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This Year's Partner
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About the Ontario Science Centre
Located in North York, The Ontario Science Centre, opened in 1969, was one of the first interactive Science Museums in the world. The Ontario Science Centre's main mission is to inspire passion for human adventure and discovery, with the vision of creating a more curious, creative, and resilient world.
2023 Info-Drops
Helpful Information for our Contestants, Partners, Experts and Judges!
This Info-Drop contains general event information, and additional information for judges and contestants--includes judging criteria and contestant dress-code etc
This info-Drop contains information about our partners-- The Ontario Science Centre, as well as additional information regarding this year's SPROUT Theme.
This Info-Drop contains information about how to work as a team, how to network and how to best use expert advice. Additionally, you'll learn about this year's judges and experts!
2023 Judges Panel
Zoe Fitzgerald
Claire Corinccha
Sam Dano
Raluca Ellis
Natasha Chowdry
Chris Randall
2023 Experts Panel
Tanya Rumble
Tanya is a racialized settler living in Tkaronto. She is a fundraising leader who has raised millions for some of Canada's largest charities including Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and McMaster University. Tanya is now Executive Director of Development with the Faculty of Arts and Yellowhead Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). As a racialized philanthropy professional Tanya is honoured to share her influence and insights with students, emerging professionals and peers in the sector. Tanya regularly writes articles on the topics of inclusion, equity, and access; and power, privilege and fundraising for industry publications and speaks to professional audiences at learning events regularly.
She graduated with an Hons. B.A. Political Science from McMaster University, earned a Graduate Certificate at NYU in Marketing Communications, and is currently enrolled in the Master Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University. She has also completed numerous professional certificates including Not-For-Profit Governance Essentials (Rotman School of Management, Institute of Corporate Directors) and Truth and Reconciliation Through Right Relations (Banff Centre). Tanya is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Master Financial Advisor - Philanthropy (MFA-P™).
Additionally, she is an active leadership volunteer in the philanthropy and non-profit sector: Member of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector with the Government of Canada; Board Director with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Canada; executive volunteer with the Canadian Association of Gift Planners; and Co-Chair of the Board with FindHelp Information Services - operators of 211 Toronto. In addition to sharing her knowledge, she is committed to lifelong learning - she is a graduate of the 2017 Association of Fundraising Professionals Inclusion and Philanthropy Fellowship, and 2010 DiverseCity Fellowship. Tanya gratefully acknowledges the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee nations, whose traditional territory she is a settler and responsible steward of.
She graduated with an Hons. B.A. Political Science from McMaster University, earned a Graduate Certificate at NYU in Marketing Communications, and is currently enrolled in the Master Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University. She has also completed numerous professional certificates including Not-For-Profit Governance Essentials (Rotman School of Management, Institute of Corporate Directors) and Truth and Reconciliation Through Right Relations (Banff Centre). Tanya is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Master Financial Advisor - Philanthropy (MFA-P™).
Additionally, she is an active leadership volunteer in the philanthropy and non-profit sector: Member of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector with the Government of Canada; Board Director with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Canada; executive volunteer with the Canadian Association of Gift Planners; and Co-Chair of the Board with FindHelp Information Services - operators of 211 Toronto. In addition to sharing her knowledge, she is committed to lifelong learning - she is a graduate of the 2017 Association of Fundraising Professionals Inclusion and Philanthropy Fellowship, and 2010 DiverseCity Fellowship. Tanya gratefully acknowledges the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee nations, whose traditional territory she is a settler and responsible steward of.
Walter Stoddard
Mr. Stoddard joined the Ontario Science Centre in 2000 and has worked as a Science Educator, a Host, Senior Scientist, and, in his current position, a Researcher — Programmer. Mr. Stoddard is part of the team responsible for exhibition content research and new exhibit conceptualization and design.
Since the founding of the Ontario Science Centre Innovation in Mas’ Award, which honours the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Designer whose creation best exemplifies the application of principles and practices of innovation, Mr. Stoddard has served as lead judge on award’s the jury panel.
Mr. Stoddard has played a role in coordinating and developing several of the Centre’s public programs and exhibits. One of his most recent assignments was to the team who developed MindWorks, a travelling exhibition that helps visitors experience the inner workings of their own minds.
Mr. Stoddard’s experience at the Ontario Science Centre includes the delivery of countless live public science demonstrations, presentation of many special offerings, and the performing of curriculum-centred, school programs.
