Monday, April 6, 2009

Grad Photos

CanGrad Studios are currently taking appointments for Graduate Studies Portrait sittings. CanGrad will supply your academic costume (hood and gown) for your degree. This is included in the sitting fee. Appointments are only made by calling, or emailing the studio. Appointment times are only available in the afternoon; so call A.S.A.P. to ensure you get a time that is most convenient for you. Tel: (416) 253 - 6466, email: mail@cangrad.com

MITACS Skills Enhancement Program

Build on your skills for success! Join MITACS Skills Enhancement Program for this one-day interactive, workshop and improve your networking skills!
As part of MITACS Skills Enhancement Program, this workshop was developed to provide opportunities for students to build on skill sets necessary to succeed in both the academia and industry setting.
Limited funding is available for student travel and accommodation for participants coming from outside of the Greater Toronto Area. Please contact Amanda Casorso, Events Coordinator, for eligibility.

Registration is open to all MITACS students and past, present, and prospective MITACS ACCELERATE Interns - including all postdocs and students at the graduate level.

Monday April 27, 2009

Go To: http://www.mitacs.ca/conferences/ASPPN/
What: Effective Networking!
When: Monday, April 27, 2009
Where: 89 Chestnut Street, Toronto, ON
Time: 8:30AM-4:30PM (Registration 8:00AM Sharp!)
You’ve all heard the saying “you are only as good as your network”, but have you ever wondered how to get one?
Maximize your conference experience and Join MITACS Skills Enhancement Program to experience firsthand the power of positive networking. From academia to industry to your personal life, these skills will help you succeed!
All students attending MITACS 2009 Annual Conference are eligible to attend this pre-conference workshop and are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to immediately apply advanced learned networking skills in the following conference days.
What you will learn:
• Participants encouraged to works on strategies to build relationships with present network as well as cross-network between disciplines.
• Confidence, social intelligence skills.
• Learn to build extensive, long-lasting connections;
• Fuelling and maximizing existing connections.
• Making networking a priority, where to locate relevant networking opportunities and events beyond ‘business only events’.
• Dealing with networking roadblocks - getting comfortable handing out business cards

Speaker:
Donna Messer, ConnectUs Communications Canada
Donna Messer is an author, speaker and trainer for ConnectUs Communications Canada, her networking training has been added to the curriculum of colleges, universities, boardrooms and government offices around the world. Statistics show effective networking has a significant impact on income; that it’s not the quantity of business cards collected, rather the quality of the relationship built. Messer is a journalist and the lifestyle editor for several Canadian publications. Her expertise in networking is recognized worldwide. Her book “Effective Networking Strategies” is a best seller.
She can be reached through the website – www.connectuscanada.com.

***Please note that there is a $50.00 deposit to attend each workshop. This will be reimbursed to you pending confirmation of your attendance***

What’s included:
• workshop materials
• lunch and coffee breaks
• access to recognized expertise
• networking opportunities

***Limited funding is available for travel and accommodation for participants coming from outside of the Greater Toronto Area***

For information and/or to apply for travel & accommodation funding please contact Amanda Casorso, Events Coordinator at acasorso@mitacs.ca.

For more information on the Skills Enhancement Program please contact Kamilla Karoli, Programs Coordinator at kkaroli@mitacs.ca.

Centre for Environment Research Day 2009

WED APRIL 22, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (includes lunch and is followed by refreshments)
Please REGISTER (free) at www.environment.utoronto.ca/ResearchDay2009.aspx or email m.elhaddad@utoronto.ca.
Everyone is welcome at any time throughout the event. Registration is not required but recommended for catering purposes only.

FACULTY CLUB, 2nd floor, 41 Willcocks St. (east of Spadina Ave., north of College St.)
(See below for directions via TTC and parking info.)
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Join us on Earth Day for a look at some of the research conducted by members of the Centre for Environment.
Featured will be eight research presentations followed by a presentation of graduate students' awards.
Schedule is subject to change. For updates, abstracts and speakers’ biographies,
please visit www.environment.utoronto.ca or email m.elhaddad@utoronto.ca (416-978-6526).

