We Asked 100 Students What They Hope Humanity Will Solve in Their Lifetime

Some students looked to the stars. Others looked inward, wondering about consciousness and the meaning of life. But many focused on societal problems – from affordable housing and clean water to traffic and mental health. Some answers stemmed from personal experience: one student whose grandmother has cancer dreams of a cure; another hopes we’ll learn more about depression because “it feels like we’re still kind of guessing.”

The responses varied so widely that we grouped them into broad categories. Taken together, they reveal students’ desire for discoveries that will make life healthier and fairer – and improve our understanding of ourselves and the world.

This highly unscientific poll of 100 U of T students was conducted across the three campuses in June and July.