April 2, 2024 | U of T News
U of T and the UTAA honour Paul Cadario for “longstanding contributions to the University over many decades.”
Paul Cadario (CivE 7T3, Hon. LLD 2013) has dedicated nearly five decades to the university community as a volunteer. It all started when he became one of the first students elected to the university’s Governing Council. Since then, Cadario has taken on more than 35 volunteer positions at U of T, earning accolades such as the Arbor Award and an honorary degree. And, through his philanthropic support that spans various priority sectors of U of T, he has significantly impacted the lives of thousands of students.
“On behalf of the University of Toronto community, I am delighted to congratulate Paul Cadario on receiving the Rose Wolfe Award,” says U of T President Meric Gertler. “Through his decades of volunteer service and philanthropy, Dr. Cadario has made a positive difference in the lives of so many University of Toronto students. And through his work at the World Bank, he has helped to raise the living standards for people around the world.”
The Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes exceptional alumni who demonstrate outstanding professional achievements, dedication to civic, charitable and social causes and extraordinary service to the University of Toronto. The award is jointly sponsored by U of T and the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA). It is named for Dr. Rose Wolfe (BA 1938 UC, Dip. Social Work 1939, Hon. LLD 1998), who served as Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1991 to 1997. She was an exemplary volunteer for the university she loved dearly.
“Paul Cadario embodies the values and principles championed by Rose Wolfe and the highest ideals of the University of Toronto,” says Dr. Rose Patten, Chancellor of U of T and chair of the Rose Wolfe Award selection committee. “His extraordinary record of service to our university is an inspiration to our entire community. His tireless commitment to lifting the student experience through his involvement and philanthropy will resonate for generations to come.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Paul Cadario studied civil engineering at U of T and worked as a research assistant assessing municipal services in Inuit communities in the Northwest Territories. After graduating in 1973, he became a Rhodes Scholar and spent a summer working in the central planning office in Papua New Guinea and travelling through developing regions in Asia.
After these formative experiences, Cadario joined the World Bank in 1975 and pursued a lifelong commitment to reducing poverty and improving living standards for people worldwide. During a 37-year career at the World Bank, he managed various development programs in Africa and Asia and helped modernize the Bank for the digital age of transparency and accountability. Before he retired in 2012, Cadario oversaw quality, results and compliance for the multi-billion-dollar portfolio of funds and grants that the World Bank administers.
Watch Paul Cadario’s acceptance speech:
“I’m honoured to be named alongside past recipients of this award,” says Cadario. “My motivation for giving, whether it’s time or money, is to strengthen the student experience. Even though I’ve long since graduated, I continue to have formative learning experiences at U of T. It’s an incomparable ecosystem in Canada for students to learn how to learn, and to become strong, contributing members of society.”
Cadario has been a member of the Governing Council twice, first as an undergraduate and later as an elected Alumni Governor. He served as the first openly gay president of the University of Toronto Alumni Association. And he was the first non-resident of the GTA to be elected president – another indicator of his extraordinary commitment. Cadario regularly sits on advisory boards at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. In 2012, these divisions named him Distinguished Fellow in Global Innovation and, in June 2013, U of T awarded him an honorary LLD for his leadership and dedication to the University.
The same year, Cadario received recognition for being an outstanding role model for engineering students, the Engineering Alumni Medal. This is the highest honour awarded by the Engineering Alumni Association and given to alumni who have made outstanding achievements in their diverse careers, while responding with flair and excellence to challenges.
Cadario’s philanthropy at U of T spans multiple faculties and disciplines, reflecting his wide-ranging interests. During the 1990s, he established the Cadario Facility for Integrated Learning and the Paul Cadario Scholarship at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. More recently, he created a doctoral fellowship in global engineering and provided foundational support for the Centre for Global Engineering at the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
“I am in awe of Paul Cadario’s contributions,” says Corwin Cambray, president of the UTAA. “His lifetime work inspires others to do more. And he has provided exemplary leadership to the U of T community through his myriad volunteer advisory roles for decades. We are all proud to count him as a member of our global alumni community.”
At the Faculty of Arts & Science, Cadario founded the Paul Cadario Visiting Professorship in Public Policy and Governance, the GSEF-Paul Cadario Scholarships in Public Policy and the Paul Cadario Fellowship in Global Affairs. He also helped revitalize University College, making it more accessible and student friendly. His generosity helped build the Paul Cadario Conference Centre at Croft Chapter House. Most recently, he endowed four undergraduate awards within the Experiential Learning Commons, which will assist as many as 60 students each year. His giving also established new social impact internships, which will support approximately 12 students annually.
“Paul Cadario is among this university’s most dedicated alumni, donors, volunteers, fellows, advisors and friends,” says David Palmer, Vice-President Advancement. “He has been an exemplary champion of U of T, serving with distinction in nearly every capacity an alumnus could possibly serve – an unrivalled record of volunteer service over 50 years since his graduation. We are truly fortunate to call him a friend, and to honour him as one of the university’s great citizens with the Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award – our highest alumni honour.”
You can read an interview with Paul Cadario here, where he discusses his decades as a volunteer and his advice for today’s students.
This story originally published by Alumni News
A team of U of T Engineering students, including CivMin graduate and undergraduate students, came in third place at the University of Toronto Mississauga Big Data AI Case Competition, sponsored by Scotiabank, the weekend of Saturday, March 23. The team is comprised of Katia Ossetchkina (CivE MASc), Yuqi (Grace) Hu (Year 4 CivE), Nirmal Pol (PhD BME), William Hazen (Meng MIE), and Renzo Benavides (MEng MIE).
The group faced a total field of 70 teams. The IMI BIGDataAIHUB Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Competition is designed as a developmental opportunity for students to gain additional hands-on exposure to big data and artificial intelligence through real-world data – with the chance to win $30,000 in cash prizes. This multi-faceted competition is open to graduate students and undergrads with big data/AI experience from any academic discipline in any year of their academic career at the University of Toronto.
March 22, 2024 | Forbes
Water treatment plants are on guard of the safety and cleanness of the water we use daily. However, the CivMin’s Drinking Water Lab is essential in addressing the many challenges they face. We chatted with two graduate students working under the supervision of Professor Ron Hofmann, a member of the University of Toronto’s Drinking Water Research Group, to learn more about their current research.
Mennatallah Alnahas, CivE PhD Candidate
Cyanobacteria, commonly known as harmful algae blooms, grow on the top of the water’s surface in hot climates. As a result of climate change, we have observed an increase in algae growth in regions such as Canada, which are not typically hot. Water treatment plants face an issue, where the blooms end up in their water intake. Some of these blooms can be toxic as they release toxins into the water. Consequently, algae blooms can create a big issue for water treatment plants, as they are not equipped with the appropriate treatment processes to either remove the cells or degrade the toxins.
My research is focused on monitoring these cyanobacteria relying on phycocyanin fluorescence which is a unique pigment to these harmful algae, and then using machine learning to predict the upcoming blooms, so the utilities can be alarmed to put emergency plans in action.
Maeva Che, PhD Candidate
My research focuses on removing taste and odour compounds from drinking water, primarily using granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.
The method I’m focusing on is commonly used in water treatment plants, it involves using granular activated carbon (GAC), which is derived from organic materials such as wood, coal, or coconut shells. The taste and odour compounds are removed from the water when they adhere to the adsorptive surfaces of activated carbon through adsorption. However, the adsorption capacity of GAC filtration decreases over time as the carbon becomes exhausted, meaning there are no functional surfaces left to remove the contaminants.
To address this challenge, my work explores alternative mechanisms, particularly biodegradation. Beneficial microorganisms within operational GAC filters can biodegrade and remove taste and odour compounds from water. By combining adsorption and biodegradation, filter performance can be enhanced. However, predicting filter lifetime becomes challenging.
Therefore, my research is focused on exploring the methods to enhance biodegradation in GAC filters and accurately predict filter performance and lifetime when biological removal is the primary method of removing taste and odour compounds. This will reduce the need for frequent media replacement and lowering associated costs in water treatment utilities.
By Galina Nikitina
Ezinneifechukwunyelu Ndubueze is a PhD candidate currently working under the supervision of Professor Brent Sleep on a project looking into the removal of forever chemicals (poly and perfluoroalkyl substances – PFAS) from groundwater using colloidal activated carbon (CAC).
It is important to find a solution that will be able to remove the forever chemicals, as they may be found in drinking water, making it dangerous for consumption. CAC is an economical technology widely used for the in-situ (on-site) removal of PFAS from groundwater. Once injected into the groundwater CAC forms a filtering barrier which traps the forever chemicals. The project seeks to understand how CAC removes PFAS in groundwater when placed in the subsurface. In addition, it is looking into understanding how CAC behaves in the subsurface before and after the adsorption of PFAS.
1. What companies/organizations are you working with (if any)?
This project is in collaboration with the consulting firms Geosyntec and Porewater Solutions. The research is also conducted in collaboration with Professor Anh Pham’s Lab and Professor Neil Thomson from the University of Waterloo.
2. Who is leading this research and how many are involved?
The U of T part of inter-university research is led by Professor Brent Sleep. As a member of this project, my role mainly involves setting up and conducting laboratory experiments. During the past summer, I received assistance from a summer undergraduate student named Laura Xu. Additionally, PhD candidate Paul Furbacher also contributes to the project by helping with troubleshooting some of the laboratory experiments.
3. What impact do these projects have on the larger scale? (In what way will engineering address the problems to make the world a better place?)
Ultimately the project aims to develop methods to predict removal of PFAS after placing a CAC barrier in the subsurface. This will be useful in decision-making regarding the installation of CAC barriers for the containment of PFAS. As well as, the development of long-term monitoring plans at sites where CAC is used for filtering PFAS.
By Galina Nikitina
CivMin graduate students from the Graselli Geomechanics Group participated and ranked first in the 2024 American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA) Student Design Competition.
The initial phase of the virtual competition featured universities from around the world with the top three student groups competing in the finals which featured UPN Veteran Yogyakarta and Chengdu University of Technology.
Team “I’ll Have What He’s Stopin'” consisted of MASc candidate Brant Zeeman, PhD candidate Thomas de Boer, and MASc candidate Aldo Katragjini. They designed a cemented paste backfill structure for a large vertically-exposed stope, with the objective of minimizing cement costs.
March 20, 2024 | The Hill Times
Throughout history, river basins and other coupled human-natural systems have sustained civilization by supplying essential services like water, food, and energy. However, mounting pressures from population growth, economic development, urbanization, and lifestyle changes are accelerating. Professor Mohammed Basheer is trying to create approaches and instruments to facilitate effective human interventions in river basins.
“My group works on planning and managing water resources and hydrology systems to help meet agricultural, hydropower, municipal, and industrial water demands while minimizing environmental impacts. We do this using three iterative phases: developing computer simulators for water resource and hydrology systems; connecting the simulators to Artificial Intelligence to search for the best intervention and management plans; and interacting with stakeholders for co-production, capacity building, and implementation.”
What individual projects are you currently working on?
We are working to build water resource simulation models for various regions in Canada and globally. One of our main focus areas in Canada is Ontario, where we aim to develop a large-scale simulation model for the river systems of the entire province. Globally, we have ongoing work on the Nile Basin, where we are looking to connect water resources models with economy models to capture the linkages between water scarcity, migration, conflicts, and climate change.
What companies/organizations are you working with (planning to)?
The Nile work is being conducted in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute under the CGIAR NEXUS Gains Initiative. In Canada, we aim to collaborate with conservation authorities and hydropower companies.
What impact do these projects have on a larger scale? (In what way will engineering address the problems to make the world a better place?)
The demands for water resources are increasing due to population growth and socio-economic development, while the supplies of water are becoming uncertain due to climate change. Developing efficient plans for water resources and hydrology systems can help meet current and future water needs, adapt to climate change, and reduce disputes over water in water-scarce regions. The Nile Basin is a prime example of an area where efficient water resources management coupled with collaboration and political will can help overcome ongoing disputes over water.
By Galina Nikitina
Lassonde Mineral Engineering students, representing U of T at the recent Canadian Mining Games in Sudbury, Ont., brought home some hardware. Displaying their talents resulted in two first-place nods, a second and a third-place outcomes.
At the podium for U of T this year:
- Feroz Shah – 1st in Speech competition (topic: how to attract top talent to mining)
- Aly Dimoglou & Raymond Bhushan – 1st in Sustainable Development
- Aly Dimoglou & Anthony Pavlovic – 2nd in Stock Market Challenge
- Jessie Jung & Andrew Noga – 3rd in Mineral Processing.
