By Jim Hynes
McGill researchers have contributed to many world-class scientific breakthroughs and scholarly investigations that benefit our community and the world beyond, and in just about every discipline – from geology to neurology and everything in between. Only rarely, however, do we get the chance to discuss the actual research and its potential effects with the people behind the projects and to see the results of their work firsthand.
On Thursday, Feb. 12, at Redpath Hall, members of the McGill community and the general public, including Montreal-area CEGEP and high school students, are invited to explore displays on 24 groundbreaking McGill research projects and meet the investigators and their teams responsible for them. The event aims to stimulate interest in research by demystifying it and making it accessible to all. Among other things, visitors will be able to meet the scientists behind a major breast cancer breakthrough and see and touch the oldest rocks in the world.
“We know that research and innovation are cornerstones of our economies and our societies in the 21st century. And there is so much world-class research under way at McGill that is both fascinating and vital to our common well-being,” said Denis Thérien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations), and host of the event. “We want our McGill community and the entire Quebec population to see firsthand the excellent research programs happening here. When you see what our people are doing, you can’t help but be motivated and excited by their ingenuity and results.”
Every McGill Faculty will be represented at the event, which will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The research on display will include the four projects from McGill, the MUHC and the Douglas Hospital that were recently featured in Quebec Science magazine’s list of the Top 10 discoveries of 2008, as well as displays on chronic pain (Dentistry/Medicine), food addiction (Medicine), improving services for abused and neglected children (School of Social Work), re-inventing electronics with quantum physics (Science), reviving a Renaissance musical scale (Music), how to get truthful responses in surveys (Management), how the environment is impacting male reproductive health (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), and much more.
For more information about the Excellence in Research Exhibition visit www.mcgill.ca/researchexpo/