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Puppies, free food help to alleviate stress for students heading into exams

Puppies, free snacks and activities filled the second floor atrium in Scott Library on March 19 for Yu Got This, an event designed to help students de-stress and learn more about managing their well-being going into the exam period.

Organized jointly by Learning Skills and Health Education & Promotion, the event gave students an opportunity to engage with Learning Skills and Health Education peers for coaching on exam prep, time management and study skills, as well as strategies to boost mental health and wellness.

Results from the 2016 National College Health Assessment indicated that post-secondary students across Ontario found academics to be a top stressor. In the flurry of final deadlines, exams, assignments and numerous other priorities, students can often feel overwhelmed, which can have a significant impact on their academic confidence and overall wellness.

Helen Lee, manager of well-being and health promotion, reiterates the importance of taking a collaborative, multipronged approach to support the well-being of the student community.

“Knowing there are a number of different factors that shape student well-being, we were so excited to continue this partnership with Learning Skills to offer a holistic approach to wellness during the busy exam season,” said Lee.

Senior Learning Skills peer Alessia Loduca said the event gave her the opportunity to meet students at different stages of their York journeys, and most shared a similar concern: how to have a smooth exam experience.

“Whether their worries were related more to practical tips when writing exams or mental health and test anxiety, our event helped students feel prepared, confident and supported,” said Loduca. “On a personal note, as both a York employee and student, I was able to share my learning skills-related knowledge with others while also learning to take my own advice so that I could de-stress before my own exams. And, as always, the free food and dog therapy were so much appreciated going into the exam season.”

The event had more than 570 interactions at the different stations set up throughout the space that highlighted services available to students. Participants enjoyed interacting with therapy dogs provided by St. John’s Ambulance, which was a popular stress reliever.

For more information on preparing for tests and exams, visit lss.info.yorku.ca/resources/preparing-for-tests-and-exams.

Students inspired by York University Libraries make impressive edits to Wikipedia

A person is using a computer

With more than 40,000 edits in Wikipedia, Hannah Feldbloom, a third-year criminology student at York University, is an expert in improving and safeguarding the online encyclopedia’s authoritativeness and reliability.

Hannah Feldbloom
Hannah Feldbloom

Three years ago, Feldbloom stepped into the Steacie Science & Engineering Library during during the Ada Lovelace Day Edit-a-thon, an annual event dedicated to creating, expanding and improving Wikipedia entries for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and she’s been helping to make the world’s most popular encyclopedia a better resource ever since.

“I edit Wikipedia because I love being able to spread knowledge,” said Feldbloom. “It isn’t self-serving. What I contribute doesn’t just affect me, but can impact someone I do not even know.”

Feldbloom’s most recent editing work came during the York University Libraries’ International Women’s Day Edit-a-thon on March 8. Over the course of the day, Feldbloom and other participants made more than 1,000 edits, even creating seven articles on notable Canadian women, including education Professor Susan Dion, history Professor Varpu Lindström and Seneca’s chief librarian, Sherrill Cheda.

According to the Women in Red WikiProject, approximately 18 per cent of all biographies on the site are about women. The group, whose name refers to Wikipedia’s coloured links that indicate a page does not yet exist, has set out to address that imbalance, with volunteers from around the world contributing to their goal at events like edit-a-thons.

Along with helping to combat the content gender gap, the event serves another purpose, as it increases the reliability of the information on Wikipedia. Many students begin their research on Wikipedia, and events like the edit-a-thon show students how to not only be critical of the information they find online but also that they can be active consumers and contributors.

“I feel edit-a-thons provide students with a unique learning experience where they can put their information literacy skills into practice,” said Amy Poon, digital publishing librarian and edit-a-thon co-organizer, “for example, by doing iterative searching and evaluating sources to determine if they are credible before adding them to Wikipedia. It also helps them to realize that creating information is a process and that they can contribute back to a community.”

The event also demonstrates to students that everything is not online. Surfacing the stories of women in Wikipedia faces many obstacles, including the need to access material such as digitized national and community newspapers that are blocked by paywalls.

By building and distributing knowledge from these sources, the university community can distribute knowledge that is inaccessible to many. For example, during the edit-a-thon, an article for Ruth Dworin was created using information compiled from paywalled material, accessible thanks to subscriptions through York University Libraries and material on file at the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections.

While editing Wikipedia can be done from the comfort of one’s home, an edit-a-thon is an opportunity for editors of all experience levels to motivate and learn from one another.

“These edit-a-thons really helped me feel connected to the Wikipedia community and were very enjoyable,” said Feldboom.

