gradzette april 2015

GRADZETTETHE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE

APRIL 2015

Tips for taking your graduate studies work abroadPage 6

GRADZETTE THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’SGRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE

Gradzette c/o The Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation 105 University Centre University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2 General inquiries and advertising Phone: (204) 474.6535 Fax: (204) 474.7651 Email: [email protected] Editor: Marc LagaceCopy Editor: Bryce Hoye Designer: Marc Lagace Contributors: Marc Lagace, Bailey Rankine, Leila Mostaço-GuidolinCover: Beibei Lu

The Gradzette is the official student magazine of the University of Manitoba’s graduate student community and is published on the first Monday of each month by the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

The Gradzette is a democratic student organization, open to participation from all students. It exists to serve its readers as students and citizens. The magazine’s primary mandate is to report fairly and objec¬tively on issues and events of importance and in-terest to the graduate students of the University of Man-itoba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas, and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues that affect or would oth-erwise be of interest to the student body and/or society in general. The Gradzette serves as a training ground for students interested in any aspect of journalism. Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute. Please contact the editor listed above for submission guide-lines. The Gradzette reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its editori-al board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or libelous. Opinions expressed in letters and articles are solely those of the authors. The Gradzette is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national student press cooperative with mem-bers from St. John’s to Victoria. All contents are ©2014 and may not be reprinted with-out the express written permission of the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

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If you have a passion for writing, jour-nalism, photography, or illustration the Gradzette is looking for individu-als to get involved with the produc-tion process of the U of M’s graduate student paper. The Gradzette currently offers 10 cents per word for freelance articles, $7 per photo/graphic used, and $30 for images used on the cover. Free-lancers will be added to a contact pool and emailed with potential ar-ticle, photo, or graphic assignments when they become available. Interested applicants please send your resume and at least two (2) re-cent work samples to [email protected].

APRIL 2015

FREELANCE

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GRADZETTE APRIL 2015

For the second time this year, University of Manitoba students and faculty rallied

together to protest upcoming budget cuts to faculties and non-academic services for the 2015-16 academic year.

A large, energized crowd made up of university students, faculty, researchers and support services employees congregated in the Engineering Atrium on April 1. With chants of “We want an education, not a corporation” and “Where does the money go? We want to know!” the boisterous group marched around campus, eventually winding up just outside a building where the university senate was scheduled to be meeting.

“We want to send a message to the administration that we want to be part of the conversation,” said Zach Fleisher, Canadian Federation of Students–Manitoba chairperson.

Back in November, U of M president David Barnard announced budget cuts across the board, telling all faculties and non-academic

departments to plan for spending cuts of four per cent across the board.

“We don’t know what these cuts are going to bring. I personally don’t want to see them go through, and I think that there’s a much broader narrative in terms of really focusing on the needs of the institution and the community that we could be focusing on instead these cuts,” said Fleisher.

The UMGSA was one of four advocacy groups who endorsed the rally. Executive members arrived early to hand out signs before the rally and lead the crowd in chants as they marched around campus.

UMGSA president Laura Rempel was one of seven speakers who addressed the crowd before the march began. Rempel focused on how the cuts would affect graduate students and raised her concerns about where the university administration’s priorities lie in regards to the proposed cuts.

Marc Lagace

UMGSA president-elect Kristjan Mann marches in “Stop The Cuts” rally on April 1. Photos by Beibei Lu.

‘Where does the money go?’Students, faculty members rally for budget transparency ahead of cuts

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“Austerity measures are becoming the norm at the top research universities in Canada, whether in the form of budget cuts, increased tuition, or negotiating for a living wage,” said Rempel. “We need to talk about priorities of all students and staff on campus, not just statistics comparing us to other, and very different, U15 research universities.”

Rempel says the cuts will breed competition for scares resources, instead of collaboration between departments, which will lead to increased stress and workloads for staff. That’s a reality already being felt by some university employees, as AESES president Laurie Morris confirmed that 26 jobs have already been lost, with more expected once the budget is passed.

“Twenty-six people translates to over 45,000 working hours in a year. That means that somebody needs to do those jobs, which means they will be overburdened and stressed. There’s going to be more sick leave, and that’s going to affect services, and especially the students.”

Fleisher agreed with Morris’s concerns.

“We shouldn’t be having staff members going to work unsure as to whether their job is going to exist next month. That’s not a culture that we want to create here,” said Fleisher. “We want to see a change in that and we want to see a more open, collaborative and democratic institution.”

As the rally marched across campus, The Gradzette had an opportunity to speak with

UMGSA president Laura Rempel speaks to ralliers

Marching protesters congregating outside the building of the U of M senate meeting.

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current UMGSA VP academic and president-elect Kristjan Mann. He says graduate students should be concerned about cuts to departmental funding, reduced teaching assistant positions and changes to credit hour requirements for degree programs, including master’s and

doctoral programs.

“What that means in the end is that students are paying more for class and having to work more hours as TAs for less money because of larger class of students.” Mann is also concerned about administration budgets increasing at twice the rate of academic budgets, which he says is a troubling national

trend. He’d also like to see increased support from the provincial government to manage the budget.

“[The U of M] is a public institution and receives public funding and we feel that it should represent public interest. Not just the interest of the administration, who perhaps see it as a way to increase their business skillset,” said Mann.

“It doesn’t need to be run like a corporation, it’s a public institution. While we still have certain aspects of it that are similar to businesses, at the same time you can’t run it like any other business.”

Mann said while he recognizes the importance of keeping up the pressure on campus, he would like to see future rallies organized at the Manitoba Legislature to put more pressure on the provincial government – especially given the upcoming provincial election.

“It’s been 10 years since there’s been a provincial increase over and above the rate of inflation for the University of Manitoba. From what I’ve heard, the U of Winnipeg are in talks for increasing their provincial budget, and I’d like to see something similar happen to the U of M.”

The budget for the 2015-16 academic year will be released in late May.

‘We shouldn’t be having staff members going to work unsure as to wheth-er their job is going to exist next month’ — Zach Fleisher, Canadian Fed-eration of Students–Manitoba chairperson

Protesters bang drums and wave signs in the Engineering Atrium. Photos by Beibei Lu

In today’s society, it’s impossible to deny the importance and necessity of an education. And

for those of us who are currently studying at a post-secondary level, this was probably instilled in us by our parents and mentors before we could even write our names in crayon.

What is often overlooked by the studious is that you don’t have to get all of your credits in the classroom. Everything you learn doesn’t have to come from a book. You can make your education an adventure.

Unfortunately, not enough students realize the opportunities available to them or why they should take advantage of them. In disciplines like ecology, fieldwork and travel is the norm, but for student in other fields, they may not get opportunities to travel or perform hands-on applications of theory.

Study abroad through U of M

Luckily, the University of Manitoba offers a number of programs to “experience education.” The majority of these programs focus on education, human rights, cultural studies or health in underdeveloped countries.

These programs are offered through the International Centre for Students (ICS), World W.I.S.E., Student Life and Extended Education. The ICS Exchange Programs and some Extended Education summer session courses are ideal for individuals that are eager to maintain focus on their studies; credits towards a desired degree can be obtained while exploring a foreign country.

Graduate students may be able to negotiate within their department and faculty that travel/study courses offered through Extended Education during the summer session be modified to meet the criteria requirements of graduate level credits.

It’s natural for the first time you leave the nest to be a little unnerved. Even if you no longer live at home, likely you have family or friends nearby. At the very least you have the comfort of urban conveniences close at hand.

Whatever “home” is to you, it provides a sense of safety and leaving it can be scary — especially with all of the distressing stories in news these days. I’m thinking about the Sydney Siege, for example, where unsuspecting coffee shop patrons were held


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Bailey Rankine

The world as your classroomMake your education an adventure

Bailey Rankine gets some help taking measurements during fieldwork in Australia.

hostage and two were killed; or the American aid worker taken hostage by ISIS militants and killed in a Jordanian airstrike — a retaliation for the brutal burning of a Jordanian pilot.

Safety assurances

The confidence to fly into an unknown world may be difficult to muster, but luckily, there are measures taken to ensure your safety when you utilize a study/travel-abroad university program. Each program has their own set of safety guidelines and risk management policies.

For example, Students Without Borders utilizes a three-step selection process. First, students interested are pre-screened by Student Life. Those that are determined to have all of the qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Second, students are interviewed by the International Centre for Students. The successful U of M candidates are nominated to the World University Service of Canada.

