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York U report suggests race-related data collection could enhance student success

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Student demographic data collected by the Ontario Ministry of Education should be leveraged to enhance student success through equity measures, a new report out of York University suggests.

Carl James

The report, commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Education and co-authored by York University Faculty of Education Professor Carl James, recommends that race-related data be collected and used to identify and address equity barriers.

The study, “Unlocking Student Potential Through Data,” is the outcome of a joint project that explores new ways to support “Achieving Excellence,” Ontario’s vision for publicly funded education.

“The Ministry of Education has always been committed to evidence-based, informed decisions. ‘Unlocking Student Potential Through Data’ is another study that will help inform our path forward,” said Bruce Rodrigues, deputy minister, Ministry of Education.

Together, the Ministry of Education, Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate, the Ministry of Children & Youth Services, and the Toronto District School Board worked with York’s Faculty of Education to produce the report.

The report indicates that the ministry could better utilize the existing web-based Ontario School Information System (OnSIS) and other sources, and additionally makes 47 recommendations which could be implemented with the collection of additional data and analyses to allow for more informed decision-making.

“The Faculty of Education is pleased to have collaborated with the Ministry of Education in this important work,” said Lyndon Martin, dean, Faculty of Education at York University. “The Faculty has a long-standing commitment to social justice and the final report contributes to this and to the enhancement of public education in Ontario for all students.”

According to the report, the Ministry and school boards can create more relevant processes and programs to ensure children arrive at school ready to learn; have access to teaching and learning opportunities in elementary and secondary school that are inclusive and provide them with strong skills in literacy, numeracy and science; and increase the quality and accessibility of postsecondary education and adult learning and skills development.

James, who is also the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, said that gathering more of the relevant demographic and perceptual data from various sources of both students and educators will be important to analyze and address equity issues in the education system.

“For example, issues like student streaming and systemic racism can be addressed more efficiently, and new programs for professional development and pre-service training for teachers and education staff can be created based on analyzing such data,” he said, adding that the data must be separated and analyzed as individual racial groups, to identify and address issues unique to each group.

The report cites several other key concerns facing the education system, such as social inequality; gaps in addressing educational programming for students with special education needs; providing inclusive space for Indigenous students; relationships across the sector; school climate; and student discipline.

“We hope this report will serve as a tool to guide the ministry’s data directions to create and implement initiatives that enable greater collaboration between ministries, the public sector and school boards,” said Donna Quan, lead auther of the study and senior advisor, Student and Education Data, Ministry of Education. “This will ensure improved success for all Ontario students, from early years to postsecondary.”

York U and wider community flock to Keele campus for Solar Fair

Solar Fair, Aug. 21

An afternoon of science, community and history attracted more than 2,000 people to York University on Aug. 21, when the Faculty of Science hosted Solar Fair – an event to engage York and the wider community in the solar eclipse.

York’s Lions Stadium opened its doors from 1 to 4pm, and hosted several activities and viewing stations for guests to enjoy during the live viewing of the celestial event.

The York University Observatory Team distributed individual solar glasses, and set up several solar telescopes to make the viewing experience safe for enthusiasts. Let’s Talk Science also set up several interactive science stations, including a booth where guests could build their own pinhole camera to watch the eclipse.

Other activities included: making squishy circuits; homemade microscopes; reaction time testing; building paper copters; bubbology (making giant bubbles); magic clouds; telescope observing; and more.

Campers in York’s Science Engagement Science Explorations Summer Camp (students in Grades 3 to 8) also attended the event, and received special training on the eclipse.

York theatre students living the dream at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Twenty York theatre students are living the dream, presenting and performing in shows they wrote, directed and designed at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, running Aug. 4 to 28. Together they bring three shows to the stage of the largest arts festival in the world, and share their stories – from the challenges of being a millennial woman, to backstage love drama and the history of getting wasted.

Guiding this creative collaboration is Edinburgh Fringe veteran and theatre Professor Ian Garrett, who this year leads York students on a pilgrimage to the fabled fest for the fourth year. The ventures have been so successful that York’s Department of Theatre founded a resident company, the YUFFA Fringe, which supports the development of the pieces, with the help of York International.

