[audiotrack title=”Minds and Matters EP. 2: When SSMU is confronted with “external” and “divisive” issues” songwriter=”Chloe Nevitt and Lydia Kaprelian” date=”March 21, 2016″ width=”700″ height=”200″ src=”https://24f2041bb5b609d25f1a97039f71682cc9154421.googledrive.com/host/0B9rQxTeDv2duM0FmSjBSYkZFS1k/TrumpMindsMatters.mp3″ autoplay=”on”] In Episode 2 of Minds and Matters, the McGill Tribune's Science & Technology podcast, editor Chloe Nevitt and contributor Lydia Kaprelian dive into[Read More…]
Articles by Chloe Nevitt
Trib Mix: Guilty Pleasures
Midterm season isn’t complete with a good emotional break-down and a moment to just let completely loose. The best way to successfully accomplish both is by jamming out to your favourite guilty pleasure song, but not just any mildly embarrassing track. The perfect song for getting over midterm insanity is[Read More…]
The anti-tutoring: Helpr is a unique way for peers to connect
Many students looking for a hot date on a Friday night use Tinder. For those looking to boost their GPA, however, the match-making app Helpr will soon be available. Developed by three Montreal natives, Helpr is trying to change the tutoring game. “We kind of describe it as the anti-tutoring,”[Read More…]
Research briefs: pictures of proteins, rape culture, and Reddit
First ever picture of a protein The study of proteins has always been essential to understanding diseases. Proteins, which are the little worker bees of the human body are responsible for cleaning out debris, transporting vitamins and nutrients, and even fighting off foreign invaders. Because the function of an individual protein is[Read More…]
Biochemist Nahum Sonenberg favours the prepared mind
McGill Biochemistry Professor Nahum Sonenberg likes asking simple questions. He believes that every problem can be broken down into pieces and put together like a puzzle to answer a bigger issue. “Always ask a simple question to get a simple answer,” Sonenberg said. “If you […] want to look at[Read More…]
A walk through the wallflowers: Exploring McGill’s visual arts collection
The art scattered around McGill’s campus is a result of efforts by hundreds of artists over the past two centuries. Though publicly displaying these artworks can result in damage or vandalism, it’s a risk the the Visual Arts Collection is willing to take, according to Visual Arts Collection Assistant Daisy[Read More…]
The Mile End’s musical history
For aspiring musicians, Montreal’s Mile End is the place to be. The likes of Arcade Fire, Grimes, and BRAIDS have emerged from its streets. Montreal is already famous for being a cultural and artistic hub, so it begs the question: What made the Mile End so unique? “The Mile End[Read More…]
This month in student research: Yarden Arane
Most engineering students take on a year-long project during their final year at McGill, where students must work with a professor or in an industry position. When Yarden Arane, U3 Software Engineering, had to pick his, he chose Professor Jeremy Cooperstock, the director of the Shared Reality Lab at McGill. [Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Are you born a morning person?
Some individuals find themselves waking up with the birds, while others are falling asleep to them. People who wake up late have been stigmatized by society as being lazy, while those up at the break of dawn were perceived as the go-getters; however, studies are showing that the inverse is[Read More…]
Getting into the app game
Entering the app world is equal parts intimidating and exciting. McGill alumnus Nathaniel Blumer (BSc. Computer Science 2013) has developed several apps since graduating from McGill. He’s worked for private contractors in Canada and the U.S., and has even received offers for his apps from multinational companies. His most recent[Read More…]
Off the Board: 21st Century Fox/National Geographic partnership signals decline in accessible education
On Sept. 9, 21st Century Fox struck a 725 million-dollar deal with National Geographic, thus ending the 127-year-old magazine’s era of non-profit existence. Under this deal, Fox will own 73 per cent of the new joint media venture—National Geographic Partners—making Fox the majority stakeholders. Only 27 per cent will remain under[Read More…]
McGill 101: How to get career experience in the sciences
Deciding what to do after graduation is hard for all undergraduates. While some are blessed with the secure knowledge of what their future holds, for most, that’s not the case. For Science students, the most common choices are graduate or medical school. While undergraduate studies, for the most part, provide[Read More…]
Summer research briefs: Brain power
Molding memories Some people find it hard to remember what they had for lunch yesterday, while others can remember every detail of the house they grew up in. Understanding how memories are retained and recalled has always intrigued researchers, especially when seeking therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Researchers speculate[Read More…]
McGill Senate demands increased transparency in budgetary allocations
Questions regarding student services funding At the April 22 McGill Senate meeting, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Courtney Ayukawa, Vice-President University Affairs Claire Stewart-Kanigan, Arts & Science Senator Chloe Rourke and Arts Senator Jacob Greenspon voiced concerns over the allocation of provincial government grants specified for student services[Read More…]
From the BrainSTEM: Montreal Museums Day
As a student, being able to immerse myself in Montreal’s rich network of museums—without having to pay anything—is an exciting proposition. On May 24, when the Board of Montreal Museum Directors hosted the 29th edition of La Journée Des Musées, Montréalais: Montreal Museums Day, I had to participate. The Biodôme,[Read More…]
Mexico’s Dark Knight
The Redpath Museum offered a screening of the documentary The Bat Man of Mexico this past Sunday, inviting viewers deep into the Mexican wilderness. The documentary features Mexican ecologist Rodrigo Medellin and his passion: Bats. Medellin is personally saving tequila, one bat at a time. While the link between tequila[Read More…]
From the BrainSTEM: The failing U.S. education system
When it comes to training future generations, scientific research has proven that the U.S. education system fails. In 2012, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) coordinated the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a standard that was developed for measuring the performance of 15-year-old students in math, science,[Read More…]
From the BrainSTEM: The mammoth cometh
In February 2012, Harvard college professor and genetic engineer George Church hosted a symposium at the Harvard Medical School titled: “Bringing Back the Passenger Pigeon.” The talk centred on the use of new genome-editing technology that could change the concept of reversing extinction from being a dream to a reality.[Read More…]
Programming until sunrise
In a test of will power, determination, and innovation, McHacks presented an incredible challenge to its participants—twenty-four hours’ worth of non-stop creative coding fueled by energy-drinks. Traditionally, ‘hackathons’ are 24 to 36 hours long and invite coders to develop an application, website, or program. Those with the best, most creative,[Read More…]
The brightest and boldest futures
Students from the Faculty of Science often find themselves struggling to pick a path after graduation. Sometimes, when it feels like an M.D. or Ph.D. is the only option, a science major can feel trapped. In a series of presentations, McGill’s Biochemistry Undergraduate Society (BUGS) showcased the possibilities and the[Read More…]
Research Briefs—Feb. 24, 2015
Giving the finger The notion that there exists a correlation between the length of a person’s finger and their amicability may seem strange. However, researchers from McGill University are showing exactly that—but only in men. Scientists, by comparing the length of the index second finger (2D) to the fourth finger[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Is magic real?
Many young boys and girls wake up on their 11th birthday hoping to hear an owl rapping at their window, inviting them to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While most remain mere Muggles to this day, there are a few who claim to have learned the art of[Read More…]
This month in student research: Travis Chen
Travis Chen calls his current lab work a serendipitous event. The U3 pharmacology major has spent the last three years working with two major ant species—Formicidae and Myrmicine. “Like every first year, I was thinking about [medical] school [and] I was volunteering at a hospital, and [that’s when I] realized[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Do aphrodisiacs really work?
Aphrodite—the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure— shares her name with another substance associated with desire: The aphrodisiac. Aphrodisiacs can be anything—foods, drinks, drugs, smells—that causes an increase in sexual desire. For centuries, people have sworn by the power certain foods, such as chocolate or oysters, to boost their[Read More…]
Academia Week highlights 2015
The curious, the questions, and the answers From Jan. 26 to 30, the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) hosted its annual Academia Week. The event sparked students' curiosity about science and life in academia, bringing in world-renowned scientists to present interesting questions related to their field of work. SUS Academia[Read More…]
This month in student research: Safina Adatia
New mothers are already under stressful situations, and to help minimize this, Safina Adatia has been studying the effect noise has on new mothers. Adatia, a student pursuing a Master of Science degree in family medicine, conducts her research in the postpartum ward of St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal. The[Read More…]
Do you want fries with that?
Next time you think you’re deciding between a salad and fries, your brain may have already subconsciously made the decision for you. A research team from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre has shown that food choices are largely governed by[Read More…]
The power of potatoes
Potatoes, known for their carbohydrate content and delicious role in poutine, have a reputation for being unhealthy with dieters usually avoiding them at all costs. But a team of researchers from McGill University has shown that potatoes may in fact help those trying to slim down. The team fed a[Read More…]
This month in student research: Jacob Kantorowitz
As a third-year pharmacology major, Jacob Kantorowitz has spent the past year in the Whiteway lab studying an interesting fungus that is genetically similar to yeast-Candida albicans. Kantorowitz has been researching C. albican fungal infections, which are the cause of thousands of deaths of immunocompromised individuals in Canada every year.[Read More…]
Off the Board: The economic and personal degradation of tipping culture
When I worked in the food industry during high school, I hoped the only heat I felt would come from the grill.
BUGS hosts Research Awareness Day
On Saturday, Nov. 15, the gap between student and professor narrowed. A variety of biochemical experts gathered on the sixth floor of McIntyre Medical Building to explain their research. Areas of interest were widespread, and included topics such as tumour genetics, eye development, and macromolecular machinery. The students were first[Read More…]
From blast off to spin off
During the development of the Apollo program in the 1960s, space enthusiast Lorne Trottier was getting his B.Sc. at McGill University. Every week, he would go to Schulich Library to check out the magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology to get updates regarding the moon landing. Finally, NASA did it—they[Read More…]
Annual joint Board-Senate meeting discusses community engagement
Last Tuesday, the Board of Governors (BoG) and the Senate held a joint meeting discussing McGill University’s community involvement. Panellists from a variety of research backgrounds addressed the ways through which McGill could strengthen its relationship with the community. During her opening remarks, Principal Suzanne Fortier explained that the meeting’s[Read More…]
Movember starts ‘mo’ conversations
By the end of November, many brothers, sons, and fathers will have grown an impressive amount of facial hair. As cool as these mustaches and goatees look, it isn’t lumberjack chic these men are trying to bring attention to—it’s men’s health. “Movember is a world-wide event where men shave on[Read More…]
Album Review: Caribou – Our Love
Canadian composer Daniel Snaith has followed the success of Swim (2010) with his sixth studio album, Our Love. Snaith, known by his stage name Caribou, continues to push the edges of experimental electronic music. Upbeat hip-hop vocals overlaid with gritty beats creates a Drake-meets-James Blake vibe that pushes listeners to[Read More…]
This month in student research: Alex Coutin, U2 Pharmacology
Alex Coutin, who worked at UBC this summer, studied recombinant H3, a protein histone involved in maintaining the structure of DNA in a single haploid yeast cell. He looked at the diverse associations of the ASF1 histone chaperone, another protein responsible for the coiling and folding of these DNA strands[Read More…]
The changing face of space
On Oct. 1, space enthusiasts addressed the evolution of the Canadian space program as part of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2014. The IAC theme this year, Our World Needs Space, hosted discussions that explored the way space inventions could be used on Earth. The panelists—some of the most respected[Read More…]
Microbeads discovered in St. Lawrence River sediment
Professor Anthony Ricciardi’s team thought they were going to be studying the Asian Clam—an invasive species—when they dropped their sediment-collecting grabs below the surface of the St. Lawrence River last year. Instead, they found the microbead—a type of microplastic defined as any debris less than five millimetres in size. Rowshyra[Read More…]
Research Briefs — Sept. 30
Face the truth: Mites found on human skin Microscopic eight-legged creatures make their homes in the faces of all people, a study recently published in PLOS ONE has shown. The Demodex mites are a group of hair follicle and sweat gland-dwelling species. Two different species of these mites reside on[Read More…]
C. Elegans worms its way into our hearts
Professor Richard Roy, best known for teaching the second half of the morning section of BIOL 200, administers some of the most challenging exams at McGill.
A student’s guide to tackling Quebec’s cellphone plans
It can be tough to choose a smartphone plan when offered multiple options—particularly for those unfamiliar with the primary carriers of the province or country. Presented here are Bell, Fido, Koodo, and Telus—four of Quebec’s major phone companies—in a comparison of cellphone plans. The features shown in the infographic have been[Read More…]
Montreal calls for regulation of e-cigarettes
As a cultural hub, Montreal is always quick to adopt the newest trends. It comes as no surprise, then, that when the coolest thing since smoking became ‘smoking,’ Montrealers began using e-cigarettes.
McGill researchers spotlight Polypterus fish
A team of researchers led by Dr. Hans Larsson from McGill University has made a key discovery in the process by which creatures evolved from aquatic to terrestrial animals. The study used the Polypterus fish as a means to investigate phenotypic evolutionary changes.