Schulich takes a strong lead as the race for the NSSE Cup heats up

From Feb. 10 to March 31, thousands of first- and fourth-year York University students are taking part in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), or “Nessie”. Through NSSE, they’ll be able to contribute their insight and have input into York University’s future direction.

To add an element of fun to the survey and to encourage participation in the survey, NSSE organizers at York University challenged the individual Faculties (except the Faculty of Education and Osgoode Hall Law School) to compete for the NSSE Champion Cup.

Survey results for week two

Faculty results published for the survey’s second week show that students in the Schulich School of Business continue to lead the challenge for the NSSE Champion Cup, with the Faculty of Environmental Studies making great strides during week two. (The NSSE Champion Cup was won in 2014 and 2017 by the Schulich School of Business.)

The Faculty with the highest participation rate will win the NSSE Champion Cup and bragging rights until the next survey.

The online survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, allows students in their first and final years of a four-year degree to offer their insight into what York University does well and what it could improve. It will be used to determine how much time and effort students put into educationally rewarding activities and to what degree York University facilitates this involvement.

Updates on the progress of the survey and the NSSE Champion Cup will be published every week in YFile.

CANCELLED: STS Seminar explores challenges and opportunities of social robotics and human-robot interaction

Artificial intelligence: A human hand shakes a robot hand

Editor’s note: On Feb. 25, YFile was notified that Professor Dautenhahn had to cancel her seminar due to illness. Organizers are working to establish a new time for this seminar.

University of Waterloo engineering Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn is the featured presenter for the next instalment of the 2019-20 Research Seminar Series in Science & Technology Studies (STS). Dautenhahn’s presentation is a special joint seminar between the STS Department and the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the Lassonde School of Engineering.

The seminar will take place on Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in room 320 (the Delaney Gallery) in the Bethune College Building at York University’s Keele Campus.

Kerstin Dautenhahn
Kerstin Dautenhahn

In her seminar titled “Challenges and Opportunities of Social Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction,” Dautenhahn will introduce the (relatively) new research fields of social robotics and human-robot interaction. Both fields have grown substantially over the past 20 years, not least due to the number of real-world applications where human-robot interaction is key to the success of robots. In these contexts, success is traditionally measured in terms of human-robot task performance. Most importantly, another important success metric looks at terms of trust towards and acceptance of robots as assistants, co-workers or companions. Relevant application areas cover robots as co-workers in office or manufacturing environments, care robots for older people, as well as companion and therapy robots for children with special needs. This presentation will also survey some research that Dautenhahn has been involved in over the past few years and will outline some challenges for future work.

Dautenhahn, an IEEE Fellow, is Canada 150 Research Chair in Intelligent Robotics at University of Waterloo in Ontario, where she founded the Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Laboratory. Before moving to Canada in 2018 she was professor of artificial intelligence at University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, where she founded and coordinated the Adaptive Systems Research Group. She has an interdisciplinary background in natural sciences, biology, cybernetics and artificial intelligence. Her key areas of research are human-robot interaction and social robotics. She has been involved  in studies aimed at better understanding how people perceive and interact with robots, inspired by models from psychology and ethology, as well as research investigating applications for assistive robots as therapeutic tools for children with autism, or as assistive companion robots for older people at home or in care.

Welcome to the February 2020 issue of Innovatus

Innovatus featured image
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt

Welcome to the February 2020 edition of Innovatus, a special issue of YFile that is devoted to teaching and learning innovation at York University. 

This month, I am delighted to partner with the Faculty of Science on this special faculty spotlight edition. Together, Dean Rui Wang and I have the pleasure to share with you many of the exciting endeavors that the Faculty has undertaken recently to enhance teaching and learning for science students. 

The Faculty is working to expand and refine its curriculum to offer students more choices when it comes to their learning at York University. Most recently, the Faculty of Science partnered with the Faculty of Health to create a new undergraduate Neuroscience program, which is now accepting students for fall 2020. 

Rui Wang
Rui Wang

Expanding experiential education opportunities has been a priority as well. Most recently, students in astronomy can dive deeper into their research and engagement with the community thanks to a new one-metre telescope. More broadly, the Faculty is also increasing the number of opportunities to access research experiences through things like summer research awards, field courses and research practicums. 

The Faculty is also working to improve its teaching and learning spaces, including modernized teaching labs and study spaces. For instance, the Department of Chemistry recently refreshed its chemistry course labs to include new technology and experiments. 

In addition, inspiring the community to engage in STEM is a major strategic focus for the Faculty of Science. Public events, camps and high school programming are among the many continued initiatives of the Faculty of Science and its departments. 

Featured in this edition of Innovatus:   

Faculties of Science and Health launch undergraduate Neuroscience program
Understanding the brain and nervous system to address neurological and mental health disorders is one of the most pressing scientific challenges of our time. That’s why the Faculties of Health and Science have joined forces to create an interdisciplinary undergraduate Neuroscience program at York University. The program gives students access to renowned researchers working in many different areas of neuroscience and prepares students for a number of academic and career options after graduation. Read more.

New telescope: Students see the planets, moons and stars in a whole new way
A new one-metre telescope was installed at the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University in August 2019, opening up a universe of opportunities for students to learn and dive deeper into their research about the night sky. Students also practice their science communication skills as they explain celestial objects to the public during Wednesday night viewings. Read more.

Developing students for the real world through experiential education
The Faculty of Science offers a plethora of experiential education opportunities for students to explore and experience the ideas they learn in the classroom. Students can apply for awards to conduct summer research projects and participate in a scientific conference at the end of summer to share their findings, and they can enroll a slew of field courses and practicum courses to take their learning and research experience to another level. Read more. 

Revolutionizing chemistry lab courses
Up until recently, Chemistry 1000 course labs were like walking into a time capsule. However, Chemistry Professor Derek Jackson spearheaded a makeover of the labs to bring in new technology and experiments to provide students with the experiences they really need to get the most out of their courses. Read more.

Solving real world problems through mathematical modelling
Members of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, including faculty and students, are on a mission to teach young students the real-world applications of math, with the hope that they can boost interest in math and entice students in high school to pursue math studies in university. And for some students, it has been life changing. Read more.

Innovatus is produced by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning in partnership with Communications & Public Affairs.

In closing, I extend a personal invitation to you to share your experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the Innovatus story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.

Sincerely,

Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt
Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning

Faculties of Science and Health launch undergraduate Neuroscience program

Digital medical illustration: Lateral (side) x-ray view (orthogonal) of human brain with blood vessels.

A brain or nervous system illness or injury, including Alzheimer’s, autism, addiction, anxiety, depression, dementia, Parkinson’s and spinal injury, will affect one in three Canadians in their lifetime. As such, understanding the brain and nervous system to address neurological and mental health disorders is one of the most pressing scientific challenges of our time. 

The new program gives students access to renowned researchers in the Faculties of Science and Health. The program has a focus on experiential education and was developed through a collaborative effort involving the faculties.

That’s why the Faculties of Health and Science have joined forces to create an interdisciplinary undergraduate Neuroscience program at York University.  

Former Associate Dean of Students Alex Mills (Faculty of Science) and Associate Dean of Learning, Teaching, and Academic programs Susan Murtha (Faculty of Health) worked collaboratively with Chairs, undergraduate program directors, faculty members with expertise in neuroscience, and educational developers in the Teaching Commons to build a program that is offered by two departments, one school, and two faculties.   

The program gives students access to renowned researchers working in many different areas of neuroscience. And the program’s small size encourages collaboration among students, faculty members and community partners as they investigate the development, structure and function of the nervous system including the ways it can change. 

Denise Henriques
Denise Henriques

Professor Denise Henriques, a neuroscientist whose home program is the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health, has been selected as the program’s inaugural coordinator.  

“My colleagues and I are excited to share our innovative research programs and expertise with undergraduates who share our fascination with how the brain works, said Henriques. 

After graduation, students will be prepared for a number of academic and career options, such as medical school, graduate school in the neuroscience field, and for a multitude of careers in clinical research, analytical laboratory work, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, science advocacy and science communications. 

The Neuroscience program has several unique features,” says Michael Scheid, current associate dean of students in the Faculty of Science. Based on their interests, students can choose one of three entry pathways by selecting biology, kinesiology and health science, or psychology as their home program. Then, the adventure begins with a solid science curriculum in first year, including the keystone course Frontiers of Neuroscience.”  

Each year then builds on the successes of the prior year building neuroscience knowledge and research skills. Murtha explains that “following this foundation, students delve deeper into neuroscience fields by choosing courses from three streams: cellular/molecular, cognitive/behavioural, or systems neuroscience. Students then put it all together with a stimulating research-based capstone course in fourth year. 

The capstone course will involve students either conducting an individual research project or participating in a team-based research project that has direct relevance to current research in neuroscience. There are more than 20 core neuroscience researchers who will be able to supervise these students covering a myriad of topics that involve how the brain uses sensory information to form and store knowledge and plan action, and the factors that can contribute to brain development and malfunction. 

