UNews - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary

Lethbridge doctor named Regional Lead of new Southern Alberta Medical Program

trevor.kenney — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:43:11 +0000

The Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP) has reached another significant milestone as it prepares for its first cohort of undergraduate medical students, naming Dr. Richard M. Buck, MD, as the program’s Regional Lead.

Buck practices in Lethbridge within the Emergency Department of Chinook Regional Hospital and is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. As Regional Lead, he is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement SAMP, supporting medical education training in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Indigenous and rural communities throughout southern Alberta.

Dr. Richard M. Buck, who practices in the Emergency Department of Chinook Regional Hospital, is excited to assume his new role and help build the program.

“Dr. Buck is uniquely qualified for this very important role given his strong teaching background and familiarity with the specific challenges of finding physicians to work in rural communities,” says Dr. Rebecca Schiff, PhD, ULethbridge’s deputy provost. “His role will be key in developing partnerships for medical education in southern Alberta and helping to promote interprofessional learning, teaching and research to support rural generalist practice and team-based care.”

Buck has extensive training and experience in medical education, first earning a Bachelor of Education (mathematics and French) and Bachelor of Science from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Winnipeg before completing his medical degree at the UManitoba in 2001.

“It’s exciting and I’m really looking forward to it,” says Buck. “It’s also a little bit intimidating because this is such a big project and it’s going to be challenging, but the chance to grow our own talent here is massive. I worked an ER shift recently and to see so many people who have difficulty getting access to a family doctor — it’ll be wonderful to be part of this project.”

Buck has long been a proponent of preparing the next generation of physicians. He’s participated in doctor training from the time he completed his own residency, working as a site director and in an administrative capacity. He takes pride in helping young physicians find their way.

“When you see them have their ‘aha’ moments, that feels the best. You see them make a connection with a patient or they use that clinical tidbit that they’d only read about in medical school and now they’ve used it to make a diagnosis — it’s exciting to see,” he says.

Dr. Todd Anderson, MD, dean of UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, is delighted to welcome the respected physician and teacher to this new leadership role.

“I’m very confident that Dr. Buck will strengthen this valuable partnership between our universities as we work together to train new physicians and enhance health care access across southern Alberta.

“Dr. Buck has been deeply committed to our medical school for well over a decade. He is a dedicated teacher to students and residents who also has played a vital role in preceptor development. We’re very fortunate to have someone of his caliber in this position.”

The SAMP program will see an increase in the training of rural physicians immediately with undergraduate medical students beginning at ULethbridge in 18 months, as it aims to improve the availability of physicians in rural areas.

Buck says it’s important to look at what SAMP means to health care in Alberta long term. It’s why the medical community has been talking about its potential for so long.

“I think what it means long term is a stable supply of physicians,” says Buck. “We’re not just trying to fill gaps, we’re also looking at it like so many other careers — doctors change professions, they retire — so you need people to fill those roles. Also, I hope what it says to people is that if you’re planning on moving to southern Alberta, we have a strong and stable health-care system you can rely on. That may be a little pollyannaish, but having a medical school here is a big, big part of that and can be very impactful.”

Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres one step closer with Memorandum of Understanding

trevor.kenney — Fri, 17 May 2024 16:07:31 +0000

The next step in expanding health-care capacity in southern Alberta was formalized today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's Penny Werthner, left, and ULethbridge's Michelle Helstein sign the Memorandum of Understanding.

Early last month, the Government of Alberta announced operational and capital funding to establish Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres to enhance physician training across the province. One of two centres will be located on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus. Through this innovative partnership, aspiring medical professionals will have the opportunity to complete the entirety of their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary medical degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

“One of the great challenges for families in small- to mid-sized communities in southern Alberta is accessing a family physician. This includes rural and Indigenous communities that struggle with health care capacity,” says Dr. Michelle Helstein, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Provost and Vice-President (Academic). “Through this partnership we will see local students recruited and trained across southern Alberta, greatly increasing the probability they will continue to practice in these underserved communities for years to come.”

The formalizing of the partnership through the MOU is an important next step in the process of developing the framework that will deliver this crucial programming. The institutions will now work on an agreement to jointly deliver the medical training program.

