TechTeams

TechTeams is our first year mentorship program and an integral part of helping students transition in to SIAT. Our mentors, with the support of our academic advising team, provide first year students with the opportunity to participate in the university community by offering weekly workshops that cover different aspects of university life such as:

What to expect in your first year
Information about co-op
Insights from senior students
Learning about campus resources
Help with course planning

TechTeams offers a relaxing and fun environment and is an opportunity to meet fellow students. We look forward to seeing you there.

Follow us on Instragram at: @siat_techteams

Meet your TechTeam mentors for Fall 2023

Matthew Armstrong | 5th year IAT students (media arts concentation)

Hey everyone, I'm Matthew. I'm a fifth year student at SIAT, one of your TechTeam leaders, and probably the biggest mixed bag of loosely related media skills you'll find here in SIAT. I hope my experiences in the program (which, trust me, is a lot) can help your transition into university life be a little easier than it would be without. If you're looking for me off campus, you can probably find me at an arcade, in an escape room, or at a card store getting competitive over shiny paper.

Alyssa N. Umbal | 6th year IAT student (design concentration)

Hello! I'm Alyssa. I'm entering my final year here at SIAT and one of the TechTeams mentors this year as well. I transferred to SIAT during the pandemic 2020, so I had to learn a lot about transitioning to a new major and getting involved with my community. I currently have a concentration in design and am interested in a career in product design. When I'm not designing, I do freelance illustration on the side, eat hotpot, and watch duscks in the park.

Jonathan Newman - 5th Year IAT student (media arts concentration)

Hey guys, I'm Jon! I'm a 5th year student (holy) at SIAT and one third of TechTeams this year. Having been in SIAT for so long, I know all about how it feels to be a new student and the struggles you'll face transitioning to this new environment. That's alright, that's what we're here for! I havea particular interest in game design and development, and I also love making music, watching movies, and playing competitive Pokémon.

TechTeams Fall 2023 Schedule:

Sessions are held weekly on Mondays from 1:00PM - 2:00PM

Location: Studio A

Date	Time	Topic
Monday, September 25	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Presentation skils At this week's session you will get practice with your presentation skills, a valuable asset that you will be using throughout your SIAT career!
Monday, October 2	1:00PM - 2:00PM
Monday, October 9	No session
Monday, October 16	1:00PM - 2:00PM
Monday, October 23	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Course Planing 101 Get all the course planning hacks from your advisors, David and Naomi!
Monday, October 30	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Co-op Information Session Want to gain work experience in your field and integrate your learning with your studies while earning money? Join us to learn all about the Co-op experience, what jobs you can get and how to apply!
Monday, November 6	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Prize Week 3 Jeopardy or Kahoot Let’s see your best trivia skills 👀
Tuesday, November 14	1:00PM - 2:00PM	University Hacks Accelerate your degree and university experience by leveraging these hacks.
Monday, November 20	1:00PM - 2:00PM	SFU Health and Counselling Services Midterms can be stressful and it’s important to still put yourself first! Join us this week to learn about services offered by SFU Health & Counselling.
Monday, November 27	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Escape Room We’re all about escaping the semester into the holidays, but today you’ll be competing in an Escape Room Challenge! Let’s see how your team building and puzzle skills come into play!
Monday, December 1	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Skill Issues This week you will be split up into teams and various SIAT-related challenges and tasks will be put before you. Before each challenge, the category of the task will be revealed and each team will designate a member to complete the task. The team that performs the task the fastest or the best wins a point.
Monday, December 8	1:00PM - 2:00PM	Final Party What can we say…let’s leave 2023 with a BANG!

School of Interactive Arts & Technology