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  • NEADS Event Calendar: February 2016

    NEADS Event Calendar: February 2016

    Events via www.neads.ca

    Organizer: University of New Brunswick Career Services
    Title: University of New Brunswick Career Development and Employment Centre
    Category: Employment
    Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick
    Date: February 2, 2016
    Web site: https://www.facebook.com/events/1734750480077786/
    Description: Are you graduating this year or looking for Summer employment? This career fair provides an opportunity for local and national employers to recruit for summer and full time positions and meet with students and alumni from the University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University and the New Brunswick Community College.

     

    Organizer: Cambrian College
    Title: Cambrian College Annual Career and Job Fair
    Category: Employment
    Location: Sudbury, Ontario
    Date: February 2, 2016
    Web site: https://www.facebook.com/events/933673566721795/
    Description: You don’t want to miss Cambrian’s annual Career and Job Fair, Northern Ontario’s largest, Tuesday, February 2, at 10 AM – 2 PM!

     

    Organizer: Diversity@Work
    Title: Diversity@Work – Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
    Category: Employment
    Location: Toronto, Ontario
    Date: February 19, 2016
    Web site: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2016-diversitywork-conference-the-future-of-workplace-diversity-tickets-19677226113
    Description: Diversity@Work is an annual professional conference dedicated to building inclusive and productive workplaces. The conference series evolved from a dynamic presentation given in 2010 by a team of people who are passionate about creating innovative approaches to attracting the best new immigrants to Canadian workplaces. This presentation became an annual conference organized by Skills for Change, a Toronto-based organization known for pioneering programs that respond to shifting immigration and workplace trends and lead to employment.

     

    Organizer: Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
    Title: 3-week WESP Employment Preparation Workshop for People with Disabilities
    Category: Employment
    Location: Toronto, Ontario
    Date: February 22, 2016 – March 11, 2016
    Telephone: 416-260-3060 ext. 232
    E-mail: cmacdiarmid@ccrw.org
    Web site: http://www.ccrw.org/wesp
    Description: CCRW’s WESP employment program is for job seekers with disabilities living in the GTA. Registration is now open for our February 2016 employment preparation workshop.

     

    Organizer: Alliance for the Equality of Blind Canadians
    Title: Flying in the dark: A blind woman’s story – Concordia University, Montreal
    Category: Education
    Location: Montreal, Quebec
    Date: February 27, 2016
    Web site: https://www.facebook.com/events/171808126503068/
    Description: Flying in the dark: A blind woman’s story – Concordia University, Montreal
    Date: Saturday, February 27th, 2016
    Time: 2:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm)
    Place: 1455 de Maisonneuve W, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, 7th Floor, Room H-767 (Concordia University Hall building)
    Tickets: $20 (advance purchase only)

  • Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

    Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

    Post-secondary education can be a financial burden for many students, but students with physical or mental disabilities may be particularly affected. Not all colleges or universities are completely accessible for these students, or have the best services or facilities to help facilitate their educational careers. As a result, the search for schools—and subsequently, scholarships—may become more limited for students with disabilities.

    If you are a student with a disability looking for a scholarship opportunity, check out http://www.disabilityawards.ca/: this is an excellent database that allows you to search for scholarships available throughout Canada, including by province and school.

    Below are some scholarships available for students with disabilities. For more information on these scholarships, consult the links provided.

    ***

    AbbVie IBD Scholarship
    Amount: $5000 x 10 recipients
    http://ibdscholarship.ca/EN/apply.php

    Awarded by Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, this scholarship offers funding to students who are diagnosed with Crohn’s and Colitis by a medical professional. Applicants must be enrolled in or awaiting acceptance for a post-secondary program in Canada, and demonstrate academic ambitions as well as the aspiration to sustain optimal health in spite of their diagnosis.

    CCRW Youth Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities
    Amount: $2500 x 6 recipients
    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=400

    Administered by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), this scholarship is designed to help students with a long-term and reoccurring disability restricting their ability to participate in educational activities. This scholarship is available for full-time students entering their first year of post-secondary. Applicants will be evaluated according to academics, community involvement, and extra-curriculars, among other criteria. Contact info@ccrw.org for more details.

    Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Scholarship Program
    Amount: $1000 x 3 recipients, $1500 x 1 recipient
    http://www.chha.ca/chha/scholarships-index.php

    This scholarship is available to students who are either hard of hearing, deafened, or oral deaf, and are either first-time or returning full-time students at a post-secondary institution. Applicants will be assessed according to multiple criteria, including academics, determination to cope with hearing loss, and involvement within their communities.

    Joubin/Selig Scholarship Fund
    Amount: variable
    https://torontofoundation.ca/joubinselig-scholarship-fund

    Established by Toronto Community Foundation donors, this scholarship is intended to provide assistance to students with mobility issues. Applicants must have a permanent physical disability, and will be assessed according to their ability to demonstrate academic achievement and leadership in their communities.

    NEADS Student Awards Program
    Amount: $3000 x 6 applicants
    http://www.neads.ca/en/about/projects/ete2/scholarship/

    The NEADS National Student Awards program provides financial assistance to those students with permanent disabilities that affect their ability to fully participate in their post-secondary education. Applicants must be full-time students. Criteria for this award include volunteering or employment experience, commitment to scholarship, and demonstrable potential for further community contributions.

    Sources:

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=1438

    http://www.ibdscholarship.ca/EN/index.php

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=400

    http://www.ccrw.org/

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=9

    http://www.chha.ca/chha/scholarships-index.php

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=1430

    https://torontofoundation.ca/joubinselig-scholarship-fund

    http://www.disabilityawards.ca/details.php?lang=EN&ID=1

    http://www.neads.ca/en/about/projects/ete2/scholarship/

  • Mental Health and the Government: Are We Doing Enough?

    Mental Health and the Government: Are We Doing Enough?

    Is the government doing enough when it comes to mental health? With events like #BellLetsTalk and Mental Health Week it’s easy to think that plenty is being done to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness. And, yes, while we are progressing as a society in terms of understanding mental health and helping those who struggle with a mental illness. #BellLetsTalk, for example, reported on their site that “Bell’s funding of $500,000 will be used towards expanding the Ride Asset Development Loan Fund across communities in Ontario and building a strategic plan to extend the program nationally across Canada.” But, as reported in July of 2015 by The Globe and Mail in an article titled, “How to Fix It”, we’re still a long way away from helping the way we should be.

    Included in some of the statistics provided, an estimated 70% of mental health problems are believed to begin in childhood or adolescence. In addition, 75% of children “don’t access services and treatments – despite the fact that children who experience mental health illnesses and problems are at much high risk of experiencing them as adults and are more likely to have other complicating health and social problems.” This brings up an interesting point given that, even though I only acknowledged my mental health issues during my first year in university, I was actually dealing with anxiety ever since I was eight. And I didn’t deal with any of the things until 11 years later because I didn’t understand what was going on and I didn’t know who to speak to.

    Now, these statistics also stretch out into the Housing First Initiative. As also reported by The Globe and Mail, the annual cost of the HFI for the “most severely mentally ill clients with the highest needs” is $19,582. In an interview from the same article, Steve Lurie, executive director of the Toronto branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, stated that, “not only is there a right to safe, affordable housing but it should be a centerpiece of mental health.” The article went on to report that, “more than 10,416 people are waiting for supportive housing, roughly half are homeless or house precariously and some people, [Lurie] says, have been on that list for as long as five years.” Lurie concluded by saying that, “giving people their own place to live not only makes good public policy, it makes good economic sense.”

    While we are on the right path to healing and making the world a more supportive place for those struggling with mental illnesses, much still needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to how to help and how to iron out the rough spots of mental health treatment. But, we are on the path to healing.

  • Creating a Working Budget – 5 Tips to Remember

    Creating a Working Budget – 5 Tips to Remember

    Being a college or university student is a learning experience through and through. Not only do you learn the necessary skills to flourish in your future career, but you also learn how to survive in the real world. Among the long list of real-life survival skills you get to test out as a student, is being finance- savvy.

    Being free of financial troubles while in college or university is not as much a Herculean task as many believe, but it is indeed a challenging one, especially in these times when the Canadian dollar has hit its lowest rate in 13 years. However, if you are completely aware of your finances from the start, it would mean smooth sailing for you. Below are some suggestions on creating a working budget.

    1) Note all your assets.

