York U professor helps transform engineering education in Uganda
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In an effort to enhance undergraduate engineering research in Uganda, faculty members from York University and the University of British Columbia have joined forces on an education-enhancing project with Academics Without Borders (AWB), a non-profit organization aiming to improve the higher education landscape in developing countries.
The Strengthening Engineering Undergraduate Research (SER-Undergraduate) project, initiated by faculty at the Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST) in Uganda, aims to provide international support to MUST undergraduate students, empowering them to engage in high-quality research endeavours.
As part of the collaboration, York U Professor Arash Habibi Lashkari – an AWB volunteer who is also the founder and director of York University’s Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Center – embarked on a week-long visit to MUST, where he interacted with students and faculty members to assess the current state of the institution’s undergraduate research program and identify areas for improvement.
York University Professor Arash Habibi Lashkari (front, centre) with students from the Mbarara University of Science & Technology in Uganda.
“I am honoured to be part of this initiative to empower undergraduate students in Uganda to pursue research excellence,” says Lashkari. “By sharing our expertise and resources, we can make a meaningful impact on these students’ academic and professional trajectory.”
During his visit to Uganda, Lashkari engaged in insightful discussions with students, faculty members, the international office and the administration department, guiding and enhancing research methodologies and academic standards. The visit not only fostered knowledge exchange but also served as a testament to the importance of volunteerism and international collaboration in advancing education and research on a global scale.
“Membership in the AWB Network offers opportunities for academics and professionals to share their expertise and knowledge as volunteers in capacity-building projects in partnership with institutions in low- and middle-income countries,” says Professor Nancy Gallini, executive director of Academics Without Borders. “Engaging in this work gives faculty and staff a global perspective that enriches education and research on their campuses.”
For MUST students, the SER-Undergraduate project allows for access to resources, mentorship and opportunities for hands-on research experience that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. By leveraging the expertise and resources of Canadian faculty members serving as volunteers, Ugandan students can gain the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their future academic and professional endeavours.
As the SER-Undergraduate project continues to unfold, the goal of transforming engineering education and empowering a new generation of research-driven scholars in Uganda remains.
Annual Walk with Excellence to celebrate achievements of local high-school graduates
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Now in its 11th year, the Walk with Excellence is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of graduating students from high schools in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community. Signifying the beginning of their journey to post-secondary education, the event – taking place this year on Thursday, June 6 – will see over 500 graduating students walk from five local high schools onto York University’s Keele Campus.
The students’ supportive teachers and administrators will be cheering them on along the way, and all York University community members are invited join in welcoming the students onto the Keele Campus in true York U style.
“The Walk with Excellence signals new beginnings and a new season,” said Itah Sadu, founder of the Walk with Excellence and a York University honorary degree recipient. “Walking with the graduating students in this annual urban rite of passage is pure joy.”
Organized by a coalition of community partners – including the York University-TD Community Engagement Centre, local school principals and high-school leaders, the Blackhurst Cultural Centre and A Different Booklist – the Walk with Excellence will feature brief musical performances from each participating high school, remarks from community leaders and Toronto poet laureate Lillian Allen reading a poem she wrote specifically for the event. Organizers look forward to presenting several bursaries this year, generously funded by CUPE Local 4400/Toronto Education Workers, Blackhurst Cultural Centre and York University.
“We are proud to stand alongside our students and school board partners in celebrating the hard work and dedication that define the Jane and Finch community’s collective journey toward excellence,” said Byron Gray, manager of the York University-TD Community Engagement Centre. “Together, we are fostering a brighter future for all.”
All York University community members are invited to take part in the event by cheering for students as they enter the Keele Campus and witnessing the presentation of scholarships and remarks. The students are expected to arrive in front of Vari Hall at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Those who cannot attend or would like to further support the cause can consider contributing to Vice-Provost Academic Marcia Annisette’s Walk with Excellence campaign for 2025, which will offer bursaries to five future York U students – one from each of the five participating high schools.
“This event exemplifies the power of community, resilience and academic achievement,” said Annisette. “It is our vision that a newly initiated campaign will engage all of York University in funding an ongoing Walk with Excellence Bursary.”
New Schulich program receives industry accreditation
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The new Master of Health Industry Administration (MHIA) program at York University’s Schulich School of Business been accredited by the Canadian College of Health Leaders, allowing graduates to work toward obtaining the Canadian health executive (CHE) designation.
Being accredited by the Canadian College of Health Leaders reflects the MHIA program’s commitment to excellence and alignment with health industry standards. It also solidifies Schulich’s position as a leading institution in health-care leadership education, providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in their careers and make meaningful contributions to the industry.
Amin Mawani
“This accreditation signifies the quality and rigour of our MHIA program,” says Amin Mawani, the program director. “We’re proud to offer our graduates the opportunity to attain the valued CHE designation and further advance their careers in health-care leadership.”
After a meticulous review of the MHIA program’s curriculum, the Canadian College of Health Leaders confirmed its alignment with the Leadership for Evidence-Based Decision Making (LEADS) framework – a nationally recognized leadership development model in health care. This means Schulich’s MHIA graduates will have advanced standing in the CHE designation process.
Beyond helping health-care leaders stand out among their peers, the CHE designation includes support for lifelong learning and assistance with career advancement.
Schulich has been developing health industry leaders for the past two decades, through the health industry specialization in its Master of Business Administration program and through innovative executive development programs offered by Schulich ExecEd and the school’s new MHIA degree.
York University partnership supports social entrepreneurship
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A collaboration between York University’s YSpace and Schulich ExecEd, and Toronto Montessori Schools (TMS), is nurturing and supporting the next generation of changemakers. The TMS Schulich Innovation & Entrepreneurial Experience (TSE) program has been empowering high-school students since 2019 to cultivate entrepreneurial skills and a sense of social responsibility.
“We are delighted to partner with TMS and YSpace on the TSE program,” says Rami Mayer, executive director of Schulich ExecEd. “Together, we have developed a program tailored for high-school students that enhances their business and leadership skills while guiding them to build scalable solutions to real-world problems.”
Recent participants, high-school students Ayden Lee and Lucas Wei, have been awarded a prestigious Global Youth Action Fund grant of US$3,000 for a project called Crew of Care. They developed it with their teammates Evan Leung and Sheng Yang during their time in the program.
The students embarked on their social entrepreneurship journey during the TSE prototype phase, where they together conceived the idea of a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing medical inequality and fostering reconciliation with Indigenous communities in Ontario. Crew of Care’s mission was to create more inclusive health-care solutions by hosting community fundraising events and educational workshops, and collaborating with larger organizations. The team received valuable feedback and mentorship during the TSE experience in July 2023, further igniting the passion and commitment of two of its founders, Lee and Wei, who continued to pursue the project beyond the program and worked to secure financial support.
The original Crew of Care team – Ayden Lee, Lucas Wei, Evan Leung and Sheng Yang – presenting their idea during TSE 2023.
The Global Youth Action Fund, an initiative of the International Baccalaureate education program, supports youth-led projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The Crew of Care project stood out to the selection committee due to its potential impact, collaborative approach and commitment to social change. The awarded funding will provide vital support to Crew of Care as the organization continues to expand its reach and initiatives.
Looking ahead, the Crew of Care founders – along with executive team members Vincent Peng, Sebastian Churchill, Shabadleen Sandhu, Amber Kwong and Hussain Ladak – envision partnerships with health awareness non-governmental organizations like Water First, and aim to host city-wide fundraising events and workshops to advance their mission of enhancing health-care access for Indigenous communities.
The TMS Schulich Innovation & Entrepreneurial Experience remains committed to fostering youth-led initiatives aligned with the UN SDGs. The upcoming TSE 2024 program will focus on food security and sustainability, offering students a platform to explore various issues impacting global food systems.
“Since 2019, we have been committed to nurturing the next generation of leaders through the TSE program, cultivating entrepreneurial skills and a deep sense of social responsibility,” says Mayer. “This partnership equips the next generation with the expertise needed to make positive impacts in local communities and to emerge as visionary leaders of tomorrow.”
York students recognized for impactful leadership
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Eleven York University students were recently honoured with the Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award, which recognizes students whose leadership has contributed to the growth, development and vitality of the University.
“We are impressed with the calibre of student leaders we have and the many ways they make contributions to the York community throughout their years with us,” says Yvette Munro, assistant vice-provost, student success. “Whether their leadership role supports students across the University, in their Faculty or with a community of students with whom they share common interests or backgrounds, their contributions make York a better place.”
Now in its 12th year, the award was created in honour of Robert J. Tiffin, who served as York University’s vice-president, students, for nine years. University community members nominate individuals who demonstrate leadership and make valuable contributions to York.
“It cannot be overstated that the recipients of this award have played a vital role in shaping the student experience at York,” says Tiffin. “Their active engagement in so many aspects of student life has served to unlock their own leadership potential and empower their fellow students to create more engagement opportunities for future students.”
The winners were celebrated at an on-campus event on May 15.
This year’s Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award recipients with Robert J. Tiffin at the awards ceremony. Top row, from left to right: Dulce Martinez, Ginelle Aziz, Luca Filippelli, Robert J. Tiffin, Meaghan Landry and Taline Apelian-Sutor. Bottom row, from left to right: Madison Hartley, Nicole Dimitrova and Clifton Grant. Not pictured: April Cole, Ali Bashar and Jennifer Bromberg.
This year’s Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award winners:
Taline Apelian-Sutor, bachelor of science (honours) in biology Apelian-Sutor has been actively engaged in York’s student life. As a member of the York University Alumni Board, she works with staff and alumni to enhance York’s reputation, encourage philanthropy and increase community engagement. As a President’s Ambassador, Student Alumni Ambassador and Science Student Ambassador, Apelian-Sutor has collaborated with others to promote the University and voice the student perspective. She has also contributed to York’s legacy project that helps address food insecurity on campus.
Ginelle Aziz, master of applied science in civil engineering Aziz has left her mark on the Lassonde community through her involvement with various organizations, including as the president of Engineering Without Borders and by helping thousands of students during Lassonde’s Social Orientation Weeks between 2017 and 2022. Aziz says her most impactful and empowering contribution at York was as a graduate representative for the National Day of Remembrance on Violence Against Women in 2022, where she discussed the importance of representation of BIPOC women in education and engineering.
Ali Bashar, bachelor of science in biology While at York, Bashar has raised more than $20,000 during his tenure as the event chair for York’s Canadian Cancer Society chapter. He also serves as the vice-president, finance, of the Bethune College Council and as an elected member of the Science Student Caucus. As a caucus member, Bashar advocated for positive change and student needs during the COVID-19 pandemic by co-authoring a letter to the dean’s office. Some of the considerations were incorporated into the Faculty of Science 2021-25 strategic plan.
Jennifer Bromberg, bachelor of arts (honours) in psychology Bromberg’s commitment to positively impacting the York community is apparent through her work as the creator and facilitator of the workshop Taking Care of Your Brain: Study Strategies that Work, which she now runs monthly. She has actively pursued leadership roles and has been active in Calumet and Stong colleges, working as a course representative for five courses to date. Bromberg is also an active member of the Faculty of Health Student Caucus and supports numerous college events.
April Cole, bachelor of science (specialized honours) in kinesiology and health science Throughout her degree, Cole has been giving back to the York community as an orientation leader, where she created a welcoming experience for incoming students throughout six Orientation Weeks. As the orientation director for Stong College Student Government (SCSG), she volunteered at student panels, chaired social committees, trained council members and facilitated Orientation Week, Frost Week and Mental Health Week. Cole’s role as an outreach director with SCSG also involved planning multiple charity events, including the Cross-College Food Drive to address food insecurity.
Nicole Dimitrova, bachelor of arts (specialized honours) in psychology As a student leader, Dimitrova continuously advocates for accessibility across campus. She has served as the co-president of the Undergraduate Psychology Student Association (UPSA), where she ensured their services were accessible to all students. Dimitrova also played a pivotal role in the mentoring department of UPSA and has contributed to new student success initiatives. She is also the co-creator of Disability Allyship Training, which focuses on equipping peer leaders with skills and knowledge to better support those with disabilities.
Luca Filippelli, bachelor of engineering (specialized honours) in computer engineering Filippelli has been actively involved in academic committees and councils for the Lassonde School of Engineering and has served as the president of the Lassonde Engineering Society since May 2023. During his time as president, he has increased student engagement and leads a team of 50 volunteers in organizing events and initiatives. Filippelli also represents Lassonde’s student body on three Faculty committees, where he helps to amplify Lassonde’s student voice in decision-making processes.
Clifton Grant, bachelor of arts (honours) in law and society During his time at York, Grant has served on multiple committees, campus groups and organizations. He has been a peer mentor with the Atkinson Centre for Mature & Part-time Students and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). He is also the president of the York University Mature Students Organization and a member of the LA&PS Black Inclusion & Advocacy Committee. Grant consistently advocates for students across campus and contributes to building a community where they can grow and succeed.
Madison Hartley, bachelor of engineering in software engineering Hartley helped create safe and inclusive spaces for students through the foundation of York’s EngiQueers chapter, which helps to promote awareness, education and advocacy for the Lassonde School of Engineering’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Hartley has also made an impact as the chair of Lassonde’s Orientation Week and as a member of the Undergraduate Student Advisory Council, where she contributed to discussions about campus life, academics, and decolonizing, equity, diversity and inclusion issues on campus.
Meaghan Landry, bachelor of arts (bilingual specialized honours) in psychology Landry is a champion of 2SLGBTQIA+ student rights and a strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion at York. They served as the co-coordinator and treasurer of the Glendon Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer + Organization, where they worked to strengthen the queer community and advocated for the needs of queer students. Landry also raised awareness about food access on campus while serving as the vice-president, finance, and co-president of the Glendon Cooking Club.
Dulce Martinez, bachelor of fine arts (honours) in music Martinez has been an active leader in the Music Department, where she advocated for diversity in York’s curriculum by successfully petitioning to create the course MUSI 1056 – Private Lessons in Gospel Voice. She has also made many contributions to the York community while serving on the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, the Chair’s Leadership Council and the Creative Arts Students Association. Through these roles, Martinez has advocated for improvements in student study spaces, communicated student concerns and drawn attention to accessibility challenges.
York University nursing professor wins teaching excellence award
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By Lindsay MacAdam, communications officer, YFile
When Archana Paul arrived in Canada in 2010 – with her husband, two children, a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing, and 10 years of experience as a nurse educator and frontline registered nurse under her belt – she was shocked to discover that she couldn’t get a job. Even entry-level positions at places like McDonald’s and Tim Hortons wouldn’t hire her without prior Canadian work experience.
“I held a certain degree of skepticism regarding my decision to settle in a new country and practise in a different environment,” admitted Paul during her COUPN Awards acceptance speech. “My initial experiences were marked by hardships and challenges, including the loss of my professional identity, as I felt I was ‘nobody’ even though I had more than 10 years of experience in nursing.”
Having to adapt to new ways of living, acquire clinical competency, deal with cultural displacement and perfect her language skills made the transition to Canadian life more difficult than she had ever imagined. However, with an unwavering determination, Paul went on countless interviews and gradually learned how to advocate for herself until she secured her first Canadian job a year and a half later, as a nurse in the emergency department at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction & Mental Health. Four years after that, she was hired as a nurse educator at Humber River Health, and then shortly thereafter she joined the faculty of York’s School of Nursing, which was seeking educators like Paul with clinical expertise in mental health nursing.
Today, while teaching full-time at York, Paul maintains her position as a frontline nurse in Humber River Health’s mental health crisis unit. She feels it is important to her teaching to remain a practising nurse, allowing her to bring that real-world perspective into the classroom. And that perspective is a big part of why Paul has been recognized by her peers, students and COUPN for her teaching excellence.
Paul is known for using creative teaching strategies to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-life experiences, like engaging users of mental health services as guest speakers in her courses to help critically examine the power divide between patients and health-care providers.
Viewing herself as an instructor and her students as “co-creators” in knowledge, Paul seeks to shift traditional, hierarchical approaches to teaching.
“After years of practising as a nurse and nurse educator in Canada, I have confidently redefined power dynamics in education,” explained Paul in her speech. “I now see myself as a facilitator, mentor, guide and advisor who empowers students to achieve their full potential.”
Paul is committed to continuing to serve her community through support and mentorship, especially for international students and internationally educated nurses like herself who are facing challenges similar to those she faced upon arrival to Canada.
Quoting famed British nurse Florence Nightingale in her speech, saying, “‘Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses…. We must be learning all of our lives,’” Paul is a firm believer in lifelong learning. In fact, she plans to continue her learning journey by pursing her PhD in the coming years. And despite being a teaching-stream professor at York, she has involved herself in small-scale research focusing on student well-being, as well as teaching and learning.
“I am convinced that by being open to change, building knowledge and developing relationships, we can create innovative approaches to teaching effectiveness, optimize student learning outcomes and ultimately improve client care,” she said.
Despite her many career accomplishments over the past 14 years, having her teaching recognized with a COUPN Award – requiring nomination and support from colleagues, peers and students – has made Paul finally accept that she has achieved success in Canada.
“I now believe that I am ‘somebody’ in this country,” she concluded. And she’s right.
Research Impact Challenge helps boost self-promotion, visibility
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York University faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students are invited to participate in the York University Libraries’ Research Impact Challenge to learn how to increase the visibility and reach of their scholarly works.
From May 27 to 31, the Libraries will run five fully asynchronous challenges to help teach York researchers tips, strategies and methods to curate their online presence and make their research more discoverable to academic communities in their disciplines. Each challenge will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
“Researchers at all stages of their career benefit from leveraging research visibility best practices for their publishing and self-promotion strategies,” says Andrea Kosavic, interim dean, York University Libraries. “By completing the five challenges in this event, researchers will have a number of strategies at their fingertips to improve the discoverability of their research.”
Each day, participants will be asked to learn about a specific research visibility topic and complete a short research task to support them in making their scholarly outputs easier to discover. For example, participants will learn about curating their online presence using researcher profiles such as ORCID iD, a tool that makes it easier to identify authors and contributors of scholarly communication. Additionally, participants will explore the value of open-access publishing, scholarly research repositories and how to leverage existing Libraries supports such as YorkSpace to make their research more discoverable.
“Studies show that publishing your research open access is an effective research visibility strategy,” says Kosavic, “as access to subscriptions privileges those who can afford to pay. Publishing open access ensures the global community has access to your research and can build upon your discoveries, which translates into citation and social media uptake advantages.”
The challenges will also cover traditional and alternative research metrics and will highlight the Libraries’ subscription databases that can help researchers gather specific types of metrics.
To participate in the challenge, researchers are asked to do the following:
Step 2: during the week of the challenge, keep an eye out for the daily email with information on the day’s task.
Step 3: after completing each daily challenge, fill out the associated MS Form to be entered into a draw for a chance to win a set of Belkin wireless headphones or a prize of equivalent value.
“I’m thrilled about this engaging initiative that will allow our researchers to learn about strategies to help increase their research visibility, while also learning about specific tools and resources that can raise their profiles externally,” says Jennifer Steeves, associate vice-president research. “This will help increase awareness of the outstanding research being done by our colleagues at York.”
Grad student research recognized with thesis, dissertation prizes
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York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has awarded six graduands with 2024 Thesis and Dissertation Prizes for their outstanding contributions to the local and global community. The prizes, valued at $2,000 for doctoral dissertations and $1,000 for master’s theses, are given out every spring to honour theses defended in the previous calendar year. The award-winning work among the early-career scholars ranged from high-risk data collection to an award-winning film.
Doctoral Dissertation Prizes
Alison Humphrey (PhD, cinema and media studies) for “The Shadowpox Storyworld as Citizen Science Fiction: Building Co-Immunity through Participatory Mixed-Reality Storytelling”
Alison Humphrey
Humphrey’s dissertation involves a mixed-reality storyworld – a fully immersive, interactive storytelling experience – co-created with young people on three continents, imagining immunization through a superhero metaphor.
The research-creation dissertation recounts the design and testing of three experiments in a single science fiction storyworld, titled “Shadowpox.” Humphrey’s first experiment was a full-body video game exhibited at the UNAIDS 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, and at Galleri KiT in Trondheim, Norway. The second was a networked narrative – a story created by a network of interconnected authors – which was workshopped and presented at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and with the Debajehmujig Storytellers, a multidisciplinary arts organization in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve in northern Ontario. The third component, an online video game necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, was available worldwide, and was included in the United Nations COVID-19 Response Creative Content Hub in 2020.
The examining committee praised the project and described it as “careful theory-building through sound methodological praxis” and “a new standard for research-creation dissertations in Canada.”
