/ en /news/u-t-shines-spotlight-exceptional-educators-excellence-teaching-reception <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T shines a spotlight on exceptional educators at Excellence in Teaching reception</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-9-CROP.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=cI-2VkXz 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-9-CROP.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=1Oa10HYI 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-9-CROP.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=bQoimwph 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-9-CROP.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=cI-2VkXz" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-11-27T13:02:53-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - 13:02" class="datetime">Wed, 11/27/2024 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><i>U of T Vice-President and Provost Trevor Young (centre) poses with Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award recipients, from left to right: Jasty Singh, Spyridon Kotsovilis, S. Trimble and Roberta K. Timothy (photo by Polina Teif)</i></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trevor-young" hreflang="en">Trevor Young</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/early-career-teaching-award" hreflang="en">Early Career Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/teaching" hreflang="en">Teaching</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">U of T Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">U of T Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/women-and-gender-studies" hreflang="en">Women and Gender Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At the ���߲ݴ�ý, teaching is about much more than just imparting knowledge – it’s an engaging, dynamic and creative process that expands and enriches the way students think, preparing them for future success in academics and their careers.</p> <p>The recent Excellence in Teaching reception hosted by U of T’s Office of the Provost&nbsp;recognized the fundamental importance of teaching to the university’s mission. In particular, it&nbsp;honoured five faculty members who received&nbsp;<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-of-toronto-early-career-teaching-award/#section_0">Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Awards</a>, which were recently renamed in honour of <strong>Cheryl Regehr</strong> – Young’s <a href="/news/incredible-leadership-u-t-provost-cheryl-regehr-leaves-enduring-legacy">predecessor as vice-president and provost</a>, a professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and a longtime champion of teaching excellence and innovation at U of T.</p> <p>“These awards recognize burgeoning talent among our most junior faculty. We expect – and we know from experience – that these recipients will continue to lead and excel in teaching,” <strong>Trevor Young</strong>, U of T’s vice-president and provost said at the Nov. 4 event held at the Faculty Club.</p> <p>The event also featured the presentation of the <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-of-toronto-global-educator-award/">Global Educator Award</a>, which recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies U of T’s global mission by incorporating intercultural and international perspectives.</p> <p>“I’m extremely proud of U of T for many reasons,” Young said, “and one of them is what’s evident here today, which is the immense talent and experience of our faculty as well as their deep commitment to our university, to our students, to knowledge [and] to research. All that you’re doing is really incredible.”</p> <p><em>U of T News</em> spoke with all six award winners about their approach to educating students:</p> <hr> <h3>Spyridon Kotsovilis</h3> <p><em>Assistant professor, teaching stream – department of political science, U of T Mississauga</em></p> <p><em>Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-4-CROP.jpg?itok=5qPk70Bo" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Polina Teif)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“I design and conduct my classes so that they engage, motivate and empower our students to connect and interact with the material and their peers in inclusive and respectful ways towards learning and achieving their academic goals.</p> <p>“I feel honoured and humbled by the recognition; as teaching is a collective effort, it also belongs to all those who make it possible&nbsp;–&nbsp;from the administration, to the division, to my department and colleagues, to staff across different units, centres and libraries, to the campus maintenance personnel. Ultimately, this is about our students, and I would like to accept this award on behalf of them.”</p> <h3>Alison Olechowski</h3> <p><em>Associate professor – department of mechanical and industrial engineering and Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering and Practice (ISTEP), Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</em></p> <p><em>Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/0S1A1430-crop.jpg?itok=hq7GULrT" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Liz Do)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“I’m very proud to receive this recognition for my teaching – I believe that teaching is a major channel through which I can have impact in my career, and so I strive to do it well. In my teaching I aim to bring the course content to life, so that my students can understand why they’re learning what they’re learning, and how it connects to the real world and their futures.”</p> <h3>Jasty Singh</h3> <p><em>Associate professor, teaching stream – department of immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine</em></p> <p><em>Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-5-CROP.jpg?itok=p11tDS0S" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Polina Teif)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“My approach to teaching is heavily influenced by my own experiences as an undergraduate student, and subsequently a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow at the ���߲ݴ�ý. I’ve always believed that learning happens everywhere –&nbsp;not just in the classroom. My goal is to create inclusive and engaging learning atmospheres that foster personal connections, encourage interdisciplinary exploration and promote ongoing intellectual curiosity.</p> <p>“Receiving this recognition was both an exciting and a deeply validating experience for me – I see it as a reflection of the collaborative efforts of our administrative and teaching support staff, teaching assistants, colleagues and students in the department of immunology.”</p> <h3>Roberta K. Timothy</h3> <p><em>Assistant professor, teaching stream – Dalla Lana School of Public Health</em></p> <p><em>Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-3-CROP.jpg?itok=iiC8L9ub" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Polina Teif)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“I am extremely moved and honoured to be recognized for my teaching, particularly for the work I have dedicated my life to – intersectional, decolonizing, anti-racist, anti-oppression praxis, focusing on Black health and intentionally marginalized populations.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I believe that teaching is one of the most powerful mechanisms to create critical social justice learning and unlearning through creative and actionable change. My teaching is influenced by my over 30 years in community health and activism. It is ancestrally anointed and community led. My hope is that the next generations can continue to create systems and practices that provide healing and wellness for African/Black populations, and that public health can work in solidarity with empathy and deep respect for our health issues and outcomes.”</p> <h3>S. Trimble</h3> <p><em>Assistant professor, teaching stream – Women &amp; Gender Studies Institute, Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</em></p> <p><em>Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-6-CROP.jpg?itok=Q3lxwGbS" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Polina Teif)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“As a teacher I always try to meet students where they are and unlock new ways of connecting with them. To do this, I’ve had to learn to be more vulnerable and playful in and beyond the classroom. This award is a welcome affirmation of my belief that play, creativity and community building are crucial components of teaching excellence.”</p> <h3>Phani Radhakrishnan</h3> <p><em>Associate professor, teaching stream – department of management, U of T Scarborough</em></p> <p><em>Global Educator Award</em></p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/2024-11-04-Excellence-in-teaching_Polina-Teif-2-crop-.jpg?itok=v4d5Y-iB" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Polina Teif)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“I did not expect in my humblest dreams to receive the Global Educator Award from U of T. I&nbsp;grew up in Hyderabad, India, a big city that instills openness to different cultures.&nbsp;I encourage my domestic and international students at the ���߲ݴ�ý to be open-minded when doing business in a multi-cultural environment.&nbsp;My goal is to instill a global and sustainable mindset in my students.