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
10:00 a.m.
INGRID STEFANOVIC, Director, Centre for Environment: Opening remarks

10:10
PHILIP BYER, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Environment
“Addressing Uncertainties about Climate Change in Project-Level Environmental Impact Assessments”
10:40
RACHEL BRYANT, Ph.D. candidate, Dept of Philosophy and Centre for Environment (Environmental Studies Program)
“Justifying Conservation: What Good is Biodiversity?”

11:10
TENLEY CONWAY, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Geography U of T Mississauga; Full member, grad faculty of Centre for Environment
“Patterns of Vegetation across the Greater Toronto Area: The Role of Urban Form, Policy & Neighbourhood Socio-Economics”

11:40
RALUCA POPESCU, Ph.D. candidate, Dept. of Chemistry and Centre for Environment (Environmental Studies Program)
“Ammonia in the Environment: The Role it Plays in the Formation of Harmful Particulate Matter”

12:10 p.m. LUNCH

12:50
SARAH WAKEFIELD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Geography; Full member, graduate faculty of the Centre for Environment
“Environmental Health Protection in a Multicultural City: A Case Study of Toronto's Pesticide Use Reduction Program”

1:20
BRAD BASS, Researcher, Adaptation and Impacts Research Division of Environment Canada, at Centre for Environment
“Can the Green Roof Industry Succeed in Canada?”

1:50
MAY JEONG, B.A (Hons) student, majors in Environment and Society (Centre for Environment) and Political Science
“Mining and Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador and Northern Ontario” (senior undergraduate environmental research course)

2:20
KRISTEN GAGESCH, B.Sc. (Hons.) student; DAVID PHOTIADIS, B.A. (Hons) student; CATHERINE MULE, B.Sc. (Hons) student;
ALYSE RUNYAN, B.A. (Hons) student; ALICJA WIERZBICKA, B.Sc. (Hons) student.
“Campus Sustainability: Lessons Learned from Leading Universities” (senior undergrad environmental research course)

2:50 PRESENTATION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS' AWARDS

3:00 REFRESHMENTS

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DIRECTIONS VIA TTC AND PARKING:
Via TTC: 3 streetcar stops south of Spadina subway station;
Parking: 1 Spadina Crescent, or 213 Huron St. (underground, 1 block east), north of College St.
(Call 416-978-PARK or visit http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/parking.htm)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Ontario Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program

In the 2006 Budget, the Province announced a new Post Doctoral Fellowship Program. The Ministry of Research and Innovation released further information on this new matching program, the purpose of which is to recruit and retain outstanding young scientists to spend two years as PDFs in Ontario research institutions and to support them through a provincial network.

A number of awards are allocated to each Ontario university. The allocation to the University of Toronto is 14 Fellowships. Each institution is responsible for selecting and appointing its PDFs through an annual competitive process that is consistent with MRI program guidelines (attached). At the UofT, the competition
is an open call for applications in the following key priority sectors:
- environmental science and technologies
- health and related technologies
- digital media and information and communication technologies.
(The economic, social and cultural aspects of the above categories are eligible)

The PDF awards are two year awards valued at least $50,000/annually, of which MRI will provide $25,000. Eligible expenses are limited to salary, benefits and a research allowance of up to $5,000/year. Matching funding can come from any source (excluding other provincial funding), including research grants. Matching funds must be secured at the time of the PDF application.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Individuals interested in applying for one of these Fellowships should submit the following documentation by no later than April 15th to the Institutional Initiatives Office, McMurrich Building, 3rd Floor, 12 Queen's Park Crescent West, attention Elaine Footman:

1. a curriculum vitae of the post doctoral fellow;
2. an Ontario PDF Application Form (attached), duly completed and signed;
3. a lay summary of no more than 500 words describing the research activity to be undertaken;
4. a letter from the proposed faculty supervisor in support of the candidate, detailing the source and secured status of the required matching funding.

All applications received by the deadline will be adjudicated by a committee established by the Vice-President, Research in accordance with the program guidelines. This is a highly competitive program with over 100 applications received last year for 15 awards. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

Applicants and their supervisors will be notified of the outcome of the competition in early June. Fellowships must begin on or before 31 December 2009.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact Elaine Footman (elaine.footman@utoronto.ca ; 946-0447) if you have any questions.

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This is where we compile all the announcements, postings and non-urgent alerts that used to clog up your email inbox. Feel free to scroll through the latest postings organized by date below, or check our categorized listings on the right for the information you want.