On June 9 and 10, 2011, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering hosted the 10th anniversary of UT², a graduate student conference held annually between the University of Tokyo and the University of Toronto.
The event provides graduate students and faculty members with opportunities to meet and discuss ideas with experts within their field and promotes international research collaboration and exchange.
The conference, which both participating universities alternate hosting, initially began in 2001 as a workshop for Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) students at both institutions but soon evolved into a Faculty-wide initiative. Graduate students and faculty members from the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry (ChemE) and the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE) joined the conference in later years, with participants able to also independently organize exchanges throughout the year.
Eric Morris (ChemE PhD Candidate), a UT² Planning Committee Member, sees the annual event as invaluable experience for U of T Engineering. “This conference is a great way for graduate students to see how things are done at a different institution in a different country,” said Morris. “Not only does this help to broaden our horizons, but it also opens the door for new ideas and new collaborative research opportunities.” This year’s UT² Planning Committee Members also included Yuki Kuwauchi (MSE MASc Candidate), Leili Tafaghodikhajavi (MSE PhD Candidate) and Reza Rizvi (MechE PhD Candidate).
Professor Jun Nogami, Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, agrees. “Our relationship with Tokyo is a great opportunity to further our goals in internationalizing our research, our programs for graduate students, and eventually, our undergraduate students,” he said.
Cristina Amon, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering offered her thanks to the staff and faculty who organized this year’s and past UT² events. “Our engineers are often at the forefront of research and collaborations within, and outside, U of T. Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students who have made 10 years of excellent exchanges possible.”
