Students from Durham College’s (DC) Dental Hygiene and Personal Support Worker (PSW) programs had the opportunity to broaden their area of knowledge and expertise through an experiential learning session facilitated by their professors.

The 90-minute session is in its third year, with the purpose of promoting collaboration and dialogue between the dental hygiene and PSW students. This allows students to share best practices surrounding senior care in the areas of mobility and the importance of oral maintenance.

At the beginning of the session students are divided into pairs, with a representative from each program. During the first 45 minutes the PSW students facilitate discussions surrounding mobility. The focus of this component is to educate dental hygiene students about the numerous mobility limitations a client may experience. PSW students then demonstrate and guide dental hygiene students through best practices for transferring clients from wheelchair to dental chair.

During the second half of the session, the dental hygiene students took the lead with a presentation relating to oral care, diseases and prevention methods. Following the presentation, they discussed and demonstrated effective strategies for clients who are resistant to oral care.

To help facilitators continue to improve this learning opportunity, participants were asked to complete a short, reflective survey on the experience.

This experiential learning session will be showcased at the upcoming Canadian Dental Hygienists Association conference in Victoria, B.C. this October.

It was an exciting hour for the students and employees of Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food (CFF) when, on Wednesday, September 30, CTV’s Anwar Knight broadcast live during the News at Noon.

Sharing the CFF’s field-to-fork vision with viewers, Knight spent time learning about the programs and touring the spaces within the centre, beginning with a look at the fields outside the CFF. Knight then visited one of the culinary labs where students were preparing dishes using produce harvested that day. While there Peter Lee, a culinary professor and program coordinator at the CFF, discussed the importance of the field-to-fork philosophy to the student’s curriculum and local food movement.

Knight also visited the CFF’s greenhouses, speaking with Shane Jones, a professor from the School of Science & Engineering Technology, about his cold frame technology research. He also spent time with Bistro ‘67’s executive chef Ron Subden discussing edible flowers, even sampling a surprisingly delicious popcorn seedling.

“We were thrilled to welcome Anwar Knight and CTV to see the CFF first-hand,” said David Hawey, chair, Centre for Food. “There is such diversity in the work we’re doing and what we’re teaching the students; the best way to understand it is to see it first-hand. Opportunities like these really help share our vision.”

For anyone interested in learning more about the programs offered at the Centre for Food or Bistro ’67, the CFF’s green-certified teaching restaurant visit www.durhamcollege.ca/cff.

The CTV News at Noon live-eye can be viewed here. Clips from the visit can be found throughout the broadcast.

Visitors to the South Village Courtyard at Durham College (DC) and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)’s joint Oshawa campus were likely to think they had been transported to a farmer’s market as the institutions hosted their second-ever Campus Market on October 1.

As part of the DC and UOIT Sustainability offices’ commitment to raising awareness about the availability of locally grown food, students, employees and members of the community were treated to a variety of fresh items from local vendors, including meat, vegetables and baked goods. Food trucks were also onsite serving up their wares.

DC’s culinary and horticultural students participated by assisting in the harvesting of crops from outside the Centre for Food (CFF), which were then sold at the market, providing them with an opportunity to bring the CFF’s field-to-fork vision to life.

For anyone looking to purchase fresh, local food year-round, be sure to visit Pantry, the unique retail store located on the first floor of the CFF. There they will find an assortment of delicious, high-quality foods prepared by the college’s culinary students, from fresh-baked breads to frozen entrees and pickled vegetables, jams and jellies.

In an effort to bring the political process to students and the wider community, Durham College (DC), Trent University Durham and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) co-hosted two federal candidates’ debates on DC and UOIT’s shared campus, on September 30. A candidate and networking exposition was also offered.

Candidates running to become a federal Member of Parliament, representing the Oshawa and Durham ridings, engaged in separate 60-minute debates while the networking expo gave students and community members the opportunity to discuss issues and speak with the candidates representing the Conservative, Green, Liberal and New Democratic parties.

“Providing opportunities for our students to become engaged, politically savvy citizens is very important,” said Tony Doyle, chief of staff, Durham College. “For many, this is the first time they are old enough to vote; we want to provide a venue for all students to learn as much as possible about the candidates, the parties and the election process. We hope these efforts will result in a very large student turnout on election day.”

In addition to the debates and networking showcase, there is broad interest both on- and off-campus in connecting students to the election. A number of DC professors have established election-specific assignments within courses, student clubs have arranged sessions on campus with local candidates, and the college worked with Elections Canada to set-up information booths at its Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

The federal election will be held on Monday, October 19.

On Thursday, September 24 Durham College (DC) hosted its first-ever Harvest Dinner at the Centre for Food, in celebration of the fall season. One hundred members of the community gathered to enjoy a meal featuring a variety of food, including produce and herbs that were planted, picked and prepared by DC students and to celebrate the college’s first crop yield.

The multi-course meal, served family style, was inspired by the CFF’s field-to-fork vision, which is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food – in particular the production of local food for local consumers. CFF ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy was on-hand to assist with menu planning and worked with the culinary students in the kitchen while guests dined under the stars, surrounded by the CFF’s fields and greenhouses.

“Not only was the Harvest Dinner an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fall season with the community, it was also the culmination of several years of hard work on the part of Durham College employees and students,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “The vision has also come together through the generosity of the broader community. We now have the dedicated resources and energy to bring the field-to-fork vision to life and it’s thrilling to see it all coming together.”

Highlights from the dinner included smoked loin of Ontario pork (beef and chicken were also available) with a beet and apple chutney, Linwood Acres trout with lemon geranium and chili peppers and a harvest vegetable medley consisting of carrots, cauliflower, roasted baby corn, Brussels sprouts, green beans and onions. Dessert consisted of several tarts, pumpkin cheesecake and strawberry rhubarb mini pies.

“As the ambassador for the Centre for Food, I was very excited to be part of this harvest celebration,” said Chef Jamie Kennedy. “Celebrating fresh, seasonal and local food is at the heart of my culinary philosophy and fall is a one of my favourite times of the year. It was great to be able to share the season with the students and wider community.”

For anyone who missed out on the Harvest Dinner, they can stop by Bistro ’67, the CFF’s green-certified, teaching-inspired restaurant, to enjoy more of the centre’s produce yields. Chef Kennedy will be onsite on select Thursdays throughout the year for a special dining experience. These evenings will feature great food, inspired by Chef Kennedy and the CFF’s philosophy, served in a creative learning environment that represents what happens when communities, local farmers and education work together. Upcoming dates include Thursday, October 22 and Thursday, November 19.