With �첥��Ƶ’s new Markham Campus now open, the campus is prioritizing opportunities that demonstrate York’s leadership experiential education (EE), which is increasingly a focus in Canada’s halls of higher learning. It is doing so with innovative new programs, including two rooted in biotechnology.

“The vision for the Markham Campus from the onset was to provide our students with access to high-level experiential education opportunities,” said Dan Palermo, interim deputy provost, Markham. “This vision aligns with the broader vision of �첥��Ƶ to expand experiential education opportunities for students across the institution.

“This is also in response to what students want as part of their academic journey, even what parents want for their children as they go to post-secondary school. And it does prepare students better for the workforce,” Palermo said.

The Markham Campus offers degree programs and micro-credentials focused on EE, digital technologies and entrepreneurship. Among the courses benefiting from the campus’s focus on EE are the brand-new Communication, Social Media & Public Relations course, the Digital Technologies course and the Computer Science for Software Development course, which will all include work terms in Markham-based industries or non-profits.

The Markham Campus’s new Master of Biotechnology Management (MBM) program and Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology will also advance the University’s EE leadership, closely aligning classroom education with what the industry has said workers need.

In the case of the biotechnology programs, the course experiences were – in fact – specifically designed that way.

Jade Atallah, graduate program director of biotechnology at Markham and an assistant professor in the teaching stream in the Department of Biology; and Luz Puentes Jácome, an assistant professor in the teaching stream in the Department of Biology, developed the curricula and pedagogical approaches of the biotechnology programs after listening to the industry. 

“Pedagogically, we knew that experiential education must be at the centre of curricular delivery,” Atallah said. “Because we were working with new programs, it was a relief that no retrofitting was needed. We were able to start from the ground up, where experiential education was at the centre and everything else came around it.”

Indeed, the graduate biotechnology programs incorporate immersive and multimodal experiential learning such as industry workshops, industry fireside chats, participation in biotechnology conferences, industry challenge questions, interdisciplinary capstone projects and industry internships.

“We bring in industry partners to act as industry mentors, and our graduate program students work in groups as consultants and try to solve a problem posed by the industry mentor,” said Puentes Jácome.

“In that way, they’re working directly in an industry context. They go through the process of figuring out a solution for this program, doing some literature search and writing a white paper. Then they’ll have a final presentation in which we will bring all the industry mentors together to observe the presentations and to network with our students.”

The programs are interdisciplinary. In the case of the MBM program, students integrate management training with the biotechnology portion of the course. “This would prepare the students to, perhaps, run a biotech startup,” Puentes Jácome said. For example, she said, “they might work toward creating a water bottle with biology, not fossil fuels.”

Marisol John is a student in the Master of Biotechnology Management program and is among those who have seen the many possibilities for a biotech career available to them through the program.

 “I have learnt so much about this industry, and I’m excited to continue this process of directly engaging with real-world industry problems,” she said.

John is already envisioning ways she can apply her in-class experiences.

“I have a very deep passion for agri-bio and environmental biology,” John said. “Coming from a Caribbean island, Dominica – the greenest island in the Caribbean – I think this program will afford me a diverse skill set to effect positive and sustainable change in my country.”

Her undergrad thesis was based on the therapeutic applications of ginger, something John hopes to expand upon. Her grandparents treated flu and upset stomachs with ginger tea, and John’s research showed it’s used for many therapeutic reasons, including pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma. But, she said, there is limited information available on these topics.

“I am using this to drive the rest of my career,” said John. “I am learning how various biotech industries can be integrated to bridge the knowledge gap and innovatively solve problems related to crops, agricultural sustainability, food processing and diversification. The possibilities are endless.”

Thanks to the experiential education opportunities provided by the new Markham Campus – like those in biotechnology – the possibilities will be endless for other students, too.

With files from Julie Carl

Courtesy of YFile

The post Markham Campus prioritizing experiential education with unique biotechnology programs appeared first on Faculty of Science.

Two �첥��Ƶ graduate students recently made history in the annual Astronomer in Residence program, a partnership between York’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory and Killarney Provincial Park. Sunna Withers, finishing her master’s degree, and Anna Skrinnik, a PhD candidate, completed a combined tenure, marking a first for the initiative.

The Astronomer in Residence program allows qualified astronomers to provide astronomy tours and programming at the certified dark sky preserve located on the Georgian Bay. Now in its third year, the program continues to offer unique opportunities for aspiring astronomers.

“This one-of-a-kind combined tenure allowed our two students to tag-team on events, support each other with telescope operations and provide a wonderful experience for the general public who participated on their tours,” says Elaina Hyde, director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory.

At Killarney, Withers and Skrinnik independently created observing campaigns, set up telescopes and developed educational materials. This hands-on experience proved invaluable, offering a rare opportunity to work under truly dark skies.

Hyde emphasizes the rarity of such an experience, even for professional astronomers, due to increasing light pollution in urban areas. She notes that viewing objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way with the naked eye can be truly inspirational.

The students’ �첥��Ƶ background prepared them well for this role. Hyde points out that York offers astronomical resources rarely found elsewhere, including the largest telescope on any Canadian campus.

Both Withers and Skrinnik have received extensive training at the observatory, with Skrinnik working on the Quail instrument mounted to the 60-centimetre telescope for her master’s thesis. This experience, combined with York’s weekly public viewing sessions, honed their skills in telescope operation and public outreach.

During their residency, Withers and Skrinnik captured impressive astrophotography, showcasing their work on the observatory’s blog. Their images not only highlight celestial objects but also demonstrate their ability to integrate astronomy with an appreciation for the park’s natural environment. “It was wonderful to spend time under dark skies, to see the Milky Way for the first time and to share this experience with the campers at Killarney park,” Withers says.

The students’ Drop in on the Night Sky program attracted more than 70 park visitors. “Sunna and Anna showed visitors Vega, the Ring Nebula and Saturn through the 16-inch scope,” says Kate Ward, senior park naturalist at Ontario Parks. “They did a good job adapting their delivery to different audiences, including lay people, astronomy enthusiasts and children.”

Hyde adds that the experience allowed the students to enhance their public speaking skills and gain valuable experience in setting up astronomical programming independently. “This program development is exactly what they will need to be able to do should they decide to become educators, scientists or even go into the realm of business after graduation,” she says.

Courtesy of YFile

The post York students shine as astronomers in residence appeared first on Faculty of Science.

New faculty members further York’s scientific innovation, impact

The Faculty of Science welcomed 12 new high-calibre researchers and instructors to its five departments and one division. By recruiting talented faculty members with diverse backgrounds, world views and expertise, we are ensuring the best learning experience for our students and cultivating integrity and principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in our community.

Record growth in experiential education opportunities

Experiential education allows students to deepen their learning and apply theories learned in the classroom to hands-on, paid work experiences. Over 2022-23, the Faculty of Science’s experiential education program saw record growth, with co-op applications increasing by 180 per cent and internship applications increasing nearly 140 per cent over the previous year. As well, this past summer, 110 student opportunities were posted by 21 employers.

Leading pharmaceutical technology innovation

Our chemists are leading a team of researchers and industrial leaders in training the next generation of technologically advanced graduates for the pharmaceutical industry. Supported by a new NSERC CREATE grant worth $1.65 million, the Technology-Enhance Pharmaceutical Discovery (TEPD) program will train Master’s and PhD students with the technical and managerial skills to capitalize on disruptive technologies that aim to impact Canada’s research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.

Strengthening community engagement

The Faculty of Science’s sense of community and its ability to tackle challenges have been bolstered by our community member’s willingness to engage with each other and with our university partners centrally, through various initiatives including our year-long Community 2022 initiative; these events were attended by hundreds of faculty and staff through to the program’s conclusion in Summer 2023. More.

Canada Research Chairs position FSc at the forefront of future-defining research

The national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program recognizes world-leading researchers in a variety of fields. The Faculty of Science gained one new and two renewed Canada Research Chairs (CRC): Kohitij Kar received a new CRC Tier II in Visual Neuroscience; Christopher Caputo received a renewed CRC Tier II in Main-Group Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry; and Raymond Kwong received a renewed CRC Tier II in Environmental Toxicology.

$4M in NSERC Discovery Grants support scientific innovation at York

More than 20 faculty members from the Faculty of Science were collectively awarded over $4 million in NSERC Discovery Grants to continue advancing scientific innovation. The funding is enabling our researchers to independently pursue long-term research programs, innovative research activities, diverse partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Science Explorations Summer Camp offers expanded opportunities for youth

Our Science Explorations Summer Camp for Grades 3 to 8 featured curricula with a greater emphasis on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including a new week-long program called Sustainable Science. Overall, our summer youth programming welcomed more than 500 students who engaged in 27 unique camp themes in the areas of environmental chemistry, space adventures, forensic chemistry, structural engineering, and more.

Faculty of Science hosts science deans from across Canada

Our Faculty hosted the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Council of Deans of Science (CCDS) to share knowledge and strengthen pan-Canadian advocacy for science education. The three-day event was attended by 30 science and associate deans from universities across Canada.

The post Best of YU 2023 appeared first on Faculty of Science.

�첥��Ƶ Professor Randy Lewis and fourth-year student Sarah Powell – both from the Department of Physics and Astronomy – were invited to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in the U.S. to teach at a summer boot camp capitalizing on the growing interest in quantum computing.

Lewis and Powell were invited to the facility – dedicated to the research of nuclear physics, as well as materials and accelerator science – by Natalie Klco, a professor at Duke University overseeing part of the boot camp meant to make quantum computing accessible. “Quantum computing is this new, exciting endeavour, but people aren’t sure how to use it,” says Lewis.

Familiar with their work, about error mitigation techniques for quantum computer calculations, Klco asked Lewis and Powell to help create exercises suited for those looking to become more familiar with the growing field.

Lewis and Powell designed experiences aimed to teach participants how to tackle writing circuits (a model for quantum computation) in new ways, then explore any errors that arose and learn how to mitigate them. It was important to both, however, that the exercises not be lectures, but hands-on, experiential opportunities that would make the boot camp feel lively and engaging for participants.

“They weren’t just fed information. They were able to really sit down and work through problems, talk to each other, learn from each other, learn from us and come away with a set of solutions that they could look back on later,” says Powell, who recently started graduate school at the InQubator for Quantum Simulation at the University of Washington.

Lewis and Powell weren’t sure, at first, what reaction their intended experiential and collaborative approach would get, especially compared to other sessions at the boot camp. “I was there for a couple of days prior, sitting in on the other lectures, and I was a bit nervous before ours,” recalls Powell. “I was seeing how the students were acting in the previous lectures and there was no interaction between them. The instruction was a more traditional approach than what we had prepared.”

When the time came for Klco, Lewis and Powell’s session, they introduced themselves to participants, asked them to jump in, and very quickly realized they didn’t need to worry. “There was quiet in the room, but we just started walking around and we initiated conversations with students, and just like that, the whole place was a beehive of activity,” says Lewis. “It took maybe three minutes.”

The enthusiasm extended throughout the entire experience. “The students were coming in early, staying late at lunch time and in the evening,” says Lewis. Participants were especially thrilled during the last section of the course, as they were provided access to an actual quantum computer prepped by Powell to run the circuits they had been working on, and see results in real time. “By the time they had their hands on the quantum computer at the end, people were saying, ‘How can we stay in touch on this?’ ” says Lewis. When Powell returned home, she even found somebody had continued to run hundreds of calculations on the accessible quantum computer.

For Lewis and Powell, the experience was an expectation-exceeding success. It’s something Lewis now thinks about with potential for teaching and learning at York. “If we could recreate this at York, if there’s a course that really captures people’s imagination, then this sort of experiential approach could be the perfect vehicle for students,” he says.

The post Faculty and student bringing experiential education to quantum computing appeared first on Faculty of Science.

Over 2022-23, the Faculty of Science’s experiential education (EE) program has seen record growth, with co-op applications increasing by 180 per cent and internship applications increasing nearly 140 per cent over the previous year. As well, this summer, 110 student opportunities were posted by 21 employers.

“Much of the growth has been due to the efforts of our EE staff and faculty members in establishing connections and proper channels for support and feedback, such as creating our EE Advisory Committee and connecting with the YU Experience Hub, and YSpace. We also built a partnership with ,” said Michael Scheid, associate dean of students in the Faculty of Science.

EE opportunities through the Faculty allow students to deepen their learning and apply theories learned in the classroom to hands-on, paid work experiences. These opportunities consist of co-ops, which allow students to alternate between periods of work experiences and periods of study, and internships, which offer students, who have completed their third year, to start a work placement for four to 16 months before returning to school to finish their degree.

Three students share highlights of the program’s ability to provide a positive and excellent way to learn new technical and collaboration skills, to gain work experience and to expand professional networks.

Wania Khan

Biomedical science student Wania Khan is participating in a one-year internship at Sanofi, a health-care and pharmaceutical company, on the Bioprocess Research and Development team, where she is assisting with experiments as part of a vaccine research project.

“The most important learning skill I gained is dexterity, where I was able to take samples directly from fermenters using a syringe while also focusing on clamping and unclamping various tubes without contaminating the culture inside the fermenter promptly,” she said. “This experiential education opportunity has helped me gain new networks and friendships, i.e. working closely with scientists, technicians and other co-ops from different universities and educational backgrounds.”

Alexandria Nelson

Biomedical science student Alexandria Nelson is participating in a one-year co-op placement in the quality control stability department at Sanofi. Her responsibilities include handling and managing vaccine inventory and assisting with data analysis.

“So far, my placement has been helpful in understanding what the vaccine manufacturing process is like, which has been even more insightful considering the demand for vaccines throughout the pandemic,” said Nelson. “I’ve also enjoyed getting to know my co-workers and how their career paths have unfolded. I’ve learned that my journey may not be linear, but there will always be opportunities for growth in whatever I choose to pursue.”

Yibin Zheng

Statistics student Yibin Zheng is participating in a research internship in the Department of Applied Mathematics at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. As a research intern, he is responsible for using the Bayesian statistics theory to work with R, a programming language, and help solve statistical problems.

“During this internship, I have enhanced my ability to collaborate with others as a team, such as organizing and distributing research chapters, and conducting discussions,” he said. “I believe this will be very helpful for my future career.”

Students can learn more about the Faculty of Science’s EE opportunities at .

The post Faculty of Science sees record growth in experiential education appeared first on Faculty of Science.