The City and its education and research projects have a number of TeachingCity projects completed, underway and planned for the coming months. Learn more below.
This research project responds to the City’s desire to become a more age-friendly community. The project is to create an interactive game/learning technology to educate and assess staff on competencies required for interacting with older adults.
The short-term goal is to develop the Age Friendly Competency Game to train two groups of workers:
The tool will be a training tool and an assessment/testing tool and can be utilized by the City of Oshawa and OSCC55+ to train staff.
The Access to Justice Hub is a collaboration between the Durham Community Legal Clinic (DCLC), Durham College, the Region of Durham and many service providers. The goal of the Access to Justice Hub is to expand free legal services to Durham residents who do not qualify for Legal Aid Services provided by DCLC.
The free legal services are provided by Durham College students enrolled in the School of Justice & Emergency Services’ Paralegal program. This experiential learning provides students with an opportunity to learn while doing and also brings valuable services to local residents. TeachingCity Oshawa partners Durham College, Ontario Tech University and Trent Durham envision a future research project at the Access to Justice Hub around the areas of social equity and inclusion.
The immediate objective of this research project is to update the deterioration curves for pavements in the City of Oshawa. Deterioration curves model the changes in pavement conditions over time. They enable asset managers to forecast rehabilitation needs, and, hence, allocate the budget. Therefore, the accuracy of these curves is important as an accurate prediction of deterioration can lead to under or over budgeting. This has a significant impact on two major objectives of asset management policies: 1) value for investment, and 2) levels of service. Asset managers aim to assure that rehabilitation work is scheduled in the appropriate time to make sure they select the intervention level that matches the conditions of the pavement; and will restore its conditions to the desired quality.
The scope of this proposal was designed to realize significant additional, long-term objectives while updating the curves. First, the use of data analytics. The use of data analytics in deterioration modelling is a more advanced approach. Many municipalities do not have the luxury of attempting the use of data analytics because of the typically limited datasets they have. This is not the case in Oshawa. Second, value-adding analysis. The large dataset allows us to go beyond developing the curves and consider their role in the large context of decision-making. Third, using data analytics in this study will be a chance to experiment with using elements of artificial intelligence in city processes.
Artwork created by students in Durham College’s Fine Arts – Advanced program is being exhibited at City Hall on an ongoing, rotating basis. Exhibits are designed and installed by student artists, with guidance from Cultural staff at the City of Oshawa.
Engineering students from Ontario Tech University, under the supervision of Dr. Carlos Rossa, are undertaking the design and development of a tactile feedback navigation system for firefighters to assist them in navigating unfamiliar surroundings during an emergency call.
The prototype saw sensors and wireless communication technology attached to a firefighter’s helmet to generate a map of their surrounding area. The map and associated data was sent wirelessly to an external team using Wi-Fi. The project also includes a haptic guidance system that would use vibration to stimulate the sense of touch. This would allow for a firefighter to more easily guide themselves out of a hazardous area through the use of vibrating motors embedded in their clothing.
The prototype was tested in the Oshawa Fire Services training facility in 2019 and provided additional learning for the students in order to improve their technology. Future students will be engaged in the project during the 2020-2021 school year to bring this technology closer to reality.
The City Idea Lab is a collaborative, course-based pilot project between the City and its academic partners that will offer experiential learning opportunities to post-secondary students via a credit course at the TeachingCity Hub. Students will work in a lab environment where they will learn about identified urban issues in Oshawa and collaborate with City staff to co-design possible solutions. Students from Durham College, Ontario Tech University and Trent University Durham have been working in the City Idea Lab since the beginning of the 2018/2019 school year. Visit the City Idea Lab Website for more information.
