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
Teams from Italy and Canada tie for first at the Rotman International Trading Competition at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management
TORONTO, ON – Fifty-two teams including 281 student traders, analysts, and risk managers representing 47 different universities across Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia participated in the 11th annual Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) which was held at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management from February 20 to 22. When the dust settled after six rounds of trading, two teams representing LUISS University in Italy and Université Laval in Canada tied for first overall in the competition. A…
3D microgels “on-demand” offer new potential for cell research, the future of personalized medicine
TORONTO, ON - Stars, diamonds, circles. Rather than your average bowl of Lucky Charms, these are three-dimensional cell cultures generated by an exciting new digital microfluidics platform, the results of which have been published in Nature Communications this week by researchers at the University of Toronto. The tool, which can be used to study cells in cost-efficient, three-dimensional microgels, may hold the key to personalized medicine applications in the future. “We already know that the microenvironment can greatly influence cell…
New study shows a genetic link between feeding behaviour and animal dispersal
TORONTO, ON - New research from the University of Toronto Scarborough shows that animal dispersal is influenced by a gene associated with feeding and food search behaviours. The study, which was carried out by UTSC Professor Mark Fitzpatrick and PhD student Allan Edelsparre, provides one of the first aimed at gaining a functional understanding of how genes can influence dispersal tendencies in nature. Using common fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), the researchers observed how two different foraging types – known as…
Trinity College appoints Mayo Moran as its 15th Provost
TORONTO, ON - Trinity College announced today the appointment of Mayo Moran, current Dean and James Marshall Tory Professor of Law at the University of Toronto (U of T), as its 15th Provost. Dean Moran’s appointment is effective July 1, 2014. Dean Moran joined the U of T Faculty of Law in 1995, becoming Dean in 2006. In her role as Dean, she has led the redesign of many aspects of the Law program, from recruitment and admissions to curriculum…
MacArthur Foundation Awards $1 Million to Citizen Lab
TORONTO, ON – Citizen Lab is one of seven nonprofit organizations around the world to receive the 2014 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). The Award, which was announced today, recognizes exceptional nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated creativity and impact, and invests in their long-term sustainability with sizable one-time grants. “From exposing human rights abuses in cyberspace to reducing the influence of money in American politics, the missions of these organizations are diverse,” said MacArthur President Robert Gallucci.…
U of T researchers discover new way to treat deadly childhood brain cancer
TORONTO, ON – Researchers from the University of Toronto’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (LMP) have discovered a new way to effectively target a previously difficult-to-treat form of childhood brain cancer called ependymoma. Professor Michael Taylor (MD,PhD, FRCSC), along with lead author Stephen Mack and co-authors including LMP Prof. Peter Dirks (MD, PhD), published the groundbreaking findings in Nature on February 19, 2014. Their research showed that epigenetics, the packaging of DNA, is the main cause of this cancer…
New research shows the way a room is lit can affect the way you make decisions
TORONTO, ON - The next time you want to turn down the emotional intensity before making an important decision, you may want to dim the lights first. A new study from the University of Toronto Scarborough shows that human emotion, whether positive or negative, is felt more intensely under bright light. Alison Jing Xu, assistant professor of management at UTSC and the Rotman School of Management, along with Aparna Labroo of Northwestern University, conducted a series of studies to examine…
Civic engagement expert to lecture at OISE
TORONTO, ON – Professor Joseph Kahne, research director of the Civic Engagement Group at Mills College, CA will give a talk on Redesigning civic education for the digital age: Youth and participatory politics at OISE on Monday, February 24. What does participatory democracy look like for youth today? Amid widespread public concern about dysfunctional political systems, youth have tuned out of traditional politics-as-usual – conflict driven debates, interest groups and elites, and are disengaged. It is clear that civic and…
Turning back the clock on aging muscles?
TORONTO, ON – A study co-published in Nature Medicine this week by University of Toronto researcher Penney Gilbert has determined a stem cell-based method for restoring strength to damaged skeletal muscles of the elderly. Skeletal muscles are some of the most important muscles in the body, supporting functions such as sitting, standing, blinking and swallowing. In aging individuals, the function of these muscles significantly decreases. “You lose fifteen percent of muscle mass every single year after the age of 75,…
2014 Indigenous Education Week
TORONTO, ON – The work and research of Indigenous scholars, students and community members will be on display February 24-28 during the 2014 Indigenous Education Week (IEW), an event organized by the University of Toronto’s First Nations House. IEW is an annual week-long series of events that highlights the contribution of Indigenous knowledge to education. Students, staff, faculty, and the community will have the opportunity to participate in and learn about diverse Indigenous cultures; locally and globally. Events range from roundtable…