Canada’s best hope for a new fighter jet lies in a fabled design of the past — the Avro Arrow, according to an ambitious proposal by a business group who want to see the legendary aircraft take flight once again. For all the nostalgia, defence analyst Martin Shadwick, a lecturer and research associate at York University, told the Toronto Star Sept. 10 that he doubts a renewed Arrow will take to the skies, saying the half century that has passed since its first flight would dictate a complete and costly redesign. Read full story.
Organic food offers benefits: farmers
Damian Adjodha, a master of environmental studies student who runs Backyard Organics, commented to YorkRegion.com about a recent survey coming out of the California-based Stanford University that suggested that organic fruits and vegetables were no more nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. Read full story.
A higher degree of sustainability
The Schulich School of Business at York University earned the top rank, receiving a high grade in all three evaluated categories in Corporate Knights magazine’s annual rankings, published in the magazine’s Sept. 10 issue. The 2012 Annual Knight Schools Survey is the definitive annual ranking that analyzes how Canadian universities are faring at integrating sustainability into the school experience. Read full story.
Art installation at Laurier explores Canada’s wireless history
York fine arts Professor Michael Longford, associate dean of research in the Faculty of Fine Arts, and Robert Prenovault, a member of the Mobile Media Lab at York University, are the featured artists in a new exhibit at Robert Langen Art Gallery at Wilfrid Laurier University. The exhibit, called Marconi’s Ruins, opens Sept. 19, reported Daily Exchange Magazine Sept. 10. It explores what remains of the first transatlantic wireless station in Cape Breton. Read full story.
U.S. Open: Why not all tennis balls are alike
There are approximately 70,000 tennis balls used each year at the U.S. Open, reported the Toronto Star Sept. 10. According to Michael Mitchell, a York University tennis coach who has studied the game for 25 years, the reason so many balls are used at top tournaments is to ensure the fuzz quotient remains constant, with worn balls tending to travel and spin much faster. He says, however, that the ball is suited to each game: with the regular, “hard-court felt” tending to slow down the men’s game and the lighter-felted balls speeding up the women’s. Read full story.