Aug. 12, 2015 Volume 48 | Number 1 Registration Mail No. 4006252 A M E M O R I A L U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W F O U N D L A N D P U B L I C AT I O N
Director of Internationalization Office appointed By Jennifer Batten
THE SEARCH committee for the
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director of the Internationalization Office has completed its work and has recommended Sonja Knutson for the position. President Gary Kachanoski has accepted the recommendation for the appointment, which was effective Aug. 1. Ms. Knutson comes to the role from the positions of acting director of the International Centre and special advisor to the president on international affairs at Memorial University. She has significant experience in administration of post-secondary education in the areas of strategic planning, change management, policy development, risk management, strategic student recruitment, international student advising and student mobility.
AQUACULTURE ADVANTAGE The Marine Institute’s Cyr Couturier has been part of the development of Newfoundland and Labrador’s aquaculture sector — the world’s most rapidly growing agrifoods industry — for decades. Please see related story on page 9.
See DIRECTOR on page 4
Strategic importance Wood Group Chair in Arctic and Harsh Environment Engineering appointed By Jackey Locke
MEMORIAL has welcomed a new research chairholder. Dr. Hodjat Shiri joined the Department of Civil Engineering as the Wood Group Chair in Arctic and Harsh Environment Engineering and assistant professor on June 15. Sponsored by the international energy services company Wood Group, the industrial research chair is associated with Memorial’s Ocean Engineering Research Centre in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. In his role, Dr. Shiri will pursue innovative research, development
and applications for engineering in Arctic and harsh environments. The post will benefit both undergraduate and post-graduate engineering students by increasing course and project availability in areas of growing industry activity in the province. Wood Group is investing $500,000 to sponsor the chair over a five-year period in collaboration with Memorial University. “We are delighted that Dr. Shiri has been appointed to this post, which supports our commitment to driving the development of leading-edge technology,” said Robin Watson, chief operating officer, Wood Group.
“This strong investment in research will enhance the engineering solutions we can provide for our clients operating in deep water and challenging marine environments.” “This partnership with Wood Group supports the world-class ocean and harsh environment engineering research being conducted at Memorial,” said President Gary Kachanoski. “We appreciate Wood Group’s investment in research at Memorial University and I congratulate Dr. Shiri on his appointment.” Dr. Shiri is looking forward to developing new research initiatives to help fulfill the mandate of the chair. “The strategic importance of
harnessing offshore energy resources necessitates continuous optimization and enhancement of subsea engineering practice and technology in Arctic and harsh environments,” he said. “This is the goal that I hope to achieve and contribute through this appointment under the partnership with Wood Group.” Dr. Shiri has an extensive industrial background in offshore oil and gas project development, particularly subsea pipelines and risers, offshore structures and subsea installation technologies.
7 D E E P-S E A L E A R N I N G
8 A LU M N A H O N O U R S
9 R E M A R K A B L E CO N T R I B U T I O N
See WOOD on page 11
features
3 A B O R I G I N A L PE R S PE C T I V E
Four Labrador-based educators immersed themselves in campus life this summer to get the ultimate student view.
A scientific diving course is putting marine life at students’ fingertips — making Memorial one of a very few Canadian universities to do so.
Honorary degree recipient Dr. Anita Best has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the N.L. Folk Arts Society.
An academic staff member for co-operative education has been inducted as a Fellow of a national engineering institute.
Alumni spotlight It was a journey full of purpose and meaning. Along the way, Faculty of Arts alumna Gemma Hickey, BA’03, witnessed the power of engagement — connecting with people, stopping to listen to their stories and sharing in their emotions. Ms. Hickey just completed her Hope Walk, a more than 900 kilometre, gruelling month-long trek from Port aux Basques to St. John’s. As a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, the walk is part of her physical and spiritual journey of recovery and part of her own goal to help other survivors of institutional abuse find healing. Contributor Jeff Green spoke with Ms. Hickey after her walk.
JG: When did you start? GH: I started on July 2 in Port aux Basques and ended on Aug. 2 in St. John’s at the Mount Cashel Memorial. However the planning and training began 10 months prior to the walk itself. My journey is still continuing. I finished the walk, but that was the foundational component. There is still much work left to be done. JG: What was the reaction from some of the people you met during your walk? GH: People have met me with smiles and open arms. They’ve invited me into their homes and shared their stories of trauma. We’ve laughed and cried. I get hundreds of messages each day from people all over the province and beyond. I’m truly humbled by all of the support. JG: Is there a person or two who stand out to you?
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JG: Why did you organize this walk? Why is it significant? GH: I organized Hope Walk because I wanted to be creative in engaging society to take ownership of the issue of religious institutional abuse. This issue has left a deep wound in our province. We’ve all been either directly or indirectly affected by it.
Gemma Hickey GH: So many people stand out. So many stories have had an impact on me: a man I held as he was crying whose father was abused by a priest; an elderly woman I waltzed with on the highway’s shoulder who attended a religious run orphanage.
JG: Who helped you train for your walk? GH: So many people have helped me make this happen. In particular, Dr. TA Loeffler led my training team and Philip Alcock, Audrey Hynes and Xi Hong were alumni on the team.
JG: I saw from social media that you documented your trek — how has social media helped you reach new audiences? GH: Social media was one avenue I used to make people feel like they are a part of my journey. They were right there with me during rainstorms and the ups and downs of being on the road. It was an effective tool to reach a younger audience.
JG: What’s next for you? GH: I want to focus on my writing. I’m also working on my master’s in the Department of Gender Studies with a focus on activism as healing in terms of religious institutional abuse. To learn more about Ms. Hickey’s Pathways Foundation, visit www.pathways-foundation.com.
EDITOR Mandy Cook GRAPHICS John Andrews REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS 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
YOUR NEXT PROJECT By Amy Jones
Yaffle.ca is Memorial’s online connecting tool. One of its most significant jobs is to provide a way for people from outside Memorial to ask for research help. With hundreds of community-suggested opportunities to choose from, your next project is just a click away. Here’s one . . .
THE PROJECT There are many reasons why it is beneficial for businesses and researchers to work together. However, bridging the gap between business interests and academic interests often does not happen naturally. The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association
(NEIA) has noticed this phenomenon, and has developed a research matching event that aims to shrink this gap by helping develop innovative partnerships. It has become an annual event at no cost to participants, with the next one taking place during NEIA’s Newleef green economy conference on Oct. 8-9 at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s. “THIS EVENT DRAws environmental sector researchers across a range of disciplines,” said Ted Lomond, executive director, NEIA. “Each year the event has resulted in collaborations between industry and academia — collaborations supported by funding agencies.” The opportunity “The session will bring firms, entrepreneurs, academics and funding partners together to share their research interests and expertise,” said Lomond. “Businesses will outline their challenges or opportunities that researchers could possibly help address, while researchers get to discuss their
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work and programs and seek industry partners.” Funding partners are also on hand at the event to explain their programs, hire researchers and students and build connections. This event is a great place to form collaborations that will strengthen funding applications. NEIA is currently looking for environmental sector researchers from Memorial to join this innovative and unique event and are welcoming those from a range of disciplines, such as engineering, marine systems, geography, biology, business, chemistry, geosciences, environmental studies, food sciences and technology programs. Further information on this event is available at http://newleef.ca/ or by contacting Abbie Hodder at 709-237-8290. Interested in learning more about this project? The Harris Centre’s manager of knowledgemobilizationwouldbehappyto tell you more. Call Bojan Furst at 709864-2120 or email bfurst@mun.ca.
PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Hammond ADVERTISING Mandy Cook T. 709 864 2142 mandyc@mun.ca Next gazette deadline Aug. 26 for Sept. 2 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
‘Help is here’ Labrador educators volunteer for ‘student immersion’ experience on St. John’s campus
From left are (front) Dion Rideout, Curtis Oliver, (back) Sheila Freake and Sonya Clarke Casey.
the class sizes, teaching styles and academic demands at university. Upon return to their respective North Coast communities, the teachers will assist in developing and executing a series of outreach sessions to their students during the 2015-16 academic year. The final phase of the pilot program will take place in summer 2016, and will include a familiarization tour for 14 high school students who will attend a five-day “Junior University.” Sonya Clarke Casey, Aboriginal liaison officer, and Sheila Freake, Aboriginal Resource Office co-ordinator, are leading the new program. “When the teachers go back to their schools on the North Coast, I hope they will feel completely comfortable picking up the phone and saying, ‘Sonya, I have a question for you about …,’” said Ms. Clarke Casey. “When that happens, I know we have begun paving the road for our Aboriginal students from Nunatsiavut. Relationship building is key.” Ms. Freake hopes the program will result in building positive relationships with schools and communities in northern Labrador. “Hopefully, this project will also result in improved communication and collaboration within Nunatsiavut which will increase recruitment and retention of Aboriginal students at Memorial,” she said. “I was glad to see the passion that the teachers had coming in — people who volunteered their time over their summer holidays — they are very passionate about, and interested in, their work,” said Ms. Freake. “I have no doubt that they will go back to their communities and talk about the supports we have available here. I’m very pleased with their energy and their interest.”
“I want to let them know that there is so much offered at the university — so much more than I ever imagined.” — Curtis Oliver
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FOUR HIGH school teachers and principals from Labrador aimed to experience Memorial through the eyes of a new student from an Aboriginal community last month. Recognizing the importance of developing relationships with Aboriginal students on the coast of Labrador well before they arrive at the St. John’s campus, Memorial’s Aboriginal Resource Office (ARO) initiated a two-year pilot project. Beginning with the week-long familiarization tour for high school teachers and principals from the northern coast of Labrador, the project will provide several opportunities to engage both high school students and teachers through site visits and ongoing contact throughout the school year. For four days, Dion Rideout visited from J.C. Erhardt Memorial in Makkovik; Tom Mugford came to Memorial from Northern Lights Academy in Rigolet; Curtis Oliver visited from Amos Comenius Memorial School in Hopedale; and Juanita Skanes visited from Jens Haven Memorial School in Nain. The intrepid visitors lived in Macpherson College, attended classes, rode the Metrobus, visited the Marine Institute, interacted with a simulation at the Faculty of Medicine, met with members of the Aboriginal Resource Office and visited community partners at the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre. The group was especially impressed with simulations at the Faculty of Medicine and the Marine Institute, the resources available at Answers and the University Centre, and they also enjoyed visiting the Native Friendship Centre. “They have amazing staff,” said Mr. Oliver. “They help people become a part of the community, feel welcome and that they belong. Aboriginal students have a piece of home in the city.” “This week exceeded my expectations,” said Mr. Rideout. “It opened my eyes to the supports that are available. The most important thing we’re seeing is that for new students coming in, the support is there. They are not alone. They don’t need to feel overwhelmed. Help is here.” The familiarization visit is one step toward helping ease students’ transitions from remote Labrador communities to Memorial’s St. John’s campus and Marine Institute. To offer a sense of scale, Mr. Rideout shared that his school in Makkovik has 65 students from kindergarten to Grade 12. With a student population of 18,000, Memorial is far larger than anything these high school students have been accustomed to in their everyday lives. “One of the biggest challenges for an Aboriginal student from the north coast of Labrador is the culture shock,” said Mr. Rideout. “Coming into a large city and a large university like this can certainly be daunting. If we can come up with a way to familiarize students with the city, the campus, the programming
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By Laura Barron
From left, Curtis Oliver, Dion Rideout and Tom Mugford and Kelly Anne Butler, student affairs officer-Aboriginal, Grenfell Campus, rode the Metrobus as part of their student immersion experience. — just to make life easier for them. That is the most important goal.” Along with the culture shock that may come with encountering new surroundings and a much
larger population, students from remote communities may also feel overwhelmed by stark differences in transportation, pace and lifestyle in St. John’s, as well as
Mr. Oliver expressed his excitement to return to Hopedale and share his experience with students. “I want to let them know that there is so much offered at the university — so much more than I ever imagined. This week made me want to be a student again. If a student is unsure of what to do or where to go, all they need to do is go to the University Centre and speak to someone at Answers or the ARO and they are there to help them.” Mr. Mugford was impressed with the resources available on campus. “There are resources here for students, and it’s not too far from home. There are people here who will help to ensure your time here is successful and that you are successful.” For more information about the Aboriginal Resource Office’s programs, please visit mun.ca/aro.
Water quality testing on St. John’s campus AS OF THE Gazette’s press time, potable water tests continue at a number of buildings on Memorial’s St. John’s campus. Results from completed tests at consumption points inside the majority of buildings tested for lead on the St. John’s campus are within the Canadian drinking water guidelines. After water quality test results for the Engineering and Applied Science building and the Music building were received indicating higher than acceptable levels of lead in the water supply, the main St. John’s campus was closed on Friday, July 31. The closure gave the university time to provide sources of safe drinking water across campus so that operations could resume. “Our first priority was to provide an alternative source of safe drinking water for employees, students and visitors to campus and start the work
to confirm that existing sources of drinking water were safe,” said Kent Decker, vice-president (administration and finance). “Simultaneously, we called on experts from within the university community as well as provincial public health, environment and municipal officials to help us determine the appropriate testing protocols and start the work needed to identify the source of the lead.” The initial protocol for testing was to take three samples at each of three locations per building: three at the water entry point to the building (most often a mechanical room); three at a faucet midway through the building; and three at a faucet at a far point in the building. The university has since been advised by the chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Allison, that testing at the water entry point does not provide an appropriate measure of the safety of a building’s
drinking water. However, these water entry point tests did show levels of lead higher than the Canadian guidelines in some buildings. Work is ongoing to identify the source of the lead at the entry point, and the university is also testing sediment caught by screens in the intake areas. Additional tests are being conducted at the first point where water is available for consumption in buildings that had higher than acceptable levels of lead at the entry point. Remaining consumption restrictions will not be lifted until test results are within Canadian Drinking Water guidelines. Information about test results and the drinking water status of buildings are available at www.mun.ca and are shared via Newsline and social media. Memorial is establishing a new testing protocol led by its Environmental Health and Safety team, advised by faculty experts as well as advisors from the province and Eastern Health. “Rest assured, we will have a protocol where every single building across Memorial’s campuses are tested on a systematic basis, that the results are reported to the University Health
“Rest assured, we will have a protocol where every single building across Memorial’s campuses are tested on a systematic basis, that the results are reported to the University Health and Safety Committee and that the process and the results are made available online.” — Kent Decker
and Safety Committee and that the process and the results are made available online,” said Mr. Decker. To view the test results received to date, www.mun.ca/health_safety/ Water_sample_chart.pdf. For a complete status by building, visit www.mun.ca/vpc/water-location.php.
