Government invests in research at the U of S
Posted April 15, 2005
Tweet The following news release was issued by the Government of Saskatchewan.
Government invests in research at the U of S
The Government of Saskatchewan is providing almost $4.5 million for ten
Canada Research Chairs and supporting infrastructure at the University of
Saskatchewan.
http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2005/04/15-312.html
BACKGROUNDER
Tier I and II Research Chairs Receiving ISF Funds
University of Saskatchewan
April 15, 2005
Abonyi, Sylvia - $325,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs for
the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Health. Partnering with
Aboriginal communities, the Chair is exploring the role of culture in the
health of Aboriginal Canadians in priority areas such as diabetes and
HIV/AIDS. An Aboriginal health research and training facility will be set
up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to conduct research to improve
understanding of population health.
Achenbach, Sven - $325,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs
for the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nano Device Fabrication.
Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding high-technology area, supporting
multi-billion dollar industries in various fields. Using the CLS, the Chair
is establishing X-ray lithography technology in Canada, and will also
establish a microfabrication laboratory known as the Canadian Synchrotron
Nanostructures Facility (CSNF) at the CLS. Using a new atomic force
microscope, work will be done to characterize the micro- and nano-scale
structures developed at the CLS, and work will also be done to develop and
optimize the lithography processes used to obtain these structures.
Brawley, Lawrence - $525,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs
for the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention. A physical activity and health promotion
laboratory will be developed to allow research on older adults and special
populations with chronic conditions (cardiovascular disease, mobility
disability, arthritis) and to investigate key issues related to physical
activity to inform health professionals and agencies about management of
physical activity in older adults. The Chair will also research methods
both to help people to change behaviour and to maintain desired new
behaviours.
Chapman, Dean - $525,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs for
the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Multidisciplinary Health Research. A
novel synchrotron-based x-ray projection imaging and computer tomography
system is being built and tested at the CLS. The system allows tissues to
be visualized in unprecedented clarity and detail and involves the
translation of synchrotron methods to clinical systems. With this imaging
technique, cancers can be seen with better clarity while delivering x-ray
doses less than three percent (3%) of what is delivered by present
radiography.
Kalynchuk, Lisa - $325,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs
for the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Neuroscience. A
behavioural neuroscience research laboratory will be established to support
research on the neurobiological underpinnings of pathological emotional
behaviour such as anxiety, depression and panic. This research is expected
to lead to the development of more targeted drug treatments for anxiety and
depression, and is expected to enable development of enriched early
childhood environments that are supportive of healthy responses to stress
later in life.
Partridge, Mark - $400,000 (U of S) for the Tier I Chair in the New Rural
Economy. This Chair is investigating the future of rural life in the
Prairies and Western Canada by examining linkages between technological
change and economic growth. Farming will remain important in the rural
economy, but will not be the engine of growth it once was. This research
will assess the factors that might inhibit Western Canadian farms and
businesses from adopting New Economy business practices, and examine the
degree to which choices made to live in certain areas are determined by job
opportunities as opposed to quality-of-life issues.
Pedras, Soledade - $540,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs
for the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Bioorganic and Agricultural
Chemistry. Research will be conducted on the natural reactions of plants to
pathogenic microbes to discover natural defence processes that can be
applied to protecting plants. New equipment for metabolic profiling and
enzyme purification will be used to develop strategies to protect crops
against diseases such as blackleg, black spot, stem rot, root rot, and other
fungi. This research is expected to lead to selective disease control
methods to reduce crop yield losses and preserve the environment.
St. Maurice, Jean-Pierre - $540,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure
costs for the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Environmental Sciences. A
high-frequency radar system will be installed at Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, that
will play a pivotal role in the study of magnetic storms, filling an
important gap in the present network of ground-based instrumentation. This
research will contribute to knowledge of global change issues, including
climate change.
Tse, John - $560,000 (U of S) for research and infrastructure costs for the
Tier I Canada Research Chair in Materials Science. A high- performance
computing facility will be established to allow research on atomic
structures and properties in conjunction with sophisticated experimental
methods at the CLS. New methods for large-scale computer simulations will
be developed to assist interpretation and prediction of material properties.
These predicted material properties will be examined using the CLS by
subjecting the actual materials to extreme pressure and temperature.
Chibbar, Ravindra - $400,000 (U of S) for research costs for the Tier I
Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biology for Crop Quality. The Chair has
studied the regulation of genes responsible for starch biosynthesis in
cereal grains, opening the way to biotechnological improvement of crops
through means other than "genetic modification." This research will be
expanded into pulse crops and will assist in designing molecular strategies
to develop pulse crops with desired quality components.
