Over the past year, MacEwan students did much more than take notes. They dug into data, launched campaigns, built AI and pitched creative solutions for big problems.

Embedding real-life, real-world experiences into every program at MacEwan is a commitment built right into the university’s strategic vision. These are just six of the many fascinating ways students have been working with companies and organizations over the past year to gain meaningful experiences and contribute in ways that extend far beyond campus. 

Tackling tariffs

As U.S. tariffs threatened Alberta exports, International Business students in INTB 330: Cross Border Trade Transactions were partnering with Edmonton Global to support Alberta's trade diversification. The School of Business students identified Alberta products and/or services exported globally that match U.S. exports to tariff-impacted trading partners and developed strategies for how Alberta could leverage existing trade relationships to increase market share and boost trade efficiency. 

Overhauling the food inspection system

MacEwan’s first-ever journalistic partnership with the Edmonton Journal resulted in a three-part series on food safety in the city’s restaurants – and sparked an overhaul to the province’s inspection system. Not only did students in Dr. Steve Lillebuen’s BCSC 425: Investigative Journalism course get hands-on experience in data journalism, public records research and investigative reporting, but a month after the series was published, tougher enforcement and mandatory food safety training were announced.

Hitting the road

Marketing and design students partnered with Lexus of Edmonton to develop a real-world digital campaign, applying research, strategy and creative thinking while collaborating directly with an industry client. Students analyzed the business’s current digital presence, identified opportunities, conducted competitor research and developed audience personas. Then, they brought it all to life with a one-week social media campaign that included standalone social posts, a carousel series, paid social ads and a concept for a video campaign. 

Battling blazes

Working with MacEwan alum Nafaa Haddou, students across disciplines teamed up to tackle business problems for his Edmonton-based tech company, Firesafe AI, which focuses on wildfire detection and response. In an exercise Haddou coined the Griffin Team Challenge, two student teams of computer science, business, arts and design students built a marketing dashboard and created an emotionally intelligent AI customer service agent named Sophia.

Getting to the heart of the matter

Students in Dr. Farzan Baradaran Rahimi’s class worked with TELUS World of Science – Edmonton to develop a way to illustrate how the human heart works. Instead of a traditional model, a team of students saw potential for a virtual reality (VR) solution that could help visitors step inside a beating heart. 

Preserving the past

After a mid-winter visit to the historic House in the Middle of the Road Métis homestead lovingly restored by the Smoky Lake Regional Heritage Board, Nic Mather was hooked. He decided to focus on the board during a course with Dr. Heather Fitzsimmons Frey as part of his Bachelor of Fine Arts, Arts and Cultural Management program. Mather’s hard work to map out fund development and curatorial studies projects paid off. He ended up landing a summer job with the board that was extended into the fall.