On December 3, FastStartDC, Durham College’s (DC) on-campus entrepreneurship center launched an online marketplace called the Start Market, showcasing some of the incredibly talented student entrepreneurs here at DC.

We see it every day – students coming to FastStart to turn their passion, craft or hobby into a business. With the rise in online-based businesses, the FastStart team is really excited to launch the Start Market and give the college community an opportunity to support our local entrepreneurs. While we have hosted holiday markets in the past, this new marketplace will be a year-round initiative that highlights student entrepreneurs who sell products as well as those that provide services, so if you’re looking for talented photographers, graphic designers, social media experts or content creators, Start Market has a dedicated section of freelance services offered by our students.

Earlier this fall, FastStartDC launched a new Maker2Market program to help participants get their businesses up and running in six weeks, providing DC’s student entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity to share with the world what they have to offer in time for the holiday shopping season. We’re excited to feature some of our recent Maker2Market program graduates in the online store.

The Start Market has something for everyone. You can enjoy ethically sourced coffee, roasted by Journalism student Andrew Neary from Kettleboy Coffee or check out some unique apparel from talented Data Analytics student Rita Aboagye-otoo of Aleaza Collections or Sustainable Stitches by our Animal Care student Meera Mohindra. If you are looking for art to brighten your space, or unique décor for your home or as a gift, check out Art Blizz by Vidhi Mehra, from DC’s Data Analytics program and City Lights Studio by Fine Arts student, Josiah Chung. Fill your home with warmth and light with a candle by Advertising student Shantel Loague-llewellyn at L’Amour Jae and pick up some treats for your furry friends from Sassypants Pets Bakery by PR & Strategic Communications student Afrika Nieves-Bentley.

FastStartDC’s alumni entrepreneurs also have some great gift ideas. Check out the incredible charcuterie boards from Katherine Polack, beautiful and timeless jewelry from Judda, incredible art pieces from Jasmine Rutschhman or sustainable apparel from our friends at 3eeHive.

Built and maintained by students, the Start Market is an innovative way to get first-hand experience at building an online enterprise. New businesses will be added regularly, so visit often to see the incredible offerings of DC’s talented entrepreneurs.

By Leah Drewette, second-year Public Relations student and brand ambassador, FastStartDC

Named a BeeCity for a third consecutive year, the City of Oshawa and its branch of education and research partners, TeachingCity, worked with Durham College (DC) to raise awareness and empower social action to support and protect pollinators.

TeachingCity collaborates in applied research and experiential learning to tackle urban issues affecting the City of Oshawa. As an education partner of TeachingCity, DC rallied its interdisciplinary team of faculty members from the School of Science & Engineering Technology (SET), students from the Architectural Technology and Environmental Technology programs and the college’s entrepreneurship centre, FastStartDC, to investigate the impacts of introducing an urban beekeeping program in Oshawa and deliver an awareness campaign on the importance of pollinators.

It was the perfect opportunity for FastStartDC’s student team to help achieve the city’s goals of advancing its Bee City designation. Social enterprise and EnactusDC project 3eeHive supported the initiative by running the campaign through their platforms. As strong advocates for pollinator habitat restoration, 3eehive sells branded apparel equipped with plantable paper tags that feature wildflower seeds for consumers to plant in their own backyards. The team’s work was celebrated at the 2021 Oshawa Peony Festival, held virtually for the second year in a row from June 1 to June 27.

With the support of FastStartDC, DC students developed and executed a digital marketing campaign to raise awareness among Oshawa citizens on the importance of pollinators and what you can do to help. The campaign also included hand-delivering wild-flower seed packets to Oshawa residents, encouraging Oshawa residents to sign the Pollinator Pledge and producing a video for the Oshawa Peony Festival.

The video, produced by Meagan Secord, a FastStartDC work-study student from the college’s Photography program, offers interesting facts and presents fun and informative quizzes pertaining to plants and pollinators and highlights the efforts of individuals and groups, including the Oshawa Garden Club, local biologists and private business owners who are all doing their part.

