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York University alumna Larissa Crawford inspires Founders students with keynote address

“What kind of impact do I want to make and why am I passionate about it?”

This is one of the many important questions that new students were urged to reflect on at the Founders College Academic Orientation on Sept. 3. The query was posed by keynote speaker and York University alumna Larissa Crawford, who graduated in 2018 with a double honours major in international development and communications studies.

Crawford, who is of proud Métis and Jamaican heritage, made waves across the University community last year she when crossed the stage – summa cum laude – holding her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Zyra.

Larissa Crawford
Larissa Crawford

Faculty, community members, and students alike were moved by Crawford’s success and resilience.

Having grown up with few financial resources, Crawford funded her entire education through scholarships, graduated with the most acclaimed leadership award at the University, and successfully transitioned into a career in government work and public speaking.

It is thus no surprise that she had a few useful tips to share with incoming students.

“I know you guys are getting really excited about all of the parties and the new people,” Crawford said with a laugh. “But my job right now is to get you excited about the nerdy stuff, because it’s actually really fun too.”

But before doing so, she introduced herself in Michif and held space for her identity. Crawford encouraged students to do the same as they embark on their university careers.

“I really encourage you, moving forward on your journey at York University, to consider – as you sit in classrooms, as you listen to speakers – the ancestry that you bring into that space, and the ancestors of the traditional caregivers of this land.”

Crawford went on to share 10 takeaway points of what she did to make her time at York University “absolutely amazing.” They included gaining international experience, applying for scholarships throughout her university career and developing authentic relationships with mentors.

“The people that I know that are the happiest and most successful now … didn’t just do their classes and get out,” Crawford told the audience. “That’s my message to you guys. No matter how nerdy it seems, go and figure out what you want to do and build your network, because that’s going to be the most valuable thing that you’re going to take out of your university experience.”

York U Professor Leah Vosko recognized with prestigious Impact Award (Insight Category)

research graphic

York University Professor Leah F. Vosko, of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, is being recognized for excellence in research by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). She is the recipient of the SSHRC’s prestigious Impact Award (Insight Category). The award was announced on Sept. 4.

Leah Vosko
Leah F. Vosko

“York is delighted that Professor Vosko, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender & Work at York University, has been awarded the SSHRC Impact Award,” said Interim Vice-President Research & Innovation Rui Wang. “She is Canada’s foremost expert on the complex national and global problem of precarious employment. Her leadership in this area has affected policy changes that have led to key societal benefits.”

“Professor Vosko’s achievement is a source of great pride for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies,” said Interim Dean JJ McMurtry. “Her research on precarious employment has expanded our understanding of the labour market in Canada, and we are thrilled to see her work is getting the recognition it deserves.”

Vosko,a full professor in the Department of Politics, is an internationally renowned social scientist. Having overseen numerous path-breaking research projects, her contributions to scholarly knowledge, networks and learning tools have made lasting impacts within academe and on public policy and make her most deserving of this award.

She has written numerous books, articles, book chapters and technical reports, as well as edited many scholarly volumes. She has been recognized with election to the Royal Society of Canada, a Fulbright Fellowship, the Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research, Tier 1 and 2 Canada Research Chair appointments and a Premier’s Research Excellence Award.

Vosko’s contributions to understanding the profound challenges of labour market insecurity cannot be overstated. She has made significant scholarly advancements by devising a now widely applied, nuanced conceptualization of precarious employment and creating novel approaches to its measurement and alleviation. Her insights demand that we re-examine how we understand and confer labour market membership, and her leadership of robust collaborations has resulted in concrete policy changes that have improved working life in Canada.

The annual Impact Awards recognize the highest achievements of outstanding researchers and research partners in the social sciences and humanities.  Vosko is York University’s first faculty member to receive SSHRC’s prestigious Impact Award in the Insight Category.

To read the announcement, see the SSHRC website.

Research partnership with local fire service results in award-winning innovations

Pictured from left to right: Beth Bell (IBM Canada, Vice President, Enterprise & Commercial Canada), Chief Deryn Rizzi (Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service), Professor Adriano O. Solis (York University) and Scott Thompson (CEO, Institute of Public Administration of Canada)]
Pictured from left to right: Beth Bell (IBM Canada, Vice President, Enterprise & Commercial Canada), Chief Deryn Rizzi (Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service), Professor Adriano O. Solis (York University) and Scott Thompson (CEO, Institute of Public Administration of Canada)]

A team from York University’s Advanced Disaster, Emergency & Rapid Response Simulation (ADERSIM), led by Professors Adriano O. Solis and Ali Asgary from the School of Administrative Studies, has made a lasting impact on the City of Vaughan’s Fire & Rescue Service (VFRS) and future city planning.

After receiving a grant from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs in 2017, the ADERSIM team built local and international partnerships for a project titled “Igniting Insight: Using GIS and Analytics in the Fire Service.”

Over the past two years, the project has brought together colleagues from VFRS, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, the University of Calabria and the University of Genoa to develop a modelling and simulation tool used to examine performances of fire and rescue services and provide solutions for optimum use of resources. Results from the simulation have led VFRS to better evaluate community risks and consider improvements in its operations. Using predictive analysis of, as well as simulating responses to, more than 10,000 emergency incidents annually, the results that are generated and assessed will help determine the placement and allocation of fire stations and resources.

For implementing these operational innovations, VFRS Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi was presented the Bronze Innovative Management Award at the 2019 Institute of Public Administration of Canada’s 71st annual conference, Public Sector Transformation: Action and Meaningful Change, in Winnipeg.

Pictured from left to right: Beth Bell (IBM Canada, vice-president, enterprise and commercial Canada), Chief Deryn Rizzi (Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service), Professor Adriano O. Solis (York University) and Scott Thompson (CEO, Institute of Public Administration of Canada)

Rizzi expressed gratitude for the vital contributions that professors Solis and Asgary have made through the partnership.

“The entire team deserves kudos for their professionalism and innovation in the pursuit of better outcomes. We are thankful for their efforts and look forward to their continued participation in future endeavours,” Rizzi said.

Solis was invited to join Rizzi in accepting the award on Aug. 20.

“Our active collaboration in this project exemplifies community engagement of York professors by way of relevant, applied research,” Solis said. “It has been truly delightful for both Professor Asgary and I to be able to apply our expertise in modelling and simulation in an effective and truly meaningful way.”

Watch this YouTube video to learn more about the Igniting Insight project.

NSERC Summer Undergraduate Research Conference a huge success

Six undergraduate students won awards at this year’s Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at York University.

The students in attendance came from various York departments, and a few even came from other postsecondary institutions, to work in labs across the University with York supervisors.

“Today, you will have the opportunity to highlight the work you did this summer as a research student,” said Alex Mills, associate dean of students, to the attendees. “Congratulations to you on completing what I hope was a rewarding summer full of learning and new opportunities. It will hopefully have given you a richer experience and a greater understanding of what you may want to do in the future.”

Out of 56 students, a dozen gave oral presentations about their research over the summer, while the rest gave poster presentations. A large team of graduate students volunteered to judge the presentations. Jennifer Steeves, associate dean of research and graduate education, and Donald Hastie, associate dean of faculty, presented the winners with their awards.

The research topics included seeing with sound, colon cancer cells, Type 2 diabetes, Lewis Acids, tracking environmental change in Iqallukvik Lake in the Northwest Territories, electron electric dipole moment determination and much more.

From left: Jennifer Steeves, associate dean of research and graduate education; winners of the oral competition Kevin Borsos, Ehsan Yavari and Seja Elgadi; and Donald Hastie, associate dean of faculty

The winners of the oral presentations are:

  • Gold – Kevin Borsos of the Department of Physics & Astronomy (supervisor: Professor Anantharaman Kumarakrishnan)
  • Silver – Ehsan Yavari (NSERC-URSA) of the Faculty of Health (supervisor: Professor Tara Haas)
  • Bronze – Seja Elgadi of the Department of Chemistry (supervisor: Professor Christopher Caputo)
From left: Jennifer Steeves, associate dean of research and graduate education; winners of the poster competition Nadar Allam, Ethan Brooks and Quinton Weyrich; and Donald Hastie, associate dean of faculty

The winners of the poster presentation are:

  • Gold – Nadar Allam of the Department of Physics & Astronomy (supervisors: professors Ozzy Mermut and Bill Pietro)
  • Silver – Ethan Brooks of the Department of Physics & Astronomy (supervisor: Professor Eric Hessels)
  • Bronze – Quinton Weyrich of the Department of Physics & Astronomy (supervisor: Professor Eric Hessels)

Participating students and supervisors came from: the Faculty of Science’s departments of Biology, Mathematics & Statistics, Chemistry, and Physics & Astronomy; the Faculty of Health’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science and Psychology; the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies’ Department of Geography; the Schulich School of Business; the Faculty of Environmental Studies; and Glendon.

Most of the students received an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (URSA), a Dean’s Undergraduate Research Award (DURA) or a York Science Scholar Award.

The DURA’s were funded through Bernadene Magnuson and Earle Nestmann, the Gérard Herbert Award and the Luise Herzberg Award for Women in Science.

See all the participants in the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference booklet.

Incoming students at McLaughlin College to participate in matriculation ceremony and common read

Students beginning their first year of studies at York University who are affiliated with McLaughlin College have two new events to look forward to in September: a matriculation ceremony and a common read.

The matriculation ceremony will solemnly welcome students to the college by asking them to write their names into the history of the college; the summer common read, which is already underway, is the first reading assignment students are invited to do as part of their university education. All incoming students at the college have been asked to read How to Succeed at University (and get a great job): Mastering the Critical Skills You Need for School, Work and Life, written by York University professors Thomas R. Klassen and John A. Dwyer. This well-known and highly acclaimed instructional book has been made available electronically free of charge to all students.

“We are undertaking a number of new initiatives at McLaughlin College to enhance our new students’ all-important first year experience,” said Professor James C. Simeon, head of McLaughlin College. “The college matriculation and common read are two proven high-impact post-secondary education practices followed by many colleges in North America and the rest of the world. We want all of our first-year students to not only be warmly welcomed when they first arrive at their college and York University, but to feel that they are very much a full member of our college community and our wider York University community.”

Simeon commended faculty members, including Klassen, for devoting their time to help first-year students make a smooth and successful transition to university.

Thomas Klassen

“Adjusting to the expectations, demands and rigours of university studies is never easy for a new student regardless of background or previous academic pursuit, whether at high school, community college, or other preparatory or transitional programs, in particular for our international students but also our mature students,” said Simeon. “Having such dedicated, devoted and active college Fellows such as Professor Klassen investing in the success of first-year students is what McLaughlin College is all about. Our students’ success is our success.”

Klassen is a longtime Fellow of McLaughlin College, a founding member of the School of Public Policy & Administration, and a noted authority on tertiary education and high-impact strategies for student learning, growth and development.

“I am looking forward to meeting with incoming McLaughlin College students on Sept. 4 and discussing how the insights from our book will help them throughout their first academic year to earn the best grades possible,” said Klassen.

The college will be holding more workshops based on their summer common read in October and in January and February of 2020.

For more information on the McLaughlin College matriculation and common read, visit the McLaughlin College website at mclaughlin.laps.yorku.ca.

See previous YFile stories on the book How to Succeed at University (and get a great job): Mastering the Critical Skills You Need for School, Work and Life:

School of Human Resource Management voted best in Canada for second year

York University’s School of Human Resource Management (HRM), in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, brought home all four Canadian HR Reporter Reader’s Choice Awards for best education in Canada for the second consecutive year. The School of HRM edged out competitive programs offered by other academic institutions, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto and Queen’s University.

