91亚色 Region Archives | Research & Innovation /research/tag/york-region/ Wed, 29 Jan 2025 19:57:23 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Research forum provides new perspective on ways to end youth homelessness /research/2012/11/27/research-forum-provides-new-perspective-on-ways-to-end-youth-homelessness-2/ Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2012/11/27/research-forum-provides-new-perspective-on-ways-to-end-youth-homelessness-2/ A systems approach is needed to respond to youth homelessness in 91亚色 Region and Canada. This was the message at yesterday鈥檚 research forum: Re-Imagining Our Response to Youth Homelessness: A Canadian and Global Perspective, organized by United Way 91亚色 Region (UWYR) and 91亚色 at the Markham Convergence Centre. 鈥淎 multi-sectoral approach is necessary. Non-profit […]

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A systems approach is needed to respond to youth homelessness in 91亚色 Region and Canada. This was the message at yesterday鈥檚 research forum: Re-Imagining Our Response to Youth Homelessness: A Canadian and Global Perspective, organized by United Way 91亚色 Region (UWYR) and 91亚色 at the Markham Convergence Centre.

鈥淎 multi-sectoral approach is necessary. Non-profit organizations, universities, governments and other key stakeholders have to work together to end youth homelessness and move forward with one clear vision,鈥 said keynote speaker Stephen Gaetz, 91亚色 professor and director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network. 鈥淲e need to reconsider our response to youth homelessness and shift our focus away from an emphasis on emergency supports towards prevention and rapid rehousing.鈥

Representatives from a variety of sectors gathered at the Markham Convergence Centre to talk about an effective response to youth homelessness in 91亚色 Region and Canada.

The research forum was organized by聽UWYR in partnership with 91亚色鈥檚 Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit through a one-year Public Outreach Grant from the Social Sciences聽& Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

鈥淲e see this event as a great opportunity to invite people to think differently about youth homelessness and learn from other jurisdictions,鈥 said Jane Wedlock, knowledge mobilization officer, UWYR. 鈥淎nd we can consider whether we might explore some of these different approaches.鈥

Stephen Gaetz

Examples were drawn from different Canadian provinces and other countries that have undertaken some innovative approaches to addressing youth homelessness.

"It was impressive to see 91亚色聽research聽at a forum designed to facilitate relationship building, a two-way exchange between academic researchers and practitioners in social service provision, all with one common vision to support positive changes in addressing issues of youth homelessness in 91亚色 Region," said Michael Johnny, manager of knowledge mobilization at 91亚色.

"Research Forums, such as the one held yesterday, are an important process of effective knowledge mobilization by creating a culture of collaboration and realizing the potential for research to have a direct and positive impact for 91亚色 Region," said Johnny.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Innovation 91亚色 positioned as launch pad for commercialization /research/2012/10/10/innovation-york-positioned-as-launch-pad-for-commercialization-2/ Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2012/10/10/innovation-york-positioned-as-launch-pad-for-commercialization-2/ Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Hach茅 announces the development of a new suite of commercialization and industry liaison services under the umbrella of Innovation 91亚色.聽 Commercialization and industry liaison services at 91亚色 in the past聽have been delivered via two units: the Intellectual Property & Research Agreements unit (IPRA) within the Office of Research Services […]

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Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Hach茅 announces the development of a new suite of commercialization and industry liaison services under the umbrella of Innovation 91亚色.聽

Commercialization and industry liaison services at 91亚色 in the past聽have been delivered via two units: the Intellectual Property & Research Agreements unit (IPRA) within the Office of Research Services and an industry liaison unit called Innovation 91亚色 located at the Markham Convergence Centre. IPRA supported commercialization activities and research agreements, whereas Innovation 91亚色 focused primarily on developing relationships between 91亚色 faculty members and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) within the 91亚色 region. The arrangement created a聽difficult environment for faculty members and industry to navigate.聽

The Markham Convergence Centre

Following an environmental scan of best practises in Canadian universities, the division of the VPRI聽developed a plan to combine and expand upon the services of the two units under the unifying banner of Innovation 91亚色. The 鈥渘ew鈥 Innovation 91亚色 will provide increased support and enhance coordination of the commercialization activities and the development of relationships between academic researchers and industry.

