Faculty of Arts & Science

"We should be building AI systems that promote human flourishing – that allow human beings to live with dignity and purpose, and to be valued contributors to society”

What does safe artificial intelligence look like? Could AI go rogue and pose an existential threat to humanity? How have media portrayals of AI influenced people’s perceptions of the technology’s benefits and risks?

These were among the pressing questions tackled by four experts at the 91��Ƶ and its partner institutions – in disciplines ranging from computer science to philosophy – during a recent panel discussion on AI safety.

Sheila McIlraith, professor in 91��Ƶ’s department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts & Science and Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, said the notion of AI safety evokes different things to different people.

“Computer scientists often think about safety critical systems – the types of systems that we’ve built to send astronauts to the moon or control our nuclear power plants – but AI safety is actually quite different,” said McIlraith, an associate director at the 91��Ƶ’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI).

“For me personally, I have a higher bar, and I really think we should be building AI systems that promote human flourishing – that allow human beings to live with dignity and purpose, and to be valued contributors to society.”

The event, hosted by SRI in partnership with the Vector Institute, the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, the Centre for Ethics and Victoria College, invited McIlraith and her fellow panelists to discuss how AI technologies can be aligned with human values in an increasingly automated world.

They also discussed how risks surrounding the technology can be mitigated in different sectors.

Karina Vold, the event’s moderator, underscored the challenge of building safe AI systems in an uncertain world (photo by Duane Cole)

Moderator, Karina Vold, assistant professor in the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, noted that because AI systems operate “in a world filled with uncertainty and volatility, the challenge of building safe and reliable AI is not easy and mitigation strategies vary widely.”

She proceeded to ask the panel to share their thoughts on the portrayal of AI in popular culture.

“The media devotes more attention to different aspects of AI – the social, philosophical, maybe even psychological,” said Sedef Kocak, director of AI professional development at the Vector Institute.

“These narratives are important to help show the potential fears, as well as the positive potential of the technology.”

The discussion touched on several topics related to AI safety (photo by Duane Cole)

Roger Grosse, associate professor in 91��Ƶ’s department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and a founding member of the Vector Institute, said that safety concerns around AI are not merely rooted in science and pop culture, but also in philosophy.

“Many people think that the public’s concerns regarding AI risks come from sci-fi, but I think the early reasoning regarding AI risks actually has its roots in philosophy,” said Grosse, who also holds Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society.

“If we’re trying to reason about AI systems that don’t yet exist, we don’t have the empirical information, and don’t yet know what their design would be, what we can do is come up with various thought experiments. For example, what if we designed an AI that has some specific role, and all of the actions that it takes are in service of the role?

“For the last decade, a lot of the reasons for being concerned about the long-term existential risks really came from this careful philosophical reasoning.”

The discussion also touched on the dangers of AI models misaligning themselves, how to guard against bias in the training of large language models, and how to ensure that AI models with potentially catastrophic capabilities are safeguarded.

“This [safeguarding] is an area where new research ideas and principles will be required to make the case,” said Grosse. “Developers saying, ‘Trust us’ is not sufficient. It’s not a good foundation for policy.”

Despite addressing topics surrounding potential harms and risks of AI, the panelists also shared their optimism about how AI can be wielded for the greater good – with Grosse noting AI offers the promise of making knowledge more widely accessible, and Kocak focusing on the myriad benefits for industries.

Watch the Sept. 10 conversation below:

‘Think against yourself’: Panel discussion on civil discourse draws students to 91��Ƶ’s Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 17:38:08 +0000

‘Think against yourself’: Panel discussion on civil discourse draws students to 91��Ƶ’s Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/24/2024 - 13:38

Cutline

Students ask questions during a recent panel discussion about civil discourse on university campuses that was hosted by Professor Randy Boyagoda (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Chris Sorensen

Topic

Our Community

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

English

Faculty of Arts & Science

Hart House

Religion

Undergraduate Students

Vic One

Victoria College

Hugh Considine got a crash course in discussing polarizing topics almost immediately upon arriving at the 91��Ƶ.

The second-year student studies religion in the Faculty of Arts & Science – a subject, he says, that can be about as controversial as it gets.

“People have an unimaginable amount of investment in it,” says Considine, 19, a member of Innis College. “Depending on who you ask, it’s literally your soul at hand – the ultimate thing that could be risked.”

He credits his professors for creating an environment where students feel unafraid to speak their minds, encouraging them to comment, ask questions and generally “poke and prod” one another so we “would actually think about what’s being said.”

It’s a microcosm of what campus life is supposed to be all about: a diverse group of people coming together to expand their worldviews through study, debate and discovery – and it’s a message that was reinforced during a recent event for Victoria College students in the Vic One program.

The hour-long panel discussion, held at Hart House on Sept. 18, focused on the critical role of civil discourse on university campuses. It brought together two high-profile 91��Ƶ academics and authors – Ian Williams of the department of English and Janice Stein of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy – and New York Timescolumnist Pamela Paul.

The first in a series of planned events and initiatives on the topic, the talk was moderated by Professor Randy Boyagoda, the university’s provostial adviser on civil discourse and chair of its Working Group on Civil Discourse, and is part of a broader effort to strengthen the culture of civil discourse on campus. That includes cultivating dialogue across different points of view and the discussion of challenging subjects.

