Toronto Star | June 12, 2025

Coming together for the betterment of Multi-Unit Residential Buildings, a gathering at U of T makes a pitch for ongoing research

What do you get when you bring together researchers, engineers, architects, property developers, contractors, consultants, municipalities and public health interests? The result, using the power of shared knowledge, is creating better housing. That’s the power of collaboration when applied to researching and developing multi-unit residential buildings, known as MURBs.

MURBs are the fastest-growing segment of housing in dense urban settings. With such a large segment of our population moving into these buildings which often contain hundreds of households, this means many families are exposed to the variety of performance issues MURB residents experience – including acoustic and thermal discomfort, lack of control, odour and contaminant transfer, just to name a few. Using current funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), a collaborative effort has enabled research across a wide spectrum of topics related to MURB performance. While it might otherwise be unattainable for individual small companies to engage in costly research, when teamed together with university researchers and the accompanied funding, the shared results can be shared widely and benefit all.

Helping to fill this knowledge gap within the MURB realm, University of Toronto and Carleton University research teams have partnered with a NSERC Alliance. Led by U of T Prof. Marianne Touchie (co-appointed to CivMin and MIE) and Prof. Liam O’Brien, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carleton, the collaboration of the past three years meant the team had probed several areas of interest. The result became the joint event with multiple stakeholders, the Unlocking the Potential of MURBs held at the U of T on May 28.

“We have a five-year NSERC Alliance Society grant together, which is all about unlocking the potential of multi-unit residential building performance. Basically, what we’re trying to do is get some feedback on how far we’ve come. Areas like technical barriers and solutions to implementing some of our recommendations.” says Touchie. Then, with an eye to continuing the research together, “We’re doing a pitch for a new five-year program that involves a lot of these for-profit partners. It’s kind of a different model than what we did the first time around. We want to engage the end users more deeply into this next part of the research.” And, noting the deep ties U of T enjoys with industry,  “We have a number of alumni too from various engineering companies.”

The two institutions enjoy complementary skills and backgrounds with the two leading faculty members and nine graduate students, are tackling the issues individual companies can’t afford to research on their own. The cooperative effort came by some fortuitous connections and similar interests, “We realized we were at similar career stages and we both had this passion for multi-unit residential areas,” recalls O’Brien.

Emphasizing the long-term efforts planned for this important area, “We’re halfway through a project all about multi-unit residential buildings, which is a topic that’s surprisingly not gotten enough research, even though it constitutes most of our new housing construction,” O’Brien says. “The problems are not just technical, but also process oriented. So it’s making sure that the right people are involved at the right times. It’s not just about new technologies; those are the challenges we’re facing.”

The gathering saw 13 speakers over a variety of topics, including indoor air quality (IAQ), indoor environmental quality (IEQ), acoustic comfort, airflow, insulation, life cycle assessment (LCA) and more. After each session those gathered engaged in breakout sessions, sparking discussions at each table.

Touchie and O’Brien hope to garner interest to renew their ongoing research in MURBs for another five years and beyond.

By Phill Snel

Tyler Hu (CivE 2T4, CivMin MASc student) was awarded the inaugural John Morrall Innovation in Transportation Scholarship by the  Institute of Transportation Engineers Canada (ITE Canada) at the recent ITE Canada 2025 conference in Halifax.

John Morrall Innovation in Transportation Scholarship

This award is presented by the former Centre for Transportation Engineering and Planning (CTEP). CTEP was founded in 2000, by Dr. John Morrall and Harvey Olsen, as a Canadian Centre of Excellence to facilitate the growth and enhancement of transportation knowledge through education and research. CTEP was a joint effort of the private sector, universities, and government to fill a void that was left from the government taking a step back from in-house research and development on land-based transportation, and to also continue technology transfer aimed at transportation engineering and planning through organization of courses. Originally funded by Alberta Transportation alongside various municipalities, post-secondary institutions, and transportation engineering consultants, CTEP funded or co-funded 41 research projects and delivered over 100 courses over the last 25 years.

In honour of his contribution to the transportation industry and as a founding member of CTEP, the scholarship is named after Dr. John Morrall. Dr. Morrall is a Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary and has had an illustrious career in transportation and road safety. He has been responsible for over 350 road safety audits in five Canadian provinces in addition to conducting many operational reviews and safety assessments for existing urban streets, bicycle facilities, rural highways, railway crossings and work zones. John has also shared his extensive experience and knowledge by delivering road safety audit courses and workshops.

About the award

The transportation planning and engineering industry has been rooted in innovation over the past 100+ years. Post-graduate research into new and evolving technologies, methodologies, and applications will continue to drive a successful transportation sector.

The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students to pursue research projects in transportation planning and engineering. Students should be focused on research towards innovation in the transportation industry.

This award is adjudicated based on the submission of a 500-word abstract of how their research will contribute to the body of knowledge in the transportation industry. In addition, to be eligible for the $2,000 award, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• be registered as a full-time student in a transportation Masters or Doctorate-level program at a Canadian university
• be in their first 18 months of a thesis-based program
• be a member of ITE
• be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada

 

California YIMBY | June 2025

TIME | June 3, 2025

Four members of our CivMin community are among the 14 members elected as Fellow, and the authors of four technical papers recognized, by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE).

Professor Khandker Nurul Habib, Professor Jeffrey Packer, alumnus Dr. Augusto Fidalgo (CivMin PhD 2T3) and Henri Monette (CivMin PhD student) are among those select few to receive acknowledgment from the CSCE. “On behalf of the Board of Directors and all members of the Society, I extend my heart‐felt congratulations to all awards recipients,” says CSCE President Bing Chen at the Annual Conference in Winnipeg, the evening of Friday, May 30.

Professor Khandker Nurul Habib was elected a Fellow in recognition of his long and impactful career.

Professor Jeffrey Packer and Augusto Fidalgo (CivMin PhD 2T3) won the Casimir Gzowski Medal, which is awarded annually for the best civil engineering paper in surveying, structural engineering or heavy construction. They were deemed to have the best civil engineering paper in surveying, structural engineering or heavy construction with their submission “Bolted end‐plate tube connections subject to tension and bending” (doi:10.1139/cjce‐2023‐0207).

Henri Monette (CivMin PhD student) won the Donald Jamieson Fellowship, which was established in Jamieson’s honour in 1987. The Fellowship is awarded annually to candidates pursuing full‐time graduate studies in structural engineering at a Canadian University.

Below are the citations published by the CSCE:

KHANDKER NURUL HABIB – FELLOWS OF THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING 2025

Professor Khandker Nurul Habib is a leading expert in transportation systems engineering, currently a Full Professor in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering in 2007 from the University of Toronto. His BSc (Civil Engineering) and MSc (Civil and Transportation Engineering) are from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He began his academic career in 2008 at the University of Alberta, where he played a key role in revitalizing the graduate program in transportation engineering. In 2010, he returned to the University of Toronto, leading the Travel Demand Modelling Group (TDMG), focusing on sustainable transportation planning, demand modelling, and advanced travel survey methodologies.

Dr. Habib is a pioneer in agent‐based microsimulation activity‐based travel demand models (e.g., CUSTOM) and innovative travel data collection technologies (e.g., TRAISI‐Move). His groundbreaking contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including the Eric Pas Award from the International Association for Travel Behaviour Research, the Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board, and the Sanford Fleming Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. In 2021, he was appointed Chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Standing Committee on Traveller Behaviour and Values. By May 2025, Dr. Habib published 200 peer‐reviewed journal papers, presented over 300 papers at international conferences, and supervised 26 PhD and 67 master’s thesis students. Recognized globally for his research impact, in 2024 he was ranked 209th in the world’s 2% scientists list (by Scopus, Elsevier) in Transportation and Logistics from 1960 to 2023.

AUGUSTO FIDALGO AND JEFFREY A. PACKER – CASIMIR GZOWSKI MEDAL

As superintendent of public works of the Province of Canada, Colonel Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski (1813‐1898) was responsible for improving waterways and canals and constructing roads, harbours and bridges. Later, he was involved in railroad construction and the design and construction of the international bridge at Fort Erie. A founder of the CSCE in 1887, he served as president from 1889 to 1891. Established by Sir Casimir in 1890, the Casimir Gzowski Medal is awarded annually for the best civil engineering paper in surveying, structural engineering or heavy construction.

The Casimir Gzowksi Medal for 2024 (presented in 2025) is awarded to Augusto Fidalgo and Jeffrey A. Packer for their paper “Bolted end‐plate tube connections subject to tension and bending” (doi:10.1139/cjce‐2023‐0207). Abstract: A large amount of research has been undertaken on tubular bolted end-plate connections loaded in axial tension, and considerably less on such connections in flexure. This paper studies the combined effects of these two loads and presents the first laboratory tests on these connections under combined tension and flexure. Using validated finite element models, a parametric study with 360 numerical models is performed on these connections under axial and eccentric tension loads. After screening this database of experimental tests and numerical results to isolate only connection failure modes, current design methods for predicting the connection capacity under eccentric tension are evaluated and revised. In addition, based on interaction curves, a novel approach is proposed to design these splices under combined loads. For all methods, the use of the plate ultimate and yield stress was compared for the end‐plate material strength parameter. Lastly, a reliability analysis is performed for the application of the recommended design methods to Canadian practice. Key words: steel structures, hollow structural sections, circular hollow sections, bolted connections, end plates, experimentation, finite element analysis, design evaluation.

HENRI MONETTE  – DONALD JAMIESON FELLOWSHIP

Donald Jamieson was a prominent civil engineer in British Columbia who, until his untimely death in 1983, was the Chair of the 1984 Conference of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineers held in Vancouver. The Donald Jamieson Fellowship was established in his honour in 1987. The Fellowship is awarded annually to candidates pursuing full‐time graduate studies in structural engineering at a Canadian University.

The recipient of the Donald Jamieson Fellowship for the 20252026 academic year is Henri Monette. Henri Monette is a third-year PhD candidate in Civil and Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto, specializing in structural engineering under the supervision of Professor Constantin Christopoulos. His research focuses on advancing mass timber construction through innovative cast steel connections, addressing key industry challenges such as low ductility, damage susceptibility, and inefficient design practices. His work integrates finite element modelling, experimental testing, and industry collaboration to develop high‐performance, sustainable solutions. Henri holds a bachelor’s degree in Building Engineering from the University of Sherbrooke, where he graduated with distinction. His academic background spans structural, mechanical, and energy efficient design, reinforced by over 20 months of industry experience. Before his PhD, he worked as a structural designer, contributing to projects involving seismic assessments, multi‐story building designs, and structural rehabilitation.

Beyond research, Henri is committed to education and leadership. As the president of the University of Toronto’s Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) chapter, he has organized expert lectures and industry discussions on seismic resilience. He is also an experienced teaching assistant, delivering lectures and mentoring students in steel, timber, and reinforced concrete design. His dedication to innovation has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the NSERC PGS‐D Scholarship and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Henri’s long‐term goal is to drive advancements in mass timber and steel–timber hybrid structures, integrating novel connection technologies into standard design practices while enhancing resilience, sustainability, and feasibility in modern construction.

QueerSphere, which has both undergraduate and graduate chapters at U of T, runs mailing lists, events and now a queer fiction book collection

A couple of years into their PhD program, Jay Gordon (CivMin PhD student) found themselves going through a tough time. 

“To get support with my mental health, I realized I needed to connect more with people, to build more community,” they say. 

“I think a lot of queer students in science, engineering, technology and math — the STEM disciplines — go through something like this at one time or another. And so QueerSphere Grad was born.” 

QueerSphere Grad built on the success of QueerSphere, a club started by undergraduate students over a decade ago. 

Both groups aim to get people in STEM disciplines involved in and aware of the LGBTQ+ community, and to make engineering at U of T a more welcoming and inclusive place for all. 

“At first, QueerSphere Grad was just me on Friday nights, assembling a newsletter from various resources that I’d heard of around U of T,” says Gordon. 

“I sent it out to whomever I knew that was queer in the faculty, which was only half a dozen people for the first few months. But slowly, people started asking if they could add their friends. We started a WhatsApp group, and a Discord server, and then started hanging out in person. It was casual stuff at first, like lunches. And we’ve built from there.” 

Today, Gordon’s mailing list has grown to over 70 people across U of T Engineering and other STEM departments across U of T. QueerSphere Grad now has official status alongside the original QueerSphere organization, with more than 500 visitors to its website. 

QueerSphere Grad regularly hosts Trivia Nights, mixers and other events that enable queer people in STEM to build connections with their peers in academia and industry. 

With the support of U of T Engineering’s Diversity, Inclusion and Professionalism Office, members of the club have also travelled to conferences such as Engiqueers Canada. 

More recently, QueerSphere Grad has expanded its work into outreach, with booths at science festivals such as Pride in STEM 2024 and Science Rendezvous 2025 — the latter was dubbed ‘Queeriosity Corner.’

Harshit Gujral, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science, was one of the participants in the Science Rendezvous event. 

“We did presentations and demonstrations related to climate solutions and air quality — for example, raising awareness of the fact that a third of all children’s asthma cases are caused by traffic emissions,” he says. 

“The latter is the foundation of my doctoral research. For me, building sustainable communities and doing science outreach is as important as doing rigorous science.” 

