Richard Marsella, executive director of the Regent Park School of Music and 麻豆视频 PhD student, was featured this year in an episode of the On Location series (photo by Romi Levine)
Throughout 2017, we shared with you how members of the 麻豆视频 community pushed boundaries, innovated and made the year a little more fun and inspiring for the rest of us. As the year winds down, we look back on some of the best 麻豆视频 stories from the year 鈥 in videos.
The people of #UofTGrad17
Convocation ceremonies bring an atmosphere of celebration to 麻豆视频 鈥 and a couple of musicians brought a melodic spin to this year鈥檚 spring convocation.
Michael Bridge started playing the accordion when he was five years old. He completed his undergraduate degree at 麻豆视频 and graduated with a master's degree in accordion performance during this year鈥檚 spring convocation. Now, he is continuing his education at 麻豆视频 with a PhD in accordion performance.
In the video above, he plays the accordion and tells us about the complexity of the instrument and his love for it. 鈥淢y experience at 麻豆视频 has changed my understanding of what the accordion can do,鈥 he tells videographer Lisa Lightbourn.
During spring convocation, we went behind the scenes with another musician at 麻豆视频: .
Precilla Veigas moved everyone with her indomitable spirit. After facing many challenges, including immigrating twice and rebuilding her credentials after arriving in Canada in 2005, Veigas found out that she had terminal cancer halfway through her PhD degree.
Veigas completed her PhD program, contributing research that could help save future emergency room patients who require blood transfusions. She died in October.
鈥淚 feel I鈥檝e accomplished what I wanted to do,鈥 said Veigas back in the spring, when she received her PhD in a private degree-presentation ceremony. 鈥淐ancer didn鈥檛 prevent me from doing that.鈥
On Location
In the On Location series, 麻豆视频 News reporter Romi Levine explores the impact of 麻豆视频 experts and their research on the city.
The episode above takes viewers to Regent Park, to explore a collaboration between 麻豆视频 Faculty of Music researchers, Regent Park School of Music and Turning Point Youth Services, a housing facility for young men who have been involved with the youth criminal justice system.
The collaboration brings youth from the housing facilities to Regent Park to learn how to play an instrument of their choice. 鈥淚t brings people together 100 per cent and mends a lot of relationships,鈥 says one of the participants about the initiative.
Truth and Reconciliation
Crowds of visitors came to see artist Kent Monkman鈥檚 art at 麻豆视频鈥檚 Art Museum last winter as Canada was getting ready to mark its 150th year. 鈥淎t this moment in time it鈥檚 important to have a critical perspective on Canada,鈥 Monkman said. His large-scale paintings, explored in the video above by Lightbourn-Lay, subvert a classical style while challenging the history of colonialism in Canada.
Art Museum Director Barbara Fischer asked Monkman in 2014 to put something together for Canada 150, part of an effort by the Canadian Museums Association to reflect on how museums have framed Canadian history.
鈥淲hat is the function of art and what is the purpose of art?鈥 Monkman asks in the video above. 鈥淚s it only to show beauty or pleasure? I don鈥檛 believe so. Art has to be challenging, and sometimes it has to take us to dark places or challenging places.鈥
A dictionary of very old words
What does Old English sound like? Turns out, not a whole lot like English.
Robert Getz and Stephen Pelle are the drafting editors of the Dictionary of Old English, a project that various scholars at the Centre for Medieval Studies have been working on since the 1970s.
The dictionary maps around 35,000 words of the oldest period of the English language (from the middle of the 7th century to 1150).
In the video above, the two take us behind the world of old English, where rain is described as 鈥渉eaven鈥檚 showers," and share the meaning behind their favourite words, like heolop-helm (helmet of invisibility) and wite-hus (house of punishment).
Back to school
NerdyAndQuirky (a.k.a. YouTube superstar and 麻豆视频 student Sabrina Cruz) gave first-year students five tips to survive their first year. 鈥淧articipate, make friends with people as lost and confused as you are,鈥 says the popular Cruz.
The working life at 麻豆视频
Photographer Ken Jones has worked at 麻豆视频 Scarborough for 36 years and has spent 24 as staff photographer, capturing countless memories in unforgettable photographs.
In the video above, the man behind the camera is finally in front of it, explaining his work, which also happens to be his passion.
And then there's Terry Gardiner. A former ballet dancer with a life-long commitment to serving communities, Gardiner pivoted his career after graduating with a master鈥檚 degree in social work from the university. He is now the manager of diversity, equity and student experience at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
In the video above, he takes us to Regent Park, where he volunteers as a ballet teacher at the Coleman Lemieux dance school.
He also advised students to open their minds and ask themselves, 鈥渨ith what I have learned, what can I do next?鈥
The holidays are around the corner
Krull took a different approach to chemistry in this recent video celebrating the holiday season at 麻豆视频 Mississauga.
And to mark the end of 2017, 麻豆视频 President Meric Gertler looks back on everything we have to celebrate during this holiday season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about innovation and discovery, striving for excellence and standing up for what鈥檚 right: As a community we greet neighbours and friends and turn vision into reality,鈥 says Gertler in the video above.
From everyone at 麻豆视频 News: Enjoy this holiday season and Happy 2018.