UNews - advisors

Canadian, Mexican universities converge for Aboriginal round table

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:18:40 +0000

Nine Canadian universities and eight indigenous universities in Mexico will together focus on improving Aboriginal educational experiences and research collaborations during a one-day round table meeting at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on June 22, 2013.

Building on the momentum of a similar meeting held in Mexico City in March 2012, university presidents, Aboriginal advisors and elders will move forward initiatives pertaining to student mobility, research collaboration and community engagement as it relates to Aboriginal higher education.

"Continued dialogue between Canadian and Mexican universities about best practices and increased collaboration will serve the needs of students in both of our countries," says Dr. Brian Stevenson, president of Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "Removing barriers for Aboriginal students is a shared goal of all participants and this round table will help institutions in both countries make important progress in this critical area."

For the past 10 years, the federal and state governments in Mexico have partnered to create a number of regional universities, called Intercultural Universities, to improve post-secondary access to indigenous peoples. For decades now Canadian universities have also worked to increase access for Aboriginal students and to improve outreach to Aboriginal communities.

At the conclusion of the inaugural meeting between the Intercultural Universities and 10 Canadian Institutions in Mexico last year, Canadian and Mexican university presidents committed to both bilateral and consortium level partnerships to promote student and faculty mobility, joint research initiatives and cultural exchanges. Agreement was reached at that time to host a second meeting in Canada.

"The U of L is excited to host and participate in this important meeting," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon. "The U of L has long recognized the important role it must play in creating access for Aboriginal post-secondary students and this round table will certainly help us shape future directions and initiatives."

Federal, provincial, municipal and Aboriginal representatives have been invited to participate in some of the sessions.

In addition to the one-day round table, and to celebrate National Aboriginal Day in Canada on June 21, participants from both countries will participate in a series of cultural activities to broaden the understanding of Alberta's Aboriginal communities. This will include visiting the Kainai and Piikani First Nations communities and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

South Venture winners await patent approval

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:29:42 +0000

Not every third-year neuroscience student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has a patent lawyer on speed dial – but Isaac Ward does.

As the CEO of Synbiologica, Inc., Ward and his team (chemistry and biochemistry masters students Mackenzie Coatham (BSc '12) and Harland Brandon, and first-year biochemistry student Erin Kelly) have developed a new method of detecting hormones, and are in the process of patenting their idea. Their proposed biomedical device technology is expected to bring next-generation hormone detection to the research, agriculture and medical markets.

Their idea and business plan recently landed them $10,000 as the first-place winners in the 2013 South Venture Business Plan Competition, and they are now looking to the next phase of the challenge – a trip to Edmonton in April to face off in the provincial arena, with even more money and networking opportunities on the table.

Pictured left to right are Mackenzie Coatham, Dr. HJ Wieden (team advisor), Erin Kelly, Harland Brandon and Isaac Ward.

While he has to be a bit cautious about revealing details because of the patent process (an expected six to eight-month timeline), Ward says their idea will significantly improve the way in which hormones are detected.

"Hormones, and hormone imbalances, play very important roles in understanding behaviour and mental health, pregnancy, as well as development and aging of all populations," says Ward. "We are pursuing new technology for the detection of hormones that provides rapid results that are 93 per cent more cost effective than traditional antibody technology."

The team's market analysis shows diverse applications and projections for growth, with a two to three-year timeline to produce a marketable device. The first test runs of this device will occur this summer at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience in collaboration with neuroscience researcher
Dr. Gerlinde Metz.

Ward says the team came up with the idea to develop the company and the new biomedical device by using the skills they learned through the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) program.

"The internationally competitive program allows undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience in science," says Ward. "iGEM is run out of a student-operated lab provided by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and co-ordinated by Dr. HJ Wieden. We have been encouraged at every turn by our professors and others to move this idea forward, especially by the people at Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) who promote entrepreneurial engagement from scientific innovation."

Ward says the group will not just run off into the biomedical business world once the ink is dry on their patent documents – they need to finish school first. "Education is one of the team's top values and we will be working on this business while we complete our degrees. This is a learning process that will, we hope, carry us far beyond the classroom, and we are very pleased to have received the South Venture prize, because otherwise it would not be possible for our company to pursue funding opportunities and further develop our project."

Ward cites advisors Dr. Gerlinde Metz (Department of Neuroscience), Dr. HJ Wieden (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry), Dr. Roy Golsteyn (Department of Biological Sciences) and Michael Kelly (Erin Kelly's father and manager of Real Estate and Land Development, City of Lethbridge) as being particularly helpful as they refined their idea.

U of L alums making big City contributions

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:32:09 +0000

One of the greatest compliments alumni can pay to their alma mater is in how they impact their local communities. At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, such compliments keep pouring in as alumni employed by The City of Calgary display a depth of knowledge, a commitment to innovation and a dedication to improving their communities and neighbourhoods.

