High school robotics teams from across Ontario converged at Durham College’s (DC) Oshawa campus from March 3 to 5 for the 2017 FIRST® Robotics Competition: Ontario District – Durham College event. FIRST is an acronym that means For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

This is the third year DC has sponsored the FIRST event, welcoming more than 1,000 students on 40 teams. Competitors demonstrated their engineering skills and knowledge playing FIRST Steamworks, a new game developed for the annual robotics battle. By the end, one alliance, comprising three teams working together, walked away victorious. Congratulations goes to teams 1285 (The Big Bang), 4939 (Allspark9) and 4946 (The Alpha Dogs), who all hail from the Peel District School board. They will be competing at the Ontario District Championships at the beginning of April and then, if successful, will head to the World Championships in St. Louis at end of that month.

The FIRST Robotics Competition: Ontario District – Durham College event was the first of nine qualifying competitions being held across Canada. FIRST is an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. In 2017, over 3,000 teams comprising more than 78,000 students from around the world will compete in FIRST Steamworks.

With more than 76,000 graduates and countless community and business supporters, Durham College (DC) makes it a priority to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the college, community and well beyond. With that in mind, the college is calling on community members to bring forward their nominations for DC’s 2017 Alumni of Distinction Awards and 2017 Honorary Credential, and is offering assistance to anyone who is interested in preparing a nomination.

“As we celebrate our 50^th anniversary in 2017, one of the best ways we can continue to inspire students and employees at DC is to shine a light on the many members of our community who are succeeding in their careers, giving back to their communities and paving the way for future generations,” said Don Lovisa, president of Durham College. “We want to recognize their success and thank them for their contributions, and the Alumni of Distinction Awards and Honorary Credential allow us to do just that.”

The Alumni of Distinction Awards honour the significant contributions DC graduates make to society while achieving career success. The Honorary Credential recognizes a community or business partner who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of DC, Durham Region and beyond. Both are given at the college’s annual spring convocation ceremonies in June.

“Alumni are always top of mind for the college, but even more so during this milestone year,” added Lovisa. “Our 50th anniversary year provides a natural opportunity to take those connections with our alumni to the next level, and I hope to see that surge reflected in the number of nominations we receive this year.”

A wide range of professionals have received the Alumni of Distinction Award including entrepreneurs, health-care leaders, journalists, multimedia designers, engineers, technicians and skilled trades professionals. Nominations are being accepted until Friday, March 10 through the DC Alumni office.

DC employees and members of the community are invited to nominate an individual for an Honorary Credential by completing a Nomination for Honorary Credential Form and submitting the package to Paul Bishop, executive director/registrar, Strategic Enrolment Services, by Saturday, April 1.

One of the first colleges established under the Ontario college system, DC takes immense pride in the way its graduates and community partners continue to help build a strong college, one that is committed to student success, and looks forward to recognizing these individuals in June.

Durham College’s (DC) Office of Development and Alumni Affairs kicked off the new DC Brewing Memories Coffee Tour with two stops right at home at the college’s Whitby and Oshawa campuses. The travelling series of events is part of DC’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017 and will see the college host coffee breaks throughout the year at 50 workplaces that employ DC graduates.

The tour is designed to provide opportunities for the college to re-connect with its graduates, hear their success stories, learn about their career paths and share with them all the new and exciting things happening at DC – all while enjoying free coffee, tea and baked goods.

Twenty DC employee-graduates gathered together at the Whitby campus on February 15 and more than 50 gathered at the Oshawa campus on February 16. Each attendee had the opportunity to share details of their program and year of graduation, and received a commemorative “DC alumni at work” sticker to be proudly displayed around the office.

The tour’s next stop will be at Lakeridge Health Port Perry hospital. DC alumni who would like to have the college visit their workplace should contact Lisa McInerney.

Durham College’s (DC) singing president is back and this time he’s brought company! On February 10, DC president Don Lovisa joined musical forces with 49 members of the college community, including students, alumni, employees and governors, for 50 Guitars for 50 Years, a jam session in celebration of DC’s 50th anniversary in 2017.

Gathered on the steps of the Student Services building at DC’s Oshawa campus, 50 guitarists came together to strum, sing and celebrate their college with two musical numbers: “A Lesson Learned in Time,” an original song written by DC employee Justin Lant in honour of the college’s milestone year, and “Ahead by a Century,” a Canadian classic by The Tragically Hip.

• Watch the DC video for “A Lesson Learned in Time”.
• Watch the DC video for “Ahead by a Century”.

Lant, a member of the college’s Facilities Services department for nearly four years, is also a member of the popular local band 20 Amp. Aware of his talents as a musician and songwriter, Lant’s supervisor, Suzanne Chasse, approached him with the idea of writing a song that would draw on the theme of DC’s 50th festivities, The Start of Something Amazing. Lant, a guitarist and keyboardist, then wrote “A Lesson Learned in Time” to match the inspirational vibe of the celebrations, complete with lyrics based on the school’s history.

The 50 Guitars group also opted to play “Ahead by a Century,” the beloved anthem by Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip, as a nod to the recently retired group’s legacy. The song was the last one performed by the band at their final concert on August 20, 2016.

Part of the college’s year-long celebration of its 50th year, the 50 Guitars for 50 Years jam session is one of many events DC is holding to bring its community together, raise awareness of its milestone year and spread the word about the upcoming 50th Homecoming Weekend festivities that will be held on Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9.

Community members, including DC alumni, employers and community partners, are encouraged to join the celebrations by visiting the college’s 50th anniversary website, where they can share favourite DC memories, explore the college’s history, watch videos and find a complete list of upcoming events.

Roses are red, and ketchupy too, when made of Doritos® chips, admiring them is what you’ll do!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, people are making their final preparations to surprise the ones they love. This year, faculty and students from Durham College’s Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts and Culinary Management programs are helping to put a new spin on traditional flowers and chocolates by playing a key role in the Doritos® Ketchup Roses campaign.

Initially launched for Valentine’s Day in 2016, the roses, which come in both a bouquet of 12 and single stems, are tied to the limited-time release of one of Doritos most-loved flavours – Doritos Ketchup. In conjunction with the return of this flavour in 2017, the DC faculty and students were tasked with carefully handcrafting the flowers to be used in the deliciously crunchy bouquets.

“We are thrilled to be part of this fun project, which is another example of how we provide students with one-of-a-kind opportunities to build unique skills and showcase their talents, in addition to the experiences they have in our classrooms and labs,” said Tanya Heck, a chef and professor in the Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts program. “In addition to mastering the technique needed to handcraft the roses, students are gaining first-hand experience in proper food handling practices, operations and logistics management and the important art of working with clients.”

Chip fans in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have been given the opportunity to request bouquets online. Orders for Toronto and Montreal will begin their journey from DC’s W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF), for distribution on Tuesday, February 14.

With hundreds of hours required to prepare the individual roses, planning and work has been underway for months under Heck, who built and led a team of four faculty and 18 students in the creation of the delicate, crunchy bouquets. From the prototyping phase, to determining the best process for both assembly and the final aesthetic, to producing the final roses for delivery on the big day, DC students are getting a unique opportunity to be part of a pop-culture phenomenon while learning and gaining real-world experience.

“This has been such a unique opportunity,” said Kristin Atwood, a student in her second semester of the Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts program. “I have been working with faculty on the project since the college was chosen to assemble the roses. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see everything come together, from developing the prototypes and refining our technique, to finalizing the bouquets. We are really looking forward to sharing our hard work with the enthusiastic and hungry Doritos Ketchup fans.”