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Calgary Herald

Philanthropist honoured for role in mentoring youth science and tech excellence

Helping mentor thousands of Canadian students in pursuing their passions in science and technology has garnered a prominent city philanthropist their thanks. Article content Article content On Saturday, former Calgary oilman Jim Gray was presented an award for continually inspiring the organization he founded 35 years ago that would become today's MindFuel Foundation. Article content The Calgary-based program encourages high school and post-secondary students to develop their technology and science ideas, many of which have led to scholarships and even valuable commercialized products. Article content Article content Article content 'Jim is a builder — he sees a problem and gets things done,' said Cassy Weber, who's been the CEO of MindFuel for the past 13 years. Article content 'He's so amazing and today is an opportunity just to share Jim's wisdom.' Article content In the 1980s, he founded the Alberta Science Foundation, which would eventually become MindFuel, that's developed youth interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Article content At its core is a six-month immersive effort among students to develop prototype solutions to real-world problems, which were presented Saturday at the University of Calgary to a panel of 20 judges who'd pick winners among high school and post-secondary categories. Article content Article content It involved 220 students aged 15 to 25 from across the country. Article content Article content 'Thirteen per cent of those projects become commercialized within an average of 4.2 years and it's unintentional on our part,' said Weber, who's been involved in several tech startups. Article content 'We get these young people engaged and involved and help them navigate the tech system but these are their wins, their work.' Article content Over the years, those concepts have attracted $32.5 million in venture capital, she said. Article content Among those who participate, 45 per cent are able to garner major scholarships with 92 per cent of them being awarded more than one, she added.