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President’s MessageThe Topography of InnovationAre Canadians ready to compete inthe new knowledge economy?PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURA ARSIÈTHESE ARE SUNNY DAYS IN CANADA. OUR DOLLAR IS AT PARITYwith the American greenback, our economy is strong and ourinclusive society draws talented immigrants from around theworld. But clouds are appearing on the horizon. Recently, theConference Board of Canada ranked Canada’s performance ininnovation a lowly 14 th out of 17 comparator countries in theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD). Our rate of private-sector investment in research anddevelopment has been declining since 2001. The latest datashow that Canada files patents at just 58 per cent of theOECD average rate.We also fare poorly on comparisons of how we prepare ourcitizens for the global knowledge economy. Although Canadiansare more likely than citizens of other OECD countries toattend community college, we are strikingly less likely to attendgraduate school. Twenty years ago, Canadian universitiesreceived $2,000 per student more from governments than theirAmerican peers. Today, they receive, on average, $5,000 less. Inpublications per professor, one measure of research productivity,Canada ranks fourth in the OECD, ahead of the U.S. andJapan. But among individual North American institutions, HarvardUniversity still leads the way by a big margin; California’spublic universities – UCLA, UC Berkeley – also fare very well.How do the Californians do it? By deliberately and strategicallyconcentrating graduate education at the 10 University ofCalifornia campuses. Professors at these institutions have won50 Nobel prizes – 18 since 1995. Canada, in contrast, exportsmany potential Nobel Prize winners and sometimes importswinners from elsewhere, but rarely grows and keeps its ownNobel laureates. The last three were U of T’s John Polanyi in1986, UBC’s Michael Smith in 1993 and, in 1994, BertramBrockhouse – a scientist affiliated with McMaster University.There are no quick fixes for our current malaise, but five policyshifts might boost our innovation capacity. First, governmentsshould fund basic research more generously. From lasersto Teflon, countless economically important advances have piggybackedon basic research. And in regions where Nobel Prizewinners congregate in great universities, knowledge-basedindustries flourish in a wonderfully synergistic relationship.Second, governments need to simplify the mandates ofresearch agencies. Today’s research agencies – especially ourthree national granting councils – are too often asked to promotecommercialization or oversee networks with industry.These expansive mandatesdilute scarce resources anddistract top talent.Third, Canadians areefficient at turning dollarsinto research but inefficientat turning researchinto dollars. Commercializationis not the enemy of fundamental research; nor is theconverse true. However, it is wrong-headed to insist thatgranting councils and research agencies constantly look downstreamto the marketplace when their sights are justifiably setupstream on knowledge generation. Instead, we need dedicatedcommercialization agencies and infrastructure.Fourth, Canada’s research universities actually lose money withmost grants their professors receive. With each grant, the institutiontakes on new costs for maintaining labs, heating and lightingbuildings and providing support services to researchers. That’swhy the British government pays an extra 48 cents per dollar ofgrant payment, while American coverage averages 60 cents onthe dollar. In Canada, federal grants cover these critical costs at arate that is inversely proportional to the total research activity atan institution. Think of it as Orwell without the irony.Finally, we urgently need more master’s and PhD graduatesto spur growth in our knowledge-based industries. But we can’tachieve the necessary expansion in graduate education withouta serious rethinking of how we organize and fund our institutionsof higher education. Canada needs graduate-intensiveuniversities with the research resources to compete internationally.At the same time we need well-funded undergraduateintensiveuniversities educating a talented global citizenry.Other jurisdictions such as California have long since recognizedthat distinct institutions perform these roles best.Everyone knows that India and China are rising fast. ButEuropeans, too, are forging new economic and educationalalliances with each other. And our giant neighbour to thesouth will almost certainly reinvent itself to remain a globalforce. Canada cannot simply do more – or less – of the samein this changing context. We must embrace the spiky topographyof excellence and innovation if future generations ofCanadians are to thrive.Sincerely,DAVID NAYLOR6 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

EXPLORE THE WORLDD E T A C HUNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ALUMNI TRAVEL PROGRAM 2008We are pleased to introduce our exciting tours for 2008. Each year, about 400 Uof T alumni and friends explore the cultures andhistory of great communities around the world. Join us as we take in the wonders of the Dalmatian Coast, cruise the Baltic Sea, andclimb the Great Wall of China.Prices quoted are in Canadian dollars, per person and based on double occupancy. Dates and prices are subject to change. Individual tourbrochures are available approximately 4 - 6 months prior to departure. To request a brochure, please call 416-978-2367 or 1-800-463-6048or e-mail alumnitravel@utoronto.ca or visit us online at www.alumnitravel.utoronto.ca or mail this coupon to: University of TorontoAlumni Travel, 21 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 3J3Name: _______________________________________________________________ Grad Year: ____________________Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________Province: __________________ Postal Code: ______________________ Tel: __________________________________E-mail: _______________________________________ Alumni ID number ___________________________________Please send me additional information about individual trips: Yes No Please check off the trips for which you would like to receive information:printed on mailing address of U of T MagazineGreat JourneysSOLD OUTApril 20 - 28 SOLD OUTWaterways of Holland& BelgiumFrom $2545 + airJune 23 - July 1Alpine Mountains & Lakes(Germany to Liechtenstein)$2795 + airSept 23 - Oct 1Island Life in AncientGreece & TurkeyFrom $3395 + airApril 23 – May 1Cruising the CanaryIslandsFrom $2620 + airJune 25 - July 3Alumni College in Italy’sMountains & Lakes$2745 + airSept 23 – Oct 1Village Life along theDalmatian CoastFrom $3195 + airSOLD OUTApril 29 - May 12 SOLD OUTAlumni College inUkraineFrom $2195 + airJuly 2 -1 0Alumni College in theSwiss Alps (Switzerland)$2745 + airOct 12 - Nov 2China Splendour$8899 including airApril 30 – May 8Voyage of the WesternMediterraneanFrom $3025 + airAugust 3 - 11Cruise the Baltic Sea(Sweden to Denmark)From $3345 US + airOct 14 - 25Alumni College in Italy(Sorrento & Orvieto)$3145 + airMay 9 - 17Saxony Cruise(Germany, Czech Republic)From $2995 + airAug 31 - Sept 12Passage of Peter theGreat (Russia)From $2945 + airNov 16 - 30South India$9899 including airMay 13 - 20Ireland Escapade$1650 + airMay 23 - 31Village Life along theSeine River (France)From $3630 + airSept 2 - 11Alumni College in theFrench Riviera (France)$2945 + airSept 9 - 25Cruise the Face ofEurope (Holland to Hungary)From $4895 + airGreat CauseOct 2 - 14, 2009Building an AlumniSchool in Kenya$4775 + airMay 30 - June 12Romance of the BlueDanube (Germany to Romania)From $4345 + airSept 22 - 30Dublin in an IrishCastle (Ireland)From $2845 + air

L ettersRaising HopesAre Aricept and other Alzheimer’s drugs being oversold?My spouse, a U of T alumnus, is afflictedwith Alzheimer’s and, until recently, resistedtaking the drug Aricept. So I wasinterested to read in “Untangling Alzheimer’s”(Winter 2008) that Ariceptreduces the symptoms of Alzheimer’s butdoes not halt or slow its progression. Ideplore the fact that doctors encouragepatients to take this drug, thus givingthem false hope. I have worked in thehealth-care field for 30 years and havewitnessed the dreadful effects drugs canhave on patients. I understand the purposeof research in the health-care fieldand applaud its progress in controllingthe ill effects of so many diseases. Whatbothers me is that drug research is fundedmostly by multinational pharmaceuticalcompanies. Although I don’t believe thisaffects the outcome of the research, I dothink it taints the information that’sreleased to the population at large,including medical practitioners.Gisele BrettSaint-Sauveur, QuebecFUTURE RISKTO LOCAL ACCESSPresident David Naylor states in hiscolumn in the winter issue (“GTAOverload?”) that students from theGTA account for almost 75 per cent ofU of T’s undergraduate enrolment, andthat demand for a university educationin Ontario is expected to rise dramatically.I was appalled to read that U of Tis considering an enrolment strategythat will favour students who can affordto live on campus.Even middle-income families struggleto meet rising tuition costs. My childrenwill not be able to afford to live on campus.U of T’s policy should focus onincreasing capacity to support commutingstudents, which is a way of life in theGTA. If accessibility to education declines,U of T will not remain a top university.Please reconsider U of T’s futureundergraduate enrolment policy.Deborah Ellen Wildish (née Boyko)MA 1995Mississauga, OntarioWHERE ARE THE WOMEN?The winter issue included articles onRichard Florida, the new director of theLloyd and Delphine Martin ProsperityInstitute, and David Palmer, the university’snew chief advancement officer.While the magazine is not responsiblefor these appointments, it is a lensthrough which alumni view U of T. Andwhat a vision we behold: the consistentappointment of men to leadership positions,which your magazine has highlightedin this issue and others.The University of Toronto’s 2006employment equity report, availableonline at www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca,shows that the university is making aconcerted effort to hire more femaleprofessors across all faculties. However,it is clear from U of T Magazine articlesand the employment equity report thatwomen are not reflected equitably inleadership positions. In 2006, womenheld 32 per cent of academic leadershippositions at the university, comparedwith 25 per cent a year earlier. Thoughthe university is certainly heading in theright direction, it has a long way to go.Perhaps the next time the magazine coversleadership appointments, it willtackle the absence of women head-on.Tamara MasseyBEd 2000TorontoA MODEL GRADThank you for your recent feature onDr. Samantha Nutt’s life and work(“Witness to War,” Autumn 2007). Sheis the kind of role model women of mygeneration rarely see in the media but sodesperately need.Andrea NusseyBA 1998Toronto8 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

NOT JUST HIGGSIn “God’s Laboratory” (Winter 2008),Dan Falk repeats an error that has circulatedsince the discovery of the BEH(Brout, Englert, Higgs) mechanism in1964. It is sometimes referred to as theHiggs mechanism, but recently the BEHterminology has gained in use amongthe cognoscenti.An article by François Englert and I,published in Physical Review Letters in1964, preceded Higgs’ contribution bythree months. These two foundingpapers are complementary in their theoreticalformulations and both should beread by people who are interested in thesubject. The only substantial difference isthat our work was more general, both inits applicability and in the presentationof an alternative mechanism calleddynamical breakdown of symmetry, aswell as the more frequently cited scalarfield mechanism.It is unfortunate that mistaken historicalreferences still appear in popular articleson the subject. A review for ascientific, but not expert, readership iscontained in a chapter of Facts and Mysteriesin Elementary Particle Physics(World Scientific Publishers, 2002), byMartinus Veltman. In that book, portraitsof the three authors of the BEHmechanism are printed side by side. In2004, we were awarded the Wolf Prizein Physics.Robert BroutVisiting Professor, Perimeter Institute,University of WaterlooWaterloo, OntarioHEROESI was intrigued to see the letters concerningKenneth Macalister and FrankPickersgill in response to the article“Behind Enemy Lines” (Autumn2007). Readers will be interested toknow that I am publishing A GloriousMission: The Secret Wars of Ken Macalisterand Frank Pickersgill in fall 2008under my imprint at HarperCollinsCanada. Their remarkable story is toldin full for the first time by the awardwinninghistorian Jonathan Vance andwill add to our appreciation of thesetwo young heroes. Every time I pass theSoldiers’ Tower I think of them.Phyllis BruceMA 1967TorontoFLATTERY, OR KINDNESS?In Conrad McCallum’s item on theemergence of flattery in children(Leading Edge, Winter 2008), two reasons– both self-serving – are cited forwhy a child flatters an artist. Couldthere be a third reason: the child isbeing kind and does not want to hurtthe artist’s feelings?Nina Truscott (née Elensky)BA 1964 UCBurlington, Ontariothe Faculty Cluboffers all members and their guestsan elegant space for special events,meetings, conferences, receptions& weddings.thefacultyCLUBEnjoy fine dining in the WedgwoodDining Room or the Oak andBeaver Pub. Relax in front of thefirepace in the Main Lounge orFairley Lounge while admiringoriginal Group of Seven paintings.Member’s benefits to this exclusive, private club arereciprocal privileges with more than 100 other clubs inNorth America, England, and China also discounts onmany local businesses. We welcome everyone.Join the Club! Low alumni rate!For more information, please call 416 978 6325or visit www.utoronto.ca/facultyclub/WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 9

