductivity, temperature, and depth of the ocean), for Ocean Networks Canada’s Smart Oceans™ program. We thought this would be the perfect time to name AML as our Tectorian of the Week!

AML impressed everyone at last year’s VIATEC Technology Awards when they won the Innovative Excellence Award for their UV•Xchange product. It’s an environmentally friendly device that keeps things from growing on sensors in the ocean with the use of ultraviolet (UV) light. Well, we don’t think there’s a UV light around that can stop THEM from continuing to grow.

AML is a vendor of choice for sound velocity measurement for a wide range of marine survey organizations and manufacturers of multi-beam, single-beam, ntrusion detection, and USBL/LBL positioning systems. They are a Canadian manufacturer that does 95% of their business globally and overseas, and they’re right here in Victoria.

Ocean Networks Canada’s Smart Ocean Systems™ are Advanced Ocean Sensor and Instrument Technologies that capture data such as temperature, current, CO2 levels, seismometer readings, and acoustic and video recordings.

AML will assist the Smart Oceans™ program by deploying Metrec•X instruments on cabled observatory platforms off Canadian coasts to provide data imperative to improving environmental monitoring and marine safety. AML’s award-winning UV•Xchange and Cabled UV will prevent biofouling of Xchange™ and other environmental sensors on each CTD, in addition to other critical surfaces of the platform. The prevention of fouling-induced drift will allow the sensors to provide accurate data for the duration of the in-situ deployments.

This is great news and we’re excited to see where AML Oceanographic goes from here.

Ocean Networks Canada also happens to be on the shortlist for the Ocean Innovation Award for their Community Fishers mobile app! (You can vote for them right here, #11).

Red Brick Media

April 16, 2015 by Tectoria

They’re zany and creative, they jump into the cold waters of the Gorge and organize arm wrestling competitions to raise money for the VIATEC Food Bank Challenge, and they just happen to be one of Victoria’s fastest growing tech start-ups.

Red Brick Media focuses on innovative software development and advertising in the heart of downtown Victoria, and they have a blast doing it.

They are your one-stop-shop to simplify and scale. Their technology (web-based apps and downloadable programs), are built and managed in house with a mandate to eliminate clutter with cutting edge solutions. They bring intuitive products to users for a seamless browsing experience.

Red Brick Media worked with a Ph.D to create an advanced algorithm that determines the best advertising offers to show their users – processing millions of permutations in just a few seconds. They also built a geo-redirect, so their users can decide where they want specific offers to be sent. All of this means less wasted impressions and more time to relax.

Starting as a company of two in 2011, Red Brick Media now has over 36 employees in four different offices and is owned and operated by Victoria locals and UVic Alumni. They are constantly hiring and make an effort to adopt co-op students into their happy work-fam.

Red Brick Media’s arm wrestling competition fundraiser

They recently earned 2nd place in the VIATEC Food Bank Challenge for Greatest per Employee Contributor and they took home the “Freddy” robot trophy at last year’s VIATEC Technology Awards for Emerging Tech Company of the Year.

Red Brick Media has deep roots in Victoria. This was proved once again with the recent news of Co-Founder Tobyn Sowden investing in local tech company, Checkfront, along with 17 other investors, leaving Checkfront with a nice $1 Million in funding.

Red Brick Media has taken off and there are no signs of them slowing down. One thing’s for sure, they seem to always carve out time to give back to the community and work on building strong employee relationships that keep their business so solid.

If you come across this team at a future event, you’ve been warned NOT to challenge them at a Smirnoff Ice chugging contest… you’ll lose…