Today, thanks to new technologies and the digital communications revolution, educational experiences and information are available to anyone with an Internet connection and a computer or mobile device.
These new technologies are transforming how we create, obtain, use and share knowledge. As well, they are taking the power of knowledge to new heights. By making knowledge widely accessible, new communications vehicles have created an unprecedented global platform for innovation and ideas.
Via the Web, innumerable bridges are being built, linking “day-to-day” life to “university” life. People from all over the world are connecting and contributing to our shared intellectual heritage like never before. With the tools now at our disposal, we all have the opportunity to define and shape the kind of global society we want to live in.
At University of Toronto Scarborough, we have always been positioned at the forefront of innovation, knowledge creation and education. And through our commitment to using the broader world for experiential learning and research, we continue to lead the way, as we build on knowledge through real-world circumstances. When knowledge is communicated effectively within context, a curious alchemy occurs: knowledge transforms into action, generating new ideas which feed back and create a dynamic iterative process that allows it to evolve and expand.
It is in this spirit of knowledge sharing that we welcome you to the inaugural issue of UTSC Commons—our new campus publication. The theme of our first issue is, fittingly, communication. On page 10 (“The
Earth’s Storyteller”), UTSC geology professor Nick Eyles shares his vast knowledge of plate tectonics by chronicling his role in CBC-TV’s Geologic Journey II. Find out, on page 16 (“Taming the Web of Tongues”), how alumnus David Lucatch has given language a whole new meaning—and impact. In Zeitgeist, on page 20, examine the repercussions of the digital communications revolution, as viewed by four of our leading thinkers on the subject.
With UTSC Commons, we aim to engage you in the ideas and activities of our faculty, staff, students and alumni who are making a difference in the world, and, in doing so, we hope to spark your interest in participating in the adventure of discovery. Please feel free to continue the conversation right here at www.UTSCCommons.ca.
Professor Franco Vaccarino
Principal, University of Toronto Scarborough
Vice-President, University of Toronto