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| Research News covers the latest results and benefits of University of Saskatchewan research, scholarly, and artistic work, as well as the services and outstanding faculty, students, and staff that advance the university’s $200-million-a-year research enterprise. |  |
| Issue 55, June 2009 | |
| In This Issue | Explore Wins Gold! Explore magazine, produced by Research Communications, has won the Gold Medal for “Best Magazine under $100,000” from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), the national organization for university advancement professionals.“A gorgeous and fascinating publication: academic publication at its best,” said CCAE judges of Explore. “The writing and subject matter are utterly engrossing; very focused content, appropriate for the audience.” Check out the latest issue of Explore magazine online. Please take a moment to fill out the online reader survey. Your feedback helps us improve the magazine. A new feature of the online edition of Explore allows you to evaluate stories and tell us if you would recommend it to a colleague or friend. If you would like print copies of Explore for recruitment, fundraising or other strategic uses, contact Laurie McWillie at 966-1425 or laurie.mcwillie@usask.ca. |
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TOP STORIES
BRAVO!
STUDENT RESEARCH SUCCESS
FILLING YOU IN: NEWS FROM THE OVPR EVENT SPOTLIGHT |
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| TOP STORIES | |
| U of S Researchers Conduct Unique Studies on Childhood Obesity | |
| Top ^ Childhood obesity is a growing concern worldwide, and thanks to $665,000 in grants provided through a partnership involving the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Rx&D Health Research Foundation and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, University of Saskatchewan researchers are delving deeper into reasons behind it.
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 Nazeem Muhajarine is researching childhood obesity with CIHR funding. |
Read more at http://www.usask.ca/research/news/read.php?id=875&newsid=1 Top ^ |
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| U of S Gets $21.8 M in Federal/Provincial Funding for WCVM and Roof Renewal | |
| Top ^ Thanks to a recent $21.8-million infrastructure investment by the federal and Saskatchewan governments, a major expansion and renovation of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) will be completed and 47 buildings across campus that are critical for research and teaching will have their leak-prone roofs replaced. “These upgraded facilities and new technologies will enable the college to train, attract and retain high-quality veterinarians, researchers and graduate students who will in turn advance our unique U of S life sciences research and training cluster,” said U of S President Peter MacKinnon. |
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The U of S will receive $9.06 million to renovate the WCVM diagnostic lab—the final phase of a much larger infrastructure renewal plan started in 2004—as well as $12.7 million for roof renewal across campus. New roofing with higher insulation values will result in energy savings and a reduction in greenhouse emissions through reduced heat loss and cooling requirements. The U of S projects are part of a $118-million package of initiatives announced jointly by the federal and provincial governments under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) of the federal Economic Action Plan. The KIP projects are expected to create as many as 35,000 jobs across Canada in immediate construction, project management and renovation jobs in more than 80 communities that have a university presence. For more information visit http://www.usask.ca/research/news/read.php?id=873&newsid=1 Top ^ |
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| How Healthy Are Canadians Really? | |
| Top ^ Two U of S faculty members have helped create a new index that will report on Canada’s quality of life based on areas of well-being beyond the GDP. Roy Romanow, U of S senior fellow in public policy and political studies professor, chairs the Institute of Wellbeing advisory board and recently unveiled the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), an index that will regularly track Canada’s progress in eight areas: standard of living, health, communities and people connecting within them, education, the way we use time, participation in the democratic processes, the state of arts, culture and recreation, and the quality of our environment. Reports based on the first three areas were recently released. |
 Roy Romanow chairs the Institute of Wellbeing advisory board. |
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“Right now Canada lacks a single, national instrument for tracking and reporting on our overall quality of life, on the things that matter to Canadians,” said Romanow. “The Canadian Index of Wellbeing will change that. It will give a quick snapshot of how we as Canadians are really doing.” Also involved from the U of S is Nazeem Muhajarine, professor of community health and epidemiology, College of Medicine. Muhajarine is a member of the Canadian Research Advisory Group for CIW, an advisory body of experts and practitioners who helped develop the CIW by recommending categories of measurement and indicators. Muhajarine co-authored the CIW Healthy Populations report and says some of the findings were surprising. “What we found was that Canadians are living longer, but not necessarily better,” said Muhajarine. “We are adding years to life, but not life to years.” Most startling to Muhajarine was the quality of life as reported by the 12-19 age group. “In 1994, about five per cent of teens reported moderate to severe limitations in functional health, such as memory and cognition, emotional health,” said Muhajarine. “In 2005, that number tripled to the point that teens who say they have problems have now surpassed the next two older age groups.” “The CIW is unprecedented because it is the first time in Canada we are building a comprehensive instrument to measure the overall quality of life,” said Muhajarine. “It will tell us how healthy are Canadians really.” Read the full report at http://www.ciw.ca...Wellbeing.sflb.ashx Top ^ |
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| The Birds, the Bees and Global Pollination | |
| Top ^ Due to the declining number and diversity of pollinators, ecosystems relying on animal pollination are in trouble around the world. U of S biology professor Art Davis, who is part of the NSERC Canadian Pollination Initiative (CANPOLIN) network, is looking for answers to this global problem. |
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The NSERC Strategic Network, with 44 researchers at 26 institutions across Canada, brings together many of the leading experts in entomology, plant biology, ecology and economics. With five years of funding recently announced by NSERC, CANPOLIN will study four themes—pollinators, plants, ecosystems and prediction and economics—and make major contributions to the conservation of pollinators and plant biodiversity, improve the health of managed bees, enhance pollination by native pollinators, and increase knowledge of flower/pollinator interactions. “For year one of this network’s research, the common objective across Canada involves investigation of the pollination of blueberries and related Vaccinium species of commercial importance to many regions of the country,” said Davis. “Besides planning to initiate a Saskatchewan-based study of wild blueberry production—and the ranking of various flower visitors according to their efficiency as pollinators—we will also be receiving preserved blueberry flowers from across Canada so we can examine the attractive floral rewards—pollen and nectar production—which are so important to pollinators as food.” The research activities of the network, led by the University of Guelph, will provide tools and information to better protect and conserve these important natural resources. The objective of NSERC’s Strategic Network Grants program is to increase research and training in targeted areas, contributing to a better quality of life in Canada. For more information, visit http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Partners-Partenaires/Networks-Reseaux/CANPOLIN-CANPOLIN_eng.asp Top ^ |
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| U of S Water Researcher Links Chemical to Decline of Endangered Fish | |
| Top ^ John Giesy, U of S Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology, working with research colleagues from Peking University in Beijing, has found a link between the chemical triphenyltin (TPT) and deformities in Chinese sturgeon. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and summarized in Sciencenow, the online version of Science, report that TPT, a biocide applied to ship hulls and fish nets, leads to loss of eyes and other deformities in Chinese sturgeon—a fish that has lived in the Yangtze River for 140 million years and is considered a national treasure. The deformities were linked by laboratory studies and molecular markers to embryo death. |
 John Giesy, U of S Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology. |
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“I helped design the studies, suggested the various techniques to be used and then helped train students to use the techniques,” said Giesy, an advisor to the Jiangsu Province Fisheries Department and the Jiangsu Province Environmental Monitoring program. “We did some of the residue analyses here at the U of S. Our lab is a world leader in sturgeon research, especially in the nano-injection technique used in this project. Two of the co-authors are currently researchers at the U of S.” Chinese sturgeon are already endangered and TPT could lead to their extinction as the levels already present can cause damage for many years to come. Giesy, research scientist Markus Hecker, several students and technicians of the U of S Toxicology Centre are doing similar work with white sturgeon in the Columbia River in B.C. “We have similar population declines there and we are trying to determine the reasons so we can develop a strategy to rehabilitate the population,” he said. Read more at http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/527/4 and http://www.pnas.org/content/106/23/9339.full?sid=870987ab-5274-451e-9131-821dd3e28f21 Learn more about the U of S Water Research Group at http://www.usask.ca/toxicology/The-Water-Research-Group/index.php Top ^ |
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| New Division Addresses Treatment of Mentally Ill Offenders | |
| Top ^ The U of S has announced a new College of Medicine forensic psychiatry division to improve the care of mentally ill offenders and contribute to the reduction of victimization, repeat offenses and stigmatization. “The newly formed division of forensic psychiatry will allow doctors pursuing this specialty to complete their fellowship training here at our institution,” said College of Medicine dean William Albritton. “In addition, new opportunities will expand the choices for medical residents and support the recruitment of forensic psychiatrists to the province.” |
 Mansfield Mela, acting head of the newly formed forensic psychiatry division. |
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The U of S is now one of three centres in Western Canada to offer this type of education. “It is an unfortunate and discriminating aspect of our criminal systems that allows mentally ill individuals to end up in the criminal justice system,” said Mansfield Mela, acting head of the forensic psychiatry division. “Treatment can work successfully and with the expansion of the division, we are confident we will see substantial improvements in delivery of services across the province.” The division will also continue to strengthen the university’s relationship with Correction Service of Canada and the Regional Psychiatric Centre to assist with organization in the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders. Read more at http://www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/09-may-08/7.php Top ^ |
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| VIDO/InterVac on Track for 2011 Opening | |
| Top ^ By November 2010, the University of Saskatchewan will be home to the $140-million International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), one of the largest Containment Level 3 (CL3) vaccine research and development facilities in North America, capable of using large animals for vaccine testing. Currently under construction next to the Vaccine Infectious Disease Organization, VIDO/ InterVac will address the need for a state-of-the-art facility in which vaccines for diseases such tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis C, H1N1, and SARS can be developed and tested. |
 Architect’s rendering of VIDO/InterVac |
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“VIDO/InterVac will significantly enhance Canada’s capacity to develop vaccines and new methods of delivery for both humans and animals,” says VIDO/InterVac Director Dr. Andrew Potter. “It will be a space for collaboration between academia, government and industry, enabling broad insight and the most effective solutions, enabling us to respond quickly to the increasing demand for research and the development of vaccines.” Following a certification process by Canada’s regulatory agencies including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada, it is anticipated research projects could begin by late spring 2011. For more information on VIDO/InterVac, visit: http://www.vido.org/intervac/ To view construction taking place right now, visit the InterVac webcam at: http://www.vido.org/netcam/index.php Top ^ |
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| Synchrotron Sheds Light on Esophageal Disease | |
| Top ^ Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan and the Canadian Light Source (CLS) have used the synchrotron to identify tissue afflicted with Barrett’s Esophagus (BE), a disease that can lead to esophageal cancer. U of S department of surgery head Alan Casson and CLS staff scientist Luca Quaroni used the synchrotron’s infrared microscope to identify tissue afflicted with BE from chemical fingerprints associated with the disease. “Often the differences between healthy and malignant tissue can be quite small, but the differences seen here were quite striking,” said Quaroni. “This is a good proof of concept for developing a traceable technique that matches what can be seen at the macroscopic scale using microscopic samples.” The research is published in the June 2009 issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Analyst. Using esophageal biopsies, Quaroni and Casson identified specific chemicals, known as biomarkers, within individual cells that make up the tissue. It was discovered that increased concentrations of particular biomarkers such as glycoproteins were associated with the Barrett’s tissue. |
 Luca Quaroni and Alan Casson |
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BE occurs when the cells that line the esophagus are replaced by cells that resemble those lining the intestine. BE affects approximately one per cent of Americans, but it is a disease on the rise. The increasing incidence of chronic heartburn (gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD) is considered a risk factor for developing BE which can lead to a form of cancer known as esophageal adenocarcinoma. Current diagnosis depends on subjective criteria and the skill of a pathologist examining biopsy samples. Identifying biomarkers using the synchrotron provides an additional diagnostic tool. For more information visit http://www.lightsource.ca/media/media_release_20090608.php Top ^ |
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| U of S Appoints Executive Director of the School of Public Health | |
| Top ^ Robert Buckingham, a New Mexico State University professor who helped found the first hospice in the U.S., has been appointed executive director of the School of Public Health effective September 1, 2009. “Dr. Buckingham has demonstrated a clear commitment to teaching, research and humanitarian work, and has played a key leadership role with respect to the worldwide development of hospices and the education of populations on public health,” said Brett Fairbairn, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “His experience will be an asset to both the School of Public Health and the U of S.” |
 Robert Buckingham has been appointed executive director of the School of Public Health. |
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Buckingham has developed 81 hospices in seven countries. This humanitarian philosophy continues in his latest research, focusing on condom usage and the spread of HIV/AIDS among female sex trade workers in Thailand. Buckingham has a B.A. in government (University of Arizona), an M.A. in social anthropology (Wesleyan University), and a PhD in public health (Yale University). Buckingham has authored 17 books, and served as an assistant professor at Columbia University, an associate professor and president of the American Association of University Professors Chapter at the University of Arizona, a professor at City University of New York, and as dean of the College of Health and Human Performance at Minnesota State University. For more information visit http://announcements.usask.ca...n_19.html Top ^ |
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| BRAVO! | |
| U of S Water Research Expert Part of National Report on Groundwater | |
| Top ^ John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the U of S, was part of a 15-member expert panel requested by Natural Resources Canada to answer the question: “From a science perspective, what is needed to achieve sustainable management of Canada’s groundwater resources?” “The report was crucial because so many Canadians rely on groundwater for their rural water supply,” said Pomeroy. “The concern was that we were sleepwalking into a problem with our groundwater and we had insufficient information about our groundwater supplies. We don’t know how much is taken out, and we don’t have the information to know how quickly it is recharging.” The panel was appointed by the Council of Canadian Academies and included leaders in the science of groundwater, as well as experts in the social, economic and legal aspects relevant to sustainable groundwater management. |
 John Pomeroy, U of S Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change. |
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The panel’s report concluded that a Canada-wide sustainability framework is required to improve the management and understanding of Canada’s groundwater. Without such a framework, Canada’s groundwater is at risk of contamination and depletion. Pomeroy said 90 per cent of domestic water supply for the rural prairie population is derived from groundwater, and recharge is very restricted. “Groundwater is connected to climate, surface water, water consumption, industry and agriculture and we need a national water resources strategy and approach to deal with this problem.” Read the full report at http://www.scienceadvice.ca/documents/(2009-05-11)%20Report%20in%20Focus%20-%20GW.pdf Learn more about the U of S Water Research Group at http://www.usask.ca/toxicology/The-Water-Research-Group/index.php Top ^ |
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| Understanding Climate Change and Biodiversity | |
| Top ^ Remote sensing expert Steven Franklin is part of an international research team that has received an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant to examine biodiversity and wildlife management strategies using data from satellite and aerial sensors. While on leave as U of S Vice-President Research, Franklin spent the past year in Australia applying remote sensor technology to granite outcrops to map topography and plant communities and produce environmental information. “We’re trying to create an understanding of the likelihood of biodiversity continuing to exist in these granite outcrop areas when it is stressed by climate change,” said Franklin who becomes president at Trent University on July 1, but will continue his role at the U of S as an adjunct professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability. |
 Steven Franklin |
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“We need a good idea of what the biodiversity is, how it’s changed and compare the patterns as they experience climate change. It is interdisciplinary study, bringing together botanists, soil scientists, and remote sensing scientists to look at the problem of changing climates in safe ecological areas for different plant communities.” He hopes to apply these methods to larger areas and eventually understand the impact of climate change across biodiversity hotspots such as southwestern Australia. The $330,000 (AUS) grant is part of the Linkage Projects venture—a project that supports collaborative research and development projects between higher education organizations and other organizations—for the application of research to real-life problems. Top ^ |
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| U of S Partners with China on Clean Coal Symposium | |
| Top ^ U of S researchers recently visited Taiyuan, China for the “Responding to Challenges” China-Canada joint symposium on clean utilization of coal. “This event marks an exciting milestone for us and our partners in China,” said Janusz Kozinski, dean of the College of Engineering. “The symposium speakers were all leading researchers on the topic of clean coal utilization and they presented very interesting processes and technologies in that regard...I am confident the results of our partnerships will prove to be extremely beneficial to our province, to Canada and to the future of clean coal use around the world.” |
 Delegates representing the College of Engineering at the U of S, U of A, Saskatchewan Research Council and the Canadian Light Source visited China for a joint symposium on the clean use of coal. |
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The symposium addressed environmental challenges that come from coal utilization. Coal-fired power plants are major contributors of greenhouse gases in both Canada and China, partially due to the use of coal in outdated factories. Both countries are addressing the issue by investing in clean coal technologies. The symposium was a joint effort between the U of S department of chemical engineering, the Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, the Taiyuan University of Technology, the Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province. Read more at http://www.engr.usask.ca...osium.php Top ^ |
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| Best Paper on Quality of Life | |
| Top ^ Nazeem Muhajarine, head of U of S community health and epidemiology, won the Best Paper of the Year Award from the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS), an international society whose purpose is to promote and encourage research in the field of quality-of-life studies. Muhajarine co-authored the paper "Changes in quality of life perceptions in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: comparing survey results from 2001 and 2004" which appeared in Social Indicators Research. This research is based on the long-standing quality of life research sponsored by the Community-University Institute for Social Research. |
 Nazeem Muhajarine won the Best Paper of the Year Award from the International Society for Quality of Life Studies. |
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The award comes with a $500 honorarium and will be presented at the annual general meeting of the ISQOLS in Florence, Italy on July 21. The article can be viewed here http://www.springerlink.com/content/v623w0vk60043776/?p=db466bdfd16e4dadb2dde13418cbca70&pi=1 Top ^ |
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| STUDENT RESEARCH SUCCESS | |
| Research That’s a Breath of Fresh Air Wins NSERC Scholarship | |
| Top ^ Blake Erb, U of S mechanical engineering graduate student, has been awarded a $35,000 per year NSERC Canada Graduate Doctoral Scholarship to test a novel energy exchanger for reducing energy use in building ventilation systems. Canadians spend more than 90 per cent of their time indoors and their productivity is directly linked to the indoor air quality. The energy to heat, cool, humidify and dehumidify the air accounts for up to 50 per cent of the energy consumed in buildings. Air-to-air energy recovery is a method of using the air being discharged from a building to pre-condition the fresh air being supplied back inside. |
 Blake Erb, U of S graduate student, was awarded an NSERC Canada Graduate Doctoral Scholarship valued at $35,000 per year. |
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Erb, supervised by mechanical engineering professor Carey Simonson and professor emeritus Robert Besant, has been working on the testing and control of an energy exchanger that uses a liquid-to-air energy exchanger that will provide energy cost savings while reducing the energy consumption effects on the environment. Erb anticipates completing his studies this August and has accepted a position with Venmar CES Inc., a local company planning to implement his research into a new product line. For more information visit http://www.engr.usask.ca/newscentre/releases/NSERC-Scholarship.php Top ^ |
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| Grad Student Wins CIHR Scholarship for Geriatric Research | |
| Top ^ U of S clinical psychology graduate student Nicole Haugrud was recently awarded a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, a doctoral award of $35,000 per year for three years. Haugrud, with supervisor Margaret Crossley, is researching geriatric neuropsychology which could have implications for early and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. |
 Nicole Haugrud won a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship. |
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Haugrud has been an active graduate student participant with the CIHR New Emerging Team (NET) on Cognitive Aging, led by Debra Morgan, professor in the U of S-based Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture. Haugrud recently completed a practicum at the interdisciplinary telehealth-facilitated Rural and Remote Memory Clinic, established by the NET to better address the needs of Saskatchewan’s aging rural population and extend specialty, interprofessional, dementia services to residents of remote regions, including to Aboriginal seniors. Haugrud is currently collaborating with a graduate student in computer science, Craig Thompson, to more efficiently and accurately measure verbal fluency strategies. Verbal fluency is the speeded retrieval of related items from general knowledge, and is highly sensitive to the effects of normal aging and dementia. Top ^ |
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| FILLING YOU IN: NEWS FROM THE OVPR | |
| External Review of Research Services | |
| Top ^ As part of an ongoing process of evolution and improvement, an external review of the Research Services Office within the OVPR is being conducted. The purpose of the review is to determine the strengths and effectiveness of the services currently provided through Research Services and to provide recommendations for best practices moving forward. |
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The onsite review is being conducted by a committee comprised of two external members and one internal member. Department heads and members of the Associate Deans Research Forum, Canada Research Chairs Forum and the Research Scholarly and Artistic Work Committee were invited to attend sessions, along with researchers and representatives of administrative units on campus. If you would like to provide input into this review process, please submit your comments to the Office of the Vice-President Research before June 20. The committee will treat all submissions in strict confidence. Written comments may be sent to the OVPR c/o Kate.wilson@usask.ca. Top ^ |
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| Scholarships for Inventive Entrepreneurs | |
| Top ^ Are you a young scientist, inventor or entrepreneur who has just started cultivating a creative business idea? Or are you a student already polishing your next pitch to that venture capital TV show? If you are 34 or under and working towards an undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate in Saskatchewan, you could be eligible for a $5,000 Technology-in-Action scholarship courtesy of the Saskatchewan Research Council. |
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Applicants should be working on a project that involves technology or innovative solutions to address a current Saskatchewan challenge. Projects should lead to tangible results or the creation of a small business within the province. Deadline to apply is July 15, 2009. More details at http://www.myfutureishere.ca/scholarships. Top ^ |
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| EVENT SPOTLIGHT | |
| Checkmate for CHESS Conference | |
| Top ^ From August 17 to 21, 2009, the U of S will host the first-ever CHESS Interactions Conference. A truly interdisciplinary event, CHESS will bring together international experts from computer science, humanities, engineering, education, economics, and the social and natural sciences for three days of collaborative learning, engaging debates and candid discussions. The goal of CHESS Interactions is to explore common themes and methodologies among diverse disciplines. |
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Sessions include a tutorial on fuzzy neural computing systems, a lecture on entropy, a luncheon keynote about navigating the airline industry, and an evening banquet at the Dakota Dunes Casino with international performer Gyula Csapo from the U of S music department. The three-day conference costs $105 for students and $262.50 for other participants. Fees include a wine-and-cheese reception, all coffee breaks, lunches and one banquet. For more information or to register visit the website or email chary.r@usask.ca. Top ^ |
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| Has Your Research Had an Impact? Tell Us Your Story! | |
| Has your research grant led to an important discovery or breakthrough? Has it led to the development of new products or influenced policy or practice? Please send an email to research.communications@usask.ca or call Kris Foster at 966-2427. Please explain in a few sentences how the findings from tri-council- or CFI-funded research are making a difference. Your story may be the basis for a news release or used in other U of S Research Communications publications. |
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| Student Stories | |
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Research Communications, through its SPARK (Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge) program, will again be profiling student researchers for a StarPhoenix series. We are looking for students who are doing research that has potential to have an impact on society or the economy. Please send, by June 20, 2009 to research.communications@usask.ca, student contact information and a brief description of how the research can make a difference. |
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| To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at research.communications@usask.ca or call (306) 966-2427. |
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