Gradzette The university of mANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT Magazine JUly 2014
Microwave satellites and the Arctic profile Page 3
Gradzette THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE
July 2014
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Gradzette c/o The Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation 105 University Centre University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2 General inquiries and advertising Phone: (204) 474.6535 Fax: (204) 474.7651 Email: editor@gradzette.com Editor: Ryan Harby Copy Editor: Bryce Hoye Designer: Marc Lagace Contributors: Leila Mostaço-Guidolin, Marc Lagace Cover: Nariman Firoozy
The Gradzette is the official student magazine of the University of Manitoba’s graduate student community and is published on the first Monday of each month by the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.
The Gradzette is a democratic student organization, open to participation from all students. It exists to serve its readers as students and citizens. The magazine’s primary mandate is to report fairly and objec¬tively on issues and events of importance and interest to the graduate students of the University of Manitoba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and If you have a passion for writing, jourexchange of opinions and ideas, and to stimulate meannalism, photography, or illustration ingful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be the Gradzette is looking for individuof interest to the student body and/or society in general. als to get involved with the produc tion process of the U of M’s graduate The Gradzette serves as a training ground for students instudent paper. terested in any aspect of journalism. Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute. Please contact The Gradzette currently offers 10 the editor listed above for submission guidelines. cents per word for freelance articles, $7 per photo/graphic used, and $30 The Gradzette reserves the right to edit all submissions for images used on the cover. Freeand will not publish any material deemed by its editorilancers will be added to a contact al board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic pool and emailed with potential aror libelous. Opinions expressed in letters and articles are ticle, photo, or graphic assignments solely those of the authors. when they become available. The Gradzette is a member of the Canadian University Interested applicants please send Press, a national student press cooperative with members your resume and at least two (2) refrom St. John’s to Victoria. cent work samples to editor@grad zette.com. All contents are ©2014 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Manitoban Newspaper Publi¬cations Corporation.
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Reconstructing the Arctic profile Researcher Profile: Nariman Firoozy
Leila Mostaço-Guidolin
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hen talking about climate change, greenhouse effects, and so on, it is difficult to avoid thinking about the Arctic. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost, which is the ice-locked soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years.
from what is being scanned – in this case, snow and ice.”
Arctic profile
Firoozy is trying to understand the Arctic profile. His work involves sending incident waves and measuring those that are scattered back, then using Changes are happening quickly there, and researchers signal processing and inversion to build up the snowaround the globe have been busy trying to understand covered sea ice profile. it. The University of Manitoba’s Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), in collaboration with “If we go many decades back in time, there was little the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) solid proof of a melting Arctic due to the climate department, has been conducting a great deal of change,” says Firoozy. “But time-series images taken by the satellites soon filled up that gap, especially the significant research on this issue. images taken by microwave satellites. I think that Nariman Firoozy, a PhD candidate supervised by could be where the microwaves kicked off in the professors Puyan Mojabi from ECE and David Arctic.” Barber from CEOS, explained the work people like Microwave satellites, as the name suggests, use himself are doing up in the Arctic. microwave frequencies to take pictures from an “The research I have been involved with is very observation area. One benefit of this method is that interdisciplinary,” said Firoozy. “One such example is the images can be taken through day or night. the application of remote sensing in the Arctic.” “The Arctic is a place that is cloudy for a big part of Firoozy has been using microwaves to detect specific the year, but by using microwaves you can get images features of ice and snow in such an environment. all year round, day or night.” “I am using a device called scatterometer, which is an After many years of data acquisition via satellite, active radar system that measures the scattered wave scientists have put it all together to see how the ice
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coverage is changing. According to Firoozy, it is clear “[Remote sensors] can be hooked up to helicopters the Arctic is shrinking. or airplanes, then they go around measuring, and “[These images] are good evidence that ice is having after processing the data you get information like ice thickness from extended areas that otherwise would less thickness and coverage-area.” have been impossible to cover – especially in a harsh Besides the practical aspect of being able to get images environment and sparsely populated areas like the of the Arctic regardless of the forecast, there is another Arctic.” advantage for using microwave sensors. “When using optics, the incident wave gets reflected back from the surface only and that’s what you detect,” explains Firoozy. “However, when using microwaves, you have a penetration, so the waves go in and then get scattered back. When you have that kind of penetration, it means that the scattered wave that you are measuring carries information about the object you are interacting with.”
Decoding the signal
Firoozy’s own work focuses on making sense of the data that is being recovered and recorded from these experiments and processing the returning signals.
“It is more on how to collect and process the data [ . . . ] reconstructing the electromagnetic profile of the snow-covered sea ice,” says Firoozy. “You know the signal you sent, you know the signal you have “In summary, by correctly processing the data, you received, but now you want to know what was there, can get extra information about what is ‘inside’ of that what was the profile, what were the structures that altered the signal in that way.” object,” says Firoozy. For instance, by using microwave radars and processing the data, researchers can accurately measure the thickness of the snow and ice, unlike when using optical systems by which one would only be able to get information about the surface of the snow.
Firoozy adds that other parameters, such as the roughness of the snow, can also be measured by other equipment like laser remote sensing technology (or LiDAR).
