The Public Professor is a weekly column written by members of the faculty of the University of Lethbridge, on a wide range of topics from biology to history, geography to anthropology and more. To submit a question or comment to The Public Professor, email publicprof@lethbridgeherald.com.
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Spotlight on antibacterial Triclosan |
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Written by Andrea Dann
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Friday, 22 May 2009 |
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Pharmaceutical and personal-care products (PPCPs) are an emerging concern in water quality research. PPCPs make their way into wastewater treatment facilities where a certain fraction of the original compound will eventually be released with effluent into the river system. One of the most frequently detected chemicals in surface water in North America is an antimicrobial known by the generic name Triclosan, or the brand name, Irgasan. Triclosan can be found in a multitude of consumer products including soaps, deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, textiles, plastics and even food packaging.
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Many factors contribute to small business success |
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Written by M. Gordon Hunter and Dan Kazakoff
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Friday, 15 May 2009 |
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In Canada, 98 per cent of businesses have fewer than 100 employees, representing 48 per cent of the total labour force, or five million employees. Each year 139,000 new small businesses are formed, with about 30 per cent failing within the year; and only 25 per cent still in operation after nine years. Given this difficult environment, the question arises, “How do some small businesses exist not only for a long time, but across multiple generations?”
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Choosing the fairest voting system |
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Written by Joy Morris
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Friday, 08 May 2009 |
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In May, residents of British Columbia will vote in a referendum on whether or not to switch to the “single transferrable vote” (STV) voting system for provincial elections. There has been much talk throughout Canada about a more “proportional representation” system than our current voting system. Why are there so many voting systems, and why can’t we find one that everyone thinks is fair?
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Non-terrestrial intelligence |
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Written by Jennifer Mather
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Friday, 01 May 2009 |
One enduring question scholars ask is “Are we the only intelligent life form in the universe?” This leads to SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), but I am going to turn the search in another direction. There is another intelligent life form on our planet, the Cephalopod mollusks, but they are non-terrestrial.
Octopuses are mollusks, distant in evolutionary space from mammals, who are chordates. Still, the group is a far offshoot from clams and snails. They have no protective shell but camouflaging skin and a large centralized brain with two areas devoted just to storage of learned information. Their eye is much like ours, convergent evolution suggesting the lens-type eye may be the “one best way” to receive visual information.
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Sports Hall of Fame banquet coming |
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Written by Lethbridge Herald
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Friday, 24 April 2009 |
The Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet honours the contributions of curling supporter Don Chandler May 2.
Chandler has lived and breathed curling for more than 30 years at the Lethbridge Curling Club.
He was first elected to the club’s board of directors in 1977 and spent the next three decades volunteering countless hours toward enhancing the game for all members of the club.
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