UNews - Louise Barrett

Regulating body temperature another reason for nocturnal primate births, says new U of L study

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:56:16 +0000

Scientists have long understood the majority of primate births, including humans, occur during the inactive phase, or at night. In the wild it stands to reason, because the night offers the birthing mother decreased chance of predation, harassment from her companions and the need to keep up with a travelling group.

A vervet monkey infant with its mother.

A new paper from a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research team led by Drs. Louise Barrett and Peter Henzi (psychology) offers evidence of another evolutionary factor that favours nocturnal births. They argue the birthing process is enhanced at night because environmental conditions enable the mother’s physiology to cope more effectively with the changes in body temperature associated with giving birth.

“We already know we have this daily rhythm in our body temperature,” says Barrett, who along with researchers from Nottingham Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (UK) and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Witwatersrand Medical School (South Africa), observed three groups of wild vervet monkeys on the Samara Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa for just over seven years. “We thought maybe this would be an advantage for these females if they were timing birth when their body temperature was naturally lowering anyway.”

As the birth experience expends an incredible amount of the mother’s energy, to use nature rather than direct physiological energy to lower and then raise body temperature, the mother is able to use that saved energy on her newborn.

The vervets were all implanted with data logging devices, allowing the scientists to track their core body temperatures throughout the 24-hour cycle. They logged non-maternal vervets’ temperature fluctuations and noticed a gradual decline in core body temperature at the onset of the evening and through the night before a similar rise following dawn. The maternal vervets saw similar fluctuations but over a much shorter window of time, the actual span of the birthing process.

“Growing a baby, going through a birth and then feeding a baby are very expensive activities physiologically,” says Barrett. “Anything that would save energy, such as tying the thermoregulatory process to the natural decline in core body temperature in the early evening hours makes sense and is worth investigating.”

In fact, the researchers were lucky enough to track a birth in the early morning hours, when the day is at its coldest, and recorded just how stark the temperature difference was on the mother and how much harder she had to work to get her core body temperature out of its near hypothermic state.

“When she gave birth in the early morning, her temperature dropped to 34 degrees, which is a significant drop (the mean low temperature for recorded nocturnal births was 35.9 degrees), so she would have had to work much harder physiologically to get back up to a normal range temperature,” says Barrett. “That’s energy she could have been putting into milk production and tending to her newborn.”

The study gives a fascinating look into the birthing process and further sheds light on why night-time births are not only more common for primates and humans alike, but why they may have evolved this way.

Link to paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0574

U of L Art Gallery hosts unique exhibit that marries arts and science

caroline.zentner — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 16:15:00 +0000

What happens when an artist and a curator work with a team of monkey scientists? The answer will be on display at the Hess Gallery in October with an exhibit that invites visitors to explore what it means to be human with Icelandic artist Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir.

Icelandic artist Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir visited the South African field research site in 2017.

The exhibit is the culmination of the Borderline Human project that had its origins with the Level 2: Lichen Lab, an interdisciplinary research group at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge interested in how people engage with art.

“The Borderline Human project is not a normal exhibition,” says Dr. Josephine Mills, director and curator of the U of L Art Gallery. “We are going to be showing some drawings, but the bulk of it is working with a dancer and an aerialist. We’re going to have a structure in the gallery that the artist and dancer can swing and suspend from. It’s really more about turning the Hess Gallery into a space for an artist to explore and develop their work — kind of a lab space.”

In collaboration with Dr. Louise Barrett, psychology professor and Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, and Miranda Lucas, a PhD student being supervised by Barrett and Mills, the Borderline Human project takes research methodology for analyzing monkey behaviour that Barrett and Lucas use in the field and applies it to human behaviour in the art gallery.

“The bigger question we are looking at is what is actually involved when people find meaning with contemporary art,” says Mills. “There’s a lot of attention by arts funders to public engagement, but there’s no academic investigation. So it’s just things like exit surveys where people tend to tell you what they think you want to hear.”

Lucas, whose research is funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), has been observing people’s behaviour in four Canadian art galleries using the same methods she’d use in the field with vervet monkeys. Hauksdóttir has been involved with the project since 2017 when she visited Barrett and Lucas at the field research site in South Africa and spent a month studying the monkey scientists, as well as drawing and recording the monkeys.

The Borderline Human project kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 10 with a talk by Mills, Hauksdóttir and Lucas. Hauksdóttir has shown two pilot versions of the Borderline Human project in Germany and Sweden and will do a more fully developed version when she’s here at the U of L. Five U of L students from art, drama and psychology will work with her and be part of the final performance scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Borderline Human is part of Celebrating Connection — A SSHRC Exchange Series. The series is designed to help disseminate research findings and provide opportunities for networking and collaborating in the humanities, social sciences, arts, education and management through events such as conferences, presentations and workshops.

PUBlic Professor Series opens with an exploration of what it means to be human

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 16:07:54 +0000

Seeing ourselves in other animals is a very human thing to do. On the one hand, this is entirely appropriate — we are animals ourselves after all. On the other hand, it can give rise to a misleading view of other species if we insist on comparing them to humans, especially as we often consider ourselves to be above the other animals: our large relative brain size, and spectacular ability to invent and use technology, seems to place us at a remove from the rest of the Animal Kingdom. How best, then, to understand what it means to be human, and appreciate our place in Nature?

Dr. Louise Barrett will present, Supercharged Apes and Supersized Minds, How to Think Like an Animal, to open the 2019-20 season of the PUBlic Professor Series.

On Thursday, September 26, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge psychology professor, Dr. Louise Barrett, will present Supercharged Apes and Supersized Minds: How to Think Like an Animal. This is the first regular talk of the 2019-20 season for the Faculty of Arts & Science’s PUBlic Professor Series. The free event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge and is open to the public.

Barrett has studied the behaviour of wild African primates for the past 25 years, along with studies of human behaviour and ecology. In this talk, she offers her perspective on how humans and other species differ, and how to reconcile our animal and cultural natures. Her suggestion is that we need to pay as much attention to bodies as well as brains, and the manner that humans and other animals extend their biological capacities by exploiting the structure of the environment. What makes humans clever may, paradoxically perhaps, be found outside our heads, rather than in them.

Barrett was born and educated in London, England. She holds a BSc in ecology and a PhD in anthropology from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ College London, and is currently a Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour at the U of L. In 2016, Barrett was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In collaboration with Peter Henzi, Barrett ran the De Hoop Baboon Project in South Africa for 12 years, and currently co-directs the Samara Vervet Monkey Project in South Africa (10 years and counting).

Her research centres on the issue of how ecology shapes patterns of social evolution, from a “radical enactivist” perspective, and includes work on thermal physiology and responses to climate change, early life experience and behavioural plasticity, social network influences on behaviour, and collective behaviour.

She is also interested in how culture and biology intersect to influence human behaviour and runs several projects on human behavioural ecology, including field research in Samoa and the Canadian North. Her most recent book is Beyond the Brain: How Body and Environment Shape Animal and Human Minds (Princeton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press).

Faculty and student researchers buoyed by NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:07:49 +0000

A diverse and comprehensive group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers was awarded $1.98 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this week, part of $558 million in total funding to post-secondary researchers and students, the largest investment in research from NSERC this year.

Projects in chemistry & biochemistry, neuroscience, kinesiology & physical education, mathematics & computer science, environmental science, biology and psychology all received funding support.

In addition, eight graduate students received $336,000 in funding, further broadening the impact of the federal government’s investment in research activities at the U of L.

“Canada supports science and our talented researchers. We are delivering on our historic investment in research and in the next generation of scientists. These remarkable researchers and students we are celebrating are working to make the world a better place and to secure a brighter future for all Canadians,” says The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport.

Dr. Erasmus Okine, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s vice-president (research) says he is impressed with the breadth of research being funded.

“It speaks to the level of activity we have going on throughout the institution, and the variety of issues our researchers and students are tackling,” says Okine. “This level of funding is a recognition by NSERC that our people are making a real difference through their research work and will continue to do so.”

Projects in chemistry & biochemistry, neuroscience, kinesiology & physical education, mathematics & computer science, environmental science, biology and psychology all received funding support. Dr. Robert Sutherland’s study in the Department of Neuroscience, Hippocampus and memory: A systems level approach, earned $285,000 over five years, the largest award of the funded projects.

Sutherland describes the hippocampus as being situated at the hub of a set of distributed cortical networks that represent movement and perceptual information. Amnesia is the most prominent effect of damage to or dysfunction of the hippocampus and most forms of human memory disorder involve the hippocampus.

“The current proposal examines, in detail, how the interactions between the hippocampus and other cortical networks establish long-term memories,” says Sutherland, director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. “We will discover exactly which types of information depend on the hippocampus and how the hippocampus modifies the functioning of the cortex through long-term interactions.”

Dr. Louise Barrett, Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour and member of the U of L’s Department of Psychology, will receive $200,000 over five years (plus an accelerator supplement of $120,000 over three years) for her project, Behavioural Flexibility, Fertility and Social Network Influences in Human and Non-Human Primates.

In her work, Barrett aims to understand how evolutionary processes influence the behaviour of human and non-human primates.

“More specifically, I am interested in exploring those aspects that we share with other primate species, and those that make us different,” she says.

Other funded researchers include:

Dr. Matthew Tata, neuroscience; Dr. Steven Mosimann, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Marc Roussel, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Athanasios Zovoilis, chemistry & biochemistry; Dr. Marc Bomhof, kinesiology & physical education; Dr. John Anvik, mathematics & computer science; Dr. Alexey Popov, mathematics & computer science; Dr. David Euston, neuroscience; Dr. Sergio Pellis, neuroscience; Dr. Stephanus Henzi, psychology; Dr. Cameron Goater, biological sciences; Dr. Majid Mohajerani, neuroscience.

Graduate students who received funding include:

Elijah Dueck, chemistry & biochemistry; Lukas Grasse, neuroscience; Samantha Krause, psychology; Kailyn Nelson, environmental science; Candace Burke, neuroscience; Serena Jenkins, neuroscience; Justin Lee, neuroscience; Conner MacNeil, chemistry & biochemistry.

Doctoral student looks to understand Samoa's trend-bucking population growth

trevor.kenney — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 21:23:08 +0000

Birth rates often fall as nations become more developed, but the opposite is happening in Samoa – and a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student may know the reason why.

Deanna Forrester is investigating why fertility rates in this South Pacific nation differ from those in most other developing nations

Third year evolution and behaviour PhD student Deanna Forrester (MSc ’11) is investigating why this developing island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and New Zealand is experiencing a steady to slightly increasing rise in its fertility rates. Starting in June 2014, Forrester is on a four-month study visit to Upolu, Samoa’s most populous island, interviewing mothers and observing families to test an idea based on her observations from a previous visit: that the helpful behaviour of Samoan children make it easier to have larger families.

“My hypothesis is that the amount of help kids provide around the house and caring for infants frees up Samoan mothers to direct more time and energy to having more children,” says Forrester, who is completing the dissertation research for her doctoral degree in human evolution and behaviour.

Researching a remote Polynesian culture in a country 10,000 kilometres away is a significant undertaking for Forrester, but her U of L education has prepared her well. After completing her undergraduate degree in psychology at MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Edmonton, Alta., she chose to attend the U of L because it was one of the few schools in Canada with a program in her chosen field, evolutionary psychology, and because of its leading-edge researchers in the field. She says a highlight of her PhD education has been the extensive support of her thesis supervisor, psychology professor and Canada Research Chair, Dr. Louise Barrett.

“She gives me the confidence to take some risks and to expand my thinking,” says Forrester. “She encourages me to think for myself and helps me develop my ideas.”

Another benefit for Forrester is that her academic program is part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s multidisciplinary Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS). Through the institute’s “friendly feedback” sessions, Forrester presented her research to professors from several other disciplines – history, anthropology, literary studies, neuroscience, and education – and gained diverse insights that helped fine-tune her ethological, or observational, methods.

What will also help facilitate Forrester’s project is an $8,000 grant she received from the International Society for Human Ethology, which will cover most of her research costs. As well, she will have assistance with navigating the island and interacting with locals from her husband, a native Samoan she met in the summer of 2011 during her first visit there to explore another research idea. While that project never materialized, their relationship did, and the two wed last July in her husband’s village on Upolu.

What Forrester has learned about Samoa is that despite its shift to that of a developing country, its fertility rate has slightly increased: statistics show Samoan women in their reproductive years had an average of 4.7 children in 2011, compared to 4.4 children in 2001. To understand why, she will interview 150 mothers and observe 30 families to assess how children help, and how their helpfulness may affect reproduction. Forrester’s research will be the first to examine current fertility trends in Samoa.

“Public policies that encourage women in the developed world to have more children have not been successful, and they have failed to consider one variable – having somebody in the home to help out, besides a grandparent, can really have an impact,” says Forrester. “This research will address the question of why some developing countries have increasing or stable fertility rates, and suggest that maybe directing resources at public policies that aren’t helping isn’t the way to go.”

��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

Research dollars continue to flow

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:15:12 +0000

The business of research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge keeps growing and, like any other business, needs people and resources to keep the wheels of innovation turning.
Recent rankings which place the U of L's research efforts at the top and near to the top of influential listings of Canadian research universities, show and tell the U of L's research achievements based on numbers.

But there are more than numbers to this success – there are people who, through very diverse projects, demonstrate the unique ways in which the U of L is, as described by the editors at Maclean's magazine, "…Alberta's rising research star."

Dr. Paul Hayes is part of a team of U of L researchers to receive significant funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Recent funding announcements by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Canada Research Chair program have brought to the U of L new or renewed funding in excess of $2.4 million. Many of the funding awards are eligible for matching funds, or can be used to lever additional resources which further advance the U of L's research agenda. As more research funding is confirmed, other U of L researchers will be profiled.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, a researcher at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience who studies the development of avian brains, will use his Canada Foundation for Innovation funding to purchase a sophisticated slide scanner, microscope and related equipment which will allow his research team to create what are known as virtual slides. ($131,000)

From these virtual slides, he will be able to perform a myriad of measurements and analyses to better understand how the brain is organized and how brain damage arising from exposure to environmental toxins occurs in various bird species. In addition to these direct research uses, Iwaniuk has amassed the largest collection of bird brains in the world, which at present includes over 500 specimens representing more than 150 different species from North America, Australia, Africa, Australia and Europe.

One of his aims over the next several years will be to digitize this entire brain collection and make it available to researchers, educators and students worldwide. By creating a virtual museum within which anyone will be able to look at virtual slides and photos of entire brains, researchers from around the world can more readily collaborate and provide information to educators and the general public on how the brain has evolved among birds.

Dr. Louise Barrett

Dr. Louise Barrett studies the social processes and behaviour of people and primates. Her research will determine how social functioning can be improved by examining connections between social environment and the development of interpersonal skills. Barrett, a Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, is aiming to discover how the actions of others help shape our social worlds – and therefore our psychology. She's doing so by studying the social behaviour and cognition of both humans and our primate cousins in Canada and South Africa. ($1.4 million/seven years)

Primates are known for their intense sociability, which is thought to have shaped the ways in which we think about the world. Research in this field has usually considered that social information is processed solely inside the head. However, Barrett is emphasizing how physical or bodily engagement with the world – and with other individuals – can and should be recognized as part of our psychology. In that respect, cognitive processes can be considered as both visible and social, and not just invisible and private.
In addition, Barrett is studying how various types of 'social niches' help shape psychology from infancy to adulthood, and how language and culture influence generate differences between humans and primates.

By challenging long-held beliefs about the way primates think and socialize, Barrett's work is paving the way for new forms of psychology that could improve people's social experiences by increasing the understanding of the social skills they need in a complex society.

Dr. Stacey Wetmore

Dr. Stacey Wetmore, Canada Research Chair in Computational Chemistry was recently renewed as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair ($500,000/five years).

Wetmore uses computers to explore the reactions between DNA and various harmful chemicals in order to understand how DNA gets damaged. And in order to clarify how nature affects repairs, she studies how enzymes in our body repair our DNA by chemically removing the damaged sections of DNA.

Computers help Wetmore examine molecules that are difficult or impossible to learn about using traditional experiments. For example, it is difficult to study some molecules experimentally because they live for such a short time; using computers, however, speeds up the process so she can investigate their properties thoroughly.

Computer simulations are the tool of choice that not only allow Wetmore to study molecules quickly and cheaply but also allow her to study chemically modified DNA pieces that have applications as drugs or tools for biotechnology.

Drs. Paul Hazendonk, Michael Gerken and Paul Hayes

The trio of chemistry researchers has received substantial funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation ($400,000) to purchase a significantly more powerful NMR system, which will allow the researchers – who envision collaboration with researchers working on wide-ranging projects from the oil and gas, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries – to more accurately measure the structure of various solid and liquid compounds down to the atomic level of accuracy.

Their research – and the current NMR facility, which is also in the process of receiving a significant upgrade – is already attracting worldwide attention. With the addition of the new equipment, they expect to expand their programs, ability to work with graduate and undergraduate students, and enhance their relationships with a wide variety of collaborators. The facility is expected to take about a year to fully commission.

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

Childhood studies the basis for new research institute

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:06:50 +0000

The study of childhood issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective is at the essence of a new research institute established by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The Institute for Child and Youth Studies will bring together researchers from several disciplines who are increasingly adding child and youth studies projects to their research portfolios. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors approved the new research institute at its October 11, 2012 meeting.

The Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) formalizes a concept developed by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty members who hosted the successful Childhoods Conference at the U of L in May 2011.

Their efforts attracted researchers, professional practitioners and guests from around the world to consider the state of child studies. This was the start of a number of discussions, research partnerships and joint projects that eventually led to the establishment of I-CYS.

"Virtually every academic discipline touches on children and youth, but the information and the expertise is not often connected," says Dr. Janay Nugent, a history researcher and one of the six U of L faculty members involved in the process to launch the institute.

"We are aiming to bring people together for research collaborations, and to contribute to the broader community through partnerships with local agencies and policy-making organizations," Nugent adds.

"Our long-term plans include establishing a multi-disciplinary workshop series and a triennial conference devoted to understanding the role of children and youth in society, developing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Child and Youth Studies, as well as encouraging post-doctoral research."

This is the ninth Research Institute to be established at the U of L. David Hill, the U of L's recently-appointed Director of Centres and Institutes, says the Child and Youth Studies group will be a welcome addition to the cross-campus collaborations that are already taking place.

"In order to grow our research profile and move new ideas forward, we are encouraging our people to work together in different ways. There are many positive outcomes I see in bringing this group – and the people they attract – into the U of L family to further research in this very critical area, and I look forward to working with them to establish this institute."

An advisory committee is also to be established, with input from researchers, community agencies, First Nations, Metis and Inuit groups as well as undergraduate and graduate students. There is also a provision in the organizational structure for affiliate researchers from other universities in Canada, international scholars and professional practitioners working with children and youth.

Six U of L researchers from the U of L will form the initial directorate. They include: Dr. Louise Barrett, Psychology; Dr. Elizabeth Galway, English; Dr. Heidi Macdonald, History; Dr. Jan Newberry, Anthropology; Dr. Janay Nugent, History; Dr. Amy von Heyking, Education.

Graduate students honoured with research awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:34:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrated the achievements of 21 graduate students last night at the 2012 Graduate Student Research Awards reception.

"These graduate students are exemplars of academic achievement," says Dr. Robert Wood, dean of the School of Graduate Studies. "The exciting academic work that they do is advancing the frontiers of knowledge and creativity, and it cultivates and builds an essential foundation for our growing reputation as a comprehensive university. Indeed, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is immensely proud of these accomplished graduate student scholars."

Following is a list of the 2012 award winners.

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions
Erin Zelinski
(Robert Sutherland)
Neuroscience

Corinne Sidler
(Olga Kovalchuk)
Biological Sciences

Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures
Aaron Mullin
(Craig Coburn)
Geography

Alberta Cancer Foundation
Lidiya Luzhna
(Olga Kovalchuk)
Biological Sciences

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (NSERC)
Patrick Barks
(Robert Laird)
Biological Sciences

Andrew Hudson
(Camron Goater & Tony Russell)
Biological Sciences

Jenni Karl
(Ian Whishaw)
Neuroscience

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Master (NSERC)
Kathryn Kuchapski
(Joseph Rasmussen)
Biological Sciences

Kirsten Rosler
(Hans-Joachim Wieden)
Chemistry and Biochemistry

Aaron Mullin
(Craig Coburn)
Geography

Natalie Freeman
(Louise Barrett & Peter Henzi)
Psychology

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's (SSHRC)
Gillian Ayers
(Claudia Malacrida)
Sociology

Leslie Bush
(Robbin Derry)
Management

Stacey Leavitt
(Michelle Helstein & Sean Brayton)
Kinesiology & Physical Education

Daniel Rutledge
(Sameer Deshpande)
Management

Rachel Shields
(Jason Laurendeau)
Sociology

Mark Bruce
(Dawn McBride)
Education

School of Graduate Studies Fellowship
Darcy Best
(Hadi Kharaghani)
Mathmatics & Computer Science

Health Quality Council of Alberta
Shannon Vandenberg
(Judith Kulig)
Health Sciences

endMS
Brietta Gerrard
(Artur Luczak)
Neuroscience

Alberta Gambling Research Institute
Scott Oberg
(Matthew Tata)
Neuroscience

Last Lecture always a highlight

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:34:20 +0000

One of the highlights of the spring takes the stage tonight as three ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty members participate in the Last Lecture Series.

Presented by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union, this is an opportunity for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professors to talk about life lessons that cannot be learned in a classroom.

This year's speakers are Dr. Jan Newberry, Faculty of Arts and Science – Anthropology; Dr. Jay Gamble, Faculty of Arts and Science – English; and Dr. Louise Barrett, Faculty of Arts and Science – Psychology. These distinguished speakers will deliver a hypothetical Last Lecture about life, love, success and basic knowledge they feel everyone should know.

The Last Lecture is a book co-authored by Randy Pausch, detailing everything he wanted his children to know after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Pausch delivered his last lecture entitled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams as part of a lecture series where ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are challenged to think about what really matters to them and give a Last Lecture.

The Last Lecture is Thursday, Apr. 8th at 7 p.m. in PE 261. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

UNews - Louise Barrett

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