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DC hosts virtual engineering sessions for Durham District School Board

Durham College (DC) was pleased to partner with the Durham District School Board to support an interactive and collaborative learning experience for students at R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate & Vocational Institute (CVI) in Oshawa.

On March 31, DC’s School of Science, Engineering & Technology (SET) professors Beau James, Dimitri Stathopoulos and David Duncan hosted “Engineering: Electromagnetism” – a live-streamed event for members of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Club at R.S. McLaughlin CVI. Students were given the opportunity to create their own electromagnet, using personalized DC-branded kits delivered to them prior to the event. The session concluded with a discussion around electromagnetism applications by innovative autonomous vehicle companies, such as Tesla – a newsworthy topic that captured the interest of many participants.

“Given the impact COVID-19 has had on schools throughout our community, this initiative provided an opportunity to foster important relationships with students interested in STEM-related programs, and promote the benefits of collaborative education,” says Dr. Rebecca Milburn, executive dean. “The college is thrilled to play a role in inspiring the next generation of learners and offer a glimpse into the exciting field of electromagnetism at a time when students are planning their academic futures.”

This is not the first time DC has supported the Science department at R.S McLaughlin CVI. In November 2020, David and Dimitri filmed labs for two of teacher Nadia Baby’s classes when students switched to virtual learning and were unable to access the high school’s labs. For Grade 11 Chemistry, David and Dimitri demonstrated the method of Titration to calculate the concentration of antacid in a TUMS tablet. In Nadia’s Biology class, the professors led a lab on the “Spread of a Virus,” using the indicator phenolphthalein, and asked the students to create a plan to trace the person originating the virus – a timely topic the students enjoyed relating to their own studies.

“Partnering with Durham College has allowed me to provide an enriching experience for my students after a year of change and uncertainty,” says Nadia Baby, Grade 11 and 12 science teacher, R.S. McLaughlin CVI. “I’m grateful for the impact this has had on my classes and look forward to working with Durham College again in the future.”

DC grad nominated for Daytime Emmy® Award and James Beard Foundation Award

Kristin Atwood, an alumna of the Durham College (DC) Culinary Management program, has been combining her passion for food and filmmaking since graduating in 2017. What began as a freelance gig creating media content for local restaurants, has since evolved into an award-winning independent production company called Chef Studio, where she produces cooking tutorials and web series that bring the joy and magic of cooking to digital streaming and video-on-demand platforms.

With more than 5 million views on her channel, Kristin has been able to turn Chef Studio into a thriving full-time job, allowing her to showcase her creativity and skill in cinematography, as well as her culinary prowess as she helps others learn to cook. It’s also landed her two incredible nominations.

This week, her At Home Pasta series was nominated for an Emmy® Award – which recognizes outstanding achievement in daytime television – in the Outstanding Single Camera Editing category. The seven-part series was inspired by the lack of kitchen staples available in grocery stores during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, when “panic buying” was at it’s worst. Using a few simple ingredients, Kristin was able to develop unique recipes, like beet pasta or egg yolk and ricotta ravioli, and created short films that explain how viewers could easily replicate these meals at home.

Chef Studio is up against five other programs in this category from Netflix, Hulu, and the Food Network, with the winner set to be announced at the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Lifestyle Programming ceremony on Sunday, July 18 at 8 p.m. ET. The series was also recently nominated for two Webby Awards in the Best Food and Drink and Best How-To, Explainer and DIY categories.

Prior to her Emmy nomination, Kristin was also recognized in 2020 with a prestigious nomination for a James Beard Foundation Award – America’s most coveted and comprehensive honour for chefs, restaurants, journalists, authors and other leaders in the food and beverage industry – for her series The Crumby Bits. With a focus on creating something beautiful and delicious out of ingredients that would have normally been considered scrap, waste, wilted or worthless, Chef Studio’s Cricket Macaron episode received its nomination in the Online Video, Fixed Location and/or Instructional category for its innovative take on culinary sustainability.

Kristin was also recently the recipient of an Alpha Female+ Grant. For her grant project, she intends to create a five-part series called Flight of the Bumblebees which will celebrate the beauty of spring and summer, and highlight the important work honeybees do during those seasons.

Congratulations to Kristin for her incredible culinary and filmmaking successes – your DC family is cheering you on from home!

Watch one of Kristin’s Chef Studio videos below – Making an Edible Forest Floor, as part of her Best Laid Schemes cooking series inspired by the lands and lochs of Scotland, where she currently resides.

Durham College’s Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation receives over $2.788 million in grants

Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) is pleased to announce that small – and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area will have enhanced access to support from its Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation, thanks to two separate grants, totalling more than $2.788 million.

Grant one: College and Community Innovation Grant

The first is a $2-million College and Community Innovation Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Provided over the course of five years, the funds will play an integral role in the Centre’s ability to scale up its applied research activities to meet and address the demand for its services from SMEs.

“We are incredibly grateful to be receiving this grant,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “Given the growth SMEs are experiencing within the economic heart of Ontario, we know there is an urgent need to improve these businesses’ cybersecurity capabilities. However, the current capacity of the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation could not meet this demand. Thanks to the additional funding we will now be able to provide dedicated faculty research time and resources to address the cybersecurity skills gap by training students and transferring knowledge to our immediate partners and the broader community.”

With the help of expert researchers, student talent and technology partnerships, the Centre will help SMEs develop and integrate cyber defense technologies and increase their cybersecurity awareness by undertaking applied research that falls under two themes –developing cybersecurity products and services with cybersecurity companies, and reducing the risks of cyberthreats to companies with critical infrastructure and operations. This will ultimately increase consumer confidence in the digital economy, promote international standardization, and better position Canada’s SMEs to compete globally.

Grant two: College Industry Innovation Fund Grant

The second is a College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) grant for a total of $788,509. Awarded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, these funds will be used to enhance the research capacity of DC’s Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation by bolstering its infrastructure.

“Given increasing cybersecurity demands from small- to medium-sized business (SMEs), combined with an accelerated digital transformation, and the number of people now working remotely, it’s more important than ever for SMEs to protect their information systems,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “This generous CIIF grant will play an integral role in helping the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation meet our clients’ needs.”

Thanks to the Centre’s enhancements, including purchasing new technology and software, adding technical personnel and building capacity for more equipment to effectively manage the increased power and security firewall demands, faculty and student researchers will be able to develop cybersecurity products and services and reduce the risks of cyberthreats to companies with critical infrastructure and operations.

Established in 2020, the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation was launched as part of a plan to increase cybersecurity applied research capacity at DC. To learn more visit www.durhamcollege.ca/CentreforCybersecurityInnovation.

Three DC students earn podium finishes with a gold and two bronze at the Skills Canada Virtual National Competition

Three Durham College (DC) students are celebrating after successfully finishing on the podium at the Skills Canada Virtual National Competition (SCVNC).

Held on June 15, Mark Steele won gold for IT Network Systems Administration, while Cameron Billingham and Glesy Panaga, claimed bronze for Photography and Baking.

Designed to engage Canadian youth by promoting careers in skilled trades and technologies, the SCVNC is the largest trade and technology competition event of its kind in the country for apprentices and young students.

Steele, Billingham and Panaga earned their place at the event after winning gold in their respective categories at the Skills Ontario competition in May.

“Once again these three students rose to the occasion,” said Dr. Elaine Popp, executive vice president, Academic, Durham College. “They’ve continued to demonstrate their talent, this time on a national stage, taking the technical, hands-on skills they have been honing during their studies at Durham College and applying them with innovation, creativity and passion to their respective competition challenges. We are extremely proud of their success.”

Skills Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization which partners with Skills Canada organizations in each of the provinces and territories, and works with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trade and technology careers among Canadian youth.

Senior experienced leaders assume chair and vice-chair of Durham College Board of Governors

The Durham College (DC) Board of Governors (BOG) is pleased to announce Kristi Honey as the new board chair and Gary Rose as vice-chair, respectively, effective Thursday, July 1, 2021.  The appointments are for a one-year term.

As chair of the BOG, Kristi brings over 20 years of private and public executive leadership experience to the role, including starting a global consultancy that grew to a multi-million-dollar enterprise, and was recognized by Microsoft as a top 5 per cent global partner. Currently the chief administrative officer for the Township of Uxbridge, she is also a DC graduate and Alumni of Distinction recipient for her success as an entrepreneur. In addition to her diploma, Kristi also holds a Bachelor of Management and Masters of Business Administration degree.  An active community volunteer, Kristi is a champion of human rights and environmental causes having been recognized for her efforts by Women of Influence’s Global Series as one of Canada’s leading women driving equality, diversity, and inclusion nationally and internationally.

As vice-chair of the BOG, Gary brings more than 30 years of progressive experience at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in corporate finance and project planning and execution.  Gary is currently a vice-president within OPG’s Enterprise Projects Organization on the Darlington Refurbishment project and is supporting planning of OPG’s new nuclear Small Modular Reactor at Darlington.   For eight years, Gary served as a trustee on the Whitby Public Library Board and during this tenure, served on all committees and held the position of Vice-Chair and Chair of the Board.  Gary is a Chartered Professional Accountant, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and holds a Project Management Professional certification.

The BOG is responsible for the governance of DC. It is accountable to the students, employees and communities the college serves, ensuring the college is effectively and appropriately managed to achieve its established mandate and to provide needed services.

As chair, Kristi will be responsible for ensuring the board meets its responsibilities and established mandate through collaborative leadership, openness and transparency. To learn more about the roles of chair and vice-chair of the board, read the Board policy.

Durham College launches fifth applied research centre, the Social Impact Hub

It’s been estimated that Canadians are paying more to ignore Canada’s housing problem than they would to fix it, inflating costs related to health care, justice and other taxpayer-funded services. So, how do we fix an issue that is costing both those experiencing homelessness, and those that are not? The simple answer is through social innovation.

Over the last several years, through funded collaborations with community partners, Durham College (DC) has developed a distinct cluster of 14 valuable applied research projects focused on social innovation, receiving $1,324,544 in overall funding. These projects tackle everything from homelessness and mental health, to equity and accessibility, training and more.

Last week, following the successful launch of DC’s four previous applied research centres, the Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) announced the opening of its new Social Impact Hub at a virtual event alongside numerous DC researchers, President Don Lovisa and John Henry, chair and CEO of The Regional Municipality of Durham and project partners.

“As a leading post-secondary institution and applied research centre, we are committed to exploring and developing solutions to the barriers our communities face,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The applied research being completed at Durham College underscores the importance of innovation and ingenuity, and I am incredibly excited to see how the Social Impact Hub will help address the gaps and inequalities that exist within our society through this lens.”

Social innovation refers to a process, initiative or product that seeks to address a societal challenge by improving upon or redesigning the systems that make up our society. This type of work involves collective action through community partnerships, leading to valuable outcomes that benefit groups of people, not just the individual.

“Our researchers are passionate and committed in their drive to impact the lives of people in our community,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “I’m very proud to be launching the Social Impact Hub, to recognize their work and create a forum for ongoing dialogue and meaningful partnerships that lead to change.”

By leveraging faculty expertise, student talent and strong community partnerships, researchers at the Social Impact Hub will continue their work to identify creative solutions to complex social challenges through leading-edge social innovation projects and initiatives.

Ongoing projects at DC in this area of research include:

  • Building Bridges Together: Co-production of Financial Empowerment Strategies with People Experiencing Low Income
  • Innovation Through Co-production: A Holistic Approach to Supporting Social Competency in Pre-school Children
  • Enriching Firefighter Training Through the Development of a Novel Virtual Reality Training Simulation for Personalized Precision, Skill and Resilience Training
  • Enhancing Virtual Mentorship to Reduce Social Isolation of Youth
  • Support for Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

DC researchers have also completed a number of projects, including the unique Co-design of a Youth-led Housing Hub: Developing a Unique and Scalable Housing Model for Youth Living on Their Own in Durham.

For more information on the Social Impact Hub, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/socialimpacthub or to collaborate or connect with the hub, please email socialimpacthub@durhamcollege.ca

ORSIE provides support for applied research through access to funding opportunities, faculty expertise, state-of-the-art research facilities, and student learning experiences. In partnership with industry and community agencies, projects are carried out by DC faculty experts and students and administered by ORSIE. Since its inception in 2009, ORSIE has undertaken 360 research projects and initiatives. To connect with ORSIE, please reach out online.

Durham College recognizes the class of 2021

Durham College (DC) pride is at an all-time high as it celebrates the class of 2021. While a physical convocation ceremony wasn’t possible, graduation festivities are in full swing as friends, families and the entire college community have come together to celebrate the hard work of its more than 3,800 graduates.

They will be invited to attend an in-person ceremony when it is safe to do so, however it was important to mark the completion of the students’ credentials once the semester ended, so the college has created a dedicated Convocation Recognition Website.

