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New honour puts chazan/scientist Michael Eskin in elite company

Dr. Michael Eskin

By MYRON LOVE

In a career rich in accomplishments, Michael Eskin has climbed another pinnacle. In early May, he was notified that he is this year’s recipient of the Supelco AOCS (American Oil Chemists Society) Research Award.

This – the AOCS’s most prestigious award – recognizes outstanding original research in fats, oils, lipid chemistry and biochemistry.
“While he has received several awards in recent years (including several other AOC awards as well as being inducted into the Order of Canada), “I never visualized this award,” he says. “I am overwhelmed to be in the company of Nobel laureates (three of whom are previous recipients of the award over the past 56 years).”
“My mother always used to say that you should never retire and she was right,” he adds. “If I had retired at 65, I am not sure if all the recognition that I have received would have happened. This is incredible.”
Eskin is just the fifth Canadian scientist to receive this particular award, which has been presented to scientists in many different disciplines, including organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry and nutrition. The honour comes with a plaque and a substantive cash prize, and opportunity to present an award lecture.

Now in his 53rd year, Michael Eskin (who is originally from Birmingham, England and who is also a chazan) is the longest serving member on the faculty of the University of Manitoba Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, where he has served as department chair and associate dean. In 2017, he was selected by the students in his faculty as Professor of the Year.
The centerpiece of Eskin’s career has been his work on the development of edible oils; he played a key role in the successful development of canola oil. He has published over 250 research articles, book chapters, monographs, abstracts and several patents. He has published 15 books – including two on canola – with a 16th book in the works.
He has been an active member of the AOCS for many years, having served as chair of the AOCS Lipid Oxidation and Quality Division and was the first chair of the AOCS Division Council. In addition to serving as an associate editor of JAOCS, he was co-editor of Lipid Technology for seven years and is associate editor of education for the AOCS Lipid Library.

While the Supelco Award is traditionally presented at the AOCS yearly conference, that will not be the case this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. “We will be having a virtual conference in May and I will be delivering a virtual lecture,” Eskin reports. “I expect that I will officially be presented with the award at next year’s conference.”
Naturally, he will be teaching his course online in the fall. “I had 250 students enrolled in my last class and expect about 200 in my fall class,” he says. “I hope that things get back to normal soon. You can’t really develop relationships with students this way.”

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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students

By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard.  Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.  
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology  – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging. 
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the  Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty.  “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”

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Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition

Gray Academy staff (l-r): Daniele Miller, Lindsey Leipsic, Nick Maier

By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”

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