ALUMNI MAGAZINE EDUCATING AFRICA’s NEXT LEADERS LA NOUVELLE MISSION DE JULIE PAYETTE A SEMESTER IN THE EDUCATING RAINFOREST AFRICA’s NEXT LEADERS LA NOUVELLE MISSION DE JULIE PAYETTE A SEMESTER IN THE RAINFOREST GENERATION STARTUP WHY YOUR NEXT BOSS MAY BE YOUNGER THAN YOU THINK SPRING/SUMMER 2014 publications.mcgill.ca/mcgillnews You’ve paid your dues. Start paying less with TD Insurance. You could WIN University graduates can save more. $60,000 cash At TD Insurance, we recognize all the time and effort you to build your put into getting where you are. That’s why, as a McGill University Alumni Association member, you have access to our TD Insurance dream kitchen!* Meloche Monnex program which offers preferred group rates and various additional discounts. You’ll also benefit from our highly personalized service and great protection that suits your needs. Get a quote today and see how much you could save. Request a quote today 1-888-589-5656 melochemonnex.com/mcgillalumni HOME | AUTO | TRAVEL Insurance program recommended by the The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. The program is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc. in Quebec and by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in the rest of Canada. For Quebec residents: We are located at 50 Place Crémazie, Montreal (Quebec) H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. *No purchase is required. There is one (1) prize to be won. The winner may choose between an amount of $60,000 CAD to build a dream kitchen of his/her choosing or $60,000 CAD cash. The winner will be responsible for choosing a supplier and for coordinating all of the required work. The contest is organized by Security National Insurance Company and Primmum Insurance Company and is open to members, employees and other eligible persons who reside in Canada and belong to an employer, professional or alumni group which has entered into an agreement with the organizers and is entitled to receive group rates from the organizers. The contest ends on October 31, 2014. The draw will be held on November 21, 2014. A skill-testing question is required. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. The complete contest rules are available at melochemonnex.com/contest. ® The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. 01-MM9296-14_MMI.EN•mcgill (8.375x10.875).indd 1 14-03-06 10:47 AM Projet : Annonce MMI 2014 Province : Québec Épreuve # : 2 Publication : McGill News Client : TD Assurance Date de tombée : 07/03/2014 Format : 8.375x10.875 Dossier # : 01-MM9296-14_MMI.EN•mcgill (8.375x10.875) Couleur : Quad Graphiste : Yannick Decosse Hamelin-Martineau Inc. • 505, boul. de Maisonneuve O, Bureau 300 • Montréal (Québec) H3A 3C2 • T : 514 842-4416 C : [email protected] ATTENTION : MERCI DE VÉRIFIER ATTENTIVEMENT CETTE ÉPREUVE AFIN D’ÉVITER TOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE CHECK THIS PROOF FOR ERRORS CONTENTS 05 You’ve paid your dues. New finance minister faces tough challenges Carlos Leitao, BA’79, might have the toughest job in Quebec. He has to steer the province’s wobbly Start paying less with TD Insurance. finances to surer ground. A newcomer to politics, he says he owes McGill a debt of gratitude. BY GARY FRANCOEUR 14 Feeling entrepreneurial A new generation of budding business leaders is emerging and they aren’t interested in punching somebody else’s time clock. Some aren’t even waiting to complete their degrees before launching their startups. BY PATRICK MCDONAGH 22 A long way from home The MasterCard Foundation has a $500 million plan to foster some of Africa’s future leaders. Eleven of those future leaders just finished their first year of studies at McGill. BY PATRICK LEJTENYI, BA’97, AND NEALE MCDEVITT 26 Out of the classroom and into the rainforest University graduates can save more. Climate change expert Catherine Potvin doesn’t believe that students can fully appreciate the You could WIN complexities involved in international environmental issues from a lecture hall in Montreal. At TD Insurance, we recognize all the time and effort you That’s why she takes them to Panama for a semester. $60,000 cash BY HANNAH HOAG, MSc’99 to build your put into getting where you are. That’s why, as a McGill University Alumni Association member, you have access to our TD Insurance dream kitchen!* Meloche Monnex program which offers preferred group rates and 32 various additional discounts. You’ll also benefit from our highly En mission spéciale pour la science personalized service and great protection that suits your needs. Astronaute en chef du Canada de 2000 à 2007, elle a effectué deux vols dans l’espace et Get a quote today and see how much you could save. participé activement à la mise sur pied et à l’exploitation de la Station spatiale internationale. Aujourd’hui aux commandes du Centre des sciences de Montréal, Julie Payette continue Request a quote today de se consacrer à l’avancement du savoir en rapprochant la science du public. 