Guelph The Portico Magazine, Summer 2005 by University of Guelph

An Alumni Success Story

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THE PORTICO •

SUMMER 2005

CONTENTS [ 3 - president's page ] • [ 2 - letters ] • [ grad news - 28 ] • [ great guelph grad - 23 ]

[ 12 IN AND AROUND THE UNIVERSITY

GuELPH psychology professor has discovered the genetic basis for socialization, two students win prestigious research awards, the Gryphon women's basketball team wins the Ontario championship, and the Ontario Veterinary College prepares to

cove r st ory ]

WE HAVE A REPUTATION FOR RESEARCH U of G has long been a training ground for skilled researchers, including six alumni who continue to link research and teaching in their own careers.

ALUMNI MATTERS

ET READY for Alumni Weekend and check out all the ways that Guelph grads are networking and spreading their U of G pride. You'll also read about mother-anddaughter PhD grads and learn how to rally around the watercooler at work.

[ 8 ] THE NEw FACE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE Guelph's veterinary college invites so me of Canada's top science writers to see how veterinary medicine is expanding into the field of public health on a global scale.

[ 20 ] ON THE GROUND IN SRI LANKA

on the cover Guelph graduate

Three Gue lph grads describe the destruction and their efforts to help the people of Sri Lanka following the Boxing Day tsunami.

Robert Burrell in his Alberta laboratory Photo by Marcus Bence

[ 19 ] WE'vE GoT THE ScooP ON IcE CREAM No one knows more about making ice cream than we do. Guelph's food science professors have been blending and improving the cool treat for 90 years. Summer 2005

HISTORY •

MEMORIES •

ACCURACY

+---

Ontario Agricultural College o ........ c . - .

·-

A little bit of history ENCLOSED IS A COPY of The Farmer's Advocate, published in 1909 in London, Ont. I picked it up at an antique store in Perth, Ont., in August 2004. On the third page is an advertisement for the Ontario Agricultural College that I hope you find of interest. I realize it's not in the best condition (I paid only $1 for it). BRENDA IRVINE, B.Sc. '84 ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLA. Poignant memories As SOMEONE WHO always enjoys receiving The Portico, I was particularly pleased to see the note in the last issue about Guelph Queer Equality's 30th anniversary. I was immediately reminded of my first meeting of Guelph Gay Equality way back in 1982. This memory was a poignant one and one that underscored the vital need for such a club on campus. Although I was apprehensive, I was welcomed by people of my own age who, like me, were only just coming out. It's hard to explain the sense of relief in knowing that I wasn't alone, that other people in the same lecture hall also went to GGE meetings. Although it's ancient history now, I clearly recall the fear of the consequences that would result

THE PoRTICO

should my profs, my classmates and particularly my residence neighbours find out that I, a gay person, moved among them. Things are certainly much easier for the gay community than they were 20 years ago, but even now, for that 19-year-old student from rural Ontario who grew up feeling just plain different from everyone else, knowing there is a safe place to go can make all the difference in the world. The value of a club such as GQE cannot be overestimated for those who made use of its services both then and now. I am grateful for the courage and support that the U of G community has shown toward GQE, thus allowing it to flourish for 30 years. VtKTOR KACZKOWSKI, BA '83 REGINA, SASK.

.s PORTICO Summer 2005 • VOLUME 37 ISSUE 2

Editor Mary Dickieson Director Charles Cunningham Art Direction Peter Enneson Design Inc. Contributors Jennifer Brett Fraser Barbara Chance, BA '74 Lori Bona Hunt Rebecca Kendall, BA '99 SPARK Program Writers Andrew Vowles, B.Sc. '84 Advertising Inquiries Scott Anderson 519-827-9169 Direct a// other correspo11dcl!ce to: Communications and Public Affairs

Toronto the country Is ToRONTO A COUNTRY? Is Amsterdam a country? I read with interest the article by Rachelle Cooper titled "Something for the Connoisseurs." I almost fell out of my chair when I read the following sentence: "His paintings have been featured in SO solo exhibitions in countries around the world, including France, Amsterdam, Sweden, the United States, Germany and England. Well, maybe I'm just too picky? She did have five correct out of six. But yet ... I do like the magazine. I believe its new name is excellent. It expresses a sense of what was, what is and what possibly can be (symbolically) when we older alumni pass through that portico and make our transition into an unknown, hopefully glorious, new dimension. Keep up the good work. BERT VAN REEKuM, BSA 'ss 0LDS, ALTA.

University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario N I G 2W I E-mail m.dickieson@exec.uoguelph.ca www. uogucl ph .cal news/alumnus/

The Portico magazine is published three times a year by Communications and Public Affairs at the University of Guelph. Its mission is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni and friends and promote pride and commitment within the University community. All material is copyright 2005. Ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of the University or the editors. Publications mail Agreement# 40064673 PrintcdinCanada-ISS

1714-8731

To update your alumni record, contact: Alumni Affairs and Development Phone 519-824-4120, Ext. 56550 Fax 519-822-2670 E-mail alumnirecords@uoguclph.ca

UNIVERSITY 9/"GUELPH

OUR RESEARCH STRENGTHS ENHANCE OUR ACADEMIC MISSION

HE UNIVERSITY OF GuELPH hasearnedthe distinction of being named Canada's top comprehensive research university. We are proud of this accolade because it represents an independent assessment of our efforts to pursue an aggressive research agenda. The research survey published by the National Post considers factors such as financial support for research, publications and the magnitude of work. Indeed, these are important indicators of quality, and Guelph's researchers and students are engaged in groundbreaking work across a wide spectrum. But why do we pursue research, and what will keep us on the cutting edge? One of the unique features of research at the University of Guelph lies in our roots. We have always been an institution with a focus on the application of research results. Since our early days, we have focused on research questions that attempt to solve important social, cultural and scientific problems- and we continue to do so. In fact, we have a moral responsibility to be engaged in understanding many of the challenging issues that face the world and in leading the way to find cures or solutions that are critical for the health and wealth of Canada and beyond. Some of the most complex issues facing society today are those associated with human, animal and environmental health, and Guelph is uniquely placed to attract the best faculty and earn research grants to help them answer the most fundamental questions in these areas. When 70 per cent of all emerging diseases affecting humans across the world come from animals, when much of the environmental degradation can and must be avoided, when we have national commitments to meet under the Kyoto Protocol for environmental and human health, it is essential that we have an integrated and interdisciplinary team to be able to carry out this important work. To do this, we need the facilities and technologies that will allow our researchers to explore the frontiers of knowledge. We are building a new science complex and planning a major redevelopment of facilities at the Ontario Veterinary College to enhance our traditional research strengths in the life sciences and stimulate the sharing of ideas. Blending the physical and biological sciences, for example, may lead to new bioproducts for the efficient and effective use of natural resources. Combining our knowledge of food production, animal health and environmental issues could produce advances in critical areas that have a direct impact on our health and well-

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being, such as the diagnosis and prevention of disease, the development of precisely targeted pharmaceuticals and the identification of toxins in the environment. The University has developed a strategic research plan that guides our participation in major research initiatives such as those supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Canada Research Chairs program. This plan articulates those flagship areas where Guelph's research strengths are internationally recognized, including our long-term partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, but it also acknowledges that the value of our research and scholarship to society emerges from all areas of our campus and is actively encouraged. Our research-intensive programs also have a direct impact on our academic mission through the training of graduate students and through the creation of undergraduate opportunities to learn about and share in the excitement of research. The provost and I recently launched an integrated planning process for the University. Among the central components of this planning process will be the importance of scholarship as an essential part of the University's core mission and the value of integrating research and teaching. My hope is that we emerge from this process with renewed commitment to scholarship and future researchers, guided by the underlying principle that the knowledge produced will benefit this nation and the world. That is what being a o. l research university is all

about. ALASTAIR SuMMERLEE PRESIDENT

Summer 2005 3

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS â&#x20AC;˘

RESEARCH â&#x20AC;˘

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

& Some mice look different SYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR Elena Choleris has discovered how genes work together to enable mice to recognize each other. It's a groundbreaking discovery that could have implications for better understanding human disorders like autism.

nition, these four genes are connected together in what she calls a "micro net." "Like a net, if you cut it at any one of these four points, then you will block social recognition because all the genes have to work together as a mechanism for social recognition to happen," says Choleris, who's the lead author of the study that she completed witl1 Don Pfaff of Rockefeller University. Understanding the genetic basis of social behaviour in mice could also help explain the neurobiological causes of human disorders that affect sociality, she says. "There are studies suggesting the oxytocin system may be impaired in people who suffer from autism."

OVC picl<s new dean

University of Pennsylvania and a visiting research assistant professor at the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center at Temple University Medical School. She received her veterinary degree from tl1e University of California, Davis, and completed an internship, surgical residency and MS in physiology at the University of Georgia in 1980. She earned a master of public policy at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University in 1993.

They are champions! T THE ONTARIO UNIVERSITY Athletics (OUA) women's basketball championships in Guelph March 5, U of G captured its first provincial

LIZABETH ARNOLD STONE has been appointed dean of the Ontario

E Choleris's study of genetic interactions was featured in the January issue of Science magazine and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and the Journal of Neuroendocrinology. "If the individuals of one species can't recogn ize others, it means "' that can't be a social species, so recog::J <.: nition is really the basis of all social life;' co :S she says. Although scientists have ~ known that estrogens- through their ~ alpha receptor and the gene for neu<t C:: ropeptide oxytocin- are involved in G the regulation of social recognition in 02 g mice, Choleris's studies were the first to ; show that the most recently discovered !:< estrogen receptor, beta, and the gene for >~ oxytocin's receptor are also needed for !3 social recognition. She has concluded 1E that, in the regulation of social recog-

4 THE PORTICO

Veterinary College. The first woman to head a veterinary school in Canada, she will join the University June I. Stone is currently head of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Nortl1 Carolina State University. She has also been an assistant professor at the

tit le in 25 years- before any of the team members were even born, says head coach Angela Orton. In its 16th straight win, the Gryphons upset the OVA defending champions, the Ottawa Gee-Gees, 87-68. At the national tournament in Winnipeg March ll to 13, Guelph and Ottawa met up again in the consolation championship, but this time, the Gryphons were defeated and placed sixth overall.

WHAT IS U OF G ' S GREATEST CONTRIBUTION? hat question has been posed by Prof.

Alan

Wildeman,

vice-president

(research), as a way for the University community to reflect on the value of research, education and humanitarian endeavours. All three were important to the world's most-celebrated researcher, Albert Einstein, whose work is being recognized in

2005

on the centenary of his so-called "miracle year." Einstein made a difference in the world, says Wildeman. "We want to reflect on the differences that the University of Guelph has made to the world." He's asking for input from the University community on what single U of G discovery or achievement they feel has had the biggest impact on the world. "U of G has a long tradition of doing work that can be translated into real-life applications," says Wildeman. "Sharing these 'greatest hits' will enable us to uncover all the ways in which the creativity of Guelph's faculty, staff and students have made a difference." To share your ideas about U of G's single greatest research or scholarly contribution, e-mail GreatestHits@uoguelph.ca.

VETS WITHOUT BoRDERS TO LAUNCH uelph will be the home of a new crossCanada humanitarian group called Veterinarians Without

THEY'RE MASTERS IN RESEARCH Custom-built diets and "rocks for crops" are the research interests of Guelph students Kim Schneider, left, and Karen Eny. Both are winners of $25,000 Science and Engineering Research Canada Research Scholarships. Schneider, B.Sc.(Env.) '04, is a master's student in land resource science, working with Prof. Peter Van Straaten on the use of local mineral resources as fertiliz-

Borders/Veterinaires sans frontieres-Canada (VWB/VSFCanada), which will be inaugurated during a gathering m Victoria, B.C., in July. The first VWB group in North America, the organization will co-ordinate efforts of Cana-

ers. Dubbed "rocks for crops;' the concept is intended to help smallholder farmers in developing countries improve agricultural practices and attain food self-sufficiency. She hopes to conduct fieldwork in Brazil, including the possible use of a fungus to break down phosphate rock material into nutrients available to plants. Eny will graduate this summer with a degree in applied nutrition . This fall,

dian veterinarians in responding to international crises and addressing longer-term problems involving human and animal health and the environment. Prof. David Waltner-Toews, Population Medicine, is serving as the group's acting CEO until

she begins a combined dietetic internship-master of science program through St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto. She's interested in learning more about interactions between genes and metab- ~ 0 olism and nutrition, infor- (j mation th at may eventual-~ ly see one-size-fits-all diets~ replaced by nutrition pro- ~ grams tailored to individuals on the basis of their~ genetic makeup. :=:=:

july. Guelph lawyer Brian Ausman, B.Sc.(Agr.) '79 and DVM '84, has provided pro bono legal work, and Erin Fraser, B.Sc. '94, DVM '98 and M.Sc. '00, who works at the Centre for Coastal Health in Victoria, is organizing the kickoff.