Hundreds attended the event at Hart House, including Hugh Considine at bottom right (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The discussion, which drew about 150 attendees, touched on everything from today’s increasingly polarized political and cultural environment to the risks faced by universities – and society at large – if open discussion and debate of difficult topics are frowned upon or crowded out.

Not surprisingly, the panel members each had a unique take on the nature of the threat and what should be done about it.

Paul, for example, said she was especially concerned about a culture of self-censorship, saying she opted to become an opinion writer after years editing the New York Times Book Review upon recognizing the bulk of discussion about politics and culture was taking place only at extreme ends of the spectrum.

“What you had was this growing vacuum in the middle where nuance and complexity lived and no one was speaking up,” she said.

Stein, however, said that not all forms of self-censorship are necessarily undesirable, noting that she refrains from vocalizing thoughts she deems unnecessarily rude.

“When we’re in a learning community together, we have to say things in a way that people can hear,” said Stein, the Munk School’s founding director and University Professor and Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the department of political science. She added that what matters is why we self-censor – do we do it out of fear or out of consideration for others?

Williams, a professor of English and author who has published acclaimed books of poetry, essays and works of fiction, warned against viewing debate as simply an opportunity to persuade someone else of your views.

“The more interesting way of having these conversations [is not to] focus on converting a person to a team, but saying, ‘Here’s how my ideas have changed over time.’”

There were several other takeaways for the largely student audience, which included several first-years.

Paraphrasing French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, Boyagoda, a writer, professor of English and vice-dean, undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts & Science, urged students to “think against yourself ” by creating their own counterarguments as an intellectual exercise. Similarly, Paul spoke about the value of engaging with those who don’t share your opinions.

Stein and Williams also emphasized the 91��Ƶ community’s shared responsibility to create an environment where people can ask questions and test out ideas. And if you find yourself amongst people who refuse to grant that space? “Just take that conversation elsewhere, rather than burying it or self-censoring it,” Williams said.

Following the talk, students asked questions about the “paradox of tolerance,” or the idea that creating a tolerant society requires being intolerant of intolerance, and how to cope with the repercussions of being ostracized for expressing an unpopular view, among other things.

Considine, one of four undergraduate student members of the civil discourse working group, said he was pleased to see so many students engaging with the topic.

“That’s something that, as one of the student representatives – and as the youngest student representative – I'm very conscious about.”

Geoscientists confirm 'dripping' of Earth’s crust beneath Türkiye's Central Anatolian Plateau

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 10:35:54 +0000

Geoscientists confirm 'dripping' of Earth’s crust beneath Türkiye's Central Anatolian Plateau

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 09/18/2024 - 06:35

Cutline

Earth scientists have identified active sinking at the Konya Basin in Türkiye due to the dripping of lithospheric material beneath the planet’s surface over millions of years (photo by temizyurek/Getty Images)

Sean Bettam

Topic

Breaking Research

Earth Sciences

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Research & Innovation

Recent satellite data reveal that the Konya Basin in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Türkiye is continually being reshaped over millions of years, according to a new analysis led by Earth scientists at the 91��Ƶ.

The researchers say experimental simulations – combined with geological, geophysical and geodetic data – explain the enigmatic sinking of the basin within the rising plateau interior and further suggests a new class of plate tectonics that has implications for other planets that do not have Earth-like plates such as Mars and Venus.

The study, published in Nature Communications, shows the sinking in the region is due to multi-stage lithospheric dripping – a phenomenon named for the instability of rocky material that makes up Earth’s crust and upper mantle. As dense rock fragments beneath the surface detach and sink into the more fluid layer of the planet’s mantle, major landforms such as basins and mountainous folding of the crust form at the surface.

“Looking at the satellite data, we observed a circular feature at the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding or the basin is deepening,” says lead author Julia Andersen, a PhD candidate in 91��Ƶ’s department of Earth sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“This prompted us to look at other geophysical data beneath the surface where we saw a seismic anomaly in the upper mantle and a thickened crust, telling us there is high-density material there and indicating a likely mantle lithospheric drip.”

Artist’s impression of the multi-stage lithospheric dripping process in Central Anatolia (illustration by Nevena Niagolova)

The results echo a similar investigation by the researchers into the formation of the Arizaro Basin in the Andes Mountains of South America, suggesting the phenomenon can occur anywhere on the planet and explains tectonic processes typically found within mountain plateau regions.

Past studies show the Central Anatolian Plateau has risen by as much as one kilometre over the past 10 million years because of the lithospheric dripping phenomenon.

“As the lithosphere thickened and dripped below the region, it formed a basin at the surface that later sprang up when the weight below broke off and sank into the deeper depths of the mantle,” says Russell Pysklywec, a professor in the department of Earth sciences and a co-author of the study.

“We now see the process is not a one-time tectonic event and that the initial drip seems to have spawned subsequent daughter events elsewhere in the region, resulting in the curious rapid subsidence of the Konya Basin within the continuously rising plateau of Türkiye.”

Andersen adds that the new findings suggest a connection between plateau uplift and basin formation events through the evolution of primary and secondary lithospheric removal. “Essentially, subsidence is occurring alongside the ongoing uplifting of the plateau.”

Andersen and study co-authors, including colleagues at Istanbul Technical University and Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in Türkiye, arrived at their findings after recreating the dripping process in laboratory experiments and analyzing their observations.

They built laboratory analogue models to establish how the process may have unfolded based on the data provided by the new measurements, filling a plexiglass tank with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) – a silicone polymer fluid approximately 1,000 times thicker than table syrup – to serve as Earth’s fluid lower mantle, adding a mixture of PDMS and modelling clay to replicate the upper-most solid section of the mantle, finishing with a sand-like layer on top made from ceramic and silica spheres to serve as Earth’s crust.

Artist’s impression of two types of lithospheric drip: one produces thickening and uplift of Earth’s crust, while the other results in the formation of a basin at the surface without horizontal deformation (illustration by Julia Andersen/91��Ƶ)

The researchers activated the model by inserting a high-density seed into the PDMS and modelling clay layer to initiate a drip that was subsequently pulled downward by gravity. A set of cameras were positioned above and beside the tank to record any changes over time, capturing a high-resolution image roughly every minute.

“Within 10 hours, we observed an initial phase of dripping, which we call a primary drip. After that primary drip touched the bottom of the box, we saw a second drip had begun to sink to the bottom after 50 hours,” says Andersen. “Both the primary and secondary drip were not causing any horizontal deformation in our artificial crust, which we expect is typically associated with a mantle lithospheric drip.”

The researchers already knew that the primary drip had caused changes in surface topography of the experiment, and wanted to know if the secondary drip would have any effect on the surface since it was a smaller sized drip than the primary drip. “What we noticed was that over time, this secondary drip did pull the crust downward and started to create a basin, despite no horizontal movements in the crust at the surface,” Andersen says. “The findings show these major tectonic events are linked, with one lithospheric drip potentially triggering a host of further activity deep in the planetary interior.”

Researchers' lab technique could speed forensic analysis in sexual assault cases

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:43:28 +0000

Researchers' lab technique could speed forensic analysis in sexual assault cases

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/17/2024 - 10:43

Cutline

(photo by Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

Chris Sasaki

Topic

Breaking Research

Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research

Chemistry

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

91��Ƶ Mississauga

A team of researchers has developed a new approach to analyzing DNA evidence in sexual assault cases – one that could reduce lengthy delays in the processing of evidence.

While there are almost half a million sexual assaults in Canada every year, many more go unreported because victims are reluctant to come forward.

One of the reasons cited by victims is that analysis of forensic evidence is too slow.

Mohamed Elsayed (supplied image)

“For this research, we read reports and surveys that asked victims why they weren’t reporting assaults,” says the study’s lead author Mohamed Elsayed, who worked on the project as part of his PhD in biomedical engineering at the 91��Ƶ. “And the most common answer was that they didn't have confidence in the justice system – and that lack of confidence was partly because of how long the process takes.”

Elsayed, now a post-doctoral researcher in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science, co-authored the study with, among others, Leticia Bodo, a master’s student in the department of chemistry, and Aaron Wheeler, a professor in the department of chemistry, the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies, a 91��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative.

All three researchers are also affiliated with the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.

Processing forensic evidence in sexual assault cases is a technical, multi-step process that involves collecting DNA evidence and sending it to a well-equipped forensic laboratory for analysis by a skilled technician. Once there, the sample is first processed to isolate the assailant’s DNA from the victim’s so the assailant’s DNA can then be analyzed and used to identify a suspect.

The entire process can take days, weeks or longer. Most of that time is taken up with transporting the evidence to the lab, where its analysis can be further delayed depending on how many other cases are being investigated.

To speed things up, researchers focused on the first step: separating two individuals’ DNA from a single sample. At present, this is usually done manually by trained and experienced experts.

Elsayed and his collaborators, by contrast, developed a process called ’differential digestion” using digital microfluidics that helped simplify the overall process and reduce the number of manual steps needed to isolate the assailant’s DNA from 13 to five. “Also, because micro-fluidic processes tend to be faster, we expect that one of the eventual benefits will be shortening the overall time needed,” says Elsayed.

What’s more, the new approach could lead to a mobile solution that no longer requires a lab. For example, testing could be done at a hospital, circumventing the lab’s queue.

The new technique, described in a paper published in the journal Advanced Science, is compatible with the technology known as Rapid DNA analysis that is already in use for the second step of identifying an individual from their DNA. The study’s authors, which included researchers from 91��Ƶ Mississauga’s forensic science program, say the long-term goal is to integrate the two technologies to make the process even more streamlined.

While there remain several challenges to deploying the new technique, Elsayed says he is confident they can be overcome and has turned his efforts toward making it widely accessible and commercially viable.

“Our plan is to develop an instrument that will do in five minutes what currently takes 45,” says Elsayed. “And to run many more samples than previously. Once we do that, the next step would be to introduce the technology to forensic labs and hospitals.

“It will take years, but the potential is very exciting.”

The research was supported by the ANDE Corporation and NSERC Alliance Society.

"I’m grateful to NSERC for having the foresight to establish the ‘Alliance Society’ program which has a mission to ‘address a societal challenge that will result in new natural sciences and engineering knowledge and societal impact,” Wheeler says.

