Robert Hach茅

More than 50 members of the 91亚色 community attended the open forum to learn more about the consultation draft, which is meant to provide a framework for the engagement of individuals, units and Faculties in growing the intensification of research, scholarship and related creative activity at 91亚色.

Hach茅 delivered a presentation, noting that the PIER consultation draft was developed with feedback received from the community consultations held throughout the fall and winter of 2015-16.聽 The consultation draft includes 21 recommendations to strengthen the University鈥檚 research enterprise across five thematic areas.聽 PIER is informed by the University鈥檚 Strategic Research Plan, Building on Strength.

The PIER recommendations are intended to build upon the basic supports that are available to all researchers at 91亚色 for their pursuit of research, scholarship and related creative activity. The recommendations are varied, and cover academic, administrative and support needs. The importance of local engagement and action was highlighted throughout the conversations around PIER, and is a core principle of the plan.

The recommendations are clustered according to five broad areas:

• Growing a Culture of Scholarly Inquiry
• Investing In & Promoting People
• Supporting Research Growth & Development
• Leadership in Research & Research Advocacy
• Building Research for the Future

The Open Forum provided an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts聽about research intensification at 91亚色 and the PIER consultation draft. Feedback provided by聽those present at the open forum addressed a variety of areas, such as the alignment of research and academic programming at the new Markham campus, pre- and post-award support of researchers, graduate student recruitment and recognition of graduate student research, measures and tools for appraising research performance success, and faculty mentorship. A complete summary of the March 30 open forum discussion will be made available on the PIER website in the near future.

鈥�91亚色鈥檚 Plan for the Intensification & Enhancement of Research will help to advance opportunities for research and scholarly excellence,鈥� said Hach茅.聽鈥淲e invite all members of the 91亚色 community to continue to share their feedback on the consultation draft, as we work towards finalizing the Plan.鈥�

For more information, visit the website.

Feedback on PIER can also be provided through the .

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Jennifer Foster

鈥淲e are eager to support the development of initiatives that will help continue to build the recognition of the University as a Canadian leader in sustainability research,鈥� said Foster. 鈥淢embers of the 91亚色 community are invited to submit expressions of interest to join the Task Force on Sustainability Research as we work together to continue to build and strengthen this important area of research at 91亚色.鈥�

The mandate of the Task Force on Sustainability Research is to:

• provide feedback and recommendations to help strengthen and advance the concentration of sustainability research at 91亚色;
• provide strategic advice that represents broader community interests and becomes a conduit for action within the community; and,
• provide feedback and recommendations through a final report that will be released to the 91亚色 community to stimulate engagement and action.

The Office of the VPRI invites expressions of interest from those considering volunteering to join the task force. on Sustainability Research. View the Task Force Terms of Reference, or for more information, contact Barbara Edwards, senior policy adviser, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.

The Task Force on Sustainability Research anticipates meeting approximately eight times between September 2014 and April 2015.

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Robert Hach茅

鈥淚 am delighted that Professor Foster has accepted the opportunity to chair the Task Force on Sustainability Research. At 91亚色, we are eager to support the development of initiatives that will help continue to build the recognition of the University as a Canadian leader in sustainability research," said Hach茅.

Jennifer Foster

Foster is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners-Ontario Professional Planners' Institute and the coordinator of 91亚色's Urban Ecologies Program. Her research focuses on urban planning, urban environmental justice, habitat creation and novel ecologies, and environmental aesthetics. Recent major research projects include From Rubble to Refuge (2008-2012, with Professor Anders Sandberg) and (2010-2013, with Professors Janine Marchessault and Chlo毛 Brushwood Rose).

鈥淭he goal of the Task Force on Sustainability Research is to engage the broader 91亚色 sustainability research community to leverage collegial expertise in soliciting advice and ideas to be used in the development of recommendations. These recommendations will guide the development of strategic initiatives to enhance the success and recognition of 91亚色鈥檚 researchers in this important area of research leadership for 91亚色,鈥� said Hach茅. 鈥淭his initiative is particularly timely with the recent launch of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund,鈥� a new federal program to promote international research leadership for Canadian universities.

The mandate of the Taskforce on Sustainability Research is to:

• provide feedback and recommendations to help strengthen and advance the concentration of sustainability research at 91亚色;
• provide strategic advice that represents broader community interests and becomes a conduit for action within the community; and
• provide feedback and recommendations through a final report that will be released to the 91亚色 community to stimulate engagement and action.

The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) invites expressions of interest from those considering volunteering to join the task force. on Sustainability Research.

View the Task Force terms of reference聽or for more information, contact Barbara Edwards, senior policy adviser, Office of the VPRI.

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From investigating how typography could reduce medication errors to using math as a tool to teach jazz, Faculty of Fine Arts scholars and practitioners have a fascinating array of research projects to share聽during the Fine Arts Research Celebration Monday, Feb. 6.

Robert Hach茅, vice-president research & innovation, and Barbara Sellers-Young, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, are co-hosting the event, which takes place from 2 to 4 pm in the McLean Performance Studio, 244 Accolade East Building, Keele campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the free celebration, but an RSVP is requested. You can RSVP or call Lia Novario at ext. 33782. Light refreshments will be provided.

Right:聽Nancy Latoszewski performing

The program features a live dance performance, film clips and four presentations that showcase some of the diverse academic and applied creative work being done by Fine Arts faculty and graduate student researchers.

鈥淭his research celebration highlights multi-disciplinarity in the Faculty of Fine Arts, from dance to music to digital media and beyond,鈥� said Hach茅. 鈥淲e invite the 91亚色 research community to join us to learn more about the exceptional research activities taking place in this Faculty.鈥�

鈥淭he arts are so much more than entertainment,鈥� says Sellers-Young. 鈥淎rts and culture are at the heart of our day-to-day lives, and those who are engaged in the arts 鈥� as practising artists, theorists, historians, critics and many other ways 鈥� play an important role in shaping civic society and addressing the critical issues of our day. The presentations at the Fine Arts Research Celebration illustrate this engagement and the diverse contributions our researchers are making.鈥�

Visitors to the Fine Arts Research Celebration will be greeted by clips of visual arts Professor Katherine Knight鈥檚 vivid feature documentary, . Knight鈥檚 film follows the renowned Canadian artist as she prepares massive new works depicting archetypal cities and familiar, yet disquieting, landscapes for two 30-year retrospectives 鈥� one at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and another at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa.

Left: Wanda Koop in a still from the film KOOP: The Art of Wanda Koop

Drawing the viewer into the framework in which the artist works, the film explores the science of vision, colour and perception 鈥� including Koop鈥檚 visit to 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Vision Research to have her vision tested in the 3D Vision Research lab. (See YFile story Feb. 22, 2011.)

Design Professor will present a talk, titled 鈥淓valuating Graphic Design for Patient Safety: An investigation of the Use of Typographic Principles to Differentiate Look-Alike Medication Names鈥�.

She was the principal investigator on a recent study conducted at Toronto鈥檚 University Health Network, investigating how the principles and practices of graphic design and typography might be used for interventions intended to help health-care professionals make accurate medication selections.

Right: An example of using Tallman lettering with parts of the word enhanced to help distinguish it from similar medication names

鈥淲e know that look-alike, or orthographically similar, medication names are one of the causes of medication errors,鈥� says Gabriele. 鈥淭allman lettering (enhancement of words by changing parts of the word to capital letters) is currently recommended to help differentiate similar names.鈥�

In her new study, she tested tallman lettering applied to look-alike medication names alongside other ways of enhancing names using three different scenarios. 鈥淩esults indicated that tallman lettering might not be as effective as previously reported,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he research also revealed the importance of designing and testing interventions for specific users in contexts that reflect actual situations and activities in practice.鈥�

In his lecture-demonstration 鈥淢usic is Math: An effective Approach to Teaching Jazz Improvisation within General Music Education鈥�, Professor Ron Westray听(濒别蹿迟), 91亚色鈥檚 Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance, explores how the mathematical qualities inherent in western music can be used as a tool for ear training through music improv.

鈥淵ou can view the chord-to-scale relationship in jazz improvisation as virtual data that can be transposed throughout relative and absolute functions, much like basic math,鈥� says Westray. 鈥淭ranslating music into math helps demystify simple improvisation. It levels the playing field and makes it easier for non-specialists to teach jazz improv.鈥�

Westray, an internationally known jazz trombonist, will illustrate the concept by means of a PowerPoint presentation punctuated with live performance examples, including the participation of聽jazz majors from the Department of Music.

Digital Media Professor Mark-David Hosale聽will discuss 鈥淣onlinear Narrative as a Conceptual Framework for Media Art鈥�, with an overview of the core technical and esthetic motivations unpinning his work as a media artist.

Right: Digital media art by Mark-David Hosale

鈥淭he approach to addressing narrative issues in my work is derived from thinking of narrative as a model of knowledge,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 see the stories we tell each other and ourselves as an expression of what we know. From this perspective, my works can be understood as knowledge spaces that are a conceptual reflection of a modern understanding of knowledge and nature, which is inherently nonlinear.鈥�

The challenge of capturing the qualities of nonlinear narratives has led Hosale to develop an abstract model useful in the conceptual analysis and practical development of his work. In his presentation, he will explain how the model is based on a composite of operations, structures and characteristics that provide the governing principles behind a software framework and hardware platform.

Canadian dance history is the focus of the presentation by dance Professors Darcey Callison and Carol Anderson,聽and Professor Emerita Selma Odom. They will read excerpts from their contributions to , an anthology to accompany an exhibition of the same name organized by Dance Collection Danse in partnership with the Theatre Museum of Canada.

During the 1970s dance boom, audiences worldwide flocked to performances. Artists were energized and innovative. In Canada, dance finally found an intellectual home in universities across the country. The decade was also defined in Canada by political, social and cultural debate inspired by second-wave feminism, gay rights, multiculturalism, separatism and nationalism.

How was this turbulent decade reflected in dance? How did the major issues and ideas of the day inspire or influence dancers and choreographers, and how did they respond? Renegade Bodies: Canadian Dance in the 1970s explores how the art form contributed to, and was informed by, this vibrant zeitgeist.

Moving from the page to the stage, dance MFA candidate Nancy Latoszewski will perform a five-minute excerpt from her solo dance, Carriage. The work revisits the challenge she faced in transitioning from the life of a prima ballerina to motherhood. While intensely personal, the work also speaks to the wider experience of undergoing a tremendous life change. Through her choreographic and performance research, with works such as Carriage, Latoszewski investigates how danced narratives can communicate personal stories and contribute to current interests in oral history and storytelling.

In addition to the public presentations, there will be a display of books and materials in other publication formats.

Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with other research projects by Fine Arts faculty on Fine Arts Research Day in Vari Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 29, from 10am to 2pm, as part of 91亚色鈥檚 Research Month.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The summit will bring聽together education leaders (administrators, superintendents, principals, deans, faculty, teacher-leaders), private and not-for-profit sector leaders for a聽dialogue and discussion about involving people in the change necessary to achieve new learning cultures that are supported by the effective use of technology.

The one-day summit consists of two sessions in the morning聽("Exploring the Leadership Required for New Learning Cultures 鈥� A Personal Experience" and "Learning and Leading: A Practical Approach to Engage Change"). Delegates will split into break-out groups in the afternoon to discuss Leading a New Learning Culture 鈥� Becoming a Narrative Champion.聽

"This summit is a great leadership learning opportunity for 91亚色 employees involved in the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) projects that began earlier this academic year," noted Janet Murphy, ABEL program director. The AIF initiative provides support to faculty in order to advance innovation and change at 91亚色 in the areas of teaching, learning and the student experience.

"This innovation and change on campus perfectly complements the topics that will be discussed at the summit," said聽Murphy.

Speakers and facilitators for the summit include: Dean Shareski, a digital learning consultant for Prairie South School Division in Saskatchewan; Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology and media and the coordinator of information and communications technology at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina; and George Couros, the division principal of innovative teaching & learning for Parkland School Division in聽Alberta.

Right: Dean Shareski

In addition to the face-to-face event in February, delegates are also invited to participate in two virtual learning sessions happening in the spring聽鈥� 鈥淯nderstanding the New Learning Culture and Learner Footprint鈥� and 鈥淐elebrating and Planning the Way Forward鈥�.

Left: George Couros

These virtual sessions will be easy to join, and details on how to participate will be provided the day of the summit. The virtual sessions will be hosted by the speakers and facilitators from Feb. 10. Descriptions of the virtual sessions are as follows:

Understanding the New Learning Culture and Learner Footprint聽

This session will explore the specifics of citizenship in a digital context. Rather than focusing upon prevention, participants will develop ideas to create and contribute to purposeful, engaged citizenship while learning online. These ideas will be explored and shared within the context of digital literacy, job-embedded learning, and engagement with parents, family and community.

Right: Alec Couros听听听听

Celebrating and Planning the Way Forward聽聽

This session will provide delegates with an opportunity for 鈥渟how and tell鈥�, sharing their successes and challenges in implementing new learning cultures.聽This session is about reflecting upon your own professional growth and learning from fellow participants鈥� strategies that engaged systems in change and learning more about the road ahead.

To learn more or to register you and/or your team, please visit the website.

As part of the Professional Learning Program, ABEL offers two face-to-face conferences every year 鈥� the Leadership Summit in the winter and the ABEL Summer Institute.

Look for information about the ABEL Summer Institute .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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