A Coffee with Gail Powley, President of Technology Alberta & ED of the ASTech Awards

Join us for an inspiring coffee and chat with Gail Powley, the President of Technology Alberta and Executive Director of the ASTech Awards!

Growing up in Alberta in a tight-knit, hardworking family, Gail discovered an early passion for math and people. This unique combination led her to the University of Alberta, where she earned her engineering degree. Entering a heavily male-dominated field, Gail designed advanced cruise control systems for refineries, proving that a sharp mind and thick skin can break any glass ceiling. She later used her technical expertise and championed a groundbreaking provincial initiative, later adopted nationally, focused on managing workplace transitions so companies wouldn't lose top-tier talent during parental and personal leaves.

Gail dives deep into the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Awards, which bring together industry, academia, and government to celebrate the province's brightest minds. She gives us a fascinating sneak peek into the local Alberta companies making global waves in AI, drone technology, space satellites, and even defense tech for the US Navy. Plus, she shares all the details for the upcoming 2026 ASTech Awards in Edmonton, kicking off with the opening ceremony on September 18th!

Gail also weighs in on the evolution of AI, reminding us that while it feels brand new, it has actually been decades in the making. She reflects on how grassroots student groups and entrepreneurs are transforming into massive tech success stories.

This is an absolute must-listen for anyone interested in the future of technology, business leadership, and the incredible innovation happening right in our backyard.

Check out the ASTech Awards here: http://astech.ca/

Check out Technology Alberta here: http://technologyalberta.com/

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Transcript

0:01

Hello, I'm Gail Powley with Technology Alberta and the ASTech Awards, and you are listening to Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. I'm Cam. Well, I hope you're Cam. I am Cam. And you are? I think I'm Jennifer today. You are Jennifer today. Welcome to Coffee In The Park, and we are coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson. That's right, so if you hear some noises in the background, some coffee machines whirring, people talking, kids screaming, no kids today, because we are actually doing the podcast an hour early, so the kids aren't up yet. Well, they are up, but they are not here yet. Kids are up, they are up. The point is, they are not here yet. So that's live, hey, we are here live, so all those noises in the background are real live coffee shop noises. I think it's pretty awesome, and something very important to tell you right off the top is that Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam is brought to you by Wing Snob Canada. Where the wings are fresh, never frozen, 16 different flavors and 4 different rubs. You know what Jennifer, I wrote down the flavors. I don't know if we've ever gone through every flavor on Wing Snob. Maybe in the very beginning. Okay, let's do them again. Naked. Okay. That means nothing on them. That means plain. I know, people don't get weird about that. It's just nothing's on them. Chicken and waffles, never had it. Lemon pepper, have you had that? Yeah, it's pretty good. I have, it's really good. Awesome sauce, have you had awesome sauce? Yeah. It's pretty good. Garlic Parm, Teriyaki, Honey Barbecue, Snobby Q. Yeah, Snobby Q is really good. Buffalo, Buffalo Parmesan, Buffalo Lemon Pepper, Cajun, Sweet Chili, one of my favorites, Jamaican Jerk, Mango Habanero. I love that mango habanero. I do like that. The Hot AF, I had that for the first time. You did. It's hot. I'm not talking hot, it's hot. It's hot AF. I gotta ask what AF stands for, do you know? I do, but I'm not gonna say it out loud. Okay. It's not appropriate for the podcast. No. It was so hot, but it was so good. It was actually awesome. And Lemon Pepper. So hey, 10 locations, eight in Edmonton, one in Grande Prairie, one in Calgary. I don't know why I point when I say that. I point towards Grande Prairie. Yeah, no one can see you. Nobody can see me, and I point towards Calgary. But yeah, anyway. So Wing Snob. Thank you, Mike Chadi. Thank you, Wing Snob Canada for being a proud sponsor of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. And to check them out, go to www.wingsnob.ca. That's right, and check them out where they're at. And if you're not, don't know what to make for dinner tonight, I'd go to Wingsnob. That's where I'd go. And I love it. It's awesome. Great place. Great fries. They're cornbread. Oh, to die for. I love it. It's awesome. Anyway, check out Wings Snob. They're awesome. And how was your weekend? You had a baseball tournament. I'm tired. You were like baseballing all weekend. I lived at that diamond 12 hours a day. Did you? I did. And it was, wow. I know. That's a lot. That's a lot of dust, a lot of dirt. You are the OFM. The OFM, the on-field manager. Off-field. Off-field manager. You're not on-field. You're off the field. Yeah, I'm off the field. And so you make sure everything runs smoothly. Everything. And yeah, how to go? Good? It was good? For the most part. Yeah? Yeah, for the most part, it was fairly smooth. Any complaints? Anything you want to say? Anything you want to get off your chest to just talk about? No, not today. Not today. Another time? She's looking at me like, I do have something to say. I'm just not going to say it today. No, no. You know what? This year went better than last year. Because last year, I remember you had to clean bathrooms. You didn't have to do that this year? No, I didn't have to do that this year. Good on the city of Spruce Grove. Thank you for that. Because you didn't have to clean bathrooms. Right, correct. I shouldn't have to. I think that's what saved the... Because I remember last year, you came back, you were hopping mad. I was. You were not a happy camper. You were not a happy OFM. Taking out garbages. Yeah, that's right. You weren't into that. So anyway, kind of cool. Glad you had a good weekend then