Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) has proudly released its 10th Annual Report, a summary of the impactful work accomplished by ORSIE staff and faculty members. From hosting #TechTalksDC to receiving funding for DC’s first-ever postdoctoral fellow, it was a year of impressive accomplishments.

“At the heart of ORSIE, we strive for innovation,” says Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “Through the work we do, we support student learning, work with community agencies to resolve societal challenges, help businesses hone their competitiveness and collaborate with external partners. Despite obstacles posed by COVID-19, we continued to establish DC as a leader in applied research.”

ORSIE encompasses four key areas, as highlighted in the annual report:

• Institutional Research and Planning
• Applied Research
• Entrepreneurship
• Experiential Learning

“The pandemic continues to shape our priorities and the way in which we operate, but ORSIE is poised for the challenges ahead and laser-focused on supporting the success of our students, local businesses and community partners,” says McKee Demczyk. “We are proud to support DC in leading the way in transformative education, applied research and social innovation.”

Over the course of this year, guided by the college’s Strategic Research Plan and Academic Plan, ORSIE will continue to support the research needs of our stakeholders, and explore increased experiential learning opportunities, while building our students’ entrepreneurial success. Through applied research, ORSIE will also seek to provide more local businesses with pandemic recovery strategies and develop creative solutions to complex community challenges through social innovation.

Read more about ORSIE’s work in the annual report.

Following the Ontario and federal government’s recent child-care announcement, Durham College (DC) is pleased to share it is accepting applications for a new compressed Early Childhood Education (ECE) program, with an intake beginning in July.

The tuition and ancillary fees for students accepted into the program will be fully covered, and students will be able to graduate with full credentials within 14 months; the standard ECE program at DC is two years in duration.

This opportunity is funded in partnership with the City of Toronto, The Region of Peel, The Region of Durham, The Region of Halton, the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada under the new Canada-Ontario Early Childhood Workforce Agreement, which provides one-time federal funding to support the retention and recruitment of a high-quality child care and early years workforce.

“The compressed version of the college’s Early Childhood Education program is a direct response to the emerging trends we’re seeing in the industry and the evolving nature of the work employers are looking for our graduates to fill,” says Dr. Elaine Popp, executive vice president, Academic, Durham College. “By embracing these changes, Durham College is proud to be a post-secondary leader in education, fostering economic and social success for our students, graduates and community along the way.”

Over 14 consecutive months, DC’s compressed ECE program will include approximately 1,645 hours of training offered through a hybrid model that combines synchronous and asynchronous delivery components as well as the opportunity to complete a practicum in a variety of settings.

RECEs play an integral role in promoting children’s development from birth to age 12 within the following five domains: cognitive, social, emotional, language and physical. DC’s dedicated faculty, enhanced curriculum and experiential learning opportunities will ensure students graduate well-prepared, with the career-ready skills they need to be successful.

Additional information about the compressed ECE program, including admission requirements and details to apply, can be found online.

On May 12 and 13, Durham College (DC) partnered with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Centre for Injury Prevention to set the record for the number of individuals trained on how to STOP THE BLEED^® in Canada. Hosted in advance of National STOP THE BLEED^® Day, held annually on May 19, over 200 members of the DC community were taught life-saving skills that can help stop quick bleeding injuries.

“The number one cause of death in trauma incidents is blood loss, which can sometimes be treated before medical help arrives, if you have the proper training,” says Thomas Bezruki, manager, Emergency Management, Office of Campus Safety. “By bringing STOP THE BLEED^® to DC, the college is leading the way in campus safety and empowering members of our community with the skills they need to take action in the event of a trauma crisis.”

With multiple sessions held at the Whitby and Oshawa campuses, DC has become the first post-secondary school in Ontario and the second in Canada to offer the STOP THE BLEED^® to employees and students. Further to educating the campus community on how to respond to fast-bleeding wounds, the college has recently installed 30 STOP THE BLEED^® cabinets around the Oshawa and Whitby campuses. These easily-identifiable cabinets are equipped with the medical supplies needed in a blood-loss emergency and also emit an alarm when opened, alerting Campus Security immediately.

