March 21, 2019 by The Sheaf

MARCH 21, 2019 4&5

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YOUR UNI VE R S I T Y O F SAS K ATC H E WA N ST UDE NT NE WS PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 2

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The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

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Meet your USSU executive Cancer treatment can candidates block cremation

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Kinesiology Students’ Society hosts Motionball Marathon of Sport event The students aim to promote inclusive physical activity in their first ever Motionball Marathon of Sport.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Nykole King

editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR

CULTURE EDITOR

Tanner Bayne

Cole Chretien

news@thesheaf.com

culture@thesheaf.com

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

Jack Thompson sportshealth@thesheaf.com

Erin Matthews opinions@thesheaf.com

STAFF WRITER

Ana Cristina Camacho staffwriter@thesheaf.com COPY EDITOR | Amanda Slinger copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER | Kaitlin Wong layout@thesheaf.com PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR | Riley Deacon photo@thesheaf.com GRAPHICS EDITOR | Jaymie Stachyruk graphics@thesheaf.com WEB EDITOR | Mitchell Gaertner web@thesheaf.com OUTREACH DIRECTOR | J.C. Balicanta Narag outreach@thesheaf.com AD & BUSINESS MANAGER | Shantelle Hrytsak ads@thesheaf.com COVER IMAGE

Jaymie Stachyruk BOARD OF DIRECTORS Matthew Taylor Mikaila Ortynsky Kayle Neis Emily Klatt Jacob Lang Tyler Smith

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board@thesheaf.com Mission // The mission of the Sheaf is to inform and entertain students by addressing those issues that are relevant to life on campus, in the city or in the province. The newspaper serves as a forum for discussion on a wide range of issues that concern students. Written for students, by students, it provides unique insight into university issues through a student perspective. The staff of editors, photographers and artists collaborate with volunteers as student journalists to create a product relevant to students on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Legal // The Sheaf, published weekly during the academic year and periodically from May through August, is an incorporated non-profit that is, in part, student-body funded by way of a direct levy paid by all partand full-time undergraduate students at the U of S. The remainder of the revenue is generated through advertising. The financial affairs are governed by a Board of Directors, most of whom are students. Membership in the Sheaf Publishing Society is open to all undergraduate students at the U of S, who are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper. Absolutely no experience is required! The opinions expressed in the Sheaf do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheaf Publishing Society Inc. The Sheaf reserves the right to refuse to accept or print any material deemed unfit for publication, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, the Editor-in-Chief will decide if the article or artwork would be of interest to a significant portion of the Society and benefit the welfare of Sheaf readers. The Sheaf will not publish any racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous material. Land Acknowledgement // The Sheaf acknowledges that our office is built on Treaty Six Territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and affirm both the importance of our relationship with Indigenous peoples and students at the U of S and our commitment to recognize and remain accountable for our collective history. corrections In the March 14 issue of the Sheaf, the article “Local band Too Soon Monsoon adds new member, announces album release date” incorrectly stated that the band Too Soon Monsoon is influenced by Saskatoon rappers Eekwol and T-Rhyme, Crooked Spies and S’MOORE. This is actually a list musical acts who will be performing at the Waves album release show on May 3 at the Capitol Music Club. We apologize for this error. If you spot any errors in this issue, please email them to copy@thesheaf.com for correction.

2 / NEWS

Motionball Usask / Supplied

SOPHIA LAGIMODIERE

The Kinesiology Students’ Society is holding their first ever university Marathon of Sport through an organization known as Motionball. Spanning 20 Canadian cities, Motionball aims to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics athletes. Since 2002, the organization has raised over $10 million. At the Marathon of Sport event, teams consisting of able-bodied individuals and Special Olympic athletes will compete against each other in a variety of sports for a day to help promote physical activity and inclusivity. The event will include activities such as soccer, track and field, circuit workouts and benchball. Slated for March 30, Motionball Marathon of Sport is open to anyone on campus. Registration is $20 per person, and the event will take place in the Physical Activity Complex. The president of the KiSS, Hannah Sollid, says that, in general, Special Olympics need increased visibility. “A lot of people watch the Olympics and are interested in sports that the ablebodied people do. But it’s good for all people to recognize other individuals that maybe don’t have the same abilities or same opportunities,” Sollid said. “Special Olympics athletes are just incredible, and they’re amazing at these sports. Their teamwork skills are incredible, and it’s just so fun to collaborate and be together.”

Motionball Usask / Supplied

Through events like this, the organization hopes to dismantle stereotypes about individuals with cognitive impairments while also raising money for the Special Olympics. Sollid says that they will be tabling in the PAC to provide information for anyone who wants it, along with a petition that students can sign agreeing that they will not use the R-word pejorative anymore as she says that it is “not a great term at all, and we’re trying to change.” While the Marathon of Sport event has no baseline monetary goal, Sollid says they will aim to raise as much money as they can for Motionball. “All the money that is from the registration fee will be going to Motionball as well as the raffle money and any money that individual teams fundraise. So [participants] can go to grandparents or uncles or aunts or neighbours, and we will collect money, so then, we can raise those funds,” Sollid said. The event is getting support from various groups. The PAC is allowing the event to take place in its main Triple Gym. Also, there will be Under Armour

Motionball T-shirts available as Under Armour is sponsoring the event. Lastly, Pita Pit is providing lunch for the teams competing. Sollid hopes that the event highlights the importance of physical activity for all people. “Everyone should be inclusive, and everyone can participate in physical activity and should be because it’s so critical for overall health and for like mental, physical [and] emotional — it helps everything,” Sollid said. By extension, Sollid sees a benefit in becoming involved with Motionball Marathon of Sport. “It’s good to work with others that you might not otherwise work with in a school setting. I would just say do it. If you’re thinking about it, something’s tugging at your heart. You can hang out with some really, really cool people. These Special Olympics athletes are incredible,” Sollid said. “It’s just an amazing way to get to know people.” For more information about the event or to get involved, email motionballusask@gmail.com. You can also find more information on Instagram at motionballusask and on Facebook.

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U of S professor to run for MP as Saskatoon-University NDP candidate Universal Pharmacare and mental-health services will likely be part of the federal NDP platform. Claire Card has been nominated as the New Democratic Party candidate for the Saskatoon-University riding. Card hopes to build on her 2015 candidacy and advocate for equal opportunity, accessible health services and action on climate change. On March 3, Card, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, was nominated for the race in a SaskatoonUniversity Electoral District Association meeting. Card is an active member of university politics and is engaged in a variety of volunteer activities in the wider community. Currently the University Council Large Animal Sciences member, Card was the first woman to serve as UC chair. She is also part of the executive board of Veterinarians Without Borders, a volunteer in northern Saskatchewan wellness and spay-neuter clinics and a martial arts instructor in taekwondo. Card first ran for the Member of Parliament position in 2015 and placed second. In an email to the Sheaf, Card says that her decision to run again in 2019 was due to “too much unfinished business”

Claire Card / Supplied

from the 2015 federal election. “I am not satisfied with the Liberals opting out of electoral reform, their progress on climate change, growing inequality in society, not meeting the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation [Commission] and underfunding education and research,” Card said.

