Faculty of Education Dean’s Research Impact Award winners announced

York’s Faculty of Education recently honoured two professors for research excellence in their work at the Faculty’s annual Research & Teaching Celebration on March 31.

Professors Jennifer Jenson and Steve Gaetz were presented with the Dean’s Research Impact Award for the 2014/15 and 2015/2016 academic years respectively.

Jennifer Jenson
Jennifer Jenson

Jenson has published widely on education, technology, gender, design and development of digital games, and technology policies and policy practices in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schooling. Since joining the Faculty she has received close to $7 million in research funding. Jenson received $2,498,116 for her recent project, “Re-figuring Innovation in Games,” which enables and supports a timely rethinking and ‘reconfiguring’ of an industry in which innovation is impeded by gendered inequality.

Stephen Gaetz
Stephen Gaetz

Gaetz, who is also the director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, has received over $7 million in research funding and garnered international attention for his work on homelessness. He was recently awarded the prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Impact Award for his work to facilitate the flow and exchange of research knowledge both within and beyond the academic community.

“Both Jennifer and Steve have made tremendous contributions within their respective fields of research and have brought recognition to York nationally and internationally,” said Ron Owston, dean of the Faculty of Education. “Through their work and accomplishments, I am once again reminded of the outstanding professors that we have within our Faculty.”

The Dean’s Research Impact Award in the Faculty of Education was established in 2014 to recognize tenured faculty members whose work has made a significant impact on children, youth, communities and/or policies in education. Recipients receive a conference grant and their names are acknowledged on the Honorific Distinctions plaque located on the second floor of Winters.

Passings: Professor Rishma Dunlop inspired many with her poetry

York University English and Education Professor Rishma Dunlop died Sunday evening (April 17) after a long battle with cancer. The following In Memory of Rishma Dunlop was written by York University English Professor and dear friend Priscila Uppal.

In Memory of Rishma Dunlop

Rishma Dunlop
Rishma Dunlop

Rishma was a woman who wore a number of hats. Literally. She collected hats and hat boxes. One of the things we shared.

Rishma was also a mother, sister, daughter, wife, lover, friend; as well as an educator, professor, poet, essayist, prose writer, mentor.

But Rishma rejected labels. Another thing we shared.

In fact, our first conversation was about our dissatisfaction with labels.

I met Rishma because she invited me to lunch to discuss a project. I had no idea at the time that this would be the first of countless lunches we would have together and the first of many projects we would end up collaborating on.

Rishma had met with Denis DeKlerck, publisher of Mansfield Press, who had recently published her first book of poetry, The Body of My Garden, to propose an anthology of poetry by South-Asian Canadian women. The publisher liked the idea and suggested that Rishma seek me out as a co-editor.

We spent much of the lunch venting and laughing about how neither of us liked being slotted into any category: whether one of gender, ethnic or national background. So we hated the hyphen between South and Asian, we hated the term South-Asian (we both grew up calling ourselves Indian) and though we were both proud to be Canadian and to be women, we thought it was an indication of how little things in publishing had progressed that it was necessary for us to put those words on a cover for it to clearly indicate a void in the current publishing climate. We agreed that the poets and poems we would eventually select for the anthology would actively work against those categories and would showcase the exciting and innovative artistic practices of those artists outside of any prescribed labels or themes. The resulting anthology was Red Silk, and it is still being taught in schools.

That was only one of Rishma’s many accomplishments; one of her many literary, academic, artistic, and educational projects that contributed to her life of defying expectations, producing work that mattered to her, and developing her own personal and professional style.

Rishma published dozens of essays (particularly lyric essays), some fictional and memoir prose, and even some drama, in various academic journals and literary anthologies. She also published five full collections of poetry: The Body of My Garden, Reading Like a Girl, Metropolis, White Album, and then her last book, Lover Through Departure: New and Selected Poems.

As evidenced by that title, Lover Through Departure, Rishma’s life as a poet and professor was bound up in her life as a lover, traveller and friend. Through longing and grief, she believed one could learn love and tenderness; hence her beautiful line “Tenderness is our best gesture in the face of death” (“Metropolis Redux”). And her love of the world was always intimately bound up in her love of words: “The heart is literate./It wants to read the pages it has unfurled” (“Reading Amy Lowell”).

Rishma was a dedicated Professor in the Education and English Departments, and an important member of the Creative Writing Program (she coordinated the program for several years). Her teaching and research philosophy was firmly rooted in the idea that artistic practice is a highly beneficial method for knowledge acquisition and creation. In fact, she was the first person in Canada to submit a novel to earn a PhD in education. Her students always appreciated her passion for the arts and her mentorship, and nominated her for several teaching awards. Her scholarship and writing earned her several important awards and honours, including a Fulbright Scholarship and membership as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

But my favourite memories of her were outside the classrooms of York University, when we were travelling together to literary events, conferences and readings. Our first trip together was out west to promote Red Silk. I stayed in her home in Penticton and her daughters graciously offered to be our designated drivers while Rishma and I hopped from winery to winery, drinking full-bodied reds in full-bodied dresses.

We gave dozens of readings together as fellow artists, and as fellow colleagues we organized tons of events and sat on so many committees together I’ve certainly lost count. The latter frequently required a good deal of patience and I always considered it a goal of mine, when we were at stuffy meetings or boring lectures, to crack Rishma’s always elegant demeanour and cause her to break out into what I like to call “you’re-so-bad-but-you’re-so-right” giggles.

We went to movies and plays and conferences together, including one in Scotland where we had danced on the grounds of a castle. But I think my favourite one was in Sri Lanka, where we performed at this intimate festival in an old fort town of Galle, on the ocean, where the writers were feted on opening night with elaborate fireworks that literally exploded our ears and fell into our champagne glasses, and where we ran past snake charmers and sat on the porch of one the most beautiful hotels in the world trading stories with Tom Stoppard, Richard Dawkins and Simon Sebag Montefiore. I remember her saying her partner (soon-to-be husband) David Sobelman would have adored the view. They had considered him accompanying her on this trip, as I had considered whether my own husband should join us, but we’d decided against the expense. And besides, we had each other for company and commiseration and celebration. And that we did.

It was one of those “who knew” things. It would be Rishma’s last trip outside of Canada. A few months later she was diagnosed.

I don’t want to mention cancer. It’s another horrible label. But it is the reason Rishma is not with us today. And so I must mention it, and mention that I’ve rarely seen the kind of grace and perpetual elegance that Rishma displayed in dealing with the disease over the last four years. Unfortunately, undergoing treatments for cancer is another thing Rishma and I ended up sharing. And even when her prognosis got worse while mine became more hopeful, I always knew Rishma understood the deep pain we, and our loved ones, particularly our partners, were feeling, and she always sent me her love and healing vibes, even when she could have used that energy to think solely of herself. I am deeply grateful for her generosity in that and many other things. And I’m so grateful that in our last visit together, sitting on her bed, that I managed to get her to crack one of her famous smiles.

Probably the only thing Rishma disliked more than labels was someone else speaking for her. And so I want the final words to be hers. This is my favourite poem of Rishma’s; it showcases the tenderness of her heart, her sense of humour, and her profound appreciation of the most important things, and people, of her life.

Postscript

for my daughter who would be my eulogist

Dearest Rachel

Last night you had a dream. It was my funeral.
You were reading my eulogy. You spoke of my
perpetual claim that any day was a good day to die.

There is nothing definitive to be said of the dead.
But I have some request for your future script, my darling.

Tell those who are gathered that I have loved and
I have been beloved.

You do not need to speak to virtue or morals. You may
wish to say I endured suffering but I believe
my bruises to be pale beside the wounds of history.

Tell them that I loved my companions most of all.
Tell them you were one of them who gave me
a better way to journey alone.

Spread my ashes in the waters of the bay I have loved,
for there, on the wings of cranes, in the embrace of the delta
and its wetlands, it is always morning.

P.S.

You may have:
my black dress
my red shoes
my pearls
my hats and suitcases
my books and manuscripts.
Make of these things a breathing archive.
Writer yourself into every century.
Find me again and again as one with whom
faith could be kept.

A memorial reception will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at Mount Pleasant Funeral Home, 375 Mount Pleasant Road (east gate entrance) at 6pm.  Visitation will start at 5pm and the gathering shall continue to 8pm.

Condolences and other messages can be sent to http://mountpleasantgroup.permavita.com/site/RishmaDunlop.html?s=120&snId=143657&pageName=/siteContent/onlineNotification.html.

 

York U’s 2016 Helen G. Mitchell Award winner

Teacher candidate and York U student Ana-Maria Jerca was selected as one of the 2016 recipients of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA) Helen G. Mitchell Award.

OMLTA-Award_Ana-Maria-Jerca-1-225x300Jerca is on track to graduate with her Bachelor of Education degree this spring, and was presented with the award at the OMLTA’s recent spring conference at the International Plaza Hotel in Toronto.

“Ana-Maria is highly creative in her effective use of technology in all of her lesson plans and student activities,” said York Course Director Olga Rubino. “I have known her for the past two years as a student in the intermediate/senior French and Spanish courses in the Faculty of Education. Her lessons engage the learner in exploring cultural awareness and in developing linguistic competency. She is an excellent ambassador for the Faculty of Education and we are proud that she is the recipient of this award.”