papers & obituaries presentations NICHOLAS E. NOVAKOWSKI Dr. Darron Kelly, Faculty of Education, received the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award from the Canadian Association for Foundations in Education (Canadian Society for Studies in Education/ Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences) at its May meeting at the University of Ottawa. The title of Dr. Kelly’s dissertation is A Habermasian Perspective on Morally Valid Decision-Making in School District Administration: A Newfoundland and Labrador Case-Study. Dr. Kelly was supervised by Dr. Jean Brown, Faculty of Education, and Dr. Walter Okshevsky, Faculty of Education/ Department of Philosophy.
Sonja Knutson is director of Memorial’s Internationalization Office.
notable
Cont’d from DIRECTOR on page 1
“Ms. Knutson’s considerable experience and expertise makes her the perfect fit for this key role,” said Dr. Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic). “I am confident that her leadership will serve the university well as we work to implement the recommendations of the Strategic Internationalization Plan, benefiting and broadening the university experience for students, faculty and staff across Memorial’s campuses.” Reporting to the provost, Ms. Knutson will provide strategic and administrative leadership to the Internationalization Office. The office was created as a result of a recommendation in the Strategic Internationalization Plan 2020 to transition the International Centre and the International Student Advising Office into one unit with functional responsibility for all internationalization activities across
the university. In this new role, Ms. Knutson will lead, facilitate, coordinate, promote and monitor all international activities and ensure the successful implementation of the Strategic Internationalization Plan 2020. She will serve as Memorial University’s senior internationalization officer and will provide vision, leadership and support to units involved in international research, teaching and engagement. “I look forward to taking on this new role at Memorial,” said Ms. Knutson. “The International Centre and the International Student Advising Office have been working collaboratively for quite some time now, essentially functioning as one unit. I look forward to leading the team in providing a high level of service to international students, and support and guidance for individuals and units engaged in a variety of international initiatives at Memorial.”
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Dr. Stephen Piercey, Department of Earth Sciences and the NSERC-Altius Industrial Research Chair in Mineral Deposits, was recently elected as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. The honour was granted in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the geosciences, particularly in the field of economic geology. Earth Sciences associate professor Graham Layne was recently recognized with a Teaching Award by the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador at their recent annual conference June 5. The award recognizes exemplary contribution to the teaching and learning of the engineering and geoscience at Memorial University. The award has the objective of encouraging excellence in the current teaching of engineering and geoscience. Rod Churchill, an alumnus of Earth Sciences, was recognized with the Community Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding service and dedication to Newfoundland and/or Canadian society through voluntary participation in community organizations, government sponsored activities, or humanitarian work.
Nicholas E. Novakowski, an associate professor in the Division of Social Science at Grenfell Campus, passed away July 21, 2015. He was 53.
DR. FLORA MACDONALD Dr. Flora MacDonald, an honorary graduate of Memorial University, passed away July 26, 2015. She was 89.
JANET GARDINER Janet Gardiner, former — and first female — chair of Memorial’s Board of Regents from 1991-97, passed away Aug. 5, 2015. She was 82. Born in St. John’s, Ms. Gardiner was one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most respected business leaders. She earned a bachelor of commerce degree from Dalhousie University and was Newfoundland and Labrador’s first female chartered accountant. She received an honorary doctor of laws as well as the J. D. Eaton Award from Memorial University and was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada. Ms. Gardiner served on the advisory board of Memorial’s Faculty of Business Administration and was also a dedicated volunteer for numerous community organizations.
CHRISTOPHER DECKER Christopher Decker, chair of Memorial’s Board of Regents from 2002-03, passed away Aug. 9, 2015. He was 74. Born in St. Anthony, Mr. Decker was a United Church clergyman before entering political life. He was elected to Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly in 1985 and during his career served as minister of Health, Education and Training, and Justice. He also served as mayor of the Town of Roddickton, owned and operated several businesses and was the author of three books. Mr. Decker held a bachelor of arts (English) from Memorial University and a master of divinity from Pine Hill Divinity Hall.
Frameworks at work 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.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
CREAITing an environment for research By Krista Davidson
WALK THROUGH the halls of the first floor of the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation on the St. John’s campus and you’ll encounter many different types of sophisticated research equipment. The Micro Analysis Facility or MAF-IIC, a node of the CREAIT Network, specializes in highresolution imaging and in-situ microbeam chemical analysis and age dating. The instruments are useful for dating minerals and other materials such as environmental and archaeological samples. Other nodes of the network include, among others, the Earth Resources Research and Analysis Facility, which provides chemical and physical analyses; the Centre for Chemical Analysis, Research and Training, which provides chemical analysis services; and the Aquatic Research
Cluster (ARC) at the Ocean Sciences Centre, which provides analytical research facilities and support services for determination of lipids and amino acids and carbon and nitrogen content of aquatic samples, as well as gene expression analyses. The network of these sophisticated labs and their inhabitants are no strangers to many researchers at Memorial who consider them a staple in their research activities. The network is known as the Core Research Equipment and Instrument Training (CREAIT). Staff members at CREAIT are experts in maintaining the equipment and in training staff and clients in its use, as well as working with users to set up experiments and develop novel analytical methods. Recently, CREAIT has upped the ante with its business model, identifying ways to deliver more efficient services for clients and researchers and revamping the model to leverage maximum impact for the university and the province. With a reinvigorated governance structure, the network tapped into creating an environment that nurtures exciting research and builds on collaborative relationships
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MEMORIAL’S FRAMEWORKS IN ACTION
Dr. David Grant, a research laboratory co-ordinator, in CREAIT’s Micro Analysis Facility.
