ICCIT PROfessional connects students with industry professionals through targeted workshops, lectures, and hands-on experiences. The program is designed to provide essential skills for the modern workplace, foster industry connections, and prepare students for the competitive job market. Our mission is to equip ICCIT students with tools for success in their professional journeys.
Upcoming Events
April 1, 2025 | Maen Hammad and Roi Saade: LANDING at ICCIT: On photos, skateboards and making decolonial media
11:00 am –1:00 pm, MN 3230 (CDRS)
ICCIT invites you to a lunchtime conversation with Maen Hammad and Roi Saade about their new publication Landing. The photobook, authored by Hammad and collaboratively produced by Saade, explores the lives of Palestinian skateboarders in the occupied West Bank as they navigate the layered realities of Israeli settler-colonial domination. The book offers a thesis on skateboarding as a form of resistance to a headspace of violence. Documented between 2015 and 2022, it captures the fleeting moments of escape and the indomitable spirit of skateboarding. Students will have the chance to engage Hammad and Saade in a practice-based conversation about storytelling, photography, and book design focused on the intersection of creative process and community-based media production.
The event is sponsored by the ICCIT Anti-racism Committee as well as the PROfessional series. It is open for all ICCIT students!
Lunch will be served.
Past Events
March 20, 2025 | Neetu Mohan: ICCIT PROfessional Series First Portfolio Event
3:00pm–6:00pm, CC3110
Join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help you turn your academic assignments into portfolio entries. As the first workshop in the portfolio series, the focus will be on media, design, UX, and UI. But there will be information on how students can generally showcase their skills and projects effectively to prospective employers. We will hear from Neetu Mohan, UX Lead at Scotiabank, who will share insights on building a standout portfolio and succeeding in the industry. We will also hear from Barkat, a multidisciplinary designer, developer, and creative technologist with a background in Applied Mathematics and CCIT from the University of Toronto-Mississauga. Barkat's portfolio spans web and mobile applications, product designs, and immersive game environments, blending technical expertise with creative storytelling.
To make the most of this session, make sure to bring a couple of assignments to receive constructive feedback from our guest to enhance your portfolio. Registration is mandatory (to make sure we are prepared to address your questions). Food will be served as to-go containers
March 6, 2025 | Shared Work, Shared Words: Community Publishing Workshop with Lauren Kirshner
1:00pm–3:00pm, IB 345
Join us in welcoming Lauren Kirshner—renowned author, creative writing professor, and founder of the acclaimed community publishing project Sister Writes—to this special WRI490H5 workshop hosted by Professor Nicole Cohen. In the workshop, we will gain exclusive insights into the Sister Writes initiative, which has empowered countless writers to share their stories. Join an engaging discussion about the magazine project, with tips on transforming ideas into impactful publications. The workshop will cover themes of writing, publishing, and work, specifically women's work. It will be held to mark International Women's Day.
This event is open to all ICCIT students, available in person until seats are filled, and online. To join, register using the link below. Zoom details will be provided one day before the workshop.
March 4, 2025 | Anemily Machina: What is ChatGPT?
11-1 pm ET, IB 335
The first part of this workshop will answer the following questions:
- What is a modern AI
- How does the AI generate text
- Why does the AI hallucinate
The second part of this workshop will address:
- The basic limitations of generative AI
- The energy cost of using large AIs
- The large amount of human effort required for AIs to function
- The impact AI has on humans today
This event is open to all ICCIT students, available in person until seats are filled, and online. To join, register using the link below.
February 27, 2025, | James Russwurm: Fun and Games? Working Conditions and Unionization in the Video Games Sector
11-12 pm ET, MN2266
The event will include a lecture, an informal discussion, and a Q&A session, giving you the chance to engage directly with one of the industry's trailblazers.
This event is open to all ICCIT students, available in person until seats are filled, and online. To join, register using the link below. Zoom details will be provided one day before the workshop.
February 26, 2025 | Samar Sabie: Design Thinking for Sustainability
1- 3 pm ET, IB390
Join us for an insightful session with Professor Samar Sabie, to explore how design thinking can tackle real-world challenges in sustainability and digital transformation. The workshop is an opportunity to collaborate with peers to generate innovative solutions for today’s pressing issues using the design thinking approach. The workshop is offered in the CCT318 Sustainability and the Digital Entreprise class, facilitated by Professor Sarah Cherki El Idrissi.
February 26, 2025 | Entrepreneur’s Forum
11 am - 2 pm ET, MN 2190
ICCIT Students are invited to join the MGD421 Entrepreneur’s Forum held mid-semester. This dynamic event, hosted by Professor Jingyuan Zhao and supported by Dr. Ann Armstrong, ICUBE Director, and Ms. Kayla Sousa, ICUBE Programs Lead, provides a unique opportunity for students to interact directly with successful entrepreneurs from the ICUBE UTM network. The ent will include insightful presentations from:
- The founder of LIOHAN—a platform dedicated to enhancing family bonding through innovative activities.
