OCAD U Digital Security Competition Awards Ceremony

Black and pink text
Monday, March 9, 2015 - 8:00pm to 9:30pm

OCAD University has launched its first ever student competition to raise awareness about digital security in an increasingly digital world. Students were challenged to create a campaign centered on any form of Cybersecurity, ranging from hacking and malware prevention, to data back up and privacy. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony hosted by Andrew McAllister, Manager, Academic Computing at OCAD U. All are invited to attend. Refreshments to be provided. Digital displays will present all competition submissions.

 

Venue & Address: 
OCAD University 49 McCaul St.

WayHome Music and Arts Festival and OCAD U Competition

Black poster with white text and graphics
Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - 9:00pm

WayHome Music and Arts Festival and OCAD U have joined forces to create a Faculty of Art Competition.
1st place winners will receive a prize of $5,000 and a budget of $18,000 to design and build an interactive installation on site at the festival.

The Competition:
WayHome Music & Arts Festival, in partnership with OCADU, is pleased to announce a competition for the design and construction of an interactive/experiential, site-specific installation. We are looking for enthusiastic teams of students who will think outside the box to design (and eventually build) an installation, experience or spectacle, to be displayed at WayHome.

Competition Schedule and Submission Materials
Phase one: 1 page written concept and sketches (min. 3, max. 5) are due at 5:00pm, April 1, 2015. Late submissions will not be accepted. Confirmation of receipt by the OCAD project manager is required.

Please send digital proposals (In PDF form send digital sketches, or any other form of submission) to ocadu.contest@wayhome.com, along with the signed application form.

Each team must submit 2 contact email addresses and phone numbers.

5 finalist teams will be selected by April, 15, 2015.

Phase two: Budgets and 3D model from the 5 finalists will be due on May 1, 2015.

1st and 2nd place proposals will be selected on May 15, 2015. .

Website: 
http://wayhome.com/ocadu
Email: 
rnicholls@faculty.ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 330

3MT 2015: Three Minute Thesis Competition

Image of the number 3 against a clock graphic
Monday, March 9, 2015 - 5:00pm to 9:00pm

The challenge:

In three minutes or less, using a single “slide”, convey the essence and importance of your Thesis or MRP research
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that fosters effective presentation and communication skills among graduate students. Participants have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. This year the regional competition will be held at the University of Western Ontario (http://grad.uwo.ca/3mt/).

3MT was developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, and is now held at twelve countries around the world. The Office of Graduate Studies is hosting OCAD University’s competition on March 9th, 2015.

The best presentation will go on to represent OCAD University at the provincial finals to be hosted at Western University, in London, Ontario, on April 23, 2015. The top presenter, runner up will receive cash prizes and travel support to attend the provincial event. The audience will also have a chance to vote their favorite presentation for the “People’s Choice” award.

Want to know more about 3MT? Check out their website here: http://threeminutethesis.org/

Eligibility: OCAD U Master's students who have an approved thesis or Major Research Project (MRP) proposal on file with the Office of Graduate Studies.

Presentation:
• A single, static PowerPoint slide is permitted
o no animation or movement
o No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files)
o No additional props (e.g. costumes or instruments)
• Must present in-person
• Must relate directly to student’s thesis/dissertation research
• Presentations limited to 3 minutes
• Adjudicating panel decisions are final

Prizes

• 1st Place - $750 with travel support to attend the regional competition at the University of Western Ontario
• 2nd Place -$500
• People’s Choice - $100 Gift Card

If you’d like to participate in this great opportunity, please contact the Graduate Studies office to have an application form sent to you. You must submit a completed 3MT application to the Office of Graduate Studies (digitally) no later than Friday, February 27th, 2015.

For more information please contact the Office of Graduate Studies:

Telephone: 416 977 6000 x423 - Please clearly state your interest in 3MT at the beginning of your message and leave a return phone number or email address.
Email: gradstudies@ocadu.ca - Please include "3MT" in the subject of your email
Twitter: @OCADUgrad
Facebook www.facebook.com/OCADUniversity

Venue & Address: 
Lambert Lounge: Room 187 100 McCaul Street Toronto Ontario M5T 1W1
Website: 
http://Local Competition: grad.uwo.ca/3mt/ International 3MT: threeminutethesis.org/
Email: 
gradstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x 423
Cost: 
FREE!

OCAD U Entrepreneurship

Poster with boxes of text against coloured backgrounds
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - 1:00am to Sunday, November 16, 2014 - 12:00am

OCAD U Entrepreneurship Students present a series of socially engaged business activities. Activities are hosted November 11 to 15 at various locations. We look forward to you joining us!

 

HEADPHONE HELPERS

Headphone Helpers are made from 100% recycled wood. This eco-friendly, handmade product will ensure that your earbuds stay organized wherever you go! Starting at a minimum $2 donation, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, whose focus is to conserve forests and the species who reside within them.

Find us at our Facebook page for purchase information https://www.facebook.com/headphonehelpers

 

MOCADU

Join us in celebration of Movember. MOCADU will be hosting a Movember themed event to raise awareness of cancer in the community.

Tuesday November 11, 8 p.m. to midnight @The Local Gest, 424 Parliament St.

Tickets are $3.00 at the door. Purchase ticket with valid OCAD U I.D. for drink and food specials.

 

REDUCE.REUSE.RECYCLE

Third Time's a Charm presents REDUCE.REUSE.RECYCLE, a charity art show. The event will raise money for the Riverdale Housing Action Group and the fight against homelessness. The goal of this event is to create support services for Riverdale and to create a dialog between the community and artists. All of the artists are creating art for recycled materials, taking used products from the home to help build homes for others. The night will include a silent auction, music, art and warm fall drinks.

Friday November 14th, 6pm till late @ 1075 Bathurst St.

Ticket are $10. Contact thirdtimesacharmshow@gmail.com to arrange ticket sales prior to the event.

 

OCAD Popped

OCADPopped Presents 49 MaCaul, A silent student auction and art competition. This event is designed to give students a chance to network with community members and colleagues while having the opportunity to sell their work. The students' works will be juried by you and the selected best artist will win a cash prize.

Visit the link below to learn more about OCADPopped http://webspace.ocad.ca/~bl10ko/StressRelief/bubbleWrap/

Friday November 14th, 7pm - 11pm @ 49 McCaul St.

Tickets are $5

Email OCADPopped@gmail.com or call Beatrix Eckley @ 905 808 9027 to reserve tickets.

 

GET YOUR GEEK ON TO

Get Your Geek On TO is a science fair style event celebrating everything geeky in Toronto. Makers of all walks of life are invited to participate for free as exhibitors and compete for awesome prizes and titles. Non-participants can purchase tickets in order to view our exhibitors' work and partake in light refreshments. We'll also be hosting a ra‑ffe for more fun and geeky prizes!

Saturday November 15th, 2pm - 7pm @ 49 McCaul St.

Tickets are $8 for non-exhibitors; Free for exhibitors

Tickets can be purchased on the day or online at

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/get-your-geek-on-to-tickets-13881498937

Venue & Address: 
MOCADU: Tuesday November 11, 8 p.m. to midnight @The Local Gest, 424 Parliament St. REDUCE.REUSE.RECYCLE: Friday November 14, 6 p.m. til late @ 1075 Bathurst St. OCAD Popped :Friday November 14, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. @ 49 McCaul St. GET YOUR GEEK ON TO: Saturday November 15, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. @ 49 McCaul St.
Email: 
<p>For information about Entrepreneurship at OCAD U, contact Dr. Alia Weston: aweston@faculty.ocadu.ca</p>
Cost: 
Free

IDeA Competition - Guest Speaker

Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 7:00pm

Guest Speaker - Andrew Seo, IDeA Competition

IDeA Competition

A brief presentation about the IDeA Competition which is open to students of all undergraduate disciplines - and means to address a variety of barriers to 'accessibility' (e.g. physical, information/communications, organizational). Typically, students in design courses or those already working on projects are well-placed to submit.

Venue & Address: 
Central Hall, 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://2014idea.wordpress.com
Cost: 
Free

3 Minute Thesis (3MT)

3 Minute Thesis Competition
Friday, February 7, 2014 - 2:00pm to 9:00pm

An opportunity to present your thesis or MRP topic to the community, gain feedback, and network

Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is a research communication competition which challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis (or major research project) and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. 3MT is an exercise in consolidating and clarifying research discoveries in a clear and compact manner.

OCAD University’s 3MT competition is an excellent opportunity for the OCAD U community to hear about the dynamic work of graduate students at OCAD U. Students will present concise summations of the research they are conducting for their thesis or MRP and how they are pushing the limits of traditional art, design and academia.
The competition will start at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 7, 2014 in the Auditorium (Room 190) at 100 McCaul Street. The top two presenters will also represent OCAD University at the second annual, province-wide 3MT™ competition in April at McMaster University.

We hope to see you then!

