Science contours spring 2016 by University of Alberta Faculty of Science

science.ualberta.ca Vol 33, No 1, Spring/Summer 2016

ba·s ic /'bāsik/ adjective forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental

s c i·e nc e /'sī ns/ noun e

the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment

Vol 33, No 1, Spring/Summer 2016 The University of Alberta Faculty of Science is a research and teaching powerhouse dedicated to shaping the future by pushing the boundaries of knowledge in the classroom, laboratory, and field. Through exceptional teaching, learning, and research experiences, we competitively position our students, staff, and faculty for current and future success. Science Contours is a semi-annual publication dedicated to highlighting the collective achievements of the Faculty of Science community. It is distributed to alumni and friends of the Faculty.

Dean of Science Jonathan Schaeffer Editor Jennifer Pascoe Associate Editor Kristy Condon Design Lime Design Inc.

Contributing Writers Kristy Condon Julie Naylor Jennifer Pascoe Adam Williams Photography Ian Jackson John Ulan

Cover Definitions Source: Oxford Dictionary Online

Send your comments to: The Editor, Science Contours Faculty of Science 6-197 CCIS, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9 science.contours@ualberta.ca

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www.facebook.com/UAlbertaScience @UAlbertaScience @UAlbertaScience science.ualberta.ca

Lasers in the limelight Light from a blue diode laser is reflected from two mirrors and enters an acousto-optic modulator (the small box in the center) in Al Meldrum’s (physics) luminescence spectroscopy lab. The modulator causes the initially continuous blue beam to become pulsed. The pulses can be as short as a few nanoseconds with up to tens of millions of pulses per second. Pulsed lasers are used for a wide variety of optical applications and for basic research into the time-dependent electronic properties of materials.

contents 7

Dean’s message

Science news

› Fueling the search for a more environmentally friendly search for fuel

› Engaging citizen scientists in reducing bird-window collisions

› Enigmatic particles lead to better understanding of our universe

› Students take to rooftop to monitor meteorological patterns

› The snunkoople effect and quantification of humour

› AlbertaSat’s Ex-Alta 1 satellite set to launch this summer

12 It starts with science

› For the love of math Appreciators turn educators COVER STORY

17 › Back to basics An encouraging reinvestment in discovery research 22 › From the Dark Ages to the Age of Enlightenment? Canadian science after 2015 24 In the community

› Recipe for success Chemistry grad brews up career with Okanagan beer company

28 › Sign of the times Higher purpose inspires students-turned-entrepreneurs 32 Alumni perspectives

› We asked. You answered. A snapshot from the 2015/16 alumni survey

34 Thank you

› Celebrating our donors

IN THE FIELD

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Deep dive Professor Rolf Vinebrooke (biological sciences) introduces undergraduate students to various techniques used in the monitoring of lakes and streams. Pictured here prior to a plunge at Hasse Lake, the black and white Secchi disk is used to measure how much sunlight penetrates below the surface of the water. A well-known freshwater ecologist, Vinebrooke studies the impacts of global change on the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of lakes.

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TOP OF THEIR GAME

Getting to go Pictured here: University of Alberta computing science professors (L-R) Ryan Hayward, Martin Mueller, Rich Sutton, and Michael Bowling from the Computer Games and Reinforcement Learning research groups, who supervised AlphaGo researchers David Silver, Aja Huang, and Marc Lanctot during their time at the University of Alberta. Read more at uab.ca/contours

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A team of computing scientists led by University of Alberta grads have developed the first computer Go program capable of professional-level play. AlphaGo was developed by the team at Google DeepMind, led by UAlberta PhD grad David Silver (â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09 Phd), AlphaGo was able to achieve a 99.8 per cent win rate against other Go programs and in March defeated human world Go champion Lee Sedol by four games to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a feat previously thought to be at least a decade away.

DEAN’S MESSAGE

Covering the continuum

Scientific research can be viewed on a continuum. At one extreme is so-called basic (or pure/fundamental) research, “scientific research aimed to improve scientific theories for improved understanding or prediction of natural or other phenomena 1.” At the other end is applied research, “a form of systematic inquiry involving the practical application of science. It accesses and uses some part of the research communities’ (the academia’s) accumulated theories, knowledge, methods, and techniques, for a specific, often state-, business-, or client-driven purpose 1.” More succinctly, the continuum extends from scientific principles to the application of scientific knowledge. In recent years, this distinction has become important as governments have been shifting research funding towards applied research (with potential commercial impact) and away from basic research (knowledge for knowledge’s sake). In this issue, we highlight several Faculty of Science-related stories that emphasize the importance of basic research, and I want to draw your attention to a few. In March, 2015 Physics Nobel Laureate Art McDonald (’11 DSc) visited us, in part to say “thank you” to collaborators in the Department of Physics. The newest Canadian Nobel Laureate leads SNOLAB at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, and used those facilities to demonstrate that neutrino particles have mass. That is fundamental science

at its best; we now have a deeper understanding of the makeup of matter. This spring, millions of people were enthralled by the epic man-versusmachine encounter for the game of Go, possibly the most complex game ever devised by humans. The computer program, AlphaGo, defeated the multi-time world champion Lee Sedol by a score of four wins to one. This result was a powerful demonstration of new machine learning and heuristic search algorithms. Although building a superhuman Go-playing program is a monumental scientific result in itself, this basic research has huge commercial implications. In addition to AlphaGo’s lead author, David Silver (’09 PhD), four other U of A computing science graduates were part of this historymaking team. To readers of Contours, Professor Emeritus David Schindler (’14 DSc) is no stranger. His fundamental research has had profound implications for how society can protect our precious water

supply. His career is an example of how insight into scientific principles can lead to applications that can benefit the world. Not surprisingly, he strongly argues that governments must support basic research if we are to have a healthy research ecosystem. I invite you to read his unedited words for his perspective on the state of science under the new government. Research in the Faculty of Science covers the entire continuum. In addition to the above in this issue of Contours, we also share several inspiring stories of applied research including deployed applications. This issue clearly demonstrates the breadth and depth of the research being done by our faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, and alumni. As Dean, I couldn’t be more proud.

1. Source: Wikipedia

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SCIENCE

NEWS DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER New diamond exploration research training school poised to strengthen Canada’s industry

Fueling the search for a more environmentally friendly search for fuel

From their long-held appeal as jewelry to increasing industrial applications, there is no better symbol of strength and endurance than diamonds—the crown jewels of a $2-billion annual industry in Canada. To help train and produce the next generation of highly qualified diamond explorers, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has announced an investment of $1.65 million over the next six years to a new Diamond Exploration Research and Training School (DERTS), led by the University of Alberta’s Graham Pearson. “There is a desperate need to sustain more discoveries if Canada is going to maintain its position as the world’s number three diamond producer by value,” says Pearson, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Resources. “The discovery of new diamond deposits will be technologically challenging, so we are creating the next generation of industry-ready geoscientists.” Funded through NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (CREATE), DERTS includes industrial collaborations with 10 partners—including heavy-hitters De Beers, Diavik Mines, and Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation—all committed to working with students on prospecting new mines. “We are directly aligning our research with industry needs,” says Pearson. “It is essential that new graduates are able to move seamlessly into industry.” This transition will be facilitated with annual industrial internships, field work and community engagement in the Canadian Arctic, “soft-skills” training, and access to some of the finest research facilities in the world here at the University of Alberta, with training and mentorship by world leaders in diamond research and exploration. ➔ For more information: uab.ca/diamonds

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Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” has become a reality in today’s world where demand outstrips easily accessible supply. Designed to increase access to our petroleum reserves, this method has come under scrutiny in the recent past for its potential impacts on the environment. A University of Alberta scientist and his collaborators have received more than $2 million in research funding to fuel their search to inform best practices for hydraulic fracturing in Alberta. The research program—led by Daniel Alessi, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Encana Chair in Water

Resources—examines the water cycle in unconventional energy recovery and environmental geochemistry. “From my perspective as a water person, one of the things that people often worry about with hydraulic fracturing, unlike other industrial processes, is that you’re actually taking that water out of the freshwater cycle at the surface and permanently removing it from the water cycle,” says Alessi. “It’s like taking a piece of cake and eating it. It’s gone forever.”

Daniel Alessi, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Encana Chair in Water Resources, pictured with flowback water from hydraulic fracturing.

TO FEED OR NOT TO FEED ENGAGING CITIZEN SCIENTISTS IN REDUCING BIRD-WINDOW COLLISIONS

Getting in touch with nature in an urbanized world can be as simple as putting a bird feeder in your backyard. However, what are the potential consequences? Despite their popularity, the effects of bird feeders and year-round feeding on birds have not been well documented, particularly in relationship to bird-window collisions. Justine Kummer

“Ultimately, we want to improve the water cycle and mitigate the environmental impact.”

The study is twofold: to uncover sources of microbial biofouling in the water cycle of hydraulic fracturing operations, and to begin to unravel the chemistry, toxicity, and treatment options for potentially hazardous substances in flowback and produced water. The goals at the end of the five-year study are to reduce freshwater use in hydraulic fracturing, potentially mitigate the carbon footprint of fracturing operations, and share these best practices with industry through scientific publications and public forums. “There are two ends of the spectrum—people who think fracking should never happen and those who think we should just frack everything,” says Alessi. “As a pragmatist, my view is very simple. Hydraulic fracturing is going to happen. While it is happening, let me and my students work to address some of these problems in real time. Ultimately, we want to improve the water cycle and mitigate the environmental impact.”

“Backyard bird feeders create an important link between humans and nature,” says Justine Kummer (’11 BSc), MSc candidate and lead author of the study— the first ever to manipulate bird feeders at actual residential houses. “Improving the relationship between the general public and nature can promote biodiversity and conservation. We are working to find successful ways to reduce bird-window collisions, beneficial not only for birds but also for the millions of people who feed them.” Bird-window collisions are one of the largest threats facing urban bird populations in Canada. It is estimated that up to 42 million birds die each year from collisions with windows, with residential homes accounting for 90 per cent of building-related mortality.

PHOTO: ANJOLENE HUNT

“We’ve determined that the presence of a bird feeder does indicate collision risk, but there are other factors involved,” says Kummer, explaining there is no black and white answer. She notes that vegetation and house characteristics can also influence whether a residence is likely to have a large number of collisions and that some houses are more at risk than others, regardless of the presence of the feeder. “The general public enjoys feeding birds in their yard, but they want to know how to do so safely. Homeowners can certainly reduce window collision risk by altering feeder placement.”

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AN “IRONCLAD” GREEN SOLUTION TO COMBAT TOXIC BLUE-GREEN ALGAE

SCIENCE

NEWS WEATHERING HEIGHTS Students take to top of the Tory Building to monitor meteorological patterns Did you get ever get up to the Tory roof as a student? Every February, a group of undergraduate students trek up the 14 flights to build research-grade weather stations. They monitor a range of standard meteorological parameters, all part of their environmental instrumentation class, a core course for the environmental earth sciences degree. “For a lot of students, this is their only practical experience building a weather station that measures meteorological variables before they go on to a career in environmental sciences,” says Jeffrey Kavanaugh, professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “It has been a good building block and take-off point for the students. In my eyes, this is the heart of the labs.” The environmental instrumentation course mimics remote field installations. “I find that

hands-on experience really drives home the theoretical information presented in the more typical lecture setting,” he continues. “There are definitely more ‘a-ha’ moments in labs or in the field. I think lab exercises represent that critical step where theory is made real. Students who get that hands-on experience are always a step ahead of their peers.” Kavanaugh has been running the environmental instrumentation course since his arrival at the U of A in 2005. He was recognized for his efforts with an innovation in teaching award from the Faculty of Science in 2015. Kavanaugh’s own research investigates the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, their impact on the landscape, and their response to changing climate. He has led field campaigns to glaciers in Alaska, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Canadian High Arctic, and Antarctica, and has taught field courses in both the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Antarctic Peninsula. See the weather station in action at uab.ca/eas.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN AlbertaSat’s Ex-Alta 1 satellite set to launch this December Fueled by a successful crowdfunding campaign, AlbertaSat’s Ex-Alta 1 satellite is ready for takeoff. Following a brief pit stop aboard the International Space Station, it will be launched into orbit alongside 49 other cube satellites designed, built, tested, launched, and operated by university student teams from around the world. Following liftoff, the device will measure patterns of space weather on a completely new scale of science, demonstrating our strong capability for space technology. “AlbertaSat highlights the new space research capacity at the University of Alberta,” says physics professor Ian Mann, lead academic advisor for the AlbertaSat team. He explains that the private space industry is undergoing huge expansion, aiming to provide services in everything from communications and imaging, environment and climate monitoring, and even Arctic sovereignty and security. Mann says the student team is a key part of this growth. “This represents not only the first ever madein-Alberta satellite, but also the development of an ‘open-source’ satellite which opens new doors for low-cost access to space. Our goal at the University of Alberta is to provide education and research which ensure our students secure well-paid jobs in the new space economy, creating economic prosperity and space-based services for Canadians and indeed the world in the new 21st-century space race.”

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You may have seen it at your cottage lake—it looks like green grass clippings floating on the surface, spilled pea soup, or a soapy green scum along the shoreline. This cloudy green sludge—an algal bloom—occurs in lakes around the world. More than just an eyesore, cyanobacteria, the predominant type of nuisance algae blooming in freshwaters, produces potent brain and liver toxins that can cause illness or death in humans and animals. Algal blooms also pose significant cultural and economic risks—an increased cost of drinking water treatment, devaluation of shoreline properties, and losses to tourism and fishery, to name a few.

Algal blooms often result from high concentrations of nutrients—namely phosphorus—being released from sediment at the bottom of lakes. While these blooms can occur naturally, they are most often caused by pollution from phosphorus released from the accumulation of sewage, fertilizer runoff, and other sources. “There is a great need for strategies to deal with harmful algal blooms,” says Diane Orihel (’13 PhD), freshwater ecologist and lead author on the study. “We conducted this experiment to see if we could use iron to lock up the nutrients that algae need to grow.” The theory was that adding iron to lakes would keep a greater amount of phosphorus down in the sediment, thus not available in the water.

Since phosphorus is an important nutrient for the problematic blue-green algae, the result would be an improvement in water quality. The results showed that the iron treatment significantly improved the lake water quality, reducing the phosphorus levels as well as the total amount of algae and potentially toxic cyanobacteria present. Orihel conducted this study as part of her PhD research, co-supervised by biology professors Rolf Vinebrooke and David Schindler. “This treatment is a way of remediating lakes with a compound that’s naturally occurring in the system,” explains Vinebrooke. “Whereas a lot of other places advocate adding an exotic kind of chemical to the lake, iron is more of a green solution.”

How funny is this word? The snunkoople effect and quantification of humour How do you quantify something as complex and personal as humour? Researchers have developed a mathematical method of doing just that—and it might not be quite as personal as we think. “This really is the first paper that’s ever had a quantifiable theory of humour,” says psychology professor Chris Westbury, lead author of the study. “There’s quite a small amount of experimental work that’s been done on humour.” The idea was born from an earlier study in which test subjects with aphasia were asked to review letter strings and determine if they were real words or not. Westbury began to notice a trend where participants would laugh when they heard some of the made-up non-words like snunkoople. It raised the question—how can a made-up word be inherently funny? Westbury hypothesized that the answer lay in the word’s entropy—a mathematical measure of how ordered or predictable it is. Non-words like flingam, with uncommon letter combinations, are higher in entropy than other non-words like clester, which have more probable combinations of letters and therefore lower entropy.

“We did show, for example, that Dr. Seuss— who makes funny non-words—made nonwords that were predictably higher in entropy. He was intuitively making higher entropy words when he was making his non-words,” says Westbury. “It essentially comes down to the probability of the individual letters. So if

you look at a Seuss word like yuzz-a-ma-tuzz and calculate its entropy, you would find it is a high-entropy word because it has improbable letters like Z.” Inspired by the reactions to snunkoople, Westbury set out to determine whether it was possible to predict what words people would find funny, using entropy as a yardstick. “The results show that the bigger the difference in the entropy between the two words, the more likely the subjects were to choose the way we expected them to,” says Westbury, noting that the most accurate subject chose correctly 92 per cent of the time. “To be able to predict with that level of accuracy is amazing. You hardly ever get that in psychology.” The study may not be about to change the game for stand-up comedians—after all, a silly word is hardly the pinnacle of comedy—but the findings may be useful in commercial applications such as product naming. “I would be interested in looking at the relationship between product names and the seriousness of the product,” notes Westbury. “For example, people might be averse to buying a medication with a funny name for a serious illness—or it could go the other way around.”

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FOR THE love OF

MATH by

KRISTY CONDON

photos JOHN ULAN

Reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic—these three Rs make up the trifecta of fundamental skills taught in the modern education system—the foundation upon which all other learning is built throughout our lives.

+ OUTDATING WRITTEN RECORDS, the study of mathematics may be the oldest of these pillars—piquing human curiosity for longer than we’ve been keeping track. Given this, it is unsurprising that the etymological root of the word mathematics stems simply from the ancient Greek word for “learning.” Often called a “pure” science, mathematics in its most basic form often emphasizes the idea of doing math for math’s sake, regardless of whether a practical application is apparent at the outset. While applications are often found after the fact—for example, number theory as applied to cryptography in computer science—this notion of basic research holds a sacred appeal for those attracted to the idea of problem-solving without the pressure to produce marketable results.

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All for math… After two years studying at MacEwan University, Edmonton-born Ryan Morrill (’14 BSc) transferred to the University of Alberta, where he was introduced to a different side of math in MATH 222 (Discrete Math). “This course was just pure problem solving, pure logic. It was really different from anything I’d ever taken before,” he explains, describing how the instructor would often sit in front of the class and present a problem, then ask the students simply to think about it. “It was a very organic approach to problem solving.” The experience was illuminating. Like many undergraduate science students, Morrill began his education with aspirations of pursuing a career in medicine, but the experience he had in MATH 222 stuck with him. He switched from

“I USED TO THINK ALL MATH WAS JUST CALCULUS— AND I LIKED CALCULUS, SO THAT WASN’T A BAD THING— BUT THERE WAS ALL THIS OTHER STUFF, LIKE GRAPH THEORY, NUMBER THEORY—ALL THESE BRAND NEW FIELDS I DIDN’T KNOW EVEN EXISTED.” —RYAN MORRILL

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general science to a math major, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in the area. “I feel like people often just think of the U of A as a research institution, not an educational institution,” he says. “But there are a lot of really good instructors here—definitely in math. That’s something that made me really glad that I picked the U of A.”

Since it opened in 2011, the Decima Robinson Support Centre for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences has helped thousands of students succeed in firstand second-year MATH and STAT courses.

…and math for all At the completion of that first math class, Morrill was offered an opportunity to pick up the torch and help lead a math circle over the summer, training a group of junior high students for an international competition. The group met for a few hours almost every day, with the top eight students joining Morrill for the competition in Taiwan at the end of the summer. Morrill has since taken over the JAMES math circle (Junior Alberta Mathematics for Eager Students) year-round. “A math circle has a lot more structure than a math club,” he explains. “Each session has a distinct purpose to teach a certain concept. It might be an introduction to a field of math—so maybe we’ll have a session on graph theory, or maybe it’ll be a session on a problem solving strategy.” The circle now meets once a week, and while the majority of students attend regularly, Morrill makes a point to design each session to stand firmly on its own. “I usually try to make sure that the sessions we do don’t relate too heavily to each other, so if somebody misses a lecture, I don’t want them to feel too far behind, or if someone drops in for the first time they don’t feel lost.” Though the circle is targeted specifically to strong math students looking for a challenge, Morrill also strives to imbue his students with skills that will help beyond their studies.

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“I hope that they can take the things they’ve slowly been learning over the years and become better learners as a result of that. I think that’s really the most important thing—to become a better learner. “I hope that when they leave the circle, they become better critical thinkers. I’m not actually too concerned that they take away concrete math knowledge. I want to focus more on problem solving abilities and learning things that will help them in whatever they go on to do.” As an educator, Morrill gets as much out of the math circle as his students do. He sees the circle as an opportunity for him to improve his own teaching abilities, since the flexible format allows him to experiment with fresh approaches to teaching. “I was just looking for a job, really anything—and I ended up getting all this stuff to do with education and students. Once I did that for a bit, I found I really enjoyed it, so I kept doing it.”

“I HOPE THAT WHEN THEY LEAVE THE CIRCLE, THEY BECOME BETTER CRITICAL THINKERS.” —RYAN MORRILL

“MY ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE OTHERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS THE BEAUTY AND THE SATISFACTION THAT I SEE WHEN STUDYING MATHEMATICS.” —SEAN GRAVES

So much in fact, that he is considering continuing on in a PhD not to pursue research, but to teach at the postsecondary level. He is well on his way to success in that area as well, having been honoured with a Graduate Student Teaching Award this spring. And Morrill is in good company—the U of A’s Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences is stacked with award-winning instructors. One of them, the 2016 winner of the Faculty of Science Award for Excellent Teaching is Sean Graves (’01 BEd, ’07MSc), another educator who simply

couldn’t resist his calling. After obtaining his education degree from the U of A, Graves taught in England and Japan for several years before returning to Canada to obtain his master’s degree in—you guessed it—mathematics. “Upon returning to Canada, I had reflected on how much I enjoyed the last few mathematics courses that I completed during my education degree, which led to my decision to study more math,” says Graves. He has now been teaching at the U of A for nine years, the past four of which he has spent additionally coordinating the Decima Robinson Support Centre for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. A testament to math’s deep connection to almost every academic discipline, the centre is fittingly named after first ever graduate of the University of Alberta, Decima Robinson (’11 BSc, ’12 MSc)—a mathematics major called the “Calculus Maid” by her classmates. More than a century after her graduation, Robinson’s legacy lives on in the centre bearing her name. The resource is available to all undergraduate students enrolled in a 100- or 200-level MATH or STAT course, and is accessed by thousands of students every month. A team of up to

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IT STARTS WITH SCIENCE

six volunteer graduate and senior undergraduate students are available throughout the day to help walk students through challenging problems. “My ultimate objective is to provide others an opportunity to witness the beauty and the satisfaction that I see when studying mathematics,” says Graves. “I hope my passion for mathematics shines through when I teach my students and that I can inspire some of them to further their own studies in this glorious subject.” In addition to offering day-to-day student support, the centre is also home to the JAMES Math Circle and the Alberta Summer Mathematics Institute, a summer-long day camp for strong high school students to learn advanced mathematics and explore directed research.

Sharing the love Student support in mathematics extends far beyond campus borders. Faculty of Science award winner for Innovation in Teaching Vincent Bouchard has been involved for the past several years in a two-week-long math summer camp at the Maskwacis Cree Reserve—specifically with the Ermineskin Cree Nation—located about an hour south of Edmonton. “Ermineskin is a really interesting place to work. While they have had trouble with school success rates as have many other First Nations, Ermineskin has a very well established and stable school system and is actively developing new initiatives to improve education,” says Bouchard. “The math camp is part of this push. In many respects, I think that they are an educational model for many other First Nations.” The camp is designed for students in grades five to eight, with a goal to improve and expand basic math skills. The camp includes a one-day trip to the University of Alberta campus—a highlight for many of the campers. “It is quite inspiring to see how excited and enthusiastic the kids are about the U of A campus,” says

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“MATHEMATICS IS MORE LIKE AN ART. IT CAN BE HARD TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO.” —VINCENT BOUCHARD

Bouchard. “Each year, many of them tell me that they would really like to come here one day.” The camp has been a massive success, nearly doubling its enrolment in its first three years. Math is all about numbers, so the significance is not lost on anyone that 71 per cent of students showed measurable improvement in math skills after attending the camp. Additionally, in the 2016 Canada-wide Mathletics Challenge, Ermineskin Elementary school placed 34th out of 635 participating schools across Canada. Despite its reputation for difficulty—or maybe as a direct result of it—the study of mathematics holds an undeniable attraction for those in its thrall. “Mathematicians are not often understood,” reflects Bouchard. “Mathematics is more like an art. It can be hard to explain what we do.” Perhaps it is the challenge of teaching an intimidating topic, or simply the intrinsic appeal of pure, curiosity-driven research—the simplicity of approaching a problem stripped down to its most basic parts—that compels so many of these artists to share their passion with others. Whatever the reason, there is no question that it is a love worth sharing—and sharing broadly.

[ bac k to ba·s ic s] An encouraging reinvestment in discovery research BY

J U L I E N AY L O R

PHOTOS

I A N J AC K S O N & J O H N U L A N

To some, it is known as discovery or fundamental research. To others, it is basic or foundational research. From fundamental to foundational researchers, there is a sense of collective optimism in the scientific community surrounding the recent federal government attention given to science funding at the most basic level, throwing some weight behind discovery research in its March budget.

THIRD IMAGE FROM LEFT: SHELL CANADA

Liberal government has sent [ the ] new a clear message, earmarking an additional $95 million annually to granting councils—the highest amount in more than a decade—for a total of $141 million in new annual resources going forward. While it could take years for the impact of this investment to be realized, scientists have renewed support for fundamental and large-scale discoveries that require additional resources—and maybe a leap of faith.

Aksel Hallin has seen firsthand how a commitment to consistent funding for basic research can lead to world-changing discoveries. A physics professor and Canada Research Chair in Astoparticle Physics at the U of A, Hallin was part of the team that worked with Art McDonald (’11 DSc) at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). Their research led to the discovery of neutrino oscillations, demonstrating that neutrinos have mass, and earned McDonald the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.

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“To push these knowledge frontiers in basic science we have to push the frontiers of technology as well, and an interdisciplinary approach is essential for success. / I think the support for both basic and applied science is very important.” — A RT MCDONA LD C A N A D A’ S 2 015 N O B E L P R I Z E Aksel Hallin (right) and students Pooja Woosaree (left) and Thomas MacElroy working in the Low Radon Cleanroom, building a device to measure trace levels of natural radioactivity in various components. The facility provides a clean atmosphere which has less than one per cent of the radon in normal room air.

“Our universities should be working on the big problems in human knowledge. Many of those problems are in fundamental science, and many of the answers can lead to profound changes in the way we think.” —AKSEL HALLIN

“The Nobel Prize and the Breakthrough Prize [also awarded to McDonald] were international recognition that Canadian science made the right decision in pursuing underground physics,” comments Hallin. “It recognizes that our research is competitive at the highest level and at the cutting edge.” Physicists predicted that three per cent of the energy of the sun should come in the form of neutrinos. They observed that it was actually one per cent and questioned the missing two per cent. “That mystery existed from the 1970s until the SNO experiment ran,” says Hallin. “We knew there had to be a result that would either dramatically change our understanding of the way stars worked—the sun is our typical star—or we were going to understand neutrinos. We had a great experiment.” Hallin points to the fact that this knowledge—of quantum mechanics, the structure of matter, electromagnetism, and nuclear forces—has been central to the radical technological changes that have completely changed our way of life, adding that Canada still has some work to do in terms of developing a coherent approach to funding science. “To design, build, and use our type of experiment requires capital infrastructure funds, operating funds, research funds, and personnel,” explains Hallin. “Although the distinction

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W I N N E R I N PH Y SIC S

between these might seem academic, from the perspective of a scientist, the funding programs to which one applies are completely different and often don’t coordinate.” While only time will tell the extent of funding coordination, Canadian post-secondary institutions can look to a commitment to attracting and retaining world-class researchers—both established and rising stars—as support for building internationally competitive teams to solve those big research questions.

[suppor t for f u nd a me nta l s c ie nc e m a ke s good c he m i st r y] Following the law of attraction, rising science star and recent Faculty of Science hire Florence Williams (chemistry) was drawn to the U of A from the U.S. by not only the collegiality and personality of the department but also for the unparalleled infrastructure in place to support her research. “My area of focus bridges organic chemistry and chemical biology. Whenever you bridge two disciplines,” explains Williams, “you often find that you need more equipment and facilities than a typical lab. The University of Alberta has support labs of various types already in place and run by exceptionally trained staff.” Williams came fresh off a post-doc at Princeton where her most successful project was the development of a fluorescent compound which shifts its fluorescent light emission when it interacts with a diphosphate ester. These diphosphate esters are considered a new type of post-translational modification of proteins in the cell. “We think that the cell adds this group onto proteins to change their behavior in response to certain

[ ba c k to ba· s ic s] Florence Williams (right) pictured with undergraduate student Daniela Hernandez.

conditions that the cell experiences,” brain/spinal cord trauma or stroke, “I love the academic environment, which she explains. “It is a way to react to a because all of these disorders cause is so focused on scientific discussion and changing environment.” neuronal cell death,” she explains. creativity. To be able to pursue my own However, many questioned “There is almost nothing known scientific ideas and at the same time help whether this process did indeed about how these small molecules others to appreciate and understand occur. Scientists needed a new way cause the desired neurotrophic chemistry is a phenomenal privilege.” to show that the diphosphate ester effects. I would like to make small existed on a natural protein isolated modifications of these molecules —FLORE NCE WILLIAMS away from the cell, and Williams’ in such a way that they can tell me reagent is helping to do that. what they interact with and how Now that she has settled in at the U of A, Williams will focus they trigger a change in the neuron.” her research attention to a collection of naturally produced small With recent funding from the Canada Foundation for molecules, considered neurotrophic. Neurotrophic describes Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund, Williams also anything which causes neuronal cells to behave as though they plans to explore new ways to study processes that occur in were exposed to proteins called neurotrophins, the body’s the cell, specifically looking to develop new reactions that can natural way to signal neuron cells to grow and to resist death. be used in living cells to investigate fundamental changes in “Neurotrophic responses are of interest in relation to Alresponse to different external changes or internal signals. zheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, as well as

S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

Canada’s Minister of Science expresses her excitement on the day of the funding announcement.

“I love the academic environment, which is so focused on scientific discussion and creativity. To be able to pursue my own scientific ideas and at the same time help others to appreciate and understand chemistry is a phenomenal privilege.”

SHELL CANADA

[f u nd a me nta l t r a i n i n g s et s fou nd at ion for suc c e s s]

For recent graduate Yasmin Barre (BSc ’09, MSc ’12), her fundamental research training at the U of A applies daily to her work as an Associate Laboratory Technologist with the product quality team at Shell Canada in Fort Saskatchewan. Barre developed an interest for understanding and examining host-pathogen interactions while working in the lab of UAlberta microbiologist Christine Szymanksi (biological sciences). “The projects run in Dr. Szymanski’s lab were quite interdisciplinary,” remembers Barre. “This allowed for collaboration with other groups as well as access to analytical technologies, such as HR-MAS (High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning) NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), mass spectrometry, affinity chromatography, proteomics and microarrays, and protein expression profiling. There was a vast array of techniques and skills I learned during my studies in the Szymanski lab.” “Working in a lab feels very natural for me,” says Barre. “My research skills developed from my graduate program provided me with the critical thinking and judgement I need for method development, writing standard operating procedures, and improving current analytical procedure by saving time and reducing waste and cost.”

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

Suzanne MacDonald draws daily from her background in zoology and genetics for her work as an animal behaviourist.

[applying natural skills in nature] Like Barre, Suzanne MacDonald (’84 BSc, ’86 MSc, ’89 PhD) draws on her basic science training in her role as an animal behaviourist, working with animal populations around the world to better understand their behaviour and the impact of human activity on wildlife. MacDonald started as an undergraduate at the U of A studying zoology and genetics, following that up with graduate work in psychology. The combination of basic science plus psych gives MacDonald a unique perspective of how animals view a situation, often providing a different way of approaching a problem.

[ ba c k to ba· s ic s]

“Making basic science accessible to everyone, especially young people, and doing research that will benefit communities in Canada and around the world is what we’re here for.” — SUZANNE M ACDONALD

She studies a range of species, from those in the wild— gorillas, cheetahs, tigers, and elephants—to urban environments—think raccoons—to pandas and orangutans in zoos. MacDonald has worked extensively with the Toronto Zoo, where she has volunteered as a behaviourist for the past 20 years (and no, she did not get to hold the baby pandas). “We record animal behaviour over an extended time period and then compare that to what we expect it to be like in the wild,” she explains. “If the animals are well adjusted, they should show a wide range of behaviours, including courtship and mating. If not, we can try to modify their environment to see if we can help them adjust to their surroundings.”

Similar principles apply in the wild. In Kenya and South Africa, MacDonald and her team are helping to mitigate human-elephant conflict. One solution implemented at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya was to build a corridor that allows elephants to safely go up and down the mountain on their annual migration path. The challenge was how to get the elephants to actually use the corridor, rather than their usual route through farms. Knowing that 40 per cent of an elephant’s brain is olfactory lobe, MacDonald decided to try using scent as a way to attract them to the corridor. Based on knowledge gained in captivity that elephants liked vanilla, she tried this in the wild, and it worked. MacDonald is a firm believer in sharing her knowledge with communities in order to improve our human-animal interactions. “The public funds our universities, and I feel that it is vital to share our results—and our enthusiasm for research—with our supporters. Making basic science accessible to everyone, especially young people, and doing research that will benefit communities in Canada and around the world is what we’re here for.”

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FR O M T H E DA R K AG ES TO T H E AG E O F EN L I G H T EN M EN T ? ➔ C A N A D I A N S C I E N C E A F T E R 2 015

by D.W. Schindler

“Cutting off fundamental, curiosity-driven science is like eating the seed corn. We may have a little more to eat next winter but what will we plant so we and our children will have enough to get through the winters to come?” — C A R L S AGA N

HE ABOVE QUOTE characterizes the Canadian government’s approach to fundamental science for the past decade. Only science that could rapidly underpin new commercial applications was deemed to be worthy of public support. Canadian environmental science, despite its stellar reputation for proactively identifying and inexpensively solving problems, was singled out as a barrier to industrial development. Environmental groups (and by inference environmental scientists) were even labelled as foreign-funded radical groups that conspired to hold back economic progress! Federal environmental scientists, even those of international renown, were silenced from speaking about their own research. Several federal science libraries were closed. Environmental legislation that might delay industrial development in any way (particularly development related to the exploitation and sale of fossil fuels) was weakened to expedite the approval of mega-projects ranging from oil sands developments to pipelines. The office of the National Science Advisor was eliminated: henceforward, scientific direction would come from the Prime Minister’s office. All of this was done to rapidly transform Canada into an “energy superpower,” to use the optimistic vision for the Canadian oil sands expressed by Prime

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

David Schindler (’14 DSc), professor emeritus (biological sciences).

Minister Harper at the 2006 G8 Summit. Yet despite the wheels of approval being so heavily greased, there was no increase in the rate that new energy projects were approved. In retrospect, this was probably good, as even existing developments are now jeopardized by an excessive global supply of cheap oil. The Canadian approach was strangely at variance with most of the western world, which has continued to follow the advice of Gro Harlem Brundtland: “Science must underpin our policies. If we compromise on scientific facts and evidence, repairing nature will

be enormously costly—if possible at all,” a view that most scientists and intelligent bureaucrats have also endorsed in Canada during much of my lifetime. The differerence in philosophy led to Canada being ostracized internationally as a scientifically-backward country. The damage has gone well beyond environmental science. In the words of Art Carty, a chemist who was the last federal Science Advisor, speaking at a convention on science and policy in Ottawa in December, 2015: “..over the last decade, Canada, through the actions and policies of its government, has sunk to a new low. That has resulted in an erosion of trust, evidence and advice being ignored, and science, generally speaking, being under siege.” Carty went on to say that fixing the problem would require fundamental changes in attitude, philosophy and transparency, within government, among scientists, and with the Canadian public, in order to overcome the secrecy and government control which have become the norm.

HAPPILY, the “Dark Ages” approach to Canadian science appears to be over. Within days of the Liberals assuming power, federal scientists were unmuzzled. New ministers received written orders to re-fund valuable science programs. New overtures were extended to

indigenous people for a more inclusive approach to environmental decision making. A new Ministry of Science was created to assist in restoring science to its previous status. There is talk of reinstating the position of Science Advisor. These are good beginnings to restoring Canada’s scientific stature in the world. But much more must be done. The tarnished image of science in this country

will adversely affect efforts to recruit both international scientific talent and bright young Canadians who might choose science as a career. This will greatly hinder the recovery of Canadian science. It will also be difficult to retain the attention of a government beset by many other problems, including an ailing economy, increasing rates of joblessness, global expectations of meaningful

measures to reduce climate change, masses of potential refugees from wartorn countries, and threats of war and terrorism. Legislative exhaustion will result. We who understand the importance of science must do what we can to keep attention focused on the topic. In environmental science, the tasks are relatively simple:

RESTORE the changes that

were made to weaken environmental legislation. Some of the legislation could be greatly improved, such as application of the Species at Risk Act to all of Canada, rather than just federal lands. That would require a level of cooperation with provinces never before seen in Canada. But without such coordination, we will continue to lose biodiversity. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act is unnecessarily cumbersome, a point upon which I agree with Stephen Harper. But it should be streamlined by making better background science and ecological assessments readily available, not by weakening environmental protection.

THERE MUST ALSO BE a focus on high quality, not just quantity. The day is past when we can bolster the Canadian economy by simply devising more efficient or less expensive methods for extracting natural resources. Humans are already exploiting Earth to 50 per cent beyond its capacity to repair itself, despite the fact that one-third of the planet’s human population uses less

TO ENSURE the transpar-

ency that is necessary for clear decisions in a functioning democracy, the expertise and funding of federal science departments must be restored, but they must be able to operate at arms-length from the political process, so that it is clear when science is being ignored by idealogicallydriven decision makers. Because federal science has been diminished for at least 20 years under all parties, this will require considerable efforts at recruitment and rejuvenation.

than their per capita share of resources. Reliably expanding an economy in a resource-limited world will require entirely new approaches to producing energy and using available resources, rather than simple expansions in old ways. Prosperity will depend increasingly on new innovation rather than simple expansion and slow improvement. Scientifically, the challenge is equal to

UNIVERSITIES must

develop and maintain meaningful programs in a diversity of fundamental sciences. These must be equally accessible to both genders and all races, including our own indigenous people, and they must be untainted by interference from government or big business.

“Reliably expanding an economy in a resourcelimited world will require entirely new approaches to producing energy and using available resources, rather than simple expansions in old ways.”

those of manned space flight or nuclear power, but the future of humanity depends much more directly on our success. Further, universities must help to spread science literacy, which is essential for all citizens of a functional democracy in an age when effective policy decisions increasingly require understanding how our planet responds to human pressures that are threatening to overwhelm it.

S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

By A da m W illi a ms

l photos by john ul a n

REcipe

��uccess Y chEmistry Grad n brews Up career with Okanagan Beer CompanY

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

�ave �okiert (’95 BSc) considered a few careers in

his early days at the University of Alberta—and brewmaster wasn’t one of them. l But then, little about the alumnus’ career, which has now spanned nearly two decades, was obvious in those early days on the Edmonton campus.

n n n

S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

IN THE COMMUNITY

l POST-LATE-

NIGHT-IN-THELAB CHILL DOWN:

When I need to chill and relax, I like to drink a beer where I can turn my brain off and not analyze too much. A nice clean pilsner or well-balanced pale ale are great. I recommend our Tree Kelowna Pilsner and Tree Cutthroat Pale Ale. –DG

“I

entered my first year of university not 100 per cent knowing what I wanted to do,” says Gokiert. “I think like every kid in firstyear sciences, I thought I was going to be a doctor, but very quickly I realized I enjoyed the hard sciences better. “I had no clue about getting into brewing.” Now closing in on his 20th year with Tree Brewing Company in Kelowna, the 43-year-old has had his hand in developing more than 100 different brews enjoyed annually by thousands across the country. Gokiert has worked for the company since he first left the U of A, helping to develop it into the award-winning brewery that will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016. In 2013, he took over the role of brewmaster. It’s a career trajectory that has surprised even Gokiert. “As you grow, I think you understand yourself a little better,” he says. “When I was going through university, I saw myself as that professional, wearing a suit and tie to work, and now I’m wearing stinky old jeans. “In some ways it surprises me, but it’s actually truer to who I am than what I thought I was when I was going through university. It’s more what I think I am.” Gokiert grew up in Westlock, a town roughly 100 kilometres north of Edmonton. His father, John Guy Gokiert (’65 MD), also a U of A graduate, was a physician in the community of 5,000, and it seemed for a

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

short time in his first year of university, that the son would follow in the father’s footsteps. But, the younger Gokiert couldn’t resist the call of the hard sciences. So when he graduated five years later in 1996 with an honors degree in chemistry, he began to consider a working life in a lab. Maybe he’d go back and get his PhD, become a lifelong researcher. It was only after a friend opened Gokiert’s eyes to the world of brewing that the Albertan saw how truly versatile his science degree was. While helping his brother move to Vancouver, he stopped in at a handful of breweries and stumbled upon a job opening at Tree. He never left. Now, the fourth brewmaster in the brewery’s history, Gokiert has found a career that is truly a perfect fit for him, one that gives him the ability to combine his love of basic science—chemistry, in particular—with hands-on work and creativity. He uses his education to create the recipes that have made Tree’s brews famous, manipulating water and pH levels, promoting reactions and handling the alcohols, enzymes, dissolved gases, and fermentation which are all part of the beer-making process. On any given day,

l CELEBRATING A BIG BREAKTHROUGH: For a celebratory night, I tend to gravitate to a big flavourful beer. A northwest-style IPA or a Belgian Dubbel-style beer. The big flavours compliment

the feeling of the big accomplishment. Our Tree Hophead IPA, Tree Belgian Dubbel, or Tree Captivator Doppelbock are all good options. –DG

l BASIC BREW TO

GET THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING:

To get my creative juices flowing when working on a new recipe, I usually drink a beer that I think is complicated to make, something that I know another brewer has tweaked to perfection to get just the right balance. Trying to decipher how he/she got that beer right where they wanted it gets my recipe brain flowing. A great example of this is a schwarzbier, a dark and flavourful beer that finishes nice and clean. This is a delicate balance, and is super gratifying when it is hit. I recommend our Tree Black Lager. –DG

Gokiert checks on the hop garden of Tree’s Beer Institute.

he finds himself tinkering with cutting edge. While Gokiert’s own learning curve “Beer, per se, hasn’t changed, equipment, fixing pumps, and has been steep at times, the father of two feels he but the way people drink beer dragging hoses, all the while using has been treated to a career that has presented his creativity to design Tree’s latest him with new challenges every day. in North America has changed recipe. “Beer, per se, hasn’t changed, but the way a lot in the last 20 years.” “Almost every step has a piece people drink beer in North America has changed that I think chemistry has played a lot in the last 20 years,” he said. “Every year it’s a big part in really helping me to different. For me, that has been exciting.” understand,” he says. Looking back on his roots in science, Gokiert “Like any field, there’s a lot of people who could encourages future graduates to focus on their passions make beer, but I think the chemistry degree really and pursue careers that can dovetail with those endeavhelped me to understand it. When something goes ours. While the obvious science careers are those that wrong, or I need to change something, the chemistry involve lab work and research and formulas on chalkdegree really gives me a solid basis to figure out the boards, the doors opened by the degree are more vast problem and attack it.” than one might imagine. As Gokiert has grown in his position as Tree’s brewGokiert says he never would have expected he’d be master, he has held a front-row seat for what can only helping develop Tree Brewing’s line up of beers fresh out be described as the evolution of craft brewing. Once of school. One of the beers he is most proud of having a niche industry with roots in Oregon and Washcreated during his time at Tree is Hophead IPA—still to ington, craft beers have exploded in popularity this day his favourite drink. throughout North America, particularly in “Graduating from science, I think there’s more recent years. things out there than you think. There are way Now, when tourists visit Kelowna and the more industries,” Gokiert said. Okanagan, they’re not just asking about local “Coming out of science, sometimes you’re just wineries, but local craft breweries, too. very focused on the specific science. I think the power Companies have come and gone in the time of a science degree is it’s a problem-solving degree. since Tree first opened its doors in 1996, but They need that everywhere.” this Kelowna brewery has managed to stay on the

n n n

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Sign

BY J ENNIFER PASCOE / PHOTOS BY J OHN U L AN

of the times

Higher purpose inspires students-turned-entrepreneurs

UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT turned into innovations that are now improving the lives of deaf signing children. Thomas Baron (BSc ’13) and Eric Lam (BSc ’14) met in computing

science professor Eleni Stroulia’s fourth-year software product development course taught in the Department of Computing Science, where students work in teams to build from scratch a piece of software commissioned by a client. Little did they know that their work on an in-class project would have a profound impact on the lives of thousands of students around the world.

Baron tells us what he enjoyed most about CMPUT 401, “Software Process/Product Management,” is that it had a purpose beyond memorization and exams. “These type of project-based courses help demonstrate to students why we are learning what we are learning,” says Baron. “The fact that you’re actually doing something that will be used made me try a lot harder. We spent a lot of time working as a team collaborating and assigning tasks and planning out what we needed to do.” Stroulia explains that she has found in the project-selection process that students are often attracted to projects with a social justice perspective. “It gives students an opportunity to think deeper about what they want to do,” she says. “They think about what they want to do, what they want to learn,

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

with whom they want to work, and how they want to continue after the project and class.” Classmates-turned-colleagues Baron and Lam jumped at the opportunity to work with real clients as opposed to case subjects, since it provided both work experience and an unexpected reward. “For me, giving back to the community was a great by-product of the project,” says Lam. Baron echoes that seeing the client’s and users’ enthusiasm about the project drove the team to work harder, knowing it was making a difference in people’s lives. Their client was Professor Lynn McQuarrie, David Peikoff Chair of Deaf Studies in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education. “We couldn’t have anticipated the extent of this project,” glows McQuarrie. “The skill level in interpreting what I needed and

Together, Baron and Lam have developed five educational games with deaf children as co-design partners. The games have a picture-based option to support ASL sign-vocabulary learning and a printed-word option to enhance English print-vocbulary learning.

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Game testing at the Alberta School for the Deaf, observed by Stroulia (top, L), McQuarrie (top, R), Baron (middle), and Lam.

Baron and Lam also began developing learning tools and educational games for deaf children as well as avatartype signing systems, creating tools that didn’t already exist. They plan to release the source code of the avatar signing system to other developers once it has been reviewed by the community, making a difference not only in the lives of the deaf children but also giving back to the software community as a whole. The sign database at the core of many of the learning games was designed to be generic and usable by thirdparty developers. This allows fast iteration of ideas based on co-design outcomes and provides baseline architecture for other developers to build upon.

Computing science with a community conscience

wanted as a client and what Thomas and Eric and their classmates produced was phenomenal.” The project—connected with Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students—was to create a web-based assessment system to house McQuarrie’s American Sign Language (ASL) phonological awareness test and was developed with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2). The students presented their work to an international team of researchers participating in an assessment symposium at Gallaudet. They impressed the audience, and following 401 course completion, Baron and Lam worked with McQuarrie to expand the capabilities of the system, creating a global multi-test portal for ASL assessments. The system now serves as the backbone of the entire assessment portal for Gallaudet (VL2).

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

McQuarrie explains that though there are many games for hearing children, few exist for deaf signing children. “There’s a bit of a social justice component to it,” continues McQuarrie. “Both these young men could go off and do hundreds of things, but they’ve seen the reaction of the children—signed by the kids as thumbs up, cool, wow—they’ve seen the need, and they just continue to refine and rebuild.” Software is created in the service of a need, explains Stroulia, who says that she is interested in learning about other people’s problems where software can be applied. Her flagship project is the “Smart Condo,” using technology as a means to support people with chronic conditions to live independently longer and to educate health-science students in using technology to provide better care. “Nobody speaks the language of all the client needs they will have to interact with in order to build software,” says Stroulia. “From an education perspective, this type of project in the 401 class is the best we can do to prepare students. They’re practicing their profession inside the university before they even graduate. Our students are working independently and operating as real software companies inside the school. The more practice they have in school, the better off the students will be able to do their jobs.”

“You cannot get better than working to improve somebody’s life.” —Eleni Stroulia

L to R: Thomas Baron, Eleni Stroulia, Eric Lam, and Lynn McQuarrie.

Stroulia relays that not only is there an advantage to the students, there is a priceless benefit to researchers inside the university who can tap in to student expertise for a mutually beneficial partnership that provides a much more cost-effective and efficient way of building software—researchers like McQuarrie, who was amazed by the results. “I told the students what we needed, and they worked with me and brought their technical computing science language to a level I could understand. The skill level in interpreting what I needed and wanted as a client and what they produced was phenomenal. Innovation can’t happen without that bridge.” In a follow-up project in 2015, Baron and Lam completed their first co-design study at the Alberta School for the Deaf in Edmonton and plan for more of these types of interactions in the future. Their co-designers? A group of six- to 10-year-old deaf children who are getting their first peek behind the computing science curtain at an early age. Baron and Lam are thrilled to be working directly with the people who will benefit from their hard work. “I want to get in an environment where I am directly interacting with people so that I can better understand their needs,” says Baron, who has always had an interest in linguistics. For the co-design study, he and Lam

“For me, giving back to the community was a great by-product of the project.”—Eric Lam

created four different games with differing degrees of difficulty. They all required different skills in terms of memorization, logic, and motor skills. Each child had one or two they preferred. “The big takeaway is that you really have to make the tool adjust to the child.” He acknowledges that the focus is less on pushing the technical envelope and more on creating usable tools. “It shows the impact that good learning tools can have. The fact that this can make a positive influence on people while they are in school focusing on learning really does make us work a little harder.” Echoes Lam, “Seeing the kids play during the codesign study and seeing them have fun made me really happy. Knowing that the learning tools are going to be used and are going to make a difference in these kids’ lives gives us more drive. Knowing that kids are enjoying it—that’s what keeps me going.” Stroulia agrees that this is an extremely important point. “Computing science is an interesting mathematical discipline,” she says. “It is very beautiful and internally elegant. There are some of us who are fascinated by this internal beauty of algorithms, which we will use in a variety of different problems and situations. But there are also many of us who want the gratification of doing something that works for somebody. You cannot get better than working to improve somebody’s life. Not many of us will get the chance to do this. Most situations are very far removed from actually making a change in somebody’s life. These students were lucky in having that.”

S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

We asked. You answered. Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback to our recent alumni survey. The information you provided is invaluable to our future alumni relations activities. From problem-solving skills to pride, here are just some of the warm and fuzzies you sent our way about your experiences as science students.

n “The most useful and memorable part of my time at the Faculty of Science was the time I spent as a field assistant working for professors on their projects. The most valuable aspect of my education in the Faculty of Science was developing critical thinking and understanding the world through a scientific lens.”

n “I really enjoyed my education at the U of A. I made some excellent friends and volunteered for some really interesting student groups during my time there.”

n “I am extremely grateful for the quality education that I received while a student at the Faculty of Science. It hugely contributed to me securing the career that I am in now.”

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

n “It was when I arrived in graduate school (MIT, dept. of chem.) that I realized that I had received an outstanding undergraduate education [at the U of A]; I was able to step right into their graduate courses with no difficulty.”

n “I’m very proud of my PhD from the University of Alberta. I was in the Department of Chemistry, which has a top-notch program—one of the best in the country I’m convinced.”

n “I have great memories and experiences at the U of A in general and in the Faculty of Science in particular. My whole family is connected to the institution. I’m proud to be an alum and proud of the U of A’s accomplishments.”

Alumni Perspectives

n “I am extremely proud to be a U of A graduate, especially in the Geological Sciences where the University is recognized internationally for the quality of education and research. Edmonton is my hometown, so being able to speak fondly of my education and the reputation of the University is very important to me.”

n “It’s been a long time since I was at UofA, but that hasn’t diminished the value of what I learned there. It served me well while I was employed, as it does now that I am retired and do much volunteer work.” n “My experience in the Department of Mathematics continues to actively influence how I structure my thinking and how I explain my thinking to other people. I cannot overstate how valuable it was.”

n “My Math/Science education was very important to my future. I was in the Honors Math program 1962-66 which provided me with the groundwork for reasoning through many issues in my career and life.”

Who answered?

MALE/ FEMALE RESPONSE

OVERALL RESPONSE:

10%

Both degrees

20%

Graduate

RESPONSE BY AGE 25 20

41%

Female

15 10 5

70%

59%

Undergraduate

Male

WHERE YOU CURRENTLY LIVE

23%

24%

16%

15%

14%

20–29

30–39

40–49

50–59

60–69

70–79

WHERE YOU WENT AFTER YOUR DEGREE

Other

(e.g. MD, MBA,

Other international

No further studies

Post Doc, Law, MEng)

United States

Community college degree/diploma

47%

20%

Canada

Edmonton Sherwood Park St. Albert

Graduate degree in a field other than science

16% 4

14% 16% 14%

PhD in science

14%

Alberta MSc

Calgary area

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR CURRENT JOB AND YOUR FIELD OF STUDY IN SCIENCE Retired Not currently employed

Directly related

36% Not related

26%

Professional certification

14% Second undergraduate degree

HOW INTERESTED YOU ARE IN READING ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ISSUES IN THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE Current research

89%

Scientific issues involving Faculty people

88%

Alumni programs and services

71%

History and traditions

70% 63%

Teaching and scholarship Student life

32%

What science alumni are doing

51% 48%

Somewhat related S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

On behalf of the Faculty of Science, we recognize and celebrate your thoughtful support and commitment to our research, teaching, and service goals. Through your support of our various initiatives addressing emerging opportunities in science—including undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, leading researcher lectureships, and special research initiatives that are finding solutions to address global issues—your gifts make a meaningful difference. We are grateful for your commitment to the Faculty of Science and to our students. Gifts recognized were made at the $500+ level between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016. We hope we have reported your name accurately. To advise of changes, please contact us at (780) 492-9983 or give2sci@ualberta.ca.

Athabasca Circle

$50,000 $99,999 Canadian Institute For Advanced Research / CGG Services Inc. / Estate of Becky Sjare / FrieslandCampina / IC-IMPACTS / Laricina Energy Ltd. / Ross & Verna Tate / Tula Foundation

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President’s Circle

$100,000+ Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute / Alberta Conservation Association / Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund Ltd. / American Chemical Society / Cisco Systems Canada Co. / ConocoPhillips Canada / Google Inc. / Aubrey & Karen Mendonca / Mitacs Inc. / National Radio Astronomy Observatory / Nexen Energy ULC / Patricia Pennock / Quantiam Technologies Inc. / River of Death and Discovery Dinosaur Museum Society / Shandong Luba Chemical Company Ltd. / Syncrude Canada Ltd. / VaxAlta Inc. / Ron Wigham

Assiniboia Circle

$10,000 - $49,999 Alberta Professional Outfitters Society / Alberta Pulse Growers Commission / Alberta Wheat Commission / Margaret-Ann Armour / Riad & Heather Bacchus / Mark Boyce & Evelyn Merrill / Birchcliff Energy Ltd. / Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers / Canadian Foundation for Innovation / George Castles / ConocoPhillips / Jean Cooley / Dallas Safari Club / Echoridge Education Foundation / Fermi Research Alliance LLC / Gilead Alberta ULC / Jed Harrison / Husky Energy Inc. / Tako Koning / Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation / Marine Biological Laboratory / Murphy Oil Company Ltd. / Lawrence Mysak / Osum Oil Sands Corp. / Rich Palmer / Polar Bears International Inc. / Progress Energy Resources Corp. / Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation / Safari Club International Foundation / Shell Canada Limited / Garry Sohi & Lakeridge Animal Hospital / TAQA North Ltd. / TD Friends of the Environment Foundation / TRIUMF / David & Astrid Tupper / Vertex Pharmaceuticals / Rosa and Larry Wang / Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association / Western Grains Research Foundation / Barbara Whitlock / Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada / World Wildlife Fund Canada / Anonymous (2)

Pembina Circle

$1,000 - $9,999 Harvey Abbott / Carl & Ellen Amrhein / ArcticNet Inc. / John Beamish & Kathleen Pine / Jeff Bisanz / Gerald Bolton / Boulder Peptide Society / BP Canada Energy Group ULC / Branch Out Neurological Foundation / Michael Brooke / Scott Burns / Barbara Christensen / Contact Exploration Inc. / Edwin & Lucille Cossins / Jean E. Crozier / Kalman Cseuz / John Cuthbertson & Rhonda Wishart / Edward Dedio / Delta Waterfowl Foundation / Ross & Hedy Denham / Dinosaur Research Institute / Ronald & Patricia Dutchak / Larry Eberlein / Helen Eckert / Calvin R. Evans / Allan Fedoruk / Fidelity Investments Canada Ltd. / Christopher Finlay / Ashley Finlayson & Diane Hollinshead / geoLOGIC Systems Ltd. / Perry & Ann Glaister / Guardian Chemicals Inc. / Elizabeth Hamilton / Margaret Harris / Gerhard & Madeleine Henkemans / Ursula Hennig / William & Joy Hibbard / John & Kathleen Holmes / Erik Horne / Laurence G. Hoye / Gordon C. Hurlburt / International Association for Bear Research and Management / Colin & Laura Jackson / Ante & Mary-Beth Jankovic / Bodh Jugdutt / Jurassic FEC Ltd. / John Katay / Edward Krebes / Wendy Lam / Anthony & Paulette Lashuk / Daniel & Brenda Leskiw / Jeff Lonnee / Benjamin & Jennie Lu / Chad Lund / Howard & Caroline Malm / Martin Maurenbeeld / Greg & Carla Mclsaac / Alan McPherson / Katie Nichols / Alex Nickon / Nuna Logistics Limited / Paul Paetkau / Carmen Paradis & Brian McGrath / Donald & Judith Paradis / Peter Patershuk & Mary Riley / Leona Peter / Frederick Phelps / Planning for Posterity Event / David Robertson / George W. Robertson / Rocky Mountain Wilderness Society / Rotary Club of Edmonton / Nat & Marie Rutter / Imre Safarik / Elizabeth Samson / Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa & Christine Orosz / Jonathan Schaeffer / Robert & Magaretha Schutte / Simon Segall / Neil Siemens / Kendall Stagg / Stantec Consulting Ltd. / Rodney Stevens / Michael & Shirley Stiles / Bruce E. Strader / Otto & Kathleen Strausz / Hubert & Anna Taube / Kim & Don Taylor / The Northern Alberta Radio Club / Thermo Fisher Scientific / Raija Thomson / Chris Thomson & Marlene Reynolds / Roar & Marilyn Tungland / Chris Westbury / Wilfred Worms / Hafizah Yahya / Anonymous (13)

Dean’s Circle

The Quaecumque Vera Honour Society The Quaecumque Vera Honour Society is named after the motto of the University of Alberta, which means “whatsoever things are true.” Membership in this society is limited to living individuals who have advised us that they have provided for the university in their estate plan. Qualifying gifts for membership in the Quaecumque Vera Honour Society include, but are not limited to, the following: › Life insurance and other life insurance products › Bequests by will › Charitable trusts › Charitable gift annuities › Gifts of residual interest › Gifts of incomegenerating property

Thank you to the following donors for remembering the Faculty of Science with a gift in their estate:

$500 - $999 Farzana Alidina / Kurt Armbruster / William Christensen / CI Investments / Mel Comisarow / Philip Currie & Eva Koppelhus / Jeff Dai / Joan Dakin Morrison / Richard & Berna Danziger / Coleen Dean / Thomas Demchuk / Paul English / Estate of Sylvia Jean Syska / Michelle & Alladin Fuko / Robert & Judy Gardiner / Herman & Enid Gom / GSC Consulting / Bob & Bernadette Gunn / Intellex Systems Inc. / Ronald & Doris Krause / Juan Kuon & Mary Fairhurst / Dekang Lin & Yihua Lin-Yuan / Mark Ly / Naomi C. R. Makins / Joel Martin / Dennis R. McCalla & K. M. McCalla / Brian Nishiyama / Eldon Priestley / Elmer Reist / Royal Bank of Canada / Charles Russell / Brian & Michele Shea / Willemien Sheppard / Kenneth & Peggy Simpson / Richard & Elaine Taylor-Kerr / Marilyn Thornton / Arlen Todd / Elmer Tory / Allan & Lyndsay Turner / Gary Vivian / Young Scientist Conference / Anonymous (4)

The Quaecumque Vera Honour Society Serge Dupuis / Ursula Hennig / Jan Alexander Jung / Robert MacLeod / Garry M. Nanninga / Carl L. Primus / Kim & Don Taylor / Anonymous (4)

S C I E N C E . U A L B E R TA . C A

Faculty of Science 6-189 CCIS University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2E1

Publications Mail Agreement No: 40063605