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Durham College receives $1 million donation from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation to support farming operations

Durham College (DC) is pleased to share that The W. Garfield Weston Foundation (the Foundation) has donated $1 million to fund the expansion of farming operations at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF) to support experiential learning opportunities for DC students.

The success of the Horticulture Technician and Horticulture – Food and Farming programs over the last two years has resulted in a doubling of enrolment and a greater demand for fresh foods from the field. This donation will support the construction of a post-harvest and storage facility, greenhouse expansion and the implementation of container farming, all of which will increase and better process the CFF’s food production, allow for experimentation of newer agriculture practices, and provide students with new experiential learning opportunities.

“The Foundation is pleased to support Durham College and its students once again as they continue to pave the way for a new-generation approach to local food and sustainability,” said Eliza Mitchell, director, the Foundation. “This grant will allow for more food production, new opportunities to teach non-traditional farming and, most importantly, more chances for students to gain critical skills that will put them in demand upon graduation.”

The first half of the Foundation’s donation will go towards building the post-harvest conditioning and storage facility in the spring of 2019. This will improve the CFF’s process operations and farm work flows and provide for long-term storage of produce, while also minimizing food waste. Once completed, the grant will further support greenhouse expansion to increase space and allow for more students, plants and projects, and introduce innovative container farming to allow for small-scale agriculture and year-round growing. The additions will also increase the supply of fresh food coming directly to the CFF’s culinary programs and its business operations, Bistro ’67, Pantry and special events.

“On behalf of Durham College and the CFF, we are tremendously grateful for the generosity and the ongoing support from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation through this thoughtful donation,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “These projects will continue to enhance all of the CFF’s post-secondary programming and provide significant experiential learning benefits to our current students while further positioning us as best in class with our unique field-to-fork model of education and service delivery.”

Automotive students unveil 500 horsepower MK4 Roadster

On December 14, Durham College (DC) students in their final semester of the Automotive Technician – Service and Management program proudly unveiled a project that has been two years in the making – a road-ready, Factory Five Racing MK4 Roadster, built entirely by them.

Assembled piece-by-piece throughout four semesters, this unique shop project allowed the students to get their hands dirty while putting into practice the same mechanical theory they were learning in the classroom. Their first class started with taking a complete inventory of every component, a skill that will come in handy for students wishing to pursue a career as a parts and service advisor. They soon moved on to more complicated projects, like building a transmission or braking system, as their classes advanced.

What began as 25 boxes full of automotive components on day one of their first year has become an example of the exciting experiential learning opportunities that await students at DC. With the roadster complete, students will now have a strong foundation in the automotive industry, having gained hands-on experience in parts management, mechanical troubleshooting, exterior body work and more.

The Automotive Technician – Service and Management program offers students a mix of theory in mechanical procedures and essential business skills so that they are prepared for a large selection of jobs in the automotive sector – from a technician to parts advisor, and everything in between.

DC implements new software to enhance experiential learning for students

Durham College (DC) students have a new avenue for receiving experiential learning opportunities thanks to the college’s recent implementation of Riipen, a software platform that connects educators, industry partners and students together for course-based micro-experiences.

Driven by DC’s Career Ready Fund initiative funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), Riipen gives instructors the opportunity to search for or submit desired real-world work-integrated experiences with industry partners that they can embed into curriculum as in-class assignments, competitions or longer duration projects.

The three sided nature of the software, with educators, industry partners and students all having the ability to initiate projects, allows for better experience-matching and increased efficiency, aligning DC and industry in a way that scales quickly.

With the world’s largest library of proven experiential learning project templates available through Riipen for instructors and industry partners, faculty can select dynamic business challenges for students to solve in real-time that will enhance learning and better prepare them for the workforce.

Riipen was recently piloted successfully by classes in the School of Business, IT & Management, and several other academic schools have already identified opportunities for implementing the software in the new year to take experiential learning opportunities for faculty, staff and students to the next level.

Durham College celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Whitby campus

On December 12, Durham College (DC) celebrated its Whitby campus’s 25th anniversary surrounded by employees, alumni, corporate partners, donors and local politicians.

Once a Cadbury chocolate factory, DC purchased the property in 1992 and began the process of turning its vision for a training facility, focused primarily on skilled trades, into a reality.

The first group of students was welcomed in 1993. Fast forward to 2018 and DC’s Whitby location has evolved into an active post-secondary campus that is home to a range of programs across multiple disciplines. Corporate Training Services (CTS) has also been delivering client-focused and results-driven training solutions for decades, providing businesses and organizations with access to top experts and specialists in their respective fields.

