Start Date
End Date
What is the Ignition Program:
The Ignition Program offers post-secondary students a 10-week program that gives access to training, mentorship, resources, ecosystem connections; and honorariums to support personal and business development. Students will be awarded $10 for each session they engage with!
What’s in this session:
Some of the world’s brightest minds have set their sights on solving the planet’s many “wicked problems”, so why in 2025 are we still facing an ever-increasing threat from complex challenges such as poverty, climate change, economic uncertainty, and global disease control?
In this session, we will discuss the characteristics of a ‘wicked problem’ and how that makes it uniquely difficult to tackle conventional problem-solving methods. You will learn about root-cause analysis and unintended consequences, such as the impact of introducing a new species into an ecosystem. We will also introduce the concepts of systems thinking, human-centered design and other innovative problem-solving methods.
Join us if you want to gain a greater understanding of how to approach some of the most complex and daunting problems facing humanity today. Learn how you can be part of the solution
Speaker's Bio:
Sarah Topps (MPH MBA) is a published author, adjunct faculty member, and nationally recognized expert on innovation, who specializes in strategic leadership, knowledge translation, grant writing, and building partnerships between public, private, and post-secondary institutions.
With almost two decades of experience across a number of industry sectors (including healthcare, education, manufacturing, tourism, international development, mining, and consulting), Sarah is a systems thinker who bridges the gaps in the innovation ecosystem as a connector, strategist, storyteller, and community resource.
Sarah has led the development, support, and scaling of innovation projects at the local, provincial, and national level by building collaborative research partnerships between industry and academia. Over the course of her career, Sarah has secured over $14M in funding for innovative projects across Canada. Sarah has worked extensively to support the innovation economy in Canada with various levels of government, First Nations groups, dozens of Universities and Colleges across Canada, and over 100 corporations and non-profits.
Sarah holds a Master in Public Health (specializing in Global Health) and a Master in Business Administration (MBA), both from Simon Fraser University. She also holds an honours bachelor degree in International Development and Economics from McGill University. In her free time, Sarah can be found hitting the slopes on her skis or trading recipes and stories with locals in the street markets of Latin America, Africa or Asia.
Zoom link will be provided after registration to the Ignition Program
