UNews - ERICA LIND

Stimson makes most of co-op work term

trevor.kenney — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:42:57 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Many students in the sciences read about DNA in the classroom, but what kind of students get to actually work with DNA in a lab - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Co-op students.

Joel Stimson, a Bioscience major, completed his first Co-op work term in summer 2008.

"My friends said they enjoyed the Co-op program so that's why I decided to do it," says Stimson. "I got a job as soon as I got into the program."

Stimson worked at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Hepler Hall with Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, a Biological Sciences professor

Joel Stimson used a co-op work term to learn from biological sciences professor Dr. Igor Kovalchuk.

specializing in plant biotechnology.

"We studied the effects of different chemical concentrations and components on canola," he explains, "such as phosphates, cerium, and lanthanum."

Stimson worked with a specific gene called RAD52 and learned various laboratory techniques of extracting this gene from canola. He was responsible for cutting and inserting DNA, planting seeds, looking at shoot formation, reducing genetic mutations and determining optimal growing conditions of canola. His research has many implications in the field of gene research, but more important are the agricultural benefits that these chemical and gene insertions may have for the optimization of canola growth.

The Arts and Science Co-operative Education Program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge works to create a partnership between students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the employer, and allows for an extended learning environment as well as the ability to network with employers. Students can integrate academic semesters with work terms, and can apply skills learned in the classroom directly to the workplace and vice versa.

Throughout his work term Stimson learned valuable laboratory techniques and procedures that will help him immensely in his further studies and research.

"My Co-op experience will help increase my chances of getting into medical school," he says. "I would recommend the program to anyone who wants to weigh their career options and see what kind of potential they have."

For more information on the Arts and Science Co-operative Education program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

Glacial work all part of Applied Study program

trevor.kenney — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:04:58 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Dan Juhlin's university experience does not consist of classrooms and textbooks alone. In addition to taking classes, Juhlin is conducting hands-on research on a crucial scientific issue that could potentially have global implications.

A Bachelor of Science student with a concentration on GIS, Juhlin participated in a very unique Applied Study, studying the glaciers of the Geikie Plateau in East Greenland, under the supervision of Dr. Hester Jiskoot.

"The main objective of the study is to re-do the glacial inventory of Greenland, and to look at changes in these

Bachelor of Science student Dan Juhlin has been able to conduct hands-on research as part of his Applied Study program.

glaciers that have occurred over the years," says Jiskoot.

To do this, Juhlin is cataloguing all of the glaciers, assigning an identification code to each of them, and tracing out where they are by using computer programs and satellite imagery.

The Applied Studies program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge enables students to obtain credit for hands-on experience at a 2000, 3000, or 4000 level. Students who participate in the program are able to add a personalized dimension to their degrees, enhancing their university experience and making them more employable once they graduate. Work experience is combined with research, creating a diversified learning opportunity.

While conducting his research, Juhlin made an important discovery.

"I discovered a Surge-Type glacier in the process of surging," he explains. "Only about a dozen of the hundreds of glaciers in East Greenland have been observed to surge."

Surging glaciers do not have a steady flow but rather go through phases of little to no flow followed by abrupt increases in flow, and only represent about 1 per cent of the world's glaciers.

According to Juhlin, this finding is significant because there are ice streams in the Antarctic that behave in a similar way.

"By studying one of these small surging glaciers, it's hoped that insight into ice stream behaviour can be gained," he explains. "This is important to the scientific community because ice streams replenish the ice shelves in the Antarctic when they break up. This has implications for predictions of global sea level changes as a result of global warming."

Jiskoot notes that glacial behaviour has an impact on icebergs, which can affect sea levels and, additionally, shipping routes, oil rigs and northern communities. Because of the many effects of glacial behaviour, Juhlin's research is critically important to the scientific community.

"My Applied Study allowed me to do real research that matters to real people," says Juhlin. "The hands-on experience is great because employers look for people who have experience."

He notes that he is also learning valuable research and academic writing skills, and has even co-authored a publication with Jiskoot in a refereed scientific journal.

"This gives [Dan and other students like him] invaluable experience, exposure, and a record that gives them a large advantage in their further studies," says Jiskoot. "This undergraduate student involvement in scientific research is quite exceptional, and a real asset of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge."

The skills and experience gained during his Applied Study will help Juhlin in his application to graduate school. In fact, the Applied Study has already allowed him to determine what his grad project will be.

For more information on the Applied Studies program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

Miller uses co-op experience to shape future

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:18:10 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Career choices do not come easily to most of us. Learning about your career in the classroom is one thing; learning about it in the work world is quite another. This is something Holly Miller found, and it is something that led her to change her career path entirely.

With a double major in French and English, Miller wondered what she could do with her degree.

"I talked to a U of L counsellor who suggested I talk to the people at the Co-op office," she explains. "So I asked them about the program and they totally sold me on it."

Holly Miller worked four different co-op work terms during her time in the Arts & Science Co-operative Education Program.

Miller had initially thought that the Arts and Science Co-op program was only for students in the sciences, but when she learned that there were also jobs for students in the arts, she decided to participate in the program.

The Arts and Science Co-operative Education Program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge works to create a partnership between students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the employer, and allows for an extended learning environment as well as the ability to network with employers. Students can integrate academic semesters with work terms, and can apply skills learned in the classroom directly to the workplace and vice versa.

Miller completed her first work term at the Rocky Mountain House Museum as a museum assistant. She had a variety of responsibilities including interpreting, helping with activities and tours and taking inventory for an entire floor of the museum.

She then completed a second work term at the museum, which involved translating a variety of materials from English to French. Her main project was translating the life story of Henry Stelfox, who had important historical connections with the Native peoples of the area.

Next, Miller accepted a third work term at the Communications Security Establishment of Canada, which is a branch of the Department of Defence. The Communications Security Establishment gathers foreign intelligence and is an expert on secure technology. Miller worked again as a translator, this time translating and editing sensitive documents.

"Working at CSEC was such a unique experience," says Miller. "The most memorable part of the job was how respected Co-op students were; we were treated not just as temporary help but as an investment in the organization's future."

Miller then completed her fourth work term at the City of Edmonton's NextGen Initiative. The purpose of the NextGen Initiative is to represent the 18 to 40-year old demographic in Edmonton and to give them a voice in how to best develop the community to meet the needs of the next generation. Her position as a coordinator assistant helped with communications, marketing and the planning of meetings and events.

"I liked it better than translating," she says. "I like planning events and working with people. Before I started the Co-op program I thought for sure that I wanted to be a translator, but when I actually tried doing it I realized that it maybe wasn't the career for me, and that I preferred doing a variety of tasks, so now I've completely shifted directions in my career goals."

The skills Miller learned during her work terms are varied and valuable. She has learned about government operations and structure at both a federal and provincial level, how communications and marketing works, and she has learned the value of networking and making a good impression. According to Miller, the practical experience gained from the Co-op program is essential.

"Being in the workforce and seeing what it's like is really important," she emphasizes. "It's like a two-way interview – the company is seeing what you're like and you're seeing what the company is like. That can really shape your decision about what you want to do for a living."

Another benefit of the Co-op program is its flexibility. After four months of working at a company you often have the option of leaving or staying longer, or sometimes staying permanently. Miller views the Co-op program as a win-win situation.

"I don't understand why anyone wouldn't do it," she says. "I really can't say enough about it. It's just an amazing program."

For more information on the Co-op program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

Co-op experience the key for Chowdhury

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:24:44 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Subir Chowdhury is no ordinary student. With one year left to complete his degree he has already gained two years of experience in the working world, and after graduating will be able to pursue any job he wants within his field.

Chowdhury was able to gain this competitive edge through the U of L's Arts and Science Co-operative Education Program. With a major in Computer Science and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), he decided to participate in the program early in his university career.

"I was interested in learning how I could integrate my GIS knowledge with real life projects," explains

Subir Chowdhury, foreground, used the U of L's Co-operative Education Program to gain valuable experience in a work environment. His brother Sudipto has now enrolled at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to follow suit.

Chowdhury. "The people at the co-op office were very encouraging and inspired me to participate in the program."

The Co-operative Education Program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge works to create a partnership between students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the employer, and allows for an extended learning environment as well as the ability to network with employers. Students can integrate academic semesters with work terms, and can apply skills learned in the classroom directly to the workplace and vice versa.

Chowdhury completed a co-op work term at Yukon Geological Survey and another at Alberta Geological Survey. He was able to learn a multitude of technical skills through these work terms and had a wide variety of responsibilities. While with Alberta Geological Survey, Chowdhury worked on two major projects: the Peace River Landslide Monitoring Project and the Turtle Mountain Monitoring Project.

The goal of the Turtle Mountain Monitoring Project is to try to understand what caused the rock avalanche of 1903 that buried the town of Frank, and to determine whether a second rock avalanche will occur. Chowdhury had an important role in this ongoing project. He worked in the resources branch of Alberta Geological Survey in the Geohazard section, Groundwater Inventory section and Knowledge Management section.

For the Geohazard and Knowledge Management sections, he developed a web-mapping application for the project, using an ArcGIS Server application development framework. He also developed a dynamic charting application for Turtle Mountain sensor networks and web-based three-dimensional models for LiDar images and high-resolution satellite images. Chowdhury's work contributed to an understanding of the risks associated with living in this and other such areas, and will help to warn residents before disaster occurs.

Chowdhury also developed a web-mapping application for the Peace River Landslide Monitoring Project (a shared project with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta), and even co-authored a publication for the project.

Because of the benefits that Chowdhury gained from the co-op program, his brother Sudipto decided to follow his path to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as well – specifically for the co-op program.

"The life experience I gained from the co-op program has been really valuable, so I encouraged my brother to do it too," he says. "The people at the co-op office helped me learn how to market myself and get into the job market, and they were always supportive and willing to answer any questions I might have. I really feel like they care about the students."

For more information on the co-op program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

Applied Study program works for Chalmers

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:08:59 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Not everything you learn in university needs to come from a textbook. For Carli Chalmers (BSc '08), some of the most valuable knowledge she gained came in the form of feathers and talons.

"In the classroom, learning isn't always centred around your specific interests," she says. "By doing an Applied Study at the Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, I was able to focus on exactly what I wanted to learn."

The Applied Studies program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge enables students to obtain credit for hands-on

Carli Chalmers gained hands-on experience at the Birds of Prey Centre while studying in the Applied Studies program at the U of L.

experience at the 2000, 3000, or 4000 level. Students who participate in the program are able to add a personalized dimension to their degrees, enhancing their university experience and making them more employable once they graduate. Work experience is combined with research, creating a diversified learning opportunity.

During Chalmers' 4000-level Applied Study at the Birds of Prey Centre, she had a wide variety of responsibilities. Not only was she responsible for cleaning, feeding, training, and handling birds, she was also responsible for running the visitor centre and brainstorming new ways to cater educational programs to specific groups of people.

In addition, Chalmers wrote a paper on the relationship between prey size and hawk size as part of the Applied Study. Chalmers, who has career aspirations in the field of veterinary sciences, enjoyed her Applied Study because it allowed her to learn exactly how she wanted to learn.

"This was a very unique experience," she says. "It provided me with much more one-on-one interaction with a professor than normal classes allow, and I gained a lot of critical thinking skills as well as many other valuable skills."

Chalmers, who graduated with a Bachelor of Biological Sciences, moved on to study in the new veterinary program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

For more information on the Applied Studies program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

UNews - ERICA LIND

Stimson makes most of co-op work term

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