UNews - Shahadat Hossain

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers awarded more than $2.3 million in NSERC, CFI funding support

trevor.kenney — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 22:07:42 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers across a breadth of disciplines have earned more than $2.3 million in funding support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), as announced by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health in Edmonton today.

The funding support is part of a $960-million investment by the federal government in research activities across the country.

“This funding is an integral part of the research process and supports our faculty members and their teams in multiple ways, from hiring essential personnel to training graduate and undergraduate students, to acquiring essential equipment and more,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president (research). “This support allows our researchers to continue to pursue the solutions to a host of issues facing society today and in the future.”

“My best wishes to all the recipients of these grants, awards and scholarships,” adds Minister Holland. “The government is pleased to invest in your diverse array of health, natural sciences and engineering research projects because we know that your ideas, passion and hard work, as well as the evidence you uncover, are instrumental in improving the health and quality of life of people in Canada, and your findings contribute to the international research effort around the world.”

In all, nine ULethbridge researchers were successful in their NSERC grant applications, which included funding for projects in neuroscience, biological sciences, chemistry & biochemistry and mathematics & computer science. As well, Drs. Majid Mohajerani and Stacey Wetmore earned CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) awards.

Among the projects are Dr. Roy Golsteyn’s (biological sciences) work investigating human cell division and utilizing beneficial chemicals in Canadian prairie plants, which was funded at $300,000 ($60,000 per year over five years). As well, Dr. Bruce McNaughton (neuroscience) receives $420,000 over five years for his study to understand the neural basis of long-term, episodic memory, and Dr. Robert Benkoczi (mathematics & computer science) is receiving a Discovery Development Grant valued at $40,000 over two years as he conducts fundamental research into finding new and more efficient algorithms for planning large scale evacuations.

“The projects our researchers are involved in cover a wide range of topics, all of which are focused on bettering society while providing excellent mentoring and training to undergraduate and graduate students,” adds McMartin. “These funding awards give just a glimpse of the breadth of research activity taking place daily across our campuses.”

Following are details on today’s grant announcements.

NSERC

Discovery Grant (5 years)

Dr. Roy Golsteyn (biological sciences) — Natural products as novel tools to investigate human cell division ($300,000) — Our research uncovers how human cells divide and seeks beneficial chemicals in Canadian prairie plants. From potential cancer treatments to sustainable practices, we are supporting scientific and economic innovation, while fostering cultural exchange with southern Alberta Indigenous communities.

Dr. Igor Kovalchuk (biological sciences) — Transgenerational response to stress in Arabidopsis ($255,000).

Dr. Marc Roussel (chemistry and biochemistry) — Delays in gene expression models: methodological developments ($225,000) — Development of methods for building and analyzing mathematical models of gene expression systems, where transcription, translation and splicing may play a significant role in the timing of events.

Dr. Bruce McNaughton (neuroscience) — Consolidation of cortical memory representations into hippocampus-independent form: neural ensemble dynamics and mechanisms ($420,000) — We are attempting to understand the neural basis of long-term, episodic memory, and its integration into generalized knowledge encoded by brain cells in the cerebral cortex.

Discovery Development Grant (2 years)

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (biological sciences) — Exosomes - important mediators of direct and bystander radiation effects on the brain ($40,000).

Dr. Robert Benkoczi (mathematics & computer science) — Models and algorithms for facility location ($40,000) — This award supports fundamental research into finding new and more efficient algorithms for planning large scale evacuations.

Dr. Shahadat Hossain (mathematics & computer science) — Efficient computation with sparse and structured matrices – mathematical derivatives and beyond ($40,000).

Research Tools and Instruments (1 year)

Dr. Trushar Patel (chemistry & biochemistry) — Isothermal Titration Calorimetry for Studying Macromolecular Interactions ($150,000) — The installation of ITC (Isothermal Titration Calorimetry) at ULethbridge strengthens the biochemical and biophysical infrastructure as well as the research programs aimed at examining communication events that are at the heart of viral infections and cancer.

Dr. Matthew Tata (neuroscience) — Critical Refit and Upgrade to Electroencephalography Lab at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ($149,140) — This upgrade includes state-of-the-art electroencephalography systems to study how brain regions communicate with each other while solving the computational problems of perception and cognition.

CFI

John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Dr. Majid Mohajerani (neuroscience) — Innovative brain imaging techniques for aging-associated diseases ($563,466).

Dr. Stacey Wetmore (chemistry & biochemistry) — Tools for modeling the chemistry of modified nucleic acids ($139,702).

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Quantum Alberta researchers pushing towards a second quantum revolution

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 18:16:11 +0000

You likely never think about how your new mobile phone is twice as fast as your last, why you now feel secure making bank transactions remotely, or how Google and Alexa now plan your days — it’s just the world in which we live. The technology, the security, the communicative ability can all be traced to research, and the future of these advances is even brighter thanks to work being done right now by Quantum Alberta researchers, a fifth of whom are based at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Saurya Das of the Department of Physics & Astronomy.

Dr. Saurya Das, in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Department of Physics & Astronomy, is a theme leader of Quantum Alberta, a province-wide platform of more than 35 quantum researchers from the Universities of Lethbridge, Calgary and Alberta. It is made up of physicists, chemists, computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers and promotes and strengthens collaboration between researchers and institutions in quantum science and technology.

Quantum technology is an emerging field of physics and engineering that relies on the principles of quantum physics. Applications of quantum technologies include highly accurate sensor technology (for use in oil and gas or construction, for example) and secure communications and computing (for computer optimization, machine learning uses and for creating a quantum internet).

Recently, the Government of Alberta renewed its support of Quantum Alberta in terms of the five-year $12-million Quantum Major Innovation Fund Project (QMP). Das is the principal investigator of the project from the U of L. His group and the users of the project at the U of L have received nearly $1 million ($400,000 from the provincial government and the rest from other granting agencies) for their part.

“This shows the confidence of the government in our researchers and the other universities that they will deliver the project as promised, and in particular advance quantum technologies, innovation and jobs,” says Das. “The project has already supported many Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) at the U of L, the majority of whom were attracted to Alberta from outside, which would not have been possible without the grant.”

Indeed, the provincial government sees quantum technology as a major driver of economic diversification.

“Diversifying our economy has never been more important,” says Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation. “Establishing Alberta as a leader in quantum technologies will give a competitive boost to our economy and create new jobs today and for the future.”

The main areas of research at the U of L in support of Quantum Alberta are in the studies of quantum gravity, quantum sensing and quantum computation. Joining Das as part of Quantum Alberta are fellow researchers Drs. Mark Walton and Pasquale Bosso (physics & astronomy); Daya Gaur, Robert Benkoczi and Shahadat Hossain (mathematics & computer science); and Stacey Wetmore (chemistry & biochemistry). The QMP Lethbridge team consists of most of the above researchers as well as Dr. Athanasios Zovoilis (chemistry & biochemistry).

“Quantum technology will deliver the second quantum revolution in the 21st century in terms of quantum devices, quantum computers, quantum internet and so on,” says Das, adding the first revolution was in the early 20th century. “It is not surprising that academia, industry and the provincial and federal governments are prioritizing quantum technologies and providing the necessary resources for advancing the field. The future of the world is quantum!”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge awarded record $3.9 million in NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:04:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was awarded a record $3.9 million of funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this year, with U of L researchers earning support for projects in neuroscience, biological sciences, psychology, chemistry & biochemistry, physics & astronomy, geography and mathematics & computer science.

This unprecedented level of support was announced earlier today by Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology), the Honourable Ed Holder, at a national funding announcement in Oshawa, Ont.

Dr. Robert McDonald’s base grant of $355,000 (over five years) is the largest NSERC grant awarded to the U of L this year.

“This latest round of NSERC funding clearly demonstrates the outstanding research our faculty and students are undertaking,” says Interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown. “That our research portfolio continues to grow as it does is testament to the quality of the work being done and also speaks to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ striking the right balance as a comprehensive teaching and research institution.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers receiving NSERC Discovery Grant funding include: Dr. Gerlinde Metz (neuroscience); Dr. Aaron Gruber (neuroscience); Dr. Alice Hontela (biological sciences); Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca (psychology); Dr. David Logue (psychology); Dr. Artur Luczak (neuroscience); Dr. Robert McDonald (neuroscience); Dr. Majid Mohajerani (neuroscience); Dr. Gregory Pyle (biological sciences); Dr. Masami Tatsuno (neuroscience); Dr. Paul Vasey (psychology); Dr. Robert Laird (biological sciences); Dr. René Boeré (chemistry & biochemistry); Dr. Paul Hayes (chemistry & biochemistry); Dr. Locke Spencer (physics & astronomy); Dr. Mark Walton (physics & astronomy); Dr. Christopher Hopkinson (geography); Dr. Robert Benkoczi (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Shahadat Hossain (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Habiba Kadiri (mathematics & computer science); Dr. Nathan Ng (mathematics & computer science).

In addition, Drs. John Zhang and Olga Kovalchuk were each awarded NSERC Discovery Development Grants.

Luczak and McDonald will also both receive an additional $120,000 in funds through the Discovery Accelerator Supplements program (over a three-year period), while McDonald’s base grant of $355,000 (over five years) is the largest NSERC grant awarded to the U of L this year. He is studying neural circuits and mechanisms of context-specific conditioned inhibition.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s doctoral students were extremely successful in the NSERC Doctoral Scholarship competitions, led by Katie Wilson (chemistry & biochemistry), who was named a Canada Vanier Scholar, demonstrating leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. Jason Flindall (neuroscience) was awarded a Canadian Doctoral Scholarship, while Kayla Stone (neuroscience), Allonna Harker (neuroscience) and Stefan Lenz (chemistry & biochemistry) were awarded NSERC Postgraduate Doctoral Scholarships. Additionally, five masters students were awarded the NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship, including: Justin Lee (neuroscience), Serena Shandik (neuroscience), Matthew Robbins (physics & astronomy), Rhys Hakstol (chemistry & biochemistry) and Douglas Turnbull (chemistry & biochemistry).

“We are pleased with the amount of money invested in our researchers and what this could yield in terms of the results they will achieve and the benefits their work will bring to society,” adds Brown. “Our continuing success with the federal research funding agencies is testament to our researchers’ ability to compete on the national stage.”

NSERC grants aim to develop, attract and retain the world’s most talented researchers at Canadian universities who are working in a multitude of scientific and engineering disciplines.

Inspired by tragedy, alumnus launches province-wide anti-bullying campaign

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:09:03 +0000

On what was otherwise a regular December afternoon this past year, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Manwar Khan (BSc '07) witnessed a brutal event that changed his life forever.

But rather than try and put that day behind him and move on, he's using his experience as the impetus for change.

Khan, a 37-year-old father of two-year-old twins, was on the Edmonton LRT when one passenger attacked another just a few metres away and began a ruthless beating. Shocked by the savagery of the assault and the daunting task of stopping it, Khan appealed to other passengers for assistance, but no one came forward.

Although Khan desperately tried to stop the attack, one man died and the other now sits in a jail cell, awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges. Khan, with the images of that day still fresh in his mind, has launched a provincial-wide anti-bullying initiative in an effort to raise awareness of bullying and empower bystanders.

Alumnus Manwar Khan is bringing his anti-bullying campaign to the U of L campus for a Sept. 14 rally.

"Since that day, I have been haunted by that incident," he says from his Edmonton office where he works as an IT professional for Alberta Human Services. "Even when I go to bed, I think about this. When I'm in the LRT I think about it. What if I could go back to that day, what could I try differently? I can either sit here and hope that this will pass, or I can stand up and help other people by raising awareness among them to speak up against bullying. I want bullying to be stopped – period."

Khan's first anti-bullying rally was held in Edmonton on Apr. 27, with a second event staged in Calgary on May 11. He will be at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for a Sept. 14 rally at 1:30 p.m. outside the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness.

"I want to encourage people to stand up against bullying, not just stand by," says Khan. "I thought of my own kids that day, what if something like this was happening to them, who is going to help them? People actually have the power together, they just don't know."

Khan came to study at the U of L in 2001 as an international student from Bangladesh. He met his wife, Nashid Sultana (BSc '06), on campus and looks back on his U of L experience as a springboard to the life he leads today. It also helped shape his character, something that was tested that December afternoon.

"My education at the U of L sharpened my self-awareness and moral values," he says. "These values have guided me throughout my career and now stimulate me to organize this campaign and to stand up against bullying."

His ties to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ still run deep, and Khan was pleased to welcome Dr. Bruce MacKay (liberal education) to the Edmonton rally as a guest speaker.

"He was not only a teacher to me, but he also provided some valuable advice whenever I was stressed out with academic life," says Khan.

He also credited Lesley Rode (academic advising) and Dr. Shahadat Hossain as key influences on his
U of L experience.

"Lesley was the one who guided me throughout my academic life at the U of L and was my academic mentor," says Khan. "Dr. Hossain was the one who encouraged me to enroll in the co-op program to get an understanding of the professional environment. That changed my life and led to my job in government."

Khan now has the opportunity to give back to the community he still considers as his Canadian home. It is one of awareness, understanding, empathy and strength, all attributes influenced by his time at the U of L.

"Bullying is not acceptable and there is no place for bullying in our society," he says. "Violence should never be tolerated. I want to encourage people to stand up against bullying, not only for yourself but for others."

Mitacs Globalink students on campus

trevor.kenney — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:58:42 +0000

They're recognized as being some of the sharpest minds in the world. Now, 46 top undergraduate students from India have come to Alberta to apply their skills to complex research projects and interact with industry.

Four of those elite students are being hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in the Mathematics and Computer Science and Chemistry and Biochemistry departments.

It's all part of a new program called Mitacs Globalink, which was launched to attract international undergraduate students to the province and promote the benefits of a Canadian education to those pursuing graduate degrees.

"Every year, tens of thousands of future entrepreneurs and scientists from India travel abroad to countries like the U.S. or U.K. for graduate studies," says Arvind Gupta, Scientific Director of Mitacs, a leading national research organization that creates innovation research and training programs for up-and-coming researchers.

"Our message to international students is that Canada has world-class universities that provide superior education and innovative collaborative research opportunities. We also have some great companies interested in working with these students to help commercialize their ideas into the new products of tomorrow."

Mitacs has launched this one-of-a-kind program in the province with the support of the Government of Alberta, which has provided $375,000 towards the program.

"During my stay in Alberta, I have been able to interact with Canadian graduate and undergraduate students which has been very enlightening and informative," says Anupam Srivastava, a student from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad who is at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge this summer.

"I would surely recommend the Globalink program to my friends back in India."

The Hon. Greg Weadick, Minister of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology and MLA, Lethbridge West says that programs such as Globalink help position Alberta as a world-leading research and innovation destination.

"We are thrilled to host these young international leaders in Alberta," says Weadick. "Bringing smart people into our Campus Alberta system is essential to building Alberta's knowledge-based economy, and we want these students to come back to Alberta for future studies, and to implement their skills and knowledge here."

At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the students have jumped right in to their various projects.

"We have been very pleased to host our Globalink students, and are learning from them as much as they are learning from us," says Dr. Jackie Rice, a mathematics and computer science researcher who is working with a student on a project which uses genetic algorithms to try and reduce the size of reversible logic circuits.

Her colleagues Dr. Yllias Chali and Dr. Shahadat Hossain are also supervising students, while another student is working with chemistry and biochemistry researcher Dr. Ute Kothe.

"We hope they will return home with new friends and contacts, and a different perspective on how their future education could include Canada and the U of L," says Rice.

The Globalink program was piloted in 2009 when 17 Indian students spent three months at British Columbia universities.

This year, Mitacs has placed top students from India in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, and expanded Globalink programming to students from China and Brazil for the first time.

The Globalink program also goes beyond the classroom, Gupta explains, by providing "a big picture taste for life in Canada.

"As part of the internship, for example, the students spend time working alongside their Canadian counterparts to understand Canadian culture and how easy it is for them to fit in, he says. "Our goal is to have these students interact with Alberta students and form new friendships that will extend well beyond their three months in the province."

"In order to be an international innovation leader, Canada must become an attractor for global talent, ensuring that we can compete effectively with other leading jurisdictions," says Gupta. "Building these types of linkages to India is a key part of that strategy."

UNews - Shahadat Hossain

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers awarded more than $2.3 million in NSERC, CFI funding support

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