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Campus Holiday Food Drive provides support for students this holiday season

The annual campus Holiday Food Drive kicks off today and runs until Friday, December 19. Helping to feed many Durham College (DC) and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) student families in need over the holidays, this special campaign is a joint fundraiser between DC and UOIT in partnership with the Student Association and the Kinsmen Club of Oshawa.

Financial donations and non-perishable food items are collected during the months of November and December and several fundraising events and initiatives are held on campus. Last year, the food drive raised more than $24,000 to provide much-needed assistance for 184 DC and UOIT students and their families, including 279 children.

Students who may benefit from this initiative can visit one of the registration areas located at the Financial Aid and Awards offices at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses, as soon as possible. Assistance is based on need, regardless of tuition or bursary status. The deadline for registration is Friday, December 12.

“The Holiday Food Drive truly brings our entire community together to support our own,” said Kevin Dougherty, campus Holiday Food Drive co-chair. “This initiative receives overwhelming support not only from our internal community but our entire extended community including our unions, the Durham College Retirees’ Association and the college’s Alumni Association. It’s such a unique partnership and everyone is to be commended for its success.”

Dougherty and co-chair Pat Vale-Dougherty have volunteered with the campus Holiday Food Drive for 15 years, and began co-chairing it in 2006. Dougherty graduated from the DC Business Administration, Information Systems program in 1998 and is currently a professor with DC’s School of Business, IT & Management, while Vale-Dougherty graduated from DC’s Graphic Design program in 1976 and is currently executive assistant to the dean of UOIT’s Faculty of Education.

Get involved

Whether you want to volunteer your time; donate a non-perishable food item; or write a cheque, there are numerous ways you can contribute to this worthy and amazing cause. Please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/campus-holiday-food-drive for more information.

Follow @DCUOITFoodDrive on Twitter along with the #needhelp #givehelp hashtags for updates and to spread awareness.

Environmental Commissioner of Ontario gives keynote address at DC

On November 18, Durham College (DC) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) hosted Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), for a keynote address focusing on the recently released annual report Managing New Challenges (2013/14).

Miller, brought to campus by the joint DC/UOIT Sustainability Committee, spoke to an audience of staff, faculty and students about the annual report, which looks at emerging environmental challenges. Subjects such as bees and neonicotinoids, sustainable farming and logging in Algonquin Park were all discussed. Following his address Miller answered questions from those in attendance.

“Durham College and UOIT held an informative session that featured the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario,” said Brennan Amofah, Environmental Technology student with DC Green Team. “The ECO provided students of both campuses with information about what he does and who he answers to at Queens Park. The session wrapped with a Q & A and was a great event.”

Engaging questions were asked by those in attendance covering issues such as the commissioner’s predictions about fracking in Ontario, the recent emissions reduction announcement from the United States and China and his thoughts on development in the Oak Ridges Moraine.

Gord Miller was first sworn in as the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario on January 31, 2000, to oversee the continued implementation of the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR). He has now been re-appointed for his third term. As an independent officer appointed by the Legislative Assembly, Commissioner Miller oversees 13 ministries and monitors and reports annually on government compliance with a number of environmental issues include the provisions of the Environmental Bill of Rights and government progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Celebrity Chef Jamie Kennedy to host exclusive lunch at Bistro ’67

Food enthusiasts with an appreciation for the field-to-fork movement are invited to enjoy a dining experience with celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy on Monday, December 1 at Durham College’s (DC) Bistro ’67 at the Centre for Food (CFF). The renowned chef, who serves as an ambassador for the CFF, will be working with DC culinary students to prepare an intimate lunch for guests, inspired by recipes from his new cookbook, J.K. The Jamie Kennedy Cookbook.

Tickets are $150 per person and include:

  • A meet-and-greet with Kennedy.
  • A signed copy of J.K. The Jamie Kennedy Cookbook.
  • Lunch prepared by DC culinary students under the guidance of Kennedy and Benjamin Lewis, manager and chef de cuisine of Bistro ’67.

Date: December 1
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Bistro ’67, CFF, 2nd Floor, 1604 Champlain Ave., Whitby

Seating is limited to the first 50 guests who make a reservation with a credit card by calling Christine McSorley, the CFF’s operations manager, at 905.721.2000 ext. 4255 by Friday, November 28.  

