Friday, May 21, 2010

[PDADC-L] #95, G20 Summit: Restricted Access on St. George Campus

PDAD&C#95, 2009-10

To: PDAD&C

From: Cheryl Misak, Vice-President and Provost

Date: May 21, 2010

RE: G20 Summit: Restricted Access on St. George Campus

As discussed at yesterday's PDAD&C meeting, we are planning for the G20 Summit. Late last week, Queen's Park North was designated as the official protest site. That is, the protest site has been moved to the doorstep of the St. George Campus.

We of course respect the legitimacy of peaceful protest. But we know from past G20 summits (including last year's summit in Pittsburgh) that these protests may be associated with violence, tear gas, arrests, disruption and damage to buildings.

It our hope that these untoward incidents do not materialize. However, it is only prudent to act so that we protect those students, staff, and faculty who do not wish to participate or get caught up in these protests. Hence, we will be moving through a series of restricted access measures during the G20 - the week of June 21-27.

There are no classes scheduled for this week. Summer session exams will be moved to the early part of the week, with accommodation made for students for whom this disrupts plans.

Residence students in the constituent colleges will be moved to other U of T residences from Wednesday evening through to Sunday. All external visitor reservations (i.e. residence room bookings not for students in courses or programs) in the constituent college residences will be cancelled.

No events will be held on the St. George campus during that week (Monday, June 21-Sunday, June 27). If you have an academic event planned, please contact Cheryl Regehr, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs (cheryl.regehr@utoronto.ca), who will discuss relocation options with you.

The upshot of this is that the St. George campus will be for all intents and purposes closed from 6 pm Wednesday through Sunday. The campus will be open earlier in the week, but only on a restricted basis. We anticipate that the vast majority of employees on the St. George campus will not be required to be at work from 6.p.m. Wednesday, June 23 to Monday, June 28. However, essential services and a skeletal staff will need to be maintained and we will coordinate with our central and divisional offices early next week on this and other employment related issues.

It was evident at yesterday's meeting that the principals, chairs, academic directors, and deans were, on the whole, in favour of taking prudent action of this sort.

We will be continuing to work through our planning over the next days and weeks. A message will go out early next week to students, staff, and other parts of our community and we will keep you informed as events unfold.

[PDADC-L] University of Toronto and UTFA Negotiations

May 21, 2010

To: PDAD&C

From: Angela Hildyard
Vice-President, Human Resources and Equity

Cheryl Misak
Vice-President and Provost

Re: UTFA Arbitration

The University and the Faculty Association have presented their Arbitration positions to Arbitrator Martin Teplitsky. Mr. Teplitsky now has the rather unenviable task of determining an award that covers salaries and benefits for the period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011.

You will find the University’s briefs at http://www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/groups/faclib.htm. The Association’s briefs may be found at http://utfa.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=103

We will advise you as soon as we receive Mr. Teplitsky’s award.

We would appreciate you circulating this memo to your departmental faculty colleagues.

2009/2010 Excellence through Innovation Award Program

PDAD&C#94 2009-10
HR #33 2009-10

May 20, 2010

Memorandum

To: All Managers of Administrative Staff
Principals, Deans, Academic Directors & Chairs
Professional/Managers

Cc: Divisional HR Offices

From: Angela Hildyard, Vice President Human Resources & Equity

Re: 2009/2010 Excellence through Innovation Award Program

Once again we have the opportunity to recognize outstanding staff contributions through the Excellence through Innovation Awards program (formerly known as the Stepping UP Awards). As we transition from Stepping UP in 2010 and begin work towards the vision laid out in Towards 2030, we have refocused the award to better reflect these new strategic objectives. The focus of the Excellence through Innovation Awards is to recognize the contributions of administrative staff to advancing the University’s strategic objectives, to encourage administrative innovation and to provide a platform for sharing best practices. Professional/Managerial & Confidential staff contributions will be assessed as either a team member or as an individual contributor; unionized employees will be considered for team nominations.

The 2010 Awards will recognize significant contributions towards one or more of the following strategic objectives:

1) Enrich the Student Experience
2) Support Outstanding Scholarship
3) Achieve Equity and Diversity in All of Our Activities
4) Improve the Employee Experience by Becoming an Employer of Choice
5) Create a World-Class Infrastructure Through Administrative Innovation

Complete details of the program along with the Committee Assessment Criteria, and examples of contributing behaviours towards the strategic objectives, are provided in the Program Details document at http://www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/eti.htm

Managers may nominate individuals/teams for the award by completing and submitting an electronic copy of the Individual or Team Nomination form http://www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/eti.htm
to their Division Head and their Divisional HR Office by Thursday June 17th.

All recipients of the award will be invited to attend a celebratory reception at the President’s house and will be recognized for their significant contribution.

We have outstanding, innovative staff at this University – let us make sure we recognize them appropriately!

Eduroam wireless access while visiting other universities, and for visitors to UofT

TO: PDAD&C
Professionals/Managers
FROM: Robert Cook, Chief Information Officer
DATE: May 21, 2010
RE: Eduroam wireless access while visiting other universities, and for visitors to UofT



Information + Technology Services is pleased to announce a new service that will be of value to members of the U of T community as they visit other universities or host visitors from other institutions.

Eduroam will permit faculty, students and staff to use their UTORid credentials to securely access the wireless networks at participating universities in Canada, Europe and Asia (US expected to follow soon.) It also permits visitors from participating institutions to connect to U of T's wireless network using their home institution credentials, eliminating the need for securing a temporary UTORid for wireless access.

The service is active now. Information and procedures are published at:
http://eduroam.utoronto.ca


To use Eduroam, University of Toronto users need to complete a one-time setup and test their portable devices on one of our campuses before travel. For technical assistance, please contact your help desk.

Visitors to U of T from Eduroam-enabled institutions must make similar arrangements to configure and test before leaving their home institutions.

Not all institutions are Eduroam-enabled. Please visit the following website for setup details, coverage maps, FAQ, and other information:

• [PDADC-L] #93, Nominations for the Advisory Search Committee - Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs

PDAD&C #93, 2009-10

To: Faculty, Staff and Students, Munk School of Global Affairs
PDAD&C

From: Cheryl Misak, Vice-President and Provost
Meric Gertler, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science

CC: The Bulletin

Date: May 21, 2010

Re: Nominations for the Advisory Search Committee for the Director of the Munk School of
Global Affairs

On June 30, 2011, Professor Janice Stein will complete her current term as Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs. Professor Stein has indicated she will not be seeking re-appointment.

In accordance with Section 36 of the Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators, we are writing to call for nominations of individuals to serve on the advisory committee that will advise the President on the appointment of a Director. The potential composition of the advisory committee is as follows:

* The Vice-President and Provost (Co-chair);
* The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (Co-chair);
* Three to five members of the teaching staff of the School;
* One to two students of the School, where appropriate;
* Two or four other qualified individuals, at least two of whom shall be from outside the School; and
* A librarian, where appropriate;

The advisory committee will begin meeting early in the fall.

Nominations for the committee should be sent by June 4 to Sheree Drummond, Assistant Provost by email sheree.drummond@utoronto.ca or by phone at 416.978.6194.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Urban Environmental Pollution - Overcoming Obstacles to Sustainability and Quality of Life: Boston, USA • June 20-23, 2010

Urban Environmental Pollution - UEP 2010
Overcoming Obstacles to Sustainability and Quality of Life

Boston, USA • June 20-23, 2010

www.uep2010.com

View the program and register online now!
Register now to hear from leading experts on the latest developments and information about urban pollution problems and what measures can be taken to overcome obstacles to sustainability and life quality. The role of urban vegetation in storm water retention, pollution and temperature reduction, green roofs, re-surfacing buildings, reducing albedo, reducing asthma and other advances will be presented.
________________________________________

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Christopher Kennedy, University of Toronto, Canada
- Urban metabolism

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

The Honorable Ian Bowles, Secretary for Energy and Environment, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Douglas M. Brugge, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA
-Traffic pollution and human health

Linda Davies, Imperial College, London, UK
OPAL - Open Air Laboratories

Francisco J. Escobedo, University of Florida, USA
- Urban trees and sustainability

Roy M. Harrison, OBE, University of Birmingham, UK
- Air quality in urban environments

Marc L. Imhoff, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, USA
- Gray Wave of the Great Transformation: A Satellite View of Urbanization, Climate Change, and Food Security

Jan Kleissl, University of California, San Diego, USA
- Urban heat island mitigation

Ingo Kowarik, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
- Biodiversity in urban environments

Frauke Kraas, University of Cologne, Germany
- Megacities of the world

Bradley Rowe, Michigan State University, USA
- Ecoroofs (green roofs)

Yong-Guan Zhu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
- Urbanization in China: Problems and prospects
YOUNG RESEARCH SCIENTIST AWARD WINNERS
Dr. Cristoff Gromke, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Switzerland
- Urban air quality in street canyons with avenue-like tree planting

Dr. Mark J. Potosnak, DePaul University, USA
- Urban carbon dioxide concentration and flux measurements from a building rooftop in Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Lina Yang, The University of Hong Kong, China
- Ventilation by thermal buoyancy for better urban environment

________________________________________

Urban Environmental Pollution is organized and sponsored by Elsevier and the journalEnvironmental Pollution.
Conference Chair
William Manning, University of Massachusetts, USA
Editor-in-Chief: Environmental Pollution

Program Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee

For further information visit: www.uep2010.com or contact Kay Russell atUEP2010@elsevier.com

Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference, June 6 - 9th, 2010 - Niagara Falls, ON

The Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference is now less than three weeks away. This conference brings together a wide variety of disciplines related to traffic safety, including traffic engineers, health professionals, policy analysts, psychologists, police, insurance agencies, and accident reconstructionists. The conference planning committee is extremely excited about the conference program and hotel venue. For those of you already registered for this conference, you will note that we have updated a number of items on our website, including the conference registration page, conference schedule, the paper sessions, and instructions for registering at the hotel.

