Wider Horizons - Fall 2012

AN EYE-OPENING EDUCATION P. 26 • BEYOND THE CLASSROOM P. 29 • TURNING LIVES AROUND P. 38

A PUBLICATION OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE

President’s message It’s been said that the road to success is not a path you follow but a trail you blaze. Many Lethbridge College students, alumni, faculty and staff have found that this proves to be true as they break new ground in their work, their communities and their industries during and after their time at the college.

Pathways, trails, roads and routes abound in this issue of Wider Horizons. Inside, you’ll find stories and images that resonate with the idea of choosing (or blazing) a path. You will learn about some of the roads members of the college community choose to follow while they are here – including the journey our former president led us on during her sevenyear tenure – and the adventures that await them when they move on.

All of the stories illustrate, in one way or another, the importance of learning how to learn while at the college. And that’s one of the priorities we’ve had here for a while, as we’ve been working on establishing our College Wide Outcomes. The outcomes are the skill, abilities, critical thinking, knowledge and curiosity that we want all students to develop while they are here, and to take with them when they leave.

Put another way, our commitment to our students is not just to help them get that first job… but to instead teach them the skills they need to learn and adapt throughout their careers, to prepare for whatever the future holds.

That preparation proved useful for the subject of our cover story, an alumnus who diverged onto a new path later in life and has built a thriving second career as a photographer. Sam Wirzba is responsible for the beautiful photo that graces our cover as well as the photos that appear with his story. With a little encouragement from his family (and perhaps some of the skills he learned at college), he was able to turn a passion into a new profession.

Peter Leclaire Lethbridge College interim President and CEO

Other stories speak to the importance and value of learning how to learn and adapt. A feature on three capstone projects for second-year students gives a glimpse into the real-life experience awaiting our learners at the end of their Lethbridge College journey. Take time to check out the follow-up on last year’s fire in Slave Lake, which tells the tale of a community’s path to recovery and one alumna’s effort to raise money to help her hometown rebuild. Enjoy the story of a student trip to Uganda to work at an agency that was founded by a Lethbridge College alumna.

You’ll also find our regular features, including a new recipe from our culinary program chefs and a link to the video showing how to prepare the sumptuous spaghetti alla carbonara.

Higher education needs to change with the times. We need to teach our students to be critical thinkers, to be creative, to strive for sustainability and to realize their global influence.

Learning these skills will equip them to blaze any trail they desire.

What’s inside Vol. 6, No. 1, Fall 2012

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30

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Fond Farewell

Wheel’s Up

Clues to Crime

Looking back at the legacy of Dr. Tracy L. Edwards.

Roller derby matches test the mettle of college skaters.

Changing the way conservation officers do their jobs.

On our cover Lethbridge College alumnus Sam Wirzba has carved out a niche and a successful second career taking breathtaking photos of the land and livestock he has always loved working with. Read his story on page 6.

Students Propose Real-World Solutions........................................ 16 Environmental Science students use the knowledge gained in their two years at the college to suggest ways of solving real-world problems.

No Shortcuts Allowed .................................................................... 17 Computer Information Technology students learn to meet the business needs of clients while completing capstone projects.

Your Style and Design ................................................................... 18 Students showcase innovative designs for retail stores.

Digging Deep for Answers About Climate Change ....................... 32 Dr. Sandy Vanderburgh’s research contributes to the knowledge of coastal processes and climate change.

Rising From the Ashes.................................................................... 34 In the year since the Slave Lake fire, homes and important community landmarks are being given a second chance.

Breezy Answers.............................................................................. 36 As the innovative wind industry prepares for its 20th anniversary, it’s clear the large scale wind sector has positioned itself well in the province and is poised to continue growing.

In every issue

Q & A...............................................................................................14 Campus in season.............................................................................20 Office intrigue...................................................................................22 From our kitchens.............................................................................24 News and notes ...............................................................................39 Widen your horizons..........................................................................42 It’s a family affair..............................................................................43 A word or two...................................................................................44 Where are they now?........................................................................45

Wider Horizons is Lethbridge College’s community magazine, celebrating the successes and accomplishments of its students, employees and alumni by promoting them throughout the community and around the world. This publication aims to educate its readers, engage stakeholders and recognize donors through compelling stories and images that relate to, and resonate with, its readers.

Wider Horizons is published by the Lethbridge College Advancement Office.

We thank you for picking up this copy and we hope you enjoy the read. If you would like to suggest a story or find out more about our magazine, contact us.

Wider Horizons c/o The Advancement Office 3000 College Drive South Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6 email: WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca publisher: Peter Leclaire editor: Carmen Toth chief writer: Lisa Kozleski designers: Shawn Salberg, Dana Woodward photographers: Mike Harris, Rob Olson, Jonathan Ruzek, Gregory Thiessen magazine staff: Leeanne Conrad, Elisabeth Morgan, Shawn Salberg, Gregory Thiessen, Gwen Wirth contributors: Jen Golletz, Elisabeth Morgan, Amelia Naismith, Stephanie Poscante, Megan Shapka In addition to free distribution to our regional community, Wider Horizons is also mailed to all Lethbridge College alumni. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected to the college by emailing alumni@lethbridgecollege.ca or by updating their contact information at the Alumni Relations website: lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni To share this issue with others or access even more content, visit us at widerhorizons.ca To change the address where you recieve Wider Horizons, email WHcirculation@lethbridgecollege.ca

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Setting a Course for Great Adventures Edwards leaves legacy of advocacy and innovation after seven years at helm.

2 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012 2010

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In considering the advice she would give to the next leader of Lethbridge College, former President Tracy L. Edwards was pragmatic and precise.

Board Chair Randy Jespersen (Business ‘73) said all of these achievements – like Edwards herself – will be remembered for years to come.

“You’ve got to care about the work,” she said. “It’s not about the title. A president is a head cheerleader for that institution.

You’ve got to love people. And you’ve got to love the work.”

“Tracy’s leadership has positively positioned Lethbridge College on the regional, provincial and national fronts,” said Jespersen in a communication to staff announcing Edwards’ departure.

“In her time here, the college has seen award-winning and provincial and national accredited programming, an

Those who worked with Edwards at the college, city and provincial levels during the seven years she spent as president said her love of this place and its people was evident from her first day on campus.

Former University of Lethbridge President Bill Cade said the decision to leave the job of president of a postsecondary institution is not an easy one. But the timing is exceptionally important. “It’s not good if a president stays too long,” said Cade from his Texas home. “I always thought a president should stay for 10 years or less. I really admire Tracy for making that decision.”

Cade, who left the university in 2010, and Edwards worked closely over the

Tr ac y Ed w ar d s c am e in t o “Tracy Edwards was an extremely passionate and tenacious advocate on Lethbr id ge like a Chin o o k an d behalf of Lethbridge College as well as s he c am e at a c r it ic al t im e . on behalf of our community in general,” said Lethbridge Mayor Rajko Dodic.

She w as f u ll o f e n e r gy a n d And college employees, city officials e n t hu s ias m . ” and provincial leaders agree that her legacy will be lasting and that her work on projects both big and small have set Lethbridge College a well-charted course for success.

Edwards’ bigger accomplishments are certainly better known. There was the renaming and rebranding of the college, the renovation of the Cousins Science Centre, the opening of the environmentally-friendly Kodiak House residence, the expansion of the school’s international recruiting and programming efforts, and impressive fundraising efforts from local donors and the provincial government.

But the smaller accomplishments are meaningful, too. Edwards was a faithful contributor to her well-read blog that gave a glimpse into life as a college president. She encouraged pride of place by making well-waxed floors and freshly painted walls a priority. She implemented a “corporate casual Friday” dress code that lets staff members set aside their suits and skirts one day each week.

4 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

— Former Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck

increased applied research agenda with national certifications …and two of the largest gifts in its history.

“And the pledge of $55.6 million from the [Alison] Redford government for the Trades and Technology Renewal and Innovation Project means Tracy is leaving a legacy for all to be proud of in the decades to come,” he added.

Edwards announced in April that she would step down as president of the college on June 30. The decision to leave was difficult, she said, but she felt strongly that it was a good time for her, and for the college, to move on. Before she left, she said she looked forward to a summer spent truly taking a break – a first for her in decades – and then planned to consider consulting work, writing or even pursuing another job.

years. One of their most successful efforts was transitioning the nursing program to one where students spend their first two years on the college campus and their last two years at the university. “The college and the university have turned it into a very good program for both institutions and now it is a model of what other institutions can do,” Cade said.

Cade praised Edwards for her work changing the focus of the college’s board of governors from one that operated as managers to one that truly governs and guides.

“What Tracy brought was a skill of working with her board of governors,” said Cade. “I was really impressed with that. It took a lot of work to move

the board in that direction. And Tracy always had some very good board members. You don’t get those kinds of community people coming forward unless you have a president who inspires them and gives them confidence.”

Former Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck, who worked with Edwards until he left office in 2010, agreed that Edwards was an inspirational leader.

“Tracy Edwards came into Lethbridge like a Chinook and she came at a critical time,” Tarleck recalled. “She was full of energy and enthusiasm.”

Tarleck said Edwards used that energy to lead the college into new projects while nurturing ongoing priorities. These ranged from expanding the college’s presence in research to partnering with community members, industry and government, as the college has done for its new trades building.

“It’s ironic that just as she is leaving, the college has finally received assurance of funding for this new project that is a pivotal building for the future of the college,” Tarleck added.

Edwards said the day the college learned it would receive $55.6 million from the government for this long overdue project was one of the best days on the job.

“I’ve had lots of best days,” she recalled.

“The day I got my Blackfoot name – the day we put the new sign out front – the day the money from the government was promised – they were all very good days.”

As for the difficult days, Edwards said “I think the Claresholm tragedy [in December 2011] was the worst for the institution.” But even in that time of sadness as the campus mourned the

death of four young people and serious injury of a fifth, some encouraging aspects emerged.

