Reality Television Devotees May Be Selecting False Idols, Says Professor See Page 34
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Volume XX Number 1 Summer 2005 Focus on society and culture Researchwww.uoguelph.ca/research magazine IDOL, Canadian Idol EH? finalist Jenny Gear Reality television devotees may be selecting false idols, says professor See page 34 14 Addicted to 20 Hormones 28 Street smart 41 Rustling the gamblingfor happiness in Ecuador western e e OWEN ROBERTS R s arch magazine And now, the cultural side Volume XX, Number 1 Research, University of Guelph,Summer 2005 of Texas Hold ’Em A PUBLICATION TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE, UNDERSTANDING AND COMMUNICATION ABOUT RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH. We bring focus to Research by giving each issue a theme, reflecting one of the University FOCUS: SOCIETY AND CULTURE of Guelph’s strategic initiatives.At the core of Vice-President (Research) each issue —and each story, in fact — is an Alan Wildeman overarching question:Howdoes this research ActingAssociate Vice-President (Research and International Relations) mak ad h l v Ca ad a ?I’ Anthony Clarke e ifference to t e i es of n i ns t s aq m v -p d a h Executive Editors uestion for er ice resi ent of rese rc Bruce Ryan LarryMilligan posed to student writers 15 Sandra Sabatini years ago,when we startedStudents Promoting Editor Awa R a hK wl d (SPARK). Owen Roberts reness of ese rc no e ge Associate Editor and Project Co-ordinator That question still resonates today, maybe more Murray Tong than ever,as the competition for news readers Co-ordination Assistance andviewers continues to intensify. Clare Illingworth Th U v y G lph ha alway p d d l d a h Copy Editor e ni ersit of ue s s ri e itse f on con ucting rese rc Barbara Chance that closely reflects andaffects the societyaround it, the society into which Design we send our graduates.This is the same society that gives universities a special Jay Dart place where academics can gather free from influence, teachwhat needs to be Advertisingand Marketing Marianne Clark taught and say what needs to be said. Financial Management This environment is enriched by the support and encouragement of Dave Reinhart research, so that what is taught and said is fresh, groundedandpertinent. Th Research,dd a d ya d l , d l h Address correspondence to: is issue of e ic te to societ n cu ture un er ines t e Owen Roberts, Director of Research Communications connection between researchers and the society they’re part of.Research- Office of Research, University of Guelph, ers help us make sense of cultural phenomena, ones that appear so quickly Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 ( h m m d app a w h q al p d) ha w d ’ hav m lly Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 58278 t en so eti es is e r it e u s ee t t e on t e ti e to fu d h m. R a h a all d p l ad , E-mail: [email protected] igest t e ese rc ers re often c e on to be o inion e ers to offer comment, to help us see what is not evident. Toadvertise in Research, contact: For example,you can’t flip channels these days without passing apoker Marianne Clark, Research Communications and Marketing Officer am .Txa H ld ’Emha m pa v a la y. P k play Office of Research, University of Guelph, g e e s o s beco e rt of our oc bu r o er ers Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 are suddenly media stars.Some people thinkwatching a skillfully played Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 53781 card game on television is fascinating.To others, it’s like watching paint E-mail: [email protected] dry. But what does it tell us about our society? Paula Bialski reports on how w ’ a d—a d m a ,ma p la d— y am l , a University ofGuelph student research-writing initiatives e re ffecte n in so e c ses ni u te b g b ing st rting are supported by these sponsors: on page 14. Founding sponsor: Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited Then there’s our cover story. Like the rest of us, researchers turn on their 4-H Ontario l v p a w pap a d da dw h al yTV, ha AdFarm te e ision or o en ne s er n get inun te it re it suc s Advanced Foods and Materials Network Canadian Idol.Most of us accept it at face value. But it takes a researcher Agricultural Adaptation Council suchas Prof.Suzy Lake to help us pare down the phenomenon to its core Dr. George Atkins and understandwhat it says about society. Beginning on page 34, follow this Better Farming p ’ j yw h h Idol a a dh a m h a- Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres rofessor s ourne it t e entour ge n er ssess ent of t e initi Country Guide Ontario tive as one big focus group, passionately obsessedwithyouth. Murray Tong CropLife Canada