________________________________________

Hotel Accommodations

Don’t forget to book your room for the conference at the Hilton Fallsview. Hilton Fallsview has offered to extend the reserved block of rooms at the hotel until May 24th at a special rate of $129.00. This special rate is only available to conference delegates and includes complimentary parking . Register with the hotel by using this form and by contacting the registration desk directly - the special rate is not available online. After May 24th, the block of rooms will be released to the general public. Given that the conference is being held at the beginning of the peak tourist season in Niagara Falls, we don’t want you to lose your opportunity to secure your accommodations at the hotel where the conference is occurring.

________________________________________

Benefits of full registration

For those of you still considering whether or not to attend, we’ve listed program highlights included in full registration below. See the conference program for further details.

Sunday

• Opening reception (included in registration)
• Trade show (Sunday to Tuesday) featuring ARRIVE ALIVE, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Niagara Public Works, Dumb Car exhibit, HRSDC, Accident Support Systems, Traffic Engineering Systems, and HDR | iTRANS.

Monday

• Continental breakfast
• Opening joint plenary session with Ontario Traffic Conference
• Opening address by Ontario Minister of Transportation (The Honourable Kathleen Wynne)
• 2010 Road Safety Achievement Awards
• Keynote speaker, Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do
• Annual General Meeting and Luncheon
• Panel discussion – Integration of road safety activities at the community level
• Parallel paper sessions (see full listing of papers on our website)

Tuesday

• Continental breakfast
• Canadian Road Safety Youth Committee’s Youth Forum
• Parallel paper sessions
• Banquet at Table Rock Restaurant on the brow of Horseshoe Falls (see picture)

Wednesday

• Buffet breakfast
• Parallel paper sessions
• Student paper competition
• Panel discussion – ‘Road Safety – 25 Years From Now’

FAG Foundation announces the "Innovation Award 2010” valued at a total of € 20.000

The FAG Foundation announces the "Innovation Award 2010 " valued at a total of € 20.000.

It rewards outstanding treatises in the subject areas of

Product Innovation, Advanced Manufacturing, Market Strategy

You will find further information about the award and the foundation at the founder's homepage under www.fag.com heading Career, Innovation Award. There you will find the Application forms.

Send application to
FAG Stiftung
Georg-Schäfer-Str. 30
D-97421 Schweinfurt.

The submission deadline is July 31, 2010.

We kindly ask you to support the Innovation Award through publicity (passing on of the information to colleagues, your employees and/or students).

Yours Sincerely

Werner Parwoll
Foundation Manager

mailed by
Ellen Matthieß

Schaeffler KG
Georg-Schäfer-Straße 30
97421 Schweinfurt, Germany
Phone 0049 9721 91-2651 • Fax 0049 9721 91-3606 mailto:matthele@Schaeffler.com • http://www.fag.com

Sitz Herzogenaurach
Registergericht: AG Fürth HRA 2681

[PDADC-L] President's Call for Honorary Degree Nominations, 2010-11

Memorandum to:
Governing Council
Academic Board
Business Board
University Affairs Board
Principals, Deans, Academic Directors and Chairs
Professionals, Managers and Confidential Staff
President of UTFA
Presidents of Employee Unions
Presidents of APUS, GSU, SAC and SCSU
From: David Naylor, President

Date: May 19, 2010

Re: Honorary Degree Nominations, 2010-11

In September, the Committee for Honorary Degrees will meet to consider candidates for the awarding of honorary degrees at the 2011 and some of the 2012 convocations. We would like to encourage interest and participation in this important process, and urge you and your colleagues to submit nominations for exceptional individuals.

By awarding honorary degrees the University of Toronto seeks to recognize extraordinary achievement, in Canada or abroad, in community, national or international involvement, and to honour those individuals whose accomplishments are of such generally perceived excellence that they provide, through example, inspiration and leadership to the graduates of the University. Their esteem should be such that, by virtue of accepting an honorary degree, their presence will bring honour and distinction to the University of Toronto.

The Committee defines as broad a range of categories for achievement as possible in obtaining and considering nominations. In determining the leaders and exemplars to honour, it will seek over time to achieve a balance across disciplines and backgrounds. The Committee also considers the association nominees may have with the University of Toronto or with higher education more broadly.

The award of an honorary degree is an important statement of recognition and respect from the University to the broader community. It is also an excellent way to build special relationships between your Faculty, Department, Centre or College and outstanding individuals who symbolize the best of our institution.
The Terms of Reference and Guidelines for the Committee are available on the Governing Council website (http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/bac/hd.htm) and provide information about the selection process. A Sub-committee for Nominations works to ensure that the Committee is able to consider the broadest and deepest possible pool of high quality candidates. In addition to providing input on the nominations received, the Sub-committee may contact members of the University and external communities in order to generate nominations, and will also follow up with nominators to obtain more thorough information if it is required.

Nominations are kept active for a period of one year. If you have submitted a nomination since December 2009, it will be brought forward to the Committee for its consideration this September. If you wish to re-nominate a former candidate, please resubmit and add to the earlier nomination.

Please note that it is a requirement that honorary degree recipients attend Convocation for the conferral of their degrees. For two categories of nominees, the conferral of honorary degrees will not normally occur until a minimum of two years has elapsed following their retirement from active service in their field, and consequently, nominations should not be submitted until at least one year has elapsed. First are nominees who are currently active in political life, though exceptions may be considered for Governors-General and Lieutenant-Governors, as well as for judges and others whose appointments place them outside active partisan politics. The second category includes nominees who are serving members of the Governing Council or of the University staff, upon whom honorary degrees should not be conferred until a minimum of two years following their retirement or departure from the University. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee may choose to waive these requirements in order to allow the University to honour truly meritorious individuals.

Nominations are welcome at any time, however, the Committee requests that they be received no later than August 16, 2010 to allow their consideration by the Committee in September. Please submit completed forms to:

The Secretary, Committee for Honorary Degrees
Office of the Governing Council
Simcoe Hall, Room 106
27 King’s College Circle
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1
Fax: 416-978-8182

Nomination forms and further information are available on the Governing Council website at: http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/bac/hd.htm. Please take the time, either on your own or in consultation with your colleagues, to submit one or more nominations. In preparing submissions, nominators should pay particular attention to the statement of reasons for the nomination, and ensure that they provide sufficiently thorough information for the consideration of the Committee.
We hope that, with your assistance, a large pool of excellent nominations will come before the Committee for consideration. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this important process.

[PDADC-L] 90, Report #2 and Recommendations, Student e-Communications Services

PDADC#90, 2009-10

MEMORANDUM

To: PDAD&C
From: Robert Cook, Chief Information Officer
Date: May 14, 2010
Re: Report #2 and Recommendations, Student e-Communications Services



In my Response to the "Report from the CIO's Consultation on Student e-Communications Services" (PDADC#64, 2009-10), I outlined further activities the University needed to undertake to evaluate the viability of an outsourced solution to meet the needs of student email.

"Report #2 and Recommendations, Student e-Communications Services" describes the outcome of those investigations and recommends further action to permit the University to make a decision by June 30th, 2010 with regard to outsourcing student email. The report is available at the project website:

http://www.its.utoronto.ca/tri-campus_it/its_info/ITS_Comm_and_Consult/studentecomm.htm

The topic of outsourcing student e-communications services will be placed on the agenda of the PDAD&C meeting of May 20th, 2010.

2010 ACEC Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey Report

Keep Updated on Industry Trends with ACEC's 2010 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey Report



The 2010 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey Report is the only national A/E/C annual survey asking all of the incisive questions and resulting in a compendium of up-to-date information to help firms make sound management decisions. Some of the trends in the 2010 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey Report include:



Infrastructure Funding Needs

(New) Sustainability as a Factor in Design and Construction

Costs of Healthcare as Increasing Percentage of Labor Costs

BIM (Building Information Modeling) Process and Software Adoption

Outsourced Functions

Training Needs by Rank for Engineering Firm Employees

This Survey Report also includes sections explaining economic, social, and political drivers behind expanding markets. Key questions answered offer a unique window into firm finance and operations, employment and training, project management, design software, and business performance—all calculated from the perspectives of firm size, location and market focus.



Printed:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=60FF78CB-ADD3-4840-AF2D-52859A96545F

Electronic:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=4a3c5978-dc6f-44de-aa0c-037e9657405c



***



Complete your library with past years' editions of the survey:



2008-09 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey

Printed:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=e251bf77-7709-4495-b23f-75cb9ed45a4f

PDF:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=e8656f4b-9ca7-43b3-8b08-cbe47276e045



2007-08 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey

Printed:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=7abba716-8313-4fe2-bafa-6fa9ec07ae48

PDF:
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2006-07 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey

Printed only:
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roductDetail&prc_prd_key=0c7c1ed2-3167-462f-a0b1-8299de1ff962



Visit the ACEC Bookstore at https://netforum.acec.org/eweb/?site=acec_store
to browse and buy from our full catalog of publications and merchandise!

MIE - Newsletter 43

MIE - Newsletter 43 www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html [1]


May 17, 2010 Vol. 01 // No. 43

Table of Contents: Chair's Office[2] // Research Activities[3] // Seminars[4] // Graduate Studies[5] // Job Opportunities[6] // Student Affairs[7] // Announcements[8] // Vacation[9] // Previous
Newsletter & Links[10] Chair's Office

Office Closure Reminder ; Victoria Day

The University and the department will be closed on Victoria Day (Monday, May 24) and will re-open on Tuesday, May 25.

The machine shop will close early this Friday, May 21 at 2 PM and department offices will close at 3 PM.

-------------------------

Administrative and Technical Staff Meeting

Former undergraduate assistant, Rachel MacKenzie, joined the administrative and technical staff meeting on May 14 to receive thanks from the department. We wish Rachel the best-of-luck in her new position at Psychiatry.

More Photos[11]

Research Activities

MATCH 2010 Symposium

DATE: Thursday, May 20 to Friday, May 21
LOCATION: Trinity College, UofT St. George campus, 5 Hoskin Ave.

MATCH 2010 is the inaugural Symposium of the NSERC CREATE graduate training program in Microfluidic Applications and Training in Cardiovascular Health (MATCH). The Symposium features keynote talks by Prof. Roger Kamm (MIT) and Dr. Peter Liu (CIHR), as well as oral and poster presentations from graduate students in the MATCH Program.
This year's event is held in conjunction with Ontario-on-a-Chip5.

More Info[12]

-------------------------

Symposium for Alumni of the Robotics and Automation Laboratory

DATE: Saturday, May 29
TIME: 9 AM
LOCATION: Medical Sciences Building (Room 2173), UofT St. George campus

A symposium organized by former graduate students of PROF.
GOLDENBERG, will be held to highlight the achievements of the Robotics and Automation Laboratory's alumni.

For more information contact Elizabeth Catalano[13].

-------------------------

IPO Funding Opportunity » FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative

A $15M commercialization funding opportunity entitled the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative through FedDev Ontario has just been announced. The vision of FedDev Ontario is to be a catalyst in creating a more prosperous and globally competitive Ontario. The Initiative will address the unique research and innovation challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), defined as having less than 1000 employees, including lack of internal research and development and pre-commercialization capacity.

The Initiative will provide up to $750,000 to post-secondary institutions to develop individual projects with businesses in southern Ontario. Projects will be cost shared 2/3 by post-secondary institutions and 1/3 (cash or in-kind) by the small business. Under the Initiative, post-secondary institutions will be eligible for a contribution up to a maximum of $50,000 per project with a collaborating SME. A maximum of one project per SME can be conducted under the Initiative.

A single application is due by Monday, June 14 outlining how the UofT proposes to use its expertise to work with SMEs. It is not expected that any actual projects or agreements with specific SMEs will have been identified by the June 14 deadline. Agreements with individual SME partners will need to be in place by March 31, 2011, with all project work completed by March 31, 2012.

Please note that inventors with equity in the SME are not eligible.
Please direct enquiries with a "FedDev Ontario" subject line to innovations.partnerships@uotoronto.ca[14].

More Info[15]

-------------------------

Funding Opportunity » Genome Canada

Genome Canada will be holding two funding competitions in 2010 for a total of up to $84 million using the $75 million in funds it received in the 2010 Federal Budget and $9 million of existing additional funds.

More Info [16]

To support these competitions an information session presented by representatives of the Ontario Genomics Institute will be held to inform researchers interested in large scale genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics projects about these upcoming Genome Canada competitions and other funding opportunities.

DATE: Tuesday, May 18
TIME: 1 - 3 PM
LOCATION: Governing Council Chambers, Simcoe Hall

More Info[17]

Seminars

IBM Distinguished Lecture

/An Energy Efficient Petaflop Supercomputer Cooled with Warm Water:
From Electronics Nanomanufacturing to Waste Heat Reuse –/ The IBM-ETH Zurich AQUASAR Project

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dimos Poulikakos, Director, Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Process Engineering and Director, joint IBM-ETH Zurich Nanoscale Exploratory Technologies Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich
DATE: Tuesday, May 18
TIME: 2:10 PM
LOCATION: MC102

Graduate Studies

Call for Applications – Ontario Post Doctoral Fellowship Program 2010

Application deadline: MONDAY, JUNE 7.

More Info[18]

Student Affairs

Welcome to Engineering!

On Saturday, May 15 the department welcomed 75 students and their guests for a post-offer information session. The MIE session included welcoming remarks by Vice Chair PROF. SANJEEV CHANDRA and a transitioning to University talk by ANDREA GRAHAM, Learning Skills Counsellor at UofT's Academic Success Centre. Visiting students had the opportunity to ask questions of our PEY and Student Life panels, and meet other newly admitted students at a mid-day luncheon.

Thanks to all our student volunteers for helping make this day
possible: BLAIR ANTCLIFFE, JOSHUA BELZILE, STEPH CHOW, NITLA COOKE, BECKY GAN, FLORENCIA HERRERA, NEFELI KOTOPOULIS, ABHISHEK MATHUR, PRACHY MOHAN, MOHAMAD NSOULI, MARC PILON, ANNA SHEU, KATHRYN TANG, ELLEN TURNER, MILOS USKOKOVIC, and SAMANTHA YANG.

More Photos[19]

-------------------------

New AMIGAS Leadership

The election on May 12th had great attendance and AMIGAS is pleased to announce its new leadership for the upcoming year:

CO-PRESIDENTS: Hadi Ghasemi and Jingwen Wang
TREASURER: Sarina Turner
SECRETARY: Joel Kuhn
VP ACADEMIC: Reza Samavi
VP SOCIAL: Jeff Harris
VP SPORTS: Faysal Ahmed
VP EXTERNAL: James Hinebaugh
WEBMASTERS: Ori Barbut and Shadi Ghajar
GRADUATE STUDENTS UNION REPRESENTATIVES: Shadi Ghajar, Michael Marr and Dan Sellan

Congratulations to all the newly elected representatives, and thank you to the outgoing representatives!

-------------------------

AMIGAS – Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees!

DATE: Sunday, June 6
TIME: 1 PM
LOCATION: Rogers Centre

Join AMIGAS and the GEA for a trip to the ball park to see our Toronto Blue Jays play the New York Yankees.

Tickets are $5 for you and your family, and $12 for friends.
Tickets on sale through the AMIGAS website[20]until May 21. Purchased tickets will be available for pickup at MB60 from Friday, May 28 until Friday, June 4, during normal business hours.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact gea.baseball@gmail.com[21].

-------------------------

Formula SAE: New Pictures uploaded of UTX on track!

The UTX is on track and making lots of power! You can check out our new uploaded testing pictures on FASE's Facebook group[22]. The car will be stripped-down for painting and on Thursday, May 27, it will be showcased at the SAE Students Night Design Presentation at the Bahen Center (details below).

-------------------------

SAE Central Ontario 2010 Students' Night Design Presentation

DATE: Thursday, May 27
TIME: 4:30 - 8 PM
LOCATION: Bahen Centre Atrium, St. George campus RSVP by May 21 to: bgray@celestica.com[23] Attendance for this event is limited to 80.

Join the SAE Central Ontario Section and its student members for an opportunity to interact with tomorrow's automotive and mobility engineers. Student teams will deliver informal technical presentations about their SAE competition vehicles to a panel of industry professionals in an effort to win cash awards from the SAE Central Ontario.

An evening BBQ will be available at a cost of $5 per student members and $10 per guests/professional members.

More Info[24]

Job Opportunities

MIE Sessional Lecturer Positions

The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is hiring sessional lecturers to deliver some of its undergraduate courses. The available sessional lecturer positions are:

MIE333H1[25] S: Engineering Physics (2 Sections) MIE354H1[26] F: Business Process Engineering MIE440H1[27] F: Mechanical Design: Theory and Methodology MIE448H1[28] F: Engineering Psychology and Human Performance MIE451H1[29] F: Decision Support Systems MIE469H1[30] S: Reliability and Maintainability Engineering MIE562H1[31] F: Scheduling

Closing date: Wednesday, June 2. Visit the MIE careers page[32] for full job descriptions and application information.

Announcements

Non-Academic Staff: Pension Town Halls

There have been a number of articles in the media about Defined Benefit Pension Plans and Retirement Planning over the past couple of months. As a result, Human Resources & Equity have received a number of questions about the University Pension Plan.

Please join one of the Town Hall meetings at which the University’s actuary and our pension consultants will provide information on the UofT plan, specifically how benefits are determined, how the plan is funded, the implications of the current deficit and the proposed new model of governance. St. George campus information sessions:

DATE: May 21
TIME: 9:30 - 11 AM
LOCATION: JJR MacLeod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Bldg (MS2158), 1 King's College Circle

DATE: May 27
TIME: 9:30 - 11 AM
LOCATION: OISE - Auditorium G162

DATE: May 31
TIME: 9:30 - 11 AM
LOCATION: JJR MacLeod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Bldg (MS2158), 1 King's College Circle

Please RSVP to vp.hr@utoronto.ca[33] to let Human Resources & Equity know which Town Hall you would like to attend.

Vacation

/Faculty: /

PROF. SANJEEV CHANDRA, Vice Chair: May 17 - 31

/Staff:/

GEOFFREY CHOW, Manager, Research Accounting: Monday, May 17

BRENDA FUNG, Graduate Program Administrator: May 20 - June 2

DONNA LIU, Graduate Program Assistant: April 26 - May 21

RYAN MENDELL, Machine Shop Manager: May 25 - 31

Previous Newsletter & Links Previous MIE newsletter[34]

All MIE newsletters[35]

MIE Website: www.mie.utoronto.ca[36]
Back to top[37] Copyright © 2009-10 University of Toronto[38] | Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering[39] | Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering[40], All Rights Reserved



Links:
------
[1] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html
[2] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#chairsOffice
[3] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#researchActivities
[4] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#seminars
[5] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#graduateStudies
[6] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#jobOpportunities
[7] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#studentAffairs
[8] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#announcement
[9] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews43.html#vacation
[10] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#prevnews
[11]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mech_indi_engineering/sets/72157624078792154/
[12] http://mfl.mie.utoronto.ca/Ontario-on-a-Chip
[13] mailto:catalano@mie.utoronto.ca
[14] mailto:innovations.partnerships@uotoronto.ca
[15] http://www.feddevontario.gc.ca/eic/site/723.nsf/eng/00264.html
[16] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews41/GC_funding_update.pdf
[17] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews41/OGI_info.pdf
[18]
http://board.mie.utoronto.ca/viewtopic.php?t=4053&sid=682adb78fd6693362c10cdb56b4ee6f2
[19]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mech_indi_engineering/sets/72157623954577657/
[20] http://amigas.mie.utoronto.ca/event/jays-vs-yankees
[21] mailto:gea.baseball@gmail.com
[22] http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=76518028180
[23] mailto:bgray@celestica.com
[24]
http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews43/2010SAEStudentsNight.pdf
[25] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE333H1 S_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [26] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE354H1 F_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [27] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE440H1 F_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [28] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE448H1 F_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [29] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE451H1 F_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [30] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE469H1 S_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [31] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/files/MIE562H1 F_Position posting_Unit 3.pdf [32] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/careers/
[33] mailto:vp.hr@utoronto.ca
[34] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html
[35] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enewslist.html
[36] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca
[37] #top
[38] http://www.utoronto.ca
[39] http://www.engineering.utoronto.ca
[40] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

MITACS Step workshops in June

MITACS Step


MITACS would like to let you know about EIGHT interactive, hands-on, workshops we are offering students at the graduate level and postdoctoral fellows.

Registration is open to all graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, including past, present, and prospective MITACS Accelerate Interns.

Space fills fast, please register ASAP!

Please note: you must enter valid credit card information to complete your registration. This information will be captured only, and if you do not cancel within the designated cancellation period, OR you do not attend the workshop, you will be charged the $50.00 deposit fee. You have 7 calendar days prior to the workshop to cancel without being penalized.

Workshops:

What: Proactive and Practical Communication
When: June 3rd, 2010
Where: 89 Chestnut St. Toronto
Time: 9:00AM-12:30PM (Registration 8:30AM Sharp!)
Register Here


What: High Performance Teams
When: June 3rd, 2010
Where: 89 Chestnut St. Toronto
Time: 1:00-4:00PM (Registration 12:30 sharp!) Register Here


What: Effective Networking!
When: June 21st, 2010
Where: University of Toronto, 89 chestnut Street.
Time: 9:00AM-12:30PM (Registration 8:30AM Sharp!)
Register Here

What: The Art of Powerful Conversation
When: June 21st, 2010
Where: University of Toronto, 89 chestnut Street.
Time: 1:00PM-4:30PM (Registration 12:30PM Sharp!) Register Here


What: Practice Your Presentation Skills I
When: June 22nd, 2010
Where: University of Toronto 89 Chestnut Street
Time: 8:30AM-4:30PM (Registration 8:00AM sharp!)
Register Here

What: Business Conduct Excellence
When: June 22nd, 2010
Where: University of Toronto 89 Chestnut Street
Time: 9:00AM-12:30PM (Registration 8:30AM Sharp!) Register Herehttp://www1.mitacs.ca/conferences/site/event.php?site_id=10042
*Note: if you register for Practice Your presentation skills I, you can't register for this workshop as they run at the same time!

What: Basics of Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademark
When: June 28th, 2010
Where: University of Toronto 89 Chestnut Street
Time: 9:00AM-11:30PM (Registration 8:30AM sharp!) Register Herehttp://www.mitacs.ca/conferences/site/event.php?site_id=10025
*Note: if you register Managing Projects, you can't register for this workshop as they run at the same time!


What: Managing Projects
When: June 28th, 2010
Where: University of Toronto 89 Chestnut Street
Time: 8:30AM-4:30PM (Registration 8:00AM Sharp!)
Register Here


For a more detailed workshop description, please visit our website at www.mitacs.cahttp://www.mitacs.ca/
***Limited funding is available for travel and accommodation for participants coming from outside the Toronto region ***

For information on the MITACS Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Program or to apply for travel & accommodation funding please contact Lena Hussain, Program Coordinator at lhussain@mitacs.ca. Please note: you MUST first register, then request travel funding, only those registered for a workshop are eligible for travel funding!

MITACS gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of Ontario .

Friday, May 14, 2010

Globe and Mail article - Making Mecca move

Globe and Mail touches upon some of Professor Shalaby's research as well as featuring Professor Miller.

Making Mecca move
By Anna Mehler Paperny
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

A massive project aims to modernize transit in the holy city, which is expected to see as many as eight million pilgrims a year by 2030; Canadian engineers are part of the solution
A site that is regarded as one of the holiest on the planet is gearing up for a 21st-century transit makeover.

Mecca, birthplace of Mohammed, is aiming to create a massive, multimodal public transit network to accommodate the millions of Muslim pilgrims who flock there. And Canadian transportation engineers are among those helping them.

Mecca is no stranger to Olympic-sized crowds: For centuries, it's been the home of the world's largest pilgrimage - the hajj, which brings about 2.5 million people each year. That number is expected to grow to four million, even as the city itself doubles in size. A fleet of buses just doesn't cut it any more.

But setting up modern subways and rapid transit lines in a dense, ancient city isn't easy. The terrain is rough, the streets are narrow, and the engineering logistics dizzying: build subway stops too close to the holiest mosque in Islam and you create a security nightmare; build them too far away and you defeat the purpose.

And while you're digging tunnels for subway lines meant to carry 50,000 people an hour each way, watch you don't damage the holy aquifer.

"Frustrating?" laughs Amer Shalaby, a University of Toronto transportation engineer working to improve transit in Mecca. "It's very challenging and very unique. But it's worthwhile, and it's for a good cause."

Prof. Shalaby, who got involved with the Saudi government's transportation master plan in 2008, compares it to Boston's Big Dig (a massive project to reroute a major highway through a tunnel) - only bigger. And in this case, planners need to keep the entire city running, and try to maintain a spiritual atmosphere while laying track and digging tunnels.

Engineers from U of T and the University of Waterloo are among academics around the world working under the auspices of the Hajj Center of Research Excellence. They're charged with finding a way to turn Mecca into a transit powerhouse, and a global model of how to handle masses of people crowded into limited spaces.

It's going to be a bumpy rite

Take one metropolis, population 1.5 million.

Add 2.5 million pilgrims during the annual hajj, plus another several million who come throughout the rest of the year.

Then double the size of the city by 2030 - and bring the total number of pilgrims to more than eight million annually.

That's the problem facing Mecca as it sets out to establish a complex transit network and become a world authority on crowd control and transportation.

When Prof. Shalaby participated in the hajj in 2008, he was confronted by the chaos of streets choked with pedestrians and a fleet of buses brought from all over Saudi Arabia. "There's a huge need for a high-performance transit system," he said.

Please mind the aquifer

It's one thing to orchestrate a multiphase, multibillion-dollar citywide transit project. It's quite another to do so in the midst of the biggest religious gathering on earth.

One practical concern for many is the Zamzam aquifer, an underground wellspring that, according to tradition, dates from the days of Abraham's son Ishmael. The water it produces is not to be disrupted by anything as mundane as a subway tunnel.

On top of that, there is the issue of doing construction in and around a series of rites that don't lend themselves to rescheduling. "You cannot, for example, say, 'Hajj is cancelled this year. Sorry.' You have to deal with all of this at the same time you have those rituals going on," Prof. Shalaby said. "You have to maintain a sense of tranquility and spirituality."

Uplifting journeys

There are already plans under way for wide-ranging subway, light-rail and rapid-transit bus lines. But even at maximum capacity - each subway line carrying 50,000 people an hour in each direction, and each LRT and BRT line carrying about half that - these won't be enough to accommodate the growth in pilgrims and residents expected over the next two decades.

Enter Prof. Shalaby's newest research project: He aims to design Mecca's gondola. Based on prototypes in Portland, Ore., and Caracas, Venezuela, this airborne cable car could go from downtown Mecca to the city's mountainous outskirts, possibly reaching such holy sites as Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina.

"There are still some niche markets that are not going to be served by [traditional] transit, especially those that are geographically challenging, mountaintop communities," Prof. Shalaby said. "So we're looking at how we can use the technology to add capacity."

Demonstrating a better way

Ongoing research could do more than revolutionize the hajj, said Eric Miller, director of the University of Toronto's Cities Centre, who returned from a conference in Jeddah last week. It could change the way cities plan for massive events the world over.

"Part of what we talked about was not only trying to address the issues of hajj itself, but ... how that generalizes to Olympics, World Cup soccer, Easter at the Vatican, other places where you get vast quantities of people," he said. "Certainly, in Vancouver at the Olympics, there was a lot of planning around crowd control and movement."

The Mecca project is "a bit of a departure" for the University of Waterloo's Public Transportation Institute, said professor Jeff Casello.

"But globally, the need to move large numbers of people conveniently, efficiently and reliably is growing," he said. "The Muslim pilgrimage is a unique example because of the number of persons moving, the distances travelled, and the strict time frames to complete travel. But the work has application in many other situations where large crowds need to be moved and managed effectively by public transport modes."

Division III Notification New Course Proposals posted on GWS

Greetings:

You are invited to view and provide feedback on the following new course proposals which were recently posted to the Graduate Webposting System (GWS):

MAT1128H: Topics in Probability


MAT1304H: Topics in Combinatorics


BME1460H: Quantitative Fluorescence Microscopy: Theory and Application to Live Cell Imaging

These proposals may be of specific interest to you, and can be found by clicking on the links above. Your feedback will be directed to the Faculty Graduate Affairs Office with a copy sent to SGS officers.
Feedback is not posted on the GWS.

If you have questions about the GWS, please contact the Curriculum Review Officer at sgs.gws@utoronto.ca. If you have questions about SGS governance processes, please contact Anil Purandaré, SGS Governance Officer, at sgs.governanceofficer@utoronto.ca.

Regards,


Astrid Augspols
Interim Curriculum Review Officer
Quality Assessment and Governance
School of Graduate Studies
University of Toronto
Email: sgs.gws@utoronto.ca
Phone: (416) 978-7709
FAX: (416) 978-1649

[SGS] #010, 2009-2010, Changes to the Policies, Procedures and Regulations on Admissions for Degree & Diploma

SGS #010, 2009-2010

To: Chairs, Graduate Coordinators and Administrators
From: Brian Corman, Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost, Graduate Education
Date: May 11, 2010
CC: Council of Graduate Deans School of Graduate Studies
Re: Changes to the Policies, Procedures and Regulations on Admissions for

Degree & Diploma Programs

I would like to draw your attention to changes concerning the policies, procedures and regulations on admissions for degree and diploma programs that were approved at the March 16th Graduate Education Council (GEC). The policy and regulations are for inclusion in the 2010-2011 SGS Calendar. The governance submission can be viewed at: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/governance/gec/meetings.htm

The proposed changes arise primarily from the desire of the University to appear more open to international credentials, especially the three-year bachelor’s degrees associated with the Bologna Accord. SGS has taken the opportunity to refine wording in some other areas to clarify admission requirements and align requirements for master’s, diploma and doctoral programs. This is a summary of the changes related to admissions:

• The Student Categories section has been altered to now include the Visiting Student category.
• Reference to a requirement for a “four-year University of Toronto” bachelor’s degree with a specific standing was replaced by a requirement for a bachelor’s degree with high academic standing from a recognized university.
• A new statement that applicants will be considered on their individual merits has been added to both the master’s and doctoral entry.
• High academic standing has been added to both the master’s and doctoral entry.
• Requirements for diploma programs have been added where previously there were none.
• A new entry on Mature Students has been added.
• The section on Eligibility of Senior Faculty Members has been changed to Eligibility of Members of Teaching and Administrative Staff and the language in the entry has been altered accordingly.
• Reference to “a University of Toronto” degree has been removed throughout.

The academic requirements for admission to the Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy programs at the University of Toronto will appear in the 2010-2011 SGS Calendar as follows:

Master’s Programs
“An appropriate bachelor’s degree with high academic standing from a recognized university is required. Other qualifications may be specified by the graduate unit. See Admissions Regulations and Degree Regulations for further details”.

Doctor of Philosophy Programs
“An appropriate master’s degree or, in some programs, an appropriate bachelor’s degree, with high academic standing from a recognized university is required. See Admission Regulations and Degree Regulations for further details”.

The Grad School web-site, Admissions Guide and other SGS produced admissions material will be updated in the coming months to reflect these changes. In your communication with prospective applicants and in your recruitment material, please remove any reference to inadmissibility on the basis of three-year and/or applied community college degrees and emphasize that all applicants are welcome to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis according to their individual merits.

Students with a three-year degree or applied community college degree may be considered admissible as non-standard cases. Admission standards and processes both in your graduate unit and at the School of Graduate Studies have not changed. Graduate units will continue to review applications and make standard offers of admission as per past practice. When a graduate unit wishes to admit an applicant who does not meet the minimum admission requirements, a non-standard admission case must still be presented to the SGS Admissions and Programs Committee for approval.
Examples would include applicants:

• with a three-year degree (excluding exceptions as noted in the International Credentials Equivalencies Database)
• with an applied community college degree
• who hold degrees from institutions that are not recognized by SGS
• who hold degrees from theological institutions
• who hold degrees which do not meet the SGS liberal arts requirement (see page 14 of the 2009 Admissions Manual)
• who do not meet the SGS minimum GPA for admission
• who do not meet the SGS minimum English Language Facility requirement

The procedure for non-standard admissions is outlined in the 2009 Admission Manual. Should you have any questions about non-standard admissions cases, please consult your Divisional Officer.

We hope that this new language will be more welcoming to applicants with diverse backgrounds while ensuring continued rigor in our admission process.

For more information, please contact the Director of Student Services, Heather Kelly at heather.kelly@utoronto.ca.

Assistant Professor - tenure-track position in the hydrotechnical area @ Queens



* Please note that this posting can also be found on the notices board outside of GB107 *

To All Civil Engineering Department Heads in Canada,

We are seeking applications for a tenure-track position in our department in the hydrotechnical area at the Assistant Professor level. I have attached a copy of the advertisement.

We would appreciate it if you could post and/or circulate the attached advertisements in your department, and mention these positions to any current or former graduate students who may be interested. If you would like any further information about these positions or the department, please contact me.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Regards,


Mark Green
Professor and Chair of Appointments Committee
Civil Engineering
Queen’s University
613 533-2147

Sustainable Buildings Canada - two exciting events in June

Here are two great events coming in June through partners of Sustainable Buildings Canada:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rooftop Solar: Understanding and Realizing the Economic Opportunity

Thanks to the Province of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, companies from across the province are being approached to realize new revenue opportunities from solar photovoltaic installations on their roofs and sites.

The economic opportunity is great – but there are pitfalls to be avoided. To help companies cut through the marketing materials and get to the facts, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Supply Chain and Logistics Association Canada, Enersource Hydro Mississauga and Partners in Project Green, are presenting a half-day information session to clear the air and help companies realize the economic benefits of rooftop solar.

If you would like to educate yourself on the topic, and see if this concept is right for your company, then this information session is for you. Hear from companies like yours about their experiences – the investigation, the installation, and the results. Get an overview of what is involved. See what the steps are and learn what you need to know.

This morning workshop will feature:


An overview of the Ontario feed-in-tariff and approval process for renewable energy projects;

Highlights on procurement and vendor selection issues that you should be aware of;

Identification of technical considerations that can impact the economics of your project;

Case studies from local companies sharing their experiences with installing rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations at their facilities; and,

An opportunity to network and learn from other companies who have completed or are looking to complete solar installations.



Date: Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m. to noon
Location: Fire and Emergency Training Institute at Toronto Pearson International Airport (2025 Courtney Park Drive East, Mississauga)





Cost: $30 members/$50 non-members


(members of Partners in Project Green, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Supply Chain and Logistics Association, or the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association qualify for the member rate).


For more information please contact Jennifer Taves at (416) 661-6600 ext. 5570 or via email at jtaves@trca.on.ca. Or register at - http://www.partnersinprojectgreen.com/get-involved/events-and-workshops?task=view_detail&agid=112&year=2010&month=06&day=01&catids=38%7C39
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Canadian Water Summit

Water is fast becoming one of the most critical sustainability issues, demanding new knowledge, language, and planning foresight from businesses, public sector leaders, municipal planners, civil society and citizens alike. The Canadian Water Summit is a response to the market need for idea exchange and collaboration between diverse stakeholders at the forefront of shaping Canada’s adaptation to a new water reality. Scheduled for June 17th, 2010, the Summit will act as a unique forum for ensuring that Canada is prepared to overcome water-related challenges by facilitating solution-oriented partnerships. Join the conversation today.

Why Participate?

By framing global water sustainability challenges in a uniquely Canadian context, the 2010 Canadian Water Summit empowers practitioners and decision-makers to get ahead of the issues by:
Building a stronger understanding of the important linkages between water and critical business issues like energy, climate change, corporate risk, and sustainability strategy.
Accessing a first-rate forum for exploring strategies to meet our regional and global water sustainability challenges.
Sharing perspectives and expertise on the latest issues, best practices, technology and policies driving the water agenda.
Fostering collaborative working relationships aimed at realizing Canada’s potential to become a leader in delivering 21st century water solutions.


For questions regarding the Summit, please contact the Innovolve Group - Canadian Water Summit Registration at 416-364-0050 x105 or registration@watersummit.ca







www.watersummit.ca

Presented by:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Forget - The 6th Annual Green Building Festival returns this Sept!Once again the Green Building Festival will be partnering with IIDEX/Neocon Canada to bring together Canada's largest Green Building Event. Exhibitor and Sponsorship information is now available:

visit us online

Design Exchange May Issue

Follow this link for the Design Exchange May Issue

http://www.designexchange.org/express/may10/index.html

MIE - Newsletter 42

MIE - Newsletter 42 www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html [1]


May 10, 2010 Vol. 01 // No. 42
Table of Contents: Chair's Office[2] // Awards and Recognition[3] // Research Activities[4] // Seminars[5] // Graduate Studies[6] //
Job Opportunities[7] // Student Affairs[8] // Vacation[9] //
Previous Newsletter & Links[10] Chair's Office

Chair is Away

JEAN ZU will be away from May 10 - 21 to attend the Third International Conference on Dynamics, Vibration and Control in Hangzhou in China. She will visit Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Tianjing University to establish ties, and will also meet MIE alumni in the Shanghai region.

PROF. RIDHA BEN MRAD will be the acting chair during her absence.

-------------------------

Office Closure – Victoria Day

The University and the department will be closed on Victoria Day (Monday, May 24) and will re-open on Tuesday, May 25.

The machine shop will close early on Friday, May 21 at 2 PM and department offices will close at 3 PM.

-------------------------

Welcome MIE Summer Students

Each summer the department offers employment opportunities to MIE undergraduate students allowing them to gain beneficial employment experience and learn more about the department. In photo left to
right: WEN MING WANG is reporting to both RAY LOW (computing services manager) and JOE BAPTISTA (facilities coordinator and building officer); RISHIKESH BENEGAL is reporting to BRENDA FUNG (graduate program administrator) and RAY; CATHLEEN MUSALEM is reporting to NINA HAIKARA (external relations); JOSHUA MA is reporting to TOMAS BERNREITER (laboratory engineer and manager); and ALFIE THAM is reporting to JOE.

AMANDA SANTOS (missing from photo) is reporting to RYAN MENDELL (machine shop manager).

-------------------------

MIE Research Symposium

More photos[11] from the April 30 symposium by graduate student FRANKIE YAU.

-------------------------

MIE Alumni Dinner

More photos[12] from the April 10 event posted on the MIE website.


Awards & Recognition

Prof. Sun Receives IEEE RAS Early Career Award

PROF. YU SUN has been awarded the 2010 ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION SOCIETY's (IEEE RAS) EARLY CAREER AWARD for contributions in enabling microrobotic and MEMS technologies for automated cell manipulation and characterization in cell biology and clinical applications.

This is a strong recognition from the international robotics and automation community. Since the establishment of the award in 1999, Prof. Sun is the first Canadian researcher named to this award.

Congratulations!

Research Activities

PROF. SANJEEV CHANDRA recently attended the International Thermal Spray Conference in Singapore, and visited Nanyang Technical University.

-------------------------

Consortium for Cellular and Micro-Cellular Plastics (CCMCP) Bi-annual Progress Review Meeting

On May 4th & 5th, MICROCELLULAR MANUFACTURING LABORATORY, directed by PROF. CHUL B. PARK, hosted the Consortium for Cellular and Micro-Cellular Plastics (CCMCP) Bi-annual Progress Review Meeting, supported by the Ontario Research Foundation.

The core research areas of the consortium are:

(1) understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing the processing of cellular and microcellular plastics, and
(2) development of innovative technologies for foam processing, equipment design, foaming agents, and materials modification.

There were 22 presentations from the UofT researchers. The progress review meeting of the consortium also included demonstration of pilot-scale tandem foam extrusion line at the off-campus laboratory (2220 Argentia Rd Unit 5, Mississauga).

The new knowledge and technology were transferred to industry, and a strong network was formed amongst the participants through the formal and informal activities. Our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows made new connections with industry participants.

The event was a big success, with 57 attendees including 29 industry representatives.

More Photos [13]

-------------------------

Ontario on a Chip (OOAC)

DATE: Thursday, May 20 to Friday, May 21
LOCATION: Trinity College, UofT
Register Online[14] before May 7

This fifth event on microfluidics, microreactors and labs-on-a-chip, facilitates contact between university researchers and companies in chemical, pharma, biotech, advanced materials and analytical devices. PROF. DON INGBER from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at HARVARD UNIVERSITY will give the keynote address. This event includes significant industry participation from General Electric Health Care, Abbott Labs, and Corning.

OOAC will be held in conjunction with the Inaugural Symposium of our new 6-year, $1.6M Microfluidics Graduate Training Program (MATCH) that is supported by NSERC (CREATE), Kodak, CMC and Corning.

This event has been organized by PROFS. AXEL GUENTHER and CRAIG SIMMONS, jointly with approximately 15 UofT faculty from the Departments of Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Medical Biophysics, Chemistry, Physiology, Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology and the Teaching Hospitals.

-------------------------

International Conference on Operations Research – "Mastering Complexity"

DATES: Wednesday, September 1 to Friday, September 3
LOCATION: Munich, Germany

Due to numerous requests, the deadline for abstract submission has been extended to May 9. Click here[15] for topics. Visit the OR 2010 website[16] for submission.

-------------------------

ICCE-18: 18th International Conference on Composites or Nano Engineering

DATES: Sunday, July 4 to Saturday, July 10
LOCATION: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

ICCE is now accepting new paper titles for ICCE-18 Anchorage.
Interested authors should submit a tentative paper title immediately, followed by a detailed two-page short paper to David Hui[17]. Each page should have a two-column format, and short papers must have graphs to show results.

Deadline of receipt of two-pager is Friday, June 18. Please contact David Hui[18] with any questions or deadline extension request.

Visit the ICCE-18 website[19] for more information.

-------------------------

The 18th International Conference on Wear of Materials (WoM)

DATES: Sunday, April 3 to Thursday, April 7, 2011
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

CALL FOR PAPERS
Abstract submission deadline: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Like past conferences in this series, all papers, except those for standalone posters, will be peer-reviewed before final acceptance for oral presentation and publication in a special issue of "WEAR".

More info? See brochure[20] (PDF) and WoM website[21].

-------------------------

Funding Opportunity: Genome Canada

Genome Canada will be holding two funding competitions in 2010 for a total of up to $84 million using the $75 million in funds it received in the 2010 Federal Budget and $9 million of existing additional funds.

More Info [22]

To support these competitions an information session presented by representatives of the Ontario Genomics Institute will be held to inform researchers interested in large scale genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics projects about these upcoming Genome Canada competitions and other funding opportunities.

DATE: Tuesday May, 18
TIME: 1 - 3 PM
LOCATION: Governing Council Chambers, Simcoe Hall

More Info[23]

-------------------------

COMSOL Training

DATE: Friday, May 28
LOCATION: Toronto
Register Online[24]

COMSOL is hosting a free multi-physics modeling workshop. The event features a live demo of the simulation environment and its capabilities, as well as a hands-on session where you can try the software firsthand. Come and experience our new release, COMSOL Multi-physics Version 4.0! Attendees will have the opportunity to get a temporary license of the software for evaluation.

Questions? Contact Susanne Kimball, COMSOL, Inc., at 781-273-3322 or susie@comsol.com[25].

Seminars

/Interfacing Nanomaterials with Biological Systems/

SPEAKER: Prof. Shirley Tang, University of Waterloo
DATE: Thursday, May 13
TIME: 2:10 PM
LOCATION: MC331

Abstract[26] ?Prof. Shirley Tang biography[27]

-------------------------

IBM Distinguished Lecture

/An Energy Efficient Petaflop Supercomputer Cooled with Warm Water:
From Electronics Nanomanufacturing to Waste Heat Reuse –/ The IBM-ETH Zurich AQUASAR Project

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dimos Poulikakos, Director, Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Process Engineering and Director, joint IBM-ETH Zurich Nanoscale Exploratory Technologies Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich
DATE: Tuesday, May 18
TIME: 2:10 PM
LOCATION: MC102

Graduate Studies

Call for Applications – Ontario Post Doctoral Fellowship Program 2010

Application deadline: MONDAY, JUNE 7.

More Info[28].

-------------------------

SGS Restricted Awards for 2010-11

Application must be submitted to MIE Graduate Office (RS 214) BY MONDAY, MAY 10.

More Info[29]

-------------------------

2010 Rio Tinto Alcan Research Fellowships Program - Master's and PhD

Application and supporting documents must be submitted to the MIE Graduate Office (RS 214) BY MONDAY, MAY 10.

More Info [30]

-------------------------

MASc Oral Exam

DEBORAH LOACH presents: /A Generic Simulation Model to Improve Procedure Scheduling in Endoscopy Suites/
DATE: Wednesday, May 12
TIME: 9:30 AM
LOCATION: MB101 (R.D. Venter Room)

EXAM COMMITTEE: Prof. M. Carter (exam chair and supervisor), Prof.
D. Aleman, Prof. B. Balcioglu, and Prof. G. Woodward.

-------------------------

PhD Departmental Exam

AFSOON AMIRZADEH GOGHARI presents: /Producing Small Droplets of Aqueous Solutions and Molten Metals using a Pneumatic Droplet Generator/
DATE: Friday, May 14
TIME: 10 AM
LOCATION: MC331

EXAM COMMITTEE: Prof. S. Chandra (exam chair and supervisor), Prof.
N. Ashgriz, and Prof. J.S. Wallace.

Student Affairs

AMIGAS Election

DATE: Wednesday, May 12
TIME: 12 PM
LOCATION: MC331 – /pizza will be served/

The annual Association of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Graduate Students (AMIGAS) election will be held this Wednesday. All MIE graduate students that will be in the department next year are eligible to run for the following positions:

- President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- VP Academic
- VP Social/Sports
- VP Operations
- Webmaster
- GSU Representative (4 positions)

No previous participation is required to run for a position, and ALL MIE GRAD STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE ELECTION EVEN IF THEY DO NOT INTEND TO RUN FOR A POSITION.

AMIGAS represents MIE grad students at the university level and has a substantial budget for organizing social, professional development and academic events for our members. Come out to have your say on how AMIGAS can improve the graduate student experience in the department.


If you are unable to attend the election but would like to run for a position, please email amigas@mie.utoronto.ca[31].

-------------------------

Welcome to Engineering Luncheon

DATE: Saturday, May 15
TIME: 10 AM - 1 PM
LOCATION: MC (outdoors)

Faculty are invited to attend the Saturday luncheon for newly admitted MIE students.

PLEASE RVSP (acceptances only) to Cathleen Musalem[32] no later than Wednesday, May 12.

-------------------------

Onoscatopoeia

Industrial Engineering graduate student, JANET SUNG, is a member of Onoscatopoeia, Hart House's jazz choir. The group recently participated in a semi-final /a cappella/ competition held at Rutgers University. They were given the opportunity to have their performance professionally judged and experience singing on a competitive level.


Watch the group's performances on YouTube[33].

Job Opportunities

Litens Automotive Partnership – Junior Design Engineer

LOCATION: Concord, ON

Litens Automotive Partnership is a dynamic world class manufacturer of engineered power transmission systems and components seeking a Mechanical Engineering graduate with two to three experience.

Click here[34] for complete job description and application information.

-------------------------

Loblaw - IE Opportunities

* Click here[35] for PRODUCT FLOW AND DEVELOPMENT ANALYST
* Click here[36] for OPERATIONS ANALYST
* Click here[37] for ANALYST, SUPPLIER ENABLEMENT

Interested applicants are asked to apply online as well as send their resume to supplychaincareers@loblaw.ca[38].

Visit the Loblaw Careers website[39] for all available positions.


Vacation

/Staff:/

DONNA LIU, Graduate Program Assistant: April 26 - May 21 Previous
Newsletter & Links Previous MIE newsletter[40]

All MIE newsletters[41]

MIE Website: www.mie.utoronto.ca[42]
Back to top[43] Copyright © 2009-10 University of Toronto[44] | Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering[45] | Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering[46], All Rights Reserved



Links:
------
[1] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html
[2] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#chairsOffice
[3] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#awardsandRecognition
[4] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#researchActivities
[5] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#seminars
[6] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#graduateStudies
[7] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#jobOpportunities
[8] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#studentAffairs
[9] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews42.html#vacation
[10] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews41.html#prevnews
[11]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mech_indi_engineering/sets/72157623875088987/
[12] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/alumni/MIEAlumniDinner2010.php
[13] http://www.flickr.com/photos/mech_indi_engineering/sets/72157624032555120
[14] http://mfl.mie.utoronto.ca/Ontario-on-a-Chip/
[15] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/OR2010.html
[16] http://www.or2010.de
[17] mailto:dhui@uno.edu
[18] mailto:dhui@uno.edu
[19] http://myweb.polyu.edu.hk/~mmktlau/ICCE/ICCE_Main.htm
[20] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/WOM2011.pdf
[21] http://www.wom-conference.elsevier.com/
[22] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews41/GC_funding_update.pdf
[23] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews41/OGI_info.pdf
[24] http://www.comsol.com/events/cmv40w/10941/
[25] mailto:susie@comsol.com
[26] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Abstract.pdf
[27] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Tang_bio.pdf
[28]
http://board.mie.utoronto.ca/viewtopic.php?t=4053&sid=682adb78fd6693362c10cdb56b4ee6f2
[29]
http://board.mie.utoronto.ca/viewtopic.php?t=4027&sid=957315876a4c992d871a5cc5f05d0655
[30]
http://board.mie.utoronto.ca/viewtopic.php?t=4022&sid=957315876a4c992d871a5cc5f05d0655
[31] mailto:amigas@mie.utoronto.ca
[32] mailto:c.musalem@utoronto.ca
[33] http://www.youtube.com/user/onoscatopoeia
[34] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Litens.pdf
[35] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Loblaws1.pdf
[36] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Loblaws2.pdf
[37] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/documents/enews42/Loblaws2.pdf
[38] mailto:supplychaincareers@loblaw.ca
[39] http://www.loblaw.ca/en/empl_headoffice.html
[40] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enews41.html
[41] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/enews/enewslist.html
[42] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca
[43] #top
[44] http://www.utoronto.ca
[45] http://www.engineering.utoronto.ca
[46] http://www.mie.utoronto.ca

[PDADC-L] Exploring and Supporting TA and Graduate Student Development

"Navigating Your PATH: Exploring and Supporting Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student Development"
June 21st - 22nd, 2010
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

http://www.teaching.utoronto.ca/conference2010

REGISTRATION DEADLINE - EXTENDED: June 1st, 2010.

Navigating Your PATH represents a culmination of growing interest in Canada and the United States in the development of professional skills in graduate students, including the training provided to teaching assistants. No such national conference focusing on the combination of TA training and skills development in graduate students has ever taken place in Canada. Through papers, workshops, panels and poster presentations conference participants will examine how we prepare graduate students for teaching, curriculum planning, research, publishing, grant-seeking, report-writing, public speaking and community service. This conference will bring together education researchers, educational developers, faculty members, administrators, independent scholars, graduate students, librarians and student life professionals to explore graduate student development.

REGISTRATION: $150
STUDENT: $75

If you have any questions regarding this conference, please contact: ctsi.conference2010@utoronto.ca.

[PDADC-L] Holiday Schedule 2010-11 and 2011-2012

PDAD&C # 89, 2009-10
HR # 32, 2009-2010

May 12, 2010

MEMORANDUM

To: Principals, Deans, Academic Directors & Chairs
Professional and Managerial Staff

From: Angela Hildyard, Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity
Cheryl Misak, Vice-President and Provost

Re: Holiday Schedule 2010-11 and 2011-2012

In planning the University’s holiday schedule, we make every effort to provide a two week closure in December, knowing how all of us appreciate the opportunity to have a break and also to match the closure schedule set out by the GTA school boards. Despite our best efforts, due to academic programming issues, including exam timetables, we were unable to schedule a two week break for 2010-11 and 2011-12. We do want to remind everyone that this does not preclude employees, in particular for those staff with children who will be on school holiday, from requesting additional vacation days.

Please note the addition of two Presidential holidays on Friday July 2, 2010 and Monday April 25, 2011, to extend these long weekends!

July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011

Canada Day Thursday July 1, 2010
Friday July 2, 2010
Civic Holiday Monday August 2, 2010
Labour Day Monday September 6, 2010
Thanksgiving Day Monday October 11, 2010
Christmas/New Year Wednesday December 22, 2010 to Friday December 31, 2010
inclusive
- Family Day Monday February 21, 2011
Good Friday Friday April 22, 2011
Monday April 25, 2011
Victoria Day Monday May 23, 2011

July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012

Canada Day Friday July 1, 2011
Civic Holiday Monday August 1, 2011
Labour Day Monday September 5, 2011
Thanksgiving Day Monday October 10, 2011
Christmas/New Year Wednesday December 21, 2011 to Friday December 30, 2011
inclusive
Family Day Monday, February 20, 2012
Good Friday Friday April 6, 2012
Victoria Day Monday May 21, 2012

It should be noted that summer hours begin on July 1 and end at Labour Day annually.

This announcement is not intended to establish service or operating schedules in such divisions as the Central Library, UTCNS, or Facilities and Services, where announcements will be made separately. In other areas, certain staff may be required to maintain essential services or to provide service to the public. Staff required to work during holiday periods should be granted compensating time off at a later date. Employees covered by collective agreements are subject to the provisions contained in their collective agreements.

Supervisors and administrators are requested to schedule holiday staffing arrangements, where required, as far in advance as possible, and are encouraged to consult their personnel officer in Human Resources offices at 215 Huron Street or in decentralized personnel offices for advice. Any questions about the alternative arrangements that should be made for non-unionized administrative staff who are required to work on a scheduled holiday should be directed to the personnel officer assigned to your area. Questions regarding the application of the collective agreements for unionized staff should be directed to Human Resources at (416) 978-6503.

We would be grateful if you would bring this schedule to the attention of all staff.

[PDADC-L] Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO): Update on current and future operation within the V-P Research Portfolio

MEMORANDUM

TO: Principals, Deans, Academic Directors and Chairs

FROM: Professor R. Paul Young, Vice-President, Research

DATE: 12th May, 2010

RE: Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO): Update on current and future operation within the V-P Research Portfolio


For the period January 1st to April 30th, 2010, Dr. Ron Venter served on a part-time basis as the interim Assistant V-P Research at the Innovations and Partnerships Office working with Dr. Peter Lewis Associate V-P Research. During this period Ron Venter and Peter Lewis closely scrutinized the activities of the IPO, which is now fully incorporated into the Offices of the V-P Research to better understand the serious service shortcomings that inevitably do arise when new structures are introduced and personnel are relocated into new environments as has occurred with restructuring in 2009. A number of important operational items are listed below that are intended to help clarify the IPO operations and need to be interpreted as the first steps to advancing the growth of research partnerships with MaRS Innovation, Industry and Government.

1. The Importance of Being Ernest about Partnerships: Recently greater emphasis is being placed by the Tri-Councils, Networks and Centres of Excellence, MRI and indeed most Governments to partner with the private sector to specifically share and contribute our considerable research expertise and awareness on all fronts. These initiatives will continue and grow louder; new programs such as the INTERACT and ENGAGE grants initiated by NSERC in recent months represent important new opportunities for the University to excel and provide leadership. In this context of growing the research partnership base of the University, the IPO services pertaining to all funded and non-funded contract agreements and proposals must therefore be recognized as an essential service within the enterprise (see bullet point 7 below for action currently undertaken for existing contract agreement processing). In brief the University cannot as an entity be promoting research partnerships without effective and timely procedures for the processing of contractual agreements and for ensuring accurate accountability on all expenditures, obligations and finally the systematic closure of each and every partnership agreement when concluded. Therefore the capacity to process existing and future research contracts is currently being expanded. This responsibility is a shared undertaking with Faculties and the centralized services of the University: the impact and benefit of expanding our partnership capacity with the tri-councils and NCEs, for example, will contribute to enhancing our collective national share of the CRCs assigned to the University which is a high priority for many of our Faculties.

2. Clarity on the Structure of the V-P Research, specifically IPO and MaRS INNOVATION: The attached pdf file is an information roadmap that serves to identify the mission of the V-P research and three pillars of activity namely the Research Services Office (RSO), the Research Oversight and Compliance Office (ROCO) and the Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) respectively within the VPR portfolio. For the IPO, the document also provides the context to promote the IPO mission, the mandate and the activities of IPO and particularly clarifies within the University community the exciting interface that exists between IPO and MaRS Innovation [MI], a recently established CECR [Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research]. Kindly examine the critical three Building Blocks to Facilitate Research Partnership with IPO and MI which are highlighted as bullets 3, 4 and 5 below.

3. Building Block 1: Proposals and Agreements to innovations.partnerships@utoronto.ca : Researchers at the University are now requested to submit all research agreements and proposals that address either funded or non-funded contracts and or agreements with industry, government and or other partners to the IPO for processing. Typically all such agreements and proposals will have an industrial and or government partner/ sponsor and include: NCE, OCE, POP, I2I, CRD, ENGAGE, Industry and Government. All such proposals can be forwarded electronically to innovations.partnerships@utoronto.ca , or hard copies delivered to IPO, for processing. These new procedures are essential to effectively track all proposals and or agreements. Our target is that all electronic submissions will be acknowledged within one business day; with the indication of a follow up by an IPO contracts officer within three working days.

4. Building Block 2: Disclosures to ip.officer@utoronto.ca : Researchers are invited to direct all disclosure and or research outcome submissions and or requests for information on disclosure submissions to ip.officer@utoronto.ca. At present the University of Toronto submits around 140 disclosures per annum; it is important to work to increase this number as well as the quality of all disclosure and to recognize this significant contribution to the research enterprise.

5. Building Block 3: Disclosure Assessment: IPO now works seamlessly with MaRS Innovation [MI] to develop technologies to become more attractive to the private sector and to transfer this knowledge to industry through licences and or start-ups. Unencumbered U of T disclosures are always initially assessed by a Deal Team of MI and IPO experts. Access to MI is only achieved by filing all disclosures to IPO. The attached pdf file also provides a block diagram illustration of the process to assess the technology including the procedures for the transfer of the intellectual property to enable commercialization and the distribution of net revenues based on the University’s IP policy. It also clarifies the mandate of MaRS Innovation [MI]; the roles of MI and IPO are distinctly different, but the twin entities collaborate as an effective engine on the commercialization of the University’s intellectual property.

6. Partnerships with Faculties: Effective partnerships between IPO and the Faculties is an essential building block for the future. Informative discussions with the Faculties of Applied Science and Engineering and Medicine have been initiated (with others to follow) to better formalize robust and transparent ways through which each Faculty can benefit and work with IPO to inform all researchers of the opportunities provided through the commercialization and licensing of intellectual property and knowledge transfer. Effective partnerships with all Faculties plus UTM and UTSC are prime objectives and a sensible way forward.

7. Contract Positions [implementation of bullets 1 & 3]: A considerable and embarrassing backlog of contract proposals and or agreements to be processed exists at IPO as a consequence of numerous factors at play in the transition from TIG to IPO. This unfortunate situation has had to be remedied and new solutions have been identified. As noted previously the processing of contracts is now recognized as an essential service and as such it is significant that four new appointments have been approved [two contract officers and two administrative positions to expressly assist in the processing of agreements and contract proposals as well as the closing of contracts that have been completed]. This will increase the current complement of four project officers to six plus provide two administrative support positions. Unfortunately, the back-log will not dissipate overnight, but will be systematically monitored to increasingly balance supply & demand. In the interim, and until such time as all contract officers are hired, IPO has secured the part-time services of a highly experienced and recently retired contract officer, who will also assist with the training of the contract officers at IPO to transfer her multi-faceted experiences with external contract know-how over 30 years to the staff at IPO. It is most significant in this context to recognize the leadership of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (FASE) for their commitment to contribute the full salary and benefits of one of the two new contract officers identified above. This commitment is for a three-year term and will significantly boost the processing ability of the IPO. It is to be noted that FASE accounts for some 45-48% of all funded partnership agreements within the University.

8. Reporting Metrics and Communication: Good progress is being made to better use the website: http://www.research.utoronto.ca to full advantage by all elements of the portfolio; this will be increasingly more evident in the months ahead.

What is also equally important is to develop a set of operational metrics to convey relevant and factual information to Deans, Faculties, Research Advisory Board, Management; such metrics are emerging; those already in place include:
A. On Disclosures: monthly records of all disclosures, both encumbered and university/inventor owned intellectual property.
B. On MaRS Innovation: detailed information on all university/inventor disclosures that are accepted by MaRS Innovation [MI] for commercialization [proof of principle, start-up, licencing]; the status and number of Agency Agreements where MI, working with IPO, essentially acts as the lead commercialization agent for each positively assessed technology.
C. On Active IPO Commercialization Projects: Projects declined by MI are monitored within IPO. These projects together with all active commercialization projects, labeled as Legacy Projects since they precede the establishment of MI, need to be reclassified as either active or inactive and reduced to manageable numbers, consistent with the resources available.
In addition to the above, new procedures have been introduced on the processing of Funded and Non- Funded Proposals and Agreements in support of partnerships with industry, government and institutions and or agencies. Quite simply the processing of proposals and or agreements is the critical path for the building and promotion of research partnerships. IPO will record and tightly monitor the number of all new submissions on a weekly basis as well as record and monitor all those Funded and Non-Funded proposals/agreements that are processed to completion [time when either all signatures and or funds are available] at IPO. The supply and demand needs to be matched to ensure that all such contracts are being processed as efficiently and effectively as possible. IF MORE ARE BEING RECEIVED THAN CAN BE PROCESSED THEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM AND WE NEED TO FIX IT. These are the type of metrics that will be shared with Faculties to better plan for the strengthening of partnerships and the commercialization of our disclosures. Consistent with these objectives is the current initiative within the portfolio and identified as project RAISE to develop and promote more effective computerized procedures to facilitate data entry and retrieval to streamline all research processing and data retrieval operations.

9. AVP for IPO Search Process: The search for an AVP to lead the IPO in the years ahead is now underway; it is anticipated that an appointment will be announced in the late Fall, 2010.

[PDADC-L] IPO Funding Opportunity: FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative

PDADC MEMORANDUM - 110510

TO: Principals, Deans, Academic Directors and Chairs

FROM: Professor R. Paul Young, Vice-President, Research

DATE: May 11, 2010

RE: IPO Funding Opportunity: FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative

Please distribute this opportunity to your colleagues as appropriate.

A $15M commercialization funding opportunity entitled the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative through FedDev Ontario has just been announced. The vision of FedDev Ontario is to be a catalyst in creating a more prosperous and globally competitive Ontario. The Initiative will address the unique research and innovation challenges faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME), defined as having less than 1000 employees, including lack of internal research and development and pre-commercialization capacity.

The Initiative will provide up to $750,000 to post-secondary institutions to develop individual projects with businesses in southern Ontario. Projects will be cost shared 2/3 by post-secondary institutions and 1/3 (cash or in-kind) by the small business. Under the Initiative, post-secondary institutions will be eligible for a contribution up to a maximum of $50,000 per project with a collaborating SME. A maximum of one project per SME can be conducted under the Initiative.

A single application is due by June 14/2010 outlining how the U of T proposes to use its expertise to work with SMEs. It is not expected that any actual projects or agreements with specific SMEs will have been identified by the June 14/2010 deadline. Agreements with individual SME partners will need to be in place by March 31, 2011, with all project work completed by March 31, 2012.

Please note that inventors with equity in the SME are not eligible.

Program details can be found at http://www.feddevontario.gc.ca/eic/site/723.nsf/eng/00264.html

Please direct enquiries with a FedDev Ontario subject line to innovations.partnerships@uotoronto.ca

Welcome to the CIV-MIN Blog

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.