Photo:  Staisey is shown being hooded; shown (l-r) are Dr. Michelle Kalis, provost of the University of Saint Joseph; Dr. Wayne Steely, dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Staisey; and University of Saint Joseph President Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid.

Dr. Nancy Staisey, who graduated with her PhD in Psychology from Carleton in 1984,  was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree on May 12 by the University of Saint Joseph, Connecticut.

She is currently IBM vice president North America, Healthcare, Life Sciences and Smarter Cities,

Staisey was recognized by the university for her work using technology, information and analytics to improve public and private programs.

She also delivered the commencement speech at the university, which can found in full at nstaisey.blogspot.com.

Mentors are often the first point of contact for their “mentees” and, as such, play an extremely important role in helping these students transition to Carleton and adjust to life in Canada.

The ISSO is looking for grad students who are self-motivated who would be willing to share their own experiences and time with their new student.

“We are looking for resourceful individuals who can help answer the many questions that our new international students have,” says Maria Walt, intercultural programs coordinator with the ISSO. “The questions typically range from ones related to academics on through to day-to-day concerns, including living arrangements.”

The time commitment is approximately two hours a week. This would involve contact and assistance before the student arrives In Ottawa, arrival support and ongoing academic coaching and engagement support throughout the academic year.

Grad mentors would also be required to participate in the ISSO’s mentor orientation and professional development opportunities throughout the year, as required.

The deadline to apply is Monday June 10 at 4:00 p.m.

A full job description and application form are available by clicking here.

I am pleased to announce that Carleton University today released a comprehensive strategic plan for embedding environmental sustainability in all university operations, including a campus-wide building assessment to be conducted in collaboration with Honeywell – one of the most ambitious action plans in Canada to reduce a university’s environmental footprint.

As part of this plan, there will be an opportunity for members of the Carleton community to participate in making the campus more sustainable by coming up with new and creative ideas to reduce energy, waste and water use through a $1-million Green Revolving Fund. The fund will reward the best ideas to enhance sustainability.

Submissions are now being accepted and they will be evaluated by a special committee. Applicants of the chosen projects will be eligible for prizes of up to $500 and savings realized by the project will be returned to the fund to repay the initial investment.

Information about the Green Revolving Fund and  Carleton’s sustainability plan can be found at: www.carleton.ca/sustainability.

The Energy and Sustainability Plan includes in-depth assessments by engineers and auditors of each of the 44 buildings on campus to identify opportunities and implement conservation initiatives. The work has already started at Robertson Hall and will continue for several years.

The strategic plan on sustainability documents several goals, including:

•             Increase the diversion of waste to 60 per cent by 2015. (It is now at 56 per cent).

•             Ensure fleet vehicles are as efficient as possible.

•             Develop a Green Labs certification program. Have all labs certified by June 2016.

•             Develop a Climate Action Plan by 2014 with clear targets for reduction.

•             Expand public water bottle filling stations.

•             Use green-certified cleaning products whenever possible and implement a training program for staff.

I look forward to the participation of the Carleton community as we ensure this campus is a national leader in sustainability.

Sincerely,
Darryl Boyce, Assistant Vice-President (Facilities Management and Planning)

Huet says she felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to participate in the collaborative program and would highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested.

The program was especially designed for master’s students in participating programs in the Faculties of Arts and Social Science, Public Affairs, and the Sprott School of Business who wanted to enrich their training by developing expertise in African Studies through interdisciplinary dialogue.

Huet says it did just that. “It brought together a diverse group of individuals with extremely different and sometimes divergent backgrounds and gave us the opportunity to discuss and challenge each other. We are all interested in some aspect of African Studies but arrived from varying viewpoints and as such we were able to contribute to each other’s understandings of African Studies subjects.”

Huet points out that she was exposed to disciplines that she felt she would not necessarily have come into contact with, such as economics or anthropology, “which added to my understanding of my own research topic.”

Huet is also a member of the first cohort to graduate from Carleton’s Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) master’s program.

