News & Media

November 3, 2008
Director's Corner -NOTES OF A (HARD-WIRED) BIOLOGIST

When my daughters were just toddlers, we would buy them dolls packaged in styrofoam molds. They were delighted - but we soon learned that the dolls were not interesting to them at all - it was the styrofoam that captivated them both; they carved it into shapes, colored it, and proudly showed us their creations. As they got older, it became clear that they were both artistically inclined. This got me thinking about whether I became by choice a biologist, or, all other things being equal, was I genetically predisposed - hard-wired - in that direction?

In 1942, my father was in the US Intelligence Service, stationed in Baltimore. His platoon included a prominent actor of the time, a professional violinist, a bookie, a union organizer whose wife was a stunning redhead from Belfast named Rita, and one aspiring psychiatrist named Charlie from Manhattan. On the last hangs this tale.

Post-war, the NYC school system had birthday cutoffs for a particular grade, and in 1955, my parents were notified that I would miss the cutoff for First Grade by 2 days, unless they could secure a certificate from a licensed child psychiatrist that I would be able to handle the work.

And so one Sunday afternoon my father and I took the subway down to the West Village to pay a visit to Charlie. The two of them shmoozed for a while; I ate ice cream while they drank Scotch (the kind with the dogs on the label...), and while reminiscing, they laughed quite a lot. And they each smoked a cigar. I stared in disbelief. I had never seen my father smoke!

After a while, Charlie guided me into his office, with its dark wood panelling and floor-to-ceiling books, where he gave me an intelligence test. Only I didn't know it was a test; he just asked me questions. David, if I have 3 oranges and 5 apples, and I give 2 apples and one orange to your sister, how many pieces of fruit will I have left? Out of these 6 wooden shapes, can you make a box? My memories of this lengthy interview are sharp and vivid.

And so I was allowed to advance in the NYC educational system. I could not have cared less. However, a surprise came a week after my interview with Charlie. I received a big package in the mail - a Geniac Logic Computer Kit - the first personal computer ever made. Geniac stood for: "Genius Almost Automatic Computer." Properly assembled, this "electronic brain" could play tic-tac-toe, convert binary numbers to decimal, add and subtract, etc. The kit contained hundreds of pieces - copper wires, tiny flashlight bulbs in ceramic sockets, shiny metal screws, metal strips, circular masonite boards, a dry cell battery and an incomprehensible instruction book. The package was accompanied with a note from "Uncle" Charlie. "David - here is a new tool to help you think - maybe you will be a computer engineer when you grow up!"

The key phrase here is: properly assembled. Unfortunately, my genetic hard-wiring was not to be so easily tampered with. I did play endlessly with the Geniac components, but I ignored the rigidly explicit instructions. Instead, I created out of masonite fanciful biological cells with nuclei of clustered light bulbs inside that flickered like living things when I closed the switches and turned the wheels. I connected each "cell" to the others with metal strips and copper wires secured by shiny metal screws. And those Geniac cells filled my dreams at night all through the First Grade.

Geniac personal computer kit, circa 1955.

Please send any comments about the Director's Corner to David Colman

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Recent News & Events

Colleagues honour Dr Melançon
Friends, family and colleagues of Denis Melançon celebrated his career achievements at the recent inaugural Denis Melançon lecture. Clinicians and scientists from the Neuro and from other hospitals in Montreal acknowledged his expertise as a practitioner and teacher. MNI’s interventional neuroradiolotist Donatella Tampieri, who organized the event, was pleased to host her friends and mentors, Denis Melançon and keynote lecturer Professor Giuseppe Scotti from Milan.

Fred and Eva Andermann Symposium
Experts from around the world gathered to discuss advances in our understanding and treatment of epilepsy at the Andermann symposium. André Palmini, from Brazil, captured the sentiments of many by characterizing the legacy of the Andermanns as a multiplier effect, noting that their trainees have pursued careers on 5 continents, which means that the Andermanns have improved the lives of patients with epilepsy all over the world. Fred and Eva reveled in the company of their extended ‘family’ and remarked on the uniqueness of the Neuro with its long and on-going tradition in the medical and surgical treatment of epilepsy.

Prestigious Gairdner and Dorothy J. Killam Lectures
Hundreds of scientists and students gathered to hear superb scientific lectures by astrophysicist Alicia Soderberg, and Gairdner International Award winning biochemists Nahum Sonenberg and Ulrich Hartl. With topics ranging from the birth of a supernova to translational control in biology and protein folding in the cell, there was a definite buzz as the audience contemplated the origins and mechanisms of life. In October 2009, the Gairdner International Award Lectures will mark the 50th anniversary of the Gairdner Foundation and in Montreal will be co-celebrated with the MNI’s 75th anniversary.

Resource Centre for patients and their families
The Neuro-Patient Resource Centre recently completed a patient and family survey. Now, through the MNI’s Centre for Excellence in Commercialization and Research award, the staff is improving the website, developing new disease focused brochures and extending hours of service. The Centre, in Room 354, provides information and assistance to patients and their families, and is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm, until 8 pm on Tuesday and Thursday, and from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday.

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Upcoming events

Faculty and staff campaign on-going until November 21, 2008
Leading the way on the 2008 faculty and staff campaign, co-chairs Donatella Tampieri and Bruce Pike, and volunteers from the Neuro staff will visit colleagues to solicit donations to this annual campaign. As part of the Neuro’s $40 M Thinking Ahead capital campaign, the faculty and staff campaign raised almost $95,000 last year to support research, training and patient care.

Sumantra Chattarji, neurobiologist from India to visit, November 25, 2008
Shona Chattarji from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India will deliver a Killam Seminar on November 25 entitled, "Impact of stress on cells and synapses in the amygdala: implications for anxiety disorders". Host of the MNI delegation to NCBS in February, 2008, Chattarji will explore opportunities for collaboration with MNI scientists who use behavioral, neuroanatomical, computational, genetic engineering and electrophysiological techniques.

Discovery Day for high school students, November 28, 2008
Curious high school students will learn about the brain when the Neuro partners with the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for the annual Discovery Day. MNI faculty and trainees hope to inspire these students to a career in science through hands on workshops and exposure to career options.

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Congratulations to…..

Lisa Goulet on her new appointment as nurse manager of the Neuro’s Intensive Care Unit. Soon to complete her Masters degree, Lisa has been a leader in the province in organ and tissue donation programs. .


The winners of the CNS/CBET/BTRC Research Discussion Series (2007-2008) Best Presentation Awards: Post-Doctoral Fellow - Brigitte Ritter from the McPherson Lab; PhD Student - Sathyanath Rajasekharan from the Kennedy Lab and MSc Student - Janet Prince from the Cloutier Lab.

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Director - David R. Colman, PhD
Senior Management - Mark Angle, MD; Phil Barker, PhD; Rob Dunn, PhD; Tom Gevas, Marilyn Kaplow, Elizabeth Kofron, PhD; Patricia O'Connor, Catherine Rowe, Donatella Tampieri
Neuro News: Elizabeth Kofron, PhD & Sandra McPherson, PhD

Please send any items for the Neuro News to Sandra McPherson or Beth Kofron.

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