August 14, 2025
Climate Positive Energy Research Day
The Climate Positive Energy Initiative at University of Toronto is developing social, scientific, technical, economic, and policy solutions to transform our energy systems, ensure energy access and production is equitable, and help Canada become a global clean-energy model.
August 11, 2025
Researchers in Christendat lab identify protein that provides plants the ability to grow on land
Researchers in Dinesh Christendat's lab have pinpointed a protein that all land plants need to harvest sunlight and grow on land. Using sequence analysis and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, they identified a protein that is present in land plants but not other organisms and showed that this protein…
August 11, 2025
A daring application and hard work earn Stella Chen the top plant biology undergraduate award
Stella Jiaying Chen was singled out as one of the best plant biology undergraduates in North America, earning the SURF fellowship from the American Society of Plant Biologists to work in Professor Heather McFarlane’s lab for the Summer of 2025. Chen's plant biology research journey began with one…
August 8, 2025
Big career award from IPGSA for small molecule studies by Prof Shelley Lumba
Professor Shelley Lumba has earned the OlChemIm Award from the International Plant Growth Substances Association (IPGSA) for “outstanding contributions to plant signaling research on strigolactone and seed germination”.This award is infrequently granted and was only revealed at the IPGSA banquet…
July 11, 2025
Alumni Reunion 2025 lets our guests take on the role of undergraduates in Biology
CSB was out in force with events at University of Toronto’s Alumni Reunion 2025. We held Open Houses in our teaching laboratories that allowed alumni from a variety of departments to take on the role of Biology undergraduates. Alumni learned fundamental lab techniques: how to measure tiny volumes…
July 10, 2025
Sold Out Crowd Learns Secrets of Plants and Fungi from Prof Lumba
As a headlining event for our Department at Alumni Reunion 2025, Professor Shelley Lumba gave a Stress-Free Degree lecture on the "Secret Language between Plants and Fungi" that drew a diverse sell-out crowd of all ages. Lumba started with the engaging idea of the wood wide web, a connected network…
June 24, 2025
Decades of dedication by Professor Provart recognized in Arabidopsis community award
Professor Nicholas Provart has dedicated decades to the Arabidopsis community, performing research as well as communicating and teaching about this crucial model plant. Recently, the community showed their appreciation for what he has given to them. Provart was awarded a Later-Career Award for…
May 30, 2025
CSB Teaching Assistant Christine Nguyen recognized as among the best TAs at the University
The greatest educators inspire and enable students to persevere through difficulties and to strive for the best. Christine Nguyen—a PhD candidate in the Nambara lab—has received the university-wide TA Training Program (TATP) Teaching Excellence Award for her ability to do just that. The TATP…
May 22, 2025
Educational impact leads to awards for TA Excellence
Whether it’s your first year in undergraduate studies at university or your last, doing well academically while enjoying your learning can be tough. But the winners of this year’s CSB TA Teaching Excellence Award helped make it easier! Selected via student nominations, the winners brought both…
May 15, 2025
Fresh excitement for the Science Rendezvous festival
CSB shared our stories under shady trees as students, staff and faculty presented at Science Rendezvous 2025. Science Rendezvous is an annual science festival across Canada, and we had many new faces from CSB to present our work on UofT's leafy Front Campus. Squeezing in some neuroscience…