“The way the community and college came together was amazing,” she said.

“There was so much support.”

That kind of support has proved fruitful in other relationships the college nurtures, including those involving research, fundraising and government.

“The job of president is very different than it was even 10 or 15 years ago, particularly regarding donor and government relations,” Edwards recalled before leaving campus. “So much is about building relationships.”

While this is a newer aspect of the job, Edwards said the incoming president will be well-positioned because “in Alberta, the government is so accessible.

You can pick up the phone and talk to your elected leaders. If you invite them to come to campus, they come.”

Rick Casson, the former MP for Lethbridge, was one of those elected leaders who frequently found himself on campus. He described the tours Edwards led as illuminating. He also vividly recalled the first time Edwards came to Ottawa. She was on her way to a conference and stopped in Ottawa to promote the college.

“As sometimes happens on Air Canada, she showed up but her luggage didn’t,” Casson said. “But she got where she needed to go, did her visiting in blue jeans and fit right in with my caucus colleagues. By the time she left – and had her luggage – everyone knew who the president of Lethbridge College was and had a great deal of respect for her.”

Many in the community and at the college said Edwards and her husband Les Ostrowski, who has also worked at the college in a variety of roles, will be missed.

“Tracy is a great example of a woman in a leadership role,” said Bridget Pastoor (Nursing ‘87), Lethbridge East’s MLA. “From her, I learned the importance of clear vision and focused attention to any endeavour, whether professional or personal. She was fun to be with and I will miss her. And I know that no matter where she ends up – it will be their gain.”

Her colleagues on campus agreed.

“Tracy is a woman of spirit and depth,” said Dianne Marcellus-Kerr (Secretarial Science ‘80), who worked as Edwards’ executive assistant from 2008 through her departure. “Believe it or not, I’ll miss emailing her at 6 a.m. from the inside of my hiking tent when I am on holidays. I’ll miss her sensibility and street wisdom, her insight and intuition, even her pool-playing talent. She always encouraged me and never forgot to send thanks my way.”

Edwards’ last day was marked with celebrations and good wishes throughout the college. The interim president, Peter Leclaire, will continue moving the college forward on its ambitious and well-conceived plans as the search committee finishes its work choosing a new leader for the college. And the new president might benefit from following Edwards’ advice.

“Get to know the place first,” she said. “Get to know its history. It’s a demanding job – and it’s hugely rewarding. Lethbridge College is a great place to be.”

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Photos by Sam Wirzba

WAITING FOR THE

LIGHT

By Amelia Naismith

E nv ir o nm e n t al S ci e n ce al um n us ma k es a s e co n d car e e r t aki n g mem o r ab l e p ho t o s o f t he l an d a nd l iv est o ck he has al w ays l o ve d.

If it’s a day that Sam Wirzba (Environmental Science ‘79) plans to take pictures, then it’s a day that starts before the sun is even up.

If he doesn’t get what he came for, he doesn’t give up. Instead, he waits again – this time, until the end of the day, when the sun in sinking low in the sky. He watches for the light to be just right. If it is, he can get his shot.

To Wirzba, photography is painting with light. He travels far to find it – down highways and country roads, all across southern Alberta, into the Rocky Mountains and Montana, and across the Pacific Northwest, all in pursuit of perfect light and great subject matter.

The Lethbridge man is constantly judging the world, element by element, for the right conditions

before he considers pointing his camera. Whether it’s watching for dramatic cloud patterns stretched across the sky, considering how subdued or rich the light is, noticing how fresh the vegetation looks after a rainfall, or realizing how clear the air is, Wirzba wants everything to come together perfectly – because he’s looking for more than your average “nice” shot.

He’s looking for interesting and compelling subjects, strong compositions, and fleeting moments of beauty. The end result – when it all comes together – is a visually arresting portrait of natural and agricultural environments. The 1979 graduate of the college’s Environmental Science program has carved out a niche and a successful second career taking breathtaking photos of the land and livestock he has always loved working with.

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“When I decided to pursue commercial photography I was counselled to pick a subject area that was more uncommon and about which I was passionate,” Wirzba says. “After considering my options I chose a branch of photography that was relatively uncommon and where I know something about the subject matter—agriculture.”

It was Wirzba’s wife, Deanne, who encouraged him to pursue the commercial photography industry in 2003, given the large sums of money he had already been spending on film and film processing. Wirzba was concerned that because the business was so over-saturated he wouldn’t have any success. And so as a way to test his talent he entered two wellknown photography competitions in 2003: Nature’s Best International Photography Awards competition and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) photo competition.

Wirzba ended up taking first place in the Nature’s Best Environmental Issues category and high honours in the People in Nature category. He was invited to Washington, D.C., to see his winning photo installed in a Smithsonian Museum exhibit that went on to tour the United States. His photo in the CPAWS competition won the people’s choice award and took first place in the Wild Flower category.

His confidence grew and he began taking more photos, eventually providing images of cattle, crops, combines, coulees and prairie-blue skies to stock agencies including AgStock Images, Corbis and Alamy, which sell his images world-wide. In 2010 he began his own commercial photography business called Last Light Photography. He has had his photos turned into paintings and they have appeared in promotional items for the Calgary Stampede. His shots have also been used in reports, websites, advertisements, calendars, brochures, books, displays, posters, cards, t-shirts, key chains and more.

He traces his interest in photography to about the time he applied to the college. He said his admission was late, and initially deferred. But he said he had been told of the college’s good reputation and excellent programs and he knew it was the place where he should be. The next year, he enrolled and studied environmental science.

“I had this notion that I could make a difference in the field of natural resource management,” he recalls.

Wirzba bought his first professional camera and equipment while attending classes at the college.

But his passion was just a hobby at that point. After

8 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

receiving his diploma, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Lethbridge in 1984 and a Master of Natural Resources Management degree from the Simon Fraser University in 1987. During this same period, he and Deanne married and had two sons, Matt and Brent.

But between his educational pursuits, his growing family and his work, there wasn’t enough time for the kind of photography he does now. It was almost two decades before Wirzba picked up a camera again with any serious intent. And with each passing season, his interests continue to evolve and broaden.

A more recent photographic interest of Wirzba has been the production of scenic landscape panoramas.

These images can be used in special media projects or turned into large canvas prints and offered for sale to businesses and people who appreciate fine art photography.

When he’s not taking pictures, Wirzba works for the Government of Alberta with the Department of Sustainable Resource Development. He is a facilitator, mediator, natural resources planner, project manager and First Nations and public consultation coordinator.

He has passed his love of nature and of photography on to his eldest son, Matt, who graduated from the college’s Environmental Science program in 2007. Matt since went on to complete a bachelor of science degree at the University of Lethbridge and is currently employed by Blackbridge Geomatics in Lethbridge as the Order Desk Manager.

Matt Wirzba remembers being the subject of his father’s photos many times growing up, whether hiking, camping, road cycling or undertaking other adventurous pursuits. He also remembers being offered gifts and compensation for his patience and posing for the camera.

For the younger Wirzba, photography is just a hobby – at least for now. But for the elder Wirzba, it’s a passion, the pursuit of a vision, and a way of life.

“Painting with light is the photographer’s craft,” he says. “Waiting for and then capitalizing on brief moments of magical light is the photographer’s quest. When the light, sky features, the landscape, and your subject matter all come together, you hope that you are at the right spot, and ready, with the right camera settings activated.”

To see more of Wirzba’s images, go to samwirzba.com.

“

P a in t in g w it h l igh t is t h e p h ot ogra p h e r ’s c ra f t .”

— Sam Wirzba

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By Jen Golletz

For Lethbridge College students, staff and alumni, roller derby provides a sense of community and a source of thrilling competition.

On any given weeknight, a dozen Lethbridge College staff, students and alumni are geared up and ready to roll – literally.

In a room that feels like an empty warehouse, on the naked concrete floors, bright yellow tape marks an outline of a flat track. Women in fishnet leggings and short shorts are prepared for battle. The referee’s whistle blasts and the Lethbridge Derby Dames are set free on the track.

Roller derby is a fast-growing sport in Lethbridge and it just so happens that some from Lethbridge College populate the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild.

“It’s not your typical sport,” says Martina Emard (Print Journalism ‘93), vice president of the Lethbridge Roller Derby 10 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Guild. “It is a lot of fitness and competition. I think a lot of people see girls dressing up and skating around and prancing and it is so not like that. There is blood, there is sweat and there are broken bones. There are girls who just pour their hearts out into this sport to make it work.”

Emard – who is known on the track as Cherri Blaster – is a Lethbridge College alumna and faculty member. She began working at the college in the fall of 2002 as an instructional assistant in Communication Arts - Advertising and Public Relations and is now an instructor in that program.

Emard got into roller derby because she loved to skate and had been skating all her life. “When I first contacted the roller derby league in 2010,” she says, “they hadn’t even practiced

“

Ther e i s blo o d , there is s w e at a nd there a re broke n bo n e s .”

— Martina Emard

Pictured above (left to right): Dawn Roper (Hellvetica Bold), Martina Emard (Cherri Blaster), Jessica Olson (Hellz Jezebel)

yet. So I was lucky to get into it at the very beginning.”

equipment. As for the rest of the wardrobe, anything goes.

Today, the Guild consists of three teams – a more elite travel team and two house teams.

“If you want to be flamboyant and be someone completely different than you are off the track, you can,” says Emard.

“You can dress in hot pink, wear red lip stick and dye your hair purple for the game and then go back to your other persona when you’re not skating. And then there are other girls that just dress for comfort and to not overheat.”

“Some skaters enjoy playing, enjoy practicing but don’t have a big interest in competing or being on the travel team,” says Emard. “So that is why we have our house teams, which allow the recreational players to still enjoy the sport.”

The Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild is run by the skaters themselves. For most skaters, derby is a lifestyle and not just a game.

Derby girl Jessica Olson – known at the track as Hellz Jezebel – is a new addition to Lethbridge College. Olson transferred her Addictions Counselling degree from Medicine Hat to enter into Lethbridge College’s Criminal Justice program this past fall.

Each team sports its team jersey and the required safety 11

While taking her schooling in Medicine Hat, Olson saw a derby poster and was invited to a practice by a fellow student. She has been hooked ever since.

“I just like the game,” Olson says. “I like competing and I love the atmosphere. As soon as there are other derby girls, there is this family where you already have immediate friends. You can go anywhere and even if you don’t play on the team, you find out someone is a derby girl – you’re already connected to her.”

Recent Lethbridge College grad Dawn Roper – also known as Hellvetica Bold – studied multimedia productions and discovered the Lethbridge Derby Dames while perusing Facebook one day.

“I’ve never done anything as exciting as derby,” Roper says.

“I have never really been an athlete, or played sports in my life. So, it was really cool to be a part of the team. And the community of the team, I really like that.”

Anyone interested in trying out roller derby can drop into one of the Guild’s practices. Skaters are provided with skates and all the safety equipment needed. The only requirement to getting involved is to be at least 18.

“It is a really empowering sport for someone who has never been in sports before,” says Emard. “We are all from so many different backgrounds and we all mesh. There are people who I have met I would have never met otherwise. Just come in with no expectations and have fun.”

Roller Derby Members with Lethbridge College Connections Staff Jennifer Nerissa Davis (General Studies/Psychology faculty) Martina Emard (Applied Management faculty and Lethbridge College Communication Arts/PR graduate ‘93)

Students Chantal Lortie (Practical Nursing ‘13) Jessica Olson (Justice Studies ‘13) 12 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Alumni Melissa Belter (Communication Arts/Print Journalism ‘07) Monique Lessard Dawson (Environmental Assessment and Restoration ‘05) Molly Elliot (Interior Design ‘11) Brenna Allsop Nicholson (Practical Nursing ‘10) Mel Palmeter (Conservation Enforcement ‘02) Dawn Roper (Multimedia Production ‘12) Desiree Unvoas (Communication Arts ‘06) Alaina Fabro Wells (Communication Arts ‘99)

Pictured above: Jamie Franklin (Gray Skull)

The Basics of Derby The object of roller derby is the same as the object of most sports – to beat the other team.

Meets are called bouts and consist of two 30-minute periods and twominute jams. During a jam, each team has two jammers and four blockers on the track. After two whistles everyone skates in the same direction and jammers try to skate through the blockers.

Each blocker who is passed nets one point for that team.

Blockers, meanwhile, must play offense and defense by trying to get their jammer through the pack while keeping the other team’s jammer from getting through. Blocking is done with hits, which are regulated by the referee.

Elbowing and clothes-lining someone – that is, linking elbows with a teammate to try to take an opponent down– are both illegal; hits must be above the knees, below the shoulders and not from behind.

To prevent injuries, players must wear helmets, mouth guards, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, and they must carry personal health insurance.

Roller derbies include other rules as well, but those are the basics.

For more information visit lethbridgerollerderby.ca.

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Q&A

Q&A

WITH George Gallant

Wider Horizons asked George Gallant, Lethbridge College instructor and documentary filmmaker, to share a few words on the often complex course of moviemaking, grassroots efforts and what it’s been like to bring a little bit of LA to L.A. Gallant is one of the producers of Common Chord, an independent full-length feature that was shot in Lethbridge in June and that will debut next summer. The movie is a collaborative effort between the college and the University of Lethbridge and has involved students, artists, designers, writers and actors from throughout southern Alberta. For more information, go to commonchordmovie.com.

Wider Horizons: Where did the idea of Common Chord come from?

WH: How many people have been involved in the project?

GEORGE GALLANT: It started with the writer Trevor Carroll. He came up with the idea for a story about fatherhood, forgiveness and redemption.

He brought it to a small group of us that developed the idea and the characters over many rewrites. We consulted with other writers and story editors, and eventually Deric Olsen was brought in to finish the script.

GG: Since the beginning there have been hundreds of people involved in the Common Chord project. This includes all the professional crew, U of L and Lethbridge College students, the actors and the extras. There are also many people who have volunteered their time, money and resources to make this happen. Everyone with the exception of Jason Cermak is from southern Alberta (Jason’s family is in central Alberta but he now lives in Vancouver).

WH: How long has this movie been in the making?

GG: Our group started the process seven years ago. Pre-production was ramped up a year ago to get ready to shoot in June.

14 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

WH: This project gives students some incredible hands-on experience in movie-making. What other educational benefits have you seen come from this movie?

GG: The students from the U of L will get hands-on experience making a film which is part of their program. The Lethbridge College students will get day-to-day experience putting together behind-the-scenes features on the people involved, which works well with the Communication Arts program.

WH: What are some unexpected perks of small-city filmmaking?

GG: Community support. In larger centres everyone would expect to get paid for being involved in a film project. Here in Lethbridge, the support from volunteers and businesses who have given of their time, talents and resources has been heart-warming. I think people are looking for a reason to form a community, and whether it’s on

Photos by Gregory Thiessen

our Facebook page or on the set, people want to connect with something that is important to them. Our story revolves around families and fathers which we can all relate to.

WH: Was it difficult to cast this film? What were you looking for in the three main characters (a father, his six-year-old daughter, and her grandfather)?

WH: What role does music play in the film?

GG: Deric did a brilliant job casting the film. Jason is an up and coming actor with credits in Passchendaele and Heartland, and Peter Seadon is a Taber resident who has come to film acting later in life and brings a more mature, no-nonsense attitude to the project.

Ashlin Malik is a gem. Finding a little girl to play Teigan was going to be our biggest challenge and we thought we would have to go to Calgary to find her.

Our community is full of surprises and audiences will be charmed by this little ingénue.

GG: The title says it all. It was Joshua Rueben Fritz’s music that helped to form our lead characters. Kyle is not just an out of control rocker, he plays emotional classical flamenco guitar, and Bill loves classical. The music is a metaphor for their relationship. They both want what’s best for Teigan, but don’t know how to work together to do that. Once they realize they are both playing the same song, they can create a common chord, and a harmonious family for Teigan.

WH: Navigating the path of multigenerational relationships can certainly be a challenge. What do you hope the audience takes away from this film when it comes to fathers and family?

GG: We all have stories about our fathers, good and bad. We hope the audience can see the challenges these character overcome to be good fathers and create a strong family.

WH: What do you see as the formula for a memorable movie?

GG: Ordinary characters with personal flaws we can relate with are given extraordinary challenges to overcome.

We all root for the underdog.

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Putting Knowledge to the

Test

After countless hours in the classroom, in the library, in front of a computer and in between, students at Lethbridge College get the chance and the challenge to put their newfound skills to the test in their final projects. These glimpses into some of the college’s capstone

projects illustrate just how much and how quickly students here move from novice to know-it-all – whether they are studying interior design, environmental science or information technology.

FINAL PROJECTS Research in Reality Andrea Nelson and Tanna Ross stood in front of their classmates last spring to talk about a problem.

They focused on the 1995 flood that devastated Pincher Creek and discussed the history of flooding in the area.

The two talked about what it meant to the residents and business people, to farmers and ranchers. They explained why flooding happened and how destructive water – in the wrong places – could be.

And then they started to talk about solutions.

Like their other classmates in their environmental science applied research class, Nelson and Ross not only saw the problems – but they used the knowledge they gained in their two years at the college to suggest ways of solving those problems. In this case, they talked about flooding prevention methods, levees and dykes, spillways, reservoirs, seasonal dams, retention ponds and more. They had studied how these solutions work and what their challenges are; seasonal dams, for example, affect fish migration.

16 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

In the end, Nelson and Ross said their research showed that gabion walls – rectangular containers or baskets made of thick galvanized wire filled with stone and stacked on one another – seemed to be the best option for continued flood control in Pincher Creek.

The two were among 21 environmental science students who presented their research to their classmates and instructors last spring. Many of the second-year students already had job offers, while others had already been accepted to continue their studies at four-year institutions.

They spoke on topics including the best types of asphalt to use on roads, environmentally-friendly ways to retrofit a home, and the advantages and disadvantages of sawn lumber compared to engineered laminated lumber.

These kinds of projects – taking the theories and ideas discussed earlier in their Lethbridge College careers and applying them to real world problems – give students a taste of what’s to come in their professional life. As Nelson, Ross and their classmates can attest – that future looks fantastic.

CIT stu d ents so meti m e s hi t b um p s i n t he r o ad i n thei r c ap s t o n e p r o j e ct s , b u t they a l w a ys r e ach t he i r de s t i n at i o n .

FINAL PROJECTS No Shortcuts Allowed

Photo by Rob Olson

The clients were real for the second-year computer information technology students.

And so were the headaches.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” said Isaac Argueta, who grew up in Acadia Valley, AB, and worked on a program for the college’s Testing Services office.

“We thought we had everything related to the site planned out. We thought that everything we discussed would be sufficient. We were wrong.”

So the team went back to work and corrected their errors. In the end, they and the two other groups – one who worked on a project for the Lethbridge Public Library and another who did a project for the college’s Be Fit For Life centre – presented their projects to industry leaders and were praised for their efforts.

The projects are an essential part of the educational experience for the students.

The Computer Information Technology

faculty instituted this capstone program to have a system in place for students to work with real-life clients. Faculty members remind the students that they can’t take shortcuts on these projects.

Instead, the students need to learn to meet the business needs of the client – and at the end of the day, the client will sign-off on the project.

The students spent the previous semesters learning about software development, networking and web development, e-commerce and information systems management.

They had to draw on all of these skills as they embarked on the assignments that taught them how to manage and build the complex systems the world relies on.