playing baseball. Hey, how was the... How was the bash, the summer bash here at the Wall Coffee Roaster? It was fabulous. I cooked hot dogs all weekend at the summer bash at the Wall Coffee Roasters. You did, and you said Saturday was really busy. We were like packed with people. This coffee shop was jam-packed, jam-packed with people. We were cooking hot... I was cooking hot dogs outside. I don't know how many I cooked. A lot, a lot of hot dogs. And people came. We had a jump house, we had cornhole, we had spike ball. Have you played spike ball? I've never played spike ball. This is the new thing amongst the younger crowd. The spike ball thing. I know. I watched them. I didn't play because it looked a little... A little intense for you. Yeah, a little beyond my abilities. And so I didn't do it. And we cooked quite a few hot dogs. And a guy came with two puppies. Oh. He had Australian shepherd puppies. I know. You want one. If he's listening, please call me back. I want one of those puppies. Do you remember his name? No, that's the thing. Oh, now I feel really dumb. Because I actually knew him. Well, it's okay. There were a lot of people that day. There was a lot of people. And I gave him my card and said, if you're going to sell them, call me first. And I haven't got a call yet. Maybe they're still making a decision. It's only Tuesday. He said his wife didn't want to sell them, but he did. Because I think he said like eight puppies or something. And these were the last two. And they're so cute, little Australian. What are they? Shepherds. Oh, my shattered nerves. They're just, and the dog came right to me, which is a good sign. Mind you, full transparency, I had a hot dog in my hand. So I think that's why the dog came to me. Most likely. Yeah, but anyway. That's okay. I loved it. I would buy. We'll work on this. We'll work on the dogs. We'll keep you updated on the dogs. Anyway, yeah, it was a lot of fun and good for the wall coffee roasters. A lot of people came out and it was 15% off drinks. Not 50. Because I believe in the commercial, I said 50% off and 15% off drinks. All their summer drinks they had, the barbecue, it was a lot of fun. So yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. We listened to Yacht Rock out on the grass. That must have been your choice. That was my choice. I know. Totally Yacht Rock. It wasn't Michael's. No, it wasn't Michael's. It was mine. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. So anyway, it was really great. Really liked it. So yeah, it sounds like y'all had a good weekend. So that's right. Yeah. But Cam, I am so excited about our guest today. I am too. I am very excited about our guest today because I know something about her, but I know the organization. I know what she's doing and this excites me. So why don't we kick it off? And Jennifer, why don't you introduce her? Our guest today and you heard her at the top of this episode is Gail Powley. So welcome Gail. We're so excited you're here today. Gail, good to have you. Thank you so much. Your energy is overwhelming. I love it. Overwhelming. That's a good word. We'll put that in the world. Put that on the list. But it's awesome to have you here. I met Gail, how long ago? Over a year ago, I guess. Well, with Wes. With Wes, yeah. And Genics because Genics, the company that I work for, my full-time job. I know people think that the podcast is our full-time jobs. It's not. We have other jobs. We have real jobs. Yeah. Anyway, and Genics, through Genics, I met Gail because our company was nominated for an ASTech Award. And we'll talk about those awards in just a minute. And so then out of that, I got to know you. And that's the best part of the whole deal right there. So fabulous. So let's get started. Yeah. So Gail, tell us a little bit about growing up. Are you originally from Alberta or are you a transplant from another province? I'm originally from Alberta. Okay. Grew up in Edmonton. Went to university at the University of Alberta. Engineering degree. Golden Bears, Pandas. Engineering degree. Exactly. Really? Saw that Alberta had great, brilliant people, energy to build upon. So I went into advanced systems process control, so that we could automate, put cruise control and refineries and help on paper. And really be the best producers in the world. Okay. What high school did you go to? Austin O'Brien. Did you really? AOB. AOB. Austin O'Brien. I went to Ross Shep. Very good. Wayne Gretzky went there, didn't he? Okay. For a little bit. I've told this. You're absolutely right, I've told this story. His girlfriend went to AOB by the way. Did she? Vicki Moss. Vicki Moss. Okay. So here's the thing, because Wayne Gretzky and I are the same age. Some say we look alike. I disagree. I'm a little bit... shorter. You always have to add the shorter part. Anyway, Wayne Gretzky was supposed to sit right next to me in English, because the teacher had a seating chart and he was supposed to sit right there. He never showed up once. Never. Like, do you blame the guy? Skipping school. I don't think he came to high school once. Never. So it's like, but you're right. He did go to Ross Shep. But Vicki Moss, off air, I'll tell you a Vicki Moss story. Another conversation. Okay. So you went to Austin O'Brien, you went and then you went to U of A. But I have a question before we get to the U of A piece. Gail, what was the draw for you, especially at that time with being a female, going into engineering and science? Because I would think it was still a very male-dominated field at that point. Very true. I was one of three girls in physics in the class of 30. But it was interesting. Physics is interesting. A new challenge is interesting, right? The fact there weren't a lot of women there means that they need more women there. So why wouldn't more women go? Exactly. And yes, I was just- Is that something growing up that interested you, like even as a kid you were- Always enjoyed math. Yeah. Yes. Enjoyed math. Enjoyed math and people. So and that's a unique combination. I'm not going to say anything, because first of all, I failed math straight across the board. But that is an interesting combination for sure. Yeah. But that's a good combination. It was. So