The federal NDP platform has not yet been announced, but Card says there are important themes such as equal “opportunity for all” in education, health and mental health and a “brighter future.” Additionally, Card says that “It’s pretty clear that Universal Pharmacare and mental-health services

will be included.” Card says that another platform point will be healthy societies and environments “where everyone benefits for a more secure and peaceful world and there is meaningful action on climate change” as well as equality for all in ending structural violence, racism and gender bias. Reflecting back on her 2015 campaign, Card says that her approach to the candidacy will stay the same in some ways but with new approaches. “We hope to build on that team and expand it to include more volunteers and build more capacity,” Card said. “I am running to be an MP to do something not to be somebody. That said, I have spent a lot of time analyzing current trends and best practices, so I am prepared to modernize some of our approaches.” Card says that her leadership positions at the university, one of which is being in the U of S Faculty Association, have prepared her for the job. “I have had a number of leadership roles here such as being the chair and member of many departments, colleges and University Council committees,” Card said. “Additionally, I have supported the union movement on campus as a member of the USFA and Concerned Academics.” Card says that her role as a professor has made her notice the issues affecting

post-secondary education. “Escalating tuition increases over five per cent and food banks on campus aren’t inevitabilities, they are political choices,” Card said. “As a professor, I really understand what is going on with the less-for-more education model and how the shortfall in post-secondary educational funding results in problems in many ways, such as corporatization and the innovation gap.” Card urges students to educate themselves on these issues and more in preparation for the federal election, which is set to take place in October. “I encourage all of us to work together. It’s your future at stake,” Card said. “Make time to educate yourselves on the election issues, envision that society — that place you want to live in — and importantly, participate in democracy by voting.”

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Your candidates for the 2019-2020 USSU general election Although three candidates are vying for the presidential position, the candidates for the three vice-presidential positions are running uncontested. TANNER BAYNE NEWS EDITOR

While some students spent the wee hours of March 18 getting plastered on Guinness or some grotesque green concoctions, a select number were on campus plastering their faces across university walls, signalling the annual University of Saskatchewan Students’

Union general election. Any returning student at the U of S knows what this means. For the uninitiated, over the next week, you will see a plethora of posters, a handful of forums and a lot of talk from prospective student politicians who are vying for one of four positions on the USSU executive, each of which comes with a near $40,000 salary. This year, only the presidential position is contested, and whichever candidate gets the most votes will

take the position. For the three uncontested vicepresidential positions, the successful candidate must receive more “yes” votes than “no” votes to secure the position. Undergraduate students can cast their ballots for the general election on PAWS from March 27 at 9 a.m. to March 28 at 4 p.m. Likewise, the deadline for complaints against candidates ends on March 28 at 4 p.m. The results will be announced in Place Riel later that evening.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Kylie Philips, fourth-year political studies Leadership experience:

2016-2017 International Women’s Movement social director, 2017-2018 University Students’ Council member for the College of Arts and Science, 2017-2018 Political Studies Students’ Association vice-president external affairs, 2018-2019 USSU academic and governance assistant and 2018-2019 University Students’ Council chair

Platform:

To create a “Your Voice” service on the USSU website that will allow students to create petitions, to collaborate with presidents from other U15 student unions on issues facing students and to liaise better with the greater bodies of government

Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“A major theme across campus is a disconnect between the USSU and students. In the last year, it has seemed to develop from a disconnect to anger and frustration with the union. That’s not the job of the union — the union is meant to serve the students. As president, my role would be to spearhead the union for students rather than to choose for students how the university should look. “The ‘Your Voice’ platform will allow students to turn the university into the school of their dreams. When it comes the U15 piece, it’s a matter of finding creativity and not being so stale. We need to think about what we haven’t tried. When it comes to governance relations, I have the best qualifications through my work with various forms of government.”

Regan Ratt-Misponas, fourth-year education Leadership experience:

2015-2016 University Students’ Council member for Indigenous students and 2017-2019 Indigenous Students’ Council president

Platform:

To advocate on a student-first basis, to hold the U of S and the USSU accountable in their decolonizing efforts, to connect with U of S satellite campuses and to develop a consultation plan between the USSU executive, members of student council and students

Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“For much of my time on campus, these have been things that I have exhibited in my leadership. These are things I have consistently talked about over my years on campus. I’ve done this as president of the ISC. These are things that I have always stood for and always talked about.”

Sheldon Alderton, fourth-year honours philosophy Leadership experience:

2012-2016 construction foreman and 20182019 USSU Childcare Board of Directors chair

Platform:

To promote collaboration between the USSU and the greater U of S campus and to implement student feedback in conversations with municipal, provincial and federal governments

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Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“If the greater campus community isn’t on the same page about what’s going on, how [are] the USSU and the university supposed to help support students when they move into the working world? More collaboration between student groups and the USSU would be imperative to help interconnect colleges on campus. “If we don’t work with students to give that collaborative experience now, they won’t be as competitive in the global job market or the global world going forward. We need to make sure that the USSU is firmly established in this city and this province and that it can be a collective voice to get student voices across.”

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VICE-PRESIDENT OPERATIONS AND FINANCE CANDIDATE Jamie Bell, third-year management Leadership experience: 2017-2018 Edwards Business Students’ Society marketing assistant, 2018-2019 University Students’ Council member for Edwards School of Business and 2018-2019 EBSS operations director

Platform:

To develop a leadership-training package based on traditional Indigenous practices, to better communicate USSU financial and governance decisions and to improve the templates for club-funding applications

Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“I feel they would most benefit the USSU at this point. I’ve applied for funding through the USSU, and I understand it can be a really stressful experience. Now, on the Budget and Finance Committee, I want to reduce the anxiety from that process. “To promote decolonization and Indigenization, I would like to collaborate with knowledge keepers and other Indigenous students to create that governance-training program.”

VICE-PRESIDENT STUDENT AFFAIRS CANDIDATE

Allen Lewis, first-year undeclared Leadership experience: Trucking supervisor and 2018-2019 Arts and Science Students’ Union member at large

Platform:

To learn from the perspectives of all kinds of students to understand what issues impact them and to facilitate co-operation between clubs and students

Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“I came to these points as I have been thinking about what [aspect of] university has meant the most to me this first year on campus. I came here [with] a long-time bucket list to explore this set of paths that so many people in the world take when they have the chance. “As I explore things, I often find that I am not the expert of any particular path, but I am really keen on noticing who the experts are — as well as the ones who are in control of places on these different paths. I enjoy the discussions around policy and ideas about how we can work together.”

VICE-PRESIDENT ACADEMIC AFFAIRS CANDIDATE

Carlos Muñoz Pimentel, third-year political studies Leadership experience: 2018-2019 University Students’ Council member for the College of Arts and Science and 2018-2019 Political Studies Students’ Association vice-president external affairs

Platform:

To better promote scholarships and create scholarship bundles, to build upon the Faceto-Face initiative by focusing on academic issues and to showcase more of the academic achievements of students at the U of S

Why did you choose these pillars for your campaign?

“I picked affordability because living away from home has shown me how difficult it is to make ends meet on a student budget. By having scholarships and open-education resources available, we can lessen financial burdens on students. “The U of S has a lot of brilliant people that need a platform to propel themselves forward to get the right experience for their career. I’m here to better your educational experience, and through these channels, I can help students with their academic goals.”

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SPORTS&HEALTH

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Disappointment for the Huskies on the national stage No hardware for the men’s hockey team as Huskies place fourth in the University Cup. JACK THOMPSON

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

Park paper procrastination The weather is nice out again, so what better way to make yourself feel better about being outside — and procrastinate that term paper — than by turning it into a quick workout? Jog out to the park nearest your house or campus, and get this quick workout in before jogging back. Feel free to do regular sit-ups if you’re not a gymnastics whiz.

Jog to your nearest park

GetMyPhoto.ca / Supplied

PIPER WOYTIUK

Park-bench box jumps: 15 repetitions

Monkey-bar sit-ups: 10 repetitions

Lunges: 15 repetitions

All graphics by Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

6 / SPORTS & HEALTH

The Huskies men’s hockey team won their U Sports University Cup quarter-final game only to leave empty handed after an electric semifinal loss against the Alberta Golden bears and a last-chance fight for bronze against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. The Huskies headed into the March 14 to 17 U Sports University Cup seeded fifth in Canada. They proved they were there to fight, defeating the Guelph Gryphons in the quarter-finals. A loss to top seed for the championship and their riveting rivals, the Alberta Golden Bears, forced the Huskies try for bronze in their last game. The St. Francis Xavier X-Men proved too tough a foe in the final game, and the Huskies settled for fourth place. The Huskies immediately put the pressure on the Gryphons with Logan McVeigh scoring the first goal a mere three minutes and 37 seconds into the game. Nine minutes later, Evan Fiala recorded his first goal as a Huskie after he fired the puck over the mitt of Gryphon netminder Andrew Masters, widening the team’s lead on the Gryphons. The second period saw three goals in total: a lone

Gryphons’ goal and a pair of Huskies’ goals scored by Carson Stadnyk and Wyatt Johnson, respectively. Following the two-goal-per-period rhythm of the game, Carson Stadnyk and Levi Cable each found the back of the Gryphons’ net for the Huskies’ six-goal win. The semifinal game against the Alberta Golden Bears was a chance for the Huskies to taste Canada West revenge. The game was a tug of war through the first and second periods with both teams desperate to open the scoring. The Golden Bears got the break in the third period, scoring less than two minutes in and adding two more by the end of the game to make it a 0-3 victory over the Huskies. After the third Golden Bear goal, the sour feeling between the teams reared its ugly head as major fighting broke out. Similar to the second game of the Canada West final on March 2, the Huskies racked up the penalty minutes — with a total of 43 Huskies’ penalty minutes to the Golden Bears’ four. Suspensions were also handed out to a few Huskies players. With a mere 30 seconds left, brothers Jesse and Alex Forsberg of the Huskies were given instigator penalties for initiating conflict with the Golden Bears. These

penalties meant automatic suspensions for the next game. Playing for bronze, the Huskies came face to face with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. The first period turned rocky quickly as the X-Men snapped up two power-play goals by the 13-minute mark. They found opportunity and doubled their lead on the Huskies in the second period for a wide 0-4 lead heading into the final period. The fifth and last goal by the X-Men was scored just three minutes into the third period. Although the Huskies outshot the X-Men 49-16, they only managed one goal in the game. With 31 seconds left on the clock, Parker Thomas sailed the puck over X-Men goalie Chase Marchand’s shoulder, snapping the shutout for a final score of 1-5 and settling the Huskies in fourth place. The Huskie careers of players Parker Thomas, Jesse Forsberg and Michael Sofillas finished that night. The trio of fifth years will not be coming back for another season. All three were outstanding student athletes and contributors to Huskies hockey. The team saw silver in the Canada West championship and fourth in the University Cup this year — making for a fine season to end on.

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SPORTS&HEALTH

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Bohlken and Vance: The Huskies who represented Canada at the Russia World University Games Women’s hockey players tell the story of Team Canada’s silver-medal win. ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO STAFF WRITER

Teammates Leah Bohlken and Jessica Vance competed as part of Team Canada at the 2019 Winter Universiade, the largest university winter multi-sport competition in the world. The two Huskies spoke to the Sheaf about their journey to the final game of the competition. For defenceman Leah Bohlken, fourth-year computer-science student, and goaltender Jessica Vance, third-year kinesiology student, the Winter Universiade was their first time representing Canada at a competition. Bohlken says the experience was exciting even before the games started. “[I felt] excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled… That’s the first time you are wearing the maple leaf, and you want to make everyone proud,” Bohlken said. “I looked in the mirror and [thought], ‘Little

Leah wanted to wear this jersey.’” The two players didn’t practice with their teammates prior to travelling to Russia, but Vance says Team Canada came together quickly after their first meeting. “We met everyone at the Toronto airport, and then, we travelled to Russia together,” Vance said. “It was just one of those tournaments where everyone has to buy in and come together quickly.” As soon as the competition began, Canada started winning. Their first four games were victories against China, Japan, the United States and Switzerland. Bohlken says a standout moment was the 1-0 win against the United States because of the hockey rivalry between the two countries. “To play against them, it’s like you are playing in that rivalry. You are wearing the Canadian jersey, and they are wearing the USA one. And we beat them 1-0 with seconds left,” Bohlken said. “That was

a team-builder.” Team Canada’s first defeat was their 4-2 loss against the Russian Federation. Despite the results, Bohlken says the match prepared the team for their eventual final game against Russia. “It was an encouraging game — even though the score doesn’t look it. We competed for the whole game,” Bohlken said. “And we knew what to expect going into the gold-medal game.” For the final game against Russia on March 11, the arena was sold out — full of fans cheering on the hosts. Bohlken says that the game was an unforgettable experience and that the pro-Russia crowd only served to motivate her more. “In that game, as soon as Russia would touch the puck, you could feel it — the cheering and the sounds. You see those games on TV, but to actually play in one, … that’s one experience that’s going to stay with me for the rest of my

Jessica Vance / Supplied

life,” Bohlken said. “Hearing them cheering for Russia just made me want to stop them more, so they wouldn’t cheer anymore. It was a lot of fun.” The final game was a close match. The game ended 2-0, but the first two periods of the game were played with a 0-0 score. Even though Team Canada did not win the gold, the Huskies players think the game was contested enough that it could have gone differently. This is Canada’s third consecutive Universiade silver medal.