Office of Graduate Studies
205 Richmond Street West, Level 5
gradstudies@ocadu.ca
@OCADUgrad

3MT History
The first 3MT was held at UQ in 2008 with 160 RHD students competing. In 2009 and 2010 the 3MT competition was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities and enthusiasm for the concept grew. Due to its adoption in numerous universities, a multi-national event was developed, and the Inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT competition was held at UQ in 2010.

During 2011 and 2012 the 3MT competition became even more widely known throughout the world and is now held in twelve countries.

See some of the past 3MT presentations from around the world here: http://threeminutethesis.org/3mt-showcase

Venue & Address: 
Auditorium Room 190 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://threeminutethesis.org
Email: 
gradstudies@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
4169776000 x 423
Cost: 
Free

REIMAGINING ACCESSIBILITY DESIGN CHALLENGE LAUNCHED

Jutta Treviranus, Director, IDRC, Hon. David D. Onley, Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD U President.

A major international student design challenge to reimagine the traditional symbol of access launched at OCAD U’s Inclusive Design Research Centre on Friday, September 20 with an announcement by the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and OCAD U’s President, Dr. Sara Diamond. All post-secondary students are invited to enter.

"Today is the beginning of an exciting challenge to modernize the traditional blue wheelchair symbol," said Onley. "Fewer than three percent of people with disabilities use a wheelchair or, as I do, an electric scooter." As a result, the wheelchair symbol reflects only a tiny fraction of the community. "It is neither welcoming nor inclusive," said Onley. "Let's make the stick figure a real person and turn the symbol into a welcome sign."

The International Symbol of Access was introduced 45 years ago. Its original designer was Susanne Koefoed, then a Danish graphic design student who submitted an original design to a competition hosted by the Scandinavian Design Students Organization. Karl Montan, the first director of the Swedish Handicap Insitute and Chair of the RI International Commission for Technical Aids (ICTA) modified Koefoed’s original simple motif of a stick figure using a wheelchair (he added a head to humanize it), and it was endorsed by the World Congress in Dublin. The symbol was then officially recognized by the International Standards Organization and universally adopted by the United Nations. 

Although the symbol is an iconic international standard, much has changed since 1968:

• Less than three per cent of persons with disabilities in Ontario use a wheelchair or electric scooter for mobility purposes

• The reality of disability is now understood to be multifaceted

• The potential for accessibility evolved and encompasses more

• Technology advanced dramatically

The goal of the Reimagining Accessibility Design Challenge is to replace the traditional wheelchair sign, nicknamed "blue wheelie," with a more encompassing and inclusive symbol (or symbols) of accessibility.

"Let's turbo-charge blue wheelie into the 21st century," said Onley, who added a new symbol should let people know that "no matter your access needs you are welcome here."

Competition details

The competition is open from now until October 25. Winners will be announced on November 1 in the presence of Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex, who will be visiting Ontario. The final designs will be presented to the International Standards Organization for consideration. 

A first prize of $5,000 will be awarded, along with two honourable mentions of $2,500 each.

View the contest introduction.

Use #AccessSign on Twitter to share and view designs

Follow LGDavidOnley and OCAD U on Facebook and Twitter for updates

REIMAGINING ACCESSIBILITY DESIGN CHALLENGE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Reimagining Accessibility design team finalists. Photo by Martin Iskandar.
Reimagining Accessibility finalist Daton Hadwen. Photo by Martin Iskandar.
Design concept by Taghreed Al-Zubaidi, Julie Buelow, Yijin Jiang and Arief Yulianto
Design concept by Dalton Hadwen.

The Honourable David C. Onley and Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD U’s President, congratulated Dalton Hadwen and a design team of Taghreed Al-Zubaidi, Julie Buelow, Yijin Jiang and Arief Yulianto as the finalists in OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre’s (IDRC) major international student design challenge to reimagine the traditional symbol of access. Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex attended the official announcement on November 1.

A blue chip panel of international jurors selected the two finalist concepts from over 100 designs in a blind judging process. Submissions came from across Canada and also from Argentina, China, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Mexico and the UK.

The goal of the Reimagining Accessibility Design Challenge was to create designs to replace the traditional wheelchair sign with a more encompassing and inclusive symbol (or symbols) of accessibility. During the judging process the jurors realized the complexity of the design task to communicate a multi-faceted and nuanced message. Although the panel did not select a winner from the submissions, the two finalists were singled out to merit Honourable Mention. The IDRC will work with the finalists over the winter and spring to refine their submissions.

