Marina Jimenez

Through the worst days of the COVID-19 lockdown, a group of ��Ƶ students found renewed purpose by launching Radio Viral, an initiative of the El CafeciTO podcast that explored the impact of the pandemic on Latin America.

The students – Leonardo Cosenza, 21, from Brazil, Ana Rodriguez, 21, from Colombia and Raquel Serrano, 20, from Ecuador – said they realized that as much as the pandemic upended their lives in Canada, the impacts were more far-reaching in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Peru, where people lack the social safety networks Canadians enjoy. The podcast, produced for U of T’s Latin American Studies program, was one of 155 projects to receive a U of T COVID-19 Student Engagement Award – an initiative designed to support students and foster a global community during the pandemic.

Supported by U of T Mississauga, U of T Scarborough and other U of T faculties and divisions, U of T’s Office of the Vice-President, International collectively provided $489,000 to fund multidisciplinary projects through the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The successful projects, involving more than 500 students, ranged from efforts to reduce food waste to the design of a rapid deployment shelter and a digital operating room assistant to help optimize surgical workflow under COVID-19 restrictions.

U of T News recently caught up with Cosenza, who is at University College, Rodriguez, a St. Michael’s College student who recently graduated, and Serrano, a Trinity College student, to talk about putting together Radio Viral and how U of T’s student engagement awards helped provide them perspective during a challenging time.

The Hosts of El CafeciTO appear in a photo taken in November 2019, before the global pandemic. From left to right: Leonardo Cosenza, Ana Rodriguez, Guilherme Patury (who is part of El CafeciTO, but was not part of Radio Viral) and Raquel Serrano (photo by Berenice Villagomez)

What have you learned about the challenges facing students in Latin America in regards to the pandemic?

Serrano: The El CafeciTO podcast and its Radio Viral initiative has taught me that it would be a mistake to consider that all students are facing the same challenges at the same level. This pandemic has exposed the existing inequalities in the health, political, economic, social, and educational systems in Latin America. While for students in Canada online classes might be one of the biggest concerns, students in certain parts of Latin America are encountering economic, social and health issues that will have long-term effects on their academic and personal plans.

Cosenza: The pandemic brought me back home to Brazil where I stayed in isolation for many months. As I already struggled with mental health, this time in isolation only worsened my symptoms. I had to pause my independent research project and my plans to go to an in-patient clinic. The podcast idea came right before one of my worst crises and at first made me really worried I would not be able to accomplish the task. However, as the days progressed, I felt better and the podcast began to pull me out of the quarantine monotony.

What countries have done well and what countries have struggled?

Serrano: When looking at who has struggled the most during this pandemic, I think of how our shared colonial legacy has positioned Indigenous, Black, rural and informal communities to be the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Years of neglect and underdevelopment in these marginalized communities – paired with minimum governmental accountability – has led to a lack of access to clean water and to adequate medical infrastructure. Therefore, these communities are the ones who are facing the worst of the virus, across all Latin American countries.

How do you find students to speak to for your podcast?

Rodriguez: For Radio Viral, we chose to focus on creating a hemispheric conversation. We chose our topics based on our contributors’ interests and expertise. We recorded episodes about our transition into digital life, local realities, student entrepreneurs and the challenges of running a business during the pandemic. We have used this platform to bring light to issues that are often swept under the rug in Latin American societies such as mental health, Indigenous realities, as well as the intersection between Black Lives Matter and the pandemic in Latin America.

How do you think podcasts with voices from all over help build community, especially in a time when we cannot travel?

Rodriguez: Radio Viral brings in new voices from the hemisphere every week and we share their expertise and realities with all our listeners. In a time when we cannot travel, the best we can do is learn about the regions of the world we wish to visit one day. Listening to the testimonies of those who live there will ultimately build a deeper connection with the destination without ever leaving our homes.

Cosenza: I used Brazilian podcasts to connect to my country during the times I missed it the most. By listening to podcasts, I virtually attached to a place that translated the warmth I felt at home. In El CafeciTO, we decided to encourage more informal conversations to reflect how we normally express ourselves to create a friendly environment for Latinx listeners. Our mannerisms and accents are also a way to share a similar space with our audience in the podcast. In sharing our student perspectives, we try to voice different areas of the community to echo some of the ideas within our community. All of this helps create a sense of attachment as you listen to the podcast that builds a friendly community of listeners.

Serrano: Podcasts with different voices help build community by demonstrating that although our experiences may be different, we’re still able to understand and support each other. Even if travelling is not allowed, listening to podcasts is one way to explore and learn from and about other realities. We can do so from the comfort of our living rooms.

What’s been your experience during the pandemic been and what role did the podcast play in shaping it?

Rodriguez: It was extremely difficult for me to finish my last assignments and exams because I had to move back in with my parents. I didn’t even have a desk to use to study. Once I finished my schoolwork, I was feeling a bit lost without anything to do. The podcast gave me a purpose during this pandemic. I have been able to throw myself into this project and gain new skills by taking on the creation of the website. I have been able to connect with students across the globe who are experiencing similar hurdles as me, which is really reassuring.

Serrano: Overall, my experience in this pandemic has been full of ups and downs. My decision to stay in Canada was based on the belief that if anything happened to me, I would have easier and better access to medical and social services than if I were in Ecuador. But the feeling of safety was accompanied by feelings of solitude and disconnection. In the two years that I’ve been in Canada, I have never felt more distant from my country as my experience during the pandemic has been very different from what my family, friends, and other Ecuadorians have gone through. The El CafeciTO podcast and its Radio Viral initiative have helped me connect with students from Latin America to share our personal experiences and comment on how the pandemic is affecting our countries. I hope this podcast helps other Latin American students at U of T and abroad feel connected with others, learn about how different countries are doing and serve as a starting point for important conversations that need to take place.

Mexican-American chemist on why he left Harvard for U of T

ullahnor — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 17:46:47 +0000

Mexican-American chemist on why he left Harvard for U of T

ullahnor Thu, 04/12/2018 - 13:46

Cutline

Mexican-American chemist Alán Aspuru-Guzik (left) talks with Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice president international (right), at an event in Mexico City earlier this week (photo by Toni Hauri)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

International partnerships

Mexico

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, a Mexican-American scholar in theoretical and computational chemistry, was recently named a Canada 150 Research Chair jointly appointed to the ��Ƶ’s departments of chemistry and computer science.

At an event this week co-hosted by the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City, Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president international, spoke with Aspuru-Guzik about his decision to move to U of T after 12 years at Harvard University.

Ted Sargent: You are a great example of the kind of scholar we are so proud to have at U of T. Tell me the story of how you decided to join us.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: The moment when I decided to leave the U.S., I looked around the globe – Europe, Australia, Canada – for where I wanted to go to. I already had a relationship with Canada through the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

Within Canada, U of T is a very special place in a very diverse city. I thought, this is where I want my kids to grow up. Fifty per cent of people in Toronto are foreign-born. And there are professors like you, a finalist for the Carbon XPrize. You are the kind of faculty who attracted me to U of T.

Ted Sargent: What will life look like on the ground at U of T?

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: U of T has given me a very interesting opportunity. The university is so diverse and dynamic. I will be in chemistry, and I will make compounds with my robots and maybe work together with your lab. We will get our arms around the chemical data from computers and robots using machine learning strategies arising from computer science. In other words, we’ll use robots to synthesize and test chemicals, and we’ll put machine learning in the loop to automate and accelerate the discovery process.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik speaks at an event in Mexico City this week (photo by Toni Hauri)

Ted Sargent: What will you do with the Vector Institute in Toronto?

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: The Canadian government has made a statement about its commitment to AI by creating three institutes in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. Vector is a multi-disciplinary institute with academia and industry. It builds on the remarkable legacy of people like ��Ƶ, Richard Zemel, David Duvenaud and so many others. Apart from them, the rest are all the next generation of truly outstanding scholars attracted to Vector and U of T from around the globe. These people are working together with industry to use AI to transform the world. We want to use quantum computing for chemistry, machine learning and other applications in collaboration with Vector.

Ted Sargent: You’re also an entrepreneur. Tell us about your startups.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: Yes, I’m an entrepreneur. And recently, the World Economic Forum named Boston the fourth most entrepreneurial city and Toronto the sixth most entrepreneurial city. So I feel good about my decision to come to Toronto. I started two companies this year, one is called Zapata Computing, named for Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary, because the company will revolutionize computing. The other is called Kebotix and the CEO is Jill Becker, a U of T and Harvard graduate. We’re committed to opening an office in Toronto for both companies. There is a lot of support from the Canadian government for startups.

Ted Sargent: How has your experience with the culture of inclusivity been in science?

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: Canada has a remarkable diversity of gender roles. It’s very impressive. During the ceremony in Ottawa when they announced my Canada Research Chair, I thought I’d get a selfie with the prime minister, but he didn’t come. Instead, I got to meet Governor General Julie Payette. She is a U of T grad, an astronaut and an engineer. Also Canada’s Minister of Science [Kirsty Duncan] is a woman, and the chief science advisor to the prime minister [Mona Nemer] is a woman. Mexico needs to do a lot more work on that.

Ted Sargent: How does your family feel about the move?

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: My mother, wife and children are all very excited. And, it is easier to get from Toronto to Mexico than to get from Boston to Mexico. There are multiple direct daily flights. Toronto and Mexico should have more links and more integration between our countries. We need to reach out and make a strategic connection.

Ted Sargent: Tell us more about your research goals.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: I am interested in generating and storing the energy of the world, storing electricity that we get during the day through inexpensive and renewable solar cells and batteries, and then making it available to be used at night. Through our collaborations with the Ministry of Energy in Mexico and the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT), Mexico will be a leader in this. Connected to this, I recently co-led an international workshop for the innovation challenge of Mission Innovation, a collaboration of 22 countries and the EU that focuses on doubling the participating countries’ clean energy research budget over five years.

Ted Sargent: So great to have you here. Thank you.

'While other countries want to build walls, we want to build bridges,' U of T President Gertler tells Mexico City audience

noreen.rasbach — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 04:00:00 +0000

'While other countries want to build walls, we want to build bridges,' U of T President Gertler tells Mexico City audience

noreen.rasbach Tue, 04/10/2018 - 00:00

Cutline

U of T President Meric Gertler addresses an event organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City on Tuesday (photo by Marina Jimenez)

Marina Jimenez

Topic

Global Lens

Artificial Intelligence

Global

International Students

President Meric Gertler

Global challenges do not respect borders.

In an era of economic turbulence and digital disruption, advanced education and international research collaborations are more important than ever, ��Ƶ President Meric Gertler said in a speech in Mexico City on Tuesday.

“In a world worried about a future being disrupted by automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, society must look to universities to help prepare the citizens and leaders of tomorrow,” he told a crowd of business executives, academics and Mexican press gathered in a downtown hotel for an event organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“Scholars around the world can help solve global problems, from health epidemics and cybersecurity to climate change.”

Gertler led a two-day U of T delegation to Mexico City to foster deeper educational ties with Canada’s partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as well as acknowledge the Mexican government’s special funding for 150 graduate scholarships.

He was accompanied by Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president international, Josh Barker, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Allan Kaplan, vice dean of graduate and academic affairs in the Faculty of Medicine, Brian Golden, vice dean of MBA programs at the Rotman School of Management, and others.

Gertler’s address to the Canadian Chamber noted that U of T is committed to preparing students to be global leaders who can make a global impact.

“While other countries want to build walls, we want to build bridges,” he said.

“Attracting international scholars and students to our institutions, as well as our companies and communities, sparks a kind of international collaboration at home. They encounter new ideas, perspectives and approaches that in turn inspire mutual understanding and stimulate knowledge.”

Over the past 25 years, growth in international research co-publication has exploded, increasing more than tenfold, he noted. U of T students and scholars authored more than 18,000 peer-reviewed publications with colleagues from 170 countries – second only to Harvard in the world. That number included more than 300 publications with colleagues in Mexico, in fields from rheumatology and astrophysics to economics and electrical engineering.

U of T aims to grow these ties and is proud to welcome Alán Aspuru-Guzik, a Harvard professor and leading researcher in theoretical and computational chemistry, as a Canada 150 Research Chair, Gertler said.

As technology rapidly changes medicine, finance, law and other fields, universities must ensure students learn not only technical skills, but also the value of communication, critical thinking, problem solving, quantitative reasoning and ethical reasoning, he said. These skills are crucial to address the current challenges of intolerance, nativism and inequality.

U of T President Meric Gertler at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

“For generations, education has offered the best protection from economic disruption brought about by technological innovation,” he said. “As the recent problems at Facebook have demonstrated, unprecedented technological capabilities unchecked by strong ethical frameworks can undermine success.”

He highlighted the importance of experiential learning, as well as the inverted classroom, where students look at course materials ahead of time, and then achieve a deeper understanding of them during classes that focus on problem solving and active learning.

The pinnacle of experiential learning may well be the startup – students starting their own companies to commercialize university discoveries and inventions.

“That is one reason U of T encourages entrepreneurship and innovation. Since 2013, we have created more startups than any other single institution in North America,” he said.

Gertler noted that Times Higher Education recently ranked U of T the top public institution in North America in terms of graduate employability, and 13^th overall, ahead of universities such as Oxford, UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.

U of T has nearly 20,000 international students from 168 countries, including 250 from Mexico.

During a reception Tuesday evening hosted by the Canadian embassy, Sargent and Aspuru-Guzik spoke about how artificial intelligence can speed up the development of clean energy, with Canada and Mexico leading the way.

Marina Jimenez

U of T students create ‘hemispheric connection’ with podcast focused on COVID-19 and Latin America

Mexican-American chemist on why he left Harvard for U of T

Read more about CONACyT initiatives at U of T

'While other countries want to build walls, we want to build bridges,' U of T President Gertler tells Mexico City audience