UNews - oil

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/

Tennant named Chair of new Alberta agency

trevor.kenney — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:44:38 +0000

Alberta will build the most comprehensive environmental monitoring program in Canada with the establishment of a new arm's-length environmental monitoring agency, led by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Emeritus Dr. Howard Tennant.

The agency will be built on credible science, research and data collection. This is the key recommendation of the independent Environmental Monitoring Working Group report released by the Alberta government.

The new science-based agency will begin work in the oil sands region and will focus on what is monitored, how it's monitored and where it's monitored. This will include integrated and coordinated monitoring of land, air, water and biodiversity.

A management board named by Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Minister Diana McQueen will immediately begin work to set up the new agency. Tennant has been named Chair of the management board.

"Under the leadership of Premier Redford, this government has been clear on the need to improve how we manage natural resource development in the province," says McQueen.

"Building on the implementation of our first regional land-use plan in the Lower Athabasca, the move to an arm's-length environmental monitoring agency is the next critical step. This agency will be the first of its kind in Canada and signals to Albertans, Canadians and the world that we are committed to world-leading resource stewardship."

The work of the six-member management board will focus on how the new science-based agency will operate, long-term funding options and establishing a Science Advisory Board to provide input and advice on monitoring efforts. The initial focus of the new arm's-length agency will be on the Lower Athabasca area with the ability to expand to the rest of the province.

Members of the management board include:

Dr. Howard Tennant - Chair
Dr. Arlene Ponting
Dr. Gregory Taylor
Dr. Ron Wallace
Mr. Doug Tupper
Mr. Paul Clark

"Arm's-length oversight is an essential component of comprehensive, adaptive and effective environmental monitoring," says Tennant.

"The work of the management board will be key to ensuring the foundation of the new agency is based on sound, credible science. I look forward to the high quality technical and scientific advice the board will provide government as we work to build the best system for Albertans."

"Providing scientifically-credible information through an independent body is fundamentally important to excellence in resource management," says Kirk Andries, Executive Director of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute.

"We are looking forward to working with the Management Board to contribute to the development of a fully integrated, multi-media based environmental monitoring system."

"CAPP supports the establishment of the provincial monitoring agency," says CAPP vice-president David Pryce. "This is an important mechanism to further the implementation of scientifically credible monitoring which can be used to confirm and assure responsible development."

The work of the management board will be supported through Environment and Sustainable Resource Development's operating budget. Funding for the management board's work for the remainder of this fiscal year could be up to one million dollars and an estimated $3 - $5 million for next year (2013/14).

While the new agency is being established, environmental monitoring in the oil sands region will continue to be led through a joint federal-provincial program announced in February.

To date, that program has added new water quality sites on the Athabasca River and Muskeg River system; increased air monitoring by adding more sampling sites; and, improved bio-diversity monitoring to include all oil sands producing areas. Up to $50 million a year is being provided by industry in the region to support the joint federal-provincial environmental monitoring plan.

The full report of the Environmental Working Group is available online at http://environment.alberta.ca/03379.html.

WISE researchers study Red Deer River spill

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:14:39 +0000

A recent pipeline rupture in the Red Deer River might have relatively short term environmental damage, but a larger concern is the vast number of older pipeline locations at river crossings and their vulnerability to floods, according to a leading expert in floodplain and river bank ecosystems.

Dr. Stewart Rood, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Environmental Science researcher and member of the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments, has already started on a study of the Red Deer River oil spill, looking at more than 30 km of river shoreline downstream from the spill site.

He and his colleagues are looking for opportunities to learn from this particular spill, and then turn their research findings into a set of guidelines for developing oil pipelines near, over or under waterways.

"River crossings are especially prone to pipeline breaks, since the banks are commonly eroded and stream channels shift, especially during flood events," says Rood. "While this specific pipeline break and oil spill was unfortunate, a study opportunity arises and this should be instructive relative to floodplain processes and environmental vulnerability."

The break, which occurred last week near Sundre, Alberta, northwest of Calgary, resulted in the release of up to an estimated half-million liters of light sour crude oil into the Red Deer River.

The release coincided with flood flows of the river and consequently the floating oil wove through the riparian (or streamside) vegetation, leaving what Rood describes as a 'bathtub ring' of oil deposits on the floodplain plants (photographs attached).

Despite decades of pipeline construction and occasional ruptures, Rood's team found there has been remarkably little scientific study on the environmental impacts of oil spills on river floodplains. Checking back almost 50 years the researchers found only 10 relevant journal papers.

"There have been studies on fish but very little on floodplain ecosystems," says Rood. "Since river floods can damage pipelines, we need to better understand how vulnerable floodplains are, and how quickly or slowly they'll recover.'

He added that pipeline breaks are more common than people think, and occur across the province, often in remote locations.

"In its 2010 field surveillance report, the industry-funded Energy Resources Conservation Board recorded 687 pipeline failures across the province, but most of these would have been very minor" says Rood.

Their new study sites have been positioned ('tagged' through GPS monitoring) at numerous locations within the spill zone to enable the detailed monitoring of the consequence of the oil spill on the trees and vegetation along the banks of the river (called the riparian zone).

As well, there will also be coordinated study of invertebrates in the shoreline zone, as well as investigation of impacts on fish.

The study group involves Rood and two colleagues, Dr. Alice Hontela and Dr. Joseph Rasmussen, all senior U of L researchers who have already been studying the Red Deer River and other rivers of southern Alberta for more than 25 years.

Numerous undergraduate and graduate students will also be involved in the research.

This brings world-class -- and independent -- expertise in river and floodplain ecology and aquatic toxicology to bear on the Red Deer River spill, and sets the stage for future projects.

Rood says he has communicated with pipeline owner Plains Midstream about the study project.

"Their representatives were pleased we were conducting this research independently, and have expressed a willingness to share technical data with us."

Goyal recognized with Cade Award

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:30:38 +0000

A student with high aspirations has received an award to match.

Dipankar (Dee) Goyal, a second-year neuroscience student recently received the Bill and Elsa Cade Student of the Year Award.

Goyal moved to Lethbridge from Victoria for his university studies and has been truly amazed by the opportunities provided at the U of L.

"For an undergraduate student, getting the opportunity to work under a professor in first year is simply magnificent. It has been a great experience having done research under Dr. HJ Wieden, Dr. Robert Laird and Dr. Olga Kovalchuk," says Goyal.

Second-year neuroscience student Dipankar Goyal, a member of the U of L's iGEM team, has been named the recipient of the Bill and Elsa Cade Student of the Year Award.

He has set his sights on medical school, and is working his way toward that goal by engaging in a combination of academic and community service activities that he hopes will take him far.

"I look forward to attending medical school with a long-term goal of joining an organization like Doctors Without Borders," he says. "It is far more than a dream for me to one day become a part of an experience like that – it is my passion, dedication and ambition."

Goyal recently organized the Relay for Life Star with the Canadian Cancer Society. He also volunteers under Dr. Surendar Kilam and Dr. Ryan McColl at the Chinook Regional Hospital, and is a crucial part of the award-winning International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team here on campus. The iGEM team ranked as one of the top four teams at the Americas Competition and as the top Canadian team internationally, all based on its efforts to build a bacterium that could consume oil sands tailings pond residue.

This story first appeared in the May issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Speaker Series to debut at Galt

trevor.kenney — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:33:11 +0000

The Friends of the Galt Museum Society has selected an engaging lineup of local agricultural entrepreneurs for its new fundraiser speaker series to be held monthly at the Galt Museum & Archives as part of the Galt's Thursday evening program.

"Agricultural innovations have created quite a stir in southern Alberta," says Dr. Glenn Coulter, President of the Friends of the Galt, and Chair of the Speaker Series. "We are pleased to highlight these with our new speaker series, which also provides us another opportunity to support Galt Museum education initiatives."

The program was developed in consultation with a number of community organizations, including the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. The first three speaker series events are as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 19

Coal Banks to Cow Manure: Is this Full Circle?

SPEAKER: Stefan Michalski, a consultant with ECB Enviro North America Inc., a bio-based co-generation facility being built in North Lethbridge.

Michaleski's discussion will focus on the conversion of manure and other biological by-products of agriculture into energy, such as electricity and hot water.

ECB Enviro North America Inc., founded in 2001, has access to European Bio-Energy technologies such as highly innovative biogas and biodiesel processes and to new Canadian Hydrolysis Technology.

It plans to develop, engineer, built and operate Bio-Energy facilities all over Canada and North America and initiate agro-industrial clustering, rural revitalization, alternative sustainable energy production opportunities and local employment.

Thursday, Feb. 16

Current and Future Status of Biofuels

SPEAKER: Jim Thacker, Director at Kyoto Fuels Corporation, formed in 2003 and located in Lethbridge.

The Corporation recently received a $31 million 6-year investment from the Government of Canada, allowing it to produce up to 66 million litres of biodiesel annually by converting vegetable or cooking oil or animal fat into biodiesel.

It intends to sell the product to diesel producers in Western Canada and the northwestern United States. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from biodiesel can be as much as 80 percent over regular diesel.

Thursday, March 15

Thebaine Poppy Innovation

SPEAKER: Glen Metzler, President, API Labs Inc. an early-stage pharmaceutical fine chemicals processing company establishing the groundwork to create a thebaine industry in Western Canada.

Glen Metzler has been involved in market development and research in Canada and internationally. He has worked with major companies in both the United States and Canada in product development and product launches and has an agricultural background.

Each program starts at 7:30 p.m. with networking opportunities, a presentation and then discussion. Tickets are priced at $20/person for each program and will be available at the door.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ hosts special SACPA session on fracking

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:10:24 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will host a special session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs Thursday night, 7 p.m. in PE264.

Should a Moratorium and a Full Scale Environmental Assessment Precede Any Further Development Using Hydraulic Fracturing? That is the question that guest speaker Jessica Ernst will debate.

Ernst is an environmental scientist with 30 years of oil patch experience. Her career and personal experience make her uniquely qualified to talk about drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Ernst must haul water from outside sources because her well has been poisoned by unnatural and dangerous concentrations of methane gas and other industrial toxins.

She filed legal action against EnCana (a large oil and gas company), the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) which approves energy projects in Alberta and the Alberta Government for their responsibility. In May, 2011 Ernst was invited to New York to present her case and to make recommendations to governments at the United Nations 19th Commission on Sustainable Development. On October 1, 2011, UNANIMA International, a UN Economic and Social Council NGO, presented Ernst with its annual "Woman of Courage" award in New York, at the Church Center of United Nations.

Much of the general public know little or nothing about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), an increasingly popular, but controversial technique of drilling for oil and natural gas. Fracking involves vertical and sometimes horizontal drilling into coal bed, or shale rock using extreme pressure for the fracture treatments. Anywhere from 200,000 to 1500,000 liters of water and various stimulation and fracturing fluids, and from 75,000 to 320,000 pounds of propellant are consumed during a typical hydraulic fracture of a single well.

Fracturing fluids can contain chemicals toxic to humans and wildlife, chemicals that are known to cause cancer. These include diesel fuel, which contains benzene, which in very small quantities can cause cancer and are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water. Drilling chemicals can be more toxic than fracturing chemicals. The speaker will relate her experiences with fracking in her community of Rosebud, Alberta and her fight to bring the many issues associated with drilling and fracking to the public.

Brick by Brick benefit dinner for MS Society

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:40:35 +0000

Exchanging lab coats for formal attire, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's iGEM team is stepping out of its comfort zone to connect with the southern Alberta community that has supported them from the outset.

The inaugural Brick by Brick Charity Dinner is Friday, Nov. 18 in the Students' Union Ballroom. Benefitting the MS Society, Lethbridge & District Chapter, the event will not only raise funds for the fight against multiple sclerosis, it will help to enhance awareness and understanding of the disease through guest speakers Susan Schneider and Dr. Gerlinde Metz.

"This is something we've wanted to do for a few years now and have finally been able to put together because of the size of our team," says iGEM member Lisza Bruder.

The Pincher Creek native is in her third year with iGEM and in the first year of her master's of biochemistry studies with Dr. Steve Mosimann. The multidisciplinary iGEM team, with support from the Synthetic Biology Club and led by Dr. HJ Wieden, has swelled to 22 members, making the establishment of a charity dinner a less daunting task.

"We felt this was a way to give back to the community that has supported us from when we started in 2007."

The iGEM group (an acronym for International Genetically Engineered Machines) already makes a significant contribution to society, albeit in a more indirect manner. Their work involves the design of a petrochemical-eating bacteria, which they proved could be used to help clean up water in oil sands tailings ponds.

The dinner project is a little more public and more direct.

"It's very difficult at times to go and talk with someone about your research and explain to them what it means," says Bruder. "We even sometimes don't see the connect between what we are doing in the lab and how it applies down the line."

To that end, U of L neuroscience professor Metz will speak to her studies as a part of the endMS project.

"Having an MS researcher from our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ speak to the community has a huge impact," says Ann Stewart, the MS Society chapter executive director. "It demonstrates the use of donor funds as well as raises the awareness of the types of research being done to find a cause and cure for MS."

Multiple sclerosis is the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada and currently affects over 11,000 Albertans.

In addition to Metz's address, Susan Schneider, a local resident who is living with MS, will speak to her personal experience with the disease, while Dory Rossiter will serve as the evening's emcee.

Stewart says it is important that our community's youth take up the charge for these initiatives.

"We are delighted to partner with the iGEM team," she says. "��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students are an integral part of our community and it is always refreshing to be involved in their activities."

Tickets for the Brick by Brick Charity Dinner are priced at $50 each or $350 for a table of eight. They are available by calling 403-328-7002 or via e-mail at brickbybrick.igem@gmail.com

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the November issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Przybylski honoured by province

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:26:59 +0000

All four were recently recognized for their work with a special Premier's Award.

"Our province has an abundance of talent for producing healthy foods," says Premier Ed Stelmach. "Through the annual Alberta Food for Health Awards, we are able to bring attention to the healthy and delicious home-grown choices made available to Albertans by Albertans."

Przybylski was awarded for healthy food and nutrition research. Other award recipients include: the Spring Creek Ranch for healthy Alberta food sold through a retail outlet; the Seniors' Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE) for healthy Alberta food sold through food service; Gordon's Homemade Sausage for healthy Alberta food for specialty diets.

Przybylski was selected as the Healthy Alberta food and nutrition researcher for contributing to leading edge research in the development of Omega-9 canola oil; a high-quality frying oil suitable for the same uses as traditional oils. The conversion of Omega-9 canola oil from hydrogenated oil helps to remove unhealthy trans and saturated fats from the North American diet. Providing this alternative can positively impact health problems such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Przybylski's research is helping to improve Alberta's food oil industry's processing and preparation practices while improving nutrition. Finalists in the award program had their products consumer taste-tested at Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development's consumer testing centre in Edmonton. The winners receive $10,000 each to promote their products or invest in future business growth and research.

Alberta Health and Wellness, Advanced Education and Technology, Agriculture and Rural Development, Alberta Innovates Bio Solution and Alberta
Innovates Health Solutions jointly manage the Alberta Food for Health Awards program.

The awards were developed to encourage food producers and researchers in the province to develop and research healthy food choices. For more information on the awards visit www.albertafoodforhealthawards.com.

The Alberta government is working to build a better Alberta by fostering economic growth, strengthening our health and education systems, investing in infrastructure, supporting safe and strong communities and ensuring a clean and healthy environment.

Przybylski recognized by Premier

trevor.kenney — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:53:03 +0000

More healthy food products are on the shelves because of the efforts of three Alberta food producers and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researcher Dr. Roman Przybylski, (chemistry and biochemistry).

All four were recently recognized for their work with a special Premier's Award.

"Our province has an abundance of talent for producing healthy foods," says Premier Ed Stelmach. "Through the annual Alberta Food for Health Awards, we are able to bring attention to the healthy and delicious home-grown choices made available to Albertans by Albertans."

In addition to Przybylski, who was selected for healthy food and nutrition research, this year's award recipients are:

- Spring Creek Ranch for healthy Alberta food sold through a retail outlet

- Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE) for healthy Alberta food sold through food service

- Gordon's Homemade Sausage for healthy Alberta food for specialty diets

Przybylski was selected as the Healthy Alberta food and nutrition researcher for contributing to leading edge research in the development of Omega-9 canola oil, a high-quality frying oil suitable for the same uses as traditional oils.

The conversion of Omega-9 canola oil from hydrogenated oil helps to remove unhealthy trans and saturated fats from the North American diet. Providing this alternative can positively impact health problems such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Dr. Przybylski's research is helping to improve Alberta's food oil industry's processing and preparation practices while improving nutrition.

Hontela contributes to IET team

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:18:28 +0000

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ecotoxicology expert is part of a new province-wide research institute dedicated to examining the impact of harmful chemicals in our environment.

Dr. Alice Hontela, a U of L biological sciences professor and Canada Research Chair in ecotoxicology, is among the researchers who make up the Institute of Environmental Toxicology (IET). Housed at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, the IET is a multidisciplinary team that will include biologists and engineers from the universities of Lethbridge, Calgary and Alberta, as well as scientists in municipal and federal laboratories. Its mandate is to develop new and improved technologies for effective risk assessment and remediation of contaminated sites.

Dr. Alice Hontela is pictured in her lab, one of several unique spaces in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building.

"Our research will help provide decision makers and the public with scientific information on the nature and magnitude of environmental contaminants, and offer some solutions to address this important global challenge," says Hontela.

Among other research collaborations, Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network and the Alberta Institute for Water Research. She says climate change and increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants that exist in the water.

Through lab and fieldwork, Hontela studies the endocrine systems of different fish to determine the effects of certain pollutants. She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. See the following video for a look at Hontela's research.

Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

"Alberta is a province that is changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants," says Dr. Hamid Habibi, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the IET director.

An environment free of harmful chemicals is the group's top priority. IET will study the nature, fate and persistence of chemicals in the environment as well as the remediation of terrestrial and aquatic contamination activities.

Habibi says that the causes of contamination are wide ranging and could include pollutants released from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, such as plasticizers, surfactants, flame-retardants, drugs, personal care and industrial products. In addition, there are heavy metals or other toxins resulting from mining activities and electronics consumerism, agricultural runoff, oil sands operations and tailings ponds.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a full look at the January issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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