As Interim Dean, I want to position the Faculty in a leadership role. Interestingly, by the time you read this there will have been several major announcements regarding funding from the International Polar Year Program and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. At this year’s Homecoming event we have arranged a series of public lectures highlighting the part this Faculty plays in informing the national debate. Our integration of disciplines, ways of thought, and values will help address environmental and resource management issues in the future. ....continued on Page 5

Celebrate with Us!!

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Come celebrate the International Year of Planet Earth and the International

Polar Year with us! Some of our most outstanding faculty will address current initiatives

in developing a better understanding of our planet. For more information contact

Jeff Young jyoung@cc.umanitoba.ca.

There is little doubt that Canada’s environmental pulse has quickened of late and, with environmental issues filling the news, it seems the tone of the sound bites and newspaper columns can, at times, seem a little tense. This is made all the more interesting because what we read and see on television and the internet will ultimately influence how we vote in coming elections. With due deference to the 5th Estate, not everything we see and read can be considered fact.

Our Faculty has a unique role and responsibility in informing this discussion. We are the ones who have been charged with creating and organizing the knowledge that encompasses Environment, Earth, and Resources. Within the Faculty, many of us are involved in this

on a daily basis – as we teach students and do the research that we love! In this regard, the classroom is a refuge; there we have a “captive audience” and for 50 minutes we can entice our students, our future alumni. For my own part, I look back fondly on the time spent in the classroom as a time when responsibility seemed far off, but even then

I was becoming increasingly aware that I was part of a special community. My professors told me about who taught them and now I am telling my students about who taught me. Our students understand that they are part of something larger, that their knowledge has a long lineage, and that we, in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, have made a special effort to enlarge our community to embrace the knowledge and skill sets needed to address their futures.

Dean’s Message

Dr. Norman Halden

Alumni Newsletter

Alumni Newsletter

International Recognition and Funding for CEOS

In conjunction with the International Polar Year, CEOS (Centre for Earth Observation Science) has been granted upwards of $8 million in funding for the Circumpolar

Riddell Visits Riddell

Clayton H. Riddell (r) with Bob Elias (l)

In October, Dr. Clayton H. Riddell paid a much-anticipated visit to his namesake. Hosted by David Barber, Clayton toured the new addition to the fourth floor of the Wallace building, which houses the Dean’s Office and Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), and the Geoscience analytical laboratories where he met with Faculty members and learned about some of the exciting research going on within the Faculty. These laboratories include the Microbeam and Image Analysis Laboratory, which is set up to serve the

Clayton H. Riddell with Mostafa Fayek

needs of universities, industry and government institutions in Canada with a state-of-the-art electron microprobe, secondary ion mass spectrometer, LAM-HR-ICP-mass spectrometer, scanning electron microscope

Clayton H. Riddell with Frank Hawthorne

and image analysis system; the X-Ray Laboratory, with two fully automated four-circle single-crystal diffractometers and two X-ray generators; and, the Geochemistry Laboratory, which is fully equipped for sediment, rock and mineral analyses.

Representatives from the Department of Environment and Geography, Natural Resources Institute, Department of Geological Sciences, and CEOS, each gave a brief presentation on the activities of the individual units within the Faculty. A brief presentation and overview of the Ed Leith Cretaceous Menagerie, the icon of the Wallace Building, was also highlighted during Clayton’s visit. Probably the

pinnacle of Clayton’s visit, certainly for students, was the reception held in the Geoscience staff lounge, which Geological Science students attended. The students were able to meet with Clayton and demonstrate the bright future that lies in the Department and Faculty as a whole.

Clayton H. Riddell with Geological Sciences students

2

Alumni NewsletterFlaw Lead (CFL) system under the project lead of Dr. David Barber. The CFL project team is an international collaboration of scientists that will integrate a series of

(V. Lago 2006)

testable hypotheses designed to examine the importance of climate processes in changing the nature of the flaw lead system in the Northern Hemisphere and the effect these changes will have on the marine ecosystem, contaminant transport, carbon fluxes, and the exchange of greenhouse gases across the ocean-sea ice-atmosphere interface. The project calls for the Canadian Research Icebreaker (NGCC Amundsen) to over-winter within the Banks Island flaw lead, thereby supporting a large Canadian-led international effort to understand how climate variability/change affect marine physical-biological coupling within the CFL system as part of Canada’s contribution to the International Polar Year (IPY).

The CFL science teams measure all aspects of the marine system (from viruses to whales) and the physical system (from the top of the atmosphere to the floor of the ocean). Over the course of the project, opportunities for 40 graduate students and 9 post-docs will be created.

New Staff - Welcome!

Dr. Mostafa FayekCanada Research Chair, Associate ProfessorDepartment of Geological Sciences

Dr. Fayek’s research interests include: applications of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS); fluid-solid interactions at the atomic level including the mass transport of chemicals, elements, nutrients near the Earth’s surface; environmental contamination and disposal of nuclear waste; sourcing and dating techniques of archeological artifacts.

Dr. Alfredo CamachoAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Geological Sciences

Dr. Camacho’s research interests include: heat distribution in the crust during orogenesis; genetic relationship between basin formation and orogenic activity; understanding earthquake activity in interiors and subduction settings; geochronology and diffusion rates of minerals.

3

Aboriginal groups, industry and government in the Northwest Territories. Her research team, which is made up of graduate students mentoring local youth, is providing the tools, support and infrastructure that help community members carry out research about their own communities. Their research findings highlight the social, economic, cultural, and environmental diversity of Canada’s North. Aboriginal peoples have historically been left out of the planning and management of resource development. Brenda hopes to see this pattern broken; her work is designed to support Aboriginal peoples in the making of decisions in the area of resource development. She believes that how Canadians respond to the benefits and costs of northern resource development will determine the kind of North that exists for future generations. (Canada Research Chairs 2006)

(University of Alberta)

Alumni Newsletter

Dean’s OfficeDarlene Smith, Assistant to the Deans

Department of Environment & GeographyCandice Ludwig, Office Assistant Tracey Maconachie, Office Assistant Rhonda Pankratz, Office Assistant

Department of Geological SciencesLynda Closson, Office AssistantBoo-Young Bae, Postdoctoral Fellow Yassir Abdu, Research Associate

Natural Resources InstituteSonesinh Keobouasone, Computer TechnicianMonica Fedorchuk, Administrative Assistant

Retirements - Thank you!

Mary AnnaOffice AssistantDepartment of Environment & Geography

NRI Featured Alumnus

Congratulations to Brenda Parlee for winning a Tier II Canada Research Chair in the latest CRC competition! Brenda is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, and a recent graduate (2006) of NRI’s Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) PhD program. (Contributed by F. Berkes)

Brenda focuses on the traditional knowledge, practices and rules that help northern communities learn and respond to what’s going on around them. She is particularly interested in how communities have interpreted and responded to cycles, patterns and extreme events that occur naturally in northern environments. In her case study research program at the University of Alberta, Brenda collaborates with northern communities,

Dr. John BrierleyProfessorDepartment of Environment & Geography

Helen OsmanAssistant to the DeanDean’s Office

4

Alumni Newsletter...continued from Page 1

My focus on Homecoming is no accident. The convergence of thinking that created the Faculty not only brought together students and professors in this new endeavor, but it brought together alumni. In this broader context I’ll wager that when we all graduated and moved beyond the cloistered atmosphere of the University, we interacted with more people and ways of thinking than we ever thought possible. My experience and interactions as a geoscientist have been with people working with the Environment, Earth, and Resources issues. That is, of course, what we - students, professors, and alumni - all have in common. -NH

Book Launch

“If global warming continues we’ll see more extreme events and more fluctuations and differences between regions. It’s not a linear progression but the evidence is clear. The question is, given these facts, how do we prepare ourselves for the 21st century?” (C. Emdad Haque, 2006)

In his new book, “Mitigation of Natural Hazards and Disasters: International Perspectives”, Dr. Haque addresses this question. This book examines the aspects of prevention, mitigation and management of environmental hazards and disasters from an international perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme environmental events, this publication overviews various policy and response discourse. Several case studies, from various countries and world regions, depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development and implementation and establishing interlinks between

vulnerability and mitigation are presented to provide further insights.

This book is primarily intended for academics, policy makers, professionals, and practitioners in hazards reduction activities who look for a better understanding of the complex and dynamic aspects of nature and society. This topic is a well-established issue among most sectors of our society since the costs, both human and socioeconomic, of extreme environmental events have been rising astronomically and significant vulnerabilities exist throughout the world. Without effective prevention and mitigation, these costs are likely to continue to increase, enhancing the uncertainty of societal progress. The knowledge and information embodied in this volume will be of immense benefit to anyone working in this field.

Emdad Haque, Helen Fast, Fikret Berkes (l-r)

5

Alumni Newsletter

Geological Sciences Featured Alumnus

Kim Tait, BScHons 1999, MSc 2003, is completing her PhD program at the University of Arizona. This spring, Kim will take up the position of Associate Curator of Mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. In 2006 she was one of only five women from the US and Canada to be a “Named Scholar” in the competition for the Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Awards. Kim is the “Norah L. Wallace Named Scholar” in recognition of her academic achievements and research, which includes the discovery of two new minerals, Potassic-carpholite and Dellaventuraite approved by the International Mineralogical Association.

Order of Canada

In 2006 Frank Hawthorne was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his status as one of the world’s foremost authorities in mineralogy and crystallography. He was also the recipient of a rare honour – membership in the Russian Academy of Sciences. Only three other Canadians have received this honour, and two of them are Nobel Prize winners.

Walking with the Animals

Dr. Bonnie Hallman was awarded the 2006/2007 Centre On Aging Research Fellowship for her work entitled “Walking with the Animals: Exploring Zoos for Increasing Health and Wellbeing among Older Adults”.

Bonnie’s work explores the benefits of reasserting the potential for zoos as environments that can promote healthy, active living, particularly amongst older adults. Zoos have become identified as locations to take children, however in an aging society where there are real concerns about health promotion / illness prevention, it is argued that it is time for zoological parks to once again assert the resources they offer to encourage active living and wellbeing. (Hallman 2006)

The Centre on Aging is a university-wide research centre with a mandate to conduct, encourage, integrate, and disseminate research on all aspects of aging.

For more information on Bonnie’s research, please go to http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~hallmanb/index.html.

6

Faculty Members win UofM Outreach

Awards

Kristina Hunter and Merlin Shoesmith were recipients of this years’ University of Manitoba Outreach Awards for their outstanding community involvement. Kristina was recognized for involvement on various boards and committees whose mandate is to create a more ecologically sound society. She is a founding member of the Manitoba Earth Day Committee and she is a member of the Manitoba Roundtable on Sustainable Development. At the University, Kristina is a member of the “Think Green” group.

Alumni Newsletter

Western Inter-University Geoscience Conference

Geological Sciences students hosted a successful Western Inter-University Geoscience Conference, January 4-6, 2007 at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg. The student organizers did an outstanding job in all aspects - raising funds, and arranging technical talks, fieldtrips, and social events. The University was well represented in the technical talks and poster sessions and the following students received awards: Pamela Bucher (1st prize, undergraduate talks), Barrett Elliott (1st prize, graduate talks), Lisa Friedrich (1st prize, posters), Heather Sealey (2nd prize, undergraduate talks), and Aaron Lussier (2nd prize, graduate talks).

Kristina Hunter

Merlin Shoesmith

Merlin was recognized for his engagement with industry, non-governmental organizations and numerous government departments and agencies on environmental matters. His efforts have created networking opportunities on environmental matters for the students and the University.

Environment and Geography Featured

Alumnus

Melissa Cooper, a graduate of the Environmental Studies program and a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEPIT) with the Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board (CECAB) was recently featured in the BEAHR (Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources) newsletter. Melissa works as a researcher/writer for the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa where she develops and analyzes policies regarding the protection of species at risk. In addition, Melissa is tasked with generating awareness about environmental issues through the organization of national workshops for Aboriginal people in Canada (with information from ECO Canada).

(ECOCanada 2006)

7

Cassandra Tycholiz - Donald K. McIvor Scholarship; Irving Levi Prize in Geology Lori Stewart - Mineral Society of Manitoba (Paleontology)Katrina Van Drongelen - Mineralogy Society of Manitoba Prize (Mineralogy and Crystallography)

Natural Resources InstituteSherrie Blakney – SSHRC DoctoralEleanor Bonny – Manitoba Graduate ScholarshipPeter Myers – University of Manitoba Graduate FellowshipTomasin Playford – University of Manitoba Graduate FellowshipLance Robinson – Duff Roblin Scholarship; Manitoba Graduate ScholarshipLaura Sims – SSHRC Doctoral

NSERC Undergraduate Research AwardsEnvironment & Geography: Arun Jagdeo, Lynn Frazer, Jacqueline Kotyk, Ryan Kressall, Aimee WarukGeological Sciences: Jennifer Greyville

Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources

440 Wallace BuildingWinnipeg, Manitoba

R3T 2N2

Phone: 204-474-7252Fax: 204-275-3147

Email: enviro@cc.umanitoba.ca

www.umanitoba.ca/environment

Alumni NewsletterStudent Accomplishments 2006

2006 Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources MedalsGold: Arun Jagdeo B.A. GeographyProgram Medals: Lynn Frazer B.Env.Sc. HonoursNatasha Trupp B.A. Geography AdvancedAndrea Blake B.A. Geography General

Environment & GeographyArun Jagdeo – Class of Arts & Science ’30 Prize in GeographyRyan Kressall – Dr. A.W. Hogg Undergraduate Scholarship; Isbister Scholarship in EnvironmentPaul Mutch – NSERC CGSMGlenn Scott – University of Manitoba Graduate FellowshipDorian Watts – Roscoe R. Miller ScholarshipMelisa Yestrau – NSERC PGSM

Geological SciencesMatthew Bodnar - William J. Hill Memorial Award Dan Card - Diana Loranger Memorial Scholarship. Becky Cook - Mark G. Smerchanski Memorial PrizeLisa Friedrich - Rita Wadien Memorial Scholarship Jennifer Greville - Douglas Bartlett Fahlgren Memorial Award; Diana Loranger Memorial ScholarshipAshley Krakowka - APEGM 125th Anniversary Award in Geological Sciences Aaron Lussier - Dr. George Brownell Memorial Scholarship; Geological Association of Canada Graduate Seminar PrizeRyan Martin - Paul R. Beaudoin Memorial Geochemistry Scholarship Ekaterina Reguir - C. K. Bell Memorial Research PrizeHolly Robinson - Marty Morrice Field Geology AwardElaine Salter - Irving Levi Prize in Geology; Donald K. McIvor Scholarship