July 2012 Gradzette by The Gradzette

Gradzette

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE JULY 2012

Gradzette The UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE 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: publisher@gradzette.com

Editor: Sheldon Birnie Copy Editor: Leif Larsen Designer: Leif Larsen Contributors: Grace Romund, Beibei Lu, Foster Lyle Cover: Ben Clarkson

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 byThe 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 objectively 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 exchange of opinions and ideas and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be of interest to the student body and/or society in general. The Gradzette serves as a training ground for students interested in any aspect of journalism. Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute. Please contact the Editor for submission guidelines. The Gradzette reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its editorial board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or libelous. Opinions expressed in letters and articles are solely those of the authors. The Gradzette is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national student press cooperative with members from St. John’s to Victoria. All contents are ©2012 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation. Yearly subscriptions to the Gradzette are available, please contact publisher@gradzette.com for more information.

Hub opens doors Did I hear someone say ‘finally?’ By Foster Lyle

t’s been almost a year without a student pub on the University of Manitoba’s campus, but the wait is finally over. The Hub, the new University of Manitoba Students’ Union’s (UMSU) bar, opened up

Thursday, May 24 with a low-key kickoﬀ that allowed a smooth transition into its new operations.   %

The Hub replaces former student pub Wise Guys on Campus, which was

shut down last year. Wise Guys’ lease was not renewed when the charity which held their liquor license declined to continue the agreement. A valid license was a requirement for their lease.   %

“The Hub has a diﬀerent structure set up which makes it more

accountable to students through the students’ union”, said UMSU President Bilan Arte through e-mail correspondence. Additionally a Pub Advisory committee has been set up so that issues arising between UMSU, The Hub’s management and administration can be handled through mediated channels, she added.   %

The first weeks of Hub’s activities have been smooth, “but with any new

business, there have been a few bumps along the road, but nothing that we couldn’t handle” said Arte. These bumps don’t show though.   %

Upon a recent visit, The Hub looked clean and professional, ready for an

evening of excitement. The space has been designed in a way that allows various types of events to take place. Having a stage and a wide open dance

Photo by Beibei Lu

floor shows it is ready to take on the rowdiest of beer bashes, while a chic and

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modern décor still makes it possible to host wine and cheeses, or classy

selection of bottled beer. The wine list is small but appropriate for a student pub

receptions.

and comes in at below bar prices like most other drinks on the menu. A number

of beer cocktails have also been created by mixing The Hub Lager with liqueurs

The great location — on the third floor of University Centre — paired

with lots of windows also makes for a great view of campus during the day.

There is also a section of drinks simply called “Signature” that is comprised of

shots with amusing names such as Winterpeg Heat Wave, Charging Bison and

The Hub may actually become “the hub” of student-influenced music.

Having a cabaret license, The Hub will have live music playing nightly, making it

Manitoba Frostbite.

a great venue for campus musicians and other local artists alike to express

themselves.

are onboard. “You want to ask me a question?” shouted second year Asper

School of Business student Chris Mather. “Maybe we should go outside to talk.

“It’s a really good addition to campus student life,” said first year Masters

Though there is a lot of good to be said about The Hub not all students

of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine student Shanel Susser. “The music is great

It’s impossible to have a conversation over how loud this music is.” Outside

and you always run into someone you know.”

Mather continued about how he was outraged a student bar would charge cover

to its own students, how he waited over 10 minutes for service — finally going to

The Hub has also been designed with students and their budgets in mind.

Having a menu that provides an

the bar himself — and that his

array of traditional pub snacks

drink was made wrong.

such as bruschetta, chicken

wings and nachos, it also

President Bilan Arte, “Industry

highlights new fusion foods such

standard is to charge cover. We

as tempura cod bites and gyoza

also charge a lot less than the

— a pork dumpling with a

usual dollar amount. It’s also to

peanut sesame sauce — all for

encourage being early.”

under $10. Lunch and dinner

Additionally, it helps pay for live

options are also available ranging

entertainment that the HUB’s

from sandwiches to pizza to

liquor license requires.

pasta averaging at just over $10.

third floor of University Centre

Drinks include a selection

According to UMSU

The Hub is located on the

of Fort Garry and Rickard’s

and is open Thursday, Friday and

products, as well as a house beer

Saturday 6 pm – 2 am and

appropriately named The Hub

Sundays 3 pm to 12 am.