“We are really proud of all we have accomplished at the Whitby campus,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “We’ve come a long way since its inception. The physical footprint and program offerings are constantly changing and evolving to meet the demands of both the marketplace and our students; and we will continue to grow as we head into the next 25 years.”

Home to more than 2,000 post-secondary skilled-trade students, 1,300 skilled-trade apprentices (which includes 150 high school level Ontario Youth Apprentices), 1,000 post-secondary students pursuing non-trades studies and 1,000s’ of other part-time students and corporate training clients through the college’s School of Continuing Education and CTS, the Whitby campus provides numerous opportunities for experiential learning.

Whether in the fields outside the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, in the two houses used as learning labs, working in the kitchen at the college’s teaching-restaurant Bistro ‘67 or the Industrial Maintenance Shop, students are able to use the skills they are being taught in realistic settings.

“We are only scratching the surface of the potential for the Whitby campus,” said Lovisa. “It’s grown in phases, from when we first made it a full campus by adding services, amenities and additional supports for students, to recently breaking ground on a new student residence for those studying here. It will need to continue to grow to further accommodate more students, more programs and new partnerships with industry. We will remain forward thinking in the days, months and years to come to ensure the history of excellence already established here in Whitby continues.”

DC students share their artistic talents as part of City Idea Lab student showcase

On December 7, TeachingCity partners the City of Oshawa, Durham College (DC), Trent University Greater Toronto Area and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology gathered together for the inaugural City Idea Lab student showcase.

City Idea Lab, which is part of TeachingCity, is an innovative, curriculum-based program that draws on the knowledge and creativity of college and university students who work directly with faculty and City staff to co-design solutions through active community research. Each course focuses on a particular City-identified problem statement embedded in the academic curriculum.

Supported by RBC Future Launch, the first City Idea Lab cohort included DC students and upper-year undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, who were asked to address the challenge question “how might the City of Oshawa better engage youth in priority neighbourhoods?”

Held at the TeachingCity Hub, the showcase was also the debut of a new mural within the space. Entitled, “The Balance” and designed by DC alumna Leana Anderson, a young Indigenous artist and graduate from the college’s Fine Arts – Advanced program, the piece is meant to embody ethical innovation.

In the next term of the City Idea Lab, DC students from the School of Media, Art & Design will take part in the Community Collaborations and Service Learning course.

Durham College once again one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers

Durham College (DC) has been named one of the Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2019. This is the eighth time the college has received this honour, which recognizes organizations for their progressive and forward-thinking employee programs.

DC is proud to be acknowledged for its commitment to ongoing employee development through programs such as Leave for Change, which offers faculty and staff the opportunity to transform their vacations into short-term leaves so they can volunteer in a developing country.

The fact employees can provide direct feedback to college leadership through programs such as the annual Retreat with the President was also noted, as was DC’s encouragement of healthy, active living through subsidized access to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre and the suite of services including massage and dietary counseling available in the Campus Health Centre.

“We are so pleased to once again be recognized for the college’s efforts to support our employees,” said Dr. Scott Blakey, chief administrative officer. “One of our greatest strengths is our people. It is through their talent and dedication that we can deliver on our mission that the student experience comes first.”

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the Greater Toronto Area employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Organizations are judged on several categories including physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

For more information, please visit www.canadastop100.com/toronto/.

Durham College to host artificial intelligence summit in June

Durham College’s (DC) Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence for Business Solutions (AI Hub) is pleased to announce plans for the inaugural Enable AI Summit, a one-day conference to be held on Thursday, June 6.

Using experiential learning to upskill attendees, the conference will provide a platform for community members to converge around core applications and empower businesses to solve complex operational problems through applied research and AI. Attendees will hear from industry experts, participate in master classes, and receive certification in specialized applications, while an awards ceremony and gala will take place at the conclusion of the summit, allowing for rich networking opportunities.

The announcement came during the AI Hub’s third Tech Talk on November 30, which featured a presentation from Mohsen Azari, senior cyber security lead at Walmart Canada, and a panel discussion with Farooq Naiyer, chief information security officer at ORION, and Danish Arshad, executive director at the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants, the world’s largest cyber security technical certification body. The sold out event, part of a larger speaker series that occurs throughout the year, explored cyber security and AI’s disruption of the threat landscape. Azari, along with other thought-leaders in the AI sector, will work alongside DC to develop the upcoming summit.

Customized for attendees at every level of the AI knowledge scale, the conference aims to showcase the potential nestled within the Durham Region and across the Greater Toronto Area. With the AI Hub celebrating its first anniversary this December, the summit will be an exciting event on the horizon as it continues to offer small and medium-sized enterprises a much-needed access point to the rapidly growing field of AI.

