Research partnerships strengthen ties to engineering

Two U of T Mississauga professors have received research awards from the XSeed Funding Program, an initiative that offers new opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE).

“We are delighted to have received this funding that will help support two exceptional interdisciplinary projects at UTM, as well as providing our grad students with unique opportunities,” says Professor Kent Moore, Vice-Principal, Research. “Moreover, the XSeed program will help UTM achieve its goal of strengthening collaborations and connections with the engineering faculty.”

XSeed is a new seed funding program led by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, the Faculty of Arts and Science, UTM, the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. XSeed is designed to promote interdisciplinary research and to catalyze innovative partnerships between an engineering co-principal investigator and a co-principal investigator from outside engineering.

Professor Matthew Adams from the Department of Geography will share $60,000 per year for two years with FASE professor Marianne Hazopoulou of the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, to study the effects of public transit interventions on urban environments and public health.

UTM anthropology professor Tracey Galloway will share $60,000 per year for two years with Professors Shoshanna Saxe of civil and mineral engineering, and Michael Widener of geography and planning.

"The XSeed-funded collaborations between UTM and the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering address increasingly important issues regarding environmental impacts associated with critical infrastructure.  The applicability and significance of the potential findings are quite impressive,” says Moore.