Michael Reid is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream in the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. From 2011–22 he was jointly appointed to the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics as the Public Outreach Coordinator. His passion for sharing the spectacular, awe-inspiring realties of our universe have captured the imaginations of tens of thousands of students at the University of Toronto, as well as learners of all ages in the Greater Toronto Area, across Canada, and around the world. Professor Reid’s teaching excellence has been recognized by prestigious divisional and institutional awards, including the University of Toronto’s Cheryl Regehr Early Career Teaching Award (2015) and the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Outstanding Teaching Award (2017).

The range of Professor Reid’s teaching is as noteworthy as his ability to foster student engagement in classes of any size, from lab-based courses of fifteen students to large lectures in Convocation Hall with 1,500 students. Professor Reid’s courses are grounded in sound pedagogy, emphasizing active and inquiry-based learning, research integration, and hands-on, experiential learning. His commitment to making astronomy more accessible and authentic has led to novel learning opportunities for thousands of students, including a telescope loan program and overnight research trips to the Carr Astronomical Observatory—a dark-sky site in Ontario’s Blue Mountains and U of T’s first teaching telescope since the institution divested from the David Dunlap Observatory in 2008. Professor Reid led the proposal that secured the funding for the CAO and its site, and he oversaw the acquisition and installation of the telescope. Former students – many of them now colleagues – are enthusiastic when describing the impact of Professor Reid’s mentorship and guidance on their education and future careers.

Beyond the classroom and the institution, Professor Reid has led many highly impactful educational outreach initiatives with community partners, and his efforts have engaged the broader public in science education and inquiry. His diverse set of outreach activities includes personally carrying out over 100 public engagements at schools, libraries, seniors’ groups, professional organizations, and in the media.

Advancing equity and inclusion is foundational to Professor Reid’s teaching practice and to his work as an astronomer. He is motivated to make STEM education more welcoming and equitable for colleagues and learners. With Dr. Bonaventure Okere of the Centre for Basic Space Science in Nigeria, and Dr. Linda Strubbe, a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, Professor Reid co-founded the West African International Summer School for Young Astronomers (WAISSYA). Working with Discover the Universe/À la découverte de l’univers, a bilingual astronomy training program, he distributed eclipse glasses and multilingual instructional materials to remote and Indigenous communities across Canada. He has also partnered with Visions of Science, an organization that advances STEM equity by engaging Black and other racialized youth across the Greater Toronto Area who experience significant barriers to participation. As he explains, “diversity challenges in higher education must be tackled at younger ages, as well as beyond the borders of campus.”