The prestigious Helen G. Mitchell Award is granted to one graduating student from each Faculty of Education in the Province of Ontario who best demonstrates the attributes of a potentially outstanding classical/FLS/international language teacher at the Faculty of Education of the respective nominee. The candidate demonstrates excellence in the academic program and the practicum and applies effective second language methodologies which lead to success in the classroom.

“This award is important to me because it’s in recognition of the passion and love that I have for teaching students French and Spanish,” said Jerca. “Knowing that I’ve had an impact on a group of students – be it through awakening a love of language in them, or just by helping them improve their writing or grammar, is precious.”

Jerca plans to pursue an MA in linguistics at York U this fall.

Time is right for federal government to invest in youth homelessness, says new brief

a homeless youth
Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and professor in the Faculty of Education at York University
Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and professor in the Faculty of Education at York University

In a policy brief released today, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at York University, in partnership with A Way Home, is calling on the new federal government to invest $16.5 million annually to support communities to plan and implement strategies to end youth homelessness by 2026.

There are some 35,000 to 40,000 homeless youth in Canada between the ages of 13 and 25. They represent 20 per cent of the entire homeless population. The federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy was renewed in 2014 for five years ($119 million annually) with a focus on Housing First, but there was no targeted funding or strategy for youth homelessness. In the recent federal budget (2016), the government increased the allocation to the Homelessness Partnering Strategy by over $50 million in each of the next two years, creating an opportunity for a new investment in ending youth homelessness.

“The causes and conditions of youth homelessness are different than those of adult homelessness and this is important to recognize if we are to help these youth,” said York University Professor Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (Homeless Hub) which released the policy brief, “Federal Investment in Youth Homelessness: Comparing Canada and the United States and a Proposal for Reinvestment.”

While communities are able to use some of their federal funding to address youth homelessness, this for the most part goes to fund emergency services and supports, such as shelters and day programs. “While emergency programs are of course needed, this isn’t enough, as it doesn’t help prevent or reduce the problem,” said Gaetz.

“Few communities have comprehensive plans for dealing with youth homelessness and without strategies communities are only managing the issue, not dealing with the causes or developing ways to eliminate it. Communities need resources to shift direction.”

The federal government, which has indicated it is interested in supporting youth and young adults, needs to reinvest not only in communities, but should also engage the provinces and territories in implementing more comprehensive strategies to address youth homelessness. Ontario has signaled that youth homelessness is one of its key priorities and Alberta is the first in Canada to develop and implement a comprehensive youth homelessness strategy.

The investment should focus on community planning, program intervention, including prevention and strategies to help youth exit homelessness, support for Indigenous youth and leadership from the federal government.

“This is important because the federal investment in homelessness in general has declined by $92 million since 1999 to $119 million, while the former annual $20 million to target youth homelessness was dropped in 2003,” said Gaetz. “In comparison, the US spends C$343 million to address youth homelessness. To match that based on population, Canada would need to spend $37.85 million on youth homelessness.”

Negative impacts of homelessness include:

  • Increased risk of exploitation, violence, victimization, physical and sexual abuse
  • Greater involvement with the police and justice system
  • Disengagement from school and difficulty obtaining employment,
  • Stress, depression, anxiety disorders and suicide
  • Increased use of substances to cope

There is now a real opportunity for the Government of Canada to take the lead and work with community partners to address youth homelessness in a much more strategic and effective manner. With a renewed investment, new opportunities can be created for youth, including housing stability, resiliency, prevention of homelessness, as well as access to education and jobs.

“The time is right for a renewed federal investment on youth homelessness,” said Melanie Redman, executive director of A Way Home. “Together with government we can support communities to craft and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent and end youth homelessness. We can also support evidence-based program models and promising practices that focus on preventing young people from becoming homeless in the first place.”

“There is enough research now that points to the very real possibility of ending youth homelessness,” said Gaetz.

Education officials from Denmark visit York to learn about inclusive education

The Faculty of Education recently hosted a delegation of education consultants from Denmark who were here to examine best practices in teacher training for inclusive education.

Denmark-Consultants-300x225The consultants are working with Denmark’s Ministry of Children, Education and Gender Equity to review research and practice in Finland and Ontario in order to increase the percentage of pupils identified with exceptionalities in mainstream classes within the next five years.

York’s Faculty of Education was chosen to host this meeting by Ontario’s Ministry of Education because of the Faculty’s reputation for excellence in weaving social justice, equity and inclusiveness throughout the Bachelor of Education program and into Additional Qualification courses for teachers.

Isabel Killoran, associate professor in the Faculty of Education, provided the group with an overview of how York University prepares teacher candidates to plan for and implement the principles of inclusive education in their practice. She spoke about the critical importance of raising teacher candidates’ awareness of school or systemic barriers to inclusion and how to advocate for all students.

Gillian Parekh, research coordinator for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), discussed how the district utilizes current demographic data to develop system and school plans directed towards the continuous improvement of equity and inclusive education practices. She distributed a TDSB document entitled “Inclusion: Creating School and Classroom Communities Where Everyone Belongs” which provides an overview of the research, along with valuable tips and tools for educators to support inclusion in their schools and classrooms.

Janet Murphy, director of Professional Learning, informed the group about Additional Qualification courses and certificate modules that provide teachers with enhanced inclusion skill sets to improve teaching and learning in their classes for all pupils. Rick White, coordinator of Leadership and International Programs, discussed the ways in which York U prepares aspiring school leaders in the Principal’s Qualification program to become leaders in equity and inclusive education. Specifically, principals are not only provided with the legal and ethical mandate for inclusion but are also trained in identifying personal bias or systemic challenges to inclusive practices, and how to use their emotional intelligence skills to deal with those challenges.

Johanne Köpfli Møller of Ramboll Consulting said after the meeting, “We were looking for similarities and differences between Denmark and Ontario.  Although we found a lot of similarities, one thing that stood out to us as being quite different in Ontario is that all principals must take specific courses before becoming principals.

“This enables you to ensure that principals are given some tools and competencies to better handle the complexity of school management including how to support teachers in working with children with exceptionalities. As the principals play an important role in both countries, those competencies are expected to be important for the inclusion of children with exceptionalities.”

The delegation will draft an analysis comparing Denmark, Finland and Ontario based on findings from their visit. The analysis will be presented to the Ministry of Children, Education and Gender Equity later this month and will form one part of a large inspection of the work with inclusion of children with exceptionalities in primary and parts of secondary schools in Denmark (K-G9).

Professor Connie Mayer recognized for work in deaf and hard-of-hearing education

Professor Connie Mayer was awarded the Sister Mary Delaney Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd annual conference of the American College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH) in New York last month.

Connie Mayer
Connie Mayer

The award was established to honor the distinguished career of an ACE-DHH member in teaching, research and service in the preparation of teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The nominee currently must be a faculty member in a program for preparing educators of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and must have been an active professional for a minimum of 20 years.

Mayer has been a classroom teacher and resource leader for more than 20 years and has taught at the university level for more than 15 years. In addition to teaching core courses in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at York University, Mayer supervises practicum courses and teaches graduate and pre-service education students.

She played a major role in the development of an innovative online, part-time teacher education program in the Deaf Education program that significantly increased overall enrollment by both national and international students, and has earned recognition across the University.

connie mayer award
Connie Mayer receiving the award

Throughout her accomplished academic career, Mayer has published a book, 13 book chapters, 27 refereed journal articles, three conference proceedings, four research reports, and has offered more than 60 refereed conference presentations. She has authored two articles that are consistently listed in the 50 most frequently cited articles in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.

Mayer has served in leadership roles in professional organizations in the field, including as chair and program chair for the American Educational research Association’s “Research on the Education of Deaf Persons” Special Interest Group. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volta Review, American Annals of the Deaf, and Reading Research Quarterly.

Those who nominated Mayer for the award said she exemplifies the attributes of Sister Mary Delaney and merits the recognition of her colleagues in the field of deaf education. The nomination continued by saying Mayer is a deserving winner of this award, and offered congratulations on her successful career.

Graduate Studies honours long-time professors with teaching awards

The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) honoured two professors for substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multi-facted aspects of graduate teaching at York University.

Close to 50 students, faculty and staff were on hand to see Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton present the FGS Teaching Award to education Professor Celia Haig-Brown, and President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri present a posthumous award to computer science and engineering Professor Nick Cercone at FGS Faculty Council on March 3.

President Mamdouh Shoukri, left, Professor Celia Haig–Brown and Vice–President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton with Haig–Brown's Teaching Award
President Mamdouh Shoukri, left, Professor Celia Haig–Brown and Vice–President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton with Haig–Brown’s Teaching Award

“Celia’s extraordinary work in the classroom, on supervisory committees, as a mentor to students present and past, and finally as a guiding force in the many programs with which she is affiliated, all mark her an exemplary member of the graduate community at York,” said Lenton.

Lenton commented that Haig-Brown’s stellar record of teaching, mentorship and commitment to graduate education has influenced multiple cohorts of scholars and teachers, as reflected by one of her nominators who said “her teaching has transformed the way we engage with social justice as a lived path”.

“It is my sincere pleasure to congratulate Celia on this award in recognition of her profound commitment to students and to graduate education at York University,” said Lenton.

Besides Education, Dr. Haig–Brown is affiliated with the graduate programs in Environmental Studies, Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Social and Political Thought. She has supervised the completion of 11 doctoral dissertations and more than 30 master’s theses, and has sat on more than 30 PhD and more than 70 master’s supervision committees during her academic career.

Letters of support for Haig-Brown’s nomination of the award, many from former students, noted her wide influence on their pedagogical approaches, her quality of critical attention, and her powerful intellect and knowledge.

Upon accepting the award, Haig-Brown thanked all of her students, saying, “Our time together is one of the sweetest an academic can experience. Ultimately this award is representative of the incredible work by my students.”

Professor Nick Cercone
Professor Nick Cercone

Cercone was nominated by Computer Science Graduate Program Director Franck van Breugel on behalf of current and former students.

“Professor Nick Cercone has displayed substantial and significant excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to teaching at the graduate level for more than 40 years and has made a significant impact on our graduate program and the research intensification of our department,” said the nomination.

Cercone passed away last December, at 68 years of age, as a result of illness.

In supporting Cercone’s nomination, Lassonde School of Engineering Dean Janusz Kozinski said, “Since joining York in 2006, Nick has not only excelled in obtaining major research grants but has been an excellent mentor to students. These accomplishments are further complimented by his outstanding record of undergraduate and graduate teaching where he has made a significant impact in advancing the understanding of data mining and machine learning.”

Shoukri said it was with a bittersweet mixture of pride and sadness that he was there to present the award to Cercone’s partner, Thanya.

“It is his devotion to graduate students that is remembered most fondly and with deep appreciation by the many students Nick supported – and over his career, Nick supervised to completion over 30 PhD students, and many, many other master’s students and postdoctoral fellows,” said Shoukri.

He noted, over the course of Cercone’s teaching career, his former students have gone on to tremendous success: they include a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, two University Research Professors, a Chairperson of a Linguistics Department, two associate deans, a Presidential Young Investigator, three industry directors of research, and an NSERC Accelerator awardee. Two of his former students founded companies, and 21 became university professors.

“I can’t think of a better record,” he said. “On behalf of all of us at York, we are honoured to confer this award to Thanya Cercone in recognition of her partner Nick’s deep commitment to his graduate students at York University and to a career devoted to the extension of knowledge.”

The FGS Teaching Award is bestowed annually on a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies who has displayed substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at York.

Open Your Mind: A Q&A with Celia Popovic, director of the Teaching Commons at York University

Celia Popovic

Appearing at regular intervals in YFile, Open Your Mind is a series of articles offering insight into the different ways York University professors, researchers and graduate students champion fresh ways of thinking in their research and teaching practice. Their approach, grounded in a desire to seek the unexpected, is charting a new course for future generations.

Today, the spotlight is on Celia Popovic, director of the Teaching Commons at York University and a member of the Faculty of Education’s teaching corps.

Popovic is an educational developer who has focused her research on teaching and learning in postsecondary institutions. She is most interested in how people learn, how they teach and how to support and raise the profile of teaching in the university setting. 

Celia Popovic
Celia Popovic

Q. Please describe your current role at York University and field of research.

A. I am faculty member in Education and the director of the Teaching Commons. I am interested in how people learn, how people teach and how to support and raise the profile of teaching and learning in universities such as York.

Q. What inspired you to pursue this line of work? Who or what sparked your interest in this line of inquiry into teaching and learning?

A. As an undergraduate in the early 1980s I was aware that I found some courses more engaging than others. I learned more in some courses than others. In some courses I felt the point was to learn the game according to the professor and try to guess what it was he or she wanted from me. I thought this was my problem – that one way or another I hadn’t learned the secret of how to be a good student. When I became an instructor in a community college, I was shocked to find that I was given the class and the topic and left to sink or swim. I was sure this couldn’t be the only way but I didn’t know what the alternative might be. Gradually I found like-minded others who were interested in the craft of teaching. I learned from them and I also sought out formal courses and support. A masters degree, a doctorate and a few years later found me teaching in a university and very quickly I made the transition into supporting teaching.

Q. How would you describe the significance of your research into educational development in lay terms?

A. I am interested in how people become educational developers. What support is available, how we become professionals, what our values are and how we might define our corpus of work. There is a growing body of literature that looks at educational developers’ identity − my interest is this but I am also pragmatic − how do developers develop?

Q. How are you approaching this field in a different, unexpected or unusual way?

A. York University is emerging as a leader in educational developer support. Last April, the University hosted the Educational Developers’ Caucus (EDC) three-day institute. Around 50 developers from across Canada came to the University to engage in professional development sessions led by several experienced developers. We also have the only accredited course in Canada (and likely the world) that is designed for TAs who have an interest in educational development. Our STAY symposium (May 6) is a one-day event full of a wide range of workshops on an array of teaching and learning topics designed by and for York TAs. We received a small grant from EDC to create an online resource for new or aspiring developers: http://teachingcommons.yorku.ca/educational-development/developing-the-developer/.

In my most recent project I am leading a working group drawn from across the globe to create a suite of fully online courses for educational developers. This is a first − it is endorsed by the International Consortia of Educational Developers (ICED) and is a very exciting project. I hope that York University will be the hub of this project providing the infrastructure for the program, with courses developed and delivered by educational developers from across the world, from Australia to the United States (USA), from Canada to Sweden, and Japan to the United Kingdom (UK).

Q. How does your approach to the subject benefit the field?

A. I believe in being collaborative and inclusive. I like to make connections and to help others to see and make connections likewise. I also believe in being professional. I think it is this passion combined with a certain stubbornness that allows me to complete projects, but most of all I enjoy working with colleagues who have a passion for teaching and learning.

cover of celia popovic's new bookQ. What findings have surprised and excited you?

A. I recently co-edited  a book with David Baume titled Advancing Practice in Academic Development (Routledge, 2016). This was a mammoth task of “cat herding” as we worked with multiple authors located across the world, in Australia, Sweden, the UK, the USA and Canada. What I found amazing was the similarities in our work and our values, which were far more apparent than our differences.

Q. What role will your new book play in the world of educational development? 

A. I am privileged to have had the opportunity to co-edit this book with David Baume who is considered one of the founding fathers of educational development in the UK. I co-authored two chapters with David and another with Kathryn Plank on Change in Higher Education. The chapters I wrote with David were perhaps the most fun, as we sought to contextualize educational development in one and to foresee the future in the other.

The book is primarily for educational developers, but as the field expands this title can be applied to more and more, not just to those who have the title as their job. I hope that readers will find answer to questions that trouble them, to find encouragement in their endeavours and support for their passion.

Q. Every teacher and researcher, from novice to experienced, encounters roadblocks and challenges during the process of inquiry or teaching, or both, can you highlight some of those challenges and how you overcame them?

A. The main challenge for me is finding the time and energy to do this work. My full time dedication is to the role of director of the Teaching Commons − this is truly my dream job! So the research and service to the development community has to come during the evenings and weekends.

Q. How has this work opened your mind to new possibilities or new directions?

A. I am increasingly aware of the growing field of educational development. I am constantly finding and hearing about new ways to engage with faculty in their teaching.

Q. With respect to your research into teaching, what are the interdisciplinary aspects to your research? If so, what are they?

A. Teaching touches every discipline. Many disciplines believe their’s is unique and has special approaches. While this is true, for example teaching biology in a lab is not the same as teaching history in a class room or dance in a studio, there are also many similarities. Just as I am energized and excited by ideas that are shared by colleagues in different countries, I believe the same energy and excitement can be generated by encouraging teachers from different disciplines to talk about their approaches.

Q. Did you ever consider other fields of research?

A. No!

Q. Are you teaching any courses this year? If so, what are they? Do you bring your research experience into your teaching practice?

A. Yes, I teach a three-credit graduate course − Teaching and Learning in Post Secondary Education. This is the perfect course for an educational developer as it offers the opportunity to talk to grad students about my work in teaching and learning. This year we are having fun networking with students in the UK who are taking a similar course. Once again the difference of culture and context is energizing if somewhat puzzling at times as we negotiate the differences.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Q. What books, recordings or films have influenced your life?

A. My first degree was English and American Literature. I remain an avid reader. Since moving to Canada in 2011, I have read far more Canadian authors than previously and have learned a great deal about my adopted home. Joseph Boyden leaps out as an inspiration as does Michael Ondaatje. I have long had a love of Margaret Atwood’s work and Carol Shields, of course, but since moving here have discovered many more, with Patrick de Witt’s The Sisters Brothers high on my list of favourites as well as Emma Donahue’s Room.

Q. What are you reading and/or watching right now?

A. Right now I’m reading Marge Piercey’s He, She and It – I do love  a good dystopia!

The last movie I saw was a Cohen Brothers’ movie  Hail Ceasar and it make me laugh a lot because it was very funny and George Clooney, well what more could you want?

Q. What advice would you give to students thinking of pursuing a graduate degree or embarking on a teaching career?

A. I would say do you love your subject? If so − do it and do it with passion. If you are at all undecided, I’d suggest wait until you find your passion!

Q. If you could have dinner with any one person, dead or alive, who would you select and why?

A. My husband − I seem to spend so little time with him these days!

Q. What do you do for fun?

A. Apart from sleep you mean? I love hiking, travelling, spending time with friends and family.

York University research leaders recognized at annual celebration

York University research leaders were recognized on Feb. 24 for their outstanding achievements during the fourth annual York U Research Leaders celebration.

