UNews - RE$EARCH Infosource

Exemplary research + engaged students = extraordinary results

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:54:27 +0000

There were hints that this was coming.

It is no secret that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has undergone a cultural shift and been making major inroads as a comprehensive university on both the provincial and national stage. Research institutes have been developed and supported, leading researchers have been actively recruited and research activity now percolates at all levels (undergraduate and graduate alike) and across disciplines.

But when RE$EARCH Infosource tagged the U of L as Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year (2012), Undergraduate Category, it elevated the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ from an emerging comprehensive institution to one of Canada's most influential research universities.

Dr. H.J. Wieden and his iGEM team is an excellent example of the undergraduate research activity that takes place on the U of L campus.

Dr. Dan Weeks, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research), is the first to admit that the rise to number one did not happen overnight and is not attributable to one factor.

Statistics tell part of the tale. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ saw a huge rise in research income over the past year (38.7 per cent), and that growth was the third best of any university in the country. But the U of L story has never been about numbers, and instead is rooted in the community of people who make up the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"A research portfolio must be built strategically, over time, and with support throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," he says. "It is also dependent on the hard work of faculty members who consistently demonstrate that they are among the very best researchers in Canada. They not only excel in research, but actively engage students in research opportunities that foster the next generation of researchers and innovators."

Therein lies the uniqueness that is the U of L. Undergraduate students are exposed to research opportunities often only available to graduate and PhD level students at other institutions. It's what brought Jennifer Arthur (BA '07, MSc '12) to the U of L, and also what kept her in Lethbridge for her master's studies.

"I could have gone anywhere for university, but I chose the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge specifically for the undergraduate research opportunities available to students," says Arthur, who graduated with her Master of Science in Health Sciences earlier this year. "My experiences in Dr. Glen Prusky's (BASc '86) visual plasticity lab and Dr. Martin Lalumiere's psychophysiology lab gave me the discovery and application piece of my education and prepared me for my master's degree."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ does not see teaching and research as distinct entities, rather it fosters an atmosphere where its teachers bring their research into the classroom, helping develop the critical thinking and practical research skills today's students deem essential.

Weeks points to programs such as iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) and AMETHYST (Advanced Methods, Education and Training in Hyperspectral Science and Technology) as examples of student-focused research initiatives that create a new generation of researchers who go on to strengthen Alberta's knowledge-based economy.

"The outcomes from these programs are significant and will benefit students and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community for years to come," says Weeks. "What excites me is the potential employment success for graduates who participate in these programs and what they prepare our students for in their careers."

The U of L proudly boasts world-renowned researchers in traditionally scientific fields such as neuroscience, the study of water and physics, but a university does not achieve status as the top undergraduate research institution in the country without diversity in its portfolio. Indeed, it is the breadth of research across the full gamut of disciplines that speaks to a campus-wide philosophy where discovery is valued and supported at every turn.

Weeks points to the establishment of internal research and development funds as potential drivers of research activity going forward. He also highlights the allocation of specific funds for the development of interdisciplinary research teams. The anticipated result will be synergies across disciplines.

The Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund (IRDF), a one-time non-renewable research fund, was created to provide the foundation for developing the next generation of interdisciplinary concentrations of research excellence. In spring 2012, it funded three projects (up to $100,000 each over two years), then approved two more proposals in the fall.

"There is a real breadth to the research activities taking place across campus," says Weeks. "With the establishment of a number of internal funding mechanisms in recent years, it has served as the impetus for new research initiatives that are now being recognized by external agencies. Couple that with the many faculty who already have well established research portfolios and it creates an even more vibrant research environment."

The U of L now boasts nine research centres and institutes that address issues across the sciences, social sciences and humanities. From neuroscience research at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, to water management studies in the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments and the study of childhood in the newly established Institute for Child and Youth Studies, U of L research is multidisciplinary and relevant to today's world issues.

"The problems being addressed by U of L researchers are helping to create a better quality of life for local and global communities," says President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. "While many factors have contributed to building this capacity, the exceptional work by current and former faculty has played a significant role in attracting additional world-leading researchers to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, thereby expanding our research portfolio."

Where the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ goes from here is the most exciting aspect, because as a teaching institution intent on training the next generation of researchers, the U of L is its own renewable knowledge resource. From a student perspective, this is great news.

"When I first started at the U of L nearly 10 years ago, there wasn't the breadth of formal opportunity for undergraduates to participate in research that there is today," says Arthur. "However, what was the same then as it is today, was the commitment of faculty and staff to engage students in a meaningful way and to encourage students in their research endeavours. "When I look at what is now available to students and how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continues to enhance those research opportunities, as an alumna I am extremely proud of my ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. This recognition is richly deserved."

This story first appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of SAM. For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Research advocacy finds champion in Hill

trevor.kenney — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:57:34 +0000

As much as David Hill describes his return to Lethbridge as a homecoming, he is quick to recognize that what he thought he knew about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge only scratched the surface.

"I always thought I was pretty familiar with what was happening at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and I have been pleasantly surprised by both the depth and breadth of the intellect, experience and opportunity that exists," says Hill, the new director of centres and institutes and research advocacy.

Since assuming his post Sept. 1, Hill has seen the introduction of the ninth research centre/institute on campus (Institute for Child and Youth Studies), the declaration by RE$EARCH Infosource that the U of L is Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year (2012 Undergraduate category) and the highest ever ranking from Maclean's magazine.

David Hill's long relationship with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and southern Alberta as a whole helps ease the learning curve for the new director of centres and institutes and research advocacy.

"This really is a career opportunity," says Hill. "From my personal perspective, this allows me to make a difference, to use all the skills I've developed over my career and to do it in a way that will add value to the research and the teaching that's happening here."

Born in Eastern Canada, Hill spent much of his youth in Europe before eventually settling in the Lethbridge area. He married his wife Betty, a Picture Butte native, in 1974, and they spent the early days of their marriage in towns such as Taber, Vauxhall and Brooks, all the while raising five children.

Professionally, Hill became well known both provincially and nationally as a key advocate for water research, water use policies and irrigation management. In the six years prior to coming to the U of L, Hill was the executive director of Water Resources for Alberta Innovates-Energy and Environment Solutions, based in Edmonton.

The key contacts he has established over the years will serve him well in his new capacity at the U of L.

"I think what I bring to this is the ability to take some of the research findings and outcomes happening in the various centres and institutes and get them into communities of interest that would not normally have contact with the researchers," says Hill.

And it's not just about water, although Hill is cognizant of the long history he was with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's water researchers.

"There is so much that is happening within all the centres and I've found, particularly when I'm visiting labs and talking with students, that the level of commitment and excitement is so high, I'm going to have a difficult time deciding where to invest my time," he says.

Hill is a big proponent of the centres and institutes approach the U of L has taken in establishing areas of expertise. By investing strategically in people and infrastructure, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has been able to focus on its core strengths while invigorating interdisciplinary research.

"They have, in many respects, been a means of bringing researchers with common interests together to share their talents and expertise in ways that weren't formerly done," he says.

"We all need to challenge ourselves somewhat about what we know and where we know it from. We're living in a world now that is talking an awful lot about collaboration, but it really does spawn ideas through that dialogue and interaction that individuals on their own would likely not come to. That's one of the key advantages of these centres and institutes, to discover new ideas together."

This discovery benefits all, not the least of which are U of L students.

"At the end of the day, universities still educate and that student experience, in an area where there is such a rich exchange of ideas, I think is really valuable."

GET THE FACTS

· Hill loves going to bat for a 'smaller' university like the U of L, saying, "We have a very unique ability to involve undergraduates and graduates in key research interests that are pressing needs for society. That's the part around research advocacy that I'm going to find really enjoyable and interesting."

· Hill's son, Justin (BSc '08), is the GIS co-ordinator for Palliser Regional Municipal Services Ltd.

· His daughter, Jennifer, works with Alberta Innovates Technology Futures in the Alberta Genetically Engineered Machines program, and she is now running the Imagine Cup competition, while another daughter, Jocelyn, works in the U of L Daycare

· Hill loves to cook to relieve stress, citing all kinds of chili as a favourite dish to prepare

This story first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - RE$EARCH Infosource

Exemplary research + engaged students = extraordinary results

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Research advocacy finds champion in Hill

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