Upload
university-of-guelph
View
236
Download
7
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
University of Guelph Alumnus Magazine, Summer 2002
Citation preview
SUMMER 2002
THE UNIVERSITY OP GUELPH MAGAZINE
It's 100% of their dependents who are really at risk. Life insurance is for the living. Your life insurance could be all that stands between your loved ones and a lifetime of need. You see, it's not really insurance . ._it's groceries, utility payments, clothes, car maintenance, loan payments, rent or mortgage ._. in fact , it's everything that your family depends on you for right now.
FACT: The death rate of Canadians between the ages of 30 and 49 is 5.8 per 1,000. **
If you were one of the 5.8, could your family cope financially without you? The unthinkable can happen. Don 't let your family's story be a tragic one. For their security and for your own peace of mind, find out more about the valuable and affordable Term Life, Major Accident Protection and Income Protection coverage designed for alumni of the University of Guelph.
OFACT: In Canada, life insurance represents only 2.4% of household
estate planning. *** ..
Life insurance is an affordable way to maintain your family's net worth after your death .
Consider all the payments you make on a mon thly bas is. Perh aps you have a mortgage. outstanding credit card balances, car loans or student loans. If you passed away and your family cashed in your assets (home, RRSP's and other investments) to pay all you owe, what would be left? Would it be enough to provide them with a suitable lifestyle? Think about it
Thinking ahead and purchasing insurance could make all the difference for your family's financial security.
For information and a mail-in Application that you can complete in the privacy of your own home, call Manulife Financial (the underwriter) toll-free at: 1 800 668-0195
1'"0\~Jil\(;)'
t\\~,.·\1'1~1.~ m~HII 'JI
Glltli.•rn,J(~t un: IX'>I.H 1, 0 , Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00p.m. ET, or e-mail us at: [email protected]
or visit the University of Guelph website at www.manulife.com/affinityuoguelph $,<:(),()11010
~770.>11:)1,!
'------~-----------------------------------------~1 O)n.~ua
Underwritten by:
mJ Manulife Financial The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company
Recommended by:
~ University of Guelph Alumni A"sociation
According to the Canadian Ownership Re[X)rt, A Benchmark for the 21st CentUJy (2000) by LI MRA International. Canadians aged 35 to 55 h:we an average of 3.6 times their annual income in life insumncc coverage, while Canadians aged 55 to 64 have only 2.4 times their annual income in coverage. 25% of all Canadian households have no life insurance at al l. while 16.5% of Canadians aged 35 to 55 do not own any lifC insurance coverage.
•• Stat istics Canada, Death 1998- Report 84F02 \1 XP B. ••• Investor Economics - The Household Balance Sheet Report - 2001 Editi on
3 message from the
4 in and Around the University
U oF G researchers focus their attention
on health and quality-oflife issues and, in return , earn recognition and increased research support. Students and alumni win prestigious scholarships and Olympic gold, and the University offers more for indepen
dent learners and those who love modern literature.
on the Cover
Sketches and drawings by
Robbie/Young + Wright Arch itects
are tangible results of the multi·
yea r planning required to design
U of G's new science complex.
Photography by Daniel Harrison
dent ontentSY rwe rwere 44
SUMMER 2002
FACULTY I STUDENTS I FACILITIES
The University of Guelph launches a
$75-million campaign, drawing on its traditional
strengths and focusing on a bold vision: to be a
leader in our knowledge-based society and the
emerging biology-based economy.
12 BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE A new science complex will shape future learning and discovery in the life sciences.
18 THE INSIDE VIEW With MRI technology, veterinary medicine takes a quantum leap forward in animal care and human health research.
21 BE OUR GUEST The School of Hotel and Food Administration is expanding facilities to train more people for the hospitality industry.
24 USING TOBACCO TO SAVE LIVES
Guelph scientists use plants- including a species of tobacco- to produce life-saving antibodies.
29 LIFE AFTER GRADUATE STUDIES
A new doctoral scholarship will help meet Canada's
need for researchers and university professors.
alumni Matters
THE UNIVERS I TY
of Guelph Alumni Association makes Canadian history by supporting the University's new
classroom complex. Alumni report on gettogethers held throughout North America. Staff at Alumni House gear up to host Alumni Weekend and a lOOth-birthday party in the Bullring.
32
Summer 2002 1
Personal, Professional Investment Advice
The William Vastis Wealth Management Team
"We 11wke our clients' goals, our own."
I RBC . Investments·
RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
Every unique investor has his or her own unique dreams for the future. We can help take you from dreaming a dream to living it with specialties in:
·financial planning • estate planning • portfolio management· insured retirement planning
How will you achieve your dreams? Let us show you how. Call today.
William Vastis, B.Comm.,CIM - University of Guelph (t\11 C11nadian ~ GuC'Iph Gr~ phons)
Investment Advisor, RBC Dominion Securities Inc. [email protected]
Christine Zwirz Associate, RBC Dominion Securities Inc. [email protected] (416)842-2414 or 1-800-561-6431
Insurance produm are offered through RBC DS finonml Services lnc..and RBC OS financial Services (Omanol Inc(< <companies>> )The compames and RBC Dominion Se<uritieslnc. are member companies under RBC Investments and are separate corporate entities which are affilroted. When drscussing and selling life insurance products, Investment Ad~sors are acting as Insurance Representatives of either company. investment Advisors are employees of RBC Dominron Securities inc. '"Trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licefl(e. ©Copyright/001 All rights reserved.
2 GUELPH ALUMNUS
guelph alumnus Summer 2002 • VOLUME 34 IssuE 2
Awarded Gold Medal for "Best New
Idea" by the Canadian Council for
the Advancement of-Education
Editor Mary Dickieson
Director Charles Cunningham
Art Direction Peter Enneson Design Inc.
Contributors Stacey Curry Gunn Barbara Chance, BA '74 Lori Bona Hunt Suzanne Soto
Advertising Inquiries Brian Downey 519-824-4120, Ext. 6665
E-mail b.downey@exec. uoguelph.ca
Direct all other correspondence to:
Communications and Public Affairs
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario N1G 2Wl
Fax 519-824-7962
E-mai l [email protected]
www.uoguelph.ca/news/alumnus/
The Guelph Alumnus magazine is published
three times a year by Communications and
Public Affairs at the University of Guelph. Its
mission is to enhance the relationship between
the University and its alumni and friends and
promote pride and commitment within the
University community. All material is copy
right 2002. Ideas and opinions expressed in
the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas
or opinions of the University or the editors.
Canada Post Agreement# 1500023
Printed in Canada by the Beacon Herald
Fine Printing Division. ISSN 1207-7801
To update your alumni record, contact:
Development and Public Affairs
Phone 519-824-4120, Ext. 6550
Fax 519-822-2670
E-mail reco [email protected]
UNIVERSITY 0KGUELPH
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
message from the President
DESPITE THE COMPLEXITY oftoday's world, an
ideal education still boils down to three essential
elements: a student, a teacher and a place for them to
interact. The best of all possible educations adds a fourth element: a commitment to research, to discovery, to
transforming knowledge and making it new. The University of Guelph has long been committed
to attracting the brightest students and
the finest faculty and creating an envi
ronment that nurtures excellence in
learning and discovery.
This approach has made us a glob
al resource, an incubator of ideas in a world that is changing faster and grow
ing smaller each day. Our six colleges
work together to cover the full spec
trum of inquiry, from the biological to
the physical, economic, historical, cul
tural, ethical and social impacts of
ideas, research and technology.
The demand for our expertise is growing. The rapid scientific
MORDECHAIROZANSKI
building the future we imagine: a world with abundant
clean water and air, nutritious and safe food, a thriving
economy, and a vibrant social and cultural environment.
The campaign will revitalize our aging infrastructure
by supporting a 373,000-square-foot science complex, a 1,500-seat classroom complex, renovations to the
School of Hotel and Food Administration and the crop
science facilities, and future projects
involving the social sciences and arts.
It will fund new equipment for our
researchers and students, such as an
MRI scanner at the Ontario Veterinary
College and diagnostic and analytical equipment in a new Advanced Tech
nology and Training Centre.
It will support a new academic chair in Scottish studies to sustain Guelph's
position as one of the world's foremost
centres for the study of Scottish heritage. And it will fund numerous scholarships
for students, including the new Lincoln
Alexander Chancellor's Schol-
advances of the 21st century,
particularly in biological disci
plines, are rife with implications
for our health, our environ-
ON MAY 11, WE LAUNCHED arships, worth $20,000 each over four years, for students who are
aboriginal, from a visible minor
ity or who have a disability.
THE UNIVERSITY'S
$75-MILLION CAMPAIGN. ment, our economy and our
society and culture - new
frontiers that Guelph is unique-
OuR THEME IS "THE SciENCE You will read about many of
these projects, and the tremendous leadership gifts that sup
port them, in the pages of this
issue of the Guelph Alumnus.
OF LIFE AND THE ART ly positioned to help chart.
Our vision is to be a leader
in this evolving knowledge-
OF LIVING." WE INVITE YOU
TO BE PART OF IT. It is with great pleasure that
I can report we've already based society through rigorous
scientific inquiry and a pro-
found understanding of the interrelated social, ethical,
cultural, historical, political, economic and intellectual
dynamics of modern life. To succeed, we need to attract and retain more world
class faculty and the most talented students, and we need
to provide them with the best infrastructure in which to learn and to discover.
The resources we need to achieve that success will be
raised through our biggest fundraising campaign ever.
On May ll, we launched the University's $75-million
campaign. Our theme is "The Science of Life and the Art
of Living." We invite you to be part of it. The success of the capital campaign will be integral to
received 70 per cent of our $75-
million goal, thanks to an early wave of leadership gifts
from alumni, faculty, staff, students and private-sector
partners and friends. I thank those who have already giv
en for their outstanding generosity, and I encourage all members of the extended University of Guelph family to
consider a gift, no matter what the size, to help us achieve
our vision. It's participation that matters most.
The Campaign for the University of Guelph is absolute
ly essential to help us create a margin of excellence that will enable our researchers, teachers and students to make
a difference in our world. It's the way we will write the next chapter in the University of Guelph's great history,
of which we are all so proud.
Summer 2002 3
w OJ
~ :r: u tfl
z >= "' <! ::;: >OJ
tfl 0 fa :r: Q_
• 1n an aroun
CAFFEINE AND DIABETES
U OF G HUMAN biol
ogist Terry Graham is
part of a three-year tri
university study on the link between caffeine use
and type-2 diabetes. "We're finding caffeine
can have an unhealthy
effect on insulin levels for people already at risk;' he
says.
Type-2 diabetes acc
ounts for 90 per cent of
the diabetes in Canada. It is becoming increasingly
common in younger age
groups particularly
among people in their 40s. Those with the dis
ease can still produce insulin - the body's
blood glucose regulator - but Graham says they can't produce enough and
often have to take drugs
to help manage blood
sugar levels.
The two biggest risk factors for diabetes are inactivity and obesity, says
Graham.
4 GU ELPH ALUMNUS
BETTER BUTTER IDEAS LEAD TO
TOP RESEARCH AWARD
BuTTER YOU CAN SPREAD AT refrigera
tor temperature. Fats that don't build up in
your arteries. U of G food scientist Alejandro
Marangoni has a few ideas that could please
consumers and lead to healthier food products. And now, he's earned a top award from the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to help him pursue this new
area of food science research.
Marangoni is one of only six scientists in
Canada to receive a 2002 E.W.R. Steacie Memo
rial Fellowship, NSERC's most prestigious award
to outstanding young researchers. The fellow
ships are named for the late Edgar William
Richard Steacie, a physical chemist and former
president of the National Research Council, who
believed that promising young scientists should be given every opportunity to develop their ideas.
"We're trying to decipher the structure of
the liquid state of these fats in order to modi
fy the structure of their solid states via control
of processing conditions," he says.
His work has helped establish a new area of
study into the micro or nanoscale structure of
fats and oils.
Marangoni will spend the next two years col
laborating with researchers around the world on
modifying the physical properties of fats and oils,
focusing on milk fat, palm oil and cocoa butter.
A faculty member at Guelph since 1991 and
a 1989 PhD graduate of OAC, he says the fel
lowship "is also an endorsement of the agri
cultural sciences, a field that is always pushing
the envelope."
HANG ON TO THE CAROUSEL
U OF G's CA RO U SEL jour
nal has come back to life
after a three-year publishing
hiatus. The 13th issue was pub
lished in December, with the
14th planned for this spring.
The student-run Carousel
Club published the journal annually from 1986 until 1998, when
volunteer support died off. Mark Stephen, BA '00, resurrected the
concept in the fall of 2000 when the Central Student Association
was debating what to do with the
club's old files and publications. Ca rousel 14 is under the
direction of student volunteers
Rachel Freedman, Sarah Simp
son an d Erin Wallace.
HEALTH RESEARCH FUNDED AT U OF G "U OF G CONDUCTS
more health-related
research than any other Canadi
an university without a medical school;' said president Mordechai
Rozanski when congratulating more than 200 researchers across
ca mpus who will benefit from
fundin g announced in January
by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
Six Guelph projects will share more than $18 million in
CFI funding designed to
strengthen research infrastructure and help universities attract
and retain high-calibre talent.
The projects include research in
food safety, chemistry, biodi
ve rsity science, breast cancer,
reproductive disorders, and ani
mal and human health.
U of G was among 69 Canadian universities, colleges,
hospitals and non-profit agen
cies that received more than
$779 million in the January
announcem ent. In addition to
th e CFI funding, the Guelph resea rch projects are support
ed by th e University and pri vate-, public- and voluntary
sector partners.
• • n1vers1 PEOPLE IN THE NEWS • CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS • UNIVERSITY NOTES
Scholarship honours intellectual promise
GRADUATING international development stu
dent Janet McLaughlin will be heading off to England this fall to attend the graduate program of her dreams - all expenses paid. She is the 2002 recipient of a prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship, which is awarded to students with high intellectual promise and supports all the costs of doing a graduate degree abroad in another Commonwealth country. She plans to earn a master's of human rights at Sussex University, which is renowned for its development programs.
McLaughlin arrived at U of Gin 1998 as a President's
Scholar, an award that recognized not only her academic excellence but also her commitment to social justice and human rights issues, her volunteer work, her contributions to student life and her
leadership in athletics. Not to mention her talents as a musician, which she has put to good use at the numerous benefit concerts she has organized over the years for local charities and social causes.
During the past four years at Guelph, McLaughlin's passionate commitment to the
causes and interests she held throughout high school has continued to grow through her international development studies, her student leadership activities and her travels abroad.
After completing a master's degree, she plans to
return home to do a PhD and
teach.
Designed to enable innovation
DESIGN ENGINEERS like U of G professor
Warren Stiver are the people who bring innovative ideas to life, taking an invention and turning it into an economical and safe product for people to use. That's the challenge facing Stiver and the School of Engineering, which recently received support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to establish a research chair in environ-
mental design engineering.
NSERC funded 16 engineering design chairs across the country, with five of them focusing on environmental design.
Stiver plans to use the city of Guelph as a living design laboratory by looking at how the community affects the environment and working with the municipality and local industries to develop effective solutions to environmental problems.
THERAPY THAT DOESN'T WORK
NEW RESEARCH BY
Canadian and American scientists- including U of G biomedical sciences professor Brenda Coomber- reveals that some new cancer therapies have the potential to make the condition worse.
The study focused on antiangiogenic therapy, a relatively new treatment that works to reduce tumours by cutting off their blood supply, and the p53 "tumour-suppressor" gene. Human cancer cells often inactivate this gene, and the cells accumulate mutations. The researchers found that these mutant cells are less reliant on blood supply than "normal" cells are, so therapies that target the blood vessels in tumours are killing off "good" cells while the mutant cells survive.
Summer 2002 5
., I
s 0 Vl
ro -<
~ , :::! z Vl n I
~ ro rn
"" UJ
~ g:_ z <( UJ 0
0 z <(
UJ co
~ I u tf)
z )-
"" <( :;: >"' tf)
0
b I 0..
in and around the University
f 1iJ :: 'l
BIASED YOUTH COUNSELLORS
WHEN IT COMES TO
counselling urban youth
about their futures, edu
cators and mentors often
base their career advice
more on addresses than
aspirations, research by a
U of G geography pro
fessor reveals.
Harald Bauder says
youth from inner-city
ethnic-minority neigh
bourhoods are routinely
encouraged to seek
careers in fields that
require less training and
education. And some of
that career advice is com
ing from community
agencies that were creat
ed to provide young peo
ple with guidance and
mentors. Teachers and
counsellors are often
biased by the general per
ception that people from
inner-city neighbour
hoods can't succeed in the
education system, says
Bauder. They may have
not even be aware of how
the stereotype is affecting
their advice.
His study was pub
lished in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
6 GuELPH ALUMNUS
Get answers about food safety
WHATEVER YOU want to know about food
safety issues in Canada, you're likely to
find it at www.foodsafetynetwork.ca, the offi
cial Web site for U of G's Food Safety Network.
Officially launched in March, the network pro
vides the most up-to-date research, commen
tary, policy evaluation and public information
on food safety and safe food handling- all
based on scientific research. In addition to the
Web site, the network draws on extensive data
bases and field research and offers a' national
toll-free food safety hotline, daily news pages
and listservs on evolving issues. It's a resource
that serves consumers, the media, food pro
ducers and scientists, says creator Doug Pow
ell, a professor in Guelph's Department of Plant
Agriculture. Funding to build the Food Safety
Network infrastructure was provided by the
Donner Foundation and U of G alumnus Ken
Murray, BSA '50, a former chair of Guelph's
Board of Governors who is retired from a career
in the Canadian meat-packing industry.
NO ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS
NINE THIRD-YEAR land
SCape architecture students
won all the prizes in a recent
competition sponsored by the
Aggregate Producers' Association
of Ontario. Winners Tina Fer
nandes, Mark Zuzinjak, Saya
Nakano, Emily Mann, Alison
Bond, Mike Salisbury, Kristine
White, Barbro Sollen and Jeffrey
Schurek developed ideas for the
rehabilitation of aggregate extrac
tion sites as part of a course
taught by Prof. Cecelia Paine.
COACHES NAMED
FORMER GRYPHON player
Tom Arnott has been
named head football coach at
U of G, while assistant baseball
coach Kirk McNabb moves up
to the helm in that sport.
Arnott, a B.Sc.(H.K.) gradu
ate of Guelph, played for the
Gryphons from 1973 to 1977
and was named Wildman Tro
phy winner in 1976. He returned
to U of G last June after an 11 -
year career at York University
that saw him receive OUA Coach
of the Year honours twice.
McNabb, who's been assist
ant coach for the past two sea
sons, is a graduate of Mansfield
University in Pennsylvania. He
has a baseball background as a
player, coach, instructor and
director in Guelph and the
northeastern United States.
WHO KNOWS WHAT LURKS ...
S OME 90 PER CENT of
the members of online
communities are "lurkers;' peo-
pie who rarely participate in
discussions, says Prof. Blair
Nonnecke. A new faculty mem-
ber in the Department of Com
puting and Information Sci
ence, Nonnecke says the Inter
net hosts online groups in
virtually every topic under the
sun- health and medical top
ics are particularly popular
but only about 10 per cent of
members actively participate by
posting messages. He's interest
ed in the differences between
people who publicly take part
in electronic communities and
the "lurkers" who prefer just to
look on.
STOP SURFING, START LEARNING
AFTER 40 YEARS OF rely
ing on Canada Post to
shuttle course materials and
assignments back and forth, U
of G's Independent Study
(IS)/@access has added online
versions of popular courses that
lead to an Ontario diploma in
horticulture. You can now reg
ister and select courses online,
pay by credit card, download
Kudos
• It was Olympic gold for Cassie Campbell, BA '97, who led Canada's national women's hockey team to victory at the Salt Lake City games, and a silver Ill
women's aerials for skier Veronica Brenner, an undergraduate student in U of G's human kinetics program. Campbell won hockey silver in the 1998 Olympics and was captain of Guelph's varsity women's hockey team when
she was a student. • U of G presented its John Bell Award for contributions to teaching to Prof. Ron Stoltz, Landscape Architec-
interactive material and start learning immediately at www.landscapehorticulture.net.
Courses are still offered through regular mail service, but IS/@access is reaching out
to landscape horticulturists and avid gardeners around the world with Web-based courses targeted to adult part-time learners. U.S. clients currently make up 10 per cent of the program's 3,800 active learners.
INUIT ART TRAVELS TO AUSTRIA
MACDONALD STEWART Art Centre director Judith
Nasby is curating the first exhibition of Canadian Inuit art to
ture, during February convocation ceremonies. A professor at Guelph since 1975, he earned national kudos for his
teaching in 1999 when he was named a 3M Fellow. • Anna Strauss, a fourth-year student in history and Eng-
!ish, recently published a children's book she wrote while
be shown in Austria. The exhibition, to be staged at the Institut fUr Kunstgeschichte der Leopold-Franzens-Universitat in Innsbruck, consists of fabric works and drawings from the art centre's internationally recognized Inuit art collection.
U OF G RESEARCH ATTRACTS FEDERAL$
TH E N UMBER 0 F federally
funded Canada Research Chairs at U of G jumped to nine this spring when Industry Minister Allan Rock announced that five-year support totalling $1 million will go to botany professor Brian Husband and psychology professor Serge Desmarais.
Husband is studying key
still in high school. Hush, a book that describes the guiding strength of the motherdaughter bond, was published in January by Key Porter Books in Toronto.
Prof. Anne Croy, Biomedical Sciences, has received a merit award from the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association to honour her distinguished service to the profession. She is internationally recognized for her research in human reproduction and currently sits on a U.S. expert panel discussing environmental toxicants and premature births.
aspects of plant sexual reproduction and the resulting gene exchange, and developing a framework for evaluating its effect on populations. Desmarais, who has published widely on the topic of gender inequity in the workplace, will look at how work experiences and the pay people receive for work affect their sense of pay entitlement.
The Canada Research Chairs program was established in 2000 to help Canadian universities attract and retain top faculty. Federal funding is matched by provincial and public- and private-sector dollars through U of G fundraising initiatives. Guelph expects to have 35 chairs funded over the next few years.
RELIGION AND FAMILY VALUES
BIBLICAL RELIGION and family values are often competitors vying for influence on a child's upbringing, says a new
book by philosophy professor Jay Newman.
"Many religious people talk about 'family values' and how we have to
go back to what the Bible says," says Newman. "When I go back to the Bible, I find its relation
to the family is complicated and often a source of conflict."
He looks at the kin
ship between the two as institutions in Biblical Religion and Family Values: A Problem in the Philosophy of Culture.
SPOILED FOOD FOR CHICKENS
U OF G RESEARCHERS say some compounds in spoiled food promote growth. They're applying this principle to the poultry industry.
Prof. Trevor Smith, Animal and Poultry Science, is examining the possibilities of using biogenic amines- biologically active compounds that are usually toxic to livestock - to promote growth in poultry. The amines accelerate the development of the digestive and intestinal tract, causing more efficient uptake of other nutrients by the animal.
Summer 2002 7
Ambition, strength, partnership he University of Guelph is seeking $75 million in private-sector support to
provide the facilities and attract the people it needs to achieve its 21st-cen
tury goals. The campaign theme -"The Science of Life and the Art of Liv
ing" -focuses on the University's traditional strengths and its vision to be a
leader in our knowledge-based society and the emerging biology-based economy.
Almost $53 million has already been pledged to campaign projects that will improve
scholarship programs and learning resources, attract outstanding faculty to the campus
and build new facilities to support Guelph's diversified teaching and research activities.
The most ambitious fundraising effort in U of G history, The Campaign for the Univer
sity of Guelph will generate private-sector funds to help the institution leverage even greater
support from provincial and federal government programs designed to build Canada's
research infrastructure and establish a pool of world -class talent. The individuals, corpo
rations and organizations that have already invested in the University of Guelph campaign
are confident their gifts will not only increase educational opportunities for the next gen
eration of Guelph students, but will also help improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
Milk Gives!
0 NTARIO'S 7,000 DAIRY
farm families and the companies that process their milk
have pledged almost $3 million to support dairy research at the University of Guelph. It's a giving tradition that's grown from a 125-year relationship between the Ontario Agricultural College and the dairy industry.
Dairying was one of the first cours-
8 GuELPH ALUMNUS
es taught at OAC, and a travelling dairy was one of its first efforts in extension education. Through the years, Ontario dairy farmers and processors have advanced their industry by supporting Guelph research initiatives and graduate programs, most recently completing a 10-year commitment to dairy microbiology and technology. In the late 1980s, the Ontario Milk Marketing Board and the Ontario Dairy
Council took advantage of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council partnership program to cosponsor two research chairs.
Now in 2002, the dairy industry has again demonstrated leadership support and a commitment to research through campaign pledges of $1.8 million from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario and $1 million from the Ontario Dairy Council.
define U of G campaign
Scottish studies chair a Canadian first
THE ToRONTO-BASED Scottish
Studies Foundation is leading the
effort to establish an academic posi
tion in U of G's Department of History that
will advance the study of Canada's Scottish
heritage. The foundation has pledged
$750,000, and its members are building
additional partnerships to help U of G reach
the required $2-million endowment.
Established in 1985, the organization has
joined forces with U of G to build a Scot
tish studies progEam unparalleled in North
America. The foundation supports gradu
ate scholarships, a scholarly journal, public
history events and the Scottish studies office
at Guelph. Foundation members have also
raised funds to acquire material for the U of G library collection.
The planned chair in Scottish studies will
be a first in Canada, enabling the Guelph
program to expand its outreach activities
across the country and strengthen its repu
tation as an internationally acclaimed cen
tre in the field . The scholar who holds the
academic chair will be a catalyst for research
and collaboration, benefiting students,
genealogical researchers and the larger Scot
tish and Scottish-Canadian communities.
More than two million Canadians have
Scottish ancestry, and many of the country's
educational, business and financial institu
tions owe their founding to pioneering Scot
tish immigrants. The broad interest in Scot
tish heritage is reflected by the number of
individuals and companies that have joined
the list of supporters for the chair in Scot
tish studies. They include: John "Ian" Craig,
former vice-president of Nortel; Sun Life
Financial; Standard Life Assurance Com
pany; Henry W. Kinnear Foundation; Pow
er Corporation of Canada; Wilson Foun
dation, established by Lynton "Red" Wilson,
OC, chair of CAE Inc.; CAE Inc.; Douglas
Reekie; T. lain Ronald; Canada Life; Hon.
Alastair Gillespie, Alastair Gillespie & Asso
ciates, Ltd.; and Ed Stewart, former Ontario
deputy minister of education and past chair
of the Scottish Studies Foundation.
Gift triggers provincial scholarship
MI CHAEL WALSH, BA '69, MA
'70 and PhD '92, is taking advan
tage of the Ontario Graduate
Scholarship (OGS) matching program to
launch a new scholarship in the College of
Arts that will provide up to $15,000 a year
to a graduate student in philosophy or
another arts program.
His $100,000 campaign gift will create
an endowment fund that will contribute
up to $5,000 each year and trigger a two
to-one match from the provincial scholar
ship program.
Philosophy chair Peter Loptson calls the
Campaign Leadership
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
• Mordechai Rozansk~
HONORARY PATRONS
• Lincoln Alexander
Chancellor, University of Guelph
• John Kenneth Galbraith
Professor Emeritus, Harvard
University
CAMPAIGN CABINET
• David Kassie, Chair
Chairman & CEO, CIBC World Markets
• Tony Arrell, Vice-chair
Chair & CEO, Burgundy Asset
Management
• Rita Burak
President & CEO, The Network
Executive Team Management
Consultants, Inc.
• Simon Cooper
President, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Company
• Douglas Derry
Corporate Director
• Mary-Elizabeth Flynn
CEO, F.N. Financial Corporation
• George Jackowski
Chairman, Director & Chief Scientific
Officer, SYN•X Pharma Inc.
• Ginty Jocius
President, Ginty Jocius & Associates
• Robert Mclaughlin
Vice-president (Alumni Affairs and
Development), University of Guelph
• Robin-Lee Norris
Partner, Kearns, McKinnon
Barristers & Solicitors
• John Sleeman
Chairman, President & CEO,
Sleeman Breweries Ltd.
• Jeffrey Stacey
President, Jeffrey D. Stacey
& Associates Ltd.
• Gabriel Tsampalieros
President & CEO, Cara
Operations Ltd.
• Paul Tsaparis
President & CEO, Hewlett-Packard
(Canada) Ltd.
• Michael Walsh
Retired Executive
Summer 2002 9
OGS match an "astute investment" in
humanities teaching and research. And Walsh says it's a great opportunity for donors to expand the value of their gift.
"I believe strongly in the value of university programs in the humanities and am pleased to be able to support the University of Guelph and its philosophy program;' Walsh says.
If there's a year when the Philoso
phy Department doesn't need the OGS match, the Walsh endowment will support a student in another arts program.
Walsh maintains a close connection with the Department of Philosophy, where he earned his three degrees, and is an active volunteer at Guelph and in education generally in Ontario. A retired business executive, he is a member of the U of G Board of Governors and will
begin a three-year term as chair in July.
Studio arts receive a boost
THE CONTEMPORARY art field evolves as quickly as all other professional fields and requires
first-rate facilities and equipment to support student learning and research, says Prof. Mary Cyr, director of the School of Fine Art and Music. To
maintain its leadership position as one of Canada's first-choice destinations for university studies in studio art, the school plans to create a group of Creative Arts Laboratories with upgraded equipment for computer design, video
10 GUELPH ALUMNUS
and extended media, photography, painting, sculpture and printmaking.
The $540,000 project has received an early campaign gift of $50,000 from the J.P. Bickell Foundation, a longtime U of G supporter, to equip a photography studio and colour darkroom. Cyr says the Creative Arts Labs and first-rate equipment will enhance Guelph's ability to build on its strength as a premier training ground for new Canadian artists.
U of G students support each other
C EN T R A L Student Association (CSA) communications com
missioner Todd Schenk predicted last winter that building a $2-million sports dome wouldn't be the only student contribution to the U of G campaign. He was right.
U of G students passed a referendum in March to contribute $3 each per semester to build a financial aid endowment. The fund will continue to grow in perpetuity and will support students who are ineligible for traditional forms of financial aid such as the Ontario Student Assistance Program.
Schenk says the referendum result was easy to predict because U of G students have always demonstrated a willingness to support worthwhile programs. A student referendum in 1998led to the construction of the University's new covered fieldhouse. It includes a four-lane track and two indoor soccer fields with artifi-
cial turf. Open to the entire community, it is well-used by varsity athletes, intra
mural sports teams, staff and alumni.
Football scholarship honours alumnus
T H E FIRsT football scholarships at U of G were announced last summer by the family of the late
George Gray, BSA '51. Their $50,000 campaign gift has established an endowment fund to create two annu
al awards for Gryphon football players who demonstrate academic abili
ty, leadership and financial need. Gray played both offence and defence
for the Redmen on two dominion championship teams in 1948 and 1950.
It was his wife, Beverley, who came up with the idea of establishing a scholarship that would recognize Gray's athletic career and reflect the values and ideals he held dear. His son,
Doug, added that the Football Endowment Fund speaks to the profound influence the University and football had on Gray's life, and he believes his father would be delighted by an award that will help hard-working young athletes, much like himself.
Heartfelt gifts honour chancellor
CREATED AS an 80th-birthday gift, the Lincoln Alexander Chancellor's Scholarships endowment
has become a favourite campaign pro-
ject for many U of G employees, as well as for
off-campus admirers of the University's chan
cellor. A birthday gala held in Toronto Dec.
13 raised almost $450,000 to launch the schol
arsh ip endowment. Honorary patrons for
that event were Donald Oliver, Edward Rogers
and Galen Weston.
The endowment will provide two annu
al scholarships for students of academic
excellence who are aboriginal, a member of
a visible min ority or who have a d isabili ty.
The fi rst Chancellor's Scholarships will be
awarded this fall.
The chancellor's birthday also became the
central focus of the U of G campus commu
nity campaign launched Jan. 29 with music,
banners, hundreds of balloons and birthday
cake for 4,000. The campus fundraising effort
is led by co-chairs representing retirees, fac
ulty, staff and students: professor emerita
Mary Beverley-Burton, Zoology; Prof. Thorn
Herrmann, Psychology; Kenda Semple, a cus
todian in Physical Resources; and under
graduate student Todd Schenk.
To date, the campus community cam
paign has raised $450,000 to support a
number of projects across the University.
We've got soy many ·ideas
THE $1 - MILLION Hannam Soybean
Utilization Fund (HSUF) launched
last year is already supporting U of G
research geared to the development of new
uses for soybeans. The fund was donated by
First Line Seeds president Peter Hannam,
BSA '62, and his family.
First Line Seeds is also a founding spon
sor of Project SOY (Soybean Opportunities
for Youth), an annual contest that encour
ages students to create new uses for soy
beans. Hannam says he has "always been
impressed by the creativity of students and
researchers. I feel fortunate to be in a posi
tion to give something back to an institu
tion that has provided me with a lot of sup
port, both as a student and an alumnus."
Good gardening
R o BERT "Bob" Keith's commitment
to horticultural education began in
1928 when he enrolled at the Ontario
Agricultural College. In 1944, he began a 40-
year association with CBC Radio as the
"Ontario Gardener" who spoke to garden
ers across the province every Sunday morn
ing. His influence and advice still flourish
across Ontario's horticultural landscape and
at the University of Guelph Arboretum.
When he died in February, he left a
bequest to the University that has created
the Robert H. "Bob" Keith Arboretum Edu-
cational Programs endowment. The endow
ment will fund annual educational lectures,
workshops and horticultural courses at the
Arboretum, a gesture typical of his lifelong
commitment to horticulture. He and his
wife, Daisy, ran a family business known as
Keith Seeds, he taught horticulture at Hum
ber College in Toronto, and he was an inter
nationally accredited judge of roses. ga
Campaign Priorities
ACADEMIC FACILITIES
$ss mill io n • Science and Class room Complexes
• Biotechn ology an d Biocomputing
Centre
• OVC Expansion and Renewal
• Food Science Phase II Renovations
• School of Hotel and Food Adminis·
trat ion Restaurant Expansion
WORLD-CLASS FACULTY
$10 million
• Endowed Chai rs
• Ca nada Resea rch Chairs
• Research Centres
STUDENT SUPPORT
$10 million
• Scholarships
• Library
• Lea rnin g Commons
• Lea rning Technologies
Campaign Team
• Robert Mclaughlin Vice-President
(Alumni Affairs and Development)
• Rudy Putns Executive Director,
Development
• Grace Correia Manager, Annual
Giving Programs
• Ross Butler Director, Planned
Giv ing Programs
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS
• Bruce Hill, College of Arts
• William Rowe, College of Biological
Scie nce and Co llege of Physical and
Engineering Science
• Tim Mau, College of Social and
Applied Human Sciences
• Paulette Samson, Ontario Agricul·
tura l College
• Laura Manning, Ontario Veterinary
College
Contact: 519-824·4120, Ext. 6934
E·mail: [email protected]
www.uoguelph.ca/campaign
Summer 2002 11
Building for the future
U of G 's most ambitious architectural project
will shape future learning and discovery in the life sciences
If walls could talk, what a story the buildings on the
University of Guelph campus would tell. They would speak of the aspirations embed
ded in their designs and the achievements borne within them. Each was designed to meet
specific needs for teaching, for research, for campus living. And each has evolved in con
cert with the changing needs of the people who learn, discover, work and live here.
"We shape our buildings and afterwards
our buildings shape us;' former British prime
minister Winston Churchill once observed.
Guelph's evolution reveals the truth in those
words: our history is chronicled in stone,
bricks and mortar that represent more than
a century of growth and transformation.
In the early days, architectural show
pieces like Johnston Hall, Macdonald Insti
tute and the OVC main building announced
the colleges' commitment to excellence and
confidence in the future. In the 1960s, a
modernistic building boom -which gave
us such buildings as MacKinnon for the arts,
MacNaughton for the physical sciences and
McLaughlin for the U of G Library -
marked the transition to a fully fledged
comprehensive university.
Today, as the 21st century begins to
unfold with a host of new opportunities and
challenges, a new chapter in Guelph's his
tory is emerging. Our teaching and research
are being transformed once again, and this
next revolution will be recorded, as in the
past, in the buildings that reflect and nur
ture the University's goals.
One of these buildings- a massive new
science complex, planned for the heart of
the campus- is shaping up to be the most
ambitious single architectural project in the
history of the University.
On completion, it will be an estimated
373,000 square feet and will cost approxi
mately $140 million. Embedded in its design
is the intent to seamlessly integrate teach
ing and research activities across disciplines
within state-of-the-art facilities, thereby pro
moting discovery and high-quality learn-
ing experiences for a growing number of
students. And features such as a glass
enclosed entrance wing, a spectacular inte
rior atrium and rooftop greenhouses will
make it a building that's highly functional
and inspiring in its form.
A new era of collaboration The complex will open a new era of collab
oration between the College of Biological
Science (CBS) and the College of Physical
and Engineering Science (CPES) that will
"change the face of the way we do science;'
says Prof. Alastair Summerlee, the Universi
ty's provost and vice-president (academic).
The goal is to centralize the physical, bio
logical and computational sciences on cam
pus, providing new laboratory space and
first-class research space for chemistry, bio-
By Stacey Curry Gunn • Photography by Daniel Harrison
_12 GUELPH ALUMNUS
·-
chemistry, microbiology, zoology, botany
and molecular biology and genetics.
The building, to be located on Gordon
Street where the Chemistry and Microbiol
ogy Building now stands, will be attached
to the MacNaughton Building, which houses the physical sciences, and right next door
to the Reynolds Building, home of the
Department of Computing and Informa
tion Science.
"Locating many of the departments in
CBS and CPES in one continuous building
will continue our efforts to break down the
barriers between traditional departments
and provide a stimulating and flexible cre
ative environment for scholarship," says
CPES dean Peter Tremaine. "This gathering
together of disciplines will fuel collabora
tion in interdisciplinary research and teach
ing, which is where some of the most ex cit
ing scientific advances are taking place."
Adds Summerlee: "By putting people like biophysicists, molecular scientists and
microbiologists into a contiguous space, you
have the potential for tremendous syner
gies. Until you work side by side, you don't
get to talk about things that can spark that
crazy idea that turns out to be the most sig
nificant development."
The new arrangement will mean, for example, closer working relationships between
people who specialize in the physical and bio
logical aspects of membranes and the com
putational models that simulate membrane
functions. It will facilitate work between peo
ple across disciplines who study disease at a
molecular level or those who are focused on
various kinds of imaging, from electromagnetic and nuclear magnetic resonance to photography and computer simulation.
The new facilities and equipment will be
generic and shared, with almost all research
areas to be used collectively rather than hav
ing people working in isolated enterprises. U of G researchers have been sharing resources for some time, says Summerlee,
but the new building will bring them
together, giving faculty, staff and students
greater access to a wider array of equipment.
Differentiation between disciplines is dis
appearing from many areas of research, says
Prof. Alan Wildeman, vice-president (research). "By pursuing an interdisciplinary model, we are developing a critical mass of
excellence that will continue to attract more
14 GUELPH ALUMNUS
research funding partners and new faculty
members with international reputations."
One of those new hires is Michael Emes,
a renowned international scientist who will
leave his position as associate dean of
research in biological sciences at the University of Manchester to become Guelph's
dean of CBS in August.
"This tremendously exciting project has
the potential to take Guelph's science for
ward in an integrated and interdisciplinary
manner that positions the University at the
cutting edge;' says Emes. "It was a key fac
tor in my deciding to come to Guelph."
A stronger connection for teaching and research For students, the new complex will ensure
access to the high-quality programs, teach
ers and infrastructure that are necessary for success in today's world.
Demand for Guelph's science programs
is rising. The University anticipates enrolment in its bachelor of science programs
will increase 10 to 20 per cent between 2003
and 2008 because of the advance of the "double cohort" of Ontario high school stu
dents, a general demographic surge in the
university-age population and the growing popularity of a Guelph science degree.
Just as the science complex design
strengthens connections between scientific disciplines, so, too, does it strengthen the
connection between teaching and research.
The plans call for undergraduate teaching
laboratories and research labs for each
department to be located in close proxim
ity to encourage exchange between the two. "The new science complex will enable
us to share the big picture with our stu
dents;' says Summerlee. "And exposing students to more research in more areas will
improve their capabilities and their future
career opportunities." Prof. Glen Van Der Kraak, chair of the
Department of Zoology, predicts "phenom
enal" advantages for students and post-doctoral fellows. Badly out-of-date equipment
and labs will be renewed, undergraduates
will gain more lab experience, and graduate
students and post-docs will have more
opportunities to exchange ideas. "Graduate students and post-doctoral
researchers learn from the people around
them, the people who work down the hall,
the people they go for coffee with," he says.
"By bringing them together in one build
ing, you increase the opportunities for interaction many, many fold."
Access to student support services is
another key design feature. The new complex will have side-by-side dean's offices and
amalgamated academic and career counselling services. There will be joint student
council offices and other student support
services, common computer labs and study
spaces throughout.
Fourth-year biology major Jessica Wells,
president of the CBS Student Council, says the centralization of services will make it easier for students to access them. The stu
dent government is currently located in
Biology House at the corner of South Ring Road and Gordon Street. There, students
can access a bank of old exams; use a photocopier, scanner and fax machine at cut
rate cost; and buy event tickets and CBS
merchandise such as mugs and clothing. "Our location in the new complex will be
great publicity for us;' says Wells. "A lot of stu
dents will pass right by it, so we'll have a great
presence. Also, our office is going to be right
next to the CPES Student Council office, so it will be good for working together."
Adequate student space is a growing
issue on campus and one that the new com
plex will help address, she says. Spaces for "show and tell" sessions will
encourage students, faculty and staff to "pre
sent research work and engage in discussions about it;' adds Summerlee.
Such an environment would further
boost Guelph's ability to integrate theory with real-world skills, which puts the Uni
versity's graduates in high demand, he says. "Our graduates already find that the ver
satile skills and practical attitude they devel
op here lead to a great diversity of career
options. They gain the ability to relate basic research to what it means in life, and when they leave university, they're able to recognize and solve problems."
A partnership makes it possible The science complex will accommodate the faculty, staff and students from the Axelrod
and Chemistry/Microbiology buildings, where the majority of the lecture rooms,
labs, offices and technical shops that sup
port Guelph's natural sciences programs are
now located. Internal and external studies have deter
mined that Axelrod and Chemistry/Micro
biology would have required major
upgrades to meet the needs of today's
researchers and students, including reme
dies for serious health and safety code deficiencies. In addition, both buildings require
maintenance work that would cost millions
of dollars and has been deferred due to bud
getary constraints. As a result, the Chem
istry/Microbio logy Building will be torn down to make way for the new science com
plex. In time, Axelrod will be renovated for
other purposes. The MacNaughton Build
ing will also be partially renovated. The University was able to move ahead
with plans to replace the aging facilities
thanks to the Ontario government's SuperBuild fund, which is designed to build and
modernize infrastructure at Ontario's post
secondary institutions.
U of G officials learned in early 2000 that SuperBuild would provide $45 million
towards a new science complex and a 1,500-
seat classroom complex that will be used by
all disciplines across campus. (Construc
tion of the classroom complex is already under way on the former site of the barns
between the Bullring and the Landscape
Architecture Building. For more details, see page 32).
Inherent in the construction of new sci
ence facilities is the opportunity to replace
outdated instruments and add ultra-mod
ern equipment that will advance research and teaching programs, says Summerlee. Assistance in those areas can be provided
by the Ontario Innovation Trust and the
Canada Foundation for Innovation, which
support the capital cost of research infra
structure. That support is designed as a
partnership among government programs, universities and the private sector. U of G is now working to raise the rest of the funds needed for the science complex and class
room cluster through its capital campaign
and other funding programs.
Corporate campaign contributions such
as a $1-million gift from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will enable the Uni-
ONTARIO SUPERBUILD
• $45 mil lion
Announced Feb. 25, 2000, by Brenda Elliott, minister for inter
governmental affairs and Guelph
Wellington MPP, left, and Dianne
Cunningham, minister of training,
colleges and universities.
"This is much more than an
announcement about bricks and
mortar. SuperBuild investments
will help revitalize our colleges
and universities so that Ontario
students receive the high-quality
education they deserve."
versity to complete funding requirements
for these projects. David Kassie, chairman
and CEO of CIBC World Markets and chair
of Guelph's campaign, identified the science
complex as one of the University's most
pressing needs and a campaign project that will advance its vision to be th e leader in
Canada's emerging biology-based economy. "Guelph's goals are ambitious, but I have
never met a more determined and focused
community of researchers, scholars, students,
alumni and industry partners;' he says.
In the early days of the Science of Life and
Art of Living campaign, U of G's science complex has also received a $400,000 gift
from Agilent Technologies to furnish an
Summer 2002 15
undergraduate teaching lab, $40,000 in
equipment from the pharmaceutical com
pany Eli Lilly and $25,000 from the E.W.
Bickell Foundation.
An architectural Rubik's cube Creating a new building that will accom
modate 2,600 faculty, students and staff is
a complicated affair and one that architect
Richard Young clearly relishes.
Young is a partner in Robbie/Young + Wright Architects, the Toronto firm hired
to handle both the science complex and classroom complex projects. Robbie/Young
+Wright specializes in science buildings
and designed U of G's Bovey Building.
For almost two years now, the firm's
architectural team has been working hand
in hand with aU of G committee to trans
form the University's vision into blueprints.
The first step was a series of broad consultations with the University community, co-ordinated by Angelo Gismondi, who
manages the project on behalf of U of G. A
steering committee composed of represen
tatives from across campus, along with its
many subcommittees, worked with all CBS
and CPES departments to determine require
ments for the science complex teaching labs, research labs, support rooms, offices, admin
istration and other components.
The vast amount of input on program
requirements was then filtered and fine
tuned to become floor plans and three
dimensional design.
"A tremendous amount of research and
background work goes into a building like this;' says Young. "A team from our office
has probably met with University users
every day for a year, going through all the
individual requirements for every labora
tory. Every receptacle, vacuum outlet, dis
tilled water position and piece of equipment
is being carefully analysed and placed in the building. For all its architectural edifice, it's
made up of a lot of detail."
The logistical aspects of building the sci
ence complex are another aspect of the over
all planning puzzle. Construction is sched
uled to take place in' phases, beginning in late
2002. It's anticipated that the first occupants
will move in in the spring of 2004 and that
the complex will be complete in mid-2006. Young likens the design process to a
"clever little Rubik's cube of interconnect-
16 GuELPH ALUMNUS
ing pieces, when you take in the phasing,
the external context and the requirements
of undergraduate versus graduate research versus teaching."
The Rubik's cube is still being turned this way and that to find the perfect fit between
wants and needs and the budget for the
complex, with the University's Board of
Governors scheduled to approve the final
plans and budget in May.
An open, accessible building The external context- how the building
will look and relate to its surroundingsis influenced by goals set out in the University's master plan, which emphasizes main
taining green space and the architectural
character of the campus, and promoting effi
cient circulation routes for pedestrians.
Those considerations have led to an
innovative triangle-shaped building plan that is designed to be "open and accessible;'
Young says.
Imagine the L-shaped sides of a 30°/60°
'' 1 --~~~-
I
.u-._,:sJJ' I
t'f tl f l
triangle. One wing of the complex would
run from the MacNaughton Building along
a service road beside the Reynolds and J.D.
MacLachlan buildings to a buffer of trees at
Gordon Street. Turning the corner at 90°, the building would continue along Gordon
flush with the Axelrod Building to the south. At Reynolds Walk, the building would then
angle in a serpentine flow of glass back to
MacNaughton (completing the triangle).
The main entrance will be along this glass
enclosed wing, which will serve as a con
necting walkway. This triangular shape opens up a major
courtyard between the front of the building
and Reynolds Walk. It also creates an interi
or courtyard in the centre of the building.
The interior courtyard, covered by skylights,
would be a centre of activity for the entire
complex. The plans anticipate an Internet
cafe, food and beverage services, an amphitheatre for presentations, an information com
mons and workspaces for students. The visual connection as one passes from
the exterior courtyard through the main
entrance to the interior courtyard will cre
ate a sense that the "building is alive and Jiv
ing;' says Young.
The glass front of the main entrance wing
will reflect the landscaping of the exterior
courtyard. This wing, three storeys high with
each floor connected to the MacNaughton
Building, is designed to facilitate the flow of
people throughout the complex. The first
floor has the two deans' suites, computer Jabs,
student government offices and student sup
port services, including academic and career
counselling. A grand stairway takes people
up to the second and third levels, which are
mainly teaching Jabs for undergraduates.
The other two wings, housing most of
the research Jabs, related offices and some
teaching labs, will both be four storeys high.
Their exteriors will have a "quieter" look
that incorporates traditional materials and melds with the older buildings on campus.
Early design workshops with the Univer
sity community revealed "a lot of reaction
against the central massive buildings of the
campus and a lot of love for buildings like
Creelman and Johnston halls;' says Young.
"We're not trying to replicate (the old
buildings) but, using a more traditional
palette of materials, make it very much a building of our age." The idea, he says, is to
have a more traditional look facing the out
side world and "an exciting centre with a lot
more glass that will make it feel like the
dynamic heart of science on campus."
A showcase for advanced technology The research wing will house the Advanced
Analysis and Training Centre (AATC) on its
first floor. It will be a showcase for advanced
technology and a centrepiece of the science
complex.
Research VP Wildeman says the centre
will "enable scientific advances in critical areas that directly affect our health and well
being, such as the prevention of disease in
humans and animals, the development of
pharmaceuticals and functional foods, and
the detection ana identification of environmental pathogens and toxins."
Adds incoming CBS dean Emes: "As we
evolve our post-genomics view of biology,
the AATC offers exceptional resources in transcriptomics, proteomics, sophisticated
spectroscopy and bio-imaging. These tech
nologies will have a tremendous impact on
areas of agriculture, biomedicine and the
environment. And Guelph will be in the
vanguard of universities able to provide the
critical mass and infrastructure needed." The centre will include six key scientif
ic instrumentation facilities equipped with
the most advanced analytical/diagnostic equipment and educational information
technologies: the Guelph Molecular Super
centre, advanced imaging/microscopy, mass
spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy, chromatography and separa
tion, and the HP Canada Ltd. Openview Software Laboratory.
Guelph B.Sc. students will learn the most
advanced analytical techniques using a col
lection of equipment currently unparalleled
in the Canadian university system. People
already working in industry will also have an opportunity to come to the AATC for accred
ited training and professional development.
The location of the centre on the main
floor provides accessibility and the high pro
file needed to attract industrial research
partners and off-campus academic collab
orators, says CPES dean Tremaine. "Collaborative research with industry and
other universities is becoming more and
more important," he says. "By placing the
AATC near a ground-level entrance, with
corridor access to the new Electrochemical
Technology Centre in the MacNaughton
Building, the architects have created the
nucleus of a major research institute that will
serve the biological and physical sciences."
Other important features of this wing of
the building are the botany greenhouses and growth chambers on the fourth level. In
addition to this being a practical location
for natural lighting, the greenhouses will
add an interesting architectural element that
visually repeats the greenery in the interior and exterior courtyards.
A building for the future The complex is also designed to meet future
needs in the ever-changing world of science.
In the research wings, the offices are
arranged against the outside wall, so they will all have windows. Across the hall from the
offices are the research support rooms and labs. All service requirements (mechanical
systems, ventilation, fume hoods, etc.) run
along one side of the labs on each floor, which
keeps costs down and allows the remaining
area to be subdivided into whatever arrange
ment is needed and to be rearranged accord
ing to changing needs, says Young. "We're trying to make the building as peo
ple-supportive and as function-supportive as
CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK oF CoMMERCE
• $1 million
David Kassie, Chairman and CEO,
CIBC World Markets
Volunteer chair, U of G Campaign
"Guelph's goals are ambitious,
but I have never met a more
determined and focused
community of researchers,
scholars, students, alumni
and industry partners."
possible. Wherever we have the opportunity,
we're looking for ways and means to simpli
fy the building to provide the opportunity for long-term change. In science, that's a must
these days. Science is developing in different
directions and fracturing and coalescing, so
the building has to be able to respond to that."
And so the planning and fine-tuning con
tinue, with groundbreaking for the first phase
of the complex slated for this summer.
"Building infrastructure for teaching and
research plays a big role in determining how successful the teaching and research will be;'
says Wildeman. "This complex will provide
the environment that should enable new ideas to flourish." ga
Summer 2002 17
The inside view What does your dog's broken hip have to do with your aunt's arthritis?
And how will OVC's new MRI scanner benefit them both?
Veterinary medicine will take a quantum Leap forward over the
next few years as the Ontario Veterinary College adds a $3-million MRI (magnetic res
onance imaging) unit to its Small Animal Clinic. This will be the first MRI unit at a
veterinary college in Canada, and its impact will be dramatic, perhaps changing the
teaching, research and practice of veterinary medicine in this country.
Prof. Howard Dobson, chief radiologist at
OVC's Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH),
says the new device will improve diagnostic
services by giving clinicians the best possible
detail of soft tissues inside an animal's body.
What might be less obvious is that, for much of the time, the MRI will be used in research
aimed not just at making animals better, but
also at helping us understand more about human health and medical problems.
"We're proposing to use the MRI for research that is health-related," says Prof. john Leatherland, chair of the Department
of Biomedical Sciences and project leader on a successful funding proposal made last
year to the Canada Foundation for Innova
tion (CFI). The college plans to launch a new Institute for Animal-Human Links in
Health Science Research that will strength
en the bridge between veterinary medicine
and human health. Among Canada's four veterinary colleges,
Guelph has the most extensive research con
nections in human health, says Leatherland.
"We have links with five Ontario medical
schools in research, and about half the peo
ple in my department are doing research
related to human health." The institute will
involve some 40 researchers at OVC, as well as scholars from other Guelph departments
and collaborators in Quebec.
The CFI award announced in january
will cover 40 per cent of the $2 7-million cost to establish the institute, which will include
two research laboratory complexes and a surgical-diagnostic research lab linked to
the MRI. OVC hopes to receive a matching grant from the Ontario Innovation Trust, and the remaining 20 per cent will be fund ed through private donations.
Because the MRI unit will be used exten
sively for comparative research, it benefits
from CFI funding to the new institute, but
ave requires private-sector support to
complete the project and provide MRI diag
nostic services to patients in the VTH Small
Animal Clinic.
Through fundraising efforts that Dob
son calls "the veterinary equivalent of a local
hospital campaign;' the college has received
a $250,000 gift from Wendy and Lyle Hallman of Kitchener, Ont., for the MRI unit
and a second $250,000 gift from Novartis Animal Health that will fund other renova
tions to the Small Animal Clinic.
The Hallmans have been involved with OVC since 1992 through the Pet Trust Fund,
and Wendy has been a Pet Trust board
member for the past three years. The fund provides crucial support for OVC research projects aimed at improving the health care
of companion animals. In 1997, the Pet Trust board identified the need for an MRI
as its highest-priority capital project. The Ha llmans say they have been fol
lowing the need at OVC and know how
By Andrew Vowles • Photography by Dean Palmer I The Scenario
18 GUELPH ALUMNUS
essential it is that the VTH have proper
equipment to be able to diagnose and treat
companion animals. "Pets add an impor
tant dimension to our lives, says Wendy.
"We're pleased that we can make this donation for the MRI equipment."
Diagnosing pet problems VTH director John Tait says the MRI will fill a long-standing gap in diagnostic services
offered by OVC, mostly for companion ani
mals but also for foals, calves, goats, pigs and
birds. "We will be able to refine diagnostics
on cases where they have lesions or problems
that are very hard to detect without an MRJ:'
Currently, one or two animals are sent each week from Guelph to an MRI at the
Lawson Research Institute affiliated with the
University of Western Ontario in London.
Most of those cases involve neurological dis
ease, but with an MRI unit on site, OVC practitioners will be able to investigate oth-
vVENDY AND LYLE BALLMAN Hallman Construction Ltd., Kitchener
Pet Trust Board of Directors
• $250,000
"We're pleased that we can make this donation to the MRI and proud that our gift will be a little prod for other people to make a donation, whatever the amount. Everybody's heart has room for an animal."
20 GuELPH ALUMNUS
er afflictions such as cancer, joint disease
and cardiovascular disease.
That's the clinical side. The device will
also allow the college to expand its research
into animal models, filling the current gap
between studies on people and investiga
tions using smaller animals such as mice. "We want to make the MRI unit a facil
ity to meet the needs of the researcher and the hospital;' says Leatherland, referring to
potential collaborations between researchers
studying athletic injuries, for instance, and
vet scientists using horse models to study
skeletal and joint problems. "That type of
work involves imaging in association with other procedures."
He points specifically to research in the
Department of Clinical Studies on bone and
joint diseases and on various forms of can
cer in animals. Prof. Steven Kruth, chair of Clinical Stud
ies, says the instrument will be useful in diag
nosing cancer in cats and dogs- and in
learning about this disease in humans- par
ticularly in gauging disease spread, a key
question that is difficult to answer with X
rays or ultrasound alone. "The prevalence of cancer in cats and
dogs in North America is about the same as for humans," says Kruth . "Researchers all
over the world have done research using rodent models. Those models don't neces
sarily translate well into humans for vari
ous reasons. The next step is large-animal
models, including cats and dogs, of spon
taneously occurring diseases."
This will take the results of research and
clinical work with animals back to the human bedside. For example, OVC is currently work
ing out gene therapy protocols for treating
melanoma in dogs. Solving those problems
in dogs provides information useful for treat
ing the condition in people, says Kruth, who
collaborates with cancer researchers at
McMaster University and at Sunnybrook Women's Health Centre in Toronto.
Evaluating Auntie's arthritis Prof. Mark Hurtig, Clinical Studies, runs a
comparative orthopedics research lab at OVC
that collaborates with other institutions and
industry through the Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN), a national centre of excellence.
Hurtig and his colleagues study human mus
culoskeletal disease using animal models in
such afflictions as stress fractures, orthopedic
infections, osteoporosis and cartilage injury.
The MRI will allow that group to evaluate new
therapeutic treatments for arthritis.
Hurtig says the new equipment fits with
his work in early non-invasive detection of
joint injuries and for assessing new drugs and therapies. "If you thought you had a
new drug that might prevent arthritis, you'd
look for animals developing it and see
whether the drug preserved the joint func
tion and mechanics and maintained the tis
sue of the cartilage," he says. The MRI will
determine if that occurs. Leatherland says the MRI can also be
used to identify fractures and treat osteo
porosis, complementing work OVC has
done with a company on a device for early
assessment of bone injury using ultrasound.
"I think this is going to make a huge dif
ference in understanding some of the processes of arthritic disease and cartilage
disease generally and how they relate to ani
mals with load-bearing joints- humans
being one example, horses being another
and in developing ways of managing the
disease and developing therapies."
Increasing access With MRI equipment on site, OVC will be
looking for new opportunities in collabora
tive research with other academics, medical
schools, government and the private sector,
perhaps in areas such as testing prostheses.
Guelph will also be able to share its MRI
with other veterinary colleges in Canada
through electronic links that will permit long-distance consults and image transfers.
In addition to improving educational
opportunities for undergraduate and grad
uate students, the unit will make OVC more
attractive to post-doctoral researchers and
faculty, particularly radiologists. Dobson is
currently the only radiologist on staff at OVC, but the availability of MRI equipment
is expected to increase the demand for such
expertise and could eventually lead to new
graduate and professional training programs
at the college.
Providing better animal health care,
teaching future veterinarians and strength
ening the links between medical research
and veterinary science are key reasons why Dobson and his OVC colleagues are eager
ly awaiting the MRI installation. ga
Be our guest Hotel school's reputation grows
as students get a taste of hospitality management
"Indulge" was the theme of a
meal served to patrons of the School of Hotel
and Food Administration's restaurant on a
recent Wednesday evening. Fourth-year stu
dent Jenn Estall, front-house manager for the
evening, says she and her teammates, Andrew
Exel and Darcy MacDonell, left nothing
or as little as possible - to chance.
Their dinner guests were able to relax and
indulge themselves in the intimate ambi-
ence the students created. But the pace
behind the kitchen door was anything but
relaxed as the student chefs worked to cre
ate their offering of Ontario squab and Que
bec foie gras, topped off with a molten
By Andrew Vowles • Photography by Martin Schwalbe
Summer 2002 21
-
MoRsELS FROM THE KITCHEN
Giving students the opportu
nity to manage a restaurant for a
day has meant a few memorable
moments for students, faculty and
diners alike. Prof. Jeff Stewart shares
a few morsels from past repasts: • There was the time before the "no
jewelry" policy when a student
preparing meat pies for lunch real
ized she'd lost an earring. Unable to
find it, she assumed it had fallen
into a meat pie. Unfortunately, the
pies were already in the oven. The
food production manager pulled
them out and began picking them apart. Bringing in a metal detector
was a resourceful touch, although one that proved earringless.
• Another group of students put an
entree into the oven and went about
other tasks, then came back five
minutes later and couldn't under
stand why everything had turned to charcoal. The answer: they'd forgot
ten to convert the cooking temper
atures from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
• One of the restaurant's busiest days
ever- about 125 customers served
at lunch- occurred during the
shift of a member of the Gryphon
football squad. Marketing proved
to be his specialty. He had a meal delivered to the team during their
workout on the field that day. • Stewart recalls that his own theme
day as an undergrad in the kitchen
was Fried Green Tomatoes, shortly after release of the movie of the same name. He remembers visiting the
Guelph market to buy bushel bas
kets full of green tomatoes and even
calling the movie producer for pro
motional materials. "Most people
had never tried fried green tomatoes. They're quite tasty actually. I was amazed at how many we sold."
22 GUELPH ALUMNUS
chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream.
A few days earlier, Estall took time out
from printing menus to reflect on a few key
features of the School of Hotel and Food
Administration that drew her four years ago
into the bachelor of commerce program. For starters, there's the on-campus restaurant
itself, the only teaching lab of its kind at a
Canadian university intended to give students
an advance taste of what's involved in man
aging an upscale restaurant. Every student in
the hospitality program takes a turn running some aspect of the restaurant operations dur
ing a mandatory third-year course called
"Foodservice Operations Management:'
Then there's the chance for industry expe
rience and travel. During a recent co-op place
ment arranged through the school, Estall spent
16 months at the Banff Springs Hotel, where
she put in 14-hour days managing two of the
resort's 13 eateries, as well as helping to run
three major conferences in a single month. On her menu for next fall is a study
abroad semester in France. "It gives us an
opportunity to learn more about the glob
alization of the hospitality industry and how
different cultures express their hospitality;' says Estall, adding that a not-incidental ben
efit of the trip will be the "winery knowl
edge" that she and her classmates will
imbibe in Cannes. Those kinds of opportunities were what
made U of G her number-one choice when
she was completing high school in Oakville.
Viewed from the other direction, they're the
same critical attributes that have earned the
school recognition in hospitality and tourism
industry circles in Canada and abroad.
Referring to the ranks of students who have graduated from the school since it was
established as Canada's first degree program
in hospitality and food in 1969, director
John Walsh says: "More than 25 years' worth
of alumni work in every major hospitality and tourism business in Canada."
First stop, Canada and North America.
Next stop, the world. Walsh says the single largest challenge now faced by the school
- and by the industry it serves - is
increasing internationalization. "We're now
attracting employers looking to hire Canadians to work in other countries." He points to several recent initiatives that are helping
to raise U of G's global profile. One is a program that brings executives
from Hilton International to Guelph each year
looking for the University's top students. The
Hilton elevator program is a fast-track exec
utive training program the chain introduced
to North America four years ago to help find
and train prospective managers for its hotels.
Hilton interviews in fotir regions worldwide. In North America, Guelph was one of
only four universities chosen, along with the
University of Michigan, Florida International
University and the University of Denver. In
1999, three students from U of G were hired
among the seven North Americans selected
for the program: Khaled Al-Idrissi, Melanie
Houle and Jennifer Smith. Three more fed
into the program in 2000: Chris McCarthy, now in Ecuador; Kevin Gerrard, a food and
beverage manager in Toronto; and Darcy Van Wyck, who won Hilton's top elevator student
award last year. Eight Guelph students are in
the running for management training positions this year.
Hilton vice-president Edwin Zephirin says
his company values the quality of Guelph's
hospitality students. "U of G students tend to
be more realistic than some others we've
interviewed;' he says. "I think practical is the
best word- people with a good mix of intellectual maturity, friendliness and openness:'
Zephirin is in charge of human resources
operations in North America for the London-based chain of hotels. "The company
needs people capable of fast-tracking
through the company," he says. "That's the
way you grow your business. The elevator
program is unique, rigorous, taxing. We give them the right opportunity to allow them
to experience different locations and learn what real life is about."
In truth, one of the reasons Guelph stu
dents impress Hilton is because real-life
experiences start right here on campus. Fol
lowing their restaurant experience, for
example, Estall and her team have to deal
with the real-life evaluation of their dinner service. There were a few minor snags.
"We burnt a first batch of sweet potato
chips, but we were able to salvage enough
and make extra;' she says. At dessert, the ice
cream had begun to melt before it was
served. And there turned out to be just bare
ly enough soup to go around. "We had to stretch it for sure to fill the last bowl."
Their guests gave them 91 out of 100 in their surveys. Particular favourites were an
oyster amuse served on fresh seaweed, as well
as frozen grapes presented in an ice bowl the
students had been perfecting for two months.
Walsh says the restaurant- known more
clinically as the Food Service Laboratory- is
a critical teaching facility for students in hos
pitality and food administration, as well as for
other areas on campus, notably applied nutri
tion. By fall2003, school administrators hope
to complete a planned $2.3-million expansion
that will double the size of the teaching kitchen
(including new state-of-the-art equipment
such as a blast chiller freezer and combination
convection oven and steamer) and add a two
storey dining atrium. This project has been
identified as a fundraising priority of the Col
lege of Social and Applied Human Sciences
during the University's capital campaign.
The expansion is designed to cater to
anticipated enrolment increases as more stu
dents plan on careers in the growing hospi
tality industry, he says. "All the demograph
ics say that, in the hospitality and tourism
industry, managerial employment is going
to go up." Equally pressing, she school will
also need to ensure ample space in the facil
ity to accommodate more students as the
expected double cohort hits Ontario uni
versities with the elimination of Grade 13.
The restaurant facility currently accom
modates about 200 students a year, far less
than the enrolment expected over the next
few years. Prof. Jeff Stewart, who teaches
both "Foodservice Operations Manage
ment" and the fourth-year course "Restau
rant Operations," says the expansion will
allow the school to accommodate 350 to 400
students each year.
A 1995 B.Comm. graduate of Guelph,
Stewart is now seeing the program from the
other side of the steam table. Before and
after graduation, he worked in restaurants
in North America and Europe, then taught
in Russia through Canadian Executive Ser
vices Overseas before returning to Guelph.
For another example of the increasing
ly international flavour of Guelph's pro
gram, look to Stewart's guest teaching part
ner for the winter semester. Brian Millar, a
lecturer in hospitality management in the
School of Tourism and Hospitality at Aus
tralia's LaTrobe University, spent the semes
ter at U of G as part of a faculty exchange
program that has seen Prof. Tanya MacLau
rin spending a year in Australia. Students
and faculty travel back and forth to various
countries under similar partnerships
between Guelph and universities abroad.
Although Australia has almost 50
tourism and hospitality programs available
at 39 universities, Millar says there's still lots
to learn through such exchange programs.
"Guelph has been in the tourism and hos
pitality field a lot longer than we have. Their
program is extremely well-developed."
In other ventures designed to interna
tionalize its educational programs, the
School of Hotel and Food Administration
offers several options, including an MBA in
hospitality and tourism- one year in res
idence or two years by distance education
-where more than half the students are
from abroad. The school also offers five
online degree-credit courses that lead to a
certificate in hospitality studies, on-campus
programs for industry executives and cus
tomized off-campus training programs.
This extensive training menu relies on
close links with industry partners on the
school's policy advisory board, which
includes Simon Cooper, president of the Ritz
Carlton Hotel Company and current chair
of U of G's Board of Governors. Cooper's
support includes a personal gift of $100,000
to the University campaign that has been des
ignated to the school's priority project.
Corporate gifts to the renovation project
include $250,000 from Cara Operations and
$200,000 from Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
Other industry links include an executive
in-residence program offered in fall and win
ter. The most recent guest was Lyle Hall,
national director ofKPMG Canada's Hospi
tality, Leisure and Tourism practice based in
Toronto. "I was impressed with how keen and
inquisitive the students were and with the
broad experience base of the faculty;' he said.
"I expected people who primarily had a hos
pitality background, and there were certainly
those, but there was also a broad range of oth
er sectors such as human resources, organi
zational behaviour and management .. "
The school also maintains an active co
op program, with students filling some 40
industry positions each year. "Your learning
opportunities are magnified 100 times if
you're accepted for a co-op placement;' Estall
says. Not to mention the chance at a full-time
job at graduation. She hopes to return to
Banff after she graduates in 2003 as a first
step towards a corporate career in hospital
ity.
Walsh, who has been director of the
school since 1997, also maintains a global
view in looking for new faculty members
and is in preliminary di~cussions about
offering a new PhD program.
An award-winning educator, he received
Hotelier magazine's Pinnacle Award for Edu
cator of the Year in 2001. And in April, he
became the second Guelph faculty member
to receive a Gold Award in the "educator"
category from the Ontario Hostelry Institute;
SrMON CooPER Chair, U of G Board of Governors
President, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
• $100,000
This gift will support Guelph's School of Hotel and Food Administration as it prepares students to take leadership positions in the tourism and hospitality industry. The success of Guelph graduates working in the industry around the world demonstrates that the school's programs are relevant and valued.
the first was Prof. John Patterson in 1998.
"It reflects a lot of years of successful
operation by the school for a director to be
recognized," says Walsh. "It's a recognition
by the industry of our innovation, most par
ticularly in distance programming and man
agement development programs. It validates
in many ways that our curriculum is rele
vant to the industry." ga
Summer 2002 23
Thinking differently about
tobacco Plant research uses tobacco species to produce life-saving antibodies
Tobacco is getting an image makeover at the University of
Guelph. Prof. Chris Hall and his research group are determining how to use the plant
to improve and save human lives. The irony is not lost on the environmental biologist.
"Improving health isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think about
tobacco," he says. "Most people think of tobacco as a drug of abuse that causes cancer,
emphysema and other negative health effects. So it would be nice to take the plant and
have it do good in society."
The"societal good" that might result from
Hall's research could include detecting dead
ly bacteria in food and water, such as the type
of E. coli that contaminated the water sup
ply and led to the deaths of seven people in
Walkerton two years ago. It may also mean
identifying and removing environmental
contaminants, treating cancer and even
allowing a person to take a home test to
determine if he or she is having a stroke or
just suffering from a migraine headache.
Hall is introduci11g genes to produce anti-
bodies in low-nicotine sterile tobacco plants,
which some scientists call"protein plants"
because they're different from traditional
tobacco plants. Antibodies are large, complex
proteins that cells of the vertebrate immune
system produce to fight invaders such as bac
teria and viruses. For decades, scientists have
harnessed the mammalian immune system
to produce antibodies that, once extracted
from the animal, can be used as pharmaceu
ticals, for detecting and monitoring bacteria
in food products or the environment, or for
use as therapies to treat human diseases such
as cancer. For example, as cancer therapies,
antibodies work by recognizing and linking
themselves to the cancer cells in the body, acti
vating the body's own defence mechanisms
to attack these cells. Now Hall, following
methods developed by scientists before him,
is cultivating methods to produce large quan
tities of antibodies in plants, a process known
as molecular farming. He is genetically engi
neering the plants to produce antibodies
or"plantibodies" as they are called.
By Lori Bona Hunt • Illustration by Paul Watson
24 GuELPH ALUMNUS
Using plants to benefit animal and
PLANTIBODY tists are developing technology for applica-
human health may sound like science fie- tions in the fields of environmental, agri-
tion to some, but Hall says it's really a process cultural, food, life, biotechnological and
of combining the basic and applied sciences. TECHNOLOGY medical sciences.
"Plants have the biochemical machinery One of those researchers is doctoral stu-
to produce antibodies or any other type of MAY HELP dent Claudia Sheedy, wh.o calls being part of
~ protein. They can be used instead of animals
MAKE CANADA Hall's group an"adventure:' She became inter-
to produce large quantities of antibodies. We ested in plantibodies as a master's student
have to be careful, go slowly, follow guidelines after reading an article in a science magazine.
and protocols and do it right. But I think that A LEADER IN "I was just so fascinated by the idea. I
when people realize the value of this (tech- decided it was exactly what I wanted to do
nology), the response will be positive:' WHAT MIGHT BE for my PhD. It is so motivating to work in Already, it is widely acknowledged that an area where the possibilities are limitless,
plantibodies and their practical applications THE NEXT where everything remains to be done. We
have the potential to change the way science are still in the infancy of this technology,
looks at antibody production. They may also GENERATION and I feel I am part of something that has a
help make Canada a leader in what might lot of future ahead."
be the next revolution in the pharmaceuti- IN THE In fact, Hall says the work that he, ~ cal industry. Needless to say, the magnitude Sheedy and others are doing is"one of the
of the work Hall is overseeing in U of G's PHARMACEUTICAL many waves of the future in terms of anti-
greenhouses and laboratories has not gone body research."
unnoticed. INDUSTRY.
I Last December, George Jackowski, chair- But why tobacco?
man, director and chief scientific officer of Those waves first began to surface when sci-
SYN•X Pharma Inc., a leading proteomics and entists started to realize that antibody pro-
' discovery company, donated $1 million in stock duction needed to be expanded from verte-
t to U of G. The money will support research in holder of the chair, which will support brate animals and moved into plants. For the life sciences, starting with Hall's studies on research at the professorial, post-doctoral starters, animal-based antibodies are expen-
" using protein plants to mass-produce planti- and graduate levels, create new technologies sive, costing a minimum of $1,000 per gram.
~~ bodies. It was one of the first major gifts to the and facilitate education and training. Sur- Hall hopes using protein plants will lower
! University's capital campaign. Jackowski is the geoner, modest about his"namesake," says the cost by 10 to 50 times in the next decade. founder of numerous biotech companies, the the chair is a tribute to the University's past Animal production of ant ibodies is also inventor of various detection tests and an aca- research successes and its future potential. time-consuming, requiring constant mon-
demic at the University of Toronto. He says he "George Jackowski sees the opportuni- itoring of animals in properly controlled and
~ became interested in Guelph for two initial rea- ty we have here at Guelph to produce anti- regulated care facilities, and the antibodies
sons: his daughter enrolled in the biochemistry body therapies in systems other than what cannot be produced in large amounts.
~ program and he met Gord Surgeoner. has traditionally been used," he says."He is "Plants are the only system that will
Surgeoner, a faculty member in the very involved in science that creates prod- allow us to create antibodies in quantities
... Department of Plant Agriculture, is presi- ucts to benefit humankind." large enough for the volumes that we antic-
dent of Ontario Agri- Food Technologies, a For Jackowski, part of the draw was the ipate will be necessary to detect water- and
consortium of Ontario universities, grower wide scope and appeal of plantibodies."The food-borne pathogens;' he says.
associations, industries and the Ontario Min- beauty of the project is that it involves peo- In addition, plantibodies have the edge
istry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs ple from the farming community all the way over animal-produced antibodies when it
(OMAFRA). The group's focus is on devel- to national researchers in Ottawa." comes to human health."No contaminat-
oping, promoting and adopting biotechnol- Indeed, OMAFRA has invested $1.7 mil- ing viruses or organisms occur in plants that
ogy in an ethical and environmentally con- lion in plantibodies research at Guelph, and could be transmitted to people."
scious manner for dntario's agri-food sector. collaborators include researchers such as Once plants were shown to be effective,
"Gord really opened my eyes to the pos- Jim Brandle of Agriculture and Agri-Food the next step was considering options to
sibilities at Guelph;' says Jackowski."He got Canada and Roger MacKenzie of the make large-scale production possible, says
me all worked up about what the Universi- National Research Council, as well as Surgeoner.
ty can do internationally. Now I hope to help numerous other researchers from other gov- "When you look at the new lists of drugs
thrust Guelph into the limelight as a univer- ernment agencies and Ontario universities. being developed, our existing capacity for
sity with a very strong life sciences program." Many of these collaborators laid the producing antibodies for therapies and diag-
Jackowski's donation established the Sur- groundwork for the plantibodies research nostic production is being quickly usurped
geoner Chair in Life Sciences. Hall is the first that Hall is now overseeing. U of G scien- by the demand. We have to find a way to
26 GuELPH ALUMNUS
produce them faster, at a lower capital cost, and make them more readily available." It
was also important not to compromise the ethical considerations related to the widescale use of animals, he says.
According to Hall,"tobacco was the obvious plant of choice. It's the white mouse of the plant world; its genetics are well understood."
That's part of the irony, he adds."The rea
son we know a lot about tobacco is that it was bred for smoking purposes, and a lot of genetic research was conducted in an effort to make it a better plant for smoking."
The plant is also simple to work with and easy to genetically modify. In addition, it's a regulated crop grown in Ontario and there's a good system in place for harvesting it."We already have the infrastructure and technology in place;' Hall says.
Tobacco is not a food crop, so there are no worries about public consumption of a genetically modified food, he adds. And there are no related species in Canada to which tobacco could outcross (the process of genes moving from a genetically engineered plant to a wild relative).
"The plant is also very large, growing up to six feet in height with leaves that can reach a foot or more in diameter," he says."The amount of antibody produced by the plant is directly proportional to its biomass. Compare that with the amount of antibody that can be produced by a mammalian animal such as a mouse or even a horse. In terms of sheer quantity, there is no comparison."
Eventually, researchers hope to extract 10 to 15 kilograms of antibodies per 100 acres of protein plants.
That could spell greater prosperity for Ontario's tobacco industry, which is already a multi-million-dollar-a-year business. There are more than 28,000 hectares of tobacco grown in Ontario, and farmers can produce three to four crops a year.
"Farmers can still grow tobacco, and instead of being turned into cigarettes, it can be used to create high-value antibody therapies and diagnostic tests," Jackowski says."It really is a win-win situation."
How do they do it? Just how do you go about modifying a tobacco plant to produce a plantibody? First,
the gene responsible for producing the antibody in an animal is"introduced" into the plant through plant tissue culture techniques. This involves taking a section of a plant leaf and literally" dipping" it into a solution of bacteria into which the animal antibody gene has been introduced.
The bacteria infect the edges of the leaf section and, in the process, integrate the antibody gene into the plant. The infected plant tissues are then placed on a growth medium
that allows only the plant cells carrying the antibody gene to survive and regenerate. In a few weeks, transgenic plantlets are visible at the edges of the tissue. These plantlets are then removed and placed in sterile boxes with another medium that allows them to form roots. They are later transferred to pots and allowed to grow.
Currently, Hall is concentrating on producing a fragment of an antibody in tobacco. This involves taking genetic material from the portion of the antibody that binds to a bacterium or cancer cell to build an"artificial" gene.
"We produce only the part of the antibody that binds to the pathogen or cancer cells we're interested in detecting or killing;' he says.
The antibody is later purified from the protein plant by grinding green biomass into a liquid-like solution and running it through a system of separation columns. Researchers in Hall's lab add specific protein tags to the antibody that protrude from the ends of the molecules. The antibodies are retrieved through affinity chromatography, a process that recognizes the protein tag and pulls it out along with the antibody. As one researcher describes it:"It's like using a hook that identifies what it wants and then grabs it."
Sheedy calls being in the laboratory the"bench work aspect of the adventure. It's much more tedious than I could imagine." Her background is in agriculture and plant sciences, so she's had to acquire knowledge in molecular biology of both plants and mammals.
What can plantibodies do? For Sheedy, plantibody research is fascinating because of the flexibility of the whole system. Plantibodies can be expressed in whole plants or only certain tissues, making the system adaptable to"anything you're
interested in . The potential application of this research is enormous."
Indeed, uses for plantibodies are as varied as the proteins the plants can be engineered to produce. Plantibodies can be made to specifically identify food pathogens such as listeria and sal~onella, detect pesticides in foods or even identify contami
nated soil before crops are planted. They can also be engineered to help fight specific forms of human cancer, because anti
bodies can be joined to chemotherapeutic agents and delivered directly to cancer cells. Plantibodies may also be used in diagnostic kits that would allow people to conduct health tests at home.
"Imagine you're 55 and suffering from a severe headache," says Surgeoner."Is it a migraine or the start of a stroke? We could develop a rapid diagnostic test, much like a pregnancy test, that could identify the proteins the body releases at the beginning
GEORGE JACKOWSKI (RIGHT)
Chairman, director and chief scientific
officer of SYN•X Pharma Inc.
• $2 million
"I hope to help thrust Guelph into the limelight as a university with a very strong life sciences program."
BILL BODENHAMER (LEFT)
President and CEO of Toxin Alert
• $1 million
"No other university in the world has such a facility."
Summer 2002 27
I
'
stages of a stroke."
Similar tests could detect early onset of Alzheimer's disease and arthritis."With some diseases, we often don't know a person has it until it's too late," he says. "But these diseases may be releasing proteins from the brain in their early stages, and if we could detect the disease sooner, the sooner we could begin to manage and control it. Plantibodies could be used for easy, rapid detection of the diseases."
Scientists have already developed a unique chemical test that can identify bacteria pathogens in food stored in plastic wrap.
Created by Toxin Alert, the plastic wrap can detect even minute quantities of hazardous material. When bacteria or viruses are identified, the wrap chemically changes colour or a symbol is activated, indicating contamination. The indicators are actually antibodies attached to the plastic wrap, with about 144 antibody-based tests per square foot of wrap.
"To make this biowrap on a large scale, you need kilogram quantities of antibodies;' says Jackowski."The easiest and most
economical way to get those antibodies is to have them produced in a plant species that can be grown as a crop over hundreds and hundreds of acres."
Toxin Alert's president and CEO, Bill Bodenhamer, who also sits on the board of
SciENTISTs
HAVE ALREADY
DEVELOPED
A UNIQUE
CHEMICAL TEST
THAT CAN
IDENTIFY
BACTERIA
PATHOGENS IN
FOOD STORED
IN PLASTIC
WRAP.
directors of SYN·X Pharma Inc., set up a laboratory in the Guelph Food Technology Centre. He brought Hall and other U of G researchers on board to look at using tobacco to produce plantibodies for use in the plastic wrap detection systems. Through
these corporate connections, Bodenhamer and Jackowski have invested an additional $2 million m plantibody research at Guelph."No other university in the world has such a facility;' Bodenhamer says.
To Hall, these varied uses for his research are what makes it worthwhile. "Scientists, by nature, are cynical;' he says."I think that at times we get hung up on the 'pure' science and sometimes forget that applied science is important, too. I'd like to look at
what I'm doing as applied science. I take all the great things the purists have done and find ways for people to use it."
His vision goes even beyond the food, human and animal health uses. Antibodyproducing plants also have the potential to remove and sequester pesticides and other harmful contaminants."! look at the environmental uses as the next frontier;' he says.
Ironically, Hall is reminded of the many ways plantibodies can improve human lives when he sees anti-smoking advertisements on
TV. Current ads point out the negative health effects of the potent drug and end with the saying:"Tobacco ... we can live without it."
He hopes that one day the word"tobacco" conjures up images other than human disease as more researchers focus on using the plant to save and improve human lives.'Td like to think of tobacco as something we can't live without." ga
AGRIBUSINESS INVESTS IN BIOTECH CENTRE AT U OF G There's little debate over the fact that Canada's economic cornerstone in this century will be based on biology. And huge steps forward in biotechnology, genomics and biocomputing have drawn attention to U of G's track record in agrifood research: • No other university in Canada has
Guelph's record of innovation m research and education in emerging biological technologies. No other Canadian university has Guelph's network of public and private
research partners. • U of G is at the hub of a rapidly grow
ing cluster of collaborative agribusiness education, research and resources in the Guelph area.
