Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent paid an informal visit to 91亚色's Keele campus yesterday to view first-hand the results of the government's聽investment in聽Canada's current and future聽scientists and researchers.

Above: From left, Environment Minister Peter Kent, senior project superintendent Chris Robinson and 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri review the building blueprints

Kent, who is also MP for nearby Thornhill,聽was on campus to tour the construction site of the new 160,000-square-foot Life Sciences Building. The facility's construction was made possible by $70 million in federal and provincial funding through the (KIP), part of the federal government's聽Economic Action Plan and the Ontario government's 2009 Budget.

Right: Kent congratulates Shoukri during a ceremony on the temporary steps leading to the Life Sciences Building

"91亚色 is pleased to have received funding under the Federal-Provincial Knowledge Infrastructure Program," said 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. "These investments are enhancing 91亚色's solid reputation as Canada's leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university, and strengthening our capacity for quality research and innovation."

The addition of the Life Sciences Building to the Keele campus will increase available learning and research facilities for students and faculty in high-demand science and health-related disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry and kinesiology.

"As Canada begins to emerge from global recession, the investment in state-of-the-art research labs is essential to creating and securing valuable skills jobs both now and in the future," said Kent. "By modernizing research and training facilities on Canada's college and university campuses, this will help build the foundation for future growth. Our government is working to ensure the best science and innovation opportunities as well as the world's best researchers are right here on Canadian soil."

Left: Kent addresses the group gathered for the tour

Construction of the聽Life Sciences Building is entering its final phase. Scheduled聽to open this fall, it will聽provide聽top-notch learning and research facilities for聽up to 1,700 additional undergraduate students and up to 50 new life science researchers. Leading-edge technologies, such as a聽radioisotope suite and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for advanced imaging will be among the high-tech equipment contained in the new structure.

"This building will provide an incredible opportunity for 91亚色 to meet the growing demand by young Canadians who would like to study life sciences and health," said Shoukri. "It will also help our young researchers to build their careers and use their knowledge to advance the frontier of understanding for the world and it will create an opportunity to help economic development through innovation."

Constructed using Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) principles, the building聽uses strategies aimed at improving聽energy savings, water efficiency,聽carbon dioxide聽emissions reduction, indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources.

The Government of Canada's Knowledge Infrastructure Program is a聽$2-billion economic stimulus measure to support infrastructure enhancement at Canadian postsecondary institutions. It聽is part of nearly $16 billion in new infrastructure investment allocated under the聽Economic Action Plan since 2009.

Above: From left, 91亚色 master's聽candidate Omar El-Ansari; Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner;聽Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson;聽 Environment Minister Peter Kent;聽President & Vice Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; Vice-President University Relations Jennifer Sloan; Sidra Khan, a second-year life sciences student; Janusz Kozinski, dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering; and Paul Marcus, president & CEO of the 91亚色 Foundation

The Government of Ontario also committed to investing in infrastructure by designating $780 million to colleges and universities to modernize faciilties and boost long-term research and skills training capacity.

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.

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

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It will not only ensure patients receive leading-edge care but help build a reputation for excellence at the hospital, the [91亚色 Central] chief of emergency medicine says. And that's why he is participating in the initiative.

Knowledge translation, Ghosh explains, makes that important link between research and its application in health care. "We know there is good evidence-based, science-based research that has not been translated into clinical practice," he says. "A gap exists."

To narrow that gap, 91亚色 Central Hospital made a decision to forge a collaborative effort with 91亚色 about two years ago. Researchers with a specialty in two of YCH's areas of focus, seniors' health and chronic disease management, now have offices at the hospital.

For example, Dr. William Gage, whose research focuses on seniors' health, has connected 91亚色 Central staff with a 91亚色 researcher examining changes in motor performance among patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Researcher Sherry Grace [] worked with Tiziana Rivera, chief practice officer at 91亚色 Central and others on publishing a review of studies on women and cardiac rehabilitation, program adherence and preference for alternative models of care. YCH staff can use the information when setting rehabilitation programs for their female cardiac patients.

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91亚色 dance Professor first began聽conducting research after she personally experienced a series of injuries. Now she聽has become a leading expert in dance science, with numerous articles and publications dedicated to injury prevention, conditioning for dancers, motor learning and motor control, and the psychological aspects of dance injuries.

For three decades, Krasnow has been refining her research into C-I Training聽 (conditioning-with-imagery), a body training system she developed which incorporates conditioning exercises for muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as visualization and imagery work for neuromuscular re-patterning (or movement re-education), alignment work and mind-body connectedness.

She has presented and delivered this system internationally, trains and certifies C-I Training instructors and since 1999 has created and distributed instructional videos for purchase. Through this work, she has helped thousands of dancers with injury prevention, appropriate warm-up procedures and improved training practices.

Left: Co-authors Jordana Deveau (left) and Donna Krasnow sign books at the launch

Krasnow鈥檚 latest publication, co-authored with dancer, choreographer and certified C-I Training instructor Jordana Deveau, presents her established C-I Training system in book form. was launched recently at Toronto鈥檚 509 Dance Studio, home of the Canadian Children鈥檚 Dance Theatre.

鈥淲hile the videos and C-I Training classes are ideal for practice and training, many people asked for a more in-depth explanation of the science and the underlying principles on which I built the system,鈥� says Krasnow. 鈥淭he book is an ideal resource for any performer who is looking for a deeper and richer understanding of how to use C-I Training in her own practice or with dance students.鈥�

The training section of the book includes over 300 photos of dancers executing the C-I Training exercises, with detailed explanations of the posture and movement as well as coaching suggestions on how to optimize the exercise. Details of common postural problems and muscle imbalances, and diagrams of skeletal and muscular systems, are also included to help readers spot potential areas of improvement in themselves or their students.

Right: From left, research collaborators University of Toronto Professor Lynda Mainwaring, Donna Krasnow, chair of 91亚色 Department of Dance Claire Wootten and Keith Thompson, president of Thompson Educational Publishing

Theories in motor control suggest that voluntary movement (like reaching for a book) is controlled by conscious areas of the brain, while involuntary movement (heartbeats, reflexes etc.) is of the non-conscious domain. Dynamic body alignment, a primary injury prevention consideration, is predominately involuntary and making improvements to one鈥檚 alignment is a gradual process that relies not only on muscle conditioning but also on retraining one鈥檚 non-conscious motor patterns. Krasnow鈥檚 approach was one of the earlier systems to blend both the conditioning and the imagery simultaneously in a holistic approach for maximum benefit and more rapid change.

An example of the holistic treatment for a dancer with a pelvis in anterior tilt, sometimes called swayback: 鈥淭he conditioning approach would be to stretch the hip flexors and low back extensor muscles and strengthen the abdominals,鈥� says Krasnow. 鈥淭o add imagery to that could be to encourage the dancer to think of her pelvis as a bowl of water. Currently the water would be spilling out of the front, so she needs to imagine shifting the bowl to stop that spillage. Working with this image can enhance the exercises and speed her re-alignment.鈥�

Right: 91亚色 alumna Meredith Thompson (BFA Spec. Hon. '00, BEd '00) illustrates proper CI-Training technique. Photo by Gary Ray Rush.

She has a standard response for performers in her dance sciences classes at 91亚色 who doubt the power of working with images. 鈥淭here are many of you who have been stretching and strengthening for years. Let me ask you, has this corrected your alignment? You can have your body in the proper condition with good muscle balance, but if your brain doesn鈥檛 know how to recruit and release the muscles, you are no closer to your goal.鈥�

Krasnow joined the Department of Dance in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts in 1987. She teaches modern dance based in Lim贸n technique, composition/choreography, conditioning for dancers, dance kinesiology, prevention of dance injuries, motor learning for dance and repertory. She received 91亚色鈥檚 Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002 in recognition of her outstanding contributions in the classroom and studio.

She holds a master鈥檚 of science degree with a focus in motor control from the University of Oregon, where she was the recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Research Award, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Wolverhampton in Birmingham, England.

Her doctoral studies involve research into how dancers鈥� bodies move when doing a grande battement devant, a high forward kick, in three situations: at the ballet barre, free-standing and travelling through space. Using EMG (testing the electrical activity of muscles) and kinematic (bio mechanical study of motion) data, she hopes to prove that muscle use and movement biomechanics for that one particular move are surprisingly different in each situation. Krasnow hopes these insights will spark important changes in dance class structure and rehabilitation for lower leg injuries.

Krasnow鈥檚 articles have been published in Medical Problems of Performing Artists; Journal of Dance Medicine & Science; Impulse: the International Journal of Dance Science, Medicine, and Education; Journal of Dance Education; Bulletin of Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences; M茅decine des Arts; and Dance Research Journal.

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She accepted the Institute of Aging at the annual conference of the Canadian Association on Gerontology in Montreal. The prize, which augments major scholarship聽funding she has already received,聽included the money, an invitation to the conference and, best of all, a chance to adjudicate research posters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect timing for me,鈥� says the first-year doctoral student in the Faculty of Health's School of Kinesiology & Health Science. 鈥淚鈥檒l be able to see what鈥檚 going on in my field. Winning this award has been very motivating."

Hawkins started work this fall developing and evaluating a clinical assessment tool to measure visuomotor integration (hand-eye coordination) that could lead to early detection of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. For this, CIHR is funding her research to the tune of $35,000 a year 鈥� $30,000 in salary plus $5,000 research allowance 鈥� for each of the next three years. It鈥檚 the biggest scholarship Hawkins has ever received.

Left: Kara Hawkins

Sit down with Hawkins at her corner desk in the office she shares with other graduate students and you鈥檒l notice only one image taped to the wall next to her computer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my brain,鈥� says the 27-year-old of the vertical MRI scan taken this fall in 91亚色鈥檚 new Neuroimaging Laboratory, located in the Sherman Health Science Research Centre.

The brain. Hawkins became fascinated with it early in her undergraduate years.聽"You can't understand behaviour without understanding the brain. That's what interested me most."聽She started studying psychology then branched into kinesiology. It was a natural detour. 鈥淚鈥檓 an athlete,鈥� says the former varsity goalie who now plays forward for the Aurora Panthers and for the Ice-O-Topes, an intramural team at 91亚色. 鈥淚 wanted to learn how the brain controls movement.鈥�

After graduating in 2006, she jumped at an offer to work as a neuropsychology assistant at Baycrest, a centre specializing in geriatric research and care. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in clinical applications,鈥� says Hawkins. Baycrest sparked an interest in aging and two years later she returned to 91亚色 to pursue聽a master鈥檚 degree and neuroscience graduate diploma, delving deeper into the neurophysiology of complex motor control. She won three scholarships to do it and graduated last spring.

Now a doctoral student, she鈥檚 back in a clinical setting. At 91亚色 Central Hospital, she is collaborating with the geriatric physician to diagnose aging patients who show signs of mental deterioration. Currently, doctors use language, cognition, memory and attention tests to score patients鈥� mental status out of 30. It鈥檚 an imprecise science, and Hawkins has developed and is testing a new measurement tool that could be more precise.

The tool looks like a laptop. There are two touch-sensitive screens, one vertical and the other horizontal (where the keyboard would normally be). The patient is instructed to reach for a target that appears on the vertical screen, at first directly with her hand and then more indirectly using the horizontal touch screen to聽manipulate a cursor. The test is not educationally or language biased, and Hawkins can determine which part of the brain the patient is using and the level of dysfunction based by the accuracy and speed of the response.

The brain is a complex network of communicating parts. When someone has dementia, the lines of communication deteriorate and misfire. Hawkins鈥� test aims to detect the breakdown in the visual-motor and cognitive-motor communication lines. 鈥淭hese touch-screen tracking tests tap into that.鈥�

Hawkins is currently trying to recruit 60 to 90 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and the same number who are aging normally. Over the next three years, she鈥檒l test her diagnostic tool. She is particularly interested in finding out if it can detect early and more subtle stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Interested participants may contact her at karah@yorku.ca.

The earlier we can catch signs of mental deterioration, the more time there will be for intervention that could delay the onset, says Hawkins. Earlier and more precise diagnosis could lead to better education and better care for patients, she says.

Hawkins, now a member of the , is doing her research under the supervision of 聽Prof. Lauren Sergio, an expert in hand-eye coordination and director of 91亚色鈥檚 Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory. When she鈥檚 finished her PhD, she hopes to continue exploring diseases associated with聽aging.

By Martha Tancock, YFile contributing writer

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The study, recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience, examined the inner workings of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), located towards the top and back of the skull. It acts as the brain鈥檚 game card for hand-eye coordination, playing a critical role in planning visually guided actions.

Above: Professor Doug Crawford performs computer-controlled tests to measure the accuracy of Pat Byrne's聽gaze and reach. Byrne, a postdoctoral聽Fellow聽working in 91亚色's Centre for聽Vision Research, is hooked up to聽eye-tracking headgear.

鈥淔ootball is a good example to illustrate our results. A quarterback trying to deke out the opposition would actually use separate parts of the posterior parietal cortex in rapid succession...to achieve this,鈥� says principal investigator Doug Crawford, professor of psychology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health and Canada Research Chair in Visuomotor Neuroscience.

The findings suggest that within the PPC, the superior parietal occipital cortex (SPOC) specializes in encoding reach goals. 鈥淚n the case of trying to fake a pass, SPOC would help you pick the real player you want to throw the ball to,鈥� says Crawford. 鈥淭he midposterior intraparietal sulcus (mIPS), would help you to look at the decoy player. Then the angular gyrus (AG) would compare your current hand position to the goal you鈥檙e aiming for in order to guide your throw."

Simply put, SPOC picks the goal, while mIPS and AG are involved more closely in planning the motor functions for both our view and our reach.

Scientists at 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Vision Research (CVR) used a non-invasive procedure called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to create activity in these three areas of the brain. TMS delivers mild, split-second electromagnetic pulses, with little to no side effects for participants.

Participants then performed computer-controlled tests to measure the accuracy of their view and reach, while hooked up to eye-tracking headgear. Both left and right hands were tested, as well as reaching with and without visual feedback. By observing differences between subjects tested both with and without TMS over different brain areas, Crawford and his colleagues were able to map the unique responsibilities of each area.

鈥淏ecause mIPS and AG are involved in calculating both hand and eye movement, and SPOC is dedicated to encoding the reach goal, the whole assembly is likely important for hand-eye coordination,鈥� says Crawford.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also a good reason to wear a helmet. You wouldn鈥檛 want a hard knock on the parietal cortex,鈥� he says.

The study鈥檚 lead investigator was kinesiology PhD student Michael Vesia, currently a postdoctoral fellow with the Sunnybrook Research Institute Brain Sciences Research Program at the University of Waterloo. It was co-authored by CVR colleagues Steven Prime, a psychology PhD student, Xiaogang Yan, research associate, and Lauren Sergio, a kinesiology professor in the聽School of Kinesiology & Health Science in 91亚色's Faculty of Health.

The research was funded by the .

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The Keele campus building's transformation from a聽hockey rink into an innovative new health science research centre was made possible聽by a $5-million leadership gift from聽91亚色 Foundation board member Honey Sherman and her husband Dr. Barry Sherman, the chairman and CEO of Apotex Inc., the largest pharmaceutical company in Canada.

鈥淲e are extremely thankful to Honey and Barry Sherman for their generosity,鈥� said Mamdouh Shoukri, president聽& vice-chancellor of 91亚色. 鈥淭his unique new facility will strengthen our university鈥檚 research capacity, and enhance collaboration between researchers in the health, science and engineering fields.鈥�

Conceived as a hub of vision and neuroscience excellence, the new聽Sherman Health Science Research Centre, which officially opened last night, brings together researchers in 91亚色's top-ranked with those in kinesiology and psychology.

Above: The new Sherman Health Science Research Centre at 91亚色

"The Sherman family gift is strategically important. It provides state-of-the-art infrastructure to keep our vision science and health science researchers at the top of their game," says Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation (VPRI) at 91亚色. "We will break new ground at 91亚色 as we increase the intensity of research being carried out in the new facilities, recruit top faculty and graduate students, and undertake research that will lead to new discoveries that impact areas such as health diagnoses and treatments, and safety in space travel."

To change the hockey聽arena, which was built in 1968,聽into聽a highly sophisticated research centre, staff in 91亚色鈥檚 Campus Services & Business Operations聽incorporated green building design and construction elements and worked closely with researchers and professional staff in the Office of the VPRI, , , and the Toronto-based NXL Architects.

The building was gutted and the external shell retained. Salvaged materials from the internal demolition were reused throughout the structure to add design interest.

Right: The interior of the Sherman Health Science Research Centre

Anchoring the new facility is a functional magnetic resonance imager (fMRI), notes , director of CVR. "The new fMRI provides researchers with a critical infrastructure for neuroscience for neuroscience research. It provides the opportunity to see, in real time and in-depth, how the brain functions when undertaking various tasks in both normal and clinical recovery states. The addition of the new fMRI to the facility positions the University as a centre for health sciences as our research partners will also be able to access the facilities while collaborating with 91亚色 researchers."

Housed in the former arena's locker-rooms, the fMRI resides in a specially reconstructed and reinforced facility. The equipment's powerful magnet requires that the room be shielded to protect individuals with pacemakers and other sensitive electronic equipment. The floors in the fMRI room are reinforced with rebar and specialized construction techniques to ensure that vibration and noise are kept to a minimum. Change rooms were reconfigured to be fully wheelchair accessible.

The centre's first floor houses research rooms containing specialized laboratories and equipment used by CVR researchers. As well, researchers from the School of Kinesiology & Health Science can now work in expanded movement analysis laboratories that feature raised聽floors with moveable steel reinforced plates and rigging. Robotic cameras move around test subjects in the space allowing researchers to obtain an unprecedented view of how the body moves.

Green features and repurposed material

The聽concrete ice pad was removed, broken up and used around the perimeter of the building to create a man-made alvar to assist with drainage and storm water management, and to add landscape interest.聽The alvar is used for testing robots designed in the on the first floor, and as聽part of the recreational patio.

Hardwood from the arena鈥檚 ceiling was refinished and used in the internal staircases leading from the first floor to a newly created second floor suite of offices and research laboratories.聽The arena's dark, cavernous space聽was converted into a light and airy place for researchers through the addition of large windows and skylights.聽The windows illuminate the building鈥檚 indoor street of offices and allow natural light to flood into the second floor. This in turn reduces the need for 24/7 artificial lighting and the sunlight helps heat the space during the winter months. Additional energy-efficient light fixtures were added to the area to light it for evening use.

Left: The spiral stairs lead to a catwalk to facilitate the movement of important research equipment

Radiant heating incorporated into the low maintenance, polished concrete flooring offers an energy-efficient way to maintain the building鈥檚 internal temperature in the winter and cools the space during the summer months.

Other sustainable features include the use of internal paints that are low in volatile organic compounds, which聽limits off-gassing of fumes and preserves the building鈥檚 internal air quality. Carpet tiles, manufactured using processes that require very little water, make use of recycled materials and,聽in the case of damage or spills, only the affected tiles are removed, which again preserves the internal air quality.

"The Sherman building is a great example of when vision and programming fuse to create a unique working environment," says Patrick Saavedra, manager of planning & architectural design. "In this case the adaptive reuse of the facility is an exemplary way to be sustainable by not constructing a new building while at the same time re-energizing and giving new life to an older building; not to mention our carbon foot print got smaller as a result".

A collaborative effort, the extraordinary design and function of the Sherman Health Science Research Centre is聽the result of extensive consultations with the scientists and researchers in vision research, kinesiology and psychology.

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