UNews - Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Goater helps breathe new life into textbook

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:45:09 +0000

An internationally recognized textbook on parasites has received a substantial upgrade due to the efforts of a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge biologist, his brother and an American colleague.

Dr. Cam Goater, his brother and an American colleague spent eight years rewriting The second edition of Parasitism - The Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites.

The second edition of Parasitism: The Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites, published by Cambridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press, is the result of years of work performed by the U of L’s Dr. Cam Goater (biological sciences), his brother Dr. Timothy Goater from Vancouver Island ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Gerald Esch of Wake Forest ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in North Carolina.

Canadian, American and European faculty members are already using the 2014 text, aimed at senior undergraduate students.

“The first edition of the book accomplished a great deal. It was a text used heavily by professors and students in North America and around the world including Malaysia, and Japan. But it was significantly out-of-date,” says Goater. “The text has been completely rewritten. It is more conceptual and theoretical than it was before.”

Early reviews of the text are glowing.

The Goater brothers were approached by Cambridge eight years ago about creating a second version of the text. After years of writing and revisions the result is an encompassing product.

“There are texts available that deal with the diversity of parasites and those that tackle their ecology. This is the first text to offer a synthesis of both components,” says Goater, adding that the text will be valuable for students focusing on disciplines including biology, immunology, evolution, conservation biology and medical sciences.

The early reviews of the text are glowing. The book has been described by peers as “a true parasitological tour de force” and that “even the pros will learn from this book”. For Goater, the positive reception by his colleagues has made the years of work worth the effort, adding that he hopes the text becomes a valuable tool that will inspire students around the globe for many years.

Goater and his brother were born in Moose Factory, Ont. and grew up in North Bay. With nature as their playground, the two developed a love of ecology and biology. The brothers were eventually mentored by the same professor, the late Dr. Al Bush (a co-author of the original textbook), at Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“Many people are curious as to how brothers end up in the same field. Certainly, our love of nature was inspired by our surroundings and we were fortunate to share a mentor, but our proximity in age (three years) also played a role,” says Goater.

Goater recalls a childhood incident, when he and his brother were teens, and they came across a sickly fox. In trying to help, the boys brought the fox home not knowing the animal was rabid. While the brothers had to undergo intramuscular injections of the prophylactic drug available at the time, they started to question why the fox was infected, why other animals weren’t, and how it was possible that a disease could change the demeanour of an animal. It is this complexity and their fascination with the phenomenon of parasitism that provides the focus of their text.

The enthusiasm the Goater brothers shared as youth has translated into their enthusiasm for teaching, benefitting students at both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Vancouver Island ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Andy Hakin says the release of this new text is emblematic of the type of university the U of L has become.

“Certainly this new text is an excellent career accomplishment for Dr. Goater and the knowledge contained within will benefit students for decades. However, more compelling to me is the experience Dr. Goater’s students are subject to in his class. Dr. Goater isn’t just teaching from a textbook – he wrote the textbook,” says Hakin.

Book Overview

Two core philosophies underlie the second edition of ‘Parasitism’, co-authored by Tim Goater, Cam Goater, and Jerry Esch. The first is that complex interactions that occur between parasites and their hosts – from the molecular cross-talk that occurs at the host-parasite interface, to the effects of parasites on host communities – are fundamentally ecological. The second is that a real appreciation for the phenomenon of parasitism requires knowledge of how natural selection has shaped parasite life cycles, life histories, and morphologies to solve particular problems associated with the parasitic lifestyle. Thus, for senior undergraduates that are being introduced to the phenomenon of parasitism in animals, the authors see a need for a single text with dual focus on the biodiversity and ecology/evolution of parasites. This dual, interdisciplinary approach, under one cover, is the hallmark of the text. The 17 chapters, eight of which are new since the first edition, have been thoroughly revised to meet the needs of a new generation of parasitology students, whether their interests lie in ecology, conservation biology, evolution, immunology, medical, wildlife, or veterinary sciences.

Pianos as you've never heard, or seen, before

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 17:03:42 +0000

Hear two pianists, with very different backgrounds and styles, coming together on two grand pianos integrated with electronics and computers - a chance to see each pianist shine and to see the synergy of live collaboration.

