Education

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG University of Winnipeg students regularly get a close-up view of research that has the potential to profoundly benefit society. MOBILIZING KNOWLEDGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG The University of Winnipeg creates knowledge as part of a learning community and shares for the benefit of many. It happens via a collaborative approach, which breaks through the limits of traditional thinking and contributes to positive change that impacts people near and far. Photos by Cory Aronec URBAN CIRCLE Erin Stranger, program counsellor for the Family Support Worker Program at Urban Circle Training Centre, leads a classroom session. Located in the North End, Urban Circle provides culturally appropriate education and training to First Nations, Métis and Inuit women and men in Winnipeg. Since 1991, Urban Circle has offered certified programming to connect cultural teachings with labour-market demands. Urban Circle's learning options include the Adult Education and Employment Program, the Educational Assistant Certificate Program, the Health Care Aide/Health Unit Clerk Dual- Certificate Program and the Saving Circle Asset- Building Program. For more information, visit urbancircletraining.com. Photo by Darcy Finley A t UWinnipeg, bright minds solve mysteries, test theories and discover new ways to address real-world issues — from climate change and brain malfunction, to workplace bullying and urban homelessness. The best part? UWinnipeg students get an up-close view of — sometimes even a chance to take part in — fascinating research that has the potential to profoundly benefit society. For example, physics professors Melanie Martin and Chris Bidinosti recently published research with student Morgan Mercredi and Trevor Vincent, a UWinnipeg graduate. Martin's team uses physics to strengthen magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capabilities. Their method of calculating the sizes of small tissue structures may lead to better diagnostics and understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia. Ariane Dilay is a third-year student in environmental studies and sciences who, along with recent geography graduate Hailey Robichaud, had a hand in promoting the new Prairie Climate Atlas — an interactive online tool that helps people prepare for climate change under various carbon scenarios. It will benefit everyone from farmers and First Peoples to government policy analysts. Danny Blair, the director of science for the Prairie Climate Centre and principal of UWinnipeg's Richardson College for the Environment, has high praise for the students, who've written articles and crunched numbers to help raise the profile of the important research project. The Prairie Climate Centre is a collaborative partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Other examples of student-infused research activity abound at UWinnipeg. Earlier this summer, a group of learners camped and conducted field research for 10 days at the Desert Studies Center in the California desert. Recently, students of Shailesh Shukla's course on indigenous food systems interviewed 17 elders and developed a cookbook titled The Forgotten Traditional Foods of Fisher River, which is being translated into Cree. Meanwhile, UWinnipeg has, to date, launched 44 experiential learning projects across a range of departments. Experiential learning — an engaged and interactive method of discovery — is a key component of academic excellence and a strong priority at UWinnipeg. These impactful initiatives focus on areas such as feminist art and resistance, prairie ecology and outdoor recreation. This is just a small sampling of how UWinnipeg-based activity impacts every community in this province and contributes to the knowledge economy, notes Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor. "In essence, research and knowledge mobilization — an important aspect of what we do here — boils down to curious people doing interesting and meaningful work, and giving others an opportunity to learn and benefit," Trimbee says. "It's a big part of the value that the University of Winnipeg delivers."

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