Media Releases
Below is a selection of recent press releases. For all the latest news please visit www.utoronto.ca/news
General Inquires +1 (416) 978-0100 Email media.relations@utoronto.ca
Steve Mann, ‘father of wearable computing’, to keynote Toronto wearable conference
TORONTO, ON — Steve Mann, widely recognized as the ‘father of wearable computing’ and pioneer in the field of wearable technologies, will keynote the Future.Innovation.Technology.Creativity. (FITC) Wearables conference in Toronto on November 13, 2014. Mann will unveil a new invention that makes sight itself visible, and can be used to “see” computer vision and surveillance in a way never before possible. Dubbed ‘surveilluminescence’, the technology reveals a camera's “sightfield” as a pattern of glowing lights. He is currently a professor…
University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education to host 25th Edward F. Kelly EvaluationConference
TORONTO, ON – On Friday, November 7, 2014, OISE plays host to the 25th annual Edward Kelly Evaluation Conference, a one-day, graduate student-organized evaluation event where participants will examine how evaluation can meet the needs of society, what the key issues facing evaluation will be in the future, and what they need to know to do it. This regional evaluation conference provides students with research interests in the field of evaluation an opportunity to present their own original research and…
Sorting bloodborne cancer cells to better predict spread of disease
TORONTO, ON – For most cancer patients, primary tumours are often not the most deadly. Instead, it is the metastatic tumours – tumours that spread from their original location to other parts of the body – that are the cause of most cancer deaths. The catalysts behind the formation of these deadly metastatic tumours are believed to be cancer cells that are launched into the bloodstream from the original site of the cancer. Researchers are very interested in leveraging these…
U of T team launches search for new Ebola treatments using artificial intelligence
TORONTO, ON - The University of Toronto, Chematria and IBM are combining forces in a quest to find new treatments for the Ebola virus. Using a virtual research technology invented by Chematria, a startup housed at U of T’s Impact Centre, the team will use software that learns and thinks like a human chemist to search for new medicines. Running on Canada’s most powerful supercomputer, the effort will simulate and analyze the effectiveness of millions of hypothetical drugs in just…
University of Toronto researchers discover why anesthetics cause prolonged memory loss
Toronto, ON - Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Temerty Faculty of Medicine have shown why anesthetics can cause long-term memory loss, a discovery that can have serious implications for post-operative patients. Until now, scientists haven’t understood why about a third of patients who undergo anesthesia and surgery experience some kind of cognitive impairment—such as memory loss—at hospital discharge. One-tenth of patients still suffer cognitive impairments three months later. Anesthetics activate memory-loss receptors in the brain, ensuring that patients…
University of Toronto is Canada’s top university: U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Toronto, ON - The University of Toronto took 14th spot – and ranked best in Canada – in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Ranking, released October 28. The survey examined 500 global institutions and focused on academic research and overall reputation. “The University of Toronto continues to be recognized as a global leader for its academic research excellence,” said Professor Meric Gertler, president of the University. “I am delighted to see our outstanding faculty recognized for…
Alternative hospital funding proposal risky says study
TORONTO, ON - A new study says Canadian federal and provincial policymakers should be wary of funding hospitals through an activity-based funding (ABF) model. This study is the first systemic review of worldwide evidence on ABF. It involved 19 researchers at several Canadian, Swiss and Australian universities, including Dr. Danielle Martin, a physician at Women’s College Hospital and professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Under ABF, hospitals receive a predetermined fee for…
Nation’s “personality” influences its environmental stewardship, shows new study
TORONTO, ON -- Countries with higher levels of compassion and openness score better when it comes to environmental sustainability, says research from the University of Toronto. A new study by Jacob Hirsh, an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga's Institute for Management & Innovation, who is cross-appointed to U of T's Rotman School of Management, demonstrates that a country’s personality profile can predict its environmental sustainability records. While Prof. Hirsh’s previous…
How to gladden a wealthy mind
Striking it rich is the American dream, a magnetic myth that has drawn millions to this nation. And yet, a countervailing message has always percolated through the culture: Money can’t buy happiness. Read more ...
Edward Iacobucci to become new Dean of University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law
TORONTO, ON – The University of Toronto today announced the appointment of Professor Edward Iacobucci as dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto for a five-year term, beginning January 1, 2015, and ending December 31, 2019. “The Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto is a great Canadian institution, and one of the world’s best law schools,” said Iacobucci. “I am enormously fortunate to be associated with the Faculty, and am humbled and honoured to…