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MYSTERY SOLVERS Memorial researchers dive to the bottom of an underwater mystery in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay.
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NANO-SCIENCE New solid state sensors are being developed to detect oil contaminants in harsh marine environments.
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VITAL SIGNS New report provides a comprehensive look at key quality of life indicators in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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GAZETTEA M E M O R I A L U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W F O U N D L A N D P U B L I C AT I O N
Oct. 15, 2014 Volume 47 Number 04
Publication Mail Registration No. 40062527
By Jennifer Batten
UArctic, an international consortium of northern
universities, colleges, research institutes and other
organizations committed to higher education and
research in the North, will bring its annual board of
governors meetings to Memorial University and St.
John’s next week. While visiting the province, experts
with UArctic will present at two concurrent sessions for
students, faculty, staff, researchers and administrators
in the Memorial community with an interest in UArctic
programs and partnership opportunities.
“Memorial University is an important partner in the
development of the North and the Arctic and we look
forward to discovering new and exciting opportunities
to work together,” said Lars Kullerud, president of
UArctic. “The mission of UArctic is to empower the
people of the circumpolar North by providing unique
educational and research opportunities through
collaboration within a powerful network of members.
We are happy to see Memorial’s energy for engaging in
the North.”
Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor
of Memorial University, currently serves on the UArctic
board and is pleased to be hosting the group made up
of senior representatives from member institutions.
Every year, the UArctic board meetings are hosted by
a different member organization involved in research,
education and collaboration in the North.
“Memorial University is leading significant research
and education initiatives in Northern regions,” said Dr.
Kachanoski. “Our physical location on the edge of the
North Atlantic provides a rich, living laboratory right
outside our front door. Memorial has earned national
and international distinction in a variety of fields,
including Arctic technology, and we are pleased to
showcase some of our unique resources and capabilities
with the UArctic Board.”
ThE MACphERSON, CLuETT ANd ShIwAk fAMILIES look on as dr. Gary kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor, officially names the new residence Macpherson College, with Cluett hall and Shiwak hall as the east and west wings of the complex, respectively.
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MeMoriAl University has officially named
the new residence complex on its St. John’s campus. The
500-bed facility has been named Macpherson College
and its two wings are Cluett Hall and Shiwak Hall.
The names chosen for the new complex commemorate
the efforts of three Newfoundlanders who served
during the First World War. The complex, Macpherson
College, was named for Dr. Cluny Macpherson, who
invented the gas mask used by British/Newfoundland
troops, and whose family farm once occupied the land
on which Memorial’s St. John’s campus sits today.
Cluett and Shiwak Halls are named for Frances Cluett,
one of Memorial’s earliest alumnae who served with the
Voluntary Aid Detachment, and John Shiwak, an Inuit
hunter who came to be known as one of the best snipers in
the British forces. The names were chosen after extensive
consultation, and align with the broader commemoration
activities within Memorial’s WW100 program.
The state-of-the-art residence was developed with
students’ comfort, convenience, accessibility, safety
and security in mind.
New residence complex named Macpherson College
See residence page 3
By Laura Barron
Northern exposureuniversity of the Arctic leadership set to visit Memorial and share northern knowledge and expertise
See northern page 5The in-flight view on the way to petermann Ice Island.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 2 www.mun.ca/gazette
Bert riGGs (BA(Hons.)’77, B.Ed.’77, MA’12) has a story
to tell. In fact, he’s got thousands. As head of Archives and
Special Collections at the Queen Elizabeth II Library on
Memorial’s St. John’s campus, Mr. Riggs is dedicated to the
research, collection and documentation of the history of
Memorial University and Newfoundland and Labrador. At
the heart of that history lies the Newfoundland Regiment
and the stories of over 6,000 men who enlisted during
the First World War. Gazette contributor David Penney
spoke with Mr. Riggs about his work and what inspires him
to preserve and share the stories of the Regiment.
DP: How did you get started at Memorial?
Br: After I graduated with my first degrees from
MUN in ‘77, I worked for about three years with
the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland project and that
was really how I got my first ‘in’ as an employee at
Memorial. That experience helped me get a short,
grant-funded position that came up in 1984 with the
Centre for Newfoundland Studies (CNS) to organize
the Smallwood papers. That led to other contracts and
eventually a permanent position as archivist at the
CNS when Nancy Grenville retired in 1989. In 2005
the archives was established as a separate unit and I
was successful in seeking the headship of that unit. In
that role I also became an academic staff member and
began lecturing with the Department of History and
Department of English.
DP: Why are the newfoundland regiment and its
history important to you?
Br: Quite simply, it’s at the core of our identity as
a province and a university. What happened to that
generation of young men and women in going to war
shaped our history. And it’s the reason why Memorial
University came into being.
DP: you also have a personal connection to the
regiment, correct?
Br: Yes. I never knew my mother’s father, he died
of tuberculosis at 36, but in the first picture I saw of
him he is wearing a Regiment uniform. He was part of
that last contingent in training who were ready to go
but never went overseas. That photograph is an early
memory for me.
But on another level, what I would describe as a
personal connection has also evolved. I’ll give you an
example. In 1998 I was fortunate to meet James Steele,
whose father and uncle both served in the Regiment.
His uncle, Lieutenant Owen William Steele, was
killed at Beaumont-Hamel. I had read a beautiful
collection of letters written by Lieutenant Steele that
were donated to the archives. So when I met James,
his nephew, there was suddenly a human face to that
story. Over the years I’ve developed friendships with
a number of people who are directly connected to
the Regiment. When people share their history and
actually give papers, photographs and other items to
our collection they are placing an important part of
their life in our trust. It is very personal.
DP: tell me about Memorial’s WW100
commemoration Program.
Br: We are marking the centenary of the First World
War with a range of activities over the next five years.
I’ve been fortunate to be on the steering committee
for World War I commemorations, which has been
appointed by President Kachanoski to co-ordinate
commemorative activities on all our campuses and
also assist others with their ideas and proposals. If
we value the sacrifices that the men who served in
the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and in other
fighting forces made, we owe it to them to be ready
to commemorate their lives. We need to find out as
much about each of them as we can, to bring them
back to the land of the living where they can become
a part of our lives, our memories and our legacy to
future generations.
DP: How do you feel about the naming and
dedication of the new student residence buildings
on the st. John’s campus?
Br: Absolutely delighted. It is an incredibly
important part of the WW100 commemoration
program – a wonderful dedication to the memory
of three individuals from very different walks of life
who made major contributions in their own way. I
think Frances Cluett would be amazed if she were
here today, to see the legacy she created. She was
a very humble woman who came from the small
fishing community of Belleoram, and she was a
heroine to many people. What she did wasn’t for
personal reward or accolades but simply to serve, to
help others. People like Frances Cluett, John Shiwak,
Cluny Macpherson – these are very appropriate
individuals for our students to look to for inspiration.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
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Bert Riggs
GAZETTEA M E M O R I A L U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W F O U N D L A N D P U B L I C AT I O N
EdiToR GRAPhics Kelly Foss Mike Mouland
Regular contributors
courtenay AlcockLaura Barron
Jennifer BattenMelanie callahan
Nora dalyKrista davidson
Paula dykeKelly Foss
Pamela Gillsharon GrayJeff Green
Janet harronJill hunt
diane Keough
Jackey LockeVirginia Middleton
cathy NewhookMichelle osmond
david PenneyMarcia PorterKristine Power dave sorensenMelissa Watton
Meaghan Whelansusan Whiteheidi Wicks
Laura Woodford
classified Advertising Photography Kelly hickey chris hammond
AdvertisingMandy cook
Telephone: 709 864 2142Email: mandyc@mun.ca
Next Gazette deadline oct. 29 for Nov. 5 publication.
The Gazette is published 17 times annually by the division of Marketing and communications at Memorial Uni versity.
Material in the Gazette may be reprinted or broadcast without permission, excepting materials for which the Gazette does not hold exclusive copyright.
Gazette, Room A-1024 Memorial University of Newfoundland st. John’s, NL A1c 5s7 Telephone: 709 864 2142 Fax: 709 864 8699 Email: mandyc@mun.ca issN 0228-88 77
With the exception of advertisements from Memorial University, ads carried in the Gazette do not imply recommendation by the university for the service or product.
NEW from
Newfoundland and Labrador Studies
Essays on the Great WarA Special Publication of essays from
Newfoundland and Labrador Studies in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of WWI
Because they rest in grim Gallipoli; Because they sleep on Beaumont Hamel’s plain;
Because beneath the ever-flowing main Their bodies find a grave eternally
Till the Last Call….— Robert Gear McDonald
Available October 2014isbn: 978-0-9781840-2-5 | paperback | 312 pages | $20.00
www.mun.ca/nls/
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 3 www.mun.ca/gazette
For tHe seconD yeAr in a row, two
undergraduate engineering students from Memorial
are the recipients of the Peter Kohler Scholarship.
First-year students Skyler Loveless from Seal
Cove, Fortune Bay and Toni Jerrett from Clarke’s
Beach were chosen from 39 applicants from
Atlantic Canada to receive this substantial award.
Mr. Loveless will receive $50,000 over four years,
while Ms. Jerrett will receive $5,000 for the 2014-15
academic year.
The students, who both plan to study mechanical
engineering, are very grateful to Mr. Kohler for the
awards. While they say the funding means eating
better and increased time for their academics, it’s
also about working hard at everything they do.
“I was thinking about getting a part-time job,
but was afraid of how it would impact my studies
and now I don’t have to,” said Mr. Loveless. “I work
really hard to get good grades. When some of my
friends were playing sports, I was inside studying to
try and get accepted into engineering.”
“I feel all the dedication and hard work I put in
throughout high school and with other activities
really paid off,” said Ms. Jerrett.
Andy Fisher, associate dean, undergraduate
engineering, believes scholarships like the Peter
Kohler Scholarship have far greater impact than just
a financial one for students like Mr. Loveless and
Ms. Jerrett.
“We are very proud of Skyler and Toni. For students
from Memorial to win this scholarship two years in
a row speaks to the caliber of our students,” he said.
“We believe it is important for all of our students
to aim for excellence and to have confidence in
themselves. Financial awards like the Peter Kohler
Scholarship not only enable students to become
more financially independent, but they also teach
the value of hard work and self-confidence.”
Last year’s recipients were Mark Elliott and
Brandon Fitzpatrick.
The Peter Kohler Scholarship is administered
through the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia.
It is a scholarship fund for engineering students in
Atlantic Canada, and to be eligible, applicants must
be enrolled full-time in an engineering program at
a university in Atlantic Canada. The scholarship is
based upon academic standing and financial need
and is eligible to be renewed by the award winner
for up to four years, provided the student maintains
a reasonable standing in his/her program.
sAtUrDAy, Oct. 4, marked the ninth annual Sisters in
Spirit vigil, a ceremony to honour and remember Canada’s
missing and murdered indigenous women, and to support
their families and all those directly or indirectly affected
by this national tragedy.
The Sisters in Spirit initiative was born in 2004 as a
response to the alarming numbers of missing and murdered
indigenous women in Canada – numbers which seemed
to have gone unnoticed by government and society as a
whole. Sisters in Spirit sought to address this issue through
research and education in the hopes of inciting change.
In 2006, 11 vigils were held across Canada. In solidarity
with the growing movement, Memorial University’s
Student Union (MUNSU) began organizing its own Sisters
in Spirit vigils. This year, the MUNSU event had a fantastic
turnout, with over 100 people in attendance. It was one of
216 vigils held across Canada.
In Newfoundland and Labrador alone, indigenous
women constitute between 20 and 25 per cent of the
100 cases of missing/murdered persons recorded since
1763. According to one of the vigil’s speakers, Tama
Ball, statistics indicate indigenous women are three
to four times more likely to go missing in our country.
Considering that indigenous peoples currently make up
a mere three per cent of Canada’s female population,
the over-representation of these women as victims is
shockingly apparent, and yet government action and
social change are slow in coming.
The Sisters in Spirit initiative suggests that part of the
issue lies in depicting our missing women as cold, hard
numbers. As Miriam Saunders, mother of Loretta Saunders,
suggested during the vigil, numbers are just numbers until
you have a face to associate with them.
More often than not, it takes the face of someone you
love in order for the message to get across, but it does
not have to be this way. It is easy to remain indifferent
to quantitative data. After all, they are just numbers. But
missing and murdered indigenous women are not just
numbers. They are victims of systematic oppression. They
are mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and, more
importantly perhaps, they are people in their own right
with their own stories.
Admittedly, I walked into that Saturday vigil thinking of
the numbers. Despite my interest in the movement, I had
not made a personal connection to it. Within moments
of the vigil’s start, that all changed. Between a heartfelt
poetry reading by vigil host Anita Kora, a breathtaking
performance of Strong Woman’s Song by women’s drum
group, Eastern Owl, and Miriam Saunders’ personal
experience of losing her daughter and granddaughter,
I shared tears with many others in attendance and left
that room empowered by the stories of my sisters. With
stories we connect. Through stories we give identity to the
numbers. Sisters in Spirit insists that we cannot allow our
sisters to remain faceless any longer.
For more information visit www.nwac.ca or contact
Memorial University’s Aboriginal Resource Office.
Samantha Fitzpatrick is a fourth-year English major at Memorial.
She can be reached at samantha_fitzpatrick@hotmail.com.
Sisters in Spirit The stories behind the numbers
Memorial engineering students repeat scholarship winBy Jackey Locke
Cont’d from residence page 1
STUDENTVIEWSamantha Fitzpatrick
Some of the residence’s features include: study rooms,
kitchen areas and storage rooms on each floor; laundry
and lounge areas in each wing; wireless internet access;
flat-screen TV mounts in every bedroom; an after-
hours check-in counter; eight single bedroom, barrier-
free suites, complete with barrier-free washrooms;
energy-saving lighting system; large, green courtyard
space; security card access; security cameras and more.
Construction of the new residence began in
September 2010. Macpherson College was designed
by John Hearn Architect Inc. and was constructed by
Ellis Don. The complex is Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certified at the silver
level, which reflects a commitment to sustainability
and green buildings.
Macpherson College provides students with
independent living accommodations along with
guidance and support from the in-house Residence
Life team in order to encourage a successful
transition from life at home. Each wing of the
complex has a full complement of Residence Life
staff, including a residence co-ordinator, resident
assistants and an academic assistant.
The Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador provided an investment of $65 million
for the construction of the 500-bed complex.
This investment is in addition to $45 million for
renovation and refurbishment of existing residences
on the St. John’s campus, and $23.3 million for a
new 200-room residence complex on the Grenfell
Campus in Corner Brook.
“As the new premier, I am honoured to be here today
to take part in the naming ceremony of the new state-
of-the art residence complex Macpherson College,”
said Paul Davis, premier of Newfoundland and
Labrador. “Our government continues to demonstrate
its commitment to provide affordable post-secondary
education and on-campus housing. More students are
pursuing post-secondary education in Newfoundland
and Labrador than ever before and more are coming
from other parts of Canada and around the globe.
This new residence provides a home away from home
for many students as they embark on their academic
careers and build memories that will last a lifetime.”
“Whether it’s building new residences or designing
new labs, investment in education is all about offering
superior teaching and learning opportunities,” said
Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor,
Memorial University.
“These investments allow us to set the stage for
individual success now and for future generations of
students and ultimately for the continued success of
Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“Every aspect of Macpherson College is designed
to foster an environment suitable for learning,”
said Hillary Bellows, a student who lives in Shiwak
Hall, Macpherson College. “Along with promoting
academic success, the residence experience guides
students through the transition to independent
living, helps us to develop communication and
leadership skills and teaches us how to network
socially with like-minded individuals. The proximity
to on-campus resources and volunteer opportunities
is another huge asset of living in residence.”
More information about Memorial’s student
residences can be found at www.mun.ca/hfcs/.
from left are scholarship winners Skyler Loveless and Toni Jerrett.
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Gordon Slade celebrates with his five-year-old granddaughter Reese flynn following the presentation of his honorary doctor of laws degree at the Grenfell Campus fall convocation in Corner Brook recently.
NOTABLE
PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
CLASSIFIEDS
CORRECTION
Dr. Fereidoon shahidi, Department of Biochemistry,
has recently received three awards in recognition
of his research – the Babcock-Hart Award from the
International Life Science Institute, North America (ISLI
North America) and the Institute of Food Technologists
(IFT) jointly; the Stephen S. Chang Award from the
American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and the Alton
E. Bailey Award from the American Oil Chemists’
Society (AOCS).
