Gazette fa aug13

GAZETTE

Aug. 13, 2014 Volume 47 Number 1

Publication Mail Registration No. 40062527

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

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Classical celebration An annual chamber music festival is delivering musical thrills to its summertime audience.

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Reading material The latest books penned

by Memorial faculty and staff can be found in a special feature inside.

Kickstart my career

A crowdfunding campaign is backing a recent computer science graduate’s visual novel.

Hibernia investment grows enrichment programming

By Sandy Woolfrey-Fahey

Memorial will help cultivate the next generation of innovators in Newfoundland and Labrador thanks to a $2.85-million investment from the Hibernia Management

and

Development

Company

Ltd.

(HMDC).

Shad Valley is a highly competitive, four-week summer enrichment program held at 12 Canadian universities, including Memorial.

HMDC’s latest investment will create the Hibernia Project-Shad Valley Fund at Memorial to expand the program’s capacity and encourage high school students to pursue studies in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program also will encourage students from across the country to pursue their post-secondary studies at Memorial.

“Collaboration with industry and education partners such as HMDC and Shad Valley enrich Memorial’s learning environment and help us provide an engaging each summer to learn from our award-winning faculty,” said Dr. Doreen Neville, associate vice-president (academic) planning, priorities and programs. “Experiences during the Shad Valley program, in turn, help to attract students from across the country to our province to pursue their undergraduate and/or graduate studies.”

Chris Hammond photo

experience for young students who come to Memorial

From left are Barry Bisson, Dr. Leonard Lye, Jamie Long and Dr. Doreen Neville at the Shad Valley funding announcement July 24.

See HIBERNIA page 3

Memorial welcomes first dancer-in-residence in academic symposiums and conferences dialoguing

By Melanie Callahan

dance as an avenue to move through trauma. She was

Celebrated dance artist and choreographer Karen

the 2012 Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival resident

Kaeja will spend six weeks in the province this fall as

artist.

Memorial University’s first dancer-in-residence.

two successful residency programs of a similar nature – writer-in-residence and artist-in-residence. A similarly dynamic program will cultivate much-needed scholarly and creative discourse about dance, and the practice of dance, among university and artistic communities, the committee said.

“Though

it

is

seldom

explicitly

gural dancer-in-residence for Memorial University,” said

Ella Cooper photo

A working group came together to explore dance as an academic discipline at Memorial. Memorial already hosts

“It is an incredible honour to be chosen as the inauMs. Kaeja. “I am looking forward to being inspired by the beautiful geography and people of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

The dancer-in-residence program will include a num-

Karen Kaeja

ber of activities such as delivering workshops and open discussions as well as presentations in courses through-

A Dora Award-nominated performer and BFA (Hons.)

out the curriculum; consulting with and mentoring local

acknowledged,

graduate, Ms. Kaeja is co-artistic director of Kaeja d’Dance

dancers/choreographers on their dance productions and

Newfoundland and Labrador’s engagement with dance

with Allen Kaeja. Her awards include the Canadian Dance

interests; and providing outreach (workshops and discus-

tradition is as historically deep and rooted as the other

Assembly I Love Dance Community Award for her vision

sions) with local dance schools and community dance

performing arts,” said Prof. Todd Hennessey, committee

of Porch View Dances and the Paul D. Fleck Fellowship

groups including DanceNL. It will also allow Ms. Kaeja

member and head of Grenfell’s Division of Fine Arts.

for Innovation. A performer for stage and film, chore-

to incubate her current physical research practices and

“With many other areas of fine and performing arts

ographer, educator and project instigator, Ms. Kaeja has

writing in Newfoundland and Labrador.

represented at Memorial, the committee feels that a uni-

been recognized internationally with commissions and

In keeping with Memorial’s emphasis on a multicam-

versity dance program is warranted. Dance studies would

presented by festivals and performance series around the

pus university, the project will involve both the St. John’s

invariably draw new students, strengthen the relationship

world. Celebrated as one of this country’s top 10 dance

and Grenfell campuses, as well as a collaboration with

between Memorial and the arts community and provide

artists (NOW magazine), she is a sought-after teacher

Creative Gros Morne, a steering group responsible for

a new area through which Memorial could distinguish

at conferences, festivals and universities across North

implementing the Gros Morne Cultural Blueprint which

itself on regional, national and international stages.”

America. Recently Ms. Kaeja was invited to participate

has targeted dance as one of its priorities.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT David McComiskey

JG: How has Memorial helped prepare you for this

(M.Sc.’10) has launched a

new website that showcases photos and slice-of-life stories of

project?

everyday people. Faces of Newfoundland features his work

DMc: Immensely. As a med student I get to experience

and occasionally that of Matthew Brake (BN’11), along with

the full spectrum of human emotion and see people

short vignettes of people randomly stopped on the street.

with so much pain or joy or vulnerability on their faces.

The fourth-year medical student’s Facebook page has gone

And, in a way I’m capturing similar emotions through

viral, amassing more than 6,800 likes within its first month.

my camera.

Gazette contributor Jeff Green spoke with Mr. McComiskey JG: What are you getting out of this project?

about his web projects.

DMc: Positivity. Everybody loves a good story – and JG: Why start Faces of Newfoundland?

everybody has one. I love to see a face light up in

DMc: As a medical student, you see so much human

unexpected delight at seeing their own picture, because

emotion: from misery and hope, to joy, fear and

I know they’re seeing themselves in a more positive light

the unknown. That rollercoaster takes a toll on you

than they’re used to, and the best part is, everyone else

emotionally. This project gives me a chance to balance

gets to as well!

those feelings and connect with people through conversation and the camera. The photos amplify the

JG: What’s the reaction been to your photos?

story, giving us a glimpse into their true selves.

DMc: Overwhelming. I’m getting 75-year-old women messaging me to say how they love the site, and 16-year-

DMc: I’m naturally a very quiet person so I really push myself out of my comfort zone. Generally I walk up to people with a big smile and introduce myself and tell them what I’m doing. I try the same tactic as an 18-year-

olds saying they think it’s great a person with an artsy

Submitted photo

JG: What is your process?

side is pursuing medicine. It is so flattering and is my inspiration to continue.

JG: What’s next?

David McComiskey

DMc: The goal is 1,000 portraits. We’re off to a great

their eyes. Turns out, they met decades ago but lost

who knows? Maybe a book could be in the works down

JG: What are some of the stories – and photos – that

touch and married different people. Life brought

the road.

stand out to you?

them back together 20 years later and they are happier

DMc: I recently took pictures of a couple from

than ever.

old guy trying to meet girls: appear as harmless as possible!

start and I think people like the stories we’re sharing. So

Go to www.facesofnewfoundland.com or like the group on

Washington, D.C. There was an unparalleled joy in

Facebook.

GAZETTE 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

By Diane Keough

Yaffle.ca is Memorial’s online connecting tool. One of its most significant jobs is to provide a way for people from outside Memorial to ask for research help. With hundreds of community-suggested opportunities to choose from, your

Anchor Point town council photo

your next project

next project is just a click away. Here’s one . . .

The shrimp processing plant in Anchor Point.

