UNews - Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Horns' Millman always had U of L on his mind

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:56:58 +0000

Peter Millman’s track career began with him trying to run over hurdles as fast as he could. Today, Millman could just hurl them out of the way and waltz down the track – he’s clearly found his niche.

“I thought I was going to be a hurdler in Grades 6 through 8 and honestly, was really bad, and it was sort of embarrassing for my dad,” laughs Millman, whose father Paul coached track at the provincial and national level. “So I started throwing the discus in Grade 8, won provincials my second year and that’s basically where my throwing career began.”

Ready to embark on his second year of studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Millman is already a known commodity on the Canadian Interuniversity Sport track and field scene. That will happen when you win gold and silver medals in your first Canada West Championship meet and are named Canada West Rookie of the Year – and that was just the beginning.

Millman, 19, spent the summer racking up personal best throws and more accolades as he claimed three medals at the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships. The Truro, N.S. product won gold in the shot put and silver in each of the discus and hammer throw events. He was then named to Canada’s Pan American Junior Championship team and competed in Medellin, Colombia at the end of August, qualifying for the finals of the hammer throw event and improving his Pan Am ranking from 10th to seventh position.

Peter Millman prepares to throw the shotput during the Pan American Junior Athletic Championships.

“Coming here and focusing on throwing and training with Larry Steinke, I believe opens everything up for me,” says Millman, who eyes world championship and Olympic appearances in his future. “I had opportunities to go to the United States but to me, it looked like an athlete factory down there and with Larry, it’s one-on-one focussed training designed to get you to the next level.”

The U of L didn’t have to spend a lot of time recruiting Millman, he was essentially in the family from the time he took his first training trip to Lethbridge in his Grade 10 year.

“I tried to convince my parents to let me move out here in Grade 10 and just start training with Larry but that wasn’t going to happen,” he says. “I had chosen the U of L by Grade 10, it was always where I was coming.”

The draw of course is head coach Steinke, leader of the national throws program and the mentor to Olympians Jim and Heather Steacy. He’s been mining talent from Truro for years, having previously brought Kate Forbes and Jonathan Doucette (now the coach at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Along with Millman came Kayla Gallagher (last year’s CIS gold medallist in weight throw) and Montana Forsyth. In the fall, Millman says his dad will bring another high school group to Lethbridge for a week of training, possibly laying the foundation for future throwing prospects attending the U of L.

“The thing about Larry is that his programs are so individually based and he’s so knowledgeable about track, even outside of throws events, he knows the sport so well,” says Millman. “He understands what you need in terms of lifting, really everything within your training, he sets it up. Everybody has their own program focused on what they individually need to develop.”
Millman has changed his academic focus this fall, moving away from international management and focusing on history. He admittedly struggled last year and looks to return to the strong classroom performances he put in while in high school.

“I wasn’t going to force myself to study something I didn’t really want to do,” he says of the management vein he tried to follow in the shadow of father’s career (he runs an international student recruitment program in Nova Scotia). “I want to take something where my interests lie and I’ve done that this year. I really like the courses I’m in this semester so I hope things go a lot better.”

His competitive goals are enhanced this year as he looks to build off his rookie success as well as the summer experience he gained internationally.

“Hopefully, I want to medal this year at the CIS Championships. I had such a great outdoor season with the shot, I hope it transfers to the indoor season,” he says. “After that, theoretically the NACAC Under-23 (North America Central America and Caribbean) Games are a possibility. I’m still pretty young and would have another shot at it in two years but it’d be great to make that team.”

GET THE FACTS

• Millman says he still has an autograph from former Pronghorn thrower and Olympian Jim Steacy on his bedroom wall back home in Truro from his initial visit to Lethbridge in Grade 10

• Millman competes in each of the discus, hammer/weight and shot put events but says, “I’m starting to think that maybe I have more potential in the shot put.”

• Millman has a younger sister in Grade 12 who he describes as a “genius”. She also throws hammer and is looking at attending an Ivy League school in the eastern United States

• Millman placed fifth in shot at the Pan American Junior Athletic Championships, while Horns teammate Kayla Gallagher won bronze for Canada in the hammer throw

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ mourns passing of DeBow

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:19:30 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Community offers its most sincere condolences to the family, many friends and colleagues of the late Dr. Shirley DeBow, a Lethbridge-based community volunteer, social worker and educator who served as the 10th Chancellor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge from 2003 – 2007.

Shirley passed away on Monday, March 25, at age 68.

She is survived by her husband Gerald DeBow, and their three children – Jeremy, Suzanne and Adrienne – and their families.

A memorial service has yet to be confirmed.

This notice will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Shirley served the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and broader community with enthusiasm, good humour and dedication, and participated in a host of community activities as Chancellor that served to strengthen the relationship between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the Lethbridge community at large.

She served on the U of L Senate from 1993 to 2001, as well as a number of U of L-specific committees and groups, and received an Honorary Degree from the U of L in 2008 for her extensive community service efforts.

During her time as Chancellor, she either hugged or (was hugged by) more than 6,000 students who were welcomed into the U of L family and helped establish the Senate Volunteer award, as well as an endowed Senate Scholarship for students, among other outreach activities.

"The U of L has long been fortunate to have strong community support and committed volunteers and Shirley DeBow was very much one of those people," said Dr Bill Cade, who served as U of L President during Shirley's term as Chancellor.

"She devoted much time and effort to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ activities over the years, especially in her role as ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Chancellor. This was a job that Shirley loved and was ideally suited for. She performed her duties with much class and with genuine interest in the well being of our students.

Cade said that Shirley also served as an outstanding ambassador for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and worked tirelessly with the broader southern Alberta community to advance the U of L.

"One of Shirley's most significant legacies was the establishment of the Senate Scholarship Fund. Shirley provided leadership at a critical time when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate launched a drive to raise scholarship funding for outstanding students. They were very successful and the fund continues to this day. It was a pleasure to work with Shirley in her capacity as Chancellor of the U of L. Elsa and I will miss her and we offer our condolences and best wishes to her family at this time."

Shirley's care and concern for people extended far beyond her immediate family, and she was forever a Maritimer, no matter how much time she spent on the prairies. Shirley was born in Nova Scotia (delivered by the doctor-father of Canadian music artist Anne Murray)and spent her childhood on Cape Breton Island, where her father served as an Anglican priest.

She attended Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, the Maritime School of Social Work, and, after moving to Alberta in 1966, attended the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Faculty of Social Work.

She accepted a position as a social worker with the Government of Alberta, then progressed to NAIT, where she launched the first Social Services Worker program.

Shirley took this experience to the newly-established Grant MacEwan Community College in 1971, where, as the institution's 5th full-time employee, she established several key outreach programs and was particularly proud of an outreach program that she personally delivered to remote and northern locations of the province. She became the Head of the Social Services program, and was an instructor within the program until moving to Lethbridge in 1984.

In Lethbridge, she taught at Lethbridge Community College on a part-time basis and worked as a Social Worker/Supervisor of Social Work Programs at FamilyCare Inc., training and certifying social workers in several communities in southern Alberta, including the Town of Claresholm, the Kainai first Nation and the Siksika First Nation.

She will be remembered as the ultimate grandmother who was fiercely proud of her family, as a gracious host who welcomed people from all walks of life into her world, and as a community volunteer who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for organizations in need.

Condolences may be sent to the family at this address: senate@uleth.ca

Shaping the future

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:36:04 +0000

Town Hall meeting to discuss development of complex Jan. 18

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus has undergone significant change over recent years with the addition of a number of prominent buildings – but the biggest project is yet to come.

A proposed 300,000 square foot complex that will transform the Faculty of Arts & Science in particular and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a whole is just now in the planning stages and one of the U of L's newest employees, Chris Eagan, is at the forefront.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's new executive director of Facilities looks at the $255 million project as an opportunity for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to take a major step forward, one that will further define the U of L as a leading comprehensive research institution.

Chris Eagan, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's new executive director of Facilities, will play a key role in the development of a complex that could cost more than $255 million and add 300,000 square feet of building space to campus.

"We're at that natural point where the space that was built in 1969 is ready for renovation," says Eagan. "We've changed as a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the things we're doing now, the old space doesn't fit us well. It is now constraining us fairly significantly and most seriously in the science labs, where safety is a major factor."

Eagan comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ from Lethbridge College, where he spent the last three years. Prior to that, the Nova Scotia-born but Saskatchewan-raised engineer worked six years as the director of planning, design, and construction for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina.

He sees many similarities between the U of R and the U of L and brings to Lethbridge experience with the construction of Regina's Research and Innovation Centre (RIC).

"I built one of these facilities at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina that's very comparable in terms of scope to what we're planning," he says. "So, to some degree I've taken this journey before but it's always a learning experience. It's a great feeling to have an opportunity to be generally familiar with the process."

To put the U of L project into context, 300,000 square feet is equivalent to adding two-thirds the size of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall to campus. And that's just the start.

"The new construction is just one part of the project," says Eagan. "Part two, or the second domino, is the renovation of the vacated space in UHall and the repopulation of that space. The third domino is the infrastructure required, such as roads, heating plant and all that's needed to keep the campus functioning."

Eagan loves the complexity of a major development and revels in the responsibility his team has in setting the direction of a project.

"Winston Churchill used to say that for a short time we shape buildings and for a long time, they shape us," says Eagan.

"Everybody has lived in a home or office environment that doesn't really work for them. Bad environments make people work harder, not smarter."

A typical project of this magnitude, Eagan says, lasts 15 years. To get to this point there's been a lot of essential work already done, laying the foundation for where the project is at today, in its first phase of planning. This initiation phase is largely strategic planning work defining what the project needs to do for the institution.

"It's not super prescriptive at this point and is designed to make sure the project works in terms of schedule, budget and scope," says Eagan, who expects to move onto phase two, predesign feasibility and planning, by February.

