January 15, 1999

Profile: Selma Guigard

Twenty below zero doesn't slow down Selma Giugard

Edmonton has been a pleasant surprise for Selma Guigard. The river valley and ravine walking trails remind her of her native Ottawa. And having taken her undergraduate degree in Grenoble, France, she is especially delighted with our city's vibrant francophone milieu. Along with her husband and 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Guigard came to Edmonton from the University of Guelph to take a position in Environmental Engineering. She enjoys teaching and is continuing her research in supercritical fluid extraction.

"I'm working on trying to develop one technology to remove both organic and inorganic contaminants from soils and waste streams. Supercritical fluid extraction involves using carbon dioxide under high pressure, with a temperature of around 31 degrees Celsius, which gives it very different properties. It's not a gas, not a liquid - that's why it's called a supercritical fluid. Carbon dioxide has zero surface tension and low viscosity so it can get into every nook and cranny," she explains. It's a similar process, she says, to the one Maxwell House uses to decaffeinate coffee.

Guigard says that the helpfulness of department colleagues and the Faculty of Engineering's excellent orientation program have made her transition to the University of Alberta very pleasant. On the weekends, you might find her with her family at the Strathcona Farmers' Market or at Sorrentino's enjoying what she describes a "great" pizza.

Folio front page

Office of Public Affairs

University of Alberta