Rock StarChemist André Arsenault finds an intriguing use for artificial opalsFor André Arsenault, opals couldturn out to be very precious gemsindeed. Arsenault, a recent PhDgraduate of the University of Toronto’sdepartment of chemistry, is the founderof Opalux – a company he started tocommercialize his doctoral research intothese “photonic crystals,” as chemistsknow them.Although artificial opals are similar tothe naturally occurring gems, Arsenaultfound that it is possible to stimulate theartificial kind electrically to changetheir colour. By integrating them into alayer of millions of tiny silica spheres,Arsenault was able to manipulate themto produce the entire light spectrum,including ultraviolet and infrared. Onceyou can do that, says Arsenault, it’s possibleto arrange artificial opals into a displaysimilar to the liquid-crystal screensfound in millions of laptops and televisions.“It wouldn’t be too different, interms of construction,” he says.Unlike LCD screens, which require abright backlight and a series of tinted filtersto produce colour, artificial opals areinherently coloured. This means that thedisplay would only require power whenthe image is changed. The rest of thetime, it would be stable – just like ink onpaper. The applications for such aninvention run the spectrum from novelanti-counterfeiting technologies, tohigh-resolution digital paper, to billboardadvertisements that could changetheir message in less than a second.Arsenault says such products arestill years away, although Opalux islikely to have a basic version of thetechnology on the market in the nextyear or so. At the moment, photoniccrystal displays don’t react quicklyenough to display full motion video,limiting their use to static displays suchas posters and signs. But the researchcontinues, and these limitations willlikely be solved in the future.Roger MartinArsenault is not the only one whobelieves he’s on to something big; lastfall, he won first place in the InnovationChallenge Awards, a prize givenout by the Natural Sciences and EngineeringCouncil of Canada for identifyingcommercial applications for graduateresearch. Opal appears to be onerock that’s on a roll. – Graham F. ScottWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 11PHOTOGRAPHY: NEIL PRIME COOTE

www.affinity.utoronto.caYOURPrograms and services that support YOUR University of Toronto- Home and Auto Insurance- Life Insurance- U of T MasterCard ®- U of T Travel Program- Investment ServicesThis year over 64,000 alumnisupported the University ofToronto through their use ofU of T Affinity Services.Great products and servicesavailable exclusively forU of T alumni.Your PrivacyThe University of Toronto respects your privacy. From time to time we contact the alumni community to provide details aboutour affinity programs. We utilize a third party mailing or telephone service to ensure that all personal data is kept confidential.We do not rent, trade or sell our mailing lists. If you prefer not to receive information regarding the university's affinityprograms, you can call 1-800-463-6048 or contact us at 21 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3J3 - attn alumni records- with a note indicating "no affinity mailings". Or simply send an email to address.update@utoronto.ca indicating "no affinitymailing" in the subject line. Please be sure to include you name and address so that we can properly process your request.www.affinity.utoronto.ca

LeadingEdgeThe Lives of OttersHigh levels of mercury and lead in fish may not be good for them – or usOtters are well known for their playful nature, but new researchsuggests the amphibious mammals may bear grim news aboutwidespread pollution. U of T surgery and physiology professorCarin Wittnich and Michael Belanger, a staff member in the departmentof surgery and president of the Oceanographic EnvironmentalResearch Society, are investigating the level of toxic pollutants in otters– after earlier studies showed alarming levels of mercury and lead in fishpopulations. Otters, which survive on a diet of fish, may provideimportant clues about the spread of these pollutants, and how theymight affect humans. “Our data has shown that, instead of getting better,the levels of heavy metals and other contaminants are actually goingup,” says Wittnich. “There’s obviously cause for concern.” The lastmajor study of this type was done in 1979. – Graham F. ScottMagic TouchA computer you can really grab on toA Fad WorthRevisitingWhen Apple introduced theiPhone last year, the product’snew touch-screen technologywas heralded as a major innovation.Unlike other hand-held devices,the iPhone has no tiny keys to type ormeddlesome screens to scroll through.Users simply tap, pinch or swipe a fingeron the phone’s touch-sensitive screen.To Daniel Wigdor, a PhD studentinvolved in the computer science department’sDynamics Graphics Project,however, the iPhone’s technology isn’t allthat new. Wigdor and others have beenresearching touch-screen computer interfacesfor years. Now, he and his collaboratorshave helped develop a semitransparent,two-sided device that allowsusers to type on a virtual keyboard withall 10 fingers instead of just one, cropand resize photos and perform othertasks. Because the unit is partially transparent,it avoids what Wigdor calls the“fat-finger problem,” which affects touchscreengadgets such as the iPhone. Inthese devices, the on-screen item beingtouched disappears behind the user’s finger.Wigdor’s unit allows users to viewtheir fingers in shadow, as if seeing themthrough an opaque screen. Small dots,called touch cursors, hover over the fingersto indicate the point on the screenthat the user is about to select.Wigdor and his collaborators atMitsubishi Electric Research Labs andMicrosoft Research have created a usableprototype, but the technology – whichthey dubbed LucidTouch – is not yetready for public consumption. Thedevice relies on an attached webcam torelay images from the other side, andWigdor hopes to fix this problem byembedding sensors in the unit. He’s notsure when the invention will becomewidely available. “The question iswhether there’s a company interested inbringing it to market,” he says.– Tim JohnsonAdding Salba, a variant of the grainthat sprouts from the popularChia Pet, to a healthy diet mayreduce the risk of heart disease in peoplewith Type 2 diabetes. A new long-termstudy by Vladimir Vuksan, a professor inthe department of medicine and nutritionalsciences, has shown that Salba canlower elevated blood pressure andreduce blood-clot formation in peoplewith well-controlled Type 2 diabetes.Growing scientific evidence suggests thatwhole grains such as Salba, a rich sourceof dietary fibre and omega-3 fatty acids,helps prevent diabetes and heart disease.WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 13PHOTOGRAPHY: CHIA PET® IMAGE USED COURTESY JOSEPH ENTERPRISES, INC.

ew& NotableNR ECENT DEVELOPMENTS ON CAMPUSThe Sustainable ChefJaco Lokker brings local flavour to student menusPHOTOGRAPHY: COREY MIHAILIUKSO,not all experiments workout. For a local foodstheme night at 89 ChestnutResidence cafeteria, Chef JacoLokker tried to feature Ontario beef orcanned tomatoes in every course. Alas,his attempt at tomato basil ice cream fordessert didn’t make the menu. “Youreally need fresh tomatoes for that,”he admits.That the good chef even tried tomake ice cream from scratch – andsuch an exotic one at that – says muchabout the delicious developments atU of T since it has committed to buyingsome local foods. On this chillyJanuary evening, Lokker’s dining roomis a tasty slice of Tuscany – or is thatOntario? – with students indulging inrich tomato bisque, pasta and homemadepizza, all using canned tomatoesfrom Kerr Farms in nearby Chatham.For the meat eaters, there are heartybeef burgers and a succulent braised potroast – and a farmer on hand to explainthat the beef was raised humanely onsmall farms and without growth hormonesor antibiotics.Previous theme nights have featuredorganic dairy and Ontario apples – theapple flambé over ice cream was a hugehit. And Lokker, a towering man resplendentin chef’s whites, practicallygets giddy about the summer, when hecan buy local fresh produce to can andmake vinaigrettes and sauces for theupcoming school year.For Lokker, serving local food hasbecome a passion, if not a mission. InSeptember 2006, the University ofToronto partnered with Local FoodPlus (LFP), a network of certified Ontario-basedfarmers and processors who14 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008grow and sell food produced accordingto sustainable methods that are goodfor the environment and give farmers afair wage. According to Lokker, themethods, certified by independentinspectors, also result in tastier, morenutritious food. “You start with greatingredients that are healthier for thestudents,” says Lokker, who points outthat LFP farmers growing produceminimize the use of synthetic pesticides.“We know the farmers have donetheir part in producing food in a waythat’s safe and humane and contributes

to the environment. These are responsiblefarmers and we’re doing theresponsible thing by supporting them.”But U of T’s first year of partnershipwith local farms was a struggle. Withtoo few LFP farmers providing too littleproduce, students were hard pressed tosee a difference in campus cafeterias.With U of T’s commitment, along withseveral Toronto restaurants and a fewretailers, some 40 to 50 farmers havejoined LFP and the program can nowoffer a greater variety of fresh produce,dairy and meats. Lokker estimates thatabout 15 to 20 per cent of the food inhis kitchen is LFP-certified and hehopes to push that to 40 per cent in thecoming years.Recently, the chef also became directorof food services for the St. Georgecampus. The role involves championingimprovements at the cafeterias, andLokker’s major project has been promotingLFP and healthy eating options.“It’s taken off like wild fire,” he says.Now 10 of 12 cafeterias are servingLFP foods in some format – whether ina fresh-fruit fridge or salad bar or atcatered events.Students are a finicky lot when itcomes to food, but at tonight’s themenight, there aren’t the usual complaints.As students navigate trays betweenbuild-your-own salad, pasta and stirfrystations, they take note of displaysabout the local foods being served.Cheapest wholesome bite on campus:The $5 local, seasonal and usually organichot vegan lunch at Hot Yam café in theInternational Student Centre on Thursdays,12-2 p.m.How to meet a farmer:Watch for the Uof T farmers’ market duringthe spring and summer at Uof T’s foodand beverage website www.food-beverage.utoronto.ca.Some stop to chat to Stefan Oellingerof Kerr Farms. He answers questionsabout farming, shows pictures on hislaptop of ripe tomato fields and cattlegrazing on lush pasture land. His laststop was Morrison Hall at UniversityCollege. “Students are really interestedin agriculture,” he says. “This is anopportunity to talk to a farmer right inthe city.”While students are concerned withreducing their carbon footprint andsupporting local farmers, they careabout the taste and quality of the foodfirst, according to Chris Melnick-MacDonald, a third-year student andresidence-council representative. “Studentsare talking about this. The qualityis exceptional. The food is really cleantastingand flavourful.”Lokker stands by the informationtable, beaming. “This is the best job I’vehad in my life,” he says. “I’m working inan environment where people want todo the responsible thing. I’m workingwith youth. They’re at a point whenthey get to decide what they’ll eat, howthey will live their life. If we can influencethem to eat well, to eat responsibly,we’re able to touch students for the restof their lives.”Margaret Webb (BA 1985 UC) is theauthor of Apples to Oysters: A FoodLover’s Tour of Canadian Farms(Penguin) to be released on April 12.Uof T’s Local Food NetworkWhere to taste local flavours:89 Chestnut Residence; New College; UniversityCollege;Hart House catering;RobartsLibrary; Medical Sciences Building; SidneySmith Hall; Sandford Fleming Building; OISEand Gerstein Science Information Centre.A talk series with bite:Food for Talk, a monthly series about foodissues, www.utoronto.ca/cuhi/seminars/foodfortalk.html.– M.W.Awardingoutstandingnative studentsCandace Brunette and AlexandraSmith recently won thePresident’s Award for outstandingnative students of the year.The award isbased on academic achievement and contributionsto the native community. Brunette(BA 2007 WOODS), this year’s undergraduatewinner,is now pursuing an MA in educationat OISE.She is also an emerging playwrightand poet,and has presented her playOld Truck at Native Earth’s WeesageechakFestival in Toronto.Smith,a third-year medicalstudent,is this year’s graduate recipient.She is creator and co-director of the IndigenousPeoples’ Health Initiative, and hasbeen co-chair of the U of T student groupDiversity in Medicine.Professor Emeritus Joseph Schatzkerof surgery has been named to the Order ofCanada, this country’s highest honour forlifetime achievement. Schatzker, who hasbeen named a member, is an expert intrauma and fracture management. Six professorshave been named Order of Ontariorecipients:Richard Bond,a University Professorin astronomy and astrophysics; TakMak, a University Professor in biomedicalphysics and immunology; Janice GrossStein,a University Professor in political scienceand director of the Munk Centre forInternational Studies; Roderick McInnesof molecular genetics;Frances Shepherdof medicine;and Paul Walfish,a professoremeritus of medicine.Two U of T scientists have received KillamResearch Fellowships,Canada’s most distinguishedresearch award.Professors ElizabethEdwards and Molly Shoichet, bothin the department of chemical engineeringand applied chemistry, were two of 10researchers chosen for the award. Edwards’research has looked at how microbes breakdown solvents such as dry-cleaning anddegreasing agents. Shoichet is breaking newground in tissue engineering research.WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 15

New&NotableCheckmate!The Hart House Chess Club makes some strategic movesat the Pan American tournamentWalter Chan (left) andStuart Brammall in Hart HousePHOTOGRAPHY: NEIL PRIME COOTEHart House Reading Roomone blustery January afternoon,INtheStuart Brammall and WalterChan are making plans for war. The secretaryand treasurer, respectively, of theHart House Chess Club sit at a worncard table ordering their plastic troopsacross a dog-eared paper chessboard thatreads “Scarborough Chess Club 1960.”Chan moves his chess pieces with aflourish, slapping them on the boardwithout caring whether they’re centred;Brammall’s moves are slower and moredeliberate. “This is one of the oldestclubs at Uof T,” says Chan, who’s in hisfinal year of chemistry, “and it’s definitelythe highest profile chess club at aCanadian university.”It is also one of the most successful:one Hart House team (which includedChan) took the top international spot atthe Pan American Intercollegiate ChessTournament in Miami in December;the club’s second team (which includedBrammall) came in third.Meeting from 4 to 10 p.m. every16 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008Friday, the club attracts around 20 playersa week. But on tournament nights,like this one, more show up to competefor prizes and, more importantly, braggingrights. Though chess clubs have alongstanding reputation as being hometo the obnoxiously brainy, the sociallyawkward or the eerily silent (sometimesall three), only braininess is in evidencetoday. Players talk animatedly, distracteach other with trash talk (“chess playerslove trash-talking!” exclaims Chan) andcluster around other tables, watching.“It’s like mental war for a lot of people,”says Chan.“Yeah, it’s kind of good to get youraggression out,” says Brammall, who’s inhis second year of an English degree.“It’s war, but in a non-violent manner,”says Chan.“We’re all passive-aggressive, I guess,”says Brammall.The chess club’s golden age at U of Twas in the 1980s; since then some playershave drifted to the Internet, wherethey can play online against opponentsfrom around the world. And HartHouse is less able to vie internationallysince a few American universities startedoffering chess scholarships in the 1990s.“We can’t really compete with themanymore,” says Chan. “They’ll get randomgrandmasters from Poland orCosta Rica – just recruit them to playand compete for them.”Still, the club offers more than justthe opportunity to play once a week.For a $15 annual fee (available to Uof Tstudents and Hart House senior members,and one of the cheapest places toplay in Toronto), members can hear lecturesby returning alumni and get thechance to travel to tournaments. Butthe camaraderie is what keeps peoplecoming back. “You can’t really talkabout world-class players and competitionsand stuff like that anywhere else,”says Brammall. He laughs. “You’ll beostracized very quickly if you start talkingabout top-level chess – anywherebut the chess club.”– Graham F. Scott

