Year: 2014

Teaching Commons honours TAs with record of completion certificates

TA celebration image for YFile homepage
Twenty-four Record of Completion certificates were awarded to York Teaching Assistants during the Dec. 4 celebration hosted by the Teaching Commons at York University
TA celebration image for YFile homepage
Twenty-four Record of Completion certificates were awarded to York Teaching Assistants during the Dec. 4 celebration hosted by the Teaching Commons at York University

The Teaching Commons at York University celebrated the accomplishments of 24 Teaching Assistants (TAs) during a special ceremony Dec. 4.

The 2014-2015 cohort of TAs who have either completed or are in the process of completing the TA Certificate in Teaching (TACT) course were recognized for their dedication to teaching and learning at York.  “Record of Completion” certificates were presented to the TAs who attended at least five events hosted by the Teaching Commons.

“The Record of Completion (RoC) represents a significant engagement by TAs in their professional development as teachers at York,” says Celia Popovic, director of the Teaching Commons. “The events are entirely optional, attendance is therefore evidence of personal commitment by the graduate students. We provide a certificate as we want to recognize this commitment. Since demand for the TA Certificate in Teaching course is high we require students to have a RoC as a prerequisite for enrolment.

“We know from participant feedback that they find the workshops helpful in focusing their efforts in the classroom,” adds Popovic. “This results in a win for everyone concerned: the Teaching Commons reaches TAs interested in improving their teaching, TAs receive support for their teaching and a physical reward in the form of a certificate, and the undergraduate students taught by the TAs receive an enhanced learning experience.”

Celia Popovic (left) presents York Teaching Assistant Carolyn Carter with a Record of Completion certificate
Celia Popovic (left) presents York Teaching Assistant Carolyn Carter with a Record of Completion certificate

Carolyn Carter is a Master’s student in Socio-Legal Studies. She has completed 13 courses in the Teaching Commons and is one of its star students. Carter is a teaching assistant for a second-year course in the Law and Society Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

“My experience with the Teaching Commons has been very good,” she says. “When I started to work as a teaching assistant, I was very nervous and did not know what to do, how to conduct myself in the classroom, how to handle conflict if one should arise, even though I have experience in conflict resolution. So I found that attending the workshops really helped me to be a better TA. “

She remembers attending one of the workshops where the teaching assistants learned how to teach students the advanced reading and writing skills necessary to succeed in higher education. “I was amazed to learn that many students did not know how to read their textbooks in an effective way, so they weren’t reading their textbooks because they weren’t sure how to read their textbooks,” says Carter. “They felt the reading would be dry, which is true, but without a proper approach they did not do the reading.”

After attending the Teaching Commons workshop, Carter tried out some of the exercises she learned with the students in her tutorial groups. “I did the reading exercise with the students and I found in the weeks following that most of the students would show up having read at least some of the material, so the discussions were better and their questions were better. Even their written assignments were better because of the way they explained the material. There was an immediate benefit for the students and for me, it was very rewarding,” says Carter.

She found the marking and grading workshop to be one of the best she’s ever experienced and the conflict resolution workshop was valuable because it helped alleviate conflict in the classroom.

“I discovered through this experience that I am very fond of teaching,”  she says.

A mature student, Carter says she really understands her students as she is a recent grad after returning to university following 28 years away from the classroom. She is working towards completing her Master’s in August 2015. Her research is focused on the unequal treatment of black women in the legal system and in criminal courts in particular.

For more on the workshops and the TACT Program, visit the Teaching Commons website.

Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Nominate a great teacher for one of four teaching awards

Teaching Commons staff lead a course for graduate students
The Teaching Commons courses for teaching assistants are offered at regular intervals throughout the academic year.

The President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards (UWTA) honour those individuals who, through innovation and commitment, have significantly enhanced the quality of learning for York students. Four awards are offered each year in the following categories:

  • Full-time faculty with 10 or more years of teaching experience;
  • Full-time faculty (tenured, tenure-stream, contractually limited appointments) with less than 10 years of experience;
  • Contract and adjunct faculty;
  • Teaching assistants.

The purpose of these awards is to provide significant recognition for excellence in teaching, to encourage its pursuit, to publicize such excellence when achieved across the University and in the wider community, and to promote informed discussion of teaching and its improvement. The awards demonstrate the value York University attaches to teaching.

Recipients of the awards, selected by the Senate Committee on Awards, receive $3,000, have their names engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques in Vari Hall and are recognized at convocation ceremonies. Nominations can be submitted by faculty, students or alumni.

The deadline for the 2014 President’s UWTA is Feb. 6, 2015. Nominations may only be submitted online.

A PDF download of the President’s UWTA criteria and online nomination form are available from the Awards webpage.

Biology student wins award for genetic research with fruit flies

Kiu Ming April Kong

Faculty of Science biology student Kiu Ming April Kong is one of six winners of the Genetics Society of America (GSA) Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Award to present her research on fruit flies at a conference in Chicago.

Kiu Ming April Kong
Kiu Ming April Kong

Kong, who works under the supervision and mentorship of Kyle Belozerov, a sessional lecturer in York’s Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, at York University, will discuss her research at the 56th annual Drosophila Research Conference sponsored by GSA, March 4 to 8, 2015 thanks to the travel award. “I feel very honoured,” says Kong. She says she is grateful to Belozerov for all the time he has invested in helping her with the project.

“My research uses a simple laboratory animal, the fruit fly, to examine how sugars, proteins, and fats in food influence the growth and spread of cancer cells,” says Kong, a fourth-year student. She beat 46 other undergraduate students in this year’s competition and is the first student from a Canadian university to have won this award. Kong started the research project in May with lab partner and fellow student Lisa Shim. Both are working in the lab as research practicum students in the Department of Biology.

Kyle Belozerov
Kyle Belozerov

They chose fruit flies because this organism offers a wide variety of genetic tools to model and investigate the molecular mechanism of human diseases. Many of the characteristics of human cancers, such as metastatic behavior, are also seen in experimentally induced tumors in flies. Kong and Shim hope their research will eventually lead to a better understanding of how diets high in sugar, fats or proteins affect cancer growth and spread in humans. Shim will co-present the research with Kong at the conference.

“We are excited to provide what will likely be the first opportunity for these talented students to participate in an international scientific research conference,” said Helen Salz, chair of the Finnerty Award review committee and a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. “The winners will be presenting their research to more than 1,500 scientists attending the largest assembly of fruit fly researchers in the world.”

The Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Award program was established in 2011 to honor the memory of its namesake, an exceptional geneticist known for her creativity in and commitment to the training of undergraduates. Finnerty was a long-time GSA member, a dedicated undergraduate educator at Emory University for 35 years, and an active member of the Drosophila research community and the genetics community at large. This is the fourth year the Victoria Finnerty awards have assisted undergraduates to attend the Annual Drosophila Research Conference, having already provided more than $20,000 to 27 undergraduates thus far.

Passings: York’s Schulich School of Business loses one of its brightest stars

The following is a message from Dezsö J. Horváth, dean of York’s Schulich School of Business, on the passing of Professor Brenda Zimmerman.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Schulich School of Business lost one of its brightest stars. It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the passing of Professor Brenda Zimmerman, director of the Health Industry Management Program, who died suddenly in a tragic car accident. Brenda was the beloved wife of Alan Ellis and the late Bryan Hayday, a former Schulich instructor, and she was the proud mother of daughters Stephanie Zimmerman and Gillian Kennedy, a Schulich MBA graduate who, like her mother, also pursued a career in the health industry.

Brenda Zimmerman
Brenda Zimmerman

Brenda completed both her MBA and PhD degrees at the Schulich School of Business. It was obvious early on that she was a brilliant and innovative thinker. She wrote her PhD thesis on the subject of “Chaos, Strategy and Equilibrium”, and used her knowledge of complexity science throughout her academic career to explore changes in health care systems, hospitals, public policy and social innovation. She co-authored a number of books, including Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed and Complicated and Complex Systems: What Would Successful Reform Medicare Look Like?

