Mun gazette july 22 2015 web

July 22, 2015 Volume 47 | Number 17

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 an d p u b l i c a t i o n

Registration Mail No. 4006252

Assistant medical dean appointed to the Order of Canada

By Elizabeth Furey

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

The assistant dean of the Faculty

Symbol of remembrance Pictured above is one of 20 paintings exclusively depicting poppy flowers by Turkish artist Hikmet Çetinkaya that will be on display beginning July 24 at the Queen Elizabeth II Library. Please see page 7 for a related story.

of Medicine’s Rural Medical Education Network (RMEN), has been appointed to the Order of Canada.

The appointment recognizes Dr. Mohamed Ravalia for his contributions to rural medicine in Newfoundland and Labrador as a family physician, mentor and community leader.

“Dr. Ravalia’s contributions to Memorial University and the Faculty of Medicine shine a spotlight on the importance of rural medical education,” said President Gary Kachanoski. “We are proud of his many achievements and pleased to see him recognized for his hard work.”

The Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year, to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

See RAVALIA on page 5

Professores emeriti recognized

By Mandy Cook

Eight Memorial University professors have been accorded the distinction professor emeritus, an honour reserved for highly distinguished faculty members.

They will be publicly recognized at a future session of convocation.

Dr. Georg Gunther, Division of

Science, Grenfell Campus; Dr. Jeremy Hall, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science; Dr. Penny Hansen, Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Sandra LeFort, School of Nursing; Dr. Marguerite MacKenzie, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts; Dr. Christopher Sharpe, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts; Dr. Shirley Solberg, School of Nursing; and Dr. Paul

Wilson, Counselling Services, Grenfell Campus, have been awarded the title.

A professor emeritus is a retired member of the faculty who has served at least 10 years as a regular full-time faculty member and held the rank of professor upon retirement. The prime criterion for nomination is a sustained and superlative record as a scholar, as a teacher, or as an academic administrator

or any combination of these.

Candidates for the rank of professor emeritus are nominated by their academic units and, as with candidates for honorary degrees, the nominations are then reviewed by the Senate’s Committee on Honorary Degrees and Ceremonial.

The candidates are approved by Senate and the Board of Regents.

See EMERITI on page 6

features

2 T e c h n i c a l d e l e g at e

An alumnus, respected swimming official and volunteer at home and around the world is currently poolside at his fifth Pan Am Games in the nation’s largest city.

3 More Tuck amore

Former Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal dancer will perform in celebration of the summer chamber music festival’s 15th year.

8 S PANI S H S CHOLAR

A visiting literature professor from Northern Spain has been making regular visits to this province to fuel her “obsession” with N.L. writers.

9 CON V INCING ARGUMEN T

A student who has set her sights on becoming a flight nurse with the Canadian Armed Forces has been named the winner of a national essay competition.

JEFF GREEN PHOTO

Alumni spotlight

Bill Hogan

Catching up with alumnus Bill Hogan, B.Ed.’75, is like listening to a verse of the classic Hank Snow song, I’ve Been Everywhere. For the past 30 years, Mr. Hogan, a retired educator and high school administrator, has been a respected swimming official and volunteer at home and around the world. He’s travelled to Athens, Beijing, London, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, Barcelona, Montreal, Shanghai, Dubai and Istanbul, where he refereed at Summer Olympics, Youth Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the International Swimming Federation’s World Championships. He’s currently at his fifth Pan Am Games in Toronto, which run until July 26. Contributor Jeff Green caught up with Mr. Hogan before he left for the games.

JG: What other roles do you have in the sporting community?

BH: I am chair of the Swimming Technical Committee for Swimming Canada and in the Americas I am also chair of their Swimming Technical Committee, which oversees Canada, the U.S., Central America and South America. With the Fédération Internationale de Natation, the world body for swimming, I recently completed my four-year term on their technical committee. They still ask me to be their instructor for referee clinics throughout the world, most recently this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and last month in Singapore. I guess when you answer the phone as a volunteer and are retired, it’s hard not to say “yes.”

JG: Tell me about your role at the games.

BH: My role is the technical delegate for swimming. My main responsibility will be to run the five-day swimming competition, co-ordinate with CBC broadcasting on the swimming events and assign the officials.

JG: What attracted you to the technical side of the sport?

BH: My personal background in sports was playing hockey and basketball, and then eventually coaching these sports at the high school level. With swimming, it is a very technical sport especially when dealing with its rules, its entry qualification times, and its

provincial, national and world records.

But the most attractive side of the sport is the people you meet, the athletes, coaches and officials; everyone from different backgrounds with interesting stories to tell. Everyone is there for the same reason, the love of the sport. And to me it’s all fun.

JG: What do you enjoy most?

BH: I enjoy teaching swimming official clinics the most, whether it is here in Newfoundland and Labrador, throughout Canada, or as it is mostly now, around the world. I feel it is a privilege to pass on some of what I have learned to those officials in other countries, in such places as Istanbul, Jordan, Grenada, Oman, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Dubai, Morocco, the Virgin Islands, Grenada, Panama and the like. Meeting people from a variety of cultures and helping in some small way is a very rewarding part of what I do. And the people are so appreciative of us sharing our experiences to help them develop their own swimming community.

EDITOR Mandy Cook GRAPHICS Shane Mills

Dermot Westcott photo

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

By Amy Jones Special to the gazette Yaffle.ca is Memorial’s online connecting tool.

One of its most significant jobs is to provide a way for people from outside Memorial to ask for research help. With hundreds of communitysuggested opportunities to choose from, your next project is just a click away. Here’s one...

T h e o pp o r t u n i t y

Decision-makers are often compelled to make judgments about the value of the environment. Development, management and policy decisions typically involve trade-offs that positively affect some aspects of the issue under consideration, while negatively affecting others. Comparing which alternative is better than another can be very challenging, especially when the alternatives are like comparing apples to oranges. For example, clearing land for a housing development could increase jobs and incomes, but might also reduce species habitat and water quality. How should the decision-maker compare these vastly different dimensions?

These difficult decisions have to be made all the time, but are they made with enough thought to the intrinsic values of the natural environment?

This topic arose at the Harris Centre’s recent regional workshop for Western Newfoundland, where local participants discussed development in their region.

Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

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

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

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Kelly Hickey

“We want to make sure that development proposals and decisions take the value of natural resources into consideration, including such aspects as habitat, aesthetic, cultural, health and other more abstract benefits, along with the economic benefits,” said Dermot Westcott, a participant in the discussion. “For example, I am an amateur bird watcher. How do we value the life of a bird when we consider developments? Does it have value because of its relation to birdwatchers and the birdwatching industry? Does it have intrinsic value in itself? How does this value compare to the value of a development that could deplete its habitat?”

The projecT

There doesn’t seem to be a standardized method in Newfoundland and Labrador that assigns value to environmental services and resources.

This is understandable, as uncertainty regarding environmental impacts, differences in social values across

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individuals and groups, as well as other factors, make it a challenging task. However, good environmental management and decision-making needs a systematic way to evaluate and consider the effects of decisions on the public and the environment. Mr. Westcott and others would like to see the development and implementation of a local toolkit that could help both public and private decision-makers assess environmental value, which would provide important information to help guide development. They hope that someone at Memorial will complete research on the topic to help develop a toolkit, while also bringing the issue to the attention of the people who could use it.

Interested in learning more about this project?

The Harris Centre’s co-ordinator of knowledge mobilization would be happy to tell you more.

Call Amy Jones at 709-864-6115 or email at amy.tucker@mun.ca.

PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Hammond ADVERTISING Mandy Cook T. 709 864 2142 mandyc@mun.ca Next gazette deadline August 5 for August 12 publication.

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

Material in the gazette may be reprinted or broadcast without permission, excepting materials for which the gazette does not hold exclusive copyright. gazette, Room A-1024 Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7 T. 709 864 2142 F. 709 864 8699 mandyc@mun.ca ISSN 0228-88 77 With the exception of advertisements from Memorial University, ads carried in the gazette do not imply recommendation by the university for the service or product.

www.mun.ca/gazette

Even more Tuckamore

By Mandy Cook

Chamber music fans who attend the centerpiece performance of this year’s Tuckamore Festival should “expect to be moved,” says Dr. Andrew Staniland of Memorial’s School of Music and the composer of the work.

The Ocean is full of its own collapse is a composition for violin and piano featuring Evelyn Hart, former principal ballerina of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Duo Concertante, Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves, also of the music school and the festival’s artistic directors. A previous collaborator with the Duo, Ms. Hart will narrate excerpts from Lisa Moore’s novel, February, which delves into one woman’s grief after the loss of her husband on the Ocean Ranger. St. John’s-based artist Jonathan Kennedy is creating a video to accompany the piece.

“In this piece there are some pretty heavy themes: love, loss, deep-sea disasters, it’s a pretty heavy book,” said Dr. Staniland, who spent much of the last six months composing the score. “Music is such a wonderful way to carry those things. It is very poignant, you can’t even say the words Ocean Ranger without hearing a personal anecdote. It means so much to so many people here.”

The Ocean is full of its own collapse will mark the festival’s milestone 15th season. It is the anchor piece

to a festival that, as always, has much to offer classical music lovers during its two-week schedule, this year running Aug. 8-23.

In addition to the star power of the internationally renowned Ms. Hart, who will perform in Ocean for all three dates on the festival’s schedule — debuting as part of Tuckamore Travels in Admiral’s Cove on Aug. 8, again in Port Rexton on Aug. 9, and during the festival’s opening night gala in St. John’s on Aug. 10 — pianist Janina Fialkowska, CBC personality Tom Allen, violinist Mark Fewer, the Duke Trio and Ariel String quartet are just some of the names on the ever-popular evening concert series’ roster. Early risers can enjoy morning Concert Chat and Coffee sessions and night owls can take in late-night concerts in the Rocket Room in downtown St. John’s, not to mention the Young Artist Program and the Young Composers Program, which both foster the next generation of classical musicians from all corners of North America.

For her part, Ms. Hart says she is “very excited” to be part of the Tuckamore Festival’s 15th season celebration.

“I have many wonderful memories of touring across Newfoundland and Labrador with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and it will be lovely to be back,” said the former ballerina. “Tim, Nancy and I have enjoyed workshopping the new piece by Andrew, with text

aleksandar antonijevic PHOTO

Chamber music festival marks 15th year; former Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal dancer to perform

Former Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal dancer Evelyn Hart.

by Lisa Moore, and we’re really looking forward to performing it.”

Since 2001, the goal of the Tuckamore Festival has been to offer two weeks of “inspired, powerful,

and diverse” concerts as well as numerous free-of-charge open rehearsals, masterclasses, lunchtime performances and children’s concerts.

DAVE HOWELLS PHOTO

Battery Facility Graduate Student Accommodations offering broad views, seeking the same

The Battery Facility will house 42 graduate students this fall.

By Rebecca Cohoe

Applications for Memorial University’s Battery Facility Graduate Student Accommodations are now being accepted. It’s an exciting step in Memorial’s vision for the Battery Facility as a centre for public engagement in the province.

“We hope Memorial graduate students will feel the Battery is a home away from home,” said President Kachanoski. “And a sense

of belonging is something we want to extend throughout the space as more units and programming move in. It will be a place where the people of Memorial and this province can meet, collaborate and work together.

To begin, we’re looking for graduate students who are interested in being a part of that community, both as citizens and through their studies.”

The first group of 42 rooms, available in September, is located in

the Harbour Wing on the southeast corner of the facility. A group of 45 rooms in the tower section of the building is expected to be ready for residents later in the fall.

The accommodations are open to registered graduate students of Memorial University or the Marine Institute. All rooms are single occupancy, with a private washroom. The kitchen and lounge facilities will be common areas

shared between about 15 students each. Cafeteria services will not be offered, although there are plans for food services to be available as the facility becomes more operational.

Public engagement potential at the Battery Facility will be emphasized in all aspects of the property, from the planned conference space to the programming offered by Memorial tenants, including the Gardiner Centre, Genesis Centre, Harris Centre and the Office of Public Engagement.

It is even an aspect of the application process for the accommodations.

“While there are a number of criteria that will contribute to an applicant’s likelihood of being assigned a room, perhaps the most interesting asks potential residents to share whether they plan to include public engagement as an aspect of their graduate studies,” explained Dr. Rob Greenwood, executive director, Public Engagement. “As more and more programming starts taking place at the Battery Facility, we’re looking forward to seeing how our graduate student residents can participate, share and engage.”

For more information on the Battery Facility Graduate Student Accommodations and to apply, please visit www.mun.ca/hfcs/ battery_accommodations/index.php.

Board of Regents approves budget Memorial University’s Board of Regents has approved the university’s budget for 2015-16 as proposed by the administration. To address the shortfall in funding arising from this year’s reduced government grant for operating and capital expenditures, the university will implement a range of measures over two years. The approved budget framework includes a combination of one-time and ongoing base budget administrative expenditure reductions, restricted spending on deferred maintenance and a deferral of a pension plan special payment in 2015-16. As well, it includes increases to some tuition fees and to residence fees in 2016-17 starting in the fall of 2016.

There will be no tuition or residence fee increases for any students in the academic year starting September 2015.

“Extensive consultation and incredible co-operation across the institution resulted in a budget proposal that balances our complex fiscal reality with our mandate to deliver excellent academic programs,” said President Kachanoski. “All sectors of the university community are contributing to addressing the shortfall.”

The 2015-16 operating budget includes a one-time reduction of $1.3 million and an ongoing base budget reduction of $3.6 million to administrative/ support expenditures for all units.

Direct academic expenditures and unavoidable operating costs (like utilities and snow clearing) are exempted.

Despite receiving no funding for deferred maintenance needs this year, the university is allocating $7 million to its capital infrastructure budget. These funds will be used for critical deferred

maintenance, health and life safety needs and top priority infrastructure planning. The funding will come from the university’s Infrastructure Renewal Fund and from funds earmarked for other infrastructure planning, which has now been deferred.

Approval was also given for the next stages of work on the core science facility, with mortgage payments coming from the Infrastructure Renewal Fund after the building is completed in 2020.

The Board of Regents will be requesting a one-year deferral of the approximately $21.9 million special pension payment required by provincial solvency legislation, a recommendation that was unanimously endorsed by the University Pension Committee.

