UNews - Ryan Johnson

McDaniel among Alberta Venture's 50 Most Influential People

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 16:06:29 +0000

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociologist’s research into labour shortages in Canada led to some myth-busting that earned her a spot on Alberta Venture’s 50 Most Influential People for 2014.

Dr. Susan McDaniel was the principal investigator in a study that showed Canada is not facing a broad labour shortage.

Dr. Susan McDaniel, director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy and Canada Research Chair in Global Population and Life Course, was the principal investigator in a study that showed Canada is not facing a broad labour shortage, although some industries and regions are experiencing skills shortages.

The research, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, has received national attention and challenged accepted notions about labour shortages.

The article on McDaniel can be found at the Alberta Venture website.

McDaniel joins several other people with U of L connections who have made the list in previous years. In 2013, Dr. David Naylor (Physics and Astronomy) and Dr. Robert Sutherland (Neuroscience) were among the 50 most influential. President Emeritus Dr. Howard Tennant and U of L alumnus Ryan Johnson (Geography) were named in Alberta Venture’s 2012 most influential list.

Alberta Venture magazine creates the 50 Most Influential People list to acknowledge Albertans from all walks of life who have had uncommon influence on the province and beyond in the past year.

The complete list of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People for 2014 can be found here.

Tennant, Johnson on Venture Top 50 list

trevor.kenney — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:31:57 +0000

A former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge president and a U of L alumnus who parlayed his geography studies into a satellite imaging company with worldwide influence are among Alberta Venture Magazine's 50 Most Influential People in the province for 2012.

The annual collection of people from all walks of life provides a snapshot of the province's business, government, arts, culture, education and entrepreneurial communities.

President Emeritus Dr. Howard Tennant led the U of L from 1987 to 2001 and since his retirement has remained a member of the Faculty of Management – balancing his academic work with service to a number of regional, provincial and national boards and organizations.

In 2011, Tennant co-chaired the Alberta Environmental Monitoring Panel, a committee charged with making recommendations to create a world-class environmental monitoring system for the province.

U of L alumnus and CEO of BlackBridge Geomatics, Ryan Johnson (BSc 98, MSc 00, Geography) has taken his interest in imaging literally out of this world. While in school, Johnson founded a company that has since grown to worldwide influence as a leading provider of optical satellite imaging. Through the acquisition of a German company, Blackbridge is now the world's fourth largest private owner of space-based satellites.

As well as partnering with the U of L on imaging education and equipment use, Blackbridge is investing in technology to support high-tech startups at tecconnect, a new facility in Lethbridge that will serve as an incubator for companies in the information and communications technology sector.

On the forefront of an emerging science

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:05:42 +0000

Humans have long wished to see beyond what our limited vision permits. For proof, consider the invention of microscopes, telescopes and satellites. Today at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, researchers are using state-of-the-art digital imaging technologies to view even more areas – within the body and across the planet – that would otherwise be inaccessible to mortal eyes. Along the way, vast amounts of data are being collected.

"Solutions to the world's biggest problems can be resolved with high-quality, reliable data," says Dr. Daniel Weeks, the U of L's vice-president (research). "Our researchers are gathering, analyzing and making data more useful so important decisions can be made faster and more easily."

The emerging science of digital imaging is being pushed by researchers across disciplines at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

For example, using sensors to acquire information about the Earth's surface (a process called remote sensing) can help farmers evaluate the health of their crops. In medicine, similarly, magnetic resonance imaging, which produces 3-D images of soft tissue, can enable doctors to assess a patient's brain after a stroke.

For these reasons, and many more, imaging was named one of the top 20 greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering in the United States. Indeed, imaging is effecting enormous change in multiple fields. In recent years, the U of L has attracted numerous international imaging-science researchers in such diverse disciplines as physics, astronomy, kinesiology, geography, neuroscience and new media. As a result, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ identified imaging as a key area for growth.

There are many on-campus facilities dedicated to supporting imaging research at the U of L. They include two remote-sensing laboratories, a brain-imaging centre and a soon-to-be completed and unique-in-Canada facility for calibrating remote-sensing instruments. Also, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is home to a satellite-receiving station that is operated in conjunction with Iunctus Geomatics Corp., founded by U of L alumnus Ryan Johnson (BSc '98, MSc '00).

Two researchers benefiting from those facilities are Dr. Craig Coburn of the Department of Geography and Dr. Albert Cross of the Departments of Neuroscience, and Physics and Astronomy.

Coburn is finding new ways to solve problems with, and extract information from, remotely sensed data. He has built remote-sensing instruments for such clients as the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And while the official use of the instruments is classified, Coburn speculates their job may be to spot disturbances in soil. This data could indicate the presence of landmines, for example.

"Imaging is about more than pictures," says Coburn, reflecting broadly on the field. "These are scientific-grade research instruments floating in space and they can provide a lot of valuable information if we know how to render the image."

The same is true of neuroimaging instruments, says Cross. "Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we can track activity in the brain and unravel how the brain is organized."

An MRI physicist, Cross is developing new, minimally invasive techniques for neuroimaging. Using lab rats, Cross is studying the efficacy of manganese as a way to produce contrast changes in regions of the brain that correspond to prior experiences during MRI scans.

Imaging science can effect tremendous change in many fields, Weeks believes. On that note, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ plans to broaden the impact of its imaging science research. "We're reaching out to potential partners in China, India and Germany, for instance. By finding new collaborators and exploring new avenues of discovery together, we can further increase the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's global footprint in this exciting area of investigation."

Extraterrestrial

Long before Star Trek popularized the phrase, "To boldly go where no man has gone before," humanity has been interested in the cosmos. But sending people deep into space is dangerous and expensive. Fortunately, extraterrestrial imaging enables us to find faraway stars, galaxies and planets, and puts the universe in closer reach.

Neuroimaging

We already have proof that the brain is a powerful tool. You do, after all, remember the location of your keys (most days). But in what areas of the brain does thinking actually happen? And how does the whole system work? By providing images of the brain as it goes about its business, neuroimaging offers important insights about the process of cognition.

Motion capture

Movement is something many of us take for granted. But researchers know there's more to human motion than heaving yourself out of bed, running around with a to-do list and then crashing on the couch. What are the subtle mechanics of motion? Knowing this information will advance our understanding of how bodies move, and will benefit everything from the fine arts to the field of kinesiology.

Atmospheric

The air that surrounds our planet may appear clear some days and a smoggy soup on others. But no matter the atmosphere's appearance, there's always a mix of gases up there. Some have little impact on our weather. Others, like carbon dioxide, are dramatically changing our climate. Atmospheric imaging researchers study the composition of the Earth's atmosphere and detect the trace gases that can be climatic game-changers.

Satellite

We've come a long way from the days of setting out on long expeditions to record the contours and features of the land. Today, we look above to satellites for a big-picture view of the planet. But small details are significant, too. For instance, what's happening on the Earth's surface in each region of the world? Satellite imaging enables us to see such phenomena as deforestation and the development of deserts.

Remote sensing conference featuring exceptional speakers

trevor.kenney — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:32:13 +0000

Remote Sensing researchers who look at the earth from afar – sometimes outer space – are getting hands-on, ground level experiences from June 22-25 at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The U of L is the site for the 30th Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing. Conference Chair, Canadian Remote Sensing Society (CRSS) President and U of L Geography Professor Dr. Derek Peddle says more than 200 researchers, industry representatives and students are attending from Canada, the U.S., Europe and elsewhere, including a delegation from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Canadian Space Agency, national award recipients and editors of the leading international remote sensing journals and publications.

"Remote sensing has many applications for agriculture, forestry, energy and urban planning. Examples include tracking forest fires, oil and gas industry mapping, assessing crop health, mountain pine beetle damage and other environmental challenges, such as floods and natural disasters," Peddle says. "It's important for everyone to meet with other scientists and applications specialists about this work."

Keynote speakers include high-ranking officials from the Alberta and Federal governments, the CSA and NASA, such as Dr. Diane Wickland from NASA Headquarters in Washington DC.

"We're doing new things – making a Conference with a Difference. They'll be accessible to all delegates, for informal interaction – this type of group and format has never been done before at any international symposia," says Peddle.

The conference is a team effort, and Peddle says the key players have put in countless months to make sure everything goes off as planned.

"For me, it started in May 2006. Heather Mirau and our Conference Services staff on campus have been outstanding, and my colleagues in geography, Dr. Craig Coburn and CRSS Executive member Dr. Anne Smith, a researcher at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, have really stepped up to make sure the program and other details are looked after. As well, local industry partners Ryan Johnson and staff at Iunctus Geomatics Corporation plus the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre are highly involved, and are showcasing the technology we have in Lethbridge which makes remote sensing a great business success story for the region."

Remote sensing conference coming to U of L

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:05:11 +0000

UNews - Ryan Johnson

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