Christine Elias

Faculty of Arts & Science students from three colleges crossed the stage at Convocation Hall to receive their degrees today, sharing the platform with honorary degree recipient Margaret MacMillan at the morning ceremony and with honorary degree recipient Peter Mansbridge in the afternoon.

Innis College

Tian Nie studied pathobiology and physiology, but she’s just as passionate about the arts as she is about science. She directed the spirited Innis Choir and served on the executive of two other performing arts clubs. Her dedication resulted in a Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award as well as a Student Engagement in the Arts Award.

The arts are “universal in their language,” Nie says, “conveying difficult-to-articulate emotions and feelings to a broad audience. They’re an exploration of the question of what it means to be alive. Science is quite similar. It tells the story of discovery, of new things that we might not yet understand, but hopefully someday someone will.”

What was it about U of T, and Innis College in particular, that helped Nie foster her interdisciplinary interests? She credits the wide variety of opportunities available to students, from field courses to research courses and work-study jobs. Nie gained experience in a number of different labs, from washing pots for plant genetics to using a 3D printer to make implants intended to guide an optical fibre to a mouse’s spinal cord. While the implant didn’t end up working as predicted, Nie says the experience was valuable regardless of the outcome: “I learned about dealing with failure, but also how to succeed,” she says.

Donna Pan is the coordinator of Innis’ Orientation and the chair of Innis’ World University Services Canada (WUSC) local committee. For the past two years, she has run the Student Refugee Program at Innis College, which has raised enough funds to sponsor a new refugee student each year.

Pan credits the interdisciplinary majors in which she specialized – equity studies and diaspora & transnational studies with helping her to learn and grow as a person by mixing and matching a wide variety of courses to eventually narrow down her areas of interest. “I have always been passionate about human rights and social justice,” says Pan, who chose equity studies so that she could “make a difference on issues revolving around accessibility, inclusivity and of course refugee rights.”

Living and studying in a city as diverse as Toronto, especially as a person who is interested in transnationalism and diasporas, was an experience Pan was happy to share with some of the refugee students her efforts helped to sponsor. “Coming from the camps where refugees have not been exposed to such a wide range of cultures and ethnicities, I know that being placed in a new city is daunting enough; however, knowing that Toronto is such an inclusive space where everyone is accepted makes the process just a little bit easier.”

Woodsworth College

As a first-generation Canadian, Aadil Nathani says he is personally invested in social justice, justice reform, and immigration and refugee law, particularly “due to the interesting time we are living in, with a rise in nationalism sweeping over the West.”

For the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award recipient, who graduated today with the Woodsworth College class of 2017, personal interests are closely aligned with his achievements — in academics, campus community organizing and extra-curricular activities. Nathani served two terms doing community outreach and as vice-president of finance on the Woodsworth College Students’ Association, was the president of the Criminology & Sociolegal Studies Students' Association, interim president of the Woodsworth Political Society, and coordinator for both the Woodsworth E-Mentorship program and the Woodsworth First-Year Mentorship Program. And he was captain of the Woodsworth Soccer team.

“I believe that education occurs not only within the classroom and textbooks but from real life experiences,” he says. “It is proven that students who are involved in extra-curricular activities also improve academically — and I am a personal testament to this. My last two years where I was heavily involved were my best two years academically.”

In addition to her double major in sociology and criminology & sociolegal studies, Sandleen Azam is a passionate and dedicated community organizer who co-founded Because We Care, an on-campus group that connects students to volunteering opportunities in community organizations.

The initiative “has been a labour of love right from the start,” says Azam, and has built a volunteer base of around 200 students since its inception. “This year we were able to create and deliver ‘Blessing Bags’ filled with basic hygienic necessities, to the homeless population in Toronto. It was amazing to have the idea come to life and see all the people we were able to help.”

Novera Hasan Khan, a Woodsworth student graduating with a major in political science and minors in sociology and economics, enrolled at U of T in 2013, just six months after immigrating to Canada with her family. Khan’s parents, a doctor and a professor of biochemistry in their native Pakistan, have taken positions outside their line of work in Toronto for the past four years in order to ensure their three daughters would have a promising future in Canada.

“They sacrificed their whole lives’ worth of work, education and relationships to ensure a better lifestyle for my sisters and I,” says Khan. “Their primary goal was to have their children study at the most prestigious university in Canada, and they are very happy that we have been successful in doing so.”

Khan’s younger sister is pursuing a double major in biology and global health at U of T, while her youngest sister is currently in high school and hopes to attend U of T too.

“I am interested in pursuing either constitutional law or international law —specifically immigration/refugee law,” she says. “Essentially, I hope to understand, and directly or indirectly impact the policies that effect vulnerable populations.”

(Below: Khan, Azam and Nathani/photo by Diana Tyszko)

Trinity College

Trinity College's Nathan Chan graduated today with an honours bachelor of science degree with a specialist in physiology and a major in pharmacology. He hopes to become a clinician scientist, a goal that would “involve obtaining both an MD and PhD — over a decade of school!”

“Some would find it daunting, said Chan. “But I’m looking forward to the journey both in school and of practising both science and medicine.”

But for Chan — who has dedicated himself to social justice advocacy for racialized and LGBTQ+ students — university has not been just been about coursework, studying and exams.

He co-founded People of Colour at Trinity College (PoC@Trin), a social support group.

“We wanted to create a safe space for racialized students to discuss and validate each other’s experiences with racism and exclusion,” said Chan. “PoC@Trin facilitates community building and supports the voices of students attempting to create a space for themselves within the wider Trinity College community.”

Chan also served on the executive of Rainbow Trinity — an LGBTQ+ club dedicated to creating more positive spaces and fostering an open and friendly environment.

“My participation in social justice can be summed up as simply ‘doing the right thing’.” said Chan. “I am committed to the recognition of human rights and the promotion of social equity.”

Trinity's Sameen Zehra also graduated today with a major in peace, conflict & justice and a double minor in political science and contemporary Asian studies. The recipient of the 2017 Dean’s Student Leadership Award, Zehra was recognized for her work as a fundraiser and community leader.

The best part about winning the award for Zehra was sharing the moment with her parents.

“After the ceremony, they said to me: ‘can you believe we immigrated to Canada 20 years ago, and now we’re here?’” said Zehra. “They’ve taught me everything I know about hard work, staying humble and helping others whenever you can.”

As president of the University of Toronto Refugee Alliance — a student-led organization committed to raising awareness about refugee issues — Zehra has led fundraising initiatives that have raised $10,000 in support of the Red Cross and the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture.

“My interest in refugee issues stemmed from my research on the Syrian conflict in the Munk One program,” said Zehra. “After an entire year of writing about and conducting an interview project on the topic, I was very much invested in the issue of those suffering in this relentless war.

“I realized that it was not enough to be studying the conflict and its effects, and then letting my research collect dust after it had been graded. I wanted to get involved and contribute, even if it was in a minor way.”

Zehra is also involved in the community through her leadership at Sol Music — a student-run volunteer program that provides free, weekly piano and guitar lessons to students in Toronto’s Alexandra Park neighbourhood.

“I know from personal experience how much of a financial burden private music lessons can be,” said Zehra. “Like the children we teach, I also attended schools that couldn’t afford instruments for every student interested in music.

(Below: Zehra and Chan in the Trinity quad/photo by Diana Tyszko)

#UofTGrad17: But when did they sleep?

ullahnor — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:51:24 +0000

#UofTGrad17: But when did they sleep?

ullahnor Thu, 06/15/2017 - 15:51

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Victoria College students walk in a procession to Convocation Hall. Students at the U of T college graduated today (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Elaine Smith

Christine Elias

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Vic grads helping Syrian newcomers, researching transgender rights and more

Handling the demands of medical school this fall should be no problem for Andres Felipe Fajardo – he knows a thing or two about handling a busy schedule.

Fajardo (below), a neuroscience specialist with a minor in Latin American studies, is one of the organizers of the Cultural Exchange Support Initiative (CESI), a weekly language exchange between Arabic and English speaker for new Syrian immigrants and U of T students. He's also the founder of Vic Ventures, a group that explores various Toronto neighbourhoods by bicycle.

He spent three summers working in research labs, including a summer job at Children’s Hospital in Boston delving into T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“It was a really great experience,” he said. “I was working in one of the most advanced labs in the field and I had the opportunity to work with CRISPR-Cas9, a gene editing tool – interesting technology.”

Fajardo is one of 571 students graduating from Victoria College at the University of Toronto today. U of T's Class of 2017 comprises more than 18,000 students – with almost 14,000 of them graduating in 27 ceremonies this month.