it was a difficult decision. Do I go into business and management or do I go into engineering? Right. And apply the math. And so I decided if I went into engineering first, then you could do an MBA. Sure. You could do both by going that path. But if you go into business, you can't go into engineering afterwards. Right. Good choice. Very wise. Yeah. Were your parents, did they have jobs in science and technology? Was there something, a connection there? No. They both grew up in farms. One in Vegreville and one in Lloydminster. They came to the big city of Edmonton and met each other. They didn't finish high school, but they were hard workers. My dad saved every penny and invested in real estate, and he didn't become rich. We stayed in the same house all throughout our lives, but we certainly recognized the value of hard work, and saving, and contributing. And you have siblings? I do. Yeah, I have two brothers and a sister. Right. So, all have gone into university and business. Yeah. So, in fact, the other three really went into business areas. Okay. So, smart family, in other words, pretty smart. Hard working. Hard working. Yeah, smart family. That's kind of cool. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So, you graduated from university, then what? Then, well, met my husband in first year. Oh, first year. Oh, first year. Yes, yes, yes. Must have been young. Yeah. Yeah. We got married when we graduated. What was he in? What was his? He was in computer engineering. Okay. Of course. Very smart family. I know. You know what I'm saying? I know. Okay. How many years ago was that? That was? It was many. Yeah. Yeah, many. She's like, I won't say. See, she's very smart. She's a very smart person. But computer engineering, all those years ago. Exactly. Yeah. That must have been a new emerging technology. Yeah, it was. He was in one of the first years of computer engineering at U of A. Interesting. Yes. Then from there, I'll just go all the way back to where he is now. He ended up getting his PhD in computer engineering from U of T, and then throughout his career worked at IBM. We came back to Alberta because this is where I wanted to be. Raising our three kids and obviously working with tech companies myself all this time. And he went from IBM to the University of Alberta to be a professor. Recognized he wanted to do the work more than teach at that time. He was still young in his career. Worked for various companies like entrepreneurial tech company Yada Yada here in Edmonton. Yada Yada, great for radio. Totally. This is so interesting to me because for those of us who kind of remember the progression of computers and things like that. Yeah, technology, for sure. I'm not smart in any of those things, but my very first laptop was the size of a suitcase. And that was a laptop. Heavy, heavy too. And we all thought, whoa, this is so cool because you had a laptop that you could carry around with you. But to watch, fascinating, absolutely. So to be in the early phases of both computer science and engineering like you must have been just fast. It must be just fascinating. Like you look back and go, wow. I look forward and go, wow. Yeah, for sure. Things are moving so fast now. But we've come such a long way, like unbelievable. Yes, we have, we have. And you can see, just like startup companies, right? You see the signs of this, back to our earlier conversation being on the leading end of change. Yeah. So for over 20 years, we've seen artificial intelligence in the labs, right? And that opportunity, right? And it takes a while for adoption as well as to make things cost-effective, right? And then now you see that this overnight success has been going on for over 20 years. Yeah. In fact, many of the leaders in AI, like Rich Sutton and Jeffrey Hinton, they've been around for a while. Exactly. Yeah, it didn't just happen yesterday. But they're all very innovative and have been. And so now we're all around them and applying a lot of the concepts that have been around for a very long time. Wow. Incredible. I know. It really is. So Gail, what was your first job in engineering then? In engineering. It's for a company that's still here today, Process Solutions. And in fact, they focused in process automation for cement plants. And so small company. In fact, some of the best entrepreneurs come from being in industry, having some experience and finding a better way to do things and say, I'm going to start my own company. So some of them are intrepreneurs that become entrepreneurs. And so that's they decided to create their own automation company of three people. I was employee number four. And then they were deciding at that time. So it's data acquisitions and control systems. And that's like a horizontal, that can be applied everywhere. But do they focus on a vertical, on cement? And so you get locked into something which is a pro and a con, because you become a specialist. But if the market's not big enough, then you don't last. Anyways, so over 40 years, so there's a number. So let's go back to it. They're still around and they're doing great. And they became a world leader in this based in Edmonton. And you start, helped start that. That's kind of cool. I was a employee of that organization. So starting out, a woman in the engineering field, was that a tough gig? Was that tough? Or? You have to have a thick skin. I guess that kind of tough, right. Yeah. And back to being people, people, right? Yeah. See through perhaps, you're tested a lot, right? You know, perhaps a little bit of, you know, can you really, they're testing to see if you can really handle it. Yeah. But if you go beyond that and recognize what's behind it, right? Do they have an issue with me just because they're being rude? Probably not, right? They're just, it's something unusual. They're testing if I'm a fit for that environment. Yeah. Once you pass the test, if you will, and in fact, it can become quite a positive as you would think, right? If you're in a room full of one kind of conversation and then someone else comes in, the ones that are open to it saying, wow, this is a diverse, an opportunity to get a different perspective, to be more fun than instead of just having a