Tina Adamopoulos

Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, Jacqueline Antwi-Danso is examining the light emitted by distant, "quenched" galaxies to learn about their chemical composition and other properties

Everything we thought we knew about galaxy formation was thrown into question in the 1990s after astronomers discovered two distant, massive galaxies that had completely stopped – or “quenched” – their star formation.

“The discovery meant that these galaxies [had to be] older than the age of the universe, which is physically impossible,” says Jacqueline Antwi-Danso, the NSERC Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto’s David A. Dunlap department for astronomy and astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“When we look at the formation histories of these distant quenched galaxies, the observations suggest that they formed too quickly and too early compared to what we see in cosmological simulations.”

Unlike familiar massive galaxies like the Milky Way, which have up to a trillion stars and are characterized by luminous, spiral-like arms of active star formation, distant, quenched galaxies are composed of old stars and look like small orange-red blobs. This is because their light has been “stretched out” to infrared wavelengths due to the expansion of the universe, which also makes them fainter and harder to spot.

Moreover, the distant galaxies in question formed within a billion years of the Big Bang (which happened nearly 14 billion years ago). In other words, they formed their stars extremely rapidly – unlike any galaxy observed in the present-day.

Better understanding these distant galaxies is a high priority for researchers since their extreme star-formation processes are uncomfortably close to the limits permitted by current galaxy formation physics.

At U of T, Antwi-Danso is hunting the earliest distant quenched galaxies in the universe and is particularly interested in finding out how these galaxies formed and when they stopped creating stars. She is building on findings from a study she participated in as a PhD student at Texas A&M University that led to two critical discoveries. The first was the identification of two new distant quenched galaxies that confirmed current thinking on how these distant galaxies formed – “namely,” Antwi-Danso says, “that these galaxies form too early and too quickly based on what theory predicts.”

The study – which used the 8-meter telescope at the Gemini South Observatory based in Chile and surveyed large areas of the sky with new imaging filters – also highlighted that astronomers can reliably use ground-based telescopes to observe distant quenched galaxies as old as 12.5 billion years. Detecting galaxies any earlier than this requires space-based data, the researchers say.

Astronomers are now rethinking long-standing models of galaxy formation as they observe distant quenched galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centres that emit energetic radiation. This is important, Antwi-Danso says, because the differing models for light emission from stars and supermassive black holes can affect estimates of the physical properties of these distant galaxies.

Harnessing the power of space-based technology

Distant galaxies are difficult to detect because the light they emit is shifted to infrared wavelengths, which is mostly blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere. So, the next stages of Antwi-Danso’s research will leverage the power of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The JWST – which launched in December 2021 – is about 100 times more sensitive than the largest ground-based infrared telescopes and can observe galaxies in a fraction of the time of its predecessors. In fact, it has doubled the number of spectroscopic observations of the most distant, quenched galaxies within only two years of operation.

To further observe the two distant galaxies she discovered from Chile, Antwi-Danso will use JWST data to examine their spectra – the light emitted by these galaxies over a range of wavelengths – to reveal information like chemical composition. These and other findings will help provide a more accurate understanding of the galaxies’ formation histories and can be compared with updated cosmology simulations. That, in turn, may yield new insights about potential tensions between theory and observations.

Antwi-Danso is also part of the CAnadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS), a multi-institutional collaboration that uses gravitational lensing – a phenomenon where a massive object acts as a cosmic magnifying glass – to study the building blocks of the earliest galaxies. Within that collaboration, Antwi-Danso is also a researcher on the Technicolor Survey, which employs multiple filters on the JWST’s near-infrared camera to observe quenched galaxies at wavelengths that are inaccessible from the ground.

“We want to find galaxies that contain the first generations of stars, and then model their observations with galaxy formation models to infer their physical properties and star formation histories,” Antwi-Danso says.

With the technological advantages provided by the JWST to push the boundaries of distant galaxy observations, Antwi-Danso’s research will provide valuable insights into understanding how early galaxies came to be.

“We’re really excited to see where the results lead and to compare those observations with current theoretical predictions for these distant massive galaxies.”

Read a Q&A with Jacqueline Antwi-Danso

Going digital to save lives: ��οgrad student aims to eliminate barriers to health care

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 13:40:31 +0000

Going digital to save lives: ��οgrad student aims to eliminate barriers to health care

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 10/07/2024 - 09:40

Cutline

Naturinda Emmanuel, a Mastercard Scholar who grew up in Uganda, studies intelligent medicine and electronic medical records at U of T's Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (supplied image)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Global Lens

Black Research Network

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Africa

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Subheadline

Naturinda Emmanuel, a scholar and entrepreneur, says the digitization of medical records, when coupled with AI, will reduce errors in patient care and help spot public health threats before they occur

Growing up in Uganda, Naturinda Emmanuel aspired to be a medical doctor and health leader who eliminates barriers to health-care access for those in underserved, remote communities.

