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Durham College hosts Harvest Dinner at the Centre for Food

Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food (CFF) is hosting its first Harvest Dinner on Thursday, September 24. Tantalize your taste buds with a menu featuring fresh food grown and harvested by DC food and farming students, cooked by DC culinary and baking students, and served by DC hospitality and event planning students.

Meet special guest and Centre for Food ambassador, celebrity Chef Jamie Kennedy, who will be in attendance to support the CFF’s vision of ‘field-to-fork’ – a concept that is shaping the future of local food and farming industries to help maintain Ontario’s strong agricultural tradition.

Proceeds from the Harvest Dinner will fund bursaries for students enrolled in the CFF’s culinary, baking, food and farming, event planning and hospitality programs. The bursaries will be awarded in the winter semester – January 2016, and applicants will be required to submit a 500 word essay as to how the “field-to-fork” vision and local produce is crucial to the future of their industry.

This event is proudly hosted in partnership with Foodland Ontario.

Date Thursday, September 24
Time 5:30 p.m. – Cocktails 6:30 p.m. – Dinner Cash bar will be available.
Location Durham College, Centre for Food 1604 Champlain Ave., Whitby, Ont. L1N 6A7
Ticket Information Cost – $60 per ticket

To purchase tickets, please contact Gayle Anderson by email or 905.721.2000 ext. 4242. Please note, a limited number of tickets are available.

100 Men of Scugog creates new bursary for DC students

On Tuesday, August 25, representatives from the 100 Men of Scugog group were on-hand at Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food at the Whitby campus to present President Don Lovisa with a cheque for $4,400. The funds, to be administered over four years, will be used to support a new bursary for DC students from the Scugog region who are in financial need.

“We are honoured that 100 Men of Scugog has chosen the Durham College Foundation for one of its annual donations,” said Lovisa. “The establishment of this bursary will support Scugog students in their post-secondary studies, making a college education available to those who may not otherwise have the financial resources. This bursary will help support students as they develop the skills needed to be successful in their future careers.”

Each year the 100 Men of Scugog nominates community institutions and organizations to receive funding. Members of the group commit to donating $100 four times per year and together decide where those funds go.

“We know how important Durham College is to our community and were moved by the fact that many students struggle to pay,” said Richard Gauder, one of the founding members of 100 Men of Scugog. “We also heard that 60 per cent of students aren’t coming to the college from high school. There are single moms, people who need to retrain after losing a job and others. We thought, why not lend a helping hand? By helping these students, we’re in turn supporting the township of Scugog, which is the reason we started the 100 Men group. We know this bursary will provide assistance to the recipients and help them achieve their dreams.”

100 Men of Scugog joins many businesses, service clubs, associations, foundations and individuals who have donated to DC. In 2015, $267,950 in bursaries which were awarded to 220 students and $105,390 in scholarships which were presented to 115 students. For more information regarding bursaries and scholarships, please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/admissions/general-information/scholarships-bursaries-and-awards.

For more information on 100 Men go to www.100men.ca.

 

DC student team wins $1,000 prize through Summer Accelerator Program

Robert Biggar, a graduate of Durham College’s (DC) Advertising and Marketing Communications program, and his brother William have won a $1,000 cash prize for achieving the top score in DC’s Summer Accelerator program. They received the good news at the Innovation Celebration event, held on Thursday, August 13, hosted by Spark Centre and community partners, 360 Incentives and SAP Canada.

The Biggars business venture is Ideal Compass, a company created to help travel agents increase their efficiency and improve the quality of their offerings for their clients. By attending sessions and achieving specific goals over the course of the 15-week Summer Accelerator program, they earned points, which, when cumulatively tallied earned them the cash prize.

“I’m really happy my brother and I were able to set the goal of developing a viable business and then went on to achieve that,” said William Biggar. “The Summer Accelerator program truly helped us make Ideal Compass a reality; the sessions taught by business advisors, practice pitches and skill development all played a key role in our success. We’ve made some amazing connections over the course of the program and look forward to seeing what the future holds.”

DC students pitch business ideas to win $2,500

It started with 25 applications, 10 business ideas were chosen and now the final seven are left standing as part of the Durham College (DC) Summer Accelerator, a 15-week incubation program, funded and supported by FastStart DC and facilitated by the Spark Centre.

These teams have been working since the beginning of May to develop and refine their businesses and will be competing in the Summer Accelerator Pitch Finale on Tuesday, August 11.

