Undergraduate Students

‘Think against yourself’: Panel discussion on civil discourse draws students to �鶹��Ƶ’s Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 17:38:08 +0000

‘Think against yourself’: Panel discussion on civil discourse draws students to �鶹��Ƶ’s Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/24/2024 - 13:38

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Students ask questions during a recent panel discussion about civil discourse on university campuses that was hosted by Professor Randy Boyagoda (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Chris Sorensen

Topic

Our Community

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

English

Faculty of Arts & Science

Hart House

Religion

Undergraduate Students

Vic One

Victoria College

Hugh Considine got a crash course in discussing polarizing topics almost immediately upon arriving at the University of Toronto.

The second-year student studies religion in the Faculty of Arts & Science – a subject, he says, that can be about as controversial as it gets.

“People have an unimaginable amount of investment in it,” says Considine, 19, a member of Innis College. “Depending on who you ask, it’s literally your soul at hand – the ultimate thing that could be risked.”

He credits his professors for creating an environment where students feel unafraid to speak their minds, encouraging them to comment, ask questions and generally “poke and prod” one another so we “would actually think about what’s being said.”

It’s a microcosm of what campus life is supposed to be all about: a diverse group of people coming together to expand their worldviews through study, debate and discovery – and it’s a message that was reinforced during a recent event for Victoria College students in the Vic One program.

The hour-long panel discussion, held at Hart House on Sept. 18, focused on the critical role of civil discourse on university campuses. It brought together two high-profile �鶹��Ƶ academics and authors – Ian Williams of the department of English and Janice Stein of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy – and New York Timescolumnist Pamela Paul.

The first in a series of planned events and initiatives on the topic, the talk was moderated by Professor Randy Boyagoda, the university’s provostial adviser on civil discourse and chair of its Working Group on Civil Discourse, and is part of a broader effort to strengthen the culture of civil discourse on campus. That includes cultivating dialogue across different points of view and the discussion of challenging subjects.

Hundreds attended the event at Hart House, including Hugh Considine at bottom right (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The discussion, which drew about 150 attendees, touched on everything from today’s increasingly polarized political and cultural environment to the risks faced by universities – and society at large – if open discussion and debate of difficult topics are frowned upon or crowded out.

Not surprisingly, the panel members each had a unique take on the nature of the threat and what should be done about it.

Paul, for example, said she was especially concerned about a culture of self-censorship, saying she opted to become an opinion writer after years editing the New York Times Book Review upon recognizing the bulk of discussion about politics and culture was taking place only at extreme ends of the spectrum.

“What you had was this growing vacuum in the middle where nuance and complexity lived and no one was speaking up,” she said.

Stein, however, said that not all forms of self-censorship are necessarily undesirable, noting that she refrains from vocalizing thoughts she deems unnecessarily rude.

“When we’re in a learning community together, we have to say things in a way that people can hear,” said Stein, the Munk School’s founding director and University Professor and Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the department of political science. She added that what matters is why we self-censor – do we do it out of fear or out of consideration for others?

Williams, a professor of English and author who has published acclaimed books of poetry, essays and works of fiction, warned against viewing debate as simply an opportunity to persuade someone else of your views.

“The more interesting way of having these conversations [is not to] focus on converting a person to a team, but saying, ‘Here’s how my ideas have changed over time.’”

There were several other takeaways for the largely student audience, which included several first-years.

Paraphrasing French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, Boyagoda, a writer, professor of English and vice-dean, undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts & Science, urged students to “think against yourself ” by creating their own counterarguments as an intellectual exercise. Similarly, Paul spoke about the value of engaging with those who don’t share your opinions.

Stein and Williams also emphasized the �鶹��Ƶ community’s shared responsibility to create an environment where people can ask questions and test out ideas. And if you find yourself amongst people who refuse to grant that space? “Just take that conversation elsewhere, rather than burying it or self-censoring it,” Williams said.

Following the talk, students asked questions about the “paradox of tolerance,” or the idea that creating a tolerant society requires being intolerant of intolerance, and how to cope with the repercussions of being ostracized for expressing an unpopular view, among other things.

Considine, one of four undergraduate student members of the civil discourse working group, said he was pleased to see so many students engaging with the topic.

“That’s something that, as one of the student representatives – and as the youngest student representative – I'm very conscious about.”

'A transformative experience': �鶹��Ƶ program gives first-year student - and aspiring surgeon - a head start

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:14:30 +0000

'A transformative experience': �鶹��Ƶ program gives first-year student - and aspiring surgeon - a head start

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 09/12/2024 - 13:14

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Nasteha Omar is pursuing an honours bachelor of science in life sciences, and eyeing a specialist in molecular biology (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

Subheadline

Nasteha Omar, who wants to study orthopedics, spent a high school semester at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga via the Support, Engage, Experience (SEE) UTM program

Nasteha Omar has long been interested in becoming an orthopedic surgeon – and thanks to a unique program at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the first-year student is already well on her way.

