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    Art, anxiety and 'Awakening'

    Exploring Anxiety through Art 

    When Athena Mitsilios (Artsci ’17) was asked to make a clay sculpture on the theme of anxiety for her art class ARTF 227 she knew exactly where to start.

    Student Jessica Peterson's scultpure of a knotted stomach.

    “I knew I wanted to look at social anxiety,” she explains. “I wanted people to know more about what it feels like.”

    First she carefully crafted an alien’s head, adding big, bulging eyes she then covered in tinfoil.

    “When you have anxiety you feel like everyone is staring at you,” says Ms. Mitsilios, explaining that her alien has a small mouth to suggest the feeling of not being able to breathe. 

    Part of the assignment, set out by associate professor Kathleen Sellars, however, included building in a sound component, which Ms. Mitsilios did by recording the sound of laboured breathing and a voice repeating “stop staring, stop staring” in increasingly panicked tones. The sounds for each of the exhibition’s 12 sculptures, which are embedded with mini-speakers, are only audible by plugging a cell phone, iPod or tablet.

    “We haven’t really had a chance to do a sound component with an art piece before,” says Jess Peterson (Artsci’17), who also created a piece for the exhibition. “It was interesting. Each sculpture is totally different when you hear the sound component.” 

    Ms. Peterson interpreted the theme by creating an organic-looking pink stomach which she encircled with string.

    “I was thinking about the physical symptoms of anxiety,” she says. “This is a stomach completely tied up in knots.”

    Radha Chaddah: “Awakening”

    Alumna Radha Chaddah (Artsci’ 92) grew up torn between art and science.

    “My family was always split,” she explains. “One side was in the arts, the other was in the sciences.”

    "Flame", from Chaddah's Awakenings
    Alumna Radha Chaddah's photography straddles art and science.

    By growing stem cells and photographing them using laser light, Ms. Chaddah has drawn a careful path down the middle, creating ephemeral two-dimensional works that look both organically abstract and carefully considered.

    “I always knew I wanted to bring the two together and somehow make art about science, among other things,” she explains.

    Ms. Chaddah opted to start her education in the arts, which is why she pursued a double major in film and art history at Queen’s. Later, she rounded out her education with an undergraduate degree in biology, eventually choosing to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Toronto some years later. That’s where, working at a neurobiology lab, she found herself drawn to a stem cell project. Disinclined to experiment on animals, she began growing cells in petri dishes, learning a technique called immunohistochemistry. 

    “The technique is used to prove the identity of a cell,” Ms. Chaddah explains. “I recognized doing my research that certain antibodies created beautiful images.”

    While images cell images are typically reproduced in scientific journals in low resolutions at the size of an inch square, Ms. Chaddah’s high-resolution technique allows her to enlarge images to 40” x 60”. While each image can take up to 30 minutes to shoot, the results are arresting.

    For Ms. Chaddah these works are more than just interesting images. She uses her work to ask questions about the world.

    “They’re really about where we’re going, and how we are merging all these scientific discoveries as we move towards a place that is interesting and scary, all at the same time,” she says.

    While she may have picked up the techniques in graduate school, Ms. Chaddah is quick to credit her Queen’s education for giving her the skills to think critically. She also names a former film professor, Derek Redmond, for teaching her to appreciate light and colour when creating an artistic work.

    “His words have stuck with me since then,” she says. “I have become obsessed with light.”

    “Awakening” by Radha Chaddah and the anxiety sculptures created by the students from ARTF 227 are on-view at the Art and Media Lab at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts until Nov. 13, 2014.

    For more information visit the Isabel’s website.

    Helsinki visiting professorship will help further study

    Susanne Soederberg (Global Development Studies and Political Studies) has been appointed to a prestigious visiting professorship at the University of Helsinki. The value of the award is $190,000.

    [Susanne Soederberg]
    Susanne Soederberg (Photo by Bernard Clark)

    Through the Jane and Aatos Erkko Visiting Professor at the Collegium for Advanced Studies, set for the 2015-2016 academic year, Dr. Soederberg will be conducting research on a new project focused on shelter finance and housing rights for slum dwellers around the world.

    Dr. Soederberg says the position will allow her to “research in an interdisciplinary and international environment with emerging and established scholars from both Europe and in the Global South.”

    In her study, Governing Shelter Finance for Slum Dwellers: A Comparative Study of Mexico City, Manila, and Mumbai, Dr. Soederberg will initiate the first comparative study of shelter finance in three of the world’s largest slums: Cuidad Nezahualcóytl in Mexico City, the Tondo District in Manila, and Dharavi in Mumbai.

    “One billion people – a number still rising – live in slums. Notwithstanding its status as a basic human right, most slum dwellers lack safe and secure shelter,” Dr. Soederberg says. “The United Nations has responded by endorsing Goal 7, Target 11 of its Millennium Development Goals (MDG 7) to ensure the adequate housing of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.”

    However, she points out, demand for affordable housing continues to rise unabated while funds from governments and public donors have been insufficient. At the same time the various forms of shelter financing – such as commercialized mortgages, shelter microfinance, and community investment funds – have barely been explored.

    “With only several years remaining to meet the 2020 MDG-7, it is crucial that scholars, practitioners, and policymakers possess a more complete knowledge base about the present scale, scope, and future sustainability of shelter finance as well as the power dynamics involved in its governance,” she says. “To this end, the core questions driving the project are: who benefits from shelter finance, and why? And, how have different forms of governance influenced which slum dwellers are able to gain access to certain types of shelter financing and which are excluded?”

    The significance of the appointment is recognized by her Queen’s colleagues as well.

    “What a great opportunity for Dr. Soederberg,” says Marc Epprecht, Professor and Head of Department, Global Development Studies. “Though we will miss her here in DEVS, where she is not only a great scholar but a well-loved teacher, we are proud of her achievements and of the nature of her research – making a difference to the lives of people in some of the most stressed communities in the world.”

    The Collegium for Advanced Studies is an independent institute within the University of Helsinki. The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, which finances the Visiting Professorship, was established in 2002 to support high-level international research, arts and culture.

    Bullying expert earns top honour

    A Canadian leader in bullying prevention, Queen’s University researcher Wendy Craig was honoured today with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Partnership Award. The Partnership Award is one of five Impact Awards SSHRC presents annually to the top researchers in the country.

    The Partnership Award recognizes a SSHRC‑funded formal partnerships for its outstanding achievement in advancing research, research training or knowledge mobilization, or developing a new partnership approach to research and/or related activities.

    Wendy Craig has earned one of SSHRC's top awards.

    Along with working as a researcher at Queen’s, Dr. Craig is the co-scientific director of the Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet).

    “The award really recognizes the work of the network, which is co-led by Debra Pepler at York University,” says Dr. Craig. “I think the award is significant because it celebrates the great things that happen when outstanding organizations, researchers and students come together. Creating PREVNet was a dream and I am excited we are now having an impact and making a difference in the lives of Canadian youth.”

    With the funding from the Impact Award, Dr. Craig says they will continue to engage in knowledge mobilization efforts with the PREVNet partners.  The team plans to focus on working with PREVNet's youth to develop tools to address cyberbullying.

    "Through PREVNet, Dr. Craig has developed a unique partnership model along with effective knowledge-mobilization tools and bullying prevention resources that have a demonstrated influence both within and beyond the academic community,” says Dr. Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research).  “This national honour from SSHRC is indicative of the impact of PREVNet in addressing one of the biggest challenges facing today's children and youth in Canada and around the world.”

    To read the full story, visit the SSHRC website.

    An elite opportunity

    Queen’s University professor Jean Côté is joining an elite group of international researchers and members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week to discuss training and development in youth sport.

    The handpicked group of 16 researchers, along with members of the IOC, will evaluate the current science and practices related to developing young athletes. From that discussion, the group will draft recommendations and guidelines to ensure young athletes progress in a healthy manner.

    Jean Côté is off to Switerland to work with the IOC.

    Dr. Côté will present to the group his research on effective coaching.

    “I will argue that we need to relax the structure of youth sports in general – youth organized sport is over-coached and over-structured.  The achievement of long-term participation, elite performance, and personal development through sport are objectives that are compatible and do not require specialized programs and complex structures” he says.

    One of the biggest challenges at the conference, Dr. Côté anticipates, will be reaching a consensus decision with such a wide range of expertise in the same room. The participants are presenting on a variety of topics including athlete development frameworks, talent identification, scheduling and overload, injury prevention and eating disorders. By April 2015, the group must have a consensus paper on youth athlete development ready for publication in the IOC-supported injury prevention and health protection edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

    “There are going to be a lot of conflicting ideas presented at the conference, but we have to focus on our goal of youth development and work past that,” says Dr. Côté. “It’s exciting to be associated with this level of research and it also shows the IOC cares about the development of youth. We are looking at the whole child and that is a very healthy approach.”

    The conference takes place from Nov. 5-7 at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

    Nobel laureate explores connection between arts and science

    Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize laureate and Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Emeritus at Cornell University, delivered this year’s Alfred Bader Lecture on Oct. 30. Communications Officer Andrew Stokes spoke with Dr. Hoffmann about his lecture and lengthy career in the arts and sciences.

    Andrew Stokes: Can you tell me a bit about the topic of your lecture?

    Roald Hoffmann: The lecture was about the commonalities between the arts and sciences. English chemist and novelist CP Snow argued in the 1950s that there were two distinct cultures between artists and scientists and that the two were incapable of really communicating with each other. With that in mind I looked at examples from chemistry, poetry and painting to note the deep similarities they have.

    Along with winning the 1981 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Dr. Roald Hoffmann has written poetry, plays and philosophy.

    AS: Why did you pick this topic for the lecture?

    RH: This topic is important to me as both an artist and a chemist, because I’m interested in the interface between the two. The arts penetrate to important questions that aren’t necessarily scientific but that nonetheless trouble us all. I picked this topic especially because of its connection to Alfred and Isabel Bader. I’ve known the Baders for nearly 40 years and I’m a great admirer of Alfred – this lecture is really for the two of them who are strong believers in the importance of both arts and science.

    AS: Have the two of you worked together in chemistry?

    RH: When we first met one another years ago, we took an instant liking to each other. We’ve never worked together professionally, but our shared love of paintings, music and chemistry has led to a long friendship between us. We’re also both European immigrants; Alfred came shortly before World War Two, while I’m a childhood survivor of the Holocaust and came to America in 1949.

    AS: You’ve had a prodigious career in chemistry, but can you tell me about your work in the creative arts?

    RH: Around midlife I started writing creatively. I began writing poetry, and now have four books of poetry in English and one in Spanish and Russian. I’ve also written essays, short fiction, philosophy and have now started writing plays. My creative writing allows me to express myself in a way that I otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to do.

    AS: How did a career in science affect your creative work?

    RH: It’s had a very strong effect on my creative work. I write on some of the traditional topics, like nature, relationships and love, but I try to make use of the language of science. It isn’t easy, but I try. One of the plays I’ve written is about the discovery of oxygen and what it means to be a scientist. My work in the arts has affected my science too. When I write a chemistry paper, I try to bring an artistic sensibility to it. I’ve never tried opening a paper with a poem because I don’t think it would get past the gatekeepers, but stylistically I’ve tried to bring about a greater humanization of science writing. I think it’s worked well in that my papers are viewed by people as being a more complete image of the thing they discuss.

    The Bader lecture, organized by Dr. Victor Snieckus and the Office of Advancement, is delivered in honour of Alfred Bader’s contributions to Queen’s University and the field of chemistry.

    Fun and games make for better learners

    Four minutes of physical activity can improve behaviour in the classroom for primary school students, according to new research by Brendon Gurd.

    A brief, high-intensity interval exercise, or a “FUNterval,” for Grade 2 and Grade 4 students reduced off-task behaviours like fidgeting or inattentiveness in the classroom.

    “While 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA) is required in Ontario primary schools, there is a need for innovative and accessible ways for teachers to meet this requirement,” says Dr. Gurd, lead researcher and professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies. “Given the time crunch associated with the current school curriculum we thought that very brief physical activity breaks might be an interesting way to approach DPA.  We were particularly interested in what effects a brief exercise bout might have in the classroom setting.”

    For the study, students were taught a class and were then given an active break, where they would perform a FUNterval, or a non-active break where they would learn about different aspects of healthy living on alternating days for three weeks. After each break, classroom observers recorded instances of off-task behaviour.  When a four minute FUNterval was completed during a break from class, there was less off-task behaviour observed in the 50 minutes following the break than if students completed a non-active break.

    Working with Dr. Gurd, master’s student Jasmine Ma created the series of four-minute activities that students could complete in small spaces with no equipment.

    FUNtervals involved actively acting out tasks like “making s’mores” where students would lunge to “collect firewood,” “start the fire” by crouching and exploding into a star jump and squatting and jumping to “roast the marshmallows” to make the S’more. Each activity moves through a 20-second storyline of quick, enthusiastic movements followed by 10 seconds of rest for eight intervals.

    For more information on FUNtervals, follow this link. This research was published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism

    Off into dream land

    Canadian sleep researcher and clinical psychologist Judith Davidson (Psychology) has taken a method for treating insomnia and introduced it into primary care. The treatment takes a drug-free approach to a condition that reduces quality of life and can cause mental and physical health issues.

    “I am introducing this insomnia treatment program to family doctors and other primary care providers because people need access to this treatment right away,” says Dr. Davidson, who works with the Kingston Family Health Team. “With people suffering from chronic insomnia, pharmaceuticals don’t work in the long term.”

    Queen's professor Judith Davidson has won a Bright Lights Award.

    Despite being considered the preferred treatment for chronic insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is rarely available in Canada. It is a therapy that health-care professionals can learn, and 90 per cent of the first 58 patients in Dr. Davidson’s program no longer reported insomnia after 5 weeks.

    “Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t just relieve stress and make us more productive; it may help prevent medical and mental conditions that can result from long-term insomnia,” explains Dr. Davidson, who recently released a book titled Sink Into Sleep.

    Dr. Davidson adds that while more and more practitioners are interested in learning CBT-I, there is still a perception that insomnia is not as important as other sleep disorders and other health conditions. “We hear a lot about sleep apnea, and treatment for that is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. While it’s also a serious problem, more attention needs to be paid to insomnia, which is the most common sleep disorder, affecting 15 per cent of the population."

    For her work in bringing insomnia treatment to primary care, Dr. Davidson was recently honoured by the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario with a Bright Lights Award for Clinical Innovations in Comprehensive Primary Care. The Bright Lights Awards recognize 12 individuals or groups for their efforts to improve the patient experience and health outcomes, and reduce health-care costs.

    Along with Dr. Davidson, the Queen’s Family Health Team also earned the Accountability and Governance for Patient-Centred Care Bright Lights Award for the unique make up of its board of directors. Community members occupy a majority of the seats on the board, which ensures the patients’ voices are heard.

    University community hip to the Library Square

    [Library Square]
    Students use the temporary Library Square outside Stauffer to study and socialize. 

     

    Street level patios outside Stauffer Library -- a key recommendation within the Library and Archives Master Plan (LAMP) -- recently came to life for several days thanks to two urban and regional planning students.

    Molly Smith (MPL’15) and Shazeen Tejani (MPL’15) worked with Library staff to set up tables and chairs outside Stauffer Library Oct. 16-18 and observe how people used the space differently with outdoor furniture in place. Ms. Smith had the idea for the research project after establishing a similar “pop-up cafe” last summer during an internship in Cornwall.

    “There was a lot of tension before the project. We were worried it might fail. It was nerve wracking,” Ms. Smith says. “However, I felt really good after because people seemed to enjoy the tables and chairs.”

    LAMP, approved by the Board of Trustees in 2013, envisioned the development of a new, major, public open space on campus at the intersection of Union and University. The Library Square would be an accessible and inviting place for social interaction and special events throughout the year that wouldn’t jeopardize traffic and service vehicle flow on campus.

    Based on their observations and anecdotal feedback, the young researchers believe the temporary Library Square had the intended impact.

    “Students appeared excited to be studying and socializing outside, especially on Thursday when the weather was nice. There aren’t many spaces like it on campus,” Ms. Tejani says. “We also found that the space accommodated people of all ages. There were students as well as professors, families and young children. It was nice to see everyone using the space on a university campus that we usually think of as having an overwhelming student presence.”

    The Library was keen to support the students’ research project, says Martha Whitehead, Vice-Provost and University Librarian. The students’ research interest fit nicely with the Library’s plans to set up a few tables and chairs outside Stauffer for alumni to stop and chat during Homecoming weekend. The students worked with the Office of the University Librarian to arrange the set-up on a normal weekday, as well as on Homecoming weekend.

    “It brought a whole new feeling to the corner, making it a gathering place," Ms. Whitehead says. "The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive and we're excited about the possibilities."

    The students continue to analyze the data and the video they shot of the space over the three days. Their final report will examine and offer recommendations for creating permanent social gathering spaces at Stauffer Library and other locations on campus.

    People who stopped by the temporary Library Square during Homecoming had the opportunity to view a new video that features students and faculty members talking about the potential impact of the Library and Archives Master Plan. See the video below and visit the LAMP website for more information about the plan.

    Undergrads hone research skills during summer program

    • [Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellows]
      Principal Daniel Woolf and Vice-Principal (Research) Steven Liss with the recipients of the Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship.
    • [Principal Daniel Woolf and Emily Gong]
      Principal Daniel Woolf listens as undergraduate student Emily Gong explains her research on the history of art, religion and culture in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves.
    • [Ellen O'Donoghue and Mariah Horner]
      Mariah Horner (right) explains her research on contemporary Canadian performance to fellow student Ellen O'Donoghue.
    • [Steven Liss and Jessica Metuzals]
      Undergraduate student Jessica Metuzals explains her work to Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research).
    • [Undergraduate student Michelle Tam]
      A crowd gathers around Michelle Tam as she explains her research during the Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship celebration.

    The university hosted a special celebration on Oct. 27 to recognize the 20 students who participated in the 2014 Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship (USSRF) program. Principal Daniel Woolf and Vice-Principal (Research) Steven Liss attended the event and congratulated the students on their accomplishments.

    The USSRF program is an opportunity for continuing undergraduate students in social sciences, humanities, business and education to develop research skills under the guidance of a faculty researcher. The program provides meaningful opportunities to engage in discovery-based learning and to develop research and presentation skills. More information

    Active learning classrooms making a difference

    • [Ellis Hall Peter Wolf}
      Associate Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) Peter Wolf talks about the active learning classrooms in Ellis Hall during a special event on Monday.
    • [Ellis Hall Alan Harrison]
      Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Alan Harrison speaks during the launch event for the active learning classrooms in Ellis Hall.
    • [Ellis Hall Tom Harris]
      Tom Harris, Vice-Principal (Advancement), relays stories about Drs. Russell and Katherine Morrison and the late Jack McGibbon.
    • [Ellis Hall Active Learning Classrooms]
      A booklet was available for attendees to sign and provide a message of thanks to Drs. Russell and Katherine Morrison.

    A special event was held Monday to celebrate the launch of the Ellis Hall active learning classrooms and acknowledge the support of key donors.

    Associate Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) Peter Wolf, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Alan Harrison and Tom Harris, Vice-Principal (Advancement) all spoke about the importance of the new classrooms and the crucial roles that Drs. Russell and Katherine Morrison and the late Jack McGibbon played in making them a reality for Queen’s University and its students.

    While the Morrisons were unable to attend, a special booklet was available for attendees to sign and provide a message of thanks.

    The three newly renovated active learning classrooms in Ellis Hall are designed to enhance students' learning experiences. The classrooms offer configurations and technology – such as whiteboards, moveable chairs and linked screens – that enable instructors to use different teaching and learning strategies.

    A video displayed during the presentation provided rave reviews from students and teachers alike.

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