UNews - Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research

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.

The Cade Decade

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:58:29 +0000

UPDATE: Dr. Bill Cade will receive an honorary degree at the Fall 2012 Convocation ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. at the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium

When President Dr. Bill Cade first laid eyes on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2000, he saw an institution on the verge of a growth spurt, ready to come of age. Still not completely sure of its identity, the U of L was a young, emerging ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ poised to break out of its adolescence.

A decade later, as Cade prepares to wrap up his 10-year presidency, he sees an entirely different picture – the U of L's growth as a comprehensive university reflected by its stunning physical profile atop the Oldman River valley.

"I think it was a well-kept secret," says Cade of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ when he arrived on campus. "I think we were known well in some quarters, but I thought we needed to become more well-known in others.
"Today, I love to stand on the other side of the river with my dogs and look at the campus. I especially like it when the lights are on in the new stadium."

The Community Sports Stadium is the most recent addition to campus (it opened in September of 2009), and when Markin Hall opens this fall (Cade will return for the ceremony), it will bookend the Cade Decade, a 10-year period of unprecedented expansion and self-awareness at the U of L.

"For the past 10 years, as Bill and I worked together to advance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's relationships with Canada and Alberta, he has been a visionary and dynamic force to identify and further the goals of programs, advancement and infrastructure development," says Dr. Jim Horsman (LLD '04 ), U of L chancellor emeritus (1999-2003) and a former member of the Board of Governors.

The building boom was just beginning in 2000 with the addition of Anderson Hall, a multi-purpose classroom and office facility. A year later, the $34 million Library Information Network Centre (LINC) and Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) would follow, and while their planning had begun before Cade's arrival, it was he who introduced the new U of L look to the broader community. It was a role he was ideally suited to perform.

"Bill is the greatest cheerleader the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has ever seen – it must be the Texan in him," says Greg Weadick (BSc '77), MLA for Lethbridge West. "Under his watch, the U of L has become a stronger community partner and a source of immense pride for all southern Albertans."

Cade recognized early that the U of L had a great story to tell, and a southern Alberta community eager to not only listen to that story but become a part of it, too.

"Initially, I don't think I had an appreciation for the prominence of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the office of the president in this community, and that turned out to be one of the very enjoyable aspects of the job," says Cade.

His previous position, at Brock ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in St. Catharines, Ont., did not afford that luxury. Whereas Brock was one of many players in the eight-million person Golden Horseshoe region of southern Ontario, the U of L is a benchmark southern Alberta industry.

"When Dr. and Mrs. Cade arrived in Lethbridge, it became clear quite quickly that their outgoing and positive approach to community involvement was going to make a difference in the connection between the community and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Cheryl Dick, chief executive officer, Economic Development Lethbridge.
"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown during his tenure through new facilities, but its footprint has also grown in terms of influence. By association, the reputation and respect of our city has also increased."

Cade and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ couldn't accomplish this simply by putting up buildings. Growth for the sake of growth, in Cade's own words, "is stupid," and what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was able to do over the last 10 years was identify areas of need and create programming that connected with emerging trends.

"We grew because we're in the business of admitting students to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, we're not in the business of excluding them. I've always been proud of that fact," says Cade.

Already blessed with a solid base of undergraduate programs, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ sought to increase its presence in the graduate world. The spring following Cade's installment saw the CCBN taking shape and the first doctoral students for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's PhD in Neuroscience program being accepted.

While expanding graduate programming along with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's research portfolio stood out as key priorities, to do so required money – a lot of money. The answer came in the form of an advancement office.

"I'd learned the advancement structure at Brock, and I enjoyed asking for money," says Cade. "It's easy to ask if you've got people who know what they're doing and will point you in the right direction. I thought building our reputation, letting people know who we are and what we were doing was a real priority.
"Asking for money is the easiest part of it; the hardest part is building up to it. If you've done the proper work leading up to it, I think you're OK to ask."

