Actualités
<p>Scientists have found that urban animals are not just adapting their behaviours, but changing at a genetic level compared to their country cousins.</p>
We have long known that cities can have profound effects on people, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to comprehend the far-reaching effects that cities are having on the wild creatures that reside within them. This line of inquiry has given rise to a new scientific field known as e...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/cities-are-becoming-a-living-lab-for-species-evolution/
Actualités
<p>The new board chair of Universities Canada lays out her priorities.</p>
In her inaugural address as the new chair of the board of directors of Universities Canada, Université Laval rector Sophie D’Amours spoke of the challenges facing postsecondary education in the years ahead, and of the bonds that unite Canadian universities. Her speech to association members took ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/postsecondary-education-as-seen-by-sophie-damours-rector-of-universite-laval/
Actualités
<p>From open-book tests to AI-enhanced proctoring tools, final exams will look very different for most faculty members. </p>
With COVID-19 restrictions making in-person exams not possible this semester, faculty and institutions have had to quickly navigate a variety of alternatives, including remote exam proctoring technologies that many are considering for the first time.
Cyprien Lomas is the assistant dean of learnin...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/instructors-weigh-options-for-exams-this-semester/
Actualités
<p>Rates of domestic violence and violence against women have been on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are moving quickly to support survivors stuck at home.</p>
Ask anyone who works in the field of gender-based violence (GBV) and you’ll hear this oft-cited and horrifying statistic: a woman is killed by her intimate partner <a href="https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/gender-based-violence/">every six days in Canada</a>. The numbers are equally alarming wh...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/researchers-respond-to-gender-based-violence-the-pandemic-within-a-pandemic/
Actualités
<p>As research ramps ups dramatically due to COVID-19, some researchers say we need to do better to keep the knowledge, and develop the downstream products, here.</p>
Sachdev Sidhu believes the engineered proteins he’s helped to develop could treat COVID-19 by stopping the virus from replicating in an already infected person. The University of Toronto professor of molecular genetics and his collaborators are using proteins they’d created to block the enzymes ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/can-canada-keep-its-intellectual-property-from-slipping-away/
Actualités
<p>Computer scientists and statisticians are starting to create datasets that mimic important properties of the real thing, which could help ease privacy concerns.</p>
The vast amounts of data collected by governments, health-care organizations, financial institutions and other groups offer countless opportunities for insights. If companies and researchers could share and work with this data, they could track the emergence of rare diseases, prevent fraud and track...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/the-promise-and-pitfalls-of-synthetic-data/
Actualités
<p>Whether they like it or not, Canadian institutions will have to address the issue of cybersecurity – before it’s too late.</p>
Are Canadian universities vulnerable to cyberattacks? Not according to them. Unless regular operations are affected, very few postsecondary institutions report being victims of cybercrime. Case in point: when a major security flaw was discovered in December 2021, it wasn’t until the Quebec governm...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/universities-need-to-start-taking-cybersecurity-seriously/
Actualités
<p>Mechatronics researchers will be exploring the capabilities of Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot over the next three years.</p>
With plans in motion to decommission Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) nuclear power plant in Pickering, Ont. in the coming years, making sure that process is as safe as possible is of the utmost concern for the energy corporation, its employees, and the surrounding community. Nearby Ontario Tech U...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/ontario-tech-university-explores-the-future-of-industrial-robotics-with-a-four-legged-friend/
Actualités
<p>The move is targeted at ‘key sectors’ to address labour-market gaps, but what does it mean for universities?</p>
This April, the Ontario government made, with relatively little fanfare, one of the most substantial changes in a generation to the province’s postsecondary sector. Following on an intention first signalled the previous fall, it raised the cap on degree-program offerings at public colleges from fi...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/ontario-blurs-the-line-by-expanding-degree-granting-options-for-colleges/
Actualités
<p>‘The digital is becoming an integral part of liberal arts education,’ says humanities dean.</p>
Should cryptocurrencies replace government-backed ones? Should the use of personal digital data in political campaigns be regulated? How do digital platforms shape the discussions that happen on them – and those who participate? And what do cute cat memes have to do with censorship?
Students at...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/stu-course-equips-students-with-critical-digital-literacy-skills/
Actualités
<p>Developed by the University of Ottawa and Clinique juridique de Saint-Michel, it has already been taught at four universities.</p>
The summer of 2021 was the first time a unique course on racial profiling was offered by the University of Ottawa’s (U of Ottawa) faculty of law and the Clinique juridique de Saint-Michel legal clinic. It has since garnered keen interest from Quebec university students.
“Following the publica...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/university-course-on-racial-profiling-gains-popularity/
Actualités
<p>Postsecondary institutions are playing catch up as generative AI and other emerging technologies make their way into student coursework.</p>
Cheating has changed. It’s on the rise as learning takes place in an increasingly digital environment that includes remote exam proctoring and artificial intelligence software that can <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">write essays</a>, <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/BioGPT">unders...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/from-chatgpt-bans-to-task-forces-universities-are-rethinking-their-approach-to-academic-misconduct/
Actualités
<p>As generative AI disrupts the world of teaching and learning, academia has been slow to address its use in scholarly research.</p>
Universities have made it clear: they are not fans of students using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their coursework, as it could be considered <a href="https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/from-chatgpt-bans-to-task-forces-universities-are-rethinking-their-approach-to-academic-...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/could-chatgpt-be-your-next-co-author/
Actualités
<p>The English language may be king in science, but neural machine translation could well put an end to its dominance.</p>
Google translate celebrated its 17th birthday in April. Like anyone coming of age, this online translation service continues to mature every year. So much so that one recent study concluded that “translation [of languages] can serve as both a short- and a long-term solution for making science more...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/machine-translation-a-game-changer-in-science/
Revue de presse
<strong>Edmonton Journal
<a href="http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/province-to-hire-outside-consultant-to-review-alberta-university-and-college-funding">Province to hire outside consultant to review Alberta university and college funding</a></strong>
Their assessment will form part of a ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-march-3-2017/
Revue de presse
<strong>CBC
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-chair-appointed-to-new-role-in-substance-use-research-1.4051135">SFU Chair appointed to new role in substance use research</a></strong>
Kanna Hayashi will take a leading local role to advance understanding in substance abuse.
...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-april-3-2017/
Revue de presse
<strong>Globe and Mail
<a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/canadian-universities-hold-steady-in-rankings-but-must-boost-research-investment-to-rise/article36163082/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&">Canadian universities hold steady in global rankings</a></stron...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-sept-6-2017/
Revue de presse
<strong>StarMetro Calgary
<a href="https://www.thestar.com/calgary/2018/07/12/university-of-calgary-vet-looks-for-new-ways-to-test-fitness-of-chuckwagon-horses.html">University of Calgary vet looks for new ways to test fitness of chuckwagon horses</a></strong>
A University of Calgary veterinarian ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-for-july-13-2018/
Revue de presse
<strong>Globe and Mail
<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-university-of-waterloo-engineering-applicants-sell-themselves/">University of Waterloo engineering applicants sell themselves differently based on gender, new research says</a></strong>
Students applying to engineering ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-for-july-23-2018/
Revue de presse
<strong>The Star Edmonton
<a href="https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2018/08/21/amid-opioid-fears-alberta-universities-offer-students-a-dose-of-reality-for-back-to-school.html">Amid opioid fears, Alberta universities offer students a dose of reality for back-to-school</a></strong>
On Monday, Health...
https://universityaffairs.ca/news/media-scan/headlines-for-aug-23-2018/