Research Month at 91��ɫ Archives | Research & Innovation

November is Research Month: 91��ɫ celebrates with a series of events

fmaquito — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Research Month celebrates the achievements and diversity of 91��ɫ’s research community.

Throughout November, the Vari Hall Rotunda will play host to displays and demonstrations featuring our faculty and graduate researchers. Drop by between 10 am and 2 pm each Wednesday to learn what 91��ɫ's researchers are doing.

The Research Month index on 91��ɫ's Research website contains complete information about the researchers, research centres and research support groups participating in the event.

Social sciences and humanities research – Nov. 3

Confirmed participants include:

Institute for Science & Technology Studies
91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community

Science and engineering research – Nov. 10

Confirmed participants include:

Health research – Nov.17

Confirmed participants include:

Professor Joseph DeSouza, Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology
Professor , Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
Professor Jennifer Kuk, Faculty of Health, School of Kinesiology & Health Science
Professor Gail Mitchell, Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
Professor Jennine Rawana, Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology
Professor Rose Steele, Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution
91��ɫ Institute for Health Research

Fine and performing arts research — Nov. 24

Confirmed participants include:

Want to participate?

Do you have completed works, prototypes, technology, or works in progress that you could demonstrate? Do you have graduate/undergraduate students working with you who could assist and help talk about the work? If you have other ideas, we would love to hear about them.

Interested faculty members or research centres should contact Elizabeth Monier-Williams in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at ext. 21069 or eamw@yorku.ca. Please note that space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Other research-related events

These research-related events will also be running in November:

Nov. 6 – , featuring Professor Poonam Puri from Osgoode Hall Law School and Professor Steven Gaetz from the Faculty of Education among other speakers.
Nov. 10 – Toward a Behavioral Neuroscience of Parenting, sponsored by the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health.
Nov. 24 & 25 – at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (by invitation only).
Nov. 26 – Campus visit from Suzanne Fortier, president of the .
Nov. 30 – Campus visit from David Malone, president of .

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

The post November is Research Month: 91��ɫ celebrates with a series of events appeared first on Research & Innovation.

U50: Recipient of President’s Research Excellence Award named

fmaquito — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

John Tsotsos, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering, has been named the winner of the 91��ɫ President’s Research Excellence Award.

The award, introduced during 91��ɫ’s 50th year, recognizes outstanding research achievement and significant contributions to advance the University’s international reputation for research excellence. Distinguished Research Professors Ellen Bialystok of the Faculty of Health and Paul Lovejoy of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies will each receive the Research Award of Merit.

Left: 91��ɫ Professor John Tsotsos at work on his PlayBOT Project – an intelligent, visually guided wheelchair intended for physically disabled children. Researchers in the ICAST network are working on several intelligent wheelchair projects across Canada.

Tsotsos is well known as a pioneer in vision science research. “His great accomplishment for the University was advancing the development of the Centre for Vision Research,” said Amir Asif, chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, and Tsotsos’ nominator. “Under his directorship, the centre blossomed into a world-leading research centre in the area of vision research, and is clearly one of 91��ɫ’s most important research centres.”

A Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision and Distinguished Research Professor of Vision Science, Tsotsos has received numerous accolades and awards. He has published more than 300 papers in prestigious journals over the last three decades. As a scientist, Tsotsos’ work is recognized for its innovative development of computational models of visual attention. He was the first to prove the Selective Tuning (ST) theory, modelling visual attention, in 1990. Integrating the fields of visual psychology, computer vision, robotics and visual neuroscience, he is also known for the development of PlayBOT, a visually guided robot to assist physically disabled children in play.

Tsotsos’ ability to bring together a diverse group of people is reflected in his leadership role in forming ICAST, the Intelligent Computational Assistive Science & Technology Research & Development Network. The theme of collaboration as an integral part of his research emerges in the many letters of support accompanying his nomination, from his colleagues across Canada. 91��ɫ computer science & engineering Professor Nick Cercone said that not only is John Tsotsos’ “academic achievement and leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision without peer in Canada,” but that the “AI community owes John a debt of gratitude for his tireless promotion of the discipline worldwide.”

91��ɫ psychology Professor Ellen Bialystok (right), recipient of the Research Merit Award, is a Distinguished Research Professor in Psychology and a leading global researcher in bilingualism and its affects on the aging brain. Bialystok’s six books and over 100 papers in scientific journals extend her research beyond themes and geographical boundaries. “She has investigated bilingualism and literacy from a number of angles and across a number of languages and language learners,” said her nominator, Professor Martha Crago of Dalhousie University.

91��ɫ history Professor Paul Lovejoy (left), a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History, is also a recipient of the Research Merit Award. As director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, Lovejoy is a leading scholar who has pioneered the study of the history and dynamics of the African diaspora from an African perspective. Through his research, he traces the history of migration from Africa into diaspora, following individual enslaved Africans to their destinations in the Americas. Lovejoy collaborates with an international network of researchers in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, Latin America, Africa and Europe, creating digitized historical data for his unique research. Lovejoy has “revolutionized his field through the innovative use of technology,” according to his nominator, 91��ɫ political science Professor Robert Drummond. "Lovejoy is an internationally active public intellectual in regard to issues of contemporary slavery and reparations.”

Adding his congratulatory message, Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ vice-president research & innovation, said: “The nominations and letters that poured in supporting these distinguished researchers overwhelmingly spoke about the excellent work of Professors Tsotsos, Bialystok and Lovejoy as thought leaders and innovators in their fields. Each of the nominees for the award presented a strong record of sustained research achievement and many contributions towards enriching 91��ɫ’s research reputation.”

“I want to congratulate the winners of these awards and thank them for advancing 91��ɫ’s reputation,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Their ingenuity and contribution to invention and innovation are a testament to 91��ɫ’s research excellence.”

A ceremony to honour the recipients of the President’s Research Excellence Award and Research Awards of Merit will be held Nov. 24 as part of celebrations marking 91��ɫ’s inaugural Research Month.

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

The post U50: Recipient of President’s Research Excellence Award named appeared first on Research & Innovation.

November is 91��ɫ's first Research Month

fmaquito — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

November is 91��ɫ’s first Research Month

Tuesdays in November will never be the same if the organizers of 91��ɫ’s first Research Month have their way. They have put together an exciting month of events, interactive research displays and images that document and celebrate just some of the research conducted at 91��ɫ University. The interactive displays, and images will be on exhibit in the Vari Hall Rotunda every Tuesday in November from 10am to 3pm.

In addition to the myriad of posters and images, members of the 91��ɫ Rover Team (YURT) will be on-site in Vari Hall where they will be putting their award-winning Mars rover through its paces. And that's not all – as part of this inaugural Research Month celebration, there will be workshops for researchers, the YORKwrites recognition celebration on Nov. 3 in the Steacie Science Library, Faculty research events, special lectures, film screenings and a chance to visit 91��ɫ’s 12 research centres dedicated to the social sciences and humanities in their new offices in the 91��ɫ Research Tower. All of this will culminate with a focal event to honour the recipient of the President’s Research Excellence Award.

"Research Month will engage the 91��ɫ community with the knowledge and ideas that drive innovation at 91��ɫ,” says Stan Shapson, vice-president, research & innovation. “As we celebrate 50 years of growth of research, there is no better time than this to provide an opportunity for the community to find out more about our research strengths and to engage with our researchers.”

To find out more about all the events and displays planned for 91��ɫ’s inaugural Research Month, visit the calendar posted on the 91��ɫ Research Month Web site.

All events are free and open to the 91��ɫ community and their guests, although some events may require pre-registration.

The post November is 91��ɫ's first Research Month appeared first on Research & Innovation.