Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
Vol. 5, No. 2, Winter 2021
Grad makes her mark on Canadian soil PLUS + Studying bone and muscle loss in samples from NASA + Brock alumnus receives award for life-saving efforts Alumni Insider
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The Brock community met this year of unprecedented challenges with hope and determination. We will take on 2021 with the same perseverance and prevail while supporting one another.
Badgers, Surgite! Have a safe and healthy holiday season. We invite you to stay connected by email. Update your contact information at brocku.ca/alumni/update-contact-info
#BrockUnited
FEATURES
DEAN'S MESSAGE
Faculty News PAGE 4
Alumni Feature PAGE 7
FAHS Distinguished Grad PAGE 8
COVID-19: Prevention colouring book PAGE 10
Internship connects students PAGE 11
Research Feature: Studying samples from NASA PAGE 12
Student Spotlight: Creating inclusion in sport PAGE 14
Master’s degree paying dividends PAGE 15
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lumni and friends of Applied Health Sciences, I am pleased to be able to again connect with you. This year has been like no other in recent memory. Our students, faculty and staff have certainly felt the strain of having to adapt our academic programs to the current reality. However, I give my admiration and thanks to those in our midst who remain steadfast and determined to confront challenges that we did not create, but which we nonetheless must address in order to protect the mission of our Faculty. In all of this, we are also embracing the opportunities that change brings, and we will all emerge from this year with greater understanding of how to better support, innovate and educate with the goal of enhancing the health and well-being of our communities. This issue of the Alumni Insider contains updates which speak to our resilience and our positive approach to moving forward with our academic and community-focused objectives. To help us stay connected, I urge you to update your contact information at brocku.ca/alumni/update-contact-info so that we may continue to be able to reach you through a variety of media. Best wishes and stay well,
Peter Tiidus Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
ALUMNI INSIDER brocku.ca/applied-health-sciences
We welcome your input. Send letters to the editor, articles or ideas to FAHSComms@brocku.ca
EDITOR: Colleen Patterson COPY EDITOR: Maryanne St. Denis DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Kev Greene, Cynthia Quillman CONTRIBUTORS: Douglas Hunt, Stephen Leithwood, Cathy Majtenyi, Colleen Patterson, Michelle PressĂŠ
Send correspondence to: Alumni Insider FAHS Marketing and Communications STH 434, Brock University 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1
Special thanks to: Benjamin Quattrini, June Mergl and Vivid Eye Photography
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FACULTY NEWS Grad’s commitment to community recognized at Homecoming
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uring his time as a Recreation and Leisure Studies student, James Symons couldn’t ignore a major gap he noticed while volunteering both on and off campus. Symons (BRLS ’11), who volunteered with several local organizations throughout his time at Brock University, observed many programs collecting for women and children in need; however, there was a lack of resources and support for Niagara men. This inspired him to establish the Tool Box Project, which collects essential items such as toiletries, socks, food and First Aid kits for homeless men during the winter season. Brock has a reputation for attracting and producing students-turned-alumni who become engaged citizens that drive forward the communities they serve through their volunteerism and engagement. This past year, Symons was recognized as one of them by the Brock University Alumni Association for
his contributions to the Niagara community through the Tool Box Project. So far, the initiative has distributed more than 1,600 boxes of hygiene products, clothing and books to men in homeless shelters or accessing social services during the holiday season. Each year, Symons exceeds his seasonal goal with support from volunteers, individuals and organizations in Niagara. In the Tool Box Project’s inaugural year in 2017, his original goal of delivering 25 boxes to agencies serving those in need quickly reached 360 boxes in just three weeks, and in 2019, he provided supplies to organizations in every city in the Niagara region for the first time. “You are presented with many opportunities to serve the community,” he said of his time at Brock, adding that he still keeps in touch with many of his professors. “I am very thankful for the support I received from Brock and its alumni. Brock helped
James Symons (BRLS ’11) is the recipient of Brock’s 2020 Community Engagement Award.
me academically and also prepared me for some amazing community experiences and relationships. I do not know where Tool Box would be if I were no longer connected to the University.”
FAHS mourns loss of Health Sciences graduate and Alumni Council member
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Prominent Health Sciences graduate and Dean’s Alumni Council member Dr. Ron Mergl (MSc ‘10) passed away Saturday, July 4.
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he Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (FAHS) is mourning prominent graduate and Dean’s Alumni Council member Dr. Ron Mergl. The community research partner and well-known leader in veterinary medicine and zoonotic diseases passed away Saturday, July 4 after a year-long battle against glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour. He was 61. Dean Peter Tiidus called Mergl (MSc ’10) “a valuable member of my Alumni Council whose presence and knowledge will sadly be missed,” adding that he “often provided advice on the interconnectedness of health.” Mergl also served as an advisor on the sustainability of Brock initiatives with a lens on local and global community health.
Coming to Brock as a mature student, Mergl had a lasting impact on faculty and colleagues, said Health Sciences Professor Ana Sanchez, who supervised his graduate thesis focusing on migrant workers’ health. She maintained a community research partnership with him following the completion of his degree requirements. “Ron captivated everyone who met him with his amazing personality and knowledge,” Sanchez said. “His drive to find sustainable health solutions for the planet by looking at problems affecting the entire ecosystem was extremely holistic and forward-thinking.” Many faculty, undergraduate and graduate students in Health Sciences knew Mergl as a dynamic guest speaker and research collaborator. He will be greatly missed.
Associate Professor of Health Sciences Adam MacNeil is leading a project with Professor of Biology Fiona Hunter that has been awarded $200,000 in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to purchase equipment that will enable their team to research how humans react to coronavirus and a possible therapy to treat infection.
Brock awarded $200,000 for equipment to research cell biology of COVID-19 infection
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Brock University research team has received a grant that will enable them to research how humans react to COVID-19 and a possible therapy to treat infection. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) awarded immunologist Adam MacNeil and medical entomologist Fiona Hunter $200,000 to purchase high molecular and cellular resolution equipment for this work. “We are excited and honoured that the Canada Foundation for Innovation has equipped us with outstanding and sophisticated tools capable of analyzing and imaging virus-host interactions at the molecular and cellular level,” says team leader MacNeil, Associate Professor of Health Sciences. The Brock research teams will study how cells respond to infection, the impact of acquired immunity toward coronaviruses, and how interactions between the immune system and cells lining the lungs shape the inflammation characteristic of severe COVID-19. They will also look at if and how a molecule called a peptide could be used to reduce the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, acting as a possible therapy.
The new equipment will be housed in Brock University’s Level 3 containment laboratory (CL3), which MacNeil says is the ideal location. “These tools will be used to directly investigate the biology of virushost interactions and identify potential paths toward viral inhibition by equipping us with high-impact tools for work with live infectious samples within the safe confines of the CL3,” he says. The financial support comes from a special CFI program called the Exceptional Opportunities Fund — COVID 19. On Friday, Nov. 6, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the CFI award recipients from Brock and other universities across Canada. MacNeil says the timing of this funding and resulting equipment is spot-on. “We are heading into an uncertain winter season and we see evidence of ‘COVID-fatigue’ creeping in,” he says. “Science is a methodical and objective process, and the pursuit of solutions to deal with emergent pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 takes time. “This underscores the importance of each of us doing our part to remain vigilant by following public health guidelines and even going above and beyond when possible to minimize virus transmission, protecting our families, neighbours and community.” Alumni Insider
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FACULTY NEWS Kinesiology professors honoured for teaching and research excellence
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rom a young age, Department of Kinesiology Professor Ken Lodewyk knew he wanted a career as a health and physical education teacher. Now, at the onset of his 15th year at Brock University, he has been honoured as the recipient of the 2020 Teaching Excellence Award from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. “Looking back, I have everything to be thankful for,” says Lodewyk, who acknowledges he is “one of many who are also deserving of this recognition.” Lodewyk, whose teaching and research speciality is pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching), considers teaching an ongoing pursuit of excellence that one never really attains as there are always ways to improve. “For me, teaching is an extension and representation of who you are as a person,” Lodewyk explains. “It is skills knowledge, but
it also reflects your own journey.” Also recognized is Kinesiology Professor Kimberley Gammage, who is the recipient of the 2020 Research Excellence Award from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences for her research into body image and getting diverse populations active. As Gammage was born and raised near St. Catharines’ Glenridge Avenue, Brock was a big part of her youth and helped to shape some of her early experiences. Having celebrated her 18-year anniversary at the University on July 1, the award came at a time in Gammage’s career when her research has expanded into diverse areas that all relate back to one of two common threads within different populations. “I didn’t get this award alone,” says Gammage. “It is the graduate students whose interests really evolve my research and the colleagues who have partnered with me and
Kimberley Gammage
Ken Lodewyk
supported me. Without them, none of this would be possible.” She also notes that the diversity and wide range of backgrounds and expertise among the department has been instrumental to her career and research.
