Wendy Taylor Archives | Research & Innovation

Search committee seeks input on criteria for new VP research & innovation

fmaquito — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The search committee to appoint a vice-president, research & innovation will soon commence a comprehensive international search for a successor to Professor Stan Shapson.

The search committee will be drafting an advertisement to announce the start of the search, which will appear shortly in various publications and websites. In addition, the committee is working on a position profile to describe the priorities over the next five years, and what they are seeking in candidates in terms of experience, background and qualifications. The committee is soliciting input on the following questions in order to help shape the position profile:

What are your aspirations for the VPRI portfolio over the next five to 10 years? What do you see as the issues and challenges facing the University during this period?
What do you think the search committee should be seeking in a leader in terms of professional background and experience, personal attributes, qualifications and credentials?

91��ɫ community members can send their confidential suggestions to the search committee by e-mail (see below) or directly to the search firm, no later than Wednesday, Nov. 3.

Search committee members:

91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, committee chair, at mshoukri@yorku.ca,
Patrick Monahan, vice-president academic & provost, at provost@yorku.ca,
Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Allan Hutchinson, at hutch@yorku.ca,
Barbara Crow, professor of communication studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), at bacrow@yorku.ca,
History Professor Jonathan Edmondson, LA&PS, at jedmond@yorku.ca.
Wendy Taylor, professor of physics and astronomy, Faculty of Science & Engineering, at taylorw@yorku.ca,
Roger Keil, directory of the City Institute and professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, at rkeil@yorku.ca,
Psychology professor Fran Wilkinson, Faculty of Health, at franw@yorku.ca,
Janusz Kozinski, dean, Faculty of Science & Engineering, at Janusz.Kozinski@yorku.ca,
Ijade Maxwell Rodrigues, chief of staff and secretary to the committee, at ijade@yorku.ca.

Or directly to the search firm, e-mail yorkvpri@jwasearch.com.

The post Search committee seeks input on criteria for new VP research & innovation appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Audio: Professor and Canada Research Chair Wendy Taylor speaks about DZero Experiment

fmaquito — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Wendy Taylor, Canada Research Chair in Experimental Particle Physics and physics professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, spoke with Bob McDonald about the DZero Experiment on CBC Radios’ “Quirks & Quarks” May 29.

The interview is .

Taylor and other 91��ɫ researchers played a key role in a . The DZero collaboration of scientists at the submitted a finding to the journal Physical Review D, reporting significant differences between matter and antimatter, which run up against current theories of particle physics.

Their research indicates a one per cent difference between the production of pairs of muons and pairs of antimuons in the decay of B mesons produced in high-energy collisions at Fermilab’s Tevatron particle collider. An independent DZero measurement carried out by 91��ɫ researchers and submitted to Physical Review D last month further verifies these results.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Audio: Professor and Canada Research Chair Wendy Taylor speaks about DZero Experiment appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91��ɫ researchers uncover new clue in antimatter mystery

fmaquito — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ researchers have played a key role in a new finding that may help explain the imbalance of matter and antimatter in our universe.

The DZero collaboration of scientists at the submitted a finding to the journal Physical Review D, reporting significant differences between matter and antimatter, which run up against current theories of particle physics. Their research indicates a one per cent difference between the production of pairs of muons and pairs of antimuons in the decay of B mesons produced in high-energy collisions at Fermilab’s Tevatron particle collider. An independent DZero measurement carried out by 91��ɫ researchers and submitted to Physical Review D last month further verifies these results.

Right:

Scientists believe that during the Big Bang, matter and antimatter were created in equal proportions; they have been searching for minute differences between the two in the hopes they will help us understand why our universe is composed primarily of matter.

Physicists theorize that a physical process preferentially consumes the antimatter in the universe, leaving only matter behind; they refer to this process as “CP violation”. However, the standard model of particle physics predicts very small amounts of this phenomenon, insufficient to account for the dominance of matter in the universe. The findings of 91��ɫ physics Professor , Canada Research Chair in Experimental Particle Physics, and her colleagues put forth new evidence of CP violation as a key factor.

“These results are very exciting,” says Taylor, who is also a member of the tight-knit DZero b-quark physics group, which led the research. “This puts us one step closer to answering the big questions about matter-antimatter asymmetry – where did the antimatter go, and how was it consumed?”

Taylor and 91��ɫ graduate student Steven Beale looked for another particle, called a D_s meson, which is often produced along with muons in b-quark decays.

“Muons also originate from the decays of other particles, so it was important to try and verify that the muons originated from the b-quark,” says Taylor.

The two independent analyses are consistent: a combined result shows evidence of a source of CP violation in the decay of b-quarks.

DZero is an international experiment of about 500 physicists from 86 institutions in 19 countries. It is supported by the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and a number of international funding agencies.

Fermilab is a national laboratory funded by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy, operated under contract by Fermi Research Alliance, a limited liability company.

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

The post 91��ɫ researchers uncover new clue in antimatter mystery appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Six Canada Research Chairs renewed at 91��ɫ for $5.7 million

fmaquito — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ has received $5.7 million to renew six of its Canada Research Chairs (CRC).

Professors Caitlin Fisher, David Hood, Joel Katz, Steve Mason, Wendy Taylor and Peer Zumbansen will continue their respective research in digital culture, cell physiology, health psychology, Greco-Roman cultural interaction, experimental particle physics, and transnational economic governance and legal theory.

With the renewals, 91��ɫ maintains its total of 28 research chairs. “Federal research investments are crucial to attracting and retaining the world's best researchers,” said Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. “The Canada Research Chairs program allows us to sustain 91��ɫ’s globally competitive research across health, the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Our researchers’ findings help improve the quality of life, economic, and social well-being of Canadians and people around the world.”

Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Digital Culture and film professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts, investigates the future of narrative, interactive storytelling, and interactive cinema in the emerging area of virtual reality research. Her research develops techniques and narrative strategies for use in augmented reality (AR) environments, which is increasingly important for Canada's culture and entertainment industries as AR and associated technologies like smart phones become more commonplace.

Left: Caitlin Fisher

Under her direction, 91��ɫ’s AR Lab, part of the in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts, is conducting research at the forefront of art and science collaborations. The lab makes use of both established and emerging technologies to produce innovative research methods, expressive tools for artists and award-winning content that challenges cinematic and literary conventions while enhancing the ways in which people interact with their physical environment and with each other.

David Hood, CRC in Cell Physiology and kinesiology & health science professor in the Faculty of Health, is an internationally-recognized authority in muscle health, exercise and mitochondria. His publications have expanded on the important role that mitochondria play in muscle, and the beneficial effect of exercise in enhancing energy production, preventing cell death and attenuating disease processes.

Right: David Hood

Hood operates one of the world’s most advanced laboratories in the cellular physiology of mitochondria. In January 2010, he became the first director of the newly opened 91��ɫ Muscle Health Research Centre (MHRC), which is unique in Canada. The MHRC integrates research in mitochondria with biomedical research across the University.

Joel Katz, CRC in Health Psychology and psychology professor in the Faculty of Health, is a world-class researcher in the study of pain. His research has significant impact on the way pain is understood and managed in both preventative and rehabilitative medicine.

Left: Joel Katz

His major accomplishments include using a preventative approach to advance the treatment of acute post-operative pain, increasing our understanding of neonatal pain and how to manage it, identifying factors that predict the transition of acute to chronic pain, and discovering previously unrecognized gender differences in the experience of pain. Katz is coordinator of the 91��ɫ health psychology Graduate Diploma Program, the only program in Canada offering specialized training in health psychology leading to a diploma.

Steve Mason, CRC in Greco-Roman Cultural Interaction and history professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, explores issues of cultural identity among the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean under Hellenistic and Roman rule (200 BCE to 300 CE). He focuses on Judea and the Jewish Mediterranean diaspora in the context of other diasporas.

Right: Steve Mason

The most important literary sources for these questions are 30 surviving volumes by the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 - c. 100 CE), and Mason is at the forefront of research into these works. He leads an international team of 14 scholars in supplying Josephus with a new translation and the first comprehensive . He has published five books and many articles on related subjects while editing and co-authoring another seven. He manages the popular online database, , and is completing a volume on the fateful Judean-Roman War of 66 to 74 CE.

, CRC in Experimental Particle Physics and physics professor in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, studies the high-energy particle collisions at the and at the accelerator. Her research aims to understand matter’s smallest indivisible components and the forces of interaction between them. Taylor is recognized by her peers as an expert in b-quark physics analysis and particle detector electronics development.

Left: Wendy Taylor

Her primary analysis found the first evidence of spontaneous matter-antimatter transitions of B0s mesons, composite particles that contain both a b-quark and an anti-s quark. She contributed to developing a new calorimeter trigger, which allows high-rate data collection. She is now developing low-noise radiation-hard readout electronics for a new particle detector and algorithms to search for the Higgs boson, the particle believed to be responsible for why matter in the universe has mass.

, CRC in Transnational Economic Governance & Legal Theory and professor in Osgoode Hall Law School, explores globalization’s impact on national political economies, concentrating on changing forms of production and on the politics of privatization and deregulation.

Right: Peer Zumbansen

Zumbansen's research is advancing the development of both a comparative and methodological perspective of globalization on national political economies. His work also explores broader questions concerning political sovereignty and the changing relationship between the state and the market, particularly in the European Union, Canada and the United States. Widely published in both German and English, Zumbansen is the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of the .

Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science & technology), announced the nationwide renewals in Ottawa on March 26. “Our government is investing in science and technology to create jobs, strengthen the economy and improve Canadians’ quality of life,” said Goodyear. “The Canada Research Chairs program is helping our universities develop and attract talented people, strengthening our capacity for leading-edge research, while creating jobs and economic opportunities for Canadians now and in the future."

The CRC program attracts the best talent from Canada and around the world, helping universities achieve research excellence in natural sciences and engineering, health sciences and social sciences and humanities.

For more information, visit the Web site.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

The post Six Canada Research Chairs renewed at 91��ɫ for $5.7 million appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Particle physics team looks forward to working with TRIUMF

fmaquito — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ particle physicist Sampa Bhadra (below right) has already figured out how she intends to spend her next sabbatical leave when it comes in 2013 – she's hoping to visit British Columbia so she can spend some quality time at a subatomic research facility that’s larger than two city blocks and houses the biggest cyclotron in the world. It will be the ultimate busman’s holiday as she takes part in research into the tiniest secrets of the universe along with scientific colleagues at TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics.

While there, Bhadra, a professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, will also visit with 91��ɫ alumnus Nigel Lockyer (BSc Spec. Hons. ’75), director of TRIUMF, in which 91��ɫ became a partner July 1 (see YFile, July 2). The two met 22 years ago at another subatomic research facility, Fermilab, near Chicago, and established a networking connection that made 91��ɫ’s eventual partnership in TRIUMF possible.

When Lockyer became director in 2007 (see YFile, March 20, 2007), he accepted an invitation from then president Lorna Marsden to visit 91��ɫ's Keele campus and meet the University’s growing team of particle physicists. When he arrived, Lockyer was in the early stages of a campaign to promote membership in TRIUMF to Canadian universities. He quickly recruited Bhadra to champion the idea at 91��ɫ, along with Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation, and Michael Siu, associate vice-president research, science & technology, and she is now 91��ɫ’s representative on TRIUMF’s Policy & Planning Advisory Committee. 91��ɫ became an associate member of the consortium in September 2008 (see YFile, Sept. 16, 2008).


Taylor	Menary

The Faculty of Science & Engineering has seven researchers, members of 91��ɫ’s group, who will benefit from the association with TRIUMF, says Bhadra. She and fellow experimentalists Scott Menary and Wendy Taylor are the 91��ɫ principal investigators for several projects around the world and the Canadian leaders of these experiments reside at TRIUMF.

91��ɫ theorists Roman Koniuk, Randy Lewis and Kim Maltman have also collaborated closely with TRIUMF physicists, either as staff and/or on sabbatical. The newest member of 91��ɫ’s particle physics group is theorist Veronica Sanz-Gonzalez, who joined 91��ɫ this year from Boston University.


Koniuk	Lewis	Maltman	Sanz-Gonzalez

“Our connection to TRIUMF is long overdue,” says Bhadra. “It’s a great meeting place for scientific discussions; it’s a concentration of experts. The synergy is fantastic right now.”

The benefits of 91��ɫ’s membership will soon be felt at the Keele campus when Lia Merminga, director of TRIUMF’s accelerator division, makes a visit to 91��ɫ in November. “91��ɫ and TRIUMF will be exploring joint intitiatives that will have long-reaching benefits for both institutions,” says Bhadra.

TRIUMF “is a value statement by Canada about the long-term importance of strategic investments in science, technology and innovation,” said Lockyer in a director’s message. “TRIUMF’s accomplishments in basic research (particle and nuclear physics, molecular and materials science, nuclear medicine and information technology), international partnerships and commercial successes with Canadian companies are the proof behind this statement.”

Right: Nigel Lockyer

TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator Complex is recognized as the world’s most advanced laboratory for the production of exotic or “medical” isotopes. While not using the accelerator complex itself, Bhadra and her colleagues have access to the excellent resources provided by TRIUMF in terms of expertise in electronics, computing and engineering support.

TRIUMF's accelerator division has long been recognized as one of the world's best and has contributed hardware and expertise to CERN, the international consortium based in Switzerland that is home to the world's largest particle accelerator.

For more information about TRIUMF, visit its Web site.

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

The post Particle physics team looks forward to working with TRIUMF appeared first on Research & Innovation.