TORONTO, May 22, 2013 – The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has announced that 74 awards have been made to researchers and graduate students at York University, totaling more than $8.5 million in NSERC grants, scholarships and fellowships.
“On behalf of the York research community, I am very pleased by this announcement,” said Robert Haché, York’s vice-president research & innovation. “The growing success of our researchers, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in NSERC grant competitions enables important contributions to scientific scholarship, while helping to grow natural sciences and engineering strength at York”.
Scientists, engineers and students at universities across the country will receive more than $413 million in grants and scholarships over terms ranging from one to five years. These awards comprise the 2013 competition results for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, Postgraduate Scholarships, and the Postdoctoral Fellowships.
In the Discovery Grants and Discovery Accelerator Supplements Competitions, the funding was granted for research programs covering a wide range of topics, including:
- Sensory and Motor Aspects of Space Perception
- Chemical processes in the atmosphere
- Role of electrical synapses in vision
- Bees: systematics, sociobiology and conservation
- Enhanced 3D cityscape modeling for enabling the next generation geospatial web
York researchers were also awarded $860,306 in funding in the Research Tools and Instruments competition, while thirteen graduate students have received a total of $469,000 in funding for scholarships and fellowships.
“Discovery Grants is the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s flagship program and one of Canada’s largest sources of funding for basic research,” said Minister Goodyear. “It provides researchers with the means and freedom to pursue their most promising ideas. Our government is proud to support 10,000 researchers who are creating the advances that will drive tomorrow’s innovations.”
“Through these programs, NSERC provides direct support to an exceptionally strong base of scientific and creative talent in every field of the natural sciences and engineering,” said Janet Walden, Acting President of NSERC. “Our scholarships and fellowships programs help us recruit and retain the bright young minds that will lead the next generation of Canadian discoverers and innovators.”
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York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.
Media Contact:
Joanne Rider, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 5593 / jrider@yorku.ca
