undergraduate research Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ's rover team finishes second in Mars challenge

fmaquito — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The – just call them YURTs – maintained their record of excellence at the international (URC) on the weekend, finishing in second place to a team from Poland in the hot deserts of Utah. ( also covered the team's success).

Above: Members of the 91��ɫ Rover Team pose for a group photo in the cool of the evening at the Mars Research Station, Hanksville, Utah

91��ɫ first entered the challenge, sponsored by TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation) Inc., four years ago and has finished in the top three every year, including a first-place finish in 2009. The challenge: "Design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that will one day work alongside human explorers in the field."

Above: EVE travels the hostile clime of the Utah desert

The closest race came between the second and third place teams, and Oregon State University, who were separated by only 16 points. All together, the top three teams of 2011 were the same top three from 2010, but with different results.

“The level of sophistication shown by these teams was overwhelming,” remarked URC director Kevin Sloan. “These teams poured themselves into their rover projects over the past year, and it clearly showed. The level of competition was taken to an entirely new level this year.”

Above: EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer)

The 91��ɫ team left Toronto with its EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer) on May 27 and drove for three days to Hanksville, Utah, arriving early to ensure they could put in some field test time in the environment.

“The past few days have been intense with emotional highs and lows,” said team member Shailja Sahani. “Every team member has been putting in at least 20-hour days to make the competition a success, with some sleeping only five hours in the last three days.

“Everyone came together as a team with no prodding from the leadership; they simply picked up tools and got to work. Although we were well prepared before the competition, the desert environment and harsh operating conditions required many last-minute repairs and alterations.

"Our success came from our ability to fix the rover in situ and get back to the task, while other teams were left stranded,” said team member Jordan Bailey.

Bailey, one of two students responsible for the team's finances and marketing, told CBC News he thinks the current rover is the team's "best one yet." Last year, the team faced multiple equipment failures as a result of the record temperatures, which soared to 38 C in the shade. This year's model has a more robust suspension, a finer control system and better temperature regulation than its predecessor, Bailey said.

Above: Jordan Bailey & Isaac DeSouza work into the night to get EVE ready

The rover cost about $13,000 to build, slightly below the $15,000 maximum allowed. The YURT is sponsored by 91��ɫ, and . The faculty advisers from 91��ɫ’s Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering were Professor Michael Daly and Professor . The engineering adviser was graduate student Mark Post.

The participants included three teams from Poland, three from the United States and two from Canada. By the end of the competition, one team from each country had placed in the top three. The Magma2 team from the Bialystok University of Technology in Poland pulled away from the other two teams to an impressive victory.

Magma2 was the first European team to win URC. They also were the first team to ever deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the competition.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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ACT for Youth Project brings interdisciplinary researchers together, discussing youth in urban communities

fmaquito — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The celebrated its youth researchers with an awards ceremony at the conclusion of a day-long partnership group meeting at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

Above: From left, front row, ACT for Youth Project research interns Stephanie Lucas, Stephanie Henry, Aziz Mohammed, Muzna Rehman, Enoruwa Osagie, with youth co-chair Alex Lovell, a 91��ɫ grad, in the back

Dozens of students from area high schools joined the participants on April 14 to celebrate the Youth research interns and youth-led committee leaders, who worked on the project in 2010.

The ACT for Youth Project, which began in 2009 and is funded through 2014, brings together an alliance of stakeholders and interdisciplinary researchers from 91��ɫ in a program of applied research, capacity building, knowledge transfer and evaluation that is focused on youth in urban communities.

The project hopes to develop a comprehensive youth strategy that articulates how places like the Jane-Finch community can energize local assets that support positive youth development.

One of the goals of the project is to build the research capacity of youth in the Jane/Finch area so they can participate in asking and answering questions about issues of importance to their community. The project created its Youth Research Internship to facilitate this goal. ACT also has a youth-led committee to ensure that youth have a space to contribute to their research.

Youth-led committee co-chairs Antonius Clarke, executive director of the youth-led community agency Friends in Trouble, and 91��ɫ grad Alex Lovell [BA Spec. Hons. ’02, MA ’06], now a doctoral student at Queen’s University, introduced each award recipient and outlined their research contributions, volunteer activities and future study plans.

Above: From left, front row, youth-led committee leaders Abubakar Sultan, Edwin Chacon; middle row, Alexander Toolsie, Erica Holness, Taneese Jones, Olivia Agyemang, Tara Sherif, Suhentha Suthaharan; back row, co-chairs Lovell and Antonias Clarke

The youth-led committee leaders recognized at the event were:

Olivia Agyemang, Westview Centennial Secondary School
Edwin Francis White Chacon, Emery Collegiate Institute
Ann Duong, Earl Haig Secondary School
Nicola Holness, University of Windsor
Taneese Jones, Westview Centennial Secondary School
Suhentha Suthaharan, C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute
Alexander Toolsie, 91��ɫ co-op student
Tara Sherif, Westview Centennial Secondary School
Abubakar Sultan, Emery Collegiate Institute

The youth research interns recognized at the event were:

Ryan Edwards, 91��ɫ
Stephanie Henry, Seneca College
Femi Lawson, Ryerson University
Funmilola Lawson, 91��ɫ
Stephanie Lucas, Westview Centennial Secondary School
Aziz Mohammed, Northview High School
Enoruwa Osagie, William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute
Muzna Rehman, Westview Centennial Secondary School
Judy Truong, Weston Collegiate Institute

Uzo Anucha, professor in 91��ɫ’s School of Social Work, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, co-chairs the ACT for Youth Project with Sue Wilkinson, executive director of the .

ACT is funded through a $1M grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. For more information on the Act for Youth Project, visit their website.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Nursing Professors Patricia Bradley and Christine Jonas-Simpson win provincial teaching awards

fmaquito — Fri, 06 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Pair recognized for graduate and undergraduate teaching excellence

Two 91��ɫ nursing professors have won provincial awards for innovative and excellent teaching.

At its fourth annual awards ceremony Saturday, the (COUPN) presented Patricia Bradley with the Teaching Innovation Award and Christine Jonas-Simpson with the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Above: 91��ɫ nursing Professors Christine Jonas-Simpson (left) and Pat Bradley

The awards are presented each year to nursing faculty, students, staff and health program partners from across the province who have made outstanding contributions to nursing education. Nominations are made by students, staff and faculty members of the province’s nursing programs. COUPN presented 10 awards this year.

Bradley, coordinator of 91��ɫ’s Internationally Educated Nurses Program, joined 91��ɫ’s School of Nursing in 2007 and brings decades of experience to her teaching. She won recognition for her innovative use of multimedia and online tools to help her students succeed.

“Dr. Bradley is always thinking, teaching and learning,” wrote Andria Phillips, a graduate student whom Bradley supervised in a teaching practicum, in her citation. “Whether it’s linking thoughts to pop culture, [asking] if changes can be made to improve the situation, offering guidance in finding solutions or linking your issue to current issues/best practices, she always has something new and interesting to offer to a conversation.”

Bradley “has made exceptional contributions in the classroom, to student supervision and to the overall teaching culture in the School of Nursing and the Faculty of Health,” wrote her nominator, Professor Karin Page-Cutrara, undergraduate program director in 91��ɫ’s School of Nursing. “Her pedagogical practices in online environments that support graduate student engagement, learning and success, and her innovative programming devised to assist undergraduate students in writing the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination are of particular note.” Page-Cutrara also cited among Bradley’s teaching-related contributions her participation in the Faculty of Health’s Health, Leadership & Learning Network, research at 91��ɫ, and national and international conferences.

Jonas-Simpson, who has taught undergraduate and graduate nursing courses at 91��ɫ since 2007, was recognized for demonstrating excellence and making consistent efforts to propel the critical-thinking abilities of her students.

“I can confidently say that as an educator, Professor Jonas-Simpson has had the most significant and lasting impact towards my development as a professional nurse,” wrote undergraduate Catherine Valle in the citation. “She has the incredible ability to create a learning environment that is innovative, supportive and inspiring. [She] inspires her students through her lived experiences of nursing while connecting them to the theoretical foundations of the course.”

Colleagues also recognized Jonas-Simpson’s passion and dedication to enhancing nursing education. Professor Ros Woodhouse, academic director of the Centre for the Support of Teaching, wrote: “I have worked with individuals, groups and programs in health and health professional education for over 15 years (at the University of Toronto, Queen’s University and 91��ɫ). In my experience, Dr. Jonas-Simpson demonstrates outstanding commitment to her students’ learning and excellence in every aspect of her teaching.”

By Rebecca Bitton, work-study communications assistant, Faculty of Health

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Engineering students' projects at the cutting edge of technology

fmaquito — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

From a stabilization system for an unmanned plane to a glove that will change the channels on the television with a flick of a finger, 91��ɫ’s fourth-year engineering students are putting practical twists on their research projects.

Seven teams of students from the capstone senior design project course displayed their work in the lobby of the Science & Engineering Building for the sixth consecutive year.

Right: The first place team of Sriyan Wisnarama (left), Shahroukh Sotodeh and Gowry Sinnathamby, with an unmanned remote controlled plane with their stabilization system

Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 were given to the first, second and third ranked team project, donated by . The project involves the design of complex engineering solutions to a real world problem.

Left: Second place winners, from left, Niken Goswami, Stephen Low, Chris Carmichael and Yan Ying Fang. Insert: Stephen Low showing the e-Glove to the judges.

The whole point of it is to come up with a marriage between the idea and the practical outcome, said one of the judges, Michael Sasarman (MBA ’05), director, strategic partnering and sourcing at Ericsson Inc.

“This is very good. It’s better than previous years,” said capstone project course instructor Professor George Zhu, director of the Space Engineering Undergraduate Program and the Space Engineering Design Laboratory. “There is more wireless technology on display this time.”

The project involves specifying the requirements of a suitable solution, selecting and designing a solution, implementing the design, and then testing, evaluating and documenting the chosen solution.

Right: From left, students Thaslim Ghani, Sowmiya Rajagopalan and Tamara Tanurdzic, with their smartphone remote controlled vehicle, which placed third in the competition

The group of students who took first place for their project had a remote controlled plane on display with an installed stabilization system. The Design and Implementation of a Stabilization System for a Remote Controlled Fixed-Wing Model (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) project would help prevent the plane from crashing out of control.

“Whatever orientation the plane has when the stabilization button is hit, it will return to level fight,” said student Gowry Sinnathamby. He was joined by his teammates Sriyan Wisnarama and Shahroukh Sotodeh.

In second place was the Sync Engineering Entertainment Glove with students Stephen Low, Yan Ying Fang, Niken Goswami and Chris Carmichael. The intent behind the e-Glove was to design a remotely controlled single system that is able to universally control functions across a range of electronic devices. That means there would be one device instead of several. The e-Glove would use universal infrared technology with finger gestures, rather than buttons, to control and switch between items such as televisions, stereo systems and clock radios.

Above: From left, Professor George Zhu and Sunil Chavda, director of corporate development for Com Dev International, pose with first-place winners Shahroukh Sotodeh, Sriyan Wisnarama and Gowry Sinnathamby, along with Professor Richard Hornsey, associate dean of science & engineering.

The project that won third – Smartphone Control of an Unmanned Robotic Vehicle – was designed by students Thaslim Ghani, Sowmiya Rajagopalan and Tamara Tanurdzic. The team took remote control technology to a smartphone. Phone rotation would control direction and speed depending on the angle or tilt of the phone, said Ghani. Through a GPS system, the vehicle could also be tracked. The students had mounted a laptop to the top of a small vehicle so the user can see either on their smartphone, or from another laptop, exactly what the camera on the mounted laptop is seeing.

Right: From left, Dan Reynolds, Calvin Midwinter, Patrick Irvin and Bay Ming Jian with the mock-up of their satellite

The practical advantages of this technology, says Ghani, is it can go where a human can’t, such as inside the damaged nuclear plant in Japan or perhaps Mars.

Some of the other projects included a mock-up of a microsatellite (QuickSat) body that is designed by the (CSA) and is licensed to 91��ɫ for educational purposes. 91��ɫ is the first university in Canada to use it in the training of microsatellite technology where students not only design the satellite on paper, but also build a functional prototype. Students Dan Reynolds, Calvin Midwinter, Bay Ming Jian and Patrick Irvin worked on the design and fabrication of a solar panel assembly and its release mechanism under CSA's CAD model and technical specifications.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ chemistry students in the top 10 at southern Ontario chemistry conference

fmaquito — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ chemistry students Jason Gregor and Fatima Panju placed among the top 10 at the 39th Southern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC), the largest undergraduate chemistry conference in the country.

Above, toasting their success, from left, Reihaneh Shankaie, Fatima Panju, Maisam Halabi, Derek Wilson, Jason Gregor, Mark Sever, Luba Bryushkova and Mihiret Kedida. (Dana Aljawhary is taking the picture.)

Gregor, who is supervised by 91��ɫ chemistry Professor and Canada Research Chair , placed first in the biological/medical category for his talk, “Investigating the Binding of Vancomycin Resistance Associated Regulator Protein with mutated DNA using Atomic Force Microscopy”.

Panju placed third in the same division for her presentation “Functional Analysis of a Chromatin Remodeling Protein in Tetrahymena thermophila”. Panju was supervised by 91��ɫ biology Professor .

Gregor and Panju, both in fourth year,��based their presentations on their fourth-year chemistry research projects. Accompanying them to SOUSCC on 91��ɫ's eight-member team were Dana Aljawhary (supervised by Prof. ), Luba Bryushkova (supervised by Prof. ), Maisam Halabi (supervised by Prof. ), Mihiret Kedida (supervised by Prof. ), Mark Sever (supervised by Prof. Sylvie Morin) and Reihaneh Shankaie (supervised by Prof. ).

Hosted this year by the University of Waterloo, the conference attracted 117 participants from Ontario universities. The conference provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to present their undergraduate research projects and network with other chemistry students. Nest year's conference will be held at the University of Guelph.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Psychology students show off fourth-year research projects

fmaquito — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Students Angela Deotto and Lilly Solomon recognized for poster projects

If you were wandering through Vari Hall last Wednesday afternoon, you could have stopped and chatted with fourth-year psychology students about some pretty esoteric subjects.

The rotunda was a maze of posters featuring the thesis projects of 78 students ready to explain whether eating disturbances are symptoms of depression, how to measure prejudice, the relationship between exercise and forgiveness, how sound affects perception of space. Their research projects, supervised by faculty members,��spanned all areas of psychology – cognitive, social, developmental, quantitative, history and theory, neuroscience, and clinical.

The end-of-year event has become so big that the Department of Psychology moved it to Vari Hall last year from the crowded halls of the Behavioural Science Building.

The poster projects are worth five per cent of students’ final mark and judged by roving graduate students based on clarity, design and the students’ ability to explain their research in a comprehensive manner. Many will go on to present their research at a variety of national and international conferences.

“Whether you are speaking to your supervisor,��other professors or fellow students, it is important to know how to present and communicate your results to different audiences,” says psychology Professor Susan Murtha, who has organized the event for the past three years.

And the students who go on to graduate studies will have to defend their research to external examiners who don’t know much about their field. “It is really important to be able to understand how to communicate.”

Left: Poster winners Angela Deotto (top) and Lilly Solomon. Photos by Brett Thompson

By 4pm, judges had selected two who did it best: Angela Deotto (supervised by Christine Till) for her poster "Mathematical impairment in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis: Relationship with white matter integrity"; and Lilly Solomon (supervised by Jennifer Steeves) for her poster "MS to the ‘occipital face area’ affects face recognition but not categorization". They won $50 gift certificates to the 91��ɫ Bookstore.

Both Steeves and Till are members of the .

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91��ɫ biology student Olimpia Del Duca wins prize for top oral presentation

fmaquito — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

A 91��ɫ biology student has won the award for top Physiology & Toxicology Oral Presentation at the 24th annual Ontario Biology Day (OBD) held at Wilfrid Laurier University in March.

Olimpia Del Duca, studying under 91��ɫ biology Professor Andrew Donini, presented her paper, “Carbonic Anhydrase in the Anal Papillae of the Larval Mosquito, Aedes aegypti”, to win the prize.

Right: Olimpia Del Duca (left) and 91��ɫ biology Professor Andrew Donini

In addition to Del Duca, 14 91��ɫ students, representing 12 different biology labs, attended the event. The students, Leila Ashurov, Asma Ali, Alex Bicket, Jason Brennan, Cordy DuBois, Olga Egorova, Ruchi Liyanag, Phankhuri Malik, Fatima Panju, Priyanka Patwary, Nicholas Rapp, Mehwish Riaz, Tudor Saroiu and Kristina Wantola, presented their honours thesis work in either an oral or poster format.

All together, some 135 oral and 25 poster presentations were delivered from students across the province.

91��ɫ’s Department of Biology helped to defray the students’ cost of attending the event. The 2012 will be held at Laurentian University.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Asian Television Network founder supports Fine Arts research and undergraduate students

fmaquito — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Shan Chandrasekar (Hon. LLD ’10) once said that “education is the greatest opportunity.” Now, the founder, president and CEO of Asian Television Network (ATN) has ensured that students in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts will benefit from a unique opportunity.

Making good on a collaboration he first outlined as part of last spring’s convocation address, 91��ɫ’s 2010 honorary-degree recipient and his wife, Jaya, an executive vice-president and vice-president, programming at ATN, pledged $100,000 earlier this month to create the Shan & Jaya Chandrasekar Visiting Artist/Scholar Residency in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts. The commitment is the first step in what Chandrasekar hopes is a long-term association with the University, his family and ATN.

Above: Back row, from left, Paul Marcus, president & CEO, 91��ɫ Foundation; 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; Asian Television Network (ATN) President & CEO Shan Chandrasekar. Seated, from left, Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Barbara Sellers-Young and Jaya Chandrasekar, executive vice-president & vice-president, programming,��ATN.

“There are untold opportunities for collaboration between artists and scholars and students at 91��ɫ,” he says. “I’m very keen to collaborate with 91��ɫ on initiatives that advance arts and culture around the world.”

Beginning later this year, for each of the next four years the Shan & Jaya Chandrasekar Visiting Artist/Scholar Residency will support a visiting artist or scholar whose expertise includes arts and culture in the South Asian or Southeast Asian region. The candidate will work intensively with 91��ɫ fine arts students and faculty, supporting research and teaching through activities like master classes, lectures, creative/technical demonstrations, art production, and exhibitions and installations.

“91��ɫ is extremely appreciative and grateful for Shan and Jaya Chandrasekar’s generosity,” says Mamdouh Shoukri, 91��ɫ’s president and vice-chancellor. “Shan and Jaya recognize 91��ɫ as an invaluable contributor to Canadian society. They have seen first-hand the impact of our institution in the community, in the province and across this nation."

“Shan is a valued a member of the Fine Arts Advisory Council and has long been an advocate for the arts,” says Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Barbara Sellers-Young. “I share Shan and Jaya’s excitement about what this new residency will mean for our students. The visiting South and Southeast Asian artists and scholars will provide new frameworks for considering the arts and their contribution to society.”

The Chandrasekars have been creating multicultural opportunities in business and the arts since the 1970s when they launched the first television programming dedicated to Toronto’s South Asian community. ATN followed, growing from a single program in 1993 to 33 specialty channels and the first and only 24-hour radio service reaching South Asian audiences throughout North America. In recognition of his contributions to private broadcasting in Canada, Shan Chandrasekar was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2004. Jaya Chandrasekar received the same honour in 2008.

“I’ve always been a bridge-builder, opening doors to diverse avenues of understanding about our world,” says Chandrasekar. “But now I’m working to achieve those goals in a new way, with a new partner.

“Education really is the greatest opportunity. I can only imagine where this exciting collaboration will take us next.”

