Stress experienced by pregnant women affects long-term health of offspring

Dr. Gerlinde Metz and Tony Montina used a Bruker 700 NMR instrument to analyze urine samples for biomarkers related to disease development.

University of Lethbridge - A new study by researchers at the University of Lethbridge and McGill University provides further confirmation that stress experienced by pregnant women has a lasting impact on the health of their children.

Two U of L researchers win Parkland Institute awards

Dr. Tiffany Boulton

University of Lethbridge - Two research projects, one on midwifery care in Alberta and the other on the use of gallows humour among the Kainai, got a significant boost thanks to research awards from the Parkland Institute.

U of L geography team takes to the skies for LiDAR mission

The Chasmer and Hopkinson crews include, from left to right, Craig Mahoney, Emily Jones, Dr. Chris Hopkinson, Dr. Laura Chasmer, Maxim Okhrimenko, Linda Flade, Celeste Barnes and Kailyn Nelson.

• The first areas to be surveyed include the Wapta Icefields, located on the Continental Divide north of Lake Louise, the Castle area and Waterton Lakes National Park from July 14 to 16.

University of Lethbridge - Aerial and ground crews from the University of Lethbridge have launched a large campaign that will conduct multiple surveys in Alberta and the Northwest Territories to measure ecosystem changes associated with climate change and permafrost loss and to build understanding of the role of wildfire.

U of L students log more than 7,500 volunteer hours

Bryce Baker spent a co-op term marketing the UVolunteer program.

University of Lethbridge - Almost 600 University of Lethbridge students have volunteered more than 7,500 hours at community organizations as they learn first-hand about civic engagement through the UVolunteer program.

Indigenous language stakeholders to gather at 25th Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium

University of Lethbridge - As Indigenous communities across North America face the challenge of keeping their traditional languages alive, an important conference is coming to the University of Lethbridge.

The U of L’s Departments of Modern Languages and Indigenous Studies have teamed with the Peigan Board of Education/Piikani Nation to host the 25th Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium (SILS 2018), June 7-9 at the University. The symposium, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), will bring together Indigenous language stakeholders from North America and beyond, including elders, community leaders and academics, as they seek to develop best practices and share resources and knowledge as they attempt to preserve Indigenous languages.

Past Chinook Arch CEO to receive honorary degree from University of Lethbridge

Margaret (Maggie) Macdonald

Chinook Arch - Roughly 30 years ago a group of community-minded people came together with a vision: a library system that would unite southwest Alberta libraries to share resources efficiently and cost-effectively, thereby enhancing the services offered in each respective community. This vision became a reality in large part thanks to the passion and determination of Margaret (Maggie) Macdonald.

SPICA mission, with major U of L contribution, one step closer to reality

Astrophysicist Dr. David Naylor

University of Lethbridge - SPICA, the joint mission between the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to observe the infrared with super sensitive instruments, was named one of three finalists in ESA’s M5 call for mission proposals on Monday, May 7.

U of L contributes to roadmap for enhancing human resistance to radiation for life in space

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk

University of Lethbridge - With more space exploration and possible colonization on the horizon, a group of international researchers, including the University of Lethbridge’s Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, combined forces to produce a roadmap to enhancing human radioresistance, or the level of radiation an organism is able to withstand. The group recently published a paper exploring the subject in the peer-reviewed journal Oncotarget.

U of L neuroscientists awarded nearly $2 million for research into Alzheimer’s disease

University of Lethbridge - Drs. Bruce McNaughton and Majid Mohajerani will investigate brain neurobiology related to Alzheimer’s disease thanks to two grants worth nearly $2 million over five years from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).

University of Lethbridge and University of Calgary researchers collaborate to tackle hepatitis B virus

University of Lethbridge - For Lethbridge residents suffering from the effects of chronic HBV and its resulting health problems, treatment options in Lethbridge do not exist, sending most patients to the Calgary Liver Unit. On Thursday, Mar. 8, Calgary Liver Unit Medical Director Dr. Carla Coffin will present her work at the University of Lethbridge as part of the U of L’s Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) Speaker Series.

University of Lethbridge first in Canada to recycle Styrofoam on its campus

Pictured: The process of recycling Styrofoam is highly efficient in terms of volume, effectively reducing a large box of Styrofoam  into a tiny box of melted product

University of Lethbridge - The University of Lethbridge is lessening its environmental footprint through the introduction of a new recycling initiative, becoming the first Canadian university to recycle Styrofoam on its own campus.  Since June 2017, Styrofoam at the U of L has been recycled through the Calgary-based StyroGo service. A special mobile recycling truck comes to campus on a regular basis, shredding and melting the Styrofoam into highly-condensed blocks of material that are then re-sold to companies that use the recycled products to make a variety of after-products, including toys and architectural molding.

