The synopsis of the 621st meeting of the Senate of York University, held on Dec. 10, is now available. A PDF copy of the synopsis can be downloaded from the Senate of York University webpage.
Senate synopsis is now available
Year: 2015
Last call for donations to Holiday Food & Toy Drive
Until Dec. 17, members of the York University community are invited to spread some holiday cheer to the less fortunate by contributing to the seventh annual Holiday Food & Toy Drive.
Organizers of the drive are hoping for another successful event, after last year’s initiative brought in several large bins and containers of food amounting to almost two metric tons.
“Last year’s Holiday Food & Toy Drive was a spectacular success,” said Richard Fry of York’s Security Services.
Toys and food that are collected are transported by bus to the Toronto Police Service’s 31 Division and to the North York Harvest Food Bank for distribution in local Toronto communities.
“This year, we will be calling on all of you once again to help feed our York community and surrounding University Heights community in the spirit of the holiday season,” said Fry.
The drive will be located at the Security Control Centre (William Small Building), Glendon Green House, Lost & Found (Ross Link) and the Physical Resources Building. At these locations, there will be large green bins that can be filled with food and toys. The York University Bookstore also participates in collecting donations, and this year (with the ongoing renovations) the boxes can be found at the cash area in the basement of Bookstore Central.
The last day to bring in a donation is Dec. 17.
“Together we have proven that we can make a difference,” said Fry. “Let’s make this the seventh annual Holiday Food & Toy Drive better than last year.”
Organizers will also be accepting cash to purchase food for donations, and receipts will be posted as in previous years.
Graduate research success celebrated at 2015 Scholars Reception
More than 100 York University graduate students and postdoctoral fellows were recognized at this year’s Scholars Reception, which celebrates research funding awarded through major internal and external scholarship competitions.
The event celebrated more than $28 million in federal, provincial and other major external awards from 2012 to 2015, and approximately $60 million in York U awards from 2011 to 2015.
Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) and the Division of Advancement, the event recognized the research accomplishments of some of York’s exceptional scholars from a variety of disciplines, including social sciences, humanities, arts, science and engineering.
“Graduate studies plays a crucial role in developing and establishing a vibrant and innovative research culture at York,” said Barbara Crow, dean of FGS and event host, during the reception. “In addition, York currently hosts over 160 postdoctoral fellows conducting cutting-edge research. I’m extremely proud of the accomplishments of all of you, and honoured to be in my role to support your success.”
Will Gage, associate vice-president, teaching and learning, commended the scholars for the dedication to their research, as well as their participation in training undergraduate students as teaching assistants, course directors, lab supervisors, tutors and mentors.
“I can’t emphasize enough the important contributions that all of you make in keeping York an active and vibrant learning community,” he said.
Speakers at the event also highlighted student success. Kate Tschrihart of Advancement talked about the importance of donor contributions and how they enable student success, while PhD students Diane Sepa-Kishi (kinesiology and health science), Marina Tchistaiam (linguistics and applied linguistics) and Sam Tecle (sociology) shared details of their research projects, and how their funding has allowed them to grow as scholars and leaders in their respective communities.
Some of the research projects highlighted during the event included: examining wastewater as a potential renewable energy; the relationship between iconography, identity and branding; investigating antihydrogen; the impact of social constructions of masculinity on sexual violence against women; and 16th century Italian duelling as a form of mediation and dispute resolution.
The Scholars Reception is an opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to meet and celebrate with other researchers at York University, and with faculty and staff who assist with scholarship applications and adjudications throughout the year.
The event is held annually in December.
York master’s student develops app for indigenous community to network
York University student Alejandro Mayoral Baños, a second-year master’s student in interdisciplinary studies, is spearheading the development of an app to help First Nations, Métis and Inuit students network with other members of York’s aboriginal community.
“There are apps available that focus on aboriginal languages, but for networking there isn’t anything yet,” says Mayoral Baños. “We’re tapping into the digital generation.”
Mayoral Baños has been working with York’s Centre for Aboriginal Student Services to develop the app, titled First Nation Friends. Planning began in January and coding started in July, and the hope is for a mid-January 2016 release on Google Play (Android) and the Apple Store (iOS).
So far, the app has been focused on the York U community, but the team is working to expand it to other postsecondary institutions.
“Many of our students are struggling a lot; they come from reserves, come from communities with different lifestyles, they feel lost,” Mayoral Baños says. “For whatever reason, many don’t want to identify as aboriginal – they don’t want to be differentiated since they may still face discrimination, even here at York.”
The team will also build in access to calendars so users can find relevant events and ceremonies. The development group has been working with aboriginal students, faculty members, alumni, staff and elders to design features that they, as users, want.
“The community has asked for a safe environment, so users will have to get an access code before they can access the app’s features,” says Mayoral Baños. “Once they’ve authenticated for the first time, it will provide automatic login for the devices it’s installed on.”
What it won’t do, however, is replace apps that already offer chat and video features.
“This is not a replacement for apps like Skype,” he says. “This is a first step. We’re not trying to replace those apps. We’re trying to be the first step of communication.”
As a community-building app, users will have the option of joining a cyber clan, named after animals.
“We have eagles, turtles, bear, wolves, and every clan has a role,” says Mayoral Baños, adding the wolves are the forum moderators, and it’s their job to keep the forums a safe environment.
There will also be a special role for mentorship, which requires special skills to deal with crises. The developers would also like to see the app make its way to reserves so they can have access to the elders for advice, or for when they have identity issues.
Mayoral Baños notes there have been many people involved in the development process, including:
- elders Blu Waters and Billie Allan;
- faculty Ruth Koleszar-Green;
- staff Nancy Johnson, Jolene John and Randy Pitawanakwat;
- students and community members: Lisa Stewart, Samantha Craig-Curnow, Thane Higgins, Rob Lackie, Tsitra Mckay, Jared Visitor, Mariah Abotossaway, Kayla Webber, Jesse Thistle, Candice Jacko, Robyn Grant-Moran, Serena Hill, Joseph Milando and Stefano Federici; and
- supervisors Miguel Gonzalez, Stephen Chen and William Wicken.
Poor attendance for women in cardiac rehab sessions, finds York U/UHM study
Even with cardiac rehab (CR) programs tailored to their needs, women heart patients miss more than half of the sessions prescribed to them, according to a joint study by York University and the University Health Network (UHN).
Cardiac rehab is an outpatient program that educates participants on their medical condition and requires them to do structured exercise to better manage their disease. Traditional programs are co-ed, but home-based models are also offered, and more recently women-only programs have been developed.
However, Professor Sherry L. Grace in York’s University’s Faculty of Health says women may adhere more to and benefit more from CR programs if they are able to make their own choices about which program model they attend.
“Participating in a cardiac rehab program greatly reduces death and hospitalization, as well as helps in improving the quality of life for heart patients,” says Grace, who is also a senior scientist at UHN. “Unfortunately, many patients do not use these proven services, and women are much less likely than men to access them and fully participate once they do.”
To test what might improve female heart patients’ adherence to cardiac rehab, Grace and her colleagues compared women’s participation in one of the three program models offered. Study participants were randomly assigned to either a mixed-sex (co-ed) program, a women-only program or a home-based program model. The researchers recruited women from six cardiac care facilities in Ontario and referred them to one of these three available CR models.
The study, CR4HER, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, assessed adherence to the program as well as improvements in exercise capacity, which is strongly linked to better survival.
Researchers found that women attended just over half of the 24 sessions offered, regardless of the model they were assigned to. However, the participants achieved significant improvements in their exercise capacity.
“The results suggest that women should be encouraged to participate in cardiac rehab, offering them the program model of their choice,” says Liz Midence, lead author and PhD candidate at York U. “We should inform women of the benefits of cardiac rehab and use all the tools at our disposal to promote their full participation.”
Midence notes that women might have limitations, including taking time off from caregiving responsibilities, and access to transportation.
The findings suggest that women may be more likely to fully participate in a home-based program, where they can be supported by the cardiac rehab staff by phone at a convenient time for them.
According to researchers, some women may also feel they need to attend a centre to stay motivated, but feel uncomfortable exercising with men. For these patients, being able to access a women-only program may mean they are more likely to keep coming back and achieve the greatest gains in their heart health.
