UNews - Iunctus Geomatics

Fitzpatrick, Iunctus honoured with ASTech awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:29:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick (water and environmental sciences) and local geomatics technology company, Iunctus Geomatics, received ASTech awards at a gala celebration of science and technology held recently in Edmonton.

Fitzpatrick and Iunctus were among 36 leading individuals and organizations nominated for 2010 Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) awards. The honourees represent the province's brightest minds and most innovative enterprises, demonstrating the abundance of outstanding activity occurring in Alberta's science and technology community.

The Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Leadership Foundation was created to celebrate and promote the achievements of Alberta's scientific and technological communities. The yearly awards are handed out in four categories, including Health Solutions, Biological Sciences, Technology and Energy and the Environment. Fitzpatrick and Iunctus Geomatics were both nominated in the Technology class.

In addition, Dr. David Naylor of the U of L's Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned a nomination in the Technology class, and Dr. Tim McAllister, a U of L adjunct professor in biological sciences, earned a nomination in the Biological Sciences classification.

Significant And Mentionable

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:46:20 +0000

Chancellor named Citizen of the Year

Widely known as one Alberta's most influential people, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Chancellor Richard Davidson was recognized in May as the Lethbridge Citizen of the Year by the Rotary Club of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Herald.

"Clearly in his law practice, his work with the Chamber of Commerce, his work with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and his work with virtually every other volunteer organization you could imagine, this is one cool dude," says Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck, who also presented Davidson with a key to the city. "This is the highest honour we can bestow upon anyone, and Richard is extremely deserving."

Davidson was appointed a Queen's counsel in 1986 and is a partner at the law firm of Davidson & Williams. In recognition of his many contributions to the community, he has received numerous awards including the Commemoration Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada by the Governor General, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Law Society of Alberta Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Community.

U of L at forefront of water hub

World Water Day, on March 22, served as the perfect occasion for federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice to announce $1.5 million in funding for the creation of the Water and Environmental Sciences Water Hub at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The Hub, which will be developed over the next two years, will serve as a data repository and will be an authoritative public source of information, providing tools to analyze water and environmental data. This data will be used by governments, industry, academia and the public to make more-informed decisions regarding water, and will create a better understanding of this resource by these stakeholders.

Prentice explains that the government needs reliable water data to make better decisions concerning water.

"To make good decisions, governments in Canada need good information – and it's not as though you can just turn on a tap to get it. We need knowledge generated by scientists and researchers who can provide the evidence for informed decisions about freshwater use," says Prentice.

Ellis welcomed as new management dean

On July 1, Dr. Robert (Bob) James Ellis will join the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as the new dean for the Faculty of Management.

Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Ellis is an accomplished administrator who successfully bolstered business programs at both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia and Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

With a collaborative and visionary approach, he has a strong record of attracting accomplished faculty and raising the research profile of programs. His current research focuses on increasing educational opportunities in society, specifically for aboriginal students in a business environment.

Ellis is looking forward to the creative atmosphere he sees within the Faculty.

"Throughout my career, my focus has always been to try and increase opportunities for students through the development of new courses or new programs," says Ellis. "The faculty at the U of L are very innovative, and I think at the forefront of management thought and action."

Ellis succeeds Dr. Murray Lindsay, who spent the past five years in the position and is returning to the academic community at the U of L.

Education dean O'Dea passes leadership to Loewen

After 10 years of incredible success, Dr. Jane O'Dea will step away from her role as dean of the Faculty of Education at the end of June. And while she is handing the reins of leadership over with plans to return to the classroom, she has no plans to leave the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Dr. Craig Loewen

"Absolutely not. This is a tremendous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. I love its size, I love its entrepreneurial innovative spirit and its emphasis on community and student engagement," says O'Dea.

Taking over the Faculty, Dr. Craig Loewen (BEd '84) will serve as acting dean for a two-year term.

A veteran faculty member, Loewen admits he will miss the classroom, but stands firmly in a belief that whatever the setting, teaching is an important calling.

"You're looking after the path, building for the future, caring about the kids of today. I find it really hard to see anything much more important than that," he says. "The person who you are can, at some point, be traced back to a teacher or mentor."

CREATE funding translates to employment opportunities

On June 10, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) announced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as the recipient of the CREATE program award. The U of L will be the only institution in Alberta to receive the award this year.

With more than $1.6 million, the CREATE program award provides funding for approximately 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates working in satellite and other imaging programs, including photonics, climate change, civil engineering and optical networks.

Through the program, 20 projects will receive $32 million over six years, support that will help science and engineering graduates upgrade their skills to make a successful transition to the workplace.

As part of this, participating students will complete work placements with local, national and international organizations including companies such as Iunctus Geomatics, the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Corporation, Natural Resources Canada, NASA and several European research institutes.

U of L Vice-President of Research Dr. Dan Weeks says this will give students a strong mix of professional skills development and workforce preparation.

"The exciting aspect for me is the employment rate for graduates," says Weeks. "It isn't unreasonable to expect 100 per cent employment, because we are looking at this as a model that will provide for sustainable training for research workforce preparation."

Top 40 Under 40

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, a biological sciences and epigenetics researcher at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, can now add recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40TM to an already long list of accomplishments.

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk

Canada's Top 40 Under 40TM, a prestigious national award program, annually honours 40 Canadians in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors under the age of 40.

With more than 1,200 nominees, honourees were selected by an independent advisory board based on five key criteria: vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; community involvement and contribution; and strategy for growth.

"This is an outstanding award for Olga, the members of her lab team, for her research collaborators here and literally worldwide – and for our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says U of L President Dr. Bill Cade.

"Olga has worked very hard to bring new research and new programs to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and has influenced countless young researchers. With her husband and research collaborator, Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, they have brought new people with a wealth of international talent to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. It is an understatement to say that we are extremely proud of her achievement."

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair, as well as a Canadian Institute of Health Research Chair in Gender, Sex and Health, Kovalchuk focuses her research on the effects of long-term exposure to radiation, and how that exposure changes cellular and molecular structures in animals and people.

Inspired by her experience as a high school student living in Ukraine, only 600 kilometres from the nuclear Chernobyl blast, her work examines how radiation induces secondary tumours in cancer patients, the different effects radiation has on women and men, and what can be done to protect the children of radiation-exposed parents from contracting cancer.

Kovalchuk has also played a key role in working toward establishing an Alberta Institute for Epigenetics at the U of L.

Sakamotos give back

Ron and Joyce Sakamoto

Ron Sakamoto (LLD '03), or "Sak," as he is affectionately known, has presented shows from KISS to Shania Twain. In March, the concert provider and his wife, Joyce, announced a $200,000 donation in support of students in the U of L Digital Audio Arts (DAA) program. The gift will be matched by the Government of Alberta's Access to the Future Fund, bringing the total to $400,000.

Launched last fall, the DAA program is the first of its kind in Canada and produces graduates who are experts in music technology and have skills to integrate with visual media, audio and advanced research.

"The role of audio across all media has changed monumentally from the traditional broadcast media of the past. The culture of audio and visual media is growing and evolving rapidly," says Sakamoto.

"Joyce and I are happy to support students in the DAA program. These are the people who will be superstars in the years to come, and I look forward to the contributions this group will make to the music industry."

To view the entire issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

U of L gets chance to CREATE

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:36:09 +0000

Thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, young researchers will have an opportunity to creatively expand their professional and personal skills to prepare for the workplace.

"Our government is committed to developing, attracting and retaining the world's best researchers here in Canada," says Rick Casson, Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, who made the investment announcement on behalf of the Hon. Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology).
"Through the investment of the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program, the students involved will be making a successful transition into the knowledge workforce and strengthen Canada's economy."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will receive the only Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) CREATE program award in Alberta this year – more than $1.6 million in funding over 6 years – which will provide funding for approximately 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates.

The U of L program focuses on students who participate in satellite and other imaging programs, and is called the Advanced Methods, Education and Training in Hyperspectral Science and Technology (AMETHYST) program.

More than 80 per cent of the funding each year will go directly to students in the form of training allowances.

The program also includes a significant work placement component, with local, national and international organizations, including local companies such as Iunctus Geomatics and the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Corporation, the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Natural Resources Canada, NASA and several European research institutes committed to providing meaningful experiences for the students.

Principal Investigator Dr. Phil Teillet (physics and astronomy) says he and his more than 15 U of L collaborators are very appreciative for the CREATE funding.

"NSERC has got it right with the CREATE program because it's about students and their research training," says Teillet.
"The U of L has added a strong dose of professional skills development and workforce preparation to the mix. I'm also very appreciative of the hard work put in by the U of L investigators and collaborators on the grant submission, as well as the enthusiastic support we received from all areas of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ faculty and administration."

Telliet added that for most of the past decade, the U of L has invested strategically in imaging research and teaching, putting a number of important building blocks in place.

"The high-tech field of imaging is used daily throughout society and in many major job sectors in Canada concerned with areas such as natural resource management, biomedical imaging, national security, climate monitoring, water and the environment. Our program also validates the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's leading-edge expertise in research education."

Dr. Dan Weeks, the U of L's vice-president (research) says the outcomes from the program will be significant, and will benefit students and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community for years to come.

"The exciting aspect for me is the employment rate for graduates – it isn't unreasonable to expect 100 per cent employment, because we are looking at this as a model that will provide for sustainable training for research workforce preparation," says Weeks. "As well, the more big-picture aspects include a new undergraduate curriculum on imaging science and technology, a proposed master of science program in imaging science and new lab laboratory tools for studying atmospheric greenhouse gases, among many other benefits."

UNews - Iunctus Geomatics

Fitzpatrick, Iunctus honoured with ASTech awards

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