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The BulletinUniversity of Manitoba
October 11, 2012 Vol. 46 No. 10 umanitoba.ca/bulletin
A brilliant fallScenes from autumn’s final days
Clean waterThis year’s Critical Conversations topic is urgent
No small matter“Genocide” workshop on the legacy of colonialism
Back pagePage 4Pages 6 - 7
Romeo Dallaire received an award on campus
See story, page 5
U of M EventsActive Living Centre Groundbreaking Celebration, Oct. 11
Mauro Centre Brown Bag Lecture - poetry, Oct. 12
Desiree Scott Day, Oct. 13
32nd President’s Reception for Retirees, Oct. 13
Mauro Centre Brown Bag Lecture - sociology, Oct. 19
Architecture: Food for Thought, Oct. 19
Canada Gairdner International Award Lecture, Oct. 24
‘The Winter’s Tale’ Seminar and Distinguished Visiting Lecture, Oct. 25
>>See page 10 for more
The Active Living Centre Groundbreaking Celebration takes place on October 11. The event celebrates the start of the centre’s construction and show how this world-class health,wellness and fitness centre will enhance the student experience at the U of M.
The activities begin at 10:45 a.m., with the formal groundbreaking at 11:30 a.m. at X Lot, Frank Kennedy Centre, 17 Dafoe Road.
Activities will include:• Prize giveaways• Pep rally atmosphere• Live music by DJ Sallyboo• Active living demonstrations
All attending will receive a two-day Recreation Services pass.
For more information, see: umanitoba.ca/activelivingcentre
Renderings of new Active Living Centre, courtesy of Cibinel Architects Ltd + Batteríid Architects Ltd.
“Define Yourself” student video contest winner Nicole Wruth on her trip to Greenland and Iceland to meet with U of M Arctic researchers. She is pictured here at the Norse Settlement at Nuuk Fjord, Greenland.
I am an explorer:Nicole Wruth
Celebrate a new era of active living!
See story, page 5
Page 2 The Bulletin October 11, 2012
THE
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EDITORMariianne Mays Wiebe
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ISSUE CONTRIBUTORSPat Goss, Sean Moore, Mike Latschislaw,
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Reid, Lindsay Stewart-Glor, Angela Heck,
Sandy Klowak.
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PUBLISHING SCHEDULEIssue Date: October 25, 2012
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Issue Date: November 8, 2012
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NEW
S THE U OF M IN THE NEWS
Lockout: Millionaires’ morality play?October 2, 2012Winnipeg Free Press
Two U of M professors shared their views on the National Hockey League lockout. In short, the impetus for the lockout was a disagreement between players and owners over revenue and how to share $3.3 billion. Arthur Schafer — a professor and director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics — frames it as a fascinating morality play. “The ‘millionaires versus billionaires’ analogy is a catchy
way of encapsulating it, but I don’t think that’s what it’s about,” began Schafer. “My sense is the dispute isn’t primarily about money. I think it’s about honour, a sense of fairness and respect and solidarity. It’s a kind of morality play. It’s the bosses versus the workers. Now, it’s true the workers aren’t living in hovels with coal in their bathtub. But honour really matters, sometimes more than money. They want a sense that they are respected, not that they are nothing.” Another view was offered by Sean MacDonald, an instructor at the Asper School of Business. “As an outsider who follows these things, I’m concerned this could be a very long labour-relations battle,” said MacDonald. “Whenever there are two sides bargaining, a variety of tactics are used. One of them that Don Fehr uses all the time is ‘deadline hunting.’ You push the deadline to whatever the perceived threshold is and at that time the hope is the other side will capitulate. But there’s no deadline yet. What we’ve had, instead, is this discussion where they’re not even using the same framework. One is talking about revenue sharing, the other is talking about a diminished share of growth revenue. It’s different languages and there’s no urgency.”
Moo-MadnessOctober 3, 2012Ottawa Citizen, CBC
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has once again vowed to tighten the rules at slaughterhouses, as the country’s largest ever beef recall expanded recently to more than 1,500 products. But as the government continues to deal with the recall of Alberta meat, experts are asking why, four years after the federal government vowed to fix problems of food safety following a deadly listeriosis outbreak in deli meats, big gaps in the food safety system still exist. Enter the U of M’s Rick Holley, a professor of food science. He’s clear on one thing: Beef eaters shouldn’t take huge comfort when the government talks about how much better equipped it is to prevent, detect and respond to potential food safety risks. “We’re no different from where we were four years ago,” said Holley.
New-style homes for new-style familiesOctober 2, 2012 Toronto Star, Toronto Sun
Benjamin Gillies [BA(Adv.)/10], a political economy graduate who studied urban development and energy policy, has been sharing his views on the merits of co-housing. Each self-contained house is a distinct and private space, but what defines these “intentional communities” is the incorporation of a number of shared areas — such as gardens, guest quarters, exercise rooms or child-care facilities — meant both to reduce the size (and therefore cost) of each individual residence, and foster stronger community connections and allow for mutual assistance. Faced with the evolving nature of Canadian households, Gillies said governments at all levels should work to remove impediments to the establishment of co-housing communities, micro-apartments, and other new developments in urban planning.
Headlines:“Bold undertaking for U of M”, Sept. 27, and “U of M moving closer,” Sept. 29, both from the Winnipeg Free Press, are stories about the “bold vision from university president David Barnard, who wants to transform the image and place of the historic institution in the community.” The centrepiece of the plan is the former Southwood golf course, 48 hectares of pristine land owned by the university. The vacant green space is currently a barrier that reinforces the university’s isolation, but Barnard is staging an international design competition that will reinvent the university precinct.
Science Without Borders, Brazil, meet Manitoba
Science Without Borders program students from Brazil at the welcome event in Marshall McLuhan Hall. Right: Lori Wallace, dean, extended education, with President David Barnard and Marcia McKenzie, acting director, English language studies and international.
The Starbucks in Dafoe Library is now open. Hours of operation are:Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Resume coffee break
THE FIRST 84 SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS STUDENTS FROM BRAZIL were welcomed by extended education to the U of M on Wednesday, September 26.
Science Without Borders (SWB) is a five-year agreement facilitated by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and sponsored by the Brazilian government. The Brazilian government provided scholarships for students to spend a year studying in Canadian institutions. Over the next four years, through the Science Without Borders Scholarship Program, the Brazilian government will spend $2 billion to help send more than 100,000 of its best students to study at universities around the world. Canada will receive about 12,000 students, the second highest total of all recipient countries.
The U of M connection: The U of M received the second highest number of students of any institution in Canada. Many of them will spend first term taking Intensive English Program (IEP) courses offered through extended education’s English language studies program to improve their skills in English so that they can actively participate in regular degree studies courses beginning in their second term. Students will receive four months of language training (if required), with the intensive English program and four months of academic courses, followed by four months of research or industry placement. Welcome here, we say!
Stu Clark, the recipient of the 2012 International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (IDEA), recently spoke to Asper School of Business students. The discussion between Clark, Asper professor Reg Litz and students took place on September 27. Clark earned his B. Comm. (Hons.) from the U of M in 1976, and in 2011 was recognized with an honourary Doctor of Laws. He received his award at a formal dinner at the Winnipeg Convention Centre later the same day.
The Bulletin Page 3October 11, 2012
Dear Colleagues:In July, I provided an update on the work of the health sciences
cluster to assess the benefits and risks associated with a more integrated academic structure. This work stems from the conversation initiated by President David Barnard in January of this year about exploring ways to create an academic structure that better reflects our size and scope, one that enhances rather than impedes our ability to deliver on the university’s mission. The president tasked me, as vice-President (Academic) and Provost, to initiate work with the deans and directors in the health sciences area, who, in turn, are working with their communities to develop a proposal or set of options to improve the academic structure within this area by December 2012.
