
An Inspiring Event in Science Engagement
May 15th and 16th, Falling Walls Engage Hub Canada hosted 30 science outreach practitioners, from across the country, for a bilingual event titled “The Power of the Pitch: A Funding and Skills-building Workshop for Canadian Science Engagers”.

Alanna Watt awarded Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching
Congratulations to Alanna Watt, Department of Biology, for being awarded the 2023 Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching!

Exploring Space and Science in Chisasibi
The outreach branch of McGill’s Trottier Space Institute and Branches joined forces to offer a new science program called Outbound Explore.
Ph.D. Student Matt Bowen awarded 2023 Carl Herz Prize
Matt Bowen, a doctoral student in mathematics at McGill University, has been awarded the 2023 Carl Herz Prize by the Institut des sciences mathématiques for his preprint Monochromatic products and sums in 2-colorings of ℕ, a new proof of the special case of Hindman’s conjecture when there are two colours.

Jamie Kirkpatrick awarded 2023 W.W. Hutchison Medal
Jamie Kirkpatrick, Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has been awarded the 2023 W.W. Hutchison Medal from the Geological Association of Canada. The medal is awarded annually for recent exceptional advances in Canadian earth science research.

“Everyone wins” in this education research with a TEACH Mentor
By Adele Lopes
It’s a sunny afternoon at the Office of Science Education office, and I’ve just sat down with Dr. Jasmin Chahal and Alex Wang to talk about the education research they undertook when they teamed up to assess how self-reflection and pre-lab activities affect students’ confidence levels and success in a Microbiology and Immunology 384 Lab course. So, how did this project get started?

Graham Bell’s Exit Seminar
Just shy of 100 faculty, students, and friends packed the Redpath Auditorium on May 12th to celebrate the retirement of Graham Bell, James McGill Professor in the Department of Biology at McGill. For the occasion, Bell delivered a “final “seminar to the audience, which included his wife and three sons, surveying his career as an evolutionary biologist.

McGill and Royal Norwegian Embassy Co-Host Arctic Frontiers Conference
On May 12, McGill University co-hosted the last day of the Arctic Frontiers Summit alongside the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Arctic Frontiers. Over 60 participants, comprising representatives from the governments of Canada, Norway, and Quebec, as well as McGill faculty, researchers, and students gathered in the McGill Faculty Club Ballroom to discuss science, policy, infrastructure, and business in the Arctic.

McGill Takes Part in 24 Hours of Science
24 Hours of Science—Quebec’s biggest science and technology festival—took place May 5 and 6. McGill’s many science outreach programs joined in on the annual event again this year, with the Chemistry, Physics, Trottier Space Institute, Earth and Planetary Sciences, STEMM Diversity, Science Outreach, and Gault Nature Reserve teams contributing to the fun.

Researchers Develop Nanosponges Using ‘Hairy’ Nanocellulose As Sustainable Alternative For Drug Delivery
Chemists from McGill University have discovered the possibility of creating biopolymer-based “nanosponges” using milled softwood pulp, a sustainable and less toxic alternative to current drug delivery systems. Although the structures developed by the researchers are too big for anti-cancer drug delivery by injection or oral intake, they could potentially be used in dressing wounds, for medical implants, and to capture unwanted materials in wastewater.

Hanadi Sleiman elected Fellow of the Royal Society
McGill Chemistry professor recognized for her development of new approaches to DNA nanotechnology
Hanadi Sleiman, Professor of Chemistry at McGill and Canada Research Chair in DNA Nanoscience, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society for her ground-breaking work producing DNA nanostructures for precision drug delivery.

2023 Spring Convocation Honorary Doctorate recipients announced
Meet the 2023 Spring Convocation Honorary Doctorate recipients for the Faculty of Science ceremonies!
Daniel Simberloff, Doctor of Science, honoris causa. A.B. (Harvard College), Ph.D. (Harvard University)

Redpath Museum Celebrates Earth Day
March 21 might be the first official day of spring, but Earth Day, a month later, can feel like the beginning of the warmer seasons – at least in Montreal. The Redpath Museum, which recently reopened to the public, commemorated Earth Day this year through a series of themed activities over several days.

Meet the 2023 Faculty of Science cohort of McCall MacBain Scholars
The McCall MacBain Foundation has announced the thirty students from 10 countries who will form its first cohort of global scholars at McGill University, arriving in September 2023. Among them are four students who will be pursuing degrees in the Faculty of Science.

Le professeur Andrew Gonzalez (Biology) dans Le Devoir
On le sait désormais : la préservation de l’environnement ne s’arrête pas à la simple réduction des émissions de carbone dans l’atmosphère. Grâce, notamment, à la tenue de la Conférence de l’ONU sur la biodiversité (COP15) à Montréal en décembre 2022, l’importance de la protection de la biodiversité est aujourd’hui bien présente dans l’actualité. Pour des chercheurs comme Andrew Gonzalez, professeur de biologie à l’Université McGill, il était plus que temps.