Peter Carpenter of Lethbridge, who worked as the project manager on the Testing Services project, described it as “a pretty amazing experience.”

Carpenter, who said he received a job offer before graduation through his practicum experience, said he worked with driven and motivated classmates to

produce “an outstanding program that could potentially be used by thousands of students and staff.”

As satisfying as the experience was, he recalled feeling a complete range of emotions during the project.

It was a pretty amazing experience.”

— Peter Carpenter

“There were many moments of frustration (why won’t this work?!),” he said, “and many of relief (ohhhh that’s why), many of confusion (this worked earlier), many of exhaustion (it’s 3 a.m., maybe we should go home), many of defiance (nah, let’s just grab a Monster and some A&W), many of danger (my girlfriend is gonna KILL me), and one of exhilaration... when we finished.”

17

FINAL PROJECTS Your Ideas, Your Style, Your Design

By Megan Shapka

Interior design students benefit from hands-on project and expert feedback.

Armed with measuring tapes, pencils, paper and ideas, second-year interior design students visit Lethbridge Centre ready to tackle the major project assigned to them in Retail Design Studio, a practical hands-on course that focuses on how to plan and orchestrate innovative designs for retail stores.

Working in groups at the start, the students take note of elements such as size, wall space, flooring, lighting and 18 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

more, and then break off to do individual design projects based on their findings.

Each student creates a fictional retailer and goes through the entire design process for a retail space.

Instructor Leona Rousseau watches eagerly as her students measure the space, analyze limitations, produce drawings and create a retail design concept from scratch. She knows full well the value of simulating real-life

projects in the classroom.

The benefits of practical experience are not lost on the students either. “I can do all the things I didn’t think I could do before,” says Mariah Duval. “I can draw.

I can render. I can think in 3-D. I can do all these different things. I am way more visual now. It’s taught me a lot.”

Duval and her classmates Naama Messer and Jessica Johnson agree that projects

“

I am w ay m o r e v is u al n o w .

I t ’s t au ght m e a lo t .”

— Mariah Duval

Photos by Gregory Thiessen

Pictured above (left to right): Mariah Duval, Jessica Johnson, Naama Messer

like the one they completed in Retail Design Studio have equipped them with the skills and knowledge that will be required for the tasks ahead.

Recalling challenges such as measuring a space for the first time and learning about design limitations due to structural makeup, Messer says, “I feel very prepared to go out into the world now.” Messer and Johnson are both entering the commercial design field and Duval recently started working as an interior design assistant at Avonlea Homes.

The students in the Retail Design Studio display their final projects for the college community each April. This spring, Rousseau asked the General Manager at Park Place Mall, Kevin Brees, and General Manager of Lethbridge Centre, Grace Duff, to assist her as judges to select the top three retail projects. Duval, Messer and Johnson produced this year’s winning designs.

Brees and Duff were impressed with the projects and dedication shown by the students. “I noticed almost immediately the quality and detail of some of the

work,” says Brees. “Clearly you could see the passion that some of the students have.”

Brees and Duff recognize the importance of hands-on projects and their ability to bridge the gap between theory and application. “It gives them the opportunity to grasp and understand the depth of detail required for such projects,” says Duff. “It allows them to experience it and determine what excites them about the project.”

19

Campus in season

20 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

A shift in perspective presents the college in a whole new light. In this aerial photo taken in June, Kodiak House can be seen on the upper left side and the wind turbine training tower can be found on the middle right side. The start of the miles of trails that lead from campus into the coulees can also be seen.

Photo by Mike Harris

21

Office Intrigue: Original art done by her sisterin-law, Laurie Kozey, who passed away

Google coffee mug. Even librarians know there is a time and place for Google.

Pictures of her twin grandsons.

Kozey is a twin.

22 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

The college’s “one book”. Check with the library for details on a new “Where’s the One Book” contest this fall.

Corene Kozey, the Reference Services Librarian in the college’s Buchanan Library, likes students to feel comfortable in her office. So while visitors may see reports on information literacy and a poster of the Library of Congress classification system, they’ll also find toys (little police cars for the Criminal Justice students and stuffed, plush “diseases” for the Nursing students) as well as Kodiaks gear and swirly streamers. Kozey loves her work – and students love coming to her office for help.

corene.kozey@lethbridgecollege.ca

Roughriders paraphernalia (she is a devoted fan and was horrified when her colleagues added Stampeders stickers to her windows)

Student art

A statue of a lion for this Leo

Coke bottles. She is trying to break the habit but still keeps a private stash for emergencies.

23

From our kitchens

Recipe by Chef Charles Parker and Chef Jamie Williams

Watch chef Jamie Williams make this meal with

24 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Photo by Jonathan Ruzek

For some, the introduction to college life might also mean the introduction to the kitchen and the wonders it contains. Lethbridge College’s culinary experts have some good advice for both novice and experienced cooks. One lesson is that you don’t need to rely on prepared food for quick, satisfying meals. In fact, often you probably have all that you need in your own pantry and freezer to make a memorable meal.

Think of the college student’s staple – Kraft dinner. It’s filling, certainly, and provides some nutrition. But in just a little more time than it takes to boil the macaroni noodles, you could prepare Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Using ingredients you are fairly likely to have on hand – bacon, pasta, cheese and peas (frozen or canned) – you can create a meal with more flavour and more to savour, and one with real ingredients as well.

So the next time you are tempted to crack open a box of mac-and-cheese, try out this recipe instead. You can see a video of a Lethbridge College chef preparing this meal at widerhorizons.ca or by scanning the QR code to your right. You can also see the video by using Layar, the most popular medium through which people can interact with “augmented reality.” Just download the Layar app, scan the page to left and see firsthand how easy it is to prepare this meal. Buon appetito!

Ingredients Other ingredients

Cheese sauce (Sauce Mornay) Butter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Flour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salt and pepper . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nutmeg (freshly grated if available). .

Egg yolk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Heavy cream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Grated parmesan & fontina cheeses. .

2 tablespoons 1/4 cup about 2 ½ cups to taste to taste 1 ½ cup or 4 ounces about 1-1/3 cups each

Minced garlic clove. . . . 1 Olive oil. . . . . . . . . . . 1 tablespoon Bacon or pancetta. . . . . 8 ounces (about 7-8 pieces) Peas (canned or frozen). . about ¾ cup Fresh basil (optional). . . 2 tablespoons Spaghetti. . . . . . . . . . 454 g (about a pound or a box) Sea salt . . . . . . . . . . . 2 tablespoons

Method Prepare the “additions.”

•

•

•

•

To cook bacon, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the bacon. Fry bacon until crispy and browned.

Remove bacon and set aside on paper towel to remove excess fat. Crumble bacon into small pieces to be added later.

Drain fat from the pan and add the garlic. Cook on medium heat until fragrant. Take off stove and remove garlic.

Set aside to add later.

If using canned peas, drain water and set aside. Frozen peas may be added directly into the sauce and heated until warm.

Next, simmer the water and start the pasta.

• •

•

Bring four liters of water to a simmer and add the sea salt.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente – usually between eight and 12 minutes (check the directions on the pasta you are using if you are unsure). Stir often.

Strain the noodles in a strainer and then put them back into the pot. Set aside.

While the water is coming to a simmer and the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.

• Melt the butter in a saucepan.

• Add the flour and cook on medium low heat, stirring, for one to two minutes. Do not let the mixture turn brown.

• • •

•

•

•

•

•

Pour in the milk and whisk until smooth.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will become thicker as it is heated.

While the sauce is simmering, whisk together the egg yolk and cream in a bowl.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the egg-cream mixture into the pan. This will keep it from curdling.

Return the saucepan to the stove and return the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Stir the cheeses into the sauce until melted and keep warm.

Adjust to desired consistency by adding more milk or more cheese.

Your sauce should be done just as your pasta has finished cooking.

Assemble the pasta.

•

•

Combine the peas, garlic and crumbled bacon with the cheese sauce and pasta. Simmer.

Place a serving of pasta on a plate. Top with parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil if available. Enjoy!

Yields four portions.

25

AN EYE-OPENING EDUCATION Co l l eg e’ s stu dy t r i p t o U gan da c ha ng es stu d e n t s ’ p e r s p e ct i ve s .

By Kelly Morris

26 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

A life-changing study trip to Baganda, Uganda, in May taught eight Child and Youth Care students many important lessons about the industry they’re studying – and also gave them the opportunity to discover more about themselves.

“It was a humbling experience,” says first-year student Katlin Kelly. “They are happy with the little they have and yet in Canada we have more than enough and so many of us are unhappy. It was an eye-opening adventure.”

Classmate and fellow traveller Rebecca Wever agrees.

“This experience was truly amazing and life changing for me,” says Wever.

Students on the trip had the opportunity to learn about the youth care industry outside of Canada while experiencing Ugandan culture by being immersed in village life.

“We were able to see so much in the short time we were in Uganda thanks to the program put together for us by the BuigaSunrise organization,” explains Donna Kalau (Child and Youth Care ’86), instructor and trip coordinator. “They ensured we had opportunities to really see how people in rural Uganda live and what community, health and education looks like for them.”

Students learned about the history, traditional culture and education system of Baganda and experienced on-site clinical

operations there. They also participated in field trips to other institutions including the Seeta School for the Blind.

Wever’s goal for the study trip was to gain knowledge of a different culture to have a better understanding of children from all walks of life, such as children who immigrate to Canada.

“I learned that everyone has a story and we can’t judge anybody based on what we see on the outside before we get to know what’s inside,” shares Wever. “One thing I will take away from this trip and apply to my future work will be to not take every day for granted, to be happy with everything I come across and to not worry so much about the little things in life.”

Wever, Kelly, Kalau and the rest of the CYC group returned to Canada with a new outlook towards their lives and careers.

They say they learned from experience how important the role of community can be, as well as the value of perspective.

“In the field, I would love to apply the mentality that less is more,” says Kelly. “I want to show young people that they don’t need the material things to be happy; food, family and water are the most important things.”

The group was initially shocked at their perception of extreme poverty, but learned to view what they were seeing through the eyes of the villagers.

T hi s ex peri ence w a s t ru l y a m a zin g and lif e c h a n gin g f or m e .”

— Rebecca Wever

27

“When I first saw how they live, I thought of material poverty,” shares Kalau. “I had to look at what I was seeing in the context of the people I was engaged with. Many of them described that it was only food that mattered and that if they had food, all was well.”

Families with children attending Sunrise School either pay a small tuition fee or work in the garden or tea plantation in exchange for tuition. With the success of the garden and tea plantation, Van Seters hopes they will eventually provide Buiga-Sunrise with a long term source of income.

The community is really what makes the village and the BuigaSunrise organization a success.

“Having the Child and Youth Care group at Sunrise has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved,” says Van Seters.

“There is so much sharing of information. It is a unique experience to visit a country and be immersed in a new culture.”

“Here in Canada, we try to remind people that children are best raised by a whole village,” says Kalau. “I saw this in action as we learned about village life in Uganda.”

Kalau coordinated the Uganda trip together with leaders of Buiga-Sunrise, a volunteer organization that provides education, health care and community-building services.

Buiga-Sunrise was founded and is directed by another Lethbridge College alumna, Nicole Van Seters (Child and Youth Care ’98).

Van Seters founded the organization in 2003 after travelling to Uganda to meet her husband Michael Mugerwa’s family.

“I met a local woman who was living with HIV/AIDS,” Van Seters recalls. “She was bedridden but despite her illness was caring for five of her own children and several orphans. I asked how I could help and she asked me to send her children to school. I considered how much she was doing with her limited resources. She was making a difference and I wanted to do the same. This was the seed that started Buiga-Sunrise.”

Today the volunteer-run organization accommodates preschool to grade two classes and will soon be adding a final grade three classroom. Buiga-Sunrise operates a clinic as well as several community programs including art education, computer resources, a goat program and an artisan/tailoring group. It is also the site of a community garden and a tea plantation. Volunteer committees in the village keep the organization running using a “community centred model for sustainability,” explains Van Seters.

Along with the educational opportunities arranged by BuigaSunrise, the group also engaged in cultural activities such as listening to traditional folktales and learning traditional dancing.

“We tried the dancing but to no avail,” says Kalau. “We were a source of great laughter to those watching us trying to learn the steps. As we couldn’t catch on to their dance, we taught them the ‘chicken dance’ instead, also a source of much laughter to those locals who participated.”

Van Seters hopes more Lethbridge College students will have the opportunity to join the college’s international study program.

“This study trip has been a short introduction to Uganda,” says Van Seters. ”We would love to see some of the students come back as volunteers or visitors.”

According to Kelly, the students feel the same way.

“I would love to return and have plans to eat the matokes (bananas) off the trees that each of us had an opportunity to plant,” says Kelly. “I would also love to support the school through a fundraiser. It was a fantastic trip and I am so blessed to have been able to go.”

Visit the website buiga-sunrise.org to learn more about opportunities to sponsor, create awareness and volunteer at home and abroad to support Buiga-Sunrise.

Here in Canada, we try to remind people that children are best raised by a whole village.”

— Donna Kalau

28 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Lethbridge College students can count on putting into practice the ideas they learn in the classroom. A hands-on education, after all, is one of the distinguishing aspects of the Lethbridge College experience.

That hands-on experience is also important to the college’s instructors and administrators, most of whom worked as professionals in the disciplines they now teach, and many of whom maintain their own research agenda in addition to teaching and service duties.

Like their students, these staff members are getting their hands dirty and putting into practice the ideas they are teaching in the classroom. In many cases, these researchers are also shaping their disciplines and industries with their applied research.

Applied research is an essential component of Lethbridge College’s mandate. The college works to establish relationships with local, national and international partners and nurtures those relationships to benefit students and industry. In 2010, Lethbridge College received accreditation by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) as well as the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – an endorsement that recognizes the value of research being done on campus and that makes government grants available to college staff for major research projects.

“With NSERC AND SSHRC, now we have the resources to provide more opportunities to our faculty and students,”

We have the resources to provide more opportunities to our faculty and students.”

— Peter Leclaire explains Peter Leclaire, Lethbridge College’s interim President and CEO. “There is a relationship between the community or industry and faculty and students that can benefit all three groups. Faculty works with industry to solve specific problems.

And students have the opportunity to either be directly involved in the research or benefit indirectly by the knowledge their instructors can pass on.”

Two researchers at Lethbridge College – Allan Orr and Dr. Sandy Vanderburgh– shared their knowledge with their colleagues and the college community in April at a “Research Matters” event that showcased ongoing applied research on campus. Vanderburgh also discussed his research at a community event at the Galt Museum this spring.

Continue reading to learn more about the work of these two Lethbridge College scholars.

29

30 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Photo by Gregory Thiessen

Seeking Clues to Crimes in the Great Outdoors Environmental Science instructor Allan Orr is quick to note that he doesn’t come from an academic background – but that doesn’t stop him from applying his real world experience in the field to research that is now changing the way conservation officers do their jobs across North America.

Orr worked as a conservation officer in Saskatchewan for almost 20 years before coming to the college in 2001. He teaches classes in applied law enforcement, field forensics and environmental sampling techniques. His work in the field helped shape the research he now undertakes – topics ranging from understanding the unique “fingerprints” of bullets and casings used in illegal wildlife kills to studying deer pelvises to determine the age of the animals at the time of death.

What Orr didn’t expect from his research is that it would lead to being asked to co-author a white paper on international trade in endangered species and firearms for Interpol in March 2012. A white paper is an authoritative report that is used to help people – including lawmakers – make decisions that could lead to new legislation. And the article

by Orr and Pete Gagliardi argues, among other things, for the creation of a database to share information about guns and bullets used in wildlife kills around the world.

to seize firearms, take statements or do a search,” he adds.

Later, if a case goes to court, the bullets, casing and guns will still be sent to a ballistics lab for confirmation, Orr explains, but the knowledge that these small differences on casings and shells can be seen in the field can change the way officers go about doing their jobs.

In the fall of 2011, almost on a whim, Orr got in touch with the Montreal-based Forensic Technology, Inc. that was doing similar research on ballistics – but had at that point limited its databases to guns, bullets and casings used in crimes against humans, not crimes against wildlife.

“The company had just been asked by Interpol to write a white paper on the use of this technology on endangered species,”

It’s like a fingerprint . . . It helps the officers get the rest of the story.”

Such a database of firearm evidence would “offer wildlife law enforcement an opportunity to make better use of the information that they already possess,” the paper states. Orr and Gagliardi go on to explain that “This would make the best use of the evidence that is already being collected, similar to the way in which DNA and fingerprint evidence is already being used in human-related violent crimes in most parts of the world.”

Orr explains that the groundwork for this publication started about two years ago, when he undertook a study that shows that shells and bullets have enough identifiable markers that an enforcement officer, using a 10-power hand lens, could separate them into groups based on their unique characteristics.

“It’s like a fingerprint,” says Orr. “Instead of sending everything to the lab and waiting three or more weeks, we can look in the field and get a good indication of how many guns were used in a poaching incident, for example. It helps the officers get the rest of the story.”

— Allan Orr says Orr. After several conversations about the project and research with Stacy Stern, company representative for this area, Orr was asked to be a co-author.

“This stuff has the opportunity to change wildlife enforcement worldwide,” says Orr. “Wildlife trafficking is just behind drugs and arms as the most valuable when it comes to black market trading,” says Orr. “And they are using the same guns. But the risk is lower for wildlife trafficking.”

While thrilled with the publication, Orr is also pleased that the research has already had practical application for his students.

Last fall, after spending time in class discussing how one looks for the markings on the bullets and casings, a student returned home and did a “ride-along” with a conservation officer.

“They came across a dead elk,” Orr recalls. “The officer picked up some casings and said it looked like a certain kind of gun.

The student then looked at the casings and yes, it looks like that kind of gun was used – but the officers should be looking for two shooters, and two guns. It turns out the student was right – and the officer was stunned that a student could change the investigation after just a few hours of coursework and knowing what to look for.”

To read Orr and Gagliari’s article go to: forensictechnology.com/publications.

This knowledge gives officers “reasonable and probable grounds to continue their investigation and it may allow them 31

Digging deep for answers about climate change.

By Edith Olson For many of us, going to the beach in summer means lying around, relaxing and forgetting about work.

For Lethbridge College’s Dr. Sandy Vanderburgh, summers on the beach afford him the opportunity for intellectual stimulation and the ability to contribute to the knowledge of coastal processes.

The Lethbridge College dean has studied beaches, coastlines and river deltas for more than 20 years. His research has taken him from Lake Athabasca, Great Slave Lake and the McKenzie River delta to the beautiful coastline of the Pacific Northwest, in the area of the Columbia River, where he has been researching for the last 10 years.

Vanderburgh, dean for the Centre for Applied Arts and Sciences, took a break from both his administrative duties and his research last April to speak to the community about coastal geology and climate change. At a talk at the Galt Museum, Vanderburgh discussed how coastal geology and the west coast of North America can inform us about the climate change story.

“Working with the community is an important part of the work we do at Lethbridge College,” says Peter Leclaire, Lethbridge College interim President and CEO. “Whether it’s bringing the real world problems from industry and business into the classroom for students to solve, or taking the research done in the college out into the community, good working relationships are essential to all that we do.”

For Vanderburgh, the community where he works happens to be breathtaking beaches where he can use a host of “fun” research toys. But even more importantly, he says, his findings have local, regional and global implications.