Lorna Wallace, (BMgt great distinction '01) project manager for The City of Calgary, earned a business diploma from SAIT in the 1980s but she always wanted to complete a bachelor degree. When the U of L launched its Calgary satellite campus in 1996, Wallace jumped at the chance to attend the post-diploma bachelor of management program.

"I appreciated the ability to get to know the faculty and advisors; their flexibility allowed me to do this while I was working full-time and raising a family," says Wallace. "Having my degree reinforced the importance of teamwork and preparation; it opened up many opportunities for me. As the first executive assistant to the city manager, I led a number of projects including a royal visit, and while in the mayor's office I am proud to have recently led the team that launched one of the most successful food truck pilot programs in North America."

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni are making a big difference in the big city, with a number of alumni, such as these pictured, working for The City of Calgary.

Wallace is currently working on a council innovation project involving the Community Services and Protective Services Department and 12 pilot communities in Calgary.

"This project builds upon The City's Strong Neighbourhoods Initiative and community attachment work done by Dr. Katherine Loflin and the Knight Foundation. Our goal is to make sure that communities are aware of the services available and to determine which services they need to make their community a great place to live," explains Wallace. "It is ground-breaking; we will be the first municipality in North America to commission this work."

Also working for the city is Glen Radway (BA '85), development strategist - Office of Land Servicing & Housing.

"The research skills I gained at the U of L helped me at graduate school and in my career. With the lower teacher/student ratio, I gained the confidence to dig into the meat of an issue," says Radway, who completed studies at the U of L's Lethbridge campus before obtaining his master's degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Waterloo in 1987. "In the work I do now, it is important to spend time really looking at a situation rather than jumping to conclusions, to understand the impacts of your decisions through the eyes of the residents, or understand what you see happening through change in a neighbourhood."

In 2009, city council approved the Calgary Municipal Development Plan review, a project for which Radway was the land-use lead.

"We tried to figure out what we could do to sustain the city financially, environmentally and socially and present policy directions through the MDP. It now forms the basis for a lot of projects that are developed across the city," says Radway. "One of the projects I am working on now is the Industrial Land Strategy to decide how the city will develop industrial parks. We want to support economic development in the city and incorporate more sustainable elements, like green infrastructure, with our own land development."

Blake Kanewischer (BMgt '06) and Matt Rockley (BA '02) are also among the many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni affecting positive change within The City of Calgary.

Kanewischer works as both a sessional instructor at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Calgary satellite campus and as a team leader, Project, Processes, Staff Development and Training for the Assessment Business Unit at the city.

"As a mature and working student, I was constantly feeding material back into my working life from my classes," says Kanewischer.

Applying the knowledge and skills he gained at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has served Kanewischer well in his career. One of his proudest accomplishments thus far is being a member of the team that developed the webwave program. Webwave has won numerous international and national awards for replacing the city's intranet and internet sites with what Kanewischer describes as, "one of the first search and citizen-centric websites for a municipal government anywhere."

When Rockley, Okotoks town councillor and planner for The City of Calgary, entered the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, he had no idea what he wanted to pursue as a career.

"One of my professors mentioned that I should consider city planning as a career. At the time I had no idea what city planning was but her advice compelled me to look into it. That turned out to be the best career advice I have ever received," says Rockley.

That advice has had a positive impact on both Rockley and The City of Calgary. Rockley served as co-project lead on rewriting the Rockyview/Calgary Intermunicipal Development Plan, which was approved by both councils in 2012. He recently amended the Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan, allowing boutique hotels and limiting new surface parking in the city.

The contributions of these and many other alumni working at The City of Calgary stand as a tremendous tribute to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for inspiring a standard of excellence that continues to impact our communities.

GET THE FACTS

· To look at Wallace's Food Truck Pilot project, visit this site (www.transforminggov.ca/2012/02/yyc-food-trucks.html)

· To view Radway's work on the Municipal development Plan, visit this site (www.calgary.ca/mdp)

· Kanewischer's Webwave awards included a GTEC award for Excellence in Public Service Delivery and a Digital Alberta Award for Business to Consumer Innovation

· Rockley has served since 2008 as a member of the Okotoks Planning Commission

This story first appeared in the March 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Influenza registry a valuable tool

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:46:05 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continued in its efforts to minimize the impact of the H1N1 Influenza virus by introducing a voluntary illness registry in the last week of September.

The initiative is the H1N1 Influenza Illness Registry and exists on a dedicated web page that can be accessed from various areas of the U of L's website. Just look for the Got Flu? icon and click to follow through to the web page.

The idea behind the registry is to assist the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in implementing the necessary actions regarding H1N1 on campus and to ensure that pro-active measures are in place to minimize the impact on ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ operations.

For students, staff and faculty, the registry asks that persons experiencing flu-like symptoms sign in with their unique ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ username and password information to indicate they are ill. For students, an automatic e-mail is then dispatched to their advisors and professors indicating that they will be away from class and may miss some activities.

Staff and faculty are expected to inform their supervisors that they are ill but are still urged to use the registry. The registry does not replace the terms and conditions of the Faculty Handbook, the APO Manual, the Exempt Support Staff Manual or the AUPE Collective Agreement.

As the medical system will be under heavy usage throughout the H1N1 Influenza situation, the application of doctor's notes for personal illness and for illness within immediate families for flu-like symptoms, as outlined on the H1N1 website, will not be required. Any questions that people may have regarding the reporting of their personal circumstances can be addressed through their supervisor and through Human Resources.

For further updates, continue to monitor the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's H1N1 Influenza website at: http://www.uleth.ca/ross/health_centre/h1n1.

International Café breaks down barriers

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:36:21 +0000

It's amazing the effect candles on a birthday cake can have when you're thousands of miles away from home.

Charlene Janes knows what even the smallest touches can do for a student seeking to belong in a new country. As international liaison officer for the International Centre for Students, Janes sees the challenges that international students face when studying in a foreign country. Any chance she has to stem some of the anxiety they experience, she seizes.

Out of that desire, the International Café was born in the spring of 2009.

"The idea was to provide a casual and comfortable setting for our international students that encourages them to get to know each other and develop friendships," says Janes. "It gives them the chance to ask their advisors or any guests at the Café questions in an informal setting and hopefully breaks down some barriers in the process."

The International Café is held once a month (the last Friday) for the first three months of each semester. Janes books Anderson Hall (AH100) for a two-hour block and students have the opportunity to mingle with their fellow international students as well as guests from the various resource units on campus.

"We do it in AH100 because it has some couches and is much more informal than a classroom setting," says Janes. "The first few events we've held, I've invited staff from Counselling Services, the Health Centre, Arts & Science Academic Advising and so on to try and help develop some awareness with the students of all the resources and services available to them here on campus."

In September, the International Café was attended by students from Belize, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China, United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Malaysia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, St. Lucia, Dominica, Bahamas, Pakistan and Kenya.

The Café features birthday celebrations for those who've had a birthday in the previous month, while also recognizing major holidays and celebrations that have occurred in the students' country of residence.

"We are just trying to reduce some of the loneliness they can experience by recognizing and celebrating the events they may have left behind in their home country," says Janes. "At the same time, we hope to develop their awareness of the various resources and services available to them on campus.
"I also anticipate that such a program can enhance awareness amongst the broader ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community of the many obstacles, successes, hopes and dreams of our international students. They really are an amazing group and add so much to our campus."

Parents can help their students mature

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:15:29 +0000

In September, your child came to attend the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Now it is February . . . is your child making the journey to becoming an adult? What are the top three things every parent of a student in university needs to know?

As the U of L Health Centre manager the past 11 years, I believe a parent's interest in their child's life is key, but they must try to avoid intrusiveness or control.

I believe love can be shown at this stage of their child's life by parents providing support in developing competency in an evolving relationship that focuses on life choices, the growing adult role in decision-making and responsibility/involvement in campus life.

First of all, parents can focus on a student's personal development and their need to examine major and minor life choices. In conversations with your child, keep the emphasis on choices and methods of achieving competence in academic and non-academic areas. Encourage them to ask for help and ask whom they have contacted in terms of getting assistance from campus support mechanisms. These include the following:

• Advisors from their Faculty
• Counselling Services
• Health Centre (physicians, nurses, psychiatrist, dietitian, chiropractor, massage therapy and basic health insurance questions)
• Disability office
• Housing office
• Career and Employment Services
• Professors (do you know they have office hours available to students to discuss academic issues?) and/or the Registrar's Office or deans of the faculty.

Secondly, focus on their "growing adult role" in decision-making – in both their academic life as well as non-academic situations that could affect their academic life. For example, issues such as money management can greatly affect a student's ability to learn and study.

Discuss the choices in front of them, the consequences of various actions and even inaction. Encourage problem-solving skills for their life issues. Methods to encourage students include talking about:

- Smart money management (without trying to control)
- Risk and safety services and the Security Office (Did you know there is a Safewalk Program? Do you know the emergency number to call Security for first aid or any emergency on an in-house phone?)

• What to do if not sober and needing a ride home
• Their opinion on alcohol and other drugs
• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's fitness facilities and if they are physically active
• The importance of yearly physicals and physician care if they are ill
• The importance of career counselling to ensure they are studying that which will give them personal and future employment success

Thirdly, assist your student to claim responsibility for their actions, thereby understanding that their actions affect others. Try not to "fix" things for students but encourage personal responsibility, requesting help when needed and finding a sense of belonging through positive campus involvement.

Students are responsible for such issues as behavioural choices, following academic rules, personal integrity, developing healthy study, eating and sleep habits, seeking academic assistance and becoming an active, integral, positive member of the campus community. Personal responsibility is an important element of adult life.

I hope you enjoy seeing your child turn into a remarkable, amazing, energetic, caring and competent adult!

Lori Weber - RN/Manager - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Health Centre (With thanks to "A New Chapter, how parents fit into their student's lives at college" by Paperclip Communications)

UNews - advisors

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