UNews - Ann Holden

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates medal winners at Spring 2015 Convocation

trevor.kenney — Thu, 28 May 2015 17:23:21 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates the achievements of its newest graduates at the 2015 Spring Convocation, May 28 and 29, in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness gymnasium.

Distinguishing themselves among the many outstanding graduates are the U of L’s medal winners for 2015.

Distinguishing themselves among the many outstanding graduates are the U of L’s medal winners for 2015. They are as follows:

Gold Medal of the Governor General – Jenni Karl
Jenni Karl was born in Lethbridge and raised in the small farming community of Foremost, Alta. After high school she pursued her BSc in Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where she joined Dr. Ian Whishaw’s laboratory to study motor behaviour in a rodent model of Huntington’s disease. After working for one year as a research assistant in Melbourne Australia, Jenni returned to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Dr. Whishaw’s laboratory to complete her MSc, and PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience. Her research is directed at understanding how the human brain generates the skilled hand and mouth movements that we use to grasp and manipulate objects. She is especially interested in how these movements and their underlying neural substrates arose through evolution, are established during development, and break down in various neurological disorders. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in London, Ontario.

Silver Medal of the Governor General – Douglas Turnbull

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Science – Mohammad Akbari
Thesis: claVision: Visual Automatic Piano Music Transcription
Mohammad Akbari was born and grew up in Abadeh, Fars, Iran. He began his Masters in Computer Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2013 under the supervision of Dr. Howard Cheng. Also a musician, Akbari did research in an interdisciplinary field in computer science and music, which resulted in developing an innovative system named claVision for visual piano music transcription. Winning the 2014 Canadian Microsoft Imagine Cup Innovation Competition, filing a patent application for claVision and incorporating claVision Inc. are other achievements during his master studies. He is currently a PhD student in Engineering Science at Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Arts – Ann Holden
Thesis: Home and Native Land: How the Eeyouch in Quebec and the Sami in Norway Used Hydropower Developments to Democratize Legislation

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Fine Arts – Christine Clark
Thesis: Here | Now | Look | See: Information Visualizations of Recent Climate Records in Alberta
Christine Clark grew up in Cochrane, Alta. and came to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2012 for the Masters of Fine Arts - New Media program. Her graduate research focused in the design of climate change data visualizations and design/science collaboration. Christine plans to continue collaborating with scientists, artists, research groups and non-profits as a graphic designer, data visualizer and new media strategist.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Counseling – Bethany Mills
Project: Increasing Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Focus on Wellness and Process
Bethany Mills authored an original group counselling (psychoeducational) program to improve self-esteem in adolescents. Bethany developed a targeted and very implementable program and is noted as an emerging academic with potential publications on the horizon.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Doctor of Philosophy – Corinne Sidler
Thesis: A Role for Epigenetics in Aging and the Age-Dependent Response to Ionizing Radiation
Corinne Sidler’s research compares the ability of animal and plant models to repair DNA damage. Her PhD work has resulted in five publications thus far in highly ranked journals, with additional publications in their final stages. Corinne received several distinguished awards and prizes during her tenure as a PhD student. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Biochemistry, in ETH Zürich Switzerland.

Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Arts) – Maxime Chambers-Dumont
Max Chambers-Dumont's academic performance as a philosophy major with a minor in political science has been outstanding. He has served as a research assistant to two of his philosophy professors on issues of sustainable energy and climate change – an experience which has informed his undergraduate honours thesis on distributive justice and climate change.

Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Science) – Samuel Woodman
Samuel Woodman completed an honours thesis in conjunction with a degree in environmental science. Since the age of 16, he has worked as a research assistant in four different labs at the U of L. His research interests include plant physiology and adaptation, behavioural toxicology, parasitology and scanning electron microscopy. Following graduation, Sam will be working towards publishing papers associated with his research as well as starting new research projects in advance of beginning his PhD studies abroad.

Faculty of Education Gold Medal - Julia Vandezande
Julia Vandezande completed a double major in biology and earth and atmospheric sciences from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta before deciding to go into teaching and enrolling at the U of L. She completed a Bachelor of Education majoring in Science Education, achieving the highest final academic standing in the Faculty of Education.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association William Aberhart Gold Medal in Education – Emily Hildenbrandt
Emily Hildenbrandt grew up in Calgary and completed her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. Emily decided to pursue an education degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and is commended for her amazing work ethic, strong classroom management skills and an ability to engage in thorough and thoughtful instructional planning. She is currently working at a middle school in Calgary.

Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal – Camille Rogers
Camille Rogers has been immersed in music since she was born. After discovering her love of performing while she was in high school at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, she went on to study voice at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. During her studies, Camille has had the privilege of singing leading roles in several operas, including Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, all with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra. Camille has been accepted to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Faculty of Music where she will pursue a Master of Music in Opera Performance and is the recipient of the prestigious province of Alberta Heritage Fund Arts Graduate Scholarship valued at $15,000.

Faculty of Health Sciences Gold Medal – Arron Kardolus-Wilson
Arron Kardolus-Wilson is a dedicated and engaged learner who is committed to community projects and marginalized populations. Arron's academic work consistently exceeded expectations, and integrated critical thinking with thoughtfulness and creativity.

Faculty of Management Gold Medal – Carmen Greeff
Carmen Greeff has been an exceptional student, earning a Bachelor of Management with a major in accounting. Due to her outstanding academic achievements she has won several academic scholarships. Along with a rigorous program of studies, Carmen has worked part-time, volunteered and is an accomplished pianist. Carmen is currently studying in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Master of Professional Accounting program.

Parkland Institute and U of L partner to support diverse research projects

robert.cooney — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 20:12:39 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge humanities and social sciences researchers studying vastly different projects will receive support for their work from the Parkland Institute, a not-for profit organization based at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta that supports the study of economic, social, cultural and political issues facing Albertans and Canadians.

Pictured from left to right, Dr. Trevor Harrison, Ann Holden and Dr. Suzanne Lenon

Dr. Suzanne Lenon (Women and Gender Studies), whose research interests are in the area of law, gender and sexuality, will receive $5,000 to further her research on the complex relationships between gender equality and the recognition of valid foreign polygamous marriages.

Ann Åsfrid Holden, graduate studies Master of Arts candidate in History, takes her research into the Subarctic and Arctic to compare legal policies that affect first Nations and Inuit people in Northern Quebec, and those of the Sami people of her home country of Norway. Both groups were affected by large-scale hydroelectric power developments that changed their land and lifestyles, and the legality of the expropriation of indigenous land for these developments was questionable. She will also receive $5,000 to further her studies.

“Parkland is excited to be able to support the diverse research represented by Dr. Suzanne Lenon and Ann Holden,” said Dr. Trevor Harrison, a U of L sociology researcher and Director of the Parkland Institute.

“Parkland’s emphasis has been, and remains, on research that is academically sound, that is important to the broad public and that dares to push the boundaries of our understanding. Both of these research projects fit that bill.”

Harrison added that though they are very different, both projects deal with legal issues and social policy.

“Dr. Lenon’s work will contribute to the body of knowledge that deals with immigration, polygamy, and gender equality, and how those concepts are intertwined, in an often confusing way, from a policy perspective. Ann Holden’s work will explore and explain how the respective legal systems of Norway and Canada have framed the implementation of hydroelectric projects on indigenous land. Though they are far apart geographically, there are some striking similarities that both parties could gain from knowing more about.”

SUZANNE LENON

In Lenon’s case, she is using the recent (2011) Polygamy Reference case in British Columbia as a springboard for discussion, which upholds the prohibition of polygamy in Canada as constitutionally sound. “As in the United States, polygamy is illegal in Canada, but people often immigrate to Canada from a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East where polygamous relationships are, in fact, legal,” Lenon said.

Lenon said that one of the reasons for the continued criminalization polygamous marriages in Canada (and in the West) is that of gender equality.

“The second spouse cannot be legally acknowledged, and has very few, if any, rights if the relationship breaks down. The same challenges apply to people in Canadian polygamous relationships in communities such as Bountiful, BC, where the law applies to the individual who is considered to be legally married, but not to other polygamous spouses. While this law is upheld in the name of gender equality, in these cases the law prevents women from being legally supported if there are problems, and this, ironically, has created gender inequality.”

There is, she says, vigorous debate as to whether continued criminalization of polygamous marriage is a viable public policy strategy to address the complex issues arising from it.

ANN HOLDEN

Holden’s work involves a topic that is just as complex, involves a number of inequality elements, and has affected people -- but in a different way.

The development of hyropower projects in both Norway and Canada a few decades ago and 1980scaused more grief for the politicians than they would have expected, because the negative reactions to it was so strong. Both the James Bay Cree, a fishing, hunting, and trapping community in eastern James Bay in Canada, and the reindeer-farming Sami people in Finnmark, Northern Norway argued that they had rights that stemmed from their immemorial usage of the land.

“Historically, land ownership, in the Western meaning of the word, was a foreign concept for both the Sami and the James Bay Cree,” Holden said. “The Norwegian and British legal systems suited a farming culture, and private ownership over land was the most common form of a legal connection to land, although not the only form of legal rights to land. When the Scandinavian legal traditions met the Sami traditions and the James Bay Cree met the English and later French traditions, the needs of both communities were written into the laws - but not equally.”

Holden said that her work will help Indigenous groups learn more about how the laws of land ownership -- and land management -- can apply to current issues where land is disputed, in particular in cases that involve oil, gas and mining exploration in the northern areas of several Canadian provinces and Territories, and also in northern Sweden, where similar activities are taking place.

“In Canada, resource extraction (i.e. mining) on indigenous land happens in several Provinces. In Sweden, civil disobedience that mirrors the actions the Norwegian Sami used in the 1970s and 1980s was used as a tool to put a mining project on traditional Sami reindeer herding ground on the political agenda. These events are taking place right now, and have significant parallels to the challenges I am looking at which took place decades ago. The historical context is important to understand current issues because changes to the law in both the cases I study were consistent with legal traditions in Canada and Norway.”

Ultimately for Harrison, funding projects that stimulate not only public conversation but social change -- and that allow researchers to explore topics of public interest -- is what makes him happy as a researcher and as a representative of the Parkland Institute.

“This is the second year that the Parkland Institute has partnered with the U of L to deliver the scholarships. I want to thank the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for its tremendous support given to Parkland, in particular for making the awards possible.”

The project period is two years, and the researchers are expected to deliver a final report on their work to the Parkland Institute, which will make their findings public.

Contacts:

Dr. Suzanne Lenon, Women and Gender Studies (403) 380-1876
suzanne.lenon@uleth.ca
http://directory.uleth.ca/users/suzanne.lenon

Ann Åsfrid Holden, School of Graduate Studies Candidate (History)
ann.holden@uleth.ca

Dr. Trevor Harrison, Sociology / Director, Parkland Institute (403) 329-2552
trevor.harrison@uleth.ca
http://directory.uleth.ca/users/trevor.harrison
http://parklandinstitute.ca/home/

UNews - Ann Holden

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ celebrates medal winners at Spring 2015 Convocation

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Parkland Institute and U of L partner to support diverse research projects

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates medal winners at Spring 2015 Convocation