If you can’t find Margaret-Ann Armour in her office at the University of Alberta, you might very well find her in a school classroom surrounded by kids.
Take March 13th as an example. That’s when she spent the day at Windsor Park School showing grade three and grade five students how to make nylon.
“One of the great joys of my life has been going out to schools and having fun with chemistry. That means I can take all sorts of colourful demonstrations that I can get the children involved in as well. They get quite excited when, out of a beaker, you can pull a thread of nylon.”
Even I learned a thing or two listening to this amazing professor explain the chemical reaction that produces polymerization.
“We talk about the fact that nylon is made from two small molecules. And these two small molecules are in some way like people. They’ve got two arms. That means they can all join up together in a long line. And, of course, I always have the children join up. Nylon in chemical terms is called a polymer. And that just means that it is ‘many molecules’. We have such fun. I tell the children when they are all joined up with their hands that now they are ‘poly-people’. They remember that and so they’ve got the idea of the many molecules and this long chain which is why you get a thread of nylon.” …. Read More
Twitter and other forms of social media continue to penetrate the psyche of Edmontonians. One indication is the kind thank you I received from Jason Darrah, communications business advisor for City of Edmonton within the deputy city manager’s office. He’s responsible for managing the @CityofEdmonton Twitter account (mentioned here last month). and as I found out there’s change in the wind. I asked Darrah what the City hoped to achieve through its early use of social media: Twitter, Youtube and Facebook. He gave several answers around the common theme of “listening to Edmontonians” and indicated that there is strong support to “connect better, be more open and responsive to Edmontonians.” With increased nimbleness, Darrah feels that the City will be in a better position to “engage citizens.” I must admit this was music to my social media ears but, before I get all misty, let’s back it up and talk about how the @CityofEdmonton Twitter account came to be. Of course, it’s not as simple as registering—ideally, it includes debate, planning and discussion. Darrah briefly explained that this entire social media effort is a collaborative multi-department exercise… to be sure, this hasn’t happened overnight. “The number one place we started was with a sound strategy…
Pulp made from wheat straw is commonly used in countries like China and Turkey where trees are in short supply. With the growing push for environmentally sustainable products, pulp and paper manufacturers in North America are also interested in wheat straw.
Edmontonians Visionaries 
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