Articles by author: Milica Petkovic

  • March 1: Math & Science Council Undergraduate Research Conference

    Thursday, February 15, 2018 | By

    The Brock Math & Science Council invites undergraduates who conducted research over the summer or are currently completing a research project this year to participate in the 2018 Undergraduate Research Conference.

    Participating students will present their research in a 5-7 minute talk (with accompanying slides), followed by 3 minutes devoted to a Q&A session from the audience.

    In order to be eligible, students must email an abstract of their research along with their name and field of study to brockumsc@gmail.com

    Students who are interested in attending without presenting are welcome and are also encouraged to email the Brock Math and Science Council.

    DATE: Thursday, March 1

    TIME: 5pm

    LOCATION: TH 241

    Snack and coffee will be provided throughout the evening.

    Conference Abstracts

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  • FMS student research highlighted in national competition

    Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | By

    Seven Brock University entries have made the first cut in a national competition that showcases science research being done across the country.

    Science, Action! features student-produced, 60-second videos on research projects funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), one of Brock’s major research funders. This year’s competition includes 75 entries from all over Canada.

    Between now and Friday, March 2, the 25-most viewed videos will make it to the next round, where a panel of judges will then select the Top 15 for prizes.

    “We’re very proud of our students’ videos in the NSERC national competition,” says Brock Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. “The quality and number of Brock entries attest to the talent and ambition of our students, and the central role that research plays in their education. It also indicates the strength of the research mentorship they receive from Brock faculty.”

    Brock University’s research videos are:

     

    Cell Talk (Matthew Mueller, Biological Sciences)

    Says that the root cause of several diseases today is a disruption in communication between cells and examines the language that cells use to talk to one another, and how this changes in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer. “It can sometimes be a challenge to share my research with others in an understandable way. For me, this competition means that more people can simply see and understand what I do at the lab and why it is important.”

    DNA: A Mobile Molecule (Zakia Dahi and Jina Nanayakkara, Biological Sciences)

    Explores how DNA sequences that move around – called jumping genes” – copy and paste themselves into different parts of our genomes. The research aims to understand how “jumping genes” have led to human variation and disease. “Highlighting our work through a short video in this competition has helped us to get our family & friends excited about what we do,” says Nanayakkara.

    Jack Pine Growth, NT (Dana Harris, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre)

    Shows the role of weather on the production of cells (xylogenesis) of jack pine in the taiga shield of the boreal forest. The aim of this research is to better understand cell production rates of jack pine in high latitude regions of Canada and define the climate-growth relationship of this species. “Being able to share my research across Canada in a simple short 60 second video is amazing, especially to the residents of the northern regions I work in; I I have already received feedback from community members who are looking forward to hearing more about what research is taking place in these regions.”

    Memory and Intent (Sarah Henderson, Psychology and Biological Sciences)

    Explores how we experience both spontaneous and intentional memories as we age. In investigating the brain activity associated with both types of recall, we are hoping to counter common stereotypes of aging by showing that some aspects of memory are preserved with age. “Having my research be a part of NSERC’s Science Action contest is hugely important to me because it will allow me to get people thinking of aging in a more positive light which has been shown to promote positive mental and physical health outcomes.”

    Old Crow’s New Arctic (Brent Thorne, Earth Sciences)

    Shows the impacts that land cover (ie vegetation, soil, and permafrost) have on lake and river water chemistry in Old Crow Flats, Yukon. This research is crucial for understanding how lake rich Arctic regions will continue to change in response to longer warming periods as well as providing key insights to the local Vuntut Gwitchin community who live off of the land. “This competition provides my research an opportunity to increase resources spent on acquiring larger datasets which ultimately provide better insight on our study region.”

    On the fly (Taylor Lidster, Biological Sciences)

    Shows how the fruit fly is used to study inflammation in the gut. The researchers use genetic techniques and microscopy to see any changes in the gut environment, good or bad. “Having my video in the top 75 is extremely exciting because I am proud of my research and I enjoy explaining it to others, making it in the top 25 would be nothing short of amazing!”

