“For children living in poverty, there are often conditions present that can negatively affect cognitive development,” says Bialystok, Distinguished Research Professor in 91��ɫ’s Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health. “Our study is the first to show that bilingualism can override some of the cognitive deficits associated with low socio-economic status.”

Ellen Bialystok

The study, published in the journal , followed a total of 80 second-graders from low-income families. Half of the children were first or second generation immigrants to Luxembourg, originally from Northern Portugal, who spoke both Luxembourgish and Portuguese on a daily basis. The other half of the children lived in Northern Portugal and spoke only Portuguese.

The children were first tested on their vocabulary and asked to name items presented in pictures. Both groups completed the task in Portuguese and the bilingual children also completed the task in Luxembourgish.

To examine how the children represented knowledge in memory, the researchers asked them to find a missing piece that would complete a specific geometric shape. They also measured how much visual information the children could keep in mind at a given time. The children then participated in tasks that looked at their ability to direct and focus their attention when distractions were present.

Although the bilingual children knew fewer words than their monolingual peers, and did not show an advantage for memory tasks, they performed better on the control task in which they needed to direct and focus their attention when distractions were present.

The researchers say in-school immersion programs could be a promising tool toward reducing the achievement gap between more- and less-advantaged children by contributing to the construction of a sound cognitive foundation.

"In previous research, bilingualism has been shown to be a powerful force in shaping developing minds," says Bialystok. "This is the first evidence that it can also compensate for some of the cognitive disadvantages associated with poverty and boost children's executive control ability, arguably the most important cognitive system we have."

Psychological Science is the journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

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

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Theatre artists Ted Witzel and Ker Wells are going about it somewhat differently. They’re the inaugural participants in the 91��ɫ MFA in Theatre – Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage, a landmark initiative that’s breaking new ground in Canadian theatre training.

[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DiW7xTLylgzU img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/iW7xTLylgzU/0.jpg embed=false share=false width=400 height=300 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /]

Launched last fall as a partnership between one of Canada’s preeminent theatre schools and one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, this innovative graduate program offers highly specialized, advanced training in large-scale theatre directing.  Its mission is to support the development of directorial talent for the national and international stage.

“When directors make their mainstage debut, they often feel they’re getting one kick at the can, and if they fail they’ll never get to do a large production again,” said Professor Eric Armstrong, director of 91��ɫ’s MFA theatre programs. “Here, you get to work with large casts on big shows in a mentored setting – something that just doesn't happen in the professional world.”

The collaborative MFA program allows students to develop their creative and technical skills to the highest level, integrating their academic and studio work in 91��ɫ’s Department of Theatre with involvement in artistic projects at . The opportunity to direct a Canadian Stage production and an internship with a major national or international theatre are key elements of the two-year program.

Canadian Stage Artistic and General Director Matthew Jocelyn and Resident Artist Kim Collier serve as personal mentors for the MFA candidates.  Collier, co-founder and artistic director of Vancouver’s Electric Company Theatre and winner of the 2010 Siminovitch Prize for directing, works closely with the students to support their professional development.

The program is customized for each student based on their background, artistic orientation and goals, so Wells and Witzel’s experience over the past year and their plans for the next are highly individual.

Wells assisted Collier in her direction of the Canadian Stage production of Red last fall, and served as assistant director to Richard Rose for , Canadian Stage’s 30th anniversary Shakespeare in the Park presentation, running in Toronto’s High Park until September 2.  This coming season, Witzel will assist Kim Collier on a production for Vancouver's .

On the international front, Wells heads to the Netherlands this fall for an internship with acclaimed director Ivo van Hove at , working on a play by Ingmar Bergman. Witzel has an internship lined up with the renowned Canadian-born, Europe-based opera director Robert Carsen (LLD Hons. '05) for a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the in Baden-Baden, Germany in March 2013.

Both MFA candidates bring a wealth of experience to their work at 91��ɫ, at Canadian Stage and abroad.

Active in Toronto’s independent theatre scene for the past five years, Witzel is artistic director of , a company he co-founded in 2006. His directing credits include a number of bold, site-specific adaptations of classics in non-traditional venues such the Gladstone Hotel, Drake Underground, Whippersnapper Gallery and Trinity Bellwoods Park. His most recent productions for Red Light District have been La Ronde, an adaptation of the Arthur Schnitzler play, at the downtown club Wicked, and Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly, Last Summer with the Tennessee Project at the Gibson House Museum in North 91��ɫ. Witzel divides his time between Toronto and Germany, where he has worked as assistant to leading directors such as Johanna Schall and Sebastian Baumgarten.

Wells is an actor, director and teacher who has toured across Canada and in the US, England, Denmark, France, Italy and Serbia. He was a founding member of Primus Theatre in Winnipeg, where he worked for nearly a decade before moving to Toronto and co-founding Number Eleven Theatre in 1998. His productions with Number Eleven include Icaria, The Prague Visitor and The Curious History of Peter Schlemihl. Other credits include The Confessions of Punch and Judy for New 91��ɫ State-based NACL Theatre and solo shows Living Tall for Public Energy, Peterborough and Swimmer (68) for Toronto’s Hopscotch Collective.

91��ɫ’s Graduate Program in Theatre is now accepting applications for the next cycle of the MFA program in Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage. Two new students will be admitted into the program in September 2013. The  application deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012. Directors with extremely strong individual and interpretive voices and substantial professional experience are invited to apply. Candidates should be committed to developing their artistic and technical skills and have a clear interest in working on a large scale.

For more information, visit the Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage website.

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KEN is an European nonprofit association that acts as a "network of 16 European regions and countries, interested in boosting their knowledge-based competitiveness, exchanging good practice, encouraging collaboration and implementing new knowledge into innovative products in response to a larger, global need to enhance and support efforts to build knowledge economy, not only at European, but at a truly international level."

In addition to national level awards recognizing innovation in the four domains of education, research & development, innovation, entrepreneurship, plus one media award, the three Best Practice Awards announced this year went to:

• European Affairs Fund, AP Vojvodina, based in Serbia, which KEN described as "an example of good practice in multicultural education"
• Knowledge Mobilization Unit at 91��ɫ, which was cited by the network as "an example of good practice of a new scheme run by the University and involving all triple helix [government, community and industry] partners"
• South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, based in Croatia, which KEN highlighted as "an example of good practice in successful regional cooperation in training and education"

“This recognition from a European agency is testament to the growing international reputation that 91��ɫ is gaining for its work in knowledge mobilization,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “Knowledge mobilization connects researchers and students with partners, so that their research and expertise can be applied to real-world challenges, in addition to helping to inform decisions about public policy and social services.”

Under the leadership of David Phipps, director of research services & knowledge exchange in 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit, the unit has been developing and delivering knowledge mobilization services to faculty, students and their research partners since 2006. The unit has received funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Working with 240 faculty, 142 students and 205 partner organizations, the Knowledge Mobilization Unit has brokered more than 250 collaborations between the academy and non-academic partners. These partnerships have attracted more than $1 million in sponsored research funding specifically for 91��ɫ research, and over $1 million in funding for community partners.

Michael Johnny, manager of the Knowledge Mobilization Unit, supports all large-scale grant applications, which in turn has secured over $17 million in external research support for 91��ɫ faculty and their partners. Some of these collaborations are maturing into social innovations that help find new ways to address persistent social and economic challenges.

• In 2009 Nottawasaga Futures, a nonprofit community development agency, called 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit to help a rural business in making green decisions. The collaboration helped launch the .
• 91��ɫ supported a collaboration between graduate student Tanya Gulliver and the Parkdale Activity & Recreation Centre in 2007. Research conducted by this partnership is now helping to inform , which will assist more than 2.5-million people cope in an increasingly warming world.
• When the Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ called the Knowledge Mobilization Unit to seek support in evaluating how they delivered services to immigrants, 91��ɫ supported a collaboration between two faculty members and municipal policy-makers. The evaluation undertaken provided evidence to the regional government, which in turn informed the region's decision to invest more than $20 million to expand the Welcome Centre program. The investment created 86 jobs and provided 48,000 services to new Canadians living and working in 91��ɫ Region, which is home to Canada’s fastest-growing newcomer population.

"Knowledge mobilization identifies and supports these collaborations," said Phipps. "The welcome centres, Heat Registry and Green Economy Centre are examples of social innovation."

As a result of these and other stories of the impact of research, Phipps is widely sought as a speaker on 91��ɫ's model for knowledge mobilization, which is increasingly becoming recognized as a critical component of engaged scholarship and learning.

To watch Phipps’ acceptance speech for the Economy Network Best Practice Award, .

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The signed by David Fast, Canada’s minister of international trade and minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, and Stephen Green, the United Kingdom’s minister of state for trade & development, highlights the importance of collaboration between the two countries in the area of social innovation. Social Innovation takes new ideas and puts them into practice for the public good.  David Phipps, director of 91��ɫ's Research Services and Knowledge Exchange and leader of 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and ResearchImpact-RéseauImpactRecherche (RIR), Canada’s knowledge mobilization network, played a role in realizing the commitment by both countries to social innovation.

David Phipps

It began in September 2011, when British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The pair discussed many matters, including international diplomacy, national security, the economy and innovation. During their meeting, they decided to build on their countries’ mutual interests in science and innovation by committing to a joint innovation statement. to view a video of Cameron's address to the Canadian Parliament.

In November 2011, some two months after the prime ministers agreed to draft the joint innovation statement, Phipps travelled to the UK for a series of meetings on knowledge mobilization and social innovation. While there, he met with representatives from the at the University of Edinburgh and the at the University of Brighton.

“At that time, I wrote in [a blog about ResearchImpact and knowledge mobilization] about my meetings ,” said Phipps. “What I didn't write about at the time were my meetings with agencies interested in social innovation. I met with the , a global leader in social innovation, and with , the UK’s innovation foundation.”

Accompanying Phipps to the meetings was Caroline Martin, trade commissioner for science and technology with the Canadian High Commission in London. “We discussed the importance of social innovation to Canada and the United Kingdom, a conversation we then continued with Nicole Arbour, team lead for the Science & Innovation Network at the British High Commission in Ottawa. Together we explored opportunities for collaboration on social innovation with Canadian organizations such as and the , organizations whose leadership in social innovation parallels that of NESTA and the Young Foundation.”

Phipps learned that Martin and Arbour were assisting with drafting the Joint Innovation statement that was called for by the prime ministers. “Our conversations helped inform the decision to include social innovation in the text of the Joint Innovation statement,” said Phipps.

Once completed, the Joint Innovation statement included this declaration: “The Participants will consider taking joint initiatives in the following priority areas [including] Social Innovation: Working with academic, government and civil society partners to leverage research and innovation activities for greater societal benefits.”

Phipps said the joint diplomatic commitment to social innovation between Canada and the UK has found another home with the Governor General of Canada David Johnston. On Feb. 17, 2012 he wrote about in an opinion piece published in The Globe & Mail. “So how do we bring about a smart and caring world that is at once prosperous, sustainable and resilient?” wrote Johnston. “Our ability to work together – to practise the diplomacy of knowledge – will be the key to our success.”

"Social Innovation is one outcome of knowledge mobilization for which 91��ɫ is developing an international reputation,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “New discoveries are being made to address persistent social challenges through social innovation. Our conversations with the British and Canadian High Commissions helped inform the decision to include social innovation in the text of the Joint Innovation statement. The outcome reflects the growing international appreciation of the work of 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and its leadership role in ResearchImpact, Canada's knowledge mobilization network, in working to turn research into action."

“Collaborating for social innovation is now recognized as a priority for Canada and for the UK,” said Phipps. “RIR-91��ɫ was there and will be there working with colleagues from Canada and the UK to support knowledge mobilization as a process that enables enhanced social innovation.”

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“I am proud that we are able to provide opportunities for the growing Francophone population right here at 91��ɫ’s Glendon Campus,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, president & vice-chancellor of 91��ɫ. “The Centre of Excellence for French-language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education will help to accommodate an increased student base, will attract more international students and allow 91��ɫ to offer a broad international curriculum so that we can continue to educate Canada’s future leaders.”

A concept drawing of the new Glendon College Centre of Excellence

The centre will enable Glendon to broaden its range of programs and courses in response to the urgent need for increased postsecondary offerings in French in southern Ontario. Supported by a $20-million investment by the Government of Ontario, the expansion project builds on Glendon’s existing facilities to include more than a dozen new classrooms and lecture spaces, state-of-the art language labs, open study spaces and a 250-seat amphitheatre.

These improvements will allow Glendon to provide better access to French-language higher education for francophone learners in southern Ontario, as well as anglophone students wishing to study in French. It will strengthen the delivery of collaborative French-language university and college programming, including:

• Bilingual and trilingual international Bachelor of Arts (iBA) degrees available across 18 disciplines.
• New doctoral program in Études francophones.
• Enhanced bilingual activities outside the classroom.
• A master’s program in conference interpretation.
• A unique, direct-entry for future French teachers available at the primary-junior, junior-intermediate, and intermediate-senior levels, offered through 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education.
• Collaboration with Collège Boréal and la Cité collégiale.

“We are pleased that the Government of Ontario has invested these funds to make Glendon College a Centre of Excellence for French-language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education, and excited to officially open this new facility,” said Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts. “Southern Ontario is seeing significant growth in terms of the Francophone population and we are now better-equipped to meet this demand.”

The ceremony will feature remarks by Shoukri; Ottawa Vanier MPP Madeleine Meilleur, minister of community safety & correctional services and minister responsible for Francophone affairs; Kathleen Wynne, MPP for Don Valley West, and McRoberts.

"By investing in this Centre of Excellence, our government is helping to provide more learners with new opportunities to further their French-language studies in southern Ontario,” said Glen Murray, MPP for Toronto Centre and minister of training, colleges and universities. “We congratulate Glendon on their plans to provide a wide range of exciting and innovative programs to their students.”

“The McGuinty government is proud to support Glendon College’s Centre of Excellence, which helps Francophones and Francophiles to have full access to French-language postsecondary education while encouraging their participation in an inclusive and open Ontario,” said Meilleur.

“I am pleased with our $20-million investment in the Centre of Excellence for French-language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education at 91��ɫ’s Glendon College. This new facility will enable Glendon to provide a broader range of programs and courses in French in southern Ontario," said Wynne.

The Glendon Campus of 91��ɫ is the only institution in southern Ontario that offers a range of university programs in French. Glendon has established a bilingual Graduate Program in Public & International Affairs – the centerpiece of the Glendon School of Public & International Affairs, Canada’s first fully bilingual graduate school of this type. Along with the Graduate Program in Public & International Affairs, Glendon also offers a double master’s degree with the University of Strasbourg.

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The mission, led by the Governor General of Canada David Johnston, is the largest of its kind in Canadian history, with more than two dozen Canadian university presidents making stops in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia. It is organized by the Association of Canadian Colleges & Universities (AUCC).

Canadian university presidents will be visiting Rio de Janeiro as part of their tour of Brazil

In the next five years, Brazil is expected to become the fifth-largest economy in the world; the delegates will work to establish partnerships that will address the research interests of both countries and foster long-term prosperity.

As part of the mission, 91��ɫ will announce two undergraduate entrance scholarships for Brazilian students, along with a pair of scholarships to study English through the 91��ɫ English Language Institute (YUELI).

Shoukri will also be a signatory on a Memorandum of Understanding between 91��ɫ, Simon Fraser University, Ryerson University, Concordia University and the State of São Paulo research foundation, (FAPESP). The memorandum encourages collaboration between researchers at SFU, Concordia, 91��ɫ and Ryerson and those working in public or private research or teaching institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

“It is important that 91��ɫ participate in this mission,” Shoukri says. “Our aim is that our students become ‘citizens of the world’, by increasing their knowledge and skills through globally connected, internationalized programs, research and campuses. This new era of partnership with Brazil is an extension of 91��ɫ’s leadership in international education, international research and collaboration with international institutions.”

The Fundação Dom Cabral - Campus

91��ɫ’s Schulich School of Business will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Brazil’s Fundação Dom Cabral, a centre for executive development, for collaboration in research and teaching. The institutions will share knowledge around sustainability and responsible business, and jointly provide executive education training and development programs with Brazilian companies. Schulich will also establish the Brookfield Brazil Internship Program, an opportunity for up to four of the school’s MBA/IMBA students to participate in a structured work term in the Brazilian operations of a globally oriented Canadian-based firm.

In keeping with strengthening ties between Schulich and Brazilian institutions, Schulich Dean Dezsö Horváth will give a special address to the Federation of the Industries of Sao Paulo (FIESP), with introductory remarks provided by Shoukri.

Stephen Toope, chair of AUCC and president of The University of British Columbia, says the delegation aims to strengthen existing partnerships with Brazil and create new opportunities.

“This is the largest international mission of university presidents in Canadian history, which speaks to the importance of building connections with this emerging economic powerhouse,” says Toope. “Our focus is on establishing and strengthening partnerships in research and innovation. We will also enhance opportunities for student mobility between our countries, providing experiences that will better prepare students in both countries for the new knowledge-driven economy.”

Canada’s universities, including 91��ɫ, will welcome an estimated 12,000 Brazilian students between 2012 and 2016, through the Canadian component of Brazil’s ambitious Science Without Borders scholarship program. Through these scholarships, more than 100,000 Brazilians will study, undertake internships and conduct research in selected countries around the world over a four-year period.

The Brazil mission is being led by the Governor General of Canada David Johnston. AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities. For more information, click .

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Sherry Grace

Grace returned yesterday from the World Congress of Cardiology, held in Dubai, where she presented an . The document, created by scientists from several universities and cardiac rehabilitation associations, is endorsed by 10 cardiovascular organizations in high-income countries such as Canada, the United States and Britain, as well as middle-income countries such as India.

Cardiac rehabilitation is an outpatient chronic disease management program to which patients should be referred after a cardiac event or procedure. Each patient is assessed and managed by clinical staff, undergoes an exercise test and follows a four-to-six-month program of exercise, nutrition counselling and health education. While bypass surgery may cost $40,000 to $80,000, the cardiac rehab that should follow it costs only $1,500.

“The benefits of cardiac rehab are well established. There are over 11,000 patients tested in 40 trials performed around the world. The data shows 25 per cent lower death for patients who go to rehab versus those who don’t, as well as significant reductions in re-hospitalization,” says Grace.

[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DHAru-JEItqI img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/HAru-JEItqI/0.jpg embed=false share=false width=400 height=300 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /]

“The magnitude of the benefit is similar to what patients see with aspirin and statins. Doctors always recommend those but they don’t always recommend cardiac rehab and that’s a shame,” adds Grace.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer of adult men and women globally, so cardiac rehab programs could extend and improve millions of lives, says Grace. A professor of kinesiology and health science at 91��ɫ, Grace is also director of research into cardiovascular rehabilitation and prevention at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network.

On average, about 30 per cent of Canadian patients are referred for cardiac rehab after a heart attack or surgery. Grace has developed strategies in the past few years to increase the number of Canadian heart patients being referred to cardiac rehab programs – as a result, in some hospitals in Ontario, the rate is as high as 85 per cent. In contrast, only about 20 per cent of middle- and low-income countries around the world have any sort of cardiac rehab at all, and only the elite can afford it, says Grace.

“We really do need to do more to promote the availability of cardiac rehab in these countries, considering that many middle-income countries now have full operating theatres to perform revascularization procedures,” says Grace. “If we can provide that acute care, which is quite expensive, certainly we can provide the low-cost care provided by cardiac rehab with similar benefits.”

The International Charter on Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation and the international effort to gain support for its call for action was funded through a knowledge-mobilization grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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The will be held Thursday, April 26 to Friday, April 27 in the Executive Learning Centre, Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus. Co-hosted by the and 91��ɫ, the conference will also be available remotely via interactive webcast.

As it becomes increasingly possible to use advanced technologies to capture and share medical images, for example, there is increased potential to improve productivity in our health-care system. Conference speakers, however, will address not only the technical possibilities, but the practical realities of tapping into their potential.

 (left), Canadian astronaut, physician and president and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Toronto, will look at “Transforming the Future of Health Care with Informatics”, Thursday at 8:30am.

Five keynote presentations by international experts in integrated diagnostics and integrated care delivery will follow Williams' talk.

 (right), professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Medical School and president of the Pathology Education Consortium, who is credited with naming the field of pathology informatics, will speak about digital pathology and the future with integrated diagnostics on Thursday at 9:15am.

(left), associate professor and director of clinical informatics, University of Michigan Health System, will discuss digital pathology technology and the rush to develop algorithms that allow for direct interrogation of digital imagery for diagnostic information. Balis will look closely at the technical and operational aspects of emerging technologies that enable image-based decision support solutions on Thursday at 1pm.

 (right), medical director, Toronto Medical Laboratories, and pathologist-in-chief, University Health Network, will talk about the use of digital pathology to provide on-site intra-operative consultations on Friday at 9am. Applying this technology in a public health-care system is a way to rationalize diagnostic medicine but provide the highest level of care, whatever the patient’s location.

 (left), executive consultant, IBM Global Healthcare Centre of Competence, and  (right), senior managing consultant, IBM Global Business Services, will look at how large health-care databases and the tools of Business Intelligence can assist in the analysis and management of health care on Friday at 1pm.

In addition, the workshop , will explore the potential of eHealth to significantly increase the productivity of the health system at a time when funding has become highly restrained.

Other speakers include: Dr. R. Brian Haynes of McMaster University, on the evidence about what is working in health care; William Falk of the University of Toronto, discussing what is happening in eHealth in Canada; and William J. Pascal, of the Canadian Medical Association, on the policy shifts that must occur to enable the potential of eHealth systems during a time of government spending restraint.

For more information, visit the website. For program information, .

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The  conference, which starts today and continues until April 27, provides a forum for an international cohort of delegates to share their ideas and practices in knowledge mobilization. 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and Research Impact are two of the sponsoring organizations involved in the conference.

“91��ɫ is a recognized leader in Knowledge Mobilization in Canada and internationally,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president Research & Innovation. “We are pleased to participate in this event. The K*2012 conference provides an opportunity for global experts to share their perspectives on knowledge-brokering practices and its impact on the creation of public policies.”

How to better mobilize knowledge and maximize its usefulness will be the focus of some 60 experts from 20 countries. David Phipps, director of Research Services & Knowledge Exchange at 91��ɫ, serves on the conference steering committee and is a participant in a  discussion featuring experts in knowledge mobilization.

David Phipps

“This conference is the first of its kind,” said Phipps. “I will be sharing 91��ɫ's knowledge mobilization practices with knowledge brokers from knowledge intermediary organizations around the world. I am particularly excited about presenting a panel with a knowledge broker from Argentina and one from Ghana. Despite the very different national contexts we have identified eight shared outcomes from our very different practices.”

As part of the conference proceedings, delegates will lay the foundation for future work, including establishment of a global community of interested parties and mechanisms to sustain it. The conference chair, Alex Bielak, senior Fellow and knowledge broker of the United Nations University’s Hamilton-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), will create a legacy document to capture ideas on reducing the gulf between knowledge and action.

The 91��ɫ community can join the conference through social media. There will be a daily conference blog available on  providing updates on plenary and panel discussions and interviews with speakers and participants. The blog offers a forum for University community members to ask questions and share their ideas and research about their experiences navigating the knowledge-policy interface. Twitter updates including photos, live updates, participants comments regarding discussions can accessed by following  and #Kstar2012.

University community members can also register to watch full coverage of the plenary and panel sessions, or they can subscribe to receive and  offering a daily digest of conference news.

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The Environmental Cooperation and Israel-Palestinian Peace event will take place March 15 at 1pm at 280A 91��ɫ Lanes, Keele campus.

Environmental cooperation has been much-lauded as a force of peace in the Middle East and has been leveraged in support of Track I peacemaking processes between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It has been pursued as a practice of peace-building, valued for its ability to foster partnership-building, cooperation, identity change and sustainability. Still, the Israel-Palestinian conflict persists, even manifesting through cooperative environmental relations.

�ʲ��Ա���������ٲ��� (right), an international development, peace-building and dialogue researcher-practitioner, and Stuart Schoenfeld (left), chair of the Department of Sociology at 91��ɫ’s Glendon College, will present and discuss the issue. Drawing on their direct experience of working with practitioners, governments and stakeholders in the Middle East, they will critically examine assumptions and practices of environmental cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians. Abitbol and Schoenfeld co-chaired the AVOW initiative (Adaptive Visions of Water in the Middle East), hosted at IRIS from 2007-2009.

Abitbol specializes in hydropolitical issues, with a particular interest in Israeli-Palestinian relations. A Chevening Scholar and associate Fellow at IRIS, he is pursuing a PhD in peace studies at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, while teaching university courses at the nexus of environment and peace. As a consultant, he recently conducted the Conflict and Peace Effects Study of the Israel-Palestinian Authority-Jordan-World Bank "Red Sea Dead Sea Conveyance" initiative.

Schoenfeld's research on regional environmentalism in the Middle East began in the late 1990s. A network of Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians began to work towards a common understanding of issues of water, energy, waste, transportation, consumption, biodiversity and sustainable development, and to fashion a way of turning that common understanding into one of the elements for peace and human security in the region.

The project continues to investigate this network and other regional frameworks. The project has produced publications on transboundary environmental networks, environmental peace building, approaches to regional environmental governance and the role of empathy in environmental peace-building.

For more information, visit the website.

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