York held its second annual research gala, “York U Research Leaders 2014,” on February 25, showcasing the contributions of students and faculty to the research community.
During the gala, winners and honourable mentions of the undergraduate research fair, which took place earlier that day, were called up to the front of the Robert McEwan Auditorium in Schulich’s Executive Learning Centre to be applauded by the audience.
Barbara Crow, interim dean and associate vice-president graduate, also commended graduate students for their work.
“I think it’s really fantastic to be here to celebrate our research and scholarly accomplishments,” said Crow. “It’s a great day. This is why I love being a university professor.”
Crow mentioned graduate students now constitute the largest group of active researchers and scholars on campus. York has approximately 5,900 graduate students enrolled in 38 doctoral and 59 master’s programs, forming one of Canada’s largest graduate student cohorts.
Although graduate students were not given awards at the gala, Crow was quick to name a few who she felt deserved honourable mentions. Specifically, Crow pointed out York graduate students who had received external scholarships.
Estair Van Wagner, an Osgoode graduate student, was recently awarded with a 2014 Endeavor Research Fellowship, which will allow her to carry out research in Australia. Her research focuses on land use conflicts that arise during resource extraction in Australia and Canada. Crow also mentioned Kara Hawkins, who won an Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Award in 2013, amounting to over $165,000 to improve the health of women. Her studies focus on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Bretton Fosbrook, a graduate student in science and technology studies, was awarded with the role of Vanier Scholar, which is said to be Canada’s most prestigious and competitive research scholarship.
Small prizes were given to 25 faculty members for their work in research. In addition, seven faculty members were commended for their research books; all received external prizes from 2012 to 2013. Shoukri also announced the winner of the President’s Research Excellence Award, Professor Laurence Harris.
The President’s Research Excellence Award is given to a notable faculty member who contributes to York’s intellectual life within the general community and advances York’s international reputation for research excellence.
Shoukri believes the gala was a success and plans to continue this tradition, as he believes York has always been a leader of research among other Canadian universities.
“We started to [celebrate research] in the last couple of years, and I don’t think we do enough. So today is something that gives me great pleasure—to have the opportunity to be part of acknowledging and celebrating the great achievements of York researchers,” says Shoukri.
Ashley Glovasky
Deputy Copy Editor
