News in brief: Historian Margaret MacMillan to speak at Shaarey Zedek

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This article was published 9/4/2018 (523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Historian Margaret MacMillan to speak at Shaarey Zedek

The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is bringing one of Canada’s top historians to Winnipeg for a special lecture.

Margaret MacMillan, a professor of history at the University of Toronto and a companion in the Order of Canada, will deliver a lecture on "The First World War and the Making of the Modern Middle East" at Congregation Shaarey Zedek (561 Wellington Cres.) on April 15 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Speaker series.

According to a release, the lecture and following question and answer period will cover how the modern Middle East came into being and how that has affected subsequent history. It will also explore the "factors prior to the First World War which were changing and challenging the Ottoman Empire and the balance of power in the Middle East."

The lecture is a fundraiser for the heritage centre, which is located on the Asper Jewish Community Campus.

Tickets for the lecture are $36 or $18 for students and available through www.jhcwc.org or by calling 204-478-8590.

Local high school students recognized for projects on Canadian history

A handful of local students are learning that knowing their history can pay off.

Eight students from Grant Park High School and Grey Academy of Jewish Learning recently received the 2017 Government of Canada History Award for their essays on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, the First World War, Expo 67, Canadian identity, and the development of a new national historic site.

The winners from Grant Park High School, who are all in Grade 11, are: Julie Van,  Shae Newman-Mackay, Alison Wong, Katie Delay, Sunny Enkin-Lewis, and Natalya Bailey.

The winners from Grey Academy are Grade 11 students Toby Szkop and Evelin Melekh.

Each student received a $1,000 prize. Officials say over 800 submissions were received from across the country and 172 prizes were awarded.

The essays and historical fictions are available to be read at historyawards.ca

The pieces were judged on  original research, historical analysis, knowledge of subject matter, and critical thinking skills. Winners were selected by an independent jury of history educators.

U of M recruits Sea Ice-Climate Coupling research chair

A new researcher will be joining the team at the University of Manitoba studying Arctic ice on a seven year, $7-million federal grant.

Dr. Julienne Stroeve has been named Canada 150 Research Chair in Sea Ice-Climate Coupling and will work with the folks at the U of M to study cyclical nature of changes in sea ice and climate. The study of "sea ice-climate coupling" will provide a bridge to understand how the Arctic affects the climate and hydrology of southern Canada, officials say.

Stroeve, who hails from the United States, joins the U of M after working at the University College London as a professor of polar observation and modelling, in London, England.

"I am excited for this opportunity to advance the study of the Arctic climate system during this time of profound change," Stroeve said in a statement.

The research will be based in satellite and ground-based data, Inuit traditional knowledge, community monitoring, and climate models and numerous regional and national Inuit and Cree organizations will be engaged in the program.