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Astrophysics students EXPLORE collaborative research

A person looks up at the night sky

A group of physics students is working to shed more light on the topic of dark matter in collaboration with their York professors and colleagues in Germany, thanks to the EXPeriential Learning Opportunity through Research and Exchange program (EXPLORE), an endeavour that provides undergraduate students with hands-on experience in scientific research.

By Elaine Smith

EXPLORE, which is funded by York’s Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) and Germany’s DFG Collaborative Research Center CRC-TR 211, came into being as the result of conversations between Laura Sagunksi, a former postdoctoral Fellow from York who is now a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt, and four other professors at York University and Goethe University. The York physics and astronomy professors involved in the program are Nassim Bozorgnia, Saeed Rastgoo and Sean Tulin. The group created the program to bridge the gap between learning science in a classroom and working as a researcher, allowing students to experience for themselves what it might be like to have a research career.

From left: Nassim Bozorgnia, Saeed Rastgoo and Sean Tulin
From left: York Professors Nassim Bozorgnia, Saeed Rastgoo and Sean Tulin

“Learning physics in the classroom is very different from working in a research group,” Bozorgnia said. “EXPLORE is very valuable because it’s an opportunity for students to experience a real research group environment, working with both local and international colleagues. It really mimics an actual research group and offers an international exchange – albeit a virtual one during COVID-19.”

The program kicked off in the 2021 Summer term with 17 students – seven from York, nine from Goethe and one from the University of Toronto – and five supervising professors. Each professor mentored two to four students directly.

Interested York students were asked to apply to the program. “We received a good number of applications, but we had to select students based on the number of German students involved, as well as the number of professors,” Bozorgnia said. Those chosen from York were given paid work-study opportunities; in Germany, the students registered for the program as a course.

The professors chose dark matter as the topic of study “because it’s an area that connects all the professors and it’s an exciting theme,” said Bozorgnia. “It is an open problem in particle physics and cosmology and provides options for cutting-edge research.”

Elham Rahimi, a graduating physics major at York, participated in EXPLORE, working under Bozorgnia’s supervision, along with a pair of students from Goethe.

“I loved every minute of EXPLORE. I learned a lot about dark matter, my coding skills improved, and got the chance to work with amazing people,” Rahimi said. “I’m so excited to continue my EXPLORE research with Professor Bozorgnia and to understand more about the distribution of dark matter in our solar neighbourhood.”

Once she got involved with research and “could apply my knowledge and skills to understand more about dark matter, it motivated me to work harder. I could see spending my career this way,” Rahimi added.

Feedback from other EXPLORE participants was equally enthusiastic, so Bozorgnia and her colleagues decided to offer the program again during the 2022 Winter term. Rather than a work-study opportunity, it will be classified as an independent research course. There will be two separate projects overseen by integrated (Canada-Germany) teams of professors. Ideally, if the pandemic is not a factor, the York students will also travel to Germany during reading week to work side-by-side with their Goethe counterparts.

“It was a very exciting opportunity and actual research came out of it,” said Bozorgnia. “We are currently publishing papers based on research results and the professors have all contributed to an article for Educational Physics about the experience.

“We are open to other professors joining us in this endeavour; if more faculty members take part, we can increase the number of students involved. We’re open to expanding the reach to biophysics and other fields, too. It’s a perfect vehicle for students who want to consider careers in academia or industry,” Bozorgnia said. “When they really understand what research is, it helps them make an informed decision.”

To learn more, see this PDF of an overview presentation about EXPLORE.

UN SDGs essential to 2022 Academic Innovation Fund grant applications

Image shows a lightbulb against a blackboard with chalk drawings of idea bubbles

It’s time once again for faculty to put on their innovative thinking caps and turn their creative teaching and learning ideas into Academic Innovation Fund proposals.

Lisa Philipps
Lisa Philipps

The Academic Innovation Fund, created in 2010, supports implementation of projects that advance York University’s institutional priorities outlined in the University Academic Plan, Strategic Mandate Agreement and the Institutional Integrated Resource Plan.

Provost Lisa Philipps encourages faculty and staff to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to see their innovative ideas come to life. “The AIF sends an important signal to faculty that at York we have an aspirational culture around teaching and we value the effort and creativity of our faculty in developing new, high-quality learning experiences for our students,” she told YFile earlier this year.

This year, all AIF applicants are encouraged to embed strategies that explicitly advance the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals within curriculum in keeping with the University’s commitment to sustainability and as described in our UAP.

Will Gage
Will Gage

“The York University Academic Plan 2020-2025: Building a Better Future promises that the York community ‘will challenge ourselves as a University to deepen our collective contributions to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),’ and the AIF is a perfect vehicle for turning that challenge into action,” said Will Gage, associate vice-president, teaching and learning.

There are three categories of funding available to AIF applicants: Category I funding supports larger-scale academic innovation projects; Category II funding supports course development projects, including perpetual course model initiatives; and Category III funding supports the scholarship of teaching and learning projects. In addition, applicants are encouraged to focus on the themes of:

  • eLearning within undergraduate or graduate degree programs using blended or fully online strategies (see eLearning Common Language document), and/or
  • experiential education (EE) within undergraduate or graduate degree programs through community focused and/or work focused EE strategies with a focus on virtual and remote EE approaches (see EE Common Language document), which might include or focus on entrepreneurialism in the curriculum, and/or
  • student success and retention strategies within the curriculum in undergraduate degree programs in all years of study, and/or
  • internationalization within undergraduate or graduate degree programs; internationalization of curriculum implies integrating an intercultural dimension into the learning and teaching process so that students can acquire an appreciation and understanding of international perspectives and competencies.

AIF proposals should be submitted to the Office of the Dean, where they will be reviewed, approved and ranked. Faculties are encouraged to set internal application deadlines that will enable the proposals to be provided to the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching and Learning by email at avptl@yorku.ca by 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.

The AIF Steering Committee, chaired by Gage, will review all proposals and provide recommendations to the Provost & Vice-President Academic for final approval.

“The AIF is invaluable in helping faculty members advance their priorities, putting a focus on technology-enhanced learning, and creating champions of teaching and learning among the faculty, who then serve as role models for their colleagues,” said Gage. “This coming year, as we factor in the SDGs, AIF projects will also be making a significant contribution to advancing the University’s commitment to sustainability.”

Visit the AIF website for additional information and application package.

York University’s groundbreaking Academic Innovation Fund turns 10

A hand clasps balloons

York University’s Academic Innovation Fund celebrates an important anniversary this year. The program has promoted exceptional innovation in teaching, learning and the student experience, and it continues to grow and thrive.

By Elaine Smith, special contributor

A photograph of York's President
Rhonda Lenton

Bring on the balloons, the streamers and the cake for York University’s Academic Innovation Fund (AIF), which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The AIF, overseen by the Office of the Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning, financially supports projects that advance York University’s priorities in terms of teaching, learning and the student experience, allowing faculty to experiment and innovate in new and creative ways, both in teaching and in pedagogy. Its creation was spearheaded by a team that included President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton, who was vice-provost academic at the time.

“I am delighted to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Academic Innovation Fund,” said Lenton. “By supporting groundbreaking approaches to teaching and learning, including technology-enhanced learning, and facilitating increased access to fundamental student success programs and international perspectives that extend around the world, the AIF continues to provide our faculty and course directors with the resources they need to push pedagogical boundaries and enhance the student learning experience, solidifying York’s reputation as an innovative, progressive and forward-thinking institution dedicated to teaching excellence.”

Will Gage
Will Gage

The AIF was also a means of elevating and celebrating teaching and learning in the eyes of the York community, said Professor Will Gage, associate vice-president teaching and learning.

“It showed how committed the University is to teaching and learning and provided leadership to the higher education world around teaching and learning,” Gage said. “When AIF began, our early investments paid dividends in a number of different ways, including helping faculty members advance their priorities, putting a focus on technology-enhanced learning, and creating champions of teaching and learning among the faculty, who served as role models for their colleagues.”

In fact, a report by York’s Institute for Social Research validated the importance of AIF, noting how impactful it was in furthering innovation in pedagogy and curriculum.

Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps has seen the AIF continue to flourish and believes it sends “an important signal to faculty that at York we have an aspirational culture around teaching and we value the effort and creativity of our faculty in developing new, high-quality learning experiences for our students.” 

Lisa Philipps
Lisa Philipps

A number of projects that date back to the early days of the AIF are now fixtures at the University: the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4); globally networked learning (GNL); YU Start, the transition program for incoming students; SPARK, the Student Papers and Academic Research Kit; and an e-learning program from the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) that connects students to the community. The originators of these programs are enthusiastic about the effect that the fund has had in making these projects possible.

Franz Newland
Franz Newland

“The funding makes a huge difference,” said Franz Newland, an associate professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering and one of the creators of C4. “It really enables us, because it pays for things that make innovation possible. Innovation around teaching and learning requires a community of engaged, interested people and AIF is a mechanism to bring them together.”

Danielle Robinson, co-creator of C4 and an associate professor at AMPD, said, “There is no way that C4 could have been launched without the AIF. It gave the program legitimacy and a vote of confidence that amplified its impact across the community, not to mention the financial resources required. Students have directly benefited, because C4 is designed as a personal and professional journey of self-discovery for them.”

Globally networked learning “began as a provost-driven initiative in 2015 with a three-year AIF grant​ that allowed the GNL initial team to work closely with students, faculty and senior administration at both York campuses to inform and train on best GNL practices around the world,” said Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, an associate professor in the Department of French Studies who helped create York’s program.

“York GNL has grown so much that in 2020-2021 alone, more than 600 students – 312 from York and 293 from international partner institutions – have had the opportunity to learn, share perspectives on challenging world-related questions,” added Scheffel-Dunand, who has also taught at the Glendon Campus.

Lara Ubaldi, a member of the team that created YU Start, is appreciative of AIF too. “What a thrill to have an idea and have the University recognize it with funding to help get it started,” said Ubaldi, now director of student advising and academic services. “It makes you feel invested; you can do something to make a change.”

The YU Start program has become an award-winning success.

Danielle Robinson
Danielle Robinson

SPARK also grew out of an early AIF grant. “This was our first real pan-University project,” said Sarah Coysh, digital engagement librarian. “It involved the library, the Writing Department, Learning Skills Services and other groups across the University that supported students. It was an opportunity for us to work together and look at best practices.

“We were one of the first to license such an effort through a Creative Commons licence, something that the AIF afforded us the opportunity to do. It has now been adapted by universities nationally and internationally as a result. We also know that it’s widely used; I hear from faculty if it’s not up to date,” said Coysh.

In addition, SPARK has been translated into French at the Glendon Campus, thanks to a Heritage Canada grant.

Dominique Scheffel-Dunand
Dominique Scheffel-Dunand

At AMPD, faculty members David Gelb, Michael Longford and Judith Schwarz were early adopters of online learning for the arts and pioneers in offering blended studio courses. Their initial grant allowed them to work with a team to build the infrastructure to support online learning across the faculty; develop six large introductory courses, a combination of blended and online; develop best practices for online pedagogies; and nurture a community of practice. They have received subsequent AIF grants to augment these opportunities and establish excellence in media production.

“When the pandemic struck and we had to move fully online, AMPD was prepared to step up to the challenge, offering a full range of support to faculty during that time,” said Longford. “We’re quite proud of that.”

In fact, said Gage, all of the AIF advances “emerged as essential when COVID shut the world down. AIF established a foundation that helped us respond as an institution.”

Karthiga Gowrishanger, program director, teaching and learning strategic initiatives for the Office of the Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning, agrees: “AIF innovation helped prepare us to be creative, agile and resilient.”

At York, AIF has become one of the proverbial gifts that keeps on giving.