Let's all give a warm What's Up welcome to Erika Dyck. Erika is a native of our fair town, and first gained fame, if not fortune, completing an MA here under the supervision of our very own Valerie Korinek. After earning her Ph.D. at McMaster University, Erika, a specialist in medical history, joined the University of Alberta on a joint appointment to both the Faculty of Medicine and the History Department. Her ship has now come in, however, and she returns to this department as an Associate Professor.

The fact that Erika has now joined us is reason enough for celebration. But wait! There's more!

Erika's new book is just out. Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD from From Clinic to Campus (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 2008). The book blows the lid off the spectacular counterculture myths about LSD, which turns out to have been very much a Saskatchewan product. It came about at at time when Saskatchewan's reputation as the North American home of universal health care, and the Tommy Douglas government's willingness to spend money on medical research, attracted skilled scientists from across Canada and beyond to this campus and to facilities around the province. The ultimate anti-establishment drug came about thanks to earnest and highly skilled medical researchers conducting well-funded research at the leading edge of psychopharmacology. Click here to learn more, and be sure to add terrific new book to your personal collection.

And in case you were wondering, you can rest easy (or disappointed, as the case may be): this book was printed on Acid-free paper.

This just in! A What's Up World Exclusive!

One of our very most loyal correspondents captured this action shot of our very own Dr. Lisa Smith just moments after she wed our dear friend (and, indeed, her dear friend) Mark Gudgeon this past weekend in London. Lisa and Mark have been a commuting couple for some time, plying the friendly skies from Saskatoon to Heathrow and back. This coming year Lisa is on sabbatical in, of all places, London. Needless to say (but we'll say it anyway) all of us here at What's Up wish the happy couple a very Merry Marriage!

It seems like not so long ago that star reporter Wendy Gillis, make that Star Phoenix reporter Wendy Gillis, was a History student. In fact, it was not so long ago at all. Wendy graduated this past May with a double honours degree in History and Something Else.

Believe it or not, writing essays was never enough for Wendy. Not enough writing, that is. Wendy always intended to parlay her History degree into a career in journalism, and she worked hard to get to where she has already got. As of June, she was still Editor-in-Chief of the Sheaf (in which capacity she appears here, lobbying for improved funding for the paper), and she is a former intern and frequent contributor to Explore: A Journal of Discovery, Creativity and Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan published by our friends over at the Research Communications Office. These days, Wendy covers the city beat for the Star Phoenix. Her byline has appeared regularly on the front page in recent days, including today's sad lead on the death of a Saskatchewan soldier in Afghanistan, and last week's gut-churning review of the rides at this year's Ex. Just goes to show that with talent and hard work you can witness history unfolding and write for pay.

Congratulations to Steve Cavan, who for many years taught Classics at the U of S. Thousands of you will know Steve from his famous "Myths" class. Steve no longer teaches for us, but our loss is beers gain. Steve is the founder and commander-in-chief of the increasingly celebrated Paddock Wood Brewery, whose hand-crafted beers are made here and sold now in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC. Besides drinking real good, Steve's beers continue to garner awards. Not just those illegible little foil medallion thingys the Germans slap on their bottles, either, but real awards like Best Canadian Lager 2008, which the Calgary Beer Festival recently bestowed on Paddock Wood's wondrous Black Cat Lager, and the even more prestigious Best Locally Brewed Beer award from Planet S Magazine. As Steve says, "Think Globally. Drink Locally."

The Diefenbaker Canada Centre of the University of Saskatchewan is looking for a few good students.

Our friends over at the Dief (located on our own fair campus) have part-time job openings available for museum interpreters.

They are looking for current U of S students in their second or third years of undergraduate study, generally, and since History Students are, by definition, good students, then that suggests that you might well be qualified for a job!!! And a rather nice and interesting (and indoor!) job, at that. Indeed, you might well be well qualified. (Please Note: as an equal-opportunity employer, the Diefenbaker Centre of Canada requires of applicants neither goose-stepping abillities nor a Communist Party affiliation. )

To learn more, check out the ad at the usask student employment website or just click here.