“I always wanted to address different health-care issues in my country – that is my motivation,” he says. “I want to gain the skills and expertise to strengthen health-care systems to ensure that those who need care can receive it.”

Naturinda (his surname) is now a graduate student at the University of Toronto, where he studies intelligent medicine and electronic medical records in the master of health informatics program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health's Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME).

He’s also actively involved with the startup community, having launched a successful, impact-focused enterprise in Uganda and training other entrepreneurs.

Naturinda joined IHPME with the support of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, a global education initiative focused on the next generation of African leaders, and Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative (AHEHC), a partnership between U of T, the Mastercard Foundation and leading African universities. The AHEHC was established in 2022 to drive primary health-care workforce education, entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa.

This is Naturinda’s second time studying abroad with the Mastercard Foundation. He became the first in his family to study outside the country when he was awarded a scholarship to pursue an undergraduate degree in laboratory medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

He later returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic to volunteer in the clinical microbiology and immunology departments at a local hospital. The experience prompted him to think about how to improve systems that were suddenly facing new pressures at already burdened hospitals – namely the continued use of paper records.

Medical records are the building blocks for developing efficient and effective intelligent medicine models, he says, while intelligent medicine refers to the use of machine learning models to process medical data and reduce errors in patient care. Large datasets may also allow medical professionals to spot health patterns – an emerging epidemic, for example – to better prepare for public health threats.

However, low-to-middle-income countries face many barriers to digitizing medical data, including limited access to technology and the absence of standardized data formats. The use of paper records also causes delays in retrieving laboratory results and makes it difficult to understand patients’ medical histories efficiently.

“The digitization of medical records is essential for developing and training predictive models,” Naturinda says. “Unique electronic datasets from these communities provide the more accurate and reliable information needed to account for unique socio-cultural factors and effectively develop models tailored to address those specific challenges.”

Naturinda will work under the guidance of Karim Keshavjee, an assistant professor and director of the master of health informatics program. In addition to intelligent medicine, Naturinda says he also has a key interest in implementation science, or the study of methods to ensure research is translated into policy, programs and startups.

One of Canada’s few professional graduate programs in the field, the master of health informatics program provides students with the skills and strategic vision to take on leadership positions in health-care landscape.

The opportunity to learn industry-specific knowledge from health leaders is what made the program a perfect fit, Naturinda says.

“One of the reasons I chose the MHI program is because it is training us to be leaders, innovators and policymakers. I wanted to seek mentorship from people who were making a big impact in strengthening health-care systems in Canada.”

Public health isn’t the only field where Naturinda is hoping to make an impact. He also wants to help others as an entrepreneur – a journey that’s already well underway.

During his undergrad, he co-founded the Nugget Poultry Farm to help smallholder farmers in western Uganda raise poultry more effectively and improve food access back home. The venture aims to support 1,000 farmers in 20 communities by 2027 and has received a Social Venture Challenge Award from the Mastercard Foundation and the Resolution Project.

Naturinda enhanced his business knowledge through the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship at Queen’s University. Now a program coach, he has trained more than 500 entrepreneurs from Africa-based startups addressing various issues in agribusiness, climate change and health care.

Naturinda is eager to tap into U of T’s network of entrepreneurs and has wasted no time reaching out to various groups, including the Black Founders Network.

“When I train entrepreneurs, I see the impact of them pitching their ventures or winning a grant. It’s the type of impact that I want to see with my research, and bridging those two passions is an ideal step forward,” Naturinda says.

“As I progress at U of T, I look forward to leveraging opportunities that speak to my background in entrepreneurship, health care and research to make sure that I implement them together.”

PhD student seeks to make drinking water treatment more sustainable

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 03 May 2024 18:46:49 +0000

PhD student seeks to make drinking water treatment more sustainable

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 05/03/2024 - 14:46

Cutline

PhD student Maeva Che works with filtration systems research at the Drinking Water Lab in U of T’s department of cvil and mineral engineering (photo by Galina Nikitina)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Sustainability

Water

Subheadline

“My goal is to continue researching and developing sustainable solutions for drinking water treatment that benefit communities in need”

Growing up in a small neighbourhood in Cameroon, Maeva Che was well aware of the challenges of accessing clean drinking water.

“Experiencing that exposure to water issues and challenges with sustainable access to safe drinking water ignited my interest in water treatment,” says Che, who is now a PhD student in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. 

Her drive to improve water quality around the globe brought her to the faculty’s Drinking Water Research Group (DWRG), where she is researching innovative solutions to address local water issues. 

(supplied image)

Working under the supervision of DWRG member Ron Hofmann, a professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering, Che’s research focuses on removing unpleasant taste and odour compounds in Ontario’s drinking water by promoting the biodegradation of these compounds through granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.

The project is supported by a five-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance grant called “Advanced and Emerging Issues in Drinking Water Treatment.”

