Photo by Katrin Emery.

In the world of media and design, networking is important to getting your foot in the door by offering access to people who can give you the keys to getting a job and getting ahead in your chosen field. That’s why Graphic Design students met Monday night this week with Art Directors, Creative Directors, and others in a portfolio review organized by second-year student Stephanie Albert.

“I wanted to show the Graphic Design students that there is a network of designers here in Ottawa,” says Stephanie. “‘I really need to/should network more’ and  ‘I have no idea what to show in my portfolio’ are common concerns for those just starting their careers, and the idea of being able to meet and receive feedback from industry professionals was exciting!”

The students met on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the Student Commons, and were greeted with food, lighting, a DJ, and plenty of people ready to talk shop. Originally, Stephanie was expecting about 30 students with a few pros – instead, she got over 70 students with 30 professionals who were willing to take time out of their busy schedules to provide constructive feedback to the students. Not only did that beat Stephanie’s expectation, but it also made the event an even greater opportunity to give back to the program – her original goal. “What I’ve learned over the course of my studies will allow me to get a job doing what I love. But more importantly, being a part of the Graphic Design program has actually shaped who I am today. I’ve benefited from so many life lessons, and I have met and been inspired by so many people. I am so grateful to my program and the people in it. I want the other students to feel the same way I do. It is literally a life-changing experience, and in no way could I exaggerate this.”

Photo by Katrin Emery.

Stephanie’s high praise for the program was mirrored by Stephanie’s Professors. Andrea Emery, Coordinator of the program, calls Stephanie a “gem”, and says, “She has been incredible and all for her peers and the graphic design community!”

Thank you Stephanie for your service to the Graphic Design program and to your peers. Hope everyone had fun at the event!

Vibrations.

Algonquin College Architectural Technology graduating students John Oulton, Dan Wraggett, Kelsey Pinhey, and Paul Lortie will receive an “Honorary Mention Award” in the Ontario Association for Applied Architectural Sciences (OAAAS) Student Award Competition – Group Category as the OAAAS awards are handed out later today in Toronto.

“It is an honour to receive this award, and an excellent boost as we complete our term at Algonquin and head out into industry,” says John. “I think it is a strong endorsement of the hands-on skills we received in this program and the importance of sustainability to the future of the architecture industry.”

The graduating students submitted ‘Vibrations Café and Studio’, a combination café, art gallery, and music studio designed for the town of Osgoode, into the competition. The goal was to make a café that was sustainable, a good fit within the community, and something that would generate local interest. The design of the two-floor building included a coffee bar, a rooftop patio and garden, and a greenhouse room.

“I encouraged all my students to submit their projects for consideration as the College’s representative at this competition,” says Professor Richard Briginshaw, Professor, Architectural Technology. “Our students typically fare very well at these competitions because our program is uniquely equipped to teach them the hands-on skills to produce these projects, the foresight to visualize the project, and the ability to articulate their vision. I am very proud of John, Dan, Kelsey, and Paul, and I would like to congratulate them all on a job well done!”

Click to enlarge.

The judges evaluated each submission and granted awards based on Design/Concept, Sustainability, and Technical Skill. A winner was previously selected from each participating college or university and those entries were then sent to a provincial jury who decided the awards for this competition. For winning the top prize at Algonquin College, Dan, Kelsey, John, and Paul each take home a small monetary prize and a one year OAAAS membership.

“I am so excited to be joining the course this year,” says Professor Roebuck. “My participation in 2005, when I was completing my MA in Criminology, helped to shape my understanding of the field of Victimology in a significant way, and helped me to think about rights and services for people harmed by crime outside of the box of the current Canadian Criminal Justice System. It is inspiring to meet people from so many countries and hear about innovative ways that service providers and justice systems are responding to criminal victimization.”

Professor Roebuck will be presenting on Thursday, May 16 for one hour on the topic of youth homelessness in Ottawa, and the strengths and resilience of those who are young and homeless. “There are some excellent resources in this community that young people report are very helpful to them. I was amazed by the courage and gratitude that young people expressed in their interviews. Service providers also identify that young people are strong, resourceful, and resilient. As a community, we can be proud of many of the services that are available for young people who are homeless such as the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa and Operation Come Home, though there is a need to invest in more resources and expand the capacity.”

The course takes place May 13 – 25 in Dubrovnik, Croatia and will draw forty international experts from countries across the world.  Algonquin College Victimology graduate students, and students from around the world, will also be in attendance. The course aims to bring together leading experts and students from all over the world to explore global issues relating to criminal victimization and victims’ rights.

Congratulations go out to Kayla O’Brien, Sheet Metal Work apprentice, Stanton Larose, Automotive Technology apprentice, Nathan Jones, Carpentry apprentice, and Dustin Murphy, Truck and Coach Technician, who each took home a Bronze medal. James Paul was the lone silver recipient for Algonquin, taking second in the Heating System Technician category, while Nicholas Trottier won Gold in the same category. Kathryn Craswell, IT Office Software Applications, and Shelby Tymchuk, Hairstyling Apprentice, are also bringing back Gold medals!

The competition and showcase began on Monday in Waterloo, and wrapped up today with the awards ceremony. Chris Hahn, Academic Chair, Construction Trades and Building Systems, and Glenn MacDonald, Faculty Marketing Officer, were there to cheer the students on. The College brought 13 apprentices and students to this year’s OTSC.

A job well done to all our participants in this year’s OTSC competition!

From left to right – Nathan Jones (Carpentry/Bronze), Kathryn Craswell (IT-Office Software/Gold), James Paul (Heating Technician/Silver), Stanton Larose (Automotive Service Technician/Bronze), Nicholas Trottier (Heating Technician/Gold), Kayla O’Brien (Sheet Metal/Bronze), Shelby Tymchuk (Hairstyling/Gold). Missing: Dustin Murphy (Truck and Coach/Bronze)

The students and Professor Tess Porter at the Hike for Hospice.

The recent Hike for Hospice in support of Friends of Hospice Ottawa brought in over $60,000 in support of programs benefiting those facing end-of-life circumstances, and Police Foundations students played a big role in that huge total!

Tess Porter, Professor, Police Foundations program, says students in her program have helped out at the annual hike for the last nine years. “The students really enjoyed volunteering at the Hike! They’ve sent me various emails saying how much fun they had and that they met great people. We’re glad that these opportunities are available for our students to give back to the community and also to expose the community to the wonderful students we have at Algonquin College – especially within the Police Foundations program.”

The Police Foundations program has been busy in recent months, as students launched the Algonquin College Spread the Net Student Challenge campaign last fall and took up a collection for the Youville Centre during the holiday season.

Congratulations all on a job well done!

(CKDJ) Best on Air Performance…103.7 BOB FM (Brockville)     Bell Media Brockville

ZACH PERIARD

Clarissa Baron, winner of AIR AM 1700 Best on Air. Photo via Twitter.

(AIR) Best on Air Performance…FLY FM (Kingston)     Bell Media Kingston

CLARISSA BARON

Best Sportscast …THE TEAM 1200     Bell Media Ottawa

DARCY LYNCH

Best Newscast…580 CFRA     Bell Media Ottawa

JEFF JEWETT

Best Local News Story…MyFM     MyFm Broadcasting (Pembroke)

STEPHEN ELLSWORTH

Best Current Affairs Story…CBC Radio     CBC Ottawa

RYAN BEACOM

Best Production…CHEZ106     Rogers Radio Ottawa

RYLAN VROOM

Best Spot (Creative)…Y101     Rogers Radio Ottawa

LIZ PEARSON

Top Graduate…KISS FM     Rogers Radio Ottawa

GILLIAN PROUDFOOT

Best Station Imaging…Hot 89.9 Newcap

JAKE STEINBACHER

Top Overall 1st Year Student…The Bear     Astral Media

MARJORIE CAMARENA-GORN

CKDJ Sports Director Colin Teskey was also honoured by the Kemptville Panthers hockey team for the support CKDJ had provided to the team. For the first time ever, the station offered a live stream and play-by-play of hockey games played by 7 and 8-year olds so their coach, Steve MacDougall, could tune in from his hospital bed as he recovered from a heart attack. During the first game they broadcast, over $3,000 was raised for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Watch the podcast here. You can also see a recap of the night on social media using Storify.

From left to right: Kyle, their kits, Joe.

In the Gatineau Valley, lumbering and the river figure prominently in the local history. Places like Fairbairn Heritage House serve to teach the residents of Wakefield, Gatineau, and the surrounding area about that history. Now Applied Museum Studies Joe Crupi and Kyle Huth are helping to spread that history even further through three educational kits.

