New Brunswick has a new hub of expertise in mobile technology thanks to the establishment of an Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Mobile First Technology at New Brunswick Community College. Dr. Bill McIver, a former National Research Council expert and professor of computer sciences at University of New Brunswick, is responsible for conducting research and working collaboratively with partners in the information and communications technology sector to develop advanced mobile first technology.
“I’m interested in finding ways to apply mobile technology to critical problems that impact our lives and our livelihoods.” says Dr. McIver.
His work takes him around the college community to collaborate with researchers, students, and industry partners including GTECH. Dr. McIver has led a number of research initiatives that will prepare students and New Brunswick industry for the opportunities mobile technology offers.
The Chair has focused on developing regional facilities to support early stage innovation in mobile information and communication technologies by NBCC students and staff. The facilities are called the Mobile Ideaspaces. Mobile Ideaspaces were established on three of NBCC’s six campuses last year and are now being expanded to the remaining three campuses. The work done in these spaces will produce results that can be applied in many sectors, including healthcare, education, transportation, retail, resource development, and manufacturing.
The Mobile First initiative includes a mobile software engineering project, a residential energy efficiency project, a wellness prototype project, and a large-scale research project with partners from geofencing, game development, m-learning, and mobile data analytics. Dr. McIver is also developing research programs relating to intelligent communities and assistive technologies for seniors.
“In addition to having access to highly skilled instructors and students, NBCC is very flexible and can rapidly adapt to the needs of industry. This can be a benefit to all of the business community by helping to commercialize their product and service ideas in a very efficient manner.” says David Small, GTECH Director, Advanced Research and Innovation.
