Students

A U of T University Professor emeritus who is often referred to as “the godfather of AI,” Hinton will tackle the question “Will digital intelligence replace biological intelligence?” during an academic talk at Convocation Hall on Oct. 27. (Tickets to the in-person event are sold out, but a recording will be shared publicly at a later date).

His lecture will be followed by a Q-and-A session co-ordinated by Sheila McIlraith, a professor in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science who is a Canada CIFAR AI Chair and an associate director at U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

The session will give Hinton an opportunity to directly engage with researchers and scholars from across the university regarding the revolutionary technology he helped create.

“AI is re-shaping the way we live, work and interact with each other,” says McIlraith. “Given the current public discourse about AI, it’s particularly important that scholars across disciplines learn from each other and engage in an informed exchange of views regarding the societal implications of this transformative technology.”

U of T provides an ideal forum for such scholarly discourse, she adds, because of U of T’s historical role in the development of AI, the “breadth and depth” of expertise at the university and the city of Toronto’s position as a global hub of AI research and development.

"The conversation around AI is no longer housed in the computer science lab or within the offices of Big Tech. It needs to be multidisciplinary to advance our collective understanding of the opportunities and the potential risks so we can work to avoid the risks while benefiting from all that AI has to offer.”

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science are co-hosting Hinton’s talk in collaboration with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Cosmic Future Initiative at the Faculty of Arts & Science.

'U of T’s greatest strength is its people': International student Aamyneh Mecklai on the thrill of being on campus

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 19:37:17 +0000

'U of T’s greatest strength is its people': International student Aamyneh Mecklai on the thrill of being on campus

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/06/2022 - 15:37

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An international student in her third year at Rotman Commerce, Aamyneh Mecklai was deeply involved in extra-curricular activities during her first two years at U of T – even while studying remotely (photo courtesy of Aamyneh Mecklai)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship

Rotman Commerce

Students

Trinity College

Undergraduate Students

Aamyneh Mecklai’s transition to student life at the �ؿ�ζSM was anything but straightforward, but she says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Originally from Mumbai, India, Mecklai was accepted to U of T in 2020 with a Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship. But the elation of receiving the university’s most competitive full-ride scholarship for international students soon gave way to the reality that she wouldn’t be able to move to Toronto due to the pandemic – and would have to complete her first semester remotely from halfway around the world.

Mecklai finally arrived in Toronto in time for the winter 2021 term – on a freezing January day, no less. She then headed straight to two weeks of quarantine and a delayed return to in-person classes, as the university responded to the Omicron variant.

Now in her third year at Rotman Commerce – at a time when U of T’s three campuses are once again brimming with activity and excitement – Mecklai says the journey has made her all the more appreciative of the joys of campus life and better equipped to tackle its challenges.

“When I finally came to U of T, I felt like I was much stronger and much more independent,” she says. “I had so much to look forward to, there were so many people to meet and so many things I could now do in-person.

“It was definitely a little challenging at times, but I’m in love with U of T and Toronto. Looking back, I don’t think I would have it any other way.”

Aamyneh Mecklai kayaking in Toronto's harbour (photo courtesy of Aamyneh Mecklai)

Mecklai was one of thousands of students around the world who couldn’t begin their post-secondary experience in person due to the pandemic. Her best friend, who was accepted into a college in New York, was also affected – so the duo decided to make the most of their shared predicament by moving into a Mumbai apartment together.

“We had a pseudo-college experience and learned to live alone, cook, take care of our apartment and each other, and balance academics alongside,” Mecklai says. “It was a really interesting experience and, in retrospect, a beautiful transition to college.”

In addition to getting a taste of independent living, Mecklai also wasted no time getting involved in an array of extra-curricular activities at U of T. She joined an online dance organization, wrote for the Varsity and the Trinity Times, and participated in several clubs and leadership platforms that catered to her interests in activism, education access and girls’ rights – including Trinity Women in Leadership and the U of T chapter of Girl Up, a leadership development initiative launched by the United Nations Foundation.

“Although I was studying remotely, I had access to incredible resources at U of T and was able to express myself, albeit online,” says Mecklai, an aspiring social entrepreneur and lawyer.

