uOttawa’s best stories of 2023

The University of Ottawa celebrated its 175th birthday in 2023. Check out the timeline of key uOttawa moments that have shaped our history. Did you know that our football and athletics teams first used the Gee-Gees name in 1885? There are plenty of details here for trivia buffs.

Jay Odjick, a writer, artist and television producer, created a native superhero comic book called Kagagi: The Raven, which became a TV show, and illustrated two books by Robert Munsch, among other projects. You can drop in and chat with him about writing, drawing and publishing.
 

IBM Canada’s first Cyber Range partnership on a Canadian university campus was launched right here in October. It offers training exercises and simulations designed to help businesses and governments strengthen defences against cyberthreats. The training will be integrated into some undergraduate and graduate courses. Challenges that will play out at the Cyber Range include a “Cyber War Game” and an “Inside the Mind of a Hacker” exercise.

With the Data Literacy Research Institute launch in October, uOttawa set its sights on becoming a global leader in the emerging field of data literacy,  the ability to collect, interpret, evaluate and explain data as information. The institute will conduct cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research and develop training programs to combat misinformation, empower citizens and inform decision-making in areas like education, health care, sustainable development and technology.

CO-OP student Serena Bezanson, who began a fast-track bachelor’s-master’s degree in cellular and molecular medicine this fall, spent a summer placement on the study of an endangered tropical tree, learning how to extract chemicals from the peel and pulp, analyzing them using a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The fruit may have some compounds that have never been catalogued before. White-faced capuchin monkeys rub it on their fur — perhaps as an anti-fungal agent or mosquito repellant — while other raccoon-like animals feast on the fruit.

Education professor Awad Ibrahim, holder of the Air Canada Professorship on Anti-Racism, was named as the University’s inaugural vice-provost, equity, diversity and inclusive excellence, in June, for a five-year term. Ibrahim will focus on removing systemic barriers, empowering University community members and ensuring that anti-racism and EDI perspectives have their place in every aspect of learning.

Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis became uOttawa’s youngest-ever graduate, receiving an honours bachelor’s in biomedical science at age 12 in June. Anthaea-Grace started distance learning when she was three years old, did kindergarten and Grade 1 schoolwork simultaneously, started Grade 2 at public school at age four and, when she was age six, was assessed as learning at a Grade 8 level.

As a testament to our commitment to strengthening Canada’s health-care system and helping address a chronic health professional shortage, the University invested $130 million to build a state-of-the-art, five-storey brand new home for the Faculty of Health Sciences. The official opening of the Health Sciences facility took place in September.  The building houses the schools of Nursing, Nutrition Sciences and Rehabilitation Sciences, where audiology, speech language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy will be taught.

Our uOttawa Gee-Gees football team achieved its fifth consecutive Panda Game victory with a dramatic 55-yard field goal by Campbell Fair with seconds to go on the clock. The 18-16 win against the Carleton Ravens was a great way to kick off the 2023–2024 academic year. Get ready for more action in 2024!