Learn how self and social identity are shaped within medical practices at Neurological Imaginaries seminar
Share
The Neurological Imaginaries Seminar Series welcomes Dr. Suze Berkhout for its third installment in the series, to discuss her research on how dimensions of self and social identity are shaped within medical and psychiatric practices, and the implications of this for biomedical knowledge. Berkhout is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and a clinician-investigator and practicing psychiatrist within the University Health Network.
Suze Berkhout
The event takes place on Friday, Jan. 17 from 12 to 2 p.m. in 305 York Lanes. This event includes a short paper presentation titled “Multiplicity and Space for the Unspeakable: Exploring the Limits of Narrative in a Study of First Episode Psychosis” followed by a live interview and a Q-and-A period. Light refreshments will be provided, and all are welcome.
In her paper, Berkhout examines the notion that a biomedical worldview produces an “epistemological narrowing” (Squier, 2007) that is by now commonplace within the health humanities. This concern of narrowing is ultimately both epistemic and ontological, and motivates what has been called a narrative turn in qualitative health research. But what if a different kind of narrowing likewise occurs within critical methodologies that rely upon verbal speech communication, narrative research included?
During this event she will discuss the limits of narrativity in understanding the lived experience of psychosis. Through findings from a three-year study contrasting historical, biological, and experiential narratives of first episode psychosis, this paper draws on critical disability studies and feminist philosophy of science to discuss project themes of ambivalence, disorientation, perplexity and confusion in the experience of psychosis – themes and issues that relate closely to those of traumatic brain injury.
Berkhout will also touch on findings from a collaborative visual arts-based knowledge translation project developed in response to these themes. When experiences of psychosis were unspeakable, they overwhelmed the ability to order, describe or categorize them. In contrast, these experiences were reflected with greater depth and nuance through multimedia and visual art works created within a novel group setting. Multisensory modes of study spoke to partial truths, truths in the telling, and multiplicity in realities – lived experiences that were “uncontainable by words.”
The Neurological Imaginaries seminar series works to bring neuroscientists, anthropologists and artists together in an interdisciplinary conversation to discuss epistemological tensions within traumatic brain injury care. These conversations will explore how sensorial and arts-based methodologies might open up possibilities for understanding often imperceptible inner transformations that escape both biomedical technologies and language.
Call for submissions: President’s Prizes in Creative Writing Competition
Share
Get writing! The President’s Prizes in Creative Writing Competition is seeking original pieces in one or all of the following genres: poetry, short fiction, screenplay and stageplay.
The contest is open to all full- or part-time York University undergraduate students at the Keele and Glendon campuses. The deadline for submission is Jan. 13 by 5 p.m.
Although students can submit work to more than one category, they may only submit one work per genre. Submissions must fall within the four genres.
A prize of $400 will be awarded to the best entry in each genre. Material submitted must be original, unpublished and cannot have previously won any other contests.
The entries will be judged anonymously. Results of the competition will be announced within three months of the deadline. Prizes will be awarded at the President’s and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Creative Writing reception in the spring.
Winners’ names will be published in YFile and posted on the English Department and Creative Writing Program websites.
For more information, contact Michelle Anacleto, creative writing program assistant, at ext. 33304 or by email at michana@yorku.ca.
Year in Review 2019: Top headlines at York University, January to March
Share
As a new year emerges, YFile takes a look back on 2019 to share with readers a snapshot of the year’s highlights. “Year in Review” will run as a four-part series and will feature a random selection of top news stories published in YFile. Here are the stories and highlights for January to March 2019, as chosen by YFile editors.
January
The official ribbon cutting for the Rob & Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building
Schulich’s Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building opens with focus on future
York University and the Schulich School of Business officially opened the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building on Jan. 10. The facility is designed to bring industry into the classroom and to stimulate interdisciplinary research in fields ranging from business ethics and big data to global enterprise and real estate and infrastructure.
Lassonde researchers develop portable cannabis detection device for roadside screening
Lassonde Assistant Professor Nima Tabatabaei and his team of researchers developed and tested a patent-pending technology for fast, on-site detection and quantification of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive substance of cannabis – in saliva. The technology uses thermal signatures of gold nanoparticles attached to THC molecules.
Second-year Space Engineering student launching her dreams this April
For many Space Engineering students, launching a rocket into the ether is a dream that takes years of school and work experience to achieve. Second-year space engineering student Megan Gran is one of 24 students in the world who has been selected to participate in the Fly a Rocket! program offered by the European Space Agency at the Andøya Space Center in Norway.
Unravelling the mystery of a strange, deadly fungus that is infecting frogs worldwide
While completing her master’s degree in biology, Julia Gauberg spent three months in Australia trying to figure out how a particular fungus is causing the death of so many Australian green tree frogs and other amphibians around the world. Gauberg thought tight junction (TJ) proteins might play a role.
February
York University celebrates its green heroes
York University’s green heroes were celebrated during the annual President’s Sustainability Leadership Awards reception. York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton presented the awards and each recipient was presented with a bespoke award crafted from recycled material by York University student Maira Zafar.
Professor Ali Kazimi earns Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts
Ali Kazimi, a filmmaker, writer, visual artist and associate professor at York University, is one of eight recipients of the 2019 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Announced by the Canada Council for the Arts on Feb. 13, the award honours artists for their exceptional careers and excellent contributions to the arts.
Biologists identify honeybee ‘clean’ genes known for improving survival
The key to breeding disease-resistant honeybees could lie in a group of genes – known for controlling hygienic behaviour – that enable colonies to limit the spread of harmful mites and bacteria, according to genomics research conducted at York University.
Ideas intersect at the Elia Scholars Dinner honouring graduate student researchers
Art, science, philosophy and social justice all intersect at the Elia Scholars Dinner, an annual event that honours some of York University’s most innovative graduate student researchers. The Elia Scholars Program is York’s most prestigious internal award.
March
York research projects honoured by lieutenant-governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant-Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards for Excellence in Conservation celebrate outstanding contributions to cultural and natural heritage conservation, environmental sustainability and biodiversity. This year, York University’s Department of History was honoured with two of these awards.
John Moores
New research led by York U planetary scientist provides clues on methane’s interaction with surface of Mars
A study led by John Moores, an associate professor in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, found evidence of a link between the surface rocks and the methane in the atmosphere detected by the Curiosity Rover on Mars. Researchers say it is this process that is controlling how much methane is released into the atmosphere above Gale Crater, the landing site of the Curiosity Rover.
Meet the inaugural recipients of the York Science Scholars Award
Ten students from the Faculty of Science are the first to be part of the prestigious York Science Scholars Award (YSSA) program, which includes an entrance scholarship and a summer research placement.
National recognition given to York student group supporting refugees
The World University Services of Canada (WUSC) awarded York University’s student Keele Campus Local Committee the 2018 Local Committee of the Year Award, the highest award given at the organization’s annual international forum. York-Keele is a local committee of the WUSC, a non-profit dedicated to improving education, employment and empowerment opportunities for youth around the world.
Check back in the next edition of YFile for Year in Review 2019: Top headlines at York University, April to June.
LA&PS Professor Natalie Coulter appointed director of IRDL
Share
Featured image for the postdoc research story shows the word research in black type on a white background
Professor Natalie Coulter, in the Department of Communication Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), has been appointed the new director of the Institute for Research on Digital Learning (IRDL), an Organized Research Unit (ORU) at York University. Coulter’s appointment went into effect on Jan. 1.
Natalie Coulter
The centre has moved this year to co-leadership of the Faculty of Education and LA&PS, reflecting an expanded focus as Coulter steps into this leadership role.
IRDL has a broad mandate to engage in systematic inquiry, discussion and information sharing related to the uses of technology in teaching and learning by encouraging the formation of links with faculty members across the University and with schools, government, and industry to provide collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches to research problems and issues.
Originally established in 1987 within the Faculty of Education as the Centre for the Study of Computers in Education, the institute became a university-based research unit in June 2001 and was named IRLT at that time.
Coulter takes over from Professor Jen Jenson who was director of IRDL for more than six years. (Jenson is embarking on a new career at the University of British Columbia.)
“During my tenure at IRDL, I hope to expand IRDL’s mandate on digital learning to engage more broadly with digital cultures as informal sites of pedagogy and learning, and to produce research that responds quickly to changes in technology, media and culture,” Coulter says. She notes that IRDL will continue to promote research, scholarship, and pedagogic innovation in a digital age.
Coulter is an expert in the areas of digital culture, critical advertising studies, children’s media culture(s) and girls’ studies, with a special focus on the social construction of marketing niches such as the tween girl. She has recently published an edited collection with Communication Studies Professor Susan Driver titled Youth Mediations and Affective Relations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Her book, Tweening the Girl: The Crystallization of the Tween Market, was published by Peter Lang’s Mediated Youth Series in 2014.
She is a founding member of the Association for Research on the Cultures of Young People.
With funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, she presently has two research projects underway – one on the embodied tween, living girlhood in global and digital spaces; and another on digital childhood and fandom.
The Canadian Writers in Person event on Jan. 14 featuring Metis author Cherie Dimaline has been cancelled
Share
The Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series event featuring Métis author Cherie Dimaline on Jan. 14 has been cancelled. Dimaline was to speak about her award-winning novel The Marrow Thieves.
The series features 11 authors who will present their work, answer questions and sign books. Canadian Writers in Person is a for-credit course for students. It is also a free-admission event for members of the public. All readings take place at 7 p.m. on select Tuesday evenings in 206 Accolade West Building, Keele Campus.
The series will reconvene Jan. 28 with a presentation by author Uzma Jalaluddin.
Other presentations scheduled in this series are:
Jan. 28: Uzma Jalaluddin, Ayesha at Last, Penguin Random House
March 3: E. Martin Nolan, Still Point, Invisible Publishing
March 17: David Bezmozgis, Immigrant City, HarperCollins
Canadian Writers in Person is a course offered out of the Culture & Expression program in the Department of Humanities in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. For more information on the series, visit yorku.ca/laps/canwrite, call 416-736-5158, or email Professor Gail Vanstone at gailv@yorku.ca or Professor Leslie Sanders at leslie@yorku.ca.
McLaughlin College welcomes January students with matriculation ceremony and common read
Share
Keele Campus entrance
Every year, York University welcomes thousands of new students as part of its January intake of first-year and transfer students. While the number of new students who arrive in January is only a fraction of those who arrive in the Fall term, York University offers an especially warm welcome during the frosty cold Canadian winter. Winter term orientation activities are equally as exciting and fun, relevant and important, as activities for the Fall term orientation students.
James Simeon
McLaughlin College will welcome its new student January admits with its “Matriculation Ceremonies and Common Read” event on Jan. 7, 2020, in its Junior Common Room, 014 McLaughlin College, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program for the matriculation ceremonies includes a welcome from the College Head, James C. Simeon, and introductions and welcome from the college student leaders: Alec Pichelli, president of the McLaughlin College Council; Gil Segev, peer mentor network coordinator; and, Sebastian Moreno, the McLaughlin College Community Choir director.
McLaughlin College student club representatives will be in attendance from the more than 20 student clubs based at the college. Professor Thomas Klassen, author of this year’s common read, How to Succeed at University (and get a great job), co-authored with John Dwyer, will be present to lead January first-year students on a lesson that covers the critical skills necessary to be able to succeed at university. The first-year experience for new students transitioning to the rigors and demands of university studies is generally considered to be the most challenging. (The book is available as a free download).
As part of the McLaughlin College Matriculation Ceremonies, new first-year students are invited to sign the College Register. By doing so students are welcomed as part of the McLaughlin College community within York University.
“Our College Register is a record of all of those students who are enrolled in our affiliated college schools and departments and their programs: politics (Global Political Studies); sociology; social science (Criminology; Law and Society; Interdisciplinary Studies; Work and Labour Studies); and, public policy and administration,” said Simeon. “When our students sign the College Register they become part of the history of our college and part of the body of current and past students, and, now alumni, of our great college and university. They are welcomed to participate fully in all events and activities at our College and to contribute to the enrichment of College life at McLaughlin.”
The college provides the full panoply of student supports to help ensure that our students make a successful transition during their first-year of university studies through its peer mentor program, critical skills workshops and a full range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities at the college.
Klassen, one of the foremost authorities on student transitions and studying abroad, said many first-year students who are part of the January intake are international students who will be experiencing the additional challenge of adapting to a new society and learning environment.
“I will be incorporating a number of key messages and points to assist all our new international students who will be joining us at McLaughlin College at the start of the Winter term in my presentation on Jan. 7,” said Klassen, who is the co-author of a recent publication, The Essential Guide to Studying Abroad: From Success in the Classroom to a Fulfilling Career, with Christine Menges.
“The McLaughlin College ‘Matriculation Ceremonies and Common Read’ is a wonderful way to welcome our January admits to our college and it is the right way to start off the new year and the new Winter term,” said Simeon. “It is the time of new beginnings for all and, especially, those new students who will be joining us in the pursuit of their university studies, in preparation for their highly successful learning careers, at McLaughlin College and York University.”
For more information on the “Matriculation Ceremonies and Common Read” event visit the McLaughlin College website.
MPPAL students publish articles in ‘Canadian Government Executive’ magazine
Share
Articles by 11 master of public policy, administration and law (MPPAL) students from York University are being showcased in Canadian Government Executive (CGE) magazine in 2019 and 2020.
MPPAL students in the School of Public Policy and Administration wrote original articles as part of public management coursework that began in Fall 2018. Their articles offer insights on the prospects for public sector development from the upcoming generation of public service leaders.
“We are excited to announce … a new section called the Millennial Outlook. This section will feature students and young professionals in the public sector sharing issues they are dealing with to help us anticipate what the future of public service will be like,” said CGE Managing Editor Marcello Sukhdeo.
Professor John Wilkins, adjunct faculty member with the School of Public Policy and Administration, who coached student writing efforts, introduced the series in an overview entitled “People first, policy second.” In it, he highlights students’ preoccupation with people and capacity issues as precursors to excellence in public policy, and says: “Good people who are good leaders make good policy for good governance … an honourable legacy to which millennials can aspire.”
The six MPPAL students featured in CGE magazine in 2019 include:
Yunus Jawaheer
Lauren Inouye
Kiran Hamid (no photo)
Andres Urrutia Bustos
Antoinette Sarpong
Monica Mann
Yunus Jawaheer – When corporate culture hinders talent management
• The nature, scope and quality of corporate culture influence whether individuals decide to stay or leave their job. Institutionalizing change in corporate culture is a daunting undertaking. Leaders ought to recognize the transformative challenges and commit to consolidating incremental changes over time.
Lauren Inouye – Want to retain staff? Let them leave
• Fostering exchange, collaboration and innovation will enable the OPS [Ontario Public Service] to serve Ontarians better. It will also sustain institutional relevance and develop the capacity to lead and grow. Staff may leave in the short term, but they will thrive … and they will always come home.
Kiran Hamid – Mental health: the blind spot in the public service
• Managers must champion mental health exercises that are applicable to their workplace. Examples include managing stress in a fast-paced call centre or managing high workload volumes in a high-demand workplace. Employers need to lead the fight against mental health and be a beacon of hope in the workplace.
Andres Urrutia Bustos – The middle manager’s edifice for success
• Instead of gambling, middle managers try to minimize negative outcomes while simultaneously trying to leverage better outcomes. Fluid, honest communication with senior management is capital, so that everyone understands the calculated risk and executes actions to maximize the chances of success.
Antoinette Sarpong – Let’s get physical
• Fortunately, the key to Millennial retention transcends borders. It’s simply about management supporting the four drives that motivate employees and, by extension, offering more flexibility that shifts organizational culture. Organizations that do this will attract future thought leaders while ensuring that the brightest young minds stay in the public service once they get there.
Monica Mann – Besting the private sector at its own game
• Canada has one of the top public services in the world, so governments must be doing something right. But this does not mean that the public sector can become complacent or ignore emerging data. It must continue to evaluate and track employment trends to understand how to attract and retain the best and brightest.
Five more articles are scheduled for publication in the magazine, and this year’s MPPAL students drafted articles in the Fall 2019 term to augment the body of work. The aim, over time, is to discern trends in public service careers, to track issues in public management, and to offer CGE readers valuable insights from the frontier.
There is an open invitation to prospective authors to contribute articles. CGE has a domestic and international readership of more than 65,000 senior public executives.
York faculty earns Distinguished Contributions Award for service to TESL Ontario
Share
York University’s TESOL Program Coordinator and Associate Professor Antonella Valeo has been recognized by TESL Ontario with the Distinguished Contributions Award.
The TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program is a certificate program at York University open to current York students and university graduates. TESL (Teachers of English as a Second Language) Ontario, is a non-profit organization serving the needs of teachers of English as a second language and English literacy development. It is the professional voice and accrediting body for ESL instructors and TESOL programs in Ontario.
Antonella Valeo
Valeo was honoured with the award during the TESL Ontario annual conference, Dec. 5 and 6, and was recognized for her many years of service with TESL. Her many roles have included affiliate president, local co-chair for the TESOL Convention, and research committee Chair. In addition, she contributed to the early establishment of the current institutional accreditation model and the creation of a model for additional qualifications available to ESL instructors.
Her work with TESL Ontario continues to connect York’s TESOL Certificate Program, and university graduates, with the professional community.
The TESOL Certificate Program at York adheres to the standards of TESL Ontario, ensuring a standard of quality for both faculty teaching in the program and graduates preparing to teaching adult English language learners across Canada. It is the only accredited concurrent TESOL university program in Ontario, open to both current undergraduates and post-graduate applicants. A critical component of this program is the teaching practicum in which York students are placed in TESL Ontario-accredited programs and work alongside experienced teachers to gain experience in the classroom.
Valeo has been working with ESL learners and teachers for more than 25 years and is currently an associate professor at York University where she teaches graduate courses in applied linguistics, TESOL, and ESL to undergraduate students. As a researcher, her interests are embedded within the ESL classroom and include a focus on classroom interaction and language teacher development. Over the years, her work with TESL Ontario has both inspired and reflected these interests.
Year in Review 2019: Top headlines at York University, April to June
Share
As a new year emerges, YFile takes a look back on 2019 to share with readers a snapshot of the year’s highlights. “Year in Review” will run as a four-part series and will feature a random selection of top news stories published in YFile. Here are the stories and highlights for April to June 2019, as chosen by YFile editors.
April
Governor General Julie Payette presented the Order of Canada to Hédi Bouraoui
Professor Hédi Bouraoui invested as a member of the Order of Canada
Professor Hédi Bouraoui, York University’s writer in residence, was formally invested as a member of the Order of Canada during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on March 14. Bouraoui was recognized for his tremendous body of work and tireless advocacy for French-language literature.
York professor, students earn awards for leading trauma research
York University psychology Professor Robert T. Muller and three students in the Trauma & Attachment Lab were recognized at the 36th annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD) with two distinct awards for their work in trauma research.
York University chemists invent new Lewis acidity test using fluorescence
York University chemists have invented a new fluorescence-based method for accurately determining the strength of a range of Lewis acids, which could one day be used to help purify pharmaceutical drugs, improve industrial processes and explore next-generation technologies, according to a new study.
York University announces nine York Research Chair appointments
Nine emerging and established researchers across the University joined the York Research Chairs (YRC) program, York University’s internal counterpart to the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program, which recognizes outstanding researchers. The appointed YRCs belong to the sixth cohort of researchers to be appointed since the establishment of the program in 2015.
May
Researchers win $1.89M grant to search for AI solution to infant pain assessment
A team of York University researchers led by psychology Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, associate vice-president research and the director of the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt (O.U.C.H.) Lab, was awarded a $1.5-million grant to study preterm infants’ subjective experiences of pain, despite their inability to speak.
York researchers to lead five-year project addressing youth and teen dating violence
Professor Sara Flicker, Faculty of Environmental Studies, and Professor Jen Gilbert, Faculty of Education, received $954,220 over five years to support a project aimed at preventing teen dating violence by teaching new skills with a focus on increasing awareness and understanding of healthy relationships.
Five York grad students receive prestigious Vanier Scholarships
Five PhD students from York University have been named Vanier Scholars and will receive support from the Government of Canada to pursue their cutting-edge research. Valued at $50,000 per year for three years during doctoral studies, the 2019 Vanier Graduate Scholarship is awarded to graduate students who demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and/or humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering, and health.
A male hooded warbler in the Boyer Woodlot at York’s Keele Campus (image: Raffaele Camasta)
Rare songbird makes migration pit stop at York’s Keele Campus
Billions of tiny songbirds, some weighing as little as two loonies, undertook an arduous journey this past spring. These birds left their wintering grounds in the tropics and raced thousands of kilometres to their Canadian breeding grounds. Some, including rare species, stopped at York University’s woodlots.
June
York’s Merv Mosher recognized for decades-long contribution to volleyball
Merv Mosher was inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Hall of Fame on June 1. A long-serving faculty member in York University’s Faculty of Health, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Mosher received recognition as one of the leading volleyball coaches in Canadian history.
2019 President’s University-Wide Teaching Award recipients celebrated during convocation
Four York University faculty members who have significantly enhanced the quality of learning and have demonstrated innovation in teaching were recognized during the 2019 Spring Convocation ceremonies with a President’s University-Wide Teaching Award: Professors Russ Patrick Alcedo, Nicolette Richardson, Alistair Mapp and teaching assistant Mohamed Abdelhamid.
Check back in the next edition of YFile for Year in Review 2019: Top headlines at York University, July to September.
SPPA awards dinner recognizes service excellence, visionary leadership
Share
Recognizing service excellence and visionary leadership, the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) held its annual Student, Alumni and Community Recognition Awards dinner on Nov. 21.
Interim Associate Deputy Minister of ServiceOntario Jim Cassimatis
This year, alumnus Jim Cassimatis, interim associate deputy minister of ServiceOntario, delivered the keynote address. Cassimatis reflected on his public service career, offering a candid account of some of the challenges he experienced over the last three decades. From technology to ethics, the public service tackles a constantly evolving set of realities in its mandate to deliver on commitments that politicians have made to the public, he said.
Cassimatis has devoted his career to the implementation of government programs and services. He offered advice to students and more junior alumni, noting that first, sound budgeting and management are essential for successful program delivery; second, learning the intricacies of program delivery takes time; and third, it is important to move laterally to gain exposure to different functional roles in the public service to appreciate the complexities of implementation.
He also cautioned junior colleagues against rushing to move up the career ladder prematurely, as risks are inevitable in the face of steep learning curves and the need to build one’s leadership capital.
Awards
From left to right: MPPAL Director Dagmar Soennecken, Professor Lorne Foster, MPPAL alumna Amuna Baraka-Clarke and University Professor Emeritus Ian Greene
The first award presented at the dinner celebrated public service excellence and leadership. The 2019 year marks the 10th anniversary of the first graduating class of the school’s Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program, and on this occasion the School’s Alumni Network – YUSPPAAN – established the Foster – Greene Award for Excellence in Public Policy, Administration and Law. The award is named after the MPPAL program’s inaugural graduate program directors – University Professor Emeritus Ian Greene and Professor Lorne Foster – and recognizes an alumnus/alumna of the MPPAL program whose work has demonstrably and significantly advanced social justice, human rights, ethics and good governance in congruence with the program’s founding principles. The award recipient will normally have a minimum of 10 years of work experience in the broader public sector.
YUSPPAAN Board Member Kevin Giddings (MPPAL ’15) championed the establishment of the award and presented it to its inaugural recipient, Amuna Baraka-Clarke (MPPAL,’18). Baraka-Clarke’s career spans three decades in the non-profit sector, including 15 years at senior leadership level. She currently holds the position of director of human resources and operations for the Jane/Finch Centre. In this role, she strengthens organizational structures and practices through strategic human resources interventions and the engagement of policy. She is also a 2019 CivicAction DiverseCity Fellow and sits on various boards, including the newly engaged York University Black Alumni Network.
The School also recognized the contributions of two public sector partners for the practicum opportunities they provided to our fourth-year Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) students. Professor Peter Constantinou, the school’s experiential education coordinator, highlighted the championing roles of: alumnus Claudio De Rose (BA spec. hon. PPA ’98), acting executive director, driver and vehicle program development and modernization in the Road User Safety Division of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation; and Louise Simos, who currently leads a team responsible for ServiceOntario’s intergovernmental relations and data services at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. Simos recently received the highest award in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) – an Amethyst Award – for digital disruption and for an innovative new intranet for the 60,000-plus OPS employees.
Professor Peter Constantinou with practicum honoree Claudio De Rose
Fourth-year BPA student John Soriano with his practicum supervisor Louise Simos
Several other awards were presented to students and alumni, including:
Sukhpreet Singh with Alena Kimakova
The Undergraduate Student Award presented to Sukhpreet Singh from the BPA spec. hon. (management stream) program (class of ’19) for his leadership and service to the Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA) in a variety of roles for three years and most recently as president in 2018-19.
Singh joined the federal public service in May as an access to information and privacy analyst at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and expressed his gratitude at the dinner to his parents, and SPPA faculty and staff for their support during this journey.
Tiago De Oliveira with Alena Kimokova
The Graduate Student Award was presented to Tiago De Oliveira for his service as director of communications for our Graduate Students’ Association during the first year of his MPPAL studies in 2018-19, and contributions to organizing a career panel for students, the school’s municipal symposium and several networking events.
De Oliveira currently holds the position of payroll transformation project lead with the City of Toronto. He is a graduate of our BPA spec. hon. program (law, justice and public policy stream, class of ’14) and also holds a certificate in human resources management from York.
Ryan Clancy and MPPAL Director Dagmar Soennecken
The Best 2019 Major Research Paper Award was presented to Ryan Clancy (MPPAL, class of ’19) for his research on the City of Toronto’s response to gun violence. MPPAL Director Dagmar Soennecken served as Clancy’s research supervisor and highlighted his background and aspirations combining a bachelor of commerce, chartered professional accounting (CPA) designation and commitment to social justice in line with York’s and MPPAL values.
Clancy recently transitioned from the OPS to LIFT Philanthropy Partners as the senior manager, impact investing with emphasis on social finance and impact. He also serves as vice-chair of the Board of Regeneration Community Services, a not-for-profit that provides housing support for persons with mental health and addiction challenges.
From left: Professor Dagmar Soennecken with MPPAL students Rebecca Ganesathas, Sindiswa Moyo, Joana Jabson, Gurjeet Virdi, Professor John Wilkins (coach) and MPPAL students Asare Kester-Akrofi and Richard Mohammed
MPPAL students Rebecca Ganesathas, Joana Jabson, Asare Kester-Akrofi, Sindiswa Moyo and Gurjeet Virdi were presented with the Best Team Award for their participation in the 2019 IPAC-CAPPA National Case Competition. Soennecken also acknowledged the work of the team’s long-standing coach John Wilkins, and MPPAL student Richard Mohammed was named honorary member of the team for his unparalleled dedication and constructive support of the team at every tryout.
Taylor Dallin (centre) with her parents and Khushbu Dhaliwal, PPASA vice-president (far left) and Gurkamal Dhahan, PPASA president (far right)
From left: Khushbu Dhaliwal, PPASA vice-president, award winner Rehana Lalani, her mother, and Gurkamal Dhahan, PPASA president
Award winner Anjali Singh (centre right) with her parents and Khushbu Dhaliwal, PPASA vice-president (far left) and Gurkamal Dhahan, PPASA president (far right)
Undergraduate Program Director and Professor Joanne Magee and Gurkamal Dhahan, president of the PPASA, presented the awards to this year’s winners of our high school essay contest for sharing their thought-provoking Vision for Canada:
First prize: Taylor Dallin, Grade 12, Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, North York, for her essay entitled “Seeing 20/20: A Vision for 2020 and Beyond Which Brings Indigenous Issues to the Forefront;”
Second prize: Rehana Lalani, Grade 12, Glenforest Secondary School, Mississauga, for her submission asking: “Is it possible to advance both economic and environmental policy?”
Third prize: Anjali Singh, Grade 12, Francis Libermann Catholic High School, Scarborough, on the status of women in Canada.
The evening concluded with the presentation of two alumni awards by SPPA Director Alena Kimakova:
Shireen Salti accepting award
The Emerging Leader Award was presented to Shireen Salti (MPPAL, class of ’17) who was recently named the executive director of the Canadian Arab Institute, a national not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that focuses on issues and interests of the Canadian Arab community through research, education and community engagement. The institute strives to be the leading policy and research organization on domestic policies of concern to Arab Canadians. Salti has held various positions with the Ontario Public Service, the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme and the Council of Ontario Universities. In 2017, Salti received both the school’s Graduate Student Award for her contributions to student life and the Best MRP Award in the MPPAL program for her major research paper on the settlement of Syrian refugees in Toronto.
Alumni Award Winner Ashley Cabral also provided an update on new initiatives by YUSPPAAN
The Alumni Recognition Award was presented to Ashley Cabral (MPPAL, class ’17) for her exceptional dedication to creating professional development opportunities for our students and alumni, as well as leadership and strategic vision for our alumni network. Cabral juggles a hectic schedule as executive advisor to the assistant deputy minister of the Ministry of the Solicitor General, Chair of YUSPPAAN and board member and the New Professionals Lead of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). She is also the recipient of the 2017 SPPA Emerging Leader Award. Her commitment to service excellence and visionary leadership to achieve client-centered, outcome-focused service delivery transcend all areas of her work and are assets to the alumni network and the school.
The evening was moderated by BPA alumna and 2017 recipient of the University-wide Robert Tiffin Student Leadership Award Munisha Basiram. In attendance were also Associate Dean Students Peter Avery of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) and Tony Haddad, who recently joined the school’s Advisory Committee after a distinguished career in the municipal public service. The event was supported by Nicole Glassman of the LA&PS communications team and SPPA staff members Maria Flores, Jasmattie Jewan and Shakira Bacchus.
Get writing! The President’s Prizes in Creative Writing Competition is seeking original pieces in one or all of the following genres: poetry, short fiction, screenplay and stageplay.
“We are excited to announce … a new section called the Millennial Outlook. This section will feature students and young professionals in the public sector sharing issues they are dealing with to help us anticipate what the future of public service will be like,” said CGE Managing Editor Marcello Sukhdeo.
