UNews - Georgia Strait

Charting a new course

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:36:48 +0000

Dr. Daniel J. Weeks is an explorer in every sense of the word. When he isn't busy in the lab pursuing new discoveries in the areas of cognition and motor performance, or pioneering brain imaging applications for individuals with intellectual and developmental challenges, Weeks can often be found at the helm of his sailboat out on the waters of the Georgia Strait. Whether his passion for discovery was born in academia or on the open seas, one thing is certain: Weeks' innate desire to continually explore new frontiers makes him an ideal choice for the position of vice-president (research) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Weeks joins the U of L after more than a decade at Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, where he was professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, and operator of the Psychomotor Behaviour Laboratory located on the Burnaby campus. With an academic background in kinesiology and psychology, Weeks' research focuses on the mental processes involved between perception and action in goal-directed behaviour, particularly in relation to people with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism. Weeks is very well connected within the international Down syndrome community and is strongly committed to improving the lives of people with the disorder. He is a member on the board of Down Syndrome International and was co-founder of the Down Syndrome Research Foundation in Vancouver – a facility that has become one of the most highly regarded research and imaging labs of its type in the world.

"Dr. Weeks is well known on both sides of the border at all levels of the academic and research community," says U of L President Dr. Bill Cade.
"His work not only helped to build research capacity and attract significant funding at SFU, it positively affected many lives. We're very pleased that Dan has chosen to join our team, and we look forward to having him in the U of L community."

Weeks brings a well-constructed plan for research development at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, with a particular interest in raising the profile of the institution through strategic partnerships and projects. He feels that the U of L is well positioned to take on an even greater research role in many disciplines on both national and international fronts, thanks in large part to the strategic approach the university has taken toward research initiatives thus far.

"There's a tendency for many institutions in Canada to chase available research funding. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has taken a much more thoughtful approach," Weeks says. "The initiatives the U of L has pursued are significant and will have staying power. There's true leadership here, and careful consideration about the direction the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ should go – which tells me that Lethbridge is a place where big ideas can come to fruition."

Weeks plans to leverage local, provincial, federal and international research opportunities for the U of L across all disciplines, maintaining the balance between the Faculties that helped to draw him to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the first place. He cites international recognition for studies done in a diverse range of disciplines as a major factor in his decision to join the U of L.

"It's no surprise that Lethbridge is a world leader in neuroscience, in water research, in the arts and social sciences – in as many disciplines as it is, because liberal education is respected and fostered here," Weeks says. "Our diversity is a great strength. If all of the Faculties can continue to advance together, the U of L will be stronger for it."

In addition to pushing existing research initiatives forward and facilitating the groundwork for more, Weeks plans to bolster the service infrastructure at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to ensure projects have the support they need to succeed. He sees the size of the U of L as a major advantage in this regard.

"We'll have to keep up with the momentum," Weeks explains. "We can't just be successful – we have to be able to manage the success. The U of L is nimble because of its size, and things often get done with a phone call and a handshake that might take months of paperwork elsewhere."

Weeks intends to work closely with the School of Graduate Studies in order to build programming that will attract students to research programs, noting with emphasis that studies don't happen without bright young minds to conduct them.

"We're building something here; we're setting precedents," he says, with clear excitement. "We're creating policy and pushing the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ forward. That's the great thing about research – it never ends. There's always a way to take things to the next level."

Weeks looks at taking research to new heights

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:03:08 +0000

Dr. Daniel J. Weeks knows he's inherited a very good situation as the new vice-president (research) for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. He also understands that, as far as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has progressed as a research institution, only the surface has been scratched.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has established a world-renowned reputation in specific areas such as neuroscience, epigenetics and water research and I'm committed to trying to reach out to all parts of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with respect to research," says Weeks. "We have yet to really showcase our people in health sciences, the arts, social sciences and the humanities and their time is now and it's my job to do that."

Weeks comes to the U of L after more than a decade at Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, where he was professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, and operator of the Psychomotor Behaviour Laboratory located on the Burnaby campus. He looks at the U of L as an incredible opportunity.

"Part of the lure for me has to do with the fact that my own strengths, with a background in psychology, kinesiology and to some degree neuroscience, seem to match up well with the current strengths here," he says.

"What sold me completely on this place is when I came for an interview and met the senior administration team. They are fantastic and truly operate with a team mentality. My impression is they aren't so much worried about their own individual accomplishments as they are concerned about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge doing well, and that told me I could get something accomplished here."

His successes at Simon Fraser, where he guided a research portfolio that grew 10-fold during his tenure, mirror the groundbreaking growth that his predecessor, Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick, achieved at the U of L. Now, Weeks will strive to build on that foundation.

"These are big shoes to fill, Dennis has done a phenomenal job," Weeks says. "I think he did what was so necessary at the time, carving out niche areas of strength, for which Lethbridge now is both a national and international player.
"We're at a point in our development where there's enough expertise distributed across campus that I don't need to get out in front of these initiatives, rather I need to facilitate the fantastic people who have been hired."

While post-secondary education across the country struggles with the reality of difficult economic times, Weeks says the U of L is uniquely prepared for such challenges and will not pull back to protect its assets. Furthermore, well-designed growth is sustainable through any economic difficulty.

"Lethbridge has been very mindful and very careful in its growth, and it has been solid growth," says Weeks. "The economy is tough, but I think we're going to come out the other side of this a better institution."

He likes where the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is in its development, still young and small enough to react quickly to changing circumstance but on the verge of something much broader.

"I think we're right on an interesting tipping point. We probably grew and got to the place we are by being more of a nimble, handshake kind of place. We're at the point now where we need the kinds of policies and practices that allow us to move into that larger university role, because we're right there," Weeks says.

"There's a balance between trying to stay small but thinking big."

GET THE FACTS

• A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., he earned his undergraduate degree at Windsor ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, a master's at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, his PhD from Auburn ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and did his post-doctoral work at Purdue ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

• An avid sailor, Weeks owns a sailboat that he takes out on the waters of the Georgia Strait. He just welcomed his dog, a sheltie, to Alberta after friends were able to bring her out from the west coast.

• New to the workings of post-secondary education in Alberta, he says he's amazed at the interaction between the provincial government and the U of L. "There is a great interplay between government and higher education. Everything here is an Alberta strategy, whereas in other jurisdictions it's more a university strategy. Here, it's how does the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's priorities fit into where the province wants to go?"

UNews - Georgia Strait

Charting a new course

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Weeks looks at taking research to new heights

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