Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Learning rewired: U of T researcher sparks kids’ interest in tech with animatronic critters

bresgead — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 18:22:39 +0000

Learning rewired: U of T researcher sparks kids’ interest in tech with animatronic critters

bresgead Tue, 07/16/2024 - 14:22

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Paul Dietz, a distinguished engineer in residence and director of fabrication in U of T’s computer science department, hopes his paper animatronic creations can engage more kids in STEM through the power of storytelling (photo by Polina Teif)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Our Community

Computer Science

Education

Faculty of Arts & Science

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Robotics

STEM

Subheadline

Paul Dietz says robotic paper creations are a creative – and more inclusive – way to get kids interested in STEM fields

Could a talking paper octopus be the key to igniting kids' curiosity about technology?

��Ƶ engineer Paul Dietz certainly thinks so. With the help of a menagerie of mechanically controlled puppets, he has a plan to help students learn to think creatively across a wide range of fields.

All it takes is some simple circuitry, a few arts and crafts supplies – and a lot of imagination.

A distinguished engineer in residence and director of fabrication in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s computer science department, Dietz is the whimsical mind behind the Animatronics Workshop. The program collaborates with schools to provide opportunities for children to create, design and build their own robotic shows.

Dietz has been partnering with schools where kids create their own animatronic stories – from staging pre-programmed puppet shows to hosting Q-and-As with Shakespeare – departing from the competition-based competitions typical of many youth robotics efforts.

Dietz’s program has been his passion project for a decade and a half, developed on the side while he worked day jobs engineering innovations for companies like Microsoft, Mitsubishi and Disney, as well as his own startups.

Now, at U of T, Dietz is focusing on bringing accessible and affordable animatronics to classrooms across Canada. The goal, he says, is to teach kids to use technology as a tool for storytelling, dismantling what he sees as a false divide between the arts and sciences.

“One of the first participants in this program was a young girl who was really into writing creative stories and really loved science. And she saw these as two conflicting parts of her world,” says Dietz, who is also a faculty affiliate at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

“After what she did in animatronics, it suddenly dawned on her that you can do both. If you do engineering right, it is a creative art.”

In a capstone course on physical computing in K-12, Dietz encouraged undergraduate students to explore how computer-based systems can bring stories to life in the classroom (photo by Polina Teif)

Dietz had a similar realization as a teenager in the late 1970s, when a behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney Imagineering got him tinkering with an animatronic robot penguin.

This early fusion of technical skills and storytelling sensibilities set Dietz on a path that turned flights of imagination into real-world breakthroughs that shape our engagement with technology.

A prolific inventor and researcher, Dietz is best known for co-creating an early progenitor of the multi-touch display technology that’s ubiquitous in today’s smartphones and tablets. Other innovations include 'Pal Mickey,' an interactive plush toy that guided visitors through Disney theme parks, and parallel reality displays that allow multiple viewers to see individualized content on the same screen.

Dietz says his storied career debunks the common misconception – often reinforced in schools – that creativity is exclusive to artistic pursuits, while science is the domain of strict rationality, where there are prescribed methods of inquiry to arrive at a single correct answer.

As Dietz sees it, weaving a narrative and programming a robot are propelled by the same creative impulse – they just exercise different skills. He believes a well-rounded education should equip students with a diverse arsenal of tools to explore new ideas.

“If you’re an artist, you have to learn the mechanics of sculpting or painting or whatever your medium is,” he says. “We should be looking at engineering and technology as those tools, and the key is … learning how to use them creatively to achieve things that are actually positive for our society.”

The universal appeal of storytelling also serves to make technology accessible and exciting to kids of all ages and genders, Dietz adds.

Bridging the gender divide in STEM has been core to Dietz’s animatronics mission since its inception.

When his daughter was in middle school, Dietz took her to a robotics competition – but she was turned off by the contest, which seemed pointless to her. However, when the two of them worked together on an animatronic raccoon, he saw her passion for creating ignite.

“This light bulb went off in my head: Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re doing tech,” says Dietz. “Maybe kids like my daughter need to see some application that makes sense to them – like telling a story.”

Kids at the Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study are encouraged to develop creative and computer science skills (photo courtesy of JICS)

Over the years, Dietz has partnered with several schools to set up animatronics workshops that attracted an even number of boys and girls and ensured every kid participated in all aspects of the projects – from storytelling and character design to robot building and programming.

But as his career took him across the U.S., Dietz found it difficult to sustain and replicate the success of the programs because of the prohibitive costs of full-scale animatronic robots and the significant technical expertise required from teachers.

At U of T, Dietz is working to bring animatronics to schools of all resources, allowing students to develop creative and computer science skills by harnessing the endless storytelling possibilities of paper.

Undergraduate students demo an interactive diorama during a capstone showcase at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology (photo by Polina Teif)

At the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (JICS) at U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, students from kindergarten through Grade 6 have put Dietz’s paper animatronics kits to the test, bringing characters to life with kinetic, vocal creations.

The laboratory school has hosted a series of pilot projects where kids fashioned characters out of construction paper, recorded voices and wired motorized movements to animate creations ranging from a chomping, sharp-toothed maw to a bouncing kitten.

Dietz hopes the pilot program at JICS, pictured, can be scaled up to schools across the country (photo courtesy of JICS)

Nick Song, a special education and technology teacher at JICS, says he sees enormous educational potential for paper animatronics to engage students in hands-on, interactive learning that simultaneously develops technology skills and fosters creative expression.

“The kids love doing things with technology because it gives them a really cool feedback loop where they can try something and see it work immediately,” says Song. “All of this is very motivating for kids, seeing something pick up their voice and start moving, and you almost feel like it’s coming to life.”

Building on the pilots at JICS, Dietz is aiming to scale up the program to schools across the country in hopes of nurturing the next generation of out-of-the-box innovators.

“It’s very different from the technical work that I’ve generally done … but it feels very right,” says Dietz. “I think we’re doing something important for Canada.”

History-making politician and educator Zanana Akande receives U of T honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 18:52:41 +0000

History-making politician and educator Zanana Akande receives U of T honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/19/2024 - 14:52

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(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

A passionate and determined advocate for social justice, Zanana Akande made history in Canada as the first Black woman to serve as a cabinet minister. As an educator and community-builder in Toronto, she has dedicated her career to the well-being of others, particularly those in marginalized communities.

Today, for her tireless leadership in public service and her fearless advocacy for equity and diversity, Akande will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��Ƶ.

Born in downtown Toronto in 1937 to parents from St. Lucia and Barbados, Akande attended Harbord Collegiate Institute and then U of T, where she earned bachelor of arts and master of education degrees. In training to be an educator, she was following in the footsteps of her parents, who had worked as teachers in the Caribbean but were denied positions in Canada because of their backgrounds. Akande went on to teach in the Toronto District School Board, where she also served as a vice-principal and principal.

Akande says her parents stressed the importance of education and credits her father, in particular, for cultivating in her a sense of social justice and a desire for change. “Both of my parents were interested in politics,” she told the Financial Post in 2018, “but it was really my father who encouraged us from a very young age to watch the news and consider why certain decisions were being made.”

As a citizen, Akande identified with the platform of the New Democrat Party and helped with canvassing during elections. “I supported their platform because I thought it spoke to the issues that were most unfair and needed to be addressed,” she told The Kit in 2018.

(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

In 1990, just two weeks before the Ontario election, the NDP approached Akande about being a candidate. She accepted and ran in the Toronto riding of St. Andrew-St. Patrick – and won, becoming the first Black woman elected to the provincial legislature. When Premier Bob Rae named her Minister of Community and Social Services, she became Canada’s first Black woman ever appointed to a cabinet position.

Reflecting on her achievement many years later, Akande said being first was important because it opened the door for others. “It becomes more possible to elect another Black person, so that it seems not that exceptional,” she told The Kit.

But being first through the door isn’t easy. Akande made progress on issues such as employment equity and services for youth and the elderly, but later spoke about the challenges she faced as a Black woman in government.

“Change is not always welcomed,” she told The Kit. “The default position for many of the people in government is white male.”

After leaving politics in 1994, Akande continued to work for change. She told The Kit, “I felt I could do more on the outside, which I continued to do working for long-term care and integrated services for children.”

Akande returned to the school board as a principal. She served on numerous boards, including the YMCA and Centennial College. She was president of Harbourfront Centre, and a founding board member of Milestone Radio, the owner of Canada’s first urban music radio station. She also co-founded Tiger Lily, a magazine for women of colour. Until 2021, she served as the chair of the board of the Black Legal Action Centre.

In her speech to graduates of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education today, Akande urged them to get involved in their community and to act on behalf of others. “Take a stance about issues – not only those that affect you and yours directly, but also those that affect the learning, the inclusion, the direction and the rights and paths of others.”

Akande has received many awards recognizing her commitment to education and community-building. In 2018, she was selected one of the women of distinction by the YWCA Toronto, and presented the key to the City of Toronto by Mayor John Tory for her work in equity and social justice.

At the key-to-the-city ceremony, then-mayor Tory praised Akande’s “unwavering belief in the human spirit” and “how deeply she cares about other people.

“She has found ways to improve the lives of other people and to lift them up in many different ways,” he said.

Author and historian Rosemary Sadlier, who led the adoption of Black History Month across Canada, receives U of T honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:58:50 +0000

Author and historian Rosemary Sadlier, who led the adoption of Black History Month across Canada, receives U of T honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 06/07/2024 - 16:58

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(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Topic

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Honorary Degree

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

School of Graduate Studies

Rosemary Sadlier has recalled, as a child, being asked where her father had come from – a question that arose because of the colour of his skin and suggested, “You don’t belong here.”

The query also suggested an ignorance of Black Canadian history, which stuck with Sadlier and played a role in shaping her career as an acclaimed author, historian, educator and social justice advocate who led a campaign to declare February Black History Month in Canada.

Today, for her advocacy and leadership in advancing Black history and heritage, and in promoting anti-racism, Sadlier will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��Ƶ.

Growing up in Toronto, Sadlier earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Glendon College at York University. She worked for a few years before enrolling at the ��Ƶ, earning a master’s degree in social work in 1982. She returned to U of T several years later for a Bachelor of Education, then went on to complete her coursework for a doctorate.

Although she recalls being one of only a handful of Black students in U of T’s Faculty of Social Work (now the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work), which sometimes presented challenges, she also remembered some “incredible profs.”

Finding a job in the field wasn’t easy. Sadlier told Speak Truth to Power Canada, a human rights resource for teachers, that one potential employer told her they had thought she was white. “There was a sense that the people who are supposed to be doing the helping are supposed to be white, and the people who are supposed to be helped are supposed to be everybody else,” she said. “There I was showing up to be this person to help, and it was just jarring for them.”

(Photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Having no luck finding paid work, Sadlier sought volunteer experience in an area that was meaningful to her: she took a role with the Ontario Black History Society, and after a few years became its president. She soon launched a bid to bring Black History Month to a wider audience.

A week-long observance of Black history and culture had originated in the United States in the 1920s. Three decades later, the event came to Canada, where it was celebrated primarily in the Black community and later expanded to the entire month of February. Sadlier pushed for the event to be honoured more widely – seeking permanent recognition first from the City of Toronto, then from the province and finally from the federal government.

Her effort culminated in 1995, when Jean Augustine, a fellow U of T grad and the first Black woman ever elected to Parliament in Canada, agreed to put Sadlier’s idea before the House of Commons. It passed unanimously, and the inaugural, nationwide Black History Month took place in February 1996.

Reflecting on her effort, Sadlier told Glendon College that her initial motivation had been personal: she didn’t want her children to face the same challenges she had. But she also knew that highlighting the contributions of Black Canadians was important in bigger ways. “It created a touchstone to focus on the presence, contribution, and experience of Canadians of African descent – lives that had been overlooked or not included in the national script.”

With the 30th anniversary of national Black History Month approaching, Sadlier says she’d like the subject to gain a higher profile during the rest of the year, too. To that end, she has written seven books about Black history. A new title – The Kids Book of Black History in Canada – is to be published in June.

Similar to her campaign for Black History Month, Sadlier also championed the formal recognition of August 1 as Emancipation Day at the local, provincial and national levels. Her goal: to mark the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in 1834 and generate “more discussion about slavery and the legacy of slavery.”

Ultimately, Sadlier aims to raise awareness about the Black experience in Canada, and the importance of contributions from the Black community, in the hope of achieving a more inclusive future. “I think with knowledge comes the opportunity for a real expression and a real appreciation of what inclusion means,” she said in the interview with Speak Truth to Power Canada.

In her message today to graduates of the Ontario Insitute for Studies in Education and the School of Graduate Studies, Sadlier encouraged them to consider how to turn their hopes into reality. “This chapter of your life is about marrying your bold and beautiful ideas with practical action,” she said. “It’s about anchoring your dreams in the physical and transforming sparks of inspiration into tangible success. It’s about planting the seeds of change in the collective consciousness and leaving behind a legacy that will inspire your descendants and your community.”

For her advocacy, Sadlier has received numerous honours, including the Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award, the William Peyton Hubbard Race Relations Awards, the Harry Jerome Award, and the Lifetime Achiever Award from the International Women’s Achievers’ Awards. She also holds an honorary doctorate from OCAD University.

Four U of T leaders speak to CBC News about being Black in academia, inspiring future generations

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:34:52 +0000

Four U of T leaders speak to CBC News about being Black in academia, inspiring future generations

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:34

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From left to right: Charmaine Williams, Njoki Nathani Wane, Rhonda McEwen and Catherine Chandler-Crichlow (image via CBC)

Topic

Our Community

Black History Month

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

School of Continuing Studies

U of T Mississauga

Victoria University

Charmaine Williams, Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, Rhonda McEwen and Njoki Nathani Wane – all leaders at the ��Ƶ – recently sat down with CBC News’s Dwight Drummond to discuss their many accomplishments, as well as the challenges they faced, as Black women in academia.

Airing in time for Black History Month, the roundtable interview underscored the importance of inspiring future generations.

"I certainly think representation matters,” said Williams, professor and dean of U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “I think that it's important not only for Black students, but for other students who don't see people like them in this space, to see us representing that possibility.”

McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the ��Ƶ, told Drummond she always believed she belonged in these spaces.

"I think in every one of our origin stories, somewhere along the line, some people built into us a belief that we could attain it and we could get it," said McEwen, who is also a professor at the Institute of Communications, Culture, Information and Technology at U of T Mississauga.

Chandler-Crichlow, dean of U of T’s School of Continuing Studies, said she was told early in her career to learn the system.

“You don't lose your culture, but you have to understand where you are,” she explained. “Because if you don't understand where you are, then you can't play the game. And we must be bold enough to see we are in the game.”

Wane, a professor and chair of department of social justice education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, has told her children to not let racism put them down.

“What you need to focus on is that you are grounded in your cultural identity, you are grounded in your goals, you are grounded in your vision,” she said.

Watch the CBC News interview

Critical Health and Social Action Lab aims to advance Indigenous health justice

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:40:30 +0000

Critical Health and Social Action Lab aims to advance Indigenous health justice

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/07/2024 - 13:40

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Founded by Associate Professor Jeffrey Ansloos, the Critical Health and Social Action Lab is engaged in a vast array of research projects that are community-based and directed by the communities themselves (photo by Christopher Katsarov Luna)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Subheadline

“We engage in social action research that is led, shaped and designed by the priorities of Indigenous community partners”

For Jeffrey Ansloos, advancing Indigenous health justice means placing communities at the forefront of social action research.

A citizen of Fisher River Cree Nation, Ansloos is the founder of the Critical Health and Social Action Lab at the ��Ƶ’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

The lab comprises more than 30 researchers – from graduate students to community researchers and international collaborators – who are making strides in mental health research and suicide prevention.

“We engage in social action research that is led, shaped and designed by the priorities of Indigenous community partners,” says Ansloos, an associate professor in OISE’s department of applied psychology and human development who is a tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide. “Additionally, we approach health issues through a critical lens that considers the impact of the cultural, social, political, economic and environmental determinants of health – and [look] to act on them in ways that build on the strengths of communities.”

The lab’s array of research projects is vast. They range from investigations into the mental health impacts of environmental changes on Indigenous youth to the effects of income transfers and Housing First initiatives on suicide prevention. Researchers also explore cultural and land-based life promotion and wellness initiatives with children, teens, families and elders in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

All of the projects share a community-driven approach to collaboration, where communities take substantive leadership.

It’s an approach that Ansloos says is critical.

“I believe that research, programs and practices should be directed by the communities themselves,” he says. “They possess the most pertinent, innovative and significant ideas and visions, and have a keen understanding of where the most impactful contributions can be made."

A lab with wings

A workspace designed for collaboration, the lab opened last summer and features a large co-working space that doubles as a community event venue and classroom – and a multimedia studio that is used for podcasting, conducting research and group therapy.

As part of its opening, the lab acquired a collection of mobile technology – including satellite phones, drones and podcast kits – that is available to researchers and partnering Indigenous communities. Ansloos says the equipment was selected to encourage innovative research practices such as art-based and digital storytelling, while emphasizing ease-of-use to promote accessibility.

“In this way, the lab is not only a beautiful space to work from, but it also feels like something with wings that you can take with you wherever the need arises,” he says.

The lab – which receives support from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, U of T and the Ontario Ministry of Innovation – is currently working on a project that involves Indigenous youth using drones to view and record the impact of environmental changes on the land from an aerial perspective.

In Cree language and culture, Kisik Aski (the sky world) represents the perspective of ancestors, Ansloos explains, and using video technology in the sky can help young people adopt a broader perspective – like the view from sky world – to make connections between what is changing on the land and the health of their communities.

“It can also engage youth in cultural practices that are aimed at enhancing the health of the land, which is increasingly understood as a protective factor for mental health and suicide prevention.”

“I believe that research, programs, and practices should be directed by the communities themselves,” says Ansloos (photo by Christopher Katsarov Luna)

An innovation incubator

Ansloos’s goal is to establish the lab as an innovation incubator that helps increase the number of Indigenous psychologists, health leaders and educators across the country who can lead high-quality community-based research that draws on a diverse range of methods.

To that end, Ansloos aims to cultivate an environment where students not only contribute to health justice and life promotion research, but also experience those concepts personally.

“The people who do the work that we do have a deep sense of what it means to work for justice in the world, so we want to nourish and support their curiosity, creativity, mental health and wellness, and sense of connection," says Ansloos.

Doctoral researcher Shanna Peltier says Ansloos’s approach is key to Indigenous student success.

“Post-secondary institutions can be really intense and unwelcoming for Indigenous students, so [Ansloos] has always encouraged us to make the lab our own,” says Peltier, who is Anishnaabe from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. “The lab ensures that students have a safe place and a soft place to land when they're at OISE.

“It’s a gathering place for us to be our true selves, and a place of hospitality and warmth.”

OISE's Kang Lee wins SSHRC Impact Award for research on childhood dishonesty

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:52:47 +0000

OISE's Kang Lee wins SSHRC Impact Award for research on childhood dishonesty

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 11/23/2023 - 11:52

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Kang Lee, a professor at OISE, is a world-renowned expert on childhood dishonesty (supplied image)

Perry King

Kang Lee

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Research & Innovation

SSHRC

Subheadline

Lee was honoured for his research on child moral development – specifically, how children learn to tell lies

Kang Lee, a professor in the department of applied psychology and human development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the ��Ƶ, has received the 2023 Insight Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

The award, which comes with a $50,000 prize, recognizes outstanding achievement arising from SSHRC-funded initiatives. Lee, a world-renowned expert on childhood dishonesty, was honoured for his research – spanning three decades – on child moral development: specifically, how children learn to tell lies.

Lee’s work is credited with transforming our understanding of the development of lying, whilst having far-reaching implications and impacts on real-world practices. For example, his work led to Canadian law reforms in 2005 concerning obtaining evidence from children. Since 2006, a legal procedure based on his research must be employed to admit children as witnesses in Canadian criminal courts.

“I am deeply grateful for SSHRC’s strong commitment to supporting social science research like that of mine,” said Lee, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. “Because of this commitment, our lab was able to make practical contributions far beyond those we could have ever foreseen.

“These include impacts on legal reforms concerning child witnesses in Canada, advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of children with conduct problems, and the invention of a new imaging technology to monitor and study people’s physical and mental health using smartphones.”

The imaging technology developed by Lee – transdermal optimal imaging – measures physiological changes to the human body, like heart rate and blood pressure, simply by looking at a person’s face. The technology led to cutting-edge applications like Anura, which uses smartphone selfie videos to assess physical and mental health wellness, and is powered by the DeepAffex cloud engine.

“Professor Lee’s research has made a broad impact across critical areas in education, and his exceptional scholarship, teaching, and mentoring of educational researchers are remarkable contributions to the field, to OISE, and to U of T,” said Professor Erica Walker, dean of OISE.

“He is highly deserving of this Insight Award, a prestigious honour for an outstanding professor. On behalf of the OISE community, I wholeheartedly congratulate Professor Lee for this significant recognition from SSHRC.”

Lee thanked the more than 10,000 children who participated in his studies on the development of deception, and have since grown into successful adults – professors, lawyers and thriving students. “Rest assured, their childhood tales have not led them astray,” he says.

U of T’s Transitional Year Programme to mark 53rd anniversary with gala event: CBC

mattimar — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:05:25 +0000

U of T’s Transitional Year Programme to mark 53rd anniversary with gala event: CBC

mattimar Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:05

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(photo courtesy of TYP)

Topic

Our Community

Transitional Year Programme

Honorary Degree

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

The ��Ƶ’s Transitional Year Programme (TYP) is celebrating 53 years of the access-to-education program with a gala in the Great Hall at Hart House on Oct. 4.

The event will feature speeches from U of T leaders, TYP alumni, a jingle dance by an alumna of the program, a performance by Canadian artist Jully Black and more.

A portion of the gala will pay tribute to the late Keren Brathwaite, an alumna of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) who co-founded TYP in 1970 to help mature Black students get a university education, reports CBC News. She was the associate director of TYP before her retirement in 2003.

Former TYP faculty Horace Henriques, Safia Gahayr and Roslyn Thomas-Long will also be honoured at the event.

Over the years, the program has evolved to help adult students who have not completed high school enter university and offers support to ensure students succeed in transitioning to undergraduate studies. Every spring, TYP holds a graduation ceremony to celebrate the students who completed the eight-month program. They include Floria Kangootui, who graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree from U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science.

Fallon Young, now in her third year of studies at U of T, told CBC News the program changed her life.

“It means everything,” she said. “The disparities that I faced going through the public school system in high school, it left me in a position where I would have never been able to obtain this opportunity otherwise.”

Lance McCready, TYP’s director and associate professor in the department of leadership, higher and adult education at OISE, told CBC News the gala is an opportunity to celebrate all the good the program has done.

Read the CBC News article

U of T marks Orange Shirt Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 19:58:33 +0000

U of T marks Orange Shirt Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 09/29/2023 - 15:58

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Attendees wear orange shirts at a tri-campus event at Hart House ahead of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (photo by Polina Teif)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Our Community

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Subheadline

Events took place across the three campuses in advance of Sept. 30

The ��Ƶ community came together to commemorate Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by honouring survivors of Canada’s residential school system, reflecting on its lasting impact on Indigenous communities and recommitting to reconciliation.

Attendees packed the Great Hall at Hart House for a tri-campus event Friday, with hundreds more tuning into a livestream – one of several events across the university’s three campuses in advance of Sept. 30.

The Hart House event included a panel discussion on the Indian Residential School Survivors’ Storybase, a project at U of T Libraries that aims to make the stories of residential school survivors more accessible by compiling accounts from across the internet into a single searchable resource.

From left: Angela Henshilwood, Desmond Wong, Mikayla Redden and Grant Hurley (photo by Polina Teif)

Mikayla Redden, information services and instruction librarian at New College Library, says storytelling was instrumental in shedding light on the horrors of the residential school system and she hopes the storybase can be a tool to help address its ongoing harms.

“Stories are a huge part of the reason that we know the truth, the courage of residential school survivors in telling their stories for decades – even in the face of disbelief and denial from the Canadian masses,” Redden said.

“They're the reason we're here today. They are the reason for this day. They're the reason for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and everything that resulted from it.”

From left: Ayeza Ahmad, Alexandra Gillespie, David Kim and Rose Patten (photo by David Lee)

Redden, who is a mixed-race woman of Anishinaabe and Anglo settler heritage, says library staff met last year to discuss ways they could go beyond reading lists to amplify the voices of residential school survivors, their families and communities.

They wanted the project to meet an educational need without “taking” from Indigenous Peoples by enlisting their labour or exacerbating intergenerational trauma, Redden said.

“Canadians of all ages, from all walks of life can access the storybase, and they can use these stories, to listen to more of the truth, and learn and unlearn,” Redden said. “Hopefully, they can take what they've learned, encourage others to do the same and turn the emotions that they are feeling … into an action. And that's what reconciliation is, it's an action.”

From left: Andrew Bomberry and John Croutch of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (photo by Polina Teif)

Redden was joined on the panel by Grant Hurley, Canadiana librarian at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and Desmond Wong, outreach librarian at OISE Library, in a discussion moderated by Angela Henshilwood, head of the Engineering & Computer Science Library.

David Kim, warden of Hart House, emceed Friday’s commemoration, which also featured remarks by Alexandra Gillespie, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Mississauga.

Gillespie thanked U of T Mississauga student MJ Singleton for designing the orange shirts worn by many at the event, which shows a mother holding hands and walking forward with her two children beneath the words “Every child matters.”

U of T Chancellor Rose Patten described the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as “one of the most important days in the life of our community and our country.”

The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building is lit up orange (photo by Steve Barratt)

“In so many ways, Canadians have only begun to take and show responsibility for this,” Patten said at the event. “And doing so requires an unfaltering commitment from all of us.”

After the event, First Nations House hosted a fire for Indigenous community members in the Earth Sciences Courtyard.

Also on Friday, Professor Kisha Supernant of the University of Alberta gave a talk at New College about her research using ground-penetrating radar to identify the sites of potential unmarked graves at former residential schools and her work with Indigenous communities to preserve the sites.

Meanwhile, at U of T Scarborough Campus Farm, footage of the Indigenous Garden was livestreamed from sunrise to sunset.

Earlier in the week, Orange Shirt Beading Workshops were held at the St. George, U of T Mississauga and U of T Scarborough campuses.

Flags will be lowered to half-mast across U of T’s three campuses on Sept. 29 ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is formally recognized across Canada on Sept. 30.

Members of the Indigenous U of T community in need of support can reach out to:

The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419)

Students:

U of T Telus Help Student Support can be accessed 24-7.

Other mental health resources, programs and supports are available through the student mental health resource page.

Staff and faculty:

Employee and Family Assistance Program (1-800-663-1142)

U of T swimmer rediscovers the pool – and the positive impact of athletics

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:22:54 +0000

U of T swimmer rediscovers the pool – and the positive impact of athletics

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 09/06/2023 - 11:22

Cutline

Despite the challenges of being a student athlete, Amelia Narduzzo says her grades improved during her undergraduate years after she decided to return to competitive swimming (supplied image)

Perry King

Back to School 2023

UTogether

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Graduate Students

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Varsity Blues

Subheadline

Amelia Narduzzo will compete in the 800-metre freestyle while studying for her master’s degree in teaching at OISE

Before joining the ��Ƶ Varsity Blues this summer, Amelia Narduzzo had set aside competitive swimming for years so she could better navigate her undergraduate studies.

“For three to four years in total I stopped for a multitude of reasons,” says Narduzzo, who graduated from Western University this past spring and is now studying for her master’s degree in teaching at U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

Although Narduzzo initially struggled as a student athlete, she found her way back to the sport she loved before graduating – and will now swim for the Blues in the 800-metre freestyle this year.

“I realized that I actually missed swimming," says Narduzzo, 21. “So then in third and my fourth year, I joined the team, and my grades actually got better – way better.”

As a third- and fourth-year student at Western, she broke personal bests in the pool, finally reaching a level she once thought was impossible.

“It just goes to show you that student athletes are a different breed sometimes,” she says. “We can make it happen, but it just takes that extra hour in the morning and at night. Yeah, you have to make sacrifices.”

It’s that discipline that has seen her excel in the classroom as well. With a focus on primary and junior education, Narduzzo comes to OISE looking to realize a lifelong love for education and educational leadership – a passion she has held since middle school.

“I always enjoyed learning,” she says. “I would notice that different teachers made different impacts on me, for the better or worse, and I just resonated with the ones who really took the time to help me out.”

When Narduzzo was looking to begin graduate studies, keep swimming at a high level and return to her hometown Toronto, OISE was a natural fit.

The Blues’ swim head coach, Byron MacDonald, thought so too.

“The recruiting was a bit easier than most because Amelia is from Toronto and was likely heading to U of T as her first choice no matter what. The swim team became a bonus,” MacDonald says. “I had also seen her as a high schooler, as her club team actually rents time at the U of T Athletic Centre.”

(supplied image)

The recruiting process came late for Narduzzo, as she only found the courage to email MacDonald earlier this year. “I told him, ‘Hey, my trajectory is positive right now,’” she says. “‘I know I don't have many times yet because I'm still pretty new.’

“I gave my whole story.”

MacDonald responded and asked to touch base later in the year. So, when Narduzzo was training with Toronto Swim Club at the Athletic Centre, MacDonald came to get a better look.

“Byron came up to me and he said, ‘How would you feel if I told you that you're on the team?,’” she recalls.

Narduzzo has since honed a solid relationship with MacDonald and Linda Kiefer, the team’s assistant head coach.

The key for her, MacDonald says, will be managing everything on her plate, at OISE and in the pool.

“Amelia is a distance swimmer and it's one of the tougher events to master as there is so much training involved,” he says. “As such, Amelia has to have a great internal drive and motivation to stay with that intensity day after day. And, as she is one of the smaller swimmers, she has to be even tougher to overcome the strength advantage some of her rivals will have.”

Despite the challenges, MacDonald says Narduzzo has all the tools she needs to succeed. “Amelia trained with our group this summer as she returned home after graduating from Western,” he says. “I was impressed with her persistence and drive to get better.”

Narduzzo says staying focused on her many responsibilities will be a team effort.

“I find that a strong support system is what makes or breaks you as a student athlete,” she says. “Because if you don't have people around you – that support system – then you crumble because there's only so much you can do by yourself.”

From building bone to children’s literacy: 36 U of T researchers awarded Canada Research Chairs

lanthierj — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 17:51:06 +0000

From building bone to children’s literacy: 36 U of T researchers awarded Canada Research Chairs

lanthierj Tue, 08/29/2023 - 13:51

Cutline

Karina Carneiro, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Dentistry, is one of 36 researchers at U of T and its partner hospitals to receive a new or renewed Canada research chair (photo by Jeff Comber)

Topic

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Canada Research Chairs

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Computer Science

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Economics

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Dentistry

Geography and Planning

Hospital for Sick Children

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Research & Innovation

U of T Scarborough

University Health Network

Subheadline

The new and renewed chairs at U of T and its hospital partners were part of a broader research funding announcement by the federal government

At the ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Dentistry, Karina Carneiro and her team are working on developing new treatments to regenerate bone with DNA-based biomaterials.

Karina Carneiro (photo by Jeff Comber)

The researchers are exploring ways to use synthetic materials, created using DNA nanotechnology, to help bones regenerate and support the body’s efforts to heal them naturally.

That’s in contrast to current bone repair treatments, which involve taking bone tissue from another part of the body and breaking it into little pieces that can be inserted into the defect.

“Using a DNA-gel for this purpose could be an effective treatment option as it can be injected to fill the defect size fully,” says Carneiro, an assistant professor in the faculty.

“What we believe to be the difference between our DNA gel and other materials being developed is that over time, the DNA can degrade into molecules that promote our own body’s healing mechanism to further regenerate the bone.”

Carneiro is one of three researchers at the Faculty of Dentistry to be awarded a new or renewed Canada Research Chair in the latest round – and one of 36 across U of T’s three campuses and hospital partners (see list below).

Established in 2000, the prestigious federal program aims to recruit and retain top researchers and scholars in the country. It invests more than $300 million annually to enable world-class researchers to reach new heights in disciplines spanning engineering, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.

“Congratulations to all the researchers at the ��Ƶ who received new or renewed Canada Research Chairs in the latest round,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“From using AI to improve medicine and health care to better understanding Indigenous geographies and environmental dispossession, the work by U of T investigators supported by this important federal program is pushing the boundaries of research and innovation – and promises to have a big impact in Canada and around the world.”

Anil Kishen (photo by Jeff Comber)

Professor Anil Kishen, who is also at the Faculty of Dentistry, will use the funding associated with his Tier 1 Canada Research to advance his work in oral health nanomedicine.

He and his colleagues in the Kishen Lab are using multifunctional bioactive nanoparticles to study how cells communicate with each other and how wounds heal – in particular, how nanoparticles can be used to help save infected natural teeth and treat wounds and ulcers in individuals with diabetes.

Kishen says one of the reasons chitosan-based nanoparticles, which are optimized for different therapeutic applications, are so promising is because they’re derived from a naturally occurring molecule that is readily available.

“Affordability is important when developing a treatment to reach the masses,” Kishen says.

Massieh Moayedi (photo by Jeff Comber)

Massieh Moayedi, an associate professor in the Faculty of Dentistry, is receiving funding to pursue research in pain neuroimaging as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair.

“There’s tenuous evidence that body image might be involved in some types of chronic pain,” Moayedi says, adding that his end goal is to understand how pain works so he can improve patient outcomes.

He’s already shown that people with arthritic hands who see the limb looking healthier through a special device experience improvements in pain, so he’s now trying to understand which brain regions are involved.

“This chair will give me funding and the capacity to allow me to investigate these questions, and to really understand the relationship between pain and body image.”

Randy Boissonnault, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages, announced the CRCs at a press conference on Aug. 29 on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, and Mark Holland, minister of health.

He also revealed the researchers and projects receiving funding through a diverse array of programs administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

They include the recipients of the SSHRC’s Partnership Grants, Partnership Development Grants and Insight Grants, as well as the recipients of the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), which helps institutions to recruit and retain outstanding researchers, and provide them with the necessary tools and technology to perform their work. Named after a former U of T president, JELF supports projects that deal with a range of pressing issues. This year’s recipients include 35 researchers at U of T and its hospital partners sharing a total of more than $11 million for projects ranging from an assessment of plant responses to environmental change to the development of an ultra-sensitive cryogenic detector for dark matter and neutrino experiments.

“The federal government’s ongoing support for research through all of these programs – from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund, to the NSERC and CFI grants and the Canada Research Chairs – is critical to supporting the kind of research that ultimately improves lives through new knowledge and innovations,” Cowen said.

Here is the full list of new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at U of T:

New Canada Research Chairs

Stephanie Ameis at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and in the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in neuroimaging of autism and mental health in youth
Yvonne Bombard at Unity Health and in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Tier 2 in genomics health services and policy
Karina Carneiro in the Faculty of Dentistry, Tier 2 in DNA-based biomaterials
Jesse Chao at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in precision cancer diagnostics and artificial intelligence
Xi (Becky) Chen-Bumgardner in the department of applied psychology and human development in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Tier 1 in literacy development of bilingual and multilingual children
Mark Chiew at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in computational biomedical imaging
Sarah Crome at University Health Network and in the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in tissue-specific immune tolerance
Michelle Daigle in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Tier 2 in Indigenous geographies and environmental dispossession
Karen Davis at University Health Network and in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in acute and chronic pain research
Rahul Gopalkrishnan in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in computational medicine
Housheng (Hansen) He at University Health Network and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in RNA medicine
Margaret Herridge at University Health Network and in the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in critical illness outcomes and the recovery continuum
Anil Kishen in the Faculty of Dentistry, Tier 1 in oral health nanomedicine
Bowen Li in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Tier 2 in RNA vaccines and therapeutics
Iacovos Michael at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in tumor biology and precision oncology
Massieh Moayedi in the Faculty of Dentistry, Tier 2 in pain neuroimaging
Faiyaz Notta at the University Health Network and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in pancreatic cancer and cancer evolution
Valeria Rac at the University Health Network and in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Tier 2 in health system and technology evaluation
Fahad Razak at Unity Health Toronto and in the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in health-care data and analytics
Clinton Robbins at the University Health Network and in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in cardiovascular immunology
Lena Serghides at the University Health Network and in the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in maternal-child health and HIV
Catriona Steele at the University Health Network and in the department of speech language pathology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in swallowing and food oral processing
Bo Wang in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier 2 in artificial intelligence for medicine

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

Angela Cheung at University Health Network and in the department of medicine at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 1 in musculoskeletal and postmenopausal health
Xi Huang at the Hospital for Sick Children and in the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in cancer biophysics
Cendri Hutcherson in the department of psychology at the ��Ƶ Scarborough, Tier 2 in decision neuroscience
Joanne Kotsopoulos at Women’s College Hospital and at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Tier 2 in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer prevention
Arthur Mortha in the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in mucosal immunology
Kelly O’Brien in the department of physical therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in episodic disability and rehabilitation
Trevor Pugh at the University Health Network and in the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in translational genomics
Diego Restuccia in the department of economics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Tier 1 in macroeconomics and productivity
David Sinton in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Tier 1 in energy and fluids
Olivier Trescases in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Tier 2 in power electronic converters
Joel Watts in the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Tier 2 in protein misfolding disorders
Michael Widener in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Tier 2 in transportation and health
Stephen Wright in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Tier 1 in population genomics