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DC and UOIT host fourth annual Impact on Family Violence conference

The fourth annual Impact on Family Violence Conference: A South Asian Perspective (FVC 2014) was held at the joint Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa campus earlier this month.

The annual event, which was presented by the Social Services Network with the support of more than 25 community partners including the college and university on May 14 and 15, was designed to connect the diverse South Asian population with the key sectors involved in violence prevention and response.

“Events such FVC 2014 provide our students with an opportunity to grow into fully engaged citizens with the knowledge and self-awareness needed to be mindful of issues such as family violence,” said Susan Sproul, dean for the School of Health & Community Services.

Several informational workshops were offered during the two-day conference, along with presentations on topics ranging from forced marriage, femicide (the killings of women and girls due to their gender), sexual diversity, sexual violence and disabilities.

Meant to implement empowering and engaging information on family violence; expose family violence issues and challenges; identify services and programs that support family violence; and empower decision-makers to be able to make informed decisions and access the possibilities of implementing short- and long-term changes, FVC 2014 is part of a five-year initiative developed to understand the specific nature, systems and complex cultural and family dynamics that pose barriers and challenges to preventing and responding to the abuse that occurs in South Asian families.

The conference also included keynote presentations from Dr. Yasmin Jiwani, professor of Communications Studies at Concordia University, and Aparna Bhattacharyya, executive Director for Raksha, as well as workshop speaker Tammy Rankin, a social worker and elder abuse advisor with the Region of Durham, who spoke to attendees about the growing dilemma of elder abuse and various forms of mistreatment.

New economic report shows a DC education is an excellent investment

Durham College (DC) announced today that a new economic-impact report by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) has found that students who enrol at the college will receive an excellent return on their post-secondary education investment.

“A DC education continues to be a terrific investment, particularly in this new economy,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “We are dedicated to providing our students with quality programs, expert faculty and a superior learning environment while ensuring our graduates have the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in their careers and/or their pursuit of further education.”

Titled Demonstrating the Value of Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology – Analysis of the Economic Impact and Return on Investment of Education, the report, which was released in May 2014, shows DC students will get a 15.9 per cent return on their investment (ROI) in addition to enjoying long-term earnings and other benefits. It also noted that the Ontario government gets a huge ROI return on its funding of colleges, with DC delivering a return of almost 4.9 per cent for every dollar the province invests in the college. “Ontario is facing one of its biggest challenges to date with the skills mismatch,” said Lovisa. “The report’s findings are important as Ontario looks for solutions to this and the daunting challenges of youth unemployment and underemployment.”

The report also found that Ontario college students develop the skills required for an increasingly globalized workplace and receive a stream of higher future wages that will continue to grow throughout their working lives.

“College programs are accessible to everyone in the community and deliver excellent returns to government and taxpayers,” added Lovisa. “In addition, for many DC students, a college certificate, graduate certificate, diploma or advanced diploma is only step one in their post-secondary career.  Many choose to complement their studies by leveraging their education with a university degree. Providing students with opportunities to earn additional credentials following graduation is just one way our dedication to the student experience extends beyond graduation.”

EMSI, which is world-renowned for its economic analyses of post-secondary education, conducted its assessment of DC from December 2013 to April 2014. Read more by clicking here.

“A college education is more important than ever to the local economy and helping people find long-term success,” said Lovisa.

It’s a home run – DC’s summer sports camps are back

Summer is almost here and that means Durham College’s (DC) summer sports camps are about to jump into high gear!

Utilizing the state-of-the-art sports facilities available on campus, campers aged 7 to 17 will have the opportunity to enhance their skills with the help of head coaches from DC varsity teams, local high schools and club programs. Weekly camps are available for baseball, basketball, badminton, soccer, volleyball, tennis, hockey development and floorball.

For those looking for an all-in-one experience, the multi-sport camp is the way to go. With three, one-week camps available, children will play a variety of sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer, scooter and floor hockey, and many other fun games.

“At Durham College, we say that success matters and the summer sports camps follows that belief,” said Michael Duggan, the camp co-ordinator. “We want each camper to leave at the end of the week with a memorable experience, new friends and, of course, learning important life skills.”

To accommodate various family schedules, extended care is available for early drop-off and late pick-up, while healthy meal plans are also available to campers. 

DC also offers a variety of other summer camps focused on art, cooking, drama and design. For more information, please visit the summer camps website. 

Lights, camera, action — DC’s Summer Shorts program is back

With the school year coming to an end, it’s time for Durham College’s (DC)  summer camps to kick off again. DC’s summer camps are for individuals aged seven and over offering a diverse range of programming in sports, general interest, technology and the arts.

One of the most popular activities is the Summer Shorts program, which starts on Monday, July 7 and runs for three weekly sessions. Teens aged 13 to 17 can choose from one of five different weeklong workshops: Game Development, Animation Studio, Digital Design, Digital Video or Digital Photo.

“Summer Shorts is offered through the School of Media, Art & Design at Durham College and is geared towards teenagers,” said Megan Pickell, Summer Shorts program co-ordinator. “They are studio-based workshops that are versions of the full-time college programs.”

“Students will work in our state-of-the-art studios with the latest software and classes are small with no tests or assignments. By the end of the week, students will have created, designed or produced great work for their portfolios!”

The Game Development workshop focuses on the concepts of modelling, basic game theory and rendering, while the Animation Studio workshops concentrates on teaching the art of storytelling, character development, rendering and the principles of animation.

The new Digital Design workshop is perfect for students with artistic flair. Throughout the week, they will be introduced to the world of graphic design, using conventional drawing techniques and ideas and incorporating them into a digital space. They will be using the latest version of Adobe Creative suite, with emphasis on Illustrator and Photoshop, to tackle a multitude of tasks including logo creation, branding techniques and packaging design.

For students more interested in capturing images, the Digital Photo and Digital Video workshops provide a great option. Through access to industry-level equipment, attendees will learn the basic composition and post-production editing skills needed for their portfolio pieces.

Recent graduates and/or college faculty assist the attendees’ creation of portfolio-ready projects by the end of each week of the workshops.

Summer Shorts workshops will be operating during the weeks of July 7 to 11, July 14 to 18 and July 21 to 25.  For more information or to register online, visit the Summer Shorts website.

DC student takes the lead in sustainability

Durham College (DC) Business Marketing student Adriana Reyes will be taking a major step towards learning and demonstrating sustainability leadership this month at the 2014 IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Program for Sustainability Leadership Conference. Selected from more than 730 candidates to attend the all-expenses-paid conference, Reyes will work alongside 175 other students and industry experts to develop future sustainability solutions.

“Being the only Durham College student who is attending the conference I will be helping to bring positive change and help develop real sustainability solutions,” said Reyes.

The conference, held at the University of Guelph from May 23 to May 26, will bring together students from 68 Canadian colleges and universities to spark creativity through advanced online courses, workshops, student projects and mentoring. Canadian astronaut and keynote speaker Chris Hadfield will highlight this year’s conference and share his unique perspective on the planet and the role Canada’s youth will have in its future.

“I am excited to listen to all the amazing speakers who will share their wealth of knowledge with young university and college students from different programs and careers,” said Reyes. “We all have a common passion called sustainability.”

Participants will bring back the initiatives discussed at the conference to their campuses to help promote sustainability and to bring about a positive change. Following the conference, participants will have the opportunity to spearhead community initiatives with the help of grants from The Co-operators Foundation – IMPACT! Fund.

Young scientists come together for Science Rendezvous

Gorgeous weather and promises of exciting experiments brought many curious young minds to Durham College (DC) and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) to take part in Science Rendezvous 2014, a free event designed to promote science awareness.

More than 600 people visited the Oshawa campus to explore the more than 60 scientific demonstrations and workshops, which included:

  • Making balloon dragsters
  • Exploring why Mentos erupt in Diet Coke
  • Making lava lamps and glitter globes
  • Exploring why candies are certain colours
  • Levitating magnets (using science, not wizardry of course).

There were also tours of UOIT’s Automotive Centre for Excellence (ACE) and the Scanning Electron Microscope lab.

At the end of the day, the young scientists had an opportunity to test what they learned and win some prizes with a game of Science Jeopardy.

“We had more than 200 volunteers on our shared campus who the participants experience the joy and excitement of science, engineering technology and mathematics,” said Laura Benninger, professor, School of Science & Engineering Technology, DC. “Together with our organizing team from UOIT, we are pleased to say that the day was a success; with much fun had by volunteers and the community alike.”

Science Rendezvous has been a popular tradition since the inaugural event was held in 2008 with just a handful of venues participating. It is Ontario’s largest public science festival and in 2011 it was held nationwide for the first time.

DC and IFTech to partner on wearable technology project

Durham College (DC) announced recently its intent to partner with IFTech, an Oshawa-based start-up company specializing in wearable technology. The college’s Office of Research Services and Innovation (ORSI), with support from DC faculty researchers and staff, will be working with IFTech on an applied research project designed to support the company’s growth and expansion into the wearable technology marketplace. A grant application for the project is currently being finalized with the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).

In particular, the college will be assisting IFTech with bringing its flagship invention, As Real As It Gets (ARAIG), to a manufacture-ready, commercial product. A multi-sensory stimulation device, ARAIG is a wearable suit that immerses individuals into the reality of a gaming world by stimulating the senses with localized directional feedback. Providing physics to the body, it leaves the mobility of the user unfettered and provides a new level of immersion in terms of how games and virtual simulations are experienced.

“ORSI, along with our faculty and staff, is excited to work with IFTech on bringing such a unique technology product to market,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, director, ORSI. “This project will provide a wonderful opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to pursue applied research in an area that is both new to the college and the current consumer marketplace including the chance for them to gain significant on-the-job research and work experience.”

A 3D-scale model of the ARAIG titled Legion One Exoskeleton, created in collaboration with Cimetrix Solutions Inc. an Oshawa-based company that specializes in providing professional grade 3D printing solutions, will be revealed on Tuesday, May 13 inside the Spark Zone at the OCE Discovery event. The event, which is taking place in Toronto on Monday, May 12 and May 13, will mark the first time IFTech has publicly shown the design. Attendees will have an opportunity to speak directly with Brodie and Michael Stanfield, co-founders and co-chief executive officers of IFTech and co-creators of ARAIG, and provide feedback. 

