contoursS C I E N C E

www.ualberta.ca/science

Our recent

Realizing their big dreams

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Celebrating the Impact of

Recent Graduates ThecoverstoryforthisissueofScienceContoursfeaturesoneofourmorerecentgraduatesLaylaNeufeld–acariboubiologistworkinginJasperNationalPark.ThepartsheplaysinprotectingoneofCanada’smost iconic and threatened species gives all of us in the Faculty ofSciencearealsenseofpride. I had the great pleasure of meeting Layla – who studied as anundergraduatewithpolarexpertDavidHik-inNovemberwhenshespokeataluncheonwehostedforfall2009graduates. Layla’swordsofwisdomabouthowshehascometobeacariboubiologistremindedmeonceagainoftherealimpactouralumniarehavingontheworld.Ilearnedabouttheverydifferentworkingworldourrecentsciencegraduatesareentering,butwasencouragedtohearthatwearestilldoingagreatjobandkeepingupwiththetimes. Layla’swords, spoken to graduates barely a decade younger thanherself,resonatedwithmeasadean,becauseitwasconfirmationthattheprograms,researchandteachingweofferthenextgenerationofscientistsdoequippeoplelikeLaylatomakeadifference. This issue of Contours features a selection of storiesabout recent graduates like Layla who are making adifferenceintheworld. InNovemberIalsohadthepleasureofhonoringoneofourmorehighprofilealumni–DiscoveryChannel’sJayIngram-withanhonoraryDoctorateofScienceforhisworkinbringingscienceintothepublicdomain. That same evening Jay and his blues band TheMutationsperformedtoasell-outcrowdattheMyerHorowitzTheatre.ThetitleofhispresentationwasDarwin’s Sexy Science – the evolution of humansexual behavior. It remindedme once again howmuchscienceunderpinsalmosteveryaspectofourdailylives. Please keep in touchwith us;we are alwaysinterestedinhearingwhatyouaredoing.Happy2010.

GregoryTaylorDeanofScience

S C I E N C Econtours

ScienceContours ispublishedtwiceayear by the Faculty of Science OfficetoprovidecurrentinformationonthemanyactivitiesofFacultyandalumni.ThemagazineisdistributedtoalumniandfriendsoftheFaculty.

Dean of ScienceGregoryTaylor

Assistant Dean DevelopmentTomBerekoff

EditorWandaVivequin

Graphic DesignStudioXDesign

Contributing writersScottRollans,RyanSmith,BrianMurphy,WandaVivequin

Cover photographyMarkBradley

Send your comments to:TheEditor,ScienceContoursCW223BiologicalSciencesBuildingUniversityofAlbertaEdmonton,AB,CanadaT6G2E9Tel:780.492.4073Fax:780.492.4827Toll-free:800.358.8314E-mail:contours.science@ualberta.caWebsite:www.science.ualberta.ca

PublicationsMailAgreementNo:40063605

Science alumnus Jay Ingram talks with Science 100 students after his public lecture on the U of A

Campus in November.

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sciencebases 4 Science in the News FromtheNYTimestotheBBCtoNationalGeographic,

FacultyofScienceresearchershavebeenmakingheadlinesaroundtheworld.

features 6 Blake Johnson-Waterworld-Makingendsmeetina

kayak.

7 Raluca Eftmie-Workingoutthemathematicsbehindrandombehavior.

8 Paul Lu-Harnessingthecomputationalpowerofcomputerstosolvebigproblems.

9 Rebecca Marsh-Youdon’tneedtobeamalewithwildhairtobeaphysicist.

10Lucas Habib-Athomeinthemountains.

12Tina Grant-Nobodylikesfalsepositives.

13Max Darrah -Mountainrescuer.

14Shulamit Gordon -Lifeonice.

15Keith Yerex-Savinghumanityinavirtualworld.

16Alasdair Syme -Theconnectionbetweenphysics andcancer.

17Shannon Enns -Agiftbecomesalifeline.

18Patrick Van Laake-Globalworker-carbonbanker.

19 John Vederas-OnbecomingaRoyalFellow.

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11 Layla Neufeld Howtolandthat dreamjobinthehills

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S C I E N C Ei n t h e n e w s

Personality Types May Contribute to Genetic Success of

Bighorn SheepUofAresearcherDavidColtmanandhiscolleaguesare trying to find out what makes a bighornmountain sheep tick. They do that by trekkingdeepintothefoothillsoftheRockyMountainstoaplacecalledRamMountain.Theytrapmountainsheepinaplywoodboxwithwallsfive-metreshigh. And they justdon’twatch theanimal; theygointotheboxwithit. In addition to weighing and measuring theanimal, the researchers gauge its personality byhowmuchof a fight itputsup.Coltmanand theresearchteamaretryingtofigureoutifpersonalitytypehasanythingtodowithhowlongamountainsheeplivesorhowmanyoffspringitproduces. “Patient, less aggressive males bank on livinglong enough to become the dominant ram andproducelotsofoffspring,”hesaid,addingthe“badboy”personalitiesofthebighornmountainsheepworldaretheyoungramsthatwantitall,rightnow. Coltmanisco-authorofarecentpaperonanimalpersonality research published in The Journal of Evolutionary Biology TheRamMountain trap and release studyhasbeengoingon forclose to40years so researchershave recorded lots of repeatable behaviour onindividualmountain sheep and can see the sametrendsintheiroffspring. Coltman says research into the personalitiesof wildlife is a growing field and one day theinformationcouldbeofusetolivestockproducersand even pet owners. “Domestic breeders mightwant to focus on animals less prone to stress forthebenefitof theanimalsandthepeoplearoundthem.”

