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DC grads find success with Healthcare Leaders like Philips, GE and acute Healthcare Systems

It’s been a long journey, but Kerri-Ann Williams, a recent graduate from the Biomedical Engineering Technology program at Durham College (DC), has found success in her new role as field service engineer, Technical Leadership at General Electric Healthcare (GE Healthcare).

Her new job began with a rigorous training program that gives new employees the opportunity to work with a wide range of medical equipment and maintain and install medical devices such as ultrasounds and X-rays. Once her training is complete, Williams will be a full-fledged field service engineer with key responsibilities including device installation, servicing, repairs, training clinical staff and providing excellent customer service.

A native of Jamaica, Williams moved to Canada in 2011 and began her academic journey with DC in 2013. She credits the college for its excellent learning environment that supported her education and gave her the confidence to participate within the school.

“The program had a strong focus on developing the technical aptitude and hands-on skills required in the field of biomedical engineering technology,” said Williams. “One of the key things I noticed during my placement was that I was very familiar with the procedures and jargon used by the various healthcare workers that I had to interact with.”

Academic success wasn’t the only thing Williams pursued while at the college; she held a number of positions outside the classroom including DC Experience team member, co-chair on a fundraising committee for the Alumni Association and a work study student for two years with the Strategic Enrolment Services office.

The opportunities within the school helped Williams demonstrate her strengths in the field and build her confidence, which led to receiving excellent references for her job search. As a new graduate, Williams offers a piece of advice to future DC students: “I want to encourage new students, especially new immigrants, to step out of their comfort zone and put themselves out there. Get to know your new home and the wonderful people.”

DC, Spark Centre and UOIT partner to help small businesses develop robotic and automation products

Durham College (DC) has partnered with Spark Centre and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) to launch a new program aimed at helping small and medium businesses develop products focused on robotics and automation.

With funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), this initiative will offer a variety of services to support potential projects, including assistance with:

  • Development of a business/marketing plan.
  • Modification of control software.
  • Prototype design/development.

The funding can also be used to support access to facilities on the shared DC-UOIT Oshawa campus such as the DC Integrated Manufacturing Centre (IMC) and UOIT ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel.

“This program is a natural extension of Durham College’s leadership and innovation in robotics, automation, applied research and entrepreneurship,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, DC. “With the funding from NRC-IRAP and our partnership with Spark Centre and UOIT, the college will be able to further leverage the expertise of our faculty and students, as well as our state-of-the-art facilities such as the IMC, to address the critical need for technical and business services for small and medium-sized businesses in the automation and robotics space.”

To qualify for the program, companies must be incorporated and have less than 15 employees. Applications will be assessed based on suitability for the program and each organization’s capacity to complete its project. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 6. All projects must be completed by Wednesday, March 15, 2017.

Interested companies can apply by downloading the application form.

Durham College launches interactive campus map

Since opening in 1967 with only 16 portable classrooms and just over 200 students, Durham College (DC) has grown to comprise campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering.

To provide students, employees and visitors to campus with responsive and reliable directions and information on the many buildings, services and spaces available on campus, DC has developed an Interactive Campus Map for the Oshawa campus. Users can access the new map to find the following information:

  • Directions on how to get to all buildings at the Oshawa campus, as well as the distance to each location from a fixed point and estimated walking times.
  • Locations of food services, public transit stops and study areas on campus.
  • Information and fun facts about artwork and other points of interest.

The map is available now on the DC website, at the information kiosk in the Gordon Willey building and via the DC mobile app.

A project five months in the making, the map’s development was led by James Myers, a junior web developer in the college’s Communications and Marketing department, who graduated from DC’s Contemporary Web Design program in 2015.  

“As someone who spent a lot of time hurrying between my classes at DC’s Oshawa campus, I know the importance of finding the quickest possible route to get where I want to go,” said Myers. “I’m glad to have played a role in helping this project get off the ground and I hope it will be a benefit for everyone who attends classes, works on campus or wants to visit DC.”

The college will launch a similar map for the Whitby campus next week.