Unique research project involves at-risk youth sentenced to playing chess

University of Lethbridge - Local youth involved in the criminal justice system are being referred to a program where they learn to play chess as part of their sentence. The Chess for Life program is a University of Lethbridge research project that aims to explore how learning to play chess affects youths’ thinking and the choices they make every day. After a local judge sentenced a youth to practice basketball a couple of years ago, Dr. Lance Grigg, an associate professor in education, brought up the possibility of learning to play chess as a possible alternative sentence for youth involved in the criminal justice system. The judge liked the idea and Grigg organized a trial run of the Chess for Life program last year.

U of L study to examine state of water security in Alberta Métis communities

Dr. Maura Hanrahan 

University of Lethbridge - For the vast majority of Canadians, the concept of not having readily available drinking water is literally foreign – something only developing countries have to face. Unfortunately, residents of rural and remote communities, many of which are indigenous, face the problem of trying to find potable water every day of their lives.

Zebra chip pathogen found in western Canadian potatoes for the first time

Potato Psyllid

University of Lethbridge - For the first time, evidence of the zebra chip pathogen has been found in potato fields in southern Alberta, but the University of Lethbridge’s Dr. Dan Johnson cautions against panic.  “So far, the zebra chip pathogen has appeared in only small numbers of potato psyllids,” says Johnson, a biogeography professor and coordinator of the Canadian Potato Psyllid and Zebra Chip Monitoring Network. “The number of potato psyllids in all Alberta sites is very low and many sample cards have found no evidence of the potato psyllid insect. Zebra chip does not normally become a problem unless the potato psyllids are found in much higher numbers than are currently being found in Canada.”

Dr. Shelly Wismath appointed first dean of University of Lethbridge School of Liberal Education

University of Lethbridge - Recently named one of the most exceptional post-secondary teachers in Canada, Dr. Shelly Wismath has been appointed the first dean of the University of Lethbridge’s new School of Liberal Education. The U of L’s Board of Governors approved the appointment last week, granting Wismath a five-year term that commences Monday, Oct. 16, 2017.

U of L scholarship program for Blackfoot students announced

Dr. Robert and Mrs. Priscilla Janes

University of Lethbridge - Seeking to preserve the Blackfoot cultural legacies of four influential men while furthering educational opportunities for Blackfoot students, Dr. Robert and Mrs. Priscilla Janes and the University of Lethbridge have created a series of new student awards for Blackfoot students.  The awards, for both graduate and undergraduate level students from the Blackfoot Confederacy, are named in honour and in memory of Narcisse (Tatsikiistamik “Middle Bull”) Blood, Gerald (Sikapiistamix “Grey Bull”) Conaty, Allan (Mi’kskimmiisoka’simii “Iron Shirt”) Pard, and Frank (Miiksskim “Iron”) Weasel Head.

Grant will help U of L researcher explore possible genetic links to same-sex sexual attraction

Dr. Paul Vasey

University of Lethbridge - A recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant will help Dr. Paul Vasey, a University of Lethbridge psychology professor, determine if genes associated with male same-sex sexual attraction are the same across cultures.  The NIH is an agency of the American government dedicated to biomedical and public health research, annually investing billions of dollars in medical research. Vasey is among a handful of U of L researchers who have received funding from the agency.  “Much of my work focuses on testing evolutionary-level questions about how genes that are associated with male same-sex sexuality don’t go extinct. How do they persist over evolutionary time?” says Vasey.

U of L researchers receive $2.6 million in NSERC funding

University of Lethbridge - University of Lethbridge researchers in biology, chemistry and biochemistry, geography, mathematics and computer science, physics and psychology will be able to pursue diverse areas of inquiry thanks to $2.64 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

Little Bear appointment strengthens U of L commitment to Indigenous education

University of Lethbridge - The University of Lethbridge has appointed respected and renowned Indigenous governance expert, Canadian education leader and University of Lethbridge alumnus Dr. Leroy Little Bear (BASc ’72, DASc ’04), as the institution’s first Distinguished Niitsitapi Scholar.  With the appointment, Little Bear will play a key role in the University’s continued commitment to truth and reconciliation as well as lead national and international conversations regarding truth and reconciliation – including at other Canadian universities.

U of L and Red Crow College to launch Niitsitapi Teacher Education Program next fall

The Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge, in partnership with Red Crow Community College, is pleased to offer the Niitsitapi Teacher Education Program, beginning in the fall of 2018.  “We look forward to working with the U of L on the Niitsitapi Teacher Education Program,” says Roy Weasel Fat, president of Red Crow Community College. “The program will prepare students to teach from a Blackfoot perspective and ultimately, to pass along language and culture to future generations.”