with researchers to increase the network’s potential and contribute to enhancing Memorial’s research profile. Dr. Chris Parrish, a faculty member with the Department of Ocean Sciences, is a member of a scientific advisory committee (SAC) with CREAIT’s ARC. The committees are comprised of researchers from various disciplines across the faculties, who oversee the scientific direction of the nodes and enhance linkages between CREAIT and faculty members/users. From the perspective of a researcher and member of the committee, Dr. Parrish says he is “thrilled” with the close relationship developing between CREAIT and researchers. “We have more communication with the staff at CREAIT and that has removed many surprises that come along with being a researcher,” he said. In the past year, CREAIT has made significant strides to meet more regularly with the SACs to ensure the labs are moving in a progressive direction and the university is discontinuing services that may be outdated or not in line with current research trends. It also means more transparency with service rates and
operations, more opportunity for input from the research community and a more efficient billing process. “From the perspective of people who write grants, the predictability of fees is very important. In the long run, researchers really need to be able to predict what their costs will be in their proposals. If fees go up, that could affect your overall proposal,” said Dr. Parrish. Dr. Graham Layne, an associate professor with the Department of Earth Sciences and a member of the MAF-IIC SAC, reiterated the role CREAIT plays in facilitating important ongoing research. “The relationship between CREAIT and researchers has gelled to a point and that creates a better sense of permanency and stability for the researcher. A lot of our clients are involved in collaborations with us and it’s great. It often results in publications, and the very best promotion for a lab is published work. When others see published research coming out of the lab they realize Memorial’s potential.”
Tenders issued for MI’s Holyrood Marine Base development TO MEET A growing demand and further enhance capabilities at its Holyrood Marine Base, the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University has issued tenders for the construction of a breakwater and marginal wharf as well as the reconstruction of the existing wharf and installation of evacuation training systems at the facility. The Holyrood Marine Base is an essential part of MI’s ability to support public and private sector ocean technology initiatives. This development will strengthen the institute and Memorial’s ability to provide diversified services, including enhanced support for
at-sea components, remotely operated vehicle training, and safety and survival training. “Since opening in 2010, the Marine Institute’s Holyrood Marine Base has become the portal to the ocean for the Memorial University community for innovative oceans education and research,” said Glenn Blackwood, vicepresident, Memorial University (Marine Institute). “This next development of the Holyrood Marine Base will be transformative as we move forward to expand our capacity to undertake critical at-sea, in-water and subsea education and training activities and increased collaboration with industry to cement our province’s position in the global oceans technology sector.” The institute will construct a
hockey stick shaped breakwater/ wharf with the blade tip pointing south, and breakwater on the north side in common with the berths and harbour on the south. The enclosed area will provide protected berthage for small- and medium-sized vessels and a protected area where clients can continue in-water training and testing in all but the most extreme conditions. At-sea safety and survival training currently conducted at the Southside Marine Base will be relocated to Holyrood once the development is complete. Tenders have been issued for the development work and the project is expected to take 18 months.
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By Leslie Earle
The Marine Institute’s Holyrood Marine Base.
Community of Cupids receives Faculty of Arts’ community engagement award By Janet Harron
Cobbles unearthed as part of a dig site in Cupids. the request of the Cupids Historical Society and the Town of Cupids, historical-archaeologist William Gilbert and his team began work in 1995 to find physical evidence of Guy’s 1610 plantation. With the site determined from documentary sources, subsequent excavations uncovered the remains of the colony’s main buildings, structures and land-use spaces and numerous artifacts dating from the Guy years. These discoveries also provided additional evidence of an English domestic occupation of the site extending into the second half of the 17th century. These significant new findings were not available at the time of Dr. Williams’s death. William Gilbert, however, subsequently
answered all questions (personal communications) and read and commented on the sections of the text relating to the archaeological work. He also provided photographs and site plans that enhanced the book’s messages. In a testimonial accompanying the nomination, Mr. Gilbert acknowledges the publication of the book enabled his archaeological discoveries over the past decade to reach a broader audience. To commemorate its 400th anniversary in 2010, Cupids attracted government funding to build an interpretation facility, the Legacy Centre. Its exhibits focus on the Guy colony and early settlement in Newfoundland as revised and described in Dr. Williams’s book. As
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named the 2015 recipient of the Faculty of Arts Newfoundland and Labrador Community Research Engagement Award. The town was nominated for the award by Department of Geography professores emeriti Drs. Gordon Handcock and Ches Sanger. They cited four decades of support given by Cupids residents — especially members of the local historical society — to the late Dr. Alan F. Williams while he was researching and writing the book John Guy of Bristol and Newfoundland: His Life, Time and Legacy, published by Flanker Press in 2010. Up to 2002 Dr. Williams had compiled a rough draft of some 400 pages based primarily on archival sources. At this stage the manuscript needed updating, syntax modification and content revisions, especially to incorporate archaeological findings, before it could be published. Unfortunately, Dr. Williams died in 2003 before completing these tasks. In 2007 the proponents, both former students of Dr. Williams and colleagues at Memorial, coedited the manuscript, conducted further research and revised the text to save the work and have it published in time for Cupids’ 400th anniversary celebrations. That these goals were achieved was also due largely to the ongoing engagement of local citizens. Under the auspices of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, and at
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THE TOWN of Cupids has been
noted by several reviewers, John Guy of Bristol and Newfoundland: His Life, Times and Legacy is the only scholarly publication available to the general public that supports Guy’s legacy at the centre and the museum’s exhibitions interpret the Newfoundland content (mostly Cupids) of the book. “Going forward, funding for operation and promotion of the centre will have to be derived at least partially from provincial and national agencies if this important cultural facility dedicated to English settlement in the New World is to prosper,” said Dr. Handcock. According to both nominators, the rationale for such funding is found in Dr. Williams’s book. “This endorsement by Memorial University’s Faculty of Arts will also assist and justify efforts to secure ongoing financial support,” said Dr. Sanger. Dr. Lynne Phillips, dean, Faculty of Arts, said the nomination proved that “the community of Cupids was fully engaged and supportive of the research for the book, as it was to William Gilbert’s archaeological work, and that the community in turn can expect to benefit immeasurably from cultural tourism.” “The Town of Cupids is honoured by this award and we thank Dr. Handcock and Dr. Sanger for the nomination,” said Harold Akerman, mayor, Town of Cupids. Dr. Phillips made an official presentation of the award at Cupids’ 50th town incorporation anniversary dinner on Aug. 1.
A scenic shot of the Town of Cupids.
