Annual Report to the Killam National Conference
2009
Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009: Table of Contents
Introduction ...... 2 Killam Predoctoral Scholarships ...... 2 Faculty of Graduate Studies Departmental Allocations ...... 3 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships ...... 3 Killam Chairs ...... 3 Dorothy J. Killam Memorial Lectures ...... 4 Faculty of Science Killam Prize ...... 4 Faculty of Science Killam Professorships ...... 4 Killam Dinner ...... 4 Administrative Updates...... 5
Appendix 1: 2009 Killam Predoctoral Scholarship Competition Selection Committee ...... 7 Appendix 2: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships a. New & Renewal Summary ...... 8 b. New 2009-2010 ...... 9 c. Renewal 2009-2010 ...... 10 Appendix 3: 2009 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition Selection Committee ...... 13 Appendix 4: Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships — New 2009 ...... 14 Appendix 5: Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships — Continuing 2009 ...... 15 Appendix 6: 2009 Killam Chairs ...... 16 Appendix 7: 2009 Killam Chair Reports a. Zhizhang (David) Chen...... 17 b. John Cullen ...... 19 c. Evangelos Milios ...... 23 d. Axel Becke ...... 25 e. Martin Alda...... 29 Appendix 8: Killam Lecture Committee ...... 31 Appendix 9: Report on the 2008-2009 Killam Lectures: “The Future of Africa” ...... 32 Appendix 10: Faculty of Science Killam Prizes ...... 34 Appendix 11: Faculty of Science Killam Professorship Recipients ...... 35 Appendix 12: Chronicle Herald/Mail Star (October 2008) ...... 36 Appendix 13: 2009 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Advertising Campaign ...... 37
Enquiries Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University Room 314, Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building 6299 South Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4H6 Tel: (902) 494-2485 • Fax: (902) 494-8797 • [email protected] • http://dalgrad.dal.ca/
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Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009
INTRODUCTION
I am very pleased to present this report on the many activities in the last year of the Killam programs at Dalhousie University. The University Killam Trust Committee, with membership from the senior administration, Killam Committee Chairs, and the Killam Trustees, meets annually to provide guidance and coordination for all activities related to the Killam programs at Dalhousie, and this report therefore is presented on behalf of this committee.
The Killam Endowments enable Dalhousie University to maintain five programs:
1. Killam Predoctoral Scholarships are funded from the Advanced Studies fund;
2. Funding for Faculty of Graduate Studies Departmental Allocations for Graduate Scholarships are provided by the Killam Memorial Research and Scholarship (Anonymous Donor) fund and the Killam Residue fund;
3. Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships are funded by the Advanced Studies fund;
4. Killam Chairs are funded from the Killam Chair fund; and
5. Dorothy J. Killam Memorial Lecture Series and the annual Killam Dinner are funded from the Killam Residue fund.
In recognition of the financial support provided to the Faculty of Science by the Killam Endowment, two additional awards were established in 1994-95:
1. Faculty of Science Killam Prize, funded from the Faculty of Science Operating fund; and
2. Faculty of Science Killam Professorships, funded from the Killam Memorial Salary fund.
1) KILLAM PREDOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Killam Predoctoral Scholarships are awarded to graduate students in thesis programs at the master's and doctoral level in all disciplines except the fine arts. Killam Scholarships are the most prestigious awards offered by the university. Killam Predoctoral Scholarships are awarded based on a highly selective competition. Members of the 2009-2010 Killam Predoctoral Scholarship Competition Selection Committee are listed in Appendix 1. The competition for the 2009-2010 scholarships concluded with 22 new scholarships being offered, and 18 of these scholarships being accepted by first-year and continuing students (10 master’s, all new students, and 8 doctoral), while 66 students had their award renewed (12 master’s and 54 doctoral, see Appendix 2). Among the Killam scholars, 77 are Canadian, while 7 are students from 6 different countries. Of the 84 Killam Scholars in 2009-2010, 56
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Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009
were successful in obtaining major external awards, demonstrating the very high quality of our scholarship recipients. All Killam PhD award holders starting PhD programs at Dalhousie are also eligible for the President’s Award, which covers tuition.
2) FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES DEPARTMENTAL ALLOCATIONS
The Killam Memorial Research and Scholarship (Anonymous Donor) fund and the Killam Residue fund, award graduate scholarships to Canadian students in departments in the sciences and engineering. For the 2009-10 aca- demic year (September to August) students receiving either of these scholarship awards were in the Facul- ties/Departments/Schools/Programs of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Biological Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Biochemistry, Biological Engineering, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Community Health and Epidemiology, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Economics, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Electronic Commerce, Engineering Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Food Science, Health & Human Performance, Health Informatics, Human Communication Disorders, Industrial Engineering, Interdisciplinary PhD, International Development Studies, Law, Library and Information Studies, Marine Affairs, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Microbiology & Immunology, Mining Engineering, Oceanography, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physics, Physiology & Biophysics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Social Anthropology, and Statistics.
3) KILLAM POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
The Dalhousie University Killam Fellowship competition is open to doctoral graduates, within two years of graduation, from any discipline or nationality. Selection from among a very large number of national and international applicants is based on research potential, academic excellence, and a research proposal that demonstrates the opportunity to contribute to Dalhousie’s departmental and university-wide research activities. Killam Postdoctoral Fellow recipients are selected by the Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition Selection Committee (see Appendix 3). Four (4) new Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships were awarded in the 2009 competition (see Appendix 4), while five (5) Killam Postdoctoral Fellows continue at various stages of the second year of their fellowship (Appendix 5). The Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship competition is advertised internationally, and builds on Dalhousie’s reputation as one of the world’s top universities for research climate and interdisciplinary cooperation. The Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship advertisements as they appeared in 2009 are shown in Appendix 13.
4) KILLAM CHAIRS
Dr. Zhizhang (David) Chen in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. John Cullen in Ocean Studies, Dr. Axel Becke, Chemistry, Dr. Evangelos Milios, Computer Science, and Dr. Martin Alda, Mood Disorders, continued their terms. There were no new appointments made in 2009. Details of the appointments and reports from the current Killam Chairs on their activities in the past year are presented in Appendices 6 and 7.
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Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009
5) DOROTHY J. KILLAM MEMORIAL LECTURES
Each year Dalhousie’s Dorothy J. Killam Lecture Series attracts audiences from the wider Halifax and indeed Nova Scotia community to the university. The lectures have been held since 1976, and with topics of current interest varying from the humanities to science and technology, they form a highlight of the university’s extracurricular academic activities for the year. The topic of last year’s Killam Lectures was “The Future of Africa Considered”, organized by Dr. Philip Zachernuk of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The series presented by three high profile speakers. The first speaker was James Ferguson, educator at Stanford University. The second speaker was Mamadou Diouf, Leitner Family Professor of African Studies at Columbia University. The third speaker was Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, Professor of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chigago. The 2009 Killam Lecture series at Dalhousie, organized by the Faculty of Science, is titled “Oceans and Climate Change”. (See Appendices 8 and 9)
6) FACULTY OF SCIENCE KILLAM PRIZE
The Faculty of Science Killam Prize was established in recognition of the financial support provided to the Faculty of Science by the Killam Endowment. Prizes are awarded annually to enhance the career of promising scientists who have obtained their doctorate within the past eleven years. The Faculty of Science Killam Prize is funded from the Dalhousie University Faculty of Science operating budget. The recipient of the 2009 Faculty of Science Killam Prize is Dr. Joseph Bielawski, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, for his research. (See Appendix 10.)