A MisplacedDinosaur Tooth May Have Been CannibalismYoudon’thavetobeapalaeontologisttosupposethatwaybackwhendinosaursroamedtheEarth,chancesweregoodmeateaterswouldhavedinedononeoftheirown. Evidence from a southern Alberta dig site and somepaleontological detective work by University of AlbertaresearcherPhilBellhashowever,unearthednewcluesaboutdinosaurcannibalism. “Cannibalismisprettywidespreadintoday’secosystems,”saidBell.“Birdsdoit,crocodilesdoit-it’snotasuncommonaswethinkitis.” “Evidenceofdinosaurcannibalism,however,israre,”saidBell,apalaeontologyPhDcandidate.“Theonlyprovencase

of one meat-eater eating anotherof the same species was found inMadagascarin2007.” BellworkedwiththejawboneofwhatappearstobeaGorgosaurus– found in Alberta’s DinosaurProvincial Park in 1996 - whichhadsomethingembeddedinit.Itwasinfactthetipofatoothfromanothermeat-eatingdinosaur. Bell says that tooth definitely

showsthatafighthadtakenplace.“Eithertheattackerfoughtandkilledthisdinosauroritwasalreadydead,anddinosaursarenotknownforpassingupafreemeal.” Analysisof thewoundand jawboneshowedresearchersthatthebitewasappliedwiththesameforceasatwo-tonnegreatwhitesharksaysBell.“Sharksareagoodanalogyastheirteethfrequentlybreakoffinanattackandbecomelodgedinthevictim.” “We’realwayslookingforevidenceofhowtheseanimalsbehavedandthatcanonlycomefromextraordinaryfossils.Thisisoneofthose.”

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Phil Bell on a dig site in Alberta

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Physics Professor Identifies

Youngest Neutron StarUniversityofAlbertaphysicsprofessorCraigHeinkehassolvedamysterythatlies11,000lightyearsbeyondEarthandhaspuz-zledastronomersforyears. Whenasupernova,anexplodingstar20timesheavierthanoursun,blastedapart,itleftbehindasmallcore,a20kilome-tre-wideremnant,whichHeinkeandacolleagueidentifiedasaneutronstar.It’stheyoungestneutronstareveridentified,anditsatmosphere,athinlayerofcarbon,isoneofakind. “The death of a star is that violent,” saidHeinke. “It tookcenturies for thedust to settle andwhen itdid, just 10yearsago,thestar’smysteriouscorewasrevealed.” Data fromaNASA satellite revealed that theneutron starhadatemperatureofroughlyamilliondegreesCelsius;3,000timeshotterthanboilingwater. Heinkeeventuallyconcludedthatthecoreisaneutronstarandthatitsunusualcarbonatmosphereisduetoitsyoungage.Upuntilnowresearchershaveonlyhadmucholderneutronstarstoexamineandnoneofthemhadacarbonatmosphere.Heinkesaysitwasthecarbonatmospherethatcausedalotofconfusionforastronomers. Heinke and his collaborator, Wynn Ho of SouthamptonUniversityintheUnitedKingdom,hadtheirresultspublishedinNature.

University of Alberta Sets Alarm for

Incoming Space StormsA team of researchers at the University of Alberta inEdmonton has broken new ground in outer space bypinpointingtheimpactepicentreofanEarthboundspacestorm as it crashes into the atmosphere and giving anadvancewarningthatit’sontheway. Thestudies,usingdatafromtheNASATHEMISmission,revealthatmagneticblastwavescanbeusedtopinpointandpredictthelocationattheedgeofspacewherespacestormsdissipate their energy.The technique canbe con-sideredastheseismologyofspace,theepicentremarkingthelocationwheretheenergyequivalentto50gigawattsofpower,ortheoutputof10oftheworld’s largestpowerstations,isdumpedintotheatmosphere. UofAPhysicistsJonathanRaeandIanMannarelead-ing the research team that has found the epicenter ofimpact. Using information from ground stations spreadacrossnorthernCanadaandfiveNASATHEMISsatellitestheresearcherslookfortheeyeofthestorm,hundredsofthousandsofkilometresabovetheEarth. “We see the benevolent side of space storms in formof the northern lights,” said Mann. “When electricallychargedparticlesspeedtowardsEarthandbuffettheatmo-sphere,theresultisoftenadancingshimmeringlightoverthepolarregion.” TheEarthisprotectedfromthemostdamagingdirecteffects of radiation from these space stormsby its atmo-sphere,butinspacethereisnowheretohide.High-energyelectricallychargedparticlesreleasedinspacestormscandisable spacecraft, interrupt radio communications andGPSnavigation,anddamageelectricpowergrids.

Craig Heinke

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Therearenoroadwayswhenyou’reinaseakayak,andBlakeJohnsonlovesit. “Seakayakingisagreatescapephysicallyandmentally,becausewhenyou’reoutontheoceanyou’renotonanyoneelse’spath,andyoufeellike