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‘With their own hands’
Scientific diving course puts marine life at students’ fingertips By Kelly Foss
undergraduate and graduate students braved the 3 C waters of the Atlantic Ocean as part of a new course. The students came from four academic disciplines — biology, archaeology, psychology and geography — and were participating in the first offering of OCSC 4000 Scientific Diving Methods. The course, taught by Dr. Patrick Gagnon, associate professor with the Department of Ocean Sciences, took place in and around the St. John’s area. He says the idea behind the course was to take students who were already certified recreational divers and show them how to do science underwater using scuba techniques. The course taught students to safely apply knowledge about equipment and methods used for data collection in underwater scientific research as well as the skills to plan and execute surveys and experiments with marine organisms in major subtidal habitats. “We also developed their leadership skills, because when you are diving for science it rarely goes exactly as you would like it to go,” said Dr. Gagnon. “You have to be able to make quick judgment calls and communicate those efficiently to your diving partner.” Students practised such underwater tasks as mapping habitats, deploying various oceanographic instruments, laying transects and quadrats, drilling holes to anchor structures and mark bottom features, as well as using lift bags to transport scientific equipment and collection bags. Another important aspect was to help the students develop effective data writing and management systems for different types of habitats and underwater conditions. “It’s challenging because they’re floating in that medium and fighting against gravity,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a bit wavy and they’re being
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FOR TWO WEEKS in June a group of
Two students install a sediment trap, a device commonly used by oceanographers to quantify the amount of organic and inorganic particulate matter falling off the water column down to the seabed. least invasive as possible,” said Dr. Gagnon. “The course is great because it gives participants extra training that most other divers don’t have. It gives students a great background and a unique set of skills, which makes them even more competitive when they apply for jobs in academia, government or the private sector.” In addition to credits, the course comes with certification from the Canadian Association for Underwater Science (CAUS). The certification allows participants in the program to conduct research at any other university in the country that abides by that program. Dr. Gagnon adds that the course
pushed around as they are trying to measure some small organisms. It’s frustrating in the beginning, but they quickly got the hang of it.” A key priority for the first offering of the course was to ensure that it was, above all, conducted safely. Before the students entered the water, they participated in a very thorough set of examinations to pre-check their diving skills. During the course, they were taught how to do things underwater in a safe manner — safe for themselves, for their diving partner and for the environment. “We wanted to show them how to respect the environment and make sure the way they sample is as
fits perfectly with the new curriculum being developed by the relatively young academic department. It also makes it one of a very few number of universities in the country offering this type of program. “It’s certainly coming at the right time,” he said. “This winter Memorial will be hosting the annual CAUS meeting and we will be able to tell other universities about our model. We’re also hoping that with more awareness, the program will be able to grow. “But most of all, it’s great because it puts students directly in contact with actual flora and fauna, because they’re doing it all with their own hands.”
Research on student writing wins 2015 Dr. Wallace Ingram award By Elizabeth Furey
science and health at the Faculty of Medicine has won the 2015 Dr. Wallace Ingram Award. A member of the faculty since 2003, Dr. Diana L. Gustafson’s winning research project is titled You Are What You Write: Facilitating Student Success Through Improved Writing Competency. Dr. Gustafson accepted her award during the Faculty of Medicine reunion weekend on July 31. With the help of the $10,000 funding, Dr. Gustafson intends to address the questions of why some students struggle with conveying their ideas in ways that are appropriate for the medical and health sciences and how this problem can be addressed and student success promoted. “The findings of this project will inform a funding proposal to develop and evaluate an innovative
HSIMS PHOTO
AN ASSOCIATE professor of social
Dr. Diana L. Gustafson pilot project,” said Dr. Gustafson. “The project will be in collaboration with students and faculty members to set and meet achievable goals
for scholarly writing competence and programmatic success.” The Dr. Wallace Ingram Award is a faculty award that was established in 2004 by the Medical Graduates’ Society to honour Dr. Wallace Ingram, professor emeritus, internal medicine, for his outstanding contributions to medical education throughout his career. Funded entirely through the Medical Graduates’ Society Annual Reunion Class Giving program, the award focuses on the support of medical education research and scholarly activity. Over the years, Dr. Gustafson has observed that remarkably few students are prepared for the rigour of academic writing, an observation that is echoed by her colleagues. “Scholarly writing is a skill like any other that must be learned and continually developed,” she said. “To be successful in medical school and graduate programs, students
must achieve a higher standard of writing competence. Studies show an established link between writing competency and degree/ program completion rates.” Dr. Gustafson has seen the difficulties students face first hand. “Our ability to communicate in writing is essential as decision-makers, policy-makers and physicians and I have seen very bright, talented students who have difficulty communicating their ideas in ways that reflect what they really know.” An example she gives is a student coming from a background where a different style of writing is used, such as chemistry or math, who may have challenges writing a book review or an article. “I am looking to find out what students need and want to know, what faculty are currently doing, what resources are currently out there, and how we can fill in the gaps.”
‘I am proud of this’
Alumna Dr. Anita Best honoured with lifetime achievement award
CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO
By Jeff Green
Dr. Anita Best, who received an honorary degree from Memorial in 2009, is this year’s recipient of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
AT FIRST SHE thought she was being duped but when the news sunk in, her disbelief quickly turned to delight. That’s how Faculty of Arts alumna — and Memorial honorary degree recipient — Dr. Anita Best summed up her reaction to learning she is this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society. “I did feel like maybe somebody was playing a joke on me — maybe one of my brothers,” she said with a hearty chuckle from her home in Neddies Harbour — a small scenic “suburb of Norris Point” — on the west coast of the island. “When I realized the news, I was very happy.” Dr. Best was honoured for a career spent cataloguing, celebrating and preserving Newfoundland and Labrador’s rich culture and musical heritage. She’s one of the province’s most prominent traditional singers, storytellers and arts advocates, a founding member of the traditional rock band Figgy Duff, has released and been featured on several recordings and is a former broadcaster with CBC Radio. A graduate of the Department of Folklore, Dr. Best has worked in
A volunteer and host with Voices of Bonne Bay, the community radio station in Gros Morne National Park, Dr. Best produces a program highlighting folk music from around the world. Dr. Best says she’s grateful to receive this year’s folk festival honour from her peers. “I’ve been involved off and on with the folk society and the festival itself for more than 30 years,” said Dr. Best, prior to the event the weekend of Aug. 7-9. “I am proud of this. My family will be there and all of the people connected with the society are really family to me, so it will be great to have them there, too. “All sorts of people in the Newfoundland and Labrador music scene have received this award, so it’s nice,” she added. She received her lifetime honour on the main stage during the 39th annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival on Saturday, Aug. 8. “I have a lot of great memories with the folk festival. One year, I can remember Pius Power, my father-in-law, and John White being on stage. The two of them rattled on together. I don’t think five people in the park understood them but they were magnificent. “This is indeed a nice honour.”
Memorial’s School of Music and is the former community co-ordinator with the Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance project headquartered at Memorial’s Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point.
“I did feel like maybe somebody was playing a joke on me — maybe one of my brothers. When I realized the news, I was very happy.” — Dr. Anita Best Although she retired from her day job a few years ago, Dr. Best continues to tour, singing at home in Newfoundland and Labrador and abroad. Each Tuesday during the summer, she performs in Trout River. She also took part in this year’s Trails, Tales and Tunes Festival in Norris Point and is gearing up for a tour of the Northeastern United States, with stops in Maine, New York and Plymouth, Mass., where she will perform at this year’s TradMad, a traditional music and dance camp in late August and early September.