    Wildfires of Yellowknife (Josef Viscek, Earth Sciences)

    Focuses on the Yellowknife, Northwest Territories region’s increasing wildfires in recent decades. The research involves monitoring how wildfire and drought conditions may be impacting the hydrology of northern boreal lakes. “The NSERC video contest is a great opportunity for us to showcase our Brock scientific research in an informative, one-minute promo that everyone can understand and appreciate.”

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  • Feb 15: First round of 3MT Challenge

    Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | By

    Twelve Brock University graduate students – including Paul Michael Pilkington, MSc in Earth Science – will have three minutes to explain their complex research to a live audience on Thursday, Feb.15 when the preliminary round fo the 2018 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Challenge begins.

    DATE: Thursday, Feb. 15

    TIME: 4:30 to 6:30pm

    LOCATION: Pond Inlet (Mackenzie Chown)

    Now in its sixth year at Brock, the 3MT Challenge originated in Queensland, Australia in 2008 as a way for students to explain their research to a broad audience in plain, accessible terms. The contest has caught on around the world, and more than 40 schools in Canada participated last year.

    “Part of being a successful researcher is learning how to communicate your work to an audience outside of your discipline,” says Diane Dupont, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies. “3MT allows students to practise how to distill a project to its essentials. This is a valuable skill to learn as students prepare for the next step of their academic studies or to transition to a career.”

    This year’s competitors will present on topics ranging from algae to mindfulness to residential schools. Judging the preliminary round will be Kevin Cavanagh, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications; Kara Renaud, Supervisor, Career Education; and Brad McLean, Associate Director, Innovation and Commercialization in the Office of Research Services.

    Using the key criteria of communication, engagement and comprehension, the judges will pick the top five presenters to advance to the Brock finals being held Thursday, March 29. The winner will receive $500 and will advance on to the Ontario regional round at York University on Thursday, April 19.

    Thursday’s preliminary round is open to everyone and will be followed by a reception.

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  • Feb. 16: Chemistry Seminar Series – Daniel Leznoff

    Monday, February 12, 2018 | By

    Department of Chemistry – Seminar Series

    Daniel Leznoff
    Department of Chemistry
    Simon Fraser University

    DATE: Friday, Feb. 16

    TIME: Noon

    LOCATION: H313

    Chemistry Seminar Series – Feb.16,2018

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  • Access to Dr. Francine McCarthy’s Invited Paper

    Monday, February 12, 2018 | By

    In November, Dr. Francine McCarthy presented a talk on “Freshwater resources in the Great Lakes Region – yesterday, today, and tomorrow…” as part of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre’s Transdisciplinary Seminar Series.

    Now, you can access the invited paper on which her Sustainability talk was based.

    Abstract
    Management of freshwater resources requires an understanding of the response of lakes to human impact. The long sedimentary records in lake archives hold the key to accurate forecasting. The remains of algae in “pollen” slides record two distinct phases of cultural eutrophication and siltation/turbidity resulting from soil erosion in sediments from two lakes in southern Ontario, Canada: 1) agricultural settlements by Iroquoian (Wendat/Huron) people around the middle of the last millennium and 2) widespread land-clearing by European colonists in the mid-nineteenth century, followed by industrial expansion and urbanization in the Great Lakes watershed to the present day. The half-cells of benthic desmids were particularly sensitive to turbidity associated with land clearing. In contrast, planktonic algae adapted to eutrophic waters thrived in response to increased agricultural runoff and human and animal waste during both intervals in cores from Lake Simcoe and in the well-documented varved sediments from Crawford Lake. These under-utilized microfossils can be useful proxies of human impact, particularly where mineralized microfossils are sparse due to dissolution.

    Access the paper here

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  • Feb 12: Celebrate International Day of Women & Girls in Science

    Wednesday, February 07, 2018 | By

    Come and join us to celebrate and discuss how to enhance the importance of women and girls in science.

    DATE: Monday, Feb. 12

    TIME: Noon to 1:30pm

    LOCATION; Mackenzie Chown F Block, room 237

    Everyone welcome! Coffee, bean and cookies provided.

    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated by UNESCO and the UN on February 11.
    Brock University invites you to participate on Feb. 12.

