UNews - Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Canadian, Mexican universities converge for Aboriginal round table

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:18:40 +0000

Nine Canadian universities and eight indigenous universities in Mexico will together focus on improving Aboriginal educational experiences and research collaborations during a one-day round table meeting at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on June 22, 2013.

Building on the momentum of a similar meeting held in Mexico City in March 2012, university presidents, Aboriginal advisors and elders will move forward initiatives pertaining to student mobility, research collaboration and community engagement as it relates to Aboriginal higher education.

"Continued dialogue between Canadian and Mexican universities about best practices and increased collaboration will serve the needs of students in both of our countries," says Dr. Brian Stevenson, president of Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "Removing barriers for Aboriginal students is a shared goal of all participants and this round table will help institutions in both countries make important progress in this critical area."

For the past 10 years, the federal and state governments in Mexico have partnered to create a number of regional universities, called Intercultural Universities, to improve post-secondary access to indigenous peoples. For decades now Canadian universities have also worked to increase access for Aboriginal students and to improve outreach to Aboriginal communities.

At the conclusion of the inaugural meeting between the Intercultural Universities and 10 Canadian Institutions in Mexico last year, Canadian and Mexican university presidents committed to both bilateral and consortium level partnerships to promote student and faculty mobility, joint research initiatives and cultural exchanges. Agreement was reached at that time to host a second meeting in Canada.

"The U of L is excited to host and participate in this important meeting," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon. "The U of L has long recognized the important role it must play in creating access for Aboriginal post-secondary students and this round table will certainly help us shape future directions and initiatives."

Federal, provincial, municipal and Aboriginal representatives have been invited to participate in some of the sessions.

In addition to the one-day round table, and to celebrate National Aboriginal Day in Canada on June 21, participants from both countries will participate in a series of cultural activities to broaden the understanding of Alberta's Aboriginal communities. This will include visiting the Kainai and Piikani First Nations communities and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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 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 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.

"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."

U of L leads way in establishing ACCRU

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:44:35 +0000

This story by Léo Charbonneau appeared in the Sept. 12 edition of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Affairs. It is re-posted here with their permission.

There is a new university group in Canada: the Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities.

Created at a meeting in Ottawa in June, ACCRU brings together the vice-presidents, research, of the smaller comprehensive universities in Canada that have "a strong commitment to research," said Dan Weeks, vice-president, research, at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The creation of the alliance is in part a reaction to the group known as the U15, which advocates on behalf of what it calls "Canada's 15 leading research universities."

A graphical representation of ACCRU.

That group, previously called the G10 and then the G13 before it expanded to its current 15 members, has given those institutions "a strong unified voice for consultation and lobbying activities on their behalf," said Dr. Weeks.

However, ACCRU is not meant to be a lobbying group, he stressed. Rather, the aim of the new alliance is to discuss the challenges and issues that these smaller universities face, and to pool resources and best practices with like-minded colleagues.

"If we do have advice and things that have policy implications, the route would be through either AUCC [Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada] or our individual presidents," he said.

Dr. Weeks set the ball rolling for the new group with a letter he sent to colleagues this past January.

The letter reads in part: "There are a number of unique challenges associated with conducting world-class research at Canada's small institutions. Effectively meeting these challenges and ensuring that research investments made in our institutions are of maximal benefit to all Canadians prompts me to suggest that Canada's 'small' research universities might benefit by informal discussion of the merits of forming a group or forum. This would give us the opportunity to discuss and react collectively to issues we face now or that will arise."

The response was "absolutely fantastic," said Dr. Weeks. "Everybody was excited about getting together." The respondents agreed on a date and venue for the event, and of the 25 universities initially contacted, 19 sent representatives to the Ottawa gathering – in most cases, either the vice-president or associate VP research.

While stressing that membership in ACCRU is "meant to be inclusive," Dr. Weeks acknowledged he had to come up with "some sort of algorithm" to choose who to invite.

He and William Bridger, a former vice-president at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario, devised a plan. First, they said the university had to describe itself as a comprehensive university.

Second, they did a rough calculation of the percentage of tri-council funding that each university receives, and "there was a pretty obvious breakpoint, and so we invited everybody below that line," said Dr. Weeks.

But he added, "I really wouldn't put too much stock in this 'who's in, who's out' type of thing. It's really more about the scope of your operations and would you benefit from being at these discussions."

The attendees to the Ottawa meeting "talked a lot about faculty recruitment and, related to that, the general perception of small universities by the public and by other institutions," said Dr. Weeks.

They also discussed research ethics, infrastructure, animal care, research centres and institutes, contracts, "and all the things that we have to fulfill in terms of policies and regulations" but often with far fewer resources than the larger universities, "so we have to be more clever about how we get some of these accomplished."

Katherine Schultz, vice-president research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island, attended the meeting and said the conversations "were frank and open." She noted that, unlike vice-presidents, academic, there is no national meeting for VPs research, so this group "fills a gap that many of us perceived. … It's a forum for information exchange that didn't exist."

André Manseau, dean of research at Université du Quebec en Outaouais, said it was "very enriching" for him to have his colleagues share their experiences. "We face many similar issues," he said. "Our offices are of relatively modest size and we don't have a lot of specialized personnel."

The ACCRU members agreed to meet again in Ottawa in early December, before the annual Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's leaders meeting (of senior university administrators who serve as points of contact with the council).

The alliance also created three working groups that will report at the December meeting: one looking at best practices, one on governance of the group itself, and a third tasked to craft a mission statement.

Universities represented at the ACCRU meeting in June:

* Acadia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Bishop's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Brock ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Cape Breton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Nipissing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Saint Mary's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Thompson Rivers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Université de Moncton
* Université du Québec en Outaouais
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor
* Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Student captures NEADS award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:48:25 +0000

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and BMO Capital Markets are pleased to announce the 12 outstanding winners of the 2010 NEADS Equity Through Education Student Awards Program.

Among the recipients is Katherine Taylor, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge psychology student who was selected from among 375 applicants to join 11 other undergraduate or graduate students as award winners.

All recipients receive $3,000 toward their tuition.

A complete listing of recipients can be found below.

"NEADS congratulates the 2010 winners of the NEADS Equity Through Education Student Awards, says Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, NEADS Past-President and Chair of the selection committee.

"There were many excellent candidates and 375 applications for this year's competition. The dedication, perseverance and achievements of this year's winners embody the spirit of the Awards program. We wish them all the very best in their studies, and look forward to watching their successes in the future. We are grateful to BMO Capital Markets for its generous funding of the Equity Through Education Student Awards."

"Congratulations to all of this year's winners," says Mike Miller, Head of Equity Products, BMO Capital Markets and a champion of the Equity Through Education Program. "Your achievements serve as an inspiration for others and help reinforce the important work of NEADS. We admire the vital role of NEADS, which helps young Canadians with disabilities finish their studies and make a successful transition to the employment market."

The winners in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Undergraduate Studies category are:

-- Naomi Harrington (Computer Science and Psychology combined major,��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria)

-- Devin Ryan (Computer Science, Business option, Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

-- Katie Raso (Communication, Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ)

-- Alexandra Papaiconomou (Law, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario)

-- Katherine Taylor (Psychology, French Minor, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge)

-- Tawnie Wilson (Communications and Women's Studies combined, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor)

Recipients in Graduate Studies category are:

-- James Bell (MA Criminology, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto)

-- Jessica Dunkley (Faculty of Medicine, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa)

-- Kelly Fritsch (Ph.D Social and Political Thought, York ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ)

-- Chelsea Mohler (Masters of Health and Rehabilitation Science, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario)

-- Barbara Schober (Doctor of Philosophy/History, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia).

The winner of the Equity Through Education Student Awards in the College/Cegep Studies category is Larissa Haluszka-Smith (Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant, Centennial College).

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:35:24 +0000

Campus Kudos

Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), with Anne Flynn from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, is presenting the paper "Assimilating and Accommodating: Bodies and Dancing, Canada's Choreography of Multicultural Nationhood in the 20th century" at the British Association of Canadian Studies international conference "Being, Becoming and Belonging: Multiculturalism, Diversity and Social Inclusion in Modern Canada" at Oxford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, UK, Mar. 28-30.

Mary-Anne McTrowe (Art) has received an Alberta Creative Development Initiative grant to produce work for a solo exhibition in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria's contemporary space, the LAB. The exhibition opens in October 2009.

Richard Epp (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) appears in Theatre Calgary's production of An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, Mar. 3-22.

Jim Steacy (kinesiology student) and Heather Steacy (music student) brought home three gold medals from the Canada West track championship meet in Regina recently. Jim Steacy won both the men's weight throw and shot put, giving him eight career Canada West gold medals. Heather Steacy won her third consecutive Canada West women's weight throw gold medal. Both athletes were named top athletes of the meet and Jim Steacy was also named top male track athlete for the year.

Dr. Arlan Schultz (Music) has received a Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunity from the U of L Research Office to support his development of tools for electroacoustic composition in the form of audio spatialization software and unique audio-sample databases. Schultz recently returned from Paris, France where he was studying and designing audio spatialization algorithms and studying advanced MAX/MSP programming techniques at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in the Centre Georges Pompidou. During this spring/summer, he has been awarded a research residency and has been appointed a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (CIRCA) in La Jolla, California. He has also received a Canada Arts Council grant for the composition of two new works of interactive acoustic/computer music. One is a commission from New Works Calgary's "Rubbing Stone" Ensemble for soprano, chamber orchestra, real-time audio spatialization and computer processed audio, which will be premiered in 2010.

Ryan Pottruff (education student) and Dustin Moore (pre-management studies) of the Pronghorns men's hockey team, won silver medals while representing Canada at the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.

Deanna Oye (Music) performs a solo piano recital at Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ on Mar. 17, as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for Lakehead's Department of Music. She was a graduate of their B.Mus.(Honours) program during its first decade.

Trio Amaranth (Peter Visentin, violin; Tido Janssen, cello; and Deanna Oye, piano) performed at Convocation Hall at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta on Feb. 27.
Dana Inkster (New Media) has been invited to be a discussant in the "The Role of the Employer and Legal Implications For Foreign Workers" plenary, Mar. 19 at the 11th National Metropolis Conference in Calgary. She will speak about her 2007 documentary "24 Days In Brooks" as well as her current projects in development, "Los Invisibles" and "Ladies of the Saturday Night". In March, she also speaks on the Collaborative Research in Ethnicity, Social Care and Health program in Faculty of Nursing, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, where she will use her film 24 Days in Brooks as a case study for the use of documentary film as a facilitation tool in intercultural exchange.

Peter Visentin (Music) presented "Violinist's Cool Move" to music majors at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta recently. The presentation explores his research with biomechanics researchers to gain insight into the art and science of playing the violin.

Lani Maestro (Art) is among 50 artists from around the world to participate in the Sharjah Biennial 9, this spring.

Ed Wasiak (Education/Music) was elected president of the Canadian Music Educators' Association (CMEA). CMEA provides leadership for music education in Canada and is also the national affiliate to the International Society for Music Education. Wasiak's term as president runs from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011.

Dr. Rolf Boon's (Music) composition "First Light" has been selected for publication in the Canadian National Conservatory of Music's Northern Lights Level 5 piano syllabus. Several of Rolf's works are also under consideration for publication for their Grade 6 and 7 piano repertoire.

UNews - Lakehead ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ

Canadian, Mexican universities converge for Aboriginal round table

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