“The experience from the very start has been incredible,” said Cullen Smith, an Entrepreneurship and Small Business program student researcher at Durham College. “It is a joy to work with such talented, passionate and motivated people.”

With 25 DC students involved in the project, the digital campaign boasted an online community reach of 17,000 people and 1,100 “likes.” The research and literature review aspects of the project will help to guide policy in the city with respect to urban beekeeping.

“I am grateful to have worked on a project of this nature,” shared Shane Kenyon, a DC student enrolled in Environmental Technology program. “I have learned a lot about what we can do as citizens to help encourage conservation.”

To hear testimonials from DC students involved with the project, view the TeachingCity – Bee City Challenges: Urban Bee Keeping and Pollinator Campaign video.

For more information about TeachingCity Oshawa initiatives, view the 2020/2021 Progress Report.

As the global climate crisis accelerates, Durham College (DC), Centennial College, the University of Toronto Scarborough, Ontario Tech University and Trent University, have joined together to advance clean, green, sustainable solutions with the launch of the Environmental and Related Technologies Hub (EaRTH District) in the eastern Greater Toronto Area.

Dedicated to fueling sustainable, resilient communities locally and around the world, the EaRTH District will develop the region’s sustainable technology sector through research, academic programming and commercialization of advanced technology. The consortium will also work with the public and private sectors, as well as Indigenous communities.

The EaRTH District will leverage the five partner institutions’ unique expertise, assets and training in environmental sciences, advanced technology, and related emerging sectors. It also will be the catalyst for collaboration with joint research initiatives, new academic programs and pathways, and access to existing resources across institutions.

For its part, DC is contributing to EaRTH through its leadership and experience in sustainable farming and horticulture, along with its commitement to exploring unique environmentally friendly power solutions.

“Supporting the EaRTH District allows Durham College to use its expertise by cultivating sustainability from the ground up, thanks to our focus on urban agriculture practices, research, education and training, as well as clean energy innovation,” said Don Lovisa, president. “We are excited to be part of this dynamic initiative and look forward to the opportunities its focus on green technology will create for our students and for the broader community.”

For more information about EaRTH, its partners and areas of focus visit www.EaRTHdistric.ca. For more information about DC’s involvement visit www.durhamcollege.ca/earth.

The School of Science & Engineering Technology (SET) at Durham College (DC) is supporting community outreach efforts by partnering with Kedron Public School in Oshawa to offer an interactive mentorship program to students in Grades 6 through 8.

For more than seven years, Beau James, professor and program co-ordinator of SET’s Electromechanical Engineering Technology (EMTY) program, has helped grow the project across a number of classrooms in Durham Region. The project began when he hosted a tour of DC’s Robotics Lab for Grade 7 students from Lakewoods Public School as a way to introduce them to the college’s engineering programs.

In 2019, the partnership moved to Kedron P.S. and the project planned to provide access to interactive workshops across diverse disciplines, such as carpentry, bike repair and robotics, and pair them to a specific DC program. It wasn’t long before robotics became the focus with its own workshop series, led by Beau and Andrew Davis, a student from DC’s EMTY program.

On a weekly basis, Andrew connected with students to teach them how to build and program a robot – a project that developed into an exciting competition in which students designed a robot that would be used for a sustainability initiative. The series ended with a final wrap-up day, where students presented their robot designs and functions to Beau and other academic leaders.

Over the last year, as elementary schools transitioned between in-person and online learning as a result of the pandemic, DC adapted its efforts to ensure the partnership was still supported. On March 31, Beau and lab technologist, Steve Knihnisky led the first Virtual Robotics Work Cell Tour – a live-streamed tour of DC’s Robotics Lab that covered topics corresponding to the students’ recent Mechanical structures unit.

