On Monday, Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science & technology) announced the significant investment by the Government of Canada in basic research and research training in the social sciences and humanities.

Gary Goodyear

鈥淲e are very pleased with SSHRC鈥檚 investment to support the work of 91亚色鈥檚 researchers in the Social Sciences & Humanities,鈥� said, Robert Hach茅, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淭his funding allows our researchers to grow and strengthen their innovative research programs while contributing to Canada鈥檚 knowledge base.鈥�

Thirty-two 91亚色 faculty members received more than $3.8 million to fund their research projects through SSHRC鈥檚 Insight Grants and programs.听 In the Insight Grants competition, 91亚色 enjoyed an exceptional 39 per cent success rate, which is 12 per cent higher than the national success rate for the competition.听

Robert Hach茅

The funding was granted for research covering a wide range of topics, including:听

• Institutional changes and adaptive search behaviour of business groups in developing economies
• Industrialization, human capital and democracy
• Teaching for mathematical understanding: The potential of 'folding back' as a pedagogical tool
• Second generation success and marginalization: the impacts of race, gender and place on employment and social mobility
• Multilingualism and ethnic identity: An international perspective
• The roles of lead banks and institutional investors in secondary loan sales
• Modernist Literary Musics

Graduate students and doctoral fellows benefited from the announcements as well: 听167 91亚色 master鈥檚 and doctoral students have won more than $5.8 million in scholarships and fellowships.听More than 2,400 graduate and postdoctoral projects across Canada received funding.听

鈥淐anada鈥檚 position as a world leader in research excellence leads to discoveries, innovations and advanced skills that drive job creation and opportunities in the knowledge economy,鈥� said Goodyear. 鈥淭hrough Economic Action Plan 2012, our government provided additional resources to support advanced research at universities and other leading research institutions, which will build on previous investments to further strengthen Canada鈥檚 research advantage.鈥�

鈥淭his research is the key to innovation and to building knowledge for Canada鈥檚 future,鈥� said Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC. 鈥淭hrough this funding support, we are generating insights and developing innovative solutions for today鈥檚 social, economic and cultural issues, while training the next generation of researchers and leaders.鈥�

A complete list of SSHRC-funded projects is available on the website.

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91亚色 graduate students Pierre-Yann Dub茅 Dolbec, Douglas Hunter and Juha Mikkonen are the 2012 recipients of Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, Canada鈥檚 most prestigious awards for doctoral research. Each will receive听$50,000 per year for three years.

Vanier scholars are selected for their exceptional leadership skills and for realizing the highest standards of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities.

Pierre-Yann Dub茅 Dolbec (left) is a doctoral student in 91亚色鈥檚 Graduate Program in Administration, offered through the Schulich School of Business. A world traveller, Dub茅 Dolbec has conducted research, studied and fostered collaborations in more than 30 countries, including India, France and Denmark.

Dub茅 Dolbec has an听undergraduate degree in business administration from Laval University and a master鈥檚 of science in marketing from HEC Montr茅al. His previous research on brand experiences is set to be published in the coming year.

鈥淧ierre-Yann is motivated, highly involved and enthusiastic,鈥� said Allan Hutchinson, dean and associate vice-president graduate, 鈥渁nd he has an exemplary drive for research innovation.鈥�

Dub茅 Dolbec's听research is aimed at helping听create public spaces that encourage more socially responsible behaviour when people come together in large groups, perhaps avoiding destructive riots and creating an environment that fosters more peaceful discussion.

Douglas Hunter (right) is completing his doctoral studies in 91亚色鈥檚 Graduate Program in History. A nationally known and award-winning author, public intellectual, popular historian, journalist and artist,听Hunter is dedicated to educating a national audience by making Canadian history accessible.

鈥淲ith an unusual academic background for a doctoral student in history, Mr. Hunter鈥檚 work in historical nonfiction has been exceptional, incisive and richly informative,鈥� said Hutchinson.

The winner of the National Business Book Award in 2002 for The Bubble and the Bear: How Nortel Burst the Canadian Dream听(Doubleday 2002) in which Hunter analyzed the听rise and fall of Nortel Networks, Hunter is also the听author of six history books on topics as diverse as hockey and North American exploration, and听numerous articles on historians and historical听artifacts. With an undergraduate degree in humanities from McMaster University and an advanced degree in securities, Hunter's career has included working as a journalist, editor, illustrator and graphic designer for newspapers, magazines and publishing houses, before he started his own business in 1993.

Now focused on his doctoral research at 91亚色,听Hunter is exploring 鈥渃ryptohistory鈥�, looking at how scholarly histories have influenced and been influenced by public prejudices. Similar to conventional histories, cryptohistorical ideas bolstered the celebration of the racial and cultural superiority of European colonists and later immigrant communities. Douglas is interested in particular in how cryptohistorians appropriated indigenous records, particularly in rock art, oral traditions and archaeological material, to support claims of pre-Columbian European visitors.

Juha Mikkonen (left) is working toward听a PhD in health policy and equity studies. Working in Finnish, French and English, Mikkonen joined 91亚色 with impressive background in research. With听more than听50 professional and academic contributions geared towards linking academic and non-academic fields, he also has more than a decade working in health promotion in Helsinki and in poverty reduction in 27 European nations.

Mikkonen joined 91亚色`s Health Policy and Equity Studies Program with undergraduate and master鈥檚 degrees in social sciences from the University of Helsinki, Finland. As a visiting scholar at 91亚色, he co-authored a report, Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts with听91亚色 Professor Dennis Raphael. The report aims to educate the public and health advocates about social determinants of health and shifting thought processes surrounding well-being.

His doctoral research, a comparative analysis of Canadian and Finnish public health policy, will help in developing future policy in both countries and beyond.听鈥淐reative motivated and thoughtful,听Mikkonen will provide many insights into current health policy debate in Canada,鈥� said Hutchinson.

鈥淲e are, of course, incredibly proud of our Vanier scholars,鈥� says Peter Mulvihill, associate dean, Graduate Studies at 91亚色. 鈥淭hey have each demonstrated their talents at bringing their research out into the world, and the world into their research. I look forward to seeing their progress and the evolution of their work over the next few years.鈥�

Administered by Canada鈥檚 three federal granting agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Vanier Canada scholarship program鈥檚 goal is to build world-class research capacity in Canada by recruiting and supporting top-tier doctoral students who will positively contribute to听Canada's economic, social and research-based growth.

The Vanier scholarship program is available online at .

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The grants, part of $6.3 million in funding and awards invested across the country, will support over 95 research projects to improve Canadians鈥� quality of life, while addressing important socio-cultural and economic issues.

鈥�91亚色 continues to build on and strengthen its commitment to community engagement,鈥� said Robert Hach茅 (right), 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research & innovation. 鈥�91亚色鈥檚 researchers continue to share and co-create knowledge with the broader community, as exemplified by the success of our researchers in the receipt of funding for engaged scholarship through SSHRC鈥檚 Public Outreach grants program and the work of our researchers and Knowledge Mobilization Unit in further developing community-academic partnerships.鈥�

Researchers from 91亚色 include:

Sheila Cavanagh, a professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) Department of Sociology and coordinator of the Sexuality Studies program in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women鈥檚 Studies, received $102,117 in funding to professionally stage a research-based theatrical production titled Queer Bathroom Monologues, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and to curate an accompanying research-based art exhibition. The objective of this project is to enable multi-layered conversation and networking between partners in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy, and proactive policy and educational programming in the Ministry of Education to combat LGBT bullying in Ontario high schools. The Queer Bathroom Monologues are based on interviews with LGBT interviewees published in Cavanagh鈥檚 book, Queering Bathrooms: Gender, Sexuality, and the Hygienic Imagination (2010).

Professor Mark Winfield, program coordinator of the Master of Environmental Studies/Juris Doctor joint program in the Faculty of Environmental Studies and co-chair of the Faculty's Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI), received $86,000 in funding to mobilize the knowledge developed through the initiative in order to support the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada. The project activities will include an SEI Sustainable Energy Policy Seminar Series employing virtual and live formats and the development of social media tools to engage students, staff, faculty and听private sector, non-profit and municipal听audiences听around sustainable energy technologies and strategies.

Paul Lovejoy, Distinguished Research Professor and Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History in the Department of History (LA&PS) and director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, received $132,442 in funding to enhance public understanding of, and appreciation for, the crucial role played by African Canadians during the War of 1812. He will work with Caitlin Fisher, professor and Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture in the Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Film, Michele Johnson, associate professor in the Department of History (LA&PS), and Murray Wickett, chair of history, Brock University, on this project. The project is administered by Naomi Norquay, associate professor, Faculty of Education, and Karolyn Smardz Frost, Senior Research Fellow at the Harriet Tubman Institute and Visiting Bicentennial Professor in Canadian Studies, Yale University, for the coming year. The project builds on a workshop organized by the Tubman Institute, in collaboration with the History Department at Brock University, and is titled: We Stand on Guard for Thee: The African Canadian Experience in the War of 1812, which was held at Brock. This project will develop a series of concurrent public and educator-engagement sessions and be delivered using cutting-edge digital technology.

Sean Kheraj, assistant professor, Department of History (LA&PS) received $36,795 in funding to facilitate the mobilization of Canadian environmental history scholarship to a wider audience by creating and disseminating audio podcasts that feature interviews, round-table discussions and lectures on topics in Canadian environmental history that are relevant to key contemporary environmental issues in Canada. He will work with two project partners, Canada鈥檚 History magazine and the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE), on this project, in order to reach environmental groups, educators, and public policymakers.

Faculty of Education Professor Stephen Gaetz received $141,798 in funding to invest in knowledge mobilization focused on income and housing vulnerability. He will be collaborating and working with co-applicants Daniele Zanotti, CEO, United Way of 91亚色 Region (UWYR), David Phipps, director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange, and Michaela Hynie, professor in the Department of Psychology and the Program Evaluation Unit in the 91亚色 Institute for Health Research on this project. Building on their five year knowledge mobilization partnership, 91亚色 and UWYR will implement a community-campus knowledge mobilization strategy based on best practices so that 91亚色 housing and income vulnerability research and expertise is accessible to community partners. For more information on this project, visit the .

Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science & technology, announced the investments in research that will help build a better understanding of important societal issues.

鈥淥ur Government鈥檚 top priority is the economy: jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. To remain at the forefront of the global economy, our government is investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow鈥檚 breakthroughs,鈥� said Goodyear. 鈥淭he mobilization of knowledge leads to a more robust economy and helps develop new opportunities for economic growth while strengthening Canada鈥檚 research advantage.鈥�

鈥淜nowledge-sharing among multi-sectoral partners is essential to innovation and to building the expertise needed for Canada鈥檚 future,鈥� said Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC. 鈥淭hese Public Outreach Grants enable the flow and exchange of knowledge across campuses and the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, which, in turn, produces benefits for Canadians.鈥�

For more information about the projects, please visit the website.

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鈥淚 am proud that 91亚色 continues to implement initiatives that will promote and enhance environmental awareness on our campuses,鈥� says President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淎s a large institution, it is important that we fulfil our social, economic and environmental responsibilities and integrate sustainable practices into our daily activities. The new website, as well as the Green Office and Sustainability Ambassadors programs, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to sustainable teaching and practice.鈥�

The University's new Sustainability website has been developed to serve听as a hub for those interested in learning more about all things related to sustainability at 91亚色. The website features information on a wide variety of ongoing initiatives at both the Keele and Glendon campuses, including ways to get involved, such as听taking a pledge to show your commitment to the environment.

The Sustainability Ambassadors Program encourages volunteers to assist other community members in learning about and acting on sustainability. 鈥淚 volunteered to be a Sustainability Ambassador at 91亚色 because of my passion and concern for the environment,鈥� says Kelly Lui, a Glendon Student living in Maison Verte in undergraduate residence and a former Residence Environmental Ambassador. 鈥淪ustainability is an important issue as it has a direct impact on our quality of life.鈥�

Sustainability ambassadors

The Green Office Program builds on the existing efforts of 91亚色wise, ZeroWaste and other initiatives that help staff, faculty and students make greener choices in their offices. Interested offices can download the Green Office checklist for tips and resources on dozens of sustainable options in waste, energy, transportation, purchasing and innovation.

The Centre for Human Rights was one of the first offices to enrol. "We are very keen to be part of the Green Office Program, promoting individual awareness and understanding about the impact we each have on our planet, and how individuals can make positive change鈥� says No毛l Badiou, director of the CHR. 鈥淭he ability for individuals to make positive change, no matter how seemingly small, is vital if we are to preserve our planet and create inclusive workplaces."

Green Office Program

There are many ways to get involved to continue to make 91亚色 a leading university in Canada on sustainability. So take a sustainability pledge, volunteer to be a Sustainability Ambassador, or get your office involved with the Green Office Program today.

For more information, visit the new website or send an e-mail听to sustainability@yorku.ca.

Be sure to watch for Earth Week events March 20 to 22听in Vari Hall.

Submitted by Pavel Graymason, sustainability engagement coordinator, and Andrew Plunkett, sustainability project coordinator

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Organized by 91亚色鈥檚 听in cooperation with the at Osgoode Hall Law School, the series explores the current European financial crisis from the perspectives of financial and economic history, political theory and European integration.听

On Jan. 11, 91亚色 political scientist Leo Panitch (left) gives a talk, 鈥淎merican Crisis/Global Crisis: Can the empire of globalization contain the spirits it has called up from the deep?鈥� in 626 91亚色 Research Tower, from 12:30 to 2pm. Panitch is Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and a distinguished research professor of political science at 91亚色. He is also the author of Global Capitalism and American Empire.听

On Jan. 18, Kurt H眉bner (right), European studies professor at the University of British Columbia, speaks about 鈥淭he Euro 鈥� Past, Present and Future?鈥� in 2003 Ignat Kaneff Building, Osgoode Hall Law School, from 2:30 to 4pm. H眉bner is chair of German & European Studies, and director of the Institute for European Studies at UBC, and holds the Jean Monnet Chair for European Integration and Global Political Economy. His most recent book is Europe, Canada and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. In 2012, his book, Global Currency Conflicts and Cooperation, will be released.

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Led by Professor Colin Coates (left), Canada Research Chair听in Canadian Cultural Landscapes and professor of Canadian Studies at Glendon College,听the听project is expected to cast light on the impacts of an earlier period of economic 鈥済lobalization鈥� as a way of better understanding the challenges of current practices.听It is one of eight projects across Canada that has been granted funding in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge.

Fourteen teams representing Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have been awarded grants to investigate how computational techniques can be applied to 鈥渂ig data鈥� to change the nature of humanities and social sciences research. Each team represents collaborations among scholars, scientists and librarians from leading universities worldwide.

Coates, who is also the director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91亚色, is one of the principal investigators on the project titled Trading Consequences,听which received $125,000 in funding. The project听will examine the economic and environmental consequences of commodity trading during the 19th century and听employs information extraction techniques to study large corpora of digitized documents from the 19th century. This innovative digital resource will allow historians to discover novel patterns and to explore new hypotheses through听structured query and a variety of visualization tools.

"Our team of environmental historians is excited to be partners with the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews in the Trading Consequences project. Canadian economic development has historically been defined by commodity flows, and it is important to understand the environmental impacts of this commerce in the past, just as it is today. The focus on Canadian data will test the techniques created through this collaborative project for mapping the scope and impact of international trade in the 19th century," said Coates.

鈥�91亚色 is proud to receive recognition in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge,鈥� said Robert Hach茅, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research & innovation.听鈥淭hese important research projects advance knowledge as researchers work collaboratively and internationally to find new ways to analyze, search for and store data using digital and electronic technologies.鈥�

鈥淭he Digging into Data Challenge is an international initiative that enables Canadian researchers to take advantage of the huge digital resources now available and to develop close partnerships with overseas universities,鈥� said Chad Gaffield, president of the Social Sciences听& Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). 鈥淭hese exciting projects cross both disciplines and national borders; they lead to new insights into human thought and behaviour.鈥�

The successful cohort of听projects received a total of nearly $5 million in funding from eight international research funding agencies. SSHRC鈥檚 contribution of听$869,117 will support Canadian researchers from eight of the fourteen teams. 听

For more information, visit the 听飞别产蝉颈迟别.

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During a special听event held at 91亚色's Keele campus, President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri announced a $25-million dollar transformative donation from Pierre Lassonde, chairman of the听Franco-Nevada Corporation, for an expanded School of Engineering.

The announcement was made during a ceremony听in which the Computer Science & Engineering Building, where it was held, was听renamed the听Lassonde Building in honour of the School of Engineering's new听benefactor.听The upbeat event featured the student-constructed Mars Rover unveiling a commemorative plaque showing the building's new name, and the cutting of a giant cake fashioned in the likeness of the Lassonde Building. As part of the celebration, Lassonde was given a leather bomber jacket emblazoned with 91亚色 Engineering by fourth-year space engineering student Shailja Sahani.

Right: Pierre Lassonde shows off his new engineering jacket

鈥�91亚色 is extremely thankful to Pierre Lassonde for his very generous gift,鈥� said Shoukri. 鈥淭his transformative donation will allow us to create a truly unique engineering program that will redefine engineering for the 21st century.鈥�

Based on its traditional strength in humanities, social sciences, business and law, the University is committed to ensuring that听engineering students will be broadly educated to support future economic and social development.

鈥淭he most important natural resource of our country is not its oil or minerals or forests, but our young people,鈥� said Lassonde. 鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative that we give them all the education they need so that they can continue to make Canada one of the best places in the world to live. Through the collaboration of the new engineering program at 91亚色 with one of the most successful business schools in the world, the Schulich School of Business, we know we can make a difference.鈥�

听"Pierre's gift and vision will support a whole new way of thinking about engineering education. His transformational donation will lead to the creation of the Lassonde School of Engineering at 91亚色, with an ambition to graduate a new generation of entrepreneurial engineers with a social conscience," said Janusz Kozinski (left), dean听of the听Faculty of Science & Engineering.

The generous donation from Lassonde, combined with funding from the Government of Ontario and the University, provides an investment enabling 91亚色 to become one of the听top global engineering schools based in Canada.

By embodying 91亚色鈥檚 core values of social responsibility, global citizenship and interdisciplinary education, the new school will provide a unique approach to engineering and entrepreneurship, establishing itself as a destination of choice for top engineering students.

Right:听President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri听

鈥�91亚色 has a rich history of educational innovation, and the broadening of the focus of the engineering school to include business and public policy is a welcome step forward,鈥� said Glen Murray, Ontario鈥檚 minister of training, colleges and universities. 鈥淢r. Lassonde鈥檚 generous gift will accelerate the program and help transform it into a model for next-generation education in engineering.鈥�

More about Pierre Lassonde

Lassonde has a BA from the听University of Montreal (1967), a BSc electrical engineering from Polytechnique, Montreal (1971) and an MBA from the听University of Utah (1973). He received his PEng Ontario designation in 1976 and his CFA, University of Virginia, 1984. He holds honorary听doctorates in engineering from the Universities of Toronto, Montreal and Ryerson, and a doctor of business, University of Utah. 听

In 1982, Lassonde co-founded Franco-Nevada Mining Corporation, the first publicly traded gold royalty company, with his partner and fellow 91亚色 benefactor Seymour Schulich. Over the next 20 years, the company provided shareholders with a 36 per cent annualized rate of return. In February 2002, Franco-Nevada was acquired by Newmont Mining Corp., the world鈥檚 largest gold producer at the time. Lassonde was president of Newmont from 2002 to 2007 and vice-chairman in 2007. He served as chairman of the World Gold Council from 2005 to 2009.

In 2008, he led a group of investors and former executives in bringing back Franco-Nevada to the public market and became its chairman. The $1.2-billion IPO of Franco-Nevada was the largest mining company initial public offering ever done on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The success story continues today as the market capitalization of the company is now over $5 billion.

Left: Celebrating听a sweet moment in 91亚色's history

Lassonde鈥檚 philanthropic activities have had a significant impact on education and the arts. The Lassonde Entrepreneur Centre at the University of Utah was ranked number one in the US in 2010 for its creation of a public company from the University research labs. Other universities that have benefited from Lassonde鈥檚 philanthropy include Polytechnique Montr茅al, and the universities of Toronto, Western Ontario, Ryerson and 91亚色.听

He 听has been chairman of the Quebec National Art Museum since 2005 and has led a $100-million campaign to build a new wing to double the museum exhibition surface. He was made a companion of the Order of Canada in 2002 and an officer of the Order of Quebec in 2008.听听听

Lassonde is also the author of The Gold Book: The Complete Investment Guide to Precious Metals.

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