reports at length on her observations andher photo record of the winners Dairy Farmers of Ontario a dl . Greenhouse Canada n osers GROWMARK Inc. Speaking of Murray, we’re saying goodbye to himafter four produc- Guelph Mercury tive years with the SPARK program. He leaves with our best wishes for a Maple Leaf Foods International new job as assistant editor at The MilkProducer magazine,apublication Monsanto Canada that regularly features SPARK-written stories about University of Guelph Ontario Agricultural College Ontario Cattlemen’s Association research. Murray, an accomplishedpianist witha biochemistrydegree,will Ontario Institute of Agrologists be well-servedat Canada’s biggest dairymagazine by the writing, editing and Ontario Farmer publications production co-ordination skills he’s honedat SPARK. Here’s a true example Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food h w h k ll a a a l a d pl —a -a d- a d Ontario Pork of o suc s i s re tr nsfer b e cross isci ines born n r ise Ontario Soybean Growers suburbanite editing stories about dairy, one of the agri-food sector’s most Rothsay intricate and complex industries. We’re proud of Murray andacknowledge SeCan Association howhis tireless efforts to mentor other SPARK students andproduce quality Soy 20/20 a hp l a hav d a ly SPARK’ a d Syngenta Crop Protection Canada rese rc ub ic tions e contribute signific nt to s success n helped our many new initiatives get off the ground. R Publications Mail Agreement Number 1652575 Please return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:437 University Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Printed at Contact Creative Services Inc., July 2005, ISSN 0841-9493 Visitthe University of Guelphresearch website: Owen Roberts www.uoguelph.ca/research EDITOR 4 RESEARCH Summer 2005 SOCIETY AND CULTURE CONTENTS SUMMER 2005 ISSUE, VOLUME XX, NUMBER 1 RIGHT >> Natascha Girgis stars as Lilja in Mad Boy Chronicle, a Canadian adaptation of WilliamShakespeare’s Hamlet. Researchers have created a uniqueonlinedatabaseofCanuck renditions of the Bard's works, collecting more than 3,000 pieces of text and multimedia. See pages 38-39 for story. >> BOTTOM Albrecht Dürer, Nailing to the Cro 1509, wood u . ss, c t 38 PHOTO BY TRUDIE LEE PHOTOGRAPHY 6 CONTRIBUTORS 42 8 RESEARCH ETHICS: SCIENCE MEETS SOCIETY 10 SOCIAL INTERACTION The beliefs andprinciples ofindividuals infl uence societal values…and vice versa. Takingacloser lookat how people interact is leading to a better understanding oflarger social trends. 24 SOCIETIES IN TRANSITION Locally andglobally, communities are changingfaster than ever before. Examining societyhere andabroad, past andpresent,is giving researchers clues about what the future may hold. 34 CULTURE Arts andculture mirror society, providing us withfresh perspectives on our world. From Canadian Shakespeare adaptations to Canadian Idol, research is exploring the complex relationship between societyandculture. 46 RESEARCH IN RETROSPECT AND FURTHER READING COVER PHOTO BY PROF. SUZY LAKE COURTESY OF THE BACHINSKI-CHU PRINT STUDY COLLECTION/UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH SOCIETY AND CULTURE RESEARCH Summer 2005 5 CONTRIBUTORS The University of Guelph Research magazine is written andco-ordinated by students involved in the University’s Students Promoting Awareness of Spotlight on SPARK Research Knowledge (SPARK) program and Guelph’s agricultural PHOTOS BY OLIVIA BROWN communications program. << History major Paula << Outside of the protein Bialski is no stranger to lab, biochemistry student journalism. The North Bay Robert Fieldhouse of native got her start writ- Guelph enjoys exploring the ing a travel column for The culture and customs of his North Bay Nugget while many international friends, travelling through Ireland, who hail from China, Den- then went on to host a talk mark, Greece and Trinidad. radio show and serve as His latest interest is Latin features editor at the Uni- dance, including the salsa, versity of Guelph’s student bachata and merengue, newspaper, The Ontarion. which has taken him from She’s now completing a local Latin nights to a world master’s degree at the Uni- salsa convention. See page versity of Warsaw, where 12 for Robert’s story on how she documented a piece of international companies can the nation’s history: Paula keep finances on an even keel broadcast a CBC television when natural disasters strike. news report on the Polish reaction to the death of >> The country is where it’s Pope John Paul II. Paula reports on the search for a forgotten woman in at for Courtney Denard history, philanthropist Eglantyne Jebb, on page 44. of Belleville, a second-year graduate student in rural >> Wherever she goes, extension studies.