UNews - ASTech Foundation

Kovalchuk wins ASTech Award for agricultural contributions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:03:29 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge epigenetic researcher Dr. Igor Kovalchuk was honoured with the Innovation in Agricultural Science Award at the 2013 ASTech Awards held in Calgary Oct. 25.

The Innovation in Agricultural Science Award recognizes an individual, team, or company that has demonstrated exceptional innovation or has developed a technology of significance to Alberta's agriculture industries. Because of Kovalchuk’s groundbreaking epigenetic work (the study of how genes are expressed or “turned on” by environmental factors) fields of medicinal poppies may soon grow in the Canadian Prairies and biomonitoring plants will detect pollution in the air, water and earth.

Dr. Igor Kovalchuk and his epigenetic work have sparked new crop industries in Alberta's agriculture sector.

Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks says Kovalchuk’s drive sets him apart, and that support of epigenetic research has the potential to build new industries in Alberta, as well as create opportunities for southern Alberta farmers to grow higher value crops.

“Dr. Igor Kovalchuk has a personality to lead and succeed,” says Weeks. “Dr. Kovalchuk’s focus on bringing novel crops, hardier crops, and better yielding crops to southern Alberta is impressive. His efforts, achievements and drive exemplify the growing research culture at our university.”

Kovalchuk is currently working with a Canadian biotech company that plans to develop a market for the high thebaine poppy industry in Canada. Kovalchuk’s lab is the scientific arm of this endeavour into the development of a poppy industry.

His own company, Plantbiosis, is currently developing new varieties of transgenic plants that will have unique properties – to sense the presence of environmental pollution. Building on his previous success with plant biomonitors, he has developed a completely novel idea of plant biomonitoring that would allow the ability to sense the presence of a pollutant and also to detect and visualize it through laser-based aerial imaging.

Of the 24 honourees, three (including Kovalchuk) had significant U of L connections. U of L researcher Dr. David Naylor was nominated for his international leadership in building instrumentation that provides the tools to better understand our universe. Naylor co-developed the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) with scientists from eight countries. SPIRE was used on the Herschel Space Telescope to pick up heat signals not visible by optical telescopes.

Also, the Southern Alberta Technology Council (SATC) was nominated for its work in hosting the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) 2013, an event supported and held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. The CWSF is considered the championship round of the national science fair program, where finalists selected from regional science fairs across the country compete for national honours.

The Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded through an industry initiative in 1989. The ASTech Foundation was created to showcase the substantial achievements in science & technology in Alberta and to promote the importance of these activities to social and economic benefit.

U of L dots honouree list for ASTech awards

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:53:52 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be well-represented at the 2013 ASTech Awards Gala later this fall.

Today, the ASTech Foundation announced the 23 honourees of the 2013 ASTech Awards and three are associated with the U of L. Drs. Igor Kovalchuk and David Naylor were both recognized, as was the Canada-Wide Science Fair team.

These highly-respected individuals, companies and teams make up an elite group of leaders who are paving the way for future innovation and technology in 13 ASTech Award categories. The honourees will be recognized for their contributions at the 2013 ASTech Awards Gala on Oct. 25, 2013.

Naylor (physics and astronomy, Board of Governors Research Chair) and a team of researchers led Canada's contribution to the Herschel Space project on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency, developing the Herschel Space Telescope's Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) instrument. They were recently awarded the prestigious 2013 Sir Arthur Clarke Award for academic study and research.

Naylor was nominated in the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Science award classification.

Kovalchuk (biological sciences, Board of Governors Research Chair) heads the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory on campus, investigating epigenetic and genetic regulation of plant genome stability under normal and stressful conditions. Operating under an Alberta Agriculture Research Institute Grant (2009-2013), the lab's research is aimed at analyzing the mechanisms of plant adaptation to stress, including plant DNA repair mechanisms. His activity in the area of plant transgenesis has afforded him a strategic alliance with API Labs Inc., a Canadian biotech company that seeks to develop a market for a high thebaine poppy industry in Canada.

Kovalchuk was nominated in the Innovation in Agricultural Science award category.

The 52nd Annual Canada-Wide Science Fair was hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, May 11-18, 2013, and welcomed more than 1,100 students, chaperones, judges, sponsors and dignitaries to campus. An unmitigated success, the CWSF energized both southern Alberta and Alberta as a whole as the country's top young scientific minds presented to a distinguished group of adjudicators.

