Mobility Network presented its first UTM-specific event on September 21, 2022, celebrating research by five award-winning UTM graduate students who presented their projects and answered questions about their work.
The inaugural UTM-MN Student Research Showcase featured an introduction from Professor Eric Miller, Mobility Network Director, and was hosted by Professor Shauna Brail, Mobility Network's Associate Director, UTM.
In her opening remarks, Brail noted how intercampus connections are fostered by the UTM Research Awards and the showcase event, and how the wide variety of mobility-related research underscores the many ways in which mobility affects our lives:
As part of the funding for the Mobility Network, UTM faculty are very fortunate to have some funding that is dedicated to supporting their research and student research to help connect us better with the broader goals of the Mobility Network. And so last fall we held our first student research competition and today you will hear here from five graduate students who are supervised by UTM faculty.
One of the most impactful pieces of the sort of the joining of this group of five is that the research is all very different ... and really helps us to understand all of the different components that go into understanding mobility and the impact of mobility on society.
Professor Shauna Brail, Associate Director, UTM, Mobility Network
Haifa AlArasi, Emily Power, Sophie Roussy, Shaba Taskin, and Hanlin Zhou presented their UTM-MN funded research projects and participated in a Q & A and discussion moderated by Dr. Lisa Lorena Losada Rojas, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mobility Network.
2021/22 UTM-MN award recipients present their research
Haifa AlArasi presented "Grounded Mappings of Adolescents’ Non-school Mobility in Mississauga, Ontario," an examination of fleeting visual narratives of travel produced by newcomer immigrant adolescents that fall under active appropriations of claiming the suburban as a legitimate site of childhood. AlArasi is a Planning PhD candidate. Professor Ron Buliung supervised this research.
Emily Power's research project "Demanding Justice in Transit Planning: A Case Study of Light Rail Transit Gentrification in Hamilton" analyzed transit-induced gentrification and displacement resulting from light rail transit planning in Hamilton, with a focus on the working class Afro-Caribbean neighbourhoods along the route. Power is a Master of Science in Planning student. Professor Alan Walks supervised this research.
Sophie Roussy's research project "Spatial Associations between Marginalization, Ambient Benzene Pollution, and Health Outcomes: An Investigation of Environmental Inequality across Etobicoke-York, Toronto, Canada" investigated environmental inequality across Etobicoke-York, Toronto. Roussy is a student at the Master of Science in Physical Geography, Environment and Health Collaborative Specialization. Professor Matt Adams supervised this research.
Shaba Taskin, who received a UTM-MN Summer Internship Award, presented her research project "Development of Remote Work Assessment for Workplaces in Canada" which was co-funded by Mitacs and pointA. Taskin is a student in the Master of Urban Innovation program, and is co-supervised by Professors David Wolfe and Shauna Brail.
Hanlin Zhou's research project "Walkability Assessment Using Street View Imagery" focused on quantifying the walkability of the micro built environment measured by street view imagery at a city-wide scale. Zhou is a PhD student in Human Geography in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment. Professor Jue Wang supervised this research.
Transportation Alumni Network invites students to get involved
Kevin Chan, Vice-Chair of the University of Toronto Transportation Alumni Network (UTTAN), gave a brief presentation on transportation alumni activities and opportunities. Brail echoed the call to students to get involved and maintain their connection to the Mobility Network community after graduation.
Brail announces next round of Graduate Research Award funding
Brail announced that applications are now open for the next round of UTM-MN Graduate Research Award funding. The due date for applications is October 22, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Learn more about the UTM-MN Graduate Research Award and how to apply for 2022-2023.
Acknowledgement of support
Support for this event and the UTM-MN Graduate Research Award and Summer Internship Award from the UTM Vice-President Research Office and the UTM Institute for Management and Innovation is acknowledged with thanks.
Watch the event video recording
The UTM-MN Student Research Showcase was recorded and posted on Mobility Network's YouTube channel with timings.
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