Bishop’s University invites community members from Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships to take part in the institution’s 180th anniversary celebrations on Friday, December 8th at 12 p.m. in the Quad.

Dr. Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, Principal and Vice-chancellor, Sophia Stacey, President of the Student Representative Council, and Chief Richard O’Bomsawin of the Abenaki Council of Odanak will give remarks to marks this significant milestone.

The community is encouraged to wear purple to show support for the institution. Cupcakes and hot beverages will be served.

What:     Bishop’s University celebrates 180th anniversary

When:    Friday, December 8th from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Where:   The Quad at Bishop’s University

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MEDIA REQUESTS and RSVP:

Sonia Patenaude, Manager of Communications
Communications Office | Bishop’s University
819-822-9600 extension 2617 | 819-342-2587
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

The Bishop’s University Singers are in the final rehearsal stages for their end of semester concert “Magical Mystery Tour : An Evening with the Beatles” on December 1st and 2nd at Centennial Theatre. Tickets are still available for the Saturday afternoon show on December 2nd at 1:30 p.m. Evening shows on December 1st and 2nd are currently sold out.

Under the direction of Fannie Gaudette and Jamie Crooks, the Bishop’s University and Champlain College-Lennoxville choirs will unite for a second year to deliver a tour of over twenty-five of the Fab Four’s greatest hits;  from the enigmatic Across the Universe to the lively Yellow Submarine.  150 singers of all generations, united by a love of the Fab Four, will take the stage backed by a 12 piece band of top professional musicians (Mathieu Désy, Alex Cattaneo, Olivier Hébert, Philippe Dunnigan, Robert-Étienne Siméon, among others).

The vast Beatles’ catalogue provides a range of styles and will allow over 35 voices to showcase as soloists, part of small groups while dancers enhance the mix.

An event to be experienced by the whole family and where the audience will need little convincing to join in for a chorus or two of the soundtrack of their lives.

What:        Bishop’s University Singers present “Magical Mystery Tour : An Evening with the Beatles”

When:       Saturday, December 2nd at 1:30 p.m.

Location:  Centennial Theatre, Bishop’s University

Tickets available on Le point de vente

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MEDIA REQUESTS:

Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

The Principal and Vice-chancellor of Bishop’s University, Dr. Sébastien Lebel-Grenier has issued the following statement following the Premier’s comments today:

“This afternoon, Premier François Legault made a statement at a public event held at the Université de Sherbrooke that has led to some confusion in the media. Here is what he said:

        « Vous allez me permettre de saluer Geneviève Hébert, on est chez elle, donc c’est la députée. C’est pas vrai qu’elle veut fusionner l’Université Bishop’s avec l’Université de Sherbrooke. 

       Par contre, elle s’est battue dans les dernières semaines pour que Bishop’s soit exemptée des nouvelles mesures. Parce que oui, il y a des inquiétudes à y avoir sur l’avenir du français à Montréal, mais j’ai pas d’inquiétudes pour ce qui est de Sherbrooke. »

• Excerpt from : https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=841262321114038

Although this is not a formal announcement of a definitive decision on the tuition hikes for out-of-province students that were announced last October 13, it lines up with what the Premier and Minister Déry have been publicly and privately saying since, namely that Bishop’s and its approximately 800 Canadian out-of-province students are not a threat to the vitality of the French language in the Eastern Townships and that special measures are warranted for Bishop’s.

While this is reassuring and positive for our institution, I stress we are still awaiting a final decision by government.”

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

A new study co-led by Dr. Jason Rowe, of Bishop’s University’s Physics and Astronomy Department, has produced the most accurate analysis of exoplanets from NASA’s Kepler mission. The work has revealed Kepler-385 as a 7-planet, dynamically active exoplanet system and led to new insight into the architectures of exoplanet orbital properties.

A paper describing the new catalogue appears in The Planetary Science Journal.

“Our revision to the Kepler Exoplanet catalogue provides the first true uniform analysis of exoplanet properties.”, said Jason Rowe, Canada Research Chair in Exoplanet Astrophysics and Professor at Bishop’s University in Quebec, Canada. “Improvements to all planetary and stellar properties has allowed us to conduct an in-depth study of the fundamental properties of exoplanetary systems to better understand exoplanets and directly compare these distant worlds to own Solar-System and to focus in on the details of individual systems such as Kepler-385.”

The first system with seven planets bathed in more radiant heat from their host star per area than any planet in our solar system has been revealed by continued study of data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope. Unlike any of our planetary neighbors, all seven planets in this system, named Kepler-385, are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. It is one of only a few planetary systems known to contain more than six verified planets or planet candidates. The Kepler-385 system is among the highlights of a new Kepler catalogue that contains almost 4,400 planet candidates, including more than 700 multi-planet systems.

“We’ve assembled the most accurate list of Kepler planet candidates and their properties to date,” said Jack Lissauer, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and lead author on the paper presenting the new catalogue. “NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered the majority of known exoplanets, and this new catalogue will enable astronomers to learn more about their characteristics.”

At the center of the Kepler-385 system is a Sun-like star about 10% larger and 5% hotter than the Sun. The two inner planets, both slightly larger than Earth, are probably rocky and may have thin atmospheres. The other five planets are larger – each with a radius about twice the size of Earth’s – and expected to be enshrouded in thick atmospheres.

The ability to describe the properties of the Kepler-385 system in such detail is a testament to the quality of this latest catalogue of exoplanets. While the Kepler mission’s final catalogues focused on producing lists optimized to measure how common planets are around other stars, this study focuses on producing a comprehensive list that provides accurate information about each of the systems, making discoveries like Kepler-385 possible.

The new catalogue uses improved measurements of stellar properties and calculates more accurately the path of each transiting planet across its host star. This combination illustrates that when a star hosts several transiting planets, they typically have more circular orbits than when a star hosts only one or two.

Listen to a sonification of the orbit data of the seven planets in the Kepler-385 system:

The research team on this project includes Jason F. Rowe at Bishop’s University in Canada, Jack Lissauer at NASA-Ames Research Center, Eric Ford and Kadri Nizam at Penn State, Daniel Jontof-Hutter at the University of the Pacific in California, Daniel C. Fabrycky at the University of Chicago, Darin Ragozzine at Brigham Young University, and Jason H. Steffen at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Kepler Catalogue Open Data Access

The Government of Canada is committed to increasing the availability of scientific data and publications as part of its Open Government initiative. Bishop’s University supports this objective by making scientific data available to researchers, students, industries and the public to encourage innovation and contribute to the advancement of knowledge.

Resources related to this project can be downloaded from:
https://kona.ubishops.ca/architecture/

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

Regional leaders from various sectors will gather to publicly support Bishop’s University during a press conference on Tuesday, October 31 at 10 a.m. at Centennial Theatre on the campus of Bishop’s University.

Its sustainability and identity are threatened by the new policy recently announced by the Quebec government in relation to tuition fees for Canadian students who are not residents of Quebec.

What: Press conference with regional leaders supporting Bishop’s University

When: Tuesday, October 31 at 10 a.m.

Location: Centennial Theatre, Bishop’s University (B10 on the campus map)

Parking: P4 and P2 (near Abbot Residence – F1)

Directions to campus (expect delays due to construction on Highway 108)

From highway 410: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TWBQVZuPWGq8gsuV8

From the east end of Sherbrooke: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XU8nNaPndJXKfV2dA

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MEDIA INQUIRIES AND RSVP:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

Eighteen universities in Quebec have come together to offer six free webinars leading up to the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, starting November 30. Organized by the Réseau universitaire québécois en développement durable (RUQDD), this series will bring together expertise from across the academic community in Quebec and highlight the importance of working together to tackle climate change.

Through this series, RUQDD member universities aim to highlight research and solutions related to the climate crisis that are being explored and developed in Quebec.

Distinguished researchers in climate justice, green economy, eco-fiscal policies, and sustainable cities will discuss the most recent and conclusive knowledge in their respective fields. Open to all Quebecers, the webinars will be hosted by Magali Simard-Galdes, opera singer and Radio-Canada columnist with a Master’s in Sustainability Management.

This initiative is linked to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #13, which invites everyone to take immediate actions to address climate change and its impact.

Note that this project received financial support from the government of Québec through its call for projects “Mobilization of Quebec Society for the Dubai Climate Conference” This call for projects is part of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy, one of whose measures aims at strengthening and expanding Quebec’s strategic partnerships in the fight against climate change on both the national and international stages.

“The government of Québec is proud to support this initiative, which will contribute to the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the issues at stake in the climate crisis, while raising public awareness about best practices to address them. By bringing together the recognized expertise of our academic community, we are also highlighting the research and solutions developed here in Québec to meet the climate challenge that lies ahead.” – Benoit Charette, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife, and Parks, and Minister responsible for the Laurentides region.

To register and consult the program: https://unis-climat.teluq.ca

Schedule
Starting on October 18 through November 22, the webinars will be broadcast live on Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Two of the webinars will be recorded in front of a live audience in Montreal.

Participating universities:

• Bishop’s University
• Concordia University
• École de technologie supérieure
• École nationale d’administration publique
• HEC Montréal
• Institut national de la recherche scientifique
• McGill University
• Polytechnique Montréal
• Université de Montréal
• Université de Sherbrooke
• Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
• Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Université du Québec à Rimouski
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• Université du Québec en Outaouais
• Université Laval
• Université TÉLUQ

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

Starting in Fall 2024, Bishop’s University will offer a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Clinical Psychology Profile. This exciting new offering is born out of a collaboration between the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and Bishop’s. In fact, the program is a UQAC program offered by extension at Bishop’s. It focuses on professional clinical psychology and will equip students to conduct psychological assessments and perform psychological interventions. Importantly, it is accredited by the (OPQ), thus making program graduates eligible for OPQ membership and employment opportunities as a clinical psychologist.

Uniquely, this program is designed for bilingual students (French and English), including prospective applicants from systemically underrepresented backgrounds. The program will be taught in English, however, as part of their practicum and internship requirements, students will offer consultations for francophone and anglophone clienteles. This will benefit the local community by increasing the offering of bilingual mental health services, filling a well-documented gap in services (rapport d’Hélène David).

“Historically, mental health services have been lacking for the English-speaking population of Estrie. Furthermore, as reported several times in the media in recent years, current mental health services for the general Quebec population are not enough to meet demand. The situation has only worsened since the pandemic, with the impacts we know have on people’s mental health and rates of psychological distress which have increased, state Dr. Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, Clinical Psychology Program Director at Bishop’s University. “The opening of this program will therefore make it possible to meet this need for the Sherbrooke and Estrie community. In addition, our commitment to accepting a large cohort of 16 students will make it possible to respond to the first recommendation of Hélène David’s recent report, which encourages universities to increase admissions to doctoral programs in clinical psychology.”

The availability of mental health services has been identified as a priority sector by the Quebec government indicating a growing demand. This program aims to welcome a first cohort of 16 students in Fall 2024. Over the course of four years, these students will train to become clinical psychologists able to assess and help various clienteles, drawing on the discipline’s scientific knowledge and on a deep understanding of the needs and characteristics of individuals and communities.

Interested candidates can find more information and complete an application via the program’s website.

The application deadline for a Fall 2024 start is February 1, 2024.

ON THE PHOTO:

Dr. Andrew Webster, Vice-principal Academic and Research, Bishop’s University,
Dr. Daniel Lalande, Clinical Psychology Program Director at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC),
Dr. Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, Clinical Psychology Program Director at Bishop’s University,
Dr. Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, Principal and vice-chancellor at Bishop’s University

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

In the wake of significant attention focused on Bishop’s University’s admissions for the 2023-2024 academic year, the University will open its doors to visitors on October 14, 2023, starting at 9:30 a.m. Prospective students and their families from Québec, Canada, the United States, and other countries around the world, will get to immerse themselves in the full Bishop’s experience.

On-site admissions: Undergraduate students intending to begin their studies in Fall 2024 are encouraged to bring their educational documents for CEGEP (or high school) before 11:30 a.m. to have the opportunity to take part in the accelerated admissions process where the admissions office will review their application and provide an answer on their acceptance at the end of the day. If a student has not yet applied, there will also be an opportunity to apply for free (the application fee will be waived). Students arriving later in the day will still be able to apply for free and can expect a response the week following Open House.

Visitors will hear current students sharing their academic and campus life experiences. They will be taken on a guided campus tour and meet with deans and professors. Representatives from the athletics department, student services, admissions and the business office will all be on hand to answer questions. Members of the Student Recruitment and Admissions team will speak to the group of prospective students coming from across the country and the United States.

If you have any specific questions about Open House, or more general questions about life at Bishop’s, prospective students can chat with a current student or a member of the recruitment team by sending an email or by calling: recruitment@ubishops.ca or 819-822-9600 ext. 2681.

Media representatives interested in covering this event should rsvp by contacting Sonia Patenaude, Manager of Communications.

What: Open House at Bishop’s University

When: Saturday, October 14, 2023, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: John H. Price Sports Centre, 2600 College Street, Sherbrooke J1M 1Z7

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MEDIA INQUIRIES AND RSVP:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager – Bishop’s University
819-342-2587 | sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca

Complex interplay between stellar activity and exoplanet characteristics revealed in study co-authored by Bishop’s Professor Jason Rowe

A team of astronomers has made an important leap forward in our understanding of the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system. Not only has their research shed light on the nature of TRAPPIST-1 b, the exoplanet orbiting closest to the system’s star, but it has also shown the importance of parent stars when studying exoplanets. The findings, published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters, shed light on the complex interplay between stellar activity and exoplanet characteristics.

This artistic representation of the TRAPPIST-1 red dwarf star showcases its very active nature. The star appears to have many stellar spots (colder regions of its surface, similar to sunspots) and flares. The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b, the closest planet to the system’s central star, can be seen in the foreground with no apparent atmosphere. The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 g, one of the planets in the system’s habitable zone, can be seen in the background to the right of the star. The TRAPPIST-1 system contains seven Earth-sized exoplanets. (Credit: Benoît Gougeon, Université de Montréal)

A promising exoplanetary system

TRAPPIST-1, a star much smaller and cooler than our Sun located approximately 40 light-years away from Earth, has captured the attention of scientists and space enthusiasts alike since the discovery of its seven Earth-sized exoplanets in 2016. These worlds, tightly packed around their star with three of them within its habitable zone, have fueled hopes of finding potentially habitable environments beyond our Solar System.

A research team, led by Olivia Lim from the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), employed the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. These observations were collected as part of the largest Canadian-led General Observers (GO) program during the JWST’s first year of operations. This program also included observations of three other planets in the system, TRAPPIST-1 c, g and h. TRAPPIST-1 b was observed during two transits — the moment when the planet passes in front of its star — using the Canadian-made NIRISS instrument aboard the JWST.

“These are the very first spectroscopic observations of any TRAPPIST-1 planet obtained by the JWST, and we’ve been waiting for them for years!” exclaims Olivia Lim, Principal Investigator of this important GO program.

The study used the technique of transmission spectroscopy to gain important insights into the properties of the distant world. By analysing the central star’s light after it has passed through the exoplanet’s atmosphere during a transit, astronomers can see the unique fingerprint left behind by the molecules and atoms found within that atmosphere.

“This is just a small subset of many more observations of this unique planetary system yet to come and to be analysed,” adds René Doyon, Principal Investigator of the NIRISS instrument and co-author on the study. “These first observations highlight the power of NIRISS and the JWST in general to probe the thin atmospheres around rocky planets.”

Know thy star, know thy planet

The key finding of the study was the significant impact of stellar activity and contamination when trying to determine the nature of an exoplanet. Stellar contamination refers to the influence of the star’s own features, such as dark spots and bright faculae, on the measurements of the exoplanet’s atmosphere.

The team found compelling evidence that stellar contamination plays a crucial role in shaping the transmission spectra of TRAPPIST-1 b and, likely, the other planets in the system. The central star’s activity can create “ghost signals” that may fool the observer into thinking they have detected a particular molecule in the exoplanet’s atmosphere. This result underscores the importance of considering stellar contamination when planning future observations of all exoplanetary systems. This is especially true for systems like TRAPPIST-1, since the system is centred around a red dwarf star which can be particularly active with starspots and frequent flare events.

“In addition to the contamination from stellar spots and faculae, we saw a stellar flare, an unpredictable event during which the star looks brighter for several minutes to hours,” mentions Olivia Lim. “This flare affected our measurement of the amount of light blocked by the planet. Such signatures of stellar activity are difficult to model but we need to account for them to ensure that we interpret the data correctly.”

No significant atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1 b

While all seven of the TRAPPIST-1 planets have been tantalising candidates in the search of an Earth 2.0, an exoplanet like our Earth, TRAPPIST-1 b’s proximity to its star means it finds itself in harsher conditions than its siblings. It receives four times more radiation than the Earth does from the Sun and has a surface temperature between 120 and 220 degrees Celsius. However, if TRAPPIST-1 b were to have an atmosphere, it would be the easiest to detect and describe of all the targets in the system. Since TRAPPIST-1 b is the closest planet to its star and thus the hottest planet in the system, its transit creates a stronger signal. All these factors make TRAPPIST-1 b a crucial, yet challenging target of observation.

To account for the impact of stellar contamination, the team conducted two independent atmospheric retrievals — techniques to determine the kind of atmosphere present on TRAPPIST-1 b based on observations. In the first approach, stellar contamination was removed from the data before they were analysed. In the second approach, stellar contamination and the planetary atmosphere were modelled and fit simultaneously. In both cases, the results indicated that TRAPPIST-1 b’s spectra could be well matched by the modelled stellar contamination alone. This suggested no evidence of a significant atmosphere on the planet. Such a result remains very valuable, as it tells astronomers which types of atmospheres are incompatible with the observed data.

Based on their collected JWST observations, Lim and her team explored a range of atmospheric models for TRAPPIST-1 b, examining various possible compositions and scenarios. They found that cloud-free, hydrogen-rich atmospheres were ruled out with high confidence. This means that there appears to be no clear, extended atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1 b. However, the data could not confidently exclude thinner atmospheres, such as those composed of pure water, carbon dioxide, or methane, nor an atmosphere similar to that of Titan, a moon of Saturn and the only moon in the Solar System with its own atmosphere. These results are generally consistent with previous (photometric, and not spectroscopic) JWST observations of TRAPPIST-1 b (from Greene, et al. and Ih, et al.) with the MIRI instrument. Furthermore, the study has proven that Canada’s NIRISS instrument is a highly performing, sensitive tool able to probe for atmospheres on Earth-sized exoplanets down to impressive levels.

The new insights gained from this study have deepened scientists’ understanding of the TRAPPIST-1 system and emphasised the need for more observations and comprehensive investigations that consider both stellar contamination and planetary atmospheres. As astronomers continue to explore the vast expanse of space, these findings will inform future observing programs on the JWST and other missions and contribute to our broader understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres and their potential habitability.

About this study

The paper “Atmospheric Reconnaissance of TRAPPIST-1 b with JWST/NIRISS: Evidence for Strong Stellar Contamination in the Transmission Spectra” was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters on September 22, 2023. The lead author is Olivia Lim, Ph.D. student at the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Université de Montréal (UdeM). Other iREx researchers that contributed to this paper are Björn Benneke (UdeM), René Doyon (UdeM), Caroline Piaulet (UdeM), Étienne Artigau (UdeM), Louis-Philippe Coulombe (UdeM), Michael Radica (UdeM), Alexandrine L’Heureux (UdeM), Loïc Albert (UdeM), Salma Salhi (UdeM and University of Calgary), Pierre-Alexis Roy (UdeM), Marylou Fournier-Tondreau (UdeM), Jake Taylor (UdeM and University of Oxford), Neil Cook (UdeM), David Lafrenière (UdeM), Nicolas Cowan (McGill U), Jason Rowe (Bishop’s U), Lisa Dang (UdeM), and Antoine Darveau-Bernier (UdeM). Additional contributors are based out of the University of Michigan, MIT, Cornell University, STScI, and Johns Hopkins University.

For more information

ApJL scientific paper

arXiv scientific paper

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Source:
Université de Montréal

Media Requests:
Sonia Patenaude, Communications Manager
Communications Office | Bishop’s University
819-822-9600, extension 2617 | spatenau@ubishops.ca

Bishop’s University Chancellor Daniel Fournier will preside the 196^th Convocation and Installation of Dr. Sébastien Lebel-Grenier on Friday, September 22^nd in Centennial Theatre. For the occasion, Bishop’s will also confer degrees, diplomas, and certificates in course to some 50 graduates in attendance for the Class of 2023.

Convocation is also a time to recognize the outstanding achievements of deserving individuals, by conferring Doctorates in Civil Law (D.C.L.) upon Honorands – former rectrice at Université de Sherbrooke, Luce Samoisette and contemporary artist, Heidi Feldman Spector will be honored during this ceremony.

What:     196^th Convocation and Installation Ceremony of Bishop’s University’s 19^th Principal and Vice-Chancellor

When:    Friday, September 22, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.

Where:   Centennial Theatre, Bishop’s University (B10 on the campus map)

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MEDIA REQUESTS:

Sonia Patenaude, Manager of Communications
Communications Office, Bishop’s University
819-342-2587
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca