Canadian International Autoshow is a great chance to experience first-hand the best of what to come in automotive industry. For me it’s a social event that gives me a chance to meet with some old friends and have fun while admiring new cars. When I started writing this article I didn’t realize how [...]]]>

Canadian International Autoshow is a great chance to experience first-hand the best of what to come in automotive industry. For me it’s a social event that gives me a chance to meet with some old friends and have fun while admiring new cars. When I started writing this article I didn’t realize how little I know and how much I need to learn in order to finish it. Finally, with a help of my boyfriend, I managed to summarize the highlights of this year’s autoshow:

A glimpse of history

We started our visit at the South Convention center where we found a hall dedicated to life and work of Carrol Shelby. This exhibition was a real treat for someone like me, who loves history and likes to admire beautiful cars. Here the numerous displays and posters taught us about the impressive impact that Carroll Shelby had on automotive racing and design over the last 50 years. After retiring from driving he modified a British sports car manufactured by AC Motors of England by installing an American Ford engine. He introduced this car as an AC Cobra, later known as Shelby Cobra. Shelby then continued to work with Ford to create beautiful cars such as the GT 40, the Mustang-based Shelby GT350, Shelby GT500 and 427 Shelby Cobra. Shelby left Ford and worked with Dodge to design original Dodge Viper. Later on in 2003 Carroll Shelby returned to Ford as a technical advisor to the Ford GT project.  The exhibit featured historical cars and racers that put Carroll Shelby into history books.

As green as it gets

Ironically, with the rising gas prices more and more people are becoming environmentally concerned. Today almost every company regardless of their business advertises green solutions. And here is one from the automakers: Chevrolet Volt. This is the first North American 100% electrical vehicle. Well, not really. It is only powered by an electric motor; however, the batteries will last you only first 40 miles after which a small generator will provide the electricity. Of course the generator is a 4-cylinder gasoline internal combustion engine. What sets this car apart from any other existing hybrid is that the gasoline engine is no longer used to propel the vehicle, which is a noteworthy leap forward in auto industry. The General Motors Corporation is very proud of the fact that they were the first to release a production version of this revolutionary concept and demonstrate the world that the GM and other North American auto-builders are cutting edge innovative companies.  Expect the Volt’s debut in the summer of 2011.

But don’t underestimate the Japanese ability to move forward in electronics. Their answer is i-MiEV. An all-electric vehicle by Mitsubishi based on their small Japanese and European i car. The Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle or MiEV does not use gas at all and relies solely on the electricity. Today, Mitsubishi is proud to announce that 800 i-MiEV cars were delivered in Japan and introduction to North American market is scheduled in 2011.

While electric cars are perceived as futuristic and environmentally friendly, not many will think of them as a high performance machines designed to thrill. Meet Tesla. It is here to change the public image of electric cars. Tesla Roadster Sport will do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h. And yes the car is powered by a 288-hoursepower and 295 pound-feet of torque electrical motor. The thrill won’t be short lived either. The Roadster has the range of 395km. To add some icing to already incredible car, the Roadster was styled closely to Lotus Elise. So there you have it, Tesla Roadster quicker than a Porsche, greener than a Prius and prettier than a Lotus.

The return of the great

Once upon a time, in 1954 to be exact, an iconic sports car was unveiled by Mercedes-Benz. The model name was meaningful. The car had three liter engine and was Sport Leicht (Sport Light) leading to 300SL. Nevertheless, the name did not grow as famous as the car’s nickname “Gullwing”. The posters of this car took place on the walls of ten-year-old boys’ rooms not because of the fact that it was the first car with first ever direct injection and not even that it was the fastest production car at the time but because of the way the doors opened. The upwards opened doors resembled the seagull’s wings eventually leading to the Gullwing designation. Today, the spirit of the Gullwing lives once again in an all new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. This is the first ever car entirely developed by companies performance division, AMG. SLS is a front-engine rear-wheel drive two-seater performance machine. It has got all the ingredients needed to go very fast either in a straight line or around corners. As expected the massive V8 produces enough power to take you to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and will reach the top speed of 317 km/h. The successor inherited many elements of design of the original 300SL. And, naturally, it once again features the top hinged doors that open upwards. With the departure of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the new Gullwing will take the place of the halo model for the entire brand.

