LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Photo credit Tahani Baakdhah
LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR O
ur sensory system is flooded with information from the minute we are born as we perceive and recognize the warmth of a human touch, the friendly sound of a parent’s cooing, or the unpleasant taste of mashed peas. The senses work together to capture snapshots of the world around us, each dominating over the other at times. When our senses collide dramatically (a phenomenon known as synesthesia), the number “5” can bask in a halo of purple, the name “Derek” might taste like earwax, and a symphony may smell of your morning coffee. In this issue of the IMS Magazine, we dive into our senses with some of the leading researchers in the field of vision, hearing, and somatosensory integration—many of whom I discovered are alumni of our department. Dr. Agnes Wong and Dr. Martin Steinbach discuss the development of the visual system and treatment for visual disorders such as macular degeneration and pediatric strabismus. Dr. Karen Gordon explains her findings on the 4 | IMS MAGAZINE SPRING 2016 SENSORY SYSTEMS
effectiveness of cochlear implant use to initiate changes in our brain in children who are born deaf. In addition, Dr. Vincent Lin describes his basic science research into regenerating inner ear hair cells to restore hearing. Finally, to wrap things up, we discuss how the brain integrates this information, and how this process is affected by aging with Dr. Bernhard Ross. Part of our work at the IMS Magazine involves encouraging people to stay curious. We asked whether PhD degrees around the world were made equal, and accompany the piece with an infographic highlighting global statistics on PhD completion times. I encourage you to have a look at our ‘Travel Bites’ pieces highlighting conference experiences from Paris and closer to home, in Ottawa. We discuss life after IMS with alumni and now family physician Dr. Joe Gabriel. Finally, our ‘Spotlight’ with IMS students Brent Bates and David Chen, and IMS faculty Dr. Jonathan Irish offer a glimpse of the many compelling stories of who we are at
the IMS, and I strongly encourage you to have a look. I would like to thank Dr. Mingyao Liu and the IMS department for their ongoing support, and congratulate the design team on another fantastic production of this magazine. Thank you to the incredible IMS Magazine team for their dedication and enthusiasm. To you, our readers and supporters, please feel free to add your own thoughts to any of the stories in this issue as we continue to showcase to you the best of the IMS. Tweet us @IMSMagazine, or leave us your comments on our website, imsmagazine.com, or directly to our inbox at theimsmagazine@gmail.com. Happy reading!
Annette Ye, Editor-in-Chief, IMS Magazine