"Research by Ali Abdul-Sater, a York Research Chair in the Regulatory Mechanisms of Inflammation, and an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health, has determined that a specific protein, TRAF1, holds the key to controlling inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis and a specific mutation to the protein can reduce the amount of inflammation the joints experience. With funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Arthritis Foundation and York University, Abdul-Sater and his research team are currently testing their findings in mice and hope the results will eventually translate to humans." (YFile, York University) Read More here

Professor Mohamad Sawan published a new book titled "Handbook of Biochips: Integrated Circuits and Systems for Biology and Medicine​"

The book was released early in January 2022. It is done to provide readers content related to all types of biochips, including fundamentals of microelectronics and biomaterials interaction with various living tissues, and focusing on biochips at the brain-machine interface.
Published in two volumes, a total of 1340 pages, the 61 chapters are the result of huge efforts spent by a truly international group of experts to offer the best landscape in the field of biochips.

"The book provides a broad survey of the field of biochips, including fundamentals of microelectronics and biomaterials interaction with various, living tissues, as well as numerous, diverse applications. Although a wide variety of biochips will be described, there will be a focus on those at the brain-machine interface. Analysis is included of the relationship between different categories of biochips and their interactions with the body and coverage includes wireless remote control of biochips and arrays of microelectrodes, based on new biomaterials."

https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-1-4614-3447-4

​Dr. Nahida El Assi published and article about reading strategies in the classroom
What are reading comprehension strategies?
When a big percentage of students fail in reading, one might put all the blame on the teacher saying they are not teaching the reading skills and strategies, or they are not taking into consideration the learners’ preferred learning styles, or they are not addressing learner’s needs or their tests do not match with the teaching style. In fact, there is a lot more to the reading comprehension process. It is a complex process that is influenced by a number of factors, namely the purpose of reading, the structure of the text, the level of semantic and syntactic complexity, the cultural difficulty of the text, and the reader’s cognitive and metacognitive strategies and age.
Follow the link to read the full article : www.structural-learning.com/post/reading-comprehension-strategies-in-the-classroom

Glendon international studies Professor Hossam Ali-Hassan has been named the recipient of the 2021 President’s University-Wide Teaching Award in the full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years full-time teaching experience category. Ali-Hassan’s nomination highlighted his balanced approach to teaching, with a mix of technology and human abilities, with approachability and generosity that inspires student success and well-being. In addition, his colleagues mention the complementary relationship between his research, teaching and service to the University in administrative roles. More broadly, his continual self-development through perfecting his pedagogical approach and updating courses to incorporate in-demand skills and real-life experience improve the student experience at York University. More on this post.

Dr. Nahida El-Assi (team lead) (Education), Dr. Mohamad Arnaout (Engineering), and Dr. Sahar Hijazi (Psychology) have received a $10,000 grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

​The project titled "Let Us Bust The Myth That COVID19 Is A Challenge!!" aims at raising awareness about the need for vaccination and spreading valid information about the vaccine. CLAF is proud to be actively involved in the fight against covid-19.

Recently, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has asked its members to censure the University of Toronto (U of T). An offer to Dr. Valentina Azarova for the job of the director of the International Human Rights Program was extended and then rescinded following pressure from a doner who is, apparently, an uncritical and credulous supporter of Israel.
 
Dr. Azarova is a renowned scholar and a human-rights lawyer based in Germany. Some of her academic work focused on the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Specifically, she targeted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and the legal responsibilities of Israel’s partners.
 
This story shows the meddling of private doners with academic institutes, jeopardising academic freedom, and the relentless campaign against pro-Palestinian academics and supporters in North American universities. We at CLAF denounce the U of T, support CAUT’s sanction call, and call on U of T to offer Dr. Azarova the position.

Westlake University-IET Prestige Lecture will make its debut this Friday with the first lecture of the series delivered by Professor Mohamad Sawan. This lecture will cover artificial intelligence algorithms, circuits and systems intended to implement brain interfaces dealing with multidimensional design challenges such as power management, low-power high-data rate wireless communication, and reliable harvesting energy methods.
Refreshments will be provided!
You can also watch the lecture online through ZOOM meeting or Bilibili livestream.
 
Lecture Information
Title: Smart Medical Devices to Predict and Enhance Health Conditions
Date: Friday, April 30, 2021
Time: 14:30-16:00 (UTC+8)
Speaker: Professor Mohamad Sawan
Host: Professor Michael Reed
Language: English
Event Form: Onsite + Online
Venue: Lecture Hall, Building 5, Yunqi Campus, Westlake University
 
Join in online (ZOOM meeting + Bilibili livestream)
ZOOM meeting link：https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81451258816
ZOOM conference number：814 5125 8816
Bilibili livestream： https://live.bilibili.com/22531584
 
Registration
Due to space limitations, please scan the code below via WeChat to get registered! (Registration will be closed by 17:30, April 29.)

So, what is next after passing Bill C7?  Our collective response to this question requires deep soul searching as a nation. If we stand still on this bill, we risk obscuring the core of what we stand for; that is, disabled life reflects the sacredness of life itself; it is NOT life less worth living.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2021/03/30/a-call-to-critically-reconsider-bill-c-7-in-canada/#.YHBMPD9MGcJ

More than 110 participants attended Mr. Adam Chehouri on Onshore Wind Technology
Saturday February 13, 2020 10:00 AM EST

The Canadian Lebanese Academic Forum in association with the IEEE Notre Dame University (Lebanon) Student Branch presents a webinar: Introduction to Onshore Wind Technology:

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity generation in the world today. These growth trends are linked to the benefits associated with wind energy including green power, sustainability, affordability and economic development. At the end of 2019, 60 GW of new wind capacity was added worldwide, bringing the cumulative installed capacity to 651 GW. Although three-bladed, upwind turbines emerged as the dominant configuration in the late 1980s, this design has since undergone numerous design improvements that have contributed toward greater reliability, increased energy generation and lower LCOE. In addition to scaling, wind turbine design has become more tailored to the specific market conditions where this technology is deployed. What does the present and future of wind turbine technology look like? What are the design trends, current challenges and technological innovation in today's wind industry? This webinar hosted by CLAF Associate Member Wind Turbine Engineer at DNV GL, Mr Adam Chehouri, will provide answers to these key questions.

Webinar Zoom Link
https://zoom.us/j/96312576464?pwd=Qk5vQndmK1FWbnJubEhGMFBuT3NSdz09

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Dr. Amal Ghazal, a founding board member of CLAF, has been appointed as Dean for the School of Social Science and Humanities at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Read the welcome from the Dean here: https://www.dohainstitute.edu.qa/EN/Academics/SOSH/Pages/Welcome-from-Dean.aspx

ما دفعني للهجرة من وطنٍ يعشّش فيه الفساد بشتّى أشكاله وأنواعه هو الأمل في إيجاد مكان أكثر أمناً وأمانا. مكان أفضل تعليماً وأكثر استقراراً لي ولأسرتي. وظننت أنّ هذا المكان ستكون مدينة كيبيك حتّى اكتشفت العكس ورأيت الخلل القائمٍ ولمسته عن قرب. وكانت الدّهشة الكبرى أنني بدأت في استكشاف العديد من مكامن الخلل، الواحد تلو الآخر، وكأنّ الفساد الذي عايشته في الماضي في بلادي أراه اليوم يزحف نحو وطني الجديد كندا استعداداً لأخذ موقعه وبقوّةٍ في منظومة الفساد في القريب العاجل، ليبدو الأمن والأمان والتعليم والإستقرار حلماً بعيد  المدى إن تغاضينا عن حلّ كافّة المشاكل الأساسيّة المُعاشة حاليّاً ويعاني منها الجميع، بمن فيهم أنا وأسرتي.
أليس من المفترض أن تشكّل الخدمات الطبّبة صمّام الأمان للشعب في دولةٍ  بمصافّ أوائل دول العالم؟ الطبابة مجّانية في كيبيك. نعم! لكن كيف يمكن أن تغيب إستراتيجية التطوير والإصلاح المطلوبين عن نظامها الصحّي على كثير من الأصعدة؟  فهل كان هذا النّظام وليد البارحة؟ بالطبع لا! إذاً دعونا ندقّق في بعض الوقائع، وما يحصل على أرض الواقع المُعاش.

Opinion article in the Globe and Mail by Ghada Alatrash, Bassem Hafez and Yahya El-Lahib (CLAF board member)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-stories-we-tell-in-the-west-have-tremendous-power-particularly/

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced Dr. Mona Nemer’s reappointment as Canada’s Chief Science Advisor.
In this role, Dr. Nemer will continue to promote science and its benefits for Canadians, and provide impartial scientific advice to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Cabinet. Over the past few months, she has also been advising on the latest scientific developments in COVID-19 research to assist with the response to the global pandemic.
​
https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/10/01/prime-minister-announces-reappointment-canadas-top-scientist