Academic Plan, CSB 2010-2015
December 15, 2009
Academic Plan for the Department of Cell & Systems Biology (2010-2015)
A. Vision
The Department of Cell & Systems Biology (CSB) was established in July of 2006 to
advance research and teaching in some of the most dynamic and vital areas of biological
research. This bold new initiative prompted the development of ambitious graduate and
undergraduate programs, and facilitated the pursuit of cutting-edge research in the
molecular life sciences. CSB research investigates cell function in development and
physiology of microbial, plant and animal species. Both hypothesis-driven and
discovery-based strategies are integrated to gain a mechanistic understanding of
complex and highly dynamic cellular systems and how they govern the development and
physiology of organisms.
Cell biology and systems biology have to inform each other to ultimately develop a deep
understanding of complex life processes. This complementarity has clearly been
expressed in the initial proposal that led to the formation of CSB1. Cell theory, a 19th
century notion, has identified the cell as the fundamental unit of life. It implies that all
organismal activity finds its ultimate explanation in the evolution and behaviour of
individual cells and cell collectives. Microscopy, genetic analysis, biochemistry and
recombinant DNA technology have identified numerous cellular components, and have
illuminated the mechanisms of many key cellular processes during the course of the 20th
century and into the 21st century. Nevertheless, the overwhelming complexity of cells
and the dynamic processes that rapidly change cell composition and interactions
between cell components have prohibited a more comprehensive understanding. Cell
complexity is the central challenge in biology today. Overcoming this challenge to gain
insight into how the cell works presents a major opportunity for discovery and
innovation.
Molecular systems biology, a 21st century discipline that has emerged in the wake of the
human genome project, attempts to address biological complexity through combining
high-throughput technologies with cell biological approaches and computational tools.
It aims to describe and analyze the behaviour of the molecular networks that control cell
function2. Systems biology proceeds in essentially three steps. First, a parts list needs to
be established of all molecular components (eg. genes, RNAs, proteins, metabolites) of a
functional module (eg. cell, organelle, protein complex, biochemical pathway) that is
investigated. Second, the physical interactions between molecular components are
characterized, converting the parts list into a network. Finally, the function of and the
dynamic interactions between system components are elucidated and, ideally, described
in quantitative terms. This is accomplished through exposure of cells to different
environmental conditions or through experimental perturbations of cell components
and the analysis of the results of such manipulations. Given the huge amounts of data
generated, bioinformatic data mining and computational/mathematical modeling
become essential to explore and simulate systems behaviour, and to explain how
functional modules operate and how they generate specific outputs (e.g., how a cell
adopts a specific shape, how an organelle like the ribosome translates RNA into protein,
or how a cell responds to outside stimuli such as a growth factor signaling molecule or a
bacterial or viral pathogen). Molecular cell networks show a modular architecture and
are controlled by feedback regulation, properties that allow these systems to exhibit
robust functions despite intrinsic and extrinsic fluctuations.
CSB is a unique academic unit from a number of different perspectives:
 CSB is the first molecular life sciences department at a Canadian university outside
Proposal for a new Department of Cell and Systems Biology, October 18, 2005 Ideker et al., A new approach to decoding life: Systems Biology. Annu. Rev. Genomics Hum Gen 2, 343-372
(2001); Westerhoff & Palsson, The evolution of molecular biology into systems biology. Nature Biotech. 22, 12491252 (2004). 1
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December 15, 2009
of medical faculties.
CSB is the only Canadian university department with a focus on systems biology.
While other systems biology centres exist in medical faculties and research institutes
[e.g., The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR)
or the Centre for Systems Biology at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
(SLRI), or similar centres in Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver], CSB is in a
unique position to expose a large undergraduate student body to systems biology
theory and praxis.
CSB houses strong research groups in cell and developmental biology,
neurophysiology, genomics and the top plant biology group in Canada, and thus
brings together animal-based research with biomedical relevance and plant-based
research with agricultural significance.
CSB is closely aligned with and fully supports The Centre for the Analysis of Genome
Evolution and Function (CAGEF), which in contrast to most other centres of its kind,
in particular in Canada, emphasizes work in non-biomedical research areas such as
plant and microbial biology, agriculture, and genome evolution.
