Mun gazette sept 2 2015 web v2

Sept. 2, 2015 Volume 48 | Number 2

A 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

Registration Mail No. 4006252

Sound innovation

How an engineering student turned a class project into a career

By Krista Davidson

ARTIST RENDERING

Scott Stevenson was in his final

Members of the Memorial community are encouraged to attend a Core Science Facility open house on Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and from 2-4 p.m. in The Landing, University Centre.

Drop in any time to see architectural drawings and models of the new building. Project team members will be on hand to answer questions about the exciting new facility.

year of engineering at Memorial and on the hunt for a work term when he met Dr. Andrew Staniland, a composer and assistant professor with the School of Music.

Dr. Staniland had a unique problem.

He wanted to perform electronic music the same way other musicians perform with acoustic instruments. However, electronic music is mostly created on computers and desktop interfaces. And audience members don’t tend to get the same sense of a musical performance from a computer than they would from other instruments, says Dr. Staniland.

“There’s a lack of satisfying performance instruments in electronic music,” he explained. “Most people can’t see and appreciate the visual cause and effect from a computer that they would with a guitar or piano.”

“When someone is behind a computer, you can’t tell whether they are creating an entire song from scratch or just selecting a song from iTunes,” added Mr. Stevenson.

See SOUND on page 6

Fabulous four Outstanding alumni to be recognized for tremendous contributions

By Jeff Green

Trailblazers. Innovators.

Visionaries. Ambassadors.

Four exceptional alumni are being honoured for their countless impacts on communities around the globe, individual accomplishments and

dedication to their alma mater.

Memorial University has announced the recipients of its 34th annual Alumni Tribute Awards, the highest honour bestowed by the alumni body on Memorial graduates making tremendous contributions at home and around the world.

“The incredible contributions of this year’s honorees underscore the power of a Memorial education.”

5 FOO D SLEUTHS

9 W RITER - IN - RESI D ENCE

— Bob Dowden

See FABULOUS on page 8

features

3 M I G RATION WAV E

An international study by Memorial’s archaeology department has revealed that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans arrived 23,000 years ago.

Memorial’s Food Policy Lab invited people to examine what’s on offer in their food environment, including convenience stores, restaurants and cafeterias.

A poet and the editor of literary magazine The Malahat Review is Memorial’s writerin-residence for fall 2015.

12 M ILLION - D OLLAR V IE W

The first look inside the re-modelled space of the Battery Facility Graduate Accommodations is ready to share.

Alumni spotlight

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for me, it was about three things: connecting with home, daily creative exercise and community. I started the project for myself but it quickly became apparent that there were two communities invested in what I was doing. The first was other people taking part in the 100-day project. I met a lot of those people through the social media hashtag (#the100dayproject).

The second was the community of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who were so responsive to the project.

KG: How did Newfoundland and Labradorians react to the project?

Tara Feener Tara Feener, B. Eng.’09, has always been attached to her home province. A Newfoundlander living in New York, Ms. Feener is a front-end engineer with FiftyThree, a tech startup specializing in mobile creation tools. This past spring, she started the 100 Days of Newfoundland project. Using her iPad and FiftyThree’s app Paper and stylus Pencil, she drew one picture each day for 100 days and posted it online. The beautiful digital artwork of the places, people and things of Newfoundland and Labrador is now on display at Gallery24 in St. John’s. She spoke with special

by writing the title for the piece, and if possible, I like to come up with something clever. Then I work on the ink outline — this takes between 20-40 minutes. Once I’m happy with the basic drawing, the next step is coloring. The coloring is timeconsuming but is actually my favourite part as it is the most relaxing. For 100 days I went into work in the morning feeling accomplished and on a little bit of a high — ­ you’ve already created something before you go to work to start creating, which is an incredible feeling.

TF: Very positively! I received a lot of Gazette contributer Katie Guiney while in town for the show’s opening.

KG: What inspired you to do the 100 Days of Newfoundland project?

TF: I heard about the 100-day project from some friends who did it last year.

A lot of people have taken it on but the original idea comes from Michael Bierut’s 100-day workshop project at the Yale School of Art. Basically, the purpose is to do one creative action every single day. I knew right away I wanted to do something related to Newfoundland and Labrador but

KG: Were you familiar with each of

messages on Facebook from people with suggestions on what to do next. There were people living in lesser known areas of the province that are not typically captured who reached out too, which was nice. My grandmother and her sister living in Nova Scotia followed my posts religiously and she would contact me if I hadn’t posted by the early evening. Grandmother pressure is a great motivator!

KG: Describe the process of creating

the 100 items you chose to feature?

TF: I wasn’t familiar with all 100 pieces at all. Actually, I learned a lot about our province from participating in this project. It may sound funny because I’m from here, but this initiative has made me even more obsessed with home. We have so many beautiful and wonderful places and I think as lifelong residents, we sometimes take them for granted.

You can also find Tara Feener’s work on the cover of the next issue of Luminus, Memorial’s alumni magazine, in October 2015.

each piece.

TF: The majority I created in the morning before going to work. I start

EDITOR Mandy Cook GRAPHICS Shane Mills REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

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 communitysuggested opportunities to choose from, your next project is just a click away. Here’s one...

The opportunit y

The statistics are staggering. With youth aged 16-24 making up 30 per cent of the homeless population in St. John’s, the province’s capital city now has youth homelessness rates 10 per cent higher than the national average.

“Youth homelessness is a persistent and growing problem throughout Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Sheldon Pollett, executive director, Choices for Youth. “There is a series of complex and interrelated factors at play.”

Following a community planning institute in December 2014, Choices for Youth, along with local and national partners, authored a report in June 2015 titled Towards a Solution: Creating a Plan to End Youth Homeless in Newfoundland and Labrador. The report, accompanied by a panel discussion at City Hall, was a call-toaction showcasing foundational evidence that the problem exists, that

CFY PHOTO

By Bojan Fürst Special to the gazette

Sheldon Pollett, CEO, Choices for Youth solutions exist and have demonstrated impact and that their implementation is not only realistic but already in motion for many communities across Canada. The report also highlighted next steps to fill knowledge gaps and work collaboratively with partners to create a plan that works in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The projecT

One of the most important aspects of this work is to explore the scope of the problem in the province.

“To get a truly accurate picture of youth homelessness in the province, we need to investigate how young people are represented in the homeless and at-risk populations in communities across Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Mr. Pollett.

His organization would like to work with Memorial researchers to develop a snapshot of youth homelessness in the province while exploring the range of

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needs, available services, common experiences and data trends. This information is crucial to mobilize adequate resources and direct the development of a plan that is truly provincial in scope, says Mr. Pollett.

The Harris Centre, The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (The Homeless Hub), The National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, Mobilizing Local Capacity End Youth Homelessness (A Way Home) and End Homelessness St. John’s have all been a part of the project to date. The report, Towards a Solution, can be found at www.choicesforyouth.ca/tas.

If you are interested in working on this project or would like more information about the project and applied research funds available through the Harris Centre for projects such as these, please contact Bojan Fürst, manager, knowledge mobilization, at the Harris Centre at bfurst@ mun.ca or 709-864–2120.

Courtenay Alcock Laura Barron Jennifer Batten Melanie Callahan Rebecca Cohoe Nora Daly Krista Davidson Kelly Foss Elizabeth Furey Leslie Earle Pamela Gill Jeff Green Janet Harron Jill Hunt

Jackey Locke Virginia Middleton Cathy Newhook Michelle Osmond Lisa Pendergast David Penney Marcia Porter Kristine Power Dave Sorensen Melissa Watton Meaghan Whelan Susan White Heidi Wicks Laura Woodford Sandy Woolfrey-Fahey

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Kelly Hickey PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Hammond ADVERTISING Mandy Cook T. 709 864 2142 mandyc@mun.ca Next gazette deadline Sept. 16 for Sept. 23 publication.

The gazette is published 17 times annually by the Division of Marketing and Communications at Memorial University.

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 T. 709 864 2142 F. 709 864 8699 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.

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‘Unprecedented view’

By Janet Harron

An international study reveals that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans arrived in the Americas as part of a single migration wave, approximately 23,000 years ago.

The research, published in the online edition of Science on July 21, 2015, was co-authored by Drs. Vaughan Grimes and Michael Deal of Memorial’s Department of Archaeology. KellyAnne Pike, a MA graduate of the department, is also listed as a co-author.

There is archaeological evidence of modern humans in the Americas ca.

15,000 years ago (KYA). However, there is still debate over exactly when and how many times the ancestors of present-day Native Americans entered the New World from Siberia. A large genome-scale study, conducted by an international team headed by the Centre for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen, reveals that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans arrived in the Americas as part of a single migration wave, no earlier than 23 KYA. Within the Americas, the ancestral Native American pool diversified into two basal branches around 13 KYA. The team also reports a later gene flow into some Native Americans from groups related to present-day East Asians and Australo-Melanesians. Finally, the results from this study show no support for certain historical Central and South American groups with distinctive cranial morphology being relicts of an

early and separate migration into the Americas, as proposed by the Paleoamerican Model.

“The scale and scope of our study gives an unprecedented view into the population history of the New World, including North, Central and South America,” said Dr. Grimes. “It also provides a framework to carry out similar types of research using ancient genetics and archaeological data on a regional scale, which will allow for a more nuanced understanding of population continuity and/or change though time for the ancient and contemporary First Nations in these areas.”

In order to develop a more detailed account of when and how the Americas were peopled, the team generated genomic data from several present-day Native American and Siberian populations, which are poorly represented in the genetic literature.

They also sequenced ancient samples from across the Americas, spanning ca.

6,000-200 years ago, to trace the genetic structure over time.

Since Amerindians and Athabascans were part of the same migration into the Americas, the current genetic differences observed between them would have emerged sometime after 23 KYA. The team found evidence for a split in the ancestral Native American gene pool that led to the formation of two distinct genetic branches, namely the “northern” and “southern” branches, and that this split occurred ca. 13 KYA. The “northern” branch was found to be

Sussi Bech artwork

International study confirms timing of North America’s first migration wave

An artist’s representation of the ice age landscape that early Native Americans would have encountered. present in northern North America and included both northern Amerindian groups as well as Athabascans. The “southern” branch, on the other hand, included Amerindians from southern North America and Central and South America.

When comparing the genetic affiliations of sequenced ancient samples from the Americas, the team found that several samples were genetically more closely related to modern-day populations from the same geographical location. This result indicates there was a genetic and geographic continuity of Native American groups across the millennia in at least some parts of the Americas.

The study reports a signal of gene flow between some Native Americans and groups related to present-day East Asians and Australo-Melanesians, the latter including Papuans, Solomon Islanders and South East Asian huntergatherer groups. While the signal is weak, it presents an intriguing scenario of a distant Old World connection to Native Americans after their split from one another and after the latter had peopled the Americas.

The paper Genomic Evidence for the Pleistocene and Recent Population History of Native Americans was published online in Science July 21, 2015.

‘Making a difference’ Pharmaceutical research by female high school students a ‘WISE’ move Dr. Laleh Alisaraie believes it’s important to train talented, determined young women to conduct research.

“The number of female scientists is obviously less than males, so it’s important to encourage young women to join us — they’re brilliant and if they are trained properly early on in their educational program, they can certainly manage challenging projects when they are front line researchers,” said the assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy who is cross-appointed to the Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry.

Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) is a non-profit, incorporated volunteer organization that aims to increase the participation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers by increasing awareness that these professions are rewarding and exciting options for women. The Student Summer Employment Program is WISE Newfoundland and Labrador’s flagship program and provides young women in Grade 11 with the opportunity to work for eight weeks in paid science and engineering research assistant roles.

Memorial University has placed

hundreds of students on its campuses since WISE NL’s inception 35 years ago.

Last summer, Sara Moss and Sarah Wilkins became the first students in the program at the School of Pharmacy to conduct research in computational medicinal chemistry in Dr. Alisaraie’s research lab. Ms. Moss and Ms. Wilkins worked on a part of a significant chemoinformatics project, which explores how and why chemotherapeutic drugs cause side effects.

“They received the necessary instructions and the scientific background required for running their projects, and they learned the application of specific chemistry and molecular biology software packages, which were utilized as their research tools,” explained Dr. Alisaraie.

The goal was for the students to gain a better understanding of how the chemistry of drugs directly affects their medicinal properties, and how physics and computer science can serve modern drug discovery.

Ms. Moss said the program helped her get a real sense of what working with science can be like.

“Our project focused on reducing the unwanted side effects and symptoms of

DAVE HOWELLS PHOTO

By Heidi Wicks

Dr. Alisaraie’s computer lab features chemistry and molecular biology software, which helps students to explore how and why drugs cause side effects. anti-cancer drugs used to treat ovarian and breast cancers. The fact that our work was towards a project that will hopefully better drug treatment for cancer patients was very rewarding,” she said.

