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
New partnership gives pro bono legal field a boost
TORONTO, ON – Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) began its 15th year of community service today with the announcement of an exciting new partnership with Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. Carswell will be the exclusive legal research partner for PBSC, providing financial support and specialized training for law students across the country. Nikki Gershbain, National Director of PBSC, said that the new partnership will make a very real contribution to the advancement of pro bono work in Canada. “Legal research…
Fears of a decline in bee pollination confirmed: may be due to climate change
TORONTO, ON – Widespread reports of a decline in the population of bees and other flower-visiting animals have aroused fear and speculation that pollination is also likely on the decline. A recent University of Toronto study provides the first long-term evidence of a downward trend in pollination, while also pointing to climate change as a possible contributor. “Bee numbers may have declined at our research site, but we suspect that a climate-driven mismatch between the times when flowers open and…
St. Michael’s College presents a unique student orientation event
TORONTO, ON – St. Michael’s College is putting on a special presentation during orientation week in an effort to help new students adjust to university life. The presentation, called “UniSmart: The Live Survival Guide to University,” is a 75-minute interactive show that covers a wide range of subjects of importance to students, such as: diversity, isolation and shyness, making friends, study habits, culture shock, drugs, alcohol, loud music, drink spiking and staying safe. Students from St. Michael’s College and Trinity…
Study to examine link between school transportation and childhood weight, activity levels
TORONTO, ON – Is taking the school bus a factor in childhood weight gain? Does hitching a ride with Mom or Dad plunge a child’s overall activity level? How does walking or cycling to school impact a child’s body weight? When kids return to GTA schools this September, one UofT professor will be taking a closer look at how their mode of transportation affects their body weight and overall activity level. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen sharp declines…
U of T researchers lead study to determine individualized smoking cessation treatments
TORONTO, ON - Quitting smoking is hard, and researchers at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have discovered one reason why: it’s in the genes. Each smoker has a different genetic makeup, which influences their response to different treatments to help them quit. Now, these researchers plan to determine how to best personalize treatments to maximize the effectiveness of smoking cessation efforts. Millions of adults in North America try to quit smoking every…
U of T part of international effort identifying gene linked to epilepsy
TORONTO, ON - Researchers from the University of Toronto are part of an international team which has identified the gene causing the childhood form of epilepsy known as Mabry Syndrome. In an article published Aug. 30, 2010 in the journal Nature Genetics entitled ‘Identity-by-Descent Filtering of Exome Sequence Data identifies PIGV mutations in Hyperphosphatasia Mental Retardation syndrome (HPMR),’ an international team including Dr. Miles Thompson and Dr. David Cole detail how they identified that mutations in the PIGV gene are…
U of T study shows infants can remember emotional events
TORONTO, ON -- A new study led by a University of Toronto Scarborough psychologist shows that human infants can remember unusual emotional events. Investigating the impact of relationship disruptions on stress regulation in infants, researchers asked parents to briefly ignore their six-month-old infants during an experiment, which caused an elevation in infant stress hormones, said Dr. David Haley, a psychologist at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the lead investigator of the study. To see whether infants would remember this…
U of T rooftop garden feeds a community
TORONTO, ON – A rooftop garden is providing fresh produce to a local food bank and a community kitchen, thanks to the volunteer efforts of University of Toronto Engineering graduate students. With help from a Live Green Toronto grant, U of T’’s “Sky Garden” has tripled in size in its second year of growing and now features a variety of plants including tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant, zucchini, beans, basil, parsley, rosemary and lettuce. Using unique semi-hydroponic containers made by the Canadian…
Rotman faculty and graduates honoured at academy of management conference
TORONTO, ON – Four professors and graduates of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management were honoured during the Academy of Management’s recent annual meeting held in Montreal earlier this month. The Academy is a leading professional association for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. Gary Latham, Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Effectiveness was named as the 2010 winner of the Practice-Relevant Scholarship Award. This award is in recognition of many contributions in…
University of Toronto going greener this year
TORONTO, ON – From heating showers with solar energy to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing electrical loads, the University of Toronto’s wide-ranging “green” initiatives are advancing sustainable practices on campus. Last year UofT joined with the executive heads of 20 other Ontario institutions and made a public commitment to continue practicing the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and to invest in being environmentally sustainable. The University is growing its sustainable practices with the expansion of a number of important…