A Message from Dean Cristina Amon

From mobile computing to social media, students increasingly come to U of T Engineering with ample knowledge of the digital realm – yet not enough exposure to the hands-on ‘tinkering’ that can come from transforming an idea into a design and a working prototype. In this issue of the Engineering Newsletter, we explore the importance of nurturing the engineer as the creator and maker, which includes our development of collaborative, hands-on learning opportunities for our students.

In our Faculty, the longstanding first-year and capstone design courses are examples of how we encourage the maker in our engineering students. This past year, we have built on the insights gained from these courses to offer additional opportunities for students to develop relevant competencies. We created our first Multidisciplinary Capstone Projects in which teams of students from different disciplines tackle open-ended design challenges proposed by industry partners, as well as the Centre for Global Engineering’s Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Challenges course. We also offered a cross-cultural capstone course, where students from MIE and Peking University in China bring global perspectives to their design projects.

Our faculty members have also been experimenting with new technologies to enhance the student  learning experience. We piloted the inverted classroom approach, developed two online calculus with engineering applications courses, and created our first massive open online course (MOOC), Our Energetic Earth. A second MOOC on sustainable energy will launch in fall 2014.

As the nature of post-secondary education continues to evolve, we have also moved forward with our goal of enriching the student experience through enhanced collaborative learning environments. This goal is reflected in the forthcoming Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CEIE), which will feature many highly adaptable spaces for interactive learning and doing.

Through innovative courses, projects and new learning environments, engineering students from U of T will be equipped with the knowledge, competencies and experiential perspective that enable them to address new challenges, to be makers and to be innovative engineers for decades to come.

April 30, 2014

Volume 7, Issue 8
In this issue:

Spotlight On: Learning

What's New
Honours and Awards
Research
Governance
Engineering Events
In the Media
Archives

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Spotlight On: Learning

What's New

Introducing Gillian Sneddon: Executive Director, Advancement for U of T Engineering

A Q&A with the faculty's head of advancement

Engineering a more fuel-efficient engine from scratch

U of T Engineering students prepare for Eco-marathon competition in Houston, TX

Brothers invent a device to slash vampire power

U of T Engineering's Entrepreneurship Hatchery helps bring their idea to market

Ten innovative apps compete for Top App title and $1,000 grand prize

ECE students design apps to help health-care professionals, smartphone addicts, troubled adolescents and more

U of T women engineers lead by example

Nine women from U of T Engineering selected as role models in online feature

Stiffness: A new piece of the breast cancer puzzle

A recent study in Nature Medicine shares new insights on some cancers

Health grants advance research in dental disease and cancer therapy

Two new Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRPs) address wide-ranging health concerns

Engineering U of T's best athletes

Engineering students recognized for outstanding athletic performance

"Asia's richest philanthropist," major Silicon Valley firm invest in engineering alumni's Nanoleaf light bulb

Quirky-looking and eco-friendly bulbs win new support

Can epileptic seizures be predicted and prevented?

Erin Vollick speaks with a leading neurological researcher, Professor Berj L. Bardakjian (ECE, IBBME) about epilepsy

Honours and Awards

U of T Engineering honours excellence with Faculty awards

Nine faculty and staff celebrated

Engineering students recognized at 20th annual Cressy Awards

Seventeen students applauded for outstanding leadership

Engineering professor wins Killam Prize for new laser applications

Professor Andreas Mandelis (MIE) recognized for contributions to fields ranging from healthcare engineering to manufacturing

Two U of T engineers honoured by the American Society for Engineering Education

MIE professors recognized for teaching and administrative leadership  

Research

Events

Panel Discussion: Best Practices in Research—Succeeding in the Ontario Early Researcher Award (ERA) Competition

Date: May 6, 2014

Grants and Opportunities

NSERC's 2015 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship

Deadline: May 15, 2014

NCE IC-IMPACTS Launches Open Call for Collaborative Research Projects Between Canada and India

Applications will be accepted at any time

CQDM/CIHR Collaborative Funding Program in Personalized Medicine to Accelerate Drug Discovery—Call for Proposals

Internal Deadline: June 20, 2014
Sponsor Deadline: June 27, 2014

Preliminary Announcement: OCE CVAV Research Program—Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technologies

Researchers are invited to develop transportation infrastructure with the Ministry of Transportation

Mitacs Accelerate PhD Fellowship

Internal Deadline: June 11, 2014
Sponsor Deadline: June 18, 2014

Neuroscience Funding: 2014 Targeted Diseases—Frontotemporal Dementia and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Deadline: June 6, 2014

2014 SAMSUNG Global Research Outreach (GRO) Program

Internal Deadline: June 6, 2014
Sponsor Deadline: June 13, 2014

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program

Internal deadline: June 2, 2014
External deadline: June 9, 2014

Novo Nordisk—Diabetes and Obesity Biologics Science Forum

Internal deadline: May 27, 2014
Sponsor deadline: June 2, 2014

Governance

Faculty Council Recap
Review of items approved and discussed on April 7, 2014

Mark your calendar! Faculty Council meeting dates for the 2014–2015 academic year are as follows:

• October 8, 2014
• November 25, 2014
• February 10, 2015
• April 17, 2015

All Council meetings take place from 12:10 to 2 p.m. in the Michael E. Charles Council Chamber (GB202).

More Engineering events
To submit events, please contact: communications@ecf.utoronto.ca

In the Media

Toronto mayoral-campaign idea: Artificially intelligent traffic lights (Toronto Life)

Toronto Life explores the politics of traffic lights, with a gridlock solution proposed by U of T Professor Baher Abdulhaiand (CivE) and his research team

Brendan Bowles wins Star short story contest (Toronto Star)

The Toronto Star showcases sessional Engineering Communication Lecturer Brendan Bowles' prize-winning short story, “Living Fossils”

Toronto Killam Prize winners trap the light elastic (Toronto Star)

Engineer Andreas Mandelis (MIE) and physicist Sajeev John shed light on light on some of the potential applications of their award-winning research

Students tackle T.O. design issues (National Post: print only)

An afternoon at Hart House taking in this year's Praxis II Design Showcase with the National Post

Could live-streaming black box data help prevent another Flight MH370 disaster? (CBC & Global News)

Professor Doug Perovic (MSE) shares his forensics engineering expertise

Newsletter Archives

Did you miss a past issue of The Engineering Newsletter? Revisit past articles and catch up on Faculty news on the Engineering homepage.

The Engineering Newsletter is a monthly summary of key headlines, events and opportunities for faculty and staff in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. If you have questions or comments, please contact: communications@ecf.utoronto.ca.

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