Inbar Peled (PhD, law) for “Professionalizing Discrimination: Legal Actors and the Struggle Against Racialized Policing in Multicultural Societies”
Inbar Peled
Through her project, Peled examines the role of lawyers in perpetuating racialized police violence in multicultural societies. While much of the work on racialized police killing and police violence focuses on the police themselves, the role of lawyers in enabling these incidents is often ignored. To unpack the ways lawyers and judges support, resist and confront racism in their practices, Peled interviewed prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges in Israel. Her groundbreaking work argues that the solution to the problem of racialized policing will have to include transformation within the legal profession.
Her defense committee unanimously commended the work, saying, “the real genius of Peled’s project is that it merges theories of identity (self and others) with professionalized role competence. This combination demonstrates not just that lawyers are – like all people – influenced by race and racism in their decision making but also that legal norms and rules also play a role in the failure to address racialized police violence.”
Jennifer Porat (PhD, biology) for “RNA methyltransferases Influence Noncoding RNA Biogenesis and Function Through Catalytic-Independent Activities”
Jennifer Porat
Porat’s innovative study encompasses various aspects of ribonucleic acid (RNA) biology – a molecule essential for most biological functions – while focusing on the lesser-studied functions of a set of eukaryotic RNA modification enzymes. The dissertation provides evidence supporting the multifaceted nature of these enzymes and underscores their importance in many fundamental biological processes. The pinnacle recognition of Porat’s scholarly excellence is exemplified by her recent Scaringe Award that acknowledges outstanding achievement of young scientists engaged in RNA research presented by the RNA Society, an international scientific society with more than 1,800 members dedicated to fostering research and education in the field of RNA science.
The examination committee Chair, Professor Emanuel Rosonina, stated that Porat’s work “fundamentally changes how we think about RNA-modifying enzymes.” He continued, “It is not common that a student forges new ground and concepts like this. Hers is among the most impressive PhD theses and defenses that I have seen at York and beyond.”
Master’s Thesis Prizes
Pooya Badkoobeh (master’s, film) for “Based on a True Story”
Pooya Badkoobeh
Badkoobeh’s thesis film, Inn, is a 20-minute minimalist short film set in Tehran, Iran, inspired by the real-life story of an old couple who planned to commit suicide together. The film’s central theme revolves around the core meaning of life in the face of planned and seemingly certain death. Employing minimalist storytelling and a hybrid of fiction and documentary style, the film uses long takes and distant camera placements for a distinctive effect. The script features very little dialogue and long silences, illustrating the characters’ inner lives and allowing the viewer to fill in their background. The same year of his defense, Badkoobeh’s thesis film was named North America’s Best Film by CILECT, the International Association of Film & Television Schools.
“His film embraces the core value of what it means to be human in the cinematic form,” shared Manfred Becker, Pooya’s supervisor. “It is an exceptionally sensitive and disciplined work of art, executed in a minimalist style, which matches the complexity of its subject matter.”
Nina Garrett (master’s, biology) for “Measuring neotropical bat diversity using airborne eDNA”
Nina Garrett
Garrett’s thesis develops the novel technique of capturing airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) for the detection of tropical bat species. Garrett successfully demonstrates that airborne eDNA can accurately characterize a mixed-species community with varying abundances and that the type of sampler does not impact DNA concentration or read count. This study was extremely high-risk science because no one had ever attempted this type of work under field conditions with wild animals. At the time she started, there were only three published scientific works in existence demonstrating that airborne eDNA collection was even possible and all had been conducted under extremely controlled and artificial conditions (i.e. in a zoo).
Garrett’s two data chapters were published in PeerJ and Environmental DNA journals. Additionally, she has been acknowledged for her advanced academic and research leadership, having received prestigious awards for her master’s studies, including the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada’s master’s graduate scholarship and recognitions for her research presentations at provincial and national conferences.
Haider Shoaib (master’s, electrical engineering and computer science) for “Performance Modeling and Optimization of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles With Reliable Wireless Connectivity”
Haider Shoaib
Shoaib’s cutting-edge project tackles vehicular network connectivity challenges, which are expected to be of increasing concern with the rise of electric vehicles. The project explores the fundamental question of how to maximize vehicle traffic flow while maintaining a minimum network connectivity requirement. Specifically, Shoaib’s thesis develops innovative network performance models for 5G- and 6G-enabled vehicle communications that consider critical parameters such as traffic flow, wireless channel impediments and network density.
This type of optimization has not been considered to date in either the telecommunications or transportation domains, and it includes several important constraints to ensure quality of service and to avoid collisions.
Additionalprize
In addition to the above Thesis and Dissertation Prizes, FGS nominated Humphrey and Porat for a dissertation prize presented by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS). The CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizes Canadian doctoral dissertations that make significant and original contributions to their academic field. Winners receive a $1,500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition and an invitation to attend the Annual CAGS Conference.
Robarts Centre celebrates 40 years of Canadian Studies
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Established in 1984, the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies is a long-standing Organized Research Unit of York University that supports specialized research on key dimensions of a critical, collaborative and interdisciplinary study of Canada. As evidence of its far-reaching impact, it has a membership of over 300 faculty and research associates from all of York’s 11 Faculties.
Lorna Marsden
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Robarts Centre has released a special issue of its flagship publication, Canada Watch, edited by York University President Emerita Lorna Marsden, a Distinguished Fellow at the Robarts Centre. In it, a carefully selected group of thought leaders recount the history of the centre and its key evolutions in the study of Canada, as well as the establishment of the York’s research infrastructure over the past four decades.
“In this issue, you will find first-hand accounts of key milestones in the history of the Robarts Centre and of research at York University, including from President Emeritus Ian Macdonald and first Vice-President Research and Innovation Stan Shapson,” said Marsden. “It also shows how the study of Canada has evolved since 1984, and the central role the Robarts Centre has played in creating relationships among disciplines, students and faculty to make this possible.”
This special issue is the first of the centre’s many celebratory activities for this milestone year. To help make its important work available to all, the Robarts Centre is working with the York University Libraries (YUL) to release the online archives of Canada Watch, which has been regularly published since 1992. These public archives, hosted through YUL’s York Digital Journals (YDJ) program, will make accessible many issues that were previously only available in print.
“YDJ’s mission is to facilitate free and open access to the work of members of the York University community,” said Tomasz Mrozewski, YUL digital publishing librarian “The release of the Canada Watch archives on this platform gives our community access to significant contributions in the study of Canada over the past 30 years, with new features, including the ability to search back issues by author and theme.”
Other anniversary celebrations include hosting the 2024 International Canadian Studies Summit, being held online from June 10 to 14, in collaboration with the International Council for Canadian Studies and the Avie Bennett Historica Canada Chair in Canadian History.
Jean Michel Montsion
“In recent years, the Robarts Centre has paid particular attention to the lack of support to our colleagues who study Canada from outside of the country,” explained Jean Michel Montsion, director of the Robarts Centre, “and we see it as our responsibility to connect them to some of our experts and specialists.”
With that mission in mind, the free summit, which is open for registration now, will be an opportunity for emerging and established scholars to learn about, discuss and help draft recommendations for better support of the study of Canada abroad. The event will include a Summer School component, which will be attended by 17 graduate students selected from 13 different countries, with many sessions led by York faculty members.
York hosts website preserving Canadian broadcasting history
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Following an agreement signed with the Canadian Communications Foundation (CCF), York University now hosts a one-of-a-kind website that documents information on a diverse variety of small, local radio stations and television stations in Canada from 1922 to the present.
Anne MacLennan
Over the past four years, former CCF member and communication and media studies Professor Anne MacLennan has been diligently working with the CCF to transfer archival materials from the organization’s History of Canadian Broadcasting website to its new home at York.
The archives are an invaluable cultural resource due to broadcasting stations not typically documenting their own histories thoroughly, and other existing research in the field being dominated by literature on broadcasting regulation and the building of the CBC.
The website – the only archive of its kind in Canada – has built up a careful history of all the broadcast media in Canada, chronicling and documenting the development of radio and television broadcasting in Canada since 1922. It also features biographies of prominent media personalities who have made significant and innovative contributions to the growth and development of Canadian broadcasting, but whose vision, ingenuity, dedication and venturesome undertakings had not been otherwise recognized.
The website has achieved a great deal over the years in developing a definitive history of broadcasting in Canada, and York made the decision to take it over when the CCF began winding down operations in 2020. In the process, the archive will help the school fulfill its commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that look to encourage the protection and safeguarding of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
With the transfer of ownership from CCF to York now complete, the website will serve as more of an archive than an active site. It aims to provide a valuable resource to students in communications, media, and history programs at York University and other universities, as well as high-school students and any member of the public who is curious about the rich historical development of Canadian broadcasting.
