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a, News

Provost Masi explores effect of course digitization on university learning

by Eman Jeddy on

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The effect that new technologies such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have on the way universities operate was the subject of a lecture by Provost Anthony Masi on Nov. 14.

MOOCs are free, online courses, which provide traditional class content and are open to the public. In addition, individual MOOCs feature online forums, which allow for discussion between students, teaching assistants, and professors.

Although MOOCs are not graded and do not count for credit towards a degree at the host university, participants receive a certificate of completion if they finish the program and any activities that accompany it.

According to Masi, MOOCs are one indication that students are changing their expectations for education due to a digitization of resources; MOOCs have begun to alter the mechanisms for the delivery of information in higher education.

“The generation of students now coming to university are the first generation growing up as digital owners,” Masi said. “They have expectations about the ways these [devices] will be used in their education, but we as educators have not prepared our own professors to think about structures to accommodate this new generation of students.”

On Nov. 3, McGill announced plans to unveil its first MOOC using non-profit website edX.org. Founded by MIT and Harvard last May, edX.org provides university-level courses online for free to a global audience.

Since its announcement, over 5,000 students from across the world have enrolled in the course. Named “Food for Thought” and indexed as CHEM181x, the course will be formally available on Jan. 22 2014 and will be instructed by McGill Professors Ariel Fenster, David Harpp, and Joe Schwarcz.

Masi spoke further on the potential growth and accessibility that MOOCs can offer, citing the example of an introductory engineering course, named Circuits, which the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently ran.

“10,000 students were able to complete the course,” Masi said. “That’s more than a professor at MIT can teach over his or her whole lifetime.”

Masi said one of the criticisms against MOOCs is the cost of production, which ranges between $100,000 to $200,000 per MOOC. Masi pointed out that MOOCs are not simply re-creations of traditional classroom teaching.

“The very first MOOCs are extremely expensive to make because they are really not just lecture recordings, they are courses redesigned to fit this mode of delivery and interaction with students,” Masi said. “You can’t just do 50 minutes of lecture; each hour of a MOOC has 10 to 20 additional hours of labour before you get to see it, so there certainly a cost to produce it.”

Helen Walsh, president and co-founder of the Literary Review of Canada, spoke on the necessity for student engagement in the conversation about MOOC development.

“Continual innovation of education is not just important to professors but students as well,” Walsh said. “[MOOCs] don’t necessarily need to replace how you’re studying now, but they do have the potential to complement how you’re studying […] and to impact the learning outcomes for the physical course that you’re taking as well.”

Marianne Chervier, a second-year masters student in the Faculty of Education who attended the event, said she is optimistic about the possibility of a greater integration of technology at McGill.

“Professors think quality assurance is their business, and they have a lot of forces pulling at them,” Chervier said. “I think [Masi] is doing a great job at understanding them and integrating them and I hope we will see some exciting changes and progressive technologies at McGill.”

a, Science & Technology

2011 science capsule

by Caity Hui on

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Living without a heart

In March of 2011, two doctors from the Texas Heart Institute Billy Cohn and Bud Frazier helped Craig Lewis set a world record. They replaced their patient’s heart with a device that allowed blood to circulate throughout his body without a pulse.

Essentially, the device uses blades to keep the blood flowing, which allows the patient to live without a detectable heartbeat or even a pulse. The device seemed effective, as Lewis was up and speaking with the physicians within 24 hours of his surgery.

Cohn and Frazier had previously tested this device on nearly 50 calves. By removing the calves’ hearts and implanting the device, they were able to monitor how the calves responded to this technology. According to the results of the study, the calves were eating, sleeping, and moving the following day. However, they were performing all of these activities without a heart pumping blood through their bodies.

Lewis suffered from amyloidosis, which was what prompted the doctors to try the surgery. Amyloidosis is a condition that occurs when abnormal proteins known as amyloid proteins build up in your organs. Treatments are available to help patients manage symptoms and limit the production of amyloid protein; however, there is no definitive cure. Without surgery, Lewis was projected to live for only another 12 hours.

Though Lewis was ultimately unable to combat the disease—he passed away five weeks after the surgery—doctors hope this technology will offer a future alternative to those with full heart failure when a pacemaker cannot solve the problem.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Karneef – Love Between Us

by Will Burgess on

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What place does retro pop have in the contemporary indie and electronic soundscapes of Montreal? Local musician Karneef doesn’t seem to care, and his debut LP Love Between Us presents his fastidious funk vision, with all its offbeat lyrics and diverse instruments, largely arranged and played by Karneef alone.

Karneef drives words into the gaps within his mellow rhythms in an articulate but offhand, almost sarcastic manner—half-speaking his train of thought in a way that is strongly reminiscent of David Byrne. In fact, with Karneef controlling almost all of the sound on this album—aside from the rhythm section—it is easy to criticize him personally as being too derivative of the legendary Talking Heads frontman. However, Karneef’s nonchalant, jokey mannerisms, mixed with the sincere lushness of his funky riffs, makes his lack of originality easily forgotten.

Despite the album’s essentially medlied melodies—in an interview with Indecent Xposure, Karneef calls the LP a “circumstantial thing”—his satisfaction with the result is infectious. On “We Found Money,” Karneef winkingly croons “We found money/ so I’m gonna blow up/ this house just won’t do/ so I’m gonna buy two” over a languid slow rhythm, and one can’t help but smile.

Other highlights of Love Between Us include half-hearted serenade “Swimming” (“Why don’t we go swimming, girl/ I’ve got a lot of stuff to do, but the only thing missin’ is some deep sea kissin’”), “Talking Man,” a lament of a tediously verbose stranger over an anxious string melody, and single “So Trippy,” which features Edmonton rapper—formerly the city’s poet laureate—Cadence Weapon.

Overall, Karneef’s precise individual control over the vocals, instruments, and production of Love Between Us results in a well-arranged, sardonically joyous debut.

 

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Where have all the role models gone?

by Diana Wright on

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In our sex-saturated society it’s easy to wonder where all the positive female role models in pop music have gone; tweens and young women are bombarded with images of barely-clothed women writhing around on the floor, or, oddly, humping foam fingers.

Sometimes, even the few female artists who donít have hyper-sexualized public imagesólike Sky Ferreiraóprove, in other ways, to be poor role models for young, impressionable females. Ferreira was arrested earlier this year for ecstasy possession, surely something that is not encouraged for those who wish to maintain a clean record.

Though some feminists might say it is unnecessary for there to be female role models at allóespecially since they seem to be put under a microscope and picked apart by the media more frequently than their male counterpartsóthey are important because they provide young women with hope in the face of a society that so often seems to discourage strong women. Put simply, established and influential women are inspiring.

Role models also offer women a sense of belonging. As a teenager, there was nothing better than listening to a female artistís lyrics and identifying with her, feeling like I wasnít alone in whatever I was experiencing in life at that moment.

Although the female pop starís public appearance often muddles the message of her music, especially if itís as controversial as Cyrusí or Ferreiraís, it is their messageóeven if itís simply to ìbe who you want to be and have fun while youíre doing itîóthat is most influential on developing women, and not their image.

For example, I grew up in the age of the boy band, the mid-90s invasion of Brit-pop, and, most importantly, the Spice Girls. Starting from the age of five or six the Spice Girls were pretty much the only music I listened to, and I believed them to be goddesses.

In retrospect, itís obvious how sexualized the Spice Girlsí image was: Ginger Spice regularly stepped out in skin-tight ensembles with her cleavage pushed up near her ears, and Baby Spice was undoubtedly the result of some sort of perverted fetish.

Nevertheless, it was the Spice Girlsí message that was always clear to me: girl power. It was their mantra, and it became mineóand has remained so to this day.

So, when I see a female artist asserting her opinion in an interview, or subverting the culturally acceptable ënormí in some non-destructive way, I tend to gravitate toward her.

Although many people automatically assume that female pop artists are entirely manufactured and controlled by some male Oz-type character behind-the-scenes, this assumption is a bit too simplistic. Whoís to say she doesnít have the power to choose what she wears, or what she does on stage? Havenít things changed a bit since the ë60s, when men engineered female pop? The reality is that with more and more female pop artists participating in the writing and production of their own songs, thereís no doubt that some of their opinions feature in their music.

There are, however, some female artists whose messages are not obscured by their images, and are therefore, easier for feminists, and forward-thinking men and women who may not identify as feminists, to get behind.

Lorde (aka Ella Yelich-O’Connor), the 17-year-old New Zealand indie-pop sensation is undeniably one of those artists: she always appears fully clothed on stage and purveys a female-positive message. But Lorde is still young, and it’s difficult to predict how her personal style and sound will evolve over the next few years.

Lily Allen also maintains an unsexualized image, but her recent video for “Hard Out Here” features images of the same sexist female objectification that its lyrics, which include a re-appropriation of the word “bitch,” denounce.

No matter what, contemporary female pop artists are anything but boring, and the conversation they inspire about feminism is perhaps the most important and influential thing about them. As long as feminist discourse continues in a constructive way, it can only be a good thing. Hopefully weíll soon stop looking only skin deep and shift our focus to what these women are in the spotlight for: their music.

 

 

a, Science & Technology

Science fiction: Space travel

by Alexander Messina on

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The itch to explore has always played a key role in our culture. It has also been an important anchor upon which many works of science fiction are based; many stories feature tales about exploration. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaall featuring a man visiting the moon by means of a balloon is agreed to be one of the first works of science fiction and was published in 1835.

Unlikely modes of transportation aside, we have reached a point in history where most of the globe is quite well known, and only the stars remain to be explored and discovered. So it is not so surprising that space travel has become such a staple of so many science fiction tales. From Star Trek to Futurama, we seem obsessed with  exploring space.

The conventional mechanism of propulsion for spacecraft is relatively well known. The product of highly exothermic chemical reactions which expel a great deal of energy is expelled through a nozzle at the base of the rocket. Newton’s Third Law, which states that “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction” takes care of the rest.

This method of propulsion may be simple, but it has a few flaws. First, it is a very inefficient process. Only 35 per cent of the energy expelled from the chemical reactions actually goes towards moving the ship; the rest most likely escapes as heat. Although the reactions do generate a great deal of acceleration—the rate at which their speed increases—their top speed is limited to about 8000 meters per second.

8000 meters per second might sound fast, but the speed of light is 300,000,000 meters per second—quite a big difference. Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our own solar system is 4.3 light years—the time it takes for the light to travel to us—away. This means that there’s roughly 40,000,000,000 kilometres in between us and the closest star.

One reasonable alternative to internal combustion engines is the use of ion drives. Espoused by science fiction writers, these propulsion systems have recently emerged into widespread use, as they tackle a few of the problems raised by chemical propulsion.

The ion drive was first described in 1947 in the short story called The Equalizer, written by Jack Williamson. Later, George Lucas uses ion drives in the Twin Ion Engines—small, manuverable spacecrafts—featured in Star Wars. Both writers emphasize the faster and more efficient means of space travel that this alternate method provides.

An ion is simply a particle. It can be an atom or a molecule, and is either positively or negatively charged. Ions are interesting because they can be manipulated using currents. The concept is not so different from moving a magnet around using another magnet. In the case of ion propulsion, electric current is used to push charged particles out of the nozzle rather than chemical products.

The advantage of this system is not so evident, but it relies on the fact that the ions are being pushed out of the rocket by an electric current. Ion engines use plasma, which is a neutral gas consisting of equal amounts of positive and negative charges. Plasma is considered its own state of matter because of its fairly unique properties. Prime among them is the fact that it is a good conductor of electricity.

Using electric current as a method of propulsion is better than simply using a chemical reaction because the heat of the reaction limits the latter. The voltage applied to ion thrusters is the limiting factor in their top speed, and voltage is theoretically unlimited.

Furthermore, rockets have top speeds of 90,000 meters per second—a great deal faster than chemical thrusters (rockets with a single propellant force). The downside is that their acceleration is not high enough to exit the earth’s atmosphere. While rockets require a great deal less fuel, they must be used in conjunction with other methods to escape the earth’s pull.

Although both these technologies are great strides in the effort to explore beyond our solar system, the incredible distances between us and other cosmic bodies are limiting. If we truly want to navigate interstellar distances, we would need newer and better modes of transportation.

One group of researchers called Icarus Interstellar have spearheaded such attempts with various projects involving numerous contributions from researchers around the world. The company, along with others such as SpaceX, seeks to maybe one day make our wildest dreams come true.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Lady Gaga – ARTPOP

by Diana Wright on

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Although ‘dull’ isn’t a word you would usually associate with the avant-garde, publicity stunt-loving ‘Queen of Monsters,’ the first time I listened to Lady Gaga’s new album, I skipped pretty much every song. The only one I managed to listen to all the way through was piano ballad “Dope,” which abandons Gaga’s predictable synth-laden, EDM sound and features emotional, stripped-down vocals. Regrettably, despite its fresh sound, it remains a mediocre track, and falls short of the exciting energy of her 2011 release Born This Way.

ARTPOP continues Gaga’s obsession with fame, fashion, and pop culture in general—and you better believe that it gets tiresome. Many of the tracks on this album are immediately forgettable, and sound like rejects from Born This Way, or even her first album, 2008’s The Fame.

For example, “Fashion!” and “Donatella”—which are pretty much the exact same song theme-wise—directly mirror the sentiments of Born This Way’s “Black Jesus + Amen Fashion,” as well as “Beautiful Dirty Rich” from The Fame. I’ll give you one guess what the topic of those songs are.

Some tracks are also embarrassing and obviously trying too hard to be controversial. Evidence of this are self-explanatory songs “Sexxx Dreams,” and “Jewels and Drugs” (featuring T.I., Too Short, and Twista), which contain a background track that sounds like it was taken from 50 Cent’s first album. Even though Gaga has never been celebrated for her subtlety, this time, her bluntness misses the mark.

It’s this predictability that makes it feel like Gaga’s shtick is starting to run thin; what used to be groundbreaking and individual in her music now feels stale and forgettable. And for an artist like Gaga who relies on as much attention as she can get, being banal is probably the worst turn of events possible.

 

 

a, Student Life

Navigating the next steps: graduate school applications

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Undergraduate degrees today are gradually becoming the high school degrees of yesterday. According to Shawn O’Connor, founder of Stratus Prep New York’s test preparation and admissions consulting firm, graduate degree programs are increasingly receiving more and more applications.

O’Connor regularly travels with universities’ admissions groups across North America. On Nov. 11, the Political Science Students Association (PSSA) brought in O’Connor, who shared advice from an insider’s perspective on applying to graduate schools, law schools, and business schools. Topics included financial aid, personal statements, and standardized testing.

He explained the long-term importance of putting together a strong application in order to get into the best schools.

“Graduate school is a brand which you will purchase, [one] that you will be associated with for the rest of your life,” O’Connor said. “If you go to business school at McGill or [the University of Toronto], which are the top two [business schools] in Canada, your median starting salary will be 85,000-86,000 American dollars. If you go to business school in the United States, your starting salary will be between on average 115,000—145,000 dollars. These are the best schools in the world; you will be getting a global degree.”

According to O’Connor, graduate schools have two aims: they want their acceptance rate to be low, and their yield rate to be high. Yield rate is the number of people who accept their offer of admission; it’s considered a matter of brand strength. To increase their yield rate, universities offer scholarships to the most compelling applicants.

O’Connor said that universities sort applications into three categories based on GPA and standardized test scores: “auto admit,” where exceptional marks guarantee admission, but essays and recommendation letters are important for scholarship prospects; a “debate” category where GPA, LSAT, essay, and recommendation letters are equally important for admission; and “auto rejects,” where the applications will never be looked at by a human, but will be sorted by software.

Getting into the “auto admit” category takes foresight and effort, which students don’t necessarily realize.

“It’s not last minute; [applications] actually take a lot of preparation, so this was good slap in the face to wake you up,” event attendee Guellermo Renna, U3 Arts, said.

 

O’Connor’s tips for success

Standardized tests

You should begin planning for standardized testing in advance. For business and graduate school, you’ll need a four month window to study because the standardized tests are easier. For law school, you need a six-month time frame. Never take the February LSAT exam; since it is not publicly released, it includes more difficult questions. Instead, take the June exam, and keep the October one for backup.

Applying for financial aid

Canadian students often assume they cannot afford schools in the United States. Schools like Georgetown and Columbia are good options; they give around 50 merit-based scholarships. Furthermore, by applying to multiple schools—for example, 15-16 schools in the U.S. and six to seven schools in Canada—if you receive a scholarship at a lower-ranked school, you may ask a higher-ranked school to which you were accepted without scholarship for merit-based aid. A school may oblige in order to prevent you from turning down their offer to keep their yield rate high.

Personal statements

The personal statement is imperative, and any “optional” or “diversity” essay is not really optional. A personal statement should be about why you want to go into law, business, or graduate school, and why that particular school. The optional statement is for the applicant to get personal, and write a memorable story. You should not write about your study abroad experience—that’s the number one thing that people write about in the U.S. Be distinctive. Law schools want to know what type of law the applicant wants to practice; they want the applicant to have a purpose, and not just go to law school for “self-discovery.”

Recommendation letters

Business schools prefer insight from someone who has worked with the applicant, whereas law schools desire people with high credentials to share insight on the applicant’s achievements. For other graduate schools, the letters must come from someone working in the specific discipline for which the applicant is applying. The more customized the letters of recommendations are to the applicant, the better.  You should prepare materials for professors to aid their recommendations, for example, letters for law school and PowerPoint slides for business school.

a, Student Life

Kazu: a hidden treasure of Japanese cuisine

by Alycia Noë on

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Who would have thought a restaurant barely the size of a bedroom would serve impressive food? With its handwritten menu thumbtacked to the wall, most people would walk by without giving Kazu a chance. A hole-in-the-wall authentic Japanese restaurant that opened in 2011, Kazu may not have the best outward appearance, but the food surely delights.

Kazu’s sign is easy to miss, as it blends in along the main strip of downtown Montreal, but the long lines extending daily from its door pique the interest of passersby.

Inside, the service is quick, efficient, and friendly, meeting the high customer demand. Mistakes may occasionally occur due to the distracting environment, but the hosts always try their best to ensure the best experience. Unlike other eateries, they apologize if, for example, they forget your drinks.

From the bar, you can observe the chefs as they quickly turn out delicious food. One highlight of the menu is the shrimp burger—a homemade shrimp patty served on a lightly toasted bun with spicy mayonnaise, crisp lettuce, and a thin rice patty that provides a much-needed crunch. This lightened-up burger is the perfect fusion, serving an American classic with a Japanese flavour profile.

Another highlight is the 48-hour pork bowl, which serves juicy, tender pork atop onions and a generous bed of rice. The fresh ginger adorning this dish further enhances the deep pork essence developed through slow simmering.

Kazu is well-known for having some of the best ramen in all of Montreal, but this crave-worthy dish is served only at lunch (Monday, Wednesday to Friday, and Sunday) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Their claim to fame lives up to the hype, as the delicious broth isn’t overly salty like many other ramen houses, and the noodles provide a perfect textural contrast to the soft egg and edamame bean toppings. Since this seemingly simple dish is actually quite difficult to make, Kazu’s ramen is an impressive reflection of the the chefs’ understanding of Japanese cuisine, and is further enhanced with a few homemade seaweed chips for more umami.

