Durham College (DC) announced recently that its applied research partner, Bykart Software Ltd. (Bykart), in conjunction with the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, has received the prestigious 2016 Quality and Innovation Award from the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario (CQCO). The award was presented at a ceremony hosted on November 16 by CQCO in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario, and co-sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society – Ontario Division.

Bykart is being recognized for its Chemotherapy Appointment Reservation Management (CHARM), a revolutionary new software system, developed in partnership with DC, which is fundamentally changing the way care is delivered to cancer patients. 

When Bykart approached the college about working together in 2011, CHARM, originally developed in 2009, required significant upgrades to move its enterprise-class health care application framework beyond the chemotherapy clinics for which it was initially designed. Through collaboration with student and faculty researchers at DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), Bykart was able to deploy a suite of integrated, health care application services to complement CHARM’s existing functionality and simplify integration into existing hospital software.

The framework was then implemented at the Odette Cancer Centre and the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Clinic, and the results were remarkable. They included:

• An increase in the number of patients treated.
• Reduction in unplanned over-time, which proved cost-effective as well as boosted morale among staff.
• Savings in the cost of training since staff were involved throughout development of the product.

“CHARM was developed by a dedicated team with the desire to deliver a home-grown, cost-effective software solution to health care organizations, and its tremendous success proves that this is possible,” said Thane Fitzgerald, director of development, Bykart. “Our work with both Durham College and the experts at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre have resulted in an award-winning application suite that has been deployed at the Odette Cancer Centre and the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Clinic. The real reward, however, is that we were able to equip staff with a system that enables them to deliver services more efficiently, thus improving the overall quality of care for people living with cancer.”

Specifically, ORSIE supported the project by delivering a unit test suite for each functional area of the new system for quality assurance; transitioning the existing database structure to a new database platform, and developing several web service interfaces to support access to the application by mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

“DC is proud to offer top-quality applied research facilities and resources led by a talented team of faculty and student researchers,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “Applied research opportunities not only provide an excellent platform for teaching and learning, but enable the college to be involved in leading-edge projects that support the advancement of other industries – in this case, health care. We offer congratulations to Bykart and the Odette Cancer Centre for their success and commitment to enhancing cancer care in Ontario.”

The annual Quality and Innovation Awards encourage and recognize initiatives that have led to significant improvements to the delivery of cancer care for patients across Ontario.

Earlier this year, Bykart was also awarded the 2016 Edmond Odette Prize for Innovation from the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre.

 

On November 12, Durham College (DC) employees, students and alumni delivered information and inspiration to more than 2,300 prospective students, as well as their friends and families, at the college’s annual Fall Open House.

Doors were open at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses, and the Pickering Learning Site, providing visitors with the opportunity to explore the facilities, take guided tours, check out support services and visit individual program classrooms and labs to speak with faculty and students.

DC President Don Lovisa was also on hand to meet with visitors and answer questions about the college.

“There is no better way to get a feel for the DC community and all that we have to offer – from programs and support services to athletics and campus life – than to attend an Open House event,” said Lovisa. “A unique energy fills the air when prospective students step on campus and see all the possibilities for their future opening up before them.”

In addition to the Open House activities, DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship held a pre-Open House event at the college’s Whitby campus for its applied research partners. The event highlighted new applied research capabilities involving the newly commissioned research brew line and growth chambers focused on agri-tech research.

DC offers more than 140 market-driven programs including five new programs being launched in 2017, two of which will serve as educational pathways from DC to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). They are:

• Massage Therapy.
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business – Transfer to UOIT.
• Mechanical Technician – Elevating Devices.
• Office Administration – Real Estate.
• Supply Chain and Operations – Transfer to UOIT.

Durham College’s (DC) #DCSelfie contest received more than 780 votes, and the winners are: Diana D’Amico and Nicholas Celica.

D’Amico, who is enrolled in the Paralegal Graduate Certificate program claimed first place and won an Apple iPad mini, followed by Celica, a Paralegal student, who received a pair of Beats by Dre headphones for obtaining the second most votes.

Upon receiving their acceptance letter students were encouraged to participate in the contest by submitting a selfie photo of themselves holding a DC pennant. Once the submission period ended contestants’ selfies were posted on the competition website with visitors having the opportunity to vote for their favourites.

Congratulations to the winners of the #DCSelfie contest and a special thank you to everyone who entered the contest – welcome to DC!

Interested in attending DC but missed the September semester start? Seats are still available for programs starting in January. Visit www.durhamcollege.ca/programs-starting-in-january for a complete list of all available programs, and become a student today.

Durham College (DC) and the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) announced today that they have signed a five-year academic agreement to enhance opportunities for DCDSB international students looking to pursue post-secondary education in Canada following high school graduation.

“DC prides itself on offering international students a high-quality college education and we’re proud to be working with the DCDSB to offer international high school students the opportunity to further their studies in Canada, and with Durham College in particular,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “This agreement provides a new way of engaging our educational partners in DC’s ongoing international activities and outreach and we are proud to be working with the board to provide this group of students with access to our unique academic programming and student services.”

The formal General Agreement of Co-operation (GAC), signed today by Lovisa and Anne O’Brien, director of education, DCDSB at the college’s Oshawa campus, is designed to stimulate and support educational, professional and intercultural activities and projects among students and employees of both organizations with respect to international education.

This includes the creation of an educational pathway from the DCDSB to DC, including the potential for students to pursue further post-secondary studies via the more than 450 educational pathways the college offers in partnership with universities in Ontario, across Canada and around the world. Additionally, the GAC will promote collaboration in program delivery, scholarship opportunities, international marketing, student recruitment and academic training.

“We are pleased to partner with DC as we encourage international students to discover the numerous pathways that are available through our Durham Catholic secondary schools into our local college programs,” said O’Brien. “Adopting a pathways planning mindset, our programs are designed to assist students with transition planning, and we look forward to working with international students as they prepare for the next step in their individual educational journeys here in our very own Durham Region.

In September 2016, DC welcomed more than 350 new international students, bringing the total number to over 600 students who have travelled from 42 countries around the world to study at the college.

 

Through multiple initiatives and research projects focused on sustainability and a commitment to sound building principles, Durham College (DC) announced today that it pleased to be part of a group of Ontario colleges that are playing a leading role in Canada’s efforts to tackle climate change.

A newly released report, Moving to Net Zero: Colleges Leading the Way, highlights the achievements of the province’s 24 publicly funded colleges in everything from leading-edge research that promotes energy efficiency to the development of programs that prepare increasing numbers of graduates for careers in areas such as renewable energy and sustainable building construction.

“Doing our part to improve the health of the planet is a priority at our college,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC.  “We are firmly committed to the global effort to fight climate change.”

The report documents achievements in five areas: research, community leadership, college programs, transportation and campus upgrades. The examples in the report confirm that all 24 colleges are playing an active part in the effort to reduce the province’s carbon footprint.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, DC is continually implementing new measures to reduce its carbon footprint and demonstrate environmental stewardship in Durham Region and well beyond.

For example, in September 2016, the Centre for Food (CFF) at the Whitby campus received international recognition from the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Awards of Excellence, winning gold in the Green Colleges category. The college was recognized for its work to advance environmental sustainability, including its field-to-fork philosophy and 3 Star certification from the Green Restaurant Association. In addition, in June 2016 the CFF was recognized with an Eric Krause Innovative Plans/Policies/Initiatives Award from the Durham Environmental Advisory Committee for its commitment to conserving energy and protecting the environment and in July 2016 Bistro ‘67, the college’s full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, was honoured with a Feast ON designation in recognition of its use of local food and beverages.

Home to a range of complementary post-secondary programs, the CFF offers numerous sustainable features and extensive grounds that include an apple orchard, agricultural planting fields, an unheated hoop house, gardens and greenhouses. The south side of the building includes a ramped garden with a pollinator garden for native birds, bees and butterflies and a two-acre arboretum. These areas also feature trees, shrubs, perennials and fruit-bearing plants, providing a teaching and learning environment for students, the local agri-food industry, community organizations and the general public.

Additional examples of DC’s commitment to sustainability include:

• A dedicated Sustainability office that leads initiatives on campus, including partnerships with local environmental organizations such as Durham Sustain Ability, GM Canada, Friends of the Greenbelt and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, and roles with regional committees including the Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change.
• Sustainable transportation options for students and employees travelling to and from campus, including electric vehicle charging stations, designated carpool lots and bicycle storage units.
• A commingle recycling program with a diversion rate of 53.2 per cent as well as additional recycling programs for items such as batteries, e-waste, spent lightbulbs, used textbooks and furniture.
• Water conservation through the installation and use of low-flow toilets, waterless urinals and sensor taps.
• Energy conservation and efficiency through the use of a comprehensive energy monitoring system, replacement of existing windows with high-efficiency models, installation of variable speed drives and lighting occupancy sensors.
• Adoption of renewable energy models at the Whitby campus including the installation of 350 solar panels that provide clean energy back to the grid; six vertical axis wind turbines on the roof of the main building that serve as a learning tool for students in the Renewable Energy Technician program; a white roof that reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions; and a 70-tonne geothermal system that provides energy efficient heating and cooling.
• Applied research projects, including a recent collaboration with industry partner DynaCurrent Technologies Inc. on the development of a new and innovative technology to heat liquid using electricity in a significantly more efficient way than other electrical heating technologies in the marketplace. The technology has the potential for commercial use as an alternate heating source to oil, propane and electricity in homes and small- to- medium-sized buildings.
• Programs such as Construction Carpentry – Sustainable, which provides students with the knowledge required to construct energy-efficient and environmentally responsible residential buildings and obtain the skills required to upgrade existing buildings in a little as 16 months.

The college’s initiatives are reflected in the overall findings of the report, which include:

• Throughout the province, colleges offer more than 300 programs that prepare graduates to work in sectors that directly impact emissions reductions, conservation and renewable energy.
• In 2015-2016, more than 20,000 students were enrolled in programs that prepare them for careers that address climate change. That represents an increase of more than 20 per cent over the previous five years.
• Millions of dollars have been invested in retrofit programs and other upgrades at campuses across the province. The retrofitting projects have included weatherization initiatives, energy and greenhouse gas audits, the installation of wind turbines and solar panels, and the integration of new designs that include green roofs and pollinator gardens.

“While we’re proud of our successes, we also know there is more to do,” said Lovisa. “We are aware of the important role DC plays in producing a strong workforce determined to reduce emissions and help Ontario combat climate change and ultimately achieve greater sustainability.”

The full report is available here.

Despite some rainy weather, visitors to Durham College (DC) were treated to a small farmers’ market on September 29 when the annual Campus Market took place in Polonsky Commons at the Oshawa campus.

Hosted by the Sustainability offices for both DC and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the event raised awareness about the availability of locally grown food and saw students, employees and members of the community treated to a variety of fresh items from local vendors, including meat, vegetables and baked goods.

DC’s culinary and horticultural students participated by assisting in the harvesting of crops from outside the Centre for Food (CFF), which were then sold at the market, providing them with an opportunity to bring the CFF’s field-to-fork vision to life. CFF employees were also selling fresh-baked bread and preserves like apple maple butter all prepared by the college’s culinary students. There were even sweet potato fries served with beet ketchup available for sale.

For anyone looking to purchase fresh, local food year-round, be sure to visit Pantry, the unique retail store located on the first floor of the CFF. There they will find an assortment of delicious, high-quality foods prepared by the college’s culinary students, from fresh-baked breads to frozen entrees and pickled vegetables, jams and jellies.