As a new year emerges, YFile takes a look back on 2019 to share with readers a snapshot of the year鈥檚 highlights. 鈥淵ear in Review鈥 will run as a four-part series and will feature a random selection of top news stories published in YFile. Here are the stories and highlights for January to March 2019, as chosen by YFile editors.
January
The official ribbon cutting for the Rob & Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building
91亚色 and the Schulich School of Business officially opened the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building on Jan. 10. The facility is designed to bring industry into the classroom and to stimulate interdisciplinary research in fields ranging from business ethics and big data to global enterprise and real estate and infrastructure.
Lassonde Assistant Professor Nima Tabatabaei and his team of researchers developed and tested a patent-pending technology for fast, on-site detection and quantification of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 鈥 the psychoactive substance of cannabis 鈥 in saliva. The technology uses thermal signatures of gold nanoparticles attached to THC molecules.
For many Space Engineering students, launching a rocket into the ether is a dream that takes years of school and work experience to achieve. Second-year space engineering student Megan Gran is one of 24 students in the world who has been selected to participate in the Fly a Rocket! program offered by the European Space Agency at the And酶ya Space Center in Norway.
While completing her master鈥檚 degree in biology, Julia Gauberg spent three months in Australia trying to figure out how a particular fungus is causing the death of so many Australian green tree frogs and other amphibians around the world. Gauberg thought tight junction (TJ) proteins might play a role.
February
91亚色鈥檚 green heroes were celebrated during the annual President鈥檚 Sustainability Leadership Awards reception. 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton presented the awards and each recipient was presented with a bespoke award crafted from recycled material by 91亚色 student Maira Zafar.
Ali Kazimi, a聽filmmaker, writer, visual artist and associate professor at 91亚色, is one of eight recipients of the 2019 Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Announced by the Canada Council for the Arts on Feb. 13, the award honours artists for their exceptional careers and excellent contributions to the arts.
The key to breeding disease-resistant honeybees could lie in a group of genes 鈥 known for controlling hygienic behaviour 鈥 that enable colonies to limit the spread of harmful mites and bacteria, according to genomics research conducted at 91亚色.
Art, science, philosophy and social justice all intersect at the Elia Scholars Dinner, an annual event that honours some of 91亚色鈥檚 most innovative graduate student researchers. The Elia Scholars Program is 91亚色鈥檚 most prestigious internal award.
March
The Lieutenant-Governor鈥檚 Ontario Heritage Awards for Excellence in Conservation celebrate outstanding contributions to cultural and natural heritage conservation, environmental sustainability and biodiversity. This year, 91亚色鈥檚 Department of聽History was honoured with two of these awards.
John Moores
A study led by John Moores, an associate professor in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, found evidence of a link between the surface rocks and the methane in the atmosphere detected by the Curiosity Rover on Mars. Researchers say it is this process that is controlling how much methane is released into the atmosphere above Gale Crater, the landing site of the Curiosity Rover.
Ten students from the Faculty of Science are the first to be part of the prestigious 91亚色 Science Scholars Award (YSSA) program, which includes an entrance scholarship and a summer research placement.
The World University Services of Canada (WUSC) awarded 91亚色鈥檚 student Keele Campus Local Committee the 2018 Local Committee of the Year Award, the highest award given at the organization鈥檚 annual international forum. 91亚色-Keele is a local committee of the WUSC, a non-profit dedicated to improving education, employment and empowerment opportunities for youth around the world.
Check back in the next edition of YFile for Year in Review 2019: Top headlines at 91亚色, April to June.