Members of the public can get help with plant, tree and lawn problems from BU experts. You can submit questions via email, online, or during the weekly horticultural hotline radio program broadcast on 880 CKLQ each Tuesday from 9-10 am. Digital photos are also welcomed, and have become an important diagnostic tool.

“This is the only horticultural extension service still available to Manitoba residents,” says Dr. Bill Paton, professor of Biology and director of the program since it started in 1976. “We look forward to another season of serving people in this province and Saskatchewan, too.”

Through the years, the BU Horticultural Hotline has been on the leading edge of discovery. Paton says new varieties of weeds, diseases and insects have been brought to their attention, which sparked further scientific study and, in some cases, immediate action. “Our program discovered that Dutch Elm Disease had moved into Manitoba in the mid-1970s,” he says.

Email questions and photos to the BU Horticultural Hotline at hortline@brandonu.ca. Or, talk with the experts during the open-line radio program on 880 CKLQ Tuesdays from 9-10 am by calling 204-725-2525 or toll free at 1-888-221-0880. You can also listen online and submit questions at www.cklq-com

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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Drs Bryan Hill and Mark Berry with donated pennies

“We are overwhelmed by the response,” says Dr. Mark Berry, professor and chair of BU’s Chemistry department. “People young and old have been dropping off pennies in bags, jars and by the handful. A senior’s home in Brandon even held a donation drive. To everyone, we want to say ‘thank you’.”

Each year, BU professors use thousands of pennies in science experiments and demonstrations. School children marvel as the coins are electroplated with zinc then heated, turning from copper to ‘silver’ and finally ‘gold’. But the federal government has stopped production and is phasing out the penny, which prompted the appeal from the Science Faculty.

“We will use these coins to kindle a child’s interest in the sciences,” says Dr. Berry.

Pennies can still be dropped off at the Dean’s Office in the Brodie Building, Rm 172.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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“It’s good for charity and a great stress reliever,” said organizer Hannah Mazier, a BU student and president of the Brandon University Zoological Society (BUZS). “We raised more than $1,000 for the BU Students’ Union Food Bank and the Canadian Cancer Society.”

The profs were paired off last month to compete for pledges. Those raising the most donations had the honour of pie’ing the others with chocolate and whipped cream.

Evan Citulsky with BU’s 16-inch telescope

Evan Citulsky, graduating from BU this spring, has been accepted into Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Minnesota (UMN), a top-ranked research university with internationally renowned faculty and a 75-year history of program excellence.

“I couldn’t be happier”, says Citulsky, a native of Rivers, MB who also worked alongside aircraft maintenance engineers at Brandon airport. “I want to research new propulsion ideas and now I will have that opportunity.”

Citulsky is the first to benefit from a ‘3+2’ agreement between BU and UMN giving students the opportunity to obtain both a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in partnership with one of the world’s most prestigious  engineering programs.

The Chair of BU’s Physics Department, Dr. Austin Gulliver, says, “This is a win-win. We are thrilled for Evan and excited about the potential for the dozen students already involved in the dual degree program.”

Other Engineering majors available through the 3+2 agreement include: Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Geological, Materials Science, and Mechanical. Reciprocal tuition agreements also allow BU students to pay in-state tuition at the University of Minnesota – a substantial savings.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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“We turn pennies into silver, then gold,” says Dr. Mark Berry, professor and chair of BU’s Chemistry department, “just like the alchemists of old. But our supply of pennies is running out because the government has stopped production.”

Each year, hundreds of school children marvel as BU Chemistry profs electroplate pennies with zinc, then apply heat, turning the copper silver and finally gold. “Kids touring the University find this demonstration spectacular,” says Dr. Berry.

In the past, BU’s Science department has purchased pennies to use but is now asking for donations as the Canadian government is removing the coin from circulation.

“Use that loose change to kindle a child’s interest in the sciences,” says Dr. Berry. ”We appreciate any and all donations of pennies.”

Coins can be dropped off at the Dean’s Office in the Brodie Building, Rm 172.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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Dr. Egan holds a Ph.D. in Forest Science from The Pennsylvania State University and is currently the Executive Director of the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at New Mexico Highlands University.  Dr. Egan previously served as Dean of the School of Forestry and Natural Resources at Paul Smith’s College in New York and as a Professor and Canada Industrial Chair designee at Université Laval in Québec.  He is the recipient of several awards for teaching and research excellence, including a Senior Fulbright Scholarship (2004).  Dr. Egan has led the development of a number of new academic programs and has published over 100 papers and book chapters.

“I am very excited to be joining the Brandon University community and honoured to have been chosen to be the next Dean of its Faculty of Science.  Important to me is BU’s diverse student population and commitment to student-centered, liberal education, forming the foundation for the development of broadly educated professionals, citizens, and leaders.  I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students of the Faculty of Science, as well as across faculties and with the broader Brandon and Manitoba communities.”

As a member of the senior leadership team, Dr. Egan will oversee the Faculty of Science which is comprised of eight departments and serves more than 600 undergraduate students.  He will contribute to the development, implementation and promotion of institutional goals including academic programming and research advancement.

Dr. Egan will begin at BU on June 1, 2013.

BU President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Poff says, “I am pleased that Dr. Egan will be joining us as the new Dean of the Faculty of Science.  He brings experience from a number of different universities and is committed to teaching and research excellence.  We look forward to welcoming him to Brandon University.”

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For more information, please contact:

Glen Kirby, Communications Officer
Brandon University
270-18th Street
Brandon, MB R7A 6A9
T: (204) 727-9762
kirbyg@brandonu.ca