single mindset, there's multiple. Yeah, that's great. So if you're patient and tolerant, and you can actually look to see what's behind the issue, what's behind the push. Has it gotten better? Oh, it has gotten better, for sure. Over 40 years. Over 40 years. Well, I'm just asking that because, yeah, you want it has, hopefully it has. Hopefully it's gotten better. It has, for many reasons, right? And I know that you're a mass proponent of women in these fields. I have. I have just by being in it, but actually over around the 20 years into my career, I was approached to become lead of some organizations that support diversity in the profession, right? And so it's not only women, but various things, right? And so supporting diversity, I looked at it, I was already vice president with an organization. And I was saying, really, is there a need to, for to support diversity in the profession? Shouldn't it be equal by now? Right? Is there really an issue? But I did see when I was in engineering, I was, there were 10% women. Wow, 10%? Yeah. Oh, I believe that. Yeah. I mean, yeah, that's, wow. Well, and so Gail, I have a question about that. Sure. Do you think, too, a lot of women either went in it or didn't stick with it? Because the whole family issue, and if you stop, you know, how is that coming back into the workforce after? I wouldn't say it's a family issue, but I would say when you stop, you have an opportunity to think, do you really want to go back? Do you want to go back into that or do you want to go back into something else? And so anyone who goes on leave has that opportunity to reconsider and look at other options, right? Because you can go back to an environment where they're testing you and questioning whether you're a fit or not, or you can go somewhere where you're accepted, right? Or a new opportunity, right? And actually, I was part of a provincial initiative to manage transitions, because we don't want to lose our talent when they go on leave, whether they're men or women. Yeah, yeah. And that standard was adopted across the country, managing transitions. So tell us about that. So you were instrumental in doing this. Part of that. What did that mean? What did you have to do? It was writing policy, writing documents, knocking on doors, meeting with politicians, trying to get things changed. All of the above? Yeah. I'm laughing because that's not how an engineer does something. So we've just given it away that Cam is not that smart sitting at the table today. But anyway, that's how my brain would work through starting an initiative. That's what we would do. I love that. And again, we have different approaches, right? Sure. So professions are regulated in Alberta and in Canada. So the professional organizations of engineers and geophysicists. APEGA. Thank you. APEGA. What does APEGA stand for? Association, professional, engineers. Is it scientists and geologists? Geologists and geophysicists. Geophysicists. Of Alberta. Of Alberta. That's right. And then each province has one. Oh, okay. So everyone can come up with their fun acronym. So there would be like APEGBC. Exactly. APEG, Saskatchewan. Not all of them have Gs. Right, okay, yeah. Oh, okay. And then there's Engineers Canada. Right. So that brings the collective together. What is a geophysicist? I got to go to, what is that? What do they do? Geology, right? Geology. Oh, Geology. They're a geologist? Yeah. Yeah. Rocks and reservoirs, oils in the ground. Oh, reservoirs, oh wow. Exactly. I didn't know any of this. You're learning so much. No, I am. This is incredible. Actually, since I've been attending some, the first event, well, we should wait. The first event I attended last year and all these really smart people, like very smart and they're taught, I'm just, my eyes are like this big because I'm going, I didn't even know any of this. This is unbelievable. And it's happening here in Alberta. That's right, yeah. So when you attended the ASTech Awards, the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards, that's now it's 37th year. We bring together industry, government, academia, entrepreneurs, and to your point, PhD researchers, as well as people and companies that are innovating that have business backgrounds and communications background, because we need them all. That's how we grow an innovation economy and community. 37 years, I didn't actually realize that ASTech has been around that long. Yeah, until we got involved last year. I had no idea. You see, and if we were knocking on the doors like you suggested, more people would know. And Jennifer knows, I don't use this term unless I actually, truly, strongly believe it. I think you are, in my opinion, that ASTech, Gail Powley, I think are one of the best kept secrets in our province. And I mean that, sincerely. And this is coming from a pure layman. I mean, I'm a layman in all of this. I am not anywhere near the smart of any of these people there. And I don't, I say that because they are. They're brilliant. You're brilliant people. And I'm sitting there as a layman going, this is- More people, you came back and said, more people need to know about this. More people, I did. I told Jennifer, more people need to know about this because it's the world we live in. It is. It's the world we live in. That's right. And it's because government, industry, academia, entrepreneurs are working together. But not everyone knows that or sees that. That's right. And to celebrate the best of that is what the Academy Awards of Science and Technology in Alberta does. Right. But we do it on a small budget. And that's why a lot of people haven't heard about it. So I do think, again, small budget and then the knocking on doors. Yeah. We need to add some of these things. Anyway, over all these years, yes, and we'll continue on talking about ASTech a little bit. Sure. Over all these years, what has been, I'm curious to know what you feel has been the biggest technology change or boom? Or what is the thing that stands out more than anything else? I'll have two, if I could. Yeah. So, one is AI, and then the other is- How long has AI been around? The other is space, by the way. Okay. We'll get to space in a second. How long has AI been