2014 rare Scholarship in Graduate Research

Published April 1, 2014 by hdrdla

Published April 1, 2014

by hdrdla

The rare Charitable Research Reserve is a 900+ acre property in Cambridge and North Dumfries, Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and the Speed Rivers. The goal of rare is to protect this environmentally sensitive landscape intact, in perpetuity, and to promote the use of the property for education and research. The property includes a broad range of habitats including riparian zones, upland and lowland deciduous forest (old-growth and second-growth), savanna, cliffs, coldwater streams, deciduous swamps, marshes, hedgerows, agricultural fields and old fields.

The rare Scholarship in Graduate Research is valued at $4,000 and is open to all Canadian and International graduate students who will conduct field research on rare property between May 2014 and April 2015. The field of study is open and could include, but is not limited to, research in ecology, zoology, geology, restoration ecology, hydrology, botany, soil science, archaeology, agriculture and education. The Scholarship will allow students to study in a relatively undisturbed, yet highly accessible site. The monetary award will help ensure successful candidates have the necessary resources to conduct and report on their research at rare. It will also allow the student to give an oral presentation at a conference in their discipline.

Application Details:

Applications can be submitted until 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 23^rd, 2014.
Students will be required to provide a final report to rare by Monday, May 4^th, 2015.
The successful applicant will be notified by May 14^th, 2014. A sum of $3,500 will be awarded shortly thereafter while the remaining $500 will be awarded in May, 2015, upon successful completion of the requirements of the scholarship (including the final report and conference presentation).
The recipient will retain all intellectual property rights.
The research will be required to go through the normal rare Research Application approval process.

Submission Details:

Please include your name, telephone number and email address, the name of your supervisor, department and university where the research will be completed;
Please submit current university transcripts from all institutions you attend or attended as an undergraduate or postgraduate student;
Include the names, telephone numbers and email addresses for two references who can best assess your academic credentials.
Provide an outline of the proposed research (3-5 pages) including:
- the problem the research is addressing;
- your hypothesis;
- your sampling design, field equipment and statistical tests that will be employed;
- the length of time fieldwork will be conducted at rare;
- the areas at rare where you will be sampling (give specific habitats and/or precise locations if possible);
- details on how the results will be made available to academics and the general public.
Submit all documents to:
Jenna Quinn, Research Coordinator
rare Charitable Research Reserve
1679 Blair Road
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada N3H 4R8.

If you have any further questions or you would like a tour of the Reserve please contact Jenna Quinn at 519-650-9336 ext. 111 orjenna.quinn@raresites.org. You can also visit the rare website.

Posted in: Funding | Opportunities | Research

Call for Submissions: The Idea of Human Rights

Published April 1, 2014 by hdrdla

Published April 1, 2014

by hdrdla

Human rights have become a dominant political discourse in the 21st century. Its impact has been felt across the globe and has become irretrievably bound up with issues of development, social justice, racial and gender equality, and sexual orientation. The purpose of this Theoria and Praxis issue is to ask a series of questions meant to interrogate the very foundations of the notion of human rights.

Topics open to participants include, but are not limited to, the following:

What are the intellectual groundings of human rights?
What is its connection to the history of liberalism and liberal democracy?
Are human rights in contradiction with the economic, social and political structures of society?
What is the fate of human rights in the "developed world?"
Can human rights provide a legal and philosophical framework for the "development" of societies?
Are human rights a problematic category? That is, do they distract and draw attention away from the harsh realities of politics, economics and cultural difference? Do they, in other words, reflect a dominating Western discourse? Are they a continuation of an imperial project designed to surreptitiously inculcate a set of hegemonic practices and institutional frameworks?

Contributors are also asked to think of human rights as open to a fundamental philosophical and social scientific questioning. That is, are human rights justified by and through human nature? Are they a remnant of a religious worldview? Or do they represent, in light of the recent anniversary of UN Charter of Human Rights, the advent of a new form of governance and politics that is meant to deeply impact and change the nature of societies in the 21st century and beyond?

Neither are submissions, by any means, to be confined to these questions alone. In fact, we will gladly and seriously consider all papers that we receive. Manuscripts shall be subject to a double-blind reading, ensuring the integrity of the peer-review process. All submissions should be between 6,000 and 12,000 words, and include abstracts of no more than 200 words (in Microsoft Word file format).

We welcome those interested to please submit their papers and proposals, and all relevant inquiries, to Theoria and Praxis at: theoriapraxis@yorku.ca

Deadline: April 30, 2014

Theoria and Praxis is edited by Paul A. Brienza and Yasar Bukan. For further information please visit theoriapraxis.yorku.ca

Posted in: Opportunities | Research

York University celebrates sustainability and Earth Hour

Published March 26, 2014 by afdubreu

Published March 26, 2014

by afdubreu

The following is from the March 25, 2014 edition of YFile.

The Seeds of Hope poster exhibit

This coming Saturday will mark Earth Hour around the world, but every hour is earth hour at York University. So in the days leading up to Earth Hour, the York University community will be celebrating sustainability with events in Vari Hall and York Lanes.

On Thursday and Friday, York University will host the Seeds of Hope poster exhibit from 10 am to 4pm in Vari Hall. Based on a simple premise – “it starts with one” – the Seeds of Hope exhibit conveys the importance of individual action for community sustainability. Through a series of 24 panels, it focuses on the themes of interconnectedness, social justice and peace to show how one idea can inspire and transform an entire community towards sustainable living. The exhibit offers examples of how individuals and small groups inspired by the Earth Charter have taken simple actions to create more sustainable communities.

Seeds of Hope

In addition to Seeds of Hope, the President’s Sustainability Council, the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS), and students in ENVS 3505 Business and Sustainability will be hosting information tables for anyone interested in learning more about the many ideas and opportunities for getting involved in sustainability at York. Student clubs, campus organizations and businesses focusing on sustainability will be tabling throughout both days.

Along with the activities in Vari Hall, IRIS will be hosting its annual Earth Hour Every Hour events in York Lanes. This year’s lineup includes an updated version of the climate change “Inconvenient Truth” presentation, created by Former Vice President Al Gore’s, which will be presented by Julie Strilesky, who received training from Al Gore and his Climate Reality Leadership Corps in July 2013.

The IRIS event will also feature the Word Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) very own Panda Band – led by Senior Officer of Species, Pete Ewins as well as WWF staff and volunteers. The band will perform a mix of original songs and covers.

For more information, please contact sustainability@yorku.ca or irisinfo@yorku.ca.

Posted in: IRIS News | News | Sustainability News

Explore health research, from elite athletes to impacts of oil and gas

Published March 6, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 6, 2014

by hdrdla

From YFile's story, Explore health research Friday, from elite athletes to impacts of oil and gas, published March 5, 2014.

Explore health, environmental studies and science based-research at a celebration highlighting Healthy Individuals, Healthy Communities and Global Health. The celebration is being co-hosted by three of York’s Faculties and Glendon College, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation Friday, March 7.

Robert Hache

The event will highlight the research of five York scholars, on topics ranging from healthy aged-care in long-term care settings to how human security provided a chart for assessing the impacts of oil and gas development in the northwestern Canadian Arctic. It will also delve into what elite athletes can tell us about maximizing health and changes in long-term care witnessed in Ontario over the years and more.

“The Healthy Individuals, Healthy Communities and Global Health celebration highlights the range and diversity of health research at York and its connections to other disciplines including science and environmental studies research. It also gives a glimpse into the health research taking place on both the Keele and Glendon campuses,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation. “All York students, staff and faculty are invited to attend.”

The celebration will take place from 2 to 4pm in the Life Sciences Building Lobby. The event will feature mini-research byte presentations followed by Q&As from the audience.

Featured presenters will include: Professor Joe Baker of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health; Professor Dawn Bazely of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, who is also the director of the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability; Professor Martin Bunch, associate dean research of the Faculty of Environmental Studies; Professor Tamara Daly of the School of Health Policy & Management, Faculty of Health; and Professor Guy Bernard Proulx, CIHR Research Chair in Gender, Work and Health, of the Department of Psychology, Glendon College.

The event will be available for viewing online.

Tamara Daly

Tamara Daly: Healthy Public Policy for Living and Working in Long-term Care Daly will discuss how an ethos of care must inform public debate about healthy aged care, drawing on her local and international research in long-term care settings. She will highlight some challenges in long-term care settings and raise questions about how to create healthy care communities that include a focus on the needs of residents, families and workers.

Dawn Bazely

Dawn Bazely: Navigating the waters of transdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary collaboration Bazely’s presentation will explore how human security provided a chart for assessing the impacts of oil and gas development in the northwestern Canadian Arctic. She will also discuss how human security has provided a map for supporting local peoples, both in Canada and elsewhere in the world, who are facing the consequences of climate change. Her presentation will briefly highlight the lessons learned and exported from the IPY GAPS project: International Polar Year, Gas, Arctic Peoples and Security (2006-11).

Martin Bunch

Martin Bunch: Ecohealth: Using complexity science to inform an adaptive ecosystem approach to environment and health in informal settlements in Chennai, India Informal settlements (“slums” in Asian and United Nations parlance) are characterized by extremely poor living conditions. They are located on marginal and often dangerous sites; lack urban amenities; housing is dense and substandard; residents almost always lack tenure and are subject to eviction; and they are the location of poor, vulnerable and marginalized populations. Unfortunately, attempts to address problems of slums demonstrate that slum settlements are resilient and resistant to change. In May 2004 a Canadian and Indian project team began working with NGOs and two community partners to explore the efficacy of applying an adaptive ecosystem approach, which draws upon complexity theory and resilience thinking, to environment and health in those communities. Bunch will discuss how the perspective of complexity and self-organization helped to understand why these communities can be so perversely resilient, and identify key relationships and processes that should be either undermined or promoted to encourage this social-ecological system to evolve to more desirable configurations.

Joe Baker

Joe Baker: Optimal function and optimal health: What elite athletes can tell us about maximizing health Elite athletes can inform our understanding of the limits of human potential, which may have particular relevance for older adults. Masters athletes typically show exceptional maintenance of cognitive and physical function compared to the normal aging population and challenge our notions of what older adults are capable of doing.

Guy Proulx

Guy Proulx: The Shifting Borders of Cognitive Aging The field of cognitive aging is changing rapidly. Half of Canadians born in 2012 can expect to live to 100 years and the hope is that their “health expectancy” could be as long. The presentation will contrast changes in long term care witnessed in Ontario the last decades and the need for more applied research addressing the wide variability within the normal aging population.

Posted in: News

CERLAC invites applications for two Graduate Awards & Fellowship

Published March 6, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 6, 2014

by hdrdla

CERLAC invites applications for Graduate Award & Fellowship
The Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights Fund supports York graduate students engaged in research on human rights and
social justice issues related to the situation of indigenous people and/or people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean
CERLAC announces the call for applications for the Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights Award(s) and Fellowship.

WHAT IS IT?
THE PAAVO AND AINO LUKKARI HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
functions as a cost fund to support a number of graduate students’ research and academic training costs, for complementary activities central to the completion of their research. Award(s) will be granted to one or more graduate students annually, to provide support for discrete, concrete activities such as, for example: fieldwork expenses; specialized equipment or software; specialized training (language instruction); etc. Multiple awards of varying amounts will be granted annually, drawing from a maximum total of $20,000, with a maximum of $10,000 for one project.
THE PAAVO AND AINO LUKKARI HUMAN RIGHTS FELLOWSHIP
is intended as a general support fund, to cover general research and related costs (fieldwork, equipment, book purchases, specialized training or software, etc.); they may also be used for tuition and general living expenses, to relieve the student from financial pressure in order to focus on his/her project. One award of $10,000 will be granted annually to an eligible MA or PhD student.

WHO CAN APPLY?
York graduate students in good standing who are:
- engaged in research on human rights and social justice issues related to the situation of indigenous people and/or people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean
- citizens or permanent residents of Canada
- registered in the CERLAC Graduate Diploma Program (Fellowship requirement only)

HOW TO APPLY?
Submit a complete application package, as detailed on the Award and Fellowship Forms, available here:
Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights AWARDAPPLICATIONFORM
Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights FELLOWSHIPAPPLICATION FORM

The deadline for this year's applications is Monday, March 31, 2014.
Questions can be directed to: cbonifaz@yorku.ca

Posted in: Funding | Opportunities

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Calling for Graduate Research

Published March 6, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 6, 2014

by hdrdla

The OCC is pleased to launch a call for poster presentations for its 2014 Climate Change Symposium taking place at Western University in London, Ontario on May 13, 2014. This year’s theme is Science and Cities >> CONNECT. We are inviting graduate level students to submit research poster presentations with either a science or a social science foci on climate change adaptation, mitigation, policy, communications, etc. Participants are invited to submit abstracts and indicate their relevance to key OCC research themes.

Preference will be given to research projects involving a specific focus on Ontario and the interaction between cities and climate change given the foci of this year’s symposium. However, this is not a requirement. Prospective participants are invited to make submissions in relation to the OCC’s research themes, which include:

Climate and City Infrastructure;
Water, Cities, and Climate;
Climate and Urban Ecology;
Climate Change and Public Health; and,
Climate Change and Urban Tourism.

Again, all research projects with a science, social science or communications foci are welcome, this includes research projects with audiovisual, social media components, etc.

Benefits for student participants

Networking opportunities with industry leaders, potential employers, senior researchers and other students;
The opportunity to showcase your research and its relevance to practitioners from a wide range of sectors; and
Cash prizes and awards for winning entries. Currently, a $300 cash prize is available. Information about additional prizes will be available soon.

Deadlines

Due to popular demand, the deadline to submit abstracts has been extended.

Submission of abstracts: Friday, March 14, 2014

By submitting an abstract you will be entered to win an early-bird prize.

Please send a digital copy of your submission to the organizers by: Friday, May 9, 2014

The author(s) are responsible printing and presenting their research posters at the symposium.
Final PDF copies of research posters should be sent to the organizers to be made available online at climateontario.org.

Posted in: Opportunities | Research

Scholar-in-Residence position at McGill University

Published March 5, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 5, 2014

by hdrdla

Sustainabilitythinktankcreated

The Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED), in McGill’s Faculty of Engineering, is recruiting a Scholar-in-Residence. Applications are due May 1, 2014.

A brief description of this call for applications is here:
The Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED), in McGill’s Faculty of Engineering, is seeking a scholar to spend six months in residence at McGill’s Faculty of Engineering to participate in collaborative and interdisciplinary research and teaching. TISED’s 2014-2015 Scholars-in-Residence program supports scholars and experts to conduct collaborative research with an emphasis on advancing sustainability in one of the following areas: (a) energy resources and efficiency; (b) urban development; and (c) urban transportation. The selected Scholar would be engaged in policy-focused research that will enable significant advances in sustainability in the above areas. Relevant information and application details are available here: http://www.mcgill.ca/tised/activities/scholar-residence.

Posted in: Job Postings | Opportunities | Research

Call for Nominations: 2014 Arctic Inspiration Prize

Published March 5, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 5, 2014

by hdrdla

This is a call for nominations for the 2014 Arctic Inspiration Prize. The $1 million CAD prize is awarded annually to recognize and promote the extraordinary contribution made by teams in the gathering of Arctic knowledge and their plans to implement this knowledge into real world applications for the benefit of the Canadian Arctic, its Peoples and therefore Canada as a whole. The Prize is made possible through the generous endowment of the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation, the commitment of ArcticNet to voluntarily manage the Prize, as well as the contribution from numerous volunteers and partners. The 2014 Nomination Package and Guidelines are now available on the Arctic Inspiration Prize website (www.arcticinspirationprize.ca). Please make sure you use the updated 2014 Forms. The nomination deadline is 01 October 2014.

The Prize recognizes and encourages teamwork and collaboration among diverse groups (northern community members and organizations, scientists, stakeholders from the public and private sectors...) in addressing the causes rather than the symptoms of issues of importance to the Canadian Arctic and its Peoples. We encourage nominations for projects of all scales. Smaller scale (local, grassroots) projects (i.e. under $100,000) are as eligible and encouraged as very large ones (up to $1 million). Information on 2012 and 2013 Laureates is available on the Arctic Inspiration Prize website.

Teams cannot apply for the Prize themselves, they must be nominated by third parties who are knowledgeable about their activities. Any individual or organization may act as a Nominator for a team they see as worthy for the Arctic Inspiration Prize. Nominators may submit more than one application for the Arctic Inspiration Prize for any given year. Nominators can be representatives of northern organizations, universities, research institutes, private sector, government departments or any other organization from north and south with an interest in the Canadian Arctic.

A Selection Committee composed of distinguished individuals known for their commitment to the Canadian Arctic and its inhabitants select from one to five Prize winners annually, with associated awards totalling $1 million. Current members of the Selection Committee include The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Former Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, Inuit Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier, CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and former Commissioner of the Yukon Geraldine Van Bibber. A full list of committee members is available on the Arctic Inspiration Prize website.

The third Arctic Inspiration Prize Award Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 2014 International Arctic Change Conference (and 10th ArcticNet ASM) on the evening of Wednesday 10 December 2014 at the Ottawa Convention Centre, in our Nation’s Capital.

The Prize represents a unique opportunity to bring knowledge into action in the Canadian Arctic and we encourage you to seek and nominate potential teams for the Prize.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ceci est un appel de mises en candidature pour le Prix Inspiration Arctique 2014 d'une valeur de 1 million de dollars canadiens qui reconnaît et encourage les équipes ayant contribué de façon significative à la collecte de savoirs sur l'Arctique et qui ont fourni des plans tangibles pour transformer ces connaissances en applications concrètes, pour le bien de l'Arctique canadien, des peuples arctiques et par conséquent du Canada tout entier. Le Prix est décerné annuellement grâce à la généreuse dotation de la Fondation S. and A. Inspiration, à la contribution d'ArcticNet à la gestion du Prix ainsi qu'à l'apport de nombreux partenaires et bénévoles. Le dossier de mise en candidature complété doit être soumis au Bureau du Prix Inspiration Arctique avant le 1 octobre 2014.

Le Prix reconnaît et encourage le travail d'équipe et la collaboration entre divers groupes et organisations (organisations nordiques, scientifiques, parties prenantes du secteur public ou privé…) traitant des causes plutôt que des symptômes des enjeux d'importance pour l'Arctique canadien et ses résidents.

Les équipes ne peuvent présenter leur propre candidature au Prix Inspiration Arctique; elles doivent être nommées par un proposant. Quiconque peut soumettre la mise en candidature d'une équipe qu'il estime mériter le Prix Inspiration Arctique. Les proposants peuvent être des représentants d'organisations nordiques, d'organisations autochtones, d'universités, d'instituts de recherche, du secteur privé, des ministères, ou de toute autre organisation du nord et du sud ayant un intérêt dans l'Arctique canadien.

Un Comité de sélection composé de personnes émérites reconnues pour leur engagement envers l'Arctique canadien et ses résidents choisit annuellement d'un à cinq lauréats, en y associant des bourses totalisant jusqu'à 1 million de dollars canadiens. Vous trouverez la composition actuelle du Comité de sélection dans la section Sélection de notre site web.

La troisième Cérémonie de remise des bourses du Prix Inspiration Arctique se tiendra au Centre des congrès d’Ottawa le 10 décembre 2014 en soirée, dans le cadre de la Conférence International Arctic Change 2014 (et la 10ième réunion scientifique annuelle d’ArcticNet).

Nous vous invitons à visiter le site web du Prix Inspiration Arctique (www.arcticinspirationprize.ca) pour toute information supplémentaire.

Posted in: Opportunities

Two postdoctoral positions in cloud microphysics and airborne measurement

Published March 5, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 5, 2014

by hdrdla

Applications are invited for two postdoctoral positions in Cloud Physics and Severe Weather Section at Environment Canada, Toronto. One position is specifically focused on cloud microphysical analysis with emphasis on the results of High Ice Water Content field campaign on measurements of microphysical properties of the mesoscale tropical convective storms. The other position is focused on airborne cloud instrumentation: probes calibrations techniques, instrumentation development, accuracy of measurements, participation in field campaigns and data collection.

For details and application instructions, see EC_PostDoc_Advertisment

If you have any questions, please contact alexei.korolev@ec.gc.ca

Posted in: Job Postings | Opportunities | Research

Become LEED Accredited! March 16th

Published March 5, 2014 by hdrdla

Published March 5, 2014

by hdrdla

Interested in getting involved in the Green Building Industry? Opportunities are plentiful in the field of sustainable design and LEED is at its forefront.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is simply a green-rating point system, or a scorecard. The more energy efficient and sustainable a building is, the more points it will earn. To date, over 1000 students have taken this course and they have all subsequently passed their respective exam. This course is offered at a quarter of the price and time as the competition and is geared at allowing students to graduate with letters after their name!

Just as Buildings can be LEED certified, people in the sustainable construction industry can become LEED Professionals. The LEED Green Associate (GA) credential is the only entry level sustainability designation and shows employers and clients that you have certified knowledge in the green building industry. Please see two identical course offerings taking place at the University of Toronto this month.

List of our courses: http://leadinggreen.ca/leed-training/

LEED Green Associate (GA) Exam Prep

When: March 15th 2014 – 12:00PM – 5:00PM

Where: University of Toronto - Bahen Centre for Information Technology - Room 2145 -http://goo.gl/maps/wqwKT

Registration: http://leadinggreen.ca/torontoga/

Cost: $250 ($200 for full time students)

The cost of the entire course including 5+ hours of in-class training, 5 realistic mock exams and professional study guide is $250 ($200 for full-time students). The actual fee for writing the exam is governed by the GBCI and is $200 (www.gbci.org for more information). This course meets the eligibility requirements to write the GA exam. It is worthwhile to keep in mind that similar courses offered by other organizations cost $700+ (without exam fees).

LEED professional designations are beneficial to students in the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability at York University and this will a great opportunity to get ahead in the sustainable industry!

For more information please visit: http://leadinggreen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/LeadingGreen-Course-Information.pdf

Direct contact information:
Lorne Mlotek BASc., LEED AP BD+C
416-824-2677
B740 Sandford Fleming Building
10 King's College Road, Toronto, M5S 3G4

Posted in: Opportunities