Ukraine

University Health Network

Subheadline

Brokoslaw Laschowski’s lab is developing AI-powered technologies that interface with humans

To students in his ��Ƶ lab, Brokoslaw Laschowski is known as “the bionic professor” – a superhuman nickname that speaks to both his fascination with wearable robotics and passion for helping others.

A research scientist at the KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, and assistant professor (status) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Laschowski and his team are developing wearable robots that use artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions on their own – not unlike autonomous cars.

Their work includes bionic prosthetic legs, exoskeletons, AI-powered smart glasses and neural interfaces.

“Applications of our technology are primarily medical,” says Laschowski, who is also an affiliate faculty member at U of T’s Robotics Institute, one of several multidisciplinary institutional strategic initiatives at the university.

“We are trying to help individuals with physical disabilities. It’s such a challenging problem, how do you design technology that interface with humans and allows them to synergistically move in a meaningful way?”

Laschowski is developing wearable robotics, including an exoskeleton, to help individuals with physical disabilities (photo by Polina Teif)

For Laschowski, who says he has long been fascinated with the concept of “cyborgs,” computer vision can help seamlessly merge humans with machines.

“Humans use their vision for path planning and control, which inspired the use of vision in autonomous cars,” he says. “I started looking into how we could possibly use vision with walking robots.”

For the team’s prosthetic leg and exoskeleton, tiny cameras allow the devices to sense their environments in real-time – an idea that Laschowski says is unique to his research.

“There aren’t many labs in the world that are using computer vision to improve human-robot walking,” he says.

The team’s smart glasses interact with both the exoskeleton and bionic prosthetic leg. The system works by combining computer vision and deep-learning AI to recognize the surrounding environment and adapt to obstacles and changes in terrain.

“We can accurately and quickly identify features of the environment and relay that information to the bionic legs,” he says.

Laschowski says he became passionate about assistive technology while he was pursuing his second master’s degree at the University of Waterloo. At the time, he was working with Paralympic athletes from Team Canada on design optimization of wheelchairs using computer simulations.

He completed a PhD in engineering at Waterloo before coming to U of T to do a postdoctoral fellowship in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Laschowski wears a prototype of his lab’s AI-powered smart glasses (photo by Polina Teif)

Laschowski’s drive to help others extends well beyond the realm of assistive devices.

Last year, he worked with Michael Brudno, chief data scientist for the University Health Network and a professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, to launch a summer research program for students fleeing the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine.

As a Ukrainian-Canadian, Laschowski says the initiative is close to his heart.

“We took students out of war zones and gave them a safe learning environment – especially last year.”

The initiative, which drew more than 400 applicants this year, gives computer science students from Ukraine the opportunity to work and study with top U of T faculty who are engaged in cutting-edge research. It receives support from U of T’s department of computer science, the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Robotics Institute and the department of mathematical and computational sciences at U of T Mississauga.

Laschowski and Brudno are both deeply involved – reviewing submissions, helping students fill out visa forms and preparing them for one of the biggest moves of their lives. They also organized a welcome event for the new cohort of 21 students who arrived at U of T in May.

“We feel a huge sense of responsibility,” Laschowski says. “They are under our care. We promised that we would help them while their brothers and fathers are fighting for freedom.”

Oleksii Tsepa, a master’s student in computer science at U of T, left his home in Kyiv on the first day of the war, with his parents urging him to go aboard. “The borders were still open,” he recalls. “I understood that I wouldn’t be able to leave Ukraine later.”

He stayed in Cyprus for a couple of months before finding out about the U of T program.

“I feel lucky that I qualified and that I worked with Professor Laschowski,” Tsepa says. “He taught me that I always have to answer myself. I understood that achievements can’t be reached without putting in effort.”

Michael Brudno, left, and Oleksii Tsepa, right, speak at an event for computer science students from Ukraine (photos by Polina Teif)

The effort put in by Laschowski and his team is evident in their potentially game-changing technologies, which are being tested in environments both inside and outside the lab.

“I am a huge proponent of getting out of the lab as fast as possible because these devices are going to have the greatest impact in the real world.” Laschowski says.

His lab is also developing neural interfaces, which would give humans direct control over the bionic prosthetic leg and exoskeleton. Far into the future, he imagines he’ll be working on connecting his smart glasses to a brain implant.

“We could potentially map images of the walking environment from the glasses directly onto the visual cortex of the brain – essentially bypassing the eyes and giving users bionic vision,” he says.

“If somebody has macular degeneration or some age-related visual impairment, we may be able to use the smart glasses to bypass that and interface directly to the brain.”

Laschowski says he believes humans are beginning to go through a technological evolution – one that he is helping to make reality.

“If we could allow the visually impaired to see and the paralyzed to walk through advances in technology – those are some of my career goals.”