“I’ve had to go to hospital and be in contact with different orthopedic surgeons lots of times because of problems that I have myself,” she says. “And I found their careers really interesting from a young age. It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

While taking the first steps towards her goal at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga was always her intention – her family lives near the campus and her older sister is already a student – Omar got an early and up-close look at university life via the Support, Engage, Experience �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga (SEE UTM) initiative, which invites Peel District high school students to spend a semester at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga to get a taste of post-secondary education.

It was nothing short of “a transformative experience,” says Omar, who was encouraged to apply for the initiative by her vice-principal at Erindale Secondary School. “It wasn’t only a chance to connect with peers and mentors, but also an opportunity to engage in programs that helped me enrich my academic and personal growth.”

Now a first-year student, Omar is pursuing an honours bachelor of science degree in life sciences and eyeing a specialist in molecular biology.

She says her SEE UTM experience allowed her to explore the sciences from a variety of lenses. One of the highlights was taking a course, "STEM in Society," that explores how the STEM fields intersect with society, culture and politics.

“I’ve always been interested in the sciences and STEM, so participating in a course that was more about the ethical side of ongoing situations in our world – and of science topics – really opened my eyes to different pathways that I want to explore,” Omar says of the course taught by Sheliza Ibrahim, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy.

In addition to exploring new intellectual ground, Omar also got a taste of hands-on scientific research in the Applied Perception & Psychophysics Laboratory, co-directed by Assistant Professors Anna Kosovicheva and Benjamin Wolfe of the department of psychology. There, Omar used MATLAB programming software to design an experiment to study how visual and auditory stimuli interact. “It was to show how our perception of time can be influenced by how we interpret events,” she says.

While Omar didn’t have time to test the experiment before her semester ended, she plans to do more lab work as an undergraduate student, picking up where she left off.

Alongside her SEE UTM experience, Omar also gained insight into �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga's myriad resources and supports via the Black Access to Educational Excellence initiative (BAEE@UTM), which organizes events and networking opportunities aimed at helping Black high school students learn more about the campus community – and thrive once they get there.

For Omar, that means looking beyond her academic goals. She plans to get involved in student clubs, particularly anything that caters to her love of literature – she writes poems and fiction, and took part in the Caribbean & Black Writing Collective during her semester at the university. And she wants to start a non-profit tutoring organization by building on her high school experience founding the Erindale Secondary School chapter of Learn To Be, an NGO that provides free online tutoring.

“It was a great opportunity for students to not only gain volunteer hours but make connections with other students in an online tutoring format, where they tutored students from under-privileged families that wouldn’t be able to get extra help or access to educational resources outside of school,” she says. “I’d love to see it up and running at UTM if that would be a possibility.”

Omar remains in touch with some of her peers from the SEE UTM and BAEE@UTM programs, as well as the upper-year �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga students who served as mentors.

“I feel like we were all able to grow really close as a community,” she says. “It helped me find my footing for what was to come when I enter university, so it was really amazing.”

‘A space for everyone’: �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga prepares to host second annual All-Nations Powwow

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:21:04 +0000

‘A space for everyone’: �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga prepares to host second annual All-Nations Powwow

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/10/2024 - 11:21

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Dancers perform during the inaugural All-Nations Powwow at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga in 2023 (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

When you invite everyone, you need to make sure you have plenty of space.

With that in mind, the University of Toronto Mississauga’s All-Nations Powwow will be moving outdoors this year.

“A Powwow is a space for everyone,” says event co-lead dancer John Hupfield, who is Anishinaabe from Wasauksing First Nation. “A Powwow is not a show. It is a space to work and gather together, share and pass tradition with everyone.

“That’s the beautiful aspect of it and I hope it continues to grow at UTM.”

The free Sept. 28 event is hosted by the �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga Indigenous Centre (UTMIC) and will be held on the north field in front of Maanjiwe nendamowinan, also known as MN.

Moving the event to an outdoor venue is welcome news for Hupfield, who specializes in grass dancing.

“Traditionally, when our people relocate, folks are sent out ahead to pat down the grass to allow work and settling to be done on the land,” he says. “It is done with song and ceremony – so when the people arrive, they know this place is safe. It is a way of taking care of the community.”

Community is a huge part of Powwows, adds Hupfield, who pursued his postdoctoral research in Indigenous forms of movement on both the �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga and St. George campuses.

He says he is honoured to have been asked to lead the dancers into this year’s Powwow as part of the grand entry ceremony.

“It’s really humbling,” says Hupfield, who also assists the UTMIC with firekeeping in the Tipi on Principal’s Road for events that require sacred fire, as well as giving guest talks and dance demonstrations. “It’s a big responsibility and a chance to invite and honour all who came before us.”

Among the dancers he will be leading is MJ Singleton, a fourth-year �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga student who is double majoring in psychology and criminology law and society.

Singleton, who is Anishinaabe and a two-spirit person, will be participating in both the fancy shawl and jingle dress events. They say they became involved in the Powwow through host group UTMIC, where they have participated in beadwork seminars and luncheons, led a paint session and helped create a community art installation for the MN building. Singleton says the centre, and Office of Indigenous Initiatives Director Tee Duke and Special Projects Officer Jessica Tabak, have been vital in helping them adjust to life at university.

“I didn’t grow up in a city – I was in a small northwestern town, four hours west of Thunder Bay, so coming from there and transitioning to Mississauga was a big challenge,” says Singleton, 21.

“Through the Indigenous Centre, I was able to meet people who were having a similar experience moving from up north to the hustle and bustle of southern Ontario. They gave us community.”

Singleton, who designed the Every Child Matters charity shirt sold in campus bookstores, says hosting an event like a Powwow at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga goes a long way to help Indigenous students overcome their feelings of isolation, and that the gathering and amplifying of Indigenous voices on campus is an important part of �鶹��Ƶ’s ongoing reconciliation process.

“To be able to see everyone in person and celebrate with other people is really important,” says Singleton, who plans to take their �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga education home to Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation (Eagle Lake) to help improve legal representation for Indigenous people in northern communities.

“Having access is especially important for those who have never been to a Powwow.”

Singleton says the benefits are magnified in places like �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, which draws students from around the world.

“UTM has such an amazing and diverse population of international students and local students who have never seen a Powwow, so this is a chance to learn about our culture,” Singleton says, noting they discovered a new relative through interaction at last year’s event.

“One of my best friends is from Peru and she thought last year’s Powwow, her first, was the most amazing thing. We had so much fun and I was so proud.”

Singleton says they hope many first-timers will turn out for the event and share in the spirit of community. In addition to a full afternoon of traditional ceremonies, singing and dancing, there will also be a marketplace featuring Indigenous-owned businesses.

“Come with an open mind, come with an open heart,” Singleton says. “Get to know the people in regalia, make those connections, form friendships and celebrate us as a people. It’s wonderful to be able to invite people of all kinds to dance during intertribal. It’s just so much fun for everyone.”

'Helping the people I grew up with': �鶹��Ƶ undergrad returns home with a passion for sustainability

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 15:56:08 +0000

'Helping the people I grew up with': �鶹��Ƶ undergrad returns home with a passion for sustainability

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/05/2024 - 11:56

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Connor Isaac, a third-year mechanical engineering student, says he hopes to bring awareness of new, sustainable technologies to the community where he grew up (photo by Tristan McGuirk)

Tristan McGuirk

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Sustainability

Undergraduate Students

Subheadline

Connor Isaac is embarking on a year-long work experience term with Walpole Island First Nation, where he will be focused on the community's renewable energy future

Growing up on Walpole Island First Nation, Connor Isaac experienced a creative impulse from an early age – a trait that ultimately led him to the University of Toronto where he's exploring sustainability solutions.

“I would take apart electronics, I would play with Legos, play puzzle games, different things like that – it kind of fostered this creative mindset,” he says of his childhood.

“My teacher recommended that I look into engineering, and I thought, ‘You know what? That’s not a bad idea.’”

Now a third-year mechanical engineering student in �鶹��Ƶ’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Isaac says he is preparing to give back to the community where he got his start.

He is embarking on a 12-month role working alongside Chief and Council on Walpole Island First Nation as part of the Professional Experience Year Co-op Program (PEY Co-op). As �鶹��Ƶ Engineering’s flagship work-experience program, the co-op allows students to graduate with up to 20 months of meaningful work experience while earning a competitive salary and gaining professional skills in industry.

“I started working with Chief and Council last summer, sitting in their meetings and just kind of assessing projects on the island. I told them that I would be completing a PEY Co-op work term, and they said it would be great if I could come back,” Isaac says.

“This time my work is going to be more focused on Walpole Island First Nation’s renewable energy future. Since it’s a whole year, I’m hoping that it gives me a good idea of what it’s like working in industry.”

Isaac, who is Chippewa (Ojibwe) and Potawatom, and was raised between Walpole Island First Nation and the nearby town of Wallaceburg, Ont., says one of his biggest motivators for returning to Walpole Island is the chance to bring awareness of new, sustainable technologies to the community.

“I’m looking forward to helping the people living on Walpole Island First Nation understand what technology we’re using, because there’s a big disconnect,” he says. “I want to help inform the community about the various things that the Council is doing that will help them.”

Isaac’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond his PEY Co-op. He’s also involved in undergraduate research with David Sinton, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, and his team.

“I have been working with Professor Sinton on CO2 to ethanol research, which is a carbon capture clean technology where we capture CO2 from the air to be run through an electrolyzer. This will allow us to generate ethanol and other useful carbon-based products,” Isaac says.

