U of T Engineering celebrates 150 years with gala event, and propels the Faculty into the future

Apr 5, 2023

More than 1,300 attendees enjoyed musical performances and a keynote speech from astronaut Chris Hadfield — and helped kick off the Faculty’s fundraising campaign, an integral part of U of T’s Defy Gravity campaign.

Engineering Society president Aidan Grenville (left) thanks Col. Chris Hadfield for his inspiring keynote talk. Photo by Lisa Sakulensky Photography.

On Saturday, April 1, members of the U of T Engineering community gathered at the Royal York hotel in downtown Toronto to celebrate the Faculty’s 150th anniversary — and to officially salute Engineering’s fundraising and engagement campaign — an integral part of U of T’s Defy Gravity campaign.

“Each and every one of you has stories to tell about your time at U of T Engineering,” said U of T Dean Chris Yip, in his address. “These stories include the challenges you faced and overcame, the lessons you learned and applied, the paths you have embarked on — and the places these paths led you.

“We are here tonight to celebrate the contributions that U of T Engineering graduates have made to building the brighter world we enjoy today, and to imagining the innovations yet to come.”

Attendees included more than 500 current students and 500 alumni, as well as faculty, staff and other supporters. The capstone of the evening was a speech from astronaut Chris Hadfield, who challenged students to think hard about where they might like to go in the future, and to commit to giving themselves the skills needed to get there.

It’s the idea of turning yourself into someone that can do something that’s impossible. That’s what defying gravity is all about.

“It’s the idea of turning yourself into someone that can do something that’s impossible,” he said. “That’s what defying gravity is all about.”

Guests were treated to performances from the Skule™ Orchestra and the Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad [sic], as well as exhibitions from U of T Engineering clubs, such as the Concrete Toboggan, the Formula Racing, the Exploration, and the Aerospace teams.

It’s the idea of turning yourself into someone that can do something that’s impossible. That’s what defying gravity is all about.

The next 150 years

The event also celebrated the Faculty’s fundraising and engagement campaign, a part of the University of Toronto’s Defy Gravity campaign. The U of T campaign is helping to address some of the most critical issues of our time. It has twin goals of inspiring 225,000 alumni to get involved (while encouraging them to contribute their time and talent to the University one million times collectively) — and also raising $4 billion in support for the University’s highest priorities.

Former chair of U of T’s Governing Council, Claire Kennedy (BASc 1989), and Som Seif (BASc 1999) were present at the gala event on April 1st. Both are U of T Engineering grads and both are also campaign co-chairs for U of T’s Defy Gravity campaign.

Engineering’s fundraising efforts specifically aim to prepare the Faculty for the future, support brilliant engineering students, and further accelerate the pace of innovation. It will strengthen both research and educational initiatives that address some of the biggest and most complex challenges of our time. These include:

Creating sustainable & thriving global communities through technologies that meet the climate crisis head-on, such as new ways of harvesting solar power or bio-inspired solutions that reduce energy use in buildings;
Promoting healthy societies by finding new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease;
Designing intelligent machines for good, using expertise in analytics and AI to improve everything from self-driving robots to water distribution systems; and
Enhancing the development of the 21st century engineer by promoting a more inclusive profession.

“One hundred and fifty years of leadership and innovation is an occasion worth celebrating,” said David Palmer, Vice-President Advancement and Interim Vice-President Communications. “Engineering alumni have made an impact in areas all across the globe. And the anniversary gala event was a small window on the limitless innovation and creativity that takes place every day at U of T Engineering.”

A year of celebration

Over the past century and a half, many new technologies with roots at U of T Engineering have made their mark across Canada and around the world. These include the dry cell battery, the electric wheelchair and the foundation of Toronto’s iconic CN Tower.

Engineering alumni have made an impact in areas all across the globe. And the anniversary gala event was a small window on the limitless innovation and creativity that takes place every day at U of T Engineering.

The gala on April 1 was the first in a series of initiatives throughout 2023 that will celebrate these achievements and the progress of the past 150 years — and set the tone for the future.

Upcoming events include Alumni Reunion (May 31 – June 4) and a Faculty open house set for September 30. Details for these events, as well as a series of features and interactive content highlighting U of T Engineering’s past and future impact can be found on the 150^th anniversary website.

Engineering alumni have made an impact in areas all across the globe. And the anniversary gala event was a small window on the limitless innovation and creativity that takes place every day at U of T Engineering.

“I want to thank all of you for all your support, both in the past and the years to come,” said Dean Yip. “The future is bright, and I know that we’re just getting started.”

By Tyler Irving

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