Lastly, they interview the candidates again before the local organizers in Peru/Malawi/Vietnam interview and select them. Furthermore, the World University Service of Canada will conduct their own session regarding risk management.

Similar strategies are implemented in other programs. Travel/study programs are first and foremost committed to the safety and well-being of every participant.

The thrill

In the second year of my undergraduate degree I enrolled in a five-week field school in Belize. I was

so excited for the adventure ahead of me, but as the departure date neared, I was crippled with fear.

To save money, I had booked my flight to Cancun, Mexico with the intention of completing the rest of the trek to Monkey Bay Sanctuary, Belize by coach and brightly coloured local “chicken” buses. Originally, there were six others who planned to do the same and I was at ease knowing that I would not be venturing into the unknown alone.

With a harsh twist of fate, Swine Flu erupted in Mexico. All of the students with the financial capacity to change flights direct to Belize, did.

Only me and one other classmate (later my roommate and now still one of my very best friends), who was already vacationing in Cancun, trudged on. In truth, it was never Swine flu that concerned me; it was the possible dangers in an underdeveloped country awaiting two foreign females, blonde and slight in build, and with very little travel experience.

We crossed the border into Belize without a hitch, but the next part of our journey was on the local chicken bus. We bravely boarded, and within minutes an argument broke out on the bus in a language I couldn’t understand (Belize is primarily an English-speaking country).

Actually it was two languages — Kriol, a Caribbean slang dialect of English and Spanish. I only caught broken phrases here and there, “our country,” “taking jobs,” and an overwhelming range and number of profanities. Of course I was not trying to steal jobs there, but I was from another country and how did he know that that

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Working abroad and enjoy amazing life experiences as you learn. Photos courtesy of Baily Rankine.

was not my intention?

I was out of my mind terrified; I just wanted to curl up in the fetal position. My eyes wildly darted around the bus from passenger to passenger trying to gauge their reactions. Nobody was looking at us, and overall, everyone seemed relatively unfazed. The woman across the aisle from me must have sensed my distress; she shrugged, smiled and said, “Guatemala.” Later I discovered that there has been a long-standing border dispute between Belize and Guatemala. I was never actually in any danger, but my mind ran wild with CNN headlines and my reaction and behaviour was a product of media.

Push yourself

Of course everyone should be cautious while travelling as well as in day-to-day life. Sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone or you will no doubt have regrets later in life.

After the Belize trip, I was hooked. Now a graduate student in final thralls of thesis writing, I still seek out every opportunity to advance my skills and see the world.

Currently, I’m participating in an international internship with the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program. Our research team is on tour, travelling from school-to-school, all over Western Australia.

All of my work abroad has been science and research focused, but community engagement is new for me. To my surprise, working with the community on conservation efforts provides an

entirely different sense of reward.

Observing children’s faces when I talk, I can see their candid concern when we cover threats, or their genuine enjoyment when we coach them on what to do if they see a sea turtle on the beach.

In Australia, indigenous populations are awarded a subsistence take of sea turtles. Whether this is an offense to conservation efforts to sea turtle populations or a cultural right is hotly debated.

When we talk to aboriginal kids about sea turtles, they often comment on how good they taste. Although some adults will be set in their ways, through education of the younger generation, we can encourage responsible practices and with luck, spark a passion so they will want to protect the future of the species.

I believe that at least some of the kids we present to will go home and talk to their parents about how important it is to not drive on beaches when turtles are nesting or that if they do come across a turtle on the beach they will keep their distance and try not to frighten it.

You’ll notice that profound sounding phrases like “life changing” and “experience of a lifetime” come up again and again within conversations about study or work abroad programs, and rightly so. If you can, muster up the courage and adventure on outside of your comfort zone, learning all the while. You won’t regret it.


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Are you a graduate student eager to promote your research and provide exposure for your work in the master’s or doctoral program? The Gradzette is looking for individuals interested in participating in our ongoing “Research-er Profile” column, which seeks to showcase important and exciting U of M

research for a larger audience.

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming “Researcher Profile,” please contact [email protected] with details regarding your field of study, a

short blurb about your current research, and any pertinent contact informa-tion for interview purposes.

Get your research featured in the GRADZETTE

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also did a bit of research in clinical nutrition, nutritional epidemiology and community nutrition previously,” she said.“My formal research topic deals with the application of nutrigenomics research in order to characterize a putative vitamin C transporter, and finding association of vitamin C transporter genetic variation and intestinal inflammation.”

Orphan genes

Orphan genes are a previously unexplored sector of the world of biology. They are genes without homologues in genomes of other organisms. Studying the genes holds the promise of advancing the scientific understanding of intestinal inflammation.

Eideh is hoping to determine, at the genomic and functional levels of the sodium-dependent solute carrier family 23, member 3 SLC23A3, which orphan gene is a putative ascorbic acid.On the other hand, SLC23A2 is an ascorbic acid transporter.

“The absorption of vitamin C into the body

It is not new that natural fruits and vegetables can play a role fighting several

diseases. Ala’a Eideh is pursuing her PhD in the Human Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of Manitoba. She is studying how vitamin C can play a role fighting intestinal inflammation.

Peter Eck, recognized for his researcher in nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics and for being a principal investigator in the area of vitamin C transporter genes, has been supervising Eideh since 2013.

“I crossed the continents to conduct this research,” said Eideh, and international student form Jordan, adding that the area of vitamin C research interests her as a novel branch of the nutritional sciences and genetics fields.

Eideh’s work is an emerging field of life sciences that combines genetics and nutrition together.

“My background is in human nutrition and I

Vitamin C as intestinal inflammation therapyResearcher profile: Ala’a EidehLeila Mostaço-Guidolin

Researher Ala’a Eideh in the lab where she conducts her work in nutrigenetics.


and its distribution to organs requires two sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters. This gene encodes one of the two required transporters and the encoded protein accounts for tissue-specific uptake of vitamin C,” explains Eideh.

Colon cancerBesides characterizing these genes, Eideh is also aiming to test for novel genetic variations of nutritional relevance that may affect susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases. Intestinal inflammation (for example, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) is a growing worldwide, as it can develop in to colon cancer.

“These conditions can lead to several nutritional deficiencies because of malabsorption of nutrients and vitamin C can definitely play a role as a possible therapy,” says Eideh.

Using sequence analysis, in vitro transporter expression, fluorescent imaging and liquid scintillation, Eideh will be tracking changes that might occur in specific portions of some genes and then recording how they affect the cellular intake of vitamin C.

Research outcomes

When asked what would be the biggest potential outcome from her research, Eideh is clear:

“Oxygen free radicals are highly reactive and represent very damaging compounds. Oxidative stress could be a major contributing factor to the tissue injury that characterizes intestinal inflammation. An imbalance between increased reactive oxygen species levels and decreased antioxidant defenses occurs in patients. Ascorbic acid is a well-known antioxidant and the ascorbic acid transporter I am studying would mediate ascorbic acid release at the intestinal and renal epithelial cells. Without the right homeostatic balance of ascorbic acid inside the body, it may be a factor in the increased vulnerability to oxidative damage.”

As our understanding of human genetics has grown, we are starting to appreciate more and more how genes and environment interact.

“Adequate dietary intake and effective metabolism of the antioxidant nutrients, vitamin C specifically, is important, because free radicals have inflammatory effects,” said Eideh. “As a main long-term goal, we are working toward utilizing vitamin C as a form of therapy to treat inflammatory bowel diseases.“And as med-term goal, I also wish to get a nice postdoctoral fellowship to keep doing research after I graduate.”

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Eideh performing a test using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer. Photos by Leila Mostaço-Guidolin

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THE 2015 UMGSA ELECTIONSRESULTS: Your next UMGSA executive team

The last day of voting for the 2015 UMGSA exec-utive elections was March 18, and with 17.6 per

cent graduate student turnout, we present your next UMGSA executive council. Six of seven candidates running under the Graduate Students Action Slate were elected. President-elect Kristjan Mann was the VPA last year, and returns with VPI Valery Agbor and VPME Beibei Lu who won reelection.

PresidentKristjanMann

VP AcademicDavid

Terrazas

VP Marketing & EventsBeibei

Lu

SenatorGagan

Sidhu

VP ExternalEnochA-iyeh

VP InternalValeryAgbor

SenatorKathryn

Marcynuk

gradzette april 2015

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