news // no. 4 Siete 8 nC 0 potlig A A peer > Cs Li roe he » The periodic table of chemical elements celebrates its 150th anniversary Naomi Ambrose Staff Writer O: January 29, UNESCO declared 2019 the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. According to information retrieved from UNESCO's website, the 150th anniversary of the arrangement of the periodic table of chemical elements by Dmitri Mendeleev (a scientist who's considered to be the one of the founding fathers of modern chemistry) will be celebrated throughout the year via various programs and sessions. In case you need a refresher on what exactly the periodic table is: According to the Live Science website, “The periodic table of elements arranges all of the known chemical elements in an informative array. Elements are arranged from left to right and top to bottom in order of increasing atomic number. [The order] generally coincides with increasing atomic mass.” Some of the events and activities to celebrate the table’s milestone include “an online competition” to assess secondary school students’ chemistry knowledge. The competition also aims to awaken the students’ interest in chemistry. An international symposium from February u to 12 in Murcia, Spain titled “Women and the Periodic Table of Elements” was also scheduled, in addition to another symposium at the 47th IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in Paris, France from July 5 to 12, “The Periodic Table at 150.” Gregory Gibson, a chemistry instructor at Douglas College, shared his perspective about UNESCO's initiative. “I think any time there is an excuse to push science into the public discourse we World Cancer Day » A day to mark our progress and the future of combating this deadly disease should take advantage of it,” said Gibson in an email interview with the Other Press. “The 150 year anniversary of Mendeleev's arrangement of the elements is a great excuse.” Gibson also added, “There is so much information available nowadays, and not everyone can tell what is accurate and what is not. Holding events and celebrations helps push people towards accurate information about what science is, and what it does. [These types of events] also prompt people to think about topics that they may not [think about]. Events like UNESCO's, he said, “may create a new interest or avenue of learning someone may not have pursued.” When asked whether Douglas College’s chemistry department has any plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Gibson said that “[t]he aed theotherpress.ca Chemistry Department does not have any formal plans to hold an event at this point [...] the year is still young.” UNESCO's 150th anniversary celebration also raises the question as to whether this type of initiative is enough to maintain the interest of college students, young adults, and the wider society. As Gibson explained, “It's hard to define what ‘enough’ is.” Gibson also said, “Whatever enthusiasm for science and chemistry [that] can be spurred in young people, and the whole public really, is great to see. | think with science, like many things these days, there is a real disconnect between what people observe day-to-day and how well they understand the processes that are occurring. Anything [that can be done] to encourage people to bridge that gap for themselves is effort well spent.” Photo via WorldCancerDay.org Tania Arora Staff Reporter he fourth day of February each year is World Cancer Day, as designated by the United Nations’ subsidiary, the World Health Organization (WHO). The day spreads awareness about the fatalities of the disease, the extent to which it has spread, its types, cures, and treatments. In 2014 alone, the WHO reported that 74,500 deaths out of the Canadian population at the time of 34,838,000 were due to cancer. According to a report presented by the Canadian Cancer Society, in 2017 a total of 206,200 cases were newly diagnosed for both sexes combined. British Columbia at present has its own cancer agency which boasts of having among the best cancer outcomes in the world. On November 5, 1938, BC Cancer’s first cancer treatment centre was opened in Vancouver. In 1955, the cancer agency was first in the world to establish a cervical cancer screening program. During the span of more than 70 years, the quality of patient care, options for treatment, and medication has developed a lot. On December 4, 2018, Pfizer Canada announced an $800,000 contribution towards the BC Cancer Agency. This contribution will be used to create the BC Cancer Research-Pfizer Innovation Fund. The fund is meant to support research of different levels such as clinical, basic, and translational. Ina press release by the BC Cancer Agency, Pfizer Canada president John Helou stated, “Through the formation of this new fund, Pfizer Canada is enhancing its ongoing commitment to health innovation and research in British Columbia. We are proud to partner with BC Cancer to advance research on this critical disease to make a difference in patients’ lives. At Pfizer, our purpose is to translate advanced science and technologies into the therapies that matter most.” The current stats indicate that globally, one out of every six deaths is due to cancer. The WHO has named cancer as the second leading cause of death worldwide. In 2018, the disease claimed an estimated 9.6 million lives. According to the WHO, 30 to 50 percent of cancers are preventable; the major risk factors involved have been lack of physical activity, tobacco consumption, unhealthy eating habits, and alcohol consumption. As to what actually causes cancer, the WHO in its findings stated, “Cancer arises from the transformation of normal cells into tumour cells in a multistage process that generally progresses from a precancerous lesion to a malignant tumour. These changes are the result of the interaction between a person's genetic factors and three categories of external agents.” For various types of cancer the causes have been discovered, but for many other types the causes remain unknown. Research is still ongoing and raising awareness and funding remains vital.