    The first step in establishing a working budget is to know how much you have. Students like you have a variety of sources of income, and you should note them down. Such sources include income from part-time jobs, scholarships, grants, or bursaries, and financial support from family. Include everything you have accumulated since you started your post-secondary education—even that cash gift you got from your grandparents last Christmas.

    2) Note all your expenses.

    Now this is the part where it gets a bit tricky. This is because expenses are never actually constant for any college or university students. There are some fixed expenses like credit card bills or phone bills, but there will always be times where you have to spend extra on school projects or supplies and other school-related stuff. Of course, college and university life also equals honing your social skills and bonding with fellow students, and you would most likely find yourself allocating your budget for entertainment expenses such as concert or movie tickets. Remember, however, that when it comes to expenses, it’s always better to overestimate than underestimate.

    3) Plan your emergency money.

    As a kid, you were always reminded by your parents that it is wise to save money for a rainy day; over time, you would come to realize how valuable that piece of advice was. Having a set budget for school-related costs is one thing, but what will you do for emergencies? For instance, suppose your car breaks down, and you need a new battery. Or your computer finally gives out and is beyond repair and you have to buy a new one. A true finance-savvy student is one who sets aside money for emergencies.

    4) Do a monthly budget review.

    Businesses and corporations make it a point to do a monthly review so they know where they stand. They know when to cut operating costs, when to hire additional staff, and when to give bonuses. You can follow their example by reviewing your budget on a monthly basis. This way, you’ll know if you have to cut down on your expenses or give yourself a treat.

    5) Be on the lookout for opportunities to save.
    Be open-minded and resourceful when it comes to money-saving opportunities. For instance, you probably know how textbooks can run your wallet empty, so look into options of renting books or buying used books instead. When it comes to clothing, on the other hand, keep in mind there are stores that specifically offer student discounts, so it is good to take advantage of that as well.

    Sources:
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/markets-dollar-oil-1.3405067
    http://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2013/11/14/the-6-best-budgettipsforstudents.html
    http://www.cicmoney101.org/Articles/Paying-For-College-How-To-Make-A-Budget.aspx
    https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting/creating-your-budget
    http://www.styledemocracy.com/student-discounts-in-canada/
    https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/finance-and-support/managing-money/student-budgeting-tips
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/addicted-to-student-discounts/article590866/

  • I Love Nature…Can I Make That Into a Career?

    I Love Nature…Can I Make That Into a Career?

    Do you find yourself dreading having to be kept inside for hours at a time? Are you the one looking at bugs and rocks in the park while the other kids are on the playground? Does your Christmas list consist of ways to get around nature or study it? An early love of nature can lead to wide variety of outdoorsy and exciting careers; here are a few to get you thinking:

    Geologist

    Are you strong in sciences and math? If you love rocks and volcanoes, or perhaps have always been curious about the ocean floor—you might like geology! As a geologist, you would study the different materials that make up the earth. In order to study these things, companies who hire you will often send you traveling.

    Nature Photographer

    Do you love both art and nature? Nature photography is meticulous and exciting work involving either animals or plants. Take a look at the movie Planet Earth or read National Geographic to see the work of some of the world’s top nature photographers. Most of these artists are freelancers, and all of them focus on capturing images of what many of us have never seen.

    Conservation Scientist

    Conservation science means forestry. Trees and forest life are some of the earth’s coolest things to see, and as a conservation scientist you would be involved in protecting the land and taking care of its natural resources. It would be your job to help landowners and governments make the right decisions on how to protect our earth’s precious land and natural resources.

    Farmer

    Farmers who are particularly focused on food or raw materials make a living by growing field crops or working in orchards or vineyards. It is very hands-on work and requires a love of the outdoors and putting in that extra effort to make your product grow and be the best of its kind.

    Park Ranger

    As a park ranger it would be your job to protect and watch over park and forest area. Park rangers patrol the grounds and make sure visitors are following safety rules and that they do not disturb the natural environment. They are basically sheriffs of the woods.

    Botanist

    A botanist studies plants, from algae to mosses to flowering plants. Plants are so important because they convert sunlight into energy that we can eat and use for fuel. And most importantly, they release the oxygen we breathe! As a botanist, you would study plants to figure out how all of this works. Botanists research on how to power vehicles, clean up contaminated areas, make crops grow better and create medicines.

