91亚色 will offer funding from the highly competitive Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) program to students and researchers from 91亚色, as well as partner universities in Costa Rica, Ghana and the Philippines to tackle issues at the intersection of climate change and human population displacement.

The highly competitive QES program was established in 2012 and is managed through a partnership between Universities Canada, the Rideau Hall Foundation and Canadian post-secondary institutions. To date, more than 2,600 scholars from Canada and around the world have received the award.

91亚色鈥檚 project, titled the , will direct scholarships valued at up to $10,000 to send 12 91亚色 students overseas and welcome 10 international scholars to 91亚色 over the next three years.

Professor Ali Asgary, director of CIFAL and executive director of the Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation Lab, is academic lead for the QES project and says he is hopeful the program will inspire students to continue working in a field that needs fresh ideas and dedication.

鈥�91亚色 students will have the opportunity to visit places where they can make connections with what they are studying firsthand and get to know the challenges and complexities of these situations. They will be able to network with policymakers and researchers in other countries, and because the focus is interdisciplinary, they will get to know researchers in both climate change and population displacement.鈥�

Additionally, scholars visiting 91亚色 will provide invaluable insights to the University community on how they address these challenges in their countries, which can help inform how Canadians tackle climate change at home.

With these goals in mind, Asgary and 91亚色鈥檚 former assistant vice-president Global Engagement and Partnerships Vinitha Gengatharan, whose team is supporting the QES project, sought expert partners to bring the diverse expertise and perspectives required for this multi-continental project. At 91亚色, the new project brings together faculty leaders from 91亚色 Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Response and Governance Institute (Y-MERGE), 91亚色鈥檚 Las Nubes campus in Costa Rica, the Centre for Refugee Studies, the  and the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

International partners were chosen from countries specifically impacted by climate change and displacement, and include the University of Costa Rica, University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast (Ghana), the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and the University of the Philippines.

United Nations Institute for Training and Research鈥檚 (UNITAR), CIFAL, the Global Water Academy and Learning for a Sustainable Future, a Toronto-based NGO, are also among the external collaborators.

Amir Asif, vice-president, research and innovation, says the new scholarly exchange reflects 91亚色鈥檚 continued focus on advancing partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 91亚色鈥檚 global partners on this project carry out compelling climate and human displacement-related  research which complements the University鈥檚 strengths and Canada鈥檚 climate diplomacy initiatives.

鈥淲e hope that through the QES, we will provide youth from Canada and around the world with unique opportunities to gain new perspectives from beyond their labs,鈥� he says, adding that addressing climate justice is essential to reduce growing social inequities. 鈥淔uture generations will need to have more empathy and stronger cross-cultural understanding. This is important to make difficult compromises and design effective climate policies that garner global consensus. It鈥檚 easy to talk about inequities without understanding what inequity looks like, in a different cultural and geographical context.鈥�

In this project, 91亚色 students attending the University of Cape Coast will have the opportunity to learn from the legacy of the transatlantic slavery at Cape Coast Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and witness how the industrialized West continues to have an impact on the lives of coastal communities in Africa by contributing to rising sea levels.

Asgary notes the project will help move the global goals forward. 鈥淭his is hugely important for our future. Climate change has introduced a lot of forced or semi-forced displacement and may worsen in years to come," he says.

With files from Suzanne Bowness

Originally published on YFile.

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The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) wrapped up on Dec. 12, with more than 50,000 delegates who descended upon Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the annual international climate summit.  

Among the delegates was 91亚色鈥檚聽Angele Alook, an assistant professor in te School of Gender, Sexuality & Women鈥檚 Studies, and her research team: community-based researcher聽Lydia Johnson, of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges & Languages; and PhD student and graduate associate聽Ana Cardoso.听听听

The trio were there to conduct field work for a project called聽Indigenous Climate Leadership and Self-determined Futures, which aims to highlight and advance the understanding of Indigenous methods to mitigate climate change, derived from traditional knowledge and governance, among Indigenous activists and leaders, knowledge holders, other researchers and policymakers.听聽

The project鈥檚 findings will eventually be shared through both academic publications as well as several arts-based approaches, including photography, video and graphic novels. It is funded by the Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research Clusters initiative, created by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at 91亚色.