around? Because space has been around for a long time. AI has been around for a long time. People don't, I don't think- No, I think everybody thinks it was- I think everybody thinks it was invented last year. No, but it's true, right? Because it's just everywhere now, but really going back, how many years would you say that AI has truly been- When were they first talking about AI? Oh, man. I'm not even an expert in that space. So I would say definitely over 20 years. Do you want to phone a friend? Do you want to phone your husband? Well, that's another thing about engineers. We like to get our facts straight. Yeah, that's right. So we don't speculate. Yeah, just make it up. It's all good. Yeah. However, AMI, the Alberta Machine Intelligence, who just celebrated Upper Bound in Edmonton last week. I'm not sure if you're aware of that conference. Yes. That was record-breaking at 11,000 people here in Edmonton from AI around the world, right? A certain person was at that conference. We talked about him earlier. There's some great people there. Yeah, I know. I'm just saying, he's going to be at your next one. That's guaranteed. And yes. And so actually, the government at Alberta has been one of the key supporters of the ASTech Awards throughout the years. She has to throw that in. And then also, at Upper Bound, I know that AMI is a key part of, a key focus area for Ministry of Technology and Innovation. I mean, artificial intelligence is, well, now it's on the forefront of everything. We were talking before. It's so prevalent right now that I was saying, I heard this morning, heard the interview with the Pope who came out, the Catholic Church has come out with a statement on AI, which I find fascinating that a religious group would come out talking about technology. About AI. It's very thoughtful. It's affecting the people today. They're trying to. The biggest question that everybody who is in the know or understands a little bit about AI is, how do you view AI? Obviously, it's an incredible information. I don't even know what the word to use is. Tool. Tool. But it also has some. Like any tool, you have a power drill. Man, you can get into a lot of trouble. But it helps you break ground. Yeah. Do you worry about that? Do you worry that where AI will be this dominant? Do you ever worry as a very smart person, a very good thinker, do you ever lose that or think that we're going to lose our ability to really want to think deeply through problems and issues and things and resolve and create? Critical thinking almost. Critical Thinking. Critical thinking, total systems thinking is really key because you point AI at a point solution and you may get a good solution or a bad solution because it's taking information depending on what you allow it to. But if you default to take the information from anywhere and everywhere, the point solution you have may be a poor point solution that if you're not informed, you don't know or not especially if you assume that any solution it gives is the right one because it's not at this stage. Things will get better and better over time, but it is your responsibility to make that decision. AI takes no responsibility. One of the criticisms that comes out even at an early age and stages when say like students are relying on AI in order to, whether it's write their papers or get their information, because when I went to college and probably when you, and you went to university, all those things, we were in the books. Like we were in the books. Like that's what it was. Well, now you can just keystroke it away and there you have a potential answer that you can use. And so the concern is that we are, kids are going to lose, young adults are going to lose that, not only that critical thinking, but the ability to think for themselves and research and find out for themselves. Things are changing to adapt to AI. Yeah. So in that, before you were graded on the right answer, although the people, the professors didn't want to see how you got there. Right. So just because the answer is 10, they didn't want to make sure that- You know how you got to 10. We were talking about this the other day about footnotes. Remember when you had to put your footnotes in and all your subtexts and all that kind of stuff. Exactly. Wayne Gretzky may not want to sit next to you because you didn't have the answers, right? If we had had AI, then I probably wouldn't have been there either. But yeah, by grading the answers, it's been a way to recognize that you have learned. Sure. So now that there are other tools, professors and teachers across the education system are finding different ways to determine whether you're learning and whether you have... And then employers, of course, are the ones who are the ultimate graders. And if you aren't able to provide value in their organization, you aren't going to be there for long. I guess you're right. At the end of the day, you can use AI all you want to write your papers, etc. But on that very first job, if you don't have the answer and you can't go back to AI all the time, you're not going to last long. Exactly. You have to build those learning skills, the total systems thinking, that critical thinking, that questioning. Is this right in those contexts? Where do you see it going? Well, it certainly can take repetitive work away from people for sure. I do see it very positive. In fact, Technology Alberta and the ASTech Awards, we have been involved in AI seminars for years, bringing examples of local companies in Edmonton and Alberta and Calgary and rural regions and how they use it for better solutions. Well, and that's what impressed me last year at the ASTech Awards is a number of the nominees and a number of the winners, how many of them were in AI, but listening to what they were doing with it. That's what impressed me. Everything from, like you say, education, working in specific areas of education. Agriculture, energy. A couple of them, I sat back and thought to myself, why didn't I think of that? That's brilliant. To medicine, and that was a huge one. Advanced manufacturing, robotics. Technology was just huge. You're right, you sit back and go, oh boy, this is a game changer. It really is. This is a game changer. Yes. Yeah. Exactly. More than AI, there's advanced manufacturing too, and the advanced manufacturing centers we have, because provincial and federal governments are investing monies, and post-secondaries, and so that their facilities, expensive equipment that not any one person can afford, but maintain, are available at Red Deer Polytechnic, at their sim center, at NAIT, at U of A, at U of C, in these areas that are accessible to entrepreneurs to use and advance their innovations. And what's key is that you have companies that can be customers, whether they're here in Alberta or beyond. You need the customers that are willing to be innovative to provide input. And this is like where we started with Process Solutions on here. You know, my example that they understood technology needs, but they need a customer that can apply it, can tune it, right? It's that continuous feedback. We need to be a province of early adopters that can help our entrepreneurs refine their products and then we can serve the world. Which I think Alberta is. I think we're. And we need more of. We're entrepreneurial. Yeah. You had said at the beginning of this conversation, there were two things, AI and then space. Yes. Space. Space. Space. Space is fun. Yeah. It's pretty exciting. There's a, you know, a success story. In fact, it's on all of our pamphlets. We took on Technology Alberta as an industry association celebrating 20 years. We took on the ASTech Awards about five years ago. So I was looking at the archives and there was this picture of this really excited group of people and I didn't know who they were. But, but I knew that they were worthy of an ASTech Award. And so they're on the pamphlet. And then someone goes, that's Callie of Wyvern. She's 29 years old now and she's a co-founder of a space company in Edmonton that has 50 or more employees. Really? And they have satellites in space using spectral imaging. In Edmonton here? That's right. Really? That's right. And it was from a student group. It was a student club. There are so many student clubs that was supported by professors, by staff, by a little bit of government funding to put a CubeSat in space. And then look at them now. They have a company, that spectral imaging data. They're collaborating with Olds College of Technology and Agriculture to help farmers determine how much fertilizer to put on their crops. So this is interesting. I have cousins who are farmers. Yes. And one of them is starting to use drone technology. Yes. And he hired a guy to come in, I bet in some way connected to all of this. Could be. To help program, download a program for him for his drone to determine. It had a lot to do with fertilizing and how they do it and how much moisture levels. Exactly, farmers are entrepreneurs. And he hired this guy to come in and do it. And it's fascinating. His dear old grandpa, who's a traditional farmer guy, is just kind of standing back going, wow, like we never had any of this, none of this. It's pretty cool. And right here in Alberta. This is really awesome. Drones, Medicine Hat is a hotbed of drones. They create. Drone capital, they say. They make drones. Medicine Hat really? Yes. I learned that at the ASTech Awards. That's very cool. And then I learned at the ASTech Awards, there's somebody in Alberta, I think Southern Alberta, if I remembered that night correctly, who has developed technologies for like the American, the US Navy and all those kinds. And I'm thinking to myself, we don't know, what, we're landlocked. How do you in Alberta develop technology for the US Navy? I was so impressed by that. Exactly. It was incredible. Yeah, that's another company, Medicine Hat Kinetic. I tried to seek that guy out after the thing. We can help you there. Shake his hand and go, this is amazing. It is very cool. Yes. There are military bases in Edmonton, in Medicine Hat, in Cold Lake. Then what do retired military people do? They understand the needs. They actually understand challenges and how to mitigate risk and many of them start companies. In these places where there are military bases, they can be our next entrepreneurial hub. Yes. That's what's happening in Medicine Hat, supported by the right economic development agency. Isn't it fascinating? It really is. It's just because you don't know again as a lay person so to speak. You don't know, but then when you hear about it, it just blows you away that this is going on. It's very cool. In Alberta, we obviously we focus on the energy sector and the raw energy sector because that's who we are. But there's so much more. There's so much going on. Yeah. That it's incredible. And so that I think segues us a little bit in to tell us about ASTech. Who are you? What do you do? Very good. All right. So the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards brings together industry, government, academia, entrepreneurs, and investors to help grow Alberta's reputation in innovation and the economic and societal impact it can make. Yeah. Right. And often, it is about visibility. And again, we talk about knocking on the doors or using communications. Before, it was a big budget item to get marketing on radio and. That sort of thing. For sure. So now, our social media, Technology Alberta's and ASTech's combined, is 30,000 across LinkedIn. That's where we travel in the professional network. But we recognize that public network is so powerful. It's just due to our capacity. We haven't really broken through that boardwalk. But it's not just about awards. It's about information. It's about bringing together for collaboration. Because often industry, government, academia, entrepreneurs, can be seen in silos, right? Back to what we were talking before, they hang out on their own, in their own coffee shops. And how do you do that? We bring them together in this gala event, where they're all there together. But not just the gala, you do a couple, a few events. Well, that's right. That's right. And so we actually have built it, since we've taken on, to three events. So as we just talked about, the nomination process finished yesterday for this year. We have even more nominations than last year, which is outstanding. I think our top categories certainly is digital health innovation, energy, and agriculture, and actually construction and manufacturing too. So you can see innovation. And that's another exciting thing about the ASTech Awards is that you do see innovation across sectors. So instead of just going to a health conference where you learn something, you learn something about every area. Because everybody uses it. Technology. Like everybody now. And everyone can be enabled by, gee, they're doing this in Forestry. Should we try this in energy? Or vice versa. To what you were saying about energy being so strong in Alberta, that's great. Because they have the pocketbook to help develop some of these technologies that initially are expensive, but when they're largely deployed, they're less expensive. That's how technology works, right? I just remember you came back from the ASTech Awards. That's all you could talk about. Yeah. You were so excited and learned so much cool stuff. And I think what it was for me was again, and I know I'm overusing this word today, but as a layman, you come out of it and you just want to learn more. And so what that told me was the average person like me, just the average person who knows very little about a lot of this. But when you start hearing and understanding what's going on and what's developing and what's happening right here in our province and around us, it's fascinating. It's absolutely fascinating. And the people we have that are creating these things, from the stories, like everyone from just young people and students to people who have been in the business for years and years and years and years, all across the spectrum and what they're doing and creating. And it affects every part of us. It does. Students have gone to that event with that eye-opening experience, right? So people, whether they're at NAIT with a two-year diploma or whether they're at U of A doing their PhD, right? They're working hard, not sure what the big world looks like out there. Come to an ASTech Award event, which is like an Academy Awards. Well, I would think they'd walk out of there pretty excited, because I walked out of there pretty excited. Exactly. Excited, inspired, with hope. With hope that after they graduate that there's opportunity for them. The world of opportunity just opens up, right? Everything is possible. So Gail, when are the ASTech Awards this year? Because you do something in Edmonton and Calgary, is that correct? That's right. Edmonton, Calgary, and in a rural community. Okay. Where's the rural one this year? Very good. That will be announced. Breaking news. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So we do alternate the major events between Edmonton and Calgary every year. So last year we were in Calgary in November at the TELUS Spark Center. We took over the entire facility, almost 500 people. The entire facility, folks. I'm telling you, there was a lot of people there. I know different people listen to this podcast. Some of you need to be there, and I'm not even kidding about that. You need to get in tune to this and listen and go to this event, because if nothing else, you'll walk out inspired. Right. And inspiring the entrepreneurs and the researchers that are working so hard. It's a lot of hard work. You'll get to celebrate. Celebrate, thank them, appreciate them, and be part of the future. Exactly. Stuff you never even knew about. I'm just going to say, so the one that stands out the most to me was actually, it was at the U of A, the event at the U of A that you did before the gala. The opening ceremony, which this year will be September 18th. So the last presenter at that event was a woman and her dad, I believe. Right. Randy Duguay and Sarah. She was around the whole area of women, infertility. That's right. My Fertility Labs her company. Yes. All of that. And listening to her story, I got to tell you, so you go to an event like that, you don't think about emotional tears, but when she was done, I had tears running down my face at that story. And I just thought. And miscarriages, and she's helping others not go through that. Like, it was, and how they're turning that into technology to help women. And it was, it's unbelievable. Like just, and you sit there with tears. And here she's telling it, and then her dad comes up, and he's talking about how he's, he's part of this, and then he's choking up in the whole room. Yup, on her board. All these scientists, people who are pretty, you know, straight, they're all, everyone's sitting there with emotion, thinking this is incredible. Like this is what technology can do. It's actually an emotional experience. Thank you for mentioning that because, you know, technology and innovation, how emotional can that be? See I did listen. And it is very emotional. It can be, absolutely. It was. The only, the other one I remember is at the awards, there was a company that was doing education for young children, I think with autism or something along those lines, and they're creating through AI and different things. And I thought, man, that's the one where I sat back and went, why didn't I think of that? Because this is amazing. Like this, this is incredible. There's another, so change maker is an area that we give awards to for both students and young entrepreneurs. There's one, Struggle Is Your Own Success, out of Calgary. Moose is the gentleman who won that award. And he helps people that have been in juvenile delinquents situations become entrepreneurs to overcome. He was amazing. And I remember when he won and his acceptance speech, he was just so thankful, first of all, that he was being recognized. But now 500 people got to hear what he's doing. That's right. That's right. So we appreciate the people who are nominating our award winners, but we want to get the word out. So I come to it from the promotional marketing side. These stories have got to be told. Well, that's right. I don't understand everything they're doing, but when you hear what they're doing, you go, we got to get these stories out there. That's right. What they're doing is important. They all need to get behind that. Sometimes it's just visibility that they need, and getting to the right ears too. Whether it's the people they want to help, or the people who can help them amplify what they're doing. Where do people learn about ASTech? There you go. www.astech.ca, A-S-T-E-C-H dot C-A, or Technology Albertas website .com, technologyalberta.com. Fantastic. I can't believe we're on the final question. Final question. I could talk about this for hours, and I'm not smart. And you're not a scientist. I'm not a scientist at all. No. Like I'm so far from, I just don't understand none of it, but it's fascinating. That is the thing. Yeah. For me, who's just not like, I honestly didn't pass- That's not your brain. Physics and all that stuff. I didn't even take those courses because I took drama. Like that's where I am at. But we need it all. Well, yeah, I guess you do, but my point is that for somebody who's not living in that world, that doesn't think much about it. To find it interesting, yes. And then gets involved in this. And you're like, okay, this is pretty cool. And I don't feel like I need to get in-depth, like down to the- I don't understand the formulas in the systems, but the story is amazing. Well, exactly. And that's just an example of how we need you. We need people who are the storytellers, right? Because if you don't communicate what you're doing and you keep it in the equation- Listen, Cam, there should be a second podcast telling these stories. That's what I was just saying. We should get a list from Gail- Stories of ASTech, yeah. The Stories of ASTech. And get them on the program. Okay, we're going to talk to Gail about this after. Yeah, we will. Awesome, spin-off coming. Spin-off. Because some of those are- That woman and her dad, I couldn't do it because I would just be here sitting here like just like blubbering. But not all of it. It would be fascinating. Yeah, you just go- And how they're helping people. You want to win the lottery, the 80 million one to help them. Cam, we are not the scientists, but we're the marketers and communicators. We're the storytellers. Yes. So do you have a podcast category for ASTech? Well, as I was saying, we have a special category, special award. You look very special. People do say we're special. That's right, people do say we're special. I'm not really sure what that term means when they say that, but people do say we're special. Anyway, we digress. Anyway, final question. Final question. Great question. What is the best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you still carry with you to this day? Best piece of advice. Well, it's not just you. It's not just you that can get it over the finish line. So tell people what you need, tell people why you're doing it, and they can become part of your story. This is a bigger story. It's bigger than any one of us. However, if we, sometimes people say, well, I can only do the best I can do. Well, it's more than the best you can do. It's the best that the community can bring around you can do, right? So people can help if they understand the opportunity and how they can contribute. So if we inclusively do things, we can do so much more. Yeah. That's great advice. Be inclusive. That's great advice. You have a family? Yes. How many children? Three. What do they all do? Doctor, lawyer, and social worker. Yeah. Okay. Social worker. Yes. My daughter works in social work, she does. Excellent. Well, this has been absolutely fascinating. You've been so wonderful. We can't thank you enough for coming on today. There's a word I'm sitting here trying to... You bring together people. There's a word for that. See if I was smart, I'd know the word. You bring people together. You are a creator. She's a connector. You are a connector. You are an encourager on a wide, a big field. And a promoter. And a promoter. Well, I have a great team. I think what you're doing is amazing. I know. Thank you for being part of the extended team. So folks, listen, I'm telling you, go to the website and the banquet or the gala, the gala this year is going to sell out instantly. So if you should... November 6th in Edmonton at the Westin. So have you started selling tickets here? Early bird tickets are out. Are for sale? Yes. They are for sale. Get on the website and get your tickets because it's going to sell and you'll walk away absolutely fascinated. That is true. And you'll go. That was a great event. It was a great event. And you can bring your son or daughter or colleague or team. Well, and in fact, you know, we got to Genics having two tables bring in their community. And you know who we brought? We brought not only Genics people, we brought people like our banker because we wanted them to hear. It was lovely and so smart. We brought our lawyer, one of our lawyers. So smart. Instead of you having to educate everyone one at a time, bring them in to be immersed, right? It's an immersion program. You know, they brought me and I just like it. And look at us now. I know. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Anyways, this has been great, Gail. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I've enjoyed my last year's relationship with you and with ASTech. And now we brought Jennifer into the fray. So now we can, we can, you know, hopefully we can tell some of these wonderful stories. Do more. Thanks everybody for listening. Hey, don't forget, Wing Snob, big part of who we are and ran through it at the beginning. So I won't run through it again, but feeling like a little, excuse me, some hot AF right now. I won't say on air. I'll tell you what it means after. You need to tell me after. Because now I'm really curious. I will. Ten locations, www.wingsnob.ca. Thanks for listening everybody. Hey, make sure you tell somebody about this podcast. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers, tell your enemies. If you don't have any friends, go make one just to tell them about this podcast and make sure that you- Subscribe because then you will not miss a new episode of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. That's right, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. We want you to do that. Thanks for being a listener. Thanks for listening to this. Share it with everybody and we'll see you all next week. Thanks everyone. We'll see you next week.