The enthusiastic voices of A&S students and their supporters filled the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus on March 10 during the Arts & Science Brighter Futures exhibition. The event is a new celebration of donors and volunteers who champion the faculty and a showcase of the incredible talent and ingenuity of students who benefit from their support.
More than 100 guests explored 14 exhibits and interacted with nearly two dozen students eager to share their research. Guests were invited to operate an AI-powered robot designed to accelerate the discovery of lifesaving drugs and pluck microplastics from a petri dish to reveal new evidence about aquatic plastic pollution.
“Mentors I met through U of T helped me translate the classwork into real-life applications, setting me up for success after graduation,” says Lihi Gal-Ezer, an international student from Costa Rica. She says receiving an Arts & Science scholarship made university accessible — not just an aspiration.
Gal-Ezer is among the second-year computer science students behind PitchSafe, a web-based application that uses machine learning to monitor baseball players’ health and predict their risk of injury. The team, including Japleen Kaur, Napasorn Kao-ian, Abhinn Kaushik and Derek Yu, helped build the app through the Focus in Technology Leadership stream, a program that pairs students with industry partners.
PhD candidate and co-founder of Heliconia Interactive, Ferne Kotlyar, asks: what if your phone could help you study instead of distracting you? She invited guests to scan a QR code and step into an augmented reality world where games created by her start-up help students thrive in the classroom.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship’s Venture Mentoring Service connected Kotlyar with business experts and co-working spaces. “U of T really helps you grow your ideas and thrive,” Kotlyar says.
A few steps away, PhD candidate Martin Austin helped Interim Dean Stephen Wright trade his suit jacket for motion-capture gear, enabling a digital figure to mirror his movements on a screen. Austin’s research at the BMO Lab in the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies explores how Western-centric motion-capture technology has long failed to represent the full spectrum of human movement, from the precision of classical ballet to the “pops and articulations” of Afro-diasporic dance.
“It’s crucial to think about our research in an interdisciplinary way,” says Austin. “Art is really the foundation for us to advance a better scientific understanding of the way the body moves.”
Demonstrating the academic breadth of Arts & Science, other exhibits ranged from an exploration of how spotted salamander populations reveal the health of an ecosystem to an examination of the illustrated endpapers of a 1937 book of woodcut prints by Jewish-American printmaker Todros Geller, on loan from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
The evening was also an opportunity to thank donors and volunteers for all that they do for the Faculty of Arts & Science.
“Your generosity is essential to our mission, creating transformative opportunities for students to conduct their own research and gain mentorship from world-class faculty members,” said Dean Wright in his remarks.
“Tonight is a rare moment when we can share the brilliance of A&S students with our broader community of supporters.”
Throughout the evening, guests shared what inspires them to give back.
Alum and donor Shanley Lee grew up in Toronto, the son of Chinese immigrants who reinforced the importance of education. They inspired him to earn his bachelor of commerce degree in 1981 and become a successful entrepreneur. Lee has since committed to endowing several scholarships at University College in memory of his parents, Bing and Jane Lee.
“I want to reward scholarship and leadership by building a community,” says Lee, who hosts annual dinners with recipients, asking them to share their favourite courses and readings. “I want them to exchange ideas and make connections.”
Another donor and alum, Brian Sambourne, graduated in 1978 with a bachelor of education degree and went on to teach history and English at Toronto high schools for 37 years. He’s since bequeathed a legacy gift to University College.
“My dad was a caretaker, and my mom worked in factories, so it was tough for them to send a kid to university, but they were pleased to help with my education,” Sambourne says. “They gave me an opportunity for a better life, and that’s why I want to make a difference in young people’s lives now.”
“Being here tonight reminds me how much I loved my years at U of T; they were so enriching for me.”
Interested in creating transformative opportunities for students at U of T? Explore giving opportunities at Arts & Science.