“Receiving this award confirms that I am on the right path.”

When Bruce Pynn signed up for a paleontology course in 1980, he hadn’t yet decided where to focus his university studies. But the U of T Mississauga student soon found he was fascinated by the fossil record and what it revealed about the history of life on earth. He went on to base his senior undergraduate thesis on research that included a summer of fieldwork in a Kansas cow pasture, painstakingly digging for evidence of prehistoric proto-mammals called synapsids.

Bruce’s unique combination of scientific knowledge and finely honed motor skills opened the door to his first job after graduation – in a microsurgery lab on U of T’s downtown St. George campus. He then completed a master’s degree in muscle physiology and microsurgery before entering dental school, where he specialized in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Today, Bruce has a thriving surgical practice in Thunder Bay, Ontario, devoting his talents to repairing broken teeth and fractured facial bones. But he’s never forgotten where he got his start. His lifelong love of paleontology is evident in the name of the clinic he founded nearly 30 years ago: Pterosaur Healthcare. And his belief in the value of those early studies has inspired him to help others follow the same path – through the Pynn Family Paleontology Award, funded by his generous donations to UTM.

The annual award is given to an undergraduate student of paleontology who has achieved academic excellence (as determined by the UTM Department of Biology) and also demonstrated financial need. The two most recent recipients exemplify those who have benefited from this welcome support over the past dozen years:

Dylan Rowe, winner of the 2021 award, was able to continue pursuing his passion as a master’s student. “Receiving this award confirms that I am on the right path towards my lifelong dream of becoming a paleontologist,” Dylan says. “It will greatly assist in advancing my goal of being a significant contributor to the field of paleontology.”

Ernest Hamzaj, the 2022 winner, is pursuing a double major in paleontology and health sciences at UTM. “As an undergraduate student, there’s always some level of uncertainty about your future,” Ernest says. “Competition for postgraduate programs, research opportunities, the job market – all serve as major contributors to the stress that students like me face. I want to give my deepest thanks to the Pynn family for their generosity and their contributions to my academic career.”

“Visionary donors such as Bruce Pynn help us retain the very best and brightest students,” says David Palmer, U of T’s Vice-President, Advancement. “Their generosity strengthens our efforts to ensure that all qualified students, regardless of their financial means, can pursue their academic dreams here.”

For Bruce Pynn, giving back to his alma mater reinforces his belief in the continuity of learning. While his professional life has been focused on helping patients – including those with injuries from vehicle collisions, industrial accidents and other severe traumas – he’s stayed connected to his undergraduate thesis supervisor. In 2011 the pair collaborated on a unique study of tooth infection in a dinosaur jaw dating back 275 million years.

“That paper was our second publication together, 29 years after we published the results of my senior thesis,” Bruce says. “It’s gratifying to look back at those academic experiences and lasting friendships, which represent some of my finest memories.” As for the path his career has taken, Bruce remains deeply appreciative of the importance of those early academic building blocks: “I wouldn’t be in my current occupation had it not been for the courses in paleontology offered at UTM.”

Scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to students account for the largest share of the total paid out annually from the University of Toronto’s endowment funds. For the U of T fiscal year ending April 30, 2023, about $1.4 billion – representing 43% of the university’s total $3.3 billion in endowments* – was directed to student support.