June 29, 2001
$8.2 M in Synchrotron Contracts Awarded to Local and International Firms
Posted June 29, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Friday, June 29, 2001 2001-06-06-OTHER
$8.2 M in Synchrotron Contracts Awarded to
Local and International Firms
The University of Saskatchewan has awarded contracts totalling almost $8.2
million to three Saskatchewan firms and two international firms for work on
the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron project currently under
construction on campus.
The contracts approved by the U of S Board of Governors bring the total
committed funds for CLS construction and services to $69 million, of which
more than $47.7 million (69 per cent) has gone to Saskatchewan companies.
Construction of the $173.5-million U of S-owned national synchrotron
facility is on time and on budget. The CLS, a new tool for science and
technological innovation, will begin operations in January of 2004.
Synchrotron light, billions of times brighter than sunlight, can be used to
observe structures and chemical reactions at the molecular level and has
applications in a broad range of industries.
The latest contracts:
- $2.53 million to Inter-City Mechanical Ltd. of Saskatoon for installation
of the mechanical systems for the booster and storage ring - including
cooling water systems, instrument air system, exchangers, pumps, and systems
for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems of the rings.
The storage ring is a large, doughnut-shaped vacuum tube in which racing
electrons circulate, producing brilliant synchrotron light. The booster ring
ramps up the energy of the electrons to intensify the light.
- $2.23 million to EDS Canada Ltd. to design the computer and communications
infrastructure for the CLS. The firm, which has a Saskatoon office, will
provide a blueprint for how to meet the complex information technology needs
of the CLS.
- $1.24 million to Alliance Energy Ltd. of Saskatoon for installation of
electrical services to the booster and the storage ring - including the
installation of cable trays, switches for equipment control, cable, lighting
to the tunnels, and service distribution.
- $1.65 million to SigmaPhi S.A. of France for design, fabrication and
delivery of 72 quadrupole and 36 sextupole magnets for the storage ring.
These large, computer-controlled magnets are used to bend and accelerate the
stream of electrons that run through the synchrotron's storage ring.
- $519,000 to Bergoz Instrumentation of France for specialized electronic
components for diagnostics and monitoring of the electron beam in the
facility. The firm is the only supplier of these components worldwide for
the specific features required by the CLS.
All contract bidding was in accordance with U of S purchasing protocols to
ensure a fair, transparent competitive bid process and compliance with
university policies, the Law of Competitive Bidding, and the
federal-provincial Agreement on Internal Trade regarding publicly funded
entities.
CLS construction is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation,
the Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Alberta
government, the Ontario government, the University of Saskatchewan, the City
of Saskatoon, and SaskPower.
For more information on the CLS, visit: http://www.cls.usask.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2506
Fax: (306) 966-2411
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Martin Heikoop
CLS Project Manager
Tel: (306) 227-3081 (cellular)
mheikoop@cls.usask.ca
June 27, 2001
U of S Awarded New Science Research Chair
Posted June 27, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 27, 2001 2001-06-05-OTHER
U of S Awarded New Science Research Chair
A University of Saskatchewan researcher has been awarded $0.5 million over
five years from the Government of Canada to establish a joint Canadian
Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chair on campus.
Carl Gutwin, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of
Arts and Science will hold the NSERC Chair in Next Generation Groupware .
(Groupware refers to computer systems which allow people to work with each
other over a distance e.g. through email and newsgroups).
The announcement was made today by Federal Minister of Industry Brian Tobin
at a press conference in York University.
Dr. Gutwin's research will examine the potential and dangers of having
widespread computer networks across the globe and how people interact with
this technology. He will also explore the risks and search for ways to
protect privacy and to control the information environment. Funding will
also allow Dr. Gutwin to involve graduate students in various aspects of his
research.
"This is excellent news for the University of Saskatchewan," said University
President, Peter MacKinnon. "The money will play an important role in
strengthening the University's position as a major centre for research
excellence."
Dr. Gutwin said: "The Chair will allow the University of Saskatchewan to
become an international leader in the design and development of software for
the networked world of the 21st century."
In April, seven other Canada Research Chairs were awarded to the U of S.
Five of these Chair holders are from the U of S working in the Colleges of
Agriculture, Arts and Science, Engineering, Medicine and Veterinary
Medicine. Two other Chair holders, who will take up their positions in July,
are from the Department of Geography at Queen's University and from the
Department of Sociology at the University of Singapore.