Operationally situated within the Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), the AI Hub is an extension of the college’s success in applied research, utilizing AI techniques and methodologies to solve complex business problems. The AI Hub began as an internal exploration of AI within the college and gradually mobilized into a community-facing, industry-focused application of AI across Ontario’s ecosystem.

DC hosts second free dental clinic with Health Mission Outreach

Good oral health is strongly linked to overall systemic health – and without dental care, many Canadians may be at risk for other diseases like respiratory disorders, heart disease and stroke.

To help combat this and assist those without dental insurance, students in Durham College’s (DC) School of Health & Community Services and School of Justice & Emergency Services spent their Saturday providing free dental care to over 100 of Durham Region’s vulnerable community members on November 24.

This free clinic is the second in six months that DC has hosted with Health Mission Outreach (HMO) – a medical charity organization that provides health care services to the disadvantaged – and the largest dental outreach initiative in the region, having helped over 260 people between the two events.

Working interprofessionally with dentists and other health care providers from HMO, approximately 85 Dental Hygiene, Practical Nursing, and Paramedic students provided intake, triage, blood pressure readings and dental assisting during the clinic. A collaborative effort between the two organizations, DC also supplied clinic space and student volunteers, while HMO provided dentists, equipment and sundries.

DC’s Dental Hygiene students receive ongoing experience and skill-building in the college’s Dental Clinic as they perform dental examinations and cleanings under the supervision of faculty and staff, but this free clinic with HMO also gave them, and students from other programs, the opportunity to give back to the community in which they live and study.

DC continues transformation of energy infrastructure on campus

With demolition of the Simcoe building complete, work is now underway on the Simcoe Geothermal Field and Innovation Centre at the Durham College (DC) Oshawa campus. Announced earlier this year, the project is part of the college’s ongoing transformation of its energy infrastructure to support and implement sustainably focused initiatives on campus.

Upon completion in April 2019, the geothermal field and connected heat pump house will harness 550 tons (1.9 megawatts) of clean, sustainable geothermal power to fuel the energy needs of the Gordon Willey building block.

While the underground geothermal system and connected Innovation Centre will provide environmental benefits to DC, the greater campus community will also benefit from what is above ground – a beautiful new greenspace similar to Polonsky Commons, which is also located on the Oshawa campus.

Additionally, the Simcoe Geothermal Field and Innovation Centre will create opportunities to act as living labs that provide new experiential learning opportunities. Working with knowledge partner Siemens, who is also the primary contractor for the geothermal field, students will explore green-energy technologies and careers while faculty will receive assistance in developing lessons incorporating geothermal technology into the curriculum.

New signage is now on display around the construction zone, featuring information about the geothermal field. Visit www.durhamcollege.ca/geothermal to learn more about geothermal energy as part of DC’s commitment and action to support sustainable and environmentally responsible operations.

DC students create new public art mural in Oshawa’s Civic Square

Durham College (DC) and its TeachingCity partner, the City of Oshawa, are excited to announce that a new public art mural designed by DC students has been installed on the retaining wall in front of City Hall on Centre Street in Civic Square.

Part of a community mural project which installs artwork at City Hall every other year, the theme of the vinyl mural is human rights, which augments the City’s first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Plan.

Sixteen Fine Art students in DC’s School of Media, Art & Design created the work in their Community Collaborations course – Leana Anderson, Christopher Cote, Kimberly Cuomo, Shania Dias, Devan Johnson, Amy Johnston, Tanice Laframboise, Tara Larkin, Nicole Marhong, Quinn Mcinall, Toni Mcmullen, Sonja Muskiluke, Andra Rusu, Kyle Samuel, Courtney Skovira and Viktoria Williams.

In addition to creating the final product, students also received first-hand experience working with City staff on creative placemaking, public art projects and incorporating community consultation.

“This project is a perfect example of experiential learning at its best,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Our students are able to use their extensive talents and the skills they are learning in class in a real-world setting, which is what the TeachingCity initiative epitomizes – learning, development and research for the betterment of the broader community.”

“The community mural project is another amazing TeachingCity initiative that sees post-secondary students engage with the Oshawa community and learn from and work with City staff,” says Oshawa Mayor John Henry.

The collaborative focus of the human rights mural project prioritized public input. Community feedback (received via a survey) inspired the students’ concepts, which were then reviewed and selected by the City’s Public Art Task Force. The students’ individual concepts came together in the final mural to artistically express views, experiences and hopes for human rights.