Kazu is also vegetarian-friendly, since the chefs make their own homemade tofu. They take pride in serving well-cooked vegetables in a creative fashion, such as their eggplant dip and rice balls.

If you’re a more adventurous eater, you can venture to try pork neck and cheek, tuna belly, or kimchi. Originally a Korean delicacy, kimchi is a spiced, fermented cabbage that provides the ideal juxtaposition between piquancy and a slightly sweet quality to soothe and tantalize the tongue as you eat. For dessert, there are homemade soft ice creams in flavours that include wasabi and black sesame.

To experience the delights inside Kazu, however, you must have patience. Complaints regarding the wait times—which can reach upwards of half an hour—are common. For the busy student, there is a way around this issue. The eager eater can call ahead to place an order for pick up (unfortunately, Kazu still doesn’t offer a delivery service). Something else to note is that prices at the cash-only restaurant tend to be slightly higher than average because the chefs insist on sourcing only quality ingredients.

Nonetheless, Kazu does not disappoint with its boldly-flavoured Japanese dishes that excite all palates.

 

1862 Saint Catherine Street West (514) 937-2333

Mon., Wed.-Fri., Sun: 12:00-3:00 p.m., 5:30-9:30 p.m.

Tuesday: closed

Sat: 5:30-9:30 p.m.

a, Science & Technology

Research brief

by Jacqueline Galbraith on

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Traffic Lights

Arguably the very worst part of commuting is hitting one red light after the other, and it’s all the more frustrating when you’re hitting these reds while driving on an otherwise empty street.

A University of Toronto Postdoctorate Fellow, Samah El-Tantawy, recently installed a new system in Toronto traffic lights as part of a Toronto-Cairo pilot program. The aim was to increase traffic efficiency by designing an artificial intelligence program that allows traffic lights to communicate with each other and use decision-making strategies using Game Theory, rather than the current system of a centralized command center using algorithms.

“In lay language, [traffic lights] act as a team of players cooperating to win a game—much like players in a soccer match, where each player [wants] to score, but at the same time, considers the ultimate goal of the entire team which is winning the match,” El-Tantawy said in a University of Toronto press release, according to Yahoo! Canada News.

Essentially, the lights are able to use up-to-date, real-time information to make logical decisions that will keep traffic flowing smoothly. This system was installed on approximately 60 intersections in Toronto and reportedly reduced traffic by around 40 per cent. Commute times were also cut down by approximately 25 per cent, meaning that the widespread implementation of this technology could have huge implications for urban traffic congestion, as well as carbon emission levels.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Sebastien Grainger – Yours to Discover

by Morgan Alexander on

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In this LP, Canadian Death From Above 1979 singer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger deftly embraces the breezy Los Angeles style into his past punk persona. After signing with Saddle Creek Records in 2008, he is now releasing his second solo album Yours to Discover. The album flows from one electronic synth ballad to the next, allowing for the listener to get lost in the hypnotic haze of Grainger’s cool vocals and upbeat guitar riffs.

Admittedly, many sections of the album can be perceived as a bit dry. A good portion of the tracks are rather repetitive in nature, and Grainger’s need to be groovy and mellow is far overdone in “I Want Sebastien Grainger.” However, the album does contain a number of surprise highlights that exude creative passion and excitement. “The Streets Are A Mess” is an excellent head-bobbing track that intersperses heavy beats with Grainger’s iconic synth hooks. In terms of lyrical depth, “I’m Looking For A Hand” exposes a lot; underneath the relaxed beats, a raw, frantic undertone that displays the vulnerability that comes with moving into a solo career.

Overall, the album lives up to its name. Fans of Grainger should be excited to experience the album’s move from his punk-rock past into a more pop-leaning future. New listeners can find their niche either in his toe-tapping beats within “Waking Up Dead” or in his smooth, romantic melodies within “Going With You.”

 

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