Spring Convocation is one of the most joyous days of our academic year as we celebrate the success of our graduating students and extend to them our congratulations and good wishes as they move on to their next level of achievement. Members of the Class of 0T9 show every promise of becoming global Engineering leaders, ready to make meaningful contributions to improving the well-being and prosperity of our world. We are extremely proud of them and I extend my gratitude to all members of our community who made their student experience so worthwhile.

The traditional University of Toronto academic procession provides us the opportunity to be part of this great day and I encourage you to join us at one or both of our ceremonies on Friday, June 19, 2009. The ceremonies take place at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and those joining the processions are required to arrive at the Council Chamber in Simcoe Hall one-half hour in advance. If you did not complete the on-line procession RSVP form, please email your name, job title and the ceremony in which you would like to participate to terry.johnston@utoronto.ca.

Receptions will follow the convocations from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Hart House. I look forward to seeing you there!

Government Invests in Innovation Centre for the Canadian Mining Industry
Infrastructure funding of $11M was announced May 25 by the federal and provincial governments in support of our $20M mining centre … (more)

Engineering Students Create iPhone App
Three ECE students recreate the classic arcade game Lode Runner as iPhone application … (more)

Spring Reunion Roundup
Honoured classes returned to their Skule™ on May 30, 2009, to reconnect with old friends ... (more)

Engineering a Successful Teaching Experience
U of T hosted Ontario university initiative to support new professors ... (more)

RobotX Review
A secondary school competitor recaps RobotX: Battlebots 2009 ... (more)

Request for Feedback
Divisional Space Review
A comprehensive Divisional Space Review chaired by Professor Emeritus Ron Venter and ably supported by Steve Miszuk, our Director of Planning and Infrastructure, and a hard-working committee is now complete. It has determined that of the 62,333 net assignable square metres (nasm) of space occupied by our Faculty in 16 buildings on the St. George Campus and in Downsview, 27% are adequate, 69% need attention and 4% are poor. Our shortfall of space according to COU guidelines is 4,700 nasm. Given that we are a research-intensive Faculty, the actual shortfall is about 11,500 nasm. We face the additional challenges of little room available for expansion on existing sites and virtually no swing space.  
 
The report includes a comprehensive set of recommendations to address these challenges. We invite input of all members of our Faculty. The penultimate version of the report is posted here and comments may be sent to dean@ecf.utoronto by Thursday, June 25, 2009. Please take the time to review this document as involvement by all members of Faculty will help ensure a strong and effective final report.      

Final Faculty Council Meeting of 2008-2009
Several major new initiatives approved by Faculty Council ... (more)

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

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