St. George

5 undergraduate students receive 2024 RBC Awards for Diversity and Innovation in Technology

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:30:39 +0000

5 undergraduate students receive 2024 RBC Awards for Diversity and Innovation in Technology

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 11/07/2024 - 10:30

Students

St. George

RBC Scholarships for Diversity and Innovation in Technology

Undergraduate Students

91�Թ� Entrepreneurship

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(clockwise from top left): Isabella Tang, Riya Mathur, Harmandeep Gill, Sarvnaz Ale Mohammad and Jessica Tang (supplied images)

Five 91�Թ� undergraduate students – Harmandeep Kaur Gill, Isabella Tang, Jessica Tang, Riya Mathur and Sarvnaz Ale Mohammad – have received 2024 RBC Awards for Diversity and Innovation in Technology.

The award recognizes Black, Indigenous and/or woman-identifying students entering their third year who are interested in careers at the intersection of technology and financial services. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, their demonstrated interest in exploring a future career in technology and their work on creating innovative solutions, which demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset.

This year's recipients are all women and their interests range from researching black holes to helping seniors manage their prescription medication and developing energy-harvesting devices to help patients with heart failure.

“Investing in the future of technology and building key technical skills is core to RBC’s strong engineering culture,” said Kendra Dubyk, director, technology partnerships at RBC. “The RBC Award for Diversity and Innovation demonstrates our commitment to the equity and inclusion of deserving students and recognizes their creativity, curiosity and technical aptitude.”

Each student receives a $15,000 award, renewable for a second year.

91�Թ� student team sets rocketry record at Launch Canada competition

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:39:05 +0000

91�Թ� student team sets rocketry record at Launch Canada competition

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 10/25/2024 - 10:39

Students

St. George

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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Members of the UTAT Rocketry division pose with their rocket, Defiance Mk. IV, at Launch Canada 2024 (photo courtesy of UTAT Rocketry)

The 91�Թ� Aerospace Team (UTAT) Rocketry division set a Canadian amateur rocketry record for a rocket with a custom-built engine at the Launch Canada 2024 competition.

The third annual Launch Canada – an industry-partnered inter-collegiate rocket competition – was held between Aug. 17-23 in Mattagami, Ont., and featured 24 student rocketry teams.

The UTAT team, which finished second in the advanced category, launched its rocket, Defiance Mk. IV, to an altitude of 30,000 feet.

“We’re incredibly proud of setting that record,” said Luca Castelletto, the team’s former director and a recent graduate of the engineering science program in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

“This was our team’s third year in the competition. The first year, we launched our rocket and won the competition; the second year we had an ignition failure and couldn’t launch. So, we knew the different outcomes that we could expect and prepared as best we could.”

The Defiance Mk. IV rocket was built using a hybrid-engine design approach that allowed for more efficiency to reach higher altitudes. The 18-foot rocket combines elements of a liquid engine – where two liquid propellants, fuel and oxidizer, are stored separately – and a solid engine, where the propellent is packed into a solid cylinder.

Read the 91�Թ� Engineering story

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Florian Dendorfer recognized by University of St. Gallen

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:36:00 +0000

Florian Dendorfer recognized by University of St. Gallen

Academic Achievement

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/24/2024 - 10:36

Faculty

St. George

Department of Economics

Faculty of Arts & Science

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Florian Dendorfer (photo by Adriano Macedo)

Florian Dendorfer, an assistant professor, teaching stream in the department of economics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has won the Best PhD Thesis in Economics Prize from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Dendorfer's thesis featured theoretical and empirical work in industrial organization, exploring topics that included how quickly Airbnb guests learn about the qualities of new listings through reviews.

“Pursuing a PhD is a struggle: you start out small and grapple with doubts about whether your work is worthwhile," said Dendorfer, who currently teaches ECO204 (Microeconomic Theory and Applications) and ECO380 (Markets, Competition and Strategy) at 91�Թ�. "Many attempts amount to nothing, and a lot of ideas end up in the trash. It’s incredibly rewarding to see all that work come to fruition and to have my thesis recognized by my alma mater with this prize."

“It’s always exciting when junior faculty members distinguish themselves and their research early on in their careers,” said Professor Ettore Damiano, chair of the department of economics. “All of us appreciate confirmation that we attract the world’s best and brightest to the 91�Թ� and are very proud to have Florian here at the department.”

Read the department of economics announcement

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10 graduate students recognized with Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:55:12 +0000

10 graduate students recognized with Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Awards

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 10/18/2024 - 11:55

Students

St. George

Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research

Graduate Students

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

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Ten graduate students at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine have received Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Awards.

The annual award provides financial support to doctoral-stream students whose research interests, proposed work and background align with the Donnelly Centre's mandate to advance innovative and collaborative work that crosses disciplinary boundaries.

It is named in honour of the late Professor Cecil Yip, a former vice-dean, research in the Faculty of Medicine and co-founder of the Donnelly Centre.

“On behalf of the Yip Doctoral Award committee, I congratulate this year’s recipients,” said Christopher Yip, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, chair of the Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Award selection committee and son of Cecil Yip.

“Our 2024 recipients represent the diverse range of biomedical research areas that are being tackled at the Donnelly Centre. I believe this new generation of scientific leaders will uphold the Donnelly Centre’s innovative and collaborative spirit in their efforts to help solve the biggest challenges in health and medicine.”

The recipients of 2024 Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Awards are:

Noor El-Huda Bahsoun
Mel Davie
Juliana de Andrade Bolsoni
Zhenfeng Deng
Wenjia Hao
Mingyang Liang
Umayeer Milky
Hadi Tabarraei
Joel Wingrove
Cheng Xing

Read the Donnelly Centre story about the award recipients

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Andrei Yudin recognized by American Chemical Society

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:50:09 +0000

Andrei Yudin recognized by American Chemical Society

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 10/16/2024 - 10:50

Faculty

St. George

Department of Chemistry

Faculty of Arts & Science

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Andrei Yudin (supplied image)

Andrei Yudin, a professor in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been recognized with a 2025 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The annual award recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of organic chemistry that have become apparent during the preceding half-decade.

“Since 2006, my research group has been involved in the study of amphoteric molecules. They show both electrophilic and nucleophilic reactivity,” said Yudin. "This chemistry has allowed us to prepare a broad range of structures with useful properties. It is our work in this area that is being recognized.”

Yudin, who will accept the award and deliver a lecture about his work at the 2025 ACS National Meeting in Washington, D.C. next summer, said he finds inspiration in the elegance of chemical structures and the diverse ways in which they react with one another. “I like the inherent logic of organic chemistry," he said.

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Maria Hupfield recognized by Eiteljorg Museum

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:53:15 +0000

Maria Hupfield recognized by Eiteljorg Museum

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 10/15/2024 - 09:53

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design

91�Թ� Mississauga

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Maria Hupfield (photo by Grégoire Féron)

Maria Hupfield, an assistant professor in 91�Թ� Mississauga's department of English and drama, has received a 2025 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indiana.

Given every other year, the fellowship aims to bring Indigenous contemporary art to the forefront and cast a spotlight on the works of leading Indigenous artists from across the U.S. and Canada.

Hupfield, who is Anishinaabe and a member of Wasauksing First Nation, holds a Canada Research Chair in Transdisciplinary Indigenous Arts and is the director and lead artist at 91�Թ� Mississauga's Indigenous Creation Studio. She also works with graduate students in the master of visual studies program at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at 91�Թ�.

Her current research program comprises a community medicine garden, Indigenous creation studio and a living archive, with each space designed to facilitate the development of creative work grounded in Indigenous oral traditions and the natural world.

Read the Eiteljorg Museum announcement

UTM

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Geoffrey Hinton wins 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 20:54:37 +0000

Geoffrey Hinton wins 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 10/08/2024 - 16:54

Faculty

St. George

Artificial Intelligence

Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Vector Institute

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(photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Geoffrey Hinton, a University Professor Emeritus of computer science at the 91�Թ�, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Awarded since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Physics is one of five prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel and honours individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field.

Hinton, widely regarded as the “godfather of AI,” shared the prize with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.

Hinton was recognized for his use of the Hopfield network – a neural network invented by his co-laureate – as the foundation for a new network called the Boltzmann machine that can learn to recognize elements within a given type of data.

“On behalf of the 91�Թ�, I am absolutely delighted to congratulate University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton on receiving the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics,” said 91�Թ� President Meric Gertler. “The 91�Թ� community is immensely proud of his historic accomplishment.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lauded Hinton for being both “a stalwart in the field” of AI and an “outspoken advocate” for its responsible use. “Canada is at the forefront of AI technology thanks to trailblazers like Dr. Hinton,” Trudeau said in a statement. “His curiosity for discovery and contributions to innovation will inspire generations to come. On behalf of all Canadians, I congratulate him on his remarkable achievement.”

Hinton, who joined 91�Թ� as a professor of computer science in 1987, said he was "flabbergasted" at the accolade. “I had no expectations of this,” said Hinton, who is also chief scientific adviser at the Vector Institute, which he co-founded. “I am extremely surprised and I'm honoured to be included.”

Hinton's Nobel Prize is the latest in a long list of honours which includes the Association for Computing Machinery’s A.M. Turing Award in 2019 – widely considered “the Nobel Prize of computing” – alongside collaborators Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio, election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Royal Medal from the Royal Society, Companion of the Order of Canada and Fellow of the Royal Societies of Canada and London.

Read the 91�Թ� News story

Read the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announcement

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15 doctoral students receive Connaught PhDs for Public Impact fellowships

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 17:24:19 +0000

15 doctoral students receive Connaught PhDs for Public Impact fellowships

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 10/04/2024 - 13:24

Students

St. George

Connaught Fund

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Department of Political Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Information

IHPME

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

OISE

School of Graduate Studies

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

91�Թ� Mississauga

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Fifteen doctoral students at the 91�Թ� have received Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowships for 2024-25.

The annual fellowships are designed to offer doctoral students the opportunity to explore the world of public scholarship. Fellows focus on engaging the public through their scholarly work – this can take a range of forms, from describing their work in a public forum to partnering with a school, community organization or cultural institution in an ongoing two-way exchange of knowledge and practices.

"The School of Graduate Studies is proud to support the creative work being done by our Connaught PhDs for Public Impact fellows as they find novel ways to engage the public with the incredible research being done at 91�Թ�," said Vina Goghari, vice-dean, research and program innovation at the School of Graduate Studies. "We are grateful for the generous support from the Connaught Fund in enabling this type of innovative scholarship, and we congratulate this new cohort of fellows as they begin work on their projects."

The 2024-25 Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellows are:

Hanne Bartels, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Rhonda Boateng, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Mohammadamir (Amir) Moghaddam, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Mathew Iantorno, Faculty of Information
Nicolas Ivanov, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Yojana Miraya Oscco, department of political science, Faculty of Arts & Science
Kashoro Nyenyezi, department of social justice education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
Adrian Petterson, Faculty of Information
Paul Pritchard, department of sociology, Faculty of Arts & Science
Jenna Quelch, department of political science, Faculty of Arts & Science
Shivam Sharma, Faculty of Dentistry
Mercedes Sobers, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Rhonda Solomon, department of geography, geomatics, and the environment, 91�Թ� Mississauga
Lily Takeuchi, department of biomedical engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Sarah Urquhart, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)

Six OISE alumni recognized with Leaders and Legends Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:55:54 +0000

Six OISE alumni recognized with Leaders and Legends Awards

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 10/02/2024 - 12:55

Alumni

St. George

OISE

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Clockwise from top left: Isha DeCoito, Ardavan Eizadirad, Janice Gobert, Jean Augustine, Carlos Ruano and Ann Lopez (supplied images)

Six alumni of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at 91�Թ� have been recognized with 2024 Leaders and Legends Awards.

The annual awards, which were created by the OISE Alumni Association, recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals who exemplify the institute's mission.

“Our 2024 Leaders and Legends Award winners are such an awe-inspiring, impressive group,” said Professor Erica Walker, dean of OISE. “Their thoughtful leadership is a demonstrative example of the impact that our OISE alumni network has had, and continues to have, on a global scale."

“The winners are remarkable for their commitment to social justice, anti-racist education and other educational innovations,” added Kristin Snoddon, chair of the Leaders and Legends Awards committee and an associate professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. “All have contributed immeasurably to their communities and the OISE community."

The recipients of 2024 Leaders and Legends Awards are:

Isha DeCoito – Excellence Award
Ardavan Eizadirad – Emerging Leader Award
Janice Gobert – Innovation Award
Ann Lopez – Mentor of the Year
Carlos Ruano – Global Service Award
Jean Augustine – Distinguished Service Award

Read the OISE announcement

OISE

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Nabeel Shah recognized with Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:07:36 +0000

Nabeel Shah recognized with Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 10/02/2024 - 10:07

Alumni

St. George

Department of Molecular Genetics

Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

landscape

(supplied image)

Syed Nabeel Haider Shah, a PhD graduate of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has been recognized with the 2024 Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize.

The annual prize recognizes the quality, originality and significance of a PhD graduate’s work.

Shah’s research examined newly identified RNA binding proteins, two of which were found to have potential roles in cancer development and treatment. One of the proteins was found to be able to enhance the ability of cancer cells to develop into tumours, while the other was found to perform the reverse role by suppressing growth of tumour cells.

“Nabeel has had an extraordinary PhD career,” said his supervisor Jack Greenblatt, University Professor in the department of molecular genetics. “He published 25 peer-reviewed papers from research he conducted over the course of his studies, with lead authorship on 12 of them – and he continues to publish papers from his thesis work. Nabeel made the most of his PhD by contributing significantly and widely across biomedicine.”

Shah credits Greenblatt for being a supportive adviser who provided guidance while allowing him to work independently to develop research projects. “I believe if I was a PhD student in any other lab, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to accomplish as much as I did,” said Shah.

Read the Donnelly Centre story

Donnelly

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St. George

5 undergraduate students receive 2024 RBC Awards for Diversity and Innovation in Technology

Read more about the award recipients at 91�Թ� Entrepreneurship

91�Թ� student team sets rocketry record at Launch Canada competition

Read the 91�Թ� Engineering story

Florian Dendorfer recognized by University of St. Gallen

Read the department of economics announcement

10 graduate students recognized with Cecil Yip Doctoral Research Awards

Read the Donnelly Centre story about the award recipients

Andrei Yudin recognized by American Chemical Society

Read the department of chemistry story

Maria Hupfield recognized by Eiteljorg Museum

Read the Eiteljorg Museum announcement

Geoffrey Hinton wins 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

Read the 91�Թ� News story

Read the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announcement

15 doctoral students receive Connaught PhDs for Public Impact fellowships

Read more about the 2024-25 Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellows

Six OISE alumni recognized with Leaders and Legends Awards

Read the OISE announcement

Nabeel Shah recognized with Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize

Read the Donnelly Centre story