Below is information about the students and their innovative ideas:

  • Shanoo Gupta, a graduate of the Marketing – Business program is the founder of Delush, a juicing company that focuses on natural ingredients and preservative-free products. Gupta walked away with a $500 prize after winning the first Summer Accelerator Pitch Competition on Thursday, July 9.
  • Jeremy Coulis, a student in DC’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business program, who will be graduating this fall, has created Agile Fat Guy, a craft distillery that will use the business model of craft beer and apply it to his business to make craft spirits. Coulis tied for second during the second Summer Accelerator Pitch Competition receiving a $500 prize.
  • Michael Brideau, a third-year student in the Sport Administration and Management program, has developed, Hockeypedia, an online database for minor hockey league tournaments. Brideau’s goal is to provide the public with easier access to tournament schedules across Ontario. Not only will Hockeypedia post information of when and where tournaments will take place throughout the province, it will also promote and advertise them as well.
  • Robert Biggar, a graduate of DC’s Advertising and Marketing Communications program has created Ideal Compass along with his business partner and brother William. Ideal Compass is a web application that helps travel agents increase their businesses efficiency and improve the quality of their service.
  • Kristof Lindale is a young community member who has developed a startup to provide post-secondary students with financial guidance through a series of video blogs. The goal is to help students by teaching different methods of budgeting and how to be successful.
  • Shazaan Sajeeb, a third-year student of DC’s Computer Systems Technology program, created Logique One, a business focused on the building of custom computers for specific uses, such as graphic design.
  • Michael Shankar, a second-year student in DC’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business Program. He founded Belle in a Box, a luxury subscription box service to help further the product experience for users.

Over the course of the Summer Accelerator program participants learned how to bring their innovative ideas and business ventures to market faster, while accessing professional services and support from an experienced team of faculty, entrepreneurs and business owners. Throughout the program they have assessed their business models, developed operational plans and validated the market need for their companies. Each participant also attended regular seminars and workshops in pitching, sales, marketing and public speaking offered by the Spark Centre’s expert team of startup advisors.

The entire college community wishes them well as they compete for the grand prize during Tuesday’s Pitch Finale Competition, where the winner will be awarded a cash prize of $2,500.

 

Digital photography graduate captures the path to success

Michael Halse, a recent graduate of Durham College’s (DC) Digital Photography program won an award recently after submitting a photo to Applied Arts Magazine’s annual Student Awards contest.

The piece Halse submitted, titled “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” is a reinterpretation of a painting by Frida Kahlo, and began as an in-class assignment in the final year of his two-year program. Students were tasked with choosing one of their photos and going through the process of following formatting, resizing and tagging instructions as if they were submitting the piece for different contests.

Following the assignment, the instructors went over the submissions and offered Halse the opportunity for the college to pay for his submission to Applied Arts Magazine’s Student Awards.

“It is a huge honour to have been chosen as a winner for the Student Awards contest and to have my work recognized by a national publication,” said Halse. “DC’s Digital Photography program allowed me to explore the different areas of photography that many might not realize even exist. This is where, with the support of the instructors, I was able to explore and develop my love for fine-art photography.”

Applied Arts is a Canadian magazine that showcases various forms of visual communication, which includes photography, design, advertising and illustration. The student awards program accepts entries world-wide, providing emerging artists the opportunity to promote their work to industry professionals, potential clients and to gain national exposure.

Beyond graduation Halse continues to develop his photography and creative skills through working on a fine-art/fantasy series, a more dramatic still-life series and working through the process of publishing his first fantasy-based novel.

Winners will be published in Applied Arts Magazine’s November/December Student Awards annual, as well as in the Winner’s Gallery and Awards Archive sections on their website. Halse, along with other winners will also have their work displayed at the Winner’s Exhibit during the Creative Futures Expo, which runs from November 17 to 18 at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Ont.

To view more of Halse’s work, like him on Facebook, follow him on Instagram or visit his website.

DC students design future with newly purchased 3D printers

Durham College (DC) students in the School of Science & Engineering Technology’s (SET) Electronics Engineering Technology and Mechanical Engineering Technology programs, will now be able to create mechanical structures using six new rapid prototype (3D) printers, which were purchased after receiving innovation funds from the Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment (CAFÉ).

“3D printers are commonly used in both the electrical and mechanical fields,” said Chris Daniel, professor in the School of Science & Engineering Technology. “These printers allow students to inexpensively create custom computer-aided designs (CAD), which help them build the skills their future industry demands and allows them to explore their creative side; the student’s imagination is the limit.”

Of the six printers purchased, the Electronics Engineering Technology program will receive three Printrbots with heated beds, which will allow students to use CAD designs to create enclosures and power supply boxes to house their circuit board creations.

The Mechanical Engineering Technology students will have access to three Flashforge Dreamer printers and will be able to create pneumatic engine components and are able to develop their design skills through manufacturing.

“The beauty of this technology is that students can quickly and inexpensively create their structural designs without the time, safety or expertise constraints associated with using a traditional machine shop,” Daniel added.

In addition to the Electronics Engineering Technology and the Mechanical Engineering Technology programs integrating 3D printing into the curricula, other programs within SET will be looking to incorporate the technology in the future.

Durham College brings culinary expertise to Peruvian college

In May 2015, Durham College, (DC) was awarded a contract from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) to partner with the Centro Experimental de Formación Profesional (CEFOP), a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), the contract sees DC working with CEFOP to share the college’s experiences and expertise in the areas of culinary arts and gastronomy, while helping to update and enhance their current curriculum.

A team from DC consisting of Katie Boone, Project Coordinator with the college’s international office, and David Hawey, Chair of DC’s Centre for Food (CFF), Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on the field-to-fork concept, and Adriana Reyes, an employee of the international office and a student with DC’s Team Experience, recently returned from Peru where they began work with the CEFOP to ensure its graduates are learning and developing the skills they need to meet the demands of the labour market.

“This is a very exciting partnership for all the institutions involved,” said Boone. “We have been working closely with a team in Trujillo with the goal of developing programs that, while innovative, also have a realistic implementation strategy that be sustainable well beyond the lifespan of the project, which concludes in March 2017.”

Current project highlights include establishing strong links with the rapidly growing culinary, hotel and tourism industry in Trujillo and reviewing and updating CEFOP’s current curriculum to help its students graduate with a relevant and well-rounded skills base; a skill base that combines technical knowledge and innovative and creative culinary practices that are characteristics of graduates from DC’s CFF.

Also included in the partnership is a teacher-training and professional development plan that match the demands of the new curriculum. CEFOP and DC will compare management experiences so that both colleges can learn from the practices that help both institutions excel nationally and internationally.

DC is acting as the Canadian project lead for all work done in Trujillo and Centennial College is a supporting partner.

For more information about DC’s CFF please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/academic-schools/centre-for-food.

Journalism programs offer student networking opportunities

A partnership between The Rotary Club of Whitby, The Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise and Durham College (DC) – facilitated by snapd Whitby – has opened doors for journalism students to gain hands-on experience while sharing stories about the great work local agencies are doing for the community.

After joining the Rotary Club several years ago, Danielle Harder, journalism professor at DC, formed a public relations committee with fellow Rotarian and former long-time director of sales and marketing at Hertz Rent-A-Car, Geno Diraddo. She began writing monthly features for snapd in hopes of extending the Rotary Club’s awareness in the community and furthering the reach of their fundraising efforts.

Recognizing an opportunity to benefit both the community and DC journalism students, the Rotary Clubs began compiling a yearly list of stories they wished to highlight. Harder then assigns the stories to her students, helping them to find contacts and gain experience through the writing process.

“Writing for snapd gives many students their first byline outside of The Chronicle, DC’s student-run newspaper,” said Danielle Harder, professor of the Journalism – Web and Print and Journalism – Broadcast and Electronic Media programs. “It gives them the opportunity to strengthen their portfolio which means they are better prepared for the job market and it allows them to develop real world connections before they even graduate.”

This agreement between the Rotary Clubs, snapd – both located in Whitby, Ont., and DC has been ongoing providing numerous students with valuable hands-on experience and even presenting a former DC journalism student the opportunity to attend a Rotary youth leadership event.

Durham College receives generous donation; celebrates 10-year partnership

Durham College’s (DC) Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) graduate certificate program has once again received a generous $2,500 donation, as well as a serenade from The Oshawa Horseless Carriagemen, on behalf of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Harmonize for Speech fund.

Items purchased using the annual donation include The Baby Signing Book, authored by former CDA professor Sara Bingham and received by all students in the program; a GoTalk 9+ portable, programmable communication device, used to teach young children to communicate using a customizable picture overlay, which students will learn to program and use when working with clients. A one-day workshop for the students was also sponsored using the donation funds; this year’s speaker will be Debra Goshulak from The Speech and Stuttering Institute to speak about motor speech disorders and therapy in preschool children.

“This donation has and continues to help in providing our students with additional learning opportunities and materials while in the program,” said Sherry Hinman, professor and interim program coordinator of the CDA program. “The items we are able to purchase using the donation allow current, as well as future students the opportunity to excel during their time at the college and succeed in the field following their graduation.”

The CDA program is a one-year, three-semester graduate certificate program that prepares students for work, under the guidance of qualified speech-language pathologists and/or audiologists, providing speech and language therapy to children and adults.

The Harmonize for Speech fund was established nearly 40 years ago as a fundraising project of the Barbershop Harmony Society and continues to provide support for various organizations and projects. This is the tenth year the Barbershop Harmony Society has supported the growth and success of the CDA program, but the first year the students were lucky enough to receive a barbershop-style performance.

Power Engineering professor helps generate success

Students in Durham College’s (DC’s) Power Engineering Technician program will have the rare opportunity to work directly on exhaust gas turbines, or jet engines, thanks to the work of Ralph Trauzzi, professor, School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship and Renewable Technology (START).

Trauzzi made two of these engines available for students to coincide with the advanced curriculum DC developed and implemented for its START students to ensure their success upon graduation.

“When the opportunity arose, I said I would love to get a turbine engine for the program. We are so lucky to have this opportunity,” said Trauzzi. “Having the ability to work directly on an engine will benefit these students greatly, not only with the knowledge, but with experience as well.”

The final purchased turbines were acquired online as kits requiring some assembly, but the cost was low enough for Trauzzi to buy two and the required ancillary equipment. Currently, the engines sit on a wooden test stand that is clamped to a table. Eventually, they will be mounted on a floating stand that enables horizontal movement to allow students determine engine thrust.

“This engine can be run-up automatically through its start cycle, but I believe the student will learn more by doing it manually,” said Trauzzi. He has built a control panel, which will require the students to perform the proper steps in the correct order for both startup and shutdown.

This is just one of the many ways DC is constantly staying up-to-date and providing students with opportunities for success. To view a demonstration of this gas turbine engine, view the video on the left.