KUDOS

Trudeaus to two

Julia Christensen, Dept. of Geography, and Mark Mattner, Dept. of Political Science, are among this year's cohort of 15 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars. The prestigious Trudeau scholarships aim to support doctoral candidates pursuing research of compelling present-day concern and to encourage emerging talent to become leading national and international figures. Christiansen's work looks at the link between housing insecurity and homelessness in the context of northern communities (see page 11). Mattner's current research analyzes how local communities in Chad and Nigeria can be enabled to participate in, and benefit from oil extraction on their lands. The scholarship of $50,000 per annum for three years includes a stipend and a research/travel allowance. In addition to receiving financial support, Trudeau Scholars benefit from the expertise and knowledge of Trudeau Fellows, highly accomplished individuals in the Trudeau Foundation community who lead in both academic and non-academic settings. The Foundation's Summer Institute, held this year in Quebec City, May 27-30, will be the new scholars' first introduction to the Trudeau Community.

Desautels prof's paper breaks through

Desautels Faculty of Management Professor Gregory Vit's paper, "The Multiple Logics of Conformity and Contrarianism: The Problem With Investment Banks and Bankers" has been selected by the editorial board of the Journal of Management Inquiry (JMI) to receive the "Breaking the Frame Award" for best JMI paper for 2007. Vit's award-winning paper looks at "deals" that do not make economic sense from their inception, but are done anyway. He demonstrates that social and ideological forces often obscure and over-ride economic forces of rationality and explores "why investment banks are full of very clever people that do very silly things; and why some manage not to."

Four McGillians nab AUCC internship awards

The McGill University Internship Offices Network recently announced that four McGill students have been chosen to receive $10,000 awards for the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada's (AUCC) Students for Development program. The internship awards went to Marie-Claire St. Jacques, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (MSc '09), who will intern with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, South Africa; Christopher Mark McEwan, Faculty of Arts (BA '09), who will intern with the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development in Accra, Ghana; Kristin McHale, L2, Faculty of Law (BCL/LLB '09), who will work with Consorcio Desarrollo y Justicia in Caracas, Venezuela; and Samuel Walker, L2, Faculty of Law (BCL/LLB '09), interning with the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, Uganda. The Students for Development Program financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and managed by the AUCC, brings together Canadian university students and partners in developing countries to contribute to governance capacity-building.

Dean of Engineering Christophe Pierre and Mary Lanni-Campoli.

And the Staff Award of Excellence goes to...

Mary Lanni-Campoli, Student Advisor and Program Administrator at the School of Architecture, has been awarded the 2008 Annual Staff Award of Excellence in the Faculty of Engineering (in the managerial category). The award was presented to Mary by Dean Christophe Pierre at a reception to honour the award winners in the Trottier Building on May 13. In his citation, the Dean described Mary as "literally, the face and identity of the school for every one of the 200 plus professional program students, for prospective students and their families, for visitors and returning graduates, and for the international community with whom we interact on so many levels." He added that her "dedication and contribution have been consistently exceptional."