The reworked designs will be featured at:

  • The International Design Enabling Economic Policies Conference at OCAD U in May, 2014.
  • A consultation on the symbol redesign hosted by Jutta Treviranus, the director of IDRC on behalf of the International Standards Organization in late May, 2014.
  • The International Summit of Accessibility at Carleton University in Ottawa in July, 2014.
  •  

Onley commended the work of everyone who entered the competition, describing their contributions as thoughtful, innovative and creative. He also praised the IDRC’s efforts and the success of the challenge overall.

Hon. Onley said he wanted to raise awareness of the fact that, counter-intuitively, the International Symbol of Access is exclusionary because the majority of disabilities are not visible. “Well, we certainly succeeded in raising awareness, if media coverage is any indication," he said. "There was a great deal of public debate and discussion, online and in the mainstream universe, certainly in the Twitterverse engaging people with and without disabilities.”

Dr. Diamond also praised the results of the challenge. “Together we have initiated a process that raised awareness among the broader public and those who participated in the competition itself,” she said. “We hope these design concepts will grow and reach their fullest potential.”

Learn more

Read more about the history of the International Symbol of Access 

OCAD U’s Inclusive Design Research Centre 

Hon. David C. Onley

International Standards Organization

 

WELLNESS BY DESIGN: ANNUAL COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Design competition winners with Colleen Reid and Dr. Sara Diamond

Members of Team Zoom couldn’t stop smiling as they found themselves atop their design world Nov. 14 by winning first prize in the annual OCAD U Faculty of Design Competition. 

“Some of us are graduating this year,” said team member Junghyun Yoo, a fourth-year Environmental Design student, who created the winning entry with teammates Seung Min Park, and Gi Woong Choi, also fourth year ED students, Hyo Shik Kim, a third-year Advertising student, and Bo Mi Min, a third-year Graphic Design student. “We’ve been working together four or five years, and this is a last, really good memory.”

Dr. Sara Diamond, the university’s president, announced the first, second and third prize winners at an awards ceremony in the Great Hall and surprised the assembled crowd by revealing an additional prize, due to a tie for second place. In addition to Zoom’s top prize, the second prizes went to Project X and to Feed, while Hakuna Matata earned third prize. 

The theme of the 2013 competition was the ecology of student wellness, and participants were challenged by the design brief to “consider ways of promoting wellness in your immediate environment: OCAD U.” They had four days to complete their projects once the brief was presented. 

Professor Alexander Manu from the Faculty of Design, a keynote speaker at the awards ceremony, said the committee decided on an internal focus this year. “We had tackled every subject outside ourselves and it was time to tackle us: student concerns,” he said. 

“OCAD U has been very courageous in talking about the way students have had mental health challenges at times,” said Dr. Diamond. “This is one of the ways we have to conduct a thoughtful dialogue.”

The members of Team Zoom created a project that reflects a belief that wellness comes from the inner self, as well as from connections between friends, between students and the university and between the university and society at large.

The project has three strands, the team members explained: mirrored visual images painted with key words, such as passion, to remind students why they were initially attracted to art and design; projections of student works on the exterior of the building to foster pride and inform the community about the work being done inside; and street furniture modelled on the OCAD U logo to show the public that art is something with which they can interact.

The second and third place winners took varying approaches to the challenge. Project X offered “a series of installations that embrace primitive engagement, collaborative human initiative and movement.” Feed created a “platform to help students understand personal values in their chosen fields,” and Hakuna Matata designed “neutral, non-territorial spaces where students can come together to de-stress and form new connections.”

The Project X team included Stephanie Bowles, John Mark Nicomedez, Calvin Hui and Joahanna Cabalu. Feed included Danielle Jedral, Julie Topp, Mary Bulnes Velez and Maya Das Gupta. Hakuna Matata was Rachel Jui Yun Ma, Alice (Ye Seul) Kim, Hongye (Amy) Li and Subbadra Venkatesan.

The contest entries will remain on display in the Great Hall until Nov. 20.

Story by Elaine Smith

Learn more

Faculty of Design

Design competition brief

Faculty of Design Competition

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - 5:00pm to Wednesday, November 19, 2014 - 5:00pm

Annual Faculty of Design Competition Exhibition in the Great Hall

Design Competition open to all OCADU students.

Launch - Friday, November 7, 2014 10:00 am Room 190

Sign-Up - Friday, November 7, 2014 11:00 am Room 175b (Lobby)

Competition Exhibition Set-up Tuesday November 11th 12:00 pm in the Great Hall

Awards Night: Thursday, November 13th at 4:30 pm The Great Hall

Competition runs Tuesday, November 11 to Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Venue & Address: 
Great Hall 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Cost: 
Free
Faculty of Design Competition with event info and whimsical illustration of Toronto City Hall

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