UNews - David Johnston

Dr. Bryan Kolb appointed Officer of the Order of Canada

caroline.zentner — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 23:22:01 +0000

Dr. Bryan Kolb (LLD ’15), one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, has been recognized for his work to increase understanding of the brain and brain development.

He is one of 100 people appointed to the Order of Canada by Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Dec. 30 and named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

“My first reaction is to be pretty overwhelmed because there’s a whole team of us here and what sets you apart is really not obvious to you. It’s pretty special, obviously. Not very many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are awarded these things,” says Kolb.

Kolb will receive his Officer of the Order of Canada at a ceremony to be held later this year. The Order of Canada was established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to recognize outstanding achievement, community dedication and service to the nation.

While his first response to the news was disbelief, his second was to wonder why he had been selected, given the expertise of other team members at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN). Kolb joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 1976 and is a professor of neuroscience and one of the founders, along with his friend of 50 years, Dr. Ian Whishaw (DSc ’08), of the CCBN. Kolb has built an impressive set of credentials since then, including publishing six books and writing more than 400 articles and chapters about his areas of expertise. He and Whishaw have written two textbooks, the first of which is now in its seventh edition (Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology) and the second of which is now in its fifth edition (Introduction to Brain and Behaviour).

“One of the things we did when I first came here was to write a book. I had this idea that we needed a book on how the human brain worked because there wasn’t one and I had invented a course (Human Neuropsychology) that needed a book. Whishaw initially thought we were crazy. I said this was a good thing to do and convinced him that we would not get rich but maybe famous! We had a lot of trouble getting it published because publishers said there was no such field so therefore no such course and thus, no such book. Anyway, at the end of the day, it was published by Freeman & Co and now it’s in its seventh edition and it’s in many languages and is used all over the world. So, I think that sort of started things off and changed the way we thought about our research as to how it related to the human brain rather than studying the rat brain for the rat brain. We don’t really care much about how the rat brain works except that it tells us something about ours,” he says.

Kolb’s primary interests are in brain development, brain plasticity, and brain changes over time, including after injury. These areas of inquiry gained a foothold with the public and Kolb has been asked to speak at both scientific and public gatherings across the globe. One of his most memorable talks was at a public lecture in Lac La Biche where many First Nations elders were in attendance. Kolb spoke about how stress and abuse in childhood can lead to epigenetic changes in the brain, which refers to the processes whereby certain genes are turned off or on. These epigenetic changes can be passed from one generation to another, altering the brain and behaviour of the offspring.

“One elder said ‘You’ve just given us an explanation for the problem of residential schools. Why hasn’t anybody told us that before? This makes everything different.’ I think that was the most stunning reaction I’ve received,” says Kolb.

Animal research by Kolb and colleague Dr. Robbin Gibb and their students has shown that fathers’ experiences before conception and mothers’ experiences while pregnant can change the brains of their offspring and those of subsequent generations.

“That gives us an explanation for how severe stress, for example in residential schools, could cross generations and cause all kinds of problems later. Now that we know this, we recognize a cause of the residential school effect. It’s not that that these are faulty people or losers or anything of the sort. It has a biological explanation. So how can we change this? I think the place to start is recognizing why it’s happening,” says Kolb.

Kolb’s studies with Gibb using rats have shown that tactile stimulation has the power to change the brain. Baby rats with a brain injury were stroked with a brush for 15 minutes three times a day. The skin and brain come from the same germ cell during development so the stimulation of the brush stroking the skin increased the production of chemicals which cross into the brain and had a healing effect. They have shown this to be effective in treating perinatal brain injury and believe that it could have similar benefits in treating effects of early stress and trauma.

“It’s simple-minded but it seems to be working in our lab studies and it makes sense,” says Kolb.

Kolb first became interested in the brain when he was an undergraduate student studying at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. The field of neuroscience did not really exist yet so he was able to get into it from the beginning.

“I tell the students that until they understand what the questions about the brain are, they can’t even possibly understand what the answers are. As a student, it had never occurred to me that there was a question as to how we appreciate music. Once you understand what the question is, you say ‘How is it that we appreciate music? Why do we like music?’ And then you realize it’s got something to do with the brain. Once you start going down the ask-a-question route, you get more and more sucked in to the big picture as to how this is working and why we are the way we are. I just kept at it and kept asking questions,” says Kolb.

Kolb obtained bachelor and master degrees at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and a doctorate at Pennsylvania State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He completed two post-doctoral fellowships before joining the U of L.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, will invest 10 Officers and 34 Members into the Order of Canada during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Friday, November 17, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. (MDT)

Mahon's trip aided by Brazilian students

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

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

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

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

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

Open Mike - May 2012, Taking advantage of new channels

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:20:13 +0000

There are many ways to tell the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge story and to get that message beyond our borders – the last week being a perfect example.

A YouTube video produced by new media student Matthew Lunde has gone viral, giving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ new media program unprecedented exposure in markets it likely never would have entered through traditional means. The video (Stormtrooper Shuffle) is a parody of Star Wars' evil Stormtroopers dancing to the popular LMFAO hit Party Rock Anthem.

Lunde is one of the program's top students and among the latest to earn an internship with the Canadian Space Agency. The Stormtrooper Shuffle was not a class-related project, nor is it intended as an endorsement of the U of L, but the fact that it has racked up more than 100,000 views means it is reaching people and garnering the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the new media program specifically, a lot of attention.

Exploring new channels to get the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's message out to a worldwide audience is something we can learn from our students.

We often talk about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a destination university, with a strong majority of our students coming from outside of southern Alberta. We are focused on continuing to grow our reputation throughout the country and around the globe and this video tells me that there is much to be learned from our students.

While it is important to continue to foster relationships through face-to-face methods, this quirky, funny video has shown that our story can be told in a variety of ways and our students are at the forefront of these unique methodologies. And at the end of the day, a student testimonial, or in this case, a showcase of skills learned while studying at the U of L, carries more weight than any advertising material.

Having said that, furthering the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's interests internationally using personal relationship building continues to be very important. Last month I spoke about the work we did in Mexico City, Beijing and Hong Kong, exploring our historic connections with these areas and opening doors for the possibility of future collaborations.

Recently, I visited Brazil as part of a group that includes 30 Canadian university presidents. The goal of the excursion, led by Governor General David Johnston, is to showcase Canadian university opportunities and to strengthen relationships with Brazil, a country identified as a rapidly growing economic powerhouse.

Intriguing to me are the many similarities that exist between Brazil and Alberta, and the commitment by the Brazilian government to expand its academic and research capacity. This is a country that has established a Science Without Borders program, creating over 70,000 scholarships for students to travel and learn outside of Brazil.

With an economy rich in oil and gas reserves that is also working hard to find answers to environmental questions, a commitment to developing aerospace technology, health-sciences, food security and agriculture related issues, and interests around water and the environment, I see the potential of developing a number of connections between Brazil and the work we do here at the
U of L.

It is an exciting time in that the world really is at our doorstep and it is important we continue to reach out and develop relationships that will further internationalize our university.

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

UNews - David Johnston

Dr. Bryan Kolb appointed Officer of the Order of Canada

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Mahon's trip aided by Brazilian students

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Open Mike - May 2012, Taking advantage of new channels

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