January 2007
Jan. 8 2007
TRU puts Williams Lake on national map
Williams Lake -Today university students started a new semester in the smallest Canadian city with its own university campus.
Martin Whittles, Interim Dean of TRU Williams Lake said the staff and faculty spent most of December ensuring today’s opening of the university went smoothly.
Six urban facilities were merged to one campus in the small Cariboo city, Whittles said, adding that the new campus “is going to be the fresh, professional face of the community.”
At the 1250 Western Ave. location students can enjoy access to classrooms, science and nursing laboratories, trades and technology shops, computer laboratories, the campus library, Registrar’s and counseling offices, services for Aboriginal students, faculty offices, and student council facilities -- all under one roof.
The campus will host a province-wide athletic event and some regional events this winter and spring in its new, state-of-the-art, wireless campus.
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For more information, please contact Martin Whittles at 250-392-8000 or
by email.
January 10, 2007
TRU Recreation invites public to campus dance workshopsKAMLOOPS-The public is invited to participate in a combination dance workshop presented by Let’s Move (Yoga, Dance, and More) on Saturday Jan. 27.
Dance and movement styles will include yoga, tribal fusion, belly dance, bhangra, Latin dance, core exercises and dance isolations, with workshops led by Martina Schnelle of Let’s Move, with the workshops held from 1 to 4 pm in the Alumni Theatre located in the TRU Clock Tower building.
No experience is necessary. Registration is $30 for students and $40 for community members, and all participants are asked to register by Jan. 24 at the TRU Gymnasium (900 McGill Road) or Let’s Move (#201 – 322 Victoria Street).
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For more information or for photo opportunities, please contact:
Pina Russo (TRU Recreation Coordinator)
by email or at 828-5271.
Martina Schnelle (Let’s Move) at 372-9642
January 10, 2007
If you build it . . .KAMLOOPS-How much load can a popsicle-stick bridge hold before the whole bridge’s load loses hold?
Last year, it was over half a ton. That’s right: a bridge constructed by Bill Frymire of Kamloops using the regulation 100 popsicle sticks held together with white glue and spanning a gap of 500 millimetres took 1,070 lbs of pressure before giving way.
Organizers of this year’s 4th annual contest hope someone beats that record.
“This annual competition is held to have fun, celebrate engineering and geoscience week in Canada and to raise awareness of the engineering programs offered at TRU,” explained co-organizer Ben Giudici.
Presented jointly by the
APEGBC South Central Branch and Thompson Rivers University, the Popsicle-Stick
Bridge Contest gives contestants in four categories the chance to prove their engineering prowess and win a gift certificate, $100 prize or the coveted “Corporate Cup.”
Entry categories include Elementary (Grades 7 and Under), Secondary (Grades 8 to 12), Open (Public, mixed-category teams, university students, except PEngs) and Corporate (Open to professional engineers or engineering firms only).
“Anyone is welcome to participate, and contestants may enter bridges individually or as a team, but we encourage everyone to register early,” said Giudici, adding that “Contestants should arrive in advance of their category event to have their entries officially signed in before judging begins.”
The event will be held this year from 10 am to 3:30 pm on Saturday, March 10 in TRU’s Trades & Technology Center. Those who want to learn about the fundamentals of bridge design may download the free Westpoint Bridge Designer at
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/download.htm. The contest rules and entry form are posted at:
http://www.tru.ca/advtech/electronics.html The goal of the contest is to construct the strongest bridge possible with 100 Popsicle sticks and white glue. The bridge must span a 500 mm gap, the highest centre portion of the bridge must be designed to contact a 100mm wide loading plate through which the “Bridge Buster” will apply loading to the bridge, and a matchbox car must be able to traverse the bridge on a construction paper deck; otherwise, the design of the bridge is left up to the competitor.
Last year the contest saw a total of 72 entries in the four categories of competition. Winners were: Elementary-Michelle Fortier & Hannah Chretien (328 lbs); Secondary-Christina Noel (294 lbs); Open-Bill Frymire (1,070 lbs); Corporate-Andrew Watson, PEng. of Watson Engineering (635 lbs).
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For more info, please contact Ben Giudici
by email or at 250-828-5108, or Judy Russell in the TRU Advanced Technologies and Mathematics office
by email or at 250-828-5050.
Jan. 17, 2007
(to request photo)Kamloops faces major labour shortage, say TRU business studentsKAMLOOPS- TRU business students Lindsay Allan, Viningston Fernando, Robbie Kelm, Jessica Saavedra and Jaime Wenselaers were at the city’s Development Services boardroom today to present their Phase I Kamloops Skills Study report to Venture Kamloops.
Based on a survey conducted across all industries in Kamloops this past fall, the study, a joint project of
Venture Kamloops and the university’s
School of Business & Economics and conducted by TRU fourth-year human resources students, aims to help employers in the Kamloops area deal with skills shortages, both current and anticipated over the next five years.
“I am pleased that our students not only had this opportunity to enhance their business education with hands-on research, but were able at the same time to help the local economy,” said TRU President and Vice-Chancellor Roger Barnsley.
The students’ faculty sponsor, Richard Roy, agreed, adding, “They didn’t offer this kind of opportunity where I went to school.”
The baseline research identifies current and projected skilled labour shortages by major employers, industry sectors that will experience a skills shortage, the number of employees and skill sets needed, good sources from which to attract labour and future labour market growth projections. It will be used to assist Venture Kamloops in the creation of a comprehensive workforce development strategy to assist local employers in finding needed labour.
"Venture Kamloops values its partnership with Thompson Rivers University on this project,” said Venture Kamloops Economic Development Manager Anita Grover. “We were very impressed with the quality of work done on this project by the students, and plan to share these results with potential immigrants in the UK and the Netherlands this coming February and March at international immigration fairs."
The report, which cross-referenced survey findings with data from past labour studies, came to some strong conclusions. It found that almost all industries are facing huge demands for employees within the next five years, and identified trends affecting the Kamloops workforce, such as changes in unemployment, the aging workforce and population growth. Kamloops’ economy has been experiencing steady growth in recent years, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of full-time jobs available as well as a declining unemployment rate.
The report shows increases across all sectors, with new positions forecast for mining, retail, education, construction, transportation, professionals, finance, accommodations and food services, communications, forestry, health care, manufacturing and crown corporations.
Venture Kamloops will conduct Phase II, which aims to develop a workforce development strategy. It is expected to be complete by the end of July 2007.
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For more information:
Richard Roy (TRU Business) 250-371-5803 or by
email. Anita Grover (Manager, Business Development) 250-828-6818 or by
email. Lindsay Allan (student) at 250-320-8172 or Jaime Wenselaers (student) at 250-574-1237.
To view detailed results of Kamloops’ Labour Market Study-Phase I go to:
www.venturekamloops.com
Jan. 22, 2007
Public invited to 3-D interactive research exhibitKAMLOOPS-The real world will be virtually at your fingertips next week as the
Small Cities Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) researchers at TRU present "Imaging Place Second Life: Kamloops British Columbia,” a free workshop and exhibition of Kamloops-based research presented in a 3D virtual world, created by CURA researcher John Craig Freeman using
Second Life, a 3-D world that extends the concept of immersive environments beyond gaming.
"Our interest in virtual communities complements our ongoing research into the cultural life of small cities," says CURA Director Will Garrett-Petts. "Virtual worlds like Second Life extend the boundaries of small cities and small towns."
The public is invited to the TRU campus on Friday, Jan. 26 when researchers and others will gather in Room 1010 in TRU’s International Building at 2 pm to experience Second Life, a user-created world defined by the activities of its “residents” within a virtual “meta-verse” developed and made publicly available by a California company, Linden Labs.
Kamloops exhibition tour guide is Dan O'Reilly of TRU's Philosophy Department. Those wishing to interact via their own laptops will need to download the latest version of QuickTime, create their own avatar by going to Second Life and registering with them (there is no cost to joining and obtaining an avatar), and then teleport to the site in Second Life: directions will be given once you arrive. A large screen display will be provided for those attending without their own laptops. For more info about the exhibit, call 828-5248.
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For more information, please contact Will Garrett-Petts at 250-828-5248 or go to:
www.smallcities.ca
Jan. 22, 2007
TRU students offer free web designKAMLOOPS-Twenty local businesses can get a marketing boost this spring from
Computer Systems Operations & Management (CSOM) students at Thompson Rivers University.
For the past few years, CSOM students in their second semester of study have created websites for non-profit organizations and small businesses at no charge.
“The average value of the service if a business were to charge for doing the same work would be about a couple of thousand dollars,” said the students’ instructor, Mohd A., who explained that 20 per cent of the students’ final mark is based on this project.
Once the original design work is done, Mohd suggests that businesses can maintain their sites by either hiring a student to maintain the site after the initial creation, or ask the student who created the initial design how to maintain it thereafter. “If the firm is capable, why not?” he asked.
Business owners and non-profit managers wishing to take advantage of this offer may contact Mohd at mabdullah@tru.ca by Feb. 9, 2007.
To view websites created by past students, go to:
http://www.tru.ca/advtech/cist/faculty/mohda/studentsite/index.html
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For more information, please contact Mohd A. 250-371-5961 or
by email.
Jan. 22, 2007
TRU Training House wins regional awardKAMLOOPS- The TRU Training House (YMCA Dream House located in the Aberdeen Highlands) built by 2005/06 Construction Trades students in partnership with the
Kamloops CHBA, won a Golden Tommie Home Builder Award of Excellence Award this past weekend.
TRU and Okanagan College tied for first place for the honour, therefore two Golden Tommies were awarded in the category, "Outstanding Contribution to the Housing Industry by an Individual or Group"
The Training House Project is a joint initiative of the
TRU School of Trades and Technology and the Kamloops Home Builder’s Association which provides TRU Residential Construction, Plumbing, Electrical, Welding, Horticulture, Joinery and Telecommunications students to practice their skills while building a complete home, from foundation to finishing.
The Training House was purchased by the Kamloops YMCA for its Dream Home lottery. Some of the revenues from the sale of the house each year go into an endowment administered by the TRU Foundation, which solicits and manages the funds for scholarships and bursaries.
About 130 students and 14 faculty members are involved in the project each year.
Gold awards in thirty-nine categories were handed out academy awards style to an audience of 600 at the Grand Okanagan Hotel, Kelowna.
CHBA-Kamloops is an active residential builder association of 150 members representing the Kamloops and TNRD region.
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For more information and photos of the winners, contact
Patsy Bourassa, Executive Officer
CHBA-Kamloops
Phone: 828 1844
Jan. 22, 2007
TRU undergrads call for presentation proposalsKAMLOOPS-Calling all aspiring academics!
The 2nd annual TRU Undergrad Conference committee invites students to send in their presentation proposals for this year’s conference, to be held on Saturday March 10 at the TRU Kamloops campus.
“The TRU Undergrad Conference is an opportunity for students from all backgrounds and disciplines in the arts and sciences to give papers or make other presentations discussing and sharing their intellectual experiences and opinions with their peers,” explained co-organizer Chantal MacDonald.
Students may present on any topic, but it is suggested that students provide intellectual insight into their topic and that the papers be thought-provoking in their concepts. Although it is not mandatory, students are asked to plan their session with feedback from a professor beforehand.
Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes in length, and in order to encourage a dynamic, engaging and creative atmosphere, presenter are strongly encouraged to design their presentations with an interactive component (visuals, technology, music etc.) that will engage participants in the student’s topic.
“This is the second undergraduate conference to take place at TRU and we are seeking to make the event better acclaimed throughout TRU itself and its community, which can only occur through student and faculty participation and interest,” said MacDonald. “This is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their academic capabilities portray TRU’s potential to its community.”
Interested students may send a proposal of their presentation as a word-processed document via email to
Kendra Staruiala. The subject line should read “TRU Undergrad Conference” and the proposal should contain presenter’s name, department of study, phone number and e-mail address, title of presentation, and an abstract of a maximum 250 words which will include a brief description of the topic, how it will be presented interactively, and what participants will learn by the end of the session. Potential presenters should also note whether they will require audio visual equipment or other materials.
Deadline for submissions is Feb. 16. Questions about the presentations can be directed to either
Kendra or
Alizée. -30-
For more information, please contact
Chantal MacDonald.
Jan. 23, 2007
TRU ready to launch unique trades & technology degreeKAMLOOPS-Thompson Rivers University’s Senate heard yesterday evening that the university’s new Bachelor of Technology degree in Trades and Technology Leadership has received approval from the province’s degree quality assessment board (DQAB) and is now awaiting the formal go-ahead in the form of a letter from BC’s Ministry of Advanced Education before launching the unique degree this year.
"This innovative degree enhances TRU's reputation as a university that offers flexible and relevant programming for the present and future needs of working Canadians," said TRU Provost and VP Academic Mark Evered.
