Earlier this month, the Faculty of Science at York University hosted a gala to celebrate the many successes and achievements of the past 50 years.
“I am delighted to celebrate the wonderful occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Science,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “At the heart of any research-intensive institution is scientific discovery, and York University is no exception. The Faculty of Science is situated quite literally at the heart of our campus, and the innovations of this Faculty over the course of its history at York have given life to some of our most celebrated accomplishments as an institution.”
More than 160 attendees, including staff, faculty, retirees, students, alumni and friends of the Faculty, came to raise a glass to the rich history and the contributions York University has made in the sciences. Award-winning CBC journalist Piya Chattpoadhyay acted as master of ceremonies for the evening. The gala was held at the Bellvue Manor.
“This is a wonderful time of celebration and renewal for the Faculty of Science. As we raise a toast to five remarkable decades of discovery, learning, innovation, engagement and impact, we are inspired to reach for even greater heights in the years and decades ahead,” said Faculty of Science Dean Ray Jayawardhana.
Then, following remarks by Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton, past deans of the Faculty were recognized with special awards for their roles in steering the Faculty of Science through its expansion (and number of name changes) over the years to what it is today.
Past deans honoured at the gala were:
- Kenneth Davey, 1982 to 1985;
- Robert Prince, 1994 to 2001;
- Gillian Wu, 2001 to 2006;
- Nicholas Cercone, 2006 to 2009;
- Walter Tholen, 2009 to 2010;
- Janusz Kozinski, 2010 to 2012; and
- Donald Hastie, 2012 to 2014.
Staff recognized for their long service with the Faculty of Science:
- Nikolaos Balaskas
- Michael Belanger
- Marlene Caplan
- Deborah Freele
- Carolyn Hempstead
- Helen Jung
- Liberata Lancia
- Primrose Miranda
- Suzanne Park
- Carol Weldon
Faculty honoured for their long service with the Faculty of Science:
- Norbert Bartel
- Dawn Bazely
- Nantel Bergeron
- Sampa Bhadra
- Krystyna Bugajska
- Novelyn Dayal
- Michael De Robertis
- Paul Delaney
- Ruthanna Dyer
- Geoffrey Harris
- Donald Hastie
- Michael Hempstead
- Eric Hessels
- Marko Horbatsch
- EJ Janse van Rensburg
- Stanislaw Jerzak
- Hans Raj P. Joshi
- Stanley Kochman
- Roman Koniuk
- Roger R. Lew
- Neal Madras
- Kim Maltman
- Hélène Massam
- Marshall McCall
- John McDermott
- Georges Monette
- Laurence Packer
- Peter Peskun
- William Pietro
- Alfred Pietrowski
- Pierre Potvin
- Norman Purzitsky
- Thomas Salisbury
- Jan Sapp
- Joel Shore
- Colin Steel
- Juris Steprans
- Bridget Stutchbury
- Dennis Stynes
- David Tanny
- Walter Tholen
- William van Wijngaarden
- Stephen Watson
- Asia Weiss
- Walter Whiteley
- Paula Wilson
- Augustine Chi Mou Wong
- Jianhong Wu
- Yuehua Wu
As part of the celebration of the Faculty of Science’s 50th anniversary, a photography contest was held, encouraging student, faculty and staff participation. Participants were asked to capture images that symbolized the sense of discovery that is such a part of the history of the Faculty of Science. A range of images were submitted and the winners of the 50th anniversary photography contest were announced during the gala.
Anirudh Agarwal’s winning photograph
Description: where z = x + i*y, where x and y keep changing and a fixed constant d = -0.835-0.2321*i. Photograph by Anirudh Agarwal
Shammi Pereira’s winning photograph
Description: During late afternoon, on a beautiful spring day of May 31, 2014, a unique leaf without any colour was discovered. The leaf was transparent, except for the veins that passed through it. The leaf was discovered just lying on a plant that was very close to the ground. This leaf was unlike any that I had ever seen. So I decided to take a picture of the leaf in front of the setting sun, using the iPhone 5C. I believe this leaf has lost its pigments and that’s why it appears translucent. Photograph by Shammi Pereira
The Faculty of Science began its 50th anniversary celebration at homecoming in September 2014. Other events included: York Circle lectures, Physics & Astronomy Day, Chemistry Day, Science & Technology Studies Day and the Women in STEM event. A capstone public event on May 6, Dispatches From the Frontiers of Science, at the Toronto Reference Library, drew a capacity audience of 700. As well, the Faculty of Science produced a 50th anniversary commemorative publication highlighting some of the past and current research, alumni, and the generous donors and supporters.
Anniversary-related activities will continue throughout the rest of 2015. Keep an eye out for Biology Day, Mathematics & Statistics Day, Science & Technology Studies Day and the Science of Science Fiction (a special event in partnership with the Toronto Public Library).