WINTER 2016
Photo credit: Justina Contenti
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NEWSMAKERS 4 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:
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IMPACT DRILLING
SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT:
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MAKING WAVES
COHORT PROJECT: 16 CEREBRAL PALSY KIDS & FAMILIES
WINTER RETREAT 18 SPEAKER SERIES 20 YEAR END CELEBRATION
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JOURNAL CLUB 24 MEET A SCHOLAR 27
table of contents 3
NEWSMAKERS
MAKING HEADLINES MICHELLE AU
“Win a scholarship to do research abroad next summer” UToday - December 1
BRANDEN CAVE, JENNIFER LE, JULIE LE
“It’s official: New student leaders elected” Students’ Union—March 3
AINNA RANDHAWA
RENA FAR
CHRISTIAN FARRIER
JULIA WEAVER, LUIS WELBANKS
“U of C discovery could stop the harmful effects of the spread of breast cancer into patient’s bones” Calgary Herald - December 2
“Mental health strategy launched at the University of Calgary” Metro Calgary - December 7
KIRAN GRANT
“U of C launches campus mental health strategy after 20% of students report diagnoses” Calgary Herald—December 7
MARK LEE
“Haskayne students take personal interest to new heights during summer research” Haskayne CCAL—January 19
ANITA LAZURKO, FARTOON SIAD
“Alberta Council for Global Co-operation Top 30 Under 30 Feature” ACGC—February 9
“Mental health clubs worried about funding” The Gauntlet - March 15
“Eight Annual Sustainability Awards recognize campus leaders” UToday - April 1
AMY LI
“Calgary Heroes: Calgary medical student is running for change” Calgary Metro - May 2
CASSANDRA KLUNE
“Undergraduate students assist in neuroscience research” UToday - May 11
DOUGLAS KONDRO, CONNOR SCHEU, MARK LEE “Winners of the 2016 President’s Award announced” UToday - May 26
Did we miss something? Let us know by emailing: sap@ucalgary.ca
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AWARD WINNERS ACGC TOP 30 UNDER 30 Anita Lazurko, Fartoon Siad
HUNTER CENTRE’S ENERGY NEW VENTURE COMPETITION Mayesha Tashnil, Aaron Baskerville-Bridges, Connor Scheu, Keith Letendre
CALGARY PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL FIRST SENIOR VIOLIN Rena Far
INTER-COLLEGIATE BUSINESS COMPETITION FINANCE GOLD MEDALLIST Mark Lee
CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP Kimberly Bowal CHEVRON CANADA RESOURCES SCHOLARSHIP Rachel Malone
MARION JANET & IAN STORMONT FORBES BURSARY Celina Pablo ODGERS BERNDSTONS CEO X 1 DAY SEMIFINALIST Lillian Liu
DEPT. OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNAL SSHRC GRANT Mark Lee
2016 PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN STUDENT LEADERSHIP Doug Kondro, Mark Lee, Connor Scheu
ERIC LAHODA MEMORIAL SU CLUBS SCHOLARSHIP Julie Le
RBC FAST PITCH COMPETITION Lillian Liu
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOSCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS FIELD CHALLENGE FINALIST Adriana Holcek, Mayesha Tashnil
SPACEX HYPERLOOP POD COMPETITION FINALIST Mayesha Tashnil
EY EMERGING LEADERS SUMMIT Lillian Liu
SU CLUB AWARDS Mental Health Awareness Club (Collaboration Award)
FAMOUS 5 FOUNDATION ENBRIDGE LEADERSHIP AWARD Julie Le
SU UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM Mark Lee (Most Innovative Contribution to Knowledge)
GEORGE ARTHUR AND LILLY HADDEN SULLIVAN AWARD IN HUMANITIES AND SCIENCE: Mark Lee
SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS (U OF C) Julia Weaver
HASKAYNE ACCOUNTING CASE COMPETITION FIRST PLACE Lillian Liu
U OF C UNDERGRADUATE MERIT AWARD Julie Le, Mark Lee
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IMPACT IMPACT DRILLING DRILLING ALUMNI DAVE MORIN DISCUSSES ENGINEERING, MENTORSHIP AND LIFE AFTER GRADUATION
Dave Morin always had the field of engineering on his radar.
However, despite his father and grandfather both studying and pursuing careers in engineering, it was only after a series of meetings with professionals downtown, where he heard about their daily tasks and duties and the challenges and rewards of their professions, that he decided it was the right pursuit for him. The classic definition of engineering as “the practical application of math and science” suddenly made more sense, as he saw these women and men doing just that: solving problems, managing projects, and adding value through applied science.
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ow in his third year at NuVista Energy, Dave spent much of 2015 in the Grande Prairie area, living on drilling rigs, observing frac jobs, meeting with First Nations’ leaders and landowners, working at the compressor stations and wellsite facilities and, as he says, “trying in general to wrap my head around the extensive complexity of this industry.” Dave loves his career, since oil and gas is an exhilarating business 7
where “the competitive nature drives continuous improvements in all aspects of production, safety and cost.” The most exciting trend has been that “the public has taken [an interest] in the environment, the production of carbon-based resource, and the government’s role in regulating its development, transportation and use.”
much consideration, he concluded that the biggest problem we face is misinformation. “Our generation is not acquiescent. We are passionate, we are motivated and we care about the future of our planet. Yet no amount of passion and motivation and good intentions can be truly effective in the absence of the right information, and it is a reality that misinformation is prominent in discussions about energy development. This is where I get excited. I have been privileged to get boots-on-the-ground experience and to see the processes implemented in front of my eyes. Alberta’s oil and gas industry leads the world (literally) in safety regulation and environmental consideration. We have a system that we as a country should be
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ast spring, Dave had the chance to be part of the interviewing panel for the fifth cohort of the Scholars Academy. One of the questions posed, “What’s the biggest problem in the world today?” left him wondering how he would answer if asked himself. After 8
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Our generation is not acquiescent. We are passionate, we are motivated and
we care about the future of our planet. Yet no amount of passion and motivation and good intentions can by truly effective in the absence of the right information 9
�
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... a kid halfway through his degree cannot only dream, but can and should plan on being a corporate and community leader in the future.
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immensely proud of, and we should not be shy in saying so. I am driven by the idea that I can help share correct, contextual facts so my peers can best direct their passion to the most effective means.”
unique scholarly disciplines, extracurricular pursuits, and myriad skills and interests is fascinating and sets the stage for amazing cooperation and powerful teams.” The mentorship program had a particularly strong impact on Dave and the direction he has taken in his career. John Aldred was Dave’s first mentor, and he challenged him to dig deeper in his career and life: “John allowed me to believe that a kid halfway through his degree cannot only dream, but can and should plan on being a corporate and community leader in the future. By sharing the story of his path from humble immigrant to founder and CEO of
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ave was a member of the Scholars Academy for five years. For him, as is the case for many, a big benefit was the excitement and momentum of being involved with such an exceptional group of people. “It’s a program that intrinsically feeds off its own success, and it has both amazed and inspired me to see how it has evolved in the last half decade. The network it creates, binding people with 10
a billion-dollar, international business, he removed the apparent separation and cleared the way for me to shoot higher than I previously thought realistic.”
in his life, and for the time they gave and the efforts they made for a volunteer mentorship program: “I will continue to draw inspiration from their tutelage for years to come; in part from the direction they provided, but more so as I seek to emulate their selfless character in my own personal and professional relationships.”
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ikewise, Dave credits his second mentor, Alan Moon, for inspiring him to continue progressing in his professional degrees: “I hadn’t so much as heard about the CFA designation until Alan Moon presented the idea to me. Alan was continually opening doors I hadn’t realized existed and challenging me to always look for the next learning opportunity, the next potential for growth.” Dave is grateful that both these individuals took an interest
Dave is currently studying for the first level of the Chartered Financial Analyst, which he finds is providing him with an introduction to business and finance that directly complements his engineering degree.
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Photos courtesy of Dave Morin
MAKING
Waves
SCHOLAR ANITA LAZURKO IS ENGINEERING A BETTER WORLD, ONE SUSTAINABLE WATER PROJECT AT AT TIME
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or Anita Lazurko, the value of shared experience cannot be understated. Whether her commitment to community is evidenced most clearly by her lengthy CV or by the wide smile that forms as she recounts the experiences she’s had within her organizations, it’s obvious that not a moment of the time she spent here was wasted. After growing up on a small dairy farm in southern Saskatchewan, she was drawn to the University of Calgary engineering program for the diverse opportunities and intellectual challenges it presented. During her first year, she attended the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada National Conference, which would prove 12
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to be a life-changing event. Following the conference, she felt compelled to increase her involvement, eventually landing an internship at their Canada National Office in Toronto and then being appointed to their Board of Directors. She currently sits as the co-president of the EWB University of Calgary chapter, along with another Scholars Academy student, James Thorogood.
honed in her degree program with the realworld issues that she is passionate about. She channels her book-smarts into realworld applications that improve access and use of water on a global scale. This has included travelling to Malawi for four months to work on water and sanitation with EWB, researching improvements and accessibility to drinking water on First nations reserves, and redesigning a tailings dam for the engineering capstone project.
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ngineering is a challenging discipline even without having aspirations to change the world. For Anita, EWB has allowed her to apply the technical skills
Anita’s efforts and passion were recognized earlier this year by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC) 14
when they named her one of Alberta’s Top 30 Under 30. When asked what changes she would like to see in the world, she answered: “I want to see a world that appreciates the delicacy of our environment and its resources, and the way they are consumed and managed at an institutional level. I want to see more people with a global perspective that allows them to connect with the plight of people on the other side of the world. I want to see a world that takes divergent opinions, beliefs and motives and turns them into something more than the sum of their parts.”
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hough Anita is not known for shying away from opportunities, she admits that she wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the Scholars Academy: “I didn’t know how I would relate to the others in the program”. After one year, she fondly describes the community that she has built with the students in her cohort, and the program as a whole. With her peers acting as role models and pushing her to achieve things beyond what she thought possible, she remarks that she has found the value of shared experiences: “In the Scholars Academy, students have different origins and academic backgrounds, but we build a unique common understanding of topics and perspectives that are difficult to replicate elsewhere”. In addition to the support she found within the students of the program, Anita had the support of her mentor, Dr. Brenda Kenney. Learning with and from a powerful female role model, with progressive ideas and strong connections with Calgary’s community members working in sustainability and environmentalism, was one of the highlights of the entire program, as well as giving her a perspective that she may have otherwise not seen. While Anita’s undergraduate degree may be near its end, it’s clear that her work and studies are not. Following a well-deserved break in Southeast Asia, she looks forward to continuing her studies at the University of Oxford and complementing her engineering background with a Master of Science in Water Science, Policy and Management. •
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Photo credit: Caillie Mutterback
WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH AN
OLD BICYCLE?
Scholars Academy is anything but a conventional program. So when Cerebral Palsy Kids & Families (a branch of The Calgary Cerebral Palsy Association) asked our students to come up with an innovative way to recycle unusable bicycles (while helping bring in some much needed funds), they got straight to work. Cerebral Palsy Kids & Families has been running a bike program for the last 16 years that adapts donated bikes for the unique needs of children with cerebral palsy. Most bikes donated by Calgarians are able to be refurbished completely, but inevitably there are some that don’t quite make the cut. The organization is then left with a number of bike parts, which is where the scholars came in. They were able to create some truly amazing products, from candle holders to wall art, that the organization is now selling.
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Here’s a look at some of the products that Cohort 3 came up with!
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Photo Credit: Amanda Lee
WINTER RETREAT T
he topics covered at the winter retreat included reconsidering the role of mentor and mentee, catching up on their cohort programs, and listening to one person’s journey to become a champion of women’s rights. This inaugural event, which took place January 16th at the University of Calgary main campus, aimed to bring the scholars together to reflect on what they had accomplished in their fall term, and set goals for the remaining academic year.
As all scholars are now paired with a mentor, the morning was spent rethinking their existing relationship with their mentors, and considering new topics they intend to discuss. Likewise, reflecting on their role as a mentor to a first year scholar also allowed scholars to recognize the value and importance of these relationships, and what advice they can provide their student as they are now more integrated into the university. An ‘active listening’ exercise challenged students to practice the art of being open to different conversations and mindful of the type of response they give.
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The afternoon began with an engaging presentation by Jenny GulamaniAbdullah, President of BPW Calgary and Founder of Gulamani-Abudlla & Co., Immigration Consulting. This session, which was sponsored by ATB Financial, had Gulamani-Abdullah share with scholars and mentors her journey from Africa to Canada and the lessons she learned along the way. The goal of the retreat was to reflect on the term and set clear goals for winter, and indeed that is what the scholars did.
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NAN ESKENAZI FOUNDER, GOOD EARTH COFFEE HOUSE Coffee can be a student’s best friend, and no one knows coffee quite like Nan Eskenazi. After opening the first Good Earth Coffeehouse in Calgary in 1991, the chain has grown to a successful franchise with over forty locations across Canada. She spoke with the scholars about growing a profitable business while maintaining commitments to environmental sustainability and supporting communities.
February
Our ATB Sponsored Speaker Series continued this semester with three fascinating speakers over two separate evenings. Students, mentors, and advisory council members continue to learn together from some of Calgary’s most interesting people. 20
MAUREETA PERCY & TIFFANY KIEBOOM CLIENT & MARKET INSIGHT RESEARCH, ATB FINANCIAL If you think banks are only concerned with accounts, think again. Maureeta Percy and Tiffany Kieboom from ATB Financial joined the scholars to talk about the exciting area of market and customer intelligence, as well as the creative ways researchers can use data to design banking products that people enjoy using. March
SPEAKER SERIES 21
YEAR END CELEBRATION
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Our Year End Celebration was spent at the Ranchmen’s Club, reminiscing about the events from the past year and looking forward to the futures of our graduating scholars. This year, we were joined by a number of mentors and advisory council members, as well as the brand new members of the sixth cohort. The evening began with a reception, followed by presentations from Amanda Lee and Ainna Randhawa. Celina Pablo performed a moving solo guitar cover, and both Mark Lee and James Thorogood delivered speeches reflecting on their time at the University of Calgary and with the the Scholars Academy. As per tradition, Jessica Cohen led the room in a rousing grad song (to the tune of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”), accompanied by Cole Sugden on piano. We kindly thank Alice Chan and Dr. Chen Fong for sponsoring this event.
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AND NOW PRESENTING... Five unique Journal Clubs were presented this winter semester. From meeting Elon Musk to getting “married” in Cambridge, our students shone a spotlight on the highlights and challenges they’ve faced while writing their theses, doing research, and travelling the world.
Leah Schmidt, a combined international relations & women’s studies student, presented her honours research which looked at female resistance to militaryinstigated genocidal sexual assault during the Bosnian War. Her work is timely, with policy implications coming out of recent trials.
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George Wang, a neuroscience student with a passion for bridging technology and health, spoke on lessons he learned from working at the University of Cambridge doing genetics research involving patients with Multiple Sclerosis. For George, some of the most valuable lessons were those that occured outside of the lab.
Ainna Randhawa, a biological sciences student who loves the arts, traded beakers for Broadway on the “New York City: Broadway Musicals, Jazz and Culture� study abroad trip. She relived her experience and recounted the adventures she had on her trip, from being scammed to overcoming her fear of dogs.
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Mayesha Tashnil, a chemical engineering student with a specialization in energy and the environment, worked with a team to design battery packs for the SpaceX Hyperloop pods. She shared her winning pitch, along with some stories from the competition.
Colin Brown, a mechanical and biomedical engineering student who’s looked at innovation in health care and sustainable engineering solutions, explains the biomechanics of hockey skates. His research looked at the vibration attenuation of the bladeholder, and how it impacts performance.
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Major: Actuarial Science City of Birth: Edmonton Top Calgary Spot: Dairy Lane Café Favourite Book: Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood Words to Live By: If your ideas have the potential to benefit others, do not be afraid to speak up; the world will stop and listen to those who stand up for what they believe. Grandest achievement: Named to the ACGC Top 30 Under 30 Biggest Mistake: Not choosing one sport to specialize in for athletics growing up. Role Model: Jeffrey Goldie Charity of Choice: Sombrilla International Development Society Person, dead or alive, you’d like to have dinner with: Nikola Tesla In 10 years, I: hope to be in a fulfilling career while maintaining a connection to my community
SAMUEL GEISTERFER
MEET A SCHOLAR
MAYESHA TASHNIL
Major: Chemical Engineering, specializing in Energy and Environment Year: Internship City of Birth: Dhaka, Bangladesh Top Calgary Spot: Princess Island Park Favourite Book: Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera Words to Live By: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear” Grandest Achievement: Building a family of awesome people who are there for everything. Biggest mistake: Thinking that juice and cornflakes were a good combination. Role Model: Peter Doherty Charity of Choice: Invisible Children Person, dead or alive, you’d like to have dinner with: Helen Clark In 10 years, I: should take a minute to evaluate how I’m contributing to the 27 community.
SCHOLARS ACADEMY MacKimmie Block 204 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada sap@ucalgary.ca