The awards were presented for outstanding and
substantial contributions to lipid science and
technology, muscle foods, natural antioxidants and
functional foods and for advancing the understanding
and application of science related to the nutritional
quality and safety of the food supply; for outstanding
and exemplary research in lipid oxidation,
antioxidants, nutraceuticals and functional foods,
and for outstanding contributions to lipid science and
technology of lipids, respectively.
Dr. Jim Feehan, professor of economics, has
published The Challenge of the Lower Churchill. It
appears as a chapter in the recent anthology First
Among Unequals: The Premier, Politics, and Policy
in Newfoundland and Labrador (McGill-Queen’s
University Press, 2014), which was edited by Dr. Alex
Marland (Political Science – Memorial Univeristy)
and Matthew Kirby (Political Science – University
of Ottawa). Professor Feehan also recently authored
Canada’s Equalization Program: Peering Inside the
Black Box…and Beyond, which has been published
through the University of Calgary’s School of Public
Policy as SPP Research Paper, Volume 7, Issue 24,
September 2014.
Available immediately: Three-bedroom, living room,
kitchen, fridge and stove, fenced backyard, parking for
two vehicles. Rent is $1,000 per month plus utilities.
Requires one year lease. Phone: 754-5445.
House for sale. Located in the Pius X area and in
walking distance to MUN; a two-storey, detached,
older home on a quiet cul-de-sac. House has three
bathrooms and six bedrooms. Approximately
3,200 sq. ft. and four parking spaces. Electrical and
plumbing upgrades in recent years. Patio deck and
storage shed. Opportunity to own real estate in a
prime St. John’s area or use as a student rental. Asking
$425,000. Go to www.town-country.ca for more info
or contact Carol Cantwell at 690-0315.
In the Sept. 24 edition of the Gazette, incorrect
information appeared in a photo caption on page 4.
President Kachanoski is pictured shaking hands with
Anne Husebekk, rector, UiT The Arctic University of
Norway, not Mona Elisabeth Brøther.
By amy tucker
special to the Gazette
Yaffle.ca is Memorial’s online connecting tool. One of its most significant
jobs is to provide a way for people from outside Memorial to ask for
research help. With hundreds of community-suggested opportunities to
choose from, your next project is just a click away. Here’s one …
The opportunity:
Many rural communities throughout the province
have issues with their drinking water; a fact made clear
by the number of boil water advisories in effect at any
given time. But what if the problem is not alleviated
through boiling? The community of Moreton’s
Harbour is facing this challenge first-hand, as testing
has shown very high levels of arsenic in many wells
throughout the area, some of which were over 100
times the acceptable level of Canadian standards.
Unlike bacteria or other organic water contaminants,
arsenic does not disappear after boiling.
“If you are part of a municipal water supply, your
water is tested by government officials. However, it is up
to homeowners to test their own private wells,” said Dr.
Daniel Hewitt, a family physician in Summerford, near
Moreton’s Harbour. “Since people in Moreton’s Harbour
have private water sources, the government urges them
to test their wells. However, that can get expensive
when done correctly. Also, if they do find arsenic, then
they are faced with the challenges and costs of dealing
with it,” he added.
Dr. Hewitt described the potential health effects
of ingesting arsenic, specifically inorganic arsenic,
including increased chances for certain cancers, and
circulation and liver problems. However, he notes the
topic isn’t largely discussed.
“This impacts everyone in the community, from the
elderly to the young, but it is not being talked about
as much as it should be,” he said. “Also, the issues
need to be addressed using a more comprehensive
and robust approach.”
The project:
Dr. Hewitt acknowledges the help he has received
from Memorial so far, and would like a researcher, or
team of researchers, at Memorial to investigate the topic
further and take a coordinated and holistic look at the
water issues in Moreton’s Harbour.
Raising awareness of the issue is important, but
also finding solutions that will work for community
members is also an important factor. The potential
of existing health effects that people may have from
exposure to the contaminant could also be explored.
In addition, studying how industrial developments
may have an impact on arsenic levels is also important,
such as possible disturbances to the water system
caused by potential mining or oil projects.
“I know this is an issue; however, I am not an expert.
I don’t have the practical experience or scientific
knowledge to try and study this and come up with
useful answers. But, hopefully someone at Memorial
can help us come to some understanding of how to
create a healthy drinking water system for everyone in
our community.”
Interested in learning more about this project, or the Harris Centre-
RBC Water Research and Outreach Fund, which is opening in
February? The Harris Centre’s co-ordinator of knowledge mobilization
would be happy to tell you more. Call Amy Tucker at 709-864-6115 or
email amy.tucker@mun.ca.
yOUR NExT PROjECT
Moreton’s harbour, NL
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Memorial has been a member of
UArctic since 2006. Dr. Keith Chaulk,
director of the Labrador Institute, is
currently serving as vice-president
(Indigenous) with UArctic. In his role,
Dr. Chaulk provides guidance and
leadership related to the integral role
of Indigenous peoples in northern
education and research.
“UArctic presents a unique opportunity
for faculty, staff and students at Memorial
to exchange knowledge and share
expertise with renowned organizations
with similar priorities in the areas
of Arctic research, development and
education,” said Dr. Chaulk.
Both information sessions about
UArctic will take place at Memorial
University’s St. John’s campus on
Monday, Oct. 27. Open to students,
administration and faculty, the first
will take place in the Physical Education
building, room PE-2001, from noon to 1
p.m., and will focus on opportunities for
students to study abroad or take courses
through UArctic member institutions. It
will be hosted by Outi Snellman, vice-
president (organization) and Dr. John
Eichelberger, vice president (academic)
with UArctic. To attend this session,
contact international@mun.ca.
The second session, open to faculty and
researchers, will take place in the Beatrice
Watts Boardroom, room IIC-2014, from
noon until 2 p.m. and will give an
overview of how faculty and researchers
can engage with UArctic, with a focus on
course development. Presentations will be
made by Lars Kullerud, UArctic president,
and Dr. Kari Lane, UArctic vice-president
(research). To attend this session, contact
Moira Finn at mfinn@mun.ca.
Since Memorial became involved
with UArctic, faculty members, staff,
researchers and students have been
involved in collaborations with the
group and its member organizations. An
example of this collaboration are the six
exchange students from the University
of Akureyi last fall who benefited from
Memorial’s relationship with UArctic. The
Marine Institute hosted the third-year
students who were completing a bachelor
of science in fisheries, providing them
with hands-on experience in the local
marine sector that will transfer as credit
to their program of study in Iceland.
This fall, there are nine students from
Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway
completing exchanges at Memorial as
part of the North 2 North exchange
program organized by UArctic.
UArctic has more than 170 member
organizations in the eight Arctic countries
and beyond. It is the North’s only truly
circumpolar higher education institution
and one of the world’s largest education
and research networks.
Cont’d from northern page 1
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RESEARCH STRATEGY
FRAmEwoRkS AT woRk: Memorial’s frameworks in action
The three overarching frameworks guiding Memorial’s future direction — the Research Strategy
Framework, the Teaching and Learning Framework and the Public Engagement Framework —
are the result of several years of consultations with the university community and the people
and organizations of Newfoundland and Labrador. This regular feature will help showcase
the frameworks in action by sharing projects and highlighting the successes that are bringing
them to life.
Memorial university faculty members with fellowships bring prestige and opportunities to the university community.
Talented faculty build upon Memorial’s reputation
By Krista davidson
since 2000, Memorial faculty
members have been making a
dramatic climb on the national and
international academic platform,
securing fellowships and positions
among the country’s most distinguished
academics and professions.
The Royal Society of Canada
(RSC), for example, has a rich 130-
year history with more than 2,000
current members in their fellowship.
Scholars, artists and scientists in
Canada regard a fellowship in the
RSC as one of the highest honours
that can be attained.
To date, Memorial has 25 faculty
members who have been inducted into
the RSC, with 15 of those occurring in
the last 14 years, a dramatic increase
in a short span of time.
“Induction into the RSC, and other
professional and academic peer-
elected organizations, means our top
scholars are sitting at the table with the
country’s influencers and policymakers,
and helping them make informed and
valued decisions about our present
and future,” said Dr. Ray Gosine, vice-
president (research), pro tempore.
“In addition, their worthy distinction
as international leaders helps build the
reputation of this university, which
unleashes countless opportunities for
their peers and colleagues, as well as
our current and future students.”
This increased presence and
recognition of Memorial’s faculty also
supports the university’s Strategic
Research Intensity Plan 2014-2020,
which has the ambitious goal to
“become one of the most distinguished
public universities in Canada and
beyond.” The plan, to be implemented
by the end of 2020, will take an
integrated approach to strengthen
all aspects of research at Memorial
University, including scholarship
and creative activities. An increased
national presence from Memorial
certainly provides more opportunities
to accomplishing this goal.
“There is no question that election
to the Royal Society of Canada brings
prestige to the individual scholars
so honoured and to their university.
I’m delighted, therefore, to see the
Memorial University contingent of
RSC members grow,” said Dr. Beverley
Diamond, a fellow of the RSC’s
Academy of Arts and Humanities
since 2008, and a faculty member
with Memorial’s School of Music and
Faculty of Arts.
“But it is not just about prestige.
The Royal Society has a powerful voice
in arguing for the value of research.
Their co-authored position papers on
significant social issues make a more
powerful impact than any individual
scholar could.”
Similarly, Memorial is increasing
its presence in other accomplished,
peer-elected groups. In 2014, five
faculty members and/or alumni
were inducted into the Canadian
Academy of Engineering (CAE), which
comprises many of the country’s most
accomplished engineers.
Memorial has also seen an increase
of faculty inducted as fellows into the
Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
(CAHS). The Academy credits their
fellows with having an outstanding
performance in academic health
sciences in Canada. There have been
11 fellows elected from Memorial since
2005, six of whom were inducted in
the last four years alone.
While membership in these exclusive,
highly reputable organizations isn’t
the only measure of quality and
excellence in universities, it certainly
is an indicator of the extraordinary
talent, hard work and dedication of
Memorial’s faculty and alum.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 6 www.mun.ca/gazette
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WitH A FloUrisH of scissors,
the ribbon was cut on Oct. 1 to mark
the official opening of Memorial
University’s new Medical Education
Centre.
The ceremonial ribbon cutting was
done by Lieutenant-Governor his
Honour Frank Fagan and her Honour
Patricia Fagan; Paul Davis, premier of
Newfoundland and Labrador; Steve
Kent, deputy premier and minister
of health; Dr. Susan Dyer Knight,
chancellor of Memorial; Dr. Gary
Kachanoski, president of Memorial;
Dr. James Rourke, dean of medicine
and Janine Flaherty-Woodland, a first-
year medical student.
The Medical Education Centre
is located on the first two floors of
the Faculty of Medicine’s expansion
building, located east of the Health
Sciences Centre. The additional space
has already allowed the Faculty of
Medicine to increase the entering
class size from 60 to 80, with all of the
additional 20 seats reserved for students
from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Premier Davis said the Medical Education
Centre will provide more opportunities to
train and develop top quality physicians
right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Our government is proud to have
contributed nearly $22 million for this
project. The new learning tools offered at
the centre, coupled with the expansion
of the medical school class size, further
builds on the Faculty of Medicine’s
exceptional programming and success
in educating students from our province
and around the world.”
Dr. Kachanoski thanked government for
its support. “The Medical Education Centre
is a milestone in the growth of the Faculty
of Medicine at Memorial University.
That growth began in 2013 and we now
have two medical school classes with 80
students – many of whom, if recent history
is any indication, will soon spread out to
the far corners of the province to start
their practice, which is great news for rural
Newfoundland and Labrador.”
At the heart of the Medical Education
Centre is a state-of-the-art simulation
lab known as the Clinical Learning and
Simulation Centre (CLSC). The centre
amalgamates three support units that
include the standardized patient unit,
the high-fidelity simulation unit and the
surgical skills unit. Tours of the CLSC were a
popular highlight at the opening on Oct. 1.
Through simulation in many forms,
students develop preparedness and insight
that can only come from practising real-
life scenarios in a controlled environment.
“Experience in the simulation lab will
result in improved performance, quicker
response time and increased confidence
and competence,” said Dr. Rourke. “In
the long run, this will improve patient
safety and promote the teamwork,
communication and collaboration that
is so critical to health-care delivery.”
In addition to the Clinical Learning
and Simulation Centre, the new Medical
Education Centre includes expanded
and updated lecture theatres and small
group learning rooms, and educational
support units.
tHe DeeP WAters of Smith
Sound, Trinity Bay, hold many mysteries.
Why did Smith Sound have a strong and
vibrant cod stock during the moratorium?
What happened to vessels that sank in the
1890s during an ice storm? Are there really
internal standing waves, or seiches, in the
waters and what drives them?
These are questions surrounding one of
the longest fjords along the coast of the
island, questions that no one has been
able to answer. A team of researchers
from Memorial’s Marine Environmental
Research Laboratory for Intelligent
Vehicles (MERLIN) is searching for those
answers in hopes of uncovering the
mysteries of Smith Sound.
MERLIN researchers from the faculties
of Engineering and Applied Science,
Science and Arts are using an explorer-
class autonomous underwater vehicle
(AUV) called DORA (Deep Ocean Research
AUV). Dora the Explorer provides 3D
images of the seafloor, information on the
seafloor topography and can even detect
shipwrecks on the ocean floor.
During phase one, which took place
this past June, the AUV conducted a
preliminary multi-beam survey from the
surface. The survey provided an accurate
map of the bottom of the sound.
“Existing charts for the area
only provide soundings, or depth
measurements, at point locations,”
explained Dr. Dan Walker, lead researcher
of the project. “That’s fine for a ship or
boat at the surface, because it’s not in
danger of hitting anything in 150 or
200-metres of water.”
For phase two, in early July, the AUV
dove to the bottom of the ocean and
mapped seabed from approximately
20-metres altitude.
“We used the multi-beam sonar again
and improved the bathymetric map
developed in phase one,” said Dr. Walker.
“The closer the sonar is to the sea floor, the
higher the resolution so we were able to see
images or obstructions very clearly. The
AUV has other types of sonar as well – a
side-scan sonar and a sub-bottom profiler.
The side-scan sonar sends signals from
the side of the vehicle to provide a three-
dimensional picture of rocks, wrecks, etc.
on the sea floor, which determines sizes
and shapes of rocks and other objects
on the seafloor. The sub-bottom profiler
sends a signal into the sediment and can
look into the mud to see things that other
sonars cannot detect.”
The MERLIN team wants to get a clear
picture of the sound’s seafloor, to know
if it’s rocky, sandy or muddy, and if it’s
rocky, they want to know how big those
rocks are. This knowledge will help them
understand why codfish were plentiful in
Smith Sound during the moratorium.
“The principal goal of our research was
sea floor characterization, which tells us
what type of sediment is on the sea floor,
for example mud, silt, rock or sand,” said
Dr. Walker. “Based on differing acoustic
responses, we can determine patches of
mud or rock.
“However, some members of the team
have an interest in archaeology and
were able to use the data we collected
to establish potential locations of
shipwrecks that may have occurred
during the late 1800s, shipwrecks that
remain a mystery today.”
While the results of the survey are still
being compiled and more work needs
to be done, the team is very excited
about what they’ve learned so far. Multi-
beam results, along with a subsequent
bottom ground-truthing program using
grab samples, which involves taking, or
grabbing, actual samples from the sea
floor to determine the type of sediment
have allowed the team to develop a
preliminary habitat map. Initial side-
scan results have highlighted potential
shipwrecks that can be explored using
remotely operated vehicles and future
programs will, hopefully, increase their
knowledge and expertise when using
AUVs to explore deeper locations.
Mystery solversdiving into the mysteries of Smith Sound
By Jackey Locke
Ceremonial opening for Medical Education CentreBy sharon Gray
A side scan sonar image of potential shipwreck (circled). The target is approximately 10 feet wide by 60 feet long at a water depth of 655 feet. Rock type features and an outcropping are also visible.
preparing to launch dora in Lower Lance Cove, Trinity Bay. pictured are graduate student katherine Macpherson and Research Lab Coordinator Ron Lewis.
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Cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening of the new Medical Education Centre.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 7 www.mun.ca/gazette
iF neWFoUnDlAnD and Labrador was made up
of 100 people, there would be 49 males and 51 females.
Their average age would be 44, with a life expectancy of
78.9 years and 40 would live on the Northeast Avalon. Five
would live in Labrador. There would be 57 people between
the ages of 25 and 64 and 15 younger than 15-years-old.
This information, and much more, can be found in
Vital Signs, the province’s first annual report on key
quality of life indicators in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Community Foundation of Newfoundland and
Labrador (CFNL) recently released the report, in
partnership with the Harris Centre, at a launch event
with community stakeholders and expert contributors.
As part of a unique partnership with TC Media, the full
report was also printed as an insert in every copy of The
Telegram and appeared in each of TC Media’s regional
papers across the province.
As part of Community Foundations of Canada’s national
Vital Signs program, the report provides a comprehensive,
reader-friendly look at how Newfoundland and Labrador
communities are faring in key issue areas.
“We are so pleased to be presenting the province’s first
Vital Signs report,” said Jennifer Guy, chair of CFNL. “This
report marks the beginning of an ongoing discussion
about the health of our province. We want to bring
community organizations and leaders into the discussion
and use this report as a way to work together to build
stronger communities.”
The report looks at 13 different quality of life indicators
across 12 different regions in the province: the gap between
rich and poor, safety, health, learning, housing, youth,
newcomers, arts and culture, environment, population,
economy, belonging and leadership and transportation.
“Taking a regional approach to the report was critical
for us in this first edition,” said Dr. Rob Greenwood,
executive director, Harris Centre. “For lots of issues, we
can’t tell the real story without telling the regional story.
We have a large province and each region has its own
unique set of strengths and challenges. The real value of
this type of work comes from looking at the information
from a regional perspective.”
The aim of the report, Dr. Greenwood explains,
is to give community organizations, policy makers
and individuals information that will enable them to
build on their strengths, address challenges and make
informed policy decisions.
“Lots of the information in the report is not new
– we know we have an aging population, we know
we have high rates of diabetes in this province – but
having the information all together in one place gives
communities a tool to build on,” said Ms. Guy. “We hope
this report will provide insight, fuel discussions, inform
decisions, prompt partnerships and inspire action in our
communities.”
The report can be viewed online at www.vitalsignsnl.
ca. It was made possible with support from Oceanex,
Telus, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador,
Crosbie Group Limited, FFAW-UNIFOR, Memorial
University’s Faculty of Medicine and Choices for Youth.
every 11 MinUtes a Canadian dies as a result
of tobacco use (Health Canada). The dangers of smoking
are no secret – cardiovascular and lung disease, cancer,
spontaneous abortions, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,
premature aging and more. Despite declining national
rates, one in six Canadians still smoke.
“A cigarette is the only drug I know that is guaranteed
to kill at least half the people who use it,” said Dr. Leslie
Phillips, School of Pharmacy, who recently pledged to start
counseling her patients on smoking cessation. The pledge
follows the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists
(CSHP) 2015 Initiative – a campaign that focuses on ‘a
vision of Pharmacy Practice Excellence by 2015.’
She researched smoking cessation literature and
completed online continuing education programs,
including the Canadian Pharmacists Association’s QUIT:
Quit Using and Inhaling Tobacco.
Then Dr. Phillips created a plan on how to ask patients
about smoking, assess their willingness to quit and motivate
them to do it, and how to assist in the cessation process. She
planned the information she would cover in each visit, and
which supplementary materials she would require.
“I work in a mental health practice and perhaps the
most significant non-psychiatric health issue facing my
clients is smoking, so it’s logical for me to want to expand
my knowledge in this area,” she said. “When smokers quit,
the health benefits to our population are immeasurable.
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to make this happen.”
Her colleague, Karen Brown, was a smoker for over 40
years and agreed to act as “a guinea pig, of sorts.” The
pair began working together in February 2014. She has
been a non-smoker ever since.
Ms. Brown confessed she experienced some sleepless
nights in the early weeks. It was difficult to resist her
triggers – coffee and being with friends who smoked. But
she soon adopted the one-day-at-a-time mentality.
“As a day turned into a week, then a month, I started
feeling proud to think of myself as a non-smoker. I
remember seeing my doctor for the first time since
quitting and blurting out, ‘I’m a non-smoker!’ I felt a
huge sense of accomplishment.”
Dr. Phillips plans to encourage her fellow pharmacists
to be more proactive in smoking cessation, and train her
pharmacy students to perform counseling. She hopes
to offer a student-operated traveling “Quit Clinic”
next summer.
“We could go around to family practice settings and offer
the service,” she said. “As of this October, the Newfoundland
and Labrador Prescription Drug Program will be subsidizing
the cost of some prescription smoking cessation products,
and this year’s Pharmacists Association of Newfoundland
and Labrador Annual Conference put out a request for
pharmacists to speak about smoking cessation. It also fits
in well with the movement towards an expanded scope of
practice. It’s an opportune time to offer this service.”
While some resources for smoking cessation do
exist in Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Carlo Marra,
dean, School of Pharmacy, believes that there are
opportunities for pharmacies to offer more personal
and hands-on quit strategies.
“Even though the majority of smokers want to quit, many
are not routinely approached by a health care professional,
and only about 20 per cent of people who have tried
quitting have used a smoking cessation aid – despite that
smoking cessation medications double, and in some cases
triple, the chances of abstinence. Since pharmacists are the
most accessible health care professionals – and pharmacies
across Canada do offer these services – the benefits of
offering such a service in this province are vast.”
The benefits are certainly there as far as Ms. Brown is
concerned.
“I so enjoy that I can breathe without having a rattle,
my coffee tastes wonderful, and life is easier now. I’m
not always looking at my watch wondering when I can
go for my next cigarette and I no longer look around
the room hoping to find another smoker. Right now I
cannot imagine smoking again.”
(L-R): karen Brown and dr. Leslie phillips.
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Pharmacists help patients kick ‘butt’By heidi Wicks
New report captures Vital Signs of the provinceBy Cathy newhook
The cover of Vital Signs, the first annual report on key quality of life indicators in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 8 www.mun.ca/gazette
By marcia porter
lectUre rooM 256 in the School of
Nursing buzzed with the sound of student
voices.
Into the chatter walked Anush Noziri, a
second-year nursing student and new peer
mentor in the school’s brand new peer
mentoring program. Mr. Noziri is from
Tajikistan by way of New York; his mentee
is first-year Tim Maher from the Goulds.
“I love being involved with the
university,” said Anush. “I love helping
people and since I am a second-year student
I can help. I can tell (Tim) about things
like our courses and clinicals. I can tell
him how awesome it is here. This would
have been a nice program to have when I
was a new student.”
Judging by turnout for this information
session, there’s a high level of interest in
the peer-mentoring program among first-
years and more senior level students.
“One of the big things we noticed as
fourth-year students is the culture of
nursing school is very different from that
of other faculties,” said Emilee Downey, a
member of the Nursing Society and one
of the members of the Canadian Nursing
Students’ Association (CNSA) who helped
develop the program.
“We rely heavily on our classmates
over our four years and (near the end of
the program) you always hear fourth-
years say, ‘We are one big family here.’
So we thought, why not bring these first-
years together and help them make the
transition, help them adapt.”
During last year’s national CNSA
conference in Vancouver, when nursing
students from across the country met
to network and share ideas, nursing
delegates discovered a real desire among
nursing students for peer mentoring.
“This program is about making
connections,” said Ms. Downey. “Often
in first semester some students don’t
succeed and they drop out. Why? We
want to help them make their experience
as positive as possible.”
“Anyone who’s in nursing understands
there are a lot of stressful things in nursing
school,” said Megan Carey, a fourth-year
student who also worked on development
of the new program. “It’s such a big
transition, especially from high school.”
The peer-mentoring program also has
a faculty advisor who serves as a resource
for students. Over the year, Prof. Lynn
Cooze will evaluate the program to see
if it lives up to expectations and meets
student needs.
By marcia porter
tHey DiDn’t Go expecting to change the world,
but helping about 600 of Honduras’ poor felt pretty good
to a contingent of nursing students.
“It was so rewarding,” said Jordan Chapman, who,
along with 29 nursing, medicine, pharmacy and science
students, spent 10 days this past summer setting up and
helping staff a health clinic that operated out of a small
village school in rural Honduras.
“This was about having a chance to help people and
change things a few lives at a time,” she said. “We were
kind of skeptical at first. I mean, how could we make a
difference? We were only a few people.”
But there’s nothing quite like first-hand experience. The
small, makeshift clinic drew adults and children of all ages
from small villages and communities in the region, which
is about four hours outside the capital of Honduras.
“It really surprised me that there were people who
walked for hours barefoot just to get to a clinic,” said
student Jess Conrad. “We were open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and the temperatures were 40-degrees plus. People waited
in line for hours and didn’t complain at all.”
“We saw things that we would never expect to see here
(in Canada), things that we would have gone to the doctor
for right away,” said Ms. Chapman. “We saw people with
blood glucose levels over 20 − normal usually ranges
between 4-6 − blood clots, kidney failure and liver failure,
people who were sent to hospital right away.”
The student contingent was Memorial’s first Global
Brigades chapter, which is a student-led organization that
works in four countries, including Honduras. It’s better
known to American university and college students.
Students worked for a week alongside their Memorial
colleagues, Honduran students their own age and also a
Honduran doctor, dentist and translator. They provided
medicine and medical supplies and hired the local medical
team using funds raised during the previous school year.
“It was really cool to see everyone come together,” said
Ms. Conrad. “In nursing you need to work as a team.”
Ms. Chapman, Ms. Conrad and many other students are
planning their return to a different part of Honduras next
summer. With a growing interest in the Global Brigades
program, they hope to set up medical and water brigades.
Contact Jordan Chapman at jdc763@mun.ca for more
information.
Making a differenceStudent contingent works to change a few lives at a time in honduras
Nursing students pair up for peer mentoring
(L-R) Maria pinto, Alyssa fleming and Jordan Chapman having fun with a honduran health practitioner.
(L-R) first-year nursing student Tim Mayer and Anush Nozori, in his second year at the School of Nursing, have paired up for the new peer mentoring program.
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tHe FooD ADvocAcy Research Network at
Memorial (FARM) is celebrating World Food Month
with a discussion on Oct. 22 focused on the future of
Newfoundland and Labrador’s food system.
Designing NL Food Futures: A Roundtable Discussion
will feature speakers from various areas of the province’s
food system who will share their own visions of what our
food system will be, or should look like, by the year 2025.
Participants include chefs Todd Perrin of Mallard Cottage
and Andrea Maunder of Bacalao, farmers Evan Murray and
Mary Lester, food security educator Kirstie Jamieson, and
graduate student Chloe Poitevin of the Too Big To Ignore
project (small scale fisheries).
“The purpose of the roundtable is to reveal the complex-
ity of the Newfoundland and Labrador food system; it has
many angles that need to be better understood if we are to
create a healthier, accessible and sustainable food system in
the future,” said Dr. Lynne Phillips, dean of arts and FARM
committee chair. “We hope that the roundtable will also
show the food system is something in which we all play a
part, even if only as eaters, and in which we all have cer-
tain responsibilities – this is called food citizenship.”
The lunchtime event takes place from 12 to 2 p.m. at the
North Bank Lodge in Pippy Park on Oct. 22. A light lunch
will be available, courtesy of Mallard Cottage and Bacalao.
This event is free but registration is required. Please email
jharron@mun.ca to register. Designing NL Food Futures
is supported by the Public Engagement Framework of
Memorial University.
fARM presents a discussion on Newfoundland’s food future Oct. 22 at North Bank Lodge.
food futuresfARM to host roundtable on food systems
By Janet harron
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Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 9 www.mun.ca/gazette
MeMoriAl University is
at the centre of two international,
multimillion dollar projects to get a
better understanding of the role of the
Labrador Sea in the Earth’s climate
system.
The Ventilation, Interactions and
Transports Across the Labrador Sea, or
VITALs, is a pan-Canadian initiative,
which includes scientists from 11
Canadian universities, multiple federal
government laboratories, and industrial
and foreign partners.
The research network is attempting to
understand and model the functioning
and vulnerability of the Labrador
Sea including its uptake of oxygen,
carbon and heat exchange with the
atmosphere. These interactions are
poorly understood and actively evolving
under changing climate conditions.
Researchers believe new observations
and modelling will help determine
what controls these exchanges and how
they interact with a varying climate,
providing better information for future
climate prediction.
“The Labrador Sea is one of the
three areas on the planet where deep
water forms,” explained Dr. Brad de
Young, Department of Physics and
Physical Oceanography. “Which
means it’s where the deep ocean
breathes the atmosphere. We want to
measure how that happens and what
the scale of it is.”
Memorial’s role is focused on the
deployment of instruments and
numerical modelling. This summer, Dr.
de Young led a team, including Dr. Ralf
Bachmayer, Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science, and Dr. Evan Edinger,
Department of Geography, to the region
to deploy moorings along the shelf and
into the deep ocean. These moorings
and mobile platforms will remain in
place and collect data over a period of
at least four years. They also flew ocean
gliders across the shelf break, collecting
real-time data, which will help other
teams, including Dr. Entcho Demirov,
also of the Department of Physics and
Physical Oceanography, during the
numerical modelling phase.
Dr. de Young is also the only
Memorial researcher involved in the
international Overturning in the
Subpolar North Atlantic Program, or
OSNAP, which is also partly occurring
in the Labrador Sea.
This program is designed to provide
a continuous record of the full-water
column circulation, which sees surface
currents taking warm water in one
direction while the deeper colder water
circulates in another. Understanding
these currents and their impacts on
weather and climate in the North
Atlantic will begin this summer with
the deployment of an array of sensors
and floats which will collect data over
the next several years.
“This project is looking at deep
circulation in the North Atlantic,” said
Dr. de Young. “There is a circulation
called the meridional overturning
circulation, which is the large-scale
climate-driven circulation that has
a hundred-year timescale. We want
to measure the variability of this
circulation over the years and decades
to see if climate-related influences can
be measured from that circulation.”
Dr. de Young says the two projects
are complementary. While one looks
at the very large scale circulation
character of the North Atlantic, the
other focuses on what happens in
this particularly intense region of
convection − convection being where
the water cools at the surface to such
an extent that it sinks down to the near
bottom part of the ocean.
“It doesn’t reach the very bottom in
the Labrador Sea,” he explained. “There’s
nowhere in the North Atlantic where
water reaches the bottom. Bottom water
is formed in the Antarctic. That then
percolates through the global ocean.
“The ocean is not like a lake where
typically everything turns over. Because
it is so much deeper, many kilometres
deep, and stratified with temperature
and salt, the ocean is more complicated.
The overturning only happens in
particular places: Greenland, Antarctica
and the Labrador Sea.”
He says that makes the Labrador Sea
a logical place to try and understand
what regulates carbon dioxide
exchange between the ocean and the
atmosphere in one of the places where
it’s most dynamic.
“Clearly carbon dioxide is tied to
the whole climate change question,
because carbon dioxide levels
continue to rise in the atmosphere,
and over the last 100 years the ocean
has taken up a fair bit of the carbon
dioxide,” said Dr. de Young. “About
a third of the carbon dioxide that’s
emitted anthropogenically goes into
the ocean.
“There’s evidence now the uptake
by the ocean is slowing down. The
question will logically be what happens
to global climate change warming if the
atmospheric concentrations increase
more quickly because the uptake by
the ocean slows down? And that’s the
expectation. The rate of increase of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere does
seem to be speeding up, but we cannot
say why for sure.”
Projects to study Labrador Sea’s role in Earth’s climate systemBy Kelly foss
The glider used in the VITALs project being deployed through the OSNAp array from the CSS hudson.
This image shows the tracks the glider took in July and August of 2014.
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GO ABROAd assistants Sana Ghouri and Leyong Loro and Go Abroad coordinator Natalie Spracklin, along with other members of the Go Abroad fair Team, exhibitors and volunteers, put off a successful event on Oct. 1 in the Landing.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 10 www.mun.ca/gazette
For more on these events and other news at Memorial, please visit www.
today.mun.ca
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Public Mourning, The Nation, and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings,
12-1:30 p.m., A-4049D. Sponsor: Department of Sociology Speaker
Series Memorial University
Blood Donor Clinic, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Lobby, Bruneau Centre for Research
and Innovation. Sponsor: Canadian Blood Services
Trudeau Foundation Scholarship information session, 3-5 p.m., Junior
Common Room, R. Gushue Hall. Sponsor: Memorial University
Application to Graduate School: Tips and Strategies, 3-4 p.m., Online
webinar (www.mun.ca/become/graduate/webinars/). Sponsor: School of
Graduate Studies
Thursday, Oct. 16
The Work of Music at the Canadian War Museum, 7-9 p.m., IIC-2001,
Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation. Sponsor: Department of
Sociology, Research Centre for Music, Media and Place
Fundamentals of Project Management, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., B-4019. Sponsor:
Gardiner Centre
The Work of Music at the Canadian War Museum, 7-9 p.m., IIC-2001.
Sponsor: Department of Sociology, Research Centre for Music, Media and
Place
Probing and Observing Cortical Circuits in Mice During Stroke Recovery,
10-11 a.m., 1M101, Medical Education Centre, Health Sciences Centre.
Sponsor: Division of BioMedical Science
Marketplace in Bolivia, 12-1 p.m., SN-2033. Sponsor: Faculty of Arts
MUN Cinema Series: Obvious Child, 7-8:30 p.m., Cineplex Theatre,
Avalon Mall. Sponsor: MUN Cinema
Open Call Photo Shoot at the Marine Institute, 12-2 p.m., Lobby, Marine
Institute. Sponsor: Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Open Call Photo Shoot at Grenfell Campus, 1-2 p.m., Arts and Science
Extension Atrium, Grenfell Campus. Sponsor: Office of the Vice-President
(Research)
Panel on American Politics Today, 9-10:10 a.m., SN-2036. Sponsor:
Department of Political Science
Friday, Oct. 17
Surgical Shape Shifting: Transgender Embodiment in Nina Arsenault’s
The Silicone Diaries, 1-2 p.m., SN-4087. Sponsor: Department of Gender
Studies
Dietary Arginine Availability and Creatine Accretion: Is Creatine
Supplementation Necessary for the newborn? 1-2 p.m., SN-4015.
Sponsor: Department of Biochemistry
Scheduling on a Single Machine Under Time-of-Use Electricity Tariffs,
1:30-2:30 p.m., B-3010. Sponsor: Faculty of Business Administration
Saturday, Oct. 18
Symposium on 100 Years of the International Grenfell Association, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m., The Rooms. Sponsor: History of Medicine and Medical
Humanities
Sunday, Oct. 19
Multiple Sclerosis information session, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Comfort Inn
Airport Hotel. Sponsor: Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Monday, Oct. 20
The Blue Castle: If Tarzan was a Labrador fur trader and Jane was from
Manhattan, 8-9:30 p.m., The Orbit Room (downstairs at the Rocket
Bakery). Sponsor: Department of Gender Studies
OUTANDABOUT
ADAM Pike is 12 years old. His mother describes
him as a kind boy who loves video games and hanging
out with his friends. Sounds like a typical 12-year-old.
But when Adam was four, he was diagnosed with a brain
tumour. His mom is Memorial University employee Lori
Pike. The day her son was diagnosed was “one of the
hardest days of my life.”
“We were told that Adam had a brain tumour; it was
cancer and it had to be removed as soon as possible,” she
said. “We were in shock and disbelief that our child was
so sick. We didn’t know what the future was going to
hold for Adam. All the dreams you have as a parent for
your child are immediately put on hold and your focus is
on getting him though the next round of treatment and
ultimately well again.”
An organization called Candlelighters, which provides
support to families who have children diagnosed with
cancer, was an important part of the help Ms. Pike and
her family received.
Candlelighters is one of the many community
organizations supported by the United Way of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the next few weeks,
Memorial employees have the chance to give to the
United Way through the payroll deduction campaign. It’s
the third year for the campaign and last year Memorial
employees committed over $28,000.
“When Adam was diagnosed the Candlelighters were a
support to me; my husband, Jason; Adam and our other
son, Lucas,” explained Ms. Pike, who is associate director
of budgets with Financial and Administrative Services.
“Events such as the annual Christmas party gave the
families a chance to catch up and be there for each other.
Even the food cupboard at the Janeway helped us by
having soup, snacks and coffee so we did not have to
leave our child to get something to eat.”
The United Way has also supported Camp Delight, a
seven-day camp for children who have been diagnosed
with cancer, their siblings and their bereaved siblings.
“Camp lets our kids forget about cancer and just be kids
and have fun,” she said. “Camp Delight for Adam is
the best week of the year.” Candlelighters also provide
families with things such as a diagnosis kit with financial
support, biweekly coffee breaks and survivor scholarships
for post secondary education.
Now, Ms. Pike gets to help other families. She got
involved with Candlelighters because she wanted to
give back. She’s the treasurer, a Parent Camp Delight
representative and Night of Delight co-chair.
“When a child is diagnosed with cancer the entire
family is affected,” said Ms. Pike. “By supporting United
Way, you are helping families during their most difficult
time. The Candlelighters strive to provide programs and
support for the entire family during the treatment years
and beyond.”
from left are Memorial university’s Lori pike and her son, Adam.
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Donations come full circleMemorial’s united way payroll campaign kicks off this week with impacts close to home
By michelle osmond
“By supporting united way, you are helping families during their most difficult time.”
100 YEARS OF THE INTERNATIONAL GRENFELL ASSOCIATION AND THE DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR: A SYMPOSIUM
The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Avenue, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The impact of British physician-missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865-1940) was widely recognized during the first half of the twentieth century. Grenfell’s life-work in Newfoundland and Labrador began in the early 1890s with the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. By 1914 the International Grenfell Association (IGA) was formed to focus on his work in this region. This one-day symposium will explore the historical significance of Grenfell, the IGA, and the delivery of healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador over the last century and address issues concerning the present and the future. The keynote speaker, Dr. Ronald L. Numbers, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is an expert in medical history and the missionary experience. Other speakers include author Anne Budgell, former IGA physicians, specialists from The Rooms, and scholars from Memorial University. Funds are provided by a Canadian Institutes for Health Research grant in the history of medicine to the Memorial University organizers of the symposium. All are welcome, with refreshment breaks provided.
There is no registration fee. For further information contact, jconnor@mun.ca or 709 777 8729.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 11 www.mun.ca/gazette
Digital and Social Media for HR Professionals, 9 a.m.-
5 p.m., B-4019, Sponsor: Gardiner Centre
Tuesday, Oct. 21
Running Effective Seminars, 9:30-11:30 a.m.,
ED-2030B (McCann Centre). Sponsor: DELTS,
Professional Development Experiences for Educators
Activating Knowledge and Partnerships: Opening
a Different Discourse on Scholarship: Margaret
McLean, 4-6 p.m., Main Auditorium, Health Sciences
Centre. Sponsor: School of Nursing
Matricellular proteins for the treatment of myocardial
infarction, 1-2 p.m., HSC, Theatre I, Pharmacy (Room
3444). Sponsor: Division of BioMedical Science
Digital and Social Media Strategy and Tactics, 9 a.m.-5
p.m., B-4019. Sponsor: Gardiner Centre
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Engineering Information Session, 1-1:50 p.m., SN-
4068. Sponsor: Academic Advising Centre
Graduate education for Memorial employees, 1-2
p.m., IIC-2014. Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
and Department of Human Resources
2014 Gairdner Lecture Speaker, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Main
Auditorium, Faculty of Medicine. Sponsor: Faculty of
Medicine
“HCV is cured. What do I do now?” 5-6 p.m., 1M101,
Medical Education Building. Sponsor: Division of
BioMedical Science.
CSEP 2014: Science on the Edge of the Continent,
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Delta Hotel, St. John’s. Sponsor:
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Designing NL Food Futures: A roundtable discussion,
12-2 p.m., North Bank Lodge, Pippy Park. Sponsor:
Food Advocacy Research at Memorial (FARM)
Thursday, Oct. 23
Understanding Synaptic Function and Dysfunction
in Huntington’s Disease, 10-11:10 a.m., HSC, Theatre
B. Sponsor: Division of BioMedical Science
Pancake Breakfast, 8-10 a.m., Main Dining Hall.
Sponsor: MUNdays
Spirit Parade, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Main Dining Hall.
Sponsor: MUNdays
MUN Cinema Series: Calvary, 7-8:40 p.m., Cineplex
Theatre, Avalon Mall. Sponsor: MUN Cinema
Friday, Oct. 24
Kindness Friday, all day, everywhere. Sponsor:
MUNdays
Fill the Square, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Paton College. Sponsor:
MUNdays
Weight reduction and obesity management: Faculty
of Medicine Speaker Series, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Lecture
Theatre B, Faculty of Medicine. Sponsor: Faculty of
Medicine
Faculty of Arts Heidelberg Field School reunion, 5-7
p.m., Christian’s, 23 George Street. Sponsor: Faculty
of Arts
Just Get Out! 2014, 6-4 p.m., Brother Brennan
Environmental Education Centre, Salmonier Line.
Sponsor: Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental
Educators
Back to Business: Reunion 2014, 2:30-4:30 p.m.,
RBC Atrium, Business building. Sponsor: Faculty of
Business Administration
Back to Business: Class of 1989 Reunion, 4:30-6:30
p.m., Guv’nors Pub, St. John’s. Sponsor: Faculty of
Business Administration
Saturday, Oct. 25
Super TSC Night Concert, 7 p.m.-2 a.m., Breezeway
Bar, Memorial University. Sponsors: MBNA, Johnson,
The Telegram, Steele Communications
Halloween Howl Family Program at MUN ‘BOO-
tanical’ Garden, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., MUN Botanical
Garden. Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden
School of Pharmacy Class Reunions, 6:30-9:30 p.m.,
Quidi Vidi Brewery. Sponsor: School of Pharmacy.
Sunday, Oct. 26
President’s Golden Reception, 7-9 p.m., DF Cook
Recital Hall, Memorial University. Sponsor: Memorial
University
MUNdays Sunday Skate, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, 4-6
p.m., Jack Byrne Arena. Sponsor: MUNdays
Monday, Oct. 27
MUNdays Dining Etiquette Workshop, 6-9 p.m.,
The Landing, UC, 3rd Floor. Sponsor: MUNdays
UArctic Info Session, 12-1 p.m., PE-2001. Sponsor:
International Centre
Law for Managers, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., B-4019. Sponsor:
Gardiner Centre
Google AdWords Fundamentals, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
B-4019. Sponsor: Gardiner Centre
Tuesday, Oct. 28
Education Information Session, 2-3 p.m., SN-4068.
Sponsor: Academic Advising Centre
Foraging Strategies of a Pursuit-Diving Seabird in
a Dynamic Marine Environment, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.,
IIC-2014. Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
Functional Identification of Hippocampal Neuron
Subpopulations Underlying Early-life Epilepsy,
10-11 a.m., Health Sciences Centre, Theatre B.
Sponsor: Division of BioMedical Science
UC Lounge, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., University Centre.
Sponsor: MUNdays
Touque Day, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., DELTS Office, ED-1032
and ED-2000. Sponsor: MUNdays
Health Circus, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Field House. Sponsor:
MUNdays
Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness, 2-4 p.m., ED-
5021. Sponsor: DELTS, Professional Development
Experiences for Educators
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Human Kinetics and Recreation Information
Session, 1-1:50 p.m., SN-4068. Sponsor: Academic
Advising Centre
Thursday, Oct. 30
MUN Cinema Series: A Most Wanted Man, 7-9
p.m., Cineplex Theatre, Avalon Mall. Sponsor:
MUN Cinema
Critical Race and Anti-Colonial Theory Discussion
Group, 12:30-2 p.m., ER-4002. Sponsor: 2014-
2015 Critical Race and Anti-Colonial Theory
Discussion Group
Friday, Oct. 31
Celebrating Women… And More! 8-9:30 p.m., D.F.
Cook Recital Hall. Sponsor: School of Music
Energy Regulating Hormones and the Development
of Obesity and Diabetes, 1-3 p.m., IIC-2014,
Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation.
Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
Saturday, Nov. 1
Health Care Leadership Forum: Navigating Change
Through Leadership, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Sheraton
Hotel. Sponsor: Professional Development and
Conference Services, Faculty of Medicine and
Gardiner Centre
Monday, Nov. 2
Universal Design for Learning in Post-Secondary:
Part Two, 2-4 p.m., ED-2030B. Sponsor: DELTS,
Professional Development Experiences for
Educators
Tuesday, Nov. 3
Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Sale, 10 a.m.-7
p.m., The Landing. Sponsor: University Chaplaincy
Eliciting User Requirements for the Business
Analyst, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., B-4019. Sponsor: Gardiner
Centre
Digital and Social Media Strategy and Tactics, 9
a.m.-5 p.m., B-4019. Sponsor: Gardiner Centre
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Cyclic Block Designs from Skolem-type Sequences,
11 a.m.-1 p.m., IIC 2014. Sponsor: School of
Graduate Studies
Democratic transitions in Nicaragua and Russia,
12-1 p.m., SN-2033. Sponsor: Faculty of Arts
Scripted Skins: Women’s Tattoos as Embodied Life
Narratives, 1-2 p.m., SN-4087. Sponsor: Department
of Gender Studies Speakers’ Series
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CELEBRATEd dANCE ARTIST and choreographer karen kaeja spent several sessions with students, community dancers and other partners at Grenfell Campus as part of her residency as Memorial university’s first dancer-in-residence. here, Ms. kaeja addresses the crowd following a session at the Grenfell Campus Art Gallery. following her time at Grenfell, Ms. kaeja worked with Creative Gros Morne. She will spend two weeks at the St. John’s campus in december.
Gazette | Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 12 www.mun.ca/gazette
even A sMAll AMoUnt of oil spilled in a marine
environment can have a devastating impact. So small, in
fact, that Memorial researchers are working at the nano-
level to create sensors for use in harsh environments.
The solid state sensors being created by the
nanofabricated sensor technology project have little
or no moving parts. They can detect contaminants
through a specialized material that the molecules can
land on, sending signals to a reader which would make
a spectroscopic measurement and determine what
molecules are present, based on their particular vibration,
and how much.
Chief investigators for the project include Drs. Erika
Merschrod and Christina Bottaro, Faculty of Science,
and Kelly Hawboldt, Faculty of Engineering and Applied
Science.
“We are currently designing, developing and inventing
new materials to get stronger more specific signals,” said
Dr. Merschrod. “We have already created three new
classes of materials that promote the binding of molecules
and amplification of signals from these sensors, which is
really exciting.”
The sensors could function on a buoy or be attached
to an AUV during surveys around an oil platform. They
could also function on the platform itself, testing water as
it comes off a platform and goes back into the ocean, as
part of the platform’s own monitoring practices.
“By knowing the details of the chemical composition
of that water, not only can we prevent certain molecules
from going into the ocean that we don’t want there, but
oil companies can also make sure their processes are
working the way they think they are,” said Dr. Merschrod.
“Having something that can give an answer in real time
will allow them to respond right away if a module is not
working properly.”
The team has primarily been testing the devices in the
lab but has recently moved into more realistic tests in
the field, attaching them to an autonomous underwater
vehicle.
“We did a test in Bonne Bay this past winter and
that worked out well,” said Dr. Merschrod. “We haven’t
tested offshore yet, but we’re continuing to develop new
materials for use in the real world and we’re also creating
a new field of highly qualified personnel, in terms of the
students that we’re graduating.”
She says one of the ultimate goals in developing
this new technology is to have something that can
be manufactured here and sold around the world,
stimulating the growth of a new industry in the province.
Having graduates trained in these cutting-edge methods
would be very important in supporting this new sector.
The researchers have received a grant from the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Atlantic Innovation Fund,
with support from Petroleum Research Newfoundland
and Labrador (PRNL), the Research and Development
Corporation and Memorial University. This investment
is providing new infrastructure and instrumentation
for the university in the form of a nanofabrication clean
room, which is currently under construction.
“Being able to make nanostructured materials in an
integrated and clean environment is very important,
because when you are working on a nanoscale, something
as small as a dust particle can be a huge contaminant,”
explained Dr. Merschrod.
“A number of us at the university have been working
with nano-technology and nano-science and having a
clean room where we can integrate the different materials
in one setting is certainly going to help us increase
capacity for this high-tech research at Memorial.”
Dr. Merschrod believes the industry contacts provided
by PRNL will give the team a huge advantage over other
companies offering monitoring technologies.
“All of the organizations who are members of PRNL are
big multinational companies, and our partnership with
PRNL gives us access to direct contacts within this huge
market,” she said. “We have a big advantage in being here
in Newfoundland and Labrador where a lot of the action
is and the community is still small enough that we can
make those connections.”
Graduate student MunMun Sarkar is testing the wettability of materials used in the solid state sensor.
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Environmental protection on a nano-scaleBy Kelly foss
VISIT USONLINE
W W W.mun.Ca /GaZEttE
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