She didn’t travel a straight path to her dream job.

She’s made it her mission to make it an easier journey for others.

Robinson, a professor of Industrial and Motive Power at Mohawk College, is a long-time and passionate advocate for the skilled trades as a smart choice for women, at-risk youth and anyone with a desire for a challenging and rewarding career.

“Many people don’t consider the trades or they think they’re dirty or inferior to other professions. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Technical, hands-on work interested Robinson from an early age.

Robinson was in Grade 6 when she and her mother took on the Hamilton public school board over the requirement that she take home economics while boys took industrial arts. Robinson says her mom taught her about sewing and cooking. What the young girl wanted to learn was how to use tools.

Robinson won that battle and shop and home economics became co-ed offerings by the time she was in Grade 7.

After high school, Robinson studied at the University of Toronto. She worked a series of jobs she didn’t like before heading to Mohawk to study fluid power automation under a retraining program.

She had 13 years of experience working in hydraulics and pneumatics in industrial automation settings when Mohawk called her employer in 1996 to see if anyone there wanted to teach a seven-week summer course in pneumatics.

Robinson volunteered.

She had already discovered she loved to teach while creating science projects for her son’s school and had contemplated going to teachers’ college.

Then at Mohawk she found her ideal job.

“I stumbled upon my life’s calling. It’s such a rush. I love it so much. I realized what I was meant to do,” said Robinson, who taught part-time before being hired full time in 1999.

“I realized it when I literally saw a light bulb go off over a young man’s head when I was explaining pneumatics. I had explained it five different ways and then all of a sudden there was this aura around him and I knew he got it.”

Robinson, who served a stint as the associate dean for the Stoney Creek campus, was the recipient of a President’s Award in September 2015. That award recognized her work in opening the prospect of a college education to bright but disadvantaged students.

Mohawk developed a Mechanical Techniques program about four years ago to introduce at-risk youth and mature students to opportunities in the trades.

“We get students in working with their hands. They are learners who may have slipped through the cracks.”

The program offers year-long courses in plumbing, framing, millwright, machining, welding, electrical and woodworking. Completion of the Mechanical Techniques program can lead to entry-level jobs in advanced manufacturing or start the path to an apprenticeship.

Robinson also developed and delivered a dual-credit foundations course for struggling high-school students that applies math concepts to a student’s trade of interest.

“Students who’ve disengaged from high school start to feel confident when they can apply math contextually. They become competent, confident and capable in math.”

In addition, Robinson works in a partnership with the Industry Education Council called ELATE (Entry Level Advantage to Employment), which brings at-risk students to Mohawk for a 28-week introduction to a variety of trades. Two groups have graduated and all costs for the students are covered.

The goal is to provide entry-level vocational and employability skills.

“It has transformed lives. It’s unbelievable for me to be associated with programs like that,” said Robinson.

“At this point in my career, it’s nice to be able to help people who may have fallen through the cracks somehow.”

Robinson has faced plenty of career obstacles of her own since graduating first in her class of 40 men and two women.

She was the last to get hired.

A promising interview for a technician job at a large aerospace company in Oakville ended when they said there was no washroom for her.

“That was the 1980s. There were a lot of battles but if you showed your knowledge and skills, 99.9 per cent of the barriers disappeared.”

She tells young women the trades will give them a well-paying job that requires critical thinking and problem solving, offers career advancement opportunities, mobility and the ability to always provide for themselves.

“I speak to a lot of high school girls and I tell them to take the highest level maths they can, never give up and never be afraid to be who you are.”

But overall, only 6.6 per cent of those in skilled trades in Canada are women. The proportion of female apprentices in carpentry, plumbing, and heavy equipment is 2 per cent or less.

Robinson, who holds a bachelors of education in adult education and is finishing a masters degree in educational leadership, describes her career as a tapestry. The latest addition is a secondment to ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s learning and development department where she is completing professional development and sharing her experience with L & D team.

Robinson has been behind the design and implementation of training programs for operational staff, engineers and technologists reinforcing the company’s commitment to World Class Continuous Improvement.

“Any time there is an equipment upgrade or a new line, Mohawk has designed programs to help employees bridge to the new technology for select technology and equipment upgrades.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco recognized a looming labour shortage almost 20 years ago and determined it would be crucial to have an effective and formal means to transfer knowledge and train new staff. The company called on Mohawk for help.

Mohawk supplies many industrial electrician and industrial millwright apprentices to the Hamilton steel company, as part of the Co-op Diploma Apprenticeship Program in which students graduate with both a college diploma and apprenticeship certificate.

The programs have been so successful in creating a pipeline of apprentices that Robinson was part of a team that helped colleges in Indiana and Illinois to set up a similar curriculum for a project called the Steelworker for the Future on behalf of ArcelorMittal USA

The strong partnership with ArcelorMittal Dofasco gives Mohawk an edge in making its students future ready for advanced manufacturing, says Robinson.

“We’ve been true partners. It lets us to see directly into an operation and see first hand what employers are looking for from our students.”

Contact Marla at:

marla.robinson@mohawkcollege.ca

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

He spent 35 years in industry, engineering design and management, product design, and research and development in a range of sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, confectionary and general industrial.

“I always kind of thought that, at some point, I would want the opportunity to give back, mentor student and usher in a new crop of engineers.”

That opportunity came in the form of a professor of mechanical engineering position that opened up at Mohawk about four years ago. It was earlier in his career path than he had imagined, but Gerritsen decided the time was right to get into education.