Brenda had always expressed an interest in combining her accounting background and business expertise in strategy with her passion for medicine. When our school developed a new Health Industry Management MBA specialization, we were very fortunate to have Brenda take on the role of program director – a position she held with great distinction for more than a decade. Brenda built the program from scratch, developing the curriculum as well as executive education programming, forming an advisory board comprised of some of the leading business people in the industry, and establishing an alumni chapter. She did all this with the infectious enthusiasm, positive attitude and out-of-the-box thinking that made Brenda the person she was.

Less than a month ago, the Schulich community celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Health Industry Management Program at a special gala dinner organized by Brenda. In typical fashion, Brenda wanted to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of her former students and other leaders in the health industry. She leveraged her connections within the health industry to bring CEOs and other prominent leaders into the classroom, and was instrumental in helping to recently establish the J. Mark Lievonen Scholarship, to be presented annually to a second-year MBA student enrolled in the Health Industry Management Program.

She received many awards and accolades over the course of her career, including the Teaching Excellence Award in 2009 for Teacher of the Year in Schulich’s MBA program. Her tireless work within the health industry, including serving as Program Director of the Schulich Executive Education Centre’s Physician Leadership Development Program for the Ontario Medical Association-Canadian Medical Association, as well as serving on the Advisory Committee to the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and as a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, led to real changes and improvements in the industry, one of the many legacies of her outstanding career.

Our thoughts are with Alan, Gillian (Jill), Stephanie and their family at this difficult time, as we remember one of our School’s most inspirational and well-loved faculty members. To the Schulich Community, Brenda was an excellent researcher, teacher, mentor, colleague and friend. She will be dearly missed by all.

York U releases its Annual Sustainability Report

cover of the York University Sustainability Report

cover of the York University Sustainability ReportThe second York University Annual Sustainability Report, released today, includes the President’s Sustainability Council (PSC) Annual Report, which has been compiled yearly since 2010 and summarizes progress on recommendations the council has made to the University’s president over the past four years. Also included is the Environmental Sustainability Report from York’s Campus Services & Business Operations (CSBO) department, which covers operational sustainability indicators such as energy use, waste diversion, transportation and a number of other indicators of sustainability that are tracked by CSBO on an ongoing basis.

“This year’s Sustainability Report demonstrates, once again, the impressive progress that we are making on sustainability here at York,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “From York staff working in energy, transportation and waste management to teaching, research and student clubs, we take our commitment as stewards of the environment very seriously. This report details many of our accomplishments, including being named in 2014 one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the second year in a row.”

Also included in the report are a number of new recommendations on energy conservation, solar energy, fair trade, and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Some of York University’s sustainability successes:

  • a 30 per cent reduction in energy use since 2007;
  • some 65 per cent of waste diverted from landfills;
  • over 2,600 buses serving our campuses on a daily basis, reducing private automobile trips;
  • ongoing construction of the subway extension to the Keele campus;
  • more than 500 course offerings related to environment and sustainability;
  • a new weekly farmers’ market; and
  • named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2013 and 2014.

“I am very pleased by the steady progress we have made during my three-year term as chair of the PSC,” said Professor Ilan Kapoor, outgoing chair of the PSC. “I welcome new chair, Professor Martin Bunch, knowing that he is eager to work with the many stakeholders that are doing such amazing work on sustainability here at York.”

Consisting of students, faculty and staff, the PSC is an advisory body to the president with responsibility for providing input and recommendations on how to advance York University’s sustainability initiatives, projects, and practices and to provide oversight of the required actions from approved recommendations. CSBO oversees a variety of sustainability programs on both campuses, including energy conservation, transportation and waste management initiatives.

To view the full report and executive summary, and to find more information on the PSC and sustainability initiatives at York University, visit the Sustainability website and the CSBO website.

Michael Bryant urges repeal of law that ‘criminalizes homelessness’

Former attorney general Michael Bryant is urging Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals to repeal the Safe Streets Act that police have been using since 2000 to charge panhandlers and so-called squeegee kids, reported the Toronto Star Dec. 15…. Stephen Gaetz, a York University professor of education and director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, said the law is a “waste” of the justice system’s resources. Gaetz estimated that it cost Toronto police almost $1 million in time to hand out $4 million in tickets between 2000 and 2010 – 99 per cent of which are never paid because homeless people cannot afford the fines that range from $60 to $500. Read full story.