He is also working alongside Tracy Galloway, an associate professor of anthropology at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, as a research assistant on the CANSTOREnergy project, a �鶹��Ƶ-led collaboration that includes researchers from 11 Canadian universities. The team is developing clean energy technologies tailored to the needs of communities in the Yukon.

“Professor Sinton told me about the CANSTOREnergy project, and I mentioned that I have worked with my reserve during the summer, communicating similar ideas to the Chief and Council, but not so much to the community,” he says.

In the past, researchers have come into Indigenous communities to conduct studies without consulting the people affected, adds Isaac.

“We’re trying to avoid that.”

Upon graduation, Isaac hopes to pursue graduate studies.

“I am heavily considering a master’s degree, but I’m not too sure in which area. I don’t want to plan too far ahead because sometimes life gets in the way,” he says.

“My focus right now is helping the people that I grew up with and giving back to the community that raised me.”

In photos: �鶹��Ƶ campuses spring to life as students move into residence, head to first day of class

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:00:15 +0000

In photos: �鶹��Ƶ campuses spring to life as students move into residence, head to first day of class

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 09/03/2024 - 09:00

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Jacob Domingo Chan, third from left, was among many first-year students who received a helping hand as they moved into residences on �鶹��Ƶ's three campuses ahead of the new school year (photo by Polina Teif)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

University College

The University of Toronto’s three campuses are abuzz with excitement as students from the Toronto region, across Canada and around the world kicked off a new school year.

The fall 2024 semester marked the first time that students on the St. George campus, �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough and �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga had their first day of classes on the same day, Sept. 3 – part of an effort to align key academic dates across the university.

AskMe Anything volunteers were also out in full force to offer tips and guidance, especially to the thousands of first-year students navigating the first day of their post-secondary education.

�鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler welcomed new and returning students, as well as faculty, staff and librarians, in a video message released last week.

“[�鶹��Ƶ] is an exciting place to be, and this is an exciting time to be a part of it,” he said.

Photographers were on hand across all three campuses in recent days to capture the sights – and energy – of a new academic year:

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Welcome signs wrap �鶹��Ƶ’s main gates on the St. George campus as students make their way to and from classes on the first day of a new school year.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The weeks leading up to the first day of school featured plenty of enthusiasm as students and their families carted belongings into residences at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga.

(photo by Polina Teif)

At St. George, volunteers and residence staff were on hand to provide a warm welcome, refreshments and help hoisting bins and boxes.

(photo by Polina Teif)

“I was nervous at first, but everyone’s been so welcoming,” said University College student Cassidy Smith, who posed for an Aug. 25 photo with her mother as she moved into her dorm.

“There’s such a good energy around the place and I can feel that this is going to be like a second home to me."

(photo by Terrence Tong)

At �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough, luggage carts – and several volunteers – helped ferry students’ belongings between the parking lot and residence buildings.

(photo by Polina Teif)

Gabriella Baichwal, who was born in Toronto and grew up in Chicago, joked that she “brought way too much stuff” to fill up her single room in Trinity College on the St. George campus.

“I brought all my clothes, a mini-fridge and all of this stuff, and I feel like a spoiled brat. But that’s OK – you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do,” said Baichwal, as her parents helped unload items from their vehicle’s roof.

Her father, Ravi Baichwal, whose own father went to grad school at �鶹��Ƶ in the 1960s after moving from India, said he was “incredibly proud” of his daughter for following in her grandfather’s footsteps.

“I have that incredible pit of anxiety and hope all mixed up into one,” he said.

(photo by Polina Teif)

There were plenty of opportunities for students to meet new friends, showcase their school spirit and learn about extra-curricular opportunities at the tri-campus cheer-off event and clubs carnival held on the St. George campus ahead of the Labour Day long weekend.

(photo by Polina Teif)

More than 300 �鶹��Ƶ clubs were present at the clubs carnival, an annual event organized by the �鶹��Ƶ Students' Union. There is also a Student Groups Fair on Sept. 5 and 6 at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, and a UTSC Clubs Fair at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough on Sept. 23.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Orientation programs at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga included a painting activity that invited students to harness their creativity.

(photo by Terrence Tong)

It was all smiles at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough as students, friends and family settled in for the fall term.

Food for thought: First-year student campaigned for more nutritious, affordable meals in Niagara schools

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:29:41 +0000

Food for thought: First-year student campaigned for more nutritious, affordable meals in Niagara schools

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 08/28/2024 - 10:29

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Julianna Marcel, who graduated from Greater Fort Erie Secondary School in Fort Erie, Ont., will be studying at Rotman Commerce this fall (photo courtesy of Julianna Marcel)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Back to School 2024

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman Commerce

Rotman School of Management

Undergraduate Students

Victoria College

Subheadline

As a high school student and Niagara Region school board trustee, Julianna Marcel led a successful effort to overhaul school cafeteria meals and secure funding for culinary education

Julianna Marcel was in Grade 10 when a teacher pulled her out of science class and asked if she’d be interested in joining the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN)’s student trustee senate.

