UNews - Mackenzie Coatham

Excelling on the world stage

david.kirby — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:14:55 +0000

Learning from the best – that’s exactly what a group of research-focused students is doing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Members of the U of L’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team are part of a phenomenon that began 10 years ago as a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Today, the annual iGEM contest is the world’s leading undergraduate synthetic biology competition – and each year, U of L students regularly rank among the top iGEM teams worldwide.

An emerging field, synthetic biology sees cells, enzymes and metabolic pathways as more than biological entities; they’re sophisticated parts that can be programmed like machines to perform specific activities. As a result, research in synthetic biology is opening up remarkable possibilities in such sectors as agriculture, pharmaceutical, medical diagnostics, clean energy and resource extraction. In 2011, for example, U of L students developed a petrochemical-eating bacteria that could be used to help clean up water in tailings ponds, a discovery that placed the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s iGEM team among the top 16 competitors in the world, alongside students from Harvard ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, MIT, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Washington and Johns Hopkins ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

This October, the U of L’s iGEM team once again demonstrated its strong innovation abilities. In addition to creating a bioengineering part that works like a zip drive, compressing genetic information, the team developed software that rapidly determines what DNA sequences are compatible to compress together. These inventions, which will allow future bioengineers more flexibility in their research, captured top prize in the 2013 North American iGEM Regional Jamboree held in Toronto. Moreover, the first-place finish secured the team – made up of Dustin Smith (BSc ’13), Graeme Glaister, Jenna Friedt (BSc ’11, MSc ’13), Suneet Kharey, Harland Brandon (BSc ’13) and Zak Stinson – a spot in the international iGEM competition at MIT in November, where the team claimed two prominent awards.

iGEM students are representing the U of L on the world stage. Back row (L-R) Harland Brandon (BSc ’13), Dustin Smith (BSc ’13), Graeme Glaister, Zak Stinson and Dr. H.J. Wieden (faculty advisor). Front row (L-R) Suneet Kharey and Jenna Friedt (BSc ’11, MSc ’13). (Photo by Leslie Ohene-Adjei)

Providing students with the opportunity to compete against teams from around the world is just one way iGEM benefits its participants, says U of L biochemistry professor Dr. Hans-Joachim (H.J.) Wieden. Considered the driving force behind the U of L’s iGEM teams, Wieden serves as the students’ advisor and coach. He is also a highly respected researcher in his own right.

Director of the Alberta RNA (ribonucleic acid) Research and Training Institute at the U of L, Wieden was also recently appointed the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE) Chair of Bioengineering. Funded by a $2-million investment from Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures, the role enables Wieden’s research team to study how biological systems can be engineered to achieve breakthroughs in materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, health and nanoscience.

“iGEM enables students to get their first taste of research,” says Wieden. “They understand the goal of the project, and learn how to think outside of the box, troubleshoot and apply their knowledge to create scientific discoveries. All of this unlocks students’ creativity.”

What’s more, he continues, iGEM cultivates students’ entrepreneurial potential. The teams manage their own projects and raise funds to support their work, as well as learn how to communicate effectively and connect their work to real-world needs. Finally, as young researchers themselves, they come to realize the importance of supporting the forward-thinking scientists of the future: high school students.

To that end, U of L students have started iGEM teams in high schools in southern Alberta. And those high school students are following in the success of their older counterparts. Earlier this year, in fact, a team of Lethbridge high school students representing schools from across the city, won the Green Brick grand prize at iGEM’s international High School Jamboree at MIT, as well as trophies for Best New Biobrick Natural for their engineered DNA part and Best Wiki, the website used to display their project.

Advised by Wieden as well as U of L undergraduate and graduate students, the high school team – consisting of 22 students from Lethbridge-area high schools, including Kieran McCormack, Chris Isaac, Elaine Bird, Fiona Spitzig, Yoyo Yao, Patrick O’Donnell and Katie Thomas, who represented the team at the jamboree – successfully created a longer lasting form of Oxytocin. A hormone that’s most-commonly used to aid childbirth, Oxytocin degrades quickly and soon becomes unstable, making it expensive and difficult to store.

