SSDACANNUALREPORT2021-2022 FINANCECOMMITTEE SCIENCESTUDENTS’COUNCIL|WESTERNUNIVERSITY
TABLEOFCONTENTS Introduction 2 AnatomyandCellBiology 4 Biochemistry 6 Chemistry 6 Microbiology&Immunology 7 Biology 8 PhysicsandAstronomy 9 StatisticsandActuarialSciences 10 PhysiologyandPharmacology 11 InterdisciplinaryMedicalSciences 12 ComputerScience 17 Summary 19 AuthorsandContactInfo 20 1
Introduction Inanefforttoincreasefinancialtransparency,communicatetoScienceStudents, andaddressstudentconcernsaboutthedelegationofstudentfunds,theFinance CommitteecreatesanannualSSDACreport Thisreportsummarizesthedistribution oftheScienceDonationfeeforeachschoolyear.Thereportbelowoutlinesthe allocationofthesefundsforthe2021 2022schoolyear.Thiswascreatedbythe FinanceCommittee,underthesupervisionoftheVice PresidentFinanceandthe StudentServicesCommissioner. Fortheacademicyearof2021 2022,theScienceStudents’Council(SSC)distributed atotalof$384,304.80acrossvariousScienceorMedicalSciencedepartments.This moneywasusedtofundnewequipmentthatismeanttoenhancethelearning experienceofstudentswithineachdepartment Theprecisebreakdownoffundsfor eachdepartmentisdescribedbelow.Alldepartmentswerecontactedtosubmita proposaldetailingwhatequipmenttheywouldliketoreceivefundingfor.Each departmentwaseitherfullyorpartiallyfundedtheamountthattheyrequested Any departmentmissingfromthisreportdidnotsubmitarequest. Fundswereallocatedbasedonnecessityandimpactonstudentlearning experiences.ThecommitteeconsistsoftheScienceStudents’Council’sPresident, Vice PresidentFinance,StudentServicesCommissioner,andtwoelectedmembers. Disputesinvolvingthedistributionoffundswereresolvedbyamajorityvoteofat leastthreemembersonthecommittee. 2
Figure.1(a):DistributionofScienceDonationFeebydepartmentwithintheFacultyof Science 3
AnatomyandCellBiology TotalRequested:$2867.07 TotalApproved:$2867.07 ItemsRequested: ● 14xNetter’sAtlasofHumanAnatomy8thEdition($1595.86) ● 5xSpecimenMagnifiers($307.50) ● 30xHeadlamps rechargeable,LED($719.70) ItemsApproved: ● 14xNetter’sAtlasofHumanAnatomy8thEdition($159586) ● 5xSpecimenMagnifiers($30750) ● 30xHeadlamps rechargeable,LED($71970) Reasoning: TherequestfromtheDepartmentofAnatomy&CellBiologywasfully approvedforatotalof$2867.07.Thesefundsaredesignatedforthepurchaseof fourteenNetter’sAtlasofHumanAnatomy(8thEdition),fivespecimen magnifiers,andthirtyheadlamps(rechargeable,LED) Thisfundingwillbenefit studentslearningremotely,aswellasprovidecoursematerialsforclasses. TheDepartmentofAnatomy&CellBiologyrequestedfourteenNetter’sAtlasof HumanAnatomy(8thEdition).TheSSDACfullyapprovedthisrequest.Inanatomy dissectionlabs,studentsfrequentlyrefertotextbooksforclarificationofthe structurestheyareexamining,however,thelabenvironmentisnotsuitablefor studentstobringtheirownresourcesin.Therequestfor14copiesofthisbookwould provideeachdissectiongroupwiththeirowncopy.Inthefirstofferingofthese 4
courses,theenrollmentisapproximately30studentsineachcourse;however,in futureyears,theenrollmentisexpectedtoincreaseto70studentseach TheDepartmentofAnatomy&CellBiologyrequestedfivespecimen magnifiers TheSSDACfullyapprovedthisrequest Anatomicalspecimensoften containdetailsthatwouldbenefitfromanenhancedviewthroughmagnification (whenexaminingthedetailsofaspinalcordincrosssection,itisadvantageousto viewthedetailswithamagnifyingglass) Duetotherequirementofglovesandthe generalnatureoftheanatomylab,ahands freeandLEDlightdesignispreferable Together,enrollmentinthesecoursesisover250students TheDepartmentofAnatomy&CellBiologyrequestedthirtyheadlamps (rechargeable,LED) TheSSDACfullyapprovedthisrequest Anatomicaldissectionof smallspacesischallengingduetolowlightwhichlimitsvisibility Aneffective, inexpensivealternativetosurgicallampsistouseanindividualheadlamp These headlampshavemanyfeaturesthatmakethemsuitableforananatomylab environment Theenrollmentinthesecoursesisexpectedtogrowto70studentsin eachcourse Thirtyoftheseunitswillallowatleast2studentsfromeachlaboratory grouptousethem 5
keepupwithcurrentandfuturestudentdemand SSDAChasalsoallocated $6,550.00forfloorcentrifugeservicecontractstopreserveandmaintainthe valuableteachingtools. Thecommitteehasgranted$1,81704forfourextralabwasterecyclingboxes, andthetwooriginallyrequestedtosupportthenewSustainabilityinitiative.Asgloves andplasticsfromundergraduatelabscannotbedisposedintomunicipalrecycling bins,specialbinsmustbeobtained Thesixnewbinswillbeusedtoaccommodate plasticrecyclingascurrentbinsaresentbacktoTerracycle,acompanythat specializesinrecyclingspecialmaterialsnotallowedbythemunicipalgovernment. Theseboxespromotingenvironmentalprotectionwillremindstudentsinthelabto sustainablyconductsciencemovingforward. 7
Microbiology&Immunology TotalRequested:$48,337.45 TotalApproved:$48,337.45 ItemsRequested: ● BeckmanCoulterAllegra25Rcentrifuge;servicecontract 1year ($2,36340) ● OptikaIM-DGFL;CompleteInvertedfluorescenceimagingsystem ($30,165.35) ● DeNovixDS 11;MicrovolumeSpectrophotometer($15,808.70) ItemsApproved: ● BeckmanCoulterAllegra25Rcentrifuge;servicecontract 1year ($2,363.40) ● OptikaIM DGFL;CompleteInvertedfluorescenceimagingsystem ($30,165.35) ● DeNovixDS 11;MicrovolumeSpectrophotometer($15,808.70) Reasoning: TherequestfromtheDepartmentofMicrobiology&Immunologywas fullyapprovedforatotalof$48,337.45.Thesefundsaredesignatedforthe purchaseofa1 yearservicecontractforBeckmanCoulterAllegra25R centrifuge,OptikaIM DGFL;CompleteInvertedfluorescenceimagingsystem, andDeNovixDS 11;MicrovolumeSpectrophotometer Thisfundingwillbenefit studentslearningremotely,aswellasprovidecoursematerialsforclasses TheDepartmentofMicrobiology&Immunologyrequested$2,363.40for a1-yearservicecontractforBeckmanCoulterAllegra25Rcentrifuge The SSDACdecidedtoapprovethisrequest.TheBeckmanCoulterAllegra25R 9
centrifugeenablesinteractiveclassparticipationduringlecturesandtutorials Theuseofthisinstrumentwillimpactapproximately601studentsthroughout variouscourses TheDepartmentofMicrobiology&Immunologyalsorequested $30,165.35forOptikaIM-DGFL;CompleteInvertedfluorescenceimaging system.TheSSDACdecidedtoapprovethisrequest.OptikaIM-DGFLsystem enablesinteractiveclassparticipationduringlecturesandtutorials.Theuseof thisinstrumentwillimpactapproximately487studentsthroughoutvarious courses. TheDepartmentofMicrobiology&Immunologyalsorequested $15,808.70forDeNovixDS 11;MicrovolumeSpectrophotometer.TheSSDAC decidedtoapprovethisrequest.TheMicrovolumeSpectrophotometerenables interactiveclassparticipationduringlecturesandtutorials.Theuseofthis instrumentwillimpactapproximately601studentsthroughoutvariouscourses. 10