The Canada-Wide Science Fair Host committee was nominated in the Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness award category.

The theme of this year's ASTech Awards Gala is "Shaping the Future" and will showcase the significant impact each of the honourees has in the development of innovation in Alberta. Representing a broad range of industries including energy, environment, agriculture and information technology, and covering the entire innovation spectrum from research to development to commercialization, the honourees offer an inspiring breadth of fascinating stories of how they are taking innovation to new levels in their respective fields.

For 24 years, the ASTech Foundation has invited members of industry, educational institutions and government agencies to be nominated for the ASTech Awards and only the top candidates are selected as honourees in each category.

For a look at all the honourees, follow this link, or view an ASTech video about the awards here.

Whishaw honoured for scientific contribution

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:46:17 +0000

Dr. Ian Whishaw accepting his ASTech award this past weekend in Calgary.

Whishaw's seminal work in rat behaviour and movement disorders has expanded the understanding of human movement disorders. He has provided the key tools and conceptual framework in several applied disciplines in experimental neurology and pharmacology.

This has led to a better understanding of a range of neurological and neurodegenerative disease (including aging, Parkinson's Disease, trauma, and stroke) and has advanced the development of a range of therapeutic approaches.

With more than 300 papers in the best journals in the field, 11 books, 10 research films, and editorial duties for eight journals, Whishaw is one of the top contributors to the field of behavioural neuroscience in the world, and one of the 200 most influential neuroscientists based on citations.

His textbook, "Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology", written in collaboration with colleague Bryan Kolb, is now in its fifth edition and has been the standard text in the field for over 20 years.

Whishaw's recent book, "The Behaviour of the Laboratory Rat", has been described as the behavioural bible for a diverse new generation of rat researchers. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, Academy of Sciences in 1998.

"ASTech is committed to inspiring the next generation of innovation. Innovation provides us with world class companies developing high tech products from Alberta for a world audience in an increasingly diversified Alberta economy," says Martin Kratz, chair of the ASTech Foundation.

Alberta's reputation of discovery in science and technology already has international renown. The ASTech awards build on this.

"ASTech's celebration of the leaders who are making Alberta a better place makes our province more attractive for businesses and students to build their future here," Kratz adds. "That, in turn, improves our economy and quality of life."

Whishaw earns prestigious ASTech award

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:07:46 +0000

Dr. Ian Whishaw, a founding member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's pioneering neuroscience research group and a leader in behavioural neuroscience research internationally, has won the 2009 Alberta Science and Technology "Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Science" award.

Whishaw was among a select group of Alberta's top scientists and innovators who received the 2009 ASTech awards at a gala dinner, Friday, Nov. 6 in Calgary.

Well-known for publishing highly original, insightful, and important research in diverse areas of inquiry, Whishaw's seminal work in rat behaviour and movement disorders has expanded the understanding of human movement disorders. He has provided the key tools and conceptual framework in several applied disciplines in experimental neurology and pharmacology.

This has led to a better understanding of a range of neurological and neurodegenerative disease (including aging, Parkinson's Disease, trauma, and stroke) and has advanced the development of a range of therapeutic approaches.

With more than 300 papers in the best journals in the field, 11 books, 10 research films, and editorial duties for eight journals, Whishaw is one of the top contributors to the field of behavioural neuroscience in the world, and one of the 200 most influential neuroscientists based on citations.

His textbook, "Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology", written in collaboration with colleague Bryan Kolb, is now in its fifth edition and has been the standard text in the field for over 20 years.

Whishaw's recent book, "The Behaviour of the Laboratory Rat", has been described as the behavioural bible for a diverse new generation of rat researchers. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, Academy of Sciences in 1998.

"ASTech is committed to inspiring the next generation of innovation. Innovation provides us with world class companies developing high tech products from Alberta for a world audience in an increasingly diversified Alberta economy," says Martin Kratz, chair of the ASTech Foundation.

Alberta's reputation of discovery in science and technology already has international renown. The ASTech awards build on this.

"ASTech's celebration of the leaders who are making Alberta a better place makes our province more attractive for businesses and students to build their future here," Kratz adds. "That, in turn, improves our economy and quality of life."

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