Spring Convocation for 91亚色鈥檚 Class of 2024 ran from June 7 to 21, and featured ceremonies at both the Keele and Glendon campuses.

This year鈥檚 Spring Convocation began on June 7 with a ceremony at 91亚色鈥檚 Glendon Campus, and continued with a dozen more in the following weeks at the Keele Campus. More than 7,000 graduands received their degrees during ceremonies overseen by the 14th chancellor of 91亚色, Kathleen Taylor.

View photos from the Class of 2024 ceremonies below:

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91亚色 will honour three esteemed faculty members during 2024 Spring Convocation with Distinguished Research Professor and University Professor recognitions.

Distinguished Research Professor is a designation reflecting a member of faculty who has made outstanding contributions to the 91亚色 U community through research and whose work is recognized within and outside of the University.

A University Professor is a member of faculty recognized for extraordinary contributions to scholarship and teaching, as well participation in university life.

This year鈥檚 winners are:

Distinguished Research Professor

Roger Keil, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change

Professor Keil鈥檚 research and teaching has focused on health in cities and suburbs, societal relationships with nature and how people govern themselves. His most extensive contributions have been in the fields of urban political ecology, global suburbanization, as well as cities and infectious disease. Recently, he has demonstrated research leadership in studying the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

At 91亚色 U, Keil has occupied several important roles, including founding director of 91亚色鈥檚 City Institute (made up of interdisciplinary urban scholars) and 91亚色 Research Chair in Global Sub/Urban Studies.

Throughout his career, Keil has published over 10 books and 150 articles, in addition to overseeing others鈥� work as editor of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, a premier journal in his field. He has also earned several awards, including being named a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and receiving a 91亚色 President鈥檚 Research Excellence Award.

鈥淚 am extremely honoured to receive this prestigious award," says Keil. "I am fortunate to have worked alongside supportive colleagues and brilliant students at the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change and the City Institute.鈥�

Distinguished Research Professor

Leah Vosko, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

A professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the Political Economy of Gender and Work, Vosko has become a leader in the study of gender and politics, citizenship, migration and labour markets. Her research has a frequent focus on part-time, seasonal and contract workers, and the question, 鈥淲hat can be done to mitigate labour market insecurity?鈥�

An author and editor of numerous scholarly books, volumes and articles, her work has been driven by the aim of protecting precarious workers by shaping better policies and understanding around the labour market.

For those efforts, Vosko has received several prestigious recognitions, including the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada鈥檚 Impact Award (Insight Category), an election to the Royal Society of Canada, a Fulbright Fellowship, the Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research and a Premier鈥檚 Research Excellence Award.

"I feel extremely fortunate to have received this recognition and to have spent so much of my career in the highly collaborative and critical interdisciplinary environment at 91亚色," says Vosko.

University Professorship

Aleksander Czekanski, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Since joining 91亚色 in 2014, Czekanski has specialized in cutting-edge engineering principles, including additive manufacturing, bioprinting and soft tissue mechanics, with applications ranging from biomedical science to materials manufacturing. His research has been awarded more than $10 million in external grants as a principal or co-applicant.

In addition to holding the role of Natural Sciences & Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Chair in Design Engineering, Czekanski has filled several roles at Lassonde and the University, in particular as founder or co-founder of: the , which supports high-calibre research, student learning experiences and the development of innovative engineering solutions; the Additive Manufacturing in Engineering Design & Global Entrepreneurship program, which provides students with technical and entrepreneurial training as part of the NSERC ; and the , which aims to bring innovative technologies to market.

Over the past decade, Czekanski has received awards recognizing his excellence in teaching and research, including the President's University-Wide Teaching Award, the Lassonde Innovation Award 鈥� Established Researcher, the Engineering Medal for Engineering Excellence in Industry from the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, as well as multiple industry fellowships. He has also served on the board of directors of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering and is currently its president.

鈥淩eceiving this University Professorship is both an honour and a profound responsibility. It signifies recognition by peers and the academic community for my contributions to scholarship, education and community engagement, and it catalyzes my commitment to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge and pedagogy,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s I embrace this role, I am inspired to further cultivate a legacy of intellectual curiosity and academic excellence that extends beyond the classroom, impacting our community and the broader world.鈥�

For a full list of ceremonies, visit the Convocation website.

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A recent initiative highlights how 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change (EUC) is helping high-school students reach their potential as the next generation of sustainable changemakers.

With the ongoing climate challenges the world faces, the need for active citizenship and environmental stewardship has never been greater. It鈥檚 why EUC has made an ongoing effort to provide climate, sustainability and social justice education for the leaders of tomorrow.

The Faculty fulfills that goal with the students currently enrolled in its post-secondary programs, but it doesn't want to stop there. Among its key objectives, EUC commits to frequently offering high-school outreach activities that provide resources, hands-on skill building opportunities and support to young people who want to make a difference in the world.

Big events, like February鈥檚 annual iteration of the 鈥� which welcomed 500 Ontario high-school students and their teachers to 91亚色 U's Keele Campus for a day of environmental education and inspiration 鈥� are part of those efforts. Smaller initiatives are part of them, too 鈥� like the recent Design Thinking Challenge event in May, attended by 60 students and teachers from several 91亚色 Region schools.

The event offered local students two programming tracks. The first was a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) ICE Challenge Case Competition, which tasked participating students to come up with a sustainable architectural solution for redesigning the front entrance and foyer of the Health, Nursing & Environmental Studies Building on 91亚色鈥檚 Keele Campus.

The second track was a new extracurricular Urban Solutions program, where students presented their solutions to global challenges, ranging from language accessibility in the Toronto Transit Commission system to disaster relief in Haiti.

Once students worked through their projects, they had a chance to present their design proposals and get feedback from Abidin Kusno, EUC professor and undergraduate program co-ordinator; Teresa Abbruzzesse, EUC professor and Cities, Regions, Planning program co-ordinator; and Laura Taylor, co-author of the SHSM challenge, professor and master of environmental studies Planning program co-ordinator.

鈥淭he students came up with some ingenious solutions for the challenge that was presented to them,鈥� said Philip Kelly, professor and interim dean of EUC.

One example was a student who presented a proposal to solve period poverty 鈥� the inability to afford feminine hygiene products 鈥� in Uganda, building upon her existing interest in gender equality. Her solution was a more sustainable, accessible, disposable pad that would be produced using locally sourced materials.

For students, EUC initiatives like this can provide experiential learning opportunities that are rewarding in more ways than one. In this case, the event featured several prizes: the Feasibility Laureate award for the most practical and easy-to-implement solution; the Empathy Emblem award for the solution that shows the deepest understanding of the users; and the Impact Pioneer Plaque award for the solution with the greatest potential for positive impact.

EUC hopes experiences like these 鈥� representative of the Faculty's broader efforts with high-school students 鈥� are rewarding in other ways, too.

鈥淭he event offers students early exposure to higher educational environments, which can motivate students to pursue further education and set higher academic and career goals,鈥� said Brittany Giglio, EUC recruitment and liaison officer. 鈥淭hese partnerships contribute significantly to the development of well-prepared, motivated and successful individuals.鈥�

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