UNews - Institute for Child and Youth Studies

Building rapport key to success of the Raising Spirit project

caroline.zentner — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:51:11 +0000

Taylor Little Mustache couldn’t have asked for a better summer job. As a research assistant with Raising Spirit: The Opokaa’sin Digital Storytelling Project, Little Mustache says she felt honoured to work on a project where she learned so much.

“I feel humbled by being a part of this creation,” she says about the project that features photos of Blackfoot family life and audio recordings where Blackfoot Elders and children come together for the telling of traditional cultural stories.

Raising Spirit is a collaborative project of the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS). The purpose is to help ensure Blackfoot history, language and values endure and shape future generations, as well as build research capacity and understanding of intergenerational knowledge transmission that was interrupted by residential schooling. Once completed, the goal is to produce a digital library that will be a community resource.

Little Mustache, who’s entering her third year of studies at the U of L, is working on a combined education, Native American Studies and history degree. She also has a love of athletics, especially basketball. She has coached for the Alberta Summer Games and the Junior Pronghorns teams. She became part of the Raising Spirit project after taking a history of childhood course and an independent study with Dr. Kristine Alexander, the director of I-CYS.

Her fields of study and experience working with youth and community organizations have served her well in her work with the Raising Spirit project. She’s been busy building rapport with the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society and the Piikani and Kainai First Nations. Little Mustache has worked with children aged four to seven and youth up to 18 years of age. She has presented on the project at conferences, met with Elders, collected and organized data, and transcribed interviews. In addition, Taylor has supervised the growing research skills of two high school summer students, Hudson Eagle Bear and Tesla Heavy Runner.

Little Mustache says she found the field work component of her job especially engaging. She attended a Blackfoot immersion camp, slept in a teepee for the first time and furthered her knowledge of cultural traditions.

“I’ve learned so much from the elders I got to meet over the summer. They hold so much knowledge,” she says. “I’m well connected to my culture but this field work made the connection even stronger.”

At first, she wondered how she could contribute to the research team — Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc ’98), executive director of Opokaa’sin, and the Opokaa’sin staff, U of L professors Jan Newberry and Kristine Alexander and Erin Spring, a post-doctoral fellow and Amy Mack (MA ’16). Michelle Hogue and Francis First Charger serve as advisors on the project.

“When I first met them I felt a little under-qualified because I was just an undergraduate. However, they made me feel comfortable and I want to acknowledge their mentorship,” says Little Mustache. “This project really opened doors for me.”

One of those doors is a co-operative placement with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada this fall. She’ll be working as a junior program analyst in the education branch.

“I’ll be conducting policy research and analyzing indigenous education issues,” she says. “I’m super excited and the position is a good fit for my research skills.”

Grant supports Spring research project with local First Nations young adults

caroline.zentner — Tue, 12 May 2015 19:49:27 +0000

Dr. Erin Spring, a post-doctoral fellow with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), will build on her doctoral research as she embarks on a local project with First Nations young adults.

Her previous work honed in on Canadian youths’ responses to place and identity in young adult fiction. The results showed they were very aware of the role of place within their lives.

“I think this is because they’re at a time in their lives when they’re thinking about where they want to live, who they want to be, and what is and isn’t important to them,” she says. “Characters in young adult texts are often confronting similar issues, and thinking through these questions as readers of fiction can help young adults make sense of their world.”

Dr. Erin Spring was recently awarded the Frances E. Russell Grant to support her research in young people's literature.

Now, she hopes to learn how local Aboriginal youth react to sense of place and identity in Canadian fiction for youth and young adults.

“In order to know more about Aboriginal youth and youth in general, we need to hear their voices and we need to know what they think about the world and what they think about the books written for them,” she says. “This research will help to fill an important gap in the literature about young adult’s responses to fiction and could help parents, librarians and teachers find new ways to connect with the young adults in their lives.”

