Lakeside Controls Supports Instrumentation Lab Renovation

THUNDER BAY, ON, December 4, 2020 – Confederation College was excited to reveal its renovated Instrumentation Lab Friday, made possible through the generous support of Lakeside Process Controls. As part of the College’s TEC Campaign, Lakeside made the largest single gift-in-kind to the campaign with a contribution valued at $330,500.

“It is through visionary supporters like Lakeside Controls, that we are able to continue our legacy of facilitating student success with exemplary programming in state-of-the-art facilities,” said Kathleen Lynch, President of Confederation College. “We are grateful to Lakeside for their extraordinary commitment to our students and the future of the instrumentation industry. Their gift of equipment, their hands-on involvement in the renovation effort, and their ongoing engagement with our Instrumentation program are deeply appreciated. What makes this extra special is that this organization hires our graduates and we were pleased to see our own alumni play an active role in the renovation project. Thank you Lakeside!”

In recognition of the significant contribution, the renovated space was named Lakeside Process Controls Laboratory. The College also recognized faculty and staff for their considerable efforts to bring the renovated space to life, highlighting Colin Kelly, Chris Paci and Tim ten Have for their leadership. The upgraded lab now uses one of the most advanced Distributed Control Systems in the world and is one of the most advanced instrument labs in Canada.

Designed to improve the collaborative experience for students, the lab saw the implementation of a remote configuration to support a hybrid learning model of in-class and online training, and to provide increased access to lab equipment outside of regular classroom hours. The lab was equipped with a new Distributed Control System, along with new trainers and workstations, and a wide range of the most modern instruments. All equipment is tagged with QR codes, enabling students to quickly and easily access forms, manuals, schematics, videos, instructions and more, while creating a nearly paperless experience. The renovation also served as a catalyst for the development of new teaching methods and resources, taking the Instrumentation Engineering Technician – Process and Automation Control program to the next level.

“The students and faculty have been hard at work completing the technology upgrades for instrumentation, automation, and valve products to improve the experience beyond their existing facilities,” said Mike Colaneri, Account Manager at Lakeside Process Controls. “We saw the true potential of the students and their needs and we were happy to be a part of their journey.”

Students of the College’s Instrumentation program have already been enjoying the leading-edge equipment through the spring and fall semesters. They have been thoroughly impressed with the new space and enrolment in the program has already improved as a result of the upgraded facility. Building on the successful history of the program, the learning experience is now more reflective of current and anticipated industry trends, meaning graduates will be well prepared for their future careers in instrumentation.

The impact isn’t just being felt by students; industry partners are also able to benefit from the space, using the equipment for control scenarios testing and troubleshooting.

For more information about the Instrumentation Engineering Technician – Process and Automation Control program, and to apply, visit: Instrumentation Engineering Technician — Process Automation program. Donations are still being accepted to the TEC Campaign.