UNews - Catharine Reader

Recognizing winners of the 2020 President's Awards

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 23:20:02 +0000

The President’s Award for Service Excellence is awarded annually to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge employees in recognition of the provision of exceptional service to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

Typically, one award is given to an AUPE/ESS employee, one award is given to an APO/Executive Director employee and a third is given to a team or group (not awarded this year) that has distinguished itself.

Following are the 2020 winners.

APO — Catharine Reader

A dedicated and creative professional, Catharine Reader goes above and beyond to raise the profile of our students, faculty members and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

As director of marketing and communications in the Faculty of Arts & Science, the breadth of Catharine’s work spans more than 30 departments and programs, ranging in scope from supporting recruitment initiatives, managing the Faculty’s web sites and social media, developing content and organizing events. With everything she does, Catharine represents the Faculty and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with grace and professionalism, always ensuring the highest of standards are exceeded.

Catharine is the driving force behind a number of initiatives within the Faculty, including the Arts & Science Scholarship Dinner, the Celebration of Academic Excellence and the PUBlic Professor series. Over the years, Catharine has worked tirelessly taking the PUBlic Professor series from an idea to a greatly anticipated monthly event that connects the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with the community, sharing the Faculty’s outstanding research with the public and sparking important conversations. Even the COVID restrictions this year couldn’t put a damper on the series. Catharine expanded her video production and social media skills and took the series online to a worldwide audience.

Through hard work, long hours and an enormous amount of care, Catharine has built a reputation of being a knowledgeable and trusted resource among her colleagues from across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Catharine continuously updates her skills, and is recognized for her expert project management, technical, communication, recruitment and marketing abilities. She is generous with her time and knowledge, and is always there to collaborate and help a colleague, friend and her family.

Catharine puts her heart into everything she does, and her love for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and our students truly shines.

AUPE — Ron Schreiber

As a support analyst in the Managed Applications team with Information Technology Services, Ron Schreiber supports key information systems across campus. Within Ancillary Services, Ron supports with an array of systems and programs that affect everyday life on campus, including Bridge Bucks, student laundry, printing and dining plans. His expertise is critical to the smooth operation of the systems behind the many daily transactions students make on campus.

Regardless of the time of day, Ron provides excellent service in a calm, unflappable way. Often, staff will call him with an urgent matter involving a system malfunction and he responds immediately to solve the problem. His dedication to great customer service extends to making sure students, when they move in to residence, have access to a back-up dining plan card if they misplace their card, making sure new students have a positive first impression of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the process. When students have an issue he can’t resolve behind the scenes, he’s open to having them visit his office so he can address the problem in person.

Ron takes a proactive approach and quickly identifies potential challenges or technical issues with Ancillary Services systems to minimize the impact on operations. In addition to maintaining current systems, he seeks out new solutions to expand services while reducing costs to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. These projects typically include coordinating with other departments and vendors on campus and he takes a lead role in ensuring a successful outcome.

Described as positive, reliable, helpful, prompt and downright amazing, Ron goes above and beyond in carrying out his duties. His steadfast dedication to excellent service inspires everyone he comes into contact with.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge jumps in to host annual URSCA event online, allowing students to showcase research

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:32:29 +0000

Students were the focus as the annual URSCA event was moved to an online format, allowing undergraduate research to be showcased. Pictured above are award winners from the two-day event.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge lived up to its reputation as one of the country’s top-rated universities for undergraduate research by stepping up at the last minute to host the annual Undergraduate Research in Science Conference of Alberta (URSCA) — and presenting it in an online format.

URSCA, in its sixth year, is a celebration of Alberta's scientific discovery and innovation at the earliest stage of post-secondary education. Increasingly, student-focused, research-intensive institutions are not only encouraging hands-on research in the laboratory and the field at the undergraduate level but are also providing a wide range of experiential education opportunities.

Originally scheduled to be held at MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, COVID-19 restrictions put an end to any chance of an in-person URSCA gathering. When schools were surveyed over whether an online event could be put together, the U of L jumped in as host. The result was the biggest conference yet, with 220 attendees.

“To empower the next generation, it is essential to provide opportunities for budding researchers to gain experience in the public dissemination of their work as they become members of a community of scholars,” says the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Dr. Matthew Letts, incoming dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, of why it was important for the conference to take place. “It bodes well that Alberta universities understand this need and celebrate this form of experiential learning.”

For many students, this was their first time presenting their research, and they were asked to do it online, which came with a new set of challenges and pressures. Organizers offered three separate drop-in help sessions to address any technical concerns with the online format, and then grouped abstracts into themes, to ensure that all attendees got the most out of each session. Judges and moderators from across Alberta were matched to sessions within their area of knowledge, so they could ask meaningful questions to encourage further growth and development for presenters.

The conference opened with U of L Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair and computational chemist, Dr. Stacey Wetmore, presenting The Things Computers Can Teach Us About the Chemistry of DNA and RNA. The next day, the formal conference took place as students participated in 60 oral presentations and were able to view 54 poster presentations.

“The quality of the presentations was exceptional, which is a testament to the students’ dedication to research, and to the support they receive from their faculty supervisors,” says Letts. “It also signalled that not only is research still alive during the pandemic, it is thriving.”

Organizers were pleased to be able to present a platform allowing students to showcase their work.

“We are humbled by the number of our colleagues from across Alberta who stepped forward to volunteer throughout the conference,” says Catharine Reader, an event organizer with the U of L’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “They volunteered to review and group abstracts and to serve as hosts, moderators and judges. We acknowledge the collaborative efforts of all participating Alberta post-secondary institutions in making URSCA a successful experience for undergraduate research students.”

Artists sought for submissions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:12:37 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge artists have an opportunity to see their work reproduced and used as gifts for exhibitors at the 2010 Career Fair, to be held in the fall.

As part of a long-standing and very popular tradition at the U of L Career Fair, a limited edition print is presented to each employer in attendance. The organizing committee is once again seeking submissions from local talent and invites all interested U of L students and alumni to consider participating in the selection process. Should you be chosen, this serves as an excellent opportunity to showcase your talent.

Previous submissions have either been newly created pieces based on the current Career Fair theme, or are chosen from a portfolio of the artist's existing pieces. This year's theme is Start Here...Go Anywhere!

Artists will have the option of creating something new, based on this year's theme, or allowing the organizing committee to browse their portfolio of work available for purchase. Those interested in submitting items can arrange a time to bring their portfolio by the Arts & Science Coop/Applied Studies office. To discuss this opportunity in greater detail, contact Catharine Reader at catharine.reader@uleth.ca. Submissions must be a painting or similar medium that can be easily reproduced.

Submissions will be accepted up until July 19, at which time the selected piece will be announced. The chosen piece will be purchased and a limited number of prints created for use at the Career Fair.

Syncrude Information Session, Wednesday

trevor.kenney — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:35:36 +0000

The Cooperative Education and Internships Program is hosting an information session with representatives of Syncrude Canada on Wednesday evening in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall.

The Syncrude Information Session is geared towards computer science students. It offers students the opportunity to learn about Syncrude Canada from company representatives and then participate in interview sessions for possible internship opportunities.

The evening runs 5 to 7 p.m. in C640, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall.

For more information, contact Catharine Reader at 403-382-7154 or via e-mail at catharine.reader@uleth.ca.

UNews - Catharine Reader

Recognizing winners of the 2020 President's Awards

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge jumps in to host annual URSCA event online, allowing students to showcase research

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Artists sought for submissions

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Syncrude Information Session, Wednesday

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge jumps in to host annual URSCA event online, allowing students to showcase research