    International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2018

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  • Feb. 9: Chemistry Seminar Series – Richard Oleschuk

    Wednesday, February 07, 2018 | By

    Department of Chemistry – Seminar Series

    Richard Oleschuk
    Department of Chemistry
    Queen’s University

    DATE: Friday, Feb. 9

    TIME: 12pm

    LOCATION: H313

    Chemistry Seminar Series – Feb. 9, 2018

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  • Liette Vasseur launches Sustainability Poetry Contest

    Tuesday, February 06, 2018 | By

    What kind of future do you want? That’s the question being asked this year as part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Poetry Day.

    Brock University Biological Sciences Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability Liette Vasseur, along with Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, is putting out a call for submissions in this year’s 2018 Sustainability Poetry Contest. All Niagara residents are eligible to enter their original, unpublished poems with the theme of ‘The Future We Want’ for this year’s contest.

    UNESCO has been celebrating World Poetry Day annually since 1999. The idea is to use poetry as a social tool to bring awareness to social issues, give a voice to the community, promote linguistic diversity and change the way people view their place in the world.

    The Sustainability Poetry Contest, which is under the patronage of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, includes categories for elementary, high school and post-secondary students, as well as the general public. Both French and English poems are welcome.

    This year’s topic is derived from a 2015 United Nations outcome document that spurred the development of the 2030 Agenda, citing 17 sustainable development goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030.

    Poems can be submitted online until 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19 by visiting the UNESCO Chair’s website. Prizes such as books and gift cards, will be awarded in each of the four categories. Winners will be announced at the UNESCO World Poetry Day celebration on Friday, March 23 at Mahtay Café in downtown St. Catharines. The event is free, but registration on the Chair’s website is required as space is limited.

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  • Call for Abstracts – CSEB 2018 National Student Conference

    Friday, February 02, 2018 | By

    The Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CSEB) invites you to submit an abstract to their upcoming interdisciplinary student health conference.

    A wide range of health-related research is eligible, including completed, ongoing and proposed projects. Presenters must be students at any level of study, including trainees and post-doctoral researchers.

    View the call for abstracts here: 2018 CSEB National Student Conference

    Or, visit the abstract submission portal at https://www.cseb2018.com/abstracts/ for more information and to submit your abstract.
    The submission deadline is Friday, February 16th, 2018.

    More than $14,000 of travel awards will be available for student presenters thanks to the generous support of conference sponsors. The opportunity to apply for travel awards will be available at registration.

    The 2018 National Student Conference of the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics will be held at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario on June 15th-17th, 2018. For more details, visit our website: www.cseb2018.com

    If you have any questions about the conference, feel free to contact the organizing team via communications@cseb2018.com. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com

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  • FMS celebrates best in teaching, research and experiential learning

    Friday, January 26, 2018 | By

    Faculty and staff members who have set positive examples for their colleagues were honoured by the Faculty of Mathematics and Science during Wednesday’s Celebration of Excellence. The fourth annual event, held Jan. 24 in Pond Inlet, saw awards of distinction presented for research, teaching, student experience and experiential learning.

    “This awards ceremony provides us with an opportunity to gather together and acknowledge the accomplishments of our faculty and staff in front of their Math and Science family, as well as our larger Brock family,” Dean Ejaz Ahmed told the group during his remarks at the Jan. 24 event in Pond Inlet.

    “Once again, we have much to celebrate and recognize. From research excellence and distinguished teachers and scholars to those who provide our students with exceptional experiential learning opportunities that further the Faculty’s mission, vision and values. I am proud of your dedication and commitment and I look forward to continuing to celebrate your accomplishments at this great event.”

    Following remarks from Gary Comerford, Board of Trustees Chair, and Thomas Dunk, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, the awards portion of the event began with Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies Cheryl McCormick serving as Master of Ceremonies.

    Department of Chemistry Professor Jeffrey Atkinson received this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award – Faculty for his long and successful record of supervising students, mentoring high school seniors through Brock’s Science Mentorship Program, his involvement in the design and implementation of Brock’s first PhD program in Biotechnology as well as his outreach teaching activities through BioTalent Canada.

    “During his career at Brock, Dr. Atkinson has earned a reputation for being one of our most gifted teachers,” said McCormick. “His teaching evaluations are outstanding and he routinely receives comments from students calling him an excellent professor, the best professor they’ve ever had and more equally enthusiastic and complimentary praise.”

    Atkinson’s dedication to his students and their education has helped create an environment of teaching excellence within the Faculty, she said.

    The Distinguished Teaching Award for Staff was captured by full-time instructor Paul Zelisko, also from the Department of Chemistry. Zelisko was recognized for his untiring dedication to education and graduate student recruitment.

    McCormick noted that Zelisko has been a consistent representative of the Faculty, organizing Brock representation every year for a number of events including the McMaster University Graduate Fair, undergraduate trips to the east coast and, most notably, last year’s Graduate Studies Open House. This event, created for undergraduate students at Brock thinking of transitioning to graduate research, helped increase student engagement and was well received.

    This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award – Faculty was awarded to professor Jon Radue from the Department of Computer Science, who has earned a reputation for caring deeply about many aspects of teaching and education.

    A true innovator, he incorporated technology such as clickers into the classroom to further student engagement long before it was commonplace. He has been actively involved with the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation as a faculty associate and member of the Teaching Council and his work on academic integrity extends beyond the department and throughout the University.

    “In the Department of Computer Science, Radue spearheaded the development of the Applied Computing minor along with many of its courses. His knowledge and dedication made him an easy choice for teaching large first-year context courses taken by a wide variety of students from all disciplines,” said McCormick.

    “His passion for education, combined with his knowledge and dedication have become part of his legacy at Brock.”

    The Distinguished Research Award for Faculty was presented to Henryk Fuks from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for his excellent record of accomplishment in research, focused in the areas of mathematical modelling, complex networks as well as the history of mathematics and numismatics, the study of currency.

    Along with serving on editorial boards for several prestigious journals and on scientific program committees for international conferences, Fuks also regularly receives international recognition for his research. Last August, the Royal Canadian Numismatic Society honoured him with the Guy Potter Literary Award, recognizing two of his articles which popularized the history of mathematics in the area of numismatics.

    Gaynor Spencer from the Department of Biological Sciences also received the Distinguished Research Award for Faculty. Promoted to Full Professor in July, she is currently supervising three graduate students and two undergraduate thesis students in her lab.

    “Gaynor has maintained high quality research productivity while providing great service to the University and research community,” said McCormick. Her longstanding history of research excellence is evidenced in part by her strong record of NSERC Discovery Grant funding, an Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award as well as quality, peer-reviewed publications; 38 papers, five invited reviews and four book chapters.

    Additional awards distributed at the Jan. 24 celebration included:

    •  Dean’s Distinguished Scholar Award — Faculty awarded to Mei-Ling Huang (Department of Mathematics and Statistics) and Fereidoon Razavi (Department of Physics) for their contributions to research, teaching and service.
    •  Distinguished Staff Award won by Jacinta Dano (Department of Biological Sciences) for the creation and implementation of the highly successful LabSkills+ program, which recognizes the importance of experiential learning and provides students with the laboratory skills they need to market themselves in an increasingly competitive industry.
    •  Earth Sciences Professor Frank Fueten received the Student Experience, Recruitment and Outreach Award for Faculty. For more than 20 years, he has devoted countless hours to high school students through Brock’s Science Mentorship Program. Fueten has also been particularly active in experiential learning both in the classroom and in the field, lending his experience and expertise to hundreds of geology students.
    •  Daniel Lonergan received the Student Experience, Recruitment and Outreach Award for Staff. During his time as the Experiential Education Co-ordinator for the Faculty, he played a significant role in enhancing the student experience through experiential education. He also represented the Faculty at several key events including the Ontario University Fair, Open House and Fall Preview Day.
    •  The new Experiential Education Leadership Award was given to Earth Sciences Professor Uwe Brand, who received the Distinguished Research Award last year. For nearly 30 years, Brand has provided students with unique, high-quality, hands-on learning experiences. His approach to experiential education links in-class learning with practical applications designed to help prepare students for the real world.

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