Tag: VP Research and Innovation

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VISTA-Lassonde team first to tackle grainy image issue with machine learning

Image noise in photographs captured by cameras, an important aspect in many computer vision applications, is the variation of brightness or color in images. It can appear as graininess that can seriously affect the quality of the image.

Grad student Abdelrahman (Abdel) Abdelhamed, supervised by Canada Research Chair in Computer Vision and member of Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Professor Michael Brown, presented a key paper on this at the 2019 IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision.

The paper introduces ‘Noise Flow,’ a powerful and accurate noise model where computers, through machine learning, can understand the characteristics of noise and regenerate it. Since this model will lead the way to removing the noise, this new knowledge will capture the attention of many tech companies. It’s a big step forward in computer vision and deep learning.

This research was funded by VISTA and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This work was undertaken while Abdelhamed was at Borealis AI in an internship, supported by the Mitacs Accelerate Program.

Abdelhamed and Brown discuss this work and its impact with Brainstorm.

Q: What is image noise and why is it problematic?

AA: Image noise is an undesired effect that we see in digital images. We all use digital cameras but, in some situations – when we’re in a dark room, for example – this negatively affects the quality of the image. You’re measuring the amount of light that gets in, in pixels. If you’re in a low-light environment, you have more noise.

MB: The camera sensors inherently have noise. Now that camera sensors are smaller and smaller – on your phone, for example – so much less light gets in. The chance of having more noise is much higher. For small digital cameras, one of the trade-offs is more inherent noise – a grainer or noisier image.

In this paper, we looked at noise from the perspective of smartphone cameras with very small sensors.

For small digital cameras, especially in dim environments, one of the trade-offs is a noisier image. The noisy image to the left is a common output of a smartphone camera in a dim environment. The clean image to the right is heavily processed to minimize noise. (Source: Smartphone Image Denoising Dataset (SIDD): https://www.eecs.yorku.ca/~kamel/sidd/)

Q: What was the objective of this research?

AA: For computer vision or photography, the objective is to get rid of, or minimize, noise. But we took a different approach: we wanted to model, characterize or understand the noise in order to remove it more efficiently.

MB: Abdel’s method was in reverse; he didn’t try to generate a clean [noise-free] image, he sought to understand the noisy image.

Q: Is this a new area of research?

AA: We studied older literature, papers from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and Google, and we saw that they had models for this, but the research hadn’t been updated in years – especially important with today’s smart cameras. Ten years ago, they didn’t have these tiny sensors. The technology was so different. We found that the mathematical models used to characterize noise in the literature were outdated – the models were for older, larger sensors, not for the sensors used in smartphones.

Q: How did the Noise Flow model work, and how could this benefit computer vision and deep learning?

AA: The Noise Flow model is a type of machine learning – teaching computers how to solve a problem by providing many examples. In our research, we collected lots of images, noisy images and their corresponding clean images, so the computer model could learn the mapping between the noisy images and the clean images. As a result, the computer could learn the characteristics of noise so it could generate more examples of noisy images.

This is beneficial to computer vision because in computer vision, and deep learning, we need more data to make machine learning algorithms work.

MB: Broadly speaking, we’re trying to mathematically model noise. We wanted to know if we could predict the type of noise that occurs on different sensors. Could the computer generate the type of noise that a particular sensor would produce?

Q: Please describe how you tested this.

MB: Abdel did the work. He sat in the lab and captured 30,000 images. He set the camera on a tripod, very still in a special room, under special lighting, and took these images. Then he fed the information into the computer model and calculated an average. He would have, say, 500 noisy images and one clean image. This is how the computer learned how to generate the noise.

Q: Many tech companies would be very interested in this.

MB: The beauty of this is, if you’re a company that wants to denoise images, you first need information on how to predict noise. Then you could train another model to denoise using this new knowledge, using this new model.

We’ve been approached by many companies; Abdel has been approached by Samsung.

Q: Is this a ‘first?’

MB: Yes. We were the first group to revisit the noise modeling problem and address it with machine learning. This is a big deal. Nobody had revisited this for a very long time.

Marcus Brubaker, another co-author of this paper, is a machine learning expert at Lassonde and a member of VISTA. He was instrumental in helping us to shape this work because he introduced us to the normalizing flow method, a new powerful machine learning method. It was perfect for the type of problem we had before us.

Q: VISTA has supported your work in many ways. 

MB: VISTA was instrumental for getting me to Canada. It was the main reason that brought me to York. My CRC was created because of VISTA. VISTA supports our entire lab.

It’s also worth mentioning that if we do anything that’s able to be commercialized or needs a patent, we go through Innovation York. In this case, Borealis filed the patent for our new model, but, generally speaking, Innovation York is our go-to partner.

To read the conference paper, visit the website. To learn more about Brown’s research, visit his Faculty profile page.

To learn more about Research & Innovation at York, follow us at @YUResearch; watch our new video, which profiles current research strengths and areas of opportunity, such as Artificial Intelligence and Indigenous futurities; and see the snapshot infographic, a glimpse of the year’s successes.

By Megan Mueller, senior manager, Research Communications, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, York University, muellerm@yorku.ca

Academics’ visionary reactions to the pandemic prove we need art more than ever

Last March, the dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) at York University, Sarah Bay-Cheng, penned an influential article in the Globe & Mail that argued for the arts and cultural organizations as a source of relief, or balm, in times of crisis.

The original contributions of two AMPD academics epitomize this idea and, in doing so, further underscore the value and unique contribution of the arts and culture in our society. Indeed, Professors Laura Levin (Theatre Studies) and Ingrid Veninger (Cinema and Media Arts) remind us of how important the arts are, particularly in this extraordinary era where the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic looms over every aspect of life.

Performances of politicians during the crisis offer key insights

Levin, former director of Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts & Technology and associate dean, Research in AMPD, focuses our attention on a significant aspect of COVID-19: the performance of political leaders during the pandemic.

“Leaders have podiums or stages like no one else, and they can use them to model the collective responsibility, care and cooperation needed to prevent community spread and overburdening of the health care system,” she explains.

Levin, currently writing a book on performing politicians, examines how a leader’s performance contributes to collective action in terms of uniting, galvanizing or motivating communities. She believes that this kind of theatricality is becoming increasingly vital as a means of understanding our political leaders.

Trudeau and other world leaders set stage for collective responsibility

Levin says Prime Minister Trudeau is skilled at using rhetoric or oratory to model collective responsibility

Levin looks closely at performance strategies used by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, alongside the empathetic crisis leadership of other politicians, like New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. “One of the most effective ways Trudeau models this collective responsibility is by breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to viewers watching his press conferences from home. Here, he asks members of the public to see themselves as part of a collective ‘we’ and reminds them that they, too, can play a role,” she explains. “Trudeau looks straight at the camera and says things like, ‘The strength of our country is our capacity to come together and care for each other, especially in times of need. So call your friends. Check in with your family. Think of your community.’”

In these moments, Levin emphasizes, leadership is envisioned not as a top-down role performed by government officials, but rather as a distributed, community-led action.

“It allows us to see how we as citizens can collectively assume leadership within our local communities and be part of the solution,” she says.

ONE(NINE) Project unites women filmmakers from around the world

When COVID-19 began in early spring, 2020, filmmaker Veninger, whom the Globe & Mail once dubbed “the DIY queen of Canadian filmmaking,” halted all planned creative ventures, most notably her eighth feature film. She switched gears to embark on a highly collaborative piece that focused on isolation during the pandemic.

She reached out to women filmmakers around the world – some of whom she knew, others were strangers – to bring together a group that would represent a diverse set of voices, styles and strengths, and, very quickly, the ONE(NINE) Project took shape. The title refers to nine filmmakers, isolating in different parts of the world, coming together to collaborate on a feature film.

Veninger was joined by international filmmakers Isa Benn, Jennifer Podemski, Slater Jewell-Kemker and Mina Shum from Canada; Lydia Zimmermann from Spain; Carmen Sangion from South Africa, Shengze Zhu from China; and Dorothee Wenner from Germany.

ONE (NINE) Project participants, left to right: top row – Mina Shum, Lydia Zimmermann, Carmen Sangion; middle row – Jennifer Podemski, Ingrid Veninger, Dorothee Wenner; and bottom row – Shengze Zhu, Slater Jewell-Kemker, Isa Benn

The mandate was straightforward: with complete creative freedom, make a film with whatever and whomever you have with you in isolation. This is very much in keeping with Veninger’s oeuvre as community and family have always been at the core of her work. “The aspiration for this project was to make something collectively that would be impossible to make individually,” she explains.

From there, Veninger would stitch the short films, like chapters, together to make a larger narrative. The process sounds reminiscent of concept albums where words, objects and emotions are woven throughout the work.

The schedule unfolded rapidly. The filmmakers filmed in April and May, the editing and sound design took place remotely in June and July, with final completion in Toronto at Deluxe post-production. Delivery was expected for August 2020 with the aim of submitting to film festivals in the fall.

Hopes the film will inspire others in uncertain times

Veninger was inspired and challenged by the process. “We fostered ideas originating from a place of deep respect, trust, listening and dialogue to generate something of value to our greater communities,” she says.

She hopes the project will fuel different kinds of co-creation endeavours in the future. “Many of us have faced this uncertain time as an opportunity to learn and innovate new pathways for creative production. In this collaborative feature film project, we embraced our limitations, which informed how we told our stories, and that hands-on DIY approach will live in the result and reflect how an audience might experience the work as authentic and true, which in turn mirrors the process,” she elaborates.

To read the Globe & Mail piece, visit the website. To read a related YFile article, visit the VPRI website. To listen to a CBC interview with Veninger, visit the website. To read the Dolce magazine interview with Levin, visit the website. To learn more about Levin, visit her Faculty Profile Page. To learn more about Veninger, see her Faculty Profile Page.

To learn more about Research & Innovation at York, follow us at @YUResearch; watch our new video, which profiles current research strengths and areas of opportunity, such as Artificial Intelligence and Indigenous futurities; and see the snapshot infographic, a glimpse of the year’s successes.

By Megan Mueller, senior manager, Research Communications, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, York University, muellerm@yorku.ca

New evidence on the justice crisis: making the case for reform

Access to justice is essential in the Canadian judicial system. Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court of Canada
Access to justice is essential in the Canadian judicial system. Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court of Canada

Access to justice is one of the most basic rights of democratic citizenship. However, over the past decade, there has been a growing consensus that in many parts of Canada’s justice system, unmet legal needs are at a crisis point. According to new research:

  • Canadians spend just under $8 billion annually on their everyday legal problems – on average about $6,000 per problem – and likely much more. By comparison, this is about 75 per cent of what households spend on food each year, half of what they pay for transportation, and a third of what they spend on housing.
  • Canada ranks around the middle of sample comparison countries regarding some aspects of justice (e.g. access to laws and legal information), but lower than average when it comes to affordable justice or the efficiency of civil justice.
  • Less than seven per cent of people use courts to resolve their problems and less than 20 per cent get legal advice.
  • Access to justice costs and barriers are higher and more complex for domestic violence survivors.
  • Some access to justice reforms designed to assist lower-income users may not be working the way policy makers intended, according to one landlord-tenant study.
  • Within Indigenous communities, the justice system has re-traumatized and re-victimized some claimants, particularly in the context of the residential schools litigation.

These are just some of the findings and conclusions included in a new collection of research from 24 Canadian and U.S. scholars – The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law – edited by York University Professors Trevor C.W. Farrow and Lesley A. Jacobs. It is the first book to provide an in-depth overview based on new empirical research of what is working and not working to improve access to civil and family justice in Canada.

The Justice Crisis is part of the Cost of Justice project, a seven-year $1-million project of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, located at Osgoode Hall Law School. The Cost of Justice project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Trevor Farrow
Trevor Farrow

“Having access to justice primarily means having available options to prevent, address and resolve the legal problems and challenges that people face in their daily lives. This requires more than traditional courts and lawyers. Of course those are important. But we also need to properly recognize and support other legal services and initiatives, such as public legal education, alternative dispute settlement, paralegals, innovation in regulation, robust legal aid, and others,” said Farrow, principal investigator on the Cost of Justice project and a Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Les Jacobs
Les Jacobs

“There are significant knowledge gaps, disconnects and insufficiencies when analyzing peoples’ legal needs, what they do about their legal problems, and government spending on justice,” adds Jacobs, a professor who holds the York Research Chair in Human Rights and Access to Justice. “Our particular focus is on reporting groundbreaking empirical research that address two main research questions: what does it cost to deliver an effective civil justice system, and what does it cost – economically and socially – if we fail to do so. Our findings are important because they enable us to identify what paths to justice are working best for people in meeting their legal needs and resolving their problems.”

Focusing on reducing lawyer fees is not the answer to solving the access to justice crisis. Rather, a full culture shift is needed, with foundational reforms, if access to justice is to be improved, the research shows. Social enterprise and social innovation initiatives – including justice innovation hubs, NGO initiatives, justice information centres, and public/private collaborations – can provide new ways to address access to justice barriers.

The research also concludes that although liberalizing the market for legal services may assist with some aspects of accessibility, maintaining some form of self-regulation of the legal profession continues to be important to protect the justice system from unwarranted intrusions from problematic state actors.

Other important issues and themes canvassed by the research include the role and importance of public funding, self-help assistance in family law, litigation risk and cost assessments, and the disproportionate social impact of unmet legal needs on certain vulnerable populations including Indigenous communities

The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law is edited by Trevor C.W. Farrow, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School and Chair, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, and Lesley A. Jacobs, FRSC, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University, and a Professor and York Research Chair in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University. For more information on The Justice Crisis, visit UBC Press.

Lassonde showcases cutting-edge research at 2020 undergrad research conference

York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering hosted the fifth annual Lassonde Undergraduate Summer Student Research Conference on Aug. 13, and despite the ongoing pandemic, the school was able to showcase the research of 57 undergraduate students taking part in summer research programs.

Lassonde Undergraduate Summer Student Research Conference virtual showcase of student research projects

For the first time, the annual research conference was delivered in an entirely virtual format. The conference was an immersive and interactive experience that included a virtual fair of research projects where guests could connect with student researchers in real time. The research projects ranged from the construction of 3D maps and models for urban traffic, online engineering education, artificial intelligence, microfluidic devices, and deep learning in space. The full conference program can be found here.

Caroline Floyd

Caroline Floyd (BSc ’01, Earth and Atmospheric Science) delivered a keynote presentation titled “Being ‘They’ in “They say it’s going to rain:” Thoughts from 20 Years in Weather” which provided an engaging overview of her career in weather as the lead forecaster for coverage at two Olympic games and producing hour-by-hour forecasts for every continent (excluding Antarctica – so far).

The virtual research conference also included remarks from:

  • Jane Goodyer, Lassonde dean
  • John Moores, associate dean, Research & Graduate Studies
  • Amir Asif, vice-president research & innovation
  • Brenden Schulz, executive director, Student Success
  • Gerald Audette, associate dean, Faculty of Science

The conference closed with a presentation on graduation studies from Professor and Graduate Program Director Usman Khan and the highly anticipated awards ceremony. The awards were presented by Goodyer and Moores.

The oral presentation winners, announced at the event, include:
  • Student’s’ Choice Oral Presentation Award: Melissa Spiegel
  • Second Place Oral Presentation Award: Jack Wawrow
  • First Place Oral Presentation Award: Aryan Nabidur Rashid
The video research presentation winners, announced at the event, include:
  • Third Place Students’ Choice Award (Morning Session): Chester Wyke
  • Second Place Students’ Choice Award (Morning Session): Daphne-Eleni Archonta
  • First Place Students’ Choice Award (Morning Session): Sara Kashanchi
  • Third Place Students’ Choice Award (Afternoon Session): Rashiq Shahad
  • Second Place Students’ Choice Award (Afternoon Session): Karen Abogadil
  • First Place Students’ Choice Award (Afternoon Session): Mohammad Sotoudehfar
  • Third Place Video Award: Julia Ferri
  • Second Place Video Award: Sara Hajari
  • First Place Video Award: Koko Nanahji
  • Best Booth Graphic Award: Daphne Archonta
More about undergraduate research at Lassonde

This year, Lassonde awarded 19 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) and 35 Lassonde Undergraduate Research Awards (LURA). Incoming students are from multiple programs at York University, but also Carleton University and Western University. Want to learn more about these programs? Check out the promo video here: http://www.lassondeundergraduateresearch.com/2020-summer-research-at-lassonde.

Students spent the summer working alongside professors and their teams to develop potential solutions, further knowledge and get hands-on experience in their respective fields. The professors have worked tirelessly to flip the program to a remote setting so as to provide the same value to our student participants, re-creating professional research environments online to give students the chance to hone their laboratory skills, solving problems associated with their project; and writing reports and disseminating their findings.

For more information on undergraduate research at Lassonde visit  http://www.lassondeundergraduateresearch.com.

Program for women business owners receives funding boost from FedDev Ontario

Two women at a computer, smiling
Student Services Department Of University Providing Advice Smiling Looking At Laptop

York University’s Entrepreneurial Leadership and Learning Alliance program for women business owners – ELLA – has received top-up funding from the Government of Canada to establish a new program to help female business owners who are facing barriers to expansion.

The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund investment of $281,600, delivered through FedDev Ontario, will be used to create a new Fractional Executive Program that will enable participants in ELLA’s Altitude program to hire a professional to deliver a specific program or solve a specific problem, in order to accelerate the company’s growth.

Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade joined York University Vice President Research & Innovation Amir Asif and Lucrezia Spanolo, Founder of Vesta Social Innovation Technologies, to announce top-up funding for ELLA program.
Mary Ng, minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade joined York University Vice-President Research & Innovation Amir Asif and Lucrezia Spanolo, founder of Vesta Social Innovation Technologies, to announce top-up funding for the ELLA program

Mary Ng, minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, announced the funding on Aug. 25. This investment builds on an initial $1.86 million in federal funding for ELLA announced last summer, bringing federal investment in the ELLA program to more than $2.1 million.

“We understand the challenges businesses are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those challenges can be amplified for women entrepreneurs,” said Ng. “Today’s investment for ELLA through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund top-up will help our women-led businesses to weather these challenging times while preparing for future success.”

“Economists and leading philanthropists agree about the importance of increasing the diversity of entrepreneurs to keep Canada competitive including the representation of women,” said Rhonda L. Lenton, president and vice-chancellor of York University. “The Government of Canada’s investment in York University’s ELLA program is a vote of confidence in this innovative program that supports women entrepreneurs in Ontario. It will empower these women to take their businesses global reflecting on the context created by the pandemic and enhancing the benefits for ELLA participants, their families and their communities.”

Ten women entrepreneurs will be chosen to take part in the four-month ELLA Altitude program, which will begin in October.

“Many applicants need help reaching customers through different channels than they used before the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ELLA Entrepreneurship Manager Nicole Troster. “The Altitude program will enable them to turn to seasoned professionals for help with specific challenges such as, for example, selling through digital channels. It will build on the business skills they are already employing.”

Food accelerator program gives entrepreneurs a boost during COVID-19

York University’s food accelerator program is the first of its kind in Ontario to help Canadian business owners with products in market scale up rapidly, giving them a much-needed jumpstart in a food industry challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The York Region Food and Beverage Accelerator Program kicks off this month with eight companies, six of them led by women. Participation in the program is also diverse, with six of the companies led by visible minorities.

Isabelle Lam and Jamie Lee are co-founders of Remix, one of eight companies in York University's food accelerator program.
Isabelle Lam and Jamie Lee are co-founders of Remix, one of eight companies in York University’s food accelerator program

The program is led by York’s YSpace, a Markham-based community innovation hub designed to bring together entrepreneurs and community builders, and is a partnership with The Regional Municipality of York and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

The accelerator program is funded through a $106,000 grant from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, along with funding from York Region, the York Region Entrepreneur and Innovation Fund, through ventureLAB, and the cities of Vaughan and Markham.

“The need for our Food and Beverage Accelerator Program is greater than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said David Kwok, associate director of entrepreneurship at Innovation York and YSpace. “Business owners are concerned about smaller retailers closing their doors for good, supply chain delays and the increasing cost of operating production facilities and research development labs because of requirements like personal protective equipment and redesigned workstations.”

The five-month program helps founders of consumer-packaged goods accelerate their sales, scale up and launch new products. The program provides expert mentorship, peer-to-peer circles and weekly virtual workshops to give founders the tools, skills and connections to grow and thrive. Workshop topics include strategic planning, pricing strategies, sales and marketing, operations and expansion, and Canadian regulations for product packaging.

Remix, one of the companies in the program, makes dark chocolate bark snacks using plant-based protein and upcycled fruit – those fruits considered imperfect because they don’t meet the cosmetic standards of grocery stores. The company is believed to be the first and only Canadian company with a recipe to incorporate beans and upcycled fruit together in snacks.

“Sampling our snacks and demos is one of our main strategies in increasing brand awareness and customer acquisition, but due to COVID-19, that is no longer possible,” says Isabelle Lam, who co-founded Remix along with Jamie Lee.

“As well, many of our retailers had to close down, resulting in a dramatic decrease in our main revenue generating stream. However, with all these challenges, we mustered up the dedication and perseverance to focus, pivot, re-strategize and implement new ideas to our company in ways we hadn’t thought of before.”

Lam and Lee, who grew up in Markham to immigrant parents from Hong Kong, say they are defying the conventional image of start-up founders.

“Being a visible minority, we observed that not a lot of other women of colour like us were leading companies in the food industry,” said Lam, who had a successful pitch on CBC’s Dragon’s Den when she appeared with her business partner last year.

The York Region Food and Beverage Accelerator supports Canada’s food and beverage processing industry, the second-largest manufacturing industry in the country in terms of value of production with the sales of goods manufactured worth $117.8 billion. The program also directly and indirectly benefits the agri-food sector including farms and food processing facilities.

“The food and beverage industry is a key driver to Canada’s economy and this program helps high-potential food and beverage ventures launch new products and scale into mass retail,” said York University’s Vice-President Research & Innovation Amir Asif. “York University is committed to creating positive change for our students, our communities and the world around us. Collaborating with the community on programs like this are a priority for York University as we deepen our presence in the region and construct the new Markham Centre Campus.”

In York Region alone, the agri-food sector contributes $2.7 billion to the economy.

“York Region is home to a vibrant agri-food sector that plays a fundamental role in our local economy,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “Being able to support the development of the program and continuing our partnership with York University helps local and Canadian food companies scale their businesses and continues to demonstrate that York Region is a leading hub for innovation in Canada.”

In addition to Remix, the seven other companies in the program are:

Choose Life – Vegan Jamaican patties with clean ingredients led by a York alumna.
Culcherd – Dairy-alternative, plant-based cheese and butter.
Backcountry Wok – Dehydrated vegan meals in 100 per cent compostable packaging.
Nufs – Asian-inspired energy bites with high fibre and natural sweetness.
Leo & Co – A paleo, gluten-free bakery specializing in allergen friendly baked goods.
Oat Canada – Vegan oat drink with zero grams of sugar and no dairy.
GotBallz – Grain-free, sugar-free and low-carb buns co-founded by a York alumna.

York research calculates that humans have overshot sustainable use of Earth’s resources

Glass planet in the sunshine

As of this past Saturday, humanity has overdrawn its ecological account for the year. Known as Earth Overshoot Day, Aug. 22 marked the day when humans will have used as much from the Earth as the planet can renew in a year. York University produces the data that informs this calculation.

The good news is that Earth Overshoot Day this year arrived 21 days later than in 2019. Coronavirus-induced lockdowns around the world have reduced wood harvests and the burning of fossil fuels. Even so, the world will demand more from nature than can be renewed this year.

York University has partnered with the Global Footprint Network to calculate the ecological footprint and biocapacity of every nation on the planet. This data is needed to determine Earth Overshoot Day.

“At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the true scale of our global interconnectedness, we have an opportunity to leverage partnership and collaboration to overcome complex global challenges like inequality, COVID-19, and of course, climate change,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “York is proud to provide leadership through an international research collaboration like the Ecological Footprint initiative that helps countries determine whether they are on track to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, and gives us the data to calculate Earth Overshoot Day.”

A message from Lenton for Earth Overshoot Day can be found on YouTube.

Eric Miller
Eric Miller

Eric Miller leads a team of researchers and graduate students in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies to produce the National Footprint Accounts for the Footprint Data Foundation, a Canadian not-for-profit organization.

Miller and his team measure the carbon footprint, the amount of built-up land or urban sprawl, how much forest is used for timber and paper, how much cropland and pasture is used to produce food and the amount of seafood fished every year. These all add up to humanity’s ecological footprint.

Since 1970, humanity’s ecological footprint has overshot the capacity of nature to sustain it. The resulting ecological debt has been an accumulation of carbon pollution in the atmosphere and declines in biodiversity.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we must rebuild our economies for well-being and sustainability,” Miller said. “We need regenerative economies that use natural resources at rates that can be sustained.”

York’s measurement of the Ecological Footprint helps to inform individuals, communities, and governments to make better decisions on how to better manage resources, reduce economic risk and improve well-being.

Thirty-seven York U researchers receive more than $1.5 million in SSHRC funding

Research York University
Research York University

Researchers at York University have been awarded more than $1.5 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The grants are part of more than $32 million in funding recently announced for over 1,000 researchers across 69 institutions. The awards support York research that improves the quality of life of Canadians, while advancing knowledge and building understanding of complex sociocultural and economic issues.

