PhD student named U of T Alumni Association Graduate Scholar

PhD candidate Locke Davenport Huyer has been recognized as a University of Toronto Alumni Association Graduate Scholar for his research achievements in cardiac tissue engineering and the co-creation of the IBBME Discovery Program. (Photo: Neil Ta).

PhD candidate Locke Davenport Huyer has been named a 2018 University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) Graduate Scholar.

He is among three recipients in this category and one of two members of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering to be honoured with U of T Awards of Excellence, a program that recognizes faculty, staff and students who exemplify a commitment to enhancing the university experience for their peers and colleagues.

Davenport Huyer is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry (ChemE) and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME). His biomedical engineering research, conducted under the supervision of Professor Milica Radisic, focuses on creating a new kind of polyester material for building artificial cardiac tissue. He has already published two first-author papers about his findings and organized two research conferences.

In 2016, Davenport Huyer received a prestigious Vanier Scholarship, the top federal government award for PhD students, worth $150,000.

Davenport Huyer (second from right), pictured with Professor Dawn Kilkenny, IBBME’s associate director of undergraduate programs (right) and two educators from George Harvey Collegiate Institute at the 2017 Discovery Symposium.

An enthusiastic mentor, Davenport Huyer is a volunteer lecturer for the Let’s Talk Science program and co-founder of the IBBME Discovery Program, an enriched science course taught by U of T students to high school students in one of Toronto’s low-income communities.

“Locke’s passion and enthusiasm for bringing biomedical engineering learning opportunities to high school students is truly remarkable. I have seen how his talent for curriculum development and teaching has brought new interest to students who had not previously considered science to be a field of study for them,” said Professor Dawn Kilkenny, IBBME’s associate director of undergraduate programs. “My sincerest congratulations to Locke—this recognition is well deserved.”