Master of the MiniaturePostdoctoral fellow Naomi Matsuura won the 2007 Polanyi PrizeWho she isNaomi Matsuura is a scientist who isdeveloping new technologies on thenanometre scale (one nanometre isequal to one millionth of a millimetre).Her work is poised to transform cancerresearch with its new approaches todetecting, tracking and possibly treatingthe disease on a cellular level. For example,Matsuura has developed an infinitesimalcomplex coating that can allownanostructures to first be attached tocancer cells, then activated to behave asa beacon for diagnostic imaging (such ascomputed tomography and magneticresonance imaging). The coating canalso be used to locally deliver a drug thatleaks out of the coating’s tiny pores.that materials behave in unusual,counterintuitive ways when their physicaldimensions are dramatically miniaturized.After all, the properties ofmaterials – such as how magnetic theyare, how well they conduct electricity,how strong they are and at what temperaturethey melt – change at thenano-scale. At this tiny size, materialscan be designed to behave differentlythan when they exist as larger units.Recent advances in creating nanometre-scalestructures with standard laboratorytools, combined with growingpublic curiosity in nanotechnology,have resulted in a flurry of academicand commercial interest in nanostructures,in fields as diverse as opticsand medicine.– Laura PrattWhy she’s in the newsA Uof T postdoctoral fellow in imagingresearch at Sunnybrook Research Institute,Matsuura (PhD 2003) wasrecently recognized with the OntarioCouncil on Graduate Studies JohnCharles Polanyi Prize, a $20,000 grantawarded to outstanding researchers inthe early stages of their careers.What her research is aboutNanotechnology is based on the conceptAppointments and DeparturesProfessor David Mock has been reappointeddean of the Faculty of Dentistryfor a four-year term beginning July 1.Mock was originally named dean in 2001, andplayed a key role in establishing Uof T’s Centrefor the Study of Pain and Mount Sinai Hospital’sWasser Pain Management Centre.Professor Jill Matus of English has beenappointed vice-provost, students, for a fiveyearterm beginning July 1. She will be responsiblefor policies affecting students andstudent organizations across the three campuses.Matus has been vice-principal atUniversity College since 2005.Professor Meric Gertler of geography isserving as the Faculty of Arts and Science’sinterim dean. Gertler, who is vice-dean (graduateeducation and research) in the faculty,will act as interim dean until June 30, 2009, oruntil a new dean is appointed.Professor Vivek Goel is stepping downfrom his post as vice-president and provostof U of T, a role he has served in since 2004.Goel has been named the founding presidentand CEO of the Ontario Agency forHealth Protection and Promotion. Philosophyprofessor Cheryl Misak has beenappointed interim vice-president and provost.She has been serving as deputy provostsince July.PHOTOGRAPHY: DOUG NICHOLSON/MEDIA SOURCEWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 17

ADOCTORIN KIGALIDr. James Orbinski served as head of mission forDoctors Without Borders during the Rwandan Genocide.What he saw there transformed him BY STACEY GIBSONJuly 3, 1994, one of the final days of theRwandan Genocide. In the bullet-scarred KingITwasFaycal Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, Dr. JamesOrbinski was amputating the leg of a 14-year-old land minevictim. The boy’s foot was hanging precariously from his calf,held together by threads of flesh laced with bone and a pieceof shoe. Orbinski, the 33-year-old co-founder of DoctorsWithout Borders Canada, had performed many amputationsduring his six weeks in Rwanda – treating hundreds of victimsinflicted with machete wounds, or injured by grenades andland mines – but this was his first time unaccompanied byanother physician. Orbinski was afraid he might cut an artery,and kill the child. Medical instruments were scarce, and all thehospital’s surgical blades were broken. The only tool at his disposalwas a hacksaw. In half-an-hour, Orbinski sawed off theboy’s leg above the knee; he then shaped and stitched the tissue.The nurse placed the severed limb in a bucket on thefloor. The boy’s mother rushed through the operating doorsand toward her son, screaming, “Mama-we! Mama-we y’ nola.”(“Mommy is here.”) She held him around the head. He whispered,“Mama-we, Mama-we.” The boy’s leg was gone, but hewas alive. It was, says Orbinski, “an imperfect offering.”Orbinski’s new book, An Imperfect Offering: HumanitarianAction in the Twenty-First Century, to be published April22 by Doubleday Canada, traces the journey of a humanitariandoctor who has served in some of the world’s most dangerousconflict zones. Orbinski, 47, was international presidentof Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors WithoutBorders/MSF) from 1998 to 2001, and he accepted theNobel Peace Prize on the organization’s behalf in 1999. Overthe past quarter-century, he has worked in places such asSomalia during the famine and civil war; in the refugee campsin Jalalabad, Afghanistan; and at the Kosovo-Macedonia borderduring the NATO bombings in 1999. His book exploresevery facet of his work, from the deeply personal to thebroadly political: How does a man persevere – and, furthermore,create meaning and invoke change – after witnessingthe most violent, sadistic acts human beings can inflict onone another? What is the role of the humanitarian in thepost–Cold War era, in which traditional rules of war havebeen swapped for anything-goes ethical nihilism? How couldMSF confront politics and public apathy during crises so ithad the space and resources to heal patients? The notion ofimperfection permeates many of Orbinski’s answers. “Thebook’s title is inspired by the poem and song Anthem, byLeonard Cohen, and there’s a beautiful line where he says,‘Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything,’”says Orbinski, who earned a master’s degree in internationalrelations from U of T in 1998. “When I read that poem, itstruck me that that’s the essence of my experience over thelast 20 years as a physician, as a putative humanitarian, as aperson who has tried in various ways to influence the politicalprocesses that determine who gets what, when. It’s verymuch an imperfect process with equally imperfect outcomes,but it doesn’t obviate the absolute necessity of trying. Youachieve something, and sometimes just enough to go on.”“The story in the book of the young boy whose leg Iamputated is a very good example of that. The boy survived.His mother obviously loves him and he is alive, and had I notamputated his leg he probably would have died within 24PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER WAHLWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 19

Dr. James Orbinski visits adisplaced persons camp in Goma,Democratic Republic of CongoPHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE SIMONhours of gangrene or sepsis. On the one hand it is absolutelyideal that he’s alive, and on the other hand it’s far from idealthat he is without a leg. But here we are.”Orbinski was born in England in 1960, and his Irishbornparents immigrated to Canada with their fouryoung children when Orbinski was seven. The family settledin the Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce,then home to many English-speaking immigrants and workingpoor. Orbinski recounts in his book how, at the age ofnine, he learned “a different knowing of death” – thathumans didn’t only die naturally, but at the hands of oneanother. He saw a television program on the Holocaust, withimages of people lying dead at Auschwitz and of a womanwith numbers tattooed on her forearm. The next day,Orbinski’s mother took him to the Jewish quarter of the city,as she did before the start of every school year, to buy himnew shoes. A very kind old man with beautiful eyes helpedhim, and called him a good boy. He noticed the man hadnumbers tattooed on his arm. Orbinski woke up crying thatnight, after having nightmares of himself, family membersand the old man taking off their new shoes for the Nazis.As Orbinski became older, he knew he wanted to helprelieve the suffering of others. He earned a psychologydegree from Trent University, and was employed for twoyears as a youth worker at a juvenile detention centre inCalgary. He then entered McMaster University as a medicalstudent and became immediately enthralled with the studyof immunology. Orbinski speaks often about the idea of “livingyour question.” In his book, he describes his question as,“How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the sufferingof others?” In his gentle, thoughtful tone, he elaborateson this concept. “To enter into what draws you, what callsyou, is to live your question…. I have always been fascinatedwith science, particularly with the methodology of science,and what this means in terms of action – what you cando with what you know. My questions have really come outof these loves and I’ve been drawn to what is classicallydefined as humanitarian medicine, humanitarian work.”Orbinski’s humanitarian journey began in earnest at age27, when he obtained a fellowship to research pediatricHIV/AIDS in Rwanda. For a year, he worked at hospitals andclinics and witnessed extreme poverty, malnutrition and theprevalence of diseases such as polio, which left many paralyzedand would have been easily contained within theCanadian medical system. He became engrossed with moralquestions surrounding the unequal distribution of resources,and the economic and political forces that caused such severeinequities. After returning to McMaster, Orbinski heard thatstudent Richard Heinzl (BSc 1986 UC), was creating aCanadian chapter of Médecins Sans Frontières – an internationalgroup that provides medical assistance to victims ofwar and other catastrophes. The organization practiced strictimpartiality while assisting victims, providing aid basedsolely on need and irrespective of politics, race or religion.However, MSF differed from groups such as the Red Cross inthat members spoke out against human rights violations tocreate public awareness of atrocities. Orbinski became afounding member of MSF Canada, and one of his first missionswas to Baidoa, Somalia, in October 1992. Hundreds ofthousands had already died in the famine induced by a civilwar that had been raging for two years. More than half of thecountry’s eight million people were on the verge of starvation.In the midst of rampant violence, Orbinski and otherMSF team members provided medical care at clinics andfeeding centres in Baidoa and surrounding villages. Theyoften treated up to 2,000 patients a day, while hundreds morewaited outside clinics suffering from starvation and the diseasesthat accompany it.But it was the Rwandan Genocide, during whichOrbinski served as MSF’s head of mission, that he has called20 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE SIMONthe other, and so the possibility of humanitarianism simplydoes not exist in that circumstance.”“MSF insisted that there be a right political response to thegenocide, and the international criminal court was created inresponse to that debate…. However apparently dispiritingand apparently futile the world may seem, it’s anything but ifwe assume our responsibilities as citizens and as humanbeings, if we speak. [Politicalphilosopher] Hannah Arendtsaid that the first political act is tospeak and I think that she wasabsolutely right.”2004, Orbinski and JamesIN Fraser, another doctorwith MSF, travelled to the ZombaCentral Hospital in Malawi,Africa. Ninety per cent of thepatients were HIV-positive, andhundreds of critically ill men,women and children crowded thebuilding: three to four patientswere packed to a bed; others laysuffering on the floor and underthe beds; and more still were gathered under trees on thehospital grounds. The medical staff consisted of one nurse.The hospital reflected the reality of the health-care systemand the AIDS epidemic across much of Malawi and thedeveloping world. (In Malawi, there are 12 million people –roughly the population of Ontario – but only 100 doctors.Fourteen per cent of the population is HIV-positive. In theZomba region, 20 per cent are HIV-positive.) “It was justoverwhelming. Overwhelming for me, but also, even moreobviously, for that nurse,” says Orbinski. “And for bothJames Fraser and myself, it was just clear we had to do somethingabout this.”What Orbinski and Fraser did was leave MSF to createDignitas International, an organization that develops community-basedcare and treatment programs for people whoare HIV-positive and have AIDS. While the group does traindoctors, it focuses mainly on training nurses, lab techniciansand other health-care workers. “One of the big issues inMalawi and much of the developing world is the level of educationin the general population and illiteracy, and so thereare not a large number of people who are highly educated.But just because you’re not educated doesn’t mean you’re notsmart,” says Orbinski, who doesn’t get paid for his role as cofounderand chair of Dignitas. “If you can develop a set oftools that are scientifically valid and allow for a person with aGrade 8 or Grade 9 education to actually deliver treatment,to do proper assessment and management, then you canempower those people and communities appropriately toactually control and contain an epidemic.”Dr. James Orbinski and Dr.Tamir examine a patientwith a gunshot wound at Baidoa Hospital, SomaliaDignitas now has about 10,000 HIV-positive peopleunder its medical care, almost 5,000 of whom are receivingAIDS treatment. The organization works with Malawi’sMinistry of Health officials and community groups and, in afew years, has trained hundreds of health-care workers, deliveredAIDS education to more than 100,000 people in theZomba district, built a lab and other medical facilities andprovided social support to AIDSorphans and women’s groups.The organization is now establishinga network of researchinstitutions – with the Universityof Toronto, University ofMalawi, the BC Centre forExcellence in HIV/AIDS andothers – so they can share theirknowledge and let others take upthe model. Orbinski focuses,through Dignitas, on community-basedcare and HIV/AIDS inhis role as a research scientist atSt. Michael’s Hospital. As a professorof political science at theUniversity of Toronto, Orbinskiis also working with U of T professors at the Department ofPublic Health Sciences to create a collaborative PhD programin global health. The program is slated to begin in September,and he will be teaching the core course.Orbinski also has more personal productions underway.He and his wife, Rolie Srivastava – an environmental-sciencesresearcher whom he met after returning from a journey toRwanda in 1996 – are expecting their third child in mid-April. The baby will join brothers Rohin, age four, andTaidgh, age three. And this afternoon, a very excited Orbinskiis taking a very excited Rohin to his first skating lesson.Orbinski and Srivastava made up a cheer for him last night,and sang it to him again this morning. Orbinski breaks intosong. “Rohin Orbinski, faster than a Jet Ski/If he was anytaller, you’d think he was Wayne Gretzky.”Did Orbinski always envision himself doing humanitarianwork? He answers thoughtfully. “The question is this idea offate, and of a kind of a determined future…. I don’t have thatexperience. I think if anything, one of the core ideas that I amtrying to express through this writing and also through thefilm, is that it’s a choice. Every moment in your life is achoice, and we have a choice as to how we will see the worldand how we will see ourselves in it, and therefore what we willdo,” he says. He later adds, “What I do know is that I havetried to live my question, to really understand my questionand struggled in the answers that emerged – however imperfectthey may be.”Stacey Gibson is managing editor of U of T Magazine.22 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