GAC filtration is a water treatment process that uses granular activated carbon, which is made from organic materials that are high in carbon, such as wood, coal or coconut shells. These materials are heated in the absence of oxygen through a process known as pyrolysis and prompted chemically or physically to produce the activated carbon. The activation enhances the material’s adsorption properties, improving its ability to remove contaminants from water. 

GAC filtration is an effective treatment process, but its limited adsorptive capacity is exhausted after about three years in service, requiring replacement. For drinking water facilities, that’s both inconvenient and costly. 

Che is working on alternative ways to remove contaminants using GAC filtration – specifically through biodegradation. When the filtration has been in service for a while, there is the growth of micro-organisms on the GAC that can be useful for removing contaminants.  

“Think of biodegradation as the useful bacteria on the GAC feeding on the contaminants in the water, thereby removing them,” Che says.

“If the GAC has enough good bacteria that is biodegrading the compounds, the GAC may not need to be replaced when its adsorptive capacity becomes exhausted. This can extend the filter’s lifetime, resulting in cost benefits for treatment utilities.”

In other words, biodegradation can potentially enhance the performance of GAC filters.

Che and the DWRG are planning to collaborate with water treatment plants to determine methods that can enhance the biodegradation of taste and odour compounds within their GAC filters. 

Currently in its initial phase, the project is taking place alongside the Peterborough Utilities Group’s drinking water treatment plant, where Che is conducting pilot-scale filtration studies with support from the Peterborough Utilities Commission. They plan to extend this research to other partner treatment plants in the future.

Working with other water treatment plants across Ontario, Che will also assess the effectiveness of GAC filters in removing non-traditional taste and odour compounds that are not commonly monitored.

To do this, she plans to evaluate filter performance for two common taste and odour compounds  (2-methylisoborneal and geosmin) and eight additional non-traditional compounds that can cause taste and odour. This involves collecting GAC and water samples from the plants and conducting lab-scale filtration tests known as mini-column tests. This test, developed by the DWRG, allows researchers to differentiate between adsorption and biodegradation in GAC filters, providing crucial insights into their performance.

“Many plants are unaware of their filters’ performance for other compounds, aside from the two common ones, that also contribute to taste and odour events in water. Our project, therefore, plays a crucial role in expanding the understanding of this,” Che says.

Project partners include the Ajax Water Supply Plant and the Barrie Surface Water Treatment Plant. 

The DWRG comprises about 30 graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research managers and associates who collaborate with local, national and international industry and government organizations to address a wide range of projects related to municipal drinking water.

Che credits her experience as a master’s student with the research group as a major factor in her decision to pursue a PhD at the university. 

“During my master’s degree with the DWRG, I worked on projects that improved drinking water quality, gaining hands-on experience at treatment plants. Seeing the results of my research reinforced my decision to pursue my PhD here,” Che says.

Ultimately, Che hopes to make a significant impact in the field with the help of a supportive DWRG researchers and supervisors. 

“My goal is to continue researching and developing sustainable solutions for drinking water treatment that benefit communities in need.”

Beyond natural selection: ��οanthropologist seeks a richer understanding of human evolution

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:33:26 +0000

Beyond natural selection: ��οanthropologist seeks a richer understanding of human evolution

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/28/2024 - 14:33

Cutline

Paleoanthropologist Lauren Schroeder urges the incorporation of previously overlooked evolutionary processes into our understanding of human evolution (photo by Blake Eligh)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Breaking Research

Anthropology

Research & Innovation

��οMississauga

Subheadline

“We’re not completely breaking the model, but looking at how to incorporate other evolutionary processes into our ideas of human evolution"

Much of what we think we know about human evolution has largely been attributed to natural selection – namely that species evolve by adapting to their environments.

But Lauren Schroeder, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toronto, says there’s reason to reconsider this Darwinian paradigm.

In a co-authored article to commemorate the 50^thanniversary of the Journal of Human Evolution, Schroeder offers a richer understanding of human evolution through nonadaptive processes such as genetic drift and gene flow.

“We’re not completely breaking the model, but looking at how to incorporate other evolutionary processes into our ideas of human evolution,” says Schroeder, an associate professor in the department of anthropology at ��οMississauga. “We know that some have been overlooked.”

The article emphasizes that the four processes of human evolution – natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift and mutation – should not be considered separately. It says gene flow and genetic drift, seen in the morphology of the genus Homo, are keys to deepening our understanding.

However, non-adaptive processes are difficult to identify in fossil records because ancient fossils don’t tend to have DNA. This leaves researchers turning to other methods, including morphology, to document variation.

Hybrid Neanderthal-human fossils have been vital in providing genetic information that older fossil records can’t provide. This is where gene flow – when genes travel from one population to another – comes in.

“From ancient DNA analysis, we know that Neanderthals and humans interbred,” Schroeder says.

“There have been cases in the Neanderthal-human space where we have found fossils that look like hybrids – they have human and Neanderthal morphology. Through ancient DNA work, we found that they are indeed hybrids. This means that the effect of gene flow and the variation of a population needs to be taken into account.”

Another example is genetic drift, the random change in frequency of a gene variant in a population. This drift is the foundation of the neutral theory, which states that most evolutionary changes are caused by random occurrences – not natural selection.

“There has always been a big debate in evolutionary biology about the importance of natural selection and genetic drift in causing evolutionary change,” says Schroeder. “The question is how we find it in the fossil record, especially when we don’t have genetic data.”

To find the answers, Schroeder uses quantitative genetics, a subfield of population genetics that studies the evolution of measurable traits, such as height.

The early evolution of the genus Homo, which is estimated to have emerged 2.8 million years ago, is characterized by variation in fossils. In the past, this has been attributed to natural selection. After applying quantitative genetics methods, Schroeder found that variations in the cranium are more consistent with neutral evolution.

“Because we see traits that can be identified as adaptations, and differentiate those traits from ones that seem neutral, it’s reasonable to assume that not all of the morphological variation of the genus Homo can be attributed to natural selection,” Schroeder says.

“Now we can say there are multiple evolutionary processes, and here are the methods to look at them.”

The commemorative paper, which also highlights the authorship demographics and practices of the Journal of Human Evolution, has opened another research interest for Schroeder: to look deeper into what has been a Western- and male-dominated industry. Now an associate editor of the journal, Schroeder has co-authored another paper, currently in review, that examines the history of narrative in the evolution of the genus Homo from a socio-political context.

“When you don’t have a diverse group of people doing research, there is a loss to the field,” she says, adding that the history of paleoanthropology and who was studying these topics – and when – are among her major interests.

Canadian Black Scientists Network screens doc on Black astronauts as part of its advocacy efforts

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 14:26:07 +0000

Canadian Black Scientists Network screens doc on Black astronauts as part of its advocacy efforts

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/21/2024 - 09:26

Cutline

Guion “Guy” Bluford became the first African American in space in 1983. His story is showcased in documentary The Space Race, which is being screened by the Canadian Black Scientists Network (photo by NASA CCO Images)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Canadian Black Scientists Network

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Black History Month

��οScarborough

Subheadline

"This is a beautiful, artistic film that gives people a sense of the actual emotions involved in what we’re fighting for"

Maydianne Andrade first watched The Space Race a few months ago while preparing for a post-screening panel – one of countless events she has been involved in as a higher education leader and co-founder of the Canadian Black Scientists Network.

Focused on the little-known stories of Black astronauts, the documentary left an impression on the evolutionary ecologist. So, she decided to watch it a second time.

Now, together with partners across Canada, the Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN) is screening the film in cities across the country as part of its Black History Month programming – including an event Wednesday at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

“A lot of Black communities, including scientists, value the arts and humanities,” says Andrade, University Professor in ��οScarborough’s department of biological sciences. “It’s critical to engage through the arts to help people not just learn about statistics but feel it.”

Following Wednesday’s screening, Andrade – who is also a member of the steering committee for the Black Research Network, one of the university’s institutional strategic initiatives – will be joined by Rene Harrison, a professor of biological sciences at ��οScarborough, to discuss the film and how its themes resonate through today.

CBSN leaders meet at the 2024 Black History Month celebration at the Canadian Museum of History. Left to right: Chinyere Nwafor-Okoli, Trevor Charles and Maydianne Andrade (supplied image)

The Space Race reframes the history of U.S. space exploration through interviews with several pioneers of NASA’s space program – the first Black pilots, engineers and scientists in their journey to become astronauts. Starting in the 1960s civil rights era, the film leads up to the 2020 murder of George Floyd and the racial reckoning that followed.

It includes the story of Ed Dwight, a U.S. Air Force pilot who would have become the first Black astronaut when he was chosen by President John F. Kennedy to join a pilot program at the Edwards Air Force Base. His hopes came to a halt after Kennedy’s 1963 assassination when he wasn’t selected for the NASA program.

In 1983, Guion “Guy” Bluford became the first African American astronaut to go to space.

Andrade says many of the issues raised in the film are still relevant, including the need to better support Black and Indigenous students who are interested in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine) subjects.

“We have data in Canada that shows Black youth are streamed out of STEMM programs. The issues are still current,” Andrade says. “We want to shine a light on things that still need to be fixed and have those conversations.”

Shaping the future of STEMM

Launched in 2020, the CBSN is a national coalition of more than 700 members that works to elevate, connect and celebrate Black Canadians pursuing advanced degrees in STEMM. It advocates for equitable practices in funding and works to enhance the visibility of Black researchers in the field and increase retention of Black youth. That includes providing mentorship and opportunities to realize a career in STEMM through its Youth Science Fair.

CBSN-Youth delegates from Halifax at the Canada-wide science fair in 2023: Silver medalist Joy Akinkunmi (left) and bronze medalist Munir Al-Taher (supplied image)

The film screenings mark the launch of the CBSN’s Regional Nodes, associations of CBSN members and allies across Canada who support local programming and outreach. Regional Nodes are currently located in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, with connections in Atlantic Canada through local partners.

“This is a beautiful, artistic film that gives people a sense of the actual emotions involved in what we’re fighting for. It’s about community and support,” Andrade says.

“I want people to understand the joy involved and how much we want to participate in these fields.”

��οsociologist explores perceptions of street safety in urban and rural communities

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:21:05 +0000

��οsociologist explores perceptions of street safety in urban and rural communities

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 01/12/2024 - 11:21

Cutline

(photo by Daniel Tadevosyan/Shutterstock)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Institutional Strategic Initiative

Sociology

��οMississauga

Subheadline

With a focus on the Halifax area, Timothy Bryan says his research challenges the notion that cities are dangerous while rural spaces are peaceful and quiet

Crime is often perceived as an urban phenomenon whereas rural life is viewed as more bucolic – but Timothy Bryan is putting these ideas to the test.

An assistant professor in the department of sociology at University of Toronto Mississauga, Bryan analyzes how urban and rural residents perceive and imagine street safety.

“Often, criminological research has assumed certain things about crime. Crime is often perceived as something that happens in urban areas,” says Bryan, whose research revolves around the policing of hate crime and criminal justice reform in Canada.

“What this project wants to do is to disrupt some of those binaries that assume that urban spaces are always spaces of danger and that rural spaces are somehow these peaceful, quiet spaces.”

He is currently focused on the Halifax area, where two recent events have largely shaped the view of public safety. The first is the April 2020 mass shooting that left 22 people dead in rural Nova Scotia, sparking an inquiry into the RCMP’s efforts to keep residents safe.

The other event was increased scrutiny of street checks that disproportionally targeted African Nova Scotian residents. A March 2019 study by Scot Wortley, a professor at U of T’s Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, showed that Black residents were six times more likely to be street checked in the Halifax area compared to white residents.

Bryan travelled to Halifax last year to interview residents about their feelings on street safety and policing. He was supported by an IGNITE grant from the Black Research Network, a ��οinstitutional strategic initiative.

“On the back of these two events, what I found was that many residents were rethinking their relationship with police,” Bryan says, adding many had previously reported a positive relationship with police or had no negative relationships with police.

“But recent events actually started to have residents think differently about whether police were capable of keeping them safe, whether police wanted to keep them safe, or whether the presence of police was even a sign of safety.”

The Wortley report ultimately made 53 recommendations focused on street checks, data collection and police-community relations. In October 2019, street checks were permanently banned in Nova Scotia.

Another element of Bryan’s project will use a combination of participant-produced drawings of street scenes and interviews to address questions about street safety and how police contribute to these perceptions.

He says the exercise not only helps him gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of urban and rural spaces, it also asks participants to explain what they would change to make their neighbourhoods safer.

“I’m hoping that the images not only provide a method of getting at the data and people’s responses,” he says, “but become a kind of artifact in themselves as a kind of snapshot of how it is that people are coming to understand where they live, how they live and perhaps what they want changed about the areas within it.”

He is currently completing about 40 interviews with participants in Halifax and developing those responses into an academic publication. He hopes to present preliminary findings at research conferences.

PhD project explores how Afro-Peruvian women shaped Lima through music and performance

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:47:54 +0000

PhD project explores how Afro-Peruvian women shaped Lima through music and performance

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 12/14/2023 - 13:47

Cutline

Roxana Escobar Ñañez traveled to Lima to interview Afro-Peruvian singers and performers as part of her dissertation (supplied image)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Global Lens

Black Research Network

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

The research spotlights criollo music, which emerged in Afro-Peruvian spaces and eventually made its way to the rest of Lima

Growing up in an Afro-Peruvian family in Peru’s capital Lima, Roxana Escobar Ñañez was always surrounded by music.

A PhD student in the department of geography & planning in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science, Escobar Ñañez says Lima’s cultural identity owes much to the songs and performances of Afro-Peruvian women since the early 1900s – but their contribution is often overlooked or reduced to showbusiness.

“Music as a staple of Afro-Peruvian identity, particularly in Lima, is something that I believe has been reduced to a stereotypical characteristic of the Black population of Peru,” says Escobar Ñañez, whose research explores the centrality of Afro-Peruvian women’s music and performance in Lima’s cultural identity.

“It’s not something that is seen as a way that we have constructed the nation and the development of urban life.”

Escobar Ñañez’s PhD dissertation spotlights criollo music, which is traditional to working-class neighbourhoods populated by people of Black, Indigenous, Japanese and European heritage.

As part of her research, she travelled to Lima to interview performers and document the role of Afro-Peruvian women singers and performers in shaping the city. Her project is supported by the 2022 Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship Program and the 2022 IDRC International Doctoral Research Award, which support doctoral students across Canada in pursuing international field work.