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Forensic Science

Stay connected, find community: International student shares tips from her guide to studying in Canada

davidlee — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:29:23 +0000

Stay connected, find community: International student shares tips from her guide to studying in Canada

davidlee Mon, 09/09/2024 - 11:29

Cutline

Ngọc Anh Thư (Tina) Huỳnh, a 91��Ƶ Pearson scholar from Vietnam, wrote a Vietnamese-language guide for international students studying in Canada (supplied image)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Global Lens

Back to School 2024

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship

Rotman Commerce

St. Michael's College

Subheadline

“That's the great thing about being an international student in Canada ... Everyone is friendly. You can just reach out to anyone for help”

Unlike many first-year international students at the 91��Ƶ, Ngọc Anh Thư (Tina) Huỳnh already has plenty of experience living and studying in Canada – and the inevitable cultural shock that can come along with it.

She even wrote a book on it.

A Vietnamese student who has been attending school in Ontario since Grade 8, Huỳnh has cultivated the cultural fluency, study habits and – it must be said – winter survival tactics needed to thrive in Canadian classrooms.

After writing a guide for other Vietnamese students, she’s been helping her fellow Lester B. Pearson International Scholars adjust to life in Canada by sharing tips in a group chat on everything from what to pack to navigating the airport.

“It kind of reminds me of when I first came to Canada, because I had the same feeling – I was really nervous,” says Huỳnh, who is studying at Rotman Commerce in the Faculty of Arts & Science as a member of St. Michael’s College.

Born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Huỳnh moved to Canada at age 13, starting her studies in Windsor, Ont. with a Vietnamese host family and later continuing her education at a school in nearby London, where she lived in residence.

Far away from her family and the familiarity of home, Huỳnh says she had to learn how to be independent. But she soon discovered that connecting with others eased the transition.

“What I found helpful was to find a community,” she says. “It could be a group of friends – maybe from your old country, or just someone you meet [here] ... You need someone by your side.”

She also discovered that Canadians were eager to make newcomers feel at home.

“That's the great thing about being an international student in Canada,” says Huỳnh. “Everyone is friendly. You can just reach out to anyone for help.”

A polyglot with fluency in Mandarin, Korean, Spanish and French in addition to Vietnamese and English, Huỳnh says she is quick to pick up new languages, but it still took her a while to get the hang of Canadian slang. For example, she recalls scratching her head when a Tim Hortons cashier threw around strange words like “loonie” and “toonie.”

“I was actually really confident with my English. But then it was destroyed because … communication styles were so different,” she says, encouraging international students to not be deterred by initial language barriers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, Huỳnh responded by building international connections through business. She founded an online venture to retail Korean merchandise to customers in the United States and Canada, which later expanded to serve more than 10 countries globally.

“It was really hard to purchase face masks or any medical supplies, so I thought of starting my business as a way to earn profits to support people during that time.”

The experience, while challenging, proved rewarding, with Huỳnh eventually donating a portion of her earnings to those in need.

In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Huỳnh began to consider how her journey could benefit others. With a deep love for writing, she drew on her notebooks to organize her thoughts on navigating culture shock, adapting to new learning environments and finding community.

Huỳnh’s insights formed the basis of her published book: Cẩm Nang Du Học Canada (A Complete Guide to Studying in Canada).

“I figured it may be a good idea to share all of my knowledge and understanding from my experience with high school students and their parents who are looking for this information.”

Huỳnh founded an online venture to sell Korean merchandise to customers in the U.S. and Canada, which later expanded to serve more than 10 countries (supplied image)

As a Pearson Scholar, Huỳnh is now hoping to build more connections and share her experiences as part of a global community of future leaders.

“I've already connected with a lot of amazing people – a lot of amazing students, alumni, even professors,” Huỳnh says. “The Pearson community is so supportive.”

Here are some of Huỳnh’s tips for international students arriving in Canada:

Stay connected to home: “Stay connected with your family and friends, because maybe you don't notice how much you miss them when they're right next to you. But when you're away from them – especially like for me, half the Earth away – it's really nice to talk to your parents, talk to your siblings, your friends, and just share your life.”
Find comfort in food: “For homesickness, one of the most healing ways, at least for me, is through food. And I think for Toronto, at least, I don't think people have to worry too much about having difficulties finding restaurants for their own culture.”
Dress smart for winter: “My advice would be to stick to thermal clothing – those are just very thin and cling close to your body. When I tell people about that, they’re surprised because thermal clothes are so thin compared to puffy layers of jackets. But trust me, they’ll keep you warmer."\
Take notes in class: “I know that in a lot of countries, especially Asian countries, people are probably used to teachers outlining everything. But it’s different in Canada … Professors can go really fast in lectures, so scribbling some notes – even if you have ugly handwriting – is a great way to learn and revise for exams.”
Embrace Canadian culture: “If you’re walking on the street, and a stranger says, ‘Hi’ – don’t freak out. They’re just being nice!”

Get That Hope: Alumna and former 91��Ƶ Mississauga instructor premières latest work at Stratford Festival

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 15:27:55 +0000

Get That Hope: Alumna and former 91��Ƶ Mississauga instructor premières latest work at Stratford Festival

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 08/29/2024 - 11:27

Cutline

Andrea Scott says she wrote her latest play, Get That Hope, after seeing Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, asking herself, “Why don’t we have plays like this about Black Canadian families?” (photo by Helen Tansey)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Humanities

Theatre

91��Ƶ Mississauga

Subheadline

Andrea Scott's play tells the story of a Toronto family in the lead-up to a Jamaica Independence Day celebration

Andrea Scott has never forgotten the moment when her dreams of becoming a writer were quashed.

