All Sections All Sections Winnipeg Free Press Subscribe
Articles Read Your Balance +tax

April 14, 2021

Winnipeg
-3° C, Overcast

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • The StarNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Canstar Community News
  • The Herald
  • The Lance
  • The Sou'wester
  • The Metro
  • The Times
  • The Headliner
  • Sports
  • Correspondents
  • Columns
  • Contact Us
  • E-Edition
  • Publications
  • Building Unity: Our Community Centres

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Helping save the lake

Local pair represents at AquaHacking final

Simon Fuller By: Simon Fuller
Posted: 10:09 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later
Julien Koga and Alec Massé, pictured here in Royalwood recently, are finalists in the 2020 Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge, which is being hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

SIMON FULLER

Julien Koga and Alec Massé, pictured here in Royalwood recently, are finalists in the 2020 Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge, which is being hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Alec Massé and Julien Koga don’t mind getting their feet wet.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 5/8/2020 (251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alec Massé and Julien Koga don’t mind getting their feet wet.


Massé, who lives in St. Vital, and Koga, a St. Boniface resident, are finalists in the 2020 Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge, which is being hosted by International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Julien Koga (left) and Alec Massé are one of five top teams that will present their pitches to a panel of expert judges in mid-October.

SIMON FULLER

Julien Koga (left) and Alec Massé are one of five top teams that will present their pitches to a panel of expert judges in mid-October.


The pair, whose team name is Typha Co., is one of the five top teams that will present their pitches to a panel of expert judges in mid-October. Massé recently graduated from the University of Manitoba, while Koga has one year remaining.


According to the institute’s website, the challenge is a startup competition designed to support technology and business development addressing environmental problems related to freshwater. The challenge has involved students and young professionals teaming up and developing solutions to problems plaguing the Lake Winnipeg watershed, including algae blooms, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics.


With guidance and support from expert mentors, the teams are competing to win $50,000 in cash prizes and incubator space.


"We’ve had access to a network of mentors from fields ranging from science, media, and law," Koga, 23, said. "We’re fortunate to be in this situation, and each team has come up with a unique solution."


Koga said the overarching goal of the company is to reduce pollution in Lake Winnipeg, which is suffering from eutrophication, and to simultaneously reduce Canadian’s dependence on single-use petroleum based products.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up


According to U.S. National Ocean Service’s website, eutrophication is characterized by harmful algae blooms, dead zones and fish kills that occur "when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth to estuaries and coastal waters."


Koga said the problem has been a concern in the scientific community for some time, despite the issue coming into the public eye more recently.


While not wanting to give too much away about their project at this stage, Koga said the company’s intention is to develop eco-packaging products that will compete economically with plastics and maintain a high standard of environmental responsibility.


"We’re trying to develop economic demand for a wetland plant because it’s harvest is paramount to reducing nutrient-loading in fresh water lakes," Koga said, noting the importance of eradicating the effect of neurotoxins in the watershed habitat.


"We’re proud of our lake, and it’s important that we help preserve it for future generations."


Go online at iisd.org for more information.

Simon Fuller

Simon Fuller
The Lance community journalist

Simon Fuller is the community journalist for The Lance. Canstar’s senior reporter, he joined the team in June 2009 to write for The Sou’wester, which was then the new paper in the Canstar family.

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top