The University of Toronto is a core of member of an new multimillion dollar NYC-based research consortium.
Details were released April 23 when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the launch of
The Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), a new school and research collective to be located in Brooklyn. CUSP will focus on using applied science to find technological solutions to critical issues facing the world's cities. CUSP's mandate includes everything from tech integration to transportation congestion, public safety to public health.
Spearheaded by
NYU and
NYU-Poly, in partnership with number of international academic institutions as well as private technology companies, CUSP will offer graduate degrees in Engineering and Sciences. U of T is the only Canadian institution represented, joining an impressive list of schools that includes the City University of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Warwick and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
"We're very excited about the partnership," says Yu-Ling Cheng, acting dean at U of T's
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, "[CUSP] provides a lot of opportunities for sharing knowledge and resources."
While the finer details are still being worked out, Cheng believes that CUSP will have a significant impact on urban engineering at U of T and, if all goes according to plan, on urban problem-solving in the city at large. Not only will the partnership allow students and faculty in applied sciences to work at the brand new Brooklyn campus, U of T is also developing a new professional Master's program on city engineering and management as a result of the partnership.
"We already have experience and capacity in the urban sciences," says Cheng. "We have a lot to bring to the table, but we recognize that there are strengths elsewhere. It's an opportunity to explore common synergies that exist within and beyond U of T."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Yu-Ling Cheng, Acting Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, Director of the Centre for Global Engineering, University of Toronto