in Focus STUDENT EDITION// FALL*08

SUPPORTING IN THIS ISSUE 03 A CENTURY OF SUCCESS

EXCELLENCE 04 THE TOMLINSON FELLOWS

06 A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

07 RUNNING TO REMEMBER

Canada Post Corporation Publications Mail Agreement # 40613662 FROM THE DESK OF MARTIN KREISWIRTH Owen Egan

> THE WORLDWIDE COMPETITION FOR ATTRACTING AND RETAINING HIGH- QUALITY GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS IS STUDENT FIERCE, AS UNIVERSITIES ARE INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON GRADUATE EDU EDITION// FALL*08 CATION. Through Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), McGill is strengthening its presence in this competition by increasing the number of student fellowships it OFFICE OF DONOR RELATIONS offers, exploring new avenues for student support, and making it easier to disburse AND STEWARDSHIP existing funds. We are rising to the global challenge: preparing highly-skilled grad- EDITOR uates to participate in our increasingly knowledge-based economy. We are making Mark Ordonselli it easier and more attractive to pursue the excellence offered in our graduate education WRITERS and postdoctoral training. Catriona Moore Student support at McGill is improving. We are taking steps to create a new fund- Cléa Hernandez ing environment in graduate studies, finding ways to be more flexible and creative EDITORIAL ADVISORS in our approaches to encouraging success, and easing students’ transitions during Christina Armeni their studies and after graduation. For instance, we are creating multi-year graduate Melanie McRae support packages with the ultimate goal of providing guaranteed graduate student Lori Yersh LAYOUT AND DESIGN funding. At GPS, we encourage and support innovation in funding at every level, Content and Collaboration through GPS-allocated awards, internal departmental or Faculty awards, teaching Services, Graphics Section assistantships, research assistantships, stipends, external awards, and training grants. FRONT COVER: We work with students, staff, and Faculties to make sure we are responsive to their Kimberly White, Tomlinson needs, and to build McGill’s capacity to meet these needs. Fellowship recipient By enhancing the quality of its graduate funding capabilities, McGill is taking (photo by Owen Egan) another crucial step in improving its research and graduate training, providing the type of “high-quality personnel” that Canada and the world need. We hope that you If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at will join us in improving and enhancing these initiatives by using your power to influ- [email protected] ence graduate education at McGill and maximize its effects on the world beyond. This edition of In Focus tells the stories of loyal donors and highlights some of the incredible achievements of student award recipients. Graduate scholars like the ones featured in this issue continually tell me of their appreciation for the donor contri- butions that provide the support they need to succeed at McGill. On behalf of our graduate student community, thank you for your continued encouragement and generosity.

Sincerely, Martin Kreiswirth Associate Provost (Graduate Education) Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Professor of English

2 STUDENT AWARDS centuryA CENTURY OF SUCCESS

> NOT LONG AFTER LOUIS MAGIL, BARCH’36, BEGAN RECEIVING HIS FIRST PAYCHEQUES, HE WAS SEND- ING MONEY BACK TO MCGILL TO PAY OFF HIS $300 STUDENT LOAN. IT WASN’T EASY; MAGIL GRADUATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND TIMES WERE TOUGH. “EVEN AS A DRAUGHTSMAN I COULDN’T FIND WORK,” HE RECALLS.

After some temporary jobs around , he landed a position Even after a century, Magil’s handshake remains firm, his step in Baie Comeau as the assistant to a senior engineer on a mill con- sure, his mind quick, and his voice strong, and it’s no great leap to struction site – a “good experience” that allowed him to send those imagine him launching Magil Construction, one of Canada’s lead- first cheques to McGill and started him on a lifetime of supporting ing construction firms. For those seeking the secret to his longevi- causes close to his heart. Today the Louis B. Magil Fellowship in ty, Magil is blunt: “There is no secret – in my opinion, it is a genet- Housing, established upon his retirement in 1980, assists graduate ic gift,” he says. And as for those who would emulate his business students in the Faculty of Engineering’s School of Architecture. success, Magil offers some pithy advice: “All I can say is, whatever Last February, Louis Magil celebrated his 100th birthday, and as work you do, do a reputable job.” part of the celebrations he added another $50,000 to the fellow- ship endowment. BASSEM EID MOHAMED After his stint in Baie Comeau, Magil worked for an architect in LOUIS B. MAGIL FELLOW, 2007-08, 2008-09 Trois Rivières before making his way back to Montreal to build > Bassem Eid Mohamed, a student in the School of houses in Verdun, where he designed his first home. “It was about Architecture’s Affordable Housing Master’s program, 625 square feet and sold for $2,800,” he laughs. In 1945 he began comes to us from Alexandria, Egypt, where he earned a his own company building affordable homes for returning veterans, BSc and an MSc in Architectural and in 1953 he and two associates founded Magil Construction, Engineering and Environmental taking on large post-war housing projects in Rosemont, St-Michel, Design at the Arab Academy for St-Laurent, Pointe-Claire and Dollard-des-Ormeaux. In all, Magil Science and Technology. His the- built over 5,000 houses across the island of Montreal – in addition sis was titled “Home of the to McGill’s Otto Maas Chemistry Building, the Redpath Library Future: Towards an Architecture addition and a number of other downtown landmarks. Though he Owen Egan of Invention,” and his research at sold the company in 1980, he says he has never really left it behind. McGill focuses on inventive solutions to housing issues, “I still have an office and go back once a month,” he says. particularly via mass customization. For a recent project, Bassem used this concept to design a modular, customiz- able housing system that could be used by Inuit housing authorities to improve housing affordability and quality. Receiving the Magil Fellowship has been “very encouraging,” Bassem says, as it allows him to acquire books, journals, and other essential research materials. It also helped to relieved financial pressure while Bassem, his wife and daughter established a new life in Montreal.

