May 2007
May 2, 2007
KAMLOOPS-TRU WolfPack head coach Nevin Gleddie will be welcoming some top prairie players to the WolfPack men's basketball team for the coming season's CIS play.
Simon Doty, who last played for King's University College in Edmonton, was in the top 10 in the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference in scoring and led his team in scoring and rebounding in the 2006/07 season. The 6'4 athlete from Okotoks, Alberta, who will be majoring in economics this fall, also plays volleyball and badminton, and was named MVP of Holy Trinity Academy's basketball team in Grade 12.
"Simon is a deceptively athletic and versatile player that will fit in well in our systems," said WolfPack men's basketball head coach Nevin Gleddie. "He is a very intelligent player with the ability to play inside and out. With the league going to FIBA rules, Simon will really fit into our systems and we are excited to have him."
Matthew Pierce, a 6'1" guard, one of the leading scorers for #1 provincially ranked Silver Heights Collegiate in Winnipeg, will be studying business at TRU this fall. He is a member of the 2007 All Manitoba basketball team, was named MVP at the 2007 Luther Invitational Tournament in Regina, was named to the 2007 Provincial All Star Team at the Winnipeg Invitational tournament, and rated as the seventh top player in Manitoba by the Winnipeg Sun.
"We are very excited to have Matt join our program," said Gleddie. "He is a very good shooter and scorer with a high basketball IQ. He is an extremely hard worker and will only get better through the years that he is here. I think that Matt will become one of the better defenders in the conference. He's is a very determined young man and I look forward to the opportunity to coach him."
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For more information, please contact:
Nevin Gleddie at 250-828-5272 or 250-318-8733 or
by email.
Matthew Pierce at 204-488-4902 or
by email.
Simon Doty at (780) 932-3689 or
by email.
May 8, 2007
KAMLOOPS-A faculty member in TRU's School of Nursing will receive the Award of Excellence in Nursing Education from the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). Diane Wells will be presented with her award at the annual general meeting of the CRNBC at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver tomorrow (May 9).
"I was very honoured to learn that I would receive recognition from our professional organization, the College of Registered Nurses of BC (CRNBC) for my commitment to nursing education," said Diane Wells. "I share this award with many of my colleagues (at TRU and RIH), who have been and continue to be my mentors. I feel very privileged to enjoy the work that I do, to share my passion for nursing with students."
This is not the first time Wells has been recognized as a nurse-educator; she received a TRU Teaching Excellence award in 2001.
The CRNBC Award of Excellence in Nursing Education is presented to registered nurses who demonstrate excellence in nursing education in the nurses' own work settings, in such areas as: lecture, demonstration, discussion, clinical or laboratory instruction; consultation, including tutoring, advising and thesis or major paper supervision; program, curriculum or course design and development; innovative teaching methods; educational planning and policy making; and production of educational materials like study guides, instructional materials and resources, audiovisual aids, and textbooks.
Nominees must, among other criteria, also consistently demonstrate excellence as a professional nurse; consistently demonstrate responsibility for own professional development; participate in the activities of professional, health-related organizations outside of their own agency; actively demonstrate innovative and progressive ideas in nursing; act as a role model and mentor; and consistently demonstrate excellence in interpersonal relationships and communication skills.
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For more information, please contact Diane Wells at 250-828-5417 or
by email.
Or School of Nursing chair Jeanette Murray at 250-828-5418.
Note: A photo will be available after the ceremony.
May 8, 2007
Local students top regional math contest
KAMLOOPS-Five students from Kamloops secondary schools had the highest scores out of 201 contestants from around the region in the TRU-sponsored British Columbia Secondary Schools Mathematics Contest 2007, capturing five of the six top spots.
All winners but one are from city schools, two are siblings and many are members of their school’s honour band. A fact seeming to affirm the truism that mathematics and music are linked in the brain. Shane Rollans is the the father of 1st-place Junior writer Keith Rollans (Sa-Hali Secondary) and 3rd-place senior writer Charlotte Rollans (Sa-Hali Secondary). Keith along with 2nd-place Junior Stephan Bouthot (South Kamloops Secondary) and 1st-place Senior Alan Richards (SKSS), are honour band members.
The contest, now in its 35th year, attracts students from 100 Mile House, Ashcroft, Barriere, Clearwater, Merritt and Williams Lake. 201 students participated in the Preliminary Round of the Contest on Mar. 7; of those 116 were in the Junior section (Grades 8-10) and 85 were in the Senior section (Grades 11 and 12). The top Junior and Senior in each school were awarded Preliminary Round Book Prizes, and a maximum of six students from each school were invited to write the Final Round at TRU on May 3.
A total of 62 students, 30 Juniors and 32 Seniors, participated in the Final Round. Following the competition students and teachers were entertained by Dr. Jonathan Berkowitz from UBC who spoke on the topic of ‘Logology.’
The top three Juniors, 1st-place Keith Rollans, 2nd-place Stephan Bouthot and 3rd-place Garrett Paluck (Brocklehurst Secondary) were awarded Final Round Book Prizes, while the top three Seniors, 1st-place Alan Richards, 2nd-place Josh Smith (Williams Lake Secondary) and 3rd-place Charlotte Rollans won book prizes plus scholarships in the amount of $600, $400 and $200 respectively.
TRU’s department of mathematics and statistics is responsible for the organization of the BC Secondary Schools Mathematics Contest for Kamloops and the surrounding area each year.
The university’s chemistry and biochemistry department also holds a province-wide competition each year. Last year, students from 83 different schools around British Columbia (and one school from Garden City, New York, N.Y.) participated, with 1498 Chem 11 students and 1034 Chem 12 students writing the contest. This year’s contest will be held Wednesday, May 16. The TRU-Kamloops contest organizers hope to offer the contest and lab experience in Williams Lake this year, using an interactive lab network, and will also have a group of students coming from Salmon Arm to do the contest at TRU’s Kamloops campus.
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For more information check out
http://www.tru.ca/science/chemistry/chem_contest.html
or contact:
Fae DeBeck, TRU Mathematics & Statistics, at (250) 828-5226 or
by email.
Shane Rollans, TRU Mathematics & Statistics, at (250) 828-5054 or (250) 372-5478 or
by email.
Doug Bickley, TRU Chemistry & Biochemistry, at (250) 828-5455 or
by email.
May 9, 2007
Love, ethics, and a brand-new major
KAMLOOPS-The role of a regional university like TRU is to help post-secondary learners gain the education they need close to home, and TRU’s new philosophy major will help southern interior students do just that.
Until now, students wishing to major in philosophy had to leave TRU after completing two years of study. In the words of one such student, “If TRU had a philosophy major I would have finished my studies in Kamloops. I would be relatively debt-free, living in my home-town and attending a school that I know and appreciate. At TRU, classes are more personal and students are more likely to create a dialogue with their professors, so the chance of clearly and completely understanding concepts is markedly higher.”
There’s no doubt that individual attention and engaging classroom dialogue are crucial for students wrestling with questions like ‘Is there progress in history?’ ‘What role does conflict play in human development?’ ‘Does life have a meaning?’ ‘Is there free will?’ ‘Are there fundamental rights?’ and ‘How can we distinguish knowledge from belief?’ and looking at issues involving ethics and reasoning in health care, biomedical research, environmental planning, law, religion, and even those thorniest of age-old human conundrums, sex and love.
And if some out there are still wondering, not in an existential way, but in terms of practical outcomes, ‘What’s the point?’ here it is: a philosophy major at TRU will not only allow graduates to be able to gain admission to graduate studies in philosophy, the program will also satisfy the needs and interests of students who may be planning on pursuing other post-baccalaureate studies in education, law, social work, management and administration, health, public administration, and journalism.
Philosophy graduates in North America have a proven track record of successful entry into law school and graduate management programs, outperforming students from other fields on the Law School Admission Test, the Graduate Management Admission Test, and the Graduate Record Examination; philosophy grads placed second to Math students (and well ahead of Business students) on the GMAT and first and third on the other two tests (out of a field of 28 disciplines).
As Bruce Baugh, a philosophy professor at TRU and major impetus behind the major initiative said, “Graduates of the TRU philosophy program will have all they need to pursue further studies, but with a difference that can be found nowhere else, because the TRU philosophy degree is unique. Only TRU offers courses in the philosophy of pop culture, the philosophy of rock music or the philosophy of computing and technology. In BC, only TRU offers courses on the philosophy of sex and love, and only TRU offers regular courses in Continental philosophy: existentialism, postmodernism, structuralism, critical theory, the philosophies of difference which continue to shape our time.”
TRU also offers majors in aboriginal studies, economics, economic and political studies, English, geography, history, mathematics, psychology, sociology, and theatre arts under the Bachelor of Arts degree.
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For more information, please contact Bruce Baugh at 250-371-5581 or
by email.
May 28, 2007
Twenty-two TRU researchers and students receive NSERC funding
KAMLOOPS-Thompson Rivers University faculty and students were among 10,000 Canadian professors and students to share in the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council's (NSERC) 2007 Grants and Scholarships announced today by Parliamentary Secretary Colin Carrie, MP, on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, and NSERC President Dr. Suzanne Fortier.
As a result of the current competition, TRU researchers will receive new funding to a total of $154,508 in Discovery and Research Tools and Instrument Grants.
"These grants, particularly the tools and instrument grants, indicate NSERC's recognition that our researchers are cutting-edge," said Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner, TRU's Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies.
"They are creating new knowledge, and many extremely creative people at TRU are working on some very interesting projects. TRU's integrated approach to graduate studies and knowledge creation distinguishes TRU as a university and creates a dynamic learning environment at all levels. When students come into the classroom of these world-class researchers, they are learning beyond the text book," she added.
TRU microbiologist Dr. Jonathan Van Hamme, who is currently looking for a microbe that will break down toxic mustard gas, a wartime relic still active in ocean dumps and unmarked burial sites throughout Europe and even off BC's coast, holds an ongoing Discovery Grant of $32,000 for his project, "Biocatalyst development for mustard gas bioremediation and detection." He received new funding in the form of a Research Tools and Instrument Grant of $75,909 (new) for a gas chromatograph with electron capture detector for analysis of fluorinated organic compounds.
TRU computational chemist Dr. Nelaine Mora-Diez will receive a Discovery Grant of $27,000 per year for two years for her project, "Theoretical thermodynamic and kinetic studies of organic systems of interest" as well as a Research Tools and Instrument Grant of $24,599 for her investigations into "Linux parallel cluster for innovative research in chemistry."
TRU researchers receiving annual funding related to grants established in previous years include mathematician Dr. Robb Fry ("Geometry of Banach spaces" $9,000); research chair Dr. Lauchlan Fraser (Effects of stress and disturbance on temperate grasslands: linking plant traits and ecosystem function $13,200); biologist Dr. Cynthia Ross "Viscin tissue of the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum (Viscaceae): how does it develop, what is it made of, and how does it function in explosive seed discharge" $24,000); computer scientist Dr. Roelof Brouwer ("Extraction of rules/equations from neural networks" $9,000); bioinformatics researcher Dr. Mila Kwiatkowska ("Integration of expert knowledge with data-driven methods to develop and visualise clinical prediction rules" $14,000); mathematician Dr. Richard Brewster ("Computational complexity of combinatorial problems $13,000), mathematician Dr. Mohamed Tawhid ("Mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints" $7,000); mathematician Dr. Roger Yu ("Extension property in graph theory" $6,000); and natural resource scientist Dr. Karl Larsen ("Natal dispersal in red squirrels: patterns & mechanisms" $10,000).
Five graduating students will have their study toward a master's degree subsidized by NSERC: two students, Tiera Machell (natural resource sciences) and Kristi McBurnie (computing science) will receive Canada Graduate Scholarships, while students Amber Greenall (natural resource sciences), Morgan Rankin (natural resource sciences) and Chad Stewart (biological sciences) will receive Post-Graduate Scholarships.
Seven exceptional students still studying at TRU will receive Undergraduate Student Research Awards to help them get hands-on research experience in a laboratory: Samantha Keller (chemistry); Kristi McBurnie (computing science); Megan Enos (biochemistry); Samson Bassett (mathematics); Stacey Lamont (mathematics); Quinn Mason (biology); and Kristine Teichman (natural resource science).
TRU's Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner, said, "I sincerely believe that every student should have the opportunity to engage in original research, scholarly activity and the production of creative works as part of their undergraduate experience. Student researchers generate new knowledge and ideas, and in the process develop creative and critical thinking skills, intellectual confidence, and the independence, initiative and enterprise that fosters career success.
"Furthermore, undergraduate students receiving research grants have done so because they are outstanding scholars and because they are also the product of the individual mentorship and coaching by provided by TRU faculty members. This individual mentorship makes TRU special; the one-on-one work these faculty members do with their students represents a tremendous commitment to providing students with exceptional undergraduate learning experiences. I thank and congratulate our faculty members on their commitment to their students and to the university."
NSERC is a federal agency which has invested $6 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada's next generation of scientists and engineers over the past 10 years.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner at 250-371-5586 or 250-828-5410 or
by email.
Michael Dwyer Media and Public Affairs Officer NSERC at 613-992-9001 or 613-794-9170 or
by email.
Traxel to return to WolfPack men’s hoops next fall
KAMLOOPS-2005 Scholar-Athlete award-winner Brent Traxel will return to the WolfPack to play his fifth and final year with the WolfPack men’s basketball team this fall.
The 6’6” forward from Cochrane, Alberta, was a team member of the Canadian College league national gold medal-winning UCC Sun Demons.
"I am extremely pleased that Brent has decided to complete his eligibility this season,” said men’s basketball head coach Nevin Gleddie. “One thing about Brent is that when he is on the floor he always makes something happen. He is one of the most passionate players I have ever coached. Brent will bring tremendous leadership on and off the court and most importantly he brings that leadership and intensity every day to practice. There are few players as good as Traxel on the fast break. He can wear defences out all by himself."
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For more information, please contact:
Brent Traxel at 250-377-0952 or
by email.
Nevin Gleddie at 250-828-5272 or 250-318-8733 or
by email.
May 29, 2007
TRU to confer honorary degrees upon five Canadian achievers next week
KAMLOOPS-At its four Convocation ceremonies June 7 and 8, Thompson Rivers University will confer honorary degrees upon five Canadians whose achievements in the arts and sciences have bettered their communities and beyond.
Dr. Chad Gaffield, an eminent historian, will receive his degree at the university’s 10 am ceremony on June 7, while Ian Tyson, one of Canada’s best-known musicians, will gown up to receive his degree at 2 pm that same day.
At its 10 am ceremony June 8, TRU will confer an honorary doctor of letters degree upon respected artist Daphne Odjig, while that afternoon’s 2 pm ceremony will see leading nurse-scholar Nancy Edwards and Kamloops’ own Gordon Gore accept their degrees.
“As president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, one of Canada’s most prestigious research organizations, Chad Gaffield, one of the best-known and most-respected scholars across the social sciences and humanities in Canada, provides leadership to researchers across Canada and epitomizes Thompson Rivers University’s continuing development of and commitment to research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities,” said TRU President and Vice-Chancellor Roger Barnsley.
Gaffield, currently team leader of one of the most comprehensive humanities and social science research projects ever undertaken in Canada, has been at the cutting edge of systematic social science history in Canada, and he continues to make outstanding contributions to the furthering of knowledge of Canadian history. He is the author, editor or co-editor of 12 books and the author or co-author of 59 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and in the past seven years, has presented 36 conference papers, 37 guest lectures and published 11 book reviews. Among many other awards and citations, Chad Gaffield was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society’s Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, the highest honour that can be attained by scholars, artists and scientists in Canada.
“Ian Tyson is a Canadian music icon whose accomplishments over the past half century have made him one of Canada’s best and best-known artists, and Thompson Rivers University is pleased to confer the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, upon him,” said Barnsley.
Since Tyson made his musical debut in Vancouver in 1956, he has recorded 12 albums with singer/songwriter Sylvia Fricker and eleven solo albums, has produced a video, written a book, hosted two television shows, and has played at concerts all over North America. His song, Four Strong Winds, became a folk standard and was chosen in 2005 as the greatest Canadian song of all time by the audience of the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version, and he was one of the first Canadian musicians to break into the American popular music market. He has received numerous awards, including being named to the Order of Canada in 1994.
“Daphne Odjig is one of Canada’s foremost artists who has played an important part in recording developments that have been traumatic, passionate and critical to the rewriting of Canadian art history, and who epitomizes Thompson Rivers University’s mission to become a university of choice for aboriginal and First Nations students,” said Barnsley.
Odjig’s artwork has been commissioned for permanent collections in Japan, Israel, Yugoslavia and Sweden, and has been featured in 23 solo exhibitions, four group exhibitions and numerous books and book covers. She has written and illustrated a set of ten books on Indian legends for children, her artworks are displayed in 12 permanent collections, and she was one of four artists in the world to be selected by the curators of the Picasso Museum to paint a memorial to Picasso. She has been awarded a Canadian Silver Jubilee Medal, the Order of Canada, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture, and a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. She has received four honorary degrees, was honoured as an elder by the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry, and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Art.
“TRU is pleased to recognize local resident Gordon Gore, who has been recognized provincially, nationally and internationally as an author and teacher in science education who has dedicated his life to getting students excited and confident about science,” said Barnsley, adding, “He exemplifies Thompson Rivers University’s mission as a regional, teaching-focused university, to serve people and their communities through quality education, training and scholarship.”
Gordon Gore taught science and mathematics in secondary schools in Vancouver, Richmond, Kamloops and Mission for 32 years and lectured at UBC and TRU both during this time and for a number of years afterward. He is the author or co-author of sixteen textbooks and the author of ten books of science experiments for youth, seven British Columbia Teacher’s Federation lesson aids and at least 50 magazine articles. From 1970 to the present, Gordon Gore has also presented dozens of workshops for teachers on photography, science and physics, and presented over 80 science shows at elementary schools and community events. His most noteworthy achievement, however, is his founding of the BIG Little Science Centre in 2000 to inspire children, their families and teachers to explore and experience science in an entertaining and stimulating environment and to nurture a lifelong appreciation for and interest in science.
“Dr. Nancy Edwards is one of Canada’s foremost nurse-scholars who provides mentorship for new and mid-career health researchers, and also helps researchers find ways to influence policy with their findings. As a new university with a nursing faculty which has a developing program of scholarship and research, we are pleased to honour a researcher like Nancy who has devoted her efforts to helping others build capacity for research,” explained Barnsley.
Dr. Edwards is a full professor and principle scientist at the Institute of Population Health at the University of Ottawa, and is also Academic Consultant for the City of Ottawa regarding public health services, and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Governing Council. She has contributed scholarly articles to over 90 scientific and technical publications, and has held research fellowships in Canada and visiting professorships in Mexico and China, where she has directed three international projects over the past five years, and was appointed one of five national nursing research chairs funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Roger Barnsley at 250-828-5001 or
by email.
For photos, complete citations and additional contact information, please contact:
Bronwen Scott at 250-371-5739 or
by email.
May 30, 2007
Two outstanding athletes to play TRU hoops next season
KAMLOOPS-Two outstanding athletes have committed to the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men's basketball team for the upcoming 2007-08 season.
Zach Anderson, a 6'2" point guard from Fort Fraser, BC, who also plays hockey, baseball, volleyball and soccer, has received Fraser Lake Secondary School's "most athletic" award since grade 7. His hockey team won district playoffs in the 2005-06 season, he plays on the Prince George regional elite basketball team, and he was named tournament MVP in five basketball tournaments this past year. As well as being an all-around athlete, Zach has attained honour roll standing. He will be pursuing an arts degree at TRU.
"Zach is a true point guard," said TRU WolfPack men's basketball head coach Nevin Gleddie.
"He has great vision and instincts, and looks to create for others. He strong and tough, which will help him make the transition from Single-A ball to the CIS. I believe that Zach will surprise a lot of people. He has a lot of potential," he added.
Kyle McMurray, a 6'2" guard was a Sardis Secondary grad. In addition to basketball, he plays soccer, golf and volleyball, and won four BC top-ten track and field awards for high jump, hurdles and pentathalon. Kyle will be pursuing an arts degree at TRU.
"Kyle is a very athletic guard who will be able to do a lot of things at both ends of the court for us," said Gleddie, adding, "With his strength and athleticism I expect he will become one of the better defenders in the league. He can also score off the dribble and the pass and is a good three-point shooter. With the CIS moving to FIBA rules, I believe Kyle will be a great asset to this team."
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For more information, please contact:
Zach Anderson at 250-690-7742 or
by email.
Kyle McMurray at 604-799-2658 or
by email.
Nevin Gleddie at 250-828-5272 or 250-318-8733 or
by email.