1-888-589-5656 PAR DAVID SAVOIE melochemonnex.com/mcgillalumni 36 HOME | AUTO | TRAVEL The Main is her muse Insurance program recommended by the Heather O’Neill, BA’94, the author of the smash hit Lullabies for Little Criminals, revisits the once sketchy lower stretch of St. Laurent Boulevard in her newest novel. This time, her protagonist is the 19-year-old daughter of a narcissistic Québécois music icon. BY JULIET WATERS The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. The program is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc. in Quebec and by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in the rest of Canada. For Quebec residents: We are located at 50 Place Crémazie, Montreal (Quebec) H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. McG News *No purchase is required. There is one (1) prize to be won. The winner may choose between an amount of $60,000 CAD to build a dream kitchen of his/her choosing or $60,000 CAD cash. The winner will be responsible for choosing a supplier and for coordinating all of the required work. The contest is organized by Security National Insurance Company and Primmum Insurance Company and is open to members, employees and other eligible persons who reside in Canada and belong to an employer, professional or alumni group which has entered into an agreement with the organizers and is entitled to receive group rates from the organizers. The contest ends on October 31, 2014. The draw will be held on November 21, 2014. A skill-testing question 03 EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK 04 PRINCIPAL’S PERSPECTIVE 05 NEWSBITES 09 DISCOVERY 21 ALUMNI PROFILE is required. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. The complete contest rules are available at melochemonnex.com/contest. 36 REVIEWS 38 ALUMNI ACTIVITIES 40 ALUMNI PROFILE 41 ALUMNOTES 52 IN MEMORIAM 56 MCGILL MOMENT ® The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. M C GILL NEWS • SPRING/SUMMER 2014 1 01-MM9296-14_MMI.EN•mcgill (8.375x10.875).indd 1 14-03-06 10:47 AM Projet : Annonce MMI 2014 Province : Québec Épreuve # : 2 Publication : McGill News Client : TD Assurance Date de tombée : 07/03/2014 Format : 8.375x10.875 Dossier # : 01-MM9296-14_MMI.EN•mcgill (8.375x10.875) Couleur : Quad Graphiste : Yannick Decosse Hamelin-Martineau Inc. • 505, boul. de Maisonneuve O, Bureau 300 • Montréal (Québec) H3A 3C2 • T : 514 842-4416 C : [email protected] ATTENTION : MERCI DE VÉRIFIER ATTENTIVEMENT CETTE ÉPREUVE AFIN D’ÉVITER TOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE CHECK THIS PROOF FOR ERRORS Bookstore Online signature collection McG News EDITOR’ S NOTEBOOK VOLUME 95 / NO 1 / SPRING / SUMMER 2014 EDITOR Daniel McCabe, BA’89 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Julie Fortier We’re international. DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS Derek Cassoff So what? PROOFREADING Karine Majeau croll down to the bottom of McGill students don’t necessarily Jennifer Nault McGill’s homepage and have to travel across an ocean for that ADVERTISING you’ll come across this bold to happen. Chances are, they’ll share a Christina Barile / Tel.: 514-398-6043 declaration: “Canada’s most classroom or two with someone from EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS international university.” Barcelona or Bangalore or Brisbane. Christina Barile SAlmost 20 per cent of McGill’s students In her recent convocation address to Annika Robbins come from other countries and that ranks new McGill graduates, honorary degree ADVISORY BOARD as the highest percentage of international recipient Karen Armstrong, a renowned Bob Babinski, BA’86 (Chair) students among Canada’s top research author and expert on comparative Bookstore Online Annmarie Adams, BA’81 universities. McGill alumni now reside in religion, issued a challenge. “One of the Catherine Cunningham, BA’99 Robert Emblem, BCom’86 about 180 countries. chief tasks of our time… must surely Carole Graveline, BA’75 Clearly, the University takes pride in be to create a global community where Siu-Min Jim, BA’03 its international characteristics. But why? people of all ethnicities and persuasions Allan Johnson, BA’85 What’s the big deal? Hopefully, a pair of and ideologies can live together in equity Olivier Marcil stories appearing in this issue will supply and relative harmony. Unless now we Courtney Mullins, BCom’06 Andy Nulman, BCom’83 at least part of the answer. The articles learn to treat all people — whoever Honora Shaughnessy, MLS’73 complement one another nicely.