Faculty Promotions

Max Barlow received his undergraduate education in geography at the University of Wales, and his graduate training at Cincinnati and McGill. Before joining Concordia University's Geography Department in 1976, he taught at the State University of New York, McMaster, Saskatchewan, and McGill Universities. He has also held many visiting posts around the world.

Dr. Barlow is a political geographer who specializes in metropolitan government. In addition to numerous articles, he has written two books and co-edited another three that have focused on metropolitan governments in Europe, North America, and Australia. He also serves on the editorial boards of Geojournal and Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy.

Dr. Barlow served as Chair of the Department of Geography from 1985 to 1991. During his term of office, the Department established a graduate program, the Geography Option, within the MA in Public Policy and Public Administration (MPPPA). He was the program's main author and was heavily involved in its launch in 1990-91. In addition, he edited theProceedings of the Northeast-St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society from 1986 to 1989.

From 1992-97, Dr. Barlow was Associate Vice-Rector Services (Physical Environment). Since then, he has developed courses for the new BA in the Human Environment. He is the Graduate Program Director of the Geography Option of the MPPPA and will be involved in the new Certificate in Urban Development Studies, which is expected to start in January 2001. He is currently on leave and working on a book project for Kluwer, Territory and Administration in a  Changing World.
 
 

Dr. Mariana Frank obtained her PhD in physics from the University of Toronto in 1984. After an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford, she won a University Research Fellowship and joined Concordia University in 1986 as Assistant Professor. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1992.

Dr. Frank is a recognized expert in the field of supersymmetry and grand unified theories, which is at the forefront of research in theoretical high energy physics. She is credited with having extensively developed and analyzed a supersymmetric model with mirror symmetry that resolves some of the outstanding questions in the field.

She is the author of more than 40 research papers in international journals, and has active collaborations with other groups in Montreal, as well as in Helsinki, Chicago and Taiwan. Throughout her stay at Concordia University, Dr. Frank has held NSERC and other research grants totalling more than $300,000.

Dr. Frank is a highly regarded teacher, especially for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in theoretical physics. She has supervised several graduate students and also a number of postdoctoral fellows and research assistants.

Dr. Frank has served as Graduate Program Director from 1995 to 1999, when she was responsible for the complete overhaul of the graduate curriculum. Outside the department, she served on the Arts and Science curriculum committee, represented mathematics and physics on the Commission des Universités sur les Programmes, Sous-Commission pour Mathématique, Physique et Informatique, and is a member of the NSERC, NATO, and Visiting Fello wships selection committees.
 
 

A native Montrealer, Luc-Alain Giraldeau obtained his BSc (1978), MSc (1981) and PhD (1985) in biology from McGill University. After two years in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, he was awarded an NSERC University Research Fellowship in the Department of Biology at Concordia University. He was appointed Assistant Professor in 1992 and Associate Professor in 1993.

He has been a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Sir John Krebs at the Edward Grey Institute of Ornithology, University of Oxford, and has twice been Professeur Invité atLaboratoire d'éthologie expérimentale et comparée (LÉEC), Université Paris (XIII), France.

Professor Giraldeau is internationally renowned for his theoretical and empirical contributions to our understanding of foraging behaviour and learning in non-domestic animals. His research, funded through NSERC and FCAR, addresses the issues of exploitation and co-operation within social groups, and has led to the publication of a book titledSocial Foraging Theory (Princeton University Press, 2000).

The author of some 44 articles, he is currently co-editing two textbooks on animal behaviour, one in French and the other in English. He has given over 30 talks around the world.

He is one of the editors of the international journalAnimal Behaviour, and sits on the editorial boards of three other journals. He has sat on an NSERC Grant Selection Committee, and currently represents NSERC on the Canadian Council for Animal Care. He has also been a member of a number of scholarly committees in Quebec.

He is currently Graduate Program Director in Biology, a Fellow of the Science College, and the elected Graduate Program Director representative on the Council of the School of Graduate Studies.

He has developed six undergraduate courses and one graduate course at Concordia. He has trained five postdoctoral fellows, one doctoral student and four Master's students, directed undergraduate research theses of some 16 students, and is currently supervising the research of two doctoral, three Master's students and one Diplôme d'Étude Appr ofondie stagiaire from France.
 
 

Pawel Gora received his PhD in mathematics from Warsaw University in 1981 and was an assistant professor there until 1990. He then joined Concordia University as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1993. He received a higher doctorate in mathematics in 1991 from Warsaw University.

Dr. Gora's area of research is dynamical systems and ergodic theory. In particular, his research is in the areas of absolutely continuous invariant measures for piecewise expanding transformations and their properties, Perron-Frobenius operator, complex dynamics, fractals, and fractal image compression. In addition to having had many papers published, he has co-authored a book titled Laws of Chaos: Invariant Measures and Dynamical Systems in One Dimension, which was published in 1997. He has been successful in receiving research grants, and has graduated two doctoral students and 11 graduate students at Concordia.

Dr. Gora serves as the resources coordinator for the department, chairs the computer committee, and is a member of the departmental personnel committee.

He is a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America and the Polish Mathematical Society (PTM). He is a reviewer for Mathematical Reviews and the National Science Foundation, and occasionally reviews papers for research journals such as Fundamenta Mathematica, Studia Mathematica, Annals of Probability, Random and Computational Dynamics, Applied Mathematics and Optimization, Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, and Real Analysis Exchange.
 
 

Nina Howe joined the Department of Education (Early Childhood Education) in 1986 after obtaining a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Waterloo. She holds a BA from York University, an MA from the University of Western Ontario, and she also has an elementary education teaching license from the University of Alberta. She worked in nursery schools, day care centres, and as an elementary school counsellor and a special education teacher prior to obtaining her PhD. In 1996 she became a principal member of the Centre for Research in Human Development.

Dr. Howe's research has primarily focused on co-construction of meaning in the sibling relationship. She also has investigated how the design of the dramatic play centre in the early childhood classroom influences the quality and type of children's play. Finally, Dr. Howe has had a long-standing interest in Canadian child care and related social policy issues.

She has published many papers in journals in both developmental psychology and early childhood education journals. Most recently, she co-edited a book (with L. Prochner) on Early Childhood Care and Education in Canada (2000), and has been co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education for the past six years. She has received generous funding from the SSHRC, and is a member of an FCAR research team that includes members from four universities.

Dr. Howe has been an active teacher, specifically in the Specialization in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education and the MA in Child Study programs in the Department of Education. She supervises graduate students in the Child Study program and in the Psychology Department. She has also served on a number of department and un iversity committees.
 
 

Dorothy Markiewicz obtained her PhD in Psychology from Ohio State University in 1972. After a two-year stint as an assistant professor at Northern Illinois University, she joined Concordia University in 1974 as an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department. She obtained a joint position with the departments of Psychology and Applied Social Sciences (now Applied Human Sciences) in 1976.

Dr. Markiewicz has taught courses in Interpersonal and Group Dynamics, Adult Development, Counselling, and Abnormal Psychology.

Following the completion of her doctorate in social psychology, Dr. Markiewicz's research focused on issues of interpersonal attribution, gender differences, and personal adjustment. More recently, through her collaborations with Drs. Doyle and Pushkar in the Department of Psychology, she has made significant contributions to research on family factors and the psychological costs of care-giving in the development of children's and adolescents' peer relations.

Dr. Markiewicz is the Acting Chair of the Department of Applied Human Sciences and has been elected as the Acting Graduate Program Director for the MA in Human Systems Intervention for the 2000-2001 academic year. From 1991-97, she served as Associate Dean in the School of Graduate Studies. During this six-year period, she made significant contributions to the PhD in Humanities Program and the Special Individualized Program, of which she was the Graduate Program Director. Her committee work during this time was also instrumental in the promotion of research activities relevant to graduate student training. She was chair of the former Department of Applied Social Sciences from 1985-88.

Dr. Markiewicz worked on committees in 1977-78 to merge the curricula of Sir George Williams University and Loyola College; she has been involved in major surveys of student satisfaction with Concordia; she was active in the early stages of the creation of the college system in the Faculty of Arts and Science (1978-81); and she has served on numerous  appraisal committees.
 
 

Sylvia Ruby joined Sir George Williams University in 1971 and has been a leading member of the organismal biology and ecotoxicology sectors of the Biology Department throughout her career.

She has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent teacher, and in 1996 was awarded the Concordia University Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has supervised many Master's and graduate diploma students, and she has been consistently active in undergraduate advising and curriculum development.

Dr. Ruby has also served as Graduate Program Director and Acting Chair in the Department of Biology, Director of the Graduate Diploma in Ecotoxicology, and Vice-Dean, Student Affairs, in the Faculty of Arts and Science. In addition, she has served on numerous university councils, including Arts and Science Faculty Council (12 years), Council of the School of Graduate Studies, University Academic Programs Committee and Senate. On a national level, she served as a member of the Council of the Canadian Society of Zoologists from 1989 to 1992.

Dr. Ruby has published consistently in the area of reproductive toxicology and risk assessment. Many of her graduate students have become successful professionals in academic and research institutions, government and industry throughout Canada and the U.S. In 1997, one of her students won the Best Student Award at a national meeting for his work.

Her current research centres on a collaborative project with colleagues at INRS-University of Quebec concerning declining amphibian populations.

Randy Swedburg completed his doctoral studies at the University of Idaho in 1974, the same year that he joined Concordia University as an Assistant Professor in Bio-Physical Education.

He left Concordia for three years (1976-1979) to work for Corrections Canada as Director of Leisure Services, returning in 1979 at the rank of Associate Professor. He served as Director of the former Leisure Studies Program from 1979-92 and from 1996-98. He is now Chair of the recently formed Department of Applied Human Sciences.

In addition to core curriculum courses, he has offered special seminars and independent study courses, and has supervised internships.

In recent years, his research has focused on the learning traits of older adults. Last year, he was invited to join a team of researchers in the role of lead collaborating investigator for Canada on an international research project titled "Global Aging Initiative: Cross Cultural Aging Well." He has also served as host/presenter for a number of international study groups from around the globe.

Dr. Swedburg has also played a pivotal role in Elderhostel Canada. He has been an active member for the past 17 years and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Quebec Association of Adult Learners.

He was the first Canadian to be president of the American Association for Leisure and Recreation (1999-2000). He is a Fellow in the American Leisure Academy and was recently inducted as a Charter Fellow into the newly formed North American Society for Health Education, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance.

He is active in many organizations, including the Quebec Association for Learning Disabilities, the Quebec Association of Adult Learners, and the International Federation on Aging.
 
 

Dr. Thaine completed his doctoral studies at the Instituto de Matematica Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1979. He did his postdoctoral studies at Queen's University, at the University of Maryland at College Park and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

After working as Associate Professor in the University of Brasilia and as a full professor in the University of Campinas in Brazil, he joined Concordia University in 1991 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

His research is focused on algebraic number theory, where he made contributions that were published in important mathematical journals.

Dr. Thaine received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1989. He has held NSERC grants since his arrival at Concordia. He was a Visiting Member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., a Visiting Scientist at McGill University and a Visiting Professor at Concordia University, at the University of Washington in Seattle and at Boston University.
 
 

Dale Doreen obtained his BSc, MA and PhD in business statistics from the University of Alabama and did post-doctorate studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

As a graduate student, he spent five summers as a student trainee in a variety of European organizations, including Swissair in Zurich, the Economic Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague, and the Central Bank of Malta in Valletta. He joined the Department of Quantitative Methods at Concordia in 1971, and has served as Assistant and Associate Professor, as well as Chair of the Department of Quantitative Methods from 1978 to 1980.

At Concordia, Dr. Doreen has taught courses in statistics, operations research and entrepreneurship. During leaves of absence, he has worked as a systems research analyst at the Wharton School's Busch Research Center, an adjunct professor of Management Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, and a Visiting Professor of Management at the National University of Singapore.

Dr. Doreen has co-authored a chapter for a book titled Mediterranean Europe and the Common Market, and written and co-authored a variety of articles and conference presentations.

He has been awarded a number of research grants and has served as Academic Director of the Executive MBA Program from 1986 to 1992. Dr. Doreen is currently serving as the Director of Concordia's International Aviation MBA Program, which is co-sponsored by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).
 
 

Following seven years as a practicing engineer, Dr. Desai became one of the two founding members of the Computer Science Department of Loyola College -- the first such department in Quebec -- and was responsible for establishing the curriculum. He also played a role in the smooth merger of the two Computer Science departments of Loyola and Sir George Williams University.

Dr. Desai has contributed to research in special-purpose computer architecture, concurrent programming, database performance, heterogeneous database systems, information systems, application of AI and natural-language processing, navigation issues for the Web, and most recently, in virtual library and Web data mining.

He has published more than 50 papers and a popular advanced database textbook. During the early days of the World Wide Web, Dr. Desai was involved, along with Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailleu (both of CERN, the originators of the World Wide Web) in a number of workshop and plenary sessions.

Dr. Desai founded IDEAS, a series of international symposiums, and is its general chair. IDEAS symposiums have been held at Concordia, and in Cardiff, Wales. He has received grants from the Canadian Workplace Research Centre, Seagram Fund for Academic Innovation, FCAR, NSERC, and the British Council.

He has taught introductory and advanced courses in programming spanning four generations of programming languages, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Software Engineering program.

Dr. Desai has served on the executive of CUFA and Loyola High School. Dr. Desai has reviewed tenure and promotion applications, articles for conferences and journals, made recommendations on grant applications and given invited talks in Asia, Europe and North America.

Chris Trueman joined Loyola College in July 1974, just prior to the merger with Sir George Williams University. He taught in the Electrical Engineering Department while completing his PhD degree at McGill, in 1979.

Dr. Trueman's research applies modern computer methods to solve real-world problems involving electromagnetic fields. He has developed cost-effective methods of suppressing interference from high-voltage power lines on commercial radio stations, and has studied the radar cross-section of ships and aircraft for monitoring traffic on Canada's vast coastlines.

His recent work on the electromagnetic fields of a cellular telephone held against the side of the user's head has been applied to hospital environments to determine where a cell phone can be used without adversely affecting the operation of hospital equipment.

Dr. Trueman is a Senior Member of the Institute for Electrical and Computer Engineering. He holds the appointment of Adjunct Associate Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston. He is the representative for Commission E on the Canadian National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science, and is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec.

Dr. Trueman has been actively involved in the development of the curriculum of the ECE Department for over 20 years. He has published articles in the IEEE Transactions on Education and has been the Associate Chair of the ECE Department and the Co-op Program Director since 1996.

Radu Grigore Zmeureanu joined Concordia in 1983 as a research associate in the Centre for Building Studies. He became Assistant Professor in 1987, and Associate Professor in 1990.

His research focuses on the design of energy-efficient and comfortable buildings, the computer simulation of thermal performance of buildings and HVAC systems, the evaluation of energy performance of existing buildings, and the impact of building design on thermal comfort.

He has successfully combined academic research with research and consulting contracts for national and international organizations.

Dr. Zmeureanu has published more than 30 journal papers and over 70 conference papers, and co-authored an English-French dictionary related to energy efficiency.

He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA), and the Association québécoise pour la maîtrise de l'énergie (AQME).

Dr. Zmeureanu has been a member of the board of governors of the Montreal Metropolitain Energy Forum, ASHRAE Montreal and AQME, and editor for 12 years of a bilingual professional journal in Montreal.

He has served as Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and member of several councils and committees.
 
 

Associated with the Faculty of Fine Arts since 1984, Andrew Dutkewych is a professional artist, one of the important Canadian sculptors of his generation.

He received a post-graduate diploma from the Slade School of Fine Arts, University College, in London, England, and obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Philadelphia College of Art, in Pennsylvania, in 1966.

He has exhibited in the most prestigious and recognized galleries nationally and internationally, and has received several commissions that are housed in public buildings in Quebec under the program L'integration des arts à l'architecture, Ministère de la culture et des communications. His works may be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée du Québec and other institutional and private collections.

He has been the recipient of several research grants from the Canada Council and the Conseil des arts du Québec since his tenure with the Faculty. He has made significant contributions to the sculpture curriculum, and has been instrumental in shaping the way in which sculpture is taught here at Concordia.
 
 

Andrea Weltzl-Fairchild has been in the Department of Art Education at Concordia University for approximately 20 years, beginning as a part-time lecturer, then becoming a full-time faculty member in 1989.

She has fulfilled the requirements of superior research, scholarly achievement, and creative professional work over a sustained period of time. An active researcher in the area of museum studies, she has received national and international recognition, delivering scholarly papers at conferences in the United Kingdom, in India, Ecuador, the United States and Canada on the topic of museum learning.

The results of her research have been published in journals and as chapters of books on museum education. She belongs to a division of the International Committee on Museums (of UNESCO), to a Special-Interest Group on Education and Museums that is in the Learneds, and to an inter-university research group with Université de Montréal.

Dr. Fairchild's research has received impressive funding, both external and internal. She has been a member of a research group since 1991 that has received funding from SSHRC and FCAR in excess of $500,000. She has also been a member of a research group investigating the integration of new technologies in a visual arts curriculum that has received a FCAR grant of $150,000. Personal grants have been awarded to her from SSHRC, the France-Canada Accord, FRDP and CASA.

She has been Chair of the Department of Art Education and Director of the Diploma in Art Education, and is currently Associate Dean, Academic and Student Affairs.

She received three Bachelor's degrees, from Sir George Williams University, St. Joseph Teacher College, and Concordia University, and continued at Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal to obtain her Master's and PhD.
 

Copyright 2000 Concordia's Thursday Report.