While such complex projects can be challenging for high school students, the research experience is invaluable, says former iGEM high school team member Erin Kelly.

“Being on the high school team was a steep learning curve, but I learned research methods through hands-on experience and that definitely made the transition to university easier,” says Kelly. Now a second-year biochemistry student at the U of L, she serves as an advisor to the current iGEM high school team along with fourth-year neuroscience student Isaac Ward and master of biochemistry student Mackenzie Coatham (BSc ’12).

U of L iGEM students Isaac Ward, Mackenzie Coatham (BSc ’12), Harland Brandon (BSc ’13) and Erin Kelly are using their research and entrepreneurial skills to launch their own company. (Photo by Leslie Ohene-Adjei)

The trio, all former members of the undergraduate iGEM team, have used their resulting research and entrepreneurial skills to launch the spinoff company Synbiologica Ltd. Along with Brandon (now a U of L master’s student in biochemistry), and U of L neuroscience professor Dr. Gerlinde Metz and Wieden as advisors, the group is in the process of patenting their big idea – a biomedical technology that provides rapid hormone-detection results. Their idea is expected to be 93 per cent more cost-effective than traditional antibody technology, bringing the next generation of hormone detection to the research, agriculture and medical markets.

In recognition of its scientific innovation, the Synbiologica team has earned numerous accolades. They include winning $10,000 in the South Venture Business Plan Competition and taking first place in the Tech Stream side of the Chinook Entrepreneurial Challenge, an annual business-planning competition hosted by Community Futures Lethbridge Region. The group received an additional $10,000 in cash, a one-year lease on space in the tecconnect: An Alberta centre for new commerce – a high-tech business incubator operated by Economic Development Lethbridge – plus a range of other in-kind prizes, including business consulting from MNP and ActionCOACH, and several thousand dollars worth of media services.

“iGEM gave us the motivation and skills to explore multidisciplinary research,” says Ward, chief executive officer of Synbiologica. “And from there, we realized that we don’t have to follow the usual career route. We can create our own jobs.”

Excelling on the world stage

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:03:53 +0000

Learning from the best – that’s exactly what a group of research-focused students is doing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM students Isaac Ward, Mackenzie Coatham, Harland Brandon and Erin Kelly are among the best young researchers in the world.

This October, the U of L’s iGEM team once again demonstrated its strong innovation abilities. In addition to creating a bioengineering part that works like a zip drive, compressing genetic information, the team developed software that rapidly determines what DNA sequences are compatible to compress together. These inventions, which will allow future bioengineers more flexibility in their research, captured top prize in the 2013 North American iGEM Regional Jamboree held in Toronto. Moreover, the first-place finish secured the team – made up of Dustin Smith (BSc ’13), Graeme Glaister, Jenna Friedt (BSc ’11, MSc’13), Suneet Kharey, Harland Brandon (BSc ’12) and Zak Stinson – a spot in the international iGEM competition, which will be held at MIT in November.

Director of the Alberta RNA (Ribonucleic acid) Research and Training Institute at the U of L, Wieden was also recently appointed the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE) Chair of Bioengineering. Funded by a $2-million investment from Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures, the role enables Wieden’s research team to study how biological systems can be engineered to achieve breakthroughs in materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, health and nanoscience.

Advised by Wieden as well as U of L undergraduate and graduate students, the high school team – consisting of 22 students from Lethbridge-area high schools, including Keiran McCormack, Chris Isaac, Elaine Bird, Fiona Spitzig, Yoyo Yao, Patrick O'Donnell and Katie Thomas, who represented the team at the jamboree – successfully created a longer lasting form of Oxytocin. A hormone that’s most-commonly used to aid childbirth, Oxytocin degrades quickly and soon becomes unstable, making it expensive and difficult to store.

While such complex projects can be challenging for high school students, the research experience is invaluable, says former iGEM high school team member Erin Kelly.

The trio, all former members of the undergraduate iGEM team, have used their resulting research and entrepreneurial skills to launch the spinoff company Synbiologica Ltd. Along with Brandon (now a
U of L master’s student in biochemistry), and U of L neuroscience professor Dr. Gerlinde Metz and Wieden as advisors, the group is in the process of patenting their big idea – a biomedical technology that provides rapid hormone-detection results. Their idea is expected to be 93 per cent more cost-effective than traditional antibody technology, bringing the next generation of hormone detection to the research, agriculture and medical markets.

Synbiologica records another win

trevor.kenney — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:48:02 +0000

It's win number two for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student researcher/entrepreneurs who form the Synbiologica Ltd. team.

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

CEO Isaac Ward (third-year neuroscience student), first-year biochemistry student Erin Kelly and chemistry and biochemistry master's students Mackenzie Coatham and Harland Brandon have developed a new method of detecting hormones, and are in the process of patenting their idea.

Their proposed biomedical device technology -- called "Biologically Enhanced Assay in Real-Time" -- is expected to bring next-generation hormone detection to the research, agriculture and medical markets.

In addition to winning $10,000 in the SouthVenture Business Plan Competition in March, the group recently took first place in the Tech Stream side of the Chinook Entrepreneurial Challenge, an annual business planning competition hosted by Community Futures Lethbridge Region.

They received another $10,000 in cash, a one-year lease on space in the tecconnect Centre for New Commerce, a high-tech business incubator operated by Economic Development Lethbridge, plus a host of other in-kind prizes including business consulting from MNP and ActionCOACH, and several thousand dollars worth of media services.

"I am extremely proud of the Synbiologica group for their achievements and wish them continued success," says Dr. Dan Weeks, the U of L's Vice-President (Research). "The U of L is a comprehensive research institution that offers significant research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students. This approach is important as it equips our graduates with the knowledge and ability to thrive in their research and entrepreneurial careers."

The competition evaluates and awards business plans submitted by entrepreneurs who have taken advantage of the free business training provided by Community Futures across Southern Alberta. Finalists were chosen from 24 groups that submitted business plans for the challenge.

While he has to be a bit cautious about revealing details because of the patent process – an expected six to eight-month timeline -- Ward said 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 showed 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 (CCBN) in collaboration with CCBN neuroscience researcher Dr. Gerlinde Metz.

Ward said 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 Machines) program.

"The internationally competitive program allows undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience in science," Ward said. U of L teams have claimed several top international honours at past competitions, and three of the Synbiologica entrepreneurs are off to Boston Massachusetts, toward the end of June as advisors to the U of L's high school iGEM team. The university-level competition takes place in October, 2013 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, MA.

"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 coordinated 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 cited 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.

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.

Student undergraduate research award winners

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:55:09 +0000

Following are the 2010 Student Research Awards for undergraduate students. Please note that some awards might not be listed because the granting agency has not yet given the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ permission to publicly release the information.

AHFMR Summer Studentship Awards
(Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research)

Katie Areshenko, Biological Sciences (O. Kovalchuk)
Elfriede Dyck, Biological Sciences (R. Golsteyn)
Kristyn Kurio, Neuroscience (G. Metz)
Rajat Thapa, Neuroscience (R. Sutherland)
Saif Zahir, Neuroscience (B. Kolb)

Chinook Research Summer Awards

Lowell Ayers, Philosophy (T. Govier)
Lisa Boody, History (L. Kennedy)
Janelle Brodner, Modern Languages (N. Rosen)
Brett Clifton, History (A. Shaw)
Michael De Coste, Physics (B. Seyed-Mahmoud)
Laura Faber, Mathematics & Computer Science (H. Kadiri)
James Falconer, Sociology (A.Kazemipur)
Yang Li, Mathematics & Computer Science (N. Ng & A. Akbary)
Sheena MacInnis, Neuroscience (M. Tata)
Dominic Mudiayi, Chemistry & Biochemistry (H. J. Wieden)
Hugh Ramp, Mathematics & Computer Science (H. Kharaghani)
Dasha Reizvikh, Health Sciences (B. Lee)
Laura Richardson, Anthropology (J. Newberry)
Bethany Schmidt, Sociology (R. Wood)
Rachel Shields, Sociology (C. Malacrida)
Tyler Stewart, Fine Arts (A. Dymond)
Jennifer VanderFluit, Fine Arts (A. Dymond)
Sophia Vathracoulis, Chemistry & Biochemistry (P. Hayes)
Vanessa Wall, Health Sciences (B. Hagen)
Elizabeth Young, History (H. MacDonald)
Amber Zary, Sociology (T. Harrison)

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

Trystyn Berg, Physics & Astronomy (D. Naylor)
Darcy Best, Mathematics & Computer Science (K. Kharaghani)
Alix Blackshaw, Neuroscience (A. Iwaniuk)
Lisza Bruder, Chemistry & Biochemistry (S. Mosimann)
Mackenzie Coatham, Chemistry & Biochemistry (H. J. Wieden)
Adriena De Visser, Biological Sciences (B. Selinger)
Jarrod Dowdall, Neuroscience (M. Tata)
Shey Eagle Bear, Chemistry & Biochemistry (H. J. Wieden)
Melissa Ferrari, Neuroscience & Physics (A. Cross)
Jason Flindall, Psychology (D. Weeks)
Thomas Fox, Geography (C. Hugenholtz)
Andrea Glover, Chemistry & Biochemistry (P. Hayes)
Dillon Hambrook, Neuroscience (A. Luczak)
Tanner Heggie, Physics & Astronomy (D. Naylor)
Breanne Kamenz, Chemistry & Biochemistry (S. Wetmore)
Fern Leavens, Chemistry & Biochemistry (S. Wetmore)
Elizabeth Millions, Chemistry & Biochemistry (S. Wetmore)
Samuel Neale, Physics & Astronomy (D. Naylor)
Kirsten Rosler, Chemistry & Biochemistry (H. J. Wieden)
Keilan Scholten, Mathematics & Computer Science (A. Akbary)
Jordan Van Dyk, Biological Sciences (E. Schultz)

Alberta Cancer Foundation Studentship

Philip Kubara, Biological Sciences (R. Golsteyn)

2010 student research awards (undergraduate)

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:30:39 +0000

AHFMR Summer Studentship Awards
(Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research)

Chinook Research Summer Awards

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

Alberta Cancer Foundation Studentship

Philip Kubara, Biological Sciences (R. Golsteyn)

Significant And Mentionable

trevor.kenney — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:46:27 +0000

Global connections

When you think of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's global reach, you might not initially think of a connection to the current war in Afghanistan. However, that's just where some members of the U of L student and alumni community are right now, based in Kandahar, Afghanistan, literally and figuratively one of the world's hot spots.

Bombardier Keenan Geiger (left) is a current fourth-year Edmonton campus management student majoring in Human Resources. Now taking a break from school, he is on a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan as a reserve member of the Canadian Forces. His unit is part of the 20th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, based in Edmonton. Geiger shows off a U of L flag with Cpl. Andrew McDonald (middle) who graduated in 2006 with a bachelor of arts in political science, and (right) Calgary police officer and Lt. Kevin Collier, who holds a bachelor of management degree in accounting, which he obtained in 2004. U of L alumnus Tyler Paynton (BA '07), a member of the 18th Air Defence Regiment in Lethbridge, is also serving in Afghanistan but was not able to be in the photograph.

To send a brief message to Geiger or his colleagues in Afghanistan, e-mail: sam@uleth.ca

Grading education

This past fall, U of L researcher and veteran educator Dr. Noella Piquette-Tomei was one of only a handful of Canadians invited to participate in the Return to Salamanca: Global Conference on Inclusive Education. There, she and fellow experts reviewed the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, an understanding signed by all members of the United Nations that pledges to further inclusive education, providing all children with opportunities to learn.

As a result of the conference, she has been asked to contribute to a case-study book that will be used across Canada by pre-service teachers and community workers for strategies when facing various disabilities.

Win President Bill Cade's car

Who is Michael Nolan? It's a question that's been murmured repeatedly around campus over the past few months. On Feb. 22, 2010, the surprising answer was revealed: a 1984 BMW 325e.

The car, which President Bill Cade bought brand new, was fondly named Michael Nolan after a distant family member who provided a trust fund for Cade's mother. In the spirit of giving back, Cade has donated the long-loved BMW to the Students' Union to be raffled off in support of student scholarships.

Tickets are $5 each or three for $12 and are on sale until the end of the semester, at a variety of functions, and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Students' Union office (SU180), the Advancement Office in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall (A735) and the SU Service Centre in the SU Building.

For details about the car and to watch a video of President Bill Cade with Michael Nolan, visit: www.uleth.ca/unews/content/nolan-campaign-benefit-students

MythBusters prove science is cool

On Feb. 6, 2010, MythBusters Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci made a public presentation at the U of L as part of the Science Alberta Foundation's Science Happens Here program.

Those lucky enough to score tickets to the sold-out evening heard Belleci and Imahara speak candidly about their path to stardom, their craziest stunts and other personal trivia like favourite movies and songs on iTunes. But more importantly, audience members young and old were exposed to the fact that science has relevance.

"One of our founding goals was to encourage young Albertans to enter careers in science and technology, by fostering an interest in these areas," explains Dr. Arlene Ponting, CEO, Science Alberta Foundation. "We were pleased to work with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in delivering this unique event, as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ showcases some of the most innovative science in the province."

Chillin' for Charity

In late November, the student-run Jeux du Commerce (JDC) West 2010 Team hosted Chillin' for Charity, an

President Bill Cade takes a dip for charity.

event that raised approximately $15,000 for the United Way. Always willing to give back, U of L President Bill Cade was the first to jump into the icy cold water.

Whishaw earns prestigious ASTech award

Dr. Ian Whishaw, a founding member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's pioneering neuroscience research group and a leader in behavioural neuroscience research internationally, was awarded the 2009 Alberta Science and Technology Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Science award.

Whishaw, who is among a select group of Alberta's top scientists and innovators to receive the award, is one of the top contributors to the field of behavioural neuroscience, and based on citations, is one of the 200 most influential neuroscientists in the world.

Mrazek presents at Copenhagen conference

In late December, Dr. Rick Mrazek returned from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where he was presenting his research on Rivers and Oceans and Water Under Fire. The topics of Mrazek's research include the negative impact of the northern Alberta tar sands, Canadian water consumption in relation to other countries, global assistance in terms of water and the dire state of the world's water supply.

Athletic accolades

On Nov. 5, 2009, fifth-year ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge fly-half/fullback Ashley Patzer was named player of the year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's rugby for the second time in her career. The five-foot-two Lethbridge native became the third double MVP since women's rugby was added to the CIS program in 1998.

Both Patzer and teammate Ashley MacDonald were named to the All-Canadian team. It is the second straight honour for MacDonald and fourth overall for Patzer.

U of L Pronghorns women's rugby coach, Neil Langevin, was also recognized. Langevin was the first coach from a Canada West women's rugby program to be named CIS coach of the year.

The girl in the picture

Kim Phuc graced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus on Feb. 10, 2010, and shared a powerful message. Phuc, a Vietnamese-Canadian, is widely known as "the girl in the picture" for her role in an iconic photo taken during the Vietnam War.

On June 8, 1972, Phuc's village of Trang Bang came under attack by South Vietnamese planes, which mistakenly dropped napalm in an area where the North Vietnamese were infiltrating. While running for safety, nine-year-old Phuc was severely burned. The now famous photograph instantly became evidence of the cruelty of war toward child victims and a symbol of civilian suffering in war.

Nearly 40 years later, Phuc uses her experiences to advocate for peace and forgiveness. While on campus, she made a presentation to students and was the guest speaker at the 18th Annual International Dinner, A Celebration of Humanity.

U of L's iGEM team is golden

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM team won a gold medal at Massachusetts Institute of Technology iGEM International competition in Boston, Mass., at the end of October.

A total of 112 teams vied for gold, silver and bronze medals. Only 10 Canadian teams received gold medals, three of which went to teams in Alberta.

The iGEM competition is regarded as the premier undergraduate synthetic biology competition in North America. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts, along with new parts of their own design, to build biological systems. They then operate these systems in living cells.

The U of L team, led by Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, included Roxanne Shank, Alix Blackshaw, Lisza Bruder, Ashley Duncan, Fan Mo, Mackenzie Coatham, Megan Torry, Jeffrey Fischer and Kristen Rosler.

Daycare dream realized

It was a big day for some of the smallest members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. On Feb. 25, 2010, the U of L proudly celebrated the grand opening of its new Daycare. A long-envisioned dream, the $2 million project was completed on time and on budget. The facility, located near the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ residences, has space for 54 children and includes a large outdoor play area.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ moves up in rankings

In the 2009 Maclean's magazine annual ranking of Canadian universities, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge moved up one spot – from seventh to sixth – and retained its place in the top 10 listing of 22 primarily undergraduate institutions.

As well, the U of L maintained or increased its placement in 10 different measures, among them the amount of support for student services and scholarships and the number of awards per full-time faculty members.

While noteworthy results, the rankings do not include several items that show additional investment in student resources and do not reflect the U of L's focus on graduate studies.

"We increased our student scholarships and bursaries significantly, which increased our ranking, but those figures do not include an additional $2.4 million our students receive through the Alberta scholarship program," reminds U of L President Bill Cade. "As well, as we move forward with our strategic plan and continue to develop as a comprehensive research university, there's no accommodation for our dramatic increase in masters and doctoral candidates in our School of Graduate Studies."

In a separate national ranking focused on research, the U of L moved up three places as one of Canada's top 50 research universities. The results were released by Research Infosource Inc. and based on Statistics Canada data and the Research Infosource Canadian ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ R&D database.

With a 22 per cent increase in funding, well ahead of the national average of six per cent, the U of L's gain demonstrates the institution's strength in key research areas.

"During the reporting period (2007-08), our research funding increased from $13 million to more than $16 million, and moved us up from 38th to 35th place, in the middle range of the top 50 group," explains U of L Vice-President, Research, Dr. Dan Weeks.

"Our researchers should be extremely proud of this accomplishment – it is proof that the U of L is successfully moving forward in many directions. Even in a tough economy, we are seeing great success. I am pleased that we were among the top 15 universities to record significant percentages of overall research growth."

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

U of L's iGEM team is golden

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:30:59 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM team won a gold medal at the iGEM International competition in Boston, Mass. at the end of October.

A total of 112 teams vied for gold, silver and bronze medals. Only 10 Canadian teams received gold medals, three of which went to teams in Alberta – ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

The iGEM competition is regarded as the premier undergraduate synthetic biology competition in North America. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts, along with new parts of their own design, to build biological systems. They then operate these systems in living cells.

The U of L team, led by Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, included: Jeffrey Fischer, Alix Blackshaw, Lisza Bruder, Mackenzie Coatham, Ashley Duncan, Kirsten Rosler, Roxanne Shank and Megan Torry.

Chinook Symposium winners announced

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:35 +0000

Craig Wheaton won the first-ever Loren Hepler Gold Medal for PhD research excellence as the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held the 3rd Annual Chinook Symposium for Chemistry and Biochemistry in early October.

The symposium and associated poster prize is held to recognize undergraduate and graduate students performing original research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The Chinook Poster Prizes have been established at the undergraduate and master's levels, but new this year was the addition of the Loren Hepler Gold Medal for PhD research excellence. Two people gave presentations about their PhD research, with Wheaton winning the gold medal and Jeffrey Fischer placing second.

Judges for the annual contest included: Dr. Peter Dibble, Gary Knox and Jared Nieboer (Richardson Nutrition) for the Chemistry prize; Dr. Steven Mosimann, Dr. James Thomas and Sandor Dudas (ADRI) for the Biochemistry prize; Dr. Rene Boere and Dr. Brent Selinger for the PhD prize.

Following are the winners from the 3rd Annual Chinook Symposium for Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Chemistry – Undergraduate
First - Cassandra Churchill
Second - Shayne Rybchinski

Chemistry – Master's
First - Jennifer Przyblski
Second - Kevin Johnson

Biochemistry – Undergraduate
First - Mackenzie Coatham
Second - Michael Shields

Biochemistry – Master's
First - Evelina De Laurentiis
Second - Jessica Durand

PhD Presentations
First - Craig Wheaton
Second - Jeffrey Fischer

UNews - Mackenzie Coatham

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