August 2012 Gradzette

GradzetteTHE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINEAugust 2012

GradzetteThe UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE

Gradzettec/o The Manitoban NewspaperPublications Corporation105 University CentreUniversity of ManitobaWinnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2

General inquiries and advertisingPhone: (204) 474.6535Fax: (204) 474.7651Email: [email protected]: Sheldon BirnieCopy Editor: Ryan HarbyDesigner: Leif LarsenContributors: Jonahu Botha, Chinenye Alozie, Hamdi Hissawi, Beibei Lu, Foster LyleCover: Beibei Lu

The Gradzette is the official student magazine of the University of Manitoba’s graduate student community and is published on the first Monday of each month byThe Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

The Gradzette is a democratic student organization, open to participation from all students. It exists to serve its readers as students and citizens.

The magazine’s primary mandate is to report fairly and objectively on issues and events of importance and interest to the graduate students of the University of Manitoba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be of interest to the student body and/or society in general.

The Gradzette serves as a training ground for students interested in any aspect of journalism. Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute. Please contact the Editor for submission guidelines.

The Gradzette reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its editorial board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or libelous. Opinions expressed in letters and articles are solely those of the authors.

The Gradzette is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national student press cooperative with members from St. John’s to Victoria.

All contents are ©2012 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

Yearly subscriptions to the Gradzette are available, please contact [email protected] for more information.

innipegger and University of Manitoba alumnus Meghan Montgomery is currently on her way to London, England prepping for the 2012 Paralympic Games in the Mixed Coxed

Four, Leg, Trunk, and Arms (4+ Mixed LTA) adaptive rowing event.Montgomery got her start rowing at the University of Manitoba’s campus during Orientation Week in her second year of study. At the time Montgomery was working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree, which she would finish along with her Bachelor of Education

a few years later. # “I had played basketball and water polo after high school,” Montgomery told the Gradzette, “but I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to [ . . . ] I went to an information session, went out on the water a couple of times in the fall, and the rest is kind of history.” # Joining the Manitoba Provincial Rowing Team in 2001, Montgomery began racing in her first high performance events shortly after. The U of M alum continued to train up until 2005 when she found out through the Winnipeg Rowing Club that rowing was going to be part of the Paralympic

Games for the first time. Montgomery realized then that she was about to take her rowing abilities to the international level. After preparing for three years she represented Canada in the rowing portion of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. This would not, however, be Montgomery’s last time in the international spotlight. In 2010 at the World Championships, Montgomery took home a gold medal, setting a new world record in adaptive rowing, and is

now getting ready for her second Paralympics. “We’ve had some really solid training in the last few weeks and we’re definitely feeling more race ready,” said Montgomery when asked how her and her team were feeling for the upcoming Paralympic Games. “We want the ‘A’ final, and obviously we want the podium. That’s what

we’ve been working for.” # # Montgomery said that even though she and her team had had somewhat disappointing results over the last several months, she believes

that their time together over the last few weeks training as a team will give them the strength and focus they need to perform

their best. # Montgomery’s team is composed of four individuals, two male and two female. All members of the team are impaired by a disability that does not limit the use of their legs, trunk (or ‘core’) or arms. Montgomery herself has a congenital disability on her right hand having only her thumb and two smaller

U of M alumnus heading to London

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Meghan Montgomery to compete in Paralympic GamesBy Foster Lyle

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WIn 2010 at the World Championships, Montgomery took home a gold medal, setting a new world record in adaptive rowing, and is now getting ready for her second Paralympics.

digits. Within the Paralympic Games their team only competes against other teams of mixed fours that fall within the same disability category, having use of

the legs, trunk and arms. # Though Montgomery and all the other Canadian athletes are excited to be going to the games in London, Montgomery says there is a disappointing side to the event.

