Peter Cipriano, president and representative of the Irpinia Club, was at 91亚色 to present the cheque Thursday. Cipriano has donated time and energy to various healthcare ventures over the years, including Humber River Regional Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital, Princess Margaret and Sunnybrook Hospitals, the Canadian Cancer Society and the United Way.

From left, Peter Cipriano of the Irpinia Club hands 91亚色 Professor Joseph DeSouza a cheque for $20,000 for his research

鈥淚t feels fabulous to get early support for our project,鈥� said DeSouza, who conducts research out of听his in 91亚色's Sherman Health Science Research Centre. 鈥淚t will really help this research get off the ground.鈥�

DeSouza and National Ballet dance instructor Rachel Bar will expand their research to study the neuromechanisms of dance, rhythm and beat of music, and their potential therapeutic benefits to Parkinson's patients. Parkinson鈥檚 is a disease of the central nervous system that limits the motor capabilities of patients. They will monitor and record changes in brain patterns of dancers with the ultimate goal of figuring out a therapy to help Parkinson鈥檚 patients improve their mobility.

"There is anecdotal evidence that improvement in motor function may be achieved, and if we can prove this through scientific research, it could mean a great deal to the quality of life of those coping with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers," said DeSouza.

Preliminary data, conducted by , showed increased supplementary motor area (SMA) activation in the brains of dancers after listening to music they are practicing and performing dances to, compared to control dancers that are not learning the dance. The researchers are interested in how the brain is overcoming motor difficulties during diseased brain states like Parkinson's disease, and how dance therapy for Parkinson's disease can help these patients can move more.

The sensorimotor regions of the brian activated when subjects visualized dancing to music

Using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to determine the learning process, the research team hopes to determine the neural mechanisms that occur between listening to music, learning the dance and eventually the dance becoming an automatic association for the brain 鈥� the pre-learning brain and the post-learning brain.

National Ballet dancers were scanned for short periods of time in an fMRI machine before, during and after learning routines to measure the blood flow to different areas of their brain to determine how different areas respond to learning movements. Researchers monitored the neural circuits (medial frontal areas 鈥� SMA) that focus on the sequencing of movements. By looking at these highly trained areas of the brain in professional dancers, they hope to conduct further research to figure out therapies for patients that will allow Parkinson鈥檚 patients to learn new movements.

Peter Cipriano takes a turn in the fMRI

Working in partnership with scientists at McMaster and Western University, the team will train National Ballet dancers to lead dance and movement classes听for Parkinson's patients.

"We are extremely grateful for the support of the Irpinia Club and its members," said DeSouza.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

The post Donation will help fund research into dancing and Parkinson's disease appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

The awards were announced by Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science & technology, Thursday, Sept. 13. Bezerra will receive $140,000 in research funding over two years.

Nielson Bezerra

Bezarra鈥檚 research project, Liberated African Slaves in Brazil in the Nineteenth Century, examines patterns of forced migration of enslaved Africans to the Americas after the British and North American abolition of the slave trade.听 The research focuses on the 100,000 enslaved Africans who were destined for Brazil, but were removed from slave ships by the British Royal Navy after 1820 and declared 鈥淟iberated Africans鈥�.

The individuals taken off these ships provide a representative sample of the migration to Brazil in this period. They will be studied for the purposes of revealing the broader pattern in determining where people came from in Africa and what happened to them in the Americas. Bezerra has published four books and is a member of the Board of Directors of Museu Vivo do S茫o Bento in Duque de Caxias.

"The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are Canada's most prestigious awards for postdoctoral researchers," said Goodyear. "These internationally competitive awards allow our country to retain and attract some of the best and brightest researchers in the world, thereby building Canada's economic and competitive edge."

91亚色鈥檚 Vice-President Research & Innovation, Robert Hach茅, said, 鈥淲e are most pleased to have Dr. Nielson Bezarra pursue his research program at 91亚色. The Banting Fellowship program leverages an opportunity to attract, retain and recognize exceptional postdoctoral researchers and support them early in their careers.鈥�

As a post-doctoral fellow at 91亚色, Bezerra will be supervised by Professor Paul Lovejoy, Distinguished Research Professor, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History and director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples. Bezerra joins a research team that is digitizing and analyzing documentation on Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone, Angola, Cuba, and elsewhere, besides Brazil.

