��“91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit is continuing to make an impact by supporting transformative research through knowledge translation,” said Robert Haché (left), 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “We are proud of the important work 91��ɫ’s leading KMb Unit is providing to NeuroDevNet, and warmly welcome the new members of the knowledge translation team.”

“For seven years, 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit has been providing professional knowledge mobilization services to 91��ɫ's researchers, students and their partners to maximize the economic, social and environmental impacts of research," said David Phipps (right), executive director, research & information services at 91��ɫ. "I am delighted to be the knowledge translation lead for NeuroDevNet and provide services to accelerate the impact of their research and training programs on the lives of children and families living with neurodevelopmental disorders."��

Anneliese Poetz, NeuroDevNet��knowledge translation manager, and Matt Calverley,��knowledge translation coordinator, are being hosted in 91��ɫ's KMb Unit, in suite 201, Kaneff Tower, as of this month.

“This is an exciting development for NeuroDevNet,” says Dan Goldowitz, the organization's scientific director. “With NeuroDevNet moving strongly towards a translational phase, we are going to have many great stories to tell and then move toward important outcomes. The expertise present at 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and our new KT lead, David Phipps, is hugely welcome and the network members are enthusiastically looking towards engagement with his team.”

NeuroDevNet is in its fourth year as an NCE, and has drawn together world-class researchers and clinicians across the country with expertise in three initial areas of focus, in autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy.��Translation of research into practice and commercial ventures, as well as engagement with policy makers, are key elements of the NCE mission.��Knowledge translation is a central pillar of the NeuroDevNet initiative, funded for an initial period of five years by the NCE and Industry Canada through the Tri-Councils.

One in six Canadian children is affected by a brain-based developmental disorder. “NeuroDevNet exists to help these children and their families overcome the challenges that stem from neurodevelopmental conditions,” adds Goldowitz. “NeuroDevNet’s research is making important strides towards that objective. I am confident our new KT team will help ensure our findings reach stakeholders who share our commitment and can put that knowledge into action.”

For more information, visit the website.

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The other area of high risk for pregnancy is youth from Aboriginal communities in northern Ontario.

“As we read and summarized and synthesized research literature, and talked to youth workers, we realized there were these specific groups,” says Connolly, director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution. “With that kind of feedback our research becomes focused and we can shift the lens to these three groups, for instance.”

That is the value of knowledge mobilization –��the ability to see the gaps in the research and to more accurately zoom in where there is a need.

Right: Jennifer Connolly

The initial goal of Connolly’s KMb project, “Teen Pregnancy and Teen Mothers: Meeting the Needs in 91��ɫ Region”, was to examine the prevalence of pregnant teens and teen mothers in 91��ɫ Region and��how their mental health needs were being met, ��and it identify��service gaps. The project also reviewed��those girls receiving protective service intervention from 91��ɫ Region Children’s Aid Society to evaluate their risk for pregnancy and initiated community-based opportunities for feedback and knowledge exchange. In addition, the project was designed to help determine how research on risk and resilience can inform clinical care, maximize positive outcomes and point the way for areas of further research.

“It led us to recognize that teen pregnancy was in the low to moderate range in Canada; about three to four per cent of live births are to women 19 and younger," says Connolly, a psychology professor in the Faculty of Health.��It used to be higher. In the United States, it’s up around 18 per cent and in Italy it’s down around one per cent. "Teen pregnancy has certainly dropped in Canada, but when we look at the data, it ignores the fact that there are huge disparities in that information. In some communities the risk of teen pregnancy and motherhood is much higher.”

For teen girls in the three highest risk categories, the rate of pregnancy soars to 30 to 50 per cent, and the teen pregnancy and motherhood outcomes in these groups��are not good.

The research team –��Connolly, 91��ɫ Professor Hala Tamim of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health, psychology Professor Yvonne Bohr also of the Faculty of Health, Sandra Cunning of Kinark Child & Family Services and��Bonita Majonis of 91��ɫ Region Children’s Aid Society – realized the value of getting the results from research and knowledge synthesization out to community members��who could make use of them.

One such community would be the youth workers and service agencies that work directly with these teens. This summer, Connolly, along with colleagues and students, will post plain language research summaries on 11 different topics��using the��Orion 03 platform, thanks to a Canadian Institutes of Health Research supplement grant. This is part of a research mobilization project headed by David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services, to get clear, concise summaries of research out to communities.

For Connolly’s research, youth workers from Kinark Child & Family Services and the 91��ɫ Region Children’s Aid Society will comment on the summaries and bring forth any questions.

The topics that will be tackled for the summaries will include homelessness and teen pregnancy and mothers; the risk and resilience of teen mothers; the risk and resilience of the mothers of teen mothers; teen pregnancy and teen motherhood in Canada; and the availability of services for teen mothers in 91��ɫ Region.

It will allow Connolly and Phipps to take a closer look at how synthesized research can help those using the information in the community. It’s a way to evaluate how well knowledge mobilization works, Conolly��says. She is hoping the project will point to specific areas where more research is needed. “The kind of questions we will ask in future research will be shaped by the real world.”

More information about��Connolly's research is available on the .

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

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

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91��ɫ had several different presentations at Discovery 2010. Professors , George Zhu, , Costas Armenakis, , Hugh Chesser and Baoxin Hu from the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering had several displays, including an underwater robot, a nanosatellite, computer vision and a Mars rover.

Professor Regina Lee and her students, also from the Department of Earth & Space Science, showed off their Mars rover and the massive trophy they won for placing first in the 2009 University Rover Challenge in Utah (where the land apparently resembles the surface of Mars — who knew?). The group also placed second in the 2010 competition this month.

Professor kept crowds happy playing his iPhone app, “” which debuted at . 91��ɫ’s digital media display also featured the projects funded by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (, led by Professor Nell Tenhaff in the Faculty of Fine Arts) and the Ontario Research Fund (the , led by Professor John Tsotsos in the Faculty of Science & Engineering).

Meanwhile, , a partner in the 91��ɫ-led 3D FLIC project, drew crowds who didn’t mind sharing 3D glasses to experience their stunning 3D television footage.

, a Regional Innovation Network for biotechnology in 91��ɫ Region for which 91��ɫ is a founding partner, was also represented by Janet Leclair and Sana Mulji Dutt.

Among the event’s highlights were the awards ceremonies, including the , innovation awards and many awards for Ontario’s best researchers, students and companies.�� Amongst these was the award for . The winning team, lead by Armen Bakirtzian, included a 91��ɫ MBA candidate, Ara Hasserjian.

Discovery 2010 provided an excellent introduction and overview for Sarah Fuller who joined 91��ɫ May 17 as associate director, research agreements and intellectual property where she

will lead 91��ɫ’s technology commercialization group. If your research involves non-academic partners (such as community, government, industry) or if you are required to transfer research funding, information or materials to another institution, Sarah can be reached at extension 20579 or by e-mail at sfuller@yorku.ca.

So what’s next for now? 91��ɫ is actively supporting industrial collaborations for faculty and students. Through expert services, industry liaison and technology commercialization under the Office of the Voce-President Research & Innovation, 91��ɫ will help connect your research to industrial partners. Companies can also explore working with 91��ɫ researchers and grad students.

For more information, contact David Phipps, director, Research Services and Knowledge Exchange at 416-736-5813 or dphipps@yorku.ca.

By David Phipps, director, Research Services and Knowledge Exchange.

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David Phipps, director of 91��ɫ's Office of Research Services, heads the university's . He and Peter Levesque, chair , gave a presentation at on the interplay between research, knowledge mobilization and what it takes to be successful in this new and growing field.

The complete video series is available on .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Two teams led by 91��ɫ University researchers have received $5 million in research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Their multinational research teams, involving multiple universities and community partners in a large-scale collaboration, have each received $2.5 million to examine long-term residential healthcare and global suburbanization.

The funding is part of ’s $10-million investment in critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance through the (MCRI) program, the largest award competition SSHRC currently runs.

The program contributes to the deeper understanding of people and society while providing graduate students with research training opportunities. Royal Galipeau, MP for Ottawa–Orléans, made the announcement in Ottawa this morning on behalf of Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology.

Pat Armstrong, professor of sociology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and an executive member of both the 91��ɫ Institute for Health Research and the Graduate Program in Health Policy & Equity, will lead a study to identify promising practices for understanding and organizing long-term residential healthcare.

Right: Pat Armstrong

Although many of Canada’s most vulnerable citizens live in long-term residential care, it is often characterized as a last resort rather than as a positive option where both providers and residents can thrive. Armstrong’s project seeks to learn from and with other countries to understand the approaches, structures, accountability practices, and ownership arrangements that create conditions prompting respectful and dignified treatment for both residents and caregivers.

Twenty-five researchers, eight partnering institutions, and 17 universities in six countries will work across disciplines to capture and share data and best practices. Armstrong is Chair in Health Services and Nursing Research, co-funded by the (CHSRF) and the (CIHR).

Roger Keil, professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, director of the City Institute at 91��ɫ, and director of the , is working with 44 researchers at 29 universities, and 16 partners in 12 countries to better understand the challenges suburbanization poses in a globalizing world.

Right: Roger Keil

Based on the experience of Canadian suburbanization, but ranging from North America’s wealthy gated communities to Europe’s high-rise-dominated suburbs, the exploding outskirts of Indian and Chinese cities to the slums and squatter settlements of Africa and Latin America, this project is the first to systematically take stock of worldwide suburban developments while analyzing their governance models, land use, infrastructure and suburban everyday life. The project also includes collaboration with the on documentaries about life in suburban high rises.

Of the four $2.5-million grants awarded, 91��ɫ was the only institution with two successful projects, building on its strong track record in leading large, interdisciplinary collaborative research projects. Prior to today’s announcement, 91��ɫ researchers held nine major SSHRC collaborative grants worth a total of $13.6 million in research funding.

“As the only institution to win multiple awards in this category, 91��ɫ’s researchers have clearly demonstrated their national and international excellence and leadership in large-scale, SSHRC research projects,” says Stan Shapson, vice-president research and innovation. “Leading major research initiatives allows us to address key social issues facing our society. As global populations expand and age, suburban research and new approaches to long-term residential healthcare are increasingly important to the well-being of Canadians and nations around the world. These projects provide unique opportunities for Pat, Roger, and their research collaborators to conduct groundbreaking research with significant impact on real-world issues.”

“These grants highlight the excellence of our country’s talented researchers and recognize the importance of fostering international collaboration to keep Canada at the forefront of research, development and innovation in the 21st century,” said Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC.

91��ɫ's other major SSHRC-funded interdisciplinary collaborative research projects

• “Assets Coming Together for Youth: Linking Research, Policy and Action for Positive Youth Development”, led by social work Professor Uzo Anucha in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) is developing a comprehensive youth strategy that will outline how marginalized urban communities like Toronto’s Jane-Finch neighbourhood can use their community assets to support positive youth development.
• The , led by Professor Emeritus Wesley Cragg in the Schulich School of Business, is mobilizing the University’s business expertise by bringing University researchers together in dialogue with leaders and researchers in business, government and the volunteer sector.
• The , led by Professor Stephen Gaetz in the Faculty of Education enhances the impact of research on homelessness and the housing crisis by increasing collaboration and discussion among researchers, policy-makers and community workers.
• The , led by LA&PS��social work Professor Susan McGrath, studies refugee and forced migration issues to find solutions to the plight of refugees worldwide.
• “Monitoring the Human Rights of People with Disabilities in Canada”, led by health policy & management Professor Marcia Rioux in the Faculty of Health, monitors and records human rights violations to put together an accurate picture of the daily lives of Canadians with disabilities.
• The Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative, led by��geography Professor Philip Kelly in LA&PS, assists community organizations whose mandate includes the better integration of immigrants into Toronto's labour force by providing these organizations with free access to statistical data and analysis on various aspects of immigrant labour market integration.
• “Slavery, Memory, Citizenship”, led by Distinguished Research Professor Paul Lovejoy, includes a team of more than 50 Canadian and international scholars who are researching��the global migrations of African peoples under conditions of slavery and how the resulting racism arising from the exploitation of African peoples has shaped modern societies.
• “The University as a Civic Change Agent: Community-Based Knowledge Mobilization”, led by David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services, is developing a community-focused input model for that seeks first to identify community knowledge needs and then focus university research expertise to help fill that need by creating a self-sustaining cycle of knowledge production and its uptake for policy, practice and community capacity building.
• “Work in a Warming World”, led by social science Professor Carla Lipsig-Mummé in LA&PS, studies the challenge presents to Canadian employment and workplaces by examining seven Canadian employment sectors to seek policy, training, employment and workplace solutions to effectively assist Canada’s transition to a low-emission economy.

For complete competition results, visit .

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with photos courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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On March 9, the Globe published an article on the . The story was part of its special report on university research and also appeared in the Report on Business section:

The study of literature is rarely associated with economic growth, yet that is precisely the argument made by Impact Group co-founder Ron Freedman: "The Stratford Festival generates huge economic benefit for the local community. What's its core technology? Old English."

According to Mr. Freedman, who authored a report on the economic role of social sciences and humanities research, this type of research doesn't get its fair share of credit for its contributions to the Canadian economy and society.

Discussions about the role of research in economic growth are usually dominated by the so-called "hard sciences," biomedical and technology in particular, and the Conservative government's recent Speech from the Throne was no exception, with its promises to continue investing in the Science and Technology Strategy, create a digital economy strategy and support advanced research in space-based technologies.

But many in the research community believe that focusing funding primarily on science and technology to strengthen the economy is a mistake. "The humanities and social sciences are moving to centre stage," said SSHRC president Chad Gaffield recently in a speech.

Two projects lead by 91��ɫ professors were mentioned in the coverage:

There are thousands of groups across the country trying to end homelessness. Yet, often being under-resourced, they lack funds to research whether their programs are effective. Enter Professor Stephen Gaetz of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education and nursing Professor Bernie Pauly of the University of Victoria who teamed up with community partners to help them evaluate their programs and share their great ideas with other communities.

Megan Davies, a professor in the Department of Social Science in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, had long wanted to share the wealth of knowledge she had accumulated about the history of mental health in Canada with young people, wrote the Globe. So, together with Anne Marshall, director of the Centre for Youth & Society at the University of Victoria, she developed high-school material that teaches students to understand their own mental health and be compassionate toward others with mental illness and made it available to teachers online at the Web site CaringMinds.ca.

On March 8, the Globe also published an article on that included 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization program, which partners researchers with community organizations and government policymakers to produce mutually-beneficial research.

“The future lies in exchanging all forms of research not just with industry but with government and with the community at large as well,” says David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services at 91��ɫ. “In past, the focus has been on technology. Now we are extending it to business, law, the social sciences and the humanities.”

...

At 91��ɫ, Mr. Phipps has two full-time staff working on what he calls knowledge mobilization. To date, they work with the United Way of 91��ɫ Region and The Human Services Planning Coalition of 91��ɫ Region, which represents 15 different social services agencies.

Representatives from those agencies meet regularly with 91��ɫ researchers for what he calls KM in the AM — a knowledge management breakfast — where the agencies get to pick what area of research they want to hear about and a 91��ɫ professor specializing in that area delivers a presentation.

"After that we leave it to the agencies and the professors to follow up," he says.

On March 10, Professor Joe Baker in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health was profiled as one of several . It highlighted his research on the benefits of exercise and competitive sport to older people.

“We’re finding that a lot of things that we used to attribute to getting older, like decreases in cognitive functioning, depression and increased substance abuse, are really more a symptom of disuse rather than aging,” says Baker, a member of 91��ɫ’s Alliance in Graceful Aging, a multidisciplinary research team.

He also examines how society’s negative stereotypes about aging influence people’s behaviours as they grow older. “We are very much a culture that values youth and devalues the older person,” he says.

His findings so far suggest people’s expectations about aging play a significant role in their declining physical and cognitive abilities. “We’re just starting to get a handle on how big an influence these negative social stereotypes are on overall health,” he says.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of .

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Over the next three years, the centre will open and expand its programs to provide workshops, seminars and online webinars, education services, and databases containing 'green' best practice information and resources.

"It'll be a place where a business owner or homeowner can enter, and get information," said David Phipps, director of 91��ɫ's Office of Research Services. "We'll understand the information needs the business owner has, and then try to find that. We'll find the best information to help meet that need. The centre is a meeting place, where people can come and have multiple voices."

More details about the project are expected in March 2010.

Published with files courtesy of the .

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The summaries are available in a located on the KM Unit's Web site. They provide an introduction into the variety and depth of research that is conducted at 91��ɫ and the University of Victoria as part of ResearchImpact, a service-oriented program designed to connect university research with across Canada to ensure that research helps inform decision-making. The KM Unit's new Community Collaboration Stations provide research collaborators with access to a 91��ɫ computer, which allows them to access materials contained in the 91��ɫ Libraries and other online resources.

Some of the new research summaries highlight the work of 91��ɫ education Professor Stephen Gaetz, who studies homelessness, and that of Professor Uzo Anucha of the School of Social Work in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who studies youth and poverty. The complete library of research summaries consists of 84 entries that present the results of research on a variety of issues, including HIV/AIDS, immigration & settlement, employment and climate change, as well as research on business & management, law and health services, to name but a few.

First announced in the spring of 2009 (see YFile, May 27), the ResearchSnapshot concept was ;tested in focus groups which included University researchers, provincial policy-makers and community social service organizations. The��focus group participants were supportive of the initiative, which was described as offering an excellent introduction to research��with just enough background and contact information, without being overwhelming.

Above: Participants in the afternoon research forum presented by 91��ɫ's KM Unit. The forum featured 91��ɫ researchers speaking on the topic of youth engagement. The announcement of the new ResearchSnapshots and Community Collaboration Stations was made at the Dec. 2 forum.

There are limitations to the utility of the research summaries, says David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services at 91��ɫ. He points out that a decision about public policy or professional practice should not be made on the basis of a single research study. “We use ResearchSnapshots as a calling card to alert our non-academic research partners that there is research expertise at 91��ɫ that might be relevant to a partner’s interests,” says Phipps. This calling card helps 91��ɫ’s KM Unit broker relationships between 91��ɫ and potential collaborators or organizations seeking to use research to inform decisions, says Phipps.

“91��ɫ has opened Canada’s first Knowledge Mobilization Unit that is fully integrated into the University’s research infrastructure,” says Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ's vice-president research & innovation. “The expertise of 91��ɫ’s researchers and their graduate students should be accessible in order to maximize the social economic and environmental impacts of public investments in university research.”

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of the United Way of 91��ɫ Region, agrees. “It is important that community agencies are working from the best knowledge available so that they can make well-informed decisions,” she says. “91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides an avenue for community organizations to tap into the research expertise available in the University. It makes research, as well as researchers and graduate students, accessible to non-academic decision-makers.”

The development of the ResearchSnapshots was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. Production of the latest 40 research summaries and the Community Collaboration Stations were made possible through the support of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at 91��ɫ.

To access the research summary database, click . To reserve time on a Community Collaboration Station, contact 91��ɫ’s KM Unit by e-mail at kmunit@yorku.ca.

From YFile - 91��ɫ's daily e-bulletin

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