Year-in-Review

January 2002

Med student involved in heroic rescue

A Memorial University medical student was involved in the rescue of a man whose car plunged into Southwest River near Clarenville. Third-year student Greg Rideout spent about half an hour holding up the head of the victim, who was still trapped in the submerged vehicle in the icy water. With the help of volunteer firefighters from Port Blandford, Mr. Rideout was eventually able to free the man. Mr. Rideout was en route from St. John's to Grand Falls-Windsor when he and his brother noticed a number of people gathered around a guardrail; they stopped to see if they could be of assistance and saw a vehicle in the water with a man's head sticking out. Despite his remarkable efforts, Mr. Rideout said he doesn't consider himself a hero. "All I did was get to the vehicle and hold the man's head and shoulders out of the water. The whole experience was very intense, I was surprised when I found out how much time I had been out there - it only felt like a few minutes."

MI partners on navigation simulator

The Marine Institute and Transport Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate the capability of a new prototype ice navigation simulator. The announcement was made by former Industry Minister Brian Tobin, on behalf of Transport Minister David Collenette. This collaboration is the latest phase of a five-year research and development program by Transport Canada to develop a low-cost, widely-available ice navigation simulation platform to train entry level ice navigators. The prototype, developed by PhiloSoft, features visual presentation of the ice environment around a vessel, realistic ship movements through ice, shipboard radar simulation and outputs for standard shipboard equipment.

Research heading to small screen: Genetic disease attracts attention of German TV

A German television crew visited Newfoundland to film material that will be included in a three-part documentary on genetics and its impact on clinical practice in medicine. The three-man crew from ZDS TV spent part of their time in Gander, where they interviewed Corey Winter, a young man whose life was saved two years ago by an internal cardiac defibrillator. The story of Mr. Winter's genetic illness and how he came to have the defibrillator installed is also the story of the search for the gene that causes a rare genetic condition known as arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

Business students win gold

MBA students competed at the 21st Concordia MBA International Case Competition held in Montreal, Que., from Jan. 7-12. Memorial's team consisting of Carol King, Jennifer Lee, Jordan Walsh, Anne Whelan, Natalie Slawinski (alternate) and coaches Brad Suter, Peggy Coady and Dr. Alex Faseruk, competed against 29 universities from around the world and finished fourth in the competition. At the same time, five teams of undergraduate students struck gold at a national competition held at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ont. The students were participating in the Intercollegiate Business Competition. Memorial's teams brought home first-place finishes in accounting (Troy Stanley, Christine Thomson), debating (Tom Dunne, John Whelan), and management of information systems (Linda Cole, Jason Greenland) and a second-place finish in labour arbitration (Janice Finlay, Rose Marie Fulford). Wendy Fewer and Beth Howlett also competed in final round of the marketing category.

Researchers awarded infrastructure millions

Memorial University researchers were awarded funding in excess of $4.6 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to fund infrastructure projects that will give researchers access to the latest technology. The announcement was made by Allan Rock, federal minister of Industry, and Dr. David W. Strangway, president and CEO of CFI, Jan. 30. The $4.6 million represents the largest amount awarded under the Innovation Fund program to date for the university.

New options for rural physicians

The launch of a new Web portal at RuralMDcme.ca will provide greater educational opportunities for rural physicians in Canada. The launch of the portal was hosted by the Office of Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine. "We have concentrated on providing rural physicians with Canadian content on the Web portal," said Fran Kirby, manager of the Office of Professional Development. "Rural doctors can take nationally-accredited courses, access medical libraries and health-related web links, build their own Web site and discuss medical matters with others in their field across the country. Ms. Kirby said that given the shortage of physicians in Canada, it has become increasingly important to entice doctors and keep them in smaller communities.