This fall, 40 newly enrolled Master of Engineering (MEng) students began their coursework at U of T Engineering — and started preparing for job interviews.
Starting next May, they will spend eight months working with leading companies from Toronto and around the world through U of T Engineering’s brand-new MEng Extended Full-Time Co-op program.
“Our professional master’s students have been asking for practical, industrial experience to be part of their program for a long time, and we’re so pleased that we are able to deliver it,” says Professor Craig Steeves (UTIAS), U of T Engineering’s Acting Vice-Dean, Graduate.
“It’s taken a lot of work behind the scenes, particularly on the part of Professor Julie Audet (BME) who served as our Vice-Dean, Graduate during the planning and development phases. It’s wonderful to see it come to fruition, and we’re very grateful for everyone who has made it possible.”
The MEng is U of T Engineering’s course-based, professional master’s program, distinct from the Master of Applied Science (MASc) and the PhD.
As with the traditional MEng programs, the MEng Extended Full-Time Co-op program is available to both domestic and international students. It typically takes 24 months to complete: two semesters of course work, an eight-month work term, and another two course-based semesters.
Designed in close collaboration with the Engineering Career Centre, the MEng Extended Full-Time Co-op program builds on the success of the Professional Experience Year Co-op program (PEY Co-op), which is designed for undergraduate students.
“We’re tapping into the same global employer network that powers the PEY Co-op program, a set of partnerships we’ve been nurturing for more than 40 years,” says Steeves.
“On top of that, we’re providing essential support for resume building, interview practice and other skills that students need as they prepare for the job application process.”
One of these supports comes in the form of TEP 1701 Navigating Engineering Workplaces, a new graduate-level course created and taught by Professor Chirag Variawa (ISTEP), along with industrial engineering MASc student Sambea Cochrane (IndE 2T4 + PEY).
“Building community is an integral part of this course,” says Variawa.
“Students are coming from a variety of diverse backgrounds: some students have already had work experience, whether that’s in Canada or elsewhere, whereas other students are entering the classroom straight out of their undergrad.”
Variawa says that the course aims to help students develop a clear understanding of the engineering licensure process, as well as what it’s like to work for some of the many different types of organizations that hire engineers.
“We’ve started two of our term projects so far,” says Variawa.
“One requires students to interview an engineer in the Canadian workplace and reflect on what they’ve learned. In the second, students work in teams to research a real company/organization and take on roles such as HR manager, senior engineer or an intern currently working at the company.
“The goal of each team presentation is to attract the MEng students in the room to apply for that company/organization so that all students can see greater context that’s behind the internship process.”
Variawa says there is also instruction in engineering ethics, personal branding and value statements, interviewing skills and developing materials to showcase talent.
“The class is proceeding extremely well,” he says.
In the new year, the students will apply these skills as they interview for positions listed through U of T’s Engineering Career Centre. Roger Francis is the executive director of Engineering Careers and Experiential Learning at U of T.
“Students in this program will be able to access a broad range of the over 650 active industry partners in the Engineering Career Centre database,” says Francis.
“These include companies specializing in semiconductor design, AI, logistics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biomedical and industry leaders focused on solving some of the biggest challenges of our day.”
The 40 students currently enrolled in the program are just the beginning. Steeves says that the plan is to expand the MEng Extended Full-Time Co-op program to 120 spots starting in the fall of 2026. He expects those spots to get snapped up quickly.
“The value of a program like this is clear,” says Steeves.
“Students now get a full-time, paid work term that enables them to apply what they are learning in class directly to real challenges in their chosen field.
“Meanwhile, our partner companies get early access to an amazing pipeline of talent, and eight months provides lots of time for those students to make a real contribution. It’s a really beneficial arrangement.”
On October 9, U of T Engineering proudly honoured five exceptional alumni with an evening at Hart House. Their achievements reflect the transformative power of engineering to spark innovation and create meaningful impact across industries and communities.
The University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Network (EAN) Awards recognize bold innovators and influential leaders whose passion, vision and commitment to excellence continue to shape the profession and inspire future generations.
“Our alumni continue to impress us with their creativity, relentless drive to solve complex challenges and dedication to the U of T Engineering community. They embody the very best of engineering — transforming ideas into impact and inspiring others through their leadership and innovation,” says Dean Chris Yip.
“We are incredibly proud to have them as ambassadors of our community and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of this year’s award recipients.”
