Author: Jenny Pitt-Clark

York University maps courses that teach about Sustainable Development Goals

Image shows a hand holding a pine cone against a lush backdrop of greenery

York University is internationally recognized for its contributions to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through teaching, research, stewardship, and partnerships. York’s annual SDG report is a snapshot of some of the work the University is doing in collaboration with Canadian and international partners to advance the Global Goals.

“The University is making determined and substantial strides towards the goals, through the power of higher education,” says York University’s Provost and VP Academic Lisa Philipps.  

As the world rapidly approaches 2030, youth have been mobilizing to compel global leaders to take urgent action on the SDGs. “As a global SDG leader, York University and its students are already playing an integral role in this movement,” adds Philipps.

To continuously improve the support offered to students and graduates who are tackling these challenges, York University has embarked on a process of understanding how its courses address or are linked to the SDGs. This initiative maps York courses with one or more of the SDGs, as appropriate, and the University is making this information available to the community on its SDG website.

The goal is to better inform students about learning opportunities related to the SDGs, to understand York’s strengths and curricular assets across the disciplines, and to increase awareness and deepen SDG-related conversations at the University and beyond.

Teaching the SDGs: the number of York courses related to each Global Goal

The above graphic shows the number of courses that relate to each of the United Nations 17 SDGs

Lessons learned from mapping courses

In consultation with OSDG, an open access tool developed by the United Nations Development Program’s SDG AI Lab and the EU-based thinktank PPMI, York analysts were able to undertake this process. They looked at both undergraduate and graduate courses offered in both English or French across all Faculties and all courses offered at the time of this analysis.

This approach looked at the use of more than 20,000 keywords and with the help of machine learning identified courses that are related to one or more of the SDGs through course titles and official descriptions. The University learned about the OSDG tool from University College London.

York University is the OSDG’s first official North American partner, as the organization works with a range of global partners such as the University of Hong Kong. York analysts consulted other universities in Ontario, British Columbia, California, England and New Zealand, organizations like York that are recognized for their global leadership on SDGs. Those consultations focused on learning about best practices for mapping and sharing SDG-relevant courses with their respective communities.

In total, analysts identified 1,635 courses (38 per cent of all courses), that are related to at least one SDG. Mapping for SDG 17 is still in development. All Faculties were represented among the mapped courses and the above table shows the number of courses that were identified as being related to each SDG.

The OSDG’s machine learning-enabled course mapping functionality flagged SDG-related courses when they specifically referenced the SDGs in the curriculum or where the curriculum empowered students to independently tackle an SDG theme within or outside of the classroom.

Many courses also mapped to more than one SDG – in fact, 285 courses were simultaneously mapped to two SDGs and 43 courses mapped to three SDGs. The process of mapping courses to the SDGs is iterative and analysts recognize that it is reliant upon the use of specific keywords and phrases found in current courses descriptions. As course descriptions continue to evolve, the analysis will be updated.

This approach will continue to improve over time, as new keywords are contributed to the OSDG’s bank. The full list of mapped courses will be published by Spring 2023 on York’s SDG website for the benefit of prospective and current students. The University will invite feedback in the lead up to publishing these courses and will continue to welcome ongoing feedback thereafter to ensure the mapped list of courses are kept up to date, and remain helpful for the York community.

The current analysis will serve as a starting point to improve the process of capturing SDG-related courses and advancing SDG education, and research on the SDGs, as outlined in the University Academic Plan.

Feedback from former Provostial Fellow and Professor Cheryl van Daalen-Smith, associate dean, academic; the Sustainability Office; the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability; and the Vice-Provost Students team has also been invaluable during this initial mapping endeavor. This Provostial initiative was supported by the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning, the University Registrar, the Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis and York International.

Call for applications: Sustainability Innovation Fund

image shows a plant growing in a lightbulb

The Sustainability Innovation Fund supports projects that advance climate action and York’s net-zero goal.