DC students and employees, as well as visitors to the Oshawa campus, are encouraged to try the new Interactive Campus Map and use the feedback function to share their user experiences and provide comments and suggestions. 

DC and McDonald’s team up for unique 50th anniversary opportunity

The year 1967 was an eventful one for Canada. Not only was our nation marking its 100th anniversary, but two unique institutions – Durham College (DC) and McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada – were celebrating their grand openings. Now, with their respective 50th anniversaries on the horizon, DC and the 23 other colleges that make up Colleges Ontario are joining forces with McDonald’s to offer new opportunities to the restaurant chain’s employees in Ontario.

Colleges Ontario, which serves as the umbrella group for the province’s applied arts and technology colleges, and McDonald’s have signed a partnership agreement that will allow management employees at the restaurant chain to receive credit towards a college business diploma if they complete specific training courses offered through McDonald’s. Employees who complete specified levels of company-based training will qualify to directly enter second year business or business administration programs at DC and other Ontario public colleges.

“This partnership is a win-win for Durham College and other public colleges in Ontario and our partners at McDonald’s,” said Marianne Marando, executive dean of DC’s School of Business, IT & Management. “Not only do McDonald’s employees gain access to top-flight courses and professors at DC, but the college gets to work alongside committed and motivated students who’ve already demonstrated their business acumen.”

Durham College looks forward to taking part in this unique partnership with McDonald’s and looks forward to welcoming employees to classes at DC’s School of Business, IT and Management in the coming months.

Applications now being accepted for Fall Accelerator program

After the continued success of the Durham College (DC) Accelerator programs, FastStart DC, along with the Spark Centre is pleased to announce it will be offering its Fall Accelerator program once again this October.

The program is designed to help students and graduates take their innovative ideas or business ventures to market faster while utilizing the professional services from an experienced support team. Over the course of the term, participants will develop their businesses, meet with industry professionals and participate in seminars and pitch competitions.

“We are very excited to again offer the Accelerator program,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “After the success of our incubator programs over the past year, we knew we wanted to give more students and alumni the opportunity to access the many benefits of participating in this type of program. Faster entry to market for their business, reduced start-up costs and providing a focused work environment for them to learn while they work alongside seasoned professionals are just some of the many benefits for participants.”

The 2015 Summer Accelerator was the first time the program was offered and 10 business ideas were chosen to be a part of the incubator. DC Entrepreneurship and Small Business student Michael Shankar, who created the brand marketing focused business Belle in a Box, was a member of one of the participating teams in the inaugural program. Over the past year he has become a regular in The VIBE (B233), not only as an Entrepreneurship Assistant working with FastStart, but also working on his second startup, Nich & Mikey.

“The Durham College Summer Accelerator was great,” said Michael. “It really taught me what I needed to support my business ideas. Working in The VIBE was also a great benefit of the program because it allowed me to work in a positive environment; filled with the people and resources I needed to be successful with my startup.”

The application deadline for students and alumni interested in participating in DC’s Fall Accelerator is Friday, September 16. Applications can be submitted via the FastStart website, with the program beginning on Monday, October 3 and running throughout the fall term, with the potential to continue throughout the winter.

DC and Region of Durham partner on co-production project

In collaboration with the Region of Durham’s Social Services Department, Durham College (DC) received support from the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF) to conduct a literature review and environmental scan focused on co-production. An emerging social innovation that explores the possibility of improving public service delivery in Durham Region, the co-production project was headed by Randy Uyenaka, professor, Social Service Worker program at DC and Dr. Darren Levine, Manager of Research and Innovation for the Region of Durham’s Social Services Department. The study analyzed research findings and interviews with organizations currently employing co-production.

“Research into new and emerging areas of best practice will keep our faculty and students at the forefront of learning in their respective fields,” said Uyenaka. “This project provided a unique opportunity for faculty and students in Durham College’s Social Service Worker program to work with a valued community partner to explore a new social innovation. It is our hope that the benefits of this project will be felt locally, provincially and nationally in the years to come.”

Co-production involves service providers and recipients working together in partnership, throughout all phases of the service delivery process. Through this project, DC and the Region of Durham’s Social Services Department are exploring the potential of co-production to enhance collaboration between faculty and students, social service professionals, and residents across our local communities to enhance services and improve individual and community outcomes.

An innovation lab was held at DC’s Centre for Food, during which faculty from the college and staff from the Region of Durham’s Social Services Department began to co-create ideas for applying co-production principles within the local community. Ideas included enriching on-campus support for students’ health and wellness; greater access to services through local neighbourhood communities of support; and enhancements to individualized service planning and delivery within social services, including employment programs.  The project team is currently exploring ways in which these ideas might help to inform planning and service delivery, as well as continued collaboration, in the years ahead.

DC student’s Gord Downie tribute helps raise funds for brain tumour research

When Durham College (DC) student Branson Schell returns to campus this September for his second year in the Animation – Digital program, he’ll have quite an addition to his portfolio. Schell’s water colour portrait of Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie went viral and is now being featured on t-shirts that will raise money for brain tumour research.

Downie announced in May that he has an incurable brain tumour; he’s now travelling Canada with the Tragically Hip on the bittersweet Man Machine Poem tour that will likely be his last.

An avid Tragically Hip fan, Schell was inspired to pick up his paintbrush by Downie’s music and circumstances. “It was only my second painting ever and it took about half an hour to complete,” said Schell. “I’m used to working with charcoal and pencil from my hand-drawing classes at DC, but I felt like I really need to use colour this time to capture him [Downie].”

After posting the portrait to his Instagram and Facebook profiles with the hashtag Gord Downie, Schell’s work began drawing attention and made its way to fellow fan Christina Parente who asked for permission to share the image on her Downie tribute website, deargord.ca. Next, popular music journalist Alan Cross included Schell’s painting in a poll to choose a Downie tribute image to be printed on t-shirts for a fundraiser in support of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. Schell’s artwork was announced the winning fan-favourite on July 20 after earning nearly 60 per cent of the hundreds of votes that were cast.

“I’m proud of the painting, and the attention it’s getting is great, but I’m even more proud of how it’s going to help raise awareness and funds for more brain cancer research,” said Schell.

He and his friends will be watching the live broadcast of the Tragically Hip’s final concert on Saturday, August 20, at an outdoor event in his hometown of Cobourg, Ont. He plans to have some t-shirts on hand to keep doing his part to fundraise.

DC plants its roots at Whitby Garden Tour

Durham College (DC) launched a unique partnership with the Whitby In Bloom (WIB) Committee for this year’s Garden Tour, which was held on July 16.

DC students from the Horticulture Technician and Horticulture – Food and Farming programs and faculty and Master Gardeners from the college’s Science & Engineering Technology Program Advisory Committee participated in the event, which gave the public the opportunity to tour many spectacular gardens in both Whitby and Brooklin.

The Garden Tour featured the Centre for Food’s (CFF) planting fields and greenhouse as one of 10 touring sites. At the CFF, participants explored the pollinator garden where students learn to identify types of plants, the hoop house which is used for fall and winter gardening, and the 200-tree orchard featuring five different types of apple trees.

“Our students and employees really enjoyed being part of the Whitby In Bloom event because it gave them a chance to meet with members of the local community and to explain the unique facilities we have at the Centre for Food,” said Susan Todd, dean of the School and Science & Engineering Technology. “We know that thousands of people pass by our Whitby campus every week and may often have been tempted in the past to stop by and learn more about the Centre for Food and our programs. This event was a great opportunity to let them learn what we’re all about.”​

In lieu of admission fees, committee members asked attendees to donate non-perishable food items for local food banks to drop-off boxes provided at each tour location. In addition to tours, WIB offered free garden seminars by industry professionals at Brooklin United Church in Brooklin. These included:

  • Mark Cullen, gardening guru and television star, who spoke about the ever-changing methods of gardening
  • Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaten director of Horticulture at Toronto Botanical Garden, who discussed gardening in small spaces
  • Vicki Taylor-Scott, expert garden designer, who explored the endless possibilities of container gardening

DC is proud to showcase the college’s sustainable living initiatives through programs promoting environmental responsibility, such as WIB, and would like to thank all those who volunteered and participated.

DC grads partner with McAfee Global Technologies to revolutionize digital security

Durham College (DC) Computer Systems Technology program graduates Joshua Kowalchuk and Robert Rogers know the world of technology is changing and evolving every day. After finding success with their start-up business, the two grads have partnered with international tech legend John McAfee and his company, MGT Capital Investments, Inc., to change the face of cyber-security for home and business owners across the world.

Kowalchuk and Rogers met before graduating from DC, establishing a mutual love for computers and information technologies. Together they provided IT consulting for local companies before founding their own internet service provider, Ontario High Speed Inc., in Whitby, Ontario in 2010. With no outside investors or working capital, growing the business was a slow process. However, five years later, the company had over 30 broadcast locations and roughly 500 happy customers, delivering high speed internet service to rural locations around Durham Region. The company’s first gigabit optical circuit and data centre became operational in 2012, and in 2013 the first prototype of the E-Tagged mobile device tracking software for a tractor dealership’s anti-theft system was introduced.

After seeing a video of the system at work, McAfee contacted the pair with an opportunity to work with his company, incorporating their software into a new form of high security systems. Kowalchuk and Rogers hope to expand the product’s reach from corporate applications to a broader array of uses, including home monitoring systems.

“John McAfee is a tech legend whose vision helped shape and change the new world of the personal computer, so it is a surreal experience,” says Kowalchuk of working with McAfee on their E-Tagged technology. “If you were to tell either of us 15 years ago that we would be working with him, we probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

The E-Tagged software analyzes radio signals broadcast by mobile phones, detecting their identity and alerting the owner with information such as the geographic location, MAC address and cellular carrier of the device in question. The system can be configured to call, text or email this information remotely. Whether monitoring a dealership’s sales lot or a house’s front door, the security system built from the E-Tagged technology will enable people to more easily protect the things they find most valuable.

Pokemon Go adds to fun on DC campus

Are Pokemon pursuing post-secondary studies at one of Ontario’s top colleges? The answer seems to be yes based on the hum of activity around campus at Durham College (DC) since the launch of Pokemon Go earlier this month.

The augmented reality game’s virtual animated creatures are invading DC with players (or trainers as they are known) flooding the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and Pickering Learning Site in an effort to catch ‘em all.

Pokemon Go and its trainers are great additions to DC’s vibrant campus, where classes and programming, summer camps and more are still underway throughout the summer.

While searching far and wide at DC to be the very best, trainers should be mindful of campus grounds and activities and be sure to look up from their phones (cue necessary safety tip here about the importance of stopping when pursuing Pikachu to avoid running into an obstacle while distracted!) to check out their surroundings and see for themselves why DC is the post-secondary destination of choice for students in Durham Region and well beyond.

DC’s Office of Campus Safety is also offering tips to help trainers stay safe while playing. These include:

  • Put down mobile devices while crossing the street.
  • Never trespass, enter restricted areas or break laws in an attempt to catch a Pokemon.
  • Avoid potentially dangerous places and situations, such as current construction around campus.
  • Team up with other players and travel in groups when possible, especially at night.
  • Continue to respect the college’s campus and community and avoid behaviour that disrupts day-to-day operations at DC.
  • Remember Campus Security are monitoring the college grounds 24-7 and should be contacted immediately regarding any health or safety concerns.

So, Pokemon trainers, collect your stardust, Pokecoins and candy; battle (virtually) to your heart’s content; and if you’re interested in taking your gaming skills to the next level, be sure to check out DC’s gaming and app-related programs, including Animation, Game Development, and Interactive Media Design through the School of Media, Art & Design, and Computer Programmer through the School of Business, IT & Management – applications for these programs are still being accepted for a September start.