Summer 2005 5

During Black History Month in February, sociology professor Cecil Foster told participants in a Third Age Learning program that he's starting to believe in the possibility of Canadian children growing up in a society where skin colour is truly irrelevant. He said Canada laid the foundation for building towards this ideal when it became the world's first official multicultural country in 1971. "Canada took a leading role in saying citizenship has nothing to do with ethnicity, the colour of your skin or the language you speak;' he said. "It has to do with your intellect, your accomplishments and your values. Until that time, no country in th e world had ever done that." Foster is quick to add that Canada is not free of racism . "There are still problems; it continues to be a serious issue. But we can always have hope that we can overcome these problems." Foster, who joined U of G in 2002, is one of Canada's leading intellectuals on issues of race, culture, citizenship and immigration. His latest book, Where Race Does Not Matter: The New Spirit of Modernity, explores Canada's development as a country that welcomes people from around the world.

ARE

Guelph student braves the Arctic

SENIOR GAMBLERS AT RISK?

Only 750 kilometres from the North Pole, with the mercury in the thermometer stuck at about

Since casino gambling was legalized in Ontario in 1992, the number of atrisk Canadian gamblers has grown, but in a new study, U of G researchers >-- have found that most "'<( senior gamblers use strate~ gies that keep their hobby

-so C, U of G master's student Frank Cobbett, B.Sc.(Eng.) '04, is in the fifth month of a sixmonth study of how environmental mercury moves between the snow pack and the air in Canada's High Arctic. Cobbett's groundbreaking research is expected to yield information about the origins and behaviour of mercury, which is becoming a growing health hazard for people

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Family relations professors Joseph Tindale and joan Norris found that group bus excursions to "racinos" racetracks with slot machines - were the most popular forms of gambling among the seniors surveyed. "We found that many seniors see gambling excursions as positive, providing recreation, safe transportation and a way to get out of the house

THE PORTICO

living in northern regions. The environmental engineering student

and do things they enjoy;' says Tindale. Because most of the seniors surveyed set strict gambling limits of about $50 and view gambling as a way to socialize with friends, gambling doesn't affect other activities in their lives and puts them at a very low risk for problem gambling, say the researchers. "It's probably an effect of being a member of this

older cohort," says Norris. "They might be more accustomed to saving money, and they didn't grow up with the gambling venues that are now available." The professors have received funding from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre to create a detailed profile of older adult gamblers 111 smaller Ontario communities.

flew to Nunavut in January, headed for an Environment Canada research station on a Cold War-era military base on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, the world's most northerly inhabited settlement. He was joined by his faculty supervisor, Prof. Bill Van Heyst, at the end of the winter semester. They plan to compare their Arctic measurements with last fall's study of mercury flux from biosolids spread on a farmer's field near Guelph. Working there with Environment Canada, they found that more mercury escapes from soils immediately after rainfall and after tilling. Van Heyst also hopes to study mercury flux in tropical regions.

This lab is our lab Here's a peek into one of the research labs completed in Phase 1 of the University's new science complex. This lab is shared by microbiology professors Joseph Lam, left, and Chris Whitfield and eight other researchers, including post-docs, technicians and students. There are obvious efficiencies associated with shared space and equipment, but Lam and Whitfield say they pale in comparison with the

standards, discrimination and harassment. It also covers steps the University may take to verify that suppliers and subcontractors are in compliance. The code can be viewed online at www.uoguelph.ca/governors/policies. html.

SETS NEW ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR

SUPPLIERS

NEW

CODE

value of shared ideas and insights. Their situation is not unique. Most research labs in Phase 1 of the new building are ~ shared by microbiologists, biochemists, ~ molecular biologists and botanists. The ~ research labs are interspersed through- ~ out the 16s,ooo-square-foot building with ~ 26 undergraduate teaching labs designed S) to promote both independent and group ~ OJ learning. rn

ETHICAL

conduct for suppliers approved by the University's Board of Governors is intended to raise awareness among purchasers within the University community and suppliers. The new code builds on a previous administrative policy and now includes all apparel and merchandise with U of G logos or trademarks, as well as products monitored by a third-party agency that verifies policy compliance. The new policy includes provisions about supplier practices around fair wages and benefits, child labour, working hours, workplace health and safety

ART CENTRE TURNS SILVER

HE MACDONALD STEWART

Art Centre celebrates its 25th anniversary with the exhibition "Body Unbound: Works From the Collection," which runs until july 10. It features selections from the art centre and U of G collections, which include more than 5,000 works and represent a 300-year survey of Canadian art.

• University professor emeritus O.P. Dwivedi, Political Science, has been named a Member of the Order of Canada. • During convocation ceremonies Feb. 23 and 24, the University of Guelph awarded more than Boo degrees and diplomas, including honorary degrees to former U of G president Bill Winegard, feminist philosopher Lorraine Code and social scientist Gerald Helleiner. • Prof. Carlton Gyles, a bacteriologist and interim dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, has received the top research award presented by the Canadian Society for Microbiologists for lifetime achievement. He was recognized for his contributions internationally to E. coli research and is credited with providing the fundamental basis for recent developments in the field. • Landscape architecture professor Nancy Pollock-Ellwand, BLA '78, and her former graduate student Susan Preston, MLA '99, have won a citation from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects for an electronic textbook they developed called Landscape Legacies: Created Space From the Prehistoric to the Present traces the history of landscape design through text, photographs and graphics. • Prof. Jack Trevors, Environmental Biology, has been invited to join the newly formed Biology, Medicine and Society Think Tank, UMR CNRS/IRD Montpellier, France. He says the think tank deals with revitalizing scientific thinking and "understanding what is only speculative and misleading by scientists and what is established, credible and useful to humanity." • Prof. Alan Shepard, English and Theatre Studies, has been appointed associate vice-president (academic), with responsibility for the content and administration of all U of G undergraduate programs.

Summer 2005 7

BY BARRY GUNN â&#x20AC;˘ ILLUSTRATION BY KEYSER / 121

SEE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE shows the media animals sick he p u

HEAR

the word "veterinarian" and the first image that probably springs to mind is someone in a lab coat vaccinating your dog or cat. But wait. If you think the impact of veterinary medicine on your life is limited to the impact of pet care on your wallet, you're wrong. In a world where newspaper headlines shout that society is on the brink of a new pandemic, where SARS and West Nile virus have been pushed aside by fears of avian influenza, veterinarians are increasingly on the front lines of issues that have global social, economic and public health implications. With that in mind, the Ontario Veterinary College, in conjunction with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), brought some of Canada's leading health and science journalists to Guelph in March for a three-

day crash course in how veterinary medicine affects human health. The 2005 CASE Media Fellowship program offered reporters a rare opportmrity to meet with leading researchers at OVC to explore the roles that animals play in making us sick and helping us get well. The program also provided OVC researchers with insights into how the news media work and the reporters' perspectives on current issues in public health and scientific research . "One of the things we need to do is showcase the new face of veterinary medicine," says Prof. Carlton Gyles, OVC's interim dean. "Most people see the traditional face of veterinary medicine when they take their pet to their practitioner. That's important. But public health in general is an area of expansion for veterinary medicine worldwide. We need to get that message out."

"Some of the issues covered in these sessions were like the interviews I do on a weekly basis," said Canadian Press reporter Helen Branswell, right.

Science writers recognized the transfer value of veterinary research on conditions like arthritis in race horses, cancer in dogs and parasites that infect both humans and animals.

10 The Portico

From a media perspective, there have certainly been enough wake-up calls in recent years with outbreaks of illnesses such as SARS and West Nile virus, but it still doesn't occur to most reporters to make that link between veterinary science and issues affecting people. "I have to confess that I thought veterinarians and people in veterinary science studied animals, and I didn't see where the intersect was;' says Helen Branswell, a longtime reporter with Canadian Press who has covered the health beat for five years. "I was surprised at how much relevance there was to the work that I do." The veterinary profession has undergone profound changes since Andrew Smith founded the Ontario Veterinary College in Toronto in 1862. In those days, the school was primarily focused on the horse. By the time OVC moved to Guelph in 1922, the focus was shifting toward servicing the livestock industry. Small-animal medicine -looking after people's pets- was not a priority. That's certainly not the case today. There are some eight million dogs and cats in Canada, and owners value their pets' health. The evolution of veterinary medicine has mirrored the shift in demographics and social values, with companion-animal practice becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialized in areas traditionally associated with human medicine, such as oncology, cardiology and neurology. At the same time, farm-animal practice has long since moved on from providing mainly emergency medicine- the call in the wee hours during foaling season- to overall health management, helping farmers maximize production while protecting the wellbeing of their animals and the health of consumers. Meanwhile, over the last 20 years, new threats to human health have arisen that have animal links and shine the spotlight on veterinary medicine, including: the emergence of diseases such as SARS and mad cow disease; the resurgence of diseases like tuberculosis in wildlife populations; the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens; water quality issues; climate change and its potential for allowing the spread of illnesses like West Nile virus; the potential menace of bioterrorism; and growing urbanization and globalization, which make it possible for new diseases that do emerge to spread like never before. Some 80 per cent of the new infectious diseases to emerge in the past couple of decades are considered zoonotic (they can be transmitted from animals to humans). The experts say we can expect to see a new disease on the horizon every 12 to 14 months. By this time next year, avian influenza could be old news. Or it could be the pandemic the experts have been predicting. This intermingling of human and animal biolog-

ical systems has no precedent. While summarizing the convergence of these trends recently, Brian Evans, a 1978 DVM graduate and the federal government's chief veterinary officer, told a group of first-year students that no matter which career path they choose in veterinary medicine, "you will be in public health:'

It's dear the public will continue to look for answers to the health questions that crop up in the media every day. ''As a society, we're far more attuned to global warming, to what's in our food;' says Tanya Talaga, a Toronto Star health policy reporter who covered the Walkerton disaster and the SARS outbreak. "We want to know why one in three of us are touched by cancer; we want to know all these things. And it has to do with the food we eat and the air we breathe and the environment we live in." OVC clinical studies professor Scott Weese says the belief used to be that things like rabies were the only zoonotic diseases worth worrying about. "Beyond that, the thinking was, there are horse bugs and dog bugs and cat bugs and human bugs, and there's not much interaction. But now we know there are more bugs that are going between different species:' In recent years, Weese and OVC researchers have collaborated with Mount Sinai Hospital and microbiologists in Quebec on studies that have focused on a pair of bacteria that are potentially deadly to both humans and animals: methicillin-resistant StaphyLococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile. Both are traditionally associated with infections originating in human hospitals. Both can be connected with the unanticipated increase in antimicrobial-resistant pathogens due to the use of antibiotics to treat other illnesses. And both can jump from humans to animals and back again . Veterinarians aren't just on the front line when the worlds of science and politics collide; sometimes they also get caught in the crossfire. Take, for example, the debate over the effects on human health of antimicrobial drug use in food animals. Antibiotics give producers valuable tools for preventing and treating disease in farm animals, as well as promoting growth, but there are costs along with the benefits. As in human medicine, there are concerns that antimicrobials are being used too liberally. The problem is that the pathogens targeted by the drugs are highly adaptable. Resistant strains of Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli and Enterococci not only pose problems for farmers, but they can also spread to humans, with serious health consequences. Exactly how it happens - how Salmonella, for instance, strings together the complex array of genes that code for resistance- is not fully understood. "It's not as simple as Farmer Joe treats sick cow

with tetracycline and you end up with this complex Salmonella strain;' says Prof. Scott McEwen of OVC's Department of Population Medicine. "As far as we can tell, it's a lot more complicated and takes place over a long period of time. The bottom line is that drug use anywhere can affect resistance anywhere, and it's impossible to predict what's going to happen. We should try to reduce the use of drugs as much as possible in all the realms, whether it's in animals or people, because these genes do find their way around:'

with Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to investigate the effectiveness of metronomic chemod1erapy -low continuous doses of chemotherapy drugs aimed at cutting off the blood supply to tumours. Many OVC research projects have potential spinoff benefits for people. Dogs, for example, share our environment and develop many of the same types of cancers. And because of their shorter lifespan, it's possible to learn a great deal about how the disease progresses in a short period.

It's that level of uncertainty- or rather, the difficulty of distinguishing between the real and theoretical risks to human health- that intrigues the Globe and Mairs Andre Picard. "People want a no-nonsense direction," says Picard, author of two bestselling books on Canada's health system and one of the country's leading public policy writers. He says a good example of real versus theoretical risks emerged last fall when studies revealed higher-than-expected levels of flame-retardant chemicals in supermarket fish, meat and dairy products. "You're telling me there are flame retardants in food, but what I want to know is: 'So what? Is this going to kill me? Or can I still enjoy my steak and get a little fire retardant and so be it?' That's what people are looking for: 'Tell me the bottom line."' OVC clinical studies professor Mark Hurtig says that, in the past, when people would ask him what he did for a living, he'd say he was a veterinarian. "Now I don't know what to say. I usually say I'm an arthritis researcher. Yes, I study animals, but I also work on large collaborative projects that are mostly focused on people, using the natural history of arthritis in animals as a model." As director of the Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Hurtig leads an interdisciplinary group focused on osteoarthritis and cartilage repair techniques. Rather than treating the disease once it gets established, he is particularly interested in early interventions- treating or repairing injuries before they develop into arthritis. "That early intervention step is going to be huge in the next 10 years;' he says. "Our lab is a proving ground for those new concepts." Veterinary medicine is also a proving ground for new cancer treatments, allowing researchers to study naturally occurring cancer in dogs and cats, for example, and to conduct clinical trials that parallel human research. In one project, OVC scientists are working with researchers at McMaster University on gene therapy that targets dendritic cells to trigger the dog's own immune system to attack cancer ceUs. In another project, clinical studies professor Paul Woods is working

It's their ability to look at issues from a slightly different perspective that would make veterinarians a valuable resource during a health crisis, says Hannah Hoag, a Montreal-based science journalist who writes for the McGill University Health Centre and publications such as Nature and

"People want a no-nonsense direction," says Andre Picard, one of Canada's leading public policy writers. "Tell me the bottom line."

Canadian Geographic. With an M.Sc. in genetics and molecular biology, Hoag felt right at home talking shop with OVC researchers but was still surprised at the level of research taking place here. "I realized the link between animal health and human health was there, but admittedly, I hadn't realized the extent of research that a vet college was involved in- research at a more basic level rather than just at a clinical level;' she says. The Walkerton tragedy in May 2000 made E. coli a household name in Canada. A year later, an outbreak of water-borne illness in North Battleford, Sask., made the public aware of Cryptosporidium, a parasite that commonly causes diarrhea in cattle. It has also emerged as one of the most common causes of water-borne disease in North America. At the same time, well-known food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella continue to be a concern. "There's been a substantial increase in public concern about food and water safety over the last 10 to 15 years;' says Prof. Jeff Wilson, an epidemiologist in OVC's Department of Population Medicine. Working in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Wilson is focused on co-ordinating outbreak response, surveillance and research into major zoonotic, enteric, food-borne and waterborne disease outbreaks. They can expect to be busy in the coming years. "We can anticipate there will be additional new emerging infections," says Wilson, just as Weese expects new zoonotic diseases and Woods hopes for breakthroughs in cancer research that will benefit both animals and humans. What Canada's chief veterinarian told veterinary students about their role in public health parallels what their professors were telling Canada's major media about the link between veterinary science and medical research: "Expect the unexpected." â&#x20AC;˘

" 6 ---<

~ (J)

"I hadn't realized the extent of veterinary research. That's what definitely put the vet college on my radar," said science journalist Hannah Hoag.

---<

:::!

Summer 2005

[ No. 1 â&#x20AC;˘1n Research ]

We've got a reputation for research

MONG ITS PEERS, the University of Guelph is Canada's research university of the year, and has been for three consecutive years. The consulting firm Research Infosource Inc. ranks Guelph as Canada's top comprehensive research university on the basis of

12 THE PORTICO

financial input and research output. Their report is published by the National Post, and it has has made for some impressive headlines and eloquent one-liners about the value of Guelph's research engine. A $121-million research budget is pretty impressive for a Canadian university that doesn't have a

medical school, but more valuable still are the ideas being generated by Guelph researchers and the impact research has on teaching. Research breakthroughs that are changing the world can often be traced back to teaching environments that encouraged

story by Lori Bona Hunt

Beyond the rankings, Guelph's research engine gains mileage from alumni innovators

exploration. And at their centre are usually mentors who carefully nurtured learning and discovery. That's one of Guelph's great strengths, and one of the reasons why our alumni family is rife with 21 st_century explorers. In this feature, we focus on six out-

standing alumni who represent a breadth of research excellence that began in Guelph graduate programs. Serendipity and circumstance brought them all to U of G. They came at different ages, during different decades and with vastly different interests. But they all emerged

from their experiences with new ways of thinking, learning and doing. They followed varying and winding paths, but all six are now back in the classroom, maintaining the essential connection between research and teaching and educating the next generation of great innovators.

Summer 2005 13

Healing wounds with technology

BURRELL HAS revolutionized wound care and helped save the lives of people around the globe, including victims of 9/11 and the terrorist bombings in Bali. The U of G graduate develop ed a bandage that heals wounds quickly without leaving scars. The bandage contains a sil ver-based dressing Burrell created ca ll ed Acticoat, which has antimicrobial and antiinflammatory properties and uses moleculesized building blocks to speed healing. His 1995 invention was a scientific and clinical breakthrough. It's used in hospitals wo rldwide, especially burn units, and is herald ed as one of th e most s ignificant advances in wound-care history. It's also believed to be the first-ever commercial medical application of nanotechnology (the study of molecular and atom~ ic particles where measurements are made ~in nanometres or billionths of a metre). Burrell began developing nano-based ~ processes and products to solve problems in in medicine and biotechnology in the mid20 1980s, long before nanotechnology became 6: a household word among scientists. OB

14 GuELPH ALUMNus

Now a professor at the University of Alberta, he is a named inventor on more than 260 patents and pending patents around the world and has helped develop more than 15 medical products. He's considered a world authority on using advanced metallic films to speed wound healing. Burrell invented the renowned bandage while working as the ch ief scientific officer for Westaim Biomedical Inc. (now Nucryst Pharmaceuticals). He also initiated a connection that led to Smith & Nephew, the global leader in medical products and devices, acquiring the commercial rights to take Acticoat worldwide. The business is now worth $33 million. Burrell says it was the arrangement with Smith & Nephew that allowed him to reenter the classroom. "I always had it in the back of my mind that I wou ld return to academia because I enjoy teaching;' he says. And once he didn't have to worry about how his product would get to the people and places where it could do the most good, "it allowed me to make the decision to make the move." Now a Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Biomaterials at Alberta, Burrell holds positions in the Faculty of Engineering as a professor of chem ical and materials engineering and in the Facu lty of Medicine

and Dentistry as a professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He says his years at Guelph, specificall y working with his master's adviser, Cha rl es Co rke, played a big role in his success. "He saw something in me that I didn't see;' Burrell says of Corke. "His approach was to put me in the lab and have me learn by doing and challenging. He gave me a lot of freedom to explore what l wanted to do." Burrell earned a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1976, studied plant biology through the Ontario Agricultural College, then completed a master's degree in environmental microbiology in 1980. He went on to earn a PhD in microbial toxicology at the University of Waterloo. His wife, Louise Colonnier, is also a Guelph graduate, earning a B.Sc. in 1980. Burrell recalls that the first assignment Corke gave him involved a series of experiments that ended up proving a previously established theory was incorrect. "The basis we went forward on was that all work done up to that point was founded on something that had a little flaw in it:' He and Corke ended up publishing seven papers together. "His g iving me that freedom, not dictating what I should be doing or thinking, is what taught me to really look into things, to say: 'Just because it's already in print doesn't necessarily mean it's right,"' says Burrell. "You have to analyze everything and look at it quite carefully."

Changing lives for the

better

MILHAUSEN KNEW from an early age that she wanted to study the sexuality of young people, particularly young women. "Navigating through puberty, negotiating dating and relationships, coming to terms with your sexual identity- these are extremely difficult and important life tasks;' she says. "It wasn't easy for me, and it isn't easy for most adolescents. I wanted to learn everything I could about the process to, in some way, make it easier for young people." Growing up in Collingwood, Ont., Milhausen says her role model was esteemed Canadian sex therapist Sue Joh anson, whom OBIN

"It's helping me to stay current in my research and to share my findings with the world. I think all academics want to translate what they're doing so it's applicable and acceptable to the genera l public. We want to see our research used to make a positive change in people's li ves."

Watching

evolution happen

she watched regularly on TV. "I always wanted to take steps towards a career that would follow a similar path." Milhausen has done just that. After earning an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master's degree in human development and human relations from Guelph , she studied at the worldrenowned Kinsey Institute at the University of Indiana and is now a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. She's also co-host of the television program Sex, Toys & Chocolate, which airs on Canada's Life Network and is known for its refreshing format and open and frank discussions on topics such as dating, relationships, gender barriers, sexuality, and sexual health and behaviour. The program has a new subject matter each week and features different male and female guests who exchange views and experiences- no-holds-barred. There are few taboos. "After teaching and researching about sex for so many years, there's not much that can make me blush," Milhausen says. One year after its debut, the weekly show is among the highest-rated on the network. In fact, it's so popular, it's already in "reruns" and can now be seen every night of the week. Mi lhausen was asked to try out for the program by a producer from Alliance

Atlantis who had heard about her research and tracked her down in Indiana. As a graduate student and post -doctoral researcher, Mi lh ausen produced art icl es that have appeared in publications such as the American journal of Health Education and journal of Sex Research. She also received the Outstanding Student Research Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and became the youngest member of the International Academy of Sex Research, a prestigious invitation-only organization. Even though she had no TV experience and knew juggl ing the show and her research position would be a challenge, Milhansen jumped at the chance. Each week during the four months a year the show is in production, she spends Monday and Tuesday developing interventions to prevent sexual risk-taking among young people, then catches a plane to Toronto on Wednesday to spend a day in planning meetings with producers for the show. On Friday and Saturday, she tapes two shows each day, then flies back to Georgia on Sunday. Come fall, her weekly commute will be shorter. Milhausen is returning to Canada to start another post -doctoral research position, this time at the Social Justice and Sexual Health Research Centre at the University of Windsor. She considers hosting the TV show a perfect fit with her career in academia.

CELAND NATIVE BjarniKristjansson may have on ly just started a PhD program, but he is already known as a researcher working on the cutting edge. As a master's student in U of G's zoology program, Kristjansson published three papers on the rapid evolutionary change he discovered in sticklebacks, a family of small fish that are related to seahorses and found in northern oceans and lakes. Not only can they live in fresh or salt water, but sticklebacks also show an amazing abi lity to adapt quickly to local conditions in lakes and lagoons- so much so that researchers can see the fish physically alter to fit their surroundings within only one or two generations. "You can actua ll y see evo lu tion taking place," says Kristjansson. His research looked at the ecological and behavioural processes of rapid evo lutionary change, and at how the changes that occur in an ecosystem can help better protect and conserve the entire system, not simply one or two species. His work was heralded for its originality and creativity. While he was chasing down sticklebacks, Kristjansson also hauled a brand-new crea- ~ ture out of the water- the first known ~ freshwater amphipods in Iceland. In addi- 8 c tion to being a new species, they are a new ~ genus and an entire ly new family of~ amphipods. His discovery indicates that~ these creatures surv ived glaciation and has ~ cha nged the way people think about how:;: -; life came to Iceland. r;z Finding a new family in a group as well- iii known and intensively studied as freshwater 8 s amphip ods is no sma ll feat. In fact, Krist- 1ยง jansson's mentors at Guelph and at his home- ~ )> town school, Iceland's H6lar University Col- g lege, call it "a lifetime achi evement." They iii

Summer 2005 15

also describe him as being "among the best and brightest in modern ecological research:' For the past several years, Kristjansson has been actively involved in an academic exchange between U of G and H6lar. He has taught, organized and managed a field course that sees Guelph and other Ontario students visit Iceland every two years. As a researcher at H6lar, he has taught courses in aquaculture and rural tourism and has taken a leading role in organizing new courses. Since 1999, he has also been director of H6lar's freshwater aquarium, which receives up to 6,000 visitors a year. Kristjansson returned to Guelph in january to start work on a PhD. He was awarded the Brock Scholarship, Guelph's largest and most prestigious doctoral award, which is valued at up to $120,000. Recipients are considered outstanding in their field of studies, their research work and their ability to serve as mentors and leaders to other students in doctoral programs. For the next few years, he'll be dividing ~his time between fieldwork based at H6lar ~and studies at Guelph, where he plans to I ~further his research on rapid adaptive ~ change in Icelandic fish. When asked about the success he has i;; already achieved, Kristjansson attributes it [5 to a combination ofluck and "seeing what's ~there. You have to have an open mind."

GuELPH ALUMNUS

That was one of the most crucial things he learned as a master's student at Guelph, he says. "You start to realize that you have to learn to think in new ways, approach things differently. It's a process I could feel occurring inside me as I worked through my master's degree." Talk about watching evolution taking place.