Spring has chosen two fiction works penned by First Nations authors. In Richard Van Camp’s book, The Lesser Blessed, Larry Sole is a Grade 11 student, a member of the Dogrib Indian band, and a youth with a troubled past. A coming-of-age tale, The Lesser Blessed describes how Larry finds his place in the world. In addition, Spring has chosen Arvus in Excelsus, written by local author Gordon Fox. Arvus is a First Nations cowboy whose life has been negatively affected by residential school. He returns home to Kainai after being gone for several years and works hard to overcome his past.

“I will be working with Blackfoot youth by reading these First Nations texts and getting them to respond in a reading group discussion,” says Spring. “I’m interested in hearing what they think about these First Nations texts and how they use their knowledge of the world and their culture to shape their reading experience.”

Spring plans to establish a reading group for high school students at a southern Alberta library.

“My overall goal is to better understand children, youth and young adults and how they interpret texts and interpret and talk about their own identities in relation to what they’re reading,” she says.

Spring’s research recently got a boost from IBBY Canada, the Canadian section of the International Board on Books for Young People, when she was awarded the Frances E. Russell Grant worth $1,000. The grant is designed to encourage and support research in young people’s literature leading to a publishable work on Canadian children’s literature. Spring plans to use the funds to purchase texts for the reading groups; the texts will remain with the participating organizations after the study has wrapped up.

“I was honoured to receive the grant,” she says. “The people who have won this in the past have great positions at other Canadian universities and they’re doing important research, so I feel like I am following in some big footsteps. It’s wonderful to have your work recognized and have other people tell you that what you’re doing is important. Thanks to I-CYS as well for giving me this opportunity to do the post-doc and to spend the time to put the project together.”

Originally from Huntsville, Ontario, Spring remembers being a youngster and wanting to read books about girls living in similar situations.

“I wanted to find myself in the pages and that desire led me down this path to understand myself better through fiction and now to see if it applies more broadly to other youth,” she says.

Newberry’s teaching excellence acknowledged by American Anthropological Association

caroline.zentner — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:21:19 +0000

Dr. Jan Newberry, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge anthropology professor, is passionate about teaching anthropology and having that recognized by the American Anthropological Association (AAA) is a special honour.

“Teaching is where I really feel like my career comes together, my research and the interaction with students. It’s where I feel the most satisfied and complete in what I am doing. To have that acknowledged is tremendous,” says Newberry.

She will receive the AAA/Oxford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Anthropology award at the AAA annual meeting from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes teachers who have contributed to the field of anthropology and encouraged others to study it.

Newberry is a cultural anthropologist who conducts fieldwork in Java, Indonesia. She has studied the politics and economics of women’s work and her current focus is on early childhood education and how that has changed as a result of globalization.

Before coming to the U of L in 2001, Newberry taught at Bryn Mawr, a women’s liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Every year, her enthusiasm for anthropology has spread to her students, many of whom still keep in touch.

Their comments in support of Newberry’s nomination for the award describe her as a wonderful mentor, an incredible professor, and a gifted and exceptional teacher who is dedicated, kind, generous, brilliant, inspiring, creative and genuine.

Those adjectives hit the mark because, for Newberry, anthropology is a field alive with ever-changing opportunities.

“One of the things I tell my students is that anthropology is about human liberation,” she says. “Learning about other societies helps you understand your own and it helps you understand the possibilities of humanity.”

Throughout her career as a university teacher, Newberry has engaged students with new ideas that stimulate discussion and get them thinking about what it means to be human.

“That’s something I’m always endeavouring to teach in my class. I use specifics to get at what are, ultimately, these ethical and philosophical questions,” she says. “When a student says ‘You made me think’ then I’m just blown away.”

Newberry has always been committed to helping students gain real world experience. At Bryn Mawr, Newberry started Praxis, a community-based program that integrates theory and practice through community service learning. She also designed a liberal education pilot course at the U of L called Mapping Self, Career, Campus, Community. The first-year course, created when Newberry served as Board of Governors Teaching Chair and in response to a recruitment and retention project, helps engage students in their post-secondary careers.

“Teaching is how I change the world,” she says.

In addition to her duties as a professor, Newberry is also co-director, along with history professor Dr. Kristine Alexander, of the Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), a multi-disciplinary research institute formed to build understanding of the young.

The institute has brought together researchers from neuroscience, literary studies, education and psychology, in addition to anthropology and history, to help answer the question of what it means to be a child.

One of the motivations for the institute came from a student who was taking classes from both Newberry and Dr. Louise Barrett, a U of L evolutionary psychologist who studies vervet monkeys. The student was interested in the human practice of ‘wearing babies’ or carrying infants in slings.

“Louise and I worked together with this student and we weren’t even sure we could talk to each other,” Newberry says. “We discovered, through the work on the child, that we did have much that we could say and our different perspectives were really interesting and productive. Any problem, in this case the problem of humans understood through the young, can be understood from multiple perspectives.”

For example, an evolutionary psychologist might look at the commonalities in baby carrying between humans and primates while a cultural anthropologist might look at how wearing babies is shaped by local practices, such as beliefs about when a baby should be encouraged to walk. A neuroscientist and a health practitioner might be interested in the effect the practice has on the developing brain. And a historian might consider changes in such practices across time.

I-CYS members are working to develop an undergraduate major in child and youth studies because of its broad appeal to students across faculty, disciplinary and divisional boundaries.

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.”

Hidden Paths, Tangled Woods and Interesting Play Spaces

david.kirby — Thu, 15 May 2014 22:10:14 +0000

Illustration by Elena Ballam.

The way we study young people is taking on a whole new meaning at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, where researchers are using a holistic approach to understand their experiences, development and challenges.

The Institute for Child and Youth Studies, or I-CYS, is a research institute that is using a multidisciplinary lens to examine what children and youth mean as social, demographic, artistic, legal and existential categories. Launched in October 2012, and one of only a small handful of such initiatives worldwide, the institute involves U of L scholars from the humanities, social sciences and sciences collaborating to gain a greater understanding of child and youth matters.

“Cross-disciplinary work is especially important for understanding young people,” says I-CYS co-director Dr. Kristine Alexander, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child and Youth Studies and an assistant professor of history. “The academic study of history, like many other fields, was initially based on the assumption that young people’s thoughts and experiences were less important than those of adults. Challenging this assumption by working collaboratively is at the heart of what I-CYS is all about.”

Alexander began working at the U of L in July 2013, and says she has been impressed by the creativity and passion of her colleagues. The concept for I-CYS emerged from an international conference on the state of child studies held at the U of L in May 2011. Childhoods Conference: Mapping the Landscapes of Childhood was a multidisciplinary three-day event that focused on new research results, policy approaches and theoretical paradigms in the field of child and childhood study. Scholars from the U of L and other institutions in disciplines such as education, sociology, English and neuroscience joined
with child and youth practitioners to discuss themes such as gender, globalization, technology and adolescence.

“If you only talk to people who know the same thing as you, your knowledge never changes. Having people from different disciplines engage with each other was a way to build on and exchange what we know about the young,” says I-CYS co-director Dr. Jan Newberry, Chair of the Department of Anthropology at the U of L and one of the conference organizers.

Back row (L-R) Dr. Louise Barrett, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, Dr. Amy von Heyking, Dr. Jan Newberry, I-CYS co-director, Dr. Sergio Pellis, Board of Governors Research Chair. Front row (L-R) Dr. Janay Nugent, Dr. Elizabeth Galway, Dr. Kristine Alexander, I-CYS co-director and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Child and Youth Studies.

The diverse and provocative ideas that emerged from the conference prompted Newberry and her colleagues to explore developing a full-fledged multidisciplinary research initiative at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ focused on childhood studies. After a year and a half of planning, which included securing the Canada Research Chair, the idea came to fruition. Today, seven U of L faculty members from the disciplines of history, anthropology, literary studies, psychology, neuroscience and education lead the institute.

“I-CYS values curiosity and the exploration of ideas, just like the play of a child,” says Newberry. “As we talk from a variety of perspectives – the archives, the classroom, the field, the book, the laboratory – about what it means to try to study and understand the young, we discover hidden paths, tangled woods and interesting play spaces.”

Further, Newberry explains, I-CYS aims to be an idea generator (just like any entrepreneurial enterprise) – only the payoff here is better questions, especially those that aren’t usually asked because researchers are trapped in disciplinary silos.

To build on the momentum of the original conference, the institute is hosting an exchange of ideas with a selected group of national and international scholars and practitioners on campus this spring. The workshop, Risk and Resilience: Conjoined Categories with Multiple Mothers, will explore the dimensions of the potential dangers to youths and their responses to it, with the aim to encourage a more creative approach to research dissemination that will help research reach a wider, more general public.

“We see the workshop as the beginning step to creating a truly interdisciplinary approach to understanding young people,” Alexander says.

Through the playful exploration of new strategies for conducting research, and daring to think differently about how work is conducted within one’s own field, Alexander and Newberry hope participants will develop a whole new mindset to think about risk and resilience, fully embracing the advantages of a multidisciplinary perspective, and so pave the way for a truly interdisciplinary approach to the study of child and youth.

U of L students are also helping to advance the institute’s objectives to better understand the lives of young people from a variety of perspectives. The institute holds “friendly feedback” sessions where students from different academic areas gain diverse input on their child- and youth-related research projects from the I-CYS directors. As well, the institute is recruiting a post-doctoral fellow for a one-year term starting this September. Over the longer term, I-CYS will introduce a minor option in child and youth studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and, eventually, undergraduate and graduate degrees in the subject.

A key part of the institute’s work involves pursuing a broad mix of partnerships to explore specific issues of childhood. To that end, it is exploring ways to engage with different groups within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, including Complex Social Change, an interdisciplinary research program exploring how social change takes place; and the Centre for Oral History and Tradition, which is focused on advancing the practice of oral history.

Outside of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the institute will work to connect with local organizations on child and youth research. Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, along with its executive director, Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc í98), was the first partner in research developed by I-CYS. Along with Opokaa’sin, the Galt Museum & Archives also made important founding connections with the institute, and there is a lot of excitement about the potential of joint projects with both organizations.

An advisory committee of researchers, community agencies, First Nations, Métis and Inuit groups, and undergraduate and graduate students is helping to guide the institute’s activities, which will also include another international conference in 2015.

“There is a sense that there is a need to pay attention to children and the young as an interesting crossroads in knowledge,” Newberry says. “The institute is creating exciting opportunities for us as researchers to think about how we can extend our work across disciplines and into the community.”

This story appears in the Spring 2014 edition of SAM. For a look at the full magazine in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A closer look at anti-vaccination sentiment

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:03:15 +0000

Some parents reject standard medical vaccines for their children, but little is known about their reasons. That is about to change thanks to a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student who is studying the trend locally.

In her research, Jillian King has learned that the proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets for years.

Jillian King (BASc ’12, having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies) is exploring the decisions of some families living in or near Lethbridge about whether or not to immunize their kids against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and other preventable infectious diseases. She is interested in the attitudes of pro- and anti-vaccination families, and in the biomedical alternatives being pursued by those in the latter group.

“This is something public health officials are concerned about, so I want to explore why parents are choosing to explore more natural ways of dealing with immune health as opposed to getting immunizations,” says King, who is now completing an Individualized Multi-Disciplinary Master of Arts degree with a concentration in anthropology and public health.

The research is one of the biggest academic projects of King’s education at the U of L. The Calgary native chose the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for its relatively small size and the opportunity to study away from home, and stayed because of the high-quality ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and supportive professors. It was an undergraduate anthropology course that first sparked her interest in medical anthropology, the study of human health, health care systems and biocultural adaptation. Now, her professor from that course, Dr. Steve Ferzacca, is overseeing her master’s research.

“He’s extremely supportive, and I’ve been getting a lot of useful guidance from him on how to develop and pursue this topic,” King says.

This cross-discipline interaction was facilitated by the university’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies, or I-CYS, a multidisciplinary research institution that promotes collaboration between those in the academic disciplines, such as: history, anthropology, literary studies, psychology, neuroscience, and education. King has been involved with I-CYS in several ways: she serves on its advisory committee; designed the institute’s website and newsletter; and has also organized “friendly feedback” sessions in which students can present their research projects to I-CYS faculty members to gain diverse insights.

