scientificanada

Hamilton Ontario has been dumping sewage into our protected wetland consistently for 4 years via a leaking sewer. When city council found out, they chose to cover it up rather than address the issue. The Hamilton Spectator broke the story on November 20th, and I go through some of the information they dug up, including a Timeline of Events written by Matthew Van Dongen. Then I talk to Thea Kozakis, a climate scientist who took the city of Ithaca to task on their climate policies. Hey Hamilton, let’s do the same.

https://www.change.org/p/hamilton-city-council-demand-that-city-council-launch-a-public-inquiry-into-the-cootescoverup/w?source_location=psf_petitions

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9742287-sewergate-a-chedoke-creek-sewage-spill-timeline/

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9731643-exclusive-hamilton-city-council-staff-have-kept-a-24-billion-litre-sewage-spill-secret/

https://ithacavoice.com/2019/11/sunrise-movement-write-in-candidates-vie-for-3-common-council-seats/

Amanda Farias Zuniga is a soon-to-graduate PhD candidate in the kinesiology department focusing on biomechanics. Recently, Adam volunteered for one of her studies which involved simulating carpal tunnel in his right arm. In this episode, Adam and Amanda talk about carpal tunnel, the details of that study, and graduation!

Follow Amanda on Twitter or check out her publications!

Also consider following Adam on Twitter. To listen to more sciencey stuff, check out scientificanada wherever podcasts are found.

This episode is a bit of a deviation from the norm. Graduate students who work as Teaching Assistants are part of a union (CUPE 3906). The union was set to go on strike starting next Monday, but in light of a new tentative agreement, the strike may be avoided. Host Adam is a member of the strike committee, and talks to undergraduate Andrea Klaver about how things have progressed since the summer. Adam also talks about a magazine article he has been working on.

You can listen to CUPEcast, Adam's other show for union updates here.

For more information about the union and potential strike, go here.

Follow Adam on Twitter!

Michael is a 2nd year MSc. student in the Parise Lab in the Department of Kinesiology. He studies how Omega-3 supplements can help in muslce repair in elderly. Find out more about his lab's previous work here. If you are interested in helping him recruit participants, please contact him with his contact information below:

Email: [email protected]

Spoiler: Conciliation didn't go anywhere. We will be in legal strike position by the end of the month. Here's what you need to know this week.

You can follow Adam on Twitter @adamfortais

https://bettermac.ca/files/2019/11/Conciliation-Response-signed-by-NT.pdf

https://bettermac.ca/2019/11/06/unit-1-conciliation-update-no-board-report-filed-strike-lockout-position-to-be-triggered-prior-to-the-end-of-november/

https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/worthmentioning/university-cupe-seek-no-board-report/

This week Adam talks to Ben Pearce about his PhD work studying the origins of life. But he wasn't always a physicist...

Ben first graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. Like many, he was enticed by the nice pay and began working in the oil industry, but was never really passionate about engineering. This lead him to Berlin, where he realized, through long conversations with some interesting a brilliant young people like himself, the Big Questions like, "where did life come from" were questions he could totally pursue. So he came back to Canada, earned a degree in astronomy, and ended up here at McMaster in the Origins of Life Institute.

Follow Ben on Twitter

Follow me on Twitter

If you like what you hear and want to help support the show, please visit our Patreon.

Tuesday is the big day. Conciliation is happening this Wednesday, and as such, there is very little to report in terms of bargaining, so this one is pretty short. Adam briefly talks about one of the important bargaining points, paid pedagogical training, and why the University should be pushing for this harder than we are. Adam also talks about the Six Nations Polytechnic school that CUPE 3906 has agreed to help support (it's really cool!)

For more bargaining news, head to https://bettermac.ca/

*** Note: I may have said conciliation is Wednesday. It is actually Tuesday.

It's the AlmaMAC Halloween Spooktacular, and this week Adam and Matt tell two terrifying tales.

Adam tells a story of a man found guilty of murdering his wife and that blood splatter that got him, 35 years ago... and why, perhaps, the investigators were wrong after all.

Then, Matt talks about a slime that learns and teaches by fusing with and incorporating other slimes within itself. Matt terrifies Adam with the idea that the students he TAs might try to eat him for his knowledge.

For more on blood and the real homicide case, click here, and here.

For more on that marvelous, terrible slime, click here.

And hey! Make sure to follow the AlmaMAC on Twitter. You can also follow Adam, and be sure to subscribe to Scientificanada on your favorite podcast app to have access to back episodes of the AlmaMAC, and hear new episodes of some new shows like CUPEcast, Adam's CUPE3906 TA Union podcast.

Have a spooky and safe Halloween!

This week we bring you up to speed on McMaster's Board of Governor's meeting, and hear from CUPE 3906 President, Nathan Todd. 

A few important dates: 

General Member's Meeting: October 30th at 12:00 pm in BSB 108

Conciliation begins: November 5th

CUPE strike training: Nov. 15 from 9 am to 5 pm

Tafadzwa Machipisa is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Population Health Research Institute (McMaster) and Hatter Institute of Cardiovascular Research in Africa (University of Cape Town, South Africa).

She currently investigates genes that are involved in predisposing people to rhematic heart disease with populations on the African continent.

Find out more by listening to this podcast and read up about her labs here:

Tafadzwa's Master's Research