UNews - representative

iGEM team celebrates North American Regional victory

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:10:49 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has further cemented its reputation as a leader in the teaching and research of synthetic biology by capturing first place at the 2013 North American iGEM Regional Jamboree in Toronto, Ont. this past weekend.

The competition, held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, featured teams from across Canada and the United States. The U of L team of Dustin Smith, Graeme Glaister, Jenna Friedt, Suneet Kharey, Harland Brandon and Zak Stinson will now move on to the international competition, which will be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, Mass. Nov. 1-4.

“This certainly shows that bioengineering research and the aggressive approach we’ve taken to study this field is working at the U of L, and that the RNA Institute is playing a key role in both enabling research and training students,” says Dr. H.J. Wieden, director of the Alberta RNA (Ribonucleic acid) Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) at the U of L, the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE) Chair of Bioengineering and faculty advisor for the U of L’s iGEM teams. “The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is poised to continue to be at the forefront of this emerging field.”

The U of L team’s project includes developing a bioengineering part that compresses genetic information – essentially working like a zip drive. Every gene needs DNA, but there is only so much DNA that will fit in a cell. This novel part may allow future bioengineers more flexibility in their work.

Additionally, the U of L team developed software that quickly determines what DNA is compatible to compress together.

“Each year we are also tasked with exploring the social implications of our project. Our team sought to ensure that our part could not be misused to hide dangerous genes,” says team member Harland Brandon (BSc’13), a first-year master’s student and Winston Churchill High School graduate. “We hypothesized that our part could be used to hide dangerous sequences, such as Ricin or Ebola, from gene synthesis companies. We then took it a step further and actually consulted with gene synthesis companies, U of L Risk and Safety Services and even a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Not only do we see our project benefitting the field, but we found through our critical analysis that the potential for misuse is not possible.”

In addition to winning the overall Regional Overgrad award, the U of L also claimed the award for best Wiki (website explaining their project).

iGEM is the premier competition for young scientists interested in the emerging field of synthetic biology, which is quickly leading to new discoveries that will diversify key economic sectors such as pharmaceutical, agriculture, medical diagnostics, clean energy and resource extraction. It also facilitates scientific research and education by establishing and operating the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, a community collection of open source biological components.

The organization promotes the advancement of science and education by developing an international open community of students and practitioners in schools, laboratories, research institutes and industry.

Earlier this year, a team of Lethbridge high school students was awarded the coveted Green Brick grand prize at iGEM’s High School Jamboree.

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/

Mehak using platform to push message

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:00:01 +0000

Sagrika Mehak, a fourth-year international management major, doesn’t know a word of Polish, but that isn’t stopping her from spending the coming academic term in Poznan, Poland on an international exchange through the Faculty of Management.

Mehak, 21, is also the Canadian representative to the worldwide Miss Tourism Pageant (www.facebook.com/sagrika.misscanadaT) competition in Memphis, TN in 2014.

Mehak has parlayed her interest in pageants into a full-time job of sorts, and has used those experiences to add to her personal development toolkit.

Sagrika Mehak is representing Canada at the Miss Tourism Pageant in 2014.

“I am very proud to represent Canada and Lethbridge, and draw attention to our community on a world stage,” says Mehak, adding that participating in pageants while continuing with her education has been tough, but helpful.

"The platform I have chosen to pursue during my term is anti-bullying and self-esteem,” she says. “Bringing this issue forward will hopefully make a difference either for someone who is being bullied or someone who is the bully. I really want to encourage people to embrace each other’s differences.”

Mehak says she was bullied as a teenager.

“Newly moved to Canada, I did not fit in with the stereotypical group of high school students. This led to certain girls acting as bullies toward me, which was very hard to overcome. It made me feel insecure and self-conscious about my appearance and really affected my self-esteem,” she says. “At one point I did not want to go to school anymore.”

A few points of clarity from her mom helped her out, along with a change in attitude and participating in a number of community service activities.

“Basically, my mom said that it is necessary to face your fears and to stand up for yourself. So I did. Standing up for myself and showing everyone that I am not a weak person is what kept the bullies away from me.”

Acknowledging that not everyone has a no-nonsense mom to offer sage advice, Mehak says she wants to take those experiences and talk about them to other young women who might be feeling the same way.

“I am really working hard on being a positive role model, not only to young girls but to everyone who has ever dreamt of becoming a strong and positive human being.”

After graduation in 2014, Mehak plans to pursue a master’s degree and consequently PhD studies in business law. Studying for the LSAT ( Law School Admission Test) is also on her busy agenda.

New ULSU executive council has big plans

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:50:17 +0000

The time of year has come when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) has to say goodbye to the executive council members they've worked with all year and welcome a new group of council members.

This year marks a significant change for the ULSU because of a new executive council structure that has been developed that includes a vice-president external position. This new position will play an active role in advocating to all levels of government, one that until now was spread out among all the executives.

Despite the challenges the ULSU will face adjusting to this new structure and lobbying the government regarding the recent post-secondary education budget cuts, the ULSU is lucky to have such qualified and compassionate executive council members for this term.

The new ULSU executive council (L to R) Shuna Talbot, Sean Glydon, Adam Long, Michael Kawchuk and Katie Kalmar.

The new president of the Students' Union, Shuna Talbot, was previously the VP of internal affairs and is very familiar with the importance of her new role. Talbot's platform for presidency revolves around the three pillars of the ULSU, advocacy, representation and service. More specifically, her plans as president include establishing a multi-faith prayer space on campus and strengthening the ULSU's relationship with the Lethbridge College Students' Association.

Taking over Talbot's role as VP internal affairs is Adam Long, whose position has become the VP of student affairs. Over the last four years, Long has been actively involved in planning and organizing a number of events on campus, including Fresh Fest, and has also been president of the Board and Ski Club for the last two years. His goals for his term in office are to organize a club fair to take place during the middle of the first semester and to create more of a community between clubs so that they can collaborate on future endeavours.

The new VP external position is held by Sean Glydon, who has most recently been the founder and president of the Environmental Science Club, as well as an arts and science representative. Glydon's main responsibilities in this new role will be representing the ULSU at both the lobby organizations CASA (Canadian Alliance of Student Associations) and CAUS (Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students). During his term, Glydon expects to complete the ULSU external policies, achieve regulation of non-mandatory instructional fees and realize the removal of residence property taxes.

Former arts and science representative, Katie Kalmar, has become the new VP academic, a position she has been training for under the previous VP academic, Julia Adolf, acting as the student commissioner for the last year. The VP academic sits on a number of different ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ committees and is responsible for representing students in all aspects of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. Kalmar plans to increase the number of academic events available to students by partnering with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ departments such as counselling services, the library and the writing centre to develop more diverse academic workshops.

Last but not least is the new VP operations and finance, Michael Kawchuk. Last year, Kawchuk sat on the ULSU's general assembly as the management representative. As a finance major, he wants to address some of the cost issues that are not deemed 'value added' costs for students and reduce these. He also wants to make the ULSU's finances more clear for the other executives and to work on finding areas where the ULSU can save money.

The ULSU is looking forward to working with all the new executive council members and is excited for the events they will organize for students, as well as the advocacy issues they will address during their terms.

This story first appeared in the May 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Calgary alumni dinner hosts Bremmer

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:14:40 +0000

He appears regularly on CNBC, has published articles in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times and Newsweek, all while presiding over the leading global political risk research and consulting firm. Ian Bremmer, the president of Eurasia Group, is the guest speaker for the 2013 Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner, Tuesday, Apr. 9 at The Fairmont Palliser.

"He is definitely one of the world's leading authorities on how political developments move markets," says Anil Tahiliani (BMgt '90), Chair of the Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner. "His insight on global macro political trends and the emerging markets they influence is especially relevant for our Calgary audience, many of whom are influenced daily by the changing political climate throughout the world and its effect on the markets with which they interact."

Bremmer founded Eurasia Group in 1998 with an initial investment of just $25,000. Today, the company has offices in New York, Washington and London, as well as a network of experts and resources around the world. He created Wall Street's first global political risk index, has authored several books, writes 'The Call' blog on ForeignPolicy.com and regularly appears on national television and radio programs as an acclaimed expert in his field.

"When we first introduced the Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner, our goal was to create an evening that would not only bring our alumni together in fellowship, but to give attendees a compelling and engaging speaker that reflects the values and goals of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," says U of L President, Dr. Mike Mahon. "Ian Bremmer is representative of the U of L's ever-growing international reputation as well as its continued emergence as a comprehensive research university."

Tickets for the Apr. 9 event are priced at $175 per plate and are available online at www.uleth.ca/conreg/calgarydinner or by calling ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Advancement toll-free at 1-866-552-2582 or e-mailing advancement.events@uleth.ca.

Kovalchuk earns CIHR Chair

trevor.kenney — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:55:14 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researcher Dr. Olga Kovalchuk is the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chair dedicated to examining the effects occupational radiation exposure has on men and women working in nuclear industries.

Canada is home to one of the highest concentrations of nuclear activity in the world. Nearly 40,000 people work in Canada's nuclear industry, while 800,000 individuals work in nuclear sectors worldwide. The number of females working in these industries has increased over time, making this project much more critical.

The Chair, which falls under CIHR's Gender, Work and Health program, will examine whether men and women are affected differently in nuclear work environments, which includes the nuclear power industry, healthcare and research departments.

Dr. Kovalchuk's work will examine whether females are equally protected in these environments. Established radiation protection guidelines are historically based on how the male's body is affected.

"I will collaborate with researchers in Russia and we will analyze their nuclear industry cohort. The knowledge can be applied in Canada and all over the world," says Kovalchuk, whose work was inspired by her experience as a high school student in the Ukraine in 1986, while living only 600 kilometres from Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history.

This Chair will provide an exciting opportunity to develop an international collaborative network. The network will have research representation from Canada, USA, Russia and key knowledge-users including Defence Research and Development Canada, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Health Canada and the Nuclear Information and Resource (NIRS - USA).

"The Chair will be an initiative that will have a global impact and will position Canada as a global leader in radiation and environmental health research and radiation protection research," says Kovalchuk.

The CIHR award is for $800,000 over five years.

Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks says this funding exemplifies the important contribution that U of L researchers are making in improving the quality of life of Canadians.

"This type of research is representative of the impact U of L faculty members continue to make for the benefit of Canadians. Dr. Kovalchuk's work will benefit tremendously a segment of the workforce that faces particular risks," says Weeks. "The impact the U of L is making in health related areas grows every year."

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system.

Finding the factors that influence students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:04:50 +0000

The Recruitment and Retention Project (RRP) Team has identified a need to better understand the risk factors that impact new high school students and their persistence (retention) rate from the first to the second year of post-secondary studies. Further, the RRP Team is looking to develop strategies to enhance recruitment and improve student retention as a result.

The Predictive Modelling Subject Matter Team (SMT) was created to identify and review risk factors that impact persistence of new high school students. Through Institutional Analysis, the SMT evaluated data with Noel-Levitz, a higher education consulting firm, to identify significant factors that influence U of L learners' persistence rates. The result was a model that can now be used to predict new high school student persistence.

The Predictive Modelling SMT subsequently identified the need to develop an applicant-to-enrolment model to effectively target recruitment efforts. Noel-Levitz assisted in the development of this second model.

While related, the created models are very distinct, since risks and potential solutions for the applicant to enrolment phase are unique from the risk and solutions to the first- to second-year phase of a student's time at university.

"These two models will improve our ability to target recruitment and retention initiatives much more effectively," says Mandy Moser, team leader of the Predictive Modelling SMT and manager, Institutional Analysis.

"Identification of risk factors and the knowledge that is generated by the application of predictive models is critical to a student-centred approach that will permit the delivery of more timely and effective services for our learners," adds Heather Mirau, director of Integrated Planning.

The goals of the models and the resulting strategic initiatives are to further increase learner engagement and satisfaction, to enhance recruitment and to improve retention. As an added benefit of the consulting process, the U of L now has an improved understanding of how to effectively employ institutional data that, in turn, allows for future in-house development of predictive modelling to inform and facilitate recruitment and retention strategies.

The Predictive Modelling SMT is now entering the next stage of the process – sharing the information with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a whole.