Trinity College, in particular, served as a rich network for Mecklai to find likeminded people.

Through the college, Mecklai connected with student-activists and twin sisters Maryam and Nivaal Rehman, who run the non-profit MNR Foundation. Mecklai helped them launch a student-led digital advocacy tool called Feminae Carta, which provides resources to young and inspiring advocates, and is backed by organizations including the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), Malala Fund and Disney. She has since been interviewed by UNGEI about Feminae Carta, and launched a podcast with the Rehman sisters.

Nivaal (L) and Maryam Rehman run the non-profit MNR Foundation (photo courtesy of McKinley Tretler for Malala Fund)

“What was so incredible is that I had access to all of this before I even physically arrived in Toronto,” Mecklai says. “U of T’s greatest strength is its people – you just need to reach for it.”

Of course, connecting with people exclusively over Zoom and phone calls wasn’t always smooth sailing. “Initially, it was a bit jarring because you don’t know how connected you’ll feel to other people and there can be some awkward moments, but it was just about persisting through it – and knowing that when you come to U of T, there will be so many opportunities to meet and connect with people. So, there was always so much to look forward to.”

Mecklai finally arrived in Toronto in January 2021 – “I certainly didn’t know what -18 C felt like,” she recalls – and completed two weeks of quarantine at the CampusOne residence building before moving into her current digs at Trinity College.

Aamyneh Mecklai with her friend Tazriaan Islam outside Trinity College in winter (photo courtesy of Aamyneh Mecklai)

While the large class sizes and sheer numbers of people on campus may have seemed daunting at first, Mecklai says she’s come to see it as one of U of T’s best attributes.

“That’s the beauty of U of T … it gives you so much choice and diversity in being able to pick and gravitate towards your people,” she says. “You’re always going to be spoiled for choice, whether it’s extra-curricularly, academically or professors you want to engage with.”

Mecklai emphasizes the extra-curricular aspect, which she says is her favourite part of the university experience.

“To be very honest, academics for me is something I do like to work on, but I think I’m really driven by things I do outside the classroom and side projects,” she says.

To that end, Mecklai has worked to create links between her schoolwork and outside interests. She's currently involved in a research project with Professor Karen Mundy of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education that explores India's Right to Education Act in the context of rural communities – specifically, how skills like communication and expression can be better incorporated into education. It’s a subject that’s directly inspired by Mecklai’s efforts as the founder of Speak to Lead, a non-profit that teaches conversational English and public speaking skills to over 1500 students across rural and urban India, with plans to scale to Pakistan and Kenya.

For Mecklai, the Pearson Scholarship has been a crucial source of both financial support and community. “The Pearson Scholarship is one of the greatest gifts I think I'll ever receive," she said. "Of course, it has some incredible financial benefits and covers tuition, residence, etc. for all four years – but what stands out to me are the cohorts of students that hail from different parts of the world, study different disciplines and still feel fiercely united ... we are all in pursuit of a better tomorrow."

Mecklai says she hopes to contribute to that better tomorrow via a career path that involves combining a private-sector efficiency with a public sector-driven vision, specifically in the context of access to education. “As a Rotman Commerce student, I’m still equipping myself with the toolkit I need in order to create and understand private-public partnerships, to further scale an initiative like Speak to Lead – and, importantly, to not be afraid to try new things.

"I do think grad school’s on the cards. However, at this point, I’m very open to new experiences and I think it’s becoming clearer with every year that I want my work to be impact-driven.”

Aamyneh Mecklai says good-bye to her mother, left, and other members of her family in India (photo courtesy of Aamyneh Mecklai)

For the time being, though, she's squarely focused on savoring the second half of her undergraduate experience – and spending as much time as possible at her most beloved St. George campus locations. “My favourite spot on campus is St. Hilda’s College Rigby Room [in Trinity College]. You’ll find me trying to sight-read music by the piano. It’s one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve seen and sitting by the piano makes me feel at home,” she says.

“Something else I’m really looking forward to is running to The Buttery with my friends to grab a coffee in between classes. The Buttery is one spot where we’ll attempt to study, hang out and eat food all at once. Sitting there with my friends makes me feel most like an undergraduate student, a feeling that I’m learning to truly relish and be grateful for.”

U of T students at downtown campus to vote on new discounted TTC pass

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 14:37:56 +0000

U of T students at downtown campus to vote on new discounted TTC pass

geoff.vendeville Wed, 03/21/2018 - 10:37

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Students are scheduled to vote next week on a proposal for a new TTC pass that would cost $70 per month and be mandatory for full-time undergraduate students (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Topic

Subheadline

U-Pass would cost $70, but participation would be mandatory for full-time, undergraduate students

Getting around the city may become a lot cheaper for many undergraduates at the �ؿ�ζSM's downtown Toronto campus.

But that all depends on a referendum next week on a proposed TTC pass for university students.

From March 26 to 28, students will be asked to vote online on a $70 per month U-Pass offering unlimited travel for 40 per cent less than the cost of a post-secondary student pass, currently $116.75. The catch is that the U-Pass would be mandatory for all students and folded into student fees.

“I think it will be a game-changer for the campus and for students here,” says Matti Siemiatycki, an associate professor who specializes in transportation policy and has researched students' commuting habits.

About 43 per cent of students at the downtown Toronto campus take public transit to school, according to StudentMoveTO, a recent survey of students' commuting patterns at U of T and three other Toronto universities.

But even those students who don't take the TTC to campus stand to gain from the U-Pass, Siemiatycki says. “The trip to campus is only one trip that students make,” he says. “They are living 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week lives. The key is we want them to feel that they have access to the entire city.”

The cost of living in Toronto means many students have to make trade-offs, either forgoing a transit pass and living near campus or taking the TTC and living farther afield. With deeper discounts, students will be more inclined to explore all the city has to offer, Siemiatycki says.

The U-Pass would also be a boost to the TTC, Siemiatycki added. By encouraging students to take public transit, the TTC may foster a “transit culture” and form habits that will stay with people long after they graduate.

The transit agency, which has seen stagnant ridership, is in talks to offer the U-Pass to students at Ryerson, OCAD University, and George Brown College in addition to U of T St. George. If the U-Pass program was available to all four post-secondary institutions, the TTC expects the pass would lead to a 15 per cent increase in transit trips taken by students. The $70 fee covers the cost of adding service to make room for more riders, the TTC says in a policy paper.

The agency says the program would be “revenue and cost neutral” since every eligible student would be required to opt in. Each university or college would be required to commit to a four-year term.

The TTC notes that the U-Pass would lessen the financial burden on students, whose average income is less than one half the province-wide average.

The TTC board unanimously approved the U-Pass this week.

Mathias Memmel, president of the �ؿ�ζSM Students' Union, says a discount program like U-Pass has been a student union priority for nearly a decade. The UTSU conducted a survey of 10,000 U of T students last year, finding that 95 per cent were in favour of the idea. The U of T referendum is the first vote scheduled at the four universities debating the U-Pass.

The UTSU has heard from some students who are opposed to having to opt in, regardless of whether they will use the U-Pass. However, Memmel points out that students would have to make fewer than 12 round trips in a month to break even.

“Even for those who are living on campus this is really a key to the city, a chance to explore and experience what really is an international city,” he says.

See how they voted

Financial planning calculator helps U of T students to easily and accurately predict their living costs

rasbachn — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 20:38:30 +0000

Financial planning calculator helps U of T students to easily and accurately predict their living costs

rasbachn Fri, 10/27/2017 - 16:38

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Since its launch in February 2016, the financial calculator has helped more than 14,152 undergraduate students. Now the application is available to all graduate and second-entry students (photo by iStock)

Katie Babcock

Topic

Our Community

Information Technology

Students

Subheadline

Tuition is just the beginning. Housing, utilities, food, textbooks, transit and recreation costs all add up, and managing expenses can often become an overwhelming task for busy students. But the financial planning calculator, now available to all U of T students, is helping them easily and accurately predict their living costs for a year – setting them up for academic and future success.

“When we interviewed students before developing this application, we discovered that they didn’t know how to budget, how much to budget or didn’t have effective tools, aside from calculating everything manually using a spreadsheet,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with U of T’s Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration department (EASI). “Now students have a simple, customizable tool they can use each year to plan ahead.”

“It’s hard to predict what everything will cost – especially food and recreation,” says Yanna Ding, a first-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science. “When I graduate I don’t want to have a lot of debt, so I want to manage my finances closely. I’ll also need to develop economic independence, and a tool like this could really help in my future planning.”

Use the financial planning calculator

Tutorial shows how the calculator works

The tool helps students quickly predict how much it will cost to live in Toronto, an often difficult task for those who are unfamiliar with the area. It is also highly customizable for each individual depending on their program, year of study, residency status and campus. The application will suggest specific resources for awards and financial aid to help them save money and manage expenses.

“If you’re spending more money on meals, compared to your peers, then the application will notify you and offer resources such as U of T’s Food Services, and there’s also information about cooking for yourself,” says Michael Clark, manager of user experience and process design at EASI.

The team is planning to solicit feedback and make improvements for future releases.

“I’m happy we’re providing this tool to students as it will help them make informed decisions about their finances,” says Clark. “We’re focused on improving the student experience, and this tool is an example of how we can approach that objective from a different direction and offer value to our community.”

Exploring microgravity: U of T engineering students and their experiment to fly aboard a Falcon-20 jet

ullahnor — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 19:06:36 +0000

Exploring microgravity: U of T engineering students and their experiment to fly aboard a Falcon-20 jet

ullahnor Mon, 07/24/2017 - 15:06

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Caulan Rupke (left) and Michael Lawee (right) aboard a Falcon-20 jet (photo courtesy of Team AVAIL's Twitter account)

Christina Heidorn

Author legacy

Christina Heidorn

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Space

Undergraduate Students

Graduate Students

Students

Four U of T engineering students are preparing for the flight of a lifetime.

They've earned the rare chance to take an experiment they designed onto a Falcon-20 jet, an aircraft similar to those used to prep astronauts for the feeling of weightlessness. The students will take twelve to fourteen parabolic flights of about 20 seconds each that simulate the experience of microgravity.

Their goal is to better understand how liquids flow in microgravity and to explore how 3D printers could make long-term space missions more feasible.

Neell Young, Caulan Rupke, Michael Lawee and Andrew Ilersich make up Team AVAIL (Analyzing Viscosity And Inertia in Liquids), one of four teams chosen to participate in the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge (CAN-RGX). The competition, supported by the National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency, tries to create “tangible student-led impact in space exploration and development.”

“None of us has any experience with this kind of flight, so I’m heading to Canada’s Wonderland to ride all of the roller coasters for training,” jokes Rupke.
From left to right, Caulan Rupke, Neell Young, Andrew Ilersich and Michael Lawee make up Team AVAIL (photo courtesy of Team AVAIL)

For the project, Team AVAIL, which is made up of fourth year undergrads and students in the master's program, chose to focus on a phenomenon known in physics as the “liquid rope coil” effect. On Earth, this is seen most clearly when a thick liquid like honey or maple syrup is poured from a spout or a spoon – the liquid flows in a way that looks like a coiling rope.

But the phenomenon isn’t well understood.

“We were surprised that this hasn’t been given the full treatment yet in the scientific literature,” says Ilersich. “It turns out to be a very complex process to describe mathematically.”

In 3D printers, melted thermoplastics flow under pressure from nozzles before hardening to form the desired product. These plastics behave as a viscous liquid that is similar in many ways to honey or maple syrup.

Because of this, understanding the liquid rope coil effect – including how it is affected by microgravity – is an important prerequisite to the use of 3D printers in space.

Printing in 3D could address a key challenge for space missions: the need to minimize the space and weight of materials needed for the trip. Rather than bringing along all of the tools and spare parts they might possibly need, astronauts could instead manufacture objects on an as-needed basis. Because raw materials like thermoplastics can be packed much more tightly than tools of varying shapes and sizes, the approach could make long-term missions like a trip to Mars more feasible.

“We think our project was chosen because of its novelty and its applications,” says Ilersich.

A better understanding of the physics behind the rope coil effect would also have applications here on Earth. With a reliable mathematical model, the effect could be controlled to create coils that could be woven together into materials with customized strength, flexibility “springiness.” New porous materials could also be created for use in tissue engineering, filtration and catalysis.

