Adversity continues to have no effect on the Redmen rugby squad, as the team claimed its third straight contest following the recent ineligible player ruling by the RSEQ. Battling the Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or at Molson Stadium on Sunday, McGill cruised to a 48-5 victory over the visitors.
Cameron Perrin, a third-year fullback, claimed 13 points in the win, including one try and four converts. Six other Redmen joined Perrin with tries, and Zechary Miller leading the way with two.
Looking forward, the victory brings McGill to 3-4 this year, with one final game remaining. Currently third in Quebec, a win would go a long way in securing a home playoff game. McGill battles Bishop’s on Friday night at Molson Stadium.
Soccer: Redmen in dangerous spot as playoffs near
McGill travelled to Stade CEPSUM to face the Montreal Carabins on Sunday in men’s soccer action. Looking to erase a two-game losing streak, the Redmen were in tough against the top-ranked Carabins, who ultimately prevailed 1-0.
With the loss, McGill finds itself in fifth place with only two games remaining, a tough position to be as only the top four teams in the conference will advance.
McGill plays at home on Tuesday against the UQTR Patriotes, and then travels to Sherbrooke to take on the Vert-et-Or. McGill needs a big win against the Patriotes to cushion their playoff positioning.
Soccer: Drought persists for Martlets
Following the rain-out cancellation against UQTR on Friday, the Martlets suffered a tough 1-0 loss against the Montreal Carabins on Sunday, dropping the team into fourth place in the RSEQ standings.
The teams has struggled lately, losing three of its last five games, after a blistering 6-0-0 start on the season.
The Martlets are currently on the cusp of playoff territory with three games remaining, and Tuesday’s make-up match against UQTR is a must-win.
The doors to the Bell Centre may remain locked for NHL players, but they were pried open for players and fans of a different sport on Friday night. NBA basketball returned to Montreal for the second time in three years as the Toronto Raptors “hosted” the New York Knicks in a preseason game as part of the NBA’s Canada Series. The series also includes a game in Winnipeg between Detroit and Minnesota. A sell-out crowd lived up to its rowdy reputation, and the players didn’t disappoint. The Raptors defeated the Knicks 107-88.
Toronto entered the contest with a 3-1 exhibition record, while the Knicks were 2-0. However, the Atlantic division rivalry lacked much of its usual punch as the game was just another opportunity for head coaches Dwayne Casey and Mike Woodson to get to know their teams, and plan for the regular season. The neutral location of the game was significant to the Raptors organization, which is currently trying to broaden its fan base across the country.
“I think we need to realize that we are the Raptors from Toronto, but we have the whole country behind us,” Jose Calderon, the Raptors’ longest-tenured player, noted after the game. “That’s the difference between us and the other teams in the league … it’s good for the NBA and for Canada.”
Jamaal Magloire, a 34 year-old centre from Toronto, agreed with Calderon. He hopes that the NBA makes trips to Montreal and other Canadian cities every season.
Raptors Head Coach Dwayne Casey saw the trip as a good opportunity for the team’s young players—Toronto has an average age of almost 25—to be exposed to a different environment.
“It should be a cultural experience,” Casey said of playing exhibition games in cities without NBA teams. “It’s a situation where there’s not a lot of time for guys to go out in the day. But I know the guys understand the city [and] they know it’s a very historical city. We have young guys and every experience is probably a new experience for our guys.”
The Knicks, on the other hand, are well-travelled, but gave Montreal favourable reviews.
“It is beautiful,” Knicks point guard Jason Kidd said. “I have family here and they’ve been asking me to come up, but this is my first time. I’ll be back; it’s a beautiful city.”
Carmelo Anthony, who dropped 24 points in 34 minutes, felt the same. He spoke of the city’s energy and complimented Montreal’s fans, who have been starved for professional sports action beyond the CFL’s Alouettes.
“This was big time,” he said. “The fans stayed in it right through the game and were excited about basketball. We had a good time but we wished we could’ve put on a better show for them.”
Montreal’s central location—five hours from Toronto and seven from New York—meant that there was a constant tug-of-war between Toronto fans—the designated home team—and Knicks’ supporters.
“[There were] spurts when you heard the fans cheering for us ,and spurts when you heard them cheering for the home team,” Anthony said. “It was just a good atmosphere.”
The fans likely set their prior allegiances aside and cheered for basketball in general. The building erupted in response to slam dunks by the Knicks’ Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, and the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan.
Raptors fans also got the a chance to see some of the new Raptors players, and a team that is expected to be much-improved after last season’s 23-43 performance, causing them to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year. New faces Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields played significant roles in the win, recording 17 and six points respectively for Toronto. Andrea Bargnani led the way with 20 points.
The Raptors open their season at home on Oct. 31 against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks will make the long trip across the Brooklyn Bridge to participate in the grand opening of the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets.
Riding high from its Northern Conference championship, the McGill Redmen baseball team looked set to continue its magical run in Nepean, Ontario this past weekend at the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association National Championships. After a weekend of highs and lows, filled with dramatic finishes and individual heroics, the team fell short, losing in the national semifinal to the St. Clair College Saints 4-2.
While the result is obviously disappointing for McGill, the team should be proud of its incredible turnaround, having won 13 of its final 17 games en route to a conference title and a national semifinals qualification. First year Head Coach Jason Starr lauded his team’s effort and said they have nothing to regret.
“At first after the game, there is obviously disappointment. Our goal this year was to win a national championship,” Starr said. “The sting of it lasts for about an hour, and then [the players] realize all they’ve accomplished. We went on an unbelievable run—won a conference championship, made a national semifinal. We really accomplished a lot.”
The Redmen opened the weekend with a convincing 14-3 victory over the host team, the Carleton Ravens. First baseman Casey Auerbach carried the load offensively, hitting 4-4, including three runs batted in and four runs scored. The team exploded for a six-run third inning, squashing any Carleton hopes.
After losing to Durham College in a tight 5-4 affair, the Redmen matched up against the Crandall Chargers in a do-or-die game. The Chargers came out slugging against Redmen starting pitcher L.J. Aguinaga, and built a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Redmen had their backs against the wall, and they needed to generate a rally, but the team never floundered. Starr attributed this attitude to the camaraderie among the players.
“One of the strengths of this team was how close they were and how they played for each other,” Starr said. “It really kept us in ballgames and allowed us to come back and have a never give up attitude.”
With one out and the bases loaded, fifth-year centrefielder Chris Ames stepped into the batter’s box. Needing one hit to extend McGill’s season, Ames provided much more. After working to a full-count, Ames sent the 3-2 pitch over the fence for a walk-off grand slam, sending the Redmen to the semis.
Only two wins away from achieving the final goal of the season, the St. Clair College Saints stood in McGill’s way. Fueled by CIBA pitcher-of-the-year Rob Cooper, the Saints’ arms shut down the Redmen’s potent offence and claimed the 4-2 win. Starr was disappointed, but thought his team played fairly well—it just wasn’t McGill’s day.
“We played a good game … we got a great pitching performance from Nolan [Were]. They got one three-run home run that really made the difference in the game,” Starr said. “The other team just came out on top. That can happen in one game.”
Starr also noted that many people around the tournament believed that these were the two best teams in the nation. The way qualifying turned out, it happened that those teams were matched against each other in the national semifinal, instead of in the championship game. Nevertheless, the Redmen had their chances and did not execute.
Notable departures this year from the team will include Ames and second baseman Max Tierno. Auerbach, Aguinaga, outfielder Chris Haddad, and pitcher Conrad Hall may also leave depending on whether they decide to stay at McGill to complete another degree. While the veteran losses will be difficult to overcome, the Redmen will look to players like first-year all-Canadian shortstop Tyler Welence to lead the youth movement next season. Starr is certainly excited about the program’s future.
“We have a good core of rookies, [and] a good core of second and third years,” Starr said. “It’s really exciting for the McGill program where we are set to go in the next couple of years.”
Let’s make one thing clear: I absolutely love sports. Whether it’s football, baseball, tennis, or even badminton, I am willing to watch just about anything. However, there is only one sport for which I have an undying passion: soccer.
I laughed when I turned on the television to read the day’s top sports headline: ‘Sidney Crosby goes on vacation amidst lockout.’ While hockey was probably my favourite sport as a child, the lockout doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, so why don’t we take this chance to explore the game of soccer and see what it has to offer, instead of grasping at straws to find some hockey related news?
My mission: To convince die-hard Canadian hockey fans—there are a few in Montreal—to branch out and embrace soccer for the beautiful game it can be.
Soccer has a reputation for being boring. Yes, it can seem so at first—the lack of goals, the seemingly endless passing back and forth. It all seems futile. However, looking more closely, there is something more to the game—something exciting.
The beauty of soccer is in its simplicity, and the idea that there is an unlimited number of ways to achieve the straightforward goal of putting the ball in the net. This lack of appreciation is common among people who have never watched hockey before, and complain about how they can’t see the puck when watching on television. Give them a few games and they will learn to follow the flow of the action. It’s the exact same with soccer.
Another unique feature of soccer is the variety of races in the standings at the end of each season in European leagues. There is more on the line than just the league championship. By the end of the season, there are essentially three main finishes.
The first is the title race. Whoever has the most points at the end of the 38-match season wins the title, and these seasons can come down to the wire. For example, the English Premier League title was decided in stoppage time on the last game of the season. It was one of the most dramatic events in sports in 2012.
The second race is the Champions’ League qualification race. The three or four top teams in each of the best leagues in the world qualify for a European super league, where they duke it out in the hopes of being named the world’s best squad.
The third is the relegation battle—arguably the most exciting. The last placed teams in European leagues get relegated to a lower-tier domestic league, losing out on millions of dollars in potential revenue. These battles are intense and simply fun to watch because no team wants to be knocked down a tier. Unlike in other sports, such as hockey, whose worst teams tank at the end of the season to obtain a higher draft pick, the relegation battle keeps the league’s bottom feeder teams competitive, even when they don’t have a chance at the league title.
I hope these few points have successfully convinced some people to stop whining about the NHL lockout, and spend a Wednesday afternoon watching a Champions’ League match. The beautiful fluidity of the game and the exciting league finishes will get you hooked, just as I was a few years ago. Well, at least until the NHL lockout ends.
Hockey is embedded in the fabric of Canadian culture. Many Canadians take for granted the accessibility of their hockey resources—ample ice time, new and used equipment, and willing coaches that are available in almost all Canadian towns and cities. However, in smaller hockey communities around the globe, such as Ankara, Turkey, and Subotica, Serbia, resources are more limited. This is where Hockey Sans Frontières (HSF) steps in.
HSF was founded in 2009 by a group of Canadians who played professionally in Serbia after competing at the junior level. Upon returning to Canada, the group sought out ways to give back to the communities that had supported them. They believed the most direct way of giving back and facilitating growth in these local areas was through coaching. For this reason, the HSF became committed to sending coaches abroad to help run hockey clinics, and organize grassroots initiatives in emerging hockey communities. Many McGillians have been at the forefront of this noble initiative, including Serbian-born Marko Kovacevic, and current Redmen assistant coach Dan Jacob.
Hockey Without Borders co-founder Daniel Jacob (Center) in Bled, Slovenia.
The Tribune had the opportunity to sit down with two members of the McGill community currently involved in the HSF project, Craig Klinkhoff and Matthew Robins, to discuss the impact, on and off the ice, of the HSF’s non-profit global initiative.
During their time in Serbia,“[The HSF group] saw that the program there wasn’t anything [like in Canada], and that the [Serbian] kids suffered because of it,” Robins said. “They didn’t have as much of an opportunity as they could potentially have if there was the proper infrastructure in place, starting with coaches … To actually send someone there, as opposed to sending a cheque … is the most direct and sustainable way to support a hockey community.”
The group came to realize the value of their contribution to the community. While they were not able to send hundreds of pairs of skates or donate thousands of dollars, they could spare a few hours sharing their knowledge and passion for hockey with young players with the desire to learn.
As part of the initiative, Robins and Klinkhoff travelled together this past summer to Ankara, Turkey, to help run a week-long training camp. Admittedly, the two were nervous and unsure of what they were getting themselves into. However, they soon discovered that despite multiple limitations—such as the lack of resources and other social factors—Ankara has a passionate men’s and women’s hockey community.
The coaches’ arrival was celebrated with great enthusiasm.
Hockey Without Borders ambassador Uros Brestovac in Subotica, Serbia, working with his skating class.
“From the moment we arrived, everyone took care of us and treated us like kings for six days,” Klinkhoff said. “They joined us off the ice anywhere we went.”
After six days of running on-ice clinics, and spending time with the Turkish players, Klinkhoff felt that he was part of the community and realized that his assistance was valued more than he could have expected.
“I love to travel and I could never have an experience like that anywhere else in the world. But because of hockey, I was able to be part of the community. I did nothing to deserve it other than show up, ” Klinkhoff said. “One of the guys [said] it was one of the best weeks of [his] life. And he’s my age. It’s one thing when a young kid says it, but [when] someone my age said it—that hit home.”
For Robins, the experience was a display of hockey in its most genuine expression.
“[In North America], there are certain implications at different levels … you get involved [with issues of] money, and scholarships, and it can get a little off track,” he said. “There, it was hockey in its purest form. People there played for the love of it and that’s it.”
Robins and Klinkhoff have remained close with all of the players they coached, a testament to the bond that can be created by sharing an interest in sports, even in a short amount of time.
“It’s amazing. We’re still in touch with them. The impact [and] bonding that happen[ed] over six days of hockey is unbelievable,” Klinkhoff said. “We released the video [of the trip] and they saw it, and they’re going crazy … we tell them that they’re stars in Canada.”
Matthew Robins (Top Left) at his last practice in Subotica, Serbia.
Thinking of ways to move ahead, Klinkhoff and Robins want to give their support in other hockey communities. In January 2013, they will travel around the globe to help other places in need of assistance, such as Israel, South Africa, Japan, and South Korea. They are willing to travel anywhere, as long as there is a community who needs their help.
While Robin and Klinkhoff find inspiration in HSF’s success in Serbia, and genuinely believe that there is always potential for growth, they are aware of the struggles that these hockey communities face as they strive to maintain their programs.
“The Serbian under-8 and under-10 teams would play against teams from Czech Republic and Austria—strong hockey programs—and they would be able to compete. But, as soon as they are under-12, under-14, under-16, they can’t,” Robins said. “That’s all because of [lack of] resources.”
The HSF stresses the need to promote grassroots initiatives that ensure the future of the hockey communities. For Robins, the success of hockey projects in these areas largely depends on the commitment and expertise of local coaches.
“We’re looking for those types of communities that don’t have as much opportunity,” Robins said. “Before we got [to Serbia], there were two coaches for 200 kids. For the team I coach here in Montreal, [there] are 5 coaches for 15 kids … Their programs can’t really grow. They’re stuck. There’s only so much those coaches can impart on that many players. By providing more coaches, you can grow the hockey community.”
“In Turkey … there was one coach there running this camp … he was the pillar of the community. If he wasn’t there, none of the kids [would be] there,” Klinkhoff added. “He created a community through hockey. They all became friends. There was that added incentive to become part of that group.”
Robins’ and Klinkhoff’s hope is that their hockey communities become able to sustain themselves over time.
“Eventually over time, the people and the community there can take over … and their hockey community [will take off],” Robins said. “Kids become more interested in coaching—they’ve been inspired and have the knowledge.”
There is something special about these emerging hockey areas around the globe that makes coaches yearn to return, remain involved, and encourage others to do the same. The program is trying to raise awareness and spread the message that a passion for hockey exists in the least expected places, and that anyone who shares that passion can contribute to the mission of HSF.
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Principally, the team encourages members of the McGill community to get involved. For Klinkhoff and Robins, maintaining the relationship with the school that shaped them and many of the founders is very important.
“It’s something that we want to keep building. It’s where we go [and went] to school, where Dan [Jacob] is now, so we want to keep that relationship strong,” Klinkhoff said.
“Everyone who has gone [overseas] to date has [gone back] at some point. That speaks to the power of this program,” Klinkhoff said.
HSF works towards a common goal, but the game’s impact reaches far beyond. Hockey instills teamwork, focus, determination—all of which translate off the ice, both socially and academically. HSF’s impact may be tangible on the ice, but its hand extends into the lives of everyone affected and involved. It truly embodies hockey in its purest form.
“We see hockey as a great physical activity, but it’s also a social program,” Robins said. “It brings people together, and it has such a positive impact down the round.”
Craig Klinkhoff is currently majoring in marketing in Continuing Studies at McGill. Matthew Robins graduated with a B.A. in 2012. Donations to Hockey Sans Frontières can be made at http://www.indiegogo.com/hsf-world-tour. Craig and Matt’s video of their Ankara trip can be viewed at http://www.hockeysansfrontieres.org/
A team of researchers, led by McGill Professor Dr. Barry Posner, has recently uncovered the importance of growth factors in maintaining healthy cells. Growth factors are molecules that stimulate and regulate cellular growth.
Put simply, our cells are involved in a continuous cycle of breaking down and re-growth, much like the process of building structures with Legos. Once all the Lego pieces are used up, old structures must be broken down and the pieces reused to build new ones. Since there are a limited number of Lego pieces, it is impossible to continue to build structures without breaking down the old ones and using them for their parts.
Cells, too, must be broken down in order for new cell growth to occur, and growth factors facilitate the process.
Insulin, a hormone that stimulates glucose uptake, is also a growth factor. Prior to the discovery of insulin, children with Type I diabetes were characterized by a gaunt appearance. When provided with insulin, a dramatic physical transformation from diminutive to healthy occurred in these children over several weeks.
Dr. Posner’s lab is primarily interested in insulin and growth factors, and their relationship to disease. Recently, they have been focusing on the role inhibiting acidification plays in the growth response by studying certain cellular structures.
The master molecule that is responsible for growth is called mTOR, (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin). When stimulated, this molecule will not act unless it has a large enough supply of amino acids to use to build new molecules.
The relationship between acidification and the growth factor can also be likened to building a house. Even with plans, a construction worker cannot build a structure without a continuous supply of bricks. If this supply is cut off, the construction worker will stop building until more bricks are provided.
Likewise, when growth factors stimulate the acidification of lysosomes (organelles that contain enzymes that degrade cells), the enzymes within lysosomes have the optimal pH condition to break down proteins within cells in order to provide the mTOR molecule with essential building blocks, amino acids. Without sufficient supplies, this molecule will not support the synthesis of new proteins.
Understanding the role of acidification and the growth response opens new avenues for cancer treatment.
“What we know is this: everyone is trying to find ways of blocking growth factors in cancer cells, because it looks like, in a number of cancers, growth factor stimulation is an important facet of the … proliferative process that characterizes the growth and spread of cancer cells,” Dr. Posner said.
For instance, Type II diabetes carriers show an increase in an incidence of cancer. They also have insulin resistance, or higher-than-normal insulin levels in certain tissues. Cancer cells appear to respond to this increase in availability of insulin to their advantage. As insulin is a growth factor, cancer cells use it to promote cell division and rapidly proliferate. Essentially, it appears that insulin resistance promotes the growth of cancer cells.
“There is now another target that we can look at for regulation of growth factor action [the acidification of vacuolar areas]. If we can find ways of probing that target with new molecules, we might be able to inhibit their growth promoting effects and contribute to the control of cancer cells,” Dr. Posner said.
Insulin is necessary for the body. However, if the growth promoting action of insulin on cancer cells is blocked, the increased incidence of cancer in Type II diabetes will likely decline.
This finding is one of many that are contributing to the development of cancer drugs and new treatments.
“I think it will stimulate the imagination… I hope it will promote my colleagues to think more about the regulation of the growth process.”
With his amicable demeanour and brilliant smile, Cameron Clapp is the quintessential Californian. There is, however, one other dominant element of his persona—his shiny, state-of-the-art robotic limbs.
Clapp, now 26, lost both his legs below the knee and his right arm after getting hit by a train at the age of 15 near his home in Grover Beach. Following years of rehabilitation and a series of medical procedures—each more technologically advanced than the previous one—Clapp has joined a new generation of people who are embracing revolutionary advancements in biomechatronics as a means of surpassing their bodies’ limitations.
In the U.S. alone there are almost two million amputees. Robotic prosthetics, though often presented as a harbinger of a soulless future, populated with flesh-and-metal cyborgs like RoboCops and Terminators, in reality, help amputees regain their sense of self-reliance.
Wearable robotic prosthetics are a dynamic and expanding sub-genre of biomedical engineering concerned with the design, fabrication, and fitting of customized artificial limbs. For individuals who have lost limbs as a result of traumatic injuries, vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, or congenital disorders, these devices restore the function and appearance of a full or partially missing limb. Variations in human anatomy make the fabrication of prosthetics an intricate procedure that requires a high degree of skill and an array of sophisticated technologies.
There are series of challenges and opportunities facing the biomedical and tissue engineers in charge of designing and constructing an artificial or robotic limb. Such a biometric design problem can be divided into four interrelated subsystems: first, an artificial hand as a biomimetic; secondly, prosthetic implants which use electromyography—electronic signals in muscles; thirdly, tissue reactions to the material of the implants, and finally, inflammatory responses of the cells surrounding implanted sensors that interfere with the signal transmission of such sensors.
The ‘ideal’ design requirements of satisfactory prosthetic limbs have been defined as ease of control (i.e. body controlled), functionality (performance of multiple routine activities), comfort (with good interface and correct weight inertia, and biocompatibility in the short and long term), and cosmetic intricacy (with skin and design properties).
The technology in lower limb prosthetics is advancing rapidly. M.I.T. professor Hugh Herr has founded a startup called iWalk devoted to making next-generation prosthetics. The company’s first product—a bionic foot and ankle—resulted from careful modeling of the muscles, tendons and spinal reflexes used in human walking. The foot can sense its wearer’s actions, as well as terrain and adjust accordingly. Microprocessors help coordinate reflexes like responses to the user’s motions, and robotics simulate the action of missing calf muscles and Achilles tendons.
Another product, the C-Leg, is yet another example of the blazing advancements in the field of prosthetics. It works with tiny programmable microprocessors, lightweight composite materials, and keen sensors to restore remarkable degrees of mobility in amputees. C-Leg combines computer technology with hydraulics. Sensors on the leg detect terrain and microprocessors guide the limb’s hydraulic system, enabling it to simulate a natural step. It literally does the walking for the walker.
In addition, upper limb prosthetic research has generated a biomimetic solution for the development and use of artificial muscles. Arrays of shape memory alloy actuators, inspired by biological muscles, are today being employed to drive a five-fingered hand with a spectacular 20 degrees of freedom in movement, meaning it allows movement in twenty different directions.
Upper limb prosthetics has also received much attention from McGill’s department of biomedical engineering, where dynamic mechanical properties of the peripheral motor system are being analyzed.
“Here at McGill, we look into muscle responses to sensory change, which are altered by the pathological condition of the body,” Professor Robert Kearney, from the department of biomedical engineering, said.
The muscle responds to varying conditions, prompting changes in mechanical properties. These changes are being studied and further implemented in prosthetic designs.
While technological advancements in the field are moving forward at an accelerated pace, so too is the cost of producing these bionic prosthetics. About 15 rehabilitation centers in the United States are using modern battery operated bionic suits; they pay $140,000 for each one, along with a $10,000 annual service contract.
The enormous price tag associated with the field has raised eyebrows. The questionable marketability of modern prosthetics has made headlines. Cost sensitivity adds another dimension to the challenges faced in the fabrication of artificial limbs. A Google image search reveals the most visually pleasing and dynamically sound prosthetic designs, but these do not match what one sees in a rehabilitation center. In reality, artificial limbs are not as glossy as they appear, and a sophisticated yet cost competitive bionic limb is still needed.
The future of prosthetics lies in the fabrication of artificial limbs that are at the pinnacle of functionality and bionic beauty but also affordable. The dream is a remarkable piece of biomechatronic design that is cheap enough to be sold in a sporting goods store.
Mount Royal, west of downtown Montreal, serves as a vivid contrast to the cityscape. The autumnal leaves, ranging from yellows to fiery reds are reason enough to warrant a visit. Walking under the colourful canopy, a new tool will allow Montrealers to learn more about each tree.
A made-in-Montreal iPhone application called Branché makes information on urban tree species such as the sugar maple, hickory, and red oak easily accessible.
Urban trees can be found alongside city streets, parks and public squares. Trees located on private land owned by residents, businesses and institutions like banks or hospitals are also recognized as urban trees. As of 2011, Montreal has 1.2 million urban trees, 233,000 of which are planted along streets. This number does not include trees on private land.
The city has made a concerted effort to urge Montrealers to learn more about urban foliage. The Montreal Botanical Garden hosts trees that can survive in an urban environment, and La Maison de L’arbre publishes information about how the forest ecosystem works. Branché, created by iEKho communications, fits the city’s objective of spreading arborary knowledge well.
Branché is a free, location-based application compatible with Apple products. It works by accessing the city’s existing inventory of urban trees. When the app is launched, the phone emits a geolocation signal, to locate a real-world object—in this case, a tree. The geolocation signal communicates with the city’s tree database and identifies all the tree species in the vicinity.
The app can also be used interactively to identify an unknown tree in the city.
“The interface encourages interactivity by presenting a dichotomous key,” said Pierre Belec from Soverdi, an organization that assists Montrealers in planting trees. “[This is] essentially, two choices such as ‘is this a deciduous tree or an evergreen tree?’”
After the question is answered, the user is taken to a set of subcategories for further choices. At the end of this process, the tree can be successfully identified. This information is then automatically transmitted to other Montrealers.
As an added bonus, the app can notify the city of a tree that is a victim of a vermin infestation.
“If the resident comes across an ash tree that appears to be unwell, Branché will present a sequence of statements on the screen to either confirm or negate this fact,” said Belec. “If indeed the tree has been infested, a signal can be sent to the city to notify them.”
In recent years in Montreal, the ash tree has been susceptible to the emerald ash borer, a type of beetle that lays its eggs in the tree bark. Branché can be used by conservationists to locate these diseased trees.
One day users may even have the opportunity to express a personal message that is shared when another user comes across the same tree.
“If a private citizen plants a tree on their property, this user can not only upload the tree’s details onto the application but, … can register a poem, a short story or even a dedication,” said Belec.
Silver maples, honey locusts, hackberry, and Siberian elms are just a few of the most common urban trees in Montreal that are easily integrated into Branché. There are still many more unidentified trees that need to be catalogued. With this application you can be a part of this discovery—and maybe even upload a short story or two about your favourite tree.