The purpose of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships is to build world-class research capacity by recruiting top-tier Canadian and international postdoctoral researchers at an internationally competitive level of funding. Seventy fellowships are awarded yearly through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

The post Researcher awarded prestigious Banting Fellowship comes to 91亚色 appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

The gift is the single largest corporate endowment supporting Environmental Studies Awards in Canada. More than 15 bachelor of environmental studies students will receive full tuition awards each year .

91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Barbara Rahder, dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), announced the donation from HSBC Bank Canada at a special听event held at 91亚色's Keele campus.

鈥淭his is a great day for 91亚色, students, research and the environment,鈥� said Shoukri. 鈥淲ith this single largest corporate gift to undergraduate environmental studies students in Canada, HSBC Bank Canada鈥檚 commitment creates a new, one-of-a-kind full tuition environmental scholarship, truly transforming environmental studies here at 91亚色 and in Canada.鈥�

听

Above: Event participants celebrate听the听$1-million endowed donation from HSBC Bank Canada establishing the HSBC Bank Canada Environmental Studies Awards at the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES).听Pictured (from left): Erica Ali, FES student; FES Dean Barbara Rahder; Linda Seymour, executive vice-president, commercial banking, and regional president, central and eastern Canada, HSBC Bank Canada; 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; FES student Mike Zhang.

The $1-million听donation from HSBC Bank Canada, to be paid over five years, will create the permanently endowed HSBC Bank Canada Environmental Studies Awards. The donation also triggers a $1-million听matching investment from the Ontario Trust for Student Support Program, creating a $2-million permanent endowment for undergraduate environmental studies students at 91亚色.

鈥�HSBC believes that education is a fundamental building block for communities, which is why we fund scholarships and bursaries at postsecondary institutions across Canada 鈥� including right here at 91亚色,鈥� said Linda Seymour, executive vice-president, commercial banking, and regional president, central and eastern Canada, HSBC Bank Canada. 鈥淲e are very pleased that the HSBC Bank Canada Environmental Studies Awards will support more than 15 environmental studies students each year, allowing them to focus on their research, studies and contribution to the environment.鈥� 听

The awards, equivalent to one year鈥檚 tuition, will be given to third- and fourth-year bachelor of environmental studies students who demonstrate academic achievement, community service and are in financial need.

鈥淭his is a transformational investment to 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Environmental Studies,鈥� said Rahder. 鈥淭hese scholarships enable students to focus on their research, studies and contribution to the environment, lifting the stress of cost of going to university.鈥�

Several dozen students, faculty and staff attended yesterday's announcement at 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus. In addition to highlighting key projects and research currently taking place within the Faculty of Environmental Studies, students also shared their thoughts on the potential impact of these awards.

鈥淎s a student, tuition and other costs associated with a university education are always top of mind,鈥� said Mike Zhang, a fourth-year student majoring in urban sustainability. 鈥淭he new HSBC award will help relieve students like me from this financial worry so we can focus on our studies, take advantage of valuable internships and even come up with the next big idea to address environmental challenges."听

With听this announcement, HSBC Bank Canada has donated close to $2 million听to 91亚色 over the past two decades. Previous donations have created six endowed scholarship funds at 91亚色, which have provided awards to 41 students to date.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post HSBC Bank Canada donates $1 million to 91亚色 appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

During a special听event held at 91亚色's Keele campus, President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri announced a $25-million dollar transformative donation from Pierre Lassonde, chairman of the听Franco-Nevada Corporation, for an expanded School of Engineering.

The announcement was made during a ceremony听in which the Computer Science & Engineering Building, where it was held, was听renamed the听Lassonde Building in honour of the School of Engineering's new听benefactor.听The upbeat event featured the student-constructed Mars Rover unveiling a commemorative plaque showing the building's new name, and the cutting of a giant cake fashioned in the likeness of the Lassonde Building. As part of the celebration, Lassonde was given a leather bomber jacket emblazoned with 91亚色 Engineering by fourth-year space engineering student Shailja Sahani.

Right: Pierre Lassonde shows off his new engineering jacket

鈥�91亚色 is extremely thankful to Pierre Lassonde for his very generous gift,鈥� said Shoukri. 鈥淭his transformative donation will allow us to create a truly unique engineering program that will redefine engineering for the 21st century.鈥�

Based on its traditional strength in humanities, social sciences, business and law, the University is committed to ensuring that听engineering students will be broadly educated to support future economic and social development.