He brought with him experience in exploring additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, for industrial applications. And he was just in time to help open the doors to the Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre (AMRC) at Mohawk’s Fennell campus.

“I delivered on the concept but the real visionaries in seeing an industry need and putting the concept forward were Tony Thoma (Dean of Engineering Technology), Brad Bowman (Professor in Engineering Technology) and other colleagues,” said Gerritsen, who serves as AMRC’s coordinator and lead faculty researcher.

In a nutshell, additive manufacturing creates an object by building up layers of plastic or metal material. That’s different from traditional manufacturing techniques, such as machining, casting and milling which remove material to form a part.

The industrial-strength additive manufacturing printers in Mohawk’s $2.5-million lab takes computer-generated digital or CAD files and prints them within oxygen-free chambers using a laser to fuse fine layers of plastic or metal powder into solid forms.

“This is one of the best-equipped labs in the country and then added to that we have an enormous amount of local expertise at McMaster and the CANMET lab to support the AMRC. This is developing into an industry cluster around additive manufacturing. Our centre helps attract businesses to the region.”

The big advantage of additive manufacturing is the ability to create objects that are either impossible or too costly to create with conventional techniques. There’s the added bonus of far less waste of valuable and costly materials. Products can also be built as whole units rather than as parts needing assembly. That cuts down on labour and eliminates potential failure points such as bolts, adhesives or welds.

The machines can print multiple copies of the same part or dozens of different ones at the same time. But the printers are still slow compared to other manufacturing techniques and the process doesn’t work well for producing parts in large volumes.

Gerritsen says 3D printing is just another tool for industry, not an across-the-board solution. It can produce designs not possible through conventional techniques. As Gerritsen explains, curved holes can’t be drilled but they can be printed.

“It’s the right tool for the right job,” he said. “It deals very well with complexity and can produce impossible geometry.”

The “pride and joy” in the lab’s equipment is an EOS M280 direct metal laser sintering machine, which can produce parts out of stainless steel, chrome, titanium, nickel, aluminum and other metals. Only a few academic institutions in Canada have that technology. None are currently available at a college or university in Ontario.

The facility is also home to an EOS P395 selective laser sintering machine, which prints parts in polyamide, polystyrene and thermoplastics. A Stratasys FDM printer and state-of-the-art design tools, as well as other additive accessories, are also in the lab.

Demand for industry partnerships has been huge. The client roster is now well over 100, with Mohawk partnering to educate, develop new materials and find additive manufacturing solutions to production challenges.

Mohawk works with McMaster and CANMET to offer a “one-stop shop” to clients in aerospace, healthcare, consumer goods and a wide range of industrial production.

Use and access to the lab continues to grow. Adding to a roster of targeted industry workshops and internships and co-ops using the lab’s resources, Mohawk kicked off is first embedded course at the start of the year. The course is offered to third-year mechanical engineering technology students.

“We are constantly thinking about the evolution of the lab, such as degree offerings and post-grad certificates.”

The lab is already a terrific recruiting tool for the college and one of the clearest manifestations of Mohawk’s commitment to collaborations, partnerships and applied research, he says. Mohawk aims to be among the top 10 colleges in Canada for applied research activity.

Students who have trained in the lab are immediately snapped up for industry jobs.

“This affords them access to absolutely state-of-the-art equipment in a rapidly emerging technology.” says Gerritsen. “They have skills and experience that are in heavy demand and short supply.”

AMRC received a total of $720,000 in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund, along with industry partners.

And support from Mohawk’s leadership for the lab has been “outstanding,” says Gerritsen.

“When you start engaging with applied research and new emerging technology, it takes some fortitude and strength to make one of the best labs in the country a reality. That’s what we’ve achieved here at Mohawk.”

Contact Robert at:

robert.gerritsen@mohawkcollege.ca

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

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Mohawk College educates and serves 30,000 full-time, part-time and apprenticeship students at three campuses in Hamilton, Ontario. Mohawk has been ranked the number one of the college in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for student satisfaction for the past six years and number one for graduate satisfaction and employment for the past four years. Mohawk has also been recognized as one of Canada’s greenest employers and one of the top employers in Hamilton-Niagara.

Sodtka is the Faculty Lead of SURGE, Mohawk’s entrepreneurial hub. SURGE offers year-round workshops, training, mentorship and competitions. All of the activity is aimed at fostering innovation and supporting students aspiring to launch their own businesses.

After only just over a year on the ground, two students working with SURGE will have their offerings available through the campus bookstore. One arranges leases for cellphones as well as a full stop mobile shop and the other designs and creates jewellery with ethically sourced crystals.

“It’s very exciting to be doing this,” said Sodtka, a professor and coordinator of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship program for the McKeil School of Business at Mohawk.

Sodtka’s two-year plan for SURGE focuses on creating a marketplace for student and alumni business ventures.

“We would love to see a SURGE-dedicated showcase to promote our clients’ products and services.”

SURGE launched in January 2015 after Mohawk successfully landed a grant from the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

The purpose of SURGE is threefold - foster an entrepreneurial culture at Mohawk, nurture student and alumni startups and link with community resources such as Innovation Factory and the Forge at McMaster.

“There is a very healthy ecosystem in Hamilton. We don’t duplicate efforts. We work together to create a united front.”

Sodtka’s primary objective is to raise awareness of SURGE and encourage participation in its workshops and activities. That includes “guerrilla” marketing techniques, visits to classrooms and engaging with other faculty and staff members.

Expert presentations have included social entrepreneurship, angel investors, bricks and mortar, and technology. SURGE has also hosted a career startup fair attended by over 350 people.

A pitch competition at the end of March helps students refine their ideas and approaches to potential investors, partners and clients. Students have the shot at a $1,000 prize and gain valuable advice from community judges.

Also thanks to SURGE, students at Mohawk’s Skilled Trades Campus in Stoney Creek meet accountants, lawyers and insurance experts who guide them through the business side of working in the trades.

“About nine per cent of our students currently get formal access to entrepreneurship in their curriculum,” said Sodtka.

To help fill that gap,Sodtka landed research money through Mohawk’s iDeaWorks to develop a two-hour online entrepreneurship module called an Entrepreneur in Every Classroom. Sodtka says the module can fit into any program.

“It’s highly interactive and focuses on an entrepreneurial mindset. Not everyone will start their own business but it really can help in any job.”

Sodtka, a mother of two young children, also owns her own consulting business and was recently named among the Top 40 under 40 in Hamilton. She worked in marketing, international training and development, leadership development and North American recruitment at food giant General Mills before coming to Mohawk in 2011 after discovering her love for teaching.

Sodtka, who holds a bachelors in sociology from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Niagara University, was thrilled to be asked to take on responsibility for SURGE.

“My worlds are colliding in such a good way,” she said about combining her love of entrepreneurship with teaching.

SURGE, which is supported by eight faculty entrepreneurs and five student ambassadors, has been a great success since its launch.

“Getting this started has been such an outstanding experience and I am tremendously passionate about it. We’ve become a victim of our own success. To keep up with demand, I expect we will need to bring on more people. The groundwork has been laid.”

In just a little more than a year, SURGE has connected with almost 1,000 students and community members. The hub has 18 active clients (students and non-students), including about one-third who are international students. SURGE has accelerated three businesses to the launch stage.

SURGE is a member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs.

There is a tremendous entrepreneurial ecosystem in Hamilton, says Sodtka. Representatives of Hamilton’s broad innovation and entrepreneurship community meet every other week to talk about clients, coordinate events and establish partnerships, says Sodtka.

That includes SURGE, Innovation Factory, the McMaster Industry Liaison Office, Spectrum and the Forge.

“There is such passion for this work in Hamilton, so we have tremendous community partners supporting us.”

Contact Melanie at:

melanie.sodtka@mohawkcollege.ca

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

He resolved to do the same for others.

“Everything I’ve become is the farthest thing away from where I thought I would end up,” said Iles, who has been a full-time faculty member at Mohawk since 2008.

Those who knew him as a troubled, rebellious youth are shocked at what he’s made of himself, he says.

“People thought I would be in jail. I had no regard for authority.”

Iles, 35, who teaches online and hybrid courses in sustainability, sociology, applied research and foundations, is now a recognized and sought-after authority on building gamification into teaching.

His methods include having students in his sustainability course apply their learning in a simulation in which they must build a self-sustaining community for 500 people on an island owned by a mining company.

“I was teaching them all this theory about the triple bottom line and the complexities of balance and sustainability. They could regurgitate the definitions but they had little idea about how it all worked.”

So he designed a game in which they had to figure out how to provide housing, power, food and things to do for the island’s inhabitants. Of course, they must constantly make decisions as the population grows.

“As they get further into the course, they make better decisions. One student told me he played the game for 24 hours straight. The simulation really gives them a visual representation of the decisions that are made all around us,” said Iles.

He also incorporates game techniques by having students progress through the curriculum by unlocking modules. They can score bonus marks – like points in a videogame ­– by adequately performing on quizzes in each module.

“Gamification allows students to challenge themselves in each module. Some students don’t even think of it as gamification. They just see the content.”

Iles even creates funny YouTube videos to congratulate students when they unlock the next content module.

“I’ve had students get angry if they haven’t earned a video. They kind of think of it as a badge almost.”

The approach engages a videogame generation and allows students to set their own learning pace.

“I’m not going to say it works for every student but the majority are motivated by it.”

Iles has been invited to education conferences around the world to share his ideas. Iles’ work at Mohawk led to him being named one of five global leaders in developing online content on Desire2Learn platforms and earned him a Pearson Cite digital education award.

And he’s applied his approach to helping elementary teachers track student progress. Iles and three other Mohawk staff founded Flyte Studios last year.

“We heard from a lot of educators who said they would love to use a videogame but they couldn’t build one or find one that has enough curriculum built into it.”

So Iles and his partners, two developers and a graphic artist, built the UnderStudyEdu platform and design videogames that make learning fun for young students and allow teachers to collect data about a student’s understanding of the curriculum.

Flyte Studios has entered into partnerships with the largest learning management systems, including Desire2Learn and Canvas.

“It’s great for both sides because it provides a gaming suite for them and we need clients and they have them.”

Though Flyte Studios is not affiliated with Mohawk, Iles says there has been plenty of support and advice from the college community. Resources available to help faculty build engaging course material have been crucial.

Iles won a Mohawk President’s Award in 2013 for his work on rolling out an iPad-driven curriculum for engineering technology students and was a nominee last year for a teaching excellence award from Colleges and Institutes Canada.

None of Iles’ success – the teaching position, the awards, the international speaking engagements, founding his own company – seemed remotely possible when Iles dropped out of his Oshawa high school in Grade 12.

He had always hated school and was tossed out of a couple of high schools before he dropped out.

“Nothing seemed to appeal to me. I had a really bad taste for authority. I didn’t like to be told what to learn and how to learn it.”

Mohawk changed all that. He was working in a mall skateboard shop when he took a shot at college.

“I’m very emotionally connected to Mohawk. Before coming here I had never read a book cover to cover,” he said.

“I met faculty here who literally changed my life and changed my perspective on how important it is to be learning.”

After completing a general arts and science diploma, he went on to get a bachelors in sociology from McMaster and a masters in education from the University of Toronto.

While studying in university, Iles set a goal to return to Mohawk and give others the chance he was given.

Iles says he doesn’t regret his unusual path to education. It allows him to forge an instant connection with disengaged students. It also makes him incredibly grateful for what he’s doing.

“I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am in my career and life without that path and Mohawk College."

Contact Shaun at:

shaun.iles@mohawkcollege.ca

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

Mohawk College’s Multi-Sensory Lab provides comfort, stimulation and learning to babies, children, youth, adults and seniors. Additionally the Multi-Sensory Lab is being used as a therapeutic tool with other disciplines such as speech pathology.

“The experience is different for everyone,” said Kaela Millar, the lab’s technologist. “We adapt the environment to work the brain to develop neural pathways and bring about focus. This helps someone who is not in an organized state. Stimulation of the brain can help reorganize.”

The lab opened in 2013 at Mohawk’s Fennell campus as the first multi-sensory room at an Ontario college. It’s entirely customizable. A patient can choose to sit in a massage chair and listen to quiet, relaxing music with soothing lights and colours or swing in a suspended chair while listening to Metallica and while flashing lights and colours.

“The key is that we can match the room to a person’s arousal level. It is a process of immersion in the experience. When the body relaxes, the brain can restore order and this is when learning can occur. Within the Multi-Sensory Lab we aim to reduce stress and increase pleasure.”

One non-verbal young man with autism comes to the lab once a week. He doesn’t ever sleep well except the night after his visits.

“He often arrives at the lab in a heightened state of arousal. He’s bouncing and twirling and his body appears to be in a state of overdrive. The key is to match the speed of the room to the energy level that he is exhibiting and then slowly reduce it. That calms him.”

The room features large bubble tubes that change colour, projected star lights, strands of LED lights formed into a curtain, a spiral wheel of colourful lights and a cushioned wall with various vibrating panels.

Speakers set inside a beanbag chair allow patients to feel music through their bodies. That works well for those with migraines and chronic pain in joints as they are soothed by the vibration of the music. Individuals who are deaf and unable to hear sounds are actually able to feel the music, says Millar. A ladder panel of lights responds to voices, which also helps people who are hard of hearing visualize the sound.

Virtually all of the room’s sensory experiences are in the client’s control.

“For many who come here, their days are so controlled for them from the minute they get up in the morning to the minute they go to bed at night. Here, they have control. They choose where they want to sit, what colours will be in the room, what they listen to.”

But Millar is always observing, responding and modifying the environment. She takes inventory of a patient’s mood and sensory triggers to determine what works and what doesn’t.

“It’s important to have trained staff. This isn’t a playroom. You can’t just leave a person alone to play in a room with everything turned on and expect magic to happen.”

Music is played without lyrics, which Millar says interfere with the neurological effects.

“With lyrics, we are cognitively thinking about them and what they mean. But that’s not the philosophy of multi-sensory rooms. This is about not needing a specific level of cognitive thinking to enjoy an experience,” said Millar.

“Multi-sensory separates the cognitive experience from the purely sensory one.”

The approach was developed by two doctors working at an institute for people with intellectual disabilities in Holland in the late 1970s.

They called it Snoezelen, which is taken from two Dutch words: snufflen meaning to seek out or to explore, and doezelen meaning to relax or to be in a wonderful place.

Millar sees that combination in action every day.

One of the lab’s youngest clients is a 14-month-old boy with cerebral palsy and vision problems. He engages with the vibrating bumpa wall and the fibre optic lights.

“You can just see the joy and glee in him when he’s engaging in the room.”

For a former student with severe anxiety, her time in the lab before classes twice a week soothed her and prepared her to handle her studies.

“She left relaxed enough to be able to take on her day and to actually do her tests and assignments.”

Millar has watched withdrawn clients respond to images projected on to a mesh curtain or to carefully chosen music or to the use of scents like lavender, citrus or peppermint.

Beyond the gains for clients, the goal is to use the lab to train Mohawk’s recreation therapy students. The facility includes a two-way mirror for observation and a classroom space.

Millar was still a student with Mohawk’s recreation therapy program when the lab opened. She had experience with multi-sensory treatment while working on placements at long-term care homes and at a children’s rehabilitation hospital.

When she graduated in April 2014, program coordinator Joanne Brohman asked Millar to build a program that would bring people in to use the lab.

Thanks to Millar’s advocacy, the lab now has extensive partnerships with about a dozen local groups. She’s now applying for a grant through Mohawk’s Applied Research and Innovation in Education Fund to study the physiological, emotional and learning effects of the multi-sensory experience among multiple populations.

Millar, a Grimsby native, graduated with a bachelors degree in child and youth studies from Brock University in 2005. She worked in the field for a few years before deciding to specialize in recreation therapy.

Two of her placements while studying at Mohawk really surprised her.

“I fell in love with seniors. My job now allows me to work with people from birth to the end of life. It’s very special.”