Those who missed the in-person training are welcome to visit the program website, which offers valuable information and online resources.

DC thanks participants for coming out to attend these highly informational sessions and for continuing to help make the college a safe place to be.

Durham College (DC)’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) is proud to announce that it will share in $4.2 million of funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). These Applied Research and Technology Partnership grants (ARTP) will allow DC to act on three diverse projects that bolster the economy in a post-pandemic world, while working in collaboration with a number of esteemed industry partners and academic institutions.

“With the help of this funding, our research team at Durham College is leading the way with work that will have meaningful, significant impacts on our community,” says Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “By investing in applied research colleges like ours, the government is helping us bring innovative and immersive digital technologies to local businesses in Durham Region, which is important now more than ever, as Canadians are still recovering from the economic effects of COVID.”

Accelerating post-pandemic economic recovery in Durham Region, Greater Toronto Area

During the pandemic, the virus impacted all areas of business, challenging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to stay afloat. As the federal government has recognized, recovering from the pandemic will require the rapid adoption of digital technologies for SMEs.

With NSERC’s grant of $440,000 over two years, DC’s plan utilizes the research capacity and resources of one of its applied research centres, the Mixed Reality Capture Studio (MRC Studio), to help lead SMEs to success following the hardship of the pandemic.

“By applying the college’s extensive knowledge and expertise in immersive technologies, our aim with this funding is to help businesses thrive in a post-pandemic economy,” says Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “In the past six years alone, we’ve facilitated digital technology adoption for over seventy companies. Now we can share our expertise with even more businesses and leverage tech trends such as digital marketing and edugaming to support their post-pandemic success.”

Over the next two years, DC will leverage existing technologies to benefit our industry partners. The team of researchers, experienced in sectors including video gaming, animation, film and television, as well as academia, will work together to develop solutions using mixed reality, virtual production, video gaming, and training simulation. This will achieve a series of objectives which also support Durham Region’s Strategic Plan and Regional Recovery Framework and Action Plan, as well as the federal government’s Canadian Digital Adoption Program. These objectives include helping businesses reduce costs, anticipate customer needs, generate revenue streams, and more. SMEs who partner with DC can expect a number of benefits, ranging from expansion into new markets, developing new or improved products, processes, and services, and creating and maintaining jobs.

The MRC Studio consists of experts engaged in the application of real-time graphics technology. Featuring a state-of-the-art markerless motion capture stage, virtual reality headsets, and virtual production capabilities, the MRC Studio also focuses extensively on the development of video games and the application of gaming technology in training and simulation settings. The MRC Studio collaborates with industry partners to solve challenges related to game development, digital art production, and software performance.

Making virtual humans accessible in Canada

In addition to DC’s MRC Studio project, NSERC has approved funding of $2 million for a collaborative project led by Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) with the support of DC’s AI Hub and Mixed Reality Capture Studio, Cégep de Matane’s Centre de développement et de recherche en intelligence numérique (CDRIN) and the Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup’s Le Living Lab en innovation ouverte (LLio).

Virtual humans are a digital representation of a person, with the ability to listen, respond and engage in dialogue. The applications of this technology are vast, as virtual humans grow increasingly prevalent in training, simulation and healthcare practices. With this funding, NSERC is helping the partner institutions create increasingly efficient and elaborate control through movement to the virtual humans’ existing systems, processes and products. The research will use a human-centered design approach in collaboration with leading companies such as Ubisoft, 9 Story Media Group, ReImagine AI, CloudConstable Inc., and Advanced Micro Devices, who are at the forefront of innovation and leadership in this industry. This new research will enable the expansion, growth and development of their virtual human pipelines.

“We’re very excited to have our students and researchers working on this project,” says Dr. Vibha Tyagi, manager, Applied Research Partnerships, ORSIE. “Not only will they have the chance to collaborate with companies who are leaders in tech innovation, but they will be applying their skills to advanced projects that will ultimately help allow automation and procedural generation of complex and intricate virtual human movements.”

Partnering with Niagara College to improve craft beer competitiveness

Led by Niagara College (NC), an ARTP grant of $1,789,330 has been allocated to fund a project dedicated to improving the quality assurance and control measures of Canadian small- and medium-sized breweries. With the support of DC, this partnership strives to boost the craft brewing industry and ultimately result in the launch of a Canada-wide Craft Brewer Quality program, designed to support brewers and train students countrywide.

“This project is a significant step that will elevate the Canadian craft brewing industry,” says Chris Gillis, manager, Applied Research Business Development. “Craft breweries produce a sizeable share of beer in Canada already, and this funding enables the establishment of a framework of industry standards. We’re helping Canadian companies raise the bar while supporting the continued success of our national craft breweries.”

The program will take students through a comprehensive training process, to work alongside industry experts as the custom quality programs are developed and put into practice at 16 locations in New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta.

As one of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges, not only will this funding help provide DC students with ongoing opportunities to participate in experiential training, but DC can continue to lead even more small- and medium-sized enterprises to success through innovative and immersive digital technology strategies.

To read more about ORSIE’s research work, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/orsie.

On April 21, Durham College (DC) welcomed donors, community partners, employees and guests to experience the grand opening of the Ontario Power Generation Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology (CSTT). Located at the Whitby campus, the 60,000-square-foot facility is home to numerous specialized labs and shops, which will allow DC to increase its industrial skilled trades training capacity in Whitby by 750 students.

Given the skilled labour shortage at the regional, provincial and national level, this project could not come at a better time, with Colleges Ontario forecasting that by 2030 the province will face a shortage of more than 500,000 workers in the skilled trades.

The milestone grand opening event featured tours of the CSTT; an Indigenous blessing given by Senator Cecile Wagar from the Oshawa and Durham Métis Council; an official ribbon cutting; and remarks from individuals representing DC students, alumni, employees and local community partners.

“This incredible new facility will help bring student success to life, creating opportunities to advance innovation and knowledge and providing a career launchpad for the next generation of skilled tradespeople,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The generosity and support from our community is an investment in our collective success and our students’ futures, and core not only to the successful completion of this building but to the entire revitalization of the Whitby campus as we continue to lead the way in transformative education.”

Partnering with DC to help fund the expansion is Ontario Power Generation (OPG), whose name adorns the front of the CSTT to honour and recognize the deep-rooted partnership the two organization enjoy and acknowledge OPG’s long-standing support of both DC and its students over the last 20 years.

“Support from community partners like Ontario Power Generation makes an incredible difference at DC by helping to enhance our programs and facilities and providing access to industry expertise and experiential learning opportunities for our students to advance their skills,” said Linda Flynn, associate vice-president, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs and executive director, Durham College Foundation. “Seeing this building come together through the collaborative effort of so many is an incredible feeling, and we are proud of the role it plays in the success of our students and the Region.”

“This state-of-the-art facility is just the latest in Ontario Power Generations’ decades’-long partnership with Durham College,” said Subo Sinnathamby, senior vice president, Nuclear Refurbishment, OPG. “This partnership helps educate and train career-ready graduates to build a diverse population of potential employees for the energy sector in skilled trades and STEM. Now more than ever, we need skilled, talented and qualified graduates to support our current and future operational and project needs.”

In less than three years, the DC Building for Skills campaign has raised $9.5 million toward the $10 million in community support required to fully fund the $35 million project, which includes generous funding from the Region of Durham, the Town of Whitby and the Durham College Student Association (DCSA), in addition to donations and gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations. Fundraising activities continue in an effort to close the gap, with an aim to complete the campaign this spring.

To read more about the CSTT, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/skills.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that it has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the sixth consecutive year, further emphasizing the college’s commitment to sustainability.

Awarded as part of the 2022 editorial competition organized by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, this designation recognizes employers who create remarkable workplaces that minimize the environmental impact of their operations. DC was evaluated on how it incorporates environmental values into its everyday culture, and how it attracts employees through its green initiatives.

This year, the college was recognized for its culture of sustainability at both the Oshawa and Whitby campuses. DC continues to prioritize its green initiatives, from heating and cooling select buildings using geothermal energy to developing an organic regeneration system at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (Weston Centre).

“We are incredibly proud to receive this accolade – it emphasizes just how important sustainability is at Durham College, and how committed we are to leading the way to a greener future,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “From our dedicated facilities team, identifying environmentally-friendly projects each year, to our employees and students who are supported by college initiatives that help them make greener choices, sustainability is a way of life at Durham College – and we are proud to make this difference together.

At the micro level, DC has installed bottle fillers across campus to reduce the use of plastic, low-flow water systems in bathrooms to save water, and LED lights and charging stations for electric vehicles across campus to assist with energy-saving initiatives.

Recent capital projects like the Oshawa campus geothermal field are also recognized through this award as helping to reduce the demand for heating and cooling through natural gas, as well as electricity generation. At the Whitby campus, the Weston Centre is home to unique and innovative new projects like the organic regeneration system, which will produce waste compost for use in the college’s agricultural growing fields, creating a field-to-fork and back to field cycle.

You can read more about how DC is leading the way to a greener future online.

On March 24 Durham College (DC)’s Youth, Justice and Interventions program (YJI) hosted the 10th annual Youth Justice Symposium in partnership with Victim Services Durham Region (VSDR). Each year, a topic impacting young Canadians is selected as the focus of the event. This year’s chosen issue was Human Trafficking Prevention, identified by VSDR as an important subject for youth aged 12 to 15 to understand.

YJI students were tasked with developing a curriculum for grades 7 to 10 which addressed gender empowerment, internet safety, healthy relationships and human trafficking. They also created lesson plans and activities to facilitate teaching and learning about human trafficking, garnering strong positive feedback from participants. In fact, the symposium was viewed online in classrooms across the Durham and Kawartha regions by 9,000 students and more than 500 educators and principals.

“Our Youth, Justice and Interventions program students were so excited to see the results of their work come together with such success,” says Joanne Spicer, interim associate dean, School of Justice and Emergency Services. “Not only do they achieve the sense of accomplishment that comes from developing and running a conference, but they also learn the importance of working as a team, fostering collaborative community relationships and delivering an impactful event.”

YJI participants left with the knowledge that their contributions and efforts for the symposium have directly and positively impacted the lives of the attendees, helping make a better future. DC is proud of the successful community partnership and would like to recognize the impressive efforts of the YJI program students who worked so diligently to improve the community by raising awareness on the threat of human trafficking and the actions that help to prevent it.

On April 9, Durham College (DC) opened its doors to prospective students and their families, welcoming more than 3,000 guests to the Oshawa and Whitby campuses for the college’s in-person Spring Open House.

As the first on-campus recruitment event since the start of the pandemic, DC was thrilled to showcase how we’re leading the way in innovative and transformative education.

The event gave visitors the opportunity to meet our expert faculty, explore labs and learning spaces, and learn about our more than 140 market-driven programs, state-of-the-art facilities and numerous support services through guided tours and information sessions on career services and co-op programs.

Attendees took part in several fun activities, including visits to the Mixed-Reality Capture Studio and the DC Spa at the Oshawa campus and tours of the culinary facilities at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food in Whitby. Prospective students also had the chance to try their hand in the Crane Simulation Lab.

Throughout the day, visitors engaged with President Don Lovisa in Oshawa and Rebecca Milburn, dean and principal of the Whitby campus, to hear more about how DC is leading the way in providing an exceptional student experience. Alumni, faculty, current students and employees were also on site to share their first-hand knowledge and experiences about all things DC.

Showcased at the event were DC’s honours bachelor’s degrees, innovative weekend delivery offerings now available in select business and health programs, as well as the new Internet of Things and Web Development programs.

Anyone who missed the Spring Open House can still learn more about all that DC has to offer. Campus tours and information sessions can be scheduled online or via email. 

We look forward to welcoming prospective students again when DC hosts its Fall Open House on Saturday, November 12.

Durham College (DC) is excited to reinvent the college experience and offer eight certificate, graduate certificate and diploma programs through the School of Business, IT & Management (BITM) and the School of Health & Community Services (HCS) in a new, flexible weekend delivery format.

The weekend delivery concept was designed to meet the needs of students looking for opportunities to study full-time and benefit from on-campus learning experiences without having to attend traditional weekday in-person classes.

The weekend delivery programs include:

• Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation, graduate certificate
• Business – Entrepreneurship and Small Business, diploma
• Cybersecurity, graduate certificate
• Data Analytics for Business Decision Making, graduate certificate
• Human Resources Management, graduate certificate
• International Business Management, graduate certificate
• Personal Support Worker, certificate
• Project Management, graduate certificate

As part of BITM’s weekend delivery, at least half of the classes will be offered in-person on Saturdays and Sundays and students will have the option to choose between in-person and real-time remote learning at any time. Friday evening instruction will be delivered remotely through a combination of real-time (synchronous) and self-directed (asynchronous) learning, meaning students can choose to participate while the class is being delivered, or at a time that works best for their busy schedules.

“By reimagining what post-secondary education looks like, we can pivot and adapt our programming in a way that better meets our students’ needs,” says Kevin Baker, executive dean, School of Business, IT & Management. “Earning a college credential while continuing to work will allow our students the opportunity to upskill and advance their career in a way that suits their schedule.”

The School of Health & Community Services has already seen the benefits of a flexible weekend model through its Practical Nursing – Flex Program, which launched in 2016 and remains the only program of it’s kind in Ontario. Building on this success, the Personal Support Worker weekend delivery program will offer theory-based courses through a combination of in-person and real-time remote learning, while continuing to offer in-person labs to the same standards as the traditional weekday format.

“With the student experience top of mind, weekend delivery unleashes possibilities that may have been out of reach with traditional weekday formats,” says Ralph Hofmann, interim executive dean, School of Health & Community Services. “We’ve seen this first-hand through the success of the Practical Nursing Flex Program, and look forward to exploring additional ways to proactively meet the growing needs of our students and reinvent the college experience.”

With over 140+ market-driven programs, Durham College is committed to leading the way for the next generation of industry professionals. To learn more about weekend delivery at DC, visit www.durhamcollege.ca/weekenddelivery.

Durham College (DC) is proud to share that President Don Lovisa has signed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord, joining more than 250 educational institutions internationally in fighting global injustice and committing to a central and transformational role in achieving the United Nation’s SDGs by 2030.

“By signing this accord, Durham College is supporting the advancement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; taking meaningful action within our own institution and drawing on our strengths in collaboration and innovation to help transform our local and global community,” said Lovisa.

As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the 17 SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – to form a global partnership to achieve these goals. The SDGs recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The SDG Accord was created to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in progressing the SDGs and highlight the benefits they bring to governments, businesses and wider society. It has currently been signed by 255 educational institutions, 53 student unions, 221 support organizations, and 1671 individuals across the post-secondary sector around the world.

As a member of the accord, DC will collaborate with other signatory learning institutions and annually share the college’s progress with our campus community, and with sector SDG reporting metrics presented at the annual UN High Level Political Forum. The college will also continue to recognize the indivisible and interconnected nature of the SDGs by focusing its initiatives on the Accord’s universal set of goals – people, prosperity, the planet, partnership and peace.

For more information on the SDG Accord, please visit www.sdgaccord.org.