University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto University of Annual Review 2009 Annual Review University of Toronto Scarborough Annual Review 2009 University of Toronto Scarborough 1265 Military Trail Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Tel: 416.287.8872 www.utsc.utoronto.ca [email protected] FACULTY & STUDENTS Professor Greg Vanlerberghe, Chair 24 full-time faculty At a Glance 4 Canada Research Chairs ?00 undergraduate students 50+ MSc and PhD students 20+ post-doctoral fellows, research assistants, technicians Contents At the University of Toronto Scarborough, 2 5 12 22 50 innovative thinking is in high gear and PLANNING IN HOW WE’RE ACADEmiC BIOLOGICAL Faculty MOTION MOVING MOMENTUM SCIENCES propelling us rapidly forward. After an A message from AHEAD A message from the Principal UTSC> RE isS focusingEARCH SHOWCAthe DeanS E& 53 extensive consultation and planning process, on five strategic Vice-Principal Grants & Awards we’re more focused than ever on pursuing prioritiesStress(Academic) on the Brain 26 UTSC’s goals as a leader in breakthrough The aging of Canada’s populationCO overMP UTEthe nextR & decade56 will bring 6 18 MATHEMATICAL Publications research and academic excellence. The Campusa steady rise inRE theS EAincidenceRCH of heartSCIENCE attacksS and strokes, along Expansionwith Alzheimer’s,ADVANCE Parkinson’sS and other neurodegenerative sense of new momentum is evident right diseases. CriticalA message research on the brain’s role in these conditions across our campus, from the labs where got an importantfrom boost the this past year when the Centre for the 8 Vice-Principal, 30 SupportingNeurobiology Research of Stress (CNS) HsecuredUMANIT additionalIES infrastruc- students work alongside faculty on pioneer- Studentsture support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. With a ing investigations to the latest departmental BEES BUZZ matching grant from the Ontario Research Fund, the new funding 10totals more than $4 million. programs that link several core disciplines Planning is well under way for a new undergradu- GivingThe Back CNS was founded in 2001 by Professor Ian Brown, a in expanding the horizons of learning. ate program leading to a Biodiversity, Ecology and molecular biologist who holds a Canada34 Research Chair in the Evolution Specialist degree – with the apt acronym Neurobiology of Stress. The centreM ANAGEis homeM ENTto a cluster of UTSC BEES. Slated for the fall of 2010, the program helps researchers whose work bridges the molecular, cellular and physi- This acceleration is also directed outward, students understand how ecology and evolution ological aspects of neuroscience. Virtually all of the new funding shape the morphology, physiology and behaviour of will go to advanced technology that aids researchers in examining reinforcing UTSC’s role as the dynamic individual organisms, as well as the nature of entire the nervous system’s response to biological stress. Their work intellectual and cultural hub for the eastern ecosystems. Challenges such as habitat destruc- also explores new therapeutic approaches38 – often in partnership tion, biological invasions and climate change will be with Canadian companies – for thePHY treatmentSICAL & of cerebrovascular Greater Toronto Area. Our students explore ENVIRONMENTAL examined within a global framework. Among those and neurodegenerative disorders.S CIENCES local as well as global communities, launching the program is new faculty member Among the researchers whose work will benefit is Professor gaining vital first-hand experience. And Professor Marc Cadotte, an ecologist who stud- Michelle Aarts, a cell and systems biologist whose team stud- ies extinction, invasions and other factors driving ies the impact of strokes at the level of individual neurons: “Our those diverse communities in turn send us diversity changes in plant communities. research targets the mechanisms42 of neuronal death following a PSYCHOLOGY talented students and faculty whose The new BEES degree will prepare graduates stroke injury. The underlying causes of cell death and the progres- for roles in government, NGOs and consulting sion of the brain lesion are still poorly understood. We hope to international outlook broadens our own. firms, as well as business or law with an environ- gain insights into which signal pathways influence cell survival.” As we forge new partnerships to support mental focus. The program can also lead to gradu- While Aarts and her colleagues work in a highly technical field the next wave of campus expansion, UTSC ate studies – including a Professional Master’s with a language all its own, the reality46 of the afflictions they study degree in Conservation and Biodiversity that is never far away: “Stroke is a devastatingSOCIAL disease that has a is, as always, focused on the future – and our department has proposed to complement the severe impact on quality of life forS patientsCIENCES and their families. It’s Master of Environmental Science degree. also the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada purposefully moving ahead. and costs the healthcare system almost $3 billion annually. Our aim is to understand how brain cells communicate, die and Recognizing Students recover from injury, so we can develop the first effective treat- The many dedicated students in Biological Scienc- ments to protect the brain from damage and speed functional es are ably represented by Edward Eng, winner of recovery.” the 2009 PhD Graduate Student Research Award for his academic achievements and contribu- tions to campus life. Having earned BSc and MSc degrees at UTSC, he is completing his doctoral research on macrophages – white blood cells that are crucial to the body’s defense against infec- tion. Outside the lab, Eng founded a chapter of the national Let’s Talk Science program, volunteering to promote science in local schools and encour- aging fellow students to follow suit. Recognized by his professors as a natural teacher, Eng has treasured his 10 years at UTSC: “I feel like I’m part of a community here, which is why I’ve put a lot of time and energy into different activities.” university of toronto scarborough annual review i Message from the Principal The Honourable David Peterson (bottom, right), U of T’s Chancellor, helped welcome Pan Am Games officials to UTSC as chair of Toronto’s Planning in successful bid to host the 2015 Games. Motion As the theme of our 2009 Annual Review underlines, the University of Toronto Scarborough is moving ahead. Over the past two years, we’ve tackled the challenges of managing recent growth with a rigorous collaborative planning effort. As a result, we now have an even deeper understanding of the UTSC identity and a clearer vision of where we’re headed next. Going forward, our strategic planning will continue to drive everything we do as UTSC evolves to reflect – and help set – the pace of global change. As one of three unique campuses that comprise We are also uniquely positioned to provide an the University of Toronto, UTSC has doubled its intellectual, cultural and social hub for the enrolment since 2001. With top-notch faculty and eastern Greater Toronto Area – a region more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate identified by all levels of government as a centre students, we’ve joined the ranks of Canada’s of dramatic population growth that will see a boom mid-sized universities – large enough to have in economic development in the decades ahead. significant impact, yet nimble enough to respond quickly and effectively to shifts in the social and We’re evolving from inside out and outside in. educational landscape. UTSC faculty members in growing numbers are Rooted in our community and connected to the forming dynamic intellectual clusters to bridge world, UTSC has achieved international recog ni- related fields of inquiry. Across all disciplines, tion for groundbreaking research in diverse our researchers are immersed in promising academic disciplines, as well for the quality of our investigations, whether contributing to Nobel innovative approaches to teaching. As one pillar Prize-winning work on climate change or helping within a tri-campus system, we embrace the to improve the global food supply. The impact of high standards of academic excellence and their collective insights reaches out to the wider global relevance that distinguish the University of world, inspiring further discoveries and sparking Toronto among leading postsecondary institutions. successful enterprises. At the same time, their Professor Franco J. Vaccarino collaborations open up new avenues of under- Principal, University of Toronto Scarborough graduate and graduate study that point students Vice-President, University of Toronto along rewarding career paths. university of toronto scarborough university of toronto scarborough 2 annual review annual review 3 Message from the Principal How We’re Moving Ahead UTSC is focusing on five strategic priorities UTSC alumnus John McKay (left), MP for Scarborough-Guildwood, celebrates the Pan Am Games announcement with Principal Franco Vaccarino (see page 6). As an institution devoted to innovative thinking, New and emerging areas of scholarship. One of placements with community organizations and other we are constantly in motion. UTSC is in the 1 our main goals at UTSC is to illuminate significant volunteer positions. What differentiates all experiential business of creating and disseminating new ideas, issues and determine solutions to complex learning at UTSC is the degree of integration with superior methodologies