Volpe is president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers鈥� Association, representing one of Canada鈥檚 largest manufacturing sectors. A leading voice on industrial policy, trade and economic competitiveness, he has played a prominent role in advancing Canadian manufacturing interests and strengthening the country鈥檚 automotive supply chain.  

Appointed to the Order of Canada in 2023, he serves on both the Prime Minister鈥檚 Council on Canada-U.S. Relations and the Ontario Premier鈥檚 Council on U.S. Trade and Investment. 

Volpe has built a career at the intersection of industry, public policy and public service, said Siu Ning (Sunny) Leung, vice-dean, faculty and inclusive excellence, Lassonde School of Engineering. 

鈥淧rogress takes more than good ideas; it takes people who can bring others together and turn those ideas into action,鈥� said Leung. 鈥淔ew careers demonstrate that more clearly than that of Flavio Volpe.鈥澛�

After accepting an honorary degree before graduands of , Glendon College, and the Faculties of , Education and Science, Volpe reflected on the family and experiences that shaped his journey. 

Returning to 91亚色 nearly three decades after completing his MBA, he said one lesson had become increasingly clear over time: "Nobody gets here alone.鈥�   

That lesson, he noted, was rooted in his own family's connection to 91亚色. Before Volpe earned his degree, his mother, Mirala, returned to school as a mature student while raising four children, becoming the first university graduate in her family.  

鈥淗er effort and her success were both a warning and an inspiration,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was showing us, through her own work, what we could and should ask of ourselves.鈥�  

Volpe encouraged graduands to recognize the family members, teachers, friends and mentors who helped them reach this milestone, and reminded them that opportunity comes with responsibility.  

"Your education gives you tools. What you do with those tools gives meaning," he said. 鈥淵ou are graduating in different disciplines. You will help communities understand themselves and the world. Your work will affect people you may never meet.鈥� 

Looking back on his own career, Volpe recalled representing Canada's automotive manufacturing sector and the importance of keeping people at the centre of decision-making. 

"When I visit an office or a factory, I see skill, ingenuity, investment. I also see people paying their mortgages and raising their kids and making plans." 

He pointed to the automotive sector's response during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he led efforts to shift production to ventilators and personal protective equipment, as an example of people coming together to solve urgent challenges. 

"When you have the ability to help, you have a responsibility to try," he said. 

Volpe also shared insights from Project Arrow, the nation's first all-Canadian zero-emission concept vehicle created to showcase Canadian technology, talent and innovation. Drawing on this example, he challenged graduands to think boldly about their futures and ability to make an impact. 

"You do not have to shrink your ambition to fit somebody else's assumptions about you," he said. "Confidence does not require you to have every answer; it requires you to believe that your effort can make a difference, and to be willing to learn from the people who sit beside you. I hope you leave 91亚色 with that confidence." 

Volpe encouraged the graduating class to carry forward both the opportunities they have received and the responsibility that comes with them. 

"Wherever you go, carry that responsibility with you. Make room for someone else. Share what you know. Stand up when it would be easier to sit down and be quiet." 

He concluded with a reminder about the values that matter most as graduates begin the next chapter of their lives. 

"Keep your kindness. Keep your honesty. Keep your loyalty to the people who trust you, be ambitious about what you can accomplish and thoughtful about who benefits when you do," he said. 

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This fall, 91亚色 U welcomes new full-time, permanent faculty members in the , the Faculty of Education, the , the , the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Markham Campus and the Faculty of Science. 

In this issue:

AMPD scholars offer diverse expertise across arts, media, dance

New faculty members bring expertise to 91亚色's Faculty of Education

Faculty of Health welcomes leaders in psychology, nursing

Lassonde School of Engineering welcomes machine learning innovator

Faculty joining LA&PS bring scholarship on diverse disciplines

New Makham Campus faculty enhance sport management teaching, learning

Inclusive, student-centred learning focus of new Faculty of Science prof

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91亚色's Faculty of Science welcomes one new full-time, permanent member this fall.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to welcome Professor Tanya Da Sylva to the Faculty of Science," says Dean Maydianne Andrade. "Her expertise in genetics, immunobiology and physiology, combined with her passion for teaching, will enrich our community, expanding opportunities for collaboration, research and student learning. The Department of Biology, and the entire Faculty of Science community, look forward to her contributions.鈥澛�

Tanya Da Sylva

Da Sylva joins the Department of Biology as an assistant professor. She earned her PhD from 91亚色 in 2008, investigating mutations associated with autoimmune disease. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in developmental and stem cell biology.  