- The founders of GreetRx, who bring a strong background in pharmacy, will share their journey under the theme “Seeing and Creating Opportunities.
- The founder of Ubineer—a trailblazing Fintech venture—will speak on “Using Resources Wisely.
February 26, 2025 | Dr. Tarek Loubani: Technology on the Frontlines of Liberation, a Conversation on Medical Solidarity in Gaza and Beyond
11 am- 2 pm ET, Open Design Collaboratory: CC3110
Join us for a talk and conversation with Dr. Tarek Loubani from the Glia Project and Western University. Glia is a medical solidarity organization that, among other things, provides low-cost 3D-printed medical equipment, such as stethoscopes and tourniquets, to frontline medical personnel in Gaza and beyond. Glia's Gaza offices were bombed during the recent war, and its Gaza team was displaced from their homes. Despite this, Glia continues to operate and bring in medical supplies. After the talk, ICCIT professor Alessandro Delfanti will moderate a panel discussion with Dr. Loubani, followed by an interactive Q&A session.
Following the event, a gourmet lunch will be provided for all attendees.
February 12, 2025, | Robin Smith: Media Distribution: Understanding Your Audiences and How to Reach Them.
9 -11 am ET, IB210
February 7, 2025, | Amrita Maharaj: Unpacking Privacy and Security Trends in Information Systems Sector: Key Considerations for Decision-Makers
11-1 pm ET, DV 2082
Join us for an insightful session covering two critical topics for modern enterprises:
- Microsoft Co-Pilot: Unpacking the implementation process and exploring risks and considerations for organizations.
- Migration to the Cloud: Weighing the pros and cons of shifting from on-premises applications to cloud or vendor-managed solutions.
Discover essential insights on privacy, security, access controls, vendor due diligence, data storage, and residency to guide your enterprise technology decisions.
January 22, 2025, | Anureet Kaur: Calculating Environmental Impact: Scope 1 & 2 Emissions in Practice
1-3pm ET, Online via Zoom
This interactive two-hour workshop, developed in the context of the CCT318 Sustainability and the Digital Enterprise Course, introduces students to a practical understanding of carbon accounting and emissions measurement in the ICT Sector. the workshop will be run in person in class and facilitated by Professor Sarah Cherki El Idrissi.
Led by Anureet Kaur, a Toronto-based sustainability professional, public speaker, writer, and professor, the workshop provides a unique opportunity to explore carbon accounting and its critical role in addressing climate change issues.
November 26, 2024 | Emma Paling; Freelance Journalism
1-3pm ET, KN130
November 20 and 21, 2024 | Neetu Mohan; Design Thinking
Wednesday 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm (online), Thursday 1:00 pm–3:00 pm or 3:00 pm –5:00 pm (MN3190 or online)
Join us for an insightful session on Design Thinking Practice hosted by the ICCIT PROfessional series. This in-person event will help you understand how to leverage design thinking in real-world applications.
This Wednesday and Thursday, we will welcome Neetu Mohan, a UX Research Lead at Scotiabank CX Design to guest lecture at ICCIT. In the talks, Neetu will draw on her professional experience to provide a comprehensive overview of User Experience Research (UXR) and Design Thinking, focusing on their practical application in real-world scenarios. The UXR talk will cover the importance of integrating research into agile processes, addressing myths about resource intensity, and structuring UX teams for maximum impact. The Design Thinking talk on Thursday will focus on how to promote collaboration, minimize biases, and drive customer-focused outcomes. Both talks will feature live case studies for applying these concepts and learning to balance ideal solutions with practical constraints while maintaining rigor and adaptability.
Students can join in person or online using the following link: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/5444472478
November 15, 2024 | Lyd in Exile: Conversations on Film, Exile, and Speculative Imaginaries, with Sarah Friedland and Rami Younis
12:00pm–4:00pm, CDRS (MN3230), UTM.
October 18, 2024 | Nicole Denesi; Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand; CanadaHelps
10am-11am and 1pm-2pm ET, MN3100
Nicole is Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand at CanadaHelps. She will talk about workplace ethics in her role as a Senior Manager for CanadaHelps. She will speak about workplace ethics with respect to her own team, what she has encountered, how these situations were handled, what advice she can provide. Finally, speaking as a former student at the ICCIT ten years ago, she'll talk about how she transitioned from intern to full-time employment at her internship placement.
List an Event
Do you have an event that should be included in the series? Complete this form, and we'll put it in our events list.
Contact Us
For more details or questions about the ICCIT PROfessional series, reach out to Sarah Cherki El Idrissi at sarah.cherkielidrissi@utoronto.ca .