91亚色鈥檚 Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Faculty of Science and Facilities Services, hosted a successful Bioblitz event during Campus Sustainability Month in October, inviting the 91亚色 community to explore and document the diverse species of plants, animals, and other organisms found on the Keele and Glendon campuses. Participants used the iNaturalist app to record their findings, contributing to a valuable inventory of local biodiversity. The event saw a fantastic turnout, with 37 participants making 790 observations across 326 species on 91亚色鈥檚 campuses.   

A standout contributor was Alice Kostin, a neuroscience student from the Faculty of Science, who made an impressive 164 observations of 79 different species, earning her recognition for her dedication to documenting campus biodiversity. Kostin鈥檚 efforts earned her first place and a $50 reward on her YU Card. 

鈥淧articipating in 91亚色鈥檚 Bioblitz was a chance for me to explore Canada鈥檚 diverse beauty right here on our campus,鈥� she said. 

The event showcased a wide range of wildlife, from familiar species like gray squirrels and Canada geese to rarer sightings, including a white-throated sparrow, red-tailed hawk and even a coyote. The data collected will play an important role in advancing 91亚色鈥檚 sustainability goals, particularly through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet @ Campus program, which encourages students to actively participate in biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship. The event also included walks on campus, which were led by professors Gordon Fitch, Alex Mills and Laura McKinnon, as well as Valerio Larivera, supervisor of grounds management.  

The Bioblitz event aligns with 91亚色鈥檚 Sustainability Strategy, supporting the University鈥檚 efforts to regenerate local ecosystems and foster biodiversity on campus, creating a healthier and more inviting environment for all. It also provides students with valuable opportunities to engage in environmental initiatives and contribute to 91亚色鈥檚 pursuit of a WWF Living Planet Leader certification. 

鈥淭he Bioblitz is about more than just species identification 鈥� it鈥檚 about fostering a deeper connection to the natural world,鈥� said Mike Layton, chief sustainability officer. 

Community members are encouraged to contribute to  year-round and to keep an eye out for another Bioblitz event this spring. For information about how to get involved in sustainability on campus or how to join the WWF Living Planet Leader certification, visit the Sustainability at 91亚色 website. 

Courtesy of YFile

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91亚色 is taking a leadership role in addressing one of the world鈥檚 most pressing issues 鈥� water sustainability. The University is serving as the academic lead for a pioneering virtual course titled 鈥淚ntroduction to Big Data for Water Sustainability,鈥� run by the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) Global Water Academy.

The seven-week course, which began recently and runs until Dec. 3, aims to tackle the complex challenge of global water insecurity. With more than two billion people lacking safe access to clean water, the need for innovative solutions in water sustainability management has never been more critical.

Professor Sapna Sharma in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science, who designed the curriculum, emphasizes the urgency of the situation. 鈥淲e are in need of practical and effective solutions to water sustainability management that are relevant at both local and global scales, and based on a data-driven strategy,鈥� she says.

The course content focuses on harnessing the power of open-access data, novel technologies, inclusive international collaborations and Indigenous knowledge integration. By combining these elements, the project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of water sustainability on a global scale.

A defining feature of this offering is its 鈥渢wo-eyed seeing鈥� approach, which integrates Indigenous knowledge with western scientific practices. This comprehensive strategy aims to expand understanding of global freshwater availability, particularly in unexplored regions or areas with insufficient resource access. As Sharma points out, incorporating Indigenous knowledge is essential for developing effective water management solutions. 鈥淚t allows us to tap into centuries of local expertise and understanding of water systems.鈥�

Each module features an experienced practitioner guiding participants through the process of accessing, using and applying open-access global freshwater datasets. Topics covered include remote sensing technologies, community networks, traditional knowledge and increased accessibility of open-access data.

The project鈥檚 global reach is already apparent. 鈥淭his free, open-access curriculum has approximately 750 registrants from about 120 countries,鈥� Sharma says. 鈥淲e have invited leaders from academia, [United Nations] agencies, governments, [non-governmental organizations] and Inuit communities 鈥� to present guest lectures.鈥� This diverse participation not only showcases 91亚色鈥檚 international influence but also demonstrates its commitment to democratizing higher education. Furthermore, by providing high-calibre knowledge and training in water sustainability to a global audience, the University is helping to increase access to expertise, particularly for those in regions where such resources may be limited.

Building on this global collaboration, the course tackles several key challenges in water sustainability management. These include data accessibility, quantifying water insecurity and developing innovative solutions.

Despite significant annual investments in acquiring, compiling and analyzing data on various water bodies around the world, many researchers and practitioners struggle to locate and effectively utilize these datasets. This gap between data availability and practical application highlights the need for improved data management and sharing practices in the field of water sustainability.

To address these challenges, the course aims to foster creative, data-driven solutions that safeguard freshwater resources and promote equitable access to clean water worldwide. By equipping participants with the skills to navigate and leverage existing datasets, the initiative seeks to connect data collection with real-world application in water management strategies.

Looking ahead, Sharma envisions the curriculum as a catalyst for positive change: 鈥淲e hope that this offering will provide the tools to inspire new approaches to safeguard our freshwater resources and work towards a future of equitable access to clean water across the globe.鈥�

For more information and to register for the remaining sessions, visit the Introduction to Big Data for Water Sustainability course web page.

Courtesy of YFile

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The CRC program is a major investment by the federal government (up to $300 million+ per year) to attract and retain world-class talent at Canadian universities. The program also provides training opportunities for the next generation of highly skilled personnel through research, teaching and learning.

Jeffrey Schall

Schall鈥檚 research aims to further understand the complexities of the brain and how it enables decision-making processes for actions and experiences: how people decide what to do, how people control when they do it and how people know if they did what they meant to do. Insights from Schall鈥檚 research could improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions like dementia and schizophrenia.

Joel Zylberberg

Zylberberg and his research team train artificial intelligence (AI) to see and respond to images in the same way as the human brain. By teaching AI to process visual information like the brain鈥檚 visual cortex, deep learning algorithms could lead to the creation of devices that help visually impaired or blind people see again, in addition to potentially advancing technology for self-driving cars.

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SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being

SUPPORTING TRAINING IN VACCINE PRODUCTION

SDG 4: Quality Education

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCES

SDG 5: Gender Equality

DEAN'S SCHOLARSHIP FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE SUPPORTS STUDENTS ENTERING GRADUATE STUDIES

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

YORK RESEARCH DELEGATION LEADS WATER SECURITY PANEL AT UN WATER CONFERENCE

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENTISTS ANALYZE CITY'S AIR POLLUTION

SDG 14: Life Below Water

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON LAKES AND THEIR ECOSYSTEMS

SDG 15: Life on Land

ENHANCING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BEES AND THEIR ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

COLLABORATING GLOBALLY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION

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What is the science behind semi-permanent tattoo technology? Faculty of Science chemistry Professor Chris Caputo鈥檚 research is revolutionizing this form of personal expression in new and interesting ways for a Canadian startup.

A 91亚色 research team is collaborating with Inkbox, a Toronto-based startup that uses semi-permanent tattoo technology, to better understand the science behind their revolutionary tattoo technology. The science could support the development of semi-permanent tattoos with different colours.  in January 2022 for U.S. $65 million.

Chris Caputo is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Metal-Free Materials for Catalysis. His research focuses on developing greener and more sustainable chemistry by eliminating the need to use expensive and toxic transition metals.

In 2015, Caputo met the Inkbox CEO and co-founder, Tyler Handley, and later became the company鈥檚 director of research and development before joining 91亚色, where he continued to work with the company to develop their technology with the help of 91亚色鈥檚 Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI).

Inkbox鈥檚 revolutionary technology is different than a normal tattoo because it is a fruit-based extract that stains the epidermis layer of skin instead of being injected into the dermis layer, allowing the dyed skin to slough over time and enable the disappearance of the tattoo.

鈥淲e really wanted to understand the mechanism of how and why this fruit extract turns your skin dark blue when applied, so we could take that development a step further towards new colours,鈥� says Caputo. 鈥淥ur research at 91亚色 has been fundamental to identifying the chemistry behind the process of developing new colours and helping Inkbox expand their R&D pipeline.鈥�

Caputo was able to hire a team of researchers, one of which is now employed at Inkbox, and avail of the University鈥檚 state-of-the-art synthetic chemistry wet lab.

鈥淎 collaboration with Chris鈥檚 group, funded by Mitacs and NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Collaborative Research & Development grants, has allowed Inkbox to do molecular-level research that would otherwise have been impossible with the budget of a startup company,鈥� said Ian Mallov, manager, Formulation & Regulatory Affairs at Inkbox Tattoos.

鈥淲e were dealing with a blank canvas because nobody in the world has ever looked at this challenge before. It鈥檚 been a wonderful and exploratory project where we could take the time to refine our hypothesis and reach our goal towards achieving different colours,鈥� said Caputo.

To date, Inkbox has filed several patents on the research undertaken through this collaboration. Caputo continues to collaborate with Inkbox and a small team of researchers, led by Sanjay Manhas, Charley Garrard and Nico Bonanno, who are currently working on projects at 91亚色. With the new Bic acquisition, Inkbox can expand its revolutionary technology to broader markets with new offerings.

鈥淐hris has guided this research toward developing new tattoo ink dyes and understanding the mechanism of action of the current active dye. This has contributed significant value in terms of intellectual property for the company,鈥� said Mallov.

Caputo鈥檚 research, which includes developing efficient synthetic strategies, is supporting sustainability for Inkbox by finding ways to significantly reduce waste materials and energy needed to produce new dyes. This work supports the University鈥檚 goals in elevating 91亚色鈥檚 contributions to the United Nation鈥檚 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 12 which calls for sustainably managing natural resources, reducing and managing waste better, and promoting sustainable lifestyles and company practices.

The experience has been particularly eye-opening for Caputo and his team about the possibility of modifying molecules and manipulating dyes to support sustainability for other commercial products.

鈥淲e鈥檝e potentially unlocked new properties for a natural product by taking a systematic synthetic chemistry approach. It has made me think about what other naturally occurring feedstocks we can apply this to for the generation of more sustainable dyes in the future,鈥� said Caputo.

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Using his expertise in mathematics and statistics, Professor Jianhong Wu is working to model the future impacts of COVID-19 and its variants.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Faculty of Science mathematics and statistics Professor Jianhong Wu has been working non-stop with both federal and provincial agencies and a National Modelling Task Force to project the spread of the disease and its variants throughout the country 鈥� a testament to both his expertise and 91亚色鈥檚 leadership in mathematical modelling.

Wu, a Distinguished Research Professor at 91亚色, is one of Canada鈥檚 most prolific researchers for publications in COVID-19 and mathematical modelling and joins several other 91亚色 faculty members who helped lead the way with research in the area (SciVal, 2021).

It鈥檚 nothing new to Wu, who is . He was tasked in 2003 with leading a national network of mathematicians and researchers to model the path of SARS-1. In 2020, the Fields Institute asked him to organize a national modelling Task Force for COVID-19, and he responded to the call by simply reactivating and expanding the network.

鈥淥ver the last two decades, my research time has been spent on establishing and leading national teams from one pandemic to another,鈥� says Wu, whose work focused on big data and neural networks prior to the SARS outbreak.

Sitting on multiple provincial, national and international panels, Wu is also a member of the Ontario Modelling Consensus Table that builds consensus 鈥� using research results of multiple modelling teams from across Ontario universities 鈥� about the projected COVID-19 cases and the disease burden on the health system under a range of intervention scenarios. This consensus has been providing critical data to inform the government鈥檚 policy about closures and re-openings: how to do so and how quickly to do so. By integrating mathematical modelling and stochastic optimization, Wu鈥檚 group suggested optimal pathways and likely scenarios for escalating or de-escalating social distancing, and estimated the costs and benefits of each 鈥� factoring in economics and mental health.

鈥淔rom SARS-1 onward, we鈥檝e been working with a variety of stakeholders on collecting data of population contacts, drug resistance, vaccine efficacies, waning and vaccination priorities, and health-care system,鈥� Wu says. 鈥淭he data quality and accessibility has been much improved in Ontario this time, as well as the co-ordination of efforts from different research groups. Each of these modelling teams has a different collection of expertise and that helps cross-validation, which is important when the disease moves so fast and our knowledge about the disease advances fast.鈥�

Wu鈥檚 group has also incorporated artificial intelligence into its work, facilitating the real-time processing of 鈥渢he huge amount of data to identify vulnerable populations and hot spots.鈥�

鈥淎I and Mathematics don鈥檛 have emotion, and they allow us to think several steps ahead,鈥� says Wu, 鈥渂ut with the disease moving so fast, it has been a challenge to convince the decision makers to take a proactive approach rather than being reactive, and, unfortunately, sometimes with a delay.鈥�

Being at the forefront of pandemic modelling isn鈥檛 something Wu anticipated when he arrived at 91亚色. Born in China, he came to Canada to pursue post-doctoral research in Alberta with an international expert in mathematical biology. He joined 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 1990 and became the nation鈥檚 youngest Senior Canada Research Chair in 2001. Some of his ongoing research concerns the impact of Lyme disease. He is working to predict the tick-borne infection risk worldwide and looking at how its trajectory is being affected by global warming. In 2017, he was awarded the , and has been leading a large 91亚色-Sanofi collaboration to evaluate the cost and benefits of various immunization programs.

His research interest includes big data and informational analytics, and he is the funding co-chair for a major global conference on this topic.

鈥淒uring peaceful times, it鈥檚 my hobby,鈥� he says.

However, these aren鈥檛 peaceful times and COVID-19 is currently a priority. Wu鈥檚 stellar work serves to demonstrate 91亚色鈥檚 impact on COVID modelling, which will continue to support efforts for future outbreaks and pandemics, COVID-19 related or otherwise.

鈥淒uring a pandemic like this, our theories confront reality,鈥� Wu says 鈥� and big data analytics is a part of his tool kit.

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91亚色 Professor Dawn Bazely, Department of Biology, was among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities鈥� Awards of Excellence.

The awards, which were launched in 2020, recognize the leading work of Ontario鈥檚 faculty and staff during the pandemic. More than 675 nominations were received.

Bazely is a professor in the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science and the former director of the Institute for Research in Innovation in Sustainability at 91亚色. In 2015, Bazely was accorded the title of University Professor by 91亚色 in recognition of her leadership in research, teaching and service to the institution.

A field biologist and accomplished science communicator, she is the recipient of the Minister鈥檚 Award of Excellence in the Future Proofing category, which recognizes faculty and staff who are leading the way in adapting programming that supports new ways of learning for Ontario students.

Her nomination for the Minister鈥檚 Award of Excellence recognizes her work in 鈥渇uture proofing鈥� students enrolled in her Applied Plant Ecology course and students working in her research lab. Her future-proofing activities began in January 2020. Drawing on her expertise in science communication, policy and citizen science, she incorporated media coverage of the emerging threat of the SARS-CoV2 virus and other zoonotic diseases into her teaching in relation to biodiversity loss. In February 2020, she began preparing all students to end their term through online synchronous classes and meetings. Recognizing the dilemma of international students in the face of a pandemic and the impending travel restrictions, Bazely also worked to support them to either return to their home countries or seek accommodation on 91亚色鈥檚 Keele Campus.

Her tremendous foresight into the impending pandemic restrictions propelled Bazley to also act as to future proof students enrolled in the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) involving 17 partner institutions. Through her role as the 91亚色 representative on the OUPFB (which encompassed 30 shared courses that were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic), Bazely designed an online field course, Biodiversity & Watershed Management, to meet the summer field course requirement for 40 students so they could complete their degrees. The course was one of only two courses to run early in the pandemic, with no other Canadian University launching a virtual field course.

In 2021, Bazely continued her activities and actively mentored international professors on transitioning laboratories online. She also expanded the virtual field course to five Ontario universities, to ensure that students could meet their field course requirements virtually and inexpensively. Ethics-approved surveys on Bazely鈥檚 field courses found that much of the pandemic student learning mirrored the in-person field course experience.

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Having taught high school earlier in his career, Andrew Skelton saw first-hand the gaps between a graduating student鈥檚 experience and the demands of a university education and set out to bridge them.

鈥淭here are big changes in study skills, life skills and learning skills and students need to acquire the ability to reflect and adjust,鈥� said Skelton, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at 91亚色.

In the United States, it is quite common to find first-year seminar courses, taken for credit by first-semester undergraduates. These courses have a small faculty-student ratio (30:1) and focus on assisting students to develop practical and intellectual skills that will enhance their university experience. Such courses are not prevalent in Canada, so Skelton began pondering how a Canadian model might look.

鈥淎ll over the 91亚色 campus, there is experience in helping students develop these skills, but how do we get students to take advantage of these resources?鈥� he said.

His solution was to develop stand-alone modules that could easily fit into a first-year course. The models address three types of student needs: mathematical skills (how to learn from homework problems, effective mathematical communication, multiple representations and other aids); study skills (avoiding procrastination, notetaking and the neuroscience of learning); and, life skills (managing academic stress, how to send an email and combating perfectionism).

It is a project that has been three years in the making. The first year was funded by the Junior Faculty Fund in the Faculty of Science. Skelton had three summer students work with him to develop proof of concept. Feedback from the first group of students led Skelton to modify the offerings. The second year was funded by an Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) grant and was focused on balancing the cost and benefit to the students to create a product they would find valuable. Students in the second group perceived that the value of the modules had significantly increased, while the cost relative to the value had decreased significantly. In other words, the redesign process was effective in better optimizing student motivation and effort.

鈥淚 wanted them to be of benefit to students in terms of time and emotional energy and wanted to determine how to advertise them to students and how they would figure into a student鈥檚 grade,鈥� Skelton said. 鈥淚n doing so, I realized they were built for me and my teaching style and weren鈥檛 transferable to other professors.鈥�

The third year of his project, funded by a grant from  (and the 91亚色 Science Scholars Award program), focused on making the modules suitable for use by any faculty member and on balancing the cost and benefit to the faculty members so more would adapt the product to their courses.

鈥淚f you, as a faculty member, have an interest in helping the students in your course with these learning skills, I have a product that you can adapt to your teaching style,鈥� Skelton said.

Data were collected over each year of the project and have produced interesting results. There was, for example, a significant correlation between the number of modules completed proactively and the final grade in the course. This gives support to the advice that faculty often share with students: it鈥檚 a good idea to set small goals if you want to see long-term change. Trying to submit just one more thing proactively is a perfectly reasonable goal. Each proactive submission is associated with an increase in average academic performance, so start small and build from there.

Jermin Bates, a 2020 alumna with a BA in mathematics and education, spent two years working with Skelton in developing the modules for e-class, turning them into portable modules and tracking the cost and benefit to students.

鈥淚t was great to see the results of the modules and how effective they were,鈥� she said. 鈥淓specially after we redeveloped them, we saw an increase in overall student grades. I wish I鈥檇 had these modules as a first-year student. It鈥檚 tough for a lot of us as we go through it.鈥�

Skelton is currently using the modules with 1,200 first-year students and will give the modules a final tweak, once he sees the impact they have in the classroom. In February 2022, the modules will be posted online on the  website, so they are available to faculty anywhere. In creating the eCampus Ontario modules, Skelton reached out to colleagues at the University of Guelph and Western University to collaborate.

鈥淚t was nice to bring perspectives from other universities to the product,鈥� Skelton said. 鈥淎lthough the student demographics there might differ, all students need these skills.鈥�

The modules are designed so that students can do them independently or as part of a course.

鈥淔aculty can accompany them with instructional activities and make them part of the grade,鈥� Skelton said. 鈥淔or example, they can ask students to do five of 20 possible activities and make each of them count for one per cent of the grade. You don鈥檛 want there to be such high stakes that they infringe on the course content.鈥�

He thoroughly enjoys teaching first-year students and hopes that these modules will smooth their journeys from incoming students to graduates.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such fun to see them transition and grow,鈥� Skelton said. 鈥淏y fourth year, they are completely different people.鈥�

Bates, too, is a different person after working with Skelton. She had previously planned to pursue a degree in education but is now considering attending graduate school to obtain a more research-based degree.

鈥淭his opened my eyes to the possibilities of research,鈥� said Bates. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I realized how broad it was. This had a bigger impact on me than I was expecting.鈥�

By Elaine Smith and featured in the Jan 2022 Issue of .

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