Top researchers join FAHS
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ne of the fastest growing Faculties at Brock University, Applied Health Sciences welcomed 10 new researchers for the 2020-21 academic year. The combined expertise of these new hires reflects the FAHS commitment to fostering an active research culture, providing exceptional student experiences and advancing opportunities in Niagara and around the world to make a healthy difference in people’s lives. In each issue of the Alumni Insider, we introduce you to some of the faculty members bringing fresh perspectives to Brock.
CORLISS BEAN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, RECREATION AND LEISURE STUDIES Corliss Bean is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. Her research involves working with community organizations at local and national levels to develop, implement and evaluate programming with the goal of fostering youth psychosocial development. Bean is also a member of Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange’s Provincial Academic Network. Her research interests include positive youth development, life skill development, sport psychology, girls and women, and coaching.
Corliss Bean
ELIZABETH ORR INSTRUCTOR, NURSING Elizabeth Orr is a Registered Nurse with clinical expertise in pediatric, maternal-child and neonatal nursing. Her current research is focused on understanding the complex processes of hospital-to-home transitions, specifically the transition from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home among vulnerable populations. She is also involved in work that aims to promote and prioritize emotional well-being among graduate students conducting emotionally demanding research.
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Elizabeth Orr
ALUMNI FEATURE
Niagara IceDogs Head Athletic Therapist Chris Trivieri (BPhEd ’12) is one of five Brock University alumni who worked in the OHL last season. (Photo courtesy of Vivid Eye Photography)
Brock alumnus receives award for life-saving efforts By STEPHEN LEITHWOOD
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hris Trivieri’s job isn’t for everyone, but for him and the athletes under his wing, it means everything in the world. As the head athletic therapist for the Niagara IceDogs, Trivieri (BPhEd ’12) never stops brainstorming worst-case scenarios. The range of outcomes for his workday could be as trite as treating a charley horse or as serious as the nightmare-inducing scenario he faced on Dec. 12, 2019. Trivieri recalled the moments revolving around a gruesome injury one of his players suffered during an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) game at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines. IceDogs goalie Tucker Tynan was in the midst of a goalmouth scramble against the London Knights early in the second period when he suffered a severe cut to the thigh from a skate blade. The 17-year-old dropped to the ice as blood poured out of his goalie equipment. Trivieri witnessed the incident unfold from the Niagara bench. “Before I even left the bench to attend to Tucker, I knew it was going to be a very serious injury,” Trivieri said. “In the past, I’ve dealt with spinal injuries, seizures, cardiac episodes, but never faced a scenario where so much blood was lost so fast.” Tynan required a blood transfusion of five units. Canadian Blood Services says the average human body contains 10.5 units of blood.
“When I think of Tucker’s injury, it was the unbelievable teamwork from everyone involved that ultimately gave Tucker the best opportunity to have a full recovery,” said Trivieri. “They were all instrumental in the success of what happened on Dec. 12.” Trivieri played a key role in those next few moments as he worked quickly to execute an emergency action plan alongside IceDogs equipment manager Nick Hornby, strength coach Nick Tamburri, team doctor David Dec, London Knights physiotherapist Doug Stacey, IceDogs defenceman Adrien Beraldo and the on-site paramedics. “There’s always adrenaline in those situations but focusing on the task at hand puts you into a zone where everything you’ve been trained to do is recalled,” said Trivieri. “Being calm and focused is key to success in those situations. Your demeanor sets the tone for the rest of the group.” Tynan spent time in hospital and made a full recovery after a long rehabilitation to repair the torn quad muscle in his leg. He was back on the ice a few months later. In early 2020, Trivieri was presented with a Merit Award from the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association for his efforts in helping save Tynan’s life. “It’s a tremendous honour,” said Trivieri. “The award itself is a peernominated award, so it really means a lot to have other professionals in the field recognize what myself and the rest of our team accomplished.” Alumni Insider
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FROM REFUGEE TO DENTIST AND ENTREPRENEUR, FAHS RECOGNIZES DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE By COLLEEN PATTERSON
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Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
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r. Kellyana Quattrini (BSc ’11), a prominent figure and leader in Saskatoon’s Hispanic community, has proven that with hard work, determination and a loving family, anything is possible. The refugee turned dentist and businesswoman is the recipient of the 2020 Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (FAHS) Distinguished Graduate Award. “My success story really started at Brock,” says Quattrini. “I had a positive experience on my educational journey and found a challenging and inspirational place among professors who mentored me and took me under their wings. I am deeply honoured by this recognition as it is very meaningful to my entire family.” Arriving in Canada in 2004, the refugee from Cúcuta, Colombia, found support at the University among faculty and students within the Department of Health Sciences. At only 17 years old, Quattrini was faced with overcoming language barriers to become fluent in English and worked two full-time jobs to save up enough money to become a fulltime student in 2008. To accomplish this, she spent three years cleaning hotel rooms and working at call centres in St. Catharines. “My parents, Amparo Cañas and Alejandro Peña, sacrificed everything they knew to bring me and my brother Miguel to Canada to build a better future,” says Quattrini. “They instilled into us a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility. I am the person I am today because of the love and wisdom of the people around me, and the support of Benjamin Quattrini, who always believed in my dreams.” Once at Brock, Quattrini excelled in her studies and was involved in extensive volunteer experiences, which included interacting with patients of the formerlyknown Brock University Heart Institute, now the Heart Strong program. “For many years, the barriers I faced made me feel like an outsider,” says Quattrini. “Once I became a student, the University’s support combined with my foundations in life helped me to strengthen my sense of self and create my identity.” Graduating with Honours from the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, Quattrini went on to the University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry and graduated with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. With a newfound passion for general and family dentistry, she
quote-left I believe with the right guidance, opportunities and personal drive, immigrants can create positive change in our societies.” – Dr. Kellyana Quattrini
Dr. Kellyana Quattrini (BSc ’11) has overcome barriers and adversity to become a successful dentist and business owner. She was recognized during Brock University’s Virtual Homecoming with the 2020 Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Distinguished Graduate Award.
bought a dental practice in 2016 and has she regularly volunteers for community spent the last four years with her family initiatives such as providing health-based and and colleagues growing Canada Building motivational talks, setting up information booths and talking to children about good Dental Group. A leader in modernizing the field of dentistry, dental hygiene. Quattrini strives to create a comfortable and “Dr. Kellyana Quattrini’s inspirational story stress-free dental experience for her patients. is a testament to how a meaningful student She uses proven technologies in dentistry experience can lead to a path of success while providing the most efficient treatment which has a positive impact, not just on the individual, but their family and entire to patients in English and Spanish. Quattrini’s volunteerism philosophy is community,” says FAHS Dean Peter Tiidus. rooted in her experience as a young refugee “Kellyana’s contributions to Saskatoon’s woman in Canada. Often contributing Hispanic population as an educator of sponsorship and in-kind services to individuals dental hygiene to children and adults in both from her community with lower income or academic and community settings make experiencing financial hardship, if she sees her an outstanding recipient of the FAHS there’s a need, she finds a way to provide care Distinguished Graduate Award.” and education. Reflecting on her life journey while also “I am the antithesis of the stereotypes looking forward to what’s next, the tenacious often attributed to refugees,” says dentist says she wants to “keep growing Quattrini. “Refugees and immigrants are and developing myself and the community often seen as a burden to society. I believe around me.” with the right guidance, opportunities “I have worked very hard every day for my and personal drive, immigrants can seat at the table and my intention is to use it create positive change in our societies.” for the betterment of everyone I can reach.” As part of her ongoing commitments, Alumni Insider
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Brock students create COVID-19 prevention colouring book By COLLEEN PATTERSON
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nspired by Public Health courses at Brock Spotless Sammy the Sanitizer who helps his University, Medical Sciences student friend Billy learn the facts about COVID-19 Azaan Adnan and Biomedical Sciences and preventative measures in a safe and student Alvin Jaimon have put their learning enjoyable way. into practice by creating a pixel colouring “Knowledge is empowering,” says Jaimon. book to help increase awareness on how to “We wanted to find a way to help children prevent the spread of COVID-19. and youth be less afraid, as well as answer The pixel colouring book is aimed for questions at a level they can understand.” school-aged children from Grades 5 to 8 and Initially, the pair set out to make a contains 16 pages of age-appropriate, fact- traditional colouring book but realizing they based information and activities designed to didn’t have the artistic talents to fulfil their aid parents and educators who may be seeking vision, they brainstormed remotely to come a suitable resource to engage children about up with a creative solution. They used their healthy practices and activities during all love of video games to look at pixel art as an alternative. phases of the pandemic. “The idea first came to us in March, as Using technology to stay in contact with resources about COVID-19 were plentiful, each other, the pair began to assemble but not child-friendly,” says Adnan. “Both content through a public health lens and with Alvin and I live at home with younger siblings information available from the World Health who had a lot of questions. We realized that Organization. if our families could benefit from a creative, “Children are very curious,” says Jaimon. engaging resource, other people might find “When parents tell children to wash their this valuable too.” hands, they need to understand there is a good The students created the main character reason. Now that we are expected to wear
face coverings in Niagara, children may have a lot of questions about this too. Our colouring book can help with this.” To inspire children to become actively engaged, the colouring book includes a section on some of the lesser known research about COVID-19. “Hoping to nurture a curiosity of public and global health, we incorporated carefully vetted information on the zoonotic origins of how the virus is believed to have started, passed from a bat to humans,” says Adnan. “As aspiring medical students, we often look at origin studies. This becomes an important piece to share for enhanced understanding.” The COVID-19 prevention colouring book is intended for English-speaking children and youth in mid to senior elementary school. The resource is available for free download online and comes in a printerfriendly and storybook version. Learn more at brocku.ca/brock-news/pixel-book
Medical Sciences student Azaan Adnan (centre) answers questions about COVID-19 for his younger brother Moaiz while their sister, Subhaan, completes activities in the COVID-19 prevention colouring book he created with Biomedical Sciences student Alvin Jaimon.
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Tasia Walsh (centre) was able to spend time camping with her daughter Adalyn and dog Gryffyn while completing her fourth-year internship in Therapeutic Recreation remotely this summer.
Internship connects students to online organization By DOUGLAS HUNT
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asia Walsh is no stranger to completing Luckily, doors were opened for the course’s but to her organization as well, as it dealt with tasks remotely. Having finished most students to complete their internships with a 500 per cent increase in visits to their site. of her Recreation and Leisure Studies Ability Online, a virtual community comprised “Students were able to complete their courses at Brock University online from of children, youth and their parents/caregivers placements so they could graduate, and Ability her home in Yellowknife, N.W.T., she has who share the challenges associated with Online benefited from some outstanding become adept at learning from a distance. disabilities and/or chronic illness. content development, mentorship, This summer, she was able to put her skills Along with her classmates, Walsh embraced community outreach and incredible to the test. the virtual experiential learning opportunity, commitment from the heart,” said McClure. Walsh planned to travel to Ontario in which allowed her to support a population “The students went above and beyond the May to complete her required fourth-year who were more physically isolated than most requirements, making personal connections internship course in Therapeutic Recreation this summer. with our members at a time when they needed (RECL 4F02). The experiential learning “The opportunity to see the influence and it most.” opportunity would help her acquire the value of Ability Online and the impact it has Walsh was grateful to take on tasks where competencies she needed to become the on its clients was amazing,” she said. “After she was able to flourish and feel like a member first certified Recreation Therapist in the one event, we had everyone turn on their video of the Ability Online team. Northwest Territories. However, the COVID- cameras to say hello. It was wonderful to see “It was so powerful to know that I was 19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and the smiles.” part of a positive experience in their lives,” she in-person learning meant Walsh and her Ability Online’s Executive Director Michelle said. “That’s why I went back to school in the classmates would need to complete their McClure said the unexpected influx of summer first place.” internships online. interns was not only a benefit to the students, Alumni Insider
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RESEARCH FEATURE
Brock-led team studying bone and muscle loss in samples from NASA By CATHY MAJTENYI
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he legendary agency that put a man on the moon is helping a Brock University-led research team explore secrets of human health — including how to slow the kind of tissue loss that happens to astronauts during spaceflight. The team, headed by Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Val Fajardo (BSc ’09, MSc ’12), was selected for a NASA research program that’s work includes studying tissue samples from mice that have spent some time on the International Space Station. In examining muscle and bone loss in the ‘space mice,’ the scientists are hoping to unlock strategies for slowing bone and muscle loss in aging humans. “This space model is widely considered to be an accelerated aging model,” says Fajardo. “You can study aging more efficiently because it takes a shorter amount of time to age. Mice already age at a quicker rate than humans, even more so in space. “If you can figure out ways to stop or slow down muscle and bone loss in space, why not apply that here on Earth for aging or other diseases?” As they spend time in space, rodents and humans lose skeletal density at a much faster rate than we do on Earth. To d e ve l o p a n d m a i n t a i n t h e musculoskeletal system, muscles and bones must undergo stress, which is why regular exercise benefits our muscles, bones and health overall. In space, the reduced gravity removes stress provided by the downward pull of gravity. This results in muscles and bones not being used as much, quickly leading to deterioration or atrophy. Brock PhD student Holt Messner (MSc ’20) is examining an enzyme called GSK3, which is involved in a cell’s metabolism, differentiation and immunity. GSK3 activity is associated with muscle and bone deterioration. He and master’s student Kennedy Whitley
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PhD student Sophie Hamstra (BSc ’19) performs a hematoxylin and eosin stain commonly used to assess muscle morphology as Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Val Fajardo (BSc ’09, MSc ’12) looks on.
(BSc ’19) will compare GSK3 levels in the space mice samples with those of samples from two groups of mice on Earth, one group being housed in cages resembling those on space ships and another group kept in typical laboratory cages. “We’re looking for ways to lessen microgravity-induced muscle atrophy by modifying the presence and/or activity of GSK3,” says Messner. PhD student Sophie Hamstra (BSc ’19) and Master of Science students Ryan Baranowski (BKin ’20) and Jessica Braun (BSc ’20) will study other processes involved in muscle loss and weakness in space. Collectively, their work will determine how a muscle’s ability to regulate calcium — the signal for muscle contraction — is altered after spaceflight.
Master of Science student Ryan Baranowski (BKin ’20) performs a muscle protein assay.
Front row, from left: Master’s students Kennedy Whitley (BSc ’19) and Jessica Braun (BSc ’20), Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Val Fajardo (BSc ’09, MSc ’12) and master’s student Mia Geromella (BSc ’19). Back row, from left: PhD student Holt Messner (MSc ’20), master’s student Ryan Baranowski (BKin ’20) and PhD student Sophie Hamstra (BSc ’19).
“Now that the samples have been awarded Ward and her team are examining GSK3 to our team, it is important that we maximize signalling in bone samples from space and our efforts in order to learn all we can from will analyze the quality of the bone to provide these rare muscle samples,” says Fajardo, who insight into the risk of fracture. acquired the samples through funding from “More fully understanding how bone loss occurs in terms of changes in GSK3 may the Office of the Vice-President, Research. There is also loss of bone density in space benefit Canadians, as one in three women for the same ‘use it or lose it’ reason as for and one in five men will experience a fracture muscles: a lack of gravity means that bones during their lifetime due to osteoporosis,” says don’t need to support the body. the Kinesiology Professor. The Canadian Space Agency says astronauts Also on the team is Assistant Professor of lose on average one to two per cent of their Health Sciences Rebecca MacPherson (PhD bone mineral density every month. ’14), who will be examining how neurons in the In addition to muscle atrophy, GSK3 may brain deteriorate with age and what role GSK3 also harm bone health by triggering processes content and activity might play. Her research leading to bone deterioration. When GSK3 is will help to describe the effects of spaceflight inhibited, this may turn on processes that and radiation exposure to brain health. favour bone formation. Researcher Fabrice Bertile from Laboratoire “It is possible that GSK3 may be contributing de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique in to the bone loss observed with spaceflight,” France sent the team muscle samples from says Wendy Ward, Canada Research Chair in mice that spent one month in space in the Bone and Muscle Development. BION-M1 biosatellite.
Master of Science students Kennedy Whitley (BSc ’19) and Mia Geromella (BSc ’19) capturing a Western blot image used to detect changes in muscle protein.
Fajardo says he is excited about the application of the team’s research results not only to the baby boomer population, but also to astronauts and, in the far future, to those travelling to Mars. Alumni Insider
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Third-year Sport Management student and a founding member of Sport Helps Everyone Make Allies (SHEMA) Hannah Gougeon hosted a live Instagram discussion Wednesday, June 17 about equity in the sport industry.
SPMA students launch initiative for inclusion in sport By COLLEEN PATTERSON
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port is often seen as a vehicle for inclusion in bringing diverse groups together, but in some instances, it can also alienate marginalized populations. A new Brock University student-led initiative called Sport Helps Everyone Make Allies (SHEMA) aims to empower women and diverse social groups in the sport industry by fostering an inclusive, accepting and supportive environment for students in the Sport Management (SPMA) program. Third-year SPMA students Hannah Gougeon and Mackayla Petrie began mobilizing a group of like-minded students after being inspired by the gender and equity topics they explored while attending Brock’s Centre for Sport Capacity’s (CSC) 2019 Women in Sport and Leadership Forum. “The keynote speaker said, ‘If you don’t have a table, make a table,’ and it really resonated,”
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says Petrie. “Hannah and I … We realized we say on pressing events in the world and how it needed to take action.” is impacting them.” Both Gougeon and Petrie have In planning the strategic direction of experienced similar challenges as a result of SHEMA, an emphasis on allyship became the notable gender imbalance in the field an important area of focus, particularly as of sport management, and hope SHEMA students talked about suggestions to improve will help contribute to making a positive their experiences as a minority. cultural change. “SHEMA wants to equip students with Throughout 2020, SHEMA founders have the necessary tools to feel safe and respond been actively building an infrastructure to to situations whereby an individual may be enable them to take proactive steps towards feeling marginalized or in need of an ally,” said creating a more inclusive and equitable third-year SPMA student Sullivan Murphy. program environment. “We really want to be a catalyst for providing “As women, we know we’re outnumbered, support and encourage fellow students to but as we began to have discussions last adjust their behaviours in order to make our winter, more students who have felt program an inclusive environment for all.” marginalized began to speak up too,” said To learn more or become involved visit, Gougeon. “With the current climate of social instagram.com/shemabrocku activism, it is imperative we provide a safe space for graduates and students to have a
Master’s degree paying dividends for Brock rower By STEPHEN LEITHWOOD
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master’s degree from Brock University has taken a competitive rower to another part of the world. Jacob Giesbrecht (MA ’20) devoted his master’s work to exploring an important side of his sport: the ethical implications of having a weight category for Under-19 lightweight rowing in Canada. “There are numerous issues that arise from having a weight-based category in which high school athletes often have to ‘cut weight’ in order to fit within a certain weight class,” said Giesbrecht. “I attempted to address those issues and better understand why a category should perhaps still be allowed from an ethical standpoint.” The completion of his master’s degree has since taken him to Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, where he is working on his PhD. Giesbrecht is currently researching the influence of social media and its effects on athlete autonomy and freedom of expression in sport. “This kind of work is precisely what I’ve always been interested in,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily relate to rowing, yet I am still able to pull a lot of experience and concepts from my master’s work.” Giesbrecht added that his time as a student-athlete, which taught him about facing adversity, has been instrumental in his survival abroad.
He is often surrounded by people who speak very little English and, due to the pandemic, he spends his days studying in quarantine, as some of his peers have contracted COVID-19. “The challenges I’m facing here are not like anything I’ve ever faced,” said Geisbrecht, who has been studying in Prague since the end of September. “I have had to survive on my own with nothing but a small scholarship and some savings. My time as a student-athlete taught me to persevere when things aren’t going your way.” His sports experience has pushed him to continue on and without it, he feels he would have given up on the situation by now. “Culture shock is a real phenomenon, and the mental health tools I developed while at Brock and working with sport psychologist and Brock grad Matthew Marini (BA ’11, BSc ’13, MA ’16) has been the most important training I’ve ever done in my life,” he said. “These are lifelong skills that were nurtured in a relatively safe environment, and now, as they are being put to the test, I can confidently say being on the rowing team was the most important and educational experience I have ever had.”
Wainfleet native Jacob Giesbrecht, front, rowed for the Brock Badgers while pursuing his Master of Arts degree in Applied Health Sciences with a focus on Health and Physical Education. He is pictured with teammate Kevin Keith. Alumni Insider
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