The latest results from the WCOM 206 Excellence in Communication Award competition are in and we have two winners: Sophia Chen (Fall 2023 term) and Alan Fu (Winter/Summer 2023).
It has been such a pleasure to be part of the team that reads and ranks the undergraduate papers nominated by Communication in Engineering instructors each term. I have learned so much!
Now you can learn about the challenges of monitoring hormone levels for transgender and non-binary individuals, and about models to improve malignant brain tumour survival rates. These two were considered the best of their peer group and the full text of the papers have been added to the McGill Libraries’ repository, eScholarship.
Transgender and non-binary individuals may use Hormone Replacement Therapy as part of their gender transition. During this process, hormone levels are measured using immunoassays, which typically include estrogens, testosterones and progesterones. While commercial solutions can automate blood testing, the blood collection process itself is difficult., invasive, and prone to complications. Because hormone levels change throughout the day, a more robust testing solution needs to be developed. Lateral flow assays, a low cost detection device can be developed for quantitative readouts of hormone levels. However, low concentration of the hormones of interest present in the saliva means that this solution cannot currently be used as a diagnostic device. Future investigation is necessary on detection antibodies that are used for this solution. Intended audience: a biotechnical company considering research and development towards hormone monitoring.
Stagnant growth in malignant brain tumor survival rates indicates a need for more powerful models to advance tumor research and pharmaceutical testing. This paper comparatively analyzes three models: 3D cell line xenografts, genetically engineered mice models, and neoplastic cerebral organoids based on comprehensiveness, scalability, and accuracy criteria. 3D CLXs possess excellent scalability but are unappealing in all other aspects. GEMMs are favorable in the aspects of comprehensiveness and accuracy compared to 3D CLXs, but face issues regarding scalability. Finally, neoCORs outclass GEMMs in both comprehensiveness and accuracy while retaining modest scalability, leading this paper to conclude that neoCORs are the most viable model for future development. Future development of neoCORs, especially of assistive microfluidics devices, is strongly recommended.
Thanks very much to Antoine Bissonnette & Faiza Ambreen Chowdhury for submitting their FACC 400 assignment to post on The Turret. This guest post looks at the use of cryptocurrency for philanthropy and economic management.
Cryptocurrency: Defying the Norms of Financial Institutions
by Antoine Bissonnette & Faiza Ambreen Chowdhury
In the landscape of global finance, a significant transformation is underway, particularly certain markets where the relevancy of traditional banking institutions is being challenged. Cryptocurrency, once regarded as a niche or speculative asset, is steadily becoming a cornerstone in many industries where traditional banking systems have either failed or cannot adequately meet the needs of the industry. This blog post delves into the pivotal role of cryptocurrency in such industries and emerging markets.
The Rise of Crypto Philanthropy
A growing number of charitable organizations are starting to embrace cryptocurrency donations. While there are organizations dedicated to accepting only crypto-donations like The Giving Block, nowadays even major charity funds such as UNICEF, Greenpeace and the Human Rights Foundation, all offer it as an option to potential donors [4].
There are multiple advantages this offers to both donors and recipients. Firstly, the use of cryptocurrency ensures transparency between donors and organizations, facilitated by the public logging of transactions inherent to cryptocurrency. So donors, recipients and the public can track where the money is going and witness the real-time impact of donations [1]. Digital currency also offers significant tax advantages for donors, the amount donated would not be subject to capital gains taxes, therefore deducted from the donor’s overall gross income [2].
For organizations, providing the choice for crypto donations helps broaden their funding sources. With the rise in popularity of bitcoin, there are more and more people who want to donate, but only have access to cryptocurrency. Another feature that can work in organizations’ favor is the price volatility of the digital currency market. Some organizations have been known to hold donations for some amount of time, to increase the value of donations with time [3].
While cryptocurrency philanthropy showcases the transformative potential of digital assets, its influence extends far beyond charitable donations. In emerging markets, cryptocurrencies are reshaping entire economies, offering financial inclusion and economic empowerment to those who have been left behind by traditional banking systems.
Countries like Venezuela and Argentina, facing hyperinflation and economic instability, have turned to cryptocurrencies not just as an investment but as a means to preserve wealth, transact, and participate in the global economy. In fact, cryptocurrency has become a beacon of hope in emerging markets, offering financial inclusion and economic empowerment to those who have been left behind by traditional banking systems.
Case Study: Cryptocurrency Adoption in Venezuela
In Venezuela, cryptocurrencies serve as a crucial tool against hyperinflation and government control. The country ranks high in global crypto adoption, driven by the necessity to preserve savings in a stable asset and the ease of conducting transactions even during power and internet outages [5] [6]. Moreover, Venezuela’s engagement with cryptocurrencies extends beyond just transactions; it has a significant presence in the crypto mining world, thanks to the country’s low electricity costs. This has led to the creation of a legal framework to support and regulate the mining industry, further solidifying the role of digital currencies in its economy [7].
Influence on Economic Stability in Argentina
Argentina presents another compelling case of crypto’s impact, where the devaluation of the local currency has pushed individuals and businesses towards cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins, in particular, have become popular for preserving the value of earnings and savings, acting as a digital stand-in for the much-sought-after US dollar. The adaptability of cryptocurrencies has allowed for innovative solutions like crypto debit cards, enabling Argentinians to make everyday purchases directly from their crypto wallets, thus circumventing the volatile local currency [8].
These case studies shed light on a broader trend within the financial system, where cryptocurrencies are not just speculative assets but vital financial tools. They offer a way to mitigate the impacts of economic volatility, and enable businesses to operate smoothly despite fluctuating local currencies. As new markets continue to evolve, the role of cryptocurrencies is likely to expand, potentially transforming the global financial landscape and making financial inclusion a tangible reality for millions.
In summary, cryptocurrency is revolutionizing global finance by challenging traditional banking norms. From transforming philanthropy to providing economic stability in emerging markets, its impact is undeniable. Cryptocurrency’s journey is just beginning, promising a dynamic future for finance worldwide.
We may want to believe that citation practices in STEM are unbiased, but the evidence out there says otherwise. It speaks to the politics and privilege that have pervaded peer review and the published literature.
Kahalon, R., Klein, V., Ksenofontov, I., Ullrich, J., & Wright, S. C. (2022). Mentioning the Sample’s Country in the Article’s Title Leads to Bias in Research Evaluation. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(2), 352-361. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211024
Ross, M. B., Glennon, B. M., Murciano-Goroff, R., Berkes, E. G., Weinberg, B. A., & Lane, J. I. (2022). Women are credited less in science than men. Nature, 608(7921), 135-145. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04966-w
Teixeira da Silva, J. A. (2021). The Matthew effect impacts science and academic publishing by preferentially amplifying citations, metrics and status. Scientometrics, 126(6), 5373-5377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03967-2
There are a few things that we can do in our citation practices to make a difference. First, if we recognize that citations are power, then we can exercise that power in our own reference lists. When we write articles or otherwise disseminate our research outputs, we can choose to break away from citing the usual suspects and cite responsibly. One easy to remember rule of thumb is the Gray test. Our works pass the Gray test if they cite and discuss the scholarship of at least two women and two non-white people. We can also consider including citation diversity statements.
Second, we can be representative in the works that we recommend to others. For example, here is a Gender Balance Assessment Tool that is available to check that our reading lists are not mostly works written by male authors.
Third, when we find ourselves in a position to judge the work of others we can let go of our reliance on citation metrics. We can commit to evaluating works on their scientific merit and consider alternative metrics not based on citation counts.
Of course, we can also talk about citation politics with our colleagues. There is lots to think about and discuss!
“I’m currently working on my technical paper for the winter semester and I’m having trouble deciding on a topic for the paper. Are you the right person to talk to about this?” I have received this kind of question many times over the past few years. Finding a topic can be tricky! Here are some of my favourite ways that you can use to decide on an engineering topic to research for a course. Whether it’s for WCOM 206, CIVE 432, CIVE 664, MECH 532 or any other engineering course, hopefully some of these tips can help you hone in on a topic that will work well for you!
Look up research areas of some of the professors in your department. Every engineering department has a list of professors and you’ll find links to their research areas from those lists. For example, here is the list of Civil Engineering professors: https://www.mcgill.ca/civil/people and if you click on any of their names, you will often see their research areas and/or a list of their publications.
To get an idea of what other WCOM 206 students have done before, check out papers that have won the best paper contest here. They will give you ideas for how narrow a topic a good paper should have and possibly point you to topics of interest.
I often get inspiration from this magazine on engineering education called Prism. Each issue has a section called “First look” where they talk about cool new engineering technologies.
Engineering grand challenges. This is a list put together by the US National Academy of Engineering. There are lots of excellent ideas for research that is really needed in today’s world: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges.aspx.
The Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK’s National Academy of Engineering, has put together a website on how engineering is addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals https://raeng.org.uk/sdgs. There is a wealth of great research topics on those pages.
It’s always good to pick a topic that you have a personal interest in. Have you done an internship already? If so, you could pick something related to that. If you haven’t done an internship yet, that’s okay. You can check out the kinds of internships that are available to McGill students and pick a topic related to one that sounds interesting to you. You’ll find internship opportunities for McGill students in MyFuture here. Similarly, even if you’re not ready to look for a job yet, you can look in MyFuture for jobs of interest. The kind of work that employers are hiring for could give you ideas for research topics you might want to learn more about.
If there is a broad area of research you are interested in, you could skim a book on the topic, especially looking in the chapter headings to see if any of the narrower topics covered in the book interest you. You can find books on a topic by searching words in the library catalogue here and narrowing the results to books only.
Similarly, if there is a broad area of research that interests you, you can search the topic in Compendex here. It’s normal that you will get thousands of results. Next, use the “Refine” limits on the left-hand side of the screen to select “Controlled vocabulary” à “View more”. A pop-up window will open with all the “tags” that have been assigned to the articles in the results list. As a way of narrowing your topic, check out what the tags are and select one or more that interest you.
Check out past blog posts on this blog, the Turret! There are even some past student assignments posted that might give you some ideas.
I hope these suggestions will help you. If you have other ideas for ways of coming up with a research topic, I would love to hear about it! You can contact me at taradotmawhinneyatmcgilldotca .
If, after reading this, you could still use some guidance, please know that the engineering librarians at Schulich Library are always happy to meet with you for a research consultation where we can discuss with you further. You’ll find the engineering librarian for your department listed at: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/contact/askus/liaison.
Happy researching!
Thanks to WCOM 206 professor Terry Newman for her thoughtful feedback on this blog post.
Science Literacy comes to McGill, September 18-22.
The Science Literacy Week theme this year is energy, and we have a high-powered lineup of events. It is our ninth year participating in this Canada-wide initiative, spreading our enthusiasm for science with tours, workshops, drop-ins, and talks.
If you are citing something from a web page, it is always a good idea to make a copy of it. Maybe save it as a PDF for your files. The lifespan of a web page is surprising short. It can be changed or even deleted, leaving little evidence behind.
A better idea might be to save the web page at the date and time of access into the Wayback Machine. The page, and outlinks, can be captured and added to Internet Archive, providing a link to how it appeared at the time. There is the added benefit of being able to compare the page at a later date to see any changes.
Internet Archive is one of the largest digital libraries in the world. They began with the Wayback Machine but it is now just one of the ways that they are preserving our digital history and making knowledge accessible to everyone.
Be sure to sign in after creating a free account, in order to see all of the save options available from the Wayback Machine.
We have been participating in this Canada-wide celebration of science since 2015, but this year really is special. We could not be more enthusiastic about welcoming you to our McGill events, some virtual and others in-person. The theme of this year’s Science Literacy Week, taking place September 19-25, is Mathematics. It is such a wonderfully broad theme that, together with our campus partners, we were able to organize an array of learning opportunities for you.
I thought that I would break it down day by day with a few insights, but first there are two exhibits that have already launched and that you can check out right away. There is a Math / Music exhibit at the Marvin Duchow Music Library with materials from their collection that demonstrate the rich connections between the two disciplines. There is also a Mathematics Redpath Book Display, both physical (in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library) and virtual for some interesting reading material.
Monday
Stats-wise (12-1pm; in person): I was a student of Professor Rhonda Amsel during my undergrad at McGill (last century!) and she truly is a wonderful educator. I cannot wait to hear her talk about the ‘why’ of statistics. This presentation is for everyone.
The Art of Explaining Science to Non-Specialists (12-1pm; virtual): Who better to introduce this important skillset than Science Communication Specialist at the Office of Science Education, Diane Dechief? I promise that this will be one hour well spent.
Plant Walk and Harvest (12-1pm; in person): The folks at Redpath Museum have been huge supporters of Science Literacy Week since the beginning. There are limited spots available for this McGill garden tour.
Intro to LaTeX (2-3pm; virtual): Get some LaTeX practice using the free online editor, Overleaf.
Wednesday
Intermediate Data Analysis in Excel (10am-12pm): Our librarian experts are taking it to the next level! If you are new to Excel, tune in to our beginner course on Monday.
Charting Numbers for Understanding and Communication (12-1pm; virtual): Our Assessment Librarian, Giovanna Badia, knows a thing or two about charts. I recommend this workshop if you have your own research project and want to learn about the different ways to represent results.
Learn to Spin! Drop-in and try out a 3D printed spindle (Drop in anytime from 2:30-4:30pm): This is me! I wanted to encourage everyone to try out our Library 3D printers, while simultaneously introducing this spindle spinning skill. Please drop by to chat about 3D printing or fibre arts, or try out a spindle yourself.
That’s it so far. I’m sorry for all of the exclamation marks (it’s exciting). Register today for a workshop, or join us for one of the drop-ins. I hope to see you around 🙂
April may be a busy time while you are completing your term papers and exams. It may also be a great time to reflect and determine what you want to accomplish in the upcoming summer vacation. How about uplifting your academic writing skills? No matter what level of study you are doing or what role you are playing in academia, good writing undoubtedly makes a positive contribution to your work. Not only does it help to make your ideas more precise and persuasive, but also it aids in your reasoning, analyzing, and critical thinking.
With that in mind, the McGill Library created a virtual book display entitled “English & Academic Writing”, consisting of recent print books, ebooks, e-videos and website resources on academic writing and English communication. They are useful for both instructors and students of various disciplines, including those whose mother tongue is not English. Selected print titles are now available for borrowing on the Redpath Book Display on the main floor of the Redpath Library (aka. the northern part of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library) during the entire month of April.
Here are some of the titles that you may want to start with:
100 tips to avoid mistakes in academic writing and presenting, Adrian Wallwork & Anna Southern, 2020, Springer
This ebookcontains one hundred typical mistakes relating to papers, proposals, oral presentations, and correspondence with editors, reviewers, and editing agencies. While it is primarily intended for non-native English speaking researchers, it is also useful for those who are revising their works in order to have them published.
How to fix your academic writing trouble: a practical guide, Inger Mewburn, Katherine Firth, and Shaun Lehmann, 2019, Open University Press
This print book explains common feedback students receive from their instructors of a writing course, such as “Your writing doesn’t sound very academic” and “Your writing doesn’t flow”. It also provides advice on how to fix those issues.
Writing for engineering and science students: staking your claim, Gerald Rau, 2020, Routledge
This ebook is a practical guide for both international students and native speakers of English undertaking either academic or technical writing. It uses writing excerpts from engineering and science journals to explore characteristics of a research paper, including organization, length and naming of sections, and location and purpose of citations and graphics. It covers different types of writing, including lab reports, research proposals, dissertations, poster presentations, industry reports, emails, and job applications.
Academic writing for university students, Stephen Bailey, 2022, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
This print book is designed to help with writing essays, reports and other papers for coursework and exams. It consists of four parts: The Writing Process: From finding suitable sources, through to editing and proofreading; Writing Types: Practice with common assignments such as reports and cause-effect essays; Writing Tools: Skills such as making comparisons, definitions, punctuation and style; and Lexis: Academic vocabulary, using synonyms, nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs.
“They say / I say”: the moves that matter in academic writing: with readings, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel K Durst, and Laura J Panning Davies, 2021, W.W. Norton & Company
This text has been used in many writing courses to teach students how to structure a scholarly conversation while building their own arguments. It provides practical rhetoric templates that are useful for citing different views in the literature, for example, “In discussions of………………, a controversial issue is whether……………… . While some argue that………………, others contend that………………. .” It is definitely a helpful guide for writing your literature review.
Becoming an academic writer: 50 exercises for paced, productive, and powerful writing, Patricia Goodson, 2017, SAGE
This print title is a workbook of 50 exercises, covering both linguistic basics (e.g. grammar and vocabulary) and writing specifics in different sections of an academic work, such as abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusion.
For those whose mother tongue is not English, also feel free to watch some e-videos listed in the “Study English” and “English Composition” series.
Since it takes effort and time to improve your writing, why don’t you start the journey with a book from our book display today?
I am delighted to present to you three of our Communication in Engineering, Excellence in Written Communication Award winners! These are the best student papers from past terms of CCOM 206. They have been added to eScholarship@McGill and they are well worth a read.
Nathan Robbins – Performance of Nose Cone Geometries on Sounding Rockets
This investigation compares the performances of several nose cone geometries and their suitability for flight on a high-altitude sounding rocket. Many geometries have been proposed to mitigate the extreme aerodynamic forces and phenomena encountered during such high energy ascents. The geometries in question include the conic section, Haack Series nose cone, and the aerospike nose cone; all of which are evaluated according to their coefficients of drag, heating characteristics, and several outstanding factors such as wall shear stress, pressure distributions, and useful internal volume. The investigation concludes that the aerospike nose cone is well suited for high-altitude sounding rockets because of its capacity to reduce drag, its exceptional ability to reduce heating, and its larger useful internal volume. Through this unique combination of performance and volume, the aerospike nose cone is a likely candidate for the forebody of high-altitude sounding rockets for future missions.
The use of diesel and fossil fuels to power the globe’s increasing energy demands have caused large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, negatively impacting the environment. This has led researchers to investigate alternative energy sources. Biodiesel, a renewable, biodegradable, and environmentally-friendly resource, shows promise; microalgae, which consume large amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, has been introduced as a potential supply for the necessary oils. Because of algal cells’ strength and chemical properties, however, the physical extraction of lipids is difficult. This paper compares three methods to improve lipid extraction: microwave radiation, osmotic shock, and bead beating. They are assessed based on dry weight lipid output, efficiency, and scalability. Based on research, bead beating has high energy consumption and relatively low lipid production; thus, it is unadvisable for mass production. Osmotic shock has high output and no energy consumption, but is fairly inefficient due to a large time requirement. Microwave radiation performs fairly well in terms of lipid output, efficiency, and scalability, making it the most viable option, but microalgal biodiesel is only now entering the picture as an alternative energy source. Further research and resources must be invested in order to introduce these techniques into the global energy market.
Allan Reuben – Nanomagnetic Logic Circuits as an Alternative to Silicon CMOS-based Circuits for use in Extreme Environments
As hardware and software technology improves, sending robots to do research in extreme environments is increasingly frequent. This shift creates a need for computer chips optimally designed for those environments. Computers that operate in extreme environments must account for limitations and requirements not present in consumer or corporate uses such as: extreme power management, high radiation exposure, and high computation reliability. Silicon-based computers have become the accepted standard in computing for every environment due to their high speed and ease of manufacturing. Nanomagnetic logic circuits are a promising new technology that may help engineers optimize computers for use in extreme environments. These two systems are compared based on their durability from radiation, power utilization, and clock speed. For mission-critical computer operation in extreme environments, nanomagnetic logic circuits offer many advantages over traditional silicon-based computers.
Welcome back to Aleiah who posted for the Turret while she was a student in Communication in Engineering (CCOM 206). Here is a post she wrote with her fellow student, Kevin Xie, for a class assignment for Engineering Professional Practice (FACC 400).
The Ethics of Colonization on Mars
Humanity is on the verge of technological advancement which will make possible the colonization of Mars, the red planet. According to SpaceX the first human is planned to land on Mars by the year 20241. However, this calls into question: Should humanity colonize Mars?
The colonization of Mars is a complex issue with many underlying aspects. There are also many technical challenges such as, overcoming cosmic radiation, bone demineralization and the psychological stress of a journey to Mars. For Mars to be habitable by humans, it must first be terraformed. Terraforming is a process in which the environment of a planet is modified to emulate the earth. It involves the modification of the atmosphere, topography, temperature and ecology. Doing this will help scientists on Earth understand Earth’s own environment as well as facilitate human life on mars. Any technological advancements made will help all of humanity. An example of this is climate change on Earth. Understanding how to control the temperature of a planet can help solve climate change on Earth.
Whether or not the Mars colonization project is a success, humanity can benefit from this project as the technology required to successfully colonize Mars can be useful on Earth as well. For example, here are three industries that would be greatly advanced thanks to the Mars project, to the benefit of humans on Earth:
Agriculture:
The World Bank reported in 20152 that approximately 11% of Earth is arable, meaning capable of being ploughed and used for crops. As human population grows and food security becomes a greater issue, the agricultural industry would benefit from technology that allowed them to farm on unforgiving land. The Mars project faces this exact design problem as humans would need to start growing their own food on Mars in order to successfully colonize there.
Medical:
Astronauts face a number of health issues in space, such as loss of bone density and muscular atrophy due to the lower gravity. In particular, Mars only has 38% of Earth’s gravity. Under prolonged circumstances, astronauts could find themselves facing skeletal damage. Although the circumstances are unique to the astronauts, these health concerns are not. Osteoporosis is a common public health problem whose patients tend to neglect their medication as they don’t believe in the effectiveness of the treatment. Solving this problem for astronauts will also help these patients.
Nuclear Power:
Mars offers very little radiation protection and shielding compared to Earth, due to having no magnetosphere and a very thin atmosphere. Whereas humans on Earth are naturally protected from solar radiation and galactic cosmic rays, as Earth explores more sources of energy including nuclear power, it will soon become increasingly important to create technology that would protect humans from radiation.
Additionally, it is important to think of the colonization of Mars not as a transfer, but an expansion. Creating a colony on Mars does not mean that the earth will be abandoned. It can be compared to the first European settlers arriving in America. America was simply an expansion. In order for humanity to continue to progress, Mars must be colonized.
The colonization of Mars is also a stepping stone for humans to move beyond the solar system. The knowledge gained from colonizing mars will not only pave the way to going to other planets, but also building permanently habitable space stations in which humans can live.
