UNews - research networks

O'Shea recognized as trailblazer

trevor.kenney — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:15:46 +0000

Dr. Seamus O'Shea, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice–President Academic Emeritus and a well known advocate for province-wide information technology development, is being acknowledged, with colleague and fellow "Cyber Trailblazer" Dr. Brian Unger, for their long-term efforts to support and expand connectivity to the province's networking and computing infrastructure.

The two remarkable digital-era pioneers are being recognized today on the eve of their last board meeting with Cybera, which operates Alberta's Research and Education Network.

Unger, founding president of the organization, is stepping down after 19 years on the board. For six of those years he was also CEO, where he led the development of Alberta's networking and computing infrastructure.

As a computing science professor in the early days of the internet, Unger recognized the specialized needs of researchers working with this new technology.

He was one of the founders of the Western Universities Research Consortium (WURCnet), which became Netera Alliance, and later Cybera.

The organization was tasked with developing Alberta's high-end research networks, enabling access to supercomputers provided by the High Performance Computing Consortia (HPCC), and later by WestGrid, which he also co-founded.

Unger was the founding president of the Alberta Informatics Circle of Research Excellence (iCORE) from 1999-2005. During this period, iCORE invested $43 million in 17 ICT research chairs, supporting over 500 faculty, graduate students and staff.

Through these interrelated projects, he evolved Alberta from a province of remote pockets of academia to a region known for its collaborative, data-intensive research.

Unger received the IWAY "Public Leadership" Award for outstanding contributions to Canada's information society in 2004, and was named a "Canada Pioneer of Computing" at the 2005 IBM CASON conference in Toronto.

Over the same period, O'Shea was leading the IT strategies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, where he was Vice-President, Academic and Provost.

As chair of Cybera's Board of Directors over the past five years, he has worked to grow the organization to become a regionally and internationally-recognized leader in networking and cloud computing.

O'Shea's work in the early 1990s made the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge one of the first post-secondary institutions to make broadband widely accessible, giving every desk on campus access to the internet.

He also served as Chair of iCORE from 2006-2010 and, more recently, was co-chair of the team that designed and implemented ApplyAlberta, the province's online post-secondary application system.

"Very few researchers actually know the story of these IT pioneers, and how their everyday tools are the result of decades of commitment. Brian and Seamus have helped build the foundations of e-infrastructure in Alberta, which is among the best in the world," says President and CEO Robin Winsor.

"Through their vision and pathfinding work, they have led the research, computing and networking landscape in this province. In the process, they have ensured that Alberta researchers have the tools and networks to succeed internationally."

Honouring Hank Margolis

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:14:31 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to grant Dr. Hank A. Margolis an honourary degree at the Fall 2010 Convocation ceremonies, Oct. 15-16.

Margolis, a professor in the Faculty of Geography and Geomatics at Laval ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Quebec, is known as a driving force for Canadian research into the carbon cycle of forests and wetlands, and has been instrumental in the development of several national and international efforts to better understand climate change.

Margolis has made significant and long-term contributions to public service in Canada. The major form of this public service has been in the role of principal investigator and program leader of three national research networks in Canada.

Research conducted during these national programs has addressed important issues related to ecosystem carbon cycling and climate change.

New knowledge created by these scientific activities has contributed in several important ways, including improvement in forecast models used in global weather prediction (BOREAS) and in developing policy related to controlling greenhouse gas emissions in Canada (FCRN & CCP).

Convocation to celebrate Honorary Degree recipients

trevor.kenney — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:59:08 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will hold its Spring 2010 Convocation ceremonies this week, June 3-4, at which another distinguished group of individuals will receive honorary degrees.

2009 Honorary Degree Recipients

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo is recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems.

Early in his career, Dr. Di Lollo researched the fields of animal learning, human psychophysics and human visual perception. He focused his program on vision studies and iconic memory, or the continued visibility of an image for a brief period after the physical stimulus has been turned off.

His research findings in this area were listed by the American Psychological Association among contributions that significantly changed the direction of psychological research in the twentieth century.

Dr DiLollo has also been a continuous supporter of the development of research intensive universities like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for his entire career, actively pursuing research relationships with U of L researchers, inviting them to participate on editorial boards, hiring boards and funding review panels.

Ike Lanier

Ike Lanier is a leading member of the agricultural community in Alberta and Canada, and has operated NeverIdle Farms near Lethbridge, since 1955.

For the past 25 years, Lanier has been practicing a minimum tillage system. This is seen as a major advance in agriculture which saves fuel, reduces soil erosion and preserves the ecology of the soil.

As well, Lanier, who holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (1953) has pioneered new crop development in southern Alberta, is an active proponent of different ways to market and transport grain and actively worked to change agricultural policies.

His record of service to the agricultural community is long standing. He has served on many provincial and national committees such as the Western Barley Growers, the Winter Wheat Commission, the Canola Commission, the Canadian Wheat Growers Association and Alberta Terminals Ltd. among many others.

In 1996, Lanier was a member of an advocacy group called Farmers for Justice, and one of 14 farmers fined and briefly jailed for attempting to sell grain in the United States on the open market.

Dr. Hank A. Margolis

Dr. Hank A. Margolis, a professor in the Faculty of Geography and Geomatics at Laval ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Quebec, is known as a driving force for Canadian research into the carbon cycle of forests and wetlands, and has been instrumental in the development of several national and international efforts to better understand climate change.

Dr. Margolis has made significant and long-term contributions to public service in Canada. The major form of this public service has been in the role of principal investigator and program leader of three national research networks in Canada.

Research conducted during these national programs has addressed important issues related to ecosystem carbon cycling and climate change.

Shirley Mclellan

Shirley McClellan is a veteran Alberta politician and former deputy premier of the province of Alberta who has matched her interests in farming and education with a long tradition of community service, most recently as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's Rural Economy/ALES Faculty Office and The School of Business.

McClellan served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Drumheller-Stettler constituency from 1987 to 2007. During her six terms in office she served as minister of health, community development, agriculture, food and rural development, international and intergovernmental relations and, most recently, as deputy premier and finance minister.

She retired as an MLA in 2007 and now farms in New Brigden, Alta., with her family.

McClellan has been involved in bringing further education to rural areas, serving on the board of directors for the Alberta Association of Continuing Education and the Canadian Association for Continuing Education.

Dr. Tom Melling

Dr. Michael (Tom) Melling is one of Lethbridge's longest-serving physicians, the inventor of a device to assist people with their mobility, and the founder and operator of a much-needed Lethbridge cancer clinic in addition to an enviable career as a community volunteer, school board member, and medical advisor to the government of Alberta on substance abuse and addictions issues.

He came to Lethbridge in 1966 from Scotland, and founded a medical practice in north Lethbridge, a medically-under-served area of the city.

Dr. Melling also founded, staffed and ran a cancer clinic for a decade in Lethbridge. He invented the first walker with a seat for handicapped people, an aid to daily living that has improved the quality of life for scores of people of all ages.

He served two terms on a city school board, sat on the parks and recreation commission and served six years on the board for AADAC. In addition, he was medical advisor to AADAC for two years under the Getty administration and travelled North America as a volunteer speaker on substance abuse recovery for more than 30 years.

2009 Honorary Degree recipients

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:25:44 +0000

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo is recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems.

Ike Lanier

Ike Lanier is a leading member of the agricultural community in Alberta and Canada, and has operated NeverIdle Farms near Lethbridge, since 1955.

In 1996, Lanier was a member of an advocacy group called Farmers for Justice, and one of 14 farmers fined and briefly jailed for attempting to sell grain in the United States on the open market.

Dr. Hank A. Margolis

Research conducted during these national programs has addressed important issues related to ecosystem carbon cycling and climate change.

Shirley Mclellan

She retired as an MLA in 2007 and now farms in New Brigden, Alta., with her family.

Dr. Tom Melling

He came to Lethbridge in 1966 from Scotland, and founded a medical practice in north Lethbridge, a medically-under-served area of the city.

UNews - research networks

O'Shea recognized as trailblazer

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