Can any Canadian NBA player inherit Steve Nash’s crown?

Schulich School of Business sports marketing instructor Vijay Setlur points out that if contemporary athletes handle social media correctly they no longer have to depend on teams or agents to make them famous. He says the Canadian NBA star to carry Steve Nash’s marketing torch could be the one who takes the initiative to sell himself. “If an athlete is heavily engaged with his fans he’ll create that connection,” said Setlur in the Toronto Star Nov. 3. “The extent which these players create interface value will go a long way in determining their marketability.” Read full story.

Selling Canadian space know-how – with doctored photo
The government of Canada is using an altered photo of the Canadarm2 in space to pump up Canadian pride…. One astronomer was scathing. “We get enough grand press from the Canadarm as it is. You don’t need to embellish,” said Paul Delaney of York University in the Ottawa Citizen Nov. 1…. “Almost every time there’s an image taken … it has Canada clearly labelled on this. So if you’ve managed to snag a photograph that doesn’t have it clearly on there, go back into the archives and find one that you like!” Read full story.

Students strive to lower costs of diabetes care
While international health efforts focus on problems like AIDS and Ebola, Dhaman Rakhra and four other aspiring Canadian social entrepreneurs – all students from York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto – have applied business sense to fighting diabetes. Their solution – resurrecting a decades-old technology – made them the first undergraduate team to reach the finals of the prestigious Hult Prize, reported the Post Oct. 31. Read full story.

Toronto boxer Arthur Biyarslanov not about to forget Chechnyan roots on rise to top of amateur ranks
The 19-year-old York University student Arthur Biyarslanov calls himself “The Chechen Wolf,” a salute to his background, his fighting style and his favourite animal, reported the Toronto Sun Oct. 31. He has been one of the most impressive boxers at the national championships this week. Read full story.

Worried about a zombie plague? Mathematics might help prepare you
York University chemistry Professor Derek Wilson co-authored one of the chapters in University of Ottawa mathematics Professor Robert Smith?’s book Mathematical Modelling of Zombies with York mathematics Professor Jane Heffernan, whose lab studies processes of diseases such as HIV and influenza. According to their research, there is indeed reason to fear a zombie apocalypse. Wilson said that their model shows that “the entirety of humanity” would be wiped out within six weeks of a zombie attack, reported CTVNews.ca and others Oct. 31. Read full story.