The CFF is Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on the field-to-fork vision, a concept at the heart of Kennedy’s culinary philosophy. After lunch, Kennedy will visit with students studying in the college’s field-to-fork programs to share information about the field-to-fork movement and answer their questions.

The CFF can accommodate 900 students studying in culinary, hospitality, event management, food science, and agriculture and horticulture programs, completing the full cycle of farming to the preparation, serving and celebration of food. For more information on programs offered through the CFF visit www.durhamcollege.ca/cff.  

DC and ADZU bring biomedical engineering to life in the Philippines

Durham College (DC) recently welcomed another opportunity to internationalize its campus when it hosted three delegates working on the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) School of Medicine (SOM) project in the Philippines. The delegates were visiting as part of an endeavour that will see the college share its knowledge of and expertise in the Biomedical Engineering Technology program to help the university create its own.

Estimated to last 20 years, the project will see the partnership between the two schools grow and evolve, with the potential for future mentoring exchange programs with students and faculty, incorporating continued support in both teaching protocols and technological advancements.

“The Canadian Association of Rural Physicians approached us to work on this partnership project,” said Susan Todd, dean of the School of Science & Engineering Technology (SET), DC. “We were flattered and excited but when I met the team from the Philippines I knew instantly it was a good fit. Their staff are committed to health care and developing sustainable solutions. They are innovative, passionate and their teaching philosophy is similar to ours. I am looking forward to a long relationship with the ADZU.”

As the first-ever Biomedical Engineering Technology program in the province, designed 10 years ago, DC’s program remains one of only three in the Ontario system today. As a well-recognized program serving hospitals and device manufacturers across Ontario, DC graduates are well-versed in the electronics and safety aspects of medical equipment, and understand their role as health care professionals.

“We hope to build a relationship with Durham College,” said Dr. Fortunato Cristobal, one of the visiting delegates. “We want to work together to help ADZU SOM achieve its own biomedical engineering degree program and put into place all of the best practices currently being used at the college. If we can help them build on their training and experience with the technology, it will help the school build a reputation and those students will stay in the impoverished community and provide assistance.”

Fall open house welcomes future students to DC

Durham College (DC) welcomed over 3,500 potential students, their friends and families, at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and Pickering Learning Site on November 15 during DC’s annual fall open house.

Highlighting the college’s innovative programs, high-tech classrooms, labs and state-of-the-art facilities, visitors were treated to information sessions and tours, with staff and students on hand at all three locations to answer any questions and provide important information about DC’s programs and departments, including Financial Aid and Awards and Admissions and Recruitment, as well as the application process.

Potential students also had the opportunity to meet and chat with DC’s Team Experience, which is bringing the college experience to prospective and current students, parents, teachers and the community via an amazing group of 14 students who offer a unique perspective of what a year in the life of a DC college student is really like, through a specially designed website, and social media platforms including blogs, videos, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For information on the more than 140 full-time programs offered at the college, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca.

Durham College receives additional funding to support work with IFTech

The Durham College (DC) Office of Research Services and Innovation (ORSI) has received $20,000 in additional funding from Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) to support its ongoing applied research work with IFTech Inventing Future Technology Inc. (IFTech), an Oshawa-based start-up company that specializes in wearable technology related to immersive gaming and virtual world simulation.

Received via OCE’s Voucher for Innovation and Productivity (VIP), which allows eligible companies to gain access to expertise and resources from colleges, universities and research hospitals to support commercialization, innovation, productivity, e-business and research and development, the funding will see DC faculty and student researchers continue their work on IFTech’s multi-sensory stimulation device – As Real As It Gets (ARAIG).

“ORSI, along with the college’s talented faculty and students, is pleased to be able to continue our exciting work with IFTech as we support the ongoing research and development of ARAIG,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, director, ORSI. “We have made great applied research progress since June – including offering students from our School of Science & Engineering Technology the opportunity to gain hands-on research and work experience – and we look forward to working together to bring ARAIG to market in the coming months.”

The college has been working with IFTech since June when it received an initial $20,000 in funding via an OCE VIP toward the introduction of an applied research project designed to support IFTech’s growth and expansion into the wearable technology marketplace with a focus on bringing ARAIG to a manufacture-ready, commercial product.

