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School of Graduate Studies
2 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 RESS PROG
T R O P E R
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Mandate Message from the dean Message from the associate dean Highlights of the year
1 2 3
GRADUATE STUDENTS BY THE NUMBERS
3
ACHIEVEMENTS Awards Student awards New programs and courses
8 9 9
GRADUATE STUDENTS Natalie Szponar Roman Lukyanenko Beatrice Frank David James Rajib Dey
10 11 12 12 13
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
14
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
15
INTERNATIONALIZATION
16
SGS FACULTY/STAFF PROFILE Dr. Noreen Golfman, dean Dr. Faye Murrin, associate dean School of Graduate Studies staff (2011-2012)
17
MANDATE The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) was established in 1975 under the first dean, Dr. Frederick A. Aldrich. A total of 830 graduate students were enrolled in the 51 programs offered at the time. The SGS now offers over 100 programs to almost 3,100 graduate students and oversees more than 60 postdoctoral fellows at the university. It is a central agency responsible for the collection, maintenance and distribution of materials concerning all graduate students at Memorial. The school also assists academic units in developing new program proposals and administers their approval. Through its Academic Council, the SGS also provides a forum for representatives from all faculties, schools and the Graduate Students’ Union to discuss matters pertaining to graduate education and to ensure standards across all graduate programs.
ABOUT THIS REPORT: This report covers the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012. The School of Graduate Studies wishes to thank the following individuals for contributing to this report: Dr. Noreen Golfman, Dr. Faye Murrin, Andrew Kim, Steve Lawlor, Nancy Fagan, Elizabeth Noseworthy, Ashley Forristall, Joyce MacKinnon, Helen Houston, Patrick Tyler, Chris Hammond, Dave Sorensen, Moira Finn, Natalie Szponar, Roman Lukyanenko, Beatrice Frank, David James, and Rajib Dey.
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MESSAGE
FROM THE
DEAN THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES has been a bustling cell of activity this year. We have some stunning successes to brag about, especially the growing number of applicants who wish to attend Memorial. We know economic forces have a lot to do with that rising rate of interest, but it is also true that Memorial’s reputation as a welcoming, robust environment for research and graduate studies has lured the intellectually curious to our web sites. Our own hard-working team in SGS has been specifically dedicated to a sophisticated strategic enrolment management plan. Yes, it’s a huge world of potential students out there, but it is important for us to harness our own resources wisely, and ensure we are recruiting from schools and regions that make sense for us. The results are so encouraging. The face, so to speak, of our graduate cohort is so much more diverse and colourful than it has ever been. This is no accident. Planning for growth is a collective activity, and we are grateful to all those units across the university who have helped us in recruiting so many smart students to our own little world. It is one thing to recruit from all over the world but another to ensure that once they have arrived, graduate students have a rich and fruitful experience in their programs. All evidence shows that today’s graduate student, whether from Tehran or Twillingate, is looking to the university for professional skills development and employment pathways. It would be naive and perhaps
even irresponsible of us if we didn’t satisfy these needs. Students want opportunities for public speaking and teaching, experience writing resumes and learning about job interviews; they also want us to help link them to industry and the public sector to help bridge their eventual transition from student to employee. To many, this professionalizing trend betrays the traditional sense of the university as a haven from the world of commerce. But the university that fails to hear what today’s students are seeking—and require—in an increasingly challenged job market is doomed to neglect. More than at any other time in its history Memorial needs to be connected to the world beyond its walls. Our students expect nothing less. To be sure, the highlight of a dean’s job is hooding the students who have completed their programs at convocation ceremonies. It gives me pleasure not only to shake the hands of so many bright and accomplished people but to know that we have provided them with every opportunity to succeed once they have flown our coop. As we know, the wider world is a little less daunting when you have your credentials in hand. Those with advanced degrees earn more and live better than those without. I am really proud of the team in SGS that works so well to make the graduate experience a meaningful one for so many. DR. NOREEN GOLFMAN DEAN, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
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MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATE
DEAN WITH RECORD NUMBERS of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows coming to Memorial this past year, it has been an exciting and challenging time for the School of Graduate Studies. When we see the increasing numbers of graduates crossing the stage at Convocation with parchment in hand, it becomes clear that meeting these challenges has been more than worth the effort. What makes a successful graduate student? A person who completes his or her program? At least that is a very good measure to start with. But it also means a student who grows personally within the program, who gains the tools to move on to the next stage in his or her career, and who can contribute to society in a meaningful way. The faculty members who are the supervisors of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are on the front lines in helping make this happen. Many of us may be aware of the essential characteristics of good academic supervisors. They include giving timely and constructive feedback on work in progress, being open and accessible, and opening doors for students and fellows by introducing them to opportunities that help them develop to their full potential. The ability to overcome disappointments, and indeed the ability to turn seeming failure into success, is an important skill that the best supervisors pass along to those they mentor.
Faculty members also provide the School of Graduate Studies with a wide array of services that largely go unheralded. They take on the challenge of being graduate officers, act as the Dean’s delegates at comprehensive examinations and as Chairs of doctoral oral examinations. They sit on a variety of committees including our governing body, Academic Council; they populate program review committees, and appeals and investigations committees. And they become directors of our interdisciplinary programs. Faculty members are, perhaps most selflessly, examiners of theses and reports, using their professional, ethical and academic experience to help us come to decisions on what is the final and capstone event in the academic programs of many of our students. The School of Graduate Studies has increasingly dedicated itself to enhancing the experience of students and postdoctoral fellows. In the upcoming year, I look forward to working with the strong and dedicated team in our office, and with others, like the faculty members here at Memorial, who contribute so much to these efforts. DR. FAYE MURRIN ASSOCIATE DEAN, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
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THEE AENDTSUBA GTR YT UD S
NUMBERS
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY continues to increase the number of students enrolling in and graduating from our graduate programs. Since 2007, there has been an overall increase of 35 per cent in graduate enrolment at Memorial. The demographic of our graduate population continues to evolve. Since 2007, there has been a 26 per cent, 42 per cent and 58 per cent increase in students from Newfoundland and Labrador, outside the province but within Canada and international locations, respectively.
Fall 2007
Arts
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Change 2011 vs. 2007
380
390
398
402
379
0%
Business Administration
115
109
138
157
161
40%
Education
567
600
691
798
850
50%
Engineering & Applied Science
256
262
274
328
376
47%
Graduate Studies – Interdisciplinary
59
52
66
72
85
44%
Human Kinetics & Recreation
36
61
89
108
119
231%
Marine Institute
14
22
19
36
80
471%
Medicine
199
208
224
233
239
20%
Music
26
24
20
22
19
-27%
Nursing
66
68
86
93
93
41%
Pharmacy
9
7
7
8
6
-33%
504
527
572
603
615
22%
Social Work
61
73
85
91
97
59%
Unspecified
10
12
4
1
0
2,302
2,415
2,673
2,952
3,119
Science
Total
OF THE YEA
Graduate student enrolment increased by 35 per cent (fall 2011 versus fall 2007).
TABLE 1. GRADUATE ENROLMENT BY FACULTY AND SCHOOL Faculty/ School
HIGHLIGHTS R International graduate student enrolment continued to increase (58 per cent increase fall 2011 versus fall 2007). The Dean of Graduate Studies received the President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service. SGS’s manager of Enrolment and Strategic Initiatives received the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Strategic Enrolment Management Award of Excellence. The first graduate program at Grenfell Campus (master of arts in environmental policy) was approved by Senate. Nearly $18 million in financial support was provided to graduate students from internal and external sources. Graduate degrees awarded increased 28 per cent (2011 versus 2007).
35% School of Graduate Studies 2011-2012 PROGRESS REPORT | 3
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SGS P
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TABLE 2. GRADUATE ENROLMENT BY REGION Province
FIGURE 1. GRADUATE ENROLMENT BY REGION
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Change 2011 vs. 2007
Nova Scotia
111
111
111
148
190
71%
Prince Edward Island
21
31
28
19
21
0%
New Brunswick
39
44
46
56
52
33%
Quebec
29
30
26
31
22
-24%
Ontario
131
150
162
179
228
74%
18
12
12
15
13
-28%
Manitoba Saskatchewan
7
11
12
13
13
86%
Alberta
35
37
39
45
49
40%
British Columbia
31
37
44
42
49
58%
Northwest Territories
5
6
8
8
7
40%
Nunavut
3
4
5
4
5
67%
Yukon
2
2
2
5
4
100%
Other*
89
98
89
93
86
-3%
Out-of-province sub-total 521
573
584
658
739
42%
International sub-total
410
405
465
530
646
58%
Newfoundland & Labrador sub-total
1,371
1,437
1,624
1,764
1,734
26%
Total
2,302
2,415
2,673
2,952
3,119
35%
*Canadian citizens applying with an international address
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Number Numberr of of students students
FIGURE 2. INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT ENROLMENT 700 700 600 600 500 500 400 400 300 300 200 200 100 100 0
646
410 41 0
405 4 05
2007 2007
2008 20 08
465 4 65
530 530
2009 20 09 2010 2 010 Fall F all semester semester
2011 2 011
TABLE 3. INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE ENROLMENT BY CITIZENSHIP
Region Asia
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Change 2011 vs. 2007
245
233
258
286
377
54%
Europe
42
43
47
50
53
26%
Latin America/Caribbean
17
13
19
25
18
6%
Middle East & North Africa
61
65
85
98
113
85%
North America
34
38
40
44
52
53%
Pacific Oceania
0
2
2
3
2
0%
11
11
14
24
31
182%
410
405
465
530
646
58%
Sub-Saharan Africa Total
e most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but rather ‘hmm ... that’s funny…’ – Isaac Asimov
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FIGURE 4. MASTER’S DEGREES CONFERRED BY DISCIPLINE
FIGURE 3. DOCTORAL DEGREES CONFERRED BY DISCIPLINE
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There was an overall increase of 28 per cent in the number of graduate degrees awarded at the Convocation ceremony in 2011 vs. 2007. Memorial awarded a total of 767 graduate degrees in 2011 compared to 601 in 2007. TABLE 4. GRADUATE DIPLOMA/DEGREES CONFERRED BY DISCIPLINE
Degree
Faculty
Doctoral
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Change 2011 vs. 2007 71%
Arts
7
7
14
17
12
Professional
23
19
19
29
24
4%
Sciences
25
20
29
25
23
-8%
Sub-total
55
46
62
71
59
7%
Master’s
Arts
65
74
97
89
91
40%
Interdisciplinary
21
12
17
9
14
-33%
Professional
387
318
352
394
489
26%
Sciences
60
75
84
63
91
52%
Sub-total
533
479
550
555
685
29%
13
13
11
19
23
77%
601
538
623
645
767
28%
Graduate Diploma Total
e present and future of research and innovation in Canada hinges on graduate students and consequently graduate education must be appreciated as being a vital component of the Canadian education system and must be strengthened as part of a federal strategy on research and innovation. – Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2010
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S T N E M E V IE H C A
AWARDS SGS has been recognized for exemplary work in a number of ways in 2011-2012:
• President’s Award for Exceptional Community
Service In 2011, Dr. Noreen Golfman, dean of Graduate Studies, was bestowed the President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service. The award recognizes a sustained pattern of exceptional voluntary contributions to communities and/or community organizations. These contributions must be beyond what might normally be considered academic or professional service, and must have had a significant impact upon those organizations or on the communities.
Dr. Golfman is perhaps best known in the community for her extensive involvement with the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, MUN Cinema and Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. Espousing films as entertainment as well as a vehicle for the communication of ideas, Dr. Golfman has brought international films to our local community and local films to the international community.
• AACRAO Strategic Enrolment Management
Award of Excellence Mr. Andrew Kim, manager, enrolment and strategic initiatives, was selected as the 2011 recipient of the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Strategic Enrolment Management Award of Excellence (SAE) for Canadian institutions. The SAE is a peer-reviewed
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awards program that recognizes outstanding achievement and visionary leadership in strategic enrolment management. Mr. Kim was presented the award at the 2011 AACRAO SEM conference in San Diego, California. AACRAO is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association of more than 11,000 higher education admission and registration professionals representing more than 2,600 institutions and agencies around the world. STUDENT AWARDS Over $188,000 in internal scholarships were awarded to graduate students in 2011-2012. There are currently 103 graduate awards and scholarships, of which 12 are new for 2011-2012.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
(SSHRC) Scholarships for Masters and Doctoral Candidates – 28 of the 37 Memorial applicants were awarded SSHRC scholarships. A total of 11 of the 20 doctoral candidates were successful in the competition, and 5 of these 11 successful recipients were awarded the Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, valued at $35,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Two alternate applications for the master’s competition were also successful.
NEW PROGRAMS AND COURSES One new graduate program was approved by Senate in 2010-2011 – the master of arts in environmental policy at Grenfell Campus – in addition to the many enhancements and route options made available to existing graduate programs offered by Memorial. In 2012, a number of new programs were in active development, including the PhD in nursing, PhD in philosophy, master of health care ethics, and graduate dip loma in safety and risk engineering.
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Canada Graduate Scholarships Competition Canada Graduate Scholarship – 2 of the 3 Memorial applicants were awarded the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, valued at $17,500.
Graduate students at Memorial continue to excel in external scholarship competitions. Some examples of this are as follows:
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC) Canada Graduate Scholarships / Postgraduate Scholarship Competition – 29 of 40 Memorial applicants were awarded the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarships/Postgraduate Scholarship. A total of 3 of the 9 doctoral scholarship recipients were awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship, valued at $35,000 per year for a maximum of 3 years. A total of 17 of the 20 remaining applicants were awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship valued at $17,500.
...the most important thing we can do for this province’s long-term economic sustainability is to continue to make the education of our people a priority. – Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Budget Speech, Budget 2012
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GRADUATE
STUDENTS Memorial’s graduate students continue to carry out meaningful research in a broad range of academic fields and contribute significantly to the social, cultural and economic development of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Just a few of the excellent student researchers are profiled in this report.
NATALIE SZPONAR NATALIE SZPONAR is a native of Mississasuga, Ont., currently in the final stages of an M.Sc. in earth sciences and is specializing in isotope geochemistry. Prior to enrolling at Memorial University, she completed a B.Sc. in earth and environmental sciences at McMaster University.
“ I like seeing how everything on Earth is linked from a geological and chemical level.” “I chose to pursue my studies in earth sciences because I am interested in understanding Earth processes,” said Ms. Szponar. “I like seeing how everything on Earth is linked from a geological and chemical level, and I am particularly interested in using stable isotopes to understand these Earth processes.” Ms. Szponar was drawn to Memorial by the lure of working with Dr. Penny Morrill again. She was a former research assistant with the earth sciences professor when Dr. Morrill was doing postdoctoral studies at McMaster.
Ms. Szponar is currently researching gases and measurable indicators of life that may exist in the rocks and groundwater present at the Tablelands in Gro s Morne National Park. “Scientists are trying to answer some really intriguing questions about the evolution of life on our planet (and) the potential for life to exist on another planet similar to Earth, such as Mars,” she explained. Her research in the Tablelands, which is considered a new Mars analogue site by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, may help answer questions about the evolution of microbial life on our planet and help guide future Mars rover missions. Ms. Szponar has received the American Geophysical Union Outstanding Student Paper Award, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship, and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) Accelerate and Internship Travel Subsidy. The award enabled Ms. Szponar to travel to Montreal to complete an internship with the Canadian Space Agency.
