Young scientists at Cold Lake High School had the opportunity to learn from industry leaders in design, special effects, and adventure at the Osum Innovation Challenge.
After keynote speakers inspired them, the students were invited to offer a bit of inspiration of their own, working in groups to brainstorm an innovative entertainment idea and pitch it to experts in the entertainment field.
“We think that the world needs more innovation,” said Osum communications manager Justin Robinson on Wednesday night, after the first day of the two-day challenge.
All of the guest speakers were invited to explain to parents, teachers, and community members what they hoped to teach the students at the challenge.
“There are problems and challenges in the world that are complex,” he added. “One of those is the energy challenge, but also things like our political systems, our health care, all those things that are big issues on top of people's minds. We need to find better ways to do that and innovation helps us do that.
“We believe that youth are the leaders who will solve the challenges of today and tomorrow because they have the advantage of being able to see things outside of the box, to bring fresh perspectives, to come at this with new ideas and new passions, so what we want to do is foster that inside of them.”
Guest speakers either strove to inspire or challenge the students, speaking on themes of passion, perseverance, and the importance of education and thinking creatively.
George Kourounis, host of Discovery Channel's “Angry Planet,” spoke about his typical work day, which could involve anything from walking into an erupting volcano, chasing a hurricane, or swimming with piranhas or sharks.
“If you want something that you've never had,” he said, “You have to do something you've never done.
“The real innovation in the world and the real adventure in life begins when you step outside of your comfort zone and you get out of your daily routine and you do something you've never done before.”
Actress Ashley Callingbull also spoke. She is university student currently getting a degree in a dual major of drama and astrophysics while traveling internationally for beauty pageants, representing Canada as Miss Canada International, and starring in the APTN show “Blackstone.”
She urged students to believe in themselves and to pursue education, explaining how higher learning was the only way she got out of a poverty-stricken, abusive childhood.
“It's good to have family and friends to rely on, but ultimately, you have to rely on yourself because it's you that's going to make a future for yourself,” she said.
Osum is proud to be involved with bright young minds like those attending Cold Lake High School and he's confident this working agreement will continue well into the future, said Robinson.
The event also featured Scott Underwood and Lawrence Shuber, both renowned designers, and Ty Boyce, head of Edge Innovations. He specializes in robotics and animatronics responsible for the robotic whale in the movie Free Willy the snake in Anaconda and the sharks in both Deep Blue Sea and Austin Powers.
The students were challenged to create the next step in amusement park entertainment, working in groups to develop their ideas and then build prototypes to pitch to the designers.
Two years ago, at a similar challenge, students invented a new winter game to pitch to industry experts.
The challenge is part of an on-going partnership between Osum and Cold Lake High School, one which started when Osum was new to the area and the school was just moving into the Energy Centre a few years ago, according to Robinson. “We're a young company, and what we did is we launched a pilot program,” he explained. “It was our first year of community investment and we were looking around for who we could partner with in the community to do something big and really cool.”
They approached the high school, who accepted the partnership, and one of the first things Osum did was outfit their new science labs with new equipment.
He said Osum intends to run the pilot program for three years and then evaluate it for its effectiveness and success before considering transferring it to other schools or expanding.