The Chairs will focus on the University's six theme areas selected for the
program: biotechnology, environmental sciences, health sciences, identity
and diversity, materials science and technology and change.
"There will be a tremendous infusion of academic creativity. We intend to
build on our deployment of Canada Research Chairs to recruit tenure-track
faculty in the areas of research identified in the strategic research plan
for the Chairs program," added President MacKinnon.
The Chairs are the first of 31 allotted to the U of S by the Canada Research
Chairs Program, a $900-million initiative of the federal government designed
to create 2,000 new research chairs at Canadian universities over the next
five years.
Nominations for the Chairs are submitted by universities to the Chairs
Program and are reviewed by a team of academic peers who choose only the
most outstanding. The Chairs Program offers Tier 1 chairs (a seven-year term
for world leaders in their
field -- renewable -- bringing $200,000 per year to the University) and Tier
2 chairs (a five-year term for researchers with peer-acknowledged potential
to become world leaders -- renewable once -- bringing $100,000 per year).
The Chairs fall into the fields of the three main federal granting agencies:
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); and the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
For more information, contact:
Peter MacKinnon
President
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6612
Carl Gutwin
NSERC Chair in Next Generation Groupware
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8646
Natalie Beaudoin
Canada Research Chairs Communications
(613) 995-3205
June 21, 2001
Engineering Firm Wins Award for Work on CLS
Posted June 21, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, June 21, 2001 2001-06-04-OTHER
Engineering Firm Wins Award for Work on CLS
UMA Group Ltd. has won an award of excellence for technical innovation from
the Consulting Engineers of Saskatchewan recognizing work on the Canadian
Light Source (CLS) synchrotron project under construction at the University
of Saskatchewan.
UMA is providing project and construction management, engineering for the
design of the building, and support engineering for the entire
$173.5-million project, which is on time and on budget.
"We felt that the constraints they had to meet were very demanding and
required innovative solutions," said Bob Gander, U of S electrical
engineering professor and one of the judges for the award. "The most amazing
constraint to me was that the floor has to stay level to 35 microns. It's
phenomenal that they can design a floor which is a slab the size of a
football field and can stay that stable."
Gander noted the building must be stable enough that vibrations from traffic
or wind won't disturb the sensitive equipment. Another major challenge was
designing the booster and storage ring enclosures which must be kept at 27
degrees Celsius, and can vary only by 0.1 degree.
"It speaks to the caliber of Saskatchewan engineers that this kind of
project was designed in the province using local engineers," Gander said.
UMA, a Canadian employee-owned company founded in Saskatoon and based in
Vancouver, has been part of the CLS since it was in the conceptual stage in
1996. The engineering firm will manage the construction of the synchrotron
until it begins operations in early 2004.
Sub-consultants working with UMA on the CLS include AODBT Architects, AMEC
Earth & Environmental, Bruce Sparling and BKL and Associates. U of S
Facilities Management provided the climate control system design.
The synchrotron is a huge, doughnut-shaped ring that accelerates a stream of
electrons and manipulates them to create a beam of light billions of times
brighter than the sun. This rare light can then be used by industrial and
university researchers as a revolutionary new tool to observe structures and
chemical reactions at a molecular level.
CES is an organization that works to strengthen consulting engineering in
Saskatchewan and promote excellence in engineering.
The CLS is wholly owned by the University of Saskatchewan. Construction of
the project is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the
Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Ontario Innovation
Trust, the Alberta government, the U of S, the City of Saskatoon and
SaskPower.
For more information, please contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2506
Fax: (306) 966-2411
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
June 19, 2001
U of S Students Take Top Awards in National Health Research Competition
Posted June 19, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, June 18, 2001 2001-06-03-OTHER
U of S Students Take Top Awards in National Health Research Competition
Three University of Saskatchewan graduate students have won gold and silver
medals in a nation-wide research competition for their respective work on
cancer and female reproduction.
Shawn Ritchie and Scott Dehm, both Ph.D. students in biochemistry, won two
of the four gold medals awarded in the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (CIHR) National Health Research Poster Competition held June 7 at
the University of Manitoba.
Angie Hess, a Ph.D. student in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and
reproductive science, won one of six silver medals in the same competition.
Graduate students from across the country are invited to represent their
university and present their research at the competition. This year, 36
competitors attended, representing every university in Canada. Competitors
submit research projects in poster form, and are given 15 minutes to explain
their research.
Professor Keith Bonham, who supervises both Dehm and Ritchie, says both have
placed high in similar competitions before.
"Our graduate students rank among the best in country," Bonham said.
Dehm and Ritchie work with Bonham at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency's Cancer
Research Unit based at the Saskatoon Cancer Center. They are researching a
gene called c-Src, which produces a protein that helps send signals from
outside the cell to inside the cell. The U of S team is trying to discover
why the protein c-Src produces is overabundant in certain colon and breast
cancers.
Dehm's winning poster summarized the research he's been doing for the past
three years on c-Src. He is studying a region of c-Src responsible for
increasing the amount of the c-Src protein in both normal and cancerous
tissues. Dehm thinks this region of the gene will offer important clues as
to why c-Src protein levels are elevated in colon cancer.
Ritchie's poster also focused on c-Src, and encompassed his nearly four
years of research on the gene. Ritchie hopes to determine how c-Src produces
the protein and use that knowledge to further our understanding of cancer
biology. Understanding how the gene works would also help in the design of
new therapeutic approaches for treating these cancers.
Hess, who is in the final year of her Ph.D., is part of the Reproductive
Biology Research Unit led by Roger Pierson. Her research has shown that
ovarian follicles grow several times during the menstrual cycle, rather than
just once.
"This challenges the way we've thought about women's reproductive cycles,
and so it will also change the way we administer contraception," Hess said.
CIHR is Canada's premier federal agency for health research. Its objective
is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific
excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into
improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products,
and a strengthened health care system.
- 30 -
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2506
Fax: (306) 966-2411
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Keith Bonham
Associate Professor
Division of Oncology
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 655-2315
Fax: (306) 655-2635
kbonham@scf.sk.ca
June 15, 2001
Double-barreled live viral vectored vaccines target beef diseases
Posted June 15, 2001
"Double-barreled" live viral vectored vaccines target beef diseases
Saskatoon, Sask., June 14, 2001: Costly beef respiratory and intestinal
diseases may have a potent new enemy in the form of new live viral vectored
vaccines under development at the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization
(VIDO) in Saskatoon, Sask.
Bovine respiratory and intestinal diseases cost North American cattle
producers approximately $1 billion and $300 million respectively each year.
"One of the most effective ways to fight these disease-causing viruses is to
use vaccines that directly target the appropriate site in the body and
induce an immune response," says Dr. Suresh Tikoo, VIDO Virology Program
Manager. "Live viral vectored vaccines are an excellent way to deliver the
antigens to the right area of the body for the most effective defensive
response to a particular disease."
Tikoo and his team are using the Bovine adenovirus-3 (BAV-3) as the delivery
vehicle for the antigens of diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea (BVD).
"BAV-3 is ideal because it infects the bovine respiratory tract. Also, we
have identified a number of regions within the virus that can be deleted to
cripple the virus so it will not cause disease." By replacing the deleted
genes with the protective antigens of respiratory disease-causing organisms,
we can produce a single-shot multivalent vaccine that induces immunity to a
variety of diseases in cattle - in other words "a double-barreled approach,"
says Tikoo.
A key to the effectiveness of live vaccines is their suitability for
intranasal delivery. "Intranasal delivery of live viral vectored vaccines
targets the respiratory tract, promoting a stronger and longer immune
response over conventional vaccines," explains Tikoo. "Intranasal delivery
also eliminates the needle injection site reaction that can reduce meat
quality."
Besides their potential disease-fighting and meat-quality guarding benefits,
live viral vectored vaccines delivered intranasally do not require the
strong oil-based adjuvants that the other vaccines require, making them
cheaper to produce, he says. "Economic viability of vaccine production is
always an important factor in effective vaccine development strategy. We can
certainly reach standard targets with these vaccines if everything goes
well."
Other VIDO researchers are also working on intranasal delivery systems that
would carry the vaccine antigens.
Considering the economic losses, a cost-effective live vaccine that reduces
respiratory and intestinal disease by 50 percent, should have a dramatic
impact for the producer bottom line. "The positive effects of this
intranasal vaccine will also flow over into the meat processing industry,
since injection site reactions would be avoided."
Support for this research has been received from Alberta Agriculture
Research Institute, Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund, Saskatchewan
Beef Development Fund, Saskatchewan Horned Cattle Trust Fund, Saskatchewan
Cattle Marketing Deductions Fund, Manitoba Cattle Producers Association,
Kamloops Stockmen's Association, Natural Science and Engineering Research
Council of Canada, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Saskatchewan
Health Services Utilization and Research Council, Governments of Manitoba
and British Columbia and private sector partners.
VIDO is a not-for-profit research institute specializing in food animal and
poultry infectious diseases and is wholly owned by the University of
Saskatchewan. It operates with significant support from the Government of
Alberta and Government of Saskatchewan.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Stuart Bond
Associate Director, Producer Relations
Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization
Phone: (306) 966-7474
Fax: (306) 966-7478
E-mail: bonds@sask.usask.ca
June 07, 2001
New Chancellor Appointed at U of S
Posted June 07, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 6, 2001 2001-06-01-OTHER
New Chancellor appointed at U of S
The alumni of the University of Saskatchewan have voted W. Thomas Molloy as
their 12th Chancellor.
Molloy replaces Peggy McKercher, who served two terms as Chancellor, on July
1st. The official investiture ceremony will happen during Fall Convocation.
"I am honoured to be chosen for this position," said Molloy. "The University
of Saskatchewan is clearly one of the jewels of our province and I look
forward to representing its alumni and supporting the institution in any way
I can."
Molloy received his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees from the U
of S in 1964. He has practiced law in Saskatoon since graduation and is with
the firm of MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman.
Described as Canada's most expert treaty negotiator, Molloy represented the
Government of Canada as the Chief Federal Negotiator in the successfully
concluded treaties in Nunavut and with the Nisga'a in British Columbia.
He recently authored a book, "The World is Our Witness: The Historic Journey
of the Nisga'a into Canada," which won two Saskatchewan book awards.
He is an officer of the Order of Canada and the recipient of numerous other
awards, including the 2000 Alumni Honour Award in recognition of receiving
notable acclaim for professional achievement, and the City of Saskatoon
Certificate of Distinguished Community Service.
"We are delighted to have yet another strong Chancellor for our University,"
said Peter MacKinnon, University of Saskatchewan President. "Mr. Molloy has
a distinguished history of service to Saskatchewan and to Canada. He will be
a tremendous asset to our institution."
The Chancellor is elected by members of Convocation. He or she presides over
Convocation, confers degrees, chairs the Senate and is a member of the Board
of Governors.
For more information, please contact:
Tom Molloy
(604) 775-7212 (cell.)
(306) 975-7117 (ansering service)
Peter MacKinnon
President
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6612
Diefenbaker Condition Identified
Posted June 07, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 7, 2001
DIEFENBAKER CONDlTION IDENTIFIED
John G. Diefenbaker (1895-1979) was the thirteenth person, and to date the
only one from Saskatchewan, to serve as Prime Minister of Canada. During his
life Mr. Diefenbaker suffered from noticeable physical tremors. These were
mistaken for symptoms of Parkinson's Disease by his political foes, and
others, and were used o question his ability to govern, and to continue to
serve Canada.
Research utilizing records from the Diefenbaker Archives of the Diefenbaker
Canada Centre at the University of Saskatchewan has helped to identify the
condition, which afflicted Mr. Diefenbaker. It is known as essential tremor,
and has been recognized by physicians for nearly 200 years. Yet, until now,
the nature of the underlying abnormality, which produces the shaking, has
remained unknown.
The research was led by Dr. Ali Rajput, Head, Division of Neurology,
Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Rajput is also an
active staff ember of the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine,
Saskatoon District Health. The research was supported by the Saskatchewan
Parkinson's Foundation.
Dr. Rajput and his team have identified the abnormality. The condition is
related to increased noradrenaline levels in the brain. Their observations
suggest the possibility that the condition is inherited. Further studies
will be required to verify their findings. If confirmed, this could lead to
localized gene studies that would be valuable in understanding the
pathogenesis of essential tremor.
Dr. Rajput and his team recently presented their findings at the American
Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the approximately 300
papers presented on movement disorders at the conference, theirs was one of
six chosen as a highlight of the meeting. Additional international
recognition has also been forthcoming. Professor L.J. Findley, a Consultant
Neurologist in Britain, has recognized the discovery as the first showing a
biochemical abnormality in essential tremor.
The findings on the cause of essential tremor are related to research
developments at the University of Saskatchewan. Previously, brain material
had to be sent to other institutions for analysis. This study represents the
first time that one was pursued from initiation to completion at the
Universiby of Saskatchewan. The study took advantage of clinical expertise
at the institution. This is a major development in the scientific capability
to study human brain diseases at the University of Saskatchewan.
