UNews - Bryn Hewko

Trailblazing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists shaped global brain health and education

caroline.zentner — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 22:28:29 +0000

Brainstorm, a documentary that chronicles how ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professors Drs. Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw revolutionized the understanding of the brain, will premiere at the Yates Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. After selling out the Yates theatre, organizers decided to show the film concurrently at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre. For more information and to sign up for seats to view the event from the Sterndale theatre, visit Brainstorm. Those not attending the premiere will be able to watch the film on TELUS TV in early 2025.

Brainstorm was directed by Dr. Jenna Bailey, adjunct assistant professor with the Department of History and Religion, co-produced by Bailey and Dr. Edgar Bermudez Contreras, an adjunct professor at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN), and edited by Bryn Hewko, assistant professor of new media.

“I made this film to showcase the groundbreaking work of two bold neuroscientists whose discoveries have transformed our understanding of the brain and advanced treatments for brain disorders and diseases,” says Bailey. “Their innovative research, fearless exploration of the unknown, and dedication to mentoring generations of scientists are captivating stories that highlight the power of science in making a real impact.”

The 42-minute film delves into the history behind the establishment of the CCBN and its growth through the efforts of Drs. Bryan Kolb, Ian Wishaw, Robert Sutherland and Robbin Gibb. The research results produced by CCBN scientists have provided insight into Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and early brain development, to name a few. As a result, prevention strategies for brain disorders and programs to improve brain health have been developed. Community programs have sprouted from their findings and have been key to launching such programs as Building Brains Together and the Early Years program through the Martin Family Initiative.

Brainstorm was produced with the support of TELUS STORYHIVE. Additional funding was generously provided by the Alberta Medical Association, Government of Alberta, Alberta Media Fund, CCBN, Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) and the Historical Society of Alberta.

Watch the trailer.

About TELUS STORYHIVE

Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has been able to support a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $66.9 million in funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life. Visit TELUS STORYHIVE for more information.

Documentary film Visualizing Agriculture to premiere at Crossing Boundaries

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:47:25 +0000

What started as a class project became a creative collision of art and science on display. Fortunately, it was all captured on film. Visualizing Agriculture, a documentary co-directed by Leanne Elias (MEd ’03; BFA – Art ’95) and Bryn Hewko (MFA – New Media ’16), premieres at the Crossing Boundaries Symposium, October 26 at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Elias, Crossing Boundaries keynote speaker and Department of New Media professor, will premiere the documentary and discuss the collaborative efforts of artists and scientists in the work executed in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Data Physicalization Lab.

The film features the collaborative efforts of artists and scientists in the work executed in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Data Physicalization Lab.

With the desire to build a method for interdisciplinary research and creation, Elias and Department of Art faculty colleague Denton Fredrickson, took on the challenge of finding a way for art to play a role in the dissemination of scientific research data. They didn’t just want to use art to communicate science, they aimed to develop a method of cross-collaborative research and development that put scientists and artists from different disciplines in the same room, tackling the same project. This endeavour was the launch of the Data Physicalization Lab.

Data physicalization is a relatively new field of study. Data visualization can be understood simply as a bar chart, a 2D visual of information. Data physicalization takes that a step further, by mapping information to something that is physical, taking it off the screen and putting it into objects.

Inviting Art and New Media students to participate, research scientists from the Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provided a dataset for the students to analyze and visualize. Through semesters of engagement with this process, Elias and Fredrickson were able to develop an instructional pedagogy and creative practice.

“We wanted to make sure that the data was accurately represented in all the work so we knew the scientist needed to be an integral part of the critique process,” explains Elias.

The students and scientists participated in critiques every three weeks, allowing them to continuously adapt or recreate their works before the next critique. At first, the artists were engaging with the dataset alone. Eventually a student asked for more context, to see first-hand the research that provided the data. After visiting the research station, the work exploded.

“It became really, really good after that. It changed the concept of the data in their minds; they understood it and could ask questions about it because it was all visual,” says Elias. “Those visuals worked their way into the art and design work. From there, Denton and I knew that it was a key element in this interdisciplinary formula – it wasn’t enough to bring science to art. We had to take the art into the science as well.”

Dr. Leanne Elias is the Crossing Boundaries keynote speaker and a Department of New Media professor.

Each semester the process of working with different disciplines became clearer until Elias and Fredrickson were ready to take the idea one step further. Using the formula created, they joined forces with the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG), and with funding from Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) program of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, a professional artist residency, documentary film and exhibition was put into motion.

The results of this 18-month science-meets-art collaboration are produced in Visualizing Agriculture, a 20-minute documentary premiering at Crossing Boundaries, October 26 in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Recital Hall. With the help of the research funding, Bryn Hewko’s Output Media accepted the challenge of documenting the process from the first meeting through the final exhibition.

Six professional artists, Jackson 2Bears, Tori Foster, Mary-Anne McTrowe (BFA – Art ’98), Robyn Moody, Adrien Segal, and Michelle Sylvestre (MFA – New Media candidate; BFA – Art ’17), joined research scientists, Dr. André Laroche and Dr. Jamie Larson, for a weekend residency where they spent time at the research station analyzing two datasets around the genetic code of wheat. After the intensive residency, the artists returned to their own studios across Canada and the US.

“That's the period that Denton and I were really interested in because instead of having these check-ins every three weeks, now we were giving them the time to make their work. We were really interested in how much support they would need. How many times would they talk to the scientists? What were those conversations like? How often did they, or could they, return to the station for additional information?”

In February 2017, the Visualizing Agriculture exhibition opened at the SAAG, curated by Christina Cuthbertson (BFA – Art ‘05). “It was absolutely fascinating. All the artists approached it very differently… which you’ll see in the film,” teases Elias.

The documentary takes the audience through the whole process, from first meeting to the final exhibition highlighting the challenges and success of the facilitators, curator, artists and scientists. Filming any footage they could of the process and interviewing participants throughout project, the narrative came together as the exhibition did.

“This project was different than anything I’ve done before,” says Hewko. “Normally things are heavily scripted at the beginning, but here we didn’t know where it was going to go, so we just started filming and gathering interviews, and through the editing process we were able to find the real story.”

Audiences will be as surprised by the findings as Elias and Hewko were.

“I don’t want to spoil the documentary, but I think the key discovery for many of us was a changing definition of what data visualization or data physicalization is,” explains Hewko. “We had some expectation of what the artists might contribute, but what actually happened in a lot of cases was the artist’s reaction to the data. It wasn’t a direct representation, it was more of a reaction or a translation of the data. Their own processing of the information.”

See the final products from the artists, hear more from Leanne Elias on this interdisciplinary research method, and take in the premiere of Visualizing Agriculture during the keynote presentation at Crossing Boundaries. Purchase tickets online at ulethbridge.ca/tickets or by phone, Monday to Friday, 12:30-3:30 at 403-329-2616.

For a full schedule of activities and speakers visit go.uleth.ca/cboundaries.

Crossing Boundaries Symposium now in its fourth year

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 20:49:41 +0000

The fourth annual Crossing Boundaries Symposium, presented by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Fine Arts, brings together interdisciplinary members of the community, faculty, students and alumni to engage in a full day of presentations, discussions, displays and performances.

Brad Parker listens to the Aeolian Harp he built with music student Jess Tollestrup.

“Crossing Boundaries invites our community to experience the collaborations, creative activities and research across multiple disciplines,” says Dr. Mary Ingraham, Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts of the Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 event. “It is about discovering and celebrating those cross-collaborative intersections and synergies and finding inspiration to explore new areas of thought and research in the fine arts and across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.”

The theme for Crossing Boundaries 2019, Languages | Landscapes | Algorithms, is established with the keynote presentation by Leanne Elias (new media) entitled, Visualizing Agriculture, at 9 a.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall. Elias’s talk includes the premiere of the documentary of the same name, co-directed by Bryn Hewko (MFA '16) and his company Output Media, which revolves around the creative works and artist exhibition derived from agricultural data developed by Dr. Jaime Larson and Dr. Andre Laroche of the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre: Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. Visualizing Agriculture considers the counterpoints of art meeting science and investigates the effect of intensive collaboration. Discover how artists can use the scientific process to guide their art, and how scientists can use artistic ways of knowing to approach their data in new ways.

Jess Tollestrup works on the Aeolian Harp, on display at Crossing Boundaries.

Following Elias’s keynote presentation, MFA candidate Michelle Sylvestre will speak on her research, Physicalizing Control, Disruption and the Body, which examines the parallels and differences in contemporary pharma and contemporary technology in relation to control of the body. PhD candidate Migueltzinta Solis will then present on LandMarks: Site-Based Arts Pedagogy in Treaty 7 Territory. At 10:40 a.m., Department of Psychology faculty member, Dr. Javid Sadr, and Department of Drama faculty members, Dr. Aaron Taylor and Douglas MacArthur cap off the morning programme, discussing projects developing from the Screen Acting and Embodied Recognition Research Group.

Registrants are invited to observe and interact with student research displays and installations from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., located in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Atrium and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Hess Gallery.

This year’s Crossing Boundaries Symposium is scheduled during the U of L Open House, which welcomes prospective students and their families to campus.

“Coordinating the symposium during this event gives future students the opportunity to see a sampling of the fascinating research opportunities and collaborative activities on our campus,” says Ingraham. “It allows these students to experience the types of work and study they will engage in and provides great interaction with many of the faculty who will also be in attendance at the symposium.”

Afternoon sessions include Dr. Amandine Pras’s (music) presentation focussing on compositional and improvisational tools used by studio technicians as part of her research in the recording studios in war-torn Bamako, Mali. Continuing on the theme of sound, language and landscape, a talk by MA candidate Tyler Stewart examines the role sound has played as a political instrument to silence dissenting groups and individuals, and in turn, how language and sound is used to resist and rise against such powers.

A panel discussion, Objects Dream comprised of Fine Arts faculty members, Dr. Dana Cooley (new media), Denton Fredrickson (art), Mia van Leeuwen (drama), and Dr. D. Andrew Stewart (music), rounds out the afternoon’s sessions. This discussion explores the relationships and interactions of material objects, and their associations as a link across artistic disciplines.

This year’s Crossing Boundaries Symposium showcases an evening finale of works by Dr. Arlan Schultz (music), Dr. Daniela Sirbu (new media) and a collaborative presentation by Bryn Hewko (new media), Dr. D. Andrew Stewart (music) and Jordan Berg. Schultz’s live demonstration highlights how new algorithms for real-time immersive audio can be used to enhance and augment real-time acoustic performances. Sirbu’s presentation incorporates algorithmic animation demonstrated through samples of live animation developed in interaction with an artificial life system. Hewko, Stewart and Berg’s collaborative performance, Crawlspace, combines film with live digital coding. Audience members are invited to use their own personal tablets to create their own viewing experience, with one lucky audience member outfitted with the Oculus Rift for a full virtual reality experience. This showcase begins at 5 p.m. in W420 (Centre for the Arts), preceded by a reception and cash bar at 4:30 p.m.

Registration for Crossing Boundaries is open to all, with early bird pricing active until October 20, 2019.

Visit the Crossing Boundaries webpage for the schedule of events and updated information as it arises.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ ready to celebrate graduates at Fall 2018 Convocation

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:42:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is excited to celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and achievement of its newest group of graduates at the Fall 2018 Convocation ceremony, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium.

The U of L will award a total of 249 degrees, diplomas and certificates at the ceremony, with close to 200 students expected to participate in person. The public is welcome to join the festivities, either in person or by watching the streaming version at https://livestream.com/uleth.

Graduands will be assembling in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall starting at 8:30 a.m. The academic procession from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall to the 1st Choice Savings Centre begins at 9:50 a.m. Media are welcome to interview graduands between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall’s sixth floor hallway, or following the ceremony. Media are also invited to attend the ceremony, which includes the bestowing of an honorary degree, the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Young Alumnus of the Year awards.

Arlene Dickinson, venture capitalist and Canadian entrepreneur, will be bestowed a doctor of laws, honoris causa. Dickinson is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in Canada, going from humble beginnings as the child of immigrant parents to becoming one of the country’s most renowned marketing communications entrepreneurs. In addition to her business savvy, she is a generous philanthropist who supports numerous worthy causes.

The U of L Alumni Association (ULAA) will recognize Bill Spenceley (BSc ’81) as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Spenceley, a chemistry graduate who joined Flexahopper Plastics Ltd. shortly out of school, has guided his local company to worldwide success, all while taking a leading role in environmental sustainability and empowering the next generation of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students through collaborative projects and ventures.

The ULAA will also recognize Young Alumnus of the Year, Bryn Hewko (MFA ’16). Hewko has quickly made a name for himself in the cinematic industry through his startup company OUTPUT Media, all the while giving back to his community and creating opportunity for the next generation of U of L graduates.

More information: Fall 2018 Convocation

U of L welcomes new students at New Student Orientation

caroline.zentner — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 16:20:27 +0000

With students set to arrive for the first day of classes on Wednesday, Sept. 5, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is busy getting ready for the 2018 Fall Semester.

The annual New Student Orientation (NSO) gets things going and sets the tone for the 2018-2019 academic year. It runs Sept. 3 and 4 and serves as an introduction for new students and their families, providing information on important student services, academic expectations and general post-secondary life.

“We invest a lot in NSO because it’s a very important first impression for many of our students,” says Asheley Cowie, orientation and transition coordinator for Student Engagement. “This year, we’ve made some fairly big changes to our event through feedback from previous years. We’ve extended the opportunity for new students to meet and interact with other students and we’ve focused our campus tours on way-finding, making sure that our first-year students know where to access student services, can find their classrooms and just feel much more comfortable about getting around campus on their first few days.”

The NSO program kicks off Monday, Sept. 3 with Commencement, featuring keynote speaker Bryn Hewko, the 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year. A mentor meet-and-greet session follows that will include a scavenger-hunt type game that will help students quickly build new friendships as they learn to navigate campus.

Other feature sessions from the first day include those for international students, Understanding your permit – Studying and working in Canada, and Cultural Transition – What to expect inside and outside the classroom. Other featured sessions are Career Planning: Tips for success from Counseling and Career Services, How to get the most from your liberal education, Welcome to YQL and more.

On day two of NSO, sexologist Dr. Justine Shuey presents How to have awesome relationships, while the key to financial student survival is available in Being thrifty is nifty: How to budget and survive financially in university.

A full itinerary of NSO activities can be found on the Future Student website: ulethbridge.ca/future-student/events/new-student-orientation.

Fall 2018 enrolment numbers are strong across the institution. Approximately 2,000 new students will be starting their post-secondary studies at the U of L’s campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. As of August 28, 2018, there is an increase in the number of Indigenous students as well as solid growth in the number of master's- and doctoral-level students.

“Our enrolment numbers are very strong and we’re excited to welcome both our new and returning students to campus,” says Kathleen Massey, the U of L’s associate vice-president (students). “With steady growth in both undergraduate and graduate students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continues to be a preferred destination for today’s learners and we’re here to give them an unparalleled student experience.”

Following NSO, a campus-wide Welcome Week kicks off with a pancake breakfast on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7:45 a.m. on the Markin Hall patio. Over the ensuing days, wayfinding booths will be set up across campus to help students with any questions they might have, the Fresh-U Jamboree Festival takes place and Pronghorns women’s soccer hosts a pair of games against Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

Students who live in residence at the U of L will be moving into their dorms over the weekend as well. Move-in day for new students is Sunday, Sept. 2, while continuing students will move into residence on Monday, Sept. 3.

Entrepreneur and OUTPUT Media founder Bryn Hewko named 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year

trevor.kenney — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 21:55:23 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) is thrilled to honour recent Faculty of Fine Arts New Media graduate Bryn Hewko (MFA ’16) with the 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year award.

Hewko is the founder of OUTPUT Media, a successful start-up company he began while still finishing his master’s studies at the U of L.

“A bright, engaging and innovative entrepreneur, Bryn Hewko has already made huge inroads into the cinema industry and worked with some long trusted and recognizable brands,” says Matthew McHugh, Chair of the ULAA Recognition Committee. “Further, he has had a great influence on many new media students and recent grads by giving them access to his company through internship and employment opportunities. We’re really excited to see what the future holds for Bryn and OUTPUT Media given the successes he’s already achieved.”

Young Alumnus of the Year – Bryn Hewko

Bryn Hewko (MFA ’16) didn’t wait to finish his graduate studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge before launching into the business world, rather he completed his degree while founding a successful start-up company. With a diverse skill set and a relentless work ethic, he has quickly made a name for himself in the cinematic industry, all the while giving back to his community and creating opportunity for the next generation of U of L graduates.

Hewko broke new ground in crafting his Master of Fine Arts thesis, exploring both in theory and practice novel ways to use virtual reality technology in a cinematic context. The work inspired a new way of looking at cinema and spawned his highly successful business venture, OUTPUT Media. A studio that uses virtual reality along with a suite of technology to help brands make compelling content, OUTPUT’s client list has grown rapidly since launch, having worked on projects for recognized companies such as Heineken, Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and Campbell’s.

OUTPUT media is not only breaking new ground in cinema, it is also serving as a valuable training ground for students currently studying new media at the U of L. Hewko is dedicated to creating a sustainable local cultural sector that will attract and retain skilled artists and designers. To that end, he has made it a priority for OUTPUT to make annual internship opportunities available for new media students, providing them with valuable hands-on industry experience. He also recently hired two new media alumni who went through the internship program, keeping talented young individuals in the city.

Hewko regularly shares his industry experience with students, giving presentations at events such as the Faculty of Fine Arts Crossing Boundaries Art & Technology Symposium, the Digital Vertigo New Media Symposium and the RCB Small Business Summit. He also regularly guest lectures in new media classes and makes himself readily available to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Hewko will be honoured at 2018 Fall Convocation on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 10 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium.

UNews - Bryn Hewko

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