mount allison university--the record (winter 2010 (part 2 of 4))

8/8/2019 Mount Allison University--The Record (Winter 2010 (Part 2 of 4))

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University | 9

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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10 | WINTER 2010 RECORD

Dr. Rima Azar exploresstress-related disorders

and emotional states


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University | 11

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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University | 13

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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University | 17

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

mount allison university--the record (winter 2010 (part 2 of 4))

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