“Expanding physician training capacity in Alberta post-secondaries can lead to a significantly healthier population. We are excited to work collaboratively with our colleagues at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with the support of the Government of Alberta as we create the future of health together to better serve the diverse health needs of the people of southern Alberta,” says Dr. Penny Werthner, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

The Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres will use a distributed medical education model, whereby the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta (in cooperation with Northwestern Polytechnic) and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary (in cooperation with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge) partner with local institutions to develop the regional training campuses. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge training will occupy a major portion of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Centre for Community Wellbeing facility.

ULethbridge joining provincial partners to form Quantum Horizons Alberta research network

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:03:28 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is partnering with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary to form Quantum Horizons Alberta (QHA), a new $25-million Alberta-wide initiative to expand our foundational knowledge of quantum science and pursue transformational research into the potentials of quantum physics. Initiated by a group of visionary donors, QHA will grow Alberta’s considerable capacity in quantum research.

“Quantum research is transforming our world by offering solutions to difficult problems much faster and better, opening up new opportunities in areas like security, finance, drug development and studying climate change,” says Dr. Mike Mahon, ULethbridge president and vice-chancellor. “Supporting fundamental research today is absolutely vital to achieve major scientific breakthroughs tomorrow.”

QHA will bring together world-class scientists to deepen our understanding and unlock the mysteries of quantum mechanics, where the rules of classical physics do not apply. Quantum science studies the properties and behaviours of the very small or very cold building blocks of the universe, exploring the world beyond what we perceive around us. From creating Bose-Einstein condensates at the lowest temperatures in the universe, to understanding the mysteries of spooky action at a distance with entangled particles, quantum is the field of novel discovery.

While there are practical applications today, such as medical imaging, lasers, electron microscopes, and new approaches to computing power and cybersecurity, dedicated foundational science is required to extend the horizons of knowledge in the quantum realm and open untold and unpredictable possibilities.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Alberta’s major research universities to bring this new pan-Alberta initiative into existence and continue on the path of having a globally recognized hub of excellence for foundational quantum research based here in Alberta,” says Richard Bird, speaking on behalf of the group of donors. “Quantum science is an increasingly critical area of study around the world, and we have the opportunity to establish our province as a key source of research and discoveries in a field which promises to be transformational to the human condition.”

Initially joining Bird as QHA donors are Patrick Daniel, Joanne Cuthbertson and Guy Turcotte, with the expectation that the group will continue to expand as supporters from across Canada join the initiative.

The initial annual operating budget for QHA will be $5 million spread across the three nodes, committed for a minimum of five years and supported by the donors, the universities and other partners.

"These community leaders have stepped forward to invest in foundational quantum discovery because they understand how critical new knowledge is to Alberta’s future. Quantum Horizons Alberta activates our provincial research ecosystem, leveraging the talent across our universities, and enabling us to elevate and expand our capabilities,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. “Creating new knowledge to move society forward is foundational to the purpose of great research universities.”

“Quantum Horizons Alberta’s research funding will enable us to recruit more high-calibre research scientists and graduate students in this field,” says Bill Flanagan, president and vice-chancellor, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. “We have a strong history of discovery and research excellence in Alberta. We can build on this history thanks to the visionary philanthropists involved in QHA. Advancing a collaborative quantum research network increases the potential for more made-in-Alberta discoveries that will benefit people worldwide.”

Alberta is already home to quantum research and innovation excellence, and, in partnership with industry, a quantum innovation hub dedicated to growing the quantum tech sector in the province. Funding through Quantum Horizons Alberta is intended to build quantum science capacity in Alberta, by supporting existing expertise and attracting new talent with the goal to recruit a minimum of eight new quantum research professors to Alberta over the next two years along with funding for many postdoctoral scholars and graduate students.

QHA enables a long-term and sustainable path for Alberta’s leadership in quantum research and innovation, creating impact that will reach far beyond Alberta.

Website: quantumhorizonsab.ca

For Marta Blicharz, photographs are anything but black and white

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 17:44:29 +0000

It was in the recommendation of her college instructor that Marta Blicharz (MFA '12) started thinking about graduate studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"The Master of Fine Arts in New Media was just being developed as I was finishing a multimedia production diploma at Lethbridge College," explains Marta, who also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

Looking for a new challenge, Marta applied and became the first student enrolled in the U of L's new program.

Marta Blicharz found the challenge she was seeking in the Master of Fine Arts New Media program.

"I had the freedom to follow my own interests but still felt very supported," says Marta, who was grateful for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of such an innovative program. "The faculty members I worked with were flexible and understanding but always made sure I was on the right track."

