IP Osgoode, Osgoode Hall Law School’s Intellectual Property & Technology Law Program, and OCE, a not-for-profit corporation that drives the commercialization of Ontario academic research, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to solidify the program.

Above: From left, Trish Barrow (director of Commercialization & CCR, Ontario Centres of Excellence), Osgoode students Shirley Bai, Rita Gao, Sebastian Talluri, Andrea Dias, Hashim Ghazi and Professor Giuseppina D'Agostino (founder & director, IP Osgoode). Missing from the photo is student Jeremy Loeb.

“Intellectual property law is a key component in Ontario’s and Canada’s innovation agendas,” said Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research and innovation. “The IP Osgoode/OCE project reflects our expanding research partnerships with industry and community partners and will further stimulate knowledge transfer between academia, government and industry groups pursuing innovative agendas.”

The IP Osgoode/OCE project will be launched as a 12-month pilot program with approximately six Osgoode students assisting OCE-supported companies with numerous IP matters – from patents to trademarks to copyright. The program will provide students with a combination of IP law theory and practical experience, while OCE is better able to support promising new companies, including helping them reduce start-up costs.

“This is a groundbreaking initiative for a law school to have a formal collaboration with a proven innovation driver such as OCE, at this level,” said Osgoode Professor , founder and director of IP Osgoode.

httpv://youtu.be/TZfuDwMVi3M

“These companies are at the early growth stage,” D’Agostino said. “They need help from a very early point without having legal fees and various other costs choke them before they can get up and running. Having our IP students involved with these OCE-supported start-ups while at the law school will minimize the companies’ IP costs because our students will be working pro bono.”

Initially, the students will explore general areas of IP, with a special focus on patent law. The students will then be engaged in a variety of IP activities such as reviewing IP licensing transactions, performing prior art searches, reviewing patent specifications, performing freedom-to-operate and clearance searches, assisting with the preparation and filing of provisional patent applications, and conducting legal research.

To better enable the students, OCE’s CCR will provide $30,000 for the project’s operating budget. OCE will work with IP Osgoode and a clinical supervisor to select the most suitable OCE-supported companies, based on the skills and knowledge of the participating students, the scope of potential projects that may come from a particular company, and other factors that are consistent with the program’s overall goals.

“OCE’s Centre for Commercialization of Research is delighted to be working with IP Osgoode on this initiative,” said Tom Corr, OCE president & CEO. “Starting with a solid IP strategy is essential to the successful commercialization of leading-edge discoveries. The companies we work with have limited resources, but tremendous potential. This partnership with IP Osgoode will solve problems at a crucial time for start-up companies that are poised to create jobs and strengthen Ontario’s economy.”

“For many high-potential start-ups, their IP is their most precious commodity,” said Mario Thomas, senior vice-president, Ontario Centres of Excellence, and managing director, Centre for Commercialization of Research. “IP protection is vital for technology companies to get their products to market, so the value of this legal expertise and guidance provided by IP Osgoode cannot be stressed enough.”

Osgoode Dean also applauded the partnership, describing the IP Osgoode/OCE project as “a robust collaboration that will extend the classroom into the realm of real-world IP issues and benefit both Osgoode IP students and the start-up companies.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The first of its kind in Canada, the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference is organized by the 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3D FLIC), and researchers from 91��ɫ.

See the for start times, remarks and speakers.

Bridging academia and industry, the event is designed to create dynamic synergies to funnel cutting-edge research into 3D production and best practices, to continue to improve the stereo 3D experience and respond to the growing audience appetite for 3D entertainment across all platforms.

The conference will offer film and TV production companies, 3D practitioners and enthusiasts the opportunity for far-ranging discussions about contemporary challenges and possibilities in stereoscopic 3D. It will feature keynotes, panel discussions and presentations, with screenings and master classes rounding out the program.

Keynote presenters include renowned German director , who will discuss the creation of his 3D documentary , about the influential choreographer Pina Bausch; Irish director and stage designer Catherine Owen, who will share her experiences co-directing U23D, the first film shot in digital 3D; Graeme Ferguson, co-founder of IMAX and one of the filmmakers behinds some of its most successful films, and Thomas Elsaesser, renowned international film historian.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaB5Nc0XNOY&feature=player_embedded

The live-action nature drama Bugs, the science-fiction action blockbuster and , the IMAX exploration of the profound impact of the Hubble Space Telescope on the way we view the universe, will all be screened and introduced by their producers.

Panels include Stereography and Cinematography, Producing and Directing Stereo 3D, Expanding the Tool Set: Post-production and visual effects, Shooting for Conversion, Stereoscopic Perception and Cinema, History of Experiments in 3D Film and Photography, and many more.

All panels, presentations, keynotes and screenings will be held at the 350-seat 3D-capable cinema at TIFF Bell Lightbox, giving all speakers the possibility to show footage during their presentations.

The Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference runs immediately prior to , June 15 to 19, allowing for synergies and exchanges between the two international events.

The conference is produced and presented by 3D FLIC and 91��ɫ. Presenting partners: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Graphics Animation and New Media (GRAND) NCE, Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC). Supporting partners: City of Toronto, Canadian Digital Media Network, Goethe Institute Toronto, IMAX, Cinespace Film Studios, 3D Camera Company, Creative Post, Studio SysAdmin and Geneva Films. Additional support from: FilmOntario and Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO). Master classes co-presented by TIFF Bell Lightbox.

A full conference pass is $180. Passes for students and seniors are $60. A day pass is $75, with student and senior day passes priced at $25. Tickets for the Wim Wenders master class are $25 each, and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets for other master classes are $15 each, with students and seniors tickets priced at $10 per class.

Information and conference registration forms can be found on the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Details about the posting are available in Research Jobs.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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The May business mission is a partnership between the Town of Markham, the Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ, 91��ɫ and Miller Thomson LLP. It will focus on positioning the Markham Convergence Centre as the launching pad for graduates of Israel's technological incubators seeking to enter the North American market.

Strategically located in 91��ɫ Region, (IY) is the between 91��ɫ researchers and their applied research partners who will collaboratively grow their ideas and introduce new products and services to the marketplace.

Part of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, IY is primarily based in the .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile , 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Two 91��ɫ-led industry-academic partnerships have received a total of $1,237,136 through the 's (NSERC) Strategic Projects Grants program.

Sergey Krylov, professor in the Faculty of Science & Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry, has received $773,200 over three years to explore new therapies to treat metastatic cancers – secondary tumors that originate from a malignant primary tumor and subsequently invade different organs.

Right: Sergey Krylov

Laurie Wilcox, associate professor in the Faculty of Health’s Department of Psychology, is co-principal investigator on Depth in Motion with Ali Kazimi, associate professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts’ Department of Film. Theirs will be the first research project to rigorously assess human responses to moving content in stereoscopic 3D film (S3D), while challenging current practices and intuitions filmmakers have garnered through 2D and static 3D experience. The grant is provided through a collaborative initiative between NSERC and the ; NSERC has provided $286,836 while the Canada Council has provided $177,100 for a cumulative three-year total of $463,936.

Left: Laurie Wilcox

Krylov has partnered with , whose Canadian offices are based in Concord, Ontario, to create personalized diagnoses and therapy monitoring for metastatic cancers. Current difficulties in detecting and eradicating these tumors significantly contribute to cancer mortality rates; therapies that are efficient for one patient often do not work for others. Their research uses "aptamers" – short DNA strands capable of selectively binding molecules on cell surfaces  to serve as tracers for metastatic cancer tumors and, potentially, as vehicles to deliver drugs to metastatic cells.

Wilcox and Kazimi will collaborate with , associate professor in the Faculty of Science & Engineering’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering and member of the , to create an independent S3D film installation based on a piece of dance choreography and presented in both a large-scale S3D projection format and on multiple S3D displays. Audience members will move through a gallery space and choose to view the large-scale screen or one of the alternative displays containing different motion in depth sequences. The project will evaluate movement’s effect through depth on observer preferences, determine if these preferences are contingent on the nature of the movement, and determine if pacing differences exist between 2D and S3D film content.

Right: Ali Kazemi

Jim Mirkopolos, vice-president of operations for Toronto-based , is the project’s industry collaborator; Cinespace's Kleinburg studios are providing space to set up and test the installation later in the project.

“These projects build on 91��ɫ’s expanding expertise in digital media and life science research, and our value-added industry-academic partnerships,” said Stan Shapson, vice-president Research & Innovation. “Depth in Motion is a natural next step in the 3D film research 91��ɫ began through the in partnership with Toronto-based industry leaders, and demonstrates the innovation unleashed when the creative arts and science converge. Professor Krylov’s work with in 91��ɫ Region has a six-year history that involves two past successful collaborations and will further contribute 91��ɫ’s scientific expertise to the region’s growing and vibrant biotech sector.”

91��ɫ’s projects were among 120 chosen to receive a total of $55 million in funding under NSERC’s Strategic Project Grants program, which aims to turn the results of academic research into real benefits for Canadians.

The announcement was made by Gary Goodyear, minister of state (Science & Technology) in Waterloo, Ontario. “Supporting science and research is critical to Canada’s future economic growth,” said Goodyear. “This investment will bring together 100 teams of some of the world’s top researchers to work with industry on promising new projects that will help strengthen our economy, create jobs and bring other benefits to communities.”

“These Strategic Project Grants show that the NSERC community has risen to the challenge and is putting the federal S&T strategy to work,” said NSERC President Suzanne Fortier. “We received a high number of quality submissions, and the peer review committees were impressed with the research teams’ excellence, their proposals’ importance and potential impact, and the strong support from partners.”

For a complete list of NSERC recipients, visit the website.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Litoiu has won awards before, but these particular ones stem from his pioneering work in cloud computing, the next big evolution in computing technology. “It’s one of the hot topics in computing these days,” he says. Since cloud computing surfaced as a brilliant idea in 2007, he’s led much of the exploration into this new frontier.

Right: Marin Litoiu

Cloud computing will spell the end of desktop computers and institutional servers in five to 10 years, predicts Litoiu. Instead, hardware functions such as storage, memory and processing, and office and enterprise software will be provided and managed automatically from remote servers via the Internet (or “cloud”).

Through the Internet, off-site service providers will automatically update software, provide security and guarantee uninterrupted service. Software as a Service, as it’s called, will be cheaper, more convenient and more reliable, says Litoiu.

He compares it to the evolution of electricity delivery. In the early days, companies and institutions used their own generators to supply power. Now we all plug into a remote continental grid.

At 91��ɫ, a few cluster groups, including his own, already operate on clouds. Facebook and Google run on cloud computing systems, though they’re not completely automated, he says. Banks don’t yet, but “it’s just a matter of time before everything is run on virtual systems.”

Litoiu started his career as a computer science professor in Romania. He immigrated to Canada in 1996 and started a second PhD, this one in systems engineering. Within a year, IBM recruited him as a senior researcher at its Centre for Advanced Studies, where he led more than 30 research projects with academics and partners across the globe.

In 2007, when the idea of cloud computing began percolating in labs around the world, IBM created the Centre of Excellence for Research in Adaptive Systems () and appointed him director. “We were among the first in the world to create a centre to look at this very new concept of cloud computing,” says Litoiu.

Even after his return to academia in 2008, when he joined 91��ɫ’s School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Litoiu continues to collaborate with IBM on developing computing tools and infrastructure. “I’m a strong believer in collaborating with industry because it gives students industrial experience and a chance to apply their skills to real problems. I want their theses to be relevant.”

This year, IBM named him CAS (Centre for Advanced Studies) . The award recognizes Litoiu's leadership in cloud computing research, research that benefits IBM and industry at large, and Litoiu’s continuing efforts to share his research and knowledge with IBM developers.

Left: Marin Litoiu (left) accepts Faculty Fellow of the Year award from IBM's Bart Vashaw

Litoiu specializes in adaptive computing systems – in computers that take care of themselves. In naming him Faculty Fellow of the Year, IBM cited two of his collaborative research projects. One was “Real-time monitoring and simulations of business processes”, which aimed to pinpoint then shorten delays in automated functions, such as those used in finance and human resources applications. The other was developing a business-driven cloud optimization architecture, which resulted in several prototypes and papers. One paper won the at the 2010 Association for Computing Machinery Symposium on Applied Computing in Switzerland in March.

In 2009, Litoiu also won the IBM Project of the Year Award for building a two-layered cloud computing model for desktop virtualization: the first layer would provide storage and raw computation; the second, services such as software management (see YFile Dec. 18, 2008).

