FACULTY OF ARTS Annual Report 2015 - 2016
You’ll see in this annual report evidence of excellence in research, teaching, community partnerships, and mentoring that foster connections within our province and across our nation and world. — RICHARD SIGURDSON, DEAN
table of contents
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MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
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ENERGY INNOVATIONS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
50TH ANNIVERSARY
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NEW EARTH-SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
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INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY
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INDIGENOUS STRATEGY
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HUMAN DYNAMICS IN A CHANGING WORLD
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BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
IN THE COMMUNITY
CONGRATULATIONS
NEW THIS YEAR
message from the dean The release of an annual report is always a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, and to celebrate the wonderful work of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni during this period. But this year finds all of us at the University of Calgary taking a longer view, reflecting on our institution’s entire half-decade of existence. April 29, 2016 marked the university’s 50th anniversary and provided an opportunity both to take stock of the remarkable achievements in our short history and also to set our sights on even greater achievements to come. The Faculty of Arts played a pivotal role during this celebratory year. We launched a number of key strategic initiatives designed to set us up for many more decades of success in teaching and learning, research and innovation, and community
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
engagement. For instance, we kicked off our Indigenous strategic planning by inviting a crosssection of partners and First Nations communities to participate in a dialogue on Indigenous issues and to help us identify ways that we can contribute to reconciliation. We moved ahead with our internationalization strategy, which will help us prepare students to become globally engaged citizens. In addition, we reinforced our commitment to equity and diversity, while also working with the entire university community in the development of a comprehensive plan to promote mental health and well-being among students, faculty, and staff. I offer my gratitude to all members of our Faculty of Arts community for their dedication this past year to achieving the goals set out in the university’s Eyes High strategic plan. You’ll see in this annual report evidence of excellence in research, teaching, community partnerships, and mentoring that foster connections within our province and across our nation and world. We had a great year, and look forward to another exciting one ahead as we continue to energize our community, sparking meaningful change through the dynamism of our students, faculty, staff, community partners, and alumni. RICHARD SIGURDSON, Dean
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On April 29, 2016, the University of Calgary celebrated its 50th anniversary and began a year of festivities. The Faculty of Arts is thrilled to mark the anniversary year by celebrating and acknowledging some of the people whose meaningful contributions to our faculty have made us a home for some of the best and brightest scholars and some of the most engaged learning experiences in the country.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
50th anniversary 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Arts hosts Roméo Dallaire for Congress 2016
50 Years of Creativity
FROM MAY 28 TO JUNE 3, 2016, the University of Calgary welcomed the 85th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The largest gathering of scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Canada included 73 academic association annual conferences which meant over 8,000 scholars presented over 5,500 research papers with over 130 free lectures, performances, roundtable discussions, presentations, and symposia that were open to the public. The event also included such luminaries as educator, academic and author Leroy Little Bear, journalist Chantal Hebert, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, His Worship Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Canada Research Chair Jennifer Clapp, journalist and author Naomi Klein, author Margaret Atwood and retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire. Led by Academic Convenor and professor of English, Bart Beaty and Logistics Coordinator Anne Jaggard, hosting Congress 2016 was one of the crown jewels of the university’s 50th anniversary celebrations and was the second largest convention in Calgary this year, with a projected economic impact of about $6,251,000. ▲
ON JUNE 1, 2016, the Faculty of Arts hosted the Spaces of Gender and Sexual Security symposium as part of the Congress 2016 exciting line-up of events. The interdisciplinary event featured workshops and plenary sessions with tours of art and historical exhibitions, a noon walking tour of campus and two dance performances. The day opened with a plenary session that addressed women’s economic insecurity. Participants included Marjorie Griffin Cohen, professor of women’s studies and political science at Simon Fraser University and the 2016 winner of the Galbraith Prize in Economics, Kathleen Lahey, professor and Queen’s National Scholar in the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University and Sarelle Anzuelos, social issues co-ordinator at the Women’s Centre of Calgary. The event concluded with an evening keynote address at Mount Royal University, by retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire who spoke about gendered violence in war and humanitarian missions. ▲
AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER, member of the Order of Canada, and professor of music Allan Bell captivated a crowd of emeritus professors and previous honorary degree recipients with his talk Confluence: Rivers, Numbers, Coyotes and Music, as the Faculty of Arts marked 50 years of creativity at the University of Calgary. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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Aritha van Herk Delivers 2016 Lecture of a Lifetime ACCLAIMED CANADIAN NOVELIST and professor of English Aritha van Herk delivered the 2016 Lecture of a Lifetime on April 30 with the theme: “The story is never finished.” Outside of her fiction writing, van Herk is known for her work: Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta, her newest book of prose poetry Stampede and the Westness of the West and she also authored the University of Calgary’s 50th anniversary commemorative book, The Age of Audacity: 50 Years of Ambition and Adventure at Calgary’s Own University. ▲
The Artist Behind Zipper
Bequest from Professor Emeritus Boosts Annual Lecture and Scholarship
GENERATIONS OF UCALGARY students have relished in rotating Zipper, the shiny, undulating metal loop in Science Theatres. According to university lore, giving the sculpture a quick spin before writing an exam will secure a passing grade. Despite Zipper’s fame, not everyone knows the name Katie Ohe, the sculptor behind the beloved artwork. The piece took about three years to complete and The university purchased and installed the sculpture upon completion in 1975. Ohe’s commitment to her craft was formally acknowledged by the university in 2001 with the award of an honorary doctorate. ▲
A GENEROUS GIFT from the estate of Professor Emeritus Frank Anton continues his legacy in building the Department of Economics. Through his gift, in 2016/17 the Department of Economics will launch a revitalized annual lecture series. The Dr. Frank Anton Distinguished Lecture Series will create opportunities for students, alumni, faculty and members of the Calgary community to interact with and learn from an internationally renowned academic economist. Anton’s gift will also enhance a gift he made in the 1980s when he created the Dalgarno Memorial Graduate Scholarship to honour the passing of his friend Jack Dalgarno. Now named the Anton and Dalgarno Memorial Graduate Scholarship, it provides funding to economics students in a thesis-based graduate program. Until now, eight awards of $1,800 each have been given, with the most recent awarded in 2013. The scholarship will now be awarded to up to five students per year. Anton was a World War II veteran and received his Ph.D. in economics from the London School of Economics in 1962. He was appointed Economics Department Head in 1967 and his wisdom and integrity were instrumental to the development of the university. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Welcome to the Art Department: New Mural for the 50th Anniversary IN THIS ANNIVERSARY year, the Department of Art made it a priority to recognize Visual Studies alumni through a visiting artists lecture series and alumni exhibitions. The department also approached alumni Daniel J. Kirk (BFA’07) and Katie Green (BFA’14) to tackle the refresh of the art department entrance. The mural can be viewed at the entrance of the Art Building, on the 6th floor of the Art Parkade. A video wall in the entrance will also showcase digital, photographic and media art. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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international strategy
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Child and Maternal Health in Rural Nicaragua
Alumni Boost E. Catherine Barclay Scholarship to Annual Award
Overcoming Conflict in Colombia
ARCHEOLOGY MAJOR NATASHA HOEHN studied child and maternal health in rural Nicaragua as a part of the Program for Undergraduate Research Experience. The biocultural project examined health outcomes in relation to sociocultural and environmental factors in Los Robles, Jinotega, Nicaragua. She looked at biomarkers of stress in dried blood spots collected from mothers and children. Despite significant improvements to sanitation and hygiene, the northern region of Jinotega continues to have the worst health outcomes in Nicaragua. This research has the potential to inform community based health interventions that could directly improve the lives of the residents of Los Robles. ▲
THE GOAL OF making the E. Catherine Barclay Scholarship an annual award in time for the University of Calgary’s 50th anniversary has been reached. Four dedicated alumni recipients of the scholarship – Emily Joyce, BA ’07; Andrea Jung, BA ’94, MBA ’00; Sivia Rossi, BA ’93, MA ’06; and Audrey Taylor, BA ’12 – contributed their leadership, time and energy to fundraise so that future students may now apply for the award annually and benefit from the enormous opportunity that the exchange program provides. The formerly bi-annual award of $7,500 is offered to a full –time student registered in any faculty at the University of Calgary intending to pursue studies in France through an official exchange program at the Universite de Bourgogne in Dijon, or at the Universite Francois-Rabelais in Tours. ▲
ON APRIL 26, 2016, the Latin American Research Centre launched the LARC Dialogues to host three prominent Colombian speakers. In partnership with the Colombia Consulate of Calgary and sponsored by Gran Tierra Energy and CIBC, the three speakers — His Excellency Nicolás Lloreda Ricaurte, the Ambassador of Colombia to Canada; Ricardo Ávila, editor-in-chief of Portafolio, a Colombian economic media outlet; and Colombian Senator Juan Manuel Galán — explored social challenges as 50 years of conflict between the Government of Colombia and the guerilla group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) nears its end with negotiations for peace. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
The Development Studies Program
Celebrating 25 Years of German Unity
THE DEVELOPMENT STUDIES PROGRAM was pleased to host Margaret Biggs, former President of the Canadian International Development Agency and John McArthur, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and United Nations Foundation, who presented the Centre for International Policy Studies’ working group report “Towards 2030: Building Canada’s Engagement with Global Sustainable Development.” Mayor Naheed Nenshi joined the discussion at the Feb. 10, 2016 event to present local perspectives on the findings of the report. ▲
THE REUNIFICATION OF Germany on Oct. 3, 1990 was a world-historical event that began a process of political, economic and social change across Europe. On Tuesday, October 2nd, 2015, the Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures and the University of Calgary International Office hosted German dignitaries Honorary Consul Hubertus Liebrecht and Consul General Josef Beck for a community event to Celebrate 25 Years of German Unity. Government officials including MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster, Dr. Richard Starke, Mayor Naheed Nenshi and international diplomats and dignitaries from various countries around the world attended the event. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Knowledge Transfer in Sudan AFTER COMING TO Calgary in 2007, Amal Madibbo, associate professor of Sociology, began returning to her native Sudan annually to provide aid to the developing country. She’s volunteered with schools in war-torn Darfur, taught in refugee camps, and helped train future researchers at the country’s universities. She’s also worked with Calgary’s Sudanese-Canadian community helping them better integrate into our society. Madibbo undertook projects by covering her own expenses but, in December of 2015, was invited to participate in the inaugural Knowledge Transfer Conference organized by the Government of Sudan and the International Organization for Migration. Madibbo is focused on enhancing relationships between Sudan and Canada by building a partnership between the University of Calgary with its Eyes High interest in internationalization and the Sudanese universities. ▲
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Indigenous strategy
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Indigenous Rights and the Global Resource Sector
Calgary Foundation Donates $90,000 Towards Indigenous School Children
Investing in Indigenous Research
WITH THE SUPPORT of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Knowledge Synthesis Grant, Roberta Rice, assistant professor of political science, has conducted a cross-regional analysis of literature on Aboriginal Peoples and the extractive industries in Canada, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Her team found that the same resource companies that can be exemplars of corporate citizenship on home turf are not always upholding similar standards in their operations in other countries — in particular in their dealings with Indigenous Peoples. Voluntary corporate responsibility measures have meant that Canadian companies more typically make one-off infrastructure investments, agree to build a road, a school, or to make a payment instead of formal agreements with veto powers that more frequently result in a company securing a stronger social license to operate than a conventional consultation process might achieve. ▲
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Program for Public Archaeology, in partnership with the Siksika Nation, is an innovative initiative that offers researchers and the general public the unique opportunity to explore the Cluny Fortified Village by volunteering on an archaeological dig and learning about the cultural heritage of western Canada. In 2016, the program was seen as an opportunity to expose youth from the community to this amazing cultural history. The University of Calgary will conduct a 3-year pilot to collaborate with the Siksika Board of Education, the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park and The Calgary Foundation to help youth in the community better understand and unearth their cultural heritage and history. ▲
THE FACULTY OF ARTS has completed a cluster hiring process to bring on seven new faculty dedicated to Indigenous research. The initiative is one of several recommendations brought forward by an ad hoc committee on arts Indigenous initiatives. The committee recommended addressing four distinct areas: Indigenous research and scholarship, student success, community partnership and a review of our Indigenous Studies program. Five new positions are dedicated to Indigenous research across a number of disciplines, with two more hires coming in 2017. These are strengthening the Indigenous research already underway in archeology, anthropology, history, sociology, linguistics, and geography. New faculty dedicated to Indigenous research include: • Judy Anderson, Indigenous printmaking, Art • Robert Henry, Indigenous justice, Sociology • Rain Prud’Homme-Cranford, Indigenous literatures, English • Roberta Rice, Indigenous politics, Political Science • Daniel Voth, Indigenous politics, Political Science • Two additional positions will be hired in the areas of Indigenous mental health, (Psychology) and Indigenous health, (Anthropology). ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
