Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the University of Lethbridge has evolved into one of the top research universities in the country, and will celebrate systematic enquiry throughout Research Week 2017 – Spotlight on Research, March 13-18, 2017.
The week is an annual event designed to highlight research and creative excellence across campus and throughout disciplines, shining a light on both graduate and undergraduate work and giving the southern Alberta community an opportunity to gain insight to the tremendous impact U of L research activities have on society.
“There is so much interesting work being done by our faculty and their students; we really enjoy opening our doors and giving the community a look at what we’re doing,” says Vice-President (Research) Dr. Erasmus Okine. “The research we engage in here at the University is critical work affecting peoples’ lives locally, provincially, nationally and beyond.”
The week features both on- and off-campus events and kicks off Monday, March 13 with the Community University Research Exchange (CURE) event. CURE is an initiative designed to connect U of L researchers with community members interested in research endeavours and has, over the years, facilitated a number of collaborative research relationships. Keynote speaker Dr. Christine Murray of Alberta Innovates, speed talks focused on projects with community partners and a poster session are all part of this event, with full details available here: http://www.uleth.ca/research-services/researchservices/community-university-research-exchange-cure.
On Tuesday, the Undergraduate Research Showcase is in the spotlight as undergraduate students will share their research experiences in the form of a poster show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Hall Atrium.
“This is a new event we’re very excited about,” says Okine. “The undergraduate research activities at the U of L routinely rival that of graduate-level students at other universities and we’re pleased to give our students an opportunity to show off their work.”
A community talk highlights Wednesday as two of the University’s most accomplished and engaging researchers, Drs. Reginald Bibby and Bryan Kolb, share anecdotes of research growth and achievement over the U of L’s 50 years. The talk will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Galt Museum and Archives.
Thursday sees a Research Data Management panel discussion in the U of L Library (12:15 to 1:30 p.m., L950), while Friday’s activities include an Industry and Enabler Panel discussion as well as the popular Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) event, where students present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. The finals of the 3MT competition begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Markin Hall Atrium, with winners advancing to the Canada West event in April.
Research Week 2017 concludes with Saturday’s Meeting of the Minds conference, an interdisciplinary graduate research conference organized by the Graduate Students’ Association. Under the title Intersections, the conference will celebrate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research activities and showcase all types of traditional and non-traditional research. The conference will run all day in the Markin Hall Atrium and conclude with Kolb’s keynote address at 6 p.m.
For a look at all the activities associated with Research Week 2017, visit this link: https://www.uleth.ca/notice/notices/research-week-2017-spotlight-research.