The opportunity:

The project:

Anchor Point on the province’s Northern Peninsula

All levels of government provide oversight and reg-

has a deep-rooted history in the fishery. Like many

ulations for the fishing industry. Mr. Gros says that

communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, it was

much of the information and inventory on the fishery

founded for its fishing, and the settlement quickly

infrastructure exists in various provincial and federal

became the fishing base for the new English settle-

government departments, but no one has pulled it all

ments along the coast. That was more than 270 years

together and analyzed it.

ago, and despite the often turbulent times of the fish-

“Anchor Point and the surrounding region could really

ing industry in this province, Anchor Point contin-

benefit from a marine and fisheries infrastructure-needs

ues to survive, with the fishery remaining its main

assessment,” he said. “You can’t develop infrastructure

industry.

if you don’t already know what is going on. There is

Anchor Point and its surrounding communi-

a lack of recording or understanding about what is in

ties each have the necessary basic infrastructure

place already, and what is needed, with respect to fish-

– wharves, slipways, piers, etc. – to support the fish-

eries infrastructure.”

ery, but there is no overarching plan for determining

The town is looking for someone to complete a needs

the area’s infrastructure needs. According to Anchor

assessment on the marine and fisheries infrastructure

Point mayor Gerry Gros, it’s time to examine the cur-

for the region. It would involve compiling all the exist-

rent state and plan accordingly to keep the fishery

ing information available from the various government

sustainable.

departments, determining the information gaps (if

“We need to take stock of what infrastructure

any), completing the infrastructure inventory (if nec-

resources are in the region, and determine where to

essary) and analyzing the fisheries infrastructure needs

best allocate investments for the betterment of the

against the existing resources.

region,” he said. “Anchor Point has always been a hub for the fishery in this area, and there is opportunity to

Interested in learning more about this project? The Harris

really develop and enhance the fishing infrastructure

Centre’s co-ordinator of knowledge mobilization would be

to service the region.”

happy to tell you more. Call Amy Tucker at 709-864-6115 or email amy.tucker@mun.ca.

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

2

Editor Graphics Mandy Cook John Andrews Regular Contributors

Laura Barron Melanie Callahan Nora Daly Krista Davidson Paula Dyke Kelly Foss Elizabeth Furey Pamela Gill Sharon Gray Jeff Green Janet Harron Jill Hunt Diane Keough Jackey Locke

Classified Advertising Kelly Hickey

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

Photography Chris Hammond

Advertising Mandy Cook Telephone: 709 864 2142 Email: mandyc@mun.ca Next Gazette deadline Aug. 27 for Sept. 3 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 Telephone: 709 864 2142 Fax: 709 864 8699 Email: mandyc@mun.ca ISSN 0228-88 77 With the exception of advertisements from Memorial University, ads carried in the Gazette do not imply recommendation by the university for the service or product.

www.mun.ca/gazette

Inspired, powerful and diverse

Fourteenth annual summertime chamber music festival delivers musical thrills

By Mandy Cook

The 2014

Tuckamore Festival — one of Atlantic

Canada’s leading summertime chamber music programs — is running Aug. 4-17, which leaves five more days to take in beautiful music being made by participating local and visiting artists.

The Tuckamore Festival is led by artistic directors Drs. Timothy Steeves and Nancy Dahn, professors of music in the School of Music, who are also known as Duo Concertante. The 14th season of the festival has been a celebration of classical music composed for a small number of instruments, including concerts, open rehearsals, master classes, lunchtime performances and children’s concerts on Memorial’s St. John’s campus and the communities of Brigus and Admiral’s Cove, as well as the Rocket Room on Water Street in the capital city for several late-night performances.

One of the evening performances will take place on Thursday, Aug. 14, with the award-winning singer Patricia O’Callaghan and pianist Robert Kortgaard, who will perform a cabaret concert at the Rocket Room at “Patricia is Canada’s finest cabaret singer and she’s gotten rave reviews from all over the world,” said Dr Steeves. “I know their concert will be thrilling!”

The same evening, the Cecilia String Quartet — winners of the Banff International String Quartet Competition – will perform in Admiral’s Cove on the

Submitted photo

10 p.m.

The Cecilia String quartet will perform as part of the Tuckamore Festival.

Southern Shore at the Old Church at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the Cecilia String Quartet will perform a children’s concert at 12 p.m. at the D.F. Cook Recital Hall at the School of Music, followed by an 8

Dvorak’s famous and tumultuous Dumky Trio,” said Dr.

some performances, which aim to enlighten, entertain

Steeves.

and hopefully deepen audience members’ experiences.

The festival has grown over the past number of years,

“Our vision is to have a world class chamber music

p.m. performance at the D.F. Cook by the Cecilia String

says Dr. Dahn. Events which offer up a broader interpre-

festival that has broad and wide-reaching appeal but

Quartet, Duo Concertante, Robert Kortgaard and cellist

tation to the term chamber music have been introduced,

also really engages and stimulates our audience. I think

Simon Fryer.

such as jazz performances, improvisation workshops,

we’re really on track,” said Dr. Dahn.

“Two mega works are on that concert – Schonberg’s

cabaret music and new music, for example. New this

epic and intensely romantic Transfigured Night and

year is informal pre-concert chats on the morning of

Keep calm and beat the heat

For more information and a full schedule of events, please visit www.tuckamorefestival.ca.

Cont’d from HIBERNIA page 1 “The program at Memorial is considered one of the

STUDENTVIEW Darlington Mandondo

for those who would rather study close to exam time.

best in Canada and HMDC has given us the ability to

In fact, this may even prove to be an advantage as the

make it even better,” said Dr. Leonard Lye, Memorial’s

recency effect on retention might even tilt the scales

Shad Valley program director. “We will be able to accept

in your favour.

more students into our program here at Memorial and

It is also essential to maintain a positive mindset

it also will allow more local students to travel to other

amidst all the anxiety that accompanies late prepara-

parts of the country to participate in the program at

time of the semester again when

tion. Instead of riddling yourself with unproductive

other schools.”

instructors and students lock horns for the last time

self pity, you would probably be better off trying to

“Hibernia is a strong supporter of science, technol-

during the final examination period. If you pay

make the most of whatever time you still have. The

ogy, engineering and math educational initiatives,”

enough attention, you can actually feel the tension

great philosopher Confucius aptly captured the impor-

said Jamie Long, president of HMDC. “The Shad Valley

escalating around campus as the nerves kick in.

tance of self-belief when he said, “The man who thinks

program offers students an exciting summer opportu-

Library attendance is scaling new highs by the passing

he can and the man who thinks he cannot are both

nity. We hope it will inspire students and encourage

day. Even in class, “new” faces have started showing

usually right.” Speaking more generally, students can

them to pursue STEM studies.”

up (in the sense that they were previously unseen in

also employ various means of beating the heat, or at

HMDC will invest $450,000 per year for five years to

that class), much to the amusement of fellow students.

least lessening its impact on your studying. For a lot

support the cost of Newfoundland and Labrador stu-

It is that

To compound our worries, the record high tem-

of people, reading during the night yields significant

dents attending Shad Valley programs throughout the

peratures that have been recorded in St. John’s have

benefits, as it will be much cooler, hence easier to con-

country. Eight new student positions will be created

not aided studying, either. Whoever coined the word

centrate. Discipline is of paramount importance if you

at Memorial, increasing the number of out-of-prov-

“studying” must have put a lot of thought into the

adopt this study regime, as the temptation to sleep will

ince students who will be exposed to programming

last five letters because it does feel akin to dying at

in all likelihood be lurking at the back of your mind. It

and research opportunities in Newfoundland and

times. Exaggeration? Probably. But the point is, in a

is also vital to stay hydrated because the intense heat

Labrador.

fair world, exam pressure and sweltering heat should

can be energy sapping. In addition, study breaks will

Additionally, HMDC will invest $120,000 per year

never occur

be more essential than ever. Nothing works quite like a

for five years to support a new Shad Valley program

rejuvenating break to get you back on track.

co-ordinator at Memorial. The co-ordinator will focus

simultaneously. This article, however,

is not intended to spread the Utopian doctrine, but rather to give simple, practical advice on coping with

While the suggestions above may not be an ultimate

the upcoming examinations amid unfavourable study

panacea to everyone’s study woes, I am fairly certain

“We are extremely grateful to both HMDC and

conditions.

that somewhere at Memorial, someone can identify

Memorial for the opportunity to forge this new part-

on increasing high school student interest in STEM.

Popular opinion postulates that there are two types

with the tribulations I speak of. I will also seize the

nership,” said Barry Bisson, president, Shad Valley

of students – those who study in advance and those

opportunity to wish everyone the very best in their

International. “The activities that will flow from this

who leave it till late. As a permanent member of the lat-

final examinations.

funding will enhance our already excellent partnership with Memorial and help our national organiza-

ter crew, I feel qualified enough to tell fellow students that even though the early bird usually does catch the

Darlington Mandondo is a third-year student in the bachelor

tion expand in Newfoundland and Labrador to help

fattest worm, it does not render the situation hopeless

of commerce program. He can be reached at dnm355@mun.ca.

address the needs of exceptional students.”

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

3

www.mun.ca/gazette

Business boot camp

Enactus Memorial offers week-long training for Canadian ex-military

By Susan White-MacPherson

A week-long

business boot camp that offers

former military members the chance to develop business skills wrapped up at Memorial recently.

Based in Business, run by Enactus Memorial, provided 21 former and transitioning members of the Canadian Forces with in-classroom learning and one-on-one mentoring to help them transition into new careers as business owners.

“It’s a bit of an information overload, but I’ve enjoyed it all,” said Mike Ottogalli, formerly of Windsor, Ont., now living in St. John’s. “I’ve tried to be a sponge [and] it’s got me excited about starting a business of my own.”

Mr. Ottogalli spent a total of seven years in the Royal

“It’s a bit of an information overload, but I’ve enjoyed it all.” in downtown St. John’s and is exploring ways to turn his passion for nature and nautical photography into a business.

He signed up for Based in Business hoping to expand his understanding of the questions that need to be answered before starting a business.

“I had no idea how to go about doing a business plan, so that was one of my expectations was hoping to

Submitted photo

Canadian Navy. He currently works at an art gallery

From left, business students Andrea Williams, Shaun Morrissey and Alex Robbins mentor Mike Ottogalli, a participant in Based in Business, a program of Enactus Memorial and Prince’s Charities Canada.

understand that. And I was hoping to learn more about business startup financing,” he said. “I’ve been given

Entrepreneur is a program of Prince’s Charities Canada

a lot of resources for financing, and we’re been work-

and is the only program of its kind in Canada.

ing on a business plan. I’ve realized that a business plan

Based in Business is held every year at the Gardiner

isn’t the easiest. It’s not a one-week tool. There’s still a

Centre. Participants take in classroom sessions to learn

lot of research that I have to go through.”

about business-related topics such as entrepreneurship,

“You’re actually hands-on with the participants and you’re working one-on-one with them. It’s a lot more real than I thought it would be,” she said.

Ms. States says the program’s value comes from offering participants the chance to succeed in a new career.

Based in Business began as a project of Enactus

customer relations, accounting and finance, market-

“A lot of veterans don’t necessarily have the access to

Memorial in 2008 when the volunteer student group

ing, human resources, legal issues and business ethics.

the skills they need for starting a business. It’s really

was contacted by the Department of National Defence

Instruction is provided by staff and faculty members at

hard to see when they actually go out and start their

with the request that a program be developed to help

the Faculty of Business Administration. They also work

ventures, and a lot of the times they fail because they

entrepreneurially minded service men and women rein-

one-on-one with student volunteers to develop final

just don’t have those basic skills,” she said. “It’s not that

tegrate into civilian life once they leave the military.

presentations and business plans.

they’re not driven – they’re all so motivated – but when

In 2011, Enactus Memorial partnered with Canadian

Business students Angelise States and Shaun Morrissey

you come to a Based in Business boot camp, you actu-

Youth Business Foundation, now known as futurpre-

are co-project managers of Based in Business this year.

ally receive those basic ground level skills that are going

neur, to develop the Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur,

Ms. States says she’s enjoyed the personal interactions

to be necessary for any business.”

currently in its third year. The Prince’s Operation

that students have had with participants.

NOTABLE Dr. Xiao-Qiang Zhao, Department of Mathematics and

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

Statistics, and Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi, Department of

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, for a one-

Janet Bangma was appointed associate university

Biochemistry, have been named among the world’s most

year term beginning May 1, 2014.

librarian, Health Sciences Centre, for a three-year term

cited researchers in 2014. Over 3,200 names appear on

starting July 1, 2014.

the Thomson Reuters list, representing those who are

Dr. Faisal Khan was appointed interim head of

making the biggest impact in science worldwide. Dr.

the Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of

Dr. James Rourke has graciously agreed to an extension

Zhao is one of only two Canadians to make the list in

Engineering and Applied Science, for a one-year term

of his role as dean, Faculty of Medicine, for a one-year

the mathematics category, while Dr. Shahidi was also

beginning May 1, 2014.

term to June 2016. Dr. Rourke’s extension was approved

on the last Thompson Reuters highly cited researchers

by the Board of Regents on Aug. 5. Dr. Rourke has served Dr. Amgad Hussein was appointed interim head

as dean of Medicine and professor of family medicine

of the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of

at Memorial University since April 5, 2004. Dr. Rourke’s

Dr. Cathy Vardy was appointed vice-dean of the

Engineering and Applied Science, for a one-year

extension will provide continuity in decanal leadership

Faculty of Medicine for a three-year term beginning

term beginning May 1, 2014.

pending the appointment of a new provost and a dean

list in 2001.

July 1, 2014.

of Medicine.

Dr. Scott MacKinnon was appointed associate dean,

Dr. Nick Krouglicof was appointed interim head of

graduate studies and research, School of Human Kinetics

the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of

and Recreation, for a three-year term beginning July 1,

Engineering and Applied Science, for a one-year term,

2014.

obituary

beginning May 1, 2014.

Dr. John Buffinga was appointed head of the

Dr. Ronald George Rompkey

Dr. Bruce Colborne was appointed interim head of

Department of German and Russian, Faculty of Arts, for

Dr. Ronald George Rompkey, a retired faculty

the Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural

a three-year term beginning June 1, 2014.

member and professor emeritus in the Department

Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, for a one-year term beginning May 1, 2014.

of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Andrea Brennan-Hunter was appointed associate

Arts, passed away July 31, 2014. He was 71.

dean, undergraduate programs, School of Nursing, for Dr. Dennis Peters was appointed interim head of the

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

a three-year term beginning Sept. 1, 2014.

4

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Frameworks at work: Memorial’s frameworks in action 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 sharing projects and highlighting the successes that are bringing them to life.

Research Strategy

Submitted photo

feature will help showcase the frameworks in action by

Integrated approach

The Explorer AUV (pictured) explored the area of Smith Sound, N.L., in a survey to benefit various disciplines in the arts, sciences and engineering and applied research.

By Krista Davidson

outside the box.

approach to the AUV’s practical research applications so

In 2012 Dr. Trevor Bell began measuring lead levels in

Researchers

that many disciplines could benefit from the use of one

at Memorial University are using

trees. Tropical storm Leslie took down many of the oldest

unconventional methods to seek answers to their

trees in Bannerman Park in St. John’s, offering a prime

The AUV embarked on a recent survey through Smith

questions, and they’re doing so with the help of the Core

opportunity for Dr. Bell and his team to work with Dr.

Sound, N.L., home to one of the largest overwintering

Research Equipment and Instrument Training Network

Lam in the laser ablation facility. The project blossomed

inshore cod populations, despite the decline of cod in

(CREAIT).

into something bigger – creating a 170-year-old record of

other areas. It is also the location of documented, but yet-

lead pollution and opening the door for future work on

to-be found shipwrecks and internal seiches and resonant

sustainability and environmental monitoring.

tidal forcing – making it a prime location of interest for

Take Dr. Meghan Burchell. Dr. Burchell, an assistant professor with the Department of Archaeology, is

survey.

working with Dr. Rebecca Lam and the Micro Analysis

Explorer, Memorial’s autonomous underwater vehi-

Facility (MAF-IIC) to examine the unique chemical sig-

cle (AUV) and the star of the Marine Environmental

natures of shells. Her research will use laser ablation to

Research Lab for Intelligent Vehicles (MERLIN), is also

“The staff at the CREAIT Network has a very acute

examine the chemical composition of a shell to iden-

providing opportunities for unconventional research for

understanding of the inner workings and capabilities

tify periods of environmental change that may help

many disciplines at once.

of the research facilities and equipment at Memorial

to understand the decline of the salmon industry in British Columbia.

various disciplines: history, geography, computer science and physics.

Like MAF-IIC, MERLIN is part of the CREAIT

University, and they are always working towards provid-

Network’s various research facilities and equipment.

ing new and inventive means for discovering extraordi-

“Archaeological research doesn’t typically use trace

Although used mostly for underwater research in areas

nary research,” said Dr. Richard Marceau, vice-president

elements to answer these kinds of questions about our

too hazardous or difficult to access, Explorer recently

(research).

past,” said Dr. Burchell. “Working with the staff at

embarked on the first multidisciplinary scientific research

An integrated approach enables other disciplines to

CREAIT allows faculty and graduate students in archae-

mission of its kind through the Responsive Autonomous

access affordable research equipment, but also to collab-

ology to answer questions about peoples’ past interac-

Underwater Vehicle Localization and Mapping Project.

orate with the CREAIT team, paving the way for devel-

tions with both the natural and material world.”

The five-year project, led by Memorial University and

oping resourceful strategies for research, no matter how

managed by MERLIN staff, developed an integrated

unconventional.

Archaeology is not the only discipline thinking

Hanging her hat Memorial’s longest running employee moves on

By Michelle Osmond

and have shared fond memories with them,” she added.

In the last few years, Donna Vey has answered one

her lunch break for an aerobics or Pilates class.

Every day, Ms. Vey can be seen heading to The Works on question in particular a lot.

“Working in HKR has allowed me to do my lunchtime

“When are you retiring?”

workout without leaving the building. So I guess you could

But Ms. Vey hasn’t really felt the need to retire. Even

say that my job gave me the chance to combine a lot of my

of the university’s workforce so far – she likes her job and everything about it. But recently, Ms. Vey announced she will leave Memorial Aug. 1.

mental, social and physical fitness needs,” she noted.

Stephen Dodge is the director of Human Resources at Memorial.

“I would like to congratulate Donna on her upcoming

She says there is “no secret” to her longevity.

retirement,” he said. “According to our records, with 47

“I was fortunate enough to secure a position at Memorial

years of service, she is the university’s longest serving

University and then wisely moved to the School of Human

employee to date. This is quite an accomplishment that

Kinetics and Recreation. I enjoy my work and find it mean-

speaks to Donna’s dedication to her work. She will truly

ingful and rewarding. I’ve been blessed over the years with

be missed by her colleagues in HRK and throughout

wonderful co-workers who have been very supportive and

Memorial.”

with whom I have formed close friendships. The atmosphere in HKR is unique; it’s very energetic and upbeat.

Michelle Osmond photo

after 47 years at Memorial – the longest running member

Donna Vey heading to The Works for her daily workout.

Ms. Vey started her career with Memorial in 1967 as a clerk stenographer in the Queen Elizabeth II Library and

and Recreation – for a secretarial position where she

“As one of the smaller faculties, there’s closer interaction

stayed for two years. She later moved to the Department

stayed. Ms. Vey’s last position in HKR is administrative

with the students. Many of whom I’ve met in later years

of Physical Education – now the School of Human Kinetics

staff specialist.

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

5

www.mun.ca/gazette

BOOKS AT Surviving Incarceration: Inside Canadian Prisons Dr. Rose Ricciardelli

Is prison a humane form of punishment and an effective

prisoners navigate in order to survive. Rose Ricciardelli,

means of rehabilitation? Are current prison policies, such

an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology

as shifting resources away from rehabilitation toward

at Memorial, draws on interviews with federal prisoners

housing more offenders, improving the safety and lives

to show how their criminal convictions, masculinity

of incarcerated populations? Considering that many

and sexuality determined their social status in prison

Canadians have served time, are currently incarcerated

and, in consequence, their potential for victimization.

or may one day be incarcerated – and then released

The book outlines the modern “inmate code” that

back into society – it is essential for the functioning

governs prisoner behaviours, the formal controls put

and betterment of communities that we understand

forth by the administration, the dynamics that shape

the realities that shape the prison experience for adult

sex-offender experiences of incarceration and the

male offenders. Surviving Incarceration reveals the

personal growth experiences of many prisoners as they

omnipresent violence in prisons, the heterogeneity of

cope with incarceration.

the prisoner population and the realities that different

Knowledge and Networking: On Communication in the Social Sciences Dr. Anton Oleinik

Success and career growth in academic life depend

reproduces features of a “small world,” in which per-

upon reaching and influencing the widest audience

sonal connections prevail. Who knows whom matters

possible. To do so, scientists strive to develop

more than who knows what. In this scenario, one’s

personalized trust. They do so by establishing a large

status derives more from affiliation with a specific

number of connections through networking and also

group of scholars or a particular university than from

through the strength of their arguments and the

contributing to advancing knowledge. Acknowledging

validity and reliability of their research. To secure

that it would be a mistake to consider networking the

increasingly rare tenure positions and achieve salary

main source of evils in science, Dr. Oleinik instead

increases, promotions, and recognition, scholars place

criticizes the decisions scholars make while strug-

themselves on a continuum of priorities ranging from

gling to find that middle ground between networking

total emphasis on networking to complete focus on

and advancing knowledge, and managing conflicts

advancing knowledge, trying to find some middle

between these priorities.

ground between the two extremes.

Dr.

Anton

Oleinik

argues

in

Anton Oleinik is an associate professor of socioland

ogy at Memorial and a leading research fellow at the

Networking: On Communication in the Social Sciences

Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the

that when scholars prioritize networking, science

Russian Academy of Sciences.

Knowledge

Canada: Becoming a Sustainable Energy Powerhouse Co-edited by Dr. Richard Marceau and Clement W. Bowman A publication addressing Canada’s massive energy

said Dr. Richard Marceau, vice-president (research),

resource endowment and the opportunities for both

at Memorial. “Canada: Becoming a Sustainable Energy

economic growth and carbon footprint reduction,

Powerhouse builds on Canada’s historically successful

Canada: Becoming a Sustainable Energy Powerhouse

‘big project innovation strategy’ to point the way for-

proposes three objectives for Canada – add value to

ward for unleashing its economic potential across the

Canada’s energy exports, extending our country’s value

nation, while building a foundation for a more sustain-

chain and strengthening our innovation ecosystem;

able long-term energy future.”

contribute

carbon

The book is the latest initiative undertaken by the

footprint, such as being the lowest cost producer of

to

reducing

North

America’s

Canadian Academy of Engineering’s Energy Pathways

low-greenhouse gas electricity; and contribute to the

Task Force, which has published a number of import-

increasing global energy demand, recognizing Canada’s

ant reports since 2005. It brings together contribu-

huge energy resource base.

tions from national experts and leaders in the fields of

“Canada has an abundance of unique energy resources, both renewable and non-renewable, that present incredible opportunities for innovation, economic

energy, resources and economic strategy.

To obtain a copy of Canada: Becoming a Sustainable Energy Powerhouse, visit www.cae-acg.ca/.

growth, job creation, and lowering carbon footprint,”

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

6

www.mun.ca/gazette

MEMORIAL Time of Treason Susan M. MacDonald

Picking up right where Edge of Time left off, Time of

Author Susan M. MacDonald lived in half the prov-

Treason continues the story of Riley and Alec, otherwise

inces of Canada before settling in Newfoundland and

normal teens whose special genetic traits grant them

Labrador in 1998. She sent her first manuscript to a pub-

powers they are only now learning to control – powers

lisher in Grade 6, but was politely rejected. A life-long

that also make them targets for the extraterrestrial Tyons.

reader of science fiction and fantasy, she began writing

Riley and Alec have travelled back in time to the start

in earnest 30 years later.

of their adventures, courtesy of Alec’s creepy time shift-

Dr. MacDonald is an associate professor of medicine

ing abilities. But instead of fixing things, it’s made every-

and family medicine with the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy

thing much worse. The Tyons have tracked their time

Cancer Centre. She says writing fiction is a break from

shift and are hot on their heels, and Rhozan is back,

palliative care. She and her husband, Dr. Christopher

more dangerous than ever. After a brazen attack, Alec

Kovacs, write articles for the New York Review of Science

finds himself out of the frying pan and definitely into

Fiction on medical myths and errors in science fiction

the fire.

and have done multiple panels on this topic at science

Can Riley save him? Or is Alec just a pawn of time?

fiction conventions

Perished: The 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster Jenny Higgins

On March 31, 1914, 132 men from the SS

examining its long-term ramifications. It is

Newfoundland scrambled onto the treacherous

also a one-of-a-kind backgrounder on the seal

North Atlantic ice floes to hunt seals. Lost in

hunt, exploring the roots of the industry, the

a sudden blizzard, the sealers wandered for

conditions on-board the sealing vessels, the

two days and nights before rescue. Only 55

cutthroat competitiveness of sealing captains

made it back alive. The disaster had a deep

and the determination of sealers who put their

and lasting effect; one hundred years later, the

lives on the line every spring as they headed to

story still resonates. In Perished, Jenny Higgins

the ice. Perished is illustrated with more than

a research assistant at Memorial’s Maritime

200 rarely seen archival photos and documents,

History Archive, traces the events leading up

including pullout facsimiles of maps, logbook

to, during and after the tragedy, revisiting the

entries, telegrams, a sealer’s ticket for the SS

horrors of those days and nights on the ice and

Newfoundland and more.

Motherhood and Infertility in Ireland Jill Allison

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Through the lens of infertility, Dr. Jill Allison, co-ordinator of

but as agents and beneficiaries of changing social values and

the Global Health Office in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial,

expectations.

offers a cultural account of shifting meanings of conception,

The book also examines how religious, medical and state

fertility, motherhood and family in the current climate of

institutions use the meanings of nature and science in an effort

changing Irish social life. This book portrays how the taken for

to be the dominant voice in ongoing politics which encourage

granted associations between nature, reproduction, marriage,

bearing of children. Dr. Allison shows how the use of repro-

family and morality are also shaping the production of new

ductive technologies is discussed in relation to the historical

kinds of reproductive knowledge and the use of reproductive

and contemporary debates about reproductive choice. The

technologies in Ireland.

dilemmas people face when using assisted reproduction tech-

The infertility stories in this book show us how the once

nologies also highlight the complexity and contingency of

seamless connection between marriage, motherhood, sex

the local morality in which reproductive politics operates in

and procreation in Ireland is contested. Through the stories

Ireland. Overall, this book makes an important contribution

of women and men facing infertility, the book brings to life

to the story of change in Ireland as it represents the current

the forces that shape the idea of motherhood and the way

cultural context in which people are making decisions about

many women see themselves, not as victims of circumstance,

family building.

7

www.mun.ca/gazette

BOOKS AT MEMORIAL Deputy Ministers in Canada: Comparative and Jurisdictional Perspectives Co-edited by Dr. Christopher Dunn Collectively,

provincial

deputy

ministers

command

the largest assembly of government budgets, employees and influence in Canada. Despite their importance they have not been the subject of systematic study until now.

This unique volume reviews the role of deputy ministers within government, providing a new understanding of their responsibilities and interactions at both the federal and provincial levels. It also contributes important comparative analysis not previously available. Featuring articles by many of Canada’s most prominent scholars of public administration, Deputy Ministers in Canada examines a number of factors in the evolution of

Kentucky Handicap Horse Racing: A History of the Great Weight Carriers

up

for

some

bluegrass

equine

excitement! In a handicap, horses are assigned

weights

based

on

their

ministerial-bureaucratic relations. Deputy Ministers in

administrative history, the essays probe topics such as

Canada makes an important contribution to the political

the socio-economic characteristics of administrative

science and public administration literature. Co-editor

elites, the politicization of recruitment processes, the

and contributor Dr. Christopher Dunn is a professor in the

impact of New Public Management and varieties of

Department of Political Science at Memorial.

Psychiatry Disrupted: Theorizing Resistance and Crafting the (R)evolution

Melanie Greene Saddle

deputies’ roles. Taking into account social, political and

Edited by Bonnie Burstow, Brenda A. LeFrancois and Shaindl Diamond

past

performances as a way to try to create evenly matched fields. The better the horse, the heavier the weight assigned. In the United States, handicaps once accounted for the

There

majority of stakes races and were known

oppressiveness of psychiatry. While previous studies have

is

growing

international

resistance

to

the

to boast large purses, attracting the leading

critiqued psychiatry, Psychiatry Disrupted goes beyond

horses of the day. Kentucky-bred horses

theorizing what is wrong with it to theorizing how we

such as Discovery, Equipoise and Kelso won

might stop it.

under the heaviest of weights, dominating

Introducing readers to the arguments and rationale for

the handicap division year after year, and

opposing psychiatry, the book combines perspectives from

were immortalized in the hall of fame. These

anti-psychiatry and critical psychiatry activism, mad activ-

equine stars brought recognition to the “sport

ism, antiracist, critical and radical disability studies, as well

of kings” and became renowned athletes

as feminist, Marxist and anarchist thought. The editors and

for their courage, fortitude and durability.

contributors are activists and academics – adult education

the collection theorizes psychiatry while contributing to a

Author and turf historian Melanie Greene,

and social work professors, psychologists, prominent leaders

range of scholarship and presenting a comprehensive over-

doctoral candidate, Faculty of Education,

in the psychiatric survivor movement, and artists – from

view of resistance to psychiatry in the academy and in the

recounts the harrowing tales of these noble

across Canada, England, and the United States. From chap-

community. Courageous and timely, Psychiatry Disabled asks

steeds in Kentucky Handicap Horse Racing: A

ters discussing feminist opposition to the medicalization

compelling activist questions that no other book in the field

History of the Great Weight Carriers.

of human experience, to the links between psychiatry and

touches. Dr. Brenda A. LeFrancois is an associate professor

neoliberalism, to internal tensions within the various move-

in the School of Social Work with a cross-appointment in

ments and different identities from which people organize,

the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University.

War and Trade in Eighteenth-Century Newfoundland Dr. Olaf U. Janzen The

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

18th

century

was

an

extremely

eventful

one

for

University. The articles examine many themes – the importance

Newfoundland and Labrador. It was, for instance, a century in

of cartography and map-making in determining control over dis-

which the predominantly migratory fishery, based in European

tant parts of the island of Newfoundland, the effects of peace

ports, began to be displaced by one dominated by an ever-

and of war on settlement in Western Newfoundland, piracy in

growing residential population. It was also a century when both

peacetime as well as privateering in time of war, the efforts of the

the fisher people and the fish trade endured the profound distress

state to limit Aboriginal settlement on the South Coast, the chal-

and disruption of war. The fish trade began to broaden its markets

lenges of protecting the fisheries in wartime, even an attempt

during that century beyond those of Southern Europe to include

by a partnership of Scottish merchants to break into the salt

the West Indies. It was also a century when newcomers began to

fish trade in the 1720s. Most of the essays have been published

insert themselves into a fisheries economy that traditionally had

before, though some have not been easy to locate while one has

been dominated by English and French merchants.

not previously been published. By bringing these essays together

This century provides the focus for War and Trade in Eighteenth-

into a single volume, Dr. Janzen intends to make his work more

Century Newfoundland, a collection of 12 articles by Dr. Olaf U.

accessible to those wishing to learn more about Newfoundland

Janzen, professor of history at Grenfell Campus, Memorial

in this very dynamic period of its history.

8

www.mun.ca/gazette

Kickstart the future

Crowdfunding campaign to back new computer science graduate’s visual novel price a lot to raise interest and get peo-

By Kelly Foss

ple to try it,” he said. “The game was

A Memorial

spring graduate

intended to be a series of five. But since

isn’t wasting any time putting his

the first didn’t perform well enough to

degree to work.

fund the second one, we cut the proj-

Computer science graduate Jeremy

ect down to three for the Kickstarter

Miller is already head of his own

proposal, so we could guarantee our

international interactive media devel-

backers a complete story.”

opment studio, doing so with the sup-

Dischan’s 30-day Kickstarter cam-

port of a number of individuals who

paign was successfully funded by

helped finance the endeavour.

1,457 backers for a total of $67,450,

Mr. Miller founded Dischan Media

well above their $49,000 goal.

while in high school in New Brunswick

Mr. Miller is looking forward to tak-

in 2009. The virtual company, made

ing the skills he’s learned during the

up of writers, programmers and artists

course of his degree and putting them

from around the world, collaborates

to good use with his company.

online to create visual novels – inter-

“I’ve been able to make our website

active fiction games which resemble

a lot more impressive than it would

mixed-media novels, often featuring

have been,” he said. “We’ve also cus-

static graphics, live-action stills and

tom built our store and our forum,

video footage. The games have multi-

which allows us to give a much more

ple storylines and endings and players

user-friendly experience than a lot of

come to decision points where they

other developers who don’t have those

must choose which direction to take

skills.

the game.

“I never programmed much of the

Just over a year ago the company

first episode, because we used an

released the science-fiction fantasy

engine which took care of a lot of it for

visual novel Dysfunctional Systems –

us. But moving forward we want to use

their first for-profit venture.

a more basic model that would allow

“The plot centres around a world

us to do more customization and give

which is a utopia,” explains Mr. Miller.

us more flexibility. My degree is defi-

“It’s aware of other worlds and

nitely going to help with that.”

dimensions and sends people called

He’s also hoping to branch into

mediators to those places to help

standard video games with a strong

keep those worlds stable. The stabil-

focus on blending gameplay with

ity of these other worlds is connected

Pictured is a cartoon Dischan Media is currently creating.

story, and is working on a short car-

to theirs – if a lot of worlds “go bad,”

toon for another of the company’s

their world will suffer as well.”

The main character, a girl named Winter,

is

just

entering

games, Juniper’s Knot.

“It’s done fairly well, but not well

specific funding goal and a deadline.

In the meantime, with funding

mediator

enough to fund a sequel like we had

If friends, fans or random strangers

confirmed, Dischan will be working

school. The first episode sees her

hoped, which is why we started a

like the idea they can pledge money

on

shadowing Cyrus, an older and more

Kickstarter campaign,” said Mr. Miller.

to make it happen. An all-or-nothing

Two, which they expect to deliver in

experienced mediator. Mr. Miller says

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding plat-

affair, Kickstarter projects only go for-

September, and Episode Three, set for

subsequent episodes will have the duo

form, which brings developers of

ward if the funding goal is met within

release in March 2015.

visit other worlds and get to know

creative projects together with poten-

a specific time period.

more about those places and Winter’s

tial backers. Developers set up an

“We were unknown when the first

home world.

online profile for their project with a

episode came out, so we had to cut the

Dysfunctional

Systems,

Episode

For more on Dischan, visit their website at https://dischan.org.

Keeping workers safer Preventing accidents before they occur in high-risk work environments risk in an informed manner, also known as dynamic risk

By Jackey Locke

assessment.

The safety

“These outcomes will facilitate real-time evaluation of risk and the implementation of performance-based safety

of workers on job sites has to be

Dr. Khan says real-time monitoring of an operation

standards in process facilities,” said Dr. Khan. “They will

paramount, and in the process, nuclear and aerospace

makes it possible to dynamically conduct risk analysis

also contribute to the development of advanced tools for

industries, the same holds true.

as abnormal events are observed. Fault identification,

online fault diagnosis and accident forecasting.”

While the frequency of severe incidents in these industries is low, one can not assume that will be the case in

detection and diagnosis tools play a vital role in conducting real-time dynamic risk assessments.

The direct benefits of this research for Canadian industries is preventing losses, minimizing liabilities

the long term. A team from Memorial led by Dr. Faisal

and enhancing profitability of production and opera-

Khan, head of process engineering and Vale Research

tions. Dr. Khan’s research will help to address key issues

Chair in Process Risk and Safety Engineering, is working on a risk assessment tool to predict high-severity accidents before they occur.

“Using data available on near-misses and incidents of low severity, we can predict high-severity sequences,” said Dr. Faisal Khan. “Recent accidents, such as the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the series of explosions and fires at British Petroleum’s refin-

“Recent accidents, such as the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the series of explosions and fires at British Petroleum’s refinery in 2005, are worrisome.”

ery in 2005, are worrisome.”

inherent safety concepts and to demonstrate a company’s commitment to safety.

“In addition to the above, our research will also help Canadian industries increase awareness among practitioners; awareness about the importance of inherent safety considerations in all stages of a facility’s life cycle; provide a systematic methodology to ensure cost-effective implementation of risk minimization in oil and gas

In processing facilities, such as those used for oil and

production and processing; and increase the safety and

gas production and processing, unusual events occur on

The outcomes of the project—models, methodolo-

a regular basis. Dr. Khan and his team hope to capture

gies and an integrated software suite for safety manage-

these abnormal incidents and update the operational

ment—are all important for the industry.

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

of safety during design and operation, to implement

9

integrity level of the processing facility, while ensuring their economic efficiency.”

www.mun.ca/gazette

Submitted photo

The Marine Institute runners who ran the Tely 10 as part of Team Memorial.

Tackling the Tely with spirit Team Memorial commemorates Marine Institute’s 50th anniversary

By Naomi Osborne

Runners on

all of Memorial’s campuses are no

and wellness co-ordinator, Rose Hatfield, with assistance

excellent opportunity to showcase the institute and our

from MI anniversary events co-ordinator, Kelli-Ann

Golden Jubilee celebrations,” said Ms. Smith. “We part-

Smith. Finding willing participants didn’t take long.

nered with Memorial’s St. John’s and Grenfell Campuses

stranger to the challenge of one of the most prestigious

“Each year the Marine Institute registers a team for

running events in the Atlantic provinces and one of the

the Tely 10, but this year we saw an overwhelming inter-

oldest in Canada – the Tely 10 Mile Road Race.

est in the event to reach our goal,” said Ms. Hatfield.

This year, the Marine Institute (MI) fielded a team of 50 runners to join Team Memorial in hitting the pave-

“It was an excellent way to raise awareness of MI’s 50th anniversary and to show our spirit for the institute.”

who created our shirts, and ran the event together as the Memorial community.”

The Tely 10 is just one of the many events MI has been involved in throughout 2014 to boast its 50th anniversary celebrations. The institute’s Department

ment, sporting ocean blue shirts recognizing MI’s 50th

The 87th edition of the Tely 10 broke records with just

of Development and Engagement has hosted many

anniversary, on the net-downhill course from Octagon

under 4,200 runners participating in the race. The race

anniversary MI alumni receptions and has been a part

Pond in Paradise to Bannerman Park in St. John’s July 27.

began in 1922 and has taken place every summer since,

of community events around the province such as the

Team Memorial set its own record this year with more

with the exception of a break during the Second World

Trails, Tails and Tunes Festival, a Grand Bank alumni

than 140 participants, comprised of employees, retirees,

War. The Tely 10 course record was set by Paul McCloy

event and MI’s Holyrood Open House, to name just a

spouses and children. Team Memorial included the 50

in 1986 with a time of 47:04; he won the race four times

few.

MI runners as well as two participants from Grenfell

in his career. It wasn’t until 1969 that women were able

MI 50th anniversary celebrations will continue for the

Campus.

to participate in the race. In 1985 Nicola Will set the

remainder of 2014. Visit MI’s anniversary website, www.

women’s record of 55:47.

mi50.ca for event information, alumni profiles, an inter-

Leading the charge to see 50 people sign up to run in MI’s Golden Jubilee year was the institute’s health

“With an event of this size and popularity, it was an

active timeline, photo gallery and other features.

Biochemistry welcomes new department head The Department of Biochemistry

Department of Chemistry from 2010-13

Following the discovery of trace amine

is welcoming Dr. Mark Berry as its new

and prior to joining Brandon University,

receptors in the pancreas, Dr. Berry has

head of the department.

he was senior scientific officer with ALviva

also been investigating whether trace

Biopharmaceuticals Inc.

amines may play a role in regulating insu-

Dr. Berry took up his new position on

Dr. Mark Berry Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

July 1. He succeeds Dr. Phil Davis who

Dr. Berry’s research interests lie in the

lin secretion and glucose homeostasis,

served as acting head for just over three

area of neurobiochemistry. He has worked

and the onset of diabetes. This novel angle

years.

for many years on a group of naturally

intersects with ongoing studies of lipid-

Dr. Berry was born in England and

occurring compounds called trace amines

and amino-acid metabolism in diabetes

received his undergraduate education at

to investigate and understand the role

by several members of the department.

Sunderland University where he obtained

they may play in human diseases such

More recently, Dr. Berry has been

his B.Sc. (Hons.) in pharmacology. He

as schizophrenia, mood disorders and

investigating the role of small molecules,

then moved to Canada and the University

drug addictions. Dr. Berry has shown

so-called neuroprotectants, in cell death.

of Saskatchewan where he obtained his

that, while trace amines are not tradi-

Specifically, he is interested in the differ-

PhD in neuropsychiatry. Thereafter, he

tional neurotransmitters, they do serve to

ent effects such molecules have on nor-

remained in the American midwest and

maintain basal neuronal activity within

mal cells compared with cancer cells. He

Canadian prairies with postdoctoral posi-

defined limits. Having shown that trace

has identified a compound that increases

tions at Ohio State University and the

amines can cross membranes by diffusion,

the toxicity of chemotherapeutics towards

University of Saskatchewan. He has been

he and his collaborators are carrying out

cancer cells while simultaneously protect-

a faculty member at Brandon University

molecular dynamic computer simulations

ing normal cells from the chemotherapeu-

since 2004, where he served as chair of the

of the process.

tic drug.

10

www.mun.ca/gazette

OUTANDABOUT Wednesday, Aug. 13 Flapper Skate: Using Sparse Data to Understand the Dynamics of an Endangered Species, 3:30-4:30 p.m., SN-2067, Sponsor: Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research Luthier Workshop with Rodney de Vries, 7-8 p.m., School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival An Afternoon in the Garden, 2-3 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden

Thursday, Aug. 14 Masterclass with Robert Kortgaard, 2-4 p.m., D.F. Cook Recital Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival

Friday, Aug. 15 Children’s Concert: Cecilia String Quartet, 12-1 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival Transfigured Night, 8-9:30 p.m., D.F. Cook Recital Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival

Sunday, Aug. 17 Sundays at the Botanical Garden, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden Edible Plant Hike, 2-4 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden

Monday, Aug. 18 Afternoon Guided Nature Hikes, 2:30-3:30 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden Beyond the Backyard -- Fun Beyond Your Fence, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden

Tuesday, Aug. 19 An Introduction to Graduate Studies at Memorial University, 3-4 p.m., online webinar, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

Wednesday, Aug. 20 Employee and Retiree Barbecue, 2:30-5 p.m., Paton College courtyard, St. John’s campus (alternate rain location: R. Gushue Hall), Sponsor: Human Resources An Afternoon in the Garden, 2-3 p.m., MUN Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden

Books and balance Pictured is Colleen Quigley, a dancer and a manuscripts librarian

Centre, Sponsor: Sandbox Gaming MUN Society

in Archives and Special Collections at the Queen Elizabeth II Library. Ms. Quigley is featured in a portrait series by Scott Campbell, a photographer and an alumnus of Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, which pictures dancers doing everyday things. See more by visiting scottcampbell.nl/gallery/newfoundland-sky/#/gallery/portraits/2014-oda-f2-2101.

Sunday, Aug. 24

Synthesis of (+) Clauslactone S and Enantiomerically Enriched

Mary Walsh Retirement Party, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., A-5014, Dean

Sundays at the Botanical Garden, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., MUN

a-Hydroxy Acid Derivatives, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau

of Arts Boardroom, Sponsor: Department of Religious Studies

Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor:

Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of

MUN Botanical Garden

Graduate Studies

Saturday, Aug. 23 Newfoundland Gaming Expo, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., University

Newfoundland Gaming Expo, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., University Centre, Sponsor: Sandbox Gaming MUN Society Bird Watching at the Garden, 8-09:30 a.m., MUN Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., Sponsor: Friends of MUN Botanical Garden

Tuesday, Aug. 26 Allergenomics: From Bench-top to Workplace to Prevent Occupational Asthma, 2-3 p.m., IIC-3001, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor:

SafetyNet -- Centre for

Occuaptional Health and Safety Research

Wednesday, Aug. 27 An Afternoon in the Garden, 2-3 p.m., 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: MUN Botanical Garden

Thursday, Aug. 28 A Formal Synthesis (-)-Aphanorphine and Studies on the

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

11

www.mun.ca/gazette

Nomadic life Scholar of Irish travellers and noted anthropologist returns to Memorial

By Janet Harron

Dr. George Gmelch

has come full circle at

Memorial.

In the early 1970s, as a young anthropologist hailing from San Francisco, Calif., he received a two-year fellowship from the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) to study Irish travellers, a traditionally nomadic ethnic group also known as tinkers or Gypsies.

ISER was established in 1961 by Memorial’s Faculty of Arts to foster and undertake research into the many social and economic questions arising from the particular historic, geographic, and economic circumstances of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Now Dr. Gmelch is working with On the Move, a Canadawide project studying the impacts of employment-related mobility on workers and their families, employers, and home and host communities.

“George and Diane Royal, George’s research assistant, are responsible for studying mobile workers employed in the province’s offshore oil and gas sector,” said Dr. Barbara Neis, project director, On the Move. “He is bringing to the project insights garnered from his earlier research on return migration to Newfoundland and in the Caribbean, as well as his research on Irish travellers. We’re really pleased to have him on our team.”

Dr. Gmelch recently spent seven weeks in the province interviewing workers and their spouses and thoroughly enjoyed being back in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The only thing I really recognize from 1972 is the old dining hall, the gym and the MUN pool. The anthropology department was in temporary quarters, and in those days there was nothing much to do downtown,” said Dr. Gmelch, who is happy to be working with the On the Move team and hopes to return next summer for more research. “They’re all fun and interesting people to work with – Nicole Power, Barb, Sharon Roseman and Kelly Vodden are all great.”

How did an anthropologist from California hear about ISER in the early 1970s? A graduate student at the time, Dr. Gmelch was planning on going back to Mexico for his PhD fieldwork, but having spent the summer in Ireland with his wife Sharon, also an anthropologist, he became acquainted with Irish travellers. Later he shared his pictures of travellers with his PhD supervisor, noted anthropologist Dr. Charles Erasmus.

“Basically he told me to forget Mexico, that no one had ever studied travellers. Back then, if you could find a group

Irish traveller photos courtesy of Dr. George Gmelch.

that hadn’t been studied, that was the Holy Grail,” said Dr. Gmelch.

Dr. Erasmus was also acquainted with the late Memorial anthropologist Dr. Robert Paine, then director of ISER. After receiving the ISER fellowship, Dr. Gmelch and his wife spent a year living with travellers in their own horse-

think the frequent travel of retirees is motivated by the same desire for change that drives travellers.”

Many travellers encountered during the making of the film, including some young people who had never lived on the move, expressed nostalgia for the old nomadic days.

The film, Unsettled: From Tinker to Traveller, has been broadcast in prime time to huge audience shares several times in Ireland. It has been viewed more than 15,000 times on YouTube.

“I’ve always tried to communicate through the printed

drawn caravan in a camp near Dublin. Forty years later,

“Even though the travellers then were living in dire pov-

world – but this film has had more of an impact than any-

they returned with an Irish film crew in tow to document

erty, under canvas on the side of the road, some of them

thing Sharon or I have ever published about travellers.

how travellers, now no longer nomads, are coping with a

think that’s a better way to live.”

Some in the Irish media described it as the antidote to the

settled life.

Dr. Gmelch says the experience was an emotional one.

Today the suicide rate for male travellers is six times the national average in Ireland.

ugly My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding reality show.”

A collection of his traveller photographs will be pub-

“All the men my age and many younger as well were

Especially moving to Dr. Gmelch was, apart from dis-

gone, mostly dead from alcohol abuse. But we were able to

covering three traveller children who had been named

Dr. Gmelch’s historical connections with ISER and

find many of their wives and now grown kids.”

after him and Sharon, was the reaction traveller families

Memorial make Dr. Sharon Roseman, editorial director of

and individuals had to his photographs.

ISER books and a member of the On the Move team, proud.

Most travellers have had difficulty adjusting to settled life, a phenomenon Dr. Gmelch says is shared with other nomads.

lished this fall by Indiana University Press.

“If you have a sibling who committed suicide, or a

“George is one of the many scholars funded by ISER

parent who died and you have no memory of what they

who went on to be internationally renowned leaders in

“Adrian Tanner saw the same thing among the Cree

looked like, and no pictures of your own, and then some-

their disciplines. Along with other projects, his doctoral

and Jean Briggs with the Inuit – all peoples who were once

one from the distant past, someone from America, comes

research in Ireland helped to demonstrate the value

nomadic. Nomadism introduces change in your life, new

along out of the blue and shows you a photograph, that

of ISER’s long-standing focus on Newfoundland and

places, new things to look at, new people … I sometimes

can be mind-blowing.”

Labrador, as well as other North Atlantic societies.”

Gazette | Wednesday, August 13, 2014

12

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