UNews - Faculty of Education

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers awarded federal research grants worth more than $3 million

caroline.zentner — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:50:59 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers are among the successful applicants for federal grants announced by The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health.

The more than $1.3 billion in funding supports over 9,700 researchers and research projects in Canada through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

“From brain plasticity and the mechanism of low-dose radiation to supporting newcomers through mentoring, these grants illustrate the diversity of research being done at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president of research. “This funding not only helps established researchers continue their work but also helps our early career researchers build their research programs. Ultimately, our students benefit with increased opportunities to engage in research throughout their post-secondary careers.”

In total, ULethbridge received funding from NSERC for nine Discovery Grants and two Discovery Development Grants. The Discovery Grants will bring in nearly $475,000 a year for the next five years. The research projects include the following:

Dr. Gerlinde Metz (Neuroscience) will receive $96,000 per year for a study looking at the social determinants of experience-dependent brain plasticity.
Dr. Stacey Wetmore (Chemistry & Biochemistry) will receive $89,000 per year for a project involving computer modelling of modified RNA.
Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (Biological Sciences) was awarded $55,000 annually to study the fundamental mechanisms of low-dose radiation.
Dr. Borries Demeler (Chemistry & Biochemistry) is set to receive $47,000 yearly for solution studies of interacting biopolymer systems.
Dr. Hadi Kharaghani (Mathematics & Computer Science) will receive $32,000 a year for his project on special orthogonal matrices.

The remainder of the NSERC recipients are four early career researchers, each of whom received a Discovery Launch Supplement of $12,500 in addition to their Discovery Grant.

Dr. Corina Birghila (Mathematics & Computer Science) was awarded a yearly amount of $31,000 for a project titled Optimal Decision under Uncertainty.
Dr. Jessica Willi (Chemistry & Biochemistry) will receive $44,000 annually for a project on ribosome functions through synthetic biology.
Dr. Vineet Rathod (Chemistry & Biochemistry) will receive $38,000 annually to examine the structure-function relationship of natural and engineered amyloid proteins.
Dr. Dylan Girodat (Chemistry & Biochemistry) will receive $42,000 per year for a project on the structural dynamics of ribosomes during translation.

In addition, Discovery Development Grants, worth $22,000 each, were awarded to Drs. Christopher Hopkinson (Geography & Environment) and Marc Bomhof (Kinesiology and Physical Education).

Hopkinson will use remote sensing to model vegetation and snowpack response to wildland fire in headwater basins.
Bomhof intends to look at the interplay between exercise and dietary factors on appetite regulation.

ULethbridge social science and humanities researchers were awarded $645,000 in SSHRC Insight Grants.

Dr. Daniel O'Donnell (English) will work on a project involving Research Data Management and Research Data Infrastructure by humanities researchers.
Dr. Scott Rathwell (Kinesiology) wants to enhance sport participation, promote physical activity and improve health outcomes for aging adults by establishing a framework for effective sport programming in middle-aged and older adults.

Several ULethbridge researchers are the recipients of Insight Development Grants totalling more than $291,000.

Dr. Toupey Luft (Education) has designed a project to address the gap in understanding how arts-based mentorship may enhance a sense of belonging for newcomer young adults.
Dr. Kenneth Holyoke’s (Geography & Environment) project investigates the nature and scope of climate impacts on the Wolastoqiyik and Wabanaki archaeological record in New Brunswick.
Dr. Justin Raycraft’s (Anthropology) objective in this project is to increase understanding of the social dimensions of human-carnivore coexistence in the Tarangire ecosystem of northern Tanzania.
Dr. Jeffrey MacCormack (Education) will develop a professional development intervention consisting of a community of practice for teachers and principals where they learn evidence-based practices to support students with profound and multiple disabilities.
Dr. Miranda Leibel (Liberal Education) will examine how the creation and maintenance of postal services are an important component of Canadian state- and nation-building.

Lexia Piccolo honoured with 2025 VandenHoek Schlachter Pride Award

caroline.zentner — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:26:54 +0000

Lexia Piccolo’s commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and supporting mental health has earned her the 2025 VandenHoek Schlachter Pride Award.