28 GuELPH ALUMNUS
• The University has an enviable track record of recruiting and training scientific and business leaders in agricul
ture. With these advantages in mind, U of
G has identified the establishment of an Agricultural Plant Biotechnology and Biocomputing Centre as a research priority. It will bring together experts in biocomputing, bioengineering and plant agriculture to incubate research in biotechnology, accelerate technology transfer and safeguard the public interest. Plans include building a physical link between the existing Crop Science and Richards buildings, adding a five-storey wing to Crop Science, upgrading equipment and doubling the University's transgenic
greenhouse space, the only such space in eastern Canada.
Through its capital campaign, the University is seeking more than $6 million in private-sector investment to leverage federal and provincial funding on this $26-million project.
In addition to the investments made by George Jackowski of SYN•X Pharma Inc. and Bill Bodenhamer of Toxin Alert,
the proposed biotechnology and biocomputing centre has received almost $1 million in pledges from several OAC class projects, the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation and Agrico Canada Ltd. Their gifts- and those to come- will support future Guelph initiatives in agricultural biotechnology.
After the thesis U of G graduate students talk candidly about money,
personal sacrifice and the hope of future rewards.
Lots of people say the four years they
spent in university were some of the best
years of their lives. But what about 10 years
of university studies? Or more? For Guelph's 1,750 graduate students,
adding master's and doctoral degrees to their
baccalaureate parchment may well stretch the
university experience over a full decade. Many
will put their personal lives on hold or sandwich marriage and family responsibilities
between research and marking undergradu
ate papers. They'll have bigger student loans
and perennial problems with time management. And there's always the question of
whether there is indeed life after the thesis.
By Andrew Vowles and Mary Dickieson • Photography by Martin Schwalbe
Summer 2002 29
-
In the following stories, three U of G
graduate students share their experiences and shed light on some of the issues that define the grad student experience. Finances, workload and campus relationships top the list. But in the end, these concerns are overshadowed by a sense of excitement and commitment. "I talk about financial pressures and time constraints;' says Rob Falconer, a PhD student in history, "but there's nothing
in this world I'd rather be doing."
Learning from the past
AFTER FINISHING his master's degree in his native Alberta in 1999, Rob Fal
coner accepted a scholarship offer to complete a doctorate in 16-century cultural his
tory at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. A great opportunity for someone interested in Scottish history, but one that proved too costly to be realistic.
Falconer says his scholarship income, worth a total of about $15,000 a year, wouldn't support a $2,200-a-month apartment and other living expenses. It turned out that "even the university's best scholarships didn't allow students from abroad to do studies there unless they were from a significantly affluent background."
Now enrolled in graduate studies in Guelph's Department of History, he's find-
ing life more manageable. He's received an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and University of Guelph scholarships and works as a teaching assistant and as co-ordinator of the
Scottish studies office. He even has a larger apartment than in Scotland and pays only $550 a month.
Now in his lOth year of university, Falconer is studying regional and national identity in 16-century Scotland by looking at everything from family structure to the arts. "After this kind of time and commit
ment, it's a passion, it sticks with you," he says, while confessing to perennial problems with time management. "Your job never ends; it's literally 24/7." Even if he's had a productive day, he says he still finds himself
thinking about something more he could be doing. Success lies in being able to
accommodate all the unexpected things that come up in a day, he says. "That's what it is about being a grad student, making sure you allot enough time that you feel comfortable with everything that's on your plate."
Like most of Guelph's 1,750 grad students, he draws support from his peers, as well as his research supervisor, Prof. Elizabeth Ewan, and other faculty members. Until he was sidelined by an injury last summer, Falconer played soccer three times a week. Now, he tries to find an hour or so every day to play his guitar and write. "I'm still pretending to be a rock star;' he says.
If he were to become a university professor- at Guelph or elsewhere- it would close a circle for him that began during his undergraduate days. It was at the University of Alberta that he caught something of the passion conveyed by the professor in his first Scottish history class. All these years later, he's still enamoured by his chosen subject. "I talk about the time constraints of graduate studies, but really it's your time to dictate- what to study and where to conduct research." In that vein, Falconer visit
ed Scotland again last summer for a short research trip and is now planning a longer visit to the archives in Edinburgh.
CAMPAIGN GIFT CREATES LARGEST GRADUATE AWARD
U of G wants to attract more graduate students like Falconer, Edgin ton and Ram.
While completing their graduate work, good students develop into independent thinkers and researchers, says dean of graduate studies Isobel Heathcote. It's also a first step toward a career as a university professor, she says. And Canada needs both researchers and university professors.
Universities are facing a huge increase in the number of students who will be applying for admission between now and 2010, including the double cohort in Ontario. Add to that the fact that up to 60 per cent of current university professors are due to retire in the same period, and the need is obvious.
30 GuELPH ALUMNUS
Enhancing our ability to train and attract top faculty is a critical issue for universities, says Heathcote. She applauds the efforts of Guelph alumnus Bill Brock and his wife, Anne, to provide a new doctoral scholarship at U of G. "One of Canada's largest and most prestigious awards for graduate studies, the Brock Scholarship will help us attract the best and brightest students, so that we can continue to generate outstanding talent for the world," says Heathcote.
Funded by a $1-million endowment fund, the scholarship will offer up to $120,000 over four years to extraordinary candidates for graduate studies at the doctorallevel.
Bill Brock is a 1958 graduate of the
Ontario Agricultural College and an active University volunteer. He served as chair of Board of Governors from 1991 to 1995 and still chairs the board of the Heritage Trust. He has also served the University in numerous other volunteer roles, including as a member of Senate, director of the OAC Alumni Association, chair of the OAC Advisory Committee and deputy chair of the University's last capital campaign.
During a recent interview, he said he and Anne created this scholarship "to help the University be recognized worldwide as a leading research-focused university and to attract brilliant scholars, not only to carry out their graduate studies and research, but also to encourage them to become part of tomorrow's faculty."
Keeping life in balance
I F FINDING THE MONEY to get into graduate studies is one hurdle, more
challenges await the successful candidate. Andrea Edginton, B.Sc. '98, a PhD student in environmental toxicology, says one of the difficulties is adjusting to the graduate studies regimen and learning how to be your own research boss.
Ideally, that means that master's and doctoral students work with faculty supervisors not merely as adjuncts but as research and teaching colleagues in their own right. "The adviser-student relationship is probably the most important part that will make or break your grad study experience;' says Edgin ton, whose unique perspective stems from several terms on the executive of the Graduate Students' Association. She's thankful for the good relationship she has with her own supervisors -environmental biology professor Gerry Stephenson and biomedical sciences professor Herman Boermans - but she knows "there are people who certainly have issues with their adviser;' including faculty who give students little room for their own research. "That's the whole point of being here -developing your sense of science or research:'
Having worked earlier in integrated pest management in fruit production, Edgin ton is now studying how forestry herbicides and other environmental factors affect development in frogs used as bio-indicators. Her project is part of a larger collaborative effort involving academia and industry from New Hampshire to the Canadian Forestry Service in Sault Ste. Marie in field and lab work.
She also takes on the occasional research contract from Environment Canada and is now writing a chapter based on her recent visit to Vancouver as part of a working
group of experts on toxicity testing in amphibians. "That's been an amazing experience," she says, adding that she's also writ
ing the first of a series of papers for the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
that will likely form her graduate thesis. Despite the heavy workload, "I don't
take work home," says Edgin ton, who plays intramural water polo and says her weekends are reserved for hiking and biking with her boyfriend, being creative in the kitchen and spending time with her family, who live only minutes away from her apartment in Waterloo.
Building a better future
W HAT OPPORTUNITIES would you give up to pursue a graduate degree
at Guelph? How about an assignment that might have landed you more or less in the middle of current events around Afghanistan -and as a representative of royalty, no less?
Shortly after the Sept. 11 suicide bombings in New York and Washington, political science graduate student Sunil Ram received a call to ask whether he'd hop on a jet bound for the Middle East to help gauge the extent of Saudi involvement among Al-Qaeda forces.
His caller represented the Saudi royal family, for which Ram has served as a military adviser for more than a decade. That work stems from a small company he started in Regina during the late 1980s along with several military electronics and communication specialists.
Ram served 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces before retiring to private enterprise. He is also an adjunct professor at the American Military University near Washington and a sought-after expert commen
tator on peacekeeping and military issues. The notion that he would turn down his
Middle East contacts prompted some incredulity, but Ram stood his ground. "I had already made the commitment. I told the Saudis I wasn't going to be available for
any real work for a couple of years." A youthful-looking 40-year-old who
favours military fatigues on campus, he sidelined his teaching position in Washington to add grad school to his resume. He has three undergraduate degrees from the University of Regina, is currently in the final semester of a Guelph master's degree in political science,
and plans to complete a doctorate in UN peacekeeping and the altered security environment since Sept. 11. "For me, the level of
motivation is extremely high. I understand the value of the degree:'
Ram chose Guelph partly for its proximity to Toronto, as well as the opportunity to work with faculty in the Department of Political Science, where Prof. Richard Phidd is his supervisor. Ram and his wife, Aditi, have a 15-month-old son, and she works as an international model. ga
BILL AND ANNE BROCK (WITH MORDECHAI ROZANSKI) Brock Scholarship Endowment
• $1 million
"The University of Guelph has built
an outstanding reputation, and we
hope this scholarship will help build
on this excellent base."
Summer 2002 31
-
+ l.9 z :::J 0 >-w Ci) Ci)
0
"" >-"' w l.9
~
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
DONOR PROFILE
UGAA MAKES HISTORY WITH CAMPAIGN GIFT
THE UNIVERSITY OF GuELPH
Alumni Association is one of the top
contributors to the U of G campaign. A
$500,000 donation announced this month
will support construction of the Universi ty's new classroom complex.
The gift is one of the largest in Canadi
an history for an alumni association.
"In making such a significant contribution, we are sending a clear signal to alumni
and the entire University of Guelph com
munity that we endorse the goals of the Uni
versity;' says UGAA president Jim Weeden .
"The volunteer board, including representa
tives from each college, voted unanimously
in favour of the 10-year pledge in December 2001. With facilities of this calibre, we're sup
porting world-class teaching and learning
and meeting the challenges of educating the
next generation of Guelph grads."
Scheduled for completion in September
32 GuELPH ALUMNUS
2003, the classroom complex will meet the
University's growing capacity needs with a
one-of-a-kind first -tier teaching and learn
ing facility. It will accommodate students
from all colleges and disciplines on campus and will provide leading-edge lecture the
atres and classrooms equipped with com
puter-based multimedia equipment for the
delivery of technology-assisted courses. The
complex will sit in the centre of campus, on
the former site of the beef barn .
A donation to the classroom complex
not only benefits students, but also increas
es the profile of the UGAA. "Although the UGAA has become more
readily recognized by alumni, we would like
to start building that relationship early in each
student's university career," says Weeden.
In recognition of this outstanding gift,
the UGAA logo will be prominently dis
played in the building's main hallway, which
will feature a limestone wall built from the
stone foundation of the original barn. Several options for placement of the logo are
being explored, including inlaid with tile in
the hallway floor, he says. In addition, three
display cases set in the stone wall will be reserved for the exclusive use of the associ
ation. They will be used to promote student
and alumni events and to display memora
bilia. This recognition will give the UGAA
a highly visible presence in one of the
busiest student areas of the campus.
The UGAA's substantial commitment to
the University campaign is made possible through revenue generated by its affinity
programs. The association has negotiated
preferred group rates for its members with
a number of companies offering a variety
of products and services. See the UGAA Web site at www.alumni.uoguelph .ca for more information. Revenue generated from
these programs is used to support student
and alumni programs.
"The UGAA's five-year pledge is reflec
tive of the ongoing relationship alumni have with the campus and the rich history of
alumni involvement." says Prof. Rob
McLaughlin, vice-president (alumni affairs and development) . "We will continue to work
together, building on Guelph's traditions of
making the world a better place to live."
atters HIGHLIGHTS • GRAD NEWS • OBITUARIES • CALENDAR
CAMPUS GOES TO VANCOUVER
ALUMNI FROM EVERY Uof GcolJege
attended a gathering in Vancouver last
August. Hosted by OVC dean Alan Meek and Laura Manning, director of OVC devel
opment, the group of 60 received an update
on campus activities and alumni events. The
senior class represe nted was Mac '40; the
youngest was CPES 2000. Alumni in the Vancouver area who would like to attend
future events are encouraged to contact
Alumni Affairs to find out more about the southern Ontario alumni reunion being
planned for June. E-mail [email protected]
or visit the online alumni community.
FLORIDA TRADITION CONTINUES
ATRADITIO N SINCE THE 1960 S, the annual Florida reunion in Port Char
lotte drew 80 alumni in March. The lunch
provided an opportunity for alumni to meet
old friends and make new acquaintances
with other snowbirds and residents of Flori
da. For the third year running, OAC '51 was
awarded the Baker Trophy for having the
most class members at the event. Susan Rankin, director of alumni affairs, and OAC
dean Craig Pearson brought greetings on
behalf of the University. The committee for
the 2003 event will be led by Margaret Stephens, B.H.Sc. '56, the first chair from
Macdonald Institute.
LOOKING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL POSITION?
U OF G's CENTRE FOR International
Programs regularly receives informa
tion about positions overseas or with inter
national organizat ions in Ca nada. If you would like to be informed of these oppor
tunities, send e-mail to Jan Walker at jwalk[email protected] and ask her to place you on
the centre's international positions listserv.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO GUELPH!
THE CATCHPHRASE FOR Alumni
Weekend 2002 hopes to inspire all alumni to visit campus June 21 to 23.
Take in some of the weekend's main
events, hold a class reunion or simply
tour around your old stomping grounds. Alumni Weekend kicks off Friday
night with a welcome barbecue for all
alumni at the Bullring. The President's
Lunch on Saturday is a chance to see
inside the new Gryphon Dome and hear
about what's new on campus. The silver
and golden anniversary classes celebrate Saturday night, and the weekend closes
with a farewell breakfast in Creelman
Hall Sunday morning.
College alumni associations and the
University of Guelph Alumni Association will hold an annual meeting and
reception, and meeting rooms across
ALUMNI CONNECT ONLINE
MORE THAN 500 MEMBERS ofthe University of Guelph family have
signed up to use the new U of G online
community. They're connecting with old friends, using the bulletin board discussion
groups, getting career and travel advice, and
•
campus will be filled as more than 30
classes and groups- from 1933 Aggies to 2001 vets - get together for reunions.
The following classes and groups will hold reunions: Mac '52, Mac '52D, Mac
'57, Mac '57D, Mac '67, FACS '72, HAFA '77, FACS '77, HAFA '92, OAC '33, OAC
'37, OAC '38, OAC '42 and OAC '40A,
OAC '47, OAC '49, OAC '52, OAC '52A,
OAC '57, OAC '67, OAC '67 A, OAC '70, OAC '72, OAC '77, OVC '47, OVC '52,
OVC '57, OVC '01, Bio Sci '82 and
French House. Members of these groups will receive
registration packages in May; others will
be mailed on request. For more infor
mation, visit the alumni Web site at www.uoguelph.ca/alumni, send e-mail
to [email protected], drop by Alum
ni House or call519-824-4120, Ext. 6544.
serving as mentors for current and former students. To register for this free service, vis
it the site at www.olcnetwork.net/uoguelph and click on "new members register here."
Enter your first and last name as it appears on your alumni record and either your stu
dent number or birthdate.
Summer 2002 33
I!'
alumni Matters REUNION DES ANCIENTS DE LA MAISON FRAN~ISE
J OIGNEZ-VOUS a La premiere reunion
des ancients de La maison fran<;:aise
durant Ia fin de semaine des ancients. Pour
plus d' information sur les activites, visite1.
notre site: www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/lmf.
Plein de photos, partagez vos souvenirs
preferes, des blagues et plus!
WHO'S THE JOHNSTON IN JOHNSTON HALL?
ALTHOUGH SOME HISTORIANS
credit William Johnston as being the
true founder of the Ontario School of Agri
culture, it might be more accurate to call him
its accidental saviour. Hired in August 1874
as rector, Johnston was thrust almost imme
diately into the position of acting principal
of a school that was floundering on the heels
of government patronage and inept leader
ship. He led the School of Agriculture for only
five years, but turned it from a public laugh
ingstock into an institution with a strong and
even respectable image. Johnston's vision that
the "union of the scientific and the practical
of the skill of intellect and the skill of the hand
(could) be accomplished" lives on today in
the descendant University of Guelph.
How appropriate that the most recogniz
able building on campus is named for one of
the University's strongest historical leaders.
William Johnston
Johnston's contributions will be
acknowledged anew during the Alumni
Weekend unveiling of a historical plaque to
be installed on the building that bears his
name. It 's part of an alumni initiative to
review the almost 80 named buildings on
campus and provide plaques to recognize
the University leaders they honour. Plaques
were installed on Creelman and Mills halls
last summer, and there's a Jist of potential
projects waiting for sponsorship.
EDMONTON ALUMNI EVENT HOSTS GRADS FROM ALL COLLEGES
Pauline and Murray Hawkins, BSA '53, left, with U of G preofessor Joe Barth.
34 GuELPH ALUMNus
If you're interested in joining the His
torical Plaque Project, call Siobhan Harrop
at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6142, or send e-mail
For more information about William
Johnston, see College on the Hill: A History of the Ontario Agricultural College, 1874-1974, available in the U of G Library and bookstore.
DID YOU LIVE IN MAIDS HALL IN 1972/73 OR 1973/74?
JOIN US FOR A MAIDS HALL reunion
July 27, 2002! Almost 30 years ago, we
lived, laughed and lacked sleep together in
Maids Hall. Let's reconnect, reminisce and
make some new memories.
For more information, contact Heidi Wilk
er at 905-457-2092 or [email protected].
BULLRING TO HOST tooTH-ANNIVERSARY PUB
FROM CATT LE CALLS TO last call, the
Bullring has been a fixture on campus
for a century. Alumni from every year have
great stories to share. Meet at the Bullring
june 22 at 9 p.m. for a true "oldies" night
with music from the '70s, '80s and early '90s.
Get full details in the Alumni Weekend reg
istration package. And if you have Bullring
photos or stories for display, contact Alum
ni House at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6544, or
PROF. ALUN JOSEPH, dean of the
College of Social and Applied Human
Sciences, hosted a reception for U of G
alumni in Edmonton Feb. 22. About 80
people attended, representing almost every
college alumni association and graduation
year from 1936 to 2001. Joseph gave an
updatew on campus activities. He was
accompanied by alumni programs man
ager Laurie Malleau, hotel and food
administration professors Joe Barth and
Stephen Lynch, and Prof. John Walsh,
director of the School of Hotel and Food
Administration and associate dean of the
Faculty of Management.
alumni Matters
Coming Events Y' ALL COME BACK NOW, YA HEAR?
june 11 to 14- Spring convocation
june 21 to 23- Alumni Weekend june 22- Southern Ontario alumni
reunion, Jericho Beach, Vancouver, noon
to 4 p.m.
july 13- OAC '82 reunion at U of G
Whippletree, contact Anne-Marie McWilliam at 519-762-2022 or csamm
july 20- OAC '59 A reunion at Alumni
House, contact Fred Black at 519-843-6709.
Sept. 6- OACAA annual golf tourna
ment; contact Carla Bradshaw at cbrad
Sept. 13 to 15- OAC '54A reunion in Woodstock; contact George Quinn at 519-283-6450 or [email protected]
or John McClellan at 519-836-2660.
Sept. 14 -Arboretum Auxiliary plant sale, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free admission.
Sept. 21- Homecoming. Sept. 21- OAC '62 reunion at U of G;
contact John Pawley at 519-823-5967 or
[email protected]. Sept. 22 - Wall-Custance Memorial
Forest annual dedication service, 2:30 p.m. For information about these or other alumni activities, contact Alumni House at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6544, or [email protected].
Mac-FACS Centenary Awards 100 to be recognized
in 2003 fC?r the woth
anniversary of the college.
Nominate someone who
has made a difference.
SAN ANTONIO, T EXAS, was the
site of the most recent alumni gath
ering outside of Guelph . Grads from Brownsville to Dallas made the trip to
enjoy a Texas barbecue, line dancing and the sights of San Antonio.
The group reminisced about Guelph
from the Bullring to residence life and
heard the latest U of G news from Alum
ni Affairs representatives Sam Kosakow
ski and Jennifer Brett. They also gave a presentation on the Un ivers ity's new
online community.
"For alumni living outside of Guelph,
it 's a great way for us to keep in tou ch
with each other;' said Ted Freeman, BSA
Choose one or more categories: • A graduate who has made an out
standing contribution to his/her profession or to society in general, exemplifying the principles of the college;
• A graduate who exemplifies the spirit of voluntarism through civic/community mindedness;
• A person who has made significant
contributions to the evolution of Macdonald Institute into the College of Family and Consumer Studies, School of Hotel and Food Admin istratio n, and College of Social and
'56, who organized the Texas reunion.
Several Texas alumni reported that they've already posted "Keeping In
Touch" entries and are using the job post
ing and business card section of the site at www.olcnetwork.net/uoguelph. Pic
tures of the Texas event are posted in the
bulletin board section.
A planning sess ion for future reunions was held and several ideas
came forward, including introd uci ng
new activities such as a dude ranch
weekend . Organizers woul d like your
input. Just visit the online community
Texas bulletin board or send e-mail to Brett at [email protected].
Applied Human Sciences;
• A person who has been a positive influence on the personal or professional development of individuals on
campus.
Eligibility: Groups or individuals and posthumous awards will be considered. Deadline: Dec.1, 2002.
For details, contact Prof. Jane Londerville, Consumer Studies, by e-mail at jlonder@uoguelph .ca,
or phone at 519-824·4120, Ext. 3091.
Summer 2002 35
HIRE A GUELPH CO-OP STUDENT Physical Sciences • Applied Math & Statistics • Biochemistry • Biophysics • Chemical Physics • Chemistry • Computing & Information Science • Physics
Commerce • Management Economics
in Industry & Finance • Hotel & Food Administration • Housing & Real Estate Management • Agricultural Business • Marketing Management
B.Sc. (Technology) • Pharmaceutical Chemistry • Physics and Technology
Biological Sciences • Biomedical Toxicology • Environmental Toxicology • Food Science • Microbiology
Engineering Sciences • Biological • Engineering Systems & Computing • Environmental • Water Resources
Social Sciences • Child Studies • Economics • Family & Social Relations • Getontology • Psychology
Environmental Sciences
MA Economics
GRAD NEWS
U of G launched distinguished science career
Imagine that we could test and manufacture new drugs for cancer and AIDS a thousand
times faster. That's the first step
towards achieving it, says Mark
Lautens, B.Sc.'81, who believes
the organic chemists he's train
ing today will take his science
to new levels within the next
generation.
Lautens heads a research
group at the University of
Toronto that includes 14 grad-
1960 • Bob Gillham, BSA '63 and H.D.Sc. '99, was named an Offi
cer of the Order of Canada in
January 2002. He is a professor
of earth science at the Univer
sity of Waterloo and is known
for his inventions. and research
on groundwater clean-up tech
nologies. He holds or co-holds
several international patents related to this technology, which
is recognized internationally as a strong candidate for the most
uate students, six post -doctoral fellows and four undergradu
ates. Their focus is on the syn
thesis ofbioactive compounds. "We try to find better ways
to make pharmaceuticals," he
says. "Part of our goal is to make
known techniques useful in new
ways. Another part is making
new kinds of chemical structures that weren't possible
before, which we hope will have
some sort of therapeutic utility."
important advancement in
groundwater remediation in the
past two decades.
A professor at U ofT since 1987, Lautens says his interest
in organic chemistry developed at U of G, where he was first
exposed to the benefits of
blending research experience
with undergraduate education.
He credits Prof. Gordon Lange,
Chemistry and Biochemistry,
for stimulating a future career
direction. "I took three undergraduate
classes with Prof. Lange and
worked with him trying to synthesize anti-cancer compounds.''
Since then, Lautens has
made his own contributions to
the field of organic chemistry.
He is one of the newest
inductees into the Royal Soci
ety of Canada, the country's
highest academic accolade. The
honour follows many other awards, including the Royal
Society's Rutherford Memori
al Medal, an E.W.R. Steacie Fel
lowship from the Natural Sci
ences and Engineering Research
Council, and visiting profes
sorships at several institutions
around the globe.
Enriching his life outside the
lab are his wife, Julia, and their
two children.
• Bill Morrison, ADA '68 and B.Sc.(P.E.) '72, is vice-president,
research and development, of
Leading Edge Medical Devices Inc. in Grimsby, Ont. A medical
educator and specialist in bio
mechanics, he has been working
on the development of bracing techniques for more than 30
years. He has held research and
development positions at sever
al universities, including Victoria University in Australia, the
University of Ottawa, Penn State
and SUNY Cortland. Now semi
retired, he is marketing a new
knee orthotic for Leading Edge,
which specializes in a kinetic
knee motion support system that
benefits osteo~rthritis patients, knee injuries and post-surgery
recoveries. He can be reached at
through the company Web site
at leadingedgemedical.net.
• George Sweetnam, B.Sc. '66, of Lindsay, Ont., is president of
the Canadian Dental Association
(CDA). He received his dental
degree from the University of
Toronto in 1971 and has main
tained a private practice in Lind
say since graduation. He is a
member of the Peterborough and
District Dental Society, is past
president of the Ontario Dental Association and has served on
numerous CDA committees,
including terms as chair of both
the ethics committee and the
steering committee on dental benefits issues. Outside of his pro
fessional work, Sweetnam has
served as a senior official with
Swim Canada. His family is well
known for their involvement in swimming. His wife, Marion,
B.H.Sc. '65, is a former Canadian
Swim Coach of the Year, and their three children competed nation
ally and internationally for many
years. Both Nancy, B.Comm. '99, and Steven, B.H.Sc.(H.K.) '94,
swam with the Gryphon varsity
team while attending U of G.
1970 • Linda (Byham) Arseneau, B.Sc. (Agr) '79, is pursuing an honours
BA in English at d1e University of Ottawa and lives in Rockland,
Ont., with her husband, Antho
ny, and their four children:
Nicole, David, Amanda and
Andrea. Linda looks forward to
hearing from former classmates at [email protected].
• Don Baxter, BA '72, was
recently appointed director of
the Burlington Economic Devel-
Summer 2002 37
opment Corporation. After Guelph, he earned a master 's degree in urban and regional planning at Queen's University. He was formerly executive director of the Metro Toronto Economic Development Division and is a founding partner of Economic Growth Solutions, a management consulting firm involved in economic development, tourism and marketing. Baxter lives in Toronto with his wife, Gloria, B.A.Sc. '73, and their daughter, Mallory. • Brian Evans, B.Sc.(Agr.) '74 and DVM '78, was a 2001 recipient of a public service award recognizing the commitment
and achievement of federal government employees. Evans, who is head of the Canadian Food
STAY IN TOUCH
U of G Alumni Association
Inspection Agency's animal products directorate, led an
evaluation team to Brazil in 2001 to assess that country's compliance with Canada's policy on bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The investigation led him to recommend lift
ing a Canada-imposed ban on Brazilian beef imports. He was also instrumental in implementing risk management policies and emergency measures to protect Canada from the potential impact of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom and Europe.
• Edward Makowski, B.Sc. '76 and M.Sc. '78, is a senior man
ager with 24 years of experience in the crop-protection industry and has been named the first executive director of the Institute of Forest Biotechnology. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center created the non-profit institute in 2000 to promote societal, ecological and economic benefits from appropriate uses of biotechnology in forestry. Makowski lives in Regina, Sask., with his wife, Roberta.
• Jean-Denis Methot, B.Sc.(Agr.)
'79, recently moved to Guelph with his wife, Marie, and their
children: Jean-Franc,:ois, 14; Mathieu, 11; Marc-Andre, 8; and Eric, 4. Methot is now general manager of Agriculture and AgriFood Canada's farm debt mediation services, as well as farm consultation services for the Ontario region. Friends can reach him at jean -denis.methot@
sympatico.ca. • Sabine (Vahlenkamp) Schleese, B.Sc. '77, is managing
director and CEO of Schleese Saddlery Service Ltd. and has been named one of Profit
Guide's top 100 women business owners. Schleese runs the company with her husband, Jochen, a master saddle maker who trained in Germany and England. They live in Newmarket, Ont., with their children, Leslie, Samantha and Danielle. Schleese can be reached at [email protected]. • Carin Wittnich, DVM '76, was recently awarded the Order of Ontario for her work in promoting awareness and education of heart disease. A faculty member in the University ofToron-
Jim Weeden, president ................................ e-mail: [email protected] .................................................. www.ugalumni.uoguelph.ca
Alumni Programs Susan Rankin, director ..................................... [email protected] Carla Bradshaw, OAC alumni officer ..................... [email protected] Sam Kosakowski, CBS/CPES alumni officer .................. [email protected] Laurie Malleau, CSAHS alumni officer .......... . ............ [email protected] Andrea Pavia, OVC alumni officer .......................... [email protected]
June Pearson, COA alumni officer ............................ [email protected] Vikki Tremblay, alumni programs office .................. [email protected] Alumni Records ........................................... [email protected] International Programs Jan Walker, job posting service ................. . .... .... ..... [email protected] Guelph Alumnus Mary Dickieson, editor ............................. [email protected] For telephone contact, call 519-824-4120.
38 GuELPH ALUMNUS
to's Department of Surgery, she
was cited for increasing positive surgical outcomes of cardiac repair in children. She is a Northrop Frye Scholar, recognized for her innovative ability to link research and teaching. Other awards include U ofT's George Armstrong-Peters Award and Lister Prize. In addition, the university's Department of
Physiology recently named a teaching assistant award in her honour. Apart from her professional work, Wittnich volunteers for various charities, including the Heart and Stroke Founda-tion of Ontario, and is a founding director of the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society. She lives in Barrie, Ont., with her husband, Michael
Belanger.
1980 • Laurie (Stowe) Alba, B.Sc.(H.K. ) '80, is teaching at Colegio F.D. Roosevelt, the American School of Lima, Peru. She reports that after a short stint in Lima during the end of the "terrorism" years, she returned to a more peaceful Peru in 1997. She and her husband, Cesar, have two daughters, Kelsea and Cody, and can be reached at [email protected].
• Janet Amare, B.Sc. '82, is a professional coach, career counsellor and president of an educational centre called Soul Purpose Inc. in Camp bellville, Ont. In addition to her Guelph degree in marine biology, she has studied human behaviour and natural healing techniques, worked in human resources and organization development, and is skilled in training, consulting and public speaking. Amare recently published a book called Saul Purpose: A
Practical Guide far Creating a
Life You Lave, which aims to help people find and develop careers that provide both joy
and financial success. Publication details can be found at www.inktreemarketing.com. • Richard D'Abreu, BA '89, is a self-employed graphic artist who worked in Japan for a few years and now lives in Cambridge, Ont. • Francesca Dobbyn, BA '89, is co-ordinator of one of Ontario's most publicized events- the annual Wiarton Willie Festival. She's pictured here with a Willie mascot on prediction morning 02/02/02. It was snowing and blowing in
Wiarton, so the real groundhog didn't see his shadow, and that's the reason for this year's early spring, says Dobbyn, who's been co-ordinating the festival for three years. Her efforts were recognized recently when Bruce
and Grey counties presented her with their top award for tourism activities. A single parent with a 16-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, Dobbyn has taken on a new challenge to help Wiarton Willie support the Bruce Peninsula OPP's annual Cops for Cancer Campaign. If $020202.00 is pledged by June 2, she'll lose her long locks in the Bruce Peninsula's first headshave event for cancer. To contact Dobbyn or find out more about the Wiarton Willie Festival, visit the Web site at www.wiarton-willie.org. • Tom Droppo, B.Sc.(Agr.) '81 and M.Sc. '82, received Manitoba Agriculture and Food's annual award for job dedication in 2000/2001. He began his 20-year extension career with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in 1982 and has been with Manitoba Agriculture and Food since 1985. He lives in Winnipeg and has two daughters, Megan and Samantha. He can be reached at [email protected]. • Amber Jackson, BA '87, is a registered nurse who earned a 1992 nursing degree from Ryer-
GRAD NEWS UPDATE FORM
Name
Address
son University with a minor in health promotion. She moved to Nunavut last year when her husband took a job with Nunavut Power. They live in Cambridge Bay with their children: Braden, 5; and Caylie, 3. • Kashmiri La! Raheja, PhD '88, is a professor and head of the Department of Animal Breeding at CCS Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar, India. He is also officiating dean of the College of Animal Sciences. Previously, he was a senior scientist at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Izatnagar. • Irene Moore, DVM '86 and B.Sc.(Agr.)'82, teaches in the veterinary technology program at Ridgetown College and was recently presented with the Veterinarian Appreciation Award of the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians. The annual award recognizes a veterinarian who has demonstrated outstanding support and has contributed to the increased awareness of the veterinary technician's role in the animal health community. • Jan Sargeant, DVM '86, M.Sc.
'92 and PhD '96, has been appointed a professor of epidemiology and recipient of the W.S. and E.C. Jones Departmental Chair of Clinical Epidemiolog¥ at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. • Karin Schneider, B.Sc. '81 and M.Sc. '90, is a research pathology technician at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Vineland Station. She lives in Beamsville, Ont., with her husband, Steven Beier!, and can be reached at schneiderk@em. a gr. ca. • Eduardo Valdes, M.Sc. '82 and PhD '94, has moved to Orlando, Fla., to work as an animal nutritionist at Disney Animal Kingdom. For the last 11 years, he held a similar position at the Toronto Zoo. He and his wife, Rosa Maria, have four children: Edwardo, Isabel, Natalia and An maria. • Patricia Williams, PhD '89, is the author of two books, both published in 2001. Doing Without Adam and Eve: Sociobiology and Original Sin is about the meaning of evolution for the Christian doctrines of the Fall
Degree & Year _______ _
City
Prov./State _______________________ _ Postal Code ________ _
Home Phone _______ _ Fax E-mail
Business Phone ______ _ Fax E-mail
Occupation
Grad News Update------------------------------------
Send address changes and Grad News to: Alumni Records, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 6550, Fax: 519-822-2670, E-mail: [email protected]
Summer 2002 39
and the Atonement. The second
book, Where Christianity Went
Wrong, When, and What You
Can Do About It, is an introduc
tion to the historical jesus and
what he says to us today. These
books and another that she edit
ed 10 1995, Evolution and
Human Values, are previewed on
her Web site at www.theolo
gyauthor.com. Williams lives in
Covesville, Virginia, and can be
contacted at theologyauthor@
aol.com.
1990 • David Beck, B.Sc. '92, and
Tanya (Cork) Beck, B.Sc. (HK)
'93, became first-time parents
when their son, Brendyn, was
born in November 2001. They
live in Port Hope, Ont., and can
be reached at DavidBeck525@
msn.com.
• Beatrix Beisner, B.Sc. '92,
received her PhD in ecology
from the University of British
Columbia in 2000 and has held
a post-doctoral position at the
University of Wisconsin-Madi
son since then. She says she's
excited to be returning to U ofG
this july as a professor of aquat
ic ecology in the Department of
Zoology. Her current e-mail is
bebeisner@facstaff. wisc.edu.
• Karen (nee Kapusniak) Chin,
B.Comm. '92, and her husband,
Robert, welcomed a second
daughter, Kyra Simone Chin,
Oct. 27,2001, a sister to Olivia.
They recently moved back to
Toronto after five years in Van
couver and would love to hear
from fellow Guelphites at
• Patrick Elliott, B.Sc. '95, mar
ried janet Wheeler Aug. 11,2001.
He teaches biology and chemistry
and coaches hockey at Orchard
Park Secondary School in Stoney
Creek, Ont., and recently com
pleted a master's of education at
Brock University. Contact him at
• Chad Fairbairn, BA '93, is a
senior client support specialist
with Cold Springs Farm 10
Thamesford, Ont. He says it's
ironic that he's working in the
agri-food industry after becom
ing famous for avoiding science
classes at all costs while at
Guelph. Cold Springs Farm rais
es turkeys and hogs, supplies feed
from its feed mill and manages
manure waste by turning it into
premium fertilizer and compost
products used in crop produc
tion. Fairbairn lives in London
with his wife, julie, and children,
Amanda and Kyle. His e-mail
address is [email protected],
and he says he'd like to hear from
his old history buddies or anyone
else who can't believe he's now
working with 10 to 20 Aggies!
• Ian Gollert, BA '93, and janet
Cunningham, B.Comm. '94,
CIBC Wood Gundy can show you how high yielding, tax efficient securities can be a practical solution to today's lower interest rates.
CANADIAN & GLOBAL INCOME FUNDS • Monthly Cash Distribution • Tax Efficient • Tax Deferral • Conservative/Low Volatility
We can help you earn higher returns and ensure that you keep it! Call today:
Todd Cook, OAC '82 • Financial Consultant 305 King Street West • Suite 1010 • Kitchener • ON • N2G 1B9 Tel: 519-570-1541 or 800-265-2433 • e-mail: [email protected]
Commissions, trailing commissions. management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change
cmc frequently and past performance may not be repeated.
Wood Gundy Clarington Funds CIBC Wood Gundy is a division of CIBC World Markets Inc. a <>ubsidiary of C!BC and member of CIPF Co-Sponsored by Clarington Funds
40 GuELPH ALUMNUS
were married in 1997 and now
live with their dog, Riley, in
Niagara Falls, Ont. They work
in St. Catharines, where he is a
financial adviser with Palomar
;r
.,,1 ' ' Financial Group and she is a
purchasing supervisor with
Henry Schein Arcona, a med
ical and dental supplies distrib
utor. They invite all former U
of G friends to e-mail them at
• Bill Hawkins, ADA '94, has
accepted the position of vice
president, external relations,
with the Electricity Distributors
Association. He was previously
director of issues management and head of special projects for
former Ontario premier Mike
Harris. Prior to that, Hawkins
was a media specialist for then Health Minister Elizabeth Wit
mer. He also holds a BA from
McMaster University.
• David Ivory, B.Sc.(Agr.) '92,
recently accepted a Texas Community Forestry Award present
ed to the city of Brownsville,
where he is assistant director of
public works and city forester.
Part of his responsibility is the
management of city forest
resources, including the recent
purchase of a seedling nursery to
keep up with the demand for tree
planting in the city. Brownsville was commended for planning
and partnerships that are
enabling it to build a forestry pro
gram that rivals those of larger
communities. For details, log on
to http:/ /txforestservice.tamu.edu
/urban_ forestry/ index.html.
• Mary Meuser, B.Comm. (Agr.) '96, has rejoined Kahntact Mar
keting Inc. as an account execu
tive. She began her professional
career at the Guelph firm right
after graduation, but has worked
since then at the marketing firm
AdFarm in Calgary and CHM
Communications in Montreal.
• Brenda Nur, B.Sc. '96, is an audiometric technician at the
Hospital for Sick Ch ildren in Toronto. She can be reached at
brenda_ [email protected].
• Karen Reynolds-Drew, B.Sc. '9 1, and Chris Drew, B.Sc. '92,
welcomed their son, Elliot, into
the world in March 2001. The
couple met in Lamb ton Hall in
1986 and have been married for
eight years. She has worked for
Kraft Canada for five years,
most recen tly in regulatory
OAC engineering grads reunite
Guelph engineering grads from 1948 to 1966 were invited to cam·
pus last summer for a first-time reunion of engineers who rece ived
thei r degrees th rough the former OAC affi liation with the Univer
sity of Toronto. About 6o alumni and their spouses enjoyed a golf
to urnament, a walki ng tour of ca mpus and dining together. Engi
neering professor John Ogilvie helped organize the event on behalf
of the OAC engineering alumni.
compliance. He went on to
complete a technical diploma in geographic information systems
in Nova Scotia and now works
for the Ontario Ministry of Nat
ural Resources in Peterborough.
The fami ly lives in Baltimore, and they would love to hear from any"4B" mates and other
friends at [email protected].
• Robert Rinfret, DVM '98,
married Shannon McDonald
Comprehensive, Professional Investment Planning & Advice
Call today for information regarding: • Retirement and Estate Planning • International Investments • Portfolio Strategies • Tax Advantaged Investment Strategies • Charitable Gift Strategies
Wayne Koning s.sc. (Agr.) '66 Vice President, Investment Advisor
(416) 359-4671 or 1-800-736-1714 E-mail: [email protected]
www. waynekoning.com
BMO 0 ~~~~?,~~ ~~ns• Member ClPF
Sept. 22,2001, in Mount Pleasant, Ont. He is practising mixed-animal medicine in Norwich and can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].
• Deborah Lynn (Matthews) Rumble, BA '95, is a volunteer with the International Association of Administrative Profes-
sionals Web Page Design and Graphic Art. Contact her at [email protected].
• Robert Royal, BA '91, lives in Milton, Ont., and works in sales for Carrier Canada. His fourthyear history thesis was included in the Dictionary of Canadian Biographies published by the
University of Toronto Press. Contact him at rob_bob@ aztec
net.com. • Rachelle Therrien-Green, BA '95, and Kevin Green, B.Comm.(Agr.) '95, celebrated the birth of their first child, Dylan Alexander, April 22, 2001. They were married Aug.
3, 1996, and are living in Bolton, Ont.
• Matthew Whiting, B.Sc. ( Agr.) '95 and M.Sc. '98, and Cory (nee Heron), B.Sc. (Agr.) '97 and M.Sc. '99, are enjoying life in Prosser, Wash., where he recently completed doctoral studies at
Washington State University. He has now accepted a faculty position there in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape
Architecture and will specialize in stone fruit horticulture and whole-plant physiology. He and
Cory also announce the birth of their daughter, Madeleine Margaret, on Dec. 6, 2001. They can be reached at mdwhiting@wsu.
edu. 2000 2000 • Darryl James, ADH '01, is the 2001 winner of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association/Taro Future Superintendent Award. He was co-ordinator of the U of G turf club last year and is the new assistant superintendent at Oliver's Nest Golf Club in Lindsay, Ont.
• Greg McDonald, ADA '00, lives in Teeswater, Ont., and is a farm labourer for Thacker Farms, an organic farm operation in Formosa. • Dawson Winegard, B.Sc. (H.K.)'02, shared convocation with his grandparents, Sandra and William "Bill" Winegard,
who officiated at two dozen convocation ceremonies during
his tenure as president of the ~ University of Guelph from 1967
to 1975.
"' ~ :r: 0 z ::::J <(
"' CD <(
"' <( CD
"' <( CD
>CD
f-;;: "' f-
"' 0 0..
Pauline McGibbon, U of G chancellor
from 1977 to 1983, died Dec. 14 at the age of 91. A former lieutenant-governor
of Ontario, Mrs. McGibbon was known
for her ability to put people at ease and
for the grace she lent to events during her
U of G service. She also developed a rep
utation at Guelph for dramatic entrances
and exits. She rode to her 1977 installation in a horse-drawn carriage and, in
1979, made a spectacular departure from convocation by helicopter. Her public ser
vice included several positions in educa
tion and the arts, and she was a director
of George Weston Ltd. and IBM Canada.
She was appointed a Companion of the
Order of Canada in 1980 and named to the Order of Ontario in 1988.
Brenda Conn, B.A.Sc. '87, died Sept. 7,
2001. After receiving her degree at Guelph, she completed an internship in clinical dietetics at Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital
and was a member of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. She worked at the K-W Hospital, University Hospital in London
and most recently the Sunbeam Residential Development Centre in Kitchener. She
married her high school sweetheart, Bob
Chesney,~ 1989 and was actively involved in their farm business and in the com
munity life of Innerkip. Survived by her husband and two children, Alexandra, 10,
and Luke, 7, she is resting with Robbie,
OBlTUARI FS ~- ---- -----~- --
who died Sept. 12,2001. The Brenda Conn
Memorial Fund has been established at U
of G. To make donations, call Alumni Affairs and Development at 519-824-4120,
Ext. 6540.
Laura Ellis, B.Sc. '93, died Feb. 18, 2002,
when the Toronto police cruiser she was
riding in crashed en route to answer an
emergency call. A five-year veteran of the
Toronto police force , she had recently returned to work following the birth of
her one-year-old daughter, Paige. She was
buried Feb. 22 following a full police ser
vice and received numerous commenda
tions from fellow officers at the Scar
borough police division.
Ian Johnstone, DVM '66, M.Sc. '72 and
PhD '78, died Feb. 25, 2002. A professor in Guelph's Department of Biomedical
Sciences since 1978, he taught in both clinical and paraclinical areas of the vet
erinary program. His research interests
focused on comparative studies on the hemostatic mechanism in domestic ani
mals, and the detection and characteri
zation of inherited and acquired abnor
malities in different animal species. He is survived by his wife, Carol Ann, and his
son, Darryl. A tree will be planted in his
m emory Sept. 22 in the Wall -Custance
Memorial Forest at the Arboretum.
Jeffrey Airey, DVM '51, Aug. 6, 2001 Robert Anderson, DVM '50, Feb. 5, 2002
Lorraine Andrew, D HE '42, date unknown
Herbert Armstrong, BSA '49, Jan. 20,
2002
John Armstrong, BSA '60, Dec. 23, 2001 Frank Bayus, B.Sc.(Eng) '68, May 5, 2001
Peter Bell, DVM '75, Feb. 6, 2002
Mark Bradley, B.Sc.(Agr.) '81, May 25, 2001
Wesley Brownlee, BSA '45, Jan. 6, 2002 Florence Bush, DHE '38, Dec. 20, 2001 John Child, BSA '41, Nov. 18, 2001
Henry Courtenay, BSA '57, Feb. 2, 2000
Marjorie Cullen, DHE '33, Oct. 26, 2001 Erna "Moshie" Dahms, ODH '97, March
16,2002
Donald Dann, ADA '85, jan. 15, 2002
Basil Dawley, BSA '41, Oct. 3, 2001
Stephen Dryden, BA '73, Feb. 18, 2002 Sidney Dunning, ADA '37 , date
unknown Laura Ellis, B.Sc. '93, Feb. 18, 2002
Melvin Ferguson, ODH '82, June 8, 2001 Marian Fulford, DHE '36, in 2001
Don Groff, M.Sc. '68, Oct. 27, 2001 Ethel Hafermehl, DHE '56, Nov. 16,2001
Kathleen Hagey, DHE '37, Dec. 2, 2001
Doris Halliday, DHE '49, Jan. 29,2002
Douglas Hindson, ADA '58, October
2001 Archie Irvine, BSA '37, Dec. 8, 2001
Heatheranne Jessop, B.H.Sc. '61, Jan. 8,
2002
Thomas Jones, M.Sc. '66, june 2001
Robert Keith, BSA '32, Feb. 28, 2002 Irene Kock, B.Sc. '83, Dec. 31, 2001
Raymond Kraemer, BA '71, Dec. 30,2001
John Leslie, DVM '39, Dec. 2, 2001 Margaret Lipsit, DHE '30, Nov. 23,2001
Jack Long, BSA '44, Dec. 2, 2001
Edmund Marlowe, B.Sc. '87, Jan. 18,2002
Morley McCartney, BSA '40, Oct. 25,
2000 Marjorie Mcintyre, BA '71, July 7, 2001 Ruth Moyle, DHE '31, Jan. 14, 2002 Isabelle Ortis, BA '84, Feb. 27,2000 Shirley Perry, B.H.Sc. '56, Feb. 15, 2002
Katherine Picken, DHE '41, Nov. 20,
2001 Mary Roe, DHE '48, Oct. 29,2001 Frederick Sandalack, ODH '67, July 8, 1999
Richard Schofield, DVM '38, june 5, 2001
John Scott, ADA '82, Dec. 20, 200 l
Paul Shadbolt, OVC GD '82, Nov. 29, 2001
Helen Smallman, DHE '38, Dec. 16,2001
Edward Smith, BSA '36, Nov. 29, 2001
Arnold Stearman, BSA '49, Nov. 5, 2001
Daniel Steele, BSA '48, March 2, 2002
Albert Stevenson, BSA '35, Oct. 25, 2001 Suzanne Stilling, BA '69, March 5, 2002
Wilfred Van De Ven, BA '75, Feb. 19, 2002
Albert VanDerMeulen, DVM '58, Sept.
29,2001 Shannon Van Wagner, B.Sc.(Agr.) '86,
June 9, 2001 Anthony Veroni, DVM '47, Dec. 18, 2001
Vivienne Williams, BA '78, Feb. 3, 2002
Summer 2002 43
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
the 'Way 'We 'Were
THE FIRsT TIME Guelph alumni were asked to
contribute significantly to the support of their alma
mater was in 1919 when they were asked to donate
$60,000 toward the cost of building War Memorial Hall.
The provincial government donated $40,000 to the pro
ject, which came to fruition because of suggestions by
students that the Ontario Agricultural College should
build a memorial to the 109 college men who lost their
lives in the First World War.
Students wielded saws and axes against a stand of Nor
way spruce to ensure that the building would stand on its
present site, excavated the foundation themselves and held
a series of concerts to raise funds. Built of Georgetown
44 GuELPH ALUMNus
FROM THE ARCHIVES
limestone, War Memorial Hall opened in june 1924. Two
bronze tablets face each other in the memorial chapel, one
bearing the names of the 109 fallen men, the other remem
bering those who died in the Second World War. The hall
quickly became a cultural centre for the city as well as the
site of OAC's annual convocation ceremonies.
The example of War Memorial Hall and the good it
brought to the campus may have influenced alumni giv
ing in later years. A scholarship endowment fund cre
ated in 1959, the 1966 Development Fund that sup
ported the establishment of the University of Guelph,
and the University's last major capital campaign in 1986
all received broad alumni support.
Create the
Vision
Shape the
Future
Inspire Others
Diploma in Leadership An innovative limited-enrolment program combining
e-Learning with a residential component
Begins July 2002
and inditJidual
care!
As a member of the University of Guelph Alumni Association, you can enjoy savings through preferred group ratest. In addition, with Meloche Monnex,
YOU will always receive personalized care and attention. Call us now and get a taste
of our exceptional approach to service that has been our trademark for over 50 years.
FOR YOUR DIRECT QUOTE:
1--888~~~589-5656
Recommended by
University of Guelph Alumni Association
Get a quote! You could
a BMWX5* Our home and/or auto
policyholders are automatically entered.
Meloche Monnex Where insurance is a science ... and service, an art
tGroup auto insurance rates are not applicable in the Atlantic provinces. •No purchase necessary. Contest open only to residents of Canada, excluding Manitoba. Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Approximate value of the BMW X5 vehicle (model 3.0) is $57,000 (may not be identical to the one shown). Contest runs from December 13, 2001 to December 31, 2002. To obtain the rules and regulations of the Win a BMW X5 Contest, visit www.melochemonnex.com.