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By Melissa Lombard
Honours chemistry student Alasdair Dunlap-Smith(10) has had a love for photography for as long ashe can remember. Borrowing his parents camera,he would snap pictures of everything in sight, frombugs to butterflies and sea creatures to snakes. Now
he has evolved that love of point and shoot into awhole new realm astrophotography.
About four years ago, Dunlap-Smith began takingpictures by moonlight. And something clicked.
I had this happy night where I discovered if Ipushed the camera to its limits I could record tracesof the Milky Way, he recalls. At that point I knewabsolutely nothing about astronomy.
That quickly changed in the summer of 2006 whenhe captured an image of the Andromeda Galaxy.
He was hooked. Dunlap-Smith then began exper-imenting with photography through his first,second-hand telescope.
Thats when it really got started. I basically spentevery night for a week trying to figure things out. Bythe end of it I had taken my first real picturethrough a telescope. It was quite nice.
Two years later, Mount Allisons Gemini Obser-vatory opened, enabling Dunlap-Smith to capture awhole new world. Although his true passion isbeing behind the lens, he says another one of hisfavourite aspects of the Observatory is being able toshow it to others.
I get a warm, fuzzy feeling having people visit theObservatory off the street. It makes sitting in thedark so worth it when they get to look through thetelescope for the first time.
Physics professor Dr. Robert Hawkes, who wasintegral in getting the Observatory up and running,has high praise for Dunlap-Smiths work.
I am hugely impressed with his talent. One of his
photos is one of the most beautiful astronomicalphotos Ive ever seen. There are people who dowonderfully artistic work and people who are inter-ested mostly in the science of it he does both,says Hawkes.
Currently, the bright 20-year-old is working onde-bugging his new and improved telescope andprogressing the quality of his photos. He has nofirm plans for the future, but rest assured whereverhe ends up, he and his camera will be shooting forthe stars.
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Dr. Rima Azar exploresstress-related disorders
and emotional states
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What doesnt kill youmakes you stronger
esearc
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By Melissa Lombard
Growing up in the Middle Eastern country ofLebanon, psychology professor Dr. Rima Azarexperienced turmoil first hand. Witnessing the dis-tresses of war has helped spawn her research pas-
sion stress.
Azar came to Canada 20 years ago with her family toescape the Lebanese Civil War. She went on to com-plete her PhD at the University of Montreal andpost-doctoral training at the University of TorontoHealth Network.
A relatively new member of the Mount Allison faculty,Azars interest lies mainly in the area of stress-relateddisorders and emotional states, such as depressionand anxiety.
There is always a stress component in my work,Azar says.
Stress, she says, is completely normal. It is a part of oureveryday lives. As one of her professional inspirations,endocrinologist Hans Selye says, stress is life.
Basically if were not stressed, were dead. Simply,we need to learn how to cope, and to find whatmethods work best for us, she says. Physiologically,psychologically, and spiritually we are made to copewith adversity.
One of two projects she is currently exploring is aresearch project where she will study 30 femalevolunteers through pregnancy and delivery. The pilotproject is underway at the Cumberland RegionalHealth Care Centre in Amherst, NS, researchingrelationships of maternal anxiety, depression, andconversely, positive moods in pregnant women with
blood components that signal inflammation and howthis affects fetal development and birth size. Pilot datawill be analyzed by summer 2010.
The larger phase of this project is planned to takeplace at prenatal clinics in Moncton, Amherst, and
in Azars own Psychobiology of Stress and HealthLab, which will follow the babies postnatally untilthey reach four months. This investigation, pendingexternal funding, will assess the babies stress andimmune functions and eventually, at later ages, willexplore risk factors for cardiovascular diseasessuspected to have been pre-programmed duringpregnancy. This is known as the fetal programminghypothesis of diseases.
This project is longitudinal, meaning data will becollected over a long period of time, so it is too soonto determine anything yet, says Azar. Ultimately
though, the goal of this research project is the preven-tion of heart disease.
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Coverstory
The sooner. The better.Dr. Phil Tibbo (86) is breaking new ground when it
comes to the detection and treatment of schizophrenia
PBy Melissa Lombard
Paranoid delusions. Auditory hallucinations. Lack of moti-
vation. Disorganized thoughts. Those are just a few of the
often debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia a mental
illness that affects over 33,000 Canadians. Dr. Phil Tibbo
(86) is on a mission to make sense of the complex world
in which schizophrenia sufferers live.
Tibbo became interested in psychotic disorders during histhird year of psychiatry residency at the University of
Alberta, where he went on to work as a world-renowned
clinical researcher for 18 years.
It is one of those things that just fit. I found the complexi-
ties of the illness and the strengths of individuals living with
the illness and their families a motivating force to pursue
this field. There was also a vast area of research available
where a huge impact could be made, says Tibbo.
He returned to the East Coast in the fall of 2008 to assume
the position of the Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic
Disorders, which is affiliated with both the Department of
Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotias
Capital District Health Authority.
Tibbo heads up a team of researchers in Halifax, who focus
mainly on early detection and intervention research. The
team is made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, National
Research Council staff, research assistants, and a post-doc-
toral research fellow. He currently supervises two graduate
students in Alberta and is in the process of obtaining grad-
uate students in Nova Scotia.
Its pretty grandiose to say were trying to find a cure. Im
not sure if thats possible, but we are working to have a
better understanding and appreciation of the biologicalunderpinnings of the illness to help us with developing
better treatments.
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Along with his own projects, Tibbo aims to increase visibil-
ity for psychosis research by not only recruiting new
researchers, but also by stimulating the current establishedresearch community to consider collaborations for psy-
chosis research.
My primary program involves brain neuroimaging
research. My main emphasis is magnetic resonance spec-
troscopy, which is similar to an MRI scan, though goes a
step further by investigating various neurochemicals in spe-
cific brain regions. Although I am also involved in collabo-
rative projects that include genetic, cognitive, outcome, and
pathways to care research.
All of these initiatives work towards Tibbos overall focus of
early detection and intervention vital considerationswhen it comes to schizophrenia.
The community has to be educated around the signs and
symptoms of schizophrenia despite the stigmas around it.
The sooner we diagnose, the better the outcome.
Tibbo says schizophrenic symptoms can be controlled and
patients can lead a normal lifestyle. However, there are
people who are severely affected to the point of not being
able to work or function in regular society. That is why, he
says, early identification and treatment are key.
We know that we can affect symptom and functional out-
comes best if the person is diagnosed and treated within the
first five years of onset.
Mary Lou Crowley, President and CEO of the Mental
Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, believes that part-
nering with Tibbo has made great inroads for mental
illness in the province.
Mental illness is more prevalent now than it has ever been.
We can only move forward and bring mental illness up
from the dark cellars. Dr. Tibbo and his work, along with
the vision of our Foundation, have really brought aware-ness to the community like never before, says Crowley.
The slogan of the Mental Health Foundation is changing
the way people think and with Dr. Tibbos help, we are
certainly doing this.
Tibbo also believes in the power of this partnership and
the work the Mental Health Foundation has done to
change perceptions.
We are doing our best with schizophrenia stigma although
unfortunately things like movies, which have never por-
trayed schizophrenia in a positive light, have propagated the
stigma. The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia has
been very active in community education to decrease this
stigma and promote good mental health in general.
Soon after his inception as Chair, Tibbo founded the Nova
Scotia Psychosis Research Unit, which is a multi-discipli-
nary research team, encompassing areas like pharmacology,
genetics, public health, health science, and general science,
along with community stakeholders. This collaborative
group fosters a unique research environment and seeks
funding nationally and internationally.
With Dr. Tibbos research ramping up and awareness and
acceptance of mental illness on the rise, schizophrenia suf-ferers face a brighter future than they may have ever
thought possible. And according to Tibbo, early detection
the first sign that something is just not right is at the
heart of it all.
Dr. Tibbo andhis work have really
broughtawareness
to thecommunity
like neverbefore.
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Helping kids excel
Failure at
school is a
societal issuewith real health
and economic
ramifications.
Harvard researcher Nonie Lesaux (99) is honouredby U.S. President Barack Obama
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Featurestory
WWhen asked if grade school has changed much in the past20 years, Dr. Nonie Lesaux (99) cant hide her disappoint-ment. No, unfortunately it hasnt, she says. The kids are
still great still coming up with lots of innovative ideasand approaches to problems. But the setting doesnt seemto be evolving. The classes are large, and the teachingmethod is still stand and deliver.
And she would know. The Harvard University professorand researcher has spent her career studying elementaryand middle school childrens learning in urban schoolsacross the United States.
The problem, she says, with the current format is that it
does not encourage dialogue, debate, and collaboration. As
a result, childrens language and reading skills, particularlyin under-resourced settings, are not up to par. She says ifat-risk students are to thrive, they need to be encouraged tothink and talk, and that is just not happening.
Lesaux is out to change that. She is working with educa-tors and policy makers to develop an interactive andengaging model of reading instruction to improvelearning outcomes. And her cutting-edge research is
gaining widespread acclaim. In January Lesaux receivedthe Presidential Early Career Award from U.S. PresidentBarack Obama. She was one of only two youngresearchers in the country to receive the honour in theDepartment of Education category.
Lesaux spoke with Mount Allison about the award, herresearch, and the experience of working at one of the mostprestigious universities in the world. Here are excerptsfrom that conversation:
Q: How did you react when you got the award call?NL: I didnt think about it much until a couple days laterwhen the hand-written notes started pouring in thePresident of Harvard, the Governor of Massachusetts, the
Department of Education in Washington. Then I realizedthat it was a big deal.
Q: Give me the Coles Notes synopsis of your research.NL: Last year we ran an evaluation in the San Diego school
district, which has a high number of very low-performingschools and a linguistically and culturally diverse studentpopulation. We worked with randomly-assigned teachersat 14 middle schools (grades six to eight) on a programdeveloped to increase literacy rates. We had educators real-
ly focus on language and reading comprehension of con-troversial topics and big ideas that are relevant to childrens
lives. What we needed to do was hook these studentswith ideas and learning opportunities that were provoca-tive, stimulating worth talking and thinking about as
a way to develop writing and language skills. We are wrap-ping up our evaluation now, but the early findings lookgood.
Q: Your research is being credited with breaking newground in literacy development.NL: It is, for a few different reasons. First, we are pushingthe field forward by analyzing the older reader. The seconddifference is that we are trying to understand where lin-guistic diversity comes into play and to design better learn-ing environments to promote language and cognition. We
do this by shedding light on the differences that exist in the
learning outcomes of immigrants and children of immi-grants. Thirdly, we are developing innovative approachesto instruction to engage students and, more importantly,to boost their skills.
Q: What is the big picture goal?NL: Improving childrens health and well being. Failure atschool is a societal issue with real health and economicramifications. We owe it to our kids to give them the best
shot at academics as a gateway to success. Its not about get-ting a degree; its about obtaining the skills, technologicalproficiency, and aptitude to thrive in a knowledge-basedeconomy. It is about literacy. We are creating compellingdata to say to policy makers that a more interactive yet
challenging approach to teaching works, and encouragingthem to implement it in the school systems.
Q: What is the most exciting part of your research?NL: Seeing kids engaged and excited about learning and
overcoming their weaknesses is the best part of the job. ButIve also had the opportunity to mentor a number ofundergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doc-toral fellows individuals who have gone on to reallygreat careers where they, too, are advancing our economys
knowledge base. And that, I think, is equally rewarding.
Q: Tell me about the experience at Harvard.NL: This place is full of cutting-edge ideas, technology,resources, and initiative. The knowledge developed at
Harvard and the ways in which ideas are generated andbrokered is really exciting. Students and faculty are from allover the world, all of them with interesting and variedbackgrounds and experience.
By Tracy Bell
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In 2009, shepublished
Canada!s #1best-sellinghealth and
lifestyle book.
The doctor is in
Dr. Natasha Turner