UNews - professor of geography

Board confirms appointments

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:27:25 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors recently confirmed the re-appointments of Dr. Muriel Mellow (sociology) as an associate dean in the Faculty of Arts& Science and Dr. Richard Perlow (human resources management and organizational behaviour) as an associate dean in the Faculty of Management.

Dr. Matthew Letts (geography) was appointed a new associate dean in the Faculty of Arts & Science, following Dr. Craig Monk (English) who has returned to teaching.

Letts is currently an associate professor of geography, and the co-ordinator of the environmental science program. As a researcher, he studies plant physiological acclimation to environmental stress. Letts's work has taken him from the Oldman River and Waterton Lakes National Park to the highlands of Colombia.

Mellow's research interests include work (paid and unpaid), gender, professional work and volunteer work. In particular, she studies the work of rural professionals, including issues of relationships to clientele and work-family balance.

Perlow is a human resources researcher who studies, among other topics, counterproductive behaviour, individual differences in learning and performance and the acquisition and performance of complex tasks.

Honorary degree recipient passes away

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:51:00 +0000

One of Canada's foremost geographers and a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honorary degree recipient has passed away.

Marie Sanderson (honorary doctor of science, '00) died of breast cancer in Toronto on July 12 at the age of 88.

Noted as a pioneering climatologist and highly respected figure in environmental research, Sanderson was the first female geography professor in Canada when she completed her PhD at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Michigan and later accepted a position as assistant professor of geography at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor.

An experienced traveler, Sanderson would attend conferences throughout the world and similarly took her studies to many corners of the globe. Her focus remained in Canada however as she was instrumental in conducting research into water management issues in the Grand River Basin and in Ontario. She also studied in the Canadian Arctic and assisted Environment Canada on studies related to climate change.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge recognized Sanderson with an honorary doctor of science in 2000.

For a complete biography, follow this Globe and Mail link.

Staenz receives remote sensing award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:51:24 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor of geography, Dr. Karl Staenz, has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Gold Medal from the Canadian Remote Sensing Society (CRSS).

This award recognizes a significant long-term contribution to the field of remote sensing in Canada, and is the highest award in the country granted by the Society for Excellence in Remote Sensing.

Staenz's research is focused on spectral sensing, including the process of image data preprocessing, information extraction for various applications and building intelligent image processing and monitoring systems.

He worked at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing in Ottawa for over 20 years before joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2006. Staenz is also the science director of the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Corporation (ATIC) in Lethbridge.

The gold medal was awarded to Staenz at the recently held 31st Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing – the Prairie Summit – in Regina, Sask.

He joins fellow faculty member Dr. Philippe Teillet (physics and astronomy) as a gold medal winner. Teillet received the CRSS Gold Medal in 2006.

Putting the Strategic Plan into practice

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:55:38 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's 2009-2013 Strategic Plan is a plan for the future, one that will chart the general direction of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ over the next five years.

It is a promise to stay true to who we are and continue doing what we do very well – fostering a personal, supportive learning community; ensuring professors are inspired scholars who integrate research and creativity with teaching; and delivering relevant programs that are meaningful and useful to our students.

Within this plan are strategic directions and priorities by which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will shape its future. This month we look at the goal of enhancing the environmental sustainability of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Dr. Sarah Boon, one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's newest researchers, is an assistant professor of Geography with an emphasis on environmental science working out of the new Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building. She gives her perspective on how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ can enhance its environmental sustainability.

On how she sees herself in the Strategic Plan

"I see myself in the plan as sort of the beginning of where I see the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ wanting to go, in terms of the aspects around the environment, the aspects around research and engaging graduate students. In hiring me and some of my newer colleagues, it seems they are looking in a new direction and that direction is echoed in the Strategic Plan."

On how her research focus advances the idea of environmental sustainability

"I liked the idea that I was coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for an environmental science position. My general area of research is mountain hydrology, looking at snow melt and glacier melt and how that contributes to runoff from mountain systems."

On how her research can be used to encourage students to follow her lead of studying environmental matters

"I think I'm already on plan in terms of bringing my personal experiences into the classroom and allowing that to inform a lot of my teaching and show enthusiasm for the topics I'm trying to teach."

On the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's role as a leader in environmental messaging

"I think the role of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is to lead by example. Whether that is how we are operating in terms of physical plant or whether that's the message our professors are getting out either by public lectures or by what they are teaching in their classes. There are certain environmental issues we need to be aware of and we can show this is how we're addressing it and this is, based on our example, how other industries could follow our lead."

On what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ does well and where it could better reach its environmental goals

"The AWESB we work in here has been designed with LEED standards in mind, so that's one way we've increased the "greenness" of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. There is a lot of recycling throughout campus as well. I think one of the other initiatives we might want to take into account is water use on campus, things to do with outside irrigation and also with indoor water use.
Water use is one major way the university can look at adding to its environmental sustainability."

UNews - professor of geography

Board confirms appointments

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Honorary degree recipient passes away

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Staenz receives remote sensing award

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Putting the Strategic Plan into practice

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