The City of Oshawa, along with its education and research partners - Canadian Urban Institute, Durham College (DC), Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area, and the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering - is pleased to announce that the TeachingCity 2018-2019 Progress Report is now available at www.oshawa.ca/TeachingCity.
The TeachingCity Progress Report highlights the many accomplishments achieved through this unique partnership in 2018-2019 to formalize Oshawa as a living laboratory' in which to study and address complex urban issues.
Highlights include:
- Active Transportation for an Age-friendly Strategy - a collaboration with Ontario Tech University and the Oshawa Senior Community Centres on a research study to understand barriers to active transportation with older adults residing in Oshawa.
- Fire Navigation Systems project - Engineering students from Ontario Tech University undertook the first phase of a project to design and develop a tactile feedback navigation system for firefighters.
- Public Art Projects - Students from DC's School of Media, Art & Design have collaborated on many public art projects including the installation of a mural along Centre Street and the Art and Culture in the Hall exhibition at City Hall.
- City Idea Lab - a collaborative, course-based project between the City and its academic partners that offers experiential learning opportunities to post-secondary students via credit courses at the TeachingCity Hub.
The Progress Report provides an overview of TeachingCity projects currently underway in Oshawa. These include:
- improving the City's stormwater quality through a two-year research study focused on Oshawa's stormwater ponds;
- natural asset identification through a partnership with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative that is studying the Oshawa Creek;
- a one-year assessment using compact sensors to monitor air quality and traffic movements to increase the City's understanding of environmental issues in downtown Oshawa.
About TeachingCity
TeachingCity brings together the City of Oshawa and its education and research partners - Canadian Urban Institute, Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area, 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 www.teachingcityoshawa.ca and follow #OshTeachingCity on Twitter and Instagram.
Quotes:
"TeachingCity represents a giant step forward for the City of Oshawa. Together with our academic and research partners, TeachingCity is positioning Oshawa as a leading city of urban research and learning," said Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter.
"Knowledge-sharing and collaboration are essential to identifying new and unique approaches to solving urban issues. CUI is proud to be a partner of TeachingCity Oshawa which prioritizes collaboration while working to develop action-oriented solutions," said Alexandra McDonough, Senior Planner, Canadian Urban Institute. "We are excited to continue this partnership, and we look forward to contributing to the TeachingCity's 2019/2020 projects and initiatives."
"With each year that passes, TeachingCity keeps getting stronger and more innovative. Durham College students have participated in a number of initiatives in the past 12 months, each representing a unique opportunity to learn while also contributing to the overall goal of positioning Oshawa as a community of urban research," said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College.
"Teaching City opens doors for Ontario Tech University to engage with its community and region in meaningful ways," said Dr. Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University. "Course-based projects like City Idea Lab, as well as ongoing research collaborations with the City of Oshawa, provide our students with valuable opportunities to apply the theories they have learned in the classroom toward creating practical, innovative solutions to difficult issues in our community. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership provides for us to develop tech-savvy leaders who will focus on improving the designs of technological innovations, while carefully considering how human interaction with technology can enhance our quality of life."
"TeachingCity Oshawa has allowed Trent students to be engaged with and to enable change in their community. Through City Idea Lab and other projects coordinated through TeachingCity Oshawa, students take their classroom theory and apply it to real world challenges that face the City of Oshawa," said Joe Muldoon, Head, Trent University Durham GTA. "Trent University Durham GTA is excited to partner with the City in these applied social justice innovations that are truly mutually beneficial to students and the Oshawa community."
"By partnering with the City of Oshawa, we are able to give U of T Engineering students and researchers an opportunity to learn about and address complex urban issues in a real-life setting," said Professor Brent Sleep, Chair of the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto. "We look forward to the coming year and developing new activities and projects with TeachingCity that will benefit the community."
