By Trevor Kenney
There were hints that this was coming. It is no secret that the University of Lethbridge has undergone a cultural shift and been making major inroads as a comprehensive university on both the provincial and national stage. Research institutes have been developed and supported, leading researchers have been actively recruited and research activity now percolates at all levels (undergraduate and graduate alike) and across disciplines. But when RE$EARCH Infosource tagged the U of L as Canada’s Research University of the Year (2012), Undergraduate Category, it elevated the University from an emerging comprehensive institution to one of Canada’s most influential research universities. Dr. Dan Weeks, the University’s vice-president (research), is the first to admit that the rise to number one did not happen overnight and is not attributable to one factor.
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Statistics tell part of the tale. The University saw a huge rise in research income over the past year (38.7 per cent), and that growth was the third best of any university in the country. But the U of L story has never been about numbers, and instead is rooted in the community of people who make up the University. “A research portfolio must be built strategically, over time, and with support throughout the University,” he says. “It is also dependent on the hard work of faculty members who consistently demonstrate that they are among the very best researchers in Canada. They not only excel in research, but actively engage students in research opportunities that foster the next generation of researchers and innovators.” Therein lies the uniqueness that is the U of L. Undergraduate students are exposed to research opportunities often only available to graduate and PhD level students at other institutions. It’s what brought Jennifer Arthur (BA ’07, MSc ’12) to the U of L, and also what kept her in Lethbridge for her master’s studies.
“I could have gone anywhere for university, but I chose the University of Lethbridge specifically for the undergraduate research opportunities available to students,” says Arthur, who graduated with her Master of Science in Health Sciences earlier this year. “My experiences in Dr. Glen Prusky’s (BASc ’86) visual plasticity lab and Dr. Martin Lalumiere’s psychophysiology lab gave me the discovery and application piece of my education and prepared me for my master’s degree.” The University does not see teaching and research as distinct entities, rather it fosters an atmosphere where its teachers bring their research into the classroom, helping develop the critical thinking and practical research skills today’s students deem essential. Weeks points to programs such as iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) and AMETHYST (Advanced Methods, Education and Training in Hyperspectral Science and Technology) as examples of student-focused
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