Your alma materjust hasn’t beenthe same sinceyou left.Come see what your world-class university looks like these days.Spring Reunion, 2008 - Thursday May 29 to Sunday June 1The Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy BuildingSince your time here, we’ve grown our international reputation, winning awards for everything from research to architecture. Come share someU of T pride at Spring Reunion 2008, where we’ll honour graduates of years ending in 3 and 8, and host events for 25th and 50th anniversaries.The Chancellor’s Circle Medal Ceremony will celebrate 55th, 60th, 65th, 70th, 75th and 80th anniversaries. All are welcome to the signatureGarden Party, hosted by the President at his residence. To register, call toll-free at 1-888-738-8876 or visit www.springreunion.utoronto.ca.w w w. u t o r o n t o. c aCANADA’S ANSWERS TO THE WORLD’S QUESTIONS

UNBROKENDREAMSAfter years of incremental progress, spinal cordrepair is edging closer to realityBY MARCIA KAYEILLUSTRATION: DAN PAGEBruce Brady doesn’t remember slamming headfirst intothe cedar rail fence. All he knows is that one minute he wasskiing along the bottom of the hill toward the chalet tomeet up with his son, and the next minute he was lying onthe ground, bleeding from a large gash in his forehead andutterly immobile. “I couldn’t feel my feet or hands,” recallsthe 48-year-old Toronto father of three. “I could only movemy eyes and talk.”Brady might have spent the rest of his life as a motor quadriplegic– paralyzed from the neck down, with minimal sensationin his legs – if not for the surgery that he underwent atToronto Western Hospital three days after his injury. Theoperation relieved pressure on his spinal cord and fused fiveupper vertebrae together with a steel bar. Within two weeksBrady was able to stand and take a few steps; after three weekshe was walking quite well. Today, a year later, he says withsome amazement, “I’m fully mobile.” Although Brady stillsuffers from a stiff neck and pain in his upper arms, inFebruary he returned to his physically demanding job as anindustrial sheet-metal worker.Paralyzed patients walking away from their injuries? Itsounds like the stuff of science fiction. But Uof T researcherssay new surgical techniques, drugs, gene therapies and rehabilitationdevices are helping to make significant improvementsin the lives of people with spinal cord injuries. “There is realhope, and there has been real progress,” says neurosurgeonMichael Fehlings, a U of T professor in the department of surgeryand the one who operated on Brady. Fehlings is also thedirector of the spinal program at Toronto Western’s KrembilNeuroscience Centre, the largest neuroscience centre inCanada and a world leader in spinal cord research. As he leadsthe way through his lab, where graduate and undergraduatestudents are busily examining tissue sections of a spinal cordunder a microscope, characterizing types of neural stem cells,and performing delicate spinal surgery on a rodent behindclosed curtains, he says, “There’s work going on all over theworld, but much of the seminal work has occurred in Canada,and U of T is right in the thick of things.”Bruce Brady’s case is an example of only one exciting strategybeing used to repair the spinal cord. Brady is one of 250people enrolled in a clinical study called STASCIS, whichstands for Surgical Treatment for Acute Spinal Cord InjuryStudy. Fehlings, who is spearheading the multicentre study,says that in the past, patients like Brady wouldn’t havereceived surgery at all – let alone surgery so soon after theirinjury – because their necks weren’t broken but “merely”compressed. In one-third of spinal cord injuries, especially inaging but active baby boomers such as Brady, the spinal cordundergoes a combination of contusion and compression. Thecord (actually a long thin bundle of nerves enclosed by thevertebrae) is jolted against bone spurs, which develop as weage, and then jammed into the tight spinal canal.While compression sounds less serious than a fracture, theresults can be just as devastating because after the trauma thenerve cells inside the spinal cord start to die, causing loss ofmovement, sensation, bladder and bowel control, and sexualfunction. “Without decompression surgery, it’s doubtful thatBruce would have improved from a complete motor quadriplegicafter injury to virtually normal,” says Fehlings. TheSTASCIS data are just starting to emerge, but Fehlings hopesthey will help determine the optimal time for surgery; so farit’s looking as though the earlier, the better. The next step:establishing guidelines about how and when to use the surgery,and spreading knowledge of the technique to certain designatedhospitals across Canada. As Fehlings puts it, we’reentering a golden era of spinal cord research, reflected atU of T in a special collaboration among the fields of biology,chemistry and engineering.24 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

And Canadian research is attracting worldwide attention.“Twenty years ago, a cure for spinal cord injury seemed impossible,”says Rick Hansen, who at that time had just finishedfamously wheeling through 34 countries on his Man inMotion World Tour to raise awareness and funds. “Today, ithas been proven that the spinal cord can regrow, and we’re seeingan increasing number of people walking away with partialor full recovery.” He adds, “I feel proud to see Canadians leadingthe way in the global search for a cure.”TPHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN KELLYhe whole field of spinal cord repair has changed dramaticallysince Hansen’s world tour in 1985, and especially since“Superman” Christopher Reeve’s equestrian accident in1995. For millennia, spinal cord injury for most people hadbeen a death sentence; unable to control their bladder orbowels, patients died of bladder infections. When antibioticsbecame available in the 1940s, mortalityrates dropped. But even asrecently as the 1980s, 40 per cent ofpatients died within a year of injuryto the upper spinal cord. Today’srate: only about five per cent.A modern turning point occurredwhen Fehlings – who has an MDand a PhD – was a graduate studentworking under Dr. Charles Tator,then chairman of Uof T’s division ofneurosurgery (and currently a Uof Tprofessor of surgery and a recipient ofthe Order of Canada). TogetherTator and Fehlings played a majorrole in a discovery that shook up theglobal scientific community whenthey published their work in 1991.The hypothesis – controversial at thetime but now widely accepted as fact– was that spinal cord injury is a twostepprocess. First there’s the initialmechanical trauma. But followingthat, there’s a secondary injury: thespinal cord undergoes a kind ofstroke. The blood vessels, disruptedby the initial injury, interrupt bloodflow to the nerve cells, which die, greatly amplifying the originaldamage. These secondary injuries occur anywhere fromminutes to months afterward. Fehlings says, “So while wecouldn’t undo the initial injury, we thought, You know what?We might be able to intervene to prevent the secondary injuryfrom happening.” It’s now a standard of care for patients toreceive medicines immediately following injury to bump uptheir blood pressure and improve blood flow to prevent secondarydamage.26 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008But Fehlings believes there’s much more we can do to protectthose vulnerable nerve cells. In work that won the GoldMedal Award in Surgery from the Royal College of Physiciansand Surgeons of Canada, his own lab determined that spinalcord injury causes a dangerous shift in the critical balance ofthe natural salts in the injured cells. Within hours of theinjury, sodium enters the cells, followed by water, which causesswelling. This then attracts calcium into the cells, triggeringdamage far beyond the initial injury. Fehlings is looking for away to prevent this from happeningOne possibility may be a drug called riluzole. Originallydeveloped as an anti-epileptic, it also seems to slow the rate ofnerve cell degeneration in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Could riluzole also haveneuroprotective effects in people with spinal cord injury?Fehlings is attempting to find out, and later this year willlaunch a clinical trial with riluzole. Much of the funding for thestudy will come from the Christopher and Dana ReeveFoundation, which has designatednine centres of excellence in NorthAmerica to take promising therapiesand move them into clinicaluse. Of the nine centres chosen,the Krembil Neuroscience Centreis the only one in Canada.If riluzole works, it could haveimportant implications all overthe world – including among soldiersin Iraq and Afghanistan.“With their body armour, soldiersaren’t dying of torso injuries likethey did in Vietnam,” Fehlingsexplains. “But with these crazybombs, the vehicle implodes andthe soldier’s spine gets crushed.We received a $3-million grantfrom the U.S. Department ofDefense to do clinical trials onspinal cord injury, and they likeriluzole because it can be given asa pill by a medic in the field.”Riluzole, now off patent and verycheap, would be particularly welcomein developing countries,where spinal cord injuries areprevalent due to the lack of safe roads, safe vehicles, seatbeltsand workplace regulations.But protecting nerve cells from degeneration is only halfthe story. The other half involves regenerating nerves thathave already been damaged. It’s been known for a long timethat if you sever a nerve in your arm or leg, it will eventuallyregenerate on its own. That doesn’t happen in the spinal cord.Why not? In another important Canadian discovery, a groupof Montreal researchers found that the culprit was myelin,Dr. Michael Fehlings is investigating drug treatmentsto reduce spinal cord damage following injury

the insulating layer around the nerve fibres.The myelin in the spinal cord, which transmitssignals from the brain, contains inhibitors thatblock regeneration.There are intensive efforts now to find thebest way to stop that process and encourageregeneration. One option is Cethrin, a proteindrug that can be applied directly onto the spinalcord during surgery. Developed by Montrealneuroscientist Lisa McKerracher, Cethrin recentlyunderwent the first phase of clinical trialsin eight centres, one of which is the Krembil. Ofthe 37 patients, all of whom had no musclefunction or feeling below the site of their injury,about one-third showed some recovery, and 15per cent showed major recovery, such as regaininghand function or leg movement.One study participant is a 64-year-oldToronto shopkeeper who broke his neck whenhe fell face first against the door of his shop.Because he immediately went into cardiacarrest, surgeons couldn’t operate on him until he stabilized,five days later. Fehlings met him in the intensive care unit.“He was a quadriplegic, with no movement in his shoulders orhands and no control of his bowel or bladder,” Fehlings says.Following the surgery and treatment with Cethrin, the manrecovered partial use of his hands and can now feed himself.He also regained control of his bowel and bladder, and withassistance he can stand and take a few steps. “I was shocked,”says Fehlings. “Shocked! I had never seen that in my career.”While spontaneous recovery occurs in seven per cent of casesof spinal cord injury, he says, “The chances that somebodywith a complete spinal cord injury at five days would spontaneouslyrecover like that are close to zero.” The U.S. Food andDrug Administration has given the green light to move forwardwith a large randomized Cethrin trial later this year.Another exciting avenue of research involves replacingdamaged nerve cells with neural stem cells. Collaboratingwith U of T stem cell researchers Cindi Morshead and Derekvan der Kooy, Fehlings’ lab performed tests on rodentswhose spines were crushed. The neural stem cells served toregenerate the original damaged cells, and some of the animalsrecovered the ability to walk. This strategy is close toclinical trials, and may one day also have major implicationsfor people with multiple sclerosis and for children bornwithout myelin.While developing the right drug or combination of moleculesis crucial, it’s equally important to have a way of gettingthe medicine to where it needs to go. Many of the drugscan’t be taken orally or intravenously because of severe sideeffects,and if they’re injected into the spinal cord they’ll simplybe washed away along the river of spinal fluid. How to getthe drugs to stay put and do their job? Molly Shoichet,Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering and a U of TProfessor Molly Shoichet is developing ways to regenerate spinal cord nerve cellsprofessor in the Department of Chemical Engineering andApplied Chemistry, leads a team that has developed a uniquewater-based gel made of naturally derived hyaluronan andmethylcellulose, both carbohydrates.Shoichet, happy to demonstrate the remarkable propertiesof this gel, grabs a syringe from her lab in U of T’s TerrenceDonnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.“Just push lightly,” says Shoichet as she hands over the syringewith its very fine 30-gauge needle. “See the gel coming out?When you apply pressure it thins and flows through theneedle, but when it comes out it gels immediately.” In animaltesting, not only did the gel succeed in delivering the drug ontop of the spinal cord in a minimally invasive procedure, butit sealed up the hole made by the needle and minimizedinflammation after the injury. “It’s very cool and there’snobody else who has done anything quite like this, so we’revery excited,” Shoichet says. The gel keeps the drug in placefor a few days, but the goal now is to extend that time to 30days of drug therapy with a single injection.Shoichet’s team, in collaboration with Charles Tator’s lab,has also developed a tiny tube designed to bridge the gap ina severed spinal cord and encourage nerves to regenerate.Only five millimetres long and made of a degradable sugarbasedpolymer, the tube looks like a soft, transparent, miniaturedrinking straw with the consistency of Jell-O.Incorporated into the tube are stem cells and microbeads thatcan be filled with proteins that stimulate cell growth. Whenthe tube is inserted into the spinal cords of animal models, itacts as a temporary scaffolding to which cells can adhere. “Weget tissue regeneration,” Shoichet says, although that hasn’t yettranslated to a significant improvement in the animals’ mobility.“Stem cells have a tremendous amount of potential, andwe’re still learning how to harness that.”WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 27PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN KELLY

Another bioengineering strategyto promote nerve cell regenerationinvolves gene therapy. There’sparticular interest in a gene calledVEGF, or vascular endothelialgrowth factor. It’s an importantgene that makes blood vessels. Inanimal studies, rodents with aspinal cord injury who received agene therapy technique to causecells to express VEGF showed dramaticallyimproved recovery. Morework is needed before this therapycan progress to human trials.Much of the focus of the clinical trials is on acute injury– the one that’s just happened. So what about the person livingwith a chronic spinal cord injury? Not only is some ofthe U of T research targeting chronic patients, but there arepromising therapies already under study. It’s been known for20 years that the main control mechanism for walking is notin the brain but in the spinal cord; the brain merely finetunesit. Therefore, if a person with a spinal cord injury issuspended over a treadmill while physiotherapists manuallymove his legs rigorously and persistently, his central nervoussystem can be retrained to contract the muscles in the rightorder, enabling him to walk. “It really works,” says electricalengineer Milos Popovic, associate professor in U of T’sInstitute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. “Butthe problem is it’s very time-consuming and labour-intensive.You need three physiotherapists to do this.”Popovic, who used to design airplane systems, has deviseda better way to stimulate the muscles. He invented a portable,programmable, wallet-sized device that delivers electricalstimulation through electrodes, forcing the muscles to contract.The device has been tested on more than four dozenpeople, some of them who had been living with spinal cordinjuries for years. They underwent hour-long sessions eitherthree times a week over 12 to 18 weeks for locomotion, ordaily over eight weeks for hand grasping,then were tested on how well they couldcarry out the movements on their own,without the device. “We got dramaticimprovements,” Popovic says. All improvedtheir locomotion, with a resultingreduction in the need for assistivedevices. One man, barely able to standsince his spinal cord injury 20 years ago,can now walk. Another went from awheelchair to two canes. A third, whocould walk only slowly, doubled hisspeed. Popovic, who is also the TorontoRehabilitation Chair in Spinal CordInjury Research, is now in the middle of larger-scale trials.The reality is that some of these surgical, drug and rehabmethods will prove to work better than others, and it takestime to figure out which ones are the best and the safest.Meanwhile, some Canadians, impatient for a cure, may betempted to travel to China, Brazil or Portugal to undergo proceduressuch as cell transplants that are available there for aprice. But researchers here warn that these therapies areunproven and unregulated, and there are risks of serious infectionsuch as meningitis. Worse, the surgery could cause scar tissuethat would prevent patients from taking advantage of a betterprocedure in future. “I can totally understand why a familywould want to try this, but the concern is they may burn theirbridges,” says Fehlings. “In the past, people would have nothingto lose, but it’s a different story now. The potential for evidence-basedtherapies that really work is looking very feasible.”So feasible, in fact, that Fehlings believes we’ll see someimportant results in the next three to five years. “It’s not justthat we’re doing some nice science here,” he stresses. “This isreally going to have an impact on people’s health.”“We’re not justdoing some nicescience here.This is reallygoing to havean impact onpeople’s health.”Spinal Cord FactsMarcia Kaye (marciakaye.com) of Aurora, Ontario, is amagazine journalist and best-selling author specializing inhealth issues.• The spinal cord is like a 40-cm-long fibreoptic cable.The network of nerve fibres descendsfrom the brain to the waist andexits between vertebrae to various parts ofthe body.• Spinal cord injury involves damage to thenerves, which interrupts communication betweenthe brain and the body.• Rarely is the spinal cord completely severed.More often it’s compressed, causing the nervecells to die.• The body is affected below the site of theinjury. So a severe lower-back injury typicallycauses loss of movement in the lower body(paraplegia), while a severe neck injury wouldalso affect the upper body (quadriplegia).• The spine has 33 vertebrae – rings of bonethat make up the spinal column. The typicalinjury affects the cervical, or neck, area, causingquadriplegia.• A complete spinal cord injury results in atotal loss of voluntary movement and consciousfeeling. In an incomplete, or partial,injury, some residual function remains.• There are between 250,000 and 400,000North Americans living with spinal cord injuries,most of them male. Each year in Canada,there are 1,100 new cases.• The most common causes are motorvehicle collisions, sports injuries, falls, diseasessuch as cancer and arthritis, and conditionsincluding degenerated, slipped or dislocatedvertebrae.• Health costs for spinal cord injuries costCanadians three-quarters of a billion dollarsevery year.28 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

THANK YOU!Your donations to U of T Magazine make a differenceThanks to your generous support, U of T Magazineis able to keep more than 270,000 alumni and friendsconnected with the spirit of today’s University of Toronto.By helping us to defray our rising print and mailingcosts, you support U of T’s mission to discover, educateand inform.In recent issues, we’ve featured stories about a U of Tprofessor’s pioneering approach to treating pain, thedaring mission of War Child Canada founder (andalum) Samantha Nutt, the early days of the Faculty ofForestry and promising young grads whose ideas willshape Canada’s future.Inside each issue, you’ll find coverage of the university’slatest research findings, events on campus, notablealumni and the big ideas that make the Universityof Toronto such a fascinating place.In the past two years, the Canadian Council for theAdvancement of Education and the Council for theAdvancement and Support of Education haverecognized U of T Magazine for excellence in writingand photography with 16 awards, including a bronzefor “best magazine.”We could not have achieved this without your help.Thank you for reading U of T Magazine. And thankyou for your continued support. If you would like tojoin other alumni in contributing to U of T Magazine,please visit www.magazine.utoronto.ca, under “Supportthe Magazine.”

SMOKE ANDMIRRORSSo far, Canada has taken no realaction on climate change. It’s timeto get serious about KyotoBY JOHN LORINCILLUSTRATION: MARTIN O’NEIL/THREE IN A BOXIN FOUR SHORT YEARS, the Kyoto Protocol will expire,laying bare the ineffectiveness of Canada’s six successive climate-changeplans.The numbers already tell the tale. While Canada committedto reduce greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below1990 levels by 2012, the reality is that we’re more than 30 percent above that benchmark. And thanks to the oil sands projectsin northern Alberta, our emissions continue to rise.During last November’s climate change summit in Bali, theEuropean Union signalled it is looking for a successor to Kyotothat would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 40per cent (from 1990 levels) by 2020. For Canada, that wouldmean cutting our current emissions by more than half.Canada’s dismal record illustrates the failure of voluntaryprograms and clean-energy subsidies. Under both the Liberalsand now the Conservatives, Ottawa has sought to reduce emissionsusing consumer incentives (for fuel efficient cars andhome improvements), research grants, and subsidies for transitand renewable energy projects, such as wind farms. Evidently,this strategy has failed to make a dent. “The problem with thecurrent policies is that they’re all out in the future,” saysUniversity of Toronto economics professor Don Dewees.“That’s a mistake because we wind up doing nothing.”Pointing to Canada’s backsliding, climate change expertsincreasingly stress the need for a more assertive approach.Some politicians are taking heed. Earlier this year, BritishColumbia became the first jurisdiction in North America toimpose a genuine carbon tax. Until recently, such movesseemed to lack grassroots support. But Dewees has been takenaback by how quickly public opinion is shifting. A poll conductedin February found that three out of four BritishColumbians support a carbon tax. “A year ago, I would havesaid, ‘Let’s not talk about a carbon tax because it’s politicallyhopeless.’ But that’s changing,” says Dewees.As Canada heads toward the next round of climate talks,slated for December in Poland, we asked several U of Texperts to propose an effective climate change strategy thatwill get us on track to meet our Kyoto commitments –without hobbling the economy.30 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

ESTABLISH A NATIONAL CARBON TAXAccording to Dewees, Canada must move quickly to enact anational $15/tonne carbon tax rather than continue to put offeffective change. “A good plan will impose costs everyone willfeel within a year,” he says.The premise behind the carbon tax comes directly out ofEconomics 101. The earth’s atmosphere has a limited capacityto absorb carbon dioxide (and the five other majorgreenhouse gases), so this capacity must be treated as aresource with a tangible economic value. “Putting a price onthe atmosphere is critical,” says Mark Jaccard, an economistat Simon Fraser University and co-author, with Globe andMail columnist Jeffrey Simpson, of Hot Air. “The abatementof greenhouse gas emissions will not occur without it.”But what is the right price? B.C.’s new $10/tonne levy oncarbon emissions will add less than three cents to the cost of alitre of gasoline and heating oil, although the tax will rise to$30/tonne by 2012 – a ramp-up Dewees describes as “aggressivebut possible.” Some proponents argue that Ottawa shouldset a national carbon tax at $30/tonne of emissions, and raisethe rate at regular intervals to $100 by 2030. Dewees believesa target of $50 by 2020 is more realistic.Then there is the question of what the governmentshould do with the extra revenue. Some environmentalgroups, such as the Pembina Institute, argue that governmentsshould use the carbon tax windfall to fund transit andrenewable energy projects. But Dewees disagrees, arguingthat the money should be returned to taxpayers either in theWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 31

form of a rebate or lower income, corporate or sales taxes. Hepoints to the quid pro quo at the heart of B.C.’s new carbontax; alongside the new levy, the government said it wouldgive every citizen a $100 rebate. In other words, the governmentwon’t suck additional tax dollars out of the economy.“Without that linkage,” says Dewees, “I think this will be areally tough sell [for voters].”Another critical element of a national carbon tax is its simplicity.While B.C. imposed the tax at the consumer level (youpay when you buy gas, for example), Deweesargues in favour of applying the tax at thepoint of production: the refinery or the coalmine. “Because there are many small sourcesof carbon dioxide (gas furnaces, motor vehicles),imposing the tax at the point of emissionis much more costly than imposing itupstream at the level of wholesaler or evenproducer or importer.” Ultimately, consumerswill feel the impact as producers passalong the extra cost of paying the tax.The final piece of an effective nationalcarbon tax plan involves public information.Ottawa must inform consumers andbusinesses about future increases in thelevy well in advance, says Dewees. If thelong-term schedule of carbon tax hikes iswell known and then adhered to, consumersand companies can make long-termdecisions that anticipate the rising cost offossil fuels. In other words, if a car buyer ora homeowner shopping for a new furnaceknows that, three years from now, fuelprices will rise due to an increase in the carbontax, they will be better positioned to calculate thelong-term financial benefit of purchasing a more energyefficientproduct.Likewise, when energy companies invest in new equipment,their planning horizon is often 15 to 20 years. “We’re caught inthe dilemma of industry wanting some certainty about thefuture,” says Dewees. If firms understand how the regulatedprice of carbon will change over the long run, they will be ableto plan their capital expenditures accordingly.32 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008Ourcontributionto reducingglobal climatechange will bemeaninglessif we continueto bring ingoods fromcountries thatignore KyotoBEWARE OF “CAP-AND-TRADE” LOOPHOLESUnder a “cap-and-trade” system, large emitters of greenhousegases are granted emissions permits, up to a limit. Ifthey can’t meet their target, they have to buy permits fromcompanies that have reduced their emissions below the limit.These permits trade on an exchange. Governments can pushindustries to improve their overall performance by loweringthe limits over time.In 2005, the European Union established an emissionstrading scheme as part of its Kyoto commitment. In Canada,Alberta and the federal government are now developing emissionstrading policies for large industrial polluters. Critics predictthat these two Canadian trading ventures will fail to makea meaningful dent in emissions, however, because they aim tocut emissions intensity – the proportion of greenhouse gasesemitted per unit of production – rather than achieve anabsolute reduction, as required by Kyoto.While he favours the predictability and simplicity of anacross-the-board carbon tax, Dewees says the Harper governmentcould press ahead with a “hybrid” climate change plan –one that imposes a carbon tax on small emitters(vehicles, homes, small businesses) andcreates an emissions trading system for largeindustrial companies (cement plants, oil andgas refineries, mines). But economists such asDewees and Jaccard and many environmentalistswarn that cap-and-trade schemes areboth administratively complex and vulnerableto compromises that reduce their impact.“A cap-and-trade system involves the very difficultbusiness of deciding who gets what[emission] allowances,” says Dewees. “There’sa lot of lobbying because the government isgiving away the right to pollute.”Cap-and-trade also works better in industrieswhere the emissions-control technology –scrubbers to remove nitrous oxides fromsmokestacks, for example – is well developed,which is not the case with greenhouse gases.Where there’s a well-established technology, acompany can plan to invest in emissionsreducingequipment and thus reduce its needto purchase permits. With greenhouse gases,however, technological solutions, such aspumping carbon dioxide underground and into spent gaswells, remain experimental at best. “Without the control technology,”says Dewees, “the price of the emission allowanceswill skyrocket.”CREATE SUSTAINABLE TRADE POLICIESIn a country dependent on trade, a national climate-changepolicy should be designed to make sure that imports arepriced to reflect the true cost of greenhouse gas emissionswhile our exports aren’t rendered uncompetitive by domesticcarbon taxes.On the export side, Dewees says that if the federal governmentadopts a carbon tax, it must also provide a credit tothe exporter that’s equal to the value of the carbon taxon goods that leave the country. He cites the example ofcement, a commodity that creates heavy greenhouse gasemissions while it is being manufactured. Under a carbontax system, cement produced in Canada might not be ableto compete with cement produced in a country without acarbon tax. An export credit solves the problem: the domesticproduction of a Canadian cement plant will continue to

e subject to a carbon tax, but the shipments leaving thecountry will not.The question of imports is trickier: if Canada is to adopta tough-minded climate change plan that will deliver realresults, part of the equation must involve looking at the carbonfootprint of imports. After all, our contribution toreducing global climate change will be meaningless if wecontinue to bring in goods produced in countries thatignore their Kyoto obligations.Faculty of law professor Andrew Green points to a measurethat has gained increasing attention in the past year: socalled“border tax adjustments.” The U.K. is studying sucha tariff and France has said it supports this kind of duty onimports. The idea is that products imported from countriesthat are not Kyoto signatories or fail to comply with theirKyoto obligations will be slapped with a tariff that bringstheir prices up to the levels of goods produced in countrieswith carbon taxes. The French have threatened to use theborder tax adjustment against American imports. Greensays Canada is also “in a difficult spot” because of our dismalperformance on reducing greenhouse gases. “France issaying that they’ll put taxes at the border against U.S.[goods] because the U.S. is not part of Kyoto,” he says.“We’re [also] vulnerable.”As Canada and the rest of the world heads into the nextclimate change summit, Green argues that Ottawa “shouldtry to get trade measures into the next agreement.” Theadjustments, he says, must be tough enough to encourageimporters to lower their own carbon footprint, but not sohigh as to become trade barriers. By way of precedent, hecites the Montreal protocol on ozone-depleting substances,which included bans on the trade of goods that use aerosolsand other chemicals that destroy the ozone layer. “Theremust be some sort of sanctioning mechanism in the next[climate change deal].”USE ROAD PRICING TO REDUCE DRIVINGAlmost half of Canada’s population is concentrated in six largeurban regions, all of which rely increasingly on federal fundsfor the construction of major transit andtransportation projects. If Ottawa wantsto meet its climate change goals, it willhave to use its clout to persuade the residentsof big cities to drive less.Fossil fuels burned for transportationaccounted for 200 megatonnes of greenhousegas emissions in 2005, or just overa quarter of Canada’s total. Last year, theHarper government announced it wouldpress the auto industry to invest in moreenergy-efficient vehicles as a means ofreducing transportation-related emissions.Yet this problem isn’t just about thetailpipe and the engine. Most economistsbelieve that when drivers don’t have topay to use roads and highways, they overusethem, thus increasing emissions.“When I’m driving on a crowded highway,I’m slowing everyone else down butI’m not paying for it,” says MatthewTurner, a U of T professor of economicswhose work focuses on urban sprawl andland use. “There’s a case to be made thatpeople drive too much because access to roads doesn’t costthem anything.”He says road pricing – in the form of highway tolls, congestionfees for driving downtown and higher parking rates –achieves multiple goals: it reduces the sort of congestion thatundermines productivity in sprawling urban areas and cutstransportation-related emissions. Turner also believes thatroad pricing is more effective in altering driver behaviourthan carbon taxes, which add only a few cents to the price ofa litre of gas. Because both gas guzzlers and hybrid cars willhave to pay tolls or congestion charges, such measures willencourage more people to walk, ride bicycles or use transit.While tolls have existed on U.S. interstates and manyEuropean highways for decades, they face considerable politicalresistance in Canada. But, as with the carbon tax, governmenttentativeness may be waning. London and Stockholmhave congestion charges, while both New York and GreaterToronto are studying them. John Miron, chair of the departmentof social sciences at Uof T Scarborough, points out thatthe world’s most effective road pricing system can be foundin Singapore, which has used a combination of very highILLUSTRATION: MARTIN O’NEIL/THREE IN A BOXWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 33

vehicle registration fees (over US$100,000) and tolls to limitdriving and encourage transit use. While he admits thatSingapore’s autocratic form of government and its island statusmake it a poor model forCanadian cities, the lesson is thatmoderate road pricing may fail toachieve real change.As with the carbon tax, theadvent of road pricing also raisesthe question of how the revenueswill be used. In London, the congestioncharge is earmarked forpublic transit and bicycle lanes. ButDewees argues against dedicatinggovernment revenues to a particularform of spending, such as transitimprovements. Miron adds thatcities with road pricing must recognize that tolls and congestioncharges tend to disadvantage lower-income residents, sosome of the revenues should be directed back to them.Economists such as Turner also note that governments willget the most leverage from their road pricing revenues byinvesting in cheaper modes of transit, such as buses ratherthan subways or even light rail. With Canada’s big-city mayorscalling on the federal government to establish a nationaltransit strategy, Turner’s research shows that buses representthe most cost-effective investment in terms of providing transportationalternatives to growing urban regions.THE BOTTOM LINENo one wants to pay more taxes, but it’s becoming increasinglydifficult to ignore the fact that reversing climate changewill involve major changes in our fiscal arrangements. Muchof the opposition to the carbon tax emanates from fossil-fuelcompanies, which will experience declining demand for theirproducts if governments impose such levies. Yet Deweespoints out that energy firms will migrate into more sustainablebusiness lines, such as wind and solar, or even nuclearpower and clean coal, both ofThe experiencein Europe suggeststhat economicgrowth and toughclimate-changepolicies do co-existwhich become more financiallyviable with an assertive nationalcarbon reduction plan.What’s more, naysayers andlobbyists must contend with thefact that such policies haven’tcaused economic havoc elsewhere.Congestion charges in Londonand Singapore didn’t produce anexodus of commercial activity. Asfor a national carbon tax, the experienceof many European jurisdictionssuggests that economicgrowth and tough climate change policies do co-exist.Jaccard points to the case of Norway, which introduced acarbon tax in 1991, at $30/tonne. For Canadian policymakers,there are strong comparisons to Norway, which hasexperienced a boom in offshore oil drilling. TheScandinavian nation has seen a 40 per cent increase in economicgrowth per capita since the early 1990s, even thoughthe lion’s share of its multibillion-dollar oil and gas revenuesend up in a trust fund. Norway’s per-capita emissions haveremained flat since 1991, while Canada’s have risen six percent. Norway has a carbon tax. We don’t. Moral: Growth inthe economy isn’t necessarily coupled to growth in emissions.As Jaccard notes, “Evidence suggests that [a$100/tonne carbon tax] will stimulate substantial reductionin greenhouse gases without devastating the economy.”John Lorinc (BSc 1987) is a Toronto journalist. His most recentbook is The New City (Penguin Canada).Is Global Warming Immoral?Religious groups are seeking to influence the debate over climate changeWhen U of T religious ethicist StephenScharper listens to Al Gore describe the battleto reverse climate change as a moralimperative, he recognizes the influence ofFather Thomas Berry, a self-described “geologian”who was an inspiration to the formervice-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner.“When Gore speaks,” says Scharper, “I hearthe resonance of [Berry’s] thought.”Berry, a Catholic priest from NorthCarolina, observes that Gore’s ability tocommunicate the threat of global warminguses the language of morality. Scharper saysthis offers a clue to policy-makers seekingto break the apparent impasse over a newclimate-change deal between the developedNorth and the developing South.In his view, and those of a growing numberof the world’s religious leaders, thedebate must be broadened well beyond therealm of science and policy.To find commonalitiesand the possibility of consensus,Scharper says, the societies of the North andthe South need to find a way to exchangeideas about mutual values, ethical frameworksand cosmology. “When you speak topeople at that level, it is for many a momentof galvanization.”Scharper points out that, increasingly,global religious and spiritual movements havesought to influence the negotiations atimportant summits such as the Bali conferencelast November. When the UnitedNations Development Program began formulatinga climate change plan, “they realizedthey had to enlist the support of the world’sreligions if they hoped to change the habitsof the heart. It’s not just about policy,but also traditions and values.” And justice:Scharper believes that a globally acceptableclimate change agreement must go wellbeyond the consumption-oriented Northimposing environmental constraints onthe South. “It’s also a question of just economicrelationships.”– J.L.34 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

Research by U of T Professor and Nobel chemist John Polanyi led to someof today’s most powerful lasers – and a multi-billion-dollar industry.By including the University of Toronto in your gift plans, you can have a hand in transforming the future.No Canadian university and few worldwide can match U of T’s impact. From space exploration to medicine,from the sciences, philosophy, and the arts to politics, mass media, and the professions, U of T changes lives.You can create opportunities for future generations of students and enable our graduates and professors tomake a difference – now and for years to come.Ask us how: Call 1-800- 463-6048 • E-mail: gift.plan@utoronto.ca • www.giving.utoronto.ca/plangiving

GreatGiftsJoseph and Sandra Rotman and dean Roger MartinMarcel DesautelsROTMAN ROARS AHEADKey donors provide $28 million for programs and expansionLast fall was a banner season for the JosephL. Rotman School of Management,which received landmark gifts frommajor donors totalling $28 million. TheRotman School will use the money to constructa new facility and bolster a range of newand existing programs.Sandra and Joseph L. Rotman contributeda total of $18 million, from which $10 millionwill help establish the new Lloyd andDelphine Martin Prosperity Institute, a researchcentre headed by urban theoristRichard Florida. The new institute, named inhonour of the parents of Roger Martin, deanof the Rotman School, was created last yearwith a $50-million grant from the province ofOntario. Professor Florida, an expert on economiccompetitiveness, demographic trends,and cultural and technological innovation,joined the school as a professor of businessand creativity.The remaining $8 million will support theUniversity of Toronto’s undergraduate commerceprogram (offered jointly by Rotman andthe Faculty of Arts and Science); Rotman, theschool’s award-winning magazine; the newbuilding fund; and ongoing academic research.An expansion of the Rotman School is expectedto open in 2011, and will house the MartinProsperity Institute and other research centresand programs. The Rotmans have previouslygiven $18 million, and in 1997 the school wasrenamed in Joseph’s honour.The school also received a $10-milliondonation from Marcel Desautels, president andCEO of the Canadian Credit Management Foundation,to support the Desautels Centre forIntegrative Thinking. The money will enable theschool to hire additional faculty and staff, extendthe integrative-thinking curriculum across allteaching programs,and pursue research projects,conferences, and other events based on this newapproach to business education. The DesautelsCentre for Integrative Thinking will also behoused in the new building. Desautels has previouslygiven $21 million to establish the DesautelsCentre and support student scholarships.Rotman is training integrative thinkers tobuild new business models rather than choosebetween existing ones; consider problems as awhole, rather than breaking them down intosmaller parts; and creatively resolve tensionswithout resorting to costly trade-offs. “Theworld of business education has been fundamentallychanged for the better by the emergenceof integrative thinking,” says Desautels.– Ken McGuffin36 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

Stage PresenceJanet Bessey’s gift will help preserve Hart House Theatre’s role on campusAUof T staff member whose namewas synonymous with HartHouse Theatre for more thanthree decades has donated $100,000 tohelp ensure the theatre’s long-term survival.Janet Bessey, who started as anassistant stage manager in the 1960s andlater managed the theatre until she retiredin 2001, says her job was a “work of love”that kept her close to the theatre’s mostimportant constituents – its students.During her career, the theatre mounteddozens of shows and took a democraticapproach to casting U of T productions.“The philosophy was thateveryone should have the opportunityto take part,” she says. Some studentsparlayed their experience at Hart HouseTheatre into careers. Rod Beattie, thestar of the Wingfield plays, performedas Hamlet in a 1973 production. Twoother Hart House Theatre alumni arealso involved in the Wingfield plays:Dan Needles writes them and DouglasBeattie, Rod’s brother, directs them.In 1986, the Graduate Centre for theStudy of Drama moved out of HartHouse Theatre, leaving a budget shortfalland gaps in the production schedule.To survive, the theatre kept its manystudent revues, such as the Faculty ofMedicine’s Daffydil and Engineering’sSkule Nite, but sought new clientsamong dance studios, local ethnicgroups and touring stage productions.Despite some box office successes,the theatre has always relied on the universityto subsidize operations. In 2000,Hart House took over management ofthe theatre and launched an endowmentcampaign to raise $7 million. Anadditional $1 million is being sought forcapital improvements. Bessey describesher contribution as a kind of thank you.“The theatre has been a part of my lifefor so many years,” she says. “I wantedto give something back for all the enjoymentI’ve received.” – Scott AndersonA Scientist’s LegacyToronto group creates scholarship in honour of Marie Curie SklodowskaPHOTOGRAPHY:A. M. CHESNEY MEDICAL ARCHIVES, JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL INSTITUTE, COURTESY AIP EMILIO SEGRE VISUAL ARCHIVESInspired by the humanitarian ideals of a Nobel Prize winner, the MarieCurie Sklodowska Association is celebrating 50 years of philanthropyby establishing scholarships for female physics and chemistry studentsat U of T.“We were always influenced by our patron, Marie Curie – néeMaria Sklodowska – whose persistence and devotion enabled her toachieve so much for science and for women,” says association vice-presidentStella Lachoski.After graduating from U of T, Lachoski (BA 1952),Adele Simpson (BA1951) and 25 of their classmates from the Faculty of Arts and Scienceformed a charitable association to raise money for social, educational andcultural causes in Toronto.The group has since grown to 85 – all Canadianwomen of Polish descent – and fundraising efforts now include an annualgala to commemorate Curie’s birthday,as well as art shows,bake sales andclothing drives. “These scholarships are the epitome of everything wehave worked towards,” says Lachoski.“Even after we are long gone, therewill be an enduring legacy to our association, which, we hope, will inspirefuture generations of women to pursue a career in the sciences.”The association has donated $100,000 to the department of physics,endowing two undergraduate scholarships and a graduate fellowship.Starting next year, the awards will be presented annually on the basisof academic merit and financial need. “Marie Curie spoke in her writingsabout the joy she felt when discovering ‘the new sights of nature.’These scholarships will encourage aspiring scientists to share in thatjoy,” says Professor Michael Luke, chair of the physics department.Thedonation will be matched by the Government of Ontario and theUniversity of Toronto. – Laura GassMarie Curie SklodowskaWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 37

GreatGiftsScholarship Will Support New CanadiansPHOTOGRAPHY : KEN JONESAnew scholarship created by aformer University of TorontoScarborough commerce studentwill support first-generation Canadiansin the management co-op program atUof T Scarborough.Leo van den Thillart was a child whenhe immigrated to Canada with his parentsin the early 1970s. Although helearned English and assimilated easilyinto Canadian culture, his parents facedlanguage barriers and worked hard toestablish a new life here, he says. His$40,000 donation to create the van denThillart Family Scholarship in Managementrecognizes the challenges newimmigrants face and the contributionthey make to Canadian society. “The successof immigrants is the lifeblood ofCanada,” he says.An informal poll of first-year studentsin the Uof T Scarborough ManagementCo-op Program (excluding internationalstudents) found that seven in 10 wereborn outside of Canada. “By supportingthe academic achievements and leadershipof students in the co-op program,many of whom were born outside Canada,this gift is a tangible recognition ofthe strength of our diversity,” says FrancoStudents in Uof T Scarborough’s Management Co-op ProgramVaccarino, principal, Uof T Scarboroughand vice president, Uof T.After studying commerce at Uof TScarborough, van den Thillart completedan executive MBA at Harvard University.He is currently the global co-head of theprivate funds group of Bear Stearns AssetManagement in London, England. Vanden Thillart credits Uof T with providinghim with the fundamentals for a successfulcareer, and now hopes to extend thatbenefit to others. “I am blessed for theopportunities I have received and I feelthat it’s important to give back to thecommunity,” he says. “I believe in educationand I am proud to be associatedwith Uof T.”The van den Thillart Family Scholarshipin Management, worth about$1,600, will be awarded to an upper-yearstudent in the management co-op programwho was born outside of Canadabut is a citizen or permanent resident.– Scott Andersonyour privacyThe University of Toronto respects your privacy. From time to time, we contact our alumni community to provideyou with details of our activities and to ask for your support. At all times the University’s advancement activitiesare undertaken to ensure that your personal information is protected in accordance with the Freedom of Informationand Protection of Privacy Act. If you would like to opt out of future solicitations from the University of Toronto,please call us at 1-800-463-6048.38 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

lumniNotesAP ROFILES•NEWS•EVENTS•CALENDARPHOTOGRAPHY: RYU VOELKELINhis new book, Shut Up, I’mTalking: And Other DiplomacyLessons I Learned in the IsraeliGovernment, University of Torontograduate Gregory Levey describes how,at age 25, he was unexpectedly propelledinto the role of speechwriter forthe Israeli government. Two years later,he became a speechwriter for Israeliprime ministers Ariel Sharon andEhud Olmert.Dissatisfied with law school in NewYork, Levey went looking for an internshipto alleviate his boredom. He endedup at the Israeli Mission to the UnitedNations, where he was offered a position– not as an intern, but as a speechwriter.Under tight security, Levey wrotespeeches for the Security Council, tookHebrew classes with Jewish grandmothersand courses in combat firearms, andattended meetings with an Israeli foreignminister who once showed up injust his underwear.Government officials were impressedwith a speech Levey wrote for ArielSharon (then Israeli prime minister)to deliver in New York, and in 2005recruited him to come to Israel andwrite speeches for the prime minister’soffice. Levey took the offer, despitehis uneasiness about many aspectsof Israeli policy, including the route ofthe security barrier Israel was constructingto separate itself from the WestBank Palestinians.“I’m fundamentally supportive ofIsrael’s right to exist, and its safetyand security as a Jewish state,” he says.“[But] when government policies andactions made me uncomfortable, what Idid, and what a lot of people inside theIsraeli government did, was temper itdown a bit.” He says that his contributionwas to offer a more moderate perspective;he even slipped the occasionalSeinfeld reference into his drafts.It was not just government work thatTHE VIEWFROM TEL AVIVGregory Levey traces his journey from Uof Tstudent to speechwriter for Ariel Sharonchallenged Levey, but also life in Tel Aviv.“Every day was some new absurdity,”he says. “I didn’t speak the languageproperly, and I didn’t understand everything,even beyond the language.” Hereturned to Toronto in the summer of2006, and was hired to teach speechwritingand intercultural communicationat Ryerson University, which heacknowledges is far removed from theexcitement and unpredictability of hisformer life.Levey finished law school in nightclasses while working at the IsraeliMission in New York, but has no desireto practice law or work in governmentin the future. His ambitionsinclude more teaching and possiblywriting other books. He has remainedengaged in Israeli affairs by filing freelancestories from Toronto about theMiddle East, an area in which he “accidentallydeveloped a specialty.”– Sarah Treleaven40 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK FRIEDIn Pursuit of Human DignityMarina Nemat, author of Prisonerof Tehran (Viking Canada,2007), was awarded thefirst Human Dignity Prize in Milan,Italy, in December. The annual 5,000award was established by Mario Mauro,the vice-president of the EuropeanParliament, and the cultural associationEuropa 2004 to celebrate those workingtoward a world free of intolerance andsocial injustice. Nemat’s memoir tracesher imprisonment in Tehran’s notoriousEvin Prison after she was arrested onfalse charges at the age of 16. She holdsa certificate in creative writing from theSchool of Continuing Studies.Opera singer Adrianne Pieczonka(Dip Op Perf 1988) has been namedan officer of the Order of Canada forher contributions as an artistic ambassadorfor Canada. Three alumni havebeen named members of the Order ofCanada: John Barron (MusB 1961,MusM 1968) for his contributionsto music education for young people;Michael Clague (TPS MEd 1969OISE) for his commitment to socialplanning and action, particularly inVancouver’s Downtown Eastside; andLate Show with David Letterman musicaldirector Paul Shaffer (BA 1971UC), who has supported many educational,health care and arts groupsin Canada. Five alumni have beennamed Order of Ontario recipients:Peter George (BA 1962 VIC, MA1963, PhD 1967), president andvice chancellor of McMaster University;Rebecca Jamieson (MEd 1978OISE), a leader and educator in theFirst Nations community; WilliamMcConkey (BSc 1987), a University ofWindsor professor and a world leaderin atomic and molecular physics; RoyMcMurtry (BA 1954 TRIN), formerChief Justice of Ontario and formerAttorney General of Ontario; MargaretOgilvie (BA 1971 TRIN), Chancellor’sProfessor of Law at Carleton Universityin Ottawa.Marina NematStudentLeadership,from theSudan tothe CosmosWhile working toward a sciencedegree at Trinity College,Anh Nguyen spendsmany extracurricular hours on internationalconcerns: she has tutored refugeeyouth from Afghanistan as co-president ofthe Learning to Integrate New CulturesCanada (U of T chapter), and founded aprogram to raise money for scholarshipsfor two refugee high school students. Asthe director of the Student RefugeeProgram, she coordinated the sponsorshipof a Sudanese refugee to come to theUniversity of Toronto. Nguyen also findstime to publish Antigone Magazine (U of Tchapter), a periodical about women andpolitics written by women attendingCanadian universities.For her leadership abilities, Nguyen willreceive a Gordon Cressy Student LeadershipAward on April 8.The ceremony willbe hosted by University of Toronto presidentDavid Naylor at the Colony GrandBallroom at 89 Chestnut Residence. Theawards, established by the U of T AlumniAssociation and the Division of UniversityAdvancement, recognize students whohave made outstanding extracurricularcontributions to the university.Nguyen is one of 131 students who willreceive a Gordon Cressy award. Othersinclude Leonard Elias, who has servedas an actor, lighting designer and directorfor University College Drama ProgramContinued on page 42WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 41

AlumniNotesRhodes to SuccessWhen Wojciech Gryc,21, was in high school,he started the nonprofitorganization and onlinemagazine Five Minutes to Midnightto muster opposition to theIraq War and generate interestin human rights. Now Gryc, aU of T Scarborough graduate whomajored in International DevelopmentStudies and math, has beennamed an Ontario Rhodes Scholarfor 2008. Gryc will attend theUniversity of Oxford to pursue amaster’s degree in mathematicalmodelling and scientific computing.He says that it’s all in the nameof providing technical knowledgethat can be used to improve lives.You travelled to Kibera,Kenya – one of Africa’s biggestslums – last summer withFive Minutes to Midnight.You trained people to usecomputer software andproduce a newspaper. Howdid this come about?About two years ago, grassrootsorganizations abroad started askingFive Minutes to Midnight fortraining and help. That’s how wedecided to help others publish. Ourfirst project was in Chad in December2005 with a group called Rafigui.During that time, we heard from anorganization called Shining Hope forCommunity, which is based in Kibera.We decided to go there to run technologyand journalism workshops.Wojciech GrycWhat impact does your work haveon a community?A lot of the groups we work with usenewspapers as a way to spread socialmessages about violence in schools,HIV/AIDS, women’s rights and otherissues. And the technical skills peoplegain when they’re working on theseprojects allow them to find jobs…. Oneperson we worked with in Kenyaended up being really interestedin programming, and we spent alot of time on weekends goingover it and now she’s working as anetwork administrator. It’s justone person, but then you startbuilding connections and in thelong run it could lead to manymore opportunities.There are so many differentmodels for development. Howdid you decide where to channelyour efforts?This is a question that comes upa lot. Why are you training peopleto design newspapers whenyou could raise money for foodaid? If you’re going to bring foodto an area that’s experiencingfamine, that’s really good but it’sa short-term solution. Teachingpeople to farm is a longer-termsolution. And that’s how I seetraining people in technologyand journalism.Where did the generalimperative to help otherpeople come from?In October 2002, my sister passed away.I was 16 and it was the first big familytragedy I lived through. Following that,the war in Iraq started and I realized thatthis happens every day to millions offamilies. I thought that this would be agood way to give back and come topeace with the experiences I’ve had.– Sarah TreleavenContinued from page 41productions and helped coordinate workshopswith acclaimed German director PeterStein and Japanese actor and director YoshiOida. Elias has also acted in The Rocky HorrorShow and Reefer Madness at Hart House, andco-directed and managed the Innis CollegeCabaret, which raised more than $4,000 forthe Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.Award winner Adam Muzzin served asboth president and treasurer of the U of TGraduate Astronomy Student Association,and helped make the cosmos seem less complicatedthrough his talks at University ofToronto Day and International AstronomyDay events.42 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

Call toll-free 1-866-434-5393 and quote priority code BORY for an Instant Decision, Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Eastern time).MBNA Canada Bank is the exclusive issuer and administrator of the MBNA Platinum Plus credit card program in Canada. MBNA, MBNA Canada,MBNA Canada Bank, MBNA Platinum Plus, MBNA CreditWise Plan, the MBNA logo and the tree symbol are all trademarks ofFIA Card Services, National Association, used by MBNA Canada Bank pursuant to licence. MasterCard is a registered trademark ofMasterCard International, Incorporated, used pursuant to licence.

CalendarSPRING REUNIONApril 26. Washington. 32 ndAnnual All-SHAKER NY at Via Delle Zoccolette onMay 29 to June 1. All alumni are invited toCanada Alumni Dinner. Guest speaker:May 1 and ending at Maro supper club inreturn to U of T during Spring ReunionEdward Greenspon, editor-in-chief, Globe andToronto on May 29, with dates to be con-2008.Those with graduating years ending inMail. Tickets: Cdn $70. Contact Carletonfirmed in Vancouver and Hong Kong.3 and 8 will be honoured. Special events willUniversity alumni services at cu_proud@www.advancement.utoronto.ca/SHAKER orbe held for alumni celebrating their 25 th andcarleton.ca or 1-866-287-7683, or teo.salgadosm.chang@utoronto.ca.50 th anniversaries of graduation. Chancellor’s@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-2368.Circle Medals will be awarded to those markingtheir 55 th ,60 th ,65 th ,70 th ,75 th and 80 thApril 30. Oshawa, Ontario. Alumni recep-LECTURESApril 16 to May 21. Academy for Lifelonganniversaries.Attend the Garden Party at thetion hosted by Chancellor David Peterson.Learning Spring Talks. Speakers includepresident’s home, “Stress-Free Degree” lec-Contact teo.salgado@utoronto.ca or (416)Toronto Star columnist and author Haroontures, and faculty and college events.978-2368Siddiqui. Fee: $6.The academy is a continuingwww.springreunion.utoronto.ca, 1-888-738-education organization for retired persons.8876 or spring.reunion@utoronto.caWednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Innis CollegeTown Hall. www.allto.ca, (416) 946-5185 orJune 1. U of T Scarborough Spring Re-info@allto.caunion. All alumni are welcome, but thosewith graduating years ending in 3 and 8 will beSPORTShonoured. Events include the Principal’sMay 21. 2008 U of T Sports Hall of FameSpring Celebration, hosted by Professorhonours some of Varsity’s greatest athletes,Franco Vaccarino. 2-5 p.m., Miller Lash House,130 Old Kingston Road. Campus tours, 1-5p.m. on the hour. 1265 Military Trail.www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~advancement/alumni/or contact Kim Tull at (416) 287-5631 oralumni@utsc.utoronto.caJeff Thomas’s“How Do YouMeasure Up?Bear Portrait”at U of T ArtCentre in Mayteams and builders. Reception: 6 p.m., GreatHall, Hart House Ceremony, 7:30 p.m., HartHouse Theatre. 7 Hart House Circle.Tickets:www.uofttix.ca, $35 each. (416) 946-3711,marco.vane@utoronto.caMay 3. Dr. Catharine Whiteside, dean of theEXHIBITIONSMay 29-31. U of T Mississauga SpringFaculty of Medicine, invites medical alumni,U of T Art CentreReunion. May 29: Alumni Golf Tour-faculty and friends to a reception at theMay 1 to June 28. Drive By: A Road Tripnament. May 31: Spring Reunion eventsAssociation of Faculties of Medicine ofwith Jeff Thomas. First Nations artist Jeffand 40 th -anniversary closing ceremony.Canada Conference. 5-7:30 p.m. at theThomas explores the meaning of “Indianness”Contact Sue Prior at (905) 828-5454 orCentre Sheraton Montréal, 1201 Boulevardin contemporary urban Canada. Tuesday tosue.prior@utoronto.caRene-Levesque West, Montreal. ContactFriday, 12-5 p.m.; Saturday 12-4 p.m. 15 King’sjennifer.peng@utoronto.caCollege Circle. www.utac.utoronto.ca orALUMNI EVENTS(416) 978-1838April and May. Soldiers’ Tower MemorialMay 8. Senior Alumni Association annualRoom will be open to visitors: April 9-10,meeting and volunteer recognition cer-Robarts Library1-3 p.m. May 29-30 (Spring Reunion), 1- 3 p.m.emony. Guest speaker: Wendy Cecil. 1:30May 22 to June 30. Faculty of Arts &May 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. May 24-25 (City ofp.m. in University College, Room 179, 15Science Book Fair Display includes publi-Toronto Doors Open), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7King’s College Circle. (416) 978-0544, senior.cations by humanities, social sciences andHart House Circle. (416) 978-0544 or sol-alumni@utoronto.cascience authors. Robarts Library, Main floordiers.tower@utoronto.caexhibit area, 130 St. George St. (416) 946-May 12. Jerusalem, Israel. Alumni reception5937 or events@artsci.utoronto.caApril 6. Asia-Pacific Graduation Cere-hosted by President David Naylor. ContactPHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF PUSHPAMALA THOMAS N.mony. Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 HarbourRd., Hong Kong. 11 a.m. www.advancement.utoronto.ca/asiagrads. Contact Vincci Ching at(852) 2375-8258 or vincci.ching@utoronto.com.hk. In Toronto,Teo Salgado at teo.salgado@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-2368teo.salgado@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-2368May 1 to 29. Global SHAKER.Are you livingoutside of Toronto and would like tomeet other U of T alumni? SHAKER is hostingevents in different cities, starting withThomas Fisher Rare Book LibraryJune 6 to Aug. 29. Queer CanLit: CanadianLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and TransgenderLiterature in English. Mon. to Fri., 9 a.m-5 p.m.120 St. George St. www.library.utoronto.ca/fisher/exhibitions or (416) 978-528544 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

How do you thank thepeople who helped youbecome a world-classuniversity?One donor at a time.Rosemarie McGuireDonor.Alumna. Global HR Professional.What exactly gives the University of Toronto its world-class status? More of the world’s top researchers in more fieldsthan any other Canadian university. Faculty who publish more research than any public research university in NorthAmerica. And the support of thousands of donors like Rosemarie McGuire, whose generosity has helped U of T becomethe teaching and research leader it is today. Thank you.w w w. u t o r o n t o. c aCANADA’S ANSWERS TO THE WORLD’S QUESTIONS

If all it takesis one drop,imagine the impactyou could have.

