A Toronto-area biomedical engineering firm is investing in students in the Biomedical Engineering Technology – Equipment and Devices program at St. Clair College in a big way.
MARS Bio-Med Processes Inc. is based in Whitby, Ont. and is a nanotechnology company known as an innovative leader in manufacturing innovative solutions for the dental and healthcare industries, helping organizations maintain compliance, protect the environment, and operate more efficiently.
The company has been a supplier for St. Clair College's Dental Hygiene program for years and when MARS Bio-Med President Stu Sinukoff met professors James Linton and James Durocher of St. Clair's Biomed program, a relationship was born.
"We decided it's time to support Canada, support the students in Canada," said Sinukoff. "And the opportunity was here, so we came for a visit, and we were able to get scholarships out for this coming school year. We're looking forward to a continued partnership."
Through consultation with faculty members, MARS Bio-Med provided a total of $10,000 in scholarships directly to two students in each year of the three-year program, providing direct support to six students.
In the Spring, Sinukoff visited with students to hand-deliver scholarships and meet the next generation of students ready to make an impact.
"This is the fun part," Sinukoff said.
"The reason we're doing this is we have invested a lot of money, time and effort into trade shows, as a Canadian manufacturer, to get our products both in dental and healthcare out there," said Sinukoff. "But now we're taking some of that money and some of those budgets and investing in people."
"We've been doing that now for almost three years and we're very proud to be able to invest in the future leaders of healthcare and dental technology."
Students were chosen based on their work ethic, their grade point average (GPA), and their passion for completing the program and working in the field.
Olivia Heavens, who just graduated from the Biomedical Engineering Technology program, was one of those recipients.
"It helps a lot with having time to study and maybe not working as much. That's very important to me," said Heavens, who is now heading to Ireland's South East Technological University to complete a bachelor's degree. "There are many challenges that students face today, including the cost of living going up. Things are more expensive, and you still have to manage to pay tuition and keep your grades up. This goes a long way in helping alleviate some of those pressures."
Fellow student Hiba Takach calls the scholarship "an incredible honour."
"It was completely unexpected," said Takach, who attended university for three years before switching to a program at St. Clair that was more up her alley. "My teachers and MARS Bio-Med actually recognize my hard work. The fact that they actually care so much about this program to donate money and highlight our achievements is pretty cool. I'm so happy to be part of it."
Prof. James Linton said supporting the students and the future workforce is a great investment that has an immediate impact on students – and in turn, industry.
"Support like this removes a major financial barrier for our students," Linton said. "It allows them to stay focused on their studies while confidently pursuing professional development and work integrated learning opportunities that prepare them for the field."
Aside from the scholarships, Sinukoff donates equipment to the College and looks for opportunities to bring other companies and St. Clair together in partnership.
During this process, Sinukoff also learned about some students who were in financial need and didn't have personal computers, and he happily obliged to provide new laptops to two more students.
"We need to do more to help, especially in this age and stage, and we need to be investing in people," Sinukoff said.
"That's what we stand for."
