UNews - Alberta Ingenuity

Water research makes WISE step

trevor.kenney — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:19:47 +0000

The infrastructure is in place, the expertise is on campus and the precedent has been set – so it is hardly surprising that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is formalizing its established reputation as a leader in water research with the creation of the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments (WISE).

If the WISE acronym sounds familiar, that's because it is, used from 2002-2006 when it represented the Water Institute for Semi-Arid Ecosystems. Its then-mandate, led by then-Vice-President (Research), Dennis Fitzpatrick, was to expand partnerships with regional, federal and provincial government agencies and elevate the regional, provincial and national profile of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ relative to water research.

Water research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ now operates under the auspices of WISE, the Water Institute for Sustainable Environments.

It built off the 1988-2004 Water Resources Institute (WRI) that first emphasized water management studies as related to irrigation and more formally established interaction between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and regional water management agencies. When added to the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research (AICWR, a 2003-2009 initiative funded by Alberta Ingenuity) and the construction of the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB) in 2008, it serves as prelude to today's WISE incarnation.

"The combination of the recruitment of many faculty with interests in water research, the completion of previous initiatives such as WRI and AICWR, and the implementation of the AWESB, provides a foundation for the next step towards the advancement of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a national centre for water research and training," says Vice-President (Research), Dr. Dan Weeks. "The establishment of this institute is that step."

Today's WISE, which was officially approved by the Board of Governors at its most recent meeting, reflects how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown in terms of its profile as a leader in water research and the comprehensive nature by which it approaches water related topics.

Weeks says the WISE acronym was maintained because of its history with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, but updated to reflect the greater scope the U of L is now prepared to tackle. The word 'sustainable' was added to emphasize conservation and stewardship and to reflect expanding research activities that will not be limited to regional or semi-arid environments. Likewise, 'environments' replaces 'ecosystems' because it suggests a broader context of study.

"WISE will strive to facilitate activities but will not act to limit or screen activities by individuals or groups of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ faculty," says Weeks. "It will be especially effective in encouraging collaborative and interdisciplinary research initiatives that involve groups of faculty and students from across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

In that respect, Weeks sees the institute as being an excellent recruitment tool, particularly of graduate and post-doctoral students.

"It will provide a major opportunity to blend teaching and research activities and further establish our emergence as a comprehensive university," he says.

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has continually expanded its commitment to water research and broadened its reputation as a hub of expertise in water management strategies, the establishment of WISE is seen as a natural evolution.

"By formalizing WISE, it sets the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ on course to further stake its claim as the national centre for water research and training," says Weeks.

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

Hayes earns CAFA honour

trevor.kenney — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:59:55 +0000

The Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA), the provincial organization representing academic staff associations at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, recently announced the recipients of the CAFA Distinguished Academic Awards for 2010.

Among the recipients is Dr. Paul Hayes an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who will receive the 2010 CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award at an event in mid-September.

The CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award recognizes academic staff members who, at an early stage of their careers, through their research and/or other scholarly, creative or professional activities, have made an outstanding contribution to the wider community beyond the university.

Hayes is being recognized for, among other projects, his research to find a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable 'green' alternative to conventional plastics.

Building his research programme at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge from scratch, Hayes has been able to attract top-quality students and postdoctoral fellows to his lab. As principal investigator, he has secured multi-year external funding, including grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Alberta Ingenuity, NSERC, the Canada School of Energy and Environment, and GreenCentre Canada.

Hayes' research is receiving wide attention in the scientific community, and already has resulted in an impressive string of high-profile publications in leading peer-reviewed chemistry journals, in addition to numerous invited presentations at scholarly conferences across Canada and abroad.

His research in the field of organometallic chemistry, focusing on fundamental questions in catalysis and polymer science, addresses the need to develop new technologies for chemical conversions, which are crucial to drug development, materials synthesis, and the production of value-added chemicals.

Specifically, his work on polylactide polymerization catalysis advances our understanding of the synthesis of 'green' polymers, that is, biodegradable polymers that can be prepared from inexpensive renewable sources, such as corn.

This research holds the key to the challenge of producing viable alternatives to many conventional materials, such as 'green' plastic for food packaging. Lactone polymers also have many possible medical applications, for example in absorbable sutures, matrices for the slow release of pharmaceuticals, and polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Bird brains shed light on evolution and pollution

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:03:50 +0000

With its mousy brown feathers and ample frame, the ruffed grouse wouldn't win any beauty contests. But for one neuroscientist, the Alberta species is a celebrity.

One of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's newest researchers in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN), Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, says the species is unique in the world. By beating its wings very quickly, the male creates a loud drumming sound to attract females.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk

"It's completely unique to them. There's no other grouse or chicken-like species in the world that has that behaviour," he says.

Iwaniuk, who earned his master's degree at the U of L, has chosen the ruffed grouse as a focal species for his research on brain differences across species. He's trying to understand why the brains of different animals evolve so distinctly and says the grouse's unique behaviour will provide information about how its brain evolved.

His research is supported by several funding bodies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which recently awarded him nearly $500,000.

Another branch of Iwaniuk's work explores the neurobehavioural impacts of organic pollutants, also through the lens of bird physiology. For this work, he's studying the common quail, which is more sensitive to pollutants than wild birds.

Supported by Alberta Ingenuity and the Alberta Heritage Fund, this work focuses on perfluorinated chemicals, which are contained in stain treatments and Teflon coatings and now circulate widely in the environment.

"A bit of an unknown with these chemicals is how they're affecting our bodies and potentially our brains and behaviours," he says. "The current theory is that these chemicals are upsetting the thyroid gland."

Iwaniuk, who did his PhD at Monash ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Melbourne, Australia, conducted research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., before returning to the U of L.

"The facilities here were better than the other places I was looking at and the funding was better, which offers me the opportunity to hire post-docs, students and research assistants," Iwaniuk says.

UNews - Alberta Ingenuity

Water research makes WISE step

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Hayes earns CAFA honour

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Bird brains shed light on evolution and pollution

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