Contact Kaela at:

kaela.millar@mohawkcollege.ca

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

The Human Services professor is now studying how others can be transformed by learning abroad.

During her studies to earn at doctorate in education at The University of Windsor, Turan researched how parents felt about the services available to their children with autism. The trip to India in 2013 reinforced her particular interest in cultural diversity in the views on autism and treatment.

“I went as both a teacher and a student to learn about how the Indian culture views and treats autism. It was a huge benefit to me as a person, as a professor, and it directly impacted how I teach and how I see the world.”

Turan, coordinator of Mohawk’s Autism and Behavioural Sciences graduate certificate program, saw that same transformation when she took a group of Mohawk and Fanshawe College students to India through the Global Autism Project in 2014.

“They were forever changed in a globalized way. They come back more interested in politics and global issues. They are more engaged in the world.”

Turan has now focused her sights on researching and measuring the effect of global service placements. She is leading another group of 10 students to India in March who are being assessed to create a baseline measure that will be compared to their thoughts and beliefs when they return.

Her hope over the long-term is to study how international experiences affect those who work as clinicians, and service providers in the field of autism.

She was awarded funding from Mohawk’s Applied Research and Innovation in Education (ARIE) fund last fall to carry out her work.

“I always had an interest in applied research but there were limited opportunities. There was no funding and teaching loads didn’t really allow it. It feels like there has been a shift in the College, a good shift. There is an appreciation for research and for consideration of perspective across cultures and the value that can bring to our students,” she said.

“This is a much more globalized institution. That only makes us better.”

Turan says children with disabilities in India are often hidden or segregated due to shame. The schools that serve those children are remarkable places, she says.

“The women working in these schools are exceptional. They are strong, driven, independent women who are amazing advocates for these kids … India is kind of where (Canada was) in the 1960s (with respect to disabilities), however, they are also ahead of us in many ways, and I’ve learned so much from them” said Turan, a Hamilton native who completed an undergraduate degree in psychology at McMaster University.

She did not set out to study autism but while in university she took a job caring for a boy with the brain development disorder. She knew nothing about it at the time but used behavioural science techniques to help teach him to communicate.

“I became so enthralled with the power of this teaching that I dedicated my life to it.”

Turan started working with a group of families advocating for increased government funding for autism services. When the province began allocating millions of dollars to provide Intensive Behavioural Intervention to children with autism in 1999, Turan took a role as a senior therapist for autism services in London.

From there, she worked as a clinical supervisor in a private practice and then as a supervising therapist for a regional autism program in Toronto.

While acting as a clinical coordinator for an autism school support program, she finished a masters’ degree through the University of Nevada at Reno.

Autism is said to affect one in 68 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control in the United States. That number is roughly 30 per cent higher than the estimate in 2009 and about 120 per cent higher than that estimated in 2002.

There is no national surveillance program in Canada but experts do believe the prevalence of autism is increasing. That has led to long wait times for services and a shortage of people working in the field.

“There is not enough people to do the great work we could be doing,” said Turan.

She came to Mohawk in 2005 while on maternity leave after the birth of her son.

She had applied to teach part-time but members of the hiring committee felt she was perfect for a full-time job heading up the college’s new Autism and Behavioural Sciences graduate certificate program.

Turan says she struggled with the decision because her son was just two months old, but she concluded Mohawk is where she was meant to be.

“I’ve never regretted that decision.”

And Mohawk is now the longest stop in her career.

“We are a really great institution. I’m very proud of where I work.”

Contact Michelle at:

michelle.turan@mohawkcollege.ca

905.575.1212- ext 2046​

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

Those are the words on the wall at Mohawk College’s journalism lab and Kurt Muller’s guiding philosophy.

Muller, who was named Associate Dean of Media and Entertainment last spring, leads a team of faculty and staff who help Mohawk students develop storytelling skills for our digital age.

Under Muller’s watch are a wide assortment of programs: broadcasting - television and communications media, broadcasting - radio, journalism, creative photography, graphic design, art and design foundations, pre-media, integrated animation and music.

It’s been a steep learning curve but Muller, a former journalist, says the students and his colleagues invigorate him.

“It’s very interesting to me on a personal level. I love the skill and creativity of all these disciplines. They are all really forms of communication. I tell people I have the most interesting department in the college.”

During Muller’s previous post as academic coordinator of the journalism program, he and the faculty revamped the curriculum to build an emphasis on digital storytelling, multimedia content and the convergence of broadcast, print and online journalism.

“We graduate students who are comfortable covering stories in any platform.”

There is also an emphasis on providing the best professional software and making students comfortable with technology.

“You can gather news and produce it on a phone that is many ways superior to what it took three people to do 20 years ago. We’ve got great GoPro and digital SLR cameras, for instance. There is better equipment in the school than I had as a professional.”

But no matter the technology, Muller’s motto remains that it’s all about the storytelling.

The program has achieved the highest student satisfaction ratings in the province among similar journalism programs over the last two years and earned a Broadcast Educators Association of Canada award for best student newscast in 2011.

Muller has made it a priority to make Mohawk’s journalism program more welcoming to a broader range of applicants.

An accessibility project was awarded an $80,000 grant last summer from the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, which is dedicated to making broadcast content more accessible to people with disabilities.

The goal is to develop another layer of skills to journalism students but also make Mohawk a program of choice for those with disabilities.

The college’s newsroom is being renovated to accommodate those with physical disabilities and software is being added to allow for dictation, closed captioning and screen reader accessibility.