Throughout the program, students will be immersed in experiential education. The program emphasizes hands-on learning and uses methods of assessment that match these experiences, such as interviews, case-studies/simulations, team critical reflections and the capstone project.  

The program is currently recruiting and accepting students for Fall 2020. Only students applying directly from high school can be considered at this time. However, once all the new courses are fully launched, the program will be able to grow and consider applications from all students who qualify.  

Solving real-world problems through mathematical modelling

Teaching young students how math applies to the real world can not only boost their interest in math in elementary or secondary school, but may entice them to pursue the subject in university. 

Associate Professor Hongmei Zhu of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the Faculty of Science is on a mission to teach students the real-world applications of math. It’s a challenge she and several of her colleagues have taken on after noticing a gap. They’ve reached out to schools in the community to make a difference. 

Many elementary and secondary teachers don’t teach computational modelling problems to their students in part because they aren’t familiar with it. “They also don’t always realize how it helps students gain critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills and teamwork skills,” said Zhu 

Professor Hongmei Zhu and her team

This is where Zhu and her team, including fellow colleagues and graduate students, can better prepare teachers by holding workshops specifically for them. It gives them the tools and understanding to teach these types of math problems to their own students. They also gain awareness of how computational modelling can foster engagement in, and an appreciation for, math.  

“We want to help increase math literacy for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 so they can think critically and solve new real-world challenges innovatively in the future,” says Zhu. “Math is a language and it provides a set of tools. It is not abstract. It’s very relevant and constantly evolving because we need to create more math tools to solve new real-world problems.” 

Students often complain they don’t see how math relates to the real world, but after using math to answer questions like “out of all the hospitals within commuting distance, how do you know which provides the best non-emergency care? they can better see how it can be applied beyond the classroom. 

Since 2016, Zhu and her team have held the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2C) for Ontario high school students. By 2018, with the help of a $25,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant, 22 teams participated of which 13 successfully finished, including one from British Columbia.  

In addition, Zhu and her team hold March Break and summer camps, and a Science Odyssey event focused on fractals. For some students, it has been life changing. After the camps, they have gone on to pursue math biology or applied math at university, surprised by how interesting math can be.  

New telescope: Students see the planets, moons and stars in a whole new way

Prof Paul Delaney with the new telescope at York University
Prof Paul Delaney with the new telescope at York University

The double domes of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University have been in existence since 1968 and are two of the few, original metal domes left in the country. But what matters more is what’s housed inside of them.  

In August 2019, some 4,400 pounds of equipment (slightly less than a white rhinoceros) was hoisted high into the air and then carefully lowered through the gaping mouth of the most easterly dome. That equipment, assembled onsite, is now the new one-metre telescope, replacing the Faculty of Science’s former 40-cm telescope. 

In August 2019, some 4,400 pounds of equipment (slightly less than a white rhinoceros) was hoisted high into the air and then carefully lowered through the gaping mouth of the most easterly dome.
In August 2019, some 4,400 pounds of equipment (slightly less than a white rhinoceros) was hoisted high into the air and then carefully lowered through the gaping mouth of the most easterly dome of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University

And with it comes a universe of opportunity. Students can spend more time learning about the night skies and the mysteries of the cosmos, and less time searching for their object of study. Unlike with the previous telescope, with the new one, it takes minutes to plug in coordinates and direct it to a specific target. This provides students with a deeper experiential learning experience.  

Professor Paul Delaney with the new telescope
Professor Paul Delaney with the new telescope, which is now situated in the Allan I. Carswell Observatory

“This state-of-the-art, one-metre reflecting telescope will offer students unprecedented opportunities to explore and understand the night sky for their classes and research,” said physics and astronomy Professor Paul Delaney, the Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy. 

The telescope also comes with top-notch technology, such as charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras, which maximizes the resolution and exposure times. Computer software processes and cleans up the images to reveal startling details, such as dust lanes and spiral arms. It also boasts a light collecting capacity of about six times more than the previous telescope. That translates into the ability to see more intimate details and a deeper dive into the universe and gives students experience with the latest in telescope and astrophotography technology. 

Already, they have snapped dozens of photos of distant objects, such as the M76 nebula, also known as the little dumbbell nebula for its shape. 

“Collecting more light allows us to see fainter objects,” said Delaney. “From the students’ perspective, who are taking our astronomy classes, we’re going to be able to give them more interesting projects and they’ll be able to look more deeply and with more significance at objects in our galaxy and well beyond our milky way to distant galaxies.” 

An image of the M76 Nebula taken by the new telescope at York University
An image of the M76 Nebula taken by the new telescope at York University

Students can also get experiential education as they explain the celestial objects to the public during Wednesday viewing nights. About 5,000 people from the community walk through the observatory doors annually. The public also benefits from the more technologically advanced telescope as they are now seeing objects in greater detail, such as Jupiter’s red spot.  

Thousands more join the observatory team Monday nights for the student- and faculty-hosted radio show “YorkUniverse” on astronomy.fm, where the public, from around the globe, can ask for the telescope to be pointed at a particular celestial target.  

We can now show them things we haven’t been able to show them before,” said Delaney.  

Developing students for the real world through experiential education

DURA recipient Ellahe Fatehi conducting summer research in 2019
DURA recipient Ellahe Fatehi conducting summer research in 2019

Whether it’s growing E. coli cells in a petri dish for scientific experiment, conducting field work on marshes, or participating in a science outreach project in the community, the Faculty of Science offers students an array of experiential education (EE) opportunities.  

An undergraduate field course at the University of California Rancho Marino Reserve offers Faculty of Science students a real-world experience
An undergraduate field course at the University of California Rancho Marino Reserve offers Faculty of Science undergraduate students a real-world experience in collecting specimens and research data

“Experiential education is about exploring and experiencing the ideas learned in class through concrete experiences – which could be in the classroom or lab, at an organization or company, or in the community,” said Michael Scheid, associate dean of students in the Faculty of Science. “It leads to deeper learning and better preparation for life after graduation, including the job market.  

As a major hub of scientific research, the Faculty of Science provides a wide variety of research opportunities for our undergraduate students. These opportunities allow students to learn advanced lab skills, use equipment that they would not typically use in an undergraduate lab, interact with graduate students, learn in-depth in a particular field, and actually contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge.  

For instance, for the last three years, the Faculty of Science has offered Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards (DURAs) to top students to gain hands-on research experience in a York University research lab. DURAs are 16-week paid summer positions. These positions give more students exposure to what frontline research really involves and help them learn new skills and make informed choices about their career paths. 

DURA recipient Ellahe Fatehi conducting summer research in 2019
DURA recipient Ellahe Fatehi conducting summer research in 2019

These same students are invited to present their research either orally or through a poster at the annual Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Summer Undergraduate Research Conference, alongside NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award students and York Science Scholar Award winners. All these students learn how to explain their research to those not involved in the research – a valuable skill they can continue to draw upon throughout their studies and beyond their degrees. 

“The event is an excellent opportunity for students to present their summer research projects, practice science communication, and meet and learn from other students,” said Jennifer Steeves, associate dean of research and graduate education in the Faculty of Science. 

Students take part in a field course at the Kortright Conservation Centre
Students take part in an off-campus field course at the Kortright Conservation Authority

The Faculty of Science also offers field courses where students learn science outside of lecture halls and indoor laboratories, sometimes as far away as China, Africa or South America. Field courses are a vital part of today’s university learning. One summer offering as a course shared between the Department of Biology and the Department of Geography relies on off-campus field experiences at the Kortright Conservation Authority, where students put their research skills to use measuring soil infiltration rates or studying marshes and watershed management. 

“Over the years, we have worked hard to provide field course options that are affordable, accessible and inclusive for all students seeking to experience ecology and environmental science field research,” says Faculty of Science Professor Dawn Bazely.  

There are also opportunities for students to participate in field courses outside of York University. The Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) is a consortium of 15 Ontario universities, including York University, that have collaborated for 30 years by sharing enrollment places on the field courses offered by different universities. In this way, students at one university have access to 25 to 30 field courses each year at diverse locations, each offering an authentic field research experience. 

Faculty of Science undergraduate students have many opportunities to participate in research conferences
Faculty of Science undergraduate students have many opportunities to participate in research conferences

In addition, the Departments of Biology and Chemistry offer undergraduate students the opportunity to complete non-credit, pass/fail research practicum courses to obtain practical experience in a lab or in the field. Students arrange with a faculty member to participate in their research and complete a student-supervisor agreement that outlines the tasks and expectations. Students in these courses learn current research techniques and use these techniques to make a meaningful contribution to the supervisor’s research program. The opportunities are meant to enrich and stretch beyond what is available in other courses. 

Revolutionizing chemistry lab courses

A student conducts research in one of the science labs
A student conducts research in one of the science labs

Until recently, the state of the Chemistry 1000 course labs were like walking into a time capsule, badly in need of a modern touch. Students worked in archaic, old school spaces.  

“It was like walking into a lab that was set up 50 years ago,” says Chemistry Professor Derek Jackson in the Faculty of Science. “Not only was it staid, it wasn’t fun.” He wondered how he could better prepare students for their future and do it in an interesting way.  

Derek Jackson
Derek Jackson

Jackson is passionate about not only teaching, but also providing students with the tools and experiences they need to get the most out of their courses. He lobbied hard and got a redo of the labs. Gone are the irrelevant experiments and endless graph plotting and drawing, and the calculations.  

With much help from Chemistry Professor Hovig Kouyoumdjian, Jackson ushered in new equipment, about 50 LabQuest instruments, one for every two to three students, instead of the thermometers they were using until then. The LabQuests do the graphing and calculating.  

Hovig Kouyoumdjian
Hovig Kouyoumdjian

It may sound counter-intuitive,” says Jackson, “but I want students to spend their time predicting outcomes and analyzing data. That’s where the real benefit comes in. 

Through the technology, they can import their data and the lab tutor can pull that same data up on a television screen, which allows them to see if an experiment is going wrong before the students hand in their work. The advantage is that the students can understand where they have gone wrong and learn how to do it properly before leaving the lab. In addition, the lab tutor can show every student’s ongoing lab results on the screen simultaneously, which gives them another teaching tool to help explain what is happening or not with the experiments. 

Jackson also changed up what experiments students perform. Now they dissolve in acid aluminum foil and magnesium to see which is more reactive, for instance. 

As one lab director put it: “It’s revolutionary what he did for the labs and students.”  

And Jackson has big ideas about organic chemistry labs as well. 

New global one health network project will tackle infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance

two images of the earth taken from space

Researchers at York University are co-leading a transdiciplinary project that is focused on establishing Canada as a leader in global governance of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Mary Wiktorowicz
Mary Wiktorowicz

Mary Wiktorowicz and Sean Hillier of York University have been awarded $2 million by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to support the development of the “One Health Network for the Global Governance of Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance (GGRID)” for four years. The project is co-led by York University and the University of Ottawa.

The grant will support building and sustaining a transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral One Health Network originating in Canada and extending globally, complementing and closely integrated with related European efforts.

“We will be successful if we can develop transdisciplinary approaches to global governance, which is only possible by building transdisciplinary teams,” says Hillier, an assistant professor in the School of Health Policy & Management and special adviser to the Dean on Indigenous Resurgence in the Faculty of Health at York University.

Sean Hillier

The teams will consist of researchers and knowledge users with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including the social sciences and the human, animal and environmental health sciences. They include Co-Investigator Dr. James Orbinski, a medical doctor, humanitarian practitioner, and the director of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, as well as the York Research Chair in Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Science Professor Huaiping Zhu, who will support the mathematical modeling involved in the project.

York University will take leadership in research on global governance of antimicrobial resistance, one of the leading global health challenges of the 21st century. Much of the progress in human health of the last 100 years threatens to come undone as antibiotics become less effective.

Wiktorowicz, professor of Global Health Governance and Policy and an executive committee member of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, reinforces the need for networked approaches.

“As the causes of antimicrobial resistance are complex,” she says, “our strategies to address it need to foster intersectoral policy coordination on a global scale to improve stewardship of this precious resource.”

Schulich dominates the first week of the NSSE survey

From Feb. 10 to March 31, thousands of first- and fourth-year York University students are taking part in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), or “Nessie”. Through NSSE, they’ll be able to contribute their insight and have input into York University’s future direction.

To add an element of fun to the survey and to encourage participation in the survey, NSSE organizers at York University challenged the individual Faculties (except the Faculty of Education and Osgoode Hall Law School) to compete for the NSSE Cup.

Faculty results published for the survey’s first week shows that students in the Schulich School of Business are leading the challenge, with the Faculties of Environmental Studies and Science in second and third place. (The NSSE Champion Cup was won in 2014 and 2017 by the Schulich School of Business.)

Above: A graph shows the progress of the NSSE Survey. The Champion Cup standings show the Schulich School of Business in first, the Faculty of Environmental Studies in second place and the Faculty of Science in third place

The Faculty with the highest participation rate will win the NSSE Champion Cup and bragging rights until the next survey.

The online survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, allows students in their first and final years of a four-year degree to offer their insight into what York University does well and what it could improve. It will be used to determine how much time and effort students put into educationally rewarding activities and to what degree York University facilitates this involvement.

Updates on the progress of the survey and the NSSE Champion Cup will be published every Monday in YFile.