ALL I CAN SAY IS, WHATEVER WORK YOU DO,“ DO A REPUTABLE JOB. ”

— LOUIS B. MAGIL > Louis B. Magil, B.Arch.1936

STUDENT AWARDS 3 THE TOMLINSON FELLOWS: TomlinsonMANY DISCIPLINES, ONE VIBRANT COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS F

> RICHARD TOMLINSON, A WORLD-RENOWNED SCIEN- WILL HANLEY TIST, INVENTOR, BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST, HISTORY HAS FILLED A BROAD SPECTRUM OF COFFERS ACROSS My postdoctoral research examines categories used to THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR. describe Middle Eastern societies. I am working on a book about the emergence of nationality as a social and legal cat- egory in Alexandria (Egypt) between 1880 and 1914, and I hope to understand how and when ordinary people began to identify themselves as Egyptians or foreigners. This research is based on documents produced by the city's police and its European consular courts. I also studied Western conversion to Islam between 1850 and 1950, aiming to understand what kinds of Islam the converts discovered (and created) for themselves.

KATHRYN FLINN BIOLOGY AND PLANT SCIENCE > Tomlinson Fellows David Duford, Monica Ruiz-Casares and Will Hanley photographed with Dr. Tomlinson at the Tomlinson Talks Through my post-doc plant ecology re-

Though he has earned a reputation for shrugging off public recog- search, I seek to build understanding of nition, he was unable to escape distinction for his landmark McGill plant diversity and distribution patterns. gift of $64 million in 2000. This record-breaking donation supports a One project is investigating phyloge- wide array of McGill causes, ranging from endowed chairs and fel- netic patterns in plant community com- lowships to the creation of a fund to encourage young surgeons in position, offering a new and promising their medical and clinical research. approach to the fundamental question Dr. Tomlinson has had a vast impact across the University, par- of which processes govern the species ticularly among graduate students. The Tomlinson Fellowships composition of communities. If closely related species share revolutionized McGill’s ability to entice and support first-rate stu- ecologically relevant traits, then phylogenetic patterns in dents for master’s degrees in the Faculty of Science and doctoral community composition will reflect the ecological determi- candidates and postdoctoral researchers in all disciplines. And the nants of species distributions. Tomlinson Talks symposium, a multidisciplinary lecture series supported by Dr. Tomlinson, enriches the intellectual experience ROBERT CHATELAIN PHYSICS of these gifted scholars once they arrive. The Tomlinson Talks, which feature presentations by graduate My research involves the measurement and postdoctoral award holders, held its inaugural event in Novem- of the transient structure that connects ber 2002. The annual Talks create a special forum through which the reactant and product states of the Fellows are able to showcase their groundbreaking research chemical reactions and physical phase and bridge disciplinary divides. While the Fellows spend their days changes. Essentially, we aim to make immersed in their own subjects, the Talks bring them together to what has been called the “Molecular broaden one another’s horizons. English Literature, Epidemiology Movie,” an ultra-short film that pre- and Biostatistics, Philosophy, Physical and Occupational Therapy – sents a dance of atoms from one stable they all share the stage on the common meeting ground of the place to another. The technique we’ll use is called fem- Tomlinson Talks, a place where the Tomlinson Fellows can enjoy a tosecond electron diffraction, and we hope to use this scien- panoramic view of the unique academic landscape that they help tific tool to answer fundamental questions about physics, to shape. chemistry, and biology.

4 STUDENT AWARDS Fellows

KIMBERLY WHITE WALTER WITTICH MUSICOLOGY NEUROSCIENCE & NEUROLOGY

I am working on a PhD at the Schulich My postdoctoral research focuses on the School of Music’s Department of Music way seniors adjust to age-related vision Research, and my research focuses on loss. We know very little about how the four female singers at the Paris opera brain processes these changes, and my between 1830 and 1850. I'm trying to research examines the perceptual understand the nature of their work with- effects of cortical plasticity in the face in their cultural context. Some central of age-related visual impairment. questions in my research include: how Specifically, I am designing a per- much agency these women had over their public personas; ceptual test that is easy to administer and can be performed how they shaped the idea of “the singer” in nineteenth-century by patients with various levels of visual impairment. The discourse; how their particular vocal and gestural idiosyn- outcome will inform us about changes in cortical processing crasies contributed to operatic composition; and how we and will guide vision rehabilitation protocols when trying to might see these changes reflected in vocal pedagogy and determine the extent to which seniors with vision loss can the concept of "the voice" during this time period. regain functional aspects of their vision.

MARC FABIAN TARA RODGERS BIOCHEMISTRY COMMUNICATION STUDIES

I am doing my postdoctoral research on Over the last few years, I have been micro ribose nucleic acid (miRNA) at researching the history of electronic the McGill Cancer Centre, where I’m music and audio technologies. Now in hoping to determine how miRNAs func- the third year of my PhD studies, I am tion in mammalian cells. completing an edited anthology of inter- A new class of small non-coding views with women who make electronic RNAs, called miRNAs, has demonstrated music and sound art. The project aims its role in regulating growth and devel- to counteract the lack of representation opment in a wide range of organisms. The miRNAs’ exact of women in existing histories of electronic music, and to mechanism(s) are not yet clear, but research has suggested posit sound as a rich resource for feminist philosophy. I am they may play a role in lung cancer, chronic lymphocytic also beginning research for my dissertation, tracing the leukemia and other human cancers. An improved under- technical evolution of synthesized sound to see what it standing of the fundamental mechanisms that miRNAs use reveals about humans' relationships to nature, to machines, to regulate gene expression may eventually mean better and to each other. screening and treatment for cancer sufferers.

THE TOMLINSON FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM HAS NOT ONLY PROVIDED THE FUNDING NECESSARY FOR“ SO MANY SCHOLARS TO COMPLETE EXCITING RESEARCH PROJECTS, BUT HAS ALSO CREATED A COMMUNITY. THESE INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTACTS ARE SO ESSENTIAL FOR GENERATING NEW AND INSPIRING IDEAS.”

— KIMBERLY WHITE

STUDENT AWARDS 5 aA LEAGUE league OF HIS OWN

> ERIC L’ITALIEN, BA’07, A MCGILL LAW STUDENT AND RECIPIENT OF THE E. LEO KOLBER SCHOLARSHIP, HAS MASTERED THE ART OF JUGGLING PRIORITIES, NOT LEAST OF WHICH IS HIS ROLE AS A STAR RIGHT- WINGER FOR THE REDMEN HOCKEY TEAM.

This fall, the 24-year-old Sainte-Foy native will begin the second year of his BCL/LLB studies while playing his fifth year with the Redmen. And that’s after a summer packed with training for the upcoming hockey season, volunteer work as adminis- trative director of the Redmen Hockey School for kids, and work at McGill’s Legal Information Clinic, which provides free legal informa- tion to the community. Before tack- ling another full course load this fall, Eric “relaxed” in Lyon, France at a study-abroad program focusing on European Law.

At the tender age of 16, Eric was > Eric L’Italien drafted by the Quebec Major-Junior Hockey League’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Training and playing this more evident than in his work at the McGill Legal Clinic, 10 hours away from his family and girlfriend was no obstacle to where he can practice his philosophy of law – “thinking about success – he excelled in both study and sport, and has since mar- what the law should be instead of what it is,” as he puts it. ried his high school sweetheart. While it is clear that Eric makes the most of every chance to Eric first came to McGill to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in further his academic, athletic, professional and personal goals, Psychology because he had “a passion for learning about human he says scholarships have made all the difference in his ability to behaviour and functions related to the brain.” He minored in both excel. While the E. Leo Kolber Scholarship, awarded to meritori- Behavioural Neuroscience and Quebec Studies, completing his ous Law students with financial needs, was the most recent, degree in just three years. Despite a packed schedule, Eric Eric’s dedication to his studies has earned him scholarships earned Academic All-Canadian honours in each year of his throughout his time at McGill. He placed within the top 10 per cent undergraduate studies, as well as a Martlet Foundation Entrance of Law students academically, earning him a spot on the Dean’s Scholarship honouring his scholarly and athletic excellence. Honour List, and was listed on the Principal’s Student-Athlete Eager to build upon his undergraduate studies while continuing to Honour Roll for sustaining a cumulative grade-point average of satisfy his curiosity about the mind’s inner workings, he applied 3.5 or above. The first in his family to achieve a university degree, to the Faculty of Law. At other universities, students focus on he is tremendously grateful for the scholarships he has received, either civil or common law, but McGill provides the unique oppor- insisting that he would not otherwise have had the resources to tunity to study both disciplines simultaneously in an integrated play with an incredible hockey team or learn alongside tomor- manner. Through his Law studies here, Eric says he’s found what row’s leaders at McGill. he was looking for – a way to further explore the human psyche within the philosophical constructs of legal systems. Nowhere is

