Media releases

• Brock to host St. Catharines Terry Fox Run Sunday

  Wednesday, September 11, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 September 2019 – R00143

  When Meera Mahmud first took part in the Mississauga Terry Fox Run with her family more than a decade ago, she had no idea how far her admiration for Fox would take her.

  At the time, she had two aunts and a grandmother all battling cancer. The Brock Health Sciences graduate student has since channeled her passion for fighting the disease into research at the University, which will host this year’s St. Catharines Terry Fox Run Sunday, Sept. 15.

  “I never thought, back in Grade 7, that I would actually be conducting research connected to the Terry Fox Research Institute,” says Mahmud. “It’s a very mind-blowing realization.”

  She is researching a component of a lung cancer screening model created by her supervisor, Professor of Health Sciences Martin Tammemägi, funded by the Terry Fox Research Institute over a five-year period.

  The model predicts a person’s likelihood of developing lung cancer by examining a wide range of information such as the person’s smoking or cancer history, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status and body mass index. Those identified as being at risk of developing lung cancer would be candidates for low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung screening.

  Mahmud will be one of the speakers talking about her research Sunday before the Terry Fox Run gets started at Brock.

  The St. Catharines edition of the run is returning to Brock for the second time in three years because of high water levels and a major construction project, which have both impacted the run’s normal home at Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie.

  The event will be based out of Weather Station Field with registration at 9 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 9:45 a.m. and the run itself at 10 a.m. It will be followed by a free barbecue and tours of the science labs in which cancer research is being undertaken by Mahmud, Tammemägi and others.

  The five-kilometre route can be walked, run or wheeled and the goal this year is to top the $52,000 that was raised in 2018, when about 500 people took part.

  Registration for the run is available on the Terry Fox Foundation website, where you can join as an individual, create your own team or join the Brock University team

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Steel Blade preview: Badgers, Gryphons set to clash downtown

  Tuesday, September 10, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 10 September 2019 – R00142

  The Brock Badgers and Guelph Gryphons men’s hockey teams will face off in the 21st Steel Blade Classic at the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.

  The Badgers’ roster boasts a robust recruiting class heading into the 2019-20 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) season and is coming off a school-record 19 wins (19-5-4-0).

  “We have the talent and if we build the chemistry and work ethic, we believe we have a very good team,” said two-time defending OUA Coach of the Year Marty Williamson. “It’s early and we have a lot of work to do to get back to where we were last year.”

  Western ended Brock’s playoff run in the second round last season before being bounced by the Gryphons, who lost to Queen’s in the OUA Championship.

  The annual Steel Blade game is a unique opportunity for Brock and Guelph to analyze their players in a competitive situation, surrounded by an electric atmosphere of an expected sold-out Meridian Centre.

  “The atmosphere with the students is incredible,” said Williamson, who previously spent more than a decade coaching in the Ontario Hockey League. “It’s loudest I’ve ever heard the Meridian Centre. It feels like a playoff game with that kind of crowd, which is great for the players and also good for the coaches to evaluate their players.”

  Guelph head coach Shawn Camp said it’s been a privilege for his team to play in the Steel Blade Classic for many years.

  “With such a natural rival, Steel Blade always feels like a playoff game in September,” he said. “The games are always intense and exciting, but there is so much more to it. It’s a celebration of the historical significance of the Steel Blade. There is no better way to start a season.”

  Longtime Brock supporter and avid university hockey fan Ed Werner came up with the Steel Blade concept more than 20 years ago to help recognize the historical connections of Brock University and to raise the profile of the men’s hockey team.

  The Werner family donated the Steel Blade trophy, which is a sword carried by sergeants of the Upper Canada Artillery Units and Royal Artillery during the War of 1812. It is engraved with the name of the Steel Blade winner each year.

  Limited $25 general admission tickets remain and are available at ticketmaster.ca

  *Note: Media planning to attend the game are asked to RSVP in advance and must enter from the Community Entrance on the north side of the Meridian Centre.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Stephen Leithwood, Communications Officer, Brock Sports/Ancillary Services [email protected], 905-688-5550 ext. 4752

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases