Ten Peaks Innovation Alliance

10/09/2026

What does a career in energy actually look like today?

At the fifth annual 10Peaks Innovation Xchange, students will hear directly from young professionals working in Alberta's energy sector, in drilling, engineering, land management, and pipeline operations, about how they built their careers and what they wish they'd known as students.

The panel, "From Classroom to Career: Fueling our Energy Future," is moderated by Willow Liu of MEDENG, with panelists Arsalan Ansari, Michael Pereira, and Devra Hill-McCoy sharing real talk about the skills and mindset it takes to grow in this industry.

happens October 15 at Red Deer Polytechnic and is free for teachers and student groups. Bring your class: https://www.10peaks.ca/conferences/student-registration2026

10/08/2026

One middle schooler's comment at the dinner table started all of this.

Our Executive Director Dagmar Knutson's son came home from school sure that Alberta's energy sector was the worst in the world. She knew how much the industry and its technology had changed, and that his textbooks hadn't caught up.

That conversation is how 10PIX began.

Now students in Grades 7 to 12 spend a day hearing from industry, Indigenous leaders, scientists and researchers about what's really happening in Alberta, and what jobs might be waiting for them. This year's conference is full, with 525 students from 11 schools.

DOB Energy shared the whole story.

DOB Energy is the most trusted source of exclusive news, data and analysis for Canada’s oil and gas industry.

10/08/2026

One week until breakfast with the people shaping Central Alberta's energy and environment future.

Kick-off Breakfast
Thursday, October 15, 7:00 to 8:30 am
Cenovus Energy Learning Common, Red Deer Polytechnic

A local panel on energy and environment working together, plus a high school robotics team showing off their bee-monitoring BeeCube.

$50 + GST. Students attend free with a school email.

Seats are limited. Get your tickets: https://www.10peaks.ca/breakfast-2026)

10/07/2026

Every student at this year goes home with something to grow.

Our keynote speaker, Norine Shim, is COO of Project Forest, a Canadian nonprofit that brings native forests back to land where they've been lost. Her team partners with Indigenous communities, local groups, and companies to make it happen.

Norine and Project Forest are giving a tree-growing kit to every student attending. That kit is their entry into Growing Forward Together: The Tallest Forest Contest, where students plant and care for their trees while learning what trees do for the planet.

The last time we ran this, 550 kits went to 11 schools.

Teachers and parents, here's how the contest works: https://www.10peaks.ca/conferences/trees

10/07/2026

What's under our feet, and why does it matter?

That's the question Fernando Berumen Borrego answers for a living. He's a geophysicist at OptiSeis, a company that maps what's happening underground by sending sound waves into the earth and reading the echoes that come back.

At 10PIX, Fernando will share how he got into geoscience after studying in Mexico and Calgary, and what a geophysicist's work actually looks like.

He'll also show students how his team is finding ways to do this work with less impact on the land, through a project that brings together engineers, ecologists, and other specialists.

10/05/2026

Here's a career path most students never connect with the environment: accounting.

Gord Beal has spent more than 35 years in the field and now leads outreach at CPA Alberta. When he's not working, you'll probably find him on a hiking trail or in a canoe.

At 10PIX, his session asks a big question: how do you put a value on nature?

Biodiversity (the variety of plants, animals, and living things in a place) supports the food we eat and the products we use every day. Gord will show students how measuring it can change the way businesses make decisions, and why that work needs people who are good with numbers.

10/02/2026

What does innovation in natural gas actually look like in Alberta? On October 15, four people who work on it every day will show students at .

Our morning keynote panel, Beyond the Horizon: Innovation in Natural Gas, explores how AI, robots, and data are helping the industry cut emissions and work smarter, and where young people fit into what comes next.

Meet the panel:

Amber Hark, Clean Resource Innovation Network (moderator). After 25 years in Canada's energy sector, her favourite part is helping young people discover careers they didn't know existed.

Debbie Burke, BBA Consultants. Raised on a farm near Three Hills, she turned a curiosity for making work easier into a career as a chemical engineer.

Lindsay Campbell, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. A University of Alberta engineer who works with governments and regulators on environmental policy across Western Canada.

Eamonn Irvine, Tourmaline Oil. He leads field testing of new technology to reduce methane emissions across Alberta.

A big thank you to Tourmaline Oil Corp., our Keynote Sponsor, for making this panel possible.

10/01/2026

Alberta's electricity system has changed more in the last 20 years than most people realize, and there's more coming.

This panel brings together four people who work in the energy sector day to day: Matt Hamilton of MNP moderates, with Sascha D'Souza (FortisAlberta), Steve Saddleback (First Nations Major Projects Coalition), and Kayla Liu (Capital Power).

They'll dig into how Alberta is adapting its energy mix to keep power reliable, affordable, and sustainable for everyone in the province, and what real Indigenous involvement in that work looks like.

09/30/2026

Today we honour children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.

We encourage Canadians to recognize Truth and Reconciliation Day in their own way and continue on their own education path.

We encourage Canadians, to remember that it is an ongoing commitment to reconciliation and encourage everyone to build better relationships with Indigenous communities throughout the year.

Some ideas are to attend a local event, visit indigenous sites, listen to Indigenous voices, and learn about history and ongoing issues faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Today, Orange Shirt Day, Sept 30th, we encourage Canadians to observe Orange Shirt Day and wear orange to honour Survivors of residential schools.

09/29/2026

A solar farm. A pipeline upgrade. A new water treatment plant. Every one of them starts with the same question: does this add up?

A big thank you to CPA Alberta, one of the major sponsors of , our student conference for Grades 7-12 happening October 15.

The Foundation helps Alberta students discover careers in accounting and business through scholarships and career programs. Their support helps make the whole day possible, giving students a chance to explore how energy and the environment connect to real jobs here at home.

We can't wait to see you there.