PhD student tracks energy performance in green schoolspage 3

GradzetteThe universiTy of mAniToBA’s GrADuATe sTuDenT mAGAzine

AuGusT 2014

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: editor@gradzette.com Editor: Ryan Harby Copy Editor: Bryce Hoye Designer: Marc Lagace Contributors: Ashley Cyr, Tom Ingram, Rachel WoodCover: Beibei Lu

The Gradzette is the official student magazine of the Uni-versity 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 inter-est to the graduate students of the University of Manito-ba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas, and to stimulate mean-ingful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be of interest to the student body and/or society in general. The Gradzette serves as a training ground for students in-terested in any aspect of journalism. Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute. Please contact the editor listed above for submission guidelines. 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 members 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 editor@grad-zette.com.

auGust 2014

freelAnce

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Tracking the energy performance of green schoolsResearcher Profile: Mohamed Ouf

Green construction is booming. A recent report predicts strong growth in the

green building market over the next three years, and recent government initiatives (like the government of Manitoba’s Green Building Policy, which requires all government-funded buildings to meet certain efficiency parameters) are solidifying the push toward sustainable construction.

As we enter into a new era of green building, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the certified buildings are performing as expected. That’s where Mohamed Ouf, a PhD student and research assistant in the department of civil engineering’s construction engineering and management group, comes in.

According to Ouf, there is an issue with the recent surge in green building.

“The problem is when you do the certification, you have to do it through the design phase up until the construction. No one really checks what happens after.”

For all but the most recent versions of LEED certification, there was no follow-up process required, Ouf said.

Combined with research that shows some green buildings consuming more energy than predicted in their design models—in some cases even more energy than older buildings of comparable size and function— the lack of follow-up poses a significant problem for sustainable construction.

But Ouf is careful to stress that not all green buildings are underperforming.

“I cannot give a percentage, but it’s not very few and it’s not everyone at the same time,” said Ouf. “It’s considerable enough that you have to look at why this is happening, but it’s not all buildings.”

He also notes that things are changing in the green construction industry.

“So I’d say hopefully now that the green building industry has matured, they’re starting to look into post-occupancy performance. That’s the direction it’s going. But it hasn’t been the case for pretty much all buildings that you see now on the market.”

Ouf ’s research, which is done in collaboration with the Manitoba Public School Finance Board and Manitoba Hydro, looks at the energy consumption of public schools in Manitoba. He is examining the historical consumption of

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Tom Ingram

36 schools. Ouf is also examining four other schools in more detail: one is green certified, one is recently built but not green certified, one is middle-aged, and one is very old. For these schools he is tracking energy consumption over a several-month period and doing a room-by-room breakdown.

This will be one of the first few studies to examine green schools instead of office buildings and the first to attempt to tie usage to energy consumption. Ouf is aware of two other studies that have examined green schools, both with surprising results. In one study the green schools were not performing as well as expected, and in another they were saving on gas but using more electricity than the older schools.

“Both of them assume that the usage is the reason but no one has actually investigated it,” said Ouf.

The trend data for the long list of schools has already been collected and Ouf is in the process of installing equipment in the four schools he is investigating in detail.

Ouf ’s fellow students in the construction engineering and management group are doing related work on the same schools. While he examines energy consumption, they are investigating the indoor environment, acoustics, and even the productivity of students in green schools. He points out that Canadians spend 90 per cent of their time indoors, and these factors, which most people hardly think about, can have a major impact on everyday life. As an example, he points to “sick building syndrome.”

“After the energy crisis, we started to look at energy efficiency, and what they wanted to do was to make it energy efficient, make the building as airtight as possible, and that will save us from using a lot of energy to heat it,” said Ouf. “The problem with that is that you’ve kept all the air circulation inside, there are so many problems with carbon dioxide concentration and different chemical concentrations inside the building that you started having people much more sick than normal.”

On his own research, Ouf points out that small details can have a large impact on the environmental footprint of a building.

“Someone will block some window because it’s just annoying them, but this is what the building is designed to do. Daylight views are supposed to save on lighting,” said Ouf. “All those small details that are from our daily life [ . . . ] actually have a huge impact in terms of money and energy consumption and that translates into carbon dioxide emissions.”

Ouf also believes that it is important for Canada to set the standard in green construction for the developing world.

