There was much that was new and notable in 2008-2009 from the Faculty of Science & Engineering, such as the development of a prototype space elevator and the discovery of snow on Mars, not to mention the award-winning Mars rover project.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg from one department of one Faculty at York University. The YORKwrites database contains over 3,900 citations, which is just the barest sampling of every manner of York production since 2001.
Right: Professor Paul Delaney, Jochen Rudolph, chair of the Department of Chemistry, and John Dupuis, head of the Steacie Science & Engineering Library, at YORKwrites
Faculty, students, alumni and staff were on hand at the Steacie Science & Engineering Library last week for the YORKwrites 2009 gathering to toast each other on their research, publications and creative accomplishments. President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Walter Tholen, interim dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering, and Michael Siu, associate vice-president research, science & technology, were present to congratulate those whose output raised the profile of York.
“We owe York authors a great debt. It is through their work – scholarly, scientific, professional or creative – that the wider world learns about York,” said Shoukri. “This is an important initiative and a cause worth celebrating.”
Siu commented that YORKwrites “enhances the visibility of the productivity of our Faculty, our post-docs and our students,” and it is important because “we certainly do not celebrate our successes enough.”
In his remarks, Tholen commented on how much the Steacie Science & Engineering Library has been part of his life as a scholar and teacher here at York. He commended the leadership of John Dupuis, head of Steacie, as well as Steacie librarians and staff for making it an inviting space for faculty and students.
Right: The Mars Rover in action
As a regular fixture of YORKwrites, images of recent York research, publications and creative work were presented on the big screen throughout the evening and the University Bookstore provided a range of York authored books for sale. This year 35 science and engineering faculty members and grad students provided their poster presentations.
Students from the York University Rover Team made a splash as they and their championship model rolled through the library gates. The team spoke of the challenges they faced competing in scorching Utah heat last May and the new rover they will develop for the 2010 University Rover Challenge while fascinated guests peppered the team with questions.
Although science was a major theme, diverse York talent was woven into the entire event. Jazz was provided by an accomplished trio of York musicians, and David Clink, circulation coordinator of the Peter F. Bronfman Business Library, read from his new book Eating Fruit out of Season (Tightrope Books, 2008).
As Professor Paul Delaney, director of the Division of Natural Science in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, put it in his toast to the authors: “Communication is what it is all about for most of us at York University…. Despite all of our varied endeavours, one common theme that binds us is our love to learn and ergo, to communicate our findings with others.”
Delaney also espoused the art of reading, saying, “it is both informative and rejuvenating a practice which may be placed on the ‘endangered species list’, given our love affair with modern technology such as BlackBerrys…. Who knows, your flirtation with reading may well inspire you to write and thus communicate your ideas with a broader audience.”
YORKwrites provides a gateway to discover what creators and innovators in all departments have accomplished in the past year. For more information, visit the YORKwrites Web site, peruse the database, read the faculty profiles and submit your own publication, research or creative work to be added to the list.
Submitted by Christina Pringi, executive assistant to the University Librarian