As funding for graduate programming grew, so did the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's research portfolio. In the past 10 years, the U of L's research funding has soared a phenomenal 610 per cent, taking what was a primarily undergraduate university to a research-intensive, comprehensive university with a focus on both undergraduate and graduate studies.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) initiative, a new grant program for researchers in the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, education and management, was established. The U of L's allocation of Canada Research Chairs, nine, was met, and unique, issue-driven programs such as the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research were established. In 2008, the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB) opened, and in 2009, the U of L attracted foremost neuroscientist Dr. Bruce McNaughton and $20 million in funding to the CCBN, earning the inaugural Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Polaris Award.

"The research side of our mandate has certainly grown tremendously and is as high a quality as you could find around the country and around the world," says Cade, noting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has worked hard to maintain its foundation of providing a personal, supportive small-school approach.
"We've done that while keeping our undergraduate and graduate programming very strong as well. If you don't grow in terms of new programs and evolve your interests in other degrees, you stagnate, and if you're starting to stagnate by resting on your laurels, you're in trouble."

Modestly, Cade is the first to admit that some of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's growth was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. While the U of L worked hard to create the community alliances necessary to open the new 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness in 2007, the Community Sports Stadium, a crown jewel for southern Alberta sport, was basically dropped on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's doorstep.

"Clearly there were things that we went after and we got them, but there were things that came out of the blue. Serendipity is a wonderful thing," says Cade.
"We didn't see the stadium coming, we didn't know that was something the city would propose, but seizing the opportunity is a really important part of it; that's something the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has done since its inception, seize opportunities."

With more than 8,000 students, a new home for the Faculties of Health Sciences and Management ready to open and a continually emerging research presence established, is Cade comfortable with how he is leaving the U of L?

"At the risk of sounding egotistical, yes, I think so," he says. "I think in terms of our academic development and in terms of having a functioning advancement office and having an outstanding faculty and good facilities, yes, I think so. There's always more you can do, but I feel pretty satisfied."

He pays no heed to trying to write his own legacy.

"I hope I have a legacy," he laughs. "I feel extremely good about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. It is without question the most satisfying experience of my professional life. But as to a legacy? Somebody else has to figure that one out."

Perhaps it's the western skyline that will tell his story, now pierced by the glass and steel that represent a transformed campus and a new, confident identity.

"I scan the horizon and I can see the new stadium, the residences we put in, I can see Markin Hall rising, and from a certain vantage point you can see the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre satellite dish, the AWESB and, of course, the new gymnasium. If you had told me 10 years ago that all of these things would be happening on campus, I would have thought it was wishful thinking."

A timeline of major ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge events occuring over the previous 10 years

2000
• Dr. Bill Cade officially jumps into his new role as president and vice-chancellor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.
• The U of L actively takes steps toward moving from a small, undergraduate institution to a comprehensive university – the first graduate students are admitted into the Master of Science in Management program, as well as the first doctorate students to the PhD Neuroscience program.

2001

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes its third Rhodes scholar, Russell Goodman.
• On the first day of fall classes, the $34 million Library Information Network Centre (LINC) opens. The 201,922 square foot facility stands as one the largest construction projects to take place on campus since the completion of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall in 1971.
• Two months later, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates the opening of the $7.3 million Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. As the only research building of its kind in Canada, it helps lay the foundation for the U of L to emerge as an expert in the mysteries of the mind.

2002

• The traditional Blackfoot name, Medicine Rock, is given to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to recognize its 35th Anniversary.

2003

• Six new townhouse units open to house 96 students in 24 four-bedroom suites. The $6.15 million expansion project also includes the construction of a 5,000 square foot amenities building.

2004

• Continuing to meet students' needs, doctoral degrees offered at the U of L grow to include Bio-molecular Science; Biosystems and Biodiversity; Earth, Space and Physical Sciences; Evolution and Behaviour; and Theoretical and Computational Science.
• At spring convocation, the first graduates of the neuroscience PhD program cross the stage.

2005

• The U of L continues to grow beyond anyone's greatest expectations, and in September, combined enrolment for the U of L's Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton campuses exceeds 8,000 students.
• As plans form to build a new regional health and wellness centre, students agree to contribute $2.5 million and the City of Lethbridge approves a $5.3 million contribution.
• Then-Premier Ralph Klein visits the Lethbridge campus at the end of October to announce $1.2 million in provincial funding to help purchase scientific equipment for the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre.
• A $3 million donation from Dr. Allan Markin kicks off the Legacy of Leadership campaign – the most ambitious campaign in the U of L's history.

2006

• A year of milestones: the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ proudly holds its 100th convocation ceremony, while the Faculty of Management celebrates its 25th anniversary.
• President Dr. Bill Cade is inducted into Kainai chieftainship, a group limited to 40 living individuals recognized by members of the Blood Tribe for their service to the community.
• The Prentice family announces an $8.25 million gift to establish the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy.

2007

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge launches its 40th anniversary celebrations at the grand opening of the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, with more than 2,000 people attending the celebration.
• The Government of Alberta invests more than $78 million toward developing the U of L campus, including Markin Hall, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall and the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB).

2008

• With more than $35 million raised, the Legacy of Leadership Campaign concludes. When combined with government funding, the result is a $113 million investment in the U of L.
• The U of L is the recipient of the inaugural Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Polaris Award, which brings Dr. Bruce McNaughton, one of the world's foremost brain scientists, and $20 million in research funding to the U of L's CCBN.
• The U of L campus continues to transform with the opening of both Turcotte Hall and the AWESB. The AWESB brings experts together and allows for up to 100 new graduate students.

2009

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ charts its course for the next five years with the release of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. The plan affirms what has taken place and promises to stay true to what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has done well, while making a call to move into a more comprehensive framework and to expand graduate programs.
• In March, President Dr. Bill Cade announces he will step down at the completion of his second term.
• In late September, the new Community Sports Stadium officially opens. Built on partnerships, the estimated $12 million multi-purpose, public-access facility is equipped with an artificial field, a natural practice field, a 400-metre synthetic track and bleachers for 2,000 fans.
• The School of Graduate Studies celebrates its 25th anniversary.
• Pronghorns women's rugby team successfully claims its third straight CIS national title.
• Just before the new year, Dr. Michael Mahon is appointed as the U of L's next president.

2010

• The U of L celebrates with its littlest members and opens a daycare facility.
• The U of L community bids farewell to President Dr. Bill Cade and wife Elsa while looking forward to another decade of success and growth.

To view the entire issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A comprehensive evolution

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:56:19 +0000

In the 1990s, the academic discussions in Alberta largely focused on the province's two research-intensive institutions – the universities of Alberta and Calgary. That began to change once Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick became the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's first associate vice-president of research in 1999. Ten years later, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is recognized on provincial, national and international stages for its research excellence.

"Now when I go to meetings, people talk about Alberta's three research universities," says Fitzpatrick, who became vice-president (research) in 2004. "This was a very important milestone for us, and reaching it took a lot of hard work by many people."

It took, quite literally, an institutional transformation. Over the last decade, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has evolved from a small and very successful primarily undergraduate university to a research-intensive, comprehensive university with a focus on both undergraduate and graduate studies.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge of today would not be a reality without Dr. Fitzpatrick's extraordinary efforts and vision," says U of L President Dr. Bill Cade. "He is the institutional face for research in the community, and he has worked tirelessly recruiting researchers, building infrastructure, developing programs and bringing in funding. He has played a vital role in the history of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and the impacts of his work will continue to be seen well into the future."

In June 2009, Fitzpatrick concludes his second term as vice-president (research). As a result of his "think-big, shoot-high and don't-be-afraid-to-ask" philosophy, research funding at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has soared a phenomenal 610 per cent over the last 10 years, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has celebrated many significant achievements.

Last fall, the U of L became the inaugural recipient of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Polaris Award, which brought Dr. Bruce McNaughton, one of the world's foremost experts in neurophysiology, and $20 million in research funding to the U of L's Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN). The Polaris Award recognizes the excellence of the U of L's neuroscience programs. It is also the culmination of many years of work for Fitzpatrick, who was key in the first Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grants that built the CCBN in 2001 and resulted in its expansion in 2006.

Also in 2008, the U of L proudly opened the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, a state-of-the-art facility where a team of world-renowned scientists are addressing the most pressing issues facing water and the environment – another pinnacle point for Fitzpatrick, who was central to the Water Institute for Semi-Arid Ecosystems initiative, the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research and the fundraising to enable the water science building.

"In each of these initiatives, Dennis demonstrated patience, persistence and a firm belief in our faculty and students," says Dr. Stewart Rood, a U of L Board of Governors Research Chair and 2008 recipient of the Killam Research Fellowship. "His extensive representation at the regional, provincial and national levels has enabled our maturation into a nationally-recognized centre for water research."

Water is one drop in a very deep pool of leading research programs at the U of L. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's capacity to conduct research in the social sciences, health sciences and humanities has exploded over the last 10 years, and multidisciplinary teams who are working on large-scale network projects are springing up across campus.

Fitzpatrick was instrumental in the development of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) initiative, a new grant program for researchers in the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, education and management, as well as the Board of Governors ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars' Chairs.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is such that you have to find ways to make everyone as successful as possible," Fitzpatrick says. "A comprehensive university is like a chair. It can't sit on one leg. You have to have a vibrant and thriving research culture in all areas."

An accomplished biological scientist, Fitzpatrick came to the U of L from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba where he was the head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition.

"I was looking to do something different – something that would amplify my own natural tendency to build programs," he says.

Maintaining that research is a people business, Fitzpatrick began by building the Research Services office.

"I brought in a number of very, very capable individuals who could help researchers realize their dreams and enable the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to develop significant programming along with the infrastructure to support it," he says. "��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ research is driven by the people who provide these services."

He then went on to fill the U of L's allocation of Canada Research Chairs (CRC), which was eight at the time but has since increased to nine.

"If you look at where we have put the CRCs, they have really been transformative," he says.

The U of L's tremendous success in research, Fitzpatrick says, ultimately comes down to spirit.

"Small universities are at an incredible disadvantage in getting research funding. They have heavier teaching loads and less infrastructure, yet they have a commitment to participate in research regionally, nationally and globally, and they find ways do to it," he says. "And that's the spirit at the U of L."

As Fitzpatrick wraps up his last few months at the helm, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge can take great pride in how far it has come over the last 10 years and set its sights even higher for the years ahead knowing that Fitzpatrick has already laid a firm foundation for the future. Programs like the Alberta Epigenetics Initiative and the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy will be pivotal in taking research at the U of L to the next level.

"It's been an incredible privilege to take part in the transformation of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," Fitzpatrick says. "It's been an opportunity of a lifetime."

Fitzpatrick led transformation

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:59:23 +0000

Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick is known for his "think-big, shoot-high and don't-be-afraid-to-ask" philosophy. Over the last decade, he has led the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge through an institutional transformation, and the U of L, now a leading comprehensive university, is recognized on provincial, national and international stages for its research excellence.

In June 2009, Fitzpatrick will conclude his second term as vice-president (research). The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge can take great pride in how far it has come over the last 10 years and set its sights even higher for the years ahead knowing that Fitzpatrick has already laid a firm foundation for the future.
His colleagues offer the following words of thanks.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge of today would not be a reality without Dr. Fitzpatrick's extraordinary efforts and vision. He is the institutional face for research in the community, and he has worked tirelessly recruiting researchers, building infrastructure, developing programs and bringing in funding. He has played a vital role in the history of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and the impacts of his work will continue to be seen well into the future."
Dr. Bill Cade