Lager on tap; there is also a good

Photo by Beibei Lu

Gradzette

RESEARCHER PROFILE

Kathleen McClinton By Grace Romund

“I

f it has to do with food, and you can

a wide variety of diﬀerent research in our faculty.

s t u d y i t i n a h u m a n — t h a t ’s u s , ”

Some people look at specific compounds in food

explained University of Manitoba

product to see how they might aﬀect the body in

graduate student and registered dietician Kathleen

health or in a diseased state, for example. Some

Mc C l i n t o n a b o u t t h e d e p a r t m e n t o f h u m a n

people work with other departments to develop food

nutritional sciences. %

product.”

McClinton currently

holds a bachelor’s degree in human nutritional

sciences from the Faculty of Human Ecology at U of

Boniface Research Centre, focuses on the eﬀects of

M. After completing her first degree she went on to

carrot powder (dehydrated carrots) supplementation

partake in an internship program and then took her

in diabetics and how that relates to visual function.

licensing exams to become a registered dietician.

She set out to scientifically put to the test what all

From there became an operations manager for food

children have heard from their mothers: “Eat your

services at the Health Sciences Centre, followed by

carrots because they are good for your eyesight!”

Grace %

Ho s p i t a l .

“I decided [that] although I liked food service I

McClinton’s research, based out of the St.

In the first study of its kind, McClinton looked

at carrots and visual dysfunction in diabetes to see

missed the clinical side of things and I always wanted

what

to come back and do a ma ster ’s degree,” said

McClinton, who is currently in the final months of

l i ke

her master’s degree in human nutritional sciences.

When choosing what research she would do

individuals will develop some level of visual

for her graduate project and thesis, McClinton was

dysfunction or blindness. It’s actually the leading

not lacking in choice. She noted, “We study nutrition

cause of blindness in adults. People with Type 2

as it relates to humans in health and disease. We have

[diabetes] will also develop blindness — that’s in

might

h a p p e n .

“We also wanted to look at something novel diabetic

r e t i n o p a t h y, ”

she

said.

“In Type 1 diabetes, over time 99 per cent of

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about 60 per cent of patients. So it’s a huge problem and there are huge

healthy

healthcare

costs

attached

t h a t . ”

Using a rat model, McClinton developed an experiment in which she had

animals

were

converting

really

well.

She said that the beta carotene was building up in the liver and wondered

if these carotenoids, which are used to help vision, can’t get converted in a

four groups of rats: healthy rats that did and didn’t have a carrot powder diet

diabetic

a n d d i a b e t i c r a t s t h a t d i d a n d d i d n’t h a v e a c a r r o t p o w d e r d i e t .

The rats were on the carrot powder diet were fed carrot powder as 15 per

animals and damaging one in the diabetics, she wants to go back and do another

cent of their daily food intake. This is, in fact, a fairly large dose. For a human to

study of Type 1 diabetes with diﬀerent doses of carrot powder to see if she

have a daily diet of 15 per cent carrots that person would have to eat a lot of

obser ves

carrots.

After 12 weeks of the carrot powder diet, McClinton began evaluating the

anything, from this study is that right now we have dietary guidelines and

effects of the diet in the rats: “We used different measures to look at what effect

recommendations for diﬀerent nutrients, and they’re for healthy people, but

this [diet] would have on visual function, one of them is something called an

they don’t necessarily apply in diseased conditions.”

s t a t e .

McClinton noted that, because she saw a positive eﬀect in the healthy

the

same

e f f e c t s .

McClinton concluded from her research, “I think the key message, if

electroretinogram, which is a [. . .] piece of equipment where we had the animals go on it and it basically flashes diﬀerent intensities of light and it tells us the electrical conductivity of the eye. So all the cell types actually respond,

Is there a researcher you think we should profile?

depending on the size of the wave length . . . [and] tell how strong the vision is.”  %

The findings of this study, McClinton admitted, were actually not what

she was expecting. She explained, “In the healthy animals carrot powder actually

Each month the Gradzette celebrates University of

improved their eyesight, which is great, but what perhaps was more interesting

Manitoba research by profiling a researcher from our

was that in the diabetic animals that received this high amount of carrot powder

community.

i t a c t u a l l y d a m a g e d t h e i r e y e s , w h i c h w a s a s u r p r i s e t o u s . ”

who is doing exciting work who you think should be profiled

The damage to the eyes of the diabetic rats was in its very early stages;

however, there weren’t any significant changes to the eyes by the end of the s t u d y.   %

“Another interesting thing that we found, that perhaps is related, is that

If you know a graduate student, post-doc or professor

here please let us know.

Email your nominations for researcher profiles to

the animals that were diabetic who received carrot powder had the highest

editor@gradzette.com. Feel free to nominate yourself

amount of beta carotene, which is a precursor of carotenoids and the vitamin A

(we won’t tell).

cycle for vision, which we need. They had the highest build-up, whereas the

Gradzette

Feds pull the plug On world-class research facility By Sheldon Birnie Photo by Dominic Alves

reshwater scientists and graduate students are reeling from the

aﬀected by the closure of the ELA facility. Some may even have their work

Department of Fisheries and Oceans decision to eliminate $2 million in

interrupted before they are able to complete their primar y research.

annual funding to the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) research facility.

In a press conference held on June 15, David Schindler, of the

research took place at the ELA where he studied the behavioural and

University of Alberta, denounced the decision. He told reporters: “The real

physiological diﬀerences between escaped farmed and wild rainbow trout.

problem is we have a bunch of people running science in this country who don’t

e v e n k n o w w h a t s c i e n c e i s , ” a c c o r d i n g t o t h e G l o b e & Ma i l .

the field component of my research at the time of the closure announcement,”

Ma r t e n s

Many graduate students from universities across the country will be

Matt Martens is a master’s student at the University of Manitoba. His

“I was probably one of the few lucky ones that had actually completed

told

the

Gradzette.

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“A number of master’s, PhD students and post-doctoral fellows were in

flooding caused by hydroelectric developments. Venkiteswaran worries that

the process of designing and implementing experiments at the ELA. Since

without the ELA, graduate students and researchers will lose out on a one of a

fieldwork is an huge component to ecology and life sciences in general, closing

kind

the ELA in the midst of active student research, leaves students with little

options to salvage invested time and data that went into their research.”

best faculty, the best researchers in fresh water science in the country,” he told

the

First opened in 1969, the Experimental Lakes Area is a series of

o p p o r t u n i t y.  “We would immediately lose the ability to draw the best students, the Gradzette.

connected lakes in Northwestern Ontario that have been purposely polluted

over the years in order to study ecosystem wide eﬀects of such things as

and get really good data that is useful for policy makers. There are other places

eutrophication, acidification, increased mercury levels and other problems

where people have some good long term data sets, but the ability to do

encountered in fresh water systems. The research done at the ELA is recognized

experiments

globally, and has far ranging implications to scientists, industr y, and

g o v e r n m e n t s ; n o t o n l y i n C a n a d a , b u t a r o u n d t h e w o r l d .

Oceans, no response was provided to our questions before press time. However,

Martens believes that the ELA is important for a number of reasons.

a spokesperson for Minister Keith Ashfield told the Globe & Mail that Fisheries

“It is at the forefront in contributing to global policy on water quality

and Oceans “hope to transfer the facility to another research agent . . . so that

issues,” he told the Gradzette. “It is highly productive in producing graduate

the important work can continue to be conducted by another party that will

theses, thousands of peer-reviewed articles in world renown scientific journals

benefit

and reports . . . By closing this facility I feel that we are eliminating an extremely

important entity in the scientific community that cannot be replaced once

Ontario might take over the ELA research facility, but Venkiteswaran does not

g o n e . ”

believe

“Doing grad research at ELA is a wonderful opportunity to learn about

“It’s the only place in the world you can do whole ecosystem experiments

just

i s n’t

t h e r e . ”

While the Gradzette contacted the oﬃce of the Minister of Fisheries and

from

i t . ”

It has been suggested that either universities or the government of

that

either

are

viable

o p t i o n s .

“It’s an interesting idea,” he says. “But from the university side there is no

how whole-ecosystem research is done and a lot about all the disciplines

chance that that will happen . . . Here in Ontario, we have a government that is

required to make that research happen,” says Jason Venkiteswaran, a researcher

battling a structural deficit that is not going to pony up more money for

with the University of Waterloo. “No matter what happens next year with [the]

universities. Universities here are trying to deal with changing enrollments with

ELA, there will be a break in the work to develop new whole-ecosystem

no new money . . . The way that university granting systems is you’re only

experiments,

looking at three or four years at a time. That’s no way to run a long term, you

assuming

they

c o n t i n u e . ”

Venkiteswaran did his master’s and PhD work out of the ELA for the

can’t run a long term facility that way.”

University of Waterloo in the late ‘90s, focusing on the eﬀects of upland

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U of A research team probes charging powers of eggshells Membranes identified as potential future green and eﬃcient power source Antony Ta — The Gateway (University of Alberta)

DMONTON (CUP) — Chicken eggs could become a new energy

resource, according to a research team at the University of Alberta.

“With nitrogen in our eggshells, compared to traditional carbon materials

w h i c h h a v e ox y g e n g r o u p s , we h a v e 1 . 5 to t wo t i m e s m o r e e n e r g y. ”

Although eggshells are usually considered a waste product, the

“Nitrogen reacts with electrolytes and stores more energy,” Li said.

David Mitlin research group at the U of A believes they can be used to charge

future electronic devices in minutes, or even seconds, instead of hours.

number

Aided by a discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering

Li believes eggshell membrane supercapacitors have huge potential for a of

i n d u s t r i e s .

“Electrical vehicles need to charge and discharge quickly, [and] a battery

Research Council (NSERC), the group has developed an eggshell “membrane”

simply cannot give the necessary energy,” he said. “Egg shell [membranes] have

— a macroporous carbon film to charge supercapacitors far more quickly than

a very unique structure, and their cheapness and functionality allow for broader

normal

a p p l i c a t i o n . ”

b a t t e r i e s .

Post-doctoral member Zhi Li has been spearheading the egg shell

Aside from structural and biochemical composition, eggshell membranes

membrane idea, and describes the ease by which he transformed his food waste

are ideal because of their abundance and ease of preparation. In addition, the

into

source and processing of eggshell membranes are organic and environmentally

useful

engineered

m a t e r i a l .

“I just tried a normal egg that I bought from Costco,” Li said. He added

friendly, a factor that could set it apart should the demand for such technology

that he has long been an avid admirer of the biochemistry of egg shell

ever

membranes

“In general I use very few chemicals to get a useful eggshell membrane,"

said

Li.

“There [are] definitely enough egg shells — more than I can imagine.

% ready %

their

inherent

s t r u c t u r e s .

After Li washes and removes the hard shell with acid, the membrane is for

processing

high

activation

t e m p e r a t u r e s .

“I carbonize it, [which] makes it into carbon fibre [with] nitrogen on the

surface,” %

and

explained.

“ It

pretty

cool

s t r u c t u r e . ”

The high percentage of nitrogen in eggshell membranes is a core

i n c r e a s e .

"The

process

pretty

g r e e n . ”

The cooking industry uses processed eggs, but they just use the liquid egg. They s e p a r a t e t h e l i q u i d f r o m t h e e g g a n d j u s t t h r o w t h e s h e l l a w a y. ”  %

Perhaps the most overlooked property of the eggshell membrane is its

advantage of high capacitance. The higher the energy and power density

durability over time. This may indicate that it is not only eﬃcient, but

promoted by a material, the more ideal it becomes for use in supercapacitors.

sustainable %

its

usage,

according

L i .

“I don’t want to say it lasts forever, but its life cycle is up to 10,000 cycles

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Photo by Dan McKechnie/The Gateway

— w h i c h f o r n o r m a l u s e c o u l d b e u p t o a c o u p l e o f y e a r s . ”

Li believes his eggshell research will encourage others to look into

have to integrate them into a system to eliminate the disadvantages [and]

applications of natural systems and materials for solving future engineering

emphasize the advantages,” he said. “This is especially true of egg shell

problems. Although he used chicken eggs, it is possible that other eggs have the

membranes.”

same

“Every single natural material has an advantage and disadvantage, and you

p o t e n t i a l .

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