Two York students make the cut for TheNext36, a prestigious program for promising entrepreneurs
Two York University students are among the 38 young innovators selected for the 2016 cohort of The Next 36 – Canada’s premiere program for the nation’s most promising entrepreneurs.
Linar Ismagilov, a second-year mechanical engineering student, and Zack Fisch, an MBA/JD student, were selected as finalists from more than 1,100 applicants to the program.
Ismagilov has a passion for engineering and a motivation for entrepreneurship. He’s been leading hardware at a marketing-focused creative technology startup and has a keen interest in robotics. His vision is to create an open community for applying technology to improve all aspects of our lives.
Fisch is a two-time startup founder and is a current MBA/JD student specializing in information technology. His past experiences bring together his love of software development, product management and data-driven decision making.
The successful group of 38 was selected after a gruelling national selection weekend of intense interviews and workshops led by successful Canadian entrepreneurs, including Bruce Croxon, Dan Debow, Katherine Hague and Razor Suleman.
The Next 36 provides world-class academic instruction and founder development, business mentorship and venture building to the country’s most promising entrepreneurs. The program is supported by more than 300 business leaders across Canada – including founding patrons W. Galen Weston, Jimmy Pattison and the late Paul Desmarais Sr.
“Each year the finalist pool seems to gets stronger,” says Peter Carrescia, managing director of The Next 36. “For our 2016 cohort, we sought applications from individuals who were already working on ideas, and the response from the startup community blew us away. We now allow all 38 of our successful finalists to choose their own co-founders, and this additional flexibility has helped us attract more applicants with an existing track record of entrepreneurship than ever before.”
The Next 36 entrepreneurs will spend the next eight months building their companies with the support of their mentors, a unique academic program, a pool of business advisers and access to up to $50,000 in seed capital. Program mentors have an impressive entrepreneurial and venture capital track record. They include: Kirk Simpson, co-founder of Wave; Janet Bannister, general partner at Real Ventures and former head of Kijiji Canada; and Andy Yang, CEO of 500px.
The ventures receive seed capital from a fund that includes Relay Ventures as an investment partner.
The Next 36 and related programs have contributed to the success of industry-changing startups such as Kira Talent, Bridgit, SeamlessMD, Thalmic Labs and Nymi, as well as the creation of over 478 new jobs and over $48 million in funding raised by alumni since the program’s inception.
Candidates from 44 institutions across the country – in addition to top U.S. schools such as Harvard, Wharton and Cornell – were competing for a spot in this year’s cohort.
The Next 36 is open to Canadians from all academic backgrounds, and this year’s finalists came from disciplines including business, computer science, engineering, international development, political science, physics, design, psychology and medicine.
Universities represented in this newest cohort include: Brock University, Dalhousie University, École Polytechnique de Montréal, McGill University, McMaster University, OCAD University, Parsons The New School of Design, Queen’s University, Ryerson University, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, Western University, Wilfrid Laurier University and York University.
York-based team produces international LGBT history exhibit and archive
A York University-based team has produced an international exhibit and archive that explores U.S. homophile magazine references to various regions in the world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Titled “U.S. Homophile Internationalism,” the exhibit showcases more than 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) magazine references to Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Russia, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
The project was headed by historian and York University Professor Marc Stein and a team of six graduate students at York University: Tamara de Szegheo Lang, Marva Milo and Healy Thompson, who are completing PhDs in gender, feminist and women’s studies; Carly Simpson, who is completing a PhD in history; Dasha Serykh, who is completing a PhD in social and political thought; and Shlomo Gleibman, who is completing a PhD in humanities.
The exhibit, featured on OutHistory.org, includes introductory essays, regional bibliographies and digitized images of letters to the editor, news and feature stories, and other items in the homophile press.
“U.S. Homophile Internationalism: An Online Archive and Exhibit of the 1950s and 1960s” is designed for students, scholars and everyone interested in the history of gender and sexuality.
The research team identified three primary uses of these materials: researchers interested in the history of the six regions might find useful references, representations and sources pointing to additional research prospects; researchers interested in the U.S. might use the material to consider how the U.S. was or was not influenced by other countries; and researchers interested in transnational and international communications may use these materials to consider how homophile magazines may have been used as conveyors of textual and visual representations circulated around the world.
“We hope the feature will inspire new work on international, transnational and global LGBT history,” says Stein.
Psychology Professor Joel Katz awarded for outstanding mentorship
Joel Katz, professor of psychology and Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology at York University, will receive an award for his work in the mentorship and training of future pain researchers.
The 2016 Outstanding Pain Mentorship Award will be presented to Katz at the annual Canadian Pain Society conference, where he will receive $1,000 and a plaque. The award also includes a ticket to the conference.
The nomination came from three people who have had “exceptional mentorship experiences” with Katz – Hance Clarke, Samantha Fashler and Kathryn Curtis. Additionally, the letter was endorsed and signed by five students.
The letter describes Katz as deeply committed to mentorship to both students and colleagues across many settings, including research, clinical and community involvement.
“Joel has a unique ability to see the seed of excellence in each of his students, of which he currently has 15, and is dedicated to their development, thus enabling each student to be independent, active, proficient and contributing members of the field of pain research,” reads the nomination. “At the same time, with superb interpersonal and communication skills, Joel is supportive of his students’ interests, encouraging self-reflection of career and personal goals, and limitless support to attain these goals.”
In addition to serving York University, Katz is also a professor at the University of Toronto. His contributions to the field of pain research and related fields include more than 230 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters, 215 addresses and presentations, and close to 300 abstracts/conference proceedings. Katz has also held major national funding for more than 25 years for this work.
He is considered a leading world expert on acute and chronic post-surgical pain, specifically regarding the factors that predispose patients to the development of moderate to severe acute and chronic post-surgical pain. He also contributes significantly to the understanding of the impact of psychosocial factors on the development of chronic pain.
“Joel was very generous with his time and mentorship of me when I was still a junior graduate student on the other side of the country,” said Rebecca Pillai Riddell, York Research Chair in Pain & Mental Health and associate professor, psychology, at York University. “In fact, his kindness as a mentor, and his world-renowned program of pain research, factored strongly into my enthusiasm for taking up a position at York.”
Pillai Riddell says when she first came to York as a faculty member, he offered important advice about how to conduct hospital-based research with a university-based lab. He sets “professional and personal standards that trainees look up to,” she said.
Katz said he is thrilled with the news of this award.
“Everyone has been congratulating me, but it’s actually my students who should be getting the ‘All-Time Best Students Award,’ ” he said. “I have the best and brightest students who make being a supervisor very easy, and who make me look good. So my hat goes off to them for writing such an amazing letter that convinced the CPS Awards Committee to choose me.”
By Ashley Goodfellow Craig, YFile deputy editor
Reminder: RSVP for University Academic Plan open forum Dec. 10
An open forum on the University Academic Plan (UAP) 2015-20 will be held from 9:30 to 11:45am on Thursday, Dec. 10, in the Founders Assembly Hall, 152 Founders College.
If you are planning to attend but have not yet reserved a space, please do so by filling out this online form.
The event will also be live streamed and interactive. To view the opening and closing segments, and to participate in a breakout group, visit
mediasite.uit.yorku.ca/Mediasite/Play/4bcae10e8a9146a0b53a241cafc808bd1d.
Comments and questions can be sent in advance or while the forum is in progress to info.univsec@yorku.ca.
Breakout participants will be asked to consider two key aspects of six proposed priority areas in the new UAP – specific initiatives that should be pursued and how best to assess progress.
Those planning to attend the forum should prepare by reading the UAP discussion paper. Other documentation compiled during the UAP renewal process can be accessed from a dedicated site at secretariat.info.yorku.ca/senate/academic-policy-planning-and-research-committee/university-academic-plan-2015-2020-uap.
Happy holiday wishes from YFile
Best wishes to everyone at York University for a safe and happy holiday. YFile will move to a reduced schedule starting next week, publishing on Dec. 15 and 17, which will be the last issue of 2015.
The first issue of the new year will be published on Jan. 6, 2016.
During the break, we will be hard at work creating new content for the upcoming year. We appreciate your comments, candour and sense of humour. This past year has brought with it a surge in story requests and interest in YFile, and our readership continues to grow.
We look forward to working with you in the new year.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday.
YFile staff