“We are excited for Mohawk’s potential to be a leader in this area.”

Muller and faculty in the journalism program have worked with Mohawk’s Accessible Learning Services to develop course curriculum and to offer a core journalism course this September. They’re also receiving guidance from an advisory board that includes former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David Onley, and other groups representing Canadians with disabilities.

“We want the best students. We don’t want people to think they can’t be a journalist because of a disability. Diversity in a newsroom makes it better. Everyone knows that.”

The plan is to also develop a post-graduate certificate in accessibility. The skills will be in great demand when the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act comes into full force.

Muller, who was born in South Africa and grew up in Burlington, got a BA in English literature before heading to Sheridan College to study print journalism. He started his career as a general assignment reporter for the Opasquia Times in The Pas, Manitoba before returning to The University of Western Ontario to get a masters degree in journalism in 1993.

He discovered a love for the shooting and editing involved in TV journalism and took a job with a CTV station in Windsor after graduation.

From there, he became a reporter for CFTO News and then a writer for CTV News with Lloyd Robertson. He went on stints as a writer and producer for the broadcaster’s website and then took over the transportation beat for CTV News.

Among his most memorable assignments over the years was taking a ride with the Snowbirds and flying the plane for a few seconds. He also profiled the scientist who developed the DNA extraction technique that exonerated Guy Paul Morin.

“I covered a number of tragedies but my favourite stories were always about the people with compelling success stories.”

His last post before coming to Mohawk full-time in 2004 was news writer for CTV Newsnet.

“When I was at CTV National, I realized that I really enjoyed helping and mentoring young journalists and interns.”

He started teaching part-time at Humber College before joining Mohawk.

“Teaching to me is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my career. I love teaching students to tell stories and explore the world. Seeing students get it is so gratifying,” said Muller.

“Being around the students and their energy and great ideas, it all keeps me young… I knew it was the job for me when it didn’t seem like work.”

Muller, a founding member of the Hamilton Independent Media Awards, acknowledges parts of the media sector have seen their employment levels shrink.

“It’s an industry with major challenges but it’s still a fascinating and fantastic way to make a living.”

During Muller’s previous post as academic coordinator of the journalism program, he and the faculty revamped the curriculum to build an emphasis on digital storytelling, multimedia content and the convergence of broadcast, print and online journalism.

“We graduate students who are comfortable covering stories in any platform.”

There is also an emphasis on providing the best professional software and making students comfortable with technology.

“You can gather news and produce it on a phone that is many ways superior to what it took three people to do 20 years ago. We’ve got great GoPro and digital SLR cameras, for instance. There is better equipment in the school than I had as a professional.”

But no matter the technology, Muller’s motto remains that it’s all about the storytelling.

The program has achieved the highest student satisfaction ratings in the province among similar journalism programs over the last two years and earned a Broadcast Educators Association of Canada award for best student newscast in 2011.

Muller has made it a priority to make Mohawk’s journalism program more welcoming to a broader range of applicants.

An accessibility project was awarded an $80,000 grant last summer from the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, which is dedicated to making broadcast content more accessible to people with disabilities.

The goal is to develop another layer of skills to journalism students but also make Mohawk a program of choice for those with disabilities.

The college’s newsroom is being renovated to accommodate those with physical disabilities and software is being added to allow for dictation, closed captioning and screen reader accessibility.

“We are excited for Mohawk’s potential to be a leader in this area.”

Muller and faculty in the journalism program have worked with Mohawk’s Accessible Learning Services to develop course curriculum and to offer a core journalism course this September. They’re also receiving guidance from an advisory board that includes former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David Onley, and other groups representing Canadians with disabilities.

“We want the best students. We don’t want people to think they can’t be a journalist because of a disability. Diversity in a newsroom makes it better. Everyone knows that.”

The plan is to also develop a post-graduate certificate in accessibility. The skills will be in great demand when the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act comes into full force.

Muller, who was born in South Africa and grew up in Burlington, got a BA in English literature before heading to Sheridan College to study print journalism. He started his career as a general assignment reporter for the Opasquia Times in The Pas, Manitoba before returning to The University of Western Ontario to get a masters degree in journalism in 1993.

He discovered a love for the shooting and editing involved in TV journalism and took a job with a CTV station in Windsor after graduation.

From there, he became a reporter for CFTO News and then a writer for CTV News with Lloyd Robertson. He went on stints as a writer and producer for the broadcaster’s website and then took over the transportation beat for CTV News.

Among his most memorable assignments over the years was taking a ride with the Snowbirds and flying the plane for a few seconds. He also profiled the scientist who developed the DNA extraction technique that exonerated Guy Paul Morin.

“I covered a number of tragedies but my favourite stories were always about the people with compelling success stories.”

His last post before coming to Mohawk full-time in 2004 was news writer for CTV Newsnet.

“When I was at CTV National, I realized that I really enjoyed helping and mentoring young journalists and interns.”

He started teaching part-time at Humber College before joining Mohawk.

“Teaching to me is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my career. I love teaching students to tell stories and explore the world. Seeing students get it is so gratifying,” said Muller.

“Being around the students and their energy and great ideas, it all keeps me young… I knew it was the job for me when it didn’t seem like work.”

Muller, a founding member of the Hamilton Independent Media Awards, acknowledges parts of the media sector have seen their employment levels shrink.

“It’s an industry with major challenges but it’s still a fascinating and fantastic way to make a living.”

