Author: orientation

SF – Sandford Fleming Building

Posted on by orientation

The Sandford Fleming Building, also known as SF, is the heart of engineering student life on campus. 

SF is a multi-faceted building. The basement is the hub of engineering student life on campus and is home to “The Pit” (not to be confused with The Pitt). The first floor has lecture halls and the Engineering Computing Facility (ECF Labs), while the second floor has tutorial rooms and the Engineering and Computer Science Library, which will be useful for many of your research needs.

An image of a person walking in front of the Sandford Fleming Building.
Sandford Fleming Building Front Entrance [Source]

Notable Classrooms 

SF1105 

Sandford Fleming houses the SF1105 lecture hall, which is where CIV102 lectures are often held. Professor Bentz, who teaches CIV102, uses the lecture hall as an example when discussing static structures in his lectures.

Engineering Computing Facility (ECF) 

There are two Linux ECF labs located on the first floor of SF, close to GB. You’ll most likely have your ESC180 and ESC190 practicals in these labs.  

SF 1105, also known as the Blue Room [Source]

Study Spaces

The Engineering & Computer Science Library is the second-largest science library at U of T after Robarts and primarily serves Skule™ students.  

This library is located on the third floor of the Sanford Fleming Building and is a nice, quiet place to study. The library’s services are a great research tool for all your courses in first year and beyond. You may even spend one of your ESC101 tutorials in this library.

Get to know the librarians!  They’re very knowledgeable about different academic topics, not to mention research techniques. They’re always willing to hear about your project and help you figure out how to find the resources you need. You can also access their materials and chat with librarians online. This will be super useful for Praxis courses and design teams. 

Main floor of the Engineering and Computer Science Library [Source]

The Pit is in the SF basement, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a sort of lowered platform floor level with lots of places to sit, work, and hang out. It has been under renovations, but you will be among the lucky students who will get to enjoy the brand new renovation when it opens. The Hard Hat Cafe and Veda Takeout (explained more in detail later) are both located in the Pit. During the year, the Pit is the site of numerous events. Surrounding the Pit are lots of tables and benches, as well as many student-run services. There is also beautiful artwork painted on the walls by past engineering students.

Picture of The Pit
Picture of The Pit

Nearby Food Spots

Hard Hat Café is a fully student operated and staffed food store conveniently located in the Pit. They sell lots of snacks from around the world, along with pizza, drinks, cookies, donuts, and other small meal items. It’s typically open during class hours, and they offer a daily discount deal.   

Picture of the Hard Hat Café
Picture of the Hard Hat Café

The other food option located around the Pit is Veda. It is an Indian-inspired takeout place which has popular curry bowls, rice, naanzas, samosas, spring rolls, and more. They also sell coffee, salads, burgers, bagels, and other staple food-court food items (shout out chicken nuggets). Veda closes later than the Hard Hat Café, making it a perfect spot for an afternoon snack or dinner! 

Picture of Veda
Picture of Veda

Notable Facilities & Institutes

The U of T Engineering Society, better known as EngSoc, is the student government at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. They run many academic-focused student services, in addition to planning and hosting lots of fun events that bring the student community together throughout the year. There are many positions within EngSoc. You can get involved as early as the beginning of first year, so check out their website and learn how! 

Picture of the EngSoc Office
Picture of the EngSoc Office

Located next to the EngSoc office is the Engineering Store, which sells textbooks, stationery, and engineering merchandise. You can buy merchandise for every discipline; this is a great way of showing your EngSci pride! The Engineering Store sells textbook bundles for every discipline in first year at a discount when compared to buying them all individually at the U of T Bookstore. They also sell traditional engineering clothing items like leather jackets and coveralls (a.k.a. “covvies”), which you can purchase later in your EngSci degree. As you have probably noticed by now, Skule™ has a vibrant community filled with fun events and traditions, and every year all these memories are captured in a yearbook – which you can buy at the Engineering Stores.    

Picture of the Engineering Stores
Picture of the Engineering Stores

The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad, also known as the LGMB, is Skule™’s student-run band. All engineering students can join the band at any time and go to as many of their performances as they would like.

There are so many potential “instruments” that you can play as a member of the band (like a stop sign), so you don’t need to have skills with an instrument. You will first meet the band during Frosh Week; this will be your first opportunity to join them. 

And, yes, the misspelled name of this group is intentional.  ?     

Image of the Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad
Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad

  • Address: 10 King’s College Rd, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4

  • Types of Classes Held: Lectures, Tutorials, Practicals

  • Building Facilities: Engineering and Computer Science Library, ECF Computer Labs, etc.

  • Important Offices: Engineering Society Office, Engineering Stores etc.

MY – Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Posted on by orientation

Welcome to the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the newest of the 14 engineering buildings on campus. Opened in April 2018, the building is named in honor of George and Rayla Myhal, prominent supporters of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. It has nine floors of working space and is located just north of the Galbraith Building on St. George Street.  

Myhal Centre seen from St. George Street [Source]

Notable Classrooms

Margaret Lau Auditorium (MY150)

On the 1st and 2nd floors you’ll find the Margaret Lau Auditorium (MY150). This is where Praxis I and II lectures are normally held. MY150 is designed for students to interact and work together on problems and activities presented during lectures. Students are seated at tables of four instead of individually, and each table is equipped with a microphone so that anybody in the room can be head while speaking to the class.

MY150 Praxis Lectures [Source]
MY420 Tutorial Room [Source]

Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) Rooms 

The Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors are where many of your tutorials will be conducted. Most Praxis studios occur in these rooms. These rooms contain multiple TV screens used to follow along on lecture slides or worked examples. Some rooms also contain multiple whiteboards, which is great for collaborating with your peers. Another interesting feature is the tables: you can change their height electrically for more ergonomic seating.   

Study Spaces

5th floor atrium (left) and 2nd floor study spaces (right) [Source]

The 2nd floor of Myhal has a open area with many tables and chairs great for eating, studying, and hanging out in groups. It is surrounded by large windows on two sides, with a beautiful view overlooking St. George St. Conveniently, there are entrances to MY150, one of our main lecture halls here as well, so many students decide to do some work, or hang out in the area until lecture starts.

Similar to the 2nd floor, the 5th floor of Myhal has an incredible study space known as The Atrium. It is a large open space with many tables and chairs, perfect for group study sessions, or meetings with your Praxis groups. There is also a room for quiet studying or more private meetings. Due to the placement of the many windows, lots of natural light enters the 5th floor area, which makes it a beautiful study spot.

The 6th and 7th floors contain group study spaces and offices, which are useful if you need a contained space to work with a team. Some professors might also hold office hours in these spaces.  

The 8th floor of Myhal also has a nice quiet study space with tables and chairs. In addition, it contains an amazing outdoor area known as the Dr. Woo Hon Fai Terrace. The terrace has a spectacular view of campus and downtown Toronto. It also contains an outdoor study space. 

Picture of 8th Floor Study Space
Study Space on the 8th Floor
Picture of the Dr. Woo Hon Fai Terrace
Picture of the Dr. Woo Hon Fai Terrace

Nearby Food Spots

Several campus buildings, including Myhal, house a Second Cup Coffee. Since it’s right outside the MY150 lecture hall, you can easily grab a drink or a quick snack between consecutive classes. 

Picture of the Second Cup
Second Cup on second floor

Myhal has a dining area in the basement next to the ECF lab. The dining area has microwaves, a kitchen sink, and vending machines.  

Picture of the dining area
Myhal Dining Area
Picture of the dining area
Vending Machines in the Dining Area

Notable Facilities

Students working in the Myhal Fabrication Facility (MyFab) [Source]

The 4th floor of Myhal contains the Light Fabrication Facility (a.k.a. LFF or MyFab). Following some mandatory safety training, you can use this space for designing and prototyping. In past years, students who completed their safety training before the end of the semester were able to earn extra marks in Praxis I ? . MyFab is particularly useful for you as a first-year engineering student. You’ll have access to many tools and materials for hands-on prototyping, or you can use 3D printing and laser cutting services for computer/digital design. This is invaluable for project work in every Praxis course, so make sure you complete your safety training as soon as possible. You’ll also have access to the lockers in Myhal to store your design projects. Visit the fabrication facility’s website to learn more about safety training and booking lockers for your materials.        

Picture of the MyFab Room
MyFab Room

Right across from the Myhal Fabrication Facility on the 4th floor, you’ll find a locker room with tables and chairs overlooking large windows. These project lockers are available for students to rent free of charge on an as-needed basis or until the end of the semester. There are multiple sizes of lockers meant for different sizes of projects or prototypes, thus you’ll most likely be able to store whatever you need to.

Picture of the Locker Room
Inside the Locker Room
Picture of the Locker Room
Another Angle of the Locker Room

The Engineering Society Arena’s located in the Myhal basement. This is a large design space where many design teams and clubs meet to work on projects. It has a wide-open ground space and a high ceiling for both land and aerial projects!   

Just like in GB and SF, an ECF lab is also located in the basement of the Myhal building. The workstations in this lab are Windows-based, and you’ll likely use them for MATLAB lab sessions for ESC103 in your first year and MAT292 in your second year.    

Myhal also offers spaces to student clubs and design teams outside of the Engineering Society Arena. These offices are located right beside the ECF lab and support over 100 student clubs and design teams, including those focused on aerospace and vehicle design.   

Notable Institutes

Design Space in the Engineering Society Arena [Source]

The Entrepreneurship Hatchery provides resources for student startups, including mentoring, funding connections, and prototyping equipment.

The U of T Robotics Institute (UTRI) fosters collaboration on projects ranging from medical robots to unmanned vehicles. 

The Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) and Institute for Water Innovation (IWI) work on advanced research in clean energy and water technologies. 

Troost ILead provides leadership training and development for engineering students. You can find out more about the leadership workshops and programs they offer here.

Focused on addressing major global challenges, CGEN encourages innovative thinking and problem-solving. CGEN provides research and scholarship opportunities, along with courses towards the Certificate in Global Engineering. They have also sponsored over 30 capstone design projects in the past where teams of 4-5 students from across all engineering disciplines engage in global development projects under the supervision of CGEN-affiliated faculty. 

UT-IMDI, located in the Myhal Centre provides students with real-life education/training opportunities by involving them in practical, industry-based projects. 

The Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice supports the integration of leadership and team-learning into core courses across U of T Engineering. They also offer several courses focused on engineering leadership, communication and socio-technical thinking. ISTEP also offers tutoring in communication (written, oral, etc.) with their Engineering Communication Program. Through this program, you can have your written work, assignments, lab reports and more reviewed by a tutor online for free!

  • Address: 55 St. George St, Toronto, ON M5S 0C9

  • Types of Classes Held: Lectures, Tutorials, Practicals

  • Building Facilities: Myhal Light Fabrication Facility (MyFAB), ECF Computer Labs, etc.

  • Important Offices: The Entrepreneurship Hatchery, Troost Institute, etc.