June 28, 1999
U of S Geologist Awarded Prestigious Royal Society Medal
Posted June 28, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ?Monday, June 28, 1999
99-06-11-OTHER
U of S Geologist Awarded Prestigious Royal Society Medal
The Royal Society of Canada has awarded University of Saskatchewan geologist
Robert Kerrich the prestigious Willet G. Miller Medal for exceptional
contributions to Canadian geoscience
"Professor Kerrich is a world expert on the geochemistry of gold deposits,"
said Michael Corcoran, U of S Vice-President Research. "We're proud that his
outstanding work over many years at the University of Saskatchewan has
received major national recognition."
The Miller Medal, named after a distinguished Ontario geologist who was a
guiding force in the early development of that province's mining industry,
is awarded only every two years.
The Royal Society is the senior national body of distinguished Canadian
scientists and scholars. The Society's 1,500 "Fellows" are selected by their
peers for outstanding contributions to the arts and sciences. Kerrich is the
youngest-ever RSC Fellow.
In announcing the award, the RSC states that Kerrich provided the first
clear evidence that the Earth's ancient oceanic and continental crust
avalanched 3,000 kilometres to the Earth's core and returned to the surface
as volcanoes. He also developed what is now widely regarded as the standard
model of how gold deposits are formed by fluids circulating through ancient
mountain belts in areas where plates of the Earth's crust once collided.
Kerrich was recently invited by the influential international journal
Science to write about recent breakthroughs by Australian scientists in
understanding how gold deposits form. Kerrich's commentary "Nature's Gold
Factory" appears in the June 25th issue of Science.
"Those breakthroughs will help Saskatchewan resource companies find new gold
deposits like the ones near La Ronge," said Kerrich.
Kerrich has just completed a $1-million research project for a consortium of
14 Canadian mining companies. The four-year project, involving a team of
professors, technicians and graduate students, used $600,000
Canadian-pioneered high-tech equipment to detect trace elements in rocks.
The results may help pinpoint ancient volcanic belts in the Canadian Shield
likely to contain precious mineral resources such as gold.
"A trillion dollars worth of mineral resources has been won from the
Canadian Shield and a trillion more awaits discovery," he said. "But
discovery is increasingly difficult and expensive, demanding innovative
high-technology solutions. Those mineral resources are the underpinning of
modern technological society, and are used in everything from hip
replacements, to farm equipment, fertilizers, cell phones, and
satellites."
Kerrich and colleagues recently received a $282,380 grant from the
Saskatchewan government for a microbeam facility equipped with specialized
high-tech equipment that can be used to develop new ways of finding new
mineral deposits. The new facility will complement leading-edge research to
be carried out at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron project that will be
built on the U of S campus by 2003.
Kerrich has held the George McLeod chair in geochemistry at U of S since
1986. He was awarded the prestigious NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council) Steacie fellowship in 1987 and has an earned Doctor of
Science from the U of S.
Prof. Kerrich has graduated over 12 Ph.D. and numerous master's students. Of
these, three students have gone on to be awarded post-doctoral fellowships,
several are university professors, one is a corporate CEO, and many are
research scientists in government or the private sector. He and his facility
attract many visiting graduate students and visiting scientists, from Canada
and around the world.
For more information, contact:
Prof. Robert Kerrich
Geological Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5719
robert.kerrich@usask.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
Visit the U of S Research web site: www.usask.ca/research
June 25, 1999
U of S to benefit for 20-M Dollar CFI Grant to National Digital Library Project
Posted June 25, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? June 25, 1999
99-06-10-LIB
U of S to Benefit from 20-M Dollar
CFI Grant to National Digital Library
Project
Researchers and students at the University of
Saskatchewan will benefit from a 20-million dollar
grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
that gives the green light to a national project for
purchase of vitally important on-line journals.
The CFI announced Wednesday that it will fund 40 per
cent of the 50-million dollar, three-year Canadian
National Site Licensing Project, under which licenses
will be jointly purchased by 64 participating
universities for on-line scientific, technical and medical
journals and research databases.
"This pilot project will enable us to explore how we can
use the combined resources of university libraries
across Canada to provide better access to essential
scholarly information at an affordable cost," said Frank
Winter, U of S Libraries Director.
"After a decade of cancellation of journals due to price
increases far in excess of inflation, we now have an
opportunity to reverse or slow down the erosion we've
experienced in our ability to provide scholarly
resources to the researchers and students on this
campus. Using the combined advantages of the Internet
and pooled purchasing power, we'll be able to get a
bigger bang for our acquisitions buck."
The U of S Libraries will be expected to contribute
approximately 260,000 dollars per year for the three-
year project. Both the U of S Libraries and the
University of Regina Library will seek assistance from
the province's Revitalization Fund, Winter said.
The full-text digital journals will be available to any
faculty member or student connected to the U of S
computer network. These on-line journals, purchased
collectively at significantly discounted prices, will
replace many journals that the U of S library has had to
cancel during the 1990s. Currently, the U of S spends 4.5
million dollars a year on both print and digital journals,
Winter noted.
The project is led by the University of Ottawa Library.
The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation
established by the federal government in 1997 to
address an urgent need of Canada's research
community for new, state-of-the-art research
infrastructure. The CFI has been entrusted with a
capital budget of 1 billion dollar and its investments are
made in partnership with all levels of government, as
well as with the private and voluntary sectors. Its work
focuses on health, the environment, science, and
engineering.
For more information, contact:
Frank Winter
Director, University of Saskatchewan Libraries
(306) 966-5942
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
Visit our U of S Research web site at:
www.usask.ca/research
June 24, 1999
U of S College of Medicine launches book on college history
Posted June 24, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 22 , 1999
99-06-07-ME
U of S College of Medicine Launches Book on
College History
(Note to News Directors and Editors: Dr. Louis Horlick will be
available for interviews before the book launch. Contact him the
week of June 21 at 652-8863.)
A reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, 1999 at
the Top of the Inn, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel to launch Volume 2 of the
History of the U of S College of Medicine. Medical College to
Community Resource: Saskatchewan?s Medical School 1978-1998 is
written and edited by Dr. Louis Horlick, O.C., MD, FRCP(C), Emeritus
Professor of Medicine. The reception will open Highlights in
Medicine, the 14th annual College of Medicine Alumni Association
Conference and Reunion, June 24 - 26.
The history of the first 30 years of the College of Medicine was
recounted in Dr. D.J. Buchan?s Greenhouse to Medical Centre,
published in the 1970s. The present volume, Medical College to
Community Resource, brings the history of the College up to date.
The book is structured around three Deans of Medicine, Drs. Bob
Murray, Ian McDonald and David Popkin whose terms coincide with
this 20-year span.
The first three chapters of Medical College to Community Resource,
written by Dr. Louis Horlick, cover the significant events during this
period. Other chapters include: an account of the evolution of the
undergraduate curriculum by Dr. Jim Spooner, Director of Educational
Support and Development; financing of the Medical College by C.T.S.
(Syl) White, Director of Administration and Finance; and research at
the College by Professor Jim Wood. Dr. Earl DeCoteau contributes
an account of the College of Medicine Alumni Association and the
stories of many graduates. The final section of the book includes
individual departmental histories.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Jim Spooner
College of Medicine
(306) 966-6138
_______________________________________________________
For program details on Hightlights in Medicine, the Alumni
Association
Conference and Reunion, contact:
Daphne Tkachuk
Executive Director
(306) 966-8864
June 23, 1999
U of S Alumni Reunion Weekend June 25 - 27
Posted June 23, 1999
U of S Alumni Reunion Weekend
June 25 - 27
The University of Saskatchewan and its Alumni and Development Office will be
holding their annual Alumni Reunion Weekend
June 25 - 27.
Colleges from 1939, 1949, 1959 and 1974, as well as the graduating class
from the College of Agriculture of 1954, will be celebrating their
respective reunions.
Activities include a social at Marquis Hall on Friday, June 25, and an
Alumni Breakfast, also at Marquis Hall, Saturday, June 26. College and
campus tours will also be available. Saturday evening the Our People our
Strengths banquet will take place at the Centennial Auditorium.
In conjunction with the weekend, the U of S Alumni Association will hold its
Annual General Meeting Saturday June 26 at 9:45 AM in Marquis Hall.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Wendy Bates
Alumni and Development Office
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-8764
Email: bates@admin.usask.ca
Ag College Awarded $5 million from CFI for Research Equipment and Facilities
Posted June 23, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? Wednesday, June 23/1999
99-06-09-AG
Ag College Awarded $5 million from CFI for Research Equipment and
Facilities
The University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture will get $5 million
towards a $15.6-million infrastructure project for applied biotechnology
research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced today.
"This money will really help us maintain our leadership in all aspects of
agricultural education and research in Canada," said Agriculture Dean John
Stewart.