YES, YOUR BEQUESTCAN CHANGE PEOPLE’S LIVES.Right now, chemical engineering at U of T is doing award-winning research intobiological degradation in groundwater, while nanotechnology is targeting canceranswers to the world’s tough questions than any other Canadian university. Yourbequest, whatever the size, helps make that happen.A bequest is a gift in your will, which you can donate to the University in general or designateto a particular faculty, college, program or other area of interest. It’s also a tax-smart way toa tax receipt for the amount donated, which can then offset taxes owing on your death. If youappreciated publicly listed securities, which come with tax advantages of their own.We’re here to help too, of course. The gift-planning experts at U of T would be pleased to talkwith you about setting up a bequest. They can even provide sample wording to ensure your gift canbe used as you intended. This is especially useful when establishing awards or making larger gifts.WHAT ONE DONOR AND ONE RECIPIENT HAD TO SAY.“I wanted to make sure that future students have the same opportunity I had to help– Margaret Reid, donor (BA 1940, BSc 1949)– Ron, a PhD candidate in mathematics

ClassifiedsA SINGING VACATION IN OXFORD!July18-Aug.2. Join us, in our 15 th summer, for twoweeks of the ultimate choral/travel experience. Everymorning, sing church-music selections from the lastthousand years in Balliol College Chapel. Total costincluding air, college room/ensuite bath, mostweekday meals, side trips, tuition, music andtaxes: $3,800 (single), $3,550 (pp/double). For abrochure or further information, please contact Timor Mary Elia at Oxford Churchmusic, (416) 961-6136or Debra House at Egan Travel (905) 272-3055 ore-mail oxfordchurchmusic@rogers.com Website:www.oxfordchurchmusic.caA HARPISLE RETREAT FOR INNER PEACEVal Morin,Quebec.July 3- 6,2008. Participants willlearn how to create inner peace in their lives throughHarp Therapy. No musical background required.Contact Denise Llewellyn, MEd, at info@harpIsle.comWebsite: www.harpIsle.comACCOMMODATIONSAffordable summer residences. Furnished roomsin shared houses. $500/month plus. Steps to U of T.For more information, please contact Campus CooperativeResidence Inc. at (416) 979-2161, ext.224, or e-mail thurst@campus-coop.org Website:www.campus-coop.orgCREATING QUALITY SPACEThe Closet Art & Cabinetry Ltd. We customdesign and build closet systems, shelving, wall units, andspace organizers. For a free estimate, contact K. Oujiat (416) 398-6474 Website: www.theclosetart.comCREATIVE GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGNSERVICESLogos, brochures, stationery, newsletters, posters andweb development.Twenty years experience. ContactSel Cebeci at (416) 435-0970 or info@cebdesign.comWebsite: www.cebdesign.comDENTAL SERVICESDr.Valerie Stavro invites you to BRIGHTEN YOURSMILE in just one appointment with “ZOOM” teethwhitening.Caring and aesthetic dentistry at your service.Locatedin the heart of Yorkville.For a complimentaryconsultation, call (416) 923-8668. Website:www.drvaleriestavro.comEDITORIAL SERVICESProfessional proofreading/copy editing andrelated services. References include EnvironmentCanada and In The Hills magazine. Flexible timing.Editors’ Association of Canada rates. Contact SusanRobb at (416) 789-9059 or rosus9@aol.comCopy editing, proofreading, stylistic and substantiveediting services. Experienced editor, PhD(OISE/UT), and member of the Editors’ Association ofCanada. Contact Sara Promislow at (416) 516-4549or spromislow@oise.utoronto.caEDUCATIONOcean Educations Intro Marine Science for ages16-19. Grade 12 full credit and SCUBA certification/upgrade. Pearson College, Victoria, B.C. July/August2008. Seals, sea lions, orcas! In association with PeelDistrict School Board. For more information, contact1-877-464-6059.Website: www.oceaned.comFOR RENTRijeka, Croatia. Cozy small apartment in the city centre.Rental price negotiable. Contact mt415@cam.ac.ukToronto. Avenue Road/St.Clair. Fully furnished onebedroomapartment. Cable TV, high-speed Internet,parking. Maid every two weeks. Close to subway,shops and restaurants. No Smoking. $2,200/month.Contact (416) 929-8617 or rddcan@sympatico.caWebsite: www.foxbarproperties.com - Nook.FOR SALEProvence. Renovated and furnished two-bedroom,two-bathroom country house located thirty-five minutesfrom Avignon. Beautiful view. 190,000. Contactpeterpigeon@mac.comTyrone near Bowmanville, ON. Renovated centuryhome plus a barn on 110 acres overlookingsmall lake. Close to highway 401 and surrounded bytwo golf clubs, a sailing marina, a zoo and conservationarea. For more information, contact K.K. Puri at(416) 693-4110.GENEALOGY RESEARCH SERVICESWho are your ancestors? Our detailed researchgives you the answers! For more information, contactAmy Brewitt, Hon. BA (U of T), MA (McMaster), at(416) 402-5972 or info@amybrewittgenealogy.comWebsite: www.amybrewittgenealogy.comGIFT IDEASGifts for Professionals. Shop for employee-recognitiongifts, small leather goods, briefcases, deskaccessories and luggage. Contact 1-866-248-2400 orwww.giftsforprofessionals.comINTERPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPYTeya Flaster MEd, A.M.I., D.T.A.T.I. Specializing inhelping individuals understand and deal with emotionalresponses to conflicted relationships with family,peers, partners, spouses and children, which are often48 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

at the root of depression and anxiety.Traditional talktherapy, art therapy and deep relaxation techniquesemployed.Twenty years’ experience, OACCAP member,faculty Toronto Art Therapy Institute, mid-townlocation. Contact Teya Flaster at (416) 963-8428 orteya.flaster@sympatico.caPERSONALSDates from hell… Experience the opposite throughScience Connection, the singles group for people intoscience and nature.Website: www.sciconnect.comREUNIONOakwood Collegiate Institute 100 th anniversaryreunion. May 1-4, 2008. Contact Casey Mak at(416) 366-9596 or oakwoodalumni@rogers.comWebsite: www.oakwoodalumni.caSENIOR SUPPORTElderly relative in the Kitchener-Waterloo area needingassistance? Go to www.elderassist.ca or contactus at intake@elderassist.ca for details.TAX CONSULTANTTax Questions Answered. Canadian CA willanswer your tax questions, via e-mail, at reasonablerates. Visit www.jamesjonesca.ca or e-mail accounts@jamesjonesca.caTRAVELEgypt. Personally escorted tours from Toronto toCairo, as well as Luxor and Nile cruises.Adult, familyand student groups. Students have option to receiveOntario high school credits. For more information,contact (905) 883-1040 or UofTcoach@gmail.comWebsite: www.egyptgrouptours.comPLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED HERE!NEXT ISSUE:June 23Text only:Cost per word: $5.50Contact information:$25 flat rateMinimum cost per ad: $80Display: 1" - $2752" - $475 • 3" - $675For more information:contact Susan WrayPhone: (416) 978-0838Fax: (416) 978-3958E-mail: susan.wray@utoronto.cawww.magazine.utoronto.caRiver Cruising Holidays through France withValerie Kent. July 17-27. Three nights in Parisplus seven nights cruising the Seine through Normandy.July 27-August 7. Seven nights cruising the Rhonethrough Provence plus four days touring from Aixen-Provence.Frequent watercolour art workshopsfor those who would like to participate. E-mailartistvalerie@rogers.com or deblloyd@kos.net Phone1-888-830-5324 Website: www.valeriekent.comThailand. Cultural and Leisure Tours. Customtours arranged by a Thai university-educated professionalwho has worked with a Canadian university’sinternational programs. Will accommodate 1-8persons to fit your budget. Flight not included. Formore information, e-mail ratanasp@uregina.ca orrpornpimol@yahoo.com For reference, call (416)979-5000, ext. 7058.VACATION RENTALSAlsace, France. Two-bedroom apartment inAndlau. Near Strasbourg on the wine route. $700/week. For more information, please contact (416)482-5652.Italy. Near Perugia. Renovated 13 th -centurycastle. Wonderful suites, beamed ceilings, kitchenettes.Gorgeous view. Superb hospitality. Visitwww.borgomonticelli.itParis. Upscale, comfortable and centrally located furnishedapartments in Notre Dame, Marais and SaintGermain. Contact (516) 977-3318 or coopergl@gmail.com Website: www.rentals-paris.comProvence. Near Uzès and Avignon. Beautifulhillside estate with a four-bedroom house, a threebedroomhouse, a two-bedroom cottage and aone-bedroom apartment. Two pools, exceptionalviews and tranquility in a magnificent location.WhyREACH CANADA’S BESTAND BRIGHTEST MINDS• 220,000 Canadian professionalsand decision-makers• Plus 12,000 U.S. and 8,000international readers• Additional elite donors,corporations and politicalfigures accessible only byadvertising in U of T MagazineREADER LOYALTY• 88% of recipients have read3 or 4 of the last 4 issues*Contact 011-334-6679-0984 or obrien.saint.castor@wanadoo.fr Website: www.saintcastor.comProvence. South of France. Furnished three-bedroomhouse, picturesque Puyloubier, 20 km from Aix.Available for monthly or long-term rental. From$1,300/month inclusive. For more information, contactBeth at (416) 533-8844 or b.savan@utoronto.caWebsite: www.maisonprovencale.orgSauble Beach Cottage. Summer $1,250/week:Winter $900/week. No pets. For more information,contact (416) 620-0033 or maryloucks@trebnet.comWebsite: http://saublebeach365.tripod.com/Tuscany. Bed and breakfast outside Siena. Runby Canadian and U of T alumna Ruth Colapinto.Two double rooms with ensuite bathrooms, anda common breakfast area with walkout to largegarden. Contact ruthcolapinto@libero.it Website:www.tuscanholidays.infoWANTEDRadio tubes, equipment and vintage hi-fis.Will pick up.Contact John Yeung in Toronto at (416) 876-8663.WEDDINGSThe University Women’s Club of Toronto.Beautiful air-conditioned Edwardian mansion at trendyBloor/St.George. Ideal for small gatherings. B&B forout-of-town guests. For more information, contact(416) 979-2000 or info@uwconbloor.com Website:www.uwconbloor.comWRITERS’ WORKSHOPProvence. June 15-21. Join Marina Lewycka, KentStetson and Marianne Ackerman for a glorious workingholiday. Unpublished writers welcome. Contact(514) 278-5038 macke1999@aol.com Website:www.atelierprovence.comADVERTISE IN UNIVERSITYOF TORONTO MAGAZINE?COST-EFFICIENTTARGET MARKETING• Median household income:$125,900*• Male: 48%. Female: 52%*• Median Age: 47*• Extremely high proportionof Managers, Professionalsand Owners*• Database mining by fieldof study*Totum Research Readership Survey,December 2001AWARD-WINNINGEDITORIAL• In the past three years, UofTMagazine has won three goldand three silver awards fromthe Canadian Council for theAdvancement of EducationPrix d’Excellence.For more information and ratesfor display and classifiedadvertising, please contact:SUSAN WRAYADVERTISING &PRODUCTION MANAGERPhone: (416) 978-0838Fax: (416) 978-3958E-mail: susan.wray@utoronto.caWWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 49

LookingBackBY GRAHAM F. SCOTTBridgeOver TimeThe casual observer might not think ofmodern-day Mississauga, Ontario, as a placeto find idyllic pastoral scenes, but this picturesays otherwise.The Lislehurst Bridge spansa manmade pond on the University ofToronto Mississauga campus, not far fromthe historic home where vice-president andprincipal Ian Orchard and his family reside.“The bridge is picturesque year-roundbecause it reflects the seasons that are goingon around us,” says Orchard.“We have lotsof walkers who go through the campus andthrough the woods, even in winter. Oftenyou’ll see people walking over the bridgeand reflecting, looking down in the pool.Youhear the frogs croaking as you go by in thespring and summer. It’s lovely.” The bridgeis also a popular spot for wedding photos.During the warmer months, Orchard oftenfinds limousines lined up near the house ascouples pose in the rustic surroundings.The Lislehurst estate was built by theSchreiber family, descendants of Sir IsaacBrock.The house was constructed in 1885,but the bridge and pond were added later byReginald Watkins, a Hamilton businessmanwho bought the property in 1928.Watkinseventually sold it to U of T, and Mississaugadeclared Lislehurst a heritage site almosta quarter-century ago.Orchard believes the estate and thebridge provide an important historicalreminder for the U of T Mississauga students,staff and faculty who pass throughthe bucolic patch of nature in the midst ofthe city.“Even though we’re a very youngcampus,” he says,“we have this reflectionof history built into it.”50 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2008

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