Government invests $3M in York partnership supporting Black-led organizations
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The Government of Canada has announced an investment of close to $3 million for the Black Creek Community Health Centre (BCCHC) and the Black Creek Community Farm, in partnership with York University’s Innovation York’s YSpace, Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC), and TD-Community Engagement Centre, to support Black-Canadian entrepreneurs and businesses in Humber River-Black Creek. The funding comes as part of the federal government’s first-ever Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) – an investment of more than $400-million to support the long-term success of Black entrepreneurs and business owners in Canada.
Black-Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs make important contributions to the Canadian economy, yet they continue to face systemic racism and obstacles in starting and growing their businesses. This has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada is working to address long-standing barriers through the BEP.
Judy A. Sgro, member of parliament for Humber River-Black Creek on behalf of Mary Ng, minister of small business, export promotion and international trade, made the announcement Aug. 12. The funding will be delivered through the National Ecosystem Fund in North York, which was created to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs and business owners across Canada. In Southern Ontario, FedDev is administering the fund.
With the recommended funding of $2,999,431, BCCHC in partnership with York University, will launch an agri-food program called the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA), offering a full spectrum of education, mentorship and acceleration supports to Black entrepreneurs seeking to establish or grow agri-food businesses. Building off the success of the YSpace food and beverage accelerator, SEEC’s internationally renowned leadership curriculum, and TD-CEC’s continued commitment to community engagement, BEA will support more than 350 entrepreneurs over the course of the next three years. A graduate of the YSpace program, It’s Souper – an Afro-fusion gourmet soup and sauce line founded by Lola Adeyemi in 2018 – is an example of the type of entrepreneur the program will support.
“Today was a fantastic event that will offer great opportunities to through Black Creek Community Health Centre, and York University. It was also wonderful to meet the founder of It’s Souper, Lola Adeyemi. I’m excited to the potential and impacts this funding will provide for everyone involved,” said Sgro during the announcement.
“The Black Entrepreneurship Alliance will build on the Black Creek Community Health Centre’s leadership within the Black Creek community – as well as York’s historic strengths in business, innovation, and entrepreneurship – to provide educational support and training to Black entrepreneurs,” said Amir Asif, York’s vice-president research and innovation. “We look forward to continuing our long history of partnership with the Black Creek Community Health Centre in providing increased access to education and opportunities for members of the Black Creek community – and creating a fairer, more equitable and more prosperous city.”
About the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP)
The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, post-secondary or other accredited educational institutions and financial institutions.
Canada’s Regional Development Agencies deliver the BEP’s National Ecosystem Fund, and work with selected partner organizations to assist them in implementing their services.
up to $53 million for the National Ecosystem Fund to support Black-led business organizations across the country. It will help Black business owners and entrepreneurs access funding and capital and provide them with mentorship, financial planning services and business training. An additional $51.7 million for the BEP was provided in Budget 2021.
up to $291.3 million in support through the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, which will provide loans of up to $250,000 for Black business owners and entrepreneurs.
Up to $6.5 million for the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, which will conduct qualitative and quantitative research and collect data on the state of Black entrepreneurship in Canada and help identify Black entrepreneurs’ barriers to success as well as opportunities for growth.
Canada’s regional development agencies are on the ground helping businesses weather the effects of the pandemic. With the measures recently proposed in Budget 2021, FedDev Ontario continues to be a trusted partner to deliver targeted support in Southern Ontario
Fighting pollution with nature’s tools and faith in interdisciplinary solutions: Professor Satinder Kaur Brar
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York University Professor Satinder Kaur Brar has been passionate about chemistry since her first exposure to the subject during her high school days in India, but it wasn’t until her master’s studies at the National Chemistry Lab in Pune that she had an “A-ha” experience that significantly altered her career path.
While earning her master’s in organic chemistry, Brar was doing research in synthetic organic chemistry and was being co-supervised by a senior PhD supervising on reducing side reactions.
“The work involved used a lot of solvent. We recovered it and used 80 per cent of it for two cycles, but then it was down the drain. I asked about the volume in litres of these carcinogenic solvents that we were discarding and the co-supervising PhD had never done the calculations – there was no consideration for the environment,” said Brar, the new James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York.
“Up to that point, I had planned to do a PhD in organic chemistry, but I decided that I didn’t want to go into a field where I was contributing to contaminating the environment.”
Satinder Kaur Brar
Instead, Brar decided to do an MSc in environmental engineering “to see how I could help solve these challenges.” She studied at the prestigious India Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai, where she was introduced to micro-organisms and “fell in love.” Her fascination with micro-organisms led to a position with the Government of India where she created a database of the contamination caused by testing explosives and explored phyto-remediation using microorganisms found in the roots of trees and plants.
While involved in this work, Brar found that much of the literature published originated from Defence Research and Development Canada in Valcartier, Que. Since she was planning to pursue a PhD, she decided to come to Canada to study. Brar travelled to Vancouver, B.C., to stay with cousins and apply to universities and chose to study in Quebec City, Que. based on the prominence of work by a research group there. She took a crash course in French before the semester began and journeyed east to earn a PhD in biochemical engineering and continue her work with micro-organisms.
After graduation, she began a post-doctoral fellowship at McGill University, but the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) soon tempted her to return to Quebec City as a faculty member. She remained there for 14 years until York lured her east to serve as the James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering.
“I was already a professor, so it was a good time to make a change,” Brar said.
She joined York in 2019, but with the challenge of moving her lab, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Brar hasn’t yet spent much time on campus. She hopes that will change this fall as Ontario begins emerging from lockdown and she is excited to be in Toronto.
“Here, in Toronto, I have access to a large network of academics and industry,” Brar said. “There’s lots of action and dynamism, especially from an environmental perspective.”
Brar is especially eager for the interdisciplinary opportunities offered by being at such a large, comprehensive university as York.
“Environmental challenges are complex and need interdisciplinary action to make them work,” she said. “York provides the kind of environment where I can interact with social scientists, policy experts and marketing people and ensure that research is promoted to the end user.”
Brar is full of enthusiasm for her research and teaching. She is currently immersed in the bioremediation of sites contaminated by petroleum, using enzymes to restore them to health.
“This is a biochemical solution for emergencies,” she said. “We’re using enzymes instead of micro-organisms, because micro-organisms need nutrition to do their job, while enzymes simply need to be formulated. They offer ease of application and are more effective.”
One of her graduate students has just discovered enzymes that are active at core temperatures, and they hope to journey to northern Canada to test them in harsh conditions. In addition, Brar is planning to teach an Introduction to Environmental Engineering course at York’s Las Nubes Eco Campus in Costa Rica next summer, where she hopes to get students involved in some field experiments related to composting, residues management and pineapple cultivation agro-residues value-addition.
Brar says that for students, choosing an institution that will promote their interests and their curiosity is essential.
She also encourages students to be well-rounded, looking beyond their narrow field of specialty to get a broader picture of the world.
“Liberal arts should be part of engineering,” she said. “You can’t be creative just by studying engineering. You need to take courses outside, and a university like York has such breadth, it should be possible.
“It’s important for faculty members, too. Our vice-president of innovation has launched an interdisciplinary cluster network to promote collaboration between faculties. We have all these faculties with excellent researchers and we need to stimulate collaboration, because it’s important. It’s the future. As a force, together we can make an impact.”
Brar has already put her words into action. In June 2021, she was a recipient of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s coveted CREATE (Collaborative Research and Training Experience) award. Her proposal, which also included colleagues from the Faculty of Science, received over $1.6 million to collaborate with industry and communities to convert organic waste into products that are more valuable, reduce our carbon footprint and create a circular bioeconomy. One of the goals of this proposal is also to train a future-ready workforce, be they undergraduates or post-doctoral Fellows.
“Brar is representative of the top global talent working on impactful global solutions York continues to attract,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “Her bioremediation research work to recover sites contaminated by petroleum is an example of York’s commitment to environmental sustainability, in particular, the UN Climate Action Sustainable Development Goal.”
She is also well respected at the Lassonde School of Engineering.
“A dedicated research leader in environmental engineering, Brar inspires a deep commitment to environmental stewardship in graduates and colleagues through her important contributions to interdisciplinary teaching and research in sustainable development for climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Professor John E. Moores, Lassonde’s associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies.
By Elaine Smith, special contributor
Faculty members are invited to share information about global engagement activities – education/learning, research or service –with Skandha Sunderasen at York International, skandha@yorku.ca.
New vaccine requirement at York University
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The following is a message to the York University community from President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton:
La version française suit la version anglaise.
Dear York Community,
The health and safety of our community members remains our highest priority, and we continue to advance multiple strategies and initiatives to protect our students, staff, faculty, instructors and researchers from COVID-19.
At yesterday’s town hall, we discussed the University’s plans to support a safe return to campus, and our support for the Council of Ontario Universities’ call on the provincial government to declare a provincial vaccine mandate for post-secondary institutions and a COVID Safe Pass vaccine verification process.
After consultations with stakeholders across the University, including student and employee groups, York will require all community members and visitors on our campuses this fall to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to medical and human rights exemptions, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Vaccination is the most powerful tool we have to protect ourselves and our communities from COVID-19. To ensure that vaccines remain accessible to our community members, York will continue to partner with Humber River Hospital to host vaccine clinics on the Keele Campus throughout August and September.
I want to thank all of our community members for continuing to do their part to protect themselves and others throughout the pandemic and look forward to sharing more details with you about this update in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Lenton President and Vice-Chancellor
Nouvelle obligation de vaccination à l’Université York
Chère communauté de York,
La santé et la sécurité des membres de notre communauté demeurent notre priorité, et nous continuons d’adopter de multiples stratégies et initiatives pour protéger contre la COVID-19 la population étudiante, le personnel, le corps professoral et enseignant ainsi que la communauté de recherche.
Lors de la discussion communautaire d’hier, nous avons présenté le plan de l’Université pour assurer un retour sécuritaire sur nos campus. Nous avons également joint notre voix au Conseil des universités de l’Ontario qui demande au gouvernement fédéral de rendre la vaccination obligatoire au sein de toutes les institutions d’enseignement postsecondaire, accompagnée d’un système de vérification des passeports vaccinaux.
Après avoir consulté divers intervenants au sein de notre Université, dont des membres de la population étudiante et du personnel, York imposera la vaccination contre la COVID-19 dès cet automne pour tout membre de la communauté ou visiteur qui souhaite se rendre sur nos campus, sous réserve d’exemptions pour des raisons médicales ou des droits de la personne, selon les lois et règlements applicables.
La vaccination est l’arme la plus efficace en notre possession pour nous protéger, nous-mêmes et notre communauté, contre la COVID-19. Pour assurer que les vaccins soient disponibles à la communauté, York continuera de collaborer avec l’hôpital Humber River pour accueillir des cliniques de vaccination sur le campus Keele en août et septembre.
Nous vous rappelons que les dernières mises à jour eu égard au retour sur les campus ainsi qu’une foire aux questions se trouvent sur notre site web Better Together.
Je tiens à remercier toute notre communauté, dont les membres agissent pour rester en santé et protéger les autres depuis le début de cette pandémie, et je vous enverrai plus de détail sur cette nouvelle obligation dans les prochains jours.
Cordialement,
Rhonda Lenton Présidente et vice-chancelière
Funding supports York project to advance gender equality in pandemic recovery
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A project out of York University that will advance gender equality in the social and economic response to COVID-19 is one of 237 projects to receive funding under Women and Gender Equality Canada’s $100-million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund.
“Creating Space: Precarious Status Women Leading Local Pandemic Responses” is a collaborative, two-year project that brings together five organized research units (ORUs) and six researchers representing five York Faculties, as well as 10 partners, working on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion to advance a feminist response to the impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change.
The project was awarded $667,609 and aims to centre precarious status women’s experiences to support self-determination and accelerate systemic change to reduce gender-based violence, promote workplace health and safety and increase economic security.
Associate Vice-President Research Jennifer Hyndman says the successful application was made possible through a groundbreaking collaborative effort. “Such collaboration across Faculties, schools, and disciplinary boundaries is unprecedented among the ORUs at York,” she said.
The community-based project will be led by Professor Luann Good Gingrich (director, Global Labour Research Centre; Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) and Professor Heidi Matthews (Osgoode Hall Law School), the project’s co-principal investigators, along with five research directors: Professor Angele Alook (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies); Professor Elaine Coburn (director, Centre for Feminist Research; International Studies at Glendon Campus); Professor Deborah McGregor (director, Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages; Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Justice; Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change/Osgoode Hall Law School); Professor Gertrude Mianda (director, Harriet Tubman Institute; Gender & Women’s Studies at Glendon Campus); and Professor Yu-Zhi Joel Ong (director, Sensorium: Centre for Digital Art & Technology; School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design).
“Our project will take advantage of this unprecedented moment of significant appetite for new ways of thinking and living together that are more just and sustainable,” said Matthews. “As devastating as the pandemic has been for women and gender-diverse individuals, particularly those from Indigenous nations and racialized communities, it has also pried open space to dismantle the otherwise rigid status quo structures that work to marginalize these groups.”
The ORUs supporting the project include (top to bottom, left to right): The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diaspora; the Jack & Maie Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security; the Sensorium Centre for Digital Arts and Technology; the Global Labour Research Centre; and the Centre for Feminist Research
The multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in labour, digital arts, international law and human rights, Indigenous legal traditions and knowledges, feminist and Indigenous methodologies, and migration and Black diaspora studies.
“We are committed to a collaborative approach that emphasizes relationships and mutual learning, and opening space for creativity and innovation to reimagine the legal and economic systems that create status insecurity for many women in Canada,” said Good Gingrich.
Funding for this project highlights York’s efforts in working to support gender equality during the COVID-19 recovery. Sara Slinn, associate dean research and institutional relations at Osgoode Hall Law School, said “Osgoode is very proud to be involved in this timely and important project.”
LA&PS associate dean research and graduate studies, Ravi de Costa, said the grant is a testament to the strength of social science and humanities research at York – not only in LA&PS, but across the University. He commended Good Gingrich and Matthews for putting together a “superb” group of researchers from five faculties.
“The research they will do in this project will provide a critical and largely missing understanding of the effects of the pandemic on some of the most marginalized members of society.”
The project will:
design collective, autonomy-focused, and locally rooted strategies to address economic insecurity, frontline workplace safety and systemic gender-based violence
launch a new human rights initiative to devise innovative legal arguments that disrupt dominant legal paradigms by supporting Indigenous-led self-determination
create a participatory, experimental multimedia digital framework to shift the public conversation and accelerate systemic change around gender and status precarity.
Good Gingrich and Matthews say they anticipate cross-Canada impact. Researchers and graduate students contributing to the project will work with partner organizations to build capacity and support mutual knowledge exchange. This work will shape transformative policy, innovative and critical strategies for legal intervention, and change the conversation on a national level.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Dec. 1, 2021.
Announcing the winners of the 2020 President’s Staff Recognition Awards
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The York University Staff Recognition Awards are an opportunity to join President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton in acknowledging staff members who have gone above and beyond over the past year to support the success and well-being of the York community and advance the University’s vision, mission and values.
Rhonda L. Lenton
“The pandemic has shown us what is possible when we come together in support of our students and the communities we serve,” said Lenton. “Over the past year, staff members from across the University have stepped up to demonstrate their passion, dedication and commitment to one another and the world around us in a myriad of ways. The nominees and winners of this year’s Staff Recognition Awards have gone to extraordinary lengths to help us fulfill our mission of providing a broad demographic of students with access to a high-quality, research-intensive learning environment committed to the public good, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to recognize their significant contributions to the York community.”
The winners of this year’s Staff Recognition Awards will be honoured at an event at a later date.
This year’s recipients and nominees are:
Gary Brewer Award
This award is presented annually to a non-academic employee of York University who has shown tremendous promise for assuming a leadership role at the University, is known for their innovative and meaningful contributions to the effectiveness of their unit and has significantly contributed to the University’s commitment to excellence. The award recognizes and encourages early-career professionals who have demonstrated significant promise of leadership in their career.
Winner: Almey Tse Soriano, graduate studies manager, Lassonde School of Engineering
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Anda Petro, experiential education coordinator, Office of Student & Academic Services
David Kwok, associate director, Entrepreneurship, Innovation York
Daniel Becker, educational designer and developer, Information Technology Services, Faculty of Education
Melissa Falotico, program and administrative assistant (floater), Operations, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Deborah Hobson York Citizenship Award
This award recognizes employees who have demonstrated a high level of service to students and who promote York’s spirit in terms of creativity, innovation and redefining the possible in service to the University community.
Winner: James Robertson, writing centre coordinator, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Mavis Griffin, undergraduate program assistant, Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Susy Ribeiro, advising coordinator, Academic Services, Faculty of Science
Savinder Saraf, administrative coordinator, Department of Communication & Media Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Phyllis Clark Campus Service Award
This award is presented annually to a non-academic employee of York University who has made exemplary contributions to the operations of either of York’s campuses in terms of efficiency, cleanliness, safety, security and/or other campus or plant services.
Winner: Jonathan Cevallos, facilities manager, Faculty of Science, Office of the Dean
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Mary Rizzo, administrative and program coordinator, Accounting Specialization, Schulich School of Business
The Voice of York Award is given to an individual who is a first line-of-contact person at York University. The most important voice of York is the one who makes the first contact with a visitor or a community member. Compassion and professionalism, particularly in handling difficult or sensitive situations, is essential to our work at York University.
Winner: Jennifer Malisani, undergraduate administrative assistant, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Kuowei Lee, graduate program assistant, Department of Cinema & Media Arts, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Mary Lynn Belmonte, administrative assistant, Teaching Commons
Mary Bettio, assistant director, Client Relations, Registrarial Services
Frances Sanna, undergraduate program secretary, School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
The President’s Leadership Award
The President’s Leadership Award recognizes contributions that go beyond the published requirements of a position and performance levels that foster a high level of professionalism and usually extend beyond an individual department into the University community at large.
Winner: Annette Boodram, equity, diversity and inclusion officer, Office of the Vice-President Equity, People & Culture
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Brad Sheeller, director, Safety and Business Operations, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science
Jennifer Ankrett, executive director, Strategy & Administration, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Sanish Samuel, comptroller, Department of Finance
Matthew Murray, manager, Resources and Planning, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health
Harriet Lewis Team Award for Service Excellence
This award recognizes a team’s excellence in service and support to students, faculty, course directors, staff and/or other service users and its promotion of the York spirit in terms of imagination, creativity, innovation and redefining the possible in service to York’s community (internal or external).
Winner: University Information Technology’s (UIT) Client Services Team
Costin Ciuclaru, manager
Leonard Chow, assistant manager
Masi Benawa, service desk technician
Dennis Nada, service desk technician
Amin Al Buskan, problem analyst
Samira Salhan, problem analyst
Ian Huang, technical analyst
Khalid Mahmood, technical analyst
Steve Klein, technical analyst
Paul Crabbe, technical analyst
Nancy Chiu, technical analyst
Theresa M. Loftus, customer care specialist
Irene Chu, bilingual switchboard operator
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Property Management Group of Facilities Services
Cinema & Media Arts Production Area Equipment Room Team
Teaching Commons
Strategic & Institutional Research Initiatives
Human Resources, Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Spring 2020 Convocation Team
Marketing & Communications Unit, Athletics
Ronald Kent Medal
The medal recognizes the contributions of employees who promote and strengthen collegiality, values, and goals of York University.
Winner: Tammy Astrafallie, student success and academic advisor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
The other staff members nominated for this award are:
Steven Chen, system administrator, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science
Josie Sansonetti, administrative coordinator, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Rose Ciddio, senior student relations coordinator, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Annonce des lauréats et lauréates des Prix de reconnaissance du personnel de soutien 2020 de la présidente
Les Prix de reconnaissance du personnel de soutien de l’Université York sont l’occasion d’honorer, avec la présidente et vice-chancelière Rhonda Lenton, les membres du personnel qui se sont surpassés au cours de l’année écoulée pour favoriser la réussite et le bien-être de la communauté de York et promouvoir la vision, la mission et les valeurs de l’Université.
Rhonda L. Lenton
« La pandémie nous a montré ce qui est possible lorsque nous unissons nos efforts pour soutenir la population étudiante et les communautés que nous servons », a déclaré Rhonda Lenton. « Au cours de l’année écoulée, les membres du personnel de l’ensemble de l’Université se sont mobilisés de multiples manières et ont fait preuve de passion, de dévouement et d’engagement les uns envers les autres, ainsi qu’envers le monde qui nous entoure. Les personnes mises en nomination et les lauréats et lauréates des Prix de reconnaissance du personnel de soutien décernés cette année ont déployé des efforts extraordinaires pour contribuer à remplir notre mission, soit offrir à un large éventail d’étudiants et étudiantes l’accès à un environnement d’apprentissage d’excellente qualité, centré sur la recherche et dédié au bien collectif. Je suis très heureuse d’avoir l’occasion d’honorer leurs importantes contributions à l’esprit communautaire de York. »
Les lauréats et lauréates des Prix de reconnaissance du personnel de soutien 2020 seront honorés lors d’un événement qui aura lieu à une date ultérieure.
Lauréats et lauréates et personnes mises en nomination pour les Prix de reconnaissance du personnel de soutien2020 :
Prix Gary Brewer
Ce prix est décerné chaque année à un employé ou une employée non académique de l’Université York qui a démontré un grand potentiel de leader à l’Université, a fait des contributions innovantes et significatives à l’efficacité de son unité et a contribué de manière importante à l’engagement de l’Université en matière d’excellence. Le prix honore et encourage des professionnels aux débuts de carrière prometteurs sur le plan du leadership.
Lauréate : Almey Tse Soriano, responsable des études aux cycles supérieurs, École de génie Lassonde
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Anda Petro, coordonnatrice de l’éducation expérientielle, Bureau des affaires étudiantes et universitaires
David Kwok, directeur adjoint, Entrepreneuriat, Innovation York
Daniel Becker, concepteur et développeur en éducation, Services des technologies de l’information, Faculté d’éducation
Melissa Falotico, adjointe à l’administration et aux programmes (suppléante), Services des installations, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Prix du civisme de York Deborah Hobson
Ce prix honore les employés qui ont fourni aux étudiants un service d’excellence et promeuvent l’esprit de York sur le plan de la créativité, de l’innovation et d’une redéfinition des possibles au service de la communauté universitaire.
Lauréat : James Robertson, coordonnateur du Writing Center, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Mavis Griffin, adjointe aux programmes de premier cycle, Département d’études sur l’équité, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Susy Ribeiro, coordonnatrice en orientation, Bureau des services académiques, Faculté des sciences
Savinder Saraf, coordonnatrice administrative, Département de la communication et des études sur les médias, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Prix du service sur le campus Phyllis Clark
Ce prix est décerné chaque année à un employé non universitaire de l’Université York qui a contribué de façon exemplaire au fonctionnement de l’un ou l’autre des campus de York sur le plan de l’efficience, de la propreté, de la sécurité, ou d’autres services relatifs aux campus ou aux installations.
Lauréat : Jonathan Cevallos, gestionnaire des installations, Faculté des sciences, Bureau du doyen
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Mary Rizzo, coordonnatrice administrative et des programmes, Spécialisation en comptabilité, École Schulich des hautes études commerciales
Marcos Vinas, concierge, Services des installations, Gestion des propriétés
Prix de la voix de York de la présidente
Le Prix de la voix de Yorkest attribué à une personne-ressource de première ligne à l’Université York. La voix la plus importante à York est en effet celle qui établit le premier contact avec un visiteur ou un membre de la communauté. La compassion et le professionnalisme, particulièrement dans la gestion de situations difficiles ou délicates, sont essentiels pour notre travail à l’Université York.
Lauréate : Jennifer Malisani, adjointe administrative au premier cycle, Département de psychologie, Faculté de la santé
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Kuowei Lee, adjoint aux programmes des cycles supérieurs, Département du cinéma et des arts médiatiques, École des arts, des médias, de l’animation et du design
Mary Lynn Belmonte, adjointe administrative, Teaching Commons
Mary Bettio, directrice adjointe, Relations avec les clients, Services du registrariat
Frances Sanna, secrétaire des programmes de premier cycle, École d’études administratives, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Prix du leadership de la présidente
Le Prix du leadership de la présidente récompense les contributions excédant les exigences officielles d’un poste et les niveaux de performance favorisant un niveau élevé de professionnalisme et rayonnant en général, au-delà d’un département donné, sur l’ensemble de la communauté universitaire.
Lauréate : Annette Boodram, agente responsable de l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion, Bureau de la vice-présidente de l’équité, des personnes et de la culture
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Brad Sheeller, directeur, Sécurité et opérations commerciales, Bureau du doyen, Faculté des sciences
Jennifer Ankrett, directrice principale, Stratégie et administration, Bureau du doyen, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Sanish Samuel, contrôleur, Département des finances
Matthew Murray, gestionnaire, Ressources et planification, École de soins infirmiers, Faculté de la santé
Prix de l’équipe Harriet Lewis pour l’excellence du service
Ce prix honore l’excellence d’une équipe en matière de service et de soutien aux étudiants, au corps enseignant, aux directeurs de cours, au personnel et à tous les utilisateurs de services, et la promotion de l’esprit de York sur le plan de l’imagination, de la créativité, de l’innovation et d’une redéfinition des possibles sur le plan des services déployés pour la communauté de York (internes ou externes).
Lauréate : Équipe du service à la clientèle des technologies de l’information de l’Université (UIT)
Costin Ciuclaru, gestionnaire
Leonard Chow, gestionnaire adjoint
Masi Benawa, technicien du bureau de service
Dennis Nada, technicien du bureau de service
Amin Al Buskan, analyste de problèmes
Samira Salhan, analyste de problèmes
Ian Huang, analyste technique
Khalid Mahmood, analyste technique
Steve Klein, analyste technique
Paul Crabbe, analyste technique
Nancy Chiu, analyste technique
Theresa M. Loftus, spécialiste de l’assistance à la clientèle
Irene Chu, standardiste bilingue
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Groupe de gestion des propriétés, Services des installations
Équipe de la salle d’équipement de l’espace de production du cinéma et des arts médiatiques
Teaching Commons
Initiatives de recherche stratégique et institutionnelle
Ressources humaines, Arts libéraux et études professionnelles
Équipe d’organisation de la remise des diplômes du printemps 2020
Unité Marketing et communications, Département d’athlétisme
Médaille Ronald Kent
Cette médaille récompense les contributions des employés qui promeuvent et renforcent la collégialité, les valeurs et les objectifs de l’Université York.
Lauréate : Tammy Astrafallie, conseillère aux études et à la réussite étudiante, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Autres membres du personnel mis en nomination pour ce prix :
Steven Chen, gestionnaire de systèmes, Département de mathématiques et de statistiques, Faculté des sciences
Josie Sansonetti, coordonnatrice administrative, Département de Langues, littérature et linguistique, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Rose Ciddio, coordonnatrice principale des relations avec les étudiants, Faculté d’arts libéraux et d’études professionnelles
Pour plus d’information sur chaque prix et sur les lauréats et lauréates précédents, visitez la page Web : President’s Staff Recognition Awards.
CFI awards more than $1.5M in research infrastructure funding to York University
Announced on Aug. 11 by Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, the contribution comes from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) program, a tool designed to invest in state-of-the-art labs and equipment researchers need to turn their visions into reality.
At York, Professors Ali Asgary, Marcus Brubaker, Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, Liam Butler, Taylor Cleworth, Claire David, Shital Desai, Matthew Keough, Christine Le, Ozzy Mermut, Arturo Orellana, Enamul Prince, Jennifer Pybus and Emilie Roudier will receive funding totalling more than $1.5 million for their infrastructure projects.
“York is delighted to have 14 academics receive the John R. Evans Leaders Fund,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “This vital funding helps ensure we attract and retain the very best researchers who are undertaking truly innovative work. From addiction vulnerability to critical data-literacy research, from age-related impairments to advancements in particle physics – these projects will make positive change for our students, our campuses and our local and global communities.”
The funded projects at York are:
Ali Asgary, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies DEXR LAB
CFIJELF award: $100,000
Asgary and DEXR Lab will conduct research and develop extended reality (XR) applications for public safety, public health and disaster-and-emergency management training, education and operations. DEXR Lab will be equipped with the latest XR hardware and software for developing XR applications for areas including structural firefighting, wildfire management, hospital-emergency-and-intensive-care units, first-responders’ collision simulation, virus transmission and spread, train derailment and volcano eruption, among others. DEXR Lab will be supported by York’s Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation (ADERSIM) and will enhance Canada’s share in the XR research and market – putting the country at the forefront of XR applications in the aforementioned areas.
Marcus Brubaker, Lassonde School of Engineering Generative Modeling for CryoEM, Hyperspectral Imagery and Video
CFIJELF award: $140,000
Brubaker will develop novel artificial intelligence (AI) methods focused on applications where labelled-training data is limited or unavailable. The goal of this research is to enable learning from minimal amounts of data – dramatically reducing the amount of labelled data required and democratizing access to the technology. The methods developed could allow small companies, not-for-profit organizations or even individuals to effectively apply state-of-the-art AI methods, rather than only being available to large companies (which have either vast amounts of data already available or the resources to collect it). To reach this goal, Brubaker’s research will explore probabilistic-generative methods with specific applications in hyperspectral image analysis, video analysis and the processing of electron cryomicroscopy data.
Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, Lassonde School of Engineering Machine Learning and Additive Manufacturing for the Development of Next Generation Materials
CFIJELF award: $140,000
For thousands of years since the advent of bronze, alloy development has involved diluting a single base element with small amounts of other elements. This approach is slow, expensive and requires a lot of effort with minimal increments in required material properties. A new idea where alloys have no single dominant element is gaining traction. These multi-principal element alloys, specifically, High Entropy Alloys (HEA), possess superior properties. Research lead by Boakye-Yiadom, along with Professors Marina Freire-Gormaly and Ruth Urner, will guide in the accelerated discovery and development of advanced HEAs and enhance our ability to detect and minimize defects during metal additive manufacturing. This includes innovative discoveries for advanced materials and process monitoring during manufacturing.
Liam Butler, Lassonde School of Engineering The Climate-Data-Driven Design (CD3) Facility for Built Infrastructure
CFIJELF award: $140,000
The influence of climatic variations on Canada’s vast infrastructure stock, valued at more than $850 billion, is largely ignored in infrastructure design. Variations in temperature, humidity and precipitation, along with increased frequency of extreme events will lead to cyclic factors that influence the behaviour of infrastructure materials. Mitigating these adverse effects starts with being able to reliably measure and to better understand the impact that climate variability has on infrastructure. Butler, along with Professors Usman Khan and Matthew Perras, will establish a unique field laboratory, where robust sensing, advanced AI-based data analytics and innovative infrastructure materials will be developed and validated. The vision is for the CD3 Facility to become Canada’s leading research laboratory in climate-data-driven infrastructure design – providing immediate impact to regulators, asset managers and suppliers, and long-term benefits for all Canadians.
Taylor Cleworth, Faculty of Health Neuro-mechanics of Balance Deficits During Dynamic Stance
CFIJELF award: $125,000
Falls and resulting injuries are a major health and economic concern for older adults, care providers and Canadians at large. Reducing fall rates can be challenging due to the multi-faceted nature of controlling upright stance. Cleworth will study the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying balance control and investigate possible avenues of treatment for balance deficits. The new infrastructure will provide the foundation for an innovative research program aimed at understanding the complex interaction of biomechanical and cortical mechanisms that contribute to human balance and mobility deficits, and to assess and improve the efficacy of balance-related interventions and fall prevention programs.
Claire David, Faculty of Science Next generation of neutrino detectors for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE)
CFIJELF award: $125,000
David, along with Professor Deborah Harris, will build a versatile cryogenic test bench to develop a prototype for the next generation of neutrino detectors. This modular system will have the ability to test two modules of the current state-of-the-art technology in the same cryostat – allowing direct comparison of different alternative readout systems. The modules will be paired with revolutionary electronics for light detection that other Canadian universities are developing. Ultimately, the optimized prototype will serve DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international effort hosted by Fermilab in the United States. This will enable David and Harris, also research scientists at Fermilab and part of the DUNE collaboration, to be at the forefront of detector development in experimental particle physics.
Shital Desai, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design Social and Technological Systems lab
CFIJELF award: $50,000
Efforts to develop technologies for older adults is challenged by changing physical and cognitive abilities of older adults. Assistive technologies should adapt to the needs of older adults without them having to adjust settings, change versions or use hacks. Desai’s research will investigate a generation of prompts in emerging technologies for people with dementia. Machine-learning techniques will be employed to learn about the user and make inferences regarding their state while using the technology. The research outcomes will be used to develop adaptive-assistive technology and drive pivotal advancements in the area of interactive design and adaptive technology for older adults. It will lead to development of deployable technologies in non-clinical settings, driving independence and social inclusion in older adults – advancing Canada’s position as a leader in interactive-adaptive technology.
Matthew Keough, Faculty of Health Center for Research on Addiction Vulnerability in Early Life
CFIJELF award: $50,000
Millions of Canadians struggle with co-occurring alcohol use and emotional disorders (e.g. anxiety) but very little is known about why alcohol use and emotional disorders co-occur so frequently, resulting in a lack of understanding of how to treat them effectively. Keough’s innovative experimental research aims to uncover the biopsychosocial risk factors for alcohol use-emotional disorder comorbidity in emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 25). Keough will acquire state-of-the-art equipment for his Center for Research on Addiction Vulnerability in Early Life (CRAVE Lab). Using a simulated-bar-lab environment and innovative technology, his research will have the potential to improve treatments for alcohol use-emotional disorder comorbidity and improve the lives of many Canadians and their families.
Christine Le, Faculty of Science Infrastructure for the Catalytic Synthesis of Medicinally Relevant Organofluorine Compounds
CFIJELF award: $160,000
Le’s research seeks to develop more efficient, cost-effective and greener methods for the synthesis of medicinally relevant fluorine-containing compounds. On average it takes 10 years for a newly discovered drug to reach the market due to the complexity of clinical trials, production and approval by government agencies. The synthetic methods targeted in this research will improve the efficiency of drug discovery and synthesis, allowing critical medicines to reach the market sooner. The research objectives and methodologies align with Canada’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include the efficient use of natural resources, the reduction of chemical waste and the development of essential medicines.
Ozzy Mermut, Faculty of Science Biophotonics Diagnosis, Treatment and Dosimetry in Age-related Disorders and Human Diseases
CFIJELF award: $160,000
Personalized medicine will improve patient outcomes and limit health-care costs facing aging populations and consequent diseases. Globally, one billion people face vision impairment, with age-related macular degeneration affecting 245 million. Mermut’s research aims to identify tissue-specific biomarkers for early-stage diagnosis of vision disorders and other diseases, advancing the understanding of molecular pathogenesis. Photonic techniques will then be developed for targeted, minimally invasive phototherapy. A tissue model will be engineered, recapitulating natural, diseased tissues to study laser treatments and develop dosimetry that provides molecular information on initiated-cell responses. The ultimate goal is complete eradication of pathogenic cells that lead to debilitating diseases through absolute, precise laser therapy.
Arturo Orellana, Faculty of Science Organic Synthesis for Development of Therapeutics
CFIJELF award: $107,000
Orellana’s research program will focus on developing enabling technologies for new therapeutics to address the healthcare needs of a large portion of the Canadian population. This program brings together multidisciplinary teams of experts from industry and academia to target difficult challenges in health care including diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ovarian cancer and diabetes. The fundamental-science focus on design, synthesis and characterization of drug-like organic molecules will provide critical know-how to deliver cures for diseases affecting large patient populations, while establishing Canada as a leader in health and science research.
Enamul Prince, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Establishment of the Intelligent Visualization Laboratory
CFIJELF award: $114,726
Prince will establish the Intelligent Visualization Lab with an aim to make analytics more accessible by changing the way we interact with data. A diverse range of people with different levels of skills and backgrounds will perform analysis on large data-sets faster and more effectively through natural and fluid interactions. The lab will significantly improve the ability of professionals – ranging from data scientists to business analysts, to health-care analysts – to analyze data and make complex decisions, with the potential to unlock new markets and direct financial benefits for Canadian industry. The lab will also allow students to train for the high-demand fields of AI, data science and analytics.
Jennifer Pybus, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies The Centre for Public AI (CPAI)
CFIJELF award: $69,385
Pybus will establish the Centre for Public AI (CPAI) – Canada’s preeminent centre for the interdisciplinary application of a more grounded, civically driven explainable approach to AI. It aims to foster an understanding of the diverse infrastructures that gather personal data on applications and platforms through the development of tools and participatory workshops. The research conducted will fill an important gap by contributing to a growing field of critical data-literacy studies to examine algorithmic practices impacting the lives of Canadians. New tools will facilitate academic and policy interventions related to algorithmic accountability from the perspective of non-expert users who experience the outcomes of machine-learning technologies.
Emilie Roudier, Faculty of Health Microvascular Epigenetics of Physical Activity
CFIJELF award: $80,000
Roudier’s research aims to address how physical activity induces beneficial changes in the vascular epigenome. She will establish a specialized lab to study the interaction between physical activity and the vascular epigenome. Canadians are at high risk of vascular diseases due to unhealthy behaviours. Most researchers focus on finding and averting adverse epigenetic marks correlated with vascular diseases. This lab will take a counterpoint approach – aiming to define what a healthy vascular epigenome is. The discovery of beneficial epigenetic marks generated by this research will support the discovery of new biomarkers to assess environmental risk to vascular health and test the efficiency of lifestyle or preventive interventions aiming to boost vascular health.
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
For more than 20 years, the CFI has been giving researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. Fostering a robust innovation system in Canada translates into jobs and new enterprises, better health, cleaner environments and, ultimately, vibrant communities. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI also helps to attract and retain the world’s top talent, to train the next generation of researchers and to support world-class research that strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life for all Canadians.
Reminder: Join the York community for a virtual town hall Aug. 11
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The following is an important reminder to the University community from York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:
La version française suit la version anglaise.
Dear colleagues,
We would like to remind you that all students, staff, course instructors and faculty are invited to join us for a virtual town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 11, where we will discuss our plans for a return to on-campus activities in just a few short weeks and address questions from our community members.
We invite all students, staff, course instructors and faculty to attend, and encourage you to submit questions in advance of the event using this form. You can also visit the updated Better Together FAQs page for answers to frequently asked questions about return-to-campus plans.
To help answer your questions, I will be joined by:
Lisa Philipps, provost and vice-president academic;
Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation;
Sheila Cote-Meek, vice-president equity, people and culture;
Carol McAulay, vice-president finance and administration;
Lucy Fromowitz, vice-provost, students; and
Parissa Safai, special advisor to the president for academic continuity planning and COVID-19 response and associate professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Science.
If you have any accessibility needs, notes or comments, please let us know.
We will be hosting this town hall via the videoconferencing platform Zoom Webinar. You can learn about downloading and using Zoom here. The webinar will also be livestreamed on the town hall website.
If you have attended a past town hall, we would like your feedback through this short survey. If you were unable to attend previous town halls, you can access all of them here.
The latest community updates, resources and answers to frequently asked questions can always be found on our YU Better Together website.
I look forward to your questions.
Sincerely,
Rhonda L. Lenton President & Vice-Chancellor
Joignez-vous à la communauté de York pour une conversation communautaire virtuelle le 11 août
Chers collègues, chères collègues,
Nous aimerions vous rappeler que l’ensemble de la population étudiante, du personnel, du corps enseignant et du corps professoral est invité à se joindre à nous pour une conversation virtuelle communautaire le mercredi 11 août, durant laquelle nous discuterons de nos plans pour le retour des activités sur nos campus dans quelques semaines et répondrons aux questions des membres de notre communauté.
Nous invitons l’ensemble de la population étudiante, du personnel, du corps enseignant et du corps professoral à participer et à soumettre leurs questions en amont de l’événement à l’aide de ce formulaire. Vous pouvez également visiter la foire aux questions (FAQ) du site Better Together pour consulter les réponses aux questions fréquemment posées au sujet du retour sur le campus.
Pour m’aider à répondre à vos questions, je serai accompagnée de :
Lisa Philipps, vice-présidente aux affaires académiques et rectrice
Amir Asif, vice-président de la recherche et de l’innovation
Sheila Cote-Meek, vice-présidente de l’équité, des personnes et de la culture
Carol McAulay, vice-présidente des finances et de l’administration
Lucy Fromowitz, vice-rectrice aux affaires étudiantes
Parissa Safai, conseillère spéciale de la présidente pour la planification de la continuité académique et la réponse à la COVID-19 et professeure agrégée de l’École de kinésiologie et des sciences de la santé
Cette conversation communautaire aura lieu grâce à la plateforme de visioconférence Zoom Webinar. Vous pouvez télécharger Zoom et apprendre à vous en servir ici. Le webinaire sera également diffusé en direct sur le site Web des conversations communautaires.
Si vous avez déjà assisté à une conversation communautaire, nous aimerions connaître votre opinion avec ce bref sondage. Si vous n’avez pas pu assister aux conversations précédentes, elles sont toutes disponibles ici.
Vous trouverez les dernières mises à jour, ressources et réponses aux questions fréquemment posées sur notre site Web Better Together.
J’attends vos questions avec impatience.
Sincères salutations,
Rhonda L. Lenton Présidente et vice-chancelière
The show must go on: How York theatre students helped adapt a local high-school musical for pandemic times
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A year-end musical theatre production can be as important to the heart and soul of a high school as its season-opening football game or senior prom. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year and began robbing students of some of their most formative experiences, drama educators scrambled to keep the curtains from closing.
Marlis Schweitzer
Karen O’Meara, department head of dramatic arts at Richmond Green Secondary School in Richmond Hill, Ont., was one such teacher. Determined to forge ahead with her combined Grade 11 and 12 musical theatre production, she reached out to Marlis Schweitzer, professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre in York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, whom she had been collaborating with on workshops for drama teachers. They both decided that this was the perfect opportunity to combine forces in a new way.
“At the time,” explains O’Meara, “I was putting on a production, which I then had to translate into an online production. What ended up resulting from that conversation was a number of York theatre students saying, ‘Hey, we don’t have anything to do. It’s the pandemic and everything is locked down; we would love to help with your show.’ So those were the initial seeds of this project.”
Karen O’Meara
With the help of those enthusiastic student volunteers, Richmond Green presented its first online production in spring 2020 – and it was a huge success. Heading into the next pandemic-impacted school year, Schweitzer decided to take the project one step further by officially incorporating it into York’s theatre curriculum as a for-credit experiential education offering called the Independent Production Practicum.
The course kicked off in January of this year and the seven enrolled students – Isabella Liscio, Megan Keatings, Hannah Smith, Rachel D’Arpino, DaveHarack, Laura Nigro and Joshua Kilimnik – jumped right into planning mode, joining O’Meara for a two-hour meeting on Zoom every Monday night. When the high-school semester began the following month, the York students took the high schoolers through a series of theatre workshops, which O’Meara says “set the bar high for the students and gave them a fantastic foundation to continue with creative exploration.”
Through breakout rooms on their weekly Zoom calls, the York students went on to provide mentorship in areas where they had passion and interest. There were rooms for choreography, vocals, directing, producing and script-writing, to name a few. They attended the high-school classes whenever they could, and provided leadership within the classroom setting – running scenes and coaching students on various aspects of the show. Their contributions did not go unnoticed.
Isabella Liscio
“The York students were outstanding,” says O’Meara. “They had so much genuine enthusiasm for what our students were doing. They were always willing to offer their expertise, make suggestions and provide great feedback.”
One of the York theatre students, Liscio, who just finished her third year specializing in performance creation and research, started working with O’Meara in May 2020 as a volunteer to get classroom hours for her teachers college application. She has now helped Richmond Green put on three productions. “This experience has meant so much,” she says. “I want to be a drama teacher and I didn’t have much experience working with high-school students before. I got to learn and explore with them what this genre of online theatre is and work with them in the areas of acting, directing, marketing and production.”
Rachel D’Arpino
Another third-year student, D’Arpino, who is majoring in performing arts and concurrent education, originally applied for the course thinking it was a volunteer opportunity that would serve her well as she pursues a future as a high-school drama teacher. She was thrilled to discover that it had become a for-credit course and she hopes to continue her involvement with the school. “Karen wants our opinion, asks us to help and gets everyone involved,” she says. “The kids are so immersed in everything, learning it all and putting it together from scratch. It has been such an amazing opportunity to give input and watch the whole experience come to life.”
Like the others, Harack, who will be heading into his third year of York’s theatre production program in the fall, plans to attend teachers college post-graduation. He knows this experience with Richmond Green will help him thrive in that setting and in the industry at large. “Seeing the students take the lead has been really awesome,” he says. “To see them progress from an idea to filming scenes and then editing, it was a really rewarding experience.”
Putting on a large-scale production during pandemic times certainly had its challenges, though, requiring the students to adapt on the fly to the ever-changing restrictions. “We knew we were only going to get a very short time together in person and we had to take advantage of every minute,” says O’Meara. “Our biggest learning was that if you want to produce work virtually, you have to be very organized, have a solid plan and be flexible to change.”
And change they did. The 28-person high-school class was expecting to have two in-person blocks for filming, but when everything was shut down after the first block, they had to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the script accordingly. “But because we had such a good plan at the start and a very good scene-by-scene vision, that really helped guide us when we had to make a change,” says O’Meara.
Student-designed promotional poster for the “Out of Sync” production
The end result was “Out of Sync,” a completely student-written musical that went live on the evening of June 23 via Zoom, of course. The show was about four high schools – one private, one public, one arts-focused and one sports-focused – competing against each other in a lip-sync battle. As the rival schools went from cut-throat saboteurs to considerate allies, the show left its audience with the feel-good takeaway that music has the power to unite people from all walks of life.
Understandably, signs of the pandemic were everywhere in the production – students in masks, physical distancing, scenes filmed in students’ homes, in parks, on Zoom and some spliced together to make it appear that the cast was in the same place when in reality they were not. And perhaps that was part of the show’s charm, serving as a sort of time capsule for the strange and surreal year that was.
No one yet knows what the next school year has in store, but one thing is certain: the educational experience gained from putting on this production in such turbulent times will have a lasting impact for all involved.
“I’m delighted that our students have had such an exciting opportunity to work closely with Ms. O’Meara and the students at Richmond Green on the development of a new musical,” says Schweitzer. “Through this collaboration, they’ve developed leadership and teaching skills that will enhance their careers, whether they decide to go on to become high-school drama teachers themselves or pursue other creative avenues. I look forward to seeing this kind of partnership grow in the future.”
By Lindsay MacAdam, communications officer, YFile
Lassonde postdoctoral Fellow earns award for research that improves drinking water
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Pratik Kumar, a postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Satinder Kaur Brar’s lab in the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, has won an award for his work on improving the quality of drinking water.
Kumar was recognized with the International Water Association Young Water Professionals Canada Award for his research focused on developing a biofilter capable of removing cyanotoxins from surface water sources. This research can be applied to drinking water sources in Canada, such as the Great Lakes, and abroad. Cyanotoxins are produced by the commonly seen algae blooms that surround these water sources. These compounds are known to possess massive risks for drinking water, magnified by the difficulty of the removal of these toxins.
The prototype household filtration unit developed by Pratik Kumar and Professor Satinder Kaur Brar
This issue is of particular importance for Ontarians, since water from the Great Lakes is used to service over eight million Canadians. Kumar’s mission was to develop a bench-scale solution that was both sustainable and economical. The result was a biofilter that used graphitized sand to reduce the concentration of these cyanotoxins to 0.61 µg/L, which is less than the critical concentration of 1 µg/L established by the World Health Organization. The choice of sand was of particular importance, as Kumar recognized from the start that household users might not like the idea of using bacteria or biological compounds to treat their drinking water. In fact, the graphitized sand used in this work can be obtained through green methods by repurposing existing waste products. The work has been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment across two publications, demonstrating the ability to use sand composites as filters for water contaminants and a prototyped unit.
Having conducted his PhD and postdoctoral fellowship with Brar in Lassonde’s Department of Civil Engineering, Kumar always knew that he wanted to be an academic. He was recently appointed as a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu, starting in April 2021, which he said was a dream come true.
“I studied at IIT and wanted the opportunity to go back there,” said Kumar. “I want to motivate young researchers and minds and help them believe that they can make a difference.”
Pratik Kumar (near Lake Delage, Quebec City, Que.) taking algal bloom samples
Following the completion of his PhD, which coincided with the beginning of the pandemic, Kumar was concerned about how water professionals would be able to work together. He joined the International Water Association Young Water Professionals chapter in Canada, where he was involved in communications aiming to propagate water research and technology being developed within Canada. He wanted to create awareness about these technologies and influence their use across the world.
“Dr. Kumar was highly motivated and self-driven,” said Brar. “He set a great example for the research group and was always keen to participate in projects with other students.”
Kumar’s work is far from done. After focusing on improving drinking water quality in Canada, he has shifted his focus abroad to India, where the need to remove toxins and other primary pollutants from water sources is greater, with less than half of the population having consistent access to safe drinking water.
Kumar is currently working in India to have his biofilter technologies installed across households there. As well, the research lab is targeting to conceptualize the modular treatment system in the field of wastewater engineering.
York U planetary scientist puts Mars lake theory on ice with new study that offers alternate explanation
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Mars South Polar Layered Deposits on top of Martian Smectites: The multi-kilometer thick south polar ice cap has a base that is composed, at least partially, of a common type of clays. These clays are found over nearly half of the planet’s surface and now at the edges of the ice cap. Radar measurements of the clays from a lab led by Smith show that they can explain the bright reflections observed by MARSIS, a simpler explanation than bodies of liquid water. Credits: ESA/DRL/FU Berlin (top), NASA (bottom).
For years, scientists have been debating what might lay under the Martian planet’s south polar cap after bright radar reflections were discovered and initially attributed to water. But now, a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, led by planetary scientists from the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, puts that theory to rest and demonstrates for the first time that another material is most likely the answer.
Isaac Smith
Research led by Isaac Smith, Canada Research Chair and assistant professor of Earth and space science at Lassonde School of Engineering and research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, uses multiple lines of evidence to show that smectites, a common type of clay, can explain all of the observations, putting the Mars lake theory on ice.
“Since being first reported as bodies of water, the scientific community has shown skepticism about the lake hypothesis and recent publications questioned if it was even possible to have liquid water,” said Smith. Papers in 2018 and 2021 demonstrated that the amount of salt and heat required to thaw ice at the bottom of the polar cap was much more than Mars provides, and recent evidence showing these radar detections are much more widespread – to places even harder to thaw ice – put the idea further into question.
Mars south polar layered deposits on top of Martian smectites: The multi-kilometer thick south polar ice cap has a base that is composed, at least partially, of a common type of clays. These clays are found over nearly half of the planet’s surface and now at the edges of the ice cap. Radar measurements of the clays from a lab led by Smith show that they can explain the bright reflections observed by MARSIS, a simpler explanation than bodies of liquid water. Credits: ESA/DRL/FU Berlin (top), NASA (bottom)
The research team, which includes researchers from the University of Arizona, Cornell, Purdue and Tulane universities, used experimental and modelling work to demonstrate that smectites can better explain the radar observations made by the MARSIS instrument aboard the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter. Further, they found spectral evidence that smectites are present at the edges of the south polar cap.
“Smectites are very abundant on Mars, covering about half the planet, especially in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Smith. “That knowledge, along with the radar properties of smectites at cryogenic temperatures, points to them being the most likely explanation to the riddle.”
Experiments done at York University measured the radar characteristics of hydrated smectites at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures. The radar characteristics in question are two numbers that represent the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant. Both numbers are important for fully characterizing a material, but the 2018 study used modelling that included only the real part of the dielectric value, leaving out certain classes of materials from being considered – namely clays.
Once the experimental measurements were completed, data was evaluated using code. It was in these simulations that researchers found that frozen clays have numbers big enough to make the reflections.
Smectites are a class of clay that is formed when basalt (the volcanic rock that comprises most of Mars’ surface) breaks down chemically in the presence of liquid water.
Spectral colour map from the CRISM instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter draped over HiRISE imagery at the edge of the south polar ice cap. Specific colours from this map indicate the presence of smectite clays, an important discovery that helps to explain the MARSIS radar observations. Credit: NASA/JPL/UA
“Detecting possible clay minerals in and below the south polar ice cap is important because it tells us that the ice includes sediments that have interacted with water sometime in the past, either in the ice cap or before the ice was there,” said Briony Horgan, co-author and associate professor in Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue University. “So, while our work shows that there may not be liquid water and an associated habitable environment for life under the cap today, it does tell us about water that existed in this area in the past.”
To support this new hypothesis, Smith conducted experiments in his lab with equipment designed for measuring dielectric values. To simulate the conditions beneath Mars’ south polar cap as best as possible, his team froze the clays to -50 C and measured them again, something that had never been done before. Smith adds that the infrared absorptions attributable to these minerals are present in south polar orbital visible-near infrared reflectance spectra. Because these minerals are both present at the south pole and can cause the reflections, the team believes this to be a more viable scenario than the presence of liquid water. No salt or heat is required.
“We used our lab measurements of clay minerals as the input for a radar reflection model and found that the results of the model matched very well with the real, observed data,” said Dan Lalich, postdoctoral researcher at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science at Cornell University and second author on the study. “While it’s disappointing that liquid water might not actually be present below the ice today, this is still a cool observation that might help us learn more about conditions on ancient Mars.”
“We analyzed the MARSIS radar data and identified observations with high-power values at the base of the south polar layered deposits, both in the proposed lake region and elsewhere,” said Jenny Whitten, co-author and planetary scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University.
“The first reason the bright reflectors cannot be water is because some of them continue from underground onto the surface. If that is the case, then we should see springs, which we don’t,” said Stefano Nerozzi, postdoctoral Fellow in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona and co-author. “Not only that, but multiple reflectors are stacked on top of each other, and some are even found right in the middle of the polar cap. If this were water, this would be physically impossible.”
Putting the results in perspective, Smith says the answer is clear.
“Now, we have the trifecta. One, we measured dielectric properties of materials that are known to exist on over 50 per cent of Mars’ surface and found them to have very high values. Two, we modelled how those numbers would respond in Mars’ south-polar conditions and found them to match the radar observations well. Three, we demonstrated that these minerals are at the south pole. Because the liquid water theory required incredible amounts of heat, which is six to eight times more than Mars provides, and more salt than Mars has, it was already implausible,” he said. “Now, the clays can explain the observations with absolutely no qualifiers or asterisks.”
