Louis Pin - The Sarnia Observer, Jan. 17, 2019The last six months have seen Lambton College�unveil its $18.2 million Athletic and Fitness Complex, opened in October; complete its new Nova Chemicals Health and Research Centre building, a�60,000 ft addition for research and innovation; and�open its $14.2 million Centre of Excellence�in the same building, deepening the school�s ties with bio-industrial technology.But a relatively small announcement last week���a new centre for IT research, supported by a five-year, $2 million research grant�� could reveal more about the school�s future.Thursday the college unveiled its strategic plan, in part to highlight the �fourth industrial revolution.� That tentatively coined concept includes advanced information technology and artificial intelligence, tech more commonly found in Hollywood or on Netflix than in homes and businesses around Sarnia-Lambton.At its core, Lambton College�s five-year strategic plan is focused on 2030.�We are preparing for what�s going to be coming next,� Judith Morris, president and chief executive officer of the college, said. �Flexibility is the buzzword, really; we have to be flexible to meet the needs of the fourth industrial revolution because they change every second.�In an interview with the Sarnia Observer last week, Mehdi Sheikhzadeh, executive dean of Applied Research and Innovation with the college, hinted the college wants an IT �cluster� in Sarnia similar to the�collection of burgeoning local bio-industrial industries. More IT innovation at the college could lead to more IT industries in Sarnia-Lambton, and vice versa,�Sheikhzadeh said.That quid pro quo relationship with local industry have given the college a unique advantage over the last decade, and has lead to a�significant increase in research students, grants, and projects�over the last five years.�Every project is linked to an industrial partner,� Morris said. �That means innovation in and of itself. New projects, and new businesses.�Within a few months dozens of applied research projects, some already well underway, will be operating out of the new�Information Technology Communication Research Centre. At best, those projects could establish Lambton College as a hotspot for IT research. At worst, they could prove supplementary to other research happening in the NOVA research centre.Either way, IT will be part of Lambton College�s future.lpin@postmedia.com
