UNews - Greg Pyle

Neuroscience research capacity boosted by addition of Mohajerani

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:16:47 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has added to its internationally recognized research capacity in neuroscience by appointing Dr. Majid H. Mohajerani as the new CAIP Chair in Brain Health and Dementia.

Dr. Majid Mohajerani comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after serving as a research associate at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.

Mohajerani is the third of four new research Chairs being added to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan. Last year, aquatic health expert Dr. Greg Pyle and remote sensing researcher Dr. Chris Hopkinson were attracted to the U of L through the program.

The government is contributing $1 million for four Chairs, over the course of seven years, for a total investment of $7 million.

Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks says this latest CAIP Chair is a tremendous addition for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ that will compliment the world class research currently undertaken at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN).

“The work that Dr. Mohajerani has undertaken in brain mapping, and in stroke research, is groundbreaking and has been recognized nationally,” says Weeks. “This expertise, combined with the world-class talent that already resides at the U of L, will ensure that important discoveries continue to be made on our campus that will improve the quality of local, national and international communities.”

In 2010, Mohajerani received the New Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Additionally, he received the Henry J.M. Barnett Award –presented annually to the highest rated investigator working in the area of stroke research.

Mohajerani comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after serving as a research associate at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, where he received his PhD, and at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia.

“I had offers from several institutions within Canada, the United States and Europe and chose to work in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge because the CCBN is a world class research facility including some of the top researchers in the system and behavioural neuroscience,” says Mohajerani.

Mohajerani’s lab employs in vivo microscopic imaging technologies such as two-photon microscopy and functional imaging to study neural activity on the subcellular, cellular, and circuit level in real-time. A central goal of Mohajerani's research program is to use these experimental approaches to study the neurophysiological mechanisms that allow the cerebral cortex to develop normally and change throughout life in response to new experiences (eg. learning) or diseases such as stroke.

The CAIP Chairs plan is part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta collaborative initiative and will provide research Chairs to Alberta's four Comprehensive Academic and Research Intensive (CARI) institutions: the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

“The Campus Alberta Innovation Program brings some of the world’s best research talent to Alberta to discover and create new knowledge in priority areas including human health,” says Dave Hancock, Premier of Alberta and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education. “I welcome Dr. Mohajerani to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and to Alberta. His leadership and expertise will bring the original and innovative thinking that CAIP research chair recipients are renowned for. CAIP and Campus Alberta’s research facilities are making important discoveries right here in Alberta and those discoveries will have benefits that reach far beyond our borders.”

��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

Hopkinson the U of L's second CAIP Chair

trevor.kenney — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:29:09 +0000

Already recognized as a national leader in remote sensing technology and its applications, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has added to its research capacity with the addition of a new Chair in Terrestrial Ecosystem Remote Sensing, Dr. Chris Hopkinson.

Dr. Chris Hopkinson is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Chair in Terrestrial Ecosystem Remote Sensing.

Hopkinson is the second of four new research Chairs being added to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ this year as part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan. The government is contributing $1-million per year over the course of seven years, for a total investment of $7 million.

"The opportunity to bring an international talent such as Dr. Hopkinson to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is outstanding," says Dr. Dan Weeks, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research). "A dedicated researcher and teacher with advanced capabilities in geomatics, water and forest resources, his expertise is an excellent complement to the work already being done on campus by the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre (ATIC)."

Hopkinson comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after spending the last year as an environmental research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Canberra, Aus. His research program with the Australian Government is aimed at integrating ground-based, airborne and satellite LiDAR (remote sensing) data to estimate changes in forest biomass carbon stocks. He looks to expand ATIC's capacity in lidar research to address needs within Alberta's sustainable resources and environment department, while supporting the development of national industry standards.

"I first came to Canada as a graduate student with the specific intent to apply field and remote sensing methods to the study of glacial water resources in the Canadian Rockies. During this time, Alberta became my second home and I looked forward to my many field trips to the mountains and icefields," says Hopkinson. "After living and working in several locations since then, it almost feels like coming home to be back in Alberta; now able to set down roots in Lethbridge. It is, indeed, an honour to have the opportunity to work closely with prestigious colleagues and friends at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. As part of this team, I hope to assist in maintaining and growing the high profile of remote sensing research for which the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre is known."

Prior to his work in Australia, Hopkinson was a research scientist with the Applied Geomatics Research Group, while also supervising graduate students and serving as an adjunct professor at Acadia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. From 2002 to present, Hopkinson has been involved with 40 successful projects that have received more than $8 million in government or industrial funding. He earned his bachelor's degree in geography from Manchester ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Manchester, UK, and both his master's and PhD from Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Waterloo, Ont.

The CAIP Chairs plan is part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta collaborative initiative and provides an initial 16 research Chairs to Alberta's four Comprehensive Academic and Research Intensive (CARI) institutions: the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

The U of L introduced Dr. Greg Pyle as its Chair in Aquatic Health earlier this year, and will also welcome CAIP Chairs in the areas of brain health and dementia, and synthetic biology later this year. Hopkinson's appointment at the U of L is funded for seven years.

"The program is designed to recruit new research leaders to Alberta in specific areas of study," says Weeks. "Not only do these areas align with the Government of Alberta's strategic priorities, but they also reflect the core strengths of our institution."

Passion for fishing fuels research ambition

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:33:34 +0000

Make no mistake, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's new Chair in Aquatic Health, Dr. Greg Pyle, loves to dangle a line in the water. In fact, it's that love for fishing and environment that motivated Pyle to pursue a career in aquatic studies. It is also a focus of his research program, to take what he learns in the lab and apply it to the glorious outdoors.

Dr. Greg Pyle is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's new Chair in Aquatic Health, the first of four Chairs joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 2013 as part of the CAIP program.

"I think it's critical actually, in helping you understand it from a different perspective than just the pure academic research perspective," says Pyle, who came to the U of L as part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan.

"It's good to know how these systems work out there. It's a real central theme in my research program, understanding how the effects that we demonstrate under controlled lab conditions translate out into the real world, that's a really important consideration in what we do in our research."

Pyle, originally from Sarnia, Ont., was a mortgage salesman in Mississauga, Ont. who grew tired of the "Hwy 400 parking lot every Friday" as he tried to escape the city and head to northern Ontario to fish.

"The start of my career was simply a matter of how do I find a way to make a living in a boat catching fish," says Pyle.

So, he moved north, enrolled at Laurentian ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Sudbury, Ont., and began to study fish biology. His field study took him to the Elliot Lake Research Field Station and he began working on fish toxicity in uranium mining affected waters. A career was born.

Pyle comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after spending the previous five years as head of the Aquatic Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory at Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Thunder Bay, Ont. Prior to taking up a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology at Lakehead, Pyle helped establish and build the Department of Biology at Nipissing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He earned both his bachelor and master's degrees from Laurentian and received his PhD from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

The move to Lethbridge as part of the CAIP program is a natural one for Pyle, who recognizes the strong reputation the U of L has cultivated in respect to aquatic research and sees a natural fit with the work he is doing.

Working with the FORWARD III Research Project, Pyle has been employing water quality models to areas where there have been large landscape disturbances.

"The models have been developed in a forestry context and we want to see whether or not they work with other large-scale impacts at a landscape level," says Pyle. "That means mining and bitumen extraction."

Naturally, that brought him to Alberta and fieldwork north of Fort McMurray. This summer, Pyle will work with his master's student, Steven Beery, on a three-way reciprocal cross transplant experiment in which they will collect invertebrate animals from one clean water source and two potentially contaminated sites. One site will contain natural bitumen and another will have potentially been contaminated by the industrial operations in Fort McMurray.

"We'll be trying to find out whether contaminated animals rid themselves of environmental contaminants when they are put into a clean environment or are the effects more or less permanent? Similarly, if we move clean animals into contaminated sites, we want to know to what extent they take up the contaminant," he says.

A second summer project, in addition to the lab work he and his team will be leading, is a study in the Sudbury, Ont., area where they will look at yellow perch and how they respond to metal contamination, specifically how metals interfere with their sense of smell.

As he did at Laurentian, Pyle will actively engage students, both undergraduate and graduate, in his research activities.

"I have always included undergraduate students in my research program," says Pyle. "I've found that bringing them in at an early stage, sometimes as early as second year, if you give a student good guidance and the resources to do something well, you can get great results. When you find the right student who is motivated to get the work done, I find they do an amazing job. This is how you turn them on to science and what feeds into our graduate programs."

They also might help Pyle get a little more time on the water – as a fisherman as opposed to a researcher. And what exactly does Pyle like to fish for?

"Whatever happens to bite my line," he laughs.

GET THE FACTS

· Pyle's wife Laurie is a project manager remotely building a 3G cellular network back in Ontario

· Pyle has two sons who both live in Thunder Bay, Ont. Tyler is a chef and David is a recreational therapist

· Pyle was able to bring a post-doctoral fellow, Bill Dew, as well as a master's candidate, Steven Beery, with him as part of the CAIP Chairs program

· Pyle's CAIP funding is over the course of seven years and he is the first of four CAIP Chairs who will be coming to the U of L

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

New Chair in Aquatic Health Appointed

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:05:57 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has added to its internationally recognized expertise in water research with the addition of a new Chair in Aquatic Health, Dr. Greg Pyle.

Pyle is the first of four new research Chairs being added to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ this year as part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan. The government is contributing $1-million for four Chairs, over the course of seven years, for a total investment of $7 million.

"It's exciting to be able to bring in an outstanding research talent such as Dr. Pyle," says Dr. Dan Weeks, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research). "His established expertise in the effects of environmental contaminants on the chemical communication systems in aquatic animals will greatly add to the already comprehensive research portfolio that has been established by our researchers in the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE)."

Pyle comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after spending the previous five years as head of the Aquatic Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory at Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Thunder Bay, Ont. His research program is considered unique because he is able to study several aquatic species, including both vertebrate and invertebrate animals, representing different positions within a typical freshwater food web and thereby better understanding the subtle effects of environmental contamination.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has been building a strong reputation in research over the past several years, especially in the aquatic sciences," says Pyle. "I am thrilled to be part of that growing research culture, and excited by the prospects afforded by the university and surrounding region."

Prior to taking up a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology at Lakehead, Pyle helped establish and build the Department of Biology at Nipissing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He earned both his bachelor and master's degrees from Laurentian ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and received his PhD from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

The U of L will also welcome CAIP Chairs in the areas of brain health and dementia, synthetic biology, and terrestrial ecosystems and remote sensing later this year. Pyle's appointment at the U of L is funded for seven years.

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