Aaron Collier will perform a set of piano improvisations utilizing live sampling, looping and layering techniques with a computer. Jesse Plessis will play a handful of modern works, some with computer, by electronic-music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of Canada's greatest composers, Ann Southam, the young American, Nico Muhly, and one robot-inspired work by Radiohead. The duo appear in Two Pianos + Computers, Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium.

Two Pianos + Computers promises to be one of the more unique musical offerings to hit the stage this year.

The duo will wrap up this unique evening with what they describe as a “turbo-rad collaborative piece”.

Aaron Collier

Aaron Collier may be known as one of Atlantic Canada’s most consistently innovative keyboardists, but the Prince Edward Island native is most recently calling Lethbridge home. Collier studied the piano privately in Prince Edward Island until his graduating year of high school before embarking on 14 years of national and international touring and recording with various rock, pop and jazz artists.

In 2001, Collier became the keyboardist for international touring and recording artists The Jimmy Swift Band. In the following decade the group released four studio albums and two live recordings. In 2006, Collier along with JSB frontman Craig Mercer created the “looping madness duo” Scientists of Sound, a theatrical and high-energy electro project which continues to create intense live shows for eager audiences worldwide.

In 2008, Collier released his first full-length album of electronic music, Love, and in September 2010 he released the improvised piano+computer recording Neo.

Collier is an award-winning sound designer in theatre and recent credits include the world-premiere of Daniel MacIvor’s I Animal at the Supernova and Summerworks festivals in Halifax and Toronto, as well as Jay Whitehead and Daniel Judes’ UNSEX’d in Lethbridge, Dublin, and Halifax. He is presently creating a new show called The Myth of Canada under his alter-ego Chandelier, and is workshopping the work as one of CASA’s inaugural resident artists in November.

www.aaroncollier.ca

Jesse Plessis

Pianist and composer Jesse Plessis recently obtained a Master of Music degree (Performance and Literature) from Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ where he studied piano with Megumi Masaki and composition with Patrick Carrabre. His Bachelor of Music degree is from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where he studied piano with Deanna Oye and composition with Dr. Arlan Schultz and Dr. Rolf Boon.

Plessis has been awarded prizes both in piano and composition. His own works have been broadcast on CBC, and he has performed as a guest artist with several ensembles including the Musaeus String Quartet, the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, and the International Piano Ensemble. He was recently one of 12 pianists admitted to the London Masterclasses, a program held each July at the Royal College of Music.

He has had the opportunity to give the Canadian premieres of works by Marcel Bergmann, Kaija Saariaho, John Corigliano, Nico Muhly, and Kjartan Olafsson. Recent performances include those with New West Theatre, at the Casalmaggiore Festival in Italy, the Dark Music Days Festival in Iceland and at the Banff Centre.

Plessis is also one half of the Hansen-Plessis Piano Duo (alongside Bente Hansen, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge) which explores the possibilities of popular music in the concert hall alongside the classical repertoire.

A sometime conductor, Plessis has directed performances with the Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ New Music Ensemble (BUNME), the Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Orchestra and several musical theatre productions.

Tickets to Two Pianos + Computers are available by calling the Box Office at 403-329-2616 or online at www.uleth.ca/tickets.

U of L leads way in establishing ACCRU

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:44:35 +0000

This story by Léo Charbonneau appeared in the Sept. 12 edition of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Affairs. It is re-posted here with their permission.

There is a new university group in Canada: the Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities.

Created at a meeting in Ottawa in June, ACCRU brings together the vice-presidents, research, of the smaller comprehensive universities in Canada that have "a strong commitment to research," said Dan Weeks, vice-president, research, at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The creation of the alliance is in part a reaction to the group known as the U15, which advocates on behalf of what it calls "Canada's 15 leading research universities."

A graphical representation of ACCRU.

That group, previously called the G10 and then the G13 before it expanded to its current 15 members, has given those institutions "a strong unified voice for consultation and lobbying activities on their behalf," said Dr. Weeks.

However, ACCRU is not meant to be a lobbying group, he stressed. Rather, the aim of the new alliance is to discuss the challenges and issues that these smaller universities face, and to pool resources and best practices with like-minded colleagues.

"If we do have advice and things that have policy implications, the route would be through either AUCC [Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada] or our individual presidents," he said.

Dr. Weeks set the ball rolling for the new group with a letter he sent to colleagues this past January.

