Lassonde scores top accreditation grades for engineering degrees

September 26, 2016

Janusz Kozinski

The Lassonde School of Engineering has received the maximum possible accreditation from a recent review conducted by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). The CEAB is the professional body responsible for the accreditation of all undergraduate engineering programs across Canada.

The review scrutinized four of Lassonde’s programs – Computer Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Software Engineering and Space Engineering – to ensure the quality learning standards meet the national requirements of the engineering profession.

Each of the four BEng programs under review received the maximum level of accreditation offered by the CEAB.

“This represents a powerful endorsement of the School’s vision to become the home of the Renaissance Engineer,” said Janusz Kozinski, founding dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering.

“From the outset we have been supported by regulators, industry experts and employers in our mission to broaden and deepen the engineering education experience for students,” said Kozinski. “The traditional theoretical engineering education is no longer relevant for students, for employers or for the world in which we now live.

“Quite simply, the world needs engineers who think in big systems, who design with people in mind and who embrace ambiguity. This unequivocal endorsement from the CEAB demonstrates that we can achieve this vision without sacrificing technical rigour or the quality of the education. In fact, we will produce engineers who are more employable and more productive in our society.”

Computer Engineering, Geomatics Engineering and Space Engineering were each accredited for the full six years up to 2022. Software Engineering is accredited for three years up to 2019, the longest period possible for a newly-established program. The school’s new degree offerings in Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering will be subject to review in 2017 and 2018.

“This outstanding achievement was a team effort at Lassonde. It was the incredibly hard work of our Undergraduate Program Directors Costas Armenakis, Mike Daly, Robert Allison; Department Chairs Regina Lee and Richard Wildes; Salvatore Paneduro, Frances Valerio, Pamela Edgecombe, and Vice Dean Richard Hornsey in the Deanery; and colleagues from across York University who made this possible,” said Kozinski.

“We owe an immense debt of gratitude to everyone involved. This puts us in an excellent position as we prepare for upcoming reviews of our new Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering programs. Our commitment to building a school with a different curriculum and a different kind of learning with the highest academic quality is stronger than ever,” added Kozinski.

Utah governor visits Lassonde School to see entrepreneurial engineering in action

September 21, 2016

Governor speaks with students

Pierre Lassonde and the UTAH governor — Pierre Lassonde (left) speaks with Utah Governor Gary Herbert during the governor’s recent visit to the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University. As part of his visit, the governor toured the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence.

The Lassonde School of Engineering played host last week to the governor of Utah and a delegation of business leaders from the state.

The visit was part of a trade mission led by the Governor Gary Herbert to learn more about higher education, advanced technology and entrepreneurship in Canada.

Utah is home to the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, also founded by Pierre Lassonde, and the governor was particularly keen to learn more about the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University. Lassonde joined the visit along with Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

utah-governor-speaks-to-lassonde-students — The governor speaks with Lassonde students

Herbert and his delegation were given a guided tour of the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence led by Lassonde students Semi Hasaj, Sogand Talebi, Akhil Khurana and Andre Barreto. During the tour, the visitors met students working on a variety of projects, including unmanned aerial vehicles, robotic cars, 3D printing and startup technology ventures.

“We were truly honoured to host Governor Herbert here at our magnificent new space in the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence,” said Janusz Kozinski, founding dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering. “The governor was highly impressed with the flexible classroom spaces, the world-class technology in our research labs and the startup ventures emerging at Lassonde. Most of all, he and his delegates were captivated by the creativity and ingenuity of our ‘renaissance engineer’ students who presented their projects with such passion and poise.”

Lassonde’s Founding Dean Janusz Kozinski (right) presents Governor Herbert with a 3D model of the State of Utah’s symbol emblazoned with the state’s motto. The model was created for the governor by Lassonde students.

Following the tour, students, faculty and staff gathered for an informal reception with the governor, his delegation and Lassonde.

The audience listened attentively to remarks from Kozinski, Lassonde, Herbert and D’Ambrosio before mixing with the delegates and posing for “selfies.”

At the conclusion of the visit, Herbert presented Kozinski with the official seal of the State of Utah and in return, on behalf of the Lassonde School of Engineering, Kozinski offered a 3D-printed model created by Lassonde students of the state’s symbol, the beehive, emblazoned with the state’s motto, “industry.”

The special guests posed with students for photos — Pierre Lassonde (centre) and Governor Herbert posed with students for photos during a reception at the Bergeron Centre

“The governor’s visit is recognition of a strong, and growing, bond between the two schools that were made possible by the generosity of one extraordinary individual: Pierre Lassonde,” said Kozinski. “Together, we intend to connect our entrepreneurial students here in Toronto with their counterparts in Salt Lake City to exchange imaginative ideas, develop solutions to shared challenges and create new startup ventures.”

New low-cost technique helps dentists quickly detect early tooth decay

September 20, 2016

Lassonde professor who found new technique

Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Nima Tabatabaei’s paper, recently published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, presents a new low-cost imaging device for early detection of tooth cavities.

Dentists currently rely on two methods to detect early caries: X-ray imaging and visual inspection of the tooth surface, but both of these diagnostics have limitations. Dentists can’t see caries until it is relatively advanced, and x-rays can’t detect occlusal early caries – those on the biting surface of the tooth.

In First step toward translation of thermophotonic lock-in imaging to dentistry as an early caries detection technology researchers from York University, including Tabatabaei describe a low-cost thermophotonic lock-in imaging (TPLI) tool that would allow dentists to detect developing caries much earlier than x-rays or visual analysis.

The TPLI tool uses a long-wavelength infrared camera to detect the small amount of thermal infrared radiation emitted from dental caries after stimulation by a light source.

The tool has the benefits of being noncontact, noninvasive, and low-cost, and has great potential as a commercially viable diagnostic imaging device for dentistry.

The co-authors on the study are York University graduate student Ashkan Ojaghi and York University undergraduate student Artur Parkhimchyk.

YorkU celebrates successful launch of OSIRIS-REx

September 14, 2016

OSIRIS REx at the asteroid Bennu. Image: NASA

OSIRIS-REx – the first-ever sampling mission by NASA to the distant asteroid Bennu – was successfully launched into space on Sept. 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will revolutionize our understanding of asteroids and the origins of the universe. Attending the launch in Florida as the Canadian scientific lead for the mission was Lassonde Professor Michael Daly.

Cheering the launch along (albeit from a distance) was an excited group of York University students from the Lassonde School of Engineering. The students watched the mission unfold through a live stream of the launch on a large screen in the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence at the Keele campus.

Speakers at the event included former student Grant Cunningham, now at Teledyne Optech (an industrial partner involved in the design of the Canadian instrument) who talked about his involvement and his time at York U, and the University’s Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché. As part of the launch celebration, Mariane Mader, managing director of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Earth & Space and Paleontology divisions presented a display table with football sized sample of a meteorite for students and guests to handle and a model of Bennu. To view all the photos from the event, visit the event’s Facebook page here.

“The OSIRIX-REx mission is a prime example of York University expertise being brought to the international table in support of an exceptional collaborative scientific endeavour,” said York Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché. “This project, with York as the lead Canadian university, showcases York’s leadership in space science, which also includes York’s significant contributions to Mars exploration, and demonstrates that there is no limit to where research excellence can take us as students, scholars, and as a university.”

The asteroid Bennu. Image: NASA'S Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland — The asteroid Bennu. Image: NASA’S Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

The Planetary Exploration Instrumentation Laboratory at York University played a pivotal role in the instrumentation for the spacecraft. Canada’s contribution to the mission is the OSIRIS-Rex Laser Altimeter (OLA), the most sophisticated laser altimeter ever to visit an asteroid. OLA and the Canadian science team are funded by the Canadian Space Agency. (OSIRIS-REx is the acronym for a the spacecraft’s complicated moniker, namely the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer Spacecraft.)

The OLA will map the surface of the asteroid and create a 3D model of Bennu during the NASA mission. The instrument, which is about the size of two bread boxes, will also help to guide the spacecraft on the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission to a safe spot, where it will grab a sample to bring back to Earth.

By contributing the OLA, an advanced LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), to the mission, Canada will get a portion of that sample. The mission is expected to return 60 grams of the asteroid, but more than a kilogram is hoped for. It will provide Canadian scientists the first-ever direct access to a pristine asteroid sample, according to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which funded the instrument.

The main part of the mission, the proximity operation, starts seven or eight kilometres from the asteroid. It will be a long process of getting to know the asteroid and its non-uniform gravity field well enough to be able to get down and touch the surface and obtain a sample.

As the prime contractor for the CSA, MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates (MDA), together with its industrial partner Teledyne Optech, designed, built and tested the instrument.

In addition to Daly, the team also includes Professors Alan Hildebrand, University of Calgary; Ed Cloutis, University of Winnipeg; Rebecca Ghent, University of Toronto; and Catherine Johnson, University of British Columbia. The participation of Canadian universities, including York University, in the OSIRIS-REx Mission is made possible in part by $7.83 million in support from the Canadian Space Agency; as well as additional research funds for Daly, who is the principal investigator on the project, from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund of $1.35 million and $1.34 million respectively; and by a Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant of $384,500 over five years

Why Bennu?

The image shows a size comparison for the asteroid Bennu. Image: NASA — The image shows a size comparison for the asteroid Bennu. Image: Christina Richey, NASA

Bennu, which is about 500 metres in diameter, is of particular interest because it is one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids presently identified, with a small chance of hitting Earth in the 22nd century. The mission will allow the team to study and track the asteroid’s orbit, as OLA will provide precise distance measurements from the spacecraft to the rocky surface.

For more on the OSIRIS-REx instrumentation, see the story in the Jan. 5, 2016 issue of YFile.

Videos and images courtesy of NASA’S Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Lassonde prof’s research has applications in Arctic safety and nuclear waste

September 13, 2016

Northern city

Research by a professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University has significant applications in determining the long-term safety of storage of nuclear waste, and for civil infrastructure in Canada’s north.

Professor Jit Sharma and colleagues at the University of Manitoba have developed an easy-to-use mathematical model that captures the effect of temperature-dependent soil viscosity observed when straining rates are varied, and when stresses are held constant.

The model has particular importance when planning the storage of nuclear waste. Capsules containing nuclear waste are often shrouded in compacted clays. Heat radiating from the nuclear waste can alter the mechanical behaviour of the clay surrounding the capsule. The model can be used in predicting the long-term deformation of these compacted clay liners.

The model also has significant applications for the design of civil infrastructure in Canada’s northern communities as successively warmer years have resulted in the thawing of permafrost. It allows designers to combine temperature-dependent mechanical behaviour of permafrost with temperature patterns predicted by various climate change scenarios to come up with reliable and effective long-term design of civil infrastructure.

The findings are published in an article titled “Semi-empirical elastic–thermoviscoplastic model for clay” in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

Sharma is the inaugural chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. He has held academic appointments in India, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. From 2001 till his arrival at the York University, Sharma was professor of Geotechnical Engineering at University of Saskatchewan, where he taught soil mechanics, foundation engineering and geotechnical modelling at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Sharma’s research interests include critical state soil mechanics, waste mechanics, geosynthetics, ground improvement techniques, soil-structure interaction, unsaturated soil mechanics, centrifuge modelling, and numerical modelling. His research is funded by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), industry, academia, and municipal, provincial and federal government agencies. Sharma is an associate editor of Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

World leading vision research program receives Canada’s premiere grant

September 11, 2016

MP Judy Sgro looks at a science experiment at York U

York University’s world class expertise in vision research is being recognized by the government of Canada with the nation’s most prestigious research grant. A $33.3 million Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) grant will support the Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) program. The investment funds research across a wide range of applications of vision science, from basic visual function, to computer vision and object recognition, and more.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, Judy Sgro, MP, Humber River-Black Creek, was joined by York University’s Vice-President of Research & Innovation, Rob Haché, and York’s VISTA program scientific director and Faculty of Health neuroscience Professor Doug Crawford, to announce the $33.3 million boost.

Above: From left, Pat Clifford, director of research & innovation, Southlake Regional Health Centre; Professor Spiros Pagiatakis, associate dean of research, Lassonde School of Engineering; Piotr Jasiobedzki, staff scientist, MDA Corporation; Faculty of Health Professor Doug Crawford, scientific director, VISTA; Judy Sgro, Member of Parliament, Humber River – Black Creek; Robert Haché, York University vice-president research & innovation; and, Paul MacDonald, dean, Faculty of Health — Above: From left, Pat Clifford, director of research & innovation, Southlake Regional Health Centre; Professor Spiros Pagiatakis, associate dean of research, Lassonde School of Engineering; Piotr Jasiobedzki, staff scientist, MDA Corporation; Faculty of Health Professor Doug Crawford, scientific director, VISTA; Judy Sgro, Member of Parliament, Humber River – Black Creek; Robert Haché, York University vice-president research & innovation; Gary Brewer, York University vice-president finance & administration; and Paul MacDonald, dean, Faculty of Health

“The Liberal government is committed to science based policy because we know that good science informs good policy and good policy delivers positive results for all Canadians,” said Sgro, “Today is a real world example of what that commitment means right here at home. This funding will advance Canada’s global leadership in vision research and in doing so promises long-term economic benefits for all of us.”

Following the announcement MP Judy Sgro toured various demonstrations of equipment and research. Speaking to Sgro is Bob Hou, senior research assistant in the Centre for Vision Research. Looking on are York VPRI Robert Hache and VISTA Scientific Director Doug Crawford. — Following the announcement MP Judy Sgro toured various demonstrations of equipment and research. Speaking to Sgro is Bob Hou, senior research assistant in the Centre for Vision Research. Looking on are York VPRI Robert Haché and VISTA Scientific Director Doug Crawford.

“We are delighted that the federal government has selected York’s VISTA project for support through the CFREF,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Our Centre for Vision Research is an international leader in the field, and an excellent example of the kind of innovation that can be achieved through high-level collaboration across many disciplines. This investment will allow our globally renowned researchers to continue their important work in advancing discovery in vision technologies and biological and computational vision.”

York’s VISTA program will contribute to the next generation of industry-ready highly qualified personnel for Canada, supporting 226 additional graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

“Today’s investment builds on York’s existing global leadership in vision research, and will help take us to the next frontier in vision science at the interface between humans and technology,” said Haché, “This research builds on two of York’s major intersecting pillars of research excellence – biological and computational vision – and will lead to human-centred computer vision applications that seamlessly interact with the real world to improve health, safety, productivity and quality of life.”

MP Judy Sgro speaks with a student researcher about a VISTA project

“I am thrilled by the Canadian government’s announcement of funding for York’s VISTA program,” said Crawford, “We have grown to rank in the top 5 in the world, and offer uniquely integrated strengths in both biological and computational vision. I look forward with great enthusiasm to reaching new heights of discovery and application for Canadian vision research.”

When fully realized, VISTA will include more than 50 partner organizations, 30 Canada Research Chairs and equivalents, 11 additional core faculty members and 48 associated faculty members. The investments for VISTA, including York University and partner funding, will total more than $120 million.

New grad Vidushi Jain awarded Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education gold medal

July 4, 2016

Vidushi Jain

After her first year, Vidushi Jain was uncertain, struggling to balance studies with a part-time job while adapting to a university atmosphere.

During spring convocation at York University, Jain received her engineering diploma and the Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education gold medal for the highest score by a graduating student in engineering.

At York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering, Jain studied Space Engineering at the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, a program she said she chose for its versatility, professional edge and space focus.

“The Space Engineering program is very versatile. I got to study many different streams of Engineering. Lassonde didn’t limit my choices, and I could take courses from other programs,” said Jain.

Jain said it was the variety and interactive nature of learning experiences that kept her engaged in her program and excited about space engineering. Hands-on learning she said made all the difference. Her favourite project involved writing code to track satellites using a 46-meter dish located in Algonquin Park.

“We had to drive to the radio observatory, test our code and track a real satellite. When you work on developing something complex and then you see real results of your work, there’s no greater feeling,” said Jain.

Jain’s undergraduate experience was not simple and straightforward. She struggled in her first few years while trying to balance part-time work with a full course load. “Then I got the determination to do well. I started to accomplish my goals. I learned what worked for me, and did that in all my courses,” she said.

In third year, Jain said she was even more encouraged to continue doing well in her classes after seeing awards that were given out to students during the Lassonde Awards in 2015.

This year she received five awards during the ceremony. Jain graduated from York University on Thursday, June 23. This summer, she will be working as a research assistant with Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Tom McElroy, and is planning to pursue a career in the space industry in the future.

York set to welcome two Schulich Leaders this fall

July 4, 2016

York University will welcome two scholars to campus this fall who have earned the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships awarded for academic excellence, leadership in school and community life, and entrepreneurial talent.

Rathesh Balendran and Arma Khan have been named the 2016 recipients, and will begin their first year at York this fall.

Balendran, who comes from Abelard Centre for Education in Toronto, will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. He is the first Schulich Leader from Abelard Centre for Education.

Khan, who comes from Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharine’s, will pursue a Bachelor of Engineering. She is the second Schulich Leader to come from Laura Secord Secondary School.

The scholarship program, created by Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich three years ago, encourages high-school graduates to enter STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) studies. Administered by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, it provides funding at 20 universities across Canada for one scholarship for an undergraduate student enrolled in engineering and another scholarship for a student who is pursuing a non-engineering degree in a science, technology or mathematics program.

The 2015-16 academic year marks the fourth year of York University’s participation in the Schulich Leader Scholarship program. The program was made possible by the generous donation of Seymour Schulich, who has given more than $350 million in philanthropy in Canada and the United States, largely focused on education and health care.

York University researchers awarded more than $5.6 million by NSERC

June 23, 2016

The Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced Thursday, June 23 that 32 researchers at York University have been awarded more than $4.9 million in NSERC grants, while 10 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have received a total of $700,000 in funding for scholarships and fellowships.

“Our researchers are making important contributions to scientific, engineering and technological discoveries in Canada and abroad as reflected by NSERC’s investment in York’s research programs,” said Robert Haché, York’s vice-president research & innovation.

Kirsty Duncan, the federal minister of science, announced more than $465 million for over 4,000 awards for research that will further discoveries in a full range of fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The awards comprise the 2016 competition results for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.

In the Discovery Grants Competition, the funding was granted for research programs covering a wide range of topics, including:

The Analysis of Planetary Surfaces;
Motor and Sensory Optimization of Mobile User Interfaces;
Protection of the Next Generation of Power Distribution Systems;
Human visual perception of shape, lightness, and lighting; and,
Theory and practice of molecular communication.

The Discovery Grants Program supports ongoing programs of research in every scientific and engineering discipline. York researchers were also awarded funding in the Research Tools & Instruments Competition. The funding enhances the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment and installations.

Thirteen outstanding individuals will be recognized with honorary degrees at spring convocation

June 12, 2016

Thirteen outstanding individuals will be recognized with honorary degrees at York University’s spring convocation for their significant contributions to society and in their respective fields. The recipients include a native rights activist, food advocate, theatre director, philanthropist, technology innovator and community leader.

“This year’s honorary degree recipients have made a remarkable impact in their communities through their work, social activism and volunteerism,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president and vice-chancellor. “Their leadership and vision has had far-reaching effects that have inspired important societal changes and positively touched countless lives.”

Convocation ceremonies will be held from June 17 to 25. The Convocation website includes a full schedule of all ceremonies. All ceremonies will take place at the Convocation Pavilion, located at the Aviva Centre, 1 Shoreham Drive, at York University’s Keele campus, except for the Saturday, June 25 ceremony, which will be held at Glendon College.

Here are the recipients in order of the Faculty ceremonies at which they will be honoured:

Debbie Field – Food advocate, social activist, educator
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Health I – Friday, June 17, 10:30am

Debbie Field is an international leader in creating a more socially just and environmentally sustainable food system. As executive director of FoodShare, Canada’s largest food security organization, she has generated innovative solutions to problems at all levels of the food system. A social activist, Field has collaborated with York University faculty and students for two decades on research, advocacy and public education. She has also contributed to both movement-building and policy change at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. For her contributions, she has received many accolades including the Ophea Award for Outstanding Contribution, a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal, OPSEU Bread and Roses Award, a Vital People Award and a Toronto Green Leader.

John Friedmann – Planning theorist and scholar
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Health II and Faculty of Environmental Studies – Friday, June 17, 3:30pm

John Friedmann is one of the most influential planning academics alive. Born in Austria in 1926, he received his PhD from the University of Chicago and has published 15 individually authored books, 11 co-edited books, and more than 200 chapters, articles and reviews. He is a professor emeritus in the School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an honorary professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. In 1996, he conducted a much-recognized seminar with planning faculty and students at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Outside of planning scholarship, Friedmann is best known for his seminal work on his world city theory. He is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins from Chile and the first UN-Habitat Lecture Award for lifetime achievement in the service of human settlements.

Victor Phillip Dahdaleh – Business leader, philanthropist
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Health III – Monday, June 20, 10:30am

Victor Phillip Dahdaleh (BA Hons) is owner and chair of Dadco, a privately owned investment, manufacturing and trading group. Recently, he established the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health at York University with a transformational contribution of $20 million, the largest gift ever received from a graduate of the University. Dahdaleh is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics, a trustee of the Clinton Foundation, a board member of the McGill University Trust, a board member of the International Aluminium Institute, a Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh Award World Fellowship and immediate past-president of the Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce. The Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation funds many organizations worldwide, focusing on education, health-related research, economic and social development, and the arts.

Jillian Keiley – Theatre director
Honorary Doctor of Letters
School of Arts, Media Performance & Design and Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies I – Monday, June 20, 3:30pm

Since graduating from York University, Jillian Keiley (BFA ’94) has become a leading director in Canadian theatre. Founder of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, she has directed and taught across Canada and has worked internationally. She is the artistic director of the National Arts Centre (NAC) English Theatre, a position she has held since 2012. Her productions at the NAC have included a re-working of Tartuffe set in Newfoundland, Artistic Fraud’s Oil and Water and Alice Through the Looking-Glass, which she also directed for the Stratford Festival. Her production of Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe toured nationally and internationally for 12 years. Keiley received the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre (directing) in 2004 and the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize in 1997.

Jeannette Corbiere Lavell – Native women’s rights activist, educator
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies II – Tuesday, June 21, 10:30am

Jeannette Lavell, a member of the Wikwemikong First Nation in Ontario, is best known for the Lavell Case, which challenged the Indian Act before the Supreme Court of Canada, after she lost her Indian status by marrying a non-native in 1970. Her failed challenge inspired a later case that brought the issue of status removal to the United Nations International Human Rights Commission. In 1985, the Indian Act was amended to remove the discriminatory clauses against native women. She has served as president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, a cabinet appointee to the Commission on the Native Justice System, president of the Nishnawbe Institute and president of Anduhyaun Inc. After earning a teaching degree, she worked as a teacher and school principal in her community. She is a recipient of the 2009 Governor General Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case, honouring Canadians who advance gender equality.

Roger Mahabir – Technology innovator, community leader
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies III – Tuesday, June 21, 3:30pm

Roger Mahabir is chair and CEO of Tracker Networks Inc., as well as president and CEO of Technology Innovations Inc. Most recently, he was chair and chief executive of Assurent Secure Technologies, a successful software security company he sold to Telus. Born in Trinidad, he has been inducted into the Canadian Information Productivity Hall of Fame for his innovations in technology. He has served as chief information officer in several Fortune 500 organizations and is recognized as one of IT industry’s top transformative leaders. His achievements have won international acclaim and been archived by the Smithsonian. A former student of York University’s Atkinson College and graduate of Ryerson University, he is an angel investor and mentor to entrepreneurial students and senior executives in Canada. He remains active with community groups, charities and his local church, where he has served in several capacities for over 30 years.

Ann B. (Rusty) Shteir – Feminist scholar, academic leader
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies IV – Wednesday, June 22, 10:30am

A pioneer of interdisciplinary feminist research and teaching in North America, Ann Shteir has been teaching at York University since 1972. She was among the founders of York’s graduate program in women’s studies in 1992, serving as its first director from 1993 to 1997. She has taught and developed undergraduate and graduate courses in humanities, women’s studies on gender, women’s and feminist history, and cultural history. Shteir received her PhD in comparative literature from Rutgers University. Her monograph, Cultivating Women, Cultivating Science: Flora’s Daughters and Botany in England, 1760 to 1860, won the prestigious Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in Women’s History. Over the years, her feminist impact has not only opened institutional doors for female scholars, but it has generated groundbreaking scholarship in women’s history.

David F. Denison – Businessman, community leader
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies V – Wednesday, June 22, 3:30pm

A Canadian businessman and chair of Hydro One, David Denison is the former president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He has had an extensive career in financial services in Canada, the United States and Europe. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. In 2014, he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, as well as a member of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Government Assets to review and identify opportunities to modernize government business enterprises in Ontario. In addition, he has provided lengthy and dedicated service as a compassionate volunteer to York University. He was first appointed to York’s Board of Governors in 2003 and served continuously in that capacity until 2011.

James Harris Simons – Mathematician, financier, philanthropist
Honorary Doctor of Science
Lassonde School of Engineering and Faculty of Science – Thursday, June 23, 10:30am

James Simons is chair of the Simons Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing the frontiers of research in mathematics, basic sciences and the causes of autism. He is also board chair of Renaissance Technologies LLC, a highly quantitative investment firm. In 1975, he received the American Mathematical Society Veblen Prize in Geometry for work that involved a recasting of the subject of area minimizing multi-dimensional surfaces. His most influential research, called the Chern-Simons Invariants, has wide use particularly in theoretical physics. As founder and chair of the nonprofit organization Math for America, Simons is dedicated to improving math education in American public schools. In 2016, asteroid 6618, discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1936, was named Jimsimons by the International Astronomical Union in honor of his mathematical and philanthropic contributions.

Sylvia Maracle – Community leader, educator, activist
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Faculty of Education – Thursday, June 23, 3:30pm

Sylvia Maracle (Skonaganleh:ra) is a Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, a member of the Wolf Clan and a passionate advocate for urban Aboriginal Peoples, the cultural revitalization of her people and women’s rights. She has been involved in the Indigenous Friendship Centre Movement for over 40 years, serving as the executive director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres for much of that time. She is president of Native Child & Family Services of Toronto, co-chair of the City of Toronto Taskforce on Access and Equity, and past president of the Native Women’s Resource Centre. Maracle has fundamentally altered the landscape for urban Aboriginal programs and policies through her tireless work. Her achievements with a long list of regional and local organizations are internationally renowned and she is a recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

John Manley – Lawyer, businessman, politician
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Schulich School of Business – Friday, June 24, 10:30am

John Manley is a former Liberal deputy prime minister of Canada. First elected to Parliament in 1988 and re-elected three times, he served in the portfolios of Industry, Foreign Affairs and Finance. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he was named chair of a cabinet committee on public security and anti-terrorism and awarded the 2001 Newsmaker of the Year by TIME Canada. Currently, he is president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. After a 16-year career in politics, he returned to the private sector in 2004. An officer of the Order of Canada, he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and political science from Carleton University and a juris doctor from the University of Ottawa. He has been a key advisor to the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Joseph Arvay Q.C. – Lawyer, advocate for civil and human rights
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Osgoode Hall Law School – Friday, June 24, 3:30pm

Joseph Arvay has argued landmark cases involving civil liberties and constitutional rights. He has been counsel in Supreme Court of Canada cases establishing rights for the LGBTQ, drug addicts, sex workers, prisoners, First Nations communities, and most recently for those seeking physician assisted dying (Carter). He has served as a McMurtry Visiting Clinical Fellow at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School. He delivered the Lewtas Lecture and devoted part of his time at Osgoode to mentoring students, lawyers and academics in clinical settings. He has received numerous honours, including the Advocate Society’s Justice Award, the Liberty Award from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association and the Walter S. Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award. He was recognized by Canadian Lawyer as one of the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada every year between 2010 and 2014.

Kevin G. Lynch – Economist, business leader, public servant
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Glendon College – Saturday, June 25, 2:30pm

Widely recognized as a renowned Canadian economist and policy advocate in public service, Kevin Lynch is the vice-chairman of BMO Financial Group and active on not-for-profit boards and international advisory committees. He began his career in 1976 with the Bank of Canada. He has served as deputy minister in the industry and finance portfolios, as well as executive director at the International Monetary Fund. He was the 20th clerk of the Privy Council of Canada, former secretary to the cabinet and former head of the Public Service of Canada. He retired from the Government of Canada in 2009. An officer of the Order of Canada, Lynch was made a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada in 2009 and is a recipient of both the Queen’s Diamond and Golden Jubilee Medals for public service. He also lends his extensive experience to many community organizations.

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