Leveraging the DC Integrated Manufacturing Centre’s (IMC) live Internet Protocol (IP) camera, Beau highlighted the main components of the robot and illustrated how to move the robot around the workcell using an industrial joystick (teach pendant). The demonstration completed with cycling the robot automatically to move through various pre-programmed positions in space, on its own. Live streaming while moving through areas of the lab allowed Beau to lead the tour while continuing to engage with the class. Students were given the opportunity to submit questions via the chat feature.

“The college’s partnership with Kedron Public School exemplifies what community outreach is all about,” says Dr. Rebecca Milburn, executive dean of the Schools of Science & Engineering Technology and Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology. “Beau’s ability to engage with the students and bring post-secondary awareness into the classroom at such an impressionable age allows the opportunity for youth to see what’s available to them. As a leader in post-secondary education, Durham College is proud to play a role in inspiring the leaders of tomorrow.”

The tour left a lasting impression on many Kedron students. One student in particular, was fascinated to see how the different robotic components worked in relation to the joints in our own bodies, inspiring him to create his own robot prototype drawing.

A robot prototype drawing by a Grade 6
student inspired by the Robotics Work Cell Tour.

“My student’s parents were beyond thrilled when he told them he wants to study robotics at Durham College one day,” said Kimberley Whyte, Grade 6 teacher, Kedron P.S. “Since then, he has continued to design a number of inventions and prototype drawings. It’s amazing to see the enthusiasm sparked by this tour.”

An added benefit of transitioning to a virtual learning model this year was the ability to expand “classroom” capacity to allow additional students from four classes to attend. Kedron P.S. students were excited to see inside a real robotics lab, one that is within walking distance from many of their homes.

“The virtual tour demystified some of the mystery about college, “said Terri Pellerin, Grade 8 teacher, Kedron P.S. “When the students saw how much Professor James enjoyed his work, it offered a glimpse into some of the incredible career possibilities that are available in the robotics field. We are very grateful to collaborate with Durham College and look forward to future learning opportunities.”

Beau and his team at SET are already looking at ways to continue fostering this partnership, with plans for a third phase that will extend the workshop series beyond robotics.

Durham College (DC) is proud to share that Shane Jones, faculty member in the School of Hospitality & Horticultural Science and program co-ordinator for the Food and Farming and Horticulture Technician programs, has been honoured with a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Silver Leadership Excellence Award for Faculty at the association’s virtual annual conference on April 26.

Shane is a mainstay at DC’s W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (Weston Centre). Whether teaching and mentoring students in class, during labs or out in the centre’s urban farm, he has played a vital role in shaping the college’s horticulture and food and farming programs, as well as developing its living landscape where lessons come to life.

He has been the driving force behind the complete integration of the farm and horticulture production with curriculum, resulting in an immersive learning experience for students and thousands of pounds of food from the fields per year. Shane takes great pride in his work and is always willing to lead where needed to ensure the success of his students and colleagues.

Passionate about teaching and constantly looking to support and enhance the student experience, Shane incorporates hands-on learning in everything he does. Whether mentoring participants or volunteering as a judge in Skills Ontario competitions or guiding teams through installations at trade shows, he generously gives his time and energy.

Winners of the Leadership Excellence Award for Faculty are selected based on the following criteria:

• Commitment – The nominee or team has shown a consistent commitment to student success and to developing methodologies, materials, and processes which have contributed to student success.
• Leadership in teaching – The nominee or team has provided a leadership role model for teaching colleagues and students.
• Impact – The nominee’s or team’s work has had a recognized and substantial impact on students (employment, success rate), colleagues (through professional development and example) and the institution (reputation in the subject area).
• Sustainability – The nominee’s or team’s commitment has been broadly evident over their career to date.
• Adaptability – One of the nominee’s or team’s strengths is the ability to adapt teaching styles, methodologies, or materials to fit student needs and available resources.

Shane, congratulations on your Silver Leadership Excellence Award. The CICan Awards of Excellence recognize best practices from more than 135 colleges and institutes across the country, as well as individual leadership and achievements, for more information on this year’s awards, please visit the CICan website.

Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) is pleased to announce it has been awarded two Mitacs Accelerate grants totalling $120,000, in support of two new applied research projects creating eight internships for DC students.

Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. It is funded by the Government of Canada with support from provincial governments across the country.

Among the first colleges in Ontario to access the program, the grants are allowing DC to build research partnerships while also giving students meaningful experiential learning opportunities to participate in research as paid interns. Not only does this help partner organizations that need their expertise, it contributes to the training of highly qualified research personnel by providing work-integrated opportunities at DC that support students’ career readiness.

“Hands-on and real-world experience is a crucial part of a world-class post-secondary education. That’s why our Government is proud to support our colleges and universities through Mitacs to create more work-integrated learning opportunities for Ontario students,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “By helping our students get new experiences in their field of study, Durham College and Mitacs are giving their students access to the skills they need to find a good job and succeed in the career of their choice.”

“The Mitacs Accelerate program is a unique funding model that brings researchers, students and businesses together to solve real-world challenges,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “We are very excited to see the two research projects come to fruition and are grateful to be receiving support from our partner companies and Mitacs itself.”

Project One: Developing a unique inventory optimization model

Recognizing that manufacturing is a $174 billion industry in Canada, representing over 10 per cent of the total GDP and 68 per cent of merchandise exports, efficient inventory management plays a vital role in a business’s profitability.

Thanks to Mitacs funding, two DC students from the college’s Supply Chain and Operations Management – Business Administration (SOM) program have created an inventory optimization model that predicts factors affecting stock, as part of an internship with electronics manufacturer Creation Technologies LP.

Students worked under the supervision of Creation Technologies’ Supply Chain Leader Maura Kirby, who also sits on the SOM Program Advisory Committee at DC, and faculty researcher Brent Clemens, to create a system that can determine the optimal levels of supply needed to support customer needs, while meeting the company’s business targets. By creating significant cost-savings and improving customer satisfaction, the outcome of this project will support the company’s continued growth and the creation of high-quality jobs for Canadians.

During their internship, DC’s students applied the skills, theories, and concepts learned in their program in a workplace setting, while building their professional networks, and acquiring hands-on experience. Since the project ended in January, both students were hired by Creation Technologies.

“I am very pleased to be able to participate with Durham College and Mitacs on this project,” shared Kirby. “The students were able to apply their supply chain knowledge to help identify inventory factors contributing to the creation of the optimization model. Overall, this project has been a great success and has been a valuable learning experience for myself and the students.” 

Project Two: Improving recruitment for employers and job seekers

In today’s highly competitive job market, the recruitment industry often struggles with information overload and the ability to effectively match potential candidates with available positions.

To help address this problem, DC faculty researcher Uzair Ahmad and six interns from DC’s Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation and Data Analytics for Business Decision Making graduate certificate programs will work with Reachout Inc., a start-up company that is building a diversified early career community for post-secondary students and an end-to-end virtual recruiting platform for employers, to develop a two-way hybrid recommendation system to support both employers and job seekers. The system will learn relevant content and rank candidates based on the job description. This will result in stronger candidate recommendations for employers while also promoting appropriate job opportunities to candidates.

It will also ensure increased accuracy and explainable recommendations—an innovation that will provide Reachout with a competitive advantage.

The students involved in this research will be integrated into Reachout’s technical team, with direct supervision provided by Thomas Liu, it’s CEO, and will benefit from the ability to leverage the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom and apply them to solve businesses challenges in a real-world setting.

“Mitacs is delighted to support these exciting projects at Durham College. By enabling the creation of valuable academic-industry partnerships that provide students with meaningful, paid, experiential-learning opportunities, Mitacs is proud to contribute to innovation in Ontario. These internships are helping partner organizations access Durham’s rich expertise in AI and systems optimization, while contributing to the career development of college students,” said, John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director at Mitacs.