As we wrap up celebrating the University of Toronto Scarborough's 60th anniversary, the UTSC Library would like to highlight Professor Emeritus Rudy Boonstra from the Department of Biological Sciences for his many contributions to research in the field of Conservation Ecology and Evolution, Neuroscience and Behaviour, and Physiology. Rudy, a trailblazer, has gone one step further than most by making it his mission to make all his research articles openly available through TSpace, the University of Toronto's institutional repository. He currently has 104 publications in TSpace and growing!
About Professor Emeritus Boonstra
Professor Emeritus Boonstra joined the Department in 1977, was the Vice-Principal of Research from 2003 to 2005, and most recently, was awarded the 2024 Fry Medal by the Canadian Society of Zoologists. As a curious person he knows how to ask good questions. With his 40 years of research at U of T Scarborough, these questions have led to the publication of 272 research articles, many in prestigious journals about adaptations of mammals and birds to their natural environment, epigenetics, and climate change. It is incredible that “Rudy was sounding the alarm at a time when many of us were really just coming to understand that climate change was real" (Stephen Reid in U of T Scarborough News, 2024).
Open repositories are a tool for climate action. When a paper Professor Boonstra co-authored was identified as part of the Paper Pledge for the Planet initiative, he jumped at the opportunity to take action. He not only ensured that this paper was freely available online in TSpace, he also provided open access to other impactful climate change articles he authored. By increasing the number of climate research papers available in open repositories, libraries are collectively taking action to help address the climate crisis.
Contributing to TSpace is not a new thing for Professor Boonstra. An early adopter and open access champion, he began depositing his research in TSpace long before funder mandates and formal policies. Approaching retirement, his renewed efforts to deposit his work in TSpace was kickstarted with an email from Sarah Shujah, Liaison Librarian for Biological Sciences about the UTSC Library’s open access initiatives led by Sarah Forbes, Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian. In an ever-changing world, when access to online content has no guarantees, his visionary care and forward thinking has led him to work towards safeguarding his scientific contributions. By putting his papers in TSpace, the library will steward his work for the long-term, ensuring his legacy continues to be felt by a new generation of scholars.
Start your own legacy today!
The U of T Scarborough Library is here to support you leave your own legacy today, ensuring that your research outputs are archived, preserved, and made open and discoverable! Send your latest (or older) papers, conference presentations, and/or reports to your Liaison Librarian to get start building your legacy collection.
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