To advance York’s ambitious plans for sustainability, the Sustainability Innovation Fund (SIF) is now accepting applications for projects on the York University campuses that advance the University’s goal to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2049, as well as contribute to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action).

Graphic for the SIF shows a plant growing in a lightbulb.

The fund will create opportunities for members of the York University community to actively engage in sustainability initiatives, specifically related to climate action and reducing GHG emissions and utilize the campus as a living lab, empowering individuals to be agents of change and take meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet. Proposals may address direct or indirect emission such as commuting, energy, food, waste, behaviour change, awareness and engagement or nature-based solutions.

This round of SIF is intended to provide funding for projects focused on identifying, accelerating, and evaluating climate mitigation solutions and strategies, specifically:

  • seed funding (potentially for larger proposals in the next SIF round or external grant applications), or
  • funding where there are matching funds from an academic unit or administrative office, or
  • projects that can be achieved generally under $10k from SIF (although compelling requests for up to $25k may be considered).

The call for applications is now open. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27.

All proposals for the Sustainability Innovation Fund must be submitted to the Office of Sustainability by email to sustainability@yorku.ca

A selection committee made up of members of the President’s Sustainability Council will evaluate the applications using the Proposal Assessment Rubric and will make recommendations for funding to the President. Approved projects will receive funding in May 2023.

Information about the Sustainability Innovation Fund, documents, forms and criteria are available on the Office of Sustainability website.

Consultation

The Program Director, Sustainability, Nicole Arsenault, and the Chair of the President’s Sustainability Council, Ravi de Costa, are available for consultation with regards to this application process.

Nicole Arsenault: sustainability@yorku.ca
Ravi de Costa: rdc@yorku.ca

SIF Information Sessions

There will be SIF Information Sessions open to any community member who is interested in learning more about the SIF and the application process.  There will be a brief presentation and an opportunity for questions.

Monday, Jan. 30, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Register here for the sessions.

York faculty, staff and course instructors invited to engagement sessions for University’s new Well-being Strategy

Compass with needle pointing the word well-being. 3D illustration with blur effect. Concept of wellbeing or wellness

The University is hosting a series of online engagement sessions continuing throughout January and there is also an online survey that faculty, staff and course instructors can use to share input and feedback that will help shape the University’s new Well-being Strategy.

York faculty, staff and course instructors are invited to join any of the online engagement sessions offered until the end of January. The sessions have been ongoing since November 2022 and are focused on the development of a new Well-being Strategy for the University. There is also an online survey that staff, faculty and course instructors can use to provide feedback. The survey will be available until Jan. 31. While a series of engagement sessions were hosted for students late last year, students still have the option of completing the student survey, which will remain open until Jan 31.

The online engagement sessions and survey offer participants opportunities to share their input that will help shape a pan-University Well-being Strategy. All staff, faculty and course instructors are encouraged to provide their input, vision and recommended priorities for well-being on campus. The feedback will be used to create a draft Well-being Strategy that will be shared at a future date with the community for further review and feedback. All information collected will remain confidential and will not be linked to any individual person. 

That sinking feeling: Are ice roads holding up under January’s unseasonable warmth?

Featured image showing melting lake ice from pexels-jd-garrett-14870203

Vital winter ice road infrastructure may be cracking and sinking under the load of an unseasonably warm start to the new year across Europe and North America, a trend York University Associate Professor Sapna Sharma and team have detailed in a recent study.

The research warns that ice roads, essential for moving people, food, medicine and fuel in remote northern communities, as well as heavy machinery used by industry, may become unsustainable as the climate warms. This poses significant issues this century.

Sapna Sharma
Sapna Sharma

Will ice road truckers become a thing of the past? That’s a question Sharma, a freshwater expert in the Department of Biology in York University’s Faculty of Science, says could depend on the thickness of ice needed to support the truck and its load. What might be thick enough for snowmobiles, pick-up trucks and skiers, could see ice cracking up under the weight of transport trucks in northern Canada, the United States, Russia and Sweden.

“This balmy weather could have significant impacts on northern communities who rely on those roads and ice for their existence. These communities will be most impacted by our projected change in the duration and thickness of lake ice,” says Sharma. “It would also affect recreational uses, even in more southerly areas. Our warming world is creating conditions where the duration of lake ice is shortening at alarming rates, and even if those lakes still freeze, the ice may not be thick enough for safe use.”

The study’s authors, including fellow lead authors Reader R. Iestyn Woolway of Bangor University, Wales, and Lei Huang, a postdoctoral researcher at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, used daily lake data from an ensemble of climate model simulations, conducted with a state-of-the-art Earth system model, to look at how the safety of lake ice is changing across the Northern Hemisphere.

Transport trucks need ice roads to be at least one-metre thick. “For these trucks our research shows that the number of days of safe ice will decline by 90 per cent with an increase of 1.5 C of global warming. That moves to 95 per cent with a 2 C increase and 99 per cent with a 3 C global temperature hike,” says Woolway.

When it comes to recreation, the researchers looked at how the winter activity season could be affected. They found that the time in which ice is safe for recreational purposes could decrease by 13, 17 and 24 days with the same 1.5 C, 2 C and 3 C of warming projections, respectively. To hold the weight of a human, the ice needs to be at least 10 cm thick, but previous research by Sharma and team has shown an increase in drownings through winter lake ice affected by warming winters.

The study projects that the most densely populated regions across the Northern Hemisphere will experience the greatest loss of safe lake ice.

“There is a real need for the development and implementation of adaptation plans to address the imminent loss of critical winter ice roads and transportation infrastructure across the Northern Hemisphere,” says Sharma.

The study, “Lake Ice Will be Less Safe for Recreation and Transportation Under Future Warming,” was published in the journal Earth’s Future.

Chemists at York University create more sensitive rapid antigen test

YFile Featured image shows rapid antigen tests by renato-marques-iUc8U9otEbs-unsplash

New research by a team at York University addresses limitations of current rapid antigen tests, reducing the potential for false-negative results.

Sergey Krylov
Sergey Krylov

Rapid antigen tests, like the COVID-19 home test, use a technology called lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), where a biological sample is placed on a strip of paper-like membrane and flows along this membrane to display a positive or negative result, generally within a few minutes. This kind of test has many advantages, namely simplicity and low cost, and it’s used for a variety of other infectious diseases; but a major limitation of LFIA is its low sensitivity, giving too many false-negative results.

New research by a team of chemists at York University comprised of Banting Fellow Vasily Panferov and postdoctoral Fellow Nikita Ivanov and led by Distinguished Research Professor Sergey Krylov in the Department of Chemistry, has now addressed that limitation by inventing an enhancement step for LFIA, whereby the sensitivity is increased by 25 to near 100 per cent. This step could be performed by an untrained person, in a matter of two minutes.

“Increasing diagnostic sensitivity of LFIA is an urgent and very important task in containing the spread of infections,” said Krylov. “If we think about COVID-19 for instance, about 40 per cent of those who are infected with the virus and have symptoms would test negative the first time. In a day or two, when the virus has multiplied to a very high level, they will get positive results, but it may be too late for preventing disease spread as the person may have not self-isolated.”

Krylov’s team developed their enhanced test and proof of concept for the hepatitis B virus; they were able to increase the diagnostic sensitivity of LFIA from 73 to 98 per cent while not affecting its 95 per cent specificity. The test requires a tiny drop of finger-prick capillary blood, making it practical for use on babies born from infectious mothers, for example.

The team’s enhancement step involves a simple procedure with low-cost accessory equipment that could be done in a primary care setting or lab to generate quick and reliable results. It involves adding a standard nanoparticle mixture and applying voltage to the strip ends (a process called electrophoresis). The electric field moves the immunocomplexes through the test strip so that they pile up on each other, enhancing the signal on the test (a darker positive line if the person is infected).

“The test would be done in two stages: the patient does the test as they normally would, and then if it’s negative or faintly positive, the enhancement step is performed,” said Krylov. “This could significantly reduce the workload of hospital testing facilities and facilitate more affordable diagnostics in resource-limited settings.”

Krylov noted that the same concept could be applied for sensitive testing in the food and beverage industry for contamination by toxins produced by bacteria.

Indoor masking, vaccination recommended to protect public health as Winter 2023 term begins

Image shows a medical mask, vials of COVID-19 vaccine and needles

As the Winter 2023 term begins, York University is reminding the community of the importance of keeping yourselves and others safe by following public health guidelines.

In alignment with recommendations by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, York is urging masking indoors and keeping vaccinations up to date.

Committing to a community of care approach at York is everyone’s responsibility as we do what we can to protect ourselves and others.

Important reminders:

  • Level 3 masks and N95 masks are available to community members for purchase from vending machines located on the Keele and Glendon Campuses.
  • Masks will be made available for free in high traffic areas on Keele Campus for the first two weeks of the winter term and on Glendon Campus at the vaccination clinic on Jan. 25.
  • Community members are encouraged to self-assess by completing YU Screen and should not come to campus if they are feeling unwell.  
  • We strongly recommend that everyone receives a complete COVID-19 vaccine series, including third or fourth doses and a flu shot.
  • York is making COVID-19 vaccine clinics available on campus — flu vaccines may be offered at these clinics, while supplies last, as well as at pharmacies.
  • Rapid tests can be obtained on the Keele and Glendon Campuses. 
  • Community members may order bulk quantities of COVID-19 testing kits for pick up by completing the following form: https://yorku.ca/go/bulkorder.

Please check YU Better Together for more information on how we can work together to protect public health.

Le port du masque à l’intérieur et la vaccination sont recommandés pour protéger la santé publique au début de la session d’hiver 2023

Alors que la session d’hiver 2023 commence, l’Université York rappelle à la communauté l’importance de se protéger et de protéger les autres en suivant les directives de santé publique.

Conformément aux recommandations du médecin hygiéniste en chef de l’Ontario, York recommande vivement de porter le masque à l’intérieur et de maintenir les vaccinations à jour.

Adopter une approche de bien-être de la communauté à York est la responsabilité de chacun, car nous faisons tout notre possible pour nous protéger et pour protéger les autres.

Rappels importants :

  • Les membres de la communauté peuvent acheter des masques de niveau 3 et N95 dans les distributeurs automatiques situés sur les campus Keele et Glendon.
  • Des masques seront mis à disposition gratuitement dans les zones à fort trafic du campus Keele pendant les deux premières semaines du trimestre d’hiver et sur le campus Glendon lors de la clinique de vaccination du 25 janvier.
  • Les membres de la communauté peuvent continuer à remplir le YU Dépistage et ne doivent pas venir sur les campus s’ils ne se sentent pas bien.  
  • Nous recommandons vivement à tout le monde de recevoir une série complète de vaccins contre la COVID-19, y compris la troisième ou la quatrième dose.
  • York offre des cliniques de vaccination contre la COVID-19 sur les campus. Le vaccin contre la grippe est également offert dans ces cliniques, jusqu’à épuisement des stocks, ainsi que dans les pharmacies.
  • Vous pouvez obtenir des tests de dépistage rapide sur les campus Keele et Glendon. 
  • Les membres de la communauté peuvent commander et ramasser de plus grandes quantités de trousses de test COVID-19 en remplissant le formulaire suivant : https://yorku.ca/go/bulkorder.

Veuillez consulter le site Mieux ensemble pour obtenir plus d’informations sur la façon dont nous pouvons travailler ensemble pour protéger la santé publique.

Passings: William Dimma

A field of flowers at sunset

A long-standing advocate and changemaker at York University, Professor Emeritus William (Bill) Dimma, died quietly in his sleep on Thursday, Dec. 22 in Toronto. Dimma served the University for several decades as a professor, dean, member and Chair of the Board of Governors.

William (Bill) Dimma
William (Bill) Dimma

Born on Aug. 13, 1928, in Montreal, Que., Dimma received a bachelor of applied science degree from the University of Toronto in 1948, a master of business administration degree from York University in 1969 and a doctor of business administration from Harvard University in 1973.

From 1974-76, he was a professor and dean of the (former) Faculty of Administrative Studies at York University.

Described as “one of York’s greatest enthusiasts,” Dimma was awarded a doctor of laws (honoris causa) in 1998 by York in recognition of his multifaceted association with the University as a student, faculty member, dean and his role in governance. Dimma was a member of the Board of Governors of York University from 1976 to 1997 and was the Board of Governors Chair from 1992-97. During this time, he devoted, on average, a full 20 per cent of his long work week to the betterment of York University. In this period, he also served the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children for 15 years, somehow finding time to Chair the investment committee and to sit on many other task forces and committees.

He was also a driving force and a key donor in the creation of the Jarislowsky-Dimma-Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance, established jointly at the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School in 2006.

From 1987 and into the early 1990s, Dimma spoke and wrote extensively on business ethics and became a highly respected leader within the corporate community for his advocacy of a greater sense of ethical awareness and of higher ethical standards. He is the author of Excellence in the Boardroom: Best Practices in Corporate Directorship. For his work in this field, St. Mary’s University awarded him an honorary degree in 1992. He is remembered as a keeper of corporate consciences, a reputation for excellence that earned him a place on 90 corporate boards, invitations to speak in many academic and business fora, and a well-deserved role in public and community affairs.

Dimma was awarded the Gold Medal in the Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Business, Harvard University. His other awards include the York University Business School Alumni Award for Outstanding Corporate Leadership, 1992, and the Order of Canada, 1996. In 1999, he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors. In 2000, he was made a member of the Order of Ontario.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Dimma was a talented swimmer and cross-country skier. He played water polo and squash while he was a student at the University of Toronto, and he garnered multiple master points in Bridge. He also loved travelling with his wife, and with his family.

He was married for 61 years, and he leaves his wife Louise (Ash), daughters Katherine and Suzanne, and son-in-law, Arriz Hassam.

Cremation has taken place, and a private family interment will take place in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the spring. Donations in Dimma’s memory can be made to York University here. Visit Schulich’s memorial tribute page here.

‘Meleko Mokgosi: Imaging Imaginations’ debuts Jan. 20 at the Art Gallery of York University

Featured image for YFile duplicates headline text highlights dates Jan. 20 to June 23 and opening reception Jan. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) presents artist Meleko Mokgosi’s first solo exhibition in Canada, Meleko Mokgosi: Imaging Imaginations.

On view from Jan. 20 to June 10, this exhibition debuts a new body of paintings and prints by Mokgosi that examine the role that images play in how we form perceptions of ourselves and others, within both our psychic realities and our lived experiences in the material world.

Mokgosi is well known for his imposing and vivid multi-panel paintings that feature hyper-realistic depictions of Black figures within narrative scenes that prompt us to question the ethics of democracy, structures of power and forms of knowledge. The artist’s penchant for employing cinematic framing and panoramic modes of display, his skillful brush strokes and his sensitive rendering of skin tones, endows his art with a seductive allure that captivates audiences. Mokgosi’s art often subverts conventions of European history painting — a genre popularized in the 15th century devoted to Eurocentric narratives of history, mythology, and religion — by privileging the depiction of daily life in Southern Africa and narratives of African and Black diasporic histories.

The success of Mokgosi’s art is also owed to his pedagogical approach to making. The artist’s attention to Black figures in domestic interiors, abstracted outdoor spaces, and imagined locations is always with an intent to explore a historical or theoretical concept most visibly signaled by his inclusion of vernacular materials such as anti-apartheid posters, photos of political figures and decorative objects that are specific to his generation coming of age in southern Africa. Mokgosi is dedicated to a project-based research practice that entails a long-term engagement with critical theory, post-colonial studies and the material cultures of liberation in contemporary Black life.

Mokgosi’s current and ongoing project is titled Spaces of Subjection. Within this growing body of work, he examines the complexities of subjecthood and the politics of identity and identification. Drawing from French philosopher Michel Foucault’s thinking, Mokgosi’s project considers questions of self-fashioning and self-determination within different physical spaces, cultural and national locations, and stages of maturation. The artworks created to debut at the AGYU query the role of images as societal forces that inform our sense of self and relation to others, or, in other words, subjecthood.

Meleko Mokgosi: Imaging Imaginations is curated by AGYU Curator Felicia Mings. The exhibition will be accompanied by an opening celebration and dialogue with the artist on Jan.19, from 6 to 9 pm. Parallel programs inspired by the exhibition also include a children’s story time, a conversation between the artist and master printer Brian Shure, gallery talks lead by esteemed York University faculty and staff, and an evening of poetry. For more information on these programs visit: https:/AGYU.art/project/mokgosi.

More about Meleko Mokgosi

Meleko Mokgosi (1981) is a Botswanan-born US-based artist and educator. He is associate professor at the Yale University’s School of Art and co-founder of The Interdisciplinary Art and Theory Program in New York City. He received his MFA from the Interdisciplinary Studio Program at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011 and received a BA from Williams College in 2007. Mokgosi has participated in numerous residencies such as the Rauschenberg Residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Captiva, FL (2015); Artist in Residence Program at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2012); and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program, New York (2007). He has exhibited widely in both group and solo exhibitions, his most recent solo exhibitions including Currents 122: Meleko Mokgosi, Saint Louis Art Museum, MO (2022–2023); Pan-African Pulp, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI (2019–2022); Scripto-visual, The Current, Stowe, VT (2021);and Your Trip to Africa, Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL (2020–2021).

The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation is the presenting sponsor for Meleko Mokgosi: Imaging Imaginations.

The AGYU is a public, university-affiliated, non-profit contemporary art gallery supported by York University, the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council.

Welcome to the Winter 2023 term

Vari Hall Winter scene showing the Harry Arthurs Common

Dear York community,

For those of you who may be arriving at York for the first time and those of you who are returning, I wish you all a warm welcome to the start of the 2023 winter term. I hope you had an opportunity to connect with family and friends over the holiday season and feel reinvigorated for an exciting year ahead.

Many of you will have heard me talk about York’s vision as a modern and progressive international teaching and research university committed to driving positive change for our local and global communities. This year is already shaping up to be a critical time in our institution’s history.

On Jan. 1, York welcomed its 14th chancellor, Kathleen Taylor. A York alumna, Kathleen was the first woman to serve on the board for a major bank in Canada and she remains a strong advocate for diverse representation across organizations and boards. I am excited to see her continue to right the future in her new role, where she will be a valued ambassador for students at York and a champion for higher education.

We are also embarking on an important journey that will support the University’s commitment to the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. The draft Decolonization, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (DEDI) 2022-2027 aims to drive transformational change by embedding DEDI principles, practices and actions at an institutional level. The DEDI Strategy, which was created in consultation with a number of groups, including the President’s Advisory Council on EDI, will strengthen our institution, support more equitable, diverse and inclusive communities, and create a place where everyone feels they belong.

The Markham Campus is progressing well. York will mark the completion of the campus structure with a Topping Off ceremony in the weeks ahead as we move closer to our official opening in spring 2024. We are excited to welcome our first cohort of students for select programs this fall – to be delivered at our state-of-the-art Learning Space in the world-class IBM Canada headquarters until they can be transitioned into the new building.

York continues to respond to the urgent needs of the future through our partnership with the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct. The centre is a significant opportunity for York to expand urgently needed health programs including our proposal for a new School of Medicine.  Designed to increase the number of family doctors and other primary care physicians, our unique population health curriculum combines data analytics and digital-health solutions with a team-based and patient-centred care model that will improve health equity for diverse and underserved communities.

These projects and many others continue to advance our University Academic Plan 2020-2025: Building a Better Future. I am excited to continue our work together as we strengthen our impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals towards building an inclusive, resilient and sustainable world.

Let me also take this opportunity to invite you to join me on Feb. 11 for York’s community skating event hosted with the City of Markham. All students, staff, faculty, course instructors, volunteers and partners are invited to attend whether you have skated before or not. More information will be shared with our community over the coming weeks.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and productive 2023.

Rhonda L. Lenton
President and Vice Chancellor

Bienvenue au trimestre d’hiver 2023

Chère communauté de York,

Je souhaite une chaleureuse bienvenue à toutes les personnes qui arrivent peut-être à York pour la première fois et à toutes celles qui sont de retour pour la rentrée du trimestre d’hiver 2023. J’espère que vous avez eu l’occasion de vous retrouver en famille et entre amis pendant la saison des fêtes et que vous avez rechargé vos batteries pour l’année à venir.

Beaucoup d’entre vous ont dû m’entendre parler de la vision de York en tant qu’université internationale d’enseignement et de recherche moderne et progressiste qui vise à promouvoir des changements positifs pour nos communautés locales et mondiales. Cette année s’annonce déjà comme un moment crucial de notre histoire.

Le 1er janvier, l’Université York a accueilli sa 14e chancelière : Kathleen Taylor. Diplômée de York, Kathleen a été la première femme à siéger au conseil d’administration d’une grande banque au Canada et elle défend ardemment la représentation diversifiée dans les organisations et les conseils d’administration. Dans son nouveau rôle, elle sera une ambassadrice précieuse pour la communauté étudiante de York et une championne de l’enseignement supérieur et je m’en réjouis.

Nous nous engageons aussi dans un projet important qui appuiera l’engagement de l’Université envers les valeurs d’équité, de diversité, d’inclusion et de justice sociale. Notre ébauche de stratégie de décolonisation, d’équité, de diversité et d’inclusion (DEDI) 2022-2027 vise à favoriser des changements transformationnels en intégrant les principes, pratiques et actions DEDI au niveau institutionnel. La stratégie DEDI a été créée en consultation avec plusieurs groupes, dont le Conseil consultatif de la présidente sur l’EDI. Elle consolidera l’Université, favorisera des communautés plus équitables, diverses et inclusives, et créera un espace où chaque personne éprouve un sentiment d’appartenance.

Le campus Markham progresse bien. Dans les prochaines semaines, York marquera l’achèvement de la structure du campus par une cérémonie de clôture du chantier, alors que nous nous rapprochons de l’ouverture officielle au printemps 2024. Nous nous réjouissons d’accueillir la toute première cohorte étudiante de certains programmes cet automne. Les cours seront donnés dans notre espace d’apprentissage ultramoderne au sein du siège social prestigieux d’IBM Canada jusqu’à leur transfert dans le nouveau bâtiment.

York continue de répondre aux besoins pressants de demain grâce à son partenariat avec l’espace de soins de santé de Vaughan. Il constitue une occasion exceptionnelle de développer des programmes de santé urgemment attendus, comme notre proposition d’ouvrir une nouvelle école de médecine. Unique en son genre et conçu pour accroître le nombre de médecins de famille et d’autres médecins de soins primaires, notre programme d’études sur la santé de la population associe l’analyse des données et des solutions de santé numérique à un modèle de soins axé sur l’équipe et les malades qui améliorera l’équité en matière de santé pour les communautés diverses et mal desservies.

Ces projets et bien d’autres continuent de faire progresser le Plan académique 2020-2025 de l’Université York : Bâtir un avenir meilleur. J’ai hâte de poursuivre notre collaboration tandis que nous renforçons notre contribution aux objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies afin de bâtir un monde inclusif, résilient et durable.

J’en profite aussi pour vous inviter à vous joindre à moi le 11 février pour un événement de patinage communautaire de York organisé avec la Ville de Markham. Tous les membres de la communauté étudiante, du personnel, des corps professoral et enseignant, les bénévoles et autres partenaires sont invités à y participer, peu importe leur niveau d’expérience. Plus de détails seront communiqués à notre communauté dans les prochaines semaines.

Je vous souhaite une année 2023 heureuse, productive et en bonne santé.

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

Dawn Bazely awarded RCIScience Sandford Fleming Medal for outstanding science communication

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University Professor Dawn Bazely in the Faculty of Science joins the ranks of illustrious Canadians like Nobel Laureate John Charles Polanyi and astronaut Chris Hadfield as the recipient of the 2022 Sandford Fleming Medal for excellence in science communication from the Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience).

The selection committee was unanimous in its decision, noting Bazely’s impressive, diverse range of activities as a science communicator and activist for more than 30 years.

“Dr. Bazely is an advocate of science in Canada, a champion for women in STEM, marginalized and low-income students, and a promoter of listening to and learning from Indigenous knowledge and wisdom,” said nominator Robert Tsushima, Chair of the Department of Biology at York University. “Her science communication has been thoroughly 21st century – bold and innovative, and meeting the public where they are rather than expecting the public to come to her. Dr. Bazely takes advantage of all forms of communication platforms to disseminate her message on science, environmental policies, discrimination, and social justice. Her science communication reaches a global audience.”

Dawn Bazely
Dawn Bazely

Nominator Professor Shoshanah Jacobs (University of Guelph), said that “Dr. Bazely has made a career-long commitment to excellence in science communication. Her leadership, advocacy, and expertise have been behind so many important initiatives. She is a champion of access to science knowledge and fierce leader in evidence-informed policy making.”

Bazely joined York University’s Biology department in 1990 and has since established an exceptional international reputation for her excellence in teaching, research and science outreach. She has given dozens of media interviews and appeared online on panels, interviews and documentaries speaking about her own ecological research and also as an expert commentator on a wide range of science and science-policy issues. She has also advocated for improved policy to make science more inclusive, learning how to be strategic in this from colleagues in the social sciences and humanities.

In addition to her undergraduate teaching and graduate supervision duties, Bazely has organized more than 30 public science events and training workshops nationally and internationally and participated in and supported many more public science events organized by colleagues and early career researchers. She has mentored more than 20 early careers scientists who have gone on to professional careers in science communication and science policy. She was also a co-founder of the Seneca College Science Communication Summer Institute.

Bazely is sought after by academics from outside of science as a collaborator in interdisciplinary projects. Most recently she worked with colleagues in history and botany interested in the impacts that women and members of other equity-seeking groups have made in science. She is often consulted by policymakers from diverse sectors ranging from conservation biology to ecotourism and climate change adaptation.

Her accolades include the Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence in the Future-Proofing Students Category, multiple teaching awards from York University and its Faculty of Science, a President’s Sustainability Leadership Award, and recognition by The Globe and Mail as York University’s “Hotshot Prof.”

“Professor Bazely represents a truly interdisciplinary researcher committed to knowledge translation and public engagement” said Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science at York. “She is an award-winning teacher at the Faculty and University level and a highly regarded expert and leader in science communications – regularly pursuing knowledge mobilization activities and networking on climate change, global sustainability, environmental protection, and public engagement. She is most deserving of this prestigious award. Congratulations Professor Dr. Bazely!”

A public event to honour Bazely’s contributions will be held virtually on Jan. 24, when she will sit down with previous Fleming Medalist and beloved Canadian science communicator Jay Ingram.

RCIScience was established in 1849 by Sir Sandford Fleming and provides a platform for public engagement with leading scientists, to foster critical thinking, expand science dialogue and promote informed decision making. It has been awarding the Sandford Fleming Medal and Citation annually since 1982 to an individual working in Canada who has made outstanding contributions to science communication.