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 27 Nov 2024 18:02:53 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 310652 at /news/u-t-and-siemens-canada-partner-transform-energy-grid <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T and Siemens Canada partner to transform energy grid</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/043A0017-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=fbMDzZ7o 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-11/043A0017-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=FEq5k1bD 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-11/043A0017-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=awcxNObR 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/043A0017-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=fbMDzZ7o" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-11-22T15:11:53-05:00" title="Friday, November 22, 2024 - 15:11" class="datetime">Fri, 11/22/2024 - 15:11</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Siemens Canada CEO and President Faisal Kazi (L), and Leah Cowen, U of T's vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, shake hands after signing an institutional partnership agreement focused on advancing sustainability energy systems (photo by Liz Beddall)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6907" hreflang="en">Sayyeda Masood</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/climate-positive-energy" hreflang="en">Climate Positive Energy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/industry-partnerships" hreflang="en">Industry Partnerships</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institutional-strategic-initiatives" hreflang="en">Institutional Strategic Initiatives</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leah-cowen" hreflang="en">Leah Cowen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Strategic industry-academic collaboration aims to accelerate adoption of green energy technologies</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The ���߲ݴ�ý has signed a multi-year agreement with Siemens Canada that seeks to transform the energy grid and boost Canada’s ability to provide clean energy to communities.</p> <p>The partnership will bring together U of T’s cutting-edge research, commercialization and policy expertise with Siemens’s industry-leading experience in sustainable energy management and intelligent infrastructure – all with a view to advancing Ontario’s energy transition goals and contributing to Canada’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.</p> <p>“The ���߲ݴ�ý is delighted to strengthen our relationship with Siemens by entering into this institutional partnership agreement,” said&nbsp;<strong>Leah Cowen</strong>, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, at a signing ceremony held Nov. 21 at Hart House.</p> <p>“This framework agreement will generate broad and deep mutual value enabling both Siemens and U of T to build a green future together as global organizations with global ambitions.”</p> <p>The partnership expands on U of T’s existing ties with Siemens: the company is partner in U of T’s <a href="https://cpe.utoronto.ca/grid-modernization-centre/">Grid Modernization Centre</a>, which brings together companies and U of T researchers to advance decarbonization of the electric grid while supporting innovation in clean energy technologies, policy advocacy and financing. The centre is led by&nbsp;<a href="https://cpe.utoronto.ca/">Climate Positive Energy</a>, a U of T&nbsp;<a href="https://isi.utoronto.ca/">institutional strategic initiative</a>&nbsp;that leverages research expertise across the university to support efforts to curb carbon emissions, reimagine energy systems and facilitate an equitable transition to a clean energy future in Canada and globally.</p> <p>“We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with the ���߲ݴ�ý through signing this framework agreement,” said <strong>Faisal Kazi</strong>, president and CEO of Siemens Canada. “Today marks not just another step but the continuation of a collaborative journey we’ve nurtured over many years. I look forward to seeing continued leadership and innovation as a result of this agreement.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The partnership with Siemens Canada is part of ongoing efforts across the university to address grid modernization and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future powered by clean energy.</p> <p>For example, researchers on all three campuses are currently contributing to efforts to transform Canada’s energy grid – and the infrastructure that powers homes, buildings and electric vehicles – into an intelligent and secure grid. The resulting “smart grid” will leverage the latest advances in AI to appropriately direct energy to the points of highest need at critical times to avoid power outages.</p> <p>The undertaking combines two areas where U of T is among the world leaders – sustainability and AI.&nbsp;U of T was named the <a href="https://defygravitycampaign.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/u-of-t-ranked-worlds-most-sustainable-university/">most sustainable university in the world</a> in the 2024 QS World University Rankings, and is a longstanding leader in AI research, thanks in part to the efforts of luminaries like <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/complete-list-university-professors/">University Professor</a> Emeritus <strong>Geoffrey Hinton</strong>, whose foundational discoveries and inventions were recently&nbsp;<a href="/news/geoffrey-hinton-wins-nobel-prize">recognized with a Nobel Prize</a>.</p> <p>At the same time, U of T researchers are also at the forefront of addressing emerging challenges associated with the transition to a smart grid. That includes security considerations – which will be among the key areas of focus for U of T’s partnership with Siemens, a leading supplier of electrical components to utilities.</p> <p>For example, Professor&nbsp;<strong>Deepa Kundur</strong>, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, leads a research group that’s exploring&nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-researcher-leads-effort-protect-power-utilities-quantum-attacks">exploring how to defend power utilities from cyberattacks</a>.</p> <p>Working with industrial partners across different sectors, these and other U of T researchers are helping companies make better use of resources and enabling safe access to emerging green technologies.</p> <p>Going forward, U of T’s collaboration with Siemens will expand beyond energy systems to encompass other crucial sectors such as AI, automation and advanced manufacturing.</p> <h3><a href="https://bluedoor.utoronto.ca/">Learn more about industry partnerships at U of T</a></h3> <h3><a href="https://cpe.utoronto.ca/">Learn more about Climate Positive Energy</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:11:53 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 310660 at /news/where-are-they-now-4-startups-won-big-u-t-entrepreneurship-week <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Where are they now? 4 startups that won big at U of T Entrepreneurship Week</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/desjardins-group.jpg?h=d6c5e7b0&amp;itok=upuAF1jk 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-11/desjardins-group.jpg?h=d6c5e7b0&amp;itok=vUBdkwj- 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-11/desjardins-group.jpg?h=d6c5e7b0&amp;itok=6nbkeFZE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-11/desjardins-group.jpg?h=d6c5e7b0&amp;itok=upuAF1jk" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-11-22T15:11:45-05:00" title="Friday, November 22, 2024 - 15:11" class="datetime">Fri, 11/22/2024 - 15:11</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Clockwise, from top left: Xatoms, Genecis Bioindustries, TransCrypts and&nbsp;HDAX Therapeutics (photos by Alyssa K. Faoro, Don Campbell – TransCrypts photo supplied – and Matthew Volpe)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/talar-nersesian" hreflang="en">Talar Nersesian</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Week</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">U of T Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">U of T Entrepreneurship's annual pitch competition has helped accelerate the growth of several innovative and promising startups</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When you’re a startup founder, a little extra cash can be the difference between going big – or going out of business.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The first major expenses we needed for our company, I charged to my credit card. Starting a business when you’re 22 years old can be stressful,” explains <strong>Zain Zaidi</strong>, co-founder of TransCrypts, a document verification platform that got its start at the ���߲ݴ�ý.</p> <p>In an effort to ensure that more early-stage companies have the chance to grow, <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca">U of T Entrepreneurship</a> (UTE) has held an annual pitch competition each year during <a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week">Entrepreneurship Week</a>&nbsp;– an event now known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/2025-desjardins-startup-prize/">Desjardins Startup Prize</a>.</p> <p>The competition –&nbsp;which, in recent years, has been part of a broader partnership with Desjardins Group and includes&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/event/desjardins-speaker-series-move-fast-and-make-things-how-to-manufacture-a-global-entrepreneurial-mindset/" target="_blank">an annual&nbsp;Speaker Series</a>&nbsp;– offers more than $100,000 in prizes, ranging from $5,000 for third place in the early-stage category to $40,000 for first place in the late-stage category. There is also a people’s choice award.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/UTE-True-Blue-Impact-Day-2024-Alyssa-K-Faoro-214-scaled_2.jpg?itok=4pD4MM8W" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Marilyn Horrick, Desjardin's senior vice-president, market growth, brand expansion and partner relations outside Quebec, shakes hands with U of T President Meric Gertler at a Desjardins Speaker Series event (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“Entrepreneurs are incredible drivers for innovation when they get the resources they need,”&nbsp;says <strong>Guy Cormier</strong>, president and CEO of Desjardins Group. “Desjardins Group is empowering young, ambitious minds to turn big ideas into solutions that make a positive impact in their communities.</p> <p>“The guidance they get from UTE to help them do that is invaluable.”</p> <p>With the Desjardins Startup Prize&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/2025-desjardins-startup-prize/#how-to-apply">accepting applications until Nov. 29</a>, here are startups that have won previously won awards at the U of T-hosted pitch competition – and&nbsp;then went on to enjoy future success.</p> <hr> <h3>Genecis Bioindustries</h3> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/DSC_0960.jpg?itok=7WrWq4mU" width="750" height="521" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Luna Yu, the founder of Genecis Bioindustries, competed in the early-stage category in 2018 (photo by Don Campbell)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="https://www.genecis.co" target="_blank">Genecis Bioindustries </a>founder <strong>Luna Yu</strong> competed for the top startup prize in 2018 in the early-stage category. At the time, Genecis was working on securing patents and developing its core technology of turning food waste into biodegradable plastics. The company didn’t have any commercial adopters or investors but was working to build partnerships and validate its technology with their stakeholders.</p> <p>“Winning the prize was a turning point for us at Genecis,” says Yu. “It provided the resources and recognition we needed to move from an idea to a growing company and it validated the potential impact of our technology on a larger scale.”</p> <p>Genecis invested the prize money in key areas such as research and development, team growth and infrastructure to scale production of its product.</p> <p>Since its big win in 2018, Genecis has scaled its proprietary technology, secured high-profile investments from Amazon and Khosla Ventures, and earned several government grants, totalling $35 million. Genecis also recently launched the consumer-brand “Mad Tea” to commercialize biopolymers.</p> <h3>TransCrypts</h3> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/transcrypts_banner.jpg?itok=v8DXa6VJ" width="750" height="422" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Ali Zaheer (left) and Zain Zaidi co-founded TransCrypts (supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="https://www.transcrypts.com">TransCrypts</a> co-founders <strong>Ali Zaheer</strong> and <strong>Zain Zaidi</strong> competed for the startup prize in 2022 as a late-stage company. Back then, they had raised just US$200,000 and were in the beta testing stage.</p> <p>The company, which is helping to automate HR workflows, was co-founded in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – a time when its founders&nbsp;questioned if the future they were building this company for would even exist.</p> <p>“Winning this prize told me that maybe the idea I was working on wasn’t a bad one. It told me the thousands of hours and the years of work wasn’t for nothing,” says Zaidi. “This competition gave me the validation that this is what I should put my efforts towards.</p> <p>“It told me to shoot for the stars and continue building this company.”</p> <p>TransCrypts invested their prize money into rapidly prototyping and improving the product and hiring developers. Zaidi describes the competition as “great practice for pitching,” saying the experience was his introduction to the real world.</p> <p>TransCrypts stands out for its commitment to giving back. Last year, Zaidi and Zaheer built a medical record database that helped hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine and Turkey receive quality health care despite war and uncertainty.</p> <p>Fast forward to 2024, TransCrypts is an alumnus of the globally recognized Techstars program, has raised US$4 million and is backed by investors including Mark Cuban.</p> <h3>HDAX Therapeutics</h3> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/UofT96113_HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-50-crop.jpg?itok=l8qgfdXR" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Nabanita Nawar (photo by Matthew Volpe)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="https://hdaxtx.com">HDAX Therapeutics </a>delivers meaningful medicine to unlock the full therapeutic potential of drugs and improve quality of life for patients suffering from neurological and cardiometabolic diseases.</p> <p>Co-founder <strong>Nabanita Nawar</strong> competed for the prize in the late-stage category in 2022. Back then, HDAX Therapeutics had just incorporated, filed their first patent and raised some non-dilutive funding.</p> <p>“This was one of the biggest recognitions for us,” says Nawar of the prize’s impact on herself and her co-founder <strong>Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul</strong>. “The impact that this award had was huge. It really got people to recognize who we are in the U of T and Toronto ecosystems. It set the stage for our next big wins and the relationships that we were building… The startup prize was a great kick-start to help all the pieces of the puzzle come together,”</p> <p>HDAX Therapeutics recently closed its seed funding round, which raised over $5 million, while both Nawar and Manaswiyoungkul – &nbsp;immigrants and scientists-turned-entrepreneurs – are listed on <em>Forbes </em>magazine’s 30 under 30 list.</p> <h3>Xatoms</h3> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/UTE-True-Blue-Impact-Day-2024-Alyssa-K-Faoro-339-1536x1024.jpg?itok=SIzZ-3oC" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Diana Virgovicova, Xatoms founder and CEO, pitches her company to a panel of judges at the Desjardins Startup Prize (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><a href="https://www.xatoms.com">Xatoms</a> is on a mission to bring clean water to underrepresented groups around the world using the power of AI and quantum chemistry.</p> <p><strong>Diana Virgovicova</strong>, the company’s co-founder, competed for the prize in the early-stage category earlier this year – at which point Xatoms was very focused on research and development. &nbsp;</p> <p>“The Desjardins Startup Prize showed me to believe in my business and the impact we are making. It encouraged me to think bigger,” says Virgovicova, who has received many awards and recognitions, including an award of excellence from the royal family in Sweden. “It opened so many doors for Xatoms – opportunities that helped grow our business tenfold.”</p> <p>Within just a span of seven months, Xatoms reached the final round of the Hult Prize, becoming the first Canadian team in over a decade to do so. It also collected over $500,000 in awards at StartupFest in Montreal&nbsp;and recently received the Clean 50 Emerging Leader Award.</p> <p>Virgovicova, along with co-founder <strong>Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou&nbsp;</strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Shirley Zhong</strong>, currently has three water purification pilot operations in Kenya, South Africa and the United States.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-11/UTE-True-Blue-Impact-Day-2024-Alyssa-K-Faoro-897-1-768x512.jpg?itok=pPnRE2WS" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>From left to right: Marilyn Horrick, Diana Virgovicova and U of T Entrepreneurship Director Jon French holding a $15,000 cheque for Xatoms&nbsp;(photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</em></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:11:45 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 310692 at /news/u-t-experts-use-machine-learning-analyze-where-bike-lanes-should-be-located-maximum-benefit <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T experts use machine learning to analyze where bike lanes should be located for maximum benefit </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/GettyImages-2177868956-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=czUJDPSG 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/GettyImages-2177868956-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=6YOsh4g9 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/GettyImages-2177868956-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=N67V74z8 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/GettyImages-2177868956-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=czUJDPSG" alt="a woman rides her bike in a bike lane along Danforth Avenue in Toronto"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-23T10:07:11-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 10:07" class="datetime">Wed, 10/23/2024 - 10:07</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Researchers from U of T's Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering used novel computing approaches to compare utilitarian and equity-driven approaches toward expansion of protected bike lanes (photo by Michelle Mengsu Chang/Toronto Star via Getty Images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-mechanical-and-industrial-engineering" hreflang="en">department of mechanical and industrial engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“If you optimize for equity, you get a map that is more spread out and less concentrated in the downtown areas"</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A team of researchers from the department of civil and mineral engineering in the ���߲ݴ�ý’s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering are wielding machine learning to understand where cycling infrastructure should be located in order to benefit the most people.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4687610">paper published in the <em>Journal of Transport Geography</em></a>, researchers used novel computing approaches to compare two strategies for expansion of protected bike lanes – using Toronto as a model.</p> <p>“Right now, some people have really good access to protected biking infrastructure: they can bike to work, to the grocery store or to entertainment venues,” says&nbsp;post-doctoral fellow and lead author&nbsp;<strong>Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher</strong>, who <a href="/news/shifting-gears-how-data-science-led-madeleine-bonsma-fisher-studying-germ-models-bike-lanes">previously researched interactions between bacteria and viruses before applying her data analysis skills to active transportation</a>.&nbsp;“More lanes could increase the number of destinations they can reach, and&nbsp;previous work shows&nbsp;that will increase the number of cycle trips taken.&nbsp;</p> <p>“However, many people have little or no access to protected cycling infrastructure at all, limiting their ability to get around. This raises a question: is it better to maximize the number of connected destinations and potential trips overall, or is it more important to focus on maximizing the number of people who can benefit from access to the network?”&nbsp;</p> <p>To delve into the question, Bonsma-Fisher and co-authors used machine learning and optimization, a challenge that required them to explore new computational approaches.</p> <p>“This kind of optimization problem is what’s called an ‘NP-hard’ problem, which means that the computing power needed to solve it scales very quickly along with the size of the network,” says <strong>Shoshanna Saxe</strong>¸ associate professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering and one of Bonsma-Fisher’s two co-supervisors alongside Professor <strong>Timothy Chan</strong> of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering. “If you used a traditional optimization algorithm on a city the size of Toronto, everything would just crash.”</p> <p>To get around the problem, PhD student&nbsp;<strong>Bo Lin</strong> invented a machine learning model capable of considering millions of combinations of over a thousand different infrastructure projects in order to test where the most impactful places are to build new cycling infrastructure.</p> <p>Using Toronto as a stand-in for any large, automobile-oriented North American city, the team generated maps of future bike lane networks along major streets, optimized according to two broad types of strategies.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first strategy, dubbed the utilitarian approach, focused on maximizing the number of trips that could be taken using only routes with protected bike lanes in under 30 minutes – without regard for who those trips were taken by.&nbsp;</p> <p>The second, an equity-based strategy, sought to maximize the number of people who had at least some connection to the network.&nbsp;</p> <p>“If you optimize for equity, you get a map that is more spread out and less concentrated in the downtown areas,” says Bonsma-Fisher.&nbsp;“You do get more parts of the city that have a minimum of accessibility by bike, but you also get a somewhat smaller overall gain in average accessibility.”&nbsp;</p> <p>This results in a trade-off, says Saxe. “This trade-off is temporary, assuming we will eventually have a full cycling network across the city, but it is meaningful for how we do things in the meantime and could last a long time given ongoing challenges to building cycling infrastructure.”</p> <p>Another key finding was that certain routes appeared to be essential no matter what strategy was pursued – for example, protected bike lanes along Bloor Street West.</p> <p>“Those bike lanes benefit even people who don’t live near them and are a critical trunk to maximizing both the equity and utility of the bike network. Their impact is so consistent across models that it challenges the idea that bike lanes are a local issue, affecting only the people close by,” Saxe says. “Optimized infrastructure repeatedly turns out in our model to serve neighbourhoods quite a distance away.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The team is already sharing their data with Toronto’s city planners to help inform ongoing decisions about infrastructure investments. Going forward, the researchers hope to apply their analysis to other cities as well.&nbsp;</p> <p>“No matter what your local issues or what choices you end up making, it’s really important to have a clear understanding of what goals you are aiming for and check if you are meeting them,” says Bonsma-Fisher.&nbsp;</p> <p>“This kind of analysis can provide an evidence-based, data-driven approach to answering these tough questions.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:07:11 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 310035 at /news/u-t-receives-52-million-upgrade-scinet-supercomputer <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T receives $52 million to upgrade SciNet supercomputer</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/waterloo_october_2024-crop.jpg?h=5a646a6b&amp;itok=VTppwJVT 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/waterloo_october_2024-crop.jpg?h=5a646a6b&amp;itok=sb_1lL2p 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/waterloo_october_2024-crop.jpg?h=5a646a6b&amp;itok=oWHFmwD- 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/waterloo_october_2024-crop.jpg?h=5a646a6b&amp;itok=VTppwJVT" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-22T11:54:56-04:00" title="Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 11:54" class="datetime">Tue, 10/22/2024 - 11:54</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>From left: Charmaine Dean, Timothy Chan, Bryan May, Nolan Quinn, George Ross, Bardish Chagger, Ranil Sonnadara and Eleanor McMahon (supplied image)&nbsp;</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/adam-elliott-segal" hreflang="en">Adam Elliott Segal</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/scinet" hreflang="en">SciNet</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The upgraded supercomputer, housed at U of T and available to researchers across Canada,&nbsp;will boast roughly three times the computing power of its predecessor</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The ���߲ݴ�ý will receive more than $52 million to upgrade one of the fastest supercomputers in Canada – a shared resource housed at U of T that allows researchers across the country to address key challenges in areas such as health care, drug discovery, sustainable transportation, AI and advanced manufacturing.</p> <p>In&nbsp;<a href="https://alliancecan.ca/en/latest/news/alliance-awards-48m-university-waterloo-and-university-toronto-renew-advanced-research-computing" target="_blank">a recent announcement</a>, the Digital Research Alliance of Canada – a non-profit organization funded by the Canadian government – and the Government of Ontario committed to investing more than $95 million into advanced research computing (ARC) in Ontario at host sites at U of T and the University of Waterloo.&nbsp;</p> <p>The more than $52 million earmarked for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scinethpc.ca/" target="_blank">U of T’s SciNet</a>&nbsp;– which includes matching funds from the province and Compute Ontario – will go toward replacing the&nbsp;<a href="/news/new-u-t-supercomputer-most-powerful-research-machine-canada">Niagara supercomputer</a>&nbsp;with a new computer network with roughly three times the raw computing power, more GPU capacity and storage boosted by an estimated 80 per cent.</p> <p>“This computational infrastructure is critical for our community and for the Canadian research community at large – from the biomedical sciences to aerospace manufacturing,” said&nbsp;<strong>Timothy Chan</strong>, U of T’s associate vice-president and vice-provost,&nbsp;strategic initiatives&nbsp;and a professor in the department of&nbsp;mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.&nbsp;</p> <p>“It supports research in all fields, plus users benefit from the extensive education and training programming offered by SciNet.”</p> <p>He added that the investment supports Canada’s desire to lead in advanced technologies, and that it comes on the heels of U of T&nbsp;<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Geoffrey Hinton</strong>&nbsp;<a href="/news/geoffrey-hinton-wins-nobel-prize">being awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics</a>&nbsp;for laying the foundations for today’s AI boom through his seminal work on deep learning.</p> <p>“By expanding Canada’s supercomputing capabilities, we ensure that the country continues to excel in science and research while staying competitive on the global stage,”&nbsp;<strong>François-Phillipe Champagne</strong>, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry, said in a statement.</p> <p>Chan, for his part, said the shared computing infrastructure, which will utilize a more sustainable, state-of-the-art cooling system, is a savvy use of public funding.</p> <p>“These investments result in cost savings,” he said. “Ontario’s publicly funded ARC ecosystem costs users 80 per cent less than commercial cloud systems.”&nbsp;</p> <p>He said students and researchers across Canada should be encouraged by the news.&nbsp;</p> <p>“It's a unique resource,” he said. “If my students are doing computational research, they can use the cloud, which is expensive. Or they can build their own computer to do it, but they’re not going to have the same kind of power, scale or expert support as something like SciNet.</p> <p>“It plays a big role in being able to speed up research, speed up discovery with whatever they're working on and access more computational memory, more storage and more computational power.”&nbsp;</p> <p>For example, Chan says students can run an algorithm at much faster speeds and test multiple algorithms at the same time – something that’s not always possible on local machines.</p> <p>“Equipping the next generation with job-ready skills in high-performance computing, machine learning and AI is critical to industries including manufacturing, automotive, finance, and the life sciences. When we invest in advanced research computing, we help our students get skilled jobs and attract highly skilled workers to Ontario.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 22 Oct 2024 15:54:56 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 310057 at /news/large-scale-adoption-electric-vehicles-can-lead-human-health-benefits-study <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Large-scale adoption of electric vehicles can lead to human health benefits: Study</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/GettyImages-1765608761-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=JDMQlHEh 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/GettyImages-1765608761-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=-sg3HUcS 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/GettyImages-1765608761-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=o3m8zqq1 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/GettyImages-1765608761-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=JDMQlHEh" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-21T10:05:14-04:00" title="Monday, October 21, 2024 - 10:05" class="datetime">Mon, 10/21/2024 - 10:05</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Researchers from U of T's Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering used computer models to simulate the impact of large-scale adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. (photo by: Plexi Images/Glasshouse Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">"Our simulation shows that the cumulative public health benefits of large-scale EV adoption between now and 2050 could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars"</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could lead to significant health benefits for populations, according to a new study from the department of civil and mineral engineering in the ���߲ݴ�ý’s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.