CHRONICLES ANNUAL AUGUST CABD Caitlin Miron Recipient of the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation (PhD) Roundtable with Caitlin Miron, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Nye t’s been an interesting year for Caitlin Master’s student in the group, and was IMiron, PhD Candidate in the Petitjean promoted into the PhD program in research group. In November, Caitlin 2014. Funding through the NSERC received the Canadian Mitacs Award for Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement , Outstanding Innovation at a PhD level. a Mitacs Globalink-Campus France The award, given in recognition of grant, and the Queen’s Graduate Dean’s research abroad in Bordeaux, France Travel Grant for Doctoral Field Research that was funded in part by the Mitacs allowed her to pursue two research Globalink program, kicked o a whirlwind internships abroad under the supervision of scientific outreach experiences that of Dr. Jean-Louis Mergny at the Institut no one had anticipated – from media Européen de Chimie et Biologie. It was interviews and a TEDx talk, to speaking here that she first identified a compound about the Queen’s graduate student capable of strongly and selectively experience at the Joint Senate/Board recognizing guanine quadruplexes, of Trustees Retreat, to participating in a a group of unusual DNA and RNA roundtable discussion on the importance architectures implicated in cancer of fundamental research with Prime development. The discovery inadvertently Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Nye started a new research direction in the (the Science Guy). Petitjean group and led to the filing of a patent. Now nearing the end of the Caitlin entered the Petitjean group as a fourth year of her PhD, Caitlin is currently second-year undergraduate Biochemistry wrapping up research projects for student in 2010, and… has yet to leave. publication and contemplating her In 2013, she continued research on self- options for postdoctoral research. assembling metallomacrocycles as a Message from the Head Greetings, Alumni and Friends When I wrote this column last year I chemistry) and Chantelle Capicciotti expected that my term as Interim Head (molecular medicine, joint with the would only be for one year and that the Faculty of Health Sciences) are only the department would find a proper long-term first of an anticipated six (6!) new hires administrator to steer our ship away within the next year. Kevin McEleney from icebergs. To the surprise of many – (Ph.D. 2009) has already returned to including my own – my colleagues and Queen’s as an instrumentation manager student representatives decided to keep for our new electron microscopy facility. me in the job for the next few years. So, During his time at the University of for better or worse, I will be representin g Manitoba Kevin has gained enormous the interests of the chemistry department expertise in running a multi-user and its students for the next few years. research facility and we could not have wished for a better qualified scientist. Since I now have the mandate to look into the medium- and long-term future With the help from the university and of the department, it was timely to devise alumni donors (you know who you are!) a strategic plan. My colleagues and I we were also able to upgrade our building . spent a day asking ourselves what we A $850,000 investment by the university are doing well and what we could do allowed us to install a heat exchanger in better. We then set priorities for the next our air handling system. This was the five years. We consulted with Queen’s single largest climate action project in Chemistry Innovation Council members the history of Queen’s and is saving us and with the many members of our about $90,000 in energy costs per year, department – including students, of or the equivalent of 630 tons of CO2 course. The result of this exercise is a emissions! On a smaller scale you may 20-page document that gives directions notice that kitchens and furniture in the on how we could improve the lab wing are being replaced, the walls undergraduate program, our graduate were repainted, floor tiles were replaced, education, our research impact, and hardwood floors were refurbished, some our infrastructure. The strategic plan artwork has gone up overnight in the is available on our website and is our Cherno Auditorium, and there is even most comprehensive roadmap, yet. talk about jazzing up our courtyard space . Will there be deckchairs and a cocktail The rejuvenation of our faculty is one of bar? Not likely, but there is hope… our major goals over the next five years. Since we haven’t been successful at Alumni and Friends of our department, creating a youth elixir (yet!), we decided such as you, keep our department healthy instead to recruit young faculty. In July and successful! For example, the Robins 2018 we expect three assistant professors family continues to support our student to join our department. Peng Wang education through major donations. (inorganic chemistry), Zhi She (analytical The newly established Robins Family 2 fund will be used to support graduate are unusual in that graduate students and undergraduate research in perpetuity. nominate the professor. This year was We will use the interest from this also very successful for Cathy Crudden endowed fund to support student travel who collected not only the Queen’s Prize to conferences, student research awards, in Research Excellence but also the and related activities that benefit student International Precious Metals Institute researchers. It is dicult to overestimate (IPMI) Carol Tyler Award and the the impact of these gifts – they make the Canadian Society for Chemistry’s Catalysis dierence between a department that Award. Diane Beauchemin received stagnates and one that thrives. All of us, the Gerhard Herzberg Award by the and especially the students who benefit spectroscopy society of Canada for her from the donation, are very grateful to distinguished scientific contributions all donors. to the field of spectroscopy. She is the first woman to receive this award! Finally, Graduate research from our department yours truly was elected Fellow of the already has had enormous national Chemical Institute of Canada. impact. When Ph.D. candidate Caitlin Miron (Petitjean Group) received the We were excited to host two very Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation distinguished chemists in the last year. from Navdeep Bains, Federal Minister The inaugural Michael Baird Lecture of Innovation, Science and Economic was delivered by Richard Schrock Development, the national news media (Nobel Prize 2005) who helped us honour immediately reported on her achievements Mike Baird’s many contributions to our in the chemical recognition processes department. The fund supporting this leading to cancer development. Caitlin lectureship was initiated by two of then delivered media interviews and Mike’s first students, Will Rogers, B.Sc participated in a roundtable discussion on (1977), Ph.D. (1980) and Helen Ferkul, the importance of fundamental research B.Sc.(1980), MSC. (1982). Recently Sir with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Fraser Stoddart (Nobel 2016) gave the Bill Nye (the Science Guy). We could inaugural Walter Szarek Lecture. Sir not have asked for a better ambassador Fraser was introduced by Mario Pinto for our department than Caitlin! (Ph.D. 1980), now President of NSERC, who was also instrumental in establishing Our faculty were also recognized with the Szarek lectureship endowment. awards! Suning Wang received the Both Drs. Stoddart and Pinto had plenty Excellence Award in Graduate Supervision of opportunities to reminisce about the as well as the Canadian Association for times they spent in Szarek’s group. Graduate Studies Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship. The Queen’s award I sincerely hope that we will see you soon is given to only one research supervisor – maybe at Homecoming or maybe when annually in recognition of their graduate visiting Kingston with family or friends. student mentorship, and the National Please make sure that you drop me a award has just been launched – Dr. Wang line or call ahead of your visit and we is the very first recipient. Both awards can catch up. Peter Loock 3 Message from the Manager Hello Q-CHeM Chronicles Readers As Peter pointed out, there have been several initiatives and projects undertaken . In addition to overseeing many of the building enhancement renovations, contributing to the short and long-term planning for the department, and addressing operational challenges, there have been some important sta recruitments over the past year. Staffing Changes: Dawn Free joined the department as Pam Bandy-Dafoe Financial Coordinator retired from the on January 8th, 2018 . department in With several years October 2017. of financial and Pam had joined administrative the Chemistry support experience working at Queen’s , Department in 1999. Dawn has a robust multifaceted portfolio Over the years, Pam had worked of experience, which she brings into this diligently as part of our administrative new and challenging role. Dawn jumped team providing financial assistance and right in and has started revamping some keeping Science Stores running smoothly. of our processes in order to increase Although with the department since service levels for the department. 1999, Pam had contributed over 41 years experience to the University – A Both Ben and Dawn bring a wealth of remarkable achievement! We wish experience and a dynamic insight into her all the best. supporting the teaching and research in our department and are a great addition Ben Geiger joined to our team! the department as our Instrumentation During my four years with the Technologist in June Department of Chemistry, I have had 2017. Ben has the pleasure of working with some of extensive technical the finest administrative, technical, and skills working with support sta in the higher education and repairing robotics, electronics, sensory field.