Research

Parsing Valentine's Day

Author: 
Jessica Shapiro
Picture: 
Close-up of a red rose

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

Geoffrey Chaucer may have been the first to link romance to St. Valentine’s Day, in 1382’s Parlement of Foules, but hundreds of years later the day instantly evokes images of pink and red hearts, cards, chocolates and flowers.

What does it all mean? U of T News asks University of Toronto experts.

Posted Monday, February 11, 2013

From nanoparticles to aquatic ecosystems

Sub-title: 
Multidisciplinary research projects at U of T
Author: 
Paul Fraumeni
Picture: 
photo of Omer Gulder

The Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded U of T researchers a total of $7.3 million through its Strategic Network Grants (SNG) and Strategic Project Grants (SPG) programs. 

Posted Friday, February 8, 2013

Who are you going to call before you dig?

Sub-title: 
Summer research opportunities for students
Author: 
Sean Bettam
Picture: 
photos of students in Crete

When Carl Knappett embarked on a multi-year quest to unearth a Minoan palace at Palaikastro on the Mediterranean island Crete, he enlisted students in the Department of Earth Sciences to help him figure out where to dig.

Posted Friday, February 8, 2013

Our furry, scampering common ancestor

Sub-title: 
UTSC researcher helps build new tree of life
Author: 
Kurt Kleiner
Picture: 
photo illustration of the common ancestor

A massive international research collaboration says the common ancestor of placental mammals - a group that includes humans - was a scampering, insect-eating creature that appeared after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Posted Thursday, February 7, 2013

Wearable computing and augmented reality: conference

Sub-title: 
Coming to U of T in June
Author: 
Terry Lavender
Picture: 
photo of Steve Mann

Internet-connected eyeglasses and similar technologies will soon be on the market, but their benefits and dangers are little understood.

University of Toronto Engineering Professor Steve Mann hopes to change that at a groundbreaking conference at U of T in June 2013.

Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Even toddlers tell untruths

Author: 
Brianna Goldberg
Picture: 
photo of Pinnochio

Why and when young children lie are just some of the insights into human development found in new studies from U of T's Kang Lee - research that's grabbing headlines around the world.

Posted Monday, February 4, 2013

U of T students making history at Large Hadron Collider

Sub-title: 
Hunting dark matter, subatomic particles
Author: 
Jenny Hall
Picture: 
photo of Hass AbouZeid and Steve Schramm

Hass AbouZeid is starting to think about how to make something out of nothing.

The physics graduate student is close to the end of his PhD and is finishing a stint at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, where he’s been hunting a “heavy Higgs boson”—but more on that later.

What does he do if he doesn’t find anything? Does he still get a PhD?

Posted Friday, February 1, 2013

Investing in mutual funds? Beware broker fees, study says

Author: 
Ken McGuffin
Picture: 
photo of Wall Street's statue of bull

Brokers are supposed to recommend investments that are in the best interests of their clients.

But a new study from University of Toronto professor Susan Christoffersen sheds light on which is more important to a broker: the performance of the fund or the fee it pays the broker?

The study, published in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Finance, found that mutual funds offering higher broker fees attract the most investments, especially when the broker is not affiliated with the mutual fund company.

Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Connaught Fund injects more than $1 million into U of T research

Sub-title: 
Committee announces winners of innovation, summer institute awards
Author: 
Jenny Hall
Picture: 
photo of Professor Carolyn Cummins

The Connaught Fund, the University of Toronto’s premier internal funding program, has announced the results of its Innovation Awards and Summer Institute Awards, investing more than $1 million in projects that span the disciplines.

One of the Innovation Award winners is Professor Carolyn Cummins of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, who received $100,000 for her work developing a new drug to prevent the side effects associated with the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice turns 200

Sub-title: 
Professor Deidre Lynch discusses the book's enduring popularity
Author: 
Jenny Hall
Picture: 
wikimedia commons image of Jane Austen

January 28th marks the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s novel of class, family, love and marriage. The tale of Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters consistently tops lists of the world’s best-loved books. Writer Jenny Hall spoke to Deidre Lynch, Chancellor Jackman Professor in the Department of English, about the story’s amazing staying power.

Posted Friday, January 25, 2013
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