“IFTech sees this as the beginning of a relationship that will continue for many years to come,” said Brodie Stanfield. “We see Durham College being involved in many current and future projects and are excited to be partnering with some of the brightest minds in Durham Region in order to rapidly move forward on our research and development.”  

In addition to its new relationship with the college, IFTech has also been working directly with innovation experts from Spark Centre over the last year to advance its commercialization plans. 

“IFTech and its flagship product ARAIG will revolutionize a video gamer’s experience,” said Dennis Croft, executive director, Spark Centre. “Durham College’s deep expertise in applied research will greatly advance the timeline for a commercial-ready, high-quality product for IFTech.” 

Congratulations to the #gotoDC Selfie contest winners!

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that Cecil Stewart, Tessa Travis and Shandi Wilson are the winners of our #gotoDC Selfie contest.

Stewart, who is enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering Technician program, wins a laptop computer (value of $1,100) of his choice while Travis, enrolled in the Animal Care program, has won a new iPad.  Wilson, enrolled in the Occupational Therapy Assistant/Physiotherapy Assistant program, will receive a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.

The three winners were chosen from all eligible entries submitted by future DC students. Upon receiving their acceptance packages, students were encouraged to submit a selfie photo of themselves holding the package, which read “Future DC student”.

Congratulations to all of the winners and special thanks to everyone who entered – we look forward to welcoming you to DC!

North, East, South, West – The Medicine Wheel has been blessed

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful turn-out for the unveiling of the Aboriginal Student Centre (ASC) Medicine Wheel rock garden at Durham College (DC). Approximately 40 friends and faculty gathered in the bus loop of the Oshawa campus to celebrate the creation of the garden, with Elder and member of the Bird Clan Shirley Williams leading the ceremony. Originally from Manitoulin Island, Williams told stories of her childhood and taught on-lookers the importance of the Medicine Wheel. Everyone came together and formed a circle and then the ceremony commenced. Williams started by sprinkling tobacco around the rock garden, which is typically used in the offering of prayer to the Creator, acting as a medium for communication. Next, was the burning of sage, used to rid of bad spirits or feelings present. After the ridding of bad spirits, Aboriginal Student advisors Peggy Forbes and Julie Pigeon made their way around the circle offering guests a drink of water, which was also used to wash. This ritual is used to cleanse the soul and restore positive thoughts. Finally, time was taken to greet each other by giving everyone in the circle a hug and thanking them for their participation. The process was very educational and relaxing and gave guests a whole new meaning to the Medicine Wheel.

 “It’s all part of Indigenizing the campus,” said Forbes. “It’s a movement that we’re taking, so the Aboriginal culture becomes part of the Durham College culture. It’s a visual for people, so they can know and understand that we’re here. We’re hoping it will spur interest in people because we want to share and help people understand what we’re about, why we’re here and what we do.”

The Medicine Wheel is used as a teaching tool, promoting balance in one’s life and teaching how to live in harmony with all creation. There are four quadrants, each representing an important aspect: in the north, the spiritual quadrant – promoting intellectual wisdom and the ability to see the past, present and future as interrelated; in the east, the physical quadrant – promoting the importance of play and fun and representing the promise that the Creator is always willing to listen; in the south, the mental quadrant – promoting the importance of maintaining a healthy brain in order to stay connected; and in the west, the emotional quadrant – promoting the importance of prayer and reflecting on one’s life, attracting the spirits’ attention.

“The Medicine Wheel is really important to us. It’s an important symbol and a way of life,” said Forbes.

DC and MLSE joint initiative benefits students

Durham College (DC) Sport Management students Matt Manley and Jake Krotowski, were honoured with the ceremonial puck drop during the March 23 American Hockey League matchup between the Toronto Marlies and the Abbotsford Heat. The second-year students were recognized as the top sellers in a new DC and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) joint initiative where students were challenged with selling a minimum of 10 tickets to three selected Toronto Marlies games within four weeks.

“MLSE staff came to campus three times in the early part of the semester to give students direction on the products and how to sell them,” said Matt Akler, a professor in the Sport Management program. “They also provided many sales incentives for top sellers in the program including tickets to Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and Marlies games, along with several other unique elements like the puck drop event and private networking opportunities.” 

As part of the challenge, the students were able to raise close to $2,700 for Camp Oochigeas, a group of camps in the Greater Toronto and Muskoka area for children battling cancer, with 20 per cent of the ticket sales going to the charity. The unique project also gave students the opportunity to gain real-world sales experience and demonstrate their abilities to plan and execute fundamental aspects associated with a successful event.

“I believe it was a very eye-opening exercise that showed them what it will take to be successful whether they are planning a sports event or any other kind of transactional relationship,” said Akler. “With the opportunity for students to personally connect with executives and gain real experience from the country’s most prominent professional sport organization while helping a local charity, this initiative is one that the Sport Management program is proud of and looks forward to continue for years to come.”