Answering questions about

the past

EVERLY

LEMIRE

CLEARLY

recalls when she started asking the questions that have directed the course of her distinguished career. She was in her second year at Guelph and had become intrigued by her studies of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. " It was the point at which the entire world started to change," says Lemire, who spent 17 years as a history professor at the University of New Brunswick before joining the faculty of the University of Alberta. The Industrial Revolution was a period of great economic, social and cultural change in the West, she says. There were also significant changes in transportation, leading to the connection of the East and the

West. As a result, what was happening in Great Britain was bringing about intense transformation around the world. "At the time, I was also taking history courses with a lot of other geographical designations: African, Eastern European, Spanish and colonial American history," says Lemire. As a result, she couldn't stop thinking about the interactions between Britain and the wider world. "I starting asking myself questions about it, and from there, I have been propelled from question to question my entire academic life:' It's an academic life that has included winning a prestigious Com monwealth Scholarship to Oxford University, where she earned a doctorate in 1985; receiving a Killam Research Fellowship; achieving the rank of University Research Professor at UNB; and being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, considered Canada's most prestigious academic accolade. Most recently, she was named to the prestigious Henry Marshall Tory Chair in the Department of History and Classics and the Department of Human Ecology at Alberta. Lemire is renowned for her innovative economic, social and gender analyses of the changing material world. "I do a lot of comparative history, which is of great interest to me," she says. She has published books on the English clothing trade and consumers; edits the journal Textile History, serves on the Council of the Canadian Historical Association; and coedited a comparative volume analyzing women's use of credit around the globe from the past to the present. Her latest book, The

Business of Everyday Life: Gender, Practice and Social Politics in England, c. 1600 to 1900, will be published later this year. "My research interests developed out of my experiences at Guelph;' says Lemire. "I received a lot of support from faculty for the way I wanted to approach history and for being creative in my writing. I really evolved as a student there." How Lemire ended up at U of G is a story in itself. Originally from Montreal, she and her husband, Morris, were living in Toronto with their two-year-old daughter, Shannon, and finding it hard to "fit in" with what universities had to offer there. "We heard Guelph had a mature-student program, a married-student residence and

cover the processes of stretch activation using X-ray images of fruit flies in flight. To do so, he used the Western Hemisphere's most brilliant X-rays, from the Advanced Photon Source located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National ~ Laboratory in Chicago. To build a single Si 0 image, he and his collaborators had to take ~ hundreds of exposures of the tiny insects at ~ various stages of muscle contractions. Each ~ exposure could last only 0.3 milliseconds or the powerful rays would kill the flies. ~ The insects also had to be tethered to a Y' c wire. To get them to beat their wings, the ~ researchers had to build a flight simulator ~ to fool the flies into thinking they were ~ 0 moving through the air. ; The X-ray images revealed that, as a fly's :g muscles stretch and contract, various pro- ~ teins are interacting, something that was pre- iii viously unsuspected. "We could actually see ~ "' the movement of molecules," Irving says. -~ The research, which was first published ~ in Nature magazine, may also provide new ~ ways of studying how molecular changes iii affect human muscle performance, such as g :r: the beating heart. ;,. "The heart is a regulatory machine that z we still don't fully understand;' he says. "At ;ii the very least, this research suggests new ~ questions we can ask." ~ It was the opportunity to work both as ~ a biology professor at liT and at the sophis- ~ )> ticated Argonne National Laboratory that ~

a co-op day care;' says Lemire, "so Morris took a trip up there and said: 'You've got to come and see it.' It was a very friendly environment for those who weren't the stereotypical straight-out-of-high-school students. It really distinguished Guelph at the time." When she first started at U of G, Lemire took a wide range of courses. "But something about history just clicked with me." She earned her BA in 1979 and MAin 1981. Her current research explores the transition from traditional to modern society. "I still have more questions to ask;' she says.

bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in biophysics from Guelph in 1978, 1984 and 1990, respectively. Unlike animal muscles, insect muscles don't require a nerve impulse from the brain to contract, he explains. Instead, they're activated by "stretch"- one set of muscles automatically turns on when the contraction of the opposing muscle group causes it to stretch. But how insects manage to turn those muscles on and off at such high rates of speed (one wing beat takes 5/1,000 of a second) was unknown. Irving set out to dis-

Understanding

muscle power

IRVING

PAIRED

ONE

of the 路world's most powerful Xray machines with one of nature's tiniest creatures to solve a mystery of the insect kingdom - how do winged creatures manage to fly? His groundbreaking research on the beating wings of the fruit fly received worldwide attention. Someday, it may also aid in understanding the workings of the human heart. "The way in which the wing muscles in insects generate enough power for flight was not completely understood;' says Irving, a biology professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) who earned his

Summer 2005 17

drew Irving to Illinois. Previously, he was a staff scientist at Cornell University and had worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin. A third-generation Guelphite, Irving grew up always wanting to be a scientist. He was the first and only member of his family to go to university. "When I started, what I really wanted to study was cellular biology, but at the time, I didn't know what it was called. So I took microbiology, but it really wasn't for me." It was in graduate school that he discovered his love of muscle biophysics. U of G is also where he met his wife, Linda, who earned her B.Sc. in 1985. Irving visits Guelph frequently. "My family is interested in what I'm doing and they try to und erstand it. But we all speak the same language while sitting around in the morning having cornflakes."

Protecting animal

welfare

ORA

LEWIS

CAME

Guelph in the mid-1970s with her sights set on becoming a veterinarian. "It was what I wanted to be for as long as I can remember;' says Lewis, adding that, as a chi ld in Mississauga, Ont., she was always caring for the family's dogs and cats. She started out at Guelph studying biology, thinking she'd apply as soon as possible to the Ontario Veterinary College and eventually work with small animals. "To be accepted to veterinary school, you had to take certain prerequisite courses, so I went to see a professor of agriculture one ;ii day," she says. "He started talking to me 0 ~about an imal behaviour, which was a very ~new field then, and I became extremely interested." >i:i That professor was Frank Hurnik, who ~was the only applied ethologist in Canada ~at the time. A faculty member at U of G ~from 1971 to 1997, he initiated behaviour~ a! studies at Guelph and developed the first ~course in animal welfare. "' "I was really lucky that I went to talk to in 2 Frank tl1at day because it changed my career ~path entirely;' says Lewis.

GUELPH ALUMNUS

After earning a bachelor's degree in biology in 1976, Lewis completed an M.Sc. and a PhD in applied etl1ologywith Hurnik, publishing articles on poultry and swine behaviour. She went to work as an ethologist for the University of Saskatchewan, where she continued her research on swine behaviour and introduced students to anima l behaviour through her teaching. The field was still emerging, and Lewis's work was considered innovative and timely. She returned to Guelph in 1987 as a research associate in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, working mostly with cattle and poultry. "I had reached a point in my life when I co uld consider my future options;' she says. "So I thought I would pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian." When she enrolled in the DVM program in 1990, Lewis was the only person in her first-year class with a PhD. "I planned to open a practice dealing with the behavioural problems of cats and dogs, so I could use the ski ll s and knowledge from all my degrees," she says. But a year after earning her DVM, she saw a position advertised at the University of Manitoba. The university was looking for a veterinarian to care for research animals, and the Department of Animal Science needed an applied ethologist.

"It was perfect for me," says Lewis. "I could continue studying animal behaviour and also work as a veterinarian." She was recently promoted to director of Manitoba's animal-care and -use program and will oversee and provide direction for the welfare and health of research animals. She also continues to do research, publish and teach as an associate professor of animal science. Lewis has cared for and studied all sorts of animals: cows and chickens, rodents and rabbits, snakes and birds. But her "species of choice" is swine. "Pigs are very intelligent and, like most animals, have a lot to teach us once we learn how to listen, watch and understand them," she says. When not at work, she looks after her own animals - two dogs, a cat and three horses - and lives with her husband, Keith, on 160 acres of land. "It's a bit more than we can handle somet im es," she says with a laugh . â&#x20AC;˘

To read more about these alumni innovators and the current research initiatives at U of G, look for the links at www.uoguelph.ca/theportico.

WE'VE GOT THE SCOOP ON ICE CREAM â&#x20AC;˘ BY REBECCA KENDALL

HE COOLEST COURSE in Canada just passed its 90th birthday. U of G's Ice Cream Technology short course started in 1914, and students have been scooping up spaces in the classroom ever since. Currently taught by Food Science Prof. Doug Goff, an authority on eating and making ice cream, the seven-day course welcomes students from across Canada and as far away as Mexico, Venezuela, Japan, Italy, France, Jamaica and Barbados. They come to Guelph to learn from Goff's research on the physical chemistry, formation and structure of dairy products and frozen foods, i.e., how to make the best ice cream. Here's the scoop on our favourite summertime treat. Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavour in North America, accounting for more than one-third of all ice cream consumed. Think of all those milkshakes, malts and a Ia mode desserts! Canadians eat 9.7litres of ice cream products each year, including low-fat products, sherbets and frozen yogurt, putting us sixth

in worldwide ice cream consumption. The main ingredients in ice cream are milk fat, milk solids, sugar, stabilizer, emulsifier and flavouring. Ice cream is a great nutrition choice because of its high calcium content. It also has lots of vitamins A and D. Eat your ice cream slowly to avoid "brain freeze" - that 30-second ice cream headache is caused by the dilation of blood vessels in your head. Too much cold ice cream may chill a nerve centre located above the roof of your mouth that overreacts and tries to heat your brain. Hip and trendy ice cream makers are leaning toward the exotic with new lines of gourmet coffee flavours, liqueurbased brands and flavours with international flair. How about lychee cream and ginger, chocolate orange trifle, blackberry cabernet sorbet, Irish cream or spicy seven-pepper ice cream? For a bigger scoop of ice cream trivia, check out Goff's dairy education website at www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu.

ofthedevastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, we all wanted to help those who lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihood. For most of us, that meant making a financial contribution to the Canadian Red Cross or other relief agency, but for three Guelph graduates, it was a hands-on experience- loading emergency rations, digging organic matter out of dirty wells and battling local bureaucracies to co-ordinate an effective disaster response. Erin Smith, Victor Menkal and Valerie Raymond were all part of the relief effort in Sri Lanka, an island country where more than 40,000 people died and devastation was widespread. Although their experiences are all different, they share a deep respect and admiration for the resilience of the Sri Lankan people. IN THE AFTERMATH

ERIN SMITH "I CAN'T FORGET THEM." THE WAVES of the tsunami started thrashing the shores of Sri Lanka, I was on a train in the Colombo station, ready to head south to join a few friends on our favourite beach. I disembarked to take a frantic phone call from a friend running from the beach to higher ground. The train went on without me and made it only 40 kilometres before it was hit by the waves. I had been ;;;! saved from being caught in the tsunami itself, ~ but was soon wrapped into a small faction :;;; "" of what was to become the greatest humanยง itarian aid response in history. ~ I had been working in Sri Lanka since ~ August 2004 for the World Conservation I ~ Union (IUCN), on an internship with the ~ Canadian International Development ~ Agency and the Winnipeg-based Interna>~ tional Institute for Sustainable Development. ยง5 Sri Lanka was fascinating to explore, and the 0 ~ people of the island were incredibly kind. They were also fervent survivors, maintainiS: ing dynamic spirits throughout decades of

HEN

The Portico

Erin M. Smith is a researcher and writer currently based in Ontario. She received an undergraduate degree in geography from Queen's University in 2001 and an MA from U of G in 2004.

civil conflict. These traits became even more evident in the days after the tsunami. While the waves were still ravaging the coasts, Colombo moved into emergency response mode, with local aid groups

recruiting volunteers like myself to co-ordinate the purchasing and shipping of dry rations. Medical teams were sent to the disaster zones to help treat the injured, often getting to survivors by jumping out of helicopters forced to hover over rubble. My friends and I, like many others, drove to the coasts to try to find survivors. Seeing those regions for the first time revealed the apocalyptic proportions of the disaster. The roads were choked with stunned survivors, their pale blue houses now skeletons spilling furniture, clothing and cherished mementos into muddy rubble. The beaches had become burial grounds, cradling bodies that continued to wash in for days. Because of the extent of the damage and the number of people affected, there were great difficulties with the co-ordination of relief efforts. Land mines had shifted with the waves in the island's political and natural landscapes, making it difficult to ensure that aid was getting to the rebel-controlled areas as well as government-run regions. A network of about 30 friends and I circumvented some of these problems by signing up as volunteers with a number of organizations and text messaging each other when people and supplies were located and needed. During the weeks after the tsunami, we would move from rationing dry goods into family packs to assessing what supplies camps needed. Some of us worked in temporary morgues, identifying foreigners among the dead, and others fielded overseas calls from families looking for loved ones. None of us slept. During the day, I worked with the IUCN on post-disaster environmental impact assessments. My evenings and weekends were filled with various tasks. It was normal for me to deliver food to a camp, then find myself in a field teaching the chicken dance to 30 children.

In my last few weeks in Sri Lanka, I saw the need for clothing and medicines replaced by demands for building materials and sanitation networks. The kids in the camps started drawing houses being built instead of waves in the sky. Most organizations are now focusing on long-term endeavours such as livelihoods, housing and sanitation projects. The initiatives I'm most hopeful about are the ones being carried out by smaller grassroots movements working alongside international organizations. The world's generous response to the victims of the tsunami was overwhelming but justified. Too often, many of us allow our desensitized selves to sit back while others are in need, and now that the initial response to the waves is over, there is concern that those affected will be left behind by the rest of the world. This sentiment was made clear to me in the plea of a woman my age now living, like hundreds of thousands across the island, in a refugee camp. "Please," she whispered as she held my shoulder. "When you all leave, don't forget us:' There's no way I ever will.

