The Centre for Integrated and Advanced Medical Imaging solves clinical, educational and research challenges through deep institutional partnerships.

The new Centre for Integrated and Advanced Medical Imaging (CIAMI) will provide desperately needed MRI services in Hamilton, educate in demand MRI technologists through hands-on learning, foster innovation and new research discoveries.

Developed through a partnership between Mohawk College, McMaster University and affiliated hospitals, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and St. Joseph’s Healthcare, CIAMI serves as a model for a new generation of healthcare.

It’s more than a place, CIAMI is an approach to improving MRI services in the community that addresses backlogs, educates the next generation of MRI technologists and conducts critical research.

Located at the Mohawk-McMaster Institute of Applied Health Sciences (IAHS) building on the university’s main campus, CIAMI includes a newly installed GE Healthcare Signa 3T advanced MRI suite, only the second of its kind in Canada. 

Long-time partnership

CIAMI builds on a long tradition of partnership in healthcare education between McMaster and Mohawk College that includes the province’s first collaborative degree in Nursing, the IAHS facility itself, which opened in 2000, and the first fully integrated diploma-degree program in Medical Radiation Sciences in 2004.

“Those early years of the Mohawk-McMaster partnership paved the way for exceptional successes in education and research. CIAMI is a great example of how strong partnerships and meaningful collaborations can succeed in amazing ways,” says Mohawk College President and CEO Ron J. McKerlie. 

“Both Mohawk and McMaster are committed to moving the region forward,” says David Farrar, President of McMaster University. “Individually, we have great capacity in that regard, but together we have massive power.”

According to Wendy Lawson, Associate Vice President Academic & Dean of the School of Health & Community Services at Mohawk College, CIAMI will revolutionize medical imagine training, discovery and care in the community.

“We envision a future in which front-line allied health professionals are actively engaged in research and one in which teams of clinicians, radiologists, academic researchers an technologists work together to solve problems and propel technological advances in the expanding field of diagnostic imaging,” she says. “Above all, we envision a future in which specialists collaborate across disciplines to train the healthcare professionals of the future, make exciting research discoveries, and provide better healthcare for all.”

Mohawk College’s commitment to producing Future Ready graduates through experiential learning, applied research and interprofessional education will flourish at CIAMI, says Lawson.

City-wide collaboration 

The partnership behind CIAMI is a true citywide collaboration, says Leslie Gauthier, Vice President of Clinical Support Services and Surgery at HHS.

“This will have a huge impact. It’s a different way of thinking about education and clinical needs.” 

Launching this initiative – which has been  about 10 years in the making – has taken the input of 19 working groups, more than 100 people and hundreds of meetings.

“With CIAMI, we are being responsive to community needs and we have connected with community partners on a level that is unprecedented,” says Laura Thomas, Associate Dean of Allied Health and Medical Radiation Sciences at Mohawk College. “

MRI: Standard of care

MRI provides a more in-depth anatomical picture than other forms of diagnostic imaging and is especially useful for imaging of the spine, joints and organs, such as the kidneys, liver and ovaries.

“There was just one MRI in Hamilton when I trained. It’s now a proven technology that many doctors rely upon for diagnosis,” says Dr. Karen Finlay, Chief of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine at HHS. Hamilton is now home to 10 MRIs, including the one at CIAMI.

But the need is much greater. Non-urgent patients are waiting up to a year to get an MRI.

The lack of health human resources, the most limiting factor, has long been one of the biggest challenges.

Under supervision of registered technologists, students get real-world training on clinical cases and the site will offer a space where existing healthcare staff in the city can train to add MRI to their skill set.

Mohawk College’s accelerated training for upskilling healthcare professionals – within the Centre for Professional Advancement – has already helped 82 existing diagnostic imaging staff fast-track their paths to learning MRI.

As well, Mohawk College’s first MRI technologist post-graduate certificate program launched this fall with a cohort of 24 students.

Improving efficiencies

The whole idea for CIAMI came about when  Mohawk College Chief Operating Officer Paul Armstrong, then Dean of Health Sciences, met McMaster University professor Mike Noseworthy for a coffee more than a decade ago. They hashed out a dream for an MRI at IAHS that would combine clinical, educational and research functions.

“It was a crazy idea but I’m elated to see what it’s become,” says Noseworthy, who is Director of Medical Imaging Physics and Engineering at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and a professor in McMaster’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. “This is a unique model. McMaster and Mohawk College have a special relationship that has allowed this to happen.”

He’s been working MRIs for 35 years and always wished there was a dedicated MRI that could be used for research and education.

Noseworthy says the last piece of the concept came from radiologist Dr. Julian Dobranowski, who suggested the MRI should focus on nonurgent cases.

Dobranowski was chief of radiology at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and is now Chief of Medical Imaging at Niagara Health. He is also chair of medical imaging at McMaster University and an adjunct professor at Mohawk College. He serves as the provincial lead at Ontario Health for cancer imaging and for access to care for MRI and CT. His mission is to improve efficiencies and cut wait times.

The relevance of CIAMI is that it will cut wait times while still giving space for training and research.

“It’s important that CIAMI is outside the hospital system,” says Dobranowski. “The hospital is taking care of ICU, ER, ward patients and outpatients coming in for MRIs. We now have an option for lower acuity patients. When we take them out of the hospitals, it leaves more spaces for acute patients.”

The new MRI – a 3 Tesla unit that features a magnet 60,000 times more powerful than the magnetic pull of the Earth – has enhanced artificial intelligence features, an audio system, and a monitor that can stream television or a movie for patients who have to stay completely still up to an hour. It also features a wider bore that accommodates larger patients, along with those with claustrophobia.

When it’s in research mode, engineers and scientists can access the back end of the operating system to study and improve its operation and output, as well as design new components.

The MRI will be used to assess physiological processes such as muscle and brain activity or the behaviour of diseases. Researchers will be able to investigate new efficiencies within the MRI magnet as well as design hardware to support patient diagnosis.

Proof of concept

St. Joseph’s Healthcare’s MRI, which had been primarily used for medical research through the hospital’s Imaging Research Centre (IRC), stepped in to take clinical cases under the CIAMI program beginning in 2022.

“St. Joseph’s Healthcare was instrumental in the implementation of the proof of concept for CIAMI,” says Cheryl Livingston, Chief of Diagnostic Services at the hospital. “We worked out what patients would be suitable, the gains that could made through this model and the benefits to the overall hospital sector.”

By extending the working hours of the MRI and staff, St. Joe’s took on 1,500 to 2,000 hours of clinical MRI work a year or about 6,000 MRI scans under the CIAMI program, targeting those who had been waiting the longest.

As MRI proves to be increasingly useful as a clinical tool, that research directly leads to the growing demand for MRI services that far outstrips capacity and leads to long wait times. Dobranowski believes CIAMI will serve as a model of care for other communities struggling to manage demand. 

“The mindset here was our institutions coming together to do the right thing to solve a problem. All affiliations were just left at that door. There’s no reason this can’t be replicated across the country.”  

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Mohawk College celebrates faculty and staff who have published books for National Authors Day on November 1.

For the first time, Mohawk College is  recognizing the authors in its midst.  Dr. Lisa Funnell, Associate Dean of Creative Industries, figures it is long overdue.

She got the idea when Graphic Design professor and professional illustrator Leif Peng showed her his just-published book The Art of the REAL Tom Sawyer.

“I had no idea that he had published a book and it got me wondering how many others at Mohawk had written books,” she says. She reached out to fellow associate deans to compile a list of authors among faculty and staff. “I was excited and impressed by the number of names that came back. We need to recognize the talent at Mohawk College and they deserve to be celebrated.”

The result was a celebration honouring about 20 Mohawk College authors in conjunction with National Authors Day on November 1. They have written everything from course textbooks to adult fiction to children’s stories.

Funnell hopes that the creativity and thought leadership of Mohawk College faculty and staff become better known in the community, alongside its leadership in education and 
applied research.

Funnell knows first-hand what it takes to put a book out into the world. She has seven in print, two more under contract, and another in progress. Her work centres on representation and identity in the film industry and she is an expert in gender and feminism in the James Bond series.

“It’s so different from other forms of writing to write and publish a book. It’s a painful and arduous process. It requires deep contemplation, organization and a long period of edits and revisions.”

Peng’s book documents the impact of Thomas B. Sawyer, whose high-energy images of “happy people with happy problems” appeared in newspapers, magazines and on billboards, fridge magnets and TV. He worked for 30 years in obscurity before abandoning illustration to become an award-winning filmmaker and TV showrunner/screenwriter.

“Leif is so respected in his field,” says Funnell. “I am inspired by the success of these authors and I think others will be, too.”

Dr. Anne-Marie DePape

Title: Charlotte’s Shadow, 2022

Role at Mohawk: Coordinator and Professor in Brain Disorders Management and Mental Health & Disability Management 

I wrote this children’s book alongside Christine Quaglia, a Social Worker at the University of Windsor. We had the idea for almost 20 years to write this book and when COVID hit and others were baking and watching Netflix, we decided it was time.

The book is about a young girl named Charlotte and her dog Shadow. It is told from the perspective of Shadow, who sees Charlotte as larger than life. The book takes children on an adventure as Charlotte goes through her day: mailing a letter, returning a book to the library, and going to her grandmother’s house. It is not revealed until the end that Charlotte uses a wheelchair and that Shadow is her service dog.

I have a background in working with children with disabilities as part of my training as a Developmental Psychologist. Christine has lived experience with a physical disability in addition to her work of supporting students registered with Student Accessibility Services. We met in university and I noticed early on the way that children interacted with her. They had great curiosity about her wheelchair and just asked questions. Christine is so open and loves to show them how her wheelchair works and how she can elevate herself. It creates a teachable moment, and for some kids this might be the first contact they have with someone with a disability.

I had a couple full circle moments where graduates of our programs, now working in elementary schools, tell me how they have incorporated Charlotte’s Shadow into their curriculum. It was the first time that some children saw themselves represented in the books that they read. Disability is not often talked about in children’s literature. When it is discussed, characters with a disability are not always portrayed in a positive way or as primary characters of children’s stories. I think it is really neat that Mohawk College brought us together in a celebration of authors. There is so much talent here. This takes us out of our silos to form a community together.

There may be people thinking about writing a book and I hope this community inspires them to do so.

Carla LaBella

Title: The WOW Book – Ways of Optimizing Well-Being (to be published Fall 2023)

Role at Mohawk: Coordinator of General Arts and Science, Professor of Psychology

This will be an optional book in our Positive Psychology course. I co-created this course in 2018 with my colleague, Tulsie Raghubir-Mamouzellos. At the time, we wanted something to support our course but 
we weren’t happy with the books that were out there.

So I took the materials and my approach to Positive Psychology as I teach it, and turned it into a book. These are tools that I’ve applied in my own life and shared widely with my students and colleagues.

I started writing this book during COVID. That was really the motivation for the book because so many students and others, with and without a mental health issue, struggled during the pandemic.

The book includes a foundational introduction to Positive Psychology and the mind-body connection and explores the many ways we can enhance our wellbeing. Anxiety, sadness and anger are all part of being human. The goal is to help readers build a toolbox so they can better navigate these experiences.

This is my first book, so it’s been a challenging, vulnerable experience. It’s putting yourself out there and there is no way to know what the reception will be. But I’m excited about how it will be used and the impact it may have on others.

I am happy that Mohawk College hosted this authors event. It’s valuable because we have so many talented professors and staff members. It’s nice to have that recognition that people are doing great work. This might inspire people to take on some writing.

John Corr

Title: Eight Times Up, 2019

Role at Mohawk: Professor of Communication and Global Studies

Eight Times Up is my first novel. It’s children’s fiction, written about a boy who trains in the martial art aikido.

I trained in aikido for about 20 years. It’s given me so much. Aikido teaches students how to handle conflict assertively, but without aggression. It’s as much mindful as physical. You learn to defend against your own fear, doubt, hesitation, and surprise.

In Eight Times Up, the main character is a boy named Riley who struggles with anxiety. His father offers him the chance to try aikido, hoping it will help him build resilience and cope with the feeling of being overwhelmed.

The intended audience is readers aged 9-12, but adults enjoy it too. I showed the first draft to a writer-in-residence who encouraged me to send it out. The second publisher I sent it to picked it up. Even though the story is about resilience, I don’t think I could have persevered through 100 rejection letters before getting published.

Writing can be either the best feeling in the world or the worst. It’s so immersive. To me, writing feels like getting lost in a novel that only ends when you want it to. The best part of the two-year-long editing process was arguing with my editor about my characters’ feelings and actions. It meant so much that she cared about the characters as much as I did.

When it came out, I was afraid of two things: that nobody would read it and that anybody would read it. It’s such a personal book. But it’s opened up so many connections and relationships that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

The book was short-listed for the Hamilton Literary Awards in 2020; was named a TD Summer Reading Club “Top Ten” selection (2020) and a CANSCAIP/Ontario Library Association “Best Bets” Book (2020); and was listed in the Bank Street College of Education “The Best Children’s Books of the Year” (2020).

This recognition for Mohawk College’s authors is vital. It reveals a whole layer of culture that can percolate through and inspire students. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it!

Dr. Sharon Kamassah

Title: Yielding: Life Unraveled, 2021

Role at Mohawk: Manager, Workplace Equity and Inclusion

I’ve always been a writer but I’ve always written in my closet. I’m an introvert. I teach and I have a business but I’m just as happy in my room with the door closed surrounded by books. During the time of COVID, I experimented with writing a book that isn’t fixed in time, that isn’t fixed in location and speaks in different voices. It also explores what it means to have aging parents.

The way my character deals with loss is totally different than how it came about for me. I thought her reaction would be how I would react in a similar situation but I was so wrong.

I self-published the book and dedicated it to my mother. It hurt me that she never knew me as a writer. When she passed in 2021, I just felt that I had to get it out there before 
the year ended.

During the editing stage, I gave it to my daughter to read. She was my first reader and she hated it completely. I felt totally decimated and was tempted to keep the manuscript in my closet. After losing my mother though, I decided that regardless of whether it’s everybody’s cup of tea or not, to just get it out there! Even if it reaches only one person, I’ve reached one person it resonates with and that’s success enough.

My mother had her first stroke at 58. It seemed like she never enjoyed a life beyond hard work up until that point. She is my template so I have to be careful and mindful of the decisions I make based on the lessons I’ve learnt from her. I don’t want any regrets.

I’ve done a lot in my life but I’ve never taken the time to reflect on it. Writing, however, is very reflective. It’s in your mind, heart and spirit. To have my words out there is to be exposed. Some of what I’ve written is me, but some of it is not and the reader doesn’t know which is which. I see continuing to write, doing this vulnerable work, as a step in the right direction. I know it’s part of my growth.

Knowing that there is this community of writers among my colleagues here at Mohawk College is affirming and a huge resource for our college community.

Stephen Metelsky

Title: Undercover: Stories from the Underworld of Law Enforcement, 2021

Role at Mohawk: Professor of Criminology

I had a 21-year career in policing and spent much of that in undercover work where I primarily worked as a handler. A handler is a supervisor who writes an operational plan, oversees safety and coordinates the investigative and surveillance teams.

Undercover really came about by accident. I was working with a collaborator on another project and we interviewed 30 to 40 people. As we kept editing down, I realized that five or six interviews would have to be cut. They were all undercover operatives and the stuff was incredible, but it didn’t fit in the project. So, I asked my partner if I could use the interviews. I was originally going to write a column, but then I decided it was a book.

I reached out to some friends in the undercover world and they came on board, too. My own connections and experience opened doors. There are about a dozen people in the book. It’s a nice mix of stories, timelines and geography.

This book puts readers in the front seat of some incredible stories. When you are infiltrating organized crime networks, gangs and drug dealing organizations, anything can happen in a millisecond. I think for some people in the book it was cathartic to talk about their experience. I want the public to know that the men and women who do this don’t get extra pay and they don’t get on the front page or the six o’clock news. They risk their lives to put really bad people in jail.

With this book, it was such an honour and privilege to tell these stories and such a responsibility to tell them right.

I’ve been writing crime stories for magazines and newspapers for years. Every aspect of my life has been true crime. I’ve lived it from the inside, I went to school for it and now I teach and write about it. I don’t glorify crime or criminals. I’m most interested in bringing cold cases back to the public domain. I’m a proponent of victim rights. I’ve seen the pain and suffering of families.

I am extremely humbled to be among the authors being recognized. It’s an honour to teach at Mohawk College.

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Mohawk College’s transformational Climate Action Plan sets a net-zero target for 2035, along with advancing sustainability within student learning and applied research.

A Climate Action Plan releasing this fall is Mohawk College’s transformational roadmap to fight climate change and prepare for a low-carbon economy on three fronts: direct operations, education and training, and applied research and partnerships.

The plan’s target is to achieve net-zero carbon in direct operations – buildings and fleet – by 2035. The plan also focuses on embedding sustainability and climate action into curriculum across the college’s programming, providing extracurricular opportunities and encouraging a sustainability mindset.

“We are training our students to lead and participate in the coming transition to the low-carbon economy,” says Allison Maxted, Manager of Sustainability.

A new comprehensive School of Sustainability and Climate Action will advance education and training elements that are foundational to the Climate Action Plan.

“What sets our Climate Action Plan apart is that it looks at climate action in a holistic way,” says Maxted. “The impact of an educational institution extends well beyond its operations. We are critical to the workforce development and applied research that will move us forward.”

Mohawk College has made it a strategic pillar to make a measurable impact on climate change, says Henry Colyn, Chief Building and Facilities Officer.

“The Climate Action Plan is a roadmap to a destination. We have set aggressive targets for our operations, including an 85 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 based on a 2007 baseline. To achieve that, we are making a significant investment in technology.”

That includes an additional electric boiler, along with conservation efforts and systemic changes to campus practices. Every future deferred maintenance and capital decision will be guided by the plan’s targets. The multilayered strategy will focus on electrification, conservation, storage and on-site generation.

“Our targets are ambitious but they are achievable. It will require a great deal of planning,” says Colyn.

The Climate Action Plan also sets out a proposal to grow the college’s research impact in the realm of climate solutions.

Mohawk College is working with more than 25 companies on complex and challenging decarbonization strategies, along with a number of municipal governments, start-ups and small clean-tech businesses, says Kate Flynn, General Manager of the Centre for Climate Change Management (CCCM).

“The whole plan is about the successes we’ve had and how we will dive into the next deeper level and lead in this space. The next phase is about expanding our advanced research and doing more things better.”

CCCM is the centre of this research, along with the Energy & Power Innovation Centre, the Sensor Systems and Internet of Things (IOT) Lab, and the work of Tony Cupido, who holds a research chair in sustainable building technologies.

“There are so many facets because climate change touches many aspects of our economy,” says Flynn. “We are engaging in more research across the college in interdisciplinary spaces.”

Each of the Climate Action Plan’s pillars has a sponsor from the College’s Senior Leadership Team. A college-wide Steering Group will oversee the implementation of the plan and provide knowledge and expertise to ensure commitments to sustainability and climate action are reflected in planning and decision-making.

Working groups will advance specific areas and the plan identifies guiding principles for incorporating Indigenous concepts of relationships and sustainability.

The Climate Action Plan builds on a longstanding legacy in sustainability. Mohawk College has had a comprehensive environmental management plan in place since 2011 – the first college in Ontario to do so – and has prioritized climate action within its overall strategic plan.

It has been named one of Canada’s greenest employers 10 years in a row and holds a STARS® Gold rating from AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) for sustainability achievements.

Mohawk College has also founded Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery, a national coalition of 14 colleges, cégeps, institutes and polytechnics that is leading the transition to a low-carbon economy, and opened The Joyce Centre, Canada’s first net-zero carbon institutional building.

“Mohawk College serves as a model of what an institution can look like as it moves into the next phase on climate action,” says Flynn.

Five years of The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation

The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation, Canada’s first net-zero institutional building, has inspired many other such buildings and has welcomed thousands through its doors since it opened five years ago.

That includes everyone from local elementary school children to engineers and scientists from across the world, says Tony Cupido, Mohawk’s Research Chair in Sustainable Building Technologies.

He’s led hundreds of tours and the building has hosted numerous conferences for organizations that promote zero-carbon, lowenergy buildings, as well as engineering and architecture groups.

“With respect to its design and construction, this building was ground-breaking. Nothing on this scale had been done before. From a knowledge point of view, this building has contributed a great deal. I think it’s fair to say that virtually every Ontario university and college, and many others, have visited The Joyce Centre.”

Cupido recently led a tour for Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and her team who are searching for efficiencies in the city’s operations of fire halls, police stations, arenas, community centres and other public buildings.

The Joyce Centre has served as a “backbone for student learning” within curriculum, capstone projects, and applied research, says Cupido.

Students have analyzed the performance of the water quality produced by the rainwater harvesting and filtration system, the building’s system of solar panels, the green roof, and its geothermal heating and 
cooling system.

“The thrill is the interest of students in this building, the projects they do and the outcomes they find. Seeing students learn from this building is very rewarding. They will have better knowledge about what buildings can be because they’ve lived and breathed in this building.”

There is now five years’ worth of data on the building’s performance, says Henry Colyn, Chief Building and Facilities Officer. Data is submitted each year to the Canada Green Building Council in order to maintain the building’s zero-carbon certification.

“We have an amazing team of people who operate that building. It’s very technically advanced and it requires technically advanced people skilled in energy, electrical, mechanical and building automation to operate it. It’s not just built and left to run, it needs constant monitoring and adjustment. The ongoing success of this building is 100% due to amazing facilities team we have assembled to operate it.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Homebuilder Steve Stipsits of Branthaven Homes is backing a five-year initiative through City School by Mohawk.

A distinguished alumnus is supporting City School by Mohawk and skilled trades training and recruitment at the college with a $1-million donation.

Steve Stipsits, president of local homebuilder Branthaven Homes, says the ongoing housing and housing affordability crisis cannot be solved unless the skilled trades shortage is addressed.

“There is an acute shortage already and a major wave of retirements is about to begin. We can’t build the housing we need without the skilled trades.”

Stipsits, who made the donation along with his wife, Elizabeth, says investing in City School will get more people trained – up to 1,200 individuals – while also tackling engrained poverty in some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Hamilton.

The nationally recognized City School model, which offers tuition-free programs, breaks down barriers and makes postsecondary education accessible to those who need it most, says Stipsits.