She said one of her best experiences in the WGST program was “anytime I was in a seminar class and we were discussing and debating as a group and one of my peers would say something that would take me entirely by surprise and completely shift my perspective on whatever topic it was we were covering. I think that is what higher education is supposed to be about; pushing boundaries, expanding perspectives and shaking the ground that we take for granted.”

After she graduates, Huet says she will be pursuing some career opportunities in her field, ideally working with youth and most definitely doing something that she feels passionate about.

Courtney Constable says the WGST program allows “students to study a topic that means something to them or that they’ve always been interested in, but to look at the issue from a specifically feminist perspective, allowing them to perhaps discover new angles of their information and learn how necessary feminist study is in all aspects of our society. Because the program is still very new, it also allows new students to sort of “blaze the trail” in terms of projects that have come out of this program.”

Zoë Gross conducted her research for the WGST in East Africa. “Every day I met incredible people who just wanted to sit down, discuss ideas, and share their personal experiences and viewpoints, which was so refreshing. Conducting primary research overseas was incredibly challenging, but it was equally fulfilling and meaningful, especially when i was able to make links to, and sometimes question, the theory I was learning in the classroom at Carleton.” Gross will be pursuing her PhD in Women’s & Gender Studies at the University of Toronto beginning September 2013.

As part of her degree, Kathleen Kuracina built a strong connection with a Women’s Studies department in India, where she completed the final year of her graduate program. Says Kuracina: “My experiences in India have been invaluable and have helped shape my research paper and professional aspirations immensely. This has also created an exciting opportunity for future academic exchanges amongst students interested in gender and development transnationally.” Kuracina has been working with one of her supervisors on a research project exploring the existing research of violence against women in South Asia and mapping laws and policies as they relate to this issue. “As this contract comes to a close, I am exploring work in gender and development as it relates to gender equity and peace-building in conflict regions of the global South, particularly South Asia and Latin America,” says Kuracina.

All four students will officially graduate at the afternoon ceremony on June 14.

The GSA Excellence Award in Graduate Teaching was established by the GSA in 1990 in order to recognise faculty members who have, in the estimation of their graduate students, provided an outstanding contribution to university teaching at the graduate level.

While the Department of University Safety continues to investigate these incidents, S/Cst Kyle Gallinger (Campus Safety Bike Unit Manager), recommends the following theft prevention tips for bicycles:

-Secure bicycles only to bike racks
-Lock your bicycle in a well-lit and high traffic area
-Cables locks should not be used as the primary lock as they are easily cut
-Place your lock around the bike rack, bike frame, and back wheel. If you have a second lock, place it around the bike frame and front wheel.

The Department of University Safety also recommends that cyclists photograph and register their bicycle using Carleton’s free online bicycle registration. To register your bicycle today, visit our site: http://ow.ly/l4el6

Anyone with any information with to respect to bicycle thefts or any other crime on campus, is encouraged to contact the Department of University Safety at 613-520-3612 or Crime Stoppers at 188-222-8477 (TIPS)

DUS Contact:
S/Cst Mark Hargreaves
Community Liaison Officer
613-520-2600 ext. 1594
mark.hargreaves@carleton.ca

The Light Up the Night with Chemistry in the Dark show was part of Science Rendezvous, a national one-day celebration of science.

As you can see from these photos, the show featured lots of exciting and fun things that glow in the dark or combust.

Prof. Bob Burk

Prof. Jeff Smith

PhD candidate, Robyn McQuaid is examining the role that the hormone oxytocin plays in stress and pathological outcomes such as depression.

About 15 per cent of the population suffers from depression.

Explains McQuaid: “Despite the prevalence of depression and its impact, current treatments of this disorder have met with limited success, and the poor understanding of this illness has prevented the development of novel antidepressant agents. Thus, understanding the role neuropeptides, such as oxytocin, may play in depression may help offer new targets for the development of novel antidepressants in the future.”

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has just awarded McQuaid a $70,000 (over two years) Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate scholarship to continue her depression research.

McQuaid, who hails from Prince Edward Island, is a grad student in the Department of Neuroscience. “The Neuroscience Department is tight-knit and this provides a wonderful opportunity for collaborations and a sense of closeness within the department,” says McQuaid. “The faculty members are very passionate about their research and this translates into students who are equally excited about their work.”

Dr. Hymie Anisman

Adds McQuaid: “I also feel truly fortunate to have Dr. Hymie Anisman as my supervisor. He has been central in fostering my research direction and has been fundamental in any of my academic successes so far.” Anisman is the Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience. He won a 2012 Faculty Graduate mentoring Award for his exceptional mentorship of graduate students.

When she finishes her degree, McQuaid hopes to obtain a postdoctoral fellow position and eventually a career in academia so she can continue mental health research and make significant contributions to the field.

Operation Identification works by engraving a unique identifier onto valuable property. This program is free and engravers can be borrowed from the Department of University Safety.

For more information on how to protect your valuables check out May’s Safety Tip.

Looking for more information on safety programs? Contact our Community Liaison Officer, Mark Hargreaves by e-mailing mark.hargreaves@carleton.ca or by dialing 613-520-2600 ext. 1594.

“Terrorism and violent extremism pose real threats to Canada and as the threats evolve, we must improve our ability to better prevent and disrupt attacks,” said Toews, who announced the third round of funding from the Kanishka Project, worth more than $1.7 million.

Five of 14 Canadian students who will be receiving individual research bursaries, through the Kanishka Research Affiliate Program, are Carleton graduate students. The funds will allow them to pursue studies on several different aspects of terrorism. All of these students are linked with the renowned Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA).

Carleton PhD student Joseph Landry will use his bursary to research fragile states, specifically whether they tend to harbour more terrorists and provide more likely staging grounds for trans-national attacks. He’ll also investigate how Canadian policy can combat incidents of terrorism.

“Being funded to do research I really care about that I hope will have a positive impact for Canadians is huge for me,” said Landry. “I am really grateful the Government of Canada is doing this in an economic climate when it’s difficult for academics to get a leg up.”

Among other Carleton recipients is Nicole Tishler, who will assesses the extent to which the governance principles for multi-party responses to national security and safety incidents, recommended in a 2007 Conference Board report, have been adopted and/or employed by relevant actors.

“The program has generated a direct channel between my research and those policy officials who have the capacity to shape policy and regulations,” said Tishler.

Grad student Sean Spence says that his research “is looking at transnational terrorism and analyzing which countries and regions of the world are evolving to becoming the new safe havens for terrorists. My research will also compare the best practices of counter-terrorism efforts in other countries and recommend strategies upon which the Canadian government should follow.” Spence is pursuing a Master of Infrastructure Protection and International Security at Carleton. This interdisciplinary program combines unique resources of NPSIA and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Master’s student Andrea Lane will also participate in the Kanishka program. She notes that her research for this project will be the backbone of her thesis, which focuses on testing a social mobilization theory and its relevance to violent radicalization. She says that she applied for the Kanishka program after her advisor, Jeremy Littlewood, shared his own Kanishka-related research with her. “Dr. Littlewood’s quiet encouragement has been invaluable–not just academically, but also in guiding me through the practicalities of research design, writing a funding proposal, etc. Not by “hand-holding,” but by pushing me to push myself to do more, better.”

Carleton has featured prominently in the federal government program. Last year, faculty and students at NPSIA conducted a project on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism and the group, which includes NPSIA Director Dane Rowlands, Prof. Jeremy Littlewood and post-doctoral researcher Josh Kilberg, is updating the research for publication this summer.

“This is an excellent opportunity for students at Carleton’s renowned Norman Paterson School of International Affairs to increase research on issues having a major impact on the safety of Canadians and people around the world,” said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte.

The prime minister announced the Kanishka Project on June 23, 2011. It is named after the Air India Flight 182 plane that was bombed on June 23, 1985, killing 329 people, most of them Canadians. Research supported by the project will increase understanding of the recruitment methods and tactics of terrorists, which will help produce more effective policies, tools and resources for law enforcement and people on the front lines.