UNews - Katie Wilson

U of L computational chemistry students build international networks

caroline.zentner — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 17:44:34 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge doctoral students have built international connections early in their careers, thanks to Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements (MSFSS) from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

Katie Wilson (BSc ’13), who spent three months at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Porto in Portugal, and Stefan Lenz (BSc ’13), who spent three months at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Rhode Island, are being supervised by Dr. Stacey Wetmore, a professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. They are in the process of finishing the requirements for their PhDs in computational chemistry, a field that employs computers to help solve chemistry problems.

“It was amazing,” Wilson says of her time at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Porto. “I wanted to learn new techniques to model biological systems and Dr. Wetmore is connected to Dr. Maria João Ramos’ group in Porto, so I went there to learn the methods they are using. For any scientific advancement, you need that collaboration in order to go forward.”

Lenz went to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Rhode Island to work with Dr. Deyu Li, an experimental expert in the field of DNA repair. Lenz had the opportunity to learn experimental techniques used to study DNA repair.

“Computational chemistry can’t solve all of the problems and, by the same token, experiments can’t provide all of the insights we’d like either,” says Lenz. “It’s often a dual-headed approach that yields the best results, so establishing a consistent collaboration between a computational lab and an experimental lab can be extremely valuable.”

“An incredible part of a young researcher’s education is exposure to new environments and ways of thinking,” says Wetmore. “Nothing can replace the experience of being immersed in a collaboration between innovative researchers with vibrant and productive research programs. Katie and Stefan have enhanced their graduate education by securing funding from the MSFSS program in order to take advantage of this important opportunity.”

Wilson, who is from Canmore, and Lenz, who is from Coaldale, came to the U of L with very different goals from those they are now pursuing. Wilson had set her sights on becoming a teacher while Lenz wanted to study medicine.

“That was before I realized I couldn’t deal with blood or the hospital atmosphere,” he says, adding he became aware of Wetmore’s work through a tour of her lab. “I really liked the idea of studying DNA and the processes that involve DNA.”

Wilson altered her path when she found she enjoyed her science courses so much so that she only wanted to keep building her knowledge.

“I didn’t want to stop learning; I wanted to be able to apply it more in-depth than if I were to get an education degree,” she says. “I got involved in the co-op program during my undergrad to get a research-related job in the summer. There was a job posting to work with Stacey and understanding how DNA damage affects the body interests me, so I worked in her lab that summer and stayed.”

Wilson studies how damaged DNA is replicated in the body. Repair proteins aren’t perfect and they sometimes miss damaged sites. These damaged sites may be replicated and that can introduce further damage into the DNA that can lead to long-term health effects. Since her return from Portugal, she’s shared what she learned with other students in Wetmore’s lab, which is part of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) and the Canadian Centre for Research in Advanced Fluorine Technologies (C-CRAFT).

Lenz focuses on DNA repair mechanisms. Several repair pathways exist and they use proteins that catalyze chemical reactions or enzymes to search and reverse the damage caused by the things we encounter on a daily basis, oxygen being the most common. Cancer drugs can also damage DNA and Lenz works to find out how repair proteins work, with the hope of synthesizing new drugs to enhance cancer treatment in the future.

Wilson and Lenz were eligible for the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements because of their NSERC scholarships. Wilson is a Vanier scholar and Lenz was awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Canadian Graduate Scholarship.

“Studying abroad allows you to build connections and collaborations with other researchers, which are always going to be useful when going on in science,” Wilson says. “It’s a huge benefit to my future, and just getting exposed to a different research environment and being able to adapt allows me to be strengthened as a researcher.”

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has been great,” adds Lenz. “The U of L has been incredibly generous with computer and monetary resources, and mentorship. Stacey, and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as a whole, have provided valuable insight and direction into my thesis and guided my career path.”

Lenz and Wilson are also grateful to have received scholarships from the U of L and Alberta Innovates-Technologies Futures.

Rotaract Club joins Lethbridge Rotary in bringing Mexican school dream to reality

trevor.kenney — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 17:00:41 +0000

In honour of National Philanthropy Day on Wednesday, Nov. 15, those of us at the U of L's UNews website wanted to highlight some stories from our archives. Each day this week, we'll republish a story that demonstrates the many ways the campus community benefits from philanthropy. Our first story looks at the efforts to create a much-needed school in Mazatlán, Mexico.

An earnest belief in the value of education has led to the creation of an accredited school in Mazatlán, Mexico, where children were once educated by volunteers in a ramshackle structure made of discarded pallets.

The Pallet School Project brought together the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Rotaract Club, the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East and the Rotary Club of Mazatlán Norte to create a fully-accredited, government-supported, six-classroom school in one of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods. What began as an idea in summer 2014 was realized just last week when the Kinder Urbivilla del Real school welcomed 200 students through its doors.

The former Pallet School was just that, a building constructed of discarded pallets.

“It’s very exciting that it actually came together the way it has,” says Katie Wilson, a U of L PhD student in chemistry and Rotaract Club member. “You look at it now that it is done and it looks like a school – it’s not just something thrown together – but a real school for them to be proud of.”

The need for a school was identified in 2014 when a group of Rotarians were in Mazatlán as part of the Los Amigos Project, an initiative where decommissioned fleet vehicles are donated to Mexican communities. On delivering a collection of fire trucks, handi-buses and ambulances, the Rotarians struck up conversations with some of the locals, who spoke about a school for kindergarten students that had been constructed out of discarded pallets.

“A group of four teachers essentially made a school, with the help of community members, out of scavenged materials, largely pallets sitting on end, stacked up on top of each other and held in place with whatever they could find for columns and posts,” says Rotary Club member and retired U of L geography professor Dr. Ian MacLachlan. “These teachers would volunteer their time and teach the children in the morning and then go to work for paid employment in the afternoon.”

This is one of two buildings that make up the new, modern schoolhouse.

The Catch-22 with Mexican education is that kindergarten is not funded by the State of Sinaloa but is necessary to attend primary school, which is free and fully funded. In the poorest neighbourhoods such as these, it means communities band together to do their best to provide kindergarten so their children won’t be shut out of primary school.

“It’s crazy to think that these kids do not have the opportunity to attend school available to them like we do, and how much effort their parents and their community are putting in to provide them with that,” says Wilson. “For us, being able to support them and to give them that is pretty cool.”

Crammed into tight spaces and working on a dirt floor has now given way to a modern classroom setting, below.

With the need for the school identified, the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East wanted to help build a real school but didn’t have the funds to get it started. Rotaract, through a pair of dinners and silent auctions, did, and could devote $36,500 to the project. Using that as leverage, the Rotary Club of Mazatlán worked with local and state governments to secure the necessary permits in short time and begin construction. With additional government funding, what started as a two-room schoolhouse quickly blossomed into more and began to take shape.

Two buildings were constructed, one with four classrooms, the other with two, as well as a bathroom and administrative office, all enclosed by a security fence. The Rotary Club of Lethbridge East is on board to help stock the school with supplies. Nine fully accredited and government-supported teachers are now on staff for the 200 students.

“We had the goal to build this community a proper building where they could have kindergarten but we didn’t want them to just have kindergarten, we wanted it to be accredited by the government, so that it was recognized to allow the kids into Grade 1,” says Wilson. “Now, they also have a building they can use for community outreach. They want to bring in a dentist and a doctor and they now have a modern facility to host things like that.”

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Rotaract Club is a group of university students with a love for humanity and humanitarian service, chartered by Rotary International and ratified by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union. Their charitable efforts have benefited a number of projects over the years, with funds generated through the annual dinner and silent auction. The 12th Annual Dinner and Silent Auction takes place January 21, 2017 at the Sandman Hotel and will support the Lethbridge District Boys & Girls Club graffiti program.

For more information and to view an album of photos on the Pallet School Project, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ulethrotaract.org/photos/?tab=album&album_id=959157220846094.

Chinook Symposium winners announced

caroline.zentner — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:54:52 +0000

With 39 competitors at this year's Chinook Symposium in Chemistry and Biochemistry, judges had a difficult task. After a full afternoon of judging, a slate of winners was chosen.

Top row from left to right — Doug Turnbull, Brooke Mackay, Jalyce Heller, Connor MacNeil and Doug Kiss. On the bottom row from left to right are Justin Vigar, Katherine Gzyl, Dylan Girodat, Katie Wilson and Anileen Pageni.

Lesley Brown, vice-provost and associate vice-president (academic), was on hand to congratulate the winners.

In the undergraduate chemistry category, Doug Turnbull was awarded first place and Brooke Mackay was awarded second place. In the undergraduate biochemistry category, Colyn Cleland (photo unavailable) received first place and Jalyce Heller received second place.

In the master's chemistry section, Connor MacNeil took first place and Doug Kiss took second place. In the master's biochemistry group, Justin Vigar took first place and Katherine Gzyl took second place.

In the doctoral category, Dylan Girodat took first place and Katie Wilson took second place.

Devaney Holland (photo unavailable) was named rookie of the year and Anileen Pageni, a high school student, received an honourable mention and made department history by doing research in the same department at the same time as her father, Binod, a post-doctoral fellow.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge awarded record $3.9 million in NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:04:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was awarded a record $3.9 million of funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this year, with U of L researchers earning support for projects in neuroscience, biological sciences, psychology, chemistry & biochemistry, physics & astronomy, geography and mathematics & computer science.

This unprecedented level of support was announced earlier today by Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology), the Honourable Ed Holder, at a national funding announcement in Oshawa, Ont.

Dr. Robert McDonald’s base grant of $355,000 (over five years) is the largest NSERC grant awarded to the U of L this year.

“This latest round of NSERC funding clearly demonstrates the outstanding research our faculty and students are undertaking,” says Interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown. “That our research portfolio continues to grow as it does is testament to the quality of the work being done and also speaks to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ striking the right balance as a comprehensive teaching and research institution.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers receiving NSERC Discovery Grant funding include: Dr. Gerlinde Metz (neuroscience); Dr. Aaron Gruber (neuroscience); Dr. Alice Hontela (biological sciences); Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca (psychology); Dr. David Logue (psychology); Dr. Artur Luczak (neuroscience); Dr. Robert McDonald (neuroscience); Dr. Majid Mohajerani (neuroscience); Dr. Gregory Pyle (biological sciences); Dr. Masami Tatsuno (neuroscience); Dr. Paul Vasey (psychology); Dr. Robert Laird (biological sciences); Dr. René Boeré (chemistry & biochemistry); Dr. Paul Hayes (chemistry & biochemistry); Dr. Locke Spencer (physics & astronomy); Dr. Mark Walton (physics & astronomy); Dr. Christopher Hopkinson (geography); Dr. Robert Benkoczi (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Shahadat Hossain (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Habiba Kadiri (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Nathan Ng (mathematics & computer science).

In addition, Drs. John Zhang and Olga Kovalchuk were each awarded NSERC Discovery Development Grants.

Luczak and McDonald will also both receive an additional $120,000 in funds through the Discovery Accelerator Supplements program (over a three-year period), while McDonald’s base grant of $355,000 (over five years) is the largest NSERC grant awarded to the U of L this year. He is studying neural circuits and mechanisms of context-specific conditioned inhibition.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s doctoral students were extremely successful in the NSERC Doctoral Scholarship competitions, led by Katie Wilson (chemistry & biochemistry), who was named a Canada Vanier Scholar, demonstrating leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. Jason Flindall (neuroscience) was awarded a Canadian Doctoral Scholarship, while Kayla Stone (neuroscience), Allonna Harker (neuroscience) and Stefan Lenz (chemistry & biochemistry) were awarded NSERC Postgraduate Doctoral Scholarships. Additionally, five masters students were awarded the NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship, including: Justin Lee (neuroscience), Serena Shandik (neuroscience), Matthew Robbins (physics & astronomy), Rhys Hakstol (chemistry & biochemistry) and Douglas Turnbull (chemistry & biochemistry).

“We are pleased with the amount of money invested in our researchers and what this could yield in terms of the results they will achieve and the benefits their work will bring to society,” adds Brown. “Our continuing success with the federal research funding agencies is testament to our researchers’ ability to compete on the national stage.”

NSERC grants aim to develop, attract and retain the world’s most talented researchers at Canadian universities who are working in a multitude of scientific and engineering disciplines.

Chinook Symposium winners announced

caroline.zentner — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 17:32:53 +0000

Winners in the recent Chinook Symposium student conference and poster competition held by the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry received both recognition and cash for their hard work.

In the undergraduate biochemistry category, Dominic Czekay took first place and Ian Andrews took second. In the undergraduate chemistry category, first place went to Jackson Knott and second place went to Nathan Kostiuk.

In the graduate biochemistry category, Justin Vigar took first place while Dylan Girodat took second place. In the graduate chemistry category, first place went to Stefan Lenz and second place to Katie Wilson.

Laura Keffer-Wilkes received the Loren Helpler Gold Medal for PhD Research Excellence for her research presentation. Dr. Purshotam Sharma received the inaugural Christopher Owen Bender award for the best presentation by a post-doctoral fellow.

The panel of judges included Dr. Raja Kamalampeta, Dr. Nehal Thakor, Dr. Binod Pageni, David Hill, Dr. Tony Russell, Dr. Senthil Kumar, Tony Montina, Dr. Rene Boere and Dr. Chris Bender.

The department extends its thanks to the judges and congratulations to all the participants.

Thirty-five students, including post-doctoral fellows, doctoral candidates, master’s and undergraduate students and a high school student participated this year. First-place winners received $300 and second-place winners received $100.

UNews - Katie Wilson

U of L computational chemistry students build international networks

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