Red River College’s Disability and Community Support program and its Diversity and Intercultural Services department came together this week to raise awareness of the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

On Wed., Dec 3, students and staff gathered in the Library hallway at the Notre Dame Campus, where they offered passers-by holiday baking. Others fanned out across campus, distributing stickers and bookmarks with powerful messages.

The bookmarks were made to address how societal attitudes can present a barrier to those faced by people with disabilities in achieving full acceptance and integration in society. They offered ideas for appropriate and respectful language related to disabilities, while also addressing less respectful terminology.

“The goal of the event was to raise awareness about local issues such as Manitoba’s Accessibility legislation,” says Cheryl Martens, lead instructor of Disability and Community Support. “By connecting with the RRC community face-to-face, we hoped to focus on awareness on a local, global and personal level.” Read More →

If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then Red River College instructor Rodney Braun has a lot to say.

A Professional Photography instructor at the College for nearly four years, Braun was recently named Manitoba’s Photographer of the Year by the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC).

The award was based on a sampling of four photos submitted to a panel of industry peers from across Canada. The submissions (see above example) showcase Braun’s talents as a portrait photographer; together with his wife, he runs Eve Studios, where he specializes in beauty and nude art photography for women.

“You always kind of hope you’re the best — but rarely do you find out you are,” quips Braun, who’s originally from Saskatoon but moved to Winnipeg with his family in 2000.

“It’s always good to hear that your peers consider you in that position!”

Before moving to Winnipeg, Braun (shown at left) worked with youth and as a paramedic, so he was well-prepared for the daily pressures that came with his job as an instructor.

He teaches a mix of disciplines — everything from portraiture to smartphone photography to marketing and project management — and says he’s happiest when he sees light bulbs (or should that be flashbulbs?) going off over his students’ heads.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing how excited students get when they learn a new skill,” he explains, “and then seeing them take that to the next level, where they can actually make money through that skill.”

RRC’s Professional Photography program is delivered through the School of Continuing Education. Click here for more information.

Red River College instructor Peter Denton has released a new book exploring society’s obsession with technology, and its impact on the environment.

Technology and Sustainability is the fifth book for Denton, who teaches ethics, sustainability and technical communication at RRC. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, it challenges readers to re-imagine the ways they engage with technology, in the hopes of creating a better world for future generations.

From the publisher: “Technology is in our heads, not in our hands. If we don’t like what our technologies are doing to the world and to ourselves, then we all have both the power and the responsibility to make better choices today than we did yesterday. Technology and Sustainability redefines our relationship with technology and offers ways in which we can use these tools to make the world a better place through enlightened and positive engagements.”

In addition to his teaching role at RRC, Denton also serves as one of two civil society representatives for North America to the United Nations Environment Programme, and as an adjunct associate professor of History at the Royal Military College of Canada and an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada.

His new book will appeal to anyone with an interest in technology, and in sustainable practices for improving the environment.

McNally Robinson will host a book launch for Denton on Fri., Nov. 28, at 7pm, while RRC will host a book signing on Tue., Dec. 2, at the Notre Dame Campus Library from 12:30-1:30pm.

Click here to learn more about Technology and Sustainability.

Winnipeg Transit will soon begin daily service using up to four battery-electric transit buses developed and designed by a consortium that includes researchers from Red River College .

The New Flyer Xcelsior^® buses will be in daily operation on a 40-kilometre, two-hour route starting at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, making its way through the city centre to East Kildonan, and returning to the airport.

The route was chosen because its length, speeds and loads are typical of many central business district routes in Canada and the U.S., and because the Winnipeg Airports Authority permitted New Flyer to install a high-power charging station at the airport – a project that was completed in October 2014.

“We didn’t want an easy route,” says Paul Soubry, New Flyer’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We encouraged Winnipeg Transit to select a route that would showcase the technological capability of our Xcelsior battery-electric bus in a real life in-service situation that will experience a wide range of weather and traffic conditions.”

The project is a continuing collaboration between New Flyer, the Province of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Red River College and Winnipeg Transit. The project team – which started the effort in May 2011 – received additional assistance in October 2012 when Sustainable Development Technology Canada announced funding of $3.4 million to take the project from prototype to full production and field demonstration, and in 2014 when Manitoba’s Vehicle Technology Centre provided an additional $94,000 for charging station development.

