UNews - Oxford

A Provost's Philosophy

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:51:38 +0000

Dr. Cheryl Misak (BA '83) never intended to go into academia. When she began her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Misak's goal was to become a lawyer.

As fate would have it (if fate does in fact exist – a question Misak has certainly pondered and discussed at length with hundreds of students over the course of her long and illustrious career) Philosophy 1000 was the only course that fit a gap in her schedule that first semester. You could say the rest is history, but in Misak's case, it's far more appropriate to ask whether certain things in life are just meant to be.

Taking a look at Misak's resumé, which brims with esteemed accomplishments, culminating in her current position as vice-president and provost at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, it's easy to buy into the notion that things have a way of working out the way they should. That first course in philosophy that Misak added to her schedule simply out of practicality, set her life on an extraordinarily successful and interesting trajectory that she might not otherwise have pursued.

"I was immediately taken by it," Misak says of philosophy. "I agonized over what to do – it seemed that degrees in philosophy wouldn't lead to much of a career, but eventually I took the plunge."

Dr. Cheryl Misak (BA '83) was the 2009 recipient of the Alumnus of the Year award.

Misak followed her passion, earning a BA in Philosophy with great distinction, and the coveted Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal to go along with it. While she had her sights set on a Rhodes Scholarship that year, it was at Columbia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ that Misak earned an MA. Even so, Oxford was never off the radar. Misak reapplied for the Rhodes Scholarship while in New York, was accepted and went on to earn her PhD in England.

Since then, it's been one step after the other for Misak. She's been a lecturer at Oxford, graduate co-ordinator and assistant professor at Queen's, and then steadily moved up the ranks at U of T, advancing from professor to chair to dean to VP and principal – all the way to the top of the institution as vice-president and provost. It's an impressive succession that even Misak herself sometimes has trouble recognizing as her own career.

"It's a constant object of amazement to me," Misak says. "I had to be convinced to do each successive job. Each time I moved on, I found I was enjoying it more and more. People kept asking me to do things, and I just kept saying yes."

While the position of vice-president and provost at U of T is more than a full-time job, Misak makes a point of keeping her hand in research and teaching. She is currently working on research for a book titled The American Pragmatists – a subject matter very much in line with work Misak started while still an undergrad at the U of L. It is fittingly full circle – especially for a philosophy buff.

"Philosophy is about working through problems, getting to the bottom of things and trying to come to an understanding about concepts such as truth, knowledge, justice and the good. Ask a question about an old problem, and you're bound to learn something, if not new, then at least important."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award recognizes individuals for exceptional professional achievements, academic excellence or contributions to society.

Excelling at every level

trevor.kenney — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:52:44 +0000

Dr. Blair McMurren first earned his reputation for excellence as an undergraduate student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Majoring in English, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with great distinction in 1996, receiving the Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Arts) and the Governor General's Silver Medal for highest undergraduate class standing.

It would just be the start of what has become an impressive career for the born and raised Lethbridge product.

McMurren is being honoured as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at the Fall 2010 Convocation ceremony, an award that recognizes individuals for exceptional professional achievements, academic excellence and/or contributions to society. McMurren hits the mark on each occasion.

Following graduation from the U of L, McMurren was elected to a Rhodes Scholarship for study in the UK at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford. During his time at Oxford, he earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature and ultimately a Doctor of Philosophy in comparative literature, as well as a professional qualification and Master of Arts in translation from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Surrey at Guildford. His doctoral research examined the rhetoric and cultural politics of translation, and focused on translation as a theme and critical activity in the life and works of the Irish author James Joyce.

Dr. Blair McMurren was honoured by the U of L's Alumni Association at the Fall 2010 Convocation.

Having a longstanding interest in public policy issues, McMurren returned to Canada in 2002 to pursue a career with the federal government.

"The Canadian Privy Council Office came recruiting at Oxford, and they made a rather compelling pitch for working in public policy," says McMurren. "The idea of working on a variety of files, and having some influence on what would be happening in my country resonated with me."

His clear and thought-provoking approach has advanced a variety of priorities in areas ranging from cultural policy to environmental strategy.

McMurren's accomplishments as a young public servant have been recognized with honours including the Public Service Award of Excellence for Innovation (2006), for an initiative to transform public service recruiting practices, and a Deputy Minister's Award for Inspiration (2007).

A well-rounded individual, McMurren continues to cultivate his artistic abilities. He's a dedicated trombone player, was involved with numerous university and semi-professional ensembles throughout his academic career and continues to play with community concert bands and dance bands around Ottawa. He is also a creative writer and has published poems and short fiction in Canada and the UK.

Always eager to speak about his alma mater, McMurren is more than willing to serve as a mentor to future generations of U of L students.

"I'd like to help U of L students find out all that's available to them after they leave the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," he says. "This award is a very humbling thing. I'd like to offer my experience to students that are just finding their way."

McMurren is married to Juliet, a New Zealander, naturalized Canadian and archaeologist. The couple met in Oxford and has three sons: Gabriel (7), Hugo (2) and Joseph (seven months).

Alumnus of the Year

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:22:10 +0000

It would just be the start of what has become an impressive career for the born and raised Lethbridge product.

Having a longstanding interest in public policy issues, McMurren returned to Canada in 2002 to pursue a career with the federal government.

His clear and thought-provoking approach has advanced a variety of priorities in areas ranging from cultural policy to environmental strategy.

Always eager to speak about his alma mater, McMurren is more than willing to serve as a mentor to future generations of U of L students.

McMurren is married to Juliet, a New Zealander, naturalized Canadian and archaeologist. The couple met in Oxford and has three sons: Gabriel (7), Hugo (2) and Joseph (seven months).

Herschel Space Observatory research to keep Naylor busy for years

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:56:42 +0000

When you talk to Dr. David Naylor (Institute for Space Imaging Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy), it is easy to get excited about his research, space exploration and the thought of imaging the unknown stars and galaxies that SPIRE, an instrumental concept he has been working on for 30 years will help to discover as it sits, 1.5 million km from Earth, bolted securely to the recently-launched Herschel Space Telescope.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel mission, launched successfully from French Guiana on May 14, 2009 seeks to observe stars and galaxies at long-wavelengths (far-infrared).

Dr. David Naylor.

These wavelengths are able to penetrate interstellar dust, but are difficult to observe from Earth because the far infrared signals can't penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.

As the lead Canadian researcher for the Canadian Space Agency's contribution to the Herschel project – an international project involving eight nations -- Naylor has played a key role in the big science of space imagery by designing a device that has to function at a chilly -270C, collects infrared data from the far end of the light spectrum, and turns it into valuable information about the creation of stars and galaxies.
Naylor's instrument, called the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver ("SPIRE"), is one of three devices attached to the Herschel telescope system. SPIRE picks up heat signals that are not visible by optical telescopes, and will help to answer the age-old question astronomers have been asking for centuries: "What's out there?"

However, even with all his curiosity about what, in fact, might be 'out there,' it's hard to believe that Naylor can maintain that level of excitement for a project that that has faced financial and administrative hurdles, taken more than 15 years, many long days, about 100 students (in Lethbridge/Canada) and other researchers across the world to help develop.

And then there's the cost: approximately $100M to fit all that research into a box about as big as a toaster oven.

He's excited because it works. Finally.

"The mission control operators started the telescope up in stages," Naylor said. "Our instrument was the first brought on-line for performance verification. That means more than 250 tests to put it through its paces. And it is working flawlessly. The last time we had our hands on it was more than two years ago when SPIRE was sent from the UK for final testing and installation at ESA, so that was good news. To process the data to make it operate there are almost 2 billion lines of code involved, so to see a successful operation from this first test was a huge relief."

The next step, which also passed without a hitch, was to pop open the hatch -- officially called a 'cryocover', or the equivalent of a camera lens cap -- and reveal the giant 3.5m telescope mirror to the outer reaches of space.

But does Herschel do what it is supposed to do? The answer, of course, is yes – and much quicker and with more accuracy than any telescope launched to date. "Initial images reveal a level of detail never before seen from the ground or from space through the Hubble telescope, which sits only 400km from Earth," Naylor said.

"This isn't even the telescope operating at full capacity. These are initial 'test' images – like driving a racecar very slowly around the track… you know it works and is quite impressive, but wait until the driver opens the throttle!

"I am particularly proud of the first image that was released by the European Space Agency of a galaxy called the Whirlpool Galaxy. Prof. Christine Wilson, a research colleague from McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, is leading this study of nearby galaxies. Wilson is one of five scientists who have access to the guaranteed observing time awarded to Canada in recognition of its contributions to the mission, contributions that are led from the U of L."

On July 10, the European Space Agency released even more images which clearly show the additional clarity the Observatory brings to knowledge about galaxies and star formations (See the "First Light" images, at this website: http://www.uleth.ca/notice/display.html?b=13&s=12367)

Also, gratifying -- and possibly a bit overwhelming -- are the unique research collaborations that Naylor sees happening in the future, as data from the Herschel mission starts to flow.

"Approximately one-third of the time available to researchers is guaranteed to those involved in key projects, and our time is included in that. We see the data here in Lethbridge before anyone else does," Naylor said.

"This means we will be in the best position to extract the most information from the astronomical data. Scientists will be seeking our help in analyzing their data and the U of L group will be an important Canadian and international resource."

With an estimated output of up to 7,000 hours per year of data, there should be enough information to keep researchers collaborating on current – and future -- projects busy for years.

To that end, Naylor is involved in several projects with physics and astronomy researchers across the country with diverse organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies and a host of partner universities.

Worldwide, his research partners include Rutherford Appleton Labs in Oxford (UK) and other research institutions in Europe.

In Alberta, a recent and significant collaboration has been launched with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, where the U of L and the U of C have formed the Institute for Space Imaging Science (ISIS) to work together on projects that take space research further than Herschel technology, whether on the ground or in the atmosphere.

As well, Blue Sky Spectroscopy, a local high tech spin off company founded by Naylor in 2003, and now privately owned and operated, is rapidly developing a name for itself.

Its highly qualified staff, all with postgraduate degrees, specialize in custom hardware and software spectroscopic solutions. Customers include NASA, ESA, and CSA, and many leading research institutes such as Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Max Planck and Cardiff to name a few.

Moreover, Blue Sky is one of the three international Data Processing and Science Analysis Software centres for the SPIRE instrument. Data are downloaded daily from the spacecraft and stored on the Blue Sky's servers. While their research might be "blue sky," down to Earth the company has an active astronomy education and outreach program within the local community.

What's next?

According to Naylor, more research that refines his current SPIRE device to make it suitable for yet another space mission which is currently under review by the Japanese,European and Canadian Space Agencies.

"Because the SPIRE device is so versatile – and is now proven to work – we expect it will be in demand for future space astronomy missions such as SPICA – the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics."

Put on the coffee; it seems that more sleepless nights in the lab are on the horizon.

Athletics helped shape Misak's future

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:28:44 +0000

To attend or not to attend: that is the question — unless of course you are Interim Vice President and Provost at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Dr. Cheryl Misak (BA '83). The question then, of course, becomes moot.

"My mother was a school teacher and it was pretty clear that we would be attending the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," remembers Misak. "Education was very important in our home."

It was a love of athletics, however, that would indirectly change the course of Misak's life. Born and raised in Lethbridge, Misak graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1979, and began attending the U of L with plans on becoming a lawyer.

"In my first term I wanted Fridays off so I could go on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's ski club trips and play in tennis tournaments, so I only chose Tuesday/Thursday classes," explains Misak. "I had one gap in my schedule and filled it with a philosophy class. I had no idea what philosophy was, but almost from the first day I realized that I really liked it."

Dr. Michael Kubara, Misak's first philosophy professor at the U of L, was very influential in Misak's education.

"He was great; he didn't mince words and was suitably hard on me. It was just what I needed. When I wrote a sentence that didn't make very much sense, he would tell me and then help me re-write it. He taught me how to write. Teaching someone how to write is teaching them how to think," says Misak.

A very dedicated student, Misak was involved in all manner of projects that went beyond the classroom. This gave her more than a valuable education that opened her thinking, but some administrative experience as well.

"At that time the Albertan philosophers would get together for a conference once a year. When it was Lethbridge's turn to host, I ended up doing a lot of administrative things that are unusual for a graduate student to do," recalls Misak. "Without graduate students to compete with, the keen undergraduates got a lot of attention. That was wonderful."

In 1983, Misak graduated with a bachelor of arts in philosophy with great distinction. She also won the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Gold Medal. Following graduation, she moved to New York City and earned her master's degree at Columbia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In her second year at Columbia, Misak became the recipient of a Rhodes scholarship, which eventually took her to Oxford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in England.

"At Oxford I worked with fantastic people and met people from all over the world. I also met my husband there," says Misak.

She and her husband, Dr. David Dyzenhaus, taught briefly at Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Kingston, Ont., before moving on to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto in 1990. Since the beginning of her career at the U of T, Misak has quickly moved up the ranks as professor of philosophy, Chair of the philosophy department, dean of the Missassauga campus of the U of T, acting vice-president and principal of the Mississauga campus, and then deputy provost of the U of T as a whole and into her current position.

Kubara is not surprised by her success.

"Cheryl had all-wheel drive with low range for plowing through the roughest going. She had a naturally disarming manner of getting her way," says Kubara. "While still at Oxford, her husband David and I predicted her destiny as a wonderful university administrator — a counter example to The Peter Principle."

It seems that Kubara and Dyzenhaus may have a future in fortune telling, because for Misak there seems to be no ceiling to her ascent.

GET THE FACTS

• Misak and husband, David, have two children, Alex and Sophie, and often travel together on sabbaticals to South Africa, England, Germany and New Zealand

• Misak's numerous academic awards include: U of T Student's Administrative Council Award; Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship; Recipient of five SSHRC Grants

• She has three published books and is currently writing another on American Pragmatism

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