U of T proves that it’s once again ahead of the curve by hosting the launch of two major stem cell and regenerative medicine initiatives: the Ontario Stem Cell Initiative (OSCI) and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM).

More than 400 attendees packed U of T’s MacLeod Auditorium for the announcements on June 14. The creation of the CCRM was made possible by the awarding of $15 million from the Government of Canada in December 2010, as part of its Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) competition. OSCI received infrastructure grants of $25 million from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF).

Both organizations aim to enhance and support work in stem cell and regenerative medicine research within Ontario.

Professor Peter Zandstra (IBBME), the CCRM Chief Scientific Officer and OSCI Organizing Committee member, is proud and honoured by the role U of T – and U of T Engineering – played in creating both projects. “CCRM is built on the fundamental strengths in bioengineering and stem cell biology, [which has been] long supported by IBBME and the University of Toronto and its teaching hospitals. We are very excited to work with interested regenerative medicine researchers in Ontario to help them develop and commercialize their innovative discoveries.”

Stem cells and regenerative medicine-based therapies have the potential to alleviate suffering caused by some of the most debilitating diseases in the world, by bridging the gap between researchers and industry to ensure that innovations get from the labs to the hospitals.

The partnership between OSCI researchers and CCRM will be key in building towards breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, and translating these innovations into viable therapies.

The OSCI is a “virtual” network of 65 stem cell scientists in Ontario and represents an expansion of the Toronto Stem Cell Initiative.

For more information, visit the IBBME website.

Professor Barry Adams (CivE) has received the 2011 Camille Dagenais Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development and practice of hydrotechnical engineering in Canada.

Barry Adams has served the Faculty with distinction as Chair of the Environmental Engineering program and Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. He has supervised over 50 graduate students and published more than 100 papers and 50 technical reports in the field of water resources and urban infrastructure. Professor Adams is internationally recognized for his innovative research in the development of analytical probabilistic models for urban water resource infrastructure system planning and design. He wrote the first major textbook on this subject, published in 2000. Professor Adams is a Fellow of CSCE, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

“I am delighted that Professor Adams has been recognized by the CSCE for his remarkable contributions to the profession” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “He is a world leader in his field and has served the professional community and the Faculty with genuine dedication.”

Professor Adams received this award at a ceremony on June 16, 2011 during the CSCE’s annual conference in Ottawa.

U of T Engineering received a record number of applications this year for the Class of 1T5. The Office of the Registrar counted 8,761 in all*, up from 7,881 in 2010, for the 1,150 spots available. The high number of applications reflects the Faculty’s commitment to an unparalleled undergraduate engineering education. It also reinforces its standing as a first-rank Faculty nationally and places it among the world’s leading research and teaching institutions.
Not only did more students apply to U of T Engineering this year, but the academic strength of the admitted group increased as well. The Faculty was able to select only the most promising students based on academic performance, student profile and extra-curricular involvement.

Meanwhile, U of T Engineering has continued to attract a diverse undergraduate class. The Class of 1T5 will have 313 women and 392 students from 56 countries around the world including Canadians living abroad.

“This year’s volume and strength of applicants prove U of T’s preeminence in engineering education,” said Cristina Amon, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “We are humbled by the extraordinary pool of applicants from all over the world and look forward to welcoming an exceptional first-year class this fall.”

*Figures as of June 17, 2011 — please note, these statistics are subject to change as the year progresses.

For nine days this month, 30 graduate students have been learning how to make nano-sized devices — devices with features that are thousands times smaller than the width of a human hair. Drawing participants primarily from U of T Engineering, the Connaught Summer Institute in Nanofabrication also attracted students from schools across Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

The summer institute was conceived by Professor Stewart Aitchison (ECE) who is also the Faculty’s Vice-Dean of Research, and hosted by U of T’s ECTI, which provides open research facilities for micro- and nanofabrication. Funding was received from the University’s Connaught Fund to foster connections and collaborations among students, postdoctoral fellows and other scholars.