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New partnership embeds 91��ɫ researchers at Southlake Hospital

fmaquito — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

A new research initiative involving a partnership between 91��ɫ and in Newmarket will see feature leading scientists from the University serving as embedded researchers at the hospital.

91��ɫ Professors Chris Ardern, , Paul Ritvo and Lauren Sergio will work on site for one to two days a week with hospital clinicians to foster research collaborations and knowledge exchange, and engage in joint knowledge mobilization efforts.

The partnership will realize important benefits to the research communities at both institutions and for the general public, says 91��ɫ Professor (right), associate vice-president research, science & technology, who led the effort to develop the partnership with Southlake Regional Health Centre.

"The embedded 91��ɫ researchers are senior scientists who will explore and cultivate research collaborations between 91��ɫ and Southlake researchers and clinicians," says Siu. "They will act as 'matchmakers' and brokers and will bring 91��ɫ's research expertise and knowledge to Southlake to facilitate collaboration.

"The partnership will broaden the research capacity for both 91��ɫ researchers and the Southlake clinicians," says Siu. "91��ɫ does not have a Faculty of Medicine or a teaching hospital. As a result,��University researchers do not have the patient access they would like to have. By working with Southlake,��the University is enhancing a collaboration that would benefit both parties."

The embedded University scientists bring to Southlake Regional Health Centre their recognized expertise in biomedical and health research. Southlake is the only community-based hospital in Ontario to offer six regional tertiary programs, including child and adolescent mental health, maternal and child,��cardiac and cancer care.

"We anticipate this to be an outstanding opportunity for both Southlake and 91��ɫ," says , director of research at Southlake.

"Serving some 1.5 million people through our regional programs and providing tertiary level care in many areas, the depth and breadth of programs and services, and the unexplored opportunities for reasearch collaboration between Southlake and 91��ɫ are endless," says Clifford.

"Southlake is interested in strengthening its research in terms of breadth and depth and in fact, Southlake is developing a research institute with a plan to become a teaching hospital with an official affiliation with a Canadian university," says Siu.

91��ɫ is a preferred candidate for this kind of partnership with Southlake, says Siu,��because the two institutions have shared goals and visions, and a willingness to work together.

The partnership offers exceptional training and educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students working in the research teams, says Siu.

In addition, the opportunity presented by the collaboration between the two institutions is consistent with the goal of integrating teaching and research with the world outside the University that was articulated in 91��ɫ's recent .

More about the 91��ɫ-Southlake embedded researchers

Chris Ardern (left) is a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health. His current research interests include the epidemiology of physical activity, obesity and cardiometabolic risk. His most recent work has focused on the use of risk algorithms, behavioural profiling and trajectory modelling approaches to identify high-risk subgroups for the development of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease mortality. Arden is currently investigating the role of geospatial analysis to improve the surveillance of cardiovascular disease in 91��ɫ Region, and is a co-investigator on the Pre-diabetes Detection & Physical Activity Intervention and Delivery (PRE-PAID) program, a six-month trial of culturally-preferred physical activity. Ardern will be embedded in Southlake's chronic disease portfolio.

In her research, (right) works on a family of proteins known as nucleoside transporters. These transporters play significant roles in a number of clinical settings because they transport drugs used in cancer and are targets of drugs used in some cardiac care settings. Despite their clinical relevance, Coe, who is a professor of biology in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Science & Engineering, says researchers know very little about how these transporters work and how they differ in terms of their distribution, activity and regulation in individual patients. Using a molecular diagnostics approach, Coe and her team will work with Southlake clinicians from both the cardiac care and oncology portfolios to investigate the transporter profiles in individual patients and correlate these profiles with drug treatments and outcomes. The ultimate goal of this work is to contribute to the efforts to develop more personalized approaches to the treatment of disease.

Paul Ritvo (left) is a behavioural scientist who will serve as the research adviser, physical and mental health liaison and special projects scientist. A professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health, Ritvo’s research interests focus on electronic health interventions that employ cell phones, smartphones and online programs to change health behaviours in diabetics, HIV-positive individuals and individuals with mental health difficulties. Ritvo will work with Southlake clinicians to extend current intervention studies that use Blackberry smartphones and innovative software applications to help patients reduce health risks by way of healthy exercise, diet and improved medication adherence.

Lauren Sergio (right) is a neuroscientist working in 91��ɫ's Sherman Health Science Research Centre. Her current research projects examine the effects of age, sex, neurological disease and past head injuries (of athletes versus non-athletes) on the brain's control of complex movement. In her role with Southlake Regional Health Centre, Sergio will be an embedded researcher in the chronic disease, emergency medicine and surgical portfolios. She works with a wide range of adult populations, including professional hockey players and Alzheimer's disease patients. Her findings have implications for neurological disease diagnosis and rehabilitation and for understanding the fundamental brain mechanisms for movement control. She is using cognitive-motor integration research to test if new instrumentation developed in her laboratory can differentiate between types of dementia. She is also researching the long-term effects of concussion in young athletes. Sergio is a member of the .

The embedded researcher program at Southlake Regional Health Centre is an example of the collaboration between the Faculty of Science & Engineering and the Faculty of Health at 91��ɫ and is part of an ongoing commitment by the Faculties' deans to work together.

For more information on 91��ɫ's partnerships with regional hospitals, see YFile,��April 17, 2009 and April 21, 2009.

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Psychology students' blog aims to make trauma research accessible

fmaquito — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0000

How people cope with traumatic events varies widely between individuals, and the impact on a family can be long lasting and devastating. Now there is a new resource coming out of 91��ɫ for people seeking information on what to do when faced with the effects of trauma.

Released today, is an electronic, research-based publication designed to disseminate current knowledge about trauma to the wider community.

Above: The launch of The Trauma and Attachment Report gives people seeking information on new research in trauma a readily available, user-friendly resource

Constructed in the form of a weekly blog, The Trauma and Attachment Report offers articles authored by graduate and undergraduate psychology students doing active research in the Trauma and Attachment Lab at 91��ɫ.

“The purpose of The Trauma and Attachment Report is to provide clear, accurate information to members of the community on the topic of interpersonal trauma,” says 91��ɫ psychology Professor Robert Muller, who serves as the publication's editorial director and publisher. “The report will cover topics such as the causes and consequences of trauma, treatment, prevention, and the implications of trauma for society at large.

Right: Robert Muller

“The articles draw upon primary sources such as interviews with survivors, therapists and others who work in the field of interpersonal trauma,” says Muller.

The report is oriented toward providing conversational, plain text articles about the effects of psychological trauma on children and adults. Much of the information covered in the report, says Muller, arises from interviews as well as research findings from the lab, and articles published in reputable scientific journals.

“Our goal is to disseminate this knowledge by discussing research findings in a manner that can be easily understood by readers,” says Muller.

In the spirit of knowledge dissemination there will be no charge to subscribers. In addition to regular articles, there will be book reviews in the area of interpersonal trauma and readers will be able to share their thoughts on particular pieces. Muller and his team decided on the blog format because it is "borderless and timeless and would provide individuals with information when they need it any time of the day or night."

The first article in today’s issue presents an interview with a Canadian soldier who recently served in Afghanistan.

Part of the theoretical framework that informs the blog is attachment theory, pioneered in the 1970s by psychiatrist John Bowlby. He posited that humans form attachments as a survival mechanism to seek protection from real or perceived threats. Even when a protector’s caregiving skills are lacking, the developing child does what’s necessary to maintain the relationship; this shapes negative patterns of defence and affect, carrying over into adulthood.

Muller says the successful launch of the blog is a win-win for both students and readers. "We want readers at 91��ɫ, we want readers in Australia," he says. "That is why we have placed the report online so that it can be accessible to everyone. Much of what is on the Internet is someone's opinion and is not backed by research. The Trauma and Attachment Report is a university-based project and it is as accurate as possible.

"One of the greatest skills a researcher can have is the ability to translate complex jargon into something understandable," says Muller. "I am hoping that the students working on the blog get an opportunity to write in a style that is different from what they typically get in university. We know a lot about what works and what does not work in treating trauma. Being able to get it out there in a form that is highly accessible to everyone is very important."

For more information, visit online.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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