"Dennis has been extraordinarily successful in advancing the profile of water research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and this has translated into major successes over the past decade. He was central to the Water Institute for Semi-Arid Ecosystems (WISE) initiative, the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research and the fundraising to enable the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building. In each of these, he demonstrated patience and persistence and a firm belief in our faculty and students. Dennis's extensive representation at the regional, provincial and national levels has enabled our maturation into a nationally recognized centre for water research."
Dr. Stewart Rood

"I am very grateful for the establishment of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) program and the Board of Governors ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars' Chairs instituted under Dr. Fitzpatrick's leadership. They are both significant steps toward balancing humanities and social sciences funding with the stronger and more established tradition of funding the sciences."
Dr. Heidi MacDonald

"Dr. Fitzpatrick was absolutely instrumental in our (along with Dr. Joseph Rasmussen) decision to come to U of L. I had an excellent position at Université du Québec à Montréal, as professor and researcher, and director of the Environmental Toxicology group, TOXEN. However, Dr. Fitzpatrick's description of the developments and growth of the U of L, the importance of water research in southern Alberta and the possibility of a new building dedicated to water research, were very exciting ideas.

Dennis was a very effective ambassador for the U of L and its research programs – brilliant, charming, open-minded, fun and very knowledgeable. He made arrangements for us to go see the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, introduced us to key people and showcased the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the community and the region. We accepted the positions and we are very excited still."
Dr. Alice Hontela

"Dennis played the major role in recruiting us (Dr. Alice Hontela and I) to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and in raising the funds to build the new Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building. He has played a major role right from the inception of the water initiative at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and in addition his office has helped out significantly when it came to putting together start-up packages for new faculty that the U of L has attracted. It is no accident that research funding has increased dramatically at the U of L over the last
decade, and Dennis's efforts have played a large role in this."
Dr. Joseph Rasmussen

"Recently, my new Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chair in Gender and Health was announced. This exciting research was made possible due to the initial help and support of Dennis Fitzpatrick and Chris Nicol. In 2003, by serendipity, I discovered that radiation responses were different in males and females. I did not have any funds to further confirm these findings. So I approached Dennis and Chris for help. Without their help and support my research on the molecular mechanisms of radiation responses in males and females would not be where it is now.

Also, we (Igor and I) had enormous support from Dennis from the very first days here in Lethbridge. Actually, he helped with the research grants even prior to our arrival. He put his heart and soul into getting the first CFI grant for the Molecular Biology laboratory. The application was submitted before we arrived to Lethbridge. Dennis and the wonderful personnel of Research Services really helped out with numerous grant applications and research contracts. He gave valuable advice and important suggestions on how to improve and shape-up research proposals. Currently, Dennis has championed the establishment of the new Alberta Epigenetics Initiative, which we hope to further develop into the Alberta Epigenetics Institute. Dennis has a real vision for the
research, and he has been a great pleasure to work with."
Dr. Olga Kovalchuk

Award-winning collaborations

trevor.kenney — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:26:19 +0000

As Alberta's economy and population continue to boom, the demand for water is soaring and so is the need to know how well we're managing this invaluable resource.

Biological scientists Drs. Alice Hontela and Stewart Rood are part of a team of world-renowned researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge who are seeking to answer the province's most pressing questions related to water.

Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network. She says climate change and increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants in it.

Through lab and fieldwork, she studies the endocrine systems of different fish species – whose systems resemble in some aspects those of humans – to determine the effects of certain pollutants.

She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

"Alberta is a province that is really changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants."

Rood, who was a co-director of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research from 2002 to 2007, is now part of a river research group supported by the new Alberta Water Research Institute. He is also a recent recipient of a Killam Research Fellowship.

He studies the relationship between water (particularly river water) and aspects of the natural environment, like floodplain forests (zones that flank rivers).

"More broadly, the topic in my area is, 'How can we effectively manage water in areas that are water scarce, with the double-threat of reducing water supplies due to climate change and increasing demands due to human population and industrial activity?'"

The answers Rood, Hontela and their colleagues discover will be crucial for making sound management decisions about water resources today and in the future.

UNews - Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research

Water research makes WISE step

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