CSB is a strong and vibrant department that since its inception in 2006 has shown
excellent performance in research and graduate and undergraduate education, as is
evident from key indicators discussed below and as was recently documented in a CSB
self-study3. Nevertheless, it is clear that major obstacles remain in particular in faculty
development and building infrastructure to make CSB a resounding and ongoing
success story.
B. Key Strength and New Initiatives
B.1. Research Programs
Areas of strength in CSB research are genome biology, cell and developmental biology,
neurobiology, and plant biology. Since 2006 individual outstanding achievements
include:
 The identification of the long sought-after receptor for the key plant hormone
abscisic acid (Park et al., Science 324, 1068-71, 2009).
 The identification of a novel pathway regulating epithelial cell polarity (Laprise et al.,
Nature 459, 1141-5, 2009).
 The discovery of a molecular mechanism that contributes to the evolutionary arms
race between a bacterial pathogen and a plant host (Ma et al., PLoS Genetics 2:e206,
2006).
 The analysis of mechanical tissue properties fundamental to the formation of the
vertebrate body axis (Ninomiya & Winklbauer, Nat. Cell Biol. 10, 61-9, 2007).
 The elucidation of the neurophysiological mechanism that controls muscle tone
during mammalian sleep-wake cycles (Burgess et al., J Neurosci. 28, 4649-60,
2008).
 The analysis of a mechanism that links cell polarity and the cytoskeleton in animal
tissue patterning (Harris & Peifer, Dev. Cell 12, 727-38, 2007).
 The clarification of a molecular mechanism that prevents self-fertilization in plants
(Samuel et al., Plant Cell 21, 2655-71, 2009).
 The identification of molecular components of a mechanism that governs vascular
patterning in plant leaves (Scarpella et al., Genes Dev. 20, 1015-27, 2006).
These contributions, all published in high-impact journals including Science and
Nature, highlight the breadth and exceptional quality of CSB research programs. Hence,
many CSB researchers have outstanding, internationally recognized research profiles.
CSB tenure stream faculty include a number of researchers who are highly cited with
more than 2000 citations (Tepass, McCourt, Berleth, Tropepe, Lovejoy). A few
additional indicators of research strength and international recognition are the presence
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Daphne Goring, CSB Self-Study, January 2009. 2
Academic Plan, CSB 2010-2015
December 15, 2009
of 6 Canada Research Chairs in CSB (McCourt, Guttman, Desveaux, Goring, Harris,
Chang), one NSERC Industry Research Chair (McCourt), one NSERC Accelerator Award
(Guttman), and two recent CIHR investigator awards (Tepass and Peever). Moreover, 10
CSB faculty serve as associate editors or editorial board members of 14 different
national or international journals. CSB faculty also created and maintains The Bio-Array
Resource (BAR) for plant functional genomics4 that provides state-of-the-art
bioinformatic tools for the analysis and visualization of plant gene expression data. This
site is used approximately a half million times each year by academic, governmental,
and industrial research groups around the world.
The ability of CSB faculty to raise research funds from a variety of extramural sources is
also impressive. 26 of 28 CSB tenure-stream faculty hold operating grants form NSERC
or CIHR providing ~$2M in research support. Funding has also been acquired from
several other sources including CFI, CRC, Stem Cell Network, ERA, Agriculture and
Agrifood Canada, and several private foundations (Canadian Cancer Society,
Foundation Fighting Blindness Canada, Parkinson Society of Canada, National
Sanitarium Society), and industry (Performance Plants Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics
Inc.). Total external research support for infrastructure and operating cost amounts to
~$5.8M in the 2008-2009 fiscal year or approximately $223K per CSB faculty with an
active externally funded research program.
While our ability to raise research funds is strong, the increasing costs of research in the
molecular life sciences and the declining operating funds made available by public and
private funding agencies have led to a funding crisis that has engulfed the Canadian
research community. Some CSB researchers have clearly been impacted by these
developments and have seen a decline or loss of research funding; or, in the case of
junior faculty members, have difficulties in gaining substantial research support. In this
increasingly competitive funding environment, CSB initiated an internal grant
review process in 2006 to enhance the quality of our applications and to leverage
increased funding for our research operations. An online database of successful
applications accessable to prospective applicants will be created in the near future to
enhance the ability of applicants to prepare winning proposals. Moreover, while funding
through the NSERC discovery program remains a key component of research support, it
is essential to maintain existing and to raise additional funds from other sources to
strengthen internationally competitive research operations. These sources include the
CIHR and NSERC strategic funds as well as private foundations and industry.
Fundability beyond NSERC discovery grants will also be a major concern for future
faculty development.
CSB research critically depends on shared facilities and technology platforms. Key
facilities – aside from animal and plant growth and maintenance – are our
genomic/proteomic platforms and the CSB imaging facility. The genomics and proteomics
platforms are centered in CAGEF and supervised by CSB faculty, highlighting the close
association of CSB and CAGEF. The importance of the genomic/proteomic and imaging
facilities for CSB research operations cannot be overemphasized and the rapid
development of new technologies in these areas requires that instrumentation is
updated and renewed regularly to maintain competitiveness. New initiatives will include
application to CFI and other funding sources as opportunities arise.
B.2. Graduate education
The CSB graduate unit is committed to providing a strong tri-campus graduate program
for the training and mentoring of students in the molecular life sciences. Our graduate
program fulfills this commitment by maintaining and enhancing a world-class research,
learning and training environment to ensure successful, rigorous, and internationally
competitive graduate education and research. In keeping with the interdisciplinary
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Academic Plan, CSB 2010-2015
December 15, 2009
nature of our research programs, exposure to a breadth of research areas and
approaches is a key component of the program. Students have access to state-of-the-art
facilities and utilize cutting-edge approaches to address research questions in
physiology, cell biology, developmental biology, molecular biology, genomics,
metabolomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. The CSB
graduate program offers both Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
degrees.
Since its inception in 2006 the CSB graduate unit has continued to grow into a dynamic
and vibrant program. Graduate enrolment has increased by 20% (from 120 in 2006 to
147 in the fall of 2009), and the success rate for major external scholarships has
increased an extraordinary 333% between 2006/07 and 2009/10. Taking the most
recent data into consideration the proportion of domestic students with major
scholarships in the fall of 2009 is 0.36 (50/140; including 10 prestigious CGSD awards),
an impressive achievement considering the highly competitive nature of the molecular
life sciences. These awards generated $1,078,700 in scholarship support this academic
year.
The New CSB Graduate Program
In 2008, CSB implemented a new graduate program with twelve new module-based
graduate courses. Module descriptions and registration were made available to students
through the CSB website. Two 6-week modules comprise one 0.5 FCE course offering.
These modules serve three main objectives: (i) to expose students to current top-level
research and enhance their abilities to interpret and critically evaluate scientific
literature; (ii) to familiarize students with praxis and theory of cutting-edge approaches
and technologies; and (iii) to improve the communication and writing abilities of our
students. CSB has also incorporated an “Exit Seminar” as a formal degree requirement for both
PhD and MSc students, which takes place prior to the SGS final oral examination and
thesis defense. Another innovative and successful feature are the PhD Transfer Days,
held twice per year, where CSB students who transfer to the PhD program publicly
present their proposal in seminar format. The PhD Transfer Days rotate among
campuses with the fall event held at St. George and the winter date alternating between
the UTM and UTSC. These PhD Transfer Days are well-attended showcases of the
breadth and depth of CSB research. An OCGS review of the new program was highly
supportive of our “innovative approach” to course modules, student evaluations and the PhD
transfer days.
Enriching the graduate student experience: All graduate students attend the
weekly CSB seminar series that is broadcast to UTM and UTSC via a video link.
Seminars are well attended with an audience of often 100 or more people. Graduate
students have also initiated a popular weekly graduate student seminar series that is
regarded as an excellent venue to practice and sharpen presentation skills and promote
interactions among graduate students across diverse research areas. This series is
encouraged and supported financially by the department. Graduate education is further
enhanced and campus-wide interactions fostered through CSB membership in three
collaborative graduate programs (Neurosciences and the PhD-only programs
Developmental Biology, and Genome Biology and Bioinformatics) in which 19 CSB
students are currently enrolled. Finally, attendance of our students at national and
international meetings is strongly encouraged so students can discuss their findings
with colleagues in the field. Conference attendance is supported in part by a $400 or
$600 travel allowance per year per student. $600 is provided when a student is invited
to speak at an international conference.
Discussions with CSB graduate students at all three U of T campuses that took place in
recent weeks revealed that our graduate students are enthusiastic about the new
modular course format and very satisfied with the administration of the graduate
program. Due to the remarkable success and very high uptake of our existing graduate
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December 15, 2009
modules by both CSB students and students from other programs, we have decided to
increase the number of modules from the current 12 to 18 in the near future, working
toward the goal that each CSB faculty member offers one module every two years. We
have also begun to use Blackboard and other online tools in order to provide students
with access to highly topical information and innovative resources. These tools provide
an additional means for students and faculty to interact and organize course material in
a dynamic way.
Graduate student mentorship program: As a new initiative, CSB will introduce a
graduate student mentorship program in the academic year 2011/12. Here, graduate
students will assist in the supervision of individual undergraduate project or summer
students. This program will give graduate students the opportunity to gain supervisory
experience in addition to being TAs of larger groups of students in labs or tutorials.
Graduate students willing to accept this responsibility will be selected for the
mentorship program upon recommendation by their graduate committees. The quality
of the supervision and the progress of the undergraduate student will be monitored by a
faculty member. Graduate students should be recognized for their contribution. For
example, one supervision, either during the summer months or the academic year, could
be viewed as the equivalent of a ¼ TA-ship or could result in compensation through the
graduate student expansion funds. Engaging 1/3 of our graduate students in this activity
in any given year would provide ~50 undergraduate students with hands-on research
experience in a real lab environment working on an ongoing research project.
B.3. Undergraduate education
CSB has undertaken some major changes to its undergraduate programs since its
inception in 2006. In order to modernize undergraduate education and to enrich the
student experience, we introduced three new programs in 2007, Cell and Molecular
Biology Major and Specialist, and Animal Physiology Major. These programs alone have
seen enrollment rise to a combined 619 students; total enrollment in all programs,
including those shared with EEB, sits at 1819. Thus, CSB provides undergraduate
education for a large segment of the life sciences student body. In addition, many
students from other programs, including HMB in particular, fulfill their program
requirements with CSB courses. Total course enrollment is currently 3569.5 FCE
indicating that CSB is a cornerstone of the life sciences in FAS.
Reorganization and enhancement of foundational courses: As part of the FAS
Curriculum Renewal process, we have redesigned our foundational Cell and Molecular
Biology course (formerly BIO250Y/BIO240H/241H) such that half has been moved to
the first year (BIO130H), while the other half remains at the second year level
(BIO230H). This new format will be introduced in 2010/11 and will allow us to build
pedagogically integrated approaches to undergraduate instruction in the molecular life
sciences that continue from the 1st to the 4th year. Another foundational course,
BIO252Y Animal Physiology, has been reorganized into two half courses, BIO270H and
BIO271H, with modernized labs. Several of our upper level courses routinely have large
waiting lists, highlighting the need to increase enrollment capacity where possible
through a variety of mechanisms. We have additionally developed a number of small
courses at the upper levels that will also accommodate Curriculum Renewal inspired
program changes to our Majors requiring 0.5 FCE at the 400 level. Since 2006, CSB has
introduced 17 new courses to the undergraduate curriculum.
TA training and course administration: Quality TA training is one of the most
effective ways to improve the undergraduate student learning experience. We pride
ourselves in being innovators in the field of TA training, having introduced both writing
instruction at the second year level in BIO250Y approximately ten years ago, and
Problem Based Learning (PBL) guided tutorials in CSB349 (formerly JLM349/BIO349)
fifteen years ago. These approaches have allowed us to introduce elements of small
classroom learning within the context of a large enrollment course. More effective use of
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Academic Plan, CSB 2010-2015
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TA teaching time has been enhanced by the adoption of web based course management
tools for all courses. We have also streamlined the administrative offices for our
undergraduate and graduate staff, who now work as an extremely efficient and cohesive
team (winners of the 2009 Stepping Up Group Award for "Enhancing Teaching &
Research in the New CSB Department"). In the classroom, we have introduced the use
of clickers for immediate feedback in several large courses. Successful implementation is
these courses will guide more widespread use in other, particularly large, lecture
courses.
Student research experience: CSB is committed to engaging students in basic
research. Starting in second year, we introduce a small cohort of students to research
based laboratories through the enhanced laboratory section associated with
BIO240/241 (BIO255Y). This course has been a very successful experience for the
students who enrolled in it in terms of their subsequent performance on assignments and
exams, illustrating the benefits of small classroom learning. In addition, we have a number of
“hands on” intermediate courses, both wet and dry lab based, that allow students to gain practical
experience in biological inquiry, including the use of computational tools. Moreover, many
of our faculty involve undergraduates directly in their research through several
mechanisms: CSB299 (18 students since 2006), CSB497/498/499 (120), other program
research courses (9), USRA/UTEA summer research scholarships (60), and Work Study
(72). In addition, the CSB faculty of CAGEF delivers a student summer research
program.
Major new initiatives in undergraduate education
Pedagogical strength and enhanced student experience are major goals in CSB. With the
introduction of BIO130H, we will now be able to develop long-term strategies for
curriculum design that will have both continuity and progression. For example, our
experience with writing projects in BIO250 and with the PBL-guided tutorials in
CSB349 has led us to conclude that students would greatly benefit from an early
exposure to critical analysis of scientific literature. We plan to extend the guided tutorial
experience to as many courses as can be appropriately financed, and to introduce
writing projects in BIO130H and/or BIO230H. These measures will help prepare our
students for more sophisticated intellectual activities in upper year courses.
New undergraduate programs: In coordination with EEB, we will condense 9
undergraduate programs (Zoology/Botany/Biology with a Specialist/Major/Minor each)
into 2 (Biology Major and Minor). This will terminate some outdated programs and
simplify program options. To focus the attention of students on the cutting-edge areas of
genomics and systems biology we plan to create new programs in Genome Biology
(Major – in collaboration with EEB) and in Systems Biology and Bioinformatics (Major,
Minor). Proposed new faculty hires will enable this plan.
The research experience in CSB for undergraduates is excellent, but we think we can do better.
Discussions with students have revealed that there is a ‘connection gap’ that could be bridged by
more transparent advertising on the web, and by social interactions such as student/faculty
meet and greet sessions. Two significant new initiatives for translational teaching that
will enhance the student experience are the Advanced Undergraduate Research Team
Experience and the Graduate Student Mentorship Program. We anticipate that these
initiatives will double our capacity (from currently ~40 to ~80 students) to give
undergraduate students a real lab research experience.
Advanced Undergraduate Research Team Experience (AURTE): This course is
designed to engage undergraduate students in a real research project, in which they
work as small teams of 3-5 students on specific aspects of an ongoing project. This
course format will emphasize scientific rigour, experimental and managerial skills,
writing skills and team-work. The project leader will be a faculty member, the lab work
will be supervised by a TA, and the end result (it is hoped) will contribute to a scientific
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Academic Plan, CSB 2010-2015
December 15, 2009
publication. This course is viewed as the ultimate small group learning experience prior
to entering a real lab environment. CSB plans to run a pilot course in the academic year
2011/12. This course will be the template for other AURTE teams in CSB, and perhaps
other departments, to engage as many undergraduates in research as can be
accommodated by space, material, and imagination. Realizing a new building structure
for CSB in the future would provide a unique opportunity to include one undergraduate
research lab for 2 AURTE teams (8 students) on every research floor to enable
immediate interactions between undergraduate students and researchers.
Graduate student mentorship program: Mentoring by a graduate student should
ease the transition of undergraduate students from the classroom into the research
laboratory. Graduate students now often act as informal mentors to undergraduates in a
variety of settings. Formalizing this mentorship activity will give undergraduate
students a more transparent access to the research enterprise. This will be supported by
a webpage where graduate student mentors deposit short project descriptions to inform
undergraduate students about the research projects available to them.
B.4. Faculty Development
CSB faculty count is currently 30. Successful completion of an ongoing search will
increase faculty to 31. One Stepping Up position was lost. Thus, CSB has 29
permanent faculty lines.
