TRU Science Seminar Series Abstracts
Winter 2012
Dr. Joanne Rosvick
Date: January 26
Title: Planetary Nebulae: Are They Just Shy? The search for a physical association between Open Cluster Bica 6 and Planetary Nebula Abell 8
Abstract: A planetary nebula (PN) is the shell of gas cast off by a dying star. PN progenitors are considered to have once been ordinary stars with masses up to 8 times the mass of our Sun, yet a practical demonstration of a link between the PN and the possible progenitor has been limited by the fact that PNe appear to be alone: there is a paucity of PNe associated with intermediate-age open clusters where the progenitors may exist. To date, searches for PN and open cluster associations have revealed several spatial coincidences, but the data on possible matches are as yet unconvincing. This seminar presents new results that strongly suggest a physical association between the planetary nebula Abell 8 and open cluster Bica 6, and provides evidence on the type of star that may become a PN.
Dr. Vadim Bulitko
Date: February 2nd
Title: Player Modeling for Individualized Story-Telling in Video Games
Abstract: video games are a multi-billion dollar industry and a quickly
developing medium for interactive entertainment. More and more games of
all genres involve story-telling in addition to gameplay. However,
unlike a book or a movie, video games are inherently interactive which
creates challenges for authorial control of the story and opens up a
number of research questions. For instance: Is there a feasible way to
author an exponential number of possible story branches to suit players
from a diverse population? What is the best way to communicate
available story branches to a player? Should all players be presented
with the same menu of available story branches? One way to approach
these questions is to explicitly model different play styles. Such
styles can be inferred on-line from player's choices and subsequently
used as a guide to constructing a story most appropriate to a given
player. In this talk, I will present five years of such research
conducted in our group in collaboration with the department of
psychology. In particular, I will discuss two research testbeds we have
developed and the user studies these testbeds have enabled. I will end
the talk by discussing possible applications of the testbeds to a
psychology project at UBC Okanagan.
Dr. Ann Cheeptham
Date: Februay 16
Title: Cures from Caves: Cave Microbiomes and Their Potential in Drug Discovery
Abstract: This presentation is an attempt to demonstrate our preliminary efforts to exploit an unconventional and underexplored environment for new microorganisms that will provide an untapped source of drugs – microorganisms from caves. Our investigations at TRU have shown that in British Columbia, ancient caves house a diverse array of microbial communities with the potential to provide new classes of drugs. In our previous studies of bacteria isolated from volcanic caves, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 43 isolates have revealed that 90% of the strains belong to the Streptomyces genus and the remaining 10% were members of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Nocardia and Erwinia genera. Interestingly, some of the 16S rRNA sequences showed similarity to unidentified ribosomal RNA sequences in the library databases. This strongly suggests the possibility that they could be unstudied or rare bacteria. Further studies are required to determine whether or not these are novel bacterial species. To preliminary screen for microbial metabolites isolated from culturable cave bacteria for their inhibitory activity against a collection of multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria such as Extended Spectrum -Lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used. Out of 318 isolates tested, 4% showed activity against ESBL E. coli, 3% against A. baumannii, and 60% against K. pneumoniae (KPC-1), in addition, 3.5% showed activity against M. luteus, 2.5% against MRSA, 14.75% against M. smegmatis and 15.75% against C. albicans. Of significance is that 60% of the tested isolates showed activity against KPC-1 K. pneumoniae. Such a high proportion of hits against this important nosocomial pathogen gives us confidence that cave bacteria will be the source of novel compounds that provide precursors of new drugs to combat Gram-negative antibiotic resistant bacteria. In summary, the Helmcken cave microbiome possesses a great diversity of microbes with the potential for studies of novel microbial interactions and the isolation of new types of antimicrobial agents.
Fall 2011
Dr. W. Stephen McNeil
Date: September 22
Title: Building a Better Mouse Radical Trap: Cobalt-Mediated Radical Polymerization
Abstract: Cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) effects a controlled radical polymerization of alkenes using a mediating cobalt complex to reduce the concentration of growing radical chains, via a reversible Co-C bond formation. Such systems generally employ hazardous diazo compounds as an initial radical source, and cases where discrete cobalt alkyl species act as the initiator are rare, despite their accepted importance in the controlling mechanism. We have synthesized bis(beta-ketoaminato)- and bis(iminopyrollyl)cobalt complexes and assessed their performance as mediators for the CMRP of methyl acrylate and vinyl acetate. Such polymerizations can be effected both by cobalt(II) complexes in combination with traditional diazo initiators and by well-defined self-initiating cobalt(III) alkyl compounds. The effects of steric and electronic variation in the beta-ketoaminato and iminopyrollyl ligands on the rate and control of the polymerization offer mechanistic insight to the process, and can be correlated to the Co-C bond strengths.
Dr. Wendy Gardner
Date: Oct 27
Title: New Zealand’s Green and Grass Based Food Production
Abstract: What is unique about New Zealand as a developed country is that it still remains an agrarian based economy with pastoral farming being the main land use. Over 52% of the land base is dedicated to livestock pasture, cropping or is fallow. New Zealand is highly dependent on trade with agriculture accounting for approximately 50% of the total merchandisable exports and approximately 90% of the pastoral products produced in New Zealand are exported. In the pastoral sector the main players are dairy, sheep and beef with the 2010 estimates showing dairy numbers close to 6 million, sheep near 32.5 million and beef at 3.9 million head. These are high numbers given that the land base of New Zealand is 268 thousand km2.
New Zealand’s pastoral products are competitive on the global market because they can be produced at a low cost due to minimum inputs. Unlike the cattle the systems in North America where cattle are often housed and fed high levels of grains in New Zealand the system is based on year round grazing; they just simply use grass. Hormones and other growth promoters are not used as standard practice giving producers the opportunity to market a natural product.
However, as with any industry the pastoral based industries in New Zealand are facing challenges as they move forward. With a finite land base and pressure to keep growing the economy the industry will likely have to move towards more intensive farming. As a green and grass based industry how will this move change their pastoral food production and their ability to be competitive globally?
Dr. Mark Rheault
Date: November 3, 2011
Title: Insect Organic Cation transporters: How bugs move drugs
Abstract: Insect agricultural pests and insect vectored diseases have become resurgent in recent years and as a result have become growing economic, agricultural, environmental, and health related problems. All too often, the strategies and compounds used to control insect pests or disease vectors are increasingly ineffective or potentially harmful to man and the environment. In order to improve on existing insect control strategies a greater understanding of how insects excrete potentially toxic compounds is needed. This seminar will discuss my laboratories recent evidence for the physiological and molecular mechanisms responsible for excretion of these potentially toxic organic cations in insects.
James Charbonneau
Date: November 17, 2011
Title: Parity Violation and Topological Currents
Abstract: The study of quantum field theory is dominated by the idea of symmetries---that there are physical parameters we can change that leave physics unchanged. For example, if I perform the same experiment twice, once at TRU and once at the North Pole, I’ll get the same result. Furthermore, if I conduct an experiment at TRU, wait 17 days, and conduct that experiment again, I’ll get the same answer. These time and space symmetries are intuitive, but there are many that aren’t.
After an introduction to symmetries, I’ll talk about an exotic current that arises due to an imbalance in the chirality of particles. Chirality, or handedness, is a common idea throughout science. The imbalance in chirality is caused by parity symmetry violation, which is also common, if we know where to look. We’ll discuss places to look for topological currents, focusing on neutron star physics and the gold-gold collisions at the RHIC.
Dr. Deborah Buszard
Date: November 24, 2011
Title: Sustainability Science or Sustainability and Science? What will Science graduates need to know?
Abstract: In this century sustainability issues need to be addressed in all areas of social and economic activity – individually, regionally, nationally and internationally. An understanding of environment and sustainability will be essential for all leaders and decision-makers and universities must prepare our science graduates to meet this challenge. What is the best approach? Is sustainability an emerging science discipline? How can we adapt to best prepare the graduates of science programs to become effective leaders and advocates for sustainability?
Deborah Buszard, B.Sc. (Bath), Ph.D. (Lond.), is a plant scientist. At Dalhousie University she has served as Director for Environmental Programs and then as the driving force behind the creation of Canada’s first College of Sustainability. Her research interests include institutional innovation, sustainability, the human use of plants, agriculture and food policy. Prior to joining Dalhousie she served as Associate Vice-Principal and Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of McGill University.
Brad Haltli
Date: December 1, 2011
Title: Exploring Bacterial Diversity of Caribbean Octocorals as a Source of Novel Bioactive Natural Products
Abstract: The discovery and development of novel, safe, efficacious drugs is a herculean task, often compared to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Unfortunately, finding a needle in a haystack is simple compared to the task faced by scientists searching for new therapeutics. Fortunately, evolution has provided nature with a chemical arsenal capable of treating many diseases. The corner stone of modern drug discovery are chemicals derived from natural sources. The importance of these “natural products” (NPs) is undeniable considering that 52% of new drug candidates discovered from 1981-2006 were either natural products or synthetic molecules inspired by natural products. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, microbial NPs have proven to be a rich source of clinical therapeutics and drug leads, particularly for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. Despite intensive efforts, the rate at which novel bioactive microbial NPs have been discovered from traditional terrestrial sources has been in steady decline since the mid-1970s. To reinvigorate the drug discovery process through the identification of novel bioactive chemicals, NP researchers have turned to the investigation of unique unexplored habitats, which are likely to be inhabited by specifically adapted organisms possessing novel chemical resources. In the Kerr Marine Natural Products lab at the University of Prince Edward Island, we are investigating the microbiomes of gorgonian octocorals as a source of unique bacteria with the capacity to produce novel bioactive NPs. Gorgonian octocorals are abundant members of Caribbean reef ecosystems and are an especially rich source of terpenoid natural products, many of which exhibit potent biological activity. Recent evidence suggests that gorgonian octocorals host diverse microbial communities and that symbiotic bacteria may actually be responsible for the production of the natural products contained within these corals. Research investigating gorgonian-associated microbial communities and the implications for natural product drug discovery will be presented.