Hosted by York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Vice-President Research and Innovation Robert Haché, and Celia Haig-Brown, associate vice-president research, who officiated as event MC, the University celebrated the outstanding research achievements of several York researchers, students and postdoctoral fellows.

Above: The researchers honoured at the York U Research Leaders celebration
Above: The researchers honoured at the York U Research Leaders celebration
Above: York President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri
Above: York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

Researchers and students were recognized for achievements that ranged from being appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada to being the lead for a Partnership Grant award by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada to being appointed a Canada Research Chair to being the lead on a large scale research grant from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and more. This year’s Research Leaders event was dedicated in memory of Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Nick Cercone, who was posthumously recognized for his research achievements.

“Every year for the past four years we have gathered at this event to recognize research excellence and success across the University – and each year it becomes clearer that York researchers are taking their place among the world’s leading scholars and experts,” said Shoukri. “The work of our scholars actively enriches the atmosphere of learning at York University, and is at the heart of our efforts to train the next generation of thought leaders.”

Shoukri introduced the keynote speaker, Pat Horgan, Vice-President Manufacturing, Development & Operations at IBM Canada.  Horgan spoke about the tremendous impact of York research and the importance of industry-academic collaborations in the broader community, highlighting York’s research partnerships with IBM Canada.

Above: York Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Hache, Bridget Stutchbury, Rebecca Pillai Riddell and York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri
Above: York Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché, Distinguished Research Professor Bridget Stutchbury, who is the recipient of the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award, Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, who is the recipient of the 2016 President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award, with York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

“Today marks our fourth annual York University Research Leaders celebration,” noted Haché in his remarks. “We plan to continue growing the tradition – the celebration of our research and scholarly accomplishments – and the valuable contribution that research, scholarship and creative activity at York is making to society.”

Haig-Brown noted each research leader’s individual accomplishments as they were presented with gifts by Shoukri and Haché. The list of researchers, postdoctoral fellows and students who were honoured is as follows:

Stacey Allison-Cassin, Associate Librarian, Reference Department, Scott Library

Alidad Amirfazli, Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Kristin Andrews, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Uzo Anucha, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Ali Asgary, Associate Professor, School of Administrative Studies, Disaster & Emergency Management, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Peter Backx, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Jacob Beck, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Benjamin L. Berger, Associate Dean (Students) and Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Sampa Bhadra, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Margaret Boittin, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Deborah Britzman, Distinguished Research Professor, Faculty of Education

Annie Bunting, Associate Professor, Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Rosemary Coombe, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Communication & Culture, Department of Anthropology & Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Michael Daly, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Paul Delaney, Senior Lecturer, Department of Physics & Astronomy and Director, Division of Science, Faculty of Science

Mario DiPaolantonio, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education

Christo El Morr, Assistant Professor, School of Health Policy & Management, Faculty of Health

James Elder, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering and Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Samantha Fashler, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Seth Feldman, Professor, Department of Cinema & Media Arts, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Book prize winner FES Professor Sheila Colla (centre) with Pat Horgan, Vice-President, Manufacturing, Development & Operations, IBM Canada and York Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché
Book prize winner FES Professor Sheila Colla (centre) with Pat Horgan, Vice-President, Manufacturing, Development & Operations, IBM Canada and York Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché

Stephen Gaetz, Professor, Faculty of Education

Kathleen Gould-Lundy, Department of Professional Learning, Faculty of Education

Jinthana Haritaworn, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Jane Heffernan, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science

Jimmy Huang, Professor and Director, School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Demian Ifa, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Lesley Jacobs, Professor, Department of Social Science and the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Ray Jayawardhana, Dean and Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Jennifer Jenson, Professor, Faculty of Education

Hui Jiang, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering

Jolin Joseph, Teaching Assistant, Department of Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Mark Jurdjevic, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of History, Glendon College

Stanislav Kirschbaum, Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies, Glendon College

Fuyuki Kurasawa, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and York Research Chair in Global Digital Citizenship

Christopher Kyriakides, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair in Socially Engaged Research in Race and Racialization

Richard Last, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Regina Lee, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Barry Lever, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Mary Elizabeth Luka, Sensorium Centre for Digital Arts & Technology, School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Kyo Maclear, Education Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Heath MacMillan, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Tom McElroy, CSA/ABB/NSERC Industrial Research Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Remote Sounding, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Susan McGrath, Professor, School of Social Work, Lassonde School of Engineering

Deborah McGregor, Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School and Faculty of Environmental Studies and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science

Scott Menary, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Sushanta Mitra, Associate Vice-President Research and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Haideh Moghissi, Professor, Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Lewis Molot, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Noa Nahmias, History Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Norio Ota, Associate Lecturer, Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Debra Pepler, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Marie-Christine Pioffet, Professor, Department of French Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Emanuel Rosonina, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Adrian Shubert, Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Gunho Sohn, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Paul Sych, Associate Professor, Department of Design, School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Salvatore Totino, Course Director, Faculty of Education

John Tsotsos, Distinguished Research Professor, Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering

Sean Tulin, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Particle Physics and Cosmology

Doug Van Nort, Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre and Department of Digital Media, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design and Canada Research Chair in Digital Performance

Christopher Vanden Berg, Political Science Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Peter Victor, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Leah F. Vosko, Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender & Work

Graham Wakefield, Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Art & Art History and Department of Digital Media, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and Canada Research Chair in Interactive Information Visualization

Derek Wilson, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Thilo Womelsdorf, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Jianhong Wu, Professor Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Industrial & Applied Mathematics

Gerald Young, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Glendon College

Dessi Zaharieva, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health

Amro Zayed, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Book Prizes and Awards

Bonnell, J. (2014). Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don River Valley. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Colla, Shiela, Williams, P., Thorp, R. & Richardson, L. (2014). Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Cothran, B. (2014). Remembering the Modoc War: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Gilbert, J. (2014). Sexuality in school: The limits of education. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Hoffmann, R. (2014). An Environmental History of Medieval Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jenkins, W. (2013). Between Raid and Rebellion: The Irish in Buffalo and Toronto, 1867-1916. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

McGriffin, E. (2014). Subduction Zone. St. Johns: Pedlar Press.

Smardon, B. (2014). Asleep at the Switch: The Political Economy of Federal Research and Development Policy since 1960. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

The winners of the Undergraduate Research Fair, held earlier in the day in Scott Library, were also recognized at the Research Leaders event. University Librarian Joy Kirchner spoke about their achievements and highlighted the importance of undergraduate research.

Undergraduate Research Fair students pose for a group portrait at the York U Research Leaders event
Undergraduate Research Fair students pose for a group portrait at the York U Research Leaders event

Dean and Associate Vice-President Graduate in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Barbara Crow followed Davidson and highlighted graduate student research at York.  Her remarks were presented in front of a slideshow of various students’ achievements.

Shoukri presented Distinguished Research Professor Bridget Stutchbury, Faculty of Science, with the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award and Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Faculty of Health, and York Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health, with the 2016 President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award.

Stutchbury was honoured with the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award for her significant contributions to outstanding research on the ecology, behaviour and conservation of birds.

Pillai Riddell was recognized with the 2016 President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award for establishing the first norms for the development of acute pain behaviours in healthy infants, within the context of primary caregivers through her (the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt [OUCH]) Lab at York.

For more information on the President’s Research Award recipients, see the Feb. 22 YFile story.

Faculty of Education hosts discussion on international education and local employment

Is the Ontario labour market global ready? An event on March 2 hosted by the Faculty of Education will explore this question during a presentation between noon and 1:30pm in 234 York Lanes.

The event, “International Education and Local Employment: Is the Ontario Labour Market Global-Ready?” will feature guest presenters to talk about the Universities Canada report Canada’s Universities in the World (2014) and its claims that preparing domestic and international students for a globalized labour market is the key rationale for internationalization.

It states: “among the most prominently discussed rationales for internationalization is creating globally aware graduates with skills suited to the jobs of today and tomorrow” (p. 3). This implies that employers are looking for, and are in need of, graduates with international and intercultural competencies.

Is this the rhetoric or reality when it comes to the Ontario labour market, and what are its implications for international educators and policy makers?

Roopa Desai-Trilokekar
Roopa Desai-Trilokekar

Presenters from the Faculty of Education Roopa Desai-Trilokekar, associate professor, and Laura Crane, director of Academic Affairs and Operations, will discuss the topic.

Desai-Trilokekar will present a talk on “International Students as “Ideal” Immigrants: Perspectives from International Students, University Staff & Employers”, and explore how international students have come to be viewed as “ideal” immigrants or “designer migrants” (Simmons, 1999, cited by Chira, 2013) encouraging shifts in government and institutional policy, programs and services to facilitate their transition to permanent residents. Findings from three studies (exploring the perspectives of international students, university staff and Ontario employers) will be presented to identify contradictions in policy rhetoric and challenges and limitations in translating policy into practice.

Qiang Zha
Qiang Zha

Crane’s presentation on “Ontario School Administrators’ Consideration of Teachers’ International Experiences during the Hiring Process” will look at how many Ontario-educated teachers are gaining international experience through international internships, exchanges, practicum placement or paid employment. Participants will hear about how a quantitative study of 131 Ontario school administrators consider international experience – and other factors – during the local hiring process.

The event’s discussant will be Qiang Zha, associate professor, Faculty of Education.

Please RSVP to MThomas@edu.yorku.ca to confirm attendance. A light lunch will be served.