</p> <p>Researchers used computer simulations to show that aggressive electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet, coupled with an ambitious roll-out of renewable electricity generation, could result in health benefits worth between US$84 billion and 188 billion by 2050.&nbsp;</p> <p>Even scenarios with less aggressive grid decarbonization mostly predicted health benefits running into the tens of billions of dollars.&nbsp;</p> <p>“When researchers examine the impacts of EVs, they typically focus on climate change in the form of mitigating&nbsp;CO2&nbsp;emissions,” says Professor&nbsp;<strong>Marianne Hatzopoulou</strong>, one of the co-authors of the study, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2320858121">which was&nbsp;published in <em>PNAS</em></a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>“But&nbsp;CO2&nbsp;is not the only thing that comes out of the tailpipe of an internal combustion vehicle. They produce many air pollutants that have a significant, quantifiable impact on public health. Furthermore, evidence shows that those impacts are disproportionately felt by populations that are low-income, racialized or marginalized.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The research team previously used their expertise in life-cycle assessment to build computer models that&nbsp;simulated the impact of large-scale EV adoption in the U.S. market.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Among other things, they showed that while EV adoption will have a positive impact on climate change, it is not sufficient on its own to meet the&nbsp;Paris Agreement&nbsp;targets. They recommended that EV adoption be used in combination with other strategies, such as investments in public transit, active transportation and higher housing density.&nbsp;</p> <p>In their latest study, the team sought to account for the non-climate benefits of EV adoption. They adapted their models to simulate the production of air pollutants that are common in fossil fuel combustion, such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and small particles known as PM2.5.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Modelling these pollutants is very different from modelling CO2, which lasts for decades and ends up well-mixed throughout the atmosphere,” says study co-author <strong>Daniel Posen</strong>, an associate professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering.</p> <p>“In contrast, these pollutants, and their associated health impacts, are more localized. It matters not only how much we are emitting, but also where we emit them.”&nbsp;</p> <p>While EVs do not produce tailpipe emissions, they can still be responsible for air pollution if the power plants that supply them run on fossil fuels. This also has the effect of displacing air pollution from busy highways to the communities that live near those power plants.&nbsp;</p> <p>Another complication is that neither the air pollution from the power grid nor that from internal combustion vehicles is expected to stay constant over time.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Today’s gasoline-powered cars produce a lot less pollution than those that were built 20 years ago, many of which are still on the road,” says <strong>Jean Schmitt</strong>, post-doctoral fellow and lead author of the study.</p> <p>“So, if we want to fairly compare EVs to internal combustion vehicles, we have to account for the fact that air pollution will still go down as these older vehicles get replaced. We can also see that the power grid is getting greener over time, as more renewable generation gets installed.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The team, which also included Professor <strong>Heather MacLean</strong> of the department of civil and mineral engineering and <strong>Amir F. N. Abdul-Manan</strong> of Saudi Aramco’s Strategic Transport Analysis Team, chose two primary scenarios to simulate to the year 2050. In the first, they assumed that no more EVs will be built, but that older internal combustion vehicles will continue to be replaced with newer, more efficient ones.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>In the second scenario, they assumed that by 2035, all new vehicles sold will be electric. The researchers described this as “aggressive,” but it is in line with the stated intentions of many countries. For example, Norway plans to eliminate sales of non-electric vehicles next year, and Canada plans to follow suit by 2035.&nbsp;</p> <p>For each of these scenarios, they also considered various rates for the transition of the electric grid to low-emitting and renewable energy sources.&nbsp;</p> <p>Under each set of conditions, the team simulated air pollution levels across the U.S. and used calculations commonly used by epidemiologists, actuaries and policy analysts to correlate pollution levels with statistical estimates of the number of years of life lost, as well as with estimates of economic value.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Our simulation shows that the cumulative public health benefits of large-scale EV adoption between now and 2050 could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars,” says Posen.&nbsp;</p> <p>“That’s significant, but another thing we found is that we only get these benefits if the grid continues to get greener. We are already transitioning away from fossil fuel power generation, and it’s likely to continue in the future. But for the sake of argument, we modelled what would happen if we artificially freeze the grid in its current state.</p> <p>“In that case, we’d actually be better off simply replacing our old internal combustion vehicles with new ones – but again, this is not a very realistic scenario.”&nbsp;</p> <p>This finding raises the question of whether it’s more important to decarbonize the transportation sector through EV adoption, or to first decarbonize the power generation sector that’s the ultimate source of pollution associated with EVs.</p> <p>To that, Hatzopoulou notes that vehicles sold today will continue to be used for decades. “If we buy more internal combustion vehicles now, however efficient they may be, we will be locking ourselves into those tailpipe emissions for years to come, and they will spread that pollution everywhere there are roads,” she says. “We still need to decarbonize the power generation system – and we are – but we should not wait until that process is complete to get more EVs on the road.</p> <p>“We need to start on the path to a healthier future today.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:05:14 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 310034 at /news/phd-student-aims-improve-robotic-tools-used-neurosurgeons <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">PhD student aims to improve the robotic tools used by neurosurgeons</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/Kejah-Bescon-1-crop.jpg?h=ebd685d1&amp;itok=_ZZe3ZxG 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/Kejah-Bescon-1-crop.jpg?h=ebd685d1&amp;itok=XlV_uFpN 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/Kejah-Bescon-1-crop.jpg?h=ebd685d1&amp;itok=JG32YBTV 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/Kejah-Bescon-1-crop.jpg?h=ebd685d1&amp;itok=_ZZe3ZxG" alt="Kejah Bascon"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-18T13:14:27-04:00" title="Friday, October 18, 2024 - 13:14" class="datetime">Fri, 10/18/2024 - 13:14</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Kejah Bascon, a PhD student in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, is&nbsp;one of the 2024 recipients&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships&nbsp;(photo by Safa Jinje)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6738" hreflang="en">Safa Jinje</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-mechanical-and-industrial-engineering" hreflang="en">department of mechanical and industrial engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“I’ve aspired to be a neurosurgeon since childhood, and since then, my ambitions have expanded”</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Kejah Bascon’s&nbsp;</strong>path to pursuing a PhD in engineering at the ���߲ݴ�ý – where she aims to design better neurosurgical tools –&nbsp;had many twists and turns.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>Born and raised in Ottawa, she spent much of her primary and secondary education in homeschooling before enrolling in a public high school for her final year to help simplify her transition to university.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I had wanted to study biomedical engineering for my undergraduate degree, but I worked a lot during high school to support myself –&nbsp;and so I wasn’t able to manage all the prerequisites with my circumstances,” Bascon says.</p> <p>“I was quite hard on myself, but I knew I would find a way to make it work.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Bascon ultimately completed her undergraduate degree in cognitive psychology at Carleton University, where she also minored in neuroscience. She then spent three months in medical school abroad before returning to Ottawa to complete her master’s degree in neuroscience.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I’ve aspired to be a neurosurgeon since childhood, and since then, my ambitions have expanded to include applying engineering to neurosurgical practice to innovate surgical tools and technologies,” she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I realized that my path wasn’t going to be as linear as I thought when I first fell in love with the brain and the responsibility of holding a person’s whole consciousness in one’s hands.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Bascon is&nbsp;one of the 2024 recipients&nbsp;of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering’s&nbsp;<a href="https://gradstudies.engineering.utoronto.ca/prospective-students/money-matters/ibet/">Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships</a>, which provide financial support, mentorship, training and networking opportunities to reduce systemic barriers for entry into academia for members of underrepresented groups.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>While Bascon is still planning the direction of her PhD research, she aims to make robotic surgical tools more user-friendly for neurosurgeons by employing engineering principles and a human factors approach.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Improving robotic-assisted neurosurgical tools such as the endoscope can help reduce&nbsp;the cognitive load on neurosurgeons and prevent musculoskeletal injuries following repeated long surgical procedures.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Bascon will be working under the supervision of <strong>Myrtede Alfred</strong>, an assistant professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, to achieve her research goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I never had a Black TA or a Black professor before coming to U of T,” says Bascon,&nbsp;“and now I get to benefit from mentorship and leadership from a Black woman.</p> <p>“It has only been a few weeks, but I already feel so much support for my academic journey from Professor Alfred.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>As an IBET fellow, Bascon says she is especially looking forward to taking advantage of all the opportunities to gain professional development, expand her academic and professional network and give back her time as a mentor.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I’m beyond thankful to receive this support for my PhD journey,” she says. “I hope I can offer an example for others like me, who are from low-income, underrepresented communities, who may have trouble seeing themselves on a university campus.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“I was once in that position too –&nbsp;of not having the right representation. If I can set an example for others, I want to show that this is what an engineer can look like, and this is what an engineer’s background can look like.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 18 Oct 2024 17:14:27 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 309932 at /news/one-great-minds-21st-century-u-t-celebrates-geoffrey-hinton-s-nobel-prize <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: U of T celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize&nbsp;</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-b-%2810%29-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=rOj6za4X 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-b-%2810%29-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=MDlROSRE 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-b-%2810%29-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=1S_vB6hs 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-b-%2810%29-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=rOj6za4X" alt="Hinton speaking at the podium during the event"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-17T13:24:21-04:00" title="Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 13:24" class="datetime">Thu, 10/17/2024 - 13:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, attends a celebration event held at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leah-cowen" hreflang="en">Leah Cowen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-innovation-campus" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/wesley-hall" hreflang="en">Wesley Hall</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-institute-technology-and-society" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cifar" hreflang="en">CIFAR</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-computer-science" hreflang="en">Department of Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/geoffrey-hinton" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Hinton</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/john-polanyi" hreflang="en">John Polanyi</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nobel-prize" hreflang="en">Nobel Prize</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/statistical-sciences" hreflang="en">Statistical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vector-institute" hreflang="en">Vector Institute</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The 2024 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics - known to many as the "godfather of AI" - was honoured at an event attended by a who's who of the Toronto research community</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>There were standing ovations, peals of laughter and even a few tears as the ���߲ݴ�ý welcomed&nbsp;<a href="https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/search?by=text&amp;type=user&amp;v=hinton"><strong>Geoffrey Hinton</strong></a>&nbsp;back to campus after he <a href="/news/geoffrey-hinton-wins-nobel-prize">won the&nbsp;2024 Nobel Prize in Physics</a>.</p> <p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;Emeritus of computer science, Hinton traded the “cheap hotel room in California,” where he received the life-changing news, for an emotional reception in the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus’s airy event hall.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Oct. 10 event drew U of T leaders, supporters, dignitaries and other luminaries. They included Deputy Prime Minister&nbsp;<strong>Chrystia Freeland</strong>, University Professor Emeritus&nbsp;<a href="https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/11818-john-polanyi"><strong>John Polanyi</strong></a>, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986, and Massey College Principal&nbsp;<strong>James Orbinski</strong>, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Doctors Without Borders in 1999.</p> <p>Several of Hinton’s many collaborators and proteges also attended the event – not to mention students who were simply eager to catch a glimpse of the “godfather of AI.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2823%29-crop.jpg?itok=b4Smc-Ix" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton chats with U of T Scarborough Professor David Fleet and Google Research Scientists Sara Sabour and Daniel Watson (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Though sleep deprived, Hinton regaled the audience with fond recollections of his early years as an AI researcher, snapshots of his trademark dry humour and warm expressions of gratitude for mentors, collaborators and, of course, his many students.</p> <p>&nbsp;“I’ve been blessed to have brilliant graduate students and post-docs,” Hinton said.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I had a principle when selecting graduate students: ‘If they’re not smarter than me, what’s the point?’ And I’ve had quite a number of graduate students who were smarter than me.&nbsp;</p> <p>“They did things I wouldn’t have been able to do, so I’d like to thank them.”</p> <p>He said two figures in particular played a huge role in the work that led to his Nobel Prize, which he shared with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.princeton.edu/news/2024/10/08/princetons-john-hopfield-receives-nobel-prize-physics" target="_blank">Princeton University’s&nbsp;John J. Hopfield</a>. The first was&nbsp;<strong>Terry Sejnowsky</strong>, a computational neuroscientist and former student of Hopfield’s, who worked with Hinton on Boltzmann machines – a period Hinton described as “the most happy research time of my life.”</p> <p>He also praised the contributions of the late&nbsp;<strong>David Rumelhart</strong>, a psychologist at Stanford University, who worked with him to develop backpropagation algorithms, a key breakthrough.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;“[He] should have won the Nobel Prize,” Hinton said. “But unfortunately, Dave got a horrible brain disease and he died quite young.” (The Nobel organization doesn’t award the honour posthumously).</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-b-%283%29-crop.jpg?itok=dSJHWt-g" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton poses for a picture with Assistant Professor&nbsp;Chris Maddison, who was one of the last graduate students Hinton supervised&nbsp;(photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Chris Maddison</strong>&nbsp;joined Hinton’s research group as an undergraduate and was one of the last students he supervised. Now an assistant professor&nbsp;in U of T’s departments of computer science and statistical sciences in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, Maddison lauded Hinton as “a steadfast mentor and supporter who saw strength in me that I didn’t see” and said one of his greatest attributes was his sheer enthusiasm.&nbsp;</p> <p>“No matter what’s going on, you can find him in the lab on Sundays at 8 p.m. playing with his MATLAB scripts like a child playing with Legos,” Maddison said. “He never lost that child-like sense of wonder that buoyed him and the group.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2848%29-crop.jpg?itok=1MquVq1s" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>U of T President Meric Gertler said, via video message from Indonesia, where he was on university business, that Hinton is “one of the great minds of the 21st century” (photo by&nbsp;Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>U of T President&nbsp;<strong>Meric Gertler</strong>, who was in Indonesia on university business when the prize was announced,&nbsp;hailed Hinton in a video message as “one of the great minds of the 21st century” and someone who “literally created new ways of thinking about thinking and learning.”</p> <p>He noted that Hinton’s AI leadership extends to the pressing question of responsible and safe development of the technology.</p> <p>“With his Nobel win, he’s now perfectly positioned to amplify this concern on a world stage.” President Gertler said.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2821%29-crop.jpg?itok=qq1DkhUu" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton shares a laugh with University Professor Molly Shoichet of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>The event’s guest list served as a reminder of Hinton’s outsized influence on the research community in Toronto and beyond, drawing key figures from: the <a href="https://vectorinstitute.ai" target="_blank">Vector Institute</a>, where Hinton is co-founder and chief scientific adviser; the <a href="https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca">Schwartz Reisman Institute of Technology and Society</a>, where he sits on the advisory board; and <a href="https://cifar.ca" target="_blank">CIFAR</a> (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), where Hinton is an adviser and longtime fellow.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2838%29-crop.jpg?itok=x2CdZ7fm" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton poses for a photo with Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Leah Cowen</strong>, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, reminded the accomplished audience that Hinton’s historic achievement – both the Nobel Prize and the AI revolution he helped spark – was the result of years toiling in an “unpromising backwater” of AI research.</p> <p>“It is tempting to think that it happened almost overnight, but it didn’t,” Cowen said.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2842%29-crop.jpg?itok=crJbpCRO" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>University Professors Emeriti – and fellow Nobel Prize-winners&nbsp;–&nbsp;Geoffrey Hinton and John Polanyi have their photo taken together (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Hinton took time to reflect on periods of personal struggle and tragedy – and thank those who helped him in his hour of need.</p> <p>When his wife had an incurable form of cancer, he recalled how U of T President Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>David Naylor</strong>, a physician, medical researcher and former dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, carried out research on a possible alternative treatment that was being explored – incorporating input from top medical experts – and presented him with a report of his findings.&nbsp;</p> <p>“He’s a tremendous human being,” Hinton said of Naylor, who was in the audience.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2810%29-crop.jpg?itok=nQrZtWHK" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton shares a moment with U of T President Emeritus&nbsp;David Naylor&nbsp;(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Hinton also recalled how, when his first wife became ill in 1993 – also with cancer – his post-doctoral trainee&nbsp;<strong>Peter Dayan</strong>, now a director at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, stepped in to advise Hinton’s graduate students, giving him time to care for his ailing spouse.</p> <p>“At times like this, you remember the people who helped you most when things were very difficult,” Hinton said.</p> <p>He later pointed out that Dayan went on to supervise&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrm0p2mxvyo" target="_blank">one of this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry</a>,&nbsp;<strong>Demis Hassabis</strong>, joking that this made Dayan “the meat in a Nobel sandwich.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%289%29-crop.jpg?itok=FidziTsr" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Deputy Prime Minister&nbsp;Chrystia Freeland said Canada was lucky to have Hinton, who was born in the U.K., and thanked his daughter for sharing her father with the country, with science and the world<strong>&nbsp;</strong>(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>For Minister Freeland, Hinton’s award showcased the value of ideas and of fundamental research. She said Hinton’s Nobel Prize sent waves of pride across Canada, which she said was “lucky as a country” that Hinton arrived on its shores back in 1987.</p> <p>“Geoff shows that you can be a really brilliant intellectual and also a really great human being who cares about his community and his country,” Freeland said. “I am constantly struck by how Geoff thinks about the bigger implications of his ideas and how Geoff thinks about really wanting to make Canada and the world a better place.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2862%29-crop.jpg?itok=EM2tc4oh" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Hinton chats with Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, who thanked him for his friendship and mentorship – and his dedication to science and scholarship&nbsp;(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Following the program – which also featured remarks by U of T Chancellor&nbsp;<strong>Wes Hall</strong>, Faculty of Arts &amp; Science Dean&nbsp;<strong>Melanie Woodin</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Christine Szustaczek</strong>, U of T’s vice-president, communications – Hinton mingled with members of the audience, shook hands with students and caught up with former colleagues and trainees.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/2024-10-10-UofT-Celebrates-Geoffrey-Hinton-Nobel-%2845%29-crop.jpg?itok=j8tveEpD" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Clockwise from top left: Christine Szustaczek, Wes Hall, Chris Maddison, Leah Cowen, Geoffrey Hinton and Melanie Woodin&nbsp;(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Brendan Frey</strong>, professor in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering and CEO of AI-powered therapeutics startup Deep Genomics, said he was one of many who earned his PhD under Hinton’s supervision.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I think of Geoff as the father of a community that includes myself, other graduate students and all the people who didn’t believe but then came to believe – and he inspired all of us,” said Frey, who shared a hug with his former supervisor following the event.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I’m really happy for him.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:24:21 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 309872 at /news/u-t-researcher-explores-novel-biomaterials-improve-treatment-chronic-diseases <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T researcher explores novel biomaterials to improve the treatment of chronic diseases</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/TF2_7229-crop.jpg?h=35cc9f34&amp;itok=Tz_AK2OE 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-10/TF2_7229-crop.jpg?h=35cc9f34&amp;itok=TXN1acTS 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-10/TF2_7229-crop.jpg?h=35cc9f34&amp;itok=lRqI-1kx 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-10/TF2_7229-crop.jpg?h=35cc9f34&amp;itok=Tz_AK2OE" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-03T11:08:08-04:00" title="Thursday, October 3, 2024 - 11:08" class="datetime">Thu, 10/03/2024 - 11:08</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>U of T researcher Caitlin Maikawa and her team are hoping to ease the burden on patients by developing more treatments for chronic diseases that can be self-administered in the home (photo by Tim Fraser)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/selah-katona" hreflang="en">Selah Katona</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“It’s our goal to develop technologies, such as a pill, that make disease management easier and more effective so that it easily fits into patient’s lifestyles"</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A team of researchers at the ���߲ݴ�ý is researching how to develop a pill to deliver treatment of chronic diseases that are currently managed by medications administered by injection.&nbsp;</p> <p>Led by&nbsp;<strong>Caitlin Maikawa</strong>, the team&nbsp;aims to increase the accessibility of treatment by removing the burden on patients who are required to visit their doctor’s office to receive medication.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Taking a pill is the patient-preferred method of administration since it gives them autonomy over their treatment and the ability to easily do it themselves at home,” says Maikawa, an assistant professor at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“We hope our research will lead to new technologies that will improve the efficacy of current therapeutics and reduce the patient burden associated with managing chronic diseases.” &nbsp;</p> <p>Maikawa is one of two U of T Engineering professors to receive funding from the latest round of the&nbsp;Canadian Foundation for Innovation <a href="https://www.innovation.ca/apply-manage-awards/funding-opportunities/john-r-evans-leaders-fund">John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI-JELF)</a>. The other recipient is&nbsp;<strong>Mohamad Moosavi</strong>,<b>&nbsp;</b>an assistant professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, whose research&nbsp;<a href="https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/u-of-t-engineering-professor-using-ai-to-decarbonize-chemical-industries/">incorporates&nbsp;artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials to combat climate change</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The support will help&nbsp;Maikawa’s lab&nbsp;engineer dynamic polymer biomaterial systems to develop new drug delivery and bio-sensing technologies to treat chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Polymers are large molecules composed of repeating structural units that can be designed to interact with disease markers in the body to target therapeutics to disease sites, time the release of therapeutics or even release signalling molecules for disease monitoring.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-10/TF2_7585-crop.jpg?itok=Jw7MnK_V" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Tim Fraser)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Maikawa’s research group focuses on the design and synthesis of dynamic polymer systems by using stimuli-responsive chemistries,&nbsp;also known as affinity-based interactions – a concept where certain molecules respond to external stimuli and interact selectively with a particular substance – and applying&nbsp;these polymer materials to address challenges in treating chronic disease.</p> <p>“One way of thinking about dynamic polymer systems is that we have a kind of molecular Velcro where these molecular units stick together when we make the material,” says Maikawa. “But in the presence of disease markers in the body, the Velcro pulls apart allowing the material to degrade or in some cases to release the drug.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Maikawa’s&nbsp;lab aims to collaborate with clinicians to understand how to address impactful challenges with biomaterials. Since chronic diseases are often difficult to manage,&nbsp;her team is looking at the whole picture of chronic disease treatment and its&nbsp;efficacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“It’s our goal to develop technologies, such as a pill, that make disease management easier and more effective so that it easily fits into patient’s lifestyles,” she says.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:08:08 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 309707 at /news/battery-powered-ev-chargers-co-developed-u-t-installed-st-george-campus <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Battery-powered EV chargers – co-developed at U of T – installed on St. George campus</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/Jule-charger-Skule-logo-updated-crop_1.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=F7isGI9F 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-09/Jule-charger-Skule-logo-updated-crop_1.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=ldP6gqw0 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-09/Jule-charger-Skule-logo-updated-crop_1.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=793hWnZE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/Jule-charger-Skule-logo-updated-crop_1.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=F7isGI9F" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-09-20T10:34:25-04:00" title="Friday, September 20, 2024 - 10:34" class="datetime">Fri, 09/20/2024 - 10:34</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>The Level 3+ battery-powered EV charging stations are available in U of T's Landmark Garage, located beneath King's College Circle on the St. George campus (photo by Safa Jinje)&nbsp;</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6738" hreflang="en">Safa Jinje</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-mechanical-and-industrial-engineering" hreflang="en">department of mechanical and industrial engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/facilities-and-services" hreflang="en">Facilities and Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/landmark" hreflang="en">Landmark</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The rapid-charging stations were developed by Canadian EV tech company Jule in collaboration with experts at the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The historic core of the ���߲ݴ�ý’s St. George campus is now home to a pair of next-generation electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that utilize technology co-developed at the university.</p> <p>The two new stations use direct current (DC)-sourced EV chargers boasting integrated battery energy storage systems – novel technology that minimizes strain on the electrical grid.</p> <p>Located in the&nbsp;<a href="http://transportation.utoronto.ca/landmark-hart-house-circle/">Landmark Garage</a>&nbsp;beneath King’s College Circle, the chargers are rated Level 3+, meaning they can charge EVs in under&nbsp;30 minutes, and bring the total number of EV charging stations in the garage to 50.</p> <p>The technology underpinning the new charges was&nbsp;developed by Jule, an <a href="https://www.julepower.com/">energy storage and EV solutions company</a> co-founded by Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering alumnus <strong>Carmine Pizzurro</strong>, in collaboration with U of T faculty members.</p> <p>Jule embarked on its first research collaboration with U of T shortly after its founding in 2009, teaming up with the <a href="https://www.ece.utoronto.ca/research/centres/centre-applied-power-electronics-cape/">Centre for Applied Power Electronics</a> led by Professor <strong>Reza Iravani</strong> at the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering.</p> <p>It also worked closely with the city's electric utility.</p> <p>“One of our first collaborations was with Toronto Hydro, which led to us being the first company in the world to put lithium-ion batteries on the distribution grid to provide backup power during outages and reduce stress on the grid during peak periods,” says Pizzurro, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at U of T.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-09/tmslab-1-crop.jpg?itok=B97NXlUc" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Cristina Amon and Carlos Da Silva (fourth and fifth from left, respectively, in the front row) pose with students and staff in the Thermal Management Systems lab (photo by&nbsp;Aaron Demeter)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Pizzurro went on to install Jule’s first battery-powered fast chargers in northern Canada as part of a collaboration with Natural Resources Canada.</p> <p>But the company needed to address a longstanding challenge with lithium-ion batteries: they’re temperature-sensitive and must be able to operate reliably in both hot and cold environments if they are to help power a net-zero future.</p> <p>To tackle this issue, Jule in 2018 expanded its partnership with the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering to include <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/complete-list-university-professors/">University Professor</a> <strong>Cristina Amon</strong> and senior research associate <strong>Carlos Da Silva</strong> of the <a href="https://atoms.mie.utoronto.ca/">Advanced Thermofluids Optimization, Modelling and Simulation (ATOMS) laboratory</a> in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering.</p> <p>The ATOMS experts have been developing computational models and experimental characterization to optimize Jule’s battery thermal management systems – work that is being carried out in a state-of-the-art battery testing facility that received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Ontario Research Fund.</p> <p>“Thermal management is an issue that impacts both aspects of Jule’s EV fast charging technology: the power electronics to enable the charging, as well as their unique integrated battery storage system,” says Da Silva, who is also executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://electrification.utoronto.ca/">U of T Electrification Hub</a>.&nbsp;“Thermal management is critical for mitigating battery degradation. It requires regulating the temperature in such a way that you keep the battery within an optimal range that will extend its life span.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Jule’s fast chargers use energy stored in batteries, rather than drawing it directly from the electrical grid in the manner of traditional fast chargers. That means they don’t cause grid overloading during peak usage times and can be charged during off-peak hours when electricity is less costly; they also don’t require significant investments in electricity upgrades.</p> <p>“The battery storage system is charged using current from the electrical grid, which is alternating current (AC); and then this larger battery, which uses direct current (DC), charges the smaller battery in the electric vehicle,” says Amon. “It is more efficient to fast-charge from a&nbsp;stationary battery to an EV – DC to DC – than it is to fast-charge an EV from the electrical grid, which requires converting AC to DC power.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Jule’s Level 3+ charging station can provide up to 200 kilowatts of power output, yet only needs 45 kilowatts of input power. Amon says this rapid charging speed can help alleviate range anxiety among EV users: “Some drivers fear that EV batteries may not have enough energy to reach a desired destination. But if charging time is much closer to the time required to fill up a tank of a gas-powered car, that can reduce this worry.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-09/EV-fast-charging-station-ribbon-cutting-12-crop_0.jpg?itok=b3v1Rb5R" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>L-R: Professor Reza Iravani, Jule co-founder Carmine Pizzurro, U of T Electrification Hub Executive Director Carlos Da Silva, University Professor Cristina Amon and U of T Engineering Dean Christopher Yip (photo by Safa Jinje)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>The Level 3+ stations are joining&nbsp;48 Level 2 chargers that are already available for public use&nbsp;at the Landmark Garage.</p> <p>This increases the campus’s charging capacity to over 25,000 charges per year, which can eliminate over 700 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to U of T’s Sustainability Office.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“Hosting these first-of-their-kind EV chargers right here on campus extends beyond providing a new and exciting sustainability service to our community,” says <strong>Ron Saporta</strong>, U of T’s chief operating officer, property services and sustainability.&nbsp;“It represents just one example of how we are supporting the intersection of research, learning and commercialization of sustainable innovations developed by members of our very own U of T community.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The charging stations will also serve as a living lab to test future thermal innovations jointly developed by U of T Engineering researchers and Jule.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“Having these chargers on campus enables us to have a greater capacity to test the system in ways we are limited by doing in a lab setting,” says Da Silva.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 20 Sep 2024 14:34:25 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 309506 at