Applications are due by Wednesday, January 12, 2011.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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In fact, a report for the Ontario legal regulator, the Law Society of Upper Canada, says it’s changing “dramatically”. What isn’t changing though is the ability of women and visible minorities to crack the pay scale to the same extent as white males.

Ironically, the research is based on the 2006 long-form census, which the federal government wants to modify by increasing the number of long forms sent to people, but eliminating the mandatory nature of replying. The proposed changes have caused a ruckus in Ottawa [and with 91��ɫ faculty members].

The study by Michael Ornstein, a sociology professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and director of the, shows the value of the long-form census for researchers. His report found there has been a “dramatic increase” in the number of lawyers who are visible minorities. Today they make up 11.5 per cent of lawyers practising in Ontario, compared with 9.2 per cent in 2001. That’s still well below the 23 per cent of the population provincially that comprises minorities, and below the 30 per cent of those with university degrees, suggesting there’s still a long way to go.

Ornstein’s report says the “progress of visible minority lawyers can be seen in the dramatic increases in the percentage of lawyers between the ages of 25 and 34.” While in 1981 they accounted for two per cent of the profession, today they account for 20 per cent. “This trend will continue as older, predominantly white lawyers retire,” Ornstein writes in his April report.

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

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Professor Susan Henders, director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research, spoke about the new facilities during a recent research celebration. Her remarks are available on the Research Web site's multimedia centre.

The building, which recently received Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED),  opened in September 2009 and features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

Published by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance, a new book co-authored by Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Stepan Wood, shines an urgent light on the dangerous imbalances in contemporary forms of globalized governance.

The book will launch Wednesday, April 7, from 12:30 to 2pm in the Private Dining Room of the Executive Learning Centre in the Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus.

Co-author and political economy Professor Stephen Clarkson of the University of Toronto, a senior fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, will join Wood, a core faculty member of the  (IRIS), in introducing .

Left: Stepan Wood

The book advocates for a revitalization of the Canadian state as a vehicle to pursue human security, ecological integrity and social emancipation, and to create spaces for alternative forms of law and governance.

As citizens of a middle power, Canadians know how it feels to be objects of global forces, but they are also agents of globalization who have helped build structures of transnational governance that have highly uneven impacts on prosperity, human security and the environment, often for the worse. A Perilous Imbalance argues that these imbalances need to be recognized and corrected. It situates Canada’s experience of globalization in the context of three interlinked trends, the emergence of a global supraconsitution, the transformation of the nation-state and the growth of governance beyond the nation-state.

Jinyan Li, interim dean of 91��ɫ’s Osgoode Hall Law School; Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation; and 91��ɫ Professor Dawn Bazely, director of IRIS; will give the opening remarks, followed by commentary by Osgoode Professor Craig Scott.

Lunch will be served. For more information, contact Joanne Rappaport, Osgoode research coordinator, at jrappaport@osgoode.yorku.ca.

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

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With the assistance of an editorial team and faculty experts, working papers undergo at least two stages in a peer-review process, and will be posted on the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research Web site as they become available. Authors are encouraged to submit their papers to as well as the for further online dissemination. Potential hard copy distribution of the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research is currently being explored. Click here to read abstracts and papers in the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research.

The 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law was established in 2008 to foster and facilitate collaborative interdisciplinary research in the field of public policy and law among 91��ɫ's faculty and students. The centre works to fulfil the research needs of the broader community, in particular the needs of government and public policy-makers, non-governmental organizations and social movements in Canada. The centre has its origins in the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Law & Public Policy, which was established at Osgoode Hall Law School more than 20 years ago.

For further information, visit the Osgoode-91��ɫ Seminar Series in Policy Research Web site, or contact editor-in-chief Jennifer Dalton in the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law, 604 91��ɫ Research Tower on 91��ɫ's Keele campus.

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

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IRIS promotes practical sustainability solutions that encompass environmental, social and economic considerations at local, regional and global scales. Operating as a leading edge interdisciplinary research institute, IRIS is a hub for sustainability-related activities at 91��ɫ.

The IRIS Executive Board's mandate is to approve and oversee the implementation of the institute’s policies, procedures, budgets, annual reports and strategic plans.

Nominations are due by March 3. University community members who are interested in serving on the IRIS executive board should submit their CV to Annette Dubreuil, IRIS coordinator, at afdubreu@yorku.ca.

For more information, visit the Web site.

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The research, which looked at the effects of caloric restriction in a mouse model of ALS, found that restricting caloric intake to 60 per cent of the usual mouse diet significantly hastened the onset and progression of ALS, as well as death. It is the first study to demonstrate that caloric restriction in animal models of ALS produces molecular-level changes that lead to cell death.

The study was published today by the open access peer reviewed journal Public Library of Science (). Former 91��ɫ graduate student Barkha P. Patel, supervised by assistant professor Mazen J. Hamadeh (left), led the research at 91��ɫ’s Muscle Health Research Centre, in collaboration with researchers at McMaster University.

“Research has shown that restricting calories can extend lifespan in animals, so we were surprised to find during an earlier study with the same animal model of ALS that it actually hastened the clinical onset of the disease,” said Hamadeh, of the School of Kinesiology and Health Science in 91��ɫ’s . “In this study, we set out to discover how caloric restriction actually led to changes at the molecular level.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord and is associated with an increase in oxidative stress – the physiological stress on the body that is caused by damage from free radicals that are not neutralized by antioxidants.

The study sought to unravel the mechanism behind the acceleration of the clinical onset and progression of ALS when calories are restricted. It found that caloric restriction shortens lifespan through an increase in protein involved in lipid damage, inflammation and cell death.

If the results from the animal model of ALS are extrapolated to patients with the disease, caloric restriction would be contraindicated, Patel said.

For more information about nutrition research in ALS at 91��ɫ, visit Hamadeh's Web site.

By Janice Walls, media relations coordinator. Republished courtesy of 91��ɫ Media Relations.

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A series of films, concerts, workshops, artist talks and community events will usher in Black History Month this February, under the title Performing Diaspora 2010: Celebrating Black History Month through Expressive Culture – Afro Diasporic Women in Focus.

Produced by 91��ɫ's Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, Performing Diaspora 2010 is designed to serve as a catalyst to bring 91��ɫ and the surrounding community together to celebrate and engage with African and African diaspora arts and culture. The aim of the Harriet Tubman Institute is to strengthen the understanding and leadership necessary to develop prosperous, harmonious multicultural communities.

The celebration starts with the International Research Film Festival: Slavery, Memory, Heritage & Contemporary Forms, a special feature of this year’s Performing Diaspora 2010, which runs until Friday, Feb. 5. It features films which address issues of slavery in its past and contemporary forms, as well as films that explore issues of culture, memory and citizenship among descendants of African slaves in several different societies worldwide. Film screenings will be held during the evenings in the Nat Taylor Cinema, N102 Ross Building, and at 280N 91��ɫ Lanes, Keele campus. Admission is free.

A series of live presentations celebrating Black History Month will begin with "An Afternoon of Gospel Music", featuring members of the 91��ɫ Gospel Choir under the direction of 91��ɫ Professor Karen Burke (left), on Thursday, Feb. 11, from 4 to 5pm at the 91��ɫgate Mall (northwest corner of Jane and Finch, just east of Hwy. 400). Admission is free.

Performing Diaspora’s feature concert, “Afro Diasporic Women in Focus”, showcasing gospel artists Amoy Levy and Nicole Sinclair-Anderson (right), will follow on Feb. 20. These Toronto-based singers will be backed by a band led by drummer Larnell Lewis, an accomplished musician who is well-regarded in Toronto’s gospel and jazz communities. The concert will take place Saturday, Feb 20, at 8pm in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. Admission is $15 or $10 for students and seniors. For tickets, visit the Box Office Web site or call 416-736-5888.

Left: Amoy Levy

Black History Month will wrap up with two days of intensive sessions with Brooksie Harrington (below right), an English professor at Fayetteville State University in the United States. His residency will include a vocal master class and a lecture demonstration on his travels with the first lady of gospel, Shirley Caesar. Everyone is welcome.

In keeping with the theme of Afro Diasporic Women in Focus, Harrington will read directly from his book Shirley Caesar: A Woman of Words. The lecture demonstration will take place Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 4pm in 280N 91��ɫ Lanes, Keele campus. The vocal master class will take place Thursday, Feb. 25 at 5:30pm in 245 Accolade East Building, Keele campus. Admission is free.

Performing Diaspora is presented in partnership with 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts, the Department of Music, the 91��ɫ-TD Community Engagement Centre, Burke Music Inc. and others.

For more information about the presentations, including the films being screened as part of the film festival, visit the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African People's Web site.

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

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“This centre is unique in that we’re zeroing in on skeletal muscle and its relationship to health, with a strong focus on what exercise can do,” says Professor David Hood, the centre’s founding director. “We’re looking for new discoveries on how exercise can benefit Canadians through adaptations in the metabolism and structure of muscle.”

The MHRC conducts collaborative research with scientists from the School of Kinesiology & Health Science and the Department of Biology.

“Like all research centres at 91��ɫ, the MHRC has an interdisciplinary mandate – that is, enabling researchers from different departments and disciplines to work together towards a common goal,” says Hood.

Scientists from the MHRC are investigating topics such as muscle metabolism, muscle development and muscle adaptations to exercise, metabolic disease and cancer. Professor Tara Haas and colleagues in the MHRC recently identified a cell-signalling process that stimulates blood vessel growth and may help individuals with diabetes to exercise and thereby improve their health (see YFile, Nov. 17, 2009). Hood’s research includes an ongoing series of investigations into the benefits of exercise (see YFile,  May 11, 2007, March 2, 2009 and January 18, 2010).

“As a leading research institution, we’re concerned with bringing the work of our scientists to bear on the real world and improving the health and well-being of Canadians,” says Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health. The centre will serve as an innovative hub for the life sciences within 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health, generating new knowledge and disseminating research findings to the public and the health system.

The opening ceremony featured guest speakers, including Olympic figure skater Barbara Underhill; Philip Gardiner, director of the Health, Leisure & Human Performance Research Institute at the University of Manitoba; and Jane Aubin, scientific director of the .

To learn more about muscle health research at 91��ɫ, visit the MHRC Web site or contact Hood at dhood@yorku.ca.

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

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