So far, Escobar Ñañez has interviewed 25 singers, the oldest being an 85-year-old performer still active in the circuit. She found that older performers act as gatekeepers of traditional criollo music, while the younger generation also taps into other genres like jazz, blues and salsa.

“The younger generation sing and dance differently… and turn to digital methods to make new sounds, whereas the older generation are very specific about what they sing and how,” says Escobar Ñañez, who is supervised by Associate Professors Tamara Walker of the department of history and Matthew Farrish of the department of geography & planning.

While criollo music was born in domestic spaces that characterized Afro-Peruvian life, it eventually made its way to the rest of Lima, says Escobar Ñañez, with immersive spaces to listen to criollo music – and some of the city’s world-renowned performers – remaining a core element in Lima’s tourism sector.

As she visited venues and house parties to study criollo music, Escobar Ñañez documented cultural experiences as well as conversations between musicians with memories and knowledge that dated back to the early 1900s.

While interviewees shared stories of encountering racism and misogyny, there was also widespread expression of pride in their work. “As Afro-Peruvian women, they carry the pride of the music,” Escobar Ñañez says.

Escobar Ñañez’s interviewees included performers like Marina Retto, the Lopez sisters and Rosita Guzman. Many consistently highlighted the importance of honouring the beauty and the complexity of seminal criollo performers like Felipe Pinglo Alva and Manuel Acosta Ojeda.

As part of her PhD research, Escobar Ñañez is producing a podcast using her interview material. The goal of the podcast – which is supported by the Graduate Fellowship Program in Critical Digital Humanities – is to preserve and celebrate Lima’s history by merging traditional practices like oral history with digital methods.

In addition to the contributions of Black women to the popularity of criollo music, Escobar Ñañez’s research also delves into where Black life is present in Lima and the role of Blackness in constructing the city.

She points out the Afro-Peruvian community shaped the city’s infrastructure through everyday activities as far back as the 1700s. “Lima relied on the urban infrastructure of Black bodies, which became time and space — from the Afro-Peruvian women walking through neighbourhoods in the morning and singing that they had bread and coffee to the last song at night saying it was time for bed,” Escobar Ñañez says.

“If you take away these activities, you wouldn’t have the urban life that we have now.”

Escobar Ñañez is now working on a paper about how to conduct field work involving Black women in Latin America – and the role that sound can play in the process.

“When we study populations that clearly demonstrate different ways of existing, including sounds and conversations is one way of research that I want to continue developing.”

Afrosonic Innovation Lab: Artists and scholars explore music of the African diaspora

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 17:25:46 +0000

Afrosonic Innovation Lab: Artists and scholars explore music of the African diaspora

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 10/12/2023 - 13:25

Cutline

Assistant Professor Mark V. Campbell leads the Afrosonic Innovation Lab at ��οScarborough (supplied image)

Topic

Subheadline

Based at ��οScarborough, the lab studies – and experiments with – Black music and sonic cultures

A growing academic space at the University of Toronto Scarborough is offering students a meaningful outlet to engage with music from the African diaspora.

Led by Assistant Professor Mark V. Campbell, the Afrosonic Innovation Lab explores – and experiments with – Black music and sonic cultures from across the African diaspora.

“The mission around the lab is to be open and experimental around creating music, and working with soundscapes and sound in ways that can connect theory to practice,” says Campbell of the department of arts, culture and media.

“We also illuminate the very rich and multifold ways that sound and music have been critical to the sustenance, the survival and the thriving of populations of Africans forcibly displaced from the continent.”

Launched in 2021, the lab encourages students to not only create music but conduct research to gain and mobilize knowledge about the role of music in the African diaspora. It also fosters a collaborative environment where researchers can think beyond their individual disciplines.

It hosts a variety of events and programming throughout the academic year, including a speaker series and an artist residency. The idea behind last year’s programming was to bring new voices to Toronto through the musical world of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Events were held in both Scarborough and downtown Toronto.

Guests from last year’s speaker series included Grammy-nominated artists Yosvany Terry and percussionist Magdelys Savigne – who are both from Cuba – as well as Welmo Romero Joseph, an Afro-Puerto Rican poet and rap artist. This year’s guests include hip-hop scholar Shanté Paradigm Smalls and poet M. NourbeSe Philip.

A 10-month artist residency program gives creatives an opportunity to experiment and challenge themselves by building a project that uses academic research and creation – which can range from performance to new music or archival research. The lab also takes up artist residencies to advance creative projects based on sound, music or performance in both local and international contexts.

For Campbell, creating a space for music and academic research through the Afrosonic Innovation Lab connects his two career paths.

Campbell’s career started as a DJ – and later community radio host and curator – in the early 1990s. He is the co-founder of Northside Hip Hop – a growing digital archive that works to preserve Canadian hip-hop history.

Meanwhile, in addition to teaching several graduate-level courses at ��οScarborough, Campbell is the principal investigator for a research project about hip-hop and knowledge production that received support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

“I needed a space where I could continue to be who I was before entering the academy, but also remix that experience with research creation methodologies with some of the discourses that I find in places like cultural studies and musicology,” Campbell says.

Looking forward to the next academic year, the lab is working on forging international partnerships with other universities. It will continue to support its graduate students and amplify the work of local artists.

In November, the Afrosonic Innovation Lab will also host an international conference that coincides with the launch of Campbell’s forthcoming co-edited book, Hip Hop Archives: The Politics and Poetics of Knowledge Production and the 50th celebrations of hip-hop culture. The event will bring several archivists, curators, hip-hop enthusiasts and scholars to campus from the U.K., Brazil, U.S. and South Africa.

“We are thinking critically about what the lab’s work looks like across the planet – the kinds of innovations that have had long-lasting reverberations globally in the music scene, in the technological and digital space and in DJ cultures.”

Architecture graduate finds inspiration for community-building in mentorship and representation

siddiq22 — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:45:39 +0000

Architecture graduate finds inspiration for community-building in mentorship and representation

siddiq22 Mon, 06/12/2023 - 15:45

Cutline

New graduate Zanira Ali plans to continue mentoring other young people as she pursues an architecture career rooted in community engagement (supplied image)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Convocation 2023

Community

Graduate Students

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Mentorship

Subheadline

'I want to be that person for someone': When Zanira Ali didn't see role models in her field, she decided to lead by example

Zanira Ali chose the University of Toronto to pursue her master’s studies in architecture because it was a place that she could explore her community-based approach to the field.

“I enjoy the community engagement aspect of architecture. I want to understand and hear from communities about how they interact with public spaces,” Ali says.

Ali is graduating with a master’s degree from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, determined to continue work that fuses advocacy for communities and architecture. Most importantly, she has her sights on making her mark – and impact – in mentorship within the field.

As a graduate, Ali was a mentee with the nonprofit Black Architects and Interior Design Association (BAIDA), where she was paired with a mentor from Diamond Schmitt Architects. The program gave her a chance to enhance her portfolio and ask questions about the field.

During her time at U of T, Ali became heavily involved in mentoring students interested in a career in architecture through the faculty. For her, it was important that students saw representation in the field.

“Growing up, it was difficult for me to find mentors – I didn’t see anyone or know of someone who looked like me and studied architecture. I want to be that person for someone who is interested in the field.” Ali says.

Ali volunteered with Somali Scholars, an organization that provides mentorship for Somali youth and undergraduates. She was also a mentor with the Building Black Success Through Design (BBSD) program, a 12-week workshop series which offers weekly sessions for Black high school students interested in architecture to be mentored by Daniels Faculty students.

Ali’s thesis project demonstrated how funds could be redistributed to create neighbourhoods full of opportunity for communities that rely on public housing (photo submitted by Zanira Ali)

The program’s theme this year was "building for belonging." Mentees made sketches and models to envision how to restructure public spaces in Toronto neighbourhoods and understand equity in architecture – a value that is the foundation of Ali’s work.

For her thesis project, presented in April, Ali explored how the architecture of prisons contributes to oppression. When she considered her thesis topic, Ali knew that she wanted to shine a light on the social aspects in architecture not typically highlighted in the field, which led her to base her project on the critique of design.

“It’s about critiquing the spaces of confinement and control that are designed by architects. These are spaces that specifically affect racialized, Black and Indigenous communities in Canada,” Ali says.

For example, the Toronto South Detention Centre cost $700 million to build – money that could instead go toward community services to build vibrant neighbourhoods and housing, Ali explains. Using this as a source of inspiration, she developed a project titled “The $69-Million Block” for her thesis presentation.

Ali designed a model neighbourhood featuring 20 row houses and services such as a school, community centre, library and a park to demonstrate how funds could be redistributed to create neighbourhoods full of opportunity for communities that rely on public housing.

“By using those numbers, I was able to add up to $69 million to create this community block. This demonstrates how one detention centre could build nine of these community blocks – and that’s how we should be allocating the funds.”

By exemplifying how funding can be streamed to strengthen communities, Ali built a case as to why prison reform is needed to break the cycle of overrepresentation of minority groups in Toronto’s incarceration system.

After convocation, Ali plans to seek out opportunities to further her passion for social justice, equity and architecture and will continue her role as a mentor with Somali Scholars and the BBSD program.

Ali says mentoring has given her an opportunity to learn from others, and also help youth from underrepresented groups succeed – something she wants to continue throughout her career.

“I’d like to use my experience here to further my interest in community engagement," she says.

"I’d also like to continue my thesis in the field and use architectural tools to explore the injustices in the realm of architecture and public spaces.”

Ali's advice for incoming students is to remember that personal connections are just as important as academics – and it’s important to find the balance in both.

“Join a club or association to connect with different people," she says.

"Be open to trying new things – even though it may seem hard at first, especially in your first year. It will be worth it in the end.”

