Durham College (DC) is proudly congratulating research partner, IFTech (Inventing Future Technology Inc.), for successfully securing a deal for its wearable technology, As Real As It Gets (ARAIG), during the February 15 episode of CBC’s hit-show Dragon’s Den.

Father and son duo Michael and Brodie Stanfield, both founders and CEO’s of IFTech, stepped into the Den to pitch ARAIG, an immersive gaming suit that totally transports users into the reality of their virtual world by interacting with them to increase their immersion, based on situations and/or interactions occurring within a range of media environments.

The high-tech innovation company, who worked with DC to develop their technology, asked the dragons for $500,000 in exchange for 20 per cent of IFTech and walked away with a $500,000 deal for 25 per cent of the company courtesy of dragon Manjit Minhas.

“We are very excited to be working with the Manjit,” said Brodie Stanfield. “This is yet another step in the evolution of ARAIG. Our journey from concept, to prototype, to finally producing the interactive suit is something we could not have done alone. We’ve had a lot of help along the way, including working on several projects with the team at Durham College. We share this latest success with the faculty researchers and students who helped us bring ARAIG to life.”

IFTech’s partnership with DC, and its Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), began in June 2014.  The college provided initial support for the development of the control centre for IFTech’s wearable technology, integrating audio, vibratory and muscle stimulation systems. This research was supported through a $20,000 Voucher for Innovation and Productivity received from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). In November 2014, DC received an additional $20,000 in OCE funding to support its ongoing applied research work with IFTech. This included a specific focus on the creation of ARAIG’s wireless communications protocol, a component critical to the commercialization of the device.

The result of these collaborations was improved design and functionality for the suit’s control centre and incorporating a wireless communications protocol, in order to provide an optimal solution for all of the different wireless requirements of the varying markets for the ARAIG product.

Given IFTech’s history with DC, it was only fitting that their initial pitch for a chance to appear before the Dragons, happened at the college in March 2016. DC played host to aspiring entrepreneurs, including IFTech, looking to audition for Dragon’s Den for a chance to turn dreams into reality.

“We are absolutely thrilled for IFTech,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “Michael and Brodie Stanfield are significant Durham College research partners and our work on the ARAIG project has   allowed many students to gain skills in problem solving and innovative thinking while deepening their technical skills.  Faculty researchers contributed their expertise and ingenuity, while enabling IFTech to benefit from the research team’s efforts. On behalf of everyone at Durham College I extend my sincere congratulations to Michael and Brodie on this wonderful accomplishment. We wish them all the best as they welcome Manjit on board and look forward to working with them in the future, as ARAIG continues to evolve.”

Want to brew the best beer in North America?

Durham College (DC) has some good news for aspiring brewers. The college is officially announcing full course details of its Ontario-exclusive partnership with the North American-renowned, Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology.

An agreement, initially announced in April 2016, is seeing the two institutions work together to deliver specialized craft brewing courses in Ontario. The courses are designed to equip brewers from across the province and beyond with additional expertise related to improving the quality, consistency and food safety of beer.

Starting in February, three courses will be available through DC’s Siebel Institute Brewing Certificate Program. Taught at the college’s Whitby campus, each will see participants learn from master brewers and other industry experts.

The certificate courses are:

• Sensory Analysis for Flavour Production and Control – A one-day course led by Lyn Kruger, Siebel president and chief operating officer, on Monday, February 13.
• Brewing Microbiology – A nine-day course on quality control starting Monday, February 20, and starting again on Monday, February 27.
• Basics of Commercial Brewing – A five-day business course on small brewery process and operations starting Monday, April 24.

Participants will complete the courses with a better understanding of brewing standards, best practices, and a foundation to make and sell great beer.

The Siebel Institute of Technology offers courses in brewing, beer styles, distilling and other areas of fermented beverage technology. Established in 1872, the Siebel Institute and its World Brewing Academy affiliate conduct courses and programs at locations in Chicago, Munich, San Diego, Montreal, and now Whitby.

See the complete course descriptions and registration details.

Durham College (DC) announced today that for the fourth year in a row it has been ranked among Canada’s top 50 research colleges by Research Infosource Inc., a Canadian research and development intelligence company.

The annual list is informed by data on research income, research intensity and research partnerships and projects at colleges across the country.

“Research and innovation have always been at the heart of what DC does as one of Ontario’s leading post-secondary institutions,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), DC. “This ranking once again proves the importance of and our commitment to prioritizing applied research on campus to enhance our students’ experiences, provide real-world solutions, and advance business and industry ideas to support our community’s economic health.”

Led by the team at ORSIE, DC continues to initiate and support a variety of research activities aimed at integrating discovery and innovation into the academic environment. The college puts particular focus on the areas of energy efficiency, agriculture, health care and wearable technology, which closely align with the college’s market-driven academic programs and research capabilities, and help support local business, industry and community organizations.

Some of DC’s most recent applied research projects include:

• Building a novel, innovative control and monitoring system for an energy-efficient refrigeration unit as well as a pre-packaged solar electric system ideal for remote locations and applications such as radio, security cameras, telemetry or lighting where normal power is not readily available, and a power conservation module for traffic cameras.
• Building a software application for a company using unmanned aerial vehicles for farm scouting.
• Developing pest management strategies to control apple leaf curling midge in apple orchards.
• Building a semi-automated harvesting system to increase productivity and reduce the labour requirements involved in the spinach harvesting process.
• Developing a video conferencing system to connect patients with their physicians and caregivers to reduce hospital re-admissions.
• A prototype with low-cost, non-invasive sensors and signal processing to monitor vital signs wherever Wi-Fi is available, making it possible to monitor patients in the least inhibiting way.

Have you envisioned a way to help combat the climate crisis? Have a beef with the state of industrial agriculture? Maybe you’ve dreamed up an innovative technique to enhance a trade or brainstormed a new IT or media technology? If you’ve spent time on any of these topics, it’s time to take your idea and Pitch It!

Applications are now open for Pitch It!, FastStart’s second annual entrepreneurship competition, which offers aspiring student entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet like-minded peers, get help bringing their ideas to market and win $500.

Students enrolled at Durham College (DC), Fleming College, Trent University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology are eligible to compete by submitting applications under one of four categories:

• Agriculture and food
• Information technology and media
• The environment
• The trades

Applications must be submitted by noon on Thursday, September 22. A judging panel comprising top-notch industry leaders will review all submissions and create shortlists of three to five entrants per category who will then battle it out in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch competition on Wednesday, October 5 for a chance to win one of four $500 prizes.

Pitch It! is presented by FastStart, an entrepreneurial training partnership designed to increase the entrepreneurship skills and awareness of college and university students, as well as help them to develop solid business plans and take their products to market. FastStart enables students to apply entrepreneurial thinking to their future careers, whether in startups, established businesses, social innovation or public service.

For more information about Pitch It! or to download a submission form, visit faststartfs.ca/pitchit2016.

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.

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. 

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.