Media Releases
Below is a selection of recent press releases. For all the latest news please visit www.utoronto.ca/news
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UTEST program bends career road for Granata Decision Systems’ founders
TORONTO, ON - MaRS Innovation and the University of Toronto (U of T) are pleased to announce that the founders of Granata Decision Systems Inc., a graduate of the University of Toronto Early-Stage Technology (UTEST) start-up incubator program, have joined Google Inc. Dr. Craig Boutilier is a professor in U of T’s Department of Computer Science. He and Tyler Lu, a graduating PhD student in the same department, co-founded Granata Decision Systems in 2012 to develop their advanced decision-support technologies.…
Can peace and justice co-exist? “International Criminal Law at the Crossroads” with James Stewart, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and Richard Dicker, Director of International Justice for Human Rights Watch
TORONTO, ON - Media are invited to attend “International Criminal Law at the Crossroads,” an intimate conversation with Canadian James Stewart, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, together with Richard Dicker, Director of International Justice for Human Rights Watch. More than 10 years after the ICC began hearing cases, two of the world’s most prominent international lawyers will discuss the Court’s successes and ongoing challenges. James Stewart and Richard Dicker will address the jurisdictional limitations that impede the Court’s engagement…
$1,873,485 in Canada Foundation for Innovation funds awarded to U of T Researchers
TORONTO, ON - Eleven U of T researchers have been selected as recipients of the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders funds totalling $1,873,485. The John R. Evans Leaders Fund was established to assist institutions in attracting and retaining talented researchers. Candidates for funding must be either recognized leaders or have demonstrated the potential for excellence in their field of research who are engaged in or embarking upon original, internationally competitive and high quality research or technology development.…
Planets outside our solar system more hospitable to life than thought
TORONTO, ON - A study by astrophysicists at the University of Toronto suggests that exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — are more likely to have liquid water and be more habitable than we thought. “Planets with potential oceans could have a climate that is much more similar to Earth’s than previously expected,” said Jérémy Leconte, a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) at the University of Toronto, and lead author of a study published today in Science Express. Scientists have thought…
U of T spinoff Interface Biologics announces financing
TORONTO, ON -- Interface Biologics Inc. (IBI), an innovative developer of biomedical-polymer technologies which improve the safety and effectiveness of medical devices, is pleased to announce the completion of a Series B financing round led by DSM Venturing and existing investor, BDC Capital. “Interface Biologics is a great strategic and a financial investment for DSM” remarked Pieter Wolters, Managing Director of DSM Venturing, the corporate venturing arm of Royal DSM, a €10 billion global science-based company active in health, nutrition…
Elton John AIDS Foundation supports the International Human Rights Program’s project investigating the negative impact of Canada’s policies on refugees with HIV
TORONTO, ON - The International Human Rights program (IHRP) has received a $75,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) to launch a project exposing the negative impact of Canada’s refugee policies on some of the world’s most vulnerable claimants—people with HIV or at-risk of HIV due to rampant violence, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender-based violence. “As Chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and as a Canadian, I am pleased to see the University of Toronto’s…
Baird announces support for open political space online
TORONTO, ON -- Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced a new partnership with the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs to launch the Digital Public Square project, an up to $9-million initiative that will increase digital space for free expression and open political dialogue in places where civil society and citizen participation are under threat. By facilitating safer and accessible open space online, people living in repressive or restrictive environments can exchange their views on the decisions and…
Baird to announce next phase of Canada’s direct-diplomacy efforts
TORONTO, ON -- Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will announce the next phase of Canada’s efforts in direct diplomacy, an initiative to be undertaken in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. Event: Announcement and photo opportunity Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Time: 10 a.m. ET Location: Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ontario -30- For more information, please contact: Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development…
European fire ant impacts forest ecosystems by helping alien plants spread
TORONTO, ON -- An invasive ant species that has become increasingly abundant in eastern North America not only takes over yards and delivers a nasty sting, it’s helping the spread of an invasive plant species. The ants are very effective dispersers of invasive plant seeds and new research suggests that together they could wreak havoc on native ecosystems. University of Toronto researchers have found that the European fire ant, Myrmica rubra, disperses seeds of both native and invasive plants, but it does…
Ancient, hydrogen-rich waters discovered deep underground at locations around the world
TORONTO, ON -- A team of scientists, led by the University of Toronto’s Barbara Sherwood Lollar, has mapped the location of hydrogen-rich waters found trapped kilometres beneath Earth’s surface in rock fractures in Canada, South Africa and Scandinavia. Common in Precambrian Shield rocks – the oldest rocks on Earth – the ancient waters have a chemistry similar to that found near deep sea vents, suggesting these waters can support microbes living in isolation from the surface. The study, to be…