Dr. Jon Peddie, CEO
Jon Peddie Research

Dr. Peddie is one of the foremost authorities on graphics and computing. In addition to publishing Techwatch, Jon Peddie Research releases regular reports that the industry counts on to know what is happening and why. Dr. Peddie will talk about the computing industry, trends to watch out for, and what this means for students and faculty.

Ed Callway, Principal Member of Technical Staff
Radeon Technology Group, Advanced Micro Devices

Mr. Callway has been designing analog and digital products for 35 years, beginning with medical imaging equipment. At ATI/AMD, he has developed a range of products including sound and graphics cards, the award winning All-in-Wonder graphics + TV tuner series, STB/DTV designs, as well as algorithms for video and display processing. His current work is focused on Virtual Reality and High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays.

When people think of graphics cards and graphics chips, they usually think of video games. However, the graphics industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and a self realization of what these technologies are truly capable of in business, entertainment, and consumer use. Mr. Callway will talk about the latest innovations and use cases found with graphics technologies and why they are important. Topics covered include real-time rendering in film, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and yes – visually stunning video games. A constant theme is the need for parallel compute engines and software, not just faster clocks.

Sarafina Bonsu-Akoto, Business Development Manager
Futurpreneur

Sarafina is a graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Double Major in Leadership and Law & Society. She also has a certificate in Project Management from Sheridan College. Before working at Futurpreneur, she was at Bioenterprise Corporation where she led the launch of an online regulatory software and two government funded programs. Currently at Futurpreneur Canada, she is the Business Development Manager supporting Newcomers and Canadian entrepreneurs alike start their business dreams. Ms. Bonsu-Akoto will give valuable guidance to students looking to take on the enriching career of entrepreneurship in future computing.

Andrew Schmied, CEO
APS Consulting

Andrew Schmied is a professional deal-maker in the technology space.  He specializes in raising money for new ventures, and managing young technology companies to get them to the next level and has worked with the likes of Intel, Microsoft, Samsung, NASA, Garmin, Airbus, Dell, Lockheed Martin, Apple and Barco.  In this presentation, Mr Schmied will give valuable guidance to young student entrepreneurs looking to convert their grand ideas into viable businesses in the future computing world.

Hilary McVicker, Communicatrix
The Elumenati

Ms. McVicker has a background in communications and new media which led to several years in the video game industry, providing resources and creating community for game developers.  The Elumenati are leaders in the field of immersive projection design, creating virtual reality that groups of people can experience together without the need for headsets. Their team brings decades of experience to building projects for clients in education, enterprise and entertainment – from NASA to Dreamworks, and innovative museum installations around the globe.

The description of The Elumenati’s immersive projection environments that resonates most in the current technology landscape is “group VR” – taking VR beyond the headsets. Inside domes, panoramas and other spherical displays, audiences explore virtual realities in a social, collaborative way.  In this talk, Hilary McVicker presents innovative projects created in partnership with museums and science centers over the company’s fifteen years in the business.

Matt Deneault
Client Executive, Education K-12, Canada

Matthew has extensive experience within the Solution Partner channel working with hundreds of end-user organizations in the private and in the public sector. For the past five years, Matthew has been focused on technology in the K-12 space in his dedicated role supporting Ontario School Boards and Schools. Matthew will talk about Lenovo’s new VR Classroom initiative and what this could mean for the future of education.

Mike Domaguing, Vice-President of Marketing
Survios

As VP of Marketing and Publishing for Survios, Mike Domaguing is faced with the mission of bringing amazing VR experiences to the masses through video games. Through blockbuster titles like “Raw Data” and “Creed: Rise to Glory,” Domaguing will talk about how they’ve driven viability and success to their studio and the market through home product releases, international arcades, and eSports. Finally, Domaguing will share tips and tricks that Survios has used to keep their studio on the beaten path as the immersive technology markets come to fruition.

Dustin Freeman, Founder
Escape Character

Dr. Freeman has a mixed background in Computer Science and Theatre. He’s had a long experience building fluid, immediate interfaces for creative expression and immersive, interactive theatrical experiences, backed by novel Computer Vision, and Machine Learning-powered gesture detection. After finishing a PhD at the University of Toronto in 2015, he worked for a series of AR/VR startups in Silicon Valley, and then co-founded a company to look into live streaming television shows with remote audience participation (Raktor).  Dr. Freeman will give a fun presentation about inexpensive methods being used in motion capture to enable live, professional performers to create engaging interactive content.