IT’S A SNAIL-SHAPED formation inthe medial-temporal lobe of thebrain and it’s long been thoughtto be the storage and retrievalbin for our memories of spacesand places. But the hippocampus,thanks to the work of TrentUniversity Professor GordonWinocur, will now have to sharecredit with other parts of thebrain for the functions of spatialmemory.

So important is the discoverymade by Professor Winocur andhis team of researchers, that oneof the world’s leading neuro-science publications, NatureNeuroscience, published his paperon the results of the three-yearstudy this month. ProfessorWinocur is a leading researcherin Trent University’s Departmentof Psychology and a senior scientist at the Rotman ResearchInstitute at the Baycrest Centrefor Geriatric Care

Prof. Winocur has shown thatspatial memory is not housed ina single part of the brain, butrather in different places at vary-ing levels of detail. The hip-pocampus remains the leadplayer in the processing of newmemories and the storage ofdetailed memory, but Prof.Winocur’s experiment provesthat the brain keeps a back-upcopy, a more generalized versionof spatial memory stored outsideof the hippocampus. This back-up memory stored elsewhere isschematic in detail as opposed tothe richly detailed memory inthe hippocampus.

Hints that the brain was back-ing up information outside of thehippocampus have shown them-selves in two known humancases – one in Toronto and the other in California. Two

remember information in newand different ways for individualswith brain damage.”

Memory loss is one of themost frequent complaints amongolder people and the hippocam-pus is one of the first areas of thebrain to decline with age. It isalso the major side effect forthose who suffer from stroke andneurodegenerative diseases likeAlzheimer’s. The hippocampus isalso vulnerable to toxic elementsand is the most likely part of thebrain to be affected by exposureto toxins.

Publication of the researchpaper in Nature Neuroscience willensure that the research findingswill reach a large audience ofclinicians and neuroscientists.“It’s also an example of thegroundbreaking research goingon right here at Trent University,”says Prof. Winocur.

Other collaborators on thepaper were Dr. Morris Moscovitchand Dr. Shayna Rosenbaum. Thestudy was funded by the NaturalSciences and Engineering ResearchCouncil and the CanadianInstitutes for Health Research. ❦

were as able as normal rats tofind their way to various areas ofthe village they had previouslylearned about. Creating newmemories by learning new loca-tions, however, was impossible.

The significance of this discovery will change the way weunderstand memory and thebrain and create a new platformfrom which to research brainplasticity.

“What’s important is thateveryone talks about a model thatshows same results in the lab as inhumans,” says Prof. Winocur ofthe results. “It’s always a challengeto demonstrate clinical observa-tions in a lab setting.”

The results have implicationsfor new possibilities in cognitiverehabilitation as well, says Prof.Winocur. “By showing that certain crucial memories remainintact in brain areas other thanthe hippocampus, we can beginto develop programs that emphasize strategies to learn and

individuals who suffered braindamage, specifically to the hippocampus, were unable tolearn new spatial information, butsomehow were able to recall howto get to places they had been inthe past. The problem was how to prove the phenomenon in a laboratory setting with non-human subjects.

To do so, Prof. Winocur andhis team, including Trent gradu-ates Melanie Sekeres and StuartFogel, set out to create a “rat vil-lage,” a setting that would mimica human neighbourhood of sorts.In various corners of the village,they placed reward items such aswater and food that would attract

the rats repeatedly. Once the ratshad a chance to learn their sur-roundings, a selected group wasgiven lesions to the hippocampus.

The results of the studyreflected exactly the same experi-ence as that of the two brain-damaged individuals. The ratswith lesions to the hippocampus

Your connection to news at Canada’s Outstanding Small University

10

Mar.

2005

In a February 25 article in theToronto Star headlined “Womenstorm Canada’s ivory towers,”Trent President Bonnie Pattersonwas quoted on the trendtoward increasing numbers offemale professors. “Of the 65faculty we’ve hired over thepast three years, 49 percent arewomen,” she commented. “Sothere’s a nice pattern emerging.”

Prof. Davide Panagia, RhodesScholar and Trent University’sCanada Research Chair inCultural Studies, was the focusof a full page profile in ThePeterborough Examiner onFebruary 12. Titled “PopProfessor,” the article delvedinto Prof. Panagia’s research on the connection betweenaesthetics of imagery anddemocratic politics.

Professor Mike Allcott, directorof the Trent InternationalProgram, was quoted in theMarch University Affairs magazine article “The pursuitof happiness,” about Americanacademics moving north forthe “milder social climate.”

University Affairs also featured the Trent Centre forCommunity Based Educationin its March article “Smallpond, big splash” which lookedat how smaller university are having an impact on their communities.

The life of Professor EmeritusGordon Roper was the subjectof a column in The PeterboroughExaminer on February 28. “Lateprofessor was ‘gentle spirit’”mentioned Prof. Roper’s role inpioneering the teaching ofCanadian literature in Canadaand his role as a mentor tomany. One of his students wasGovernor-General AdrienneClarkson. ❦

in thenews

rememberingplaces andspacesAnimal study shows memories of familiar environments can survive after brain damage that results in severe amnesia

focustrent

“What’s important is that everyone talks about a model that shows the same results in the lab as in humans. It’s always a challenge to demonstrate clinical observations in a lab setting.”— Prof. Winocur

Melanie Sekeres and Prof. Gordon Winocur

our project, but from a number ofexcavations being conducted inthe area, and to see first-hand thearchaeological and artefactualremains that they have been discussing in class,” he adds.“Moreover, by spending sevenweeks on Crete, they get an excel-lent opportunity to participate inthe modern Greek landscape andlearn about various aspects of vil-lage life in modern Greece.”

Meanwhile, Prof. Fitzsimons isalso completing his Ph.D. at theUniversity of Cincinnati. Thefocus of his studies is the develop-ment of monumental architectureand its association with the emer-gence of palatial civilization. AtTrent, he teaches the coursesElementary Greek, Greek Myths &Mythology, Introduction to ClassicalArchaeology & Art History and TheAncient City. ❦

Prof. Marlene Brant Castellanoamong 74 new appointmentsannounced by the GovernorGeneral of Canada

TRENT UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

Emeritus Marlene BrantCastellano, has received Canada’shighest honour for lifetimeachievement in her appointmentto the Order of Canada, asannounced last month by HerExcellency the Right HonourableAdrienne Clarkson, GovernorGeneral of Canada.

Prof. Castellano, a longstand-ing member of Trent’s NativeStudies department, has beenappointed as an Officer of theOrder of Canada and is among74 new appointments, including17 Officers.

“A bridge between cultures,Marlene Brant Castellano hasworked throughout her life forthe rights and well-being ofAboriginal peoples. ProfessorEmeritus at Trent University, shehelped pave the way for Nativestudies as an academic discipline.She is also renowned for

page 2 / focus trent / 10 March 2005

promoting community-basedresearch, which respects Nativetraditions. This was central to thework of the influential RoyalCommission on AboriginalPeoples, where she served as Co-Director of Research. Shemaintains a strong involvementwith health and educational initiatives for Native Canadiansand participates on panels andcouncils, sharing her wisdom,experience and leadership,” states the award citation.

Prof. Castellano taught in theNative Studies Department atTrent in 1971 and 1972 andjoined the faculty in 1973, justfour years after the establishmentof the program – the first of itskind in Canada. Prof. Castellanoalso served as Chair of the depart-ment from 1989 until 1991, atwhich time she became Co-Director of Research for the RoyalCommission on AboriginalPeoples. Prof. Castellano retiredfrom Trent in 1996 but returnedto teach in the first year of theNative Studies Ph.D. program and

continues to be involved in anadvisory capacity.

President Bonnie Pattersonpraised Prof. Castellano for heraccomplishments as a facultymember and as an influentialCanadian.

“Prof. Castellano has beenworking to positively influencepeoples’ lives and society since

the very beginning of herillustrious career. On behalf ofTrent University, it is an honourto congratulate Prof. Castellanoon this well-deserved recogni-tion,” says President Patterson.

Prof. Castellano says she seesherself standing with “a foot intwo worlds” – one in theAboriginal world and the other inacademe.

PROFESSOR RODNEY FITZSIMONS is thefirst to say it’s not “Indiana Joneswork,” but his architectural draw-ings of the remains at Azoria, EastCrete, are helping to unlock themystery that is urbanization in theMediterranean in the first millen-nium B.C.

Prof. Fitzsimons, new to theDepartment of Ancient Historyand Classics at Trent in 2004, isthe architect on the AzoriaProject, an excavation of the EarlyIron Age town Azoria (ca. 1200-

480 B.C.) on the island of Crete inthe Greek Aegean. The purpose ofthe excavation, which began in2002, is to recover evidence to beused in the reconstruction of thesite’s social, political, economicand religious organization.

In his role as architect, Prof.Fitzsimons painstakingly drawsarchitectural remains, stone bystone, for ten weeks every summer.

“The daily grind is a bit tedious,but as the summer progresses,

“I’m one of few people who isputting into words whatAboriginal people are tellingme,” she says. “They are the originators of the things I write…If you see me going forward toaccept the insignia of the Orderof Canada, you can imagine awhole host of people at myshoulders who have given methe words to pass along.”

Professor Castellano hasreceived honorary LLD degreesfrom Queen’s, St. Thomas andCarleton Universities and wasinducted into the Order ofOntario in 1995 and in 1996received a National AboriginalAchievement Award for her contribution to education.

A member of the MohawkNation, Bay of Quinte Band, Prof.Castellano has also pursuedcareers as a social worker in childand family services and as a full-time wife and mother launch-ing four sons into the world. Shemaintains a permanent residenceon Tyendinaga Mohawk Territoryon the Bay of Quinte with herhusband Vincent and continueswith consulting work on socialdevelopment and Aboriginal policy while balancing commit-ments as a grandmother. ❦

each week sees you putting moreand more of your individualdrawings together, and as you do,and as your overall impression ofthe site improves, all the workbecomes worthwhile,” says Prof.Fitzsimons. “By the end of thesummer, you’ve got this fantasticimage staring back at you, a wonderful pay-off for the dailygrind of heat, sweat and tedium,”adding his love of architectureand mythology have converged inhis career. “By drawing each indi-vidual stone, you get a much better impression of both howthese structures were piecedtogether and how each structurerelates to the overall plan of thesite as a whole.”

Prof. Fitzsimons has drawn thewalls of the andreion, where theelite once dined, as well as theprytaneion, which was once ameeting place for the aristocrats.He says Azoria was at one time anentire town, and is today integralto the investigation of the natureof urbanism and the growth of thepolis, or city state.

“We’re interested in how peo-ple got from the scattered villages

of the 12th through 8th centuries,to the congregated urban settle-ments of the 7th century andbeyond. We’re investigating whatmechanisms were at play andexploring the nature of thegrowth of the urban complex – itsphysical, political and social char-acteristics.”

And this summer, he willinvolve as many as 10 Trent students in the investigation aspart of the Department of AncientHistory and Classics SummerField School at Azoria from Mayto July. The students will have theopportunity to work as assistantsto field archaeologists and special-ists such as surveyors, architects,illustrators, palaeoethnobotanists,zooarchaeologists, biologicalanthropologists and geomorphol-ogists. The students will spendhalf their time in their field andthe other half in the study centre,says Prof. Fitzsimons.

“This is an incredible opportu-nity for the students to gaininsight into the methods of andobstacles to a modern archaeolog-ical excavation, to work and inter-act with specialists not only from

“If you see me going forward to accept the insignia of the Order of Canada, you can imagine a whole host of people at my shoulders who have given me the words to pass along.”— Prof. Castellano

excavationsat Azoria

professor emeritus appointedto the Order of Canada

Prof. Rodney Fitzsimons at work

Photo by Terry Bush

Azoria

March 15: March Break OpenHouse for prospective students.Please RSVP to liaison@trentu.caor call 1-888-739-8885 formore details, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Also March 16).

March 15: Senate Meeting, 2 p.m., AJM Smith Room, BataLibrary.

March 16: Sociology HonoursInformation Session, 2 p.m. inOtonabee College Room 171.

March 18: March Break TourDay for prospective students.Please RSVP to liaison@trentu.caor call 1-888-739-8885 formore details, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Tours leave the WenjackTheatre Foyer in OtonabeeCollege.

March 23: Athletic AwardsCeremony, 7 p.m. Advanceticket purchase required. Call748-1257 for information.

March 24: K.E. Kidd Lecture, Dr. Joan Vastokas, ProfessorEmerita, Trent University willspeak on “Ojibwa Pictography:The Rise of Social Complexityand the Origins of Writing,” 2 p.m., Otonabee CollegeRoom 109.

April 8: Classes end. ❦

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

LEARNING ABOUT BIOMASS energywas anything but boring, asgrade six R.F. Downey PublicSchool students turned into corn,cows, a manure spreader and aholding tank for a role playingexercise exploring the conversionof manure into energy.

Meanwhile, grade four students became monkeys in theAmazon, forced to readapt astheir habitat was stripped awayby humans, all the while learningthe things they could do tolessen the impact of such activity.

The activities, part of theMarch 4 Environmental Science

10 March 2005 / focus trent / page 3

“The day was a great success.I was impressed with the qualityof the workshop presentations,and the imaginative ways my students were able to generateinterest in their topics,” saidProfessor Michael Fox, whoteaches Environmental Science forTeacher Education. “It was great tosee them use skits, games andother techniques to get the kidsinvolved. The juniors whoattended were clearly excitedabout their experience, and the classroom teachers reallyenjoyed it as well. Several of the teachers are planning follow-upsto the environmental workshops,and some will be using postersand handouts from the work-shops to help them do this. Formany of my students, this wasthe first time they have ever been

in front of a class of elementaryschool students, and it was agreat learning experience for all.”

Workshop topics includedWetlands, Energy Sources,Ecological Footprints, Habitatsand Human Communities,Global Warming, Environmentand Resources, How YourChoices Can Preserve Habitats,Alternative Energy, Mining andits Effect on the Environment,Monkeys in the Amazon,Pesticides and Biomass Energy.

The students in EnvironmentalScience for Teacher Educationworked in groups of four and five

Workshop Day for grade 4, 5 and6 students from R.F. Downey,were organized by some of TrentUniversity’s aspiring teachers –those enrolled in a course thatteaches them how to teach environmental science.

The elementary school students took away with themmessages of environmentalresponsibility, and appeared tohave an amazing time in theprocess. Workshop topics werealso linked to the Ontario Scienceand Technology Curriculum. to prepare the workshops. In

addition, they have preparedteacher packages that will allowthe R.F. Downey teachers toreview, and follow-up on thematerial covered in the work-shop. This workshop day followsan Environmental ScienceExhibition the class conducted atR.F. Downey earlier in the year.Students enrolled in the courseinclude teacher candidates fromthe Trent-Queen’s ConcurrentEducation Program and aspiringfuture teachers taking Trent’sEducation Emphasis Program. ❦

monkeys in theAmazon

Trent student Anna Holmes with grade four “monkeys” from R.F. Downey School

Chandler Eves, a student of Trent’sEnvironmental Science for TeacherEducation course with R.F. Downeystudents at the biomass energy workshop at Camp Kawartha

FOR THE FIRST time ever, TrentUniversity has appointed twoAshley Fellows for 2005/06 – Dr. Timothy McGee, a recentlyretired University of Toronto professor who specializes in themusic of the Middle Ages andRenaissance, and Dr. RandyStoecker, a University of Toledoprofessor who focuses on community-based education.

Equally strong nominationsand sufficient funds within the fellowship fund saw Trent’s AshleyFellowship Committee decide tohave two fellows next year, saidProf. David Newhouse, committeechair. “We believed having twofellows would give more exposureto the Ashley Fellowship programas well as advance the academicmission of the University,” he added.

The Ashley Fellowship isfunded by a bequest from the lateProfessor C.A. Ashley, longtimefriend of Trent University and anenthusiastic proponent of the rolethat informal contacts of collegelife can play in the academic pur-suits of the University. The AshleyFellow is therefore a visitingscholar who is a resident guest inone of Trent’s five residentialColleges. The 2004/05 AshleyFellow was Tama Turanga Huatafrom Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Prof. McGee will be hosted atTrent by Lady Eaton College andwas principally nominated byProf. Roy Hagman, chair of Trent’sModern Languages and Literaturesdepartment. A professor for 30years at the University of Toronto,Prof. McGee has long beenCanada’s leading specialist in themusic of the Middle Ages andRenaissance, and a noted authorityon the music of Canada.

“Timothy McGee will bring toTrent a lifetime of experienceteaching the history, appreciationand performance of Europeanmusic, both in lectures and inhands-on demonstrations,” saysProf. Hagman. “A great variety of

musical activities is being pre-pared for the period of his fellow-ship next year, which will bepublicized both within Trent andin the larger Peterborough area.”

“I am honoured to havereceived the Ashley Fellowshipand look forward to the opportu-nity to interact with the studentsand faculty at Trent,” says Prof.McGee. “It is a privilege to beassociated with such a vibrantuniversity, and I am enthusiasticabout the possibility of exchangingideas on both formal and informal occasions.”

Prof. Stoecker will be hosted atTrent by Traill College and wasnominated by Prof. Tom

Whillans, chair of Trent’sEnvironmental and ResourceStudies program, representing anumber of Trent communitymembers. Prof. Stoecker is a professor in the Department ofSociology and Anthropology atthe University of Toledo and hasemerged as one of a few widelyrespected experts on community-based research.

“Trent is poised at the fore-front of an emergent universitymovement and is seeking ways ofexpanding the dialogue aboutinnovative and best practices incommunity-based education,”says Prof. Whillans. “Dr. Stoecker’sfellowship will serve this end.”

Prof. Stoecker will be workingwith the Trent Centre forCommunity-Based Education(TCCBE) and an array of academic departments. His fellowship is timely given theTCCBE’s recently received$965,000 grant to pursue plansfor new programs and services.

“I am deeply honored andthrilled to be selected as anAshley Fellow,” says Prof. Stoecker.“The Trent Centre (for Community-Based Education) seems to havedeveloped a very energetic andsustainable model and I want tolearn more about that.” ❦

Trent University’s 2005/06 Ashley Fellows focus

on the music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance,

and community-based research

Prof. Timothy McGee Prof. Randy Stoecker

Ashleyexpertise

March Break Open House

Opportunities to talk to professors,find out about residence and tourthe campus are all part of MarchBreak at Trent University. TheMarch Break Open House onMarch 15 and 16 will see prospec-tive students and their familiescome to campus to learn aboutthe University, its 27 academicdepartments, state-of-the-art facili-ties, array of academic programsand wealth of student services.

For the hundreds of visitorsto Trent, faculty, staff membersand students will be on hand toprovide tours and share theirperspectives on the TrentUniversity experience – highquality programs, faculty whoconnect with students and acampus of unparalleled beauty.New to this year’s Open Houseagenda is the Student VoiceForum, from 1:30 - 2:15 p.m.both days in the AthleticComplex. Prospective studentswill have the opportunity to hearfrom a panel of current studentson an array of topics includingathletics, residence, student government and study abroad.

Each day is scheduled to kickoff with an Information Forumand Academic Fair in theAthletics Complex at 9 a.m.Please RSVP to liaison@trentu.caor call 1-888-739-8885 or visithttp://www.trentu.ca/openhouse/for more information.

Honorary DegreeRecipients Announced

The president has announced theoutstanding Canadians who willreceive honorary degrees at convocation ceremonies on June 2 and 3, 2005.

• June 2, 2005 Morning CeremonyMrs. Erica Cherney, Peterboroughbusinesswoman, volunteer, hon-orary member and former chairof Trent’s Board of Governors

• June 2, 2005 Afternoon CeremonyMr. Jake Eberts, film producer,founder of Allied Filmmakers

• June 3, 2005 Morning CeremonyMs. Mary Simon, Canada’s formerAmbassador for CircumpolarAffairs, former Chancellor ofTrent University

• June 3, 2005 Afternoon CeremonyGeneral Romeo Dallaire, ret., for-mer head of the UN PeacekeepingForce in Uganda and Rwanda ❦

and Traditional People focusedtheir workshops on the themeand each brought a unique perspective. Elder and ProfessorEdna Manitowabi opened bysaying that the “good teachings”she has received at the last 30 orso elders gatherings have helpedher spirit grow.

As part of the Elders andTraditional Peoples Gathering, the

A Resounding Success

It was likely the hottest ticket intown on February 10. Close to300 Trent University students,staff and faculty members alikesat down to a feast of South EastAsian fare in Champlain College’sGreat Hall – all in support oftsunami relief.

An array of Trent Universitystudent organizations in partner-ship with the Trent InternationalProgram and Aramark, Trent’son-campus foodservice provider,hosted the Flavours of South East Asia fund raising dinner,complete with live music.

The evening’s menu consistedof traditional South East Asianfood, prepared from recipes provided by Trent’s internationalstudents. Tandoori chicken, beefcurry with potatoes and nasigoreng rice were among the SriLankan, Indian, Thai andIndonesian dishes offered as partof the buffet feast. All proceedswill go to support the WorldUniversity Service of Canada’s(WUSC) project in Sri Lanka.WUSC has been educatingwomen and young people in SriLanka since 1989, in an effort todevelop the country’s knowledgeand expertise in carpentry,masonry, welding and otherbuilding skills that will be crucialto its recovery.

Spearheading the initiative wasthird-year Business Administrationstudent Adrian Samarasekare fromSri Lanka. He mobilized the sup-port of many student groups andcollege cabinets in organizing the dinner. “We wanted to connect to,and support, the hardest hit areasof South East Asia by having thisdinner,” says Mr. Samarasekare. Tothose who attended the dinner, hesaid, “Thank you for helping ushelp people.”

Elders Gathering

Trent University’s Native Studiesdepartment held the 2005 Eldersand Traditional PeoplesGathering on February 18, 19and 20 at Peter Gzowski Collegeand the First Peoples House ofLearning, Enweying Building.

Titled “The Role of theHelper,” the gathering includedtraditional and contemporaryteachings, a sunrise ceremony,workshops and a Saturday nighttraditional social with dinner.Among numerous workshop top-ics were “Our Medicine Helpers,”“Helping: The Creator’s Work”and “Finding Your Role.”

At the opening ceremonies,organizer and Native StudiesCultural Advisor Vern Douglasexplained that the theme waschosen because everyone is at adifferent stage of being a teacher,a learner and a helper. Elders

Mark Phillips, Merritt Taylor,Winston Taylor and MichaelThrasher.

This event was made possibleby the volunteer commitment ofTrent student volunteers and thegenerous support of the area’sFirst Nations communities and organizations.

opening ceremonies for the FirstPeoples House of Learning tookplace on February 19. This is thefirst yearly Elders and TraditionalPeoples Gathering to take place inthe new building that officiallyopened in October 2004.

Invited Elders and TraditionalPeople included Ernie Benedict,Kathy Bird, Dorothy Cameron,Jacqui Lavalley, Sylvia Maracle,

page 4 / focus trent / 10 March 2005

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Vol. 3, Issue 7 Focus Trent is published by the CommunicationsOffice at Trent University on thesecond Thursday of each month,from September through June. E-mail: focustrent@trentu.ca. Focus Trent copy submissions are due at the end of this month forplacement in the next issue.Distributed in accordance withCanada Post Mail Sales Agreement#40064326.

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