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award recognizes a U of T Engineering graduate early in their career, who has achieved outstanding professional achievements or had an impact on their field.
Natasha Baker (ECE 0T8) is a bold innovator in electronics design, leading the charge to make hardware engineering faster, smarter and more accessible. As founder and CEO of SnapMagic, she built the world’s largest proprietary database of electronic component models and launched an AI-powered co-pilot that’s revolutionizing circuit board design.
Frustrated by the slow, manual process of designing circuit boards, Baker launched SnapMagic as a solo founder, and has grown it into a firm with more than 30 team members, 4 million annual CAD model downloads, and trusted by leading suppliers, distributors and EDA companies.
Beyond innovation, Baker is passionate about expanding access to opportunity. She mentors aspiring engineers and remains active in the U of T community, driven by the belief that while talent is everywhere, exposure to what’s possible often isn’t.
Research & Innovation Award
The Research & Innovation Award recognizes an Engineering graduate or group of graduates who have developed, implemented or discovered an innovation or research program, process or product. The identified work has had a significant impact on the profession, community or society.
Professor Rudolf Seracino (CivE 9T3, MASc 9T5) is a global leader in structural engineering whose work is transforming how we preserve aging infrastructure. Currently a distinguished professor at North Carolina State University, he has spent more than 25 years pioneering fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) technologies to make concrete structures safer and more sustainable.
Seracino’s innovations have helped prevent costly shutdowns, extended the life of aging infrastructure and enabled critical hurricane evacuation routes. From rapid-repair systems for earthquake-damaged bridges to North Carolina’s first all-FRP reinforced bridge, his work has earned national recognition, including the ASCE Innovation Award.
Seracino’s research is widely cited, and his Mechanically-Fastened FRP Repair System is now used across the United States. A dedicated mentor and educator, he continues to shape global building standards and inspire the next generation of engineers.
Industry Award
This award celebrates exceptional contributions to industry, recognizing creativity, leadership and professional excellence in applying engineering principles to solve problems, achieve outstanding results and create meaningful impact on industry and society.
David McColl (ElecE 7T9) is a globally respected leader in elevator safety whose 45-year career has shaped the global standards that keep millions of people safe every day. He played a key role in uniting Canadian and U.S. safety codes and pioneered emergency-use elevator protocols, now adopted worldwide. McColl currently serves as the director of worldwide codes development at Otis Elevator Company.
Beyond his technical impact, McColl is a mentor and advocate for public safety, leading international committees and advising governments. His dedication has earned him multiple industry awards and highlights the global influence of Canadian engineering excellence.
Citizenship Award
This award honours a graduate or group of graduates who have made a significant impact on the U of T Engineering community through their volunteer contributions or philanthropic vision. Through their leadership, they have enriched the lives of others with generous gifts of time, talent and/or financial support.
Jacquelyn MacCoon (MSE 1T2+PEY, MEng 1T4) is a dynamic leader whose enduring commitment to U of T Engineering spans mentorship, outreach, admissions and philanthropy. Her work in student recruitment has helped shape a more inclusive and dynamic future for engineering, and through her involvement in initiatives like the Young Women in Engineering Symposium and Alumni Applicant Assessor program, she has inspired countless prospective students to pursue engineering.
A champion of access and equity, MacCoon established the J.R. MacCoon Footsteps Grant to support first-year students taking summer courses — addressing a critical gap in funding. Her generosity, vision and tireless dedication creates an impact that extends beyond the classroom and campus.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the top award given by the Engineering Alumni Network. It recognizes a U of T Engineering graduate whose outstanding leadership and professional excellence have made a significant positive impact on society, potentially with a global reach.
Michael May (ChemE 9T1, PhD 9T8) is a visionary leader whose pioneering work in regenerative medicine has positioned Toronto as a global hub for cell and gene therapy (CGT). As the president and CEO of the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), he has built a world-renowned public–private partnership advancing therapies and delivering major health and economic impact.
Under his leadership, CCRM has launched Canada’s first commercial-scale CGT manufacturing facility, created over 20 portfolio companies and helped raise more than $1.2 billion. A champion of inclusive training and mentorship, his leadership has inspired a generation of scientists and engineers and ensured Canada’s leadership on the global stage.
View photos from the event on Flickr.
Imagine being able to control machines by thinking.
