UNews - Gary Goodyear

Spencer returning as Canada Research Chair

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:30:41 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's first graduate in the Earth, Space and Physical Science PhD program is coming back to the U of L through the Canada Research Chairs program.

Astrophysicist Dr. Locke Spencer, who has been working at Cardiff ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Wales, is receiving $500,000 in funding over the next five years as a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Experimental Astrophysics.

The funding will support the development of instruments that will provide new insights and improved understanding of our universe. The focus of Spencer's research program will include the development of instrumentation unique within Canada, as well as the creation of new observation and data processing techniques that will be used for future large-scale international projects.

"I am very excited to continue research in this field and to start a new chapter of it at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," says Spencer, a former Calgarian who attended the U of L for his masters and doctoral studies.

"My U of L graduate training has opened many doors for me and I am truly humbled at the prospect of embarking through this one. Through conducting research in Cardiff I have extended my skills and network to include a variety of leading international projects and collaborations. This CRC funding/position provides the opportunity to bring this experience to Canada and continue to build on the strong international reputation which we have."

During his initial time at the U of L, Spencer worked closely with graduate supervisor Dr. David Naylor in the development and eventual deployment of Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), an instrument on the Herschel space telescope. SPIRE picked up heat signals that are not visible by optical telescopes, and will help to answer the age-old question astronomers have been asking for centuries: "What's out there?"

Spencer continued his involvement with the Herschel/SPIRE project while extending his research towards other projects including working with the Planck space telescope as a post-doctoral researcher at Cardiff.

Naylor says space astronomy projects typically have a cradle to grave lifespan of around two decades from concept studies, through engineering models to flight instrumentation, and the operation and post operation phases.

He adds Canada has rightly earned international recognition for its contributions to several space astronomy missions.

"With a number of far infrared space astronomy missions under development it is essential that Canada builds research capacity to exploit these emerging opportunities if it is to remain at the forefront of the field," says Naylor. "The U of L has recognized the long term nature of these opportunities and has made a strategic investment in the astronomical instrumentation group. Having spent the last years working with scientists on the Planck space project, Dr. Spencer brings a depth of expertise and a network of collaborators which will allow the U of L to further build upon its reputation."

Spencer's studies will advance the understanding of the evolution of the Universe through next-generation far-infrared space-based astrophysical instrumentation and will position Canada as a significant contributor to international research projects.

U of L Vice-President (Research) Dan Weeks says Spencer's research will build capacity in an area of research strength at the U of L.

"Through the efforts of researchers like Dr. Naylor and Dr. Spencer, the U of L has become an international leader in building instrumentation that provides our world with the tools to better understand our universe," says Weeks. "An example of this leadership is the fact that the U of L hosted the first and only SPIRE consortium meeting to be held in Canada last year."

The Canada Research Chairs program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development.

In 2000, the Government of Canada created a permanent program to establish 2000 research professorships – Canada Research Chairs – in eligible degree-granting institutions across the country. The Canada Research Chairs program invests $300 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds.

"Our government is committed to attracting and retaining the world's best and brightest researchers, supporting innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy," says Canada's Minister of State Gary Goodyear. "By investing in programs such as the Canada Research Chairs, we are fostering cutting-edge research and the generation of new innovations for the marketplace, for the benefit of Canadians."

The U of L is a comprehensive academic and research university as mandated by the Government of Alberta. Last year the U of L was named by Research Infosource as Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year – Undergraduate Category.

Mahon's trip aided by Brazilian students

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:26:31 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon was among a group of 30 Canadian university presidents who travelled to Brazil to take part in an educational tour, the largest-ever initiative of its kind. The goal was to showcase Canada and strengthen relationships with Brazil, a rapidly growing economic powerhouse.

Doing business in Brazil is not a new process for the U of L. For several years, recruiters have participated in major trade shows, and a number of Brazilian students have traded Rio and Sao Paulo for Lethbridge. Felipe Ferreira, Guilherme Costa and Daniel Lima are three such students, all in their third or fourth year of study, who have taken advantage of many programs while attending the U of L, including applied studies and international exchanges, as they have worked to complete their degrees.

David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, delivered the opening address at the Conference of the Americas on International Education in Rio de Janeiro as part of the week's activities. Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, also attended.

U of L President Mike Mahon, left, receives some friendly tips on interesting places to see during his trip to Brazil from a trio of Brazilian students studying at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Felipe Ferreira (BMgt International Management/French/Supply Chain Management) and Guilherme Costa (BA Kinesiology) are both from Sao Paulo, while Rio de Janeiro native Daniel Lima (BSc Psychology) met Mahon to talk about some of the opportunities the U of L group might have to connect with educational institutions and organizations while in Brazil.

Playing a role in resource management

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:04:46 +0000

Improving the management of natural resources in Alberta, Canada and around the world is the goal of a new research centre announced recently by federal Minister of State (Science and Technology) Gary Goodyear.

Funded under the federal Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program and industry/government partners, the new Centre of Excellence for Integrated Resource Management will be the first of its kind in the world to focus geomatics science and engineering expertise towards the complex problems of large-scale resource and environmental management.

The centre will be led by Dr. Naser El-Sheimy, holder of a Canada Research Chair and the head of the Department of Geomatics Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and involves partners at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and other Canadian universities, the Province of Alberta and industry partners.

"This is a research and development centre that will lead to the commercialization of geomatics tools that will help ensure the responsible maintenance and management of resources in Canada and in countries across the globe," U of C Vice-President (Research) Rose Goldstein says. "A centre of this calibre will undoubtedly attract some of the leading researchers in the field to our province."
"At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, we have been working on – and investing in – this program for the past six years," says Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick, Vice-President,
Research. "We brought to Lethbridge senior remote sensing scientists like Dr. Philippe Teillet and Dr. Karl Staenz to join Dr. Craig Coburn and Dr. Derek Peddle, and this group of experts is housed in our new Alberta Water and
Environmental Science Building. The optical imaging of the earth is important to Alberta – for land and water management, as well as other natural resources and urban issues."

Fitzpatrick adds that the new centre at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the collaborative focus between researchers and institutions represents a natural partnership where researchers can combine efforts to create a stronger program than they ever could individually.

"We expect the impact of this announcement, and the research generated from it, to have far-reaching implications," Fitzpatrick says.
"At the U of L, we are already at work on commercial applications for remote sensing through our partnership in the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre, which we operate with pioneering local business Iunctus Geomatics. As well, we have numerous undergraduate and graduate students currently studying this technology. They will take advantage of the educational and research opportunities generated by our people and others involved in this high-tech activity."

The extended time frame for funding – up to five years initially – allows for the significant development of new research and researchers, according to Dr. Philippe Teillet, who joined the U of L faculty in 2006 (Department of Physics and Astronomy). Teillet is a remote sensing researcher working with colleagues in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building.

"I came to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with my colleague Karl Staenz, and our goal was to help build research capacity and add to the projects that are already putting the U of L on the remote sensing map. This announcement is a validation of our approach, which was to be collaborative and flexible. Once programs are up and running, we will be working not individually, but in multiple teams. Together we can be even more productive."

UNews - Gary Goodyear

Spencer returning as Canada Research Chair

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