Our Story
In 2007, the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University was home to nearly 2,000 students in 8 different undergraduate programs. The Arteries Undergraduate Research Conference was founded this year on the Ryerson University Campus. Run out of the Arts and Contemporary Studies Department (ACS), it showcased student research in the Faculty of Arts over two days in March of 2008, and “enhance[d] student life by providing a creative approach to learning that enriche[d] the academic culture at the undergraduate level.” Presentation topics included Beat Poetry and Shifting Gay Culture, The Genocide Convention of 1948 and its effects on Cambodia, Disorder in the play Hamlet, and the Implications of the Internet on Democracy.
As the Faculty of Arts and university grew, Arteries ran successfully for eleven years with dozens of presenters and keynote speakers, including now-Mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow in 2017. In 2019 Arteries was unfortunately suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and laid dormant for four years.
In spring of 2023, the Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (SASSH) took on the conference as a part of its portfolio and hosted the first successful Kaleidoscope Undergraduate Research Conference in November of 2023. Presentation topics included Walkable Cities and Gentrification in Toronto, re-discovering the Ancient Nomadic Scythian Tribe, the Effects of Interracial Dating on Black Women and an Assessment of Approaches in Combating Organized Crime.
In 2024, the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University now has thirteen official programs and nearly 5,000 students. As the vibrant TMU community continues to grow and flourish, we hope that Kaleidoscope can continue to provide professional opportunities for students to present research and learn from their peers.