Mr. Stoddard holds a B.A.Sc. from the Engineering Science Aerospace program, at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario). Before joining the Centre, he enjoyed tutoring math and science for over a decade, from the preschool to the high school level. Mr. Stoddard has also taught a variety of model rocketry courses, including “Model Rockets from Scratch”, a science program he designed and taught for a school-age daycare (grades 3 to 6) that turned common household items — cardboard, empty paper towel tubes, plastic bags, rubber bands, etc. — into flying rockets.
Since the founding of the Ontario Science Centre Innovation in Mas’ Award, which honours the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Designer whose creation best exemplifies the application of principles and practices of innovation, Mr. Stoddard has served as lead judge on award’s the jury panel.
Mr. Stoddard has played a role in coordinating and developing several of the Centre’s public programs and exhibits. One of his most recent assignments was to the team who developed MindWorks, a travelling exhibition that helps visitors experience the inner workings of their own minds.
Mr. Stoddard’s experience at the Ontario Science Centre includes the delivery of countless live public science demonstrations, presentation of many special offerings, and the performing of curriculum-centred, school programs.
Mr. Stoddard holds a B.A.Sc. from the Engineering Science Aerospace program, at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario). Before joining the Centre, he enjoyed tutoring math and science for over a decade, from the preschool to the high school level. Mr. Stoddard has also taught a variety of model rocketry courses, including “Model Rockets from Scratch”, a science program he designed and taught for a school-age daycare (grades 3 to 6) that turned common household items — cardboard, empty paper towel tubes, plastic bags, rubber bands, etc. — into flying rockets.
Tony Carlucci
Tony Carlucci is currently a Senior Sales Account Executive at a software company called Meltwater. His expertise is helping public relations, corporate communications and marketing professionals understand how media narratives and consumer sentiment impact an organisation’s reputation and revenue. Tony graduated from TMU’s English Literature program in 2018. His contributions to TMU include co-founding the English Course Union, working for the Ryerson Leadership Lab, Student Life Award (2018), UCLA - Best Essay in Comparative Literature (2018), Nominee for the Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award (2018) and Dean’s List 2015, 2017, 2018.
Rudhra Persad
Rudhra is a Mentoring Facilitator with the Tri-Mentoring Program at Toronto Metropolitan University for the past 10 years overseeing more portfolios than he can remember. Recently, Rudhra listened to students in the Faculty of Arts and in collaboration with SASSH and student leaders, launched a pilot BIPOC peer mentoring program exclusively for Arts students. Rudhra is regularly consulted on best practices in mentoring by staff at other institutions and community organisations. He does so while navigating his ADHD and other learning differences. Rudhra is also a current student in the Faculty of Arts finishing up his undergraduate degree in the Arts and Contemporary Studies program.
Roxana Sühring
Roxana Sühring is an environmental analytical chemist with a research focus on the fate and behaviour of
emerging organic contaminants in the aquatic environment.
She holds a doctor of natural sciences from the Leuphana University Lueneburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum
Geesthacht (Germany) and a Dipl. Ing. (FH) degree in Environmental Engineering from the University for
Applied Science in Luebeck Germany. She has been a postdoctoral fellow at Leuphana University (2015),
University of Toronto (2015 - 2016), and Stockholm University (2018 - 2020). From 2016 - 2018 she led a
team of regulatory scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science in the
UK where she provided advice to the UK Ministry for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy and the
Netherlands Ministry for the State Supervision of Mines on the environmental risk of chemicals used in
offshore oil and gas production.
She joined the Department for Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2020 where
She leads the Emerging Contaminants Lab.
Her interdisciplinary research encompasses the development of innovative analytical strategies for the
characterization of plastic pollutants in water as well as the development of analysis strategies to help
understand the chemical, physical and socio-economic factors that drive the observed pollution
patterns.
emerging organic contaminants in the aquatic environment.
She holds a doctor of natural sciences from the Leuphana University Lueneburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum
Geesthacht (Germany) and a Dipl. Ing. (FH) degree in Environmental Engineering from the University for
Applied Science in Luebeck Germany. She has been a postdoctoral fellow at Leuphana University (2015),
University of Toronto (2015 - 2016), and Stockholm University (2018 - 2020). From 2016 - 2018 she led a
team of regulatory scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science in the
UK where she provided advice to the UK Ministry for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy and the
Netherlands Ministry for the State Supervision of Mines on the environmental risk of chemicals used in
offshore oil and gas production.
She joined the Department for Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2020 where
She leads the Emerging Contaminants Lab.
