Elaine Smith

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:13:47 +0000

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/21/2024 - 14:13

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L to R: Assistant Professor Onye Nnorom, Associate Professor OmiSoore Dryden from Dalhousie University and Assistant Professor Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh (supplied images)

Elaine Smith

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Black Racism

Equity & Culture

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Subheadline

The Black Health Primer aims to address gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health

Scholars from the University of Toronto and Dalhousie University have created a set of online courses on Black health and anti-Black racism in the Canadian health-care system, which will be available to learners across Canada – a momentous step in helping advance equitable care for Black Canadians.

The Black Health Primer was created in response to gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health, say its creators Onye Nnorom, an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, an assistant professor at Dalla Lana and OmiSoore Dryden, the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The courses are intended for students, faculty, educators and health-care practitioners alike and can be used for professional development at health-related institutions and organizations, the founders say.

The initiative was developed by the Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC), a group of Black scholars and practitioners committed to transforming medical and health professional education in service of improving the health of Black communities across Canada.

“Black people in Canada experience health and social inequities rooted in anti-Black racism,” says Nnorom, who co-founded the BHEC with Dryden. “The historical impacts of slavery on this land affect Black people today and influence the stereotypes they experience in health care.

“By providing education on the issues that Black communities are facing in their everyday lives, the racism they encounter in health care and better anti-racist approaches to care, we – the Black Health Education Collaborative – believe the primer can improve the quality of care Black Canadians are receiving.

“Furthermore, these modules were designed to support the ‘unlearning’ of racism and learning racially just practices which improve health for all.”

The BHEC, with support from Dalla Lana, Temerty Medicine, and Dalhousie University, will launch the Black Health Primer on March 21 – the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – at an online event titled, "Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters."

“The Public Health Agency of Canada has highlighted that ‘anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities,’ and yet health-care professionals – from doctors to public health professionals – are not taught about the ways in which anti-Black racism negatively impacts the health of Black communities,” says Ndumbe-Eyoh, who is BHEC’s executive director.

“This is a significant failing which leads to health professionals practising without the knowledge and skills required to provide adequate care for Black patients and communities.”

“It is our hope that the medical students, doctors, nurses, and students who are in other health fields will complete the training and be inspired to provide better quality care,” says Nnorom, who hosts the Healthcaring Differently social media campaign.

Registration for the Black Health Primer opened Thursday

Tutoring can improve academic outcomes and mental health, �鶹��Ƶ economist finds

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:10:00 +0000

Tutoring can improve academic outcomes and mental health, �鶹��Ƶ economist finds

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 10/07/2020 - 09:10

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(photo by Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Research & Innovation

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

New research by Philip Oreopoulos, a professor of economics at the University of Toronto Mississauga, suggests that one-on-one and small group tutoring consistently improves academic achievements, offering important insight into ways to assist students struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oreopoulos and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 96 randomized controlled trials of tutoring programs. The programs span three decades and involve students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. They found that students randomly selected to receive tutoring in math or English outperformed their peers more than 80 per cent of the time, with half the studies in the analysis revealing very large effects.

“The study highlights how much consensus there is that tutoring is effective,” says Oreopoulos, adding that such significant positive effects are rare in social science research. About half of the studies pegged the impact at 30 per cent greater than one standard deviation, which translates to meaningful academic improvement.

The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, also found that tutors who were teachers or para-professionals with some training were more effective than volunteers and that tutoring done at school in the context of the school day was more effective than tutoring done at home or after school.

“I think that it was more effective because tutoring done at school is more structured, so students end up more likely to actually receive tutoring than in less supervised environments,” says Oreopoulos, who was recently named a distinguished professor at �鶹��Ƶ.

The study was issued in July as a working paper for the National Bureau of Economics Research. It is part of Oreopoulos’s work as co-chair of the education group at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. J-PAL’s objective is to improve the effectiveness of poverty programs by providing policy-makers with clear scientific results that help shape successful policies to combat poverty.

“This study is especially timely because there is currently a lot of discussion about how we can deal with the concerning situation caused by COVID-19 that makes learning conditions far from optimal,” says Oreopoulos. “The disruptions point toward a lower trajectory of learning, especially for those who are disadvantaged to begin with.”

The key, says Oreopoulos, is finding a way to make tutoring scalable. He cites a Harvard Kennedy School study that was done in partnership with three Italian universities. Volunteer tutors from the universities were randomly paired with students in schools recommended by their principals. The tutors received training online and provided three hours of weekly tutoring for two months. The students showed significant academic improvement in math, English and Italian, as well as improvements in non-academic outcomes including mental health and life satisfaction, as reported by the students, their parents and teachers.

“The program is exciting because it’s the kind we need right now,” says Oreopoulos, who is working with Karen Mundy, a professor at �鶹��Ƶ’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, to set up a similar program in Canada.

He is also piloting a test of computer-assisted learning that simulates the tutoring experience, working with 10 teachers in Utah through the non-profit Khan Academy. They are using a program that allows students to work at their own pace and receive immediate feedback on their assignments and problems, which are based on the material discussed in class.

“This is free and scalable, so it might be worth considering scaling up,” Oreopoulos says. “I’m hoping to evaluate the program next year to provide evidence for whether teachers should be doing more of this.”

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga professors find creative ways to engage students online

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 15:21:07 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga professors find creative ways to engage students online

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/08/2020 - 11:21

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A slide from a summer course taught by David Samson, an assistant professor of biological anthropology at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga (image courtesy of David Samson)

Topic

From live streaming on Twitch to creating videos and using student feedback to make improvements, professors at the University of Toronto Mississauga are finding creative ways to keep their lectures interesting and relevant in the digital realm.

And the approach is resonating, students say.

“When you’re interested in the content, the lectures are engaging irrespective of whether they’re taught online or in person,” says Vibhor Rohatgi, a master’s student in sustainability management who took an online Natural Hazards course over the summer with Barbara Murck, a professor, teaching stream, in the department of geography, geomatics and environment.

For Murck, a teaching stream professor in the department of geography, geomatics and environment, teaching remotely is nothing new. For about 15 years, she has been teaching ENV100Y5 Environment, a large first-year course, in a dual-delivery format during the academic year. During the summer, the course is online only in a condensed six-week format.

In addition to teaching skills, Murck says there are two main factors that make remote course delivery successful: being authentic and connecting with students.

“You have to be real, so your students have the feeling that you are an actual person talking to them – especially if the lecture is asynchronous, because you’re not meeting them in the hallways where they can chat with you informally,” she says.

Murck also took steps to stay connected with her class with daily online office hours. She says students dropped in every day and, even if they didn’t drop in, they liked knowing their instructors were available. “With fully online courses, I communicated obsessively with the students,” Murck says.

Nicole Chafe, another first-year master’s degree student who took Murck’s online Natural Hazards course, says that online courses require her to become more disciplined.

“I learned about personal motivation and realized that I had to push myself more,” she explains. “It takes determination to be sure to get the work done without the reinforcement of classes.

“My personal preference is still face-to-face classes, but (Murck) was very engaging and it was easy to pay attention to her online lectures.”

David Samson, an assistant professor of biological anthropology, live streams his lectures using the Twitch app, often used by gamers. Samson is teaching his first full remote course, Sister Species, this summer.

“One thing I feel makes my classes engaging is my energy and I was afraid I’d lose that online,” he says. “I know how critical body language is and, with a lot of remote options, the students couldn’t see me gesturing.”

Samson found live streaming “much more enjoyable than reading from a PowerPoint and recording myself. It was like having my own little production studio.”

Samson held a question and answer session at the end of each class and asked for student feedback about the format. As a result, he was able make tweaks to improve the experience, including, for example, adjusting the font size for his chat boxes.

“I see opportunity in remote delivery,” Samson said. “Distance usually prevents students at the other �鶹��Ƶ campuses from enrolling in my courses, so why not improve access for the wider student body?”

�鶹��Ƶ programs ease transition to university for first-year students during COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 16:33:12 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ programs ease transition to university for first-year students during COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/03/2020 - 12:33

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Elaine Smith

Topic

Our Community

Back to School 2020

Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences

UTogether

Centre for Student Engagement

Student Experience

Chemistry

Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

�鶹��Ƶ Scarborough

The first year of university is always exciting and challenging but what if your final year of high school was disrupted by a pandemic – would you feel ready?

To welcome incoming University of Toronto students and help them feel confident and prepared for the fall semester amid COVID-19, faculty across the three campuses created a wide range of courses, programs and workshops.

Offered throughout the summer, the free, optional initiatives were designed to help first-year students connect with peers, mentors and professors, and ensure they have the required course skills to succeed.