This communication link is known as a brain-machine interface and a new algorithm developed in Professor Brokoslaw Laschowski’s Computational Neuroscience Lab could soon make these interfaces more accurate and efficient.
For brain-machine interfaces to work, an algorithm is needed to predict or “decode” human behaviour — such as speech or movement — from patterns of neural activity in the brain. This brain activity can be measured using functional MRI, electroencephalograms, or implanted electrodes, such as those developed by Neuralink.
Today, brain-decoding algorithms exist, but they have significant limitations.
“Brain activity is highly subject-specific,” says Laschowski, a research scientist at the University Health Network, University of Toronto Robotics, and assistant professor (status) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
“Neural population activity in the brain varies considerably between and within subjects. That’s why building a universal brain-decoding algorithm is so challenging.”
Most brain-decoding algorithms are optimized for individual subjects and tasks, requiring additional data collection and model retraining for each scenario, which is time-consuming and impedes clinical translation. Researchers in the Computational Neuroscience Lab are exploring ways to improve generalization.
“There’s an interesting phenomenon known as negative transfer,” says Laschowski.
“In machine learning, the standard practice to improve model performance is to increase the size and diversity of the training dataset. However, due to negative transfer, increasing dataset diversity can sometimes degrade performance, leading to counterintuitive results where models trained on smaller datasets outperform those trained on larger ones,” he says.
“This is why source selection for multi-subject brain decoding is important.”
In a new study published on bioRxiv, Laschowski and Aidan Dempster (EngSci 2T5), now a PhD student in robotics at the University of Michigan, developed a new computational framework to minimize negative transfer in brain decoding by reframing source selection as a mixture model parameter estimation problem. This allows each source subject to contribute through a continuous mixture weight rather than being outright included or excluded.
To calculate these weights, they developed a novel convex optimization algorithm based on the Generalized Method of Moments. By using model performance metrics as the generalized moment functions, their algorithm also more closely aligns with the mathematical foundations of domain adaptation theory, enhancing optimality guarantees.
When tested on a brain-decoding dataset of more than 105 subjects, their algorithm achieved state-of-the-art performance while using 62% less training data, suggesting that performance gains stem from reduced negative transfer.
“These findings challenge the dominant practice in machine learning, which focuses on developing and using large-scale datasets for training,” says Laschowski.
“Our study shows that quality, not just quantity, is important when selecting source subjects to train a machine learning model for brain decoding.”
A preliminary version of their algorithm was awarded Best Poster Award at the 2024 Toronto Robotics Conference.
These brain decoding algorithms can be used for a variety of applications.
One such example is a new interdisciplinary collaboration between Laschowski and Professor Hugh Liu (UTIAS), exploring how brain-decoding algorithms can be used to control and interact with autonomous drones.
“My lab specializes in computational neuroscience, and his lab specializes in autonomous flight systems,” says Laschowski. “Together, we’re exploring how to combine our expertise to build something novel and advance our understanding of brains and machines.”
In addition to brain-machine interfaces, his algorithms are also being used to support research in computational neuroscience, such as studying the underlying mechanisms and computations in the brain that give rise to the mind.
“What is the mind? What is thinking? Can we build an artificial brain? These are the sorts of grand questions that drive my research program. Our long-term mission is to reverse-engineer the human brain and discover fundamental principles of learning and intelligence,” says Laschowski.
“Understanding how the brain works is perhaps the greatest scientific question of all time.”
When it comes to mental wellness, support from family is often vital. Now, one family in particular is working to extend that support across the entire U of T Engineering community.
Loui Pappas (CivE 8T8, MASc 8T9) and Sandra Gionas are the parents of Elena Pappas (ChemE 2T2). Inspired by her father’s example and her experiences at outreach programs such as the DEEP Summer Academy, Elena set her sights early on a career in engineering.
“I had great summers at those programs, and I really got hooked on the idea of solving complex problems through math and science,” she recalls.
“I was always dead set on being an engineer.”
After successfully achieving admission to U of T Engineering, Elena quickly made lots of friends among her fellow first year students. She enjoyed being part of the community but she soon found that the actual classwork was presenting more of a challenge than she had expected.
“I was really struggling to keep up, and during my final exam in first year, I had a full-blown panic attack,” she says.
“I failed that course, and others. I wasn’t able to meet the goals I set out for myself.”
Despite these challenges, her father Loui says that withdrawing was never an option for her.
“It was difficult seeing your child struggle that first year, but Elena was adamant that she was going to get through it somehow, and with help and by her own resilience, that’s exactly what she did,” he says.
Thanks to a referral by a friend, Elena ended up receiving a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The discovery enabled her to better understand where her challenges were coming from and to develop new learning and coping strategies.
She began second year as a part-time student, and soon was back on track, hunkering down the next few years and ultimately completing her degree in 2024. Today, she works in Calgary, Alberta as a Junior Project Coordinator at Lanmark Engineering Inc.
After graduating from U of T Engineering, Loui Pappas had spent more than three decades as a business leader at Morrison Hershfield, a Canadian-based multidisciplinary engineering firm originally founded in 1946 by two U of T Engineering professors. The firm was acquired by Stantec in early 2024 — and as a longstanding shareholder, Pappas now had the means to make a new kind of legacy contribution to U of T Engineering.
“Throughout my career, I have always enjoyed maintaining a relationship with and volunteering at the Faculty,” he says.
“I’ve spoken to students at career fairs, participated in the Faculty’s broad-based assessment program, contributed to scholarships and many other fundraising initiatives . I have also seen the impact to students that alumni have in giving back, and I always knew I too wanted to create a legacy at U of T Engineering. Elena’s experience again became top of mind.”
Sandra, a Trinity College graduate and former TV Ontario journalist, had covered mental health extensively in her research and reporting.
“It’s one of the most overlooked areas of health,” she says. “Cancer and heart disease raise a lot of money, but mental health doesn’t always inspire the same level of generosity. Elena’s generation has done tremendous work in breaking the stigma, and we wanted to contribute to that momentum, and recognize her efforts specifically.”
The family found the perfect fit in Skule™ Mental Wellness a student-run initiative within the Engineering Society that Elena herself once helped to establish.
Together, they are strengthening the Skule™ Mental Wellness Bursary, which was created by students, for students, back in 2021. The bursary provides financial aid to students facing challenges related to mental health. The award has helped dozens of students so far, but demand for the bursary far outpaces the current funding.
“The more we got into this, and had the chance to discuss the issue with Dean Chris Yip, the more we realized that immediate need is there in supporting mental health,” says Gionas.
“We are also strongly supportive of the fact that, as a student-run initiative, the students themselves can rally behind and socialize it to further grow the bursary.
“We’ve provided $20,000 initial funding for operational costs for two years, so that more students have immediate access to much needed counseling and support services. On top of that, we’ve also created a matching campaign to build up the bursary for the future, so that no students have to be turned away in the long term”. Donations to the bursary are open now, and will be matched by the Pappas family up to a maximum of $50,000 over the course of the next year.
“We know that the best and brightest kids from Canada and around the world are coming to U of T Engineering, the #1 program in Canada.” says Loui.
“We want to help keep them in the faculty, and not have them leave the profession because of challenges that can be overcome with support and perseverance. I personally want to know that I did whatever I could to leave my engineering profession in good hands.”
For Elena, the initiative closes the circle on her own experience. “At the end of the day, what students are dealing with when studying Engineering isn’t just school, it’s their lives,” she says.
“This project is about making sure that they can get where they want to. That’s been a huge theme in my personal story. It just makes me feel incredible that future students will be able to get that help as well.”
Join the Pappas family in supporting engineering student mental health. Thanks to the generosity of the Pappas family, all donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to a campaign total of $50,000, and new monthly gifts will be matched for one year.
LaShawn Murray (MIE PhD student) is exploring how digital tools can improve health care delivery in First Nations communities, with a focus on reducing administrative burdens for nurses.
She is collaborating with OKAKI, an Alberta-based public health informatics social enterprise that delivers health services, professional consulting in privacy, analytics and program management, and develops custom software — with a focus on improving Indigenous health systems.
Murray is assessing the usability of the company’s novel AI scribe and its potential impact on clinical documentation workflows. AI scribes capture conversations between providers and patients to generate structured, regulatory-compliant clinical notes.
“Nurses have a high workload, especially on reserve, and documentation takes up a large part of their time,” says Murray, who is also a 2023 recipient of the IBET Momentum Fellowship in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
“They’re responsible for recording patient encounters and completing various forms to access services and resources.”
In remote or underserved Indigenous communities, nurses are often the first — and consistent — point of contact for primary care. With less frequent physician visits due to demand or shortages, nurses play a critical role in delivering day-to-day health services, including chronic disease management, homecare and emergency response.
“What’s different in OKAKI’s case is the focus on nurses and homecare professionals, rather than physicians working in hospitals or specialty settings,” says Murray. “There’s almost no data on how these tools impact nurses.”
As part of her dissertation, Murray recently began visits to four pilot sites in First Nations communities near Calgary and Edmonton. She’ll evaluate how the AI scribe is integrated into clinical workflows, assess the quality of the generated notes, and explore its effect on provider–patient interactions.
Her assessment will also look at technical performance, such as how long the scribe takes to launch, its ability to distinguish between voices, how much of the clinical encounter it captures, whether it saves time, and how well it documents care services, including medication names and acronyms.
“There’s also the question of how we communicate using accessible language with patients, while still needing to document using medical terminology, and if there is a way for the scribe to support that differentiation,” says Murray.
The work builds on earlier research conducted in collaboration with Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, where she evaluated the effectiveness of AI scribes in primary care as an IBET Fellow.
In a recent article published in JMIR Human Factors and co-authored with her supervisor, Professor Enid Montague (MIE), the team studied six AI scribes used at the hospital. The study offered one of the first systematic evaluations of AI scribes developed for — or currently in use in — Canadian primary care. Some tools assessed are also used in the United States.
Findings showed that AI scribes can help reduce administrative burdens by making them accessible across multiple platforms — such as mobile devices, tablets and desktop computers — which better align with the diverse workflows and preferences. Researchers also found limitations when it came to accuracy, such as multiple scribes’ ability to translate unrelated conversations, multiple speakers, and the complexity of conditions discussed.
The study also showed that AI scribes could generate high-quality medical notes even from transcripts that were not perfect, while in some cases, excellent transcripts did not lead to equally strong medical notes.
The study has given Murray valuable insights into how to apply her findings in the OKAKI project, and will continue with data collection for OKAKI over the next five months.
She emphasizes that the work is rooted in community collaboration.
“It’s a highly collaborative process; research done with communities, not for them,” says Murray.
“We’re co-designing the research, looking at what informed consent should look like, what language to use, and how to ensure it’s accessible to the people we’re working with.”
For the first time, U of T Engineering undergraduates in electronics courses will have access to automated pick and place machines to assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs) just as they do in industry.
The new laboratory space in the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship will primarily serve students from the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
PCBs with surface-mounted components are found in almost all electronic devices. They are essential components in a wide range of electronic devices and systems, including consumer electronics, such as smart phones and televisions. They are also used in medical devices, such as neurostimulators and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, and automotive systems, such as engine control units and advanced driver-assistance systems. The proliferation of PCBs with surface-mounted components has been made possible by their low cost of production with equipment showcased in this lab.
“Part of our goal is to introduce our students to how these components are placed onto PCBs, and that’s what these pick and place machines do,” says Tomas Bernreiter, Laboratory Engineer & Manager, MIE.
“Surface mount components are very small, often only a few millimeters in size, and therefore require specialized handling and placement equipment.”
The new PCBP Laboratory expands the soldering and electronic testing capabilities of the Myhal Fabrication Facility. Jointly funded by MIE, ECE and the faculty through the Dean’s Strategic Fund grants, it has 35 dedicated seats for electronics assembly and testing.
It will support hands-on lab components in MIE and ECE courses, including MIE366 and ECE295, where students build and populate circuit boards. The lab will also be available to student design teams for this purpose.
One of the first courses running design assignments in the new space is MIE346: Analog and Digital Electronics for Mechatronics, in which students design and build a variable power supply.
“Students design the electronic circuits for their project and then use the new lab to build and test the physical circuit board. The automated pick and place machines will place the small components onto a printed circuit board, after which the boards will be ready for solder reflowing,” says Bernreiter.
“They will then use special ovens in the new lab to reflow the solder to bond the surface mount components to the PCBs.”
The faculty aims to centralize all electronics and soldering work in this new space, freeing up the Myhal Light Fabrication Facility for more mechanical-based work. Future MIE electric vehicle-based labs in power electronics will also utilize the pick and place machines.
“This is going to be the first time that undergraduate students are going to interact with pick and place machines,” says Bernreiter. “That’s something novel for the university.”