PhysicsandAstronomy TotalRequested:$25,041.60 TotalGranted:$18,401.36 ItemsRequested: ● 1stYearLabs:HumanEyeExperiment($13,892.17) ● LecturePilotProject:PearlMini($6,640.24) ● UpperYearLabs:ArduinoKits($2,32829) ● UpperYearLabs:RadiationSources($2,18090) ItemsApproved: ● 1stYearLabs:HumanEyeExperiment($13,892.17) ● UpperYearLabs:ArduinoKits($2,328.29) ● UpperYearLabs:RadiationSources($2,180.90) Reasoning: ItemsrequestedfromthedepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomywere partiallyapproved.Theitemnotapproved,theLecturePilotProject:PearlMini ($6,64024),wasdeemedbeneficialprimarilyforabsentstudentsandwould notbeneededforin personlearning.Asthisdeviceisdedicatedtothe minorityofstudentsnotpresentinclass,thelimitedbenefitisnotenoughto justifytheuseoftheSDFfund Giventhatclasseshavenowresumedtobe in person,theallocationofthebudgetshouldbededicatedtoresourcesthat wouldbenefitin personlearningandthemajorityofstudents. 12
StatisticsandActuarialSciences TotalRequested:$10,762.69 TotalGranted:$10,762.69 ItemsRequested: ● Windowsserverlicenses(x2) ● WindowsdesktopVMlicenses(x40) ● 1T2.5”WDrednasdisks(x16) ● 2.5”diskcaddies(x16) ● 4T3.5”WDrednasdisks(x3) ● EpsonBrightlinkProjector ItemsApproved: ● Windowsserverlicenses(x2) ● WindowsdesktopVMlicenses(x40) ● 1T2.5”WDrednasdisks(x16) ● 2.5”diskcaddies(x16) ● 4T3.5”WDrednasdisks(x3) ● EpsonBrightlinkProjector Reasoning: TheDepartmentofStatisticalandActuarialSciencesisrequestingatotalof $10,762.69fromtheSDFtopurchasesoftwarelicenses,localharddisksandcaddies andanewsmarttouchdataprojector.Theupgradedserverandnewtechnologyare projectedtoaffectmorethan2769studentswhoareenrolledinselectedcourses throughoutthedepartment.Theirrequestforfundingwasapprovedinfullbythe SSDAC.ThesoftwarelicensesfortheWindowsServer,costing$2,400.00,willbeused tocompletelyreplacealmostallfunctionsofthe24PCsinthecomputinglab.The 13
localharddisksandcaddiesrequestedandapproved,costing$2,43321,willallowfor morestorageandbettercompatibilitywiththecurrentequipment Finally,theepson brightlinksmartprojector,costing$321600,ismultifunctionalandwillallowtheroom tobeconvertedintoamultipurposeclassroomthatcanenhanceonlinecomputing servicesusage 14
PhysiologyandPharmacology TotalRequested:$36,927.08 TotalApproved:$36,927.08 ItemsRequested: ● DissectionMicroscope($12,620) ● WiFiCamera($1,83564) ● TeachingCompoundMicroscope($13,42036) ● RepeaterPipettor($3,068) ● Multi channelPipettor($5,98308) ItemsApproved: ● DissectionMicroscope($12,620) ● WiFiCamera($1,83564) ● TeachingCompoundMicroscope($13,42036) ● RepeaterPipettor($3,068) ● Multi-channelPipettor($5,983.08) Reasoning: AllofthefundingrequestedbythePhysiologyandPharmacologydepartment wasapproved.Theseresourceswillbebeneficialforupwardsof300studentswithin thelabcoursesPhys/Pharm3000Eand9550.TheSSDACbelievesthatthefunding andprioritizationofthematerialwillbedecidedlyadvantageousforstudentsuccess aswellasauniqueanddifferentiatedexperienceforSciencestudents. 15
Thedepartmentalsorequested$26,500 fortheCFXOpus96Real TimePCR Thisinstrumentisanessentialtechniqueinstudents’learning Studentsinfourthyear HSPIMSwillspendanentiresemesterlearningandoperatingonthismachine This machinewillallowIMSstudentstohavethemostupdatedequipmentwhileallowing themtonothavetoborrowfromotherdepartments Thiswillallowstudentstohave morefrequenthands-onpractice 17
ComputerScience TotalRequested:$28,430.00 TotalApproved:$28,430.00 ItemsRequested: ● 5eGPUSystems($20,500) ● 2CollaborationPods($7,280) ● VMWare($650) ItemsApproved: ● 5eGPUSystems($20,500) ● 2CollaborationPods($7,280) ● VMWare($650) Reasoning: TherequestfromtheDepartmentofComputerSciencewasfully approvedforatotalof$28,430.Thesefundsaredesignatedforthepurchaseof fiveeGPUsystems,twocollaborationpods,andVMWare.Thisfundingwill benefitstudentslearningremotely,andprovidecoursematerialsforclasses. TheDepartmentofComputerSciencerequested$20,500forfiveeGPU systems.TheSSDACdecidedtoapprovethisrequest.TheseeGPUsprovidea wayforstudentstohaveadditionalaccessforcertainprogrammingtasks,as studentcomputersfrequentlydonothavesufficientlypowerfulGPUstodo cutting edgeprogrammingtasks.Theuseofthesehardwarecomponentswill impactapproximately750studentsthroughoutvariousComputerScience courses. Thedepartmentalsorequested$7,820fortwocollaborationpods.The SSDACdecidedtoapprovethisrequestaswell.Thecollaborationpodswillbe 18
situatedinMiddlesexCollegeRoom325,equippedwith55”TVsandMersive Solsticeunits,whichletstudentswirelesslyconnecttotheTVusinganydevice Thepodswillenhancetheexistingcollaborationspacetoimprovegroup projectworkandoverallcollaboration Thisinstallationwillimpactover930 studentsregisteredintheDepartmentofComputerScience Finally,thedepartmentrequested$650foraVMWaresubscription.The SSDACdecidedtoapprovethisrequest.Thesoftwareisessentialforstudents toaccesssystemsorsoftwaretheircomputermaynothave.However, becausethesoftwareissoimportant,thefacultybudgetmayconsider fundingthisiteminthefutureandincreasingaccesstomorethanthe approvedsubscriptionof405users. 19
SustainabilityInitiative TheScienceStudents’DonationAllocationCommittee(SSDAC)decidedto increasefundingforcertaininitiativeswhichalignwiththeScienceStudents’ Council’smissiontoimproveenvironmentalwell beingandsustainabilityacross campus.Thisyear,thecommitteedecidedtofundfour(4)additionallabwaste recyclingboxesfortheDepartmentofBiochemistry,whichwillbeusedtoallowfor therecyclingofitemswhichcannotbecollectedundermunicipalguidelines,suchas certainplasticequipment.Theserecyclingbinswillbesituatedinheavilyutilized labs,andwillprimarilyaffect2nd and3rd yearBiochemistrycourses.Asmentionedin theBiochemistrysectionofthisreport,thewastewillbesenttoTerracycle,whichisa firmspecializinginrecyclinginasustainable,ethicalfashion
initiativeswhichwillnotonlybenefitandimprovethestudentexperience,butalso accelerateenvironmentalandsocialgoalstocreateamoresustainablecampus overall Thisco brandedinitiativeisthefirststeptakentowardsthisgoal,andthe SSCwillbecontinuingtoprioritizesustainabilitythroughallfundingdecisionsgoing forward 20
Astheclimatecrisiscontinuestoworsen,theSSDACbelievesinfunding
Summary Betweentheninesciencedepartmentsthatappliedforthefunding,thefull requestedamounttotals$429,713.68.Takingnecessityandimpactonstudent learningexperiencesintocarefulconsideration,thefundsofthesciencedonationfee areallocatedasfollows,withthedistributedfundstotalling$384,304.80.The remainingfundswillbeallocatedtowardstheendowmentfundinadditiontothe original15% DEPARTMENT REQUESTED DISTRIBUTED AnatomyandCellBiology $2,867.07 $2,867.00 Biochemistry $23,469.08 $24,680.44 Chemistry $61,489.11 $61,489.11 Biology $138,743.15 $98,763.15 MicrobiologyandImmunology $48,337.45 $48,337.45 PhysicsandAstronomy $25,041.60 $18,401.36 StatisticsandActuarialSciences $10,762.69 $10,762.69 PhysiologyandPharmacology $36,92708 $36,92708 ComputerScience $28,43000 $28,43000 InterdisciplinaryMedicalSciences $53,64645 $53,64645 Total $429,713.68 $384,304.80 21
Authors Contributors: ● AnishChhabra(StudentServicesCommissioner) ● AnsonChow ● CrystalLee(Vice-PresidentCommunications) ● JasmineLin ● KatherineChen ● KeshivSharma(Vice PresidentFinance) ● MernaSaleem ● PrakashHampole ● SamirMalick ● SkylarWu ● SueHan ● ZoeDeSouza ContactInformation Vice-PresidentFinance:KeshivSharma ● finance@westernssc.ca Vice PresidentCommunications:CrystalLee ● communications@westernssc.ca StudentServicesCommissioner:AnishChhabra ● services@westernssc.ca 22