“If we can set the trend that this is how you build sustainably, if they reach the level of consumption that we do in other ‘developed’ countries, it’s going to be a huge impact. You can imagine one billion people doing the same thing at the same consumption levels as 30 million people here, it’s going to be crazy. So you want to set the trend of how to build green, how to design efficiently, and hopefully that will translate into there and just decrease the overall consumption. You want to make sure that the new developments in other countries are doing the right thing.”

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“All those small details that are from our daily life [ . . . ] actually have a huge impact

in terms of money and energy consumption and that translates into carbon dioxide emissions”

—Mohamed Ouf

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U of M PhD Student excels at Western Regional 3MT competitionLocal winner Andrea Edel moves foward in study and contest

The winner of the University of Manitoba Three-Minute Thesis competition (3MT)

recently represented her university well at the Western regional competition in Calgary.

Andrea Edel, a PhD student studying the positive effects of flaxseed on lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels, was awarded the third place and people’s choice awards at the event in May.

When Edel entered the competition at the U of M, she never expected to end up at the Western finals and originally had a conference booked in Toronto during that time. Her only goals for entering were to promote the research and challenge herself.

Ultimately, however, Edel’s presentation brought her to Calgary where she competed alongside 11 other graduate students, presenting on a topic that many can relate to. As she explains in her 3MT presentation, Edel’s research relates to her personally. Both her grandparents and her mother have been affected by high blood pressure and cholesterol.

“Most people know someone who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol problems,” said Edel. “So I think it’s a paramount problem.”

She explains that her interest in chemistry began early on, when she was searching the course catalogue at the beginning of her university degree. After completing her master’s degree in chemistry, Edel’s interests shifted toward a more biological field.

Now in the midst of her PhD, she described how her two supervisors, Dr. Grant Pierce and Dr. Michel Aliani, have different backgrounds and have provided both the instrumentation and analysis side and the cardiovascular side of the research.

“Merging those two disciplines really allowed me to facilitate the project that would fit me best,” explained Edel.

In her presentation, she described a clinical trial she was involved in that showed the incredible results flaxseed could have on this “paramount problem.”

The 2008 trial involved 110 participants with peripheral arterial disease. Within the 110 individuals, 75 per cent were on blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medications. The control group began by eating 30 grams of ground flax seed in a variety of food products, while their blood pressure was monitored at three different points over six months. They ended up experiencing significant decreases in the two different types of blood pressure – systolic and diastolic.

“We weren’t even looking for that being an outcome

Rachel Wood

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at first. We were looking for outcomes in changes in heart attacks or strokes, for example. So this was a very exciting surprise.”

A desire to present this research to a wide audience was what attracted Edel to the 3MT competition. After hearing about the event in 2013, she was intrigued but did not have the time to enter.

“[The] second year came around and I thought, ‘What the heck! Let’s try this. This is totally out of my comfort zone but I really want to challenge myself to see if I could do this.’ ”

Edel admitted that the 3MT required heavy preparation. Condensing the research into three minutes while memorizing the presentation in a way that did not seem robotic was particularly difficult, Edel explained.

“I didn’t actually anticipate how much work it would be for three minutes.”

Ensuring fluidity, appearing friendly and relaxed, and properly presenting the information proved to be challenging and the months prior to the U of M event brought about some setbacks.

Edel recalled practicing shortly before the first competition to the 2013 3MT winner and realizing that she needed to completely revise the ending.

The preparation proved successful, however, when she finished first at the U of M competition.

While she presented a nearly identical 3MT presentation, Edel described the differences between the actual events at the U of M and the Western Finals in Calgary. While the Alberta competition was very well done as well, she praised the U of M for going above and beyond.

“U of M did an outstanding job in marketing, in promoting [ . . . ] the evening was very professional.”

Not only were the events themselves different, Edel’s personal experience varied between the two competitions.

“I was so nervous for Calgary [ . . . ] because you had the cameras on you, and you knew it was

“[The] second year came around and I thought, ‘What the heck! Let’s try this. This is totally out of my comfort zone but I really want to challenge myself to see

if I could do this.’ ”

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online and you knew people were going to be watching and voting [ . . . ] that was very stressful.”

Edel expressed her gratitude to all of the voters who helped her to secure the people’s choice award at the finals, which is bestowed upon the presenter who’s video presentation has the highest number of likes.

After returning to Winnipeg with the third place and people’s choice awards, Edel has experienced an increase in networking and more awareness of the effects of flaxseed.

“I think the benefit has been obviously more awareness for my supervisors, and just people coming up and talking to me and saying, ‘I really like what you’re doing.’”

Edel explained that people are approaching her and telling her that they saw her presentation and began to eat flaxseed. She admitted that it has been humbling to see her PhD research affect people’s health in this way.

While the preparation and overall experience had its obstacles, Edel emphasized the benefits of the event.

“It’s a huge challenge and out of your comfort zone but so rewarding. And it would have felt just as rewarding had I won or not won because just to get up there is something that is so different.”

Tips for selecting your next education destinationGetting a feel for different schools before making your choice

Choosing a school to attend for a graduate or undergraduate program can be

overwhelming; in Canada alone there are many great schools and making a decision can be a huge commitment.

Of course, one of the primary concerns for students is finding a university that is a good academic fit, but the social culture and politics of the university can be equally important. For those students looking to make the next step, the following are a few tools and tips for finding the right university for you.

The first step is finding programs and universities to apply to. If you have no idea where to begin your search, the Association of Universities and Collages of Canada (aucc.ca) offers a helpful search tool to find Canadian universities that offer programs you may be interested in. Just enter the level and field you hope to pursue, then decide which provinces you would consider as a destination, and all applicable programs will appear. This is a great starting point to figure out what’s out there.

The site provides links to the home pages of each program, making it a simple, effective tool to guide prospective students toward their ideal academic matches. The AUCC also has a link on its home page to scholarships and opportunities for studying abroad. They boast more than 130 corporate-sponsored scholarships managed through the organization.

Once you have a handle on your program or academic field, you may want to investigate the lifestyle and culture present at each of your prospective education destinations. Created by a young Canadian entrepreneur, Campusvibez.

ca is dedicated to profiling Canadian universities and colleges. According to their website, Campus Vibez is an alternative media platform that allows students to represent their university from their own perspective.

“It is where [students] can post raw, authentic information about their student life experience, and connect with / help / guide / recruit / mentor

Ashley Cyr

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Once you have a handle on your program you may

want to investigate the lifestyle and culture at each

of your prospective education destinations.

the next generation of students to their campus.”

Without the demonizing click bait university scandals are subjected to in the media, or the sugar-coating given to any institution on its own home page, Campus Vibez offers a refreshingly honest perspective on Canadian campuses. The site recognizes the importance of finding the right social culture of a university, and the difficulty of this task when choosing between universities spread out from coast to coast. The first-hand reports from students offer a multimedia alternative to a cross-country campus tour – and for some institutions it even features virtual campus and dorm tours.

Campus Vibez allows prospective students to see what kinds of activities and academic cultures

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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 Grad-zette is looking for individuals interested in participating in our ongoing

“Researcher 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 editor@gradzette.com with details regarding your field of study, a short blurb about your current research, and any pertinent con-

tact information for interview purposes.

Get your research featured in the Gradzette

are promoted at each university so that students can make a decision informed by the culture they can expect to spend the next one to five years immersed in.

Once you have contacted prospective supervisors at the universities you hope to attend and the rest of the rigorous application processes for new universities is complete, you may be faced with the happy challenge of choosing between offers. At this juncture, a campus visit is a great way to help make the final decision. Though it might not be worth your time and money to visit a university to which you are still in the process of applying (although speaking from personal experience, if you have the opportunity it can help in making a great impression on the graduate faculty), a visit to universities which have made you an offer can help you to experience the culture first hand in a unique way.

There are often open house events held for prospective graduate students to check out the campus, meet some faculty and current students, and sometimes even attend a lecture or panel discussion. If you have to travel to attend an open house, ask your potential graduate coordinator

about travel reimbursements, as there is usually a fund set aside by the department for this purpose. There are also often student social coordinators who are available to answer any questions you may have about the department, campus, or surrounding city. Feel free to ask the graduate coordinator for the contact info of one of the students willing to talk to prospective incoming students.

Once you’ve accepted an offer and start at your new institution, don’t forget that you can make the decision process easier for future prospective students by participating with organizations like Campus Vibez, or offering to coach new prospective students on their decision.