The letter reads in part: "There are a number of unique challenges associated with conducting world-class research at Canada's small institutions. Effectively meeting these challenges and ensuring that research investments made in our institutions are of maximal benefit to all Canadians prompts me to suggest that Canada's 'small' research universities might benefit by informal discussion of the merits of forming a group or forum. This would give us the opportunity to discuss and react collectively to issues we face now or that will arise."

The response was "absolutely fantastic," said Dr. Weeks. "Everybody was excited about getting together." The respondents agreed on a date and venue for the event, and of the 25 universities initially contacted, 19 sent representatives to the Ottawa gathering – in most cases, either the vice-president or associate VP research.

While stressing that membership in ACCRU is "meant to be inclusive," Dr. Weeks acknowledged he had to come up with "some sort of algorithm" to choose who to invite.

He and William Bridger, a former vice-president at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario, devised a plan. First, they said the university had to describe itself as a comprehensive university.

Second, they did a rough calculation of the percentage of tri-council funding that each university receives, and "there was a pretty obvious breakpoint, and so we invited everybody below that line," said Dr. Weeks.

But he added, "I really wouldn't put too much stock in this 'who's in, who's out' type of thing. It's really more about the scope of your operations and would you benefit from being at these discussions."

The attendees to the Ottawa meeting "talked a lot about faculty recruitment and, related to that, the general perception of small universities by the public and by other institutions," said Dr. Weeks.

They also discussed research ethics, infrastructure, animal care, research centres and institutes, contracts, "and all the things that we have to fulfill in terms of policies and regulations" but often with far fewer resources than the larger universities, "so we have to be more clever about how we get some of these accomplished."

Katherine Schultz, vice-president research at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island, attended the meeting and said the conversations "were frank and open." She noted that, unlike vice-presidents, academic, there is no national meeting for VPs research, so this group "fills a gap that many of us perceived. … It's a forum for information exchange that didn't exist."

André Manseau, dean of research at Université du Quebec en Outaouais, said it was "very enriching" for him to have his colleagues share their experiences. "We face many similar issues," he said. "Our offices are of relatively modest size and we don't have a lot of specialized personnel."

The ACCRU members agreed to meet again in Ottawa in early December, before the annual Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's leaders meeting (of senior university administrators who serve as points of contact with the council).

The alliance also created three working groups that will report at the December meeting: one looking at best practices, one on governance of the group itself, and a third tasked to craft a mission statement.

Universities represented at the ACCRU meeting in June:

* Acadia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Bishop's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Brock ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Cape Breton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Lakehead ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Nipissing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Saint Mary's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Thompson Rivers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
* Université de Moncton
* Université du Québec en Outaouais
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina
* ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor
* Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Management Scholarship Dinner to honour North

trevor.kenney — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:18:19 +0000

Lethbridge-based lawyer, R. Philip (Phil) M. North, Q.C., a principal in the firm North & Company LLP, is the Faculty of Management's 2010 Scholarship Dinner honoree. The event takes place Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Lethbridge Lodge. Tickets and tables of eight are available by calling 403-329-5181.

A Lethbridge resident for more than 35 years, Phil North has served the legal profession extensively at a local, provincial and national level, including roles as Chairman of the Alberta Law Foundation, Chair of the Legal Education Society of Alberta, and President of the Lethbridge Bar Association. In recognition of his many contributions, Phil received the Distinguished Service Award from the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association, Alberta Branch.

He has given generously to his community in leadership roles as President of the Lethbridge Rotary Club, Chair of the Lions Eye Bank (Alberta) Society, President of the Lethbridge Community Foundation, and Director of the Community Foundations of Canada. He has also been active in the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association, Lethbridge Easter Seal Telethon and the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise, Lethbridge Chapter.

Aside from frequently attending events in celebration and support of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Phil has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors (1978-1984) and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2004.

Phil was born and raised in Deloraine, Manitoba and attended Brandon College (now Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ). In 1971 he completed his law degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba and moved to Lethbridge in 1973. He assisted in establishing the Blairmore and Pincher Creek branch offices of North and Company and is now the managing partner of the firm.

He and his wife Freda have three children and five grandchildren. His outside interests include hockey and gardening.

UNews - Brandon ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ

Goater helps breathe new life into textbook

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