Her interdisciplinary research encompasses the development of innovative analytical strategies for the
characterization of plastic pollutants in water as well as the development of analysis strategies to help
understand the chemical, physical and socio-economic factors that drive the observed pollution
patterns.
Max Irwin
Max is a graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University back in Spring 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He is working as a Management Consulting Associate at Grant Thornton LLP in Toronto. His experience of working with various businesses and project management, coupled with his Arts education allow him to identify organisational barriers in high-growth organisations and work to implement strategic solutions. His interests in organisational behaviour, behavioural science, as well as personal and corporate development lend themselves to a people-centred approach to organisational growth.
During his time at TMU, Max was very involved in student life at various levels. Holding positions on both his Course Union as well as the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union. Most notably, Max served two consecutive-terms as the President of the Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (SASSH, then RLAS). The experience he has gained from his involvement on-campus and in the Faculty of Arts has directly impacted where he is today.
During his time at TMU, Max was very involved in student life at various levels. Holding positions on both his Course Union as well as the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union. Most notably, Max served two consecutive-terms as the President of the Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (SASSH, then RLAS). The experience he has gained from his involvement on-campus and in the Faculty of Arts has directly impacted where he is today.
Ashnie Badal
Through her role at the Science Discovery Zone, Ashnie has co-developed and organised several programs that support innovators and those exploring the entrepreneurship ecosystem, from students at TMU to members of the external community. This includes facilitating 800+ work-integrated learning opportunities for students from various programs on campus. She is a TMU alum with a major in chemistry and in her spare time enjoys creative writing and learning about art & history.
Alex Gil
Alex is a social entrepreneur who founded and leads Mendicant Group, a social issues consulting firm. He has also moderated the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance since its inception in 2010 and regularly speaks around the world on entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. Alex was one of 50 nonprofit leaders to be invited to attend Stanford University's Business School in 2013 and was named one of Canada's "Social Justice All-Stars'' by This Magazine in 2015.
Heather Willis
Heather Willis is a proud graduate of TMU's School of Disability Studies and has a post-graduate diploma in Disability Studies from the University of Leeds. Born in Toronto, Heather has been an accessibility advocate since she was a teenager growing up in an institution for disabled children. In the decades since, she has served on numerous committees and boards dedicated to the equity and full inclusion of persons with disabilities. In 2010, Heather joined Toronto Metropolitan University as the inaugural Accessibility Coordinator, now in the Office of the Vice President, Equity and Community Inclusion. She leads TMU's accessibility initiative, "Access TMU", with the goal of identifying, removing, and preventing accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities in the TMU community.
Jamy Li
Jamy Li has a Ph.D. degree in communication research (Stanford University, 2016), a Master of Applied Science degree in industrial engineering (University of Toronto, 2008) and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in engineering science (University of Toronto, 2006). He was an assistant professor in human–media interaction at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, from 2016 to 2020. He has been an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University since 2020. His research interests include human–robot interaction and user-centred design of agent-based systems for special populations. He has published in Computers in Human Behaviour, IJHCS, IJSR and several human–technology interaction conferences.
Alana Senwasane
Alana Senwasane (she/her) is the Career Education Specialist supporting Faculty of Arts students and alumni. As the Career Education Specialist, Alana provides career advising and career support including providing training on job searches, writing cover letters, resume building, interviewing, networking, salary negotiation, LinkedIn, career path exploration, and grad school applications. She also plans career events with industry employers both through the Career Centre and in collaboration with course unions and student groups.
Also an experienced Human Resources Professional, Alana has worked in various industries such as Professional Services, Grocery-Retail, and Software as a Service (SAAS) providing support related to recruitment, employer branding, and employee engagement. Alana has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & Business with a specialisation in Human Resources; she is working towards her Career Development Practitioner certificate from George Brown College.
Alana is a feminist, mental-health advocate, and lifelong learner. She enjoys spending time with her dog Walter, listening to podcasts, and trying new recipes.
Also an experienced Human Resources Professional, Alana has worked in various industries such as Professional Services, Grocery-Retail, and Software as a Service (SAAS) providing support related to recruitment, employer branding, and employee engagement. Alana has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & Business with a specialisation in Human Resources; she is working towards her Career Development Practitioner certificate from George Brown College.
Alana is a feminist, mental-health advocate, and lifelong learner. She enjoys spending time with her dog Walter, listening to podcasts, and trying new recipes.
Dr. Bavleen Kaur
Dr. Kaur joined the Ontario Science Centre in 2006, and has worked as a Senior Scientist, an Educator and, is in her current position as a Project Consultant.
