Faculty of Arts & Science

Soil’s secret language: ��TV researchers decode plant-to-fungi communication

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 21:07:22 +0000

Soil’s secret language: ��TV researchers decode plant-to-fungi communication

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 11/13/2024 - 16:07

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The interaction between fungi and plant hormones could be harnessed to yield hardier crops, reduce fertilizer use and minimize phosphate run-off into waterways, according to a new study by ��TV researchers (photo by iStock|amenic181)

Neil Macpherson

Topic

Breaking Research

Cell and Systems Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

The discovery could lead to new strategies for cultivating hardier crops and combatting disease-causing fungi

Researchers at the University of Toronto have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication.

Using baker’s yeast, the researchers discovered that the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) activates fungal genes and proteins associated with phosphate metabolism, a system that is key to growth.

This insight into how fungi respond to chemical signals at the molecular level – detailed in a new study published in the journal Molecular Cell – could lead to new strategies for cultivating hardier crops and combatting disease-causing fungi.

Shelley Lumba (supplied image)

“As we begin to understand how plants and fungi communicate, we will better understand the complexities of the soil ecosystem, leading to healthier crops and improving our approach to biodiversity,” says Shelley Lumba, lead author and assistant professor in the department of cell and systems biology in ��TV’s Faculty of Arts & Science.

In the soil, plant roots engage with fungi in a silent molecular “language” to direct their structure. When plants release SLs, they signal fungi to attach to their roots, providing phosphates – the fuel plants need to grow, and a major component of most fertilizers – in exchange for carbon.

For the study, Lumba and her fellow researchers investigated why and how fungi respond to SLs. Eighty per cent of plants rely on this symbiotic relationship, and enhancing this interaction with beneficial fungi could yield hardier crops, reduce fertilizer use and minimize phosphate runoff into waterways.

For the study, Lumba and her fellow researchers investigated why and how fungi respond to the plant hormone strigolactone. Illustration: Bradley et al., 2024, Molecular Cell 84, 1–17.

In other cases, disease-causing fungi can exploit chemical cues to infect crops, sometimes wiping out entire harvests. Understanding this chemical language could also help block such pathogens.

The researchers treated baker’s yeast with SLs and observed which genes were turned off and on in response. They found that this chemical signal increased the expression of genes labelled “PHO” that are related to phosphate metabolism. Further analysis showed that SLs function through Pho84, a protein on the surface of yeast that monitors phosphate levels, activating a cascade of other proteins in the phosphate pathway.

The researchers determined that plants release SLs when starved for phosphate, signalling the yeast to change its phosphate uptake.

They found the phosphate response to the SL signal holds true not only for domesticated fungi such as baker’s yeast but also for wild fungi – specifically the detrimental wheat blight Fusarium graminearum and the beneficial symbiotic fungus Serendipita indica.

“Gene expression as an output from chemical treatment is key to this approach – it identifies the effect of the SL response on fungal growth.” says Lumba.

Scientists can use this straightforward method to systematically identify plant-derived small molecules that communicate with fungi. Enhancing the interaction with beneficial fungi could lead to advances in agriculture and mitigate pollution and food insecurity.

“The potential impact of this research can improve the lives of so many,” says Lumba. “It’s about healthy soil for a healthy planet.”

With files from A&S News

Math grad says ��TV taught him to 'learn how to learn'

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 20:15:18 +0000

Math grad says ��TV taught him to 'learn how to learn'

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 11/06/2024 - 15:15

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Sean Fridkin, who earned a bachelor's in math and computer science, counts University Professor Emeritus and Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton among his inspirations (supplied image)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Mathematics

Trinity College

Undergraduate Students

Subheadline

Sean Fridkin, 18, completed his high school and undergraduate studies in a total of four years

Some might view mathematics as an abstract discipline, but Sean Fridkin sees it as way to understand the world and solve problems – and he’s getting an early start.

Fridkin recently crossed the stage in the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall to receive his honours bachelor of science in mathematics with a specialist in computer science, completing his high school and undergraduate studies in a total of four years.

Born in Israel, Fridkin spent most of his childhood and formative years in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont., where he managed to complete high school in two years after qualifying for a gifted students’ program.

He says he wanted to attend ��TV because it’s the top university in Canada. “��TV has the best faculty by far,” he said, citing among his inspirations University Professor Emeritus and Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, “and you have opportunities to learn and take a bunch of different courses.

"It’s also a very prestigious program, so in terms of job prospects, it’s really good. Plus, the people are great ... it’s a great place to learn, grow and network.”

Fridkin spoke to ��TV News about his interest in math and computer science, plans for the future and thoughts on how students can get the most out of their undergraduate years:

How did you become interested in mathematics and computer science?

I think math is about trying to understand the world. All around, you have things going on, things happening, and math is seeing the patterns and getting a deeper understanding for what’s going on. That’s always interested me. I think it interests most people – they just don’t know that it’s called math and there’s a language for it.

The way I did my math major is I took a bunch of courses in different fields, but the main thing that unifies them is they teach you to think about the world in different ways. You have classes about the closeness of objects, analysis, topology, you’ve got to think about different types of infinities … You expand the way in which you think, and that interested me more than any specific path within mathematics.

In terms of computer science, I really like numerical methods, where you try to approximate – given some data – and interpolate with models to predict real things. I find machine learning numerical methods really fun.

What was your approach to learning while at ��TV?

The number one goal for me in university was to learn how to learn – and learn how to think about new things and discover new ways of thinking. That’s the thing ��TV gave me. You get the opportunity to talk to lots of different people, lots of different perspectives and learn from professors who are very experienced in the field and often have a unique way of thinking about different problems.

Also, with the assignments, you have to push yourself and that’s what I enjoyed about it. It was a little different from high school, where an assignment might take you 30 minutes. Here, for some of the math classes, I would have to initially spend maybe a couple of days on one assignment. And I learned a lot from that. I think it’s going to impact me, not only as I go further in my career, but also in life.

What are your plans for your career and education going forward?

I’m looking for computer science roles. I want to learn from interesting people and work on interesting problems. That’s the main goal. I don’t have any specific field that I’m going for within computer science – just interesting problems and people who I know I’ll be able to learn from and who I admire and respect.

I really enjoy learning, but I think most learning can be done informally, on your own or with good people at a company. But certainly, if there’s something interesting that I want to learn more about and that I can’t do on my own, I would 100 per cent go back to school.

Long term, I want to transition to something in the machine learning world.

What would be your advice to students starting university?

I think the actual coursework is secondary to what you do in university. You should learn how to approach new problems ... For me, since I was going into math and computer science, I read a little bit of math stuff and I mostly worked on brain teaser problems. That helped me much more than any domain knowledge in any of the fields.

As soon as you build that thought process in your head – as soon as that becomes your natural way of thinking – everything becomes so much easier.

'A profound sense of responsibility': Wes Hall installed as ��TV's 35th chancellor

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:23:54 +0000

'A profound sense of responsibility': Wes Hall installed as ��TV's 35th chancellor

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 11/01/2024 - 12:23

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Wes Hall, centre, is officially installed as ��TV’s 35th chancellor in a ceremony attended by two of his predecessors in the role, Rose Patten, far left, and Vivienne Poy, not pictured, as well as Governing Council Chair Anna Kennedy, second from left, and ��TV President Meric Gertler, at right (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Meric Gertler

Subheadline

“As the 35th – and the first Black – chancellor in ��TV’s almost 200-year history, I feel both pride and humility in donning these robes”

He’s a giant of corporate Canada, a successful investor, respected philanthropist and popular TV personality, but Wes Hall describes serving as chancellor of the University of Toronto as “the privilege of my life.”

Hall was officially installed as ��TV’s 35th chancellor on Oct. 28 ahead of fall convocation ceremonies for students from the Faculty of Arts & Science.

As organ music filled the air, Hall was escorted into Convocation Hall by ��TV President Meric Gertler and a bedel carrying ��TV’s ceremonial mace.

He expressed a “profound sense of responsibility” in taking on the role.

Hall, wearing his honorary degree robes in advance of his official installation as ��TV chancellor, is escorted into Convocation Hall by ��TV President Meric Gertler and a bedel carrying ��TV’s ceremonial mace (photo by Johnny Guatto)

“As the 35th – and the first Black – chancellor in ��TV’s almost 200-year history, I feel both pride and humility in donning these robes,” Hall said. “My presence here is a testament to the progress we’ve made at ��TV and in society as a whole, but it’s also a reminder of the work yet ahead of us.”

President Gertler described Hall as a “legendary figure on Bay Street” and a “dedicated philanthropist and community leader,” and welcomed him and his family members – Hall’s wife, children, father and step-mother were in attendance – to the ��TV community.

Friedemann Krannich, a PhD student in mathematics, assists Hall during the robing ceremony (photo by Johnny Guatto)

“This is a very special morning for the University of Toronto, one that occurs only rarely in our academic cycle – we simultaneously welcome our 35th chancellor and award degrees to graduates,” President Gertler said. “Members of this morning’s graduating class will therefore especially appreciate the importance of today’s installation for each of them and for all of us at the University of Toronto.”

After donning the chancellor’s robes, assisted by his predecessor, Rose Patten, Hall embarked on his first official act in the venerable venue: proclaiming, in Latin, the conferring of degrees to graduating students.

Hall said he felt both pride and humility in donning the chancellor’s robes (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Later in the day, Hall and ��TV announced the creation of the Chancellor Wesley J. Hall Journey of Dreams Scholarship. The scholarship will provide entrance awards to students starting at the university and, Hall said, advance ��TV’s position as “a beacon of excellence, progression, and limitless possibilities.”

Hall’s track record as a business leader and philanthropist has exemplified progress, perseverance and a persistent social conscience. From humble beginnings in rural Jamaica, he rose to become one of Canada’s most influential business leaders as the founder of Kingsdale Advisors and WeShall Investments; a highly recognizable TV personality as a “dragon” investor on CBC’s Dragon’s Den; and an ardent philanthropist and anti-racism advocate as founder of the BlackNorth Initiative non-profit.

In 2021, he partnered with the Rotman School of Management to introduce the first Black entrepreneurship and leadership course in Canada, and he received an honorary doctorate from ��TV in 2023. The author of the memoir No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot, Hall also serves on the board of directors of the SickKids Foundation.

