New insights into seasons on a planet outside our solar system
XO-3b, a hot Jupiter on an eccentric orbit. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Federal government announces 17 Canada Research Chairs for McGill
Plastics, textiles, and electronics have revolutionized our modern world, but their massive production has led to the accumulation of non-biodegradable and toxic wastes. This is a problem McGill researcher Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne hopes to have a hand in solving. Today she was named a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Biologically-Derived Materials, in recognition of the importance of her research for Canada’s future.
McGill University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier will step down at the end of August 2022
Professor Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, announced today that she will be stepping down from her second term on August 31, 2022.
“Entering the University’s third century provides a unique opportunity for renewal and for setting new directions and ambitious goals,” said Principal Fortier. “After close to a decade in this role, I believe it is an ideal time to pass the baton to a new leader who will shape the future of our University.”
Real-time alert system heralds new era in fast radio burst research
McGill University scientists have developed a new system for sharing the enormous amount of data being generated by the CHIME radio telescope in its search for fast radio bursts (FRBs), the puzzling extragalactic phenomenon that is one of the hottest topics in modern-day astronomy.
Message from the Chair of the Board of Governors of McGill University
Following recent press coverage regarding McGill Principal’s compensation this year, I wish to clarify a number of key elements.
McGill University is recognized as one of the world’s leading universities. As such, the University is committed to attracting and retaining the best leaders by maintaining compensation practices competitive with other leading Canadian universities, including those in the U15 group.
Acfas prizes for two McGill Professors
Canada’s most prestigious French-language learned society announced the recipients of its research awards today, and two McGill professors are among the winners.
At its 77th virtual gala ceremony, the non-profit organization Acfas, l’Association francophone pour le savoir, awarded McGill Professor Michel Biron the Prix André-Laurendeau and Professor Susanne Lajoie the Prix Jeanne-Lapointe.
A new understanding of mental illness
The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now, in work led by researchers at McGill University, there is evidence that a wide range of early onset psychiatric problems (from depression, anxiety and addictions to dyslexia, bulimia, and ADHD) may be largely due to the combination of just three factors. The first is biological—in the form of individual variability in the brain’s dopamine reward pathway.
Marjoleine Kars wins 2021 Cundill History Prize
Marjoleine Kars has been named winner of the 2021 Cundill History Prize for Blood on the River: a Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast (The New Press). Kars accessed a previously untapped Dutch archive to reveal the little-known story of a 1763 slave rebellion in Berbice, a Dutch colony in present-day Guyana.
Preventing “Alien” Invasions
The search of life beyond our world is an exciting venture that may yield an enormous discovery in the not-too-distant future. However, space agencies around the world, including NASA and the European Space Agency, have long been aware of the potential risks of biological contamination and have set in place planetary protection policies.
Lottery Tickets Aren’t Child’s Play
According to research, early childhood gambling experiences, including those with lottery products, increase the risk for developing gambling problems later in life.
Support for research in carbon-free energy storage and conversion
As the world reflects on pledges made at the United Nations climate conference (COP26) to reduce carbon emissions, and scientists develop new ways to scale up renewable energy, McGill University’s efforts to contribute to a cleaner, carbon-free future will take another big leap forward thanks to a $2-million donation from TD Bank Group (TD).
Synthetic tissue can repair hearts, muscles, and vocal cords
Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.
Extinct swordfish-shaped marine reptile discovered
A team of international researchers from Canada, Colombia, and Germany has discovered a new marine reptile. The specimen, a stunningly preserved metre-long skull, is one of the last surviving ichthyosaurs – ancient animals that look eerily like living swordfish.
$13 million in gifts will help transform McGill’s Leacock Building, support Indigenous research and knowledge
Donations totalling $13 million from McGill alumnus Gerald Rimer and the Rimer family will support a major renovation of the University’s Leacock Building and build the foundation for a future Institute for Indigenous Research and Knowledges (IIRK) at McGill.
Marine species in St.Lawrence Estuary endangered by rapid drop in levels of oxygen
Concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the deep waters of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE) have dropped by over 50% over the past two years. The consequences for many marine species, who depend on oxygen to survive, are potentially very serious. A compilation of historical data reveals that dissolved oxygen concentrations in the deep waters of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary decreased by about 50% during the fifty years between 1934 and 1985.