Even with these measures, the university expects to be $800,000 short of balancing its budget for 2015-16, since its revenue-generation options for the 201516 fiscal year are limited. The provincial government reduced its support for a tuition fee freeze, indicating that the grant in lieu of tuition is exclusively for Canadian undergraduate students.

Additionally, government indicated that additional revenues could be found by increasing student residence fees.

To give students sufficient time to plan for future fee increases, the university announced previously that tuition and residence fee increases will not be implemented in the 2015-16 academic year.

Therefore, the Board approved several revenue-generating measures that will come into effect in 2016-17.

Memorial will generate an additional $2 million from graduate student tuition

fees, and $600,000 in tuition fees for the MD program in the Faculty of Medicine, starting in September 2016.

As well, the university will move to a full operating-cost-recovery model for residence fees. Starting in September 2016, this is estimated to generate approximately $1.9 million.

All these decisions were based on the university’s current understanding of the long-term fiscal forecast of government.

“We felt it important to lay out the anticipated picture of 2016-17 now for the board, and to let students and the broader university community know well in advance of the next budget cycle what we are looking at,” said Dr. Kachanoski.

“This year’s level of cost-cutting cannot be absorbed again without further impacts. Next year if there are further reductions in government funding, further tuition fee increases and budget cuts will have to be considered. We know that any fee increases will impact students. We take seriously our special responsibility as the province’s only university and within that responsibility we continue to strive for affordability, accessibility, growth and quality.”

Throughout the budget planning process, consultations on the budget proposal were held with students’ unions, deans and directors, Senate, the Senate’s Executive Committee and its Planning and Budget Committee, the University Pensions Committee and the Board of Regents’ Executive Committee and its Finance Committee.

Dr. Kachanoski expressed gratitude for all the input and advice from the people involved in budget planning and consultation process.

“We very much appreciate their efforts to help us arrive at an equitable solution to a difficult budget situation,” he said. “I would like to extend my thanks to Memorial’s employees and Board of Regents for all of the work that went into this proposal. I appreciate that this has been an anxious time for students and employees.”

papers & presentations Dr. Walter Okshevsky presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society (CAFE/ CSSE/Congress), University of Ottawa, Ont., in May 2015, titled What Should Liberal Democracies Do With Illiberals?: Some Habermasian Reflections as part of a panel on Broadening the Scope of Diversity and Pluralism in Education.

Dr. Okshevsky was also honoured at the meeting as the recipient of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society’s Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes sustained contributions to teaching, research and professional service to philosophy of education in Canada over an extended period of time.

Memorial working on parking plan for the St. John’s campus

By Michelle Osmond

Recently, 370 parking spaces from parking lots 16 and 16A were closed for site preparation for the core science facility.

The construction of three new parking lots on the south side of campus is scheduled to be complete in the early fall.

This will provide Memorial with 258 replacement parking spaces. The priority is to relocate displaced permit holders while attempting to accommodate new permit holders.

Parking is limited on the St. John’s campus. Please consider alternative ways to travel to work such as public transit or carpooling which would help alleviate some of the parking issues on campus.

If you do require parking on campus, please note the following parking regulations:

evening permits are available. There are also coin access lots around campus that can be accessed during the evening. If the event is scheduled for the daytime, please use pay and display or meter parking.

• If you are an employee and have special needs and require accommodation, please contact Memorial’s occupational health nurse at 864-3568 or natalie.decker@mun.ca.

• If you are a student with special needs, please contact the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre for Students with Disabilities at www.mun.ca/blundon or 864-2156.

• There will be a random draw for parking permits for students living off

• E ach faculty and staff member can apply for one permit. There will be no second area permits. However, if you have a second vehicle you may register two cars with a laminated permit which can be moved from one vehicle to another.

• As of Sept. 1, all areas permit requests will be limited and decided on a caseby-case basis.

• If your department is planning a conference or special occasion on campus that requires parking,

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campus on Aug. 21, 2015. Please visit the parking channel on my.mun.ca to register.

• F or retired faculty and staff, the parking office will issue daily permits as space permits for visits to campus.

• S t. Augustine’s Anglican Church parking lot is being renovated during the summer months. It will reopen no later than Sept. 1 as a pay and display parking lot under external management. In addition, there are pay and display lots on the north side of campus in both parking garages as well as the Arts and Culture Centre beginning in September.

• I f you are a contractor or service provider who requires parking on

campus, please visit the parking office in the Facilities Management building.

• Please visit www.mun.ca/cep/ parking/SJ_Campus_Parking_Map. pdf to view a map of parking on the St. John’s campus.

Several departments are involved in a parking plan for the St. John’s campus in addition to an independent study of commuting and parking strategies which is currently underway. More information will be released as it becomes available.

For more information, email parking@mun.ca or call 864-2736.

Frameworks in action

Memorial’s frameworks in action

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Balancing teaching theory with practice

By Jennifer Batten

It goes without saying that effective teaching plays a significant role in student success. Yes, students need to be present and engaged in the learning process, completing assignments and readings, reflecting, thinking critically and sometimes pushing themselves beyond any perceived boundaries to accomplish greatness in the classroom. Without excellent teaching, however, academic success rarely comes easily. Great teachers and skilled learners go hand in hand.

Since the launch of the Teaching Skills Enhancement Program (TSEP) in 2012, more than 230 educators and graduate students have had the unique opportunity to build upon their teaching skills with strategies and teaching tips, to cultivate a curiosity for teaching and to consider new and different ways of doing things in the

learning environment. The program administrators are careful to balance theory and practice and fill the gap between scholarship and practice.

Responding to the recommendations of the Teaching and Learning Framework, the program enhances the knowledge of teaching and learning among faculty members, instructional assistants, contractual instructors, post-doctoral fellows, per-course instructors and graduate students. A key emphasis of the collaborative program is to create a community of practice among educators at Memorial.

“This course is unlike any other I have ever taught because of the range of disciplines and interests represented in the classroom,” said Dr. John Hoben, program facilitator and teaching consultant with DELTS (Distance Education, Learning and Teaching Support). “I really see this as a strength because it forces participants to think about what a university community really is and what it should strive to be. When these highly intelligent and accomplished people open up to each other, they begin to see that they have many issues and positives in common, and they also realize that they can learn

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The three overarching frameworks guiding Memorial’s future direction — the Research Framework, the Teaching and Learning Framework and the Public Engagement Framework — are the result of several years of consultations with the university community and the people and organizations of Newfoundland and Labrador. This regular feature will help showcase the frameworks in action by sharing projects and highlighting the successes that are bringing them to life.

Dr. Stephen Czarnuch participated in the TSEP in fall 2014. by attending to the different signature pedagogies that exist in each discipline.

“My role is to get participants to take this new knowledge back to their home disciplines to start a conversation there about teaching aims and needs,” continued Dr. Hoben.

“It’s an iterative process where these disciplinary conversations are at once informed by and inform the broader university dialogue about teaching in today’s post-secondary classrooms.”

The TSEP for graduate students consists of two main components over two semesters. First, students participate in a blended approach to learning with 12 professional development experiences. Second, they participate in a teaching apprenticeship. Faculty and other educators complete the professional development experiences only. The pan-university and online approach to delivery is one of the features of this unique professional development experience.

