UNews - hockey player

StatsCan Research Data Centre a valuable resource

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:35:32 +0000

It's a tiny, plain research space, with four small workstations and no Internet access. It requires, among other things, an RCMP security clearance to access the information located within it, and has steel reinforcement built into the walls – so forget about cell phone use. Card key access is tightly controlled and someone is on-site to monitor attendance and carefully screen all notes and results that leave.

So, with all this fuss to access, why is Abdie Kazemipur (sociology) so happy? He and other approved researchers now have access to the entire Statistics Canada (StatsCan) database system – a new initiative that will help ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers gain significant ground as they work on projects that require raw data sets normally not available to the general public.

Dr. Abdie Kazemipur, (l) and graduate student Martin Russenberger (r) are the people to contact if your research project requires extensive Statistics Canada data.

The U of L recently flipped the 'on' switch to launch a StatsCan Research Data Centre (RDC) Branch, one of just two dozen all-access points in Canada – mostly in larger institutions – for people who are working with data provided by StatsCan for approved projects.

U of L administration (VP-Academic, VP-Administration, and VP-Research) and the dean of Arts and Science supported the $70,000 project. It also received significant input and assistance from the library, campus facilities and IT departments as the space was created.

Kazemipur, the academic director of the U of L Research Data Centre and a sociology researcher who uses StatsCan data in his work on immigration, says the chance to access rich individual and household data in Lethbridge saves both time and money, offering an opportunity to significantly increase research productivity.

"I would previously have to go to Calgary, and spend intense days analyzing the data," he says. "There were many limitations on my time, and on what I was able to do during the time I had."

Kazemipur says the new centre should expand research opportunities for many faculty members in social sciences, health sciences and management who, like him, want to go deeper into their research and beyond the data available for public use.

Local access should also be an enticement to other researchers to come to the U of L to work or conduct research, in particular the 22 research affiliates of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, which is expected to be one of the more frequent users of the facility.

"Researchers in the Prentice Institute – more than 20 faculty, post-docs and students – are delighted to have access to micro-level data in our new Research Data Centre," says
Dr. Susan McDaniel, the institute's director. "Our mission is to examine population change in shifting economic environments. One of the best ways to do this is to follow individuals over time rather than compare different sets of people at two points in time."

McDaniel says that the RDC enables researchers in one of her SSHRC-funded projects to follow Canadians at seven points of time as they move from mid-life into their older years.

"It is really, as famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky was fond of saying, skating to where the puck will be. I am certain that having the RDC here will help us recruit new faculty and junior research chairs to work in the Prentice Institute."

The process to gain access to the data is not as challenging is it might first sound, Kazemipur says. Projects must go through several steps, including an
online application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), which triggers a request to StatsCan for access to the appropriate dataset – and that's where the security checks come in.

Once approved, a researcher gains access to the data centre with a swipe card, and can sign in and out as needed to complete their work.

Anyone wishing to use the centre, or who has a project they feel could benefit from access to the StatsCan data, can contact Kazemipur for more information on the process.

Contact him at 403-329-5132 or e-mail abdie.kazemipur@uleth.ca. Or, you can contact site supervisor Martin Russenberger, a part-time StatsCan employee and current Geography/Economics graduate student at the U of L (rdc@uleth.ca).

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Bach top Canada West student athlete

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:36:54 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's hockey player, Megan Bach, has been named the top student-athlete for Canada West women's hockey.

The Champion, Alta. native is now a finalist for the Marion Hilliard Award, given to the top student-athlete in CIS women's hockey.

A fourth-year bio-chemistry student, Bach earned the U of L's Presidents Cup Award last year, awarded to the Pronghorns athlete with the highest GPA (4.0). In each of her first three seasons she has been named a CIS Academic All-Canadian, and after her under-graduate degree is complete, she plans to apply to medical school, specializing in neurosurgery.

Always one to volunteer her time, Bach has been involved with the Horns' youth female hockey camps, Coaldale (Alberta) youth recreation day, Picture Butte Olympic Day, Operation Red Nose (designated driver program) and been the team tutor for players studying the sciences.

On the ice, Bach is an important member of the penalty-killing unit and checking line.

"Megan brings excitement and hard work to whatever she puts her mind to," says Pronghorns head coach Chandy Kaip. "She goes above and beyond her coaches' and professors' expectations as a student athlete. She fits the mold of the ideal student athlete."

Here's a thought - Vancouver Gold

trevor.kenney — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:33:03 +0000

Canada's Olympic athletes work tirelessly to create strong bodies but what can't be overlooked is how mental strength can make the difference in reaching the medal podium in Vancouver. That's where ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Derek Robinson (BA '00, MEd '03) makes his contribution to the Olympic effort.

Robinson, a mental training consultant at the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary, works primarily with Canada's national long track speed skating team. It is one of Canada's strongest groups and presents a variety of medal hopes, but to optimize performance, the athletes need to be in a perfect frame of mind. Robinson's role is to help each of them find a mental balance that will allow for success.

"I try to really personalize the mental training for the individual so it is more effective, so that on a personal

Alumnus Derek Robinson.

level, as human beings, they are able to be at their absolute best," says Robinson. "That's where my background in counselling education really comes in. Athletes have to know themselves extremely well so they can make the right choices in many of the situations they encounter."

Robinson, a former U of L Pronghorn men's hockey player (1995-2000), knows of what he speaks, having been an athlete before he was a psychologist. In fact, his athletic past almost prevented him from pursuing his interest in psychology.

"I was always an analytical player and had a huge interest in the mental aspect of performance," he says. "I wanted to be a psychologist and obviously loved sports, but I was a hockey player, I swore in the dressing room, drank beer in the pub and never really thought I had the right material to be a psychologist."

Now, that common bond he shares with his athletes is a huge benefit.

"My background in sports has really helped me communicate with the athletes because we're on the same page; we speak the same language," he says.

And when an athlete stands proudly on the podium, Robinson shares in the thrill of that moment.

"There's a lot of satisfaction in seeing them succeed," Robinson says. "The reality is that it's the athlete who ultimately has to perform, but it's a team effort. The coaches and support team at this level are phenomenal, and we're all working together to help athletes achieve their absolute best."

Nicol, Van Buskirk earn Horns' award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:26:57 +0000

Swimmer Jeff Nicol and women's hockey player Amy Van Buskirk had storng weekends in Canada West action, earning Subway Pronghorn Athlete of the Week honours.

Nicol, competing at the Canada West swimming championships in his home pool, rose to the challenge and captured the Horns' first two Canada West swimming medals in five years.

Saturday, the second-year swimmer earned a bronze medal in the 100-metre breaststroke with a time of one minute, 4.04 seconds. Nicol then hit the pool for his best event, the 200m breaststroke. Ranked second in the conference heading into the meet, Nicol lived up to his ranking and claimed the silver medal.

Nicol also finished fourth in the 50m breaststroke and was a member of the Horns' medley relay team that placed sixth. As a result, Nicol has qualified for the CIS swimming championships to be held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, Feb. 18-21.

On the women's side, second-year defenceman Van Buskirk picked an opportune time to score her first career CIS goals this past weekend, helping the surging Horns women's hockey team earn three of a possible four points versus the visiting UBC Thunderbirds.

In Friday night's series opener, Van Buskirk scored with 25 seconds left in the third period to force overtime in a game that the Horns eventually lost 3-2 in a shootout. Still, the goal earned the Horns a valuable point in the race for a Canada West playoff spot.

The next night, Van Buskirk's power play goal capped a Horns' three-goal first period explosion in a 4-1 victory over the T-Birds.

Sound advice allowed Robinson to seek path

trevor.kenney — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:49:47 +0000

Derek Robinson (BA '00, MEd '03) always knew what he wanted to do – he just needed someone to tell him it was OK.

The former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's hockey forward had an interest in psychology that he wanted to pursue but it wasn't until a career counselor at the U of L affirmed it was a realistic path, that Robinson really believed he had the right stuff.

"Most of the guys I played with were in education or management and pretty much told me I'd never get a job in psychology," Robinson, now a mental training consultant at the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary who works primarily with Canada's National Long Track Speed Skating team, says.

So he continued on, studying psychology but never fully committing to a major until his third year.

"I always wanted to be a psychologist and obviously loved sports but I was a hockey player, I swore in the dressing room, drank beer in the pub and never really thought I had the material to be a psychologist," he says.

"I think back now to the sessions I had with the counselor and everything we talked about I actually ended up doing."

The events he refers to include research projects, working with elite athletes and coaching at the highest level of sport. In February, Robinson will be in Vancouver as the long track speed skating team looks for a golden harvest at the 2010 Olympics.

A Victoria, B.C. native, Robinson found the U of L to be a perfect fit when he came to campus in the fall of 1995. The size of the city suited him well and he was joining a hockey program fresh off its first national title. However, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ would prove to be much more than just a hockey stop.

"The U of L was a great fit," Robinson says. "Lethbridge is a great place to go to university and it was a really good experience getting my BA there and playing for the Horns. Obviously I liked it enough to go back and complete my master's degree."

The research focus for his master's thesis was on the prevalence of mental training in hockey, specifically the Alberta Junior Hockey League, and whether the league's coaches felt it would be beneficial. The majority did but were lacking the resources to add a mental trainer to their staff.

"Over the course of my thesis, I formed a great relationship with Dr. Kerry Bernes," Robinson says. "I really respect both he and Dr. Kris Magnusson, who was running the program at the time. Those two guys were pivotal through my master's and were really helpful for my career."

He's looking for a career high note in February, after which he'll try and curtail his travel schedule and devote more time to his family.

"I'll be with the support staff at the Games," Robinson says. "Working with the athletes on such a personal level, it's very exciting to see them excel and I'll be thrilled if they do well in Vancouver."

GET THE FACTS

• Robinson and his wife Lisa (now an art teacher) both came to the U of L from Victoria and they have two children, a four-year old son and 18-month old daughter.

• Robinson has also worked in private practice with the Calgary Health Region.

• While at the U of L, Robinson had a 20-goal season in 1998-99.

Pronghorn pride shows in classroom

trevor.kenney — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:00:10 +0000

When members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns athletic program are referred to as student-athletes, the emphasis is almost always on the athlete. Each
academic year, however, a talented group of individuals is able to bring focus to the student part of the moniker and they are recognized as Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic All-Canadians.
"We see this as a really special accomplishment," Sandy Slavin, Executive Director, Sport and Recreation Services, says. "We see how much time they put into their athletics, and I don't know if people appreciate that commitment. When you consider that and then factor in an 80 per cent average on their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, it really is a special achievement."
A total of 36 Pronghorn athletes made the grade for the 2007-08 academic year,
roughly 20 per cent of the entire athletic roster. For some it was a first appearance
on the list, while others, like swimmer Shannon Emerson, 2007-08 marked the culmination of five successive Academic All-Canadian seasons.
"I'm very proud to say that I was able to balance both, able to go to university, get great grades and still be successful in my swimming," Emerson (BFA/BEd), a
Lethbridge native who graduated in May, says.
"There is a lot to balance and it was hard to get used to at first. Looking back, I really think that being both an athlete and a student helped build great organizational and management skills, and that's something I carried on throughout my studies and now into my career."
Applying the discipline associated with being an athlete to studies is a consistent theme with many of the Pronghorns.
"Honestly, I find that when we're in our heavy season it's easier to find time to do all my studies because I have a structured framework for it," Pronghorns rugby player and management student Amanda Richardson says. "Now that the season is done I tend to procrastinate a little bit because I have that extra time, and in the end I'm more rushed."
Richardson, who hails from Olds, Alta., is proof that athletes can excel in both arenas. A member of the two-time CIS championship Pronghorns rugby squad, she has now earned her second Academic All-Canadian honour to go along with a Canada West all-star nod and CIS Tournament all-star recognition.
While the studentathletes do the heavy lifting to achieve their All-Canadian status, a framework of support that includes teammates, coaches and professors all helps the cause.
"The profs here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge are really supportive," Pronghorns women's hockey goaltender and management student Mackenzie Rizos says. "They find out you're a student-athlete and they try and make any accommodations for you that they can. Whether you are missing classes or tests, they've all been very helpful."
It's also a pride thing amongst many of the teams. Rizos and her hockey teammates tied the women's soccer team for having the most All-Canadians on campus, with six apiece.
"Our team made it our goal to have a higher (combined) GPA this year," she says. "We have study hall and awards for people who do improve and I think it's great our team recognizes those who do accomplish that goal."
She's quick to put into perspective what being a student-athlete means.
"It's important to realize you are here to get a degree," Rizos, a Calgary native, says.
"The reality is that being a women's hockey player, you can't really make a career out of it, so it's nice to be able to play hockey and have it contribute to your academic experience and I'm lucky to be able to do that."

UNews - hockey player

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