“This electric bus project is a key element in Manitoba’s Clean Energy Strategy and supports our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the use of effective, cost-efficient, renewable energy,” said Eric Robinson, Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro. “Our innovative advancements in clean energy technologies have contributed to our placement as the first in Canada to employ the new, unique on-route rapid charging system, promoting affordable public transportation and electric vehicle knowledge which will create jobs.”

Zero-emission battery-electric propulsion transit buses are expected to significantly reduce green house gas and smog-causing criteria air contaminant emissions. In Manitoba, where the electrical grid is highly renewable (nearly 100 per cent of electricity is generated without burning fuel), the use of electric propulsion buses are expected to translate to an estimated reduction of 160 tonnes of green house gas emissions, per bus, per year.

“Red River College is proud to support community economic development as a participant in this project,” said David Rew, Interim RRC President. “Our instructors, staff and students have all contributed to the success of the consortium and we look forward to the zero emissions bus going into commercial use at many transit authorities across North America.”

Neil Cooke, Chair of Transportation and Heavy Apprenticeship Trades at Red River College, has been named 2014’s Associate of the Year by the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA).

Presented annually in conjunction with Payne Transportation LP, the award recognizes an MTA member who’s made a positive contribution to association programs, or otherwise contributed to the development of the association.

“This recognition is a testament to the leadership and dedication Neil brings to the College and the strong relationships he has developed with the trucking industry,” says RRC President David Rew. “Neil is not only a leader at the College but a leader in our community and vital to ensuring both staff and student success.”

Cooke has nearly 40 years of experience in Manitoba’s transportation sector, where he worked extensively in the heavy truck industry as a technician, mechanic and consultant. He worked for 11 years as an RRC instructor before assuming his role as Chair in 2006.

These days, Cooke oversees a team of more than 60 people who provide essential industry training and applied research capabilities for the transportation industry. Cooke and his team have contributed towards research on electric vehicle technology, biodiesel, and hydrogen production methods for RRC’s hybrid vehicles.

In early 2014, the federal government appointed Cooke to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), a major distinction — and one currently shared by only 12 council members across Canada.

“Neil has been pivotal in working with industry and helping further many of our applied research initiatives here at the College,” says Don MacDonald, Chair of RRC’s School of Transportation, Aviation and Manufacturing. “He’s a valued and dedicated member of this team and most deserving of this honour from the MTA.”

Click here to watch the Associated Trade Award video presentation.

Red River College is proud to be named one of Manitoba’s Top 25 Employers for the fifth year in a row.

“What an honour to once again be recognized as one of Manitoba’s top employers,” says David Rew, Interim President of RRC.

“The College is an employer of choice in our province and this ongoing recognition is the result of the more than 2,500 dedicated people who work at RRC. We’re an organization dedicated to the success of our people, and our People Plan strategy fosters that environment at the College.”

A comprehensive human resources strategy, the People Plan has allowed RRC to be an employer of choice through a variety of initiatives related to recruitment, retention, professional development, succession, total rewards, labour relations and organizational effectiveness.

RRC provides exceptional benefits, such as three weeks of vacation for new employees, maternity top-up payments, a defined benefit pension plan, a flexible health care plan, and an on-site daycare. The College was also recognized for its efforts in improving environmental sustainability, which earlier this year earned it a designation as one of Canada’s 50 Greenest Employers for 2014.

“The positive work environment that we have worked so hard to foster offers many benefits for our employees,” says Rew. “It makes RRC more competitive in recruiting new talent. It reduces staff turnover and it improves productivity because satisfied employees who are empowered in their roles are enthusiastic about their work.

“It also creates an environment in which people know they are a significant and vital part of an organization committed to excellence.”

Already a model of the potential for success through partnerships with community organizations, Red River College stands to benefit even further from a new pilot project aimed at strengthening communities through social innovation research.

Announced today by the Hon. Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), the new Community and College Social Innovation Fund will increase colleges’ capacity to engage in collaborative projects with community organizations and businesses to address such social issues as poverty, crime prevention, community safety and economic development.

“Our government understands that local community organizations are essential in addressing social issues like economic development, poverty, education and integration in Canadian communities,” says Holder (shown above, fifth from left). “The Community and College Social Innovation Fund will connect the innovative talent of researchers and students at colleges and polytechnics to meet the research needs of local community organizations to build stronger, safer, healthier communities.”

Administered through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the fund allows colleges and polytechnics to partner with community organizations and businesses to apply for funding of up to $200,000 (plus an additional 20 per cent to offset overhead and administrative costs) to undertake collaborative projects that address community issues.

The new fund will provide $15 million over three years in support of social innovation projects, which could take the form of products, processes or programs that create positive social outcomes for communities.

“Social innovation requires breakthrough ideas, applied research and community collaboration,” says David Rew, Interim President of RRC. “We welcome the government’s recognition that colleges like RRC are instrumental in making meaningful contributions to advancing solutions to issues that face communities, not only in Manitoba, but [throughout the globe].” Read More →

A heavy metal shout-out to Red River College instructor Barry Chetyrbok, who’s spent the last 10 years forging a reputation as a highly-respected mentor to apprenticing ironworkers in Manitoba.

A former tradesman who turned to teaching after being injured on the job, Chetyrbok was recently honoured as the Instructor of the Year at Apprenticeship Manitoba’s annual Awards of Distinction.

Chetyrbok says his instructor position gives him the opportunity to invest in the next generation of ironworkers, by sharing his expertise with students and doing his best to prepare them for careers in industry.

“In my mind, the students themselves are responsible for their own learning. I’m just here to facilitate,” Chetyrbok told the Winnipeg Free Press recently. “I try my best to instill character, work ethic and a strong command of what the trade involves. I’m here as the result of an accident, so I really stress the safety part of it.”

Chetyrbok (shown above with Neil Cooke, chair of Transportation and Heavy Apprenticeship Trades at RRC) got his start as a student in RRC’s Welding program, but took an interest in ironworking after visiting a friend at a job site. After he suffered an on-the-job injury that prevented him from returning to work, his business manager suggested he try teaching.

Chetyrbok said he’d give it a go, and hasn’t looked back. He recently took time out of his schedule to coach a trio of students taking part in a Western Canadian apprenticeship competition.

Two of those students (Sebastian Barychynski and Jordan Orieux) took first and second place, respectively, while the third (Matthew Chetyrbok, Barry’s son) took sixth. All three travelled to Toronto in September for the 2014 Iron Workers International Apprentice Competition. Read More →

Teacher Education students at Red River College are flipping the professional development experience by teaching teachers how to integrate technology into their classrooms.

It’s all part of Flipping PD, a program developed by RRC’s Eva Brown, an instructor with the Business/Technology Teacher Education program offered jointly through the College and the University of Winnipeg.

Brown knows it’s impossible to anticipate the future of technology. Instead, she focuses on developing the skills teachers need to effectively utilize technology in lessons.

“My student teachers need to learn how to use tools, but more than that [they need to know] which tool to go where and how to help their students figure things out, because things are changing so rapidly.”

Future teachers need the ability to constantly learn and adapt; Flipping PD facilitates this by putting them in situations where they’re forced to think on their toes.

“I take my student teachers out into the world. I take them to conferences and different schools and they deliver professional development to reach teachers that want to use these technologies to teach in their classrooms.”

For example, Brown’s students might demonstrate ways classrooms can use Google Drive or Skype to facilitate global learning. Rather than demonstrate how to use a specific tool for a specific lesson, however, they show the learning opportunities that can be facilitated through technology.

“It’s categories of tools that we try to teach, and the ones that will be the most bang for your buck.” Read More →

Red River College’s Students’ Association invites you to get in the Halloween “spirit” this week, with a series of haunted happenings and ghoulish goings-on.

Get ready for the big night by taking part in the following eerie events:

Pumpkin Carving Contest
Tuesday, Oct. 28 in the Cave Lounge (NDC)
Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the Roblin Centre Cafeteria (EDC)
11am – 1:30pm

Grab a sharpened implement and show off your creative side! Or compete for prizes in a host of Halloween-themed games!

Halloween Kegger
Thursday, Oct. 30 in the “Haunted” Cave Lounge (NDC)
3-7pm
(18+ event; bring student and gov’t ID)

Celebrate All Hallows’ Eve a day early at the SA’s annual party. Come in costume — enjoy all-night drink specials, terror-inducing tunes and (best of all) FREE admission!

Costume Contest* and Movie Marathon
Friday, Oct. 31 in the Cave Lounge (NDC)
Until 3pm

Stop by your nearest SA office to have your photo taken and entered in the Costume Contest. Or swing by the Cave to watch back-to-back Halloween classics — perfect for getting you in the mood for a freaky Friday night!

* Just a friendly reminder that your costumes can’t include weapons of any kind, including replica and toy guns, knives, explosives, hatchets, etc.