UNews - Alberta Institute

Hontela contributes to IET team

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:18:28 +0000

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ecotoxicology expert is part of a new province-wide research institute dedicated to examining the impact of harmful chemicals in our environment.

Dr. Alice Hontela, a U of L biological sciences professor and Canada Research Chair in ecotoxicology, is among the researchers who make up the Institute of Environmental Toxicology (IET). Housed at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, the IET is a multidisciplinary team that will include biologists and engineers from the universities of Lethbridge, Calgary and Alberta, as well as scientists in municipal and federal laboratories. Its mandate is to develop new and improved technologies for effective risk assessment and remediation of contaminated sites.

Dr. Alice Hontela is pictured in her lab, one of several unique spaces in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building.

"Our research will help provide decision makers and the public with scientific information on the nature and magnitude of environmental contaminants, and offer some solutions to address this important global challenge," says Hontela.

Among other research collaborations, Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in The Human Environment) strategic network and the Alberta Institute for Water Research. 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 that exist in the water.

Through lab and fieldwork, Hontela studies the endocrine systems of different fish 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. See the following video for a look at Hontela's research.

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 changing very quickly, and we have to find new ways to deal with our water and our pollutants," says Dr. Hamid Habibi, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the IET director.

An environment free of harmful chemicals is the group's top priority. IET will study the nature, fate and persistence of chemicals in the environment as well as the remediation of terrestrial and aquatic contamination activities.

Habibi says that the causes of contamination are wide ranging and could include pollutants released from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, such as plasticizers, surfactants, flame-retardants, drugs, personal care and industrial products. In addition, there are heavy metals or other toxins resulting from mining activities and electronics consumerism, agricultural runoff, oil sands operations and tailings ponds.

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

Supply Chain Management minor hits mark

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:41:11 +0000

The Faculty of Management recently announced the establishment of a new minor in Supply Chain Management (SCM) to serve a fast-growing group of people whose enhanced skills will be critical to purchasing and moving materials and merchandise in a global economy.

The new program was established in response to the increasing need for supply chain professionals in a wide variety of industries.

"There are more than 85,000 people employed in supply chain management in Alberta and the average salary is $80,000 to $90,000 per year," says Faculty of Management dean, Dr. Bob Ellis. "There is very strong job growth for well-trained professionals in this field, so there are great opportunities for the students who choose this minor."

Darren Caines, executive director of the Alberta Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), says that supply chain management is a vital piece in business strategy.

"This is a fast-growing field with lots of opportunities – in the next three years, more than 80,000 graduates will be needed annually in Canada to meet employment demand."

Caines adds that students can also become accredited as Certified Professional Purchasers – a designation offered through PMAC.

"Those with the designation earn about 20 per cent more, on average, than those without," he says.

In the local and regional business community, people with skill sets that include managing materials and their movement can bring value to their employers.

"The courses being offered by the U of L give all management students the basic insights into supply management. It also exposes them to additional career possibilities through the Purchasing Management Association of Canada," says Alvin Kolibar, the logistics manager at Lethbridge-based Haul-All Equipment Ltd., which manufactures and ships its innovative waste management and recycling equipment systems across North America.

"The PMAC-supported courses will be a welcome addition to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in the coming years. Haul-All currently has one person involved with PMAC courses, and at this time, these courses are only available by correspondence for the Lethbridge area."

Students are already enrolled in the new minor, now offered on the Lethbridge campus. The program will also be offered to students on the Calgary and Edmonton campuses in the near future.

For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Supply Chain Management minor hits mark

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:56:50 +0000

The new program was established in response to the increasing need for supply chain professionals in a wide variety of industries.

"There are more than 85,000 people employed in supply chain management in Alberta and the average salary is $80,000 to $90,000 per year," says Faculty of Management dean,
Dr. Bob Ellis. "There is very strong job growth for well-trained professionals in this field, so there are great opportunities for the students who choose this minor."

Darren Caines, executive director of the Alberta Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), says that supply chain management is a vital piece in business strategy.

"This is a fast-growing field with lots of opportunities – in the next three years, more than 80,000 graduates will be needed annually in Canada to meet employment demand."

Caines adds that students can also become accredited as Certified Professional Purchasers – a designation offered through PMAC.

"Those with the designation earn about 20 per cent more, on average, than those without," he says.

In the local and regional business community, people with skill sets that include managing materials and their movement can bring value to their employers.

Students are already enrolled in the new minor, now offered on the Lethbridge campus. The program will also be offered to students on the Calgary and Edmonton campuses in the near future.

For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Alberta Institute

Hontela contributes to IET team

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Supply Chain Management minor hits mark

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Supply Chain Management minor hits mark

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