In its fourth year, the 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards survey received more than 55,000 votes from human resource and business professionals in recognition of their preferred organizations across the country. Each York University HRM program that was nominated was selected as the winner in its respective category, including the PhD HRM program, the executive master’s program (MHRM), the bachelor’s degree programs (BHRM) and the certificate in HRM.

“Canadian HR Reporter is an indispensable guide to human resources,” said Professor Parbudyal Singh, newly appointed director of the School of HRM at York University. “Receiving continued recognition of this magnitude directly from peers, graduates, students and experts in the field across Canada helps to shine a light on the exceptional education offered at York University and it validates the commitment and hard work that our faculty and staff put into the school and our programs every day.”

With a clear vision, the school has positioned itself as the destination of choice for students pursuing human resource management in Canada and globally. Current MHRM student Donna Roberts said, “After researching master’s programs in human resource management in the U.K. and elsewhere, I decided to come to York University because of its reputation as a global leader in human resource management and the quality of its faculty. I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed.” Roberts is an international student from the U.K. and a business partner with British Airways.

“What sets us apart is our exceptional faculty,” said Professor David Doorey, former director of HRM. “Our students are learning to become future leaders in human resource management by discussing organizational behaviour, industrial psychology, industrial and labour relations, work law and labour policy.”

The School of HRM is Canada’s largest teaching institution dedicated to the broad field of human resource management, with more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 17 full-time faculty with diverse expertise that expose students to a wide range of ideas, disciplines, opinions and research methodologies.

Professor Eve Haque awarded Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at CUNY

A photo of an open book on a table
A photo of an open book on a table

York University Associate Professor Eve Haque has been awarded a Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at the Graduate School of the City University of New York’s (CUNY’s) Advanced Research Collaborative (ARC) for the Fall 2019 term.

Haque is an associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Her research and teaching interests include multiculturalism, white settler colonialism and language policy, with a focus on the regulation and representation of racialized im/migrants in white settler societies.

She has published in such journals as Social Identities, the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Canadian Ethnic Studies, among others. She is also the author of Multiculturalism Within a Bilingual Framework: Language, Race and Belonging in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2012).

As a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at CUNY, Haque will focus on the area of multilingualism, which – along with immigration, inequality, global cities and critical university studies – is one of the focus areas at ARC.

“The CUNY fellowship will allow me to continue to develop my research into language policy issues in particular, and issues related to the sociology of language more generally,” Haque said, adding that she’s keen to have the opportunity to compare, share and discuss current and developing Indigenous and non-official language policies and programs in the U.S. “This will give some insight into how we may tackle some of these questions here in Canada.”

As a Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Haque will further her research into language policy in Canada, with a focus on non-official languages and Indigenous languages.

“It is my hope that this research can give us insight into how language sits at the intersection of social and political relations,” she said. “I hope this work will have policy implications for linguistic justice in Canada and beyond.”

York University professor first Canadian to receive Bibliographical Society Gold Medal

Image announcing Awards

York University Professor James Carley has been awarded the Gold Medal by the Bibliographical Society, a U.K.-based organization that describes itself as the “senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history.”

James Carley

Carley is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). He is known for his expertise in medieval manuscripts and for his studies of royal, episcopal and aristocratic libraries in early modern Britain. He is the first Canadian to be awarded this medal.

Carley’s interpretations of historical texts have been described as being able to open a window on an entire landscape where other modes of historical inquiry fall short, according to nomination letters provided to the Bibliographical Society.

He is the author of more than 75 published articles and numerous books, including The Chronicle of Glastonbury (1985), The Books of King Henry VIII and his Wives (2004), and John Leland. De uiris illustribus: An Edition and Translation (2010).

Among his many honours and awards are the election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002. In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for services to scholarship in Canada and internationally, and the following year, the Pierre Chauveau Medal of the Royal Society of Canada for “distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities.” He has served on the Council of the Bibliographical Society of Canada.

From 2016 to 2017, Carley was the first Canadian to be elected as master of the Worshipful Company of Barbers, a livery company based in London, U.K. Originally devoted to the practice of medicine, the livery now focuses on education and charity work. During his one-year term as master, Carley was recognized for bringing more women and Canadians to speak at the livery’s meetings.

The presentation of the Bibliographical Society Gold Medal will take place on Jan. 21, 2020, at the Society of Antiquaries of London in the U.K.

Faculty of Science hosts Summer Undergraduate Research Conference, Aug. 20

The Faculty of Science is hosting its 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 20

The Faculty of Science is hosting its 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 20, highlighting the work of some of York University’s top students.

The Faculty of Science 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference takes place Aug. 20

Students will share their work at the conference through oral and poster presentations in the second-floor convention centre of the Second Student Centre. The York University community is welcome to attend the conference. Opening remarks will begin at 9 a.m., followed by oral presentations until noon. A poster session will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and the presentation of certificates and prizes will start at 3 p.m.

York students share their research

Most of the summer research students are from the Faculty of Science, but they also hail from the Faculty of Health, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, the Faculty of Environmental Studies, the Schulich School of Business and Glendon Campus.

“The conference is an incredible opportunity for students to actively learn through each other’s summer research presentations, while also practising science communication with peers and professionals,” said Jennifer Steeves, associate dean of research and graduate education in the Faculty of Science.

The majority of students at the conference received an Undergraduate Student Research Award from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada, a Dean’s Undergraduate Research Award from the Faculty of Science or a York Science Scholars Award to conduct summer research projects.

Passings: Margaret Beare

Margaret Beare

Remembered for her many contributions to Osgoode Hall Law School, the York University community is mourning the passing of Professor Margaret Beare, who died peacefully on Aug. 10.

Margaret Beare

Born in Markham, Ont., and raised on a farm near Agincourt, Ont., Beare was educated at Guelph University (BA ’68, MA ’71), Cambridge University in England (diploma in criminology, ’74) and Columbia University in New York (PhD ’87). Her career in transnational police policy and the study of organized crime began with her role as senior research officer in the Office of the Solicitor General, 1982-93. She joined the faculty of York University in the Sociology Department with a cross appointment to the Osgoode faculty in 1995. She was the founding director of the Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime & Corruption (now called the Jack & Mae Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime & Security) and remained a faculty member at York until her death.

“As we know, Margaret was a wonderful colleague and a dedicated scholar, who provided mentorship and guidance to a very large number of our graduate students who were attracted to Osgoode by her presence on the faculty,” said Osgoode Dean Mary Condon. “Among her many accomplishments, she was a major contributor to the work and the success of the Nathanson Centre at Osgoode. I know you will all join me in expressing our deepest sympathies to Margaret’s family and friends at this time.”

Beare is the author of Criminal Conspiracies: Organized Crime in Canada and numerous edited and co-authored books and articles on money laundering, international policing policy, gang violence and social justice. Her work involved extensive travel throughout Southeast Asia and South America. Her consultancy work as a leading authority on criminal activity was ongoing up until her last illness.

“Margaret was a valued member of the LA&PS community,” said J.J. McMurtry, interim dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). “We will always remember her immense contributions to the Department of Sociology and the York University community at large.”

When Beare wasn’t working or travelling, she was listening to Leonard Cohen, throwing dinner parties, walking Harley (the latest of several golden retrievers) or relaxing at her cabin on Chemong Lake.

She is survived by her daughter, Nhai Nguyen-Beare (Ryan Maleganeas) and her Peterborough sisters, Bernadine Dodge (James Driscoll) and Christine Kearsley (Robert Kearsley). She is also survived by her niece, Kathleen Burneau (Gus Burneau) of Toronto, and will be mourned by a host of friends around the world.