To study rope coiling in microgravity, the team custom-built a self-contained experiment that had to fit inside a 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm box provided by the flight organizers. Because existing off-the-shelf pumps did not meet their needs, the team custom-built an apparatus that carefully controls the flow of a viscous liquid – in this case corn syrup – through fifteen different nozzles.

A video camera inside of the box will record the rope coiling of the liquid, and custom-built software will analyze it.

Team AVAIL will be in Ottawa July 24 to 28 for three days of training and then the flight.

Follow their progress on Twitter and YouTube.

The team's apparatus is packed inside a box measuring 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm. It contains pumps and tubes that simulate the operation of a 3D printer. To simulate a molten thermoplastic, the team is using ordinary corn syrup (photo by Michael Lawee)

U of T's Kylie Masse vying for world record in 100-metre backstroke this week

ullahnor — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 16:57:03 +0000

U of T's Kylie Masse vying for world record in 100-metre backstroke this week

ullahnor Fri, 07/21/2017 - 12:57

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2016 Olympian bronze medallist Kylie Masse ranked number one in the world in two events earlier this year (photo by Martin Bazyl)

Topic

�ؿ�ζSM Varsity Blues women's swimming star Kylie Masse will be trying for a world record in the 100-metre backstroke later this week in Hungary, according to CBC News.

The story quotes U of T head coach Byron MacDonald, who is a CBC Sports swimming analyst, saying that the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist won the world short-course silver in December in her hometown and gold in the 50, 100 and 200 three months ago at the Canadian trials. Her world-leading record in the 100 is only .09 seconds shy of the record held by Gemma Spofforth of the U.K.

Read the story

The world championships in Budapest run Sunday through July 30.

“We sat down in September after Rio and talked about going for the world record. It's a goal,” said MacDonald. “She works hard in training, recovers quickly from training and racing, and has very little fear of racing. In Kylie's words, 'a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.'”

Canadian universities seeing a surge in applications from international students

ullahnor — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 19:13:31 +0000

Canadian universities seeing a surge in applications from international students

ullahnor Wed, 07/12/2017 - 15:13

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The �ؿ�ζSM has seen interest from international students rising sharply, including a 57 per cent increase in applications from India alone (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

The BBC reports that international students who once opted for American universities are now looking at Canadian universities – with the country's liberal, migrant-friendly image serving as an important attraction.

For example, the �ؿ�ζSM has seen interest rising sharply, including a 57 per cent increase in applications from India. And subsequently more acceptances, with an overall 20 per cent increase in overseas students accepting admissions at U of T, according to the article.

U of T's Ted Sargent, vice president, international, says that in addition to offering top-tier universities, Canada is sending a “message about being open to the world,” especially in light of the contemporary political climate in the U.S. and the U.K.

“Events in the U.S. and the U.K. have reverberated around the world,” Sargent says. “It makes people go back and think again.”

The Canadian Bureau for International Education says there are more than 350,000 international students in Canada at present, and the country now has a hold on 8 per cent of “the international student market.”

#UofTGrad17: 27 ceremonies and thousands of hugs later, one last look at convocation on social media

lanthierj — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 20:21:26 +0000

#UofTGrad17: 27 ceremonies and thousands of hugs later, one last look at convocation on social media

lanthierj Fri, 06/23/2017 - 16:21

Krista Boniface

Author legacy

Krista Boniface

Topic

We're hanging up the robes and hoods and stowing away the mace. But before we go, we wanted to take one last look at the greatest moments of #UofTGrad17 week three.

More than 18,000 students are part of the Class of 2017 at U of T. And almost 14,000 of them graduated this month in 27 ceremonies running from June 6 to June 22.

That's a lot of joy, pride, love and grad-itude shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Take a moment to scroll through some of the memories below:

U of T's first Black Grad celebration won't be the last, say organizers

hjames — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:44:17 +0000

U of T's first Black Grad celebration won't be the last, say organizers

hjames Fri, 06/23/2017 - 12:44

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PhD graduate, Anthony Briggs, showing off the scarf his sister sewed for him as a grad gift (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Hannah James

Author legacy

Hannah James

Topic

Subheadline

"This is a room full of possibility"

As the procession of U of T 2017 black graduates danced into Hart House's Great Hall to the Diana Ross song, “I'm Coming Out”, the room erupted with cheers and applause.

“How many of you got goosebumps as the graduates walked in?” asked Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, anti-racism and cultural diversity officer at U of T, as she addressed the crowd at Canada’s first-ever Black Grad celebration at U of T last night.

The student-organized Black Grad was a celebration of undergraduate and graduate students from U of T Mississauga, U of T Scarborough and the downtown Toronto campus who are graduating this year. Approximately 14,000 members of the Class of 2017 graduated in June, at 27 convocation ceremonies stretching across three weeks; another 4,000 will graduate at ceremonies in November.

Organizers say the event drew more than 300 people, including about 100 grads.

Read the story in the Toronto Star

See the CTV story

“To see our black grads celebrated with their family, friends and faculty to support them was really beautiful,” said Nasma Ahmed, the U of T student who organized Black Grad with her friend and 2017 psychology grad, Jessica Kirk and many other student volunteers.

Ahmed, who graduated on Monday with an undergraduate degree in public policy and city studies at �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough, says she was inspired by a similar Black Grad celebration she attended at a university in California a couple of years ago. She says she felt U of T needed something similar.

“I think a lot of people just hadn’t ever been in a room like that, surrounded by community members and also other Black students they had never met before. It was beautiful to see people connecting, eating food and dancing,” she said.

Cher Jones and her son, Kayne Munroe who is graduating with a degree in political science in November (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Ashley Splawinski, a political science specialist and sexual diversity studies major who graduated on Friday, said that while she arrived at the event alone she knew she had a common link to the other Black grads and felt comforted by that. “Considering my experience during undergrad, and the ways I’ve felt in the classroom and outside the classroom, this was a great opportunity to be in a space and not feel othered,” said Splawinski who is starting her master’s in political science in the fall.

Black Grad drew more than 300 people who came to celebrate the achievements of U of T's 2017 graduates (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Malia Omale, an undergrad majoring in evolutionary anthropology and American studies, called Black Grad a “milestone”. While she said she's not graduating until next spring, she came to Black Grad to recognize the achievements of other black students and find inspiration in the excellence of other students, black mentors and faculty members.

Students were recognized with awards celebrating outstanding achievement in athletics, leadership, research, liberal arts and community service.

Award presenters included Carnegie-Douglas; Professor Bruce Kidd, vice-president and principal, U of T Scarborough; Professor Rhonda McEwen; Associate Professor Emmanuel Nikiema, and the Faculty of Medicine's chief diversity officer, Dr. Lisa Robinson.

UTSC Principal, Bruce Kidd presents Ekua Cudjoe with the award for outstanding achievement (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Kidd said that the organizers should be very proud of the event. “We’ll keep it going for years.”

Huda Hassan, a PhD student in women and gender studies at U of T, delivered an opening keynote speech. She said, “Everyone in this room today sees you, acknowledges how much emotional, physical and mental work you did to be here”.

U of T PhD student Huda Hassan (left) looks on as students hug at Black Grad. Hassan has helped other Black women apply to PhD programs (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

She said that although the room was a display of possibility, she also wanted to acknowledge who was missing. She reminded everyone in the room to consider all their peers, friends, and family members who were just as brilliant, hardworking and capable but who, because of systemic barriers, were unable to graduate even though they deserved to.

When Ahmed spoke to the group of grads prior to entering the Great Hall, she said, “I told them, ‘Yes, there are about a 100 of you, but we want more of you’.”

Throughout the evening, grads and their family mingled with leading scholars such as Alissa Trotz, associate professor of women and gender studies and director of the undergraduate Caribbean studies program at New College, and Professor Maydianne Andrade, vice-dean, Faculty Affairs and Equity, at U of T Scarborough.

Professor George Elliott Clarke, Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate, is out of the country. But he sent a message to all Black Grads:

“As an African-Canadian faculty member from historic Africadia (African-Nova Scotia), a descendant of slaves and those who fled slavery and struggled against it, and as a son of working-class
parents in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I think I may guess at – and not be incorrect – about some of the challenges that some of you have faced, and the obstacles you have overcome, to be where you are at today. I congratulate you on your historic achievement.”

