New Annual Snapshot highlights year six of TeachingCity Oshawa partnership

The City of Oshawa and its education and research partners – Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham GTA, and the University of Toronto’s Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering – are pleased to announce that the TeachingCity Oshawa 2022/2023 Annual Snapshot, detailing accomplishments from the partnership’s sixth year, is now available online.

Notable applied research, experiential learning and curriculum-based projects featured in the Annual Snapshot include:

• Cultural Story Mapping in Oshawa - Durham College Journalism students participated in a collaborative project that investigated how arts and culture supports economic development in Oshawa. Students worked with City of Oshawa Business and Economic Development Services staff to gain insight on the issues and write articles inspired by cultural experiences in the city. These articles were then transformed into a Cultural Story Map featuring stories about Ed Broadbent Park, The Atria, the importance of independent downtown cafés, diversity in food culture, the graffiti artist movement, the local film scene and production, and the adaptability of cultural venues.
• Stormwater Management Pond (S.W.M.P.) Consortium Workshop - This past May, 45 S.W.M.P. researchers, practitioners, government representatives, students and/or environmental community partners from the GTA gathered to discuss S.W.M.P. research priorities, new research projects, and a road-map for acquiring provincial and federal funding at the first Stormwater Management Pond (S.W.M.P.) Consortium Workshop. Co-hosted by the City of Oshawa and Ontario Tech University and moderated by Ontario Tech University’s Dr. Andrea Kirkwood, the Consortium Workshop solidified the interest of research partners in supporting collaborative research projects to address priority research and more.
• Engaging Youth through Digital Media – Faculty and students from Trent University Durham GTA designed and facilitated filmmaking workshops to provide an opportunity for youth to engage in digital literacy as they create short films and gain hands-on experience with skills like scriptwriting, storyboarding and understanding copyright policies. Post-workshop interviews indicated that participants found the workshops interesting, enjoyable and convenient, provided skills building for future aspirations, and allowed them creative autonomy and independence.
• Student Placements – The City provided over 20 work-integrated learning opportunities for TeachingCity students through placement, practicum or co-op opportunities. Students developed real-life applied skills while bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives to City Branches to help support the achievement of Department goals and corporate initiatives.

About TeachingCity

TeachingCity brings together the City of Oshawa and its education and research partners – Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham GTA and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

The partners address Oshawa’s urban issues through innovation, collaboration, applied research and shared experiential learning opportunities with the aim to position Oshawa as a local, national and global community of urban research and learning.

Learn more about TeachingCity at teachingcityoshawa.ca and follow #OshTeachingCity on Twitter and Instagram.

Quotes:

“The 2022-2023 Annual Snapshot celebrates six years of TeachingCity Oshawa,” said Mayor Dan Carter. “That’s six years of collaboration with our post-secondary education and research partners, and six years of the best and brightest minds working to provide new ideas and out of the box solutions for the great city of Oshawa. Every year we are amazed by the creativity and dedication students and faculty bring to the projects and this year was no exception. Thank you to all involved in the 2022-2023 projects!”

“Durham College is so proud to be a TeachingCity partner and we welcome the invaluable experiential learning opportunities it provides for our students. Seeing students engage in their projects and explore innovative solutions to community challenges is both rewarding and deeply impactful for students and the City,” said Don Lovisa, President, Durham College.

“Ontario Tech University places a great deal of importance on its commitment to downtown Oshawa, and on its partnership with the City of Oshawa,” said Dr. Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University. “The TeachingCity initiative exposes our students to the socioeconomic challenges facing Oshawa and allows them to become involved in solutions while tapping into the City’s expertise. Through valuable, hands-on learning opportunities, our students gain practical experience that prepares them to become the civic leaders of tomorrow by improving the future of our community.”

“As we celebrate another successful year of partnership with TeachingCity, I am proud to recognize the continued contributions of our students towards bettering our community. Hands-on experiential learning is essential to the Trent Durham experience. Our students' active engagement in TeachingCity projects not only fosters creativity, professionalism, and innovation but also generates positive impacts for the City of Oshawa and its residents by addressing social challenges. This transformative approach reinforces our commitment to empowering students and creating lasting, positive change in our local community,” said Scott Henderson, Dean and Head, Trent University Durham GTA.

“By partnering with TeachingCity Oshawa, we provide our students a unique learning opportunity; they can be part of the implementation of engineering solutions in a real-world context. This partnership is also crucial for mobilizing the knowledge generated by U of T researchers and students into the municipal realm,” said Professor Marianne Hatzopoulou, Chair of the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto.