Black-Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs make important contributions to the Canadian economy, yet they continue to face systemic racism and obstacles in starting and growing their businesses. This has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada is working to address long-standing barriers through the BEP.

Judy A. Sgro, member of parliament for Humber River-Black Creek on behalf of Mary Ng, minister of small business, export promotion and international trade, made the announcement Aug. 12. The funding will be delivered through the  in North 91亚色, which was created to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs and business owners across Canada. In Southern Ontario, FedDev is administering the fund.

With the recommended funding of $2,999,431, BCCHC in partnership with 91亚色, will launch an agri-food program called the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA), offering a full spectrum of education, mentorship and acceleration supports to Black entrepreneurs seeking to establish or grow agri-food businesses. Building off the success of the YSpace food and beverage accelerator, SEEC鈥檚 internationally renowned leadership curriculum, and TD-CEC鈥檚 continued commitment to community engagement, BEA will support more than 350 entrepreneurs over the course of the next three years. A graduate of the YSpace program, It鈥檚 Souper 鈥� an Afro-fusion gourmet soup and sauce line founded by Lola Adeyemi in 2018 鈥� is an example of the type of entrepreneur the program will support.

鈥淭oday was a fantastic event that will offer great opportunities to through Black Creek Community Health Centre, and 91亚色. It was also wonderful to meet the founder of It鈥檚 Souper, Lola Adeyemi. I鈥檓 excited to the potential and impacts this funding will provide for everyone involved,鈥� said Sgro during the announcement.

鈥淭he Black Entrepreneurship Alliance will build on the Black Creek Community Health Centre鈥檚 leadership within the Black Creek community 鈥� as well as 91亚色鈥檚 historic strengths in business, innovation, and entrepreneurship 鈥� to provide educational support and training to Black entrepreneurs,鈥� said Amir Asif, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research and innovation. 鈥淲e look forward to continuing our long history of partnership with the Black Creek Community Health Centre in providing increased access to education and opportunities for members of the Black Creek community 鈥� and creating a fairer, more equitable and more prosperous city.鈥�

About the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP)

• The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, post-secondary or other accredited educational institutions and financial institutions.
• Canada鈥檚 Regional Development Agencies deliver the BEP鈥檚 National Ecosystem Fund, and work with selected partner organizations to assist them in implementing their services.
• 罢丑别听聽is an over $400-million investment including:
  • up to $53 million for the聽聽to support Black-led business organizations across the country. It will help Black business owners and entrepreneurs access funding and capital and provide them with mentorship, financial planning services and business training. An additional $51.7 million for the BEP was provided in Budget 2021.
  • up to $291.3 million in support through the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, which will provide loans of up to $250,000 for Black business owners and entrepreneurs.
  • Up to $6.5 million for the聽, which will conduct qualitative and quantitative research and collect data on the state of Black entrepreneurship in Canada and help identify Black entrepreneurs鈥� barriers to success as well as opportunities for growth.
• Canada鈥檚 regional development agencies are on the ground helping businesses weather the effects of the pandemic. With the measures recently proposed in聽, FedDev Ontario continues to be a trusted partner to deliver targeted support in Southern Ontario

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Announced on Aug. 11 by Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne, the contribution comes from the Canada Foundation for Innovation鈥檚 (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) program, a tool designed to invest in state-of-the-art labs and equipment researchers need to turn their visions into reality.

At 91亚色, Professors Ali Asgary, Marcus Brubaker, Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, Liam Butler, Taylor Cleworth, Claire David, Shital Desai, Matthew Keough, Christine Le, Ozzy Mermut, Arturo Orellana, Enamul Prince, Jennifer Pybus and Emilie Roudier will receive funding totalling more than $1.5 million for their infrastructure projects.

鈥�91亚色 is delighted to have 14 academics receive the John R. Evans Leaders Fund,鈥� said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. 鈥淭his vital funding helps ensure we attract and retain the very best researchers who are undertaking truly innovative work. From addiction vulnerability to critical data-literacy research, from age-related impairments to advancements in particle physics 鈥� these projects will make positive change for our students, our campuses and our local and global communities.鈥�

The funded projects at 91亚色 are:

Ali Asgary, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
DEXR LAB

CFI JELF award: $100,000

Asgary and DEXR Lab will conduct research and develop extended reality (XR) applications for public safety, public health and disaster-and-emergency management training, education and operations. DEXR Lab will be equipped with the latest XR hardware and software for developing XR applications for areas including structural firefighting, wildfire management, hospital-emergency-and-intensive-care units, first-responders' collision simulation, virus transmission and spread, train derailment and volcano eruption, among others. DEXR Lab will be supported by 91亚色's  (ADERSIM) and will enhance Canada's share in the XR research and market 鈥� putting the country at the forefront of XR applications in the aforementioned areas.

Marcus Brubaker, Lassonde School of Engineering
Generative Modeling for CryoEM, Hyperspectral Imagery and Video

CFI JELF award: $140,000

Brubaker will develop novel artificial intelligence (AI) methods focused on applications where labelled-training data is limited or unavailable. The goal of this research is to enable learning from minimal amounts of data 鈥� dramatically reducing the amount of labelled data required and democratizing access to the technology. The methods developed could allow small companies, not-for-profit organizations or even individuals to effectively apply state-of-the-art AI methods, rather than only being available to large companies (which have either vast amounts of data already available or the resources to collect it). To reach this goal, Brubaker鈥檚 research will explore probabilistic-generative methods with specific applications in hyperspectral image analysis, video analysis and the processing of electron cryomicroscopy data.

Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, Lassonde School of Engineering
Machine Learning and Additive Manufacturing for the Development of Next Generation Materials

CFI JELF award: $140,000

For thousands of years since the advent of bronze, alloy development has involved diluting a single base element with small amounts of other elements. This approach is slow, expensive and requires a lot of effort with minimal increments in required material properties. A new idea where alloys have no single dominant element is gaining traction. These multi-principal element alloys, specifically, High Entropy Alloys (HEA), possess superior properties. Research lead by Boakye-Yiadom, along with Professors Marina Freire-Gormaly and Ruth Urner, will guide in the accelerated discovery and development of advanced HEAs and enhance our ability to detect and minimize defects during metal additive manufacturing. This includes innovative discoveries for advanced materials and process monitoring during manufacturing.

Liam Butler, Lassonde School of Engineering
The Climate-Data-Driven Design (CD3) Facility for Built Infrastructure

CFI JELF award: $140,000

The influence of climatic variations on Canada's vast infrastructure stock, valued at more than $850 billion, is largely ignored in infrastructure design. Variations in temperature, humidity and precipitation, along with increased frequency of extreme events will lead to cyclic factors that influence the behaviour of infrastructure materials. Mitigating these adverse effects starts with being able to reliably measure and to better understand the impact that climate variability has on infrastructure. Butler, along with Professors Usman Khan and Matthew Perras, will establish a unique field laboratory, where robust sensing, advanced AI-based data analytics and innovative infrastructure materials will be developed and validated. The vision is for the CD3 Facility to become Canada's leading research laboratory in climate-data-driven infrastructure design 鈥� providing immediate impact to regulators, asset managers and suppliers, and long-term benefits for all Canadians.

Taylor Cleworth, Faculty of Health
Neuro-mechanics of Balance Deficits During Dynamic Stance

CFI JELF award: $125,000

Falls and resulting injuries are a major health and economic concern for older adults, care providers and Canadians at large. Reducing fall rates can be challenging due to the multi-faceted nature of controlling upright stance. Cleworth will study the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying balance control and investigate possible avenues of treatment for balance deficits. The new infrastructure will provide the foundation for an innovative research program aimed at understanding the complex interaction of biomechanical and cortical mechanisms that contribute to human balance and mobility deficits, and to assess and improve the efficacy of balance-related interventions and fall prevention programs.

Claire David, Faculty of Science
Next generation of neutrino detectors for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE)

CFI JELF award: $125,000

David, along with Professor Deborah Harris, will build a versatile cryogenic test bench to develop a prototype for the next generation of neutrino detectors. This modular system will have the ability to test two modules of the current state-of-the-art technology in the same cryostat 鈥� allowing direct comparison of different alternative readout systems. The modules will be paired with revolutionary electronics for light detection that other Canadian universities are developing. Ultimately, the optimized prototype will serve DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international effort hosted by Fermilab in the United States. This will enable David and Harris, also research scientists at Fermilab and part of the DUNE collaboration, to be at the forefront of detector development in experimental particle physics.

Shital Desai, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Social and Technological Systems lab

CFI JELF award: $50,000

Efforts to develop technologies for older adults is challenged by changing physical and cognitive abilities of older adults. Assistive technologies should adapt to the needs of older adults without them having to adjust settings, change versions or use hacks. Desai's research will investigate a generation of prompts in emerging technologies for people with dementia. Machine-learning techniques will be employed to learn about the user and make inferences regarding their state while using the technology. The research outcomes will be used to develop adaptive-assistive technology and drive pivotal advancements in the area of interactive design and adaptive technology for older adults. It will lead to development of deployable technologies in non-clinical settings, driving independence and social inclusion in older adults 鈥� advancing Canada's position as a leader in interactive-adaptive technology.

Matthew Keough, Faculty of Health
Center for Research on Addiction Vulnerability in Early Life

CFI JELF award: $50,000

Millions of Canadians struggle with co-occurring alcohol use and emotional disorders (e.g. anxiety) but very little is known about why alcohol use and emotional disorders co-occur so frequently, resulting in a lack of understanding of how to treat them effectively. Keough's innovative experimental research aims to uncover the biopsychosocial risk factors for alcohol use-emotional disorder comorbidity in emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 25). Keough will acquire state-of-the-art equipment for his Center for Research on Addiction Vulnerability in Early Life (CRAVE Lab). Using a simulated-bar-lab environment and innovative technology, his research will have the potential to improve treatments for alcohol use-emotional disorder comorbidity and improve the lives of many Canadians and their families.

Christine Le, Faculty of Science
Infrastructure for the Catalytic Synthesis of Medicinally Relevant Organofluorine Compounds

CFI JELF award: $160,000

Le鈥檚 research seeks to develop more efficient, cost-effective and greener methods for the synthesis of medicinally relevant fluorine-containing compounds. On average it takes 10 years for a newly discovered drug to reach the market due to the complexity of clinical trials, production and approval by government agencies. The synthetic methods targeted in this research will improve the efficiency of drug discovery and synthesis, allowing critical medicines to reach the market sooner. The research objectives and methodologies align with Canada's commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which include the efficient use of natural resources, the reduction of chemical waste and the development of essential medicines.

Ozzy Mermut, Faculty of Science
Biophotonics Diagnosis, Treatment and Dosimetry in Age-related Disorders and Human Diseases

CFI JELF award: $160,000

Personalized medicine will improve patient outcomes and limit health-care costs facing aging populations and consequent diseases. Globally, one billion people face vision impairment, with age-related macular degeneration affecting 245 million. Mermut鈥檚 research aims to identify tissue-specific biomarkers for early-stage diagnosis of vision disorders and other diseases, advancing the understanding of molecular pathogenesis. Photonic techniques will then be developed for targeted, minimally invasive phototherapy. A tissue model will be engineered, recapitulating natural, diseased tissues to study laser treatments and develop dosimetry that provides molecular information on initiated-cell responses. The ultimate goal is complete eradication of pathogenic cells that lead to debilitating diseases through absolute, precise laser therapy.

Arturo Orellana, Faculty of Science
Organic Synthesis for Development of Therapeutics

CFI JELF award: $107,000

Orellana鈥檚 research program will focus on developing enabling technologies for new therapeutics to address the healthcare needs of a large portion of the Canadian population. This program brings together multidisciplinary teams of experts from industry and academia to target difficult challenges in health care including diseases such as Alzheimer's, ovarian cancer and diabetes. The fundamental-science focus on design, synthesis and characterization of drug-like organic molecules will provide critical know-how to deliver cures for diseases affecting large patient populations, while establishing Canada as a leader in health and science research.

Enamul Prince, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Establishment of the Intelligent Visualization Laboratory

CFI JELF award: $114,726

Prince will establish the Intelligent Visualization Lab with an aim to make analytics more accessible by changing the way we interact with data. A diverse range of people with different levels of skills and backgrounds will perform analysis on large data-sets faster and more effectively through natural and fluid interactions. The lab will significantly improve the ability of professionals 鈥� ranging from data scientists to business analysts, to health-care analysts 鈥� to analyze data and make complex decisions, with the potential to unlock new markets and direct financial benefits for Canadian industry. The lab will also allow students to train for the high-demand fields of AI, data science and analytics.

Jennifer Pybus, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
The Centre for Public AI (CPAI)

CFI JELF award: $69,385

Pybus will establish the Centre for Public AI (CPAI) 鈥� Canada's preeminent centre for the interdisciplinary application of a more grounded, civically driven explainable approach to AI. It aims to foster an understanding of the diverse infrastructures that gather personal data on applications and platforms through the development of tools and participatory workshops. The research conducted will fill an important gap by contributing to a growing field of critical data-literacy studies to examine algorithmic practices impacting the lives of Canadians. New tools will facilitate academic and policy interventions related to algorithmic accountability from the perspective of non-expert users who experience the outcomes of machine-learning technologies.

Emilie Roudier, Faculty of Health
Microvascular Epigenetics of Physical Activity

CFI JELF award: $80,000 

Roudier's research aims to address how physical activity induces beneficial changes in the vascular epigenome. She will establish a specialized lab to study the interaction between physical activity and the vascular epigenome. Canadians are at high risk of vascular diseases due to unhealthy behaviours. Most researchers focus on finding and averting adverse epigenetic marks correlated with vascular diseases. This lab will take a counterpoint approach 鈥� aiming to define what a healthy vascular epigenome is. The discovery of beneficial epigenetic marks generated by this research will support the discovery of new biomarkers to assess environmental risk to vascular health and test the efficiency of lifestyle or preventive interventions aiming to boost vascular health.

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation

For more than 20 years, the CFI has been giving researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. Fostering a robust innovation system in Canada translates into jobs and new enterprises, better health, cleaner environments and, ultimately, vibrant communities. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada鈥檚 universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI also helps to attract and retain the world鈥檚 top talent, to train the next generation of researchers and to support world-class research that strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life for all Canadians.

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鈥淐reating Space: Precarious Status Women Leading Local Pandemic Responses鈥� is a collaborative, two-year project that brings together five organized research units (ORUs) and six researchers representing five 91亚色 Faculties, as well as 10 partners, working on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion to advance a feminist response to the impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change.

The project was awarded $667,609 and aims to centre precarious status women鈥檚 experiences to support self-determination and accelerate systemic change to reduce gender-based violence, promote workplace health and safety and increase economic security.

Associate Vice-President Research Jennifer Hyndman says the successful application was made possible through a groundbreaking collaborative effort. 鈥淪uch collaboration across Faculties, schools, and disciplinary boundaries is unprecedented among the ORUs at 91亚色,鈥� she said.

The community-based project will be led by Professor Luann Good Gingrich (director, Global Labour Research Centre; Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) and Professor Heidi Matthews (Osgoode Hall Law School), the project's co-principal investigators, along with four research directors: Professor Elaine Coburn (director, Centre for Feminist Research; International Studies at Glendon Campus); Professor Deborah McGregor (Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Justice; Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change/Osgoode Hall Law School); Professor Gertrude Mianda (director, Harriet Tubman Institute; Gender & Women's Studies at Glendon Campus); and Professor Yu-Zhi Joel Ong (director, Sensorium: Centre for Digital Art & Technology; School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design).

鈥淥ur project will take advantage of this unprecedented moment of significant appetite for new ways of thinking and living together that are more just and sustainable,鈥� said Matthews. 鈥淎s devastating as the pandemic has been for women and gender-diverse individuals, particularly those from Indigenous nations and racialized communities, it has also pried open space to dismantle the otherwise rigid status quo structures that work to marginalize these groups.鈥�

鈥淐reating Space鈥� involves five 91亚色 ORUs 鈥� the Centre for Feminist Research, the , the , the , and  鈥� and nine community partners representing female temporary foreign workers, asylum seekers, Indigenous women and undocumented frontline workers: ; .; ; Black Creek Community Health Centre; ; ; ; ; and . The project will also be supported by its international human rights law collaborator, the .

The multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in labour, digital arts, international law and human rights, Indigenous legal traditions and knowledges, feminist and Indigenous methodologies, and migration and Black diaspora studies.

鈥淲e are committed to a collaborative approach that emphasizes relationships and mutual learning, and opening space for creativity and innovation to reimagine the legal and economic systems that create status insecurity for many women in Canada,鈥� said Good Gingrich.

Funding for this project highlights 91亚色's efforts in working to support gender equality during the COVID-19 recovery. Sara Slinn, associate dean research and institutional relations at Osgoode Hall Law School, said "Osgoode is very proud to be involved in this timely and important project."

LA&PS associate dean research and graduate studies, Ravi de Costa, said the grant is a testament to the strength of social science and humanities research at 91亚色 鈥� not only in LA&PS, but across the University. He commended Good Gingrich and Matthews for putting together a "superb" group of researchers from five faculties.

"The research they will do in this project will provide a critical and largely missing understanding of the effects of the pandemic on some of the most marginalized members of society.鈥�

The project will:

• design collective, autonomy-focused, and locally rooted strategies to address economic insecurity, frontline workplace safety and systemic gender-based violence
• launch a new human rights initiative to devise innovative legal arguments that disrupt dominant legal paradigms by supporting Indigenous-led self-determination
• create a participatory, experimental multimedia digital framework to shift the public conversation and accelerate systemic change around gender and status precarity.

Good Gingrich and Matthews say they anticipate cross-Canada impact. Researchers and graduate students contributing to the project will work with partner organizations to build capacity and support mutual knowledge exchange. This work will shape transformative policy, innovative and critical strategies for legal intervention, and change the conversation on a national level.

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O鈥橰eilly is an expert in motherhood research, founder and editor-in-chief of the聽Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, publisher of Demeter Press, author of 20-plus books,聽and professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Gender, Sexuality and Women鈥檚 Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

鈥淭he aim and purpose of my research over the last three decades is to put mothers and mothering at the centre of academic research and public policy. To achieve this, I believe, we need a feminism for mothers, what I have termed matricentric feminism 鈥� a feminism that makes motherhood the business of feminism by positioning mothers鈥� needs and concerns as the starting point for a theory and politics on and for women鈥檚 empowerment,鈥� says O鈥橰eilly. 鈥淚ndeed, a mother-centred feminism is needed because mothers 鈥� arguably more so than women in general 鈥� remain disempowered despite 40-plus years of feminism. With these three SSHRC-funded research projects, I hope to give voice to mothers whose identities and experiences have been particularly marginalized in scholarship and policy, older young mothers in Canada and mothers deleteriously impacted by the pandemic.鈥�

The awards are:

SSHRC Partnership Engagement Grant (January 2021) for 鈥淢others and COVID-19; The impact of the pandemic on mothers and mothering in Canada and Australia鈥�

This one-year, $24,927 grant will support a research project that examines the impact of COVID-19 and its aftermath on mothers and motherwork, with the aim of developing social research and public policy to inform, support, and empower mothers through and after the pandemic. Mothers do the bulk of domestic labour, childcare and eldercare, and with social isolation, the burden of care work has increased exponentially in both time and concern as mothers are running households with little or no support and under close to impossible conditions. However, there has been little media coverage or social research on how families are managing under COVID-19.

This project will examine Canadian and Australian mothers' unpaid work in the home (e.g. homeschooling, house cleaning, childcare and eldercare) and wage labour during a pandemic, and will examine the commonalities and differences between the countries. It involves 30 mothers (15 from Canada and 15 from Australia) who will be interviewed via Zoom from all regions of each country and with diverse backgrounds in terms of race, class, sexuality and ability.

The project will examine these challenges across Canada and Australia to consider and compare the impact of COVID-19 on mothers in different regions to understand the nuanced complexity of the pandemic and to develop appropriate resources and policies for each national context.

This Partnership Engagement Grant is the first to provide a comparative study of the impact of COVID-19 on mothers in Canada and Australia.

SSHRC Insight Grant (April 2021) for 鈥淥lder young mothers: An overlooked cohort in research and social policy鈥�

This is a three-year grant of $71,411 to support a project that examines the challenges facing "older young mothers" (aged between 18 and 24), such as access to post-secondary education, housing, employment, childcare, community support and advocacy, and the deleterious societal views and cultural representations of young motherhood. Current research on young motherhood largely focuses on younger teens; this study looks at the specific needs of young mothers at the adult end of the spectrum.

The project will contribute to current research on older young motherhood in three significant ways. First, with particular attention to how the new social construct of older young motherhood informs and frames their experiences of mothering, the project will assess current policies to develop ones that better address the challenges these mothers face. Second, by exploring how this cohort's experience with motherhood is shaped by race, class, ethnicity and geographic location, the study will contribute to our understanding of intersectionality. And third, the project will explore how older young mothers resist normative discourses that define and position them as unfit mothers to effect cultural change.

The project will assess how discourses and policies impact this new cohort of young mothers across cultural differences and how they may be resisted and reformed. The findings will be widely disseminated to community agencies, government, and the general public through research reports, policy briefs, media interviews and on social media.

SSHRC Connection Grant (July 2021) for the conference 鈥淢others, Families, and COVID-19: Building Back Better鈥�

This one-year, $24,250 grant supports the first international conference on the impact of COVID-19 on mothers and families. Current research shows that sustainable and holistic COVID-19 recovery will require more than a vaccine. In many ways, the pandemic has acted as a beacon, further exposing long-standing cracks in systems of caregiving, women's rights and gender equality.

The proposed conference, "Mothers, Families, and COVID-19: Building Back Better," co-hosted by the Mothers Matter Centre (MMC) and 91亚色, examines the impact of the pandemic on mothers' care work and wage labour in the context of employment, schooling, communities, families, and the relationships of parents and children. With a global perspective, the conference will explore the increasing complexity and demands of childcare, domestic labour, eldercare and home schooling under the pandemic protocols; the intricacies and difficulties of performing wage labour at home; the impact of the pandemic on mothers' employment; and the strategies mothers have used to manage the competing demands of care work and wage labour during the pandemic.

This conference, which has 87 confirmed speakers from 12 countries, will explore the impact of COVID-19 on mothers' wage work and care labour, with a focus on what "building back better" tangibly looks like for the mothers most affected. It will allow for a timely examination of, and response to, the impact of COVID-19 on mothers and families as countries transition to a post-pandemic world.

The knowledge mobilized by and through the conference will be widely disseminated as a report to diverse social agencies and will be preserved through the recording of the conference, which will be stored and made available through the MMC website. Moreover, articles developed from the conference will be published in a special double issue of The Journal of the Motherhood Initiative in 2022 and will be made available in open access format.

鈥淚 am deeply honoured and delighted to receive these grants that I hope will create new and innovative research and policy to empower these mothers and advance matricentric feminism,鈥� says O鈥橰eilly.

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A total of 20 projects led by LA&PS faculty were announced as recipients of the 2020 Insight Grants (19 awards valued at a combined $2,145,491) and 2020 Partnership Development Grants (one award valued at $199,951).

The Insight Grants support long-term research initiatives for two to five years, while the Partnership Development Grant will support a one- to three-year project organized through formal collaborations with public, private and not-for-profit organizations.

鈥淟A&PS researchers are contributing crucial knowledge across the many disciplines of social science and humanities,鈥� said LA&PS Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, Ravi de Costa. 鈥淪SHRC Insight Grants enable leading experts to undertake original and innovative kinds of inquiry, and our colleagues鈥� success in this program is a testament to the strength and depth of research going on in the Faculty.鈥�

LA&PS researchers are investigating important topics, including social implications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, connections between language and community in Canada, overlooked demographics in social policies and more.

鈥淟A&PS is steadfast in its commitment to research excellence and to building on this excellence going forward. Across the Faculty, our instructors are at the forefront of their respective fields 鈥� enriching our understanding of the humanities, social sciences and professional studies in meaningful ways,鈥� said LA&PS Dean J.J. McMurtry. 鈥淕rant funding from SSHRC will help us continue to accomplish this goal. I鈥檓 excited to congratulate this year鈥檚 recipients.鈥�

LA&PS 2020 Insight Grant recipients (principal investigators):

• Lalaie Ameeriar, Department of Anthropology;
• Amelie Barras, Department of Social Science;
• Antoine Djogbenou, Department of Economics;
• Alan Durston, Department of History;
• Jonathan Edmondson, Department of History;
• Ratiba Hadj-Moussa, Department of Sociology;
• Eva Haque, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics;
• Mark Hayward, Department of Communication & Media Studies;
• Michael Herren, Department of Humanities;
• Eva Karpinski, School of Gender, Sexuality & Women鈥檚 Studies;
• Ruth King, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics;
• Maria Liegghio, School of Social Work;
• Carmela Murdocca, Department of Sociology;
• Andrea O鈥橰eilly, School of Gender, Sexuality & Women鈥檚 Studies;
• Selcuk Ozyurt, Department of Economics;
• Carolyn Podruchny, Department of History;
• Andrey Stoyanov, Department of Economics;
• Leah Vosko, Department of Politics; and
• Xueqing Xu, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics.

LA&PS 2020 Partnership Development Grant recipient (principal investigator):

• Marcello Musto, Department of Sociology.

See the complete lists of  and  recipients on the SSHRC website.

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The two projects are among only聽13 selected from across Canada to receive up to聽.

鈥淲e are proud that 91亚色 has been awarded an unprecedented two NSERC CREATE grants this year, and grateful for the continued support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council. The CREATE grants will enable us to strengthen our contribution to Canada鈥檚 economic and environmental sustainability by preparing students for in-demand careers in space robotics and applied biotechnology. We are pleased to have this opportunity to bring industry, government and researchers together to train future leaders in these growing sectors,鈥� said 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton.

Each of the 91亚色 projects will receive more than $1.6 million through the CREATE program鈥檚 Industrial Stream. The projects will offer students from the undergraduate to post-doctoral level, the opportunity to learn from industry, government, and researchers across many disciplines, in both academic and non-academic settings. 

鈥�91亚色 is delighted to see Lassonde Professors Satinder Kaur Brar and Zheng Hong (George) Zhu each awarded an NSERC CREATE grant, the total value of which is over $3 million,鈥� said Vice-President Research & Innovation聽Amir Asif. 鈥淣SERC鈥檚 investment will address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada鈥檚 research priorities; facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce; and support the creation of new knowledge and scientific scholarship in our country and beyond. We greatly appreciate NSERC鈥檚 continued support and recognition of the work of our researchers.鈥�

Smart Autonomous Robotic Technology for Space Exploration (SMART-ART)聽will be led by聽, 91亚色 Research Chair in Space Technology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering. Canada鈥檚 contribution to the NASA Lunar Gateway project, Lunar Gateway Robotics, has created a surge in demand for highly qualified personnel with smart space robotics training. The SMART-ART program will offer experiential industry-oriented training to undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, including industrial internships, research lab rotations, international exchanges and conferences. In doing so, it will help to address three challenges in the Canadian space sector: a shortage of professionals with multidisciplinary skill sets related to Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, and Autonomous Robotics for space exploration; an aging workforce with an average age of 54; and gender inequality in the field. Zhu will lead a team with members and partners from Canadian and international universities, the private sector, the Canadian Space Agency and National Research Council. Many colleagues from 91亚色 will take part, including four co-applicants from the Lassonde School of Engineering and Osgoode Hall Law School and 10 collaborators from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Earth and Space Science and Engineering. The CREATE project will use equipment including robotics, 3D Lidar system and a space environment chamber funded through a Canada Foundation for Infrastructure聽.

Training in Applied Biotechnology for Environmental Sustainability (TABES)聽will be led by聽Professor聽, James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering. Most of the 2.7 kg of waste each Canadian generates daily is organic and, along with waste from the forest industry, can be transformed into high-value bioproducts such as enzymes, biopolymers and biofuels for application in agricultural, environmental, bioremediation, nanotechnology, bioenergy and biochemicals sectors. This waste management shift to products that are much more valuable than traditional products such as compost and biogas could reduce carbon footprint and achieve a circular bioeconomy for future generations. Technologies derived from residual waste biomass are expected to increase exponentially in the coming years, creating growing demand for highly qualified professionals. Students trained through the TABES program will be provided with a mix of theoretical and practical knowledge with exposure to real-world situations and will incorporate unique skills and competence related to interdisciplinary experience (science-engineering interface); psychrophilic microorganism isolation and related processes (very important in the changing climate context); big data analytics and machine learning interface; First Nation engagement and exchange; retrofit advantages and challenges (learned through pilot plant facilities); and living laboratory off-campus experience (enriched through North-South interconnections). Four 91亚色 co-applicants from the Lassonde School of Engineering and two from Faculty of Science will take part in the project, with partners from other universities and research institutes and the private sector.聽

Courtesy of YFile.

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The students will be working on various research projects alongside Lassonde faculty members for the duration of the summer term. 鈥淔or many of us, summer encounters with research can be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion for inquiry in engineering and science,鈥� says Lassonde Professor聽, associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies. 鈥淕etting to experience how world-class research is actually done provides our students with a sense of accomplishment and the confidence that they, too, can make a contribution to advance knowledge and solve global problems.鈥�

This year, the Lassonde School of Engineering awarded 17 NSERC USRA and 45 LURA, with each student receiving a minimum stipend of $10,000. Incoming students include representatives from programs across the Lassonde School of Engineering and 91亚色 as well as the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo and McGill University.

The undergraduate summer research program focuses on providing undergraduate students with experience in a professional research environment and giving them a chance to take part in experiential education. In 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students have embarked on meaningful research experiences with the faculty members across all four departments. This year, students are conducting much of their work remotely, but some may be able to access campus facilities to conduct laboratory research, depending on regulations.

鈥淭hanks to LURA, I had the opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate student. This opportunity helped me see how curiosity, collaboration and creative problem-solving can be integral parts of the research process,鈥� said聽Arma Khan, a student in the 2020 LURA program, now an MASc student in mechanical engineering with Professor聽. 鈥淚t led me to appreciate the role researchers have in the scientific community and inspired me to pursue my master's, where I can further delve into research.鈥�

This year, professors have worked tirelessly to provide students with flexible opportunities for engagement and create research environments for students to hone their skills, solve problems, analyze data, write reports and disseminate their findings.

The research projects span across a variety of areas, many of which support the  (UN SDGs), including UN SDG 3 鈥� Good Health and Well-Being; UN SDG 9 鈥� Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; and UN SDG 11 鈥� Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Research projects include:

• protecting heritage structures from climate and fire;
• robot-based disinfection of COVID-19;
• development of autonomous vehicles;
• technology to ensure safety of drinking water; and
• human-computer interaction in virtual environments

In August, each student will get the opportunity to present their findings at the 2021 Summer Undergraduate Conference taking place virtually on Aug. 17.

In , the Summer Undergraduate Conference included live oral and pre-recorded video presentations from over 60 students, and a keynote address from Caroline Floyd (BSc 鈥�01). Attendees included government officials, professors, industry experts and students.

Learn more about the program聽.

Courtesy of YFile.

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The  is part of the NRC鈥檚 , designed to bring the best Canadian and international researchers together to fast-track research and development aimed at specific COVID-19 gaps and challenges as identified by Canada's health experts. 

Heffernan, Inaugural 91亚色 Research Chair (Tier II), Multi-Scale Methods for Evidence-based Health Policy in the Faculty of Science, is leading the study with colleagues James Ooi, the NRC鈥檚 Pandemic Response Challenge program project lead, and M. Sajjad Ghaemi, NRC research officer, both from the NRC-Fields Collaboration Centre. 

鈥淒ifferent vaccines elicit an immune response using different pathways, which affects the level and type of immunity you build,鈥� says Heffernan of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling. 鈥淲ith this research, we鈥檙e tracking the activation of the immune response that鈥檚 been excited by vaccines, looking at the generation of antibodies, as well as memory B cells and T cells. Clinical trials can measure the number of antibodies, but they don鈥檛 measure B cells and T cells.鈥� 

To do this, the researchers will combine mathematical models of immunity development (mechanistic models) with machine learning algorithms to better understand the outcomes of immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus after one- and two-dose regimes of adenovirus (AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson), mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) and protein subunit (Novavax) vaccines. They will model the effectiveness and immunity response to the virus, including pathogen mutations and variants, when vaccines doses are given days or weeks apart or, as is the case in Canada currently, four months apart. 

The researchers hope the mechanistic models will enrich the dataset upon which the machine learning framework is trained. By combining new datasets that are being released publicly, this approach can potentially advance the accuracy of the machine learning framework. This will allow the researchers to classify outcomes of vaccinations as emerging evidence becomes available. 

The idea is to uncover the complex interactions between interferon signalling pathways and the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. 

鈥淲hen you model outcomes in antibodies, it鈥檚 important to try to model the development of these memory cells in the background. Antibodies protect you from being infected and if they fail, it鈥檚 the memory cells that give you that activate factor that allows you to have a milder infection,鈥� says Heffernan.

One of the goals of this research is to tailor vaccines to people鈥檚 body chemistry. 鈥淭his is well into the future, but the goal eventually is to develop in-house models for mRNA, adenovirus and protein subunit vaccines that can be used to inform what type of vaccine a person should get depending on the characteristics of their immune system,鈥� says Heffernan.

In the short term, the researchers hope to predict the outcomes in children of various vaccines, even without the results of a clinical trial. Based on the differences in immune response of children versus adults, the idea is to change the machine learning and mechanistic models calibrated for adults so that they fit the characteristics of children.

The modelling can also be expanded in the future to test other types of vaccines for COVID-19, in addition to vaccines for other viruses. 

The data will be provided to public health agencies, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Canadian Immunization Research Network, and academic researchers to inform vaccine design and policy, and predict safety and efficacy of different vaccine types.

Courtesy of YFile.

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, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering at 91亚色, is working to tackle the spread of plastics in aquatic systems where the decomposition of plastics is having a major impact on aquatic health.

Karimpour has received a Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance Option 2 Grant, totalling $493,400 over five years to help tackle this growing problem through the project, 鈥淗idden microplastics of the Niagara Basin: distribution, variability, and ecotoxicology in water and sediments.鈥� Karimpour is working with Professors  and  from 91亚色, as well as Professors Tirupati Bolisetti and Ram Balachandar from the University of Windsor.

The team is researching the physical processes that lead to the transport and ecotoxicology of microplastics across the Niagara Basin of Lake Ontario as well as two rivers in the Greater Toronto Area. In a unique approach, the researchers are combining numerical simulations, field sampling and laboratory experiments to tackle the problem from multiple angles. Ultimately, their goal is to develop an understanding of how currents, gravity and weathering influence the transport of microplastics in aquatic environments, and how this impacts aquatic life. The research team has partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (Environmental Monitoring & Reporting Branch), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division) and Pollution Probe to conduct this research.

The transport of plastic debris by storm drains, wastewater and windage into rivers allows plastics to enter large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes. Plastic decomposition can take centuries, and this is exacerbated in freshwater and marine systems. As a result, plastics remain in aquatic environments far beyond their urban and industrial lifespan. In freshwater and marine ecosystem, plastics are widespread and found in the deepest sea sediments and remote Arctic waters.

Microplastics are plastic pieces smaller than 5mm in size. Some microplastics are directly manufactured for use in clothing, cosmetics or household products, and others are the by-product of the breakdown of larger plastic debris. In the last decade, microplastics have been recognized as emerging pollutants due to their impact on both aquatic animals and human health.

鈥淲hat we see as visible, floating plastic debris on water surface is really only the tip of the iceberg. Existing research confirms that plastics, especially microplastics, are spread across all water bodies, including Lake Ontario. Pieces of a discarded plastic bottle in Toronto, can potentially end up in sediments a hundred meters deep in the Great Lakes or travel thousands of kilometers in the water to a distant area,鈥� said Karimpour.

In 2017,  that 10,000 tonnes of plastics enter the Great Lakes every year. The plastics in these aquatic environments not only impact the water quality but are also consumed by many forms of aquatic life and later work their way up the food chain. Estimates indicate that floating microplastics on water surfaces only account for a small portion of this pollution and the overwhelming majority of these emerging contaminants are hidden within aquatic systems in water columns and sediments. Identifying and improving the detection, distribution and environmental impact of microplastic pollution is of utmost importance.

This NSERC Alliance Option 2 grant builds on a previous  awarded to Karimpour in 2020, for the project titled 鈥淭he Fate and Transport of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: Synthesis and Directions for Future Research.鈥� This funding is also in partnership with Kaur Brar, as well as the National Research Council of Canada. As part of this work, Karimpour presented at the SSHRC Imagining Canada鈥檚 Future Forum in April 2021.

The NSERC Alliance Option 2 grant awarded to Karimpour is a first for 91亚色.  fund collaborations of university researchers and partner organizations in multiple sectors. The Alliance Option 2 grants are funded up to 100 per cent by NSERC and are awarded specifically for research aiming to address a societal challenges.

Courtesy of YFile.

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The  initiative was created to strengthen interdisciplinary research in areas of strategic importance to the University. The program will provide funding to selected research clusters to support globally leading research excellence that will offer world-class training opportunities for high-calibre personnel. It is also intended to serve as a catalyst to secure future large-scale follow-on funding, through federal, provincial or other external research funding programs, including the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund and the New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation stream. In doing so, this new initiative will scale the development of research teams and clusters to position the University as a key node in national and international networks in strategic areas of interest. It will also enable impactful contributions towards the University鈥檚 Strategic Research Plan, the University Academic Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Eligibility

For the purpose of this initiative, an interdisciplinary project is defined as one that crosses the mandate of at least two of the three federal research funding councils (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and includes members from at least two Faculties, while a cluster must include a team of at least five researchers, one of whom must be an early career researcher.

Early career researchers are defined as individuals who, as of 2021, have five years or less experience since their first academic appointment, with the exception of career interruptions (e.g. maternity or parental leave, extended sick leave, clinical training and family care) that occurred after their appointment. For all leaves, except professional leaves (such as training-related, sabbatical and administrative-related leaves), the five-year window is extended by twice the time interruption taken.

Research themes

The program will provide funding for a limited number of projects across select thematic areas, including: artificial intelligence and society; digital cultures and fintech; disaster and health emergency; global health; and many more.

To learn more about the specific themes and details to submit a proposal, including the adjudication and reporting process, view the PDF of the call for submissions at .

Key dates and contact information

• The deadline to submit a notice of intent is June 7 by 4:30 p.m.
• Full proposals (by invitation only) are due July 30 by 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Mark Roseman, director, Strategic & Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI), Office of Research Services, at roseman@yorku.ca.

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