“Being part of I-CYS has been really useful, because I’ve been able to learn from experienced professors from other disciplines, including those involved child immune studies,” King says. “I think we often get stuck in the thinking of our own disciplines, and being a part of I-CYS helps you think about your research from different perspectives.”

In her research, King has learned that the proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets for years. As well, the province still has cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, including whooping cough, invasive pneumococcal disease and invasive meningococcal disease. She plans to interview 20 parents of children under age 6 who either support or oppose immunization, and has so far spoken with 15. In some cases involving anti-vaccination parents, a health issue with a first child perceived as being caused by a vaccine prevented them from immunizing their additional children; others in this camp said they believe in the disease-fighting powers of natural interventions, such as chiropractic, vitamins and a healthy diet (she also wants to speak with families using naturopathy or acupuncture as alternatives). King is also studying conversations of pro- and anti-vaccination families in Facebook groups.

“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and possibly misrepresentation about this issue,” says King, who graduates in January. “So I think it’s useful to have an understanding of the parental perceptions and practices, and to add an ethnographic perspective to the literature.”

Graduate student asking why some parents opt not to immunize their children

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 20:07:12 +0000

The proportion of Albertans who are adequately immunized has consistently fallen below provincial targets, leading a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student to study why some parents choose to reject medical vaccines for their children.

King would like to see her research add something different to the literature on immunization choices that currently exists.

Jillian King (BSc ’12) is exploring the decisions of some families living in or near Lethbridge on whether or not to immunize their children against afflictions such as measles, mumps, rubella and other preventable infectious diseases. She is interested in the attitudes of both pro- and anti-vaccination families, as well as the biomedical alternatives being pursued by those who choose not to immunize.

“This is something that public health officials are concerned about, so I want to explore why parents are choosing to explore more natural ways of dealing with immune health as opposed to getting immunizations,” says King on the eve of the World Health Organization’s World Immunization Week (Apr. 24-30).

In her research, King, who works with supervisor Steve Ferzacca of the Deprtment of Anthropology, plans to interview a total of 20 parents of children under age 6 who either support or oppose immunization. Having already interviewed 15 parents, her preliminary findings have indicated that some parents who now oppose immunization have had a health issue with a first child that they perceive to have been caused by a vaccine, thus preventing them from immunizing subsequent children. Others have reported that they believe in the disease-fighting powers of natural interventions, such as chiropractic care, vitamins and a healthy diet.

“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and possibly misrepresentation about this issue,” says King. “So I think it’s useful to have an understanding of the parental perceptions and practices, and to add an ethnographic perspective to the literature.”

King is completing an Individualized Multi-Disciplinary Master of Arts degree, having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies. A Calgary native, her interest in medical anthropology was sparked by an undergraduate anthropology course. She now works closely with the U of L’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) to bring a multidisciplinary approach to her research.

“Being part of I-CYS has been really useful, because I’ve been able to learn from experienced professors from other disciplines, including those involved with child immune studies,” says King. “I think we often get stuck in the thinking of our own disciplines, and being a part of I-CYS helps you think about your research from different perspectives.”

King would like to see her research add something different to the literature that currently exists. She plans to get at why parents are deciding whether or not to immunize their children, instead of merely identify the groups who don’t. She also plans to publish her findings in academic journals and will also disseminate her research in upcoming local and global academic conferences.

For more on research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, follow this link.

Exemplary research + engaged students = extraordinary results

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:54:27 +0000

There were hints that this was coming.

It is no secret that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has undergone a cultural shift and been making major inroads as a comprehensive university on both the provincial and national stage. Research institutes have been developed and supported, leading researchers have been actively recruited and research activity now percolates at all levels (undergraduate and graduate alike) and across disciplines.

But when RE$EARCH Infosource tagged the U of L as Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year (2012), Undergraduate Category, it elevated the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ from an emerging comprehensive institution to one of Canada's most influential research universities.

Dr. H.J. Wieden and his iGEM team is an excellent example of the undergraduate research activity that takes place on the U of L campus.

Dr. Dan Weeks, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research), is the first to admit that the rise to number one did not happen overnight and is not attributable to one factor.

Statistics tell part of the tale. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ saw a huge rise in research income over the past year (38.7 per cent), and that growth was the third best of any university in the country. But the U of L story has never been about numbers, and instead is rooted in the community of people who make up the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"A research portfolio must be built strategically, over time, and with support throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," he says. "It is also dependent on the hard work of faculty members who consistently demonstrate that they are among the very best researchers in Canada. They not only excel in research, but actively engage students in research opportunities that foster the next generation of researchers and innovators."

Therein lies the uniqueness that is the U of L. Undergraduate students are exposed to research opportunities often only available to graduate and PhD level students at other institutions. It's what brought Jennifer Arthur (BA '07, MSc '12) to the U of L, and also what kept her in Lethbridge for her master's studies.

"I could have gone anywhere for university, but I chose the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge specifically for the undergraduate research opportunities available to students," says Arthur, who graduated with her Master of Science in Health Sciences earlier this year. "My experiences in Dr. Glen Prusky's (BASc '86) visual plasticity lab and Dr. Martin Lalumiere's psychophysiology lab gave me the discovery and application piece of my education and prepared me for my master's degree."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ does not see teaching and research as distinct entities, rather it fosters an atmosphere where its teachers bring their research into the classroom, helping develop the critical thinking and practical research skills today's students deem essential.

Weeks points to programs such as iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) and AMETHYST (Advanced Methods, Education and Training in Hyperspectral Science and Technology) as examples of student-focused research initiatives that create a new generation of researchers who go on to strengthen Alberta's knowledge-based economy.

"The outcomes from these programs are significant and will benefit students and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community for years to come," says Weeks. "What excites me is the potential employment success for graduates who participate in these programs and what they prepare our students for in their careers."

The U of L proudly boasts world-renowned researchers in traditionally scientific fields such as neuroscience, the study of water and physics, but a university does not achieve status as the top undergraduate research institution in the country without diversity in its portfolio. Indeed, it is the breadth of research across the full gamut of disciplines that speaks to a campus-wide philosophy where discovery is valued and supported at every turn.

Weeks points to the establishment of internal research and development funds as potential drivers of research activity going forward. He also highlights the allocation of specific funds for the development of interdisciplinary research teams. The anticipated result will be synergies across disciplines.

The Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund (IRDF), a one-time non-renewable research fund, was created to provide the foundation for developing the next generation of interdisciplinary concentrations of research excellence. In spring 2012, it funded three projects (up to $100,000 each over two years), then approved two more proposals in the fall.

"There is a real breadth to the research activities taking place across campus," says Weeks. "With the establishment of a number of internal funding mechanisms in recent years, it has served as the impetus for new research initiatives that are now being recognized by external agencies. Couple that with the many faculty who already have well established research portfolios and it creates an even more vibrant research environment."

The U of L now boasts nine research centres and institutes that address issues across the sciences, social sciences and humanities. From neuroscience research at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, to water management studies in the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments and the study of childhood in the newly established Institute for Child and Youth Studies, U of L research is multidisciplinary and relevant to today's world issues.

"The problems being addressed by U of L researchers are helping to create a better quality of life for local and global communities," says President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. "While many factors have contributed to building this capacity, the exceptional work by current and former faculty has played a significant role in attracting additional world-leading researchers to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, thereby expanding our research portfolio."

Where the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ goes from here is the most exciting aspect, because as a teaching institution intent on training the next generation of researchers, the U of L is its own renewable knowledge resource. From a student perspective, this is great news.

"When I first started at the U of L nearly 10 years ago, there wasn't the breadth of formal opportunity for undergraduates to participate in research that there is today," says Arthur. "However, what was the same then as it is today, was the commitment of faculty and staff to engage students in a meaningful way and to encourage students in their research endeavours. "When I look at what is now available to students and how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continues to enhance those research opportunities, as an alumna I am extremely proud of my ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. This recognition is richly deserved."

This story first appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of SAM. For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Research advocacy finds champion in Hill

trevor.kenney — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:57:34 +0000

As much as David Hill describes his return to Lethbridge as a homecoming, he is quick to recognize that what he thought he knew about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge only scratched the surface.

