UNews - Claudia Gonzalez

Researchers call for study participants to come and play games

caroline.zentner — Tue, 27 May 2025 15:49:45 +0000

In the Brain in Action lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, researchers like Dr. Claudia Gonzalez study how the brain processes and integrates sensory and motor information. Now, they want people like you to join them and take part in a fun and engaging study.

Daniela Aguilar Ramirez, at left, and Dr. Claudia Gonzalez are investigating sex-related patterns in spatial cognition.

Daniela Aguilar Ramirez, a PhD student studying under Gonzalez, is researching sex differences in spatial cognition, or how we navigate the environment and locate objects. Males generally outperform females in spatial tasks, like those requiring mental object rotation. However, females are generally better at some tasks, such as object location.

“Our goal is to understand the functional correlates of cognitive processes,” says Aguilar Ramirez. “We’re particularly interested in how spatial information is processed in the brain and whether these processes differ between females and males. By investigating these sex-related patterns in spatial cognition, we aim to inform targeted interventions that could enhance cognitive performance or mitigate age-related cognitive decline.”

Typically, the tasks that measure these responses are paper-based — a format that isn’t engaging for some participants. Aguilar Ramirez and Gonzalez want to change that. They have designed a research study where participants challenge their spatial abilities while having fun playing board games.

“We are trying to bring tasks that are real-world scenarios into the lab to measure these cognitive functions in a way that’s more engaging than traditional lab tests,” says Gonzalez. “One way to have interest from the public is to make it as real and as fun as we can. We’ve been examining how these cognitive functions develop and decline over time, and whether these patterns differ between females and males.”

Using games like Spot It and Q-bitz, the researchers can obtain important information while participants play fun games. The researchers want to validate the use of these games in a lab setting this summer, so they are inviting anyone interested to come to the lab and play games for an hour.

Participants of any age and background are welcome. The sessions, which take about an hour, will be available all summer. Send an email to thebraininaction@gmail.com to schedule a time.

Board of Governors appoints Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2021 22:23:11 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors appointed four new Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs recently.

“It is my great pleasure to announce these appointments,” says Dr. Robert Wood, interim vice-president research. “Without exception, each of these colleagues is recognized as an exemplary and innovative researcher in their respective field. The programs of research and student training that they have each proposed for their term as a Board of Governors Research Chair will further elevate our reputation and impact as a comprehensive academic and research university.”

Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs

Dr. Carly Adams is a founding member of the Centre for Oral History and Tradition and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. As a social historian and advocate for oral history, her research explores community, resiliency and gender with a focus on sport, recreation and leisure experiences. Adams, in collaboration with Dr. Darren Aoki at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Plymouth, UK and several community partners including the Galt Museum, Nikka Yuko Japanese Canadian Garden, and Nikkei Cultural Society of Lethbridge and Area launched the Nikkei Memory Capture Project in 2017. In 2019, they were awarded a SSHRC Insight Grant in support of this research.

Dr. Theresa Burg is a leader in avian molecular ecology. She received her BSc and MSc from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia, her PhD from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Cambridge, and was a NSERC postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Chateaubriand Fellow at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France. In 2006, she started at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and is currently a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. She has served on the editorial board for four international journals, numerous scientific committees and results from her research have been used in developing conservation and management policies.

Dr. Elizabeth Galway is co-director of the Institute for Child and Youth Studies and a faculty member in the Department of English, where she teaches courses in children’s literature, nineteenth-century literature, and Canadian literature. She is the author of From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood: Children’s Literature and the Construction of Canadian Identity (Routledge 2008), which examines literature for young readers from 1867-1911. Her most recent work focuses on children’s literature from the First World War, and she has published widely on this topic.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, investigates the mechanisms and origins of sex differences in cognitive function. Born and raised in Mexico City, Gonzalez obtained a bachelor’s in psychology from the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico (UNAM) and completed a MSc and a PhD in Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. She continued with four years of postdoctoral training at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario. In 2009, she returned to the U of L as a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control (renewed in 2014). Her research is aimed at understanding sensorimotor and cognitive functions throughout the lifespan with particular interest in sex differences. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop programs to enhance cognitive and motor abilities that improve quality of life for everyone.