    Landscaper

    Raking, mowing, planting and digging…all these things to create art out of plants space. Do you love making things beautiful? Then this is the job for you.

    Archaeologist

    Want to be Indiana Jones? Archaeologists get to investigate and preserve physical proof and clues of ancient cultures. This is how we comprehend and learn more about our links to the past.

    *BONUS

    Tree planting is a great way to make money for college. Reforestation is extremely important—especially in British Columbia, which produces large quantities of lumber—and involves hard work and a sense of importance.

  • The Grammar of Emotion: Not Feeling Good Enough

    The Grammar of Emotion: Not Feeling Good Enough

    “I’m not good enough.” Those are words everyone has told themselves at some point. For some of us, these 15 letters weigh us down on a regular basis. They inevitably lead to other thoughts: My grades are not high enough. I do not have enough friends. I am not preparing enough for my future. My parents must be so disappointed. It feels like an inescapable trap!

    As weird as it sounds, part of the solution relates to grammar and language. Notice how those other thoughts are specific, relating to direct issues in your life. Now take a look at these daunting words again: “I’m not good enough.” The sentence is vague. We use the word “enough” as an adjective or adverb for nouns (enough friends) and attributes (prepared enough). “Enough” is used as a measurement, but measuring complicated ideas like acquaintances and preparation is vastly different from measuring length and width. This leads to the big question: When you say “I’m not good enough,” what exactly are you measuring?

    The statement is one coming from emotion, as opposed to rational thought. “I’m not good enough” is a powerful sounding statement, and therefore easy to believe without evidence. Yet just like you always measure distances in math class, you have to treat this statement the same way. Your thoughts can be deceptive. It is important to take time to sit down and write them out. Analyze them like you would a math problem, and figure out what is not adding up.

    Remember that everyone else is doing the same thing to themselves to some extent. We all question what we need to have enough and if we are living up to expectations. This is especially important to remember when you find yourself looking down at someone while wishing you were more like someone else. The more envy and derision you direct to others, the more likely you are to direct negative emotions towards yourself. We are all human beings, filled with virtues and flaws.

    We are also creatures of habit. Just like you learn math by practicing every day, your thoughts and emotions are learned very much the same way. Repeating the same negative thoughts is like answering a math question repeatedly with the wrong answer. You will not get anywhere. This change starts with small and simple steps. Take a moment to select a positive memory, one that makes you feel good about yourself and others. Use that memory as your response to the habitual phrase “I’m not good enough.” When you have free time, train yourself to ask, “Not good enough for what?” Find something quantifiable, such as not enough friends or not enough high marks. If it is an actual problem, prepare steps to fix the issue. You can join clubs to meet new friends or devote more time to studying. If it is still vague, the sentence is grammatically incorrect! It is a negative emotion that can be beat.

    Sources:

    Reynolds, Marcia. How to Feel Good Enough. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wander-woman/201312/how-feel-good-enough

    Sonnier, Madison. 7 Things to Remember When You Think You’re Not Good Enough. http://tinybuddha.com/blog/7-things-to-remember-when-you-think-youre-not-good-enough/

  • Five Books to Have Under Your Belt by High School

    Five Books to Have Under Your Belt by High School

    Finding a book to read can feel daunting. It seems like there are countless choices. If you ask Google how many books there are in the world, the answer is close to 130 million. There may not be enough time to read them all, but the ones you do read can have a huge impact on your life. Here are five books you will want to have read before you start high school:

    1. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
    The age difference of 10-year-old Winnie and 17-year-old Jessie Tuck is more than what it appears to be. The Tucks are actually immortal, and the spring water that made them this way is not only available to Winnie to drink, but causes more problems than expected for everyone. Death and the restricted nature of life are difficult things for children to ponder about, and it does not get much easier as an adult. This book explores that idea through the gift of eternal life, and shows that it may not be such a gift after all.

    2. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
    A collection of absurd poems and drawings unlike any other, this is essential reading to blossom your imagination and hold onto the madcap creativity so many of us lose as we enter adulthood. From the craziness of dancing pants to the moral qualms related to not taking the garbage out, the book has inspired children of all ages for years.

    3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    You probably know all about the epic movie trilogy about the small hobbit creature who helps a band of dwarves battle a daunting dragon. What you might not know is that the 1937 book it is based on is actually a much smaller and quirkier tale. Bilbo Baggins is plucked out of the peaceful Shire to take back the treasure stolen by Smaug, and the imaginative world Tolkien created has inspired children and creators for decades since.

    4. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai & Christina Lamb
    A more recent book, this inspiring true story talks about author Malala Yousafzai’s fight for education and equal rights for women. She was shot in the head while riding a school bus because of the Taliban’s beliefs about women’s education. Her miraculous survival and inspiring work since then makes this a must-read and a critical dose of optimism and hope in our modern age.

    5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    Topical books are not necessarily just for their time. This 1960 novel is the timeless story told from the perspective of a young girl named Scout as she watches her heroic lawyer father, Atticus Finch, defends a black man on trial for rape in a heavily racist town. The issues of rape and racism are used to dive into human nature and the moral dilemmas we all face. Some people get away with horrible crimes, and some innocent people face undeserved punishments, but an individual’s actions can still have a huge impact.

    Sources:
    Goodreads. Popular Read Before High School Books. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/read-before-high-school

    Parr, Ben. Google: There are 129,864,880 Books in the Entire World. http://mashable.com/2010/08/05/number-of-books-in-the-world/#RTvrwKODfEqz

  • The Storytelling of Science and the Science of Storytelling

    The Storytelling of Science and the Science of Storytelling

    In many ways, math and science are worlds apart from the creative arts. The first two rely on observation, testing, and rules. The creative arts, on the other hand, allow for greater freedom and subjectivity. Yet now more than ever, math and science can benefit from creativity.

    We live in an exciting time where technology is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. We have seen more change and discoveries in a hundred years than our ancestors saw in a thousand. With these great leaps come great technological progress and a much better understanding of the universe. We live in a time where so much information is available, but so few of us really understand all of it.

    The inner-workings of your smartphone and the latest research into quantum physics are integral to our lives and future progress. Yet you probably have little understanding of either, and your friends are likely in the same predicament. Now more than ever, we need something universal like storytelling in math and science to help us have a better understanding of those increasingly complex subjects.

    Storytelling is, after all, a science in itself. Stories are units made of elements, such as the beginning, middle, and end. You can break these elements down further into a three or five act structure, plot points, character motivations, and more. Even stories can be dissected like a science or math project.

    Consider this for your future school projects. Stories can make the ideas being learned more fun. By using stories to make ideas more relatable, they can be more easily understood and easier to remember.

    The Big Bang Theory and the development of galaxies tell an exciting story filled with characters such as elements, gases and stars. Your astronomy presentation can reflect this to help your fellow students and teacher better understand those ideas. The human body has many organs and elements working as an ensemble cast to tell the story of your life. Presenting them that way in biology class shows how these scientific principles relate to our everyday lives.

    You have encountered many word problems in math. Consider taking those a step further by creating story-like word problems to demonstrate the mathematical principles you are presenting that can make them more enjoyable for the class. Long algebra questions can be daunting, but they also tell a story from beginning to end. They also feature a conflict, an unsolved variable, and conflicts are essential to stories. Imagining them this way can make for exciting chalkboard presentations as you work through a problem.

    By bridging the academic world with the world of the creative arts, the two can help elevate one another. Storytelling can take on a greater purpose than just entertainment. Increasingly complex scientific and mathematical principles can be more easily understood and learned by future generations. The story of the human race can take a big step forward as we enter a new chapter of discovery and advancement.

    Sources:

    Kukaswadia, Atif. Science and Storytelling: The use of stories in science education. http://blogs.plos.org/scied/2013/06/24/science-and-storytelling-the-use-of-stories-in-science-education/
    Liljedahl, Peter and Rina Zazkis. Teaching Mathematics as Storytelling. https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/1019-teaching-mathematics-as-storytelling.pdf

  • The Importance of Breakfast!

    The Importance of Breakfast!

    I’m sure you’ve heard it many times in your life, “Make sure you eat your breakfast.” Especially when you’re a university, or even a high school or elementary student, having breakfast in the morning isn’t something that’s necessarily easy. But, when you’re rushing to class, it might be beneficial to hear about why breakfast is so important and why you shouldn’t skimp on it.