Cancer and cremation: Medical treatments can alter end-of-life decisions Saskatchewan is among the provinces that won’t allow cremation after brachytherapy. ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

Death is an inevitable part of life that many of us may not think about unless we have come face to face with our mortality through illness or other near misses. But when pressed, people can often tell you their end-of-life wishes. Do you want to be buried or cremated? How about being donated to science? People seem to have the ideal sendoff of their corporeal form figured out. When faced with life-limiting illnesses like cancer, people are often able to plan their own funerals down to the last detail. However, depending on the treatments they receive, their family may be blindsided when these wishes are denied. The family of an Ontario man, who made arrangements to be cremated upon death,

was told in February that they could not do so. It turns out that the man had received brachytherapy as part of his cancer treatment, which voids his cremation requests. Ontario isn’t alone in these methods — Saskatchewan has the same restrictions. Brachytherapy, which involves radioactive implants called “seeds,” has been available to cancer patients in Saskatchewan for the past 20 years. These small implants, placed near a tumour, provide a consistent dose of radiation — targeting the cancer while minimizing damage to healthy cells. Eventually, these radioactive seeds would decay and become inert — leaving just the shell of the seed inside the body. However, if the person dies while these seeds are still giving off radiation, their body can become a potential danger to fu-

Google Earth / Creative Commons Caskets sit on display at the Saskatoon Funeral Home.

neral workers and family. There are strict protocols outlined by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission that guide funeral workers on how to protect themselves from radioactive remains. Different substances are used in treatment depending on the type of cancer. Iodine-125 and palladium-103 are used in brachytherapy. This is particularly important if a person dies within two years of receiving treatment with iodine-125 as the seeds would still be “hot” — meaning they are still actively giving off doses of radiation. The timeline for palladium-103 is much shorter, with a threemonth time frame recommended as a precaution. But the CNSC does not

prohibit the cremation of brachytherapy patients, insisting that their protective measures are enough to protect funeral workers while satisfying the end-of-life wishes of the deceased and their families. This isn’t the case for residents of Saskatchewan and Ontario where stricter regulations are in place for the handling of bodies that contain nuclear substances. According to section 28 of Saskatchewan’s Funeral and Cremation Services Regulations, no one can provide human remains to a crematorium if they know that a radioactive implant is in the human remains or if “objects or hazardous materials that may pose a danger to any person during or after the cre-

Looking back on the whole experience, Vance says that the best part was representing Canada and gaining skills to bring back to her Huskies team. “Playing in those big games, [I learned] how to manage my nerves. With the Huskies, I think there should be some big games that we’ll play in the future, so I think that bringing that back, I [can use] that experience,” Vance said. “And being able to say that you got to represent your country in something is pretty amazing.” mation process are in the container or casket.” While the radioactivity of the implants will fade over time, the implants themselves are never removed. Instead of following the safety precautions and timelines set by the CNSC, which would allow for cremation at any time as long as the appropriate safety protocols are followed, Saskatchewan chooses to deny cremation services for anyone who has ever received nuclear implants in their lifetime. While radioactivity from brachytherapy can still be detected two years after treatment, a 20-year-old implant would give off negligible amounts of radiation. And yet, the province would still deny you cremation services. There is a danger that denying a person’s chosen final resting place could result in an ultimatum situation for that individual: Do I undergo promising treatment like brachytherapy to extend my life, or do I choose my funeral rites? It’s a pressing question for individuals whose religious affiliations involve specific end-of-life ceremonies and for those who have strong convictions about what happens to their body after death.

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FEATURE

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Spectres of science: Campus is rich with stories of discovery, innovation and curiosity The history of the U of S is filled with tangible tales of the people who have made contributions to scientific research.

ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

The School of Medical Sciences, established in 1926

University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-521. Photographer: Gibson

The health sciences have old roots on campus, beginning in 1919 with the inception of the department of bacteriology. Over the next seven years, this department grew into the School of Medical Sciences. The school was nestled in the Header Houses, and their ghosts still stand behind the Physical Activity Complex. The Header Houses served as labs until 1937, when the school migrated once again. Upon completion of the Medical College Building in 1949, the School of Medical Sciences moved house for the last time. It became a full college in 1952 and was renamed the College of Medicine the following year.

From the mighty glass and stone shadow of the Health Sciences Building to the stoic archways and gothic peaks of the Thorvaldson Building, the spirit of science is alive and well on campus today.

And while the University of Saskatchewan has always been a hub of scientific investigation, some stories of discovery and achievement have been lost — relegated to the forgotten contents of dusty boxes or the whispers of ghost stories.

Thorbergur Thorvaldson, concrete chemist and Icelandic knight Thorbergur Thorvaldson may be best known as a campus ghost story with grandiose legends of his entombment and the haunting of the building that now bears his name. Thorvaldson was born in Iceland, settling in Manitoba in the late 1880s. Known as “TT,” he studied at Harvard before arriving at the U of S to become a professor of chemistry. He became head of the department in 1919, five years after he first joined the university’s staff. His discovery of sulfate-resistant-concrete formulas saved buildings from crumbling, changing the commercial manufacturing of cement around the globe. However, either intentionally or by a mere oversight, no patent was sought for the process — meaning that Thorvaldson did not profit from his innovation. Thorvaldson received the highest honour of Iceland when he was knighted by the Order of the Falcon. A year after his death, the Chemistry Building was renamed after the chemist. Over the last 50 years, Thorvaldson’s legacy has been mainly contained in the old building — with the rumours of his body being entombed in the concrete

University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-3172. Photographer: Gibson

block on the front steps. Contrary to this urban legend, his final resting place is a gravesite that he shares with his wife, Margaret, at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Rudolf Altschul, scientist and storyteller Rudolf Altschul may be a name unfamiliar to you, but he received his medical degree from the University of Prague in 1925. Travelling to Paris and Rome, he undertook training opportunities in neurology and neuropathology. During these four years of scientific discovery in Europe, Altschul investigated the brain lesions caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and made progress in histological staining techniques. He also fell in love with his soon-to-be wife, Anni, in Rome. Returning to Prague in 1929, he began practicing as a neuropsychiatrist and continued his histological investigations for the next decade. The beginning of World War II forced Altschul and his wife to flee Prague aboard the ill-fated SS Athenia, the first Allied boat to be torpedoed by the Nazis. The couple survived the ordeal and eventually made their way to Saskatoon where Altschul joined the U of S department of anatomy first as a professor and then as the department head. Altschul was not only a scientist but also an avid writer and storyteller — penning drafts of two novels and a handful of poems, short stories and essays. He also submitted a radio play, The Seven Pills of Wisdom, to CBC. Altschul often referenced himself in his writings — musing about his life and experiences — such as this passage from one of his essays, found in the University Archives and Special Collections. “Before I go ahead with my stories, may I introduce myself: physician, psychiatrist, brain anatomist, psychoanalyst; some sort of jack of all trades; also amateur in

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University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, R. Altschul Photograph Collection, A3280. Photographer: Gibson

literature and art; speaking and writing in five languages, one of which is supposed to be the mother tongue although I am not quite sure which it is.” Altschul goes on to speak of his journey to Canada after fleeing his home. “Born in the navel of Europe in a medieval mysterious city, reborn 200 miles west of the Hebrides after a shipwreck — rescued from the waves of the ocean and sharing this kind of birth with Aphrodite, the Greek Deesse of

Beauty. However, time of birth and beauty are not common to us.” While at the U of S, Altschul’s research focused on atherosclerosis, plaque deposits caused by high levels of cholesterol that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. His discovery led to a better understanding of how niacin, vitamin B3, can be used to lower blood cholesterol. The treatment, although no longer popular, is still in use today.

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Sylvia Fedoruk, medical physicist and scientific trailblazer

The Physics Building, opened in 1922

University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-12376. University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Sylvia Fedoruk Photograph Collection, A-9155. Photographer: David Mandeville

Born in rural Saskatchewan, Sylvia Fedoruk was encouraged to pursue science by her English teacher. Upon entry into the U of S, Fedoruk was the only female enrolled in her first-year engineering and physics classes — a theme that continued for most of her career. In the 1950s, Fedoruk was the only woman in medical physics in Canada. She became a radiation physicist for the Saskatoon Cancer Clinic and eventually stepped into the role of chief medical physicist. Her contributions to medical physics were numerous, including many new cancer treatments. Working under Harold E. Johns, she was the only woman on the four person team that created the world’s first cobalt-60 unit — an innovative radiation therapy that revolutionized oncology. Fedoruk’s list of achievements stretches as far as the Prairie horizon, with a long record of “firsts” including first female Chancellor of the U of S, first woman on the Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada, first female trustee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and first woman appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan.

The original building housed not only the department of physics but also the now defunct botany and zoology departments. The federal government’s research departments in plant pathology and soils could also be found within the building. Vibration-resistant walls were constructed to minimize environmental disturbances that could

affect the research being conducted. There were many laboratories conducting cutting-edge research within various domains of physics — including electricity, magnetism, light and electron physics. The roots of physics run deep on the Prairies, with many innovations and complex discoveries happening right here on campus grounds.

Leon Katz, nuclear visionary and LINAC leader

The Chemistry Building, opened in 1924

University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Lecture Hall in Physics Photograph Collection, A-4126. Photographer: Gibson

University of Saskatchewan, University Archives and Special Collections, Chemistry Building Photography Collection, A-11026

The Chemistry Building — now known as the Thorvaldson Building — was the one of the last of the original Gothic Collegiate designs. It was direly needed to meet the demands of the chemistry department, which had outgrown the makeshift labs in the College Building, now named the Peter MacKinnon Building. According to University Archives and Special Collections, it was said to embody the spirit of the roaring 20s and had a placement that differed from the rest of campus. “It faced not inward toward the Bowl and original buildings but outward to what was expected to be an expanding future.”

Leon Katz was a nuclear physics pioneer, and his research made waves that still resonate today. He played a role in bringing to campus the betatron — a cyclical particle accelerator used in physics research and the treatment of oncology patients. Katz championed the university to build a linear accelerator, which was perhaps his biggest contribution to physics on the Prairies. His rallying paid off, and in 1964, he became director of the brand new Linear Accelerator Laboratory, or LINAC, later known as the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory. After 35 years of research, this lab was instrumental in ushering in the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, the first and only research facility of its kind in Canada. After 100 years of scientific research, the U of S

has many stories of science scattered across campus. Some are more well-known than others — with legacies etched on building exteriors or plaques hung in harshly lit hallways. Yet, many stories, like that of Altschul, lie forgotten on dust-covered shelves. Storytelling is an important aspect of science. As Jim Kozubek says in his article for Scientific American, “Science is messy, full of plot twists and competing interpretations — and the way we talk about it should reflect that truth.” The same is true for the scientists behind this work. Science is a human activity driven by curious minds. Their lives, too, are messy, full of plot twists and just as unique as the discoveries that they have been part of.

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EVENTS T H U R S

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The science of art Science and art have been integrated throughout history.

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When you think of science and art, you normally don’t lump the two together as a cohesive subject, but rather, you think of them as separate disciplines with differing approaches. But science and art go together hand in hand. For someone who is a science major and also an art enthusiast, it’s amazing to have both of my worlds collide together when they do. In art history, you learn to apply different theories about how art is created, why it’s appealing the way it is, and how colours can manipulate your opinion of a painting. In the field of art restoration, you can learn how to restore a painting that’s nearly 100 years old or even how to add colour

to a photo that was originally black and white. Disciplines like art restoration and art history all include the science aspect of art because they require scientific technology. Science is a discipline that contributes to art. We use ideas and theories from science and apply them to art more often than you might think. Take Leonardo da Vinci, for example. He was not only an artist but also a scientist. His sketchbooks are full of prototypical flying machines, and he helped develop a better understanding of human anatomy, but he was also was known for The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa and more. Blending science and art is exactly what scientist and artist Madalena Kozachuk is doing. A PhD student from Western University, Kozachuk is using Sas-

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katoon’s Canadian Light Source synchrotron to restore images from as early as the 1850s. The images, daguerreotypes produced from the earliest photography technique which used metal pates, had deteriorated beyond recognition. With the help of synchrotron technology, not only were Kozachuk and a team of scientists able to restore the images back to their original glory but they also learned the chemical properties of tarnish — a corrosive layer that forms on certain metals. With this kind of research, we might develop new artrestoration techniques and restore more images lost to time — which, in turn, would allow us to discover more about our history. We can use science to enhance our art, and thus, our culture, which helps us to enrich our experience as humans. It’s not as hard as it seems to integrate the two disciplines together, either. Since we were kids, we have been doing it with experiments on how to make rock candy, sun prints, leaf rubbings, clay firing and more. But back then, we just didn’t recognize it as science because it was done under the pretext of art. The hope is that people start to recognize that science and art belong together. They have been kept as separate concepts for so long in society when they have in fact always been there for each other. Together, they work to enhance the projects and historical landmarks around us. The goal should be to open people’s minds and allow people to enjoy both science and art rather than upholding a false binary between science and art. You don’t have to choose. Allow yourself to be both scientific yet also artistic and creative — because science, after all, can be a creative process.

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Cyberpunk fiction predicted our dystopia, but it might offer a way out Blade Runner and Neuromancer presented us with technological dystopias and defined human existence in contrast to them. COLE CHRETIEN CULTURE EDITOR

Seven years before the internet became publicly available in August 1991, William Gibson published Neuromancer, a visionary work of science fiction that perfectly predicted the cultural moment we find ourselves in right now. Cyberpunk has always been one of the most misunderstood sub-genres of science fiction. Despite its neon-drenched transhumanism and outlaw-hacker protagonists, the archetypal cyberpunk society is dreary, hopeless and has very little room for humanity. It’s an unlikely avenue for escapism, and its near-future worlds are anything but aspirational. It’s a fundamentally dystopian genre, but as we saw in 2016, political anxiety tends to breed interest in dystopian fiction. Books like the 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here — which tells the story of a homegrown American dictator who gains power after promising socialist reform — re-emerged as bestsellers. George Orwell’s anti-Stalinist 1984 has become a touchstone for both the centre-left and centre-right alike, serving as a metaphor for the overreach of state surveillance or the authoritarian suppression of free speech depending on who you ask. What these books can’t account for is the rate at which technology has progressed and the way it’s integrated into every aspect of our lives. Orwell might have imagined a surveillance culture, but he couldn’t have possibly seen that it would be the private sphere doing the surveilling. Facebook is watching you — not Big Brother. Neuromancer introduced us to The Sprawl — a megacity owned by corporations and the criminals who do their bidding. When the novel begins, the protagonist, Henry Case, is living in a paranoid hellscape exacerbated by his addiction to cheap amphetamines and a maimed nervous system that has left him unable to enter cyberspace. The novel presents a society so utterly devoid of hope that escaping as a disembodied consciousness among raw data, light and sound is the only way to self-actualize. In this world, the individual is defined as an

Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons

extension of technology, but the more integrated Case becomes, the more he’s haunted by that which makes him human. Images of death, trauma and addiction plague the characters, but as subservience to technology demands, they never look back. Neuromancer presents the problem of defining the individual in opposition to technology and the interests of corporations, but it doesn’t offer a positive prescription. Since Neuromancer, cyberpunk fiction has continued working this problem over. One of my favourite films of the last decade, Blade Runner 2049, does a wonderful job of expanding the philosophical terrain of authenticity in a world that places tech before humanity. Blade Runner 2049 explores a world where the most basic aspects of humanity have been commodified. The central relationship of the film is a romance between an android and a hologram. It’s an uncomfortable simulation of domesticity in which both parties are only doing what they’ve been programmed to do. The film presents us a world where the things that make us human and that serve to individualize us are reduced to consumer products removed from any horizon of meaning. There is actual humanity present in Blade Runner — or at least, whatever passes for humanity among androids — but it happens only once the characters embrace authenticity in the face of conformity.

Cyberpunk has always struck me as a strange name for what is essentially dystopian fiction. But all punk subculture is about the search for authentic meaning through self definition, something that was hugely influential on me growing up. It’s a genre that places the individual in opposition to an increasingly technocratic and soulless society.

There has never been much of a strong delineation for me between the writings of Gibson, and say, 80s DC hardcore. The difference is that bands like Minor Threat were responding to the political crises and societal conformity of the contemporary era while Gibson recognized that those same political problems would turn into techno-

logical ones over a long enough time span. Dystopian fiction has always fascinated me, but I see something different in cyberpunk. There’s a deep existential subtext beneath the neon and leather jackets — the basic idea that we must define ourselves in opposition to the tools we use or else risk becoming slaves to them.

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OPINIONS

Stories of science ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

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Ask an Agro: From drones to robots, technologies are advancing Canada’s agriculture industry The future of farming is evolving with high-tech solutions.

The topic of science isn’t just for textbooks and dry academic papers. Popular science books are gracing reading lists from Goodreads to The New York Times. Here are a few books that you can crack open for a gander.

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong Through a collection of stories about the microbes that are a critical part of our everyday life, this book follows research and investigations into the world of microbiology, from the coral reefs to our own gut microbiome. Yong — a science journalist who got his start as a humble science blogger back in 2006 — is a masterful narrator, using wit and curiosity to tell the tale of the microscopic organisms that exist on and around us. Saskatoon is even mentioned briefly!

Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts from the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History by Catharine Arnold

This past year marked the 100th anniversary of the “Spanish Flu” pandemic during which an estimated 50 to 100 million people died from influenza. Arnold’s book is a historical look at the human experience of the pandemic, filled with first- and second-hand accounts of the sickness that gripped the globe. While it is not mentioned within this book, the University of Saskatchewan had its own brush with the pandemic. Emmanuel College served as a makeshift hospital at this time with tales of a student volunteer tending to the sick who then succumbed to the flu within days. The names of the volunteers who died during the pandemic can be found on a stairwell in the Peter MacKinnon Building.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

This science book tells the story of chemistry using the periodic table of elements as a vehicle. Kean is a great science writer who is able to take complex and sometimes dry topics and turn them into an engaging and captivating story. Kean uses history to talk about science in nearly all of his books, and here, he is able to infuse warmth, humour and humanity into the stories of noble gases and heavy metals.

Sight by Jessie Greengrass

Sight is a poetic meditation on life and a perfect illustration of how science is integral to our human experience. The book follows an unnamed narrator during her second pregnancy as she thinks about her marriage, the death of her mother and her own childhood. Fragments of medical and science history are tightly interwoven with the protagonist’s narrative, from Wilhelm Röntgen’s Nobel prize-winning discovery of X-rays to anatomist William Hunter and anatomical artist Jan van Rymsdyk. Sight perfectly illustrates how science is a part of our everyday experience of the world and instrumental in shaping our perspectives.

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Marylene Van Steekelenburg / Supplied A cow milking in a robotic milking machine.

EMMA VAN STEEKELENBURG

For centuries, farmers have acquired new technologies to help them increase overall yields, improve the quality of their product and make farming a little easier. It was only 1917 when tractors were first introduced in Canada, thereby replacing oxen and horses for work. And in the late 1950s, shipping containers and transportation sped up the supply chain, so producers could get their products to consumers even quicker. However, farmers in the 21st century are facing their biggest challenge yet — feeding and clothing almost 10 billion people while facing the prospect of using less land and fewer resources by 2050. New advancements such as robots and drones are meeting this grand challenge while improving food production and increasing profitability. Precision agriculture has dramatically changed how producers grow and harvest crops in Canada. GPS-based production has allowed farmers to accurately seed and apply fertilizer and pesticides to fields with up to one centimetre of accuracy. This reduces the risk of over applying or under applying fertilizer in certain areas in fields. Drones have also made their introduction into the crop production world. By simply flying a drone over a field,

farmers can pinpoint areas of their crop that are suffering from insect infestations or a lack of water. In Australia and Central America, drones are being used to deliver pesticides to areas in crops that are struggling rather than applying them to the entire field, dramatically decreasing the use of pesticides. Drone spraying isn’t as popular in Canada at the moment. However, expect to see drones spraying fields in a few years’ time. Technology has improved milk and meat production as well. In the dairy industry, robots have revolutionized the way dairy cattle are milked, fed and cleaned. Robotic milking stations have been around for 20 years. Instead of the farmer milking the cows twice daily, the robot now milks the cows for the farmer, giving cows the freedom to milk as many times as they choose, sometimes even four times a day. Robotic milking has also increased animal health, decreased animal stress and increased longevity. Increased milkings and reduced stress lead to increased milk yields — and an increase in profits. If you want to see a robotic milking station in action, visit the Rayner Dairy Research and Teaching Facility on campus where they use a robotic milking station to milk part of the herd. Additionally, dairy farmers use automated feed-delivery systems. These robots prepare

and deliver feed to cows, pushing it up for them so that they have fresh feed at all times of the day. There are even robotic manure scrapers that clean alleyways in barns, which in turn keeps the cows cleaner. In addition to robots, many dairy farmers are using animal-activity trackers on their cows — the animal version of a Fitbit. Cows are more active during the estrus period of their reproductive cycle — the time when they are ready to breed. Being able to monitor a cow’s activity level at all times has helped farmers decide the best time to breed their cows. Another piece of technology that is making the rounds in both the beef and dairy industries is the Moocall. A Moocall is a device that is secured onto a pregnant cow’s tail to measure her contractions prior to calving. If the Moocall determines she is 30 to 60 minutes away from calving, it will send a text message to the farmer, so they can prepare for the calf ’s arrival and assist with the calving if need be. Drones and robots are not just for entertainment anymore. This technology is helping farmers to increase yields, improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary pesticide use and improve animal welfare. This new technology is essential for farmers to overcome challenges and meet their long-term goals.

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OPINIONS

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Check your information privilege Here’s how undergraduate students can work toward increasing public access to scholarly information and why they should. SARAH FOLEY

As students of higher education, undergraduates at the University of Saskatchewan have unique — and often temporary — access to resources that afford students the opportunity to participate in scholarly conversations and build upon existing academic work in ways that others cannot. This ability to access information and spaces is called information privilege. This term was coined by Char Booth, associate dean of the library at California State University San Marcos. As people in a position of privilege, it is important for academics to examine where they are situated in the world of information. Confronting barriers to access can allow academics to create a more equitable, just, innovative and collaborative world of knowledge creation. The U of S library provides access to scholarly works that are usually kept behind paywalls for the general public. Paywalls make information less accessible by putting a prohibitive price tag on knowledge for those outside of academic institutions. When students conduct research using the catalogue of peer-reviewed journal articles, they are exercising the privilege they bought and paid for through tuition and public funding. To put this into perspective, the university spends approximately $13.8 million per year on materials for the library collection. Of this amount, $12.6 million is for access to databases and peer-reviewed journals — most of which are only available online. When you graduate, this key to the kingdom of scholarly work vanishes from your metaphorical keyring of privileged access. There may be a sigh of relief as you obtain that bachelor’s degree and bid adieu to years of tuition and countless papers. Will you ever need or want to access the world of scholarly

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor An empty bookshelf on the second floor of the Murray Building at the U of S on March 4, 2019.

works again? Maybe, you won’t, but DeDe Dawson, associate librarian at the U of S Science Library, says that one of the most commonly asked questions from recent graduates is “Why can’t I access e-resources anymore?” The hard truth is that, when you are no longer a student, paywalls for article access appear. Next time you access an article using your U of S login, take note that this information was paid for and is otherwise not freely available. Whether or not you’re interested in accessing these publications behind paywalls, you — and everyone else who pays taxes in Canada — have funded a lot of the research that happens at postsecondary institutions. Despite this financial contribution, many scholarly publications are not freely available to the general population. For-profit publishers make money from research articles while the authors of the work

are not paid by the publisher for their submission. Some of the largest scholarly publishers have similar, or higher, profit margins to giant companies like Apple and Google. Why should your tuition and your tax dollars provide a product to scholarly publishers who provide neither payment to the authors of the work nor a service to the general public? Applying your new knowledge of information privilege can be a process of privately confronting your privileged role in academia or a radical activist shift to publicly challenge the status quo. One way to do this is by supporting open- access publishing wherein peer-reviewed scholarly works are made available online free of charge for the reader. By realizing your personal role in the creation of knowledge in society, you can leverage your information privilege by publishing your undergraduate work through either formal channels — like open-access

journals or institutional open-online repositories — or by making your work public on social media or a website. By opening up your undergraduate knowledge and experience to the world, you can gain recognition for your work, advance knowledge creation and address inequitable access. By advocating for recognition of the issues with for-profit publishing and confronting information privilege, large-scale changes can be achieved. For example, tri-agency funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada has created a new policy requiring those who receive grants to make their work available to the public. My experiences in Interdisciplinary Studies 380 — an introduction and internship course in librarianship — and as an editor at the U of S Under-

graduate Research Journal — an online peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal — have shifted my understanding of my undergraduate-student experience. By engaging with open access and information privilege in scholarly communication, I believe that undergraduate students who possess information privilege should work to create spaces of open discourse by illuminating the problems of pay-for-access knowledge. In a publication called “Information Privilege Outreach for Undergraduate Students,” Hare and Evanson ask, “What role should you have, as someone who is an information creator and currently has abundant access, in changing the current scholarly communication system?” I take this question to heart and hope to engage myself and others in conversations and action on information privilege, open access and scholarly communication at the U of S.

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OPINIONS

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Welcome to the real world of science Why is science important? VAIDEHEE LANKE

Let’s imagine that this last question on your science final is the only thing between you and summer vacation: Why is science important? You are given three choices including the option to explain your reasoning — what answer would you choose? First option: there are three Nobel prizes dedicated to science, duh. Second option: the word “science” has been sprawled in colourful print across several textbooks since grade school. Third option: provide a short answer below. Now, while the first two options aren’t necessarily wrong, if I were answering this question, I would choose the third option. And not just because I want to get the question right but because I truly believe that science is an everyday phenomenon that cannot be explained with multiple-choice answers. What we often fail to grasp — perhaps because of the division of science subjects in education — is how science is at once both a broad spectrum

of different fields and uniquely individual disciplines that are incredibly detailed and constantly developing. There’s your so-called standard sciences — like physics, chemistry and biology — but there are also branches like physiology, biochemistry and environmental science. Don’t forget emerging fields like machine learning in the world of computer science and the multitudes of interdisciplinary areas like bioinformatics. Of course, for science and arts students alike, there are science lectures and labs, but beyond those structured spaces, science still exists. We encounter science in every part and moment of our lives. From your first breath to your last exhale, your body’s cells are dividing — forming tissues, forming organs, forming you — and interacting with other molecules in an incredibly complex and fascinating manner. The process of oxygen delivery and storage is a delicate orchestra between hemoglobin and myoglobin. It involves the specific interaction of 2,3-bisphospho-D-glycerate, CO2, bicarbonate, protons, the

enzyme carbonic anhydrase and more. Stepping outside of your body, let’s take a look at the science involved in driving. While we may not use the scientific terminology, pressing the accelerator is a force changing the velocity of the car. We wear seatbelts to distribute the force over the time of an impact. And what about friction? It’s what gives the car traction on the road, a prevalent thought during our Saskatchewan winters. These examples only scratch the surface of our world: our phones, the internet, the cultivation of the food we eat, the creation of vaccines and discoveries in medical treatments are all powered by and driven by science, technology, engineering and math. I believe the real power of science lies in its ability to foster a critical mindset. Science is a fluid process. It’s about observing the world around you, forming questions about it, developing predictions, testing them, analyzing evidence and drawing conclusions based on this evidence. Science calls upon other

Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

scientists to test the validity of a claim before accepting it as truth. Science is constantly changing, and this framework that binds it together across many disciplines is an open process that welcomes criticism and change. But this mindset is not limited to science or scientists. In a world of fake news and with the upcoming federal election, having the ability to form evidence-based opinions, analyze the world around us and challenge claims is important. Ultimately, science is more than a subject and more than a class. It’s more than a degree and your career. To me, science is a worldview powered by curiosity, learning and the desire for better. With this sci-

entific mindset and the above examples as inspirations, what can science do? It can power global movements like the student protests that occurred on March 15 in over 100 countries demanding climate-change action. So if you had the chance to answer the question of why science is important again, what would you say? I might say that science can be the source of some good humour. Let me try one. What do gases, solids and liquids all have in common? They matter. As does science. So the real science lesson here is that science doesn’t start and end with your lectures but continues on in the world around you. Welcome to science class.

Undergraduates in lab coats: Spotlight on student research at the U of S Many undergraduates are getting first-hand experience in labs on campus. AMANDA SLINGER COPY EDITOR

ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

Students are often under the impression that you need to be a graduate student to work in university research laboratories, but more and more students are beginning their research careers during their undergraduate degrees. Laboratory research can be a valuable form of experiential learning. Yuanyi “Yen” Song is a thirdyear student in physiology and pharmacology who works as an undergraduate researcher in the John Howland Lab — a behavioural neuroscience laboratory on campus headed up by Dr. John Howland, a professor in the anatomy, physiology and pharmacology department. Song explains what kind of research they do at the Howland Lab. “We do a lot of behavioural physiology, … but [Dr. Howland] has a background in psychology,” Song said. “I see an

14 / OPINIONS

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Yuanyi “Yen” Song poses for a photograph in the John Howland Lab at the U of S on March 17, 2019.

intersection between physiology and psychology and also a lot of pharmacology.” Unlike most physiology laboratories, which tend to focus on research at the cellular level, the Howland Lab studies physiology by observing rodent behaviour. Song explains that they use rats for most of their experiments. “We do all our research with rodent models — just rats,” Song said. “It’s not a typical experience. I see all my friends doing [research] down to the

cellular level, investigating scientific questions that way. And although there is definitely some of that incorporated in our research, [we are] more so focusing on behaviour and interpreting … how different physiological … or pharmacological manipulations will affect that behaviour.” Song says she has always wanted to do research, and she is eager to start working on her honours project with Dr. Howland next year. “It was something I was re-

ally interested in… I am really excited for my honours project,” Song said. “The reason I am getting excited … is because I get to choose, and right now, I’m leaning towards doing some pain research and how, with the legalization of cannabis, that research is getting revved up in Canada.” Song hopes to study pain models using synthetic cannabinoids produced in the pharmacology laboratory of Dr. Robert Laprairie — an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, the Saskatchewan GlaxoSmithKline research chair in drug discovery and development, and a member of the Cannabinoid Research Initiative of Saskatchewan, a large interdisciplinary group on campus. “We can take these synthetic cannabinoids and see what they do physiologically and [inform] clinical researchers,” Song said. With laboratory research, Song says it can be difficult to get your foot in the door, explaining that it sometimes comes down to who you know and what research you’re exposed to. “I honestly just knew someone in the lab, so hearing about

his experience in the lab and what they were doing definitely helped me get interested in it and also gave me an advantage,” Song said. “When I speak to other people, too, it’s a very common experience, because as an undergrad, unless you have exposure to a supervisor by taking a class with them, you don’t really know who they are and they don’t know who you are.” But Song says that isn’t the only way to get involved in research. “I know a lot of people that just reach out to professors that they know or [have] heard of through academic advisors and have just as good of an experience,” Song said. Song encourages other students to take advantage of experiential-learning opportunities and give research a try. “Research — I love it because some of it comes from creativity and just trying to interpret all of this data, and so many observations come from accidents, too… I learn a lot from observing other people doing experiments, and so, that’s how I have been learning,” Song said. “I love experiential learning.”

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Dark red carnations AMANDA SLINGER COPY EDITOR

In a clear glass vase, the flowers stand tall, only their heads nodding, arcing gently from the stems. These carnations have been cut from the ground, existing now on their last leg of life, but you wouldn’t guess it. They glow softly, like velvet in the light: Deep red and gorgeous, a hue set somewhere on the spectrum between blood and raspberries. Full-bodied depth, the way only something real and living can be. They entice you to scent their centres, to bury your nose in their delicate petals. You do. The fragrance is pure and sweet and subtle. Unlike a rose, it is not overpowering but tender and mild. You imagine vast, sunny gardens touched by a breezy summer wind: Flower upon flower in a field of grasses. Dark red blooms oscillating gently in a distant meadow. Windswept blossoms full of birds and bees. The sweet taste of nectar on the tongue of a butterfly. This is how a flower is supposed to smell, look, feel. Nothing is more beautiful or more barbaric than a vase of dying beauty.

SCIENCE AND TECH-THEMED CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. and Tech 5. As Soon As Possible 7. Bean 9. Elements and compounds 12. Dog & 15. Tide to Go 18. Abb., romance writer’s ending 19. Big Brother’s Head of Household 21. Olympics denoted 22. Or Best Offer 23. Ra Ra __putin, Russia’s greatest love machine 24. Bit 25. Auction parcel 27. Lava short of a 28. Abb., knitting to the row’s end 29. Heightened fuss 30. Accelerate to one cm/sec/sec 31. Full of 33. The Matrix 36. Study of the CNS, PNS, ANS & SNS 37. Fiery basketballers 38. Feathery lizard 39. Study of living things

DOWN 2. Old school yodelling 3. Whip but half 4. Inviting word 6. The brightest light in Canada 8. STEM 10. As opposed to standing 11. Research workspace 13. Thorbergur 14. Particles and waves 15. SO4216. Body 17. Energy 20. Written on a palm leaf 26. Tentacle boys from Doctor Who 32. Summer road work 34. Of grades one to 12

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