“One of the advantages of using scatterometers is “The Arctic is a huge area. It is practically impossible that you can collect data from any specific point you to go around there, measuring the thickness of the want and continuously. But when dealing with data snow from all over the place. Using microwaves you acquired from satellites, an important limitation one can get this information from a distance in the sky, will face is that you cannot control when your data will be acquired from that specific area.” covering larger areas,” Firoozy says. 4
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This research process is not an inexpensive one, and as such Firoozy is grateful for the opportunity for collaboration. Having other departments involved, says the U of M grad student, is what makes it possible to have access to equipment such as the scatterometers.
And how about the future? By 2017 the town of Churchill is set to receive a brand new research facility, dedicated to studies related to the Arctic. One of the focuses of that project is related to the effects of oil spill.
The scope of this research, however, is not limited to the remote landscapes of the Arctic. The University of Manitoba has a special research facility, located at Smart Park, where a swimming-pool-sized structure is filled up with water containing the same characteristics as the one in the Arctic region. It is used to simulate and study Arctic conditions, like the process of salt water sea-ice formation.
“With oil companies migrating to even more remote regions, the risk of having an accident is increasing,” says Firoozy. “So, scientists are going to be able to simulate scenarios, for example, the case of an oil spill. Through this facility, they will be able to study it in a controlled environment.”
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“It is a million dollar facility, right next door, that most of people in town are not aware of,” says Firoozy.
Get your research featured in the Gradzette Are you a graduate student eager to promote your research and provide exposure for your work in the master’s or doctoral program? The Gradzette is looking for individuals interested in participating in our ongoing “Researcher Profile” column, which seeks to showcase important and exciting U of M research for a larger audience. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming “Researcher Profile,” please contact editor@gradzette.com with details regarding your field of study, a short blurb about your current research, and any pertinent contact information for interview purposes.
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Interdisciplinary teamwork
U of M team working to reduce preventable chronic diseases in Manitoba
Marc Lagace
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hat else could healthcare providers and educators be doing to decrease preventable chronic illnesses and improve the health of Manitoban patients? That’s the question that Dr. Alan Katz, associate director of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, hopes to answer with his ongoing research on primary prevention in healthcare. Katz’ latest research comes in response to a report published in 2010 entitled Making the Case for Primary Prevention: An Economic Analysis of Risk Factors in Manitoba. According to the report, “[the] three biggest factors substantially associated with chronic disease—tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity—have high prevalence in Manitoba,” and are creating massive economic strain on the Manitoban healthcare system to the tune of an estimated $1.62 billion in 2008.
The report also projects that if the proportion of Manitoba’s population remains at 2008 levels, the economic burden on the healthcare system could reach as high as $4.7 billion. In response to the findings, the Manitoba Health Research Council named Katz the province’s first ever Primary Prevention Research Chair in 2012, providing $500,000 in funding for research over five years. Dr. Katz has assembled a seven-person team that includes four University of Manitoba graduate students, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from their respective fields. The team of interdisciplinary researchers is focusing on three key factors to preventative healthcare: physical activity, mental wellness and reducing tobacco usage.
“We have a very unique group,” said Gayle The report estimates that 55 per cent of Halas, a research associate in the faculty of family Manitobans are obese or overweight, 45 per medicine. Halas brings experience in dental cent are inactive, and 27 per cent are smokers. hygiene and six years spent working in the faculty
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of dentistry between 2000 and 2006 to the research team.
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faculty of medicine at all, so I’ve had experience within the community at large,” said Goertzen.
“Being an oral healthcare provider as my background, I’ve always had a unique interest in tobacco, so that’s the area of this project that I’m most focused on.”
“When I think of interventions, I think of that population and the work that’s done out there. Healthcare providers are often seen as what’s happening in the hospital, but really, community Pam Werner has been a member of the faculty of development workers are also providing health occupational therapy since 1991, and is currently services in their own way.” pursuing a PhD in interdisciplinary studies, The team is passionate about the work they do, combining nursing, occupational therapy, and education. “My background in terms of occupational therapy was in mental health, so that’s a big part of why I came onto this team,” says Werner, who is still working full-time, teaching, and doing research of her own. “I think they thought I might bring something from that perspective, from an occupation therapy perspective.”
“To answer these issues we need the integration in terms of developing research teams. We can’t do this in isolation, I believe. That’s a key lesson that I’ve felt from the beginning, that we do need interdisciplinary teams to work together”
Jennifer Enns is pursuing her PhD in the department of physiology & pathophysiology within the faculty of health sciences. Her research explores the role of functional foods in metabolic and cardiovascular disease, with a focus on canola – Dr. Alan Katz, Manitoba Centre oil, a Manitoba crop high in monounsaturated for Health Policy and omega-3 fatty acids, and the potential benefits it may have for obesity and peripheral arterial disease. and hope to provide valuable information to help Enns began working with Katz as a research improve the health and wellness of Manitobans. assistant in family medicine in 2010 while completing her MSc in physiology. After a hiatus through the fall and winter of 2013, Enns rejoined Katz’ research team in May.
“These three areas, if you think about the things you can control in your life, they’re huge areas that have huge impacts on health,” said Werner.
One of the first things that Katz decided to do is Rounding out the grad students is Leah a scoping review, a relatively new type of review Goertzen. Goertzen is pursuing her Master of methodology that has been adapted for the three Arts in the faculty of kinesiology and recreational topic areas of interest. A scoping review requires management, and is focusing her research on combing through data and evidence collected exploring sociocultural factors impacting new on a specific topic, determining what is known immigrant women’s physical activity within the and what is unknown, and analyzing the research first five years of arriving in Canada. already conducted to provide greater clarity on “My undergrad was in community development, overarching trends in the field. so for me, I don’t come from primary care or the “It’s sort of a novel method and it’s designed to
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look at the breadth instead of looking at things very narrowly,” says Halas, who used her focus, tobacco use, to illustrate the point. “So much of the research has been around cessation,” said Halas, referring to smoking-related research.“Let’s look at maybe what’s some of the more preventative measures that can happen. What about second-hand exposure? What are some of those unique angles like workplaces, schools, those kind of things that perhaps we Dr. Katz addresses the audience at the Primary Prevention Research Forum earlier this year. could do more with?” Click for the full video. The team has already begun presenting pieces of “We’ve done some really exciting work by coming their research review, with more presentations together each week and learning from each other, slated for the fall. and from the process. One of the dangers of “Aside from doing the actual scoping review, we’ve using a data synthesis group to give you a data each developed a protocol paper and are working synthesis—or wrapped up in a bow—is that you on a discussion paper about the methodology,” don’t go through the learning process that comes said Goertzen. from that.” Participating in a Primary Prevention Research “We’re talking about complex issues, and to Forum on Feb. 5, 2014, Katz spoke about his answer these issues we need the integration in team and the research they are conducting. terms of developing research teams. [.. .] We can’t “We’ve got a great interdisciplinary team with do this in isolation, I believe. That’s a key lesson two PhD students and two Masters students, that I’ve felt from the beginning, that we do need and a couple of us who are fairly experienced interdisciplinary teams to work together.” researchers,” said Katz.
Crowds gather for day-long Aboriginal Day festivities and celebrations at the Forks, June 21. Photo by Beibei Lu.
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TransformUS plans stalled for new president, provost Anna-Lilja Dawson — The Sheaf (University of Saskatchewan)
SASKATOON (CUP) — The cost-cutting program TransformUS has been temporarily delayed following major changes to University of Saskatchewan leadership. After the controversial firing of the director of the school of public health Robert Buckingham, provost and vicepresident academic Brett Fairbairn resigned while only days later Ilene Busch-Vishniac was removed from her role as university president. Both Fairbairn and BuschVishniac were key players in the administration of TransformUS since its inception in 2013. Gordon Barnhart, an adjunct professor from the college of arts and science, was announced as acting president on May 21. Ernie Barber, the managing director of the global institute for food security at the U of S, was to be appointed as interim provost and vice-president academic on July 1. “The whole situation has changed, the people involved have changed. It’s about having new leadership, making sure they’re informed, consulting with the community, and seeing what needs to move forward,” said Greg Fowler, vice-president operations and resources. In 2012, the U of S announced a projected deficit of $44.5 million for the 2015–16 fiscal year if no action was taken. Subsequently, university administration created TransformUS, a plan to seek out inefficiencies in the institution’s programs and services with a goal of saving upwards of $25 million. Fowler said that the university will be able to update their records as the 2013–14 fiscal year just came to a close and the 2014–15 operating budget will be released by the end of June. The TransformUS action plan that was released on April 30 did not include many timelines for its various objectives. Fowler said this flexibility will give university administration the time they need to adjust to recent changes and to make more informed decisions as the plan proceeds. “Our thinking right now is getting the new president and the provost some time to get up to speed — and
to talk to our community, our students, our faculty and especially to the deans as well — and then determine which [plans] are the best ones to move forward based on that consultation,” Fowler said. In Barnhart’s first address to the University Council on May 22, he promised those present that he will conduct a full review of the university’s finances before continuing with any actions related to TransformUS. “I am going to be taking a very close look first at what the deficit is,” Barnhart said. “I also want to see how much have we saved during that period of time, over the last year particularly, and that will give us an idea of what is the gap and how much farther do we have to go.” The address also provided faculty, staff, and students with Barnhart’s assurance that the university will be keeping them in mind when TransformUS continues moving forward. “I’m hopeful that we can find ways of minimizing the hurt to staff and faculty and particularly students,” he said. Fowler said he would like to remind the campus community that TransformUS is not solely about finding savings but that a key aspect of the plan is to strengthen the university’s programs and services. On June 20, the U of S announced through the TransformUS website that an updated review of the 2013-14 operating budget revealed approximately $32 million of the original projected deficit had been made up for in cost-cutting measures that related to changes in investment strategy, changes in institutional practices, and projected savings from a retirement incentive plan for faculty. According to the U of S, the remaining $12.5 million projected deficit will be accounted for through a combination of additional net revenue and expense reductions, with more information coming in the fall as to official plans for the future.
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