Dr. Stephen Czarnuch came to Memorial University as a post-doctoral fellow working on human motion

tracking and automated assessment, funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. He recently began working as an assistant professor at Memorial, jointly appointed to the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Discipline of Emergency Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine.

He participated in the TSEP in fall 2014.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” said Dr. Czarnuch. “Before starting the program I believed I was a dynamic and effective instructor.

After completing the program, I was surprised at the number of ideas I had for courses I was teaching or going to be teaching. I still believe that I was, and am, a good instructor, but now I feel I am better prepared to reach more students and I am excited about trying some new things.”

The TSEP for faculty and graduate students will be offered again in fall 2015.

For more information or to inquire about registering, contact Jennifer Moran at instrdev@mun.ca or call (709) 864-3028.

“Dr. Ravalia has been instrumental in growing the rural medicine network in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Dr. James Rourke, dean, Faculty of Medicine. “The Faculty of Medicine has always viewed rural medicine as both a unique need, as well as an opportunity for pioneering work, and Dr. Ravalia has been at the forefront of this initiative.”

Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr. Ravalia came to Twillingate, N.L., more than three decades ago and has been actively engaged in the community ever since. His contributions to rural medicine across the province have earned him numerous accolades, with the Order of Canada being the most recent.

“When I received the news of the award from the Governor General’s office, I was absolutely overwhelmed.

I could not help but think about my parents and my siblings and how proud they would feel,” said Dr. Ravalia. “I felt a profound sense of gratitude for being Canadian. As an immigrant to this

wonderful country, I was able to reflect on the sense of fairness and equality that Canada affords all its citizens.”

He credits others for helping him advance rural medical education.

“My wife, Dianne, and my sons, Adam and Mikhail, have been the anchors of my life. I have had wonderful mentors and colleagues who have helped shape my work in rural medicine over the past 30 years. My community has provided a solid, secure foundation from which I have had the opportunity to practise my craft in a harmonious and supportive environment.”

Dr. Ravalia says his involvement with Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine and the privilege of teaching students and residents has been one of the highlights of his medical career. He acknowledges the “unwavering support” for the advancement of rural medicine he received from Dr. Ian Bowmer and Dean James Rourke during his career.

Over the last 45 years, more than

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Cont’d from RAVALIA on page 1

Dr. Mohamed Ravalia 6,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the order, including more than 150 from Newfoundland and Labrador. Past recipients from the Faculty of Medicine include Dr. Maxwell House, Dr. Ian Rusted, Dr. Linda Inkpen and Dr. William Anthony Paddon, among

others.

Dr. Ravalia plans to attend the investiture ceremony that will be held at a later date in the coming months.

Professores emeriti recognized cont’d from PROFESSORES

EMERITI on page 1

Biographies of all eight professores emeriti follow.

Dr. Georg Gunther

Dr. Georg Gunther holds a bachelor of science, master of science and a PhD from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Gunther has served on virtually every committee at Grenfell Campus, including the committee that reviewed the standard curriculum that is known

Dr. Paul Wilson as “the Grenfell core.” Dr. Gunther served as one of the team leaders of the Canadian team to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and as chair of the IMO committee of the Canadian Mathematical Society. His pedagogical innovation is evidenced by his involvement with math clubs and competitions for junior high and high school students and in the development of enrichment materials for the secondary school system. Dr. Gunther was awarded Memorial’s 1994 President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the 1994 Atlantic Association of Universities Distinguished Teaching Award and a national 3M Teaching Fellowship in 2005.

Dr. Jeremy Hall

Dr. Jeremy Hall is a geophysicist who makes and interprets seismological images of the deep continental crust and its oceanic margins off Newfoundland and in the Eastern Mediterranean. He received his first degree in physics at Oxford, a diploma in geophysics from

Dr. Christopher Sharpe Imperial College, London, and a PhD at Glasgow. Dr. Hall was appointed in 1987 to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/Petro-Canada Industrial Research Chair in Crustal Seismology at Memorial University.

He was director of the university’s Centre for Earth Resources Research from 1990-94, and awarded the title of University Research Professor in 2003.

He has served on many professional committees, especially with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and is a former president of the Canadian Geoscience Council. His contributions to public awareness of geology include the development and operation of the Johnson GEO CENTRE and the Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre.

Dr. Marguerite MacKenzie

A professor in the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Dr. Marguerite MacKenzie earned a bachelor of arts and master of arts from McGill University and received her PhD from the University of Toronto.

Dr. MacKenzie has worked for more than 40 years in capacity-building in Cree, Innu and Naskapi communities.

Dr. Paul Wilson holds a bachelor of arts, bachelor of education and a master of education from Memorial University, and a doctorate of education from the University of Toronto. Dr. Wilson’s research focused on institutional analysis, and on studies of how Memorial

University performs its academic functions. His career included time as assistant to the dean of Junior Division on the St. John’s campus and director of administration and finance at Grenfell Campus. As a Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association representative, he was a key player in contract negotiations, and as university senator, he brought a Grenfell Campus perspective to the workings of Senate while embracing broader pan-university concerns. His commitment to Senate gave rise to his performing as a marshal of convocation in the university’s convocation ceremonies. Dr. Wilson’s roles as Corner Brook branch president and national president of Memorial University alumni demonstrate his commitment to the university as an ambassador in the community.

Her research has received the support of national and provincial funding councils, including a five-year SSHRC CURA grant for the Knowledge and Human Resources for Innu Language Development project which led to the creation of dictionaries, workplace vocabularies and readers for schools and language-learning materials for adults.

She has been recognized by SSHRC with a postdoctoral fellowship, a Canada Research Fellowship and the SSHRC Impact Award in 2013. Dr. MacKenzie has served on dozens of university and departmental committees, served for four terms as head of the Department of Linguistics and was named an honorary research professor at Memorial in 2014.

For her work in the community, she received the President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service in 2012.

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of Geography at Memorial University and remained for the following 40 years. Dr. Sharpe has taught courses at the St. John’s campus at every level, from first-year undergraduate to PhD. He has also regularly taught the English Cultural Landscape summer program at the Harlow Campus for many years.

His research interests lie in three areas: post-war suburban development in St. John’s, focusing on Churchill Park; issues relating to heritage conservation; and the cultural landscape of wartime St. John’s.

Dr. Christopher Sharpe completed his bachelor of arts (honours) degree in geography at Carleton University.

He then did graduate work at the University of Toronto, receiving his master of arts and his PhD there. In the fall of 1975 he joined the Department

Dr. Penny Hansen

Dr. Penny Hansen earned a bachelor of science in chemistry and a master of science in biochemistry at the University of Akron, Ohio, and a PhD in physiology at Memorial University. Over the years, Dr. Hansen’s academic focus shifted from researching the control of compensatory renal growth and renal production of erythropoietin to teaching

physiology and conducting research on biomedical curricula, the scholarship of teaching and interprofessional education. She was the founding director of Memorial’s Centre for Collaborative Health Professional Education, and assistant dean for undergraduate medical studies. She received an APS Arthur Guyton Educator of the Year Award, and was awarded an APS Claude Bernard Distinguished Lectureship, a HarvardMacy Fellowship in Medical Education Reform and a national 3M Teaching Fellowship. Dr. Hansen is currently a vice-president of the International Union of Physiological Sciences and a part-time professor at the American University of Antigua’s School of Medicine.

