inbrief

(January 10, 2002, Gazette)

Fraser returns for Story lecture
Dr. John Fraser, prize-winning journalist, author, Master of Massey College and graduate of MUN, is this year’s George Story Lecturer. The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Arts and the Department of English, with the George Story Endowment.

His lecture, The Uses and Abuses of Journalism, will be presented on Monday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m. in Arts Atrium, room AA-1043. A reception will follow in the Atrium. Parking is available in Area 15.

Dr. Fraser writes the weekly media column for the National Post, which appears each Wednesday in the Arts and Life section. He was for seven years the editor of Saturday Night magazine after a varied and colourful career at several Canadian newspapers, including the now-defunct Toronto Telegram, the Sherbrooke Daily Record, the St. John’s Evening Telegram and the Globe and Mail. He has written for most of the world’s leading English-language publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the London Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator, the New Republic, Le Monde, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Mr. Fraser is the recipient of three National Newspaper Awards, seven National Magazine Awards, among other honours. He received a honorary degree of letters from Memorial in 1993.

MI partners on navigation simulator
The Marine Institute and Transport Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate the capability of a new prototype ice navigation simulator. The announcement was made Dec. 18, 2001, by Industry Minister Brian Tobin, on behalf of Transport Minister David Collenette.

“Training ships officers to safely navigate ice prone waters has taken another step forward,” said Leslie O’Reilly, Marine Institute executive director.

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.

The institute’s Centre for Marine Simulation (CMS) will carry out the evaluation project with support from the Transportation Development Centre (TDC), TC Marine (AMSR) and the simulator developer.

The 12-month project will be co-chaired by Capt. Anthony Patterson, director of the CMS, and James Reid of TDC. Capt. Klaus Hye-Knudsen of CMS will lead the project team. The institute is expected to present its final report to TDC in November 2002.

Science research 365 days a year
The historical research of two Corner Brook scientists, Marelene and Geoff Rayner-Canham is featured in this year’s Canadian Women’s Calendar — Herstory 2002. Herstory is an annual desk diary with each alternate diary page having a one-page biography of a Canadian woman who has made a difference.

The page based on the research of the Rayner-Canhams describes the life and work of Harriet Brooks Pitcher, pioneer woman scientist. Brooks was a researcher with the famous Ernest Rutherford at McGill. While working with Rutherford, Brooks made some major discoveries concerning the nature of the atom. Later she worked with the British scientist, J. J. Thomson, at Cambridge and with the famous French scientist, Marie Curie, in Paris. She abruptly terminated her world-class research work to marry and return to Montreal.

Her life and work had been long forgotten when the Rayner-Canhams found a cameo portrait of her in a book on the discovery of the chemical elements (the same portrait is shown in Herstory). Curious as to who she was and what she accomplished, the Rayner-Canhams embarked upon a three-year search for information about her life and work.

In an article in a science education magazine, they have recently recounted the detective work that enabled them to track down information about this long-forgotten Canadian woman scientist. They discovered information about Brooks in archives in Canada, the U.S., Britain, France, and Russia. When they pieced together Brooks’ amazing and complex life they found they had enough for a book-length biography which was published in 1992.

Calling all Harlow alumni and friends
The university is hosting a special lifelong learning event for all Harlow alumni and friends tonight, Jan. 10. Three of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most respected and award winning authors – Michael Crummey (BA ‘87), author of River Thieves, Kevin Major (B.Sc., ‘76) author of As Near to Heaven by Sea, and Dr. Bernice Morgan (D. Litt. ‘98), author of Random Passage – will participate in an author’s forum especially designed for Harlow alumni and friends.

Dr. Alan J. Perry, OBE, chair of the Harlow Board of Trustees, will also be in attendance to talk about Harlow’s redevelopment and exciting future.

The event takes place at 7:30 p.m., at the D. F. Cook Recital Hall, School of Music. Refreshments will be available before and after the forum. Seating is limited, so contact the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development at 737-4354, or e-mail munalum@mun.ca.