Arts & Science Viewbook - the Faculty of Arts & Science - University ...

Learning in a
Research University
The University of Toronto is consistently recognized as
the country’s leading research institution and one of the
outstanding research universities in the world. But what
does this really mean for undergraduate students?
It means that your classes will be taught by professors
who are experts in their fields. The courses they teach
are often directly related to their research and they
incorporate the latest developments into their teaching.
It also means you’ll have access to one of the best library
systems in the world. With 32 libraries and over 15 million
holdings, U of T’s extensive library system ensures that
students have access to a wealth of resource material,
from antique editions in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book
Library to the latest periodicals in every field.
Research Opportunities Program
Students also have incredible opportunities to become
engaged in original research early in their undergraduate
career: the Faculty’s Research Opportunities Program
enables students to work on a research project with
a professor at the second year level for course credit.
Research projects are available in all areas of study –
students may find themselves cloning genes to research
antibiotic bacterial infections (biochemistry) or researching
the relationship between parenting styles and generosity
in children (psychology), to name just a few projects.
2 | University of Toronto
1,849
active research awards held by
Arts & Science researchers in
2011 – 2012
$61,779,135
amount of external research funding
in 2011 – 2012
Over the years, Arts & Science scholars and researchers
have isolated the gene that allows plants to grow in
salt water, developed the chemical laser, and have
conducted groundbreaking work with “photonic
crystals” — a new class of artificial optical materials
that will almost certainly form the basis of revolutionary
new technologies in the 2lst century.
Outstanding Researchers
Geoffrey Ozin
U of T Chemistry professor Geoffrey Ozin, one of the
pioneers of the growing nanochemistry field, has been
awarded the Albert Einstein World Award of Science.
This award recognizes Professor Ozin's ground-breaking
research into nanomaterials, mesoporous materials,
photonic crystals and nanomachines.
Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner
Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner, an assistant professor of
Egyptian archaeology in the Department of Near and
Middle Eastern Civilizations, unearthed a rare wooden
statue possibly depicting female pharaoh Hatshepsut.
Few artifacts of Hatshepsut, who ruled about 3,500
years ago, have survived, making this discovery an
exciting one for Professor Pouls Wegner and the
archaeological community. During her research trip
to Abydos, Professor Pouls Wegner and her team also
uncovered ancient chapels and animal mummies.