The new program, the only one of its kind in Canada, is aimed at allowing certified tradespeople to gain the business and leadership knowledge needed for management and other advanced positions, will primarily be offered through on-line study, as the university recognizes that many tradespeople wishing to advance in their careers would already be working in their chosen field and so require flexible learning options.
“This program represents an economical and quick way for people in the trades to advance their careers,” said TRU’s trades and technology degree programs coordinator Gerry Desrochers, who explained that the university is now working on creating the registration process for the program that will credit prior learning.
“People entering the program will get credit for previous training, and apart from a kick-off and a capstone course in leadership, can study on-line, so they won’t lose any earnings,” he added.
The university anticipates a start on the program’s on-line courses as early as late spring or summer.
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For more information, please contact Gerry Desrochers at 250-828-5106 or
by email.
Jan. 24, 2007
TRU Williams Lake launches free lecture seriesKAMLOOPS-TRU Williams Lake kicks off its winter semester program of free noon-hour “Lunch & Learn” lectures February 9th in the TRU Williams Lake Campus Library, located in Room 1307 at the new TRU Campus, 1250 Western Avenue. Participants are invited to bring a lunch to eat during the lectures, which will start at noon and will run approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Coffee will be provided. The lecture schedule is as follows:
EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT**FRI, FEB 9TH**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “The History of Evolutionary Thought” with Rob Higgins (TRU Biological Sciences), showing that from the beginning of the Renaissance through the Enlightenment the foundations of modern science were laid such that it was only a matter of time before evolution came to become the central theory of modern biology. Free one-hour lecture open to all.
ADVENTURES IN THE ANDES**FRI, FEB 16TH**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Ice and Snow at the Equator: Adventures and misadventures at 20,000 feet in the Andes” with Martin Whittles (Interim Dean, TRU Williams Lake) who joined a bold expedition involving scientists from around the world and the National Geographic Society to retrieve ancient ice samples from a 22,000 Andean foot summit -- and to fly them to a base camp via hot air balloon.
LIFE, CHANCE AND ENTROPY**FRI, MARCH 2ND**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Does Life have a Chance with Entropy?” with Marten Lettinga (Chemistry and Physics), an exploration of how concepts such as heat and apparent order relate to entropy.
THE HISTORY & FUTURE OF THE WRITTEN WORD**FRI, MARCH 9TH**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Is Writing a Defunct Art?” with Sharon Taylor (TRU English & University Preparation).
BEING SKEPTICAL**FRI, MARCH 16TH**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Thoughts about Thinking” with Daniel Dorogi (TRU Sociology & Anthropology), an introduction and explication of the role and importance of skeptical and critical thinking.
FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER**FRI, MARCH 23RD**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder” with Jay Goddard (TRU Counselling), about how working smarter, not harder, has improved the lives of many people living with this disability.
FAN FICTION**FRI, MARCH 30TH**NOON**TRU WL CAMPUS, ROOM 1307
TRU-WL Lunch & Learn Lecture Series presents “Fan Fiction: A Multidisciplinary Discussion” with Chris Montoya (TRU Psychology), Daniel Dorogi (Sociology), Jay Goddard (Counselling) and Sharon Taylor (English). From the perspective of their respective disciplines, the four instructors will explore one of the ways ordinary people are shaping the World Wide Web, and consequently the world around us through a popular phenomenon: Fan Fiction.
Those wishing more information may contact TRU Librarian Elizabeth Rennie at 392-8031 or
email. -30-
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Rennie at 392-8031 or
by email.
Jan. 29, 2007
WolfPack volleyball men still have good chance at playoff spotKAMLOOPS-“The magic number is one,” said TRU Athletics and Recreation Director Ken Olynyk, referring to the fact that if the WolfPack men’s volleyball team gets one win in the next four matches, the best that Calgary and Brandon, contenders for the same playoff spot, can do is tie TRU. “In a tie situation,” Olynyk explained, “we’re ahead right now.”
Losses by Brandon and Calgary combined with a TRU win would mathematically put the WolfPack in the playoffs, a great feat for a team that started the season with virtually a brand-new squad.
Women’s volleyball hasn’t fared as well, meeting some tough teams in the past few weeks and reducing its chances at a playoff spot. Asked to comment on the women’s chances of making it to the Canada West volleyball playoffs, Olynyk said, “It’s not mathematically impossible, but on the ground, it’s highly unlikely,” noting that the team is matched up with some tough competition for its remaining games.
Both the men and the women play their last home matches of the season this Friday and Saturday night vs the University of Alberta in the TRU gym, with the women starting at 6 pm and the men at 7:45.
TRU’s hoopsters haven’t fared so well, this season, and are out of contention for a playoff spot.
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For more information, please contact Ken Olynyk at 250-828-5273 or 250-320-4263.
January 29, 2007
Anti-GMO farmer to speak at TRUKAMLOOPS-Percy Schmeiser, the Saskatchewan farmer who wound up in court with Monsanto when the pesticide and biotechnology giant found its genetically engineered canola plant growing on Schmeiser's farm in 1997, will speak at TRU Feb. 15 at 7 pm in the Alumni Theatre located in the university’s Clock Tower.
Monsanto filed suit in 1998, and in 2004, the Supreme Court of Canada made biotechnology history with a 5-4 ruling that Schmeiser had violated a patent Monsanto Canada Inc. held on genes of genetically engineered canola seeds.
Mr. Schmeiser, 74, has been farming since 1947, and he and his wife are known on the Prairies as seed developers in canola and as seed savers. Throughout the proceedings, he insisted that the seed somehow blew onto his fields from passing trucks or from neighbouring farms, which had paid Monsanto Canada Inc. the licensing fee of $15 an acre to use it.
“The whole issue of GMOs can be divided into three main categories: the first category is the issue of the property rights of farmers versus the intellectual property rights of multinationals like Monsanto. The second issue is the health and danger to our food with the introduction of GMOs. The third issue is the environment,” said Schmeiser, who received the Mahatma Gandhi Award while he was in India in October 2000.
“When we were sued my wife and I immediately realized that 50 years of research and development on our pure canola seed that was suitable and adaptable to certain conditions on the Prairies, climatic and soil conditions and especially diseases that we had in canola, could now be contaminated. We said to Monsanto at the time, ‘Look, if you have any of your GMOs in our pure canola seed you are liable for the destruction of our property and our pure seed.’ So, we stood up to them,” he added.
“With the introduction of GMOs there is no such thing as containment. Once you introduce a life form, a life-giving form, into the environment there is no calling back. You cannot contain the wind. You cannot contain the seed movement through cross-pollination - birds, bees, and other animals. You cannot contain it and it will spread as it has on the Prairies. As a farmer for half a century, I know that once you introduce a GMO gene into the environment, into any seed or plant, it’s a dominant gene. It will eventually take over whatever species of plants it gets into. You can’t have GMOs in the country and have organic or conventional farmers,” he said.
Schmeiser’s appearance at TRU was facilitated with support from the TRU faculty association and the
Council of Canadians.
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For more information, please contact Nancy Bepple (TRU) at 250-371-5982.
Media note:
Mr. Schmeiser will only be available for phone interviews until Feb. 1 at 306-369-2520.
Mr. Schmeiser will be available for face-to-face media interviews in Kamloops on Thursday, Feb. 15 from 9 am to 1 pm.
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For background information, go to:
www.percyschmeiser.com
Jan. 31, 2007
TRU snowboarder top BC competitor at Mont Tremblant raceKAMLOOPS-TRU business student Carly Thorp had an outstanding race at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, the site of the year's 3rd snowboard cross race for the BC Snowboard team on the Canadian Open Snowboard Tour (Nor-Am Tour), on Sunday, Jan. 28.
Carly Thorp had the top result on the BC team, placing 4th, her best finish yet as a FIS racer (open-age international points system) in the Women's Snowboard cross event. Complete results for this race can be found at:
http://www.csf.ca/cost/sbx-tremblant-results.php The TRU Ambassador Entrance Award winner from Nakusp, who has been a top scholar-athlete since high school, is back in class this week at TRU. She will head for Big White in Kelowna on Feb. 4 for another BC Snowboard Association race before she represents BC in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding event at the
Canada Winter Games, to be held in Whitehorse, Yukon, Feb. 24 through Mar. 10, when snowboarding will be debuting as a demonstration sport.
For a photo of Carly snowboarding:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/Psukan/snowboard_prov.jpg -30-
For more information, please contact Carly Thorp at (250) 377-0732 or
by email.