“I said yes, despite not knowing what it was,” says Marcel of the group that serves as a bridge between the school board and student body.

It would prove to be a fateful decision for both Marcel and the school board.

Later elected to one of three student positions on the DSBN’s board of trustees, Marcel went on to lead a successful campaign to overhaul school cafeteria menus to make them more nutritious and affordable. The effort also helped secure funding for culinary education.

“It ended up being one of the most transformative experiences of my life, connecting me deeply with both the student body and the educational community," Marcel says.

Marcel, who will begin a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of Toronto this fall, decided to act when a survey revealed a significant demand for healthier, more affordable meal options.

“Students expressed concerns about the high cost and low quality of their food, which I found unacceptable,” she says. “I recognized the need for change and saw an opportunity to advocate for healthier food in schools while better supporting our students.”

As she attended Greater Fort Erie Secondary School in Fort Erie, Ont., Marcel educated herself on food services policy and finance and carried out research on the impact of nutrition on academic performance and student success.

With her adviser’s encouragement, Marcel shared her findings in a letter to the president of DSBN’s food service provider. A series of meetings followed and, ultimately, a revamp of cafeteria menus.

Next, Marcel turned her attention to campaigning for more resources for culinary education. This led to the DSBN allocating $500,000 in its 2023-24 budget to expand culinary education.

Marcel's contributions were recognized with an Ontario Public Student Trustee Leadership Scholarship, jointly awarded by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Public Board Council of OSTA-AECO. The award citation noted that her work benefited some 37,500 students.

She's keen to highlight that the positive outcomes were the result of collective effort.

“I wouldn’t say that these changes are my accomplishments. They are a testament to what we can achieve when we listen to and involve students in decision-making processes,” she says.

The advocacy work led by Marcel benefited more than 37,000 students (photo courtesy of Julianna Marcel)

In addition to her trustee responsibilities and keeping up her grades, Marcel also made sure to carefully consider her post-secondary options. She participated in the �鶹��Ƶ Faculty of Law’s youth summer programs in 2022 and 2023 – experiences that she says inspired her long-term ambition to attend law school at �鶹��Ƶ and become a technology and corporate lawyer.

She says she is drawn to �鶹��Ƶ’s vast array of resources and supports – and the diversity of its community.

“When I was picking between schools, I really did a deep delve into my top few choices and the University of Toronto has the most academic, extracurricular and career supports of any school that I researched,” says Marcel, who will pursue a specialist in finance and economics at Rotman Commerce as member of Victoria College.

“Coming to Toronto, I’m so excited to get to know everyone, learn more about the people and communities around me and meet so many international students.”

She intends to use her undergraduate years to enrich her understanding of how economics can be used to address societal problems.

“I’m drawn to economics because it offers a powerful framework for analyzing the challenges we face in society,” Marcel says. “Whether it’s understanding the causes of economic inequality or exploring the impacts of globalization or designing policies for sustainable growth, I believe economics provides the tools to critically access and influence the world around us.”

Marcel also plans to make time for her many hobbies while at university: she plays five musical instruments, enjoys soccer and basketball, and loves writing.

She hopes to start a tutoring business that engages �鶹��Ƶ students in assisting high school and elementary learners, and wants to get involved in student groups at Rotman Commerce – particularly the Law Association, FinTech Association and Women in Business group.

"My ultimate goal is to support my community in every way that I can – not just in my first year but throughout my life," she says.

Beyond true crime: First-year forensic science student brings vision of compassionate justice to �鶹��Ƶ

bresgead — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:56:02 +0000

Beyond true crime: First-year forensic science student brings vision of compassionate justice to �鶹��Ƶ

bresgead Mon, 08/19/2024 - 14:56

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Mapalo Mushoriwa, who will be studying at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga this fall, has previously investigated how varying concentrations of cadmium affect seed germination and the growth of wheat (supplied image)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

Subheadline

National Scholar Mapalo Mushoriwa is no stranger to scientific inquiry, having represented her home town of Swift Current, Sask. at the Canada-Wide Science Fair two years in a row

Mapalo Mushoriwa wouldn’t exactly call herself a “true crime girl.” But she’s unafraid to explore the complexities of criminal psychology to advance her vision of compassionate justice.

Mushoriwa, who starts her studies in forensic science at the University of Toronto Mississauga this fall, says her fascination stems from a high school essay on wrongful convictions, which prompted her to delve into the role of mental health in the criminal justice system.

What she found was a prison system that often emphasizes punishment over rehabilitation, which she sees as essential to reducing recidivism and crime.

At �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, Mushoriwa hopes to explore interventions that help inmates receive the comprehensive and compassionate care they need, benefiting both the individuals and society at large.