Alook, who is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta, talks about the Indigenous-led project and her COP28 experience in this Q-and-A below. 

Q: What was your main objective with attending COP28?  

A: My team and I went to Dubai to interview several Indigenous leaders from Turtle Island (North America) and elsewhere in the world. We wanted to talk to them on the ground as they are simultaneously actively engaged in climate discussions with world leaders, government agencies, scientists and organizations. We believe capturing their stories in this moment will provide us with their best insights for our project.   

Much of our questions focus on learning about what motivated them to attend COP28, the challenges they face in a colonial space, their experience in policy talks and negotiations, and their climate actions back home.    

We also presented on several panels at the Indigenous People鈥檚 Pavilion and Canada Pavilion. We participated in the Local Communities and Indigenous People鈥檚 Platform youth knowledge holders discussions. We also participated alongside our Indigenous kin in several United Nations-sanctioned actions to promote Indigenous rights and human rights.  

Q: Why is Indigenous participation at events like COP28 important? 

A: COP28 represents the biggest international stage for climate change talks, but Indigenous Peoples make up only a small number of attendees. Indigenous Peoples are knowledge keepers and I believe they have real solutions to deal with climate change. We have a relationship to the Earth grounded in land-based practices and sustainability, so Indigenous Peoples鈥� voices are incredibly valuable if we want to see effective climate policies developed around the world.  

There鈥檚 also a lot of advocacy work that happens at these conferences to uphold Indigenous sovereignty, including in international treaties. Certain parts of the Paris Agreement, like article six, which focuses on carbon markets, could have serious implications for Indigenous Peoples and their assertion of rights. Some Indigenous communities have voiced their concerns that article six could lead to their lands or territories being exploited by companies or governments for carbon offsetting. It鈥檚 important Indigenous Peoples are fully consulted on these issues, as they often are the ones most impacted by these decisions.   

Q: COP28 marks the fourth time you鈥檝e attended the summit. What progress do you see being made for Indigenous Peoples in climate discussions? What was your overall experience like? 

A: On progress, I think Indigenous people involved in negotiations at COP27 would point to the creation of the climate Loss and Damage Fund, which could benefit smaller nation states with Indigenous communities most affected by climate change. This year, they also announced a  with former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton in attendance. However, these funds go to nation states that colonize Indigenous Peoples, who are demanding direct access to these funds, instead of those who continue to colonize us. 

I do think it鈥檚 one thing to come to COP as a business person or civil servant, but I think it鈥檚 a very different thing to come as an Indigenous person. There鈥檚 a whole other world taking place here among Indigenous attendees in terms of relationship building. There is an immense amount of Indigenous knowledge from around the world being shared with one another. I think it strengthens our sovereignty and our own Indigeneity to tell these stories to each other and acknowledge our shared experiences.  

Personally, the most hopeful thing I鈥檝e felt at COP28 seems to be this growing solidarity among Indigenous Peoples. More and more Indigenous people are showing up as bold leaders in these spaces, sharing their knowledge and using their voices. It鈥檚 been an amazing experience for me and my research assistants to connect and listen to them.听

Originally published in YFile.

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ACU is a convenor of a community of higher education institutions from across the Commonwealth and provides opportunities for learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing. In addition, attendees will learn more about the ACU鈥檚 regional strategic priorities and its work and impact in Canada, and internationally. 

The 2023 symposium will bring together ACU members and prospective members to discuss distinct and shared challenges in addressing global inequalities, and learn how international collaboration can support these efforts. 

The day鈥檚 agenda of panel discussions, keynotes and a fireside chat will align with the symposium鈥檚 theme 鈥淭ackling inequality within 鈥� and through 鈥� higher education鈥� and will feature 91亚色 faculty and senior leadership.  

The program will bring universities together to discuss topics of common relevance, such as access and inclusion, decolonization of higher education and social impact. 

Agenda 

10:45 to 11:45 a.m. 鈥� Panel 1: From rhetoric to reality: universities鈥� role in addressing systemic inequalities 
How can universities help to overcome deep-rooted structural inequalities in wider society? 
Chair: Joanna Newman (Secretary General and Chief Executive, The Association of Commonwealth Universities) 
Panellists: Mark Green (Queen鈥檚 University, Canada); Qui Alexander (University of Toronto, Canada); Jennifer Brennan (Mastercard Foundation); Andrea Davis (91亚色, Canada); James Orbinski (91亚色, Canada); and Mai Yasue (University of British Columbia, Canada) 

1 to 1:45 p.m. 鈥� Fireside Chat: What role does international collaboration in higher education play in helping to promote more equal universities and societies? 
International collaboration in higher education is key to meeting all 17 SDGs, but how can it help address inequality in particular? Is 鈥渋nclusion鈥� just an issue for individual institutions or does it have an international element? 
Chair: Cheryl de la Rey (vice-chancellor, University of Canterbury, New Zealand and ACU Chair of Council) 
In conversation with: Rhonda Lenton (91亚色 president and ACU executive committee member) 

2 to 3 p.m. 鈥� Panel 2: Promoting equity in international partnerships and research 
Chair: David Phipps (assistant vice-president, research strategy and impact, 91亚色; director, Research Impact Canada; ACU supporting research community Chair) 
Panellists: Sandeep Sancheti (vice-chancellor at Marwadi University, India); C Raj Kumar (vice-chancellor at O.P. Jindal Global University, India); and Barnabas Nawangwe (vice-chancellor at Makerere University, Uganda) 

Further information about the ACU symposium can be found .

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More than 450 people from 60 countries attended the second Sustainable on the Go conference, which took place Nov. 17. The conference was co-organized by 91亚色 International (YI), the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability and their international partners: the International Association of Universities, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and Okayama University in Japan.

Conference co-chairs 91亚色鈥檚 Assistant Vice-President, Global Engagement and International Partnerships, Vinitha Gengatharan, and Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 91亚色, welcomed attendees.

鈥�91亚色 and strategic partners, for the first time, brought together two fields [international education and online education] that had been perceiving each other as opposites rather than complimentary partners in a discussion for a better future,鈥� said Gengatharan. 鈥淭hrough the SOTG initiative, we were delighted to explore the opportunities that a new virtual world was providing to the international education sector to foster mobility and collaborations between different parts of the world while collectively acknowledging that in-person experiences of other cultures will continue to be important in developing connections and nurturing compassion for each other.鈥�

Hopkins noted that there was a strong emphasis at SOTG 2022 on engaging youth.

鈥淲e asked young leaders from 18 countries what is needed to truly and practically enable future leaders from all backgrounds. Their views gave us new perspectives on our themes and the way we conducted the conference this year.鈥�

Those three themes 鈥� Connecting the Global and Local Classrooms; Sustainable and Inclusive Global Learning; and Local and Global Community Engagement 鈥� became the subjects of SOTG 2022鈥檚 three plenary sessions. The first featured a keynote address by Leonardo Garnier, former minister of education in Costa Rica, special adviser for the 2022 United Nations Transforming Education Summit.

鈥淭he COVID pandemic was a terrible blow to education systems,鈥� Garnier said. 鈥淎s we recover, it would be a shame to go back to where we were. We must reimagine and transform education so we can transform society and create a sustainable future.鈥�

From Garnier鈥檚 perspective, this means transforming the education system to solve issues of equity, making schools (education institutions) places that are safe, inclusive, welcoming and stimulating. It means supporting teachers to be facilitators who collaborate to promote learning based on curiosity and joy; and it means harnessing the digital revolution properly so it can close the gap on inequalities.

鈥淲e are not invested enough in education,鈥� Garnier said. 鈥淥nly 10 per cent of the world鈥檚 children participate in higher education and that translates into a disparity. Often, education doesn鈥檛 reach those who need it most.鈥�

Bhavani Rao, UNESCO Chair in Women鈥檚 Empowerment and Gender Equality from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in India, delivered the second keynote address focusing on sustainable and inclusive global learning. Rao has been involved with technology-based women鈥檚 empowerment projects since 1995.

鈥淭here are two types of poverty,鈥� Rao said. 鈥淥ne relates to a lack of food, clothing and shelter; the second is a lack of love and compassion. If you solve the second, you will solve the first.鈥�

Rao explained the mainstream education program at her university, which has a life skills component that requires each student to spend a month living in a rural community in order to gain respect for simpler life there, along with humility.

鈥淭he students gain an understanding of the strength and knowledge in these communities and their inner resilience,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t awakens compassion and respect. We must shift the world from being about 鈥榤e鈥� to being about 鈥榰s鈥� and this program allows that shift to happen.鈥�

Kenisha Arora delivered the third keynote address of the day, focusing on local and global community engagement. Arora, a medical student at Western University in Ontario, is the youth representative to the UN SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee for UNESCO.

鈥淢y parents came to Canada from India to help us access the higher education that is the dream for many students around the world,鈥� Arora said. 鈥淚 hope to live in a world where post-secondary education is accessible to everyone, and youth are the cornerstone for transforming education 鈥� not only in advocating, but in increasing capacity.鈥�

She noted that education also occurs outside the four walls of the classroom and that interdisciplinary learning is the way of the future.

鈥淲e need to learn how to learn and adapt,鈥� Arora said. 鈥淐urriculum isn鈥檛 enough. We need to be able to take what we learn and apply it with empathy and human skills.鈥�

The keynote sessions each ended with a dialogue between the speaker and another expert in the field. SOTG 2022 also included parallel sessions, including one featuring James Simeon, associate professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Public Policy and Administration, and his international collaborators from Mexico and Ecuador discussing their work in creating a globally networked learning (GNL) project for their students. Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, 91亚色-GNL academic lead, associate professor of French studies at 91亚色, chaired a second session that included Ian Garrett, an associate professor in the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design, presenting a case study in GNL with Australian university partners.

In addition to its success in broadening thinking about international education, SOTG 22 underscored a number of the priorities in 91亚色鈥檚聽University Academic Plan: 21st Century Learning, Working in Partnership and Advancing Global Engagement.

Originally published in YFile

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Khalid, a medical doctor and newly hired assistant professor in the School of Global Health, has the global outlook and fluency one would expect of a person born in Jordan and raised in the United Arab Emirates, who attended medical school in the Caribbean, worked in Europe and earned four post-graduate degrees (MD, PhD, MMgmt, MEd, GradCertPHM) in Canada.

He attributes his travels to 鈥渃uriosity,鈥� always eager to learn more and understand the larger picture. His first real journey abroad took place at 17 after he read an article about Chelsea Clinton, daughter of the former American president, doing an internship at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. Eager to spend a summer in Europe, the teenager鈥檚 next step was finding out what the WHO was and applying for an internship. Dr. Jose Martines, former director of WHO鈥檚 Newborn & Child Health department and Khalid鈥檚 long-time mentor, took a chance on hiring 鈥渢he youngest-ever intern at the time鈥� and his 鈥渁mazing journey with WHO informed who I am today.鈥�

Khalid spent the summer at WHO working in maternal and child health-care community interventions, giving him a glimpse of a health systems perspective that has only deepened over time. It also influenced him to attend medical school, followed by post-graduate degrees in population health, health-care leadership, medical education and health policy in order to satisfy his unending curiosity about the health-care system.

While working on his health policy PhD at McMaster University, Khalid was determined to advance the knowledge on how to . His thesis work took him to Jordan and to Lebanon to  caused by the civil war in that country.

鈥淚 saw first-hand the struggle of Syrian refugees and I was determined to help out by providing the best available evidence to decision-makers to inform their health-care policies for Syrian refugees,鈥� Khalid says.

After graduating from his PhD, Khalid was awarded the prestigious 2021 CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship with the Canadian Red Cross where he is working on implementing efforts to support real-time evidence use in humanitarian practice.

鈥淭he fellowship helped me scaffold the work I started with my PhD, making sure that all the Red Cross interventions were informed by evidence, whether they related to COVID-19, long-term care or vaccine clinics,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was a chance to bring together my professional experience and scholarly knowledge.鈥�

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Khalid used his medical knowledge and health policy expertise by giving more than 200  where he simplified complex COVID-19 medical knowledge into easy-to-understand information for the public.

Now, Khalid, who is a member of the board of directors for M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res/Doctors Without Borders, is sharing that experience and knowledge with 91亚色 students.

鈥淢y parents always said that when you know more, you should do and give more,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 sit between professional practice and research and can intertwine those two worlds for my students.

鈥淚 see 91亚色 as a hub that combines a multi-disciplinary faculty and a student body with diverse viewpoints that is eager to learn.鈥�

Khalid is happy to call 91亚色 home and is excited to bring his worldly views and diverse professional and academic background to his fellow colleagues and students.

鈥淢y life is about intention and passion,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 will deliver the best I can with the resources I have.鈥�

Originally published in YFile

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With the Sustainability on the Go 2022 (SOTG 2022) registration deadline upcoming, organizers have announced the three powerful keynote speakers for the Nov. 17 virtual event.

The theme of this year鈥檚 conference, co-organized by 91亚色 International, the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability and International Partners, is "Navigating the New Normal in Higher Education." The conference seeks to bring together participants from around the world with an interest in student mobility in post-secondary education with an eye toward making it more inclusive and sustainable.

Leonardo Garnier, special advisor for the 2022 United Nations Transforming Education Summit in Costa Rica, is the country鈥檚 former minister of education (2006-14) who achieved a significant increase in the rate of enrollment, with important investments in rural and Indigenous education. He will address SOTG 2022鈥檚 first plenary session, which focuses on the topic of connecting the local and global classrooms.

The conference鈥檚 second plenary session targets sustainable and inclusive global learning. The keynote speaker will be Bhavani Rao, UNESCO Chair in Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, India. Rao has been involved with technology-based women鈥檚 empowerment projects since 1995.

Canada鈥檚 Kenisha Arora, youth representative to the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee for UNESCO, will be the final plenary speaker, kicking off the session addressing local and global community engagement. Arora, a medical student at Western University in Ontario, is an education activist and founder of Hope Sisters, a non-profit supporting vulnerable members in the community.

Last year, SOTG 2021, the first edition of the conference, led to creation of the . SOTG22 also has ambitious and important :

1. Discussing COVID-19's impact on sustainable and inclusive internationalization: What have we learned? What would we like to continue and move forward with post COVID-19?鈥疻hat would we like to leave behind?聽聽
2. Contributing to the future vision of sustainable and inclusive internationalization and mobility, informed by the cross-cutting issues of聽inclusivity, gender and education for sustainable development.听聽
3. Providing a platform聽for dialogue on the role of ethical internationalization in higher education for the entirety of the SDGs including the sharing of innovative programs and practices in global learning.听
4. Including different speakers and audiences with a focus on Youth (), and historically underrepresented stakeholders by facilitating their participation and highlighting their contributions towards the future of internationalization in higher education.听
5. Sharing experiences from implementing the commitments of the聽.听

Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to contribute to and shape the future of global mobility and exchanges as they discuss the evolving landscape at educational institutions post pandemic. 

鈥淭he first SOTG Conference in January 2021 brought together many well-known experts from international education and sustainability who had not jointly looked at the field of global engagement in higher education,鈥� said Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Toward Sustainability at 91亚色. "This year, we have opened our conference with two global calls for submissions and a youth engagement program to new and especially young voices who we might have not heard from to foster new thought leadership for responsible and equitable yet impactful ways of internationalizing higher education.鈥�

Vinitha Gengatharan, assistant vice-president, Global Engagement & Partnerships, added, 鈥淲e are excited about the opportunity to advance the discussion about sustainable student mobility in post-secondary education. SOTG 2022 is another initiative in support of 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to advancing global engagement and working in partnership, two pillars of the University Academic Plan, as well as its commitment to leading change that reflects .鈥�

Be part of the conversations yourself; the registration deadline is Nov. 10. .

For more information, contact: Mario Guerrero (he/him), project officer, 91亚色 International at sotg@yorku.ca.   

Originally published in YFile

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The conference鈥檚 theme, Navigating the New Normal in Higher Education, will appeal to anyone working in or pursuing work in a field related to international mobility and their need to consider the challenges and opportunities of navigating the new normal in higher education in ways that are sustainable and inclusive.

The event is co-organized by 91亚色 International, the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability and international partners, and will aim to ensure  is central to the conversation.

The conference will focus on three main topics with inclusivity, gender and education for sustainable development (ESD)  cross-cutting all conversations:

• Sustainable and inclusive global learning:聽How can universities ensure that all students, regardless of their socio-economic or cultural background, are empowered and supported to participate in international education and global learning opportunities?
• Connecting the local and global classrooms:聽What are new or innovative forms of pedagogy in different regions to address diversity, equity and other sustainability themes?鈥�
• Local and global community engagement:聽What are the鈥痳oles and鈥痳esponsibilities鈥痮f students鈥痮r graduates of higher education in their local communities? How do we empower and prepare students for continued community and global engagement post-graduation?

The conference is a dialogue platform that will allow participants to tackle these vital questions and come together to discuss workable solutions and plans of action. It has ambitious, but important :

1. Discussing COVID-19's impact on sustainable and inclusive internationalization: What have we learned? What would we like to continue and move forward with post COVID-19?鈥疻hat would we like to leave behind?聽聽
2. Contributing to the future vision of sustainable and inclusive internationalization and mobility, informed by the cross-cutting issues of聽inclusivity, gender and education for sustainable development.听聽
3. Providing a platform聽for dialogue on the role of ethical internationalization in higher education for the entirety of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) including the sharing of innovative programs and practices in global learning.听
4. Including different speakers and audiences with a focus on Youth (), and historically underrepresented stakeholders by facilitating their participation and highlighting their contributions towards the future of internationalization in higher education.听
5. Sharing experiences from implementing the commitments of the聽.听

Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to contribute to and shape the future of global mobility and exchanges as they discuss the evolving landscape at educational institutions post pandemic.  

Join the conversations 鈥� the early bird registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 30. .

For more information, contact: Mario Guerrero (he/him), project officer, 91亚色 International at sotg@yorku.ca.

Originally published in YFile

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It鈥檚 the latest triumph for UHRE, which is an Agents of Change project. These projects are supported by an alumni donor and attempt to promote applied learning opportunities and develop students' transferable skills. Currently, they address one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); UHRE addresses three SDGs: quality education; reduced inequality; and decent work and economic growth.

鈥淯HRE aims to provide undergraduate students with health research experience,鈥� said Mohamed Elsayed Elghobashy, a fourth-year kinesiology student and UHRE co-lead. 鈥淢any students have trouble accessing research opportunities, obtaining research skills or publishing their work. The barriers are greater for underrepresented groups with less social capital.鈥�

The UHRE team held a Research 101 summit in Nov. 2021 submitted and followed it up by submitting a proposal for a research conference last year; it was approved for the 2021-22 academic year.

鈥淲hen we were conceptualizing UHRE, we wanted growth opportunities for students and this conference is a tangible result students can add to their CVs,鈥� said Dorsa Shakeri, one of UHRE鈥檚 co-leads and a recent kinesiology graduate. 鈥淚t鈥檚 usually graduate students who get to attend conferences, but we wanted an undergraduate-specific event where undergrads felt welcomed submitting their work.鈥�

Amireza Goli, a kinesiology student and project co-lead, noted that the team did an environmental scan and learned that there was no health-focused undergraduate research conference in Canada.

Elsayed Elghobashy, Goli and Shakeri, along with UHRE co-lead Parmin Rahimpoor-Marnani organized the conference with assistance from other UHRE members and peer leaders at Calumet and Stong Colleges; staff, such as Julie Hard, international relations manager for the Faculty of Health; faculty, who reviewed abstracts and judged presentations; and administrators, including Angelo Belcastro, chair of the School of Kinesiology and Health Science,  Mazen Hamadeh, associate dean for students in the Faculty of Health and Harvey Skinner, founding dean of the Faculty of Health.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 say enough about how helpful Julie was,鈥� said Elsayed Elghobashy. 鈥淪he connected us with so many other institutions.鈥�

Hard said, 鈥淭he UHRE was an incredible opportunity for undergraduate students globally as well as for students at 91亚色. Our institutional partners around the world are eager to connect with our students and showcase outstanding student research projects at the same time. For me, it was wonderful to see these connections being made.鈥�  

The team received 100 abstracts, but only 80 were accepted, based on the quality of the research. Professor Skinner delivered the opening day keynote address and Kimberly Badal, a 2012 91亚色 graduate, PhD candidate in molecular genetics and founder of the Caribbean Cancer Initiative, was the keynote speaker on day two. The team of volunteers stepped up to ensure that the event ran smoothly, facilitating the sessions and handling the question-and-answer periods. Each presenter was allotted 10 minutes to discuss the research and five minutes for questions; with 80 presenters, concurrent sessions were a must.

鈥淥ur theme was Agents of Change,鈥� said Shakeri, 鈥渁nd all the presentations served that function by introducing innovations or interesting findings. 鈥淭here was a good interdisciplinary exchange, too.

鈥淩esearchers drive the state of health science and decide which problems get solved. It was so good to have a wide range of topics: nursing, psychology, medical biophysics, zoology and nutrition, for example. Our community of reviewers wasn鈥檛 homogeneous either.鈥�

The organizers created three awards for presenters: the Harvey Skinner Research Impact Award; an award for research excellence (methodology) and one for the best research proposal. The awards were judged based on the quality of the presentations and professor reviews of the abstracts and the winners were the following:

Harvey Skinner Research Impact Award - "Long-lasting insecticidal nets ownership and Malaria morbidity in the Krachi East Municipality, Ghana" presented by Israel Wuresah, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana;

Research Excellence Award - "Stopping the Stomachache: Transient Receptor Potential-Mediated Targeting of Activity Blockers Into Gut Nociceptors For Selective Blockade of Abdominal Pain" presented by Nurit Engelmayer, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel; and

Best Research Proposal Award - "Developing Ex-Vivo Culture System of Mouse Uterus" presented by Yvonne Ping, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.

The organizers were very pleased by the response to and participation in the conference, including its global reach.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited by the success of the conference,鈥� said Elsayed Elghobashy. 鈥淚t motivates us to make it sustainable by holding it annually. We鈥檒l probably make it a hybrid event, because we want to maintain international engagement.鈥�

Rahimpoor-Marnani said the conference was 鈥渁 great opportunity to get a new perspective on how diverse undergraduate research can be.鈥� Goli noted, 鈥淲e built bridges horizontally and vertically by organizing this conference. It was a big soup of ideas that was super-impactful.鈥�

Originally published in YFile

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By Elaine Smith

Since January, 91亚色 students and their peers from partner universities have been working with mentors to design projects that will help communities achieve four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): UN SDG 4 (quality education), UN SDG 5 (gender equality), UN SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and UN SDG 13 (climate action), working within the framework of UN SDG 17 (partnerships).

The four-year challenge is designed to engage underrepresented students in contributing to the SDGs and participating in study or work abroad opportunities, especially Indigenous, Black, people of colour and low-income students, as well as students living with disabilities and is funded by 91亚色 and the federal government鈥檚  program. 91亚色 International (YI) has coordinated the pilot of the program with support of 91亚色 Faculties and international partners.

鈥淭he students have accepted the challenge and tackled it with energy, creativity and enthusiasm,鈥� says Helen Balderama, director, global engagement and partnerships, 91亚色 International. 鈥淲e are excited to share the results of their work publicly and look forward to the impact the projects will have once they are finalized.鈥�

Twelve teams of students have tackled the SDGs and their project plans are as varied as the students themselves. They include:

• Designing a home water purifier for use in rural Mexico and educational materials to teach families how to build it themselves.
• Creating a computational thinking module focused on programming for students in Bangladesh who may not have computers, in hopes to partner with tech academies there.
• Designing digital modules that allow for women to have ease of access to information on sexual and reproductive health, while also developing feminine hygiene kits that will include menstrual products and information guides, in partnership with the South Asian diaspora in Canada and an organization in the Philippines.

Once the students have made their presentations, there will be an awards ceremony to recognize:

• SDGs in Partnership Award: given to the project that demonstrates outstanding collaboration and community engagement.
• Creative Solutions Award: given to the project with the highest degree of interdisciplinary thinking to mobilize and engage communities to act on the SDGs.听
• Best Overall Project: awarded to the project that achieved meaningful action towards the SDG, exhibiting strong intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration and sense of community.

The project plans are a culmination of a three-month process that included:

• Explore: A series of SDG workshop, project management and community engagement skills bootcamps.
• 贰苍驳补驳别:听Implementation of SDG projects.
• 贰虫别尘辫濒颈蹿测:听Showcase of projects at the SDGs Knowledge in Action event.

Beyond these three stages, students are encouraged to continue their projects into their experiences abroad through academic exchanges, internships, research and extra curricular work ahead.

鈥淚 am inspired and delighted by the thought and passion that has gone into the development of this innovative student-centered program and am excited to hear the students speak from a position of knowing as they present these passion projects,鈥� said 91亚色 Provostial Fellow Cheryl van Daalen-Smith, associate professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and associate professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women鈥檚 Studies and the Childhood and Youth Studies Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

鈥淭he SDGs in Action Student Challenge is one way to further 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to the SDGs as expressed in the University Academic Plan (2020-25). There is so much interest and activity concerning the UN SDGS across campus, and the group of fellows are just thrilled with this program and its continuance,鈥� said van Daaelen Smith. 鈥淚ndeed, student-led ideas and initiatives such as the SDGs in Action Student Challenge assist our university partner with communities in a collaborative effort to inch closer and closer to achieving important SDGs. The passion of the students, the commitment of the mentors and the around-the-clock support of 91亚色 International also demonstrate that if we all take steps to achieve these goals in a small corner of the world, they will eventually add up to major changes globally. And isn鈥檛 that what we are all after in the long run?鈥�

The next round of the Student SDGs in Action Challenge will begin in September 2022.  and learn more at the Go Global SDGs in Action Knowledge Fair.

Originally published in YFile

The post Students to present results of pilot SDGs in Action Challenge appeared first on Global Engagement.

By Elaine Smith

The four-year program, funded by 91亚色 and the federal government鈥檚  program ($500,000 for four years), will empower a group of 91亚色 students each year to work toward achieving  through community action projects they design themselves in collaboration with students from 91亚色 partners and supported by faculties and mentors. Along the way, they will develop global competencies, leadership, digital fluency, and project management skills through facilitated discussions, workshops and immersive travel abroad, funded by the program.

The program is designed to engage underrepresented students in international opportunities, especially Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, and low-income students, as well as students living with disabilities. At the same time, travel and in-person mobility opportunities will prioritize 91亚色 partner universities and communities in Asia, Africa, or Latin America. Travel bursaries will range from $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the length of a student鈥檚 program abroad.

For this Winter 2022 pilot, participants will focus on SDGs 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action), while SDG 17 (partnerships for the goal) will be a recurring SDG throughout the four-year program.

鈥�91亚色鈥檚 commitment to the UN SDGs is clear in our current University Academic Plan and the Go Global Student SDGs in Action Challenge is one more way of bringing that commitment to life,鈥� said Philip Kelly, associate dean, research, graduate and global affairs, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change. 鈥淚n addition, the funding will provide travel opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to afford them, which fulfils 91亚色鈥檚 core commitment to accessibility.鈥�

Program activities start this week, coinciding with 2022 International Education Day, when 91亚色 International (YI) and the pan-University project team host the student orientation and SDG workshops. Student participants will be from Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Philippines and the United States.

The Student SDGs Action Challenge comprises four phases:

• Explore. A series of SDG workshop, project management and community engagement skills bootcamps in Jan. 2022;
• Engage.听Implementation of SDG projects, Feb. and March 2022;
• Exemplify.听Showcase of projects at the SDGs Knowledge in Action event, March 2022; and
• Experience.听Participate in exchanges, field visits, internships or study abroad, beginning in April 2022.

鈥淭he Student SDGs Action Challenge is an outstanding opportunity for students to discover that they can have an impact on the wider world while honing skills that will later serve them well as in their future careers that will impact societies,鈥� said Vinitha Gengatharan, executive director, YI. 鈥淲e are very appreciative of the federal government鈥檚 commitment to outbound student mobility, which is part of Canada鈥檚 .

鈥淲e were delighted to receive a strong response from faculty members interested in leading workshops about key SDGs; in supporting students as they design, pitch and execute their project ideas; and in evaluating their work at the culminating Knowledge Fair in March 2022. It鈥檚 an opportunity for faculty members to mentor the changemakers of tomorrow while broadening their own networks through our partner universities.鈥�

YI is serving as the project lead, working with a pan-university committee of faculty, staff and administrators to ensure the program鈥檚 success and smooth operation and liaising with the Global Skills Opportunity program.

For more updates on the program, visit the project page at  .

Questions can be directed by email to goglobal@yorku.ca with 鈥淪DGs in Action鈥� in the subject line.

Originally published in YFile

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