A graduate student in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education, Piccolo’s background in advocacy work has centred on 2SLGBTQ+ youth in her home province of Quebec.

“It’s an incredible honour; it means so much,” Piccolo says. “Receiving the news was so affirming; it just made me feel proud that all the work I’ve done is making a difference. It also motivates me even more to keep building inclusive pathways for people who have been pushed to the margins for so long.”

In what she calls one of her most impactful professional experiences, Piccolo worked as a public consultation coordinator with Youth for Youth Quebec. There, she designed and executed a town hall-style opportunity for youth at a Pride event, creating a safe space for participants to share their experiences and challenges.

“This was done in a rural community, and I think that’s super important because it’s essentially a double minority. Rural communities don’t get enough attention, and neither do youth in the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” she says.

Piccolo also collected survey data on mental health needs and experiences from participants across Quebec.

“My findings showed a real lack of support within community organizations, including schools, and discrimination from older populations,” she recalls. “With these results, I wrote a policy brief called The Importance of School Support on the Mental Health of LGBTQIA2S+ Youth that was published, calling to the government and aimed at informing educational institutions or people working in them on how we can better support youth.”

Now halfway through her Master of Education in Counselling Psychology, Piccolo’s academic work has continued to reflect her passion for advocacy. Her course work explores how adverse childhood experiences can impact the relationships and mental health of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

She plans to pursue a career as a mental health professional after graduation.

“As someone who has worked directly with Queer youth, especially in the context of mental health and protection services, I’ve seen how systems fail people,” Piccolo says. “Whether it’s a lack of affirming spaces or limited access to mental health care — just not being heard in decisions that directly affect them — I’ve seen how these gaps are real and harmful, so I want to be a part of changing that.”

Piccolo is the second recipient of the VandenHoek Schlachter Pride Award, part of a first-of-its-kind endowment fund established in June 2023 by ULethbridge alumni Dr. Kurt Schlachter (BSc ’00, LLD ’24) and Jason VandenHoek (BMgt ’05). The fund, which was matched by the ULethbridge Board of Governors, aims to celebrate academic achievement, reduce financial barriers, and recognize exceptional contributions to advancing equity and inclusion for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

“Lexia embodies the spirit of this award through her passion, courage and unwavering commitment to uplifting 2SLGBTQ+ youth,” says Schlachter. “Her work reminds us that meaningful change happens when we listen deeply, act boldly, and advocate tirelessly. We are honoured to support students like Lexia who are making a profound impact in their communities and beyond.”

“Any work and progress we make is about more than just inclusion — it’s also about safety, respect and dignity,” says Piccolo. “As a Queer woman — I will include myself in this — we’ve often been pushed to the side. But I want to emphasize the message that we are important, and we deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect as everybody else.”

The VandenHoek Schlachter Pride Award is an example of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Strategic Plan in action under the strategic direction to Be a Place Where People Aspire to Learn, Work and Contribute. Our people are our greatest strength. We grow a culture rooted in curiosity, respect, access and belonging.

Final PUBlic Professor Series talk of season examines whether reading even matters in today’s world

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:53:11 +0000

Dr. Robin Bright (BA '79, BEd '82, MEd '88) has a provocative question — one that belies her standing as an educator and researcher in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education — Does Reading Even Matter?

The query is, in fact, the title of this month’s PUBlic Professor Series talk, which Bright will deliver on Thursday, March 27, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge (free event, cash bar, light appetizers, open to everyone).

Dr. Robin Bright says the benefits of reading include enhanced brain health and easing stress and anxiety.

“In today’s increasingly fast-paced environment, we tend to consume and create information and entertainment online,” says Bright. “We use Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and many others to read. And when we read on those platforms we tend to skim read, look for headlines, stumble upon content, but we seldom read deeply or critically.”

She explains how she has learned through her research that the act of reading a book is not only much more satisfying than the online experience, but also incredibly beneficial with respect to brain health and development.

“In this talk, I will share my research and statistics about reading, how it develops, how it’s taught and all the benefits that reading brings,” she says. “This includes benefits in areas like achievement in school and beyond, brain health, addressing mental health issues like stress and anxiety, and helping to develop empathy.”

Bright’s passion for how children develop as readers and writers began when she was a modern languages undergraduate student and as a student teacher in the Faculty of Education. These experiences led her to a 10-year teaching career, mostly at the grade-one level, and then to choose a life as a researcher, writer and teacher educator working with preservice teachers, practicing teachers, parents, children and colleagues. She is the author of several books on language and literacy development including, most recently, Sometimes Reading is Hard: Using Decoding, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Strategies to Inspire Fluent, Passionate, Lifelong Readers (2021).

This is the last of the six-talk PUBlic Professor Series lectures which feature thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across the ULethbridge campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge, but registration is required. For those who cannot attend, the talk will be available on the ULethbridge YouTube channel following the presentation.

See more at ulethbridge.ca/research/public-professor.

Toby and Bernadine Boulet champion initiative to support student teachers pursuing rural placements

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:43:36 +0000

Retired teachers and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni Toby (BEd ’89, MEd ’04) and Bernadine (Bernie) (BEd ’88) Boulet are paying it forward by championing the Faculty of Education’s new initiative, Paving Roads to Success – a transformative fundraising campaign that addresses the support needs of third-year student teachers pursuing rural placements.

The Paving Roads to Success campaign aims to reduce financial barriers for student teachers as they travel to and from rural placements.

Bernie and Toby, with over 60 years of combined teaching experience, understand the positive impact student teachers have in rural settings and the financial challenges they face due to additional travel and living expenses with rural placements. They are financially supporting the initiative to help reduce these barriers and empower student teachers to bring quality education to underserved communities across Alberta.

“I taught in Lethbridge, working with student teachers and giving back to the community of education," says Toby. "We need student teachers. They are a massive part of our community, and we recognize that students in rural placements need help financially because they’re paying additional expenses. Supporting our future teachers benefits everyone and we feel as though we have a responsibility to help. It’s what communities do, support each other.”

Doug Checkley, instructor and assistant dean of field experiences, says the support is sorely needed by students, who are facing ever-increasing economic stress, as well as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s rural partners.

“Our partners now have the opportunity to host third-year student teachers. When students spend a full 16-week practicum in a smaller community, the chances of them looking for employment there greatly increases,” says Checkley. “It’s a win for the students and a win for our rural partners who we are hoping to support in finding new teachers for their communities.”

Bernie knows well how impactful a rural placement can be on a young teacher. Her 36-year career began in a rural setting and imparted experiences she’d never imagined.

“The opportunity I had to be part of a rural community and what I learned about Indigenous culture, I carried with me through my entire career," she says. "In a rural placement, you gain an appreciation of what it’s like to be part of a rural school and understand the impact a school can have when it is the hub of a community.”

Toby and Bernie’s son Logan had his sights set on becoming a teacher before his life was tragically cut short as one of the victims of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash. His short time in Humboldt made an impression upon him and speaks to the power of living in a smaller community.

“He had been registered at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to go into education and was going to be a teacher,” says Toby. “He told me and Bernie, “Humboldt is a nice town; I could teach here. I could live in Humboldt and teach here”.”

Those interested in supporting the Paving Roads to Success campaign can give here.

Master of Education Counselling Psychology seat expansion a boost to mental health profession

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 21:02:38 +0000

Graduate students looking to become mental health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Master of Education Counselling Psychology program thanks to funding support from the Government of Alberta.

The Faculty of Education graduate program is the only route to registration with the College of Alberta Psychologists.

Earlier this fall, the province announced $780,000 of support to add 15 seats over three years to the Faculty of Education’s master’s program. ULethbridge was one of 12 post-secondary schools to receive funding, creating a total of 761 new seats in a variety of programs, including psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work, child and youth care, and addiction counselling.

“Ours is the only graduate program that was funded for seat expansion, which is significant because a graduate degree in counselling psychology is the only pathway to registration with the College of Alberta Psychologists, and demand for admissions to these graduate programs is extremely high,” says Dr. David Slomp, associate dean of graduate studies and research in the Faculty of Education.

The funding will allow the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to add two integral positions in support of the influx of new students — a clinical practicum supervisor and an administrative support for practicum and partnership development. The first cohort of five students has been admitted and will begin their practicum placements in Fall 2025. Additional groups of five students will be admitted in each of the next two admission cycles.

“With a growing need for mental health services, this seat expansion will benefit families across the province,” says Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction. “No matter what part of Alberta someone calls home, they deserve access to consistent, high-quality mental health care. Our government is proud to be working with post-secondary institutions, making sure services are available to Albertans in need.”

Slomp says it is imperative the students have opportunities to participate in high-quality practicum placements. While some of those can be filled on campus, the new positions will assist in cultivating more relationships within the community.

“The clinical practicum supervisor will work within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Counselling Services team to provide supervision for an expanded number of practicum students working within that unit,” he says. “Finding quality practicum placement experiences for students seeking to register as psychologists is becoming increasingly challenging. We have great partners, but we need to do more to enrich those partnerships and to expand the number of counsellors we partner with.”

The Mental Health Professions Enrollment Expansion grant program committed nearly $10 million over three years to create more spaces to train mental health professionals at post-secondary institutions across the province. To learn more, visit the Government of Alberta website.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers to collaborate on projects funded by Partnership Grants

caroline.zentner — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:59:54 +0000

Several ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers are collaborating on recently announced projects funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grants.

“ULethbridge researchers involved in these projects are contributing their expertise to studies that have an impact across Canada and around the world,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president research. “Many research projects have an increasingly broad scope and depend on collaborations with researchers at other universities in Canada and abroad. These collaborations transform individual insight into collective knowledge and generate discoveries that a single researcher might not uncover alone.”

Dr. Lisa Starr, dean of the Faculty of Education, and Dr. Kaylan Schwarz, a professor in the School of Liberal Education, are involved in a project called TRANSFORM: Engaging with Young People for Social Change. The project is supported by a $2.5-million Partnership Grant from SSHRC and over $3 million in in-kind and cash contributions from partner universities and organizations.

The project is led by Dr. Claudia Mitchell from McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. The researchers will study how young people are pivotal agents of change in gender equality, particularly through visual arts. Using diverse art forms, such as photography, filmmaking, cellphilming (video shot on a cellphone or tablet camera), performance art and textile production, the TRANSFORM project will empower and champion youth-led agendas for transforming gender norms and inequalities. The study has field sites in Africa, South America and India.

Dr. Olu Awosoga, a Faculty of Health Sciences professor with expertise in quantitative research methods, is a co-applicant on a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant to improve the well-being of Black children and youth in Canada. The project is led by Dr. Bukola Salami at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. The project focuses on experiences with the justice system, the education system, the child welfare system and immigration and settlement. Researchers will conduct a national survey focusing on Black children and youth in Canada — the first of its kind — to gather data on the lived experiences of Black youth.

Dr. Leroy Little Bear (BASc (BA’71), DASc ’04), vice-provost of Iniskim Indigenous Relations, is collaborating on a project led by Dr. Shalene Jobin of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. The Critical Approaches to Indigenous Relationality project is supported by a $2.5-million Partnership Grant.

A further project funded by a Partnership Grant and involving ULethbridge researchers is the already announced Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories of Performance project.

In addition, Dr. Kara Granzow, a sociology professor, is a co-applicant on a SSHRC program called the Reconciliation Network in Response to Call to Action 65 led by Dr. Vanessa Watts at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. This joint initiative between the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and SSHRC supports the establishment of a national research program to advance the collective understanding of reconciliation. The project Re-Neighbouring as Reconciliation: Indigenous Stories of Resistance was awarded more than $975,000 over five years.

PUBlic Professor Series talk examines inequity of representation with Dr. Sandra Dixon

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:06:07 +0000

Dr. Sandra Dixon is a registered psychologist, an award-winning researcher and an associate professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education. She is also a woman of colour in a predominantly white post-secondary landscape where colonial ideas are privileged over alternative ways of knowing and being.

Dr. Sandra Dixon

“Increasing research has shown that racialized faculty members are underrepresented and undervalued in higher education compared to their white peers,” says Dixon, who will speak to this disparity in the next PUBlic Professor Series talk, Owning my Voice and Speaking my Truth in Academic Spaces.

The presentation is Thursday, Feb. 29, 7 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lodge.

Dixon says that while ULethbridge values its liberal education focus where individuals are expected to foster free inquiry and the critical interpretation of ideas, like many institutions, this expectation is not always translated into transformative and tangible actions.

“My goal for this talk is to identify a strong theoretical framework for us to have meaningful discourse around non-performative actions in higher education so that more voices and experiences can be valued and heard,” she says.

“By taking an action-oriented, accountable stance, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and by extension the broader community, will learn about the importance of championing equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) initiatives that dismantle social injustices instead of embracing a performative allyship position that fails to take a stand against anti-racism and other forms of “isms” in our society.”

Dixon’s research encompasses culturally adapted counselling practices amongst minoritized groups, cultural identity reconstruction and ethno-cultural diversity issues. She has received several awards for her excellence in research, including the 2023 Psychologists’ Association of Alberta Excellence in Teaching Psychology Award, the EDI Scholar Award at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge (2021-2022), and the 2022 People’s Choice Award by the Alberta Black Therapists Network.

This is the fifth of the six-part PUBlic Professor Series of talks. Initiated in 2014, the monthly lecture series is designed to spark thought-provoking discussions and bring a diverse group of experts and researchers from the ULethbridge campus right into the community.

Check out the PUBlic Professor Series web page for the 2023/24 talk schedule, to register for priority seating or to join the series mailing list. View this advance video that discusses the upcoming presentation.

Faculty of Education rising to meet demand for early years educators with new Bachelor of Education program

trevor.kenney — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:32:38 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Education is adding a new undergraduate degree that will prepare future educators for the unique challenges of teaching in Kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms. The Bachelor of Education in Early Years Education marks the first time in 30 years the Faculty has offered a four-year degree as part of its renowned teacher education program, as well as the first time students will be allowed direct entry into the program from high school.

The Early Years degree is the third BEd option offered by the Faculty of Education.

“We’ve heard from superintendents in our area that there’s a real need for teachers who are able to help young children build foundational skills in literacy and numeracy,” says Dr. Richelle Marynowski (BEd ’94), Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs with the Faculty of Education. “These skills are important to student success both throughout school and later on in their lives.”

The Early Years degree is the third BEd option offered by the Faculty of Education, joining the five-year Combined Degrees program, where students graduate with a Bachelor of Education as well as a second degree from another faculty, and the After Degree program, where students with a previously completed undergraduate degree can earn their BEd in two years.

“This allows high school students who already know they want to work with young children the opportunity to start that journey earlier,” says Marynowski. “The program also responds to the needs of school divisions across the province for teachers in this area.”

Entry to the Faculty of Education has always been very competitive, and the addition of the Early Years program will allow for 45 more students to begin their teacher education journeys this fall. As in the Combined Degrees and After Degree programs, Early Years Education students will complete 27 weeks of off campus practicum experience, more than twice the amount required for teacher certification in Alberta. While Early Years students will complete that practical classroom time exclusively in K – 3 classrooms, they will graduate provincially certified to teach K – 12, just like students in the other BEd programs.

Applications are now being accepted for the program’s first cohort, which will begin in the Fall 2024 Semester. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024, and more information can be found on the ULethbridge website at: /future-student/program/early-years-educatio n.

New EDI Scholars represent broadening of important program

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 16:33:37 +0000

An unprecedented number of applications has created the broadest representation of disciplines for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Scholars program yet, with six new scholars named by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge today.

Drs. Dawn Burleigh, Sean Fitzpatrick, Kara Granzow (BA ’99), Jason Laurendeau, Rhiannon Mesler and Tracy Oosterbroek (BN ’95, MSc(N) ’09) were named EDI Scholars for 2023-24, committing to engage in projects that advance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s EDI priorities. When complete, they will then share the information with the campus community.

“We are excited to broaden the pool of EDI champions across the institution,” says Hernando (Nando) Ortega Arango, project manager, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. “Congratulations to our 2023-24 EDI Scholars and thank you to all who applied. This was a highly competitive process, and we look forward to working with this exceptional group of scholars to build EDI capacity together.”

The EDI Scholars program began in 2021, and for the 2023-24 intake, the application process was expanded with the intention to broaden the capacity for EDI work across campus. This resulted in applications from a variety of faculties, departments and backgrounds. Each project for 2023-24 is uniquely different with representation from the Faculties of Arts & Science, Education, Health Sciences and the Dhillon School of Business.

“It is a collective responsibility to champion EDI initiatives, and we all can play a role in facilitating inclusion and belonging,” says Ortega. “Through the efforts of the EDI Scholars, we hope to reach diverse audiences and broaden the capacity of EDI work across campus.”

Three EDI Scholars will undertake their projects beginning in the Fall 2023 Semester, and three in Spring 2024.

Fall 2023 EDI Scholars

Dr. Sean Fitzpatrick

Dr. Sean Fitzpatrick (Mathematics & Computer Science – Faculty of Arts & Science) plans to work with undergraduate student assistants to ensure that the open textbooks for many mathematics courses are fully accessible for all students, including those who require screen reader technology. Part of this work will include ensuring that all images have alt-text descriptions, and that all features of the textbook can be accessed using keyboard navigation.

“I am excited to receive this award because it will enable me to complete some long-overdue work on accessibility,” says Fitzpatrick. “I hope that the status of EDI Scholar will help me to promote the importance of selecting accessible course materials, and to remind people that our commitment to EDI must include accommodations for those with disabilities.”

Dr. Kara Granzow

After attending the Walls to Bridges instructor training this summer, Dr. Kara Granzow (Sociology – Faculty of Arts & Science) will work with colleagues and the community to bring the program to ULethbridge. Walls to Bridges is an internationally renowned initiaive, offered through post-secondary institutions, that provides for-credit courses to incarcerated and non-incarcerated students together to learn as peers.

“Without the support of the EDI Scholars Program, this project would not be possible,” says Granzow. “Programs like this give much needed time and support for the work necessary to further open doors to post-secondary education.”

Dr. Rhiannon Mesler (Management (Marketing) in the Dhillon School of Business) will undertake a series of studies with the goal to better understand when and why individuals choose to support, or not to support, organizations, causes and policies that create more equity, diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Rhiannon Mesler

“I am very grateful to undertake this research with the support of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge EDI Scholar program,” says Mesler. “This project will help understand the ways that fundamental beliefs about social structures shape support for charitable causes, and in particular those that serve people in need.”

Spring 2024 EDI Scholars

Dr. Dawn Burleigh (Indigenous Education – Faculty of Education) will focus on establishing a sustainable pathway for indigenization in the Faculty of Education that will build faculty, staff and student capacity for years to come.

“Considering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action in education, and a newly revised teaching quality standard in Alberta, all teachers are required to integrate Indigenous perspectives into their classrooms. This means faculties of education must do the same to ensure pre-service teachers are prepared,” says Burleigh.

Dr. Dawn Burleigh

“Being an EDI Scholar will afford me the opportunity to work with the amazing members of faculty and staff in education to create service opportunities that could connect with community, build relationships, support instructional capacity and meet the emerging needs of the field.”

Dr. Jason Laurendeau (Sociology – Faculty of Arts & Science) aims to contribute to the work of kinesiology departments and faculties as they work to indigenize course offerings, teaching practices and curricula.

Dr. Jason Laurendeau

“My goal is to shed light on the processes by which individual faculty members engage in this work – the barriers, challenges, and/or opportunities they experience,” says Laurendeau. “More broadly, I plan to contribute to vital conversations at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge about what it means to reckon with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a colonial institution.”

Dr. Tracy Oosterbroek (Nursing – Faculty of Health Sciences) will examine the impact of a pilot implementation of CASPer, an online situational judgment test intended to expand the assessment and evaluation of applicant suitability and capacity for ethical caring that extends beyond standard admission metrics. Historically, nursing program admission processes have relied predominantly on GPA which restricts ethnic and cultural diversity among students.

Dr. Tracy Oosterbroek

“This resulting lack of diversity among health-care providers has been shown to have a negative impact on the quality of care received by patients of minority or underrepresented groups,” says Oosterbroek. “My project will examine and compare historical and post-implementation applicant and admission data to determine whether these strategies have a positive impact on the diversity of the student body, or further perpetuate barriers to application and admission for minority, underrepresented or marginalized applicants.

Reimagined PUBlic Professor Series celebrating its 10th season

trevor.kenney — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:44:25 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s popular pub-style talk series, PUBlic Professor, will kick off its 10th season on Sept. 28, 2023. To celebrate a decade of casual, informative and engaging presentations from ULethbridge faculty members, the series has been reimagined to include speakers beyond the Faculty of Arts & Science — giving the public an opportunity to explore the breadth of expertise from across the entire institution.

Fittingly, the opening talk of the series features Dr. Digvir Jayas, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s new president and vice-chancellor. Jayas, a researcher in agricultural studies, will present, Recent Trends in the Food Industry, on September 28, 2023, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge.

As with any other industry, the food industry has been changing over time. These changes are driven by many factors including changes in consumer behaviour, advice to consumers from health practitioners, government regulations, global economy, transportation, climate change, technology including internet-of-things (IoT), research done by academic institutions and industry itself, and most recently the pandemic. Jayas’s talk will provide an overview of recent trends in the food industry and factors driving these changes. Using food quality monitoring as an example, this presentation will highlight what role research has played and is continuing to play towards this area.

The PUBlic Professor Series begins on Sept. 28, with Dr. Digvir Jayas presenting on recent trends in the food industry.

Jayas conducts research related to the drying, handling and storing of grains and oilseeds and digital image processing for grading and processing operations in the agri-food industry. Born in India, he earned a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering at G.B. Pant ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, India. He came to Canada for his graduate schooling, first at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba (master of science, agricultural engineering) and then the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan (doctorate in agricultural engineering). He began his professional academic career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba as an assistant professor in the Agricultural Engineering Department in 1985.

As his career progressed, Jayas’s reputation as an influential researcher and leading voice in agrology grew. He collaborated with researchers in several countries and has had significant impact on the development of efficient grain storage, handling and drying systems in Canada, China, India, Ukraine and the United States.

The PUBlic Professor Series will feature six talks in total and touch on subjects in agriculture, therapeutic recreation, history, aboriginal health and new media, education, and neuroscience. Below is the talk schedule for the 2023/24 season. For more, visit the PUBlic Professor web page.

September 28, 2023 | Recent Trends in the Food Industry

Dr. Digvir Jayas, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President & Vice-Chancellor (Agricultural Studies)

October 26, 2023 | Person-centred Care from Rhetoric to Reality: Exploring the Role of Knowledge Translation and Mobilization in Health Care

Dr. Sienna Caspar (Therapeutic Recreation)

November 23, 2023 | Borders are Stupid

Dr. Sheila McManus (History)

January 25, 2024 | Weaving World Views: The Web as a Space for Cultural Vitality

Christine Clark (New Media) & Melissa Shouting (Aboriginal Health)

February 29, 2024 | Owning my Voice and Speaking my Truth in Academic Spaces

Dr. Sandra Dixon (Education)

March 28, 2024 | Why is the Brain Important?

Dr. Rob Sutherland (Neuroscience)

UNews - Faculty of Education

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers awarded federal research grants worth more than $3 million

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers awarded federal research grants worth more than $3 million

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