News

  • Aug 17 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Marcelo Muniz Correa

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Marcelo Muniz Correa, a Master of Science candidate in the Centre for Biotechnology, will defend his thesis titled “THE OPTIMIZATION OF A TIME-RESOLVED, VESICLE-BASED FLUORESCENCE ASSAY FOR THE ACTIVITY OF THE LIPID KINASE PI4K-IIIBETA AND THE EFFECT OF LIPID TRANSFER PROTEINS ON ENZYME ACTIVITY ” on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 9:30 AM in TH 253.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Jeffrey Atkinson, Supervisor; Roberto Botelho, External Examiner (Toronto Metropolitan University); and Paul Zelisko and Stephen Glasgow, Committee Members.

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  • Aug 10 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Connor M. Wilson

    Master of Science thesis defence in Physics

    Connor M. Wilson, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Physics, will defend his thesis titled “Localized Vibrational Modes in High-Entropy Oxides” on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 9:30 AM in TH 259.

    The examination committee includes Martin Lemaire, Chair; David Crandles, Supervisor; Eric De Giuli, External Examiner (Toronto Metropolitan University); and Edward Sternin and Ganesh Ramachandran, Committee Members.

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  • Aug 8 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Thomas Henley

    Master of Science thesis defence in Earth Sciences

    Thomas Henley, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences, will defend his thesis titled “In Situ Investigation of the Martian Surface: Quantification of Dust Coverages in Gale crater and Abrasion Marks in Jezero crater“ on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at 11 AM in PLZ 409.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Mariek Schmidt, Supervisor; Kevin Lewis, External Examiner (John Hopkins University); and Frank Fueten and Richard Cheel, Committee Members.

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  • July 28 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Alexander D. Orshinsky

    Master of Science thesis defence in Chemistry

     

    Alexander D. Orshinsky, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Chemistry, will defend his thesis titled “INVESTIGATING THE CROSSLINKING MECHANISM OF CINNAMATE-MODIFIED SILICONES” on Friday, July 28 at 10:30 AM.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Paul Zelisko, Supervisor; Joseph C. Furgal, External Examiner (Bowling Green State University); and Travis Dudding and Melanie Pilkington, Committee Members.

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  • July 31 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Fatemeh (Nanzanin) Hasheminejad

    Master of Science thesis defence in Mathematics

    Fatemeh (Nazanin) Hasheminejad, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, will defend her thesis titled “Convergence Analysis of Heterogeneous Decision-making Populations Under the Coordinating Best-response and Imitation Update Rules” on Monday, July 31 at 11 AM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Pouria Ramazi, Supervisor; Junling Ma, External Examiner (University of Victoria); and Henryk Fuks and Stephen Anco, Committee Members.

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  • Debiasing should be Good and Bad: Measuring the Consistency of Debiasing Techniques in Language Models – Speaker: Robert Morabito

    Join Us Thursday July 6th for an online presentation:
    Abstract:
    Debiasing methods that seek to mitigate the tendency of Language Models (LMs) to occasionally output toxic or inappropriate text have recently gained traction. In this paper, we propose a standardized protocol which distinguishes methods that yield not only desirable results, but are also consistent with their mechanisms and specifications. For example, we ask, given a debiasing method that is developed to reduce toxicity in LMs, if the definition of toxicity used by the debiasing method is reversed, would the debiasing results also be reversed? We used such considerations to devise three criteria for our new protocol: Specification Polarity, Specification Importance, and Domain Transferability. As a case study, we apply our protocol to a popular debiasing method, Self-Debiasing, and compare it to one we propose, called Instructive Debiasing, and demonstrate that consistency is as important an aspect to debiasing viability as is simply a desirable result. We show that our protocol provides essential insights into the generalizability and interpretability of debiasing methods that may otherwise go overlooked.

     

    DATE: Thursday (July 6) 11:00 a.m. – 11: 45 a.m. via Teams

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  • June 5 – PhD Thesis Defence – Charles Barraco

    Doctoral thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Charles Barraco, a PhD in Biotechnology candidate, will defend his thesis titled “The bipartite function of Clade I TGAs: involvement in basal immunity and systemic acquired resistance” on Monday, June 5 at 10:30 a.m., in Plaza 600F.

    The examination committee members are Brian Roy, Chair; Charles Després, Supervisor; Darrell Desveaux, External Examiner (University of Toronto); Cheryl McCormick, Internal Examiner; and Tony Yan and Aleksandar Necakov, supervisory committee members.

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  • May 31 – PhD Thesis Defence – Hyun Suk (Leeko) Lee

    Hyun Suk (Leeko) Lee, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Feasibility study using remote sensing technologies to improve zonal vineyard management ” on Wednesday, May 31 at 9:30 a.m., virtually.

    The examination committee members are Brian Roy, Chair; Debbie Inglis and Jim Willwerth, Co-Supervisors; Yu Jiang, External Examiner (Cornell University); Kevin Turner, Internal Examiner; and Ralph B. Brown and Marilyne Carrey, Advisory Committee.

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  • May 29 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Hayley-Ann Bennett

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Hayley-Ann Bennett, a Master of Science candidate in the Centre for Biotechnology, will defend her thesis titled “Influence of thermal treatment on aptamer structure & Synthesis and purification of modified Acinetobacter baumanii-binding aptamers” on Monday, May 29 at 10:30 AM in WH147.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Hongbin (Tony ) Yan, Supervisor; Richard A. Manderville, External Examiner (University of Guelph); and Aleksandar Necakov and Yifeng Li, Committee Members.

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  • May 10 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Jamie Sapera

    Master of Science thesis defence in Earth Sciences

     

    Jamie Sapera, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Glacial Dynamics and Stratigraphy in the Southern Great Slave Lake Region, Northwest Territories” on Wednesday, May 10 at 1:00 PM., virtually.

    The examination committee includes Adonis Skandalis, Chair; John Menzies, Supervisor; Brent Ward, External Examiner (Simon Fraser University); and Francine McCarthy and Roger Paulen, Committee Members.

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