In medical circles it is considered an honour to have a disease named after
a person. Medical protocol allows Dr. Rajput, as the leader of the research
team, to name the disease. He has decided to name it after Mr. Diefenbaker.
- 30 -
For information contact:
Dr. Ali Rajput
Division of Neurology
Department of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8009
Bruce Shepard, Director
Diefenbaker Canada Centre
(306) 966-6660
June 04, 2001
DNA Vaccines offer potentially cheaper alternative for disease control
Posted June 04, 2001
DNA vaccines offer potentially cheaper alternative for disease control
Saskatoon, Sask., May 30, 2001: DNA vaccines are still in the experimental
stage of development, but they could provide livestock producers with a
cost-effective alternative to other types of vaccines, says a research
scientist at the University of Saskatchewan?s Veterinary Infectious Disease
Organization (VIDO).
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) vaccines consist of a circular piece of DNA
containing the gene needed to produce a protective protein in the cells of
an animal, says Virologist Dr. Sylvia Van Den Hurk, a VIDO Senior Scientist
investigating DNA vaccines. The protective protein generates the immune
response against a particular disease-causing organism.
"In comparison to protein vaccines, DNA vaccines could become easier to
administer, depending on the cost-effective commercialization of delivery
technology that injects the DNA vaccine into the skin. DNA vaccines will
also be easier and cheaper to produce," she says. "As well, DNA vaccines are
highly effective when delivered in the skin with needle-free devices,
meaning no meat loss because of tissue damage."
DNA vaccines are also advantageous from a safety perspective because they
exist in the cells independently and do not enter the genetic material of
the animals, says Van Den Hurk. "The DNA does not duplicate itself."
To learn more about DNA vaccines, Van Den Hurk and her team first used
infectious bovine rhintracheitis virus (IBRV) as a model virus to work with.
"IBRV is a good challenge model because we have the genes and agents to work
with," she says.
From that work with IBRV, Van Den Hurk has demonstrated that a DNA vaccine
produces the same level of protection as other vaccines. Other viruses such
as bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) are next in VIDO?s research sights.
"We have the genes and the protective proteins for the other viruses and
have put the genes in the circular DNA. In mouse models, the vaccines have
worked successfully for a number of the viruses."
However, it?s more difficult to perform the experiments with cattle and that
will take an additional two years to complete, she says.
While the research continues on the ability of DNA vaccines to become viable
alternatives for livestock producers, safety data must also be collected.
"Basically, the DNA is administered into the skin so that it can get into
the cells. The DNA exists in the skin cells for a period of time and then it
comes to the skin surface and slides off. The vaccine takes around two
months to leave the system and after that we find no traces of the vaccine
in the animal," says Van Den Hurk.
Continued??.
DNA vaccines-Page 2
Experimental DNA vaccines for human viruses such as HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis B
and Influenza are currently being conducted in human clinical trials at
human research institutions, she points out. "So they are considered safe."
On the human health side, Van Den Hurk has no concern about whether people
should consume meat from animals that have been administered a DNA vaccine.
"In my opinion, we shouldn?t worry because we eat DNA everyday in large
amounts. Everything from vegetables to meat contains DNA."
Van Den Hurk cautions that although DNA vaccines show promise for the
cost-effective control of livestock diseases, research needs to continue to
ensure their efficacy and safety. This is the case with all vaccines. "We
need to do more work on these vaccines before we know if they can be a
viable product for researchers to develop and bio-pharmaceutical companies
to produce. But so far, the principles are sound," she says.
Funding sources for the DNA immunization project are: National Science and
Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health
Research, Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund, Alberta Agriculture
Research Institute, Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund, Ontario
Cattleman?s Association, Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, Kamloops
Stockmen?s Association, Saskatchewan Horned Cattle Trust Fund, Saskatchewan
Cattle Marketing Deductions Fund, the Governments of Manitoba and British
Columbia and Agricultural Development Fund of Saskatchewan.
VIDO, located in Saskatoon, is a global leader in food animal and poultry
vaccine research for the control of infectious diseases. It operates with
significant support from the Province of Alberta and Province of
Saskatchewan.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Stuart Bond
Associate Director, Producer Relations
Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization
Phone: (306) 966-7474
Fax: (306) 966-7478
E-mail: bonds@sask.usask.ca