“It’s the greatest vehicle I have ever seen to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty.”

Branthaven’s donation with matched funding from Mohawk College’s partnerships and government funding allows for a $2-million, five-year workforce development plan to create and accelerate educational and employment pathways for people in marginalized communities into the residential construction sector.

The investment means more students will be able to access the training and resources that can lead to meaningful, family-sustaining careers in the skilled trades.

“City School is the first step, a point of entry into what can be a direct career path or ongoing education or apprenticeship training,” says Emily Ecker, Associate Dean of Community Partnerships and Learning.

City School has trained more than 4,000 students since its 2015 inception.

Stipsits, who graduated from the Architectural Technology program at Mohawk College in 1984, has been named a Distinguished Alumnus and a Distinguished Fellow of Mohawk College. He now leads Branthaven, which was founded by his parents Albert and Judith, in 1971.

“I have a strong affinity for Mohawk College. I never cease to be amazed at how many at Mohawk College are doing the right thing. They go the extra mile to help people in our community. They see a need and step up to help.”

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

In this second Q&A in the series, Momentum invites a Mohawk College alumnus to speak with a current student to share advice, wisdom and understanding of how things change and how they stay the same. In recognition of the college’s focus on building success in its Athletics department, former MVP volleyball player (2003-2008) and Hall of Fame member Peter Sniuolis, who graduated from Architectural Technology in 2007 and then earned a Mohawk-McMaster Bachelor of Technology, speaks with current varsity player Turner Neame, who started at Mohawk in 2020. He has finished a two-year Construction Engineering Technician – Building Renovation program and is playing his third year on the volleyball team. He is an OCAA and CCAA all-pro academic player and plans to seek his Red Seal as a carpenter.

Peter to Turner: What was it like to be on the team during COVID? 

That was my first year on the team. We had a full pre-season but then got shut down. We did Zoom calls online as a team and played online video games together. We really got to know each other and then in the second semester, it was crazy. We played nine games in four weeks and we had quick playoffs. If anyone had any symptoms they had to wear masks on the bench but not on the court. Some practices we had to wear them, too.

Peter to Turner: What kind of equipment do you have access to?

Matt Ferreira, our athletics director, is pushing a culture of excellence. We have two full ball carts, a serve machine and our weight room is amazing. We just got new Mountaineers jerseys with new colours and the gym floor was repainted with the new branding. We have a varsity change room, an athletic lounge where athletes can study and have access to massage therapists and trainers.

Last year, at the start of the season we had a mental coach who talked to us about handling stress and on-court regulation. Those tips and tricks were definitely helpful, especially for first-years who are coming from high school or club volleyball. The mindset of excellence we have now isn’t all about winning, but always striving to win.

Turner to Peter: What was the equipment like during your playing time?

We had six balls in my initial year, including one that wasn’t round and had the outside peeling off, and we played in rejected Team Canada jerseys that were too big for us. Back then we didn’t have a serving machine, so we all have bad shoulders now because we were our own serving machine. Definitely didn’t have access to the resources that are currently available.

Turner to Peter: What was your record?

In my five years at Mohawk, I think we lost about six league games. We had a strong team every year and we pushed for provincials and nationals each season. We medalled once at nationals. This success can be attributed to our coach, James Bradley who shaped us into a perpetual championship team.

Peter to Turner: How is your team looking this year?

We came fifth last year and fourth the year before that. We are definitely going in the right direction with our program and our team. We are looking for a medal this year. We have five recruits this year who are looking solid. We have a decent number of veterans, which leaves the rookies time to get better. We know Humber College is going to be good, they always are. Fanshawe College is going to be good. They have a five-year setter who has come back for his last year after being CCAA player of the year. We lost both setters after the COVID year so I had to step in to be a setter. I’m only 5-foot-8, so blocking wasn’t fun. I’m now a libero, a back-row defensive specialist.

Turner to Peter: Do you keep in contact with your teammates? 

We were and still are extremely tight. I have a small family, and when I was getting married I invited about 25 people to the wedding, all from volleyball. We still go to the cottage together, we play rec volleyball, softball, and continue to do things together. They are probably my best buddies. You’ll never lose contact with these guys. You’ll be groomsmen at each other’s weddings and 
there for each other when you have kids. That was the greatest benefit of playing team sports in college.

Turner:

We are great friends and I think COVID made that even stronger. I was a groomsman for our team captain from last year. His groomsmen were all volleyball guys. Does that friendship help you on the court?

Peter:

I think it was the key to our success. We were always a smaller team but a lot of it came down to how close we were and how we played as a team. That relationship definitely allowed us to win games we shouldn’t have.

Turner to Peter: How did sports impact your career? 

I ended up as a Professional Engineer currently with the roads department at the City of Hamilton. Sports have been huge for me. My time there has gone a long way in the real world helping me understand people and how they work. Some people need constant reinforcement, others don’t. Some people need you to scream at them, others need a pat on the back.

Wherever you work you are going to be part of a team. Through sports, you learn to relate to people and how to talk to people. I was a quiet person before volleyball, but that changed after the first year. The intangibles you don’t get in school, you get in sports. You learn to work with people who are different than yourself. You can’t teach it, you learn it.

Peter to Turner: What has volleyball taught you?

There will always be conflict. You have to get over it quickly and problem-solve quickly and move on from it. I was also quiet in first year but I found myself being a veteran in second year. I had to step into a role of leadership and help guide new people. That was good for me.

How did you each manage the commitment of varsity sports with a college workload?

Turner:

You are so busy that you have to be efficient and take any time you have to keep up on your work. I did lighten my course load last year so I didn’t drown. Making lists and taking time on the bus (on the way to games) to do readings has really helped me. I use the athletic lounge to do some work in a quiet space.