The proposal to establish CSB5 expressed the expectation that CSB would grow to 40
faculty within a decade to fulfill its systems biology mandate in a meaningful way. Dean
Sinervo’s document6 proposing the creation of CSB and EEB indicated that CSB is
founded with approximately 35 FTE teaching staff. We are well below those numbers.
Research in the fields of cell and systems biology is highly interactive requiring the
cooperation of researchers with distinct expertise. The need for cooperation of multiple
research groups that work on related questions with complementary expertise is further
enhanced by the relatively small size of research groups in Canada compared to US or
many European competitors. Systems biology is still not well represented among CSB
faculty. We have several faculty members that use high-throughput strategies, one
bioinformatician and one computational biologist. These researchers are concentrated
among our plant and microbial scientists, whereas representation of systems biology in
our neurobiology and cell and developmental biology focus groups remains poor.
Moreover, core systems biology approaches where researchers integrate computer
simulations of cellular modules with cell biological experimentation are currently
missing from CSB. While we appreciate the financial difficulties of the University, the
failure of the University and the Faculty of Arts and Science to make the strategic
decisions needed to help realize the system biology mandate of our new academic unit
has nevertheless been disappointing. Enhancing areas of strength, linking different
research areas and advancing the systems biology agenda are the principles that will
inform future development of our faculty complement.
Maintaining the current faculty complement would require up to four new hires in the
next five years. In light of the arguments in the previous paragraph we assume that
these replacements will be permitted. We would also strongly argue that the lost
Stepping Up position should be reassigned to CSB in the next planning cycle, which
would bring us to 30 FTE teaching staff.
The descriptions for new faculty positions listed below include those replacement
positions as well as descriptions for additional positions that would put CSB onto a
trajectory to incorporate the latest intellectual and technological developments in
Proposal for a new Department of Cell and Systems Biology, October 18, 2005. Proposal to create a Department of Cell and Systems Biology and a Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, November 1, 2005. 5
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neuroscience and cell biology, and to capture its systems biology mandate. These hires
will allow us to build a world-class department that excels in research and graduate and
undergraduate education. We will apply the following principles in recruiting new
faculty: (i) scientific excellence in the context of the CSB framework; (ii)
complementarity with existing research groups to enhance, extend or link areas of
strength, (iii) clear potential for raising extramural funds in addition to NSERC
discovery grants.
1) Systems biology of the Neuron: This position will enhance our strength in
neurobiology by incorporating systems biology approaches into the analysis of neuronal
function. This position will link different areas of strength in CSB and provide an
urgently needed increase in our neurobiology teaching capacity.
2) Genome biology – Comparative, functional, or meta-genomics: This position
will expand our systems biology capacity and enhance CSB expertise in next generation
genomic technologies and analyses. Synergizing with an EEB position in ‘Ecology and
Evolution of Disease’ this position is closely aligned with CAGEF reflecting the strong
commitment of CSB to the success of CAGEF. This position also supports teaching in
our new undergraduate program in Genome Biology.
3) Dynamic analysis of cells and cellular subsystems: This position will capture
the rapidly developing field of live cell imaging. It is now recognized that
characterization of the dynamic aspects of cellular processes is critical for system level
analyses. This position will tie in with our cell and systems biology undergraduate
programs.
4) Architecture of cellular modules: As a counterpoint to position 3, exciting new
technologies such as Superresolution Microscopy or Electron Tomography now allow
examination of the spatial relationship of cell components with molecular resolution.
Integrating such data with information on the 3D structure of proteins and other
molecules will generate realistic pictures of macromolecular assemblages that are
critical for developing a system level understanding of cellular modules. This position
will tie in with our cell and systems biology undergraduate programs.
5) Computer modeling of cellular network architecture: Candidates for this
position will combine computational simulation and experimental analysis of cell
function, a key area of systems biology that is missing from CSB. This position will be
central to the proposed Systems Biology and Bioinformatics undergraduate program.
6) Synthetic biology: This new and exciting area of biology combines the information
of the genomics revolution with engineering principles to understand and eventually
redesign biological processes. In addition to enhancing our basic understanding of
biological processes, this area has direct application to human health, agriculture and
the environment. There are no synthetic biologists on campus. This position will tie in
with the proposed Systems Biology and Bioinformatics undergraduate program.
7) Functional genomics of new model systems: An increasing number of
genomes from a range of organisms is being sequenced opening the doors to the
analysis of genome function in non-traditional model systems. This faculty position will
capture these novel opportunities and will tie in with our proposed Genome Biology
undergraduate program.
8) Epigenetics and genome responses to environmental stress: The field of
epigenetics (how Nature and Nurture work on the genome) has grown significantly over
the past decade with the advent of sophisticated genomic tools. The next phase of
research will be focused on environmental stresses that affect genome function. This is
an exciting and timely research direction that will align with our programs in Genome
Biology and Systems Biology and Bioinformatics.
Lecturer positions I and II: Dr. Melody Neumann has been an invaluable teaching
stream member of CSB and has transformed the learning experience of our students
through highly effective course administration and TA training. She has also
modernized student laboratories in large and small courses and assisted faculty with the
implementation of new technology in the classroom. CSB would like to build on the
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pedagogical success achieved by Dr. Neumann by assembling a team of three lecturers.
Lecturers, much more so than research faculty, are able to keep abreast with and
introduce the latest pedagogical strategies and tools into CSB courses. They will, in
collaboration with research faculty, persistently improve the laboratory experience for
CSB students, a key element in the CSB curriculum renewal objectives, and will make a
significant contribution to lecturing in CSB foundational courses. The three lecturers
will roughly align with our areas of research strength. Increasing lecturing capacity in
the area of Animal Physiology/Neurobiology is of particular urgency.
C. Obstacles, Priorities and Outlook
More than any other FAS department, CSB operates in a highly competitive
environment. For example, CSB represents only 3.3% of the molecular life science
faculty (~30 out of ~900) at the downtown UofT campus while carrying the major
responsibility in undergraduate education in this area (~120 FCE/CSB faculty versus ~5
FCE/non-CSB molecular life science faculty). Thus, competition with other academic
units and research institutes for faculty and graduate students, in particular, but also for
funding opportunities is intense. CSB faculty and staff have worked tirelessly in the last
5 years to create CSB and to give this new and innovative academic unit an outstanding
start. The effort invested here cannot be overemphasized.
Nevertheless, major obstacles remain to achieving sustained success for CSB, notably
the building infrastructure and the lack of faculty resources in key areas of cell and
systems biology. The situation in respect to building infrastructure is well known. We
appreciate that FAS and the University considers a new building for CSB their top
priority infrastructure project. In light of the enormous effort of CSB faculty to create a
competitive molecular life sciences department in this Faculty, we have the clear
expectation of maintaining and enhancing our faculty resources. Our top priority is
therefore to retain our research faculty complement. A potential 2% increase in our
base-budget would be used to recruit the lecturers as indicated above as our second
priority. Further additions to our base budget would be used to increase our research
faculty complement. The resource implications for establishing the Graduate Student
Mentorship Program, the Advanced Undergraduate Research Teams and some other
teaching initiatives need to be explored further. However, putting up AURTE
opportunities for a substantial number of students (e.g. 40) would require laboratory
space and a significant initial investment in equipment.
To disseminate current biological knowledge beyond our students, CSB has been
actively and enthusiastically engaged in a variety of community outreach programs,
including mentorship of a steady stream of high school students competing in the Sanofi
Aventis BioTalent Challenge (several winners), participation in the National Biology
Competition, numerous public lectures (at least one televised on TVO Big Ideas), and
participation in activities such as Lets Talk Science and Brain Day, in which graduate
students in the neurosciences go into elementary schools to talk about brain function
and safety.
The 21st century will be the century of biology. Interpreting the wealth of biological data
that can be generated with accelerating speed and efficiency represents an enormous
challenge and opportunity. Novel biological discoveries will be of central importance for
human self-perception. Moreover, there is little doubt that the innovations that are
based on new biological knowledge will have a profound impact on economic
development, human health, and environmental stability. In the context of the
University of Toronto, CSB has positioned itself to make lasting contributions to
discovery, innovation and education in biology.
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