Sir Wilfred Grenfell College will confer degrees on the first graduates of its social/cultural studies program during convocation ceremonies in Corner Brook Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m.

The social/cultural studies program combines core courses from anthropology, folklore and sociology and aims to provide students with a broadly-based introduction to the study of society and culture, emphasizing the application of social scientific theory and method in the analysis of local and global issues.

In total, just over 130 students will receive their university degrees at the ceremony, which will also recognize Dr. Brenda Milner with a honorary doctor of science degree.

A pioneer of the discipline of neuropsychology, Dr. Brenda Milner introduced the idea of systematic neuropsychological assessment of surgical patients, studying in detail the effects brain surgery has on short-term and long-term memory. Dr. Milner is perhaps best known for her work with "H.M.", an epileptic patient who underwent "bilateral hippocampal amputation" to control seizures. Though she worked with H.M. for more than 25 years, Dr. Milner was a complete stranger to him. Every time he discovered his favorite uncle died, for instance, he suffered the same grief as if he had just been informed for the first time.

Dr. Milner received her MA from Cambridge University in 1949, her main interest focusing on experimental psychology. She moved to Canada in 1944, and resumed her studies in 1950 at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and McGill University.

In 1952 she received a PhD for an investigation of the intellectual effects of temporal lobe damage in humans.

Dr. Milner's work has been widely recognized by her scientific peers through numerous awards, including the Wilder Penfield Prize for Biomedical Research from the Province of Quebec in 1993, and fellowships in the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Society of London.

She has also been honoured with several honorary degrees and was named Officer of the Order of Canada in 1984, and Officier de l'Ordre national du Québec in 1985. Dr. Milner has published over 100 papers and remains involved with many of the major neurological and psychological organizations.

Convocation in St. John's will take place May 29-31.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Pamela Gill
Information Officer
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College
University Drive
Corner Brook, NF
A2H 6P9

(709) 637-6200 ext. 6134