UNews - Jean-Denys Hamel

Chinook Symposium showcases student work

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 22:19:11 +0000

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry held the 15th annual Chinook Symposium recently, showcasing the amazing research being done by students within the department.

This year, a total of five high school participants from the 2022 HYRS cohort, the most ever, presented their posters as well. Co-organizers Drs. Jean-Denys Hamel and Laura Keffer-Wilkes were thrilled with the event and appreciative to all the participants and judges.

“The event was such a success and that goes entirely to the wonderful students within our department and the judges who took time out of their day to volunteer for the symposium," says Hamel. “We’re super thankful to our sponsors and we’re looking forward to planning the next one in 2023.”

Chinook Symposium Winners

Oral Presentations

Sarstedt 1st prize for an oral presentation by a master’s student — Elizabeth Trofimenkoff

Blue Sky Analytical Labs 2nd prize for an oral presentation by a master’s student — Sam Drescher

KPrime Technologies 1st prize for an oral presentation by a PhD student — Felix O'Donnell

Blue Sky Analytical Labs 2nd prize for an oral presentation by a PhD student — Rajwinder Kaur

Poster Presentations

Agility Award for Innovation Poster Prize — Jenna Sullivan and Colyn Cleland

Poster Presentation (Undergraduate, Biochemistry)
1st — Zachary Robinson
2nd — Julia Stroud

Poster Presentation (Master’s, Biochemistry)
1st — Mitchell Geeraert
2nd — Jessica Semmelrock

Poster Presentation (PhD, Biochemistry)
1st — Darren Gemmill

Poster Presentation (Undergraduate, Chemistry)
1st — Trinity Deak
2nd — Kaileb Olson

Poster Presentation (Master’s, Chemistry)
1st — Elaura Lilienthal
2nd — Nathania Takyi

Poster Presentation (PhD, Chemistry)
1st — Dylan Nikkel

Posters, Best overall

RSC Advances Award for Best Undergraduate Student Presentation — Trinity Deak

RSC Advances Award for Best Graduate Student Presentation — Elaura Lilienthal

Rookie of the Year

New England Biolabs Rookie of the Year Award — Allison Baptista

EDI Scholar WinSTEM award of excellence — Elaura Lilienthal, Audra Lutterotti, Katherine Anderson-Bain, Veda Hegde, Allison Baptista

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers successful in securing NSERC funding support

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 16:23:37 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers from the Departments of Mathematics & Computer Science, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Physics & Astronomy were awarded grants totalling more than $277,000 as the Government of Canada announced funding awards through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, along with the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, announced funding of more than $506 million — an investment in the world’s brightest minds to increase the impact of science, technology and innovation in Canada.

“Discovery is the foundation of all advancements. Through this major investment in some of Canada’s most promising and innovative researchers we are supporting scientists and students to become global leaders in their field,” says Champagne. “By helping to expand the frontiers of science, we are investing in a better society and a brighter future for Canadians.”

Researchers from across the country are receiving the funding to continue to lead world-class research programs in a wide variety of natural sciences and engineering disciplines. These include research programs focused on climate change, chemistry, biology, mathematics and statistics, computer science and artificial intelligence, and engineering.

Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president (research), says the continued success of applicants from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is indicative of the innovative environment nurtured by faculty.

“When you have world-class faculty dedicated to their craft, and dedicated to their students and discovery, it fuels their own research programs and inspires colleagues to push for these funding opportunities as well,” says McMartin. “The success of these researchers continues to advance the reputation of their programs within their respective fields and opens up even greater opportunities for their students, trainees and further innovation down the road.”

The following programs are receiving NSERC funding:

Dr. Yllias Chali, Mathematics & Computer Science, Text Summarization and Question Generation Models — $24,000 (5 years)

Dr. Michael Gerken, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Donor-Stabilized Fluorido Cations and New Tungsten-Based Weakly Coordinating Anions — $62,000 (5 years)

Dr. Jean-Denys Hamel, Chemistry & Biochemistry, New Catalytic Methodologies for the Synthesis of Organofluorine Compounds — $25,000 (5 years)

Dr. Jean-Denys Hamel, Chemistry & Biochemistry, New Catalytic Methodologies for the Synthesis of Organofluorine Compounds — $12,500 (1 year)

Dr. Trushar Patel, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Understanding Communications Between Viral RNAs and Human Proteins — $40,000 (5 years)

Dr. Marc Roussel and Dr. Stacey Wetmore, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Critical Renewal of an Obsolete Computational Biochemistry Suite at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge — $90,050 (1 year)

Dr. Mark Walton, Physics & Astronomy, Phase space Quantum Mechanics and the Quantum-Classical Relation — $24,000 (5 years)

The Research Support Fund supports a portion of the costs associated with managing the research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, such as salaries for staff who provide administration support, training costs for workplace health and safety, maintenance of libraries and laboratories, and administrative costs associated with obtaining patents for inventions.

Canada Research Chair appointments support U of L expertise in water and agriculture

caroline.zentner — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:18:58 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers have earned Canada Research Chair appointments, as announced by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry on Jan. 12.

Dr. Jean-Denys Hamel, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been appointed a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Organofluorine Chemistry and Catalysis. Dr. Steve Wiseman, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been reappointed a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Aquatic and Mechanistic Toxicology.

Dr. Dena McMartin

“We’re extremely pleased to see both Dr. Hamel and Dr. Wiseman recognized and supported for their excellent work,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s vice-president (research). “Dr. Hamel’s research has far-reaching applications in agriculture and pharmaceuticals, while Dr. Wiseman’s work is essential in helping maintain the health of our extremely valuable aquatic environments. Their appointments highlight the importance and impact of the work of our faculty members to southern Albertans and society as a whole.”

Dr. Jean-Denys Hamel

A year ago, Hamel joined the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Research in Advanced Fluorine Technologies (C-CRAFT) where he leads an innovative research program in the emerging field of organofluorine chemistry. Fluorine is vital to the development of drugs, agrochemical agents and fine materials. Organofluorine chemistry requires greener chemical processes and shorter syntheses due to its increased number of applications.

“As an early-career researcher, it is very exciting to see the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and now the CRC program, sharing a common vision with me regarding the true potential of organofluorine chemistry and its positive impact on society,” says Hamel. “I am looking forward to contributing in positioning Canada at the forefront of research in that field.”

Thousands of unique chemicals are released into the environment from both natural and man-made sources. Aquatic systems are sinks for many of these chemicals, but little is known about their effects on aquatic organisms. Wiseman’s research program evaluates whether chemicals have adverse effects on aquatic organisms, with an emphasis on fish, and develops new tools to accurately predict toxicities.

Dr. Steve Wiseman

“I feel very fortunate to have my CRC Chair renewed for an additional five years,” says Wiseman. “This would not have happened without the hard work of the students, post-docs and research assistants who have been a part of my research team. This support from the CRC program, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, will allow me to expand the research performed during the past five years, and more than anything, allow me to keep training the next generation of scientists.”

Along with Hamel’s appointment as a Canada Research Chair, he has also been awarded $140,000 through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) for infrastructure supporting his research in catalytic organofluorine chemistry.

About the Canada Research Chair program

The Canada Research Chair Program was established by the federal government in 2000 as part of a national strategy to attract and retain a diverse set of researchers. Chairholders achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences. Tier 1 Chairs, for leading researchers in their fields, are appointed for seven years and are renewable once. Tier 2 Chairs, for exceptional emerging researchers, are appointed for five years and are renewable once.

UNews - Jean-Denys Hamel

Chinook Symposium showcases student work

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers successful in securing NSERC funding support

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Canada Research Chair appointments support U of L expertise in water and agriculture

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