32 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

“Our findings tell us more about where the coastline will be in the future, with implications for housing, tourism and infrastructure construction,” says Vanderburgh. “For coastal communities, sea level rise and coastal erosion may have enormous economic costs. Some communities may not be able to exist at their current locations, and people will have to relocate elsewhere.”

Vanderburgh says the tools of his trade are a pleasure to use. They range from a “vibra core” (a drill that uses 3-inch irrigation pipe to drill with), a drill rig, a quad, a trailer and a zodiac (which does the job of getting the team where they need to be to drill their cores). Vanderburgh’s tools help him get a sense of the layers below the land surface.

If needed, he can also call on even more impressive tools.

For deeper waters, the team will hop aboard an oyster dredger and drill off the side of the boat. Another great research tool is ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which sends a radio signal into the earth that is reflected back from the layers below the surface. The resulting image of what lies beneath is displayed on a computer screen.

One of the best aspects of research, says Vanderburgh, is that while studying one problem, a researcher often comes across something that leads the research in a different direction.

For example, while researching the dynamic coastlines of the United States Pacific Northwest, Vanderburgh and his team came across signs that seem to prove that climate change is happening. They found evidence of sea level rise that started at the end of the last glaciation approximately 10,000 years ago, and continued into the start of the 21st century. This evidence also could possibly indicate a record of the increasing intensity of El Nino climate events.

To the average person, this may not seem that important, but to people who live in the region it can mean the devastating loss of coastal homes, roads and railways, erosion of cranberry bogs and shellfish farms, and significant changes in the shape of the coastline.

Vanderburgh collaborates with researchers around North America, including Dr. Curt Peterson at Portland State University, and Dr. Mike Roberts, Professor Emeritus, at Simon Fraser University. In addition, he has the pleasure of working with students who share his passion. Vanderburgh and his colleagues are grateful for research funds contributed

by Lethbridge College’s Office of Applied Research.

“Involving students in projects is one of the most rewarding aspects of my research,” Vanderburgh adds. “And, as a dean involved in applied research, it helps to lead the way for faculty at Lethbridge College to also become involved in research.”

Research projects like Vanderburgh’s and those of other college researchers benefit students in the classroom as well as the greater community.

“At Lethbridge College, we connect our faculty and students with business, industry and even other educational institutions to solve important problems,” Leclaire adds. “This kind of applied research makes our community a better place to live.”

Edith Olson is chair of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and an instructor in Environmental Sciences at Lethbridge College.

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One yea r a f ter t he fi r e s i n S l ave Lake , in t he f a c e o f the o ve r w he l m i n g p r o ce s s o f re bu il d ing , the s t r e n gt h o f hum an s p i r i t a nd c o mp a s s i o n s t i l l p r e vai l s .

Rising from

By Stephanie Poscente

In the year since a fast-moving fire tore through the small town of Slave Lake, Alberta, homes have begun to sprout from the ashes and important community landmarks are being given a second chance to give comfort to those touched by the devastation.

The destruction left in the fire’s wake was almost unbelievable – as was the quick and compassionate response from communities far and near. The fire reduced roughly one-third of the town to ashes that morning, destroying more than 500 family homes as well as churches, businesses and other familiar buildings and structures.

“The insurance industry estimated in excess of $700 million in damages,” explains Brian Vance, the town’s chief administrative officer. But rebuilding is already happening, he adds, and about 230 development permits had been issued by late May. Though seemingly insurmountable, the challenge of rebuilding the once-lively areas affected by the fire has been met with more determination and spirit than anyone could have predicted.

“A lot has been happening,” says Kara Sinclair (‘10 Multimedia), whose home survived the fires. “People are really going forward.

The main focus is building houses for the people who lost their homes. It’s awesome to see how fast everything is growing.”

34 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

As the effort to rebuild the town gets well underway, the speed at which builders and volunteers are working gives hope to those still waiting for a place to call home.

“I think the strength of the community has held on,” says Sinclair. “It’s really impressive to see. I left for two months, and when I came back there was so much more built.”

Numerous benefit concerts and events have taken place since the fires, including a project spurred by country singer Paul Brandt called Build it Forward, which has helped to raise over $100,000 towards rebuilding the library that was burnt to the ground the morning of the fires.

“There was nothing left,” remembers Marilyn Cavanagh, Board Chair of the Slave Lake Regional Library Board. “Not a piece of paper, a pen, a book, a filing cabinet. Nothing but rubble. We had to start all over with nothing. The town moved quickly – even while we were still evacuated they had secured a temporary space for the library.

“I think it’s really important that people know,” she continues, “that everything that is within that temporary space is a result of donations from people across Canada. Everything has come to us as a gift. There was no fund-raising done, things just started to arrive.”

the Ashes With all that’s happened, it brought everyone closer together.”

— Kara Sinclair She recalls with emotion how a 9-year-old Lethbridge boy requested donations for the library in place of gifts at his birthday party. He even set aside his favourite book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to be donated.

“I’ve often been brought to tears by the things that have come to us,” she says. “It has made me realize how much people value the library in their community.”

Perhaps one of the most anticipated visits of all was the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the first week of July 2011, just six weeks after the disaster. Sinclair remembers their visit with gratitude.

“How many people actually showed up for the royal visit was amazing,” she says. “They weren’t even supposed to come here – it was their decision, and that was pretty cool. People were very happy.”

Sinclair says she has raised over $10,000 with a home video of the fires filmed by members of her family. As she struggled to watch her friends cope with their losses, the ability to raise funds for them and her community brought her comfort, and she plans to do the same with a similar video on the rebuilding process.

“With all that’s happened, it brought everyone closer together,” she says. “It’s what helped me get through everything.”

Despite the amount of building left to be done – the process is not expected to be completed for at least another couple of years – the enduring will and bravery of those most affected is a testament to the power of positivity and the unwavering strength of human spirit.

“It hasn’t been a walk in the park,” says Cavanagh of the rebuilding process. “It’s been hard physically, emotionally, to get to the point where we’re at now. From where we were a year ago, it’s amazing. My pride in our country has grown tenfold over the past year.”

For information on how to purchase a DVD, contact Sinclair at ksinclair77@gmail.com. To donate directly to the Canadian Red Cross visit www.redcross.ca or call 1-800-565-4483.

35

Co u r t e s y o f t he so u ther n A l b e r t a w i n d.

By Kris Hodgson

36 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Alberta is the birthplace of wind energy in Canada. As this innovative industry prepares for its 20th anniversary, it’s clear the large scale wind sector has positioned itself well in the province and is poised to continue growing.

fatalities per GWh. This estimate means wind farms killed approximately 7,000 birds in the United States in 2006, but nuclear plants killed about 327,000 and fossil-fueled power plants 14.5 million.

As with any new industry, a number of facts and myths have emerged as wind energy has evolved. Wind turbines evoke mixed responses. Some people think the massive structures are like pieces of artwork on the horizon signaling positive change, while others believe they have negative health effects or prefer they do not obstruct their views of the Rocky Mountains.

COUNTING THE COSTS

Developers require thorough consultation with landowners to ensure they receive lease payments of approximately $3,000 per megawatt per year for a turbine that sits on their property (Canadian Wind Energy Association 2006). For a farm producing 30 megawatts a year, that equates to $90,000 in annual payments.

S O M E H E A LT H FA C T S Some people complain that turbines are noisy, cause nausea or cause headaches. Turbines are required to be at least 550 metres from any property. As you double the distance from a wind turbine, the sound drops by a factor of four. At the hub, they are the same volume as a dinnertime conversation at 60 decibels.

A scientific advisory panel from 2009 conducted a review of perceived health effects of wind turbines by the American and Canadian Wind Energy Associations. This multidisciplinary panel included medical doctors, audiologists, and acoustical professionals from the United States, Canada, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The panel concluded there is no evidence audible or sub-audible sounds emitted by wind turbines have any direct adverse physiological effects. In addition, the panel concluded the ground-borne vibrations from wind turbines are too weak to be detected by or to affect humans and that the sounds emitted by wind turbines are not unique.

W H AT A B O U T T H E B I R D S ?

Bird deaths resulting from wind turbines are another hot topic.

A study in the United States found that wind turbines caused less than one per cent of 100,000 bird fatalities. This means, on average, a typical wind turbine kills one bird per year.

This is still unfortunate, but studies like the one Trans Alta and the University of Calgary have done are decreasing these deaths more than ever. They have shut down wind turbines during dawn, dusk and migratory seasons and discovered that this reduces fatalities by more than 60 per cent. This study estimates wind farms are responsible each for 0.3 to 0.4 fatalities per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity while fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for about 5.2

The average three megawatt large scale wind turbine costs $6.6 million, including geotechnical, construction, transportation and crane hoisting costs required to set it up.

While that may seem like a significant amount of money, wind turbines typically take six years to pay for themselves.

Supporters of wind energy point out that this is a great return on investment since they last 20-30 years.

W in d e n e rgy is c re a t in g f u rt h e r e c on om ic p ros p e rit y a n d e m p loy m e n t Canada’s first wind farm began to feed electricity into the transmission grid in 1993 at Cowley Ridge, about 100 kilometres east of Lethbridge. Now 20 years later, Alberta has become home to 891 megawatts of wind energy across 28 wind farms.

Six per cent of Alberta’s energy needs – the energy needed to power more than 270,000 homes – comes from wind. And that number is only expected to grow, as wind projects in Alberta alone are expected to quadruple in the next 10 years.

With such rapid growth expected in the coming years, wind energy is creating further economic prosperity and employment in rural southern Alberta. The International Wind Energy Academy team here at Lethbridge College organized Canada’s first Kid Wind Challenge last May, an event that featured high school teams from the region. As was evidenced by this event, there are several young entrepreneurs and engineers who are waiting in the wings to tap into a career in renewable energy. And the college and International Wind Energy Academy couldn’t be happier to encourage them to reach their goals.

Kris Hodgson in an instructor in the Communication Arts program at Lethbridge College. He previously worked as the Wind Energy Community Liaison with the college’s International Wind Energy Academy.

37

My life

Photo by Gregory Thiessen

Criminal Justice alum strives to make a difference in the corrections community.

He lives in a world of gangs, addiction and repeat offenders.

So Shane Hoiland (’93 Criminal Justice) counts running into “former offenders” who have turned their lives around as one of the best parts of his job.

“We don’t usually see the success stories, “says Hoiland, who has worked in corrections since 1994. “But sometimes I’m at the mall and see someone, usually from my time working with young offenders, and he looks good, and says he’s got a good job, and he thanks you and gets into a car with his kids and family.”

“Shane is a genuine people person with a can-do attitude that is infectious. He is an amazing person for an organization to have.”

Hoiland loves the public speaking parts of his job.

“I really like the enthusiasm and questions of the students,” he says. “When I was at the college, one of the most beneficial parts for me was when speakers would come in and tell us about the job. I always aspired to be that guy up there, having a whole class listen to you talk about your experiences. I promised myself years ago that if I ever made it, I’d come back and talk to students. And I just love doing this.”

Hoiland smiles at the image.

“Being told that I contributed to that former offender’s decision to make better choices gives a real purpose to the work we do,” he says.

Hoiland spent six years as a security intelligence officer before transitioning in March to work as the Deputy Director of Operations at the Lethbridge Corrections Centre. As part of his job, he makes sure the day-to-day operations at the corrections centre follow the legislation and procedures that govern the operations of the facility. In addition, he jumps at any chance for public speaking, telling the story of drugs, gangs and crime to students from middle school through post-secondary. He is an eagerly-anticipated speaker each semester at Lethbridge College and receives praise for his compelling stories and excellent teaching methods.

Lethbridge College Corrections Instructor Barb Mantello says Hoiland connects with the students immediately and keeps their attention throughout his talks. In addition, she adds that 38 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

In March, Hoiland spoke about gangs in Alberta’s correctional facilities to the second year students in a Corrections class called Issues and Trends in Justice. Hoiland told students about the always-changing identifiers – tattoos, clothing brands, hand signals – and noted that the gang subculture is fluid.

“As a staff working within the justice system, we have to adjust accordingly,” he says. “Gangs have a strong network system and if we can learn anything from them, it is that strong communication can yield results.”

Communication is something that seems to come easy to Hoiland. Whether playing with his two sons – Cameron, 5, and Eli, 2 – or talking to a room full of students about HIV, drug addiction or violent crime, this Lethbridge College grad knows how to tell a good story.

And sometimes – usually when he passes someone on the street or at a store – he can see that some of the stories have happy endings.

News and notes

NEWS&NOTES SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS

Photo by Glenn Wright

LC GRAD GUARDS THE QUEEN Cst. Jennifer McRae (Criminal Justice, 2004), was one of 15 members of the RCMP’s Musical Ride who were given the rare honour of acting as Queen Elizabeth II’s personal bodyguard at Buckingham Palace in May as part of this year’s Diamond Jubilee.

The last time the Mounties took part in the regal ceremony in London was at the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

The Royal Northwest Mounted Police also attended England’s last Diamond Jubilee celebration in 1897, when they participated in the celebrations for then-Queen Victoria’s 60th year as queen.

McRae, from Prince George, B.C., joined the RCMP in 2007 and has been a part of the Musical Ride for almost one year. Her participation in this year’s event marked the first time a woman served as part of the mounted unit charged with guarding the queen and her family. After returning from England, the Musical Ride toured parts of Canada and the United States during the summer, including a performance at the 100th Calgary Stampede.

If you would like to receive Wider Horizons at your home or if you’ve moved and need to update your address, just send an email to WHCirculation@lethbridgecollege. ca. Be sure to include your name, the program(s) you were in at Lethbridge College, the years you were here, and your complete mailing address, phone number and email address.

Look for the next issue to arrive in your mailbox this winter.

COLLEGE WELCOMES INUIT ELDER Lethbridge College is pleased and honoured to welcome an Inuit Elder for the FNMI Cultural Support Program for the coming academic year. Travis Plaited Hair, one of the college’s FNMI student advisors, helped make the arrangements for Christina Sherman to come share Inuit customs and traditions with the college community.

Sherman is originally from Baffin Island. In addition to working one-on-one with students and in classrooms, she will prepare a display and presentation for the third day of FNMI Days this fall. Welcome Ms. Sherman, and check the college website for more details about FNMI Days.

39

News and notes

CJ STUDENT’S DOG PARK PROPOSAL WINS $50,000 GRANT A community-based proposal written last winter as part of a class project by Lethbridge College criminal justice student Kaytlynn Forsyth netted a $50,000 grant from the Aviva Community Fund.

Forsyth directed her proposal to the City of Lethbridge and suggested that the city construct an enclosed dog park space. She prepared a plan for a new dog park and learned in April that she received the award. She is working with the city to develop her plan which should be launched by June 2013.

LC ALUM STARTS NON-PROFIT TO HELP CHILDREN IN TANZANIA Tom Kuperus (‘12, Bachelor of Arts, Justice Studies) and Kathryn Nord co-founded an organization in January 2011 called Sunrise of Life, which aims to save the lives of street children in the east African city of Arusha, Tanzania. Nord and Kuperus, who had volunteered in Tanzania in 2010, opened a Residential Centre for former street children and a transition home for former street youth. Currently Sunrise of Life has 38 children in its care, all of whom are receiving an education. Kuperus is working to raise funds and awareness about the centre. For more information, go to sunriseoflife.com and to read about Kuperus’s first experience in Tanzania, go to widerhorizons.ca/2011/01/01/with-tanzaniatraveler-thomas-kuperus/.

THREE EMT ALUMNI RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS Each year, the Tema Conter Memorial Trust Scholarship Awards are presented to the emergency

40 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

services or military students who best discuss, in an essay or journal, the psychological trauma encountered by emergency services and military personnel. One winner is selected from each province except Ontario, which recognizes two students.

Three Lethbridge College EMT students have won this $2,500 scholarship in the five years since the college’s program was revised. They are Marcella Bakker in 2011; Jonah Swen in 2010; and Hans Bowden in 2007. Since 2000, the trust has awarded $187,500 in scholarships.

CJ INSTRUCTOR INDUCTED IN MANITOBA BASEBALL HALL OF FAME Hugh Richards, an instructor in Lethbridge College’s Criminal Justice program, was inducted with his former teammates into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame this spring. The Rivers Comets were one of the small town teams honoured for leaving a legacy both on and off the baseball field. In the six year span from 1964 through 1969 the Rivers Comets won the South Central League championship five times. In the other year they lost in the finals. In 1969, the team was undefeated in all league games.

Career Advising Plan your path.

FREE employment advising for Lethbridge College students and alumni • job search, resume and interviewing advice • personal coaching, job boards, career events Career advising for students, alumni and the public • i dentify or confirm career goals through exploration and assessment*

Career Conference •N ov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Val Matteotti Gymnasium • f ree annual career planning and networking event open to the public (403) 320-3287 careers@lethbridgecollege.ca lethbridgecollege.ca/careercentre Facebook.com/LCcareercentre * Fees apply for career assessments.

facebook.com/LCCareerCentre

Career Centre lethbridgecollege.ca/careercentre

41

Widen your horizon

By Elisabeth Morgan

The Path to a Vocation Whether we’re young or young at heart, some of us never seem to stop wondering what we want to be when we grow up.

And with more than 22,000 careers (and counting) to choose from in this world, it’s no wonder. That’s where career advisor Michelle Stegen (Advertising PR ‘96) and her colleagues at Lethbridge College come in. They know that some of us could benefit from a little help along the way.

“The most common phrase I hear from clients, whether they’re 16 or 65, is ‘I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up,’” says Stegen. She understands the struggle in a personal way. It wasn’t until Stegen became ill that she realized she was on the wrong professional path.

“I worked with great people, had a really supportive environment,” she says, “but even though I was doing a good job, the tasks and the industry conflicted with my values.”

Stegen learned this by taking the assessments she now offers and switching careers. She says it was the best thing she could have done.

“I’m evidence that it’s possible to change careers so you can wake up and be energized and love what you do,” she says.

Stegen meets with people in all stages of the search. She sees high school students with the whole world ahead of them, “career changers” between the ages of 30 and 50, and even retirees who want to know where to best spend their time.

No matter what the stage, if you’re in the wrong career, you can end up exhausted and drained at the end of the day.

Stegen will always remember the moment one client realized he wasn’t necessarily depressed, but just in a job that wasn’t suited to his personality. The client went through career advising, switched his focus and is now “smiling ear to ear.”

His occupational success story isn’t uncommon. Stegen has worked with many people who have come out of the advising with a better sense of who they are, what motivates them and what will energize them.

42 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

There are generally four stages of career advising. The first and most important step is self-exploration. This is the step Stegen and her colleagues focus on. The process involves taking assessments, which help sort out the tasks you like and the tasks you love – and that can act as a springboard.

“The most important thing you can do is self-exploration,” says Stegen, “And most people don’t do it.” But as Stegen explains, “until you know who you are and what you value, how are you possibly going to find a job that fits? You have to know yourself first.”

The next steps include researching jobs that interest you, making a decision, and taking action. Career advising offers help and advice along the way, as well as identifies tasks that will help you stay motivated.

And don’t be afraid of what may seem like an intimidating process. The result could be discovering a work life that fulfills your whole life. Stegen can attest to that.

Career Advising is available to all Lethbridge College students, alumni and the public. Assessment fees may apply. For more details, email careers@lethbridgecollege.ca or call 403-3203287.

It’s a family affair

The Fyfes

By Megan Shapka

For Gerald and Cindy Fyfe and their four sons, Lethbridge College is like a second home. When Gerald wanted to pursue further education in the late 1980s, he turned to the college. Cindy started taking courses not long after and says the college was a perfect fit for them because it offered what they needed in their own community.