Hall poses for a photo with a graduate (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Monday’s installation included dignitaries from the university and beyond. Donette Chin-Loy Chang, chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University and board member at BlackNorth, said Hall “has broken barriers and subsequently worked to remove barriers for others who follow in his footsteps.” She was followed by Corwin Cambray, president of the ��TV Alumni Association, who said Hall’s life is a testament to his “perseverance, visionary leadership and a profound commitment” to the upliftment of others.

��TV Vice-President and Provost Trevor Young, speaking on behalf of faculty, highlighted Hall’s tireless efforts to expand access to opportunity for people from under-represented communities. “As the chancellor, you will now bring your many talents to champion higher education – perhaps one of the greatest opportunities that exists,” Young said.

Sydelle Mago, an undergraduate student, speaks to graduating students and other attendees while Hall looks on (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Jodie Glean, ��TV’s executive director, equity, diversity and inclusion, described Hall as “a vocal champion” of people from marginalized backgrounds who “has demonstrated the impact EDI can have both within post-secondary institutions and across our local and global communities.”

For Sydelle Mago, an undergraduate student, Hall’s journey is a source of personal inspiration. “Chancellor Hall came to Canada from Jamaica and is a living testament to what hard work and perseverance can achieve,” Mago said. “His story motivates students like me to pursue our ambitions.”

Hall makes his way out of Convocation Hall following his official installation as ��TV’s 35th chancellor (photo by Johnny Guatto)

At a reception to celebrate his installation at Hart House, Hall said he had been asked by some well-wishers if he was too busy to add the role of ��TV chancellor to an already long list of responsibilities. He responded by sharing the example set by his grandmother Julia Vassel, who raised him – along with nine other grandchildren and an adult daughter with special needs – in a tin shack on a plantation worker’s wage.

“One of those kids that she worked so hard to raise is asked in the future to be the chancellor of the top university in Canada – and one of the top in the world – and that kid says, ‘I’m too busy.’ Could you imagine?” Hall said.

“I’m never too busy to put my hand up and say, ‘I want to be a part of change.’”

Avoid comparisons, focus on your own journey: A new grad’s advice to first-year students

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:53:05 +0000

Avoid comparisons, focus on your own journey: A new grad’s advice to first-year students

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/31/2024 - 11:53

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Abidur Rahman visiting Pragser Wildsee Lake in Italy where, as an undergraduate, he completed an internship at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (supplied image)

David Goldberg

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Faculty of Arts & Science

Molecular Genetics

Trinity College

Subheadline

Abidur Rahman, who earned an honours bachelor of science in molecular genetics, says it's important to stay focused on your own journey

Abidur Rahman, a recent honours graduate in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, has already made impressive strides.

He earned a prestigious fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Germany, interned at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Italy, collaborated with biotech startups and mentored several students – all while volunteering as a community advisor at Trinity College.

Rahman credits his success to the boundless opportunities offered by ��TV’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “The amount of research opportunities, internships and collaborations you have access to is unparalleled,” says Rahman, who also found time to volunteer as a community advisor at Trinity College.

“You don’t get the same magnitude of possibilities at other universities.”

Now pursuing a master of science in genetic counselling at ��TV, Rahman reflected on his ��TV journey thus far and shared some of his insights and tips for current and future students:

What drew you to molecular genetics?

When I came to ��TV, I was planning to major in neuroscience and psychology. It wasn’t until my second year when I took a course with Naomi Levy-Strumpf, an assistant professor, teaching stream in the human biology program, that I became fascinated with the complexity of genetics and how it can be used to tell the stories of entire generations.

What motivated you to volunteer with Trinity College?

My family moved from Bangladesh when I was a teenager, and being a first-generation immigrant, I felt lost when I started university. That’s why I wanted to give back. As a community advisor, I connected students with resources and clubs, like the Trinity College Multicultural Society, and created social programming that addressed mental health.

��TV has so many opportunities; it can also be like a maze. My goal was to help students find their way, just like my mentors helped me.

Can you tell us about your research fellowship at the Max Planck Institute?

I spent this past summer in Göttingen, Germany, working on bio-engineered heart muscle cells. My project focused on observing them in low-oxygen conditions, simulating what happens during a stroke. This research has the potential for real-world applications, like developing treatments for heart disease. The work makes you feel as though you’re on the cusp of something that could help thousands of patients, and that’s what excited me the most.

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m currently pursuing my master of science in genetic counselling, which is a clinical and professional program focusing on patient counselling and calculating genetic risks. My research project will examine how racialized families perceive the clinical utility of genetic testing. Most studies are based on individuals of European ancestry and that affects how well genetic testing works for people from other backgrounds.

I’m still exploring my future career path, but I can envision myself working in healthcare. During my undergraduate studies, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with several biotech startups, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Additionally, Toronto offers a wealth of opportunities in both fields, making it an exciting place to build a career.

What advice would you give to your first-year self?

Don’t be in a rush to figure everything out. In my first semester, I was so focused on the future, but university isn’t just an academic endeavor, it’s also about personal growth and professional development. Take the time to enjoy your courses and build relationships with your professors.

My other critical piece of advice is to never compare yourself to others because, as the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. I remember feeling behind because I was still relatively new to Canada, and I didn’t have the same high school experience as some of my peers. Stay focused on your journey and don’t stress about what other people are doing.

How did she do it? Three questions with ��TV grad who speaks 11 languages

mattimar — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:31:59 +0000

How did she do it? Three questions with ��TV grad who speaks 11 languages

mattimar Wed, 10/30/2024 - 16:31

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Originally from Malaysia, Xin Yi Lim is graduating from ��TV with a master’s in Hispanic linguistics with a collaborative specialization in diaspora and transnational studies from the department of Spanish and Portuguese (photo by Nicole In)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Graduate Students

Subheadline

“My brain works in different channels … I’ve developed resources, tools and mechanism to prevent cross-linguistic contamination”

Xin Yi Lim arrived at the University of Toronto in 2019 with plans to become a cardiac surgeon, but she has since achieved a feat many would consider equally daunting: learning to speak 11 languages.

After shifting her focus during her undergrad, Lim is set to graduate from ��TV this week with a master’s in Hispanic linguistics with a collaborative specialization in diaspora and transnational studies from the department of Spanish and Portuguese in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Originally from Malaysia, Lim says she fell in love with Toronto’s diverse community and hopes to continue living in the city. Following fall convocation, she hopes to pursue a career that combines her passions for graphic design and languages.

“I wish to work in a capacity where I can converse and capitalize on all these skills I have amassed over the years,” says Lim, who also earned her bachelor’s degree from ��TV and is considered a hyperpolyglot – the term generally used to describe someone who can speak more than five languages.

“I’d love to continue making meaningful connections with people and touching the hearts of others by learning their culture and language.”

In the near term, Lim is eager to find opportunities in entertainment – perhaps with Disney on Ice or Royal Caribbean Cruises – to showcase her figure skating skills. She competed with the Malaysian junior national figure skating team and was a member of ��TV’s Varsity training squad.

As she prepares to embark on a new chapter, Lim spoke with ��TV News about how she learned so many languages, her university experience and, of course, what language she plans to tackle next.

How did you learn all these languages?

I will give a lot of credit to my home country of Malaysia. Growing up with five languages in my household built my brain to absorb different languages.

My brain works in different channels and compartments. With a photographic memory, learning languages is like translating these photographs in my head into these mental compartments.

Due to my perfectionism in linguistics and eagerness to not make mistakes, I’ve developed resources, tools and mechanism to prevent cross-linguistic contamination. For languages that are in similar linguistic families – like Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish – I created mechanisms for active recall to help me avoid mixing them up while speaking.

How has studying at ��TV shaped your path?

I came to ��TV wanting to become a cardiac surgeon and now I have 11 languages under my belt. After my third semester of doing life sciences, I quickly found my love for linguistics and political activism.

I had to take political science and social science – and if I had never taken these courses, I wouldn’t have known I was so passionate about diaspora studies, transnational studies, anthropology or sociology.

That’s one thing about ��TV that I really appreciate. Some may complain about its academic rigour, but I think it worked out in my favour. The well-rounded education I received here is hard to find in other institutions in Canada.

Being at ��TV has enriched and amplified my experience in language and my love for different cultures. I took Italian in my second year and Turkish in my third year. In my final year, I had some wiggle room for more electives. So, I decided to take Portuguese for Spanish speakers, which was so super, super helpful. Then I took French and Swahili.

I believe the selection of different languages at ��TV offers a great plethora of knowledge and I want to keep that going.

If you could instantly become fluent in one language, which one would it be?

Arabic is incredibly difficult to learn. I would really like to master this language – hopefully soon.

I also want to learn Greek, Albanian and Armenian, seeing as there is a huge population of these three ethnic groups in Toronto and I want to be able to connect with those cultures.

��TV commerce grad discovers passion for teaching, science - and helping others

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:59:13 +0000

��TV commerce grad discovers passion for teaching, science - and helping others

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 10/29/2024 - 11:59

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Roshawn Jamasi, a member of Innis College, is graduating with an honours bachelor of commerce with a specialization in management (supplied image)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman School of Management

Subheadline

Roshawn Jamasi, who is now contemplating a career in medicine, volunteered in hospitals during his undergraduate studies and helped international students stay connected during COVID-19

Applying to medical school might not seem like a natural next step for a commerce grad, but Roshawn Jamasi says it’s all part his rich University of Toronto journey – one that also included discovering passions for teaching, science and volunteer work.

As a member of Innis College, Jamasi is graduating with an honours bachelor of commerce with a specialization in management through a joint program between the Rotman School of Management and the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“Something I loved broadly about the program was the quality of professors,” Jamasi says. “It was clear how knowledgeable they were in the depth and breadth of their experiences. The wisdom they shared was incredible.”

In particular, he credits Cindy Blois, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in the department of mathematics, for giving him the opportunity to teach in his second year.

“She took a chance on me to help teach a calculus course,” says Jamasi, who earned the department’s Daniel B. DeLury Teaching Assistant Award in 2023. “I fell in love with teaching tutorials, working with first-years and helping with lectures.

“That was one of the more standout experiences I had as an undergrad.”

He says his program’s flexibility allowed him to take courses in psychology, immunity and infection, human physiology, environmental human health, chemistry, human biology, and brain pharmacology.

“I was able to really develop my skills outside of commerce which helped me find my true passion for science, while teaching me key transferable skills through my program courses.”

Jamasi, who has had heart disease since he was 13, says he also learned the importance of putting health and well-being first – after pushing himself a little too hard in his first year.

“I would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and study for eight hours straight. I'd be getting four or five hours of sleep every night. My grades were excellent but by the exam period of second semester, my body finally quit on me as I incurred a new stomach condition."

This pain paired with managing his heart disease forced Jamasi to step back and better manage his course load and his busy schedule for his remaining years. He says he’s grateful to Innis College for being supportive and giving him the accommodations he needed to continue his studies.

“At the end of the day, a student can’t perform at their best if they're not in their best health,” he says.

Helping others flourish was a consistent theme throughout Jamasi’s academic journey.

An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team he helped establish within his program enabled international students to better connect digitally with the rest of the program during the COVID pandemic when much of life was lived online. The team soon realized students in China were at a disadvantage because many of the program’s clubs and associations primarily used Instagram and Facebook to promote their events and activities.

“At the time Instagram was blocked in China, so was Facebook,” Jamasi says, adding that the team helped the groups share their information on the social media platform WeChat.

“This way, they had another way of getting all of the information, resources and potential job opportunities. That was something we were proud of.”

Wanting to connect students further, Jamasi and his team also created a way to show the human side of his classmates.

“We find our program is very competitive,” he says. “Our surveys were showing a lack of connectedness between students, and a lack of appreciation of each other and the diversity we bring.”

To offset this, he and his team created an Instagram page called peopleofRC that features students sharing interesting facts and experiences outside of academics.

“There’s nothing about personal achievements, nothing about accolades, it’s just sharing something unique about yourself that we can all celebrate,” says Jamasi.

Jamasi’s desire to support others also saw him volunteering at nearby Toronto hospitals.

“I began volunteering at Toronto Western Hospital when I was 16,” he says. “That's always been a nice way for me to take my mind off school and focus on other people. I would visit patients who were staying overnight and keep them company and help them feel like they're not alone. That was always really satisfying for me. I learned a lot about so many different types of people.

“Some days I'd have class in the morning. After that, I'd run to the hospital because it's so close and do some volunteering and come back to classes in the evening. Those were some of the best days.”

Jamasi has applied to medical school though he hasn’t decided which field of medicine interests him most.

“But I'm happy that I did this Rotman degree because it teaches you so many soft skills, like how to communicate, how to present yourself, how to present in a group of people, how to work in a team and lead a team,” he says.

“All those skills transfer to every aspect of business, whether you're in medicine, health care, or administration. I'm just so happy that I got to go to ��TV and experience everything I did.”

From AI to Atari: What it's like to work with Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton

mattimar — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:13:56 +0000

From AI to Atari: What it's like to work with Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton

mattimar Fri, 10/25/2024 - 10:13

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From left: Chris Maddison, Nick Frosst and Kevin Swersky at a recent event celebrating ��TV University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton's 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Statistical Sciences

Subheadline

Three former students who worked with the "godfather of AI" recall his passionate and playful approach to research

In the wake of Geoffrey Hinton’s 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, former students and colleagues from the University of Toronto are sharing their favourite anecdotes about the “godfather of AI” – including one involving the classic Atari video game Asteroids.

Nick Frosst (photo by Nina Haikara)

Nick Frosst, a ��TV alumnus and co-founder of generative AI startup Cohere, said Hinton, University Professor Emeritus of computer science, once spoke of an intense, button-mashing session that left him with nerve damage.

“This kind of explains, perhaps, the way in which he types, which is still two fingers at a time,” said Frosst, who began working with Hinton as a ��TV undergraduate student and was his first employee at Google Brain.

He shared the story at a recent event hosted by the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, saying it offered a telling glimpse into Hinton’s character.

“It’s that fever-pitched intensity, passion and playfulness that he brings to everything … He found something that was fun and engaging and he played it until it damaged a finger and then he continued to push for it.”

Frosst said he also appreciates Hinton’s thoughtful consideration about the potential negative consequences of the revolutionary technology he helped create and praised him for looking past formal qualifications to spot potential and creativity.

“I don't have a master's degree or a PhD, but he was willing to work with me and I saw that in the types of people he brought into Google Brain to work with him,” Frosst said.

“He took lots of chances on people and gave them the time of day once they were there. And for that, I'll always be thankful and deeply privileged, and honoured, to have him in my life.”

Other former students at ��TV tell similar stories.

Chris Maddison (supplied image)

Chris Maddison, now an assistant professor in ��TV’s departments of computer science and statistical sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was also an undergraduate student when he started working with Hinton in 2011.

He also painted a picture of Hinton’s vibrant office – where everyone knew when he had a new idea.

“The excitement, the joy radiated out of his office down the hall. The air was buzzing with possibility,” said Maddison. “He was famous for bursting into a room and pronouncing that, he now finally, after all these years, understood how the brain worked.”

Kevin Swersky (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Kevin Swersky, a research scientist at Google DeepMind, worked with Hinton as a graduate student at ��TV and similarly described visiting Hinton as a memorable academic experience.

