UNews - leader in 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.

Water centre offers high-tech toolbox for scholars

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:58:41 +0000

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to gain momentum as a leader in water research, it is achieving a critical mass of outstanding scholars.

Dr. Sarah Boon, who came to the U of L a year-and-a-half ago, is one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's newest researchers. She's also part of a diverse group of scholars conducting research at the new Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB). Focusing on mountain hydrology, Boon studies snow melt and glacial melt and how they contribute to runoff in mountain systems.

"Right now, my specific research is looking at forest disturbance, like pine beetle or wildfires, and how that changes snow processes in alpine watersheds," says Boon. She's also exploring how these changes affect the timing and magnitude of runoff from the watersheds into downstream systems.

Boon says the new AWESB offers researchers greater opportunities to collaborate.

"I think that's what's going to bring us forward as a place of international excellence, where there's a lot of good research taking place."

The AWESB offers a toolbox to help researchers continue to excel in the field of water research, says Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick.

"In many ways, it's more than just a building. It's a repository of people and tools that are going to produce profound research," he says.

The $27-million centre is a partnership between the U of L and seven provincial and federal research partners, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada and Alberta Environment.

The 5,500 sq. m. facility opened on Nov. 13, 2008, and it will initially house 20 researchers and up to 150 supporting technicians, graduate students and doctoral candidates from the departments of biological sciences, geography and physics and astronomy. Research at the centre revolves around these key areas: social policy (including how the government is legislating water use); ecology (the relationship of water to flora and fauna); toxicology (the effects of chemical pollutants to the health of water supplies); environmental impacts (including how agriculture and industry impact water); and water-climate interactions (for instance, how rising global temperatures affect water systems).

The AWESB contains many state-of-the-art technologies, offering researchers the chance to expand the breadth and depth of their work.

"The tools you have access to affect the questions you can answer," Fitzpatrick explains, adding that it's rare for a university to possess so many new technologies at once.
"You can usually be up-to-date in one thing – but we're up-to-date on a whole host of tools that will help us answer more questions."

Other significant acquisitions include earth-imaging tools (for geomatics research) and instruments for stable isotope analysis as well as environmental monitoring (a significant acquisition for researchers like Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz and Dr. Mathew Letts).

The basement of the building is home to the Aquatic Research Facility, housing specialized tanks for fish and aquatic organisms, in which environmental conditions can be manipulated. Researchers like Dr. Alice Hontela, who studies water toxicology, use the facility to study responses to environmental stressors like chemical pollutants or rising temperatures.

The facility isn't just a benefit to established scientists. The AWESB will also incubate developing talent, like PhD candidate Lana Miller, who is studying the health of Alberta's lakes and rivers. She is one of more than 100 graduate students who will benefit from both the new infrastructure and the outstanding researchers that the centre is attracting.

"Researchers want to go to places where there's research actually going on," Fitzpatrick says.

For many researchers – including Boon, who's fieldwork often takes her to the Crowsnest Pass – the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is uniquely situated within the 'living laboratory' that is southern Alberta.

"These things all come together and make the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge a very attractive place to do research," Fitzpatrick says.

UNews - leader in water research

Water research makes WISE step

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Water centre offers high-tech toolbox for scholars

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