human dynamics in a changing world: smart and secure cities, societies and cultures Cyclists Little Helper MARK PFEIFER, who received his Masters of Geographic Information Systems (MGIS) in fall 2015, developed an algorithm as a part of his degree, which was designed to help city planners identify commuting areas (commuter sheds) cyclists might use to access the nearest LRT station. The algorithm can help cyclists find routes best suited to them within commuter sheds. Another University of Calgary MGIS student, Andrew Pike, first developed the algorithm. Pike developed it as an alternative to Google Maps and OpenStreetMap designed for cyclists. It was Pfeifer’s idea to modify Pike’s algorithm specifically identifying cycling commuter sheds for LRT stations in northwest Calgary. The algorithm isn’t ready as a marketable product but, with additional research and development, the tool could be converted for web use or as an app city planners and the general public could use. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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How Children Make Sense of their World 10 PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT Jessica Switzer’s research found there is a developmental shift between 14 and 15-months of age in children’s ability to categorize the information they’re receiving from the world. Specifically her research found that infants rely on distinct labels to form categories and make inferences. The findings were part of Switzer’s Masters thesis that explored how infants use labels and information about categories to make inferences about an object’s properties. Her work earned her the prestigious Vanier Award, which will help her continue her PhD studies in investigating how children develop and use social categories to predict the ways in which an individual in that category might behave. ▲
Economics Alumnus Creates Teaching Excellence Award
Risk is Key Source of Inequality in 21st Century
RECENT GRADUATE Victor Yang Song, BA’05 and PhD’14, the first recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award offered by the Department of Economics to a doctoral student, created a $1000 annual scholarship to support economics graduate students who demonstrate excellence in teaching. The Victor Yang Song Graduate Scholarship in Teaching Excellence was created to show appreciation to the University of Calgary community including faculty members, staff and graduate colleagues who helped and supported Song’s studies. The creation of the award by such a recent graduate demonstrates it’s never too early to begin philanthropic efforts and that gifts of any size make a difference for students’ learning and research. ▲
IN AN AGE of climate change and the great recession, Dean Curran, assistant professor of Sociology, is exploring ways in which class — in terms of wealth and other social powers — enable some people to avoid certain types of risks and to benefit from others. Curran is partly inspired by the late Ulrich Beck, a German sociologist and his theory that in the face of growing catastrophic risks, existing class inequalities will tend to be diminished. But Curran disagrees that class relationships are no longer significant. Risk is not a social leveler, as asserted by Beck. Instead, in Curran’s view, if you are wealthier you have more power to capture socially scarce private escape routes from risk, while also often being able to benefit from these risks. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Dance Series Explores Themes of PTSD and Climate Change THE SCHOOL OF Creative and Performing Arts presented works by dance faculty Marie France Forcier, also of Forcier Stage Works and Melanie Kloetzel, also of kloetzel&co. as part of the Professional Series in the dance division in January 2016. France Forcier has researched dance and posttraumatic states since 2012 and presented two choreographies titled Lab Rats—an unconventional duet featuring dancer Molly Johnson and a fish tank—and The Peahen—a one woman piece researching how post-traumatic states intersect and inform performance through the thematic lens of a character’s peacock obsession. Kloetzel presented her newest work Staging Rooms—a performance installation addressing adaptation in face of environmental transformation. Through dance theatre performance that takes place inside constructed ‘rooms’, the work exposed limits and possibilities in efforts to adapt to a rapidly changing world. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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The Container Magnifies the Reality of the Refugee Crisis THE DRAMA DIVISION opened its season of performances with The Container, by Clare Bayley, a play about human trafficking. It tells the story of five people in the back of a truck with one common goal: to reach England and start a new life. The production took place inside a plexiglass container. Show designer and drama graduate student, Michael Sinnott wanted to create an environment that creates a unique experience for the actors and the audience. Sinnott hoped the design helped tell how desperate refuges are-to show the conditions they go through- to escape the war and turmoil they left back in their homelands. â–˛
New Graduate to Tour with National Ballet of Canada Orchestra DOUBLE BASS PLAYER Jonathan Yeoh was still a fourth-year music student when he landed the prestigious seat with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. The now 22-year old describes himself as a late bloomer, only picking up the base at age 16, but by 2012 as a new undergraduate student, he was playing with the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra. After graduating in 2016, he will begin his career as the youngest player with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. â–˛
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Creating Music Through Sensory Technology and the Body AURA PON IS a PhD candidate in music, a composer and professional musician with a unique perspective on digitized creativity. She’s combining her passion for music with research using technology to let the human body express itself in unconventional ways. Pon is part of the Computational Media Design program, which blends the worlds of fine arts, design and computer science. She holds bachelor and master’s degrees in music and is embarking on PhD research by creating new instruments with computers. Pon showcased two of her projects at the 2016 Beakerhead. Mind+Body+Music was an interactive exhibit that harnesses brainwaves to transform a sound sample using an electroencephalography (EEG) headset. Pon’s other project was part of Innovate Calgary’s Tech Showcase. The Womba, is an instrument controlled by an unborn baby’s movements in the womb. ▲
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Alumnus Wins $1 Million in Global Competition TAYLOR SCOBBIE, BCOMM’10 and BA’10, and his team are working on an idea aiming to change early education in urban slums around the world. As the CEO of the Latin America-based social enterprise IMPCT, he’s building a sustainable educational daycare model for the world’s poorest. On Sept. 26, 2015, IMPCT took first place at the Hult Prize final competition in New York City at the Clinton Global Initiative, a prize valued at $1 million (US). The seed money will finance educational daycares in urban slums in Asia and Latin America. The Hult Prize Foundation is a non-profit organization that holds an annual global competition to challenge young entrepreneurs to solve a global problem with sustainable social enterprise business models. The winning announcement was made by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and judges included Nobel laureate Muhammed Yunus and former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Community Engagement through Literature
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IN 2015-16, UNDERGRADUATE English majors participated in a pilot course exploring community engagement through literature. Working with the Calgary Public Library, the students evaluated its Homework Help Program, an initiative designed to assist school-age children and teens with homework and school concepts they are struggling with. For many of the program participants, English is their second language so the university students worked with them to improve literacy skills with activities like silent reading, how to search for books they will enjoy, book discussions and games. They also created ways for parents to access additional resources. At the end of the program, the English majors presented their findings to the Calgary Public Library staff. ▲
New Program Addresses Workplace Gender Inequality
Comic Book Makes Rounds at Paris Climate Talks
REBECCA SULLIVAN, director of the Women’s Studies program, has created a social innovation program to improve organizations’ gender equity and diversity initiatives. Her company, DiversityLeads, combines leadership training, benchmark analyses of organizational practices, gender perception studies and development of in-house programs to enhance employee relationships. The principle driving this initiative is that cultures can and do change, and leaders must be adaptable to change with them. The program is meant to address the problems of discrimination, implicit bias, ongoing harassment, pay equity gaps and lack of promotion opportunities that persist despite the presence of women in the workplace. The goal is to transform this initiative into a licensable certification program so companies around the world can achieve recognition for their commitment to equity and diversity. ▲
IN FALL 2015, alongside respected science journalist Richard Monastersky, Eyes High Postdoctoral Scholar Nick Sousanis coauthored a nine-page comic published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature. The piece, entitled “The Fragile Framework: Can Nations Unite to Save Earth’s Climate?”, is a powerful, multi-faceted work covering the science of climate change, effects of a warming climate and the fraught history of the United Nations’ efforts to contain the growing crisis. The project is a rare feat, certainly Nature’s first foray into presenting serious scientific journalism in comic form. Its publication was timed in conjunction with the annual UN Climate Change Conference held in Paris in 2015. The Fragile Framework was printed as a standalone piece for distribution among delegates at the conference. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
brain and mental health Top Researchers and Clinicians Join Forces to Help Protect the Brain THE INTEGRATED CONCUSSION Research Program is the first integrated program to address concussion in Canada. Led by the Faculty of Arts, and including experts from the Faculties of Arts and Kinesiology, the Cumming School of Medicine, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute have created a collaborative and integrated approach to focus on concussion prevention, diagnosis and prognosis, and treatment and rehabilitation. With approximately three million concussions occurring in North America in 2015, concussions are a leading cause of traumatic brain injury. The University of Calgary is uniquely suited to address the issue of concussion. The program is a priority area of investment within the university’s brain and mental health research strategy. The institution has recently kicked off fundraising and has already reached $3.9M towards the $25M goal. Keith Yeates, a pediatric neuropsychologist and member of the University of Calgary’s Department of Psychology, member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and holder of the Ronald and Irene Ward Chair in Pediatric Brain Injury, is leading the Integrated Concussion Research Program. According to Yeates, the strength of the program in Calgary is the breadth of research that can be undertaken through an integrated program-tackling everything from the biology of the injury to translating the research into the health system. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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Parenting to Create Successful Kids
Advancing Understanding of Addiction
SHERI MADIGAN, assistant professor of psychology and full member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, received a Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) to study a number of determinants of and interventions for enhancing childhood development. Madigan hopes to build on the research done by the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University that reveals about a quarter of children show deficits in learning, language or social behaviour before they enter kindergarten. Madigan’s research examines how a child’s early experiences — including how they’re parented in the first 1000 days — can influence them for life. Her research goal is to close existing gaps in child development through enhancing positive parenting practices. ▲
WHILE MANY INDIVIDUALS sample potentially addictive drugs, such as opioid analgesics, few get addicted to them. Vedran Lovic, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant to study how individuals respond to drugs and what makes some susceptible to addiction. Using new infrastructure and state-ofthe-art neuroscience techniques, Lovic can measure dopamine levels in the brain at millisecond intervals in response to drugs. Using lasers (optogenetics) he can activate or silence brain circuits involved in processing of natural rewards and drugs. Research from the Lovic Lab could help identify individuals at risk for addiction, information that could lead to effective prevention strategies and pharmacological therapies. ▲
Doctors Can Predict Duration of Child’s Concussion Symptoms PAEDIATRIC NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST Keith Yeates, along with Dr. Stephen Freedman, was part of the 5P study: Predicting and Preventing Post-concussive Problems in Paediatrics. The study included more than 3,000 children between age five and 18 who were evaluated at Emergency Departments across Canada within 48 hours after a concussion. The team developed a risk score that is significantly better than the child’s physician at predicting persistent post-concussion symptoms. Yeates is the lead of the University of Calgary’s Integrated Concussion Research Program and the HBI Traumatic Brain Injury NeuroTeam, and the Ward Chair in Pediatric Brain Injury. Dr. Freedman is an emergency physician at Alberta Children’s Hospital, site lead in the study, and holder of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation professorship in Child Health and Wellness. Calgary was one of nine sites participating in the 5P study led by Dr. Roger Zemek of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and University of Ottawa. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
GEOGRAPHY PROFESSORS Scott Jasechko and Brent Else joined forces to tackle two sides of a research coin. Else focuses on marine waterways, while Jasechko looks at fresh inland water, and together they’re building a better picture of two of Earth’s most important life-support systems — carbon and water cycles — from the oil sands to the Arctic Ocean. Jasechko and Else are co-leads on one of five University of Calgary research projects to receive funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund. The CFI-funded equipment will be used to study five research themes: groundwater movement in the Alberta oilsands, water vapour transport in the Arctic, carbon dioxide absorption by Arctic Seas, Arctic Ocean carbon cycling, and carbon transported by flowing groundwater. ▲
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
BRENT ELSE
Investigating Carbon and Water Cycles from the Oilsands to the Arctic
SCOTT JASECHKO
energy innovations for today and tomorrow
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Leaky Residential Gas Lines Contribute to Climate Damage
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Arctic’s Past Holds Answers to Pressing Climate Change Questions MARIBETH MURRAY, professor of anthropology and archaeology and director of the Arctic Institute of North America, is investigating what the Arctic climate and marine ecosystem looked like before global anthropogenic impacts of the past century. The research will help improve Arctic climate models and develop marine ecosystem change scenarios that can inform management and conservation. Her team is scouring historic handwritten journals from ship logs and other historic documents which contain observations on climate conditions, sea ice and wildlife along Canada’s Arctic coast. The team is looking at materials from archives in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Norway and Denmark that have records from ships that travelled through the Arctic over the past 400 years. ▲
PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS Lucija Muhlenbachs is examining the outcomes of allowing utility companies to pass the cost of lost natural gas on to residential and business consumers. Gas leaks are a growing concern since methane, a greenhouse gas and primary component of natural gas, has 34 times the risk of increasing global warming as carbon dioxide. Leaks occur from degraded pipelines and loose-fitting components. Utility companies, which are regulated to have a natural monopoly, have few, if any, environmental regulations or incentives to repair them. Using data from utility companies on their expenditures, distribution of natural gas and the volume lost to leaks, Muhlenbachs’ research estimates the amount of money utilities companies are spending to abate leaks. She finds that utilities are spending between $0 per Mcf to $4.60 per Mcf on leak detection and repair; this is considerably lower than the sample average cost of natural gas of $7.43 per Mcf. While the cost of lost gas is passed on to customers, utility companies are not spending anywhere near that recovered cost to reduce leaks. Not only is this expenditure level less than the cost of the gas, but it is also less than the social costs from the climate impacts. ▲ UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
new earth-space technologies Drone Technology Reveals Impact of 2013 Flood TWO YEARS AFTER Calgary and southern Alberta were hit with record-setting floods, a team of researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia used drones to examine damage to local rivers. The research team found that the flood completely restructured the flow of the Elbow River adjacent to Redwood Meadows. Throughout summer 2015, Chris Hugenholtz, professor of Geography, and his colleagues increased efforts to measure the legacy of the 2013 flood on the Bow, Kananaskis and Elbow rivers. They are now looking at ways to integrate drones into decision support framework for disaster management. â–˛
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
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alumni connections The Dean of Arts established the Celebrated Alumni Award to recognize the impact and achievements that Arts Alumni have made in the community. The 2016 award recipients are: Derek Beaulieu, BA’96, MA’04, BEd’08, Jill Drader, BGS’05 and Douglas Hagedorn, BA’07, MSc’11.
Alumna Janice Eisenhauer, BA’97, Co-Founder and Executive Director of non-profit Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan received an honorary degree at the June 2016 convocation for her passion for improving the lives of Afghan women and girls through education.
The Faculty of Arts launched its regional alumni program in February 2016 with an alumni reception in Victoria, BC.
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The first ever official Alumni Weekend drew in over 1,200 graduates back to the university for two days of connection, collaboration and curiosity.
The School of Creative and Performing Arts held a special performance of the The Container for alumni and their guests.
The Department of Art invited several noteworthy alumni including Derek Besant, BFA’73, Alexandra Haeseker, BA’66, MA’72, Heather Huston, BFA’02 and Rita McKeough, BFA’75 to give public talks for its popular Visiting Artist Series.
The Department of Philosophy held an Alumni Lecture Series bringing academics from across North America back to the university. Speakers included John Campbell, MA’80, William Lyons, MA’68, Shelley Park, BA’82, MA’84 and Jay Odenbaugh, PhD’01.
Two Arts alumni were honoured at the 2015 Arch Awards. Jonathan Brower, BA’14, BFA’14 won an Alumni Achievement Award for his impact on the Calgary theatre community. Anar Simpson, BSc’86, MCS’01 received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Simpson was recognized for her work on empowering women and girls around the world through technology.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
in the community On March 12, 2016, the School of Creative and Performing Arts invited Calgarians to ‘Playing Our City’, an interactive musical experience during the 2016 Juno Awards in Calgary.
Celebrated British writer Zadie Smith appeared on Feb. 11, 2016 as 2015-16 Disinguished Visiting Writer for the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program (CDWP).
The Calgary Institute for the Humanities hosted a seminar on April 29, 2016 to discuss and discover the human-animal relationship in the context of the city of Calgary.
The School of Creative and Performing Arts welcomed its first Company-in-Residence- Ghost River Theatrefor the 2015-16 academic year.
21 The Arabic Language and Muslim Cultures program welcomed bestselling author Nadia Hashimi on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2016. Hashimi spoke on gender issues in Afghanistan and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Graduate music student Brian Garbet composed a piece based on a photo taken during World War II called “Wait for me, Daddy”. It was performed by the University Wind Ensemble in his hometown of New Westminster, B.C. on the 75th anniversary of the photo on Oct. 3, 2015.
On Feb. 3, 2016, the Department of Communication, Media and Film hosted Oscar nominated director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta spoke on the nature of violence in her films.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
congratulations The 2016 Faculty of Arts Awards showcases the depth, diversity and excellence of the work being done every day within the faculty. The 2016 recipients were: Established Scholar Research Award – Tavis Campbell (Psychology) Established Scholar Research Award – Charles Tepperman (Communication, Media and Film)
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Established Scholar Research Award – Dona Schwartz (Art) New Scholar Research Award – Scott Jasechko (Geography)
▲ CHARLES TEPPERMAN ESTABLISHED SCHOLAR RESEARCH AWARD (COMMUNICATION, MEDIA AND FILM)
Established Teacher Award – Melissa Boyce (Psychology) Established Teacher Award – Stephen Dumas (Sociology) New Teacher Award – Susanne Cote (Anthropology and Archaeology) Leadership in Internationalization – Amal Madibbo (Sociology) Leadership in Internationalization –Hank Stam (Psychology) Outstanding Staff Individual – Catherine Avramenko (Geography) Outstanding Staff Team – Julie Suffield, May Ives, Lori Kallsen, Merrit Penny (Economics) Celebrated Alumni – Derek Beaulieu (BA ’96, MA ’04, BEd, ’08) Celebrated Alumni – Jill Drader (BGS ’05) Celebrated Alumni – Douglas Hagedorn (BA ’07, MSc ’11)
Three students of the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Program (IPSE) graduated with their peers in the Faculty of Arts June convocation ceremony. IPSE provides individuals who have developmental disabilities with an authentic university experience where they attend classes, join clubs and participate in campus life. The graduates were Sarah Peterson, Adam Pilon and Michael Fridfinnson.
Pinchas Zukerman, musician and Janice Eisenhauer, Co-Founder of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan were conferred with honorary degrees at the June 8, 2016 convocation ceremony for the Faculty of Arts.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
History professor Ken MacMillan received 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award for excellence in teaching and educational leadership.
Drama professor Penny Farfan received the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Excellence in Editing Award for sustained career achievement and Women and Theatre Program’s Achievement Award for Scholarship.
Philosophy professor Kenneth Waters received a $2.1 million grant from the Templeton Foundation.
Claire Gjertsen, a fourth year student in History, Law and Society, and Philosophy, was awarded a Killam Fellowship research sexuality and criminality in 19th century North America. Associate professor in the Department of Art Dona Schwartz was acknowledged for her work On the Nest when the US Library of Congress purchased two photographs for their collection.
English Professor Bart Beaty was awarded a Killam Annual Professorship for excellence in research and teaching, while serving the community outside the university.
Professor of Philosophy David Dick received the McCaig-Killam Teaching Award; Professor of Psychology Susan Graham received the Killam Graduate Supervision and Mentorship Award and Professor Anthropology Linda Fedigan received the Killam Research Excellence Award.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
Jane Chamberlin, PhD candidate in English, received the Killam Predoctoral Scholarship for her novel exploring the nature of empathy and the challenge of empathizing with those who live in different countries, cultures and circumstances
The Calgary Distinguished Writers Program welcomed Poet Nick Thran as the 2015-2016 Canadian Writer-in-Residence
Professor of Anthropology Linda Fedigan received the Order of Canada
Professor of Economics Trevor Tombe was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People of 2016 by Alberta Venture Magazine
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new this year The Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies changed its name, adding the word “security” to the title to reflect the centre’s increasingly diverse research focus.
The Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures joined with the Department of French, Italian and Spanish to form the new School of Linguistics, Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
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The Department of Classics and Religion will offer courses in Sikh Studies in Winter 2015 and Fall 2016 thanks to a $15,000 donation from the Chadha Family Foundation in Montreal.
The Faculty of Arts played a pivotal role during this celebratory year. We launched a number of key strategic initiatives designed to set us up for many more decades of success in teaching and learning, research and innovation, and community engagement.” — RICHARD SIGURDSON, DEAN
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016
The Drama Division of the School of Creative and Performing Arts presented The Learned Ladies by Moliere in February 2016.
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