October 26,1998

IRISH PRESIDENT VISITS UNBSJ

Her Excellency McAleese, president of Ireland, made a stop at UNBSJ during her one-day visit to Saint John recently. Mrs. McAleese and her husband Dr. Martin McAleese planted an oak tree on the campus's quad. "I think it is particularly appropriate to plant this tree at this campus, which represents the growth and - if you'll pardon the pun - the branching out of an old tradition as a result of careful nurturing and encouragement. I am planting this tree . . . as a symbol of the shared values of Irish and Canadian people everywhere, our tradition of encouraging and investing in our greatest resource, our young people," she remarked. On hand were, from left to right: Dr. Rick Miner, UNBSJ's Vice President; Her Excellency Mrs. McAleese, president of Ireland; Dr. Elizabeth Parr Johnston, president of UNB; Dr. McAleese; and Her Worship Shirley McAlary, Mayor of the City of Saint John.

NEW TECHNOLOGY STARTS FUND FOR HERITAGE MATERIALS ‹ In an unusual twist, the latest word in computer markup language ‹ SGML ‹ is going to help UNBF's collection of manuscripts grow. The proceeds from last August's workshop on Creating Electronic Texts and Images, sponsored by the UNB Libraries' Electronic Text Centre, represent the first donation to establish the fund. Proceeds from future workshops will also be donated to fund. Receiving the $2,000 donation from Alan Burk, director of the centre, is Patsy Hale of Archives and Special Collections. There has been no separate funding to purchase new collections or manuscripts related to regional history or literature. Donations are important and welcome to support collections and may be made by contacting University Archivist Mary Flagg at 453-4745.

First interdisciplinary PhD granted at Convocation

Oct. 25 marked another first in the 213-year history of UNB and a new wave in postsecondary study. When Linda McLean received a PhD in bio-medical engineering at Convocation in Fredericton, she was the first person to receive an interdisciplinary degree at the graduate level. In her study of neurophysiological behaviour of postural muscles during sustained seated tasks, she worked with individuals in bio-medical engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics and statistics, ergonomics, and kinesiology. The interdisciplinary graduate degree program was established by former nacting dean of graduate studies Merrill Edwards in 1995.

Nursing professors receive medical research grant

Traditionally most of the research on single parent families has focused on their problems and little is known about their resilience, particularly the ways they promote and maintain their health and well being. Even less is understood about single parent families who have experienced woman abuse. A $87,223 grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada will enable UNB researchers Judy Wuest and Marilyn Merritt-Gray, from the faculty of nursing on the Fredericton campus, to jointly study the issue with Helene Berman and lead researcher Marilyn Ford-Gilboe from the University of Western Ontario's School of Nursing. The study is titled "The impact of woman abuse on family health promotion processes among single mothers and their children".

Teaching teachers: Microsoft lends a hand

UNB is one of the first Canadian institution to participate in Microsoft's teacher training program, teacher.training@microsoft. Under the program, Microsoft will contribute software, valued at up to $40,000, to the faculty of education (F) for use in pre-service and in-service teacher education. In addition to setting up a Teacher Training Centre in Marshall d'Avray Hall, the faculty will be introducing the grant software into classrooms. During 1998-99 it is estimated that 200 teachers will be trained using the software.

Wisconsin agreement.

UNB students can study in Wisconsin ‹ The University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and the faculties of science and arts at UNBF have signed an agreement that will encourage learning exchanges. The agreement will enable the flow of students, faculty members, research fellows, and visiting scholars between institutions for study and research, faculty development, and the sharing of joint research projects. Seated next to UNB President Elizabeth Parr-Johnston, centre, at the recent signing ceremony in Fredericton are Wisconsin representatives Christine Gemignami, director of international initiatives, and Michael Zimmerman, dean of the College of Letters and Science. UNB's vice-president for research and international co-operation, John McLaughlin, standing left, and dean of science, Israel Unger, also attended the signing ceremony. A similar signing ceremony with representatives from both universities is scheduled for Oshkosh.