Innovation Bridge

Welcome to the Innovation Bridge series, designed to help you discover aspects of innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset. The series is open to all University of Alberta students and postdoctoral scholars (PDS) who want to explore how their skills can open opportunities, whether your goal is to start a new initiative yourself or assist other organizations in successful ventures.

Students and PDFs are in a unique position — they are talented, creative, analytical, problem solvers and innovators, yet they rarely rank themselves high in their business skills. Having an entrepreneurial mindset means more than starting a business that sells a product or service. You need innovation and creativity to create solid policies, develop new processes and establish best practices. These are the skills that graduate programs and fellowships build and can be transferred to any organization.

The Innovation Bridge series will explore questions that relate to the entrepreneurial mindset and will help you bridge your skills with the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem — an ecosystem that needs you.

Upcoming Sessions

Let Your Passion and Interests Drive Your Creativity and Innovation

April 22, 2026 | 12 - 1 p.m. MT | Online

For some people, working in a place that feeds your passion is a dream. What if that place motivates you to create new innovations that then continue to feed your passion? That has become the reality for Dr. Haidong Liang who works at the Westend Seniors Activity Centre. How does someone with a physical education and recreation degree capture the attention of 1000s of people? By getting in touch with something people need, and building partnerships. Come get motivated by social entrepreneurship - when you want your life work to have impact.

Presenter: Dr. Haidong Liang
Dr. Haidong Liang is a gerontologist who devoted his three degrees in Canada to the speciality areas of physical activity, recreation, and gerontology. Over the years, Dr. Liang has gained a reputation as an innovative practitioner dedicated to helping seniors achieve healthy aging in communities. He created the WeSeniors.ca platform, which actively connects older citizens to services provided by the public, private and non-profit sectors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this platform reached out to 3,500+ Alberta seniors to keep them healthy and engaged. Dr. Liang has received many accolades for his work, including the 2019 Alberta Top 40 under 40 and the 2019 Minister's Seniors Service Award. Dr. Liang is interested in applying his research knowledge into practice, to impact policies, and to build multi-sectoral partnerships.

Register in campusBRIDGE     Zoom Link

More sessions coming in Spring 2026.

Previous Presentations

To see previous presentations, view the list below. Past presenters welcome questions from current graduate students and PDFs. To connect with them, email gradpd@ualberta.ca.