Congratulations to Prof. Matt Dobbs in the Department of Physics for winning the inaugural Dunlap Award from the Canadian Astronomical Society. He received this award in recognition of his international leadership on the design and implementation of systems using Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor bolometers. The prize citation states in part:
What if you could re-engineer chemical processes so that instead of using toxic solvents or expensive catalysts, you could incite molecules to bind simply by grinding them together? McGill Chemistry Professor Tomislav Friscic is a leader in the field of mechanochemistry. Read more about his work in "" from the Chemical Institute of Canada.
You鈥檝e seen the stories: There鈥檚 Lead in Your Lipstick! Pthalates in Your Shampoo! Parabens in Everything!
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Our cosmetics are awash in toxic chemicals, or so it seems. Are we in imminent danger? Should we throw them all out and go au naturelle? Or slather away in a fool鈥檚 paradise, only to develop cancer 鈥 or worse, pass on our toxic habits to our children as birth defects? Why are there toxins in our products at all? And if these toxins are so dangerous, why isn鈥檛 anything being done?
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A Scientific Opinion
Congratulations to Prof. Bruce A. Reed, FRSC, Canada Research Chair in Graph Theory in the School of Computer Science for receiving a prestigious Humboldt Research Award. This award recognizes researchers at the peak of their careers whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline, and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future.
Congratulations to Dr. Isztar Zawadzki, FRSC, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences for receiving a 2013 Luis Federico Leloir Award from the Argentinian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Productive Innovation. This award recognizes non-Argentinian scientists who have contributed significantly to scientific, technological, and innovation cooperation with Argentina.
The McGill Reporter
Congratulations to Prof. Fred Genesee (Department of Psychology) for winning the 2014 Gold Medal Award from the Canadian Psychological Association. This award recognizes distinguished and enduring lifetime contributions to Canadian Psychology, and is fitting, as Professor Genesee's research on immersion education, bilingualism, and language acquisition has had enormous impact on science and public policy over the course of several decades.
Three McGill researchers among the recipients of NSERC national prizes
Two McGill researchers鈥Prof. Ehab Abouheif, of the Department of Biology, and Prof.听Aashish Clerk, Department of Physics鈥攈ave been named as 2014 recipients of E.W.R Steacie Memorial Fellowships, awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada鈥檚 (NSERC). In addition, doctoral candidate Michael Lifshitz, working in the cognitive neuroscience lab of Prof.听Amir Raz, has won NSERC鈥檚 2013 Andr茅 Hamer Postgraduate Prize.
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Congratulations to Dr. Derek Gray, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemistry, for winning the 2014 Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada. This award is presented to an individual who, while residing in Canada, has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science or engineering. Professor Gray鈥檚 research interests have focussed on the structural polymers in wood, and in particular on cellulose and cellulose derivatives.
Dr. Oz has absolutely gone haywire. In pushing the "alkaline" diet he takes a piece of kidney and pours acid on it to show how it disintegrates and infers this is happening in the body. This is insane. The pH of the blood is maintained at about 7.35 no matter what the diet. Oz has lost all perspective and is falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of quackery.
The wizardry of Dr. Oz
The surgeon and TV celebrity has succeeded in winning fans and influencing public health debates - which troubles some experts.
Mehmet Oz's followers believe he is a trustworthy, serious-minded (and hot) physician.
His equally fervent flock of critics say he is a fad-foisting, ratings-grubbing (and smart) TV celebrity.
In the 10 years since Oprah dubbed him "America's Doctor," the 53-year-old Oz has shown he is comfortable in both roles.
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"Food for Thought" launches at exactly noon today! At 12:00 you can log on and watch the first lecture. The course is totally free but you have to register. We now have over 20,000 students registered in 150 countries.
What is it like to teach a class of more than 20,000 students? I don鈥檛 know, but I鈥檓 about to find out. Colleagues David Harpp and Ariel Fenster and I have been selected to offer McGill鈥檚 first 鈥渕assive open online course,鈥 known in the trade as a MOOC.