Recent News & Appearances
February 2013: My suggestion of Entre YU is one of four finalists in York University's Intranet naming competition.
November 05, 2012: YFILE: "Ready, set, flip! Flapjacks fly for the United Way" (news photo co-subject; l-r: Marsha, me, Amy, & Norma).
October 25, 2012:York University Mature Students Blog: "Mature Student Success: Keeping up with Edward Fenner-Part 2".
October 22, 2012:York University Mature Students Blog: "Mature Student Success: Keeping up with Edward Fenner-Part 1" (author). YFILE: "International students at York claim three of six City of Toronto awards" (author).
June 2012: Joined the ACMAPS 5-Year Review Working Group.
May 07, 2012: I was once again honoured to be recognized as a Murray Ross Award (President's Medal) winner when I was invited to attend the unveiling of a new permanent memorial to recipients of York University's top awards. I was pleased to meet other recipients and especially pleased to share the event with my wife Linda. Photos on my facebook album (publicly available). Read the YFile story and view the short video.
February 29, 2012: I set up and launched my academic research blog: The Smashing Mr. Van de Graaff today.
February 28, 2012: I was a panelist on the Career Conversations Panel Series:"Discovering Careers in Writing & Publishing. View the YorkU Career Centre event page at York University.
February 23, 2012: I hosted a workshop for professors, academic advisors, and teaching assistants: "Getting Better Essays from Your Students." It was part of a series of talks and workshops presented through the Office of the Master, Vanier College, York University.
January 18 and 20, 2012: The Faculty of Graduate Studies posted a story about me "STS student awarded American Institute of Physics grant" which was picked up and tweaked a wee bit by YFILE two days later: "Part-time student awarded American Institute of Physics grant" and reposted in the newly redesigned YFILE. Thanks to all who have written to me or spokenn to me with congratulations. FGS also posted my Graduate Student Profile along with the article.
December 19, 2011: I received an email today telling me that I have been awarded a grant-in-aid from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics, in College Park, Maryland, USA. Worth up to US $2000, this grant is meant to help reimburse expenses regarding my investigation into Robert J. Van de Graaff and his devices while visiting the Center's Niels Bohr Library & Archives and Emilio Segrè Visual Archives. Thank you AIP for your support!
December 09, 2011:YFILE - "York in the World: New exchange program offers experience in migration culture" (author). The same story rearranged for student readership - YLIFE - "New exchange program offers experience in migration culture."
November 10, 2011: I was a panelist on the Career Conversations Panel Series: Discovering Careers in Communications & Public Relations. View the YorkU Career Centre event page at York University.
November 07, 2011: Today, I successfully dubbed an old 7-inch reel of 1/4-inch audio tape of Robert J. Van de Graaff. It's been 25 years since I used a reel-to-reel machine. With the help of Rob van der Bliek, music librarian and YorkU's Sound and Moving Image Library, I was able to get a good, clean copy on modern media. The old reel was in remarkably good shape since it likely hasn't been played since circa 1967.
November 03, 2011: YFILE: "President's Pancake Breakfast breaks participation record" (news photo subject).
October 12, 2011: YFILE: "TTC site accident affects transit service" (news photo credit). YLIFE: "Classes at Schulich cancelled tonight due to accident" (news photo).
October 05, 2011: A £350 (CDN $522) grant came through from the Scientific Instrument Society, based in the UK. Thank you, SIS!
August 18, 2011: YFILE: "Subway construction moves into high gear" (news photo credit). YLIFE version.
More in News.
Current Explorations
August 2011: I visited Bill Van de Graaff for the first time and have added about 1,200+ photographs of Robert's documents and files, plus lots of reports from HVEC (High Voltage Engineering Corporation). Bill and his lovely family reside in Burr Ridge a suburb of Chicago, Illiniois.
July 2011: I visited John Van de Graaff in Northampton, Massachusetts again and have a total of 8,000+ photographs of Robert's documents and files. I also spent some time at the MIT Archives in Cambridge.
August 2010: I spent time with Robert's son John and had a visit with Robert's original generator at the Museum of Science in Boston (see banner image above of the generator in action when newly built at Round Hill, South Dartmouth, Massachusetts in 1933). I also spent some time at the MIT Archives and the MIT Museum. All are preliminary investigations into my research on Robert and his machine for my Master's research and for a potential book.
July 2010: I began preliminary digging into the life, science, and legacy of American experimental physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff as the focus of my Master's degree studies in STS. If anyone has any suggestions, links, or other comments, do let me know. Read the Wikipedia profile of Robert J. Van de Graaff.