�첥��Ƶ Faculty of Education Professor Lisa Farley and her research colleagues have developed a reflection guide for museum educators to support their efforts to discuss challenging topics and ideas with children.

The guide builds on the team’s 2025 study of programming and practices at children’s museums in Canada and the United States.

Farley says museum educators are navigating increasingly constrained environments when addressing equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion with young audiences. Often, the idea of “childhood innocence” is cited as a reason to censor or downplay controversial and challenging ideas.

At the same time, Farley says, "children live within the social and political world, and are themselves subjects of and/or witnesses to injustices, violences and inequities."

She adds that the question then becomes "not how to protect them from difficult knowledge, but what it can mean to facilitate meaningful engagements.”

Farley and her colleagues, including York’s Gillian Parekh, associate professor of education and doctoral candidate Suad Ahmed, conducted the original study in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). Their research found that while many children’s museums focus on exploration, play or self-expression, addressing social and historical issues with young audiences were secondary.

Read the full article in the Friday, March 27, 2026 issue of Yfile

Article written by Elaine Smith, special contributing writer

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A  led by �첥��Ƶ follows Class of '73 high school graduates over the span of five decades in The Story of a Generation, a book that offers powerful insights on the baby boomer generation.

Culminating in a new book titled , the research marks the longest-running Canadian generational study of its kind, following nearly 50 years in the lives of a cohort of high school students who graduated in 1973. 

The project originated with Paul Anisef, professor emeritus at York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies who began with a survey of high school students to help the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities understand and project post-secondary enrolment.

“I didn’t have in my mind at all that this would become a long-standing longitudinal study,” says Anisef. “It started as a ministry-sponsored survey of high school students, and one thing led to another.” 

Encouraged by colleagues after the initial survey, Anisef returned repeatedly to the same group of students – just under 2,500 members of the class of 1973 – surveying and interviewing them in seven waves, from adolescence through midlife and into their early to mid-'60s. 

The final phase, conducted between 2019 and 2021, captured their reflections as many approached retirement, offering a rare, lifespan perspective on Canadians. 

The newly released book is co-authored along with York Faculty of Education professors Paul Axelrod and Carl James, as well as York PhD student Erika McDonald, and includes contributions from Wolfgang Lehmann, Karen Robson and Erica Fae Thomson. It’s a follow-up to an earlier volume, Opportunity and Uncertainty: Life Course Experiences of the Class of ’73 (2000). 

Read the full story in the January 16, 2026 issue of Yfile

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Two �첥��Ƶ community members – Professor Satinder Kaur Brar and Faculty of Education PhD candidate Anna Pearson – have been recognized with a 2024 Minister’s Award of Excellence from Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

The annual awards celebrate the work of faculty and staff at publicly assisted colleges and universities who are making a difference in students’ lives, in their communities and in the province. This year, there were more than 170 nominations and only six recipients selected, including professors, researchers and post-secondary leaders.

Brar, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at York’s , received the award in the category of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The category recognizes faculty and staff who work with industry and business to drive economic development in Ontario.

A globally recognized leader in green technologies for removing contaminants from drinking water and wastewater, Brar was recognized for her pioneering research in enzyme-based environmental remediation. Working in collaboration with researchers at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique and engineering consulting firm TechnoRem Inc., Brar helped develop and implement a faster, more sustainable method for cleaning petroleum-contaminated sites using enzymes rather than traditional microorganisms. The method, which is 100 times faster and achieves an 80 per cent reduction in contaminants without toxic residues, is especially effective in cold northern climates where other microorganisms are less viable.

The approach has been supported by the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan and is already in use at several polluted sites across Canada, addressing surface water, groundwater and soil contamination. “Once it [the method for cleaning sites] gets into the field, that is where the real magic starts,” says Brar, noting how rewarding it is for her team to see their lab work result in real-world environmental improvements.

She describs receiving the award as a “fantastic surprise” and emphasizes the recognition is a shared achievement with her research team. “It’s a great boost for them to understand that whatever we do in the lab does see light of the day at some point,” she says.

Brar also highlights the importance of collaboration with stakeholders and industry. “This kind of recognition reinforces the belief that we can transition from lab to field,” she says, “and when we see the results in the field, it can have fantastic repercussions.”

Pearson, a PhD candidate at York, received the award in the category of Future-Proofing Ontario’s Students. The category highlights individuals whose work helps students build the skills and resilience needed for success in a rapidly evolving world.

Pearson, who has taught in both elementary and secondary settings across Ontario for nearly two decades, was recognized for her contributions to program design, policy leadership and community-based learning initiatives aimed at preparing teacher candidates to meet the demands of a changing educational landscape.

Reflecting on the award, she credits those who shaped her own academic path. “It means I've had some wonderful teachers in my life,” she says. “And it also means that now I'm giving my students the same kind of mentorship that I received.”

She also sees the recognition as an opportunity for thoughtful evaluation. “It means that I have an opportunity to see what's working and what's not,” she says. “And that's the hard part.”

Brar and Pearson’s achievements exemplify �첥��Ƶ’s commitment to excellence in teaching, innovation and societal impact.

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In a new article published in the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Faculty of Education Professor Dr. Molade Osibodu explores how mathematics classrooms continue to marginalize Black students in Ontario.

Titled “What’s Black Got to Do with It?”, the study investigates the experiences of eight Black secondary students in the Greater Toronto Area, uncovering how math spaces remain shaped by antiblackness, despite recent policy changes like the 2020–2021 move to destream Grade 9 math. Students described having to constantly prove their intelligence, encountering racialized assumptions about ability, rarely seeing Black math teachers, and facing silence around social issues in class.

Dr. Osibodu’s work offers critical insight into the structural barriers Black learners face and points toward more inclusive, responsive teaching practices in mathematics education.

Read the full article here:

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Eight professors from across Faculties and campuses have received reductions in their course load from the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Service Course Load Reduction Program to further �첥��Ƶ’s commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment that values the contributions of diverse voices.

Created as part of the �첥��Ƶ Faculty Association Collective Agreement, this initiative provides an annual fund of $100,000 to support service related to EDI by faculty members who self-identify as Indigenous and/or members of racialized groups. By reducing recipients’ course loads, the programs provide them with additional time to advance or implement aspects of York’s Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI) Strategy. This includes the , Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework on Black Inclusion, as well as other EDI initiatives specific to Faculties, schools and departments.

During the 2024-25 academic year, the program will support the following recipients who will further develop critical, EDI-focused work to have broader impacts across the University.

Sylvia Bawa, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Having recently completed a three-year term as director of the Resource Centre for Public Sociology at York, Bawa will organize and facilitate public conversations on topics of human rights, decolonization and Afrofuturism. She will also be mentoring women in academia who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, as well as undergraduate students interested in research through a project on Afrofuturism.

Lisa Davidson, assistant professor, Teaching Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Davidson will focus on developing curricula to address systemic racism, discriminatory biases and classroom inequities. She plans to design micro-credential frameworks in ethnographic research and archeology workshops that include the perspectives of equity-deserving populations. Additionally, she will enhance inclusive experiential education learning opportunities by leading the creation of an open-access digital storytelling database, highlighting the connections among racialized groups across Canada.

Ashley Day, assistant professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health

Chair of the Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (DEDI) Committee in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Day will advance DEDI priorities and conduct related research workshops, engaging with the York DEDI Toolkit and incorporating DEDI principles into pedagogy. In the process, she will continue emphasizing the importance of relationship building among students, staff and faculty members.

Mehraneh Ebrahimi, assistant professor, Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

As a senator and vice-chair of the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Faculty Council, Ebrahimi brings the voices of minoritized communities to collegial governance. With the course load reduction, she will build on her efforts to support women of colour through mentorship and community building initiatives at York. As an executive member of the York Centre for Asian Studies, she aims to establish a hub for Iranian and Middle Eastern scholars and students.

John Hupfield, assistant professor, Faculty of Education

Hupfield will establish a dedicated committee within the Indigenous Council to advocate for and develop Indigenous educational spaces on campus. Collaborating with multiple Indigenous stakeholders, he will investigate the potential for land- and place-based learning on campus. This initiative directly responds to the need for culturally relevant gathering spaces where Indigenous students, faculty and staff can teach, learn and connect.

Radhika Mongia, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Using a DEDI focus, Mongia will conduct a comprehensive review and revision of the hiring procedures and Affirmative Action Plan of the Department of Sociology. The goal is to align the department’s practices and procedures with York’s EDI strategy, the Indigenous Framework for �첥��Ƶ, and the Framework to Address Anti-Black Racism to improve faculty recruitment and retention in the department, which could potentially serve as a benchmark for other units.

Tiana Reid, assistant professor, Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Reid will establish a Black Writers’ Group at York, an interdisciplinary writing group open to Black scholars at any stage. The collective will serve as a platform for co-working, connection, manuscript support and peer feedback. The initiative aims to address the gap in resources for Black scholars who are preparing their work for publication and looking for intellectual community. The group also seeks to foster mutuality with faculty members dealing with racialized burdens and anti-Blackness in the academy.

Shirin Shahrokni, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Glendon College

As an active member of the Race Equity Caucus and co-founder of the Caucus d’ Equite Raciale/Race Equity Caucus of Glendon, Shahrokni will build a cross-disciplinary, bilingual bibliography. This resource will compile the works of scholars and activists who advocate decolonial and anti-racist feminist views, addressing the challenge of finding teaching and research sources with critical perspectives. Additionally, she will organize a symposium highlighting the distinct barriers faced by students at the intersection of race, class and migration status.

Article originally published in the September 3, 2024 issue of Yfile

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Six York researchers in five Faculties are the latest recipients of �첥��Ƶ’s Black Research Seed Grants, totalling more than $150,000 in combined funding.  

Created by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and the Office of the Vice-President Equity, People & Culture in 2022, the grants support Black scholars at York, particularly emerging and early-career researchers, including postdoctoral fellows.

The newly funded projects range from an investigation into the accessibility and inclusiveness of ride-hailing services for visually impaired, Black passengers to studying a mining conflict in Jamaica to examining the biopsychosocial differences of back pain in low-, middle- and high-income countries, among others.

“Knowledge generated by Black scholars is integral to �첥��Ƶ’s research excellence and continuing to grow our inclusive and equitable research environments,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. “These seed grants support Black researchers as they pursue innovative work in a variety of fields, strengthening their capacity to create positive change and thrive within York’s research community.”

The funding is part of York’s Action Plan on Black Inclusion and Framework on Black Inclusion, which are intended to help address systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy within academia.

“�첥��Ƶ is committed to taking concrete action on dismantling systemic barriers for Black scholars, allocating funds and resources to support their success,” said Laina Bay-Cheng, interim vice-president equity, people and culture. “This seed grant is just one of many important initiatives that allow York to demonstrate our commitments to equity, to an inclusive and diverse intellectual community, and to recognizing the expertise and contributions of Black scholars at York.”

The six recipients are:

about the Black Research Seed Grants and their creation.

Article originally posted in the May 3, 2024 issue of

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Paul Axelrod, a professor emeritus at �첥��Ƶ’s Faculty of Education, recently lent his expertise on the origins of the public education system during an interview on CBC News' IDEAS podcast. The discussion, which took place on the second episode of the series, provided an in-depth look at the historical development of schooling and higher education.

For those intrigued by educational history and its impact on society, Professor Axelrod's insights offer a compelling exploration of the forces that have shaped our educational institutions.

Read the full article on the

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The event was a fitting tribute to their combined decades of dedication and service to the field of education.

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Distinguished Research Professor Carl James, who has held the position of Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora since 2016, met with YFile to discuss the Chair, his role within it and what the recent $1.5 million in federal funding means for its future.

Q: For those who are unfamiliar, can you describe the mandate of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora?

A: We work with community to enable and support students from racialized and marginalized groups through education; not only through elementary, middle and high school, but through university and college as well.

Q: What is your focus in your role as Chair?

A: I’m very interested in programming because it is a useful reference for knowing about the experiences and concerns of Black community members and students. In this way, we get to know about the research questions we might want to explore. There’s a tendency to separate research from program, but I think Jean Augustine expects the Chair to combine research with programs. It is simply not research for research’s sake. Instead, once you do the research, we should act on it.

I particularly like the participatory action research we do, where we set up a program and then, as the program proceeds, we research the program – is it working, is it not working, and why? And as we conduct the research, we might put into place some adjustments to the program if it’s not heading towards the expected outcome. Hence, when we’re promoting the idea that a particular program works, we will be able to say the program works because we have done the necessary research and have some documented evidence. We use the participants as researchers, as well, collaborating with them about the information we’re trying to gather.

Q: Can you explain what it means that the Chair is now fully funded?

A: The federal government’s recent $1.5-million contribution towards the endowment means that the Chair is well positioned to continue with its activities. It also means that we now have endowment funds to create some of the programs we’ve been wanting to.

Q: What is the Day at York program?

A: The Day at York program, which has hosted over 450 students from Ontario (and some from Halifax, Nova Scotia) in the past year and a half, provides Black students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12 with an opportunity to imagine themselves at a post-secondary institution.

We can tell students to go to university, but it’s difficult to imagine if you don’t have something to stimulate or inform that imagination. This program helps insofar as students are able to attend lectures, workshops, campus tours, and networking sessions with students, alumni and Black faculty members.

When students think of, where should I go to university, sometimes familiarity with an institution might help them to choose a particular university or program. It provides many opportunities that students would not have otherwise had.

Q: What are your proudest accomplishments in this role so far?

A: One of the things I’m particularly pleased with is the Jean Augustine Chair (JAC) Student Network, which involves Black undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates. The group contributes to the work of the Chair by sharing their experiences navigating university and working to be successful in their respective educational programs. Members act as hosts and mentors to high-school students who come on campus; and they do not only help to inform and contribute to the Chair’s research agenda, they also participate in the research as respondents, research assistants and collaborators. Ultimately, the network provides members with opportunities for personal, educational, team building and work-related skill development in an affirming and supportive post-secondary educational environment.

Also, we have the Jean Augustine Chair’s annual Black History Month event that happens every year in partnership with the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design’s music program. Called , it is a showcase of talent, creativity and cultural pride. It is taking place this year on Feb. 7. It is held in recognition of one of Jean Augustine’s legacies – that is, the crucial role she played in establishing Black History Month in Canada. Therefore, it seems logical to hold an event at York through the Chair.

Q: What are some other projects you’re working on as part of the Chair?

A: We’re currently conducting research on social capital, a significantly new area to explore. We’re looking at how individuals employ their social capital – that is, their cultural assets, interests, aspirations, education and consciousness of what is possible – to take advantage of opportunities by which they might access training and employment to realize their social, economic, career and other ambitions. In partnership with the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism and �첥��Ƶ’s School of Continuing Studies, we will investigate the lived experiences and needs of racialized Canadians, using the three years of the project to collect data that will help to inform educational and employment program initiatives.  

As well, we recently received program funding from the RBC Foundation to put in place Securing Black Futures, a national partnership by which we might collectively work to build pathways for Black youth to pursue their educational goals and attain academic and career success. Led by us at York and working in partnership with colleagues from six universities across the country, the program activities will serve to inform us about relevant and appropriate educational and social interventions and supports for Black youth. We will also get to know how we might best mentor, enable, support and educate Black students in their pursuit of post-secondary education, as well as particular educational and career pathways – particularly STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Q: Looking toward the future, how do you hope the now fully endowed Jean Augustine Chair will impact the lives of Black and marginalized youth in Canada?

A: I think that a fully endowed Chair is nicely positioned to continue with its current local, regional and national initiatives. These include: supporting students in constructing their aspirations, in their decision processes as they journey towards their future selves; facilitating the voices of Black Canadians as they tell of their experiences through the research we will conduct, report and publish; helping to build university-community partnerships through which we might help to address structural and institutional barriers to full inclusion and equity of Black and other racialized people within Canadian society; and making substantial research contributions about Black life in Canada, taking into account education, employment, health and housing needs. 

Q: How important is the �첥��Ƶ community to the success of the Chair?

A: We cannot underestimate the support that �첥��Ƶ has given the Chair, both financial and otherwise. Neither can we underestimate the contributions of the Faculty of Education, faculty members from across the University, our community advisory committee, and our partners at �첥��Ƶ centres such as the Harriet Tubman Institute and the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean. It’s this whole network of people that enables the work of the Chair.

Article originally posted in the January 24, 2024 issue of .

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The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at �첥��Ƶ will host a symposium to explore how human activity is pushing ecological limits to a breaking point, and climate change is a fundamental threat to human life.

Taking place on Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., both in person at the Keele Campus and online, the Planetary Health for a Planetary Emergency symposium aims to bring together scholars from the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research and across �첥��Ƶ who work at the intersection of climate change and health, to discuss the potentials of planetary health as a driver of just climate action.

This event will also launch the Dahdaleh Institute Planetary Health Research Council which supports a collaborative research community of faculty, postdoctoral Fellows and graduate students committed to planetary health research at �첥��Ƶ and beyond. 

The event draws attention to the need for clear associations between climate change and health, and to develop critical problem-solving interventions and advocate for climate action that advances well-being for all. The symposium will explore questions, such as: How do we do this while holding a critical view of the systems and structures which have led us into this climate catastrophe, including the ideologies of colonialism and capitalism that underpin the modern era? How do we advance effective and equitable solutions for planetary health that work against these systems and structures instead of upholding them?

The day’s agenda will include panel discussions with three themes featuring guest speakers.

Water: This panel explores the role water plays at the confluence of environmental and human health. Speakers will discuss efforts to support vital biological and social functions of water in the face of our rapidly changing climate and how such efforts might be positioned to work towards more just, sustainable and integrated water management.

Speaking on the topic of water will be: Deborah McGregor, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Justice and a professor cross-appointed with Osgoode Hall Law School and the Faculty of Environment & Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ; Sapna Sharma, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at �첥��Ƶ and York Research Chair in Global Change Biology; and Byomkesh Talukder, an assistant professor at the Department of Global Health at Florida International University. Moderating this panel will be Caroline Diana Duncan, a PhD candidate in civil engineering at York with a strong focus on optimizing drinking water in the Arctic using participatory approaches to system dynamics modelling.

Land: This panel examines the role of land in achieving planetary health, taking a wide view across issues of food security, extractivism, urbanization and conservation. This includes examples of how land is inherently interconnected with people and the environment and how access to land and tenure rights are themselves a determinant of human and environmental health.

Discussion on topics related to land will be led by: Dayna N. Scott, an associate professor and York Research Chair in Environmental Law & Justice with Osgoode Hall Law School at �첥��Ƶ where she is also cross appointed with the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change; James Stinson, a postdoctoral Fellow in Planetary Health Education at �첥��Ƶ, cross appointed to the Faculty of Education and the Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research; Raphael Aguiar, a PhD candidate in the Health Policy and Equity program at �첥��Ƶ and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar; and Sarah Rotz, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change. This panel will be moderated by Nilanjana (Nell) Ganguli, a PhD student in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change.

Air: This last panel addresses how air is brought into our approaches to planetary health, drawing together a range of fields related to emissions reduction, human well-being, air pollution and climate adaptation. Speakers will consider how air pollution disproportionately impacts low income and marginalized populations as well as the climate policy synergies of tackling air pollution that both damages health and impairs ecosystems.

Participating in this discussion are: Cora Young, an associate professor and the Rogers Chair in Chemistry at �첥��Ƶ; Eric B. Kennedy, an associate professor and area coordinator of the Disaster and Emergency Management program at �첥��Ƶ; and Jean-Thomas Tremblay, an assistant professor of environmental humanities at �첥��Ƶ. Moderating this panel will be Hillary Birch, a PhD student in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ, where she is a SSHRC doctoral Fellow.

For more information, or to register, visit the event webpage.

Article originally published in the November 7, 2023 issue of

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