“OCE is proud to support IFTech and the incredible work they are doing with Durham College,” said Dr. Tom Corr, president and chief executive officer, OCE. “I had a chance to see their impressive technology up close and personal at our Discovery conference this year and I think it has terrific potential in a variety of applications.”

A wireless gaming suit, ARAIG immerses individuals into the reality of a gaming world by interacting with users to increase their immersion based on situations and/or interactions occurring within a range of media environments. The media environment, activities and interaction taking place in a virtual world translate into tangible sensory stimulations that affect the user’s interaction with the environment, resulting in the user being more aware of the virtual world through his or her heightened sensitivity.

The new funding will allow the college to conduct applied research specific to the creation of the wireless communications protocol of ARAIG – a component critical to the commercialization of the device. Under the project, the college will develop a wireless communication system between ARAIG’s sensors. Once completed, IFTech will own a universal wireless communication protocol that will allow it to use ARAIG for any application in any market appropriate to its sensory technology.

It will also allow IFTech to benefit from skills and expertise provided by the college’s faculty and student researchers including access to technical input, know-how and applied scientific research and development knowledge.

“Innovation is not just about an idea as there are thousands of innovative ideas that do not make it to market,” said Michael Stanfield, founder and co-chief executive offer, IFTech. “Theory, research, applied science, finance, market and business are required pillars to support the success of new innovations and we are very excited to be working with Durham College on this project. The college has proven to be a great fit with IFTech with its high-tech facilities, knowledgeable and experienced project leads and students that are adept at handling our applied research needs. We look forward to a continued working relationship with Durham College as our company grows.”

DC student wins Culinary Competition

Durham College (DC) Culinary Management student, Glenda Neatt, recently won the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) Culinary Competition  for her Gazpacho Martini Sorbet recipe, which consists of gazpacho with a splash of vodka churned into sorbet and garnished with roasted red pepper tuile (a thin, crisp wafer), sweet tomato chip and a greenhouse ‘olive’ cut from a cucumber and stuffed with red pepper.

The event, which took place at Cirillo’s Culinary Academy in Toronto on November 5, featured Neatt’s entry which impressed the judges as it uses all varieties of Ontario greenhouse vegetables, showcasing their diversity in a dish that could be served as an appetizer or dessert.

“It is clear that Glenda is a dedicated student with a natural talent for culinary creations who refined her recipe until she got it just right,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “Her wonderful achievement is a testament to the quality of teaching provided by the faculty at our Centre for Food (CFF) and we are very proud of her accomplishment.”

The first stage of the competition saw entries from culinary students across the province narrowed down to four finalists. After competing against students from Centennial and Humber colleges, Neatt won a KitchenAid food processor and hand mixer as well as a $500-cash prize. In addition, she showcased her winning entry on CHCH TV’s Morning Live show on November 7.

“It was great to be able to take part in the OGVG culinary competition,” said Neatt. “I am thrilled to have been able to work with wonderful Ontario greenhouse vegetables and explore creative ways to use them in culinary arts. The competition was a lot of fun and I am grateful for the help and support that I received from Chef David Hawey, professor and co-ordinator of the college’s culinary programs.”

In addition to Neatt’s recipe taking centre stage at the OGVG competition, it will be featured as a special menu item for a limited time at DC’s Bistro ’67, a 70-seat, full-service, green-certified, teaching-inspired restaurant housed at the CFF.

“Glenda is the third medal winner from the CFF in our first year of operation and we are thrilled with her success,” said Hawey. “Our students are some of the best and brightest in our community and we are confident the CFF will continue to produce award-winning culinary talent. Congratulations to Glenda on this wonderful achievement.”

With this win, Neatt joins the likes of DC graduate Sarah Lavergne, who won gold in both the culinary arts and cooking categories at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition and Skills Canada National Competition, respectively, last spring while she was a student of the college’s Culinary Skills program. In addition, Culinary Management students Marisa Latin and Michael Stowell-Smith also took home gold at the Winterloo Student Ice Carving Competition in Waterloo last winter.

Supported by celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, the CFF accommodates approximately 900 students studying in the college’s culinary, hospitality, event management, tourism, food science, agricultural and horticultural programs. In addition to being home to Bistro’67 it houses Pantry, a unique retail store that sells student-created fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and ready-to-cook meals prepared in house.

David Milgaard, advocate for the wrongly convicted, shared his story at Durham College

Durham College’s (DC) School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services welcomed more than 500 students, faculty and staff to a presentation by David Milgaard, advocate for the wrongly convicted, at the college’s Oshawa campus on November 5. His visit is an example of the college’s ongoing efforts to bring speakers to campus related directly to program curriculum.

Milgaard, who was arrested at age 16 and sentenced to life in prison for murder at age 17, discussed his experience with the Canadian justice system, touching on wrongful conviction processes; compensation for the wrongly convicted; the release of the wrongly convicted from prison, and more. He also answered questions from audience members, about his healing process following his release; his dreams for the future at age 16; and what he most looked forward to upon his release from prison, among many others.

For those who were unable to attend in person, a recording of Milgaard’s presentation is available to members of the DC community at www.theglobalclass.org and will be online for two weeks. A username and password are required to view the video and can be accessed by contacting lon.appleby@durhamcollege.ca.

Crowdfunding campaign achieves total funding for culinary herb garden project

Durham College’s (DC) first-ever crowdfunding initiative, Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community, is beginning to see financial support for the Centre for Food’s (CFF) landscaping needs come to fruition via funding from generous donors within the community.

Most notably, to date, 100 per cent of the funding required for the culinary herb garden has been achieved, thanks to generous donor Tina Bax, founder and president of CultureWorks, a private English-as-a-second-language (ESL) school located at post-secondary institutions such as Durham College, who pledged the full amount needed.

“Canadian colleges have the ability to be nimble. You see so many different programs cropping up, which is encouraging when you think about what it means for today’s young people,” said Bax. “All of these experiences help open their minds – at school! It’s great to have a chance to fund a creative, fresh facility like the CFF that combines both of my passions:  education and food. I hope to have a chance to participate in more of the CFF’s projects, and perhaps involve some of our international students or partners.”

In addition to the culinary herb garden reaching its fundraising goal, the fruit-bearing shrubs category is quickly gaining momentum, reaching 38 per cent of its goal, and the kitchen garden is up to 28 per cent.

Inspired by the college’s commitment to bring field to fork, the vision of bringing locally sourced, quality produce from field to table to Durham Region, Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community aims to garner support from the community for the completion of the landscaping and planting needed at the CFF. With 14 remaining projects to choose from, the campaign rolled out to alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students, community members and the general public in August.

The CFF was created in direct response to the demand of the local culinary, hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture sectors. Supported by ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy it opened to students in September 2013. Accommodating approximately 900 students studying in the college’s culinary, hospitality, event management, tourism, food science, agricultural and horticultural programs, it houses Bistro ’67, a teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a unique retail store that sells student-created fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and ready-to-cook meals prepared in house.

To make a donation or for more information on how the college is changing the way our local communities eat and grow food, please visit the Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community website.

DC celebrates graduates at fall convocation

Following its fall convocation ceremony on October 30 at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Durham College (DC) is proud to announce that more than 950 students from more than 110 programs graduated this fall. In addition, the college recognized the success of 420 students who earned a place on the highly regarded President’s Honour Roll as a result of their hard work and dedication.

“Whether you came to Durham College straight from high school; following the completion of a post-secondary credential in another field; or because you decided to make a career change – either by choice or by circumstance; tonight you are graduating from one of Canada’s top colleges,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC, as he addressed graduates during the ceremony. “That means that you have proven yourself in the classroom and workplace and have the tools to be successful in the workforce or in further post-secondary studies.”

The annual event honoured students from the schools of Business, IT & Management; Centre for Food; Continuing Education; Health & Community Services; Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services; Justice & Emergency Services; Media, Art & Design; Science & Engineering Technology; and Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology.

“Whatever your journey has been, each of you chose Durham College to further your education and for that we couldn’t be more proud,” said Lovisa.

DC’s Student Leadership Award winners include graduates Michelle Brand, Mikki Decker and Amy Galloway O’Neil , who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to campus life, and the commitment and exemplary leadership they demonstrated during their time at the college. In order to receive this award, students must accumulate a pre-determined amount of leadership points through the college’s Co-Curricular Recognition program by participating in activities that enhance student life; engage students; and encourage involvement.

The college’s fall convocation ceremony brings the total number of alumni to more than 67,000 strong. Video from the ceremony will be available in approximately two weeks at www.durhamcollege.ca/convocation.