Contact Kurt at:

kurt.muller@mohawkcollege.ca

905.575.1212- ext 2046​

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

As Director of Counselling, Accessible Learning Services and Health Services, Drost oversees a team that includes nurses and doctors, accessibility counsellors, advisors and officers, and personal counsellors.

Mohawk’s health services team operates a walk-in clinic, with focused health promotion for all students including those living in residence and international students who are unlikely to have a local family doctor. The team also offers general health education programs around topics ranging from smoking cessation and safe drinking to nutrition and sexual health.

“We really emphasize in a confidential appointment for students to ask questions and to share information freely,” says Drost. “Students are encouraged to drop in and talk with nurses about things they’re worried or wondering about.”

Counselling Services, with a team of registered counsellors, meets with students about their personal, career and academic concerns.

Highly trained counsellors help students deal with a variety of concerns including mental health issues, suicide risk, addiction, self-esteem struggles, family and financial issues, bereavement and grief, and violence and abuse.

Counsellors also help students deal with stress, especially when it comes to academics.

“We see a lot of students fearing failure or fearing that they won’t live up to expectations. The social and financial pressures, a competitive marketplace for jobs, school and life balance, family needs, and general stress can be overwhelming. “

Counsellors provide career counselling, including aptitude testing, and work with faculty, Accessible Learning Services and Student Success Advisors to help students who may be struggling either develop a plan to get back on track or move into another program.

Drost has made it a priority to have counsellors connect with students in various ways through outreach events including booths on campus, workshops and groups, and presentations.

“It’s partly to have students get to know the counselling team and to demystify the stigma associated with counselling. We’re trying to be more proactive with our students as needed to support their success. As a result of our efforts there’s been a 27 per cent increase of student contacts with counselling.”

Among those proactive initiatives is E-Success Coaching, a blog written by Dr. Heather Drummond, a counsellor and professor at Mohawk. Drummond offers practical advice to handle stress, set goals, prevent procrastination, study effectively, and increase well-being and emotional intelligence.

Drost, who arrived at Mohawk in September 2012, developed a mental health and wellness plan for the college called New Vision of Wellness: A Timely Strategic Shift. The plan moves Mohawk away from a direct service model to an integrated wellness approach across the college that emphasizes outreach, mental health promotion and events such as stress busters, puppies on campus during exams and athletics and recreation activities.

A component of that plan is an innovative initiative called Mental Health in Motion, founded in collaboration with Mohawk professors Chantal Szpak and Nick Petrella and Health Nurse Educator Glenda Dela Cruz.

The program launched in January 2015 as part of Bell’s Let’s Talk initiative. Petrella has become a mental-health advocate who publically shares his own struggles with depression and anxiety.

Mental Health in Motion trains student volunteers who have experience with mental health, through themselves or others, to engage with students on campus. Student leaders wear identifiable green T-shirts and travel the campus, through promotions, talking to their peers and encouraging them to access services if warranted. The goal is to inspire peer conversations and break down the stigma around mental health.

“Students may not want to speak with a specialist in an office. It may seem like a barrier,” said Drost, a married mother of two teens. “Peer students with lived experience meeting students on the campus through events or promotions, may remove the barrier. These students will engage with counselling or other community services when comfortable.”

There is community specialized care if it’s needed including St. Joseph’s Hospital Youth Wellness Centre team who meets students between the ages of 17 and 25 on campus and in the community. This team offers transition to the community services, addictions counselling and support from a trained professional with lived experience.

The Healthy Campus Community approach, the foundation of Drost’s mental health and wellness plan, is the idea that student mental health and wellness is the collective responsibility of the entire institution.

“We’re assembling a new model for students who are living with a mental health issue themselves or in their family. Mohawk College is a place where our students will feel supported.” Staff have been attending Mental Health First Aid and are referring students to appropriate services such as Counselling and Health.

Numerous studies have found a sharp increase in post-secondary students reporting anxiety, depression and sleep loss that affects their personal lives and academic performance.

In 2014, the college’s Accessible Learning Services departments recorded 6,718 student contacts. By 2015, that increased 27 per cent to 9,443 contacts.

Accessible Learning Services (ALS) provides services and supports to students with physical, mental or learning disabilities. ALS offers alternate testing facilities, technology, confidential academic accommodation plans and other supports so that all students have a level playing field academically.

“We do a lot of outreach in high schools through our recruitment teams. We want prospective students to know that we’re here to help them succeed.” Strong partnerships across the college ensure that faculty and staff support all students. Accessibility Counsellors help both faculty and Students Success Advisors in meeting the needs of students.”

Accessible Learning Services works with all programs to make sure student accommodation needs are being met. Workshops are offered for staff and faculty around supporting students. ALS is currently offering groups and workshops for students with autism. Mohawk’s annual Accessible Awareness Day highlights the full range of services available at Mohawk and in the community.

Drost, who was born and raised in Niagara Falls, has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of Guelph and a Master’s of Science in Mental Health Counselling from Niagara University in New York State.

After her education, she worked in crisis and trauma services in Buffalo and a children’s mental health centre in Niagara. She was a Senior Manager at another children’s mental health centre in Toronto and has had her own clinical practice.

Drost says she was attracted to the opportunity to join Mohawk because of her interest in the emerging adult years, a phase of development between adolescence and adulthood.

“The students motivate us each and every day. Every employee at Mohawk in some way serves our students, and each of us play a part in their success. Together, we offer a wealth of resources and a network of support to help students work with their challenges and barriers.”