In my first interim report, I noted that while a number of perceived benefits of a more integrated structure in the health sciences had been identified through these discussions, further dialogue and analysis were required before a proposal or set of options could be developed. Since then, our work has continued and we anticipate being in a position to advance a proposal or series of options by early November for consideration and debate through our collegial governance processes.
I continue to be encouraged by our work to date and look forward to participating in the discussions that will take place in various venues once this proposal or series of options is advanced for broad consideration. I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to this conversation to date, in particular, the members of the health sciences cluster and its thematic working groups. I will be providing regular updates as this process evolves so that faculty, staff and students have a clear understanding of the opportunities for input as well as the decision-making process.
According to the University of Manitoba Act, the authority to make decisions regarding university academic structure rests with the Board of Governors, and the power to make recommendations on this matter rests with Senate. Faculty and School Councils have the power to recommend to Senate and the Board on changes to units within a faculty or school.
Prior to any consideration by Senate and, in turn, the Board, however, deans and directors of the units involved will advance this proposal or series of options for discussion through their respective councils. The views of these units will be important in informing both our Senate’s and the Board’s considerations, and ample time will be provided to develop these views.
I look forward to the next steps and welcome continuing opportunities to speak with members of our university community about this important initiative.
Joanne Keselman, VP (academic) and provost, issued this report to all staff and faculty on October 2, 2012
Academic Structure Initiative: Interim Report #2 on Health Sciences ClusterBY JANINE HARASYMCHUK
For The BulletinThanks to recent federal funding, more than 60 researchers — both established and emerging — will set out to answer pressing questions in their specialized fields. Questions like: Why is clean drinking water not accessible for all First Nations communities? How does having food-allergic children impact the family vacation? How can our response to natural disasters help make us more adaptive?
U of M faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows will share $4,229,150 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through grants, scholarships and fellowships, the funding agency announced.
An investment of $2,584,150 will go towards 18 research projects by professors through the Insight program, which supports research excellence and aims to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world.
Another $1,645,000 will fund projects by 46 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through Doctoral Fellowships and Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships. These awards develop research skills and assist in training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students and fellows who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities.
“This funding recognizes the excellence in research at the University of Manitoba,” says Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international). “Congratulations to these successful researchers. I applaud them and look forward to hearing about their findings.”
“The students and fellows who were awarded this funding are rising stars in research,” added John (Jay) Doering, vice-provost (graduate education) and dean, graduate studies. “I am proud of their accomplishments to date and anticipate more good things to come as they move toward their research goals.”
Major investment from one of Canada’s largest funding agencies
BY CHRIS REIDThe Bulletin
Doug Buchanan, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Microelectronic Materials, has been named vice-president (commercialization) at Innovate Manitoba. Innovate Manitoba is a not-for-profit, community-based organization that focuses on accelerating innovation and commercialization and improving access to capital for Manitoba’s emerging and expanding high growth companies.
“We do a good job in Canada of producing quality discovery-based research which leads to the production of intellectual property, but we are not as successful when it comes to the application of these ideas into the
commercial world,” said Buchanan. “My past experience will enable me to assist academics and entrepreneurs to commercialize their ideas more quickly.”
Buchanan joined the U of M in 2002. He is an established researcher in the field of physics and engineering of microelectronic materials and devices. Prior to joining the university, Buchanan was a researcher at IBM’s prestigious T.J. Watson Research Center in New York State.
As the province’s only research-intensive post-secondary institution, the U of M has a strong presence at Innovate Manitoba. Board of Governors chair Jan Lederman serves as president of Innovate Manitoba. Joanne Keselman, VP(academic) & provost, serves as co-chair of the Manitoba Innovation Council.
Buchanan new VP, Innovate Manitoba
BY SANDY KLOWAKFor The Bulletin
After two years of meticulous consulting, engagement, planning and developing, the university is rolling out EPIC, a new system that will revolutionize the way the U of M makes purchases.
The new Electronic Procurement and Information Centre (EPIC ) is an integrated procurement suite that will streamline purchasing, making it more efficient and cost-effective to order what you need.
How much more efficient? Previously, if you initiated a Purchase Requisition for low-dollar items you’d have to wait an average of four days to get the request approved and over to purchasing services, and another four days just for the purchase request to make it out of the university to the supplier. “EPIC will bring that eight days down to minutes,” says Paul Dugal, manager of purchasing services.
Dugal is the business lead for the EPIC project and says that the creation of EPIC couldn’t have been done without consultations with faculty and staff at every level. “The consultation process over the past two years has been a major effort,” he said.
Consultations with staff and faculty gave the EPIC team a sense of what inefficiencies existed within the old system, and what a ‘best-case dream system’ would look like, said Dugal. They created a plan to match that as closely as possible.
Previously, the system had each person making individual purchase requests without communication within their units or faculties. The system didn’t note the use of funds until the purchase was completed, leading to delayed budget updates.
With EPIC, transactions will be visible and documented electronically at every step of the way, making transactions more efficient and more cost-effective. “EPIC will simplify the way university staff order goods and services,” Dugal said.
EPIC will provide data that will help the university
understand where it’s spending its money, allowing it to make more effective purchases—such as through the standardization and consolidation of products and services — and improvement of supplier performance.
“EPIC will provide us with enriched data, enabling us to know what similar items or services we’re buying, how many suppliers we’re buying them from, and varying prices we’re paying,” says Dugal. “ Then we can strike better agreements with a smaller number of suppliers based on that information.
Dugal says the purchasing system they’ve come up with is the most comprehensive system in place at any Canadian university. Though other institutions use parts of various eProcurement systems, to his knowledge, no other post-secondary school in the country is using an eProcurement system to the extent the U of M is, which not only includes electronic purchases but also electronic bidding, contract maintenance and data analytics.
But Dugal knows fitting the vast array of purchases at the university into a singular system is no easy task. “The university buys everything from pens to research equipment to multimillion-dollar buildings and everything in between,” he says.
Add to that list scientific chemicals, musical instruments, consulting services, office supplies and furnishings and IT hardware and software, to name only a few more examples. While it’s impossible to fulfill the needs of every single office, Dugal says they’ve come as close as possible. The university chose Ariba as their eProcurement solution, a system he calls “the Cadillac of eProcurement in North America.”
The EPIC pilot will be rolled out October 9, 2012. It will be tested in several offices, including financial services, treasury services, audit services, information services and technology, human resources, physical plant and the Faculty of Architecture. The plan is to gradually add departments and faculties, with the goal of having the whole university on board by mid-2013.
Those nervous about making a purchase after the changeover needn’t worry. Full training is provided for each office entering the system, including hands-on classroom sessions, drop-in labs, an extensive web page with FAQs, e-memos, web-training and a help desk.
Dugal and the EPIC team are excited to see the results of two long years of work as the system rolls out, making the university a more efficient organization as a whole. But he also knows it’ll take time for the benefits to become apparent.
“We don’t expect those improvements to happen overnight. They will take time. There will be growing pains, there will be the awkwardness of change, there will be a learning curve,” he says. “But in the long run, there will be improvements of EPIC proportions.”
Procurement practices get an EPIC makeover
ROSE
UPD
ATE
$$ CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS $$$250 million: What the U of M spends annually, in total100,000: The number of annual purchase transactions at the university
Paul Dugal, manager, purchasing services.
Page 4 The Bulletin October 11, 2012
It seems obvious: Of course we should care if fellow Canadians don’t have access to safe drinking water. Unfortunately, however, many Canadians are largely unaware of the conditions that have led to these concerns — and, what’s more, if you don’t live on a reserve, it can be much too easy to fall into the mistaken belief that the issue doesn’t apply to you.
These seminars examine many issues and the questions that arise from the right to clean water, including issues of inherent rights of Indigeonous Peoples and treaty rights. Are treaties being upheld? Both Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian government are parties, and according to the definition by The Supreme Court of Canada in the Badger case, a treaty is “an exchange of solemn promises…whose nature is sacred.” Treaties are more than just contracts or real estate deals; they are nation-to-nation agreements. (From the fact sheets on Aboriginal law published by the Faculty of Law)
The Bulletin spoke to several student-participants of the new season of Critical Conversations focussed on the issue. The discussion series is organized by the university’s Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR).
Teresa Hutsebaut and James Beddome feel that “The average Canadian does care, but it is a complicated issue, and we don’t hear much about it.”Hutsebaut: “Right now there’s a lack of real solutions. It’s difficult to see how things could be worse. Maybe the Bill can improve things — it could be a starting point.”Janine Seymour: “Water is core to our values, as First Nations people. I can’t imagine anything more sacred. But without the funding commitment, there’s not much there [in Bill S-8]. We’re desperate but [First Nations] people are also aware of the issue and the bill and they are very upset.”
See Aboriginal law fact sheets here: bit.ly/T5MLagCRITICAL CONVERSATIONS ON “FIRST NATIONS AND THE RIGHT TO WATER” SEMINARS are free and open to the public.See schedule at: chrr.info/resources/critical-conversations
Critical Conversations: Safe drinking water for First Nations
Photos by Mariianne Mays Wiebe
Presenters Melissa Hotain, policy analyst at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and Karen Busby, Faculty of Law professor and founding academic director of the Centre for Human Rights Research, at the October 1 discussion.
First Nations and the right to water: BackgrounderMore than 3,400 First Nations homes in Canada do not have indoor plumbing and most of those are in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. The average Winnipegger uses about 180 litres of water each day, but some people living in the Island Lake region of Manitoba get by on less than 15 litres of water a day. That’s the amount recommended by the United Nations for disaster zones and far less that the 50-100 litres per day recommended by the World Health Organization for maintaining health.
Meanwhile, about 110 First Nations communities with indoor plumbing have tap water unfit to drink, and almost 40 per cent of water systems on First Nations land have major deficiencies that pose high risks to water quality.
The U of M’s Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR), housed in the Faculty of Law has spearheaded a project on water as a human right after a series of articles on the issue appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. Few of the researchers had met before. They came from diverse faculties across both U of M campuses, from the U of W and from First Nations organizations. They are putting their heads together in an exciting collaboration that includes law, film, sciences, social sciences and medicine.
In 2010, the United Nations declared that safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights. Many residents of poor countries — and of First Nations reserves in wealthy Canada — are looking for practical ways to realize that recently affirmed right.
Researchers will explore effective strategies to propel governments into action in spite of the hefty $4.7-billion price tag attached to achieving clean water on First Nations reserves. The legal component, led by Faculty of Law’s Brenda Gunn and Karen Busby, involves some of Canada’s top experts on water rights, including U of M graduate Merrell-Ann Phare, who runs the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources. Aimée Craft of Winnipeg’s Public Interest Law Centre has also come on board and Inez Vystrcil-Spence, a social work graduate, is among those offering advice on behalf of Manitoba chiefs.
Each researcher brings different expertise to the mix. Gunn is a Metis scholar whose research and teaching focuses on the rights of Indigenous peoples in domestic and international law. “The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes that Indigenous peoples have rights to maintain and strengthen their relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used waters and coastal seas and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.
“In Canada, we have failed to properly protect this relationship by recognizing Indigenous peoples’ water rights,” Gunn said.
Law experts Busby and Aimée Craft will evaluate Indigenous laws on water as well as how treaty, Aboriginal and inherent rights claims or the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples could be used to further drinking water rights. Busby teaches constitutional law and has decades of experience in human rights cases and campaigns; Craft is a sessional lecturer and lawyer at the Public Interest Law Centre and brings expertise in Indigenous legal traditions. A team of economists and health researchers, including Brenda Elias from the Faculty of Medicine, will try to collect hard evidence of the impact of poor water services on health and social status.
“We know that water is really blessed,” Anishinaabe Elder Florence Paynter said recently at U of M’s Migizii Agamik (Bald Eagle Lodge), which houses the Aboriginal Student Centre. “Our relatives are suffering because they don’t have clean water to drink.”
This feature on the background of First Nations water and the related research taking place at U of M was written by Helen Fallding and a version of it originally appeared in the 2012 Robson Hall Alumni Report.
BY KAITLIN NEUFELDFor The Bulletin
On October 1, Melissa Hotain, policy analyst at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC), and Karen Busby, law professor and founding academic director of the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR), led a discussion on what to do about the federal “Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act,” Bill S-8.
Hotain and Busby are part of a large research group of about 50 academic researchers, First Nations partners and community partners working together to address First Nations drinking water supply and sanitation issues. Their presentation was part of a new season of the CHRR’s series called Critical Conversations. The weekly seminars, which take place on Monday afternoons, are free and open to the public.
According to recent federal reports, the presenters said, 39 per cent of First Nations water systems are considered high risk, and only 45 per cent of Manitoba First Nations homes have piped sewage.
Bill S-8 proposes that the Canadian government devise the first-ever regulations concerning water and wastewater in First Nations communities. Responses have been mixed. Some First Nations leaders, such as Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead of Treaty 7 in Alberta, feel optimistic that Bill S-8 will “lead to other measures necessary to ensure the safety of First Nations drinking water.”
However, AMC “does not support a legislative measure as an option to address safe drinking water needs for First Nations,” explained Hotain.
“Water is a fundamental and integral part of [First Nations] inherent, Aboriginal and treaty rights and must not be circumscribed by legislation.”
Both presenters noted that there are a number of problems with Bill S-8. If passed, the
federal government, not First Nations, would be the primary lawmaker for First Nations water issues, and third parties could enforce the regulations. Both of these changes could weaken Aboriginal and Treaty rights. Also, Bill S-8 does not address the gap between current funds and the expected costs needed to meet new regulations.
Busby and Hotain agree that the bill alone is not enough to solve First Nations water and wastewater issues. “If all you’re going to do is pass a whole bunch of regulations … nothing is going to happen unless the infrastructure and the capacity [are] there,” Busby said.
Bill S-8 was first introduced in February and is expected to pass by the end of this year.
>>View slides from Hotain’s and Busby’s presentation at the CHRR website: bit.ly/OTr7uD
Hotain: ‘Water is a fundamental and integral part of [First Nations’] inherent, Aboriginal and treaty rights and must not be circumscribed by legislation’
Faculty of Law students attending the seminars, Teresa Hutsebaut, James Beddome (left) and Janine Seymour.
SOUNDING OUT ON THE ‘RIGHT TO WATER’ ISSUE: WHY CANADIANS SHOULD CARE In 2010, the United Nations declared that safe and clean
drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.
The Bulletin Page 5October 11, 2012
BY ANGELA HECKFor The Bulletin
World Opportunities Week returns to the campus from October 22 to 25. This is the 12th year of the event that invites all members of the university community to explore the world. Presented by the World W.I.S.E. Resource Centre and the International Centre for Students, World Opportunities Week (WOW) provides anyone looking for international experience with a convenient one-stop shop to discover international travel, exchange and volunteer opportunities provided by the U of M and others.
“World Opportunities Week is designed to inspire
and motivate students to become involved in their local and international communities,” says event organizer, David Arenas, International Centre for Students (ICS).
The three-day event provides information on a variety of international opportunities from internships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academic exchanges, to volunteer opportunities here in Winnipeg. Highlights include the World W.I.S.E. Global Village, presentations on global issues and ideas such as food security and eco-tourism, information booths, and entertainment.
Representatives from international organizations,
NGOs, and U of M programs will be on campus to show students how they can become engaged in international activities. A host of special events promoting global citizenship and cultural awareness will also be taking place.
It is presented with the support of the Government of Manitoba – International Education Branch, Medical Ministries International and the ICS. All activities take place at the University of Manitoba, Fort Garry campus.
A full schedule can be found at:umanitoba.ca/student/ics/wwise/wow_2012.html
SPOTLIGHT ON: U OF M STUDENT EXPERIENCE
WINNER OF THE “DEFINE YOURSELF” CONTEST, U of M student Nicole Wruth traveled to Greenland and Iceland as part of the ‘Northern Experience’ package she selected as her grand prize. In her winning video, she (appropriately!) identified herself as an explorer. The contest ran from October 17, 2011 to February 12, 2012, and grand prize winner Wruth traveled to Greenland and Iceland from September 10 to 21 with Lucette Barber, manager of community outreach, earth observation sciences, U of M.
The focus of her trip was Nuuk, Greenland, where she met scientists and students at the Greenland Climate Research Centre who are conducing ground-breaking work in arctic climate change research. She visited their facilities and observed field work; she also got to meet U of M researcher Søren Rysgaard, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Geomicrobiology and Climate Change Research. The School of Art student graduated this year with a major in photography, so in addition to its science research aspects, her trip was also designed around culture, history and politics. She had the opportunity to meet locals, visit museums, art galleries and try local cuisine.
“After my Greenland experience I stayed in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland,” said Wruth. “I arrived in the downtown area and instantly felt charmed by the city. While in Iceland, the University of Manitoba provided three tours. The first one I went on was a 14-hour bus tour! Yes, the bus trip was 14 hours! I traveled to the South Coast of Iceland and ultimately to the Glacial Lagoon. The interesting thing about Iceland is its varying landscapes: One moment you are surrounded by black volcanic rock, next moment black sand, then small green hills, farms, old sea cliffs. It is quite beautiful. The Glacial Lagoon was unique because we made our way around in a boat that also had wheels for land. We were lucky because that day there were a lot of icebergs in the lagoon … and I love icebergs!”
WOW! It’s World Opportunities Week at the U of M!
U of M “Define Yourself” video contest winner Nicole Wruth during her trip to Greenland and Iceland in September. Photo left: Boating in Nuuk Fjord, Greenland. See more about Nicole’s travels here, including her Greenland and Iceland videos and photos: travelwithnicole.wordpress.com/
All photos courtesy of Nicole Wruth
Photos clockwise from above right: Fishing for cod in Nuuk Fiord; in the old quarter of Nuuk, Greenland; iceberg!; another photo in the old quarter, Nuuk; (centre photo) in Iceland.
Page 6 The Bulletin October 11, 2012
Photos by Mariianne Mays Wiebe
Florence Paynter, U of M Elder-in-Residence, opens the event with a blessing and a statement. Above right: Justice Murray Sinclair is the first keynote speaker to address the audience.
GENOCIDE CONFERENCE TAKES ON TOUGH ISSUES
BY IRENE FUBARA MANUELFor The Bulletin
Marshall McLuhan Hall is standing room only as the crowd settles in for the triple-keynote public event that opens the three-day workshop entitled “Colonial genocide and Indigenous North America.”
Sociology professor Andrew Woolford introduces university Elder-in-Residence Florence Paynter, who begins with a blessing and a statement that the treatment of Indigenous Canadians in residential schools is cultural genocide and should be referred to as such. Her words resound through the discussion as remaining speakers share their understanding of the topic.
Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), discusses the significance of the word “genocide” in the TRC. With his definition of genocide, which characterizes the act by the intent to destroy and actions to fulfill this intent, he argues that residential schools were genocide.
The words of Duncan Campbell Scott, to “kill the Indian in the child,” drives his argument that genocide
moves beyond the physical killing of people. Next, residential school survivor Theodore
Fontaine shares his experience in residential schools. He breaks it down into four phases: The physical and spiritual abuse he endured in residential schools; the development of his mind to embrace the racist ideals of the church and schools; his freedom from the residential schools; and remembering what happened in the residential school and why it happened.
Closing the discussion, Daniel Paul livens up the room with a communal stretch exercise and stories of his activism in Mi’kMaq Indigenous community in the U.S. Paul speaks about the history of colonization of the Americas and contemporary issues concerning Indigenous peoples such as the naming of streets and buildings after colonizers.
The event concludes with a question period in which another survivor of residential schools tells his own story and asks an important question — how can restorative justice for Indigenous people be effected at the personal level?
umanitoba.ca
TRAILBLAZER PIONEER EXPLORER INNOVATOR VISIONARY
DAVID T. BARNARD, PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR
INVITES YOU TO ATTEND A DISTINGUISHED VISITING LECTURE
DR. RICHARD STRIER FRANK L. SULZBERGER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
MIND, NATURE, HETERODOXY, AND ICONOCLASM IN SHAKESPEARE’S THE WINTER’S TALEFRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 4:00 P.M.Robert B. Schultz Lecture Theatre, St.John’s College, 92 Dysart Road
Seminar for Faculty and Students
Thursday, October 25, 3:30 p.m., Tier Building, Room 409
Free to attend.
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Author and activist Daniel Paul closes the public event.
Keynote: Colonial genocide and residential schools
The Bulletin Page 7October 11, 2012
BY MARIIANNE MAYS WIEBEThe Bulletin
“Genocide” is a charged word. According to Andrew Woolford, a professor in the department of sociology, Faculty of Arts, it’s also a word that can — and should — be applied within the North American context.
The recent workshop co-organized by Woolford in collaboration with Jeff Benvenuto and Alex Hinton of Rutgers University explored often unacknowledged examples of colonial
genocide in North America. The three-day workshop, which began with a packed-out keynote event open to the public, took place at the university and the Fort Garry Hotel from September 20 to 22.
If North Americans listing the world’s genocides often forget to include their own, this is due in part to the complex history of the word itself, says Woolford.
“The word itself is highly politicized and has been used polemically since the Holocaust,” he explains, “but as an analytic term it can be useful for understanding the myriad ways the destruction of a group can work, beyond quantification of actual deaths.”
As a sociologist, Woolford is precisely interested in what constitutes — or destroys — groups: the “life of groups,” as he calls it. He notes that the same concern is reflected in the work of Raphael Lemkin, the law professor who in 1943 coined the term “genocide,” a word that combines the Greek root, “genos” (family, tribe, or race), with the Latin one, “cide” (killing). In Lemkin’s words, “Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity,
but as members of the national group.”Lemkin ’s work on genoc ide
directly shaped the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 following the Second World War, and came into force in 1951. Though the Convention ultimately confined its purview to genocide’s immediate, physical aspects, Lemkin’s work was much broader.
The way in which the word has come to be used, suggests Woolford, is often even narrower than the genocidal acts included within the Convention. These are given as “…any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy,
in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, such as: [k]illing members of the group; [c]ausing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; [de]liberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; [i]mposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [f]orcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”
Even a glance at this fuller definition may illustrate its potential application to
the North American context of colonial oppression of and acts perpetrated upon Indigenous Peoples. But beyond this, Lemkin’s original conception considers the social, cultural, economic, biological, health, religious and moral aspects of genocide.
Over the past few decades, says Woolford, this broader definition has been considered in academic scholarship, in taking fuller account of group implications rather than seeing genocide only as the act of killing individuals en masse. Australian scholarship in the emerging field of genocide studies has been pushing boundaries for years, he says — but what really led him to consider the possibilities of genocide studies for the North American context was hearing first-hand about the experiences of First Nations survivors through his course of research on residential schools.
“This shift [towards an understanding of genocide in the North American Indigenous and colonial context] is still occurring,” he says. “The questions — about the impact of these events, individually or combined, on the ability of Indigenous groups to survive as groups
— are significant.“Our understanding of colonialism
i s mov ing beyond ind iv idua l i s t interpretations, towards the beginnings of a comprehension of the profundity and depth of the harm done to Indigenous Peoples here by colonial genocide — starting with those who understand it personally, emotionally and experientially,” he adds.
The idea for the workshop was sparked at the annual International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) conference, which last year took place in Argentina. There, Woolford discussed the idea with the two aformentioned genocide scholars from Rutgers University (where Lemkin taught for many years), and together they planned this event.
The breadth of Indigenous rights and human rights scholarship at the university was another factor in deciding to hold this workshop here — and in 2014, the U of M will host the annual IAGS conference.
Why a workshop? Woolford says the idea was to bring in a multitude and diversity of voices, to include both those from the field of genocide studies and others as presenters. The keynote event also opened the topic for public discussion.
According to Woolford, the workshop is a small start on showcasing and sharing the extent of genocide research being done across North America, including much of it at the University of Manitoba. He mentions several colleagues whose work is notable, and was presented at the workshop, and says the process of planning turned up many others as well.
The plan is to compile the papers and presentations on colonial genocide and Indigenous North America in an edited volume. He hopes too that the upcoming international conference to be held at the U of M in 2014 will yield further opportunities for public events and dialogue.
“There’s the scholarship aspect of colonial genocide in the North American context as well as the political element, and both are important,” Woolford says. “Partly these are societal questions: What can be done today to redress this? What can be done to educate non-Indigenous North Americans about these harms?
“You want this kind of research and scholarship to be grounded in community engagement as well as critical self-reflection.”
COMING UP: LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF CONFLICTS AND ATROCITIES CONFERENCEOCTOBER 11-13, 2012This weekend, more than fifty presenters from across the humanities and social sciences in North America and Europe will discuss practices and representations of conflicts and atrocities in literature, film, history, autobiography, fine and digital arts, museums, memorial spaces, photography and the public discourses. Topics include the Holocaust, Aboriginal issues, the Genocide in Rwanda to World War II, the Balkan Wars, the Kieft’s War in New Netherland, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the conflict in the Middle East.
From genocide to serenityHumanitarian, witness to genocide receives peace awardSenator Roméo Dallaire struggled to find the will to live after witnessing the worst side of humanity during the Rwandan genocide. Learning to take the long-term view is what saved him. In a public lecture at the U of M on Friday, October 5, the former commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda encouraged Canadians to take whatever small steps we can to help humanity progress from conflict to serenity.
At the event, Dallaire was presented with the 2012 Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award of Canada, after which he spoke on lessons learned from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. His presentation was followed by a panel discussion, with participants from the U of M, including genocide expert Andrew Woolford and Sean Byrne, executive director of the university’s Arthur Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice.
Dallaire’s book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda was published in 2003. He was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2005.
The event was co-sponsored by the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Human Rights Research and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Canada, whose president, Krishnamurti Dakshinamurti, is professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba. The peace award recognizes original thinkers and initiators of conflict resolution.
Senator Romeo Dallaire, Krishnamurti Dakshinamurti, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, U of M, a co-director of the Centre for Health Policy Studies at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre.
Woolford: ‘Our understanding of colonialism is moving beyond individualist interpretations, towards comprehension of the harm done to Indigenous Peoples here by colonial genocide’
Genocide in North America?
Andrew Woolford, co-organizer of the colonial genocide workshop, introduces the keynote speakers.
Theodore Fontaine, one of three keynotes at the workshop’s public event.
Page 8 The Bulletin October 11, 2012
A HAUNTED HOUSE NOVEL was on his “to do” list for a long time, but David
Annandale knew that he would have to breathe life into a story that’s been told many times before. That’s precisely what he’s done with his newest novel, Gethsemane Hall.
The U of M instructor and horror fiction writer stuck with “the classic structure of the team of investigators gathering to learn the truth of the house,” as he puts it — but at the same time found a way to ensure the truth was just as surprising to readers as to the characters.
“What if the group is made up of both total skeptics and fervent believers, and both sides are wrong?” Annandale said.
“The challenge I set for myself was to come up with what, in that case, the truth would actually be. This opened up some very dark possibilities.”
Part old-fashioned ghost tale, part existential horror story, the novel is set at the eerie ancestral home of the protagonist, Richard Gray. Gethsemane Hall exerts a magnetic power over a diverse group of skeptics and believers, all clamoring to understand the mysteries that lie within
its walls, for different reasons. What they find is a truth none of them could have fathomed.
Annandale teaches in the department of English, film and theatre and is the author of Crown Fire, Kornukopia and The Valedictorians. His short stories have been published in several anthologies of horror fiction.
How did you come up with the setting for Gethsemane Hall? Was there a specific location that inspired you?[There are two primary locations] that inspired me, which were important to me as a child, and for which I retain an abiding love today: The town of Axminster, in Devon, is the model for Roseminster. Gethsemane Hall itself is based on Ightham Mote, a medieval manor house in Kent.
What drew you to the horror genre? What does it offer the writer or reader that other genres don’t? I have been a horror fan for most of my life. What first drew me to it as a child were monsters, and I still love them. There is, of course, much more to the genre than that. In its very being, it is a mystery (why do we want to be terrified?) and a challenge (as a writer, what must I do to terrify my readers?). It is a genre in which the great metaphysical questions of life, death, meaning and truth are explored and it is driven by an imperative to look into the dark, but utterly vital, corners of what it means to be human. – Sandy Klowak
BY U OF M STAFF AND FACULTYBO
OKS
David Annandale.
Gethsemane Hall (2012), by David Annandale, is published by Dundurn Press.
THE GOOD DOCTOR: As Winnipeg’s first medical specialist and the second dean of the Manitoba Medical College, Dr. James Wilford Good is remembered as a pioneer in the history of medicine and a founder of medical education in Manitoba. He was the first physician in the Canadian west to specialize in the treatment of diseases of the eye, ears, nose and throat, Dr. Good was also the first in western Canada to purchase and use radium for the treatment of cancer. A professor of clinical surgery and lecturer in ophthalmology and otology, Good taught at the Manitoba Medical College during its first three years of operation and soon after became dean of the college.
Following his 11-year deanship of the Manitoba Medical College, Good travelled to Yukon in 1899 where he became the medical health officer for Dawson City during the twilight of the Klondike Gold Rush. It was during this time that Good met Sam B. Steele of the Northwest Mounted Police, who praised the doctor for his ability to reduce the numbers of sick to one-tenth of what they had been in the previous year. Through rigorous inspections of the Dawson City’s water supply, Good was also instrumental in preventing another outbreak of typhoid which had previously devastated the community in 1897. Good returned to Winnipeg in 1900 to resume teaching responsibilities at the Manitoba Medical College. During the First World War he served with the French Red Cross and was later posted to a British surgical centre.
In addition to his prestigious medical career, Dr. Good is also remembered by his friends and colleagues for his repartee, wit, and numerous social exploits. For example, Dr. E.W. Montgomery describes how on one afternoon in the 1880s Good rented the entire Board of Trade Saloon on Lombard Street and there took on the role of bartender, dispensing liquor to the standing -room-only crowd well into the next morning. Other recorded testimonials from this time describe how Good alternated between left and right-handed clubs throughout games of golf.
Once, after telling a patient that his eye condition was incurable, he was asked “Surely you can do something to alleviate it?” To which Dr. Good replied, “I’m sorry sir, I spell me name with two O’s, not one.”
Dr. James Wilford Good retired a wealthy man and died in 1926. He bequeathed his estate to a number of institutions, including the tuberculosis sanatorium in Ninette, Manitoba, and the Children’s Home of Winnipeg.
– Jordan Bass, archivist, Faculty of Medicine ArchivesAccess these archives online at:>>umanitoba.ca/libraries/health/archives/
FROM THE ARCHIVESFaculty of Medicine Archives at the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
Dr. James Wilford Good.
◊ EMMA HILL KEPRON: I must have been in a dark frame of mind to have enjoyed these two bleak novels so much. Zone One, a novel about the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse does not add much to the usual zombie lore but is rather an examination of the aftermath of the total destruction of society and what it might take to rebuild it.
Zone One’s main character, nicknamed Mark Spitz, is tasked with “sweeping” Manhattan, a job that entails making sure buildings are free of the walking dead. As he moves from building to building with his fellow sweepers he reflects on the moments that brought him to the city, what he has witnessed in the previous year, and the types of people who were able to survive.
Although fairly grim in its description of the horrors and rigours of survival, the book is quite witty and has some funny moments, particularly when contrasting New York office workers before and after the apocalypse (and examining how they are perhaps not that different). The involvement of corporate “sponsors” in the rebuilding of the U.S. is also very well-done and nicely plausible.
Serena by Ron Rash is set in a logging camp in North Carolina during the depression. Serena Pemberton and her husband John own huge swaths of forest that they are attempting to clear cut before the government appropriates it to turn it into a national park.
The vibrant descriptions of how incredibly dangerous logging was during that time are are hard to forget, but the most remarkable thing about this book is the title character. Serena would not be out of place in a Greek tragedy or some Biblical tale of vengeance and wrath. She is a remarkable character whose cruelty, ambition and ferocious single-mindedness make you glad she’s not real, and definitely thankful she’s not your boss.
This is a novel with few “good” characters and many conflicted and dark ones, all of them well-drawn and vivid.
Emma Hill Kepron is acting head of reference at the Elizabeth Dafoe Library. She has an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario and is working towards her master’s in English here at the university.
Recommend a favourite book or a book or two you have recently discovered and enjoyed, in 250 words or less. To contribute, contact: [email protected]
RECO
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DARK TALES OF HORROR, VENGEANCE AND WRATH
Emma Hill Kepron.
The Bulletin Page 9October 11, 2012
www.odgersberndtson.ca
CancerCare Manitoba President and Chief Executive Officer CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) is one of the earliest cancer control agencies in Canada.With headquarters and two major sites in Winnipeg on the Health Sciences Centrecampus and St. Boniface General Hospital, CCMB operates a Manitoba wide program ofcancer control and blood disorder management and is a major referral centre for theKeewatin District of the Northwest Territories and Northern Ontario. It is closely affiliatedwith the University of Manitoba (where clinical and scientific staff hold facultyappointments), major academic health sciences centres, and the province’s regionalhealth authorities. CCMB works with the Canadian Association of Provincial CancerAgencies and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer on national issues and initiatives inorder to develop a robust Pan Canadian network of cancer control centres.
Reporting to CCMB’s governing board, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) isresponsible for the skillful stewardship of CCMB’s human, material, and financialresources, and for providing leadership to the organization’s clinical, research, educationand community outreach enterprises. The CEO is the chief representative of CCMB toaffiliated institutions and all other relevant bodies at the local, regional, national, andinternational levels. The CEO will lead CCMB with dynamism and vision, and in ways thatreflect CCMB’s core values (a patient/family driven focus, respect, teamwork,stewardship, and continuous learning and improvement), as it seeks to reduce and,where possible, to eliminate the burden of cancer, in all its dimensions, on the people ofManitoba.
The ideal candidate will have a substantial track record of success in a senior leadershiprole, in a large tertiary academic health care organization, conducting advanced clinical,scientific and educational programs. He/she will be an exceptional communicator with acollaborative and collegial style that allows for the building and development of positiveand productive relationships, both within CCMB and with its many provincial and nationalpartners. A full appreciation of, and commitment to, the special mission of CancerCareManitoba will be essential; an MD degree will be considered an asset.
To explore this opportunity further, please contact Colleen Keenan or Penny Mirams at416 366 1990. If you are interested in applying for this position, please email yourresume, in confidence, to [email protected].
A panel of representatives from Aramark were on hand to answer students’ questions during the UMSU-hosted open forum on food services and meal plans on Oct. 4 at the Fort Garry campus.
The panel representing Aramark included Tina Horsley, national director of wellness and sustainability, Nathan Lo, operations coordinator, Joan Mandziuk, manager of the fresh food company, Ainsley Mitchell, Aramark’s Manitoba marketing manager of food services for the fresh food company, and Dean Duff, food services director.
Aramark has been improving its services and has pledged to work with students and employees on building a better menu. “Bison Lasagne,” a new menu item consisting of all-local ingredients, was on hand for students to sample at the event.
The day following the forum, Mitchell commented that she was pleased with what they had learned from meeting with students, and was excited to continue working with students on the issues addressed.
“There was a lot of constructive discussion regarding Food Services on campus and we are grateful to UMSU for putting on the event,” she said.
Aramark’s fall “Dining Styles and Facility Focus” surveys have arrived. This is the survey that Aramark conducts twice a year to gather information from students and visitors to the campus as to their feelings about both Food Services and Custodial Services. Participants have the opportunity to win a $150 Visa Gift Card or three $50 Visa Gift Cards.
The survey will be live from October 1 to October 26, 2012 at college-survey.com/manitoba
Two U of M graduates built a better crop fertilizer and their trailblazing efforts have earned them a coveted Innovation Award from the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation.
Kerry Green [DipAg/83] and Geoff Gyles [BSA/79] are the founders of Wolf Trax, which in the 1990s developed DDP Micronutrients. This micronutrient system features a patented technology Green and Gyles engineered: dry dispersible powder (DDP). They formulated DDP to coat and stick to each and every granule of macronutrient fertilizer in a blend. This patented technology results in even, blanket-like coverage of micronutrient across a field, and its design also allows plants to enjoy both immediate and delayed uptake of micronutrients, extending overall plant feeding. Wolf Trax is located in Smartpark, a subsidiary corporation of the University of Manitoba. Smartpark’s vision is to “Build a Community of Innovators” on the doorstep of the University of Manitoba, facilitating university-industry research collaborations and innovation.
“The University of Manitoba community is extremely proud of these outstanding alumni,” says David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. “Receiving this prestigious national award is a well-deserved honour for these innovators.”
Agricultural innovators receive Manning Innovation Award
In 2012 the department of English, film and theatre’s Media Lab underwent a major expansion as part of the rejuvenation of University College. Now located in 233 University College, the lab has more than doubled in size. The new space offers a dedicated screening room/creative incubator, sound-recording and editing pods, workstation hives, and a fully-interactive instructional setup for demonstrating a range of film, media and computer-based skills.
The Media Lab was established in the fall of 1995 as a pilot project to facilitate digital instruction in the Faculty of Arts. Today’s Media Lab seeks to give scholars and students access to an ever–expanding selection of digital and online resources for the study of literature, film and theatre and the generation of leading-edge creative work across the disciplines. In 2012 the Lab will host masterclasses, the Film Fridays screening series and the 2012-13 DigitalWorks new media competition. A grand opening for the Media Lab is planned for October.
Media Lab updated
Aramark launches survey, consults with students
At the UMSU-hosted forum on food services, Aramark representatives fielded students’ questions.
Three U of M researchers will serve as co-investigators on a new project called the “Every Teacher Project,” a SSHRC-funded study of Canadian teachers on LGBTQ-inclusive education. Janice Ristock, vice-provost (academic affairs) and associate professor, women’s and gender studies, Faculty of Arts, Tracey Peter, sociology, Faculty of Arts and Donn Short, Faculty of Law, are working with the Manitoba Teachers’ Society and lead researcher Catherine Taylor of the U of W. So far, every provincial, territorial and national teacher organization in English Canada has signed on to the project, which tackles this important issue affecting LGBTQ students, students with LGBTQ parents, and everyone is affected by a school climate hostile to LGBTQ people. The project will launch on October 11.
The “Every Teacher Project” is a national study designed to identify and make widely available the collective expertise that exists among Canadian teachers on inclusive education practices for sexual and gender minority students. This study will enable researchers to learn what educators think about the climate of Canada’s schools for LGBTQ students; which approaches to inclusion of these students seem to work, and in what contexts, and which don’t; what supports educators in doing this work, and what holds us back.
Every teacher organization in English Canada has enthusiastically agreed to support this project.
“We are very excited to see this clear evidence of teachers across the country moving strongly to improve school climate for LGBTQ students,” said Ristock.
Inclusive schools for all students
Page 10 The Bulletin October 11, 2012
FACULTY OF ENGINEERINGDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringPosition: Professor/Associate ProfessorPosition number: 14770Deadline: Screening to start on November 20, 2012Start Date: July 1, 2013For Information: Judy Noble , Administrative Assistant, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba, E2-390 EITC, 75A Chancellor Circle, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 5V6, email [email protected]
FACULTY OF ENGINEERINGPosition: Research Grants FacilitatorPosition number: 15526
Deadline: December 1, 2012For Information: Jonathan Beddoes, Dean of Engineering, c/o Janice Tilly (Confidential Executive Assistant), Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba, email J [email protected]
FACULTY OF ARTSDepartment of SociologyPosition: Sociology InstructorPosition number: 15245Deadline: November 12, 2012Start Date: July 1, 2013For Information: Dr. Elizabeth Comack, Head, Department of Sociology, 318 Isbister Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2, email [email protected], tel. 204-474-9673
DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH SEMINARThursday, Oct. 11 | 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.“Brain-Gut Issues in Inflammatory Bowel Disease” by Charles Bernstein and Jean-Eric Ghia, department of internal medicine and immunology, U of M. In 477 Apotex Centre, Bannatyne Campus.
LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF CONFLICTS AND ATROCITIES CONFERENCEThursday, Oct. 11 | 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.“Translating Atrocity: The Materiality of Virtual Sites of Experience” by Alison Landsberg, George Mason University. In 306 Tier Bldg.
Friday, October 12 | 1:30 to 3:15 p.m.“Confessions of a War Criminal” by James Dawes, Macalester College. At Inn at the Forks, Forks Ballroom East.
Saturday, Oct. 13 | 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.“The Quasi-Judicial Imagination: Restoring and Generating Justice in Post-Unification German Literature” by Jill Scott, Queen’s University. At Inn at the Forks, Forks Ballroom East. To listen to this lecture, register as a one-day participant at umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/departments/german_and_slavic/3363.html.
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONFriday, October 12 | 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.“W(h)ither the Premodern?” by the Group for Premodern Studies. Short papers on the topic of premodern studies with discussion to follow. In 409 Tier Bldg.
PHYSICS SEMINARFriday, October 12 | 3:30 p.m.“High current sources of free electrons for the electron accelerators of tomorrow” by Russell Mammei, physics department, U of M. In 330 Allen Bldg.
PSYCHOLOGY COLLOQUIUMFriday, October 12 | 3:00 pm Lecture by Per Holth, Oslo University College. In P412 Duff Roblin. Refreshements served 30 minutes before lecture, wine and cheese to follow, both in the Psychology Lounge.
MAURO CENTRE BROWN BAG LECTURE - POETRYFriday, Oct. 12 | 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.“My Winnipeg: Lighting Up New Terrain in Poetry” by Sally Ito, CCWOC writer-in-residence. In Mauro Centre, 252 St. Paul’s College.
MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUMFriday, October 12 | 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.“The Iterated Carmichael Lambda Function” by Nick Harland, department of mathematics, U of M. In 111 Armes Bldg.
32ND PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION FOR RETIREESSaturday, October 13 | 2:00 p.m.In Marshall McLuhan Hall, Room 204 University Centre, Fort Garry Campus.
PARTNERS PROGRAM - ACHITECTUREMonday, October 15 | 12:00 p.m.Lecture by Marcus Ormerod, registered Access Consultant. In Centre Space, John A. Russell Bldg.
MAURO CENTRE BROWN BAG LECTURE - SOCIOLOGYFriday, Oct. 19 | 12:00 to 12:45 p.m.
Elizabeth Comack will speak about her recently published book, Racialized Policing: Aboriginal People’s Encounters with the
Police. In 252 Arthur Mauro Centre.
PHYSICS COLLOQUIUMFriday, October 19 | 3:30 p.m.“Biomedical Applications of Microwave Imaging” by Martin O’Halloran, electrical and electronic engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway. In 330 Allen Bldg.
PHYSICS COLLOQUIUMFriday, October 19 | 3:30 p.m.“Initial Analysis of Novel Multimodal PEM-UWB Technique for Breast Cancer Detection: Localization of Cancer in Homogeneous Model of the Breast and Breast Tumour Classification” by Raquel Conceição, Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Lisbon, Portugal. In 330 Allen Bldg.
ARCHITECTURE: FOOD FOR THOUGHTFriday, October 19 | 12:00 P.M.“Tokyo Story” by Bill Galloway, director of frontofficetokyo in Japan and project assistant professor at Keio University. In Centre Space, John A. Russell Bldg.
WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE WORKSHOPWed., Oct. 24 | 1:00 to 2:15 p.m.CCWOC’s writer-in-residence Sally Ito will host a memoir writing workshop. All welcome. In Communications Lab, University College.
CANADA GAIRDNER INTERNATIONAL AWARD LECTUREWed., Oct. 24 | 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.“Programming of DNA Methylation” by Howard Cedar, Recipient of the Canada Gairdner International Award, 2011 Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In Frederic Gaspard Theatre, Basic Medical Sciences Centre, 727 McDermott.
STATISTICS SEMINAR SERIES Thursday, Oct. 25 | 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.“Copula-Based Regression Estimation and Inference” by Taoufik Bouezmarni, Département de Mathématiques, Université de Sherbrooke. In 316 Machray Hall.
DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH SEMINARThursday, Oct. 25 | 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.“Host-Pathogen Interactions Impacting Pulmonary Immune Tolerance and Inflammation” by Anuradha Ray, professor of medicine & immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 477 Apotex Centre, Bannatyne Campus.
‘THE WINTER’S TALE’ SEMINAR + DISTINGUISHED VISITING LECTUREThursday, October 25 | 3:30 p.m. + 4:00 p.m.“Mind, Nature, Heterodoxy, and Iconoclasm in The Winter’s Tale” by Richard Strier. Seminar followed by a lecture at 4:00 p.m. Faculty and students welcome. In 409 Tier.
PHYSICS COLLOQUIUMFriday, November 2 | 3:30 p.m.“X-ray view of Magnetars, the strongest magnet in the universe?” by Teruaki Enoto, of the Institute of Physics and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Japan. In 330 Allen Bldg.
NURSING SEMINARMonday, Nov. 5 | 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
“Barriers to Frontline Surgical Nurse Detection of Delirium in the Hospitalized Older Adult” by Vera Duncan. In 370 Helen Glass Centre. To participate via Telehealth, contact 975-7714 option 2.
eventsUniversity of Manitoba
FORT GARRY + BANNATYNE CAMPUSES
ACADEMIC JOB OPPORTUNITIES
A full listing of employment opportunities at the University of Manitoba can be found at umanitoba.ca. U of M encourages applications from qualified women and men, including members of visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Please include the position number when applying for openings at the university.
UPCOMING ART AND MUSIC EVENTSAll music events at Eva Clare Hall (Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music, 65 Dafoe Road) unless otherwise noted For more music events: >>umanitoba.ca/faculties/music/events/index.html
October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Music Convocation, fall convocation for music graduates
October 19 | 12:30 p.m | MYR Piano Trio, noon-hour concert followed by Master Classes
October 19 | 7:30 p.m. | University Wind Ensemble & Concert Band, performing repertoire from Canadian composers, at Jubilee Place, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, tickets at door ($15 adult /$5 student)
October 22 | 7:30 p.m. | UM Symphony Orchestra, at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Ave., tickets at door ($15 adult /$5 student)
October 30 | 7:00 p.m. | UM Jazz Orchestra Concert, under leadership of Derrick Gardner
October 17: “Indigenous Poetics” by Neal McLeod, associate professor, Indigenous studies, Trent University. In Main Foyer, Migizii Agamik.
October 24: “The Family in Northern Manitoba Where Food Insecurity Rates Average 75%” by Shirley Thompson, associate
professor, Natural Resources Institute, U of M
October 31: “Is it too much of a good thing? Indigenous communities and control in action research downstream from the Tar Sands” by Stephane McLachlan, associate professor, environment and geography, U of M
NATIVE STUDIES COLLOQUIUM: INITIATIVES FOR VIBRANT CHANGEWednesdays | 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.In 223 Migizii Agamik (Aboriginal Students Centre).
PERFORMANCE ART EXHIBITFriday, October 19 | 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.Saturday, October 20 | 8:00 p.m.“The Exhibitionist” by Ming Hon, Winnipeg dancer, choreographer and performance artist. In 255 ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road. Friday’s 8:00 p.m. performance is followed by a reception. Saturday’s performance is followed by a talkback.
ARCH2 GALLERY EXHIBITIONOctober 22 to November 16Exhibit by Tel Aviv-based sculptor Alona Rodeh. In Architecture 2 Building.
ARTIST TALK/WORKSHOPThursday, Oct. 18 | 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.Sound workshop by Akio Suzuki. In Centre Space, John A. Russell Building.
AGE-FRIENDLY PUBLIC FORUMMonday, October 15 | 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.The Centre on Aging is co-hosting an international panel of experts who will speak on the topic “The nature of place: Can the place we live in become age-friendly?” At the Winnipeg Art Gallery, 300 Memorial Boulevard. RSVP to 204-945-2127or [email protected].
CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUETuesday, October 23 | 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.“Tuberculosis: The Hidden Epidemic” discussion with Anne Fanning, professor emerita in the division of infectious diseases, University of Alberta, and Pamela Orr, departments of medicine, medical microbiology and community health sciences, U of M. At McNally Robinson Booksellers, 1120 Grant Avenue, Event Atrium.
OFF-CAMPUS
events• The Bulletin publishes events involving the university community at no cost.• The deadline for the October 25, 2012 Bulletin is October 17 at 4:30 p.m.• Email events to [email protected].
The Bulletin Page 11October 11, 2012
Published by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International)Comments, submissions and event listingsto: [email protected]: (204) 474-7300 Fax (204) 261-0325
umanitoba.ca/research
Van Rees predicts these innovative design studies will be even more relevant as time goes on and technology catches up. “It’s not one of the big applied areas yet but I think give it 10 or 20 years and it will become a very applied area. It’s partly waiting for computers to get faster and faster,” he says. “I think it will come.”
For now, he finds himself clarifying to people that his research doesn’t provide ways for people to make money playing their lucky numbers, but rather provides mathematical guarantees. And in the end, there really is only one way to guarantee you won’t have to part with your hard-earned cash. When delivering seminars on his lotto designs, one of his slides asks the audience—in big, bold letters—‘How do you stay ahead in the lottery game?’ In fine print beneath, the reply reads: ‘Don’t buy any tickets.’
“If you don’t buy any tickets, you don’t lose anything,” van Rees says. “You buy a ticket, you almost certainly lose.”
Bringing Research to LIFE
BY KATIE CHALMERS-BROOKSFor The Bulletin
Playing the lottery comes down to pure luck and chance. But what if you removed this element of unpredictability? Computer science professor John van Rees is trying to do just that.
He studies lotto designs and over 10 years has proved several major theorems that can predict — on a small scale — how many tickets a person would have to purchase to ensure a win.
“We want to find the minimum size set (of tickets) you would have to buy to guarantee you would have to win the minimum prize,” van Rees explains.
He uses mathematics to develop computer programs to identify these formulas. So far he has figured out the equations for draws that require choosing numbers from a pool of 20 (as opposed to 49, the amount used for Lotto 6/49). His findings, which he worked on with Ben Li (once his PhD student and now his colleague at the U of M), are published in the prestigious Handbook of Combinatorial Designs.
“Knowing these smaller numbers hopefully will help you get bigger numbers,” van Rees says, noting that other academics have come up with a winning scheme that would work for the popular Lotto 6/49, but not one that would necessarily be profitable.
To guarantee winning a prize in the national draw, with its jackpot often in the multi millions, you would need to buy between 87 and 163 tickets. At $2 a ticket, a win of $10 would be a certain financial loss.
“You think why in the world would you ever do that, but of course you may get bigger prizes — that’s not ruled out, it’s just giving you the guarantee that you’ll win,” he says. “You’re guaranteed 10 bucks back, but in fact you may get a lot more.”
A more precise theorem may exist, but it has yet to be discovered.
“There may be better schemes, we don’t know them yet,” van Rees says.
Much thought goes into the development of van Rees’ lotto-related programming but, fittingly, luck can also play a role. He designs the programs to launch searches, the results of which to some degree are unpredictable. “It’s kind of funny, sometimes you can get numbers right on because some nice theoretical design exists and you can use it. And the number next door doesn’t use the theoretical design and it doesn’t do anything for you and you have to stick with more rudimentary things.”
There’s no shortage of online pitches selling supposed mathematical tools that claim to improve your odds of winning. Amateur computer programmers are developing crude programs all the time, van Rees says.
Such programs determine ranges at best. Programs showing the upper bounds of that range — the greatest amount of tickets you might need to secure a win —are much more abundant and easier to determine than those identifying the lower bounds. Van Rees is interested in doing more research on the latter.
“The more interesting part is the lower bound; it’s so much harder. The enthusiast doesn’t look at it,” he says.
Van Rees admits his research is topical and garners quite a bit of interest, given the popularity of playing the lottery, but his findings prove useful well beyond this realm. His work could help computer scientists develop programs in areas like communications theory, which studies how messages are sent across various channels. That could mean eliminating noise in satellite imaging from Mars to Earth, or, on a smaller level, retrieving data on a disc that has gone wonky.
Computer science professor John van Rees uses math and programming to provide guarantees when playing the lottery.
Photo by Mike Latschislaw
UpcomingEvents
A game of chance?Innovator in computer science provides more than lottery guaranteesCafé Scientifique
TUBERCULOSIS: THE HIDDEN
EPIDEMIC
Most Canadians think that tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of the past. In reality, while general rates of TB in Canada are slowly decreasing, in some regions such as Nunavut and Manitoba, they
have risen over the past decade. In this Café Scientifique, we explore,
through the lens of research, clinical care, public health, human
rights, advocacy and personal experience, the story behind the numbers – how socioeconomic,
environmental, biologic and cultural factors are affecting the
incidence of TB in Canadian communities, and how our
experience fits within the context of global TB and the pursuit of TB
control/eradication.
Experts:
Dr. Anne Fanning
Dr. Pamela Orr
Moderator:
Dr. Brenda Elias
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, 7:00 pmMcNally Robinson Booksellers
1120 Grant Avenue – Event Atrium
RSVP to:
or (204) 474-6689
Undergraduate Research Poster Competition
Come and check out the best in student research as participants
showcase their projects and compete for cash prizes.
Thursday Nov. 1, 2012
1:00-4:30 p.m.
Manitoba Rooms 210-224 University Centre, Fort Garry Campus
For more information:
umanitoba.ca/postercompetition
Page 12 October 11, 2012The Bulletin
A BRILLIANT FALL: FINAL DAYS OF AUTUMN ON CAMPUS
Above: Fletcher Argue Building: Faculty of Arts. Above right: Windows above Elizabeth Dafoe Library’s temporary entrance. Right: Students head to class outside of St. John’s College, new stadium rising in background. Bottom row, left: View of University Centre. Centre: View from outside Dafoe Library. Lower right: Outside temporary entrance to Dafoe Library.
Photos by Mariianne Mays Wiebe
Above right: The Administration Building. Left: Tier Building, Faculty of Arts. Right: View to Faculty of Arts buildings from the Quad walkways.
Photo left by Lenore Hume
The campus is perhaps most beautiful in autumn — but the cerulean skies and bright leaves of a gorgeous, seemingly endless fall suddenly turned to cold winds and slushy snow last week. Is winter upon us? Or will we see more days like these?
A change in the weather