Jennaration Y

A comedic cabaret, Jennaration Y rollicks around with the issues surrounding being a millennial woman, using sketches, musical parodies, stand-up and improv. Playwright and performer Jenna MacNeil will carry you – and her parents’ disappointment – with hilarity through her life of dating struggles, school anxieties, collapsing industries and future aspirations.

For dramaturg Michelle Paunov, the experience of developing the show has been a game-changer. She says it pushed her to grow her skills as a theatre artist, while getting hands-on experience with every aspect of what it takes to create a show. She worked closely with MacNeil to help develop her script, which started as a play for York’s Devised Theatre Festival.

“Edinburgh is beyond expectations,” Paunov said. “It is such a beautiful city with beautiful people, and during the festival season there is such a warm and wonderful community.” The Jennaration Y team, she said, was incredibly excited to open the show on Aug. 12.

The Stage Manager’s Guide to Dating Assholes

Playwright and director Scarlett Larry, a York U student, presents all the answers to your problems and more in What She Said Theatre’s ruthless satire The Stage Manager’s Guide to Dating Assholes. The play premiered at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival.

Inebriated is an hour celebrating the brave, drunken, high and sex-crazed pioneers who built civilization one bad choice at a time. The Still Drunk Collective, made up of York University students, invites the audience on a journey through time as they try to understand their own addictions by looking through history and witnessing civilization make the same mistakes since the beginning of time.

With a calm and supportive energy, Garrett is a sounding board and mentor for the students throughout the shows’ development, rehearsal and now launch at the festival.

“The shows have come a long way through the process,” Garrett said. “The students are passionate and dedicated and should be really proud of their work. Audiences will be in for some fringe-tactic surprises. Word is really getting out on campus about the Edinburgh trip. More students and alumni participate every year. There is something special about travelling to a fringe festival. In addition to performing, many of us are seeing a show or two every day while we are here, completely immersing ourselves in the experience.”

This year, Garrett also brings his own production to Edinburgh. Titled Transmission, and featuring site-specific performance, augmented and mixed reality, a smartphone app and a podcast, the show is truly an immersive and interactive production presented by Garret’s Canadian-based theatre company, Toasterlab.

Transmission

Transmission tells the story of two brilliant science-loving sisters: Leila and Zada Karam, first-generation Canadian-Syrians. Earth has received or intercepted broadcasts from an alien civilization 4.22 light years away on PROXIMA B. The sisters are selected to join a delegation to this potentially habitable exoplanet. One sister decides to go and one decides to stay.

“Transmission is a creative examination of displacement and the decision to leave what you love and know behind,” Garrett said. “Audiences get to consider the profound questions about the human drive for exploration, juxtaposed against the need for community, belonging, family and place to really call home when we are the ones who are different.”

Transmission is staged in the Assembly George Square Studios from Aug. 5 to 26. Tickets and schedule can be found at tickets.edfringe.com.

The student shows are being performed at Venue 13, on Lochend Close, just off the Royal Mile, Edinburgh’s Old Town. For tickets and schedule info, visit venue13.com.

Five York professors earn prestigious CFI research awards

Research York University
Research York University

Five York University professors are among a cohort of researchers across Canada to receive funding through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) to pursue groundbreaking research.

The federal government has invested more than $52 million in 220 new infrastructure projects across Canada, said Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan during the Aug. 15. announcement.

At York, Professors Jennifer Korosi, Magdalena Krol, Amy Muise, Jinjun Shan and Leah Vosko will receive funding totalling $698,063 for their projects.

“York is delighted to see that five professors – Jennifer Korosi, Magdalena Krol, Amy Muise, Jinjun Shan and Leah Vosko – have received awards from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund,” said York University’s Vice-President Research & Innovation, Robert Haché. “This fund provides researchers with the resources to acquire foundational infrastructure required to build their research. These awards help to ensure that York remains at the cutting edge of research infrastructure supporting our research programs.”

JELF plays an important research support role for Canadian universities, helping them to attract and retain top talent – particularly early-career researchers – with the state-of-the-art equipment they need to excel in their field.

“Our scientists need the best tools and equipment for groundbreaking research and discovery, and we are committed to ensuring they have them,” said Duncan. “Their successes will lead to an improved economy and will fuel an active research community here in Canada and internationally.”

The funded projects at York include:

Magdalena Krol (Lassonde) – Establishment of the Innovative Water Technology and Energy Research Laboratory, $150,000 from CFI

In Canada, the clean technology industry is currently valued at more than $10 billion and is set to double over the next five years, demonstrating Canada’s commitment to reducing fossil fuel consumption and shifting towards “greener” energy sources. These are sizeable development costs and they offer an opportunity for research into water and energy sectors. This proposal outlines the infrastructure required to establish a unique laboratory at York University that will focus on developing a water-energy nexus where innovative technologies in the areas of renewable energies and smart water technologies are developed. The requested infrastructure will help Professors Magdalene Krol and Ahmed Eldyasti establish the innovative Water Technologies for Energy Research (iWaTER) laboratory. The overall vision is for iWaTER to become Canada’s leader in research into water and energy technologies spanning different sub-disciplines, including wastewater, drinking water, groundwater and surface water research. The iWATER laboratory will be a pioneer facility in energy and water technologies with immediate impact to regulators, landowners and vendors, and long-term benefit for all Canadians.

Jinjun Shan (Lassonde) – York Research Facility for Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles, $171,968 from CFI

Autonomous unmanned vehicles (AUVs) have a number of potential applications in civilian, military and security areas. Compared to single agent systems, multi-agent systems are more effective in many complicated team tasks due to its inherent advantages. However, cooperative control of multi-agent systems also poses many significant challenges to engineers and designers. The requested infrastructure, York Research Facility for Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (YU-AUV), will build a unique facility in the Canadian University environment capable of serving as a critical platform for emerging research on cooperative control of multi-agent systems. It will also provide a unique opportunity for training highly qualified personnel (HQP). These personnel, equipped with such advanced knowledge and unique research abilities, will be much sought after by the Canadian research community and companies. It is anticipated the facilities will have an operational life of at least 15 years and will provide a continued resource for the research and development in the related areas. It will also provide an experimental platform for collaboration between academia and industry. New technologies developed will be transferred to industry for new products and services. This will in turn bring more revenues to Canadian industry and therefore more job opportunities for Canadians.

Jennifer Korosi (LA&PS) – A facility for the interdisciplinary study of freshwater ecosystems and environmental change, $150,000 from CFI

This proposal requests laboratory and field equipment needed to establish a new facility, the Environmental Change Research Lab at York University, which will examine paleo-environmental change over hundreds to thousands of years to provide an appropriate temporal context for understanding, predicting, and mitigating human impacts on the environment. In particular, the infrastructure would enable a detailed investigation into the links between climate warming and accelerated permafrost thaw in northern Canada, and resulting implications for terrain stability and water quality. The research enabled by the requested infrastructure has direct implications for engineering practices and maintenance of critical northern infrastructure in sensitive permafrost landscapes, including the soon-to-be-completed Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway. The facility will also provide new knowledge on the impacts of climate warming on mercury and carbon cycling in Arctic freshwaters. Northern Canadian landscapes are experiencing a period of rapid environmental change as critical thresholds are crossed in response to recent warming. Consequently, research into the long-term trajectories, underlying mechanisms, and implications of permafrost thaw is both timely and beneficial for communities, industries and regulators as they develop mitigation strategies.

Amy Muise (Health) – Sexual Health and Relationships Lab, $94,302 from CFI

Professor Amy Muise’s cutting edge, multi-method research examines the psychological and interpersonal factors that are associated with the maintenance of sexual desire and relationship satisfaction over time in couples’ relationships. Satisfying romantic relationships are vital for overall health and well-being, and sexuality is key factor that shapes the quality of romantic relationships; despite this, maintaining a fulfilling sex life and a high-quality romantic relationship over the course of time is challenging. Muise’s research fills important gaps in our knowledge about how couples can enhance their sexual and romantic connection and more successfully navigate differences in sexual interest that couples inevitably face in long-term relationships. With CFI funding, Muise will acquire state-of-the-art equipment for the Sexual Health and Relationships (SHaRe) lab at York University. Her research plan is to: investigate the interpersonal factors that are associated with the maintenance of desire and satisfaction over time and during the transition to parenthood; assess the behavioural, emotional and physiological factors that are linked to the more successful resolution of a sexual conflict conversation; and examine novel questions about the motivations and activities that are associated with desire and satisfaction in the context of couples’ daily lives. Muise’s research has far-reaching implications for the overall health of couples, families and communities.

Leah Vosko (LA&PS) – Canada Labour Code Data Analysis Infrastructure (CLC-DAI), $131,793 from CFI

The Canada Labour Code Data Analysis Infrastructure (CLC-DAI) is an initiative of academics in conjunction with the Government of Canada’s Labour Program. It will enable researchers to transform a large-scale administrative database that the Labour Program maintains into a research tool that can yield new insights into labour standards compliance across Canada. Charged with enforcement of the Canada Labour Code (CLC), the Labour Program collects administrative data on its enforcement activities in a database known as the Labour Application 2000 (LA2K). The LA2K contains a near-complete census of complaints submitted under Part III of the CLC, which sets standards in areas such as minimum wages, hours of work and vacations for employees in the federal jurisdiction. Because the LA2K was originally designed for administrative rather than research purposes, the data it contains are not readily amenable to advanced statistical analysis. The CLC-DAI will be unique in Canada, and will provide the technical interface necessary to allow researchers to analyze administrative data to identify common patterns of labour standards (non)compliance, establish models to predict the most likely offenders and violation types, and to evaluate the impact of regulatory efforts. With the active support of the Labour Program, the CLC-DAI is poised to yield research that improves working conditions for employees in the federal jurisdiction across Canada.

For more information, visit innovation.ca/about/press-release/ensuring-canadian-universities-and-researchers-achieve-science-excellence#YorkU.

New interactive program to help students ‘own their first day’ on campus

First year. First day. First class.

New students will experience many new firsts when they arrive at York University to begin studies this September. It is vitally important for both students and their parental or family supports to start this new journey fully informed and on the right foot. Whether they are high school students, transfer students, mature students or international students, there is an extensive amount of coordinated programming in place to make the transition to university a smooth and enriching process.

YU START

At York, for most students, this exciting journey begins with YU START, a student transition program that was initiated as an Academic Innovation Fund project and this year garnered two national awards including the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) Innovation Award and second place in the Quality and Innovation Awards presented by the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO). YU START is a collaboration of Faculties, Colleges, the Division of Students and University Institutional Technology with content contributed by dozens of offices from both campuses.

Since its inception, YU START has grown from a single program with approximately 700 students, to include 194 academic programs with roughly 11,000 students. It has expanded to include specific content for mature students, graduate students, international students, residence students and varsity athletes. In 2017, YU START also went bilingual to incorporate the Glendon campus.

*York Orientation Day attendance is approximate

The first step of the YU START program began in May, and included assisting students with their enrolment process and helping them learn about key information and services at York. The second step of the program is an online learning community that runs throughout the summer, where students learn the essentials of starting their time at York on the right foot through a series of multimedia and interactive modules. During this time, students will also be able connect with other incoming students in their program within Facebook groups facilitated by trained, senior peers to become familiar with campus life and various student supports.

YORK101

To assist this transition, a new initiative called YORK101 kicked off the week of June 12 and promises to help new students “own their first day.”

Complementing YU START, the campaign runs all summer and serves to keep students abreast of important first-year transition and orientation information by delivering timely topics through social media and a series of online videos all easily identified by the hashtag, #YORK101.

A unique component of the effort includes an optional on-campus experience where students can take a tour and find their classes, pick up their student card and learn about first year by speaking directly with senior student leaders. Parents and family are encouraged to attend as well, so they can learn how to be the best possible support for their student.

Registration for the on-campus component of YORK101 is now open at orientation.yorku.ca/york-101-own-your-first-day, and online content can be followed on the RED Zone Facebook page at facebook.com/yorksredzone, Twitter account at twitter.com/yorksredzone and Instagram account at instagram.com/yorksredzone.

Orientation Week

Orientation Week marks the beginning of the school year for many students, and will run from Sept. 2 to 10. The week of activities includes an integrated mixture of academic and social events. A highlight event is York Orientation Day, which takes place from 1 to 8pm on Wednesday, Sept. 6 and features the official York Welcome Ceremony from 6:30 to 8pm.

Academic and social orientation events are sorted according to College or Faculty affiliation and each group handles registration for their particular events. The orientation website at orientation.yorku.ca will be updated throughout the summer with full event and registration details as they become available. The site also includes a handy tool called the ‘College Finder’ that helps students determine what college they belong to. Students can then link to their college and correct orientation events.

YU Belong

It takes the entire campus to welcome the incoming class, and you can help by joining YU Belong. YU Belong is a welcome-to-York-University campaign by faculty and staff for the incoming class. Because York is a big place, new students and their parents usually have a lot of questions during their first several days on campus. Staff and faculty can volunteer to help them by wearing a highly visible and identifiable YU Belong button. When new students and parents see an individual wearing this button they’ll know they can confidently ask them for assistance. It’s a really simple idea that creates a solid sense of community and belonging.

The YU Belong program is promoted to new students as part of orientation via various social media channels and through YU START. Staff and faculty can register to be a part of YU Belong right now at orientation.yorku.ca/yubelong. YU Belong volunteers will also be invited to assist at York Orientation Day with wayfinding and the York-wide Welcome Ceremony.

York Postdoctoral Fellowship program welcomes five researchers

York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies will welcome five researchers through the York Postdoctoral Fellowship (YPDF) program this fall to support research excellence in a variety of disciplines.

The program is open to both Canadian and international students who have recently completed their doctoral degree at York.

Fellows receive a funded, one-year postdoctoral research position to conduct their proposed research project under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.

More information on the program is available at gradstudies.yorku.ca/postdoctoral-fellows/ypdf-program.

Leah Keating – Department of Psychology
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals experience elevated rates of trauma. LGBT-based discrimination is a barrier to accessing mental health care. Keating’s proposed study examines the proportion of LGBT individuals who have experienced trauma who access psychotherapy, barriers to attending therapy, and helpful and unhelpful aspects of therapy.

Melanie McBride – Faculty of Education
McBride’s study investigates the challenges and opportunities of physically embodied and multimodal approaches to teaching and learning involving taste in the largely text-bound paradigm of wine education. The proposed research not only addresses itself to established gaps in our understanding of taste as a “mode” of learning and communication, but also how practices of taste might be critically situated as a common literacy beyond wine. The proposed research also contributes new “inter-sensory” methodological interventions on research of the senses and sensory culture using a combination of pedagogical, technological and intersectional perspectives.

Emily McGiffin – Faculty of Environmental Studies
McGiffin’s interdisciplinary postdoctoral research works at the intersection of ecopoetics, Indigenous resurgence, climate justice and extractives resistance, examining how Indigenous poetics engage with the politics of climate change, social equality, decolonization, land and place. Looking at the rich cultures of Indigenous resurgence, colonial resistance and associated poetics that have emerged in British Columbia in recent years, particularly surrounding energy infrastructure and associated land rights, McGiffin asks how poetic works that have emerged from this milieu function not only as acts of resistance and activism, but also as a means of imagining and enacting an equitable and sustainable future.

Rehan Siddiqui – Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering
The purpose of Siddiqui’s research is to investigate, validate and improve the atmospheric radiative budget and its correlation with high Arctic atmospheric information. The remote sensing data analysis of greenhouse gases, atmospheric pollutants, ozone layer and cloud radiative effects are a major focus for the proposed research. The ability to predict changes in our environment depends on an in-depth understanding of the atmospheric absorption features as well as the interrelated processes controlling climate, and on observations of the climate system. All the predictions require a validation process with radiative transfer model simulation results in contrast with real observations.

Hyekyoung Sung – Department of Biology
Sung’s proposed research is focused on examining direct effects of lipocalin-2 on cardiac remodelling and the functional consequences. Obesity and the associated metabolic syndrome, a cluster of chronic symptoms including insulin resistance, hypertension and inflammation, predispose individuals to developing cardiovascular dysfunctions. Heart failure is one potential cardiovascular outcome and the consequences in the obese and aging population can be devastating, owing to the higher risk of mortality or loss of quality of life. However, the mechanisms of obesity- and diabetes-induced heart disease are multifaceted and remain to be fully defined. Various hormones released from adipose tissue have also been suggested as potentially useful biomarkers for various aspects of cardiovascular disease.

Former Lion Brittany Crew makes Canadian history in shot put event

Former York University Lions women’s track and field athlete Brittany Crew finished in sixth place in the shot put at the world championships in London, recording the best-ever result for a Canadian woman in the event.
Crew, an East York, Ont., native who spent three seasons with the Lions and is still a student at York studying kinesiology and health science, recorded a throw of 18.21m to become the first Canadian woman to finish among the top eight in the world.

She advanced to the final with a throw of 18.01m in the preliminary round the day before.

Crew has been on the rise in her sport over the past year. She qualified for the Rio Olympics last summer and this year set a new Canadian record in the shot put with a distance of 18.58m at an event in Arizona in May. She followed that up by winning the national championship in July. Crew will also represent Canada at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games later this month in Chinese Taipei, where she will look to improve upon the bronze medal she won two years ago in Gwangju, South Korea.

In her last two years competing in U SPORTS, Crew swept the throwing events at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U SPORTS championships and was named the field events performer of the year in both seasons. She is also a four-time U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian and twice earned York’s female athlete of the year award.

Faculty of Education Summer Institute explores relationships to Canada 150

A two-day conference designed by York University’s Faculty of Education to bring together educators, teacher candidates, parents and community members will focus on the theme “Relationships to Canada 150: Paradoxes, Contradictions and Questions.”

The Faculty of Education Summer Institute (FESI) 2017 will run Aug. 23 and 24 at the Keele campus, and invites various stakeholders to learn from and with one another to engage in relevant and critical conversations involving the achievement and well-being of youth. The annual event works to mobilize for individual and collective action in education by offering a variety of workshops.

The stakeholders include community partners, youth, teacher candidates, parents/guardians, and educators in various capacities and from various schools boards/organizations who will exchange ideas about how they have been working with and meeting the educational needs, interests and aspirations of young people.

This year’s keynote speaker is Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw

With this year’s theme in mind, the conversations will focus on Canada 150, and participants will be invited to engage in critical discussions about the purpose, impact and quality of education and social outcomes.

Keynote presentations and workshops will consider questions such as:

  • What perspectives and ways of knowing have constituted spaces in which young people engage in educational, social and recreational activities in Canada over the past 150 years?
  • What has been silenced?
  • How might these perspectives and ways of knowing have impacted youth differently over the past 150 years?
  • In considering education more than 150 years ago, and in considering education for the next 150 years, what possibilities exist for resurgence, reconciliation and justice?

Day one, which runs from 9am to 4pm, will focus on “Problematizing Canada’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples.” This portion of the conference will explore historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous people and colonial settlers, as well as Canada’s history of cultural genocide.

Participants will have an opportunity to engage in deep learning, unlearning and relearning in workshops such as: The History of Colonization, Treaties and Land, Residential Schools, Inuit Education, Métis Education, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, and much more.

Day two, which runs from 9am to 4:15pm, will focus on “Problematizing Canada’s Relationships with various Communities and Considerations for Beyond 150.” On the second day, participants will have an opportunity to further problematize the historical and contemporary relationships of various diverse communities of Canada that have settled in this country for various reasons

As well, participants will engage in current and relevant research that impacts student achievement and well-being. Workshops will focus on promising initiatives and programs working to address systemic barriers.

This year’s keynote speaker is Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw (The Woman Who Walks In The Light), a Haudenosaunee Mohawk/Mi’kmaw drum talk poetic rapologist, poet, musician, hip-hop MC, arts educator, social change workshop facilitator, performance artist, artist mentor, radio host, festival curator and more.

For more information, visit fesi.blog.yorku.ca.

 

Winners of inaugural YCAR undergraduate essay awards announced

Two York University undergraduate students, Fareeha Alavi and Srijoni Rahman, have been named the winners of an inaugural essay competition hosted by the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR).

YCAR launched the Undergraduate Asia & Asian Diaspora Essay Awards for students enrolled in any undergraduate program at York University. The inaugural recipients, Alavi (anthropology and South Asian studies) and Rahman (public administration), were nominated by their professors, Nishant Upadhyay, Sailaja Krishnamurti and Shobna Nijhawan, for the exceptional essays submitted in their courses.

“Undergraduate students are producing some great work on pertinent topics in Asian studies and we think it’s important to recognize that,” said YCAR Director Abidin Kusno.

Fareeha Alavi

Alavi’s paper, “The Making of Bangladesh,” won the essay prize in the category of geographic Asia. Alavi’s essay was the product of an oral history assignment for the course Introduction to South Asian Studies (SOSC 2435). The paper brings together an interview and academic scholarship on the 1971 partition of East and West Pakistan and the independence of Bangladesh. Throughout the paper, Alavi unpacks how competing nationalist myths informed the events and aftermath of 1971.

A mature student who returned to university after a 25-year break, Alavi is pursuing majors in anthropology and South Asian studies. Now in her fourth year, she is particularly interested in the study of women’s issues and Islam.

Sirojini Rahman

In the winning paper in the category of Asian diaspora, “From Roots to Rhizomes: Hybrid, Diasporic Identities in Hema and Kaushik,” Rahman analyzes diasporic Indian characters from Jhumpa Lahiri’s book of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth. Focusing on two characters, Hema and Kaushik, Rahman draws out themes of displacement, genealogy and gender to demonstrate the conflicts that arise through hyphenated identities. The paper was produced for the course South Asian Literature and Culture (HND 2700).

Rahman recently completed her degree in public administration with a specialization in law, justice and policy. She is currently working as a policy analyst and will begin graduate studies at the University of Toronto in public policy. Rahman wants to focus on uncovering the gendered experiences of second-generation diasporic youth living in North America.

Both prize-winning papers are published in YCAR’s special annual publication New Voices in Asian Research and are available online at ycar.apps01.yorku.ca/new-voices-in-asian-research. The publication is a platform to showcase undergraduate talent in research on Asia and Asian diasporas across a range of disciplines at York.

For more information about the awards, visit the YCAR website at yorku.ca/ycar.

Professor Paul Delaney receives international outreach award

York University Professor Paul Delaney in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science, has received the 2017 Klumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.

Delaney joins the ranks of Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, among other prominent science communicators, who have received this award.

“Paul Delaney’s inspiring and tireless efforts have greatly raised both the public profile of the science of astronomy and York University’s standing as a hub of scientific excellence,” said Ray Jayawardhana, dean of the Faculty of Science. “His extensive contributions to science education and outreach at York and beyond make him most deserving of this prestigious award.”

Delaney is one of Canada’s most dedicated astronomy enthusiasts. His media presence with broadcast television and radio in Canada, as well as the Discovery Channel’s “Daily Planet,” have made him the go-to guy when Canada needs an authoritative voice around the heavens.

Promoting astronomy has been a lifelong pursuit for Delaney. Growing up in Australia, he purchased his first telescope as a teenager, established a Radio Astronomy Club in high school and joined the Astronomical Society of South Australia in 1972.

Delaney’s dedication to public outreach in astronomy started with his move to York University in Canada in 1986. His contributions to the public understanding of and enthusiasm for astronomy since then have brought his excitement to Canadians and beyond. For instance, a weekly column, “Astronomically Speaking,” filled local newspapers between 2002 and 2009.

Delaney is also the director of the York University Observatory, which has become an important part of community engagement efforts at York, with more than 5,000 visitors each year and some 20 enthusiastic student volunteers. The Observatory hosts online public viewing sessions and a weekly radio show on Astronomy FM with a global online audience of more than 30,000 dedicated listeners.

The Klumpke-Roberts Award is not the first public outreach award for Delaney. In 2015, he was awarded the Canadian Astronomical Society’s prestigious Qilak Award. In 2010, the Royal Canadian Institute honoured him with the Sanford Fleming Medal for contributions to the public understanding of science, putting Delaney in the company of some of Canada’s most prominent scientists, including Ursula Franklin, John Polanyi, David Suzuki and Tuzo Wilson.

Delaney has also previously received the President’s University-Wide Teaching Award and was named one of TVO’s “Top 10 Lecturers” in Ontario.

Delaney will formally receive the Klumpke-Roberts Award at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Awards Gala in October.