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By Sharon Miki, on May 1st, 2011
 Dr. Betty Anne Younker (Credit: University of Prince Edward Island)
University of Prince Edward Island alumna Dr. Betty Anne Younker has been appointed as the next dean of the University of Western Ontario‘s Don Wright Faculty of Music. [University of Prince Edward Island]
Ian Penny (Credit: Dalhousie University)
Ian Penny, a Dalhousie University MBA grad, has been appointed as the Chair of the Board of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Penny said of his new role, “I plan to talk a lot about the amazing place Halifax is and the assets we have,” he says. “We really pull together to make things happen in this community. I would like to influence decisions that will ensure there is choice for those graduating from university—choice to stay or choice to go and then come back to build their career.” [Dalhousie . . . → Read More: Alumni Updates: Ian Penny and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce
By Alexandra Davison, on April 10th, 2011
 Credit: University of Western Ontario
In a new study—facilitated by the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry—researchers have discovered a new link between marijuana and how the brain processes emotional information. The study, led by assistant professor Steven Laviolette, has also given researchers a better look into why marijuana use in adolescence can be a cause of schizophrenia later in life. Laviolette’s study has been published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Researchers have discovered that cannabinoid receptors (which are trigged by cannabis drugs, such as marijuana) can directly “influence the significance of emotional information and memory processes.” Cannabinoid receptors are located in the amygdala, a section of the brain that, when abnormal, is a contributing factor to schizophrenia.
Laviolette states that “We know there are abnormalities in both the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in patients who have schizophrenia, and we now know these same . . . → Read More: Marijuana and the Mind: UWO Researchers Identify Critical Brain Pathway
By Sharon Miki, on April 7th, 2011
 Photo Credit: turtlemom4bacon
According to new research from the University of Western Ontario, tangerines may offer more benefits than simply being tasty. Led by biologists Murray Huff and Erin Mulvihill, the study—published in the journal Diabetes—reveals that tangerines contain a substance called Nobiletin that may help prevent obesity as well as protect against type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis.
The study—funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Pfizer Canada Cardiovascular Research Program—followed two groups of mice who were fed diets either with or without Nobiletin added. The group of mice on the Nobiletin-enriched diet experienced no elevation in their levels of dangerous substances such as cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or glucose.
“The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity,” says Huff, the Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts. “And in longer-term studies, Nobiletin also protected these animals from atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque . . . → Read More: Juicy Research: Tangerines Help Fight Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease
By Sharon Miki, on April 7th, 2011
 Dr. Bill Crosby (Credit: University of Windsor)
Beans may be more than delicious—they could also be an important bio-friendly material. A new multi-university collaboration between the University of Windsor, University of Guelph, University of Western Ontario and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada will work to map the genome sequence for dry bean in order to better understand the potential of beans.
Dr. Bill Crosby, a biology professor from the University of Windsor, will work to research and analyze the genetic data in beans. In doing so, Crosby and the other researchers hope to find ways to make beans more resistant to disease in order to reduce loss of bean crops. If successful, greater yields of bean crops could be harvested—improving industry—and used to create more bio-products such as plastics and biodegradeable products.
“This is one of the first large-scale agricultural bio-renewable projects that has come to the University of . . . → Read More: Building a Better Bean: University Collaboration to Map Genome of Beans
By Sharon Miki, on March 4th, 2011
 Andre Plourde (Credit: University of Alberta)
Dr. André Plourde—who is currently situated at the University of Alberta as dean of research and professor of economics—has been appointed as the new Dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs at Carleton University. Dr. Plourde’s term as Dean will begin on July. 1 2011. [Carleton University]
Vicki Schwean (Credit: University of Western Ontario)
Vicki Schwean has been appointed as the new Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario beginning on July 1, 2011. Schwean is a registered psychologist and currently serves as the Vice-Dean (Finance & Academic Administration) in the Faculty of Education. [University of Western Ontario]
By Nicole Gottselig, on February 20th, 2011
 Tuitions costs, living expenses, books and student fees are just some of the factors to consider when planning your post-secondary education. Could your parent’s income be another factor in this equation? If you are a youth in the United States, how much your parents earn may determine whether or not you choose a post-secondary education. In Canada however, researchers suggest that parental income does not significantly influence post-secondary attendance rates.
New research from the CIBC Centre in Human Capital and Productivity at the University of Western Ontario outlines these findings in a policy brief authored by economists Lance Lochner (University of Western Ontario professor, Canada Research Chair in Human Capital and Productivity and CIBC Chair in Human Capital and Productivity), Philippe Belley (economics professor at Kansas State University) and Marc Frenette (Senior Research Associate at the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation).
The findings show some significant differences in post-secondary . . . → Read More: Mind the Gap: Differences in the Impact of Parental Income on Post-Secondary Attendance in Canada and the U.S.
By Sharon Miki, on January 31st, 2011
 With about a zillion web applications (apps) serving as flashlights and tip calculators, it’s easy to overlook the potential for smartphones, like the iPhone, to function as useful tools for your health. Medical researchers from the University of Western Ontario, however, have developed an app that could do more than play a game on your phone—it could motivate you to change your lifestyle to improve your health.
University of Western Ontario professor and Lawson Health Research Institute scientist Femida Gwadry-Sridhar at the iThink Research Labs has led the development of an iPhone app that will show certain patients what their arteries look like. Targeted at those individuals with a high risk of stroke, Gwadry-Sridhar’s app would provide an ultrasound rendering of plague deposits in the carotid artery. The app, which will be tested in randomized control trial, would allow patients to access a password-protected site online where their artery . . . → Read More: Better for You Than Angry Birds: Researchers Create iPhone App to Show You the State of Your Arteries
By Sharon Miki, on January 3rd, 2011
 While many Canadian college and university campuses are beautiful because of their well-crafted historic buildings, perhaps new construction can start a new tradition of environmentally sustainable, green construction; with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation of its Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion, the University of Western Ontario firmly asserts its place within this trend.
Rendering of the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion. (Credit: University of Western Ontario)
The LEED Green Building program is a third-party certification system of rating that promotes environmentally sustainable building and development practices. For the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion—which cost $20-million dollars and is 45,000 square-feet in size—to attain this rating, it had to employ several sustainable, green features and construction technologies such as a cistern and greywater system, geothermal heating and cooling, carpooler parking areas, local and recycled materials and a specially-designed plant-based roof.
Example of living material used to cover the roof . . . → Read More: It ain’t easy being green: UWO “Green Building” designated LEED Gold
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