Shin Dong-Hyuk's Extraordinary Journey
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FALL 2014 FROM A NORTH KOREAN PRISON TO DAL CONVOCATION Shin Dong-hyuk’S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY PAGE 12 CANADA POST PUBLI CANADA POST C ATIONS: MAIL ATIONS: P M41901013 THE SERIOUS SCIENCE OF PLAY THE PUZZLE OF BUG-BOOSTING TOXINS ALUM SHARE WISE WORDS Download a PDF version of this issue at alumni.dal.ca/stay-informed/dalhousie-magazine CONTENTS FALL 2014 DAL RESEARCH BRAIN TRAINING DAL’S GOT GAME “Attention is the scaffolding with which we do everything,” explains Gail Eskes of the Faculties of Medicine and Science. For those who’ve experienced a stroke, problems with attention are common and often make simple everyday tasks more challenging. Dr. Eskes From using computer games to heal brains after stroke, to exploring the role and her team are developing a scientifically sound “cognitive repair trust plays in the success of sports teams, Dal researchers aren’t playing games kit” that will exercise different aspects of attention. when it comes to studying play. By Nikki Comeau HEART HEALING FEATURES 1It’s a cruel irony: Survivors of childhood cancers can find that the chemotherapy drugs that saved their lives also damaged their heart muscle, causing survivors to develop cardiovascular problems as a result. Melanie Keats of the Faculty of Health Professions is explor- ing whether physical activity during chemotherapy can protect the A PLAYER’S heart and potentially reduce any long-term damage and problems later in life. It can be a challenge to motivate sick children to ex- GUIDE ercise, explains Dr. Keats, so she connects exercise bikes to video games to get the children in her study moving. “The idea is to get TO DAL’S 2so caught up in the game, they forget they’re exercising,” she says. RESEARCH TEAM TRUST In sports, trusting your teammates, coaches and even yourself can significantly impact team spirit and performance. But currently there’s no method to measure and assess trust within teams, so DAL’S GOT GAME Lori Dithurbide in the Faculty of Health Professions is setting out to create one. With a background in sport psychology, she’ll be ex- ploring where trust comes from, suggesting it could be from past experience with players and coaches, or spending time with team- When it comes to studying play, Dalhousie researchers 3mates off the field. GAMES PAST AND PRESENT aren’t playing games. By Nikki Comeau SOBERING AND SURPRISING but to see these tools of blood sport first-hand tional development. He was the first academic ANCIENT GAMES is sobering and surprising,” says Dr. Mitchell. to publish a paper on the Mathare Youth Sports Dal students’ perceptions of the Romans are Association, the world’s leading sport and de- “complicated” after taking Jack Mitchell’s Ro- INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT velopment organization based in Nairobi, Ken- man social history class. Dr. Mitchell, with the AND SPORT ya. Bob Huish, also in the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, attributes Owen Willis with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, is the lead on a research project look- page 10 this to showing his classes historically authen- Sciences program combined his love for sport ing at Cuba’s International School for Sport 10 tic gladiator equipment he has collected, like with his experience growing up in East Africa and Physical Education, which provides free armor, nets and a sword (one that’s no longer and applied the unique mix to the study and education to students from dozens of develop- sharp). “Gladiators are familiar from movies, teaching of sport as a mechanism for interna- ing countries. IN SPORTS, TRUSTING YOUR TEAMMATES, COACHES AND EVEN YOURSELF CAN IMPACT PERFORMANCE SAYS LORI DITHURBIDE IN MELANIE KEATS IS EXPLORING WHETHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING CHEMOTHERAPY CAN PROTECT THE HEARTS OF CHILDREN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, WHO IS TRYING TO MEASURE THAT TRUST. WITH CANCER AND REDUCE HEART PROBLEMS LATER IN LIFE. PLAINPICTURE/LARRY WASHBURN PLAINPICTURE/LARRY AN UNLIKELY JOURNEY DAL FALL 2014 DAL FALL 2014 10 11 Shin Dong-hyuk’s transformation from North Korean prisoner to human rights activist has inspired the Dal students who took up his cause. By Matt Semansky page 12 From a North Korean prison camp to Dalhousie’s convocation stage, Shin Dong-hyuk’s journey from WISE WORDS prisoner to human rights activist has inspired the Dal alumni share the best advice they’ve received, from students who took up his cause, transforming their lives—and his—along the way. By Matt Semansky simple to surprising to sublime. By Alison DeLory page 18 An unlikely 12 journey REGULARS ON THE COVER AARON MCKENZIE FRASER DAL FALL 2014 DAL FALL 2014 12 13 3 Dal News 12 Shin Dong-hyuk’s 25 Dal Alumni Extraordinary Journey 26 Building A Better World 10 The Serious Science of Play 28 DAA Award Winners 7 The Puzzle of Bug-Boosting Toxins 32 Donor Profile 15 Dalhousie alumni share the best 33 Events 18 Alum Share Wise Words advice they’ve received, from simple to 34 Spotlight surprising to sublime #6. Natalie Chavarie, BA ’06 35 Class Notes 37 In Memoriam 40 Dal DNA by Alison DeLory WISE 18 #11. & #12. Mitchell Lesbirel, BMgmt ’12 WORDS and Casey Binkley, BMgmt ’10 #15. Candy Palmater, LLB ’99 LESBIREL AND BINKLEY: STUART MCLEOD; PALMATER PHOTO BY STOO METZ; METZ; STOO BY PHOTO MCLEOD; PALMATER STUART LESBIREL AND BINKLEY: HERALD LTD. REPUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE HALIFAX PHOTO: CHAVARIE DAL FALL 2014 DAL FALL 2014 18 19 COVER: AARON MCKENZIE FRASER Contact us at [email protected] MASTHEAD CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT VICE-PRESIDENT, MATT SEMANSKY is a member of COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Dalhousie’s web content team and a Catherine Bagnell Styles journalist whose work has appeared WHAT’S YOUR EDITORIAL COMMITTEE in publications such as The Chronicle June Davidson, Ryan McNutt, Julia Watt Herald, National Post and Marketing. MESSAGE? CONSULTING EDITOR Kim Pittaway AARON MCKENZIE FRASER is a Halifax- At this fall’s convocation, President Florizone based photographer whose work has shared a compelling story with graduates. Per- ADVERTISING MANAGER appeared in Canadian Business, The Natasha White Coast, Canadian Geographic, Sportsnet haps apocryphal, the story centered on the ART DIRECTOR Magazine and other publications. great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and a Fran Ornstein young man entrusted by his village elders to PUBLICATION DESIGN ALISON DELORY is an author, freelance attend one of Gandhi’s speeches and bring its Watkins Communication and Design journalist, editor and part-time writing message back to his village. Unfortunately, the PRODUCTION ASSISTANT instructor at Mount Saint Vincent young man was too late to hear the speech, ar- University. She left her family home on Jane Lombard riving just as Gandhi’s train was pulling away Dalhousie Street in 1989 to study and work in Toronto, returning to Halifax from the station. Desperate not to fail in his CLASS NOTES / IN MEMORIAM seven years ago. task, the young man chased the train, shout- For submissions, contact: ing “Gandhi! What is your message?” Gandhi Monica Mutale [email protected] NIKKI COMEAU, a communications disappeared inside the train for a moment, and officer for Dalhousie, works with the ADDRESS CHANGES returned with a piece of paper which he crum- Tel: (902) 494-6855 media every day to share compelling pled into a ball and threw off the back of the stories that reflect the university’s 1 (800) 565-9969 train. When the young man unfolded the pa- Email: [email protected] impact on research, teaching and society. per, he read: “My message is my life.” Alumni Records, Macdonald Building, “What will your message be?” President Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Florizone asked the graduating class. “What will you do with the knowledge, the question- PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED BY Dalhousie University Communications ing spirit, the insights and discoveries you and Marketing have developed here? How will you leave your mark, your message?” Messages and lessons abound in this issue, CANADA post publications: MAIL PM41901013 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS to: from the story of former North Korean pris- ALUMNI OFFICE, DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, PO BOX 15000, HalifaX, NS B3H 4R2 oner and activist Shin Dong-hyuk and the Dalhousie students who were inspired by the message of his life (An Unlikely Journey, p. 12), to the smaller messages and advice from alumni in Wise Words (p. 18). We have the chance to send many messages with our lives, FIND DAL ON your favourite SOCIAL MEDIA platform from grand statements crafted over a lifetime to words whispered in single acts of kindness and generosity. Like Dalhousie’s most recent graduates, it never hurts to ask ourselves: FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/DalhousieUniversity and www.facebook.com/Dalumni What message are we sending? TWITTER: twitter.com/dalnews, twitter.com/dalpres and and twitter.com/Dal_Alumni Instagram: instagram.com/dalhousie_university Pinterest: pinterest.com/dalhousieu YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/dalhousieu LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/company/dalhousie-university DAL FALL 2014 1 “We believe an educated community can accomplish great things. And we both come from families that believed in the transformative power of education. We hope to see others attain their goals through our financial support of Dalhousie and to one day pay it forward.” Don (MBA’74) and Elizabeth (BEd’73) Mills Proud Dalhousians—a meaningful legacy Don and Elizabeth Mills are among a growing number of Dalhousie alumni who have a special role in shaping the past, present and future of Dalhousie University. In a very real way, their support defines the Dalhousie experience and affords life-changing opportunities. Together they created the Mills Family Scholarship fund, while also leaving a bequest to Dalhousie in their wills, ensuring their legacy continues for generations of Dalhousians.