Margaret Atwood and Timothy Snyder to headline Ukraine benefit conference

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 19:19:30 +0000

Margaret Atwood and Timothy Snyder to headline Ukraine benefit conference

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/16/2023 - 15:19

Cutline

Yale historian Timothy Snyder and author Margaret Atwood are among the keynote speakers at a Ukraine benefit conference hosted by U of T's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy (photos by Gary Leonard, dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Munk School Staff

Topic

Alumni

More than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, universities around the world are taking steps to support scholars affected by the fighting in their country.

To date, more 170 Ukrainian institutions of higher education have been damaged and more than 20 have been completely destroyed. Academics who remain in Ukraine now conduct their research, teaching, and public service in very challenging circumstances.

On March 17-19, the ��Ƶ’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy will host a digital benefit conference with keynote talks by world-renowned author and U of T alumna Margaret Atwood, acclaimed historian Timothy Snyder and two of Ukraine’s leading public intellectuals: Mychailo Wynnyckyj and Volodymyr Yermolenko.

All money raised by the event, titled ‘What Good Is Philosophy? – A Benefit Conference for Ukraine,’ will support the Centre for Civic Engagement at Ukraine’s National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

“By assisting Ukrainian students and scholars today, this Centre will help pave the way for a vibrant and engaged post-war Ukraine,” says principal organizer and U of T alumnus Aaron Wendland, a Vision Fellow in Public Philosophy at King’s College, London and a senior research fellow at Massey College.

The conference will examine the role of academia during times of crisis, with participants analyzing the public impact of their academic research and exploring the relationship between the academy and civil society. It’s designed to provide individual academics, members of the public, colleges and universities, professional associations, charitable foundations, and private companies with a way to support Ukrainian students, scholars, and civic institutions.

Many philosophers from around the world will be participating. Those speaking will include Peter Adamson, Elizabeth Anderson, Seyla Benhabib, Judith Butler, Agnes Callard, Quassim Cassam, Tim Crane, Simon Critchley, David Enoch, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sally Haslanger, Angie Hobbs, Barry Lam, Melissa Lane, Dominic Lopes, Kate Manne, Jeff McMahan, Jennifer Nagel, Philip Pettit, Kieran Setiya, Jason Stanley, Timothy Williamson and Jonathan Wolff.

The hope is to build an organization that can help counteract the destabilizing impact that Russia’s invasion has had on Ukrainian higher education and civilian life.

“Universities around the world began helping Ukrainian academics in exile through a mix of publicly and privately funded scholars-at-risk initiatives, which have helped Ukrainian refugees very much,” says Wendland. “However, academic institutions in Ukraine still need major international assistance.

“The Centre for Civic Engagement will aim to address the needs of the Ukrainian academy by offering institutional, intellectual, and financial support for students, scholars, and publicly engaged academics in the country.”

U of T exchange students help organize exhibit in memory of Ukrainian students killed in war

siddiq22 — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 19:26:45 +0000

U of T exchange students help organize exhibit in memory of Ukrainian students killed in war

siddiq22 Tue, 03/07/2023 - 14:26

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National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy exchange students Sofiia Kekukh and Daryna Zavhorodnia were among the organizers of the Unissued Diplomas exhibit, currently on display at Hart House (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Tabassum Siddiqui

Topic

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

“When your classroom turns into a battlefield, your major becomes bravery.”

That’s the powerful tagline for Unissued Diplomas, an art exhibit organized by Ukrainian students across Canada – including several from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (KMA) who are currently studying at the ��Ƶ as part of an exchange program with the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Organized in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union, the exhibit is presented in two parts – Unissued Diplomas, which features stark black-and-white plaques displaying the photos and stories of 36 Ukrainian students killed during the current war in Ukraine; and Traces of War, a collection of illustrations and text by Ukrainian youth. Works from both parts of the exhibit are currently on display at Hart House on St. George campus until March 16.

Two of the lead organizers, KMA exchange students Sofiia Kekuh and Daryna Zavhorodnia, have been working with fellow Ukrainian students across multiple time zones – holding virtual meetings and exchanging online messages around the clock – to coordinate the exhibit, which launched on Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Nearly every one of us on the team, we have a friend or a friend of a friend, or an acquaintance, classmate or roommate who has died,” Zavhorodnia said. “So we felt that we needed to do something to spread awareness – these are actually people like us: students who were just living their lives.”

Unissued Diplomas is being displayed at 45 universities around the world, including U of T. In Toronto, it is also being shown at St. Volodymyr Institute on Spadina Ave. until March 11 and at the KUMF Gallery in Etobicoke until March 12. Other participating Canadian universities include Carleton University, St. Mary’s University and the University of Alberta.

