The University of Lethbridge will serve as the host site for SCI-FUSION 2013, the Lethbridge Regional Science Fair & Science Olympics, this weekend.

Presented by the Southern Alberta Technology Council (SATC), the event will take place on the track level of the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness beginning Friday afternoon and wrapping up Saturday evening.

Students in Grades four to 12 will present science projects with the chance of being selected to receive cash prizes and awards.

The Faculty of Fine Arts will be under the stewardship of a new Dean after the University of Lethbridge appointed Dr. Ed Jurkowski to the role, succeeding Dr. Desmond Rochfort.

“It is always exciting to announce the appointment of a new Dean, and it is especially gratifying to be able to promote someone from within the University of Lethbridge community,” says Dr. Andrew Hakin, provost and vice-president (academic). “Dr. Jurkowski has been with the U of L for 17 years now and brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face the Faculty of Fine Arts.”

The University of Lethbridge is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Craig Cooper as the new Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce Dr. Cooper as our new Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science today,” says Dr. Andrew Hakin, provost and vice-president (academic). “We had a number of outstanding applicants for this role but Craig quickly emerged as the ideal candidate to succeed Dr. Chris Nicol. The appointment committee was very enthusiastic in its support of Craig and I’m confident that his innovative ideas and enthusiasm for the Faculty will play a key role in helping shape the direction of our University over the next five years.”

A chance meeting at a local science fair, a lab tour and some discussions over coffee have led to an innovative research partnership between a University of Lethbridge physics research team that looks into the far reaches of space, and a cancer research team from the same University that is chasing down rogue cancer cells deep inside in the human body.

Dr. Roy Golsteyn (Biological Sciences) and Dr. David Naylor (Physics and Astronomy) knew each other in passing – their labs are one floor and a staircase away and their offices are only a few hundred feet apart in University Hall.

Their completely different academic worlds would not generally collide, but now that they have, they are finding a lot of possibilities in their collaborative work.

While it is well documented that the health of expectant mothers can have a corresponding effect on their children, a new University of Lethbridge (U of L) study has found that prenatal stresses fathers face can have a detrimental impact on their offspring.

The study, conducted at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the U of L and recently published in the journal Neuroscience, found that male rats stressed prior to conception produce developmentally delayed offspring. 

Dr. Robbin Gibb says the finding could have major implications for public health approaches in human populations.

There is no denying that for many high school students, there is a fear factor associated with mathematics. The University of Lethbridge’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is looking to ease those fears, and in the end, maybe inspire more students to pursue, rather than retreat, from studies in math.

“We need to bridge that gap from fear to fun,” says longtime professor Dr. Hadi Kharaghani. “This is a very big issue, to try and show students that there is a fun side to math, and if we can do that it can lead to better understanding.”

The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Athletic Department announced that Mike Hansen (BA '96, BEd '99, MA '09) has been named the new head coach of the Pronghorn men’s basketball program Friday, becoming the 10th head coach in the program's history.

Hansen replaces Dave Adams, who resigned Feb. 25 after his fourth season with the program to pursue an international teaching opportunity.

“We are excited to welcome Mike back to the program," says Executive Director of Sport and Recreation, Sandy Slavin. “His track record at the college level speaks for itself and his connection to the basketball community in southern Alberta is equally important.”

On Mar. 7, the Government of Alberta introduced the 2013-14 provincial budget. By now, many in our community will have read or heard of the financial impact this budget will have on the two post-secondary institutions in our city – Lethbridge College and the University of Lethbridge. At the University alone, this financial impact is a reduction of $11.9 million for this coming year and for every year that follows. 

The University Community offers its most sincere condolences to the family, many friends and colleagues of the late Dr. Shirley DeBow, a Lethbridge-based community volunteer, social worker and educator who served as the 10th Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge from 2003 – 2007.

Shirley passed away on Monday, March 25, at age 68.

She is survived by her husband Gerald DeBow, and their three children – Jeremy, Suzanne and Adrienne – and their families.

A memorial service has yet to be confirmed.

This notice will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Late on Friday, Mar. 22, I received the draft of the anticipated Letter of Expectation from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education (EAE). We had previously been informed that this draft letter was not for public distribution. But, having reviewed its content and discussed the matter further with EAE, I have made the decision to share it with our community.