6 STUDENT AWARDS memorialDAVID L. MONTGOMERY MEMORIAL AWARD

> SPORTS PHYSIOLOGIST DR. DAVID L. MONTGOMERY RAN ON MOUNT ROYAL NEARLY EVERY DAY OF HIS 30-YEAR MCGILL CAREER.

Usually accompanied by his colleague and close friend Dr. Greg material.” Like all future recipients of the Montgomery award, Reid, he would often start the workday by asking, “Well, Greg, Richard is pursuing a Master’s in Sport and Exercise Physiology. what time are we running at today?” So when runners and walk- And like his mentor, he is investigating physical performance and ers of all skill levels make their way up Mount Royal for the fourth the limits of the human body. annual David Montgomery Memorial 5-10km Walk/Run during “This award,” he says, “feels like Dr. Montgomery is giving me Homecoming, they will not only be supporting the David L. one of those good old pats on the back, with his usual grin, telling Montgomery Memorial Award for graduate students in Exercise me, ‘You're doing well, keep going!’” With any luck, armed with Physiology and honouring the life of a great McGill sports physi- the knowledge that they are helping exemplary students like ologist; they will also be following in his footsteps. Richard meet their goals, this year’s participants in the David On November 3, 2004, McGill lost a valued friend when David Montgomery Memorial 5-10km Walk/Run will feel the same way. Montgomery died of a heart attack. Though he was only 56 years old, he had been teaching and researching human endurance in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education for 30 years. His endeavours over this period made for an impressive career – he had headed the Seagram Sports Science Centre, run the John and Pattie Cleghorn Hyperbaric Treatment and Research Unit, authored The Triathlon Handbook, conducted ice- hockey research for Nike, and even led fall training camps for the Montreal Canadiens. An enthusiastic believer in the benefits of daily exercise and a participant in 26 races and marathons, Dr. Montgomery was also a consummate scientist; during his partic- ipation in the gruelling Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, he regularly had his blood drawn for later study, the better to understand the physical processes of athletes in competition. In light of Dr. Montgomery’s lifelong dedication to the needs of athletes, it is particularly fitting that the funding for the award named in his honour is a true team effort. While the primary gift that established the award came from John and Pattie Cleghorn, who had funded Dr. Montgomery’s hyperbaric research, many others have helped increase the value of the award. From the stu- dents, alumni and community members who participate in the Walk/Run, to Montgomery’s friends and relatives who contributed upon his passing, to the students of his last physiology class who donated toward the prize, McGill community members have come together to pay tribute to a beloved friend and teacher. This goal is shared by the first-ever recipient of the David Montgomery Memorial Award, Richard Godin. A former student of Dr. Montgomery’s, Richard aims to emulate his mentor’s drive and inquisitiveness. Richard recalls that his professor “made the material so interesting that he instilled in me this desire to always go further, to try to understand everything, to go beyond class

STUDENT AWARDS 7 SCHOLARSHIP SPRING*08 RECEPTIONS/ PHOTOS BY OWEN EGAN >

> Desautels Faculty of Management Scholarship Reception. Commerce 1955 Scholarships; Seth Abbey, recipient; James Godber, BCom’54; Joan McGuigan, BCom’55; Lucas Jenkins, recipient; Brian McGuigan, BCom‘54; Susan Godber, BCom’55; Ryan Abrams, recipient.

> Faculty of Science Scholarship Reception. Science Class of 1965 Scholarship: Mrs. Hille Viires, BSc‘65 and Xiao Guo, recipient >

Faculty of Arts Scholarship Reception. Rose and Harry Rothman Memorial Scholarship in Jewish Studies: Kay Wolofsky, DIP P&OT ‘53, Jacob Wolofsky, BEng‘53, and Adam Joseph Blander, recipient >

Engineering Scholarship Reception. > Derek Amy Memorial Scholarship: Scholarship Mr & Mrs Wayland Amy, parents, Reception. Andrew Svoboda Award for and Tobias Juergen Froehlich, recipient Music Composition: Dr. Josef Svoboda, parent, and Thierry Tidrow, recipient

Please return undeliverable mail to / Retour des envois non-livrés à : McGill University, Office of Development & Alumni Relations Relations Martlet House, 1430 Peel Street,Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 3T3