Amir Asif
Amir Asif

“York is delighted to see these outstanding projects receive SSHRC Insight Development Grants,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “With topics including: Indigenous resistance; climate risk; chronic illness; artificial intelligence; and migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, it’s clear these ventures will make positive change for our students, our campuses and our local and global communities through the pursuit, preservation and dissemination of new knowledge.”

Thirty-seven researchers received funding for their projects through SSHRC’s Insight Development Grants program, which supports initial stages of research, and enables the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches or ideas. Funding is provided to individuals or teams for projects of up to two years.

The funding was granted for research covering a wide range of topics. Some of the project titles include:

  • Disjunctive Indigenous Resistance and the Transformation of Political Thought
  • Disability Wikibase: Modelling and Implementing an Intelligent Bilingual Knowledge Network, through Mapping Disability Advocacy Data Needs Scaled to Local, National, and International Policy Interventions
  • Climate risk, information environment and cost of equity capital
  • Undelivered Promises of Immigration? Examining the Integration Pathways of Toronto’s University-Educated Immigrants from France through an Intersectional Approach
  • Digital Technology Adaptation and Business Ethics: An Exploratory Study of Artificial Intelligence in Canada
  • (re)Cycling the Self and the City. The Poetics and Politics of Urban Cycling in Mexico: A Geocritical Approach

A complete list of recipients and projects can be found on the SSHRC website.

Preparing for a new academic year

The York University Emergency Bursary for students who needed urgent financial aid to cover the unexpected costs of the pandemic is helping students, however, their need for emergency relief has far surpassed expectations.
The York University Emergency Bursary for students who needed urgent financial aid to cover the unexpected costs of the pandemic is helping students, however, their need for emergency relief has far surpassed expectations.

The following is an important message to York University community members from President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear Colleagues,

As a follow-up to the communication I sent out on Friday, July 31, I am writing to provide further details about what you can expect from the University in the coming weeks and months.

As I indicated last week, while Toronto has moved to Stage 3, the pandemic is still ongoing. The gradual reopening of our campuses will therefore continue to be guided by public health guidelines and the government. Within those guidelines, the goal is to make the best use of our facilities to meet urgent needs of students, faculty and staff in ways that put the health and safety of our community first. As you know, only a select number of courses have been approved for in-person activities in the fall term, and we anticipate that most of our employees will continue to work remotely for the duration of the fall term.

I am confident that our approach will enable the University to provide a high-quality learning experience for our students and allow research activities to proceed.

Gradual return to campus

As it is safe to do, so we will continue to implement a gradual return of campus activities guided by York’s Emergency Operations Centre, and in consultation with other universities, the Government of Ontario, and Public Health officials.

Ramping Up Research

On June 29, in compliance with public health directives and following institutional principles and guidelines, we started to gradually re-open research labs that were closed due to the pandemic. The University began opening research spaces to faculty members who had graduate students near completion, and who had other deadline-driven or seasonal research. We anticipate opening additional research spaces beginning the week of Aug. 17 to support post docs nearing the end of funding, researchers with imminent grant or publication deadlines, and early career researchers whose work cannot continue remotely. The phased return to on-campus research activities is continuing as part of the Ramping Up Research recovery plan.  

Fall term 2020

The University has a full selection of academic programming for the fall term, with more than 95 per cent of the 3,500 undergraduate courses being taught through online and remote delivery. We expect that more graduate courses can be offered in person during the fall term due to their generally smaller size and will be able to share more information about those courses shortly. Careful planning has facilitated our ability to offer experiential in-person learning in a select number of courses, including labs, studios and clinical placements, and additional details will be shared shortly.

Winter term 2021 

We understand that many students, faculty and instructors are seeking guidance about course delivery modes required for the winter term. Discussions have been ongoing with public health authorities and various levels of government regarding challenges for winter including the likelihood of border openings. Work to clarify plans for the winter term is underway, and more information will be available soon. 

Campus safety

The wearing of non-medical mouth and nose coverings continues to be mandatory at York, if maintaining two-meter physical distancing is not possible or predictable in common and shared spaces within buildings. To ensure maximum physical distancing, classrooms, shared offices, library facilities, teaching labs and other academic and non-academic spaces are being reorganized. In high-traffic areas where maintaining physical distancing is not possible, additional protective measures such as plexiglass barriers are being installed. The University is also implementing requirements for deep cleaning prior to reopening new spaces, installing adequate signage and hand sanitizers, and ensuring that systems are in place so that we stay within prescribed limits on the number of people who can congregate indoors and outdoors. 

In addition, a training module on health and safety measures has been developed and all faculty and staff will be required to complete the training prior to returning to campus.

Campus information

Updates and information will continue to be posted on our Better Together website, and directly to community members, including:

  • services available on our campuses;
  • what is open and closed on campuses;
  • processes and procedures to maintain the health and safety of our community members; and
  • where to find important campus information. 

A healthy, safe and successful fall term

I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to our students, York’s Emergency Operations Centre Team, the Emergency Policy Group, deans, faculty members, librarians, and staff, for their leadership, perseverance, patience and support as we have successfully navigated these past extraordinary months – while preparing for the extraordinary months still to come.

I remain confident that by working together, we will ensure a healthy, safe and successful start to the new academic year in September.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton
President and Vice-Chancellor

Préparation d’une nouvelle année universitaire

Chers collègues,

Pour faire suite au communiqué envoyé le vendredi 31 juillet, je vous écris pour vous donner plus de détails sur ce que vous pouvez attendre de l’Université dans les semaines et mois à venir.

Comme je vous l’ai dit la semaine dernière, bien que Toronto soit passée à l’étape 3 du déconfinement, la pandémie n’est pas finie. La réouverture graduelle de nos campus continue donc d’être orientée par les directives de la santé publique et du gouvernement. Dans le cadre de ces directives, notre objectif est de maximiser l’utilisation de nos installations pour répondre aux besoins urgents du corps étudiant, du corps professoral et du personnel tout en privilégiant la santé et la sécurité de notre communauté. Comme vous le savez, un nombre restreint de cours du trimestre d’automne ont été approuvés pour des activités en présentiel et nous nous attendons à ce que la majorité de nos employés continuent de travailler à distance durant le trimestre d’automne.

Je suis persuadée que cette approche permettra à l’Université de fournir une expérience d’apprentissage de grande qualité aux étudiants et étudiantes et de continuer les activités de recherche.

Retour graduel sur le campus

Nous continuerons à reprendre graduellement les activités sur le campus de façon sécuritaire en suivant les directives du Centre des opérations d’urgence de York et après consultation avec les autres universités, le gouvernement de l’Ontario et les responsables de la santé publique.

Reprise des activités de recherche

Le 29 juin, conformément aux instructions de la santé publique et aux lignes directrices institutionnelles, nous avons commencé à rouvrir graduellement les laboratoires de recherche qui étaient fermés en raison de la pandémie. L’Université a entrepris de rouvrir les locaux de recherche pour les membres du corps professoral dont les étudiants de cycle supérieur achevaient leurs études et ceux qui avaient des échéances à respecter ou qui faisaient des recherches saisonnières. Nous prévoyons ouvrir d’autres espaces de recherche à compter de la semaine du 17 août pour appuyer les étudiants de postdoctorat dont le financement tire à sa fin, les chercheurs ayant des subventions ou des dates de publication imminentes, et les chercheurs en début de carrière qui ne peuvent pas poursuivre leur travail à distance. Le retour graduel des activités de recherche sur les campus continue dans le cadre du plan de reprise de la recherche.

Trimestre d’automne 2020

L’Université offre une gamme complète de programmes académiques pour le trimestre d’automne; plus de 95 pour cent des 3 500 cours de premier cycle seront donnés en ligne ou à distance. Nous comptons offrir plus de cours de cycle supérieur en personne durant le trimestre d’automne en raison de la petite taille des classes; nous vous communiquerons prochainement des informations à ce sujet. Grâce à une planification minutieuse, nous pourrons offrir des possibilités d’éducation expérientielle en personne pour plusieurs cours, comme des laboratoires et des placements cliniques; plus d’information sera fournie prochainement.

Trimestre d’hiver 2021

Nous sommes conscients que de nombreux membres du corps étudiant, du corps professoral et du corps enseignant sont à la recherche de conseils sur les modes de prestation de cours requis pour le trimestre d’hiver. Nous discutons actuellement avec les autorités de santé publique et différents niveaux du gouvernement des défis à relever pour l’hiver, notamment la probabilité d’ouverture des frontières. Nous travaillons sur la clarification des plans pour le semestre d’hiver et de plus amples informations seront bientôt communiquées. 

Sécurité sur les campus

Le port d’un couvre-visage non médical continue d’être obligatoire à York quand une distanciation physique de deux mètres n’est pas possible ou envisageable dans les emplacements communautaires et partagés des bâtiments. Pour assurer une distanciation physique maximale, les salles de classe, bureaux partagés, locaux de bibliothèques, laboratoires d’enseignement et autres espaces académiques et non académiques sont en train d’être réorganisés. Des mesures de protection additionnelles comme des barrières en plexiglas sont en cours d’installation dans des lieux achalandés où la distanciation physique est impossible. L’Université a également mis en œuvre des exigences de nettoyage en profondeur avant la réouverture de nouveaux espaces, l’installation de signalisation appropriée et de postes de désinfection des mains; elle s’assure aussi d’avoir des mesures en place pour respecter le nombre maximum de personnes pouvant se rassembler à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur. 

De plus, un module de formation sur les mesures de santé et de sécurité a été élaboré; tous les membres du corps professoral et du personnel devront suivre cette formation avant de retourner sur le campus.

Renseignements sur le campus

Des mises à jour et des renseignements continuent d’être publiés sur notre site Web Better Together et sont envoyés directement aux membres de la communauté, notamment au sujet :

  • des services disponibles sur nos campus;
  • de ce qui est ouvert et fermé sur nos campus;
  • des processus et procédures pour maintenir la santé et la sécurité des membres de notre communauté; et
  • des endroits où on peut trouver des renseignements importants relativement aux campus. 

Un trimestre d’automne sécuritaire, en santé et couronné de succès

Je tiens à exprimer ma gratitude et à remercier nos étudiants et étudiants, l’équipe du Centre des opérations d’urgence de York, le groupe des politiques d’urgence, les doyens et doyennes, les membres du corps professoral, les bibliothécaires et les membres du personnel pour leur leadership, leur persévérance, leur patience et leur soutien qui ont permis de gérer efficacement ces derniers mois extraordinaires, alors que nous nous préparons pour les mois extraordinaires encore à venir.

Je suis convaincue qu’en coopérant, nous garantirons la santé, la sécurité et un bon départ pour la nouvelle année universitaire en septembre.

Je vous prie d’agréer mes sincères salutations,

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

 

Toronto moves to stage three – what it means for York University

The Campus Walk at York University's Keele location

The following is an important message to York University community members from President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear Colleagues,

Now that Toronto has joined the rest of the GTA in moving to Stage 3, I wanted to write with an update on what it means for York. As always, our first priority is the health and safety of the entire York community.

As the pandemic is ongoing, public health guidelines are still determining how businesses, services and spaces are able to gradually reopen. Universities also continue to work with government on the interpretation of the public health guidelines for higher education. With advice from our Emergency Operations Committee, work is being undertaken to assess how we can best comply with the guidelines for our campuses including how to maintain physical distancing and adhere to the limits regarding the number of people gathered in spaces. Immediate priorities include responding to requests for increased access to labs and offices that are required for colleagues to support the core teaching and research activities of the University. Plans are underway to facilitate these requests including requirements for deep cleaning prior to reopening new spaces, having adequate signage and hand sanitizers, and ensuring that systems are in place so that we stay within prescribed limits on the number of people who can congregate indoors and outdoors.

It will remain necessary for the balance of summer and into the fall to rely on the request protocols that we have in place for anyone needing access to our campuses in order that we are able to comply with the public health guidelines. As colleagues are already aware, only a select number of courses have been approved for in-person activities in the fall term, and we anticipate that most of our employees will continue to work remotely for the duration of the fall term.

Exceptions for community members being on campus include:

  • those living in residences,
  • pre-approved in-person teaching and learning for the fall term,
  • pre-approved on-site research for the summer and fall term,
  • pre-scheduled appointments with service and support providers,
  • visiting libraries for curbside pickup, and
  • faculty and staff providing designated on-campus services.

If you have obtained permission to be on campus, always follow the established safety protocols, including the COVID-19 Screening Checklist.

Other than the above noted exceptions, please continue to work and study remotely.

I want to thank you all once again for your patience and for your support as we work to advance the mission and vision of the University and keep our community safe.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton
President and Vice-Chancellor

Toronto passe à l’étape 3 – Incidence sur York

Chers collègues,

Maintenant que Toronto passe à l’étape 3 du déconfinement et rejoint le reste de la région du Grand Toronto, je veux faire le point sur ce que cela signifie pour York. Comme toujours, notre première priorité est la santé et la sécurité de toute notre communauté universitaire.

Comme la pandémie se poursuit, les directives de santé publique continuent de déterminer comment les entreprises, les services et les lieux peuvent progressivement rouvrir. Les universités poursuivent leur collaboration avec le gouvernement sur l’interprétation des directives de santé publique pour l’enseignement supérieur. Forts des conseils de notre comité des opérations d’urgence, nous entreprenons des travaux pour évaluer la meilleure façon de respecter les directives sur nos campus, notamment sur la façon de maintenir la distanciation physique et de respecter les limites sur les rassemblements. Nous accordons la priorité en ce moment aux demandes d’accès aux laboratoires et aux bureaux que nos collègues doivent utiliser pour soutenir les activités d’enseignement et de recherche de base de l’Université. Des plans sont en cours pour accorder ces demandes, en répondant aux exigences de nettoyage en profondeur avant la réouverture de nouveaux espaces, en mettant en place une signalisation adéquate et des désinfectants pour les mains, et en assurant que des systèmes sont en place pour que nous respections les limites prescrites quant au nombre de personnes pouvant se rassembler à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur.

Afin de nous conformer aux directives de santé publique, il sera nécessaire de respecter les protocoles de demande que nous avons mis en place pour toute personne ayant besoin d’accéder à nos campus pendant le reste de l’été et cet automne. Comme des collègues le savent déjà, seul un certain nombre de cours ont été approuvés pour des activités en personne au cours du trimestre d’automne. Nous prévoyons également que la plupart de nos employés continueront à travailler à distance pendant tout le trimestre d’automne.

Exceptions possibles pour être sur le campus :

  • Habiter dans une résidence,
  • Enseignement et apprentissage en personne préapprouvés pendant le trimestre d’automne,
  • Recherche en personne préapprouvée pendant les trimestres d’été et d’automne,
  • Rendez-vous planifiés avec des fournisseurs de services et d’assistance,
  • Visite de bibliothèques pour ramassage à l’auto,
  • Corps professoral et personnel fournissant des services désignés sur le campus.

Si vous avez obtenu l’autorisation d’être sur le campus, suivez toujours les protocoles de sécurité établis et notamment la Liste de contrôle pour le dépistage de la COVID-19.

Sauf pour les exceptions ci-dessus, veuillez continuer à travailler et à étudier à distance.

Je tiens à vous remercier toutes et tous une fois de plus pour votre patience et votre soutien au cours de cette période où nous travaillons à faire avancer la mission et la vision de l’Université et à assurer la sécurité de notre communauté.

Bonne journée,

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière