| VOLUME 28, NUMBER 31 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1998 | ISSN 1199-5246 |
Two of the 26 experiments that blasted off with the Space Shuttle Columbia on April 17 and the only two Canadian experiments on board were developed by research teams with strong connections to York.
Barry Fowler, a professor of kinesiology and health science at the University, is the lead researcher on an experiment that is probing why astronauts lose eye-hand coordination when they work in the weightless environment of space. His research team includes Deanna Comfort, a York PhD student in psychology, and Dr. Otmar Bock, formerly of the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech) at York and now affiliated with the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln in Germany.
Professor Ian Howard is a Distinguished Research Professor emeritus of the University's Departments of Biology and Psychology, and the co-director of the Human Performance Laboratory at CRESTech, a provincial Centre of Excellence with its headquarters at York.
He heads a Canadian team that includes CRESTech project scientists Jim Zacher and Heather Jenkin. Together with an American team led by Dr. Chuck Oman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they are responsible for the "Role of Visual Cues in Spatial Orientation" experiment, which is looking at how astronauts orient themselves during work in space and how they develop a sense of what is "up" and "down."
"Having these two experiments on board the Shuttle is very exciting and a testament to ground-breaking research going on at York not only into how the body reacts to space flight, but also in related areas of space science, astronomy, earth and atmospheric science and computer science," said Dean of Pure and Applied Science Bob Prince.
Seven astronauts, including Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, are aboard Neurolab, the 17-day STS-90 Shuttle mission. They are conducting experiments on the effects of weightlessness on the nervous system, one of the most complex and least understood parts of the human body. Made up of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and sensory organs, the nervous system faces major challenges during space flight. The brain helps to regulate blood pressure, coordinate movement, regulate sleep and more and all of these functions are being investigated on board the Neurolab mission.
For Fowler's experiment, astronauts are conducting a series of tests to see whether they can adapt their eye-hand coordination as they adjust to weightlessness. Fowler said his experiment will help us understand how astronauts will adapt to prolonged weightlessness on the International Space Station.
Howard's experiment is using NASA's Virtual Environmental Generator (VEG) to test astronauts in three different "virtual" environments. "This experiment should greatly improve our understanding of how humans orient themselves, and could be enormously helpful in combatting spatial disorientation, not just among astronauts, but also among pilots and ordinary drivers here on earth," said Howard.
Avie Bennett
Book publisher Avie J. Bennett will become the next Chancellor of York University.
Bennett is chairman, president and chief executive officer of McClelland & Stewart Inc. He will officially begin his three-year term as the University's 10th Chancellor during a special installation ceremony on Friday, May 29 at Osgoode Hall Law School's Moot Court.
"Chancellor Bennett will bring the same fierce commitment and loyalty to York University that he has shown to Canada's cultural community over the years. I am certain he will be an energetic and articulate advocate on behalf of students, alumni, faculty and the staff at York University, promoting the identity of this institution as ably as he has helped foster a sense of Canada to Canadians," said President Lorna Marsden.
Bennett purchased McClelland & Stewart, the distinguished Canadian publishing house, in 1985 after a successful career in the shopping centre development business that he and his family pioneered. He has maintained the company's commitment to Canadian literature, publishing roughly 100 new titles each year. In 1991, Bennett purchased Hurtig Publishers of Edmonton, publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia and a host of other titles. He is also chairman and president of First Plazas Inc., his commercial real estate company.
Named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997 and appointed to the Order of Ontario in 1996, Bennett was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Toronto in 1995, and received the Doctor of University degree from the University of Ottawa in 1997. His volunteer work has extended to such organizations as the National Ballet of Canada, the United Way of Greater Toronto, and the Advisory Board of the Schulich School of Business at York.
Bennett's appointment was made following an extensive search by a University committee that included students and faculty. As Chancellor, he will be a member of the Board of Governors, will preside over convocation ceremonies, and will represent York University inside and outside the institution.
"I look forward to joining the vibrant and diverse community that is York, and to exploring the impressive range of research, scholarship and outreach conducted by its talented faculty, students and staff," said Bennett, adding that he plans to share his experiences with the public.
Bennett has been a strong supporter of York initiatives in the community for many years. He replaces outgoing Chancellor Arden Haynes, to whom Dr. Marsden extended her sincere appreciation for his years of steadfast and esteemed service to the York University community.
Prof. Elmar Altvater
The ongoing integration of Europe and the growing influence of the economies of the European Union's member states could assist in freeing international politics from "the globalization trap" and open up opportunities for "alternative" politics, in the opinion of Professor Elmar Altvater, the chair of political science at the Free University of Berlin.
The change in political strategies would entail fighting unemployment by reducing hours of work, stimulating private investment and increasing and strengthening public employment programs.
"This chance will be gambled away if the European Union is mainly understood as a monetary union and if the restrictive course in the monetary and fiscal policy is maintained; and, finally, if market fundamentalist solutions dominate in future," Prof. Altvater stated in his keynote address at Continent in Change: Canadian Perspectives on German and European Studies, an international conference held April 3-5 at York.
Half-a-year before Germany's upcoming elections in September, what kind of change do German voters want?, Altvater asked at the outset of his talk, entitled "Political Change in Germany 16 Years After the Wende." Are voters looking for new politicians, the acquisition of power by another party coalition, or even a new political project namely, a Red-Green alternative one?, he inquired.
Media sympathy with the Green Party's programs turns to criticism as soon as the party's proposals seem to be influencing "real" politics, said Altvater. "Beware of fundamental change ..." is the message. Such was the case last year with the Greens' proposal to dissolve NATO and their stated intention to increase the price of gasoline up to five German marks within the next 10 years, a commitment that was in line with Chancellor Helmut Kohl's 1992 announcement in Rio de Janeiro that Germany would reduce the emission of CO2 to 30 per cent.
"The political class in Germany only talks about ecology in order to avoid ecological action," Altvater said, in citing "the wisdom of Fürst von Salina: 'One has to talk about ecology in order to prevent ecological change.'"
"Innovation," "modernization," "efficiency" and "competitiveness" are the terms politicians use as bait to lure voters. In previous decades these concepts have led to an ecological crisis, to a growing gap between rich and poor, and to mass unemployment, said Altvater. In more recent times, "these programmatic ideas are put together with terms such as 'ecological" and "intelligent," to formulate nonsensical proposals. Empty and misleading slogans, such as "A bridge into the age of solar energy," attract unanimous praise in the media.
In Germany, he said, "people talk about change, but hardly anybody really wants it. ... [So] one should not expect too much from the election of the 27th of September."
Germany's five-million unemployed could give up hope if they waited for the stimulation of economic growth, which is unlikely to occur, said Altvater. The current economy is the "disastrous" consequence of an economic and social policy that mainly considers market and employer interests, he said.
In today's economy, human labour has been made redundant by machinery that is powered by energies derived from fossil fuels. "Capitalism is an entirely fossil-based society that has pulled down all the 'bridges to an age of solar energy' that have been built in the course of history," said Altvater.
The prices of natural resources are always incorrect, since the resources themselves are at humanity's disposal and should be treated as free of charge, he argued. The only costs are for extraction, transport and labour, so the "prices" for resources are nothing other than monopoly prices that are set to gratify the income demands of the multi-nationals.
It is essential that the markets and the rules that restrict competition be rectified, Altvater stated. "Even if the national economy doesn't necessarily need to be protected by the world economy, it is important to protect the social standards of the welfare states and to protect the environment from the exploitation caused by capitalist competition."
Limits on competition for social and ecological reasons are necessary, he said. He advocated introduction of an energy tax that would make transportation more expensive and reduce competition. "This would be a disadvantage for consumers who've got used to the rich range of goods for sale from all over the world, but it would protect producers and save jobs."
In this time of globalization, rules for the money and capital markets should be established that could free politics from the globalization trap and open up opportunities for alternative politics, said Prof. Altvater.
"The process of European integration and the influence of the European economies is so strong that it could have an impact on the creation of global regulations," he said.
The Continent in Change conference was convened by the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies and chaired by Dr. Volker Gransow, visiting professor at the centre. University President Lorna Marsden and German Ambassador R. Hans-Günter Sulimma made the opening remarks at the conference.
Dr. Michael Siu
York University, NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada), and MDS Sciex, a Canadian-owned manufacturer of scientific equipment, have established a new $2-million Chair in Analytical Mass Spectrometry at York.
National award-winning chemist Dr. Michael Siu is the holder of the new NSERC/MDS Sciex Industrial Research Chair.
Analytical mass spectrometry is used to identify substances and to analyze for foreign compounds in samples to detect herbicides in lake water, for instance, or analyze pharmaceuticals or test an athelete's blood. It is a rapidly-growing area of analytical chemistry.
NSERC President Dr. Tom Brzustowski, MDS Sciex President Bill Garriock, President Lorna Marsden and Dr. Siu participated in an announcement event at the Norman Bethune College Art Gallery on April 15.
Peter Hogg
University President Lorna Marsden has announced the five-year appointment of Professor Peter W. Hogg as Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, effective July 1, 1998.
"Professor Hogg is one of Canada's finest constitutional lawyers and most eminent legal scholars. We are delighted that such a fine person will lead one of York University's most distinguished faculties. His appointment will bring great, and further, distinction upon the School," said Marsden.
Hogg, 59, has been a professor of law at Osgoode since 1970. He earned his LLB from the University of New Zealand in 1962, his LLM from Harvard University a year later, and his PhD from Melbourne's Monash University in 1970.
Since his call to the bar of Ontario in 1973, Hogg has successfully combined and complemented his teaching and scholarly responsibilities with work as outside counsel, commentator and provider of expert testimony in constitutional law.
He appeared as counsel in such constitutional cases as the Anti-Inflation Act, Manitoba Language Rights and Ontario Separate School Funding. Throughout his career, Hogg has been called on to advise the federal government, provincial governments, legislative committees, various public bodies, and private law firms. For the last eight years, he has been associated with the law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon where he is now the "scholar in residence."
Hogg's writings have been cited frequently by courts of all levels in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel. He has been cited in the Supreme Court of Canada more than twice as often as any other author.
Prof. Hogg became a member of the Queen's Counsel in 1980, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1988, and an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991. In 1996, the Law Society of Upper Canada presented him with the Law Society Medal. That same year, Hogg received a Teaching Excellence Award, bestowed by students at Osgoode.
"As Dean, I hope to build on Osgoode's excellence in legal scholarship, which draws top students and faculty, and its penchant for forward-thinking, innovative programs and projects," said Hogg, referring to such recent initiatives as the development of the Innocence Project, the expansion of the Professional Development Program, and the establishment of the Jack and Mae Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption.
As the author of six books, including Constitutional Law of Canada and Principles of Canadian Income Tax Law, and scores of articles on public law, Hogg has written on a wide range of issues, including the impact of the Meech Lake Accord on the Charter of Rights, the constitutional jurisdiction over violence in the mass media, and the constitutional aspects of federal securities legislation.
"Professor Hogg's exceptional skills as a legal scholar, teacher and lawyer have enhanced Osgoode for nearly three decades and equip him admirably to lead this influential and innovative law school," said outgoing Osgoode Hall Dean Marilyn Pilkington.
Osgoode Hall Law School is Canada's largest common-law law school. Its law library is the largest in the Commonwealth. Founded in 1889, the school joined the University in the summer of 1969.
Osgoode admits about 300 first-year students each year and has 50 full-time faculty. Students choose from a rich and varied curriculum of over 100 courses, seminars and intensive clinical programs. The school has exchange programs with l'Université de Montreal and with universities in Italy, China, France and Japan. It is also known for innovation in legal education and especially for combining theory, policy and practice in intensive clinical programs.
by Rosie Carusi
WORKOUT: (Clockwise from top) Personal trainer Phillip Perna guides Osgoode Hall Professor Fred Zemans as he does dumbell bicep curls and chest presses and jogs on a treadmill. "This is a great opportunity to work out right on campus with bright, committed trainers," says Zemans about the Recreation York program.
Once sought out by people who wanted a perfect physique, personal trainers are now seeing clients with a different goal in mind: achieving an excellent level of health. Exercise and health go hand in hand, as both are considered beneficial in alleviating or reducing the risk of increasing physical conditions. As a result, people are continuing to incorporate exercise into their lives as a means of improving or maintaining their health, rather than exercising simply to improve their appearance.
The emphasis on health has created a necessity for personal trainers to be highly educated fitness professionals. The University's Tait McKenzie Centre now has six fitness and lifestyle consultants. All are working toward obtaining their degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, and a Fitness Assessment, Exercise and Lifestyle Counselling Certificate.
Our trainers provide constant motivation and monitoring to provide the ultimate workout experience with the maximum level of safety. They will design a customized program tailored to a client's desired needs.
"It's the motivation that I like," comments Peter Victor from Environmental Studies. "I've had some previous injuries, but with my trainer, Marcie Foley, I have been able to work through these injuries and prevent others from reoccurring. My trainer has a wealth of knowledge and she makes it a lot of fun."
For Foley, training clients is indeed a rewarding experience. "I enjoy working with people and helping them to achieve their goals," she says.
Many fitness facilities charge prohibitively expensive fees for personal training, but Recreation York offers two excellent packages for about one-third of regular industry prices. "Five one-hour sessions are $125 for members and $150 for non-members. (A silver Recreation York membership for staff/alumni is $64 for four months and includes full use of the fitness centre and all other Tait facilities.)
A package consisting of 10 one-hour sessions is discounted at $200 for members and $250 for non-members, or $10 per hour. Each package also includes a free fitness appraisal.
To meet the needs of the busy professional, Recreation York accommodates most schedules by offering personal training all year around. Individual schedules can be established between trainers and clients.
"Also to accommodate individual needs, we allow clients to schedule their personal training sessions to achieve their highest potential. That is, some clients request a trainer three times per week for every workout," says Recreation York personal trainer Philip Perna.
"Others consult with a trainer for their first four workouts and then have their program checked in six weeks to maintain and update their workout regime. This keeps costs low while ensuring a high level of safety and guidance is maintained. Another emerging trend is group sessions where two or three people consult with a trainer for their first four workouts and then have a program check in six weeks to maintain and update their workout regime."
The focus of a standard workout and fitness consultation is to achieve total body wellness, including stress management, nutritional recommendations, behavioural and lifestyle consultation. All of the fitness components flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, strength training, balance and agility, and body composition are addressed.
For more information on personal training, drop by the Fitness Centre in the Tait McKenzie Centre or contact me at extension 77202, or e-mail rcarusi@yorku.ca.
Rosie Carusi is fitness and lifestyles program officer for Recreation York.
York research teams have received six Social Science and Health Research Council strategic grants for fall 1998. Following are the successful projects and extracts from the proposal descriptions.
Feminist Ecological Economics: New Models and Policy Implications. Principal investigator: Patricia E. Perkins, Faculty of Environmental Studies. Three years. Award total: $86,000.
"Neoclassical economics has been widely critiqued by feminists and environmentalists. Its failure to measure many economic contributions made by women, and its emphasis on individual over collective wants/needs lead to policies which are harmful to communities, the environment, and women in both the South and the North. New feminist economic models, based on collective processes and the centrality of people's homes and communities to their ways of life, are beginning to appear. Most adopt basic principles of ecological economics, such as recognition of the economy's limitation by environmental constraints, and the need to value services and goods often regarded as 'externalities' including environmental services, child-rearing, and household work.
"This strategic network project will bring together researchers in feminist ecological economics through electronic communications networks, meetings, opportunities for joint authorship of papers, dissemination of research results, and publication of a collection of seminal works in feminist ecological economics. ... In addition, the project will conduct a series of six workshops which will bring scholarly researchers together with community organizers, activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and government officials to discuss and critically evaluate the policy relevance of feminist ecological economics research [at the local, national and international levels]."
Sanctuary for Chronically Homeless Women. Principal investigator: Rae Anderson, Social Anthropology, Faculty of Graduate Studies. Three years. Award total: $55,700.
"[This] research program considers shelter issues for single, chronically homeless women, many of whom suffer from mental illness and substance addictions. The purpose is to make a significant contribution to the understanding of design, development, management and operating processes involved in 'safe haven' housing for chronically homeless women. The project involves two components: (1) An in-depth case study of development and operating processes for Savard's, a small pilot project in Toronto to house 10 chronically homeless women, and (2) A comparative study of safe havens for chronically homeless women in the United States.
"The three-year research program will document the perspectives of front-line staff, administrators, community support workers, government officials and women coming off the street. The research focuses on how those who have been marginalized and have been perceived as oppressed have been able to take control of their lives within a supportive framework of empowerment. The research is expected to have direct and concrete application for housing and social service providers to develop shelter that meets the complex needs of chronically homeless women."
Women Activism and Social Change: the South Asian Experience. Principal investigator: Vijay Agnew, Social Science, Faculty of Arts. Three years. Award total: $44,000.
"This research proposes to study the activism of South Asian women in mobilizing and organizing women from their own ethnic communities to struggle against gender, race and class inequities. Federal and provincial governments provide funds for their work (social services and advocacy), and representations by organizations of South Asian women to various government agencies on issues that are of particular concern to them (e.g., equity and access to social services) inform public policies. This research examines from the perspective of South Asian women's groups in Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa the extent to which public policies have facilitated their struggles against race, class and gender discrimination."
Ethical Codes: The Regulatory Norms of a Globalized Economy. Principal investigator: Wesley Cragg, Schulich School of Business; Philosophy, Faculty of Arts. Three years. Award total: $249,922.
"Globalization has altered in significant ways the tools available to regulate international commerce. One result is the emergence of international ethics codes, codes of responsible conduct and best practice codes designed to win adherence to internationally acceptable norms of conduct on the part of corporations and other organizations interacting in the global market place. What is significant about these developments is the emerging emphasis on self regulation as the primary mode of implementation. Equally significant is the speed with which ethical codes are emerging and the lack of a systematic study of their effectiveness in achieving internationally acceptable standards of conduct.
"This project will look at these developments with particular focus on five topic areas: respect for human rights, treatment of labour, bribery and corruption in international business transactions, environmental regulation and international finance and the control of money laundering. Each of these areas has important implications for the regulation of international commerce, the development of a global market place, and the quality of life of people in all parts of the world.
"We examine the reasons for the emergence of ethical codes and the phenomenon of self regulation within the context of globalization. We will look at the role of international organizations in shaping and enforcing the codes that are emerging. We shall also study the implications of these developments for corporate governance and the changing role of national and international institutions in the regulation of international commerce."
Economic Policy, Population Displacement and Development Ethics. Principal investigator: Peter Penz, Faculty of Environmental Studies/Shastri Partnership Application. Three years. Award total: $236,980.
"Development is generally taken to be a process of socio-economic change that improves the living conditions of people. But it also has its negative aspects. The social change that many forms of development requires entails social costs. One kind of social cost is population displacement, i.e. the forced movement of people out of their occupational activities or their locations, often also involving cultural uprooting. The most obvious form of development-induced displacement is that of dams or new industrial townships. Such direct displacement has received much attention in India.
"The first major objective of this project is to extend the study of displacement to indirect forms, such as those resulting from people's loss of livelihood due to developmental processes. The objective is also to put displacement within a broader range of related processes and conditions, including voluntary movement to better opportunities, as well as what we are calling 'spatial-economic security,' on the one hand, and 'spatial-economic captivity,' on the other.
"A second major objective is to focus on the displacement implications of the currently predominant neo-liberal approach to development and contrasting them with those of historical and potential alternatives, such as Nehruvian state planning, welfare capitalism, and Gandhian community self-determination and self-reliance. Development will be treated as a matter of choice that entails responsibility for such choice. At the same time, the constraints on such choice will also be explored and acknowledged.
"The concern with responsibility brings the third major objective of this project into focus, namely the application of development ethics to development-induced displacement. Ethics deals with evaluation, justification and critique rather than description or causal explanation. Development ethics brings explicitly normative analysis and moral values to bear on development issues. This project will do this specifically with respect to development-induced displacement."
Critical Choices II: An International Research and Policy Symposium on the Ethical, Legal and Sociobehavioural (ELSI) Implications of Heritable Breast, Ovarian and Colon Cancer. Principal investigator: Kathryn Taylor, Administrative Studies, Atkinson College. One year. Award total: $15,000.
"In April 1995, the Behavioural Science Research Group, a multidisciplinary, informal affiliation of social and basic scientists in Toronto, produced Critical Choices I: a highly successful International and Policy Workshop on the Ethical, Legal and Sociobehavioural Implications of Heritable Breast, Ovarian and Colon Cancer. The SSHRC provided 10 per cent of the entire budget towards the dissemination of workshop results to professionals and to the general public.
"Given the rapid advances since 1995 in the laboratory and psychosocial sciences, we have had a great demand to conduct another workshop, to provide a critical update on all issues. We are planning Critical Choices II for October 18-19, 1998, using the effective model of the previous workshop.
"It will begin on Day 1 with a world-class scientific session (open to the public) with state-of-the-art international speakers from a wide range of cancer genetics perspectives, who will provide a critical update on this rapidly changing field. On Day 2, we plan to gather 80-100 international stakeholders from bench research and from the social, legal and ethical communities, as well as policy decision-makers, clinicians, consumers, providers and sponsors of cancer risk services from Canada, the U.S. and internationally (by invitation only), and provide a unique opportunity for in-depth deliberation and viable policy formulation."
Deadline Dates
May 22
CIDA (in conjunction with the Association of Universities & Colleges of Canada): University Partnerships in Cooperation and Development Program (Tier II Linkage Projects)
May 28
Human Resources Development Canada: Canada-European Community Program for Cooperation in Higher Education and Training [internal deadline is May 9]
May 31
Canada Council: Killam Awards (Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prizes, Killam Research Fellowships
Council for Tobacco Research: Program of Research Support (full application due; preliminary applications due February 14)
International Atomic Energy Agency: Research Contract Program
Korea Foundation: Fellowship Programs (Fellowship for Korean Language Training, Fellowship for Korean Studies
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation: Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards (full application due; abstract due February 28)
School of Policy Studies (Queen's University): Non-Profit Sector Research Initiative
University of Cambridge: Smuts Visiting Fellowship in Commonwealth Studies
June 1
American Historical Association: John E. O'Connor Award
Bickell (J.P.) Foundation: Medical Research Grants-in-Aid
Cancer Research Society, Inc.: Strategic Research Grants Program (full application due; letter of intent due February 1)
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Clinical Research Grants (letter of intent due; full application due October 1)
Deafness Research Foundation: Grants for Research Projects
Health & Human Services (U.S. Department of): Public Health Service Grants
Medical Research Council (MRC): Michael Smith Award for Excellence
NSERC: Research Partnerships Program: Research Networks (letter of intent due; full application due Oct 1)
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington, D.C.): Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies Short-Term Grants
York University (administered by ORA): Contract Faculty (CUPE 3903) Fund Conference Travel Grant; York Incentive Grant
School of Policy Studies (Queen's University)
Non-Profit Sector Research Initiative
This research initiative is intended to broaden the base of creative and well-trained researchers who will undertake relevant research on the non-profit and charitable sector from a variety of disciplines and perspectives. Collaborative studies that link university-based researchers with researchers in non-profit agencies are also encouraged, as are studies that address the diversity of organizations and populations involved in the sector. The priority areas are: (1) The Relationship between the Non-Profit Sector and the Public Sector; and (2) The Relationship between the Non-Profit Sector and the Private Sector. One-year grants are made up to $20,000.
Deadline: May 31
NSERC
Research Networks
NSERC funds large-scale, complex research proposals that involve multisectorial collaborations on a common research theme and that demonstrate the added advantages of a networking approach. A management structure is required to direct, manage, and integrate the activities of the network. NSERC provides up to $500,000/year for three, four, or five years.
Deadline: June 1 for letters of intent; full application is due October 1
Canada Council
Killam Research Fellowships
Killam Research Fellowships provide partial or full salary replacement to support researchers in any of the following broad fields: humanities, social sciences, engineering, and studies linking any of the disciplines within these broad fields. The fellowship provides two years' release time to an individual scholar who wishes to pursue independent research. Electronic application process now available; contact ORA for complete details. The Office of the Associate Vice-President (Research and Faculties) has asked that applications be received in ORA by May 15 to allow enough time to review applications and provide feedback to the applicants.
Deadline: May 31 (note change of deadline date from previous year)
University of Cambridge
Smuts Visiting Fellowship in Commonwealth Studies
This nine-month fellowship valued at up to £10,000 is tenable in the field of Commonwealth Studies, which may be taken as embracing Commonwealth-related aspects of the following fields: archaeology, anthropology, economics, history, human geography, law, literature, oriental studies, and social and political sciences. Preference is given to promising younger scholars from the overseas countries of the Commonwealth who have active research interests in any of the above fields.
Deadline: May 31
The Office of Research Administration (ORA) would like to remind faculty members of these research opportunities with upcoming deadlines. Deadlines listed are those of the granting agencies. Applications for external sources of funding (i.e., outside York) must be submitted to ORA before forwarding them to the agencies. To assist in meeting these deadlines, it is recommended that applications be submitted to ORA one to two weeks prior to the deadline dates.
For more information, please contact ORA at -55055 in S414 Ross Building (e-mail: research@yorku.ca).
American landscape association honours Environmental Studies Professor Michael Hough
The U.S. branch of the Landscape Ecology Association, at its 1997 annual meeting, honoured Professor Michael Hough with its Distinguished Landscape Practitioner award. The award recogizes Hough's contributions to the application of the principles of landscape ecology to real-world problems, Plan Canada magazine reports.
A professor in York's Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hough is the founding partner of Hough Woodland Naylor Danoe, a landscape architectural and planning firm in Etobicoke. His distinguished career "has spanned nearly four decades," Plan Canada writes, "and he has, during that time, provided leadership in articulating an ecological view of environmental planning and design that encompasses consideration of nature and society as a functioning whole."
Granatstein appointment called an 'inspired move'
An "inspired move" is how the Ottawa Citizen describes the recruitment of Professor Emeritus Jack Granatstein to head the Canadian War Museum.
"Prof. Granatstein is a natural for the job," the Citizen's editorialist opines. "He is a well regarded Canadian historian who has researched and written on topics ranging from espionage to Canadian foreign policy, the state of the universities and the governments of Mackenzie King, Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau. Most importantly, he has written extensively on Canada's military history, a vital contribution to Canadian studies. His career includes 10 years of service in the Canadian army."
Granatstein is also a candid observer of the Canadian scene, the Citizen notes. In recent years, "[he] has been enlisted by the federal government to help it understand the troubles of the Armed Forces and chart a new direction. It would have been easy for Mr. Granatstein having taken early retirement from York University to simply play the role of critic in Toronto, continuing to write books on the various topics that interest him.
"Those people who care about Canada's military history should applaud him for coming forward."
Communist Manifesto Now 'selling like hot cakes'
York political science professor Leo Panitch is the co-editor with Colin Leys of the recently published Communist Manifesto Now, an anthology of essays examining the relevance of Marx and Engel's polemic today. The book "sold like hot cakes" at a scholarly convention in New York in March, Panitch told the Globe and Mail.
"Panitch said he sees a renewed enthusiasm for Marx's political thought among his students, who are increasingly exhibiting an attitude he calls, 'We're not going to take it.'," the Globe relates.
New organized crime wears white collars
Organized crime today "doesn't reflect the movies," Margaret Beare, director of the Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption at Osgoode Hall Law School, informed The Bottom Line magazine recently. No ethnic or cultural group is exempt from practising organized crime, including "white, waspish" cabals, "'and it has nothing to do with family ties,'" the magazine quotes Beare as stating, in a story headlined, "White-collar fraud: the new organized crime."
"Beare said that while initiatives like the federal government's anti-gang legislation (Bill C-95) are an attempt to crack down on organized crime, the legislation has a rigid definition of what constitutes organized activity. As well, it does nothing to address what are expected to be the leading white collar crimes of the future: tax evasion, commercial fraud, money laundering and stock frauds.
"These crimes are not usually perpetrated by individuals acting alone, but are 'orchestrated conspiracies that operate long-term.'
"One of the challenges investigators will face pursuing white collar criminals engaged in these activities is the lack of interest among officials in pursuing such crimes, Beare said. Canadians tend to favour stamping out violent crime at the expense of white collar activity."
York grad earns Harry Jerome Award
Dwayne Morgan, 23, a York mass communications and sociology graduate, was honoured with a Harry Jerome Award on April 4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Morgan's self-published book of poetry, The Revolution Starts Within, and the 1997 Afro- Canadian Music Festival at Ontario Place, which he directed and co-produced, were among the arts endeavors that helped to make him an award-winner.
The awards were created in 1982 to celebrate excellence and the contributions in various spheres by members of the African Canadian community. They are named after the late track star, who represented Canada at the Olympics and the Pan-American and Commonwealth Games.
Full-time York degree programs now available in Oshawa
When about 75 Durham College students get their diplomas next year, they'll be making education history in Ontario, the Toronto Star reports. They'll have earned full-fledged degrees from York and Trent Universities without ever having left their Oshawa-based college.
The project began in 1996 with the launch of full-time programs at Durham's new University Centre. The programs on offer at the centre include sociology, English literature, history and environment and resources sciences.
Currently, 200 students are enrolled in full-time degree programs.
"'To my knowledge, Durham College is the only place where existing universities have partnered in this model ... universities and a college in a consortium to deliver degrees at a community college,'" Gary Polonsky, Durham's president, told the Star.
Lunar H2O likely: York planetary scientist John Caldwell
The evidence is "pretty good" that there is water on the moon, John Caldwell, a planetary scientist at York, informed Maclean's for a story in the March 16 issue of the magazine about data from Prospector, the unmanned spacecraft launched and put into lunar orbit by NASA three months ago.
Caldwell noted that Prospector's data supported information relayed to Earth in 1996 by the American spacecraft, Clementine, which picked up data by radar, pointing to the existence of lunar ice. "'So we have two indications of the same thing by different means,'" Caldwell, a member of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, told Maclean's, "'and that's good'"
"Caldwell himself is working on a plan that could turn up a third persuasive clue, by using NASA's giant Hubble space telescope to search for evidence of ice deposits on the moon," Maclean's says.
Following are the results of the 1998-99 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada research grants and equipment grants competitions for York University.*
R.H. Prince, Pure and Applied Science, "Thin film production using pulsed laser deposition (pld)," $22,000
W.A. Gault, CRESS, "Optical measurements of upper atmosphere winds at Resolute Bay, NWT," $10,000
M.G. Shepherd, CRESS, "Temperature, water vapour, mesospheric clouds and climate change," $22,000
W.D. Cook, Schulich School of Business, "Decision models for multiple criteria and qualitative data," $41,000
S.E. MacDonald, Psychology, "Memory and cognition in nonhuman primates," $10,000
H. Ono, Psychology, "Sensory and motor aspects of space perception," $30,500
D. Regan, Psychology, "Neuromagnetic and evoked potential studies of sensory functions in humans," $71,000
J. Rivest, Psychology, "Études psychophysiques de l'analyse d'images à qualités multiples," $18,000
M.J. Steinbach, Psychology, "Human oculomotor control," $31,000
W.F. Thompson, Psychology, "Perception and memory of music," $21,000
L.M. Wilcox, Psychology, "The contribution of 2nd-order stereopsis to vision in the natural environment," $20,000
L.M. Wilcox, Psychology, "The contribution of 2nd-order steropsis to vision in the natural environment," $24,104 (offered)
E. Bialystok, Psychology, "Cognitive factors in the development of language proficiency and other symbolic skills," $32,500
J.D. Crawford, Psychology, "Human eye, head, and arm movements in three-dimensional space," $21,000
J.H. Elder, Psychology, "Psychophysical and computational investigation of visual contour representations," $25,000
M.L. Friendly, Psychology, "Graphical methods for categorical data analysis," $8,000
V. Goel, Psychology, "Functional mapping of reasoning and inference processes using PET (015) blood flow technique," $20,000
K.L. Grasse, Psychology, "Neural processing of visual motion," $28,000
L.R. Harris, Psychology, "Sensory processing during self movement," $29,000
I.P. Howard, Psychology, "Spatio-temporal properties of binocular disparity detection and vergence," $39,000
M. Horbatsch, Physics & Astronomy, "Atomic ionization by strong fields," $33,000
K.A. Innanen, Physics & Astronomy, "Studies in galactic, stellar and planetary dynamics," $30,000
J.G. Laframboise, Physics & Astronomy, "Theory of electrode devices in plasmas, and spacecraft-plasma interactions," $33,000
M.L. McCall, Physics & Astronomy, "The chemistry of galaxies," $30,000
J.R. Miller, Physics & Astronomy, "Biogeophysical land-ecosystem variables from spatial spectral angular information content in optical remote sensing data," $24,000
R.W. Nicholls, Physics & Astronomy, "Space spectroscopy: Maps, Hires, photodissociation," $15,000
A.D. Stauffer, Physics & Astronomy, "Theoretical and computational studies of atomic collisions and structures," $30,000
W.A. van Wijngaarden, Physics & Astronomy, "Laser spectroscopy of atoms," $27,700
J.C. McDermott, Physical Education, "Mechanisms of muscle-specific transcriptional control," $30,000
N. Bartel, Physics & Astronomy, "Galactic and extragalactic compact radio sources," $40,000
J.J. Caldwell, Physics & Astronomy, "Planetary and extra-solar system studies with the Hubble space telescope," $35,000
A.I. Carswell, Physics & Astronomy, "Laser diagnostics of the atmosphere," $29,600
J.W.G. Darewych, Physics & Astronomy, "Few-body theory," $16,000
M.M. De Robertis, Physics & Astronomy, "Investigation of activity in galactic nuclei," $24,000
H.S. Freedhoff, Physics & Astronomy, "Theoretical studies in atom-photon interactions: multiatom, multilevel, and multiphoton transitions," $18,000
E.A. Hessels, Physics & Astronomy, "Precisions studies of rydberg states of few-electron atoms," $27,700
W.J. Whiteley, Mathematics & Statistics, "Discrete applied geometry," $16,500
A.C.M. Wong, Mathematics & Statistics, "Parametric and nonparametric statistical inference (with applications)," $13,000
M.W. Wong, Mathematics & Statistics, "Spectral theory of phase space localization operators," $8,000
J. Wu, Mathematics & Statistics, "Spatial heterogeneity and global dynamics of systems of functional differential equations," $23,500
J. Wu, Mathematics & Statistics, "Numerical simulation on patterns and dynamics of functional differential systems," $7,000 (offered)
Y. Wu, Mathematics & Statistics, "Topics in model selection and M-estimation," $16,000
E. Cafarelli, Physical Education, "Motor processes in the human neuromuscular system," $16,500
D.A. Hood, Physical Education, "Mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle," $40,000
J.W. Pelletier, Mathematics & Statistics, "Applications of category theory to analysis, $6,000
T.S. Salisbury, Mathematics & Statistics, "Conditioned Brownian motion and superprocesses," $16,000
D.M. Salopek, Mathematics & Statistics, "Tolerance to arbitrage," $12,000
P.X.K. Song, Mathematics & Statistics, "Multivariate statistical models and likelihood-based methods for longitudinal data analysis," $15,000
J. Steprans, Mathematics & Statistics, "Cardinal invariants and real analyis," $18,600
W.P. Tholen, Mathematics & Statistics, "Categorical methods in topology, algebra and computer science," $15,000
W.S. Watson, Mathematics & Statistics, "The construction of topological spaces and its applications to mathematics and the sciences," $20,000
A.I. Weiss, Mathematics & Statistics, "Regular and chiral polytopes and their realizations," $10,000
L.S. Hou, Mathematics & Statistics, "Analysis and numerical approximations for the control of incompressible flows coupled to electromagnetics, thermal dynamics or mass," $15,000
E.J. Janse van Rensburg, Mathematics & Statistics, "Statistical mechanics of random geometric models," $15,800
S.O. Kochman, Mathematics & Statistics, "Computations in homotopy theory," $17,000
L. Lorch, Mathematics & Statistics, "Special functions, ordinary differential equations, eigenvalues," $6,000
N.N. Madras, Mathematics & Statistics, "Self-avoiding walks and related problems," $21,000
H.M. Massam, Mathematics & Statistics, "The wishart distribution and graphical models on symmetric cones," $14,400
M.E. Muldoon, Mathematics & Statistics, "Special functions and orthogonal polynomials," $13,000
G.L. O'Brien, Mathematics & Statistics, "Large deviations and related limit theorems," $17,000
D. Spring, Mathematics, Glendon College, "Regularity of solutions in convex integration theory," $10,000
N. Bergeron, Mathematics & Statistics, "Algebraic combinatorics and applications," $14,000
R.G. Burns, Mathematics & Statistics, "Subgroup separability of knot groups; intersections in amalgamated products of groups, and in solvable groups; square products of groups," $9,000
S.R. Chamberlin, Mathematics & Statistics, "Likelihood based inference," $7,000
C. Czado, Mathematics & Statistics, "MCMC methods for regression data with correlated multivariate discrete response/interval hypothesis tests for model validation," $13,400
A.S. Dow, Mathematics & Statistics, "The countable convergence structure of compact topological spaces," $25,000
T.J. Gannon, Mathematics & Statistics, "Rational conformal field theory and related structures," $18,000
S. Guiasu, Mathematics & Statistics, "Measures of uncertainty and constrained optimization involving them," $7,900
J. Jasiak, Economics, "Time series analysis of processes with heterogeneous long memory patterns," $6,000
P. Rilstone, Economics, "Analytical corrections and bootstrapping for finite sample inferences," $9,000
L.A. Molot, Faculty of Environmental Studies, "Carbon fluxes and the role of aquatic systems in northern latitudes," $13,000
A.R. Hill, Geography, "Biogeochemical-hydrological interactions at land-water interfaces," $20,000
M.C. Kellman, Geography, "The development of protective edge communities in fragmented forest systems," $24,800
W.C. Mahaney, Geography, "Microscopic study of sediments," $10,000
A. Robert, Geography, "Studies of stream channels: morphology and evolution," $15,000
K.L. Young, Geography, "Ecohydrology of vegetation bands associated with late-lying snowbeds," $10,000
G.P. Klaassen, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Numerical modelling of atmospheric dynamics," $12,700
J.C. McConnell, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Chemistry and dynamical interaction in planetary atmospheres," $35,000
I.C. McDade, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Airglow and upper atmosphere remote sensing," $27,000
G.G. Shepherd, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Global dynamics of the mesosphere and thermosphere," $65,000
D.E. Smylie, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Earth dynamics," $30,000
R.E. Stewart, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Precipitation and cloud systems at high latitudes," $10,000
A.M.K. Szeto, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Remote sensing and geodynamics," $10,000
P.A. Taylor, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Atmospheric boundary-layer studies," $33,000
M.E. Spetsakis, Computer Science, "Visual motion estimation," $18,100
Z. Stachniak, Computer Science, "Methodology of automated theorem proving systems," $17,100
J. Xu, Computer Science, "Automated pre-run-time scheduling in hard-real-time systems," $15,200
A. Toptsis, Computer Science & Mathematics, Atkinson, "Retrieval of reusable software artifacts," $12,000
K.D. Aldridge, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Laboratory geophysical fluid dynamics," $22,500
Q. Cheng, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Development of GIS integrated stochastic and multifractal techniques for spatial and dynamic modelling and prediction of mineral deposits," $20,000
G. T. Jarvis, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Effects of continents, rigid plates and phase changes in models of mantle convection and planetary cooling," $29,000
M.A. Jenkins, Earth & Atmospheric Science, "Coupled atmospheric-fire modelling," $15,000
M.R.M. Jenkin, Computer Science, "Embedded stereo vision," $23,000
Y. Lesperance, Computer Science, "Logical foundations for agent programming," $19,000
J.W.H. Liu, Computer Science, "Sparse matrix technology, software and applications," $53,000
E.E. Milios, Computer Science, "Interpretation of natural form in images and sounds," $25,500
A. Mirzaian, Computer Science, "Computational geometry and robotics," $10,000
J.S. Ostroff, Computer Science, "Formal design methods for real-time safety-critical systems," $26,000
R.F. Paige, Computer Science, "Formal method integration and tool combination," $17,000
H. Sandhu, Computer Science, "Software support for parallel computing on a cluster of workstations," $24,000
E. Arjomandi, Computer Science, "Support for parallel programming," $12,000
T.B. Brecht, Computer Science, "Implementation and performance of parallel and distributed systems," $18,000
P.W. Dymond, Computer Science, "Parallel algorithms and complexity," $22,800
J. Edmonds, Computer Science, "Data encoding and transmission, proof systems, lower bounds and other topics," $25,000
T.C.N. Graham, Computer Science, "Declarative language support for user interface development," $17,100
J. Gryz, Computer Science, "Semantic query caching," $17,000
J. Gryz, Computer Science, "Hardware support for a distributed database system," $30,228 (offered)
B. Guo, Computer Science, "Interactive modeling and visualization with 3D scalar volumes," $23,500
R. McLaren, Chemistry, "Measurement of atmospheric pollutants using capillary high performance liquid chromatography," $18,000
M. Mozurkewich, Chemistry, "Kinetics of chemical reactions in the atmospheric aerosol," $27,000
W.J. Pietro, Chemistry, "Investigation of device activity in metallophthalocyanine and polysilane bilayers and quantum confined functionalized nanoclusters," $27,000
P.G. Potvin, Chemistry, "Designed transition metal catalysts," $18,400
H.O. Pritchard, Chemistry, "Kinetic, thermodynamic, and quantum studies of simple chemical reactions," $20,000
J. Rudolph, Chemistry, "Chemistry and distribution of volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere," $43,000
D.V. Stynes, Chemistry, "Biomimetic chemistry of iron complexes," $15,000
J. Amanatides, Computer Science, "Ray tracing and sampling," $14,000
J.M. Goodings, Chemistry, "Ion chemistry in flames," $25,000
G.W. Harris, Chemistry, "Development and application of optical methods for the study of the composition of the troposphere," $35,300
G.W. Harris, Chemistry, "Sensitivity enhancement for a novel hydroxyl radical measurement system," $23,600 (offered)
D.R. Hastie, Chemistry, "Studies of atmospheric oxidation," $23,200
A.C. Hopkinson, Chemistry, "Theoretical and experimental studies of cations," $25,000
E. Lee-Ruff, Chemistry, "Reactions of small ring compounds, chemistry of destablized carbocations," $30,000
A.B.P. Lever, Chemistry, "Synthetic, electrochemical and computational aspects of inorganic chemistry," $64,000
C.C. Leznoff, Chemistry, "The design and applications of large molecules in organic synthesis," $35,000
R.A. Webb, Biology, "Neurobiology of Helminths," $23,000
K.A. White, Biology, "Plant rna virus replication and recombination," $44,600
N.D. Yan, Biology, "Effects of climate variation and native and exotic predators on freshwater zooplankton," $10,000
G.O. Aspinall, Chemistry, "Complex carbohydrates," $44,000
L.A. Barrie, Chemistry, "Halogens and ozone depletion in the northern atmosphere," $13,900
D.K. Bohme, Chemistry, "Gas-phase ion chemistry," $75,000
S.V. Filseth, Chemistry, "Laser photochemistry and chemical kinetics," $30,000
R. Fournier, Chemistry, "Computation of the structure and optical properties of new material," $27,800
L.D.M. Packer, Biology, "Evolution of social behavioural diversity in bees: pattern, process and genetics," $38,000
R.E. Pearlman, Biology, "Superspeed refrigerated centrifuge and GS3 rotor," $27,286 (offered)
R.E. Pearlman, Biology, "Molecular studies of meiosis and molecular evolutionary studies," $62,000
A.S.M. Saleuddin, Biology, "Endocrinology of osmoregulation, growth and reproduction in molluscs, $30,000
J.S. Shore, Biology,"Genetics and evolution of distyly in the Turneraceae," $30,000
M.B. Sokolowski, Biology, "Genetic neurogenetic and molecular analysis of quantitative behavioural traits in Drosophila melanogaster," $62,300
C.G.H. Steel, Biology, "Circadian and neuroendocrine control of insect development," $30,000
B.J. Stutchbury, Biology, "Extra-pair mating tactics in birds," $30,000
A. Forer, Biology, "mechanisms of chromosome movement," $40,000
D.R. Goring, Biology, "Characterization of the THL and ARC1 genes in the Brassica self- incompatibility signaling pathway," $42,800
I.B. Heath, Biology, "Cellular basis of tip growth," $61,000
I.B. Heath, Biology, "Video camera system," $29,800 (offered)
J.A. Heddle, Biology, "Transcription, repair and mutation in mammalian cells," $34,000
R.R. Lew, Biology, "Regulation of electrogenic transport by osmotic pressure in higher plants," $38,000
D.J. McQueen, Biology, "Food web structure and dynamics," $65,000
P.B. Moens, Biology, "Development of the meiotic prophase nucleus: chromosomal aspects," $58,600
J.A. Buzacott, Area of Management Science, "Modelling and analysis of manufacturing systems," $66,000
J.S. Yeomans, Area of Management Science, "Scheduling in mixed-model assembly facilities," $14,000
D.R.A. Bazely, Biology, "The impact of vertibrate herbivores on terrestrial plant communities," $21,000
I.R. Coe, Biology, "Regulation and evolution of nucleoside transporters," $26,500
B. Colman, Biology, "Inorganic carbon transport in microalgae," $50,539
M.B. Coukell, Biology, "Calcium signalling in dictyostelium," $52,000
K.G. Davey, Biology, "Invertebrate endocrinology," $60,000
M.B. Fenton, Biology, "Behavioural ecology of bats," $57,000
*The results of the competition in subatomic physics are not included.
The 1997-98 winners of the President's Prize in Creative Writing are:
Poetry
Co-Winners
Sandra Fahy for her poem, Getting It
Robert Pearson for his poem, Where Flaubert Bought His Vegetables
Fiction
Winner
Philip Crymble for his story, Ulster Fry
Honourable Mention
Todd Will for his story, After the Fall
Shannon MacMillan for her story, Aftermath
Dominic Chan for his story, Eye
Stage-Play
Winner
Robin Sadavoy for her play, You the Fortress
Screen-Play
Winner
Diane Dziak for her play, June's World
Getting it
by Sandra Fahy
A month ago,
After a summer of strain: extended family, work, physical neglect...
She said,
turn your head a little and
take the beads off dear.
I did. Don't move...there she said there
take a seat I'll see if they develop all right.
I took the seat, got the necklaces back on,
flipped through a pile of magazines, boring propaganda
and she was there calling me in again
We only need to redo one.
She seemed delighted and spun away on white sneakers,
she wanted to get home early.
I was irritated but took the beads off regardless, swerved
between other patients in the waiting room, their legs, bags, brats,
past the customary magazine pile: parenting magazines and cartoons about drug use
even past a room where a woman took blood from a woman, in silence.
A blue light from the x-ray viewing screen managed to stall me
and I leaned toward it like a pendulum caught mid-swing.
I had to see.
The bones that made me, the numerous fillings I grew,
the cavities my nose and cheeks rest in
and the last of me that would last
and the sad blue shade my face is
when it's final finally and nothing looks out.
Where Flaubert bought his vegetables
by Robert Pearson
He must have been someone
loved by someone, much as the poet
loved his phrases. A man
who cared for his family and his neat
pyramids of oranges as much as Flaubert coveted heaps
of words. The subject here is not
the poet but the forgotten man who ran the store
where Flaubert bought his vegetables. The green
grocer of Rouen is a long
suffering man:
You see him now, perhaps, his walrus
moustache grizzled, his belly well
tended and hidden by a clean white
apron as he looks on with just pride at his prim
and tidy place. There's Flaubert, too, he couldn't stray
from the spotlight long, oh no. He's striding
down the cobbled street and he's in a mood. The words
have lately strained from him like life
blood, and he's in a dour mood, his face
red, and his glaring poet's eyes reflect
his anger as he elbows his entrance into the shop, pausing only
to finger the pliant flesh of cantaloupes with his rude
artist fingers. Inquiring in a
brusque tone "what price bananas?
what no kiwis? Look!
these peaches are too soft their flesh
too much like the flesh of men. Smell! The rotten
sweetness of corruption wafting in air." Squeezing
the cantaloupe tightly he watches as the flesh
liquefies and drips dark onto the counter like an
overdose of arsenic and then his eyes
gleaming, Gustave departs, taking both
peach and poetry and his artist's prerogative trailing
after him into the street like his long dark cape.
Abe Karrass was born on April 24, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. In 1961 he became the first student to receive a PhD in Mathematics from Adelphi University. From 1960 to 1968 he taught at Adelphi. There he founded, with Donald Solitar, the highly successful N.S.F. Summer Institute for High School Teachers, a program designed for teachers who wished to deepen their knowledge of mathematics and to see it put in an historical context.
Professor Karrass was recognized as a leading authority in combinatorial group theory. In 1966 he co-authored, with Wilhelm Magnus and Donald Solitar, the graduate textbook Combinatorial Group Theory. It was an instant success among graduate students and researchers in this area. It is a classic in its field and has been translated into several languages.
In 1968, Abe Karrass and his long-time friend Donald Solitar accepted positions at York. Here they started the successful MA Mathematics Program for High School Teachers. Their outstanding joint research contributions resulted in York being recognized as one of the leading research centres for combinatorial group theory.
Throughout his career, Prof. Karrass was a dedicated teacher. He enjoyed searching for the simplest and most natural way of explaining complicated mathematical ideas, and students appreciated his kindness and fairness as a teacher.
Abe Karrass died of lymphoma on March 29, 1998. He leaves behind his wife Lina, daughter Rita, and grandson Robert.
Players in Phil Dwyer's jazz workshop (left to right) Jeff Gunn, Greg Zunic, pianist Lucas Rezza and Mike Carabine (top), and music student Aaron Duncan on tenor sax (bottom) were among the dozens of faculty and student artists who performed in the Music Department's swingin' All That Jazz series in early April.
