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.)
**************
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

**************
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)

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.

Taking Flight Award

Aboriginal high school and post-secondary students who wish to pursue a career in mining will now be recognized for their strong efforts. With startup funding from De Beers Canada Inc. and Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (part of the Rio Tinto group), the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is pleased to unveil our new Aboriginal scholarship. The Taking Flight Award will recognize four exceptional students annually with $1,000 prizes.

The recipients of the scholarship will be announced at the 2009 CIM Conference and Exhibition, May 10-13, in Toronto.
This is a worthwhile scholarship award that will help aboriginal students acquire the financial assistance they need to further their education in a career in mining or a related field.
Set a soaring future for mining by launching new careers into flight.

Deadline April 17, 2009
For details and application form, please visit http://www.cim.org/awards/TakingFlight.cfm

Summer 2009 Athletic Centre

The Summer 2009 Athletic Centre

Fee is $130 from May 1 to September 7. 2009 and $42.25 per month

Grad Students FAQ’s

The Faculty of Physical Education and Health of the University of Toronto is on the downtown campus and is located in the Athletic Centre at 55 Harbord Street, on the south east corner of Harbord and Spadina south of the Grad House. To contact the Membership Services staff in the Main Office of the Athletic Centre please call 416 978-3436, extension 0, or visit the Faculty’s website at www.utoronto.ca/physical for additional detailed information.

Do Graduate Students have access to the Athletic Centre?

Registered University of Toronto graduate students have access to the Athletic Centre through the payment of their incidental fees. Typically, this payment covers only the Fall and Winter (September to May) terms of the graduate program. Spring and Summer access to the Athletic Centre is optional.
Athletic Centre Summer membership is available to registered graduate students at a preferred UofT student rate at the Main Office of the AC.
Some programs have exceptional status regarding summertime memberships. Please inquire through your registrar’s office to verify your access.

What does Athletic Centre Membership Include?

Athletic Centre membership includes the use of our full size Day Lockers located in the lower level change rooms; please bring your own lock. (See Lockers below). Members have access to all our facilities including, the indoor 200m track and the fixed weight and aerobic equipment surrounding the track. Two deep water pools are available for scheduled adult lane swims. There are daily scheduled access times to the Strength and Conditioning Centre’s free weights and related equipment. Members have one day advanced booking privileges on our racquet sport courts (squash, tennis, badminton and table tennis).
Drop in fitness classes are included in your membership. Scheduled recreational basketball, volleyball and soccer opportunities are available to members at no cost.

Members have access to the new outdoor Varsity Centre track and field during the summer months for recreational soccer, ultimate disc and track use. During the winter the inflated dome-covered field is available for field sports including a golf driving range. Also in the winter the Varsity Arena is available for recreational skating and hockey.

There are also many women’s only opportunities in our facilities and programs, please visit our website for times and locations.

For additional fees members may enrol in our instruction classes in a variety of sport, fitness and recreational activities. Grad Students receive a 15% discount when registering their children in our children’s Junior Blues and Camp programs.

Lockers

Day Lockers
Full-size labelled Day Lockers are available throughout the men’s and women’s change rooms for single day use only. These lockers are free to members and guests with a guest pass but you must clear out the contents and remove the lock by the end of the day. Members and guests must supply their own lock.

Rental Lockers
The half size lockers in the men’s and women’s change rooms are available for rent. These are not to be used by members unless rented from the Main Office. Grad students rent these lockers for the full Fall and Winter terms at a prorated cost from the day of purchase. If you do not require the rented locker for the full term, you may request a partial refund from the Main Office. Lockers must be rented for the term of the summer membership purchase i.e. one month, two months, or full summer term. Members must supply their own lock.

Please Note: At closing all Day Lockers are cleared of all contents. Locks may be cut and contents removed. There is a $25 locker clear out fee to recover cleared locker contents. Unclaimed contents are held for 30 days then donated to charity or otherwise disposed.

Similarly, expired Rental Locker locks may be cut and contents removed, held for 30 days; then donated to charity or otherwise disposed.
Locks will be cut at owner’s expense and will not be replaced. There is a $25 locker clear out fee to recover cleared locker contents.

The Faculty and the University of Toronto are NOT liable for lost or stolen contents. Please DO NOT leave valuables in your locker.

Towels

Locker rentals include towel service. Towel service may be purchased separately for the term of the membership or on a daily basis. Please visit the Main Office to purchase towel service.

Is my partner, spouse or roommate able to purchase a membership to the AC?

Any one other person, 18 years of age or older, regardless of gender, residing with a Grad student member of the Athletic Centre may purchase a four month or one year discounted membership at our non UofT student rate. The Grad student and co-resident must provide proof of address at the time of membership purchase and subsequent renewals. Driver’s license, OHIP card, utility bill or bank/credit card statements are accepted proof of address.
Please note: In order to qualify for the co-residency rate, the student must have access at the time of purchase.

Can I bring in a friend on a casual basis?

Members may purchase guest passes for $10 each or 8 for $64 in the Main Office. Guests have the same access to the facilities as members plus towel service but cannot attend or register for instruction classes or personal training, or book courts. Guests are expected to follow the same rules as members. These expectations are posted in the Athletic Centre and in the Activity Guide.

Hart House Social Justice Committee – Fair Trade Coffee House Series

Hart House Social Justice Committee – Fair Trade Coffee House Series
Monday, March 30th, 2009
4 pm – 5:30 pm
Hart House South Dining Room
Joins us for an intimate discussion with Vanessa Corlazzoli about women’s rights in Latin America, illustrated with photos from Vanessa’s experiences working with women in Peru. Organic, fair trade coffee will be served, as well as vegan snacks!

Career Centre Event

WORRIED ABOUT THE RECESSION? COME AND HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS!
Our panelists will be discussing the realities of the recession and where the career opportunities are. Hear what is happening in various sectors and learn how to uncover the employment opportunities.
Monday, March 23, 2009
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Bahen Building, BA1160
Sign-up at: http://www.careers.utoronto.ca/st/events.aspx?tr=%20

Upcoming GSI (Graduate Student Initiative) Workshops

Upcoming GSI (Graduate Student Initiative) Workshops
Effective Thesis & Grant Proposal Writing
Thursday March 26, 2009
4-5:30pm

Improving Your Oral Presentation Skills
Thursday April 2, 2009
4-5:30pm
Register: http://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/events.aspx?program=GSI (first come first served)
Both of these sessions are presented in partnership with the office of English Language & Writing Support, SGS.

Creative Writing Event

U of T's MA in Creative Writing graduating class of 2009 invites you to an evening of fiction, poetry, and revelry.

Grab a gimlet at the bar as we share tales of masquerading pirates, death-obsessed teens, the insanity of urbanity, midnight pancakes, a lovestruck Japanese tangerine farmer, and other mischief.

Jeff Parker, author of Ovenman (Tin House) and The Back of the Line (DECODE), will host the evening.

When: Sunday April 26th at 7pm
Where: Bar Italia, 2nd Floor, 582 College Street http://www.bar-italia.ca/
No cover.

Family Care Office - Upcoming Events

Please register for these events at 416-978-0951, or family.care@utoronto.ca, or at www.familycare.utoronto.ca/events/register.html.

Saturday Drop-in for Student Families
March 28 (this coming Saturday!), between 10:00-1:00 pm, at the U of T Family Resource Centre (at the Early Learning Centre), 7 Glen Morris St., Basement.
Bring your children and meet other student families! Get to know another space on campus for students and their kids, and explore the Family Resource Centre wonderful resources! U of T families with children up to 5 years of age are welcome. Registration is not necessary!

Parenting for Dads
Thursday, April 2, 12:00 to 1:00 pm - call 416-978-0951 for location
Free pizza lunch provided
Nobody gives you training to be a father and kids certainly don't come with a user's guide or an owner's manual. Meet other fathers at U of T to discuss parenting issues, find support, share experiences and ideas. This is an ongoing group open to faculty, staff and students with meetings scheduled on the first Thursday of every month. The meetings are informal but involve a variety of discussion points. Fathers are invited to participate as much or as little as they wish. Facilitator: Richard Skinulis.

Financial Survival for Student Families: Getting Out of Debt
Thursday, April 2, 3:30 to 5:00 pm. Call 416-978-0951 for location
Advanced registration required.
By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:
* Learn to navigate the credit rating system.
* Identify specific debt management strategies and tips, including creating a realistic budget that incorporates saving for debt payment, ten rules of money management, dealing with creditors and collectors, and consumer rights.
* Share and discuss resources that will help to better position themselves financially while in school.
Facilitator: Mark Tsipilevich, Education Coordinator, Credit Counselling Canada
FREE PIZZA FOR PARTICIPANTS!

Caregiver Support Group
Friday, April 3, 12 noon to 1pm. Call 416-978-0951 for location
This discussion group is for those who are caring for an elderly, gravely or terminally ill person, relative or friend, to exchange ideas, offer support and share experiences. Facilitator: Lynne Gallagher, M.S.W., R.S.W.

Free Movies for U of T families — Madagascar (on a big screen!)
Saturday, April 4, 3:30 pm, at the Robert Gill Theatre, 241 College St., 3rd Floor (St. George St. entrance).
They're cute. They're cuddly. They're deranged.
At New York's Central Park Zoo, a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo are best friends and stars of the show. But when one of the animals goes missing from their cage, the other three break free to look for him, only to find themselves reunited ... on a ship en route to Africa. When their vessel is hijacked, however, the friends, who have all been raised in captivity, learn first-hand what life can be like in the wild.

No food or drinks allowed in the theatre. Children are to be supervised by an adult.

Job Opportunities with the TATP

Grad Room Announcement

The Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP) is advertising for its 2009-2010 staff.

4 Coordinators (St. George)
8 Trainers (St. George)
1 Trainer (UTM)
1 Trainer (UTSC)

Applications due on or before April 27, 2009

Please visit the TATP website - www.utoronto.ca/tatp - to view the job postings.

If you have any questions, please contact k.olmstead@utoronto.ca or call 416-946-7249.

ALSO! The short listed candidates for the 2009 TATP Teaching Excellence Award have been announced! Please visit our website for more details.
http://www.utoronto.ca/tatp/TeachingAward.html

Kathleen Olmstead
Programs Coordinator
Teaching Assistants' Training Program (TATP)
tel: (416) 946-7249
email: k.olmstead@utoronto.ca

Winter-Spring 2009 Environment and Health Seminar Series

Centre for Environment, University of Toronto
WINTER/SPRING 2009 ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH SEMINAR SERIES

THUR MARCH 26, 4:10 p.m.
Room 108, Health Sciences Building
155 College St., at McCaul St.
Location map
DENNIS O’HARA, St Michaels College, University of Toronto
(brief bio below)

"Awakening Environmental and Health Ethics to the Post-Copernican Universe"
(abstract below)

No registration or fee required; all are welcome.

Parking available at 256 McCaul Street just south of College Street
Link for the map

Seminars are subject to change or cancellation.
Visit www.environment.utoronto.ca for schedule updates, abstracts and speakers' bios.
To receive regular email messages with the same information, please contact
Pavel Pripa (416-978-3475; environment.seminars@utoronto.ca).

ABSTRACT: Most ethical theories and methods, including those used in ecological ethics, deal with proper human behaviour to promote human flourishing. However, in a post-Darwinian world in which we understand humans to be derivative from and dependent upon Earth’s systems, ethics tends to favour a pre-Copernican understanding of the primary role and stature of the humanity. Too often, it continues to formulate its positions as if humans were separate from the rest of the Earth community, and as if humans were primary and all else was of secondary importance. That is, even while it acknowledges that we live in an evolutionary universe, this new context for understanding the human and its place in creation has not sufficiently transformed ethical theories and methods. While it might be obvious that it is not possible to have healthy humans on a sick planet, why hasn’t ethics taken this maxim seriously, and what would happen if it did? If we adopted a more ecocentric and less anthropocentric approach to ethics, how might this alter the questions we ask and the decisions we make concerning environmental and health issues?

BRIEF BIO: Dr. O’Hara began his career as a chiropractor and naturopathic doctor, as a practitioner in private practice as well as an educator at the colleges of both of those professions. He has been a consultant to the Natural Health Products Directorate of Health Canada, and was a co-investigator in a 5 year CIHR funded project to establish the Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research. He has prepared a description of the naturopathic profession for the World Health Organization. In 1998, he received his doctorate from the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. Since 2000, he has been an Assistant Professor at the University of St. Michael’s College, and the Director of the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology. He is also an associate member of the graduate faculty at the Centre for Environment at the University of Toronto. Since 2004, he has been a core faculty member of the certificate programme in Corporate Social Responsibility at the University of St. Michael’s College and is currently co-developing a course on corporate social responsibility for the United Nations that links the Millennium Development Goals with business, environmental and ethical concerns.

Steve Dennis (CIV9T9) Appears in Globe and Mail

Civil Alumnus Steve Dennis has worked for Médecins Sans Frontières for the last six years. The Globe and Mail recently featured Steve in his article, "Why aid workers put their lives on the line."

Steve has also been published in Skulematters, the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering's annual alumni publication as well as the Civilian.

ECOPOLIS Graduate Research and Design Awards

The International Development Research Centre’s Urban Poverty and Environment Program works with communities, research organizations, and governments in the developing world to improve urban environments and reduce poverty. Partnerships with local institutions are a key goal of these ECOPOLIS awards.

Two types of awards are offered: research awards and design awards.

Research awards will support field expenses for studying a theme included in UPE’s priorities. Learn more about our priorities by visiting our website, www.idrc.ca/upe and following the link to About UPE. Up to five research awards worth a maximum of CA$20,000 each will be granted per year. Design awards must include a research aspect that informs a design project. A design project is one that conceives, lays-out, or prepares something physical that is developed, constructed, implemented, or demonstrated in a developing country.

Up to five Design awards worth a maximum of CA$40,000 each will be granted each year.
This program is open to masters or doctoral candidates who are Canadian citizens, or who have permanent resident status in Canada, or citizens of developing countries. However, the work must be conducted in a developing country.

Research and design themes:
Urban agriculture
Urban water and sanitation
Solid waste management
Vulnerability to natural disasters
Land tenure
Housing
Gender as a crosscutting theme

For more information regarding the rules and eligibility requirements:

www.idrc.ca/upe-ecopolis
Contact information:
E-mail: cta@idrc.ca
Telephone: +1 613-236-6163 ext. 2098
Fax: +1 613-567-7748

Deadlines:
Complete applications must be received by May 15, 2009
Awards will be announced on or before July 15, 2009
Award tenure should begin by July 15, 2010

The Thomas H Hogg Overseas Fellowship

MASc Degree Students:
Enclosed please find the application for the Thomas H. Hogg Overseas Fellowship.
The value of the fellowship is $14,000. Interested candidates are required to complete the form and submit a letter of application to Estina Boddie. The application package must include copies of academic transcripts, a letter of reference, and documentation related to admission in the graduate program outside North America. The application deadline is Thursday April 30, 2009 for tenure in the 2009-10 academic year. To be eligible the applicant must:
- be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant;
- hold a B.A.Sc. or M.A.Sc. degree from the University of Toronto
- plan to enroll in a graduate degree program in a recognized university outside North America.
- preference in selection will be given to applicants in the field of Hydraulics, Fluid Mechanics, or Power Systems Engineering.
Please do not hesitate to contact myself or Estina if you have questions.

Estina Boddie, M.Ed.
Graduate Studies and Research
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Room GB149, 35 St. George Street
Tel. (416) 946-3038
estina@ecf.utoronto.ca

Colin Anderson
Communications and Student Programs Coordinator
Department of Civil Engineering
Room GB105, 35 St. George Street
Tel. (416) 978-0945
colin@civ.utoronto.ca

Great News! in March

The latest issue of Great News! is here.