Students view the exhibit at a launch event at St. Volodymyr Institute on Feb. 23 (photo by Sofiia Kekukh)

Kekuh, a third-year student from Kyiv majoring in English and Ukrainian studies, and Zavhorodnia, who is from Rohatyn in western Ukraine and is in her third year of sociology with a focus on gender studies, are part of a group of students from KMA who were welcomed by the Faculty of Arts & Science when their studies were disrupted by the war.

“The Faculty of Arts & Science has always been proud of the strong relationship we have with Ukraine’s academic community. Over the years, we have hosted many students from Ukrainian universities, and it's wonderful to see these partnerships continue to flourish,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“This exhibit truly brings into focus the permanent, irreversible impact that war has on a nation and its people. Amid the turmoil they have faced throughout the past year, the students who put this exhibit together have honoured their peers in a manner that enables the U of T community to bear further witness to what has been lost.”

Unissued Diplomas project manager Daryna Zavhorodnia, right, with Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, at a reception last week for students from Ukraine on exchange at U of T (photo by Delicia Ansalem)

Adapting to “a completely new environment” at first proved challenging, Zavhorodnia said, “but in terms of community, there are a lot of Ukrainians here in Toronto and Canada in general – we could feel the power of that in the way they keep the traditions and language alive. And there was a sense of community here at the university as well.”

Drawing on that close-knit network, the pair began discussing with other Ukrainian students what they could do to bring more attention to the conflict – especially at their new campuses, where many of their peers didn’t seem to be fully aware of the human cost of the war.

“It’s so far away, and they don’t know what it’s like to live there and experience it – to get up every day and still have to try to go to work and school in the middle of this war,” Kekuh said. “The main goal is to remind viewers that the war is not over. It’s an exhibit that never should have existed – but now it’s something to keep the memory alive of the students who were killed.”

Liudmyla Kryvoruchka, director of the Yuchemenko Family Doctoral School at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, speaks on Feb. 23 during a panel discussion about Ukraine at St. Volodymyr Institute (photo by Sofiia Kekukh)

Since January, Kekuh and Zavhorodnia and their fellow organizers have been reaching out to family and friends of students who died in combat or in attacks on their cities to compile their stories for the Unissued Diplomas plaques, as well as curating the artwork, poems and messages from young Ukrainians that make up the Traces of War exhibit.

Those efforts come between their everyday studies and worriedly trying to reach their parents and loved ones amid the conflict and sustained power outages back home – Kekuh notes that Ukrainians now joke about how much they can get done in the brief blocks of time between blackouts.

“You never know if it’s a missile, or whether they just don’t have electricity or what’s happening,” Zavhorodnia said. “Physically, I’m here [in Toronto] and it’s safe. But mentally and emotionally, I’m still there – so the struggle is being in two environments at the same time.”

Working on the Unissued Diplomas project allowed the KMA students to channel their fear and concern into something productive – in addition to the exhibit, they also partnered with U of T’s Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CERES) at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy for a panel discussion on Feb. 23 to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion, which examined the resilience of Ukrainians during the war. The group also hosted a film screening of the documentary War Note at Innis Town Hall on Feb. 26 with director Roman Liubyi in attendance, and are collecting donations to buy medical supplies and camera drones for students fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine.

The Unissued Diplomas exhibit at Hart House (photo by Johnny Guatto)

At Hart House, in the main floor hallway where the exhibit is currently displayed, the portraits of the Ukrainian students who never got a chance to graduate stop passerby in their tracks.

“Viewing this series of photos of Ukrainian students killed in the war – some as soldiers, most as civilians – it is a painful experience to see these young faces and to know their fate,” said Lynne Viola, University Professor emerita in the department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science – with a cross-appointment to the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy – who is a specialist in 20th-century Russian history and has worked with many Ukrainian students and scholars over the years.

Kekuh and Zavhorodnia, who plan to return to Ukraine to help rebuild their country when their exchange term wraps up in April, hope the exhibit inspires U of T students to reflect on a conflict that may seem distant but has a global impact.

“We hope the biggest takeaway will be that the war is not just numbers – that those are names, those are personal stories and those are real people,” Zavhorodnia said. “And there is a high price to pay for freedom – that’s the price we are paying, and that’s why the world has to remember that it’s not only about Ukraine, but about larger, greater ideas about freedom and democracy.”

U of T is reminding students, faculty and staff affected by the war in Ukraine that services are available at each of the three campuses for those who need support.

The following services are available to students:

Health and Wellness Centre (St. George)
Health and Wellness Centre (U of T Scarborough)
Health and Counselling Centre (U of T Mississauga)
My SSP (support available 24-7/365)
Centre for International Experience

For staff and faculty:

Employee and Family Assistance Program (support available 24-7/365)

Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards honour three luminaries with U of T ties

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 15:30:48 +0000

Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards honour three luminaries with U of T ties

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 02/03/2023 - 10:30

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Heather Reisman, James C. Temerty and the late Barbara Frum were honoured by Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards for outstanding contributions to literacy, philanthropy and journalism. (photo by George Pimentel/Canada’s Walk of Fame)

Advancement Staff

Topic

Our Community

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards Celebration recently honoured 10 extraordinary Canadians for their contributions to music, television, journalism, athletics, innovation and entrepreneurship – including three with close ties to the ��Ƶ.

The most recent inductees and honourees – feted at a Dec. 3, 2022 ceremony – included one of Canada’s most generous philanthropists, James C. (Jim) Temerty, who was introduced as the 2022 National Hero Honouree by U of T President Meric Gertler; Indigo founder and trailblazing benefactor Heather Reisman, who, along with her husband Gerry Schwartz, helped establish U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus; and the late Barbara Frum, the iconic CBC broadcaster and U of T alumna.

“The ��Ƶ is deeply proud to be associated with tonight’s inductees and honourees, who represent the best of what Canada has to offer the world,” said President Gertler. “We are grateful for their legacy and their friendship, and we hope to live up to the ideals they each represent, including the late Barbara Frum, one of our most illustrious graduates; Heather Reisman, a visionary donor at U of T and Canada’s leading champion for child literacy; and Jim Temerty, whose philanthropy across our university and beyond empowers ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.”

A letter from President Zelenskyy

James Temerty received the National Hero Honour (photo by George Pimentel/Canada’s Walk of Fame)

Jim Temerty was introduced by U of T alumna and founder of War Child Canada, Samantha Nutt, who completed post-graduated medical training at the university. She said, “his contributions have made a tremendous difference to thousands of lives.” Toronto Mayor John Tory, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Trinity College in 1975, also spoke via video of Temerty’s remarkable legacy: “Your generosity, your loyalty, your business sense, and your immense compassion all constitute an example, a role model for everyone in this country.”

President Gertler then joined Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, Yuliya Kovaliv, onstage to thank Jim Temerty and the Temerty Foundation for years of transformative giving. Their legacy includes a $250-million gift in 2020 to the ��Ƶ’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and other donations across U of T, Canada and the world – from supporting arts and culture, mental health research and many causes in Ukraine.

In her remarks, Ambassador Kovaliv read a letter from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who heralded Jim Temerty for his “commitment to freedom, independence and democracy” and “tireless effort to strengthen Ukraine’s statehood, to drive positive changes in my country, and to support the people of Ukraine.”

“We all are fighting now and we are writing the new book about the fight for values, fight for democracy,” added Ambassador Kovaliv. “And we are really grateful, James, that you are with us writing this book.”

On receiving the National Hero Honour, Jim Temerty thanked Mayor Tory, President Gertler, Ambassador Kovaliv and President Zelenksyy, using the opportunity to reflect on how Canada has stood – and must continue to stand – “with Ukraine until a just peace” can be achieved.

“Let us not tire in our support for Ukraine’s fight for freedom. Slava to Canada and Slava Ukraine,” said Temerty.

An icon in child literacy and philanthropy

Heather Reisman was honoured for her contributions to child literacy, business and philanthropy (photo by George Pimentel/Canada’s Walk of Fame)

This year’s celebration saw a friend and leading supporter of U of T, Heather Reisman, inducted into the Walk of Fame for her extraordinary contributions to Canadian child literacy, business and philanthropy. As the founder, chair and CEO of Indigo, Reisman is one of Canada’s strongest advocates for inculcating a love of reading among children and established the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation in 2017 to further this goal.

As a philanthropist, her legacy of giving spans institutions and causes across the country in education, health care and advanced research. Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz established the U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, which, when it opens, will be Canada’s leading hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Reisman and her husband have also generously supported research and education at U of T across several fields and faculties.

Reisman was introduced by Ontario’s first Poet Laureate, Randell Adjei, and one of Canada’s most important writers, U of T alumna Margaret Atwood. Atwood, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Victoria College in 1961 and received an honorary degree from U of T in 1983, spoke about how Reisman “helped to give innumerable children the gift of literacy, the opportunity to find their own special stories, the ones that validate them by mirroring their world back to them.”

“It is within our reach to unleash huge childhood untapped potential,” said Reisman on accepting her induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame, “and in the process transform the social and economic reality of this country forever.”

Broadcast legend and U of T alumna honoured

U of T alumna Barbara Frum was honoured for her legacy as one of Canada’s most insightful journalists and interviewers (photo by George Pimentel/Canada’s Walk of Fame)

Famed CBC broadcaster Barbara Frum, who died in 1992 at age 54, was inducted for her legacy as one of Canada’s most insightful journalists and interviewers. Frum, who graduated from U of T’s University College with a BA in 1959, joined CBC as host of the radio program As it Happens before becoming the host of CBC Television’s The Journal, where she interviewed influential figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela. She was represented at the celebration by her two children, David Frum and Linda Frum.

Frum was honoured by the former host of CBC TV’s The National, Peter Mansbridge, who received an honorary degree from U of T in 2017. “Her secret was simple,” said Mansbridge. “She listened. She didn’t tell us who we were. She asked us and we told her.” Mansbridge was joined via video by prominent Canadian business journalist Amanda Lang and former host of the CTV National News Lisa LaFlamme, who spoke about how Frum “was the epitome of grilling with grace and always respectful decency. Even in a tough interview, she never lost her cool, even confronted with the dinosaurs of her day.”

“In her mind, the only star was the truth,” said Frum’s son, David, who, along with Linda Frum, accepted Frum’s honour on his mother’s behalf. “And that’s why all these years later, we gather at Canada’s Walk of Fame to award her the star that she would never have taken for herself.”

Work together to fight Russian aggression, Estonian President Alar Karis tells students during U of T visit

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 14:29:41 +0000

Work together to fight Russian aggression, Estonian President Alar Karis tells students during U of T visit

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/25/2022 - 09:29

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Estonia's President Alar Karis speaks at an event hosted by U of T's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy on Nov. 22, 2022 (photo by Jamie Napier)

Gillian Mathurin

Topic

History

Russia

Undergraduate Students

Estonian President Alar Karis warned against Russian aggression and called on the world to mobilize in support of Ukraine at a sold-out event at the ��Ƶ’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy this week.

“The Euro-Atlantic security architecture and our shared values face the most serious threat since the end of the Second World War,” said Karis at the Nov. 22 event. “In Europe, that threat comes from Russia, and how we respond to it will have implications for the world we live in for decades to come.

“We may have briefly believed that the world had changed and borders, at least in Europe, would not be changed by military force, that people could choose their own form of government and generally live in peace. However, as became clear on 24th February 2022, the empire next door had awakened, and begun reclaiming its sphere of influence once more.”

In his address, Karis described how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts go far beyond Ukraine, aiming to destroy the Euro-Atlantic security architecture and restore dominance over the Baltic States and Poland.

Estonia’s President Alar Karis took part in a Q&A moderated by Andres Kasekamp (photo by Jamie Napier)

Karis spoke with an in-person audience of Munk School students and community members at the school’s Campbell Conference Facility. He was welcomed by Munk School Director Peter Loewen and took part in a lively Q&A moderated by Andres Kasekamp, Elmar Tampõld Chair of Estonian Studies at the Munk School and a professor in the department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

It was a great honour to host President Karis here at the Munk School,” said Loewen. “His deep commitment to upholding our shared democratic values in the face of aggression is inspiring. I share his conclusion: ‘The only thing we can do now is to do everything to help Ukraine.’”

Prior to speaking at the Munk School, Karis attended the Halifax International Security Forum and met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of Canada’s role in our shared international security. “The value of the trans-Atlantic bond goes beyond the numbers of troops and weapons systems. It is a political community, a community of values, and we have demonstrated already that we are much stronger together.”

“Putin’s strategy for the moment is to coerce us into giving up on Ukraine by imposing costs on our societies. His primary tool is to weaponize its energy resources by restricting their accessibility, thereby threatening shortages, and by damaging our economies through inflation. In his immediate neighbourhood, Russia can also use hybrid warfare to scare and destabilize. This includes sabotaging energy infrastructure, using the migration weapon and carrying out cyber-attacks.

“We must be prepared to overcome these challenges, and not allow those tactics to cow us.”

Estonian President Alar Karis spoke with Munk School students and community members (photo by Jamie Napier)

Karis described Estonia’s own efforts to increase its national military capabilities, find alternative sources of energy, enhance energy infrastructure and secure its own borders with Russia in the face of this pressure. He also spoke of Estonia’s efforts to support Ukraine, taking in 60,000 refugees – equivalent to four per cent of the country’s total population – and giving the equivalent of a quarter of its total military budget in equipment and weapons in support of the war effort.

Karis is not the first Estonian leader to have visited the Munk School, which is home to the only endowed chair of Estonian studies in North America. In 2018, then-Prime Minister Jüri Ratas gave a public lecture, followed by former President Toomas Ilves in 2019. Karis, a molecular geneticist and biologist by training, was sworn in last year. He had earlier served as rector of the University of Tartu (a U of T partner institution) and visited U of T in that capacity in 2009.

Hearing directly from Estonia’s president was particularly important for Aleksa Gold, president of the Estonian Students Association U of T, and a four-time Estonian national swim champion. “It was a real privilege to have President Alar Karis join us at U of T and provide important insights into and educate us on the current turmoil in Europe. Being a student, especially one whose cultural roots come from a small nation, it was special to have the country’s leader come and take time out of his schedule to be with us and teach us valuable lessons.”

Chloe Qin, a third-year history major, was struck by Karis’s steadfast commitment to Ukraine. “It is incumbent upon Estonia and Canada, two of the leading democracies in the world, to defend liberalism by supporting the efforts of courageous Ukrainians in the defence of their homeland against Russian aggression.”

For Karis, the need to support Ukraine is personal. “It is important to realize, that when we talk about abstract concepts – security architecture, democracy, freedom – we are actually talking about very real consequences for real people. Violence, death, and destruction happen to people.”

“In Estonia, we have experienced the same things you see on your screens happening in Ukraine,” said Karis. “In fact, many Estonians had to flee to Canada and other free countries in the 1940s to avoid the same fate that befell the inhabitants of Bucha, Mariupol, Kherson. We will always remain grateful to Canada of accepting Estonian refugees, some of whom, in their desperation, crossed the Atlantic on self-made ‘Viking boats’. And we are grateful to Canada for doing its important part in NATO, the organization that safeguards our collective security and through that, our shared values.”

Karis implored the audience to continue fighting aggression and for the democratic values that bind our countries.

“We must all think that this is our business. I still remember what it meant to live in the Soviet Union – and many Estonians do. This is why we will not stop fighting for freedom and we will not stop helping others who do the same. I hope that we are in this together.”

How U of T's computer science dept. scrambled to give students from Ukraine a 'normal summer'

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:09:14 +0000

How U of T's computer science dept. scrambled to give students from Ukraine a 'normal summer'

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 10/24/2022 - 14:09

Cutline

Their studies interrupted by war, more than two dozen students from universities in Ukraine conducted research with faculty members in the department of computer science this past summer (photo by Luke Wheeler)

Matt Hintsa

Topic

Computer Science

Vector Institute

Yuliia Kholodetska’s computer science studies at Lviv Polytechnic National University were interrupted on Feb. 24, 2022, but this time it had nothing to do with global pandemic – Russia had invaded Ukraine, throwing daily life into disarray. Similarly, Roman Burakov, a computer science student at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (KMA), was awoken in Croatia by an early morning call from a friend in Kyiv who reported that missiles were striking across the country.

“It was quite a shock,” Burakov recalls. “It’s really impossible to imagine that you’re here, it’s good. But somewhere in Ukraine, your relatives are under attack.”

Yuliia Kholodetska

Thousands of kilometres away, faculty members, researchers, students and staff across the ��Ƶ’s three campuses immediately began working on ways to help. In the computer science department in the Faculty of Arts & Science, faculty members, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students stepped into action by strategizing about ways they could play a role in helping students like Kholodetska and Burakov whose studies were interrupted by the invasion.

Professor Michael Brudno envisioned a program built on the structure of the department of computer science’s long-running Undergraduate Summer Research Program – the program’s application and matching systems could be repurposed relatively easily and faculty members were eager to contribute by supervising students and contributing their own research funds.

A collaborative effort was soon underway. The computer science department and Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence agreed to provide additional financial backing. The Centre for International Experience advised on immigration-related considerations. Innis College co-ordinated housing. And graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the department of computer science interviewed more than 80 student applicants over the course of two weeks, selected from over 200 applications.

“In three months, we were able to pull this off,” says Brudno. “It was really a huge amount of work for lots of people across the university to actually make it happen.”

Roman Burakov

Students admitted to the program began to arrive in May, with 21 undergraduate and five graduate students participating in the program. The computer science effort was one of several initiatives at the university focused on supporting students from Ukraine. U of T Mississauga also ran a summer program, the Faculty of Arts & Science led an exchange initiative with (KMA) that was supported of a $3.2-million donation by the Temerty Foundation and U of T supported many of the displaced students with Scholars at Risk awards.

As for Burakov, he joined a wearable robotics group headed by Alex Mihailidis, professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of occupational science and occupational therapy and the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, who is cross-appointed to the department of computer science. In that group, Burakov worked closely with post-doctoral researcher Brokoslaw Laschowski, a Ukrainian-Canadian scientist who was also involved in the effort to develop the summer program.

"Imagine you have someone who lost their leg and needs a prosthesis. Our goal is to make prostheses simulate a healthy leg,” Burakov says.

Kholodetska, meantime, joined the lab of Professor Marsha Chechik, former chair of the department of computer science and acting dean of the Faculty of Information, to work on a software engineering project related to bonded satisfiability checking.

In addition to conducting research with a faculty member, students in the program also received instruction in professional English speaking and writing and participated in a range of social events. That included a camping trip to Algonquin Provincial Park, where students got an introduction to canoeing and exploring the Canadian wilderness.

“One of the bigger goals was to give the students a normal summer – or at least as normal as possible, given the situation,” said Brudno.

Kholodetska concurred.

“We can feel how it is to be a student – to go to university, to attend lecture – because COVID and war have destroyed this ability for us,” she says.

Despite having landed in a safer place to continue their studies, Burakov and Kholodetska say the safety of their families and friends still looms large.

Michael Brudno

Kholodetska receives a push alert on her phone every time an air raid siren is activated where her loved ones reside. She and Burakov both message their families daily.

“At one point, I hadn’t heard from my mom for three weeks straight,” Burakov says, citing telecommunications outages in Ukraine.

Looking toward the future, Brudno says there’s interest in using the model of this year’s program to serve the needs of students in other parts of the world who experience similar interruptions to their studies.

“While our program was spurred by the acute crisis in Ukraine, we are re-working the program to be accessible to students displaced by conflict anywhere in the world,” he says. “This is not just a moral imperative, but also benefits our community – we get introduced to talented students and researchers, and we can build strong new collaborations with top universities around the world.”

Most of the students who came through the summer program are staying in Toronto, including both Kholodetska and Burakov. Ten students have been admitted into the department’s graduate program, and many others are continuing as exchange students, taking classes at U of T and continuing their research.

“The program turned out very productive both for my partner and me,” says Burakov. “Despite the short time frame, my colleague Alex (also from the program) and I achieved great results from our research, which resulted in the paper submission to the most prestigious robotics conference: ICRA 2023.”

Exchange students from Ukraine share their U of T experience with CityNews

mattimar — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:21:53 +0000

Exchange students from Ukraine share their U of T experience with CityNews

mattimar Mon, 09/19/2022 - 12:21

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(photo by Johnny Guatto)

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Centre for International Experience

Scholars at Risk

Two Ukrainian exchange students at the ��Ƶ say they are thankful to escape the war with Russia and continue their studies in Canada, CityNews reports.

Danylo Bohdanets, a political science student, and Mariia Cherednychenko, a biology student, are among the nearly 200 students from Ukraine who were welcomed by U of T because their studies were disrupted by the ongoing war. Both are in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“My father is [in Ukraine] and I am scared for his life, and I don’t want him to be scared for my life,” said Bohdanets. “He is doing everything possible – he is fighting in Ukraine, he is defending my country.”

“The only feeling I remember straight away is constant fear,” said Cherednychenko of the war. She came to U of T through a special exchange program between the Faculty of Arts & Science and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy that was made possible by a $3.2 million donation by the Temerty Foundation. U of T is also accepting displaced students from Ukraine through its Scholars at Risk program.

“We are happy to assist our Ukrainian students in continuing their studies during this difficult time,” Hyojin Cho, learning abroad adviser and manager at U of T’s Centre for International Experience, told CityNews. “Many people within the U of T community, including professors, staff members and students have been pitching in to help. We hope the students feel supported within our U of T community.”

Watch the full report on CityNews

PhD candidate Oksana Dudko returned to Ukraine to aid friends and family – and to 'keep the conversation alive'

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 15:19:32 +0000

PhD candidate Oksana Dudko returned to Ukraine to aid friends and family – and to 'keep the conversation alive'

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 08/31/2022 - 11:19

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Oksana Dudko, PhD candidate in history, travelled to Ukraine when the war broke out to help source and transport medical kits to friends and relatives (photo by Odri Stakhiv)

Josslyn Johnstone

Topic

Graduate Students

By Feb. 24, signs of pending Russian aggression against Oksana Dudko’s home country of Ukraine had been visible for months.

Yet the ��Ƶ graduate student says it was still a shock to open Facebook and Instagram and see her friends in Kyiv sharing the sounds of bombs falling around them.

“No one expected such a ruthless war was coming – that that would be the first day of a full-scale invasion where the whole country would be targeted,” says Dudko, a PhD candidate in the department of history who is cross-appointed to the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“It’s a radical change from the Ukraine that I know.”

Many of Dudko’s friends are fighting on the front lines – specifically in Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine next to the Russian border. Like much of the Ukrainian army, Dudko’s friends are not trained soldiers – they are scholars, artists and cultural workers who have volunteered to take up the fight. Some of their families are under constant shelling, hiding in basements. And, as war broke out, they were all in desperate need of medical supplies.

So Dudko, who specializes in modern Ukrainian history and 20th-century European history, left Canada for Warsaw and then onward to Lviv to help. She connected with colleagues abroad to source and transport medical kits to their friends and relatives, across the border to Lviv and throughout Ukraine. What began as an intimate effort evolved into a broader grassroots network of dedicated volunteers who delivered supplies – under rampant shelling – to civilians who were managing everything from chronic diseases to war wounds.