The $15.6-million project will provide new or updated facilities and
equipment for the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, the Department
of Applied Microbiology and Food Science, and a pilot plant associated with
food science research. It will also upgrade plant growth facilities for the
Department of Plant Sciences.
The project includes a sixth-floor addition to the College, a project that
is already under construction. A sixth floor was planned when the building
was started in 1991 and since then, $9.3 million has come from alumni and
the private sector to complete the building. The Department of Animal and
Poultry Science will move to the sixth floor from an antiquated building
erected in the 1940s.
"The CFI money will help us buy the equipment to fully equip the new
addition on the sixth floor of the College and to upgrade our plant growth
facilities, both at the horticulture greenhouse near Innovation Place and at
the Phytotron (plant growth chambers) in the lower level of the College,"
Dean Stewart said.
"It also strengthens our new initiatives such as the AFIF (Agr-Food
Innovation Fund) chairs in agriculture biotechnology and food science."
AFIF is a Canada-Saskatchewan agreement to manage funds committed to
producers under the old GRIP (Gross Revenue Insurance Program) program.
AFIF, in addition to supplying funding for personnel, has contributed
$690,800 for new equipment as part of the $15.6-million project.
The College was awarded all but $546,000 of the CFI funding it requested.
The College will now either adjust aspects to the project and/or seek other
funds to meet the shortfall, the dean said.
Construction on the sixth floor addition is expected to be completed by the
fall of 2000.
The College of Agriculture project is one of 45 projects to receive CFI
funds in the Institutional Innovation Fund category that is for projects
valued at more than $350,000. A total of $210 million was awarded under
this category and announced today.
The CFI is an independently administered fund set up by the federal
government to modernize research facilities and equipment at Canadian
universities and other research institutions.
For more information, contact:
Dean John Stewart
College of Agriculture
(306) 966-4065
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
Visit our Research web site at: www.usask.ca/research
June 18, 1999
Council adopts Guidelines for Academic Conduct
Posted June 18, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 17, 1999
99-06-06-OTHER
Council adopts Guidelines for Academic
Conduct
Today the University of Saskatchewan Council approved a set of
Guidelines for Conduct between teachers and students, designed to
enhance the learning environment by describing a set of expectations
for ethical behaviour. Council is the University of Saskatchewan's
academic decision-making body and includes students as well as
faculty.
The Guidelines are organized around three main principles with
related standards:
? the Principle of Learning and Growth with related standards of
student development, subject matter competence, and pedagogical
competence;
? the Principle of Honesty and Integrity with related standards of
academic honesty, fair and valid assessment, and managing
interactions and relationships; and
? the Principle of Respect for the Dignity of Others, with related
standards of confidentiality, dealing with sensitive topics, respect for
others and respect for the institution.
Each standard identifies the roles and responsibilities of students,
faculty, and the University as an institution. Specific examples of
ethical behaviour help to illustrate each principle in action.
?These guidelines are not intended to replace existing rules or
regulations, nor are they designed to interfere with matters that
would normally be the subject of collective bargaining,? explains
University Council Ad Hoc Committee on Conduct Chair Jim
McClements. ?They are intended to serve as an educational tool, to
help teachers and students to recognize and respond to situations
where ethical judgement is required.?
?Our ability to communicate with each other effectively is paramount
to our success as an institution,? adds Scott Blythe, Vice-President
(Academic) for the University of Saskatchewan Students Union
(USSU). ?The Students' Union recognizes the value of an educational
tool such as this one. We will not always agree with each other, but
we must never stop communicating. The guidelines will allow us all
to speak the same language.?
The Guidelines were developed in response to a proposal by the
USSU. In April 1997 Council struck an ad hoc committee to develop
the Guidelines that included the Vice-Presidents (Academic) of the
University and the USSU, four faculty members, three undergraduate
students, one sessional lecturer and a graduate student.
Extensive consultation went into the development of the Guidelines.
Draft versions were posted on Council's web site; open meetings were
held to discuss the Guidelines; and copies were distributed to specific
groups for comments and suggestions.
The Guidelines, which Council will review after a five-year period,
are available on the Council web page at
http://www.usask.ca/university_council/reports/guide_conduct.sht
ml.
For more information please contact:
Scott Blythe or Jim McClements
Vice-President (Academic) Chair, Academic Code of Conduct
USSU Committee
(306) 966-6968 University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6472
June 14, 1999
Manure Management ?99
Posted June 14, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 14, 1999 99-06-05-EX
Manure Management ?99
Manure Management ?99 will feature state-of-the-art approaches, solutions
and best management practices from North America.