VICTOR MENKAL "THE RESILIENCE OF THE SRI LANKANS IS INCREDIBLE." ITH IN DAYS of the tsunami, I saw a TV interview with Toronto paramedic Rahul Singh, who was standing in front of a large pallet of bottled water being airlifted to Sri Lanka. I contacted him by email and suggested a small reverse osmosis water plant would be much more cost-effective than shipping water and offered to provide technical support and a donation. I had intended to provide support from Whitehorse, but he called the next day (Dec. 30) and asked if I would be ready to leave Jan. 2. It didn't take much thought to decide to go. I joined a team of volunteer paramedics

with Global Medics, an amazing little nonprofit aid group that's been working for a number of years in Southeast Asia and other developing countries, providing medical

training, medical supplies, clinics and disaster assistance. The Global Medics team was responsible for setting up a small clinic and dispensary at our hotel to service local needs, provided mobile medical assistance to refugee camps and small villages affected by the tsunami, and built a clinic at a refugee camp. My work included an engineering evaluation of the municipal and private water supply systems for the town of Batticaloa (population over 100,000), developing a well-decontamination strategy, and providing training and advice on required emergency repairs. Many days, I was elbow deep in dirty wells training teams of local residents and volunteers from the Texas Baptist Men's organization on methods to clean wells contaminated with toxic organic sludge left by the tsunami. Equipment was begged, borrowed or otherwise acquired. Rahul's local contacts in Sri Lanka were invaluable. Krishan Thambapillai, a young local businessman, was one of the most resourceful people I've ever met. He organized volunteers to help clean wells, co-ordinated with his uncle in Colombo to get the specialized pumping equipment, and used other local businesses to provide supplies and equipment. After working around the clock for countless days, he still took the time to ma ke a Canadian flag with the "Camp Yukon" logo for our base camp. A six-year-old boy named Ajanthan became my engineering assistant. Every day, he carried my backpack and rode around with me. We gave him the nickname "Short Round" from the Indiana Jones movie. After mobilizing the well-decontamination teams, I evaluated the municipal pipedwater system. Many of the municipal wells were infected with E. coli, and pumps, pipelines and other equipment were in need of repair. I was sickened to find that both municipal well fields were also contaminat-

Summer 2005

ed with land min es that had been scattered from two military bases by the flooding. Rohul's contacts came through again, and a demining outfit of ex-military engineers from the Indian army ca me to help so we could inspect and clean municipal wells. We called these brave men th e Sri Lankan Na tional Tap Dance Team. We developed a plan of action to undertake emergency repairs required to keep safe water flowin g to th e town , hospital, schools and refugee camps, and set up a bas ic water lab for th e local engi neer to use. Rahul asked me to train a couple of environmental health in spectors from th e Ministry of Hea lth in well in specti o n and deco ntamination. More than 50 people showed up for my co urse. The kindness, ge nerosity and resilience o f the Sri Lankan s were incredible. People greeted us warmly wherever we went and offered soft drinks even though they had lost almost everything. I am extrem ely proud to have bee n abl e to work with Rahul's ~ Global Medi cs team. It was amazing ~to see th e difference that such a ~ small group of people can m ake for ~ so many others. The experience was a :z; one of th e most incredible things I l3 have ever done. >~ I am currently working with th e Yukon ~ government, Yukon College and th e Rotary ~ Club to "adopt" th e town of Batticaloa and "' provide ongoing assistance for at least one ::' Vl 0 year. In th e meantime, th e work of Global <{ "".Medics continues in Sri Lanka. If you'd like to ~ help, contact the organization at dm gf.org.

room as the sea eerily receded, then surged to shore. But it wasn't until the water was calm once more and she went downstairs

fVl

~ VALERIE RAYMOND ~"WE HAVE TO TRY ~

Valerie Raymond was born in Winnipeg, : grew up in Edmonton and began her

TO MAKE A SMALL ~ DIFFERENCE."

career as a reporter for the Ottawa Cit-

to a series of communications positions

DEc. 6, Valeri e Raymond, BA ~ '73, Canada's high commissioner to ~Sri Lanka, like many other Ca nadians, was <{ ~ enjoying a few days' holiday. As fate would ~ have it, she and her partner were at a resort nea r Galle on Sri Lanka's so uthwest coast u ~ and experienced first-hand the tsunami that ~ so dram atically affected th e island - and th e world - that day. iS: They watched from their second -sto rey

2 t

The Portico

izen in the mid-1970s. She moved on in the federal government and, in 1986, joined the Department of External Affairs and International Trade, where she took on a number of senior jobs. She served as Canada's high commissioner to New Zealand from 1997 to 2001, and in 2002 was posted to Sri Lanka with concurrent accreditation to the Maldives.

that Raymond began to grasp th e devastation the waves had wrought- the hotel lobby gutted, shops destroyed, concrete walls fl attened and cars strewn abo ut like toys. Sri Lan ka was hard hit by th e tsu nami , with more th an 40,000 deaths and vast st retches of coastal areaS ruined. Raymond found her way back the following day to the inlan d cap ital of Colombo, and since th en, her life and job have been cons um ed by the disaster. Initi all y, consular matters to ok priority, with those in the High Comm ission spending exha usting days helping to acco unt for Canadians in Sri Lanka, findin g th em acco mm odation , co nta cti ng th eir fam ilies and easing their way home. She and her staff also worked closely with officials in Ottawa o n Canada's hum anitari an respo nse to th e tsunami, a key part of which was bringing the 200-member Disaster Assistance Response Team to provide med ical supp o rt, clean water and oth er assista nce to the island's devastated Am para district. Raymond lauds the dedication and professionalism of staff at the Canadian mission in Sri Lanka, as well as the temporary re inforcements sent by Foreign Affairs Canada. Sh e says she's been inspired by the resilience of th e Sri Lankan people, whom she has come to kn ow well thro u g h Can ada's efforts in s upport of ending the country's long-sta nding and brutal civil war. T he co nflict zo ne in the northeast was badly hit by the waves, she says. "Ma ny of these people had suffered for many years before the tsun a mi and now have to face another disaster. T he devastation and th e destruction are absolutely heartbrea kin g." Yet, she adds, there h ave been heartening stories of people from the country's three main groups - the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Muslims- helping each other. Raym o nd will ret urn to Ottawa when her three-year appo intm ent to Colomb o ends this summ er, but life after the tsun ami won't ever be the same. "I don't think we can try to understand these things. We simply have to try to make a small difference, and that's very sustaining:' â&#x20AC;˘

WINEGARD'S WALl< SHAPED CAMPUS CULTURE

ILL WINEGARD'S ROAD TO GRADUATION

took nearly 40 years. He guided the University of Guelph through its formative years as president and vicechancellor and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree Feb. 24. "At last they let me graduate;' he quips. Winegard came to U of Gin 1967, three years after the campus gained university status. During his tenure, he oversaw expansion in the humanities, social sciences and basic sciences, gave students an official voice in the governance process, opened Senate meetings to the public and was instrumental in helping to create the Arboretum. U of G's Winegard Medal and Winegard Walk are named in his honour. Winegard Walk was named after the route he would take from his home to his office and back a few times each day. It was on this path that Winegard made a personal connection with students and staff by stopping to talk. He believes he learned more about the University from doing this than he did from working in his office.

After retiring from academia and U ofG in 1975, he served as a member of Parliament for Guelph from 1984 to 1993 . During this time, he was Canada's first minister of science and chaired the House of Commons standing committees on external affairs and national defence and external affairs and international trade. He also served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade. Today, Winegard continues to be active in public service by chairing a provincial committee to allocate the Premier's Research Excellence Awards. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1998. Winegard notes that, over the years, many things have changed and the University has advanced in n1any ways. But he believes one thing has remained constant -Guelph is a catnpus where people care. And as long as that doesn,t change, it will continue to be a place where students want to be, he says.

"1J I

o~ ~ ?;;

g ~

Summer 2005 23

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS â&#x20AC;˘

EVENTS â&#x20AC;˘

NETWORKING

u of guelph It's in the genes MARGARET AND CHERYL Quinton can call each other doctor. In what's believed to be a first for Guelph's Department of Animal and Poultry Science- and possibly the entire Ontario Agricultural Collegea mother and daughter have both completed their doctorates in a single department, and both have found themselves pursuing interests in animal breeding and genetics. Not only that, they ended up with the same PhD adviser, Prof. Ian McMillan. The ties bind even more tightly: both women also completed their undergraduate and master's degrees at Guelph. Margaret earned a BA in mathematics in 1970 and did her master's degree in the 1980s while raising three children. She now works as a statistical analyst in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science and earned her PhD in 2000. Cheryl defended her PhD thesis this winter and left in March to take up a three-year research contract in Finland. She studies genetics and selective breeding in fish species used in aquaculture. Her thesis on genetic improvement of Atlantic salmon was based on data collected in a breeding program

Alumni vote from afar :iS When the University of Guelph Alum-

~ ni Association met Feb. 16 to approve ~ a series of bylaw changes, more than ~

100 alumni voted by proxy after returning a ballot made available on i;; the association's website. It's a good ~ example of how alumni can participate 6: in alumni and University affairs no

24 THE PORTICO

run by the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, N.B. She also worked at the Alma Aquaculture Research Station, where she studied rainbow trout genetics for her master's degree, completed in 2001. Her 1997 undergraduate degree was in zoology. Cheryl's work will help commercial breeders improve fish stocks through selective breeding. Dr. Mom

Cheryl, left, and Margaret Quinton

matter where they are in the world, says alumni affairs director Susan Rankin. Just as e-mail networks are making it easier for alumni to stay in touch with the UGAA, the association's new governance model will make it easier for the organization "to hear the voice of our alumni," says president Bill Summers. "Now we need everyone's help to create a slate of directors who can take this association into the future

-to find the wind for our sails and ensure that we can reach our goals." The UGAA is a strategic and advisory board whose mission is to strengtl1en the University, adds Rankin. "Board members are alumni with a commitment to advancing the goals and priorities of the University." For more information about the UGAA board and directors, visit www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/association.

consults with Guelph researchers to develop research models and analyze results, including designing and running animal breeding simulations. A national genetic evaluation system ~he helped develop is still used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to ensure the quality of pork.

IN A CITY NEAR YOU

THE PORTICO Editor, Mary Dickieson m.dickieson@exec.uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120, Ext 58706

GRAD NEWS UPDATES alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca

U OF G ALUMNI ASSOCIATION alumni@uoguelph.ca www.alumni.uoguelph.ca

ALUMNI AFFAIRS Director, Susan Rankin srankin@uoguelph.ca College of Arts, Deborah Mas kens dmaskens@uoguelph.ca CBS/CPES, Sam Kosakowski skosakow@uoguelph.ca CSAHS, Laurie Malleau lmalleau@uoguelph .ca College of Physical and Engineering Sci-

OAC, Carla Bradshaw

affairs and development).

cbradsha@oac.uoguelph.ca

ence dean Peter Tremaine, left, extended

Earlier this year, Guelph alumni in Vic-

thanks to Tim Bray, B.Sc. '81, who was

toria spent a day at the Victoria Bug Zoo

keynote speaker at an alumni gathering

operated by Carol Maier, B.Sc.(Agr.) '90,

Events/Communications,

in Vancouver in March. Bray is co-inven-

and networking events were held in sev-

tor of XML technology, which has become

eral other Canadian cities. U.S. alumni

Jennifer Brett Fraser jbrett@uoguelph.ca

the basic language for Internet-connect-

got together in Chicago, Las Vegas and

ed computing systems to exchange data.

Port Charlotte, Fla.

His company Antartica Systems Inc. is

Plans are under way for 2005(2006

now developing software tools to handle

off-campus grad events and activities. To

the visual representation of data. The Vancouver event was hosted by

OVC, Elizabeth Lowenger lowenger@uoguelph.ca

Chapters, Mary Feldskov mfeldsko@uoguelph.ca

DEVELOPMENT

find out if there's one planned in your " :r:

area, contact alumni officer Mary Feld- ~

College of Arts, Deborah Maskens d maskens@uoguelph.ca CBS/CPES, Katherine Smart smart@uoguelph.ca

U of G president Alastair Summerlee and

skov at mfeldsko@uoguelph.ca or 519-

Joanne Shoveller, vice-president (alumni

824-4120, Ext 52904.

CSAHS, alumni@uoguelph.ca

OAC, Paulette Samson psamson@uoguelph .ca

"'-<-n rn r 0

"'0

Rally the Guelph grads

r r

OVC, Pamela Healey

phealey@uoguelph.ca

--<

Student Affairs, Susan Lawrenson slawrens@uoguelph.ca

"'~ 0 z

Want a change from the usual watercooler meeting? If you've got the most Guelph grads or the best tale about U of G spirit in the workplace, we'll treat you all to coffee. E-mail your workplace story to Mary Dickieson at m.dickieson@exec.uoguelph.ca or fax to 519-824-7962.