Sail to the finish
Memorial’s robotic sailboat team wins international sailing competition for first time By Jackey Locke
with its sailBOT Petunia II, beat out five teams to sail to first place during the ninth International Robotic Sailing Regatta (IRSR) last month. Memorial was the host for the event. University, college and high school teams design and build robotic sailboats, known as sailBOTs, prior to the event and test them during the competition. Students from competing schools use the friendly contest to apply their engineering knowledge in multidisciplinary tasks that require mechanical, electrical and software skills in a highly variable sailing environment. “The sailBOTs are designed to sail robotically, or unmanned, by making their own on-board decisions about sail trim and course direction without human assistance,” said Justin Royce, a member of Memorial’s sailBOT team and the electrical lead. “For the competition, the boats are tested through a series of challenges with limited, if any, human control. Each task completed earns the team points.” Some of the highlights for the sailBOT team included a fleet race on day two and the long-distance race on the final day. For the fleet race, boats were tasked with passing through the
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THE MEMORIAL sailBOT team,
The Petunia II start line, around a buoy and back through the start line while being remotely operated. Memorial lost the first fleet race by a few seconds to Queen’s University, but was the only team to complete the second
8 gazette | Wednesday, August 12, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette
fleet race. For the long-distance race, the ultimate test of the competition, sailBOTs were tasked to remotely sail as long as possible completing a total of five laps around a course. “We won the long-distance
race which enabled us to win the competition,” said Adam Day, team captain. “The Queen’s University sailBOT had completed one lap around the course when it experienced rudder failure. Up to this point, Queen’s University was in the lead, which meant that the team from Memorial would have to complete at least three laps in order to earn the most overall points to win the competition. It was a very difficult challenge since no other team had successfully completed more than one lap, or even managed to sail autonomously. But, we did it! After three hours on the water, Petunia II autonomously rounded the last buoy for its third lap just as time ran out for the challenge.” Amidst roaring cheers from the dock, the Petunia II sailed to the finish line earning Memorial’s team first place and taking the 2015 championship. Memorial has been competing in the international competition for six years; this is the first time the university has won. Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, says he is proud of the team and its success. “Congratulations to the team!” he said. “Our students worked very hard to prepare for this international competition and it was rewarding for them and for us to win against five other teams from around the world.”
The aquaculture advantage Memorial and the Marine Institute saw potential in aquaculture decades ago
By Leslie Earle
AQUACULTURE shows the greatest promise for providing the world with nutritious, sustainable seafood. Today, it is the most rapidly growing agrifoods sector — employing millions of family farms globally and producing more than half of the aquatic protein consumed by humans. In the 1980s Memorial University and the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) saw potential in aquaculture or the farming of aquatic organisms for food. Since that time, the institution has focused on the development and growth of the sector, both in Newfoundland and Labrador and in numerous regions across the globe. Cyr Couturier, an aquaculture scientist at MI, has been part of the process since the beginning. “At the time, capture fisheries were under increasing human and environmental pressure and aquaculture seemed like a good option to focus on,” he said. “As a
marine biologist, I was interested in applying my education to help solve some of the emerging issues facing the world in terms of food security.” Over the years, Mr. Couturier and MI have focused on supporting development associations, trade associations and entrepreneurs with pilot and commercial scale farm trials and experimenting with new uses for community fish plants. They have also provided leadership and support to organizations focused on technical advice and support for rural development, agrifoods production and labour market concerns. Recent efforts in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have focused on strategies for adapting fish farming to climate change. Around the world, aquaculture is providing employment opportunities and important nourishment, income and social structure for locals. The industry is helping communities diversify their economy, create jobs, find solutions to production and get access to the market. Not to mention, it is the most environmentally efficient way to produce healthy animal protein for the growing human population.
rewards of his work are many. “Seeing community members, new and graduate students, and existing industry learn from MI’s programs and research and development and, in turn, apply their learning is but one outcome,” he said. “Watching coastal and developing communities create new businesses and employ locals in an honourable profession, like fish farming, while at the same time providing healthy and nutritious food is another.” Outside of his community work, Mr. Couturier has published in excess of 80 technical, industrial, peer-reviewed, and science and policy commentary articles. He is a frequent speaker and technical expert at regional, national, and international conferences on aquaculture- and fisheries-related topics. With 35 years of experience in the aquaculture sector, Mr. Couturier has been recognized with the Aquaculture Association of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, the Science Atlantic Hall of Fame Contributing Member Award and the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association Aquaculturist of the Year Award.
“Aquaculture is essential for continued food security, particularly in developing countries,” said Mr. Couturier. “Over the years, I have focused on trout, salmon and shellfish efforts in nearly 20 countries, including areas such as Atlantic Canada, Norway, Iceland, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique.”
“Aquaculture is essential for continued food security, particularly in developing countries.” — Cyr Couturier Closer to home, aquaculture is rejuvenating coastal areas across Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s creating longer term, sustainable employment and producing sustainable, nutritious, healthy seafood for the market. Today, the sector produces in excess of $200 million in coastal areas and employs more than 1,000 local people, mostly year round. Mr. Couturier says that the
Academic staff member inducted as Fellow of national engineering institute and promoting civil engineering. Mr. Jin was awarded the EIC’s Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal in 2001 for many years of service and leadership to the institute and its member societies. The award noted that he provided “tireless and dedicated leadership” to the development of the CSCE in Newfoundland and Labrador. He served as CSCE president in 2009 and received the CSCE-NL Leadership Award in 2014.
By Moira Baird Special to the Gazette
AN ACADEMIC staff member for co-
“This is probably one of the highest honours that I will achieve as an engineer.” — Dr. Gordon Jin
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operative education with the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science was inducted as a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) recently for his contributions to the profession. Dr. Gordon Jin was one of 21 engineers in Canada inducted during the institute’s annual awards gala in Montreal, Que. The institute recognizes outstanding engineers among its academic and industry-based member societies annually. Mr. Jin was nominated for the award by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), a learned society with which he has been affiliated for more than three decades. The EIC citation recognized Mr. Jin for his “remarkable contributions to engineering in Canada and to his engineering society.” “This is probably one of the highest honours that I will achieve as an engineer,” said Mr. Jin. “Mahatma Ghandi said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ Volunteering and the advancement of the profession has been a big part of my life.” Mr. Jin joined Memorial’s engineering faculty as a co-operative education co-ordinator in 2009, following 27 years with the provincial government. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Memorial in 1982 and started work with the provincial government the same year. There, he was a civil and structural
From left, Gordon Jin receives his citation from the Engineering Institute of Canada’s Dr. Om Malik. project engineer with the Department of Public Works and Services before moving to the Department of Transportation and Works in 1996 as a senior bridge design engineer. Mr. Jin has received a number of awards for his contributions to the engineering profession. In
2010 he received the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador Service Award, an organization he has served since the early 1990s. In 2004 he received the CSCE’s James A. Vance Award for dedicated service in advancing the society
In addition, Mr. Jin co-chaired the provincial Head Tax Redress Committee that successfully sought apologies from the provincial and federal governments for imposing a head tax on Chinese immigrants. Both levels of government formally apologized in June 2006. Between 1906 and 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland imposed a $300 head tax on Chinese immigrants, including Mr. Jin’s father who arrived in 1931. Since 2007 Mr. Jin has been president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Head Tax Redress Organization with a mandate to educate the public about the head tax, its effect on the local Chinese community and the contributions of Chinese immigrants to the province.
Two new coaches to lead Sea-Hawks soccer programs MEMORIAL University and the Department of Varsity Athletics are pleased to welcome Mike Power as the women’s soccer head coach and Noel (Jake) Stanford as the men’s soccer head coach. Mr. Power, a graduate of Memorial’s kinesiology program, is the only person in the province to hold a Canadian Soccer Association national A coaching licence. He is the current Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association director of player development. Mr. Power has coached the Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Games soccer teams to a fourth place finish in 2013 (men’s) and a sixth place finish in 2009 (women’s). He served as assistant coach with the Canadian U18 men’s national team in 2012 and has served as the Team Atlantic U16 head coach since 2011. Mr. Stanford, a retired Royal
Mike Power
Noel (Jake) Stanford
Newfoundland Constabulary officer and current assistant manager with Campus Enforcement and Patrol at Memorial, is a veteran coach in
the province. He holds a Canadian Soccer Association B licence and is currently coaching in the Challenge Cup and Jubilee Cup divisions.
He has coached at the Canada Games and led two St. John’s teams to silver medals at the national championships for U16 and U18 age groups. For his efforts, Mr. Stanford has twice been named the Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Coach of the Year and the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association Coach of the Year on six occasions. “Mike and Jake are passionate and dedicated coaches,” said Karen Murphy, director, Varsity Athletics at Memorial. “Their knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence will ensure our studentathletes are prepared for the challenges a new season will bring.” Memorial University women’s and men’s soccer teams will begin the 2015-16 soccer season on Sept. 12 as they host the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers.
Grenfell students to launch clothing library By Pamela Gill
GRENFELL business student Lynn Drover is creating a clothing library to provide business attire for students. The service will be open to students in all disciplines at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, who have job
interviews, presentations, networking events or other occasions where business attire is generally worn. “Members of the public may contribute clothing or make a monetary donation,” said Ms. Drover. “Clothing requirements include dresses, skirts, blouses,
blazers, shoes, suits, ties and so on. Monetary donations will be used to cover expenses such as dry cleaning, one-use items such as nylons, trouser socks, etc., a wardrobe for the clothing and other administration costs to ensure the service is sustainable and cost-effective for students.”
To make a donation, please contact Ms. Drover at lynnd@grenfell. mun.ca or visit the Facebook group Grenfell Business Clothing Library. Ms. Drover is aiming to open the library in September at some point during the first couple of weeks of classes.
“ABRI-Tech with help from Memorial and CFSI is completing a feasibility study to establish commercial pyrolysis plants in this province,” said Dr. Helleur. “The plant has to be large enough to process sufficient quantities to make it viable, but also small enough so it could be put on wheels and made mobile. “A centralized facility would not work. This plant will be able to process 10 tonnes of feedstock a day, which is smaller compared to some commercial versions, but it can travel to the source of the feedstock and potential users, rather than having them pay high shipping costs or dealing with stockpiling issues.” While the group is mainly focused on forestry residue, they say the system can also be used to transform municipal solid waste and fisheries waste through
co-processing with forestry material. “Much of the solid waste is recyclable in larger cities, but organic waste from smaller municipalities often has to be shipped a long way,” said Dr. Helleur. “Food scraps and other organic materials could be dried and processed with other material in our mobile unit.” “We’re also looking at shellfish waste — the shells — as another crude feedstock that can be mixed with sawdust,” said Dr. Hawboldt. “No one has ever done that before, but what’s nice about it is the resulting biochar will have properties that make it a possible adsorbent for treatment of industrial effluents in mining and oil and gas and has many great nutrients for farming and gardening. Basically, we’re trying to look at all the angles when it comes to waste utilization.”
Looking at all the angles Researchers find new uses for forestry residues and other waste products By Kelly Foss
EVERY SPRING the smell of red bark permeates campus as landscapers begin the annual task of weeding and tidying up Memorial University’s flowerbeds. But two researchers are trying to find other, more valuable, uses for the residues left behind from the province’s lumber and pulp and paper industries. Drs. Kelly Hawboldt and Robert Helleur are professors with the Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, respectively. Five years ago the pair met with provincial forestry employees and offered their expertise and the techniques they’ve developed to utilize forest residues such as sawdust, shavings and bark. “The principle aim of our work is to develop biofuels production in remote or limited infrastructure regions where there is an abundance of feedstock, but a limited ability to transport or store residues,” said Dr. Hawboldt. Working with Stephanie MacQuarrie, an assistant professor with Cape Breton University’s Department of Chemistry; industrial partner Dr. Peter Fransham, vice-president of research at ABRI-Tech Inc.; and a large number of graduate
and undergraduate science and co-op engineering students, the team received funding from the Department of Natural Resource’s Centre for Forestry Science and Innovation (CFSI) to undertake an inventory of pulp and paper mill and sawmill residues in the province. Additional CFSI funding in support of an important BioFuelNet Canada grant allowed the researchers to discover that pyrolysis was the best technology for this province to convert the materials to useful products. Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of organic material at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen to produce biochar, bio-oil and gases. Biochar is a charcoal-like substance used in soil amendment and remediation and as an inexpensive adsorbent for removing contaminants. Bio-oil can be used for power generation and for useful chemicals. The gases created can be fed back into the pyrolysis process to help power the chemical transformation, creating a self-sufficient system. This spring another successful round of funding from CFSI and BioFuelNet enabled the team to optimize the performance of an auger pyrolysis demonstration unit — purchased with Canada Foundation for Innovation and CFSI funds — and to test various feedstocks.
10 gazette | Wednesday, August 12, 2015 | www.mun.ca/gazette
MELANIE CALLAHAN PHOTO
out & about
BIG DIG Students in Dr. Catherine Hood’s Biology of Marine Mammals field course at the Bonne Bay Marine Station visited Grenfell Campus recently to unearth a sperm whale that was buried in compost there last summer. For more on these events and other news at Memorial, please visit www.today.mun.ca.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 An Introduction to Graduate Studies at Memorial 3-4 p.m., online webinar, 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
Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival
MONDAY, AUG. 17
MONDAY, AUG. 24
Islam Through the Internet Looking Glass 5:30-7 p.m., The Rocket Room, 272 Water St., Sponsor: Department of Religious Studies
Backyard Composting 2-3 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden, City of St. John’s and Multi-Materials Stewardship Board
PhD Oral Defence of Rajib Dey 1-3 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
Using Event Calculus for Norm Identification and Normative Reasoning of BDI Agents 10 a.m.-12 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
FRIDAY, AUG. 14
Application to Graduate School: Tips and Strategies 3-4 p.m., online webinar, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies
Young Artist Violin and Chamber Music Masterclass with David Samuel 2-4 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music , Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival
PhD Oral Defence of Sakib Mahmood 1-3 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, 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
Supporting the Health of Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse 10-11:30 a.m., ED-2030B, Sponsor: Harris Centre, Action Canada
SUNDAY, AUG. 16
SATURDAY, AUG. 22
Community Masterclass with Nancy Dahn, Tim Steeves and Vernon Regehr 2-4 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival
GEO Centre’s Big Summer Bash 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Johnson GEO Centre, Sponsor: Johnson GEO Centre
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, AUG. 23
THURSDAY, AUG. 13 Wine and Walk at the Botanical Garden 5:30-7:30 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden and the Garden Café Young Artist Chamber Music Masterclass with the Duke Trio 2-4 p.m., Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music, Sponsor: Tuckamore Festival
Sunday Nature Programs 2-4 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden
Luthier Workshop with Rodney Devries 7-8 p.m., Choral Room, School of Music,
TUESDAY, AUG. 25
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19
Collaborative Research and the Scholarship of Engagement: Challenges for Academic Researchers 1-3 p.m., IIC-2014, Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, Sponsor: School of Graduate Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Learn: Welcoming Change Into Your Life 12-2 p.m., A-2065, Sponsor: Employee Wellness Office, Department of Human Resources
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26 The Best of Both Worlds: Part-Time Study at Memorial University 3-4 p.m., online webinar, 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
Sunday Morning Nature Hike 10-11 a.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden
THURSDAY, AUG. 27
Sunday Nature Programs 2-4 p.m., Memorial University Botanical Garden, 306 Mount Scio Rd., St. John’s, Sponsor: Memorial University Botanical Garden
Annual Employee and Retiree Barbecue 2-4:30 p.m., Macpherson Quad, Sponsor: Human Resources
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Cont’d from WOOD on page 1
integrity of subsea flowlines. “Through this new research chair appointment, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science further strengthens its internationally renowned leadership in offshore engineering in cold ocean environments,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “Dr. Shiri brings valuable industry experience and a distinguished record of achievement in these areas of strategic importance to the faculty and our industry partner, Wood Group.”
FOR SALE: Lovely, coach-house
CHRIS HAMMOND PHOTO
He brings experience and expertise to the position obtained through offshore pipeline and subsea development projects in the Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Northwest Australia. Dr. Shiri’s research interests lie in the areas of offshore foundations, subsea installation, fluid-soil-pipeline interaction, fatigue performance of steel catenary risers, Arctic seabed hazards and their impact on subsea flowlines and subsea structures, vortex induced vibration and the
Dr. Hodjat Shiri
style home in one of St. John’s most beautiful neighborhoods. Hardwood flooring on main floor and master bedroom. Woodburning fireplace in living room and master. High ceilings, original moldings and dormer windows give this three bedroom home a warm, inviting character. Powder room on main floor and large, full bathroom upstairs. Low-maintenance courtyard is surrounded by mature trees and flowering shrubs. New porch and oil tank. MLS®#: 1119512
Farming a future Alumna’s roots run deep
By Jeff Green
IT’S A LITTLE after seven in the morning as alumna Susan Lester greets me at her family-run farm in the west end of St. John’s. Amber rays of sunshine are piercing over the Southside Hills as a light breeze cascades across her face. She squints as she slides her sunglasses from her head to cover her eyes. It’s the start of another workday on the more than 160-year-old farm that’s spread out over 110 acres. As a sixth generation farmer, Ms. Lester, 25, proudly embraces her job. In addition to managing a team of 30, she’s affectionately known as the director of first impressions — overseeing everything from social media to face-to-face customer service. She’s also the resident farming educator, running a homegrown educational program to inspire young children and teens to start thinking about where their food comes from, or as she puts it, “Go green.” “Farming, unfortunately, is not very common in Newfoundland, so a lot of kids don’t even know how a carrot is properly grown because they just see them in the supermarket in a bag,” she said. Fostering future farmers
JEFF GREEN PHOTO
Armed with her bachelor of arts degree — she graduated in 2013 with a major in English and a minor in biology — Ms. Lester says she was drawn back to the farm after graduation. “I guess it was always in the back of my mind that I would return,” she said with a satisfied smile. And she is proud. Combining her love for children — she’s taught dance for more than a decade — with her passion for the environment, Ms. Lester wants more young minds to understand food: how to grow it, what’s good for you and healthy meal options. Her curriculum-based farmer-intraining programs have been a hit. Her goal is to celebrate the critical work of farming. Since 2011 she has educated hundreds of young children and their parents and
JEFF GREEN PHOTO
Susan Lester checks on the progress of a crop of kale.
Alumna Krista Gammal’s son Shaheer has embraced the art of farming.
families about the importance of agriculture and the work of farmers. More than 350 students from the ages of three to 12 are enrolled this year. Over the span of several weeks, they plant their own flowers and vegetables, help harvest other locally grown food and learn about the important role of animals in farm life, farm safety and the basics of farming. “They get a sense of where food comes from, how things are grown and what has to go into it,” Ms. Lester explained as we work our way to the vegetable patch to check on the progress of a crop of kale. In addition to running the educational programs and managing her team, Ms. Lester can also be found driving the tractor during harvest season or helping design flower arrangements for the nursery. “This is a different way of life. It’s not just a job; it’s a lifestyle. You really have to know what you are into.”
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She prides herself and the entire staff on being producers of quality fruits and vegetables — everything from artichoke to zucchini. She’s equally proud of her educational programs.
added. “It’s something we can do as a family outdoors that is fun and educational and in the end we can see the product of our hard work.”
Embracing art of farming
Back on the farm and after checking on the kale, making a stop in the nursery and helping to feed the animals in the petting barn, it’s time for Ms. Lester to really start her day. It’s nearly 9 a.m. and customers will soon be milling about. There are plenty of other things to get done before they arrive, including preparing for her classes with the students. “At the end of the day,” Ms. Lester noted as we walk back to the parking lot, “I hope we can get more people, especially the younger ones, to start thinking about where our food comes from and why farms like this are just so important. That’s really a valuable message.”
Memorial science and nursing alumna Krista Gammal has her three-year-old son Shaheer enrolled this year. She says he quickly embraced the art of farming. “He tells me how important it is for his plants and lettuce to get water and sunshine so that they will continue to grow,” she said. Ms. Gammal says it is important everyone take an interest in sustainable food production for future generations. As much as her son has taken to farm life, she has also been inspired. “Now that I have children, I want them to learn the basics so that some day we can fill our empty cedar garden boxes with topsoil and start to grow some food of our own,” she
Important work