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    Dedicated support for United Way, Queen’s

    When John Weatherall looks at the needs of a community today, what he sees as vitally important is a sense of closeness.

    Unfortunately, he points out, that closeness is sorely missing in most communities.

    John and Diana Weatherall are long-time supporters of both Queen’s University and the Kingston community. (Supplied photo)

    However, one of the ways he personally is trying to make a difference is through his participation with the United Way of Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington.

    While he has long supported the United Way in a number of ways, John is currently heading up the Leadership Challenge Grant, which is aimed at encouraging ‘Leadership’ level donations of $1,200 or more during the annual fundraising campaign. This is the second year that John and his wife Diana have given the Leadership Challenge Grant.

    John often speaks of issues on a global scale, yet he remains very connected to local matters. It is something that he inherited from his father while growing up in England. 

    “My father was always involved in local things – school boards, local politics, planning boards,” he says, adding that, as a result of his father’s influence, he “feels a kind of duty” to help others in the community.

    He sees the United Way as an important vehicle for making such a difference as it supports a wide range of local initiatives providing much-needed support to the community. The efforts help bind the community together.

    “I do believe very much that the community has to be close and the community is getting less close,” he says.

    John is a trained engineer who has worked in the investment industry for over 50 years.  He is currently running his own investment firm after retiring as a director from Toronto Dominion Bank in 1995.

    Much of his work is aimed at bringing people together once again. A key to this is mentorship, the sharing of knowledge among people with similar interests. By having role models and opportunities to be in programs local youth can have something they can be proud of and build self-esteem. 

    It’s also a role he plays through the Leadership Grant Challenge.

    “Connections are important,” he says.

    John points out that the world, Canada included, has undergone significant and difficult changes in recent decades. The subsequent results include the separation of communities, a decline in values and growing youth unemployment.

    But, through local efforts, change can still be made with the proper support such as that found through the United Way.

    “You look at what you are able to give and you find out what is important and you do that,” he says. “That’s part of being in a community.”

    John first arrived in Kingston in the 1950s when he worked for Alcan, coming from England and creating a kind of second home. During his time here he also fostered some close connections with Queen’s, including befriending Principal William Mackintosh.

    John continues to help Queen’s by supporting the Office of Advancement in its effort to raise funds for the university and its students.

    He also supports the university directly through the Scarthingmoor Prize in Economics, which he established in 2006. The award is handed out annually to a student whose Master’s essay received a mark of at least 85%. 

    Also, in recognition of his work, Queen’s offers the John Weatherall Visiting Scholar Fund in Economics, funded by a gift from the Jim Pattison Foundation. The fund provides resources for the Department of Economics to invite top-flight economists from other institutions, especially leading scholars from outside of Canada, to visit Queen's for variable periods of time of one week or more.

    The United Way Campaign at Queen's has set a goal to raise $300,000. The United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington funds agencies that help 75,000 people locally each year, including 13,775 school students who were provided nutritious food to help them learn better at school, 1,810 children and youth who were healthy, active and safe by participating in afterschool activities, 250 seniors who were dealing with elder abuse issues found a new sense of safety, and 1,705 people found a place to call home with emergency, transitional or affordable permanent housing.

    Donations can be made online at https://andarweb.unitedwaykfla.ca/quregistration through payroll deduction or credit card. If you would prefer to make your gift by cheque or cash, pick up a form at the Human Resources reception desk in Fleming Hall, Stewart-Pollock Wing or request, through the online system, a form to be sent to you. You have the option to make a one-time gift or, back by popular demand, choose to have your pledge automatically renewed each year. For any questions, send an email to queensunitedway@queensu.ca.

    Composer offers orchestral take on 'Oil Thigh'

    The “Oil Thigh” will be sung numerous times during Homecoming weekend, but only once will proud alumni have orchestral accompaniment.

    [John Burge]
    John Burge, a professor in the School of Drama and Music and a Juno Award-winning composer, has created an orchestral arrangement of the "Oil Thigh". The Queen's Symphony Orchestra debuted the piece on Oct. 23 at the Homecoming showcase concert at the Isabel. 

    John Burge’s classical treatment of the university’s long-time fight song, performed by the Queen’s Symphony Orchestra, made its debut during the School of Drama and Music’s Homecoming showcase concert at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on Friday night.

    “The idea was to give the song a rather obvious orchestrated climax,” says Dr. Burge, a Juno Award-winning composer who has taught at Queen’s for nearly 30 years. “After a big introduction, the first verse is sung with just some of the orchestra playing. For the second verse, I add a few more instruments, and then the entire orchestra joins in the final verse and it gets rather huge at the end. There are interludes between the sung verses that modulate to different keys making the middle verse a bit lower to sing and the final chorus higher and with a more triumphant flavour.”

    The idea of an orchestral arrangement of the “Oil Thigh” came up back in May as a unique addition to the Homecoming showcase concert. Dr. Burge volunteered, coming up with a three and a half minute version that now includes an introduction, interludes and a coda in addition to the traditional three verses. As he sat down to write the arrangement in the summer, Dr. Burge set out to add something original to this ubiquitous ditty.

    “The actual tune is often referred to as 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' and it is one of those annoying earworms. Once you sing it a few times, it’s really hard to get it out of your system,” he says. “I didn’t want to set it so that people could sing along when they had accompaniment because that’s in fact what the Queen’s Bands already does. So I came up with a couple of additional ideas to give the accompaniment more resonance and there is a big build up before each verse is sung so you really know when the 'Oil Thigh' is coming.”

    Dr. Burge dedicated the arrangement to Daniel Woolf as a small way of acknowledging the accomplishments of the current principal and vice-chancellor over the past six years.

    “I just felt that as he moves into his second term, he should be really proud of where things are with Queen’s,” he says. “With the recent announcement of the $50 million endowment for the Smith School of Business and the Nobel Prize in Physics for Art McDonald, it’s just a great time to be at Queen’s.”

    Dr. Burge anticipates the Queen’s Symphony Orchestra will play his arrangement of the "Oil Thigh" at future Homecoming showcases and possibly at formal events like installations. The new arrangement might also be included in events planned by the School of Drama and Music to mark Queen’s 175th anniversary.  

    Dean Reznick receives lifetime achievement award

    Richard Reznick, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University, is being recognized with a major award from his alma mater.

    Richard Reznick, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University, is being recognized by his alma mater, McGill University.

    A proud McGill University alumnus, Dr. Reznick is receiving the Medicine Alumni Global Award for Lifetime Achievement for his nearly 30-year career in medical education.

    The award, presented since 2009, is given to a graduate “who has enhanced the reputation of McGill University through a lifetime of exceptional leadership.”

    “When I realized who had been given the award in the past I felt incredibly humbled,” says Dr. Reznick. His predecessors form a list of medical professionals at the forefront of their specialty, including Dr. Charles Scriver, a pioneer in medical genetics, and Dr. Phil Gold, who co-discovered carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), which led to a test that detects colon cancer.

    While he is thrilled to receive the lifetime achievement award, Dr. Reznick says there is still much work to be done. 

    “The future of medical education remains very exciting,” he says. “By continuing to improve the way we train future health professionals we will ultimately improve the way we deliver health care to our patients.”

    Dr. Reznick is recognized as a leader in surgical education and has devised reliable clinical assessment tools to judge surgical quality. That work earned him the Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education in 2010. He also played a leading role in establishing a performance-based examination used for medical licensure across Canada.

    Dr. Reznick was first appointed Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s in 2010 and was reappointed for a second five-year term this past June. During his time as dean, the faculty has worked to intensify research, develop new models of teaching and training, and introduce new programs, such as the Queen’s University Clinician Investigator Program, the Queen’s University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS), the multidisciplinary Master of Science in Healthcare Quality, a combined MD/PhD program, and the functional anatomy boot camp. 

    Dr. Reznick also serves as the chief executive officer of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Association (SEAMO).  He is also currently a member of the boards of Kingston General Hospital, Hotel Dieu Hospital and Providence Care.

    A professor in the Department of Surgery, Dr. Reznick completed his medical degree at McGill and then graduated from the general-surgery training program at the University of Toronto. He completed a Master of Education degree at Southern Illinois University followed by a fellowship in colorectal surgery at the University of Texas in Houston.

    Long-lost mural a valuable learning resource

    [Mural Conservation]
    Master of Art Conservation students assess the condition of a mural that was donated to Queen's after it was found during renovation work at the former bus terminal on Bath Road in Kingston. (University Communications)

    A long-lost mural has found new life as a valuable learning resource for students of the Master of Art Conservation program at Queen’s University.

    Removed from a wall at the former Kingston bus terminal on Bath Road earlier this year, the massive 3.4-by-1.8-metre oil on canvas mural is now being assessed by the program’s six students.

    The piece, created by Canadian artist Kenneth Hensley Holmden (1893-1963), is based on a painting originally created by William Henry Bartlett (1809-1854) entitled Fish Market, Toronto.

    The painting was found behind a wall during a renovation project and was donated to the program by the Springer Group of Companies.

    While it is a beautiful art piece its true value isn’t measured in dollars. Instead it is the rare opportunity for the program’s students to immerse themselves in the project from start to finish.

    “This is going to be a long-term endeavor and we’re also just incredibly grateful to the Springer family for donating the piece because it has been such an exceptional learning experience for us and we’re delighted to have it,” says Amandina Anastassiades, assistant professor of art conservation (artifacts).

    Anita Henry, adjunct professor of art conservation (paintings), says that removing a painting from a wall is a rare event.

    “I’ve been working now for over 25 years in the field of conservation and I’ve done it twice,” she says. “It doesn’t happen very often, so these students are incredibly lucky to have been able to do that.”

    Patrick Gauthier, a second-year art conservation student is excited to be working on such a complex project as part of his ongoing studies. Not only is the mural large, it also offers a wide range of challenges for conservators.

    “What we’re actually doing right now is the condition report. We’re assessing all the layers of the painting. We’re starting with the canvas and then we’re examining the ground, the preparation layer, the paint surface and the varnish surface,” he explains. “If there is some dirt on it we’ll document it as well. We’ll document the losses, how the painting is made, how it aged and how it has deteriorated. That will give us ammunition for further treatments.”

    After being rediscovered, the mural drew a significant amount of interest from the Kingston community with many people recalling it from their visits to the bus terminal restaurant.

    As a result, the mural will be open for viewing during the Art Conservation Open House being held Saturday from 1-3 pm as part of Homecoming weekend. Visitors will be able to check out the program’s facilities at 15 Bader Lane and view the treatment and science labs where students learn to conserve paintings, works of art on paper, and objects of archeological, historic and ethnographic origins. All are welcome!

    Queen's University offers the only Master of Art Conservation program in Canada. Students specialize in the conservation of paintings, artifacts or paper objects or carry out research in conservation science. 

    Collaboration introduces new mental health accommodation resources

    New resources to help students with mental health accommodations at post-secondary schools across Ontario are now available with the completion of a large-scale collaborative project between researchers at Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College. 

    The three-year project involved developing province-wide standards and guidelines to be used by students seeking academic accommodations for mental health. These resources for students, staff and faculty are now available online, and include:

    I. Recommendations based on province-wide standards and guidelines for the kinds of documentation that post-secondary students must provide when they are seeking academic accommodations for a mental health condition. These recommendations can help access/disability advisors and were based on extensive research and consultations province-wide.

    II. Eight videos about the accommodation process that can help students, faculty, access/disability advisors, student leaders and administrators determine how best to accommodate post-secondary students with mental health disabilities.

    III. An information and resource handbook for students with mental health disabilities in post-secondary education. The handbook contains information on the accommodation process, rights and responsibilities, how to manage your mental health on campus and mental health and the law.

    “This project was a collaborative effort between researchers at Queen’s and St. Lawrence College, and included extensive consultations” says Dr. Mike Condra, who led the project for Queen’s, and recently retired as Director, Health, Counselling and Disability Services (now known as Student Wellness Services.) “These resources can help universities and colleges support a growing number of students with mental health-related disabilities on campuses across the province.”

    The Principal Investigators were Dr. Condra and Wanda Williams, Director of Student Services at St. Lawrence College. Funding was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities through the Mental Health Innovation Fund.

    Flags lowered for research adviser Phil Hahn

    Flags on campus, already lowered in memory of Ronald L. Watts, the 15th principal of Queen’s University, will remain lowered in memory of Philip Michael Hahn, who worked as a research adviser in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for more than 30 years.

    [Phil Hahn]
    Phil Hahn worked as a research adviser in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Queen's for more than 30 years. 

    Mr. Hahn passed away Oct. 12 at Kingston General Hospital following a lengthy illness. He was 60.

    In 2008 Mr. Hahn received the prestigious “Presidents Award” from the Canadian Association of Professors in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (APOG) for his lifelong contributions to that organization as the coordinator of, and an instructor in, a highly-regarded national resident research training course. In 2015, he was awarded the Queen's APOG Educator Award.

    A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2-5 pm at the University Club, 168 Stuart St. 

    Queen’s Principal congratulates new MP for Kingston and the Islands

    The following is a statement from Principal Daniel Woolf:

    I congratulate Mark Gerretsen on his election as the new Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands. Let me also reiterate my thanks to outgoing MP Ted Hsu for his service to the constituency and the country.

    I also offer congratulations to Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau on his parliamentary majority. I look forward to working with the new government on the important issues facing Canada’s post-secondary sector, including supporting Queen’s position as a leading research-intensive university with a transformative learning experience.

    Finally, I thank all of the candidates who put their names forward in this election.

    Pick up your copy of the Oct. 20 edition of the Gazette

    The Oct. 20 edition of the Gazette is now available around Queen’s campus, as well as a number of off-campus locations.

    Read the online version of the Oct. 20 Gazette

    As always the newspaper is filled with interesting Queen's-focused items including:

    • The awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics to Professor Emeritus Arthur B. McDonald for his groundbreaking research on neutrinos.
    • A look behind the scenes of the preparations for Homecoming 2015.
    • A Q&A interview with technology entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews following his Principal’s Forum presentation.
    • Updates on the latest research, awards and achievements of faculty, staff and students.

    The Gazette is published biweekly during the academic year; the next edition will hit the newsstands on Nov. 3.

    Anyone looking to get a story, photo or information in the Gazette can contact the paper's editor Andrew Carroll or Senior Communications Officer Mark Kerr.

    Also visit the Gazette Online for more stories and photos and follow us on Twitter at @queensuGazette.

    Finding opportunities at the Engineering and Technology Fair

    [Engineering and Technology Fair]
    The Engineering and Technology Fair, and more than 50 employers from the public and private sectors, returns to Grant Hall Tuesday and Wednesday. (University Communications)

    Queen's University students will have the opportunity to make contacts that can lead to summer employment or even a future career at the Engineering and Technology Fair.

    The annual event returns to Grant Hall and will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday, Oct. 21 from 10:30 am-3:30 pm each day. Hosted by Career Services at Queen’s the fair brings together more than 50 employers from a wide range of industries in both the public and private sectors.

    The event is also an opportunity for a selected group of students to showcase projects they are working on through the university.

    Among the students presenting is Natasha Baziuk, a member of the winning team from this year’s Queen’s Innovation Connector Summer Initiative. Gryllies is a small business that seeks to off-set beef consumption with cricket protein to create a more nutritious and environmentally sustainable way to enjoy popular meat dishes like pasta sauce, chili, and lasagna.

    Several of the founding members, including Ms. Baziuk, have chosen to pursue Gryllies as a full-time venture upon graduation.

    “Having the Engineering and Technology Fall Fair acknowledge and encourage entrepreneurship as a viable career choice for graduating students is wonderful to see,” says Ms. Baziuk. “Entrepreneurship is imperative in supporting the local economy, in stimulating innovation, and in student's having the freedom and courage to pursue their own life’s path when they are young and are more able to take on the risk involved in start-up companies. Gryllies is very happy to be a showcase of what is possible when one takes on the entrepreneurial path upon graduation.”

    She adds that it will be an interesting return as last year she attended the event as a fourth-year student looking for a job. This time around she says she’s excited about the opportunity to talk to other employers about Gryllies and any advice they may offer.

    Also presenting is Morgan Litschko of the Queen’s Genetically Engineered Machine, a student run team that undertakes an innovative set of projects in the field of synthetic biology each year. The team recently earned a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition in Cambridge, Mass.

    Ms. Litschko says the Engineering and Technology Fair is a chance for the group to present their work to their peers, attract future members, and generate ideas for future work.

    “This portion of the fair also highlights the innovation of student teams and the potential of these endeavors,” she says. “There is a lot of creativity and dedication associated with these projects and this provides the opportunity to generate industry connections for individuals as well as the team. In essence, we put a lot of time and hard work into what we’ve done and this is a chance to share our accomplishments with others.”

    Last year, three out of the four students who presented were able to secure summer employment from employers at the fair. The fair is held annually in October and January.  Follow #careerfairqueens on Twitter for updates and info about this event.

    Queen’s celebrates Sustainability Week

    The 2015 edition of Queen’s annual Sustainability Week kicked off Monday, Oct. 19 with a tour of the Wolfe Island Wind Farm. Many more events are happening throughout the week, until Friday, Oct. 23, that highlight sustainability initiatives on campus and in the community.

    “Sustainability Week is all about engaging the Queen’s community in sustainability through fun and informative events that highlight ways to lessen our environmental impact,” says Aaron Ball, Sustainability Manager. “New this year is a networking opportunity for students interested in careers in the renewable energy sector, and an expanded alternative transportation hub event with food and live music. I encourage everyone to attend.”

    This year, sustainability week again features the theme “5 days, 5 ways," with each day highlighting a different way to live more sustainably:

    Monday, Oct. 19 Energy
    Tuesday, Oct. 20 Local Food & Recycling
    Wednesday, Oct. 21 Alternative Transportation
    Thursday, Oct. 22 Climate Change
    Friday, Oct. 23 Biodiversity

    One of the highlights of the week is the alternative transportation hub happening at the corner of Division and Union streets from 10 am – noon on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The event will feature live music, a food vendor, a number of sustainability-related booths including Transpass sign up, and electric vehicle testing.

    Thursday, Oct. 22 will feature a career networking session for students interested the renewable energy industry, while Friday, Oct. 23 offers an eco-walk at the Queen’s University Biological Station. For more details about these and other Sustainability Week events, see the sustainability week calendar.

    This week is also National Waste Reduction Week, which aims to educate Canadians about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste. Queen’s Sustainability Office, in partnership with the Alma Mater Society, is releasing new recycling posters and videos in an effort to simplify the waste sorting and disposal process.  In addition, a waste audit will be conducted on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in Goodes Hall, with the help of student volunteers, to provide information about the effectiveness of the waste and recycling collection program and facilities in that building.

    Check out the full schedule for Sustainability Week as well as the Sustainability Office’s Facebook page.

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