U of T Engineering hosts the tenth annual UT²
Photo: UT² participants from the University of Tokyo + University of Toronto on front campus, King’s College Circle at the University of Toronto
June 23, 2011
On June 9 and 10, 2011, the Faculty of Applied & Science Engineering hosted the 10th anniversary of UT², a graduate student conference held annually between the University of Tokyo and the University of Toronto.
The event provides graduate students and faculty members with opportunities to meet and discuss ideas with experts within their field and promotes international research collaboration and exchange.
The conference, which both participating universities alternate hosting, initially began in 2001 as a workshop for Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) students at both institutions but soon evolved into a Faculty-wide initiative. Graduate students and faculty members from the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry (ChemE) and the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE) joined the conference in later years, with participants able to also independently organize exchanges throughout the year.
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Photo (left): 2011 UT² Planning Committee Members from left: Eric Morris (ChemE 0T5, PhD Candidate), Yuki Kuwauchi (MSE MASc Candidate), Leili Tafaghodikhajavi (MSE PhD Candidate), and Reza Rizvi (MechE PhD Candidate)
Photo (right): 2011 UT² faculty co-leads: Associate Professor Kosuke Nagashio (UToyko; left) and Professor Jun Nogami, Chair (UToronto; right)
Eric Morris (ChemE PhD Candidate), a UT² Planning Committee Member, sees the annual event as invaluable experience for U of T Engineering. “This conference is a great way for graduate students to see how things are done at a different institution in a different country,” said Morris. “Not only does this help to broaden our horizons, but it also opens the door for new ideas and new collaborative research opportunities.” This year’s UT² Planning Committee Members also included Yuki Kuwauchi (MSE MASc Candidate), Leili Tafaghodikhajavi (MSE PhD Candidate) and Reza Rizvi (MechE PhD Candidate).
Professor Jun Nogami, Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, agrees. “Our relationship with Tokyo is a great opportunity to further our goals in internationalizing our research, our programs for graduate students, and eventually, our undergraduate students,” he said. “I want to thank all of the graduate students, faculty, and staff from both institutions who made this year’s special occasion a wonderful success.”