UNews - Craig Cooper

Community support helps establish endowed scholarship in honour of former dean Dr. Bhagwan Dua

trevor.kenney — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 16:38:48 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Arts & Science is pleased to announce the inaugural Wine & Dine Arts & Science Scholarship Dinner has raised over $80,000 in support of student scholarships.

Cathy Kanashiro holds a picture of honouree Dr. Bhagwan Dua, during the inaugural Wine & Dine Arts & Science Scholarship Dinner.

Thanks to the generous support of donors, the Dr. Bhagwan Dua Memorial Scholarship has been endowed with enough funds to award two scholarships per year to students pursuing a degree from the Faculty of Arts & Science. One scholarship will be awarded to a first-year student while the other will be awarded to a continuing student.

“This was a spectacular event,” says Dr. Craig Cooper, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, on the dinner that honoured former Dean and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Bhagwan Dua. “The room had a vibrant energy, demonstrating the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community’s passion and dedication to making education accessible to students, and the value it places on empowering students to unlock their potential.”

The investment is part of the U of L’s SHINE campaign and highlights the community’s involvement in supporting students and promoting opportunities for them to thrive while working to achieve their academic goals.

Raman Chohan, a student who was recruited by Dua on a trip to India, says his legacy will surely live in future generations of students.

“He believed in education, and that all have a right to an education,” says Chohan. “A scholarship in his honour is surely going to benefit continuing students and new students who come to the U of L. This is the best way to pay tribute to him and carry on his legacy, as he was a big believer that education can change your destiny. I am sure that he is looking down and smiling.”

Dr. Peter McCormick, a close friend and colleague of Dua, reminisces about his warm personality, and passion and commitment to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“There can be no more appropriate way to honour Dua than through a scholarship for students in his beloved Faculty of Arts & Science, and there can be no better advice to the future recipients of this scholarship than to emulate his enthusiasm, his courtesy and his deep dedication to this wonderful institution.”

The Dua family is honoured by the spirit of the scholarship awards and how they reflect his love of education and the opportunities it can create.

“By establishing this scholarship in the name of Dr. Bhagwan Dua, you have made him a part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge forever,” say Dua’s daughters, Mini and Manjula. “We, the Dua family, are very grateful for this immense honour and we know that Dad would have been very humbled by your generosity. We hope that the future recipients of this scholarship go on to great success in their chosen fields, and continue to serve their communities as Dad did.”

For more on the Wine & Dine Arts & Science Scholarship Dinner, including photos, check out this story.

Dr. Craig Cooper reappointed as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science

trevor.kenney — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 20:26:33 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to announce the reappointment of Dr. Craig Cooper as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science for a five-year term effective July 1, 2018.

Cooper has served as Dean since being originally appointed in July 2013 and distinguished himself as a key leader in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

“We’re very happy to have Dr. Cooper continue in his role as Dean, one that he has made his own over the last four years through progressive and innovative actions and ideas,” says Dr. Andy Hakin, Provost and Vice-President (Academic). “The Faculty of Arts & Science is our largest and requires diligent leadership skills. During his tenure, Dr. Cooper has advanced the Faculty both within academia and beyond, connecting our students and faculty members to the broader southern Alberta community. This will be especially important moving forward with the completion of the Destination Project, of which Dr. Cooper has played a key leadership role in its development to date.”

Cooper came to the U of L from Nipissing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in North Bay, Ont. where he was a professor of classical studies and served as the Dean of Arts and Sciences. He spent the majority of his academic teaching career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Winnipeg, beginning as a sessional instructor in 1993 and eventually serving as the Associate Dean of Arts.

Cooper earned his bachelor's degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta before completing his master's and PhD designations at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia.

A member of the International Society for the History of Rhetoric and the Society for Classical Studies, among others, Cooper is an ancient Greek historian who continues to study Athenian law, Athenian orators and Greek rhetoric. He recently presented as part of the Faculty of Arts & Science’s immensely popular Public Professor Series lectures.

“As the Destination Project nears completion and we begin to utilize all that this amazing building will encompass, Dr. Cooper will play an essential role in shaping the direction of our programming both internally and externally, helping to realize the building’s immense capacity to advance scientific study,” adds Hakin.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge welcomes BMO Financial Group as sponsor for Destination Project

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:37:41 +0000

BMO donates $1 million to fund construction of new state-of-the-art science building

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge (U of L) today announced that BMO Financial Group has joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Destination Project through a $1 million philanthropic donation for construction of a new Science and Academic Building at its Lethbridge campus.

The Destination Project is the boldest and most significant development for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ since the construction of the original ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall. The new facilities will bring together faculty and students from across science disciplines, promote and enable curricular innovation, help students achieve their academic goals and foster a community of science at the U of L and across southern Alberta.

The new Academic and Science Building's showcase theatre will carry a BMO Financial name.

The theatre, which will carry the name of BMO Financial Group, will serve as a key space for housing science outreach activities.

“We are very appreciative of BMO Financial Group for joining us in the creation of this transformational project and helping us shape the future of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “Our relationship with BMO encompasses a number of initiatives and this gift extends their history of supporting both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the southern Alberta community.”

“We are very pleased to partner with U of L on the Destination Project, one that will undoubtedly enhance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and experience of students in the community for years to come,” says Susan Brown, Senior Vice-President, Alberta and North West Territories Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. “We have a longstanding relationship with the school and remain committed to investing in programs that will help the advancement of future leaders in the field of science.”

Knowledge sharing is a key component of the Destination Project, between professors and students as well as to the broader southern Alberta community. The BMO Financial Group sponsored theatre will serve as a key space for housing science outreach activities.

“The Destination Project is designed to engage the community. Science shouldn’t exist behind closed doors,” says Dr. Ute Kothe, supervisor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Let’s Talk science program and a researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “It’s our obligation to enable a hands-on approach to learning that will ignite a greater curiosity for science in adults and children.”

In under 50 years, the U of L has evolved from an idea to one of Canada’s top-ranked universities and leading research institutions. Building on these past accomplishments, the Destination Project is the next step forward – helping shape the future of science and teaching for the next 50 years.

“These facilities will give us the research capacity for the future of this institution,” says Dr. Craig Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “We are thrilled that BMO Financial Group has recognized the potential of this development and what it will mean to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, our region, province and country for years to come.”

About ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

Alberta’s Destination ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the U of L attracts approximately 8,600 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to our campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary each year. We offer more than 150 undergraduate and 60 graduate programs in six faculties and schools: Arts & Science, Education, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Management and Graduate Studies.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817, and currently marking its 200th year of operations, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services provider based in North America. With total assets of $688 billion as of October 31, 2016, and more than 45,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

PUBlic Professor series promising another stellar lineup

trevor.kenney — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 15:53:50 +0000

Surely the ancient Maya never predicted their downfall, nor did the Roman Empire foresee its society coming to an end and yet they both vanished into history. What can we learn from these civilizations and how can it relate to the normal we know today?

Dr. Kevin McGeough (BA ’96) of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Department of Geography will explore these topics when he presents ‘I met a traveller from an antique land’: The Archaeology of Progress, Decline and Collapse at the first PUBlic Professor series event of the fall semester. The free public talk is set for Thursday, Sept. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lethbridge City Hall.

Dr. Kevin McGeough opens the series on Thursday, Sept. 22 discussing the lessons of archaeology.

McGeough says that the ability of archaeology to offer insight about long-term change is one of the major contributions of the discipline to society. He also sees the PUBlic Professor series as an important vehicle to share his research work.

“It’s part of what I think is our obligation as professors,” he says. “We can’t always make our research accessible in ways that are meaningful but we should always be trying to do so and archaeology is one of those disciplines that is evocative and garners a lot of public interest and imagination. So we need to think about that and do our best to communicate our work back to everybody.”

PUBlic Professor is beginning its third year in the current format. Born out of the great success of the Public Professor newspaper column co-edited by Drs. Dan Johnson and James Linville, the current series offers free public talks in a pub-style setting. Intended more as open forums than lectures, PUBlic Professor evenings provoke questions and open dialogue.

