Biology

Bridget Stutchbury receives Elliott Coues Award from American Ornithological Society

Congratulations to Professor Bridget Stutchbury on receiving the 2022 Elliott Coues Award from the American Ornithological Society (AOS). The award recognizes “outstanding and innovative contributions to ornithological research.” Stutchbury is being recognized for her “contributions to our understanding of the ecology and conservation of migratory and neotropical songbirds.” Her pioneering research uses geolocators to track the […]

A message from Dean Wang on National Administrative Professionals Day

Dear Faculty of Science community, On this National Administrative Professionals Day, I would like to acknowledge and thank our administrative and support staff in the Faculty of Science for all that they do. Our dedicated, service-oriented administrative professionals provide essential support to faculty, researchers, staff and students – allowing our Faculty of Science community to […]

Peter Backx receives CIHR grant for atrial fibrillation research

Congratulations to Professor and Canada Research Chair Peter Backx, Department of Biology, for receiving nearly $750,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant Program, for his project “Understanding the Causes of Atrial Fibrillation.” The program is designed to fund ideas with the greatest potential to advance health-related fundamental or applied knowledge, health […]

Science faculty, staff and student achievements celebrated at annual event

The Faculty of Science recently hosted its annual Honours & Awards Ceremony over Zoom to celebrate the students, staff and faculty members who had received awards and scholarships for their teaching and research excellence, academic achievements, and extracurricular involvement. The celebration recognized awards adjudicated from Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. More than 110 […]

Paving paradise: putting up parking lots put bumblebees at risk in Toronto

Media release from March 21, 2022 “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” Written and sung by Joni Mitchell in the 1970s, those lyrics still hold true today as pavement and concrete structures squeeze out Toronto’s native bumblebees, say York University researchers in a new study published today. The research found areas of the […]

Prof Dawn Bazely receives provincial award of excellence

York University Professor Dawn Bazely, Department of Biology, was among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Awards of Excellence. The awards, which were launched in 2020, recognize the leading work of Ontario’s faculty and staff during the pandemic. More than 675 nominations were received. Bazely is a professor in the Department of […]

DNA from air could revolutionize the way we measure animal biodiversity, say scientists

Media release from January 6, 2022 Two new studies published today in the journal Current Biology show that environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from air can be used to detect a wide range of animal species and offers a novel, non-invasive approach to monitoring biodiversity. The findings were made by two independent groups of researchers, one based in […]

Best of YU 2021

As we look towards a new year, here are our 10 most memorable highlights from 2021: #10 Dean’s Special Advisory Board We launched our inaugural Dean’s Special Advisory Board to drive success and strengthen our collaboration with industry and community. FSc held a virtual public event to introduce board members to our community, including Board […]

Where did western honey bees come from? New research finds the sweet spot

Media release from December 3, 2021 For decades, scientists have hotly debated the origin of the western honey bee. Now, new research led by York University has discovered these popular honey-producing bees most likely originated in Asia. From there, the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) expanded independently into Africa and Europe creating seven separate geographically and […]

Science professors receive grants for teaching and learning projects with indigenous focus

Congratulations to Professors Tamara Kelly, Paula Wilson, and Amenda Chow and Pamela Sargent for receiving grants from the Indigeneity in Teaching & Learning Fund (ITLF), provided by the Office of the Vice Provost Academic, York University. The goal of ITLF is to encourage faculty members to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in York’s teaching and […]