"I always thought I was pretty familiar with what was happening at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and I have been pleasantly surprised by both the depth and breadth of the intellect, experience and opportunity that exists," says Hill, the new director of centres and institutes and research advocacy.

Since assuming his post Sept. 1, Hill has seen the introduction of the ninth research centre/institute on campus (Institute for Child and Youth Studies), the declaration by RE$EARCH Infosource that the U of L is Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year (2012 Undergraduate category) and the highest ever ranking from Maclean's magazine.

David Hill's long relationship with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and southern Alberta as a whole helps ease the learning curve for the new director of centres and institutes and research advocacy.

"This really is a career opportunity," says Hill. "From my personal perspective, this allows me to make a difference, to use all the skills I've developed over my career and to do it in a way that will add value to the research and the teaching that's happening here."

Born in Eastern Canada, Hill spent much of his youth in Europe before eventually settling in the Lethbridge area. He married his wife Betty, a Picture Butte native, in 1974, and they spent the early days of their marriage in towns such as Taber, Vauxhall and Brooks, all the while raising five children.

Professionally, Hill became well known both provincially and nationally as a key advocate for water research, water use policies and irrigation management. In the six years prior to coming to the U of L, Hill was the executive director of Water Resources for Alberta Innovates-Energy and Environment Solutions, based in Edmonton.

The key contacts he has established over the years will serve him well in his new capacity at the U of L.

"I think what I bring to this is the ability to take some of the research findings and outcomes happening in the various centres and institutes and get them into communities of interest that would not normally have contact with the researchers," says Hill.

And it's not just about water, although Hill is cognizant of the long history he was with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's water researchers.

"There is so much that is happening within all the centres and I've found, particularly when I'm visiting labs and talking with students, that the level of commitment and excitement is so high, I'm going to have a difficult time deciding where to invest my time," he says.

Hill is a big proponent of the centres and institutes approach the U of L has taken in establishing areas of expertise. By investing strategically in people and infrastructure, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has been able to focus on its core strengths while invigorating interdisciplinary research.

"They have, in many respects, been a means of bringing researchers with common interests together to share their talents and expertise in ways that weren't formerly done," he says.

"We all need to challenge ourselves somewhat about what we know and where we know it from. We're living in a world now that is talking an awful lot about collaboration, but it really does spawn ideas through that dialogue and interaction that individuals on their own would likely not come to. That's one of the key advantages of these centres and institutes, to discover new ideas together."

This discovery benefits all, not the least of which are U of L students.

"At the end of the day, universities still educate and that student experience, in an area where there is such a rich exchange of ideas, I think is really valuable."

GET THE FACTS

· Hill loves going to bat for a 'smaller' university like the U of L, saying, "We have a very unique ability to involve undergraduates and graduates in key research interests that are pressing needs for society. That's the part around research advocacy that I'm going to find really enjoyable and interesting."

· Hill's son, Justin (BSc '08), is the GIS co-ordinator for Palliser Regional Municipal Services Ltd.

· His daughter, Jennifer, works with Alberta Innovates Technology Futures in the Alberta Genetically Engineered Machines program, and she is now running the Imagine Cup competition, while another daughter, Jocelyn, works in the U of L Daycare

· Hill loves to cook to relieve stress, citing all kinds of chili as a favourite dish to prepare

This story first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at 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.

UNews - Institute for Child and Youth Studies

Building rapport key to success of the Raising Spirit project

Related Topics

Grant supports Spring research project with local First Nations young adults

Related Topics

Newberry’s teaching excellence acknowledged by American Anthropological Association

Related Topics

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

Related Topics

Hidden Paths, Tangled Woods and Interesting Play Spaces

Related Topics

A closer look at anti-vaccination sentiment

Related Content

Graduate student asking why some parents opt not to immunize their children

Related Topics

Graduate student asking why some parents opt not to immunize their children

Related Content

Related Topics

Exemplary research + engaged students = extraordinary results

Related Topics

Research advocacy finds champion in Hill

Related Topics

Childhood studies the basis for new research institute

Related Topics