“Normally when you go to a supervisor's office, you give them a progress update. You go through what your latest results are, you talk about a couple of your ideas and you get some feedback,” he said.

“Going to Geoff’s office was a completely different story. He would be telling you what his latest idea was. He would show you his latest results. And his whole thing was just that he was really excited about it, and his hope was to inspire you enough to start running with it.”

He added that he was particularly inspired by Hinton’s focus on small, solvable puzzles that would ultimately lead to significant breakthroughs over time.

“Geoff would think completely intuitively – like the universe was a puzzle and he was just kind of figuring out where all the pieces went, and the math would always follow whatever he was talking about,” he said.

He also remarked on Hinton’s kindness.

“He offered to put me up for a few weeks,” he said of a time when he found himself looking for a place to stay in Toronto. “He offered to go and get dishes. I was thinking to myself, ‘Wow, Geoff Hinton wants to go out shopping for dishes for me so that I can be comfortable for a few weeks.’”

Geoffrey Hinton shakes hand at a recent ��TV event celebrating his Nobel Prize (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)

Frosst, too, has a Hinton home-making story: the AI luminary built him a desk from scratch.

“He's a carpenter,” Frosst said. “It’s a small wooden desk that fits in the corner of my room at home.

“That's where I keep my computer and work from.”

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: ��TV celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:24:21 +0000

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: ��TV celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/17/2024 - 13:24

Cutline

University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, attends a celebration event held at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Leah Cowen

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

Wesley Hall

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

CIFAR

Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

The 2024 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics - known to many as the "godfather of AI" - was honoured at an event attended by a who's who of the Toronto research community

There were standing ovations, peals of laughter and even a few tears as the University of Toronto welcomed Geoffrey Hinton back to campus after he won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.

A University Professor Emeritus of computer science, Hinton traded the “cheap hotel room in California,” where he received the life-changing news, for an emotional reception in the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus’s airy event hall.

The Oct. 10 event drew ��TV leaders, supporters, dignitaries and other luminaries. They included Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, University Professor Emeritus John Polanyi, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986, and Massey College Principal James Orbinski, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Doctors Without Borders in 1999.

Several of Hinton’s many collaborators and proteges also attended the event – not to mention students who were simply eager to catch a glimpse of the “godfather of AI.”

Hinton chats with ��TV Scarborough Professor David Fleet and Google Research Scientists Sara Sabour and Daniel Watson (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Though sleep deprived, Hinton regaled the audience with fond recollections of his early years as an AI researcher, snapshots of his trademark dry humour and warm expressions of gratitude for mentors, collaborators and, of course, his many students.

“I’ve been blessed to have brilliant graduate students and post-docs,” Hinton said.

“I had a principle when selecting graduate students: ‘If they’re not smarter than me, what’s the point?’ And I’ve had quite a number of graduate students who were smarter than me.

“They did things I wouldn’t have been able to do, so I’d like to thank them.”

He said two figures in particular played a huge role in the work that led to his Nobel Prize, which he shared with Princeton University’s John J. Hopfield. The first was Terry Sejnowsky, a computational neuroscientist and former student of Hopfield’s, who worked with Hinton on Boltzmann machines – a period Hinton described as “the most happy research time of my life.”

He also praised the contributions of the late David Rumelhart, a psychologist at Stanford University, who worked with him to develop backpropagation algorithms, a key breakthrough.

“[He] should have won the Nobel Prize,” Hinton said. “But unfortunately, Dave got a horrible brain disease and he died quite young.” (The Nobel organization doesn’t award the honour posthumously).

Hinton poses for a picture with Assistant Professor Chris Maddison, who was one of the last graduate students Hinton supervised (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)

Chris Maddison joined Hinton’s research group as an undergraduate and was one of the last students he supervised. Now an assistant professor in ��TV’s departments of computer science and statistical sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Maddison lauded Hinton as “a steadfast mentor and supporter who saw strength in me that I didn’t see” and said one of his greatest attributes was his sheer enthusiasm.

“No matter what’s going on, you can find him in the lab on Sundays at 8 p.m. playing with his MATLAB scripts like a child playing with Legos,” Maddison said. “He never lost that child-like sense of wonder that buoyed him and the group.”

��TV President Meric Gertler said, via video message from Indonesia, where he was on university business, that Hinton is “one of the great minds of the 21st century” (photo by Johnny Guatto)

��TV President Meric Gertler, who was in Indonesia on university business when the prize was announced, hailed Hinton in a video message as “one of the great minds of the 21st century” and someone who “literally created new ways of thinking about thinking and learning.”

He noted that Hinton’s AI leadership extends to the pressing question of responsible and safe development of the technology.

“With his Nobel win, he’s now perfectly positioned to amplify this concern on a world stage.” President Gertler said.

Hinton shares a laugh with University Professor Molly Shoichet of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The event’s guest list served as a reminder of Hinton’s outsized influence on the research community in Toronto and beyond, drawing key figures from: the Vector Institute, where Hinton is co-founder and chief scientific adviser; the Schwartz Reisman Institute of Technology and Society, where he sits on the advisory board; and CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), where Hinton is an adviser and longtime fellow.

Hinton poses for a photo with Leah Cowen, ��TV’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Leah Cowen, ��TV’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, reminded the accomplished audience that Hinton’s historic achievement – both the Nobel Prize and the AI revolution he helped spark – was the result of years toiling in an “unpromising backwater” of AI research.

“It is tempting to think that it happened almost overnight, but it didn’t,” Cowen said.

University Professors Emeriti – and fellow Nobel Prize-winners – Geoffrey Hinton and John Polanyi have their photo taken together (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Hinton took time to reflect on periods of personal struggle and tragedy – and thank those who helped him in his hour of need.

When his wife had an incurable form of cancer, he recalled how ��TV President Emeritus David Naylor, a physician, medical researcher and former dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, carried out research on a possible alternative treatment that was being explored – incorporating input from top medical experts – and presented him with a report of his findings.

“He’s a tremendous human being,” Hinton said of Naylor, who was in the audience.

Hinton shares a moment with ��TV President Emeritus David Naylor (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Hinton also recalled how, when his first wife became ill in 1993 – also with cancer – his post-doctoral trainee Peter Dayan, now a director at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, stepped in to advise Hinton’s graduate students, giving him time to care for his ailing spouse.

“At times like this, you remember the people who helped you most when things were very difficult,” Hinton said.

He later pointed out that Dayan went on to supervise one of this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Demis Hassabis, joking that this made Dayan “the meat in a Nobel sandwich.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada was lucky to have Hinton, who was born in the U.K., and thanked his daughter for sharing her father with the country, with science and the world (photo by Johnny Guatto)

For Minister Freeland, Hinton’s award showcased the value of ideas and of fundamental research. She said Hinton’s Nobel Prize sent waves of pride across Canada, which she said was “lucky as a country” that Hinton arrived on its shores back in 1987.

“Geoff shows that you can be a really brilliant intellectual and also a really great human being who cares about his community and his country,” Freeland said. “I am constantly struck by how Geoff thinks about the bigger implications of his ideas and how Geoff thinks about really wanting to make Canada and the world a better place.”

Hinton chats with Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, who thanked him for his friendship and mentorship – and his dedication to science and scholarship (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Following the program – which also featured remarks by ��TV Chancellor Wes Hall, Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Melanie Woodin and Christine Szustaczek, ��TV’s vice-president, communications – Hinton mingled with members of the audience, shook hands with students and caught up with former colleagues and trainees.

Clockwise from top left: Christine Szustaczek, Wes Hall, Chris Maddison, Leah Cowen, Geoffrey Hinton and Melanie Woodin (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Brendan Frey, professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and CEO of AI-powered therapeutics startup Deep Genomics, said he was one of many who earned his PhD under Hinton’s supervision.

“I think of Geoff as the father of a community that includes myself, other graduate students and all the people who didn’t believe but then came to believe – and he inspired all of us,” said Frey, who shared a hug with his former supervisor following the event.

“I’m really happy for him.”

In his words: Geoffrey Hinton reflects on his Nobel Prize win

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 16:26:59 +0000

In his words: Geoffrey Hinton reflects on his Nobel Prize win

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/10/2024 - 12:26

Cutline

Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor Emeritus of computer science at the University of Toronto and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, takes questions during a virtual press conference hosted by ��TV (image via YouTube)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Artificial Intelligence

Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Global

Nobel Prize

President Meric Gertler

Subheadline

"If you believe in something, don’t give up on it until you understand why that belief is wrong"

Empower curiosity-driven research. Follow your convictions. Think not just about how to advance technology, but how to direct its use for good.

These were among the key messages delivered by Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor Emeritus of computer science at the University of Toronto and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, during an Oct. 8 press conference held by the university to mark his historic award.

Widely regarded as “the godfather of AI,” Hinton was named a co-winner of the prize – alongside John J. Hopfield of Princeton University – for his work on Boltzmann machines and artificial neural networks, which laid the groundwork for advancements in AI and stimulated new research directions in physics.

��TV President Meric Gertler hailed Hinton for having “a profound impact on multiple fields and disciplines,” crediting “his leadership and exemplary mentorship of young scholars” with helping ��TV become a global leader in AI and machine learning.

“I think one cannot overstate the impact of a win like this on the ability of Canada, Toronto and the University of Toronto to be able to welcome talented newcomers, great students and wonderful faculty from across the country and around the world because of the recognition that arises with Geoff’s win,” President Gertler said.

For his part, Hinton echoed his remarks from earlier in the day that he was “flabbergasted” to receive the prize and pleased that the Nobel committee recognized the advancements in artificial neural networks.

He also answered questions about his influences, legacy and how it feels to go from being an obscure researcher who toiled in a largely forsaken field to a Nobel Laureate – and his advice for researchers who hope to one day follow in his footsteps.

Here are five key themes that emerged from Hinton's news conference:

His legacy

“I’m hoping AI will lead to tremendous benefits, to tremendous increases in productivity and to a better life for everybody. I’m convinced that it will do that in health care.

“My worry is that it may also lead to bad things, and in particular, when we get things more intelligent than ourselves, no one really knows whether we’re going to be able to control them.

“We don’t know how to avoid [catastrophic AI scenarios] at present. That’s why we urgently need more research. So I’m advocating that our best young researchers, or many of them, should work on AI safety and governments should force large companies to provide the computational facilities they need to do that.”

A collaborative effort

“I think of the prize as a recognition of a large community of people who worked on artificial neural networks for many years.

“I’d particularly like to acknowledge my two main mentors: David Rumelhart, with whom I worked on the backpropagation algorithm … and my colleague Terry Sejnowsky, who I worked with a lot in the 1980s on Boltzmann machines and who taught me a lot about the brain.

“I’d also like to acknowledge my students. I was particularly fortunate to have many clever students, much cleverer than me, who actually made things work. They’ve gone on to do great things.

“I should also acknowledge Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun who were close colleagues and very instrumental in developing this whole field.”

Canada’s research strengths

“I think the main thing about Canada as a place to do research is there isn’t as much money as there is in the U.S., but it uses its money quite wisely.

“In particular, the main funding council for this type of research, called NSERC, uses money for basic curiosity-driven research, and all of these advances in neural networks came out of basic curiosity-driven research – not out of throwing money at applied problems, but out of letting scientists follow their curiosity to try and understand things. And Canada’s quite good at that.”

Many thought he was wasting his time

“It was a lot of fun doing the research, but it was slightly annoying that many people – in fact, most people in the field of AI – said that neural networks would never work.

"They were very confident these things were a waste of time and we would never be able to learn complicated things – for example, understanding natural language – using neural networks. And they were wrong."

Believe in your ideas

"My message is this: if you believe in something, don’t give up on it until you understand why that belief is wrong.

"Often, you believe in things and you eventually figure out why that’s a wrong thing to believe in. But so long as you believe in something and you can’t see why that’s wrong – like, ‘the brain has to work somehow so we have to figure out how it learns the connection strengths to make it work’ – keep working on it and don’t let people tell you it’s nonsense if you can’t see why it’s nonsense."

‘Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize makes headlines around the world

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 19:24:35 +0000

‘Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize makes headlines around the world

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 10/09/2024 - 15:24

Cutline

(photo by Polina Teif)

Topic

Global Lens

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Nobel Prize

Research & Innovation

News of Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize in Physics travelled around the globe, making international headlines for the British-Canadian scientist known as the “godfather of AI.”

A University Professor Emeritus of computer science at the University of Toronto, Hinton won the prize jointly with Princeton’s John J. Hopfield for early discoveries and inventions in the realm of physics that laid the groundwork for today’s artificial intelligence boom.

Hinton told The New York Times he was, “shocked and amazed and flabbergasted. I never expected it.”

After receiving the call from Stockholm in the wee hours, Hinton, who was in California, spent much of the day attending press conferences and speaking with reporters from a “cheap hotel room with no internet,” even oscillating mid-interview between the Times and the BBC.

Nevertheless, he seized the moment to emphasize both the promise and pitfalls of AI-based technologies.

“It’s going to be like the Industrial Revolution – but instead of our physical capabilities, it’s going to exceed our intellectual capabilities," he told the BBC. “… but I worry that the overall consequences of this might be systems that are more intelligent than us that might eventually take control.”

Independent UK acknowledged the unusual nature of Hinton’s win in the physics category.

“I’m not a physicist, I have very high respect for physics,” Hinton said. “I dropped out of physics after my first year at university because I couldn’t do the complicated math. So, getting an award in physics was very surprising to me. I’m very pleased that the Nobel committee recognised that there’s been huge progress in the area of artificial neural networks.”

Closer to home, Hinton’s award was lauded in the national media, from CBC: The National – which highlighted his emphasis on the importance of supporting curiosity-driven research and his role in training many of today’s AI leaders – to the front pages of The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.

“I want to emphasize that AI is going to do tremendous good,” Hinton told the Globe after receiving the news about the win. “In areas like health care, it’s going to be amazing. That’s why its development is never going to be stopped. The real question is can we keep it safe?”

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His legacy

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Believe in your ideas

‘Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize makes headlines around the world

Read Hinton’s interview in the New York Times (paywall)

Read the BBC story

Read the Globe and Mail story (paywall)

Watch CBC: The National’s report

Faculty of Arts & Science

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'A profound sense of responsibility': Wes Hall installed as ����TV's 35th chancellor

Avoid comparisons, focus on your own journey: A new grad’s advice to first-year students

How did she do it? Three questions with ����TV grad who speaks 11 languages

����TV commerce grad discovers passion for teaching, science - and helping others

From AI to Atari: What it's like to work with Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: ����TV celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize

In his words: Geoffrey Hinton reflects on his Nobel Prize win

His legacy

A collaborative effort

Canada’s research strengths

Many thought he was wasting his time

Believe in your ideas

‘Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize makes headlines around the world

Read Hinton’s interview in the New York Times (paywall)

Read the BBC story

Read the Globe and Mail story (paywall)

Watch CBC: The National’s report

Soil’s secret language: ��TV researchers decode plant-to-fungi communication

Math grad says ��TV taught him to 'learn how to learn'

'A profound sense of responsibility': Wes Hall installed as ��TV's 35th chancellor

How did she do it? Three questions with ��TV grad who speaks 11 languages

��TV commerce grad discovers passion for teaching, science - and helping others

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: ��TV celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize