UNews - Kristy Burke

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes faculty excellence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:21:16 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honoured faculty and postdoctoral fellows across campus who received academic research awards of distinction, secured research funding or published their research findings in the last year at Thursday's Celebrating Research Reception in Markin Hall.

The U of L also recognized those who had books published within the last calendar year.

Below is a list of the awards presented.

Research Awards: External

Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation (ASTech) Award: Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness
Kristy Burke | Conference & Event Services

American Oil Chemists' Society Timothy L. Mounts Award
Roman Przybylski | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Campus Alberta Innovates Program (CAIP) Chairs
Chris Hopkinson | Geography, Terrestrial Ecosystems Remote Sensing
Greg Pyle | Biological Sciences, Aquatic Health

Canada Research Chairs
Louise Barrett | Psychology, Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, Tier 1
Stacey Wetmore | Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computational Chemistry, Tier 2

Canadian Insolvency Foundation Lloyd Houlden Research Fellowship
Gordon Hunter | Management

Confederation of Alberta Faculty Association (CAFA) Distinguished Academic Award
Trudy Govier | Philosophy

Pat Clifford Award for Early Career Research in Education
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program

Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal
Reginald Bibby | Sociology
Peter McCormick | Political Science
Richard Mrazek | Education

World Council for Curriculum & Instruction Distinguished Leadership Award
Peter Heffernan | Education

Research Awards: Internal

Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship, or Performance
Joseph Rasmussen | Biological Sciences

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair

Igor Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Sergio Pellis | Neuroscience

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars
Janice Rahn | Education
Peter Visentin | Music
Judith Whitehead | Anthropology

Research Grants: External

Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies Grant
Noella Piquette | Education
Jennifer Thannhauser | Education

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
Wei Xu | Geography

Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research Grant
(2) Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Taras Polataiko | Art
Janice Rahn/Michael Campbell | Education/Art Co-Principal Investigators

Alberta Gaming Research Institute Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Gabriela Novotna | Addictions Counselling
Claudia Steinke | Nursing

Alberta Inflammatory Bowel Disease Grant
Sameer Despande | Management

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-Director

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Sustainability Funds
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Paul Vasey | Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) Grant
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Leanne Elias | New Media
Carmen Mombourquette | Education
Monique Sedgwick | Nursing
David Slomp | Education
(2) Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies

Alzheimer Society of Canada Grant
Shannon Spenceley | Nursing

American Cancer Society Grant
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health

ATB Financial
Gordon Hunter/Dan Kazakoff | Management

Canada Council for the Arts Grant
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Maria Ng | English

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Grant
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences, Co-applicant

Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
Nadia Rochdi/Karl Staenz | Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre/Geography

Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund Grant
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Andrew Iwaniuk | Neuroscience
Hans-Joachim Wieden | Chemistry & Biochemistry

CIHR Emerging Team Grant
Gabriela Novotna | Health Sciences

CIHR Café Scientifique Grant
Penny D'Agnone | Office of Research & Innovation Services

CIHR Operating Grant
Sameer Deshpande | Management, Co-applicant
Judith Kulig | Nursing

CIHR Research Planning Grant
Sameer Desphande | Management, Co-applicant

Canadian Space Agency Contract
Karl Staenz | Geography
(2) David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy

Canadian Wildlife Federation
Richard Mrazek | Education

Department of Defense Contract
Albert Cross | Neuroscience

European Union FP7 Grant
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy, Co-applicant

Grand Challenges in Global Health Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-applicant

Health Canada Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences, Co-applicant

Heritage Canada Grant for Aid to Scholarly Publication
Peter Heffernan | Education

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences

Max Bell Foundation Award
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant

Monieson Centre, Queen's Business School
Gordon Hunter | Management

National Science Foundation
Jennifer Mather | Psychology, Collaborating Consultant

NSERC Collaborative Research & Training Experience (CREATE) Grant
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience

NSERC Discovery Grant
Louise Barrett | Psychology
Sarah Boon | Geography
Howard Cheng | Mathematics & Computer Science
Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Cam Goater | Biological Sciences
Bruce McNaughton | Neuroscience
Jackie Rice | Mathematics & Computer Science
Elizabeth Schultz | Biological Sciences
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience
Soroosh Yazdani | Mathematics & Computer Science

NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant
Amir Akbary | Mathematics & Computer Science
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Shahadat Hossain | Mathematics & Computer Science

SSHRC Aid to Scholarly Journals Grant
Peter Heffernan | Education
Edward Jurkowski | Music

SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant

SSHRC Insight Grant
Harold Jansen | Political Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant
Paul Vasey | Psychology

SSHRC Partnership Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies, Co-applicant
Henning Bjornlund | Economics, Co-applicant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies, Co-applicant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant
Richard Mueller | Economics, Co-applicant
Ivan Townshend | Geography, Co-applicant
Wei Xu | Geography, Co-applicant

SSHRC Public Outreach Grant
Debra Basil | Management

TECTERRA
Wei Xu/Karl Staenz | Geography

Research Grants: Internal

Emmy Droog Research Awards in Health Sciences Grant
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Ruth Grant Kalischuk | Nursing

Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund Grant
Leanne Elias | New Media
Team: John Usher (Management), Janice Rahn (Education), Michael Campbell (Art) and Cheryl Meheden (Management)
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Team: Olga Kovalchuk (Biological Sciences) and David Naylor (Physics & Astronomy)
Josephine Mills | Art
Team: Louise Barrett (Psychology), Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Drama), Emily Luce (New Media), Bruce MacKay (Liberal Education Program) and Tiffany Muller Myrdahl (Women & Gender Studies)
Nicole Rosen | Modern Languages
Team: Inge Genee (Modern Languages), Robbin Gibb (Neuroscience), Claudia Gonzalez (Kinesiology & Physical Education), Fangfang Li (Psychology) and Noella Piquette (Education)
Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies
Team: Glenda Bonifacio (Women & Gender Studies), Bonnie Lee (Health Sciences), Linda ManyGuns (Native American Studies) and Patrick Wilson (Anthropology)

Parkland Institute Faculty Research Grant
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) Grant
Jerimy Cunningham | Anthropology
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology
Janay Nugent | History
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal
Artistic/Creative Grant
Michael Campbell | Art
Dagmar Dahl | Art
Mary Kavanagh | Art

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal SSHRC Grant
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program
Janay Nugent | History
Kent Peacock | Philosophy
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Dissemination Grant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Inge Genee | Modern Languages
Catherine Kingfisher | Anthropology
Janice Newberry | Anthropology
Hillary Rodrigues/John Harding | Religious Studies
Arlan Schultz | Music
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Fund Grant
Vishaal Baulkaran/Ebenezer Asem | Finance
Sarah Boon | Geography
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Michael Campbell | Art
Arundhati Dasgupta | Physics & Astronomy
Larry Flanagan | Biological Sciences
Claudia Gonzales/Fangfang Li | Kinesiology & Physical Education/Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jason Laurendeau | Sociology
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health
Hua Li | Mathematics & Computer Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Kimberly Mair | Sociology
Steve Patitsas/Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Adriana Predoi-Cross | Physics & Astronomy
Drew Rendall | Psychology
Shelley Scott | Theatre & Drama
David Siminovitch/Tony Montina | Physics & Astronomy
D. Andrew Stewart | Music
Mark Walton | Physics & Astronomy
John Zhang | Mathematics & Computer Science

Post-Doctoral Fellow Awards Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Postgraduate Fellowship
Ben Clark | Neuroscience
Corinne Montes-Rodriquez | Neuroscience
Jake Ormond | Neuroscience
Ivan Skelin | Neuroscience
Aaron Wilber | Neuroscience

Canadian Space Agency Space Science Enhancement Award Postdoctoral Fellowship
Matthijs Van Der Wiel | Physics & Astronomy

CIHR Fellowship
Hendrik Steenland | Neuroscience

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Research Support Allowance (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Book Awards 2013 recipients

M. Gordon Hunter & Dan Kazakoff (authors): Small Business: Journey to Success

Shawn Bubel, James McMurchy & Duncan Lloyd (authors): Record In Stone: Familiar Projectile Points From Alberta

Jean-Baptiste Leca, Michael A. Huffman & Paul Vasey (editors): The Monkeys of Smokey Mountain

Sarah Glassford & Amy Shaw (editors): A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service: Women and Girls of Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War

Geoffrey Hale (author): So Near Yet So Far: The Public and Hidden Worlds of Canada-U.S. Relations

Aaron Taylor (editor): Theorizing Film Acting

Marc R. Roussel (author): A Life Scientist's Guide to Physical Chemistry

Glena Tibe Bonifacio (editor): Feminism and Migration: Cross-cultural Engagements

Robert J. Williams, Robert T. Wood & Jonathan Parke (editors): The Routledge International Handbook of Internet Gambling

Arundhati Dasgupta (editor): Recent Research in Quantum Gravity

John S. Harding (editor): Studying Buddhism in Practice

Yale D. Belanger (editor): First Nations Gaming in Canada

Yongjian Bao & Wenlong Yuan (authors): The Contrarian Way of Crisis Management

Keith Roscoe & Rick Mrazek (authors): Developing Scientific Literacy: Ideas and Strategies for Planning, Assessment, and Instruction

Blythe Shepard & Lorna Martin (authors): Supervision of Counselling and Psychotherapy: A Handbook for Canadian Certified Supervisors and Applicants

Margaret A. Winzer & Kas Mazurek (editors): International Practices in Special Education: Debates and Challenges

Judith C. Kulig & Allison M. Williams (editors): Health in Rural Canada

Olga Kovalchuk & Igor Kovalchuk (authors) Epigenetics in Health and Disease

Enhancing student engagement the focus of learning circles

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:49:52 +0000

How better to engage students in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge community than to involve them in building the supportive culture they want and need?

This creative method of developing a supportive campus community is the basis of the Learning Circles project, and involves the creation of high performance teams (HPTs). Learning Circles is another Recruitment and Retention Project (RRP) with a goal of enhancing the student-centred service commitment of the U of L.

Craig Milner, an instructor in the Faculty of Management, and Heather Mirau, director of integrated planning, have been co-leading a group of employees and two sets of students who represent various disciplines and years of study in this pilot project. Its goal is to establish a process for developing a culture of HPTs based on self-management principles.

"Each team develops its own team culture within a guided process for achieving a level of high performance," explains Milner, who is well acquainted with the use of HPTs, and has a rich background in guiding and training high performance teams. He brings this knowledge into the classroom as well, teaching management students on how to construct effective HPTs.

Through valuable teamwork, students support each other in helping to build a supportive campus community.

To date, the teams have been meeting on a weekly basis, sometimes independently and sometimes in a group setting.

The employee team is known as the Dots and is meant to serve only as a source of connectivity for the students to find the expertise they need on campus to help them succeed. In cases where the employees may not know the department or person a student needs, it is their role to find that contact. In so doing, both the employee and the student learn what services are available and how they can be accessed.

"We really have great resources and expertise on campus, and sometimes it's a matter of simply finding those connections," says Mirau. "This is a great opportunity for both our students and employees to learn about all the services that are available to our students."

The project will look to add more individuals to each team in the spring semester, giving them an opportunity to ease into the team culture, at which time the teams will organically split and repeat the process to continue to take in more students and employees.

The Learning Circles have been well received by those participating in the pilot project.

"The experience has helped me analyze my own education and in turn create a strategy to improve my campus experience," says Nicole Meurs, a second-year management student majoring in human resources. "With the support of my fellow teammates and the knowledge sharing and resources of our Dots, it has really opened my eyes to everything that is available to us."

Jennifer McArthur, a learning strategist in the Counselling Services office, says her involvement with the HPTs has been very rewarding.

"It's been great to work with the students and help create those connections for them, and it's also been a real learning experience for our group too," she says.

Anyone wishing to participate in a Learning Circle is urged to contact any of the following: Kristy Burke (kristy.burke@uleth.ca), Lynette LaCroix (lynette.lacroix@uleth.ca), Nicole Leusink (nicole.leusink@uleth.ca), Jennifer McArthur (j.mcarthur@uleth.ca), Craig Milner (craig.milner@uleth.ca), and Heather Mirau (mirau@uleth.ca).

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

Burke wins ASTech award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:10:30 +0000

Youth science program manager Kristy Burke has received a 2012 ASTech Award for her work as a passionate promoter of youth science programming.

Burke received her award for Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness this past weekend in Edmonton -- one of 13 winners chosen from a field of 25 nominees.

The ASTECH Awards are the premiere acknowledgement of scientific and technological achievement in Alberta. The awards have grown to encompass more than a dozen distinct categories. Collectively, the honourees demonstrate the abundance of outstanding work occurring in Alberta's science and technology community.

Also nominated in the same category was U of L chemistry & biochemistry professor Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden and his iGEM team.

Burke, the manager of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Destination Exploration youth science programs, has been instrumental in expanding existing programming and establishing new initiatives for southern Alberta youth interested in science.

Since taking over as manager, Destination Exploration, in the form of interactive classroom workshops, exciting summer camps, after school Science Clubs, birthday parties and numerous other outreach programs, reaches more than 1,300 youth each year.

Through the programs offered by Destination Exploration, Burke exposes students to science in a fun and engaging way, providing valuable opportunities for aspiring scientists throughout southern Alberta to receive quality instruction and encouraging excellence not only in science but also in professional and career endeavours.

U of L has two up for ASTech Awards

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:02:43 +0000

Youth science program manager Kristy Burke, along with chemistry & biochemistry professor Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden and his iGEM team are among an impressive list of 25 honourees announced in advance of the Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Awards Gala that will take place at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton on Nov. 2, 2012.

The list includes some of the best and brightest in Alberta's science and technology community. The honourees are now officially in contention for the 13 ASTech Awards that will be presented at the gala.

The honourees have been nominated for their leadership, achievements and contributions in the following categories: Research; Applied Research and/or Commercialization of Innovation; Leadership; Impact on Albertans; and Public Awareness.

Kristy Burke (Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness)

Burke, the manager of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Destination Exploration youth science programs, has been instrumental in expanding existing programming and establishing new initiatives for southern Alberta youth interested in science.

Since taking over as manager, Destination Exploration, in the form of interactive classroom workshops, exciting summer camps, after school Science Clubs, birthday parties and numerous other outreach programs, reaches more than 1,300 youth each year. Through the programs offered by Destination Exploration, Burke exposes students to science in a fun and engaging way, providing valuable opportunities for aspiring scientists throughout southern Alberta to receive quality instruction and encouraging excellence not only in science but also in professional and career endeavours.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM team (Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness)

Over the last five years, Dr. Wieden has been instrumental in creating and mentoring one of Canada's best teams of undergraduate students in the prestigious iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team competition, the purpose of which is to promote the advancement of science and education by developing an open community of students and practitioners in schools, laboratories, research institutes and industry.

iGEM provides Dr. Wieden a different way of teaching science while giving back to the community that helped him establish his career. The U of L iGEM team is comprised of students from around Alberta and across Canada. The students are passionate about their iGEM experience and are ambassadors for the program and science education in general, both on campus and abroad.

With iGEM, Dr. Wieden aims to bring the essence of scientific research to the undergraduate level, helping create the next generation of science entrepreneurs.

The ASTECH Awards are the premiere acknowledgement of scientific and technological achievement in Alberta. The awards have grown to encompass more than a dozen distinct categories. Collectively, the honourees demonstrate the abundance of outstanding work occurring in Alberta's science and technology community.

For more information about specific awards, visit www.astech.ca

Burke helps ignite a passion for science

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:47:23 +0000

The irony that Kristy Burke (BSc '08) had no room for science in her youth is not lost on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's manager of youth science programs. In fact, it's that awareness that she could have used a science mentor that pushes her in her role today.

"I personally hated science and did everything I could to avoid it when I was in high school," says Burke, recognized as one of the 2012 Mentor of the Millenium award winners by the Alberta Women's Science Network.

"When it came to finding a job, I looked back at the choices I made in school and the things I eventually became interested in, and realized I should have taken Bio 12 and Chem 12, all these courses I ended up having to take as an adult."

Kristy Burke earns a Mentor of the Millenium Award for her role in science community outreach programs.

Burke, who grew up primarily in Prince George, B.C., eventually became interested in the environment, earning a diploma from Selkirk College in recreation, fish and wildlife. She translated that into a degree in environmental science at the U of L, took a year off to have her first baby, and then began working in her current role in 2008.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's youth science programming (now celebrating its 10th anniversary) had already made great strides in its first six years, but there was room for much more growth.

"It was originally just programs offered in the four summer months, but now we have a variety of clubs, Operation Minerva, we do birthday parties, we've been running workshops throughout January and February, we really are busy year-round," says Burke. "I think there was a demand for it because there's not a lot of science outreach outside of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

Igniting a passion for science, and having the resources to fuel that passion, is what the programs are all about. Burke wants kids to see the doors that open up for those who have a breadth of science knowledge.

"Science is often made so difficult for them at the lower levels that they get turned off of it," she says. "Our first goal is to have fun and to make fun somehow related to learning. We try to support the curriculum in a lot of our programs and sometimes it's just a matter of getting their hands dirty and getting into it. Often, their teachers don't have the resources or the time to do the programming and if they are home schooled, science is really hard for parents to teach."

A mother of two, Burke understands how important it is to create early positive experiences for children. She is especially interested in encouraging young girls and minority students to pursue scientific careers.

"A lot of girls want careers where they can help and contribute to the public good and they haven't been able to make that connection with science careers," says Burke. "With Operation Minerva, they get to see real people, real women as scientists, and it humanizes the profession for them."

Operation Minerva and Operation Minerva for Aboriginal Girls are programs she's invested a lot of time in promoting. They act as mentorship programs for young girls interested in science.

Burke is currently working on a master's degree in education under the tutelage of Dr. Leah Fowler. Her focus is the effectiveness of the Operation Minerva programs and whether they translate to young girls pursuing scientific careers. She is hoping to interview girls who have gone through the programs and eventually show up as U of L students.

As she looks ahead, she envisions reaching even more youth through science outreach by bringing disadvantaged children into the fold.

"I think the direction a lot of science outreach is going is towards breaking barriers, to kids who don't have a lot of access to science," says Burke. "A lot of that is girls or underprivileged children whose parents can't afford to send them to camps. We want to open that world to them."

GET THE FACTS

• U of L science outreach began with a sleepover camp 10 years ago that invited 16 kids to campus. Our programming now reaches up to 1,500 children per year

• Burke is thankful for the faculty support the program receives. "We have a very strong history of people who have always supported the program and continue to do so, and now I'd like to see if we can find some new faces to take some of the pressure off those who continually volunteer."

• Of the many science camp moments Burke recalls, she points to CCBN Research Manager Donna McLaughlin bringing her chickens and mini ponies to campus and teaching kids about behavioural training as a highlight

This story first appeared in the April 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Burke helps ignite a passion for science

trevor.kenney — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:14:25 +0000

UPDATE (November 2012): Burke won an Alberta Science & Technology (ASTech) Foundation Award for her work with Destination Exploration and its contribution to furthering youth science in the province. Her citation can be viewed here.

Kristy Burke earns a Mentor of the Millenium Award for her role in science community outreach programs.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's youth science programming (now celebrating its 10th anniversary) had already made great strides in its first six years, but there was room for much more growth.

Operation Minerva and Operation Minerva for Aboriginal Girls are programs she's invested a lot of time in promoting. They act as mentorship programs for young girls interested in science.

As she looks ahead, she envisions reaching even more youth through science outreach by bringing disadvantaged children into the fold.

GET THE FACTS

· U of L science outreach began with a sleepover camp 10 years ago that invited 16 kids to campus. Our programming now reaches up to 1,500 children per year

· Burke is thankful for the faculty support the program receives. "We have a very strong history of people who have always supported the program and continue to do so, and now I'd like to see if we can find some new faces to take some of the pressure off those who continually volunteer."

· Of the many science camp moments Burke recalls, she points to CCBN Research Manager Donna McLaughlin bringing her chickens and mini ponies to campus and teaching kids about behavioural training as a highlight

This story first appeared in the April 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Youth Science to get boost from recycling program

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:34:31 +0000

Trust Kristy Burke (BSc '08) to find a way to benefit both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Youth Science Program and the environment.

Her idea is a recycling initiative that calls for people on campus to drop off used ink cartridges and old cell phones, which she then ships to a recycling depot. In return, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ collects payment for qualifying items and she funnels the money into the Youth Science Program.

"I stumbled across this while I was looking up ideas for fundraisers," Burke, co-ordinator of youth programs for Conference and Event Services, says. "I have a degree in environmental science so I am pretty conscious of recycling and this really appealed to me."

She signed on with Think Recycle (www.thinkrecycle.com), a company that offers free recycling programs for schools and non-profit organizations. The company supplies boxes, shipping labels and promotional materials (posters, letters and brochures) and it's simply up to the school to package the items and send them off for a rebate.

"I am the only full-time staff for these programs so it's pretty difficult to take on any labour-intensive fundraising initiatives," Burke says. "With this program, I just have to set up the drop boxes, try and spread the word that they're available and collect and ship the items. It essentially runs itself."

Think Recycle partners with the Tree Canada Foundation and American Forests and has been in operation since 1995.

"There is a huge list of items they accept for a refund but they take virtually everything, including digital cameras," Burke says. "Even if we don't get a refund for a particular cartridge or phone, they still recycle it and it stays out of the landfill."

Burke has set up drop boxes in both Piikani and Kainai House lobbies, as well as the Airport Lounge. She plans to add other locations around campus, including the Atrium and Students' Union Building, and to make the event an ongoing program.

"My hope is to make enough money to pay for our Science Club supplies on an annual basis and maybe one day co-ordinate an annual cell phone drive, as they carry a much bigger refund price than the cartridges."

Youth Science creates recycling initiative

trevor.kenney — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:05:37 +0000

The act of recycling is beneficial in the first place. Recycling for a cause is even more worthy.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Youth Science Program is pleased to announce the initiation of a new recycling program on campus that also doubles as a fundraiser. They will now be accepting used print cartridges and cell phones for recycling. For each qualifying item, they then earn a rebate to be used to purchase necessary supplies for the Youth Science Program.

Drop boxes are currently located in Kainai House and Piikani House Lobbies and the Airport Lounge. More drop boxes will soon be positioned in the Atrium and Students' Union Building.

Please note that all toners purchased through Materials Management must go back to Materials Management.

The Youth Science Program urges people to think of them before they throw out used ink cartridges or cell phones. It's an opportunity to raise funds for a worthy cause and protect the environment.

For more information on this new recycling initiative, or to request a drop box in a certain area of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, contact Kristy Burke at 403-382-7161.

UNews - Kristy Burke

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