It was during a Grade 9 English class.

“I remember proclaiming something I felt was very literary and my English teacher shot me down so quickly,” says the 91��Ƶ Mississauga alumna and former instructor at 91��Ƶ Mississauga. “It killed my desire to be a writer and I’ve never forgotten her.”

The death of Scott’s writing ambitions would prove to be premature. She just wrapped up a contract writing for Disney and recently her play Get That Hope, which tells the story of a family in the lead-up to a Jamaica Independence Day celebration, made its debut at the Stratford Festival.

Scott’s journey to becoming an award-winning playwright and screenwriter began when she temporarily gave up on writing in high school, and turned her attention to the stage. She received an honours bachelor of arts degree in theatre and drama studies through 91��Ƶ Mississauga’s joint program with Sheridan College, with a minor in English.

She later earned a master’s degree in drama through 91��Ƶ’s School of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Arts & Science. 

She recalls being “an annoying theatre kid” at 91��Ƶ Mississauga, but says she had many professors who encouraged her and gave her a well-rounded theatre education.

“It is good to have a three-dimensional education regarding the ‘why’ of certain stories and the historical context,” Scott says. “I have a lot of those books still on my shelf because they inform how I write.”

Following graduation, she pursued an acting career in Toronto. As she auditioned for TV shows, she noticed a theme: Black characters often supported the protagonist – who was usually white – and didn’t have robust stories of their own.

When she auditioned for the role of a grieving mother who had lost her son to gun violence, she turned her attention back to writing.

“I was like, ‘Yeah ... I could write better than this,’” Scott says.

She wrote her first play, Damaged, a one-woman show that debuted at b current’s rock.paper.sistahz festival. Her second play, Eating Pomegranates Naked, was included in the SummerWorks Performance Festival.

It was a turning point for Scott.

“There were people lining up to see the play who did not know me and had never heard of me, and that felt very validating,” she says, adding that the play also earned her the RBC Arts Professional Award. “That was the moment where I realized, ‘Maybe I could do this.’”

Scott continued to achieve success with her plays, including Better Angels: A Parable, Don't Talk to Me Like I'm Your Wife (produced by her production company, Call Me Scotty Productions) and the award-winning Controlled Damage. She also taught playwriting to undergraduate students in 91��Ƶ Mississauga’s department of English and drama.

In 2020, Scott worked in the writers’ room on the CBC/BET production The Porter. Following that, she worked on Murdoch Mysteries for three seasons and wrote four episodes.

“Murdoch Mysteries was a huge achievement for me,” Scott says. “I never assumed that I would ever get a job quite like that.”

Scott recently wrote for the upcoming Disney series High Potential, which stars Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) with Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas as showrunner.

“The first time that I got to walk into the Disney lot, it just did not seem real,” she says. “It was a dream come true.”

On Aug. 10, Scott made her Stratford debut with the world première of Get That Hope. She says she was inspired to write the play after seeing Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

“All I kept thinking was, ‘Why don’t we have plays like this about Black Canadian families?’” she says.

Scott is working on a new play called Truthfully Jackie about Jackie Robinson’s time playing for the Montreal Royals in 1946.

While she has seen success throughout her career, Scott says she has also faced challenges – including not being taken seriously enough.

“I’m a woman, I’m a Black woman, and I’m really tiny – like five feet tall. But I have this voice, and I try to use it to make sure people take me seriously,” she says, adding that her advice for budding writers is to not take criticism to heart.

“Reacting emotionally to something that was maybe constructive criticism won’t help you,” Scott says. “Also, write and write and write – and don’t close off any kind of source material that you can be inspired by. You never know where it might come from.”

Get That Hope runs until Sept. 28 in the Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre.

Food for thought: First-year student campaigned for more nutritious, affordable meals in Niagara schools

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:29:41 +0000

Food for thought: First-year student campaigned for more nutritious, affordable meals in Niagara schools

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 08/28/2024 - 10:29

Cutline

Julianna Marcel, who graduated from Greater Fort Erie Secondary School in Fort Erie, Ont., will be studying at Rotman Commerce this fall (photo courtesy of Julianna Marcel)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Back to School 2024

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman Commerce

Rotman School of Management

Undergraduate Students

Victoria College

Subheadline

As a high school student and Niagara Region school board trustee, Julianna Marcel led a successful effort to overhaul school cafeteria meals and secure funding for culinary education

Julianna Marcel was in Grade 10 when a teacher pulled her out of science class and asked if she’d be interested in joining the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN)’s student trustee senate.

“I said yes, despite not knowing what it was,” says Marcel of the group that serves as a bridge between the school board and student body.

It would prove to be a fateful decision for both Marcel and the school board.

Later elected to one of three student positions on the DSBN’s board of trustees, Marcel went on to lead a successful campaign to overhaul school cafeteria menus to make them more nutritious and affordable. The effort also helped secure funding for culinary education.

“It ended up being one of the most transformative experiences of my life, connecting me deeply with both the student body and the educational community," Marcel says.

Marcel, who will begin a bachelor of commerce degree at the 91��Ƶ this fall, decided to act when a survey revealed a significant demand for healthier, more affordable meal options.

“Students expressed concerns about the high cost and low quality of their food, which I found unacceptable,” she says. “I recognized the need for change and saw an opportunity to advocate for healthier food in schools while better supporting our students.”

As she attended Greater Fort Erie Secondary School in Fort Erie, Ont., Marcel educated herself on food services policy and finance and carried out research on the impact of nutrition on academic performance and student success.

With her adviser’s encouragement, Marcel shared her findings in a letter to the president of DSBN’s food service provider. A series of meetings followed and, ultimately, a revamp of cafeteria menus.

Next, Marcel turned her attention to campaigning for more resources for culinary education. This led to the DSBN allocating $500,000 in its 2023-24 budget to expand culinary education.

Marcel's contributions were recognized with an Ontario Public Student Trustee Leadership Scholarship, jointly awarded by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Public Board Council of OSTA-AECO. The award citation noted that her work benefited some 37,500 students.

She's keen to highlight that the positive outcomes were the result of collective effort.

“I wouldn’t say that these changes are my accomplishments. They are a testament to what we can achieve when we listen to and involve students in decision-making processes,” she says.

The advocacy work led by Marcel benefited more than 37,000 students (photo courtesy of Julianna Marcel)

In addition to her trustee responsibilities and keeping up her grades, Marcel also made sure to carefully consider her post-secondary options. She participated in the 91��Ƶ Faculty of Law’s youth summer programs in 2022 and 2023 – experiences that she says inspired her long-term ambition to attend law school at 91��Ƶ and become a technology and corporate lawyer.

She says she is drawn to 91��Ƶ’s vast array of resources and supports – and the diversity of its community.

“When I was picking between schools, I really did a deep delve into my top few choices and the 91��Ƶ has the most academic, extracurricular and career supports of any school that I researched,” says Marcel, who will pursue a specialist in finance and economics at Rotman Commerce as member of Victoria College.

“Coming to Toronto, I’m so excited to get to know everyone, learn more about the people and communities around me and meet so many international students.”

She intends to use her undergraduate years to enrich her understanding of how economics can be used to address societal problems.

“I’m drawn to economics because it offers a powerful framework for analyzing the challenges we face in society,” Marcel says. “Whether it’s understanding the causes of economic inequality or exploring the impacts of globalization or designing policies for sustainable growth, I believe economics provides the tools to critically access and influence the world around us.”

Marcel also plans to make time for her many hobbies while at university: she plays five musical instruments, enjoys soccer and basketball, and loves writing.

She hopes to start a tutoring business that engages 91��Ƶ students in assisting high school and elementary learners, and wants to get involved in student groups at Rotman Commerce – particularly the Law Association, FinTech Association and Women in Business group.

"My ultimate goal is to support my community in every way that I can – not just in my first year but throughout my life," she says.

Canada Post stamp honours the late Norman Jewison, one of the country's most celebrated filmmakers

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 13:00:56 +0000

Canada Post stamp honours the late Norman Jewison, one of the country's most celebrated filmmakers

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 08/27/2024 - 09:00

Cutline

(source photo by Peter Bregg for HELLO! Canada)

Joe Howell

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

A 91��Ƶ alumnus, Jewison served as chancellor of Victoria University in the 91��Ƶ from 2004 to 2010

Canada Post recently honoured acclaimed Canadian filmmaker – and 91��Ƶ alumnus – Norman Jewison with the recent release of a commemorative stamp.

Jewison, who died in January at age 97, was one of Victoria College’s most distinguished graduates. He was nominated for best director three times at the Academy Awards: for In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Moonstruck (1987).

He also served as chancellor of Victoria University in the 91��Ƶ from 2004 to 2010, with the Jewison stream of Vic One, the award-winning first-year program at Victoria College, named in his honour.

“As Canadian as maple syrup, as Canadian as a Prairie sunset, and now we have as Canadian as Norman Jewison on a stamp – which may be the winning entry,” said comedian Rick Mercer during an unveiling event on July 24.

The event was hosted by the hosted at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), which was established by Jewison in 1988 and serves as an incubator for Canadian film talent.

Mercer, who was joined at the launch by director and 91��Ƶ alumnus David Cronenberg, later told CBC News that Jewison was a “class act” who “believed in young people.”

Cronenberg, meanwhile, told the audience that, “When saying goodbye, [Jewison] would always say ‘stay strong,’ because he knew how much strength you needed to do what we did.”

Paul Gooch, a professor emeritus of philosophy who was president of Victoria University during Jewison’s time as chancellor, was among the attendees at the unveiling.

“It was quite joyful because Norman was such a wonderful guy and people wanted to tell stories about his life,” said Gooch. “All of the speakers referred to the fact that he was a storyteller and didn’t want to preach, despite being very concerned about social justice issues.

“He was great on human follies and the prejudices that we have.”

Gooch recalled Jewison’s remarkable support of young people. “As chancellor, he loved to interact with the students,” said Gooch. “He had something he did occasionally called ‘chat with the chanc,’ where he would have a group of students over to his place on Gloucester Lane and just sit around talking.”

Professor Emerita Pauline Thompson and Professor Emeritus Paul Gooch (supplied image)

Jewison is the fourth Victoria College graduate to be recognized with a stamp by Canada’s postal service in recent years, joining Margaret Atwood, Northrop Frye and Donald Sutherland. He was closely involved with the stamp’s creation and personally chose the image, which was taken at the CFC in 2007 by Peter Bregg for HELLO! Canada.

“After the photo appeared in Hello!, Norm called me up and asked if he could use it elsewhere,” said Bregg. “I said, ‘Yes,’ with pleasure. For three or four years after that he’d send me a litre of maple syrup from his farm as a thank you, which I found quite sweet, no pun intended. I’ve seen the photo everywhere since then.”

“Because the launch event was held at the CFC, the post office had the idea to let people recreate the original photo,” added Bregg. “You got a five-by-seven-inch print of yourself in Norm’s seat taken from the same angle.”

Jewison’s commemorative stamp is now available online and at Canada Post locations across the country.

PhD researcher draws on refugee experience to study plight of asylum-seekers in Canada

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 16:08:31 +0000

PhD researcher draws on refugee experience to study plight of asylum-seekers in Canada

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 08/14/2024 - 12:08

Cutline

Jona Zyfi, a doctoral candidate at the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, is using a human rights lens to explore the links between technology and migration (supplied image)

Cynthia Macdonald

Topic

Our Community

Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Graduate Students

Subheadline

"We’re using criminal justice mechanisms to deal with what should be an administrative process"

Jona Zyfi’s life has so far been an “adventurous story” full of fear, hope, resilience and relief.

At age seven, Zyfi was smuggled into Australia under a false name as a child refugee claimant. At 16, after a forced return to her native Albania, she emigrated to Canada carrying only a suitcase and teddy bear.

Now a PhD candidate at the 91��Ƶ’s Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, Zyfi is examining how public policy shapes the plight of asylum seekers and migrants in Canada. Her work is shedding valuable light on some of the little-known – and sometimes shocking – injustices faced by refugee claimants in a country widely thought to be among the most welcoming and multicultural in the world.

“The work that I do is very much informed by my lived experiences,” she says. “It’s where I find the strength to do it.”

Why is Zyfi examining the refugee experience through the lens of criminology and not political science?

“Lots of people have asked me that,” she says. “Even I had moments when I’d wonder, ‘Am I in the right department?’ But the deeper I go into my research, the more confirmation I get that I am doing the right thing.”

This is due to the phenomenon of “crimmigration,” a term that’s used to describe how refugee claimants are often subjected to processes normally associated with the criminal justice system.

“Immigration is an administrative field, while the criminal justice system is a lot more heavy-handed,” Zyfi explains. “And yet, we’re using criminal justice mechanisms to deal with what should be an administrative process. That doesn’t make sense.”

In some ways, she says, Canada’s approach to refugees is a good news story.

In the last decade, for example, the country has welcomed more than 40,000 Syrian refugees, and has been in the vanguard of acceptance for those fleeing persecution on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

But there is darker side, too. Many Canadians are unaware that children can be held in detention with or without their parents and that adult asylum seekers who can’t be accommodated in holding centres have been detained in provincial jails alongside those serving criminal sentences.

Canada is also one of the few countries in the Global North where there is no legal limit on detention, meaning that claimants can spend years in jails or holding centres before their cases are heard.

“They rarely get access to legal aid and many of them can’t speak the language,” Zyfi says. “So they don’t even understand what’s happening. They’re unaware of their rights and terrified of being deported.”

Zyfi says she is particularly interested in the role technology plays in immigration and asylum processes and application assessment procedures. In an effort to reduce dependence on migrant detention, some asylum seekers are now granted temporary freedom but monitored in ways that are highly controversial.

These methods include the use of electronic ankle monitors as well as voice reporting via cellphone – both of which can fail if batteries or cell reception run out. Facial recognition software is also gaining in popularity.

But even a small technical mistake, Zyfi argues, can place a claimant’s life in danger. “There’s this idea that technology is going to solve all our problems,” says Zyfi. “It’s going to make faster decisions, better decisions. The decisions are faster, but that doesn’t always mean that they are better.”

Zyfi’s concern about the rights of asylum seekers is born from her own experiences.

Born shortly after the fall of communism in Albania, her early life was spent amid the anarchy and civil insurrection that followed the collapse of the country’s economy. “We had to hide under the tables, because bullets could fly through at any minute,” she recalls. “One flew through our balcony window. The arms depots were open; anybody could get bullets, a grocery bag full of grenades, whatever they could find. It was a free-for-all.”

Using a false name, Zyfi made her way to Australia with her mother and sister via a human smuggling network. But the family was expelled from Australia in 2005 when Albania was deemed to be a safe country of origin. “I remember my mother packing up our entire life in a shipping container,” she says.

Four years later, Zyfi came to Canada and two years ago, after a lengthy series of applications and various immigration statuses, she was finally granted citizenship.

Now, she is firmly committed to making life better for other migrants and refugees, including by giving them a bigger say in decisions that affect them. In policymaking, “our stories are not being incorporated in a meaningful way,” she says. “To me, that is the saddest part.”

The groundswell of private support for Syrian refugees – Zyfi herself was an enthusiastic sponsor – shows that caring for survivors of global crisis is a Canadian value. But she says that civil society alone cannot provide the support needed, and the government can do more – not only for immigrants deemed to be economically desirable, but for those whose lives are in jeopardy.

“Historically, immigration has been key to the Canadian economy. It has also been a fundamental tenet of nation-building and multiculturalism,” Zyfi says. “But we are doing the bare minimum. We have the capacity to do so much more.”

91��Ƶ urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:57:57 +0000

91��Ƶ urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 08/12/2024 - 15:57

Cutline

Clouds of smoke billow into the air as forest fires burn in the Northwest Territories in 2015, leaving trees damaged and charred (photo by Sherry Galey via Getty Images)

Cynthia Macdonald

Topic

Our Community

School of Cities

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geography and Planning

Graduate Students

Innis College

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Subheadline

As part of a graduate seminar, students and professors visited Yellowknife to study the city's 2023 wildfire evacuation with an eye to informing future policy recommendations

Wildfires such as the one that devastated Jasper, Alta., in July are becoming ever more common in Canada due to increased record-high temperatures and drought conditions associated with climate change.

One year ago, it was Yellowknife that found itself under threat, forcing a near-complete evacuation of its 20,000 residents. Unlike Jasper, Yellowknife's homes and businesses were ultimately saved from destruction, but the Northwest Territories capital is nevertheless reviewing its wildfire response plans so it will be better prepared in the future.

And the city is receiving valuable assistance from the 91��Ƶ.

Professors and graduate students from the urban studies program at Innis College recently visited the city to research disaster response policies and make suggestions on possible improvements.

“We ended up designing a course that provided a retrospective on the evacuation experience as it related to government officials and the non-profit sector,” says David Roberts, an associate professor, teaching stream, in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science and director of the urban studies program.

“The students are now working on projects that will provide policy recommendations for the future.”

The view over Yellowknife’s Old Town (supplied image)

This seminar, which was also taught by Assistant Professor Aditi Mehta, is one of several Multidisciplinary Urban Graduate Seminars (MUGS) being offered by 91��Ƶ’s School of Cities.

Roberts and Mehta created the class in consultation with Rebecca Alty, Yellowknife’s mayor and a visiting expert, or Canadian Urban Leader, at the School of Cities.

Mehta says that the seminar’s multidisciplinary nature was key to crafting a well-rounded response to the crisis.

“We were very deliberate in picking students from different disciplines so that we could create knowledge and think about what happened from different perspectives,” she says, adding that students who successfully applied came from backgrounds including geography and planning, forestry, anthropology, landscape architecture and public health.

The seminar’s participants pose for a group photo at the Bush Pilot’s Monument in Yellowknife (supplied image)

The 10 graduate students visited sites and interviewed government officials, community organizations, residents and Indigenous leaders. They explored how to build improved communication infrastructure in the city and investigated the connections between a local housing crisis and climate change.

They also studied how Indigenous Peoples, including members of the Dene Nation living in Yellowknife, suffer disproportionate harms due to wildfire. Research shows that while 12 per cent of the entire Canadian population is at risk, that number rises to 32 per cent for on-reserve First Nations communities.

Léo Jourdan, who is completing his master of science degree in forestry at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, says the seminar provided him with an opportunity to examine wildfire science from a different angle.

“The research we do in our lab has to do with wildfires, but from a scientific point of view – in the sense that we try to answer ecological questions about the origins of these fires. So this class was a great opportunity to broaden my perspective and learn more about the human side of wildfires, and I think it did an amazing job.”

Jourdan explains that most wildfires are a natural – and necessary – phenomenon. “A lot of the forest in Canada co-evolved with fires, and their ecosystems would not function without them,” he says. “The issue we’re facing now, however, is that the wildfires are getting more intense and the communities closer.”

The seminar group enjoyed the city’s culinary and cultural offerings (supplied image)

For Lilian Dart, the course offered an opportunity to explore her twin interests in environmental justice and housing policy.

“One of the focuses was to look at how people experiencing homelessness were evacuated,” says Dart, a PhD student in the department of geography and planning.

She notes that in the wake of the wildfire evacuation, a team from professional services firm KPMG conducted an audit that revealed significant holes in the system that allowed vulnerable populations to fall through.

“People without housing, for example, did not have social safety supports that other people did,“ she says. “They also had comorbidities that affected their health, making them even more vulnerable.”

Dart’s final assignment for the course is a policy paper that examines this issue. “My recommendations are mostly to do with how the municipality can better support service organizations in their collaboration with one another. How can resources be co-ordinated? And how can people work together to ensure a more organized response?”

Jourdan, for his part, is proposing that Yellowknife adopt the principles of FireSmart, a national program that leads the development of programs and resources to help Canadians increase their resilience to wildfires.

Mehta says Yellowknife’s mayor provided the group from 91��Ƶ with some recommendations of her own. “She gave an important critique of planning education in our country, noting that people rarely study the problems that cities in northern Canada are facing,” Mehta says. “Instead, we are overly focused on big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.”

Roberts says that the policy recommendations written by Dart, Jourdan and the other students will be offered “not just to the mayor, but to everyone else we talked to – those working in the non-profit field and at the territorial level, as well as those who work with the Dene.

“We’re now thinking about other ways of presenting this information, such as returning to Yellowknife to ensure that the dialogue we’ve started is able to continue.”

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Canada Post stamp honours the late Norman Jewison, one of the country's most celebrated filmmakers

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91����Ƶ urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North

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Get That Hope: Alumna and former 91��Ƶ Mississauga instructor premières latest work at Stratford Festival

91��Ƶ urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North