Noli Swatman, former director of the Office of Research Administration, died on Nov. 26 in her 79th year after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Swatman dedicated 30 years to York University, and was the director of the Office of Research Administration (now the Office of Research Services) when she retired in 2004.
Noli Swatman
Born in Sligo, Ireland on July 8, 1940, Swatman arrived in Canada in 1962 from London, where she and her husband had met and married. She worked first for the Toronto law firm Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt. In 1969, she accepted a job at Osgoode Hall Law School after being interviewed by Harry Arthurs, former dean of Osgoode (1972-77), and president of York (1985-92).
Swatman left York briefly when she welcomed her first daughter, and when she returned to the University in 1976 she began work in research administration, where she worked in different capacities until her retirement.
During a retirement event honouring Swatman, former vice-president research and innovation Stan Shapson said she was recognized as one of the most popular research administrators in Canada, for having the “knowledge, skills and integrity to represent research skills at York.” During that same event, she was acknowledged for having an immense impact on the University’s research success, and driving the successful receipt and management of grants for York.
Throughout her years of service to the University, Swatman was commended for her dedication and commitment, and in 1995 she earned The President’s Leadership Award. She also earned the title of Founders College Fellow.
Swatman was the wife of Trevor (Teb) Randolph Swatman, beloved mother of Deirdre Swatman (Josh Benish), and Carrie Swatman (Chris Miller), loving Granny to James and Lola Miller, and loving Granna to Declan Benish, doting aunt and friend to many.
The service and internment was held Dec. 3 at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home and Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.
York U researchers play major role in advancing autonomous rail travel
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It is no secret that technology is disrupting many industries – from healthcare to customer service and everything in between. Rail transport is no stranger to these innovations and is currently undergoing a rapid digital and autonomy revolution.
In tandem with the development and evolution of the autonomous economy and smart, sustainable, interconnected cities, passengers can expect the future of rail travel to be faster, cheaper and operated autonomously.
Gunho Sohn
Professor Gunho Sohn from the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering in the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University is playing a major role in leading this change, through a cutting-edge autonomous train research project known as the Ontario Train Autonomy Collaboration (OnTRAC).
Autonomous transportation is an emerging technology, posed to become a primary transportation means in the near future. While many researchers have concentrated research efforts on autonomous transportation on the roads, not many research groups are studying autonomous technology for rail transportation. This project will provide an exciting opportunity for Sohn and his research team to lead in this field and explore the ways that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used safely and reliably by the public.
Sohn is working with a research team including York University Postdoctoral Fellow Jungwon Kang and Research Assistant Jacob Yoo (MSc candidate) along with external partners Neptec Technologies (Primary Contractor), Thales Canada, TrackGen Solutions and York University.
The project aims to address various deficiencies in current autonomous rail control and signaling technology, such as Thales’s SelTrac Communications Based Train Control (CBTC). SelTrac is a digital railway signaling technology used to automatically control the movement of train for driverless transit systems (GoA4 – Grade of Automation Level 4). The prototype Obstacle Detection, Classification and Tracking System (ODCT) developed under the OnTRAC project will allow for reliable, safe and autonomous recovery from degraded vehicle scenarios that could happen if there is a failure in the SelTrac technology.
Current driverless transit systems transport millions of riders each day worldwide, operating at the highest levels of safety and reliability while simultaneously operating the automatic routing of trains for maintenance, emergencies and scheduled interruptions.
This is achieved even though current onboard control systems put in place rely entirely on centralized control outside the trains to ensure safety and prevent collisions.
Although infrequent, unexpected local safety hazards do occur, such as vehicle communication failures or positioning outages, which require operator intervention to move the vehicle to the next available safe stopping point or station.
During such “restricted manual (RM)” operations, there is an increased probability of vehicle-vehicle collisions. It is also typically the case that an operator is not on the vehicle when the vehicle becomes degraded and applies the emergency brake. An operator must then locate the stopped vehicle, board the vehicle and drive to the nearest safe stopping point to allow passengers to disembark.
The goal of this project thus, is to develop an AI-based computer vision system to completely replace the SelTrac CBTC-based train control system so that if a vehicle becomes degraded, human intervention is not needed.
The key difference between an automatic train and an autonomous train lies in the latter’s ability to sense its local surroundings and gather its own information to make intelligent behavioral decisions in response. This self-governing capability is the key to achieving the Levels of Autonomy as defined for rail systems.
To meet the expected safety and availability needs, a functioning autonomous train requires multiple diverse and complementary sensing modalities, intelligently combined using advanced data fusion algorithms, within safety-engineered architectures is required.
The sensor positions on the train
The interpretation of the data provided by the multiple sensors – LiDAR, radar, visual and infrared cameras and ultra-wide-band radio, is the responsibility of the software and algorithms developed by the partnership. To transform raw sensor data (such as the camera pixel intensities returned from a staff member on the tracks) into the corresponding scene “metadata” (the detection of a person on the tracks) is the job of the perception algorithms; to fuse raw and metadata, track through time, and produce higher level metadata, is the job of the data fusion algorithms.
The research team will develop a deep-learning-based computer vision system for detecting track paths, static and dynamic obstacles using visual cameras and LiDAR sensors.
AI-based perception algorithms developed will then be integrated with Thales’s OnTRAC platform including tracking pipeline developed by TrackGen and Neptec’s LiDAR sensor.
Prior to the OnTRAC project, Sohn’s research lab has developed a cutting-edge computer vision system for automatically detecting and modeling rail tracks and their multi-scale attributes using mobile LiDAR sensors in collaboration with Thales Canada.
The OnTRAC project is an extension of successful research collaborations between Thales Canada and York University. Autonomous rail has the potential to reduce the reliance on – and improve the efficiency of – more traditional transportation solutions, ultimately reducing road congestion, decreasing waste and the overall environmental footprint.
“This project directly supports the government’s objectives for reducing environmental damage and greenhouse gases, while also increasing safety and efficiencies of transit systems, smart cities and related industrial and automotive systems. A key benefit from the introduction of unmonitored systems like autonomous rail is the projected improvements in safety, service efficiency and productivity,” says Sohn.
To learn more, visit the project website for the latest updates.
Announcement of the appointment of a new vice-president research and innovation
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The following is a message to the University community from York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:
Amir Asif
Following an extensive national and international search, I am pleased to announce that York University has selected a new Vice President of Research & Innovation. The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors has accepted the recommendation of the search committee that Professor Amir Asif be appointed for a five-year term beginning on May 1, 2020.
Professor Asif has served as the Dean of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science (GCS) at Concordia University since 2014. He is well known to members of the York community, having served as the founding Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from 2006 to 2014. As Chair, he transformed EECS into a comprehensive department offering programs in computer engineering, software engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, digital media and computer security, which was selected as one of the two founding departments for the new Lassonde School of Engineering at York University. He is also currently serving as the Chair of the Research Committee of the Engineering Deans Canada, the national council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science in Canada.
Professor Asif has more than 15 years of experience serving in senior university leadership positions. Most recently, he led the development of the 2016-21 GCS Strategic Plan and the creation of faculty research support and capital infrastructure funds focused on attracting the best researchers and achieving excellence in research. Professor Asif was instrumental in establishing successful research collaborations between the public and private sectors, examples of which are NSERC Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart and Resilient Cities and Communities ($10M), Green-Surface Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing approved as a NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant ($5.5M), multiple NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grants ($10M), four Industrial Research Chairs (over $6M) and various NSERC Create and Mitacs Accelerate Grants ($5M). During his five-year term as Dean, the School of Engineering and Computer Science grew by 35 per cent in terms of student enrolment and 40 per cent in terms of faculty complement. The research funding within the school grew by over 50 per cent during his deanship.
Professor Asif led the development of Concordia’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and 10 new interdisciplinary research centres at Concordia, including collaborations with the other Faculties and disciplines. He is also passionate about refining public policy on higher education and improving the student experience. As Vice-Chair of the University Senate and Chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Standards, Curriculum and Pedagogy at York University, he oversaw the development of University-wide policy on academic standards, regulations, curriculum and programs, including research-informed pedagogy.
Innovation and interdisciplinarity are also at the heart of his research. As a specialist in signal processing, Professor Asif focuses on developing next-generation technologies for a variety of everyday applications including health and medical devices, radar and sonar applications, distributed multi-agent networked systems and electrical power grids. He leads by example in the pursuit of research excellence, maintaining active research and teaching profiles. He is the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards and has published extensively in scientific journals and international conferences. He has been awarded grants for core engineering research and applied industrial projects undertaken in Canada and internationally, including from the Ontario Research Foundation/Research Excellence program for his work as principal investigator of the Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data Driven Design (CIV/DDD), a multi-million dollar, multi-institutional research project. He continues to work with industry on applied research projects, the latest such collaboration leading to a joint patent filing with IBM.
I know you will join me in welcoming Professor Asif to the York community. I am very grateful to the members of the search committee for their contributions to this process.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank Rui Wang for his excellent work and leadership as the Interim Vice President of Research & Innovation. An update will be forthcoming regarding this role for the winter term.
Funding guidelines for research and scholarly outreach activities have changed
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The Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation offers seed funding to support events or outreach activities that strengthen the research culture and build the profile and reputation of research at York University.
Previously, deadlines have been rolling, there are now set deadlines quarterly throughout the calendar year. Be sure to check out the Application Guideline for more information.
Tackling drug-resistant infections will take global effort, say York U health experts
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Superbugs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continue to raise the alarm globally and prevent the effective prevention and treatment of infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drug-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and are increasingly a threat to global public health.
One of the biggest factors accelerating antimicrobial resistance is the overuse and over-prescription of antibiotics. World Antibiotic Awareness Week is Nov. 18 to 24, and in a new commentary published in the journal The Lancet titled, “A roadmap for sustainably governing the global antimicrobial commons,” senior author Steven J. Hoffman, professor of global health, law, and political science at York University, writes about the need for a global strategy. “Antimicrobial resistance is the defining contemporary test for whether countries are able to sustainably govern a global common-pool resource as important as antibiotics,” said Hoffman.”The international community must act now to ensure sustainable access to effective antibiotics, both for the millions of people who rely on them each day and for the millions more who have yet to benefit from their life-saving potential.”
The Lancet commentary offers three calls for action:
Convening a One Health high-level dialogue at the UN General Assembly on AMR to follow up on recommendations of the UN Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, endorse key governance principles, and mandate a new high-level leaders’ group for AMR.
Creating a new policy forum on AMR to facilitate multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder discussions, coordinate collective actions, assess efforts, and provide accountability.
Commissioning an independent scientific stock-take to inform policy decisions on AMR and support the efforts of WHO, FAO, OIE, UNEP, and other multilateral institutions.
Hoffman is an international lawyer and director of the Global Strategy Lab in York University’s Faculty of Health and Osgoode Hall Law School where he specializes in global health law, global governance and institutional design. His research focuses on developing strategies that better address transnational health threats and social inequalities.
From left: Susan Rogers Van Katwyk and Steven Hoffman
“Countries need to step up to protect the effectiveness of lifesaving antibiotics,” said the commentary’s first author, Susan Rogers Van Katwyk. “To do this, we need political leadership, collaboration, and an independent platform where researchers can take stock of the existing science and suggest best practices and policies for the future.”
Rogers Van Katwyk is an epidemiologist and research director for Global Antimicrobial Resistance at the Global Strategy Lab at York University. Her research analyzes and evaluates national and international policy to address transnational health threats. She has worked closely with the World Health Organization, the AMR Tripartite and governments around the world to develop strategies to protect the global antimicrobial commons.
York University’s math program among top 10 in Canada thanks to growing momentum in programs and research
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In October 2019, Maclean’s magazine ranked York University for the first time ever among Canada’s top 10 schools for mathematics programs. York U’s ninth place ranking was a stark improvement to just two years ago when it placed 17th nationally. For the second year in a row, York University was also ranked in the top five provincially.
“Mathematics at York is gathering great momentum. The rise in ranking reflects strengths in our departmental programs and faculty research reputations,” said Professor Paul Szeptycki, Chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics in the Faculty of Science.
Maclean’s bases its program rankings on program reputation, research reputation, fractional publications, fractional citations and field weighted citation impact. York University saw an increase in its math program ranking in all categories but fractional citations (which remained the same) over two years, with the largest increase in field weighted citation impact.
“The rise we’ve seen in program reputation can be linked to the increasing rank of our Actuarial Science program. We have also augmented our programs with more internship and outreach experiences and put more time and energy into our first- and second-year programming and streamlining our degrees. With an Academic Innovation Fund grant, Professor Amenda Chow also created an Experimental Mathematics Space at York,” said Szeptycki.
Szeptycki attributes York University’s rise in mathematics research reputation, publications and citations to a few things. For instance, the Centre for Disease Modelling, led by Professor Huaiping Zhu, is second in Canada for publications in its field. York recently ranked second in North America and fifth in the world for the cumulative number of papers published in leading actuarial and insurance risk journals for a non-business school. There have been several York faculty in leadership roles at the Fields Institute, including the current deputy director, Tom Salisbury, as well as past deputy directors, Professors Juris Steprans and Huaxiong Huang.
“In pure math, we also have individuals at the top of their fields, such as Professor Ilijas Farah and Distinguished Research Professor Nantel Bergeron, who also attract top students and postdocs.”
In addition, researchers in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics have received several significant grants in the last few years, including the $2.6-million NSERC/Sanofi Industrial Research Chair in Vaccine Mathematics, Modelling and Manufacturing, awarded to York University Distinguished Research Professor Jianhong Wu. The Department also has a few NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplements (Professors Jane Heffernan and Xin Gao) and numerous MITACS and NSERC grants with industry.
“The energetic and innovative new faculty members that we are recruiting year after year will only elevate our math programs.”
York University tops Research Infosource rankings for its role in creating positive societal change
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Research York University
Building on York’s reputation as a research-intensive university that is tackling societal issues through collaborative research, Research Infosource has ranked York University among the top 50 research universities in Canada for the third year in a row. York rises to the number one spot in Canada in key areas of strength in the social sciences and humanities. The University places third in health. The rankings look at research income and publications, two key areas that indicate research intensification and impact.
“York University and the Vice-President Research & Innovation are inspired by the 2019 rankings results from Research Infosource. These rankings recognize the important work our researchers are undertaking to tackle societal issues and shines a spotlight on the University’s historical focus on social sciences and humanities, and its emerging expertise in health,” said Rui Wang, interim vice-president research & innovation.
Research income, or the granting of funds for supported research, involves a highly competitive assessment process. This income fuels the innovation capacity, drives research aspirations and allows the University to realize its vast potential. In term of research income, York University was ranked first in Corporate Research Income Growth (per cent change FY2017-FY2018); and third in University Research Income Growth (per cent change FY2017-FY2018).
In publications, a traditional indicator of research intensification, York University excelled in the social sciences and humanities, and the health sciences. York ranked first in Social Sciences and Humanities publications in terms of number of publications; first in Social Sciences and Humanities publications in terms of the percentage of total publications; and third in Health Sciences publications as a percentage of total publications (comprehensive category, 2013-2017).
The social sciences and humanities ranking speaks to York’s historic strengths as the University is known for its interdisciplinary approach that embraces reflective assessments of society, cultural change and ways of knowing. Researchers are exploring historical change, political activism, the social and economic transformations of societies within Canada and around the world, and how culture has been and continues to be a crucial means of expression and avenue for creative problem solving.
The Research Infosource ranking is especially significant to the Faculty of Health since it’s a relatively new faculty, having come into being in September 2006. Researchers in this Faculty are focusing on improving health outcomes and bridging new knowledge and applications to improve the understanding, prevention and treatment of disease and injuries and to provide healthier environments for individuals and communities.
York’s growing reputation as a leader in health research has been reflected since 2017 in the hosting of Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Population and Public Health, and through Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA), which involves researchers from across the University in advancing our understanding of how the brain works, linking visual neuroscience with computer vision, making connections across the health care sector, and contributing to new innovations.
About Research Infosource
Research Infosource is widely acknowledged as a respected and leading source of ranking information on research universities, corporations, hospitals and colleges that are used and followed by the research and innovation community, opinion and policy leaders in the government, research, corporate, higher education and non-profit sectors.
Each year, it publishes Canada’s Innovation Leaders – the premier national print and digital publication that includes key editorial content and its Who’s Who ranking and analysis of Canada’s leading research universities, corporations, hospitals and colleges that are enhancing Canada’s global competitiveness in the knowledge economy.
To see this year’s ranking, visit the Research Infosource website.
York professor awarded $117,000 to expand experiential education program for graduate students
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British Columbia’s Ministry of Health has awarded York University Professor Eric Kennedy, from the School of Administrative Studies’ Disaster and Emergency Management program, $117,000 to support an expansion to the Science Outside the Lab (SOtL) program. Co-hosted with York University, SOtL is a competitive science policy immersion program that runs two sessions a year for graduate students and postdoctoral Fellows in any discipline.
Graduate students pose for a photo following the completion of the 2017 Science Outside the Lab program
This highly competitive workshop creates pathways for scientists and researchers who want to build a connection between their research and public policy. Participants learn how policies are developed, about government decision-making processes, and how science can support it. Over the course of eight days, participants get the opportunity to meet a number of influential leaders from policy analysts to chief scientists, science journalists to tri-council funders.
This funding will help to expand the program by supporting the design and launch of a third session in 2020 that is focused specifically on health policy and emergency management. A portion of the funding has also been earmarked to provide student scholarships to those admitted. It is expected that in addition to the topical program expansion, the third session will also reach a wider applicant pool by being located on the west coast of Canada.
Eric Kennedy
“SOtL is building the next generation of science, policy, and health leaders in the Canadian public service,” said Kennedy. “By bringing together remarkable early-career researchers from across the country, we’re developing a community of highly trained public servants that can bridge the gaps between government, industry, and the academy.”
While some past participants sought connections to policy makers so that their research can have greater impact in shaping policy, others have found themselves considering careers in public policy after finishing the program.
Monica Granados, one of 94 SOtL alum, is now a policy analyst with Environment and Climate Change Canada. As a postdoctoral Fellow studying ecology at the University of Guelph and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, she decided to apply to SOtL because her training had not given her exposure to the implications, outcomes or effects that research could have on policy.
“After producing a thesis, research or a report, this program answers the ‘What’s next?’” said Granados. “It’s an excellent opportunity to learn about the impact that science can have, and for me it was a window into a different career path that is rewarding and impactful.”
York University hosts annual Gairdner Lecture to celebrate exceptional science across the world
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GAIRDINER AWARDS York University
The Canada Gairdner Awards recognize the world’s most creative and accomplished biomedical and health scientists who are advancing humanity and the world.
On Oct. 24, more than 300 Toronto-area high school students gathered in the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre at the Keele Campus for the 2019 Gairdner Student Outreach Lectures.
The Gairdner Lectures, which include both a student outreach and a faculty event, are an annual national event, brought to universities across Canada through the efforts of the Gairdner Foundation and, to the Keele Campus in particular, by York University Professor Emeritus Ronald Pearlman, who is the associate scientific director of the Gairdner Foundation. The event celebrates award-winning scientists whose research creates significant advances in the field of science. This year’s speakers were University of California at San Francisco Professor Ron Vale and Dr. Rulan Parekh, a physician and researcher.
From left, York biology student Julieta Rybnik, York University Professor Ronald Pearlman, Dr. Rulan Parekh, and University of California, San Francisco Professor Ron ValeYork U Student Julieta Rybnik was the event emcee
Fourth-year York University biology student Julieta Rybnik began the Gairdner Student Outreach Lecture by introducing Vale, a biochemist and cell biologist and professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and the W. K. Hamilton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco. Vale was the winner of the 2019 Canada Gairdner International Award. In his remarks to the students, he explained his findings in the field of biomolecular motion in a presentation titled “Biological Molecular Motors: How Life Generates Motion.” Vale and his research team have studied the motion of organelles located within the axon of squid. They isolated the motor protein that they named Kinesin, a microtubule-bound molecular motor that is involved in directed transport of organelles, cellular organization, mitosis, and signaling regulation.
Professor Ron Vale of the University of California, San Francisco
Vale also spoke about his early interest in science and how his journey began when he was in high school. The son of a screen writer and an actress, he spoke about how despite below average grades on childhood science fair projects, a passion for science was his driving force for a career in the field. “If you’re interested in science, it’s not about the grades,” he said. “The excitement of discovery is really what science is all about. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
Event participants also heard from Dr. Rulan Parekh, a physician, clinician scientist and professor of medicine and paediatrics at the University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children and the University Health Network. Parekh is also a member of the Medical Review Panel, which is one of the Gairdner Foundation Peer Review Committees. The focus of Parekh’s research is the study of risk factors, both clinical and genetic, leading to the progression of chronic kidney and cardiovascular disease. She has published more than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, and has mentored more than 25 postdoctoral fellows and students.
In her presentation, “How Did I Get Here (Not a Rap Song),” Parekh explained her role as a co-investigator on the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Kidney Disease Research Network. In this role, she studies the genetic risk, specifically APOL1, for chronic kidney disease in West and East Africa.
Dr. Rulan Parekh
Parekh also spoke at length of her early interest in sciences in high school and how it began through an interest in puzzles. Like Vale, she said that she also didn’t excel in her high school science fair, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion. “You have to be passionately curious and really interested in trying to figure things out,” said Parekh, noting that as the pursuit of sciences increases, the puzzles encountered also become more complex. Parekh, who is a successful geneticist and diagnostician, describes her work as “solving a puzzle every single day.”
Following the lectures, high school students had the opportunity to ask questions of the award recipients, generating a deeper conversation about the role of interdisciplinary approaches to modern science.
GTA high school students listen to the researchers’ presentations during the 2019 Gairdner Lectures at York University’s Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre at the Keele Campus
“That’s why I do it,” said. Pearlman after the event. “They’re young and they’re enthusiastic and we just try to work on that enthusiasm and foster it.”
Students then had the opportunity to tour the Keele Campus with a senior undergraduate student and to find out more about the science programs offered at York University.
Following the morning high school program, there was an informal lunch with the presenters, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, where those present had an opportunity to interact with the researchers. This was followed by the York Gairdner Lectur, presented by Vale to 100 faculty, staff, and trainees. Vale’s lecture, titled “Molecular Motors: From Kinesin to Dynein,” was the end to the exciting day focused on exceptional science.
The Gairdner Foundation was established in 1959 with the goal of recognizing and rewarding international excellence in fundamental research impacting human health. Since then, the Gairdner Foundation has celebrated and inspired generations of young scientists and health professionals worldwide.
Visit York University’s Explore Science page for more opportunities to experience science programs.
Deadline approaching: Mary McEwan Memorial Award submissions are due Nov. 25
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ResearchSIDEBAR
Named in honour of feminist psychiatrist Mary McEwan, the annual Mary McEwan Memorial Award of $1,000 will be given to one PhD dissertation in the area of feminist scholarship produced in the 2018-19 academic year at York University. An awards committee of faculty affiliated with the Centre for Feminist Research will choose the winners.
Dissertations that were recommended for awards in 2018-19 should be considered for nomination. Dissertations defended between Sept. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019 are eligible. The submission deadline is Monday, Nov. 25.
Criteria of eligibility:
The nominee must be a graduate student who has successfully defended a dissertation during the 2018-19 academic year.
The nominee’s dissertation must concern feminist theory and/or gender issues.
The examining committee for the dissertation must unanimously recommend it for an award.
Each nomination must include:
a copy of the dissertation and a (no more than) one-page statement from the nominee about the contribution the dissertation makes to feminist scholarship;
a letter of recommendation from the student’s supervisor commenting on the nominee’s dissertation or thesis;
a statement from the graduate program director verifying that the nominee’s dissertation was recommended as one that should be considered for a prize; and
a copy of the external examiner’s report.
Nominations must be received by Julia Pyryeskina, co-ordinator, Centre for Feminist Research at 611 York Research Tower, no later than Monday, Nov. 25.
Submissions can be made and questions can be asked via email to juliapyr@yorku.ca.
To learn more about the Mary McEwan Memorial Award and to see past winners, visit cfr.info.yorku.ca/awards.
One of the biggest factors accelerating antimicrobial resistance is the overuse and over-prescription of antibiotics. 
Building on York’s reputation as a research-intensive university that is tackling societal issues through collaborative research, Research Infosource has ranked York University among the top 50 research universities in Canada for the third year in a row. York rises to the number one spot in Canada in key areas of strength in the social sciences and humanities. The University places third in health. The rankings look at research income and publications, two key areas that indicate research intensification and impact.
