Alumni

UUֱ�� Law professor, alumni awarded Law Society Medals

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:29:05 +0000

UUֱ�� Law professor, alumni awarded Law Society Medals

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rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 05/31/2024 - 09:29

Trinity College

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(L-R) Dianne Corbiere, Robert Cunningham and Mayo Moran (supplied images)

UUֱ�� Faculty of Law Professor Mayo Moran and alumni Dianne Corbiere and Robert Cunningham have been awarded Law Society Medals by the Law Society of Ontario.

The awards recognize exceptional contributions and dedication to the legal profession whether in the area of practice, in the academic sphere or another professional capacity.

Moran served as the first female dean of the Faculty of Law from 2006 to 2014, and has served as provost and vice-chancellor of Trinity College since 2014. For more than a decade, she served as chair of the Residential Schools Oversight Committee, which oversaw the settlement of more than 38,000 claims by residential school survivors. She was also instrumental in the development of the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act.

“Mayo’s work as a scholar and advocate, and her instrumental role in promoting positive change in institutions, legislation and pressing matters of national and international justice, exemplify her deep commitment to our profession and community,” said University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair.

Corbiere graduated in 1996 and is a managing partner at Nahwegahbow Corbiere, one of Ontario’s first Anishinaabe-owned law firms. As a litigator, her historic impact on case law has resulted in advancements in reconciliation for First Nations individuals, communities and organizations.

Cunningham, who graduated in 1990, is a lawyer and senior policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society and an internationally recognized expert in tobacco control. He has been an adviser to the World Health Organization and has testified more than 80 times before federal, provincial and territorial legislative committees.

“As dean, it is tremendously gratifying to see UUֱ�� Law alumni emerge as dedicated, passionate, and exceptional leaders within the legal profession and our wider community,” Brunnée said. “We are thrilled that Dianne and Robert’s remarkable contributions have received this well-deserved recognition.”

Read the Faculty of Law story about Mayo Moran

Read the Faculty of Law story about Dianne Corbiere and Robert Cunningham

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Biomaterials startup Erthos recognized with 2024 Governor General’s Innovation Award

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 28 May 2024 15:01:48 +0000

Biomaterials startup Erthos recognized with 2024 Governor General’s Innovation Award

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 05/28/2024 - 11:01

Alumni

St. George

Entrepreneurship

Governor General's Innovation Award

UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship

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Nuha Siddiqui (L) and Kritika Tyagi (photo by Matthew Volpe)

Erthos, a biomaterials startup co-founded by UUֱ�� alumni Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, has received a 2024 Governor General's Innovation Award.

Launched in 2016, the annual awards celebrate exceptional Canadian individuals, teams and organizations for their excellence in innovation and their contributions in helping to shape our future and positively impact our quality of life.

Erthos, which began as a research project of Siddiqui’s while she was studying at UUֱ��, was recognized for its efforts in helping tackle plastic pollution with its novel plant-based resin, which serves as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. The startup was nominated for the honour by the Business Development Bank of Canada.

“Nuha Siddiqui's leadership at Erthos is a testament to strategic vision, adaptability and a commitment to global sustainability,” reads the award citation. “Erthos stands resilient, inspiring transformative change for a more sustainable and inclusive future.”

Read about the 2024 Governor General's Innovation Awards

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Paul Huyer, Governing Council member, wins age category at Boston Marathon

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 22 May 2024 15:04:28 +0000

Paul Huyer, Governing Council member, wins age category at Boston Marathon

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 05/22/2024 - 11:04

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(image courtesy of Paul Huyer)

Paul Huyer, an alumni governor on the UUֱ��’s Governing Council, has added an impressive athletic feat to his long list of accomplishments: winning his age category at the Boston Marathon.

Huyer ran the 42-kilometre course in two hours, 58 minutes and 27 seconds, garnering the fastest time among men aged 65 to 69.

Huyer graduated from UUֱ�� in 1981 as a member of Victoria College before embarking on a 30-year career as a chartered professional accountant and senior financial professional. He retired from the TD Bank Group in 2011.

A self-described “exercise junkie,” Huyer said he relishes the challenge and competition of marathons. “I also hope that my training and race accomplishments as an older athlete inspire others,” he said.

Read the Victoria University newsletter

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UUֱ�� Engineering dean, professor and alumni elected to Canadian Academy of Engineering

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 17 May 2024 13:56:13 +0000

UUֱ�� Engineering dean, professor and alumni elected to Canadian Academy of Engineering

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 05/17/2024 - 09:56

Faculty

Alumni

St. George

Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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Top row, left to right: Alfred Yu and Natalie Enright Jerger; bottom row, left to right: Benoit Boulet, Susan Doniz and Christopher Yip (supplied images)

Five members of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering community have been elected fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Christopher Yip, dean of the faculty, Natalie Enright Jerger, a professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, and three alumni – Benoit Boulet, Susan Doniz and Alfred Yu – are among 54 new fellows elected to the academy in 2024.

The Canadian Academy of Engineering is a national institution through which individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canadians.

“I am honoured to be joining this extraordinary group of engineers, which includes more than 50 UUֱ�� faculty members providing national leadership in engineering and engineering education,” said Yip.

“On behalf of the faculty, congratulations to all the newly elected fellows from the UUֱ�� Engineering community.”

Read the UUֱ�� Engineering story

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UUֱ�� Engineering professor, alumni receive 2024 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:16:16 +0000

UUֱ�� Engineering professor, alumni receive 2024 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 05/10/2024 - 10:16

Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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(Clockwise from top left) Inga Hipsz, Michael Kropp, Serena Mandla, Giovanni Grasselli, Paul Acchione and David Poirier (supplied images)

Six members of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering community – one professor and five alumni – have been recognized by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and Professional Engineers Ontario with 2024 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards.

These awards recognize engineers who have made exceptional contributions to the profession and to society.

Giovanni Grasselli, professor, department of civil and mineral engineering – Entrepreneurship Medal
Paul Acchione – Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael Kropp – Engineering Excellence in Industry Medal
Inga Hipsz and David Poirier – Management Medal
Serena Mandla – Young Engineer Award

“These outstanding engineers demonstrate the range of contributions that our faculty and alumni are making across multiple fields, from founding new companies and managing significant Canadian organizations, to serving in leadership roles in the profession and in the community,” said Christopher Yip, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

“On behalf of the faculty, my heartfelt congratulations on these well-deserved recognitions.”

Read the UUֱ�� Engineering story

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Pailin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles named 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:11:13 +0000

Pailin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles named 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 04/24/2024 - 11:11

Alumni

St. George

Alumni

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Immunology

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

landscape

Pailin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles (supplied images)

Pailin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles, both of whom carried out doctoral research at the UUֱ��, have been named 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows in recognition of their efforts to wield interdisciplinary research to drive sector-wide change.

Schmidt Science Fellows is an initiative of Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic organization founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to advance scientific exploration and discovery and develop solutions to global issues. The program is delivered in partnership with the Rhodes Trust.

"It's at the edges of things – ecosystems, borders, disciplines – where the most interesting ideas are developed, solutions that don't arise from any single approach," said Wendy Schmidt in a press release. "We're excited to welcome the 2024 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows to approach these edges, look at problems anew, share insights with each other and the world and, we hope, go on to develop solutions to some of humanity's most pressing challenges."

Chiaranunt and Serles join a cohort of 32 fellows who will undertake a year-long science leadership program to prepare them to join the next generation of interdisciplinary science leaders, alongside a one to two-year research placement at a new institution.

“To address the world's greatest challenges today, I believe that we need an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to science,” said Chiaranunt, who completed her PhD in immunology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and is conducting post-doctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco. “I am delighted that the Schmidt Science Fellows program appreciates these values, and I'm excited to use this unique opportunity to study how inflammation and infection can impact brain health – a growing crisis in today's post-pandemic world.”

“Being given the freedom and support to work on high-risk, high-reward research will allow me to ask the biggest questions I can and develop entirely new areas of expertise that I can eventually bring back to Canada,” said Serles, who is set to graduate from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering with a PhD in June, and will take on a post-doctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology. “Nano-3D-printed scaffolds for neural organoids combines cutting edge-technologies in mechanical engineering and neuroscience to, hopefully, solve some of our most pressing issues."

Read the Schmidt Sciences announcement

Paul Cadario recognized with Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 15:02:50 +0000

Paul Cadario recognized with Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 04/08/2024 - 11:02

Alumni

St. George

Alumni

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Paul Cadario (centre) receives his Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award from Chancellor Rose Patten, UUֱ�� Alumni Association President Corwin Cambray and U of T President Meric Gertler (photo by Gustavo Toledo)

Paul Cadario has received the Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of nearly five decades of service to the UUֱ�� as a volunteer and supporter.

The award recognizes alumni for outstanding professional achievements, dedication to civic and social causes, and service to the university. It is named for Rose Wolfe, who served as UUֱ��’s chancellor from 1991 to 1997.

Cadario was one of the first students elected to Governing Council and went on to become the first openly gay president of the UUֱ�� Alumni Association. He has taken on more than 35 volunteer positions at UUֱ�� and undertaken philanthropic efforts in support of numerous faculties, disciplines and scholarships.

UUֱ�� Chancellor Rose Patten said Cadario embodies the values championed by Wolfe and UUֱ��’s ideals. “His extraordinary record of service to our university is an inspiration to our entire community. His tireless commitment to lifting the student experience through his involvement and philanthropy will resonate for generations to come,” Patten said.

“My motivation for giving, whether it’s time or money, is to strengthen the student experience,” Cadario said. “Even though I’ve long since graduated, I continue to have formative learning experiences at UUֱ��. It’s an incomparable ecosystem in Canada for students to learn how to learn and to become strong, contributing members of society.”

Read the Alumni Relations story about Paul Cadario

Watch Paul Cadario's acceptance speech

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Playwright David Yee wins 2023 Siminovitch Prize

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:50:59 +0000

Playwright David Yee wins 2023 Siminovitch Prize

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/21/2024 - 11:50

Alumni

Mississauga

UUֱ�� Mississauga

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David Yee (photo by Dahlia Katz)

David Yee, a playwright who teaches at the UUֱ�� Mississauga, has won the prestigious Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s highest valued theatre award.

The lucrative prize is awarded annually to a mid-career professional artist whose groundbreaking work significantly contributes to advancing the art form. It is named after playwright Elinore Siminovitch and University Professor Emeritus Lou Siminovitch.

The Siminovitch laureate receives $75,000 and the opportunity to select an up-and-coming artist to receive a $25,000 protégé prize. Yee, co-founding artistic director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, selected Julie Phan, Toronto writer-performer and arts leader.

“I tell my students that there will come a time in the process of creating a play where you must relinquish control to the play itself – when the play will start to tell you what it wants to be,” Yee said in his acceptance speech. “This is what writing has taught me: how to listen to something greater than myself. Not just as a way to create, but as a way to live in the world.”

Yee, who studied theatre and drama studies at UUֱ�� Mississauga and teaches playwriting at the university, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama in 2015.

In 2021, he produced an audio drama about the infamous Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, featuring fourth-year students from the Theatre and Drama Studies program offered jointly by UUֱ�� Mississauga and Sheridan College.

Watch the Siminovitch Theatre Foundation's video about David Yee's work

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Gloria Epstein honoured by Toronto Lawyers Association

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:33:38 +0000

Gloria Epstein honoured by Toronto Lawyers Association

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 03/12/2024 - 12:33

Alumni

St. George

Faculty of Law

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Gloria Epstein (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Gloria Epstein, former justice in the Superior Court of Justice and Court of Appeal for Ontario and UUֱ�� alumna, has been awarded the Toronto Lawyers Association’s Award of Distinction.

The annual award recognizes Toronto lawyers for their outstanding contributions to the legal profession.

A graduate of UUֱ��’s Faculty of Law, Epstein practiced litigation at two large Toronto firms before founding Gloria Epstein & Associates in the mid-1980s.

In 2007, she was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal, where her decision in the case of M v. H helped pave the way for marriage equality in Canada. She retired from the bench in 2018 to lead the Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations.

Epstein has received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions, including a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa and Arbor Award from UUֱ��. Today, she continues to work as a mediator and arbitrator in Toronto.

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UUֱ�� recognizes 92 volunteers with Arbor Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 17:32:14 +0000

UUֱ�� recognizes 92 volunteers with Arbor Awards

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 01/25/2024 - 12:32

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Three of this year's Arbor Award winners (left to right): Hannah Hadfield, Orysia Goddard and Carolina Garcia, all from Haley Sharpe Design, with U of T President Meric Gertler (photo by Gustavo Toledo)

The UUֱ�� has presented the 2023 Arbor Awards to 92 dedicated volunteers in recognition of their exceptional and sustained contributions to the university.

Created more than 30 years ago, the Arbor Award is the highest honour granted by UUֱ�� to volunteers. This year’s recipients have significantly impacted virtually every aspect of life at the university, ranging from academic programming and experiential learning to governance and mentorship.

“Our success is due in no small measure to the excellence of our alumni and friends, whose dedication is exemplified by our Arbor Award winners, past and present,” said President Meric Gertler at a ceremony honouring award recipients on Jan. 16.

The celebration marked the first in-person Arbor Awards ceremony since 2019, before the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions. Award winners from 2020, 2021 and 2022 were also invited so they could be thanked face-to-face for their service.

David Palmer, UUֱ��'s vice-president of advancement, said Arbor Award recipients exemplified the importance of volunteerism to UUֱ��’s mission and commitment to inclusive excellence. “That’s why, for the first time ever in a UUֱ�� campaign, we have included alumni engagement as a primary goal for Defy Gravity alongside our fundraising goals,” Palmer said. “We are exceptionally grateful to all nominees, past and present, for their tremendous contributions that have elevated every aspect of life at UUֱ��.”

Read the Alumni Relations story

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Alumni

UUֱ�� Law professor, alumni awarded Law Society Medals

Read the Faculty of Law story about Mayo Moran

Read the Faculty of Law story about Dianne Corbiere and Robert Cunningham

Biomaterials startup Erthos recognized with 2024 Governor General’s Innovation Award

Read about the 2024 Governor General's Innovation Awards

Paul Huyer, Governing Council member, wins age category at Boston Marathon

Read the Victoria University newsletter

UUֱ�� Engineering dean, professor and alumni elected to Canadian Academy of Engineering

Read the UUֱ�� Engineering story

UUֱ�� Engineering professor, alumni receive 2024 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards

Read the UUֱ�� Engineering story

Pailin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles named 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows

Read the Schmidt Sciences announcement

Read more about Pailin Chiaranunt’s research

Read more about Peter Serles’s research

Paul Cadario recognized with Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award

Read the Alumni Relations story about Paul Cadario

Watch Paul Cadario's acceptance speech

Playwright David Yee wins 2023 Siminovitch Prize

Watch the Siminovitch Theatre Foundation's video about David Yee's work

Gloria Epstein honoured by Toronto Lawyers Association

UUֱ�� recognizes 92 volunteers with Arbor Awards

Read the Alumni Relations story