Campus - University of Toronto Magazine

Professor Joe Brant against a dark red background with white line drawings

U of T Scarborough is Honouring Indigenous Culture with New Names for Four Campus Spaces

The names reflect a distinct world view and carry centuries of knowledge, says Prof. Tahohtharátye Joe Brant Read More

Close-up shot of Professor Jordana Garbati, wearing white-framed glasses, surrounded by cartoon emojis against a pink background

Are Emoji Becoming the World’s First Universal Language?

At U of T Mississauga, students are exploring the meaning – and possible future – of those tiny symbols on our phones Read More

Coloured pencil and graphite drawing of a female student preparing to throw a dodgeball

U of T’s Feminist Sports Club Is Here to Bend the Rules

The group invites non-athletes to try their hand at games like dodgeball and basketball in a fun – and distinctly supportive – atmosphere Read More

Outdoor photo of Gyan Jain on the left, Kanchan Jain on the right, and Alexandra Gillespie in the middle, standing in a grassy field surrounded by trees

U of T Mississauga Names Literary Scholar as Chair in Jain Studies

Prof. Christine Chojnacki says Jainism, an ancient Indian belief system, has a lot to offer to help solve today’s global problems Read More

Outdoor photo of Professor Joe Wong in blue framed glasses and V-neck sweater, with his arms crossed

U of T Is Deepening Its Commitment to Global Education

International students enliven classroom conversations and add to a diverse learning experience for all, says vice-president Joseph Wong Read More

Four panellists are seated on a stage. Professor Randy Boyagoda is speaking into a microphone, and an audience member has one hand raised.

Toward a More Civil Discourse

As polarization in society grows, U of T is encouraging respectful dialogue on challenging topics across its three campuses Read More

John Polanyi smiling and standing beside a glass display at an exhibit of his work

Exhibit Celebrates John Polanyi’s Legacy in Chemistry

The permanent display at the Lash Miller Building honours Polanyi for his Nobel Prize-winning research, and for his advocacy against nuclear weapons Read More

Tim Burkhart is sitting in front of a monitor showing different views of a person standing. A young gymnast with round markers attached to their arms and legs is walking toward him.

Why Are Some Athletes More Prone to Injuries Than Others?

Prof. Timothy Burkhart is using biomechanics to discover which parts of the body are most likely to fail on whom, and why Read More

Coloured pencil and graphite drawing of three hands holding flags of different countries

U of T Students Are Very Interested in Studying Abroad

Almost eight in 10 told us they would like to have an international experience while attending university Read More

Digital illustration of hands planting seeds in soil and watering seedlings. One hand is holding a flower rooted in soil, and there are speech bubbles scattered about.

U of T Advisor Aims to Foster Civil Discussion on Tough Topics

English professor Randy Boyagoda says he will encourage understanding from ‘a place of curiosity and empathy’ Read More

Wendy Wacko and Doris McCarthy are sitting together on a wooden window sill by a large window overlooking pebbled ground, long grass and a body of water.

They Were the Picture of Friendship

Painter Wendy Wacko pays homage to her mentor, Doris McCarthy, with a gift of art to U of T Scarborough Read More

Colour graphite illustration of a bulky computer console with many buttons

Canada’s Information Era Began at U of T

A room-sized machine that could do calculations faster than humans first took shape here 75 years ago Read More

Digital illustration of students walking toward a large glass entrance to a building, with bushes and leaves covering the wall. A student is reading a book while sitting on a bench in front of a tree and flower bush.

St. George Campus Plans to Cut Carbon Emissions in Half by 2027

Groundbreaking plan comes on the heels of U of T’s number-one sustainability ranking Read More

Sunny, exterior view of the west side of the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. The building consists of a tapered tower with narrow windows all around.

A Global Hub for Safe AI

The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus will help develop artificial intelligence that benefits humanity – from ideas and scholarship to successful startups Read More

Graphite illustration of a black rectangle with a grey-white rimmed circle inside containing a circular orange centre

How Optimistic Are You That AI Will Help Bring About a Better Future?

We asked 100 University of Toronto students. This is what they told us Read More

Evelina Tronina and Seema Malmji, wearing lab coats and disposable gloves, are holding bottles of liquid in front of a tall, stainless-steel scientific device in a white lab room. Malmji is pulling open a panel on the device.

Where Science Means Business

A new space at U of T Mississauga will help life-science startups refine their lab-based innovations Read More

Jenan Noureddine, wearing a white lab coat and a mauve-coloured hijab, holding and examining a potted plant in a clean, white, well-lit room with a monitor displaying temperature, humidity and CO2 readings

Seeds of Resilience

Plant growth chambers will enable researchers to test how food crops fare under different conditions Read More

Students acting in a scene from The Trials. Two students appear to be in confrontation across a wooden table, with other students in the background, watching the pair.

