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Soup & Science goes digital for “Sun & Science”

by Sophia Gorbounov, Ronny Litvack-Katzman on

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On May 22, the Faculty of Science offered students and community members their widely popular Soup and Science presentation series, where professors from various departments deliver short talks on their research. For the first time in its history, lectures were offered in the spring and online, prompting organizers to aptly rebrand the event as “Sun and Science.” The McGill Tribune brings you the highlights of the afternoon: 

Life at the edge: Understanding species geographic distributions

Anna Hargreaves, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, is a trained evolutionary ecologist. Her work centres around how species change over time in response to their environment. Yet, Hargreaves’ research takes these questions one step further, addressing how interactions between species—and with them, emergent patterns of global biodiversity—have changed over the course of Earth’s history. 

“My lab thinks a lot about species distributions and why species occur where they do,” Hargreaves said. “Not only because they combine to shape global patterns of biodiversity but also because they are really fundamental to many pressing conservation issues.”

Hargreaves spoke about the different types of experiments her lab conducts in order to address some fundamental questions of evolutionary ecology. Their methods range from traditional field experiments to new and exciting work that models species interactions at large scales. 

“When we, as biologists, try to model [species distributions], where species occur now and where they will go in the future, we often treat species as though they exist in isolation,” Hargreaves said. “Of course, we know this is not true. Every species exists in a web of interactions with the species around it.” 

Presently, the Hargreaves lab is exploring new experimental methods that allow researchers to test hypotheses that are nearly impossible to assess in natural systems. One method, known as “micro landscapes,” involves the creation of habitats in miniature, allowing microorganisms to evolve, and tracking population level genetic and ecological changes over time. Hargreaves also noted that it is much easier to manipulate populations using the micro landscapes approach, making it possible to induce rapid changes in the environment, an important factor in addressing pressing conservation such as climate change.

Neutrinos: The universe’s most mysterious particle

Thomas Brunner, a professor in the Department of Physics, dove down to the smallest of scales in his talk titled “Understanding our Universe through neutrinos.”

Neutrinos are subatomic particles very similar to electrons, but have no charge. Though they are one of the most abundant particles in the universe, neutrinos are incredibly difficult to detect, due to their neutral charge, near-zero mass, and low probability of interacting with other matter. 

“Every second, you have about 50 billion neutrinos passing through [an area of one square centimeter],” Brunner said. “They pass through the body and through the earth.” 

However, Brunner emphasized that, though abundant, very little is known about the nature of neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, antineutrinos.

In particle physics, antiparticles have opposite electric charges and magnetic movements when compared to regular particles. The positron, for example, has a positive charge, making it the antiparticle to an electron, which is negatively charged. Particles and antiparticles interact to produce energy through annihilation, the process by which particles collide and disappear, effectively cancelling out one another.

“Neutrinos are electrically neutral,” Brunner said. “This, however, now opens the possibility in quantum mechanics that neutrinos and antineutrinos may be the same particle.” 

Brunner went on to mention that some of the fundamental differences between particles and antiparticles may not exist between neutrinos and antineutrinos.

“To figure out if this is indeed the case, we are searching for a type of radioactive decay called neutrinoless double beta decay,” Brunner said. “This decay can only happen if neutrinos and antineutrinos are the same particle.”

If this decay were to be observed, it would classify neutrinos as a Majorana particle: A particle that is its own antiparticle.

According to Brunner, the discovery of this kind of decay could explain why our universe is matter-dominated, instead of antimatter-dominated, forcing physicists to rethink the standard model of particle physics.

Art, Arts & Entertainment, Internet, Music

All My Friends Fest offers a sweet escape from self-isolation

by Marie Saadeh on

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Cities across Canada are beginning to open up, and although the parks are slowly becoming busier and the weather hotter, no Montreal summer is complete without its signature cultural events. Event cancellations and venue closures due to COVID-19 are undoubtedly putting a damper on spirits, not only for city residents but especially for the local creatives whose livelihoods depend on these events. In spite of this, creatives are finding ways to connect with their community and share their work. One shining example is All My Friends Fest.  

All My Friends Fest, to be held on May 30, is a one-day digital festival that serves as a direct response to the challenges faced by artists in the time of COVID-19. Organized by Vice Versa Productions and partnered with Also Cool Mag and Canvas & Cassette, the festival’s goal is to showcase art from the queer community. Originally intended as an in-person event in  New York City before the pandemic hit, the festival includes a wide range of musicians and artists in its lineup.

“Every single person who’s a part of this festival is so talented and so passionate and so excited to connect with the community,” Malaika Astorga, co-founder of Also Cool Magazine and festival organizer, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.  

Performances will include a variety of singer-songwriters and live visual artists, with about half of the artists based in New York City and the other half in Montreal. 

Aside from the variety of featured artists, the festival is a queer-femme-run initiative that directly compensates participating artists, which Astorga emphasizes as a reason to attend in itself. 

“We really want to support our musician [and artist] friends whose entire careers and livelihoods have been compromised,” Astorga said. 

The festival is divided into daytime and nighttime segments: The daytime lineup on Instagram Live starts at 12:00 p.m. and runs until 6 p.m., and includes a number of musical and visual artists.

“We wanted to keep in mind the screen exhaustion that everyone is feeling. Sometimes being on Zoom for three hours is a bit much,” Astorga said. “We wanted [Instagram Lives] to be a more passive way of interacting with the artists, but also a way to directly communicate with them, too [….] You can kind of tune in and out and comment.”

The nighttime lineup begins with a panel on organizing and hosting digital events and parties from 8:00-9:00 p.m., including panelists from Club Quarantine, Global Relations, and Club Hunhouse. Following the panel, a dance party hosted by BLUSH will feature live DJs and go-go dancers. All funds raised from this specific portion of the festival will be donated to ASSTTeQ Tio’Tiak:ke – Montreal and Taking What We Need, both organizations that support marginalized trans folks who are directly impacted by COVID-19.

Tickets to the festival are based on donations, and donors of 10 dollars or more will receive thank-you gifts from event organizers. 

Although the concept of a digital arts festival may feel unusual, it certainly has its perks. Due to it taking place in a virtual space, the festival will be able to include visual artists who utilize digital mediums in ways that would not have been possible in-person. Additionally, Astorga added that attending a show online can be less intimidating and more accessible.

Despite its unconventionality, All My Friends Fest offers the familiar comfort of connection through the arts.

“If you’ve been feeling lonely during quarantine or bummed out about the lack of community interaction, it’ll be a nice supplement until we’re able to [meet] in real life,” Astorga said. “All these people want is to make new friends on the internet and play music and hang out.” 

Information about tickets and the festival’s fund can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

Commentary, Opinion

McGill’s mixed communication regarding the S/U option was quick, but not careful

by Eve Cable on

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It’s a small disclaimer on every McGill course syllabus: “In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the university’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.” This year’s cohort of students finally fell prey to the mysterious “extraordinary circumstances” when on March 20, the McGill community received an email from Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Fabrice Labeau confirming that students would be able to select the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option after receiving their grades. Advisors, departments, and faculties emailed their students at different times with information about how and when to access the S/U option. Although McGill acted quickly to announce the S/U option, the discrepancies between each faculty’s decisions and the lack of clarity in messages posted by departments and the administration came at the expense of students’ emotional wellbeing. 

McGill has made errors throughout this crisis, not least in its failure to support students on exchange. Still, the early announcement of the S/U option served as slight reassurance and calmed the nerves of students whose course work has been affected by the pandemic. Labeau’s message, however, was vague: It simultaneously claimed that while students can S/U any course, they may not do so if it “runs counter” to their program or department requirements. The contradictory wording resulted in confusion and gave departments a high level of freedom, which meant that students in different programs received different instructions and specifications regarding the use of the S/U option. It should be up to the McGill administration to ensure that everyone receives the same level of communication to allow a level playing field for all students.

Some departments, like English, received detailed information from their department chairs outlining the specifics regarding the S/U option for required courses, elaborating on the option for Honours students, and highlighting the option of receiving an incomplete ‘K’ grade for more time. The communication was clear and concise. When presented like this, these notifications provided some stability, but students in other departments did not have the same support. For other majors, like Economics, the information was difficult to locate online (if posted at all), and there was no communication to students clarifying the S/U option. The lack of consistency was detrimental to students’ wellbeing. The administration should have enforced the same standard across all departments to avoid unnecessary stress on professors, advisors and students during an already tumultuous time. 

In a broader sense, graduate and professional schools have different standards when evaluating Winter 2020 grades, making the decision to S/U even harder for prospective applicants. Queens Medical School has decided to drop Winter 2020 grades, while Georgetown Medical School has stated that applying with grades instead of S/U is ‘highly preferable’. This will mean medical school applicants face a lack of consistency in their applications. Some students seem happy to S/U all their courses while others remain fearful that the option will be viewed negatively by professional schools. Cornell University, for example, has only allowed students to implement an S/U option before receiving their grades, perhaps giving students at universities like McGill an advantage‒‒or, conversely, a disadvantage, if the S/U option is to be viewed harshly by graduate schools and employers. 

The clarity provided by some departments at McGill relaxed some students, whereas the lack of communication from other departments only increased stress. Failures came from individual departmental communications‒‒perhaps the administration should have foreseen this issue, but we should also remember that they are human too, and are also dealing with a lot of stress during the pandemic. The university’s response could have been more beneficial to students under stress should departments have acted in a united manner in sharing departmental updates on the subject. It would have been helpful for departments to have provided reassurance earlier and in a more succinct manner, but truthfully, this is a difficult time for all members of the McGill community.

Off the Board, Opinion

Finding a new sense of American patriotism at McGill

by Jonah Fried on

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I spent my last meal at McGill’s Bishop Mountain Dining Hall trying to rationalize going home to New York. With COVID-19 cases mounting, all of the jokes I had made about U.S. backwardness ceased to be funny. Instead, the America that I had tried to wish away became all too real, haunting me during strained phone conversations with my parents as we weighed my options. That America—the worldwide epicentre of the virus, with a government that does not believe in science and a president who fails to acknowledge the severity of the crisis—is an embarrassment that makes me want to run away. To top it all off, the American healthcare system is so flawed that some people are more afraid of unaffordable health insurance bills than COVID-19. Still, I came home in the end, as did most of the American students I know. 

Returning was disillusioning. Of course, there’s the sad reality of social distancing and quarantine. But even worse is watching Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis. It’s like watching Monty-Python, except it is not funny because his most absurd remarks and decisions are likely to kill thousands of Americans. And for millions of progressive Democrats, no end seems to be in sight, now that Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the Primary. Sure, there’s former Vice President Joe Biden, but even some of his supporters are calling him a distasteful, utilitarian compromise. The mountain of misgivings seems insurmountable. Some students may become disillusioned with politics and consequently fail to engage in the election process. Lackluster candidates like Biden, certainly, are unlikely to galvanize young progressive voters from abroad. Besides which, voting while studying or working at McGill can be confusing, considering that voting from abroad requires one to obtain an absentee ballot and then mail it in according to state-specific rules. Nevertheless, American students must adopt a new sense of patriotism and recognize that apathy precludes ever giving the U.S. the chance to be the country Americans want and need.

Voting in U.S. elections is not just a basic civic duty but an imperative step to counteracting the Republican Party’s audacious authoritarianism. Trump’s administration is using COVID-19 as a distraction to accumulate broader emergency powers. Needless to say, this is concerning for a multitude of reasons, not least considering that he was impeached for obstruction of Congress and then acquitted because, apparently, a president can do anything if they feel that it is in the public interest. Experts agree: The Trump administration looks suspiciously like a Trump dictatorship. Considering the centrality of U.S. affairs in international politics, it stands to reason that all McGill students, regardless of national origin, have a stake in saving American democracy.

Reviving American patriotism is more vital now than ever, and it does not have to be tainted with some gilded, 1950’s facade of American exceptionalism or supremacy. It must be reimagined: It must recognize America’s shortcomings and require that Americans work towards a better country by educating themselves on political issues and by participating in the democratic process. That means voting in state primaries, congressional elections, and the general election—especially now, as apathy is eroding the last vestiges of democracy with a vitriolic fervour. 

American students are not absolved of that responsibility just because we go to school in Canada. If anything, it is more important for those who study abroad to be politically active, considering that studying abroad renders America’s shortcomings painfully obvious. Although these issues are easy to ignore in Canada, COVID-19 has forced American students to confront them like never before. Moreover, the economic tumult surrounding the crisis has been an unfortunate reminder of the economic problems that drove many U.S. citizens to McGill in the first place. Americans should not have to escape to Canada for an affordable education. American students should take this crisis as cause to re-engage in American politics, even after life returns to “normal.” McGill students should remain engaged by taking advantage of clubs like Democrats Abroad at McGill, which promote voting and provide resources to help students obtain absentee ballots.

Voters can wallow in national disgrace, or they can give democracy a chase. Even abroad at McGill, Americans have a duty to safeguard democracy by engaging in the process. Yes, Trump is a national embarrassment, and the U.S.’ reputation may never recover. But being proud to be American does not depend on what the president is doing in the White House. It depends on millions of Americans around the world believing that America can improve and taking action to build a better country.

McGill, News

McGill announces remote Fall 2020 semester

by Kate Addison on

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McGill announced on May 11 that it would join other post-secondary institutions across North America in transitioning to online learning as the primary method of course delivery for the Fall 2020 semester. Although this type of switch is unprecedented in McGill’s history, the administration aims to clarify how learning and student activities will take place over the summer months. 

Following the Quebec provincial government’s mid-March orders to cease in-person teaching, McGill students and staff completed the Winter 2020 semester remotely via Zoom calls and lecture recordings. Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) Christopher Buddle hopes that the transition to remote teaching platforms will not be viewed as a sub-par, temporary solution, but instead as an opportunity to foster a positive learning environment.

“The transition was really quick at the end of the winter [semester],” Buddle said.  “It was pretty difficult to really put the effort in to make sure that the experience was exactly where we wanted it [to be] for remote delivery of courses. What we’re trying to do […] over the summer is bolster support for instructors, whether it’s through webinars, […] individual training sessions […], or learning communities in faculties, to really look at ways that remote delivery can be enhanced.”

With classes moving online, students have voiced concern about the impact that remote learning will have on their education. Alex*, U1 Science, feels that those who rely upon support from services such as the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) may not be able to receive the learning accommodations they require. 

 “Most [of the] accommodations that McGill [provides for OSD students] is extra time to write exams and writing exams elsewhere than the field house,” Alex said. “Now that [we] have 72 hours to write [exams] from home, [McGill and the OSD] assumes [that it’s enough], but those are accommodations for COVID-19, not accommodations for [students] registered under the OSD.”

Another concern among students is that valuable educational experiences, such as opportunities for in-person labs and research, will not be transferable online. While McGill has yet to announce how location-specific courses that cannot be replicated remotely will proceed, there are several ideas currently being considered by the administration. 

“Faculties are looking at a number of [solutions, such as] offering the class in the winter instead of the fall,” Buddle said. “[We’re looking] at ways to do virtual labs and simulations [as well as] using multimedia technologies to make lab experiences quite full and rich, even if [the student is just] sitting in their living room.” 

As many international and out-of-province students may elect to not return to Montreal, Buddle emphasizes that aside from those enrolled in certain yet-to-be-determined graduate-level and clinical work courses, students will not be expected to return to campus. 

“If there are any [school] activities in-person and students aren’t in the Montreal area, we are looking at ways to make sure that [they also] have access to that material,” Buddle said. “However we start the term is how we end the term in [regards to] academic activities [….] We don’t want to switch [teaching activities] part way through the term, […] because that really disadvantages students that aren’t here.” 

It is not yet clear whether campus facilities such as McGill’s libraries and the athletic complex will be accessible. Buddle confirmed that some residence accommodations are planned to be open to first-year students but could not say which specific residences. 

Still, despite the administration’s efforts, some members of the McGill community, such as Aakanksha Mathur, U1 Arts, find that the quality of online education is simply not comparable to in-person classes. 

“Although [McGill has assured students that] they will get the same academic experience […] it’s really not the same,” Mathur said. “I’m still continuing with a summer course right now, but since it’s an intensive course, you are meant to have two hours of lectures a day. Now I’m having 30 to 60 minute videos instead, and some random lab videos that happen once a week, which is […] disappointing.” 

Mathur, along with a growing number of students, feel that this shift in curriculum delivery should be reflected in cuts to the Fall semester tuition. 

“I’m not expecting [McGill] to [provide] free courses,” Mathur said. “They’re still justified [in taking] a fee. I don’t think that they are justified taking such a high fee and at the same time saying [that we’re receiving] the same level of education, because we’re not.” 

Buddle declined to comment on the possibility of tuition reduction. 

The McGill administration will continue making announcements with updates throughout the summer. 

* Name has been changed to protect the anonymity of the source.

 

News, The Tribune Explains

Tribune Explains: The Involvement Restriction Policy

by Sequoia Kim on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Inter-faculty Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) is a contract and policy that processes, investigates, and acts on complaints of discrimination, violence, harassment, improper conduct, or gendered violence. The policy aims to minimize harm and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the individual filing the complaint, the plaintiff, by investigating the complaints and implementing varying restrictions to events specific to each charge. Following an April 2 article published by The McGill Daily detailing recent invocation of the IRP against an incoming SSMU executive, The McGill Tribune looked into the policy details of the IRP.

The evolution of The Inter-Faculty IRP

Initially, the Management Undergraduate Society, the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS), Arts Undergraduate Society, and the Science Undergraduate Society possessed their own individual IRP. Prior to the ratification of the inter-faculty IRP in December 2019, the plaintiff had to undergo the IRP process in every faculty if they wanted to implement restrictions to the respondent for events across all faculties. In an interview with The Tribune, EUS President Niloufar Seraj explained why the inter-faculty IRP is more comprehensive than the previous policy.

“[Faculty members] ended up agreeing that you can’t really protect [all McGill students] when you can only restrict access to people in your own faculty, and can only handle cases of members in your own faculty,” Seraj said.

The standard inter-faculty IRP process superseded the faculty-specific IRP processes and also allowed faculties to share information about relevant cases amongst each other. Although each faculty’s investigative committee handles complaints, the restriction outcomes can be honoured across all faculties signed under the inter-faculty IRP because the process is identical.

The IRP ultimately acts as a safety measure for the plaintiff and other affected individuals, not a judicial or punitive measure: It does not make public judgments about whether or not the respondent is guilty or innocent, nor is it capable of administering disciplinary measures.

The scope of restrictions under the inter-faculty IRP

Seraj clarified that the restrictive actions are tailored to each specific case. 

“There is no one version of restriction. There are an unlimited amount of possibilities [of incidences],” Seraj said.

The IRP investigative committee assigns the corrective action best suited to the specific incident. The committee’s recommendations to the respondent could range from mandatory workshops and training to a restriction from a specific event or group, or even to a wider ban from all events where alcohol is present.

The standard procedure for determining restriction outcomes

Individuals who wish to file a complaint must fill out the details of their case in an incident response form and specify how they would like the investigative committee to respond. Alternatively, the plaintiff can use the response form to report the incident without requesting further action or recommending specific action to the committee.

If the complaint falls under the scope of the IRP, the investigation will begin. The composition of the investigative committee generally includes equity commissioners, executive faculty members, and individuals trained in the involvement restriction procedure. Members of any investigative committee are required to sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure confidentiality throughout the process.

During the investigation, the IRP committee interviews the plaintiff, the respondent, and anyone who voluntarily comes forward with information about the incident. The investigative committee may also accept written statements in place of an interview.

The committee then decides by a majority consensus which restrictive measures it deems are necessary to ensure the safety of the plaintiff and others and communicates the results privately. The measures taken will never exceed the request of the plaintiff. Should the plaintiff request that the respondent be banned from all faculty events, the equity commissioners will submit the name of the respondent to the SSMU Anti-Violence Coordinators (AVC). The SSMU AVC maintains a central list of all individuals who are subject to any involvement restrictions.

How and when to use the inter-faculty IRP

McGill undergraduate students, and any other persons impacted by the incident, may file incident reports confidentially, anonymously, or through a proxy. Individuals may file complaints against McGill undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, staff, employees, and visitors. Complaints may be filed about incidents that occurred in any situation in which McGill students are present, both on-campus or off-campus.

To report an incident under a specific faculty, fill out the faculty incident response form and submit it to the chair of the Faculty Committee. To report an incident through SSMU, complaints should be submitted to the Anti-Violence Coordinators ([email protected]).

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Mapping the types and causes of cancer

by Charlotte Perez on

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Cancer is a family of related diseases caused by the uncontrolled division of cells known as a tumour. The Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes, a six-year project comprising the work of more than 1,300 researchers in 37 countries, is the largest, most in-depth analysis of cancer genomes to date. It aims to investigate these genetic mutations in more than 30 cancer types with previously unknown causes. 

When researching the causes of a cancer type, the traditional method has been to examine the genetic mutations in the exome, the protein-coding genes that make up one per cent of our genome. However, in the new initiative, scientists decided to study the other 99 per cent of our DNA that is composed of non-coding genes and their mutations. 

The scientists aimed to sequence the entire genome of 38 different tumour types by examining 2,605 localized primary tumours and 173 metastases, tumours that have migrated to other parts of the body. The project thus provided insight into genetic mutations that occur within the non-coding genes of the genome of cancer patients. 

Researchers found that while mutations in coding regions of DNA are central in driving the development of cancers, mutations in the non-coding regions actually contribute as well. Although individually these mutations do not have a great effect, the sum of all these mutations significantly contributed to cancer development, contrary to what was previously believed by scientists. This new information could provide an alternative view on the causes of cancers and pave the way for more targeted gene therapies.

As of February 2020, the team of researchers have published more than six papers in Nature Magazine and an additional 16 papers on other platforms. With such large-scale data-sharing, however, significant measures had to be taken to respect data protection regulations. Mark Phillips, an academic associate at McGill’s Centre of Genomics and Policy, was in charge of implementing the safeguards for the privacy of patients who contributed their data to the study. 

“From the perspective of the participants themselves, genomic data [are] extremely rich and usable for a multitude of purposes,” Phillips wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “[They are] often also stored alongside other sensitive health information, such as a participant having a certain disease [….] Genomic data […] potentially [tell] so much about a person that […] there are any number of additional possible ways the data could be used or misused that no one has conceived of yet.”

The Pan-Cancer Project’s results relied heavily upon patient data and data sharing. In fact, privacy laws play a big part in any human genomics project. 

“We should aim for as universal as possible of a code of conduct for genomic data sharing,” Phillips wrote. “Genomics has become a coherent, international field of study. It’s also more given to close international collaboration and data-sharing than other fields of research, and so a shared framework across this new field is particularly needed.” 

Without patient data and the work of researchers like Phillips who ensure that they remain secure, the project itself would not have been possible.

The study also highlighted the notable use of carbon dating to study cancer genetics, a method based on retracing cancer-causing mutations that had occurred several years before the tumour’s appearance. Using this method, the researchers found that 20 per cent of these mutations occurred before the first trace of a tumour, and that a large proportion of these mutations were within the same group of genes. Thanks to patient data and a diverse team of researchers, the study’s results may shape future methods of early-on cancer detection, allowing for doctors to find cancers before they progress.

Cartoons

See you soon, McGill!

by Daria Kiseleva, Sunny Kim, Sabrina Girard-Lamas, Nicholas Raffoul on

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(Nicholas Raffoul, Daria Kiseleva, Sunny Kim, Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune)
Features

Snail mail

by Caitlin Kindig on

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My first pen pal was my grandma’s dog, Amigo. He wrote me stories on little scraps of birchbark about his life in the backyard: Digging holes, chasing squirrels, and accompanying my grandma on her walks. He asked me about what I was learning in school, what life was like in the big city, whether or not I was excited to be a big sister. When Amigo died, the correspondence responsibility was transferred to her new dog, Tangles. I was older then, and insisted upon having human pen pals. I loved the idea that my words could be taken anywhere in the world. I was hooked on a hobby that I practice to this day. Since moving to Montreal for university three years ago, I correspond mostly with a close friend from home, Seth Bartusek, and my 10-year-old sister, Hannah Jane. I spoke with both of them about how exchanging snail mail has changed the way they communicate.

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