# “I definitely think [the Paralympic Games] are overshadowed by the Olympics in the public’s eye. A lot of people, especially the media, focus on the Olympics while the Paralympics get almost no attention at all,” said Montgomery. “Everyone deserves credit for their accomplishments, and that

includes Paralympians.” # Montgomery also mentioned that certain local publications had left her out articles highlighting ‘homegrown’ athletes stating that her “feelings were

hurt, as [she] was not even mentioned.” # While Montgomery has long since graduated from the University of

Manitoba, she still remembers juggling her busy schedule. # “I remember the stress of university,” said Montgomery. “There was definitely a few times where I had to miss workouts to study.” Montgomery went on to say that on the other hand there were also times during her workouts when ideas and thoughts would just pop into her head, solving problems she was having with an assignment or class. She is also a strong believer that exercise is a key to stress relief, and well being.# The Gradzette would like to offer Meghan Montgomery and her whole team the best of luck at The 2012 London Paralympic Games.

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“I remember the stress of university . . . There was definitely a few times where I had to miss workouts to study.”

-Meghan Montgomery

Gradzette

rica Lam is a research assistant at the University of Manitoba, working as part of a team of veterinarians, animal welfare officers, and engineers to design a mobile and effective control measure for

managing animal populations in the event of a pathogenic or viral outbreak. Animals are sometimes observed, quarantined, or euthanized when a virus is suspected to have invaded a given animal population. How this control is

ach ie ved ha s long been o f concer n to an ima l lo ver s .# Lam took on this challenge after completing the course Air Pollution Assessment and Management with Dr Qiang Zhang, who is also supervising the research. Working with animal welfare officers, veterinarians, animal technicians from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and the university, Lam and her team are currently obtaining results and ought to

conc lude the pre l iminar y re search by August . # Lam received her undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba in the department of biosystems engineering and presently works as a technician with Zhang. Lam’s others interests include reading, tennis, and tie-dyeing. Being an animal lover, Lam is highly motivated to provide a more humane and

effective means of euthanizing animals, without pain and suffering. # Lam sees this as a bit of a morbid issue. She is terrified of seeing living

sent ient c reatures su f fe r or d ie through pa ins and d i sea ses .# “I think is an important issue that needs to be addressed as long as we

continue to raise animals for consumption,” Lam told the Gradzette.

# Current methods of euthanasia considered acceptable for use on swine by the American Veterinary Medical Association include barbiturates, carbon dioxide, and penetrating captive bolt. For farm animals, however, there is presently no ideal stunning or killing method in the case of both commercial slaughter and euthanasia. Carbon dioxide, for instance, causes death by asphyxiation and can be irritating and painful to inhale in high concentrations.

Other methods either require skill to perform or pose human safety risks. # Lam, who presently works with the big animal chamber unit located at

the animal science department, hopes the results will be worthwhile. # “During an outbreak of contagious disease on a farm, the efficient euthanasia of diseased animals is desirable to prevent the spread of pathogens and the mobility of the euthanizing device is essential for emergency

s i tuat ions , ” s ays Lam. # “The long-term goal of this project is to construct a mobile euthanasia unit that could be deployed in such emergencies. The method must be humane and acceptable from a welfare perspective. At the same time, the unit must allow for a large number of animals to be euthanized in a timely manner. It should be portable to allow for on-site disposal or movement of the unit from

fa rm to f a rm.” # Other technical objectives demand the equipment be relatively safe, easy to operate, easy to maintain, and that any consumables required need to be readily available in large quantities. The research also took into consideration

RESEARCHER PROFILE

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Erica LamBy Chinenye Alozie

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environmental effects like safely disposing the carcasses and assessing whether the disposed carcasses pose any danger to predators, as well as the effect on

operators and obser ver s . # The lab-scale equipment being used in the research was designed and built by Scott Melvin, an engineer and graduate of the biosystems engineering department at the University of Manitoba. Melvin’s company, Node Engineering, specializes in novel designs and custom equipment fabrication. The hypobaric chamber unit is a six-foot by six-foot drum like device. The animals to

be euthanized are placed inside the chamber. The internal and atmospheric condition of the drum is initially maintained at a normal condition; then, the oxygen level of the chamber is gradually reduced. This results from a gradual drop in the pressure of the chamber. The cut in the oxygen available for the animals then results in a condition called anoxia, or inadequate oxygenation of

the b lood and t i s sues . # “The use of low pressure, called decompression, is considered acceptable by the American Humane Association for use on poultry,” says Lam. “The anoxic

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Photo by Chinenye Alozie

effects produced by decompression are similar to those experienced during ascent to high altitudes, during mountain climbing and flying in unpressurized

a i r c r a f t . ”# “The literature suggests that decompression is a painless procedure for all species when done properly,” continues Lam. “Decompression is supposed to result in anoxia without the asphyxiation you would experience with CO2. The equipment has also been designed to allow the chamber to be flooded with gases to purge the oxygen from the chamber. The European Food Safety Authority says the use of inert gases appears to be the most humane way of stunning pigs so we a re a l so inves t iga t ing that . ” # The actualization of these objectives would surely come as welcome news to animal lovers around the world. Providing a safe, efficient system to deal with unforeseen viral outbreaks or disease in a way that is both humane and cruelty free is important not only for current pet owners, but also those who raise animals for a living.

Each month the Gradzette celebrates University of

Manitoba research by profiling a researcher from our

community.

If you know a graduate student, post-doc or professor

who is doing exciting work who you think should be profiled

here please let us know.

Email your nominations for researcher profiles to

[email protected]. Feel free to nominate yourself

(we won’t tell).

Is there a researcher you think we should profile?

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Photo by Chinenye Alozie

here is nothing l ike returning to a place that remains

unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” # In that now famous phrase, Nelson Mandela lashed

together the concepts of identity and place. Location may be no mirror to the self, but it nevertheless plays a role in what that self looks like. This dynamic is no stranger to the academic context of the university, a place where some disciplines — like social psychology — are intrinsically affected by their immediate environment, wherea s others a re a ver i table funct ion of i t . Some lofty subjects, abstract philosophy for instance, may act i ve l y i gnore i t s surroundings, but abstract

philosophers certainly can’t. # Al l o ver the wor ld graduate students and their professors are blending who they are as researchers with where they a re geographically. What does it mean to be doing so in the heart of the continent; in

Winnipeg , a t the Univer s i ty o f Mani toba?# Susan Prentice is a professor in the department of sociology, and her answer is straightforward: balancing academics with the actual people of the

p r o v i n c e .# “I practice what is sometimes called ‘public sociology,’” says Prentice, “so I am active in public education and advocacy to make services, policies and programs better for Manitoba and Winnipeg families, children and women.”

# She mo ved to the c i ty, “very happily,” from Toronto in 1993 to take up the Margaret Laurence Chair in

Women's S tud ies .# “I was very honoured to be able to work across the U of M and the U of W and other prairie universities to try bu i ld l inka ges between women inside and outside

the academy. ” # The Cha i r spanned a three-year term that ended in 1996, at which point she jo ined the soc io logy

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By Johanu Botha

Gradzette

What’s in a place? Putting geography back on the academic's map

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Photo by Beibei Lu

department. Along with her work in policy, Prentice strives to reach outside of

the un iver s i ty in other ways . # “Lately, I've been working hard to improve my French, since I want to have a stronger working relationship with Manitoba's francophone community.”# Another individual with even more explicit academic parallels to her location is Renate Eigenbrod, associate professor and department head at the

depar tment o f nat i ve s tud ies .

# “Winnipeg's uniqueness lies for me in its Aboriginal — First Nations and Métis — history and in the strong presence of Aboriginal people,” says Eigenbrod. “As my area of expertise is Aboriginal literatures in Canada, this was the place where I wanted to be. The many facets of Aboriginal culture in this

c i ty keep insp i r ing my work . ”# Not only are her studies connected to the place she is in, but she notes

that broader societal challenges and goals are intertwined with the two as well.# “Canada, this province and this city have to work much harder on social

justice issues related to Aboriginal peoples. I am encouraged by the support in the city - from grassroots activism to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

— and by the Univers ity of Manitoba's role in redress processes .”# Across the academic spectrum, both in subject and level of study, Rachael Erdmann tells a more familiar story for students. Location is initially tied up in how, what, and when specific programs are offered. Switching her interest from the pathology to the immunology department because its size allowed for more opportunities, Erdmann has found a happy niche since she started her graduate

s tud ies two summers a go . # “We are a tight-knit department, and this has a positive influence on every aspect of the training program. There is a strong spirit of collaboration between researchers in the faculty of medicine that allows for equipment and knowledge sharing. In addition, I’ve found that all of the principal investigators here are accessible and willing to give advice to students who need it.” # Erdmann’s final thoughts combine the importance of place with the all

too common s tudents ’ t rep idat ion about the future .# “I can say that studying in Winnipeg has afforded me opportunities that would be unavailable elsewhere. I have no regrets about moving to Winnipeg.