you’reonajourneyofexplorationanddiscovery,”hesays. It isperhapsnocoincidence, then, that Johnsonhasnotfollowedaconventionalpathinhiscareer. AftergraduatingwithaBScfromtheUniversityofAlber-tainthemid-’80s(butnotbeforefoundingtheUofAEntre-preneur’sClub,whichcontinuestoday),JohnsonworkedforAppleandthenranhisowngraphicdesigncorporatecom-municationscompany. Aftermorethanadozenyearsinthosejobs,Johnsonstart-edBatstarAdventureTours,whichisbasedinPortAlberni,BritishColumbiaandspecializesinseakayaking. BatstarhaswonmanyawardsanddistinctionssinceJohn-soncreateditin1999,butacitationfromNationalGeograph-icmagazine in 2009 for being among the “best adventuretravelcompaniesonearth,”standsoutamongthem. “TheNationalGeographicdesignation]isahugehonourandveryhumbling,” Johnsonsays.“It showsthatwereallytakecareandreallyknowwhatwe’redoing—it’slikehavingMarthaStewarttellyouthatyoumakethebestmuffins.” JohnsonbelievesthepersonaltouchesthatBatstaroffersgarneredtheattentionofNationalGeographiceditors. “Of course, people are going to expect great guides andgreat food and greatwine and great equipment and all ofthat,butit’stheintangiblesthatcount.Forexample,ifyou’reintophotography,we’llplanthetriptogiveyoualotofop-portunitiesforthat,”hesays. Johnsonfindshiswork“extremelyrewarding.” Ithasal-lowed him to meet and befriend “amazing people fromaroundtheworld”andprovidethemwithlife-transformingexperiences.Ithasalsogivenhimsomesweetvindication. “Imajoredingeographyandphysics,andpeoplewouldal-waysteasemeandsay,‘Whatdidyourdegreegetyou?You’reworkingatApple.’Or,‘Youownagraphicsdesigncompany,’”hesays. “Butscienceteachesyoudisciplineandhowtolearn,anditbuildsanappreciationforlearninganddiscovery,”headds.“WhenIfirststarted[kayaktour]guiding,Ifoundmyselfim-mersedintheoutdoorenvironment,andthecoreofmysci-ence education really came to life. Everywhereyou lookedit came into play—marine life, plant life, rocks, geography,astronomy,naturalhistory—prettymucheverything.” “So,yeah,”helaughs.“Nooneteasesmeanymore.”

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Making ends meet in a Kayak

Blake Johnson – BSc 1985

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RalucaEftmiehasneverbeento theSerengeti,but shehasdiscovered things about theanimalstherethatbiologistsinthefieldhadneverknown.

Her special insights also extend be-yondtheAfricanplainstoanswerques-tionsaboutfish,birdsandinsects—evenbacteria colonies—that have stumpedexperts who’ve spent their lives study-ingtheseorganisms. What’s more, the Romanian nativewas able tomake these breakthroughswhileshewasaPhDstudentattheUni-versityofAlberta. Thesecrettohersuccess,shebelieves,isthatshehastakenanewapproachtoansweringoldquestions. Inherworkrelatedtoanimals,Eftmieusedappliedmathematicalmodelingtofigureouthow“self-organizing”groupsof animals within species—especiallythose thought to be “leaderless”—moveandbehave. Scientist have long believed certainanimalsexhibitseeminglyrandompat-ternswhentheymoveinpacks,suchaszigging, zagging and reversing course,and that these creatures were actingunder the principle of attraction andrepulsion;thatis,theirmovementsweredictatedbyadesiretoremainaspecific

distance from each other—not too farandnottooclose. However, Eftmie’s modeling hasshowntheanimals’movementsarealsorelated to subtle forms of communica-tionwithinthegroup.Assuch,thesud-den shiftingof, say,aherdofgazellesora school of fish, ispartially randombut is also in partdue to commu-nication mecha-nisms betweenindividuals in thegroup, as theyavoid predatorsandfindfood,forexample. Eftmie’s workearned her the2008 Best Dis-sertation Awardin theCanadianApplied and In-dustrial Math-ematics SocietyCompetition.Shewashumbledbythehonour,but shehopestheworkshe’sdoingwillbecomemorecommonplaceinthefuture. “Traditionally researchers have

worked in their fields and discoveredalltheyareabletodiscover,Ithink,butthe new research involves interactionsbetweendifferentfields,andmathemat-ics can act as a link for this. You canusemathematicstomakesenseoflargeamounts of data and answer questions

that you couldn’tbefore,”shesays. These days, Eft-mie is a post-doc-toral fellow at Mc-Master University,where she is ana-lyzing interactionsbetweencancerandimmune cells. Theultimate goal is tocreate a cancer vac-cine to prevent andevencurethedisease. “I love appliedmathematics becauseit givesme an oppor-tunitytomakeacon-tribution,” she says. “Ithink all of us wantour lives to matter in

somesmallway,andifIcanaddevenjusta tinybit to thewhole store of humanknowledge,then,whenI’m80,IthinkI’llbesatisfiedthatIdidn’tliveinvain.”

Working out the mathematics behind

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Raluca Eftmie – PhD 2008

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PaulLuisbuildingaplayhouseforhisthreeyear-olddaughter. The University of Alberta computer scienceprofessor can boast a long list of professionalaccomplishments, but he cites his backyard

woodworking project as the best example to highlight thevalueofhisbackgroundinscience. “TheplayhouseistakingabitlongerthanIexpected,”hesays, a little sheepishly. “I’m buildingmy own original, six-sideddesign,andit’saprettygoodchallenge.ButIloveit.” When he’s not carving wood, Lu is, among otherthings, a pre-eminent researcher and teacher in the fieldof high performance computing. He specializes in parallelcomputing—corrallingthepowerofmanyprocessorstosolvemassivecomputationalproblems. For his master’s project, Lu worked with Dr. JonathanSchaefferattheUofAtocreatethesoftwarethatallowedtheChinookcheckersprogramtobecomethemostpowerfulofitskindintheworld. After earning his PhD at the University of Toronto, LureturnedtotheUofA,whereheledgroundbreakingprojectstoconnectcomputersfromresearchinstitutesacrossCanadaonasinglegrid. In September 2004, Lu’s project, the CanadianInternetworked Scientific Supercomputer, connected morethan 4,100 computers for 48 hours, making it among thelargestgridsevercreatedatthetime,andonethathasyettobesurpassedinCanada. With the rise of interdisciplinary science and manyresearchersandbusinessestacklingmoreandmorecomplexcomputationalquestions,Lufindshisparticularexpertiseisinhighdemand. AsamemberoftheWestGridExecutive,LuworksalongsideUofAphysicistsandotherstoacquireanddeploythetoolsthey’ll need to analyze data as a part of the Large HadronColliderprojectinSwitzerland. Lualso serves as aprincipal investigatorof an interdisci-plinary program set up to understand how andwhy prionproteins misfold—a mechanism involved in Mad Cow,Creutzfeldt-Jakobandotherdiseases. “WhenI started incomputersciencemorethan20yearsago I never would have guessed I’d be involved in such ahigh-priority project,with somanymedical and economicimplications,but that’swhat I findappealingabout scienceandwhatIdo,”Lusays. “FifteenyearsfromnowI’msureI’llbeworkingonsome-thingcompletelydifferentthanwhatI’mdoingnow.Idon’tknowwhat itwill be, but I know itwill involve answeringquestionstogreaterandgreaterlevelsofdetail,andIlovethat.Ilovefindingsolutionstoproblems.Ithinkthat’swhyIlovebuildingmydaughter’splayhousesomuch,”hesays. “Well,that,andIknowshe’sreallygoingtoloveit.”