7) FACULTY OF SCIENCE KILLAM PROFESSORSHIPS
The Faculty of Science Killam Professorships are funded by the Dalhousie University General Salary account and can be held for a 5-year term. These appointments recognize the scientific contributions of the Faculty of Science’s most outstanding scientists. Currently 7 faculty members hold Faculty of Science Killam Professorships (see Appendix 11). The terms of Dr. Tom MacRae (Biology), Dr. Jean Burnell (Chemistry), Dr. Martin Gibling (Earth Sciences) and Dr. Dennis Phillips (Psychology) ended. New awards were announced for Dr. Bernie Boudreau (Oceanography) and Dr. Peter Wentzell (Chemistry).
8) KILLAM DINNER
The 2008 Killam Dinner was held on Friday, October 3, in the McInnis Room of the Dalhousie Student Union. This location continues to prove highly successful, providing excellent and well-appointed space first for the reception and then for the dinner. This annual event is an important occasion to mark the achievements of the Killam Scholars and Postdoctoral Fellows. The approximately 200 guests included Killam Trustees Mr. George Cooper, and Ms. Ann McCaig, as well as new and renewal Killam predoctoral scholars, postdoctoral fellows, Killam Chairs and Research Professors, members of the various Killam selection committees, and many other guests. Speakers at the dinner included President Tom Traves, Mr. George Cooper, and Ms. Yoko Ishigami, a Killam Scholar doing a
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Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009
PhD in Psychology, presented the after dinner talk. The annual announcement of all Killam Scholarship and Fellowship award recipients was placed in the Chronicle Herald of October 6th (see Appendix 12), to publicly honour the recipients. The advertisement is popular with the scholarship holders as a memento, and of course serves to publicize the Dalhousie Killam programs in the community.
9) ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES
The assistance of the members of the various selection committees, graduate coordinators and staff in academic units, staff in the Financial Services and Personnel Services offices, and the Killam Trust office is gratefully acknowledged. Administration and support for the continued success of the Killam programs at Dalhousie is an important and rewarding task for the Faculty of Graduate Studies. I am pleased to acknowledge the important role of the staff in the FGS office in the organization and administration of the scholarship and fellowship programs, and in the organization and success of other Killam events at Dalhousie.
Respectfully submitted
Carolyn Watters, Dean Faculty of Graduate Studies
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Annual Report to the Killam National Conference 2009: Appendices
Appendices
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Appendix 1: 2009 Killam Predoctoral Scholarship Competition Selection Committee
ELECTED FACULTY
Masters Selection Committee Name Term End Department Patricia McMullen 2009 Psychology George Turnbull 2010 Physiotherapy Zoheir Farhat 2010 Process Engineering & Applied Science Peter O'Brien 2010 Classics Laura Turculet 2011 Chemistry John Cameron 2011 International Development Studies
Doctoral Selection Committee Name Term End Department Qigang Gao 2009 Computer Science Greg Hebb 2009 Business Administration Trevor Ross 2009 English Meinhard Doelle 2011 Law Paul Murphy 2011 Physiology and Biophysics Howard Ramos 2011 Sociology and Social Anthropology
STANDING MEMBERS
• Dieter Pelzer, Associate Dean, FGS (Coordinating Chair)
• Stephanie Theriault, Acting Killam Administrator, FGS
• Killam Trustees (receive all papers, agendas, minutes, and notices of meetings related to Killam Scholarships)
• George Cooper
• John Matthews
• M. Ann McCaig
• John Montalbano
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Appendix 2a: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships – New & Renewal Summary
NEW & RENEWAL SUMMARY
Total New Masters Degrees - Female 8 Total New Masters Degrees - Male 2 Total New Doctoral Degrees - Female 1 Total New Doctoral Degrees - Male 7 Total New 18
Total Renewal Masters Degrees - Female 7 Total Renewal Masters Degrees - Male 5 Total Renewal Doctoral Degrees - Female 25 Total Renewal Doctoral Degrees - Male 29 Total Renewal 66 Total Awards 84
SCHOLARSHIP SUMMARY
2008-2009 Actual 2009-2010 Budget
(Sept 1, 2008 – Aug 31, 2009) (Allocation $818,500) New $ 100,160 Renewal $ 678,517 Total $ 1,057,743* $ 778,677
* includes carry forward
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Appendix 2b: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships — New 2009-2010
Killam Start Ext. Funding Total Killam Last Name First Name Department Degree Citizenship Gender Date Source Award
Van Hengstum Peter Earth Sciences PhD Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 0.00 Reddy Tyler Biochemistry PhD Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 0.00 Petter Mark Psychology PhD Canadian Sep-09 M NSHRF 4,970.00 Parks Donovan Computer Science PhD Canadian Sep-09 M 25,000.00 Boates Brian Physics PhD Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 0.00 Rioux James Physics PhD Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 0.00 Gridley Danielle English PhD Canadian Sep-09 F SSHRC 0.00 Watson Barry Economics PhD Canadian Sep-09 M 25,000.00 Quinlan Chelsea Psychology MSC Canadian Sep-09 F NSERC 0.00 Dohoo Carolyn Community MSc Canadian Sep-09 F NSERC 2,500.00 Health & Epidemiology Burks Marlo German MA USA Sep-09 F 25,190.00 Alexandra Stairs Courtney Biochemistry MSc Canadian Sep-09 F NSERC 2,500.00 McArthur Mark Physics MSc Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 2,500.00 Conrad Janet Biomedical MASc Canadian Sep-09 F NSERC 2,500.00 Engineering McQuaid Mary Biochemistry MSc Canadian Sep-09 F NSERC 2,500.00 Pavlovski Mark Mathematics & MSc Canadian Sep-09 M NSERC 2,500.00 Statistics Regan Charlene History MA Canadian Sep-09 F SSHRC 2,500.00 Handley Christine English MA Canadian Sep-09 F SSHRC 2,500.00 100,160.00
Total New — 12 Male — 9 Female — 9
Masters — 4 Male — 2 Female — 8
Doctoral — 8 Male — 7 Female - 1
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Appendix 2c: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships — Renewal 2009-2010
Ext. Year of Net Killam Last Name First Name Department Degree Citizenship Gender Funding Award Award Source Engler Cecilia Law LLM Chilean 2 of 2 F $25,190.00 Arabi Alya Chemistry MA Canadian 2 of 2 F NSRC $0.00 Copeland Samantha Philosophy MA Canadian 2 of 2 F SSHRC $0.00 Van De Keere Laurel IDS MA Canadian 2 of 2 F $20,000.00 Stanley David SRES MES New Zealand 2 of 2 M $25,190.00 Bradley Kristina Health & MSc Canadian 2 of 2 F $20,000.00 Human Butcher Nancy Psychology MSc Canadian 2 of 2 F NSERC $2,700.00 Cyr David Microbiology MSc Canadian 2 of 2 M NSERC $2,700.00 Heverly-Coulson Gavin Chemistry MSc American 2 of 2 M $25,190.00 Nelson Stephanie Physiology MSc Canadian 2 of 2 F NSERC $8,466.67
Shea Patrick Physics MSc Canadian 2 of 2 M NSERC $2,700.00 White Justin Health & MSc Canadian 2 of 2 M $20,000.00 Human Adlam Caroline Mathematics & PhD Canadian 2 of 2 F NSERC $4,000.00 Statistics Adsett Constance Computer PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F NSERC $0.00 Science Allen Meghan Mathematics & PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F NSERC $4,000.00 Statistics Brewer Kimberly Physics PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F $8,333.33 Burger Erika IDPhD PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F SSHRC $5,000.00 Carpenter Yuen-ying Chemistry PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F NSERC $4,000.00 Chira Sinziana SOSA PhD Romanian 2 of 3 F $30,190.00 Fawcett Jonathan Psychology PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Filliter Jillian Psychology PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F NSERC $0.00 Fulton Heather Psychology PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F CIHR $0.00 Garant Katy Microbiology PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F NSERC $0.00 Gawryluk Ryan Biochemistry PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Gero Shane Biology PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00 Glister Jacqueline Physics PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F $16,667.00 Goossen Jonathan English PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00