Written by Katrina Cohen-Palacios, York University archivist and Edit-a-Thon co-organizer

Explore open education at Libraries’ lunch-and-learn workshop

PUZZLE_Research_Featured

Discover the exciting world of open education during the York University Libraries’ lunch-and-learn workshop, Exploring Open Education. During this event, participants will learn more about the following topics:

  • What is an open educational resource (OER)?
  • How to access major OER repositories and locate resources that can be integrated into York courses.
  • How OER improves student learning outcomes by ensuring affordability and equity of access to course materials.
  • How OER provides faculty with the opportunity to experiment with open educational practices in their classrooms.
  • How do open licences, such as creative commons licences, facilitate the creation of OER?

All educators and students are welcome to attend this event. In particular, faculty and educational developers will find this workshop to be very useful, as the topics introduce attendees to open educational practices that can be integrated into their course design processes.

Registration details:

  • Date and time: Wednesday, March 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Location: Room 519, Kaneff Tower
  • Registration form: bit.ly/OpenEd19
  • Lunch is provided

This event aims to bring together faculty, educational developers and librarians to learn more about the open education movement.

York students showcase their work at the Undergraduate Research Fair

Undergraduate research fair
Undergraduate research fair

Undergraduate research from around campus was in the spotlight recently when York University hosted the seventh annual Undergraduate Research Fair at the Scott Library on Feb. 27.

Awards were presented in six different categories at the event, with students taking home prizes for Best Upper-Year Project, Best Lower-Year Project, Best Thesis Project, Best Poster, Best Group Project and Information Literacy.

“This is always one of my favourite events of the year, as it showcases how important it is for undergraduate students to get involved in scholarly research,” said Joy Kirchner, dean of libraries. “Although it’s typically thought of as a faculty or grad student endeavour, we need to reinforce how valuable research can be for undergraduate students as well, both for their academic and career development.”

The range of projects presented at the event was diverse, with award winners coming from science, anthropology, health and fitness, and environmental studies.

“One of the interesting things about the Undergraduate Research Fair being a multidisciplinary event is that it makes it very unique,” said Adam Taves, a member of the organizing committee from York University Libraries. “Individual Faculties in many cases hold their own research celebrations or research fairs, but what we’re trying to do with the Undergraduate Research Fair that’s hosted by the Libraries and the (Office of the) Vice-President of Research & Innovation is to really draw students out to present their work to an ‘educated lay audience.’”

To be able to talk about their research in a way that another student, another faculty member or librarian from outside their specific field can really understand is the goal, said Taves.

For Rhea Virkutis, who took home first prize for the Dr. James Wu Award for Best Upper-Year Project, the opportunity to further develop her presentation and research skills was a big part of why she decided to take part in the event.

“I participated in the fair because I was encouraged by my cousin who had heard about it,” said Virkutis. “She was also a participant. But I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to flex my research and presentation skills and prepare myself for future studies in which I might have to use those.”

On her big win, she said: “It was wonderful to hear my name called for the top prize. I wasn’t expecting it. I was very happy with my research and my presentation, but to have that reaffirmed by the committee and the judges was a wonderful feeling.”

Winners of the awards will receive a monetary prize as well as a chance to revise their poster presentation into an article to be considered for publication in Revue YOUR Review, a refereed e-journal published by York University Libraries.

Although not every student took home an award, being selected to compete in the fair should be considered an important accomplishment. To be eligible for participation, students must submit already-completed work that has received a grade of B+ or higher from a York University course. From there, a panel of experts from across the University selects who will present their work to the campus community.

A full list of award winners is available below.

Dr. James Wu Award for Best Lower-Year Project

Photo of one of the award winners for the Dr. James Wu Award for Best Lower-Year Project
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Lower-Year Project: Daniela Hernádez Cuadra (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: Daniela Hernádez Cuadra for “The Quinoa We Grow” (SC/BIOL 2010)
  • Second prize: Raven Lovering for “Sculpting Gender Relationships: Classical Idealization in Pygmalion and Galatea” (1813-19) (FA/ARTH 2620)

Dr. James Wu Award for Best Upper-Year Project

Photo of award winners for the Dr. James Wu Award for Best Upper-Year Project
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Upper-Year Project: Rhea Virkutis and Nicholas Puran (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: Rhea Virkutis for “Tapping into Health Disparities: Canada’s Indigenous Water Crisis” (HH/HLST 3120)
  • Second prize: Nicholas Puran for “Effects of Lower Troposphere Temperatures on Ice Phenology and the Pacific Walrus Population” (SC/ENVB 4700)

Dr. James Wu Award for Best Thesis Project

Photo of award winners for the Dr. James Wu Award for Best Thesis Project
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Thesis Project: Eric Mokri and Hong Seok Kim (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: Eric Mokri for “Elite Skill & Concussion: Comparative Study Between NHL Draft Prospects and Kinesiology Students at York University” (HH/KINE 4060)
  • Second prize: Hong Seok Kim for “Ancient Greek Problem: Can We Trisect and Angle with Ruler and Compass?” (SC/MATH 3052)

Information Literacy Award

Photo of award winners for the Information Literacy Award
Information Literacy Award: John Nguyen, Alidina Imran, Elias Mitri and Mahmood Naumana (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: John Nguyen, Alidina Imran, Elias Mitri and Mahmood Naumana for “The Cure to ALS is Flying Around You: Using Fruit Flies to Investigate a Fatal Disease” (SC/BIOL 4410)
  • Second prize: Susan K. Chen for “Personality and Its Function(s) in Dissociative Identity Disorder” (HH/PSYC 4050)

Best Poster Presentation Award

Photo of award winners for the Best Poster Presentation
Best Poster Presentation Award: Zunaira Amin and Eki Okungbowa (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: Eki Okungbowa for “‘Womb for Rent:’ Socio-Cultural Implications of Reproductive Tourism in India” (AP/ANTH 3160)
  • Second prize: Zunaira Amin for “Biculturalism and Psychological Well-Being: Investigating the Role of Socioeconomic Status” (HH/PSYC 4000)

Best Group Project

Photo of award winners for the Best Group Project
Best Group Project: Allison Evans, Taylor Whitehead, Roshawnah Forde, Victoria Hardashnikov and Claudia Dias Martins (image: Laszlo Juhos)
  • First prize: Allison Evans for “Green Roofs: The Sky’s the Limit in Toronto” (ES/ENVS 3740)
  • Second prize: Taylor Whitehead, Roshawnah Forde, Victoria Hardashnikov and Claudia Dias Martins for “Gender Stereotypes Affect Our Memory” (GL/PSYC 3525)

Watch a video of the event below:

Join the International Women’s Day Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at Scott Library

York University Libraries will host a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon in honour of International Women’s Day.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, only 17 per cent of Wikipedia’s biographies are about women, and this event aims to reduce the gender gap.

The edit-a-thon, taking place on March 8 from noon to 4 p.m., is a drop-in event that invites participants to improve a selected list of articles or to work on articles that suit their research and personal interests.

The event is open to all and it runs in Room 530, Scott Library (fifth-floor computer lab). Introductory and intermediary training will be provided.

To register and/or participate remotely, visit bit.ly/yorkwikiwomen.

Questions about the event can be directed to Katrina Cohen-Palacios, adjunct archivist, at kcohenp@yorku.ca.

Update to time: Undergraduate Research Fair celebrates student research, Feb. 27

Undergraduate students will showcase their research Feb. 27 at a unique experiential learning opportunity at York University designed to engage them in academic literacy. Note: there has been an update to the time of the event, and it will now run from noon to 2:30 p.m.

During the Undergraduate Research Fair, student researchers will have the opportunity share their research and win a monetary award or an invitation to revise their presentation as an article for publication in Revue YOUR Review, a refereed e-journal published by York University Libraries.

Participants at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Fair

This pan-University event, now in its seventh year, is co-sponsored by the Libraries and the Office of the Vice-Preside Research & Innovation (VPRI). It aims to focus on multidisciplinary undergraduate research.

Students selected to participate will share their work by designing a poster and presenting the results of their research to the York community in a friendly, cross-curricular environment.

As in previous years, the Scott Library Art Walk exhibit leading to the fair will display student art and design work, and a reception will follow the fair.

Undergrad students who have created a piece of artwork for a 2016 York credit course may apply to have their work displayed along the Art Walk during the fair. One artwork submission will be chosen to grace the cover of the e-journal associated with the fair, Revue YOUR Review (York Online Undergraduate Research).

Applications are now closed for both undergraduate student research submissions and for the Art Walk.

The York University community is welcome to attend this showcase of undergraduate research and art being held at the Scott Library Collaboratory from noon to 2:30 p.m. Students will show their research in the form of poster sessions presented in a friendly, marketplace-like environment.

For more information on the event, visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website.

Student research to be celebrated at Undergraduate Research Fair

Undergraduate students will showcase their research at a unique experiential learning opportunity at York University designed to engage them in academic literacy.

During the Undergraduate Research Fair on Feb. 27, student researchers will have the opportunity share their research and win a monetary award or an invitation to revise their presentation as an article for publication in Revue YOUR Review, a refereed e-journal published by York University Libraries.

Participants at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Fair

This pan-university event, in its seventh year, is co-sponsored by the Libraries and the Office of the Vice-Preside Research & Innovation (VPRI). It aims to focus on multidisciplinary undergraduate research.

Students selected to participate will share their work by designing a poster and presenting the results of their research to the York community in a friendly, cross-curricular environment.

As in previous years, the Scott Library Art Walk exhibit leading to the fair will display student art and design work, and a reception will follow the fair.

Undergrad students who have created a piece of artwork for a 2016 York credit course may apply to have their work displayed along the Art Walk during the fair. One artwork submission will be chosen to grace the cover of the e-journal associated with the fair, Revue YOUR Review (York Online Undergraduate Research).

Applications are now closed for undergraduate student research submissions; however, students interested in submitting a piece of art for the Art Walk have until Feb. 21 to do so. More information can be found online.

The York University community is welcome to attend this showcase of undergraduate research and art being held at the Scott Library Collaboratory from noon to 2:30 p.m. Students will show their research in the form of poster sessions presented in a friendly, marketplace-like environment.

For more information on the event, visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website.

Victorian Studies Network at York hosts 11th annual symposium Nov. 9

The Victorian Studies Network at York University (VSNY) will host its 11th annual symposium on Nov. 9 with the theme “A Most Auspicious Research Gathering.”

The event begins at 10 a.m. with tea, coffee and welcoming remarks from Tina Choi, associate professor in the Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS).

A morning session runs from 10:05 to 11:45 a.m. and features the following guest speakers: Professor Bernard Lightman on “Popular Science Periodicals and the Public Sphere After Darwin”; Associate Librarian Rosa Orlandini on “Victorian Maps and Cartographic Resources”; and Professor David Latham on “‘Fearless Connections’: Noel Paton and the Pre-Raphaelite Paradigm.” The session will be moderated by Paula John.

After breaking for lunch, the afternoon session will run from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. with moderator Dorothy De Val. The afternoon session includes: Professor Julianna Will on “Wilde Boys who Won’t Leave Neverland: Classical Myth and Victorian Manhood in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Peter Pan”; Professor Malcolm Thurlby on “Interpreting Architectural Differences in Three Churches in St. John’s, Newfoundland: The Roman Catholic Basilica, the Anglican Cathedral, and St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church”; and Professor James Elwick on “Victorian Exams Beyond Foucault.”

For more information about VSNY and its roster of events, visit the website.

Founded in 2008, the Victorian Studies Network at York promotes excellence in interdisciplinary research. Its goals are to: connect scholars across the disciplines and increase their opportunities to engage with each other’s research; facilitate intradepartmental, interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research; enhance scholarly conversations among faculty and graduate students at York; enrich our personal and collective experience of research in the field; and organize an annual program of lectures, symposia and conferences at which we share our scholarly interests and wide-ranging expertise.

Application deadline extended for Experiential Education Symposium

People walk through Vari Hall, which is located on York U's Keele campus

On Jan. 22, 2019, the Experiential Education (EE) Symposium will celebrate and showcase the achievements of students who have participated in experiential education activities. Co-sponsored by York University Libraries and the Office of the Vice-President, Teaching and Learning, the symposium is co-led by the YU Experience Hub, York University Libraries and the Teaching Commons. The goal is to bring the York community together to highlight the many ways EE has helped students to learn, develop and make a positive impact on campus, locally and internationally. 

The deadline for applications for students to participate in the symposium has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16. Students from all years and Faculties are invited to submit an idea for a poster that will highlight the positive impact of their EE experience, including their most meaningful insights or lessons and how the experience may have deepened or supported their classroom learning. Students will have the opportunity to present their poster at the EE Symposium to their peers, faculty and staff, while also interacting with Learning Commons partners who will be on hand to provide resources and helpful advice on making the most of an EE experience.

As the closing of the application window approaches, organizers request that faculty share this information with their students and encourage them to consider applying to present a poster at the symposium.

For more information, visit eesymposium.yorku.ca. Specific questions can be directed to eesteam@yorku.ca.

Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians presents Osgoode professor as guest speaker at annual general meeting

Amar Bhatia
Amar Bhatia

The Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians of York University (ARFL) will present a public lecture by Amar Bhatia, assistant professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, on Friday, Nov. 2 from 1 to 3 p.m.

“Migration in an Age of Reconciliation” will be presented as part of ARFL’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held in the Renaissance Room, 001 Vanier College.

Amar Bhatia
Amar Bhatia

Bhatia joined Osgoode’s full-time faculty on July 1, 2014, after serving as a Catalyst Fellow and visiting professor at Osgoode for the 2013-14 academic year. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and postcolonial literature (Queen’s, Sussex) and received an LLB from Osgoode in 2005.

He articled and worked in union-side labour and employment law in Toronto before returning to graduate school. He subsequently obtained an LLM from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he received the Howland Prize for most outstanding performance in the program. He was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) CGS Doctoral Scholarship to pursue his SJD at U of T, and is currently in the final stage of his candidacy. His dissertation looks at issues of status and authority of migrant workers and Indigenous Peoples under Canadian immigration law, Aboriginal law, treaty relations and Indigenous legal traditions.

For more information on the AGM, visit the event website.