“These awards validate my assumption that the work we do is meaningful and has an impact not only on the academic community but also on industry, on one of the biggest players in the world in computing,” says Litoiu, of IBM. “The other important thing is that students involved in the research are directly or indirectly exposed to the industry and industrial technology and that their research is rewarded as well.”

At 91��ɫ, Litoiu leads a research team of 12 post-doc and graduate students. Soon they will be working in a new lab dedicated to cloud computing research. The Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada has just granted him $234,000, and IBM has made up the difference for a total of $500,000 to start a new project in cloud computing.

“We live in a pretty exciting world,” says Litoiu. “There are a lot of things to be done in computing. We’re not even halfway through this computer revolution.”

By Martha Tancock, YFile contributing writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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We live in a time of unprecedented change characterized by ever-increasing challenges facing higher education.

Evolving cultural and social environments, heightened demands for a postsecondary education, rising costs and expectations surrounding the role of universities, funding uncertainties and reluctance to accept change are some of the many obstacles facing postsecondary institutions. If Canadian universities are going to compete successfully in today’s global knowledge-based society, it is crucial they address these challenges.

At a recent conference in New 91��ɫ, I presented my views on the leading drivers affecting this change to the presidents of some of world’s foremost universities. In my opinion, these drivers are: internationalization, online learning, demographics, challenges to university autonomy and society engagement.

We live in a world where internationalization is not just a concept, but a reality. Societies have become increasingly interdependent; global economies and cultural interactions are the norm. For Canada’s future leaders to effectively contribute to this society, international experience is essential. As such, it is important that universities adopt internationalization as part of their mandate. This can only be achieved with both strong leadership from the top and grassroots involvement from all members of the university community.

Equally important is a broad, international curriculum that brings world perspectives into the classroom, which would offer international content combined with language study, and encourage student mobility with study and/or work terms abroad. Partnerships with foreign institutions so students can earn joint and/or dual degrees should also be explored and developed.

The information technology revolution saw the emergence of the so-called millennial generation. This new generation has access to vast amounts of information, demands more services via the web and expects everything to materialize instantaneously. The traditional model of teaching and the role of the instructor are being transformed, so models of course delivery will have to transform with it.

With the evolution of e-learning comes the need to expand access and share curricula with other institutions nationally and across the globe.

This will present a major learning opportunity, and a more efficient deployment of resources. In order to maximize this potential, a new credit transfer regime will need to be developed.

The growing recognition that a future career requires a post-secondary degree represents another challenge.

The Ontario government has implemented a goal of 70 per cent post-secondary attainment. During a time of budgetary constraint, small classes being taught by faculty who spend 40 per cent of their time teaching and the rest dedicated to research is no longer feasible.

Already, universities throughout North America are resorting to part-time teachers. A team of respected academic experts has offered several alternatives, including creating a new stream of faculty focused on teaching with limited research functions, and undergraduate-only universities. Ultimately, the current system will be difficult to sustain.

Now, more than ever, universities have a moral and social obligation to be directly engaged in social and economic development. This obligation extends beyond the core responsibility of simply educating citizens, and includes facilitating the transfer of knowledge from faculty and students to society.

But there are numerous issues to note. While universities must develop structures and policies that facilitate effective knowledge transfer, the impetus to create new products and services is the responsibility of the private and public sectors.

Additionally, the focus of the commercialization of the results of university research has been in the science, technology and medical fields, while it should also include deployment of new knowledge in the humanities, social sciences and arts.

Recognizing the last point, a number of universities have been developing “knowledge mobilization” units to facilitate the use of new knowledge by social agencies, government departments, industry and local communities.

Universities have stood the test of time because of their ability to adapt to the needs of society.

If Canada’s students are to become the leading thinkers in our global society, then universities will have to address the challenges, as they have done throughout the centuries.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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The two-and-a-half-day professional learning event included keynote and spotlight presentations, hands-on training sessions and networking opportunities, focusing on implementing new technology tools and best practices in the classroom.

Right: Anita Townsend (left), Simcoe County District School Board's principal of curriculum services, and Anita Drossis, a teacher at Vaughan Secondary School, participated in the 2010 ABEL Summer Institute

A highlight on the first day was the keynote speech by Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology & media and coordinator of information & communications technologies at the University of Regina. His talk, “How Informal Learning Networks Can Transform Education”, demonstrated how educators can embrace informal networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and looked at how our networked future is key to the reform of teaching and learning.