��οresearchers use solar-powered tech to improve rainwater harvesting in Mexico

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 12:14:56 +0000

��οresearchers use solar-powered tech to improve rainwater harvesting in Mexico

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 04/19/2023 - 08:14

Cutline

��οEngineering researchers are investigating how treatment with solar-powered UV illumination can improve water quality in rainwater harvesting systems such as this one in San Juan Tlacotenco, Mexico (photo by Mistelle Haughton)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

A team of University of Toronto researchers is shining a light on the use of solar-powered ultra-violet (UV) LEDs to treat harvested rainwater in Mexico.

Mistelle Haughton (submitted photo)

Master’s student Mistelle Haughton and PhD candidate Karlye Wong, both in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, are among just a handful of researchers focusing on the benefits of UV LEDs for water harvesting systems.

The students are currently conducting an extensive systematic review of the literature to map out all the lessons learned in previous case studies that use UV for the disinfection of rainwater.

“We’ve only found about 30 papers that come close to what we’re implementing – and out of those papers, not many focus on LEDs,” Haughton says.

UV light can inactivate waterborne pathogens in at wavelengths between 140 and 280 nanometres. The amount of time that light shines on a surface is called the dose. Commercially available UV units typically provide the recommended 40 millijoules per square centimetre dose of UV light to be effective against bacteria, protozoa and most viruses.

“The microbes will absorb the UV light and as the DNA and RNA absorb the UV, the DNA and RNA become damaged – effectively inactivating the organism, which means that they can’t reproduce and can no longer spread diseases,” Haughton says.

Typically, UV systems used for water treatment employ mercury lamps. UV LEDs, by contrast, offer a smaller footprint, are low maintenance and feature remote start or stop with the integration of flow sensors, which can potentially lead to longer lifespans.

Under the supervision of Ron Hofmann, a professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering, Haughton and Wong are exploring the use of UV LEDs for the treatment of rainwater in the field as well as conducting pilot studies that use solar power to supply energy to treatment units.

“We’re some of the first people to be implementing LED systems in the field,” says Haughton, a member of the Drinking Water Research Group in U of T’s department of civil and mineral engineering.

Haughton is building a solar-powered UV disinfection pilot system that can be implemented with UV devices in the field. The waterproof system, which looks like a small black box, can be attached to a UV device and solar panels. The device then runs electricity towards the supply of UV LEDs.

The system can help supplement the electrical requirements of the UV systems, which need a reliable energy supply to ensure proper operation. The system could also function as a safe alternative to water treatment chemicals like chlorine, which are often disposed improperly and a poor fit for peri-urban communities – the area that transitions between rural and urban communities

The team’s field work takes place in San Juan Tlacotenco, about an hour outside of Mexico City. Haughton says locals currently alternate seasonally between chlorinated municipal water and harvested rainwater. Residents also rely on bottled water for drinking, which can cost households between $60 to $100 per month.

“When someone has to chemically dose their water supply, they often do it intermittently and there are a lot of aversions to use of chlorine,” Haughton says.

Rainwater harvesting systems are typically seen in rural or peri-urban areas, which may lack access to centralized water supply systems. Harvesting systems often have a first-flush device, a contraption used to reduce the contaminants associated with the first rainfall.

The team has so far implemented one unit in the field and hope to increase that number to 10 in upcoming months. They are also conducting water quality testing for E. coli and total coliform, a basic test for bacterial contamination of water, to monitor the efficiency of the units.

The students are also exploring the use of molecular testing methods to detect pathogens in the water.

“While we know UVs are very good at inactivating bacterial pathogens, we need to ensure there are no pathogens in the rainwater systems that UV is not good at killing,” Haughton says.

“Higher life-form organisms, like worms, require a lot higher dose of UV light and intensity to inactivate these organisms.”

To ensure that implementation is successful, the team is adopting an interdisciplinary approach to not only focus on the technical integration of the units but also on education and user perception.

Over the next two years, the team will monitor the UV units in the field. In the short term, they will be testing the pilot system and develop the preliminary test plan with hopes that this research can continue to evolve.

“I hope this technology can help increase access to clean drinking water for the people who need it the most,” Haughton says.

Tina Adamopoulos

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PhD project explores how Afro-Peruvian women shaped Lima through music and performance

Afrosonic Innovation Lab: Artists and scholars explore music of the African diaspora

Architecture graduate finds inspiration for community-building in mentorship and representation

��������οresearchers use solar-powered tech to improve rainwater harvesting in Mexico

Read more at the Black Research Network

How were the earliest galaxies formed? ��οresearcher hunts for clues

Going digital to save lives: ��οgrad student aims to eliminate barriers to health care

Beyond natural selection: ��οanthropologist seeks a richer understanding of human evolution

��οsociologist explores perceptions of street safety in urban and rural communities

��οresearchers use solar-powered tech to improve rainwater harvesting in Mexico