Filled with elements typically seen at convocation, the site features:

  • Messages of congratulations from DC’s chair of the Board of Governors, president, and executive vice president, Academic, as well as the deans from each academic school.
  • The names and programs of all graduating students.
  • The names of student award winners.
  • Virtual shout-outs and recognition for grads submitted by family, friends, faculty and more.
  • A list of frequently asked questions related to graduation.
  • Links to order DC merchandise, from grad rings to flowers.
  • Information about life as a college alumni, including details about special benefits for DC grads.
  • Digital DC swag so #DCGrad2021 pride can be shared online.

In addition, the site acknowledges this year’s Alumni of Distinction winners. The Alumni of Distinction award honours the extraordinary contributions DC graduates make to society while achieving career success. Congratulations to Tamara Dus (Registered Nursing, 1996), Caroline Wright (Sport Management, 1996), Thomas Coughlan (Business Administration – Accounting, 2005) and Stuart Petrie (Mechanical Engineering Technology, 2014).

The DC Alumni Association (DCAA) is also helping celebrate the graduates by providing free, DC-branded lawn signs for display at their homes so they can proudly mark their achievement.

“Given the circumstances of the past year, this class of students has displayed an incredible amount of perseverance,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Amidst a lot of challenges and change they have completed their post-secondary education, which is anchored in transformative, hands-on learning, innovation and courses that responded to current trends. As a result they have developed flexibility, resilience and a sense of purpose, which will certainly serve them well throughout their careers. On behalf of the entire college community, I want to congratulate each and every one of them.”

DC inspires Kedron P.S. students with mentorship program and robotics lab tour

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.

Image for Robotics N&N - student 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.

DC leads Canadian consortium in launching training modules as part of Pacific Alliance Education for Employment Program technical assistance

As part of its participation in the Pacific Alliance Education for Employment Program (PA-EFE), Canadian consortium A.08, project lead Durham College (DC), alongside Fanshawe College and Vancouver Island University, recently delivered the first of a series of training modules to 50 participants representing the ministries of education for Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Peru, as well as other key stakeholders.

Designed to focus on skills development, the Canadian consortium has committed to teaching representatives tips and strategies so they can develop and implement marketing campaigns to promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training in the four countries, with a specific focus on reaching women and marginalized populations.

Additional modules are planned for the coming months, giving the participants opportunities to share experiences, learnings, best-practices and resources between their various networks.

Funded by Global Affairs Canada and administered by Colleges and Institutes Canada, the PA-EFE program involves more than 1,500 employers and learners engaging in dialogue on educational best practices and how to strengthen institutional management. In addition, 105 trainers are able to access pedagogical strategies. Focus areas include training approaches, competence-based education, and leadership instruction.

To learn more about DC’s international initiatives, visit the International Education office website.

 

DC’s AI Hub hosts second Enable AI Summit for 230 industry professionals

On June 3 and 4, the Durham College (DC) Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence for Business Solutions (the AI Hub) held their second Enable AI Summit – this time virtually from the City of Oshawa– for more than 230 attendees.

The first conference of its kind held in the Durham Region, the two-day event featured panel discussions and keynote sessions demonstrating how AI has supported organizations across Canada as they’ve navigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event brought together industry leaders from across the region, authorities on AI from various municipalities and associations, as well as subject matter experts and talent from DC, to explore topics from computer visioning technologies and telemedicine, to predicting models and Blockchain.

Sessions included:

  • Predicting User Behaviour
  • Expert Systems for Improving Learning Outcomes
  • Natural Language Processing in Healthcare
  • Touchless Authentication and Vision Models
  • Hacking Smart Contracts with Machine Learning
  • From DC to Industry: Alumni Panel

DC President Don Lovisa, along with City of Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter and Town of Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier delivered opening comments on innovation and the digital transformation that is shaping our present and future by finding sustainable ways to tackle real-world problems.

Ramzi Abdelmoula, managing engineer, AI innovation at General Motors, gave the keynote address about the potential of AI to transform and bring benefits to our lives while numerous industry experts joined the panel sessions, including representatives from BlokSec, ShiftLink, GroundLevel Insights, Health Espresso, BMO, ConnexHealth, and Precise ParkLink.

Panel discussions provided insight on how to develop the cutting-edge skills required to adopt and apply AI to business strategies to accelerate sustainable economic growth. Tushar Singh, CEO and founder of Minute School, gave the closing address at the end of the two days.

Housed within the Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the AI Hub offers industry partners access to technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and platforms, and student talent to uncover business insights while providing intelligent and autonomous solutions that increase organizational productivity and growth.