Rasmussen Research Chair renewed

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 18:56:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Joe Rasmussen, a professor of biological sciences and a national leader in aquatic ecosystem research, has had his Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) funding as a Tier I Canada Research Chair renewed.

The need to provide dependable water supplies for agricultural, industrial and domestic uses without degrading natural processes is a major sustainability challenge. Rasmussen's research projects address this problem and many more.

"Joe and his team have made a vital contribution towards furthering the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's commitment in the area of water research, which is not only a key part of our strategic plan but is furthering our progress as we become a comprehensive research university," says Dr. Dan Weeks, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's vice-president research.

He adds that Rasmussen's award affirms the
U of L's place as a leader in water and aquatic ecosystems research.

"He has built up the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's presence in the aquatic research community to an unprecedented extent, and was recently the only Albertan appointed to a major review panel on the environmental state of the Athabasca River Basin surrounding the oil sands," says Weeks. "The U of L has become recognized as an important centre for research in fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, which would have been inconceivable a decade ago."

Rasmussen's research has made a significant contribution to the development of tracer approaches that are used to model energy flow in aquatic food webs. His research has provided fresh insights and technical inroads into important ecological problems such as the biomagnification of persistent contaminants and the impacts of heavy metals on environmental quality.

The good news came as part of a national announcement by Tony Clement, Federal Industry Minister, who confirmed $275.6 million to fund 310 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs at 53 Canadian universities.

Rasmussen will receive $1.4 million over the next seven years – funds that will allow him to focus on several diverse research projects and add doctoral and master's level researchers to his already-busy lab group.

He says his original and renewed funding, when combined with other aquatic researchers, played an important role in leveraging funds to build the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, which stands as a symbol of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's strategic commitment to water research.

"In addition, the funds have helped leverage more than $3 million from Western Economic Diversification to equip the building and to build a state-of-the-art Aquatic Research Facility within this building," says Rasmussen. "I am really pleased to have the funding continue for another term, and am looking forward to a significant expansion of my research programming."

One of the new projects Rasmussen is working on involves an NSERC-supported strategic network called HydroNet, which partners with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the hydroelectric industry.

The aim of the project is to develop science-based criteria for assessing productive capacity of aquatic ecosystems where water flow and water levels are affected by hydroelectric dams.

"Our work on the effects of flow regulation is helping to inform policy regarding instream flow requirements for aquatic ecosystem health, which is part of the core mandate of the Alberta Water Research Institute," says Rasmussen.

Award-winning collaborations

trevor.kenney — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:26:19 +0000

As Alberta's economy and population continue to boom, the demand for water is soaring and so is the need to know how well we're managing this invaluable resource.

Biological scientists Drs. Alice Hontela and Stewart Rood are part of a team of world-renowned researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge who are seeking to answer the province's most pressing questions related to water.

Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network. She says climate change and increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants in it.

Through lab and fieldwork, she studies the endocrine systems of different fish species – whose systems resemble in some aspects those of humans – to determine the effects of certain pollutants.

She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

"Alberta is a province that is really changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants."

Rood, who was a co-director of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research from 2002 to 2007, is now part of a river research group supported by the new Alberta Water Research Institute. He is also a recent recipient of a Killam Research Fellowship.

He studies the relationship between water (particularly river water) and aspects of the natural environment, like floodplain forests (zones that flank rivers).

"More broadly, the topic in my area is, 'How can we effectively manage water in areas that are water scarce, with the double-threat of reducing water supplies due to climate change and increasing demands due to human population and industrial activity?'"

The answers Rood, Hontela and their colleagues discover will be crucial for making sound management decisions about water resources today and in the future.

UNews - Alberta Water Research Institute

Rasmussen Research Chair renewed

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