Faculty of Information

�Թϱ�� Scarborough

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Clockwise from top left: Karl Manis, Chido Muchemwa, Tatiana Ruiz Bedoya, Jeff Chen, Zehui Yin and Jing Wang (supplied images)

Six recent graduates of the University of Toronto have been awarded 2023-2024 Governor General’s Academic Medals in recognition of their academic excellence.

Three PhD alumni were awarded gold medals, which are presented to graduate students on the basis of academic performance in courses, evaluation of thesis and thesis defence, and originality and significance of research:

Tatiana Ruiz Bedoya – department of cell and systems biology, Faculty of Arts & Science
Chido Muchemwa – Faculty of Information and the Mark S Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, Faculty of Arts & Science
Karl Manis – department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science

Three undergraduate alumni were awarded silver medals, which are given to students with the highest academic standing upon graduating from a bachelor degree program:

Jeff Chen – department of civil and mineral engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Jing Wang – department of computer science, Faculty of Arts & Science
Zehui Yin – department of management, �Թϱ�� Scarborough

Read about the Governor General's Gold Medal

Read about the Governor General's Silver Medal

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Harmata Aboubakar, Julia Jeonghyun Parke among winners of SSHRC's 2024 Storytellers Challenge

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 19:38:58 +0000

Harmata Aboubakar, Julia Jeonghyun Parke among winners of SSHRC's 2024 Storytellers Challenge

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 06/05/2024 - 15:38

Students

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of Sociology

SSHRC

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Harmata Aboubakar (L) and Julia Jeonghyun Parke (supplied images)

University of Toronto PhD students Harmata Aboubakar and Julia Jeonghyun Parke have been named among five winners of the 2024 Storytellers Challenge by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

The annual challenge asks post-secondary students across the country to inspire audiences with a compelling research story – in up to 300 words or three minutes – demonstrating how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Aboubakar, a PhD student in the department of sociology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, crafted a video story, “Contested Memories and Revised Myths,” that examines how collective memory shapes identity and belonging. Drawing on archival analysis and interviews with former members of the Mau Mau movement that originated in Kenya in the 1950s, Aboubakar argues that memories shift in response to transnational politics, and explores implications of the research for reconciliation, justice and addressing historical grievances.

Parke, a PhD student in the Faculty of Information, also submitted a video story, “Speculating Race: Creator Motivations for Designing Virtual Influencers of Colour,” that discusses the juxtaposition between market research that asserts that white and female influencers are disproportionately favoured by both audiences and brands and the virtual influencer world, where a majority of CGI- and AI-rendered characters present themselves as ethnic minorities. The project addresses critical questions about who creates virtual social media influencers and what drives their choice of race and ethnic identity in the design of these non-human agents.

Read about the 2024 Storytellers Challenge

Watch Harmata Aboubakar’s winning entry

Watch Julia Jeonghyun Parke’s winning entry

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Chido Muchemwa wins Bridge Prize for short story

lanthierj — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:09:00 +0000

Chido Muchemwa wins Bridge Prize for short story

Community

lanthierj Fri, 09/30/2022 - 15:09

Students

Bridge Prize

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(photo by Tanya Shereni)

Chido Muchemwa, a PhD candidate in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, has won the University of Lethbridge’s Bridge Prize national short story competition for students, besting almost 200 other entries, first with a jury of 30 local readers and then with the main jury of authors, artists and educators.

“If It Wasn’t for the Nights,” tells the story of three Zimbabwean characters – one of whom is trapped in Toronto due to COVID restrictions – wrestling with the death of a family member and issues of sexuality.

“I’ve only written one new story in the two years since my Baba died,” Muchemwa wrote on Twitter earlier this year, referring to her father. “This is it. A story about music and grief as a common language. But like all good stories, it had a mind of its own and grew into a story about mothers and daughters.”

Muchemwa earned a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of Wyoming as well as a master of science in information studies at the University of Texas before enrolling at �Թϱ�� in 2019.

“What I loved about it was its exploration of both finding a sense of family and finding a sense of home for characters that are very far away from their homelands,” juror Waubgeshig Rice told the Toronto Star. “I think that’s why something like this is relatable to BIPOC people especially because we have to evolve and adapt with the rapidly changing world around us and how that evolves intergenerationally, too.”

Read the Toronto Star article

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Aviv Shachak named Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics

lanthierj — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 16:30:00 +0000

Aviv Shachak named Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics

lanthierj Wed, 07/14/2021 - 12:30

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

IHPME

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Aviv Shachak, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Faculty of Information has been named a Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI).

Shachak, who is also graduate coordinator at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, was elected to the academy for his contributions to research and education, and his global engagement in the field.

Health informatics links information technology, communications and medicine to improve the quality and safety of patient care. The academy, which is part of the International Medical Informatics Association, is an honour society that advises governmental and non-governmental organizations about the importance of informatics-based knowledge.

“Academy fellowship is one of the highest honors in the international field of biomedical and health informatics,” says IAHSI president William Hersh.

Throughout his career, Shachak has pioneered research into the use of information systems in health care. “What I try to do is look at different approaches for educating health-care professionals on how they can incorporate or better use technology in their daily practice, as well as prepare for future challenges like increasing use of artificial intelligence in health care,” says Shachak.

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Faculty of Information

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Chun Wei Choo wins 2021 Research in Information Science Award

lanthierj — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:37:12 +0000

Chun Wei Choo wins 2021 Research in Information Science Award

lanthierj Fri, 07/09/2021 - 12:37

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For his outstanding contribution to information science research, the University of Toronto’s Chun Wei Choo has received the 2021 Research in Information Science Award from the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T).