Dr. Shirley M. Solberg

Dr. Shirley Solberg was a member of the School of Nursing from 1976-2014.

She has a PhD from the University of Alberta and has held numerous administrative appointments from

Dr. Sandra LeFort acting director to associate director (undergraduate programs) to associate dean (graduate programs and research).

Under her leadership, the PhD program in Memorial’s School of Nursing was established. She has supervised or co-supervised more than 80 master of nursing theses or projects and was an active researcher in a number of Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded national projects. She has presented at a number of regional, national and international conferences and is widely published. Currently she is on the editorial boards of the Qualitative Health Research Journal and Global Qualitative Nursing Research Journal.

degree from Memorial University and a PhD from McGill University. She is a pioneering voice in the field of chronic pain research and has presented at international conferences and published extensively. Dr. LeFort created the gold standard in patient education programs on chronic pain, and her Chronic Pain Self-Management Program has been adopted by institutions such as Stanford University. Dr. LeFort’s most recent book is Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Pain.

A faculty member and researcher at Memorial University’s School of Nursing since 1995, Dr. Sandra LeFort holds a bachelor of arts degree from Trent University, a master of nursing

Perpetual poppies

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

Art exhibit exclusively features Turkish paintings of symbol of remembrance

One of Turkish artist Hikmet Çetinkaya’s paintings in the QEII exhibit.

By Nora Daly

Poppies are abloom at Memorial University this summer, as the Queen Elizabeth II Library prepares to host an art exhibit featuring the work of Turkish artist Hikmet Çetinkaya.

The exhibit, titled From Hostility to Friendship 1915-2015: Remembering the Fallen Soldiers in Gallipoli

with Poppies, features 20 paintings exclusively depicting the poppy, which is a prominent international symbol of remembrance honouring those who sacrificed so much for their country.

The exhibition was made possible by the Turkish Embassy to Canada in Ottawa.

The exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign

during the First World War and is part of a series of events planned for the coming months to remember the Royal Newfoundland Regiment’s role in the campaign. Commemorations will also include a public symposium and a Gallipoli-themed Ceremony of Remembrance in November.

In September 1915, eight-and-a-half months before the tragic events at Beaumont-Hamel, the Newfoundland Regiment was deployed to the Gallipoli Peninsula in the Ottoman Empire, now modern-day Turkey. The campaign had been ongoing since April with little progress, and with great loss of life. By the time the Allied forces withdrew in January 1916, they had suffered more than 200,000 casualties, with similar numbers among the Turkish troops.

The Newfoundland Regiment, which originally landed 1,076 men, was reduced to 487 troops. The Regiment was the only unit from North America to participate in the campaign.

Many of the works in the exhibit are available for purchase. Two of the paintings are already spoken for, as Mr. Çetinkaya generously donated the largest painting in the series to Government House, and the second

largest to Memorial University at the reception hosted by LieutenantGovernor Frank Fagan on Memorial Day. Partial proceeds from sales of the remainder of the paintings will be donated by the artist to the university.

Born in Turkey in 1958, Mr. Çetinkaya has been a visual artist for many years and has established a studio to teach and encourage students. Since 2001 his works have been shown in numerous national and international exhibitions, in addition to 30 international and 109 national workshops. His paintings are on display throughout the world, including the presidential palace of the Republic of Turkey, Turkish embassies, a museum in Austria and the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ont. The grand opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, July 24, at 5 p.m. in the First Space Gallery on the main floor of the library and will run until Sept. 15. Anyone interested in attending the opening is encouraged to email Joanne Costello at costello@mun.ca.

Grenfell Campus’s summer research showcase

By Melanie Callahan

This summer, Grenfell Campus is celebrating the accomplished, worldclass research taking place in labs, fields, archives and libraries by distinguished researchers from around the world.

Summer of Research is a multimedia project that includes articles, videos, photos and audio files highlighting the work of 20 different researchers each week. The platforms include a dedicated webpage (research. grenfell.mun.ca), Facebook (www. facebook.com/GrenfellCampus), Instagram (@grenfellcampus) and Twitter (hashtags #SummerofResearch and #GrenfellCampus). These articles will culminate in Grenfell

Campus’s Research Report, which will be released in fall 2015.

A few samples: In To Costa Rica and back, Drs. Jose Lam and Greg Wood’s research about Costa Rica’s sustainable tourism industry in relation to advising the local industry in Newfoundland and Labrador was featured; Exploring the man behind the legend delved into Dr. Maura Hanrahan’s work on the legendary ship captain and explorer Bob Bartlett; and in Artistic value and control, Prof. Marlene MacCallum explores the challenge artists face as art is distributed and produced digitally.

The current feature focuses on Dr. Julie Sircom’s important research on Newfoundland and Labrador’s

healthy bee population and their role in nurturing a productive cranberry industry. Cranberry farming is a relatively new industry in this province, but it’s growing. In the fall of 2014, the federal and provincial governments invested $7 million to develop the industry and there are now 15 cranberry farms in the province.

Commercial cranberry growers naturally want to maximize yield.

The size of a cranberry is dependent on how many viable seeds it has. And the number of seeds is directly related to effective pollination. Healthy, plentiful bees mean more seeds, bigger cranberries and more fruit per hectare.

Using field observations and

geographic information system models, Dr. Sircom is studying the needs of bees, including food and shelter. She hopes to identify what native bee species need to be abundant, diverse and active pollinators.

The goal of Dr. Sircom’s research is to provide cranberry growers with simple, low-cost methods to maximize native bee populations. The idea is that increasing the number of native pollinators in commercial cranberry fields will increase fruit yields and ensure healthy native bee populations.

Grenfell Campus: Summer of Research continues until Sept. 4.

Island power

By Mandy Cook

Visiting scholar María J. Hernáez’s seven-year literary journey towards the completion of her latest manuscript also involved physically travelling many miles between the island of Newfoundland and her native Spain.

Pathways of Creativity in Contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador is a collection of essays contributed by Memorial faculty members and other prominent local writers.

“The book comes with an introduction which revises previous criticism of Newfoundland and Labrador literature and culture, placing it within the broader field of Canadian studies,” said Ms. Hernáez.

There was a common effort to bring Aboriginal culture and writing to the foreground, as well.

“The critical insights of the 12 chapters of the book are complemented by a final section where writers speak about their motivation and experiences as Newfoundlanders around topics such as creativity, sense of place, nationhood, the past, their own work and that of other writers, etc.,” she said.

A critical anthologist and selfdescribed “Canadianist” based at the University of La Rioja in Northern Spain, it is the American and Canadian literature professor’s seventh visit to the province. Over the years, Ms. Hernáez has gone from stumbling upon a couple of novels about Newfoundland and Labrador by chance to a full-blown “obsession” of the province’s literary output and the “mystique” of the place itself.

“Islands have a power,” she said

during an interview in her office on the fifth floor of the Education building on the St. John’s campus. “They have mythologized themselves and there is a level of isolation created . . . Here it is like a country within a country.

It is appealing because it is precisely opposite of what Canadians ask: ‘Who are we?’ Newfoundlanders have such a strong sense of who they are.”

In addition to the Pathways anthology, Ms. Hernáez has published critical essays about novelist and Memorial creative writing instructor Lisa Moore, as well as a number of other local writers, Michael Crummey among them. She also incorporates her research on Memorial and Newfoundland and Labrador authors into the graduate-level courses she teaches back home in Logroño, Spain.

Memorial poets, including Mary Dalton and Patrick Warner, as well as other writers, such as Robin McGrath, John Steffler and Don Austin, are favourite subjects for her classes.

Her work has also built bridges between the two academic institutions.

Numerous faculty members and instructors have travelled to Ms. Hernáez’s institution on educational exchanges. Most recently, two members of the Faculty of Education taught an undergraduate seminar on the relationship between teaching and social justice.

One of the visiting professors, Dr. Roberta Hammett, Honorary Research Professor at Memorial, says her ongoing relationship with Ms. Hernáez — in this province and in Spain — will broaden knowledge and support future research in the field of education.

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

Spanish scholar passionate about Newfoundland and Labrador ‘mystique’; compiles N.L. critical anthology

Visiting scholar María J. Hernáez is from Logroño, Spain.

“Our profession values international reputation and publication,” she said. “This makes opportunities to present and collaborate “on the ground” particularly important.

As we experienced when we met with Ms. Hernáez’s students at U. La Rioja, perspectives are greatly enhanced on both sides by conversation and engagement.”

Dr. Adrian Fowler, professor emeritus, English Language and Literature, Grenfell Campus, authored a Pathways chapter titled Townie Lit: Newfoundland Refocused in the Writing of Lisa Moore and Michael Winter. He says Ms. Hernáez has encouraged a variety of perspectives and approaches, provided a broader view of the subject than has been seen before and stimulated a dynamic

of dialogue and discussion.

“She is a recognized expert on Canadian literature and her focus on Newfoundland and Labrador brings the literature of the province to the attention of many readers in Europe and elsewhere,” he said. “María is passionate about the creative culture of Newfoundland and Labrador and she is a first-class editor of scholarly writing — imaginative, meticulous and tenacious. Hardly less important personally is that in the process we have become friends.”

Ms. Hernáez will return to Spain in mid-August; Pathways of Creativity in Contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador, to be published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, will be available in late 2015.

Civil engineering professor inducted as Fellow in national society A MEMBER OF Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) this past May in recognition of his excellence in civil engineering and contributions to the profession.

Dr. Amgad Hussein’s contributions to the prediction and development of advanced materials for concrete structures, shear stresses in highstrength concrete and testing/ modelling of concrete structures have been widely cited in archival literature.

He has been actively involved in the local CSCE chapter since 2001.

He co-chaired the first International Engineering Mechanics and Materials Specialty Conference and was a member of the local organizing committee of the 2009 annual CSCE conference.

“I am very honoured to be selected

as a Fellow of the CSCE,” he said.

“CSCE is the largest professional society for civil engineering in Canada and this award recognizes and encourages the pursuit of excellence.”

Dr. Hussein is an associate professor and department head of civil engineering at Memorial.

He has led the department of civil engineering at Memorial since 2014; prior to the establishment of departments in the faculty, he was the discipline chair for four years.

His research expertise is in the area of reinforced concrete structures.

He has published 50 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and supervised the research of 15 master’s and PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to completion.

Prior to joining Memorial, Dr. Hussein carried out the full structural design of the largest hockey arena in Newfoundland and Labrador,

8 gazette | Wednesday, July 22, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

By Jackey Locke

Dr. Amgad Hussein Mile One Stadium. After joining the faculty, he served as a consultant for offshore and construction companies in the province.

Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, was pleased to learn of Dr. Hussein’s recognition.

“This prestigious honour recognizes the many contributions by Dr. Hussein in both research and teaching, which have made a significant impact on the civil engineering profession and the education of students.”

By Marcia Porter

After finishing up the third 12hour shift of a busy clinical rotation, School of Nursing student Andrea Crowe was a little tired.

So when the phone rang, and she didn’t recognize the voice, or number, Ms. Crowe assumed she had a telemarketer on the line. Poised to give a polite, “Thanks but no thanks,” her ears perked up when the person on the other end mentioned the title of an essay paper she’d written.

The third-year bachelor of nursing student from Chilliwack, B.C., (with strong roots in Newfoundland and Labrador) was on the phone with the chair of the Justice Emmett Hall Foundation.

It turns out Ms. Crowe had just been named winner of the foundation’s national student essay competition for her paper on physician-assisted suicide and the nursing profession.

“All of a sudden it clicked,” she said.

“To be honest I was shocked. I forgot that I had submitted the paper. I must have sounded like a game show contestant and I said something like, “Oh my goodness, what a great way to end a 12-hour shift!”

For penning the prize-winning essay, Ms. Crowe earned $1,000 and a trip to Montreal, Que., to receive her award during the annual Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) conference.

The Justice Emmett Hall Memorial Foundation runs the annual student

essay competition to foster Canadian health economics and health policy research among undergraduate and graduate students.

The competition falls under the umbrella of CAHSPR, a multidisciplinary association dedicated to improving health and health care.

Ms. Crowe wrote the paper for Dr. Sandra MacDonald’s third-year nursing class, receiving top marks. Dr. MacDonald encouraged Ms. Crowe to enter the competition, and also to submit it for publication in the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador’s magazine and Canadian Nurse magazine.

With the Supreme Court ruling this past February in favour of physicianassisted suicide, the women thought it would make for a timely submission.

“I loved that it was controversial and difficult,” said Ms. Crowe, who is completing her nursing degree through the Canadian Armed Forces Regular Officer Training Program. “When I started writing I thought I would have a black and white argument.

“But the more I read, the more I researched, the more difficult it became,” she continued. “Then I had an epiphany, I realized it didn’t matter what I thought, that as a future nurse it doesn’t matter what my personal opinion is. What matters is that I support my patient’s decision and

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Nursing student dives into controversial subject, comes up with national essay award

Nursing student Andrea Crowe uses her skills as part of her Regular Officer Training Plan program with the Canadian Forces. that I’m able to do so without bias.”

Ms. Crowe is aiming to become an emergency or intensive care unit nurse

in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her long-term goal is to be a flight nurse specializing in aeromedical evacuation.

SUBMITTED photo

Research internships enrich Memorial’s undergraduates

From left are Memorial science students Flavia Frachini Silveira, Bethany Downer, Ethan Doney and Dr. Alistair Bath, Department of Geography, in Alaska, U.S., with bison visible in the background.

By Krista Davidson

This summer Memorial undergraduate students are stepping out of the classroom and taking on a new adventure that immerses them in exciting research.

Fifteen students from the faculties of Arts, Science and Medicine and the School of Pharmacy are participating in the University Student Summer Internship Program (USSIP). The program, made available through the Office of the Vice-President (Research), is one of the outcomes achieved

from the first year of the Strategic Research Intensity Plan 2014-20.

The program is intended to give undergraduate students research experience through 13- and 16-week fulltime internships, and provide them with valuable research skills and guidance from faculty members and graduate students.

Andrew Hogan is one of the students participating in the program. Originally from St. John’s, Mr. Hogan is entering his fourth year as a biochemistry honours student. His internship with Dr. Sherri Christian includes examining the process that regulates

the maturation of fat cell precursors into mature, lipid-laden fat cells.

“I’d like to think I’m going to grad school… so this internship is a stepping stone,” he said of the experience.

Mr. Hogan’s supervisor, Dr. Sherri Christian, an assistant professor with the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, and cross-appointed with the Faculty of Medicine, says the program is advantageous to both herself and her students.

“They learn critical thinking skills and develop themselves as scientists.

That opportunity just doesn’t exist in a course. And for me, it’s valuable because we actually get publishable data from the time we spend in the lab.”

Bethany Downer, another USSIP student, is on location in Alaska for her internship developing a wood bison restoration project under the supervision of Dr. Alistair Bath, a professor with the Department of Geography.

“There have been many memorable experiences from this adventure so far,” said the fourth-year science student. “This includes being immersed in the Alaskan wildlife, making fish ice cream with Aboriginal communities and being part of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre float in a parade on the Fourth of July.”

Both students will be named co-authors for their research contributions. Mr. Hogan is co-author of Dr. Christian’s

recently published research in the journal Immunology; Ms. Downer, who will travel to Kenya to present at an international conference in January 2016, is co-author for two presentations.

“Providing undergraduates with valuable research skills and an opportunity to work with graduate students and faculty is exactly what the USSIP program is all about,” said Dr. Richard Marceau, vice-president (research). “This program not only serves as a remarkable opportunity for students considering careers in research, it provides them with the core skills required to establish themselves as talented researchers capable of making a real impact on our society.”

“The recruitment team is hearing more and more from prospective students asking about research opportunities available at the undergraduate level,” said Shona Perry-Maidment, director, Office of Student Recruitment. “To get this exposure and to be a part of the exciting research that is already taking place here at Memorial is an incredible opportunity. It certainly makes their time here as an undergraduate more fulfilling and provides a solid direction to their future career goals.”

Every Thursday until Aug. 20 a USSIP student will be featured on Memorial’s Student Recruitment Tumblr blog, which can be accessed at memorialfutureu.tumblr.com.

Crafting success: how the research grant and contracts team are helping researchers achieve success

By Krista Davidson

but if you’re a researcher who has ever applied for or received a research grant, chances are good you’ve spent considerable time in contact with them, either by phone or email.

They are the team at Research Grant and Contract Services (RGCS) and they are responsible for helping researchers at Memorial find success with research grants. They are there every step of the way, from grooming applications for funding agencies, to processing and dispersing research grants that make extraordinary research a reality.

The process is complicated and researchers are often bound by strict deadlines, lengthy paperwork and tricky criteria that can be tough to navigate. But the team at RGCS is trained in navigating these often complex requirements.

“It’s a complicated process to go through, and having people with experience who know what grant agencies are looking for, and who understand the process, is really helpful,” said Dr. Carissa Brown, a new faculty member with the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts. “I don’t have any formal training in writing grants so having the guidance of someone who has experience is very valuable.”

Combined efforts and expertise resulted in Dr. Brown successfully applying for and receiving two research grants. With the help of the expert staff from RGCS, she was successful in receiving a grant from the Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC).

“I’ve worked very closely with Kelley Santos [an RGCS co-ordinator for Institutional Research Programs] for my RDC application and we went back and forth many times over application drafts. It is a really close relationship that develops over time, and it’s funny because it’s mostly over email and phone.”

She also found success working with her faculty’s grants facilitations officer, Kelley Bromley-Brits, in securing a research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Both the researcher and Ms. Bromley-Brits collaborated with RGCS in creating another successful application, a process that has proved remarkably efficient.

In fact, the process has become increasingly more efficient for researchers at Memorial over the past year. RGCS has partnered more closely with grant facilitation officers in Memorial’s faculties, schools and campuses to streamline processes and adjust timelines to better fit researchers’ needs. But more is in the works. The university is considering even more methods to ensure researchers can put their best foot forward with their research applications before they reach the RGCS office.

The changes were brought about by the Strategic Research Intensity Plan 2014-2020. The plan’s goal is to enhance the research profile of Memorial

KRISTA DAVIDSON PHOTO

You may not recognize their faces,

Pictured here are some of the Research Grant and Contract Services (RGCS) team members including (from left to right): Donna Adey, Susan Sparrow, Karen Follett, Tasha Harrold, Vicki Gill, Stine Kruger, Kelley Santos and Michelle Butt.

University and increase scholarly outcomes and grant success among the university’s researchers. It was initiated

by Dr. Richard Marceau, vice-president (research) and approved by Memorial’s Board of Regents in May 2014.

The improved services provide researchers with more freedom and flexibility to prepare their applications and allow them to continue with their research projects without any unanticipated hiccups.

“The process for negotiating contracts has changed significantly in the past 10 years, so it is necessary to see improvements,” said Dr. Thomas Michalak, professor of molecular virology and medicine, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Canada Research Chair in Viral Hepatitis/Immunology.

“It’s been a positive experience working with trained and professional individuals at RGCS who have a good understanding of the specifics involved in the negotiations. The process for negotiation of details of confidentiality agreements and research contracts has become more efficient.”

For Dave Miller, the director of RGCS, these improvements will not only enable researchers to more fully participate in the grant application process but increase their chances for success as well.

“We’ve got a strong team at RGCS who are committed to ensuring researchers have the best opportunities available in securing grants and awards that will further their important research,” said David Miller. “Researchers will continue to see improvements as we move toward more online-based processes.”

10 gazette | Wednesday, July 22, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette

RETIRED but (re)wired?

Do you know Memorial retirees who have been re-energized in retirement, who are amazing in their energetic enthusiasm for volunteerism or for continued research or for generously sharing their knowledge and skills?

Then write an award nomination, right now!

The Board of Directors of Memorial University Pensioners’ Association (MUNPA) invites you to nominate an individual for a 2015 MUNPA Tribute Award.

These awards recognize the ongoing important contributions of Memorial’s retirees to the University or the community. They celebrate significant postretirement service and achievement by retired faculty and staff. The service may be voluntary or remunerated, in any of the following categories: • Service to the University • Service to the community (provincial, national, international) • Significant achievements in other areas that exemplify the ongoing contribution of the nominee Retirees, whether faculty or staff, with not fewer than 5 years of continuous employment service with Memorial are eligible for nomination. A nomination must include the support of two MUNPA members, but others are welcome to participate. The nomination form is available on the MUNPA webpage at www.mun.ca/munpa or it may be requested from the MUNPA office by calling 864-6979 or by sending an e-mail to munpa@mun.ca. Other inquiries about the award process may be directed to Michael Collins, Chair of the 2015 Tribute Awards Committee, at collinsm@mun.ca.

The deadline for submission of nominations is July 31, 2015.