Past Projects |
Downtown Oshawa Air Quality and Traffic Monitoring projectThe City is joining the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research at the University of Toronto, A.U.G. Signals and North Line Canada in a research study to monitor air quality and traffic movements in Oshawa’s downtown core. A one-year assessment began in May 2019 and will use compact sensors to monitor air quality and traffic movements with an aim to increase the City’s understanding of environmental issues in downtown Oshawa and to identify options and opportunities for improving the quality of the pedestrian experience. Read the media release. Public Art Mural at Alexandra ParkA collaboration between the City, Durham College and Lakeridge Health has resulted in a new temporary public art installation at Alexandra Park and in the Child, Youth and Family Program’s waiting area at Lakeridge Health Oshawa. The installation is a great example of the community impact of City Idea Lab collaboration. The artworks were completed through the Community Collaboration Course in Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design and reflect the mental health experiences and resiliency of Child, Youth and Family program participants, medical professionals and family members. The 17 Fine Arts students who took part in this project gained first-hand experience working with City staff on creative place-making and public art projects. This is the second year the Community Collaborations Course was offered through the City Idea Lab. Augmented Reality in Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden (OVBG)TeachingCity Oshawa is proud to announce the completion of new Augmented Reality (AR) technology to encourage the community to explore and learn about the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens. The community can now use their smartphone cameras, to scan Quick Response (QR) codes placed on signage throughout the park to learn about the park, points of interest and utilize a navigation guide between landmarks. View the desktop version here. Students researched, designed and created the AR platform as part of a TeachingCity partnership with the City of Oshawa and the Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and School of Media, Art and Design. This was a pilot project that will be enhanced through future collaborations with DC students. The City and the College are also exploring the possibility of expanding the technology to include other City parks. Stormwater Pond Water Quality Research StudyUnder the supervision of Dr. Andrea Kirkwood, Ontario Tech University graduate student Alex Johnston along with undergraduate students Denin Grey and Jesse Killoran, studied 15 Stormwater Management Ponds across Oshawa to assess their water quality and determine the role of aquatic plants in stormwater treatment between May 2018 and April 2020. Highlights from the study include confirmation that stormwater management ponds:
It was also determined that submerged aquatic plants may play a role in trapping nutrients, which ultimately improves stormwater treatment. Conclusions and recommendations from this study will be used by the City to guide its stormwater management pond policies. Municipal Natural Assets InitiativeThe City of Oshawa was one of five municipalities selected to team up with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (M.N.A.I.) in 2018-2019 to study how to apply an asset management perspective to natural assets in order to value and account for the services they provide. The study specifically explored how to increase the quality and resilience of the banks along a section of the Oshawa Creek, located south of the downtown core, which is experiencing the effects of erosion from more frequent storms. Faculty and student researchers from the University of Toronto’s Civil & Mineral Engineering Department undertook the necessary modelling of a number of stormwater scenarios that may impact the Oshawa Creek. Project findings show that natural assets along this segment of the creek currently provide a stormwater management value of $18.9 million. When including the full Oshawa Creek watershed, including the surrounding floodplain, this increases to between $392 million and $414 million. It was determined that replacing the natural assets with an engineered asset would reduce the ability to retain water, leading to the potential for more flooding. TeachingCity Video ProjectStudents from Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design assisted the City of Oshawa in the development of some promotional videos on the TeachingCity partnership. The videos focused on the unique collaboration and shared commitment of the TeachingCity partners to help improve the lives of Oshawa’s residents by engaging the best and brightest minds in education, research, public policy and municipal government. They can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel @oshawacity. The project demonstrates how partners are breaking down barriers, sharing ideas and coming together to address urban issues and solve real-world challenges while students gain hands-on experience and the opportunity to move beyond theory to practical applications. Active Transportation for an Age Friendly Community research studyIn 2018, the City began a collaboration with Ontario Tech University and the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres on a research study to understand both barriers and promoters of the active transportation of older adults residing in Oshawa. The study will include recommendations on how to address identified barriers with a goal of increasing active transportation in the community, advancing the City’s Active Transportation Plan, and helping to inform the City’s planning policies. Diversity & InclusionIn 2017, the City of Oshawa and Ontario Tech University collaborated on a research project to create the City’s first Diversity and Inclusion Plan. The plan was subsequently approved in principle by Oshawa City Council. The Diversity and Inclusion Plan provides a strategic framework to guide the City as it continues to work toward an inclusive and welcoming city for all. The Plan’s action items address the goals of fairness, justice and non-discrimination to ensure community members have equal access to employment opportunities, programs and services, and feel welcome and involved in the community. HackathonThe first-ever TeachingCity Hackathon took place in March 2018. Providing students an opportunity to propose a solution to a public policy challenge around the theme of improving residential rental housing in Oshawa, the event saw 10 teams of students from all three organizations – supported and mentored by faculty, City staff, and community and business leaders – compete for a chance to win $1,500. Smart Cities ChallengeIn 2018, the City, in partnership with key stakeholders including TeachingCity partners Durham College, Ontario Tech University, and Trent University Durham GTA, embarked on a community-driven initiative to compete to win up to $10 million via the Infrastructure Canada Smart Cities Challenge. An extensive public consultation process identified community needs, project ideas and challenge areas and helped determine Oshawa’s priority issue for the Challenge. Submitted in April 2018, the City’s submission focused on empowering residents in low-income neighbourhoods by improving access to digital technology and the ability to access the services required to fully participate in the economy. The submission aimed to enhance economic and social equality across Oshawa. TeachingCity HubOn May 14, 2018, the City and its TeachingCity partners celebrated a successful first year with the opening of the TeachingCity Hub in downtown Oshawa. Located at 1 Mary Street, the hub is an open-concept space designed to facilitate TeachingCity projects with the City’s education and research partners, including students, faculty and staff. Providing opportunities for TeachingCity partners to share access to facilities, resources and equipment, and offering office, classroom and open lab space, the hub is used for TeachingCity partnership meetings, collaborative learning opportunities and co-design. TeachingCity Hub MuralA recent Durham College graduate from the college’s School of Media, Art & Design will collaborate with TeachingCity partners to create and install a mural at the TeachingCity Hub. The artwork will reflect the partnership’s key principles: collaboration, innovation, applied research, experiential learning and knowledge transfer. |
Future Projects |
Check back soon for more information. |