News

Sep 2026 · AwardsTwo GroundTRUTH students receive graduate research scholarships for 2026–27Odel Linetska and Katy Hui Shan Cao received Canada Graduate Research Scholarships supporting their graduate work in housing equity and building-envelope assessment.Read the announcement → 20 Aug 2026 · InfrastructureCFI JELF award supports community-centered building scienceTMU announced funding for building assessments, real-time environmental monitoring and community-led research in underserved and remote communities. The award supports NOMAD's core field instruments.Read the TMU announcement → Jun 2026 · ConferenceTwo GroundTRUTH papers presented at eSim 2026Nabil Bleibel presented the airport fault-diagnostics framework, and Carolina Espinoza Sanhueza presented work on indoor exposure to wildfire-related fine particulate matter.See the research → 21 Apr 2026 · TrainingCREATE-IMPACT receives six years of NSERC supportHelen leads a national training programme bringing graduate students and community researchers together across six universities. Funding began in September 2026; the first trainee cohort starts in January 2027.Read the TMU announcement → 9 Apr 2026 · Public talkWe Know How to Build Better Buildings. So Why Don't We?A public talk on why technical knowledge alone does not consistently produce durable, healthy and energy-efficient buildings—and how housing systems and community ethics shape the outcome.View the event programme → Mar 2026 · PublicationClimate-vulnerability review published in Climatic ChangeThe review identifies 112 studies and shows why neighbourhood indices need to consider housing, infrastructure, governance and community resources—not demographics alone.Read the article → Mar 2026 · PublicationTen questions on participant engagement in building-energy researchAn international author team examines how research participants can have a more meaningful role in studies of buildings and energy use.Read the article → 17 Oct 2025 · PublicationLow-cost indoor-air sensors tested against reference instrumentsNoor Zaky, Tianyuan Li and Helen Stopps report what co-location testing reveals about sensor accuracy, precision and fitness for different monitoring tasks.Read the article → May 2025 · MediaCBC News: What can Toronto's real estate industry do to solve the city's big problem of small condos?Helen discussed the practical and regulatory barriers to combining undersized units, and policy changes that could encourage more livable apartments.Read the article → 8 Mar 2025 · PresentationCommunity-engaged approaches at the AISES National GatheringHelen Stopps, Sarah Haines and Natalie Clyke presented From Harvest to House work on bringing technical and social processes together in on-reserve housing research.Read the TMU story → 2025 · Public scholarshipHousing Action CohortHelen joined the ACSA Academy for Public Scholarship cohort focused on housing equity, bringing building science into public conversations about housing, health and resilience.View the cohort → Dec 2024 · MediaWatershed Sentinel: Gutting the Urban ForestThe magazine reproduced Helen's July and October orthomosaic images of Ontario Place.View the issue → 23 Oct 2024 · MediaThe Cool Down: Community reaction to the Ontario Place clearingCoverage featured the before-and-after maps and Helen's comments on wildlife habitat and public wellbeing.Read the article → 7 Oct 2024 · MediaONFR: Ontario Place, environmental loss and the privatization of public spaceHelen discussed urban habitat, heat, air quality, stormwater and the public-interest implications of the redevelopment.Read the interview (French) → 4 Oct 2024 · MediaToronto Star: Ford government draws public criticism for destruction of Ontario Place tree groveCoverage of the West Island tree removal featured Helen's before-and-after aerial record of the site.Read the article → 4 Oct 2024 · MediaCanadian Architect: Amid 865 trees coming down, Province releases 95-year lease with ThermeCoverage linked readers to the before-and-after spatial record of Ontario Place.Read the article → Oct 2024 · Public-interest visualizationOntario Place before and after tree removalAn interactive spatial record compares the West Island in July 2024 with the site after the removal of more than 850 mature trees on October 3.Explore the 3D story → Aug 2024 · MediaToronto Star: Toronto wants more family-sized condos. Here's why what's being built just doesn't workHelen discussed why many nominally family-sized condo layouts still fail to provide functional rooms and enough usable space for families.Read the article → Nov 2023 · MediaWIRED: How to Set Your Thermostat—According to ScienceHelen discussed thermal comfort, heating schedules and what field research shows about smart-thermostat overrides.Read the article →