鈥淭he most important natural resource of our country is not its oil or minerals or forests, but our young people,鈥� said Lassonde. 鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative that we give them all the education they need so that they can continue to make Canada one of the best places in the world to live. Through the collaboration of the new engineering program at 91亚色 with one of the most successful business schools in the world, the Schulich School of Business, we know we can make a difference.鈥�

听"Pierre's gift and vision will support a whole new way of thinking about engineering education. His transformational donation will lead to the creation of the Lassonde School of Engineering at 91亚色, with an ambition to graduate a new generation of entrepreneurial engineers with a social conscience," said Janusz Kozinski (left), dean听of the听Faculty of Science & Engineering.

The generous donation from Lassonde, combined with funding from the Government of Ontario and the University, provides an investment enabling 91亚色 to become one of the听top global engineering schools based in Canada.

By embodying 91亚色鈥檚 core values of social responsibility, global citizenship and interdisciplinary education, the new school will provide a unique approach to engineering and entrepreneurship, establishing itself as a destination of choice for top engineering students.

Right:听President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri听

鈥�91亚色 has a rich history of educational innovation, and the broadening of the focus of the engineering school to include business and public policy is a welcome step forward,鈥� said Glen Murray, Ontario鈥檚 minister of training, colleges and universities. 鈥淢r. Lassonde鈥檚 generous gift will accelerate the program and help transform it into a model for next-generation education in engineering.鈥�

More about Pierre Lassonde

Lassonde has a BA from the听University of Montreal (1967), a BSc electrical engineering from Polytechnique, Montreal (1971) and an MBA from the听University of Utah (1973). He received his PEng Ontario designation in 1976 and his CFA, University of Virginia, 1984. He holds honorary听doctorates in engineering from the Universities of Toronto, Montreal and Ryerson, and a doctor of business, University of Utah. 听

In 1982, Lassonde co-founded Franco-Nevada Mining Corporation, the first publicly traded gold royalty company, with his partner and fellow 91亚色 benefactor Seymour Schulich. Over the next 20 years, the company provided shareholders with a 36 per cent annualized rate of return. In February 2002, Franco-Nevada was acquired by Newmont Mining Corp., the world鈥檚 largest gold producer at the time. Lassonde was president of Newmont from 2002 to 2007 and vice-chairman in 2007. He served as chairman of the World Gold Council from 2005 to 2009.

In 2008, he led a group of investors and former executives in bringing back Franco-Nevada to the public market and became its chairman. The $1.2-billion IPO of Franco-Nevada was the largest mining company initial public offering ever done on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The success story continues today as the market capitalization of the company is now over $5 billion.

Left: Celebrating听a sweet moment in 91亚色's history

Lassonde鈥檚 philanthropic activities have had a significant impact on education and the arts. The Lassonde Entrepreneur Centre at the University of Utah was ranked number one in the US in 2010 for its creation of a public company from the University research labs. Other universities that have benefited from Lassonde鈥檚 philanthropy include Polytechnique Montr茅al, and the universities of Toronto, Western Ontario, Ryerson and 91亚色.听

He 听has been chairman of the Quebec National Art Museum since 2005 and has led a $100-million campaign to build a new wing to double the museum exhibition surface. He was made a companion of the Order of Canada in 2002 and an officer of the Order of Quebec in 2008.听听听

Lassonde is also the author of The Gold Book: The Complete Investment Guide to Precious Metals.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post Philanthropist Pierre Lassonde donates $25 million to 91亚色 appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Above: Members of the 91亚色 Rover Team pose for a group photo in the cool of the evening at the Mars Research Station, Hanksville, Utah

91亚色 first entered the challenge, sponsored by TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation) Inc., four years ago and has finished in the top three every year, including a first-place finish in 2009. The challenge: "Design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that will one day work alongside human explorers in the field."

Above: EVE travels the hostile clime of the Utah desert

The closest race came between the second and third place teams, and Oregon State University, who were separated by only 16 points.听 All together, the top three teams of 2011 were the same top three from 2010, but with different results.

