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Science & Technology

Immortality in the natural world

by Emma Gillies on

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Harry Potter fans know that Fawkes the phoenix’s fiery demise wasn’t the end of him; he was simply reborn from the ashes. Phoenixes, of course, are mythical creatures. Immortality in real animals is likely the stuff of fantasy.

Yet, as it turns out, biological immortality only refers to creatures that don’t exhibit signs of aging, and has been observed in animals such as tortoises, sea urchins, clams, and rockfish. Unlike humans and many other animals, these organisms show negligible senescence, or deterioration with age: As age progresses, death rates, reproduction, and survival characteristics like strength and mobility remain largely unchanged.

External forces such as predation, starvation, disease, and unfavourable environmental conditions still prevent animals from living forever. Internal problems that are not a result of aging, like kidney disease, may also cause biologically immortal organisms to die. Whether or not these animals can really live forever is difficult to predict since extremely old specimens are very rare and, in many cases, scientists have to kill an organism to measure its age. Nevertheless, these animals’ efforts warrant some recognition. Below are four creatures that defy aging as we know it.

Greenland shark – Somniosus microcephalus

Also known as ‘sleeper sharks’ for their slow movement, these massive Arctic fish are often blinded by parasites that feed on their eyes. Very little is known about the mysterious species, and our understanding is largely anecdotal. However, they’re believed to be the vertebrate that lives the longest. According to a 2016 study in Science, these apex predators may live for more than 400 years.

Scientists are currently trying to sequence the shark’s genome to discover the secret behind its longevity. Living in cold water certainly helps, since low temperatures slow the metabolism and aging process.

American lobster – Homarus americanus

These bottom-dwelling creatures live in the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern coast of North America. They feed mainly on fish and molluscs, exhibit indeterminate growth—that in, they never stop growing—and regularly live for more than 50 years. Like other arthropods, lobsters must shed their shells to grow. Unfortunately, as this evidence of their age is literally molted away, it’s difficult for researchers to determine their true age.

Like the Greenland Shark, the American Lobster inhabits cold waters, which contributes to its age defiance by slowing its metabolism. Another explanation lies in its telomeres, the caps that protect the ends of chromosomes during DNA replication. Since telomeres are shortened when chromosomes replicate, longer telomeres correspond to longer life because they protect a greater portion of the chromosome. According to a 1998 study published in FEBS Letters, telomerase—an enzyme that lengthens telomeres—is found in every organ of the American lobster’s body.

Naked mole rat – Heterocephalus glaber

Native to parts of East Africa, naked mole rats are hairless, wrinkled little rodents that live in almost pitch-black burrows. They co-exist in colonies of hundreds of individuals and exhibit a complex social structure similar to that of eusocial insects, in which there is a queen, a few breeding males, and many worker individuals.

These animals also can’t feel most types of pain, almost never get cancer, and are astoundingly tolerant to low-level or poor oxygen conditions. In fact, according to a study in eLife, they are the only known mammal that doesn’t show signs of aging, making them the perfect model for human aging research.

Immortal jellyfish – Turritopsis dohrnii

This tiny jellyfish is probably the closest a real-life creature can get to undergoing a similar transformation to Fawkes the phoenix. Found in the Mediterranean Sea and sometimes in the Atlantic Ocean, they can revert to an earlier stage in their development when threatened. They start life as planulae, or larvae, and eventually assemble with other planulae on the seafloor to create colonies of polyps. Through a form of asexual reproduction known as budding, in which an outgrowth formed from cell division develops into a new organism,  medusae—the adult form of jellyfish—break off from the polyps to continue life in a free-swimming state.

When faced with stresses like starvation or injury, the adult jellyfish can revert to its polyp stage, eventually releasing medusae that are genetically identical to the original adult. This process of transforming specialized cells into other types of cells is called transdifferentiation, an important area of study in stem cell research.

Off the Board, Opinion

Memes are best for roasting McGill administration: Change my mind

by Ava Zwolinski on

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The “Change My Mind” meme emerged this past February, when a conservative commentator named Steven Crowder set up a table outside the campus of Texas Christian University with a sign reading “Male privilege is a myth, change my mind.” Crowder has a YouTube page and a podcast where he frequently engages others in discussions on controversial topics ranging from a woman’s right to an abortion to gender politics. Despite the gravity of the discourse Crowder provokes, the perceived outlandishness of his views by a fairly liberal young population on campus led to an online parody of his segment. These include statements like: “ratatouille would beat stuart little’s ass in a fight: change my mind,” or “pop tarts are ravioli: change my mind.”

With the emergence of several McGill meme Instagram accounts in the last few years, McGill students have been adapting popular meme templates to create student-relevant content. Take, for example, the Change My Mind meme posted by the Instagram account @spicy_martlet_memes, where Crowder’s head has been replaced with McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier’s, and his sign photo-shopped to read, “McTavish could still be improved a little bit: change my mind.” Satirically reinterpreting Crowder’s Change My Mind table into something relevant to the McGill student is not only humourous, but taps into the communication gap on campus between the administration and the student body.  

Student-run meme pages allow them a space to co-ruminate about this gap: It often feels like McGill is not listening to them, not meeting their needs, and falling short in providing adequate essential services, like mental health support.

This general frustration among McGill students also extends to physical hindrances to their experience that include the seemingly never-ending McTavish construction. McTavish Street has undergone construction numerous times in the last four years. Roadblocks have posed many difficulties for individuals with injuries or mobility impairments and local businesses, making it an especially salient topic for students. One only needs to recall Winter 2017’s treacherous narrow metal staircase in front of the Brown building. Amid general frustrations with the construction in the city of Montreal and annoyance at the administration—who once advised students to just “keep calm and carry on” despite the dangerous obstacles—memes are the cathartic release students need.

Satirically reinterpreting Crowder’s Change My Mind table into something relevant to the McGill student is not only humourous, but taps into the communication gap on campus between the administration and the student body.

For example, the Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning Ollivier Dyens’ notorious suggestion that students practice good “hygiene de vie” to cope with mental health challenges quickly went viral. Dyens’ statement upset many students. In turn, it fuelled an abundance of meme posts across various Instagram pages, all featuring sarcastic commentary on the statement, allowing students to air their grievances.

While many memes posted in student-run Instagram accounts are purely for comedic purposes, they also can serve a more politically-engaged purpose. During the recent SSMU president elections, former candidate Corinne Bulger stated in an interview with the The McGill Tribune that “meme culture can be used as a really powerful tool to hold our admin accountable, especially in such a public forum.”

A direct example of Bulger’s remarks can be seen in one McGill student Instagram account, @burnsidebasementsoupcafe69, which published a flurry of memes following Dyens’ “hygiene de vie” gaffe. Included among these memes was a single image with a direct message: “This is Ollivier Dyens…Don’t let him get re-elected.”

Ultimately, memes offer more than just a humourous outlet to scroll through between classes: They speak to students’ concerns and frustrations with the McGill administration, and because of this are an important tool to understand the opinions and interests of the student body. Perhaps the administration should pay more attention to these outlets, and address the concerns they raise. In the meantime, it’s much more fun to collectively laugh at them.

Features

Using and abusing

by Catherine Morrison on

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In no place is the “work hard, play hard” attitude more present than at McGill. As one of Canada’s most prestigious universities, known for its competitive acceptance rate and diligent student body, one might not expect the school to have a considerable number of drug users. However, in a city where hard drug use is prevalent, McGill’s cocaine culture, although well-hidden, is rampant.

 

“I guess I always knew there was a culture [of cocaine use] at McGill,” Tyler*, a U2 Arts student, said. “I mean you hear the upper residence [McConnell, Molson, Gardner] stereotypes, and it comes with the territory of being a competitive intellectual environment. What struck me was how casual it all was, how comfortable and normal the experience is.”

 

In an online survey on cocaine use by the university’s students conducted by ///The McGill Tribune///, 38 per cent of the 329 respondents said that they had used cocaine during their time at McGill.

For many, the culture of cocaine use at McGill became apparent to them early on in their time at the university. For Colin Graham, U1 Arts, the introduction to groups of cocaine users came as a shock during his first few months in McGill’s residences.

“There was a girl I met last year in residence […] who told me that she […] does cocaine regularly,” Graham said. “This initially shocked me, […] I hadn’t heard of anyone doing cocaine regularly before. However, after being here for a year, the drug has [become] very normalized to me as I now know of a number of people who use it.”

 

While some students encounter the drug through connections in residence, others become aware of its widespread use in more public settings, like during their first nights out with friends in Montreal.

 

“I guess I knew there would be some kind of drug presence at McGill, like in any university setting,” Hannah*, a U3 Arts student, said. “However, I was a bit caught off guard when I was first exposed to it at a frat party during the first days of Frosh. I was in this guy’s room with one of my friends and he offered us some. I felt a bit pressured to try it seeing as I just assumed it was something everyone did here.”

 

As students become accustomed to using cocaine and spend more time with a group of friends who also consume cocaine themselves, uncontrolled use often becomes much more routine.

 

“Ever since I moved into my apartment where both of my roommates do cocaine, [I do it] significantly more often,” Hannah said. “I literally do it just about every weekend now. The amount that my friends do makes me feel like I’m not doing that much, when I really am. Last night, we got about $70 worth of it and I basically did half of it all [by] myself.”

News, SSMU

Support for SSMU VP External-Elect Marina Cupido remains divisive

by Cherry Wu on

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In the 2018-2019 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executive election, Vice-President (VP) External-Elect Marina Cupido received 1,645 “No” votes—a substantially higher number than the candidates for other positions received.  Her candidacy was opposed by the group McGill Students for an Inclusive SSMU, which condemned Cupido for expressing solidarity with former arts representative Igor Sadikov and allegedly disregarding President Muna Tojiboeva’s mistreatment at SSMU.

Last February, while in office, Sadikov sparked outrage with his controversial tweet “punch a zionist today.” He was further criticized when he claimed at a Legislative Council meeting that Jewish people do not constitute a homogeneous ethnic group. While many accused Sadikov of escalating anti-Semitic sentiments, Cupido publicly defended him. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Cupido elaborated on her reasons for supporting Sadikov.

“I understand Zionism as a form of settler colonialism,” Cupido said. “It was my understanding that [Sadikov] was expressing opposition to Zionism as a political movement, and the violence that it enacts [….] Based on my discussions with Jewish people, I believe that his statement about homogeneity was true.”

Though Cupido acknowledged the lack of nuance in Sadikov’s statements, her stance was met with backlash during her campaign. As a Jewish person, David Naftulin, U1 Arts, found Cupido’s view on Zionism and Judaism particularly troubling.

“Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing necessarily, but they are […] very important to most people of Jewish identity,” Naftulin said. “It is not about the Zionism. It is about the veiled targeting of Jewish students.”

Regarding the claim that Jews do not make up a single peoplehood, Naftulin criticized Cupido for not understanding Jewish identity.

“Judaism is inherently not evangelist,” Naftulin said. “Jews do not make an attempt to convert others [….] There are individuals who are not members of the Jewish ethnic group. However, […] Jewish people are a peoplehood which results from a single ethnic group.”

However, Hani Abramson, U2 Arts and Jewish member of Cupido’s campaign team, argued in favour of Cupido’s understanding of Judaism.

“There are Jews by choice who are just as Jewish as people who were born Jewish,” Abramson said. “I think that referring to the Jewish people as a homogeneous ethnic group […] lends itself to associations with racial hygiene and eugenic theory that has been mobilized against Jews by anti-Semites.”

Inclusive SSMU also claimed that Cupido was dismissive of gendered violence that Tojiboeva experienced during her tenure. This accusation largely stems from an article published in the Bull and Bear on Oct. 20 in which Tojiboeva wrote about opposition within the SSMU executive, of which six of the seven original members were women. In a statement to The McGill Tribune, Inclusive SSMU warned the public to be informed.

“[Cupido’s] lies don’t change the fact that she continues to deny the lived experiences of Muna Tojiboeva,” Inclusive SSMU, whose members chose to remain anonymous, wrote. “[Cupido] has directly attacked survivors of gendered violence and encouraged violence against students.”

However, throughout her tenure, Tojiboeva never highlighted gendered violence, with no mention of it in her article, in her response to declarations of no confidence, in the suspension of VP Finance Arisha Khan, or in the divisive debates of the Fall 2017 General Assembly. Her critics did not mention gendered violence either. In her response to Inclusive SSMU’s allegations, Cupido emphasized that Tojiboeva never used the term “gendered violence” to describe her experiences within SSMU.

“What the No campaign is doing is imposing the language of gendered violence on one woman to slander another woman who is a survivor of gendered violence,” Cupido said. “It is so hard to even articulate how harmful and disingenuous the campaign is.”

Despite the close election results, Cupido affirmed that she has received a democratic mandate from SSMU members to properly represent all interests on campus. Further, some “No” voters indicated their willingness to collaborate with Cupido.

“Truthfully, my ‘No’ is not necessarily to defeat her, but to make her understand that her rhetoric has harmed students,” Naftulin said. “[Now] she has an opportunity to internalize those concerns […and] to be a constructive, understanding voice for all students.”

Science & Technology

McGill Multiple Sclerosis research leads the fight against the disease

by Gwenyth Wren on

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) which causes circulating immune cells, called T cells, to gain access to the CNS across the blood-brain barrier. This causes inflammation, myelin destruction, and neuronal damage. MS affects over 2.5 million people world-wide and is the leading cause of disability in young adults.This disease prevents nerves from conducting the proper signals, resulting in deficiencies in movement and cognitive function. It is extremely debilitating, and at this time there is no effective treatment.

Yet, there is hope. Researchers at McGill and the University of Alberta have made a discovery that could one day be used to prevent the symptoms and progression of the disease. While examining donated human brain tissues, scientists discovered that the brains of MS patients have a high content of a protein called calnexin. Compared to the brains of healthy patients, this protein is involved in controlling the blood-brain barrier’s functioning and protein quality control. The calnexin cycle is also a McGill discovery, which was defined and collaborated on by Dr. David Thomson and Dr. John Bergeron.

The blood-brain barrier plays a critical role in many CNS diseases, including MS. This is because the barrier restricts the transfer of cells and molecules to the CNS. When certain cells like T cells, which destroy the protective covering of neurons called myelin, permeate the blood-brain barrier, it disrupts the function of the nervous system and can compromise neuronal functioning. High calnexin levels increase the ability of T cells to access the brain. These cells permeate the blood-brain barrier and attack neurons, causing brain and spinal cord inflammation and nerve damage.

The high abundance of calnexin in MS brain tissue has led scientists to believe that it must play a role in the development of the disease. Researchers induced mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In a breakthrough in MS research, they found that mice lacking calnexin were resistant to EAE. Luis Agellon, professor at the McGill School of Human Nutrition and one of the researchers of this study, discussed the work’s potential in creating new therapies for the disease.

“We find that mice that are lacking calnexin show complete resistance to the consequences of EAE, which by extension suggests that they don’t get MS,” Agellon said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “This has opened the area of investigation that can produce ideas and therapies in preventing […] and treating the disease.”

Agellon also discussed the future directions that MS research can take to manipulate calnexin in order to strengthen the blood-brain barrier.

“Now that we know that calnexin is involved in the pathogenesis of MS, we can see calnexin is necessary for T cell migration into the CNS,” Agellon explained. “Removing calnexin strengthens the integrity of the barrier, which breaks down when there is MS. This allows T cells to gain access. The next step is to see how the loss of calnexin manages to strengthen the blood brain barrier.”

The prevalence of MS is two to three times higher in women than in men. Agellon highlighted research questions that could develop from this observation.

“Women are three times as likely as [men] to get MS,” Agellon said. “[Is] there something special about how cells are configured in females? Is calnexin overactive in women [permitting] the [disease’s] progression?”

Evidently, Agellon’s research is very promising. Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with one in every 330 citizens living with the disease. Research, like that conducted by McGill and the University of Alberta brings medical advancements gradually closer to developing an effective treatment for this debilitating disease.

News, SSMU

SSMU adopts revoked EU working definition of anti-Semitism

by Nina Russell on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has been plagued by allegations of anti-Semitism since its General Assembly (GA) in Fall 2017, where students failed to ratify a Jewish student to the Board of Directors (BoD) allegedly based in part on his pro-Israel affiliations. In response to these accusations, SSMU Legislative Council approved a motion at its March 15 meeting to implement a series of recommendations designed to make the GA a more inclusive space for Jewish students.

Among these recommendations was the adoption of a new definition of the term ‘anti-Semitism’ to address instances of prejudice against Jewish students within SSMU institutions. Other suggestions included education for McGill students and mandatory training for SSMU executives on anti-Semitism.

The recommendations came from the SSMU Anti-Semitism Committee, a BoD committee commissioned to address instances of anti-Semitism and propose preventative mechanisms within the McGill community. The committee includes representatives from the Jewish Studies Students’ Association, Chabad at McGill, Israel on Campus, Am McGill, Hillel McGill, Independent Jewish Voices, a SSMU Director, and a SSMU Councillor.

Of their recommendations, one of the most contentious was the adoption of a definition of anti-Semitism in accordance with the European Union (EU) Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) definition.

“Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” the FRA definition reads. “Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. In addition, such manifestations could also target the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.”

Though the definition was widely accepted and reaffirmed by both the Ottawa Protocol and the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism, neither the FRA nor the EU ever officially adopted it. In 2013 the FRA website dropped the working paper which included the “working definition of anti-Semitism” following controversy regarding a clause which some claimed silenced criticism of Israel. SSMU’s definition includes this clause.

“Examples of the ways in which anti-Semitism manifests itself with regard to the State of Israel taking into account the overall context could include […denying] Jewish people their right to self-determination, defined by the UN Charter as ‘the right to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,” the clause reads.

This clause drew the most controversy at Council on March 15. Though Palestinians’ right to self-determination was addressed in a footnote on the motion, those who support groups that advocate for human rights in Palestine—such as Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)—raised concerns that this footnote was not included as a clause.

“I think there’s a lot of issues as to whether [criticism of the State of Israel and anti-Semitism] can be separated,” Social Work Students’ Association representative Matthew Savage said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I would have prefered to see the full UN definition instead of half of it in the clause and the rest in the footnote just because without that […] we can’t have an actual conversation about what it means to peacefully protest government abuses of people in their land.”

Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) McGill asserted the ways in which discussion surrounding Israel-Palestine is integral to ensuring that no voices are left out.

“IJV McGill wholeheartedly opposes these assertions,” IJV wrote in a statement published to their Facebook page. “Most of the Jews, Palestinians and others who support BDS and/or identify as anti or non-Zionist, act not out of anti-Semitism, but out of an urge to seek justice for the oppressed. Calling these political positions anti-Semitic limits the scope of Jewish identity, as well as the discourse surrounding Israel-Palestine, marginalizing Jews and non-Jews alike who support peace in the region.”

The Anti-Semitism Committee emphasized that the definition was created to reflect the diversity of voices within the Jewish community.

“In regards to those involved in BDS activism, it is important to note that a Jewish pro-BDS activist sat on the committee,” the Anti-Semitism Committee wrote in a statement to the Tribune. “We believe it is imperative that the diverse cross-section of Jewish students represented on this committee are allowed to mobilize their lived experiences to define anti-Semitism. The product of this committee does not define BDS activism as anti-Semitic. Rather, the definition provides ways in which activism regarding Israel can veer into anti-Semitism, and cautions against it.”

Commentary, Opinion

Data bank: Your Facebook account is worth more than your chequing account

by Kyle Dewsnap on

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Facebook has had a rough week. In the past seven days, four different lawsuits were filed against it, Sonos temporarily left its advertising program, and Elon Musk joined the #DeleteFacebook movement by removing SpaceX’s and Tesla’s profiles from the social media giant’s platform. With Facebook in the throws of a full-blown reputational crisis, students should learn one thing: Their personal data is more valuable than cash, and should be treated as such.

Facebook’s current crisis has been years in the making. In 2015, Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher at Cambridge University, collected research data through an app called “thisisyourdigitallife.” Individuals were paid to link their Facebook account to the app, and then complete surveys. The app would combine their data into a personality profile that could be used for psychological research. However, Kogan then passed this information on to Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL). Cambridge Analytica, SCL’s political advertising firm, used this data to build personalized ads tailored to individuals. These ads targeted one’s “inner demons,” as described by former Cambridge Analytica employee and whistleblower Christopher Wylie. Both Ted Cruz’s primary campaign and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign bought their services.

Cambridge Analytica is just the most recent example of how dangerous data sharing can be. While only 270,000 people downloaded thisisyourdigitallife onto their phones, Cambridge Analytica was still able to build personality profiles for 50 million Facebook users. Kogan’s app had access to users’ friends lists, which exponentially expanded how many people the app could collect data on. Facebook isn’t entirely to blame for this. If users had been more cautious about who they gave their data to, Kogan’s app wouldn’t have been able to influence the millions of people that it did. Even users who didn’t mind sharing their data with Kogan’s app still implicitly gave it access to all of their friends’ data.

Mark Zuckerberg built his empire on taking individuals’ private information and making it public. Anyone who has seen Jesse Eisenberg’s The Social Network will remember that “The Facebook” started as “Facemash,” a website on which Harvard students ranked the attractiveness of their female peers. Features such as the “like” button have made Facebook incredibly successful at convincing people to share everything online. A 2015 University of California study found that a computer with access to a subject’s Facebook profile was better than a human at making accurate personality predictions.

This is why companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat don’t need to sell subscriptions. Users ‘pay’ for access to their platform with their data, which the companies can then sell to advertisers. Some ad firms pay $1,200 per user for the kind of personal data that Facebook has—a figure that speaks to how valuable this information is. Yet, because the process of giving data away is often so automatic—users are required to accept terms and conditions, and privacy settings are usually off by default—internet users are attuned to giving their information to anyone who asks.

It’s easy to give away personal data online: It’s fun, it’s addictive, and it’s quick. Features like location sharing, purchase tracking, and friend lists make Facebook as interesting and useful as possible; however, they also allow companies to amass an extraordinary amount of personal information. Furthermore, many of these sharing settings are either defaults or are hidden deep within user settings. In order to make this data trade more visible, some have suggested that companies literally pay users for their personal data. But why wait for companies and governments to regulate this data economy? Students can start treating their data like cash right now, by recognizing that each interaction with a website has a price.

Thinking about Facebook’s awful privacy record should cause people to question how much data they really need to give out.

The future is going to be built on data, meaning that intelligent consumers must lead the way. While a data economy is still fairly far into our future (although DataCoup, a startup, has started to build a “personal data marketplace”), students don’t need to wait for this future in order to be smart about their interactions with social media. Thinking about Facebook’s awful privacy record should cause people to question how much data they really need to give out. Sure, students may have to stop geotagging their awesome brunch photos, but until Facebook can guarantee that another Cambridge Analytica crisis won’t happen again, they should think about whether documenting their lives is worth the cost.

Commentary, Opinion

To close the gender gap, STEM fields need to change from the inside out

by Johanna Cline on

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During a recent studying session in Trottier, my friend—a female engineering student—overheard two male students heatedly critiquing the call for women in engineering. The two students asserted that female engineers are “taking jobs away from the men who need to provide for families.”

While most students today would agree that this mindset is archaic, gender disparity sadly persists across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and contributes to an unwelcoming atmosphere toward women pursuing STEM careers. In Canada, women represent only 33 per cent of STEM university graduates, a statistic that is still lower in engineering and mathematics-based degrees. At McGill, less than one third of engineering students are female. Bringing women into male-dominated STEM fields is crucial for rectifying the gender wage gap. However, methods for addressing the lack of women in STEM need to go beyond meeting short-term quotas. Institutions must also aim to reform the fields in the long-run, by tackling gender bias and dismantling patriarchal norms so that women are valued and respected both today, and in the future.

A report published on March 8 by the Canada-U.S. Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders details methods for boosting the proportion of women in STEM careers. Its recommendations include developing outreach programs for high school students and increasing female role models—such as female professors—in STEM faculties to make women feel more welcome. The council also advises universities to increase support within STEM faculties by developing networks for women that boost the chances of retaining female students. McGill’s Scientista is an example of this kind of group: The campus organization supports and empowers women in STEM by connecting them with fellow female students pursuing degrees in similar fields.

The council’s prescriptions appear to be effective. The University of Toronto, for example, attributes its unusual 40 per cent female engineering class ratio to its new pre-university outreach program. The program supports incoming female students using strategies including targeted personal follow-ups with female applicants and incentivizing scholarships. The council’s recommendations are tangible, evidently effective ways to boost female representation in STEM. Given the persisting gender gap in fields like engineering and computer science at McGill, the university administration should consider implementing strategies from the report—such as high school outreach—as interim solutions for boosting female representation.

While there are plenty of successful women in STEM, internal biases remain prevalent and continue to hamper female participation.

However, the report’s recommendations fail to provide long-term plans for tackling the underlying gender bias in STEM that repeatedly deters women from these areas of study. Professional fulfillment comes partly from feeling valued in one’s place of work, and if women are repeatedly underestimated or unwelcome in STEM, those fields will not be as attractive to them. Changing this will require reworking fundamental gender perceptions; pouring women into STEM careers to fill a gender quota is not a sustainable way to solve the issue. If women are going to thrive in these fields, the fields themselves must change from the inside out.

Gender bias in STEM arises from socialization processes that promote the notion that men and women have distinct roles they’re supposed to fill. These traditional norms present STEM fields as male domains, thereby discouraging women from participating. While there are plenty of successful women in STEM, internal biases remain prevalent and continue to hamper female participation.

Ismael Mourifié, associate professor of economics at the University of Toronto, recognizes this issue and recommends that governments disrupt gendered career perceptions by investing in childhood education intervention. He points out that when girls are repeatedly shown that STEM roles are primarily for men, they may feel inadequate or deterred from those fields. Moreover, gender bias influences how men think of and treat women—including underestimating or resenting them in what they see as male fields (think: Trottier guys). If people are taught from a young age to see STEM as gender-neutral, females are less likely to be deterred from pursuing those professions, and males in STEM are more likely to respect their female colleagues.

While Mourifié’s suggestions don’t necessarily offer a quick fix for institutions that want to solve the lack of women in their STEM faculties, he raises an important point. Gender bias remains the root of the gender gap in STEM fields. To eliminate the gap, perceptions of women in STEM need to be disrupted. In addition to short-term methods for meeting gender quotas, institutions must also consider how to change the perception of women in STEM over time. Only then will they fully resolve the deeper issues contributing to this gender disparity.

Hockey, Sports

Cassie Campbell-Pascall resigns as CWHL governor

by Jordan Foy on

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Within the world of North American women’s hockey, there is a growing movement to unite the two professional leagues: The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). This movement has gained significant momentum after hockey icon Cassie Campbell-Pascall—three-time Olympic Medalist and former captain of the Canadian women’s hockey team—voiced her support.

On March 20, Campbell-Pascall stepped down from her position as a governor of the CWHL. Her main reason for resigning was the ability to publicly speak about her beliefs regarding the merging of the CWHL and the NWHL.

The most prominent advantage to unifying the leagues would be pooling talent. A unified, more competitive league would make it easier to attract fans and grow the sport because of increased star-versus-star matchups.

The CWHL includes seven teams across Canada, the United States, and China, and has been in existence since 2007. The NWHL, meanwhile, debuted in 2015 and includes four teams based exclusively out of the United States.

News of Campbell-Pascall’s choice to leave the CWHL comes after comments by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in an interview with Calgary radio station Sportsnet 960, in which he opined that there should be one women’s league, and that it is difficult for the NHL to engage with two leagues.

“I think there probably isn’t enough talent for two leagues right now,” Bettman said. “Having two leagues makes it more difficult for us to get involved [.…] Women’s hockey need to get stronger, particularly if there’s going to be a meaningful pro league. Fragmentation doesn’t help in that pursuit.”

Indeed, a single unified league represents the best path for the sport moving forward. A unified league would mean that the game’s best players would be concentrated in one place, resulting in a higher level of competition—which would attract fans and grow the sport. The increased competition could also improve the talent of future generations of players, further perpetuating growth.  

In speaking out on the creation of a combined professional women’s league, Campbell-Pascall voiced frustration with the commissioners of each league: CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress and NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan.

“Both commissioners know what needs to happen,” Campbell-Pascall said on Sportsnet 960. “You have to point the finger at both commissioners. If I’m commissioner and I hear Gary Bettman finally come public and say those comments, what am I waiting for and what am I doing?”

In a later interview with The Canadian Press Campbell-Pascall reiterated that her focus was for the two leagues to join.

“I’m not at odds with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, and I’m not at odds with the National Women’s Hockey League,” Campbell-Pascall said. “I’m at odds with why we haven’t become one.”

Her actions have prompted a plethora of players from both leagues to speak out about the matter, taking to social media using “#oneleague”, in a mass show of support.

Regardless of the importance of having one professional women’s league to fans and players alike, the logistics of merging the two leagues could prove problematic. But, from all accounts, it appears as if the topic is not something on the radar of either Andress or Rylan. Their lack of dialogue is certainly inhibiting the beginning of the process.

When Hilary Knight signed with Les Canadiennes earlier this month, the possibility arose that she might one day play alongside Olympic rival Marie-Philip Poulin, who took the end of the season off after participating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. With one league, matchups and rosters like these will become the rule rather than the exception. It is important for professional sports leagues to market their stars, and a unified women’s league would certainly be conducive to this.

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