Read the entire message

U of T anthropologist Malcolm Ramsay asks, “Why didn’t the lemur cross the road?”

krisha — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 14:58:45 +0000

U of T anthropologist Malcolm Ramsay asks, “Why didn’t the lemur cross the road?”

krisha Fri, 06/23/2017 - 10:58

Cutline

Mouse lemurs, a primate by classification, may provide insight into human behaviour and well-being

Michael Collins

Author legacy

Michael Collins

Faculty of Arts & Science

Something to Google today: mouse lemurs.

They weigh only about 50g and have big brown eyes. You may think you’re looking at a very cute rodent. You’re not.

Despite their name, mouse lemurs are actually primates – and our evolutionary relatives.

“We share a few key features with mouse lemurs like bigger that average brains, similar hands and skeletal structure, and certain visual traits,” says Malcolm Ramsay. “That’s where it ends though. Lemurs, all 100-plus species of them, are incredibly unique and diverse.”

A �ؿ�ζSM anthropology PhD student, Ramsay is studying mouse lemurs in Ankarafantsika National Park in Madagascar. He began his PhD in 2016, under the supervision of Shawn Lehman, an associate professor in the department of anthropology in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Ramsay is assisted in his research by Andriamahery Razafindrakoto, a student from the University of Antananarvio in Madagascar, and Jean Bosco (Jhonny) Kenedy, a guide in the Ankarafantsika National Park who has been teaching him Malagasy, the national language of Madagasgar.

“Jhonny knows more about the environment of the park and the ecology of the lemurs than anyone I have met,” said Ramsay.

A typical day for Ramsay and his team begins before sunrise. They capture, measure, sample and release lemurs, enter data and reset their traps before turning in for the night.

“Usually it’s the mosquitoes that drive me to bed, but tonight we found a scorpion under the dinner table so everyone went to bed early,” says Ramsay.

Ramsay says that, as a primatologist, he thinks it’s important to study all primates, not just the ones that resemble humans.

“Anthropologists typically study primates such as chimpanzees and ask what makes us uniquely human, but studying lemurs allows us to ask and answer broader questions such as what makes us a primate,” says Ramsay.

“Lemurs have evolved independently from other primates on Madagascar for millions of years and thus have strange traits like nocturnality, seasonal breeding, and female dominance,” he says.

The most important reason to study lemurs though, is they are among the most endangered mammals on earth and rapidly heading towards extinction.

“Humans only arrived on Madagascar in the last few thousand years, and since then many large animals like hippos, giant birds, and at least 15 species of lemurs have gone extinct,” says Ramsay. “The remaining lemurs are mostly endangered and living in rapidly disappearing forests.”

Ramsay says the problem is exacerbated by the fact that Madagascar is one of the poorest countries on Earth and plagued by food insecurity. In this context, it can be challenging to justify saving lemurs when humans need help as well.

However, “By studying the conservation of lemurs we can also find solutions that improve human well-being,” he says. “Many primates, including lemurs, are vital for spreading seeds across forests allowing for new tree growth. A healthy forest has primates and also provides services to people, such as food, water and shelter.

“It is nice to imagine pristine forests with bountiful animals, but that is not the reality on earth. Even in the most ‘remote’ places, humans are having positive and negative impacts on animals. It is important to understand these impacts in order to inform conservation initiatives rather than simply making assumptions.”

While working on his master’s degree, Ramsay looked at the impact of roads: specifically whether or not the mouse lemurs are crossing a national highway in Ankarafantisika National Park. After three months of capturing and recapturing the lemurs he found that while they were crossing the highway, but it was a complicated picture.

“Only the male mouse lemurs were crossing the highway, despite the fact that both male and females need to leave the group they are born into and disperse across new areas,” says Ramsay.

“We also didn’t find any of the typical signs of habitat disturbance – such as lowered body weight which we’d expect to find if there is difficulty finding food.

“So our results on the impacts of roads were varied.”

“Given that we could not clearly say either that roads are good or bad for the mouse lemurs, I think one of the main take-aways from our research is that is shows how complex conservation science can be and we need to learn more about what is actually going on here.”

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U of T anthropologist Malcolm Ramsay asks, “Why didn’t the lemur cross the road?”