European Invasion

In Europe small cars have been popular for years. Recently we started to get the glimpse of them in North America. Remember the success of Mini Cooper?  Well, there’s more where that came from. In fact, the story is very familiar.  The original car was very popular small city car in Europe in 60s and 70s. In 2007, the car went through modernization but did not lose its retro style and became a fashion statement in today’s world. This time it is not VW Beetle nor Mini Cooper but Fiat 500.  It is small. It is stylish. It is simply irresistible.

Welcome and meet Mazda2! This car has won 48 automotive awards but not on this continent. A quick look at the numbers and it’s clear that Mazda2 is here not to set new records. It’s got a small engine which is economical yet not completely stripped of the potential for a fun drive. Then let’s move on from the boring specs and actually admire the new member of the smiling car family. The sweeping curves, rolling fenders, pronounced wheel arches, elegant rear spoiler sum up to the impression that the small adorable Mazda has the sports car genes and very capable of transferring the smile onto your face too. Even though, Mazda 2 will be available at the end of this summer there was no personal encounter at this auto show. This should not be taken negatively since the Mazda 2 had its own spot light with “Active 2” display. Mazda presented the car as the potential driver will like to see it. The Active2 display featured graphite hatch back with aggressive green wheels complimented with sporty aerodynamic bits. “Active2 surf” and “Active2 snow” were the two concepts displayed with subtle Active2 decals and surf board and snowboard strapped to the roof rack. The experience was enhanced by the spot on colour choice.  Active2 serf was Active Green and Frozen White coloured Active2 snow. Mazda’s gutsy designers have done it again: the small does not have to be boring anymore.

Now, let’s try to imagine the ideal small practical hatch back with communicative steering and impressive suspension accompanied by the power to excite and fuel efficiency to surprise. Enhance that image with all the fully loaded toys (yep, throw in the back up sensors) and interior trim quality. While at it, go ahead and add the high degree of development and refinement of a luxury car. Final touch is to place the blue oval on the grill with Ford written on it. Isn’t this mind boggling? Not so for a European driver. Have you ever wondered why Ford is one of the all time favourites in Europe but a test drive here left you with no impression? The answer is simple: Ford makes different cars for Europe and North America. The European engineers devote more attention to small cars since that the predominate market there. Here we have exact opposite, small cars get little to no attention from development teams. Luckily, the change is coming. Ford Fiesta is what you’ve pictured previously. Ford will bring Fiesta over to North America in July. Just like Mazda2, Fiesta is targeted at the younger drivers. Fiesta has one more similarity with Mazda2: they share the same platform. That means the driving dynamics between the two will be comparable. However, the Ford is to have a slightly larger engine and more settle outer shell. On the plus side, the domestic model usually ends up with a lower price tag than its imported sibling. With Fiesta, Ford just might have an ace in its hand, unless, it’s got too Americanized.

Well, I hope you got a taste of this year’s autoshow and may be next year you’ll want to experience it yourself!

As some of you may know, I’m a huge Olympic nut. Couple that to the fact that I call Vancouver, BC home has been a recipe for an unmitigated disaster for my productivity. I’d like to take this moment and reflect on all my favourite Olympic moments of Vancouver 2010. I’ve embedded YouTube [...]]]>

As some of you may know, I’m a huge Olympic nut. Couple that to the fact that I call Vancouver, BC home has been a recipe for an unmitigated disaster for my productivity. I’d like to take this moment and reflect on all my favourite Olympic moments of Vancouver 2010. I’ve embedded YouTube clips where available. Most of these are off memory alone, so please let me know if I get any of the facts horridly wrong and I’ll fix them ASAP!

Also, apologies for not having the videos Embedded but CTV has decided, in their infinite wisdom, to prevent embedding of videos!! Make sure to open the links in a new window so you can come back to the post….

10. National Anthem at Curling Match

Isn’t it an amazing feeling to hear your country’s national anthem played at home with the crowd singing along at full blast?

(Aside: I feel like fans were robbed of the opportunity to sing along to the Anthem during the opening ceremony because VANOC and Nikki Yanofsky decided to show off her vocal range instead of giving the audience the thrill of singing the anthem with her. Epic fail)

Now imagine the surprise and shock of the curlers at Vancouver Olympic Centre when the crowd stood up in unison and belted out O’ Canada in the middle of *THREE* curling matches!!! Funny thing is, this was completely spontaneous. The story gets better: Curling is not traditionally a sport that draws large throngs of patriotic Canadians. There’s also an unwritten (could be written for all I know) that the audience should be polite, and courteous when curlers are on the block and “communicating” to the skips and sweepers. Anyway, so when the raucous crowd began in song, all three matches were held as the embarrassed but proud Canadian curlers soaked it all in.

What a moment, have a watch: National Anthem at Curling Match(video)

This is one of two moments that I will call you out for being inhuman if you’re not touched. You see, Tessa Virtue (btw, great name no?) and Scott Moir were paired off and started Ice Dancing at the tender age of 7 and 9 respectively.

There isn’t much more to say about this but to provide some context. This pair represented the Maple Leaf at perhaps the best, and certainly the worst time. Just hours and days before, the mens short track speed skating team had been shut out of their quest for medals. That Saturday was perhaps the darkest day for Canadian Olympics because as many as 5 serious medal contenders were kept off the podium by what I had called then an “epic fail for Chokeanada”

Then, Virtue and Moir danced away all those troubles:

Compulsory Dance(video)
Free Dance (For the gold medal)(video)

If you haven’t seen the hopping Marianne St. Gelais on the podium or in the stands, you’ve really missed out on one of the cutesy stories of the Olympics. I won’t describe the moment in case I ruin whatever memory others have of this particular moment but it’s awesome and really makes my heart warm: Marianne St. Gelais and Charles Hamelin(video)

Ahh Johnny – he decided in 2002 he wanted to compete in the Olympics

And represent Canada. From a humble background working as an automobile auctioneer in his hometown of Russell, Manitoba, Montgomery had no idea which sport he would even be playing in, but he set out to compete in the Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. Eight years later, and a skeleton sled he had bought online for $7000, Montgomery stood atop the podium at the Whistler luge track showing raw Canadian emotion, hooting and hollering at the fans as if he had just won his Stanley Cup.

Athletes are taught to be respectful, gracious and humble on the podium, and this attitude is instilled in Canadians by default from birth. I’m not saying Montgomery wasn’t humble or gracious, but his celebration was widely heralded in Whistler as the athlete most exciting.

Words can’t describe this:(video)

This is the second moment where if you don’t shed a slight tear, I revoke your license to be human. Rochette (figure) skated the short program of her life days after she found out her mother had passed away.  She eventually won the bronze medal and was Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

This moment will stick out in my life as, one of the most gut-wrenching moments ever: Short program skate(video)

Canada’s first Gold medal on home ice… En route for Team Canada setting the record for most gold medals in the history of the Vancouver Olympics.

Podium=Owned(video).

Fail at the opening. the Great One lights the secret outdoor cauldron and then VANOC pokes fun at itself for the cauldron fail in the closing ceremonies.
Opening Ceremonies Cauldron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78b_SSFE0O4

Closing Ceremonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1k540yTNA

This truly telling tale by Stephen Brunt had more than a few Canadians wiping away dripping tears.

A must watch(video).

You didn’t think I would leave hockey off this list did you? No, I decided to leave it for the end because I think Olympics hockey shouldn’t overshadow what our great amateur athletes have done this winter games.

Sidney Crosby’s game winning, gold-clinching, record breaking goal in Overtime against the United States (and other highlights)(video):

Honourable Mention: Ryan Kesler with probably the best open net goal in history…(video)

VANOC got a considerable amount of flack prior to the olympics for shoving this song down our throats before the Olympics began. But I really hope that Canadians have really embraced this set of songs as the Olympic theme songs. If the iTunes top 10 album and track list are an indication, that’s certainly the case. Nikki Yanofsky, Annie Villeneuve (french version singer) and Stephen something (composer) are at the top of both those lists and raking in the cash.

Congratulations to them!! But here’s a mashup they had for the closing ceremony in which the English and french were sung together.

Annie and Nikki(video)

Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did!

Cheers,

Go Canada Go!!

Firas

Jorge Cham, the author of Piled higher and Deeper (PhD) comics, is coming to speak!

His comics are hilarious and continually reflect grad school life – if you haven’t read them, then you’ve been missing out: phdcomics.com.

And I’ve heard he gives a great talk as well, so get your ticket to check it out!

He’ll [...]]]>

Jorge Cham, the author of Piled higher and Deeper (PhD) comics, is coming to speak!

His comics are hilarious and continually reflect grad school life – if you haven’t read them, then you’ve been missing out: phdcomics.com.

And I’ve heard he gives a great talk as well, so get your ticket to check it out!

He’ll be here on Monday March 8 at 3pm  (at MacLeod auditorium, Med Science Building)

Tickets are limited so get them in advance – bring your $10 to either Megan in mars (4-601H) or Vanessa in PMH (10-126), or bring it to seminar and get your ticket there.

He’s also going to be available during the day, so if you’re interested in showing him around the lab/hospital, and maybe getting to be IN one of his comics, then email the organizers: phdcomics.toronto@gmail.com.

Thanks all!

Megan

—-

Although I am not sure what the attendance expectations were, Saturday’s Medical Biophysics Open House must be considered an all around success.  Hundreds of undergraduate students descended onto Princess Margaret Hospital, on a cold winter morning (-15C, FYI!), to attend the annual Medical Biophysics Open House and learn more about our program.

Students from [...]]]>

Although I am not sure what the attendance expectations were, Saturday’s Medical Biophysics Open House must be considered an all around success.  Hundreds of undergraduate students descended onto Princess Margaret Hospital, on a cold winter morning (-15C, FYI!), to attend the annual Medical Biophysics Open House and learn more about our program.

Students from all the major universities in Ontario attended the event, all eager to meet faculty, talk to students and tour the laboratory facilities. In attendance, there were students with a variety of backgrounds:  from molecular and cell biology, physiology, biochemistry, chemistry to physics, engineering, mathematics and beyond. The morning started with the majority of the undergrads sifting through the different posters and talking to the many graduate students and supervisors available at hand.

While 80% of the posters were located in the main hall, there were a few posters relegated in a moderately conspicuous room representing the physics stream, specifically Sunnybrook hospital projects . And that’s where I was. Honestly, I would have preferred to be in the middle of the action and high student traffic area, but I made the most of it. But despite the less than perfect strategic position, I was able to talk with many students that courageously ventured in the dungeon room.

There you would have seen me gesturing and waving my hands, while explaining the wonders of cardiac MRI, the amazing things we are doing in the Wright group and in the MBP program in general. I was able to interact with undergrad students looking for summer positions, recent grads looking for Masters or PhD positions, and everyone seemed extremely receptive and impressed (by the way it’s extremely easy to wow a second year student!)

But the most endearing aspect of this whole experience, was looking into those inquiring eyes and seeing myself from a few years ago. I remember being at a crossroad of my life trying to decide whether to stick with my ‘right-out-of-school’ engineering job or apply to grad school. Not really knowing which school to select or what lab to apply to.  Just like that younger Samuel, many students today were driven by an inner passion for more learning and consciously steered towards grad school.  But like an explorer faced with the decision of taking the right or the left trail, personal passion sometimes leads you to the unknown, which is filled with anxiety.  Hopefully, today I was able to decrease some of that anxiety and paint a brighter picture of graduate school, a little less daunting and present to those students the great aspects of our interdisciplinary program.

Overall, it was an extremely great experience. I could go on and talk about the socially-awkward-feet-staring-probably-disconnected-from-the-real-life students, or about the food, or the keynote address by Peter Burns, but I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the yapping….(and no, the above-mentioned students are not included in these pictures….)

(By the way I took the pictures with iPhone using the pretty cool panoramic app “Pano”, some of the stitching is not perfect but whatever… enjoy)

main hall

"the Sunnybrook room"

Dr. Burns

more pictures below…..

MBP OPEN HOUSE!

Title: MBP New Year Pub Night Location: Molly Bloom’s @ 191 College Street Description: Title: MBP New Year Pub Night Where: Molly Bloom’s @ 191 College Street When: Wednesday January 13, 2010, 5:30 to 9:30pm Tickets: $5 – includes drink and appetizers. Purchase from Vanessa DiPalma (PMH) – vdipalma@gmail.com

Start Time: 17:30 Date: 2010-01-13 End Time: 21:30

Title: MBP goes bowling at Newtonbrook Bowlerama Location: 5799 Yonge Street North York, ON M2M 3V3 Description: Wednesday January 20, 2010 8 to 10pm

Newtonbrook Bowlerama (Take Yonge subway line north to Finch station, walk 5 min north to Newtonbrook plaza). For map click here.

$10 for MBP ($13 non-MBP) + shoe rentals ($3) Free Drinks and Snacks – [...]]]>

Title: MBP goes bowling at Newtonbrook Bowlerama
Location: 5799 Yonge Street North York, ON M2M 3V3
Description: Wednesday January 20, 2010
8 to 10pm

Newtonbrook Bowlerama (Take Yonge subway line north to Finch station, walk 5 min north to Newtonbrook plaza). For map click here.

$10 for MBP ($13 non-MBP) + shoe rentals ($3)
Free Drinks and Snacks – while supplies last

Buy tickets from:
PMH: Alison Aiken Alison.aiken@utoronto.ca
MaRS: Shawn Stapleton s.stapleton@utoronto.ca
SB: Arvin Arani arani@sri.utoronto.ca

Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2010-01-20
End Time: 22:00

With the Winter Olympics a few weeks away there is an escalating anticipation and excitement in the air (Oh yes the holidays are approaching too). This year, more than ever, Medical Biophysics is a full participant in the olympic festivities: our very own Melissa Hill will be a torch carrier. Melissa is a PhD candidate [...]]]>

With the Winter Olympics a few weeks away there is an escalating anticipation and excitement in the air (Oh yes the holidays are approaching too).
This year, more than ever, Medical Biophysics is a full participant in the olympic festivities: our very own Melissa Hill will be a torch carrier.
Melissa is a PhD candidate in Yaffe’s group at Sunnybrook Hospital in the physics stream and she will honor the department by carrying the torch this Sunday for a whole 300 meters.

Wikipedia tells us that the torch is “Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics”. Although, we do not promote theft, we definitely like flames and what they represent and we wish Melissa a successful torch relay. Melissa has also agreed to write a post on MBPGSU.ca to talk about her experience.

You can follow her here: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/torch/follow-torch/index.html Sunday December 20th at 9:30am

Make us proud!

Title: THE ANNUAL MEDICAL BIOPHYSICS HOLIDAY WINE & CHEESE Location: PMH 7th floor atrium Description: Ring in the holiday season at the annual MBP Holiday Wine and Cheese!

Time: Wednesday, December 16, 5 – 10 PM Place: PMH 7th floor atrium

Students, postdocs, and faculty are welcome to partake of free food, drinks, and raffle prizes. Start Time: 17:00 Date: [...]]]>

Title: THE ANNUAL MEDICAL BIOPHYSICS HOLIDAY WINE & CHEESE
Location: PMH 7th floor atrium
Description: Ring in the holiday season at the annual MBP Holiday Wine and Cheese!

Time: Wednesday, December 16, 5 – 10 PM
Place: PMH 7th floor atrium

Students, postdocs, and faculty are welcome to partake of free food, drinks, and raffle prizes.
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2009-12-16
End Time: 22:00

SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFO