celebration Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ research leaders recognized at annual celebration

muellerm — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 10:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ research leaders were recognized on Feb. 24 for their outstanding achievements during the fourth annual 91��ɫ U Research Leaders celebration.

Hosted by 91��ɫ President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Vice-President Research and Innovation Robert Haché, and Celia Haig-Brown, associate vice-president research, who officiated as event MC, the University celebrated the outstanding research achievements of several 91��ɫ researchers, students and postdoctoral fellows.

Above: The researchers honoured at the 91��ɫ U Research Leaders celebration

Above: 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

Researchers and students were recognized for achievements that ranged from being appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada to being the lead for a Partnership Grant award by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada to being appointed a Canada Research Chair to being the lead on a large scale research grant from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and more. This year’s Research Leaders event was dedicated in memory of Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Nick Cercone, who was posthumously recognized for his research achievements.

“Every year for the past four years we have gathered at this event to recognize research excellence and success across the University – and each year it becomes clearer that 91��ɫ researchers are taking their place among the world’s leading scholars and experts,” said Shoukri. “The work of our scholars actively enriches the atmosphere of learning at 91��ɫ, and is at the heart of our efforts to train the next generation of thought leaders.”

Shoukri introduced the keynote speaker, Pat Horgan, Vice-President Manufacturing, Development & Operations at IBM Canada.�� Horgan spoke about the tremendous impact of 91��ɫ research and the importance of industry-academic collaborations in the broader community, highlighting 91��ɫ’s research partnerships with IBM Canada.

Above: 91��ɫ Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché, Distinguished Research Professor Bridget Stutchbury, who is the recipient of the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award, Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, who is the recipient of the 2016 President's Emerging Research Leadership Award, with 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

“Today marks our fourth annual 91��ɫ Research Leaders celebration,” noted Haché in his remarks. “We plan to continue growing the tradition – the celebration of our research and scholarly accomplishments – and the valuable contribution that research, scholarship and creative activity at 91��ɫ is making to society.”

Haig-Brown noted each research leader’s individual accomplishments as they were presented with gifts by Shoukri and Haché. The list of researchers, postdoctoral fellows and students who were honoured is as follows:

Stacey Allison-Cassin, Associate Librarian, Reference Department, Scott Library

Alidad Amirfazli, Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Kristin Andrews, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Uzo Anucha, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Ali Asgary, Associate Professor, School of Administrative Studies, Disaster & Emergency Management, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Peter Backx, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Jacob Beck, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Benjamin L. Berger, Associate Dean (Students) and Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Sampa Bhadra, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Margaret Boittin, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Deborah Britzman, Distinguished Research Professor, Faculty of Education

Annie Bunting, Associate Professor, Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Rosemary Coombe, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Communication & Culture, Department of Anthropology & Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Michael Daly, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Paul Delaney, Senior Lecturer, Department of Physics & Astronomy and Director, Division of Science, Faculty of Science

Mario DiPaolantonio, Associate Professor, Faculty of Educaiton

James Elder, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering and Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Samantha Fashler, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Seth Feldman, Professor, Department of Cinema & Media Arts, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Book prize winner FES Professor Sheila Colla (centre) with Pat Horgan, Vice-President, Manufacturing, Development & Operations, IBM Canada and 91��ɫ Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché

Stephen Gaetz, Professor, Faculty of Education

Kathleen Gould-Lundy, Department of Professional Learning, Faculty of Education

Jinthana Haritaworn, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Jane Heffernan, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science

Jimmy Huang, Professor and Director, School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Demian Ifa, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Lesley Jacobs, Professor, Department of Social Science and the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Ray Jayawardhana, Dean and Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Jennifer Jenson, Professor, Faculty of Education

Hui Jiang, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering

Jolin Joseph, Teaching Assistant, Department of Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Mark Jurdjevic, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of History, Glendon College

Stanislav Kirschbaum, Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies, Glendon College

Fuyuki Kurasawa, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and 91��ɫ Research Chair in Global Digital Citizenship

Christopher Kyriakides, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair in Socially Engaged Research in Race and Racialization

Richard Last, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Regina Lee, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Barry Lever, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Mary Elizabeth Luka, Sensorium Centre for Digital Arts & Technology, School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Kyo Maclear, Education Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Heath MacMillan, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Tom McElroy, CSA/ABB/NSERC Industrial Research Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Remote Sounding, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Susan McGrath, Professor, School of Social Work, Lassonde School of Engineering

Deborah McGregor, Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School and Faculty of Environmental Studies and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science

Scott Menary, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Sushanta Mitra, Associate Vice-President Research and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Haideh Moghissi, Professor, Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Lewis Molot, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Noa Nahmias, History Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Norio Ota, Associate Lecturer, Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Debra Pepler, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health

Marie-Christine Pioffet, Professor, Department of French Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Emanuel Rosonina, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Adrian Shubert, Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Gunho Sohn, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering

Paul Sych, Associate Professor, Department of Design, School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Salvatore Totino, Course Director, Faculty of Education

John Tsotsos, Distinguished Research Professor, Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering

Sean Tulin, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Particle Physics and Cosmology

Doug Van Nort, Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre and Department of Digital Media, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design and Canada Research Chair in Digital Performance

Christopher Vanden Berg, Political Science Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Peter Victor, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Leah F. Vosko, Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender & Work

Graham Wakefield, Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Art & Art History, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and Canada Research Chair in Interactive Information Visualization

Derek Wilson, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Thilo Womelsdorf, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Jianhong Wu, Professor Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Industrial & Applied Mathematics

Gerald Young, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Glendon College

Dessi Zaharieva, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health

Amro Zayed, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Book Prizes and Awards

Bonnell, J. (2014). Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don River Valley. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Colla, Shiela, Williams, P., Thorp, R. & Richardson, L. (2014). Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Cothran, B. (2014). Remembering the Modoc War: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Gilbert, J. (2014). Sexuality in school: The limits of education. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Hoffmann, R. (2014). An Environmental History of Medieval Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jenkins, W. (2013). Between Raid and Rebellion: The Irish in Buffalo and Toronto, 1867-1916. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

McGriffin, E. (2014). Subduction Zone. St. Johns: Pedlar Press.

Smardon, B. (2014). Asleep at the Switch: The Political Economy of Federal Research and Development Policy since 1960. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

The winners of the Undergraduate Research Fair, held earlier in the day in Scott Library, were also recognized at the Research Leaders event. University Librarian Joy Kirchner spoke about their achievements and highlighted the importance of undergraduate research.

Undergraduate Research Fair students pose for a group portrait at the 91��ɫ U Research Leaders event

Dean and Associate Vice-President Graduate in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Barbara Crow followed Davidson and highlighted graduate student research at 91��ɫ. ��Her remarks were presented in front of a slideshow of various students’ achievements.

Shoukri presented Distinguished Research Professor Bridget Stutchbury, Faculty of Science, with the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award and Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Faculty of Health, and 91��ɫ Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health, with the 2016 President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award.

Stutchbury was honoured with the 2016 President’s Research Excellence Award for her significant contributions to outstanding research on the ecology, behaviour and conservation of birds.

Pillai Riddell was recognized with the 2016 President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award for establishing the first norms for the development of acute pain behaviours in healthy infants, within the context of primary caregivers through her (the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt [OUCH]) Lab at 91��ɫ.

For more information on the President’s Research Award recipients, see YFile story.

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91��ɫ celebrates its research leaders

muellerm — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Research excellence, innovation and impact are three key achievements that will be recognized and celebrated at the 91��ɫ U Research Leaders event, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

“We are delighted to be hosting our fourth annual 91��ɫ U Research Leaders event to recognize the accomplishments of our researchers and students for their valued contribution to 91��ɫ’s vibrant research community,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation. “All 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to join us for this event.”

Hosted by the President’s Office and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, the event begins at 5pm in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, in the Accolade East Building. A reception will follow. Many 91��ɫ researchers who have earned prestigious awards, major grants and book prizes will be recognized, along with a presentation to the winners of the President’s Excellence Research Award and President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award, an announcement of the winners from 91��ɫ’s undergraduate research fair and recognition of graduate student research achievements.

Event highlights include: Keynote speaker, Pat Horgan, vice-president manufacturing, development & operations, IBM Canada, a special video highlighting a number of 91��ɫ’s researchers and a slide presentation that captures some of the many research successes of the past year.

Organizers ask community members interested in attending the celebration .

For more University news, photos and videos, visit the homepage.

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Faculty of Health to celebrate its innovative research

fmaquito — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Can exercise turn back the clock for aging muscles? Is aerobic or resistance exercise better for decreasing the risk of diabetes in youth? Those are just two of the questions researchers will discuss at the upcoming Faculty of Health Research Celebration.

Robert Haché (left), 91��ɫ's vice-president research & innovation, and Harvey Skinner (below right), dean of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health, will host the Research Celebration, Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 4 pm, in the Scott Library Atrium, Keele campus.

The celebration will highlight innovation in muscle health research at 91��ɫ and will include talks from four Faculty of Health researchers discussing their work.

"This celebration provides an opportunity for the 91��ɫ research community to share knowledge and ideas and to come together to learn more about the breadth and depth of innovative research taking place at the University,” says Haché.

The four researchers will discuss the role muscles play in everything from obesity and diabetes to osteoarthritis and reversing the aging process.

“Keeping people healthier longer, so that they can age positively and avoid chronic diseases and injuries, is at the heart of this celebration of ground breaking research underway in the Faculty of Health,” says Skinner.

Professor Rolando Ceddia, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator, will discuss “Improving Muscle and Adipose Tissue Function to Treat Obesity and Diabetes: The Role of Exercise and Diet”.

“My research investigates the molecular and physiological mechanisms by which obesity induces dysfunctional metabolic alterations in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle; two tissues that play crucial roles in regulating energy and glucose homeostasis,” says Ceddia, of 91��ɫ’s Muscle Health Research Centre in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science.

Left: Rolando Ceddia��

“We study the effects of exercise, either alone or in combination with nutritional and pharmacological interventions, on glucose and lipid metabolism in diet-induced obesity.”

The presentation will look at the adaptive responses induced by chronic endurance training in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue metabolism, as well as the implications for whole-body energy expenditure. The main goal is to understand the role of exercise and diet in the prevention and/or treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities.

Professor Jennifer Kuk (right)��of 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science will look at “Aerobic Versus Resistance Exercise for Decreasing Diabetes Risk in Obese Youth”. The focus of this talk is to examine the effectiveness of aerobic and resistance exercise for improving insulin resistance in youth using a randomized control design.

Insulin resistance at the site of the muscle is one of the hallmark characteristics of pre-diabetes and Type��2 diabetes, says Kuk. Increasingly, youth are presenting with insulin resistance. It is increasingly important to develop non-pharmacological interventions for treating insulin resistance.��

Aerobic and resistance exercise help improve insulin resistance in adults. Aerobic exercise improves muscle glucose metabolism and resistance exercise increases the muscle mass available for uptaking glucose.��

Biology Professor David Hood (left), a Canada Research Chair in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, will discuss the topic, “Can Exercise 'Rescue' Aging Muscles?” Skeletal muscle occupies about 40 per cent of body weight and is a major contributor to whole body health and metabolism.

“As we age, we lose muscle mass, and this is apparent in elderly, frail individuals. The mechanisms of how this muscle mass is lost are not completely understood, but a prominent theory involves the increasing malfunction of mitochondria within muscle cells,” says Hood. “Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, the organelles which supply the energy for cell survival.”

With age, mitochondrial content within muscle declines and they begin to produce molecules called “reactive oxygen species” which inflict damage on cellular DNA. If the DNA in any cell breaks down, the cell dies. In the case of muscle cells, they atrophy or shrink. If many cells atrophy, the body loses muscle mass.

“Research has shown that exercise is a potential non-pharmacological therapy which can be used to reduce the loss of muscle mass by improving mitochondrial function, thereby preserving muscle function as we age,” says Hood.

Professor William Gage (right), associate dean research & innovation, will examine “Muscles and Sore Joints: Arthritis and Muscle Activity”. The knee and hip joints experience large loads when a person walks, says Gage. To deal with those loads, the joints and surrounding muscles act together to allow a person to move, while protecting the joints from the loading that occurs during movement.

As a person moves, their muscles are activated or turned on at the right time by the right amount so their joints will not only move, but their limbs won’t collapse under the weight, says Gage. Sensors in the joints contribute to the nervous system’s knowledge of when and how the muscles should be turned on.

Previous research has shown that when a joint is painful or swollen the sensory information coming from these joint sensors is affected, which in turn affects the activation of the muscles around the joints. A long-term outcome of this response may be osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 50 per cent of those over the age of 65.

“Recent research in our lab has examined how different strategies during walking may influence the amount of loading in the knee joint and how muscles around the joint respond to loads that are imposed on the knee joint,” says Gage. “Future work in our lab will explore how loading and muscle activity are affected by changes in the sensory information that arises from the knee joint.”

To RSVP to Lia Novario, by Friday, Jan. 13, or call ext. 33782.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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