Left: A wrapped and reinforced Neptune fountain in Rynok Square. Across the country, Ukrainians wrapped monuments and statues to protect them from possible Russian shelling and bombardment. Lviv, May 16, 2022. Right: A Ukrainian soldier prays in St. Petro and Pavlo Garrison Church. In the background, wrapped church statues are visible. The church frequently serves as a venue for military funerals. Lviv, May 11, 2022. (photos by Oksana Dudko)

“Because Kharkiv is an active war zone, some large humanitarian convoys were not able to enter it,” says Dudko. “I’m a scholar and my colleagues are scholars who work at cultural centres like the Kharkiv Academic Puppet Theatre. We aren’t professional humanitarian volunteers. We just had this feeling that we must do anything we can to be actively involved – because it's our country, our city and our neighbourhood.”

It’s been more than six months since the war began and there’s now a more established network of humanitarian initiatives.

“Back then, we didn’t realize that the war was going to be so long,” says Dudko. “The media coverage has lessened, but war is still going on, more brutal than ever in eastern and southern Ukraine. We need to be optimistic and strong and keep helping Ukrainians in the face of what feels like a war of attrition.”

The war in Ukraine is not only deeply personal for Dudko. As a historian of the First World War and revolutions in Eastern Europe, she also understands how it is steeped in patterns of the past.

She left her home of Lviv in 2015 to pursue her PhD under the supervision of Piotr Wróbel, a professor in the department of history who holds the Konstanty Reynart Chair of Polish History. Also on her dissertation committee: University Professor Lynne Viola and Professor Doris Bergen, the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies.

Dudko’s research and teaching bring her back to Ukraine often.

For many centuries, Dudko says, most of the Ukraine territories were under Russian imperial control and there were harsh policies of “Russification” – Ukrainian schools were closed and Ukrainian culture and language were forbidden. Similar restrictions continued under the Soviet Union: Ukrainians could express their ethnic identity but were not allowed any independent political life.

When Ukraine became an independent state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Dudko says Russia tried to maintain imperial control by meddling in Ukraine’s domestic politics. “For instance, investing money in pro-Russian parties and helping pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians win elections, like former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.”

Left: A damaged residential building in Kyiv. One person died during the shelling of the area. Kyiv, May 1, 2022. Right: A tourist map of a Kyiv neighbourhood that has been painted over. Ukrainians painted over maps, road signs and street names to disorient Russian troops who invaded Ukraine. Kyiv, May 1, 2022. (photos by Oksana Dudko)

She also highlights the expansion of Russian culture across Ukraine as another method of imperial maintenance.

Ukrainians’ current efforts to protect their cultural heritage amid Russian shelling abound, with many historic monuments and street signs shrouded in protective tarps.

Saving the physical signs of Ukrainian identity are important, says Dudko, as more are lost to the war’s violence.

“We have already lost the museums that held works by local artist Maria Prymachenko and philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda. In the face of this destruction, many grassroots organizations such as Korydor – a magazine about contemporary culture – are performing important work to help keep independent Ukrainian culture alive.

“We can constantly see these Russian attempts to control Ukraine throughout history, and now we have this on a larger, different scale – as a full-fledged war,” Dudko says.

Prior to the invasion, Dudko taught students in Canada and Ukraine about the importance of demilitarization and diplomacy in the face of conflict – to fight for independent democracy by peaceful means.

“We can see that dialogue between countries with problematic histories is possible. There are many dark spots in Ukrainian-Polish relations. For example, Poles persecuted Ukrainians in Galicia, and later the far radical Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists participated in the massacre of Polish civilians in Volyn region during the Second World War,” Dudko explains. “Now, these countries have chosen democratic development and to work on overcoming historical traumas, so as not to repeat the same mistakes.”

But after witnessing the devastation of today’s war firsthand, with her friends and students among the many young people who have died, she says it’s difficult to reconcile that conviction.

“My generation argued for the importance of peace and demilitarization because we wanted to live in a peaceful country. Now we are in the position of having to protect it with weapons – it's a huge identity crisis,” says Dudko. “My friends who are in the army don't want to fight, don't want to kill, don’t want to die – but they don't want to live under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime either.

“It’s a war of survival.”

Dudko returned to Canada this summer and was joined soon after by her aunt and cousin. While she finishes her dissertation and teaches courses, she will continue to support Ukraine by collecting funds to help civilians in eastern Ukraine where much of the fighting is concentrated. She also plans to interview Ukrainian refugees and eventually create a digital archive of their experiences for the historical record.

For the rest of us who want to help, Dudko has one message: “Keep talking about Ukraine. Keep the conversation alive. Give Ukrainians your focus because it's a long war – and global solidarity matters.”

'Fighting for the future': Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy speaks with Canadian university students at U of T event

mattimar — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 20:04:56 +0000

'Fighting for the future': Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy speaks with Canadian university students at U of T event

mattimar Thu, 06/23/2022 - 16:04

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to students at U of T and at other universities across the country at an event hosted by U of T President Meric Gertler and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Mariam Matti

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