UNews - Grace Forster

Medal winners shine for 2021 Spring Convocation

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:18:06 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is excited to celebrate the achievements of its newest graduates this week during our online 2021 Spring Convocation.

Distinguishing themselves among the many outstanding graduates are the U of L’s medal winners for 2021. They are as follows:

Gold Medal of the Governor General — Douglas Turnbull
(Awarded to the student with the highest academic standing at the graduate level)
See writeup below

Silver Medal of the Governor General — Janelle Bykowski
(Awarded to the student with the highest academic standing at the undergraduate level)
Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, Bykowski conducted research in chemistry professor Dr. Michael Gerken’s lab. Under his supervision, she completed two independent studies and an honours thesis. Bykowski will be continuing her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. Read More

Undergraduate Academic Medals

Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Arts) — Grace Forster
A political science student with minors in philosophy and French, Grace Forster recently completed her honours thesis on labour party development. Not only has she excelled in her political science courses, she embodies the goals of the liberal education model, completing two minors in addition to her major. Her undergraduate research has led to publication in an undergraduate philosophy journal, and she has also presented her research at the Association of Political Science Students’ Research Colloquium. Her excellence in French language and literature led to her receiving the French Language Centre Book Prize in 2020. Read more

Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Science) — Jhanvi Mehta
Jhanvi Mehta completed an honours thesis studying the effects of cannabis on stroke recovery and has been awarded NSERC and AIHS grants to fulfill her research. Mehta also volunteered extensively in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s laboratory, and is applying for medical school to further her education. As notable as her achievements inside the classroom are her contributions to the broader community. She has been acknowledged for years of volunteer work at Chinook Regional Hospital with a Leaders of Tomorrow Award, the Healthcare Professionals of Tomorrow Award, and has been a two-time volunteer of the month. She was also a staunch supporter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Let’s Talk Science initiative. Read more

Faculty of Education Gold Medal — Lacey Rose
Lacey Rose completed her after-degree program in the Fall of 2020 with a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education and a minor in science education. Rose graduates with the highest academic standing in the Faculty of Education. She also excelled in her field experience placements. Her PS III internship at Lakeview school in Lethbridge required shifting from online to in-person teaching multiple times — all of which was done with skill, exceptional planning and care for the learning needs of the students. Read more

Alberta Teacher’s Association William Aberhart Gold Medal in Education — Sophia Larney
Sophia Larney completed her after degree in April 2021 with a Bachelor of Education in Social Studies. Larney excelled academically as well as in her field experience placements. At St. Paul’s school in Lethbridge, she was noted for building strong relationships with her students and having a strong presence in the classroom. Poised and self-confident, she presented her professional inquiry project at the semi-annual PS III symposium which investigated outdoor learning in core subjects. Read More

Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal — Dylan Bauer
Graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Multidisciplinary allowed Dylan Bauer to play saxophone for the U of L Jazz Ensemble, take courses in music, art, and new media, while maintaining a focus in technical theatre. He extended his academic excellence into the humanities, social sciences and sciences, all while participating in 19 theatrical productions. Bauer also held the role of technical director for the student-run theatre program Theatrxtra for two years. Read more

Faculty of Health Sciences Gold Medal — Cassandra Zucht
Cassandra Zucht, a Bachelor of Nursing graduate, stood out as an engaged student who cared about her work, her peers and her clients. Her maturity and self-awareness were characteristics that shone brightly in all her work, most notably in her senior preceptorship. Zucht embodies the caring, curious and dedicated student who will be a valuable and committed member of the nursing profession. Read more

Dhillon School of Business Gold Medal — Eric Turner
A Bachelor of Management graduate, Eric Turner completed a major in finance and a minor in family and small business management. A talented student who is curious, fully involved, engaged, hard-working, disciplined and driven, he was a strong role model to his peers and brought teams he worked with to a higher level of learning. Turner participated as a member of the CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) research challenge team and excelled in multiple extra-curricular activities. Read more

Graduate Academic Medals

School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit, Doctor of Philosophy — Douglas Turnbull
Dr. Douglas Turnbull completed his doctoral work at the Canadian Centre for Advanced Fluorine Technologies under the supervision of Dr. Michael Gerken. In Turnbull’s experimentally challenging research, he prepared novel fluorido tungsten complexes that are fundamentally important because of the range of their geometries. His research is highly impactful as it will serve to predict and explain geometries of new compounds. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Read more

School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit, Master of Arts — Kacie Neamtu
Kacie Neamtu’s Pedagogy in Practice: an exploration of writing instruction in a high school English Language Arts classroom, brilliantly models the layers of expert knowledge that inform effective writing instruction in schools. Her work promises to provide new foundations for the design of teacher professional development programs, and pre-service literacy education programs. Celebrating this potential, the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, honoured Kacie with The J. Estill Alexander Future Leaders in Literacy Award. Read More

School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit, Master of Nursing — Czarina Balbina Bonifacio
Czarina Balbina Bonifacio’s interest in the Health Care Aid workforce, whose voice until now had not been heard, demonstrates her commitment to enhancing the health of all Canadians. Her recommendations will undoubtedly help employers support this essential health care workforce. Read More

School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit, Master of Education — Kathryn Desrochers
Kathryn Desrochers excelled in all aspects of study, showing attention to detail and disciplined focus. Desrochers was a valued member of her cohort and always supported her peers. Since completing her MEd, she has made several presentations to successive graduate student cohorts and school leaders to share her research and experiences with the scholarly process. Her thesis marks the beginning of her academic journey as she considers future doctoral studies. Read More

School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit, Master of Science (Management) — Matthew Sentes
Matthew Sentes, a finance major, is known as a thoughtful, very hard-working and ideal student. His thesis, Director Charter and Firm Performance: Evidence from Canada, was extremely rigorous and of the highest quality. Read more

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge 2021 Spring Convocation is a virtual celebration this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For all things convocation related, visit the dedicated web page: uleth.ca/convocation/class-2021.

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:03:15 +0000

Summer time usually gives high school students a break from learning, but six local students have spent most of their summer getting educated about research instead.

The Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) program, funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), gives students in Grade 11 the chance to spend six weeks participating in health-related scientific research labs and research centres at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Grace Forster, who will be entering Grade 12 at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in September, is one of six HYRS students at the U of L this summer. She applied to the HYRS program because she enjoys the sciences and thought the program would help her find out if she enjoys laboratory work and whether she wants to study science after high school.

She began working in Dr. Gerlinde Metz’s lab on July 8, analyzing data from a research study into the effects of travel stress on mice.

“We do a lot of stress research in the Metz lab. One of the things that isn’t typically controlled very well is shipment stress,” says Forster. “Almost every laboratory gets animals shipped because most don’t have the capacity to maintain breeding colonies that will be big enough. We’re essentially looking at how shipment stress affects basic motor function in adult mice.”

To gauge motor function, Forster took measurements of stride length, distance between the hind feet and rotation of the feet in a sample of travel-stressed mice. These measurements were compared to those gathered from a sample of mice bred in house. Forster spent the first three or four weeks completing the data set, which involved a lot of painstaking hand measurements.

“We found that the shipment-stressed animals had significantly shorter stride lengths, which indicates they would have less postural stability and slower walking speeds,” says Forster. “They would respond differently to the behaviour and motor tests.”

The results show that findings from research studies could be skewed if both in-house mice and shipment-stressed mice are used in the same project. Forster says the results point to a need to use only one kind of mouse in a research project to ensure consistency.

During the HYRS program, Forster helped out with a variety of other projects, too. She learned how to handle mice, weigh pups and mothers and measure their body circumference. In addition, the HYRS students took part in educational tours, attended brown bag lunches with panels and presentations, and heard from university professors and university students about their scientific careers.

“We had the opportunity to visit the gross anatomy lab in Calgary (the cadaver lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary medical school), which was very interesting,” she says. “That was one of the coolest experiences.”

The HYRS students also had some fun — Forster’s favourite activity was The Great Escape, a live-action, escape-the-room adventure.

She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HYRS program to other high school students.

“I don’t think there’s anything else like this program that can give high school students the type of experience in the sciences that can make an impact on their university education or their careers,” she says.

Other HYRS students at the U of L include Eyram Asem, a Winston Churchill High School (WCHS) student, who worked in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s lab and Kai Bailey, from Chinook High School, who worked in Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab. Kate Chua, from Catholic Central High School (CCHS), spent time in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab and Anileen Pageni, a WCHS student, worked in Dr. Ute Kothe’s lab. Daniel Rocca, a student from CCHS, worked in Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab.

UNews - Grace Forster

Medal winners shine for 2021 Spring Convocation

Related Topics

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

Related Topics