UNews - Peter Dibble

Bursary to be established in Bob McKay’s honour

caroline.zentner — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 21:29:49 +0000

During his nearly 40-year career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Bob McKay was often moved by the tenacity shown by many of his students who had to work at extra jobs to fund their education. After McKay passed away earlier this year, his family decided to honour his memory by establishing a bursary to support students majoring in chemistry or biochemistry who are facing financial adversity.

McKay, who worked as a chemistry instructor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, taught thousands of students over the years.

“One of our frequent conversations was how lucky we both were to have parents who paid for our university education and how difficult it is for university students who have to pay for their university education with little or no support,” says Sandra McKay, Bob’s widow. “Bob was deeply concerned about how hard it is for kids today who have to work more than one job and who have to rely on student loans and bursaries to get through their university education, leaving them with debts that need to be paid once they graduate.”

Sandra had planned on starting a special bursary in his name at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a surprise gift for his birthday in April.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t live to enjoy this gift, but I wanted to have him remembered for his love of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and his care for his students,” she says. “I felt a bursary in his name was the way to achieve this.”

Colleagues in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry describe Bob as someone who consistently displayed a student-centred focus.

“Bob was an all-round nice guy,” says Peter Dibble, Chair of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. “In the decades I knew him I don’t think I ever saw him angry about anything. He was funny and affable and could always brighten a room. He looked after the first-year and analytical labs and saw a generation of students go through. Students liked him for the same reasons I did.”

“Bob would be pretty proud of having a bursary set up in his honour to support future generations of students,” says Wayne Lippa, chemistry & biochemistry instructor. “He was a founding member of the department and enjoyed teaching for 37 years. This bursary will continue Bob’s legacy of helping students.”

Bob joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ when it was in its infancy and located at Lethbridge College, then called Lethbridge Junior College. Setting up the department labs came with its own brand of chaos.

“I am very fortunate to have had Bob as my mentor when I started in January of 1987,” says John Eng, instructor in the department. “Bob shared one of the many stories of the early years of coming into work and flipping through lab manuals with colleagues to pick an experiment to run that afternoon. The lab of the day would precipitate a mad scramble to find necessary equipment and reagents before teaching the lab.”

The result of all that scrambling was the creation of a lab manual that Bob revised year after year throughout his career. He was also a constant champion for students, both in the department and across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Eng imagines Bob would feel overwhelmed that a bursary has been established in his honour, but also elated that it will help students who demonstrate financial need.

“Over the many years we have been fishing mates, golf buddies, squash and tennis rivals, billiard sharks, Horns fans, scotch consumers, Freemasons and good friends, and I will dearly miss him,” says Eng.

Bob was also devoted to his community. Following his retirement from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, he served on the ULethbridge Senate from 2013 to 2019 and was a member and past president of the Lethbridge Shrine Club. In 2016, the club established five bursaries for ULethbridge students in financial need. In addition, he served two terms as president of the Lethbridge YMCA.

A sports enthusiast, Bob played baseball and softball, racquetball, curled, cycled, ran, and was an accomplished squash player who competed nationally.

Organizers hope to raise $25,000, which would fund a minimum student award of $1,000 annually. Once fundraising is complete, the Bob McKay Endowed Memorial Bursary will be established. Those who want to contribute to the bursary can do so online at Bob McKay Endowed Memorial Bursary.

Financial investment spurs genome sciences research in Alberta

caroline.zentner — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 15:39:47 +0000

Genome sciences and bioinformatics research in the province is getting a huge boost thanks to a $3-million investment and the establishment of BioNet Alberta, a research network featuring the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, Genome Alberta, Genome Canada, Genome Alberta and other partners.

The founders of the Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre include, from left to right, Drs. Gerlinde Metz (neuroscience), Majid Mohajerani (neuroscience), Olga Kovalchuk (biology), Igor Kovalchuk (biology), Peter Dibble (chemistry & biochemistry), Athan Zovoilis (chemistry & biochemistry) and Angeliki Pantazi (chemistry & biochemistry).

The network is supported by Genome Canada’s Regional Priorities Partnership Program (RP3) and features a BioNet hub at each university, with the newly established Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre (SAGSC) at the U of L serving as the lead hub.

