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    

October 1, 2014

U of T ranks highest in Canada, 20th globally: Times Higher Education

TORONTO, ON - The University of Toronto was once again named the top university in Canada and one of the top 20 in the world – this time by the 2014 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released October 1. This is the third consecutive major global rankings survey in 2014 to name U of T first in Canada and among the world’s best. U of T recently ranked 20th in the QS World Rankings and, in August, was…

September 30, 2014

From Jeopardy to the classroom: IBM brings its Watson platform to the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto

TORONTO, ON - A group of students in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Using the vast capabilities of IBM’s Watson, the cognitive computing technology widely known for winning the 2011 Jeopardy challenge, the students will be learning to develop innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications. IBM has created the IBM Watson Cognitive Computing Competition, which brings Watson into the academic realm by incorporating the technology into an undergraduate curriculum…

September 30, 2014

University of Toronto’s IMFG new Pre-Election Paper highlights key election issues in six Ontario cities

TORONTO, ON — With the upcoming October 27 municipal elections taking place, political change is coming to many of Ontario’s big cities. A new paper by the University of Toronto’s Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) at the Munk School of Global Affairs profiles election campaigns in six of Ontario’s biggest cities -- Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor. For each of the six cities, a local expert has been recruited to analyze the unique economic, demographic and…

September 30, 2014

Winning the war against short-termism is the focus of the new issue of the Rotman International Journal for Pension Management

TORONTO, ON – It’s a simple concept. Because our commitment to pay pensions goes out decades, so should our time horizon for thinking about investing. The Fall 2014 issue of the Rotman International Journal for Pension Management takes a look at “Long-Termism and Pension Management” on how a new approach can provide successful pension investment returns as well as benefit the entire global economy. “The articles in this issue collectively show, long-termism is indeed a critical success element both in pension…

September 26, 2014

Landmark donation to U of T will advance Indigenous education in Canada

TORONTO, ON – The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto has received a $5-million gift from an anonymous donor to strengthen Indigenous education research in Canada. The gift, which is the largest donation ever made to a Canadian faculty of education for Indigenous education research, will establish a prestigious fellowship and launch a comprehensive five-year initiative exploring the educational needs and aspirations of Indigenous peoples. The initiative will help forge new partnerships among Indigenous…

September 25, 2014

Ontario’s 28th Lt. Governor Hon. David Onley joins U of T faculty, champions the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games

TORONTO, ON -- The Hon. David Onley has stepped down as Ontario’s 28th and second longest-serving Lieutenant Governor and will return to his roots at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). Effective October 1st, Onley will assume the role of senior lecturer and distinguished visitor, teaching classes in the Department of Political Science and working with students on research projects, using papers from his term in public office. Onley will also archive his papers while at UTSC, working with staff of…

September 23, 2014

University of Toronto to amplify entrepreneurship offerings with over $3 million from province’s Campus-Linked Accelerator Program

TORONTO, ON – The University of Toronto will receive more than $3 million in funding to increase its training and support for student entrepreneurship as part of the Campus-Linked Accelerator Program (CLA), announced today by Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation, and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among students is a key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy, through programs that help transfer their ideas and skills to the marketplace while creating rewarding…

September 18, 2014

U of T professor wins Ig Nobel Prize for ‘Jesus in Toast’ study at Harvard University

TORONTO, ON — University of Toronto professor Kang Lee has been awarded a 2014 Ig Nobel Prize for a study that found that the phenomenon of "face pareidolia"--where onlookers report seeing images of Jesus, Virgin Mary, or Elvis in objects such as toast, shrouds, and clouds--is normal and based on physical causes. Lee was the lead author of the study "Seeing Jesus in toast: Neural and behavioral correlates of face pareidolia”, published in the journal Cortex. The research was conducted with partner institutions in China. “Despite the humorous nature…

September 18, 2014

Founding director of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management named as globe’s most influential institutional investor consultant

Toronto, ON – The founding director of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management has been named as the most influential consultant in the institutional investor world by Chief Investment Officer magazine. Keith Ambachtsheer placed first in the annual list published by the magazine on September 15. The magazine says their list is “an appraisal of the individuals within the consulting industry who have made a positive impact for their clients. Sourced from interviews with pension and non-profit CIOs, asset managers,…

September 17, 2014

The University of Toronto and The Scarborough Hospital announce new Centre for Integrative Medicine

Toronto, ON — Today, the University of Toronto (U of T) and The Scarborough Hospital (TSH) announced a partnership that will provide new answers for the 74% of Canadians who are using some form of complementary and alternative medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine. Called the Centre for Integrative Medicine (CIM), it will bring together researchers from U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Temerty Temerty Faculty of Medicine alongside health care professionals at TSH to provide evidence-driven practices.…