NEWSWIRE

York scientists
look for water
on Mars
It’s a bit like dowsing for water. But instead of the traditional rod and pendulum, scientists from York University, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency will use a 70-kilogram instrument that is roughly the size of a briefcase – and the dowsing will be done on Mars. The search for water on the red planet is critical because if scientists find it, there will probably be evidence of life close by.

Halloween under fire in the US but not Canada
Canadians and Americans mark Halloween in many of the same ways, but the differences are growing, says York history Professor Nick Rogers. "The evangelical right in the States are a huge voice and they are saying that Halloween is too permissive, even Satanic..."

Arbour Day draws best crowd ever
York’s population grew by 192 last week - that is, 192 new trees that will call the Keele campus home and add to its greening. A group of 44 students and staff turned out for the semi-annual Arbour Day tree-planting sponsored by York is U.

TVO's Best Lecturer competition: don't forget to vote
TVO’s Best Lecturer competition, the "idol"-style series for academics, concludes this weekend when the lecture by Rob Bowman, professor of ethnomusicology in York's Music Department, will be broadcast Saturday at 1pm and voted on by viewers.

United Way Campaign starts Tuesday
York's 2005 United Way Employee Campaign begins Tuesday and will run until Nov. 23. This year’s campaign has a goal of raising $185,000. York continues to be a strong supporter of the United Way and the life-changing work done by its 200 sponsored agencies.

York University embarks on the search for its next president
The process to select a new president for York University is underway and members of the search committee have now been confirmed. Lorna R. Marsden, who has served as president and vice-chancellor of York University since 1997, will retire on June 30, 2007.

Alumna returns to direct Theatre@York
A new Theatre@York opens with Timberlake Wertenbaker’s award-winning play, Three Birds Alighting on a Field, directed by Stratford Festival veteran and York theatre graduate Jeannette Lambermont (BFA '78).

Inspirational leader wins 2005 Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award
York alumna Constance E.Stella (BEd '85) has been selected as the recipient of York's Faculty of Education Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award for 2005.

Glendon employment fair targets bilingual students
The Glendon Counselling and Career Centre welcomed 15 companies in the Glendon cafeteria at its semi-annual Employment Fair on Oct. 18. Employers' booths were staffed by enthusiastic, well-informed representatives seeking bright young graduates, and offering them extensive professional training.

Award-winning Time Warp jazz quartet moves in
Listen for some cool sounds floating through York. The award-winning ensemble Time Warp has become the Department of Music’s new Jazz Quartet-in-Residence. Lauded by critics for its unique style and original repertoire, Time Warp is co-led by two York jazz instructors.

Osgoode student wins third prize in American essay competition
Osgoode student Michael Abdelkerim has won third prize in the American Judges Association's 2005 Law Student Essay Competition for his paper titled "Section 273.65 of the National Defence Act: Inappropriate and Unconstitutional".

YUELI celebrates 20 years of excellence in English teaching
Each year, over 1,500 international students move through the York University English Language Institute's (YUELI) comprehensive English as a Second Language program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last week.

It's all in the numbers with new supercomputer
The key to infectious diseases could be in the numbers, and York now has the computing capacity to model how West Nile virus, SARS and perhaps – one day in the future – the bird flu, mutate and spread.

Batters and bowlers take over York's Keele campus
October was cricket month at York University. York is U, the University’s student alumni program, held its third annual Cricket Challenge Tournament earlier this month at the Tait McKenzie Field House located on York’s Keele campus.

Sewell to deliver Kitty Lund
Memorial Fund lecture at York
John Sewell, political activist and former mayor of the city of Toronto, will deliver four lectures at York under the title, "Fuelling Suburban Growth in the Toronto area, 1950-2000". The lectures will focus on growth outside Metro Toronto.