The conference also included talks from Garfield Gini-Newman, a lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and Bill Muirhead, associate provost, academic, at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Both speakers had unique takes on how the rapidly changing technology landscape will affect the future of teaching and learning.

Left: ASI 2010 participants discuss the course material

The ABEL program launched its new Web site and online community at the conference, giving delegates the opportunity to continue discussions and stay connected online once professional learning and networking sessions had ended. Visit the new Web site.

Private and public sector sponsors make the ABEL Summer Institute possible. This year’s ASI sponsors included Microsoft Canada, Polycom, Apple, the Ontario Research & Innovation Optical Network, Pearson Education Canada, Duplicom Presentation Systems, Mindshare Learning, Ontario’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, 91��ɫ, the 91��ɫ Region District School Board, Turning Technologies Canada and Sobeys.

For more information and to view the event agenda, visit the  Web site.

Founded in 2002, ABEL is led and funded by the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation at 91��ɫ and the 91��ɫ Region District School Board. ABEL has established national and international credibility as a leading authority on new modes of teaching, training, learning and collaboration.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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SSHRC president Chad Gaffield addressed this process during a town hall meeting held with faculty and students during his May 4 visit to 91��ɫ’s Keele campus. “Society has increasing expectations of universities, professors and students,” he said. “Whatever the issue of the day might be, there is a SSHRC researcher with something relevant to contribute to our shared concerns.”

Left: Chad Gaffield

“Renewing our program architecture allows us to support research in all fields using disciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sector approaches,” said Gaffield. “It will also enable new and emerging forms of research, partnerships, talent development and knowledge mobilization, which do not always fit easily into our current suite of programs.”

After consultation with the research community, SSHRC’s governing council has approved the . SSHRC is streamlining the application process to three umbrella programs intended to support the work of individuals and teams, with additional programming to support institutionally based partnerships. The changes will take effect over the next three years.

What does this mean for researchers submitting grant applications this fall?

Here are four things you need to know:

1. No changes are currently expected to affect fellowship and scholarship applications from master’s and doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in 2010. The process will be the same as 2009’s competition. There may be changes coming in 2011 and 2012, however, so be sure to check the Web site periodically.
2. The new architecture will not affect the 2010 Standard Research Grants competition. The deadline for this year’s competition remains Friday, Oct. 15.
3. Although Oct. 15 has historically been the due date for SSHRC’s Standard Research Grants, the deadline for 2011’s competitions may be changed. No firm date has been announced yet; check the Web site for updates.
4. Application calls for Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants will begin in fall 2010. Additional information will be posted on the Web site as it becomes available.

If you have questions about changes to SSHRC’s program architecture, visit the Web site or contact your Faculty-based research officer for more information.

Faculty members seeking to prepare large-scale, collaborative, institutional applications in the Institutional Partnerships category may also contact , senior research officer in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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For more than 50 years, Prof. Durlak worked on applied research and development projects internationally. He introduced innovations ranging from hybrid corn in Costa Rica to agricultural television programs in Guatemala and connected intelligence in education in Maderia to  symmetrical broadband networks in Canada.

Right: Jerry Durlak

He also created and taught more than 20 courses at 91��ɫ in the faculties of education and environmental studies, including courses in urban studies, communications studies and for the Graduate Program in Communications & Culture. Prof. Durlak was a faculty member in the Interactive Art & Entertainment Group in the Canadian Film Centre’s media lab and director of 91��ɫ’s Digital Media Lab.

From 1987 to 1990, he was the editor of Minds in Motion, a collaborative publication between 91��ɫ and Apple Canada that explored leading edge software developments in Canada. Throughout his career, Prof. Durlak wrote extensively on interactive media, communication networks, new communication technologies, machine mediated learning, computer gaming and simulation, distance learning and urban design.

Prof. Durlak leaves his wife Reccia Mandelcorn and children Alex, Caitlin and Meagan Durlak and step-daughter Rachel Rosen.

A service of meditation and remembrance will take place tomorrow at 11am at The Simple Alternative, 275 Lesmill Road, Toronto. In lieu of flowers, Prof. Durlak’s family requests that memorial donations be made to .

Republished courtesy of YFile.

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