Read about Vic grad and Schulich Leader Joan Miguel Romero

Victoria College student Zoe Sebastien also balanced studying and research during her undergraduate years. She was a research assistant for Sociology professor Lorne Tepperman and did project management for Victoria College Principal Angela Esterhammer.

She served two years on the editorial staff of Almagest, the journal of the history and philosophy of science, including one year as editor-in-chief.

This summer, Sebastien (below) received a University of Toronto Excellence Award which gives her the chance to conduct research for Esterhammer, assisting her with an anthology of Scottish entrepreneur John Galt’s works.

“You’d be surprised what Galt wrote about: short stories, poems, novels, economics, and politics,” said Sebastien. “I’m learning a lot of things I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.”

A specialist in philosophy with a minor in the history and philosophy of science and technology, Sebastien, who graduated today, will be living at Massey College as a junior fellow in the fall to begin a master’s degree in philosophy with a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Her SSHRC grant was based on a paper, analyzing the language of a legal case report dealing with the subject of transgender rights.

Pop-up exhibit at U of T explores how Canada was shaped by negotiation

ullahnor — Wed, 03 May 2017 21:36:36 +0000

Pop-up exhibit at U of T explores how Canada was shaped by negotiation

ullahnor Wed, 05/03/2017 - 17:36

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Using a blend of maps, paintings, accessible text and archival photographs, the display tells the long history of treaty-making, and how and why these agreements were essential to the foundation of modern Canada (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Christine Elias

Author legacy

Christine Elias

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Humanities

The Canada By Treaty exhibit at Hart House tells the story of how Canada was shaped by negotiation – not conquest.

The exhibit invites viewers to explore treaties – the legal agreements with Indigenous peoples – that allowed non-Indigenous people to live on, and own land in what is now Canada.

Produced as a direct response to one of the “calls to action” outlined in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report, Canada By Treaty: Negotiating Histories seeks to educate Canadians on the key role of treaties in Canadian history.

“Our exhibit responds to Call to Action No. 94, which changes part of the oath of citizenship to ‘I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including treaties with Indigenous peoples,’” said co-curator Heidi Bohaker, associate professor of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science. “We asked ourselves how this could be possible unless Canadians new and old learned more about what treaties are, and why and how they made Canada.”

She added that by “acknowledging ourselves as treaty people – and then by acting on that acknowledgment – we become rooted in this place and begin to understand our responsibility towards the land, each other and our ongoing treaty relationships.”

David Cameron, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, added: “Indigenous peoples have remained effectively invisible for far too long. Genuine reconciliation is a long-game that will require great persistence and commitment, but I think we are all hopeful that we are at a real turning point.”

Read about U of T's response to final TRC Steering Committee report

Using a blend of maps, paintings, accessible text and archival photographs, the 24-panel display tells the long history of treaty-making, and how and why these agreements were essential to the foundation of modern Canada.

Co-curated by Laurie Bertram, an assistant professor of history, and James Bird, an undergraduate Indigenous student, the exhibit draws on content created by students in Bohaker’s joint fourth-year undergraduate-graduate research seminar course, Canada by Treaty: Alliances, Title Transfers and Land Claims.

U of T researchers discover new creatures great and small

ullahnor — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:48:24 +0000

U of T researchers discover new creatures great and small

ullahnor Mon, 01/23/2017 - 11:48

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The lobster-like marine predator was one of six new species discovered (illustration by Lars Field)

Christine Elias

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Breaking Research

Species

Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

ecology

Fossil

Dinosaur

Subheadline

6 new species discovered in past five years

From a deep-sea creature that predates dinosaurs by 250 million years to a chameleon-like lizard in the Dominican Republic, meet six new species – some living and some extinct – that have been discovered by scientists at U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science over the last five years.

The “Wendy” dino – named for legendary Canadian fossil hunter and discoverer Wendy Sloboda – has been called “one of the most striking horned dinosaurs ever found.”

An early member of the Triceratops family, the elaborate horns and head ornamentation of Wendiceratops pinhornensis set it apart from its relatives.

The dino, found in southern Alberta in 2010, lived 79 million years ago, making it one of the oldest named members of the horned dinosaur family.

The research on Wendiceratops was completed by David Evans, an associate professor in U of T’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology and a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Michael Ryan of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

It has greatly increased the understanding of the evolution of horned dinosaurs.

This chameleon-like lizard – a Greater Antillean anole named Anolis landestoyi for Miguel Landestoy, the naturalist who first spotted and photographed it – is one of the first new anole species found in the Dominican Republic in decades.

The new species was described by Luke Mahler, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, as helping to piece together a long-standing puzzle of similar looking species that exist on different Caribbean islands.

“As soon as I saw the pictures, I thought, 'I need to buy a plane ticket,'” says Mahler, who was the lead author of the published article on the discovery.

#UofTGrad16: this computer science grad is already planning to give back

lanthierj — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 19:40:10 +0000

#UofTGrad16: this computer science grad is already planning to give back

lanthierj Thu, 06/16/2016 - 15:40

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(photos by Diana Tyszko)

Christine Elias

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Christine Elias

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Global Lens

Faculty of Arts & Science

Artificial Intelligence

Subheadline

“I wanted nothing more than to continue my education at U of T.”

Dhyey Sejpal already knows where he’s headed after graduation: back to Amazon, where he worked as an intern last summer.

But instead of returning to Seattle (where he earned enough to pay for this last year of school) Sejpal will remain in Canada.

“I was offered a position in Seattle, but I requested a transfer to Amazon’s Toronto office because I want to give back to the University of Toronto by volunteering as a student mentor in the Department of Computer Science’s Innovation Lab (DCSIL),” Sejapal said.

Sejpal just graduated with high distinction from the University of Toronto with a specialist in computer science focusing on artificial intelligence – but he took a roundabout route. Sejpal — who grew up in Rajkot, the fourth largest city in the state of Gujarat — was initially accepted to U of T but decided to stay in India for financial reasons. He began his academic career at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore —one of that nation’s top technical universities.

“I realized that IIT was not going to challenge me,” said Sejpal, who finished at the top of his first-year class in India. “I wanted nothing more than to continue my education at U of T.”

He reapplied to U of T as a transfer student and was accepted again but the move required sacrifices.

“My family still didn’t have that much liquid cash, so my parents took out a loan to help make my university dream come true.”

Despite having only one computer science transfer credit, Sejpal completed his U of T degree in three years.

“I studied very hard because I knew how much my family had sacrificed,” said Sejpal. “I wanted to show everyone that this was the right decision and that it was worth every penny spent.”

His transition to Canada was challenging: everything was different — the weather, the culture, the food — and he missed his family, not to mention his mother’s vegetarian cooking.

“I did a lot of walking that first year — rain, snow or hail, it didn’t matter — it didn’t seem worth it to spend the money for two subway stops,” said Sejpal. “We took out a loan and I wanted to be responsible.”

When he didn’t land a summer internship after his first year, Sejpal decided to spend the break at home in India.

(Below: Sejpal with his parents Dipti Sejpal and Mayur Sejpal at Convocation Hall)

Refreshed, re-energized and well-fed thanks to his mother: “I gained back the 20 kilograms I lost from all that walking,” Sejpal returned to U of T ready to redouble his efforts.

He ended up with a 4.0 GPA while taking six 300- and 400-level computer science courses in his second year at U of T. He also worked as a teaching assistant for Data Structures and Analysis.

That helped him land his first summer internship in Seattle at Amazon.

Sejpal worked on full stack development of an automatic email notification service containing donation metrics for Amazon’s Smile project — a corporate philanthropy program launched in 2013.

“It was a great experience. There were rooftop parties every month that ensured we had fun while working. I learned a lot, but was especially thrilled with the $30,000 I earned,” said Sejpal. “That paid for my last year of school — my parents were incredibly proud of me and it felt great to take my first steps towards financial independence.”

Before Sejpal returns to Amazon later this summer he plans to show his parents — who are visiting for his graduation ceremony — around Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City. And he says he wants to stay in close contact with his mentors, Mario Grech and Helen Kontozopoulos, DCSIL’s co-directors and founders.

“After learning as much as I can at Amazon and saving some money, I plan to become an entrepreneur,” said Sejpal. “A startup — perhaps in robotics — is definitely in my future.”

Read about more Faculty of Arts & Science grads:

Theodora Bruun

Clive Davies

Daniel Derkach

Nicolai Farber

Adlai Salcedo

#UofTGrad16: this transgender artist partially funded his degree through his own company

lanthierj — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 16:10:51 +0000

#UofTGrad16: this transgender artist partially funded his degree through his own company

lanthierj Thu, 06/16/2016 - 12:10

Christine Elias

Author legacy

Christine Elias

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Trinity College

Bright blue. That’s the colour of Nicolai Farber’s hair, his eyes and his “creative mascot” Yozhik, the chubby cartoon hedgehog.

Farber, who graduates from the University of Toronto this June with a double major inpsychology and Russian language & literature, is an illustrator and graphic designer who partially funded his education through his company,Yozhik is Blue.

“The idea came from one of my favourite childhood cartoons — Hedgehog in the Fog.”

The internationally acclaimed animated film, directed by Russian children’s writer Yuriy Norshteyn, tells the story of a little hedgehog on his way to meet his friend the bear for a cup of tea. But along the way he gets lost in a mysteriously thick fog — filled with scary things both real and imagined. Hedgehog is eventually reunited with the bear, a little shaken, but also stronger and wiser.

It’s a parable about choosing your own path and overcoming adversity that resonates with many.

Yozhik is featured in a series of buttons Farber has created.

“Some people say they have spirit animals,” said Farber. “I feel a kinship with hedgehogs — they are kind of like me.”

Faber, who was assigned female at birth, is a transgender person who began his transition midway through his university career.

“Being transgender and bisexual distanced me from my family, so I was afraid of losing the bond to my Jewish-Ukrainian background,” said Farber.

Fortunately his connection to the department of Slavic languages and literatures helped keep him in contact with his native language and the culture in which he was raised.

“I studied the Soviet cartoons and films I grew up with, as well as history, literature and poetry,” said Farber. “It really helped to keep my culture alive in me.”

“I did not need to provide reasons — they believed I am who I am.”

The university made it easy for Farber to change his name and gender on his official academic record and to get a new student card reflecting that change.

“My college registrar’s office was very supportive. I met with the assistant registrar who helped me with the process, put me in touch with other resources and helped me craft a plan to move forward,” said Farber. “I did not need to provide reasons — they believed I am who I am.”

“U of T has had a policy in place since 2009 allowing students to change their name and gender on their official academic record without requiring legal documentation,” says Allison Burgess, U of T’s Sexual & Gender Diversity Officer.

“This policy ─ which is recognized as a best practice by the Ontario Human Rights Commission — is one way of acknowledging students’ right to self-identify and to have their correct name on class lists, emails or student identification cards. And this is so important in terms of fostering an inclusive environment for trans students on our campuses.”

(Below: social media banners designed by Farber for Gender Talk, a monthly conversation café for transgender students at U of T)

Farber’s advice to incoming students —whether they are members of the LGBTQ community or not — is the same:

“Find a circle of people with shared interests and values — that’s the strongest basis for long-lasting friendships.”

As a student, Farber followed his own advice. He was the creative director of Design and Design, a career development club for students interested in pursuing graphic design and was also involved in set design for student productions at Trinity College’s George Igniateff Theatre.

And he tries to draw something new every day, including work on his comic sketches.

A creative future in a new city

As for his future, Farber plans to continue his creative work.

“I do illustrations, animation, infographics and other forms of visual storytelling for my clients as well as my own short comics, but I want to get my work to a higher level before I pursue my own graphic novel.”

Farber and his partner — a fellow U of T student who will graduate in November — recently moved to Barrie.

“There are many artists and a great sense of community; it really feels like home.”

New language dictionary helps preserve the richness of Inuit dialect

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 13:29:07 +0000

New language dictionary helps preserve the richness of Inuit dialect sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 08:29

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Alana Johns and Jean Briggs (photo courtesy of Memorial University)

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Valuable resource for speakers and learners of Utkuhiksalingmiut

Generations ago, most Canadian Inuit lived in small seasonal camps but, over the past 60 years, Inuit have settled into permanent towns, where traditional dialects intermingled and sometimes developed into new converged dialects.

One such traditional dialect is Utkuhiksalingmiut – now spoken mainly by elders in the Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) and Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) communities.

The first dictionary to document this dialect was recently published by Nunavut Arctic College and is entitled Utkuhiksalingmiut Uqauhiitigut: Dictionary of Utkuhiksalingmiut Inuktitut Postbase Suffixes. The 700-plus page book, which was recently recognized by the Minister of Education of Nunavut in the legislature, expounds the numerous suffixes used to form complex words in Inuktitut.

Alana Johns, a professor of linguistics and the former director of the Aboriginal studies program and the Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives in the Faculty of Arts & Science, co-authored the work with Conor Cook and Jean Briggs, an internationally renowned anthropologist.

Arts & Science News spoke with Johns about the dictionary and its importance.

How and why did you get involved as a co-author of this dictionary?
Jean Briggs speaks Inuktitut quite fluently, but is not trained as a linguist. She had many years’ worth of valuable, carefully collected data that she wanted to organize into a dictionary format. She needed a linguist to help with this work, so I was delighted for the opportunity to collaborate with her.

Conor Cook, a former U of T linguistics student now working at the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit (Inuit Language Authority) in Iqaluit, did the bulk of the actual organization and the dictionary could not have been completed without him.

It was your idea to create a dictionary of postbases. What exactly is a postbase?
Postbases are pieces inside complex words. In the Inuit language, single words range from being very simple to as complex as an entire English sentence. Fluency in the language entails using multiple postbases, sometimes as many as six, inside a word.

Many of the examples in the dictionary are from Jean Briggs’ painstaking fieldwork with Utkuhiksalingmiut speakers in real-life situations, not merely examples that were constructed to illustrate the use of the postbase.

Utkuhiksalingmiut is a dialect of Inuktitut now spoken mainly by elders in the Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) and Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) communities of Nunavut. How does the publication of this dictionary help to promote and preserve the dialect?
We hope that by providing a detailed analysis of the dialect’s postbases – using as little technical linguistic terminology as possible and by providing numerous examples – fluent younger speakers will be able to expand their proficiency in the language.

The dictionary can also help language teachers create lessons. Hopefully, speakers of other dialects will see the value in researching postbases and perhaps model something similar.

This project documents the richness of the Utkuhiksalingmiut dialect for future generations, as well.

How were the elders involved in the project?
The elders were involved since the beginning – well before they were elders.

Jean Briggs first collected this data by living on the land – not in a permanently settled community – with the Utkuhiksalingmiut, in the Back River area of Nunavut.

As she was learning to speak the language, she wrote down words, but also asked about the meanings of the words. Her adopted family and many others were extremely helpful by explaining words and giving further examples, illustrating the use either of word roots (bases) or postbases.

In later years, Jean Briggs went back to visit speakers, who no longer lived on the land but had moved into the settled communities of Gjoa Haven and Baker Lake. She gained further insight into the words through checking her notes and adding to them with the help of speakers.

How do Indigenous languages serve as modern day links to the history and culture of the people that speak them? What role do dictionaries play?
This is not an easy question for a non-Aboriginal person to answer, but the languages contain expressions for cultural objects and concepts that have not always been translated to English, or the English translation may not carry details inherent to the original word.

Each language also has specific grammatical distinctions and even modes of interaction between individuals. Speaking another language is more than just using other words – it is inhabiting or donning a whole culture.

Generational knowledge and wisdom are transmitted through extended family and social interaction. Indigenous people rely primarily on oral and direct transmission. Dictionaries are just one language resource, but an important one. They do not aim to be an arbiter of language, but can foster understanding and discussion of language and document its richness.

The cover of the dictionary is spectacular. Who’s the artist?
It’s a drawing by the late Jessie Oonark, a very famous Canadian artist whose artwork is part of the National Gallery of Canada’s collection. Being one of the many Inuit artists from the Back River area, she was a speaker of the Utkuhiksalingmiut dialect.

(photo below by Diana Tyszko)

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Germany's highest civic honour goes to U of T's Pia Kleber

sgupta — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 12:14:21 +0000

Germany's highest civic honour goes to U of T's Pia Kleber sgupta Mon, 11/02/2015 - 07:14

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Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Professor Pia Kleber of the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies and the Centre for Comparative Literature, has been awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany – that country’s highest civic honour.

Kleber was recognized for her continued contributions to cultural exchange and cooperation between Germany and Canada.

“My goal has always been to bring Canada and Europe – especially Germany – closer together and I have always been especially interested in introducing my students to European culture,” said Kleber. “This award was completely unexpected and surprising and I must confess a bit overwhelming.

“The warm wishes I’ve received from so many different people has been very touching and humbling.”

Over her almost 30 years at the University of Toronto, Kleber – who was named the first chair holder of the Helen and Paul Phelan Chair in Drama in 1999 – has spearheaded many significant international theatre festivals and conferences.

In 2010, Kleber organized events around the theme of “human security” in Toronto and Berlin, exploring how artists – beyond reflecting or responding to contemporary anxieties – can contribute solutions to global problems.

She was also the driving force behind “Canada Week” in Berlin where scholars, artists, politicians and students from six Canadian and German universities gathered in 2003 to discuss their respective cultural policies. The week culminated in a theatrical performance – entitled Canadian Theatre in 51/2 Time Zones – where artists from across Canada gave a German audience a glimpse of our nation’s cultural achievements.

Her numerous publications include books on Bertolt Brecht: Exceptions and Rules: Brecht, Planchon and “The Good Person of Szechwan” and Re-Interpreting Brecht: His Influence on Contemporary Drama and Film.

Her articles – which have been published in English, French, German, Italian and Chinese – include “Theatrical Continuities in Giorgio Strehler’s The Tempest,” “The Directing Methodologies of Giorgio Strehler” and “Die Courage der Mütter. Am Beispiel von Bertolt Brecht.”

Kleber also organizes highly successful biannual study tours of Germany for graduate and undergraduate students, offering them an intensive introduction to German history, politics and culture.

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. It is the only honour that may be awarded in all fields of endeavour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. This is the second time Kleber has been recognized by Germany; in 2001 she received the Cross of the Order of Merit.

The Order of Merit may be awarded to Germans as well as foreigners for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for all kinds of outstanding services to the nation in the fields of social, charitable or philanthropic work.

Christine Elias is a writer with the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto

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Grads to watch: how Derakhshan Qurban-Ali became a global refugee advocate

sgupta — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 14:47:10 +0000

Grads to watch: how Derakhshan Qurban-Ali became a global refugee advocate sgupta Mon, 06/08/2015 - 10:47

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(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Christine Elias

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Christine Elias

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Faculty of Arts & Science

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International Relations and Peace, Conflict and Justice grad aids global community

Derakhshan Qurban-Ali believes in making a difference – not only at home in Toronto, but also 7000 km away at the Bicske Refugee Camp and Integration Centre in Hungary.

That's where she volunteered over the summer of 2013, and where her passion for global advocacy took hold.

Most of the refugees at Bicske come from Syria, Afghanistan, and various other Middle Eastern and African states, making the placement meaningful to Qurban-Ali, whose own parents were also asylum-seekers.

“I had always wanted to volunteer at a refugee camp because my parents were refugees from Afghanistan and I wanted to pay forward the opportunities that I’ve been given in life,” she said.

While at the camp, located about 30 minutes outside of Budapest, Qurban-Ali taught English, organized social programming and assisted social workers in their daily routine.

“Almost every preconception I had about refugees was dispelled,” said Qurban-Ali. “Learning about the lives, challenges and hopes of the wonderful people I had the pleasure of working with was an irreplaceable experience.”

The work was life-changing, but also very difficult.

“It didn’t take a big stretch of imagination to see myself in their shoes,” she said. “But despite the emotional toll, my time at the camp was extremely rewarding because I learned volumes about both myself and the world around me.”

“The experience taught me that change can start from just one person, every action in life matters and that we are far more capable than we could ever imagine.”

At the end of the summer, Qurban-Ali returned to Toronto with a heavy heart.

“Everything had changed – my beliefs, my priorities and my perceptions of the world. Physically, I was back in Canada, but my mind and heart remained with the refugees in Hungary. I felt upset at the injustice of the situation, that one’s rights as a human being were dependent on a passport or place of birth.”

She realized that she could not just leave the experience behind her, so she began documenting the stories she’d heard and the conditions she saw.

“At first, I didn’t know what I was going to do with these stories; I just knew I wanted to raise awareness about the issues.”

With the assistance of a Fullerton Research Award – designed to assist students in the Peace and Conflict Studies program conducting original research in the field – and the support of her faculty research supervisor, Robert Austin of the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (CERES) at the Munk School of Global Affairs, Qurban-Ali returned to Hungary to pursue independent research.

“Robert Austin is a phenomenal professor who sparked my interest in central and southeastern Europe through his passion for the region,” said Qurban-Ali. “One of the most remarkable things about him is his utmost faith in the capabilities of his students and his support of their ideas, interests and development.”

She also travelled to Germany, where many refugees had ultimately migrated to conduct interviews for her undergraduate thesis investigating the barriers to refugee integration as well as the evolution of irregular migration trends in the European Union.

“I think that one of the most valuable lessons we can learn about cross-cultural understanding is the fact that the only thing that differentiates us from others is our passport. The refugees I met – whether from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq, Mali or elsewhere – have the same goals and dreams that we do in the West. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for a better future for themselves and their children.”

Back on campus, sharing her experiences with the University of Toronto community was important to her “because it helped to put a human face on the news headlines.”

“When I was co-president of U of T’s chapter of Amnesty International, I wanted to raise awareness about refugee issues because I realized that few people in Canada knew about the situation in Europe, said Qurban-Ali. “I shared my research, ideas, and experiences with students and encouraged them to pursue their own passions and research projects.”

Closer to home, Qurban-Ali has also worked hard to improve the quality of the student experience at the University of Toronto by volunteering with the First in the Family Peer Mentor Program, providing academic, personal and social support to first generation students by facilitating weekly sessions and one-on-one meetings.

Qurban-Ali – who graduates this month with an HBA in International Relations and Peace, Conflict and Justice – is currently in Germany at the G7 Summit as the Lead Analyst of U of T’s G8 Research Group.

She’s also been involved with Victoria College’s Humanities for Humanity program, which connects financially challenged people in the community with undergraduate student mentors.

Qurban-Ali is one of two Dean’s Student Leadership Award recipients this year: the award recognizes an Arts & Science student who has played a significant leadership role supporting our international character by encouraging cross-cultural understanding.

She goes on to join the Studio Y fellowship program for emerging leaders at the MaRS Discovery District this fall.

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President's Teaching Award: Don Boyes

sgupta — Wed, 14 May 2014 10:40:44 +0000

President's Teaching Award: Don Boyes sgupta Wed, 05/14/2014 - 06:40

Christine Elias

Author legacy

Christine Elias

Faculty of Arts & Science

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Senior lecturer is one of two recipients of U of T's highest teaching honour this year

Don Boyes, winner of the 2014 President’s Teaching Award and instructor of most of the geographic information systems (GIS) courses on U of T’s downtown campus, didn’t always plan on being a teacher.

Before joining U of T in 2001, he spent several years as a freelance consultant helping organizations in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to better map and analyze their land to improve resource management.

“It was a great learning experience, as I got to interact with a wide variety of people — I taught them about the potential of digital mapping and analysis, and they taught me about their region and living in the North. I gained a real appreciation for the area in a way that I don’t think would have been possible as an occasional visitor.”

Boyes discovered his love of teaching by accident during his graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario.

Like most grad students, he had worked as a teaching assistant, but it was the chance to teach a ‘breadth’ course for non-geographers “from scratch” that changed everything.

“It was called ‘The Natural Environment’,” said Boyes. “I threw myself into it and was genuinely surprised to discover how much I loved teaching — I spent many hours each week preparing my lectures and I couldn’t wait to get to class.”

That was 20 years ago. Today, he’s every bit as anxious to share his excitement and enthusiasm for his field.

“I relish the challenge of finding a new way to explain a complex topic that makes it clear, understandable and relevant,” said Boyes. “Part of my job is to motivate students to want to learn — and not just download information. If they see the value of what I’m talking about, they will want to learn even more.”

A senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and Program in Planning, Boyes is one of two winners — along with UTM’s Shafique Virani — of a President’s Teaching Award this year. (Read about Virani.)

The awards recognize sustained excellence in teaching, research on teaching and the integration of teaching and research. Winners join the University’s Teaching Academy for a five-year period and receive an annual professional development allowance of $10,000 for five years.

Former student Anna Labetski — who plans to pursue a master’s degree in geospatial analysis at University College, London after a year-long GIS contract with the World Wildlife Fund — credits Boyes for helping her not only to find her passion, but to make a career out of it.

“He’s the reason I love GIS!,” says Labetski. “Despite his extremely busy schedule, he always makes time to be a mentor and supervisor for his students. He is available during and outside of office hours, by email and through the multiple resources he developed for students, ranging from websites to instructional videos.”

Boyes is also a pioneer in online teaching, which he sees as a way to reach more students in new and more effective ways.

“I’m a big believer in giving students lots of options as to how, where and when they learn,” says Boyes. Some students prefer being in class, others want to participate live online, and some prefer to set aside time on their own schedule and watch a recording. Ideally, in any given week, they can choose any of these options. I try to avoid using technology for its own sake, but I’m not afraid to experiment and see what works.”

Boyes is “humbled, honoured and thrilled — all at the same time” to receive the University’s highest honour for teaching. He credits his students who “taught me how to be a better teacher.”

“I hope that they have learned to not be intimidated by something just because it may seem complicated — they are far more capable than they may have imagined.”

Christine Elias is a writer with the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto.

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Christine Elias

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