The final piece of the puzzle is implementation, design, tender and construction.

"We want to make sure that in the first two phases that our needs are well understood, well discussed and well defined because the consultants do an excellent job of translating our needs into the physical spaces and organizing those spaces, that's what architects do well," he says. "They love it when we show up with binders of needs and know what we want, because then they don't have to guess."

He stresses that the consultation phase will be comprehensive, all in an attempt to construct a complex that will satisfy the needs of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for years to come.

"Whatever we don't do we own and fight with for the next 40 years, so that drives us to get it right," he says.

GET THE FACTS

· In September 2011, the Alberta government pledged $2.3 million in planning funds for a new complex on the U of L campus

· A Town Hall meeting to discuss the progress to date on the initiation phase of the new complex will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. in C674

· A best-case scenario timeline for the project includes starting construction in March 2013 and moving people into the new space by spring 2016

· Eagan, who holds a bachelor of engineering (civil) degree from Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, is married and a father of four children

This story first appeared in the January edition of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A family of graduates

trevor.kenney — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:19:05 +0000

Every path to a convocation procession is unique, even when it involves three siblings who are all graduating from the same discipline at the same time. Brian, Alan and Shari Ward all completed their bachelor of science (neuroscience) degrees this spring, and all three did it in their own way.

For Brian (24), his was a path that included leaving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for a year of study at Lethbridge College, the realization and subsequent conquering of a condition of exam anxiety and a revelation that neuroscience was his true calling.

Brian, Shari and Alan Ward all earned their bachelor of science (neuroscience) degrees at Spring 2011 Convocation.

Alan (23) took more of a direct route, knowing from the onset of his university career that neuroscience was his vocation. This did not preclude him from learning that the approach he took in high school would have to be replaced by much stricter study skills to succeed, leading to an extra year of study as he drove up his GPA with a medical school future in his sights.

Shari (21), the youngest of the graduating trio and the last of five Ward children, is a product of her older brothers' experiences as she only joined the neuroscience stream in her third year at the U of L. She came to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ thinking biochemistry was her inclination but after seeing the spark that neuroscience had given her brothers, she too made it her focus.

In fact, if one principle is consistent between the three, it is that once they showed an interest and aptitude for the discipline, the neuroscience professors embraced their willingness to learn.

"I took one semester with two neuroscience courses and I absolutely loved it," says Brian, about his return from Lethbridge College. "The prof I had, Dr. Deb Saucier, basically opened my eyes to the world of neuroscience. After that I almost tripled my GPA. It now comes to me and it comes to me easily."

He'd had the impression that the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) was strictly a research facility but soon found, after getting guidance from Saucier, that he could not only take classes in the CCBN but also, as an undergraduate student, participate in independent study research activities with the professors/researchers.

"I discovered I'm very much a science guy," says Brian. "I love how different parts of the brain and nervous systems work. I love how the central nervous system interacts with the peripheral nervous system and vice versa. I love how stimuli can affect different pathways and so on. It might sound weird but I want to spend $200 on a textbook just to read it because it floors me."

Alan had considered attending Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Halifax but decided to stay at the
U of L because its neuroscience department was more suited to his interest in the behavioural aspects of study. He also saw the independent study opportunities as a huge opportunity.

"That was a strong selling point for me," says Alan. "If you show a little initiative and put your best foot forward, you have a good chance of doing an independent study. That's something I knew about before I came, but then once I got into it, I definitely appreciate it so much more now."

Shari sees herself as a hybrid of her brothers' interests. She excels at the behavioural aspects that Alan loves, but is also intrigued by the pharmacological bent that Brian takes. Her initial misconceptions of neuroscience were quickly dispelled when she spoke with Saucier and found out all she could do within the CCBN.

"The profs here just love it when somebody shows an interest," says Shari. "After taking some classes and then getting the chance to learn techniques in an actual hands-on environment, it became so much more interesting to me. I could see what they were talking about and how it could be used and it really made it exciting."

They all agree that neuroscience isn't as daunting as it sounds, and the faculty cultivate that success.

"It's not what people make it out to be, and I've known students who won't take it because they think it'll be too hard. They're interested in it but they head off to do something else because they're intimidated by the sound of it," says Brian. "I firmly believe that the people in neuroscience, and at the CCBN, are the friendliest and most supportive profs I've ever had."

Evidence of that came on June 2, when the three Ward siblings marched in Spring 2011 Convocation.

"It is interesting, all of us graduating together; it is nice that we get to do it all at once. I think our parents were especially happy because they only had to come for one ceremony," laughs Alan. "But at the same time, none of us are really done."

He alludes to a future that sees him pursuing a medical degree and eventually becoming a surgeon; while Brian is intent on achieving a master's degree that may lead to a PhD and medical school; and Shari eyes a nursing after degree and maybe further study following that. It's safe to say, their passion for education has been ignited.

GET THE FACTS

· In all there are five Ward children, including older brother David, who started at the U of L and is currently a Doctor of Medicine in his second year of residency at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. Cindy, the eldest, is a stay-at-home mom.

· Both their parents have bachelor of commerce degrees with a major in accounting from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. Mother Debbie is a stay-at-home mom with a graduate diploma in post-secondary education, while father Ross owns and operates Wards Rentals.

· Shari was initially nervous about working with the CCBN rats, saying, "I thought that I was going to hate rats and Brian told me, once you meet the rats you're going to love them. I tell everybody that now, if you could meet the rats, you'd love them because they are so cute."

· All three attended Lethbridge Collegiate Institute before enroling at the U of L, and give credit to the teachers at Lakeview Elementary for igniting their passion for the sciences.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Melnyk enthused about role with Calgary chapter

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:46:18 +0000

Enthusiastic, positive and goal-oriented, Brock Melnyk (BMgt '06), president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) Calgary Chapter and financial advisor for ATB Securities Inc., is thrilled that his life is going as planned. He thanks, in part, the education he received at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's satellite campus in Calgary.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is providing such an amazing opportunity for students. I am indebted to them because if it wasn't for the flexibility and the evening classes at the Calgary campus I would likely not have graduated from university and I probably would not have the job I have now," explains Melnyk. "I had a goal to be married at 30 and have this job. I am getting married at 29 and I have my dream job. I am the happiest person in the world."

Brock Melnyk and his fiance, Terri-Lynn Good, plan to be married this summer.

Melnyk originally began his post-secondary educational career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. In 2002, he began working full time as a teller at ATB to pay for his classes, switching majors from economics to finance. He then made another switch, finding the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge a better fit for his educational needs. With additional financial assistance from ATB, he transferred to the U of L's Calgary campus for his final two years, took evening classes and continued to work full time.

"In comparing my education to those of my friends at other institutions, I found that the liberal arts focus of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was a much more balanced approach," says Melnyk. "The majority of professors are industry professionals and they are able to tell you real life experiences, which is fantastic. They are there, dedicating their time in the evening to educate and give back to their community and they are so passionate about the students and the material.
"I remember doing a project with my friend Jeff Wilson, who is now the vice president of the ULAA Calgary chapter. Basically, we predicted the whole income trust issue a few years before it happened. It was one of those moments that you don't realize until after you graduate how your professors led you to these types of conclusions and how good your education really was. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was such a tight-knit community with really high-level class discussions; that really pushed me forward and prepared me for my future."

After graduating in 2006, Melnyk continued to advance his career with ATB. For the next several years, his career and volunteer activities kept him quite busy, but he felt disconnected with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. With that in mind, he attended his first alumni event in 2007, the Calgary Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament.

"I went to the tournament and Karen Filbert, ULAA president at the time, proceeded to recruit me as a director. When I joined the board I joined to help out with the golf tournament and then I fell back in love with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and with being involved and wanting to do more," says Melnyk. "Since then we have almost quadrupled the attendees at the tournament, and with the funds we raised from that we have doubled the scholarship we give to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Our focus right now is to have well-attended, high-end events that will appeal to all alumni, help them stay interconnected and feel proud of their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. We want to increase the prestige of the U of L and its alumni here in Calgary and encourage alumni to get involved and give back to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the community and I think the new campus that we have here, Campus Alberta, is only going to support that."

Although being president of the ULAA Calgary chapter keeps Melnyk busy right now, he strongly believes in the value of continuing education. He says he has learned that if you set your mind to things, you can always find the time for life-long learning and for helping others.

"I am beginning my MBA at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in September 2012. I believe if you want to succeed you have to further your education," he says. "Similarly, as university graduates we are likely in a better position than the majority of Canadians, and I think it is important that we give back, whether it is financially or with our time. There is always someone who needs it more than we do and it is nice to be able to lend a helping hand."

GET THE FACTS

· Melnyk is a self-professed Gleek (fan of television show Glee) and amateur chef.

· He earned his Certified Financial Planner qualification in 2010 and anticipates being named a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers this year.

· Organizes the Brock Melnyk Invitation Golf Tournament. Part of ATB Financial's Teddy for a Toonie Campaign, the tournament supports the Alberta's Children's Hospital.

· He is also an organizing committee member for the annual United Way Day of Caring.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Bringing back the groove

trevor.kenney — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:09:10 +0000

Music has power – it's a certain fact that few, if any, will deny. From the earliest of our days, our mothers sing us lullabies, and later as children we learn ABC's and nursery rhymes to sweet little tunes. Music has the power to make us believe in something greater than ourselves. It crosses cultural, generational and racial barriers. It is the sure go-to when we're feeling low in spirits or high as a kite, and on more than one occasion has been just the romantic backdrop needed to make heartstrings tug. We each have a certain soundtrack to our lives – rhythms that inspire, beats that blare and grooves that rock.

Considering that music is such an integral part of our modern-day culture, it shouldn't come as a surprise that up-and-coming researchers are looking at its power. But still, the concept that music can help in the healing of those who suffer from Parkinson's disease is oddly surprising.

Working in the lab of Dr. Lesley Brown, U of L neuroscience PhD student Natalie de Bruin (BSc '06, MSc '08)

Natalie de Bruin finds it satisfying to make a difference, through her research, in people's lives.

is contributing to a study on how music affects the gait of people with the degenerative disorder. The study emerged from anecdotal evidence that suggests that listening to music could help people with Parkinson's move with greater control and ease.

"There was an example of a lady who had Parkinson's and was severely debilitated, but when you played ABBA's Dancing Queen, she would go from being almost frozen to dancing with her husband," explains de Bruin.

For people with Parkinson's disease, things most of us take for granted – like grocery shopping or collecting the mail – can become monumental challenges. The disorder causes a shortage of dopamine in the brain, resulting in rigid muscles, tremors and slowed movements.

As a result of these movement challenges, people are at risk of falling and injuring themselves, especially the elderly. It's a disease that robs people of their independence and takes away the joy of movement. But, through the use of music, de Bruin is finding, it doesn't have to remain that way.

Working together, the U of L, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are collaborating on a number of projects related to music and movement. De Bruin is contributing to a 12-week study with patients from both Lethbridge (which is known for its large senior-citizen population) and Halifax.

In the experimental group, Parkinson's patients were given iPods loaded with songs that matched the rhythm of their own stereotypical walking patterns. Three days a week, participants listened to the music while walking. Those in the control group went about their normal day-to-day activities without music. The project has relied on sophisticated biomedical engineering devices like motion capture cameras (at the U of L) and pressure-sensitive floors (at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) to objectively assess changes in how participants walk.

After preliminary evaluation, the results are pointing to the fact that music really does aid in movement. "It's possible that music may offer a safe walking intervention for many Parkinson's patients," says de Bruin. "We want this to be something individuals can enjoy and continue using."

Unlike other modes of physiotherapy for Parkinson's, walking is less repetitive and listening to music adds an element of fun to the activity.

For de Bruin, the most satisfying component of her PhD research has been working with the participants.

"I've had the opportunity to find out how participants have benefited from the research we're doing," she says. "It's gratifying to know that what I'm doing is making a difference for them."

To view the entire issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

2009 Student Research Awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:46:23 +0000

AHFMR Health Research Studentship
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Research Studentship is valued at $21,000 plus a $1,500 research allowance over 12 months.

Lori-Ann Sacrey (Ian Whishaw)
"Role of attention in cognitive and motor tasks in Parkinson's disease"

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AHFMR Studentship
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Studentship is valued at $6,300 over 12 months.

Heather Bell (Sergio Pellis)
"The rules of engagement: The development of social competence"

Simon Spanswick (Rob Sutherland)
"Adrenalectomy induced neuronal degeneration: Development of an animal model"

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AHFMR Summer studentship
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Summer Studentship is valued at $5,200 over four months.

Selina Dobing (Brent Selinger)
"Modification of inositol polyphosphatases for the cost effective production of inositol phospate derivatives"

Kate Greeff (Hans-Joachim Wieden)
"Molecular dynamics of translational GTPases"

Henrie Bradley (Ian Whishaw)
"Neuroscience"

Norah-Faye Matthies (Gerlinde Metz)
"New rehabilitation strategies for spinal cord injury"

Nichole Schmold (Bryan Kolb)
"Effects of prenatal enrichment on recovery from early brain injury, behaviour, and the epigenome"

Joel Stimson (Olga Kovalchuk)
"Role of epigenetic changes in chemoresistance of breast cancer cells"

Rebecca Supina (Gerlinde Metz)
"Physiological and behavioural alternations after maternal and prenatal stress"

Shuchi Talwar (Olga Kovalchuk)
"Role of microRNA-mediated TOP2A regulation in breast cancer drug resistance"

Stephanie Wickersham (Igor Kovalchuk)
"Improvement of gene targeting by inhibition of non-homologous repair pathways"

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Alberta Government Graduate Scholarship
The Alberta Government Graduate Scholarship is valued at $3,000.

Kevin Johnson (Paul Hayes)
"An investigation into the reactivity of low valent group 3 and lanthanide metals supported by a tridentate pincer ligand"

Ben Ireland (Paul Hayes)
"Cationic organomagnesium complexes as lactone polymerization catalysts"

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Alberta Ingenuity MSc Graduate Scholarship
The Alberta Ingenuity MSc Graduate Scholarship is valued up to a maximum of $23,000 plus a $1,500 research allowance per year for up to two years.

Linda Lait (Theresa Burs)
"The postglacial dispersal and population structure of the boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)"

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Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral 3 (NSERC)

Crystal Ehresman (Ian Whishaw)
"Dividing attention in motor and cognitive tasks"

Lori-Ann Sacrey (Deborah Saucier)
"Hormonal manipulation of male and female Long-Evans rats in an object location memory paradigm"

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Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's (NSERC)
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $17,500 over one year.

Kyle Hambrook (Will be attending UBC)
"Effective bounds on the exceptional zero of a Dirichlet L Function"

Linda Lait (Theresa Burg)
"The postglacial dispersal and population structure of the boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)"

Diana Lim (Will be attending UBC)
"The effects of prior experience on brain plasticity and learned nonuse following
cortical injury"

Ashley Marchuk (Tony Russell)
"Organization, Expression and Evolution of snoRNAs in Euglena gracilis"

Nathan Puhl (Brent Selinger/Doug Inglis)
"Characterization of cryptic emerging bacterial pathogens"

Jerrah Sawatsky (René Boere)
"PMMH-based dendrimers incorporating stable free radicals"

Anthony Schmieder (Howard Cheng)
"Compression image sets"

Nichole Schmold (Robbin Gibb)
"The effects of prenatal experience on early brain development and the epigenome"

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Chinook Research Summer Award
This ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge award is valued at $5,625 over four months.

Katie Areshenko (Brent Selinger)
"Characterization of novel protein tyrosein phosphatase like phytases from aerobic bacteria"

Lisa Boody (Lynn Kennedy)
"The talk of the town: Gossip and boundaries of community in Antebellum Charleston"

Lisza Bruder (Ute Kothe)
"Yeast model system for Dyskeratosis congenita mutations"

Colleen Chan (Tony Russell)
"Purification and reconstitution of snoRNP proteins"

Georgia Dale (Tiffany Muller Myrdahl)
"A feminist analysis of 'Green' discourse: Theory and praxis"

Jeffery Doherty (Yale Belanger)
"Collapse of the Kainai First Nation cattle ranching industry"

Angelica Doucette (Lesley Brown)
"Novel intervention for managing balance impairment in people with Parkinson's Disease"

Shey Eagle Bear (Hans-Joachim Wieden)
"Localization of two conserved bacterial GTPases on the E. coli Ribosome"

Laura Faber (Habiba Kadiri / Nathan Ng)
"Explicit bounds for the Kth prime number"

James Falconer (Abdie Kazemipur)
"The consequences of the rising ethnic/cultural diversity for social cohesion in Canada and other industrial nations"

Vanessa Foussier (Hans-Joachim Wieden)
"Nucleotide binding properties of the Lymphocyte guard IAN5"

Brandon Good (Shelly Wismath)
"K-Normal identities for varieties of bands"

Laura Gothreau (Paul Vasey)
"Mate retention behaviours of the male partners of female sex workers"

Dylan Johnson (Sheila McManus)
"Drawing the line: Selling the North American West, 1880-1930"

Sara Kafashan (Martin Lalumiere)
"Why risk it? A study on the link between risky behaviour and developmental stability"

Phillip Kubara (Roy Golsteyn)
"Characterization of Cdk1 activity in human cells exposed to genotoxic agents"

Phillip Layton (Judith Kulig)
"Resiliency in rural settlements that have experienced wildfires: Implications for disaster management and mitigation"

Vanessa Lodermeier (Muriel Mellow)
"Assessing experience in salary equity studies at North American universities"

Allysa Lumley (Habiba Kadiri)
"Explicit bounds for some functions of prime numbers"

Daniel Manson (James Mackenzie)
"Teaching spiritual identity in the west"

Kelly Pasolli (Heidi MacDonald)
"The Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Program (1937-39): A response to Canadian youth at risk during the Great Depression"

Shayne Rybchinski (Paul Hayes)
"Diphosphido supported transition metal and actinide complexes"

Jesse Supina (Arundhati Dasgupta)
"Quantum gravity"

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CIHR Health Professional Student Research Award
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health Professional Student Research Award is valued at $4,251 over 13 weeks.

Phillip Layton (Judith Kulig)
"The discovery of death and dying beliefs and practices among low German speaking Mennonites: Application to best practice guidelines"

Nicole Lemke (Ruth Grant Kalischuk)
"Post death encounters"

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FQRSC Fellowship - Bourse de Maitrise en Recherche
The FQRSC Fellowship is valued at $15,000 over one year.

Gillian Kennedy (Martin Lalumiere)
"Motivational Myopia: The effect of sexual arousal on decision-making"

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Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's (SSHRC)
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $17,500 over one year.

Debra Gazeley (Judith Whitehead)
"First Nation's women, gender and the embodiment of social suffering"

Carlin Nicholson (Jason Laurendeau)
"Let's put them on leashes: The construction of the novice risk experience in kayaking"

Kerrie Price (will be attending U of C)
"Of brave deeds in saddle and afoot: Internalization of masculinity in the American West"

Daisy Raphael (will be attending the U of A)
"Constructing gender in the 2008 US presidential election: representations of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin in the New York Times"

Anne Spice (will be attending Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ)
"Fair Trade and the ethical consumer: re-imagining relationships through the global marketplace"

Perry Stein (will be attending SFU)
"The divergences of fair trade"

Lesley Terry (Paul Vasey)
"Food, feeding and female sexual arousal"

Brittany Thompson (TBA)

Gabrielle Weasel Head (Yale Belanger)
"Aboriginal housing issues in Lethbridge"

Krysta Wosnack (Thelma Gunn)
"The process of resilience in adolescents in foster care: A mixed-methods approach"

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Julie Payette NSERC Research Scholarship
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Research Scholarship is valued at $25,000 over one year.

Selina Dobing (TBA)
"Biochemistry"

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Math in Moscow Scholarship (Canadian Mathematics Society/NSERC)
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Math in Moscow Scholarship is valued at $9,000 over one semester.

Mark Thom (Independent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Moscow)
"Mathematics"

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NSERC Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship Master's
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship is valued at $21,000 over one year.

Rob Sonnenberg (Dan Johnson / Pisces Environmental Consulting Services)
"Aquatic ecology and limnology"

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NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) award is valued at $5,625 over four months.

Karley Campbell (Theresa Burg)
"Testing the Bergmann Hypothesis in Nucifraga columbiana and Poecile gambeli"

Cassandra Churchill (Stacey Wetmore)
"Large scale computer modeling of DNA damage"

Mackenzie Coatham (Hans-Joachim Wieden)
"Structural and functional properties of translational ATPases"

Jill Dosso (Bryan Kolb)
"Recovery from juvenile brain injury"

Jarrod Dowdall (Matthew Tata)
"What and where in the auditory brain"

Jessica Erickson (Elizabeth Schultz)
"Understanding the molecular role of FKD1 in PIN localization"

Thomas Fox (Andrew Hurly)
"Use of landmarks by hummingbirds"

Natalie Freeman (Theresa Burg)
"Population differences in morphology of black-capped chickadees"

Tanner Heggie (David Naylor)
"Characterizing the performance of the Fourier spectrometer for use with SCUBA-2"

Miranda Meents (Elizabeth Schultz)
"Testing a truncated auxin response factor for repressibility"

Christine Michell (Andrew Hurly)
"Risk sensitive foraging by hummingbirds"

Aaron Mullin (Derek Peddle)
"Remote sensing of environmental dynamics in riparian forests of southern Alberta"

Lex Navarro-Whyte (Stacey Wetmore)
"Characterizing noncovalent interactions between DNA and proteins"

Samuel Neale (Mark Walton)
"Non-Newtonian reflections in one-dimensional quantum mechanics"

Karla Ponjavic (Matthew Tata)
"Auditory attention in complex acoustic environments"

Keilan Scholten (Kevin Grant)
"Flexible runtime structures for Bayesian network inference"

David Sessford (Lesley Brown)
"Bridging the gap between clinic and laboratory-based assessments of motor performance"

Michael Shields (Hans-Joachim Wieden)
"Universal bacterial GTPases interacting with the protein synthesis machinery of E. coli"

Vivien Suen (Jackie Rice)
"Investigations into representations for reversible logic functions"

Mark Thom (Nathan Ng)
"The Riemann zeta function and divisor functions"

Hlif Thrainsdottir (Lesley Brown)
"Exploring the interplay between attention and balance in older adults who fear falling"

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Ralph Steinhauer Award of Distinction
The Ralph Steinhauer Award of Distinction is valued at $20,000 over one year.

Craig Wheaton (Paul Hayes)
"The development of novel homogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of biodegradable polymers"

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Sexual Medicine Society of North America stipend
The Sexual Medicine Society of North America stipend is valued at $3,500 over one year.

Gillian Kennedy (Martin Lalumiere)
"Motivational myopia: The effect of sexual arousal on decision-making"

Kelly Suschinsky (Martin Lalumiere)
"Tell me how you feel: Why are women less sexually concordant than men?"

Lesley Terry (Paul Vasey)
"Food, feeding and female sexual arousal"

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Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (NSERC)
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Vanier Scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year up to three years.

Kristy Kutanzi (Olga Kovalchuk)
"Epigenetic dysregulation in estrogen-induced mammary carcinogenesis"

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Former Pronghorn swimmer Richard Hortness, swimming for his hometown Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club out of Medicine Hat, set a new Canadian record at the 2009 Short Course Spring Nationals in Toronto in March. Hortness, who was with the Pronghorns in 2004-05, teamed with Brent Hayden, Rory Biskuspi and Tommy Gossland to set a new 4 x 50 metre freestyle relay record.

Lisa Lambert (BA '91, MA '07) was recently honoured as a YWCA of Lethbridge, 2009 Woman of Distinction for her work as a social advocate. Currently teaching a Canadian Politics course at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Lambert is also working on her doctorate degree.

Winners of the U of L Plays and Prose Writing Competition were: Plays – James Forbes (1st), Adam Beauchesne (2nd), Trista Green (3rd) and Prose – Dave Bryant (1st), Adam Sarjeant (2nd), Henry Heavy Shield (3rd).

Several drama faculty, staff, and alumni were involved in the recent New West Theatre production of The Drawer Boy. Ron Chambers (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Marek Czuma (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jeremy Park (BFA '08) acted; Gail Hanrahan (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) directed; David Barrus (staff) was set designer; Rebecca Toon (BFA '06) designed the costumes; Kelly Roberts (staff) designed was sound designer and Lindsey Zess-Funk (BFA '07) was stage manager.

The U of L's 07/08 Report – Rethink About It – received a silver award in the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) 2009 PRIX D'EXCELLENCE awards program in the best institutional annual report category.

The Report, which is the U of L's annual report to the community, was distributed to 335,000 households in October 2008. The Report is produced by the Communications Office within ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Advancement.

This is the third consecutive year that the Report has received an award from CCAE. In 2006/2007 the Report received a silver award, and in 2005/2006 the Report received a gold award.

To view the 07/08 Report online, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/report

Dr. Anne Dymond (Art), Dr. Shelley Scott (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Dr. Anonymous Will Smith (New Media) all wrote books that were acknowledged at the recent U of L Book Award Celebration.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Art Gallery) wrote an essay entitled, "The answer is two years spent baking vulva-shaped cookies, or On Understanding Lesbian Representation," which appears in the catalogue for Toronto artist Allyson Mitchell's latest exhibition, Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch. The catalogue has just been launched and Mitchell's exhibition is on tour across Canada and comes to the U of L Art Gallery, Sept. 18 – Oct. 30, 2009.

Dr. Rolf Boon's (Music) composition, Bike Ride, has been selected for publication in the Canadian National Conservatory of Music's Northern Lights Level 5B Musical Discoveries collection. This is the eighth of Rolf's works that CNCM has published.

Dr. David Renter (Music) recently recorded with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble in Saskatoon. The group recorded one of Renter's big band compositions called Kukai and he was the featured soloist on several other selections during the recording. The CD will be released later this year.

Dagmar Dahle (Art), Don Gill (Art), Mary Kavanagh (Art), and Tanya Harnett (Art) had exhibition publications recently released by the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Director/Curator U of L art Gallery) has been accepted into the Getty Leadership Institute's museum program. The program is an intensive three weeks in Los Angeles during July in the Museum Leadership Institute 2009.

Richard Epp (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) acted in Theatre Calgary's recent production of An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde.

Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jean Harrowing (Health Sciences) have recently received an Award of Distinction from the Internationalizing the Teaching and Learning Practice program for their work with students in Malawi last summer. The award is presented by Advanced Education and Technology.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Music Department at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, distinguished alumni are being invited back to perform. Dr. Blaine Hendsbee (Music) was the tenor soloist in a concert of Mozart's Requiem, Apr. 7, in Halifax. He also presented master's classes at Dalhousie during the week.

Shining a light on logic

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:19:19 +0000

Just as a scientist places a sample beneath a microscope lens to understand its subtlest parts, philosophers minutely examine an argument to determine how its components work together.

Logics that can cope with inconsistent premises are the focus of Dr. Bryson Brown's most recent work. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge philosophy professor has recently earned a $95,000 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant to pursue his research program, titled Preservationism: Applications and Extensions.

His research, a collaboration with Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Dr. Peter K. Schotch and Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Dr. Raymond E. Jennings, examines preservationism – a philosophical approach to logic that prioritizes preserving desirable formal properties of premises when we draw conclusions from them.

"We already have a large body of work on two forms of preservationist logic and a number of other side-projects with published results," says Brown.

With this newest project, Brown hopes to look into applications of the logic (to philosophy of science and mathematics, for instance).

"Broadly, we're trying to make more people in the field aware of the work and the logical tools we've produced."

To disseminate the work, Brown, Schotch and Jennings are creating a series of books to be published by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Press (the first will be published early in 2009), as well as presenting their research at a number of international conferences.

"Given that we're trying to produce a book and attend several major conferences over the next few years, this help from SSHRC is essential to keeping up the pace of the project," says Brown.

International Centre for Students offers new look

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:04:58 +0000

Visitors to the International Centre for Students will be welcomed by a host of changes this academic year, not the least of which is the new administrative support staffer, Jacqueline St. Aubin.

Well-traveled, Ms. St. Aubin is the first person you'll meet when entering the newly renovated space on Students' Union Level 0. A former staff member at Halifax's Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (where she worked for the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies), Jacquie is Montreal born and educated (English Literature graduate from McGill). Along with her husband, comic artist Claude St. Aubin, she has raised two children, 29-year-old Claudine (who now lives in Vancouver) and 28-year-old Joel (a PhD student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta).

The new ICS space is much improved, offering greater accessibility to students and in the end greater service to their needs.

"Moving our reception area to the front of the hallway has also improved office space for our staff," ICS director Laurel Corbiere says.

The International Centre for Students is committed to assisting international students in meeting their academic and personal goals, as well as fostering cross-cultural understanding and learning among students, staff and faculty in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in the surrounding community.

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