The Forefront: Ideas for cities

Smoke, noise, disorientation— when firefighters are inside a burning building, the ability to get out safely is a challenge.

In this episode, we speak with Michael Stanfield, a former Toronto fire chief and co-founder of IFTech, and Alex Ferworn, Director of the Computational Public Safety Lab at TMU, about the “As Real as It Gets” suit, which utilizes virtual reality video game technology into potentially  life-saving technology for firefighters. 

The job market is changing at a rapid speed, making it difficult for both those looking to get hired and for those doing the hiring. How can we address this skills gap?

In this episode, we speak with Matt McInnis, an educational technology leader, and with Gary Hepburn, dean of The Chang School, about microcredentials: a skills-based training and certification program developed in partnership with industry to help workers master the skills that employers need.

More than 50 per cent of Canadians report that their mental health has worsened since the beginning of the pandemic. And while treatments like therapy and medication can help, they can be hard to access — and expensive. 

In this episode, we speak with the team behind a music therapy app called LUCID: Aaron Labbé, who turned to music as a source of comfort during a mental health crisis, and Frank Russo, a TMU professor and neuroscientist. 

A lot of things about being a breast cancer patient can feel dehumanizing, but one thing that can change is what patients are given to wear on their chest. 

In this episode, we speak with patient advocate Jennifer Schultz and Jessica Mudry, director of the Healthcare User Experience (HUE) Lab at TMU, about applying humanities thinking — like fashion design — when it comes to finding patient-centred solutions to health care challenges.

In 2018, hackers got hold of TMU alumna Erin MacDonald’s personal information and began a tsunami of purchases — affecting her credit rating and causing profound stress. 

In this episode, we speak with Erin about the theft of her identity, along with global information technology leader Claudette McGowan and TMU-based computer scientist Javaid Zahid, who are creating a quantum wallet to better secure our information. 

Our award-winning podcast is back for another season! This time we’re exploring human-centred innovation, from designing a post-surgical garment for breast cancer patients to employing robotics to help first responders.

According to TMU's Centre for Urban Energy, by 2030, 80% of the world's population will live in urban areas, so the way we use energy will impact the way we live, work and grow as a community. This has many people – including TMU alumni, looking for alternative modes of transportation.

In this episode, we speak with two alumni entrepreneurs about their pursuit of cleaner transportation options and TMU expert Bilal Farooq about how cities can be designed to reduce emissions produced by cars.

Canadians continue to be divided on bike lanes on city streets. However, research out of TMU shows that after developing protected bike lanes, four in ten users in Toronto were new cyclists. Before this infrastructure existed, these cyclists would have used an alternate means of travel. This is good news for municipalities looking to reduce congestion on city streets. 

In this episode, we explore the benefits of building safe cycling infrastructure and some of the issues preventing people from taking up cycling.

For city dwellers, noise is just part of the package – but how noisy is too noisy? Research shows that ongoing exposure to noise can negatively impact your health, leading to conditions like heart disease and diabetes. And according to the United Nations Environment Program – it's also a top environmental risk.

In this episode, we hear from TMU's leading noise expert and a Toronto resident who took resolving the noise issues in her community into her own hands.

Canadian youth are becoming increasingly concerned about the climate change crisis impacting our country and the world. TMU's Leadership Lab is working towards building factual awareness around solutions to the challenge of climate change through a youth-driven initiative known as Generation Climate. 

In this episode, we discuss the implications of climate misinformation and the importance of engaging youth.