Welcome to this week’s Midweek Memo. In this issue, Cognito Health makes the top 10, it’s time to get a job at AOT Technologies, and Ocean Networks Canada takes a trip.

Now, onto today’s briefing. It’s 752 words, a three-minute read.

It’s not all fun and games

They may not be the first people that come to mind when you think of video game technology. Four Royal Roads University researchers plan to use 3D video game technology to support participatory approaches to integrated watershed management planning in the Millstream Creek Watershed. Video games and nature coming together – who would’ve thought?

The team will use a $72,000 Insight Development Grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council to develop and test an experimental visualization tool.

“The idea of the tool is to be able to think about, if we’re to do management strategies in the watershed and other things — for instance, opening up new recreational opportunities or things that might be protect the aquatic wildlife there — how do the strategies fit within a broader constellation of social, environmental and economic objectives?" said Rob Newell, assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainability.

Local government officials and stakeholders will have a hand in developing the tool through a series of workshops, he says, and a variety of community members will be able to use the end product to better understand the options for managing and shaping the future of the watershed.

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📰 More Victoria innovation news

👀 I’ve got my eye on you: Cognito Health caught the eye of Douglas Magazine’s 10 to Watch 2023. The Victoria-based company provides an all-in-one online platform to give clients direct access to mental healthcare.

🏆 The boss of me: For the fourth year in a row, AOT Technologies was certified as a Great Place to Work®. AOT Technologies is a low code development and solution integration company with Canadian offices in Victoria, Vancouver, and Calgary.

🧜‍♀️ Under the sea: Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) shared some of the highlights from its #ONCabyss expedition, a seven-day journey to conduct maintenance on ONC’s Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) observatory sites.

SPONSORED BY INNOVATEWEST

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🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• VP, Fund Development and Communications at the YMCA/YWCA of Vancouver Island

• Director of Finance at the Belfry Theatre

• Business Analyst at BC Public Service

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

📅 Upcoming events

April 22 | The Building Blocks of Black Inclusion at Work

Join an in-depth workshop in partnership with the Black Women’s Business Network.

This will be a meaningful three-hour session with a focus on sharing practical tools and resources, highlighting what leaders can do to utilize EDIB related practices to better support Black professionals.

May 6 | Ambition 2035 Hybrid Event

Canada’s Ocean Supercluster regularly convenes its network to report on activity, share insights, and build the path to transformational growth of Canada’s ocean sector. This spring, we’re hosting two hybrid events to continue working toward Ambition 2035, a discussion paper around the 5X growth, $220 billion vision we share for Canada’s sustainable ocean economy.

Don't miss an opportunity to hear from sector leaders, learn how the ocean economy is enabling communities, engage in action planning, and make connections with like-minded peers in Canada’s ocean network.

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

🙋 I need a…

We at Victoria Tech Journal know you, our community, pretty well. Are you searching for someone in your field to have coffee with, a hiring hookup, a lead on local investors, or a suggestion for a great Victoria tech tool? Whatever you’re hunting for, let us know. We’ll post it in this section and make it happen.

Email your requests to [email protected].