Acting for Earth

Fourth-year drama students put their skills to the test with a theatrical warning of climate change run amok Read More

Aerial shots of the U of T Scarborough (left), St. George and Mississauga (right) campuses

U of T’s 197th Birthday Quiz

Test your knowledge of all things U of T in honour of the university’s 197th anniversary on March 15! Read More

Coloured graphite drawing of the front and side of the 905 Eglinton East Express bus

What Is the Biggest Challenge Facing the Toronto Area?

We asked 100 U of T students. It seems they share the concerns of many residents Read More

Black and white photo of astronomers Clarence Chant and Reynold Young kneeling and sitting, respectively, on the ground. Young is looking through the eyepiece of a long cylindrical-shaped camera positioned perpendicular to the ground and attached to a square tube covered with a cloth-like material. Chant is holding a black rectangular board underneath the tube.

The Einstein Camera

A century ago, a U of T astronomer led a small group of Canadians on a daring expedition to remote Australia. Their mission? To prove the Theory of General Relativity Read More

Digitally illustrated collage depicting a group of racially diverse students around a table in discussion at the centre bottom; a Black student typing on a computer keyboard with an online chat screen behind her and blue chat bubbles reflecting off her sunglasses at centre top; a man looking at an online map on the left; and a hand holding a magnifying glass over a portion of the map on the right. Several dotted online chat bubbles appear scattered throughout.

Education Is Evolving in the Age of AI

As ChatGPT disrupts conventional teaching and learning, U of T is helping instructors and students to adapt and innovate Read More

Artist rendering of a collaboration space in the Sam Ibrahim Building, with wooden tables joined together in a zigzag shape, and a screen hanging from the ceiling.

Scarborough Strong

A $25-million gift will establish a new centre for entrepreneurship at U of T Scarborough Read More

Black and white graphite drawing of Robarts Library, with surrounding trees coloured in green.

How Robarts Library Got Its Distinctive Look

A huge, concrete triangle wasn’t an obvious design, but there were reasons for it Read More

Building engineer Gurtaj Bajwa is writing on a small notepad in a room with large white pipes running parallel to the walls and ceilings, housing the geothermal system at U of T Scarborough's Instruction Centre

Clean Machine

Geothermal systems like this one will help U of T Mississauga meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by mid-century Read More

A bald man in a white lab coat stands mid frame. He's talking to someone next to him, but we can only see his purple lab gloves. To their left is a large blue container and a glass covering. There are three large oval shaped openings with black edges that allow researchers to get inside the container, presumably to do experiments

Accelerating Progress

A global consortium based at U of T has received the largest ever Canadian research grant, worth $200 million Read More

First-year student Reva Birla, in a black shirt, mauve hoodie and ripped blue jeans, is sitting on the side of her bed next to a large, black suitcase and looking out the window of her dorm room.

Living in Harmony

For Reva Birla, a cozy new home. For U of T Scarborough, a student residence that meets one of the most energy-efficient design standards in the world Read More

A bald man in a lab coat with black glasses and a beard looks at a machine with many wires emerging from it.

The Lab That (Almost) Runs Itself

Robots and AI are changing how we do science, making it faster, cheaper and more productive Read More

Fourteen brass spherical resonators of increasing size from top to bottom, attached to the right side of a steel frame, which is attached to a rotating mirror on the left side. Rubber hoses are connected to several of the spheres.

Ode to Ingenuity

U of T’s collection of scientific artifacts shows how researchers pursued discovery – and sometimes made history Read More

Graphite illustration of an airplane with a propeller in mid-air

150 Years of Firsts

To mark an important milestone, U of T Engineering looks back at some of its boldest thinkers Read More

Colour graphite illustration of a white rabbit in a purple top hat, and a pair of floating white-gloved hands, one holding a black magic wand

Sleight of Mind

How magicians exploit gaps in human perception to trick audiences Read More

Digital illustration of two racially diverse high school students seated at a table, with a black instructor or teaching assistant sitting between them. The student on the left is writing notes, while the others are watching her.

New Paths to Success

Youth from under-represented communities get a taste of post-secondary life and pick up useful skills through a recently expanded U of T program Read More

U of T President Meric Gertler and Prof. Joseph Wong, VP, International are sitting at a long table in a library with youth in the Giants of Africa program in Rwanda. One student, wearing a pink hoodie sweatshirt, is standing and talking with them.

The Value of ‘Being There’

A sound international strategy has become essential to U of T’s success Read More

Colour graphite sketch of the front three quarters of a bicycle and the legs and arm of a person riding it

What Are You Doing to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

We asked 100 U of T students. This is what they told us Read More

A cloth mural, depicting symbols sewn around a green outer ring as well as green inner ring, on top of the back of a turtle, with a medicine wheel in the centre, is spread out on the ground. Mandy Nelson is applying finishing touches on the inner ring of the mural.

Creation Story

A huge, new mural at U of T Scarborough honours Indigenous culture Read More

Reinhard Grassmann is holding a robotic arm steady with one hand and a plastic block under the grip of the cobot with the other, while Puspita Dewi, who is wearing a hijab, is adjusting the cobot's grip on the block.

Meet the ‘Cobot’

U of T Mississauga is home to one of Canada’s most advanced robotics teaching labs Read More

Two women stand at a desk. One is using a glass muller to blend green ink on the desktop as the other watches. In the foreground is a tray with type for letterpress printing

We’re Going to Print Like It’s 1899

Having grown up with all things digital, these students are learning how to make books the old, old-fashioned way Read More

U of T’s 196th Birthday Quiz

Test your knowledge of all things U of T in honour of the university’s 196th anniversary on March 15! Read More

Coloured pencil drawing of a student holding a piece of paper and seated in front of a green mechanical typewriter and a red rotary telephone.

Of Pies, Nuclear Plants and the Early Days of Co-op Education at U of T

Co-op started by launching grads into government – exactly as the program’s founders intended Read More

Collage illustration of a group of students, faces blurred, books, a table with chairs, in front of blue and yellow rectangle shapes, and damaged building complexes in the back

Displaced by War

U of T has a history of helping scholars fleeing violence in their home countries. This year, many Ukrainians have found a haven here Read More

A magnifying glass with a ruler in the centre is placed on top of dark thumbprints on white paper, while a blue-gloved hand holds a paper tag next to it, handwritten with a date, GE number and location

Investigating Crime, One Fake Body at a Time

U of T Mississauga’s forensic science program gives students a unique training experience Read More

Digital illustration of many hands raised, representing different racial diversities

Universities Can Bolster Democracy

How? By fostering debate across differences – and educating citizens who will engage in civic life Read More

Coloured pencil and graphite drawing of students in a classroom, with one student having a raised hand

What Do You Like Most About Being Back on Campus?

We asked 100 students. Their top answer was not surprising Read More

Members of the Tsaunka Sugar Drum Group seated in a circle, performing on drums and singing.

Three Moments from Autumn 2022

In-person convocations resume, kitchen meets lab at U of T Scarborough, and a drum social celebrates Indigenous culture Read More

Concrete Magic

U of T Scarborough’s Andrews Building has become a Canadian landmark Read More

U of T Mississauga student digging soil with a hand shovel in a rectangular section of the forest marked by wooden sticks

Digging for Answers to a Local Mystery

For nearly a decade, U of T Mississauga students have searched for artifacts to reveal an archeological secret Read More

Illustration of the Lawson Centre for Sustainability and various sustainable and accessible characteristics of the building in callout bubble illustrations and text, with lines pointing to different parts of the building

Green All Over

These four new U of T buildings will reach the highest levels of sustainability Read More

Close up of Prof. Caroline Shenaz Hossein, in a black cardigan with a grey flower pattern, wearing a large bronze pendant

Doors Open

A new network will support research excellence, mentorship and collaboration among Black scholars at U of T Read More

A student wearing a backpack, standing on a large planet Earth coin bank, reaching a hand out toward a large gold coin with a heart in the centre

Professor’s Gift Will Help Students in Financial Need

Shashi Kant’s new award will also support Black and Indigenous students, and those with disabilities Read More

Outer space above and the white and blue surface of the Earth below

What If…

The U of T community helped build a more just, prosperous and sustainable world for all? Read More

Together, We Can Defy Gravity

U of T’s visionary new campaign will engage volunteers and donors in fulfilling our commitment to inclusive excellence Read More

Kamola Khaitova in shorts, T-shirt and a mask, carrying a container of wheatgrass, rows of potted plants on either side

Three Moments from Spring 2022

Architecture students get ready to build, snowshoeing in Scarborough and growing plants for science Read More

Three runners running on a dirt road in the sunlight

U of T Mississauga Opens a New Centre for Diabetes Research

The $40 million Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations will improve diabetes care and lower risk Read More

A device with a small roller applies a blue liquid along a smooth glass surface

Three Moments from Fall 2021

Testing out new technologies – and collecting an old one Read More

Nite of Nights

An annual revue, written and performed by engineering students, lampoons its way into a second century Read More

A man in a lab coat in an early 20th century laboratory inspects a beaker full of liquid as three other men look on

Three Ways Canada Celebrated Insulin’s 100th Anniversary

The game-changing treatment for diabetes patients was marked with a special stamp and coin – and a Heritage Minute Read More

Ikran Jama with hair covered in a black cloth, standing in front of a building

Law Firms Pledge Support to Black Future Lawyers

New U of T program encourages Black undergrads to consider law school Read More

Renderings of the top and sides of the UTM Science Building on the left and a U of T Scarborough vertical farm on the right, both surrounded by grass and trees

Toward a Sustainable Future

Climate change will profoundly affect the world for centuries to come, which is why U of T is taking decisive action Read More

Who Is Included?

How U of T is becoming more accessible to Alex Lu – and to thousands of other members of the university community with disabilities Read More