OAC, Cathy Voight cvoight@uoguelph.ca

ALUMNI ONLINE COMMUNITY

www.olcnetwork.net/uoguelph.ca

s;: z z

c G\ :r: l>

"'--<

CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Job postings, Jan Walker jwalker@uoguelph .ca

ALUMNI HOUSE 519-824-4120, Ext 56934

U OF G WEBSITE www.uoguelph.ca

Summer 2005 25

,1{j!f"ii'flf7 ' r'

JUNE

JUNE 25 AND 26 JUNE 25

JUNE 25

•• JULY 15 TO 17

Empower Your Degree AUG. 19 TO

Are you a graduate interested in taking your career to the next level? Do you want to stand out from the crowd in the job market?

•

SEPT. 9

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OCTOBER

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OCT.

Apply now for September 2005.

-»• 26 THE PoRTico

416.675.5025

HUMBER

postgradstudents.humber.ca

ALUMNI WEEKEND

LOOKING BACK? MOVING FORWARD FRDAY, ..JUNE 24 PERIMETER INSTITUTE TALK Meet one of Canada's foremost math experts whose numbers help describe all of space, time and matter. To celebrate the International Year of Physics, U of G will host Dr. Rob Myers of Waterloo's Perimeter Institute ofTheoretical Physics. You'll enjoy his presentation style in a lecture designed for a general audience, 7 p.m. Tickets are free, but they go fast for these popular talks. Order yours now at 519-824-4120, Ext.53965 • STAR PARTYTake a peek at the night sky through the observatory's new telescope, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY, ..JUNE 25 CSAHS Dean's Breakfast and Tours 8:30a.m. • OVC Alumni Association AGM 9 a.m. • Campus Walking Tour 9 a.m. • CBS Alumni Association Breakfast 9 a.m. • OAC Alumni Association AGM 9 a.m. • H.K./H.B. Alumni Association Breakfast and AGM 9 a.m. • Mac-FACS Alumni Association and AGM 10 a.m. • OAC '33 Book Launch 10:30 a.m. • President's Lunch 11:30 a.m. • Campus Walking Tour and Bus Tours 2 p.m. • President's Open House 2:30p.m. • HagenAqualabTour 2:30p.m. • Alumni @your Library 2:30p.m. • Science ComplexTours 3 p.m. • CSAHS Open House andTours 3 p.m. • University of Guelph Alumni Association AGM 3:30p.m • Alumni Dinner A reception begins at 6 p.m. in the Bullring, with dinner to follow next door in the Rozanski Hall Alumni Concourse. Special invitations go to the classes of 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995. • Alumni Pub Dance the night away to music of your era played by The Brothers Braun, 9 p.m. Just walk in and buy your $5 ticket at the door.

SUNDAY, ..JUNE 26 Ecumenical Service 9 a.m. • Farewell Breakfast 9:45a.m.

CLASS REUNIONS Golden Anniversary: Class of 1955 • Silver Anniversary: Class of 1980 • Other reunions: FACS '75, '80 and '85 • HAFA '90 • Mac '35D, '50D, '55 and '65 • OAC '33, '45, '50, '55A, '55, '60, '65, '74A, '75 and '85 • OVC '50, '55, '63, '65 and '80.

REGISTER ONLINE For a full schedule of Alumni Weekend events and locations, visit our website at www.uoguelph.ca/alumni. Register early because seating for many events is limited.

CAN'T BE HERE IN PERSON? Send an e-mail greeting to alumni@uoguelph.ca.

CAREERS •

FAMILIES •

LIFE EXPERIENCES •

MEMORIES

university of guelph Class of OAC '54 honours classmate

very year, two OAC undergraduate

students will benefit from an inter-

national study award endowed by the OAC Class of 1954 in memory of classmate Beth Duncan. The fundraising effort was a 50th-anniversary project

Message in a bottle

that exceeded its S54,ooo goal by almost $1o,ooo. Thirty-seven mem-

In June 2003, geography graduates Lind -

and seven months later, Pierre Hamon

bers of the class celebrated their

say Allen, BA '04, left, and Heather Simp·

found the bottle on the shore near Plestin-

achievement at their 2004 reunion.

son, BA '03, travelled to Newfoundland on

les-Greves in northern France. "We just did

holiday. To commemorate their trip and U

it as a joke and never thought anyone

of G graduation, they put a note in a bot·

would find it," says Allen. "We can't believe

tie and threw it into the ocean. One year

it made it all the way to France!"

We're in last place

ntario's universities are in last place when it comes to govern-

ment support. That's a message that former premier Bob Rae affirmed in

Front-line defender

his recent report on Ontario's post-secondary education system. The report advocates for considerable reinvest<;:>

"'~

ment in universities and their students. University presidents across the

~ province have called Rae's recom-

w ~

mendations a blueprint for action that

~ now requires public support to push ~ government to act on it. U of G pres~

ident Alastair Summerlee is asking

~ 0

Guelph alumni to read the report and

~ make their views known by writing to

~ a local MPP, the minister of training, <!

colleges and universities and/or the

i:i< premier.

"':;::

Information about the Rae report,

~ including a template letter and e-mail

;:;; contact information for MPPs, can be VI

found on the U of G website at www.uo

iS:

guelph.ca/info/raereview.

28 THE PORTICO

EB STARK, DVM '82, will head Ontario's newest frontline defence against mad cow disease, avian flu and other animal diseases as Ontario's first chief veterinarian. She will work closely with the province's chief medical officer of health, the emergency management team and the chief veterinarian of Canada (who is another OVC graduate: Brian Evans, DVM '78). Stark will also head a new food-safety division within the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and act as an advocate for the agri-food sector. When she was appointed to the new post in April, Stark was assistant deputy minister for OMAF's agriculture and rural division, a position she had held

since 2003. She joined the ministry in 1987 after spending five years in private practice near Sarnia. The office of the new chief veterinarian of Ontario will be in Guelph .

----------

J) NEWS Changing me to we ou may have heard of the inter-

national organizations Free the

Children and Leaders Today, which were started by young teens looking to make a difference in the world. Louise Kent, BA '02, became international youth co-ordinator for the joint organizations in April 2004 and has travelled extensively as a motivational speaker. She spoke to graduating students at U of G April 7 as guest lecturer for the University's annual "Last Lecture" event Kent says her goal is to empow-

We bought them a coffee

er young people to discover that they are the world's future now - they are leaders today!

Siw

Deanna Underwood counted the Guelph

U of G grads working at OUAC are, stand-

graduates in her office at th e Ontario Uni-

ing, left to right: Ron Scriver, BA '76; Nan-

versities' Application Centre (OUAC) and

cy Underwood, B.Se '89; George Granger,

responded to our query in the Winter 2005

BA '71; Michael Klassen, B.Sc.(Agr.) '95;

Portico. All 15 grads were guests of U of

Michael Emrich, BA 'o1; Anne McDonald,

G's Alumni Affairs and Development for a

BA '75; Andrea Sanders, BA '96; Jennifer

coffee break and a bit of reminiscing. We also heard from Ontario-based grads

~ who work for the City of Mississauga,

Richard Cote Consulting in Guelph and Hotel

Paradise-McCurdy, B.Se '96; soon-to-be graduate Mary Hogan; Melissa Provencher, BA 'oo; and Diane Kieffer, BASe '8o. Seated: Alison Holman,

Dieu Hospital in Kingston . To tell us about

B.Comm. '94, with baby Annabel; Cathy

the Guelph grads in your workplace, send

Wilson, BASe '78; Deanna Underwood,

e-mail to m.dickieson@exeeuoguelph.ca.

BA '94; and Andrea Gilbert, BA 'oo.

10ways you can help U of G 1

Display your Guelph degree or diploma on your wall. 2 Have lunch at the HTM restaurant Update your address when you move. Make plans to attend Alumni Weekend . Pass on your Portico to a student in your neighbourhood. Walk a dog at OVC's small-animal clinic. Organize an alumni gathering in your city. Send an e-mail to your favourite Guelph professor. Mentor a student through the Guelph Online Community. 10 Start a conversation about a U of G research project

3 4

'We're packing these bananas in a different way'

illiam Van Die pen, BSA '35, ate a lot of bananas during his 37

years with the United Fruit Company/Chiquita

Brands

Company.

Although he retired as vice-president of research and development in 1975, he still keeps up on the latest technology in packaging. Here are his tips for banana lovers: Never put them in the refrigerator. Store ripe yellow bananas in a freezer bag and remove all the air to seal them. Van Diepen says they'll keep spot free for about six days.

Su mmer 2005 29

1930 • Dorothy Arnot, DHE '34, who studied dietetics at Macdonald Institute, went on to follow her dream to become a nurse and says she never regretted the decision. She lives in retirement in Scarborough, Ont.

1940 • Dorothy Wallace Knight, DHE '49, has retired after 20 years of teaching mentally handicapped children. She lives in Essex County near Woodslee, Ont., and is interested in Scottish history. She has been a convenor and is now director of the Clan Wallace Society, participating in and hosting the Clan Wallace tent at various Highland games in southwestern Ontario. She says a tour of Scotland and England is planned for August to mark the 700th anniversary of the murder of Sir William Wallace. Knight invites anyone interested in joining the society to contact her at dknight @mnsi.net.

1950 • Maurice Fisher, BSA '58, relocated to Canada from Guyana in 1983. He lives in retirement in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., where he tends his garden and square dances with his wife, Beryl. Their children Karen, Michael and Raymond have given them four grandchildren: Krystal, Bianka, Maryam and Justin. Tragically, their other son, Gavin, died in 2002.

1960 • Tom Oegema, B.Sc.(Agr.) '69 and M.Sc. '71, was named BASF Innovative Farmer of the Year at the February conference of the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario. He and his family have operated a large integrated turkey/cash-crop farm in the Talbotville area for 37 years. They farm 1,250 acres, raise about 55,000 turkeys a year and operate a retail/wholesale division. Oegema is active in the local Soil and Crop Improvement Associ30 THE PORTICO

ation and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario.

1970 • Paul Brohman, BA '72, writes that he has retired to the Saugeen shores in Port Elgin, Ont., where "life is a beach on the Lucky B retirement homestead." He enjoys "riding horses or horsepower, cultivating a landscape rainbow." • Ginny Campbell, M.Sc. '70, was elected president of the Cambridge branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women in June and began her year in office hosting the 50thanniversary celebration of the Cambridge club. Campbell spent many years of her career at U of G, working as assistant to the dean of the former College of Family and Consumer Studies. • Rob Clement, BA '78, first arrived in Borneo in 1983 as a CUSO volunteer teaching high school English. He is now coordinating the professional inservice development of all English teachers in the state of Sarawak. He says it's "lots of fun:' • Anne Denmark, B.A.Sc. '73, and her husband, Don, live in Edmond, Okla., but find themselves travelling to visit their children -Allison in Sacramento, Calif., Matthew in Muncie, Ind., and Jonathan in Los Angeles. In March 2004, Anne hosted her "girlfriends from Canada," who braved a blizzard in Detroit en route to the Oklahoma sunshine. Anne is a homemaker; she and Don are both active in the Henderson Hills Church family, where they work as coaches to smallgroup leaders. • Malcolm Harrop, ADA '76, and Josepha DeLay, DVM '88 and D.V.Sc. '99, announce the arrival of Donal Cedric Harrop in November 2004. Donal was welcomed by three older siblings: Dylan, who is just graduating from Ridgetown College;

Edward, who is studying environmental engineering at Guelph; and Sandra, who has broken with the family's U of G tradition and is attending Dalhousie University. Malco lm farms in Guelph Township and has been joined by Dylan. Josepha is a veterinary pathologist with the U of G Animal Health Laboratory. • Gay Henniger, B.H.Sc. '71, and her husband, Ross, of Addison, Ont., recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. Both of their children are married, and they have two grandchildren. Gay is a professional facilitator, completed Canadian Human Resources Planners certification in 2004 and works with the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium. • Vickie and Steve Lawson, both B.Sc. '79, live in New Zealand overlooking Kaipara Harbour. They have three children, three horses and numerous other animals. He is managing director of Alltech New Zealand, and she is a science and chemistry teacher at a new independent school. • Lise Melhorn-Boe, BA ' 77, exhibited last winter at the University of Western Ontario's Mcintosh Gallery. The exhibition, "Stories From Memory," used a wide range of media quilting, sewing, stamping and paper making. Originally from North Bay, Ont., Melhorn-Boe uses three-dimensional space in book form to draw the viewer into the printed words, which often explore the effects that childhood holds over us and who we become as adults. • Akosua Frema Osei Opare, M.Sc. '73, has been elected to parliament in the Republic of Ghana to represent the Ayawaso West (Wougon) Constituency in Greater Accra. This constituency includes the airport residential area, University of

Ghana, East Legon, Dzorwulu, Abalempe and West Legan. • Janine Schweitzer, B.A.Sc. '76, manages non-clinical areas at Hotel Dieu Hospital Ill Kingston, Ont., where she works with Elizaoeth Bardon, BA '94 and MA '97, and Kelly Bryant, BA '99. They all say their U of G degree programs gave them the background needed to deal with the complex issues in hospital administration. • Don Snider, ADA '71, has retired as platoon chief of the City ofVaughan fire department after 31 years of full-time service. He and his wife, Sharyn, have bought a farm east of Peterborough, Ont., where he has the space to pursue his interests in antique cars and woodworking. They will spend summers in Prince Edward Island. • Jane Sutherland, B.Sc.(H.K.) '79, is back in Ottawa, single again, and working on a research project to develop a web-based referral system for rehabilitation patients. • Peter Taylor, BA '76, was appointed the first executive director of the Alberta Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, beginning March 1. He says the

Peter Taylor

institute will combine researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and other areas of investigation to "lead the world in curing diabetes." Heading west to the city of his birth, Peter leaves his former responsibilities as director

of publications for the College of Family Physicians of Canada and chief development officer of the college's Research and Education Foundation. "The college has been my professional home for 19 years;' he says, "but having lost three members of my family to diabetes, I decided this was a challenge I could not ignore:' Taylor was the recipient ofU of G's first Winegard Medal in 1976. He is also a certified fundraising executive. Reach him at peter.taylor@ualberta.ca. • Mary Thomson, BA '79, is completing 16 years as a social worker in the Mental Health Service at Toronto East General Hospital. She is also the educational co-ordinator, working with various universities to arrange student placements, and has a small private psychotherapy practice. Away from work, she plays in several community orchestras and runs a small handmade jewelry business. • Fred Vaughn, B.Sc.(Agr.) '78, lives in Cambridge, Ont., and is president of his own company, Vaughn Agricultural Research Services Ltd. (www.varsl.com ). On his staff are three other Guelph grads- Jim O'Toole,

B.Sc.(Agr.) '68, Jamie Parnell, B.Sc. '93 and M.Sc. '96, and Julie Penner, B.Sc. '98. • David Willis, B.Sc.(Agr.) '74, retired from the Ontario government in June 2004 after 20 years as an aggregates officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources. He is now enjoying a new career in consulting and works with local municipalities, the aggregates industry and individuals on pit and quarry applications, zoning issues and quarry developments. He lives near Winchester, Ont., and is active in the volunteer fire department, Kinsmen Club, safety committee and army cadets.

1980 • Elizabeth Brabec, B.Sc. '81 and MLA '84, has left the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to become head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Pla1ming at Utah State University. • Scott Clare, M.Sc. '81, has retired but still keeps his hand in education by supply teaching in Brant County, Ont. He says he's also enjoying the "empty nest" with both children away at university. • Michael Crozier, BA '87, and his wife, Michelle (Remillard),

B.Sc. '87, recently moved to Oxford Mills, Ont., just south of Ottawa. They have two sons: Ryan, 10, and Liam, 4. Michelle is an international policy analyst with Health Canada, and Mike is in his second year of teaching art, physical education and geography at St. Mark High School in Ottawa. • Linda Dalgetty, ADA '82, completed a commerce degree at the University of Calgary and received her chartered accountant designation. She joined Agrium Inc. in 1995 as an accounting manager and was promoted to chief information officer in 1999. In 2002, she headed to Argentina to become general manager of Agroservicios Pampeanas S.A. (ASP). ASP has 18 retail farm centres throughout the corn, wheat and soybean regions of Argentina and provides fertilizer, chemicals, seeds, custom applications and agronomic services. Now back in Calgary, she has been married to Ross for 20 years and has four children aged four to 18. • Jennifer (Clark) Galpin, B.A.Sc. '82, married a diplomat soon after graduation and has had postings in Guyana, Saudi

Arabia and Hungary. She and Albert-Jan have four children; the oldest was born in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, two were born in Ottawa, and the youngest was born in Hungary. The family is now posted back in Ottawa, where Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom. She'd like to hear from "any and all" at galpin@sympatico.ca. • Brad Hull, BA '89, is a sales executive with Campana Systems Inc. , GoldCare Division. In the years since graduating, he has held several different jobs around southern Ontario. For

Brad Hull and his bride, Kim

the last six years, he's been selling software to the long-termcare and community-care industries. He was married in Barbados Nov. 17, 2004, to Kim Smith. They live in Guelph and

GRAD NEWS UPDATE FORM Name

Degree & Year _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Address

City

Prov./State

Postal Code _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Home Phone _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Fax

Business Name

E-mail Business Phone

Occupation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Grad News Update __________________________________________________________

Send address changes and Grad News to: Alumni Records, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Fax: 519-822-2760, E-mail: alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca

Summer 2005 31

would love to hear from friends at mtbcrazy@sympatico.ca. • Brian Kerslake, B.Sc. '86, and his wife, Ginny (Marcille), B.Sc. '88 and M.Sc. '91, recently uprooted after 20 years in Guelph and relocated to Chester County, Penn, with their sons, Sebastian, 10, and Owen, 8. Brian is vice-president of global clinical marketing for VWR International, based out of West Chester. Virginia resigned from her position as supervisor of the soil and nutrient laboratory at U of G's Lab Services in November. • Stefanie King, B.Sc. '89, has worked at Maxxam Analytics Inc. in Guelph for almost seven years. She is the case receipt officer responsible for receipt and log-in of forensic human DNA cases from the RCMP and clients from the private sector. Maxxam's Guelph location also

performs paternity testing and animal DNA testing for parentage verification. • Joan Lee, B.Sc.(Agr.) '86, lives in Thunder Bay, Ont., with her husband, Don, and two children, Nicole, 10, and Colin, 7. She says she loves her job at Lakehead University, where she is a greenhouse manager and teaches the laboratory section of second- and third-year silviculture classes. • Helen Leitch, B.Sc. '81, M.Sc. '86 and PhD '93, is director of business development at the WorldFish Center in Penang, Malaysia. She would like to hear from Guelph grads living in Asia at h.leitch@cgiar.org. • Jamie MacKinnon, BA '81, is an Ottawa-based writer. His third book and first coJ!ection of poetry, Just Like Blood, has been published by SGB Perfect Current. • Quentin Martin, B.Sc.(Agr.)

'81, farms near West Montrose, Ont., with his wife, Jean, and four daughters. He operates Cribit Seeds/Wintermar Farms and is currently president of the Ontario Seed Growers Association. • Gregory Proctor, BA '83, lives in Mississauga, Ont., with his wife, Misti, and two daughters, Jessica, 12, and Megan , 8. He owns an English/Canadian-style pub in Toronto called Loons and is co-owner of The Sailor's Dickey and A Dark Horse. • Julie (Rossall) Ratcliffe, B.Sc. '80, spent 20 years in the forprofit sector before joining Earth Rangers in 2003 as director of finance and administration. Earth Rangers provides educational programs for children in schools and at EcoVentures camps, a joint project of Outward Bound and Earth Rangers (visit www.earthrangers.ca).

Because her responsibilities include operation of a wastewater treatment plant, Ratcliffe says she's dusting off her chemistry and microbiology after 25 years. She also holds an MBA from York University and is a certified management accountant. A single mother with 10and 12-year-old boys, she is an avid mountain biker and crosscountry skier. She represented Canada at the World Triathlon Championships in 2001. • Dawn Schumilas, BA '83 and MA '84, is a singer-songwriter living m the parklands of northeastern Saskatchewan in a solar/ wind-powered house she built with her spouse, classical guitarist Don Happner. She'd like to hear from U of G friends at dawnschum @hotmail.com and invites alumni to check out her new folk CD, For the Birds, at www.saskrecord-

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ing.ca/artists/individuals. • Mary Tapsell, B.Sc. '81, works for the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board in Yellowknife, where she is manager for environmental impact assessment. She says "hi" to all her old friends and can be reached at tapsell@theedge.ca. "It would be great to hear from you:' • Gary Teare, DVM '86 and PhD '97, his wife, Cecilia Rajanayagam, M.Sc. '98, and their children, Adrian and Mara, relocated in January 2005 from Toronto to Saskatoon, where Teare took up the position of director of quality measurement and analysis at Saskatchewan Health Quality Council (HQC). The HQC reports on the quality of health care in the province and works with stakeholders and partners to improve the delivery of health services. He also holds academic appointments at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Toronto.

1990 • Rob Argalis, BA '91, is cycling his way across Canada to raise money and awareness for the Arthritis Society. This is not just any cycling feat. He's using a modified ice cream tricycle to

Rob Argalis

remind people that everyday tasks can be a struggle for people with arthritis. "My mother is one of the over four million Canadians with this disease;' he says, "and her struggle provides my incentive for this project,

which is called 'Spoking for More."' He started in Vancouver early in May and will cross Canada and the northern United States to finish in Halifax in August. (Details at www.spokingformore.com.) • Jennifer Barrett, BA '96 and MA '01, is the new senior development manager for the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences at U of G. She and her husband, Dan Hirashima, BA '01, were married at the Arboretum Sept. 22, 2001. He works for Sleeman Breweries Ltd. • Peter Buchanan-Smith, BA '95, received a 2005 Grammy for his art direction on A Ghost is Born, the best-selling Nonesuch CD by the band Wilco. He is the former art director of the New York Times op-ed page. His first book, Speck, was published in 2002 and won J.D. Magazine's Design Distinction Award. Most recently, he was an organizer of and featured designer in the American Institute of Graphic Arts' Fresh Dialogue symposium. • Michelle Charbonneau, B.Sc. '90, Andrea McLeod, B.Sc.(Env.) '99, and Jeff Smylie, B.Sc.(Eng.) '91 and M.Sc.(Eng.) '97, are all members of the City of Mississauga's environmental team. They use their collective knowledge and expertise to help the Ontario city stay on top of environmental issues. Although their Guelph degrees vary, the three co-workers say they share fond thoughts of Guelph, including the beauty of the campus, the good friendships that were formed and the "anything goes" way of life. All three agree that thei experiences at Guelph built strong loyalty to the school. • Tanya (Eluchok), B.Comm. '95, was married Oct. 2, 2004, to Michael Wickett and is expecting a baby in May 2005. She's a client manager for Consumer Impact

Tanya and Michael Wickett

Marketing and is currently national field manager on the Microsoft account, working from London, Ont., with a marketing company based in Toronto. • Patricia (Freeman), B.Sc. '94, was married July 31, 2004, to Christopher MacKenzie. They

Patricia and Christopher MacKenzie

live 111 Scarborough, Ont., where she works at Innovative Food Brands in Brampton as quality assurance supervisor. • Paula (Baia), B.A.Sc. '98, and Tim Gallagher, B.Sc.(Eng.) '99, were married May 24, 2003, in Brampton, Ont. They've been living in Virginia for five years, where Tim is a water resource engineer at Dewberry and Davis in Fairfax. He's also working on a master's degree. • Sarah Goudy, B.Sc.(Agr.) '99, is a new account executive at AdFarm in Guelph, helping to manage the company's clients in the animal-health, crop-protection and seed sectors. After leaving U of G, she earned a degree in graphic design from Sheridan College/York Univer-

sity. For the past three years, she was a marketing associate with Syngenta Crop Protection. • Muhammad Naeem Khan, PhD '97, joined the University of Punjab in Pakistan in january as a professor of zoology, after serving as professor and dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Wildlife at the University ofVeterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore from 2003 to 2004. From 1996 to 2003, he was director of the fisheries department for the provincial government of Punjab. Khan describes himself as a "proud student of Guelph professor John Leatherland:' • David Kraus, BA and B.Sc. '90, recently finished building a house on a 55-acre farm outside Leamington, Ont., where he lives with his wife and three-year-old son, Justin. Kraus is a high school biology teacher and program representative for the Wetland Habitat Fund. He has restored 20 acres of farmland back into natural wetland, forest, prairie and meadow habitats. • Christy Lyon, B.Sc. '95, started a new job last July as a landfill engineer at one of the three city landfills in Calgary. She was married one month later. • Anne Malleau, B.Sc.(Agr.) '95, M.Sc. '98 and MBA '02, was recently appointed executive director of a new Animal Compassion Foundation established by Whole Foods Market, a natural and organic foods supermarket. Malleau was formerly communications co-ordinator for U of G's Colonel K.L. Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, where she served on the steering committee and was a presenter at the International Society for Applied Ethologists meeting in Prague in 1997. • Andrew McDonald, PhD '93, has written and edited several

Summer 2005 33

books on medieval Scottish history, including Outlaws of Medieval Scotland: Challenges to the Canmore Kings, 1058-1266, which was nominated for the 2004 Saltire Society's Scottish History Research Book of the Year Award. He is an associate professor of history at Brock University and holds one of Brock's Chancellor's Chairs for Research Excellence. His current research focuses on the Scandinavian rulers of the Isle of Man in the 11th to 13th centuries. • Tricia Miller, B.Sc. '94, is a forensic scientist at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. She married Bryan Sedore in Mexico in 2002, and they are proud new parents of "a beautifullittle girl, Jessica." • Matt Milovick, B.Sc.(Agr.) '94, and his wife, Heidi (Argmann), B.Sc. '96, are the proud parents of their second

child, Liam Matthew, born Nov. 1, 2004. Matt has also changed jobs and is now the director of Saint John College at the University of New Brunswick. • Carey Mintz, BA '94, received a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Manitoba in October and has accepted an appointment with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in association with the University of Manitoba. • Monique Muller, B.Sc. '95, is a physiotherapist working at South City Physiotherapy in Guelph. She married Tony Gardiner, BA '96, Aug. 29, 2004. • Francis Nang'ayo, M.Sc. '91, returned to his native Kenya after earning his Guelph degree in environmental biology. He later earned a PhD in applied ecology at the University of London, England, and a post-graduate diploma in entomology from Imper-

ial College, London, in 1996. He was a research scientist at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) for almost 15 years, rising through the ranks from research officer trainee to deputy co-ordinator of KARl's biotechnology program. He was then appointed general manager in charge of biosafety, plant quarantine and phytosanitary affairs at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service. He recently joined the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, an international organization responsible for facilitating access to proprietary technologies by smallholder farmers in Africa, as regulatory affairs manager. Nang'ayo has also served anumber of organizations as a consultant. He and his wife, Madeleine, have three children: Wendy, 13, Bernie, 11, and Lisa 9. • Valerie Olson, B.Sc. '93 and

M.Sc. '96, is an evolutionary ecologist with the Zoological Society of London. She IS engaged to Clym Dodds, and they plan to marry July 23 in Chalfont-St-Giles, Buckinghamshire, U.K. • Byron Barton Ostrom, B.Sc.(Agr.) '96, switched careers midstream. He's taking a year off from auditing for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (he worked out of Winnipeg) to try his hand as a dairy herder in New Brunswick. ''I'll see how things go," he says. "The switch may be permanent." • Paul Pijuan, B.Comm. '94, is CEO of Dymaxium Inc. 111 Toronto, serving the pharmaceutical industry internationally in the marketing and health outcomes areas. The company, which celebrated its lOth anniversary in February 2005, has grown from a two-person operation

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launched after graduation to a 30-person organization. Dymaxium was among the top 100 fastest-growing companies in Canada in 2002 and won several international design awards. • Connie Powers, BA '92, is a teacher with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board. She teaches music and language to intermediate grades. Last year, she taught ESL in the Sultanate of Oman and will be leaving to teach in Hong Kong in September 2005. She and her husband, Tom, enjoy international teaching and are glad to be doing it as a team. They have two daughters now attending university. Powers would like to hear from other musicians/classmates at powersconnie@yahoo.ca. • Brad Rooney, B.Sc.(Agr.) '97, and his wife, Shelly (Nicholson), B.Sc.(Agr.), '97, announce the birth of their second daughter, Tressa Grace, April29, 2004. They have an older daughter, Ainsley, and live in Ajax, Ont., where Brad works in wholesale sales for Sheridan Nurseries. They look forward to hearing from other members of"Team Hart '97" at therooneys@sympatico.ca. • Deborah (Matthews) Rumble, BA '95, sent this photo of a CSSSG party in the mid-1990s.

Deborah Rumble, front left, and friends

Matthews is using her psychology degree as a volunteer administrator for First Step Trust, a mental health charity

in the United Kingdom, where she is also training for the London Marathon. • Blaine Sack, B.Sc. '97, has been living in the Ottawa area for the last three years and is a quality-control technician for MDS Nordion in Kanata. He is also director of music at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Stittsville. • Michael Sedlak, B.Sc. '99 and M.Sc. '01, is assistant manager of research and development at Iovate Health Sciences Research Inc. , formerly known as MuscleTech Research & Development, in Mississauga, Ont. Mike asks that former classmates who remember the good times they had in "tox" contact him at m ichael.sedlak@iovate.com. • Tyrone Sluymers, B.Sc. '94, and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting their first child this spring. He is an elementary school teacher, and last summer, they moved into their dream home located within their own IS-acre forest in Hampton, Ont. He'd like to hear from old U of G friends at tyrone_sluymers@hotma.il.com. • Lyndon Stewart, B.Sc.(Agr.) '92 and M.Sc. '95, his wife, Tina, and children, Vanessa and Carson, launched their own company in 2004 to provide project management, succession planning, real estate management and business development and management. Lyndon Stewart and Associates is also developing and managing a multi-unit student housing project in Guelph. Living in Waterloo, Ont., since 1998, he has been active in the 4H Foundation and the OAC Alumni Association. Reach him at lyndon@lyndonstewart.com. • Janet Thompson, BA '97, began a career in advertising after graduating from U of G. She spent six years in Toronto,

four with Leo Burnett Canada, then relocated to New York City, where she works for Ogilvy and Mather on the Kraft account.

2000 • Marcy Wright, B.Sc. '97, has moved to Switzerland with her husband, Christopher Taylor, and one-year-old son, Lucas. She began a post-doctoral position at the University of Geneva in January and is expecting a second child in May. • Michael Doran, B.Sc. '01, is an environmental consultant and distributor of environmental technologies for MC2 Solutions in Peterborough, Ont. He says he "enjoyed my time, education, community and life at Guelph. It really helped to form me into who I am today and provided a great experience." • Erin Giles, B.Sc. '00, has spent the last four years at McMaster University, where she is completing PhD research in the medical soences program, looking into the molecular mechanisms involved when cancer cells invade and destroy healthy tissues. She plans to pursue a career as a research scientist in an academic setting. • Jennifer Graveline, BA '00, is making wedding plans for her Oct. 29 marriage to Kent Sheridan. They live in Uxbridge, Ont. • Kim Hinder, BA '00, and Matt Goodman, BA '01, became engaged in December 2004; the wedding is planned for spring 2006. • Leonard Jackson, BA '00, is working on a PhD at Oklahoma State University and writing a textbook on revenue management. • Garth Munz, B.Sc.(Agr.) '01, says six of the eight employees at Guelph's Richard Cote Consulting are U of G graduates, and most of them have been involved in the massive physi-

cal movement of scientific equipment and materials required by Guelph's science complex construction. Munz spent several months last fall supervising renovations and relocations from the old Chemistry and Microbiology Building into the MacNaughton Building and, later, into Phase I of the science complex. • David Schmidt, BA '02, and Vanessa Cotterell, B.Sc.(Env.) '00, met in their final years at U

David Schmidt and Vanessa Cotterel

of G and were married last July in Vanessa's home town of Campbellton, N.B. After a short time away to complete further education, they've moved back to Guelph to start their married life and careers. She's an elementary school French teacher; he's a GIS technician. • Jennifer Truax, B.Sc. '01, and Dan Lamarre welcomed their first child, Paige Marilyn Lamarre, Feb. 3, 2005. They live in Lindsay, Ont. • Wesley Wright, B.Sc. '00 and BA '00, earned an M.A.Sc. in environmental engineering from the University of Toronto in 2003. He works in project engineering for the environmental infrastructure department of Stantec Consulting Ltd. in Mississauga, Ont., where he lives with his partner, Wendy Yen, BA '00 . Wright invites classmates to contact them at wes_wright@yahoo.com.

Summer 2005 35

PASSAGES Helen Abell, DHE '38, April 2, 2005 Margaret Ansell, DHE '56, )an .3l,2005 Douglas Austin, B.Sc. '80, May 25, 2004 Robert Baird, ADA '50, May 25, 2004 Alan Bennett, BSA '38, jan. 31, 2005 Bryant Bidgood, BSA '62, Dec. 16, 2004 Hugh Bird, BSA '50, Dec. 29, 2004 Anna Cameron, DHE '39, Nov. 29, 2004 Kimberley Campbell, BA '84, january 2005 Teresa Yee-Mum Cheng, BA '84, March 2003 Cameron Colbert, ADA '59, March 1, 2005 Douglas Colquhoun, BSA '58, Oct. 30, 2004 Thomas Cornell, ADA '75, Feb.20,2003 Richard Course, ADA '50, Feb. 10, 2004 Howard Cross, BSA '37, March 7, 2003 Douglas Cunningham, BSA '48, April 5, 2005 Paul Currelly, ADA' 47, Nov. 25, 2004 George Dashner, DVM '45, Dec. 26, 2004 Paul Davis, BA '73, Sept. 2, 2004 Gerard DeVries, ADA '48, Sept. 26, 2003 Corinne Dupasquier, BA '95, jan. l 0, 2004 Doris Durrant, DHE '38, jan. 7, 2005 Mary Emery, DHE '30, Sept. 24, 2004 Douglas Fisher, ODH '97, july 26,2004 Robert Fleming, BSA '51, january 2005 Peter Flett, B.Sc. '84, March 2005 David Francis, DVM '57, Sept. 14, 2004 Cecil Franklin, H.D.Sc. '88, jan. 27, 2005 Clarence Fraser, DVM '54, Jan. 4, 2005 Frank Fraser, BSA '37, March 29, 2005 Eva Freedman, DHE '34, july 20, 2003 Cleo Gambatesa, B.Sc. '95, in 2004 Robert Gay, DVM '50, Feb. 14,2005 Lawrence Glenney, DVM '52, Dec. 8, 2004 Harry Graesser, BSA '36, Dec. 7, 2004 Donald Graham, BSA '43, jan. 6, 2005

Jane Graham, BA '83, March 22, 2005 Donald Gray, M.Sc. '54, jan. 4, 2005 Lenore Grubbe, DHE '40, March 20, 2005 Douglas Hargrave, DVM '62, jan. 8, 2005 Michael Hauser, BA '79, jan. 16, 2005 Richard Heffren, ODH '82, Aug. 19, 2004 Gerhard Hess, DVM '52, Nov. 18, 2004 William Holden, DVM '49, )an. 22, 2005 Peter Holler, DVM '83, April 7, 2005 Robert Horne, BSA '43, jan. 4, 2005 Barry Houston, DVM '80, jan. 22, 2005 William Keyes, BSA '36, March 27, 2005 Murray Klages, BSA '47, Oct. 18,2004 Helen Little, DHE '34, Jan. 13, 2005 Elizabeth Livingstone, DHE '38, March 13, 2004 John Lowndes, BSA '49, july 12, 2004 Brenda MacDonald, BA '75, in 2004 Alexander MacMillan, BSA '50, Feb. 10,2005 Allison Maddison, BA '01, Dec. 31, 2004 Bruce Mair, DVM '48, Feb. 19,2005 Raymond Mallory, BSA '41, in 2004 Michael Marritt, ADA '75, Aug. 21,2004 Mildred McCaffery, DHE '39, Feb.27,2005 Mary McKay, DHE '37, Dec. 22, 2004 Donald McKinnon, BA '70, Nov. 29, 2004 Janice McWilliams, B.Sc. '83, March 19, 2005 David Mitges, BA '82, jan. 10, 2005 Clifford Morrow, BSA '48, Feb.27,2005 Max Morse, B.Sc.(Agr.) '68 and M.Sc. '70, Nov. 18, 2003 Laurence Murphy, B.Sc. '78, Nov. 21 ,2002 Peter Murphy, BA '81, in 2004 Albert O'Donnell, BA '82, jan. 3, 2005 Gordon Oughtred, BSA '47, Oct. 11 , 2004 Douglas Packman, BSA '48, jan. 3, 2005

David Pengelly, MSA '52, Oct. 31,2004 Norman Phillips, DVM '51, March 3, 2005 Allan Pitt, DVM '51, july 21, 2004 Katherine Pow, DHE '33, March 2, 2005 William Randall, BSA '49, September 2004 Brent Raymond, B.Sc. '96, Nov. 19,2004 Laverne Robertson, B.Sc. '66, July 13, 2003 Ernest Shaw, MSA '64, Dec. 25,2001 Geraldine Smith, DHE '48, Feb. 17,2005 David Steeves, DVM '93, Jan. 8, 2005 Mabel Tuckett, DHE '32, in 2004 Marilyn Watt, BA '76, March 1, 2005 Ralph Watt, ADA '50, May 16, 2003 Donald Werry, B.Sc. '77, March 20, 2004 Charlotte Wyatt, DHE '41, Dec. 23, 2002 Dorothy Young, DHE '35, Aug. 7, 2004 Mark Zuk, B.Sc. '86, Dec. 13,2004 FACULTY James Archibald, DVM '49, Clinical Studies, Dec. 11, 2004 Bela Rieger, MSA '61, Horticultural Science, jan. 12, 2005 Benjamin Teskey, BSA '49 and MSA '53, Horticultural Science, Nov. 23, 2004 Peter Yodzis, Zoology, March 28, 2005 Stanley Young, BSA '49, Agricultural Extension, Dec. 30, 2004 FRIENDS Albert Thornbrough, Board of Governors, Sept. 8, 2004 Correction: In the Winter 2005 issue of The Portico, we incorrectly listed )ohan Minnema, ADA '98, in "Passages." We apologize for the error. Send deceased notices to Alumni Records at alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca.

Summer 2005 36

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