Each time she attends Convocation and congratulates new graduates who’ve overcome adversity, or required accommodations for their success, Drost says she’s grateful for the role she plays in helping Mohawk students succeed.

“Everyone wants to make a difference in someone else’s life. We get to do that every day here at Mohawk.”

Contact Louisa at:

louisa.drost@mohawkcollege.ca

905.575.1212- ext 2435​

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod

Griffiths grew up on his fifth-generation family farm in Thorold and planned to carry on farming but decided on a whim to give college a shot. He earned a pre-technology certificate and then enrolled into the environmental science technician program.

The environmental work of his grandfather David Griffiths was his inspiration.

“He has been a true environmental advocate in the Niagara Region for many years, so it was something that appealed to me.”

After completing his diploma, Griffiths served two terms as president of the Mohawk Students’ Association before being offered a one-year contract with the college to develop its first sustainability plan.

“I was challenged to develop a plan that was tailored to a college. It had to fit how we do business and focus on student engagement.”

With the plan approved by the Board of Governors in 2011, Mohawk became the first college in Canada to create an environmental management plan with bold targets around carbon reduction.

Thanks to the collective results of many initiatives, Mohawk exceeded the original target of a 20 per cent reduction in 2007 baseline emissions by 2020. The college managed a 24 per cent reduction eight years ahead of the projected timeline.

Much of the reduction is due to the province’s elimination of coal-fired power generation, says Griffiths, but 10 per cent is directly due to changes at the college in transportation, energy consumption, waste management and paper use.

The college is now working on bringing to life its Environmental Management Plan 2.0. launched in 2014. The new target calls for a further 30 per cent cut in baseline 2007 carbon emissions by 2020.

The college’s sustainability commitment has produced plenty of honours, including five Smart Commute recognitions and being named Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2014 and 2015.

Griffiths, who was promoted to manage the Sustainability Office in 2013, says college leaders fully back the sustainability work.

“Our senior administration recognizes the success of what’s come in the past and are helping us plan for the future.”

Both versions of the EMP are built on eight pillar sectors that touch virtually all aspects of campus life. That includes building the David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre and the Cummings Library to LEED gold certification and changing how thousands of people arrive to Mohawk each day.

Griffiths says Mohawk’s Fennell campus was in a “parking crisis” in 2009. Lots were jammed with single-occupancy vehicles and there seemed to be no end to the demand.

But after reaching a deal with the HSR for a universal transit pass, instituting a carpool and car share program, installing lockers, racks and showers for cyclists, and improving connections into adjacent neighbourhoods, Mohawk has seen its parking demand drop sharply.

In fact, though there are 40 per cent more students now than there were in 2009, there are fewer parking spaces today and the crisis has passed, says Griffiths.

A full 60 per cent of Mohawk’s daily people count arrives to campus by means other than a single-occupant vehicle. Daily HSR share alone has jumped from 18 per cent in 2009 to 34 per cent this fall.

That’s expected to only grow. A new Mohawk College Terminal planned for 2016 will be a “game changer” in how students, staff and visitors get to Mohawk, says Griffiths. The sustainability office continues to work on convincing those within a 30-minute radius of campus to take transit.

On the local food front, Mohawk students and staff have embraced community gardens, a seasonal produce stand and a campus orchard.

“We are located next to some of the most prime agricultural lands in Canada and agriculture is central to the local economy,” said Griffiths.

“We are helping to improve food literacy among our staff and students. To have a sustainable food system, we need to provide students with healthy, sustainable food options on campus.”

The community gardens have bloomed from eight plots in the first year to 50 now. The gardens include an outdoor classroom, sheds, fruit trees and rainwater harvesting from the rooftops of neighbouring buildings. Griffiths says it may be the nicest site in southern Ontario.

The orchard of 21 apple and pear trees is planted at the southern edge of the Fennell campus. It’s a nod to the history of the property because the land that became Mohawk was once a farm that grew the food for what was then the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital across the street.

Griffiths hopes to eventually see all the trees on campus replaced with fruit-bearing varieties.

Many projects are supported by the Mohawk Sustainability Initiatives Fund (SIF), which pools $5 per student per semester to act on a student’s idea. It adds up to an impressive $140,000 per year that is governed by a steering committee made up by an equal split between students and college staff.

“These are enhancements for the students by the students,” said Griffiths, pointing out that building students at the Skilled Trades Centre in Stoney Creek built the boxes, composters, raised beds, sheds and water harvesters for the community gardens.

Erica Eldridge, a student in Integrated Animation and Graphic Design Production, put forward the idea for a rooftop water harvester and then helped design it.

“Many students who participate are not environmental or technology students. There is just natural skill set for environmental issues in today’s students. If they see their feedback shapes what happens on campus, they will get involved more.”

Another idea from a student and funded through the SIF is the seasonal farm stand. That is a partnership with the Mustard Seed Co-op, Hamilton’s grocery co-operative, which provides products at cost. Environment Hamilton operates the stand.

In the off-season, the offerings are extended with a biweekly bounty bag filled with local fruits and vegetables.

Being part of the sustainable renewal of the Fennell campus is rewarding work for Griffiths.

“It kind of feels like we are building a little city here. This city is growing, adaptively reusing buildings, building in pedestrian mobility and growing its own food.”

Contact Alan at:

alan.griffiths@mohawkcollege.ca

905.575.1212- ext 4168​

Spotlight on is written by Freelance writer and editor Meredith MacLeod.

Follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithmacleod