Viewpoint Comings and goings George Iwama, former dean of science, was recently named president and vice-chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia. While Carleton would have liked to keep this fine researcher and administrator longer, George certainly left a legacy in his time here. The introduction of the Science Café, which increased outreach to the community, and the creation of the Science Student Success Centre are visible outcomes of his creative approach to problem solving. Hot topic The science in Angels & Demons: fact or fiction? In Angels & Demons, the summer blockbuster movie based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, a canister of antimatter stolen from a secret scientific research facility called CERN is used to threaten destruction of Vatican City. The movie features scientists working at CERN's Large Hadron Collider to, among other things, create and study antimatter with the intent of exploiting it as an alternative form of energy. Is there a secret CERN research facility? Security Security net Critical to almost every aspect of today's society, the Internet has changed the way we work, think and even socialize. From your online purchases to the world's financial systems, both individuals and organizations are highly dependent on a functioning Internet—which makes the need to understand emerging threats to Internet usability, security and stability vitally important At the heart of it all Paul Van Oorschot takes security seriously. Just look at his current titles: Canada Research Chair in network and software security; scientific director, NSERC ISSNet; and founder, Carleton Computer Security Lab. Go Fish! Recreational anglers, fishing for the thrill of the catch rather than for sustenance, practice "catch and release". They bring the fish in, unhook it, and return it to the water, believing the fish will live on to be caught another day. Commercial fishers, too, follow the practice as they are regulated to release certain species or sizes of fish for conservation. But how well do fish fare after being caught? Heavy metal detector It's no secret that inspectors at ports and border crossings can't keep up with the millions of shipping containers traversing the world. Inspecting each one for illicit content would cause trade to grind to a halt and would sap resources. In North America, where national security is balanced against the free flow of goods and people across the Canada-U.S. border, 45,000 trucks alone cross the border each day. Research news Imitation, the sincerest form of flattery Wasps don't taste very good. And they sting. Take Tom Sherratt's word for it. Birds, once they've tasted the unpalatable insects, generally avoid them. Hoverflies, a much more tasty insect, have evolved wasp-like morphological and behavioural traits that fool birds into thinking that they, too, are an undesirable mea Hide and Seek From a Canadian soldier's relish-patterned uniform to a Canada goose's white chin strap, camouflage is used across the animal kingdom. More than just patterns and colours, the success of camouflage also relies on behaviours: if the soldier waves his arms or the goose lands in a parking lot, their cover is blown. Prized research If you had to give someone directions on your street, the "look for the white house" approach isn't nearly as efficient as "three houses to the north". The same holds true for information being routed through a distributed computing network: if each port has an address that contains information about its relationship to others, messages can be delivered more efficiently. Nicola Santoro called this sense of direction, and his research determined what information is essential in labeling ports. Cool idea Before the invention of refrigerators, ice blocks harvested from lakes and streams were used to cool food. In cellars lined with wood or straw and packed with snow and ice, or in insulated ice boxes, the winter cold provided summer chill. Fred Michel wants to harness the cooling potential of snow on a much larger scale. Finding her legs Elizabeth Ross was having one of those days: the vehicle she was travelling in was stuck in the mud. Without fuel. In the Arctic. While expedition leader Natalia Rybczynski trudged back to base camp, Ross occupied herself by looking around—and found the fossil of a species never seen before. Things started to look up. A gift for the ages Doctoral elite On par with such renowned scholarships as Rhodes in the U.K. and Fulbright in the U.S., Canada's new Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships were awarded to 166 of the world's leading doctoral students in 2009—including Carleton's own Elsayed Ali, MSc/07. Bond, double-bond Spying on the workings of enzymes is no easy task, but the intelligence gathered about the protein-based molecules and the chemical reactions they perform in living organisms has many applications. Rewards of cooperation Undergraduate laboratory experience is invaluable for young scientists in training. Through Carleton's cooperative education program, fourth-year biochemistry and biotechnology student Shifawn O'Hara had the opportunity to study the effects of alpha particle radiation on human lung cells while working as a biology laboratory research assistant at Health Canada. Faculty news Truly, a super lab While universities are accustomed to having their researchers and students receive grants, honours and awards, it's not often that the space in which they teach and learn gets recognition. Outstanding in his field For the last six months, Matthias Neufang has played a key role in deciding the direction of mathematic research in Canada. High five Carleton is among the top five in Canada for its research impact on the field of computer science, according to the website sciencewatch.com. In memoriam The school of mathematics and statistics lost a pioneer in the field of applied mathematics when Erwin Kreyszig passed away in December 2008. Faculty frosh A leader in discovery and innovation, the Facutly of Science is committed to ensuring an outstanding learning experience for its students. Here's what the newest tenure-track teachers and researchers in our dynamic faculty are working on. News and events Kudos from Carleton Carleton's annual research, teaching and professional achievement awards enhance the research productivity and quality of instruction at the university. Share your thoughts Since its launch in 2005, Eureka! has been sharing stories from the Faculty of Science with alumni around the world. We're proud of the award-winning publication, but we want to hear from you! Take a quick survey to let us know what you think of Eureka! and how we can best deliver all the news you can use. Visit http://advancement.carleton.ca/survey/eureka. New for alumni Show off your Carleton degree to friends, family and potential employers with your own free Carleton alumni email address. More from this issue View the complete list of headlines from this issue of EUREKA!