Monthly Archives: February 2025

Celebrating Science Literacy @ McGill

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Science Literacy @ McGill Week is around the corner! From February 22 to 28, we will delve into this year’s theme, From Lab to Life and explore science in the everyday. There is a wide range of events planned including tours of the Maude Abbott Medical Museum and the McGill Physics Collections, a look into ancient Egyptian animal mummies from the Redpath Museum, Science History Treasures in McGill’s Rare Books and Special Collections, and much more. The details of the various events are listed below. We hope to see you there!

Selected works by Black scientists from McGill – the moth of February

  • In honour of Black History Month, we are proud to highlight the works of Black scientists within the McGill community. From exploring structural racism in minority health research to fostering inclusion in scientific societies; from a poem about Canadian-Caribbean immigrants experiences to the effects of maternal mental health on child development, each work pushes the boundaries of knowledge within STEMM. As part of Science Literacy @ McGill, we invite you to join us in celebrating the remarkable achievements of Black scientists and the lasting influence of their work on society.

Citizen science: The story of DRAW (Data Rescue: Archives and Weather) – Monday, Feb 24th, 12:30 to 13:30

  • Follow the  journey from analogue McGill Observatory records to data sets and life on a web site.

What is inside the bundle? A study on the ancient Egyptian animal mummies from the Redpath Museum – Tuesday, Feb 25th, 10:30 to 11:30

  • With Natalie Reznikov, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bio-engineering, whose research focusses on biomineralization — the study of structure-function relationships, formation and biomechanics of bone, teeth, eggshells, and mollusk shells.

Old books & new research: Uncovering the forgotten work of Mary Hinckley to answer new ecological questions (hybrid) – Tuesday, Feb 25th, 12:00 to 13:00

  • Dr. Jessica Ford set out to determine what toad tadpoles were eating and how they impacted the environment, and in the process, came across unexpected results. Join us to hear about how old, obscure scientific papers can be vital in answering new research questions.

Tour of the Maude Abbott Medical Museum – Wednesday, Feb 26th, 14:30 to 15:30

  • A fascinating repository of materials dating from the early 19th century that documents the study and practice of Medicine at McGill University and its associated teaching hospitals.

Tour the Rutherford Museum and McPherson Collection with Curator, Professor J. Barrette. – Thursday, Feb 27th, 12:30 to 13:30

  • The Rutherford Museum contains a collection of the original apparatus used by Ernest Rutherford to investigate the newly-discovered phenomenon of radioactivity when he was Professor of Experimental Physics at McGill from 1898 till 1907. The McPherson Collection is comprised of antique physical instruments and apparatus dating from the mid-19th century to about 1920, many of them used in teaching and scientific research at McGill.

Science History Treasures in McGill’s Rare Books & Special Collections – Friday, Feb 28th, 13:00 to 16:00 drop in anytime

  • From the earliest illustrated natural history encyclopedia to Isaac Newton’s annotated copy of Opticks, our collections span the evolution of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Join us for a rare chance to marvel at medieval manuscripts, early printed books, original artwork, and other highlights from our history of science collections.

VIRTUAL Tour of Schulich Library – Friday, Feb 28th, 12:30 to 13:30

  • Housed in a 130-year-old building, the library has recently undergone a complete restoration that thoughtfully integrates historic charm with the latest technology, making it a true gem on our campus. Discover why the Schulich Library is a central hub for scientific learning and research in the University!

Visit the full list of Science Literacy @ McGill Week page for details and locations.

We hope to see you there!

What’s New in MeSH: 2025 Updates to Medical Subject Headings

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Every year, a team at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in Bethesda, Maryland, reviews their subject headings to ensure accuracy, relevancy and timeliness. This includes purging the list of outdated terms, adding any new terms that they’ve deemed important (think, Covid in 2020…), and updating the language of terms. To date, there are over 30,000 MeSH terms to choose from! Let’s take a look at some of the new additions:

Artificial Intelligence Craze: AI is EVERYWHERE! No one is immune, even the National Library of Medicine! It makes sense that they would choose to expand the subject headings surrounding AI as it is slowly permeating every aspect of our lives, even healthcare. The new and improved Artificial Intelligence MeSH term now has narrower terms associated with it, notably Intelligent Systems, Prediction Methods, Machine, Large Language Models, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Analysis, Machine.

Mother Earth: Other than replacing the words peas, lettuce, chicory and ginger with their government names (Pisum sativum, Lactuca, Cichorium intybus and Zingiber officinale, respectively, in case you were wondering), the NLM has done some work surrounding the environment and climate change. They’ve added the term Climate Anxiety (the “persistent and difficult to control psychological distress over climate change” that you feel, too, right?) and updated terms to include severe phenomena that are becoming all too common, like Wildfires. I wonder if walking in a forest will cure any of my anxiety? I should search PubMed! And when I do, I’ll be sure to include the new Forest Therapy MeSH term in my search string.

Focus on People: There has been a move towards describing professions in terms of the people who do them, not just the discipline itself. Believe it or not, until recently, Psychologists was not its own MeSH term. The same goes for Personal Trainers, Frontline Workers and Opticians. They’ve also expanded the list of people in general to include those that might require care or present differently because of their occupations (Truck Drivers), because of immunization status (Unvaccinated Persons), or because of social circumstances (Battered Men).

As part of this focus on people, the NLM, consistently criticized for their outdated and restrictive terminology, has expanded and reworded their list of population groups, including entry terms that map to subject headings. For example, if I search for the Himba people, I will be redirected to Southern African People, or if I search for Korean people, I’ll be brought to East Asian People. They have done away with insensitive descriptors for Black People and Asian People (formerly just Blacks and Asians) and reworked the definition of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

As far as important changes go, the NLM tries to keep up with updated terminology. Language changes rapidly, and as we learn and become more sensitive and inclusive in our everyday communications, the language we use to describe articles should reflect that growth. Here are some noteworthy changes:

OLD TERMUPDATED TERM
Disabled PersonsPersons with Disabilities
Persons with Mental DisabilitiesPersons with Intellectual Disabilities
Sex Reassignment ProceduresGender-Affirming Procedures
Sex Reassignment SurgeryGender-Affirming Surgery
Homeless PersonsIll-Housed Persons
Surrogate MothersGestational Carriers
Pregnant WomenPregnant People

Have you come across a MeSH term that you think needs changing? Or have you tried to find a MeSH term that doesn’t exist but you think it should? The NLM welcomes feedback! You can make suggestions here.

Still not sure why you should be searching using subject headings? We have a page for you! Check out the McGill Libraries Health Sciences Research Tips to get the answer to that question and many more!

What’s my favourite MeSH term, you ask? This year, MeSH added a term for Lacrosse. For all your lacrosse-related research. It’s not so much the term, but the fact that the NLM took the time to research the sport and include the rules in the definition. I’ve seen diseases described with less accuracy. Big lacrosse fans over at the National Library of Medicine, it seems…