All terms begin on July 1, 2022 for a five-year period.

Building Brains Together group offers play activities to local families through park posters

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 May 2020 17:32:25 +0000

Don’t let your children know, but the new activity posters that have popped up on lampposts around Henderson and Nicholas Sheran Lakes are actually helping them build their brains.

Building brain activities are as simple as finding colours and listening for sounds as you walk along the paths.

The posters, placed by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists Drs. Robbin Gibb (BASc (BSc) ‘77, MSc ‘01, PhD ‘04) and Claudia Gonzalez (MSc ‘00, PhD ‘04) and the Building Brains Together (BBT) group, are designed for families to engage their children with simple activities as they make their way around the city paths.

“The Walk and Play signs went up after the playgrounds had to close due to Covid-19,” says Gibb of the posters located on both sides of the Lethbridge Little Library stands. “We thought it would be great for families walking on our paths to have fun ways to interact as they move along. Our Building Brains Together group has focused on play as the key means to building healthy brains, and since our face-to-face interactions with families have had to stop — we are reaching out with things like the posters.”

The activities are simple, including games such as a walk bingo card (you take a picture with your phone and fill it out as you walk), an exercise to look for colours along the path, and to listen for sounds such as barking, laughing or birds singing. There’s even an obstacle course where kids run around benches or jump on pathway cracks. All the activities are informed by years of basic neuroscience research.

A mother and her daughter take part in some of the Building Brain activities at Nicholas Sheran Lake.

“By playing these games, children are building connections in the areas that support the executive function skills that are so critical for life success,” says Gibb. “A lot of this play involves serve-and-return interactions and it builds fundamental connections in the prefrontal cortex, a key brain area for executive function and for social understanding.”

The Building Brains and Futures initiative, out of which the BBT group was born, started in 2014 following the release of data from the provincial government’s Early Child Development Mapping Initiative. This initiative assessed development of kindergarten-aged children in five domains: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and thinking skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. The results showed that Alberta children were behind the Canadian average and children in Lethbridge were behind the provincial average.

“In Lethbridge, less than 50 per cent of preschoolers demonstrated typical development in all five domains,” says Gibb. “That is unacceptable, so members of the Early Childhood Coalition decided to do something about it.”

The group was very active last summer, securing grant support that allowed them to hire summer students who set up tents in city parks and talked to parents and caregivers about how playing with their children would help develop their brains. They provided access to information about the project and handed out kits containing brain-building games.

“By the end of last summer, our group talked to more than 500 parents and gave out more than 100 of the brain-building bags,” says Gibb.

With children out of school and care facilities due to the COVID-19 situation, Gibb and her group have now found a way to keep that development going.

“We are also contributing activities to families receiving food hampers. We’re just really trying to imagine how we can help in this interesting and challenging time,” she says. “ We have been working on our own YouTube channel to demonstrate how to play with children and we have recently added baby games and more games for three-to-five year-olds on our buildingbrains.ca website and are working on adding games for six-to-eight year-olds as well.”

With the help of Gibb and the BBT group, taking a simple walk is now a way to engage a young mind and strengthen it for the future.

Gonzalez has Canada Research Chair renewed

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:48:59 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge kinesiology professor Dr. Claudia Gonzalez is among a group of 150 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs (CRC) announced this week by the Government of Canada.

The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), unveiled a $139-million investment, with an additional $7.6 million in infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, in the Canada Research Chairs program. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is one of 36 post-secondary institutions in the country to receive funding.

Dr. Caudia Gonzalez, left, with Dr. Robbin Gibb and a trial with two young research subjects.

“Through our government’s updated science, technology and innovation strategy, we are making the record investments necessary to push the boundaries of knowledge, create jobs and opportunities, and improve the quality of life of Canadians,” says Holder. “Our government’s Canada Research Chairs Program develops, attracts and retains top talent researchers in Canada whose research, in turn, creates long-term social and economic benefits while training the next generation of students and researchers in Canada.”

Gonzalez, a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control, has had her Tier 2 Chair renewed for 5 years with an investment of $500,000. She was initially named a CRC in 2009. An accomplished researcher, her latest work on hemispheric differences in sensorimotor control encompasses behavioural, neuropsychological and developmental domains.

Some of her recent research has focused on hemispheric lateralization for grasping and linking those findings to the development of Executive Function (EF) and language. Gonzalez worked closely with U of L neuroscientist Dr. Robbin Gibb on several studies that showed that a more lateralized brain supports the development of EF – a blanket term that is considered to include self-regulation, working memory and planning. They have shown that children who used their right hand more often to pick up objects demonstrated better executive function and speech production proficiency.

“Our results suggest that EF enjoys privileged support from the left hemisphere, which also controls the right hand. More likely, however, the results indicate that greater degree of lateralization (either to the left or right hemisphere) supports better behavioural control,” says Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control, and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

Along this research line, her lab is currently exploring different motor-based training programs to enhance EF and language development in typically-developing and clinical populations of children.

Gonzalez is one of 10 Canada Research Chairs on campus, spanning disciplines as diverse as psychology, neuroscience, history, economics, sociology, physics and biological sciences.

The Canada Research Chairs Program was created in 2000. It is an ongoing annual program designed to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds by helping to promote research and development and supporting top-tier talent at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Research team links hand preference in children to executive function

trevor.kenney — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 16:36:03 +0000

Children who have a significant hand preference may have better behavioural control, memory and planning skills, according to a new study published by a team of researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Drs. Claudia Gonzalez, left, and Robbin Gibb are working to formalize the working relationship between kinesiology and neuroscience.

The group found that a more lateralized brain supports the development of Executive Function (EF) - a blanket term that is considered to include self-regulation, working memory and planning. In the study, children (ages 5-6 and 9-10) undertook a series of tests of hand preference for grasping items while their parents filled out a questionnaire to determine their EF.

The study was recently published by Frontiers in Psychology.

“In our experiment, all children self-reported as right-handed, yet many of them failed to show a right-hand preference for grasping. Overall, these children showed more problems with EF,” says Dr. Robbin Gibb, a neuroscientist at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN).

Using Lego® blocks, researchers observed how often children who were right-handed used their dominant hand to build a model. What they found is that those who used their right hand at a higher rate also had, according to their parents, higher EF. Children who used both hands to complete the task generally had a lower EF rating.

“Our results suggest that EF enjoys privileged support from the left hemisphere, which also controls the right hand. More likely, however, the results indicate that the greater the degree of lateralization (either to the left or right hemisphere) supports better behavioural control,” says Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control, and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

Establishing a link between degree of hand use for precision grasping and EF may allow parents and caregivers to predict if children are likely to experience issues in learning and maturing. This would allow for the opportunity to introduce early interventions, something the U of L researchers will explore in the coming year.

Gonzalez and Gibb will study whether exclusively exercising a child’s dominant hand (for brief intervals of time each day) helps to develop EF, and if developing a more lateralized hand preference helps to develop a more efficient brain.

The study was a result of a unique collaboration between Gonzalez’s kinesiology lab and Gibb’s lab at the CCBN, located at the U of L. Funded by the Office of Research Services, this research also included Dr. Nicole Rosen (now at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba), Dr. Inge Genee from the Department of Modern Languages, Dr. Fangfang Li from the Department of Psychology and Dr. Noella Piquette from the Faculty of Education.

Considering the potential of this type of collaborative research, Drs. Gonzalez and Gibb are working to formalize the working relationship between kinesiology and neuroscience.

The Frontiers in Psychology paper can be found at the following link: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00285/abstract.

��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

5 Questions with Dr. Claudia Gonzalez

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:36:24 +0000

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (MSc '00, PhD '04) is a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Born and raised in Mexico, she earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico before continuing her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where she earned both her master's and PhD degrees in neuroscience. She has taught and researched at the U of L since August 2009, and is funded by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

Ever since I can remember, I was interested in science. I was, and still am, fascinated by animal behaviour, particularly human. In middle school, I remember spending hours simply watching people. Later on it became a habit to observe people's actions and to wonder what led those people to act in a certain way. I decided to take psychology in university and it became clear that if I wanted to understand behaviour I had to first understand the brain. I pursued a career in neuroscience and I continue to be baffled by how the brain – a mere three pounds of mush – determines the complexity of our thoughts and actions. My research looks at multi-sensory integration like eye-hand coordination and sensory and cognitive interactions such as visuospatial abilities.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez looks to unlock the mysteries of how the brain controls movement.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

I often tell my students that I do science for the love of science. My research is motivated by the big question of how the brain works to produce behaviour. In the lab we ask questions such as how does the brain compute the location, size and orientation of an object so that every morning you can pick up your cup of coffee with remarkable ease. We use cutting-edge technology that allows us to break down a hand or an eye movement into hundreds of components so that we can take a really good look at how it is executed. In addition, we look at how these visuomotor interactions are modulated or affected by cognitive functions such as attention and spatial abilities. We are starting to conduct research in neurological populations (i.e.: stroke patients) hoping to gain some further insight into the neural mechanisms underlying visuomotor and visuospatial functions. At the end of the day we hope to understand how the brain integrates sensory, motor and cognitive information. With this knowledge we can begin to develop strategies that translate into better outcomes for patients suffering from neurological conditions.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

I guess that was when I overheard one of my supervisors say: "she will do fine" when discussing my future in science. Really, as a scientist I am very proud when my work is published, cited or funded. Also, it is always a pleasure and an honour to receive inquires from students who want to know about the work that I do and whether they can volunteer or work in my lab.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Students are the heart and soul of my research program. Students' curiosity and excitement about learning and discovery is the best motivating force in the lab. Students don't only carry out the experiments but they help in the design and interpretation of them. It is often in the latter that students' contributions are invaluable; they bring a fresh and unbiased perspective to science and research.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

Two: Early education and translation. "Scientia potentia est" which commonly translates from the Latin as "knowledge is power". So I would invest in teaching children from an early age about their brain and how to take care of it. I think that if children learned some general principles of brain function early in their life, they would be less likely to engage in activities that would endanger their brains such as drug use, or checking from behind in a hockey game.

With respect to translation, I recently spoke to a medical doctor from a different country who told me that she goes to international conferences and brings back with her what she has learned to apply it directly into her patient population. Her story got me thinking that perhaps we don't do enough of that. As a basic scientist I would like to see that more of our findings could be put into practice, which is ultimately where it matters most.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www.uleth.ca/research/research_profiles. If you'd like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Gonzalez, Boeré use funding boost to further research interests

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:38:52 +0000

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez addresses the media after a recent funding announcement.

Boeré led a group application to fund specialized imaging equipment that will be used to examine the fine details of nanomaterials ($352,008). Gonzalez will receive funding to obtain equipment that she will use to monitor, in greater detail, how the brain processes motor skill signals that control such activities as hand and eye movement ($195,770).

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon says that investment from the federal and provincial governments, working in partnership, are critical in ensuring that researchers have the tools they need to answer the important questions facing communities in Alberta, Canada and beyond.

Dr. René Boeré will use funding from CFI to purchase specialized imaging equipment.

"It cannot be understated how important a strong research program is to the health of an institution that serves undergraduate and graduate students," says Mahon. "Our student-first approach is strengthened because our students are able to interact with talented, supported researchers like Dr. Gonzalez,
Dr. Boeré and their colleagues."

Mahon adds that research investments are also critical in ensuring that Alberta and Canada are able to recruit and retain talented faculty and students from across the globe.

"The U of L is in a fortunate position. Researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from jurisdictions where funding to post-secondary sector have been drastically cut are surveying the landscape," he says. "When they see the governments of Canada and Alberta investing in a knowledge economy – as they are today – they are compelled to consider if their research program or educational experience is better suited at a comprehensive university like the
U of L."

For Boeré and his research team, the new equipment will dramatically increase their productivity simply because they will no longer have to drive to Calgary to borrow similar research tools.

Gonzalez's projects rely on the accurate measurement of fine motor co-ordination, primarily in a person's hands while reaching for an object. While her current measurement process can pinpoint the motion in a finger joint, for example, her additional equipment will also be able to show which side of the brain is working when that motion or movement is engaged. This will help to determine how dominant the right or left side of the brain is for certain functions.

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

Funding brings in much needed technical equipment

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:18:36 +0000

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (kinesiology and physical education) is interested in how the brain connects vision and motor skills, such as hand movements.

Dr. René Boeré (chemistry and biochemistry) and his colleagues examine the finest details of molecules, among other projects.

The two very different research teams recently received a significant amount of money from the Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund; with matching support from the Small Equipment grant programs from the government of Alberta. Overall, the researchers will receive $547,778 and additional support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and industry partners brings that total to more than $700,000.

Boeré led a group application to fund specialized imaging equipment that will be used to examine the fine details of nanomaterials ($352,008). Gonzalez will receive funding to obtain equipment that she will use to monitor, in greater detail, how the brain processes motor skill signals that control such activities as hand and eye movement ($195,770).

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon says that investment from the federal and provincial governments, working in partnership, are critical in ensuring that researchers have the tools they need to answer the
important questions facing communities in Alberta, Canada and beyond.

"It cannot be understated how important a strong research program is to the health of an institution that serves undergraduate and graduate students," says Mahon. "Our student-first approach is strengthened because our students are able to interact with talented, supported researchers like Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Boeré and their colleagues."

Mahon adds that research investments are also critical in ensuring that Alberta and Canada are able to recruit and retain talented faculty and students from across the globe.

"The U of L is in a fortunate position. Researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from jurisdictions where funding to post-secondary sector have been drastically cut are surveying the landscape," he says. "When they see the governments of Canada and Alberta investing in a knowledge economy – as they are today – they are compelled to consider if their research program or educational experience is better suited at a comprehensive university like the U of L."

For Boeré and his research team, the new equipment will dramatically increase their productivity simply because they will no longer have to drive to Calgary to borrow similar research tools.

Gonzalez's projects rely on the accurate measurement of fine motor co-ordination, primarily in a person's hands while reaching for an object. While her current measurement process can pinpoint the motion in a finger joint, for example, her additional equipment will also be able to show which side of the brain is working when that motion or movement is engaged. This will help to determine how dominant the right or left side of the brain is for certain functions.

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

Boere, Gonzalez receive CFI funding

trevor.kenney — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:54:17 +0000

Federal, provincial and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge officials have delivered more than $700,000 for new equipment to two research groups on campus.

Through the Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund and matching support from the Province of Alberta Small Equipment Grant Program administered through the Department of Advanced Education and Technology, the researchers will receive a combined $547,778.

Additional support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and industry partners brings that total to more than $700,000.

Dr. Rene Boere (chemistry and biochemistry) lead a group application to fund specialized imaging equipment that will be used to examine the fine details of nanomaterials ($352,008).

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (kinesiology and physical education) will receive funding to obtain equipment that she will use to monitor in greater detail how the brain processes motor skill signals that control such activities as hand and eye movement ($195,770)

"Supporting science is key to Canada's future economic growth," says Rick Casson, MP for Lethbridge.

"Our government's commitment to helping universities attract and retain world-leading research talent will lead to discoveries that improve the quality of life of Canadians and create new jobs. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has been making creativity and innovation household words in southern Alberta and beyond, and this funding today reinforces that process."

The federal government recently announced $61 million through the CFI Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) to support the work of 339 leading researchers and 245 projects at 48 Canadian research institutions.

Additional funds were received through the Province of Alberta's Small Equipment Grant program, which funds projects that meet a high degree of research excellence and alignment with Alberta's research and innovation priorities.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is building a reputation for research excellence," says Greg Weadick, MLA for Lethbridge-West. "The Government of Alberta is very proud to be a part of this success and to help support brilliant researchers like Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Boere."

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon says that investment from the federal and provincial governments, working in partnership, are critical in ensuring that researchers have the tools they need to answer the important questions facing communities in Alberta, Canada and beyond.

"It cannot be understated how important a strong research program is to the health of an institution that serves undergraduate and graduate students. Our student-first approach is strengthened because our students are able to interact with talented, supported researchers like Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Boere, and their colleagues," says Mahon.

Mahon adds that research investments are also critical in ensuring that Alberta and Canada are able to recruit and retain talented faculty and students from across the globe.

"The U of L is in a fortunate position. Researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from jurisdictions where funding to post-secondary sector have been drastically cut are surveying the landscape. When they see the Governments of Canada and Alberta investing in a knowledge economy -- as they are today -- they are compelled to consider if their research program or educational experience is better suited at a comprehensive, destination university like the U of L."

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