鈥淭he level of sophistication shown by these teams was overwhelming,鈥� remarked URC director Kevin Sloan.听 鈥淭hese teams poured themselves into their rover projects over the past year, and it clearly showed.听 The level of competition was taken to an entirely new level this year.鈥�

Above: EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer)

The 91亚色 team left Toronto with its EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer) on May 27 and drove for three days to Hanksville, Utah, arriving early to ensure they could put in some field test time in the environment.

鈥淭he past few days have been intense with emotional highs and lows,鈥� said team member Shailja Sahani. 鈥淓very team member has been putting in at least 20-hour days to make the competition a success, with some sleeping only five hours in the last three days.

鈥淓veryone came together as a team with no prodding from the leadership; they simply picked up tools and got to work. Although we were well prepared before the competition, the desert environment and harsh operating conditions required many last-minute repairs and alterations.

"Our success came from our ability to fix the rover in situ and get back to the task, while other teams were left stranded,鈥� said team member Jordan Bailey.

Bailey, one of two students responsible for the team's finances and marketing, told CBC News he thinks the current rover is the team's "best one yet." Last year, the team faced multiple equipment failures as a result of the record temperatures, which soared to 38 C in the shade. This year's model has a more robust suspension, a finer control system and better temperature regulation than its predecessor, Bailey said.

Above: Jordan Bailey & Isaac DeSouza work into the night to get EVE ready

The rover cost about $13,000 to build, slightly below the $15,000 maximum allowed. The YURT is sponsored by 91亚色, and . The faculty advisers from 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering were Professor Michael Daly and Professor . The engineering adviser was graduate student Mark Post.

The participants included three teams from Poland, three from the United States and two from Canada. By the end of the competition, one team from each country had placed in the top three.听 The Magma2 team from the Bialystok University of Technology in Poland pulled away from the other two teams to an impressive victory.

Magma2 was the first European team to win URC.听 They also were the first team to ever deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the competition.

For more information, visit听the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post 91亚色's rover team finishes second in Mars challenge appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Making good on a collaboration he first outlined as part of last spring鈥檚 convocation address, 91亚色鈥檚 2010 honorary-degree recipient and his wife, Jaya, an executive vice-president and vice-president, programming at ATN, pledged $100,000 earlier this month to create the Shan听& Jaya Chandrasekar Visiting Artist/Scholar Residency in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts. The commitment is the first step in what Chandrasekar hopes is a long-term association with the University, his family and ATN.

Above: Back row, from left, Paul Marcus, president & CEO, 91亚色 Foundation; 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; Asian Television Network (ATN) President & CEO Shan Chandrasekar. Seated, from left, Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Barbara Sellers-Young and Jaya Chandrasekar, executive vice-president听& vice-president, programming,听ATN.

鈥淭here are untold opportunities for collaboration between artists and scholars and students at 91亚色,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 very keen to collaborate with 91亚色 on initiatives that advance arts and culture around the world.鈥�

Beginning later this year, for each of the next four years the Shan听& Jaya Chandrasekar Visiting Artist/Scholar Residency will support a visiting artist or scholar whose expertise includes arts and culture in the South Asian or Southeast Asian region. The candidate will work intensively with 91亚色 fine arts students and faculty, supporting research and teaching through activities like master classes, lectures, creative/technical demonstrations, art production, and exhibitions and installations.

鈥�91亚色 is extremely appreciative and grateful for Shan and Jaya Chandrasekar鈥檚 generosity,鈥� says Mamdouh Shoukri, 91亚色鈥檚 president and vice-chancellor. 鈥淪han and Jaya recognize 91亚色 as an invaluable contributor to Canadian society. They have seen first-hand the impact of our institution in the community, in the province and across this nation."

鈥淪han is a valued a member of the Fine Arts Advisory Council and has long been an advocate for the arts,鈥� says Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Barbara Sellers-Young.听鈥淚 share Shan and Jaya鈥檚 excitement about what this new residency will mean for our students. The visiting South and Southeast Asian artists and scholars will provide new frameworks for considering the arts and their contribution to society.鈥�

The Chandrasekars have been creating multicultural opportunities in business and the arts since the 1970s when they launched the first television programming dedicated to Toronto鈥檚 South Asian community. ATN followed, growing from a single program in 1993 to 33 specialty channels and the first and only 24-hour radio service reaching South Asian audiences throughout North America. In recognition of his contributions to private broadcasting in Canada, Shan Chandrasekar was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2004. Jaya Chandrasekar received the same honour in 2008.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been a bridge-builder, opening doors to diverse avenues of understanding about our world,鈥� says Chandrasekar. 鈥淏ut now I鈥檓 working to achieve those goals in a new way, with a new partner.

鈥淓ducation really is the greatest opportunity. I can only imagine where this exciting collaboration will take us next.鈥�

The post Asian Television Network founder supports Fine Arts research and undergraduate students appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

The PRE-PAID project, funded by the and , targets groups at high risk for diabetes and uses a community-based approach to engage them in the physical activities they enjoy. The 91亚色 study has been operational since November 2009, and several diverse ethnic neighbourhoods in the Toronto area have participated. The Sault College project will involve individuals of First Nations descent.

"The PRE-PAID team is very excited to partner with Sault College for this important initiative,鈥� states Chip Rowan, Researcher and Certified Exercise Physiologist at 91亚色. 鈥淭hrough this partnership, we hope to extend our program to a community that has a well documented risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Through the provision of free screening and targeting individuals with pre-diabetes, we hope that our physical activity intervention program will prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes for as many people as possible."

Canadian Diabetes Association Regional Branch Co-ordinator, Janie Bringleson, says the statistics involving those with diabetes are alarming. Nearly 1 in 4 Canadians either has diabetes or pre-diabetes and more than 20 people are diagnosed with the disease every hour of every day. The Health Council of Canada states that diabetes is much more common, and growing more quickly, among First Nations adults, who are two to eight times more likely to have diabetes than the overall Canadian population, depending on age group. Researchers hope to show participants the benefits of engaging in no cost, enjoyable physical activities. Second, it is hoped that the project will demonstrate the importance of investing in exercise to prevent diabetes. Through these interventions they expect to reduce diabetes by 60%.

The complete article is available on . More information about the is available through the Research website archives.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post 91亚色 partners with the Sault College in diabetes prevention program appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Litoiu has won awards before, but these particular ones stem from his pioneering work in cloud computing, the next big evolution in computing technology. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the hot topics in computing these days,鈥� he says. Since cloud computing surfaced as a brilliant idea in 2007, he鈥檚 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听will be provided and managed automatically from remote servers via the Internet (or 鈥渃loud鈥�).

Through the Internet, off-site service providers will automatically update software, provide security and guarantee uninterrupted service. Software as a Service, as it鈥檚 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亚色, a few cluster groups, including his own, already operate on clouds. Facebook and Google run on cloud computing systems, though they鈥檙e not completely automated, he says. Banks don鈥檛 yet, but 鈥渋t鈥檚 just a matter of time before everything is run on virtual systems.鈥�

Litoiu started his career as a computer science professor in Romania. He immigrated to Canada in 1996 and started a second PhD, this听one听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. 鈥淲e were among the first in the world to create a centre to look at this very new concept of cloud computing,鈥� says Litoiu.

Even after his return to academia in 2008, when he joined 91亚色鈥檚 School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Litoiu continues to collaborate with IBM on developing computing tools and infrastructure. 鈥淚鈥檓 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.鈥�

This year, IBM named him CAS (Centre for Advanced Studies)听. The award recognizes Litoiu's leadership in cloud computing research,听research that听benefits听IBM听and industry听at large, and Litoiu鈥檚 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听鈥� 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 鈥淩eal-time monitoring and simulations of business processes鈥�, which aimed to pinpoint then shorten delays in automated functions, such as听those used听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听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).

鈥淭hese 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,鈥� says Litoiu, of IBM. 鈥淭he 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.鈥�

At 91亚色, 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.

鈥淲e live in a pretty exciting world,鈥� says Litoiu. 鈥淭here are a lot of things to be done in computing. We鈥檙e not even halfway through this computer revolution.鈥�

By Martha Tancock, YFile contributing writer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post Professor Marin Litoiu recognized for cloud computing achievements appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Webber, who retired from 91亚色 in July, dedicated his career to serving听the University and its students. Educated at Harvard and Yale universities, he was a founder of the CCGES and taught at 91亚色 for 38 years.

At the reception, Webber received a model car听as a gift from BMW Canada to mark his retirement.

Left: Christian Feilmeier, VP finance听& administration, BMW Canada; Professor Mark Webber; and Sabine Sparwasser, consul general of Germany in Toronto

鈥淪uch a turnout is strong testimony to the impact Mark has had not just on institutions, but also on people and their lives,鈥� said , current CCGES director. In addition to a crowd of 91亚色 faculty, the reception was attended by Sabine Sparwasser, consul general, Federal Republic of Germany and听Marek Ciesielczuk, consul general, Republic of Poland.

In 1995, Webber was presented with the Officer鈥檚 Cross of the听,听the German equivalent听to the Order of Canada, for his work in fostering German-Canadian and Jewish-Gentile understanding.

He was a key figure in creating听the Ontario/Baden-W眉rttemberg Student Exchange Program. For nine years he served as its听academic coordinator.听It is听the largest single student exchange arrangement in Canada.

His legacy includes the Mark听& Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Antiracism Education, which he initiated with his colleague Michael Brown. This project brings together Canadian university students and fellow students from Germany and Poland to explore how best to counter racism through teaching about the Holocaust.

Right: Mark Webber with听Professor Michael Brown

"With Mark's departure, 91亚色 loses one of the people who care most passionately about it and who have worked to build an institution that was different from others: a place where scholarship was harnessed in the service of teaching; a place dedicated to the humanities but no less to the humane; a place where principles counted for much but never more than individuals; a place where people of all backgrounds would always feel comfortable and be eager to learn,鈥� said Brown.

Funds are now being raised to create an award in Webber鈥檚 honour. Arrangement for gifts to the fund can be made by calling the 91亚色 Foundation at听416-650-8210.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post 91亚色 honours Professor Mark Webber, founder of the Canadian Centre for German & European Studies appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Last week, 91亚色 the Sherman Health Science Research Centre, a facility for research in brain and vision, biomechanics, virtual reality and robotics. Planning for the facility, which was completed in December 2009, started in 2007.

The $11.5-million centre, which was converted from an old hockey arena, was named after Honey Sherman, a 91亚色 Foundation board member, and her husband, Barry Sherman, president and CEO of the听 pharmaceutical company Apotex Inc., who donated $5 million to the project. 鈥淓verybody who gives donations has to pick and choose as to where the need is greatest,鈥� Barry Sherman said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 91亚色, an important Canadian university for teaching and research鈥e tend to concentrate our gifts towards health care. It鈥檚 good for the scientists, the public and the eventual patients who will benefit. It鈥檚 a gift to the City of Toronto.鈥�

Sherman sees the facility鈥檚 potential for interdisciplinary research as an asset to the University. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very impressive, and it makes a lot of sense. [These fields] are interrelated. To make significant progress in any area you need people of various [fields],鈥� he said, adding that he was particularly impressed with the neuroimaging lab.

鈥淭o try to understand the workings of the brain, you need that equipment,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be very useful in developing that understanding when it comes to brain impairment and issues like dementia.鈥�

Stan Shapson, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president, research & innovation, said the facility will provide an ideal work environment for both staff and graduate students. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have these kinds of facilities for them yet, so they were doing great work, but you鈥檙e doing work in a lab that鈥檚 in the basement of a building. There鈥檚 potential for interference when you鈥檙e collecting data. It slows down your work and you鈥檙e always adjusting equipment,鈥� Shapson said. 鈥淣ow you have state-of-the-art labs鈥The students and researchers] will be able to do better quality work more quickly.鈥�

Some of this research includes studying loss of vision in the elderly, developing a robot-guided wheelchair and building robots that can function underwater.

Shapson hopes the facility will help the University forge connections with local hospitals. 鈥淚 think we had four presidents of regional hospitals at [the official opening]. That鈥檚 wonderful. They鈥檙e looking at this facility as something that could help them,鈥� he said.

With the new facilities and 91亚色鈥檚 existing , which is internationally renowned, Shapson sees the potential to attract new researchers and students, as well as to apply existing research to the health care sector. 鈥淚 think [this centre] is going to drive new ideas, innovations and treatments. At the end of the day, the hope is to deliver better health outcomes to Canadians,鈥� he said.

The Sherman Centre includes space for 13 laboratories and accommodates over 150 researchers, graduate students, research associates and staff.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post Canadian Jewish News covers Sherman Health Science Research Centre opening appeared first on UAP 2026-30.