Update News

U of C Everywhere The global reach of University of Calgary alumni is getting longer. We now have 130,000 grads living, working and making a difference in 135 countries around the world. In our last edition of U magazine, we asked those folks—as well as Calgary-based globe trotters—to send us photos of themselves in far away places, proudly wearing or holding some U of C swag. Here’s a selection of shots, which all go to show that U of C alumni are everywhere.
	_____________________________________ Robert Thirsk, BSc’76, undergoes a scan measuring bone mineral density at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston while wearing his U of C scarf (labs always seem to be frigid!). Astronauts lose bone density during space missions faster than post-menopausal women do on Earth. During Thirsk’s five-month expedition aboard the International Space Station starting this May, he will take dietary supplements, exercise vigorously and take medication that reduces bone loss. The scan will be repeated when Thirsk returns from spaceflight to measure the amount of bone that he has lost.
	_____________________________________ Heptathlete Jessica Zelinka, BA’07, who lives and trains half the year in Barcelona, Spain, poses at the top of the famous cathedral Sagrada Familia.
	_____________________________________ Janet Marshall (Stanley), BEd’70, borrowed a U of C calendar from the library of the Canadian embassy in Tokyo on a recent trip to visit friends with her husband, George, BSc’68, MA’73.
	_____________________________________ Nadia Krys, BSc’03, is a designer and professional engineer with the New York– based structural engineering firm of WSP Cantor Seinuk in New York City. She’s giving our Rex doll a good look at the United Nations building.
	_____________________________________ Geneva: Kerry Brinkert, BA’92, lives and works for the United Nations in Geneva where he heads the secretariat of the 1997 Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines. His work has taken him to more than 30 countries in recent years.
	_____________________________________ Albuquerque: Kirk Gittings, MFA’83, is a photographer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His new book is called Shelter from the Storm: The Photography of Kirk Gittings.
	_____________________________________ Taipei: Magazine editor, web manager and producer Gareth Morgan, BA’99, was one of the first people to climb the stairs of the Taipei 101 building in Taipei City, Taiwan—the tallest building in the world. In 2006, the Canadian Society in Taiwan organized the first-ever Taipei 101 Climbathon, with foreigners raising money for local charities.
	_____________________________________ Lithuania: City Style and Living publishers Kailash Maharaj, BEd’05, (left) and Shivana Maharaj, BA’05 (right), with their mother Rookmin Maharaj, PhD’07, visited the statue of Egle in Palanga, Lithuania on a recent press trip. _____________________________________
	Neuroscience program targets high school students
Rachel Sharkey, Omid Javizian and Vikram Karnik are taking part in the new undergraduate neuroscience program, which began in January. / Photo: Ken Bendiktsen	The University of Calgary’s new undergraduate neuroscience program, which started this January, targets students directly from high school. “The rapid growth in neuroscience has created a need for undergraduate students with a broad background in neuroscience-related disciplines to lead the health care innovations of the future,” said Harvey Weingarten, president of the University of Calgary. The new degree program is a collaboration of the faculties of science, social sciences and medicine, and is designed to offer students an interdisciplinary experience. The program will draw on the long-established clinical and research expertise of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), the University of Calgary’s flagship centre dedicated to advanced neurological and mental health research and education. Funding for the new program is provided by the Province of Alberta and the Kahanoff Foundation. At full capacity, the program will have 100 students, with approximately 25 graduating each year. The creation of this program will, for the first time in Alberta, allow students to study neuroscience from the undergraduate to post-graduate level at one institution.
	Four-year guarantee offers timely graduation
First-year student Paul Mingo has signed up for the Graduation Guarantee program, which offers students extra guidance and access to ensure they earn their degrees in four years. / Photo: Ken Bendiktsen	The U of C’s new Graduation Guarantee guarantees timely graduation for incoming students and is backed by a financial commitment on the part of the university. The new program is offered to students embarking upon degree programs in the faculties of communication and culture, social sciences, science and humanities. Through a mutual commitment by students and the university, the Graduation Guarantee program ensures incoming students will be able to graduate within four years, or the U of C will pay the tuition for any extra courses needed to finish. The program requires full-time students to commit to, among other things, completing a BA or BSc degree in four consecutive years, meeting regularly with academic advisors and maintaining good academic standing. In return, the university ensures all necessary courses will be available and will provide appropriate support and advice to students. If the university cannot live up to its side of the bargain, it commits to waiving tuition costs for courses in a subsequent semester or making alternate arrangements for students to complete required credits. “We are leading the way in Canada with this kind of guarantee because we want to ensure that our graduates will have a successful university experience and will be ready to embark on graduate or professional studies or start their careers within a four-year timeline,” says Ann Tierney, the U of C’s vice-provost (academic), who helped develop the program. For more information about the Graduation Guarantee, visit: www.ucalgary.ca/gradguarantee or call 403-220-5881.
	University of Calgary creates new mental health centre
Dr. Glenda MacQueen is the interim director of the Mental Health Centre for Research and Education. / Photo: Trudi Lee	The U of C’s new Mental Health Centre for Research and Education will bring together researchers specializing in the prevention, detection and early intervention in mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia/psychosis and addictions. “Mental health researchers at the Faculty of Medicine have never had a place to call home. The new centre will house mental health researchers and neuroscience researchers, allowing for the translational flow of information and collaboration on projects,” says the dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Tom Feasby. Mental illness is the most costly illness to society, contributing more to disability than any other disease. It is also devastating to families and our communities, with one in five Canadians personally experiencing a mental illness in their lifetime, yet it lags behind other health areas in terms of research, resources and knowledge. Dr. Glenda MacQueen, newly recruited to University of Calgary, will act as the centre’s interim director. “We will understand mental illness better when we understand the links between the physiology of the brain and emotions, thoughts and behaviours. Research allows us to increase our understanding of the factors contributing to mental health,” she says. The centre is a partnership between the University of Calgary, Alberta Health Services and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
	Meteorite search to resume in spring
University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand (left) and graduate student Ellen Milley with meteorite fragment found in frozen pond in Buzzard Coulee, Sask. / Photo: Grady Semmens	A U of C-led search for remains of the 10-tonne asteroid that burst into flames near the city of Lloydminster on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border will likely resume this spring. Dozens of fragments of the 4-billion-year-old rock were collected this fall by students and researchers led by geoscience professor Alan Hildebrand after the meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere on November 20, 2008. “There are a lot more pieces out there and we certainly plan on continuing our search after the snow is gone so we can learn more about this fascinating event,” said Hildebrand, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Planetary Science. Three of the meteorite fragments are on public display in the front window of the Gallagher Library on the main floor of the Earth Sciences building. Hildebrand and MSc student Ellen Milley were the first to recover pieces of the meteorite on farmland near the hamlet of Lone Rock, Sask. after calculating the fall area from video footage and eyewitness accounts of the fireball. Milley spotted several chunks on a frozen pond. “I think it was beginner’s luck. I know it’s not usually that easy to find meteorites,” Milley said. The researchers estimate there are thousands of meteorites scattered over 64-square kilometres.