T.A. Loeffler PHOTO

out & about

LIFELINES Students in Human Kinetics and Recreation 2545: Introduction to Outdoor Education and Recreation took a moment from learning to use throw-ropes, an important skill in water-based outdoor recreation, to have a little fun with their instructor. Dr. TA Loeffler captured the image at the Long Pond Splash Facility on the St. John’s campus recently.

out & about

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

Wednesday, July 22

Sunday, July 26

Tuesday, Aug. 4

Newfoundland Blooms: A Floral Extravaganza Summer Flower Show, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s. Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden, Newfoundland Horticultural Society

Science Career Talk, 12-1 p.m., The Landing, UC 3018, Sponsor: Career Development and Experiential Learning, Faculty of Science

Science Career Talk, 12-1 p.m., The Landing, UC-3018, Sponsor: Career Development and Experiential Learning, Faculty of Science

Sunday Morning Nature Hike, 10-11 a.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden

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

Sunday Nature Programs, 2-4 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden

Black Hole Week: Super Massive Black Holes in the Early Universe: What We Know and What We Don’t, 2-3 p.m., C-3024, Sponsor: Physics and Physical Oceanography

Tuesday, July 28

Thursday, July 23

Wednesday, July 29

Development of a Multiphase Composition Measurement Method by Using Capacitive Sensor Array, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., SN-2000, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

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

Monte Carlo Simulations of ABC Stacked Kagome Lattice Thin Films, 2-3 p.m., C-3024, Sponsor: Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography

Thursday, July 30

Friday, July 24

Friday, July 31

Black Hole Week: Astrophysical Black Holes, 2-3 p.m., C-3024, Sponsor: Physics and Physical Oceanography

MUNMED Reunion 2015, 6-9 p.m., Faculty of Medicine Atrium, Health Sciences Centre, Sponsor: Faculty of Medicine

Saturday, July 25

Monday, Aug. 3

Newfoundland Blooms: A Floral Extravaganza Summer Flower Show, 12-5 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s. Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden, Newfoundland Horticultural Society

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

PhD Oral Defence of Kayode Balogun, 12-2 p.m., SN-2000, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

Black Hole Week: Black Hole No-hair Theorems and their Consequences, 2-3 p.m., C-3024, Sponsor: Physics and Physical Oceanography

Analytical Approaches to Protection Planning in Rail-Truck Intermodal Transportation, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies

FRIDAY, Aug. 7 Innovative rounds: Collaborative Workspaces with Catherine Courage, 12 -1:00 p.m., Main Auditorium, 2nd Floor, Health Sciences Centre Sponsor: Discipline of Family, Faculty of Medicine

Sunday, Aug. 9 Sunday Morning Nature Hike, 10-11 a.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden Sunday Nature Programs, 2-4 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden

Monday, Aug. 10 Evelyn Hart Interview with Anthony Germain, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival Behind the Music, 7-8 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival

Tuesday, Aug. 11 Body Mapping Workshop with Jennifer Johnson, 6:30-9 p.m., Choral Room, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival

classified For rent in Kent Pond area Unfurnished two-bedroom bungalow house close to MUN, College of North Atlantic and Confederation building. Features a formal living-room, a large eat-in oak kitchen with an island and new appliances, 1½ bath on main floor, attached double car garage, and landscaped garden. Includes extra bedroom and full-bathroom in fully developed basement. Excellent conditions! Information: 709-743-5070.

For Rent: 2 bedroom, fully furnished, executive apartment, 87 Waterford Bridge Road (unit 5). Near downtown and Bowring Park. For photos and details contact us: 4lefties@gmail.com or 709-689-2746.

8 Spray Lane - $1,800. P.O.U. Fully furnished and completely equipped, with spectacular ocean views over the cliffs of Torbay. This exceptionally well-maintained home offers everything you would want for your stay in Newfoundland. Located only 15 minutes from the university or 20 minutes to downtown, this setting offers you the best of both worlds - of country and city living.

Quality furnishings throughout, propane stove in the kitchen and propane fireplace in the living room. New ensuite off master bedroom with custom shower and soaker tub. Two bedrooms on the main and possible third in walk-out lower level. Hot tub with ocean views. East Coast Trail is at your doorstep. Available September 1st, 2015. for ten months. Normally owner-occupied, this house is available for only a limited term rental. Dog friendly - with references. Please contact Rick Davis (Remax) rdavis@remax. nf.ca or call 709-682-7653.

Seven decades of student support

CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO

Group believes in power of education

From left are Joyce Noseworthy, vice-president, CFUW, and Hazel Pritchett Harris, president.

After 70 years of supporting female students at home and abroad, a local advocacy group is showing no signs of slowing down.

The St. John’s Club of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) is marking its 70th and most significant donation to Memorial — all to foster student success.

The group recently delivered a cheque for $20,000, the most it has presented to the university in a single gift.

“We are particularly proud of our efforts this year,” said Joyce Noseworthy, vice-president, chair of the group’s annual Book Sale Committee and a proud Memorial alumna.

CFUW is Canada’s largest voluntary, non-profit, self-funded, non-partisan, non-governmental women’s group. Its members advocate for girls and women in areas ranging from education and peace to justice and human rights.

It is also one of Memorial’s loyal donors – consistently providing funding for scholarships and bursaries over the past seven decades.

“We believe in education and helping the next generation succeed,” said Ms. Noseworthy.

The club raises the lion’s share of its money from a hugely popular used book sale. This year, more than 40,000 books were donated and sold during a three-day event. That money will fund 18 bursaries and scholarships for female students at Memorial and the Marine Institute, while also supporting the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Cadet Program and College of the

North Atlantic. The group is also providing scholarships to the Kiwanis Music Festival, providing tuition and school supplies to a girl’s primary school in Kenya and making a donation to Memorial’s Campus Food Bank.

“We are not in the business of making or saving money, so we are happy to support who we can,” said Ms. Noseworthy.

at Memorial has always been part of CFUW’s mandate.

In May 1946 local members organized an afternoon tea with musical entertainment raising a total of $67.50. Members donated an extra $7.50 to bring the total to $75. That was enough to award Olive Bugden an entrance scholarship to Memorial.

the members were Memorial alumnae, receiving their early training at Memorial University College and travelling to Canada to complete their degrees. Since the women already had strong connections to post-secondary institutions in Canada, they sought permission from their parent club in Great Britain to join the Canadian organization.

Ms. Noseworthy says permission

Making a difference to students

SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Jeff Green

From left are Arts alumna Zaren Healey White, a recipient of a CFUW scholarship, and Hazel Pritchett Harris, CFUW president.

Pre-Confederate beginnings The origins of the St. John’s Club stretch back to pre-Confederate Newfoundland. On Nov. 8, 1945, 18 women — all university graduates — held its inaugural meeting in St. John’s. Ms. Noseworthy says many of

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was granted and in May 1946 the St. John’s club received its charter.

“Essentially we have two anniversaries,” she noted. “Our club’s formation in 1945 and our becoming a charter member of CFUW in 1946.”

Supporting young female students

Alumna Zaren Healey White, a bachelor of arts graduate who is currently a master of gender studies candidate, received a $2,000 scholarship from the St. John’s club last year.

She says the scholarship allowed her to present her research on the international stage at a conference at the University of Lisbon in Portugal last September.

“It is completely thanks to this scholarship that I was able to pursue this meaningful travel and learning experience,” said Ms. White.

Ms. Noseworthy says she feels the club’s bursaries and scholarships help empower female students, allowing them to focus on their studies rather than worry about finances.

“We often hear from the recipients who have told us their scholarship or bursary is very meaningful, allowing them the time to study and do research. Maybe they don’t have to work as many hours in their part-time jobs. I think that’s wonderful. It makes us all feel good.”