鈥淚 am pleased to announce an expansion of services under the umbrella of Innovation 91亚色. The unit aims to provide an integrated suite of services to the 91亚色 research community, in order to facilitate research, translate research outcomes, and continue to develop a culture of industry-engaged scholarship,鈥 said Hach茅.聽 鈥淲e value the research partnerships we have made throughout the past year and hope to continue to further develop our existing partnerships and new ones, both in 91亚色 region and within the broader global community.鈥

Robert Hach茅

Under the leadership of Sarah Howe, the new Innovation 91亚色聽will set聽out to create a strategic office within the division of the VPRI that supports the interaction between faculty members, trainees and industry in a multitude of ways including, the management of agreements, the facilitation of innovative research partnerships and internship opportunities, commercialization of intellectual assets, and the support of entrepreneurship and start-up acceleration activities.

As the new commercialization and industry liaison office for 91亚色, Innovation 91亚色 provides services to faculty members, trainees, and industry within four service streams:

    • Agreements - Innovation 91亚色 will manage the agreement process on behalf of researchers and 91亚色 in order to effectively facilitate research projects and commercialize intellectual assets.
    • Industry Liaison聽- Innovation91亚色 will initiate and foster relationships between91亚色 faculty members, trainees, and industry, in order to create actionable research projects infused with industry-research dollars.
    • Commercialization -聽Innovation 91亚色 will work with faculty members and trainees to assist them with commercializing their intellectual assets, in order to maximize the social and economic impact.
    • Entrepreneurship & Start-up Acceleration聽- Innovation 91亚色 will provide accelerator space within the Markham Convergence Centre for faculty and trainee start-up companies, in order to provide a professional place of business.

In order to ensure that this suite of services is robust and effective, Innovation 91亚色 will enlist the assistance two key external partners: MaRS Innovation and VentureLab.

MaRS Innovation (MI), an organization that commercializes some of the key research breakthroughs from 16 of Toronto鈥檚 top universities, medical institutions, and research institutes. MI selects key discoveries from91亚色and in collaboration with Innovation 91亚色, advances their commercialization path through industry partnerships, licensing arrangements and spin-off companies. MI leverages its assets, along with government funds and other member resources, to develop and commercialize these high-potential technologies.

VentureLab is the regional innovation centre within the 91亚色 region. Innovation 91亚色 and VentureLab work together to support faculty and student entrepreneurs as they incorporate and grow startup companies. In addition, the two organizations work together to create innovative research partnerships between academic researchers and VentureLab clients.

The new Innovation 91亚色 aims to build on these existing partnerships and work to provide broad opportunities for faculty members and trainees to obtain regional, national, and global industry support for their own academic research and commercialization opportunities.

For additional information, please contact Sarah Howe, director, Innovation 91亚色, at showe@yorku.ca or ext. 20579.

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

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David Phipps and 91亚色's KMb Unit named Canada's biggest influencers /research/2011/09/28/david-phipps-and-yorks-kmb-unit-named-canadas-biggest-influencers-2/ Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/09/28/david-phipps-and-yorks-kmb-unit-named-canadas-biggest-influencers-2/ David Phipps, director of 91亚色's聽Research Services and Knowledge Exchange, has been named the most influential knowledge broker in Canada, according to a report by Knowledge Mobilization Works,聽a consulting and training company based in Ottawa. The Canadian Knowledge Mobilization 100, a survey run by Knowledge Mobilization Works, asked respondents to rank the biggest influences of their […]

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David Phipps, director of 91亚色's聽Research Services and Knowledge Exchange, has been named the most influential knowledge broker in Canada, according to a report by Knowledge Mobilization Works,聽a consulting and training company based in Ottawa.

The Canadian Knowledge Mobilization 100, a survey run by , asked respondents to rank the biggest influences of their knowledge mobilization practice. Phipps, who leads 91亚色鈥檚 Knowledge Mobilization Unit and , Canada鈥檚 knowledge mobilization network, topped the list.

Left: David Phipps

Also mentioned among the top influencers in Canada were Peter Levesque (Knowledge Mobilization Works), Melanie Barwick (Hospital for Sick Children), Ben Levin (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and Gary Myers (KMbeing.com). 聽The survey collected responses from Jan. 5 to June 15, and results were released by Knowledge Mobilization Works on Monday.

鈥淜nowledge mobilization is a key element of 91亚色鈥檚 research outreach strategy,鈥 said Robert Hach茅, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淭hrough David鈥檚 efforts and leadership, 91亚色鈥檚 excellent reputation as a leading knowledge mobilization university in Canada continues to be strengthened.聽This recognition by his peers is well deserved.鈥

91亚色 piloted institutional knowledge mobilization in 2005 under a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.聽Since then, 91亚色 has grown its knowledge mobilization collaboration with the University of Victoria to include the other four 搁别蝉别补谤肠丑滨尘辫补肠迟-搁茅蝉别补耻滨尘辫补肠迟搁别肠丑别谤肠丑别 universities: Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador, Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al, University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan.聽91亚色 also works closely with the United Way of 91亚色 Region to deliver knowledge mobilization services to the 91亚色 Region community, municipal and regional agencies.

Knowledge mobilization is a suite of services that connect university research and expertise to government and community agencies so that research can help these organizations make better informed decisions about public policy and social services. Knowledge mobilization is a process that results in social innovation.

鈥淜nowledge mobilization has become very important for Canada,鈥 said Steven Gaetz, professor in the Faculty of Education who leads both the and the . 鈥淒avid鈥檚 work and that of the knowledge mobilization unit is very helpful to those of us seeking to make research accessible to policy makers.鈥

Levesque, president and CEO of Knowledge Mobilization Works, undertook the survey to obtain a snapshot of who people see as influential in their knowledge mobilization practice in Canada.

鈥淲e think that knowledge mobilization as a concept and as a practice is growing. We think that we have barely scratched the surface of understanding what influences knowledge mobilization practice,鈥 said Levesque.

Founded in January 2007, Knowledge Mobilization Works聽supports聽individuals and organizations to create incentives and infrastructure for knowledge mobilization.

For more information on 91亚色鈥檚 Knowledge Mobilization Unit contact , manager, Knowledge Mobilization at ext.聽88876.

To view the results of the survey, visit .

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Professor Robert Hach茅 is 91亚色's new vice-president research & innovation /research/2011/05/31/professor-robert-hache-is-yorks-new-vice-president-research-innovation-2/ Tue, 31 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/05/31/professor-robert-hache-is-yorks-new-vice-president-research-innovation-2/ Robert Hach茅, a聽molecular聽and cellular biologist and biochemist, will assume the role of vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色 for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2011. The announcement of Hach茅's appointment was made yesterday by 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淚 am thrilled that Dr. Hach茅 is coming to 91亚色,鈥 said聽Shoukri. 鈥淒r. […]

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, a聽molecular聽and cellular biologist and biochemist, will assume the role of vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色 for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2011.

The announcement of Hach茅's appointment was made yesterday by 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淚 am thrilled that Dr. Hach茅 is coming to 91亚色,鈥 said聽Shoukri. 鈥淒r. Hach茅's ideas, experience and skills will enable us to continue to enhance our increasingly strong research profile, and expand into one of Canada鈥檚 leading interdisciplinary research and teaching universities.鈥

Right: Robert Hach茅

Hach茅聽is currently the聽associate vice-president research at the , where he has played a key role in advancing strategic research priorities. He has also held appointments in the university's Department of Cell Biology聽and Anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine, and in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science, where he maintained an active research program. Previously, he spent聽18 years at the University of Ottawa, the last聽12 in a series of research leadership positions that ended with a term as vice-dean, research for the Faculty of Medicine.

鈥淚 am delighted to be coming to 91亚色 at what is sure to be a promising time in its history,鈥 said Hach茅. 鈥淚 look forward to working with faculty and researchers to further the development of its rapidly growing and internationally-recognized research enterprise.鈥

A聽molecular聽and cellular biologist and biochemist, Hach茅 has made important contributions to the understanding of how steroid hormone signaling takes place in cells and how cells respond to DNA damaging agents. He has chaired and been a member of a number of boards and advisory committees associated with research development and research management. Hach茅 received his BSc in biochemistry from McGill University and his PhD in biochemistry from Queen's University.

Hach茅 has been the recipient of many research grants and awards, including from the (CIHR), the , the (NCIC), The Inc., and the (NSERC). He is the author of more than 130 scientific articles and abstracts and has delivered many distinguished invited presentations on various aspects of his research.

鈥淚 would like to thank Stan Shapson for his outstanding leadership and friendship,鈥 Shoukri said of 91亚色's outgoing vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淒uring his time at 91亚色, Stan was instrumental in advancing 91亚色鈥檚 research and innovation mandate, as well as raising the University鈥檚 profile externally. Among his many contributions, Stan helped to oversee the launch of the Markham Convergence Centre, an important research initiative in the provincial government鈥檚 ONE Network.鈥

Added Shoukri: 鈥淚 am grateful to Stan for all that he has achieved over the years at 91亚色, and wish him well in all of his future endeavours.鈥

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

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91亚色 becomes 17th member of MaRS Innovation /research/2011/05/09/york-university-becomes-17th-member-of-mars-innovation-2/ Mon, 09 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/05/09/york-university-becomes-17th-member-of-mars-innovation-2/ 91亚色 has become the latest member of MaRS Innovation, the commercialization agent for many leading Toronto-based universities, hospitals and research institutes. 鈥91亚色 has become one of Canada鈥檚 fastest-growing centres for research and innovation,鈥 said Stan Shapson (right), vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色. 鈥淲e typically get 10 to 20 discovery disclosures a year. […]

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91亚色 has become the latest member of , the commercialization agent for many leading Toronto-based universities, hospitals and research institutes.

鈥91亚色 has become one of Canada鈥檚 fastest-growing centres for research and innovation,鈥 said Stan Shapson (right), vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色. 鈥淲e typically get 10 to 20 discovery disclosures a year. Joining MaRS Innovation allows us to deliver the most competitive commercialization services to the researchers making these discoveries. We鈥檙e confident that membership in MaRS Innovation will boost that number and accelerate the commercialization of 91亚色鈥檚 most promising research.鈥

Earlier this year, 91亚色 launched its office. Based in 91亚色 Region, Innovation 91亚色 works with other partner organizations in the Markham Convergence Centre to build upon research partnerships between 91亚色 researchers and life science and technology companies based in 91亚色 Region and the Greater Toronto Area. It鈥檚 also making 91亚色鈥檚 research and infrastructure more accessible to industry, government agencies and community partners.

Joining MaRS Innovation will further extend 91亚色鈥檚 commercialization contacts. In less than two years, MaRS Innovation has assessed聽more than聽400 research disclosures from members such as the University of Toronto and its 10 affiliated teaching hospitals, as well as Ryerson University.

MaRS Innovation has begun to line up investment funding to take the discoveries with the greatest commercial potential to market, creating companies and jobs, and starting industries. In 2011 alone, MaRS Innovation has spurred the creation of five new enterprises based on the groundbreaking discoveries of its members.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled that 91亚色 has decided to become one of our members." said聽Rafi Hofstein, president聽& CEO of MaRS Innovation. "91亚色鈥檚 national and international reputation for groundbreaking discoveries is growing quickly, and many of their research initiatives are highly complementary to the technologies that we鈥檝e been helping to commercialize over the past two years.鈥

To become a member of MaRS Innovation, an academic and research organization must have intellectual property in life sciences (drug discovery, medical devices, diagnostic imaging, etc.), information and communications technologies (ICT), cleantech and digital media.

MaRS Innovation is supported by the Government of Canada through the (NCE) to focus on turning inventions into real commercial opportunities. Both the Province of Ontario鈥檚 (MRI) and Ottawa have provided essential financial support for Proof of Principle programs聽鈥 NCE, through the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, funded the turning of inventions into real commercial opportunities; and MRI, through Ontario Centres of Excellence, has been supporting MaRS Innovation鈥檚 Proof of Principle (PoP) program.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of MaRS Innovation Public Relations department and Media Relations at 91亚色 University.

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Southlake Regional Health Centre and 91亚色 bring science and health care together at May 9 Open House /research/2011/05/06/southlake-regional-health-centre-and-york-university-bring-science-and-health-care-together-at-may-9-open-house-2/ Fri, 06 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/05/06/southlake-regional-health-centre-and-york-university-bring-science-and-health-care-together-at-may-9-open-house-2/ How can Blackberry smartphones be used to reduce health risks? And what can head injuries teach us about how to rehabilitate our bodies? Physicians and clinicians from Southlake Regional Health Centre, and researchers from 91亚色, will speak at an open house Monday about how they are working together 鈥 in the hospital and in […]

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How can Blackberry smartphones be used to reduce health risks? And what can head injuries teach us about how to rehabilitate our bodies?

Physicians and clinicians from , and researchers from 91亚色, will speak at an open house Monday about how they are working together 鈥 in the hospital and in laboratories 鈥 to answer these types of questions.

The researchers, physicians and clinicians will be available to speak to reporters about their projects, which include:

  • research with the chronic disease, emergency medicine and surgical departments at Southlake to understand how the brain controls complex movements, shedding light on topics ranging from dementia to concussion.
  • improved surveillance of cardiovascular disease in 91亚色 Region through the use of geospatial analysis, which applies statistical analysis techniques to geographically-based data.
  • investigation of the use of Blackberry smartphones and innovative software to help patients reduce health risks through exercise, diet and improve adherence to medication regimens.
  • collaboration with cardiac care and oncology clinicians to develop a more personalized approach for targeting the drugs that are used by individuals with cancer and heart disease.

Four research scientists from 91亚色鈥檚 and have been designed to improve patient care and outcomes, and improve use of technology in the delivery of health care.

Southlake serves 1.5 million people through its regional programs and provides tertiary level care in many areas, offering almost unlimited opportunities for research collaboration between Southlake and 91亚色.

What:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Southlake Regional Health Centre welcomes 91亚色 research scientists in a celebration event that will highlight the efforts of this partnership.
When:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Monday, May 9, 2011, 5:30 鈥 7:30
Where: 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Southlake Regional Health Centre, Auditorium, Level 1, East Building

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of Southlake Regional Health Centre's Corporate Communications department and Media Relations at 91亚色.

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91亚色 participating in Science Rendezvous festival in Markham May 6-8 /research/2011/05/04/york-university-takes-part-in-science-rendezvous-festival-in-markham-may-6-8-2/ Wed, 04 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/05/04/york-university-takes-part-in-science-rendezvous-festival-in-markham-may-6-8-2/ Have you ever wanted to make a DNA banana necklace, watch a robot chasing light or attempt to walk on water? Asked 91亚色Region.com May 2: Science Rendezvous, Ontario鈥檚 largest public science festival, returns to Markham Village next Saturday, with the goal of making science more accessible. 鈥淭his is bringing science to the community as opposed […]

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Have you ever wanted to make a DNA banana necklace, watch a robot chasing light or attempt to walk on water? Asked :

, Ontario鈥檚 largest public science festival, returns to Markham Village next Saturday, with the goal of making science more accessible.

鈥淭his is bringing science to the community as opposed to having the community come to a hospital or university site,鈥 said Corinne Sperling, outreach manager for the Faculty of Science & Engineering at 91亚色.

The Markham Village BIA co-organizes the event and pays for the bulk of the cost, but the University and the Town of Markham鈥檚 economic development department contribute as well.

For some people, science is intimidating, Ms Sperling said. 鈥淲e want to be engaging, interactive." The event caters to all ages.

. . .

Science Rendezvous will share space with the official grand opening of Main Street Markham Farmers Market. You聽can聽do your Saturday local produce and prepared foods market shopping while enjoying the science entertainment. The opening begins at 11 a.m. The event will also feature live entertainment and a barbecue.

Science Rendezvous runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 132 Robinson St. at Main Street North, two lights north of Hwy. 7. The Photovore Maze Race is 1 to 3 p.m. at Markham Sylvan Learning Centre at 96 Main Street N. (Lower Level).

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

 

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91亚色 Autism Research Alliance shares research findings with wider autism community /research/2011/05/03/york-autism-research-alliance-shares-research-findings-with-wider-autism-community-2/ Tue, 03 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/05/03/york-autism-research-alliance-shares-research-findings-with-wider-autism-community-2/ Some 24 outside agencies came to the inaugural 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance鈥檚 Research Showcase at 91亚色 last week to hear what researchers were working on 鈥 everything from isolating three to 20 genes potentially responsible for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to looking at how children with ASD process visual and auditory information. 鈥淭he take home […]

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Some 24 outside agencies came to the inaugural 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance鈥檚 Research Showcase at 91亚色 last week to hear what researchers were working on 鈥 everything from isolating three to 20 genes potentially responsible for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to looking at how children with ASD process visual and auditory information.

鈥淭he take home message is that autism research here at 91亚色 isn鈥檛 just one thing,鈥 psychology Professor Jonathan Weiss, chair of the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance (YARA)聽in the Faculty of Health, told the audience. 鈥淲e want you to have a picture as you walk away from today聽of the breadth聽at which different faculty members with different areas of expertise are doing research.鈥

Left: Dorota Crawford (standing, left) and Jonathan Weiss answering questions from the audience

YARA聽is an interdisciplinary team of researchers at 91亚色 that has been in existence for about two years. This was the first time it has reached out to聽a large range of聽community service providers as a group. The event was sponsored by .

鈥淭he goal was to provide an overview of the incredible range of autism research at 91亚色 and reach out to service providers and start a conversation with them,鈥 said Weiss. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really about knowledge exchange. This was the first step in that exchange, and they can let us know what they are interested in. Rather than a one way street, it breaks down the academic silos.鈥

Weiss has just finished two pilot projects using聽cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with people with ASD 鈥 one used聽CBT to help reduce anxiety and the other used it聽to help build anger management skills. Weiss wants to know if the interventions that already exist can be adapted to help children with ASD, who also suffer from things like anxiety and aggression.

Right: Kari Hoffman explains her research at the inaugural showcase of the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance

But that鈥檚 not all; he is also interested in knowing whether the level of health care and access to service for families with a teenager or adult with ASD is lacking in various parts of the province, what health care services they need and their experience of the system, and has embarked on a study to find out.

Dorota Crawford, a professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Kinesiology & Health Science, told the gathering she is researching whether genes or the environment are responsible for ASD. One of the things she is doing is trying to identify the genes responsible for specific symptoms of ASD and determine how they affect brain function. She has so far recruited 20 families with a child with ASD to give genetic material samples through a mouth swab to be able to compare genes. She is hoping her research will lead to an earlier diagnosis (before the age of two), earlier intervention and development of specific pharmaceuticals.

鈥淭he incidence of autism in the last three decades has increased dramatically,鈥 she said. In 1977, only one in 2,500 people were diagnosed with ASD, while in 2009 one in 106 people were diagnosed. Of those being diagnosed, males are four times as likely as females to have ASD.

Left: From left, Jonathan Weiss, Adrienne Perry, James Bebko, Dorota Crawford, Jennifer Steeves, Maz Fallah, Louise Hartley, director of the 91亚色 Psychology Clinic, and Tania Xerri, director of the Health Leadership & Learning Network

Psychology Professor Kari Hoffman told the audience about her work with social and emotional processing, the destination points for processing and the routes taken, which may be different in people with ASD than in a typical person.

School of Kinesiology & Health Science Professor Maz Fallah is interested in what things people with ASD pay attention to that may differ from others, what is the reason for that and what interventions could help. People who have an ASD have a persistent preoccupation with parts. 鈥淭hey cannot see the forest for the trees,鈥 says Fallah, and that might have to do with an object-based attention deficit, for instance.

As psychology Professor Jennifer Steeves says, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot we take for granted when we look around the room, but there鈥檚 a lot of computations that are taking place in the brain.鈥

This plays into what psychology Professor James Bebko is researching. Children with ASD don鈥檛 seem to be able to combine visual and auditory cues into a single unit, which is needed to assess emotion when watching and listening to someone talking. Their sensory systems seem largely intact, he said, so it may be that the problem lies in the processing or the transitional skills needed before the processing occurs.

What psychology Professor Adrienne Perry is looking into is the effectiveness of Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI), the program of choice for treating children with ASD. But Perry says the results in the field are variable compared to those in a controlled situation and she wants to know why. She is looking at the predictors of how well IBI works, such as age, IQ and severity of autism, as well as parent involvement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see that research is going to look at family stress and at the IBI. We really struggle in the community to know what to do,鈥 said Penny Diamantopoulos, a case manager with the child and family team of the (Central CCAC).

Dawn Ullman, also a case manager at Central CCAC, says she hopes the alliance does some follow up with the community in the next year or so. She would like to know what the results are of some of the research the professors highlighted. 鈥淚 really want to know the bottom line鈥 as the person working with the families.

For more information, visit the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance website.

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

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91亚色 displays research and innovation at YTA Solutions Showcase /research/2011/03/22/york-displays-research-and-innovation-at-yta-solutions-showcase-2/ Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/03/22/york-displays-research-and-innovation-at-yta-solutions-showcase-2/ 91亚色 researchers and students displayed their research projects and innovations at the聽91亚色 Technology Alliance鈥檚聽Solutions Showcase event, which took place at the Markham Convergence Centre (MCC) on March 10. Titled 鈥淕ame Changers: How local innovations are creating a new 鈥榖usiness as usual'鈥, the 91亚色 Technology Alliance (YTA) showcase encouraged participants from industry, academia and government agencies […]

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91亚色 researchers and students displayed their research projects and innovations at the聽91亚色 Technology Alliance鈥檚聽Solutions Showcase event, which took place at the Markham Convergence Centre (MCC) on March 10.

Titled 鈥淕ame Changers: How local innovations are creating a new 鈥榖usiness as usual'鈥, the (YTA) showcase encouraged participants from industry, academia and government agencies to display discovery research and innovations through six-minute Lightning Lectures and a hands-on Demo Lounge.

91亚色 Professor , chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, presented the 91亚色-led Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design (CIV-DDD). The project, which involves researchers in the Faculties of Fine Arts and Science & Engineering, along with graduate students and other industry and academic partners, promises to develop the next generation of data discovery, design and visualization techniques by developing new computational tools, representational strategies and interfaces.

Right: 91亚色 Professor Amir Asif, second from left, chats with visitors at the 91亚色 Technology Alliance's Solutions Showcase event

Professor and a group of undergraduate students from her laboratory in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering displayed 91亚色鈥檚 Mars rover and spoke about their successful involvement in international Mars rover competitions. A group of graduate students from Professor 鈥檚 laboratory in the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, also spoke about their recent research.

MBA students Navneet Budhia, Boris Chan, Vitaliia Rubinovitch, Eli Ilatov and Shakti Kumar from the Schulich School of Business鈥 (EVCG) also participated; their members apply their skills to help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for students to get off campus and interact with real companies,鈥 said Budhia, president of EVCG. 鈥淭his is where academia and industry meet to create value for both the companies and the students.鈥

Left: The Mars rover was on display at the showcase and was accompanied by a team of undergraduate students from the Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering

Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation, agreed. 鈥淯niversities usually expect companies to come to our campus,鈥 he explained. 鈥淏y co-locating with industry organizations like YTA and creating a presence in the for our service unit, , 91亚色 is sending a very powerful message to our partners. We鈥檙e helping industry enhance and forge new connections to 91亚色鈥檚 research and training capacity, which demonstrates our openness to collaboration.

鈥淧aradoxically, we鈥檙e finding that it鈥檚 sometimes easier to get students and researchers to interact at our new 91亚色 Region home in the MCC than it is on our main campus.鈥

Other showcase participants included the and , 91亚色 Region鈥檚 recently announced Regional Innovation Centre. 91亚色鈥檚 participation in the YTA Solutions Showcase was made possible by a Regional Opportunities Fund grant from NSERC.

The 91亚色 Technology Alliance聽Showcase was one of many ongoing events at the MCC that provide faculty and students with opportunities to seek research collaboration and internships with industry. 91亚色鈥檚 also runs programs and services at MCC providing a space to support collaboration with 91亚色 Region community organizations and municipal agencies.

To learn more about Innovation 91亚色, contact Dan Lynch, manager of industry liaison.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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91亚色 partners with life science trade mission to Israel /research/2011/03/21/york-partners-with-life-science-trade-mission-to-israel-2/ Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/03/21/york-partners-with-life-science-trade-mission-to-israel-2/ Members of Markham council will go on a trade mission to Israel to participate in the Israel Life Science Industry Biomed conference in Tel Aviv, May 20 to 29, wrote 91亚色Region.com March 17: The May business mission is a partnership between the Town of Markham, the Regional Municipality of 91亚色, 91亚色 and Miller Thomson […]

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Members of Markham council will go on a trade mission to Israel to participate in the Israel Life Science Industry Biomed conference in Tel Aviv, May 20 to 29, wrote :

The May business mission is a partnership between the Town of Markham, the Regional Municipality of 91亚色, 91亚色 and Miller Thomson LLP. It will focus on positioning the Markham Convergence Centre as the launching pad for graduates of Israel's technological incubators seeking to enter the North American market.

Strategically located in 91亚色 Region, (IY) is the between 91亚色 researchers and their applied research partners who will collaboratively grow their ideas and introduce new products and services to the marketplace.

Part of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, IY is primarily based in the .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile , 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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