An award-winning educator, Da Sylva uses student-centred, evidence-based approaches to create equitable and inclusive learning environments while developing students鈥� critical thinking, information literacy and communication skills. Her curriculum contributions include co-leading a major redesign of the department鈥檚 second-year genetics course. She supervises undergraduate researchers, and her scholarship of teaching and learning focuses on reducing genetic determinism in undergraduate education and addressing barriers to student learning. She is also a member of the Open Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators, where she is Chair of the Membership Committee.聽聽

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Silicon has been the foundation of modern electronics for decades, powering everything from computers to smartphones. Around the turn of the century, however, Baumgartner says researchers discovered that carbon-based materials, including some plastics, could be engineered to conduct electricity.

The finding led to a class of materials known as organic semiconductors, which are lightweight, flexible and potentially less expensive to manufacture than conventional electronic materials.

Despite their promise, and existing use in OLED displays in televisions and phones, they still lag behind silicon in many applications because they do not move electricity as efficiently. Scientists are working to overcome that limitation, including by refining a process known as doping, which involves introducing small amounts of another material to enable electricity to move more efficiently through a semiconductor.

While doping is widely used in traditional silicon-based electronics, researchers are still working to understand exactly how it functions in organic materials and how it can be made more effective. Improving that process could enhance the performance of carbon-based semiconductors and expand their use in future electronic devices.

鈥淒oping is one of the few levers to enhance the electronic performance of semiconductors,鈥� says Baumgartner. 鈥淒iscovering new ways of doping is critical to further drive this technology into our daily lives.鈥�

For Baumgartner, Caputo and their collaborators, one of the biggest unanswered questions involved dopants known as Lewis acids. Researchers have known these materials can significantly boost the performance of organic semiconductors. One Lewis acid in particular, tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF), has repeatedly delivered better results than existing theories would predict, making it one of the field's enduring puzzles.

鈥淭here have been considerable inconsistencies in the literature,鈥� says Baumgartner. 鈥淭he parameters point to a different, yet unknown, mechanism for the doping with Lewis acids that we set out to unravel.鈥�

In work in Nature Materials, Baumgartner and Caputo brought their chemistry expertise to a collaboration with researchers from Concordia University and the institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) specializing in device physics. Together, the interdisciplinary and inter-university team investigated why certain Lewis-acid dopants appeared to perform better than existing theories could explain.

鈥淲e have approached the work as a truly integrated team allowing us to leverage each of the different disciplinary pillars of the project to the fullest extent,鈥� says Caputo.

Researchers wanted to know why BCF performs so well and whether an overlooked process might be at work. They proposed and tested a new method called degradation-assisted doping, which suggests that the very process scientists typically try to avoid, a dopant breaking down, might help the material conduct electricity more effectively.

To investigate that possibility, the team combined laboratory experiments with theoretical modelling and computer simulations. By tracking what happened during the doping process and comparing the results against existing theories, they looked for evidence of the missing mechanism they suspected was at work.

Conventional wisdom suggests dopants should remain as stable as possible while they do their job. Instead, the researchers found evidence that the partial breakdown of the molecule can help the process continue. In effect, the breakdown removes a roadblock that would otherwise limit how much electrical charge can move through the material.

The discovery explains why BCF has consistently outperformed expectations and provides support for a new method the researchers call degradation-assisted doping. Beyond solving an ongoing puzzle, the finding provides a framework for developing future dopants. The team has already identified additional candidate materials for future study and believes the approach could guide the design of more effective organic electronic materials.

鈥淲ith this initial project, we have only scratched the surface of what is possible,鈥� says Baumgartner. 鈥淲hat sets organic semiconductors apart from traditional silicon-based systems is their inherent flexibility in molecular design using chemical synthesis. In essence, we can play molecular Lego庐 with suitable building blocks and assemble an almost infinite number of different semiconductor materials.鈥�

That flexibility creates opportunities to develop new semiconductors and tailor-made dopants that take advantage of the newly identified mechanism. Over time, those advances could improve the performance of organic electronics and expand their use in technologies where lightweight, flexible materials offer advantages over conventional electronics.

鈥淪ince our work established a comprehensive understanding of the doping mechanism with Lewis acids, this has now opened the door to considerably expanding this strategy to different types of organic semiconductors and Lewis acids,鈥� says Caputo. 鈥淲e hope that our biggest impact will be stimulating the design and development of more powerful organic electronics with semiconductors whose performance is significantly enhanced by Lewis-acid doping.鈥�

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Pollinators play a vital role in ecosystems and agriculture, yet many populations are under pressure from habitat loss, land-use change, pesticides and climate change.

As scientists work to understand the factors that affect pollinator health, microbial communities are receiving growing attention. These communities, made up of bacteria and fungi that live in and on animals, are known collectively as a microbiome. They can play important roles in nutrition, development and defence against disease. Some microbes may help support bee health, while others can contribute to illness.

鈥淭here has been growing recognition that an animal鈥檚 microbiome can be an important part of its biology,鈥� says Rehan. Important questions remain, however. 鈥淲e still know relatively little about where wild bees acquire their microbial communities.鈥�

Rehan explains that much of what scientists know about bee microbiomes comes from a relatively small number of well-studied species, particularly managed bees such as honey bees. Wild bees, by contrast, are far more diverse and may interact with microbes and their environments in very different ways.

Researchers already know that pollinators can share microbes with flowers and that soil is an important source of microorganisms for plants. However, very few studies have examined all three together: bees, flowers and soil. To help fill that gap, Rehan led a research team that set out to understand where small carpenter bees get the microbes that live in and on them, and whether urbanization influences those relationships.

In this work, in Science of the Total Environment, researchers collected bees from 12 sites across the Toronto region between May and September 2025. The sites ranged from highly urbanized areas to more rural landscapes. Whenever a bee was collected, the researchers also collected samples from the flower it was visiting and from nearby soil.

Back in the lab, the team extracted DNA from the bee, flower and soil samples and used genetic sequencing to identify the bacteria and fungi present in each one. By comparing those microbial communities, the researchers found which microbes were shared across bees, flowers and soil, and how factors such as urbanization and season influenced those relationships.

鈥淥ne of the most striking findings was just how much overlap there was between the microbes associated with the bees and those found on their host flowers,鈥� says Rehan. Nearly all of the most common bacterial and fungal groups found on the pollinators also appeared on the flowers they visited, suggesting that flowers as major microbial source. Soil, on the other hand, appeared to be much less connected.

Even so, bees were not simply collecting microbes from flowers. The microbes they carried differed from those found on flowers, suggesting other factors determine a bee's microbiome. Soil may still contribute indirectly, the researchers say, through plants aquiring microbes from the ground.

The study also found that urbanization appeared to influence bee microbiomes. Bees from more urban areas tended to carry a greater diversity of bacteria but a lower diversity of fungi, a pattern not seen in flowers or soil. One possible explanation is that bees in cities encounter a wider variety of plants in parks, gardens and other green spaces.

Microbial communities found on bees and flowers also changed over the course of the growing season, while soil communities remained relatively stable. The study additionally detected fungi that include known bee pathogens, although the researchers did not find evidence that they were harmful. Rehan says the findings highlight the potential for monitoring bee microbiomes as a way to detect emerging threats to pollinator health.

鈥淭he next major question is what those microbes actually do,鈥� says Rehan. 鈥淯nderstanding their functions, how stable these relationships are over time and how environmental change affects them will be important next steps.鈥�

Rehan also points to several areas for future research. These include studying bees, flowers and their surrounding environments together rather than in isolation, paying closer attention to fungi, which have received far less research attention than bacteria, and improving understanding of how urbanization affects bee microbiomes.

Rehan says such work could ultimately help researchers develop a fuller picture of pollinator health.

鈥淯nderstanding these relationships could help us develop a more complete picture of what constitutes high-quality habitat for wild pollinators,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hope this work helps broaden the way we think about pollinator health and conservation.鈥�

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As Hadfield's voice echoed "three, two, one鈥�" during Canada's largest student rocketry competition, the 91亚色-built "Red Robin" soared 20,000 feet into the air, leading to two second-place finishes and the team's strongest result to date.

Competing against more than 30 university teams from nine provinces, 91亚色's students delivered a strong performance at the annual Challenge. The week-long event, held Aug. 15 to 22, is designed to provide students with hands-on experience in engineering, manufacturing and testing, and brings together aspiring engineers, scientists and aerospace innovators from across the nation.

The landed a second-place finish in its launch competition category and second place in the science payload challenge, placing the University among the country's top-performing student rocketry teams.

鈥淭he team鈥檚 achievement is the result of increasing opportunities for hands-on STEM learning and student-led innovation at 91亚色, not to mention a successful multi-faculty collaboration,鈥� says Robin Metcalfe, 91亚色鈥檚 associate dean, student affairs in the Faculty of Science. Metcalfe is the team鈥檚 administrative supervisor, alongside Professor Hugh Chesser from the , who serves as the team鈥檚 academic advisor.

For the students behind the project, it was the culmination of months of design, testing and preparation.

"Red Robin wasn鈥檛 just one project. It was multiple projects, tests and launches spread out over the course of a year, and we worked on it constantly,鈥� says Ido Shakarghi, Arbalest team president, noting the 10-foot, solid-fuelled rocket reached a maximum speed of Mach 1.3.

The year-long effort involved first proving the concept for Red Robin would work during a smaller-scale launch, followed by a series of tests and flights that led to the project鈥檚 success.

The flight was especially meaningful for members of Arbalest, with Red Robin reaching a record altitude for 91亚色 at the Launch Canada Challenge. Last year's Goose 4 launch reached roughly 13,000 feet.

Red Robin鈥檚 award-winning payload also included an experiment involving algae cells that move in response to light 鈥� similar to astrophage in the 2026 sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary 鈥� to learn more about how the cells' movement is influenced by the changing gravitational forces experienced during launch.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to design and build something ambitious, but it鈥檚 another thing entirely to see it succeed in the real world,鈥� says Shakarghi.

The competition, which received $1.2 million in federal funding, drew aerospace industry representatives and government leaders from across Canada to observe and engage in presentations, technical demonstrations and launches throughout the week.

91亚色's turn to liftoff also drew special attention because of Hadfield's presence.

"For the past few years, Launch Canada organizers have tried unsuccessfully to arrange a visit by Colonel Hadfield," says Metcalfe, who also serves as a member of the Launch Canada outreach team. "Just by chance, he arrived on the same day as 91亚色's launch and delivered the countdown from the launch control tower. It was an exciting moment."

The project also highlights the growing opportunities available to 91亚色 students interested in aerospace engineering, space technology and applied STEM learning, says Metcalfe.

"Through competitions such as Launch Canada, students gain experience solving real-world engineering challenges while working as part of multidisciplinary teams."

For the 91亚色 students watching their rocket ascend after Hadfield's countdown, the moment was more than a successful launch. It was national recognition for months of work and a chance to showcase 91亚色 talent at one of Canada's largest student aerospace competitions.

鈥淭his current team has always had a lot of heart. They are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed,鈥� says Shakarghi. 鈥淣one of us will forget the countless nights spent in the garage working like our lives depended on it, or the ridiculous drives and last-minute problems we had to solve just to keep moving forward.

鈥淪econd place was an incredible moment for us, but we鈥檙e not done. We proved that we belong here, and now we鈥檙e coming for that grand prize trophy.鈥�

The team continues to work on new developments, including an innovative roll-control system on a series of rockets named Blue Jay, while setting their sights on 91亚色's first liquid-fuelled rocket, the Moose, with their first static firing test early this fall.

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Healthy lakes are essential to ecosystems and communities. They provide habitat for wildlife, support fisheries and recreation, help sustain local economies and, in many cases, serve as sources of drinking water.

Those benefits, however, are under threat from expanding clusters of algae that can spread across freshwater systems, block sunlight from reaching aquatic plants, disrupt oxygen levels and produce toxins that can affect wildlife, pets and people.

"Harmful algal blooms are an increasing concern in freshwater ecosystems around the world, including the Great Lakes," says Zhu, a professor in 91亚色's Department of Mathematics and Statistics and director of the Laboratory of Mathematical Parallel Systems (LAMPS).

As these outbreaks become more common, scientists are studying what causes healthy lakes to become prone to bloom. Improving that understanding could help researchers and policymakers develop more effective ways to predict, prevent or manage these events.

Scientists have long studied how nutrients, temperature and other environmental conditions contribute to bloom events. co-authored by Zhu suggests one overlooked driver may be dissolved oxygen, the oxygen naturally present in lake water that aquatic plants and animals rely on.

While dissolved oxygen is often used as a measure of water quality, Zhu felt it deserved a closer look because of the role it plays in aquatic environments. In particular, it influences the behaviour of zooplankton, tiny animals that feed on microscopic algae known as phytoplankton. When oxygen levels are low, zooplankton become less effective at feeding on algae. As that natural control weakens, algae can grow more rapidly, increasing the likelihood of a bloom.

Zhu, along with former LAMPS postdoctoral candidate Juan Li and Nanjing Normal University Professor Yongzhong Song, wanted to better understand that relationship by developing and using a mathematical model.

"Our work wanted to fill that gap by explicitly connecting dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton and zooplankton in one dynamical model," he says.

The researchers tested different environmental scenarios to explore what happens when oxygen levels rise or fall and identify conditions that could tip a lake from a relatively stable state toward an algal bloom.

Oxygen levels can be influenced by a range of factors, including temperature, water conditions and biological activity. Climate change can also affect levels by warming waters and altering ecosystems.

The researchers found that when oxygen availability falls, the effects can spread through the ecosystem. A loss of this natural balance can cause lakes to become increasingly favourable for algae outbreaks.

The model also suggests why algal blooms can sometimes prove difficult to reverse once they appear. As oxygen levels decline and zooplankton become less effective at controlling algae, the balance of the ecosystem can shift leading to conditions that favour algal growth, making it harder for a lake to return to its previous state.

"The underlying system can cross a critical threshold and shift rapidly into a different ecological state," Zhu says.

While the research is theoretical, Zhu says the findings could explain how blooms develop and how they might be prevented. By identifying the conditions that make freshwater bodies of water more vulnerable to algae, researchers can identify which factors deserve the most attention before an outbreak occurs.

The study suggests that maintaining healthy oxygen levels, alongside efforts to reduce nutrient pollution, could improve the natural grazing activity of zooplankton and strengthen a lake's ability to keep algae growth under control. Over time, that knowledge could inform more targeted approaches to lake management and ecosystem protection.

Zhu emphasizes, however, that dissolved oxygen is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

"Natural lake ecosystems are much more complicated than any single mathematical model," he says. "Our study provides one step toward understanding these interactions, but there is considerable opportunity to make the models more realistic by incorporating additional environmental factors and field data."

Future research could incorporate variables such as temperature, light, nutrient availability and water movement to build a more complete picture of how freshwater systems respond to environmental change. Zhu's team is also advancing related work through initiatives such as the Ontario Climate Data Portal, which supports research into climate impacts and environmental change.

"We hope this work contributes to a better mechanistic understanding of harmful algal blooms and ultimately supports more effective management," he says.

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鈥淐limate change is rapidly expanding habitats for ticks and mosquitoes across Canada, driving up rates of Lyme disease and introducing newer threats like anaplasmosis into regions where they weren't previously seen,鈥� says Tosato, who works through the Faculty of Science's Laboratory of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM).

As a result, researchers and public health officials are increasingly looking for ways to reduce tick populations and the diseases they spread.

One approach is the use of prescribed burns, also known as controlled fires. Previous research has shown they can reduce tick numbers, but whether those reductions translate into lower disease risk remains less clear. Researchers know less about how different fire regimes affect disease spread when accounting for the complex interactions between ticks, wildlife hosts and the pathogens they carry.

鈥淚f we want to predict disease risks down the line, we really need to understand how all these moving parts interact,鈥� says Tosato, whose previous work has evaluated different tick-control strategies such as acaricides and repellents.

Tosato and collaborator Kyeongah Nah, from the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences in South Korea, sought to address those questions. They wanted to better understand how controlled burns affect the spread of tick-borne diseases while accounting for factors that have received less attention in previous models, including the role of rodents and whether fire affects young and adult ticks differently.

, the study was supervised by Professor Jianhong Wu through the LIAM lab and used a mathematical model representing ticks, rodents and the diseases that can spread between them. The model simulated how tick populations change over time, how they interact with rodents and how infections move through those populations. It also distinguished between infected and uninfected ticks and rodents, allowing the team to track transmission under different conditions.

The researchers then introduced fire as a variable, simulating prescribed burns with different frequencies and effectiveness levels. This allowed them to test a wide range of hypothetical scenarios, including how disease spread might change if burns occurred more or less frequently, or removed larger or smaller proportions of tick and rodent populations. By running thousands of simulations, the team could compare different fire-management approaches and their potential effect on disease risk.

Before evaluating the effectiveness of controlled burns, the simulation revealed several factors that play an outsized role in disease spread.

One practical finding was that not all ticks contribute equally to transmission. The researchers found that adult ticks and rodents played especially important roles in driving disease transmission. That suggests control strategies targeting those populations may have the greatest impact on limiting transmission.

The model also highlighted the importance of a lesser-understood transmission pathway known as co-feeding. This occurs when infected and uninfected ticks feed close together on the same animal, allowing disease to spread directly between the ticks even if the host itself is not infected. When the researchers incorporated this process into their modelling approach, disease became considerably harder to control. Infections persisted under conditions where they otherwise would have disappeared.

With those transmission dynamics established, the researchers examined how prescribed burns influence disease risk.

The simulations suggested that prescribed fire can substantially reduce the spread of tick-borne diseases, particularly when carried out regularly. The modelling also highlighted the importance of burn frequency. Relatively modest reductions in tick populations achieved through annual burns produced effects comparable to much more aggressive interventions carried out less often.

At the same time, the model suggested that completely eliminating tick populations would be difficult. Doing so would require highly effective burns at frequent intervals, conditions that may be impractical or potentially harmful to natural ecosystems. Instead, reducing disease risk may be a more realistic goal.

The researchers conclude that prescribed fire could serve as a flexible management tool that supports both ecosystem stewardship and public health goals. However, they caution that its effectiveness depends on factors such as local ecological conditions, the characteristics of the disease being targeted and how frequently burns are conducted.

The team also recommends further research examining how prescribed burns compare with other tick-control strategies, including repellents and acaricides, as well as how longer-term environmental changes caused by burning, such as shifts in vegetation cover and humidity, affect tick survival and disease transmission.

For Tosato, the study demonstrates the importance of understanding the connection between environmental change and disease risk.

鈥淚 hope it highlights how fire dynamics and land management can influence these systems, encouraging a broader perspective on how environmental changes and disease transmission connect,鈥� he says.

The work also underscores the role mathematics can play in addressing emerging public-health challenges. By simulating complex ecological interactions that are difficult to study directly, mathematical models can help researchers anticipate future risks and evaluate potential responses.

鈥淎s changing environmental conditions allow ticks and new pathogens to establish themselves in regions where they previously couldn't survive, a close collaboration between mathematics and public health is essential to generate actionable insights that allow us to stay ahead of emerging threats,鈥� Tosato says.

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Coukell received a bachelor of science, master of science and PhD from the University of British Columbia before completing postdoctoral appointments at Stanford University and the University of Oxford. In 1972, he was recruited to help build 91亚色's then-nascent Department of Biology.

He remained at 91亚色 until his retirement in 2005. During his career, he conducted research in genetics, biochemistry and developmental biology, studying how cells communicate and coordinate their activities. Using a microorganism as the biological system for his research, his work helped advance understanding of fundamental biological processes.

Coukell was widely regarded as a leader in his field, as was his wife, Anne, an accomplished microbiologist who worked at 91亚色 as a research associate and laboratory manager for 28 years. Anne contributed extensively to the laboratory's research activities and co-authored many publications alongside her husband.

Beyond his research achievements, Coukell was deeply respected by colleagues and students alike. He taught large introductory undergraduate courses, offered upper-level biology classes and supervised numerous graduate students throughout his career.

When he received a Faculty of Graduate Studies Teaching Award in 2003, colleagues praised his ability to help students develop as independent researchers by fostering critical and creative thinking, problem-solving skills, perseverance, effective communication and intellectual curiosity.

Former students remember him for his approachability, kindness and unwavering commitment to scientific integrity. Both Coukell and Anne were known for their generosity, often welcoming students into their home and treating them like extended family.

Even after retirement, supporting students remained important to the couple. Through a legacy gift to 91亚色, they established the Milton Barrie Coukell and Anne Maureen Coukell Scholarship, which supports undergraduate students in science and engineering as well as graduate students in 91亚色's biology program.

In a 2009 interview with 91亚色 U Legacies, reflecting on the scholarship and the legacy he hoped to leave, Coukell emphasized the transformative power of education. "It's important to train people to think for themselves; to think critically and scientifically. I can't think of anything more important," he said.

The sentiment reflects a legacy remembered by generations of students whose lives and careers were shaped by Coukell's guidance, generosity and commitment to education.

Besides his commitment to science and to education, Barrie was devoted to his family which besides his wife Anne included his daughter Suzanne, her husband and his granddaughter Kate.

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Awarded through CIHR's Project Grant program, the funding supports researchers and trainees pursing projects across the health research spectrum, from foundational discovery to applied research and knowledge mobilization.

The four 91亚色-funded projects span neuroscience, mental health, autoimmune disease and Indigenous health, and position the University as a leader in research that focuses on building healthy lives, communities and environments through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

"This investment reflects the excellence, breadth and growing impact of health research at 91亚色 and the ,鈥� says Dean David Peters. These CIHR-funded projects bring together researchers, trainees and community partners to improve care, inform policy and advance the health and well-being of individuals and communities.鈥�

Ali Abdul Sater, associate professor at the Faculty of Health, received $1,017,450 to investigate the role of a protein known as TRAF1 in rheumatoid arthritis. The  aims to identify new ways of targeting inflammation while preserving protective immune functions, with the goal of informing the development of more precise treatments for the autoimmune disease. 

Kate Dunn, assistant professor at the Faculty of Health, was awarded $761,174 to work with First Nations communities on culturally grounded approaches to liver wellness and hepatitis C awareness, screening and care. Building on previous CIHR-funded research, and working with a team of co-investigators including 91亚色鈥檚 Mia Biondi, Karen Campbell, Tarama Barnett and Ashley Day, the  will co-design community-integrated pathways that combine Indigenous knowledge, creative engagement and clinical access to improve awareness and access to services.  

Also at the Faculty of Health, Jonathan Weiss, a professor in the Department of Psychology, was awarded $730,576 together with co-principal investigator Yona Lunsky (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) for a project exploring therapeutic photography as a mental health intervention for youth with intellectual disabilities. Co-designed with young people and their families, the  will test whether photography can provide an accessible means of self-expression and support mental well-being. The project includes several co-investigators, with 91亚色鈥檚 Shital Desai, Nazilla Khanlou, Georges Monette, Paul Ritvo and Kate Tilleczek among the group. 

At the Faculty of Science,听Jeffrey Schall, a professor in the Department of Biology, received $1,059,526 for research examining how the brain's prefrontal cortex supports attention and decision-making.聽The聽聽will use advanced brain imaging and monitoring techniques to advancing understanding with potential applications for conditions that affect these functions.聽

础苍辞迟丑别谤听聽at University Health Network聽(UHN)聽will be聽co-led by 91亚色 assistant professor聽Divya Sharma, Faculty of Science and carried out at the University. 聽With聽$726,752聽in funding聽to聽UHN, the team of researchers will聽investigate the use of AI聽to聽analyze聽biological聽differences among聽people聽with knee osteoarthritis. The work aims聽to聽better predict who is most likely to聽benefit聽from knee replacement surgery聽and聽could help guide more personalized treatments and patient outcomes.聽

"Addressing today's pressing health challenges requires inspired collaboration across fields, linking excellence in fundamental science to practice at the bedside," says Faculty of Science Dean Maydianne Andrade. "These federally funded projects are emblematic of the research at 91亚色 and the Faculty of Science, advancing our ability to translate complex data into innovative models and decision tools that can transform lives."

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