Harnessing the computation power of

to solve big problems

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Paul Lu – BSc 1991, MSc 1993 & PhD 2000

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In her younger days, RebeccahMarshlivedinthesameapartmentbuildingasa“quietlonerwithwildhair”. “He was a physicist,” she ex-

plains.“Hehadbeenagraduatestudentof Stephen Hawking, and I had beenthinking about studying physics—Iloved it—but I couldn’t picture what itwouldreallybeliketobeaphysicist.AllIcouldseewasthisguy,whoIcouldn’trelateto,andIwasintimidated.” As Marsh puts it, there were many“twistsandturns”inherlifeasshetriedto figure out what she wanted to bewhenshegrewup.Atdifferentstagesshesawherself as aballet dancer, an archi-tectandadoctor. But in her third-year as an under-graduate student at the University ofAlberta,Marshtookadvantageofanex-changeprogramtostudyforayearattheUniversitédeBourgogne inFrance.Theexperienceopenedhermindtothepos-

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Rebecca Marsh – BA 1994, BSc 1997, PhD 2007

sibilitiesofacareerinphysics. “I realized I wasn’t good at biol-ogyandchemistry—Iwasn’tgoodwithmemorization. But Iwas good at usingnumbers to solveproblems, and I start-edtoseehowthatcanbeappliedinsomany different and interesting waysthatIhadn’trealizedbefore,”shesays. As a master’s student in physics,Marsh plied her skill with numbers tocreateanewwaytodatearchaeologicalartifacts.AsadoctoralstudentattheUofA, sheworkedwith cancer research-erstodevelopavirtualliverthatmaybeusedindrugtesting. “Physics and math touch on every-thing.Theyarepresent inarchitecture,medicine, engineering and sports—prettymucheverything”,shesays.“Andphysics helps you answer questions,whichIalsolove.” Following her passion into physicshas ledMarsh toVancouver,where sheworksas theprogramdirector forMIT-

ACS,apublicly-fundedcentrethatlinksbusinessesandacademicresearchersforthebenefitofsociety. Current MITACS projects rangebroadly,includingthedevelopmentofamoreefficientandcleanercombustibleengine, models for fighting forest firesmoresafelyandeffectively,andasystemtohelpbankscreatefinancialportfolioswithreducedrisks. In her rare free time, Marsh volun-teersforaprogramcalledScienceAL!VE.One of her favorite things is to meetyoung,femalestudentsatsciencecampsandletthemseethatyoudon’thavetohave “wild hair”—or be male—to be aphysicist. “I try to be myself and have fun,”shesays.“Itellthemyoucanstillenjoyshoppingandreadinganddancingandstillbeaphysicist.Theimportantthingis to ignore the stereotypes, and you’llseethere’salotmoretosciencethanyoumightexpect.”

You don’t need to be a male with wild hair to be a

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F e a t u r e a l u m n i Lucas Habib – MSc 2006

LLucasHabibisthefirsttoadmithemightbeabitoverqualifiedforhisjob,buttheperksoflivingandworkinginaprimelocationintheCanadian Rockies more than makes up forthisrightnow.

Imaginewakingupinthemorning,strappingyoursaddlebagsontoahorseandridingintothemountainsofJasperNationalParkonpatrolforafewdays.ImaginecatchingaquadridetothetopofSignalMountainandspendingthenextfewdayscheckinginwithhikersonthemagnificentSkylineTrail. ThesearethingsHabibdoesnotneedtoimaginebe-causehelivesthemaspartofhisjobasaparkwarden–aprofessionthatcelebratedits100thanniversaryin2009.Habib ispartofanewgenerationofwardens tocomeinto the parks system, graduates armed with degreesandacommitmenttopreservingandprotectingwhatmakes recreation inCanada’s national parks amemo-rableandrewardingexperience. Habibsaysitisnotalwayssunshineandfunbecauseatsometimesoftheyear,enforcingthelawsofthena-tionalparkscanbemoredifficult.Thisisespeciallysoin summerwhen campgrounds are filledwithpeopledecompressing from theirbusy liveswith time in themountains. “Therealityofbeingawardenissometimesalotless

glamorous than the public probably appreciates andtherearesomerealchallenges,”hesaid. WhilestudyingwithStanBoutinandErinBayneattheUofA,Habib-originallyfromOttawa– lookedattheimpactofincreasedbackgroundnoiseonbirds.Thistopicpiquedhisimaginationbecauseitwasasideeffectofindustrialoilandgasdevelopmentthatwasnotget-tingalotofattention.Withmorethan3000noisycom-pressorstationspositionedaroundAlbertainprimebirdhabitat,Habibthoughtitwashightimesomeonelookedattheimpactofthis. “Myresearchexaminedafewwaysinwhichchron-ic background noise may possibly affect boreal for-est songbirds. Because birds communicate primarilythroughsinging,itseemsreasonablethattheymightbeespeciallysusceptibletonegativeeffectsofbackgroundnoise.Mostindustrialnoiseislow-frequency,meaningitcantravelgreatdistancesthroughtheforestandcouldinterferewithbirdsong,”saidHabib. WhileHabibhopes tooneday tomakeapplieduseofwhathestudiedforhisMaster’sthesis,rightnowheishappytoliveinawardencabininthewoodsnearJasper. “Therearealotofperkstothisjobthatcan’tbecom-paredtoanythingelseoutthereanditreallydoesnotget any better than being able to call themountainsyourbackyard.”

