Faculty of Arts & Science

Researcher, entrepreneur ... and DJ to the stars? 91�Թ� alum perfects the mix

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 14:22:20 +0000

Researcher, entrepreneur ... and DJ to the stars? 91�Թ� alum perfects the mix

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/16/2024 - 09:22

Cutline

Amir Alam says 91�Թ� provided the foundation he needed to succeed as a DJ, a cancer researcher and an entrepreneur (photo by Kemeisha McDonald)

David Goldberg

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Woodsworth College

Subheadline

As a first-year student, Amir Alam toured with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd. Next, he refocused on his studies, published brain tumour research and launched a shoe-cleaning brand

Amir Alam’s arrival at the 91�Թ� began with a friendly bet.

After watching a DJ spin records for a raucous crowd one evening as a teenager, he struck a deal with his mother: she would buy him a set of turntables if he was accepted to every major Canadian university to which he applied.

“The first choice was always 91�Թ� – even before my family immigrated from Iran to Toronto, I remember hearing 91�Թ� was the ‘Ivy League School of Canada,’” says Alam, who earned his honours bachelor of science degree from the Faculty of Arts & Science in 2015 as a member of Woodsworth College.

A first-year student, Alam moved into residence with his new turntables and collection of vinyl records in tow. He also began to frequent a local record shop near campus where he persistently approached the manager about a job, opening the door to regular gigs at downtown clubs and, soon after, touring opportunities with high-profile artists including Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.

Yet, despite the excitement that came with touring the world, Alam – aka DJ Crunch – says he missed belonging to the community that many students experience during their first year at university.

“When you're touring, you're always in a different city. You're in, you do the show, and you're out. It's a very scheduled and disconnected lifestyle. I really missed being around like-minded individuals and having meaningful conversations.”

So, music took a back seat as Alam focused on his studies and fulfilling a promise he had made to his father about completing a double-major in human biology and cell and systems biology.

Amir Alam looks through albums at Play De Record on Spadina Avenue, a store he worked at part-time during his 91�Թ� studies (photo by Kemeisha McDonald)

Alam also took on mentorship roles and immersed himself in campus life. Beginning in third year, he worked as a lab assistant at SickKids’ Brain Tumour Research Centre alongside Gelareh Zadeh, a neurosurgeon-scientist at University Health Network (UHN) and a professor in 91�Թ�’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Alam then secured a full-time research position with UHN at the MaRS Discovery District, where he worked in neuro-oncology and published several papers on brain tumour research.

But new opportunities and challenges were about to change Alam’s trajectory once more.

He drew on his chemistry experience – and interest in street fashion – to develop a 100 per cent plant-based shoe-cleaning product called Shoe Laundry. Working with a lab in Edmonton, he refined the formula and Shoe Laundry soon became a full-time job.

“My scientific background in the labs at 91�Թ�, SickKids and UHN definitely helped me when I was developing the concept,” says Alam. “I knew what I wanted and I had the vocabulary to communicate with the lab.”

The company continues to grow. He’s developing a new, sustainable product that repels stains before they happen.

Alam has also dabbled in filmmaking, running a music festival, making his own music and working in artist relations.

He says he enjoys having multiple projects on the go – and is open to whatever comes next.

The most valuable skill Alam developed at 91�Թ�? Perseverance, he says, and making use of all the university has to offer.

“The reputation of the school speaks for itself internationally, but what really matters is learning how to use the tools around you to succeed.”

Now a mentor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Venture Mentoring Service, Alam says he is eager to give back. His advice to current students is simple: unless you are certain about your career path, explore as many options as possible.

“You'll fail at some things, and you’ll succeed at others, but it's the only way to truly discover what you're passionate about.”

In photos: Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel week in Sweden — and at 91�Թ�

mattimar — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:42:24 +0000

In photos: Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel week in Sweden — and at 91�Թ�

mattimar Fri, 12/13/2024 - 10:42

Cutline

Geoffrey Hinton delivers a speech during the Nobel Prize banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on Dec. 10 (photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Our Community

Artificial Intelligence

Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Research & Innovation

It was a whirlwind week for the 91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton, who travelled to Sweden to officially accept the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside a jam-packed schedule of receptions, lectures, talks, ceremonies, banquets and media engagements.

The 91�Թ� University Professor emeritus of computer science known as the “godfather of AI” received the prestigious award during a formal ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall — the main event during Nobel Week, held from Dec. 6 to 12 in Stockholm and Oslo.

He shared the honour with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University for foundational work that paved the way for today's rapid advances in artificial intelligence, which some have called “the next industrial revolution.”

From the days leading up to the ceremony to the celebrations overseas and back home in Toronto, here are a few highlights and behind-the-scenes glimpses of a historic moment for Hinton and the rest of the 91�Թ� community.

(Photo by Jennifer Cressman)

After arriving in Stockholm on Dec. 5, Hinton takes part in a panel discussion at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) on AI development, humanity and the future. He is joined by IVA fellows Kristina Höök, Anders Sandberg and Staffan Truvé, and moderator Anette Novak.

(© Nobel Prize Outreach / Nanaka Adachi)

On Dec. 6, Hinton signs the guest book at the Nobel Prize Museum, where he donated an early Boltzmann machine – a chip about the size of a postage stamp that can be used to recognize elements in data.

(Photos by © Nobel Prize Outreach / Clément Morin, left, and at right, 91�Թ� staff)

Continuing a Nobel tradition dating back to the event’s 100th anniversary in 2001, Hinton signs the underside of a chair at the Nobel Prize Museum’s restaurant, joining the names of fellow laureates etched into history.

(Photos by Jennifer Cressman)

During a news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Dec. 7, Hinton pauses to snap a personal photo, capturing a moment of his historic week.

(Photo by 91�Թ� staff)

In his Nobel Prize lecture in physics on Dec. 8, Hinton talks about how decades of his fundamental research, and that of his co-laureate, paved the way for the development of artificial neural networks and machine learning.

Hinton explains the significance of the Boltzmann machine, which he based on an invention of his co-laureate that was known as the Hopfield network.

(Photo by Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

Hinton and John J. Hopfield shake hands after delivering their Nobel Prize lectures.

(© Nobel Prize Outreach / Clément Morin)

Since the 1960s, the laureates have participated in a roundtable discussion for television’s Nobel Minds. At the taping on Dec. 9, Hinton was joined by David Baker, Demis Hassabis, Gary Ruvkun, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.

The following day, Hinton officially accepted his Nobel Prize in Physics.

(Photo by Jonas Borg)

Hinton poses with Ulrika Gustafsson, his Nobel attaché, prior to the formal ceremony on Dec. 10.

The event, which was livestreamed from Stockholm Concert Hall, was watched around the world.

Congratulations to Canada’s own Geoffrey Hinton — “Godfather of AI”, Professor Emeritus, and now, Nobel laureate. pic.twitter.com/CON0AtXokq
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 10, 2024

(Photos by Diana Tyszko, Matt Hintsa, Sobica Vinayagamoorthy and Shauna Rempel)

On Dec. 10 in Toronto, 91�Թ� community members shared in the moment via Nobel ceremony watch parties that were held across 91�Թ�’s three campuses.

(© Nobel Prize Outreach / Nanaka Adachi)

Hinton receives his Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the ceremony.

(Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

Hinton sits next to Anna Sjöström Douagi, acting CEO of the Nobel Foundation, during the Nobel Prize banquet on Dec. 10.

“If the benefits of the increased productivity can be shared equally, it will be a wonderful advance for all of humanity,” Hinton told the audience, before repeating his warnings about the near- and longer-term dangers posed by rapid, unfettered progress of the technology. See the complete text of Hinton's acceptance speech.

Researchers at 91�Թ�, partner hospitals receive $35 million in provincial support

lanthierj — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:57:47 +0000

Researchers at 91�Թ�, partner hospitals receive $35 million in provincial support

lanthierj Wed, 12/11/2024 - 13:57

Cutline

The performance of lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles, like the ones plugged into these chargers, can be degraded by temperature fluctuations – a limitation researchers at 91�Թ� Engineering are working to change (photo by koiguo/Getty Images)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Our Community

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Leah Cowen

Sinai Health

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Unity Health

Cell and Systems Biology

Anthropology

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Biochemistry

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Chemistry

Computer Science

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Hospital for Sick Children

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Mathematics

Physics

Psychology

Research & Innovation

University Health Network

UTIAS

Subheadline

From better batteries to preventing memory loss, nearly four dozen projects at 91�Թ� and its partner hospitals are being supported by the Ontario Research Fund

Researchers in the 91�Թ�’s Thermal Management Systems (TMS) Laboratory are working to improve the way battery systems handle heat and develop structural battery pack components. 

“Whether they are being used for electric vehicles or for stationary energy storage systems that reduce strain on the grid, lithium-ion batteries are transforming the way we use electricity,” said Carlos Da Silva, senior research associate at the TMS Lab in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and executive director of 91�Թ�’s Electrification Hub.

“Unfortunately, today’s batteries are still sensitive to temperature: if they get too cold or too hot, it can degrade their performance and even present safety risks. We are working on new technologies that make batteries more resilient to thermal fluctuations.”

The battery-related research is among nearly four dozen projects at 91�Թ� and its partner hospitals that are receiving almost $35 million in support through the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) and the Ontario Research Fund – Small Infrastructure (ORF-SIF). (See the full list of projects and their principal researchers below).

"Research at the 91�Թ� and at all universities and colleges across Ontario is the foundation of the province’s competitiveness now and in the future,” said Leah Cowen, 91�Թ�’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“This investment protects and advances cutting-edge, made-in-Ontario research in important economic sectors and helps ensure universities can continue to train, attract and retain the world’s top talent."

At 91�Թ� Engineering’s TMS Lab, researchers led by Cristina Amon, a University Professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, are working on two funded projects. They are developing advanced computational modelling and digital twin methodologies that predict and optimize how heat flows through battery packs. The methodologies are carefully calibrated and validated through industry-relevant experiments in the lab.

Senior Research Associate Carlos Da Silva, left, and University Professor Cristina Amon, right, chat in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering's Thermal Management Systems Laboratory (photo by Aaron Demeter)

These methodologies will help battery designers anticipate and prevent thermal management challenges before they arise. It can also enable them to optimize the design and deployment of fire mitigation measures, such as ultra-thin heat barriers, within their battery systems.

The team is also collaborating with Ford Canada and several other companies in the energy storage space. For example, they have worked with Jule (powered by eCAMION) on the development of direct current electric vehicle fast chargers with integrated battery energy storage systems, one of which was recently unveiled on the 91�Թ� campus.

“We are grateful for this ORF-RE funding, which will accelerate our research and help us further expand our partnerships, ensuring that battery thermal innovations have a seamless transition from the lab to the marketplace,” Amon said.

“As a result of this work, the next generation of batteries will be safer and more resilient than ever before, which is especially important in colder climates like ours here in Ontario.” 

Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence:

Cristina Amon in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Powering Ontario’s grid transformation and electric vehicle fast charging with thermally resilient battery energy storage & Next-gen electric vehicle battery systems: Lightweight, thermally performant and fire safe for all climates
Morgan Barense in the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – HippoCamera: Digital memory rehabilitation to combat memory loss
Aimy Bazylak in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering – RECYCLEAN: Critical minerals recycling & re-manufacturing for the energy transition
Ian Connell at University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – MRI-compatible innovations for neuromodulation
Simon Graham at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Technological innovations for clinical MRI of the brain at 7 tesla
Clinton Groth in the Institute for Aerospace Studies in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Hydrogen as a sustainable aviation fuel – combustion research to remove impediments to adoption in gas turbine engines
James Kennedy at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Clinical utility and enhancements of a pharmacogenomic decision support tool for mental health patients
Shaf Keshavjee at University Health Network and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Advanced solutions to human lung preservation and assessment using artificial intelligence
Aviad Levis in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science – AI and quantum enhanced astronomy
JoAnne McLaurin at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Conversion of astrocytes to neurons to treat neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and the eye
R. J. Dwayne Miller in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – PicoSecond InfraRed Laser (PIRL) “cancer knife” with complete biodiagnostics via spatial imaging mass spectrometry
Javad Mostaghimi in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – A new generation of compact, transportable mass spectrometers for rapid, in-field sample analysi
Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Molecular dynamics modeling and screening of excipients for designing amorphous solid dispersion formulations of poorly–soluble drugs

Ontario Research Fund – Small Infrastructure Fund:

Celina Baines in the department of ecology & evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Impacts of environmental change on organismal movement
Sergio de la Barrera in the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Facility for quantum materials and device assembly from atomically thin van der Waals layers
Michelle Bendeck in the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – 4D quantitative cardiovascular physiology centre
Laurent Bozec in the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – 21st Century challenge for Dentistry: Breaking the cycle of irreversible dental tissue loss
Mark Chiew at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Next generation computational MRI for rapid neuroimaging and image-guided therapy
Haissi Cui in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – A molecule to mouse approach to study the intracellular localization of genetic code interpretation in mammalian cells
Andy Kin On DeVeale at the University Health Network and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Sarcopenia and musculoskeletal interactions (sami) collaborative hub
Ali Dolatabadi in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Advanced cold spray facility
Spencer Freeman at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Imaging biophysical determinants of the innate immune response
Liisa Galea at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Institute of Medical Science in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Sex and sex-specific factors influencing brain health across the lifespan
Maged Goubran at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – AI platform for mapping, tracking and predicting circuit alterations in Alzheimer’s disease
Eitan Grinspun in the departments of computer science and department of mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – A computer graphics perspective on entanglement of slender structures
Levon Halabelian in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Enabling a high-throughput drug discovery pipeline for targeting disease-related human proteins
Ziqing Hong in the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Ultra-sensitive cryogenic detector development for dark matter and neutrino experiments
Eno Hysi at the Unity Health Toronto and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Structural and functional assessments of diabetic skin microvasculature using photoacoustic imaging
Lewis Kay in the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Helium recovery system for the biomolecular NMR facility
Xiang Li in the department of chemistry and the department of physic in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Real-time multi-faceted probes of quantum materials
Qian Lin in the department of cell & systems biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – 2p-RAM for whole-brain single-neuron imaging of behaving zebrafish to study neural mechanisms of cognitive behaviours
Xilin Liu in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Integrated circuits for wireless brain implants with multi-modal neural interfaces
Stephen Lye at the Sinai Health System and the department of physiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) analytics platform
Caitlin Maikawa in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Biointerfacing materials for drug delivery lab
Emma Master in the department of chemical engineering & applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Accelerating biomanufacturing innovation through enhanced capacity for scale-up and downstream bioprocess engineering
Roman Melnyk at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – The H-SCREEN: A platform for high throughput and high content imaging-based small molecule screens for disease modulation
Juan Mena-Parra in the department of astronomy & astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – An advanced laboratory to enable novel radio telescopes for cosmology and time-domain astrophysics
Seyed Mohamad Moosavi in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Machine learning for nanoporous materials design
Enid Montague in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Automation and equity in healthcare laboratory
Michael Norris in the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Infrastructure for structural and functional virology research hub
Amaya Perez-Brumer in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – 3P lab: Centering power, privilege and positionality for health equity research
Monica Ramsey in the department of anthropology at the 91�Թ� Mississauga – Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA): How human-environment interactions shaped plant-food
Arneet Saltzman in the department of cell & systems biology in the in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Heterochromatin regulation in development and inheritance
Mina Tadrous in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Developing a centre for real-world evidence to improve the use of medications for Canadians
Shurui Zhou in the department of electrical & computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Improving collaboration efficiency for fork-based software development
Olena Zhulyn at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Targeting translation for tissue regeneration and repair
Christoph Zrenner at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Next-generation real-time closed-loop personalized neurostimulation

91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton receives Nobel medal, diploma at Stockholm ceremony

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:05:05 +0000

91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton receives Nobel medal, diploma at Stockholm ceremony

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 12/10/2024 - 15:05

Cutline

91�Թ� University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton receives his Nobel Prize in Physics from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm (photo by Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Subheadline

“I think we all feel an enormous amount of pride in the fact that [91�Թ�] is one of the places where modern machine learning was really born - in large part due to Geoff Hinton”

The 91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton officially accepted his Nobel Prize in Physics during a formal ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall that included orchestra music, an opera singer and a stage lined with bouquets of flowers.

Wearing white tie and tails, Hinton strode across the dark blue stage emblazoned with the words “The Nobel Prize” to receive his Nobel medal and diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Then, as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra sounded a few triumphant notes, he bowed to the Swedish royal family, the audience and returned to his seat at the side of the stage.

Geoffrey Hinton looks out over the audience after King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented him with his award (photo by Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images)

And just like that, decades of scholarly endeavour in artificial intelligence (AI) – which began on the fringe of the AI research community and is now poised to forever change modern life – culminated in the 91�Թ� University Professor emeritus of computer science known as the “godfather of AI” receiving humanity’s most prestigious award for scientific achievement.

Hinton shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, who made a similar journey inside the concert hall a few moments earlier. The pair were awarded the prize for discoveries and inventions that enabled machine learning with artificial neural networks, laying the groundwork for today’s AI boom.

“[Geoffrey Hinton] pioneered the efforts to establish deep and dense neural networks,” said Ellen Moons, the chair of the Nobel physics committee, during her introductory remarks. “Such networks are effective in sorting and interpreting large amounts of data and self-improve based on the accuracy of the result.

“Today, artificial neural networks are powerful tools in research fields spanning physics, chemistry and medicine, as well as in daily life.”

In fact, the three winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry – who were seated to Hinton’s left – drew heavily on AI for their work in predicting protein structures and computational design of proteins.

91�Թ� President Meric Gertler snapped this photo of the Nobel laureates from his seat in the concert hall (photo by Meric Gertler)

Back in Toronto, members of the 91�Թ� community gathered at watch parties on all three campuses to take in the livestream of the awards ceremony – a historic moment for the university.

On the St. George campus, more than one hundred gathered to watch and cheer in the main lobby of the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus – home to 91�Թ�’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, where Hinton serves as an advisory board member and chief scientific adviser, respectively.

Among the gathered audience was Michael Guerzhoy, an assistant professor, teaching stream, of engineering science and mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who took Hinton’s course on neural networks and machine learning in 2005 – before going on to teach the same course himself several years later.

“I think we all feel an enormous amount of pride in the fact that this is one of the places where modern machine learning was really born, in large part due to Geoff Hinton,” Guerzhoy said. “I think a lot of us owe a personal debt of gratitude to him.”

91�Թ� community members gather in the lobby of the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus to watch the ceremony (photo by Matt Hintsa)

Fourth-year undergraduate student James Wang said he was “in awe” as he watched Hinton receive his Nobel Prize.

“It makes you feel inspired. You want to be like him, you want to attain the highest level of achievement that anybody can achieve – and not just to do it for your sake, but also for the academic community at large,” Wang said.

There were similar expressions of pride and jubilation at 91�Թ� Mississauga, where community members congregated to watch the livestream in the atrium of the Communication Culture & Technology Building, and at 91�Թ� Scarborough, where a watch party was organized in the Meeting Place.

As per tradition, the awarding of the Nobel Prize medal and diploma took place on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel who, in his 1885 will, bequeathed his fortune to create the award.

Attendees at 91�Թ� Scarborough's Nobel watch party hold up signs (photo by Sobica Vinayagamoorthy)

The gold medal for the Nobel Prize in Physics depicts nature in the form of a goddess resembling Isis, her face covered by a veil held up by the Genius of Science. Inscribed are the Latin words, “Inventas vitam iuvat excoluisse per artes,”which are translated to: “It is beneficial to have improved (human) life through discovered arts.”

The Nobel diploma is crafted on handmade paper and bound in a dark blue leather cover.

The Nobel Prize diploma features a unique work of art, with the design decided by the prize-awarding bodies (© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp Artist: Lars Eje Larsson Calligrapher: Marie A. Györi Book binder: Leonard Gustafssons Bokbinderi AB )

Later in the evening, Hinton joined his fellow Nobel laureates, their families, friends and dignitaries for a banquet at Stockholm City Hall.

In an interview with Swedish national broadcaster SVT on the sidelines of the event, Hinton said it was “very exciting but also very exhausting” to take part in the day’s Nobel events.

Reflecting on his upbringing and career, Hinton said his school years – raised as an atheist who went to a Christian school – helped prepare him for his early years as a cognitive scientist working in the then-peripheral area of artificial intelligence.

“From a young age, I was surrounded at school, everybody else had a different opinion and I thought they were wrong – that was very useful when I was studying neural nets,” Hinton said.

“For many, many years, there were only a few of us who believed in neural nets. Everybody else said this was a ridiculous thing to study. And it turned out we were right.”

– with files from Adam Elliot Segal

91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton delivers Nobel lecture alongside co-laureate

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:48:27 +0000

91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton delivers Nobel lecture alongside co-laureate

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/09/2024 - 15:48

Cutline

91�Թ�'s Geoffrey Hinton, left, and John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, right, who share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, shake hands after their Nobel lectures in Stockholm (photo by Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Leah Cowen

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

In Stockholm for a series of Nobel Week events, the “godfather of AI” will officially accept his Nobel Prize in Physics at a ceremony on Dec. 10

The 91�Թ�’s Geoffrey Hinton took to the stage at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm this weekend – two days before he officially accepts his Nobel Prize in Physics for fundamental work in AI – to deliver a lecture on the inventions and discoveries that led to him being given the prestigious award.

“Today, I’m going to do something very foolish – I’m going to try and describe a complicated technical idea for a general audience, without using any equations,” said Hinton, a 91�Թ� University Professor emeritus of computer science, prompting laughter from the audience.

The “godfather of AI” then proceeded to outline how decades of his fundamental research, and that of his co-laureate John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, enabled the development of artificial neural networks and machine learning – technologies that underpin today’s AI revolution.

The Nobel lectures are among the highlights of Nobel Week, which runs from Dec. 6-12 in Stockholm and Oslo and includes award ceremonies, banquets, media engagements and commemorations at the Nobel Museum. There is also a series of Nobel Week events taking place at 91�Թ�, including watch parties on all three campuses for the livestream of the Dec. 10 award ceremony.

Sunday’s first Nobel Prize lecture in physics was delivered by Hopfield, who shared how his fascination with the workings of the human brain inspired his development of the Hopfield network – an associative memory that can store and reconstruct patterns in data.

“How mind emerges from brain is, to me, the deepest question posed by our humanity,” Hopfield said.

When it was Hinton’s turn to take the stage, he described how he and Terry Sejnowski – one of Hopfield’s students – came upon a novel use of Hopfield nets: “Instead of using them to store memories, we could use them to construct interpretations of sensory input,” Hinton said.

He then went on to discuss the resulting Boltzmann machine, a type of neural network that is capable of recognizing elements within data.

Hinton discusses the significance of the Boltzmann machine (photo by 91�Թ� staff)

Yet, despite its promise, the original Boltzmann machine was too slow, Hinton said, and it wasn’t until several years later that he came up with “restricted Boltzmann machines,” which impose limitations on connections between neurons in order to increase system efficiency – a development that would prove pivotal in training deep neural networks (Hinton donated an early Boltzmann chip, about the size of a postage stamp, to the Nobel Prize Museum).

Following the lecture, Hinton was joined on stage by Hopfield, with the pair sharing a vigorous handshake and posing for photos.

91�Թ� brought together a panel of experts in Stockholm to discuss AI research and development (photo by Jonas Borg)

Separately, 91�Թ� convened an expert panel in Stockholm on Monday about the direction of AI research and development.

Moderated by Leah Cowen, 91�Թ�’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, the panel included: Eyal de Lara, a professor and chair of the department of computer science in 91�Թ�’s Faculty of Arts & Science; David Lie, director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and a professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering; Tony Gaffney, president and CEO of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence; and Amy Loutfi, professor of computer science and pro-vice-chancellor for AI at Örebro University in Sweden.

The conversation touched on areas including the promising applications of AI, how responsible deployment of AI can mitigate the technology’s potential pitfalls and implications of AI’s rise on education.

91�Թ� President Meric Gertler said that the AI breakthroughs fostered by Hinton’s research were made possible by Canada’s longstanding support of basic research.

“Geoff was interested in the novel but unproven concept of artificial neural networks, an area that was sometimes described as the ‘unpromising backwater’ of AI research,” President Gertler said in his remarks introducing the panel, noting that Hinton joined 91�Թ� in 1987 and was one of the first scholars to receive support from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

“Canada was investing in brilliant people, their ideas and their students – and those investments have paid off many years later.”

Canada was also the first country to launch a national AI roadmap, President Gertler said, in the form of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy – which funds three national AI institutes including the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which is now housed in 91�Թ�’s new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. The state-of-the-art building also hosts the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, which is at the forefront of research and thought leadership on AI safety and responsible development, with Hinton one of its advisory board members.

“In short, Canada has played a key role in launching and driving the AI revolution and we’re a world leader in understanding and promoting safe, human-centred AI,” President Gertler said.

The theme of responsible AI was also brought up during a Q-and-A with Hinton, who revealed that the remarkable information-sharing abilities of large language models played a big role in sparking his now oft-repeated concerns around the current pace of the technology’s development.

“That’s when I came to realize that the fact that they’re so much better at sharing probably means that digital intelligence is just a better form of intelligence than us – and that’s what got me so worried,” he said.

Asked what responsible AI regulation looks like, Hinton said there must first be a consensus around solving the problem from a scientific standpoint – not unlike the scientific consensus that has emerged around climate change.

“Like the early days of climate change, the first thing to do is figure out what’s causing it and get scientific agreement on how you can fix it. Then, the second thing to do is get the politicians to do something about it … but here, we haven’t finished the first thing yet.”

Geoffrey Hinton shares 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize for work on deep learning

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 19:32:41 +0000

Geoffrey Hinton shares 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize for work on deep learning

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/06/2024 - 14:32

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(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Leah Cowen

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

Awards

Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Research & Innovation

Vector Institute

Subheadline

Known as the "godfather of AI," Hinton was one of five people honoured with the US$3-million prize awarded by Vietnam's VinFuture Foundation

Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor emeritus of computer science at the 91�Թ� and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, has added another prestigious award to his collection: the 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize.

The US$3-million prize, awarded by the not-for-profit VinFuture Foundation in Vietnam, recognizes seminal scientific advancements that are improving the quality of human life and forging a more equitable and sustainable world.

Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI,” shares the prize with Yoshua Bengio, Jen-Hsun (Jensen) Huang, Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li. The five are honoured for their contributions to the development and adoption of deep learning, which is revolutionizing fields ranging from biomedical research and transportation to manufacturing, clean energy and agriculture.

“The 91�Թ� couldn’t be more proud of University Professor Emeritus Geoff Hinton,” said Leah Cowen, 91�Թ�’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “When Geoff arrived at 91�Թ� nearly 40 years ago, his research into neural networks – influenced by his ideas about how the brain learns – was considered an AI backwater, if it was considered at all.

“Fast-forward to today, and his seminal work is transforming our world in ways that we’ve only begun to grasp. This award is a testament to the power of curiosity-driven research – and the impact of investing in brilliant, curious researchers.”

The VinFuture Foundation noted that Hinton and Bengio – a professor at the Université de Montréal – were awarded the prize for their research on neural networks and deep learning algorithms. LeCun, the chief AI scientist for Facebook AI Research who was one of Hinton’s post-doctoral students at 91�Թ� in the1980s, was recognized for helping develop convolutional neural networks for computer vision. Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, was recognized for his work on computational architectures for deep learning and accelerated computing, while Li, a professor at Stanford University, was celebrated for contributions to computer vision and large-scale image recognition.

In a video message, Hinton, an adviser at 91�Թ�’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society who is also co-founder and chief scientific adviser at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, said he was honoured to share the award with such an esteemed group of researchers – including his fellow A.M Turing Award-winners Bengio and LeCun.

“The three of us spent our whole lives developing the technology of neural networks,” Hinton said in remarks that noted the collective nature of the achievement.

“I’m very happy to see that the VinFuture Prize recognizes the contributions of Jensen Huang in developing the kind of compute and software required for artificial intelligence, and Fei-Fei Li in providing the big data that was needed to prove that it worked.”

Now in its fourth year, the VinFuture Prize was created with the goal of celebrating scientific and technological innovations that are aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include poverty alleviation, renewable energy, ending hunger and improving health.

Friday’s award ceremony was attended by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and distinguished leaders, scientists and diplomats from around the world. It was broadcast live on Vietnamese television and streamed online.

“It’s terrific to see this recognition of Geoff’s extraordinary work and its potential to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges,” said Cowen. “Researchers around the globe – including a number of his former students – are using AI to help solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time in areas such as health care, sustainability and climate change.”

The prize comes as Hinton prepares to officially accept his Nobel Prize in Physics in Sweden on Dec. 10. He shared the Nobel with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.

Hinton, who joined 91�Թ� in 1987 after working in universities in the U.K. and U.S., has said that he plans to leverage his growing fame to spread awareness of the dangers of unchecked AI development – a warning he first shared after leaving a research position at Google in early 2023.

91�Թ� Reach Alliance initiative adds Howard University as its latest partner

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:25:01 +0000

91�Թ� Reach Alliance initiative adds Howard University as its latest partner

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 12/05/2024 - 09:25

Cutline

Left to right: Howard University Associate Professor Amy Yeboah Quarkume, Howard student and Reach Alliance researcher Zoey Hall and Reach Alliance Executive Director Marin MacLeod (photo by Jamie Napier)

Munk School Staff

Topic

Global Lens

Reach Alliance

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Subheadline

Founded at the Munk School for Global Affairs & Public Policy, the student-driven Reach Alliance aims to address challenges faced by the world's under-served and under-resourced communities

The Reach Alliance, a student-driven initiative founded at the 91�Թ� that aims to help under-served or under-resourced communities around the globe, has inked a new partnership with Howard University, one of the most prominent historically Black universities in the United States.

The partnership with Howard – the ninth for the Reach Alliance and the first with a U.S. university – was announced at the 2024 Reach Conference and opens a channel for Howard students and faculty members to engage in Reach Alliance projects and case studies.

It will support the expansion of Reach project targets by building access to communities through new idea networks based in the United States.

“Howard university shares a commitment with the 91�Թ� to inclusive excellence which is the key principle driving the work we do at the Reach Alliance” said Reach founder Joseph Wong, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and in the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science who is also 91�Թ�’s vice-president, international.

Founded at the Munk School in 2015, the Reach Alliance cultivates leadership for solving urgent challenges of hard-to-reach communities – those that are under-served or under-resourced for geographic, administrative or social reasons.

Working in interdisciplinary teams, Reach’s student researchers identify innovative solutions to climate, public health and economic problems by using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework. The students conduct their research in collaboration with local communities, with support from university faculty members. When the research is done, each team produces a case study report that is shared with policymakers and practitioners.

In less than a decade, the Reach Alliance has grown to include universities in eight countries, with partners in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and, now, the U.S. It has launched over 90 case studies and findings have been published in leading outlets including The Lancet, the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

Amy Yeboah Quarkume, a data scientist who is Howard University’s graduate director at the Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, is among the newest cohort of faculty mentors.

“The Reach Alliance is truly a global partnership network, which allows us to think about how we tackle issues in D.C., where Howard is, but also in Guatemala and Ghana and other places," she said. “Seeing and hearing how others are grappling with the same problems makes one feel as though we can go far if we work together.”

Before the conference started, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth renewed their longstanding partnership with the Reach Alliance through a US$2-million gift to support key investments in enhancing Reach’s impact strategy, as well as strengthen shared network resources. Adding to the current student leadership development program, the funding allows for more cross-university collaboration, expanded knowledge translation and communications capabilities.

The 2024 gathering also expanded on media engagement with Reach initiatives. Sponsor-in-kind Devex, a media platform that focuses on stories of interest to the global development community, followed the gathering with an eye to raising the profile of Reach’s actionable research insights.

“Devex covers stories that we care about, so it felt like a natural fit,” said Marin MacLeod, the Reach Alliance’s executive director. “As we approach 2030, with much progress yet to be made on the SDGs, the time is right to ask: Who is accountable? How are we holding them accountable? And are those that are hardest to reach being accounted for?

“The higher education sector, especially the Reach Alliance, has an important role to play in co-creating actionable research insights and partnering with practitioners and policymakers to see these findings implemented.”

The participation of Devex also supports the flow of actionable information between communities and researchers throughout the world – which Quarkume said was a key strength of the alliance.

“We must find common goals to deal with common issues in order to go back and share information that helps in more than one place,” she said. “I’m excited to meet new people across the globe who are thinking, moving, trying to reach communities that have been made to wait.”

Quarkume added that the recent U.S. presidential election result will impact the role America plays on the global stage, but that she remains committed to solving global challenges.

“Political systems have changed and issues may shift, but we still must find solutions. It will take us working across borders to solve some things.”

As his public stature grows, ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton heads to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize

lanthierj — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:56:55 +0000

As his public stature grows, ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton heads to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize

lanthierj Wed, 12/04/2024 - 12:56

Cutline

University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton will receive the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics on Dec. 10 (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Chris Sorensen

Topic

Our Community

Artificial Intelligence

Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Research & Innovation

“Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton was already on his way to becoming a household name when he won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for foundational work leading to today’s artificial intelligence boom.

Two months later, his celebrity has hit a whole new level.

The University Professor emeritus at the 91�Թ� says he now gets recognized on the street and that strangers regularly ask him for selfies. On a recent flight to Toronto, one flight attendant even grabbed the intercom to announce his presence on the plane. That’s in addition to a torrent of requests to speak to media, appear on podcasts and read academic papers.

As he prepares to travel to Stockholm on Dec. 10 to officially accept the honour alongside co-winner John J. Hopfield of Princeton University – which will be celebrated via watch parties and other “Nobel Week” events at 91�Թ� – Hinton says he plans to put his growing fame to good use.

“It will be useful when I talk about AI risks,” he says, referring to the warning bell he began sounding in 2023 about the potential existential threat posed by rapid and unchecked AI development.

“It will make people take me more seriously.”

For example, he was recently invited to be part of a webinar with Nobel Peace Prize laureates on whether AI should be used to decide if and when to launch nuclear weapons – a foreboding new twist on a Cold War-era threat that has preoccupied fellow 91�Թ� Nobel laureate John Polanyi, a University Professor emeritus of chemistry.

“I think it’s a bad idea,” Hinton says for the record.

Yet, as scary as such a scenario is to contemplate, Hinton has focused on what he considers an equally grave threat to humanity: the moment when machine intelligence surpasses that of our own.

That’s why he’s called on governments to develop regulations to guide AI development and deployment. It’s also why he’s urging companies to devote more funding to AI safety research as they rush to explore the myriad ways the technology can be used to make our lives better – from finding cures for deadly diseases to discovering new materials to help combat climate change.

At 91�Թ�, Hinton has also taken on an advisory role at the Schwartz Reisman Institute of Technology and Society, where researchers are at the forefront of exploring AI safety and other issues around the adoption of new technologies. In particular, he highlights the work of Roger Grosse and David Duvenaud – both AI safety experts who are associate professors in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and Schwartz Reisman Chairs in Technology and Society (he says Grosse convinced him to go public with his concerns last year after he left a senior research position at Google).

The institute and 91�Թ� more broadly have an opportunity to become a world leader in figuring out how to guard against AI threats, he says. “I think that can be a world-class centre for figuring out whether there’s a way to make a superintelligence – which we all think is coming – not want to take control.”

Hinton’s moment in the spotlight has been a long time coming – and is testament to his curious mind, persistent nature and willingness to go against the grain.

As a child attending a “mildly Christian school” in England, he says he often felt like an outsider because he refused to accept the idea of a god without evidence (he remains an atheist). Decades later, Hinton again found himself on the fringe as he and a handful of researchers, including the Salk Institute for Biological Science’s Terry Sejnowsky, who did his PhD research under Hopfield, explored the idea that the human brain was essentially a bunch of connection strengths between neurons – not a series of logical expressions, as many in the field then believed.

That key insight now forms the basis of today neural nets.

“There were many times when I could easily have given up and sort of joined the mainstream,” Hinton says. “But I think my experience as a child made me far more resistant to that.”

A self-described cognitive scientist who works in the field of computer science, Hinton says he was surprised to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. But the Nobel committee noted he used ideas from physics to create the Boltzmann machine, which can be used to recognize elements in data. The Boltzmann machine, in turn, was based on the Hopfield network, which was invented by his co-laureate.

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Hinton is donating an early Boltzmann chip, about the size of a postage stamp, to the Nobel Prize Museum – and has decided to use the money from his win to set up a prize for young researchers at the annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems. He has also donated to a Canadian charity that supports works with Indigenous communities to address water challenges, and has plans to give to another that supports neurodiverse young adults.

For young researchers hoping to follow in his footsteps? Hinton advises: focus on a problem that really excites you, don’t become swayed by conventional thinking, persevere until you know you’re wrong – and feel free to wander between different research disciplines.

“If you're really interested in chasing a criminal, you don't stop at a state border,” he says. “That's a stupid thing to do – so, the boundaries of fields, you just ignore them.”

Students from 91�Թ� and India’s Ashoka University explore urban challenges in Pune

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 14:20:19 +0000

Students from 91�Թ� and India’s Ashoka University explore urban challenges in Pune

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/28/2024 - 09:20

Cutline

Students from 91�Թ� and Ashoka University accompany waste pickers who belong to the SWaCH collective in Pune, India – part of a course offered through the 91�Թ� India Foundation and School of Cities India (photo courtesy of Reyansh Lokare)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

Undergraduate course in partnership with Ashoka University, near New Delhi, is one of many initiatives now facilitated by the 91�Թ� India Foundation

Samantha “Sam” Guevara says accompanying two waste pickers in Pune, India as they went about their daily work offered a window into the social dynamics of the city of more than seven million.

“What interested me was the stigmatization that waste pickers tend to receive from the general public juxtaposed with the pride they have in their work,” says Guevara, a fourth- year student at the 91�Թ� who is pursuing a double major in human geography and political science.

The workers she joined belong to SWaCH Waste Pickers, a co-operative of self-employed waste collectors who are contributing to the region’s environmental and financial well-being.

Guevara, meanwhile, is one of nine students from 91�Թ� who, along with nine students from India’s Ashoka University, a private liberal arts institution near New Delhi, recently explored three city-building projects identified by Indian non-profit and civil society organizations as part of a 91�Թ� undergraduate course.

Students from 91�Թ� and Ashoka gather at the Centre for Development Studies and Activities in Pune for a lecture by a local consulting firm (photo courtesy of Reyansh Lokare)

Offered through the 91�Թ� India Foundation and School of Cities India, the International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Projects course also saw students join guides for walking tours in Mumbai, attend lectures and develop what Aditi Mehta, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in urban studies at Innis College, calls “critical consciousness.”

The course is one of numerous activities facilitated in recent months by the 91�Թ� India Foundation, a partnership between 91�Թ� and Tata Trusts. Others include: a pitch competition and incubation program with Social Alpha, an incubator for social impact startups, that saw 91�Թ� faculty members participate on the technical jury that helped select 10 winning India-based entrepreneurs; and research projects that bring together 91�Թ� faculty members and India-based partners to work on building more resilient and sustainable cities.

Kunjpreet Arora, co-founder and director of India-based brick and paver upcycling startup Angirus, delivers a presentation at a social launch event (photo courtesy of Jake Karpouzis)

For the students involved, Mehta says questioning “why things are the way they are” and understanding their place in the world is a crucial part of their education – and one of the many takeaways they will bring back to Toronto.

“It’s about seeing how things are done in the east and thinking about how we can bring some of this problem solving back to the west,” says Mehta, who accompanied the students to India.

Jake Karpouzis, a fourth-year student in public policy and urban studies, spent his time exploring how the makeshift parking lots and garbage dumps beneath city overpasses, or flyovers, in Pune can be transformed into more valuable spaces that better serve surrounding communities.

“We're putting together a blog of the trip so the various organizations involved can read about it and take those experiences back to the classroom,” says Karpouzis, adding that he was excited by the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in urban studies in another country.

Ashoka University students speak to a vegetable vendor under a flyover in Pune (photo courtesy of Jake Karpouzis)

Kaitlyn Chan, a fourth-year urban studies student, concentrated on transgender studies while in India.

“Our program focused on skill development for the transgender community in Pune,” Chan says. “That includes access to government interventions, employment opportunities, self-efficacy and creating safe spaces.”

Professor Mehta, who created much of the programming with the 91�Թ� India Foundation, says the course was often life-changing for 91�Թ� students.

“The Indian students were amazing. They really took it upon themselves to be hosts for the Canadian students and they just kept asking, ‘When can we come to Toronto?’,” she says, adding that she is working on a reciprocal learning exchange in both countries.

Karan Singh, a professor of computer science and the associate director of School of Cities India, sees the capstone course as an opportunity to further strengthen 91�Թ�’s global reputation.

“We’re looking at 91�Թ� as a global brand and in India that is increasingly evident,” he says.

Professor Aditi Mehta (second from left) with students from 91�Թ� and Ashoka University and SWaCH workers on the streets of Pune (photo courtesy of Reyansh Lokare)

Andrea Russell, director of international relations in 91�Թ�’s Office of the Vice-President, International, says she’s thrilled with how the experience resonated with 91�Թ� students.

“It’s a wonderful example of global collaboration and an amazing opportunity for our students to increase their global fluency.”

91�Թ� shines a spotlight on exceptional educators at Excellence in Teaching reception

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 18:02:53 +0000

91�Թ� shines a spotlight on exceptional educators at Excellence in Teaching reception

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 11/27/2024 - 13:02

Cutline

91�Թ� Vice-President and Provost Trevor Young (centre) poses with Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award recipients, from left to right: Jasty Singh, Spyridon Kotsovilis, S. Trimble and Roberta K. Timothy (photo by Polina Teif)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Trevor Young

Early Career Teaching Award

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Teaching

91�Թ� Mississauga

91�Թ� Scarborough

Women and Gender Studies

At the 91�Թ�, teaching is about much more than just imparting knowledge – it’s an engaging, dynamic and creative process that expands and enriches the way students think, preparing them for future success in academics and their careers.

The recent Excellence in Teaching reception hosted by 91�Թ�’s Office of the Provost recognized the fundamental importance of teaching to the university’s mission. In particular, it honoured five faculty members who received Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Awards, which were recently renamed in honour of Cheryl Regehr – Young’s predecessor as vice-president and provost, a professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and a longtime champion of teaching excellence and innovation at 91�Թ�.

“These awards recognize burgeoning talent among our most junior faculty. We expect – and we know from experience – that these recipients will continue to lead and excel in teaching,” Trevor Young, 91�Թ�’s vice-president and provost said at the Nov. 4 event held at the Faculty Club.

The event also featured the presentation of the Global Educator Award, which recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies 91�Թ�’s global mission by incorporating intercultural and international perspectives.

“I’m extremely proud of 91�Թ� for many reasons,” Young said, “and one of them is what’s evident here today, which is the immense talent and experience of our faculty as well as their deep commitment to our university, to our students, to knowledge [and] to research. All that you’re doing is really incredible.”

91�Թ� News spoke with all six award winners about their approach to educating students: