Graphic Design students win $1,000 at Student Sustainable Packaging Design Awards

Durham College graphic design students win $1000 for placing third at the Sustainable Packaging Design Awards

Barb Suen, a professor with the Durham College School of Media, Art & Design (bottom centre), poses with her Graphic Design students after they came in third at the Sustainable Packaging Design Awards on April 22. From left to right: Courtney Schouwerwou, Damon Martin, Sarah Big Canoe, Denise Arcand, Laura Tout and Adam Maryn.

Six second-year students from Durham College’s Graphic Design program recently took third place in Walmart Canada’s Student Sustainable Packaging Design Awards, earning themselves $1,000 in total.

Denise Arcand, Sarah Big Canoe, Damon Martin, Adam Maryn, Laura Tout and Courtney Schouwerwou were honoured on April 22 at the Toronto Convention Centre when they were presented with a cheque in front of more than 300 business men and women as part of the Packaging Association of Canada’s Sustainable Packaging Conference.

“We were the third out of seven schools to qualify for the finals,” said Barb Suen, the School of Media, Art & Design professor who entered the students in the contest. “With six people ours was the largest group. I think that speaks well to our team-building skills.”

Tasked with designing sustainable packaging for Windex by S.C. Johnson and Son, the students had two months to create new labels and packaging for 12 Windex bottles and a convenient, environmentally-friendly box to carry them in. Students were encouraged to minimize the space needed to transport the containers on trucks while making them easier to unload for stores like Walmart.

The students ultimately created a sleek new logo for the bottles that they printed on renewable shrink sleeves using inks made of soy. In addition, they made a small box design from environmentally friendly corrugated board.

Scheduled on Earth Day, the conference emphasises the growing desire in business to adhere to green practices. According to Suen, Durham College is following suit, altering its programs to familiarize students with changing global trends.

“Sustainability is a brand new field that graphic designers need to be aware of,” she added. “Before, graphic designers were all about the design. Now because there’s so much material regarding printing, inks and the shape of the package, there’s a lot more that our students need to know. We’re revising our curriculum with a new course to accommodate this up-and-coming information that will start in September.”


Durham College Second Career students win Walkerton Clean Water Centre award

Darren Pascoe and Shawn Payette shake hands with Susan Todd after winning Walkerton Clean Water Centre award

Darren Pascoe (left) and Shawn Payette, Second Career students with Durham College’s Water Quality Technician program, shake hands with Susan Todd, dean of the School of Applied Sciences, Apprenticeship, Skilled Trades & Technology – Oshawa campus. Pascoe and Payette received the Walkerton Clean Water Centre award for their program achievements.

Two Durham College Second Career students recently won the Walkerton Clean Water Centre award, earning $1,750 each in recognition of their work.

Darren Pascoe and Shawn Payette, enrolled with the college’s Water Quality Technician program, were presented their awards in acknowledgement of their accomplishments in the two-year program at the program’s annual Mix and Mingle event held earlier this year.

Payette, originally from the automotive industry, attended a Durham College information session after being laid off. The session drew him to the college’s Water Quality Technician program.

“Durham College is a great school with knowledgeable professors,” said Payette. “It has been an enjoyable experience and I have received a great education and met a lot of great people along this journey.”

Pascoe also started in the automotive sector, building seats for General Motors of Canada Ltd. through Lear Corporation. Like Payette he was laid off and the Second Career program allowed him to change fields.

Created in 2008, Second Career is a provincial government initiative created to help laid-off workers secure new jobs through the donation of grant money to help pay for their post-secondary education.

“Having a second chance through funding from the government as a Second Career student, I feel lucky to be retrained,” said Pascoe. “After I complete my exams I hope to secure a full-time job in the water or wastewater industry, hopefully in Durham Region.”

Pascoe and Payette were chosen from 25 Water Quality Technician students. They each had to complete an essay on their experiences in the program to be chosen for the award.

Approximately 400 Second Career students currently attend Durham College.


Your Student Association and campus community help clean up Durham College

Durham College students cleaning up outside the Student Centre

Students clean up in front of the Student Centre on April 25 as part of a community cleanup effort to beautify the Oshawa campus and surrounding neighbourhood.

From left to right: Brad Bartlett and Ian Bloomfield, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) students; Anthony Boland, president, The Student Association (SA); Nicole Robichaud, former vice-president, Internal, The SA; and Amy England, former president, The SA.

The Student Association (SA) and students from across campus rolled up their sleeves and got to work on April 24, picking up trash from around the campus as part of a community cleanup to beautify Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), as well as the surrounding neighbourhood.

Organized by The Student Association, the event targeted the campus as well as areas near Dalhousie Crescent, Niagara Drive and Walreg Drive. Faculty and students managed to fill more than a dozen bags with garbage.

“The weather was nice and the sun was shining, and we had a barbeque once it was over,” said Anthony Boland, president, The SA. “Members of the community were genuinely happy to see us in their neighbourhoods. It was great to see students interacting with homeowners.”

Boland noted that the day out, despite the fun, was as much a goodwill mission as it was good for the environment.

“It’s important to show we have a commitment to sustainability and the environment,” said Boland. “We truly believe that contributing to the community cleanup shows we value our citizenship here. It’s all about being a good neighbour.”

As an incentive to gather volunteers, The SA offered an extra $200 to any student club that brought out at least five members. There are more than 70 on-campus clubs composed of students from Durham College, UOIT and Trent in Oshawa.

Though the cleanup is an annual event held by The SA, this year’s garbage pickup coincided with a larger week-long initiative in the City of Oshawa as part of Pitch-In Canada. The city provided free garbage bags and gloves to volunteers and anyone else looking to tidy the community.


Start your engines: GM Canada donation accelerates Durham College skilled trades programs

May 11, 2010

Automaker’s gift of 91 engines to provide comprehensive hands-on experience

OSHAWA, ON.– Durham College and its exceptional skilled trades programs has become the beneficiary of a major donation of 91 new automotive engines by General Motors Canada. The contribution, announced today, is worth more than $200,000 and will provide additional high-quality training opportunities for current and future students studying in one of the college’s post-secondary and apprenticeship automotive, energy and power engineering programs.

“This donation of these first-rate engines will give our students a valuable tool in gaining experience with the latest in industry technology,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “We are thrilled and grateful to receive such a wonderful contribution from a highly regarded industry partner like GM Canada. These engines will play a key role in training the future experts of the skilled-trades sector.”

The gift, comprised of 62 six-litre V8 engines and 29 V6 engines will be used as learning tools in the college’s Mechanical Engineering Technician – Non-Destructive Evaluation; Renewable Energy Technician; Power Engineering Technician; and Motive Power Technician – Service and Management two-year diploma programs as well as the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship program, all of which are based at the college’s Whitby campus.

As part of the state-of-the-art automotive labs within the innovative Skills Training Centre, the engines will become an essential component of the students’ hands-on training curriculum, providing practical and theoretical experience including the latest troubleshooting techniques.

GM Canada’s donation not only helps to reinforce the transitional link from school to the workplace by allowing students to stay current with industry standards but also reflects the company’s commitment to community and youth outreach.

“As a leader in innovation and technology, GM Canada has always strongly supported education and investment in students,” said Tom Odell, technology planning manager, GM Canada. “Giving students the chance to research and understand current vehicle and engine technology using a hands-on approach clearly provides a rich learning opportunity.”

Durham College offers high-quality skilled trades programs and apprenticeships focused on providing the market-ready skills and applied experience demanded by today’s workplace. Graduates of these programs will be qualified for a variety of careers in the transportation and automotive fields. Mechanical Engineering Technician – Non-Destructive Evaluation graduates are also eligible for membership in the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists

About Durham College 
At Durham College, the student experience comes first, an approach it has taken for more than 40 years. Through a vast range of market-driven programs that are taught by exceptional professors with real-world experience, students develop the skills required to meet the ever-changing needs of employers and the job market. Moving forward, Durham College’s expansion plans will see its Whitby campus grow by 40,000 square feet. Phase 1 of the construction features an energy-neutral living laboratory for new technologies and education that will serve the growing needs of the emerging energy sector. Phase 2 will increase the size of the Skills Training Centre to create classroom and laboratory space to support new program development, and Phase 3 will be a Food Centre designed to house culinary arts programs; a food and agricultural component; a food processing centre and agriculture and science laboratories. Durham College has more than 7,000 full-time students, thousands of part-time students and more than 1,400 apprentices. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.caor call 905.721.2000.

Media contact: 
Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
Durham College
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.


Campus Charity Walk and Run raises money for Eastview Boys and Girls Club

Durham College student Matt Hack, Nicole Mastnak, posing after placing first in the male and female categories at the Campus Charity Walk and Run

Matt Hack, a University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) student (left) and Nicole Mastnak, a learning skills advisor with Durham College, pose together after placing first in the male and female categories respectively at the Campus Charity Walk and Run. Money raised by the walk/run will support the Eastview Boys and Girls Club in Oshawa, Ontario.

Despite some early dark clouds the sun was shining for the fourth annual Campus Charity Walk and Run for the Eastview Boys and Girls Club on April 15.

The five-kilometre event took donors on a wide circuit around Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) twice. The 80 runners and walkers included staff, faculty and students from Durham College, UOIT and G. L. Roberts Collegiate & Vocational Institute.

Participation cost a minimum of $20, though many donors chipped in more. “Typically we take in $1,5000 to $2,000,” said Carla Cesaroni, an assistant professor with UOIT’s Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies, who organized the event.

The money is going toward funding for the Eastview Boys and Girls Club, which offers after-school activities, camps and a youth justice program for youth ages 5 to 18 in Oshawa, Ontario.

“Every year we have people who don’t even run but just donate money because they think it’s a good cause, and we really appreciate that,” said Cesaroni. “We hope some day we can make it a community run and get everyone involved.”

First place for the men went to Matt Hack, a UOIT Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies student who crossed the finish line behind the college’s pavilion in just over 16 minutes.

“I found out about it through Carla since she’s one of my professors,” said Hack. “And when she mentioned the Eastview Boys and Girls Club were the beneficiaries I decided to make some time between my exams and come out. It’s a good cause.”

First place for the women went to Nicole Mastnak, a learning skills advisor for Durham College, who ran the course in 19 minutes.

“I like to be involved in as many charity events as possible and I’m pleased so many people contributed in this,” said Mastnak. “Personally I’m training for a marathon in September and that was my best time for five kilometres.”

For more information on the Eastview Boys and Girls Club, please visit its website.


Durham College building educational connections with local youth

May 10, 2010

Two-day event will offer exciting workshops for Grade 7 and 8 students

OSHAWA, ON. – In an effort to give local elementary students a sample of what a college education can offer, Durham College will welcome more than 250 students in grades 7 and 8 to its Oshawa campus next week as part of a two-day Building Future Connections event.

Students from the Durham District; Durham Catholic District ; Kawartha Pine Ridge District; and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District school boards will take part in a variety of workshops on Wednesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 19 that allow them to explore first-hand the exciting careers available to them through a post-secondary education.

Building Future Connections is a component of the provincial government’s School-College-Work Initiative, which helps provide young students with a clear pathway from secondary school to college. The workshops are hosted and developed by college faculty members and the Durham Industry Education Committee for the Advancement of Science and Technology.

Workshop topics/visuals include:

  • A day in the life of a television reporter;
  • Bandaging techniques for animals;
  • Computer networking;
  • Environmental awareness; and
  • Math puzzles.

When:
May 12 and 19
9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where:
Durham College Oshawa campus
Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC) Gyms 1 and 2

Parking:
Enter from Conlin Road and proceed to the parking lot at the south side of the CRWC.

For more information, please contact:

Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
Durham College
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.


Juried Art Show brightens Vendor’s Alley with year’s worth of creativity

Visitors admiring art at the eighth annual Juried Art Show hosted at Durham College

Visitors to the reception for the eighth annual Juried Art Show admire the paintings on display. The showcase of artwork done by Foundations in Art and Design students took place in Vendor’s Alley in the Gordon Willey building.

The eighth annual Juried Art Show hit the halls of Durham College on April 13, showcasing the best creations from the college’s Foundations in Art and Design (FAD) program.

Comprised of art pieces – photographs, sculptures, paintings and more – created by FAD students, the show covered Vendor’s Alley in a collage of eccentric yet brilliant offerings that consistently stopped passers-by in their tracks to have a look.

“The exhibit functions primarily as an important collective culmination of all the creative processes that each individual student experiences throughout their academic year,” said Sean McQuay, the Durham College FAD professor who organizes the display. “It gives them a chance to show off any acquired skills and works like a kind of testing ground for developing new visual ideas and concepts.”

The show also included a contest judged by Greg Murphy, dean of the School of Media, Art & Design and Gabrielle Peacock, chief executive officer of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario. The winners of the contest will be on display at the Station Gallery in Whitby, Ontario during the month of May, giving art aficionados beyond the college an opportunity to appreciate the work done by its students.

“This show makes it more serious for them,” said Herb Klassen, a professor with the School of Media, Art & Design who works with McQuay on the show. “It gives them a sense that their work is at a professional level.”

The winning piece, The Bay Harbour Butcher by Jessica Wallace, will ultimately be bought by the School of Media, Art & Design and displayed in its office.

Klassen noted that with more manpower to help, they’d like to expand the showing to other parts of the year. “We’d like to see if we can get more things like this happening other than just at the end of the year and in other parts of the school,” he added. “We really appreciate the Station Gallery giving us the chance to display the works in a more public setting.”


Durham College holds annual donor reception

Durham College president Don Lovisa with college faculty members

From left to right: Judy Robinson, vice-president, Academic; Don Lovisa, president, Durham College; Lisa McInerney, vice-president, Durham College, Your Student Association and Sports Management student; and Margaret Greenley, vice-president, Student Affairs. McInerney received the Richard Lowe Memorial Award at Durham College’s annual donor reception on March 31.

Durham College hosted its annual donor reception on March 31 when it invited its scholarship recipients to meet their donors for a night of great food and conversation.

More than 100 students and donors mingled in Durham College’s Dining Room, many connecting with one another face-to-face for the first time. They talked, ate and listened to inspirational speeches from some of Durham College’s top executives, including President Don Lovisa and David Chambers, president of the Durham College Foundation and associate vice-president, Office of Development.

“It went very well indeed,” said Chambers. “We had an excellent turnout. There was a tremendous feeling of warmth and community in the room. The difference these donors make in our students’ lives is important because when a student succeeds, the community succeeds.”

Students and donors had a chance to get their pictures taken together to commemorate the night with students whose donors were absent having their pictures taken with Lovisa.

The night was a success, according to Chambers, because the donors could see tangible evidence of their donation at work. “These receptions put good intentions and philanthropy into action and you can see the result,” said Chambers. “For a lot of people it’s not about a tax receipt, it’s about making a difference in a student’s life.”

The Durham College Donor Awards program is funded and named for generous individuals and organizations within the community.

Students interested in applying for a donor award can do so via MyCampus. For more information on the Durham College Awards program and a listing of awards, please visit the Donor Awards program page.


Durham College and UOIT to celebrate National Nursing Week

May 3, 2010

Festivities kick off with panel presentation from nurses involved in humanitarian work

OSHAWA, ON – Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) will join the rest of the country in honouring the dedication and commitment of nurses next week as National Nursing Week takes place from Monday, May 10 to Sunday, May 16. The theme of this year’s event is Nursing: you can’t live without it!

In addition to paying tribute to the nursing profession, both institutions will host a number of on-campus initiatives from May 10 to May 14 to showcase the students, faculty and high-tech equipment involved in the collaborative Durham College/UOIT Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program as well as the college’s Practical Nursing program and the university’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Post RPN program.

Highlights include a panel presentation on May 10 featuring nurses who have participated in humanitarian nursing missions sharing their experiences with nursing students and members of the public. Activities then continue on Thursday, May 13 when guests will be invited to observe and participate in simulation demonstrations at the campus’s state-of-the-art Simulation Lab.

The tribute then wraps up on Friday, May 14 with Nursing Career Day when faculty welcome 120 Grade 9 and 10 students from secondary schools across Durham Region. Students will experience first-hand what the college and university have to offer and what a career in nursing can provide.

Inspired by legendary nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale and the designation of her birthday as International Nurses Day (Wednesday, May 12), National Nursing Week was launched in 1985 by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) in conjunction with the federal government. 2010 has also been designated as the International Year of the Nurse.

Highlighted events:

May 10, 7 p.m.: Panel presentation: Humanitarian Nursing;
May 13, 9 a.m. to noon: Simulation demonstrations; and
May 14, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.: Nursing Career Day.

Where:

Joint Durham College and UOIT campus
Panel presentation: Room 1140, UOIT Science building
Simulation demonstrations and Nursing Career Day: Room SW206, Durham College/UOIT Simulation Lab, Gordon Willey building
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, Ontario

Parking:

Enter off Simcoe Street North and proceed to Commencement Parking Lot.

For more information:

Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations, Durham College 
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

Melissa Levy
Communications and Marketing, UOIT
905.721.8668 ext. 2513
melissa.levy@uoit.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.


Durham College School of Media, Art & Design to welcome more than 200 secondary school students to campus

April 28, 2010

Two-day workshop will focus on film, animation and music

OSHAWA, ON. – Budding film enthusiasts, animation gurus and music video producers will have a chance to demonstrate their artistic passions first-hand next week when more than 240 secondary school students from across Durham Region arrive at the college’s Oshawa campus for a two-day spring workshop hosted by the School of Media, Art & Design (MAD).

The event, being run in conjunction with the Building Future Connections program which is part of the provincial government’s School-College-Work Initiative to provide students with a clear pathway from high school to college, will take place over two days with workshops on topics including film composition, animation sequencing and music video. Students will also see what first-, second- and third-year MAD students are currently learning in the classroom through a screening of the college’s animation and game reels.

When:
Tuesday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 5 from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Who:
Don Lovisa, president, Durham College;
Judy Robinson, vice-president, Academic, Durham College;
Greg Murphy, dean and Charlotte Hale, associate dean, School of MAD; and
More than 240 secondary school students from across Durham Region. 

Where:
Durham College Oshawa campus, Gordon Willey building
Room C113, Room B238 and Mac labs
2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario

Schedule of events:
8:45 to 9 a.m. – students arrive on campus in Room C113;
9 to 9:20 a.m. – welcome and screening of animation and game reels;
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – students break into groups of 30 and attend workshops focused on film composition, animation sequencing, film and animation collaboration and music video;
11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – student lunch;
12:30 to 2:30 p.m. – students break into groups of 30 and attend workshops focused on film composition, animation sequencing, film and animation collaboration and music video; and
2:30 to 2:45 p.m. – wrap-up. 

Parking:
Enter off Simcoe Street and proceed to Commencement parking lot. 

For more information, please contact:
Allison Rosnak
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
Durham College
905.721.2000 ext. 2333
allison.rosnak@durhamcollege.ca

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.