“Planning for the start of this academic year has been like no other in our history,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “We have reimagined every aspect of the �鶹��Ƶ experience, not only from how we teach and learn, but to how we connect, socialize and stay informed.

“As a faculty, we worked to provide online programs to help students prepare for their classes in September – including the development of small collaborative study groups that build both on learning and a sense of community, as well as preparatory summer courses that helped students make the transition into university life.”

In the department of computer science, for example, professors created a summer prep course on Quercus to help incoming first-year students enrolled in a Foundations of Computer Science course get up to speed and become acquainted with the department. That included introducing them to student clubs and other resources that are designed to help them find their feet on campus.

At �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, meanwhile, incoming students were invited to participate in Eagle Connect, a 13-week, student-led online program that provided them with on-demand information and helped them make personal connections with fellow students before classes even start.

Each week featured a themed module using the Quercus online learning platform. Topics included course selection, applying for residence, campus clubs and other necessary information. A discussion board gave students a chance to ask questions and get to know one another.

The goal of Eagle Connect was to give students the tools to feel confident, ready and excited to start their time at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, says Trent Barwick, student success co-ordinator, orientation and transition programs with the Centre for Student Engagement. The program also allowed students to begin developing friendships and prepared them for working in a new online environment.

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga’s Robert Gillespie Academic Learning Centre also offered a free mathematics workshop to prepare students for their university-level courses.

“It was a very turbulent time for high school teachers as well as students,” when classes suddenly moved online, says Andie Burazin, assistant professor in the department of mathematical and computational sciences.

“Math is a big hurdle for many students – it creates a lot of anxiety. Even in regular situations, math is just one of those things they struggle with.”

Mindful that incoming students might not have the usual level of preparation before they enter first year, the dean’s office reached out to the academic skills centre. The result: a series of six, two-hour workshops designed to assist students taking calculus this fall by enhancing their foundational math skills.

�鶹��Ƶ Scarborough also ran a month-long math preparedness program for students: the Online Mathematics Preparedness course, organized by Manaal Hussain, a program manager in the department of arts, culture and media.

Meanwhile, students registered for a chemistry course at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough were given the opportunity to better prepare for the start of classes with a six-week chemistry course.

“I know there are knowledge gaps and, with online learning, it may be more difficult for (students),” says Marco Zimmer-De Iuliis, an assistant professor, teaching stream, of chemistry at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough. “This course offered a low stakes way to refresh their knowledge and practice problems.

“A post-session survey indicates that most students found it helpful, and I plan to run it every summer.”

The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering gave incoming students a chance to brush up on their skills with the newly-created �鶹��Ƶ Engineering Academy, an optional and not-for-credit program free to all incoming students in the fall 2020 semester.

Designed in close consultation with high school teachers and curriculum leads in the �鶹��Ƶ Engineering First-Year Office, as well as the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering, the academy offered students access to a suite of self-paced learning modules in chemistry, math and physics, as well as the opportunity to connect with upper-year mentors for assistance.

“�鶹��Ƶ Engineering Academy gives students what they need to fill in any gaps in their Grade 12 year, as well as a friendly introduction to our faculty with the support of our incredible students and professors,” explains Micah Stickel, vice-dean, first year engineering.

The faculty also offers an optional First Year Foundations program that includes sessions, workshops and courses to help incoming students prepare for various aspects of university life, such as developing effective study and learning skills, and offering introductions to concepts like the engineering design process and communications.

“The year so far hasn’t gone the way any of us expected,” says Chris Yip, dean of �鶹��Ƶ Engineering. “We’re here to make sure that no matter what happened in the final year of high school, we’re giving our students the tools and supports they need to be comfortable, prepared and ready to have a terrific experience when they start this fall at Skule.”

Professors, too, have received assistance preparing for this unusual fall semester. The Faculty of Arts & Science launched the A&S Online Learning Academy this summer, offering courses for faculty taught by peers with experience in online instruction. These experts were able share technical advice, best practices and resources toward creating a seamless online learning experience for all Faculty Arts & Science students.

“The university has come together to ensure that the year ahead will be full of rewarding and enriching experiences for all of our students – both near and far,” Woodin says.