    Bottom line, you need to eat breakfast. If you’re busy spending time studying or cramming for a reading you didn’t finish, you need it even more than you think. Breakfast provides glucose levels, which is an essential carbohydrate for memory and concentration levels, according to shakeupyourwakeup.com’s report on results from several studies. They also reported that it can even make us happier and lower our stress levels. Consumer Reports also published an article in August of last year specifying the benefits of breakfast. Quoting James Betts, Ph.D., and lead researcher and senior lecturer in nutrition and metabolism, “eating breakfast seems to have a ‘second-meal effect.’ It primes your metabolism to maintain stable blood sugar levels after subsequent meals.” The article went on to say that, according to Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, skipping out on breakfast will have such negative impacts as encouraging you to eat more during lunch, which will cause spikes in your glucose levels.

    Similarly, The Washington Post published an article in August of 2015 discussing how the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee discovered through their research that skipping breakfast may in fact lead to weight gain. Reported as being found in the committee’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines, The Washington Post quoted, “eat a nutrient-dense breakfast. Not eating breakfast has been associated with excess body weight, especially among children and adolescents. Consuming breakfast also has been associated with weight loss maintenance.”

    There are tons of things for you to eat that are healthy for you and can also help you in the morning- not only to wake up but also to keep moving with your busy schedule. Health.com recently released a list of the best breakfast foods to have, which include things like oatmeal, Greek yogurt, wheat germ, grapefruit, bananas, and almond butter, to name a few. Basically, you don’t really have any reason not to be eating breakfast and given all the benefits you can reap from it, would you really want to skip it?

  • Inspirational Leaders: Elon Musk

    Inspirational Leaders: Elon Musk

    South African born Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, businessman and inventor Elon Musk is the perfect example of a limitless man. World-renowned billionaire and innovative mind in the spheres of the Internet, renewable energy and outer space technology; Musk’s resume is far too long to list. Musk was born June 28, 1971 to a Canadian mother and South-African father. Early on, he taught himself computer programming and then at age twelve, he sold his first code for a video game to PC and Office Technology magazine for $500. Multi-talented and passionate, Musk overcame a bully-filled childhood to become one of the wealthiest people in the U.S; his net-worth currently sits at 12.4 billion U.S.

    “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough” [Business Insider].

    Musk attended Queen’s University in Ontario for two years and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. He began to pursue a PhD in applied physics at Stanford University, but left quickly to pursue goals in his many fields of interest.

    “If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it” [finance.yahoo].

    In 1999 Musk co-founded the online financial services and payment company X.com, which led to the creation of PayPal the very next year. Now Musk is the CEO and CTO of SpaceX—an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company—and CEO and product architect and cofounder of Tesla Motors, an automotive and energy storage company. In 2013 Musk proposed the concept for “Hyperloop”—a commuting invention between major cities that would cut travel time significantly. As with a lot of his work, “Hyperloop” would be powered by renewable energy; reaching more than 700 mph in speed, the invention would push travelers in pods through a network of low-pressure tubes. Musk stated that his brainchild would take seven to ten years to be built and would cost approximately $6 billion, which is a very thrifty price in comparison to other American transit systems. The idea is still in the design phase, but prototype tests will be held in June 2016 at the SpaceX facility.

    As someone who grew up reading science fiction novels and imagining what it would be like to actually live in space, Musk is living the dream of every kid like him. He owns famous and fast European cars, is married to a beautiful British actress and his company SpaceX launched a rocket that sent the first commercial vehicle to the International Space Station. He has spoken many times about colonizing to Mars, and this science fiction fan might just do that. It’s so easy to dream, and so hard to make those dreams a reality. Musk proves that it is possible to transfer ideas from simple musings into real physical things. And even though he is immensely talented and smart, Musk says that personality is just as important when creating innovative products: “[My biggest mistake is probably] weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality. I think it matters whether someone has a good heart” [Business Insider].

    Sources:

    www.teslamotors.com
    www.spacex.com
    www.gawker.com/230076/an-alternate-history-according-to-elon-musk
    www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_15138666
    www.biography.com/people/elon-musk
    www.businessinsider.in/11-Elon-Musk-Quotes-That-Show-His-Genius