Now I need to f i gure out what to do next . ”# Like many academics who came before her, Erdmann’s next endeavors are bound to be informed and influenced not just by what she is doing, but by where she’s doing it.

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“We are a tight-knit department, and this has a positive influence on every aspect of the training program. There is a strong spirit of collaboration between researchers in the faculty of medicine that allows for equipment and knowledge sharing.”

DMONTON (CUP) Thanks to the contribution of a researcher at the University of Alberta, speculation over the origin of a mysterious

organic compound found in Martian meteorites has been put to rest.# A recent study investigated the presence of an organic compound in Martian meteorites that landed on Earth. What this study reveals, however, is that the carbon found in these meteorites originated from Mars’ mantle layer — the region between the planet’s crust and the core — and not as the result of

any l i f e ac t i v i ty.

# Dr. Chris Herd, an associate professor for the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the U of A and an expert in interpreting Martian meteorites, contributed to the study by looking at the conditions that helped to

preser ve th i s o rgan ic mater i a l in the rocks .# Unlike graphite, which is made entirely out of carbon, Herd found that the compound in the Martian samples contains other components, like

hydrogen, that make it organic and usable in biological processes . # “It’s like the material that life either uses or produces,” Herd said. “So in

that sense i t wa s de f in i te l y a surpr i se to f ind i t in there . ”# According to Herd, all Martian meteorites that have landed on Earth are

igneous rocks that began as magma — molten rock deep below the planet’s surface. The magma is then pushed to the surface as a lava flow, much like vo lcan ic e r upt ions that happen on Ear th .# Once above ground, the rock cools and settles before being ejected from the surface by some force, like an asteroid collision, which sends it hurtling into

space to make i t s way towards our p l anet .# “The significance of the study is that the carbonaceous material — the carbon rich material — was actually found locked up inside the crystals that

formed a s the rock wa s coo l ing off in the l a va f low, ” Herd sa id .# Unlike Earth, Mars does not have plate tectonics that cycle carbon by pushing crust material back into the mantle. This one-way flow of carbon suggests that this material is coming from inside Mars itself, and has been there

s ince the p lanet formed more than 4 b i l l ion year s a go . # Because weathering processes, like those caused by wind and water, break down these igneous rocks and release carbonaceous content onto the surface, it is expected that NASA’s Curiosity Rover, due to land on Mars this August, will encounter the organic material in its search for signs of Martian

l i f e . # “It could confuse things and say that we found evidence of life when we’ve shown in this study that it has nothing to do with life,” Herd said.# “The timing of this study is good in that it shows that there’s this additional source of carbonaceous material, and it’s something that the team members of the Curiosity mission should be aware of.”

Alien hunters pound fists in frustration once again

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U of A prof helps verify source of organic Martian material

Hamdi Hissawi — The Gateway (University of Alberta)

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Unlike Earth, Mars does not have plate tectonics that cycle carbon by pushing crust material back into the mantle.

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The red planet. (Photo Courtesy of NASA/Flickr Creative Commons)

GSA AnnouncementsGSA Awards Luncheon Celebrates Graduate Student Achievement: The Graduate Stu-dents’ Association confers peer-to-peer recognition of fellow graduate students who are currently not recognized by the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship or other na-tional awards. The Awards are designed to recognize the important contributions gradate students make to society through scholarship and community involvement. The awards have been made possible by the generous contribution of Dr. James Burns, a levy ap-plied to all graduate students approved through a GSA referendum, and a contribution made by the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative.

Venue: Marshall McLuhan Hall, Room 204 University CentreDate: August 28, 2012Time: 11:30