Toronto Raptors are Google’s most-searched Canadian team in 2014
The CFL’s popularity with Google users shouldn’t come as a surprise, said Vijay Setlur, sports marketing instructor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in the Toronto Star Dec. 16. “They’re the ultimate in-closet fans.” But Google’s list isn’t necessarily a reflection of which teams are most popular, Setlur said. “It’s essentially a function of newsworthiness, in terms of which organizations make headlines.” Setlur said being in the news is a good proxy for relevance, and relevance is important for the value of a franchise. Read full story.

Standing out from the business school crowd
Business schools in particular need strong brands to better compete with a growing number of universities offering more diverse education models, such as online courses and degrees combined with overseas study, reported the Globe and Mail Dec. 16…. The Schulich School of Business at York University plays up its global reach with overseas programs, while B.C.’s Thompson Rivers University and New Brunswick’s Sandermoen School of Business promote their online MBA programs. Read full story.

NASA rover finds methane, organic chemicals on Mars
Now, according to a paper published Tuesday in the journal Science, scientists say there is a faint hint of methane – about one part per billion – near the Gale Crater. The strange thing is, that reading unexpectedly jumped, at least once, to almost 10 times that amount. The methane levels then returned to normal, reported CBC News Dec. 16…. “We’ve really been racking our brains,” about the jump, said Prof. John Moores of York University in Toronto, one of the team members that co-authored the study. “What does it all mean?” Read full story.

The link between imperfect vaccines and disease
A new mathematical model that tests the effectiveness of different vaccine types could help explain why certain diseases are still prevalent despite mass vaccination programs, reported Inside Science Dec. 16…. “The honeymoon period and the transient oscillations are shown in many models of vaccination … [It will vary] depending on the disease, but it is ‘long enough’ for a population to kind of forget about the severity of the disease because people rarely see it. This can lead to vaccine hesitancy, where people decide not to have their kids vaccinated,” said Jane Hefernan, the director of the Centre for Disease Modelling at York University in Toronto, Canada. Read full story.

Six-day retreat shapes future student leaders

leaderShape image for YFile homepage

Some 60 York University students participated in the University’s annual LeaderShape program, which took place during the fall co-curricular days Oct. 28 to Nov. 2.

a group of images from the LeaderShape retreat
A collage of images from the 2014 LeaderShape retreat

Offered by Student Community and Leadership Development, the program is an intensive six-day leadership retreat where participants develop a personal “vision blueprint” for the change they wish to see in the world.  Students participating in LeaderShape travelled to the YMCA Pine Crest Camp in Northern Ontario and took part in a series of carefully planned activities designed to help students explore not only what they want to do, but who they want to be.

At the camp, the participants experienced a program that fostered the development of their personal visions. Megan Collins, a second-year Faculty of Health student, shared her LeaderShape vision: “I envision a future where York U Life is an inclusive and influential online community that connects students of every identity with on-campus resources and empowers students to get involved to further develop the York community in a positive direction.”

The LeaderShape experience is meant to push participants out of their comfort zone, and challenge them to take the phrase “leading with a healthy disregard for the impossible” out of theory and into practice. The York University students participating in LeaderShape joined the ranks of more than 50,000 other LeaderShape graduates worldwide.

“I can see clearly now, I can see where I want to go, and I can see all the things I need to do to get there,” said York second-year social studies student Jeff Thammavongsa.”I was just so happy I was given life again. I want to thank my family cluster for reminding me who I was, and who I want to continue being. I now know who I am, what my good qualities are, and how I want to live my life from now on.”

The LeaderShape Institute was established in 1986 and was first hosted by York University in 2008. Some 160 York U students applied to participate in the 2014 program.

AODA: Integrated Standard training brochure is now available

Vari Hall at night
Vari Hall at night

AODA Knowledge Brochure

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was enacted with the goal of make Ontario accessible for everyone, regardless of (dis)ability, by 2025.

To achieve this objective, a series of accessibility standards has been developed: customer service, information & communication, employment, transportation and built environment; the last four standards are combined under the Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulation (the Integrated Standard).

“Given York University’s historic and ongoing commitment to accessibility, inclusiveness and diversity, we welcome and fully support this legislation,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, president and vice-chancellor. “Accessibility is about giving people of all abilities the opportunity to participate fully in everyday life. As such, compliance with AODA across our two campuses is a priority, and I would encourage all staff and faculty to become familiar with the act as we continue to foster a campus community that is accessible and inclusive for all.”

The Integrated Standard requires that York University provide training to all faculty and staff on the requirements of the standard and the Ontario Human Rights Code as it relates to persons with disabilities. An AODA brochure has been developed to fulfill the training requirements of the Integrated Standard and it will be provided to all faculty and staff.

The brochure is available on YU Link under the employee, manager and academic resources tabs; it will also be available in a printed format for individuals who do not have easy access to a computer. In the new year, there will be opportunities for discussion of the brochure. To download a PDF copy, click AODA-Knowledge Brochure.

AODA will affect more than 1.85 million people in Ontario who have a disability, which, in plain terms, equals one in seven of us. Furthermore, over the next 20 years, as the population ages, that figure will rise to one in five Ontario residents.

For more information, visit the York Secretariat AODA website.

Remember to unplug and turn off equipment before leaving for the holiday break

Unplug logo

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Unplug logoYork University will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2. During this time, the Energy Management Department in Campus Services & Business Operations will reduce the heating and lighting in common areas of many administrative and academic buildings. This initiative will help the University achieve its sustainability goals by reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions during the holiday break, while saving the University thousands of dollars in energy costs.

York community members are reminded to turn off lights and unplug equipment before leaving for the holiday break.  By shutting down computers, turning off lights, unplugging small office equipment, and kitchen appliances as well as personal electronics, you will be contributing to York’s energy and cost savings initiative.

This simple gesture can yield tremendous results, given that staff and faculty operate more than 8,000 computers, and together the Keele and Glendon campuses have more than 140,000 internal lights.

The ability to shut down certain electrical devices will vary depending on departmental requirements. If you have questions, contact your area’s information technology personnel or office manager.

High school teachers and students treated to an ‘Interstellar’ evening

physics and astronomy day featured image
High school teachers and students gathered for a screening of the film 'Interstellar' and to learn more about physics and astronomy courses at York U
High school teachers and students gathered for a screening of the film ‘Interstellar’ and to learn more about physics and astronomy courses at York U

It was an interstellar experience for some 200 teachers and students from GTA high-schools on Nov. 26 when the Department of Physics & Astronomy hosted its annual high school teachers’ evening.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Cineplex Entertainment and its CEO, Ellis Jacob (MBA, ’76), the students and their teachers, who hailed from GTA high schools, were treated to dinner and a movie. But not just any movie, they saw the new Hollywood blockbuster Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Matt Damon.

Interstellar had a special significance because it features legendary physicist Kip Thorne as an executive producer. Thorne worked closely with Nolan to advise on the physics that underpin the film’s science-packed plot.

York profs answer questions about the physics and astronomy in the film
York Profs Patrick Hall and Sean Tulin answer questions about the physics and astronomy in the film and at York University

After the film, the audience participated in a question and answer session with York University Professors Patrick Hall and Sean Tulin. Students as well as their teachers kept the professors on their toes as they peppered them with questions about time travel, black holes, gravity and many other topics.

Following the event, many teachers wrote to express their thanks. “I want to thank you for putting on an excellent evening for our students. My kids were overwhelmed by the whole experience. They love the movie but, far and away, the Q&A afterward is all they talk about! It really was a first-rate night,” wrote one teacher.

Top billing!
Top billing!

Guests received a copy of the new 2015 York University Observatory calendar, which features stunning astronomical images taken by the students of the Observatory

The Physics & Astronomy night was part of the Faculty of Science’s 50th anniversary celebration, which aims to raise awareness, recruitment and raise funds for the Faculty.

In addition to Jacob and Cineplex Entertainment, Professor Paul Delaney and his dedicated team of volunteer students from the York University Observatory played an important role in making the evening a success.

For those in the York community who are interested in having their own interstellar experience, copies of the 2015 calendar are available in the York Bookstore, through the Observatory, or by e-mail to observe@yorku.ca.