As a senior scientist, Dr. Kaur contributed to the development of the award-winning exhibitions The AstraZeneca Human Edge and Mindworks. Most recently, she worked on the Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think exhibition, in collaboration with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
Dr. Kaur’s doctoral research into microbial life on the wreck of the Titanic led to the discovery of a new bacterial species, Halomonas Titanicae.
As a senior scientist, Dr. Kaur contributed to the development of the award-winning exhibitions The AstraZeneca Human Edge and Mindworks. Most recently, she worked on the Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think exhibition, in collaboration with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
Dr. Kaur’s doctoral research into microbial life on the wreck of the Titanic led to the discovery of a new bacterial species, Halomonas Titanicae.
Lisa Sousa
Lisa is a communications and marketing professional with over 9 years of experience developing integrated marketing communication programs for a wide range of North American brands.
Currently, Lisa is an Integrated Marketing Planning Manager at Spin Master Ltd. where she works with a robust marketing team to build marketing communications for exciting toy brands such as Paw Patrol, Kinetic Sand, and Hatchimals.
Lisa is a TMU graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts from the ACS Program. She also has a post-graduate certificate from Humber College in Advertising Account Management. She has been participating in the SPROUT Case Competition since 2019.
Currently, Lisa is an Integrated Marketing Planning Manager at Spin Master Ltd. where she works with a robust marketing team to build marketing communications for exciting toy brands such as Paw Patrol, Kinetic Sand, and Hatchimals.
Lisa is a TMU graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts from the ACS Program. She also has a post-graduate certificate from Humber College in Advertising Account Management. She has been participating in the SPROUT Case Competition since 2019.
Patricia Hania
Patricia Hania is an Assistant Professor at the Law & Business Department, Ted Rogers School of Management. She recently joined the Ted Rogers School of Management in July 2017.
Patricia holds a PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (York), Toronto. She also holds a LL.M. (Osgoode), LL.B. (Osgoode), M.E.S. (Faculty of Environmental Studies, York), MBA Grad. Dipl. (Schulich, York) and BAS, York.
As an interdisciplinary social-legal researcher, Patricia is interested in the interaction of market actors in natural resource governance regimes – in particular, water governance in Canada. Her research considers the intersection of law and policy to understand how norms interact, regulate and become embedded in legal sites of contested and complex decision-making.
Patricia holds a PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (York), Toronto. She also holds a LL.M. (Osgoode), LL.B. (Osgoode), M.E.S. (Faculty of Environmental Studies, York), MBA Grad. Dipl. (Schulich, York) and BAS, York.
As an interdisciplinary social-legal researcher, Patricia is interested in the interaction of market actors in natural resource governance regimes – in particular, water governance in Canada. Her research considers the intersection of law and policy to understand how norms interact, regulate and become embedded in legal sites of contested and complex decision-making.
Rahma Hilowle
A passionate equity, diversity and inclusion expert with experience working on various EDI initiatives professionally and personally. Graduate from the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, received a Master's Degree in Education in Social Justice Education. Before that, she attended York University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. Her professional experience is primarily in higher education, community development and non-profit organisations. Most recently employed at Magnet at Toronto Metropolitan University as the Manager of EDI Education and Initiatives.
Chris Martin
Chris Martin has been working actively in public policy, government relations, and post-secondary education since 2009, and is driven by a passion for helping people translate complexity to create change.
Chris has served as Senior Policy Advisor to two Ontario Ministers of Education on Capital infrastructure and school finance, and also held roles in the Ontario Public Service, coordinating broad public sector consultations on rural and remote education, and post-secondary education funding. Prior to this, Chris worked as a post-secondary education sector advocate and public commentator, writing columns and opinion pieces in public outlets such as the Globe and Mail and MacLeans. Currently, Chris supports TMU student leaders as Senior Manager, Special Projects & Student Governance at the Office of the Vice-Provost Students.
Chris has served as Senior Policy Advisor to two Ontario Ministers of Education on Capital infrastructure and school finance, and also held roles in the Ontario Public Service, coordinating broad public sector consultations on rural and remote education, and post-secondary education funding. Prior to this, Chris worked as a post-secondary education sector advocate and public commentator, writing columns and opinion pieces in public outlets such as the Globe and Mail and MacLeans. Currently, Chris supports TMU student leaders as Senior Manager, Special Projects & Student Governance at the Office of the Vice-Provost Students.
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