GradzetteTHE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINESeptember 2012

GradzetteThe UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE

Gradzettec/o The Manitoban NewspaperPublications Corporation105 University CentreUniversity of ManitobaWinnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2

General inquiries and advertisingPhone: (204) 474.6535Fax: (204) 474.7651Email: publisher@gradzette.comEditor: Sheldon BirnieCopy Editor: Ryan HarbyDesigner: Leif LarsenContributors: Jennifer Wasko, Silvana Moran, Chinenye Alozie, Grace Romund, Beibei Lu, Foster LyleCover: 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 byThe 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 objectively on issues and events of importance and interest to the graduate students of the University of Manitoba, 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 otherwise 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 for submission guidelines.

The Gradzette reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its editorial 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 ©2012 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

Yearly subscriptions to the Gradzette are available, please contact publisher@gradzette.com for more information.

s another summer draws to a close and students begin looking back to school, the executive members of the Graduate

Students’ Association (GSA) are busy

planning this year’s Orientation Week. # Like every year, the first several days of the school year are kicked off with more than classes. Though this year’s Orientation Week will be shorter than past years, only spanning three days, it will packed with opportunities for students to become acquainted with their school as well as their peers.# Orientation Week is headed by the vice president external Tonia Bates, but is designed and planned by all members of the GSA Executive. The annual cost of orientation week varies, but this year is running a bill of between $4,000 and $6,000. All funds come directly out of the GSA’s budget and therefore all activities are made completely free to students. Though students cannot assist planning Orientation Week directly, they can get involved by attending as many events as possible, and sharing their

opinions of them with the executives of the GSA. # The goal of Orientation Week is to “inform, educate, inspire, encourage

laughter and to begin the important connections grads can make with each other on campus,” said Bates in recent correspondence with the Gradzette. Bates also said that she is excited to be able to talk with students about the

GSA, graduate student experience and other topics of interest.# One of the strongest points stressed by the GSA is that Orientation

It’s that time of year again!

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Orientation Week promises fun for grad studentsBy Foster Lyle

Gradzette

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Photo by Beibei Lu

Week should bring graduate students together to interact and bond with one another. One of the ways the GSA has done this is by planning three social events throughout the first week. On Sept. 11 a screening of the comedy Ph. D will be held in St. John’s Theatre. The following night the GSA Lounge will be hosting a thrilling “Quiz and Games Night,” while the last night of Orientation Week graduate students are invited to an evening of food and drink at the new

campus pub, The Hub, located on the third floor of University Centre. # The GSA also hopes that graduate students will attend the spectacular UMSU concert featuring K’naan and Ludacris on Sept. 14, as well as the Pep

Rally being organized on Sept. 4 by Bison Athletics. # Other events for the week include interesting and informative speakers/presentations that will be held each morning from 9:30 A.M. until approximately 1:00 P.M.. Students are also encouraged to attend open houses

for the new GSA Lounge held every afternoon between 2:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. GSA Executive members will be on hand to answer and discuss questions related to the GSA and/or the graduate studies program. #Of course no Orientation Week would be complete without the food! This year the GSA has gone about doing their meals slightly differently. “Last year we had long lines [to receive food] that would

sometimes take up to an hour,” said Bates. # To fix this the GSA will serve breakfast as usual from 9:00 A.M. to 9:30 P.M., but students who go to the presentations afterwards get a “VIP Lunch Ticket,” ensuring a spot in a shorter line for lunch. Bates went on to say that the GSA Executives hope this will encourage participation during the presentations and speed up long

lunch lines.# Regardless of if you are a new student, or a returning student looking for laughs, lectures, information or friends, this year’s Orientation Week should provide a little bit of something for every

graduate student at the University of Manitoba. # For more information on Orientation Week please visit umgsa.com.

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‘Last year we had long lines [to receive food] that would sometimes take up to an hour’

-Tonia Bates

Photo by Beibei Lu

f you have spent the summer months catching up on reading and research instead of soaking up sun rays, you might have noticed that Elizabeth Dafoe Library has

not been an ideal quiet study space on campus. # Construction in the library began April 16, and was expected to be completed before September. Due to setbacks, however, the library will not be fully functional until the end

of October. # Throughout the renovations, the library's main entrance has been blocked, forcing students to enter through the rear exit on the other side of the building. While there are signs to guide you to the temporary entrance, some feel they are not very easy to follow. Perhaps because the signs are not very clear, the Elizabeth Dafoe library webpage provides a link to a YouTube video showing students the way to get from the blocked main entrance

to its current temporary entrance. # Students may not wish to spend much time inside the library while construction is underway, however, as the noise made by the construction crew appears to be easily audible from the sections of the library that are still currently accessible, which include the computer labs, printing and copying services, atlases, government publications and microform, archives, special collections, Slavic and Icelandic collections, and graduate study

carrels. # The reference collection remains inaccessible as construction continues, and those looking for materials that have been placed on course reserve will have to travel instead to the Sciences and Technology Library in Machray Hall. Reserve materials are to be returned

to the Science and Technology Library as well.

