Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.26
Liaison Stephanie MacPhee
Submission Date Dec. 9, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
Yes

A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Sustainability-focused student funding program is Partnership for Change: The RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion Project.

Partnership for Change: The RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion Project at Ryerson University is a seven-year initiative supporting faculty research and student projects focusing on four thematic areas:

Immigrant Employment and Entrepreneurship
Social Engagement of Immigrants
Immigrants and Mental Health
Immigrant Preferences and Consumer Behaviour
The project places a particular focus on outreach and knowledge mobilization to ensure it shapes policy and practice relating to immigration, diversity and inclusion. It aims to produce real-world impact on immigrants and their families, boost economic growth and innovation, and build healthy and inclusive communities.

Ryerson Research and Innovation Centres that fund student research positions and student projects at Ryerson include:
- Centre for Urban Energy (CUE):The Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) at Ryerson University is an academic-industry partnership that is exploring and developing sustainable solutions to urban energy challenges such as the advancement of smart grid technologies and integration of energy storage, electric vehicles and renewables.

- Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR): The Centre for Urban Research and Land Development is an expert-led research Centre, dedicated to formulating policies and solutions to address the concerns confronting urban growth and change within the Greater Golden Horseshoe, as well as to educating students to take leadership roles in these pursuits. Its orientation is founded on uniting economics and market analysis within the context and understanding of social and environmental considerations.

- Clean Energy Zone: Benefiting from Ryerson’s unique zone learning model, members of the Clean Energy Zone develop their ideas while learning new skills to improve their business acumen and technical expertise. Through our relationship with CUE, we also offer our zone members access to state-of-the-art research labs, co-working spaces and curated mentorship from industry partners and academic researchers and faculty.

- Institute for Study of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Ryerson University Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility is an interdisciplinary academic institution dedicated to becoming a recognized Centre of Excellence on social responsibility (SR) issues, through its multi-stakeholder activities and research, bringing together actors from government, private sector, and civil society (including academia) for constructive engagement and learning on SR issues.

- Ryerson City Building Institute: The Ryerson City Building Institute envisions a future in which all cities are prosperous, equitable, environmentally sustainable and resilient. In collaboration with the Ryerson community and external partners, Ryerson CBI produces public policy research and shares insights addressing diverse urban challenges to promote healthy neighbourhoods, cities and regions, starting with the GTHA. It is recognized for its accessible approach to knowledge mobilization, its multi-disciplinary perspective, and for providing leadership and dialogue that motivates action on important issues.

- Ryerson Institute for Infrastructure Innovation (RIII): RIII provides a catalyst for innovation on all aspects of infrastructure design, construction, financing, maintenance and operations. We adopt systems approach through multidisciplinary research to address various infrastructure issues ranging from engineering and technological advancement to managerial and policy innovations. RIII seeks collaboration with private industry, public agencies and governments.

- Ryerson Urban Water (RUW): a multi-disciplinary collective of over 40 experts across 6 faculties and 13 Departments. Our researchers and their wet labs and students come from the natural sciences, engineering, policy/regulatory, and social science arenas. Our experts are working on water capture strategies including green roofs and urban forests, low impact development and municipal master planning, engineered wetlands and sophisticated wastewater mitigation strategies, and cost-benefit economic strategies. RUW has the expertise necessary to ensure the development of resilient sustainable cities.

The website URL where information about the student research program is available:
https://www.ryerson.ca/research/students/support/
https://www.ryerson.ca/research/themes/sustainability/


Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Ryerson is bringing together experts from industry, academia, and the public sector to pioneer next-generation energy and sustainability solutions. Our faculty are making important strides toward realizing a sustainable future, from the creation of innovative tools that advance urban agriculture and energy storage, to building greener homes and intelligent transportation systems, to promoting the conservation of our natural resources through policy development and regulation.
As such, Ryerson is home to a number of sustainability focused research institutions that the University provides central funding in order to support administrative activities, interdisciplinary research, knowledge mobilization and conferences to encourage faculty research in sustainability.
Areas of Scholarly Research and Creative activity in Energy & Sustainability include:
-Creating innovative infrastructure that is defining how cities of the future will be built and managed.
-Improving policy and regulation to support governance in such areas as water resources and energy costs.
-Accelerating the adoption of sustainable technologies in Canada and driving their development and commercialization.
Investigating new sustainable practices in areas such as energy consumption, carbon emissions, and repurposed building materials.
Related Research and Innovation Centres, Institutes and Zones include:
- Centre for Urban Energy (CUE):The Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) at Ryerson University is an academic-industry partnership that is exploring and developing sustainable solutions to urban energy challenges such as the advancement of smart grid technologies and integration of energy storage, electric vehicles and renewables.
- Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR): The Centre for Urban Research and Land Development is an expert-led research Centre, dedicated to formulating policies and solutions to address the concerns confronting urban growth and change within the Greater Golden Horseshoe, as well as to educating students to take leadership roles in these pursuits. Its orientation is founded on uniting economics and market analysis within the context and understanding of social and environmental considerations.
- Clean Energy Zone: Benefiting from Ryerson’s unique zone learning model, members of the Clean Energy Zone develop their ideas while learning new skills to improve their business acumen and technical expertise. Through our relationship with CUE, we also offer our zone members access to state-of-the-art research labs, co-working spaces and curated mentorship from industry partners and academic researchers and faculty.
- Institute for Study of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Ryerson University Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility is an interdisciplinary academic institution dedicated to becoming a recognized Centre of Excellence on social responsibility (SR) issues, through its multi-stakeholder activities and research, bringing together actors from government, private sector, and civil society (including academia) for constructive engagement and learning on SR issues.
- Ryerson City Building Institute: The Ryerson City Building Institute envisions a future in which all cities are prosperous, equitable, environmentally sustainable and resilient. In collaboration with the Ryerson community and external partners, Ryerson CBI produces public policy research and shares insights addressing diverse urban challenges to promote healthy neighbourhoods, cities and regions, starting with the GTHA. It is recognized for its accessible approach to knowledge mobilization, its multi-disciplinary perspective, and for providing leadership and dialogue that motivates action on important issues.
- Ryerson Institute for Infrastructure Innovation (RIII): RIII provides a catalyst for innovation on all aspects of infrastructure design, construction, financing, maintenance and operations. We adopt systems approach through multidisciplinary research to address various infrastructure issues ranging from engineering and technological advancement to managerial and policy innovations. RIII seeks collaboration with private industry, public agencies and governments.
- Ryerson Urban Water (RUW): a multi-disciplinary collective of over 40 experts across 6 faculties and 13 Departments. Our researchers and their wet labs and students come from the natural sciences, engineering, policy/regulatory, and social science arenas. Our experts are working on water capture strategies including green roofs and urban forests, low impact development and municipal master planning, engineered wetlands and sophisticated wastewater mitigation strategies, and cost-benefit economic strategies. RUW has the expertise necessary to ensure the development of resilient sustainable cities.

Additionally, Partnership for Change: The RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion Project at Ryerson University is a seven-year initiative supporting faculty research and student projects focusing on four thematic areas:

Immigrant Employment and Entrepreneurship
Social Engagement of Immigrants
Immigrants and Mental Health
Immigrant Preferences and Consumer Behaviour

The project places a particular focus on outreach and knowledge mobilization to ensure it shapes policy and practice relating to immigration, diversity and inclusion. It aims to produce real-world impact on immigrants and their families, boost economic growth and innovation, and build healthy and inclusive communities.


Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
No

A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Research Centres often, though not always, are inter-departmental or inter-faculty in character, providing opportunities for new relationships within the Faculty, the University, or broader intellectual and other communities.

The Website for Ryerson’s Academic Provost & Vice President
Link to the Response to the Senate Task Force on Interdisciplinary Programs (May 2015)
https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/provost/AccessiblePDFs/Provost_Response_to_Senate_Taskforce_on_Interdisciplinary_Programs_May_2015%20FINAL-s.pdf


Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Ryerson Library provides ongoing sustainability research support on various levels to Ryerson students, faculty and staff and community users. The Ryerson Subject Liaison librarians provide research assistance regarding sustainability through the Research Help Service. The Ryerson library supports information literacy for sustainability research by assisting students via web-accessible library or research guides, which includes database research, course guides for sustainability classes, citation support, and learning objectives.

Ryerson Library provides various research guides on the topics of sustainability, including: Aboriginal Studies, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Management, Geography, Global Management Studie, Journalism, Politics and Governance, Urban Planning, and Zone Learning. Each Research Guide is supported by a list of accessible Information Guide(s), Database(s) and expert Librarian(s) for each topic. There is also the ability to search all guides for the topic or mentioning of "Sustainability". Resources with a sustainability focus are interwoven throughout the collections.

Furthermore, the material on BuildingGreen.com includes articles, news, reviews, product listings, case studies and is organized into a hierarchy of topics related to green design and construction. These topics include Policy and Context, Process, Land Use and Community, Site and Water, Energy, Resources and Materials, Indoor Environmental Quality.The database includes Environmental Building News, a monthly newsletter published since 1992 featuring comprehensive, practical information on a range of topics related to sustainable design in the built environment.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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