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Appendix 2c: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships — Renewal 2009-2010
Ext. Year of Net Killam Last Name First Name Department Degree Citizenship Gender Funding Award Award Source Goreham Vince Civil PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Engineering Harbin Ami Philosophy PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F SSHRC $0.00 Heiti Warren Philosophy PhD Canadian 4 of 4 M SSHRC $5,000.00 Hesp Kevin Chemistry PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Hoefel Andrew Mathematics & PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $4,000.00 Statistics Hutka Adam English PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M $25,000.00 Ibrahim Walid Electrical & PhD Egyptian 3 of 3 M $8,333.33 Computer Engineering Kellett Dawn Earth Sciences PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F $25,000.00 Kelly Jennifer Biology PhD Canadian 2 of 2 F NSERC $8,333.00 Klages Peter Physics PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M $25,000.00 Lawrence Michael Psychology PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Lee Benjamin Classics PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M SSHRC $0.00 Lundgren Rylan Chemistry PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M NSERC $11,000.00 Marx Vanessa Chemistry PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F NSERC $4,000.00 Mason Jane Computer PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F $8,333.33 Science Mazerolle Erin Psychology PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F NSERC $16,667.00 McDonough David Political Science PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M SDF RB $2,500.00 McKay Neil Mathematics & PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $4,000.00 Statistics Muaror-Wilson Jieni ID PhD PhD Fiji 2 of 3 F $30,190.00 Noble Rob Mathematics & PhD Canadian 4 of 4 M NSERC $4,000.00 Statistics Noel Melanie Psychology PhD Canadian 2 of 3 F CIHR $0.00 Patterson Steven Physics PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Pelletier Nathaniel Interdisciplinary PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 PhD Pinder Jordan Biochemistry PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 Renault Nisa Pathology PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F $25,000.00 Richards Clark Oceanography PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M $25,000.00 Rodd Mary English PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F SSHRC $5,000.00 Routledge Faye Nursing PhD Canadian 2 of 2 F Heart $4,167.00 Foundation
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Appendix 2c: Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarships — Renewal 2009-2010
Ext. Year of Net Killam Last Name First Name Department Degree Citizenship Gender Funding Award Award Source Rutherford Derek Biomedical PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00 Engineering Ryan Gillian Physics PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F $25,000.00 Saunders Megan Oceanography PhD Canadian 3 of 3 F $25,000.00 Smith David Biology PhD Canadian 2 of 2 M NSERC $0.00 Tamblyn Isaac Physics PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00 Taylor Alexis Chemistry PhD Canadian 4 of 4 F NSERC $1,333.33 Tyler Zemlak Biology PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00 van Donkelaar Aaron Physics PhD Canadian 2 of 3 M NSERC $4,000.00 VanderZaag Andrew Process PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M $25,000.00 Engineering Vautour Bart English PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M SSHRC $8,333.00 Wilson Jeffrey Interdisciplinary PhD Canadian 3 of 3 M NSERC $0.00 PhD $678,516.99
Total Renewal— 66 Male — 34 Female — 32
Masters — 12 Male — 5 Female — 7
Doctoral — 54 Male — 29 Female — 25
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Appendix 3: 2009 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition Selection Committee
ELECTED FACULTY
Name Term End Department Philip Girard 2009 Law Dean Irvine 2009 English Helmuth Thomas 2009 Oceanography Axel Becke 2011 Chemistry Abdel-Aziz Farrag 2011 Computer Science
STANDING MEMBERS
• Sunny Marche, Associate Dean (Chair), FGS
• Stephanie Theriault, Acting Scholarship Officer, FGS
• Killam Trustees (receive all papers, agendas, minutes, notice of meetings related to Killam Scholarship only)
• George Cooper
• John Matthews
• M. Ann McCaig
• John Montalbano
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Appendix 4: Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships — New 2009
Name Gender Doctoral University Discipline Appointment Date Research Topic
Kendra Cann F University of Pathology May 1, 2009 The PML Protein Links Manitoba DNA Damage Surveillance and Cancer Development
Sophie Bestley F University of Biology January 15, 2010 Integrative Approaches for Tasmania and Understanding Climate CSIRO Change Impacts on Deep- Diving Migratory Mammal: Winter Sea Ice Zone Foraging of Elephant Seals in the Southern Ocean
Mark Stoddart M University of British Sociology and Social July 1, 2009 When Getting Back to Columbia Anthropology Nature Becomes a Social Problem: Outdoor Recreation and Social Movements
Travis Mason M University of British English August 1, 2009 Cultivation to Conservation: Columbia Science and the Canadian Literacy Imagination, 1818- 1959
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Appendix 5: Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships — Continuing 2009
Doctoral Appointment End Date Name Gender Discipline Research Topic University Date
Linnea Veinotte F Acadia Biology May 2007 November The Role of CXCR6 in NKT University 2009 Cell Activation
Emma Varley F University of Bioethics September 2008 August 2010 The Contribution of Toronto Interpersonal Enmities and Violent Islamic Sectarianism to Exceptionally High Maternal Illness and Mortality Rates Among Muslim Women in Pakistan’s Northern Areas
Robert Ronconi M University of Biology July 2008 June 2010 High seas exploitation by Victoria marine predators: Habitat selection, niche-partitioning and conservation of pelagic seabirds
Afra Foroud F University of Psychology September 2008 September Behavioural Mechanisms Lethbridge 2010 Underlying the Interrelations of Movement and Language
Peter Coffman M Queen’s History September 2008 September Nineteenth-Century Gothic University 2010 Revival Architecture in Nova Scotia
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Appendix 6: 2009 Killam Chairs
Chair Incumbent Appointment Electrical & Computer Engineering Zhizhang (David) Chen February 2005 – January 2010 Oceanography John Cullen January 2006 – December 2010 Computer Science Evangelos Milios April 2006 – March 2011 Chemistry Axel Becke July 2006 – June 2011 Mood Disorders Martin Alda July 2007 – June 2012
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Appendix 7a: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Zhizhang (David) Chen
Killam Chair in Wireless Technology Progress Report for the Period September of 2008 - August of 2009 By: Zhizhang (David) Chen
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Dalhousie University Email: [email protected] Web site: myweb.dal.ca/zdchen
This report describes my activities as a Killam Chair in Wireless Technology for the period of September, 2008 to September, 2009.
I taught both graduate and undergraduate courses: two full undergraduate classes and one graduate class in the winter of 2009 in addition to two graduate direct-studies courses in the summer of 2009. I continued my other teaching functionality such as supervising 3 senior student projects and grading co-student student reports. My in- classroom teaching load was to three quarters of a regular ECE faculty member.
I continued the research in the area of computational electromagnetics aimed at developing new numerical techniques for modeling RF/microwave communication circuit and component structures. The research was sponsored by NSERC with close to $50K per year of financial support in term of a Discovery Grant; the 50K support is a relatively high number in comparisons with the grant size my colleagues were awarded.
I am also researching and developing a high-speed ultra-wide-band wireless transceiver prototype; I obtained an InNova Corp. Early Stage Commercialization grant for the work as its potential success may lead to a new technology for high-speed video transmission between HDTV and PCs. Based on the work, I also submitted an NSERC strategic project application of $368,000 for potential further R&D on the ultra-wide-band systems in collaboration with two local companies, Cobham Surveillance and V1Labs. NSERC decision on the application should come in November, 2009.
I have established collaborative projects with two university research groups in China and one research group in US, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Beihang University and University of Northern Iowa; we are working on topics related to electromagnetic timedomain modeling techniques and ultra-wide-band communication systems. In addition, we collaborated with Nova Scotia Environmental Health Center to study the sensitivity of human being to radio waves in air. We secured an equipment grant from Capital Health District and purchased the relevant equipment grant of $15,000. We will working on a pilot study in the Fall of 2009 and is applying for a further funding on the study.
I have completed supervision of 2 Master students and co-supervision of a Ph.D. I continued to supervise a research team of 1 postdoctoral fellow, 1 PhD students, 6 Master students and 1 intern student from University of Waterloo. I also co-supervised 4 Ph.D students at other universities. They are all working on RF/microwave
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Appendix 7a: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Zhizhang (David) Chen communications and computational electromagnetics related topics and have made good scientific and engineering progress.
Since October of 2007, together with my research team and collaborators, we have had 5 journal papers published or accepted for publications, 9 refereed conference papers published, and one book chapter published. We attended and made presentations in 9 IEEE sponsored technical conferences.
As a steering committee member, I participated in organizing the 2009 and 2010 Annual Conference on Communication Networks and Services (CNSR). The 2009 conference was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, on May 11-13, 2009 and the 2010 Conference will be held in Montreal, in May of 2010. I am also serving as the Conference Chair of 2010 Conference on Antenna Technology and Applied Electromagnetics to be held in Ottawa in July, 2010 and have served in various technical program committees for 9 other highly reputable conferences in North America and China. I continued serving as a member of NSERC discovery grant committee #335; I reviewed and participated in 2009 deliberations of the discovery grant applications. I served as an editorial board member of IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques and the International Journal of Numerical Modeling – Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields – by John Wiley and Sons. I also served on Microwave Field Theory Committee of IEEE Microwave Theory & Techniques society and its speaker bureau. At Dalhousie University, I served on 4 different committees including Engineering Review Committee on Dean’s reappointment, Search Committee for the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, and Departmental Tenure & Promotion and Curriculum Committee of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
In summary, the past year of the Killam Chair has been productive and hectic for both me and my research team. The Chair position with its teaching relief did provide a greater opportunity for better research output which may not be seen any more when my term of the Chair position comes to its finish next year.
Submitted by Dr. Zhizhang (David) Chen
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Appendix 7b: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — John Cullen
Activities of John Cullen, Killam Chair in Ocean Studies September 2008 to August 2009
This has been a year of diversified activity: making the case for an end to a twenty-year controversy over ocean fertilization, rebuilding Dalhousie’s capability for cutting-edge ocean observations in support of environmental assessment and monitoring, developing a potent program for biofuel production from algae, and contributing to plans for the development of ocean science over coming decades, at Dalhousie and world-wide.
Leadership Activities, Including Background of the Research Programme
Ocean fertilization Twenty years ago, it was proposed that fertilization of the ocean with iron could stimulate the growth of phytoplankton which would multiply near the sea surface, then sink, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the deep sea. This led to claims that ocean fertilization could mitigate climate change through a form of geo-engineering, which in turn generated proposals for commercial fertilization of the ocean for carbon credits. I have been involved in this controversial issue since its inception, formulating over the years a position: For ocean fertilization to have any significant influence on the course of climate change, vast expanses of ocean would have to be fundamentally altered, year after year, for many decades — and marine ecosystems would have to respond like the most optimistic of models. Experiments to date have already shown that the ocean is not so simple and predictable, and we know that we would only be able to assess some of the most worrisome potential side effects after conducting widespread fertilization for years, possibly altering the ocean irreversibly. Ocean fertilization is not worth the risks involved — it’s time to move on. During the past year I delivered this message during invited plenary addresses at the ASLO (Advancing the Science of Limnology and Oceanography) Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Nice, France, and at the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) Congress in Halifax. With Aaron Strong and Sallie W. Chisholm of MIT, I contributed to a critical review of the history of ocean fertilization in the peer-reviewed magazine, Oceanography. Also (with Charles Miller from Oregon State University), we published an opinion piece in Nature. Both pieces supported the same conclusion: it is time to stop considering ocean fertilization as an option for geo-engineering. This is unlikely to end the controversy, but it will focus the debate.
Ocean observation systems Following the successful, but some may argue untimely, conclusion of the Lunenburg Coastal Observatory and Ocean Forecast Project (summarized in a report in the CMOS Bulletin, available at www.cmep.ca), we have worked diligently to revive our capabilities in real-time observation of coastal ocean ecosystems through the Bedford Basin Ocean Monitoring Buoy (BBOMB) program, developed in collaboration with colleagues at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO). For more than 17 years, BIO has operated the Bedford Basin Plankton Monitoring Project –
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Appendix 7b: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — John Cullen visiting the same station every week to take and analyze water samples and record many water column properties to assess the state of the microbial ecosystem. The time series of data that they have acquired is one of a kind; it has become a powerful tool in revealing ecological variability at weekly, monthly, seasonal, annual and decadal time scales, and has been the basis for numerous peer reviewed publications. During the fall of 2008, we greatly enhanced this sampling programme by deploying a refurbished buoy from the Lunenburg Project to make continuous measurements of physical and biological properties of the water, along with meteorological conditions. Further, we began weekly sampling from a DFO vessel to make state-of-the-art measurements of water column properties in support of remote sensing applications. Regrettably, our collaborative project was interrupted when the buoy was severely damaged in a marine mishap. Greatly helped by a substantial grant from NSERC for Research Tools and Instruments, we constructed a significantly enhanced monitoring buoy that will be deployed soon as part of a vibrant collaboration with colleagues at BIO. We have developed tools to support a strong public presence on the web — the start of an observation system for the Atlantic Gateway — and we look forward to linking our system with the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), which should be getting underway soon.
Planning for deployment of ocean gliders with advanced sensor systems continued through much of the year, focusing on preparation of a $10M proposal to NSERC for a seven-year program of research in support of OTN (Dalhousie’s Sara Iverson, Principal Investigator). A team of researchers from Dalhousie and BIO hope to begin soon on an exciting project to use data from a variety of OTN sensors, and new modeling approaches, to develop a comprehensive description of the ecosystem of the Scotian Shelf and beyond, related directly to measurements of the activities of fish and other marine animals.
Microalgae for biofuels We are now in the second year of a major initiative to grow marine microalgae to produce fuel and protein. Our university-based research effort is supported by Cellana, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell plc and HR Biopetroleum. They have built a demonstration facility in Hawaii to apply and test the fruits of our research. I lead Dalhousie’s MicroAlgal Performance Evaluation Laboratory (MAPEL) and serve on the Scientific Leadership Team for Cellana. We are very excited about this project, which has many advantages over other methods for producing biofuels, including no need for freshwater or arable land to grow the algae, rates of production much higher than conventional crops, and the production of fuel with a very small carbon footprint. Further, if the project develops as planned, the process will produce large amounts of protein feedstock — this might serve as an important and ecologically sustainable replacement for fishmeal for use in aquaculture.
Future of ocean science My contribution to the proceedings of the U.S. Ocean Studies Board / National Research Council workshop, “Oceanography in 2025”, was published by the National Academies Press. The essay, “Integrated Oceanography in 2025”, is presented first among the fifty reports from a broad range of oceanographers; it proposes that oceanography should become part of a profoundly crosscutting Global Environmental Portfolio that must be developed if humanity is to meet the challenges of climate change and increasing human impacts on the planet. In Canada, I have been working with colleagues on the Oceans Task Team of the Canadian Institute for Advanced
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Appendix 7b: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — John Cullen
Research (CIFAR). We have been conducting a series of highly interdisciplinary workshops, assembling researchers from around the world to discuss the next big questions in ocean science. The next workshop, “Humans Transforming the Ocean Nitrogen-Cycle: From 1950 to 2050 to 2150”, promises to be exciting. And closer to home, I have been working closely with many others to pursue a new Oceans agenda at Dalhousie, spearheaded by our dynamic Vice President for Research, Martha Crago. We hope to kick it off with the successful nomination of a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology.
Research Activities The research group under my supervision or co-supervision this year comprised 2 colleagues with doctorates, 5 graduate students (2 Ph.D., 3 M.Sc.), and 10 technical staff. All contribute to our broad range of activities, an overview of which is presented here. While waiting for the new research buoy to be constructed, Susanne Craig, Richard Davis, Chris Jones and Jon Pye have been making preparations for the debut of the new system while also conducting weekly sampling and analyzing results. Adam Comeau has been using some of the data while wrapping up work on his M.Sc. thesis on using measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence to explore the physiology of phytoplankton. Audrey Barnett joined Susanne Craig in a complementary study comparing performance of fluorometers. I continue to study the interpretation of chlorophyll fluorescence as measured with in-water sensors or from space. During the past year, significant effort was put into providing critical comments on published studies of fluorescence, using an interactive journal format. Numerical modeling of ocean processes continues to be centrally important to our research. Both Arnaud Laurent (modeling Lunenburg Bay) and Diego Ibarra (mussel farms in Ship Harbour) have worked with our Canada Research Chair modeler Katja Fennel to implement the ROMS modeling system in their research. She is rapidly establishing a centre of expertise here at Dalhousie. Tara Tapics earned her M.Sc. with a thesis on chemotaxis in microalgae — a mechanism for swimming microbes to find nutrients in patchy environments — that might be more characteristic of the ocean than previously thought. The microalgae-for-fuels project has greatly enhanced our capabilities to study phytoplankton in the laboratory, providing the resources to replace worn out equipment, purchase new instruments, and renovate lab space to relieve a facilities crisis that threatened our ability to conduct experimental research. With colleagues from the University of Hawaii and University of Southern Mississippi, we developed advanced high-throughput procedures to screen algal strains for growth rate and lipid production. Further, as a team effort (Richard Davis, Chris Jones, Susanne Craig and Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Hugh MacIntyre) we developed a comprehensive model of the algal production process, from sunlight reaching the water through the production of lipid. International Activities, Recognition and Service In addition to the invitation to speak on ocean fertilization in France, I was invited to present a talk on biofuel from algae at the University of Urbino, Italy. As mentioned above, I served on the Task Team on Oceans for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). Also, I was elected Councillor for the Oceanography Society.
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Appendix 7b: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — John Cullen
Teaching This year, I continued teaching the Department of Oceanography’s core course in Biological Oceanography.
Respectfully submitted by John Cullen 18 September 2009
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Appendix 7c: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Evangelos Milios
Activities of Evangelos Milios, Killam Chair in Computer Science – September 2008 – August 2009
Research Activities
The motivation for my research is the realization that several large document collections of significant interest form networks of documents that are interconnected by links of various types, such as the World Wide Web, the scientific literature and the associated citation graph, and social bookmarking and tagging networks, such as del.icio.us and bibsonomy.org, involving large numbers of online users sharing and tagging (assigning keywords to) bookmarks and personal publication collections, and establishing direct links to other users sharing their interests. Key research challenges with social bookmarking and tagging networks such as these include: (a) the identification of communities of users sharing common interests; (b) the extraction of meaning from the tags users have assigned to resources; (c) tag recommendation or prediction for a user bookmarking a given resource based on the content of the resource, the tags other users have assigned to it, and the profile of the user; (d) detection of spam. With PhD student Marek Lipczak, and with help from PhD students Yeming Hu andYael Kollet, we took part in the ECML/PKDD Discovery Challenge 2009, achieving first place in two out of three tasks, and third place in the third task, among over 20 entries. Our tag recommender will become a part of BibSonomy.org, the social bookmarking system for websites and scientific publications.
Within the POKM project (Platform for Ocean Knowledge Management), I have been working towards the design and implementation of a document management system that combines search and retrieval of scientific documents with document visualization and browsing capabilities, with industrial partner Palomino System Innovations Inc. and PhD students Marek Lipczak, Yeming Hu, Ozge Yeloglu and Yael Kollet. The first prototype of the system will be demonstrated in October 2009.
In 2008, I was awarded a 3-year NSERC Strategic Project Grant (with colleague Nur Zincir-Heywood) to continue our work on the application of machine learning to the mining and management of network log data and help forum content to ease the task of network management and system administration. A novel system performing information extraction from system log files was presented at the prestigious KDD 2009 conference by PhD student Tokunbo Makanju. PhD student Ashley George started an 8-month MITACS internship with local industry partner Genieknows.com to work on the automatic generation and maintenance of domain taxonomies.
Finally, I continue to maintain a close working relationship with the Intelligent Systems Group at the Technical University of Crete, Greece, and a joint project with the Databases and Information Systems Department of the Max Planck Institut fuer Informatik in Saarbruecken, Germany.
Teaching activities
In the past academic year, I taught a graduate course on Machine Learning, with a focus on text mining and probabilistic inference.
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Appendix 7c: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Evangelos Milios
Administrative activities
As Associate Dean – Research in the Faculty of Computer Science I continue to work towards doubling the external research funding of our Faculty by the end of 2010. Good progress has been made towards this goal. I facilitated the award of a $1.6M CANARIE NEP project, POKM, over 2.5 years starting in January 2009. The POKM (Platform for Ocean Knowledge Management) aims to support the distributed collaborative research of ocean scientists working together on ocean data sets and ocean models, both physical and related to marine life. The ultimate goal of the project is to assist in the study of the impact of climate change in the oceans and, in particular, marine life. POKM is a case of successful collaboration between the Faculties of Science and Computer Science.
At the same time I continue to work towards strengthening our Faculty’s ties with local industry, improving awareness of collaborative opportunities, and streamlining the necessary administrative processes, an effort that has already resulted in several NRC-IRAP SME and similar provincially-funded industry assistance projects, as well as MITACS graduate student internships.
Professional activities
As a member of NSERC Grant Selection Committee 331, I participated in the 2008-2009 competition under the new conference model. I compiled a presentation on the new conference model and its implications for prospective applicants, which I presented to the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie and the University of New Brunswick.
I serve as Program Chair of APICS 2009 – Computer Science. The conference is taking place in October 2009, and it aims to showcase Computer Science research in Atlantic Canada Universities, both for strengthening their ties with each other and with local industry.
I continue to serve as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Computational Intelligence journal. The journal’s ISI impact factor increased from 1.415 to 3.310 and its ISI rating among Artificial Intelligence journals from 29/85 to 9/94 in 2008, a sign that the new direction of the journal I set with co-Editor Ali Ghorbani of UNB is paying off.
Submitted by Dr. Evangelos Milios
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Appendix 7d: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Axel Becke
Activities of Prof. Axel D. Becke FRSC FRS Killam Chair in Chemistry, September 2008 – August 2009
My research focus is the Density-Functional theory (DFT) of the electronic structure of atoms, molecules, and condensed systems. I have been an international leader in this field for the past two decades. See, for example, the recent overview articles
• Physics Today, Chemistry on the Computer, April 2008, page 58
• Chemical and Engineering News, Battle of the Functionals, June 30 2008, page 34 in which my contributions to the field are highlighted.
The papers [A.D. Becke, Journal of Chemical Physics 98, 5648 (1993)] and [A.D. Becke, Physical Review A 38, 3098 (1988)] continue to be the 1st and 3rd most cited papers in the chemical literature worldwide. To date these papers have been cited 25,800 and 16,500 times respectively (ISI Science Citation Database) with citations increasing at the rate of 2,500 and 1,500 per year!
Total career citations as of Sept. 16, 2009… 56,518
Since January 2008, research progress has been made in three particular areas of DFT. We summarize our progress below.
Nonlocal Correlation Models
Density-functional models of electronic structure have, until quite recently, been based on “electron-gas-like” physics. That is, correlations in the motions of electrons arising from interelectronic repulsions are assumed to be local in extent. This is a good approximation in atoms and in closed shell molecules near equilibrium geometries. In stretched molecules and, particularly, in stretched molecules with an odd number of electrons (i.e., chemical radicals), electron correlations may extend over many atoms in the molecule and are non-local in extent.
All contemporary DFT methods fail dramatically on stretched molecules and especially on stretched radicals. This lack of robustness of standard DFTs has long been a fundamental concern. In 2003 we reported a first attempt to solve this nonlocal correlation problem in [A.D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 2972 (2003)], but the theory was not entirely satisfying. Satisfactory completion of the theory was accomplished in 2005 [A.D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 064101 (2005)].
This 2005 nonlocal correlation model was combined with our “Becke-Johnson” intermolecular van der Waals interaction model (see below) in 2007 [A.D. Becke and E.R. Johnson, J. Chem. Phys. 127, 124108 (2007)] to produce a
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Appendix 7d: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Axel Becke
“universal” density-functional theory for all of chemistry, the first of its kind. While this 2007 paper presented the underlying theory, tests of its universality were reported in
• E.R. Johnson and A.D. Becke. A Unified Density-Functional Treatment of Dynamical, Nondynamical, and Dispersion Correlations II: Thermochemical and Kinetic Benchmarks. Journal of Chemical Physics 128, 124105 (2008).
We then tested the theory on transition-metal complexes of practical interest in organometallic chemistry and catalytic chemistry in
• E.R. Johnson and A.D. Becke. Tests of an Exact-Exchange-Based Density-Functional Theory on Transition-Metal Complexes. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, in press.
These are challenging tests. The results are superior to those of other DFTs in the literature.
Dispersion (van der Waals) Forces
Another failure of contemporary DFT methods, until recently, has been their inability to describe “dispersion” or “van der Waals” (vdW) forces. These are the forces that attract molecules to each other (“inter”molecular interactions). Dispersion forces are extremely weak compared to the forces responsible for internal molecular structure (“intra”molecular interactions), and of much longer range. They play a critical role, however, in determining the architecture of large molecular assemblies. For example, vdW forces govern the structures of materials, biomolecules, nanosystems, etc…
The underlying physics of the dispersion force is missing from standard density functionals. Until now, empirical patches have been used, based on fits to reference data, that contain no physics whatsoever. Consequently, the application of DFT to biological chemistry has been seriously curtailed. In 2005, however, we introduced a novel conceptual approach to the dispersion problem that was intriguing, nonempirical, and computationally promising [A.D. Becke and E.R. Johnson, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 154104 (2005)].
Two years later, in more than a half dozen papers listed in my report of September 2007, our dispersion model was refined to a highly satisfying theoretical and computational level. A path to economical and robust DFT applications in biochemistry, materials science, surface science, and nanoscience was blazed. The following work with my graduate student Felix Kannemann,
• F.O. Kannemann and A.D. Becke. Van der Waals Interactions in Density-Functional Theory: Rare-Gas Diatomics. Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 5, 719 (2009),
• F.O. Kannemann and A.D. Becke. Van der Waals Interactions in Density-Functional Theory: Intermolecular Complexes. In preparation,
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Appendix 7d: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Axel Becke
promises to make our vdW theory even faster and to expand its applicability to larger systems.
In the following sideline paper,
• E.R. Johnson, A.D. Becke, C.D. Sherrill, and G.A. DiLabio. Oscillations in Meta-GGA Potential Energy Surfaces for Dispersion-Bound Complexes. Journal of Chemical Physics 131, 034111 (2009), we elucidated some problems in vdW systems with an older class of density functionals known as meta-GGAs.
Van der Waals interactions will continue to be a major focus in future work.
A New Relativistic Density-Functional Theory
A few months ago a new and completely different ☺ approach to the treatment of relativistic electrons occurred to me. These are the electrons close to the nuclear centers of atoms and, in heavy elements, their speeds are comparable to the speed of light. Their motions must therefore be treated using the theory of relativity. The well- known “Dirac” equation applies to relativistic electrons, but is very difficult to solve compared to the non- relativistic “Schroedinger” equation.
My idea was to approximate the kinetic energy of relativistic electrons with a very simple density functional of the “meta-GGA” class. The resulting theory is extremely simple compared to Dirac theory, but doesn’t include so- called “spin-orbit” coupling. Nevertheless it might be quite sufficient for computing a wide variety of relativistic effects in chemistry that do not involve spin-orbit coupling.
The theory was introduced in a plenary lecture just a few weeks ago at the DFT09 conference in Lyon, France. The idea was well received. A manuscript,
• A.D. Becke. A Density-Functional Approximation for Relativistic Kinetic Energy, has just been completed and will be submitted (journal yet to be decided) by the end of the month.
Invited Conference Lectures
• 6th International Symposium on Theoretical Chemical Physics. Vancouver, BC, 2008.
• Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, U. Minnesota: Mathematical and Algorithmic Challenges in Electronic Structure Theory. Minneapolis, USA, 2008.
• American Physical Society. Pittsburgh, USA, 2009.
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Appendix 7d: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Axel Becke
• Canadian Society for Chemistry. Hamilton, ON, 2009.
• DFT09: Density Functional Theory in Chemistry and Physics. Lyon, France, 2009.
Contributed Conference (Poster) Presentations • F.O. Kannemann and A.D. Becke. 7th Canadian Computational Chemistry Conference. Halifax, NS, 2009.
• F.O. Kannemann and A.D. Becke. DFT09: Density Functional Theory in Chemistry and Physics. Lyon, France, 2009.
Conference Organization • Member of the organizing committee of the 7th Canadian Computational Chemistry Conference, Halifax, NS, 2009.
Other Notable Developments • Recipient of the 2009 John C. Polanyi award of the Canadian Society for Chemistry, for distinguished contributions in physical, theoretical, or computational chemistry.
A new student, Alya Arabi, commenced graduate studies with me in September 2008. She will be testing new implementations of our vdW interactions theory.
Submitted by Dr. Axel Becke
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Appendix 7e: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Martin Alda
Activities of Dr. Martin Alda, Killam Chair in Mood Disorders September 2008 – August 2009
My main objective in the second year of my appointment as Killam Chair in Mood Disorders has been to expand the research and clinical program in mood disorders at Dalhousie University.
In research, my main focus has been on our CIHR funded genetic studies of bipolar disorder. We have completed two analyses leading to novel findings in patients responsive to lithium, these are currently submitted for publication. I also continued with collaborative projects on mitochondrial dysfunction in bipolar disorder (with Dr. L.T. Young from University of British Columbia), on genetics of suicidal behaviour (with G. Turecki at McGill University), and on interferon-induced depression (with Dr. M.-J. Brouillette at McGill University). In total, our group has published 20 papers this year; nine additional papers are currently under review. As for research funding, my colleagues and I have applied for two CIHR and one NSHRF grant and currently awaiting the decision. These grants are related to the risk of bipolar disorder in children of bipolar parents, one focusing on clinical characterization of the at-risk population and two proposals to investigate structural and functional brain changes in relation to the risk of bipolar disorder in adolescents.
We also continue collaborating actively in an international consortium to study genetics of response to lithium prophylaxis jointly with research groups from NIMH and Harvard University, and participating centres from around the world. As part of the collaboration we were able to bring a research fellow from a collaborating centre in Cagliari, Italy, who was awarded the Sobey Fellowship in our Department. In addition I supervise another fellow, have completed supervision of a highly productive resident with interest in research, and continue supervising / co-supervising other residents and students on their projects.
Given the public-health importance of mood disorders, our group has decided to host a public symposium on mood disorders in Halifax with guest speakers from Canada, USA, and Europe as well as we will be hosting a working meeting of the International Group for Study of Lithium-treated Patients (IGSLi) at Dalhousie University. And in November this year, as part of an effort to raise awareness of psychiatric research, we will be, jointly with the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, organizing a half-day public meeting under the title “Open Minds – Universities”.
The Department of Psychiatry of Dalhousie University is well positioned to develop a clinical and research program in major psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder or major depression. We are the only specialized mood disorders program in the Maritimes, serving a genetically unique population of more than 1.5 million. As well, we are fortunate to collaborate locally with Dr. Anne Duffy, an internationally known child psychiatrist specializing in early-onset mood disorders. These are key ingredients for being able to identify risk factors for severe mood disorders, and for early detection and effective treatment. These advantages have been recognized earlier this year by Dalhousie University, which awarded our group a position of Canada Research Chair in Early Intervention. The selection process is currently underway and we have received a number of outstanding nominations.
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Appendix 7e: 2009 Killam Chair Reports — Martin Alda
On a critical note, the development of a program in mood disorders that should form the basis of our clinical and academic work has been difficult for lack of infrastructure and personnel support. I regret to say that there has been no improvement since my last report and this remains the most challenging aspect of my appointment so far.
Submitted by Dr. Martin Alda
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Appendix 8: Killam Lecture Committee
Name Term End Department George Turnbull 2011 Physiotherapy Dan Jackson 2010 Faculty of Science Katja Fennel 2010 History Dawn Morrison Public Relations Carolyn Watters, Dean (Chair) FGS 1 vacancy 2012
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Appendix 9: Report on the 2008-2009 Killam Lectures: “The Future of Africa” (Faculty of Arts and Social Science)
Final Report on the 2008-2009 Dalhousie University Killam Lectures: “The Future of Africa Considered”
African Studies Committee
Pursuing the tradition and standards of the annual Dorothy J. Killam Memorial Lecture series, we aimed to present to Dalhousie University and the community new perspectives on the directions of change and the prospective issues faced by the continent of Africa.
Understandings of Africa’s complex problems are shifting. Africa’s future cannot be separated from global trends, but also cannot be understood without attention to the continent’s past and its present dynamism. Africans are shaping their future with resilience and invention in the face of enduring obstacles within the continent and beyond it. The 2008-2009 Killam lecture series set out to explore Africa’s current problems and prospects, finally focusing on key questions about changing labour markets and social membership, shifting cultural and political landscapes, and the task of envisioning new paths to independence and self-determination.
A committee from the African Studies community at Dalhousie canvassed within Dalhousie and among our international networks of scholars for potential speakers. From a list of about 40 suggestions, three speakers were selected based on a plan to have mostly African speakers of well-established authority who, collectively, would present accounts from diverse interests with groundings in different parts of the continent. We feel we achieved in the end a very interesting balance. The speakers and topics were as follows:
• James Ferguson, Department of Anthropology, Stanford University “Declarations of Dependence: Labour, Personhood and Welfare in South Africa” (Tuesday, October 21) • Mamadou Diouf, Leitner Family Professor of African Studies, Columbia University “Reconfiguring Public Space and Re-imagining Communities in Contemporary Africa” (Thursday, November 6) • Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, African American Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago “What Happened to the African Renaissance? The Challenges of Development in the 21st Century” (Thursday, November 20)
Due to limited room availability and scheduling constraints we would only use the most appropriate venue, the Scotiabank Auditorium in the McCain Building, for the first event. The second and third lectures were held at a suitable, but less inviting site, Theatre A in the Tupper Building.
All lectures started at 8 pm, preceded by catered receptions at 7 pm, featuring food and non-alcoholic drinks. The catering worked as planned to attract an audience. All were attended by over 150 people; the first had over 200. George Cooper of the Killam Trust spoke about the Killam Foundation at the first lecture. He could not attend the subsequent events, but Philip Zachernuk, acting as MC, spoke briefly in appreciation of the Killam Trust on the latter occasions.
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Appendix 9: Report on the 2008-2009 Killam Lectures: “The Future of Africa” (Faculty of Arts and Social Science)
All of the speakers had several informal meetings with students and faculty, over meals or otherwise, during their sojourns. As far as possible, different people were invited to each meal.
Judging by attendance, the publicity campaign seems of have been a success. Each speaker was interviewed by Dal News writer Annie Burns-Pieper, from which she produced a series of articles. They were also interviewed by Jenna Pennington of u-news (a new online news outlet for maritime university students). Although the Killam Trusts webpage was not quite ready in time for this series, links to the series were posted on the main Dalhousie site. The series was also advertised through the standard email modes, such as the FASS events update. Dalhousie Design Services produced a wonderfully effective poster. Available as both a brochure and a poster, it was mailed out, posted and distributed widely on campus, and posted at appropriate sites around metro Halifax. This effort reached, for example, the various African cultural associations in metro as well as the Black Cultural Centre.
The budget seemed appropriate for this event, but not excessively so. The principal expense was travel. While it would have been appropriate to bring a speaker from the African continent given our theme, such an expense was untenable. We were constrained to choose speakers available within North America. In at least one case, the honorarium we could offer was below what he usually receives for similar appearances elsewhere.
The “Organizing Tips” produced in March 2008 by Amber Nicol from last year’s series proved very valuable. This document is being updated from this year’s process in the hope it will remain useful as the series moves forward.
The organizers received much valuable assistance from various people within Dalhousie helping us work within the parameters and learn from patterns established in previous years. Amber Nicol and Carol Madden, from last year’s team in the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, provided valued advice. Marsha Scott at FGS always knew what had to be done. Fran Ornstein and Reuben Hall at Design Services lent their creative wisdom. Dawn Morrison at Communications and Marketing facilitated the public relations details.
Killam Lecture Committee 2008-2009 • Philip Zachernuk, History (Chair) • Amal Ghazal, History • Theresa Ulicki, International Development Studies
Submitted by P. Zachernuk History April 2009
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Appendix 10: Faculty of Science Killam Prizes
2009 Awardee:
• Joseph Bielawski, Departments of Biology and Mathematics and Statistics
Previous Awardees
Killam Prize Winner Department Year Awarded Hélène Deacon Department of Psychology 2008 Alison Thompson Department of Chemistry 2007 Tara Perrot-Sinal Department of Psychology 2006 Mark Stradiotto Department of Chemistry 2005 Daniel Washbusch Psychology 2004 John Gosse Earth Sciences 2004 Ulrike Lohman Physics & Atmospheric Science 2003 Shelly Adamo Psychology 2002 Frances Cozens Chemistry 2002 Darcy Santor Psychology 2001 Sara Iverson Biology 2000
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Appendix 11: Faculty of Science Killam Professorship Recipients
Faculty Incumbent Year Awarded Oceanography Bernie Boudreau July 2009 Chemistry Peter Wentzell July 2009 Biology Robert Scheibling July 2008 Oceanography Marlon Lewis July 2007 Psychology Chris Moore July 2007 Earth Sciences David Scott July 2005 Psychology Sherry Stewart July 2005 Biology Tom MacRae July 2004 Chemistry Jean Burnell July 2004 Earth Sciences Martin Gibling July 2004 Psychology Dennis Phillips July 2004 Chemistry James Pincock July 2003 Oceanography Chris Beaumont July 2002 Psychology Richard Brown July 2002 Chemistry Amares Chatt July 2001 Physics Richard Dunlap July 2001 Psychology Patrick McGrath July 2001 Oceanography John Cullen July 2000 Biology Hal Whitehead July 2000
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Appendix 12: Chronicle Herald/Mail Star (October 2008)
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Appendix 13: 2009 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Advertising Campaign
2009Advertisement Appearances
Publication Issue Dates Cost (in CDN dollars)
The Chronicle of Higher Education July 10, September 4 $ 1,149.50
Times Higher Educational Supplement September 17, October 1 $ 935.62
Nature September 10, October 1 $ 2,100.00
University Affairs August/September, October $ 880.00
CAUT Bulletin September $ 510.00
TOTAL $ 5,575.12
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