They received the award for their work with virtual reality (VR) in chemistry courses. Motivated by the desire to help students learn the structure and behavior of complex molecules, the team leveraged the unique capabilities of VR to teach students about these molecules in a completely new, immersive and engaging, as well as accessible and equitable, way.

The team developed a variety of interactive VR activities designed to help students manipulate molecules and research crucial aspects of the structure underlying their reactivity and biological function. The ability to mentally manipulate complex objects in three-dimensional space, known as “3D literacy,” is a crucial skill for all students majoring in STEM disciplines, and it is highly valued in the modern science and technology work environment.

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More than 150 guests joined the evening event at the Second Student Centre, which featured a keynote address by Earle Nestmann, �첥��Ƶ alumnus (MSc ’71, PhD ’74), board member and donor, and president of Health Science Consultants Inc.

After Mike Scheid, associate dean of students, and Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science, welcomed guests, the recipients of the Faculty of Science Dean’s Special Recognition Awards, Excellence in Research Awards and Excellence in Teaching Awards were announced.

“These awards recognize the brilliance of our instructors, researchers and staff who work very hard to serve our students and make a positive impact on science and our community,” said Wang. “Our Faculty is committed to fostering scientific discovery and tackling global challenges to create positive change in our world. And we are so lucky to have talented researchers, teachers and staff on our team to help us achieve this.”

The awardees were

• Professor Stephen Watson, Chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics –Dean’s Special Recognition Award
• Hugo Chen, director of International Collaborations & Partnerships – Dean’s Special Recognition Award
• Professor Christopher Jang, Department of Biology – Excellence in Teaching Award in the Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category
• Professor Alireza Rafiee, Division of Natural Sciences – Excellence in Teaching Award in the Contract Faculty category
• Graduate student Farwa Sajadi – Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award
• Graduate student Evangelia Tzamali – Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award
• Professor Jude Kong, Department of Mathematics & Statistics – Excellence in Research Award in the Early Career Researcher category
• Professor Neal Madras, Department of Mathematics & Statistics – Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award

The ceremony continued with Science faculty, staff and department chairs announcing and congratulating the postdoctoral Fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students who had received awards and scholarships during the 2021-22 academic year. More than 230 students and trainees and 95 adjudicated awards were recognized.

Several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships were spotlighted, such as the American Association of University Women Fellowship, which supports women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication. Chinwendu Emilian Madubueze was honoured as the recipient of this award.

In the graduate awards category, highlights included congratulating Emily Anacleto, Makunaima Diaz Cevallos, Kyra Dougherty and Cassandra Withers for receiving the Dean's Scholarship for Women in Science, which supports female doctoral and master's students in the Faculty of Science. And, Gehrig Carlse and Alexander Pouliot were congratulated for receiving the Iristel Graduate Physics Award, which supports promising graduate students in the field of optical physics.

In the undergraduate awards category, highlights included recognizing Veronica Aharon, Daniel Aliee, Sophie Eisen, Minoosh Fathi, Jacob Fine, Karina Kofman, Anita Misrop and Sarah Pullano for receiving the �첥��Ƶ President’s Scholarship, which is presented to incoming first-year students with the highest entrance averages. And, Nicole Frias was congratulated for receiving the Canadian Society for Chemistry Silver Medal in Biochemistry, which is presented to students in their penultimate year with the highest academic standing.

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The celebration recognized awards adjudicated from Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021.

More than 110 people joined the event, which featured a keynote by alumnus J. Mark Lievonen (BBA ’79, MBA ’87, LLD [Hon.] ’15 ), former president of Sanofi Pasteur and current co-Chair of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. 

The ceremony kicked off with welcoming remarks from Mike Scheid, associate dean of students, and Rui Wang, dean of the Faculty of Science.

“Today, we recognize academic and research excellence in the Faculty of Science,” said Wang. “The awards, scholarships and honours you received in the past year are a testament to your commitment and hard work. This afternoon, we celebrate together and congratulate each other.”

The recipients of the Faculty’s Dean’s Special Recognition Award and the Excellence in Teaching and Research Awards were first announced, they are:

• Ashley Nahornick, educational development specialist, received the Dean’s Special Recognition Award for her outstanding support of teaching and curricular excellence across the Faculty.
• Professor Dawn Bazely, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Senior Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Assistant Professor Andrew Skelton, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Sessional Assistant Professor Tanya Da Sylva, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award in the Non-Tenure Stream Faculty category.
• Laura Keane, PhD student in mathematics & statistics, for receiving the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award.
• Jenna LeBlanc, PhD student in biology, for receiving the Richard Jarrell Excellence in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award.
• Associate Professor Sapna Sharma, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Research Awards in the Established Researcher category.
• Assistant Professor Raymond Kwong, Department of Biology, for receiving the Excellence in Research Awards in the Early Career Researcher category.
• Assistant Professor Conor Douglas, Department of Science & Technology Studies, for receiving the Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award.

The ceremony continued with science faculty members and department chairs congratulating students and trainees for their hard work and achievements in receiving awards and scholarships during the 2020-21 academic year.

For instance, several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships were spotlighted, including the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, which Mohammad Naderi and Vasily Panferov received. These fellowships provide funding to the very best applicants, nationally and internationally, to develop their leadership potential and to position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow.

In the graduate awards category, highlights included Christopher Cavanagh and Deniz Sadighbayan being congratulated for receiving the Elia Scholars Award, �첥��Ƶ’s most prestigious graduate award for incoming domestic or international doctoral students. And, Georg Zoidl was congratulated for receiving the Nestmann Scholarship, which is awarded to graduate students entering or continuing in the Graduate Program of Biology whose research specializes in molecular biology or genetics.

In the undergraduate awards category, highlights included Katrina Carver and Quinton Weyrich being congratulated for receiving the Iristel Undergraduate Scholarship, established to reward academic performance and lab proficiency and to encourage students in their third and fourth year of study to pursue a career in optical physics or biophotonics. And, Muzi Li was congratulated for receiving an Alumni Award of Distinction, one of York’s most prestigious entrance scholarships.

Scheid concluded the ceremony by thanking everyone who had attended and all of the staff who helped support and execute the event.

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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 Biology in the Faculty of Science and the former director of the Institute for Research in Innovation in Sustainability at �첥��Ƶ. In 2015, Bazely was accorded the title of University Professor by York in recognition of her leadership in research, teaching and service to the institution.

A field biologist and accomplished science communicator, she is the recipient of the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the Future Proofing category, which recognizes faculty and staff who are leading the way in adapting programming that supports new ways of learning for Ontario students.

Her nomination for the Minister’s Award of Excellence recognizes her work in “future proofing” students enrolled in her Applied Plant Ecology course and students working in her research lab. Her future-proofing activities began in January 2020. Drawing on her expertise in science communication, policy and citizen science, she incorporated media coverage of the emerging threat of the SARS-CoV2 virus and other zoonotic diseases into her teaching in relation to biodiversity loss. In February 2020, she began preparing all students to end their term through online synchronous classes and meetings. Recognizing the dilemma of international students in the face of a pandemic and the impending travel restrictions, Bazely also worked to support them to either return to their home countries or seek accommodation on York’s Keele Campus.

Her tremendous foresight into the impending pandemic restrictions propelled Bazley to also act as to future proof students enrolled in the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) involving 17 partner institutions. Through her role as the �첥��Ƶ representative on the OUPFB (which encompassed 30 shared courses that were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic), Bazely designed an online field course, Biodiversity & Watershed Management, to meet the summer field course requirement for 40 students so they could complete their degrees. The course was one of only two courses to run early in the pandemic, with no other Canadian University launching a virtual field course.

In 2021, Bazely continued her activities and actively mentored international professors on transitioning laboratories online. She also expanded the virtual field course to five Ontario universities, to ensure that students could meet their field course requirements virtually and inexpensively. Ethics-approved surveys on Bazely’s field courses found that much of the pandemic student learning mirrored the in-person field course experience.

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