December 21, 1998
University expresses sorrow at death of May Beamish
Posted December 21, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 21, 1998
98-12-08-OTHER
University expresses sorrow at death of May Beamish
The University of Saskatchewan wishes to express its deep sorrow over the
death of its long-time friend, Mrs. May Beamish, and to extend its sincere
condolences to her family and friends. Mrs. Beamish died Saturday, December
19, 1998 at 12:30 a.m., just 30 minutes into her 100th birthday.
May Beamish of Lashburn, Saskatchewan, had a long history of association
with the University of Saskatchewan. Her father, the late Gus Kenderdine,
founded the Department of Art and Art History at the University. Kenderdine
Campus at Emma Lake bears his name. May Beamish played an important role in
the fund raising efforts that resulted in the construction of the
Agriculture Building at the University of Saskatchewan. She personally
donated approximately $1 million to the project, funding the Kenderdine Art
Gallery and the Beamish Conservatory. She also donated the majority of
Kenderdine paintings in the University's art collection as well as archival
material.
"May Beamish was a valued friend to the University of Saskatchewan," said U
of S President George Ivany. "She demonstrated a commitment to helping to
keep this institution strong, and her warmth and generosity were appreciated
and will be missed."
For more information, please contact:
Dr. J.W. George Ivany
President
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6612
December 18, 1998
More than 2,500 Grade 12 students will visit University of Saskatchewan to "Experience US!"
Posted December 18, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 18, 1998
98-12-07-OTHER
More than 2,500 Grade 12 students will visit University of Saskatchewan to
"Experience US!"
Saskatchewan Grade 12 students, guidance counsellors and parents must
register before January 11, 1999 to attend Experience US, which takes place
February 8, 1999. Students who register before December 18, 1998 will be
entered into a draw for the very popular Huskie Athletics wear.
Experience US is an opportunity for Grade 12 students, guidance counsellors
and parents from across the province to come to the University of
Saskatchewan and spend a day gathering information, touring the campus and
finding out more about the programs the University offers, and to see the
University in full swing. Students can attend sessions from every college as
well as learn more about support services for Aboriginal students and
students with disabilities, Huskie athletics, and living in residence. Other
sessions provide information on planning a career for the 21st century,
making a successful transition from high school to university life, or study
abroad opportunities. Students can find out how to finance their educations,
what life in residence is like, and what sort of extracurricular activities
are available. Parents can attend a special session designed to help answer
the many questions and concerns parents have when their children are
entering university. In addition, a number of professional development
sessions have been designed for the guidance counsellors who bring students
to this event.
Early birds can start showing up for Experience US at 7:30 a.m. February 8
at the Field House, where they will receive registration packages and may
visit displays of campus clubs and activities, departments and services.
The kick-off begins at 9:00 a.m. with a stage show featuring plenty of
lights, sound and action, guaranteed to get students off to an energetic
start. At 9:40 U of S buses will transport students from the Field House to
campus for the days' sessions.
The Student Recruitment Office has been working closely with all the
Colleges, the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union and other campus
units to make sure there is something of interest for everyone.
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Saretsky
Assistant Registrar
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6721
December 14, 1998
Adverse drug effects topic of conference
Posted December 14, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 14, 1998
98-12-06-OTHER
Adverse drug effects topic of conference
According to Health Canada, up to 50% of all medication used by
senior citizens is used inappropriately, and between 19% and 28% of
hospital admissions for patients over 50 years of age occur as a
result of a medication problem. Adverse drug effects can cause
serious problems for senior citizens, or patients with cardiovascular
illnesses. The University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing's
Continuing Education department will offer a two-day conference
aimed at educating nurses, pharmacists and other interested health
professionals about adverse drug effects.
The two-day conference will take place in Saskatoon February 4 to 5,
1999. Titled "Adverse Drug Effects... What You Need to Know", the
conference will focus the first day on older patients and the second
on those with cardiovascular illnesses. Each day will provide a wide
variety of opportunity to explore what an adverse drug effect is, how
to properly report adverse drug effects, and how herbal and
medicinal products enhance and possibly interfere with traditional
medicine approaches.
The registration fee is $90.00 for one day, or $160.00 for both days.
Pre-registration is requested by January 22, 1999. The conference
will take place at the Saskatoon Inn; lunch is included in the
registration fees.
For more information contact:
Brendalynn Ens
Continuing Medical/Nursing Education
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-7787
December 10, 1998
JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT TO DEVELOP PEST-RESISTANT CANOLA
Posted December 10, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 10, 1998
98-12-04-AG
JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT TO DEVELOP PEST-RESISTANT CANOLA
A University of Saskatchewan-led research team will get almost $750,000 from
the federal government and industry over four years to develop canola that
is resistant to all major insect pests that damage this economically
important crop.
Funding will come from a recently approved Strategic Grant of $441,100 from
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) plus $308,000
from industry and the federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Matching Investments
Initiative Program.
"The products of this research will be a major advantage to our farmers,"
said Dwayne Hegedus, a U of S adjunct professor in applied microbiology and
food science who heads Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Molecular
Plant Protection Laboratory.
However, pest-resistant canola based on this new biotechnology is five to 10
years off, he cautioned.
He noted researchers elsewhere are also working on pest-resistant,
genetically engineered canola, but no varieties have been released as yet
and their approach is only effective against one pest -- the diamondback
moth.
In contrast, the U of S-led project will be effective against the
diamondback moth, flea beetle, root maggot, and Bertha armyworm. Despite
intensive chemical spraying, these insect pests create hundreds of millions
of dollars worth of damage to canola crops annually, he noted.
The technology, which involves inserting a gene into canola plants to
prevent insects from utilizing plant nutrients, would lessen the need for
costly spraying and chemical treatment of canola seed. It is also applicable
to insect pests that damage other important crops, he said.
The project brings together and builds on work that's been going on at three
research centres located on the U of S campus -- the
U of S College of Agriculture, the federal Agriculture and Agri-Food
Research Centre, and the National Research Council's Plant Biotechnology
Institute (PBI). Without this collaboration, the project would never have
come about, Hegedus stressed.
The team includes U of S applied microbiology and food science professor
George Khachatourians, Lorraine Braun of AAFC, and Sean Hemmingsen of PBI.
As well, four to six graduate students will be involved in the project.
"They will gain training in leading-edge biotechnology," said
Khachatourians.
He stressed the project will enhance the U of S's reputation as a world
centre in agricultural biotechnology. "This project and the training it will
provide will strengthen the programs of the Bioinsecticide Research Lab
which will move to the sixth floor of the Agriculture Building when the
addition is completed by the fall of 2000," he added.
Bryan Harvey, U of S Co-ordinator of Agricultural Research, said, "This
research project exemplifies the kind of co-operative effort we encourage at
the U of S. Such co-operation allows us to take full advantage of the
expertise we have in the campus community."
For further information, contact:
Dr. George Khachatourians
Applied Microbiology and Food Science
College of Agriculture
(306) 966-5032
Dr. Dwayne Hegedus
Group Leader, Molecular Plant Protection Laboratory
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(306) 956-7200
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
(306) 966-2506
(306) 966-8597 (FAX)
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
U of S Jazz Ensemble to perform Saturday at The Bassment
Posted December 10, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 10, 1998
98-12-05-OTHER
U of S Jazz Ensemble to perform Saturday at The Bassment
The U of S Jazz Ensemble will perform a concert of traditional and
contemporary big band jazz this Saturday night, December 12 at 8:00 p.m. at
The Bassment (245 Third Avenue South). Tickets for the concert are available
at the door.
The University of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble is a 21-piece big band that
performs contemporary compositions as well as traditional jazz classics from
such masters as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Stan Kenton. The purpose of
the ensemble is to develop students' understanding of big band ensemble
playing and improvisation.
The Ensemble is directed by Dean McNeill, who currently has a term
appointment at the U of S teaching trumpet, brass ensemble, jazz band,
history and music theory. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, McNeill
recently graduated from the University of North Texas with a Masters in Jazz
Studies.
For more information, please contact:
Dean McNeill
Department of Music
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6169
December 09, 1998
U of S Lab scores a world first in biotechnology research
Posted December 09, 1998
For Immediate Release - Tuesday, December 8, 1998
98-12-03-OTHER
U OF S LAB SCORES A WORLD FIRST IN
BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
A University of Saskatchewan lab is the first in the world to convert
an antibody into an enzyme, a discovery which could pave the way
for better tools to kill viruses, dissolve blood clots, and destroy toxins
in crop seeds such as canola.
The team's findings have just been published in the November issue
of the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Nature Biotechnology.
"People were skeptical about whether it was possible to convert an
antibody into an enzyme," said biochemistry professor Jeremy Lee
who directs the lab where the work was done.
"That's because the function of enzymes (proteins that cause or
speed up the body's chemical reactions) is very different from that of
antibodies (proteins that defend the body from foreign invaders). But
we have shown that these functions can be made to be quite similar."
Antibodies normally rid the body of viruses or other invaders by
binding to them, which signals other parts of the immune system to
send in the troops. This requires a lot of antibodies and takes time so
scientists are now trying to create abzymes -- antibodies armed with
enzyme power -- which can attack viruses directly and quickly.
Unlike normal antibodies, these abzymes can hit one virus, move on,
and strike another.
The U of S team has come up with a new method of creating abzymes
and has developed the fastest-acting ones ever produced in a lab.
"This means one abzyme can chew up 100 molecules per second
rather than just one molecule per second, for example," Lee said.
While applications of this new basic research to medicine and crop
biotechnology are now theoretically possible, they are still a long
way off, he cautions.
"It took us 10 years to make this abzyme. It will take five to 10
years to make an abzyme that would be medically useful," he said.
However, an abzyme that could attack toxins in crop seeds could
likely be developed sooner, he added.
He notes the research is not patentable because it involves an
application of an existing protein engineering technology.
The work was carried out by Lee, former U of S post-doctoral fellows
Michael Fletcher and Alena Kuderova, and collaborator Miraslaw
Cygler, a senior scientist with the National Research Council's
Biotechnology Research Institute in Montreal. The research was
funded by Medical Research Council grants to Lee and by fellowships
to Fletcher and Kuderova from Saskatchewan's Health Services
Utilization and Research Commission (HSURC).
Lee points out the really time-consuming part of the research is the
analysis of protein structures. This work can be done much faster
using a synchrotron light facility. At present, Canada doesn't have
such a facility so U of S researchers incur extra costs to use
synchrotron facilities in countries such as the United States and
Japan.
Lee says if the Canadian Light Source (CLS) "synchrotron" project is
built on the U of S campus, it will be extremely useful for this and
other projects. "Structural biology is really key to medical research
now," he stresses.
The $178.2-million CLS project hinges on winning $71.3 million from
the Canada Foundation for Innovation. A decision on CFI funding is
expected in March.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Jeremy Lee
Biochemistry Department
College of Medicine
(306) 966-4371
leejs@sask.usask.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
December 07, 1998
Lownsbrough Scholarships
Posted December 07, 1998
For Immediate Release - December 7, 1998
98-12-02-ED
Lownsbrough Scholarships
Dean Ken Jacknicke is pleased to announce the awarding of the
Lownsbrough Memorial Scholarships to four students in the
College's Ph.D. programs. The recipients of the award are:
Richard Hiebert, who comes to the Department of Educational
Administration on leave from his position as principal, Biggar High
School where he has served since 1990. He will study issues and
organizational provisions relating to the education of First Nations
students in provincial (as opposed to Band-Controlled) schools.
Steven Lake, who is currently in the Ph.D. program in Educational
Administration. He will be conducting an investigation of the
relationship between emotion and leadership effectiveness, building
upon his master's research in the field of educational psychology.
Dawn Wallin, who joins the Department of Educational
Administration from her position of Vice-Principal with the
Kindersley School Division. She will examine the lifestyle career
choices made by female school administrators in rural Saskatchewan.
Suzanne Zwarych, who will be building upon her Master's thesis on
the Young Offenders Act to investigate strategies utilized by schools
to counteract student violence and build communities of support.
Suzanne taught at the post secondary level and worked as a vice-
principal and business education teacher prior to joining the Ph.D.
program in Educational Administration this year.
These advanced level College of Education scholarships are
awarded to qualified first-year doctoral students who have been
admitted by the College of Graduate Studies and Research in a
doctoral program of studies in Education. Successful candidates
may apply for renewal of the scholarship on successful completion of
the first year of the doctoral program. This award has been
established from the Lownsbrough bequest in memory of Ms.
Dorothy Gray Lownsbrough. Based on academic performance and
promise in research, the scholarship provides support to graduate
students.
For more information contact:
Ken Jacknicke, Dean
College of Education
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-7647
December 02, 1998
Y2K Teleconference Broadcast
Posted December 02, 1998
The University of Saskatchewan Y2K Project Team has organized a
teleconference broadcast entitled Meeting the Year 2000 Computer
Challenge: Schools, Colleges, and the Millennium Bug.
It will take place on Monday, December 7, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., in room
1004 EDUC. The teleconference will be followed by a discussion period.
Everyone is welcome. For more information, see the web notice at
http://www.usask.ca/y2k/backgrounder.html or call -6202.
December 01, 1998
Dean of Law resigns, citing family reasons
Posted December 01, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 1, 1998
98-12-01-LA
Dean of Law resigns, citing family reasons
SASKATOON -- Kent Roach, Dean of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, has
tendered his resignation as dean effective July 1, 1999. In a letter to
faculty, Roach said that the time and travel demands of his position have
had serious effects on his family life with his young children. He also said
that the administrative demands of the deanship made it more difficult to
pursue his research interests. He went on to express his appreciation for
the support he received from the College while dean.
Roach joined the University of Saskatchewan as Dean of Law July 1, 1998,
replacing Peter MacKinnon who had served as dean for nine years. Following
his resignation, Roach will return to the University of Toronto.
Michael Atkinson, Vice-President (Academic), says he plans to consult with
the College about a replacement for Roach. Atkinson also thanks Roach for
his service as dean and wishes him all the best in his future.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Michael Atkinson
Vice-President (Academic)
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8484