In six, three-hour lab sessions, students learned how to operate equipment and perform the processes crucial to fabricating nano-scale devices. Dr. Aju Jugessur, a senior research associate with the ECTI, was part of the planning committee for the summer institute, and helped develop the training sessions.

“Many of us currently use computers, mobile phones, the Internet and other high-tech gadgets but probably have only vague ideas about the technologies involved in producing them. We are very comfortable with the concept of moving information around electronically, but the idea of literally moving or creating nano-sized features to build devices is still remote to many of us. This is what participants at the summer institute learned,” said Jugessur.

The unique nature of the training is what attracted Rahul Lodha, a doctoral student in materials engineering from the University of British Columbia.

“I’m currently working with both micro- and nano-size particles, and what I’ve been doing is to add the nano-particles to micro-structures. What I’ve learned here is how to combine the two,” said Lodha. “What’s of great interest to me is how the properties of a material change when you get to the nano scale. Nano-titanium dioxide can be used for water purification, because when regular light hits it, ultra-violet rays are emitted in the range required to purify water. But regular-sized titanium dioxide by itself doesn’t do this.”

In addition to the hands-on training, every morning from June 6-11 saw the students enjoy the insights of international experts — drawn from both academia and industry — in a wide variety of nanofabrication methods.

“We were pleased to involve three industrial partners in this summer institute. It helps students understand the connections and the collaborations that can stimulate new research and applications,” said Aitchison. “I’ve seen some estimates that North America will need two million nanotechnology workers over the next 10 years, so the skills we’re developing are economically very important.”

Simon Kuany (MinE 1T0 + PEY), one of the so-called ‘Lost Boys of Sudan,’ was profiled in a recent Toronto Star article for graduating from the Lassonde Mineral Engineering program. The “Lost Boys of Sudan” is a group of more than 20,000 boys who fled Sudan’s civil war in the 1980s.

Simon’s accomplishment was all the more incredible considering the struggles he has overcome to succeed.

At the age of five, Simon fled his village and travelled barefoot for four months through a war zone to reach safety. He hid in bushes and even stepped over dead bodies throughout his harrowing journey that eventually led him to a Kenyan refugee camp where he lived for 16 years.

A network of university students on campuses across the country would later help support his move to Canada to fulfill his educational ambitions at U of T Engineering.

Read the full article in the Toronto Star of Simon Kuany on his graduation day.

Graduates, we congratulate you — the innovative and dedicated Engineering students of Spring 2011. As you officially move on from the University of Toronto on Wednesday, June 15, we take pride in knowing that you, along with more than 41,000 Skule™ alumni before you, will now have the ability and imaginations that can make a difference in the world. We see you as future engineers who will forever be on the cutting edge — innovating, influencing and being always at the forefront. You will be leaders and champions of great change and profound ideas. We salute you. For parents, families, friends, spouses and partners, this day marks the fulfillment of years of anticipation, as your endless support has led you to here, now, together. Savour this upcoming moment, all of you. This spring, 866 undergraduates and 176 graduate students will be receiving degrees. Among you, 467 undergraduates completed the PEY program and 23 were in the ELITE graduate program. All faculty, staff and alumni take great pride in your remarkable collective achievement. At the 10 am ceremony, our Honorary Graduand will be Anne Sado (IndE 7T7), the President of George Brown College. At the 2:30 pm ceremony, we will similarly honour Dr. Bert Wasmund (ChemE PhD 6T6), a world-renowned metallurgist, Vice-President at Hatch. Following the ceremony, the celebration continues, as we look forward to joining you at the reception being held in the Great Hall in Hart House. On behalf of U of T Engineering faculty and staff, I congratulate you on your success; it is remarkable. Welcome to the Engineering profession. Cristina Amon, Dean Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering University of Toronto Convocation Stories Simon Kuany (MinE 1T0 + PEY) Great Global Contributors Anne Sado (IndE 7T7), President of George Brown College, June 15, 2011 at 10 am Bert Wasmund (ChemE PhD 6T6), Engineer and Inventor, June 15 at 2:30 pm Koh Yong Guan (MechE 7T0 MASc 7T2), High Commissioner of Singapore to Canada, June 6 at 2 pm