There were a lot more night classes when she was a student, Cindy Fyfe recalls, and she found these to be convenient as she raised their family. Their sons Stephen, Darcy, Bryan and Daniel ended up attending the college for similar reasons.

“I guess you could say that Lethbridge College has become a family tradition,” she says. “With nine young grandchildren and more on the way, who knows how many Fyfes will ultimately graduate from Lethbridge College.”

Photo above: Stephen, Daniel and Darcy.

Photo to the right: Bryan Photo below: Cindy and Gerald

Gerald Fyfe, Supervisor at Triple M Studied: Upgrading and Electronics Technician diploma (1991) Cindy Fyfe, Service Specialist at Lethbridge College Studied: Certificates in accounting and auditing and Business Administration diploma (1996) Stephen Fyfe, RCMP officer Studied: Criminal Justice courses and General Studies certificate (2002) Darcy Fyfe, RCMP officer Studied: General Studies courses, Nursing courses and Criminal Justice diploma (2009). Darcy’s wife, Sonya, is an alumna from Fashion Design and they met while attending the college.

Bryan Fyfe, Journeyman carpenter Studied: Carpentry Apprenticeship (2010) Daniel Fyfe, exploring career options Studied: Has taken a number of courses at the college Are you a multi-generational Lethbridge College family? We are looking for stories of families where at least three members across one or more generations call themselves Kodiaks. Email WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca to tell us about your Family Affair.

43

A word or two

A Word or 2 A Word or Two

Photo by Gregory Thiessen

Cst. Rick Semenuik (Criminal Justice, 2000) and Police Service Dog Ymos (a 1-1/2 year old Belgian Malinois) form the newest Lethbridge Regional Police K9 team.

Wider Horizons asked them to share a word or two about walking the beats and streets of Lethbridge (whether using two feet or four).

How many years, on average, does a K9 team work together?

Around seven years.

How long does the training last?

The K9 handler’s course is 16 weeks.

What happens when a police dog retires?

He remains at home with the handler and handler’s family as a family dog.

Where do you find the best smells in the city?

Anywhere a crime has happened.

What’s the most useful piece of information gleaned from your days at school (Lethbridge College for Cst. Semenuik and the dog academy for Ymos)?

(Cst. Semenuik) How to talk to people.

(Ymos) How to find bad people.

Would you say your bite is worse than your bark?

(Cst. Semenuik) Bark is worse.

(Ymos) Bite is definitely worse.

What do you do to relax on those days you are dog tired?

(Ymos) Sit in the shade and bark at pedestrians.

(Cst. Semenuik) Sit in the shade and watch Ymos bark at pedestrians.

44 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2012

Where are they now?

Celebrating the successes of our alumni in their careers and throughout their lives.

New baby? New job? New hometown? Tell your classmates all about it by emailing alumni@lethbridgecollege.ca.

Be sure to include your name, your program or area of study, the year you completed your program, and a little bit about what you have been doing since you left Lethbridge College. We can’t wait to hear from you.

2011 Evan Goeseels, Automotive Systems Evan started as a biochemistry major at the University of Lethbridge, but he soon found out he was better suited working with his hands in a field that he is passionate about. With a love of cars, but a lack of knowledge about their inner workings, the automotive systems technician program at the college seemed to be a perfect fit. Evan has since completed all four years of training, and is very much enjoying his career at Landmark Mazda in Edmonton where he works as a Journeyman Technician.

Dallas Tole, Criminal Justice Dallas is currently working at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre.

Right now, he considers this a stepping stone. Lethbridge College gave Dallas the fundamentals and knowledge of the criminal justice system. Now he is putting them to use and hopes to be hired on with a police agency within the next few years.

2008 Nathan McMillen, Renewable Resource Management In 2006, Nathan was hired as an initial attack firefighter in Manitoba for the summer. The following summer, he was hired as a park patrol officer with the Manitoba Conservation and worked in this position for two years. In 2009, Nathan interviewed and became an assistant resource officer with Manitoba Conservation. This position put him in charge of other seasonal staff members whom he supervised for the summer months. Nathan worked in this position for two years as well. In January 2011, he was sent to Victoria, to the Western Canadian Law Enforcement Academy, and trained as a natural resource officer with Manitoba Conservation.

Kimberly Schmidt, Multimedia Production Kimberly moved from Saskatoon to Regina, and is now working for a small design firm called Look Matters. It is here that Kimberly gets to utilize the “Joomla” skills that she developed in college. Kimberly enjoys helping clients fix their email and internet/website problems, as well as taking on design work and tackling whatever challenges may come her way.

2001 Jason Blackwell, Renewable Resource Management After receiving his diploma in Renewable Resource Management 11 years ago, Jason returned to Burns Lake, B.C, where he was employed with a forestry consulting company for one year. He then received a job offer with a different company and worked for them for two years before getting an auxiliary position with the Ministry of Forests. After the auxiliary position was over, they put the job out for competition, and Jason was the successful applicant. For the last seven years, he has enjoyed his work as a Compliance and Enforcement Technician with the Ministry of Forests.

1999 Candace Dawson, Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Upon graduating from the drafting program 13 years ago, Candace worked as a drafter for a company in Barons and Nobleford for the summer. Candace continued her drafting career a few years after graduation with a farm equipment manufacturer. In 2006, she started her own sole proprietor company doing contract drafting for various individuals and companies. She has been contract drafting for various companies between Fort Macleod and Calgary ever since.

1994 Rob Miskiw, Child and Youth Care After many years working in the not-forprofit world, Rob moved to Halifax and found his dream job. All of his studies in social work and business led Rob to a career as the Human Resources Manager at Walgreens, which he describes as “a $70 billion company.” This work has opened Rob’s horizons and he still believes that his studies at Lethbridge College prepared him for everything.

1992 Monica Leigh Dahl, Renewable Resource Management Monica worked seasonally as a fisheries technician while attending Lethbridge College. After graduation she worked for Fish and Wildlife out of Peace River, Lac La Biche, Cold Lake, St. Paul and the Crowsnest Pass. Monica then spent several years working in the Yukon Territories and Northwest Territories as a fisheries technician for DFO and a private consulting firm. In 2006 Monica started working for Alberta Environment in Lethbridge. She then moved to Athabasca in 2010 where she continues to work for Alberta Environment and Water as an environmental planner.

1986 Clark A. Spencer, Engineering Design and Drafting Technology After 25 years in the consulting industry providing detailed design, construction documentation and project management, Clark decided it was time for some fun. He joined Grande Cache Coal Corporation and currently mentors and collaborates with the Grande Cache Coal Corporation Tech Services.

There, he helps plan operations on a project-by-project basis in all aspects of mine design, development and surface infrastructure.

45

Kodiaks 2012 - 2013 Schedule Green text indicates home games Basketball

W M

Volleyball

W M

Soccer

W M

Oct 26

Keyano

6p

8p

Oct 19

Concordia

6p

8p

Sept 8

SAIT

12 p 2:20 p

Oct 27

NAIT

6p

8p

Oct 20

Concordia

1p

3p

Sept 9

Olds

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 2

Lakeland

6p

8p

Oct 26

Olds

6p

8p

Sept 15

Medicine Hat

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 3

Grant MacEwan

1p

3p

Oct 27

Olds

6p

8p

Sept 22

Lakeland

2 p 4:20 p

Nov 9

King’s

6p

8p

Nov 2

Keyano

6p

8p

Sept 23

Red Deer

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 10

Augustana

6p

8p

Nov 3

Keyano

1p

3p

Sept 29

SAIT

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 16

Grande Prairie

6p

8p

Nov 9

Red Deer

6p

8p

Sept 30

Olds

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 17

Concordia

6p

8p

Nov 10

Red Deer

1p

3p

Oct 13

Medicine Hat

12 p 2:20 p

Nov 30

Briercrest

6p

8p

Nov 23

King’s

6p

8p

Oct 20

Lakeland

2 p 4:20 p

Dec 1

Briercrest

1p

3p

Nov 24

King’s

1p

3p

Oct 21

Red Deer

12 p 2:20 p

Jan 11

Red Deer

6p

8p

Jan 11

Briercrest

6p

8p

Jan 12

Red Deer

1p

3p

Jan 12

Briercrest

1p

3p

Jan 18

Medicine Hat

6p

8p

Jan 18

Medicine Hat

6p

8p

Jan 19

Medicine Hat

6p

8p

Jan 19

Medicine Hat

6p

8p

Jan 24

Olds

6p

8p

Jan 25

Augustana

6p

8p

Jan 26

Olds

6p

8p

Jan 26

Augustana

1p

3p

Feb 1

St. Mary’s

6p

8p

Feb 1

Grant MacEwan

6p

8p

Feb 2

St. Marys

6p

8p

Feb 2

Grant MacEwan

1p

3p

Feb 8

SAIT

6 p 8 p

Feb 8

SAIT

6p

8p

Feb 9

SAIT

6p

8p

Feb 9

SAIT

6p

8p

Feb 21 - 23 ACAC Qualifying Final 8 Conference Championship Mar 1 - 3 Mar 14-16

CCAA National Championships

Free admission with Lethbridge College student ID

gokodiaks.ca

Feb 14 - 16 ACAC Qualifications Feb 22 - 23 Final 8 Conference Championship Mar 7 - 9

CCAA National Championships

All away tournaments will be hosted in the city of the host school.

This schedule is subject to changes. Please visit gokodiaks.ca for the most up-to-date game times.

Cross Country Sept 15

Red Deer

Sept 22

Olds College

Sept 29

Augustana

Oct 13

NAIT

Oct 27

Conference Championship at Augustana

Golf Sept 16 - 17 North Regional Championships at Redtail Landing Sept 22 - 23 South Regional Championships at Paradise Canyon