By Mandy Cook - Memorial University€¦ · By Mandy Cook Officially he starts ... passed away at...

By Stephanie Barrett

GRADUATION DAY is always an exciting time for

those receiving their diplomas. It is a culmination of hard

work and sacrifice. No one knows this better than Patrick

Kuniliusee and, on June 18, he became the first person

from Nunavut to graduate from the Marine Institute’s

marine diesel mechanics certificate program.

The marine diesel mechanics program prepares students

for a career in the operation and maintenance of marine

diesel engines and auxiliary equipment found on marine

vessels or offshore drilling installations. The program lays

the foundation for a student to become a practising

marine engineer after required sea time is obtained.

For the past 15 years, MI, together with its partners, has

been working to deliver training courses throughout

Nunavut.

“We’ve been working closely with the Nunavut Fisheries

Training Consortium (NFTC) and the Nunavut Arctic

College to recruit and train local residents for fisheries and

marine career opportunities,” said Gerald Anderson,

manager of Marketing and Business Development at the

Marine Institute. “In the last four years we have trained

approximately 400 people and now we can add Patrick to

that list.”

Mr. Kuniliusee, originally from Qikiqtarjuaq, began the

program in September 2008 in Nunavut and transferred

to the Marine Institute campus in January 2009 to

complete the course. He completed his work term with the

Canadian Coast Guard on the CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent,

a Canadian coast Guard icebreaker, and has now accepted

a job with Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping Inc. (NEAS).

“The course was challenging but well worth it,” Mr.

Kuniliusee said. “I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the

program and am looking forward to putting my new skill

set to work as I start my new career.”

Elisabeth Cayen, executive director with NFTC says this

is a milestone for the consortium.

“In the past, NFTC has provided short term training

courses however Patrick’s graduation from the marine

diesel mechanic program marks the first graduate from a

longer program,” she said. “This training will allow Patrick

to work in the engine room of many types of ships and

Taking his place

Publication MailRegistration No. 40062527

June 30, 2010Volume 42 Number 16

SUMMER IN THE GALLERY Three exhibitions

are open at the Grenfell College Art Gallery,

including paintings by Campbell Tinning.

DROP THE SHAKER Biomedical researcher Dr.

Bruce Van Vliet, an expert on the health effects

of sodium, is warning about the dangers of salt.

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 A T I O N

p6 p11p9

THE APPRENTICES Three business students

proved their fresh thinking and social media

smarts in a national competition.

See MARINE on page 8

Patrick Kuniliusee receives his diploma from MI’sexecutive director Glenn Blackwood at the institute’sgraduation ceremony on June 18.

Memorial dominatesnational awardsceremonyBy Mandy Cook

Officially he starts on July 1, but Memorial’s new president was on the St. John’s campus this week, moving into hisnew office. Helping Dr. Gary Kachanoski settle in were office staff Cynthia Cleary and Linda Tilley. Dr. Kachanoski’sfirst official role as president will be to lay a wreath at the War Memorial in St. John’s on Memorial Day.

MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY is basking in the

national spotlight after winning the most awards of

any university in the Canadian Council for the Advance-

ment of Education (CCAE) Prix d'excellence awards

program. The program recognizes excellence in commu-

nications, marketing, alumni relations and fundraising.

The awards were presented in Victoria, B.C., at the CCAE

national conference.

Memorial received 12 awards, followed by McGill

University which took 10 awards and McMaster Univer-

sity which garnered eight. A total of 48 institutions

competed, submitting 400 individual entries.

“It is with great pride that I congratulate the teams in

marketing and communications whose creative work

has been recognized by the CCAE,” said Dr. Christopher

Loomis, president and vice-chancellor pro tempore.

“Striving for excellence is a natural part of what we do

at Memorial University. Ranking first out of 48 Canadian

universities in the number of CCAE Prix d’excellence

awards received this year is a clear demonstration of that

commitment to excellence.

PHO

TO B

Y C

HRI

S H

AM

MO

ND

See AWARD on page 8

www.mun.ca/gazette2Gazette | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sidney A. HannSidney Hann, who worked at the Marine Institute, passed

away suddenly on June 10, 2010, at the Health Sciences

Centre, aged 64 years.

Shahana IslamShahana Islam, a staff member in the International Student

Advising Office, Student Affairs and Services, passed away

April 8 at the age of 56.

Jon LienDr. Jon Lien, retired faculty member with the Department

of Psychology and founder of the Whale Research Group

at Memorial, passed away at the Hoyles Home in St. John’s

on April 14, 2010, aged 71 years, after a lengthy battle with

a degenerative physical and mental disease.

Cheryl Annie P. MillerCheryl Miller, a long time employee of the Cashier’s Office,

Financial and Administrative Services, passed peacefully

away at the Palliative Care Unit in St. John’s on April 29,

2010, aged 48 years.

Dr. John (Tommy) TomlinsonDr. John Tomlinson, professor emeritus, retired from the

Faculty of Medicine, died at his home on April 1, 2010, aged

84 years.

OBITUARY

Born in London, England, Mark Shrimpton came to do an assign-

ment for his undergraduate studies and never left. He is a connois-

seur of good food and good wine and passionate about

Newfoundland and Labrador. As a senior associate for socio-

economic services for Stantec Engineering, he keeps his focus on

sustainable, long-term benefits that Newfoundland communi-

ties can expect from the recent oil and gas bonanza.

BF: Tell me a bit about yourself.

MS: My mother was from Grand Falls, Newfoundland. She

was one of nine children so my childhood was filled with

aunts and uncles visiting and reminiscing. I was raised in

London with the stories of this mythical place. When I grew

up to be a geographer I had to explore this place and I never

got away.

BF: What was so interesting about the geography?

MS: hmmm... I enjoyed the fact that it was to a degree cross-

disciplinary. The fact that it drew on other disciplines and

allowed me to synthesize the body of information and I

think this continues to be the case. In fact, I do a lot of work

with engineers and an expression that comes up very often

is “working in silos.” People who have a particular focus for

their work and that’s what they think about and that’s all

that they think about. And there are people in the next

office over who are involved in a related mater, but in their

own silo. I think there is a merit in bringing these things

together into a more holistic picture. In addition, I do like

to travel, I do like being in different places and I am

delighted to have a job that allows me to go to different

parts of the world and experience those places not as a

tourist, but as somebody who is, to a degree anyway,

involved in the community.

BF: You decided to stay after your MA in geography?

MS: I was fortunate in that the Institute for Social and

Economic Research needed a research associate. This was a

place I liked very much and there was an immediate oppor-

tunity for employment.

BF: Tell me a bit about what it is that you do today. It’s still

connected to economic development?

MS: I did my graduate degree in social geography, urban

geography. So there is some relationship with that. What I

am mostly doing now is looking at the social and economic

impacts of resource development projects – either in terms

of what they might be monitoring or what the effects are

or, more interestingly for me personally, now looking at

managing those impacts. You have decided what you want

to get out of this project from a regulatory point of view.

The government says we want to deliver economic bene-

fits. Well, okay. How do you deliver economic benefits?

What sorts of economic benefits one wants to deliver. So a

large part of my work these days is writing these regulatory

documents, benefits plans and diversity plans to help, one

hopes, to deliver win-win to the proponent of the project

and to the province and different social groups.

BF: Can you give me an example?

MS: Yes. I had very good fortune, through Stantec, to be

retained by ExxonMobil for their Hebron project and they

are required to submit benefits plans and I am assisting

ExxonMobil in writing that document. Part of the joy of my

life is that one does work for different companies of different

sizes and I find it very interesting to experience the culture

of those different companies. I also helped develop indus-

trial benefits strategy for the government of Yukon. I had

the pleasure of working with the Harris Centre out of the

university. Again a different perspective. That all helps to

entertain me.

BF: You said you travel a lot and often to North Atlantic

islands. How did that come about?

MS: That came about when I was in Scotland talking about,

at that time the upcoming, Hibernia project. I was

approached by a fellow from Faroe Islands because he

thought he could learn from the Newfoundland experience.

We have learned a lot here about how to do benefits plan-

ning, sometimes we learned by making mistakes, but we

learned how to do it. We have learned about the manage-

ment of the effect on communities much more than it

happened anywhere previous. Context is important. People

are increasingly realizing that we have world class expertise

here. Whether it’s about icebergs or Wade Locke and his

economic analysis or the stuff I am doing, we need to

promote our capabilities in other areas. That’s part of what

I do. We got Greenland up there and it’s going to have am

offshore industry – so how are we in Newfoundland and

Labrador to use our expertise to make a dollar? We need to

build on and export that expertise – it’s all about sustain-

able economic development. Fortunately, it’s also fun.

BF: When you look at the new generation of geographers

and Memorial students, is there a lot of opportunity out

there for them?

MS: Absolutely. a) because of the nature of economic growth

here, and b) because of the old farts like me [laughs].

Working skills task forces have mostly focused on trades

here, but the same applies to engineers, the sort of people

who do my sort of work. This is a very good time to be grad-

uating, I must say, because I profoundly believe that one

of the strengths of the university is the co-op program.

Great experience in terms of understanding the workplace

and the work. People putting those co-op programs in place

deserve a lot of plaudits.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHYKelly Hickey Chris Hammond

STUDENT COLUMNISTCatherine Burgess

ADVERTISINGDavid Sorensen

Telephone: 737-2143E-mail: [email protected]

Next Gazette deadline July 15 for July 22 publication.

The Gazette is published 17 times annually by the Memorial University of Newfoundland News Service in the Division ofMarketing and Communications at Memorial Uni versity. Material in the Gazette may be reprinted or broadcast withoutpermission, excepting materials for which the Gazette does nothold exclusive copyright.

Gazette, Room A-1024 Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7

Telephone: 737-2143 Fax: 737-8699 E-mail: [email protected] 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.Memorial University is committed to excellence in teaching,research and scholarship, and service to the general public. Memorial University recognizes a special obligation to educatethe citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador, to undertake researchon the challenges this province faces and to share its expertise withthe community.


EDITOR GRAPHICSDavid Sorensen John Andrews

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Courtenay AlcockStephanie BarrettRebecca CohoeMandy Cook

Shannon O’Dea DawsonJennifer Deon

Kelly FossBojan FürstPamela GillSharon GrayJeff Green

Janet HarronJill Hunt

Jackey LockeDarcy MacRaePeter Morris

Ivan MuzychkaMarcia Porter

Jennifer O’NeillMeaghan Whelan

Heidi Wicks

SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI Mark Shrimpton


By Bojan Furst

SOME 150 MEMORIAL University alumni gath-

ered at the World Trade and Convention Centre in

Halifax recently to celebrate their alma mater. The annual

Affinity Newfoundland and Labrador Dinner in Halifax

draws alumni from every corner of Atlantic Canada. The

hallmark of the Halifax Dinner is a combination of

Newfoundland and Labrador culture and strong keynote

speakers that draw audiences with their deep knowledge

of various social and economic issues. This year Ed

Martin, president and CEO of Nalcor Energy, provided his

insight into the future of the energy sector in Atlantic

Canada.

“Newfoundland and Labrador has been blessed with

more renewable and non-renewable energy than we can

possibly use,” he said adding that Newfoundland and

Labrador and Atlantic Canada together have a significant

role to play in making Canada an energy superpower.

Mr. Martin urged a long-term view of regional coop-

eration on energy issues that will ultimately benefit all

of Atlantic Canada.

“A broader regional perspective for planning and devel-

oping our electricity transmission infrastructure will facil-

itate development of Atlantic Canada’s wealth of

renewable resources,” he said. He painted a vision of a

future where “our children and our children's children

will be in an enviable position.”

Dr. Christopher Loomis, president and vice-chancellor

pro tempore of the Memorial University, also addressed the

guests, emphasizing the close relationship between the

two provinces.

Dr. Loomis noted that “Atlantic Canada has the highest

concentration of quality universities in this country.”

He emphasized the need for regional cooperation. “In

an ever-shrinking world where knowledge, creativity

and entrepreneurial talent have become the most sought

after resources in the world, regional advantage is some-

thing we have not yet fully exploited,” he said.

The close relationship between Memorial University

and the Province of Nova Scotia was evident with both

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter and Energy Minister

Bill Estabrooks in attendance.

Mary Walsh of This Hour Has 22 Minutes fame acted as

the evening’s emcee, keeping the event and discussion

on track while providing her particular brand of biting

Newfoundland satire.

The Affinity Newfoundland and Labrador Dinners are

Memorial University’s premier alumni event. The dinners

take place annually in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and

Halifax. A group of dedicated alumni living and working

in Halifax region organize the dinner.

A wide range of corporate sponsors made the event

possible including Johnson Inc., Newfoundland and

Labrador Human Resources and Labour and Employ-

ment, Nalcor Energy, McInnes Cooper and Ketchum

Canada. Over the years, thousands of alumni attended

the dinners across the country demonstrating their

support for Memorial students and the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Alumni gather in Halifax to celebrate Memorial

Ed Martin, president and CEO of Nalcor Energy, delivered the keynote speech at the Halifax Affinity event.

INBRIEF

The Memorial connectionMemorial University friends and alumni were well repre-

sented among the top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada. While

the lion’s share of awards went to Nova Scotia, with 28

winners from that province, 12 CEOs honoured are from

Newfoundland and Labrador and the majority of them

have ties to Memorial University.

Award winners Ken Bennett, president of Johnson Corpo-

ration; Nora M. Duke, president and CEO of Fortis Proper-

ties; Christopher Hickman, chairman and CEO of Marco

Group of Companies; Earl Ludlow, president and CEO of

Newfoundland Power; and Stephen Winter, president and

CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation,

are all graduates of Memorial’s Faculty of Business Admin-

istration.

The Advisory Board of the Faculty of Business Adminis-

tration counts a number of top CEOs among its ranks.

Current board members Bernard (Tanny) Collins, president

of PF Collins International Trade Solutions, and Allison

Chaytor-Loveys, CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Credit

Union, were recognized for their managerial excellence and

leadership abilities. Cathy Bennett, CEO of Bennett Group

of Companies; Frank Coleman, president and CEO Coleman

Group of Companies; Stephen Winter and Ken Bennett

have each served on the Advisory Board.

Engineering professor recognizedDr. Dennis Peters received the IEEE Canada J.J. Archambault

Eastern Canada Merit Award in recognition of his dedi-

cated and distinguished service to the profession at the

23rd annual Canadian Conference on Electrical and

Computer Engineering (CCECE) in Calgary on May 3.

Dr. Peters, an associate professor and chair of the electrical

and computer engineering discipline in the Faculty of Engi-

neering and Applied Science, has been an active member of

IEEE for more than 20 years.

He has served on the Newfoundland and Labrador Section

executive committee continuously since 1999, including a

term as chair from 2002-03. He has also served on the orga-

nizational committees for local, national and international

conferences, including co-chair of the Technical Program

Committee for CCECE 2009. He also takes an active role in

the engineering profession, serving on the Board of Exam-

iners for the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of

Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL), and as a member of

the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board.

Dr. Peters’ research area involves techniques for design and

verification of software and computer systems, with partic-

ular focus on real-time applications and parallel or distrib-

uted processing. He joined Memorial University in 1998.

The Archambault Award is given to exceptional IEEE

volunteers recognized for meritorious service in eastern

Canada at the local IEEE Section and Area level.

Education students receive vote ofconfidenceAt some point it is likely that each student in the Faculty of

Education will ask themselves: “Am I going to be a good

teacher?”

For the past three years the Sisters of Mercy and Presenta-

tion have been giving a $5,000 vote that says: “Yes, you will.”

This year, the organization offered five scholarships of

$1,000 each, open to all students in the Faculty of Educa-

tion registered during the 2009-10 academic year. Danielle

Benoit, Cedric Davignon, Michael Eagles, Jeff Foran and

Darlene Holwell walked away with an affirmation of their

abilities thanks to the rewards, which were presented on

June 16.

An open call for papers was issued this winter, announcing

the scholarship opportunity. Students were invited to submit

a 750-word essay considering personal values and goals

pertaining to effective teaching.

In 2007, the Congregations of the Sisters of the Presen-

tation and the Sisters of Mercy created an education fund

to support a variety of educational projects provincially,

nationally and internationally.

40-40 vision for alumniBy Bojan Furst

THE GLOBE AND MAIL’S 40 Under 40 celebra-

tion of Canada’s new leaders this year includes two

Newfoundlanders and Memorial alumni who found their

success right at home.

Christine Healy and Jamie King are not just successful

in their chosen fields, but they are also staunch

supporters of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ms. Healy, who works as a commercial adviser to the

provincial government, is a master negotiator. She has sat

across the table from some of the oil and gas industry’s

most powerful executives and walked away with billions

of dollars in revenue for the government.

In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Ms. Healy

described the energy projects and the benefits they

generate for the province as “game changers.”

Game changing is something that Jamie King,

president and CEO of Verafin Inc., knows all about.

A one-time PhD candidate at Memorial looking at

robotics and artificial intelligence algorithms, he found

himself applying some of his research and skills in money

laundering and fraud prevention.

With a couple of classmates from Memorial he founded

Verafin — a software company helping financial insti-

tution detect, track and monitor fraudulent activities. The

company, based in St. John’s, is today among the world

leaders in the field.

Doug Caldwell of Caldwell Partners International

founded Top 40 Under 40 in order to draw attention to

Canada’s up and coming generation of leaders in the

broadest possible sense of the world. Over the years the

event has recognized people working in fields as diverse

as law and medicine, arts and engineering and sports and

business.

AS INTERSESSION draws to a close, so too do the work

placements for eight Arts students here at Memorial. These

students are participants in the diploma in professional

writing (DPW) program, one of the diploma programs

within the Faculty of Arts.