Marta worked closely with acclaimed visual artist Emily Luce from the Department of New Media on a project that incorporated photography, design, glitch techniques and some interactive programming.

"My graduate work focused on disruption, explains Marta, who investigated how incidental or intentional changes to digital coding affects the message, image or visual impact of photos. "The result of purposely corrupting a file is never predictable. Everyone who engages in this technique knows that this process is finicky, time-consuming, unconventional and exciting."

Marta's final project, an exhibition entitled Designing the Corrosive Moment, was well-received but she maintains that the process was just as rewarding as the final product.

"I truly value the input and advice I received from my supervisor, my committee and the entire new media department," says Marta, who plans to eventually become and educator in the field of new media and design. "My work is stronger as a result."

U of L researchers among Venture's Top 50

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 22:14:53 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers from vastly different disciplines have been acknowledged by Alberta Venture Magazine as being among the province's 50 most influential people for 2013.

Drs. David Naylor (Physics and Astronomy) and Robert Sutherland (Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience) made the 2013 list for their achievements in the lab -- outer space, in Naylor's case, and for Sutherland, advocating for the academic community as the President of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations.

Dr. David Naylor

As an instructor with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's physics department since 1981, David Naylor has taken his lab to the upper echelons of experimental astrophysics. Practically speaking, that means he designs and uses instruments that can measure incredibly small amounts of radiation and light.

His primary project for the last four years has been the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), a telescope on the Herschel Space Observatory, which was launched in 2009.

The Herschel is winding down its mission as it runs out of liquid helium to cool its instruments, but its 25,000 hours of studying the universe have already led to 250 peer-reviewed articles, a better understanding of the galaxy and spin-off businesses in the Lethbridge area.

Naylor himself was instrumental in establishing Blue Sky Spectroscopy, a private company that has won several contracts from the European and Canadian space agencies and delivered complex instrumentation to leading research teams across the planet. And the SPIRE's legacy is still in its infancy. Astronomers will analyze the prolific telescope's legacy of data for years to come.

Dr. Robert Sutherland

Rob Sutherland's day job is as a professor and chair of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's department of neuroscience, but his public profile this year has come as a result of his role as president of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations.

CAFA represents academic associations at the province's four research-intensive institutions (��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ).

They were all hit hard in the provincial budget in March, with cuts to their operating budgets of more than seven per cent. Sutherland was suddenly thrust into the limelight as a defender of tertiary education from both the budget cuts and the mandate letters sent to the institutions from Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

You can be sure the battle will continue for years as the provincial government continues its austerity measures and the universities fight to get their funding back up to – and beyond – prior levels.

The complete list of Alberta Venture's 50 most influential people for 2013 is available here.

Calgary campus students to return to BVC

trevor.kenney — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 15:42:14 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Calgary Campus will be officially moving students and instructors back to Bow Valley College as of Monday, July 22, 2013. Students should begin attending classes at BVC beginning Monday morning.

By the end of business on Friday, July 19, the U of L Calgary Campus will have fully vacated its temporary administrative space on the second floor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's MacKimmie Library Link. Administrative services will resume exclusively in the Bow Valley College space on the sixth floor.

"We look forward to seeing all U of L Calgary students back on the BVC campus next week," says U of L Calgary Campus manager Dana Corbin. "Thank you for your patience and understanding during this incredibly difficult time."

For a breakdown of BVC classrooms for Summer Session II/III, as well as ongoing updates, please visit the flood update page at: www.uleth.ca/calgary/UL-Calgary-flood-closure.

This information will also appear on student course outlines. Please note that MUSI 2500 will remain at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and AHMS 3255 has been moved to a larger classroom at BVC.

U of L Calgary campus temporarily relocated to U of C

trevor.kenney — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 19:48:11 +0000

Due to the flooding in Calgary and the continuing challenges posed by the current closure of Bow Valley College, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Calgary Campus has found temporary instructional space in order to proceed with Summer Session II/III classes.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary has agreed to host the U of L Calgary Campus until we are able to return to our home in Bow Valley College. Our estimated return to BVC is unknown at this time, but we are hopeful that we will know more in the coming days. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's address is: 2500 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2013 the Calgary Campus administrative team began setting up temporary office space at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary that will be accessible to students and instructors. Our temporary space is located on the 2nd floor of the MacKimmie Link, behind the escalators and staircase. In this space, we will be able to provide support for Summer Session II/III.

Faculty, staff and students affected by this relocation have been communicated to directly by e-mail.

Administrative staff have been assigned temporary ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary telephone numbers. Currently, these telephones are only a line out/line in configuration with no voicemail capabilities. If you wish to leave a message, we recommend you send an email. The numbers are as follows:

Lorne Williams: 403-210-9353
Dana Corbin: 403-210-9356
Kristin Galicia: 403-210-9363
Sydney McNally: 403-210-9358
Krista Strome: 403-210-9357
Tracy Fairs: 403-210-9372
Mark Matias: 403-210-9378

On behalf of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, I would like to extend gratitude to the faculty and staff who have been working very hard to accommodate this challenging situation. I also want to express appreciation to our students for their patience and understanding. Finally, I want to thank the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary for welcoming us to their campus and for the outstanding support they have been providing to us.

Lorne Williams
Asst. Dean, North Campuses

Horns basketball releases 2013-14 schedule

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:12:04 +0000

The 2013-14 Canada West conference basketball season will begin for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's and women's basketball teams with a road swing into the lower B.C. mainland with match-ups versus the Fraser Valley Cascades and Trinity Western Spartans,
Nov. 1-2.

The following weekend, the 'Horns host the Manitoba Bisons in a pair of games for the first home games of the new season.

One change 'Horns fans will see this season is in the start times for Saturday night games. Moving away from the traditional 6 and 8 p.m. starts for women's and men's games respectively, the Horns will now play at 5 and 7 p.m.

Also visiting the 1st Choice Savings Centre during the first half of the season will be the UBCO Heat, Thompson Rivers WolfPack and Regina Cougars.

In the New Year, the 'Horns will host an action packed set of games, welcoming traditional rivals ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, UBC Thunderbirds and Victoria Vikes, before closing out the conference schedule with a home-and-home series versus southern Alberta rival Calgary Dinos. The series with the Dinos kicks off at the 1st Choice Savings Centre Friday, Feb. 14 before concluding the regular season the next night in Calgary.

The Canada West best of three quarter-final series is scheduled for Feb. 21-23 with the Canada West Final Four being hosted by the highest remaining seed the following week. The CIS Final 8 will be hosted by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Ottawa, Mar. 7-9, 2014.

On the women's side, the opening round is scheduled to start a week later but could move to the same weekend as the men's quarter-final if a scheduling conflict is created with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary hosting the CIS Volleyball Championships. The Canada West Final Four will be hosted by the highest remaining seed, Mar. 7-8 and the CIS Final 8 will be hosted by the three-time defending champion ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor.

Once again this season, all Canada West basketball games will be webcast on www.canadawest.tv.

Herschel Mission Operating Phase Wrapping Up

trevor.kenney — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:54:37 +0000

A pioneering space imaging mission that sent a scientific instrument co-developed by a U of L researcher on a 1.5 million kilometre trip to deep space aboard the Herschel Space Observatory might be nearing its conclusion, but that doesn't mean the end of the project for the research team.

Dr. David Naylor (Physics and Astronomy) and his team of researchers lead Canada's contribution to the Herschel project on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency.

The instrument, called the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver ("SPIRE"), is one of three devices attached to the Herschel telescope system.

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/herschel/default.asp

The helium-filled 'gas tank' cooling Herschel's equipment is expected to run dry over the next few weeks – an expected process.

As the coolant diminishes, equipment will stop working, but data transmission will continue until the bus-sized telescope parks itself in a permanent orbit around the sun.

What follows is a five-year post operation phase, where the data obtained during the mission are used to develop improved calibration algorithms to allow the most information to be extracted from the images. Eventually the data will be reprocessed and placed in an archive that will have legacy value.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Herschel_to_finish_observing_soon

The mission, launched on May 14, 2009 from the Ariane Spaceport in French Guyana, almost immediately began to shed new light on stars and galaxies by measuring a level of light called far-infrared.

Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but travels well across the universe. Star forming regions emit light at these wavelengths and Herschel can detect it, capturing a wealth of detail such as heat signatures and chemical composition that help astronomers clearly see, for the first time, stars and whole galaxies that have previously remained hidden or only poorly understood.

"SPIRE picks up heat and chemical signals that are not visible by optical telescopes, and turns that data into the amazing images and information we and other scientists are using to learn more about the life and death of stars and galaxies," Naylor said.

In addition to literally 'clearing up' the images people have been using for two centuries to look into space, Naylor said the Herschel mission is confirming the existence of molecules on earth that originated in space.

"With SPIRE we can look at the big picture, or the very tiny picture, and gain a whole new insight into how stars live and die. The reason the imagery is so clear is that the space observatory sits more than 1.5 million km from earth, far from our atmosphere which absorbs virtually all radiation at which far-infrared wavelengths. Since the universe emits most of its energy at these wavelengths, Herschel provides us with our first comprehensive view of the universe."

The data and crisp images come from a device about as big as a large microwave oven that took more than 15 years and $100 million to develop – and has to function at a chilly -270C.

Also gratifying are the unique research collaborations that Naylor sees happening in the future. "Approximately one-third of the time available to researchers is guaranteed to those involved in key projects, and our time is included in that. We see the data here in Lethbridge before anyone else does. Scientists will be seeking our help in analyzing their data and the U of L group will be an important Canadian and international resource."

With an estimated output of up to 7,000 hours per year of data, there should be enough information to keep researchers busy for years – and some of that data flows through Blue Sky Spectroscopy, a Lethbridge-based, high tech spinoff company founded by Naylor in 2003, and now privately owned and operated.

Blue Sky is one of the three international Data Processing and Science Analysis Software centres for the SPIRE instrument. Data are downloaded daily from the spacecraft and stored on the Blue Sky servers.

Its highly qualified staff, all with postgraduate degrees, specialize in custom hardware and software spectroscopic solutions. Customers include NASA, ESA, and CSA, and many leading research institutes such as Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Max Planck and Cardiff, NIST, Centre d'Etudes Atomique, Paris, Institute National d'Optique, Canada to name a few.

What's next?

According to Naylor, more research that refines his current SPIRE device to make it suitable for yet another space mission currently under review by the Japanese, European and Canadian Space Agencies.

The project – SPICA, which stands for Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics – is a next-generation version of the SPIRE device, and would perform a similar function on a space telescope planned to launch in 2022.

Learn more about the SPICA project, here: http://research.uleth.ca/spica/index.php

Naylor said Herschel has been an overwhelming success, but its sensitivity is limited by its 'warm' telescope. "At a temperature of -80K (-193C) this may sound cold, but it limits the achievable sensitivity. By cooling a telescope to -6K (-267C) would increase the sensitivity by an astonishing factor of 100, allowing it to explore a volume of space 1000x greater than Herschel".

Building on the success of Herschel, the Japanese Space Agency JAXA is developing such a cooled telescope. ESA has joined forces with JAXA; in return for ESA providing the telescope and a ground station, European scientists will build one of the flight instruments.

Based on the Herschel experience, an imaging FTS similar to the ones Naylor's group has been building for over two decades has been selected and Naylor has been invited to join the international team that will build the instrument known as SAFARI.

The instrument is similar to one that the U of L team has recently commissioned on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the world's largest submillimetre telescope located atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/

The space-based project, SPICA – which stands for Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics – is a next-generation version of the SPIRE device, and would perform a similar function on a space telescope planned to launch in 2022.

In Alberta, a recent and significant collaboration has also been launched with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, where the U of L and the U of C and Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ have formed the Institute for Space Imaging Science (ISIS) to work together on projects that take space research further than Herschel technology, whether on the ground or in the atmosphere.

"By nature, physics researchers don't get too excited, but to see these images and know that we're looking at them in a whole new way, and further that we'll be able to share this information with the public so they can learn about the origins of the universe, is truly exciting," Naylor said.

He estimates that more than 200 papers have already been produced using data from the Herschel mission, and approximately half of those have Canadian co-authors.

The geographical distribution of SPIRE science within Canada is broad with authors affiliated with the following universities/institutions: UBC, Calgary, CFHT, HIA/UVic, Laval, Lethbridge, McMaster, Toronto, Waterloo. As well, a large group of researchers, including more than 30 post docs, undergrad and grad students have conducted research using SPIRE data.

An example of the type of imaging and discoveries made possible by the Herschel Space Observatory can be found here:

Comet 'Demolition Derby' Creates New Information About Solar System Origin

Compelling new images from the Herschel Space Telescope – parked more than 1.5 million kilometres from earth and facing into deep space -- are showing researchers what the formation of our solar system must have looked like at its early stages: a violent, comet-laden disk of debris where thousands of 1 km wide chunks of ice collide and spin around a young star.

http://oshi.esa.int/#list=/images.html?q=pillars;detail=image.html?id=89

The images are made possible in part by technology created by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers, and designed and built by an international consortium of space agencies, universities and research institutes.

http://www.uleth.ca/notice/display.html?b=300&s=17611

Alums Myshak, Brown turn knowledge into business

trevor.kenney — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:34:16 +0000

When they began their academic adventures at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, co-owners of the newly formed Isis Geomatics Incorporated, Steve Myshak (BSc '10) and Owen Brown (BSc '09) were heading down very different career paths.

In fact, Brown wasn't planning on staying at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for long. Originally enrolled in pre-engineering, he intended to transfer to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary to complete his degree there, but one semester in geography at the U of L and he knew he was hooked.

Myshak entered the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a mature student, looking for a fresh start. He initially majored in history but after switching majors several times, he found his true passion.

"I took Geography 1010. They had it set up so that all the different geography professors came into the class and each took a week to show us the breadth of geography," says Myshak. "After I took that class, I decided that geography was what I liked and what I wanted to do."

Owen Brown, left, and business partner Steve Myshak are off and running with ISIS Geomatics Incorporated.

They both graduated from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with their bachelor of science degrees, Brown in 2009 and Myshak in 2010, and are both set to complete their master of science degrees at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ this summer.

"I'd always thought about getting my masters. I had a good relationship with my professor, Chris Hugenholtz; I had done some independent studies with him and I liked the classes he taught. I took a semester off after I graduated, but when Chris asked me one day if I would be interested in the masters' program I just ran with it," recalls Brown.

Myshak, who began studying for his masters under the supervision of Drs. Craig Coburn and Karl Staenz, also began studying the possibility of starting up his own company.

"When I was doing my masters, I was working with Agriculture Canada and I spent a lot of time in the field. We were using ground-based remote sensing. I thought there had to be a better way to get the data. I came up with the idea to attach sensors to UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and get the data that way. I looked into government funding, IRAP and Techterra, and found that there was funding available, but I needed someone else's opinion," says Myshak. "Our masters' class used to unwind on Fridays at Backstreet Pub. That is where I approached Owen. I told him I needed a partner and asked him what he thought of my idea. We had taken a couple of classes together in our undergrad and in our masters. Owen is very mature in the way he thinks, he has worked in industry and hasn't just spent all his time at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Working with Owen was just a natural fit."

"He caught me a little off guard I guess, because I always thought I would just get a job when I finished my masters. I never thought about a business. I talked to my parents and they were very supportive. I decided to try it," says Brown. "We got started right away. Steve had already gotten some government funding, so we put a business plan together, put our nose to the grindstone and got to work."

They incorporated in August 2011. Although there has been a definite on-the-job learning curve, both Brown and Myshak feel strongly about the knowledge base they received and the support they continue to get from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"You gain a lot of critical thinking skills doing research and lab work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. You are given a task and there may be several different ways to do that task. You just have to break it down and do it step by step," says Brown. "We have learned fantastic problem solving skills. The breadth of knowledge we have gained is unbelievable, and the support from our professors on our business has been great."

Using the technical knowledge they gained throughout their academic and work experiences, Myshak and Brown are quickly breaking into the agriculture industry. Judging by the feedback on their recent presentations, they are hopeful that ISIS Geo will soon become a familiar name in the oil and gas industry as well.

"We use UAVs to acquire imagery and then transform that imagery into data using geographic information systems (GIS). UAV's have been used in police and military applications but there are many applications for it in the commercial world," explains Myshak.

"For example, we do vegetation health mapping for remediation, livestock counting and recently we have been doing a lot of work for municipalities, measuring volumes of gravel piles for municipal audits. We have also done some mapping applications as well," says Brown.

Such aerial imaging work has traditionally been done by satellite, but ISIS Geo has a much more detailed response and quicker turnaround of data. With satellite information data, each pixel is 5m x 5m, but with UAV technology, Myshak and Brown can provide data that is 3cm x 3cm.

"One of the advantages is the much better resolution," says Myshak. "The other advantage is that we can fly and have the data the same day, whereas satellite data can take up to two-to-three months to get. We are also less expensive than satellite and we can work when it is cloudy because we fly the copter under the clouds."

Over the past eight months, they have been working on pilot projects that have proven to be highly successful. For this innovative new company, the sky's the limit.

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

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