Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area and its partners the City of Oshawa, Durham College, Ontario Tech University, and the University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering have agreed to renew the TeachingCity partnership and allow researchers and students to collaborate with City staff, solving challenges facing the city in an array of disciplines.  

“For the past five years our students and researchers have been learning and shaping our community alongside professionals and partners at the City of Oshawa, and we are proud to renew our commitment and continue work that supports the sustained success and growth of Oshawa,” said Dr. Scott Henderson, dean and head of Trent University Durham GTA. “Providing opportunities for students to co-create solutions to practical problems faced by modern cities is a way Trent University Durham GTA and the City of Oshawa put experiential learning in reach of all our students.” 

Since the partnership began, 1,711 students and 135 post-secondary faculty across all institutional partners have worked with city staff on TeachingCity projects covering topics including:  

• diversity, equity and inclusion 
• storm water management ponds 
• virtual reality training and advanced navigation technology for firefighters 
• active transportation for an age-friendly community 
• engaging youth 
• supporting local culture and business 
• digital wayfinding 
• optimizing City operations routes 
• corporate energy management planning 

The partnership has included 55 applied research projects and 52 courses, as well as 192 experiential learning opportunities where students have become part of team Oshawa through placements or practicums.