UNews - Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada

Faculty and student researchers buoyed by NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:07:49 +0000

A diverse and comprehensive group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers was awarded $1.98 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this week, part of $558 million in total funding to post-secondary researchers and students, the largest investment in research from NSERC this year.

Projects in chemistry & biochemistry, neuroscience, kinesiology & physical education, mathematics & computer science, environmental science, biology and psychology all received funding support.

In addition, eight graduate students received $336,000 in funding, further broadening the impact of the federal government’s investment in research activities at the U of L.

“Canada supports science and our talented researchers. We are delivering on our historic investment in research and in the next generation of scientists. These remarkable researchers and students we are celebrating are working to make the world a better place and to secure a brighter future for all Canadians,” says The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport.

Dr. Erasmus Okine, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s vice-president (research) says he is impressed with the breadth of research being funded.

“It speaks to the level of activity we have going on throughout the institution, and the variety of issues our researchers and students are tackling,” says Okine. “This level of funding is a recognition by NSERC that our people are making a real difference through their research work and will continue to do so.”

Projects in chemistry & biochemistry, neuroscience, kinesiology & physical education, mathematics & computer science, environmental science, biology and psychology all received funding support. Dr. Robert Sutherland’s study in the Department of Neuroscience, Hippocampus and memory: A systems level approach, earned $285,000 over five years, the largest award of the funded projects.

Sutherland describes the hippocampus as being situated at the hub of a set of distributed cortical networks that represent movement and perceptual information. Amnesia is the most prominent effect of damage to or dysfunction of the hippocampus and most forms of human memory disorder involve the hippocampus.

“The current proposal examines, in detail, how the interactions between the hippocampus and other cortical networks establish long-term memories,” says Sutherland, director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. “We will discover exactly which types of information depend on the hippocampus and how the hippocampus modifies the functioning of the cortex through long-term interactions.”

Dr. Louise Barrett, Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour and member of the U of L’s Department of Psychology, will receive $200,000 over five years (plus an accelerator supplement of $120,000 over three years) for her project, Behavioural Flexibility, Fertility and Social Network Influences in Human and Non-Human Primates.

In her work, Barrett aims to understand how evolutionary processes influence the behaviour of human and non-human primates.

“More specifically, I am interested in exploring those aspects that we share with other primate species, and those that make us different,” she says.

Other funded researchers include:

Dr. Matthew Tata, neuroscience; Dr. Steven Mosimann, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Marc Roussel, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Athanasios Zovoilis, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Marc Bomhof, kinesiology & physical education; Dr. John Anvik, mathematics & computer science; Dr. Alexey Popov, mathematics & computer science; Dr. David Euston, neuroscience; Dr. Sergio Pellis, neuroscience; Dr. Stephanus Henzi, psychology; Dr. Cameron Goater, biological sciences; Dr. Majid Mohajerani, neuroscience.

Graduate students who received funding include:

Elijah Dueck, chemistry & biochemistry; Lukas Grasse, neuroscience; Samantha Krause, psychology; Kailyn Nelson, environmental science; Candace Burke, neuroscience; Serena Jenkins, neuroscience; Justin Lee, neuroscience; Conner MacNeil, chemistry & biochemistry.

New Biological Information Processing program presents incredible oppportunity

trevor.kenney — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:12:09 +0000

A new program in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) presents an incredible opportunity for the next generation of scientists.

The Biological Information Processing (BIP): From Genome to Systems Level program (www.uleth.ca/artsci/neuroscience/student-opportunities), funded by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through its Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program, is currently seeking exceptional graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

“In this program, students learn from an unparalleled group of mentors who are world leaders in their fields,” says Dr. Robert Sutherland, program director, NSERC CREATE Biological Information Processing, and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience.

Graduate student Rajat Thapa (BSc '12) is working with neuroscience researcher Dr. Aaron Gruber as part of the BIP program.

Citing neuroscience, biology, epigenetics, cancer research and neurotechnology development as fields of supervisor expertise, Sutherland says the unique approach of the BIP program makes it attractive to students who are looking at gaining hands-on experience that is easily translatable to industry.

“The program stands apart from the standard academic track because it provides opportunities for science entrepreneurship, industry contact and the translation of science to industry,” he says. “It also offers a very competitive stipend to qualified applicants.”

Rajat Thapa (BSc ’12) is a graduate student working under the supervision of neuroscientist Dr. Aaron Gruber. His research focus is on decision making and he relishes the opportunity to not only learn alongside some of the world’s leading neuroscientists, but to put those lessons into practice.

“The program allowed me to jump right into research,” says Thapa, originally from Nepal. “The focus is on learning through independently leading a research project. It’s helping me gather tools in terms of methods, data analysis techniques and creative and critical thinking necessary to pursue the questions I hope to answer someday.”

Students who have a background in neuroscience, cell biology, imaging science, physiology, biochemistry and computation are urged to apply for acceptance to the School of Graduate Studies (www.uleth.ca/graduatestudies/apply) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and simultaneously to the NSERC CREATE Biological Information Processing Program. The application deadline for MA, MSc and PhD candidates for the Spring 2014 cohort is Oct. 1, 2013. Post-doctoral candidates can apply at anytime.

“The world-class expertise that the students have access to will benefit them throughout their subsequent careers,” says Sutherland. “To have this collection of researchers right here in Canada, in southern Alberta, is quite remarkable, and our belief is that we can provide our students with the toolkit necessary to produce the next generation of innovators in neuroscience.”

Fox turns love of environment into career

trevor.kenney — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:33:50 +0000

Several years ago, Paulette Fox (Naatawawaohkaakii) (MSc '05), manager of the Environmental Protection Division for the Blood Tribe Land Management Department, was driving up Lethbridge's west side hill with her young son. She asked him to imagine the land with no buildings or houses, only teepees and buffalo. Pondering this for a few minutes he asked, "So mom, where did the buffalo go and what are we going to do about it?"

Raised on the Blood Reserve, Fox had contemplated the same question as a child.

"I always pondered the buffalo and that continued journey made me interested in environmental issues," says Fox. "When I graduated from high school in 1995 I enrolled at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. In my third year they offered an environmental science undergraduate program. I was one of the first students to participate in that."

In 1998, Fox put her undergraduate degree on hold to attend the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER). She earned a certificate in Environmental Protection, Assessment and Education in 2000 and moved to Lethbridge to take her last few undergraduate classes at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"I had always wanted to return home with my education and, not being quite finished, I got special permission to complete the last few courses of my U of C degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," explains Fox.

In 2001, she completed her bachelor of science degree in environmental science and received an NSERC scholarship to begin her master's degree.

"Coming from a larger institution, I found the U of L campus very student friendly with the smaller class sizes, and I felt I could approach my professors," says Fox. "My supervisors, Dr. James Byrnes, Dr. Stefan Kienzle and Dr. Leroy Little Bear were great resources. Through Leroy, I had the opportunity to participate in dialogues with academic and spiritual leaders, not only from Native ancestry but from other ancestry as well. This was a very powerful experience for me, and one I don't think I would have had otherwise."

Fox was also involved in the Native American Students' Association and spent one semester as the association president.

"It was a very good experience in terms of being grounded in some of the issues that students face. I was able to get involved in many different activities and participate in Native Awareness Week," remembers Fox. "My experiences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ were very positive."

She continues her association with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ through her membership in the First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) chapter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Alumni Association (ULAA).

"The FNMI chapter is relatively new and I am proud to be part of its inception. This is a great step forward, bringing together graduates who have aboriginal ancestry," says Fox.

In 2005, Fox graduated with a master's degree in environmental science and began working for the Blood Tribe. At the time, there was no formal environmental protection division so Fox developed the agency to benefit her community.

"We write grants and get funding for proposals to work on a wide range of environmental projects on the reserve. We cover forestry, rangeland health and species at risk, and work on a regular basis with the elders and different advisory committees," explains Fox. "We are teaching our community to utilize cutting edge technology to monitor our landscape."

While her future goals include helping other First Nations communities develop their own successful environmental programs, Fox is very proud of her staff and the work they do in the field and in their own community.

"My hope for our community is to be able to thrive as when we had the buffalo, self-sufficient and proud of our ways."

GET THE FACTS

• Husband Duane Mistaken Chief (Aiaistahkommi), son Austin ( Kiisom), daughters Jaklyn (Niiokskasiipistakii) and Dallis (Akainskii) all speak, read and write Blackfoot.

• Fox's master's degree examined the use of GIS to link Blackfoot environmental knowledge with ecological databases.

• Fox serves as an advisor – Tribal Government, Blood Tribe Administration. She also co-facilitates community dialogues with Dr. Little Bear and is a panel member for the Native New Student Orientation at the U of L.

• Fox is a sessional instructor at Red Crow Community College and the recipient of research grants totaling more than $400,000.

UNews - Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada

Faculty and student researchers buoyed by NSERC funding

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New Biological Information Processing program presents incredible oppportunity

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Fox turns love of environment into career

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