Peter:

I knew I wanted to go into the BTech program so I had to work a bit harder to get my grades up following my first year. You give up a lot as a student athlete. We practised from 10 p.m. to midnight and then 
I was back up for an 8 a.m. class. There’s definitely sacrifices you make, but you gain friendships and social aspects through the team considering we’re always together. It was all worth it.

Turner to Peter: What was the old rec centre like?

We loved playing there. The roof was lower than it is now and there were stands only on one side. It was a great facility. But to see how far it’s come with the David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre facility now, is really cool. The resources available to students is something I wish we had. Hopefully, we played a small part in pushing things in that direction.

How about the fan support?

Peter:

So in my first year, I remember the BlackBerry Bold with a screen for text messaging was just released, so we could text, which was strange. There was no social media and you had to build relationships in person. I’m happy that none of that was around when I played. I’m not a social media guy now so I think (all the social media attention on athletes) may have been a challenge for me. We had loyal fans come out to all of our games and lack of social media contributed to that. We didn’t need as many fans to come out to fill the gym and make it exciting.

Turner:

I don’t use social media much either but I do love the highlight videos the Athletics department produces. It’s pretty cool to see them after a game. A lot of students now watch the games on livestream so there isn’t a crazy amount of fans at the games, other than parents and other athletes. But definitely, during playoffs, the gym is packed. It’s a big gym, so there is a lot of space to fill.

Turner to Peter: How was your transition from being a student to working?

My biggest advice is to remember you are a student first and an athlete second. If you do well in the classroom, you’ll play better and you set yourself up for success. It’s very difficult to play volleyball professionally, so the chances of making a living are slim, but you will make a living based on your academics. Sometimes it’s about finding something you don’t hate to do, rather than what you love to do. I studied engineering, became a Professional Engineer, and ended up initially designing roads and bridges and quickly found out it wasn’t for me. Now I’m in roadway maintenance and I enjoy it. Also, take care of your body now. My knees are giving out on me at 39 – it catches up to you. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Digital Health degree combines computer science, health care and business into one integrated discipline.

Oluwafemi Agbeye is among the first cohort of students in Mohawk College’s multidisciplinary Digital Health degree program, the College’s first standalone degree.

That group is now about half-way through the four-year program, while another cohort is finishing its first year. It combines computer science, health care and business and integrates research, applied learning and placements.

All those threads interest Agbeye.

He works as a support worker for people with developmental delays, sometimes working full-time hours. But he also loves to program and code and has his eye on one day managing a health care business that develops software.

Digital health is a broad field, encompassing everything from analyzing the data that helps clinicians make better treatment decisions to electronic health records to virtual patient visits to remote patient monitoring.

Right now, the concept of digital health and what those skills mean isn’t generally known but Agbeye is confident that his skillset will be in high demand.

Originally from Nigeria, Agbeye studied anatomical sciences and then computer science in Caracas for two years before deciding to move to Canada.

He started a personal support worker course in Toronto but then decided he should capitalize on his computer skills. He came to Mohawk College to study Software Development.

“When Digital Health was introduced, it really offered everything I was looking for, so I crossed over. I want a career that combines health care and IT.”

The program is challenging, says Agbeye, “but all of that comes with benefits. Knowledge comes from the challenge.”

Alongside courses in software development, mobile development and user interface design comes anatomy and physiology, patient safety and risk management, statistics, data analytics, telehealth, digital imaging, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and project management.

“This is a demanding program with a robust workload,” says Varrasso. “It combines a higher-level theoretical understanding with the hands-on applied learning we’re known for at Mohawk College.”

“Student feedback is outstanding. They love the program.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Varsity athletes might get a lot of the glory but it takes 150 people to make Mohawk College’s Department of Athletics and Recreation operations run smoothly.

“So much of what we do goes beyond varsity athletics,” says Director Matt Ferreira. “We are one of the largest employers of students on campus. We employ close to 100 students across our department.”

All told, the Athletics department employs 150 people, including coaches and assistant coaches and four full-time administration staff.

The department instituted a high-performance culture and structure for varsity athletics a few years ago but that mindset extends into every aspect, says Ferreira.

The student employees in Mohawk College’s Athletics department work in facilities management, manage intramurals, extramurals, and drop-in sports, broadcast games, write game-day stories, post on social media, set up for game day, and act as commentators, statisticians and table staff.

Students also serve as team managers, handling team uniforms, setting up equipment and assisting the coaching staff for the nine varsity teams.

Mohawk College is home to the state-of-the-art David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre (DBARC), which houses three gymnasiums, a fitness centre with a weight room, cardio equipment, and walking track, a multi-purpose fitness and spin studio, two outdoor basketball courts, multiple socialization areas, and meeting and office spaces.

Managing those facilities requires a team of 52 students, who are either employed or on co-op placements, says Facilities Supervisor Ashley Mamone, who’s been with the Athletics department since 2018.

The Facilities team interacts with Mohawk students, athletes, faculty, staff and community members who rent gym space. They check in facilities users, clean and maintain equipment, help out with intramural and extramural leagues, provide customer service, and provide game-day set up and tear down.

“We ensure that all programs – varsity, intramural, extramural and community – operate smoothly.”

“This is a busy place and very customer service-focused. The people who typically are interested in working here aspire for a sports-centric career. This shows them what the day-to-day operations are all about.”

“There are incredible opportunities here from a student staffing perspective. This is a big operation and we are really proud of it.”

Recreation Therapy student Alysson Claxton works in facilities within the Athletics department as a Wellness Customer Experience Representative.

“Athletics is a great environment to work in. I’m a very go-go-go person and there is always something going on. I love coming to work every day.”

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

The Sports Information team documents athletic performances and aims to fill the bleachers.

As Mohawk College ramps up its varsity athletics performance, the Athletics department is ensuring the achievements of its athletes are well-documented.

Sports Information Coordinator Satbir Singh was hired in September 2021. He runs the Athletics website, manages all the social media platforms, liaises with external media, and oversees all the stories, photography, videos and news releases produced within the department.

That includes the work of two student journalists who write game recaps and managing the relationship with the Broadcast Media program whose students film home games. There are also student positions in photography, social media and graphic design.

Singh also contributes advance stories for high-profile games.

Singh, a Burlington native, worked at the student newspaper at Brock University for five years and served as a broadcaster for basketball and volleyball games. He then worked at a newspaper in Niagara for two years covering community news and politics.

The opportunity to focus on sports again drew him to the opportunity at Mohawk College.

“All my experiences in student positions were so valuable to me. It’s great to give those experiences to students at Mohawk.”

One of his hires is Alex Macdonell, a Health, Wellness and Fitness student, who is filming all home games and producing highly stylized highlight reel videos (also called hype videos) that are being widely shared on the Mohawk Mountaineers Instagram account.

It’s been a busy year. He’s often filming two games a week, which takes about five hours of time. Then sorting through footage and editing it together takes another 10 to 12 hours.

“I love videography so much that I will make sacrifices to do it. That usually means staying up late.”

Macdonell used money he’s earning to buy new cameras and a computer for his videography work. Wherever his career takes him, Macdonell knows videography will be a part of it.

“I’m investing in myself because I want to make videos my full-time job. I’m always thinking about new ideas for videos. I’d say 70 per cent of my energy and thoughts are about videos.”

Macdonell loves that his videos are shared by players, teams and spectators.

“If we can fill up the bleachers and if I am playing a role in that, I’m happy. My job is to show how good our athletes are. There is nothing like being there at the game.”

“We hope to see the excitement and energy of American collegiate athletics infused into the culture of Mohawk College,” says Singh.

“We are celebrating our student-athletes’ achievements and we want to show future students that Mohawk College is the place to come play.”

The Sustainability Office offers a range of roles for students in delivering campus programs.

Sustainability is a key pillar of Mohawk College’s strategic plan and that comes to life in the Sustainability Office, which offers internships, co-ops, employment and volunteer opportunities for students.

The Sustainability Office is able to hire students for its programs through the Sustainability Initiatives Fund (SIF), a partnership between Mohawk College and the Mohawk Students’ Association.

Each year, several hundred students participate in sustainability programs at Mohawk College.

“Many of our programs and services have an engagement, outreach and peer-to-peer component to them, so students are very important to our team,” says Manager Allison Maxted.

They often come from environmental or technology programs, but also come from business, journalism, graphic design and marketing, says Maxted.

“Sometimes students want experience in their field but sometimes they are driven by their personal interests.”

Programs include an e-waste collection program, a bike loan program, free bike repairs and tune-ups, a secure bike cage, a community garden, a local food farm stand on campus, pollinator gardens and a bee apiary that is managed by a beekeeper.

“Most of our programs come from student ideas. We have an idea bank campaign annually and ask students to submit their ideas. The Sustainability Office and a committee that includes three College representatives and three from the MSA decides which programs to choose and how to spend the fund.”

The farm stand sells the food it buys from a local-food wholesaler to Mohawk students and staff at cost. Sales include Bounty Bags, which feature a recipe and all the ingredients for $20.

The Sustainability Office also manages an orientation program, offering reusable water bottles and a filling station, move-in and move-out donation boxes for any items that could go to charities or recycling, and lots of information so that students understand what sustainability means at Mohawk College.

“We try to make a big splash so it’s really visible.”

During the pandemic, the Sustainability Office also managed a mask recycling program that diverted 260,000 masks from the landfill.

The volunteer Green Team, which launched in September, is an opportunity for students to collect hours towards their Co-Curricular Record. Those who contribute five hours get a Green Team designation, along with a sustainability kit that includes reusable mugs, cutlery and dryer balls.

A key function of the Green Team, which has about 30 volunteers registered for this semester, is pop-up teaching at the centralized waste station in the Fennell campus cafeteria to help students understand how to sort properly.

Volunteers also do community cleanups and host workshops, such as a recent one that showed students how to have a wasteless winter break, says Cassi Brennan, Green Team Junior Coordinator.

She is in her final semester of Environmental Technology, working 15 hours a week for the Sustainability Office.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge to balance my studies and work, but because it’s sustainability I love it. I never dread going to work. I’m very happy and grateful to be in this role. I get to work with people who are super passionate about sustainability.”

Eva Dannys managed the community garden last summer after graduating from the Environmental Technician program in April 2022.

Her greatest challenge was getting all the garden plots ready after two years of reduced maintenance during the pandemic.

“The weeds definitely took over and the plants spread. It took a few weeks before we could turn over the gardens to get stuff growing.”

The garden is 51 plots measuring eight feet by four feet. The garden is free to use and simply requires registration in the early spring. Dannys, who now works as a quality control analyst for Collective Arts brewery, also provided advice and guidance about how to plant, grow and harvest vegetables and herbs.

Members have access to gardening tools and to a seed bank of donated seeds.

“You can pick and plant what you want. Everything you could need is on site.”

Last summer, students, faculty, staff and neighbours grew fruits and vegetables in the community garden. A kids’ summer camp at Mohawk College and outpatient rehabilitation patients from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton across the street also managed plots.

“There is something so satisfying about growing your own food,” says Dannys. “There are a lot of life lessons in gardening and a community garden brings together people with lots of experience and those who have never had a garden. A community garden is so amazing in that way because people can learn from each other.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Makerspace and the Digital Creativity Centre help students harness their creative learning. 

Business student Ryan Tshiyoyo uses Mohawk College’s Makerspace every day to design and create new pieces of clothing for the brand he created in high school. 

“If I’m having a bad day, I go to the Makerspace and make a T-shirt and I feel better about myself.” 

Makerspace – part of the Digital Creativity Centre within the Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation – is a place to explore, learn, experiment and create. It provides 21st century learning of digital skills, collaboration, and experiential and applied learning. 

Students, faculty and staff have access to a range of maker equipment and experts who teach how to use it either one-on-one or in group workshops. 

The Makerspace is housed inside the 5,600-square-foot Digital Creativity Centre (DCC), a home to three 3D printers, a laser cutter, a Cricut, a vinyl cutter, a heat transfer machine, a UV printer, a cold roll laminator, a T-shirt press, and equipment to practise coding or build digital devices. It also features a recording studio, editing suite, AV/VR studio and project rooms that feature whiteboards and large monitors. 

“DCC and Makerspace are meant to be a jumping-off point for students to come in and find something that allows them to express themselves in ways they may not have considered before,” says Richard Mader, Manager of Digital Skills. 

“Projects can be fun and recreational but also students are inspired to make things they care about. The sky’s the limit on what can be done in the Makerspace.” 

Students use Makerspace to work on class projects, too. 

“As a college, it’s our mandate to prepare our students for the workforce of tomorrow and the layers of digital and technical skills they will need,” says Marilyn Powers, Director, Academic Technology in the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation. 

“Supporting digital literacy and helping students master vital digital skills is at the heart of what we do in the Digital Creativity Centre. Employers want to see the digital creativity of students. DCC and Makerspace is a great place to explore that.” 

Tshiyoyo is working to get his upstart “street fashion” brand off the ground. He takes second-hand T-shirts and jeans and upcycles them with his own designs or he produces items from scratch. 

Ryan working on the clothes stamping machine“It’s not a hobby. This is who I am as a person.” 

The range of the equipment available to him in the Makerspace, and the help provided to use it, has been a huge benefit to Tshiyoyo. In a good week, he creates four or five items that he’s adding to his collection. 

“I tell other students about it because so many people are sleeping on what’s there. You are able to build and create so much and try different things,” he says. 

There is a constant buzz in Makerspace, says Noah Giunta, who is one of seven Digital Skills Technicians in the DCC. 

“It’s not quiet like the library but it’s not the cafeteria, either. It is a busy place where people work hard.” 

The DCC offers one-on-one or group sessions in person or online to help students learn how to use the College’s learning management system and other digital tools.

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

It was a banner year for Mohawk’s Advertising students, who earned almost two dozen nods in national and global competitions.

The industry awards piled up for Advertising students at Mohawk College in 2022.

“I think the industry has a lot of respect for our students. Awards are a way of validating what we do at Mohawk,” says Professor Jef Petrossi.

Striving for awards changes the standard of student work, he says.

“They are always reaching for a better idea. It adds an extra level of competitive thinking. That’s great preparation for the industry. Awards prove that you think differently.”

In last year’s One Show student competition, Mohawk College had 11 finalists and Gold Pencil winners in third-year advertising students Catherine Looy and Jan Benavente. The school finished tied for 26th globally.

“Powerhouse ad schools from around the world enter,” says Petrossi.

In Canada’s biggest award show, the Ad and Design Club of Canada (ADCC), Mohawk College also came away with Gold Medal winners in Nick Kidd and Amaris Branco, along with four Silver and three Bronze winners.

In the Applied Arts awards, Mohawk amassed three wins and in the National Advertising Challenge, which asked students to develop concepts for the Toronto Zoo, Nichole Fazzari won Gold.

Kidd and Branco converted a win for their Sleep Country campaign at the ADCC awards into internships and a job offer to join a large agency in Toronto as a team.

“We were over the moon to be named as finalists and to get to go to the awards show. It was so cool to get to see amazing industry work,” says Kidd. “When they announced we had won, we thought we had misheard. We were in shock.”

They got to accept their award on stage and Branco shouted, “Take that, imposter syndrome!”

“It was a fate-changing moment for the both of us,” she says. “I still struggle with imposter syndrome but winning that award definitely helped. I’m here for a reason.”

The College is choosy about the awards programs it enters into, says Petrossi.

“We really focus on the awards that will get us eyeballs in the industry.”

What sets advertising apart is that its awards programs bring industry and student awards together. It is a tremendous opportunity for students to make connections with potential employers, says Petrossi.

Petrossi, who has taught at Mohawk for 15 years, says the college encourages its students to build portfolios that show a diversity of ideas, sectors, brands and platforms.

“Advertising is a thing without a right answer. Portfolios are often received differently by different people. But if something has won an award, people will look at that work differently, even if they didn’t like it, because they know a team of judges has liked it.”

Anisa Rouhani has earned five awards in industry competitions, along with a faculty award. Her honours include a win at the 2022 Applied Arts Awards for a Grey Poupon campaign called “Hip Hop’s Favourite Condiment.” She also earned two Silvers in the ADCC awards in 2022.

Now in her last year, Rouhani is serving as junior art director at an agency in downtown Toronto.

While Rouhani appreciates the awards, it is her instructors who stress that they will open doors in the field.

“It’s great to get the recognition that what I’m doing is good.”

Both Kidd and Branco have high praise for Mohawk’s program, which is split into two streams: creative and business/strategy. Students have a common curriculum in first year and choose their stream for years two and three.

“I feel lucky to have enrolled in the best Advertising program in Canada that anyone can find,” says Kidd.

“For an exceptional advertising education and portfolio building experience, I highly recommend Mohawk College,” says Branco. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.