A professor in the Faculty of Information, Choo’s research focuses on knowledge management, information management, information behaviour, and organizational learning.

“His work has influenced and inspired others in adjacent fields,” said Brian Detlor, president of ASIS&T

Choo’s books include The Inquiring Organization (Oxford University Press, 2016) and The Knowing Organization (Oxford University Press, 2006). His articles and papers have been published in the information field’s top journals and his research has received funding support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the National Science Foundation in the United States among others.

“This recognition is especially meaningful to me because it was at an ASIS&T annual meeting that I presented my first conference paper as a PhD student, and my first book was published as an ASIS&T monograph,” Choo told the ASIS&T.

Read the ASIS&T story

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Olivier St-Cyr receives Early Career Teaching Award

lanthierj — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:38:06 +0000

Olivier St-Cyr receives Early Career Teaching Award

Teaching

lanthierj Fri, 04/16/2021 - 15:38

Early Career Teaching Awards

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Olivier St-Cyr, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in the Faculty of Information, has been recognized with an Early Career Teaching Award.

At the Faculty of Information, St-Cyr created the curriculum for the User Experience Design (UXD) Concentration in the Master of Information (MI) degree and designed and oversaw the construction of two cutting-edge active learning spaces in the Bissell Building to support his teaching. The spaces are St-Cyr’s teaching research labs, acting as exploratory sandboxes – and are used by other professors at the faculty.

“My teaching bridges UXD theory and practice and is informed by industry approaches. In our design studios, students not only learn the principles of UX design, but get to experience design at firsthand”, says St-Cyr.

In his UXD capstone course, St-Cyr has adopted a Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) framework to support students’ experiential learning. “I love using CEL for my capstone course. It makes the projects relevant to students and allows them to learn from and contribute to the life of community organizations,” says St-Cyr, whose students engage with grassroots community partners across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and beyond to complete a major UX design project during the winter semester.

“Receiving this award makes me realize how amazing my students are and motivates me to keep designing innovative learning experiences at the Faculty of Information.”

Four University of Toronto faculty members recognized for outstanding teaching

lanthierj — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:34:29 +0000

Four University of Toronto faculty members recognized for outstanding teaching

Teaching

lanthierj Fri, 04/16/2021 - 14:34

Early Career Teaching Awards

Faculty of Arts & Science

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department of Earth Sciences

Department of Computer Science

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(L-R) Olivier St. Cyr, Danielle Bentley, Jacqueline Smith, Gregory Daniel

The University of Toronto has recognized four faculty members – Danielle Bentley, Daniel Gregory, Jacqueline Smith and Olivier St-Cyr – with Early Career Teaching Awards for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The awards honour outstanding teachers who demonstrate great commitment to student learning and engagement, and to teaching innovation. Winners receive $3,000 and are celebrated at an Excellence in Teaching reception.

“These extraordinary teachers have provided a truly exceptional experience for students in an unprecedented time,” said Mark Schmuckler, �Թϱ��’s acting vice-provost, academic programs and acting vice-provost, innovations in undergraduate education. “From the creation of community-engaged learning opportunities with grassroots organizations, to the establishment of learning communities for students newly admitted to competitive programs, or the development of online excursions that simulate field-based work, their creative and innovative approach to teaching and learning has inspired and engaged students.

“The university congratulates them on their remarkable accomplishments.”

This year's winners are:

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Danielle Bentley of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Assistant Professor Daniel Gregory of the department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Jacqueline Smith of the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Olivier St-Cyr of the Faculty of Information

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Matt Ratto recognized with Minister of College and Universities’ Award of Excellence

lanthierj — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 20:38:10 +0000

Matt Ratto recognized with Minister of College and Universities’ Award of Excellence

Community

lanthierj Wed, 10/14/2020 - 16:38

Hospital for Sick Children

Minister of College and Universities' Award of Excellence

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Toronto General Hospital

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Associate Professor Matt Ratto of the Faculty of Information has received a Minister of College and Universities' Award of Excellence for his extraordinary contributions to the COVID-19 response in Ontario through the Toronto Emergency Device Accelerator (TEDA).

“The University of Toronto congratulates Professor Ratto on this important recognition,” said Professor Christine Allen, �Թϱ��’s associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives. “When essential protective health equipment was in short supply this spring, he coordinated a 20-strong team of professionals, using equipment like 3D printers to produce materials such as reusable face shields – and user-friendly guidelines to ensure they would be used safely.”

“Partnering with the Toronto General Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre among others, they were able to make a real and immediate difference.”

Ratto said TEDA shows “the clear positive impacts” that can happen when people work across disciplines and connect directly to communities in need.

“I was so impressed at the way University of Toronto faculty, staff, and students worked directly with health-care professionals in hospitals and long-term care facilities to create innovative solutions to the critical supply issues we faced in Canada,” Ratto said. “Some of this work leveraged �Թϱ��’s technical expertise and involved new uses of digital fabrication equipment like 3D printers and laser cutters. But much of it involved the study and analysis of social context and workplace organization as part of the process of finding and fitting innovative solutions into actual use.

“I’d like to thank the designers, engineers, scientists, clinicians, and humanities scholars who all lent their knowledge and skills to the project.”

Nadia Caidi and Lynne Howarth recognized for outstanding papers

lanthierj — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 18:57:11 +0000

Nadia Caidi and Lynne Howarth recognized for outstanding papers

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Fri, 01/31/2020 - 13:57