Melzack takes Grawemeyer Award
Ronald Melzack, Professor Emeritus of psychology at McGill University, has won the 2010 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology for his research that broadened the understanding of how we experience pain.
Melzack’s studies have led to innovative treatments for people who feel chronic, incessant pain. Patients now are taught to manage pain by redirecting their focus through techniques such as meditation and distraction.
“His work produced a major change in how scientists and physicians think about pain and made psychology an integral part of pain research and therapy,” said Woody Petry, a UofL psychological and brain-sciences professor who directs the psychology award.
Hendren named ACM Fellow
Laurie Hendren, School of Computer Science professor and Faculty of Science Associate Dean (Academic), has been made a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery for her contributions to program analysis of procedural, object-oriented and aspect-oriented programming languages. The association’s fellowships recognize members that have contributed fundamental knowledge to computing and computer science while generating a broad range of innovations in industry, commerce, entertainment, and education. Hendren will be formally recognized at the Association for Computing Machinery’s annual awards banquet in June 2010.
Honora honoured
Honora Shaughnessy, Senior Executive Director, Alumni Relations, has won the Eleanor Collier Award. This award recognizes a current member of Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I whose contribution to his/her organization and/or to the professions encompassed by the membership reflect honor on CASE, education, and those fields of professional expertise.
Shaughnessy has worked at McGill University since 1978, and, on top of her regular duties, also serves on the University Senate and a number of McGill committees dealing with issues ranging from athletics to admissions, pay equity and race
relations.
Voice students hit high notes
A pair of voice undergrads at the Schulich School of Music were recently honoured. Philippe Sly, bass-baritone, won first prize in the National Canadian Opera Competition in Ottawa. Rihab Chaieb, mezzo-soprano, received word she got into the Canadian Opera Company’s young artist program for the 2010-2011 season.
Virtual Haydn honoured by Audiophile Audition
The Virtual Haydn – Complete Works For Solo Keyboard, the set of recordings that resulted from a groundbreaking project at the Schulich School of Music and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), has been named the “multichannel disc of the month” by Audiophile Audition, a Web magazine for music, audio and home theatre. The set of three Blu-ray audio discs and one documentary video disc, released recently by the Naxos label, features Prof. Tom Beghin performing on
seven historical keyboards in nine “virtual rooms,” as acoustically reconstructed by
Prof. Wieslaw Woszczyk and recorded by Prof. Martha de Francisco.
Schulich PhD student wins CBC award
Schulich School of Music PhD student and composer Jimmie LeBlanc has won the $7,500 Jules Léger Prize for new chamber music awarded annually by the Canada Council for the Arts and CBC. LeBlanc won the award for L’Espace intérieur du monde, a work for 15 musicians and electronic elements, the Canada Council announced Dec. 7. LeBlanc, 32, trained as a pop and jazz guitarist but later studied classical guitar and composition at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.
Reichert shines at world championships
Julia Reichert, the chemistry undergrad profiled in the Oct. 8 issue of the McGill Reporter, came seventh in her group at the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida on Nov. 14. She completed the 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike ride and 21.1-mile run in 4.44:15.