Putting the Strategic Plan into practice

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:55:38 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's 2009-2013 Strategic Plan is a plan for the future, one that will chart the general direction of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ over the next five years.

It is a promise to stay true to who we are and continue doing what we do very well – fostering a personal, supportive learning community; ensuring professors are inspired scholars who integrate research and creativity with teaching; and delivering relevant programs that are meaningful and useful to our students.

Within this plan are strategic directions and priorities by which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will shape its future. This month we look at the goal of enhancing the environmental sustainability of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Dr. Sarah Boon, one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's newest researchers, is an assistant professor of Geography with an emphasis on environmental science working out of the new Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building. She gives her perspective on how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ can enhance its environmental sustainability.

On how she sees herself in the Strategic Plan

"I see myself in the plan as sort of the beginning of where I see the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ wanting to go, in terms of the aspects around the environment, the aspects around research and engaging graduate students. In hiring me and some of my newer colleagues, it seems they are looking in a new direction and that direction is echoed in the Strategic Plan."

On how her research focus advances the idea of environmental sustainability

"I liked the idea that I was coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for an environmental science position. My general area of research is mountain hydrology, looking at snow melt and glacier melt and how that contributes to runoff from mountain systems."

On how her research can be used to encourage students to follow her lead of studying environmental matters

"I think I'm already on plan in terms of bringing my personal experiences into the classroom and allowing that to inform a lot of my teaching and show enthusiasm for the topics I'm trying to teach."

On the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's role as a leader in environmental messaging

"I think the role of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is to lead by example. Whether that is how we are operating in terms of physical plant or whether that's the message our professors are getting out either by public lectures or by what they are teaching in their classes. There are certain environmental issues we need to be aware of and we can show this is how we're addressing it and this is, based on our example, how other industries could follow our lead."

On what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ does well and where it could better reach its environmental goals

"The AWESB we work in here has been designed with LEED standards in mind, so that's one way we've increased the "greenness" of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. There is a lot of recycling throughout campus as well. I think one of the other initiatives we might want to take into account is water use on campus, things to do with outside irrigation and also with indoor water use.
Water use is one major way the university can look at adding to its environmental sustainability."

Water centre offers high-tech toolbox for scholars

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:58:41 +0000

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to gain momentum as a leader in water research, it is achieving a critical mass of outstanding scholars.

Dr. Sarah Boon, who came to the U of L a year-and-a-half ago, is one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's newest researchers. She's also part of a diverse group of scholars conducting research at the new Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB). Focusing on mountain hydrology, Boon studies snow melt and glacial melt and how they contribute to runoff in mountain systems.

"Right now, my specific research is looking at forest disturbance, like pine beetle or wildfires, and how that changes snow processes in alpine watersheds," says Boon. She's also exploring how these changes affect the timing and magnitude of runoff from the watersheds into downstream systems.

Boon says the new AWESB offers researchers greater opportunities to collaborate.

"I think that's what's going to bring us forward as a place of international excellence, where there's a lot of good research taking place."

The AWESB offers a toolbox to help researchers continue to excel in the field of water research, says Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick.

"In many ways, it's more than just a building. It's a repository of people and tools that are going to produce profound research," he says.

The $27-million centre is a partnership between the U of L and seven provincial and federal research partners, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada and Alberta Environment.

The 5,500 sq. m. facility opened on Nov. 13, 2008, and it will initially house 20 researchers and up to 150 supporting technicians, graduate students and doctoral candidates from the departments of biological sciences, geography and physics and astronomy. Research at the centre revolves around these key areas: social policy (including how the government is legislating water use); ecology (the relationship of water to flora and fauna); toxicology (the effects of chemical pollutants to the health of water supplies); environmental impacts (including how agriculture and industry impact water); and water-climate interactions (for instance, how rising global temperatures affect water systems).

The AWESB contains many state-of-the-art technologies, offering researchers the chance to expand the breadth and depth of their work.

"The tools you have access to affect the questions you can answer," Fitzpatrick explains, adding that it's rare for a university to possess so many new technologies at once.
"You can usually be up-to-date in one thing – but we're up-to-date on a whole host of tools that will help us answer more questions."

Other significant acquisitions include earth-imaging tools (for geomatics research) and instruments for stable isotope analysis as well as environmental monitoring (a significant acquisition for researchers like Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz and Dr. Mathew Letts).

The basement of the building is home to the Aquatic Research Facility, housing specialized tanks for fish and aquatic organisms, in which environmental conditions can be manipulated. Researchers like Dr. Alice Hontela, who studies water toxicology, use the facility to study responses to environmental stressors like chemical pollutants or rising temperatures.

The facility isn't just a benefit to established scientists. The AWESB will also incubate developing talent, like PhD candidate Lana Miller, who is studying the health of Alberta's lakes and rivers. She is one of more than 100 graduate students who will benefit from both the new infrastructure and the outstanding researchers that the centre is attracting.

"Researchers want to go to places where there's research actually going on," Fitzpatrick says.

For many researchers – including Boon, who's fieldwork often takes her to the Crowsnest Pass – the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is uniquely situated within the 'living laboratory' that is southern Alberta.

"These things all come together and make the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge a very attractive place to do research," Fitzpatrick says.

UNews - mountain systems

Putting the Strategic Plan into practice

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