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Construction at Dafoe LibraryDelays limit access to campus library into the Fall By Grace Romund

Photo by Beibei Lu

# The Science and Technology library has also taken over the responsibility of serving as a pickup location for Document Delivery throughout Dafoe’s continuing

renovations. # While this may sound inconvenient for students who might have used Dafoe library for its ordinarily available resources and quiet study space, many have been entirely unaffected by the summer’s construction project. Currently many students remain unaware that construction is projected to continue up until the end of October due to a structural problem discovered mid-

renovation.# One such unaffected graduate student is PhD

candidate Olivier Gagne.# “It won’t affect me personally because I use the Science and Technology Library,” Gagne to the Gradzette. “Throughout my degree I’ve never used the Dafoe library.”# Gagne is completing a PhD in geological sciences, and therefore has little use for the materials found in Dafoe. Gagne is not alone in having the option to study in another U of M library more specific to his field of study. The Agriculture, Engineering, Management, Law libraries, among several others, are all fully operational and will

continue to be come September. # One harsh reality that is sure to affect many, as students and faculty alike try to get themselves back into a routine of early morning lectures and long study hours, is the sad fact that the Starbucks in Elizabeth Dafoe library will remain closed as construction continues.

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Photos by Beibei Lu

denike Olabisi Hassan, known as “Nike” for short, is a master’s student and research assistant at the department of soil science at the University of Manitoba. Nike is a “freak” for waste control. It upsets

her when waste products are not properly managed or controlled. Being a citizen of Nigeria, born and raised in its most populous city, Lagos, Nike observed the problems caused by the poor waste disposal and management

techniques practiced and she picked up the challenge to bring this to an end.# “I hate it when municipal waste are poorly managed,” said Nike in an

interview with the Gradzette. # In search of answers, Nike pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Her final year thesis was on the distribution of heavy metals in the soil profile of dumpsites. Nike went further to work in the same institution as a junior research fellow where she researched heavy metal sorption and remediation in contaminated soils. She was then employed at the University of Manitoba to continue her research. Nike now works with Dr. Zvomuya Francis along with several wetland specialists from Ducks Unlimited Canada. They hope to offer a better method of remediating lagoons for small cities and better techniques for big cities. # Municipal lagoons are constructed structures that store and treat domestic, commercial and, in some cases, industrial waste. They are closed or decommissioned after their life span is exceeded. Decommissioning involves the process of closing, remediation, and reclamation of contaminated lands to

make them beneficial for other use. The decommissioning process is usually followed by draining the water from the lagoon, stabilizing the biosolids, allowing the sludge to dry and spreading it on agricultural land for amendment and conditioning purposes. This occurs after obtaining approval and certification from the ministry of environment to ensure the bio-solids are harmless and pose minimal risk to plant growth, quality of crop and

environment, as well as general public and animal health.# The success of this process is dependent on remediation. Manitoba Conservation describes remediation as “the improvement of a contaminated site to prevent, minimize or mitigate damage to human health or the

environment.”# There are, however, a number of limitations to this remediation process including: cost of excavation and transporting the biosolids, pollution caused by the release of pathogenic gasses, and the fact that in some areas there may not

be enough suitable agricultural land to accommodate the biosolids. 6

By Chinenye Alozie

Gradzette

RESEARCHER PROFILE

Adenike Olabisi Hassan

APhoto by Chinenye Alozie

# A more effective and preferable method has been proposed that involves the direct cleaning or removal of the contaminants and nutrients from the

lagoon via phytoremediation and conversion into wetland. # Phytoremediation involves the removal of contaminants from the lagoon through the growing of hyperaccummulating plants, which can survive within such an environment. The contaminants are removed upon harvesting these plants. The research is focusing on the use of switch grass and cattail grass as remediation agents. These grasses are grown in a growth chamber whose internal conditions can be controlled to ensure the best condition for growth is

maintained. # Nike’s research utilizes the sludge from Niverville Lagoon. It contains some contaminants so the grasses are planted in them and then placed in the growth chamber. Upon harvesting the grasses the contaminants are then removed. The rate of removal is obtained by testing the contaminant level of the harvested grass and the soil in the laboratory after a planting cycle. # The 111 x 100 x 35 inch chamber was designed by Biochambers, a Manitoba owned firm that specializes in the design of premium growth chambers and rooms for bioscientists around the world. The unit has an inbuilt visual graphic display, which shows the relative humidity, temperature, light

intensity of the set and actual state of the chamber. # Nike visits the chamber on daily basis to see how the plants are fairing.

# “These plants are like my kids,” she said over coffee with her teammates. # The research is also focusing on the use of wetland for remediation. Several works have shown the increasing advantage accompanying the use of

wetland for remediation. # “It is presently regarded as the best method for remediation,” Nike told

the Gradzette.

# The wetland technology incorporates the principal components of wetlands ecosystem. The system is designed to utilize natural processes such as vegetation, soil substrates and their associated microbial assemblages to accumulate and remove metals and pollutants. The Canada-wide strategy for management of municipal waste preaches high performance standards and a

harmonized framework to ensure citizens are protected from health hazards. # Constructed wetlands are used to improve the quality of contaminated ground waters at many sites in the US. Target contaminants include both organic, nitrates and inorganic constituents. Using constructed wetland for remediation involves a number of physical, chemical and biological processes. A large mass of water is channeled to the area to either create a subsurface flow, passive surface flow, vertical flow or any combination thereof. This flow results in a reduced condition, which will be readily identified using a probe to determine the oxidation-reduction potential and dissolved oxygen. Cattail grass is also planted in the area to assist in the remediation process. The area is continuously maintained wet until the contaminants is reduced to a minimal level.# “So far the most challenging part of this research is finding the cattail seed as well as its germination. However, the most 'wow' event is reluctantly trying a procedure stated in a 1968 paper based on the recommendation of my supervisor and surprisingly the result was splendid. It was a miracle,” Nike told

the Gradzette. # “It has been very interesting doing this research with my advisor and other team members. I have been able to establish my phytoremediation experiment and my wetland system is just in the embryonic stage. The fact that I need to go to the chamber every other day including weekends, it’s one that I have to cope with until there is an automated system to do that.”

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arking on the Fort Gary Campus can be confounding to a newcomer. The coveted Student Parking Permits must be applied for between April and mid-July and are awarded via a lottery system. There is also

the parkade as well as several pay-and-park lots and meter parking stalls available throughout campus. Hopefully, the Gradzette can help shed some

l i ght on the s i tuat ion here .# The Parking Services website provides a map that highlights where these public parking areas are located. The cheapest are in the “SD” lots located to the west of the new stadium, the Investors Group Field construction site, with a rate of $2 per four hours for a maximum of eight hours. There are two different rates for the remaining lots on campus: $2 for two hours to a

maximum of eight hours and $1 for one hour to a maximum of two hours. # The hourly rates don't change but the allowable parking times do. Starting at the edge of “U” lot near the Welcoming Centre and continuing clockwise, let’s tour the public lots. The first lot, beside “U” lot allows eight hours max, as does the public lot at the edge of "Q" at the north end of campus. However, the parking located inside of the “Q/K” allows only a maximum of two hours. There is a maximum of eight hours at the two most easterly public lots at the edge of “B” behind the Elizabeth Dafoe Library, while the smaller parking areas in this section (closer to campus) limit the maximum to two hours. In the southeast corner beside the “AC” lot, the pay-and-park allows for eight hours. Along Dafoe road, the lot beside the Engineering Information and Technology Complex (EITC) allows for two hours while the lot beside “T” lot

allows for eight hours. In the south, at the edge of the “G” lot, the maximum

a l lowed t ime for park ing i s two hours . # After 4:30 PM, parking in the pay-display-lots and meter parking stalls are free, with the exception of the “N” lot, in the Chancellor's Circle. This lot charges a flat rate of $4 for evenings starting at 4:30 PM weekdays and at all hours on weekends. The parking meters throughout campus charge 25 cents for

1 5 minutes , o r $ 1 /hour wi th a max imum t ime l imi t o f two hours . # The most expensive option is the parkade, charging $1.50 for each half hour for the first hour and then $2.00/hour for each additional partial hour to a maximum of $9.00 per day between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. After 6:00 PM, there is an evening flat rate of $5.00. Once 6:00 PM is reached, the flat rate of $5.00 is charged regardless of what you've been charged for earlier hours so it is worthwhile to move your vehicle to a free parking spot between 4:30 PM and 6 :00 PM. # All meters and pay-and-park ticket dispensers have been upgraded to accept the new loonies. Pay-and-park dispensers also accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Deciphering the costs and parking times is only the first step, the next step is actually parking. It is common to see cars idling in

the i s l e s o f the pub l i c lo t s , wa i t ing for a f ree space to open up . # All things considered, of course, the easier option for some may well be public transportation.

Map no next page

A parking guide to Fort Gary campus

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What’s the deal with parking?

Jennifer Wasko

Gradzette

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Graphic by Silvana Moran