Dr. Morrill made Ms. Szponar an offer she couldn’t resist – in addition to the chance to work on a “great” research project, she was also able to help build a new lab and shadow a new female faculty member as she started her professional career in research and academia.
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ROMAN LUKYANENKO ROMAN LUKYANENKO studied in his native Russia and the United States but it was at Memorial University that the PhD in management student found he could do research that would make a difference. In the final year of a bachelor of technology program, while working on the web site project NL Nature (www.nlnature.com), Mr. Lukyanenko saw the need to improve data quality for citizen science projects which track public wildlife sightings around the province. Better data would ultimately enhance public policy decision-making and scientific research.
“ Regular citizens lack the expertise to adequately identify species; when the public is asked to classify observations at a level useful for science, participation usually declines.”
“The solution allows non-experts to tell us what they observe, without expecting them to classify the wildlife,” says Roman of the attribute-based data management model soon to be tested on the NL Nature web site.
Citizen science networks have been used for generations by conservation groups and researchers to track changes in nature, based on the observations of regular citizens. These networks are useful in giving scientis ts access to data that they’d be unable to gather otherwise while also engaging the public and raising awareness of environmental issues. But data quality is an accepted limitation for citizen science programs, including NL Nature.
Education is the best provision for old age. – Aristotle
“Regular citizens lack the expertise to adequately identify species; when the public is asked to classify observations at a level useful for science, participation usually decli nes,” Roman says, who published initial ideas related to his research in a letter in Nature.
quality and citizen participation became the focus of Roman’s PhD in information systems management and operations research, which he began in September 2010, with funding from the Fry Family Foundation.
The essence of this approach is that users can report information at the level at which they are comfortable, such as a red breast and yellow legs. While the research is important to citizen science, it may also have benefits beyond t his realm, says the Faculty of Business Administration’s Dr. Jeff Parsons, University Research Professor and director of the PhD program in management, who co-supervises Roman’s PhD with Dr. Yolanda Wiersma, assistant professor of landscape ecology and a founder of the NL Nature project. “Roman’s research promises to contribute in important ways to improving citizen engagement in crowd-sourcing domains tha t rely on information provided by diverse and dispersed users,” Dr. Parsons says.
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BEATRICE FRANK TRAINED as a conservation biologist in her native Rome, PhD student Beatrice Frank was inspired to come to Memorial by her current supervisor Dr. Alistair Bath’s “fascinating” work on human-wildlife conflicts. “I realized that people have to be part of the biodiversity conservation picture, so I decided to start my PhD on human-wildlife interactions in the Department of Geography at Memorial,” she said. Specia lizing on the human dimensions of wildlife management, Ms. Frank is working on conflict resolution between wildlife management and local communities living in and around protected areas. Her PhD focuses on the complex issues facing wild boar in and outside the protected areas of Lazio Regional Park in central Italy. Her overarching goal is to understand conflict and coexistence along a continuum. “From the co nflict side, wildlife-human interactions can range from a small nuisance to a major conflict, whereas on the coexistence side, we move from a slight, tolerated annoyance, to integration and acceptance of wildlife within the human landscape,” she explained. “The challenge was determining where along this continuum of human-wildlife interactions conflicts become minimized to the degree that coexistence begin s to occur.”
DAVID JAMES Her study focuses on the development of a framework that considers conflict co-existence along a continuum, on understanding the nature of conflict and how it varies and on how attitudes and beliefs vary between those involved in wildlife decisionmaking processes.
“ I realized that people have to be part of the biodiversity conservation picture, so I decided to start my PhD on human-wildlife interactions in the Department of Geography at Memorial.” Always passionate about nature and wildlife, Ms. Frank believes that concentrating on the mechanisms of coexistence is a more positive approach than simply mitigating conflicts. “In this way, conservation issues will be really addressed by attempting to minimize conflict and maximize coexistence between local communities and wildlife,” she said. Ms. Frank, who was an invited speaker at the 2010 Human Dimensions of Resource Management Conference, plans to pursue post-doctoral studies on the same topic once she defends her PhD thesis .
DAVID JAMES holds a B.Sc. combined honours degree in chemistry and mathematics from Dalhousie University, where he specialized in material chemistry. The Saint John, N.B. student chose Memorial University’s graduate program based on a recommendation from his honours supervisor and a strong desire to stay in Atlantic Canada. He is in his fourth year of a PhD in electrochemistry. Mr. James’ research involves working with alternative fuel, primarily ethanol. “Ethanol is one of the most promising fuel alternatives due to its renewability, ease of transport and high power density,” he explained. “However, for ethanol to be efficient it must be completely oxidized into carbon dioxide. In order for this to happen, a catalyst that is abl e to efficiently break a carbon-carbon bond must be used.” His research focuses on constructing and modifying these catalysts. Mr. James has also constructed an online system of analyzing ethanol oxidation products, which allows him to screen catalysts very quickly while altering parameters such as temperature, fuel concentration and current density. “I have always been very interested in material chemistry an d other areas of chemistry that are applicable to our everyday lives,” he said. “The burning of
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RAJIB DEY fossil fuels has been shown to deplete the ozone layer. Furthermore, the wide use of this nonrenewable fuel will result in depletion. “Research into an alternative fuel that can convert chemical energy into electrical energy is imperative for the future. I feel that my project is a stepping stone to a new efficient renewable energy source.”
“ I feel that my project is a stepping stone to a new efficient renewable energy source.“ Mr. James received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Cou ncil of Canada’s (NSERC) Post Graduate Scholarship in May 2010. This scholarship is renewed for up to three years.
RAJIB DEY began his time as a graduate student with the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University in 2009. He had previously completed a B.Sc. in civil engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2007 and spent two years working as a site supervision engineer. Having heard glowing reviews of Memorial’s geotechnical engineering program and the outstanding facilities available at the university, including the worldclass centrifuge at C-CORE, Mr. Dey decided to pursue graduate studies at Memorial University. “My interest in geotechnical engineering for oil and gas development, specifically in an offshore environment, attracted me to Memorial,” said Mr. Dey. Beginning his graduate studies in the autumn of 2009, he eventually transferred from a master of engineering to a PhD program in the winter of 2011. He has been researching geotechnical engineering under the supervision of Dr. Bipul Hawlader, while also being co-supervised by Dr. Ryan Phillips at C-CORE and Dr. Kenichi Soga at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Mr. Dey’s research takes into account the stability of the seafloor – an important issue that must be considered during the exploration and design of offshore facilities. “I am examining how the potential failure of deepwater slopes could affect exploration, production and transportation facilities,” he said. Mr. Dey, who received a Research & Development Corporation Ocean Industries Student Research Award
in 2010 and the Hira and Kamal Ahuja International Graduate Fellowship in 2011, is developing models for analyzing deep water submarine slope stability. In order to take into account the uncertainties involved in modeling and prediction, probabilistic analyses is being performed. A series of regional maps are also being developed to demonstrate how the factors that affect slope stability can be mapped in a useful way for industry application, focusing on geotechnical conditions and occurrence of trigger events. Mr. Dey anticipates the outcome from his research will help reduce uncertainty and cost of exploration, design, construction and operation of offshore oil and gas pipeline transportation systems, not only in Canada, but around the world.
“ I am examining how the potential failure of deepwater slopes could affect exploration, production and transportation facilities.“
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L A N O I S S E F O PR T N E M P O L E V E D The Centre for Career Development offers resources seminars, workshops and online resources to graduate students in the area of career enhancement and job search. The Graduate Student Work Experience Program (GradSWEP) provides Memorial’s graduate students with the opportunity to participate in 75-hour job placements, providing relevant career experience in the student’s area of study and connecting the student with a community organization for all or part of his/her hours worked and directed by a Memorial faculty or staff supervisor. Teaching Skills Enhancement Program (TSEP) is designed to provide an introduction to teaching at the undergraduate level. The program is offered to graduate students over two semesters. Graduate students who successfully
complete the program receive an official transcript notation and a certificate of completion. The annual Graduate Orientation is designed to help new graduate students in their unique transition to graduate school. The orientation consists of a keynote address, information sessions and services fair. The Writing Centre offers individual writing tutorials for students working on their proposals and/or theses. It can also offer group workshops on elements of graduate-level academic writing on request. The English as a Second Language (ESL) Resource Centre offers a course of language study designed to bring students’ English, in any or all of listening, speaking, reading and writing, to a level required for graduate students.
SERVICES AND
PROGRAMS
THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES INITIATES AND SUPPORTS pan-university collaboration to provide graduate students with professional skills beyond their disciplines. Designed for both prospective and current graduate students, Enhanced Development of the Graduate Experience (EDGE) is an array of professional skills development programs and services available to all graduate students at Memorial University and covers global competencies, teaching and learning, professional skills and research. Some of the major services and programs include the following:
Career Development
Grad SWEP
TSEP
Teaching Skills Enhancement Program
Orientation
Writing Skills
ESL
guage English as a Second Lan
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. – Samuel Johnson
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FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIPS Memorial University was successful in securing additional financial resources to support our graduate students and their research. In addition to the wide variety of current scholarships available from endowment funds as well as internal, external and provincial agencies, Memorial benefited from increased funds of $2 million for fellowships from the provincial government, demonstrating our province’s commitment to graduate students and the role they play in the future of our economy. In addition, new scholarship funding commitments of $1 million was provided by the Research and Development Corporation. The investment supports research in areas relevant to Newfoundland and Labrador’s ocean industries, including offshore petroleum, ocean engineering, marine safety, fisheries and aquaculture and marine science. In 2011-12, financial support from all sources, internal and external, to Memorial graduate students totaled nearly $18 million. The external funding was received from various areas including both the public sector and private enterprises. The increasing level of private research funding is a strong indication of the significant growth occurring within the Newfoundland and Labrador economy, as well as the reputation of our institution for carrying out significant research, making it a truly exciting time to become a Memorial graduate.
TABLE 5. FUNDING SOURCES Fellowships SGS scholarships Departmental funding (includes GA’s) Student conference travel assistance Total internal sources
$5,588,324 $186,369 $2,578,633 $42,420 $8,395,746
NSERC
$966,259
SSHRC
$1,181,925
Research and Development Corporation Faculty Research Grants
$839,172 $6,338,906
Total external sources
$9,326,262
Total Funding Sources
$17,722,008
During 2011-12 year Memorial provided financial support to 1,455 graduate students. The breakdown of those funded includes 989 master’s students and 466 PhD students. The average funding level per master’s student was approximately $15,635, while the average level of support per PhD student was $24,625. The funding sources include graduate assistantships, fellowships, departmental support, grant funding and scholarships.
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N O I T A Z I L A N O INTERNATI IN 2011-12, SGS ramped up its efforts to internationalize graduate education at Memorial by aggressively recruiting international students, forming new Memoranda of Understanding with overseas universities and educational ministries, collaborating with Memorial’s International Centre, and developing unique international programs. By continuing to work closely with the Division of Marketing and Communications and the Office of Student Recruitment, SGS has aggressively recruited international graduate students by raising the international profile of master’s and doctoral programs at Memorial. In 2010 and 2011, SGS was awarded grants from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Business Development Program to recruit graduate students from East Asia by participating in fairs and delivering information sess ions overseas, and by engaging students through foreign social media sites. In November 2011, SGS successfully solicited over 90 applications from the PhD Workshop China in Beijing, and anticipates enrolling 10 doctoral students from top-tier Chinese universities in fall 2012. International graduate enrolment increased again from fall 2010 to fall 2011. To help integrate international students in the bro ader university community, SGS works closely with other service units, including the International Student Advising Office, ESL Programs Office, and Career Development