“Our ambition is to bring Alberta to the forefront of this new technology and its applications,” says Dr. Athan Zovoilis, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics in the U of L’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and academic lead of BioNet Alberta.

The rapid advance of technology has propelled research in genomics with the goal of better understanding and interpreting an organism’s DNA code. Developments in the field of genomics have wide implications for agriculture and human health, and have paved the way for precision medicine and smart agriculture.

“Genome Alberta is pleased to have led in the creation of BioNet Alberta,” says David Bailey, CEO of Genome Alberta. “This new network will build Alberta’s capacity in bioinformatics and computational biology to manage and utilize the massive amount of data being generated by life science researchers in Canada and around the world.”

BioNet Alberta will be officially announced on Friday, Sept. 20 as part of the first Western Canada Bioinformatics and Omics Conference and the formal launch of the Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre. The conference goes from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 20 to 22, at the U of L.

“The concept of having a genome science centre here in southern Alberta has been discussed for the last year and a half,” says Zovoilis, director of the SAGSC. “At the U of L, we have top-class researchers and infrastructure which is, in some aspects, unique for Alberta.”

The centre brings together four genome sciences research platforms:

genomics, the science of understanding and interpreting an organism’s DNA code
transcriptomics, which looks at genes that are actively expressed by examining DNA’s cousin, RNA
metabolomics, which is the study of metabolites such as amino acids, lipids and sugars
bioinformatics, which combines biology and computer science to analyze and interpret biological data.

“We are going to encompass the vast majority of sciences that do “omics,” another term encompassing genome sciences, here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in southern Alberta,” says Zovoilis. “The departments that contribute to this centre include chemistry & biochemistry, biological sciences, neuroscience and computer science. We also have members from the humanities who help us regarding any ethics issues and from the Dhillon School of Business about the impacts of genomic sciences on the Alberta economy.”

Research in all omics fields has also changed significantly in the past few years due to advances in technology that allow vast amounts of data to be analyzed in a short amount of time.

“If we regard all the information that describes how we’re made as information in the book of life, then we would need more than 1,200 books of 1,000 pages each to include the information of just one cell,” says Zovoilis. “Ten years ago, to read only one page of one book, it would take one day using massive devices. Today we have smart-phone sized devices called sequencers which can do all 1,200 books of 1,000 pages each in just one day. We also have a larger sequencer that can do this simultaneously for 48 samples.

“This has transformed the way we can now read information about disease, about how people respond better to medication based on their personalized genomic profile or how we can deliver better agricultural products based on the genomic profile of livestock. This is already revolutionizing the ways medicine and agriculture are delivered and makes it possible to have precision medicine and smart agriculture, where diagnostic protocols used are personalized to each patient and animal.”

Everyone is welcome to attend the public talks that are part of the BioNet conference to learn more about genomics research and how it’s having an impact on their lives. The keynote speaker is Dr. Steven Jones, a bioinformatics professor at Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia and head of bioinformatics and co-director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. Following the keynote, the public is also welcome to attend a panel discussion about the importance of omics on the health of Albertans and the economy. To register or for more information visit BioNet AB 2019.

Funders of the project include Genome Canada, the provincial government, Genome Alberta, Alberta Innovates, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Public Labs, Alberta Prion Research Institute and Bioinformatics Canada.

Putting science on display

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 23:02:42 +0000

February 7 is National Periodic Table Day. To celebrate, the U of L is asking for your help to put science on display with an interactive, physical periodic table for the new Science and Academic Building. 

The Periodic Table Display project aims to bring the elements to life, sparking interest and conversation for generations of visitors to the new building. 

Members of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry are keen to support the Periodic Display Table project.

A group of former staff and faculty members and current faculty members initiated the project and have already shown their support. 

Dr. Peter Dibble, Chair, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, says the addition of a periodic table of the calibre that is being donated will really put science on display for southern Alberta. 

“I know of other institutions that have these tables and they are magnets to members of the public because they are so interesting and beautiful to look at,” says Dibble. “I think this display will become a regular stop for elementary and high school classes and I intend to develop programs, such as element days, that will feed into such visits and offer members of the public and students to learn about specific elements, how they are used and why they are so important.”

For Dibble, he believes that there is something special in the moment when you first lay your eyes on exactly what an element looks and feels like. Dibble says the feeling ignited by seeing this piece of science is perhaps best summarized by British neurologist, naturalist and author Oliver Sacks.

“In this first, sensuous glance, I saw the table as a gorgeous banquet, a huge table set with eighty-odd different dishes.” (Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sachs, Alfred A Knopf, Toronto, 2001)

To support the Periodic Table Display project, visit: http://bit.ly/uolperiodictable

To learn more about it, please contact Barry Knapp (barry.knapp@uleth.ca) or 403-329-2389.

Eye-popping donation epitomizes science on display

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 17:47:43 +0000

In celebration of National Periodic Table day, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to announce a donation of a special kind for the Destination Project. A group of former staff and faculty members and current faculty members has generously donated a periodic table to be displayed in the new science and academic building.

Dr. Peter Dibble, Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, says the addition of a periodic table of the calibre that is being donated will really put science on display for southern Alberta.

The new periodic table will be an interactive focal point of the science and academic building.

For retired faculty member, Dr. Douglas Dolman, seeing the progress of the new science and academic building has been quite thrilling. Dolman and his wife Theresa met at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and both worked for a number of years in the sciences. Dolman says they’re looking forward to seeing how their donation and the new building will inspire the future scientists in the area.

"The new science and academic building will be such a wonderful investment for the future of science in southern Alberta. I hope that by seeing the many extraordinary elements on display in the periodic table, it sparks something special in the young minds of those who visit the building,” says Douglas Dolman.

The periodic table is quite a unique piece of science within itself. Some elements can be made to be interactive and while it’s sized at three meters (10 feet) across and 1.8 meters (6 feet) in height, they make an impressive feature in any science building.

The periodic table contains museum-grade samples of the elements themselves that are individually illuminated in cubes. The elements in the periodic table are shown with examples of how it is used in everyday life as well as some cubes having the ability to be interactive too.

“In this first, sensuous glance, I saw the table as a gorgeous banquet, a huge table set with eighty-odd different dishes.” (Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sachs, Alfred A Knopf, Toronto, 2001)

*

The donations to date will go towards the purchase of the periodic table. If you’re interested in supporting this project, please contact ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Advancement at 403-329-2582.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ played key role in alumni couple's story

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:08:27 +0000

Some would call it luck, others fortune, but when her father, Dr. Keith Roscoe, accepted a position with the Faculty of Education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 1996, an entirely new world of possibilities opened up for Catherine Roscoe Barr (BSc '02) and her future husband, Aaron Barr (BFA '02).

Aaron, now a technical artist for Pixar Canada, and Catherine, a freelance writer, first met in Grade 7 in Grande Prairie but their friendship was cut short when Aaron's family moved to Lethbridge. With her father's new position at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Catherine was able to rekindle a friendship with Aaron in her final year of high school. After graduation, she enrolled at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the pre-vet program then quickly switched to pre-med studies.

"I realized I really didn't like physics so I switched to neuroscience. It was awesome," explains Catherine. "I had three favourite professors: Drs. Gail Michener, Peter Dibble and Glen Prusky. They communicated the material, which was often very complicated, in such a way that was fascinating and easy to understand."

Aaron and Catherine Roscoe Barr have parlayed their U of L educations into exciting, satisfying careers.

While Catherine concentrated on the sciences, Aaron enrolled in fine arts. He loved to draw and had a great interest in computer graphics and animation, but he was unsure about the reality of an artist making a living in the world of computer graphics, so he entered the U of L with plans to pursue a career in architecture. When the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ created the multimedia program in Aaron's second year, however, he quickly applied.

"There were college programs offering similar type programs but I really wanted the more universal experience I got at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Aaron, who was among the first to graduate from the program.

During one of his classes, Aaron had the opportunity to interview John Kahrs, a senior animator for Pixar, regarding Kahrs' work on the animated film Monsters Inc.

"I loved what he was doing and how passionate he was. I decided then that I wanted to abandon architecture and pursue my interest in film. I thought it was just a shot in the dark but he said go for it, you'll get there," remembers Aaron, who recently ran into John at Pixar. "I told him how I had met him at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and how he had inspired me. At Pixar, I build characters, sets, props, paint texture onto them, and add surface qualities and hair, anything involving the look of the character or object."

Catherine too had a life-changing moment while she was a student at the U of L. As a teenager she was always quite active but with her studies taking up so much time, her activity level dropped and she found herself eating a lot of unhealthy cafeteria food. One of her roommates in residence encouraged her to get a personal trainer.

"It changed the course of my life," she says. "I had wanted to become a doctor but I found that fitness was a proactive way to help people. I started taking fitness classes and got my fitness instructor certificate. The year after I graduated I got my personal trainer certification."

In July 2000, the couple was engaged, and in August 2002, just a few months after graduating, they married. A move to Toronto followed, where Catherine started her own business working as a personal trainer and teaching fitness classes at Sheridan College. Aaron earned a diploma in digital character animation at the college, and then began working for C.O.R.E. Feature Animation. Several career moves later, Aaron was given the opportunity to work on the movie, Legends of the Guardians, in Australia in 2009. It was a move that would affect Catherine's career as well.

"About three days after we moved to Australia, I was walking in downtown Sydney. I walked by this beautiful building, with all these beautiful people. I didn't know what it was but I knew I had to be a part of it. I went home and Googled the address. It was ACP Magazines, an enormous magazine publisher," says Catherine, who subsequently spent the next five months there as an intern.

She has since developed a successful career writing about her passions: fitness, health, food and travel. In May 2011, Aaron landed his dream job with Pixar Canada.

"Working for Pixar has been a long-time goal; they always put quality first and are determined to create original, compelling stories," says Aaron. "I said to Aaron the other day that if I won the lotto I would keep doing exactly what I am doing," says Catherine. "I feel so blessed."

GET THE FACTS

· Catherine writes for publications such as the Vancouver Sun, The Province, BC Home and Garden, Homes and Living, Western Living, Real Weddings, TV Week and BCLiving.ca

· Catherine's writings and adventures can be found at: thelifedeliciousblog.com

· Catherine recently returned from Jamaica where she ran the Reggae Marathon 10K

· Aaron's career path has seen him work for C.O.R.E. Feature Animation, Rainmaker Animation, Animal Logic, Image Engine Design Inc. and Pixar

· Aaron's major projects include: Partysaurus Rex, Legend of the Guardians, The Thing, The Wild, The Ant Bully and Escape from Planet Earth

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.

Honouring long service

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:24:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ held its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony recently, honouring 116 employees who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service. A total of 23 retiring employees were also honoured.

Following is a list of honoured employees.

RETIREES

Art Aitken, Dayna Daniels, Richard Epp, Rex Forsyth, Eldon Gardner, Wolfgang Holzmann, Bill Hudgins, Joan Kendall, Leslie Lavers, Lucie Linhart, Gerald McConaghy, Linda McLeod, Ken Nicol, Seamus O'Shea, Doug Parker, Ramrattie Ramtej, Donna Seyed Mahmoud, Ches Skinner, Philippe Teillet, Linda Van Esch, Wendy Vogel, Nick Wade and Ian Wells

LONG SERVICE RECIPIENTS

40 Years | Maria Draper

35 Years | Chris Charles, Bryan Kolb, Peter McCormick and Gerda VanderFluit

30 Years | Jane Allan, Cheryl Calver, Dayna Daniels, Gayle Durand, Rex Forsyth, Laurel Hamilton, Jay Johnston, Linda Kucheran, Greg Martin, David Naylor, Shari Platt and Leanne Wehlage-Ellis

25 Years | Shamsul Alam, Lana Barton, Bryson Brown, Cathy Campbell, Patricia Chuchryk, Leslie Gatner, Allan Gergel, Nancy Grigg, Tyler Hayward, Mary Anne Hellinga, Wolfgang Holzmann, Bill Hudgins, Margaret Joblonkay, Kas Mazurek, Alice Miller, Richard Mrazek, Thomas Robinson, Doug Ross, Jadranka Smiljanec, Brian Sullivan, Richard Tedesco, David Townsend, Sandy Wiest and Joan Zimmer

20 Years | Patti-Jo Aiken, Linda Anderson, Roberto Aragon-Garcia, Jochen Bocksnick, Carl Budny, James Byrne, Peter Dibble, Deborah Grant, Bill Halma, Andrew Hurly, Janet Macdonald, Karen McCallum, Louise Miller, Al Mueller, Claudia Notzke, Sergio Pellis, Dwayne Pepin, Vern Peterson, Maria Quinteros, Kathy Schrage, Colleen Sullivan, Brian Titley, Donna Townley and Mark Walton

15 Years | Doug Berry, James Dobbie, Jackie Edwards, Lance Grigg,
Michelle Hogue, Marie Matkin, Ian McAdam, Gerald McConaghy, Chris Moroz, Jeff Oliver, Derek Peddle, Michael Perry, John Poulsen, William Ramp, Keith Roscoe, Elizabeth Schultz, Ivan Townshend and Kenneth Vos

10 Years | Louise Arsenault, Stella Baah, Brenda Bell, Donald Birchfield, Ryan Buckman, Jill Cassidy, Lorena deLange, Christopher Epplett, Margaret Forgie, Don Gill, Bill Glaister, Val Hill, Patricia Horrocks, Nancy Hosgood, Frank Huss, Deborah Jarvie, Helen Kelley, Carol Knibbs, Keith Knowles, Josh Korthuis, Christopher Kukucha, Greg Lacey, Corie Lazenby, Wayne Lippa, Karen Mahar, Jeremiah Merkl, Josephine Mills, Joy Morris, Chris Nicol, Chris Picken, Jeremy Pierson, Mike Pinder, Catharine Reader, Michael Robinson, Victor Rodych, Tammy Rogness, Mark Sabo, Robin Schafthuizen, Shelley Scott, Behnam Seyed Mahmoud, Gerry Ste. Marie, Robert Sutherland, William Tietz, Raquel Trillia, John von Heyking, Kevin Ward, Katherine Wasiak, Robert Williams, Barbara Williams, Jim Wishloff, Robert Wood and Jing Zhu

To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Taking a little off the top

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:18:21 +0000

The annual Headshave for Cancer event takes place Wednesday, Mar. 30 in the UHall Atrium. Kelly Roberts, sound technician for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre, is shaving his head in support of the Canadian Cancer Society in conjunction with HeadShave Canada and the
U of L's Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Omicron-Xi Chapter.

Here, Roberts is getting a little help from David Green, a cancer survivor and the Faculty of Fine Arts shop head carpenter. While Roberts might have the most to lose, he's just one of a number of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ staff, students and faculty lopping it all off for the cause.

Pick up a pledge form from any of the participants to donate. Kevin McFadzen and Jeff Hilliard (Sport and Recreation Services) will join Roberts on Mar. 30, while Wayne Lippa (chemistry and biochemistry), Ardis Anderson (philosophy), Greg Patenaude (chemistry and biochemistry) and Peter Dibble (chemistry and biochemistry) all supported the Flying Doctors of Canada by having their locks lopped off on Mar. 11.

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Chinook Symposium winners announced

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:35 +0000

Craig Wheaton won the first-ever Loren Hepler Gold Medal for PhD research excellence as the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held the 3rd Annual Chinook Symposium for Chemistry and Biochemistry in early October.

The symposium and associated poster prize is held to recognize undergraduate and graduate students performing original research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The Chinook Poster Prizes have been established at the undergraduate and master's levels, but new this year was the addition of the Loren Hepler Gold Medal for PhD research excellence. Two people gave presentations about their PhD research, with Wheaton winning the gold medal and Jeffrey Fischer placing second.

Judges for the annual contest included: Dr. Peter Dibble, Gary Knox and Jared Nieboer (Richardson Nutrition) for the Chemistry prize; Dr. Steven Mosimann, Dr. James Thomas and Sandor Dudas (ADRI) for the Biochemistry prize; Dr. Rene Boere and Dr. Brent Selinger for the PhD prize.

Following are the winners from the 3rd Annual Chinook Symposium for Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Chemistry – Undergraduate
First - Cassandra Churchill
Second - Shayne Rybchinski

Chemistry – Master's
First - Jennifer Przyblski
Second - Kevin Johnson

Biochemistry – Undergraduate
First - Mackenzie Coatham
Second - Michael Shields

Biochemistry – Master's
First - Evelina De Laurentiis
Second - Jessica Durand

PhD Presentations
First - Craig Wheaton
Second - Jeffrey Fischer

UNews - Peter Dibble

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