This tri-provincial conference will be held June 22 - 25, 1999, at the
Travelodge Hotel in Saskatoon and will have global appeal for producers,
scientists, consultants, engineers, extension agents and practitioners. An
estimated 300 participants from several countries are expected to attend.
A large number of responses have been received from research scientists,
industry and extension agents wishing to present information at the
conference. Manure Management ?99 will highlight almost 100 oral and poster
presentations from 80 speakers, spanning 7 provinces and 10 states. It is
truly an educational event.
Plan to attend the pre-conference workshops, conference and post-conference
tour.
Tuesday, June 22 (two full-day workshops)
- Application and Interpretation of Numerical Models with Dr. Lee Barbour
- Manure - A Resource Opportunity with various professional resource people
Wednesday, June 23
- Plenary speaker - Dr. Tim Ball
- Three concurrent sessions: Manure Application and Use; Communications
and Extension; Sustainable Livestock and Manure Management -
Environmental, Social and Economic Issues
- Large number of poster presentations
- Evening BBQ
Thursday, June 24
- Three concurrent sessions: Odour and Air Quality; Manure Handling and
Treatment; Manure Storage
- Large number of poster presentations
- Tri-provincial Committee on Livestock Development presentation
- Land Use Planning and Livestock Development panel
Friday, June 25
- Full day tour of manure research and demonstration sites
For further information and a registration form, please check out our home
page at http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/manure99.
For more information, please contact:
Grant Wood
Conference Coordinator
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-5586
Fax: (306) 966-5567
Email: grant.wood@usask.ca OR woodg@duke.usask.ca
June 11, 1999
CANADIAN LIGHT SOURCE PUTS OUT FIRST CALL FOR TENDERS
Posted June 11, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 11,1999 99-06-03-OTHER
Tomorrow the University of Saskatchewan will put out a request for tenders
for the first construction work on Canada's biggest scientific project in a
generation, the $173.5-million Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron
project.
The first contract includes site stripping, relocation and installation of
underground utility services, installation of a parking lot, fencing of the
site, and demolition of a cooling tower.
This site preparation work will be underway by early July. Other
construction activities will be put to tender over the coming months, with
construction slated to begin on the building foundations by mid-summer. An
event to commemorate the laying of the building's cornerstone is planned for
early fall.
It's anticipated the building that will house the huge synchrotron machine
will be complete by December of 2000. Work is already underway to modify the
existing linear accelerator that will be used to inject the electrons into
the synchrotron. The CLS project is slated to begin operations in late 2003.
The facility will occupy an area larger than a Canadian football field.
"It's more than an acre under a single roof," said Barry Hawkins, CLS
project manager and senior project manager with UMA Projects, the
project construction management division of the UMA Group.
Incoming U of S President Peter MacKinnon said, "One of the unique
challenges of this project is the co-ordination of all of the various
stakeholders -- such as government funding bodies, university departments,
private sector people, and staff of the linear accelerator laboratory --
into a single project delivery team. I think that we are well on the way to
successfully doing that."
Staff at the linear accelerator have been working on plans for the
synchrotron since 1995. The CLS will be a third-generation light source,
fully competitive with the best currently available in the world. The key
components -- the linear accelerator, a booster ring for acceleration, and
the storage ring -- have been designed by the lab.
The CLS will be a fully equipped synchrotron radiation research facility
dedicated to providing full service to industrial, governmental and academic
users. It will provide a brilliant light source for researchers to "see"
matter at the atomic scale. This will give scientists across Canada
unprecedented opportunities for state-of-the-art investigations in materials
science, medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental
sciences.
An independent economic impact study estimates the CLS would:
- Add almost $122 million to Canada's gross domestic product during
construction and $12 million per year once the facility becomes operational.
- Provide up to a $66-million boost to Saskatchewan's economy during
construction and about $8 million annually afterward.
- Create up to 2,000 person-years of employment during construction
- Create 200 permanent jobs once in operation
Owned by the U of S and endorsed by 18 other universities, the CLS will be
funded from both public and private sources. Information about the CLS is
available at the U of S Research web site at:
http://www.usask.ca/research/synchrotron.shtml
-30-
For more information, contact:
Dr. Dennis Skopik
Acting Director, Canadian Light Source
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6054
June 10, 1999
U of S Committee Finds No Evidence of Research Misconduct
Posted June 10, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? Thursday, June 10/1999
99-06-04-ME
U of S Committee Finds No Evidence of Research Misconduct
A three-person panel appointed by College of Medicine Dean David Popkin to
look into an allegation of research misconduct has found no evidence of
misconduct, and therefore has concluded that the complaint does not warrant
a full investigation.
The preliminary review was conducted in response to allegations raised by
biostatistician Emma Bartfay in a statement of claim filed May 10 against
the research director of the Institute for Health and Outcomes Research
(IHOR) and the University of Saskatchewan.
In accordance with established University policy, Dean Popkin appointed the
review panel to conduct a preliminary assessment and report back to him by
June 11. Had the panel found any evidence of misconduct which warranted
further review, another committee would have been struck in accordance with
policy to conduct a full investigation.
Popkin stressed the University takes very seriously the integrity of the
research process. "The regulations with regard to research misconduct have
been followed and we find it reassuring that the preliminary assessment
committee found no fault with the researcher about whom the complaint was
made," he said.
He said he could not discuss specifics of the case as the case is now before
the courts.
For more information on the investigative process, visit the U of S Research
web site's section on Ethics in Research:
http://www.usask.ca/research/handbk/2-9.shtml
For more information, contact:
Dr. David Popkin
Dean of the College of Medicine
(306) 966-6149
June 09, 1999
U of S Alerts Public to Theft of Potentially Hazardous Materials
Posted June 09, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 9, 1999
99-06-02-OTHER
U of S Alerts Public to Theft of Potentially Hazardous Materials
The U of S is seeking the public's help to locate a box with two devices
that contain potentially hazardous radioactive material.
The green, wooden box was in a truck that was stolen, along with other
items, from a secured compound at the University of Saskatchewan in the
early hours of June 9. The truck was locked in a building within the
compound.
The box contains two bright-orange carrying cases labelled with the tri-foil
radiation warning symbol. Inside the carrying cases are two devices used in
soil science research to determine water content and density of soils. Each
device, known as a neutron probe, contains a well-marked radioactive source
that poses a very low hazard if properly handled.
The box measures about four feet long, by two feet wide, by two-half deep.
It was covered by a grey tarp in the back of the truck, a 1992 Ford super
cab, sandy in colour, with license plate number CYP308.
Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) officials say the radiation emitted from
the box is so low as to be virtually undetectable. However, if the box is
found, the devices should not be opened or handled, and police, Crime
Stoppers or 911 should be contacted immediately.
Children should be informed of the potential hazard if the boxes are found
and cautioned not to approach the box or its contents.
The University's storage of the materials is in full compliance with AECB
regulations, say AECB officials.
The break-in was discovered by U of S Security which alerted Saskatoon City
Police and issued an alert to police stations across the country early
today. Debbie Frattinger, U of S Radiation Safety Officer, immediately
contacted AECB officials.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2506
Fax: (306) 966-2411
Email: kathryn.warden@usask.ca
June 03, 1999
Engineering receives donation of over $1.25 million for endowed chair
Posted June 03, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 2, 1999
99-06-01-OTHER
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING RECEIVES
DONATION WHICH EXCEEDS $1.25
MILLION TO CREATE ENDOWED CHAIR
IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The College of Engineering announced today that it has
received a major donation from Dr. H. Douglas Barber, a
graduate of the University of Saskatchewan.
Barber received his degree in Electrical Engineering from
the U of S in 1959 and his M.Sc. in 1960. He went on to
complete his Ph.D. at the University of London. Barber is
currently the President and CEO of Gennum Corporations
in Ontario.
The donation, which exceeds $1.25 million, will create a
permanent, endowed Barbhold Chair in Information
Technology in the College of Engineering and used to
attract a continuing stream of outstanding young
professors to the University who will work in
Information Technology.
The Chair consists of a five year maximum, non-
renewable, tenure track appointment for a junior
faculty member seeking his / her first university
appointment. Upon completion of the term, the
Chairholder will continue the academic career in a
regular tenured or tenure-track position. The Chair, in
turn, will be open to a new junior incumbent.
The Chairholder will have a commitment to teaching and
mentoring students, to research and scholarly inquiry,
and to application of knowledge.
The gift will be placed in perpetual trust, which in turn
will generate funds that will be used to provide the
Chairholder with above average opportunity to pursue
teaching and research to the benefit of students and
ultimately the nation. The University of Saskatchewan
will also contribute a portion to the Chair position.
For More Information, contact:
Roxanne Vandeven
College of Engineering
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5288