“The way I see it, there are multiple layers to every story,” she says. “It takes a certain kind of person to be able to look at that individual, despite the terrible crimes they’ve committed, and then see a person, as well as hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”

Mushoriwa is no stranger to scientific inquiry – especially where there is a social impact. She represented her hometown of Swift Current, Sask., at the Canada-Wide Science Fair two years in a row, taking a senior bronze excellence award in May.

Her two-part experiment investigated how varying concentrations of cadmium, combined with different temperature conditions, could affect seed germination and the growth of wheat, a critical crop in her community of roughly 18,000.

Mushoriwa says the findings were inconclusive, but a research lab is continuing the investigation, which she hopes will eventually yield valuable insights for local farmers.

“It was a very close-to-home project,” Mushoriwa says, noting that while her family isn’t involved in farming, many in her tight-knit community are witnessing the effects of toxins on crop production firsthand.

Mapalo Mushoriwa hopes her science experiment, which has been picked up by a research lab, will eventually yield valuable insights for Swift Current’s local farmers (supplied image)

In addition to her forensic science studies at �鶹��Ƶ, Mushoriwa hopes to explore her creative side with a minor in drama. She says she discovered a passion for the stage in high school, winning a regional award for acting excellence for her lead role in The Inexplicable Chaos Factor of Mia Gregory, a play that tackles themes of mental health.

“I got so immersed in that world and wanting to share that story that it was like this intense passion, where I sort of found a way to combine me and the character I was playing,” Mushoriwa says. “It was just an experience like no other.”

It was one of many extracurriculars that kept Mushoriwa engaged in her community. In high school, she served as secretary of the student leadership council, led the grad committee and was captain of the soccer team. She is also an active member of her church’s youth group.

Growing up, Mushoriwa says she dreamed of attending �鶹��Ƶ. Now, she feels like she’s achieved her happy ending – and then some.

Not only is she pursuing her passion at her top-choice university, but she’s also among a select group of recipients of the National Scholarship, �鶹��Ƶ’s most prestigious award for Canadian high school students entering the university.

After losing her mother at age 12, Mushoriwa says her father devoted himself to giving her every opportunity. She says the scholarship – which covers tuition, incidental fees and residence costs for up to four years of study – feels like a shared reward for all the hard work and sacrifices they’ve made together.

“I thought, well, isn’t that just perfect?” Mushoriwa says. “The school I wanted to go to since I was young, the exact degree [I was interested in] – I couldn’t ask for it any other way.”

As eager as she is to start her journey at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, Mushoriwa admits she has mixed feelings about moving away from her father and the tight-knit Swift Current community that has supported her every step of the way.

“My father and I are basically inseparable, so it might be tough to be so far away,” she says. “What I’m excited about is the growth I’ll experience personally.

“Maybe I’ll learn something new about myself.”

First-year �鶹��Ƶ student earned top marks in high school while taking care of her health, getting involved

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:51:17 +0000

First-year �鶹��Ƶ student earned top marks in high school while taking care of her health, getting involved

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 08/15/2024 - 10:51

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Toronto District School Board high school graduate Emma Brijlall Nakahara will pursue a double major in conservation and biodiversity and public policy, and a minor in creative writing, at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough this fall (photo by Alexa Battler)

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Undergraduate Students

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Emma Brijlall Nakahara, who attended high school virtually and will join �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough this fall, is one of three Toronto District School Board grads recognized for earning top grades this year

Emma Brijlall Nakahara, who is set to begin studies at the University of Toronto this fall, earned one of the highest marks across all of Toronto’s public high schools this year.

Nakahara graduated from the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Virtual Secondary School with an average of 99.7 per cent, making her one of three graduates recognized for earning top grades.

She says she chose the online school in part due to challenges she experiences with low blood sugar that require her to eat frequently to stay focused – a condition that can be difficult to manage in a classroom.

She is a big proponent of advocating for oneself when it comes to accessibility needs.

“Even if it feels a bit weird sometimes, even if your needs are unconventional and people may not understand them, you still have to respect them and you deserve to get the accommodations that you need,” she says.

When she starts at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough this fall, it’ll be the first time Nakahara has attended in-person classes since she was a child.

Yet, despite never meeting her high school peers and teachers in person, she says she still felt connected to the school community thanks to being involved in extracurricular activities, including the school’s newsletter and yearbook, and tutoring other students.

Emma Brijlall Nakahara was interviewed by several news outlets as one of the TDSB’s top graduates (photo by Alexa Battler)

Outside school, she practices judo, enjoys writing poetry and crocheting, and has nurtured a lifelong love of the environment and conservation by volunteering with the High Park Nature Centre. She also volunteered at the Cedarbrae Branch of the Toronto Public Library in Scarborough, noting that reading is one of her biggest de-stressors – particularly the fantasy genre.

“You have to be more purposeful when you’re in virtual school – about getting out there, communicating with your teachers, staying focused,” she says. “I like to get out and do stuff, so I don’t really think being online impacted my experience.”

At �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough, she will be part of a co-op program and pursuing a double major in conservation and biodiversity and public policy, as well as a minor in creative writing.

She says she chose �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough for several reasons: the option to take three programs and co-op, the convenience of being near her Scarborough home and the Ma Moosh Ka Win Valley Trail, which has received awards for its accessibility features and is frequented by Nakahara’s family.

Nakahara says she’s looking forward to the extra freedom that comes with being a university student – including the chance to explore whatever interests her academically.

“In elementary school, I was maybe a little bored and that made it hard to do my schoolwork,” says Nakahara, who earned her best high school marks in courses such as environmental resource management, calculus and vectors, physics and chemistry. “I think I got higher marks in high school because I was interested in what I was doing.”

Emma Brijlall Nakahara and her fellow top graduates answered questions at a TDSB event (photo by Alexa Battler)

While she felt pressure to maintain her high marks through Grade 12, she says she placed the stress upon herself and knows doing so can be unhealthy.

“That wasn’t necessarily something I should have been doing,” she says. “I think sometimes people feel bad when they get low marks, and I felt bad when I lost marks. But school isn’t the only place where it matters to succeed. People can succeed in all areas of their life.”

When asked for her best study tips at a ceremony honouring the TDSB’s top scholars, she told the audience of news outlets, teachers and family that everyone is different so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to excelling in school. In her case, she says she prioritized eating and broke her school day up by exercising – a habit she’s planning on keeping this fall on campus at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

“That really helped me stay energized for my schoolwork and made it so it didn’t feel like some endless task I had to do,” she says. “Taking breaks was important.”

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�鶹��Ƶ team takes top spot in self-driving car challenge for 6th time in 7 years

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:42:55 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ team takes top spot in self-driving car challenge for 6th time in 7 years

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 08/07/2024 - 13:42

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As part of the competition, the �鶹��Ƶ team’s autonomous vehicle had to react to obstacles such as a fake deer moving across the road (photo courtesy of aUToronto)

Safa Jinje

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�鶹��Ƶ

Artificial Intelligence

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Research & Innovation

Self-Driving Cars

Undergraduate Students

UTIAS

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"Each time we saw an obstacle – a stop sign, a red light, the railroad bar coming down – and the car reacted by stopping and then continuing, we let out a big cheer or a sigh of relief"

A team from the University of Toronto has placed first for sixth time in seven years in a North American self-driving car competition.

After finishing in second place last year, the aUToronto team returned to the top spot at the 2024 SAE AutoDrive Challenge II, which was held in June at the Mcity Test Facility in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The aUToronto team competed against nine other teams from across Canada and the United States.

“Through the AutoDrive Challenge, we are preparing the next generation of engineers to head into the industry, to keep pushing towards the challenging goal of reaching Level 4 autonomous driving,” says Tim Barfoot, a professor at the �鶹��Ƶ Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and one of the team’s academic advisers.

“The team did another excellent job this year.”

The team approached the competition by going back to first principles to ensure they had a reliable and robust system, says Kelvin Cui, a �鶹��Ƶ Engineering alumnus and the team’s principal.

He joined aUToronto last fall after five years with the University of Toronto Formula Racing team, where he founded the “driverless” division.

“We looked at what was going to get us the most points at competition and made sure that we were not overbuilding our system and adding too much complexity,” he says.

This meant pushing for additional testing time at UTIAS and achieving more than 900 kilometres of system testing prior to the competition.

The team placed first out of 10 teams from institutions across the United States and Canada (photo courtesy of aUToronto)

A partnership with the AutoDrive team from Queen’s University was instrumental to aUToronto’s preparation. The aUToronto team drove Artemis, their autonomous vehicle, to Kingston, Ont. to assess the system at Queen’s testing facility, which features intersections and electronic streetlights.

“We added radar to our vehicle as a new sensor, so we needed to be aware of all the sensor failure modes,” says third-year Engineering Science student Robert Ren.

“A lot of our testing time went into making sure that including radar didn’t break anything else in our system, and that it could handle any sensor failure cases.”

Including radar sensors in the vehicle’s perception system allowed it to measure the motion of objects directly, which is not possible with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors. 

“Radar can help with adverse weather object detections,” adds Ren. “So, if the vehicle is operating under heavy rain or fog, the LiDAR is going to be limited, but the radio waves from radar can help the vehicle see what objects are in front and what objects are moving. This enables it to make good decisions when driving in uncertain scenarios.” 

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In an event where both LiDAR and radar sensors fail, the aUToronto system can still rely on visual cameras to perform object tracking. This made the team’s object tracker much more robust compared to last year when the team experienced sensor failure during a dynamic event.

Brian Cheong, a �鶹��Ƶ Engineering master’s student who has been a member of aUToronto since 2021, acted as technical director of the autonomy team this year – part of a new leadership structure introduced by Cui.  

“In the past, it was a lot of work for our team’s principal to keep track of all the systems,” Cheong says. “So instead of having to work directly with all 15 sub teams, Kelvin created groups of sub teams that we called stacks, and each stack had a director.”

The restructuring and technical innovations paid off, with aUToronto completing its first clean sweep in the AutoDrive Challenge II, placing first in all static and dynamic events, including the concept design presentation and intersection challenge.

“The intersection challenge was a big highlight for us,” says Cheong. “Kelvin and Robert were in the car, and I was on the sidelines watching with the rest of the team. Each time we saw an obstacle – a stop sign, a red light, the railroad bar coming down – and the car reacted by stopping and then continuing, we let out a big cheer or a sigh of relief.

“And then we were all silent as the car approached the final obstacle, which was a deer. We watched as Artemis slowed down to a stop and the deer moved by. Then we screamed and cheered, and we could hear cheering from inside the car.”

“Our success is entirely a team effort,” adds Cui. “It was not smooth sailing before the competition. The only reason we won is because everybody put in so much effort to test our vehicle every day.

“That’s how we were able to get this reliable system across the line.” 

�鶹��Ƶ Engineering student team wins international prize with sustainable wind turbine

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 13:44:46 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Engineering student team wins international prize with sustainable wind turbine

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 08/06/2024 - 09:44

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From left to right: UTWind team members Robert Zhao, Joeun Yook, Micheal Jing, Dhara Patel, Alexis Terefenko, Justin Ding, Andre Li and Alex Chen (photo by Niels Adema)

Tyler Irving

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Our Community

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research and Innovation

Sustainability

Undergraduate Students

Subheadline

It’s the UTWind team’s second victory at the International Small Wind Turbine Contest, following their win in 2022

A team of students from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have earned top spot in the International Small Wind Turbine Contest with a design that utilized components from recycled pop bottles and plant-fibre composites.

The competition, which is hosted annually at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen in the Netherlands, challenges student teams to design and build a small-scale wind turbine for deployment in sub-Saharan Africa. Teams are evaluated on the overall energy yield of their turbine, the sustainability of their design, the quality of their construction and the presentation they give to the judges.

The UTWind team's first-place finish saw them outcompete seven other teams from countries including Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain. This is the second time the team won the contest, following their debut performance in 2022.

Justin Ding, a second-year mechanical engineering student and incoming co-lead of UTWind's mechanical and manufacturing team, says the team made improvements to the pitch system for this year’s design and implemented more sustainable materials.

“For example, we used plant-based flax fibre composites to make the blades, which makes them lighter. The nose cone was made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or PET plastic, which is more sustainable than using new material,” Ding says.

“We gathered plastic pop bottles from around campus, including the student-run Hard Hat Café,” says third-year mechanical engineering student Elena Sloan, the other co-lead of the mechanical and manufacturing team. “We then cut these bottles into strips and extruded them through a heated nozzle to make 1.75 mm diameter filament, which we could use in our 3D printer.”

Once the turbine was complete, it was disassembled and packed into four bags of checked luggage for the flight to the Netherlands. The team’s first stop was Delft, where their turbine underwent testing in a wind tunnel at Delft University of Technology’s Open Jet Facility.

The testing showed that the team was able to harvest about 36 per cent of the available energy at a wind speed of 8.5 metres per second, a solid, but not outstanding result.

From there, the team members took a three-hour train ride across the country to Groningen, where they gave their technical presentation, followed by the awards ceremony.

“We didn’t really expect to win best overall, but we thought we had a decent chance at winning for the most sustainable design,” says Dhara Patel, incoming co-president of UTWind and a second-year electrical engineering student.

“When we found out we didn’t win that award, we were pretty devastated, but it was a complete shock to then find out that we won the whole competition – our mouths just hung open for a while.”

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Going forward, Patel says the team would like to try building a vertical-axis turbine in addition to their standard horizontal-axis version. “Vertical-axis turbines look really cool, and they are structurally simpler and have a lower profile than horizontal-axis ones,” she says.

“Only one other team has tried that. We’d like to take on that challenge, and ultimately put one on our own campus buildings to generate clean wind power.”

Patel was a high school student when UTWind won their first competition in 2022, and says reading about their success was one of the things that inspired her to study engineering at �鶹��Ƶ. The team she eventually came to co-lead now includes more than 50 engineering students as well as some from the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Students are divided into five sub-teams: aerodynamics, mechanical and manufacturing, control systems, power systems and sustainability.

The team members say they’re energized by their win, and have big plans for next year.

“We’ve learned so many lessons – before, during and after the contest,” says Robert Zhao, UTWind's other incoming co-president and an undergraduate student in the department of physics.

“But our competitors have also learned those lessons, and there are more of them than ever before. We need to improve our winning design, making it more robust and more mature to better defend our title.”