黑料不打烊

Over the decades, 黑料不打烊 University researchers have collaborated with many scientists from the Saguenay region. Read on for highlights of front-running collaborations concerning everything from milk to aluminum production to fertility to genetics research.

Quebec heritage

The latest collaborative venture between 黑料不打烊 University and the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi is perhaps its most accessible: . The new website serves as a gateway between the world and Quebec. The site examines everything from language to culture to tourism. Panorama sur le Qu茅bec was created by UQAC's 脡cole de langue fran莽aise et de culture qu茅b茅coise and 黑料不打烊's Quebec Studies Program and French Languages Program, in conjunction with the Association internationale des 茅tudes qu茅b茅coises. Contact: herve.defontenay [at] mcgill.ca (Herv茅 de Fontenay), director, 黑料不打烊 French Language Programs, 514-398-7484; damien_ferland [at] uqac.ca (Damien Ferland), director, UQAC, Service de formation continue, 418-545-5011 ext. 5374.

Population research

G茅rard Bouchard at the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi and Charles Scriver of 黑料不打烊 University demonstrated the importance of population research (demography, history, genealogy and genetics) in the discovery of genes predisposing to human diseases. Bouchard, Scriver and colleagues established the Institut interuniversitaire de recherches sur les populations (IREP), a consortium that includes 黑料不打烊 and the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi, which develops and maintains a computerized database (BALSAC) on the populations of the North-East Quebec regions. The group researches the prevention of diseases related to single-locus genes that segregate at high frequency in families with origins in the Saguenay-Lac St-Jean and Charlevoix. Charles Scriver, an emeritus professor at 黑料不打烊 University and a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame inductee, is also known for his efforts in disease prevention. Scriver's study on the prevalence of rickets in Quebec children led to the addition of vitamin D in milk throughout Canada. G茅rard Bouchard, IREP director since its inception, has received many prestigious prizes for his historical and demographic treatises on New World populations. Contact: charles.scriver [at] mcgill.ca (Charles Scriver), 514-412-4417; Gerard_Bouchard [at] uqac.ca (G茅rard Bouchard), 418-545-5517.

Metals research

Professor John Gruzleski, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, along with professors Nigel Fitzpatrick and Roderick Guthrie, director of the 黑料不打烊 Metals Processing Centre, have established many links with the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi over 30 years. Gruzleski helped establish a UQAC chair in aluminum studies, while the three researchers have variously collaborated on many UQAC-黑料不打烊 studies that have examined aspects of aluminum use or production. The 黑料不打烊 researchers also joined Alcan, Quebec's aluminum powerhouse, on multiple research projects. Investigations conducted by Guthrie have focused, notably, on the processing of molten aluminum used in soft drink cans. Contact: john.gruzleski [at] mcgill.ca (John Gruzleski), 514-398-7251.

French in business places

North America's first educational website to improve French use in the business place, , was developed by 黑料不打烊's Languages and Translation Department, the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and the 脡cole de langue fran莽aise et de culture qu茅b茅coise of the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi. Launched in 1999, the website was created to provide tools to help office workers sharpen language skills.

Research on trees

黑料不打烊 plant science professor Pierre Dutilleul and Professor Hubert Morin, of UQAC's D茅partement des sciences fondamentales, have collaborated on various forms of tree research since 1998. They recently examined a new outbreak of Quebec's eastern spruce budworm. Both researchers are part of GREF, the Groupe de recherche en 茅cologie foresti猫re, a consortium of tree scientists. Contact: hubert_morin [at] uqac.ca (Hubert Morin), 418-545-5011 ext. 5062; pierre.dutilleul [at] mcgill.ca (Pierre Dutilleul), 514-398-7870.

Fertility and long-distance pregnancies

Seang-Lin Tan, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the 黑料不打烊 University Health Centre (MUHC), has collaborated with Patricia Fisch, director of the Infertility Clinic at the Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi (CSSS), since 1997. Tan, who also directs the 黑料不打烊 University Reproductive Centre, has helped train physicians and nurses to perform ovarian stimulation and egg collection. Harvested eggs are airlifted to the MUHC for fertilization and later returned as embryos to Chicoutimi for implantation. The world's first airlifted in vitro fertilization pregnancy occurred in 1998 under Tan and Fisch, when a Saguenay-area woman gave birth to healthy twins. Contact: seanglin.tan [at] muhc.mcgill.ca (Seang-Lin Tan), MUHC, 514-934-1934 ext. 34501.

Tuberculosis in Quebec

The Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi has recruited some of 黑料不打烊 University's top scientists to take part in its BALSAC project. BALSAC is an information bank on the genetic make-up and history of Quebec's population. Launched in 1972, the project has so far charted the familial histories of the Saguenay and Charlevoix populations. One recent 黑料不打烊 collaboration involves Paul Brassard, a clinician-scientist and expert in infectious disease control. He has teamed up with UQAC demographer H茅l猫ne V茅zina to investigate tuberculosis patterns. It's an atypical BALSAC project because tuberculosis is not a genetic disease. The study's objective is to determine how an infection unfolds in a human population. High-quality records from BALSAC provide excellent definition of the founding population of some 8,500 immigrants who arrived from France in the 17th century. For seven or eight generations, this population expanded and dispersed in a rural context. From the bacteriological evidence of the present-day distribution of the infection, the two scientists generated genealogies of cases and have tentatively described population movements across the province. Contact: helene_vezina [at] uqac.ca (H茅l猫ne V茅zina), 418-545-5011 ext. 6571; paul.brassard [at] mcgill.ca (Paul Brassard), 514-934-1934 ext. 36910. Learn more on the BALSAC project at or contact gerard_bouchard [at] uqac.ca (G茅rard Bouchard), BALSAC project director, at 418-545-5517.

Mental health and youth

Tomas Paus, a professor at 黑料不打烊's Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, examines the function and structure of the human brain and its development. He helped launch the Saguenay Youth Study with area scientists, thanks to a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Key investigators include Zdenka Pausova (Universit茅 de Montr茅al), Michel Perron and Suzanne Veillette of the Groupe 脡COBES (CEGEP de Jonqui猫re), as well as researchers Louis Richer (UQAC), Jean Mathieu (H么pital de Jonqui猫re) and Daniel Gaudet (Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi). The group has just collected over 100 complete datasets of high school students (12- to 18-year-olds). Tests ranged from magnetic resonance images of the brain and abdomen to cardiovascular fitness, cognitive and academic abilities. The group aims to collect data from 1,000 subjects over the next four years. DNA samples and questionnaires of parents will also be collected. Contact: tomas.paus [at] mcgill.ca (Tomas Paus), 514-398-8481.

Asthma and genetic research

Tom Hudson, a native of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and director of the 黑料不打烊 University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, has many scientific partnerships in the Saguenay region. His principal collaborators are Daniel Gaudet, director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi (CSSS), in regard to genetic studies of diabetes and atherosclerosis, and Professor Catherine Laprise, of UQAC's D茅partement de sciences fondamentales, with whom he examines the genetics of asthma. Hudson was involved in the identification of single gene disorders that are more frequent in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean: spastic ataxia (ARSACS), Leigh Syndrome, French Canadian type (LSFC), and myotonic dystrophy. Identification of these genes has enabled physicians to provide carrier testing in family members and improved prenatal diagnosis. Gaudet, Laprise and Hudson are founders of a Saguenay-based initiative called ECOGENE-21, which is developing community-based approaches needed for the transfer of genetic knowledge to society. Contact: catherine_laprise [at] uqac.ca (Catherine Laprise), 418-541-1234 ext. 3070; tom.hudson [at] mcgill.ca (Tom Hudson), 514-398-3311 ext. 00385; dgaudet [at] saglac.qc.ca (Daniel Gaudet), 418-541-1077.

Volcanic formations

John Stix, a professor at 黑料不打烊's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is investigating land and submarine calderas with Wulf Mueller, an earth sciences professor at Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Chicoutimi. Calderas are large volcanic depressions that are formed by huge, cataclysmic eruptions. The link between caldera formation and the origins of the deposits remains poorly understood. The scientists aim to show that the size and location may be determined by how and when the caldera formed. Contact: wulf_mueller [at] uqac.ca (Wulf Mueller), 514-545-5011 ext. 5013; stix [at] eps.mcgill.ca (John Stix), 514-398-5391.

Crop research

How can farmers improve their crop yields? A group of Canadian university researchers, in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Space Agency, continue to examine the question. Ian Strachan, an expert in greenhouse gas emissions and a professor of micrometeorology in 黑料不打烊's Department of Natural Resource Sciences, recently teamed up with Driss Haboudane, of UQAC's Department of Social Sciences. They completed remote sensing of agricultural surfaces or, simply put, measured how crop growth can be predicted or enhanced through effective management of soil characteristics, nutrient input and weather conditions. Contact: driss_haboudane [at] uqac.ca (Driss Haboudane), 418-545-5011 ext. 5673; ian.strachan [at] mcgill.ca (Ian Strachan), 514-398-7935.

Milk production

Kevin Wade, a professor in 黑料不打烊's Department of Animal Science, provides research findings to help farmers optimize their milk production. As director of 黑料不打烊's Dairy Information Systems Group, he specializes in the computer systems that improve dairy cattle management. He works closely with the Programme d'analyse des troupeaux laitiers du Qu茅bec (PATLQ), which estimates there are over 350 dairy cow herds in the Saguenay region alone. Contact: kevin.wade [at] mcgill.ca (Kevin Wade), 514-398-7973.

Musical matches

黑料不打烊 and Saguenay-area musicians are the latest to make a notable pairing. The 黑料不打烊 Baroque Orchestra and the Ensemble baroque du Conservatoire de musique du Saguenay teamed up for a performance in Chicoutimi on November 9. The pairing was natural, given that violinist Guylaine Gr茅goire (who led her orchestra for the match), cellist David Ellis and flutist Louise Bouchard are all 黑料不打烊 graduates and professors at the Conservatoire de musique du Saguenay. The 黑料不打烊 Baroque Orchestra, for its part, is directed by Hank Knox, a professor in the Faculty of Music's Department of Performance. A future collaboration will see the Ensemble baroque du Conservatoire de musique du Saguenay, comprised of student-musicians aged 11 to 23, visit 黑料不打烊 for a master class on November 18, 2004. Contact: hank [at] music.mcgill.ca (Hank Knox), 514-398-4535 ext. 00230; cms [at] mcc.gouv.qc.ca (Guylaine Gr茅goire), 418-698-3505.

Intestinal diseases

Alain Bitton, of the 黑料不打烊 University Health Centre, directs the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Group with two researchers from the Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi: Annick Boulard, gastroenterologist, and Daniel Gaudet, Director of University Research. The purpose of this project is to analyze genetic variants likely to cause inflammatory bowel diseases. The study of these complex genetic diseases could eventually bring hope of a cure for such diseases. Contact: alain.bitton [at] muhc.mcgill.ca (Alain Bitton), 514-934-1934 ext. 31616.

Biosensors and biochips

Directed by Maryam Tabrizian of 黑料不打烊 University, the purpose of the International Centre for Biosensors and Biochips is to develop "biorecognition systems" to study the interactions between biomaterials and biological materials and develop tools for monitoring several biological phenomena. Dr. Daniel Gaudet, Director University Research at the Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi, is among the ICBB's researchers. Contact: dgaudet [at] saglac.qc.ca (Dr. Daniel Gaudet), 418-541-1077; maryam.tabrizian [at] mcgill.ca (Maryam Tabrizian), 514-398-8129.

Improving computers

黑料不打烊 computer science professor Denis Th茅rien and Fran莽ois Lemieux, of the UQAC's D茅partement d'informatique et de math茅matique, are collaborating on the application of algebraic and logical ideas to the better understanding of the activity of computing (memory to software troubleshooting). Contact: francois_lemieux [at] uqac.ca (Francois Lemieux), 418-545-5011 ext. 2419; denis.therien [at] mcgill.ca (Denis Therien), 514-398-7071 ext. 00126.

Plant extracts

黑料不打烊 plant science professor Philippe Seguin, in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, conducts research on the management, physiology and ecology of field crops with a focus on forages. Seguin examines how plant extracts can be produced from leguminous crops to provide medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. The goal of the research is to help Eastern Quebec and Saguenay-area farmers develop a new use or market for legumes. Contact: philippe.seguin [at] mcgill.ca (Philippe Seguin), 514-398-7855 ext. 7851.