Read Dean Woodin’s remarks from the April 19, 2023, A&S Council meeting where she highlighted just some of the accomplishments of the A&S community in 2022–23.
Good morning Arts & Science,
Thank you for joining us for the final Faculty Council meeting of the academic year.
As with most things when they come to an end, we find ourselves in a reflective mood — and the end of this academic year is no different.
Over the course of the last few weeks, as days have grown longer and warmer, I’ve found myself strolling across campus and connecting with students, staff and faculty, reminiscing about the year that’s been. These have been heartwarming and inspiring conversations, which I wish we all could have had together — but in place of that, I’ll share with you some of the highlights for me over the course of the last year.
And let me start with our students — who never cease to amaze me with their energy, intellect, curiosity, generosity and kindness. And, I should add — their skill.
A big shout-out to third-year student and Varsity Blues goaltender, Jett Alexander, who was recently called to play in the last minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Montreal Canadiens. Jett, who is studying English and environmental science, serves as an emergency back-up goalie for the NHL and has also been called to play for the Colorado Avalanche.
Apparently, he was planning to study that evening, but found himself winning a game against the Habs — which just goes to show that you never know what life has in store for you around the corner.
I want to thank Jett for helping with our recruitment strategy. I think we have a new tagline to entice high school students, “come to U of T, study in A&S and play for the NHL”! Who says we don’t have anything fun to do on a Saturday night?
Now, staying on the theme of studying in A&S, let me tell you about an incredible group of innovative computer science graduate students — Ilya Musabirov, Mohi Reza, Pan Chen and Harsh Kumar, who are developing a platform to improve students’ learning experiences. Together, they are part of the Adaptive Experimentation Accelerator team, led by Joseph Jay Williams in the Department of Computer Science.
They have developed infrastructure that supports both traditional and adaptive experiments in online instructional settings, which perhaps some of our current students may see coming to them in a future course.
For this collaborative work, they have been named one of the three finalists in the XPRIZE Digital Learning Challenge.
The winner is expected to be announced any day now so please join me in wishing them the best of luck. I’m sure these students have their fingers crossed because the grand prize is US$500,000.
Speaking of student learning experiences, just a week or so ago, I was reminded of what it is like to be a student, when I traded places with second-year student Chelsea Wang — thanks to ASSU’s Dean for a Day fundraiser in support of U of T food banks.
Chelsea is majoring in international relations, is president of the East Asian Studies Students’ Union, and is a mentor to incoming Victoria College students. She’s also a U of T tour guide.
And I really hope I didn’t get her fired for the tours I led during our swap.
For her part, Chelsea participated in some of my meetings and gave very thoughtful insights about the student experience to senior leaders. So, Chelsea, you may want to consider a career in academia as a Deanship may be in your future.
My thanks also to ASSU for organizing this event. They raised close to $4,000 for this very important cause — we all know that food insecurity is sadly a very real concern for many in our community and the donations received were greatly appreciated.
I also want to thank ASSU and all student volunteers, including those that serve on this committee, for their leadership. I am deeply grateful for your advice and guidance, which serves to improve the student experience.
Of course, it’s not only our students that are so inspiring, they are following in the footsteps of our inspiring faculty.
Congratulations to Professor Ron Deibert of the Citizen Lab, who was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his groundbreaking contributions to cybersecurity around the globe. You may be familiar with Professor Deibert’s research through the frequent high profile media reports on how his interdisciplinary research team in the Munk School has uncovered highly targeted cyberattacks from state-sponsored spyware. As a direct result, Apple worked with Professor Deibert to launch Lockdown Mode, an “extreme” privacy feature built to block mercenary spyware.
And kudos also to Professor Chelsea Rochman of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and co-founder of the U of T Trash Team, who was recognized with a Minister’s Award of Excellence for her research into plastic pollution that is at the forefront of efforts to protect our environment. If you’ve strolled along the Harbourfront you may have come across one of her student trash teams that track garbage and other pollutants in Lake Ontario, including “fatbergs”, which are floating, rock-like masses formed of fat, grease and trash like wet wipes and diapers. Professor Rochman's trash team researchers found more than 100 of these "fatbergs" along the docks of the Toronto Harbour last year. Luckily they have deployed Seabins, which are cylindrical containers mounted to the side of a dock, that suck in all of the gross surface gunk — everything from larger items to oil and gas spills, and even microplastics.
Of course, when our students transition to becoming Alum, they continue to astound us with their success. This year, Toronto Life named several A&S alum on its list of the top 50 most influential Torontonians, including acclaimed writer Margaret Atwood who earned her bachelor’s degree in English language and literature in 1961.
Margaret was joined by a more recent alum, Mattea Roach, who is a Jeopardy whiz and host of The Backbench. Roach completed her bachelor's degree in sexual diversity studies, political science and women and gender studies in 2020.
And finally, the exceptional Tanya Talaga. Well-known for her books Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations, Talaga earned her bachelor’s degree in history, political science and English in 1993.
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about these incredible A&S colleagues and students.
As I complete my fourth year as dean, I continue to be inspired by everyone I have the privilege to meet and work with here.
Supporting you is my number one priority. Our Faculty is playing a significant role in the University’s Defy Gravity campaign — the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian history. Staff and faculty have stepped up in big ways during the faculty-staff campaign, and our alumni continue to give time and financial support for scholarships, research, and important projects to improve and enhance our infrastructure and the experience for students.
This timeless support is a testament to how much people believe in the value of universities and the vital contributions they make to build and maintain healthy societies.
In just a few weeks, we will celebrate the next cohort of graduates, applaud their tremendous efforts, and wish them well as they go out into the world to make their mark and carry forward all that they have learned and imagined here.
I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all members of the Arts & Science community, and to you, the Arts & Science Faculty Council — for a terrific year.
I wish you all a wonderful summer.
Thank you,
Dean Woodin
Melanie A. Woodin
Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science
Professor, Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
Related Items
Recently, Dean Woodin congratulated the A&S community on another successful academic year and wished students well on their exams:
Relevant Links
- U of T community members recognized with the Order of Canada
- U of T community members recognized with Minister’s Awards of Excellence
- U of T computer scientists' MOOClet framework helps personalize and improve online learning experiences
- Varsity Blues goalie Jett Alexander makes his NHL debut: Toronto Star
- Arts & Science student becomes ‘Dean for a Day’ after winning ASSU raffle
- Five A&S faculty and alumni featured on Toronto Life's '50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2022' list
Read previous dean's messages and stories featuring Professor Melanie Woodin.