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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good first day back to school! Now before I go over the list of pitches, I should mention that this week is going to be tough because we’re aiming to get TWENTY pieces of content in by next Monday so any help I can get from you lovely volunteers will be appreciated.

With that out of the way, here are this week’s pitches. If anything catches your eye, message me and I'll provide more info:

1. Streeters.Again, interview six to eight students about a particular, relatable question. Some questions we could do are:

•  How long is your commute to campus?

•  What’s the worst course you’ve ever taken?

2. Cover Antifreeze.Antifreeze is the University of Alberta's official winter games hosted by the Students' Union and it’s set to happen this week from Jan 7 to 12. There are about 40 teams of students that compete against each other and the prize is a free ski trip to a rocky mountain resort. I already have an interview with a participant someone could use so whoever takes it will only need to interview the organizers!

3. Lockers in Van Vliet being renovated and won’t be reopened till September 2019. Closure of the men’s locker room is expected to happen by the end of February and people who may have already rented a locker can apply for refunds. Contact and interview someone from Campus & Commun Recreation and ask about the renovations, what they’re planning to do, how much will the renos cost, etc. You can also interview a student who may have a locker rented and ask how they feel about the closure.

4. Massive Open Online Course on black holes (Astro 101: Black Holes)We’ve covered a few other MOOCs before in the news section so someone can write about another class that the U of A offers online for free. Interview Sharon Morsink, the class’s instructorHere’s an excerpt’s from the class’s website. “What is a black hole? Do they really exist? How do they form? How are they related to stars? What would happen if you fell into one? How do you see a black hole if they emit no light? What’s the difference between a black hole and a really dark star? Could a particle accelerator create a black hole? Can a black hole also be a wormhole or a time machine? In Astro 101: Black Holes, you will explore the concepts behind black holes. Using the theme of black holes, you will learn the basic ideas of astronomy, relativity, and quantum physics.”

5. Feminist philosopher and political theorist Cressida Heyes named Henry Marshall Tory Chair.On December 5, political scientist and philosopher Cressida J. Heyes was appointed Henry Marshall Tory Chair on the recommendation of the University of Alberta President David Turpin, the Board of Governors, and the Henry Marshall Tory Chair Selection Committee… the five-year renewable appointment recognizes Heyes’ outstanding record of scholarly research, teaching, educational leadership, as well as service to the University of Alberta and community. Interview Heyes about the new position, the research she does, and what she hopes to do with the new position and how she first got into what she researches, etc.

6. A new digital scholarship centre is being built in Cameron Library. As described on the library website, “the Digital Scholarship Centre will be a future collaborative space enabling scholars from all disciplines to maximize the possibilities of today's digital environment. The space will be centrally located on the second floor of Cameron Library and it is anticipated to provide access to tools for data visualization, interactive visual display walls, digitization equipment, 3D printers, High-performance PCs, and room for teaching and collaboration.” Interview some from Ualberta libraries about the project, as well as Akanksha Bhatnagar, the vice-president (academic) of the Students’ Union for a student view.

7. Infolink opens at Campus Saint-Jean. Apparently, it’s the first Infolink kiosk on the francophone campus and since the issue of CSJ and how it’s isolated from North Campus is always brought up during SU elections, this could be a good article that could expand beyond those tired talking points.

8. Synthusiast club profile. According to their Bearsden page, “Synthusiasts is a group for students interested in the field of synthetic biology. Members of Synthusiasts will collaborate with organizations across campus and in the local area to promote opportunities in synthetic biology research, and organize outreach programs for promoting synthetic biology among the public.” Contact the VP external Teresa Nguyen-Pham at [email protected]

9. Study on cannibalistic hares. A U of A PhD candidate wrote a paper documenting how hares in the Yukon’s boreal forest have displayed rather carnivorous behaviour, gorging on loons and EVEN OTHER HARES D= contact the author at [email protected]