One of QueerSphere Grad’s most recent initiatives is the creation of a small lending library for its members, which they’ve dubbed the Jay Gordon Library for Queer Fiction. 

“We believe that stories build bridges between people,” says the project’s lead, a U of T Engineering graduate student who prefers to remain anonymous. 

“The hope is that queer people will see themselves represented in these stories, and that allies can learn about our experiences.” 

The student says that while U of T libraries have a good amount of queer fiction, the group wanted to create a low-barrier option as well. 

“Many of the students at U of T are international, and many countries have less progressive approaches to queerness when compared to Canada,” the student says. 

“As such, we felt that many students might feel uncomfortable borrowing queer books when their name will be registered in the university system.” 

The collection already numbers around 40 books, including titles such as Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. Anyone wanting to donate, borrow or exchange a book can email grad@queersphere.skule.ca.

As they near the end of their degree program, Gordon says that being a part of QueerSphere Grad has been one of the most rewarding parts of their U of T experience. 

“One of the things that drew me back into academia in the first place was that I wanted to be in an environment where I could discuss complex ideas with peers, think, be and be seen as a scientist,” they say. 

“At QueerSphere Grad events, we talk about club projects, but sometimes we just talk about scientific ideas, such as how to model sulphur compounds. Talking about science with other bright people, especially from outside your field, is just a cool thing to do. And the fact that we have this shared experience of going through some tough stuff as queer people deepens those conversations with a strong sense of connection.”

By Tyler Irving

This story originally published by Engineering News

CivMin researchers, Professor Baher Abdulhai and Dr. Xiaoyu Wang (CivMin PhD 2T3), and Dr. Ilia Smirnov from the City of Toronto (a former U of T Research Associate) have won a research and development (R&D) award for their work self-learning traffic lights using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce traffic congestion, in close collaboration with the City of Toronto Traffic Management Department directed by CivMin alumnus Mr. Roger Browne (CivE 9T9).

The Intelligent Transportation Society of Canada (ITS Canada) presented them as the 2025 Excellence in R&D Award recipient for the eMARLIN-Transformer: State of the Art AI-Based Urban Traffic Control. ITS Canada recently celebrated winners of the ITS Canada Awards: Member of the Year Awards, Intelligent Mobility Awards, Excellence in R&D Awards, Young Innovators and Leaders in Transportation Award. Nine winners, in four different categories, garnered recognition from ITS Canada.

The citation from ITS Canada:

The 2025 Excellence in R&D Award recipient is eMARLIN-Transformer: State of the Art AI-Based Urban Traffic Control . 

Part of the solution to urban congestion challenges in harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Reinforcement Learning (RL) and, most recently, Transformers for real time traffic control at signalized intersections and freeway on ramps. Traditional Signal Control (TSC) systems rely on rigid time-of-day plans that struggle to adapt to real-time fluctuations, while adaptive systems that use traffic models often react too slowly. To address these issues, in 2024, the University of Toronto released eMARLIN-T —a cutting-edge, decentralized, reinforcement learning (RL) and transformers-based multi-agent adaptive TSC system designed to revolutionize urban mobility. At the core of eMARLINx is a decentralized RL algorithm enhanced by a distributed communication mechanism. Traffic data gathered from edge-cameras are compressed into a latent space, and the resulting embedded information is broadcast to neighbouring intersections to support coordinated decision-making. The transformer network integrated into the observation abstraction module captures contextual traffic trends for better precision. With transformers at its core, eMARLIN-T in traffic is akin to what ChatGPT is to Large Language Models (LLM).

In collaboration with the City of Toronto, eMARLIN-T is being deployed at four intersections that feature complex layouts, oversaturated traffic, and proximity to highway ramps and transit hubs. Pre-deployment simulation evaluations have demonstrated remarkable performance. Unlike the current fine-tuned actuated TSC system—which relies on multiple, pre-defined plans—eMARLINx employs a single adaptive policy capable of seamlessly reacting to live traffic conditions across all periods of the day. Results indicate that eMARLINx-T achieves an average reduction of 30% in vehicle delay time compared to the existing system, even when facing traffic perturbations and unforeseen demand patterns. eMARLIN-T also implements Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) in compliance with the City’s Vision Zero requirements.  Field trials are scheduled to commence in June 2025, which will be the first of its kind worldwide.

The award was accepted by Prof. Baher Abdulhai, University of Toronto, Xiaoyu Wang, University of Toronto, Roger Browne, City of Toronto and Dr. Ilia Smirnov, City of Toronto.

Toronto Star | May 26, 2025

CBC Radio: Here and Now | May 23, 2025