'Be there for our community': How three �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga startups adapted to COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:33:28 +0000

'Be there for our community': How three �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga startups adapted to COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 04/30/2020 - 11:33

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Mississauga-based startup Sitti Soap, which sells olive oil soap made by hand at the Jerash Refugee Camp in Jordan, immediately took steps to protect its overseas employees following the outbreak of COVID-19 (photo by Nadia Bseiso/courtesy of Sitti Soap)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Across Canada, businesses are changing their approaches and offerings to meet customers’ shifting needs during the COVID-19 pandemic – and that includes startups affiliated with the University of Toronto Mississauga.

ICUBE, �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga’s hub for early-stage companies, has been running webinars for members to provide information they may need during social isolation. The first featured a lawyer and an accountant who discussed issues such as cash flow, letting employees go and dealing with intellectual property. A second webinar focused on wellness and how to stay healthy and sane while staying at home 24/7.

Next up are intensive sales seminars for small groups, focusing on how to approach sales during the pandemic.

“ICUBE is like a startup, too,” says Kasey Dunn, ICUBE’s program co-ordinator and liaison with the companies. “We’re always adapting to changing situations and looking to see where we can do more and offer support.”

Ignacio Mongrell, ICUBE’s assistant director, adds that the entrepreneurship hub tries to be “very proactive about creating opportunities for startups.” He also noted that startups, unlike large corporations, tend to be quite nimble when faced with unexpected obstacles. “They can change their business models to adjust.”

Here's how three startups affiliated with the �鶹��Ƶ community have responded to the challenges presented by COVID-19:

LCI Movement

At LCI Movement, a Mississauga-based startup that brings dance and movement programs to schools, founder Maya Saggar was in the midst of her most productive quarter to date when Ontario schools suddenly closed and programs were cancelled.

“This has pushed me to think differently and I’ve engaged some co-op students for a digital push,” Saggar says.

Next week, LCI Movement will be soon be launching a free YouTube channel showcasing videos that teach dance movements to families at home.

“It’s our gift to the community for the time being,” Saggar says. “The more interest the channel gets, the more content we’ll create – and we’ll base it on what people’s interests are.”

In addition, Saggar and her team will create more online parent-driven products that are tailored to working with small numbers of children at once.

Sitti Soap

(image courtesy of Sitti Soap)

Noora Sharrab and her partner, Jackie Sofia, run the Mississauga-based company Sitti Soap, which sells olive oil soap made by hand at the Jerash Refugee Camp in Jordan. Since their business provides employment to impoverished refugee women, the owners were worried about their employees’ well-being during the pandemic.

“We immediately donated 500 bars of soap to the camp and locally disseminated a video featuring a young girl demonstrating proper handwashing technique with a campaign for #safehands to help emphasize flattening of the curve,” says Sharrab.

Sharrab and Sofia also began a GoFundMe campaign in partnership with the women-owned local company KUVRD to raise money to furnish relief kits for the women and their families, filled with food and hygiene products. They met their $10,000 target within a week and raised enough for 170 kits within two weeks. They are planning another fundraising campaign in May on the iFundWomen platform to help pay salaries.

“The well-being of the people in the camp is front and centre,” says Sharrab. “We made the decision that no one would be laid off and everyone will be paid regardless.”

With Ramadan underway and many employers giving gifts to their staff during the month-long Muslim holiday, Sharrab and Sofia have begun focusing their sales efforts on the corporate sector.

“We don’t know how long the pandemic will go on, so we want to be there for our community,” Sharrab says.

Just Vertical

(photo by �鶹��Ƶ News staff)

At Just Vertical, a Toronto-based startup that creates and furnishes home hydroponic garden systems for growing food indoors, business is booming during the pandemic. In fact, the company is poised to introduce a system tailored for condo life.

“There has been a huge surge in demand,” says Kevin Jakiela, co-founder of the three-year-old venture. “People are interested in this program as they may be bored at home or they may be concerned about food insecurity.”

However, Jakiela and business partner Conner Tidd, both graduates of �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga’s master’s program in sustainability management, wanted to provide restless children with something educational and fun to do during self-isolation, so they are offering free lettuce seeds to customers so they can grow the plants in egg cartons at home.

“We expected about 50 inquiries and we’ve had 500 so far,” Jakiela says. “It’s not only kids, but everyone from [ages] four to 94. A lot of people want to learn about growing things.”

