NEWSWIRE

Astronaut writes
about his next
space mission

Later this month, York alumnus Steve MacLean (BSc '77, PhD '83, D.Sc '93) is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis. MacLean, a member of the board of the York University Alumni Association, has written a diary recounting his activities as he prepares for the launch, expected to take place on or after Aug. 27. Earlier this summer, MacLean was also featured in a YorkU magazine cover story about his career as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut working with NASA on the shuttle program. This will be 51-year-old MacLean’s second flight into space – his first was in 1992 – and his first space walk. Find out more about what an astronaut does in the weeks before liftoff.

York receives recognition from Tennis Canada
Tennis Canada has bestowed its highest honour – the Distinguished Service Award – upon York University for making an outstanding impact on the sport in this country. The award was presented Tuesday, York Day at the 2006 Rogers Cup tournament.

Canuck culture quiz connects
with YUELI students
Was basketball invented by a Canadian? Was Wayne Gretzky Canada's first prime minister? Are there as many as 300 million Canadians? These and other tricky questions were put to 170 international students at a gala dinner for participants in the summer language programs at the York University English Language Institute (YUELI).

An overview of York's ombuds services
Another fall term is about to begin and the Office of the Ombudsperson and Centre for Human Rights at York welcomes everyone in the community. "We are a listening ear, a provider of information and referral and a helping hand if you have a complaint, concern or would like a workshop on fairness and human rights," says Fiona Crean, ombudsperson and director of the centre.

International nursing students win awards
Five students in York’s new program for internationally trained nurses have won internship awards at Toronto hospitals. The money is nice, admit the recipients of the $3,000 and $5,000 awards, but the recognition is even better.

Samba research takes dance prof to Brazil
York dance Professor Danielle Robinson recently returned from a trip to Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, the cradle of Afro-Brazilian culture, where she was researching samba-de-roda, one of the samba styles indigenous to the state.

Design student whips up a Martini medley
While some students are having a "quiet" summer, third-year York/Sheridan design student Nelson Cheng is enjoying "quite" the summer, interning at the New York studio of world-renowned design guru Karim Rashid.

A York historian traces roots of the marijuana debate
Historian Marcel Martel’s second book has already triggered a trip down memory lane for one reviewer and will likely trigger many more. Though it’s a scholarly exercise, its subject -- the debate over legalizing marijuana in the 1960s -- is bound to attract an audience well beyond the halls of academe.

York's pioneering chemistry prof wins analytical chemistry award
Michael Siu, director of York’s Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry, has received the Maxxam Award for distinguished contribution in the field of analytical chemistry. The Canadian Society for Chemistry presented Siu with the annual award at the 89th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Halifax in May.

York prof receives award from Canadian Association of Geographers
York geography Professor Philip Kelly has received the 2006 Julian M. Szeicz Award for his contributions to development studies in Southeast Asia. The award, presented annually by the Canadian Association of Geographers, recognizes significant achievements by a Canadian geographer at an early career stage.

Historian Kate McPherson wins Marion Dewar Prize
Kate McPherson, Chair of Women’s Studies at York and professor in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, has been named the 2006 winner of the Marion Dewar Prize in Canadian Women's History.