Later this month (Feb. 14-15), a Noel-Levitz representative will present the two models and facilitate sessions with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ employees to develop potential recruitment and retention strategies. Any inquiries regarding these sessions can be forwarded to either Mandy Moser (mandy.moser@uleth.ca) or Heather Mirau (mirau@uleth.ca).

The following factors significantly impact an applicant's likelihood of enrolling

Residence
Geographic region
Program
Application date
Entering average
Campus

The following factors significantly impact a first-year student's likelihood of persisting

Residence
Application date
Entering average
Loans
Scholarships

This story first appeared in the February 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Crossing borders with bold Brazilian program

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:02:52 +0000

Dr. Drew Rendall's psychology lab might be considered atypical in its student makeup now, but as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to push internationalization as a key strategic goal, it may soon become representative of many.

Rendall currently has graduate students from Alberta, Manitoba, Sri Lanka and Brazil assisting with his research projects, the most recent addition coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ by way of the Brazilian Science Without Borders (SWB) program.

"This is a real boon for us as a university," says Rendall, professor of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science. "Graduate students are kind of the heart of the research enterprise, they are the real engine of it. They collect the data and do a lot of the work, and without graduate students the research enterprise disappears."

Science Without Borders began as an initiative whereby the Brazilian government is looking to send 100,000 students to universities around the world to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The goal is to revolutionize the country's research and development system.

"Brazilian science has shown great improvement over the last decade but we face many challenges," says Ednei Barros dos Santos, a Brazilian PhD student who has taken advantage of the SWB program to come study under Rendall at the U of L.

"We have a very low proportion of doctors in relation to our population, and there is a low frequency of international collaboration."

Doctoral student Ednei Barros dos Santos just recently returned from a three-month field study in Argentina.

Dos Santos discovered Rendall while researching his master's degree in zoology. After reading his papers, he decided to contact Rendall to see if he was open to supervising his PhD studies. The two met while Rendall was on field study in Argentina and not long after, dos Santos applied to the SWB program for funding.

"My research focus is on song variations of the house wren. I'm going to compare the male songs of two different populations, one here in Canada and the other in Argentina," says dos Santos. "We are trying to understand what is the relation between song variation and different mating systems and migratory behaviour."

That his master's work in Brazil, where he researched language in animal species, could be so closely related to Rendall's studies some 11,000 kilometres away, speaks to the value of international collaboration.

"This program provides an incredible opportunity for Brazilian students to be exposed to scientific innovation at Canadian universities, and will help to spur growth in science and technology sectors in Brazil," says Trish Jackson, the U of L's acting manager, International Centre for Students. "The students we are hosting are a wonderful addition to the institution; they have serious academic intentions, and will certainly make an impact when they return to complete their studies in Brazil."

The SWB program initially provided study opportunities for undergraduate students, placing more than 1,200 in Canadian universities alone. The U of L has 14 students enrolled from the program, including three who began last September and 11 more since January. Currently, a second call is going out for prospective doctoral students, and it is incumbent that faculty members provide the program with details of their research opportunities so that they might be able to participate. The PhD program is one of eight graduate programs offered by the School of Graduate Studies.

"We're excited to take part in this program. It's proven to be very successful at the undergraduate level and is likely to draw exceptionally high quality students," says Dr. Matthew Letts, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. "The program provides full support for PhD students from Brazil, including tuition, travel, book and living expenses, but potential supervisors need to enter the doctoral research opportunities they wish to provide into the CBIE (Canadian Bureau for International Education) Placement Database to be considered for participation."

That dos Santos was accepted by SWB is heartening to Rendall, given that his research is not as applicable as many of the funded students.

"Brazil is very interested in training students who can come back and contribute fairly directly to agricultural initiatives, to resource extraction initiatives and to the information systems industry, for example," says Rendall. "The thrust of what Ednei is working on doesn't have immediate and obvious implications but I think it's pretty encouraging that they are taking a fairly broad approach to this. It shows that they are also interested in training some basic scientists who will come back and contribute to science broadly, and that's exciting."

For more information on the program, contact Dr. Matthew Letts (matthew.letts@uleth.ca) or Dr. Helen Kelley (helen.kelley@uleth.ca)

GET THE FACTS

· Science Without Borders was just one of the initiatives discussed when ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ President Mike Mahon visited Brazil in May as one of 30 Canadian university presidents who took part in an educational tour

· Dos Santos is wrapping up a three-month field study of house wrens in Argentina and will be back studying at the U of L in February

· The second call for SWB doctoral students runs from Feb. 1 to May 31 for January 2014 intake. The third call runs from June 1 to Sept. 30 for May 2014 intake

· Researchers can access the SWB database at the following web address: web.cbie.ca/smi/index_e.html

Committee addresses campus safety concerns

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:30:34 +0000

They work under the auspices of the Joint Work Site Health and Safety Committee (JWSHSC), but to put it simply, they are your co-workers and they want more people to know about the purpose their committee serves.

The JWSHSC has existed for more than a decade, but the work they do is largely behind the scenes, something the group would like to see change. Their mandate describes a group of employer and employee representatives working together to identify and recommend solutions to health and safety problems at the work site. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is that work site, and because of its vast scope, it presents a variety of health and safety challenges.

"The committee serves as a very important communication link between workers and management," says Dan Berte, committee co-Chair and a Health and Safety Officer with Risk and Safety Services. "It's important that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community has a representative body that is available to them to report issues of health and safety."

Its broad representation of all campus groups is a key benefit of the JWSHSC because it allows anyone an outlet to relay a health or safety concern.

"If any member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community feels as though they need to bring up a safety issue, they can go directly to their representative on the JWSHSC," says committee co-Chair Mike Pinder, the operations co-ordinator with Sport and Recreation Services.

Committee representatives can be found on the JWSHSC website at www.uleth.ca/hum/riskandsafetyservices/jwhsc. As well, the committee's terms of reference, handbook and minutes from meetings over the past 10 years can also be accessed.

Both Berte and Pinder stress that as a community, we can help each other keep the campus a safe place to work by reporting accidents, incidents or near misses. Only then can action be taken to address hazardous or risky situations.

"We don't resolve the situation, rather we'll take concerns from the community, have a look at it and then make a recommendation for action," says Pinder.

"We really try to instill the message that there will be no repercussions when reporting a health and safety problem," adds Berte. "As we all are responsible for safety on Campus, it's important that these incidents be reported so that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ can act on them and make this a safer environment."

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue online, follow this link.

Hunter named CMA Distinguished Scholar

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:41:09 +0000

The Faculty of Management welcomed a representative of the Certified Management Accountants (CMA) of Alberta to campus recently to present an award to Dr. M. Gordon Hunter, FCMA, who has been designated the CMA Distinguished Scholar.

"I am very honoured to be named the first-ever CMA Alberta Distinguished Scholar," says Hunter. "I look forward to working with the CMA Alberta office to promote the CMA brand through academic intitiatives. Most importantly, for me, I am excited about continuing my work with students through information sessions and case competitions."

Hunter received his award from Kara Mitchelmore, CMA President and CEO.

"I'm honoured to present the CMA Distinguished Scholar Award to Dr. Hunter," says Mitchelmore. "He has been a strong advocate of the CMA designation, a pillar in the Lethbridge post-secondary community for a number of years and an outstanding member all around."

Mitchelmore also spoke to the gathering about the proposed merger among the national CMA, Chartered Accountants (CA) and Certified General Accountants (CGA) bodies. In Alberta, the CGA joined the provincial merger discussions with CMA Alberta and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) last October. The unification would see all three associations granted the designation of Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA). Talks are in the preliminary stages at this time, with the expectation that a decision on whether or not to present members with a unification framework will be made later this year or by early 2012.

UNews - representative

iGEM team celebrates North American Regional victory

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The following factors significantly impact a first-year student's likelihood of persisting Residence Application date Entering average Loans Scholarships

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Crossing borders with bold Brazilian program

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The following factors significantly impact an applicant's likelihood of enrolling

Residence
Geographic region
Program
Application date
Entering average
Campus

The following factors significantly impact a first-year student's likelihood of persisting

Residence
Application date
Entering average
Loans
Scholarships