Data centres – large industrial facilities that power cloud computing and AI – have become critical infrastructure supporting the world’s growing digitization. Everything from streaming video and online banking to scientific research and generative AI depends on their ability to store, process and move enormous volumes of data.

As demand for digital services continues to rise, these centres sit at the root of that growth. And, as they become more pervasive, conversations about broader implications are growing.

“Data centres are increasingly part of public debate because of concerns about energy use, environmental impact, local economic effects and data sovereignty in Canada,” says Lyndsey Rolheiser, an assistant professor at the .

Despite the growing significance, there remains a notable gap in publicly available information about these facilities.

“There is very little systematic evidence to inform that discussion,” says Alexander Carlo, a postdoctoral researcher at Schulich. “At a basic level, we do not have a clear picture of where data centres are located in Canada or where new ones are being developed.”

Rolheiser and Carlo set out to address that gap by creating the first comprehensive map of Canada’s data centre landscape. Their work, now and to be included in the forthcoming Schulich School of Business Real Assets Research Paper Series, documents both existing facilities and the growing pipeline of projects that have been announced or are under construction.

The authors built their analysis around a proprietary dataset from Aterio, a data intelligence firm that aggregates information on large‑scale infrastructure projects. Using permitting records, utility filings and company disclosures, they tracked facilities from initial announcement through construction to full operation, then layered in census and provincial electricity data to assess location, scale and energy implications.

Once completed, they mapped out a much clearer picture of how Canada’s digital infrastructure is changing. The analysis shows that while Canada’s current data facilities footprint remains relatively modest, the pipeline of planned facilities is nearly 10 times larger – and those new centres are far bigger than older ones, reflecting a shift toward hyperscale infrastructure designed to support AI.

Future development is also highly concentrated: Alberta alone accounts for more than 90 per cent of planned capacity, despite relying on a comparatively high‑emissions electricity grid. At the same time, new facilities are increasingly being built far from major cities, often hundreds of kilometres from urban cores. Meanwhile, provinces with cleaner electricity systems, including Quebec, Ontario and B.C., have begun restricting or carefully managing grid access for large new data centres.

These patterns reflect a set of broader concerns the authors explore in the paper. Data centres consume enormous amounts of electricity – often equivalent to tens of thousands of households per facility – while creating relatively few long‑term jobs compared with the scale of public infrastructure they require. Their expansion can reshape provincial power systems, raise emissions concerns and crowd out other users. The authors also point to questions of data sovereignty, since most large facilities are owned by foreign firms and to the risk that some projects could become stranded assets if AI demand slows or climate policy tightens.

While Rolheiser and Carlo do point to these risks, the aim of the research is to ground future discussions in evidence. “This is a necessary first step for any informed policy or public debate,” Rolheiser says.

“At a minimum,” Carlo adds, “the paper should help clarify what the current landscape looks like and where development is taking place.”

Both researchers hope their work contributes to more informed discussions about data centres in Canada, and provides a solid evidence base that helps policymakers and the public better understand these sites and their impacts on grid access, emissions and economic benefits.

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From 3 to 4 a.m. on April 8, physics and astronomy students used the observatory’s one-metre telescope to image Orion as it travelled back toward Earth after looping around the moon. The capsule carried Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The observation was led by graduate student Sunna Withers and supported by Naul Sethuram Ramjee, an undergraduate student. Ramjee also completed the data reduction, animating the images to produce a short movie showing the spacecraft moving against background stars.

"I worked on processing the Artemis II data using Siril (an astronomical image processing software)," says Ramjee. "I uploaded the sequence of images and applied auto stretch to enhance the brightness and contrast, and then converted the sequence into a video to visually capture it's movement over time."

Because Orion appeared low on the horizon, the imaging capture pushed the limits of the telescope. The team used a Mallincam camera mounted on the one-metre telescope at York’s Keele Campus to capture the historic mission.

Elaina Hyde, director of AICO and associate professor in the Faculty of Science, says this kind of telescope access and training is rarely available to undergraduate students. Having the largest telescope on any Canadian post-secondary campus, she notes, "is quite a boon to any space fan at York."

She adds that certification to use the telescope is open to all undergraduate students.

Withers describes the event as "very exciting." Because the capsule was barely visible against the stars, it took careful comparison of multiple images to identify its motion. "It was a great feeling once I spotted it," says Withers. "Artemis II is a historic mission, especially with a Canadian on board, and its amazing that we were able to get a glimpse of it through the one-metre telescope."

A video of the spacecraft imaging, along with a technical discussion of the observations, is available for public viewing on .

“This work highlights how York students participate directly in space-related observation, data analysis and telescope operations using on-campus infrastructure,” says Hyde. “Monitoring mission activity gives students experience with real-time space missions.”

Alongside astronomical research, the observatory tracks satellites and space missions connected to human exploration programs.

Artemis II is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program that is preparing for a return of astronauts to the moon in 2028.

AICO supports both research and public engagement and offers free weekly public tours on Wednesday evenings, featuring its 60-centimetre and one-metre telescopes. This summer will also host the 2026 AstroFair – a community fundraiser to support AICO’s programming. More details will be released ahead of the Aug. 29 event.

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Faculty of Science Professor Cora Young and Associate Professor Trevor VandenBoer were recognized through the NASA Group Achievement Award for their contributions to the Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas (AEROMMA) campaign, a joint effort between NASA and the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study air quality and climate interactions across North America.

The award is reserved for those who have made exceptional contributions to NASA's mission and scientific endeavours.

AEROMMA combined aircraft, ground-based measurements and satellite observations to study how contemporary emissions from cities and oceans affect air quality and climate. NASA and NOAA approached York to lead the Toronto supersite, one of several measurement hubs established in major North American cities to contribute to the campaign's airborne data.

Young served as scientific lead, coordinating a team of 25 to 30 researchers; VandenBoer served as logistical lead, overseeing the physical transformation of York's rooftop laboratory – on the Petrie Science and Engineering Building – to host the research.

Also involved were York colleagues Mark Gordon, associate professor at the , and Rob McLaren, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry.

Collaborators came from across Canada and internationally, including Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and the University of York in the U.K.

York graduate and undergraduate students had the opportunity to work on the project with those visiting researchers.

"Our ability to bring together this strong team of researchers allowed us to ensure it was worthwhile for AEROMMA to include Toronto," says Young. "Otherwise, we would have missed out on this unprecedented opportunity to learn about modern air quality here."

The 2023 summer AEROMMA project unfolded during a period of intense wildfire smoke across the region, an unplanned development that offered a rare opportunity for study.

"Wildfires will exacerbate air quality issues," says VandenBoer. "Understanding the chemistry of wildfire plumes arriving in the city is going to be critical to informing the public on when and how to protect their respiratory health."

The existing Air Quality Health Index is not well-suited to wildfire conditions because the smoke differs from the other drivers of urban air pollution.

One of the first papers to emerge from the project, now in its final round of peer review, found that wildfire smoke changed chemically as it travelled, changing how health and climate impacts are understood and communicated.

York researchers have also been in dialogue with the team behind ECCC’s 2024 �첥��Ƶ of Winter Air Pollution in Toronto (SWAPIT). Together, the summer and winter datasets create a year-round picture of urban air quality in Canada’s largest city that could inform policy on everything from wood-burning smoke to the atmospheric impacts of road salt.

The work also validated NASA’s TEMPO satellite, a space-based instrument tracking air pollution across North America. Measurements from York’s site, alongside NASA research aircraft and ECCC sites, were essential in confirming the satellite’s early readings, helping move the tool into practical use for ongoing air-quality monitoring and research.

For York graduate students, the initiative created opportunities to build international networks. VandenBoer says students helped host collaborators by familiarizing them with York’s facilities and procedures, and in some cases were involved with operating, maintaining and responding to issues with visiting researchers’ instruments.

Those connections continued beyond the project. Graduate student Yashar Ebrahimi-Iranpour later spent two weeks collaborating at NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, while graduate student Na-Yung Seoh went on to join an international University of York-led campaign in Cape Verde.

AEROMMA involved a range of York collaborators, including facilities staff, operations teams and University leadership.

"It's a York community undertaking," says VandenBoer. "A lot of people wanted to support us, and for no other reason than that's just the type of community that we have."

Young points to why the work is imperative today.

"There are a lot of chemicals being emitted into the environment we can't see or smell or taste," she says. "Just because we can't detect them with our own senses doesn't mean they're not a problem. We need to keep on top of it."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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, a first-year practice-based PhD student in visual arts at �첥��Ƶ’s (AMPD) was selected from more than 200 applicants across Canada. A national jury of artists and curators chose Marsh, with the final selection made by Glenfiddich Artists in Residence program curator Andy Fairgrieve.

Marsh will spend three months living and working at the historic Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, where she will develop a permanent public sculpture as the residency program marks its 25th anniversary. She expects the experience will directly inform her PhD outcomes at York, including the research documentation that supports her dissertation and future exhibits.

Marsh's proposed project draws on her research into the ritual of coin-wishing and its historic roots in Celtic water worship.

Her work will centre on the Robbie Dhu spring, the water source that has supplied the Glenfiddich distillery since 1887.

For Marsh, the residency is timely and deeply personal. Though she is half Scottish, these histories and rituals were never passed down to her. She sees her time in the Highlands as an act of learning through presence – listening to local knowledge, walking the land and gathering stories that will shape her final work.

"I hope that while I am in the Highlands, I can learn as much as I can from locals about regional histories around holy wells, coins and the kinds of small acts of sacrifice I am interested in, which have been practiced in the Celtic world since prehistory," says Marsh. "A lot of my residency will just involve soaking up the atmosphere, landscape, histories and stories.”

At York, Marsh points to AMPD’s hands-on facilities as a key reason she chose the program, with specific interest in the metal shop and foundry.

"Having access to these resources was a big draw in my wanting to study at York," she says. "I'm aiming to do several bronze pours and possibly a copper pour over the next year."

That technical development connects to the sculptural work she plans to produce in the years ahead, with elements from the pours expected to carry into upcoming exhibitions.

Marsh has previously completed residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts, AiR Bergen and Rupert in Vilnius, among others. She describes residencies as essential to her practice, not only for the time and space they offer, but for the productive challenges of adapting to new conditions.

"Although a residency tends to require a lot of adaptation – for instance, making work without my very lived-in studio – these challenges force a flexibility that can allow new insights and require new experiments," she says. "I am hoping for this kind of generative struggle in Scotland."

Marsh’s work has received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Partners in Art, the Chalmers Arts Fellowship, the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council. She received her BFA from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2007 and her MFA from the University of Guelph in 2013.

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For people who have experienced trauma, early support is critical for regulating distress and restoring a sense of safety. But Harmsen, a PhD candidate in York’s Clinical‑Developmental Psychology program and the Trauma & Attachment Lab, notes that individualized, in‑person therapy isn’t always accessible. Cost, distance, time constraints, mobility challenges and a shortage of trained clinicians can all stand in the way.

During – and after – the COVID‑19 pandemic, many mental health services shifted online to reach more people, she explains. Alongside individual sessions, clinicians also began offering more virtual group formats. Trauma therapy in that format allows multiple survivors to receive care at once. The virtual format can foster a sense of shared understanding and may reduce stigma by helping participants see their responses as common, rather than isolating.

Despite its potential, Harmsen says group therapy remains an underused resource, in part because of lingering public hesitation. That gap helped inspire a research project she's been part of, now published in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, which tested whether online, skills‑based trauma groups could offer meaningful early‑stage support – and how to make them as effective as possible.

The project was developed by a team at York's Trauma & Attachment Lab, directed by psychology professor Robert T. Muller. Harmsen worked collaboratively with Muller and York postdoctoral fellow ���������������Ի岹,���ʳ���������Ի徱�岹�ٱ���George Langdon, and clinical psychologist Anna Baranowsky. The team designed an eight‑week, skills‑based trauma program delivered in partnership with the community organization Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities. The initiative was offered entirely online and focused on grounding, self‑regulation, basic coping strategies and psychoeducation – tools to help individuals manage distress safely, without detailed trauma disclosure.

“Our guiding goal was to understand how to create an online program that was informative, practical and helpful, particularly during a difficult time,” Harmsen says.

The study followed 178 adults who took part in a series of small, closed online groups between 2020 and 2024. To assess impact, the research team compared changes in participants’ symptoms before the group began with those measured after the final session.

The results were encouraging. PTSD symptoms declined much more after participants completed the program than during the waiting period beforehand, suggesting the program's success. About one‑third of people showed clinically meaningful improvements, with symptoms easing across areas such as intrusive memories, avoidance, and negative mood and thinking. More than a quarter of those who initially scored in the range associated with probable PTSD fell below that screening threshold by the end of the program.

Soon after completing that project, the research team conducted a follow‑up study to better understand why some participants benefited more than others. Although online trauma groups are increasingly used, Harmsen says far less research has examined the factors that help explain how and why they work.

“There are so many different types of therapy,” she says. “Identifying when online group therapy is most successful, and how to use it effectively, is important.”

The follow‑up study examined the experiences of 80 adults drawn from the same community‑based program. Those who participated completed symptom questionnaires before and after the experience, along with post‑program feedback on dynamics and satisfaction.

What stood out most was that satisfaction – not group climate – predicted improvement. Participants who felt the techniques were clearly explained, easy to understand and practical in everyday life showed the largest reductions in trauma‑related symptoms.

In the paper, the researchers note this does not mean the collective setting was unimportant; rather, the findings suggest that for early‑stage, skills‑based trauma groups, the primary value comes from expanding access and delivering practical tools safely and efficiently. Individual improvements, however, depend on how clearly those tools are taught and how easily they can be applied in daily life.

Harmsen stresses that more research is still needed, including randomized trials and longer‑term follow‑up. In the meantime, she hopes the work highlights how early stabilization in online group settings can be a valuable part of broader trauma‑care pathways, and encourages clinicians to think carefully about how similar programs are designed and facilitated.

“Understanding how to make online group therapy as effective as possible will help make services more accessible to those in need,” she says. “I hope this research encourages people to consider using online group therapy in their practices and provides some guidance on how to make the most of these groups.”

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From 2021-24, Silver was principal investigator on a project that explored how global discourse around gendered risk during the COVID-19 pandemic did – or did not – relate to the lived experiences of young people in Malawi. At that time, the small African country was also contending with the 2020 decision by the U.K. – one of several countries providing educational aid to Malawi – to cut a significant portion of its support as part of austerity measures.

Silver, is also a faculty affiliate in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Development Studies program and examines power dynamics in international development and humanitarian aid structures. She had the opportunity to observe how funding reductions ripple through relationships in schools and programs, which inspired a larger project: investigating how Malawians working in the education sector navigate shifts in austerity.

Silver and her colleagues also wondered what new possibilities for funding, partnerships and education might exist in the wake of these changes.

In December 2024, Silver returned to Malawi to meet with colleagues and explore research focused on post-aid futures. They piloted the study through interviews and discussions with local educators and then, something unprecedented happened, she says.

In March 2025, President Donald Trump shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, the world’s largest bilateral funder of education, removing support accounting for more than 13 per cent of Malawi’s 2024-25 national budget.

These events prompted a paper – – funded in part by the 2025 Seed Grants in Critical Social Science Perspectives in Global Health Research.

The study examined the emerging impacts of aid cuts and found that while aid can improve lives, it often reinforces unequal power dynamics rooted in colonial histories. Conducted by a transnational team, the pilot explored whether such cuts could open space to rethink international development and support more locally driven approaches.

Silver, however, wanted to take the project further and has now received funding from the Spencer Foundation. The U.S.-based organization that supports education research will provide more than $500,000 for a three-year study entitled Reconfigurations and Refusals: Forging Futures Beyond Aid in Malawi’s Education Sector, allowing Silver to expand on the 2025 paper.

“We were pretty shocked and elated,” Silver says, noting that only nine projects out of 380 submitted for consideration received funding. “It feels very meaningful to be able to do this.”

The research will include three longitudinal case studies involving Malawian educational organizations: a girls’ education NGO, a university and a basic education NGO. Silver and her partners will conduct an extensive interviews with individuals across government and the non-profit sector, capturing a broad range of perspectives from Malawi’s education landscape. The funding will also support local collaborators and enable the hiring of graduate students from �첥��Ƶ and Malawi-based institutions, ensuring the research remains collaborative and grounded in the communities it studies.

The goal is to further understand how educational organizations and communities in Malawi respond to evolving pressures from international donors. “The consequences of aid cuts are very harmful,” says Silver, “but there is also much to be learned from how people respond, as it presents a chance to reimagine possibilities.”

New opportunities may emerge if organizations are no longer required to align closely with donor priorities. The project will examine how these changes create space for local actors to set their own agendas, explore new approaches and potentially redefine education in Malawi. Early insights point to several pathways, including shifting decision-making and funding power to local organizations, developing alternative financing models such as regional partnerships, diaspora support, and private capital and diversifying funding sources to reduce reliance on U.S. aid.

Silver hopes the work will amplify how Malawian organizations are navigating this period of uncertainty and that insights will inform responses from remaining funders, including the Canadian government and international NGOs.

She also aims for the research to reach Canadian, North American and global audiences, offering new perspectives on how education systems can be designed and delivered in times of change. She notes that this is especially important in the current moment of global uncertainty. “Thinking about aid, responsibility and power – and how our world operates – is always important, but it is particularly crucial at this moment of rupture and change,” she says, noting that austerity measures are affecting countries beyond the U.S., including the U.K. Germany.

Despite the potential global reach of the work, for Silver there is also a personal dimension. She has conducted research in Malawi since 2012 and the country holds significance for her. Initially drawn to Malawi as a space to reconsider international development because of the high concentration of international interventions relative to its size, she has come to appreciate how those in the country navigate an inequitable playing field – with lessons that may now serve as a model for the world.

“Seeing how people are navigating this period and the creative ideas they’re developing is both interesting and meaningful to me,” she says.

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The Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) has elected Pearlman as one of three 2026 CSMB Fellows. The designation honours senior faculty who have advanced molecular bioscience through research and service to the science community.

Over a distinguished academic career, Pearlman pioneered expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis in the single‑celled organism Tetrahymena thermophila. This led Pearlman to be among the first researchers involved in one of the earliest genome sequencing initiatives, the Tetrahymena Genome Project. 

His research examined how cells turn genes on and off and how cells are organized and regulated. Findings from this advanced understanding of genome function has significant relevance to applications in health and biotechnology. 

“I am very delighted and extremely honoured to have been chosen as one of the three 2026 CSMB Fellows,” says Pearlman. “This is a very prestigious honour and award that I am humbled to receive. I know and have interacted with the other two elected CSMB Fellows and I am delighted to be honoured together with these exceptional and deserving scientists.” 

Pearlman has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has shared his work internationally and has made significant contributions to science communication and science literacy. 

In addition to research success, he contributed to science leadership and public education when he served on the Council of the Royal Canadian Institute for Science as president, past-president and advisor. 

He was also an associate of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Evolutionary Biology Program. He served with the Gairdner Foundation as associate scientific director, and on its Medical Review Panel, Medical Advisory Board, and as coordinator for its high school outreach programs.

Pearlman retired from �첥��Ƶ in 2008 after a lengthy career in the Faculty of Science but continues to be active in research working with colleagues and students on chromatin biology, as well as RNA biology, studying RNA processing and the origin of life on earth with a focus on the RNA World Hypothesis.

During his time at York, he also held roles as associate dean (1999-2004) and dean (2005-07) of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

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Research led by �첥��Ƶ draws attention to inequities in Canada’s public health care system affecting immigrant and racialized families raising children on the autism spectrum.

Conducted by a team at York’s in partnership with the community organization SMILE Canada-Support Services, the research centres on the voices of family caregivers who are often overlooked in autism research or policy discussions despite facing disproportionate barriers to care.

The study, published in , investigates the lived experiences of caregivers from marginalized communities to understand the social determinants affecting access to care and autism-related services.

Findings show that fragmented systems, stigma and structural barriers create long-term strain for individuals and families in caregiving roles, highlighting the need for public health policy reform across Canada.

“Caregiving does not happen in isolation,” says Farah Ahmad, professor in the School of Health Policy and Management. “This research shows how families are navigating multiple systems at once – health care, education, immigration and social services – and how gaps in those systems directly affect family well‑being.”

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition affecting approximately one in 50 children and youth, aged one to 17 years. While support needs vary, parents and family members often take on complex and ongoing responsibilities soon after diagnosis, including care coordination, advocacy and emotional, and financial assistance, Ahmad notes.

The researchers argue that when caregivers’ needs go unmet, the effects extend beyond individual families. Chronic stress, burnout and declining mental health among caregivers can influence service use, employment and long‑term health outcomes, making caregiving a pressing public health concern rather than a private challenge.

“When family caregivers are stretched to the limit, the impact shows up across systems,” says Ahmad. “Health and education policies need to recognize caregivers as central partners in care.”

The study collected data using PhotoVoice, a participatory research method that allowed participants to document their experiences through photographs and personal narratives.

Immigrant and racialized family caregivers took part in four in‑person sessions that included guided photo‑taking, group reflection and collaborative analysis. York researchers worked alongside caregivers to identify key themes and refine the findings, positioning participants as knowledge holders rather than research subjects.

“This approach aligns with our commitment to community‑engaged research,” Ahmad says. “It allowed caregivers to show, in concrete ways, what gaps look like in daily life.”

The PhotoVoice study was led by graduate student Jesse Sam, which contributed to his major research paper for his master’s in health policy and equity. The team also included Tareq Khalaf (doctoral student in health) and �����Ჹ�Բ��������ٳ󾱱�� (master's student in critical disability studies). 

The group identified seven interconnected themes that reflect the complexity of caregiving: family and child needs; physical and emotional burden on caregivers; school support gaps; stigma and discrimination; overall journey with barriers; transitions and uncertainty; and “two sides of a coin:” isolation and strength, loneliness and hope.

School systems were flagged as a major pressure point, requiring caregivers to spend significant time advocating for support. For families facing other obstacles, such as language and systemic, these challenges were compounded.

“What stood out was how persistent and layered these barriers were,” says Ahmad. “Families were not dealing with a single obstacle, but a series of interconnected challenges that accumulated over time.”

Participants also described racism and discrimination within health and social service systems, along with financial strain tied to therapy costs, lost work time and administrative burden.

The study calls for policy changes that would improve equity in autism support: coordinated, culturally responsive health and education systems that reduce administrative burden, address stigma and assist families across key transitions.

Those who participated in the PhotoVoice study reported feeling validated and empowered, and expressed interest in sharing the findings with broader audiences.

Ahmad notes that by positioning caregivers’ experiences as evidence, the research challenges policymakers and practitioners to rethink how autism care is delivered and who is included in decision‑making processes.

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Even early in her career, Pyke was already reshaping the field of psychology and women’s studies.

In 1972, she joined several York faculty members and graduate students in submitting proposals on feminist topics to the annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). When their work was rejected, they proposed an alternative: a joint symposium for the convention.

That, too, was turned down.

Unwilling to accept the exclusion of feminist scholarship, the group organized their own event – “On Women, By Women” – at a hotel adjacent to the CPA convention site. Hundreds attended, making the gathering standing room only and demonstrating the depth of interest in women-centred perspectives within psychology.

The CPA took notice, and asked Pyke to be a member of its Task Force on Women in Psychology. The group produced over 100 recommendations for change, including the establishment of a Section on Women in Psychology, for which she would serve as a coordinator. Later, from 1981-82, she served as president of CPA.

Pyke brought similar advancement of feminist scholarship to York as the first woman dean of FGS, in 1987. One of her principal goals leading FGS was to establish a graduate program in women’s studies, which she pursued alongside her dedication to improving the educational experience of graduate students. Under her leadership, York became the first university in Canada to offer a PhD in women’s studies, with its first cohort admitted in 1992 – her final year as dean. 

Before her appointment leading FGS, Pyke made an impact at the University. She began in 1966 in the Faculty of Arts & Science as a professor of psychology cross-appointed to the Counselling and Development Centre (CDC), then known as Professional Services. There she developed an innovative feminist workshop program that included a feminist library, a drop-in centre, support and consciousness-raising groups, and individual counselling – services that were groundbreaking at the time. 

She later continued to advance opportunities for women, feminist studies and students in positions as Chair of the CDC and later as Chair of the psychology department. She also served as advisor to the president on the status of women in 1978-79, advocating for the needs and advancement of women faculty, staff and students. 

Her influence extended well beyond York. A prolific scholar, Pyke published in areas including psychology and women’s studies. She also co-authored The Science Game, a widely used textbook on research methodology that went through multiple editions. Her work appeared in journals such as Canadian Psychologist, Canadian Psychology, Psychology of Women Quarterly and the International Journal of Women’s Studies.

Pyke received numerous honours in recognition of her contributions, including the CPA’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Canadian Psychology (1996) and its Distinguished Lifetime Service Award (2008). At York, she was named University Professor at the 1999 Spring Convocation. Several awards have since been established in her name, including the Sandra Pyke Award for Graduate Student Excellence and the Sandra Pyke Conference Fellowship, both of which support graduate students in psychology and gender, feminist and women’s studies.

After retiring in 2002, Pyke remained closely connected to York through its Retirees’ Association, serving as co-chair in 2010. She continued her advocacy nationally as president of the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada in 2014. 

Pyke is remembered by colleagues for her principled leadership, her commitment to supporting staff and students within the Department of Psychology and her role in advancing psychology and feminism at York and beyond. 

With files from Anesa Albert

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Caleb Morgan is the second York student accepted into the competitive international research internship at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Japan. The program offers graduate students the opportunity to conduct research at global partner institutions, enhancing international collaboration and research inquiry.

A final-year master’s of applied science candidate, Morgan will spend up to six months at NII working on AI systems that could accelerate the way scientists discover and design new tools, as well as inform real-world progress in AI applications for greener manufacturing, aerospace innovation and faster drug development.

Morgan will begin his internship in late March.

At NII, he will work under Associate Professor Mahito Sugiyama on knowledge graphs – a way of organizing information so AI models can understand individual data points and the relationships between them, much like the the relationship between list of names and a family tree.

Morgan shares an example of how this is applied in practice: in disease prediction, a knowledge graph allows a model to connect a patient's medical history to their location and a specific time period. This produces more accurate results than a model working from isolated data, says Morgan.

"If you throw data into a model without any knowledge graph, the model might learn about people and situations but not be able to relate them to each other," he says. "When we construct a knowledge graph, the model understands that this person was related to this event or this place, and that gives us a more generalized, more insightful output."

He will also work with transformer models – the same foundational architecture behind well-known AI tools like ChatGPT – to decode the language of chemical structures and materials. The goal refining AI systems to make reliable predictions even when data is scarce – a significant bottleneck in scientific research and engineering, notes Morgan.

NII's environment, he says, is what makes it the right place for this research. The institute draws researchers who develop novel AI architectures grounded in advanced mathematics – exactly the kind of computer science apporach he wants to bring back to engineering.

Morgan’s foundation for this field was cultivated at York. In the Lassonde-based Processing Structure Property Performance (PSSP) Lab, supervised by Associate Professor Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, he has been developing AI models to predict defects in metal 3D printing for high-entropy alloys – a newer class of metal blends engineered for extreme environments like aerospace and high-corrosion applications.

Representing atomic compositions as knowledge graphs has already improved prediction accuracy, he notes, and he has presented these findings at several conferences. This combined effort in research and knowledge sharing shaped his successful NII application.

Getting there took persistence, however. Morgan applied to the NII program once before and while he was not selected, he applied again with a sharper, more focused application – one that advocated for why an engineer should cross into computer science.

"I had to steer my application to say ‘Yes, I'm an engineer, but I want to delve into computer science to develop architectures for my domain,’" he says. "I was much more intentional about the second application."

Behind the scenes, York International has been closely involved in his preparation, helping with documentation and accommodation planning in Tokyo – support Morgan says has made the process seamless.

Day-to-day at NII, his work will largely be behind a desk: writing code, reading papers and running experiments with datasets and models to test how well they can extract meaning from structured knowledge.

He will return to York later this year with new collaborations, novel methods and a sharper way of thinking.

"I'm going to have the mindset of a computer scientist and keep my domain knowledge as an engineer and be able to merge them to do new things,” he says.

For York students eyeing similar opportunities, Morgan's path offers its own message.

"Be intentional, tailor your application," he says, "and don't be discouraged by rejection."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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