A typical day involved researching anti-cancer drugs, cataloguing and coding the research into documents, working with computer databases and programs to study chemical structures of drugs and proteins.

“The project was a real-life attempt to

fix the problematic side effects of real anti-cancer drugs. We were working towards making a difference in the scientific field and in the lives of cancer patients,” Ms. Moss said.

Since last year, Dr. Alisaraie has been an advocate of the WISE program. This summer she welcomed student Kailey Gillingham to her lab. She plans to offer placements to other students via the program in the future.

Student startup Recent graduates making waves with social media marketing tool

By Kelly Foss

Dr. Octavia Dobre, associate professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected as a member of the administrative committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Instrumentation and Measurement Society for the term Jan. 1, 2016-Dec. 31, 2019.

Two Memorial graduates are finding success with a new social media management tool they created for marketing agencies and freelance marketers.

Sahand Seifi and Joseph Teo are co-founders of HeyOrca, an online tool that allows marketers to build social media campaigns and collaborate with other members of the company or team.

A campus entrepreneurship program Mr. Seifi completed in 2012, shortly after arriving at Memorial to begin a master’s degree in computer science, inspired him to pursue entrepreneurship after graduation.

“I attended the Division of Career Development and Experiential Learning’s Entrepreneurship Training Program in 2012,” he said. “After that I was more exposed to local businesses and things that were happening around the city in the startup community.”

Mr. Seifi then met Joseph Teo, an undergraduate student in business, while working at an on-campus job.

The pair began brainstorming ideas to bring their interests and skills together.

“We started thinking about the things we like and technology was one of them; starting a company was another,” said Mr. Seifi. “We decided to dedicate one day a week to work on an idea.”

The first company they started, StudentFresh, tried to help students find meaningful jobs by connecting them with local businesses. They worked on the company for a few months before deciding it would be a better fit for a non-profit organization to pursue.

In the meantime, to pay their bills, the duo had been assisting local businesses with their social media presence by writing and posting content for them.

papers & presentations From left are Joseph Teo and Sahand Seifi.

“We noticed there was a tool missing to make that work easier,” said Mr. Seifi. “Since I had a computer science background we decided to build our own.”

They were soon approached by a local marketing agency wanting to know what tool they were using.

“We gave them a demo and they were very interested,” he said. “We also talked to other agencies and determined it was a common problem. So we created a new business to build on our tool and sell it.”

Mr. Teo came up with the name, combining a way to greet people with one of the most social animals on the planet, to form HeyOrca.

The company is currently housed in office space provided by SIFE Memorial’s student business incubator, Launch Pad. For the next three years, HeyOrca will also be a client of the Genesis Centre, Memorial’s University’s business incubator for technology startups.

They now have approximately 300 users from all over the world and with both co-founders now finished

their programs at Memorial, they are actively looking for investors to help grow their company. They recently hired their first employee.

Although the pair is not from this province, they hope to continue working and living in Newfoundland and Labrador. They say many people have advised them against it, that it’s “busier” in other parts of Canada. But Mr. Seifi says the local government is very supportive of small businesses and there is a lot of help from the community itself.

Mr. Seifi strongly encourages other students to think about forming their own companies and hopes that Memorial continues to build an environment that supports student entrepreneurship. He says one of the problems is that science and engineering students don’t often have opportunities to connect with business students.

“They might be great at building a product, but they might not know how to make those connections or sell the product. We need more ways for these students to cross paths with each other.”

Researchers investigate how environmental pollutants affect the thyroid

By Virginia Middleton

PhD student Nicole Babichuk, from the Division of Community Health and Humanities published a paper in the journal Environmental International titled Skewed Distribution of Hypothyroidism in the Coastal Communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. The paper provides evidence that incidence of hypothyroidism is higher in coastal communities that have waters flowing in from the St. Lawrence river basin, known for high levels of POPs. The paper was also presented at the 27th Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology Aug. 30-Sept. 3 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“We used secondary data sets from the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health information on hospitalizations with hypothyroidism form 1998-2012 in 41 coastal communities of Newfoundland,” said Dr. Sarkar. “We found that hypothyroidism rates on the west coast and southern coast of the island were significantly higher that the east coast communities.”

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Dr. Vit Bubenik, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, presented a paper titled From North-West Doric ‘Koina’ to Hellenistic Koine during the Hellenistic and Roman Periods at the International Conference The Linguistic Map of Central and Northern Greece at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in May 2015.

obituaries DR. ROGER GREEN Dr. Roger Green, an honorary research professor in the Faculty of Medicine, passed away Aug. 9, 2015. He was 69.

KJELLRUN K. HESTEKIN Kjellrun K. Hestekin, a retired professor of the School of Music, passed away Aug. 11, 2015. She was 66.

MICHAEL EDWARD RYAN Michael Edward Ryan, a retired staff member with Facilities Management, passed away Aug. 12, 2015. He was 70.

Disease triggers Although it is well known that hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder in North America and women more likely than men to develop the disease, there are very few studies about thyroid status of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

An intriguing question has been does the environment influence thyroid status, especially those of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

Recent research suggests that the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment may affect thyroid function. One cause of exposure is through food contaminated with POPs. The pollutants are released into the environment through various human activities including industrial processes, agricultural activities and urban waste. Studies have also shown that there are high levels of POPs in certain marine animals, which when consumed might trigger hypothyroidism.

Recently, Drs. Atanu Sarkar, John Knight and Shree Mulay, as well as

notable

Dr. Sarkar says there are many different factors still to examine, including how frequently people in the high-rate communities eat local fish and shellfish, which species are consumed and the levels of POPs in the fish samples.

This research has national importance because local food supplies in other parts of the country may have similar connections to health problems and pollutants.

Environment Canada has already identified areas of the St. Lawrence River to be among the top POPpolluted water sources in the country due to industrialization and urbanization in the Great Lakes watershed and along the river.

Dr. Sarkar says their pilot study forms the basis of future studies because it is too early to make a causal link between hypothyroidism rates and POP levels in populations’ diets.

The research team hopes to determine if there is an identifiable cause to the disease’s trend in the province.

JESSICA MCERLEAN Jessica McErlean, a bachelor of arts student at Memorial University, passed away Aug. 21, 2015. She was 21.

JACOB JAAP TUINMAN Jacob Jaap Tuinman, former vice-president (academic) and pro-vice chancellor at Memorial University, passed away Aug. 22, 2015. He was 75.

MARY MYRICK Mary Myrick, a retired staff member with Information Technology Services (formerly known as Computing and Communications), passed away Aug. 23, 2015.

Frameworks in action

Memorial’s frameworks in action

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

The food in this place

By Cathy Newhook

A Simple STROLL around your neighbourhood including a quick jaunt down to your local convenience store can reveal a lot about your health.

That was the thinking behind an event that took place in June as part of the Engage Memorial series. Led by Dr. Catherine Mah, assistant professor in the Division of Community Health and Humanities with Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine, the event involved training participants as “food sleuths” and a walk around downtown St. John’s to examine their own food environment.

“We often go grocery shopping as a matter of habit, without thinking about how that environment shapes our

choices,” said Dr. Mah. “Our food environment, the food in our neighbourhoods, stores, restaurants and cafeterias, can have a big influence on our dietary choices and health.”

The event was planned as part of Dr. Mah’s newly formed Food Policy Lab at Memorial. Working in partnership with Food First Newfoundland and Labrador and Eastern Health, attendees participated in an interactive workshop on how to assess your food environment, followed by a discussion about how groups can work together to make it healthier.

The workshop included a short presentation on retail food environments, followed by a group activity and neighbourhood walk to explore convenience stores and grocery stores. The group then participated in an in-depth discussion of their findings over lunch (of course). Stephanie Pomeroy, a public health master’s student at Memorial,

Bojan Fürst photo

The three overarching frameworks guiding Memorial’s future direction — the Research 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.

A neighbourhood convenience store in St. John’s. helped to lead the organization for the event.

“I was surprised by how receptive and engaged the audience was in the discussion of food environments,” she said. “It was interesting to observe the collaboration of experts in the field and members of the general public coming together to share their experiences and stories.”

This event is certainly not the extent of Dr. Mah’s plans for public engagement.

Through the Food Policy Lab, which recently received funding from Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in addition to Harris Centre applied research funding, Dr. Mah’s team has conducted extensive research on the province’s food environment, as well as initiating the Healthy Corner Stores N.L. project to support and strengthen small retail

businesses that sell food in rural communities.

The research has already identified specific challenges with the food environment in Newfoundland and Labrador, including transportation and distribution issues.

“In a province like Newfoundland and Labrador, moving food around and food supply can be a big challenge,” said Dr. Mah. “But as we know in our families and communities, food is one of the best ways to bring people together. Food is a great natural fit for public engagement. By collaboratively finding ways to get quality, affordable, healthier foods to where they need to go, we can work across sectors and silos to come up with innovative solutions to make a positive impact on people’s health.”

By Laura Barron

The search committee for director, Student Wellness and Counselling Centre, has completed its work and has recommended Dr. Peter Cornish for this position.

President Kachanoski has accepted the recommendation and has approved the appointment.

This month Dr. Cornish will transition from his current role at Memorial as interim director, Student Wellness and Counselling Centre, to his new role as director, Student Wellness and Counselling Centre.

Dr. Cornish, an associate professor in counselling, joined Memorial in 1994 and is a registered psychologist in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Saskatchewan. He is a strong advocate for interprofessional collaboration, encouraging the development of health-related partnerships with a broad range of

disciplines within the university and within the public health sector.

Dr. Cornish’s clinical and research interests include interprofessional team functioning, interpersonal and group dynamics, healthy communities, online health service innovations and gender issues. His empowerment-oriented approach to professional practice and administration draws on feminist, psychodynamic and community psychology theory. Dr. Cornish has published 30 refereed publications and presentations as well as 10 other chapters and papers.

Dr. Cornish will report to Dr. Cecilia Reynolds, deputy provost (students) and associate vice-president (academic) undergraduate studies. He has been serving as interim director, Student Wellness and Counselling Centre, since December 2014.

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Director appointed for Student Wellness and Counselling Centre

Dr. Peter Cornish is director of Student Wellness and Counselling Centre at Memorial.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Fuelling the dairy industry in Newfoundland and Labrador

As part of a post-doctoral project, Nadeem Muhammad checks corn roots using an underground scanner.

By Melanie Callahan

THE RESEARCH of a crop and soil scientist at Grenfell Campus’s Boreal Ecosystem Research Initiative is supporting the province’s dairy industry by providing accessible, local feed.

The expansion of the dairy industry in Newfoundland and Labrador has led to an increase in the feeding requirements of dairy animals and the availability of dairy manures, said Dr. Cheema Mumtaz, associate professor of agronomy at Memorial’s west coast campus.

Currently, silage corn production in the province is very low. Almost 90 per cent of the feed used for dairy farms is imported from other provinces, which is costly and tends to be of low quality.

Therefore, silage corn hybrids with higher biomass production are required to be grown in this province to meet industry feed and forage requirements.

Dr. Mumtaz invited the public to visit his field experiment site at the Pynn’s Brook Research Centre in Pasadena recently, where five different corn hybrids are being studied. There, visitors saw lush, green plots of corn plants.

Dr. Mumtaz’s research will enhance Newfoundland and Labrador’s potential to grow silage corn using dairy manure as a phosphorus fertilizer resource. He is working in collaboration with local dairy farmers to collect manure from different sites and building relationships with farmers who are anxious to maximize

their investment and self-sufficiency.

“Results of my research will be significant in growing the local dairy industry into something much more feasible and profitable,” he said.

Dr. Mumtaz is studying the root growth of the corn hybrids and considering its role in phosphorus uptake in a corn crop. It will require the researcher to learn more about phosphorus and the ability of roots to use phosphorus in developing healthy corn plants and the impacts of excessive phosphorus application in the soil and environment — about which very little is known.

Suitability of corn hybrids will be partially determined by their ability

to uptake excess phosphorus that can build up in the soil after a heavy manure application. Dr. Mumtaz and his team will be looking at root architecture and photosynthetic efficiency of the silage corn hybrids. Root growth is very important and makes the minerals and organic nutrients soluble, facilitating the acquisition of nutrients.

The research will also determine what, if any, environmental consequence is associated with the use of manure as a fertilizer. Greenhouse gas measuring is also taking place in the silage corn production system, making it the only research study site in the province to do so.

technology transfer organization and funds from various sources, including Springboard Atlantic and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Mr. Stevenson remained on the project well after his work term ended to further develop the in-demand instrument. He incorporated his company in October 2013 and has been working on it ever since to bring the instrument from prototype to finished product.

Starting out with plastic, the team eventually moved toward a wooden prototype that could be held, placed on a musician’s lap or laid flat on a surface to enable performance flexibility.

“Going from plastic to wood was a huge shift in our thinking,” said Mr. Stevenson. “Working with wood is what our brand is all about, making the device feel like a real instrument.”

With the instrument development complete, the team needed to determine what its name would be.

“We decided on Mune,” said Mr. Stevenson, explaining the name was originally a musical play on the word rune. “But it also comes from the word commune, because there’s a big community element to the instrument as well.”

Mr. Stevenson says there was a lot of support that enabled the team to bring the idea to reality. Memorial’s Industrial Outreach Group was crucial in providing three students and two woodworkers to

help create the new wooden prototype.

The group provides outside business and organizations, large and small, with access to the unique skills and facilities of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

Thanks to marketing support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, the Mune instrument will be available for pre-order through a crowdfunding campaign that is helping the team establish a demand prior to mass manufacturing the instruments.

The team has just launched its teaser website (www.munemusic.com) along with an online ad campaign and will begin its pre-sales campaign this month.

“We want the first Mune owners to be founding artists who will help guide and contribute to further development,” said Mr. Stevenson.

Dr. Staniland is proud to see the instrument develop into a business idea and supports Mr. Stevenson in taking the product from lab to life.

“If Scott wasn’t pursuing this, this piece of technology would probably just be sitting in my lab.”

cont’d from SOUND on page 1

From left are Dr. Andrew Staniland and Scott Stevenson displaying some of the many prototypes created before landing on the final wooden prototype.

What resulted from the meeting of the two minds was a well-composed collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Music.

With support from an Ignite Grant from the Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Staniland teamed up with two faculty members from Engineering, Dr. Nick Krouglicof, an associate professor and chair of the mechanical engineering discipline, and Andy Fisher,

associate dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Together they hired Mr. Stevenson to develop an outward facing instrument that musicians could use to play electronic music.

Mr. Stevenson’s four month work term produced a few prototypes, such as a drum-like instrument with sensors. After a few tries, he wanted to come up with a more attractive shape. That’s when a new business idea began to unfold.

With help from Memorial’s Office of the Vice-President (Research) through its

6 gazette | Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

This story appeared in the Aug. 26 edition of The Telegram newspaper as part of Breaking Ground, a regular series this summer about research at Memorial.

Inclusive community

By Laura Barron

SOME MIGHT BELIEVE an office shared by representatives of different faiths could be filled with conflict and tension, but at Memorial’s St. John’s campus the opposite is true. With chaplains representing Anglican, Muslim, Pentecostal and Salvation Army communities, Memorial’s inter-faith Chaplaincy is a place of mutual respect and support.

Visitors are always welcome at their office on the fifth floor of the University Centre, and anyone who stops by will quickly discover that the group radiates warmth and collegiality to all comers.

The Chaplaincy consists of Roger Whalen, Anglican chaplain; Kassem Abouchehade, Muslim chaplain; Marlene George, Salvation Army chaplain; and Robert Winsor, Pentecostal chaplain.

When asked how they put aside their theological views to work together, Ms. George responded with a message of respect and acceptance.

“It’s a mutual respect. What we represent, but also what we demonstrate, is mutual respect for our differences. Though, I think, we probably have more similarities than differences.”

As Ms. George spoke, the other chaplains smiled and nodded in agreement.

“We all have different points of theology, but we’re all about the same thing,” said Mr. Whalen. “We’re all about helping people and guiding them

in their faith, yes, but also guiding them in their everyday life.”

Collaboration and co-operation with other faiths is an important part of Islam, says Mr. Abouchehade.

“As part of the Islamic faith, there is an obligation for me to have this wonderful relationship with other faiths,” said Mr. Abouchehade. “This is part of what our religion teaches us. I convey these messages to our community in the mosque and to our students here on campus as well.”

Memorial’s Chaplaincy is sponsored by the faith communities in the city, and the office aims to provide the university community with spiritual support, guidance, counselling and resources. They also offer a listening ear for those who simply need to talk about their personal experiences. They provide support for memorial services on campus, mentor students in faithfocused student groups and associations and now have a more formal role in the new Student Support and Crisis Management unit in Student Life.

“We’re here to support the community in whatever way we can,” said Mr. Whalen.

Each Thursday during the fall, winter and spring semesters, the Chaplaincy partners with the Wellness Program from the Student Wellness and Counselling Centre to offer an “oasis” on the third floor of the University Centre. As aromas from the popcorn machine waft through the halls each week, the event is an invitation to

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Inter-faith Chaplaincy place of mutual respect and support

From left are Memorial’s chaplains Marlene George, Kassem Abouchehade, Robert Winsor and Roger Whalen. students, faculty and staff to enjoy a selection of free treats and to stop in for a chat. The much-loved St. John Ambulance therapy dogs also visit the oasis about once a month.

The oasis began as an event hosted only during exams, but because of its popularity is now offered on Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. during each semester and also during exams. The chaplains have seen about 15,000 visits during the two years they have been holding the event. They emphasize that all members of the university community are welcome.

This fall the chaplains look forward to meeting new students and to trying

some satellite oasis events in the form of barbecues across campus. They will participate in the annual Remembrance Day ceremony, host a Ten Thousand Villages fair trade crafter’s market in November and will partner with the Campus Food Bank to help provide Christmas toys for children of students.

They will also soon welcome a chaplain from the Roman Catholic community.

For more information about the Chaplaincy, visit www.mun.ca/ chaplaincy/index.php or pop into The Oasis on the third floor of the University Centre on Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

A pedestrian’s guide to pedway changes

By Lisa Hoffe Special to the Gazette

TWO OVERHEAD pedways on the St. John’s campus that cross Prince Philip Drive are slated for major change in the name of public safety.

The east pedway, running from the front of R. Gushue Hall to the front of Coughlan College, will be taken down as early as September (weather permitting), once the renovation of the existing tunnel under the parkway is complete.

The west pedway, which carries pedestrians from the Chemistry-Physics building to the Earth Sciences building and the University Centre, will also be removed, but not until a new pedway is built connecting Chemistry-Physics with the University Centre. The new walkway will be built over the coming year and the old section will come down next summer.

“The two pedways have reached the end of their useful lives,” said Ann Browne, associate vice-president of facilities. “In both cases, providing safe, cost-effective alternatives for those looking to cross Prince Philip Drive, one of the busiest roads in the province,

is our priority. The upgrades to the tunnel as well as the rerouting of the west pedway also improve accessibility on campus.”

The tunnel upgrades include the addition of a lift, improvements to lighting, increased tunnel width, and the addition of an open entry point to the tunnel on the north side of the parkway. The tunnel is part of an underground network called MUNnels that connect major buildings on campus.

The overall cost of the project, including removing both pedways, improving the underground tunnel and adding the new walkway from Chemistry-Physics, is approximately $3 million.

The benefit is a “safer, environmentally controlled space for students, faculty and staff,” said Ms. Browne.

A consultant who studied foot traffic patterns concluded that the changes would result in a minimal increase in pedestrian traffic through the University Centre food court.

It was a concern for safety that brought the pedways into existence 35

The pedway from the Chemistry-Physics building to the Earth Sciences building is one of two pedways slated for major changes. years ago. On Oct. 17, 1980, Memorial student Judy Lynn Ford was killed while crossing Prince Philip Drive. Students affected by the news of her death gathered at the crosswalk in such

growing numbers that the parkway was shut down for several days. The blockade of the parkway finally ended with a commitment from the city for funding to build the two pedways.

cont’d from FABULOUS on page 1

Alumnus of the Year Geoff Eaton, BBA’98, is this year’s Alumnus of the Year Award recipient.

Six months after graduating at the age of 22, Mr. Eaton was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments and received two bone-marrow transplants, spending 31 days in intensive care and 23 days in a drug induced coma. With less than a two per cent chance of survival, he defied the odds.

To help cope with his illness, Mr. Eaton started an email group to share his story. It evolved into Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC), the leading support network for young adults with

J.D. Eaton Alumni Award Dr. Rex Gibbons, B.Sc.’67, BA(Ed.)’67, M.Sc.’69, is this year’s recipient of the J.D. Eaton Alumni Award, which recognizes outstanding volunteer contributions to Memorial.

Following the completion of his PhD in geology at the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Gibbons spent two years as a research associate at NASA’s Lyndon Johnson Space Center before returning to Newfoundland and Labrador to work in senior positions within the provincial government. He then served as a member of the House of Assembly for St. John’s West and minister of Mines and Energy and Natural Resources from 1989-97. After

Alumni Horizon Award Jessica Burry, B.Sc.(Pharmacy)’06, is this year’s Alumni Horizon Award recipient and is being recognized for exceptional achievement by a Memorial graduate under the age of 35.

Ms. Burry’s involvement in humanitarian work began with a position as HIV/AIDS clinical pharmacist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

That experience triggered a passion that led to her working on medical missions throughout Africa, including a position in Swaziland with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) where she managed supply chains and advanced pharmaceutical care in that country.

Outstanding Community Service Award

cancer in Canada. To date, YACC has raised more than $8 million through a variety of fundraising initiatives.

An acclaimed social entrepreneur, cancer advocate and public speaker, Mr. Eaton has received numerous awards and accolades during the course of his career. Most recently in 2014 he was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Volunteer Hall of Fame.

Mr. Eaton is a dedicated supporter of his alma mater, regularly giving of his time as a speaker at Memorial’s Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Medicine and School of Nursing.

Geoff Eaton

his life in politics, Dr. Gibbons joined the private sector before retiring in 2007.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gibbons has received many academic and industry awards and volunteered on countless boards and committees.

What stands out among many volunteer commitments is his dedication to Memorial, including three terms as an elected alumni representative on the Board of Regents (1979-82, 2008-2011, 2011-2014). Considered one of the most significant volunteer contributions Memorial alumni can make, Dr. Gibbons has been an instrumental figure in guiding the management and administration of the university.

Since concluding that MSF mission in 2013, she completed a master of science in infectious diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and also worked on short-term contracts with UNICEF and the International Union Against TB and Lung Diseases.

Ms. Burry re-joined MSF in April 2015 and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, to support their Access Campaign.

There she is working as an advocate for the development and provision of quality life-saving and life-prolonging HIV and hepatitis C medicines.

In September 2013 Ms. Burry was recognized by the School of Pharmacy with its Alumni Achievement Award.

Dr. Jawahar (Jay) Kalra, M.Sc.’72, PhD’76, B.Med.Sci.’79, MD’81, is this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Community Service Award.

Born in India, Dr. Kalra immigrated to Canada in 1971 to begin postgraduate studies at Memorial where he left an indelible mark on campus life as a student leader.

Since 1985 Dr. Kalra has been a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan and a member of the medical staff in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory

Medicine at Royal University Hospital.

Dr. Kalra is an ardent community builder, committed to issues such as social justice, human welfare and diversity.

He has diligently served in leadership roles including Saskatoon Folkfest, the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan and the Rotary Club of Saskatoon Nutana.

Dr. Kalra has gained international acclaim for his role in laboratory medicine reorganization and innovative research.

In 2013 he was named one of RBC’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrants and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, among other honours.

“The incredible contributions of this year’s honorees underscore the power of a Memorial education,” said Bob Dowden, chair, Alumni Tribute Awards Selection Committee. “Once again, we had an extremely strong slate of

nominees from every generation which speaks to the impact Memorial graduates are making around the world. Each of this year’s four recipients have distinguished themselves in their careers and chosen fields and

8 gazette | Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

Dr. Rex Gibbons

Jessica Burry

Dr. Jawahar (Jay) Kalra are among a select group of Memorial alumni chosen for our Tribute Awards.”

The 34th annual Alumni Tribute Awards ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland in St. John’s. To purchase

tickets, please call the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development at 709-8644354, toll free at 1-877-700-4081 or email rsvpalumni@mun.ca. Tickets are $125 per person. Table and group rates available; find more information at mun.ca/alumni.

‘Writerly self’

British Columbia poet and editor named writer-in-residence

A POET AND THE EDITOR of the literary magazine The Malahat Review is Memorial’s writer-in-residence for fall 2015.

A resident of Victoria, B.C., John Barton visited St. John’s briefly on two previous occasions but is looking forward to experiencing a strong sense of place during his four-month stay.

“I live on the opposite coast in a very different kind of city, the only one in Canada with a quasi-Mediterranean climate,” said Mr. Barton, who has previously been writer-in-residence at the Saskatoon Public Library and at the University of New Brunswick.

“I relish the opportunity to immerse myself in the contrast.”

He says he thinks of himself as an inspiration coach and enjoys mentoring writers one-on one.

He says often the people who come to see a writer-in-residence are at the beginnings of their vocation or are just discovering whether they have one.

“Working with them reminds me of what motivates people — what motivated me — to start writing, unimpaired by the careerist aspirations that can sometimes cloud a writer’s ambitions for his or her work once the writerly self becomes more firmly established.”

English professor and chair of the writer-in-residence search committee Dr. Robert Finley says he is looking forward to Mr. Barton’s residency.

“John brings with him such a depth of experience not only as an important Canadian poet but as a mentor across several genres and as the editor of one of the country’s foremost literary journals,” he said. “His contribution to our writing program at Memorial and to the wider literary community in the province is going to be considerable.

We’re tremendously grateful to the Faculty of Arts and to the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of English in St. John’s and at Grenfell, and the Office of Public Engagement

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By Janet Harron

John Barton will read from his work on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music. for making this residency possible.”

While at Memorial Mr. Barton will conduct several workshops, including one on submitting to literary magazines, meet with those in the Memorial and greater community regarding their writing and host a monthly evening discussion for LGBTQ writers.

Mr. Barton will also spend time working on his current writing project Contrapposto. The book features

three protagonists who were part of the queer community in New York City in the decades before the Stonewall Riots (events which marked the beginning of gay liberation): Lincoln Kirstein, co-founder of the New York City Ballet with George Balanchine, painter Paul Cadmus and photographer George Platt Lynes.

“Each of them approached the queer body through a different aesthetic and set of experiences, and

I am interested in sketching out the composite figure that emerges as their voices are brought together,” he said.

Mr. Barton’s first official reading will be held at the Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Interested in scheduling an appointment with Mr. Barton? Contact the Department of English at english@ mun.ca for his office hours.

Vice-president (research) appointed to Council of Canadian Academies board

By Krista Davidson

Memorial University’s vicepresident (research), Dr. Richard Marceau, has been formally appointed to the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) board of governors.

The CCA is an independent, notfor-profit organization that supports independent, authoritative and evidence-based expert assessments that inform public policy development in Canada. The council’s work

encompasses a broad definition of science, incorporating the natural, social and health sciences as well as engineering and the humanities.

Through its expert assessments the council helps to identify emerging issues, gaps in knowledge, Canadian strengths and international trends and practices. The council is comprised of a board of governors, a scientific advisory committee and a secretariat.

The council’s founding member academies are the Royal Society of

Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Each member academy appoints two governors. The six governors then appoint two additional governors from the general public. The remaining four governors are proposed by the federal Ministry of Industry, but are formally appointed by the board.

Dr. Marceau is the past president of the CAE, serving as president on the academy’s board of directors from

2012-14. The CAE is the national institution through which Canada’s most distinguished and experienced engineers provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada. The academy is an independent, self-governing and nonprofit organization established in 1987.

For more information about the CCA, please visit www.scienceadvice.ca.

He’s bringing paperback

By Jeff Green

ALUMNUS Brandon Baird has done something most budding entrepreneurs can only imagine — and he credits his Memorial education with making his dream a reality.

The Goulds native, who graduated in May with a bachelor of business administration, just launched a new app, complete with a media splash and plenty of excitement.

“There is no doubt that the skills I learned in the classroom have been immediately reflected in my work in the real world just a mere two months later,” he said during a recent conversation in the University Centre on the St. John’s campus.

Paperback is an app for Apple and Android devices that connects users — mostly post-secondary students — who are buying and selling used textbooks. They download the app to their smartphone and scan a book’s barcode. From there, they add asking prices and their contact information.

People searching for used books can scan an online inventory, contact sellers and can even see if a book is sold. Users can also post books through the website getpaperback.ca.

“Students have two restrained resources: money and time,” said Mr. Baird, who partnered with local marketing and web firm John Atkins

and Co. on the project. “The idea for this app came from my own experience buying and selling textbooks. This got me thinking that there has to be a way to provide a platform to students that is organized and allows them to recoup the full value of a used book.”

Since launching the app, the feedback has been nothing short of “extraordinary” says Mr. Baird, who begins law school this month in New Brunswick. Just about every mainstream provincial media outlet has interviewed him, while the app has garnered plenty of social media buzz.

He says his time at Memorial helped prepare him to launch his business.

“Besides the idea stemming from my experience at Memorial, the education I received through my concentration in marketing has helped Paperback become a hot topic,” he noted proudly. “Everything from targeting customers to promoting the product and portraying an accurate product image was all learned through my time at Memorial.”

Mr. Baird says his business plans are ambitious — expanding across the country and into the United States — but not impractical. He envisions Paperback becoming the preferred platform for students selling and buying books.

“I think this app can really change how students do business.”

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

Alumnus has ‘app’-etite for used textbook business

Alumnus Brandon Baird has developed a new app to help students buy and sell used textbooks.

APPLYING FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MEDICINE? WELL,

THIS IS YOUR DEADLINE. SEPT 2015

15

Please note that the application and supporting documents deadline to apply for entry in August 2016 is Tuesday, September 15, 2015 @ 17:00 NDT (Newfoundland Daylight Time).

All information must be received before that time at the following centre: CaRMS Document Centre 105-380 Hunt Club Road Ottawa, ON, K1V 1C1

THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS Please feel free to contact the Admissions Office for further information: www.med.mun.ca/admissions munmed@mun.ca admissions@carms.ca 709 864 6328 1 855 633 9800 facebook.com/admissionsmunmed

10 gazette | Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

HSIMS PHOTO

out & about

Summer celebration Albert Johnson, associate director, educator development, DELTS, and Sammy the Sea-Hawk helped flip burgers at Memorial’s annual employee and retiree appreciation barbecue held Aug. 27. Along with food donations, the event raised $3,018 in support of the Campus Food Bank.

out & about

Thursday, Sept. 10

Thursday, Sept. 17 Brass Classics with the Maritime Brass Quintet 8-9 p.m., D.F. Cook Recital Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: School of Music

For more on these events and other news at Memorial, please visit www.today.mun.ca.

Brown Bag Lunch and Learn: Healthy Eating On The Go 12-2 p.m., A-2065, Sponsor: Employee Wellness Office, Department of Human Resources Deparment of Folklore Witless Bay Field School Booklet Launch 12-1:30 p.m., ED-4036, Sponsor: Department of Folklore

Wednesday, Sept. 2

Friday, Sept. 11

An Afternoon in the Garden 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden

Intro to Digital and Social Media for Non-Profit Organizations 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Gardiner Centre, BN-4019 , Sponsor: Gardiner Centre

An Introduction to Graduate Studies at Memorial University 3-4 p.m., UC-4002, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studie

Saturday, Sept. 12

Friday, Sept. 18

Backyard Composting 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden, City of St. John’s and MultiMaterials Stewardship Board

PhD Oral Defence of Ibraheem Adeoti 10 a.m.12 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

CFUW Open House and Social Afternoon, 2-3:30 p.m., E.B. Foran Room, St. John’s City Hall, Sponsor: Canadian Federation of University Women St. John’s Club

Thursday, Sept. 3 Packings and Coverings of the Complete Graph with Trees 10 a.m.-12 p.m., IIC12014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

Friday, Sept. 4 SSHRC IDG Workshop 2-4 p.m., A-5014, Sponsor: Faculty of Arts

Wednesday, Sept. 9 PhD Oral Defence of Melinda Agapito 1-3 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies Campus Food Bank - Annual General Meeting 1-2 p.m., FM-2034, Sponsor: Campus Food Bank ARTS on Oceans Distinguished Lecture: Third Discovery of the Sea? 7:30-9 p.m., IIC-2001, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: Faculty of Arts An Afternoon in the Garden 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden

School of Pharmacy Scholarships and Awards Ceremony 7-10:30 p.m., Health Sciences Centre main auditorium, Sponsor: School of Pharmacy

Saturday, Sept. 19 Hummel and Beyond 8-9:30 p.m., D.F. Cook Recital Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: School of Music

Tuesday, Sept. 15 Teaching Skills Enhancement Program for Educators (Fall 2015) 12:30-2 p.m., ED-5021, Sponsor: DELTS - Educator Development Alumni Breakfast in Scotland 7:30-9 a.m., Source Restaurant, Glasgow Marriott Hotel, 500 Argyle St., Glasgow, G3 8RR, UK, Sponsor: Memorial University of Newfoundland

Wednesday, Sept. 16 An Afternoon in the Garden 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden An Introduction to Graduate Studies at Memorial University 3-4 p.m., online webinar, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

Trail Patrol Volunteer Training 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garde

Monday, Sept. 21 Backyard Composting 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden, City of St. John’s and MultiMaterials Stewardship Board

Tuesday, Sept. 22 PhD Oral Defence of Alireda Aljaroudi 10 a.m.12 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies Influence Without Authority 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Gardiner Centre, BN-4019, Sponsor: Gardiner Centre Application to Graduate School -- Tips and Strategies 3-4 p.m., online webinar, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

classified MILITARY ROAD, ASKING $479,900.

DOWNTOWN FOR SALE OR LEASE. Heritage house steeped in N.L. history. This property predates the 1892 fire. As you enter the property you view this beautiful original staircase and wooden floors throughout. Features include high ceilings with rosettes plus original ceiling mouldings and some original light fixtures. There are five bedrooms and four bathrooms plus fireplaces with original mantel. Living room fireplace has a newly installed recessed wood stove. Main floor offers a modern Kitchen with center island plus a fireplace and dining area, a two piece bathroom plus a patio overlooking a beautiful garden.

On the second floor you have two spacious bedrooms with a fireplace in each room plus a full bathroom. Third floor there are two more spacious bedrooms with a fireplace in each room plus a full bathroom. Third floor also offers a patio with a great view of the narrows and surrounding area. Basement has a bachelor unit with a galley Kitchen plus full bathroom and its own ground level entrance. Basement also has laundry room with ample shelving, storage and furnace room.

Garden at the rear is a delight and professionally landscaped. Property at rear has a green wooded space which is very private and peaceful. The garden is a rare find in the downtown area. FOR A PERSONAL VIEWING, CALL LINDA MAHER COLDWELL BANKER PRO/CO AT 727-7424.

Beautiful, Exec. Home - 3750 sq. ft. Large 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms for lease/rent in Airport Heights. Open concept between dining room, kitchen & family room. Family room has beautiful propane fireplace. Fridge, Stove, Washer, Dryer, Dishwasher & Microwave. Non-Furnished. 4 Car Driveway. Plenty of Storage space in basement.

3750 sq ft. $2000 + p.o.u. References required.

Near bus route. Deposit & 1 year lease required.

Cats ok. Please Call 749-4720 to arrange viewing.

Look at that view!

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Battery Facility Graduate Accommodations ready for first residents

By Rebecca Cohoe

Now that construction is wrapping up on the Harbour Wing of Memorial University’s new Battery Facility Graduate Accommodations, the first look inside the re-modelled space is ready to share. Major work on the wing, which includes 42 rooms, is now complete, with only finishing touches remaining prior to the first students moving in.

“We think that students will be pleased with the improvements we’ve made to the rooms,” said Dr. Rob Greenwood, executive director, Office of Public Engagement. “They’re bright, clean and modern, with private washrooms and plenty of natural light.

The shared kitchens are spacious, with windows and a common area for eating, working together or relaxing.”

The Battery Facility Graduate Accommodations offer an independent living opportunity for graduate students at Memorial University’s St. John’s campus and the Marine Institute. Consultations with graduate student groups revealed a need for private, independent residence options.

The new facility addresses this need.

Residents will each have their own space, but with some of the hassles of renting an apartment — including dealing with utilities and security — taken care of.

Now that the rooms are ready, Memorial is offering weekly tours on a drop-in basis for prospective residents, running every Friday in September, between 12-2 p.m. Interested graduate students will be able to tour a model room and kitchen, ask questions, and see the famous view for themselves.

“We’re very pleased to start welcoming graduate students to the Battery Facility,” said Dr. Greenwood.

“It’s a beautiful and historic neighbourhood, and we think the graduate students who live here will make a great addition to an already vibrant community. Our intention is for the Battery Facility to be a centre for public engagement in this province, and the presence of Memorial graduate students at the facility is an exciting first step.”

For more information about and to view more photos of the Battery Facility Graduate Accommodations, please visit mun.ca/hfcs/ battery_accommodations.

12 gazette | Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

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A view of one of the common spaces at the Battery Facility Graduate Accomodations.

A view of one of the bedrooms at the Battery Facility Graduate Accomodations.