'I went out and started my own thing': �鶹��Ƶ grad on his decision to build a cryptocurrency-focused startup

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 13:56:19 +0000

'I went out and started my own thing': �鶹��Ƶ grad on his decision to build a cryptocurrency-focused startup

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/07/2019 - 08:56

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Christian Cordero completed three co-op terms and founded a web-based company that teaches users about cyptocurrency mining while completing a bachelor's degree in business administration at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough (photo by Andy King)

Topic

Christian Cordero, who graduates this week with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Toronto Scarborough, is someone who gets things done.

So, it should come as little surprise to anyone who knows him that, during his undergraduate career, he participated in three co-op terms and, during his third year, collaborated in an online business that is already making modest profits.

“I learned a lot of theory in class, but I wanted to apply it – so I went out and started my own thing,” Cordero says.

That “thing” is www.febbit.com, a website that teaches users about cryptocurrency mining via a videogame that illustrates the process. Players earn cryptocurrency rewards as they progress, an incentive to keep returning to the site. “It’s such a new industry and I latched onto it,” Cordero says.

Cordero’s path to becoming an entrepreneur began reading and researching about cryptocurrency technology and investing some of his own money. During his fourth year at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough, he completed a co-op term with TD Bank’s blockchain group. The experience gave Cordero the confidence to look for opportunities in the world of cryptocurrency. Before long he was assisting clients in the industry.

A soccer pal connected Cordero to �鶹��Ƶ alumnus Paul Bursu, who also had an interest in cryptocurrency. Together, they and two partners began to build the Febbit concept with the support of �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough’s Hub accelerator, one of several entrepreneurship hubs on campus. The site now boasts an online community of more than 200,000 registered users. While the business doesn’t earn enough to support any of its founders, it has nevertheless provided them with valuable experience. It also gave Cordero the opportunity to mentor a student intern.

“It’s not something I would have imagined doing as an undergraduate,” Cordero says.

In addition to his stint with TD’s blockchain group, Cordero completed two other co-op terms during his time at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough: one in sales for a moving company, which gave him valuable insights into how a business is run; and he spent a term in TD Bank’s digital channels group.

“When I was younger, I used to read John Grisham legal suspense novels and had a romantic idea about becoming a lawyer,” says Cordero, “but ... as I grew up, I looked at my skills and realized I had a knack for business. I learned to capitalize on my strengths and would advise other students to learn to do the same. I found that, whatever my weaknesses, I’d have a team behind me to compensate.”

He hopes to inspire other students to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

“If I could do this as a third-year university student and make a small profit, others can, too,” Cordero says. “It’s cool to try. Don’t worry about what others think and don’t be afraid to make the jump. Now is a good time to try these things – when you don’t have a lot of financial responsibilities.”

After convocation, Cordero plans to look for full-time job opportunities in the business world to supplement the income he gets from Febbit.

“You have to put yourself out there,” Cordero says. “You need to be comfortable with yourself, friendly, empathetic and kind – people recognize that. It’s all about being genuine.”

Time to act on climate change is now, Suzuki tells �鶹��Ƶ sustainability conference

noreen.rasbach — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:16:59 +0000

Time to act on climate change is now, Suzuki tells �鶹��Ƶ sustainability conference

noreen.rasbach Tue, 10/22/2019 - 12:16

Topic

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

Listen to science and take action.

That's the message from David Suzuki, the renowned environmental activist, who addressed a University of Toronto audience via video link last week at a global sustainability conference.

“Who the hell do we think we are?" he said. “We think we can do things without unintended consequences.

“We are at a moment without any precedent in the 4.5 billion years Earth has existed…We are so powerful that we are the main force altering the physical, biological and chemical properties of the planet. This truly is the Anthropocene (human-centred) epoch.”

Suzuki’s keynote speech and call to action closed out the second day of the three-day conference, Sustainability: Transdisciplinary Theory, Practice and Action, organized by Professor Shashi Kant and the staff and students of the master's program in sustainability management. The conference at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga drew 365 attendees from around the world, as well as 215 speakers and panelists. The audience included students, academics and representatives from industry, government and not-for-profit organizations.

Kant’s vision is a global one and he ensured that the mix of presenters was also global, broadening the perspective of attendees and reinforcing the idea that everyone must work together to create a sustainable world. The conference explored sustainability from transdisciplinary perspectives, and included seven keynote talks, 10 panels, four training workshops, and 43 concurrent sessions on such diverse topics as sustainability and the sacred, sustainability in urban areas, designing lifelong learning communities to nurture SMART city ecosystems and enhancing sustainability of public transportation through design excellence.

“Sustainability is not limited to the environment, but it includes social, economic and cultural dimensions,” Kant said. “I wanted our campus and others to understand that we all have a role to play in sustainability. We are all in this mess; we’ve all contributed and we’re all responsible for this, and we all together, using a transdisciplinary approach, have to address it. We need everyone: academics and activists alike.”

It’s co-operation that Suzuki believes must happen soon, before greenhouse gas emissions cause temperatures to rise further, before Earth’s protective ozone layer is destroyed and before forests and the healing oxygen they produce are razed.

“We’re using chemicals that spread throughout the air, water and soil,” Suzuki said. “We’re all filled with toxic chemicals; we’re plasticizing ourselves as well as the ocean and driving species to extinction. We’re undermining the richness and abundance of our planet and making it less livable for all species.”

Humans don’t consider the consequences of their power, however, and with the advent of technology, they became more and more powerful, Suzuki said. People didn’t consider the downside of many of their innovations until disasters occurred – banning DDT as a pesticide, for example, only after its genetic effects were apparent. Despite warnings from groups of respected scientists beginning in 1992, we paid no heed, and now, Earth is at a crisis point, he said.

“It’s taking a 16-year-old child [Swedish activist Greta Thunberg] to tell us to listen to science,” Suzuki said. “In the name of the economy, we’re heading straight toward the loss of the future for our children and grandchildren. This is a terrifying moment in time.

“It’s crazy for us to act as if climate change is only an issue for the Green Party. We need to act together. We need all Canadians to come together like they did when the Raptors won the NBA Championship.

“We must elect governments who say we’re at war with greenhouse gas emissions. We must stop thinking about how to pay for this because we have no choice.”

When students in attendance asked what they could do besides voting, Suzuki talked about a peaceful “revolution,” with a march on Ottawa and a takeover of Parliament Buildings so students could hold a mock Parliament to pass the necessary green laws.

“I hope to see grassroots groups help people reduce energy use by 20 per cent,” Suzuki said.

The main message of the conference, says Kant, was that “we all have a role to play in sustainability and anything and everything is possible with love for all and nature, and commitment for a change.”

'We have really ambitious plans': Robotics research gears up at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 14:31:22 +0000

'We have really ambitious plans': Robotics research gears up at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/16/2019 - 10:31

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A growing robotics research cluster at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga is connected to the recently launched �鶹��Ƶ Robotics Institute, which aims to strengthen robotics research across the university (photo courtesy of Animesh Garg)

Elaine Smith

Topic

Our Community

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

Robotics

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

The University of Toronto Mississauga is forging a robotics research and teaching cluster that – as part of �鶹��Ƶ’s new university-wide Robotics Institute initiative – will help “take robotics to the next level.”

That’s how Jessica Burgner-Kahrs describes what's in store for robotics innovation at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga in the years ahead.

“With the great resources and the support we have, great research can flow from here,” says Burgner-Kahrs, an associate professor at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga’s department of mathematical and computational sciences and an expert in continuum robotics who has emerged as the de facto leader of the �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga robotics cluster.

“We’re building a research program and creating a whole academic program from scratch.”

The “we” to which Burgner-Kahrs refers includes her two colleagues, both assistant professors: Florian Shkurti, who joined �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga last December after earning his PhD at McGill University, and Animesh Garg, who arrives this summer from Stanford University via a job in the robotics industry.

From left to right: �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga robotics researchers Animesh Garg, Jessica Burgner-Kahrs and Florian Shkurti

The three faculty members are simply the start of the cluster: �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga plans to add between two and four additional faculty to the group. The cluster is part of the recently launched �鶹��Ƶ Robotics Institute, which aims to strengthen robotics research and innovation across the university and boasts researchers from engineering, computer science, aerospace and other disciplines. The Institute is housed at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

“The institute links us so that we have a unified presence on campus and beyond,” says Shkurti. “We are the largest robotics institute in Canada and we have really ambitious plans.

“We now have a broad network of collaborators, which will allow us to create joint funding proposals. The gears are turning.”

Burgner-Kahrs relocated her lab to �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga from Germany to continue her work in continuum robotics. The robots she builds from scratch are flexible, with no joints, and they can be as small as one millimetre in diameter. Her personal interest is in medical applications – microsurgery, for example – but she envisions people also using the tiny robots to inspect the guts of a machine or to snake through rubble after an earthquake to find survivors.

Such tasks require communication between the humans in charge and the robots, as well as a thorough understanding of the movements required to execute tasks and the ability to craft the appropriate algorithms.

“For all of these tasks, we are busy answering the fundamental questions that will make them possible,” Burgner-Kahrs says. “We are at the frontier of something new.”

Her colleagues, too, are breaking new ground. Shkurti works with imitation learning, a subset of machine learning that explores how robots can learn effectively from humans. His research involves robots that can replicate movements without repeated demonstrations as well as understand what to do in specific situations as they arise.

“I’m developing fundamental algorithms for learning, control and computer vision to allow easy collaboration between humans and robots,” Shkurti says.

“How do robots understand why humans are showing them certain actions and how can they replicate these actions? I want to make it easier for humans to specify what they want by demonstrating it, not by writing code. This makes robotics accessible to a wider audience.”

For example, robots can be trained to work with divers at coral reefs, searching for a specific type of coral underwater and recording the necessary scientific data.

Garg is also interested in imitation-guided reinforcement learning, teaching robots to “watch” a how-to video and learn how to understand a task and execute it in a potentially new context.

“My work mixes computer vision with reinforcement learning and traditional control,” he says.

(Image courtesy of Animesh Garg)

Garg has identified several important applications for his research. They include: material handling, where corporations with huge warehouse operations need to fetch, pick, pack and ship products; assembly, where pieces of a product made overseas are shipped to Canada and put together locally to avoid duties; and conventional surgery, “where there is a very fixed checklist of tasks that are repetitive and monotonous.”

“These applications all have a key thread: how robot hands manipulate objects the same way we do,” Garg says. “I’m not interested in replacing humans. I think of robots as the new tools; the technology embeds itself in these devices. I want to simplify complicated processes.”

The three founding members of �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga’s robotics cluster see a lot of commonalities and opportunities for collaboration in their work.

“All of us work at both the fundamental level of algorithm design and the application level with robots in action, both indoors and outdoors,” Shkurti says. “There are research threads connecting all of us and I envision us collaborating on fundamental research in robot control.”

They are also excited about the possibilities at hand.

“The administration has been proactive about making UTM into a powerhouse in robotics,” Garg says.

“The faculty is positioned for creating a critical mass of researchers. For me, it felt like a no-brainer to come here.”

People who 'microdose' psychedelic substances report improved mood and focus: �鶹��Ƶ study

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 19:04:21 +0000

People who 'microdose' psychedelic substances report improved mood and focus: �鶹��Ƶ study

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/11/2019 - 15:04

Cutline

A study by �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga researchers found people who took very small doses of psychedelic substances, including hallucinogenic mushrooms, reported improved mood and focus (photo by Evert-Jan Daniels/AFP via Getty Images)

Topic

Research & Innovation

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

A University of Toronto Mississauga researcher and his colleagues have “uncovered high potential research avenues” for assessing the benefits and drawbacks of microdosing with the psychedelic substances LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin (the key ingredient in magic mushrooms).

Their study, published recently in the Harm Reduction Journal, found that people who took very small doses of psychedelic substances commonly reported improved mood and focus, along with concerns about illegality and stigma.

Microdosing refers to the practice of regularly ingesting small, non-hallucinogenic amounts of psychedelic substances. The National Post traces the trend back to 2010 when biohackers began seeking a competitive edge. Thomas Anderson, a PhD student and cognitive neuroscientist, Associate Professor of psychology Norman Farb, Rotem Petranker from York University, and colleagues from the �鶹��Ƶ Faculty of Medicine and �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough are the first to explore microdosing scientifically.

“The most common benefit was improved mood, which suggests that researching microdosing as a potential pharmacotherapeutic treatment for depression could be worthwhile,” Anderson says. “Microdosing could provide a possible alternative to SSRIs [selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, a class of drugs commonly used to fight depression], which are great but don’t work for everyone.

“Microdosing won’t work for everyone, either, but it could provide a possible alternative to other treatment pathways.”

Participants also reported improved creativity, which includes divergent thinking, curiosity and openness. This creativity finding agrees with another recent publication by Anderson and colleagues that reported microdosers were more creative and open and less neurotic and dysfunctional.

In the paper, Anderson and colleagues collected reports from almost 300 self-identified microdosers and have distilled the reported improvements into categories. The top categories were: improved mood (27 per cent of reports), focus (15 per cent), creativity (13 per cent) and self-efficacy (11 per cent). Mood refers not only to happiness and well-being but also to reduced depression, according to participants.

The top challenges associated with microdosing were physiological discomfort and concerns about illegality. The discomfort included complaints such as headaches, nausea and insomnia, while illegality posed the biggest concern for microdosers, who must shop the black market to get psychedelics. They may not be sure of the purity of their purchases and there may be an irregular supply.

Stigma concerning illegal substances was also present, but users may not face as much stigma as the microdosing community fears, says Anderson.

“Many people are relatively accepting of psychedelics privately, but the same people can incorrectly believe that others are not so accepting and so they think there is lots of stigma when there isn't. We’ve had academics come out of the woodwork to support us – we have not heard from anyone that’s actually against the responsible scientific study of these substances.”

The authors caution that the study makes no causal claims – that it simply reflects the experiences of people involved in microdosing.

“Scientifically speaking, we don’t know if microdosing does anything at all,” says Anderson, adding the goal of the paper is to provide a basis for future research and to reveal research avenues with high potential so funding can be spent investigating the most promising uses of microdosing.

“Ultimately, pre-registered randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of microdosing psychedelics are needed to test its safety and efficacy,” the authors write.

�鶹��Ƶ alumna, influencer is creator of Chinese website that looks at having fun in Toronto and beyond

noreen.rasbach — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:39:23 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ alumna, influencer is creator of Chinese website that looks at having fun in Toronto and beyond

noreen.rasbach Fri, 05/10/2019 - 12:39

Cutline

“People tell me how lucky I am that my hobby is also my job,” says Joanna Luo, the creator of Toronto Diary

Topic

International Students

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

University students know that if they want to taste the best barbecued pork buns in the Greater Toronto Area, Joanna Luo’s WeChat blog and Instagram page are the places to turn for advice – if you can read Mandarin.

Luo, 29, a University of Toronto Mississauga alumna, is the creator of Toronto Diary on WeChat, a lifestyle blog that has a related Instagram page and Twitter feed, all targeted toward international students from China and Chinese-Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24. In total, the sites have more than 500,000 followers and keeping them current has become Luo’s full-time job.

“I really love it,” says Luo. “I love food and I love new things.”

Luo first started the blog on WeChat, a Chinese website similar to Facebook, just for fun.

“I came to Canada from China for Grade 12 to improve my English before attending university,” Luo says. “The first year, I found it a bit boring, so I started to tour Toronto and find places to eat and set up a blog to tell my friends where they could go to eat and play.”

Soon, her following extended far beyond her friends, and two years ago, she and two partners turned the enterprise into a business, Toronto Chihewanle Ltd. While the others are silent partners, Luo is the editor-in-chief for the sites, overseeing a part-time staff of 12 freelancers who help her meet the ongoing need for relevant, interesting content.

Read about Luo in the Toronto Star

The WeChat blog offers readers six or seven new stories each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, complete with photos. The Friday edition of the blog always suggests an idea for a weekend activity, such as visiting the cherry blossoms in High Park, along with new foods and restaurants to try. Sometimes, there is a walking tour of restaurants in a specific area, complete with a map, or there may be results from a team taste-testing session for potato chip brands or ice cream. Asian restaurants or dishes are often a focal point, but Toronto Diary encourages its readership to branch out and try other treats that Toronto has to offer.

“At first, I just recorded what I liked,” Luo says. “I didn’t think about becoming a food blogger for a living.”

These days, however, she has so much on her plate, literally and figuratively, that she might visit two or three restaurants in one evening and taste only a few bites of each dish she orders.

“There are a lot of take-out bags with leftovers,” she says with a smile. Not a bad outcome, since Luo doesn’t have much time to cook.

Lifestyle blogging is a far cry from the history and economics she studied at �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga, but Luo carries some of their lessons with her as she works.

“I learned about the economy and the need to analyze data, which I use in determining why a certain post works and another doesn’t,” she says. “I also learned how to manage my time during university.”

Luo says she sees the blog as a way to create a bridge between cultures, and she has begun encouraging her readers to explore the joys of places outside Canada, too. During the past year, she has travelled to New York City for Fashion Week, to Las Vegas to interview chefs and to Venice for its well-regarded film festival, sharing her food and fun finds with Toronto Diary followers. Soon, she’ll be winging her way to South Korea for a visit sponsored by Korean Tourism.

“People tell me how lucky I am that my hobby is also my job,” Luo says.