The kits – which model a covered bridge, a timber shanty, and a ferry scow – will be exhibited to the public during the summer months and will be used as traveling educational tools during the school year. The kits include a scale model that can be easily put together by children, a large display panel to introduce the topic, and a compact crate to house all over the materials.

“The kits are outreach activities that can be loaned to school classes as useful teaching aids for the history curriculum,” explains Michael Wheatley, Coordinator, Applied Museum Studies. “These interactive models can be constructed by children to make learning about lumber camps and local transportation more enjoyable. We are very proud of Joe and Kyle and the staff at Fairbairn Heritage House are very impressed!”

The project took many hours, as Joe and Kyle had to develop scale drawings from full size archival blueprints for the bridge, and from historic photographs for the shanty and scow. They also had to mill model parts from wood that was cut at Michael Cooper’s sawmill in Wakefield, and create the models, graphic support panels and transportation crates.

“It was a great opportunity to work on this project for Fairbairn House Heritage Centre,” says Kyle. “It not only reinforced various skills we had learned in our class, but helped us to learn a few new ones. We also encountered some interesting dilemmas that required  creative solutions. One such example was the model timber shanty. We had to figure out how to make it appear like it was made out of logs, while still being sturdy and easily disassembled by primary school students. It was a great experience, really enjoyable.”

The projects were also an opportunity for the students to hone their hands-on skills, network with industry professionals, and add an innovative community activity to their resume. It was work like this which helped Joe claim the 2013 Applied Museum Studies Technical Service Award at the recent Applied Museum Showcase.

“It feels great to receive recognition for something you are passionate about,” says Joe. “Spending countless hours after school working on volunteer projects was never a hassle since I enjoyed every aspect of it. I felt honoured to receive the award and hopefully it will lead to further opportunities in the future.”

Learn more about Fairbairn House Heritage Centre here. Congratulations Joe and Kyle!

Green Architecture students at the Home Sweet Home Student Challenge.

Congratulations to Team “SOL House” including Green Architecture students Daniel Heffner, Jie Li, German Osuna Motta, and Richard Ramirez – they took home 3rd place in the annual Home Sweet Home Student Challenge, which tasked them with designing a granny flat for Rick Mercer that could rest on the grounds of 24 Sussex Drive.

Four Algonquin College Green Architecture teams entered the Student Challenge, and all four of those teams made the final 10. Algonquin was the only college represented among the finalists. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson presented the prizes to Team SOL House and the other top place finishers.

Prior to the competition, Green Architecture Coordinator Richard Briginshaw was on CBC Radio One with Daniel Heffner to discuss the Home Sweet Home student challenge.

Congratulations to all our Green Architecture students on a job well done!

The visit by Pecan the cat along with Furts McGurts and Merlin, two Aussie Mixes, was organized by Student Support Services and Therapeutic Paws of Canada, a non-profit organization of volunteers providing animal resources for human needs (physical, mental, educational, motivational, socialization) through regular visits to hospitals, residences, and of course schools, etc. Nancy Trus and Danielle Avery from TPOC were on hand to supervise.

Student reaction was very positive, with over 100 students participating in the few hours that the pets were here. “It was a great reaction, and we hope to do this again,” says Dan Cuddy, Student Success Specialist. “When the opportunity came up to have Therapeutic Paws of Canada on campus this year we decided to test it out. I think the response tells us we may have to do it again!”

There was a wide variety of participants and many different programs were represented. Dan also shares, “One student was brought by her peers to the Therapy. She was very hesitant to go in because she had a significant fear of dogs. With the support of her friends and the professionalism and help of the pet owner, by the end of her visit she was petting the dog. Very much a “feel good” moment.”

Share your memories of the visit by Pecan, Furts McGurts, and Merlin in the comments. Let’s hope we see them again soon!

Valerie’s Flutter Foundation is the legacy of Valerie Goneau who died of a rare cancer in 2011 at the age of 20. The role the foundation played throughout the campaign was crucial to its success, with members attending each and every event.

The students held a series of events over a two week period and collectively reached their goal of raising both a significant amount of money and some much needed awareness for this young charity. The events ranged from a ball hockey tournament to a beer pairing event.

A lot of planning went into the Flutter As One campaign and the driving force of the campaign came from standing behind such a positive and enthusiastic charity foundation.

Congratulations to the Flutter As One team for exemplifying the hard work and compassion of Algonquin College students! Check out a photo from the wrapup here.