“It’s a forum that has proven to be very popular and we’re excited to have Dr. McGeough open another series of what promises to be outstanding presentations,” says Dr. Craig Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “I think that people will once again be very intrigued by the scholars we have lined up for the year and the variety of topics that will be discussed.”

McGeough is a U of L alumnus who went on to master’s and doctoral studies at Harvard and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Pennsylvania respectively before returning to teach at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 2003. He’s been in Lethbridge ever since and has conducted field work throughout the world, including extensive research in the Middle East.

His work looks at how people use archaeology to make arguments about the present, how this is both legitimate and can also be cause for concern. He has also studied archaeology and its presentation in films and media.

McGeough’s talk is the first of the six-part PUBlic Professor series that will run through March 2017. The full schedule follows:

Sept. 22, 2016 – Dr. Kevin McGeough (geography & archaeology) – ‘I met a traveller from an antique land’: The Archaeology of Progress, Decline and Collapse
Oct. 20, 2016 – Dr. Roy Golsteyn (biological sciences) – Flower Power: A Scientific Search for New Medicines in Prairie Plants
Nov. 24, 2016 – Dr. Goldie Morgentaler (English) – How Dickens Invented Christmas – and Why it Matters
Jan. 26, 2017 – Dr. Janay Nugent (history) – Converting a Nation: Family, Religion and Calvinism in Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century Scotland
Feb. 16, 2017 – Dr. Kent Peacock (philosophy) – Alberta in the Anthropocene
Mar. 23, 2017 – Dr. Stacey Wetmore (chemistry & biochemistry) – DNA Damage, Repair and Disease: How Computers Can Help Us Understand

Free appetizers and bar service will be available at each presentation. Seating is limited and people are urged to attend early. No RSVP is required. For more information, visit the PUBlic Professor series web page.

For more on Dr. McGeough’s work, visit this feature story.

Global Citizenship Cohort off to a strong start

caroline.zentner — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 21:39:22 +0000

The new Global Citizenship Cohort at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge gives students an opportunity to learn about the world while fostering their desire to make a positive difference.

In high school, Taylor Myndio learned about resource depletion and the oppression of people around the globe. That sparked an interest in environmental and social issues and she felt pulled to action. When she registered at the U of L and heard about the Global Citizenship Cohort, she didn’t hesitate to sign up.

Myndio is one of 16 students in the cohort who take a series of five courses together centred on the themes of water, sustainability and social justice.

“I really do like how the professors show you the connections between courses,” says Myndio, a first-year biology major. “I’m enjoying my classes and I wouldn’t have thought about taking them before because I was coming here mostly for science.”

Taylor Myndio, right, and Jamie Lewis take part in a group discussion during a class offered as part of the Global Citizenship Cohort.

This fall, the group has an anthropology class, a liberal education course and a geography course in common. Next semester, they’ll take a history course and another liberal education class together.

“One of the biggest highlights has been the social aspect. I really enjoy that I am consistently seeing the same people and I know I can rely on those people,” says Jamie Lewis, a first-year student majoring in anthropology.

Lewis is considering diplomacy or international development as a career and she signed up for the Global Citizenship Cohort because of the added credential she’ll receive. Students in the cohort will earn a certificate upon completion.

Dr. Craig Cooper, dean of Arts and Science, spearheaded the Global Citizenship program. A major benefit is that students take courses together, giving them a built-in community, says Dr. Shelly Wismath, program co-ordinator and a U of L professor in the Liberal Education Program and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

“There’s a lot of literature that shows that students often have a hard transition from high school to university and often where people fall through the cracks is through loneliness or not getting connected quickly with the place or the people,” she says.

The students are all in their first year of university and come from a variety of disciplines. The program has been designed so that students receive mentoring from their professors and also learn what resources are available to them. The nature of the program has drawn a group of like-minded students who are interested in the big picture and have a desire to make the world a better place.

“They’re an amazing group of students,” says Wismath. “I’m so impressed with them; they’re very keen, they’re very strong and they’re already really engaged in global citizenship.”

Moved by the plight of many Syrian people, a group of five students is planning to raise funds for the U of L Refugee Action Committee, a volunteer group formed to help resettle a Syrian family in Lethbridge.

“At the beginning of the semester, I had a moment where I was feeling really overwhelmed by the humanitarian crises happening all over the world. It was really bothering me and I wanted to figure out what to do about it,” says Lewis.

She reached out to Wismath and the idea of raising funds to help refugees from Syria began to form.

“For us, it was a really practical decision. It’s something we can contribute to directly and we know exactly where our money is going,” says Lewis.

The Global Citizenship Cohort is expected to grow in the future. Wismath says she would like to see 40 to 50 students registered, as that would allow students in the cohort to have their own classes.

Cooper opens PUBlic Professor series by exploring Athenian legal system

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:26:34 +0000

Imagine defending yourself of a major crime where your fate is determined through a simple majority vote – by 1,500 or more local citizens. Such was the way of Athenian society, the world’s first democracy, and a major focus of Dr. Craig Cooper’s research portfolio.

Dr. Craig Cooper's opening talk in the PUBlic Professor Lecture Series attracted a full house to City Hall.

“Athenians espoused this idea of rule of law, that every citizen was equal before the law regardless of their social status,” says Cooper, the dean of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “There is a debate among scholars about whether Athenians, though they ideologically and rhetorically espoused the rule of law, actually upheld the notion or put it into practice.”

Cooper presented Catching the Crook in Classic Athens as the opening presentation for the now annual and extremely popular PUBlic Professor lecture series, Thursday night at Lethbridge City Hall. The initiative was introduced last year as a thought-provoking series of pub-style talks that bring a range of experts and researchers from across the arts and sciences to the community for a spirited conversation. A packed house of 80-plus citizens attended Cooper's talk.

“We are a publicly funded institution, so I think we have a responsibility to communicate with the public around us what we do,” says Cooper of the PUBlic Professor series. “I think what we do is very important across the disciplines, whether it’s from the sciences to the humanities, and I think it’s important to share this with the general public.”

Cooper, an expert in ancient Greece, ancient Greek biography and historiography, turned to study Athenian law when he was asked to fill in one semester to teach a course on Athenian Law and Society at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Winnipeg. It quickly became his favourite course to teach and a passionate area of research.

“I had always thought about law as an aspect I would go into if I didn’t pursue an academic career,” says Cooper. “So, in some ways it’s a roundabout manner of getting to study law, at least at the academic level.”

At the beginning of each year, 6,000 citizens were randomly selected by lot to serve as dikasts (jurors and judges) in Athenian courts. Jury panels would range in size from 200 to more than 1,500 citizens depending on the severity of the crime in question. Magistrates, also selected annually by lot, would preside over the judicial process – the whole system was rooted in the belief that all citizens were equal before the law and so should be judged by their fellow citizens.

Scholars have questioned whether the courts administered justice impartially or served essentially as an arena for the elite of society to play out their private feuds.

“I accept that there were social dynamics that played out in the judicial process and in the courts, but the players, both the litigants and judges, respected the law, even though legalities could at times be stretched to the limits,” says Cooper.

In his presentation, he explored the question of how an individual citizen could seek legal redress in a society where there was no organized and formal enforcement agency, such as a police force, or professional lawyers or judges.

“The legal system is fully in the hands of Athenian citizens, so if you are wronged in any way, how do you go about getting legal redress when there is no professional police force or professional lawyers to help you?”

Cooper says the topic, although set in ancient times, still holds relevance.“Looking at any society and its aspects are relevant because it helps us reflect on our own. Here was the first democracy and this is how it ran,” he says. “They would not in any way consider what we do today as democratic. In Athenian democracy every citizen had an equal opportunity to rule and be ruled.

His intent with the talk was to engage local citizens much as the Athenians did so many years ago. After all, their conflicts really weren’t all that different than those we see in the courts today.

“What concerns humans 2,000 years ago and what may lead to litigation, in some ways, are the same concerns we have now, so there is that continuity of the human experience,” says Cooper. “For me, it’s also an intrinsically interesting topic.”

The next talk in the PUBlic Professor series is Thursday, October 22, 2015 and features Dr. Olga Kovalchuk from the Department of Biological Sciences. She will discuss Epigenetics of Health and Disease.

The entire lineup of PUBlic Professor series presentations can be found at: ulethbridge.ca/artsci/publicprofessor.

Cooper to kick off popular PUBlic Professor lecture series

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 20:22:43 +0000

Dr. Craig Cooper will present Catching the Crook in Classic Athens as the opening session for the now annual and extremely popular PUBlic Professor lecture series.

Cooper will present Catching the Crook in Classic Athens as the opening session for the now annual and extremely popular PUBlic Professor lecture series, Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lethbridge City Hall.

The PUBlic Professor initiative was introduced in 2014 as a thought-provoking series of pub-style talks that bring a range of experts and researchers from across the arts and sciences to the community for a spirited conversation.

“We are a publicly funded institution, so I think we have a responsibility to communicate with the public about what we do,” says Cooper of the PUBlic Professor series. “I think what we do is very important across the disciplines, whether it’s from the sciences or the humanities, and I think it’s important to share this with the general public.”

So popular were the talks last year, the size of the crowds necessitated a change in venue from the U of L’s Dr. Foster James Penny Building to City Hall.

He says the workings of ancient Greek courts and the lessons learned from studying them still have relevance today.

“Looking at any society and its aspects are relevant because it helps us reflect on our own. Here was the first democracy and this is how it ran. They would not in any way consider what we do as democratic,” says Cooper. “What concerned humans 2,000 years ago and what may have led to litigation, in some ways, were the same concerns we have now, so there is that continuity of the human experience. For me, it’s also an intrinsically interesting topic.”

In total, seven talks make up the 2015/2016 PUBlic Professor series schedule. All the talks are free and open to the public, with free appetizers and bar service available. The full lineup is as follows:

September 24, 2015– Dr. Craig Cooper (Arts & Science) – Catching the Crook in Classical Athens
October 22, 2015– Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (Biological Sciences) – Epigenetics of Health and Disease
November 19, 2015– Dr. Craig Coburn (Remote Sensing) – Understanding the Complexities of Imaging the Earth: The Challenge of Image Calibration
November 26, 2015– Dr. Jennifer Copeland (Kinesiology) – Physical Activity Versus sedentary Time and How They Interact to Affect Health
January 21, 2016– Dr. Harold Jansen (Political Science) – The Impact of Digital Technology on Democratic Citizenship in Canada
February 25, 2016– Dr. Shawn Bubel (Archaeology) – Prehistoric Bison Hunters in Southern Alberta: Excavations at the Fincastle Site
March 17, 2016– Dr. Reg Bibby (Sociology) – Beyond the Gods & Back: The Return of Religion in Canada

*All presentations are from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lethbridge City Hall. Seating is limited – no RSVP required.

Celebrate ideas, innovation and invention at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Exploration Expo 2015

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 May 2015 16:08:20 +0000

A year after opening the eyes and engaging the minds of southern Albertans with the inaugural Exploration Expo, the popular event is back, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is eager to introduce even more people to the groundbreaking research taking place on campus.

Exploration Expo offers the chance to talk to some of the world’s leading research scientists and participate in hands-on activities.

Do you have a sense of discovery? Are you curious about the world around you? Would you like to talk to some of the world’s leading research scientists and participate in hands-on activities? Exploration Expo, Saturday, May 23, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium, is the place to be.

“We launched Exploration Expo as an opportunity to really engage the community with our people and the amazing research activities with which they are involved,” says Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Dr. Craig Cooper. “The outreach activities we are involved in are always so rewarding and through Exploration Expo, we hope to see people of all ages come to campus and explore what we have to offer.”

There will be opportunities to view 3D printing and helicopter demonstrations, participate in hands-on activities in art, science and technology, and the always explosive Chem Guys will highlight the mid-day entertainment on the main stage. Throw in the opportunity to travel back in time with the Medieval Club and a host of other popular activities, and Exploration Expo promises something for every age.

“Lethbridge is a city where ideas flourish and where collaboration is celebrated,” adds Cooper. “Exploration Expo is designed for families, offering activities that will appeal to all ages, from pre-school children to seniors. We want to encourage conversation between all ages by stimulating people’s minds and passions through interactive experiences. We invite you to explore connections between the sciences and the arts within your southern Alberta community and discover the activities taking place at the U of L.”

To learn more, visit the Exploration Expo website.

Return of Engineering Transfer program welcomed by industry, students alike

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:10:11 +0000

With more than double the applicants for available spaces, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Engineering Transfer program is getting the stamp of approval from students looking to become engineers.

An initial cohort of 40 students will begin study in the Fall 2015 semester and plans are to continue growing the program over the next few years.

Relaunched earlier this month after a two-year hiatus, the one-year program has been through a quality assurance review, enlisted an advisory committee of industry professionals and modified its curriculum to better align itself with the province’s premier engineering program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

“It’s been hugely successful,” says Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Dr. Craig Cooper. “We’re just in the midst of establishing an advisory committee now, we’ve got new scholarships coming in to support the program and we’ve got the U of A on board in regards to having our students transfer into their second year engineering program.”

The program had run successfully for 30 years but was in need of modification to bring it more in step with how both industry and the U of A program had evolved. External reviewers from Thompson Rivers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan conducted the quality assurance review and modifications, including the introduction of new courses, were recommended.

“We’ve restructured the math requirements to better align with what the U of A was expecting,” says Cooper. “We’ve also introduced a couple of professional engineering courses, where we will bring in industry members who will be able to introduce students to the profession on a variety of levels.”

An initial cohort of 40 students will begin study in the Fall 2015 semester and Cooper says plans are to continue growing the program over the next few years. A student must post a minimum 2.50 GPA to be eligible to then transfer into an engineering program.

“We are in discussions with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan to set up an arrangement similar to the transfer agreement we have with the U of A, which could create a second stream of students tailored for their program,” adds Cooper.

While some students choose to enter directly into an engineering program, many prefer to attend a smaller school in their first year. For Mark Bellamy, Senior Principal at Stantec Consulting Ltd., the Engineering Transfer program set him up for success at the U of A.

“Personally, the experience and knowledge gained at the U of L provided the foundation for my engineering education and career,” says Bellamy, who went through the program in 1984 and is now a member of the advisory board and sponsor of a scholarship.

“This program adds another pathway for students, allowing some to stay home for a year and others who are maybe coming to post-secondary school from a smaller community, the chance to make a smoother transition to the rigors of an engineering program,” says Cooper. “Here, students are looking at class sizes ranging from 40 to 80 students, whereas at the U of A, they may be looking at classes upwards of 300 and 400 students in first year.”

Interior of future science and academic building begins to take shape

caroline.zentner — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 21:48:36 +0000

Last week, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge unveiled The Hub as the design choice for the future Science and Academic Building as part of Destination Project.

This week, KPMB/Stantec Architects are back on campus working with the Integrated Design Committee, composed of U of L administrators and faculty members from across science departments, to make key decisions as to how the interior of the building will take shape.

“These decisions will define how we can achieve our primary objectives and create a world-class facility that will engage our faculty, students and the community for generations to come,” says U of L provost Dr. Andy Hakin.

The task at hand this week is to organize the space horizontally and vertically. Classroom, offices and labs spaces, which comprise approximately 80 per cent of the building, have been assigned, and secondary support spaces will now be discussed.

“It’s a lengthy process,” says Hakin. “It builds from one session to the next, and is ongoing, fluid and evolving. We are visioning science for the future.”

A key theme guiding the planning process is trans-disciplinary research and collaboration.

“We are envisioning scientists and researchers working together to share resources and expertise outside of their traditional disciplines to achieve a common scientific goal,” explains Dr. Craig Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Research benefits from different perspectives, different approaches. Students learn from and appreciate the value of work done by other disciplines, creating well-rounded individuals. It benefits students and researchers by allowing them to place their work in a greater context.”

The new Science and Academic Building will allow faculty to more easily incorporate modern teaching methodologies into evolving curriculums. It aims to enhance and support entrepreneurship through the training of students in leading-edge teaching and research laboratories and will provide high quality space to foster industry collaboration and potentially the development of new companies. It will also contain a state-of-the-art, highly sustainable energy centre that will serve the entire U of L campus.

To stay up to date, visit: destination-project.uleth.ca

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