and Experiential Learning to offer unique programs including the Graduate Student Orientation and the Professional Skills Development Program for international students. SGS continued its collaboration with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to meet the goals of the provincial immigration strategy. In early 2012, SGS completed a 3-year project funded by the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism’s Newfoundland and Labrador Settlement Integration Program to develop career resources and services for international graduate students. These support services are intended to enhance post-graduation employment rates for international stud ents and increase their likelihood of staying in the province. In November 2010, SGS signed an MOU with Vietnam International Education Development (VIED), an organization under the responsibility of Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. The MOU aims to enhance understanding and cooperation between Canada and Vietnam through the education and training of Vietnamese graduate students at Memorial. VIED Fellows, among the best students in the country, will be fully sponsored by the Vietnamese government to study at Memorial and are expected to return to advance higher education in their home country. SGS is also in discussions with the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau, the China Scholarship Council, and the Iraqi
Cultural Office to bring sponsored graduate students to Memorial from those countries. Agre ements are expected in late 2012. In 2011, SGS collaborated with the International Centre to sign MOUs with 8 prominent universities in South Korea. All agreements encompass a broad range of international activities including international student exchange, enrolment in full degree programs, research collaboration, and joint degree programs. Finally, to enhance internationalization among Canadian student s, SGS has through a partnership with the International Centre, been awarded several grants from the University’s Strategic Internationalization Fund (SIF). The SIF grants will support the Going Global Grant, a unique scholarship for graduate students interested in carrying out research or field studies in a developing country, a Sponsored Student Program that will create support services and resources for fully funded graduate students and Canadian students looking to apply for study abroad scholarships, and funding to support overseas missions to Vietnam, Brazil, and China.
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SGS FACULTY/STAFF
PROFILE DR. NOREEN GOLFMAN, DEAN
DR. FAYE MURRIN, ASSOCIATE DEAN
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES STAFF (2011-2012)
Dr. Noreen Golfman is dean of Graduate Studies and a professor of English and film studies. Her PhD is from the University of Western Ontario. She was president of the Canadian Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities, a national education advocacy group.
Dr. Faye Murrin is associate dean of Graduate Studies and associate professor in the Department of Biology. She completed her B.Sc.(Hons.) at Memorial University, her M.Sc. at Acadia University and her PhD at Queen’s University. Her research interests have always been focused on fungi, in particular the cell biology of insect pathogenic fungi and, more recently, the ecology of mycorrhizal mushrooms in the boreal forest. Dr. Murrin has served in a number of positions on the Council of the Mycological Society of America and was awarded the title of MSA Fellow for her contributions. She was named a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Lifetime Member as founding co-director of the WISE Summer Program. Dr. Murrin participates in public lectures and workshops, and is a director on the board of Newfoundland Foray, Inc.
Dr. Noreen Golfman, dean of Graduate Studies
Dr. Golfman was president of the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English and a member of the Executive Committee of the Film Studies Association of Canada. Active in Canadian cultural issues and experienced with the media, Dr. Golfman is the founding director and chair of the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, vice-chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation and chair of the board of the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. In addition to publications in scholarly journals, Dr. Golfman has been writing on the arts and culture in more popular venues. She was the film columnist for the Canadian Forum, and has contributed to Newfoundland Quarterly, the Independent newspaper, and worked as a commentator, reviewer/performer for CBC radio and television.
Dr. Faye Murrin, associate dean of Graduate Studies Katrina Arbuckle, fellowships officer Dean Barnes, programs co-ordinator Ruby Barron, programs officer Connie Brenton, financial assistant Nancy Fagan, assistant to the dean Ashley Forristall, marketing co-ordinator Heather Harris, receptionist Kim Hearn, admissions officer Nicole Hiscock, programs assistant Peter Kerrivan, committees secretary Andrew Kim, manager of enrolment and strategic initiatives Gail Lamkin, scholarships officer Steve Lawlor, manager of fellowships and awards Elizabeth Noseworthy, recruitment and retention co-ordinator Jennifer Noseworthy, applications officer Krista Shea, applications officer Jennifer White, career development co-ordinator Sharon Winsor, records and registration officer Annette Williams, secretary to the deans
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