The DPW is a 24-credit-hour-long program, which offers

courses ranging from advanced editing to reviewing, inves-

tigative writing to satirical writing. After completing the

class material, students participate in a work placement as

interns with various hosts throughout the city, where they

are given the opportunity to apply their classroom knowl-

edge, and explore new methods of writing and develop

their skills.

“There was a perceived need for a program like this,” says

program coordinator Shane O’Dea, of the DPW, which

began three years ago. “We do not have a journalism

program, and we do have a fair number of students who do

go into journalism or professional writing type fields. ... This

[program] enabled a sharpening of those skills.”

This program is able to bridge the gap between course

work and the professional world through work experience

with publishers, broadcasters and other media, offering

intriguing opportunities for young writers wishing to move

into careers in the professional writing domain. Following

their work placements, several students were offered full-

time or freelance employment, representing for some their

first “professional” writing jobs.

At the end of their time in the DPW program, students

are able to venture into the world having had highly valu-

able experience, both in the workplace and through the

selection of courses.

“The courses expose you to different types of writing,

because in university you tend to write only academic

essays and reports,” says Marion Lougheed, a DPW partic-

ipant who recently completed her work placement. “It's

refreshing and challenging at the same time. I can walk

away from this experience as a well-rounded writer with a

better sense of what is out there for writers to do in the

professional world.”

Susan Chalker-Browne, who instructed a weekly course

in conjunction with the work placement, expressed her

satisfaction with the program.

“The puzzle of piecing together a radio item, the thrill of

seeing your name in print for the first time, deciding the

merits of manuscripts in a slush pile, the rush of a TV news-

room in action – all this was shared around the seminar

table and experienced vicariously by all.”

Prof. O’Dea says that the courses in the DPW program are

now useable for the major and minor in English, which is

a recent development. Furthermore, he says that in the

future it would be ideal for the DPW program to have more

interaction with other diploma programs, such as the

diploma in communications studies. Any students inter-

ested in finding out more can visit the DPW program

website at http://www.mun.ca/english/diplomas/profes-

sional.php.


NOTABLE

STUDENTVIEWCatherine Burgess

Writing right

Into the deepBy Stephanie Barrett

ROV STUDENT Kimberly Hann is voyaging to the

bottom of the Black Sea in search of shipwrecks and ancient

artifacts. Well, the ROV she operates will be operating is

anyway.

She left for Istanbul, Turkey, on June 20 to partake in a 10-

day expedition on the Institute for Exploration’s (IFE) vessel,

the E/V Nautilus.

Ms. Hann, who just completed the remotely operated

vehicle program at the Marine Institute, is one of three

students heading out on expeditions with IFE this summer.

The Institute for Exploration is dedicated to research in the

aquatic sciences, especially pertaining to human and natural

history in the oceans. Under the direction of Dr. Robert

Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic, IFE develops advanced

deep-sea vehicle systems to conduct this research, as well as

educate students and the general public.

Ms. Hann sees the opportunity as unique and is thrilled to

join the expedition, if only for 10 days.

“This is a rare and uncommon chance to do something

very different with my new skill set and education,” she

said. “Most people go directly into the oil and gas sector, but

this job deals with ocean exploration of shipwrecks and

such.”

As part of her job, Ms. Hann will operate the ROV tow sled

called Argus, which provides lighting for the main ROV

known as Hercules. Hercules provides high-quality, high-

resolution imagery of the shipwrecks, allowing the team to

better interpret the sites and their formation.

Last year, the Sea Research Foundation’s Institute for Explo-

ration team had a successful voyage to the Aegean and Black

seas in August, discovering five shipwreck sites around the

Datca peninsula, south of Knidos, Turkey, from aboard the

new E/V Nautilus. Based on these findings, the team has

concluded that the area is a prime region for locating and

documenting ancient shipwreck sites in deep water. The six-

month expedition, which ends in the Indian Ocean in

December, will be documented by National Geographic.

Poet Mary Dalton, English, is the sole Canadian writer to

appear in The Art of the Sonnet, recently released by

Harvard University Press; her poem Flirrup is included.

Edited by Stephen Burt of Harvard University and David

Mikics of the University of Houston, the anthology is a

survey of the sonnet from Thomas Wyatt to the present,

with detailed commentary on the sonnets selected.

Since retiring last year, Dr. Antonio Martin, a professor

from the Department of Biochemistry and Emeritus

Member of the Institute of Food Technologists, has kept

busy with work in international professional societies. He

has been invited to be a member of a number of commit-

tees organizing scientific events including the Interna-

tional Steering Committee for the Eleventh World

Renewable Energy Congress and Exhibition (WREN XI)

taking place in Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on

September 25-30, 2010; the Scientific Committee for the

International Conference on Food Innovation (Innova

2009) in Valencia, Spain, October 25-29, 2010 and the

International Steering Committee for the World Renewable

Energy Congress 2011 in Linkoping, Sweden, May 8-13,

2011.

Catherine Burgess is a student in the Diploma in Professional Writingprogram and the student columnist for the Gazette.

5Gazette | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

CommunityHealth Outreachoffice opens incentral

Earth Sciencesprofessor receivesPEGNL’s highestawardPROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS and Geosciences of

Newfoundland Labrador (PEGNL) recently honoured Dr.

Derek Wilton.

The professor of Earth Sciences was given the association’s

highest award, the 2010 Award of Merit, which is given for

outstanding contributions to the geoscience profession.

He previously received PEGNL’s Teaching Award in 2004.

The citation prepared for the ceremony describes Dr.

Wilton as “a scientist of exemplary repute,” “a stalwart in

his professional community, and a raconteur of some note.”

“These attributes make him a leader in the Earth Sciences

faculty at Memorial University, both as a researcher and a

teacher, and a major contributor to the public awareness of

science in Newfoundland and Labrador; including

publishing a children’s book, with Janet McNaughton and

artist Cynthia Colosimo, called The Polar Bear and the Rock:

Two Windows on Planet, that uses an Inuit legend to illus-

trate and describe the geology of Labrador,” it states.

Dr. Wilton has a B.Sc. in Geology from Memorial; an

M.Sc. in Geology from the University of British Columbia;

and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Memorial. He began

teaching in 1983 and brings humour and energy to his

lectures to ensure the continued interest of his students.

He is a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining and

Metallurgy, and, was awarded the annual W. H. Gross

Medal by the Mineral Deposits Division of the Geological

Association of Canada given to a young geologist who

made “outstanding contributions to the field of economic

geology.” Most recently, he was elected as a Fellow in the

venerable Explorers Club of New York, which has been

promoting exploration and field sciences since 1904.

Dr. Derek Wilton, professor, Department of Earth Sciences,receives the PEGNL 2010 Award of Merit from DarrylBenson, PEGNL chair.

By Sharon Gray

THE OFFICIAL OPENING of the new Community

Health Outreach office in Grand Falls-Windsor took place

this week, with representatives from the Government of

Canada, Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine and the town of

Grand Falls-Windsor in attendance.

Memorial University established this Community Health

Outreach office as part of a provincial network of outreach

offices conducting research on human genetic disorders and

population health in Newfoundland and Labrador. In

collaboration with Eastern and Central Health, the first

program to be initiated will be the Community Screening

Program in Colorectal Cancer. The Grand Falls-Windsor

office will start with a staff of six and will grow to 12 staff

within one year.

The new outreach office is supported by funding in the

amount of $1.4 million, with $742,771 from Atlantic

Canada Opportunity Agency’s Community Adjustment

Fund.

“Our government’s Economic Action Plan was designed

to help communities like Grand Falls-Windsor diversify

their economies, allowing them to build a strong and

sustainable future,” said Keith Ashfield, Minister of National

Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities

Agency (ACOA) and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway.

“The official opening of this clinic marks a milestone in the

efforts of the community to create new employment oppor-

tunities and help strengthen the local economy.”

Other support includes $256,000 from the provincial

department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development

and $350,000 from Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Pat Parfrey, associate dean of clinical research in

Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine, said the new Community

Health Clinic will initiate as its first project the Colorectal

Cancer (CRC) Screening Program for families at increased

risk of CRC in the Central Health region.

“Colorectal cancer is the most frequent cancer not caused

by smoking and is a cancer frequently caused by inherited

predisposition. Newfoundland has the highest rate of

familial CRC in the world. We will identify patients with

familial CRC, try and identify the genetic cause and enrol

family members in screening programs to prevent cancer.”

Keith Ashfield, right, took part in the official opening of a new genetics research office in Grand Falls-Windsor. Theminister was joined at the ceremony by Al Hawkins, mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor, left, and Dr. Pat Parfrey,associate dean of clinical research in Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine.

Canadian Parents forFrench recognizesMemorial communityBy Heidi Wicks

THREE MEMBERS of the Memorial community

were presented with awards from the Canadian Parents

for French (CPF) recently at Government House.

Renee Mercer, academic program administrator, Grad-

uate Programs, Faculty of Education, was awarded Volun-

teer of the Year, which pays tribute to a member of CPF

who has contributed enormously to the advancement

of French as a second language in his/her community.

Ms. Mercer has been actively involved with CPF for

nine years and has been the driving force behind the

local CBS/Paradise chapter by organizing CPF camps,

story-times, youth mentoring and more. Her drive to

promote FSL programming exemplifies Ms. Mercer’s

extraordinary commitment to the promotion of French

second language learning and to the community at

large.

Glenn Cake, another Faculty of Education alumni

(B.A, B.Ed, May ’88; M.Ed, May ’07), received the Teacher

of the Year Award for his unwavering commitment to the

promotion of French as a second language.

Mr. Cake is known as an enthusiastic and passionate

teacher who brings tremendous energy and interest to

a variety of initiatives. He has taught French Immersion

and Core French programs, all of which have enabled

him to identify student needs, to develop resources and

to motivate students and colleagues alike.

Aaron Power, Faculty of Education graduate (October

'09) received the Teacher Graduate of the Year Award,

which goes to a new teacher who demonstrates excel-

lence in his or her work. Mr. Power is a late French

Immersion/Core French teacher at Beaconsfield Junior

High School. As a new teacher, he is known for being

student-oriented, hard working and extremely profes-

sional.

“As a first year teacher, it’s very motivating and flat-

tering to be recognized for such a notable award,” said

Mr. Power. “Receiving this particular award has inspired

me to continue to promote and encourage French

language learning and the appreciation for a second

language.”


Three students win big by ‘living the dream’By Meaghan Whelan

THREE BUSINESS STUDENTS proved their fresh

thinking and social media smarts in a national competition

sponsored by Coca-Cola. Kevin Gallant, Karan Nijhawan

and Adam Puddicombe placed second in the Nestea Recruit

Campus Challenge, modeled after the television show The

Apprentice.

Posters around the business building asking “are you a

leader” piqued the interest of the three students, so they

formed Team DynOmite and won the first round of compe-

tition, earning them a trip to Toronto.

While there, the team participated in orientation and

training and met with executives. The final round of compe-

tition involved recording an anthem for Nestea and

promoting it via social media. Team DynOmite’s video

Living the Dream racked up more than 2,600 YouTube hits

and their Facebook page has 1,400 fans.

Kevin Gallant, bachelor of commerce (co-op) student, said

that going into the competition, they had no idea they

would learn so much.

“The challenges involved many different aspects of

marketing and promotion, such as social media, event plan-

ning, POS design and sales promotion, and were a fantastic

practical learning experience,” he explained.

Mr. Gallant said one of the key benefits of participating

in the competition was the opportunity to network.

“We developed a good rapport with the judges and got

to meet a lot of people in Toronto,” he said. “I was offered

a work term with Inventa, the marketing agency that ran

the competition, and Karan was offered an internship.”

Teams from six universities across Canada participated in

various marketing and promotion challenges to promote

Coca-Cola’s Nestea product. The winning team, from

University of British Columbia, won a year’s tuition and a

four-month work term with Coca-Cola.

The group’s winning video can be seen online,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWjwIiF3HHA or on Facebook,

www.facebook.com/areyoufresh.

Business students Adam Puddicombe, Karan Nijhawan and Kevin Gallant placed second in the national NesteaRecruit Campus Challenge.

Current MBA, future CEOBy Meaghan Whelan

AN AVID VOLUNTEER, a civic minded professional,

a dedicated scholar and future CEO are just a few of the

words used to describe MBA student Rebecca Moyes, recent

recipient of a major scholarship.

Ms. Moyes was in Halifax recently to attend the Atlantic

Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO Awards Gala, where she was

awarded a $5,000 scholarship from organizers in recogni-

tion of her academic achievement, leadership skills and

community involvement.

The scholarship, sponsored by Atlantic Business Maga-

zine, was open to graduate business or management

students at all universities in Atlantic Canada. In addition

to the $5,000 award, the scholarship also includes a year-

long mentorship with one of the Top 50 CEOs who were

recognized at the awards gala.

Ms. Moyes said that earning her MBA while working full-

time, raising a young family, and keeping up with variety

of volunteer commitments was a team effort.

“My husband, parents and in-laws have provided unwa-

vering support for the past few years,” she said. “Receiving

this scholarship has been a tremendous honour for me and

it will help me support my family as I finally get the chance

to become a full-time student and complete my education

this summer.”

She also credits her employer, the Department of Cana-

dian Heritage with the Government of Canada, with

supporting her throughout her MBA and allowing her to

spend the summer completing her degree fulltime.

Ms. Moyes’ application for the award included an intro-

spective essay on how she plans to use her skills to further

the economic growth of the Atlantic region. She said that

vision, values and leadership are essential to success, and

that one of her core values is the importance of contributing

to the economic, social and environmental development of

communities.

“I take on volunteer leadership roles within government

and non-profit organizations because I believe it is

everyone’s responsibility to make a difference in our work-

place and community,” she explained. She has a long list

of volunteer commitments, including working with a

micro-credit project in South America.

Ms. Moyes believes the long-term survival of communi-

ties is dependent on economic self-reliance and that in

order to help communities grow, she needed to hone her

business and leadership skills through an MBA program.

“Memorial has provided me with a quality education, and

through the mentorship I’ve received from this scholarship

I’ll be able to expand my skills even further,” she said.

“The top 50 CEOs are truly inspiring. Their success

teaches students in Atlantic Canada that with strong lead-

ership, hard work and innovation, we too can be leaders in

business and our communities. I’m very much looking

forward to working with and learning from my mentor from

this group.”

“I take on volunteer leadershiproles within government andnon-profit organizations becauseI believe it is everyone’s respon-sibility to make a difference inour workplace and community.”

MBA student Rebecca Moyes was awarded a major scholarship from Atlantic Business Magazine.

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By Janet Harron

THERE IS NO DOUBT that Memorial

has some amazing research projects on the

go. One of the more massive in scope is

happening on the third floor of the Arts

building at the English Language Research

Centre. Though housed in the English

Department, the centre brings together

researchers from English, linguistics and folk-

lore.

Here, where the Dictionary of Newfound-

land English was conceived and completed,

researchers and students are working dili-

gently to digitize many thousands of typed

index cards.

The cards, compiled by researchers over 50

years ago and derived mostly from printed

sources, represent “real uses by real people in

real conversations” says folklorist Dr. Philip

Hiscock, one of the members of the

committee that directs the centre.

Slightly yellowed and fading, each card

outlines the origin, use and pronunciation of

an individual word. Every word that the

editors of the Dictionary of Newfoundland

English included in the first 1982 edition was

initially recorded on these index cards. And there are many

cards whose contents didn’t make it into the dictionary

because of what lexicographers and linguists call “matters

of variable uniqueness” meaning that the words are in use

in other areas and are not unique to Newfoundland and

Labrador. The digitizing project aims to save all the

unknown words hiding in the files and bring them into the

21st century by giving them a prominent online presence.

“There is a great interest among the general public in

Newfoundland English,” explains Dr. Hiscock, who cites a

recent appearance by him and linguist Dr. Sandra Clarke,

another ELRC committee member, on CBC Radio’s Crosstalk

program, along with the capacity crowd who attended a talk

in late April by Dr. Clarke on the regional diversity of local

English, sponsored by the Newfoundland Historical Society.

This interest takes many forms. There’s the Facebook site

set up by Rattling Books devoted to words from the

dictionary. Twenty-somethings and teens have appropriated

phrases like “best kind” or “BK” for short form texting.

Memorial University’s (re)search engine is named Yaffle - “a

bunch of sticks or fish,” according to the Dictionary of

Newfoundland English. Director Sherry White called her

acclaimed first feature-length film Crackie (small dog of

mixed breed).

Other digital projects from the ELRC include the online

dialect atlas of Newfoundland and Labrador

English, directed by Dr. Clarke, using data

originally assembled between 1960 and

1982 by linguist Dr. Harold Paddock. Sched-

uled to be available online by the end of the

summer, this interactive atlas will depict

the regional spread of features of local

pronunciation and grammar, and will show

the complexities of word use in Newfound-

land. As an example, Dr. Clarke cites the 30

plus terms used throughout the province

for fried bread dough or “touton” and says

that “this is by no means unusual.”

The ELRC also originated the Reminis-

cences of J.P. Howley, an e-publication

consisting of over 2,000 pages of text, draw-

ings and photographs, launched in March

2010 as the first original e-publication of

the QE II’s Digital Archives Initiative. One of

the editors of that work, Dr. William Kirwin

(also a key member of the original team that

created the Dictionary of Newfoundland

English) is currently working with Prof.

Robert Hollett (another member of the

ELRC) on a volume of Placentia Bay place

names which they plan to place online.

The uses for the various digital projects are

myriad and users will run the gamut from school and

university students, actors, writers, tourism operators, and

even, according to Dr. Hiscock, to “people having argu-

ments after dinner.” Of course, within academia, the proj-

ects will be invaluable to linguists, historians, folklorists,

anthropologists, and bibliographers.

But meanwhile, the work goes on in the ELRC where

student researchers can sometimes spend days cataloguing

a single word.

“I’m just starting to settle into ‘bark’,” laughs Jenny

Higgins, part-time research assistant and the centre’s

manager. “I can do about 10 cards per hour on average. I

just feel that this is incredibly worthwhile work and that to

some degree it encourages the continued evolution of

Newfoundland English.”

Sure that’s BK b’y.


Sure that’s BK b’yGoing digital with a traditional language

From left, Dr. Sandra Clarke, Dr. Philip Hiscock, Jenny Higgins and Prof. Robert Hollett.

Clockwise from left: Zaren Healey White, Andrew Harvey, Erin Dorey and Travis Perry.

STUDENT AFFAIRS AND SERVICES (SAS) at Memorial were recognized for

excellence in the Atlantic region recently.

SAS swept the award ceremony at the Atlantic Association of College and University

Student Services’ (AACUSS) annual spring conference in Saint John, N.B., from May 30-

June 2.

Of the four award categories, Memorial claimed three prizes, and was also awarded two

different grants.

Dr. Lilly Walker, dean of Student Affairs and Services, said the devoted staff in her

division has created their own success.

“The student service professionals at Memorial embrace innovation,” she said. “Upbeat,

responsive and energetic, they invest their talents in developing programs that

recognize what students need to make the most of the Memorial experience.”

Staff members from the Student Volunteer Bureau (SVB), the Off Campus Housing

Office and the Residence Life Office have been recognized with both individual awards

and grants – valued at $500 a piece.

The SVB garnered the AACUSS Award for Excellence in Student Services. The honour

is given annually to a member of AACUSS or a department within Student Services at a

member institution that has demonstrated excellence over the previous year. As one of

only a handful of student-run resource centres at a Canadian university, the bureau was

recognized for its energy and drive – as well as its valuable programs and services such

as the longstanding annual Volunteer Day ceremony and the Volunteer Incentive

Program.

Memorial’s student services sweepAtlantic awards ceremonyBy Mandy Cook

See STUDENT SERVICES on page 8

“This is incredibly worthwhile work and to some degree it encourages the continued evolutionof Newfoundland English.”

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will provide him with sustainable employment in the

marine industry.”

Ms. Cayen adds it is encouraging to see young Inuit

beneficiaries who want to contribute to the economic

development of Nunavut and who have set high stan-

dards and goals for themselves.

Jerry Ward, chief operating officer of the Baffin Fish-

eries Coalition, one of NFTC fishing industry partners,

echoes Ms. Cayen’s sentiments. “This is a major step in

preparing Nunavut residents for high-level positions in

the fishing and marine transportation sectors,” he said.

“We want to see them move from the factory floors into

senior positions.”

MI’s long-term goal is to continue to share its fishery

and marine transportation experience with the NFTC

and the Nunavut Arctic College and to build capacity for

marine and fisheries program delivery at the college.

“This an extraordinary achievement for which

we are all very proud.”

Memorial received four gold awards, four silver

and four bronze. A gold award was captured for

the Best Ad Campaign category for This is the

start of something BIG, a unique advertising

and promotional campaign celebrating Memo-

rial’s impressive growth in research funding over

a five-year period.

Judges gave the 2009 Research Report: This is

the start of something BIG a gold award in the

Best Brochure category. The report was the

centerpiece of the “Big” campaign, which trum-

peted the news that Memorial was named

number one in research growth among Cana-

dian medical/doctoral universities from 2002-07.

Top honours were also bestowed upon Memo-

rial for Best Program or Department Website for

Literally: Graduate Student Recruitment Website.

A microsite dedicated to the needs of potential

graduate students, Literally is an intuitive

resource enabling incoming students to fine tune

their search for graduate programs. The Literally:

Graduate Student Recruitment Campaign was

also recognized with a silver award in the cate-

gory Best Program – Student Recruitment.

And Memorial was singled out for a gold

award for Best Program – Student Recruitment

for the Rant Like Rick contest. The campaign chal-

lenged high school students to write and perform a rant-

worthy video to nab a year’s worth of tuition.

In the Best Institutional Annual Report category, Memo-

rial University Z to A: President’s Report 2009 received a

silver award. The brochure is based on the theme that the

university is comprised of individuals who “zag” instead of

“zig,” or “intellectual adventurers.”

The 26 stories in the report are based on words that

capture the Memorial experience, each beginning with a

subsequent letter of the alphabet. Memorial University Z to

A: President’s Report 2009 was also recognized with a bronze

medal in the category Best Brochure.

A second silver award was awarded in the category of Best

Flyer for Amazing Students. “Amazing” students are nomi-

nated by individuals who believe a student

deserves recognition for their leadership skills,

community involvement or university activities

and demonstrates creativity in their coursework.

The university snagged another silver medal for

Best Audio, Video or Multi-Media Presentation for

Distance Education and Learning Technologies’

Wherever Radio Campaign 2009, as well. The

campaign portrayed realistic yet humorous study

locations where students could possibly find

themselves hitting the books – like a bench at the

gym or the backseat while carpooling.

Four bronze awards were handed out to Memo-

rial during the event. The university took home

a bronze in the category of Best Student Recruit-

ment Viewbook for its domestic and interna-

tional viewbooks. The booklets catalogue the

essential information prospective students need

to know about life at Memorial.

Another bronze was awarded for Best Alumni

Program. The Affinity Dinner Program features

events across the country, offering opportunities

for professional development, networking and

entertainment for Memorial alumni – a number

that is now 70,000 strong. In the category of Best

Poster, Memorial was awarded bronze for Let’s

Talk Science: “For People Who Like”. The posters

– which featured a fun play on words like pie/Pi

and Adam/atom – were distributed to provincial

schools as an outreach tool between students

and Memorial’s science instructors.

CCAE is the professional association of educational

advancement professionals in Canada. Its members work in

advancement services, alumni relations, communications

and marketing, enrolment management, fundraising,

government relations, public affairs and other

advancement disciplines.


cont’d from AWARD on page 1

Off Campus Housing co-ordinator Andrew Harvey was

singled out for the Dr. Richard Papenhausen Award for

New Professionals. The award recognizes outstanding new

professionals who have demonstrated a commitment to

serving students and to the development of skills and

knowledge in the student services field.

Erin Dorey, an officer with the Residence Life Office,

garnered a travel grant and the St. John’s Off Campus

Housing office was awarded a special projects grant to hire

an off campus helper who will welcome new students

during the fall semester. He or she will be a liaison between

the students and the programming, support and services

made available to them at Memorial.

And rounding out the sweep was an award for the dean

herself. Dr. Walker was honoured with the Award of Merit

– the highest honour the association can give to one of its

members. As an SAS employee, Mr. Harvey said the dean’s

presence in the division is “inspiring.”

“I know that I will be supported in offering innovative

and creative ways to reach out and connect to students at

the Off Campus Housing office,” he said. “Dr. Walker, and

her infectious enthusiasm and passion for helping students,

permeates the division and makes its way into my own work

and that of my colleagues. Her resilience and attitude is an

inspiration to me personally, and professionally.”

cont’d from STUDENT SERVICES on page 7

Pender to head Grenfell College Secretariat

Team Memorial shows off the hardware from the recent CCAE awards ceremony. Clockwise, from top left, Frank Lockington, president of CCAE;Ivan Muzychka, Peter Morris, Jeff Hulan and Cindy Smith, from Marketingand Communications; Peggy Miller, DELT; Jo-Anne Philpott, Grenfell College;Debbie Connors, Medicine; Lynn Cadigan and Jennifer O’Neill, Alumni Affairs;and Victoria Collins, Marketing and Communications (centre).

cont’d from MARINE on page 1

CHARLES PENDER, educator, administrator and

former municipal politician, has been appointed director

of the newly established Sir Wilfred Grenfell College Secre-

tariat. The appointment was announced June 28 by Dr.

Christopher W. Loomis, president and vice-chancellor pro

tempore, in his capacity as chair of the Task Force on a

Renewed Governance Structure for Sir Wilfred Grenfell

College.

The task force is mandated to undertake the important

work related to academics, administration and finance,

research, and communications and nomenclature that will

mark a new era for Grenfell College, Memorial University’s

campus in Corner Brook. The secretariat reports to the task

force and has been created to augment the administrative

and planning capacity at Memorial’s west coast campus,

including student recruitment.

“I welcome Mr. Pender to Memorial,” said Dr. Loomis.

“We’re pleased that we’ve found someone of his experience

and capability to help us manage through this period of

change. Our goal continues to be to grow enrolment and

research capacity at Grenfell and to reinforce the west coast

campus’s place as a vital and strong part of Memorial

University.”

Charles Pender is an alumnus of Memorial University

with a master’s degree in education. He has a deep interest

in and knowledge of both Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and

Corner Brook, having served as mayor of the city.

He has held many other leadership positions in the

community, demonstrating the ability to carry out long-

term visionary projects. He has also served as a volunteer

on numerous boards and helped guide large-scale projects

in the region including the Canada Winter Games and

development of the Corner Brook Ports Corp. He brings to

the new role familiarity with educational institutions,

having served as an administrator in the secondary school

system and as a student and employee in the postsecondary

system.

Mr. Pender commences his new duties as director of the

Grenfell College Secretariat on Aug. 9.

Dr. Loomis added that the task force is also in the process

of staffing the other positions on the Secretariat in the

areas of finance and administration and communications

and expects to announce the remainder of the new team

soon.

“This is a major step in preparing Nunavut residentsfor high-level positions in the fishing and marine transportation sectors.”


RESEARCH

By Sharon Gray

EVEN IF YOU never use a salt shaker, the chances are

your daily diet contains too much sodium. From bread to

canned vegetables to pizza, the average person’s diet is rich

in sodium, most of it added during the industrial prepara-

tion and processing of foods. While much of this sodium is

added as salt (sodium chloride), it can also sneak into food

in a number of other forms such as monosodium glutamate

and baking soda.

Biomedical researcher Dr. Bruce Van Vliet is an expert on

the effect of sodium on blood pressure and its relationship

to cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in

Canada. He is particularly concerned about the exposure

children have to a high sodium diet and its contribution to

a “slow and insidious” rise in our blood pressure during

aging.

"There are a growing number of studies which show that

the earlier in life you are exposed to salt, the more profound

the effect will be,” said Dr. Van Vliet. “Starting to eat a high

sodium diet early in life is a terrible thing.”

This raises the question of whether sodium consumed by

a mother when she is breastfeeding, or even pregnant, could

increase her child’s risk of hypertension later in life. Dr. Van

Vliet's findings could eventually influence the dietary recom-

mendations for pregnant women.

“The maternal nutritional environment during pregnancy

seems to alter the offspring in a long-term way. It can't

change the offspring’s genetic code, but it can change the

manner in which the offspring’s genes are used,” explained

Dr. Van Vliet. “We want to find out if the sodium a mother

consumes during her pregnancy can have this kind of repro-

gramming influence on her baby’s genes.”

Like a sweet tooth, we all have a salty tooth, said Dr. Van

Vliet. The good news is that you can re-program your palate

– but it takes some effort and close attention to what you eat.

“Three-quarters of the sodium in food is added by the food

industry. Only 10 per cent occurs in food naturally. If compa-

nies weren’t adding salt to food we could control it more

easily,” said the researcher.

Even if you carefully add up the amount of sodium listed

in purchased food, and try to keep within a reasonable daily

limit, you may still be eating too much sodium.

“The number on, for example, a can of soup is stated as

a percentage of the maximum daily limit,” said Dr. Van

Vliet. “The daily limit of 2,300 milligrams is the most you

should be consuming – an adequate intake would be about

65 per cent of this or 1,500 milligrams.”

Dr. Van Vliet’s research is helping us to understand

precisely how a lifetime exposure to salty foods affects our

blood pressure, and the underlying mechanisms. In societies

where sodium consumption is high, such as North America,

blood pressure rises as a person ages. This is a slower

phenomenon that isn’t necessarily reversible with medica-

tion or dietary changes.

“The more sodium the society eats, the more the blood

pressure rises with age," explained Dr. Van Vliet. “And when

I say with age, I mean over decades. You can't see it in an

individual very easily, so it's hard to investigate. But what

we can do is look at it in animals.”

With the help of funding from the Canadian Institutes of

Health Research, Dr. Van Vliet and his colleagues performed

experiments in salt-sensitive rats, known as Dahl rats, to

illustrate that salt-induced hypertension has both rapid and

slow phases, with varying levels of reversibility.

Next, he plans to look at the impact of high-salt diets on

pregnant mice and rats and their offspring. This research

could help reveal whether or not the sodium a mother eats

during her pregnancy affects her offspring’s blood pressure

later in life.

For more details on sodium and health, check out

www.sodium101.ca.

Do you have a salty tooth?

• SSHRC's Presidential Fund for Research, Innovation and

Collaboration

• NSERC Idea to Innovation (I2I) Program

• Shastri Institute Scholar Travel Subsidy Grant

• WCB Research & Workplace Innovation Program

• Non-reactor-based isotope Supply Contribution Program

(NISP)

IMMINENT DEADLINESSept. 1Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation – grants

for alcohol research

Canadian Institutes of Health Research – proof of principle

program (letter of intent)

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada – innovations in

IBD research: a special competition

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada – grants-in-aid -

new investigator award - career investigator award

National Cancer Institute of Canada – student travel award

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council –

Michael Smith award for science promotion (call for nomi-

nations)

Sept. 9Human Frontier Science Program – long-term fellowships

- cross disciplinary fellowships

NEWS&NOTES

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By Pamela Gill

THE NEWFOUNDLAND and Labrador Centre for

Applied Health Research (NLCAHR) has awarded a $20,000

grant to a research team led by Dr. Leslie Cake of Grenfell’s

psychology program. That grant will be supplemented by

a $5,000 grant from Sir Wilfred Grenfell College.

The seed grant comes through NLCAHR’s 2009-10

Newfoundland and Labrador Healthy Aging Research

Program.

The title of the project is Building an Evidence-Based

Framework for the Development of a Newfoundland and

Labrador Centre on Aging. Dr. Cake, principal investigator,

and other members of the team, will travel across the

country to visit 13 Canadian Centres on Aging to gather

information on their activities and structures. The co-inves-

tigators are Dr. Sharon Buehler, Kelli O’Brien, Dr. Gail

Wideman, Dr. Michelle Ploughman and Carla Wells. The

team also includes collaborators from seniors’ groups across

the province who will help review the information gath-

ered. Ultimately, the information collected will inform the

potential establishment of a NL Centre on Aging and assist

in defining its precise nature and activities.

Statistics Canada has projected that by 2016, Newfound-

land and Labrador will have the highest proportion of

seniors in Canada.

“This centre would increase the province’s capacity to

conduct research on aging and to provide services for/with

seniors in partnership with seniors’ organizations and

governments,” said Dr. Cake, who has been researching the

concept since 2008.

“Given the rapid growth of our seniors’ population, a

better understanding of aging and the provision of services

for seniors are priorities for all levels of governments. The

provincial government has acknowledged the need to

address the opportunities and challenges associated with

our aging population in the Healthy Aging Policy Frame-

work and Implementation Plan,” said Dr. Cake.

The current project builds on a desirability/feasibility

study conducted for the administration of Grenfell College

in 2008-09. Phase I of the Grenfell study reviewed 33

existing Canadian Centres/Institutes on Aging. Phase II

assessed feasibility via extensive consultations with groups

and individuals at Grenfell College, the Western Regional

School of Nursing, and Western Health. Dr. Cake also met

with a group of community, government, and academic

representatives based in St. John’s. Phase III of the Grenfell

study is ongoing with expanded consultations with the NL

government, community and academics to further identify

aging-related research interests and to determine provincial

resources currently available to seniors.

“Recently, some of the people with interests identified

during Phase II agreed to work collaboratively toward a

provincial Centre on Aging beginning with the develop-

ment of the seed grant proposal,” said Dr. Cake. “We have

formed a research team and a planning group with

province-wide representation that includes academic,

health board, and community partners.”

The research team will produce a report that will include

analyses of Centres on Aging visited and contain options

and recommendations for developing and designing a NL

Centre on Aging that fits the needs of the province.

“The daily limit of 2,300 milligrams is the most youshould be consuming – an adequate intake would beabout 65 per cent of this or 1,500 milligrams.”

Dr. Bruce Van Vliet holds up a three-kilogram containerof salt, enough for more than five years “adequateintake” of sodium.

Grenfell prof obtains grant to investigate Centres on Aging


By Pamela Gill

KIPPENS RESIDENT Scott Tobin recently had an

opportunity to meet the folks who are backing him at

Memorial University.

Corner Brook’s Poole family and Mr. Tobin enjoyed some

time together at Grenfell College in Corner Brook, to recog-

nize the awarding of the scholarship. Terry Poole, who

attended high school in Corner Brook and now resides in

Calgary, established a charitable trust from which the Poole

Family Scholarship is derived. The scholarship is valued at

$5,000 per year and renewable for up to three additional

years.

The Poole Family Scholarship is awarded annually to a

full-time undergraduate student entering into his or her

first year of study in any program at Memorial University

of Newfoundland (at any campus). To be eligible, candi-

dates must demonstrate financial need and scholarship

standing. Preference is given to candidates who graduated

from a high school in western Newfoundland. The first

recipient of the scholarship was Robert Gash of Corner

Brook in 2008. Both Mr. Tobin and Mr. Gash are currently

studying in St. John’s.

The luncheon, organized by Grenfell’s Division of

Student Services on behalf of Alumni Affairs and Devel-

opment, was also attended by Mr. Poole’s brother, Ron

Poole; his mother, Ada Burry Poole; Mr. Tobin’s mother,

Debbie Tobin; Dr. Bill Iams, Grenfell’s vice-principal; Dr.

Penny Blackwood, Memorial’s director of Alumni Affairs

and Development; Ms Mary Sparkes, co-ordinator of

Student Services; and Linda Carroll, Grenfell’s student

affairs officer.

“We’re thrilled that we were able to arrange this gath-

ering,” said Ms. Carroll. “It’s very important that our

students understand their good fortune and meet the

people who support them. We are grateful to have had the

opportunity to thank the Poole Family in this special way.”

For more information, visit www.mun.ca/alumni.

The Poole family got to meet one of the winners oftheir scholarship recently. From left are Ron Poole, AdaBurry Poole, Terry Poole, and Scott Tobin, winner of thePoole Family scholarship. The luncheon also marked the93rd birthday of Mrs. Burry.

Poole family honoured for scholarship donation

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Building a place to play for socially-isolated childrenBy Kelly Foss

CHILDREN WHO are isolated from their peers miss

opportunities to learn and practice skills involved in making

and keeping friends. Their attempts to interact with peers

may become increasingly awkward and inappropriate, and

subsequent rejection leads to further avoidance. So how do

you reverse this cycle?

That was the question for Dr. Christine Arlett, an associate

professor with the Department of Psychology. So she, Cathy

Sinclair, MSW, and other therapists at the Janeway Family

Centre and Child Development Program, created KidClub,

a place to bring socially isolated children aged nine to 13

together to learn social skills, build self-esteem, form friend-

ships and experience a sense of belonging.

The first group of children picked the name KidClub.

Since then, over 100 children have participated in the

program, which over the past 13 years has been housed in

a number of places in the community and is now housed

in the Psychology Department clinic.

“Most other programs targeting social skills are struc-

tured and time-limited,” said Dr. Arlett. “The children don’t

tend to be successful in applying the skills they learn. For

most of the children in Kidclub, they already know what

they should be doing. It’s actually doing it in the right way

at the right time that’s the problem. Another difference is

that other programs tend to focus on initiating interactions,

rather than on managing longer-term friendships.”

Kidclub meets once a week, year-round. Children come

together and play in an informal environment, supported

by therapists and university student volunteers. They learn

how to resolve conflicts and manage the give-and-take of

stable friendships. Graduate and undergraduate psychology

students acquire skills and experience in working with this

diverse group of children in an informal setting.

“We have clear evidence of consumer satisfaction with the

program,” said Dr. Arlett. “A lot has to do with children

feeling safe so they can try out different ways of inter-

acting, feeling good about themselves, and being able to say

‘I have a friend and there’s a place I go where I feel

welcome’.”

When the children were asked what KidClub meant to

them, their answers focused on fun (“makes me feel

happy”), meeting friends (“being around people you can

relate to”), getting away from stress (“place where you can

relax and get away from stuff”), being nurtured (“people

take care of you”), and learning new games.

Dr. Arlett recently presented a workshop on social isolation

across the lifespan for the Association of Psychologists

Newfoundland and Labrador, drawing attention to the fact

that social isolation has serious immediate and long-term

consequences for people of all ages.

Janet Bartlett, an honour’s student working with Dr.

Arlett, recently found that 28 per cent of Memorial students

reported acting as caregivers for an ill family member when

they were between the age of 10 and 23 years. Under-

standing the impact this has, and how to provide effective

supports for young caregivers is an important future

research direction.

Global musicians and dancers to explore meaning of placeTHE RESEARCH CENTRE for Music, Media and

Place (MMaP) is hosting a symposium this week that will

see presenters from Newfoundland and around the globe

consider how individuals and social groups give meaning

to place through music and movement.

The event will take place in the MMaP gallery, second

floor of the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s, from 8

a.m.-4:15 p.m., on Friday, July 2. The final session of the day,

featuring local traditional singers, will be held at Bitters Pub

at 4:30 p.m. “Despite and even because of global flows of

culture, the concrete and imagined places of sounding and

dancing continue to have significance in the lives of musi-

cians and dancers,” said Memorial professor and symposium

organizer Dr. Kati Szego.

“There’s a dynamic relationship between how we

connect, intellectually and emotionally, to certain spaces —

our homes, our places of worship, our natural environ-

ment — and how we sing, play and move in those spaces

and about them. This symposium is a special opportunity

to explore those connections that help define our humanity

and our place in the world.”

Presenters from Slovenia, Brazil, Austria, Malaysia, Korea,

Australia, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United

States and Canada will consider how:

• musicians and dancers make places meaningful through

stories, commemoration, mimesis or even gestures of

control

• music and dance are shaped by how people think about

the spaces, regions and geographies they occupy e.g., east

and west, land and sea, heaven and earth, in and out.

• the physical or metaphysical properties of spaces and

places affect how people experience music and dance

• location, dislocation, and multi-location are expressed

musically, lyrically, and bodily

The papers will vary as wildly as the presenters’ origins.

For example, Janice Tulk of Cape Breton University will

explore the Corner Brook mill whistle as a soundmark;

Tran Quang Hai will demonstrate Mongolian overtone

singing; and Kenyan scholar Jean Kidula will look at music

and dance at rugby sevens events in Nairobi and San Diego.

For more information, please visit www.mun.ca/mmap

or call 737-2058.

Dr. Christine Arlett is helping bring socially-isolated children together.

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June 30Human Resources and Marketing and Communications presents

Meet Memorial -- Open House tours, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. featuring

Allied Health Services in the Phys Ed. Bldg. and Distance Educa-

tion and Learning Technologies, ED-2000.

Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance (CURRA)

presents Making Fishermen's Knowledge Usable -- A presentation

by Camilla Brattland, visiting Memorial from the Sami fisheries

research network at the University of Tromso in Norway, 12-1:30

p.m., Beatrice Watts Boardroom, IIC-2014.

Botanical Garden presents Summer Gardening Workshop: Heritage

Plants, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Road.

Summer barbecue with Technical Services 12-2 p.m. Square in

front of QE II Library. Proceeds to benefit scholarships.

July 1Botanical Garden presents Canada Day Family Program at MUN

Botanical Garden, 12:30-4 p.m.

July 2Memorial University Medical School Class of 2013 presents Monte

Carlo Charity Selection - Application Deadline (Postmark), Office

of Student Affairs, Faculty of Medicine.

MMaP presents Music, Dance and Place Symposium with presen-

ters from Newfoundland and around the globe considering how

individuals and social groups give meaning to place through

music and movement. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., MMaP Gallery, second

floor, Arts and Culture Centre.

Monday, July 5Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil information session for Earth Sciences

students and Engineering Co-op and graduate students 5:30-7:30

p.m. Engineering Building, EN-2006.

July 7Human Resources and Marketing and Communications presents

Meet Memorial -- Open House tours, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., featuring

Alumni Affairs and Development, 20 Lambe's Lane (southeast of

Aquarena), and Printing Services, Ingstad Building, Elizabeth

Avenue.

July 8School of Graduate Studies presents Structural Behaviour of Thick

Concrete Plates, PhD oral Defence of Emad Rizk, Faculty of Engi-

neering and Applied Science, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., IIC-2014.

Immunology and Infectious Diseases Group presents Dr. Anie

Philip, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, McGill Univer-

sity, 12-1 p.m., Lecture Theatre D, HSC.

July 9School of Graduate Studies presents Performance and Reliability

Comparison of Grid Connected Small Wind Turbine Systems,

PhD oral defence of Md. Arifujjaman, Faculty of Engineering and

Applied Science, 2-4 p.m., EN-4002, S.J. Carew Building (Engi-

neering Board Room).

July 14Botanical Garden presents Summer Gardening Workshop: The

Fragrant Garden, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 306 Mount Scio Road.

July 15Arthritis Society Bake Sale 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. 3rd Floor UC, across

from campus pharmacy.

OUTANDABOUT... http://today.mun.ca

Ocean View for RentRooms in gorgeous Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove home, $350

per month including internet, power and cable television.

(Must provide own phone or have cell phone.) Please call

709.697.5780 for additional details. Only 15-minute drive

from campus - full use of home, quiet roommates. No lease.

Parking available free of charge, on-site laundry. Ideal for

graduate students, working professionals or mature students

with a car. Males or couples preferred, non smokers.

For rentProfessor’s house available for rent August 1/10 through Aug

31/11 in historic and central Georgestown neighbourhood.

Three bedrooms plus a study, furnished and equipped. Beau-

tiful house, hardwood floors, private yard with deck, off-street

parking. Perfect for a growing family; no smokers, no pets.

$1,400/month pou. Contact: [email protected], (416) 694-6312.

For leaseAvailable for lease, a three bedroom, two bath bungalow from

September 2010 for 8 to 10 months at $1,200/month p.o.u.,

internet incl. Couple preferred, either on sabbatical or doing

graduate work. This fully furnished home with hot tub and

tennis court is in a country setting on a pond and is 15 min.

drive from MUN. Contact 746-7790.

For leaseSabbatical home available for lease in Clovelly Trails east end

July 1, 2010-July 31, 2011. Furnished Victorian 2 story 4

bedroom 3.5 baths, recroom, fireplace, jacuzzi. $2,000 per

month. [email protected] (709)738-3169. Visit:

http://www.spousesthatsellhouses.net/St_Johns/Newfound-

land_and_Labrador/Homes/St_Johns_SJ_01/Clovelly_Trails/A

gent/Listing_15350999.html.

CLASSIFIED

Campbell Tinning, untitled (Newfoundland), 1949, watercolour on paper.

Summer exhibitions open at Grenfell GalleryTHREE SEPARATE exhibitions are now open at

the Grenfell College Art Gallery: Campbell Tinning:

The Newfoundland Paintings; The View from here:

Corner Brook Regional High Visual Arts Students; and

Minds, Hands and Magic II: Work by students in

Learning through the Arts in Western Newfoundland.

Curated by Heather Smith and organized by the

Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, Campbell

Tinning: The Newfoundland Paintings features the

work of George Campbell Tinning, who was born in

Saskatchewan in 1910 and died in Montreal in 1996.

Tinning visited Newfoundland twice. His first visit

was in his capacity as a Canadian war artist. He was so

intrigued with the people and the place that he

requested an extension of his three-week visit but

unfortunately his request was denied. He returned to

Newfoundland in the summer of 1949 shortly after

Newfoundland joined Confederation when there was

a great deal of curiosity about Canada’s newest

province. The Newfoundland paintings vividly reflect

life in rural Newfoundland at the time in a way that

no photograph can. The large watercolours are fresh

and direct, capturing the spirit of the place and time,

as seen through an outsider’s lens.

The View from here: Corner Brook Regional High

Visual Arts Students is a multimedia exhibition of our

local high school art students. The works range from

the more traditional forms of drawing and sculpture

to digital animation and video projection.

Minds, Hands and Magic II shows a sampling of

visual arts projects by primary and elementary students

who participated in this year’s Learning through the

Arts in Western Newfoundland (LTTA/WNL) program.

Students worked with visual artists Audrey Feltham,

Susy Randall, Chris Short and Brenda Stratton on art

projects designed to teach concepts in mathematics,

social studies, religious studies and science.

For further information or to book a tour, please

contact Charlotte Jones, acting gallery director, (709)

637-6209, [email protected], or visit our gallery

website at www.swgc.mun.ca/artgallery/.

VISIT US ONLINE

WWW.MUN.CA/GAZETTE


THE TERRY FOX Research Institute (TFRI) announced

June 23 the expansion to Newfoundland and Labrador of

a nationwide lung cancer detection study involving current

and former smokers.

Seven sites across Canada currently participate in the

study and since its launch in September 2008, a total of 37

cancers have been found. To date, 2,021 participants are

enrolled in the national study, which is aimed at detecting

and treating lung cancer earlier and through readily acces-

sible and low-cost detection techniques.

Organizers of the Newfoundland and Labrador study, to

be based in St. John’s, aim to recruit 200 participants over

the next year. The study will be conducted in collaboration

with health care and research partners at Memorial Univer-

sity of Newfoundland and Eastern Health, based at the

Health Sciences Centre.

“We are pleased to be a part of this national

lung cancer detection study and know that

many current and former smokers in the

province will be interested in it as well," said Dr.

Rick Bhatia, Eastern Health radiologist and clin-

ical associate professor of radiology at Memorial,

who will lead the site project and work with his

colleagues in respiratory medicine.

“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer

death in Canada and around the world,” he

said. “This study is focused on early detection

and treatment of lung cancer and has the poten-

tial to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality

through relatively simple breath and blood tests.

We’re grateful to TFRI for expanding the study to

Newfoundland and Labrador, and we believe it is of vital

importance to improving survival rates from lung cancer

both here and elsewhere in Canada.”

TFRI is providing $472,907 for the St. John’s study,

bringing the total invested in the Early Lung Cancer Detec-

tion Study to $7.16 million. The lung study is co-funded by

the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

“We recently celebrated the launch of the Atlantic Node

of the Terry Fox Research Institute in St. John’s, Newfound-

land in April 2010," said Dr. Victor Ling, TFRI president and

scientific director. “Our investment in this study site signi-

fies our commitment to help improve cancer outcomes for

patients who live here. This is the first of

what we hope will be many partnership

initiatives with regional cancer research and

health care communities here. This study is

an international first and participants are

helping to make history in cancer research.”

The made-in-Canada program has sites in

Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Hamilton,

Ottawa, Quebec City and Halifax. It uses a

unique combination of a questionnaire and

tests of blood and breath to determine the

effectiveness of these readily accessible and

low-cost detection techniques for lung cancer

as a first step in early detection, streaming

those identified as being at higher risk to the costlier but

more sensitive spiral CT and bronchoscopy.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in

Canada and around the world, killing 20,000 in Canada and

1.2 million worldwide. That is more than colorectal, breast

and prostate cancers combined. By 2020, it is projected

that lung cancer will be the fifth highest killer among all

diseases.

Current and former smokers between the age of 50 and

75 who are interested in participating are urged to call 709-

777-7097 in St. John’s. To contact other participating

centres, please call 1-888-505-TFRI (8374).


By Janet Harron

A TRUE MILESTONE was reached at Memorial’s

recent convocation ceremonies.

Jennifer Sooley became the first person that is deaf and

who uses American Sign Language (ASL) exclusively to

communicate to graduate with an undergraduate degree

from Memorial, according to Ruth North at the Glenn Roy

Blundon Centre (Student Affairs and Services).

Ms. Sooley graduated with an anthropology/sociology

major and a minor in women’s studies.

Ms. Sooley was a student at the Newfoundland School for

the Deaf for the majority of her elementary and secondary

education, travelling home to Heart’s Delight on weekends

to visit her family. After graduating from high school in

2000 she moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Gallaudet

University, the world leading undergraduate school for deaf

and hard of hearing undergraduate students.

Following the devastating attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Ms.

Sooley decided to return home and enrolled at Memorial in

the fall of 2002 as a part-time student.

“It seems like such a long time ago now,” she comments

through her ASL interpreter. Ms. Sooley says that attending

Memorial didn’t seem groundbreaking to her at the time.

“I just registered and went!”

Ms. Sooley was accompanied in each class by an ASL inter-

preter (funding for interpreters is provided by the provin-

cial government) and she developed a practice of sitting in

the front of each class so she could see the interpreter and

professor clearly. For group projects with other students an

interpreter would also attend and email was used regularly.

“I always figured out a way … It did take a lot of patience,

sometimes something wouldn’t work but I just persevered,”

she said.

One of the few concessions to Ms. Sooley’s deafness was

the extra time she was given to complete exams that she

took at the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre (Student Affairs

and Services).

“My first language is American Sign Language, so I some-

times needed extra help with the language structure of

English,” she explains.

The Blundon Centre covered the costs for interpreters that

were required for Ms. Sooley’s attendance at presentations,

meetings on campus, and extra-curricular activities

including ArtsWorks and Make Midterm Matter for which

she received a bronze VIP award. The Blundon Centre also

provided the sign language interpretation (with Ms. Sooley’s

input) at convocation and for the first time sign language

interpreters were visible on DELT’s live web feed of the

ceremony. Ms. Sooley was also provided with a hand held

monitor so she could have a close view of the interpreter

while in her seat at the Arts & Culture Centre.

“We were determined to set up the best quality signing

possible at Jennifer’s convocation,” says Ruth North of the

Blundon Centre. Ms. North acknowledges the tremendous

support the Centre received from the convocation team,

including Kevin O’Leary from DELT, Paula Eddy-Shea of

Marketing and Communications, and Dr. Chris Sharpe,

the University Marshal. She also acknowledges the assis-

tance the Blundon Centre received over the past eight years

in setting up services at the university from Interpreting

Services of Newfoundland and Labrador and from the

Newfoundland Coordinating Council on Deafness.

“Jennifer can certainly be viewed as a role model for

other people who are deaf who would like to study at

Memorial,” says Ms. North.

Having been involved with advocacy in the deaf commu-

nity since 2005, Ms. Sooley is currently on the board of

directors of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of

the Deaf and is busy networking across Canada on deaf

women’s issues in preparation for a national conference in

2011.

She hopes to eventually find full time work at home and

hasn’t shut the door on further education either. Newfound-

land is a particularly challenging place in which to be deaf,

according to Jennifer, due to isolation and lack of services.

Historically many deaf people have had to leave the

province in order to access services and find employment.

Acknowledging that although Lifelong Learning offers

courses in ASL, she’d ultimately like to see a greater

emphasis on deaf culture at Memorial.

“My dream would be a deaf resource centre or a program

in deaf studies,” she says. “I just want to show people that

a person who is deaf can get into the education system and

make it work for them. It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of

struggle but it’s worth it.”

“I just want to show peoplethat a person who is deaf canget into the education systemand make it work for them. It’sa lot of hard work and a lot ofstruggle but it’s worth it.”

Jennifer Sooley is pictured receiving her degree on May 25.

Early detection lung cancer study aims to recruit 200 participantsBy Sharon Gray

“This study is focused on earlydetection and treatment of lungcancer and has the potential tosignificantly reduce lung cancermortality through relatively simple breath and blood tests.”

Dr. Rick Bhatia is leading the site projectof the lung cancerdetection study.

Undergraduate degree granted to student who is deaf

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