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F e a t u r e a l u m n i Layla Neufeld – BSc 2001, MSc 2006

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Personality,passion,intelligence,andinitiativeareamongthelonglistoffineingredientsthatmakeLaylaNeufeldapersonpeoplewanttoknow. ThislistisalsogoodnewsforoneofCana-da’smost iconicspecies - thecaribou–which

Neufeldisworkinghardtoprotectinherjobasabiolo-gistinJasperNationalPark. Anyonewhomeets thiseffervescentyoungwomancan’t help but be affected by the energy she exudeswhenshetalksaboutherworkandlifeinasmallmoun-taintownintheCanadianRockies. “Passionwillonlytakeyousofarsomyadvicetostu-dentsandgraduatestodayistogetinvolvedinwhatyouwanttobedoingearlyon–inwhateverwayyoucan,”saidNeufeld. NeufeldadmitssheisluckytohavelandedherdreamjobworkingwithWoodlandcaribouinJasper sosoonaftercompletingherMSc.Shealsorecognises,however,thatarealpassionfortheenvironmentandherconnec-tions and commitment to the scientific and conserva-tioncommunityhavealsoplayedabigpart ingettingherwheresheistoday. Agreatdayatthe“office”forNeufeldmightinvolvelacingupherhikingbootsandtakingoffforaweek,liv-inginatent,andtrackingthemovementsandpatternsofoneofCanada’smostendangeredandiconicspecies.

AnothergreatdaymightmeanjumpinginahelicopterandflyingoverthemountainsofoneofCanada’smostbeautifulnationalparkslookingforcaribou. Anotsogreatdaymightrequirehertoplaydetectiveatacariboukill siteorpickingupanimalscattoworkoutwhatexactlyisgoingoninthebackcountrywhenthebiologists’eyesareturnedtotheircomputerscreensinsteadoftothemountains. “The thing I really like working here is that eventhoughIamyoung,Ifeellikemyinputisacknowledged,”saidNeufeldshortlyafteratiringdaydiscussingcaribourecoveryacrossaconferencetablewithgatheredexperts.HerpathtoJasperhasbeenlinedwith“less-than-ideal”research jobs that eventually convinced her that thiswaswhatshereallywantedtodo. “Youreallydohavetostartwithworkingwithmicebeforeyouareabletomoveontolionsandtigers,butworkingwithmicecanbereallyfuntoo,”shelaughs. “Likealmosteveryoneelsegraduating,Isufferedfromthe PUDDS (Post Undergraduate DegreeDepression Syn-drome),workingoutwhatIwantedtodo,but,IhavetosaythatrightnowIreallylovemyjobandbeingabletoliveandworkinthemountainsissuchaprivilege,”shesaid. After twoyears living in townNeufeldnow calls aremotewarden’s cabinhome, the finishing touch to aperfectportraitoflifeanddedicationtothemountains.

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Current methods of cancer detection can lead to“false positives”. It’s a subject Tina Grant knowswell. Inthemedicalworld,afalsepositivedescribeswhen a doctormisdiagnoses ahealthyperson as

diseased.ButwhenGrantwasateenager,thetermmighthavereferredtohercareeraspirations. “Iwasmuchmore into arts than sciences in high school,andI thoughtIwouldfocusonthearts foracareer,butthatchangeddramatically,”shesays. The transformation happened at university, where Granttook a chemistry class. Then she took another, and another,discoveringthatthemoreshetook,themoreshelikedit. “Chemistry, and especially organic chemistry, is like apuzzle. You’re constantly trying to solve little problems thatcan lead to solving bigger problems, and that intriguesme,”saysGrant,whoearnedaPhDinorganicchemistryfromtheUniversityofAlbertain2008. Not yet 30 years-old, Grant has already pieced togethersolutions to some complex organic chemistry problems andpublishedherfindingsinsomeofthemostprestigiousjournalsinherfield. Nowapost-doctoralstudent,Grantisworkingwithphysiol-ogists,oncologistsandotherchemistsonaprojectattheCrossCancerInstituteinEdmontontohelpdoctorsdiagnosecancer,

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Tina Grant – PhD 2008

particularlybreastcancer,withmoreaccuracy. Currently, doctors use Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) to detectcancerous tumors. The compound accumulates in cells thatexhibit increased metabolism—a trademark of cancer cells—anddoctorsobservethisphenomenonwithPositronEmissionTomography(PET)imaging However,sometimesFDGappearstoaccumulateinbenigncellsinPETscans,andthiscanleadtofalsepositive—andevenfalse negative—diagnoses. Such errors canbe lethal, atworst,andemotionallydraining,atbest. Grant’s goal is to develop a synthetic fructose compoundthatwillcomplementFDGandimprovetheaccuracyofPETimagingtodetectcanceroustumors. “Webelieveafructose-analogwillbemoreselectivelytakenupbybreastcancer tissue,andwe’llavoidsomeof the issuesinherentinFDGimaging,”shesays. Thegroupisonthevergeofdoingit’s firsttestingonani-malswiththenewfructosecompound,andGrantis,ofcourse,“reallyexcited.” “Whenyou’reachemist,oftenyousticktobasicscience,butifIcanhelpsomeonewiththeknowledgeI’vegainedovertheyearsthenthat’swhatI’dprefertodo,andthisprojectisleadingmeinthatdirection,”shesays.“I’mreallyhopefulthatitwillworkout.” Nobodylikesfalsepositives.

Nobody likes

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F e a t u r e a l u m n i Max Darrah – BSc 2001

Mountain

ItisnottoodifficulttoworkoutwhyMaxDarrahgetssoanimatedwhentalksaboutthemountains.Helivesinthem,worksinthemandplaysinthem.Whatcouldbebetter? On a perfect cloudless day surrounded by jagged

peaks,Darrahadmitsheisprettyluckytobeinthisposition.Currently employed as a resourcemanagement and publicsafety specialist in JasperNational Park -a job that involveseducatingpeoplehowtostayoutoftroubleinthemountains-Darrahalsoworksasthelifelineforpeoplewhoeventuallydogetthemselvesintotrickysituations. Using the mountain skills he has gathered, learned andpracticed over the years, Darrah can sometimes be foundhanging out of helicopters, clipped into ropes dangling offcliffs or inching hisway along knife-edge ridges, all in thename of getting people back onto safer ground after some-thinggoeswrongwiththeiradventure. In the two weeks before being interviewed, Darrah hadbeencalledoutatleastadozentimestoassistpeopleintrou-ble – themost recent being a rescue onMtMorrowwhichflankstheareanearJasperNationalPark’seasternboundary. “Ihadactuallyclimbedtheroutewhere thepeoplewereintroublemyselftwoweeksearlierandwasthereforeabletotalkthepeoplethroughpartoftherescueandwewereovertheareawithin25minutestohelpout,”saidDarrah. Whilethis jobmightseemamillionmilesfromwhathelearned getting his BSc at theU of A, he believes nonethe-less that his understanding of mountain ecology and theenvironmentarecornerstonesofworkinginanationalpark,whateverthatrolemaybe. “Ialwayswantedtoworkinthemountains,toworkinthenaturalworld,”saidDarrah. “TogetajobintheParksServiceitisdefinitelyanadvan-tage tohaveadegree so itmakesgoodsense tohavea solid

understandingoftheenvironmentyouareworkingin,”saidDarrah. Ithasnotalways,however,beenquitesuchanadrenaline-filledpositionthatDarrahhasoccupiedintheNationalParksService.Hehasdonehistimeonthetrailcrewsandthefirecrew,bothofwhichhesaysplayedanimportantroleinim-provinghiswholeunderstandingofthemanagementofcon-servationareasforpublicenjoyment. Tokeephisskillssharpandtunedduringoff-seasonDarrahalsoworksasaclimbingguide, living,breathingand lovingtheenvironmentheworksandplaysin.

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Shulamit Gordon, science advi-sorforNewZealand’sAntarcticaprogram,isastudyincontrasts. Shehasalwayslovedglaciers,but she did her undergraduate

degree at Bristol University, whichdidn’thaveaglaciologyprogramwhenshewasthere. The London, England native lovesthatherworkinAntarcticacontributestoagreaterknowledgeofourworldandhow it’s changing, and yet one of herfavoritethingsaboutthesouthernmostcontinent is that it canmake you feellikean“insignificantspeck.” She sings in a choir and leads a jazzband,butshethrills tothe“deafening”silenceofawindless,Antarcticday. Her favorite sport is hockey (whichshe discovered in the mid-’90s as amaster’s student at the University ofAlberta),butsheresidesinahemispherewhere references to “icing” are almostexclusivelycake-related.

on Finally, Gordon coordinates severalresearchprojectshappeninginAntarcti-ca,butsheadmitsshedoesn’talwaysun-derstandallofthesciencebehindthem. ButthereisoneelementofGordon’slife that has remained steadfast andeven:shelovesscience. “People are always inquisitive, andscience is one way of answering thequestions that we come up with. Thequestions are always more and morechallenging,butinmyview,thisiswhathas driven the technological advancesthat there have been over time,” shesays. “That’s why science is important.The moment we stop asking thosequestionsisthemomentwestopcaringabout what is around us, and we stopchallengingourselves.” Gordon’scurrentchallengeistopro-videsupportforsomeofNewZealand’sscience in Antarctica. She adminis-ters proposal reviews and scholarshipprograms, organizes conferences and

manages scientific information. Butherfavoritedutyistohelpsetupabasecamp in Antarctica for scientists eachsummer. “I’ve always wanted to facilitatescience. I don’t have to do the science,butIliketakingthecoordinationworkoffofthescientiststoletthemdowhattheyarebestat,”shesays. HerworkhastakenhertoAntarcticamorethanadozentimes. “Thereisnobetterridetoworkthanthe onewe take on thehuge planes toAntarctica—and then getting off theplane and stepping out into that crispcoldisawesome,”shesays. Among the many things she lovesabout Antarctica is the “stark contrastbetweentheicefreelandandtheglaciersthatflowontoit.” Indeed, contrasts can produce greatthings.

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Shulamit Gordon – MSc 1996

S C I E N C Econtours 15

EverydaythatKeithYerexgoestowork,heenters“ashatteredworld that ison thebrinkofutteranni-hilation.” Hecallsithisdreamjob When he was a teenager, Yerex, likemost kids

thatage,likedplayingvideogames. “I originally got interested in them from an artistic per-spective,”he says. “I’ve alwaysbeen interested in game art—howtheylookedandhowtheyweremade.” After high school, Yerex studied computer science at theUniversityofAlberta,receivingaBScin2002andanMScin2005. During hismaster’s program, Yerex worked on a projectcalledOpenRealTimeStrategy(ORTS),whichprovidesagameengineforthepurposeofstudyingArtificialIntelligence. “My thesis was about capturing graphic models of realworldobjectsusingwebcams.Wewouldput anobjectonaturntable, focus awebcamon it and then spin it around togetabunchofdifferentviewsofit.Fromthatwe’dbeabletoconstructa3Dmodelofitthatwecouldinsertintoavirtualworld,suchasavideogame,”heexplains. After his master’s degree, Yerex could have accepted anNSERCgranttopursuehisPhD,buthewasalsoofferedajobwithEdmonton-basedBioware,aleaderintheproductionoffantasyvideogames,suchasBaldur’sGate,forXBox,PlaySta-tionandPCgamingsystems. “Itworkedoutreallywell,”hesays.“Iprobablycouldhavegotten a position programming game logic aftermyunder-graduatedegree,but,becauseoftheexperienceIgainedfromdoingmymaster’s,IwashiredforthejobI’vealwayswantedingraphics,soItookitwhileIhadthechance.” Fornearly fouryears,YerexhasbeenworkingonDragonAge, a fantasy game that allows players to create their owncharactersandthentrytosavehumanityfromdestructionat

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Keith Yerex – BSc 2002, MSc 2005

thehandsofanevilwarlord. “Yes,it’smydreamjob,butthatdoesn’tmeanit’seasy,”saysYerex,whoisnotyet30. Thejobcanincludelonghours,especiallywhendeadlinesarelooming,suchastheprojectedDragonAgelaunchdateinthefallof‘09. “We’re just workingsomebugsoutnow,but,yeah, it’s pretty excit-ing,” he says, adding,“I’llbehappywhenit’sout, and we can startonanewgame.” Onecanonlyworkin a world that is onthebrinkofannihila-tionforsolong.

Saving humanity in a

S C I E N C Econtours16

Heprobablydoesn’tknowit,but,about15yearsago, a high school teacher inOntariomade asignificant contribution to the field of cancerresearch. The calculus teacher showed an impres-

sionable student,Alasdair Syme, thewonder andbeautyoftheworldofphysics,andSymedecidedheneverwantedtoleaveit. “Tobehonest,Ididn’talwayslikescience.WhenIthoughtabout what I would study in university, I was leaningtowards—actuallyIwasn’tsurewhatitwouldhavebeen,butitwasn’tscience,”Symesays. “Itwas all thanks to that one teacher I endedup in the

F e a t u r e a l u m n i Alasdair Syme – PhD 2004

The connection between

and

sciences. He was one of those teacherswho inspires you to learn. He actuallymade me look forward to his calculusclass, and everything took off fromthere,”Symesays. Syme’s path from that fateful highschoolclassroomeventuallytookhimtotheUniversityofAlberta,where,in2004,heearnedaPhDinmedicalphysics. Nowhe’sanassistantprofessorintheUofADepartmentofOncology and amedical physicist at the Cross CancerInstitute.“IenjoywhatIdobecause it involvesagoodmixofresearch,clinicalworkandteaching,”hesays. On the research side, Syme usesMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) todetermine how tumors are respondingtoradiationtreatment. “We’re looking for signals that canhelp us distinguish responders fromnon-responders,with thehope thatwecould one day tailor the treatment tothepatient,”hesays. SymealsousesNuclearMagneticRes-onance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyzeurinesamplestotrytofindthemetabol-icsignaturesofcertainformsofcancer. “The analysis of metabolomic datais complicated by the fact there are so

manypossiblecombinationsofmetabolitesthatcanproduceasignal,”hesays.“ButwethinkitmightbepossibletoapplyNMRurineanalysis todetectcertaindisease types, suchasbladdercancer.” “Themainhopeisthatwewilldevelopacancerdetectionmodelthatisnon-invasive,cheapandreliable,”headds.“Ofcourse,wealsowanttobeabletodetectcancerearlier,whichalmostinvariablyimprovesprognosis.” As for his teaching duties, Syme loves working withstudentsandtryingtoinspirethemtolearninthesamewayhiscalculusteacherinspiredhimmanyyearsago. “If Icandofor themwhathedid forme, thatwouldbegreat.That’swhatIstrivefor,”hesays.

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A gift becomes a

InMarch1994,ShannonEnnswasjustafewmonthsaway from completing her BSc in psychology—but,shewasalsoattheendofherfinancialrope.“IrealizedthatIwasgoingtorunoutofmoney,”sherecalls.Facedwiththeprospectofabandoningher

studies and sacrificingyearsofhardwork, adesperateEnnsturnedtotheStudents’Unionforsupport. Inthenickoftime,Ennswasabletosecureagrant,andsaveherdegree.And,tothisday,sheremainspro-foundlygrateful.“IreallyappreciatedthatIwasabletogetthathelp—justsomethingtogetmethroughthepe-riodofmyexams.” Thankfully,fifteenyears later,Ennsisnowinapo-sitiontohelpothers.Throughapersonalcontribution,plusmatchingfundsfromtheprovincialgovernment,shehascreatedascholarshipforafemalestudentintheFacultyofSciencewhofacesfinancialhardship. Backinthe90s,herhard-wondegreeinhand,Ennshittheroadforapost-gradmotorcycletrip.Sheendedup in Vancouver, looking for work, but quickly real-izedthataBScwouldnotlandherajobinpsychology.Instead,sheheadedoverseas,toteachEnglishinKorea.After returning to Canada a couple of years later, shelookedforajobteachingESLinVancouver,andhasre-mainedinthefieldeversince. Inshort,theBScEnnsfoughtsohardforbackin1994hasnevertranslateddirectlyintoasingleday’semploy-ment.So,why,afteralltheseyears,doesshestillremainsoloyaltoheruniversityanditsFacultyofScience?

“Thoseweresomeofthebestyearsofmylife,”Ennsstatessimply.“Ofcourse,someclasseswerehardertositthrough thanothers, and thereweredayswhen I justwantedtoquitaltogether.But,really,IfoundtheUofAtobeacommunity.Gettingtoknowtheprofessorsandsomeoftheotherstudents—thatwasjustasuperexperi-ence,andImaintainsomeofthoseconnectionsstill.” Universityalsotransformedherfromaschoolgirltoan adult. “Itwas ahugepartof growingup,” she says.“Learningtoplanmydays,andtobeself-motivated,be-causeIhadtobe.” Enns is thrilled to think thathermodest financialcontributionmightchangealife,justasthat1994grantchangedhers.“Iwisheverybodycouldgotouniversity.”

Feature alumni and donor Shannon Enns – BSc 1994

2009 Science students

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F e a t u r e a l u m n i Patrick Van Laake – PhD 2004

Throwadartatamapof theworld and the chances areprettyhigh thatwhereeverit lands, Patrick Van Laakehas probably been there

withhisnotebook,alaptop,amosquitonet,andhisGPS. As a researcher and lecturer basedat the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Obser-vation (ITC) in EnschedeHolland, VanLaakehastraveledtowelloveradozendeveloping countries since startingworkatthisuniqueinstitutein2004. ITC – established by the Dutchgovernmentinthe1950s-hasaspecificobjective to foster an internationalexchange of knowledge focusing oncapacity building and institutionaldevelopment in developing countriesandemergingeconomies. For Van Laake working at ITC is aperfectfit,marryinghisDutchancestrywith the opportunity to travel todevelopingcountriesandindulgeinhispassion forworkingwith, andassistingpeople. Van Laake began working at ITCshortlyaftercompletinghisPhDattheUofAunderthesupervisionofwell-knowearthandatmosphericsciencesprofessorArturo Sanchez-Azofeifa. The two firstmet in Costa Rica in the mid-1990swhen Van Laake was working for the

United Nation’s Food and AgriculturalOrganisation(FAO)andSanchez-AzofeifawasresearchinghisPhD. Interviewing Van Laake in 2009 intheITCcafeteriasurroundedbystudentsfromaroundtheglobe,hebecomesveryanimatedwhen talking about some ofthe incredible projects he is currentlyinvolvedwith. “Consideringthefocusthereistodayonclimate-relatedissues,itiswonderfulto be working at the forefront ofsolutions and ideas that will benefitdevelopingcountries,”saidVanLaake. Much of Van Laake’s work to daterelates to the assessment of ecosystemservices, in particular those related toforestedlandscapes,andtheirapplicationinclimatechangerelatedfields, suchasthe Clean Development Mechanism oftheKyotoProtocolandtheUN’sClimateChangeAdaptationprogram. Oneprojectinparticularthathasgot

VanLaakeintothefield,ishisworkwithKyoto: Think Global, Act Local. Thisinitiative looks at the possibilities andpotential for Community Based ForestManagementofexistingnatural foreststo be included as an eligible carbonmitigationactivityunder internationalclimate change agreements in thefuture. Theprojecthas itsownuniquesetofchallenges,butthatispreciselywhatVanLaakeenjoyssomuchabouthiswork. “It really is my dream job to betraveling all over the world advisingand working with locals to come upwith ideas thatmake sensewithin theircontextandhavethepotentialtomakearealdifferencelong-term,”saidVanLaake.

and

Patrick Van Laake works with locals on a research project in Paupa New Guinea

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S C I E N C Econtours 19

Chemistry’s

on Becoming a Royal Fellow

John Vederas being formally admitted by Lord Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society - in the background Foreign Secretary and Vice President of the Royal Society, Oxford University Professor Lorna Casselton.

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Signing the Royal register.

IInJuly 2009UofA chemistry professor JohnVederas andhis familyjourneyedtoLondonforaveryspecialoccasion. VederasjoinedtheranksofIsaacNewton,ErnestRutherford,StevenHawking and Charles Darwin when he was officially welcomed as aFellow of the Royal Society -the world’s oldest scientific academy in

continuousexistencefoundedin1660. Vederaswas honored for his fundamental contributions to the fields ofbioorganicandmedicinalchemistry. Eachyearjust44peopleareawardedthishonor.Itisthehighestaccoladeascientistcanget,shortofaNobelPrize.VederasjoinedUofAscientistsWernerIsrael (Physics), Michael James (Biochemistry), the late Raymond Lemieux(Chemistry), Brian Sykes (Biochemistry), and David Schindler (BiologicalSciences)onthelistofRoyalFellows. ScienceContours caught upwithVederas inhis colourful office shortlyaftertheceremonytofindoutmoreaboutthebigday.

Q: How did you find out you about the honor?A: I found out officially through a letter in the mail, although you don’tsuddenlyfindoutyouhavewon.Itgenerallytakesafewyearstoworkthroughtheprocess. I receiveda letter inMay2009sayingmynamewasonthe listbeingput forward for selectionandat thatpointyouknowthere isagoodchancethatyouwillbenamedaRoyalFellow.

Q: What was your reaction when you found out for sure?A: Ifeltdeeplyhonored.FormeitwasalsoanacknowledgementoftheworkIhavedonewithfellowresearchersandstudentsattheUofA.ItisalsoareflectionontheuniversityandachancetorecogniseotherUofARoyalFellows.

Q: Where was the event held?A: ItwasheldinhistoricCarltonHouseinLondon.It’samagnificentbuilding.Theceremonyisinfactathree-dayeventthatalsorequiresthenewFellowstogiveashortseminarontheirwork.ItwasfascinatingtohearthepresentationsmadebysomeoftheotherFellows -physicists,mathematicians,biologists -andrecognisethegreatworkbeingdonebyscientists.

Q: How many other Canadians were honored in 2009?A: Typically just one Canadian is honored but this year three of us werehonored includingMichel Chretien, brother of our former PrimeMinisterJean Chretien. It was interesting to hear about the work he is doing inneuroendocrinology.

Q: Was was a highlight of the ceremony?A: SigningtheparchmentregisterthatincludesthenamesofNewton,Darwin,Hawkingwasdefinitelyahighlight.

Q: Did you ever imagine that such a moment would happen for you?A: Idon’tthinkthisissomethingIwouldhaveimaginedwhenIfirststartedout,butastimewentbyandmyresearchbecamemorerecognised,Ibegantorealizethatitcouldhappen.YouneedtobepatientinscienceIhavelearned.

FacultyofScienceOfficeCW223BiologicalSciencesBuildingUniversityofAlbertaEdmonton,AlbertaCanadaT6G2E9

40063605

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