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. 

Please be advised that construction on a new parking facility at the north-end of Carleton’s campus will begin on Friday, May 10 and will continue throughout the summer.

As a result, there may be traffic congestion near the Bronson entrance to campus and, specifically, near parking lots 6 and 7. There will be traffic control in place as required during peak periods or during deliveries to the site.

Updates about this project will be provided to the Carleton community as details become available.

Your patience and co-operation are appreciated.

Thank you,

Facilities Management and Planning

You can read the story on the Globe website.

JustChange was created by 11 young Ottawa professionals, including seven former Carleton students. Every month, they each donate $50 and, every two months, the organization gives a $1,000 grant to a group or individual who has proposed an initiative to produce positive social or environmental outcomes for Ottawa. The group will be handing out its third grant in May.

Brittany Fritsch is one of the founders. “I believe that it is important for people to be generous and invested in their communities, whether they are just beginning their careers or are already established,” says Fritsch. “For me, JustChange is a way to demonstrate this.”

Fritsch will formally graduate with her Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton on June 12 and is already working as a Manager of Public Policy and Community Engagement for Imagine Canada, a national charitable organization, where she interned.

As part of her master’s coursework, Fritsch completed two directed studies. The first one focused on the relationship between business and social mission among Ottawa social enterprises. The second was on Social Return on Investment (SROI), looking at its strengths and weaknesses.

Dr. Tessa Hebb

She says that the staff at the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA), which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, greatly contributed to her academic experience. She singles out Dr. Tessa Hebb “for her continued support, guidance and mentorship. She challenged me to engage deeply in the material resulting in papers that I could not have otherwise written on my own.” Dr. Hebb is the director of the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation at Carleton.Fritsch was born and raised in Saskatchewan. She moved to Calgary where she held jobs in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Before attending Carleton, she also spent time in rural Uganda working with marginalized women on income-generating projects.

She said that she was originally attracted to the master’s program at SPPA because it, “has a great reputation. It has the benefit of being located in Ottawa, meaning that its students get great exposure to federal politics and public policy. And there are a number of research centres affiliated with Carleton that helped me to explore my research areas. You can also seek out opportunities to customize your experience and take advantage of the diverse range of interests that the SPPA faculty has.”

This summer, the School is launching Canada’s first Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL), along with a graduate diploma geared at working professionals.

Judges had the discretion to name between one and five finalists in each award category. There were a total 177 entries for the 2012 awards program.

The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with over 500 members across Canada. The CAJ’s primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.

The following story appeared in the May 6th issue of the Toronto Star.

Toronto Star freelancer wins CAJ award

Congrats to Toronto Star freelancer Marc Ellison for winning a CAJ award for his “The Girls of War” feature.

The piece appeared in the Star’s Childhood Interrupted series last May. The CAJ/CNW Group Student Award of Excellence “recognizes excellence in the field of journalism at the  student level,” according the CAJ’s website.

The Vancouver-based photojournalist’s feature looked at how Uganda’s female child soldiers struggle to reintegrate into society. Videos and photos accompanied the story.

In the summer of 2011, Ellison interviewed 40 formerly abducted women in Uganda about their post-abduction  difficulties. As part of the project, he gave some of the women cameras to allow them to document their own stories.

“Winning the CAJ award was honestly a huge surprise to me. At a time when foreign  bureaus are closing due to operational costs, it’s often challenging to convince  media outlets to carry freelanced international stories,” Ellison wrote in an email. “You also have to battle  the public’s ‘why should I care?’ attitude towards articles covering issues in  faraway lands.”

His research was funded by an International Development Research  Centre award. It can be found at www.dwogpaco.com.

Ellison returned to Uganda in July 2012, and wrote a follow-up piece for the Star about how the women were doing.

Ellison is currently a part-time Masters of Journalism candidate at Carleton University. More about Ellison can be found here.