June 9, 2003 For Immediate Release

In a national competition for research in the sciences, UNBC faculty have attracted federal research money to northern BC, with much of the research focusing on issues of particular interest to the North. The total value of the new projects is nearly $1 million. The following outlines the new UNBC research projects that have received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council:

Mark Shrimpton (Biology) is studying the hormonal changes that salmon experience as they move from the freshwater environment where they're born to the ocean. These changes are called smolting, and the research will examine how stress, temperature changes, water flow, and general habitat change (affected by urban development, forest harvesting, etc) affect salmon development.
960-5991, shrimptm@unbc.ca

Waqar Haque (Computer Science) is developing a computerized transaction scheduling system that will more effectively process such services as online banking, airline ticketing, and multimedia databases. The goal is development of a system that will process transactions faster while reacting to rising demand loads.
960-6522, haque@unbc.ca

Keith Egger (Ecosystem Science & Management) is simulating the effects of global warming to predict how ecosystems will respond to climate change. Working in the high Arctic, where global warming has already been more pronounced than the mid-latitudes, Dr Egger is conducting DNA analysis of microbes associated with plant roots to document the impacts of warming treatments. The microbes being studied are essential for uptake of nutrients necessary for plant growth.
960-5860, egger@unbc.ca

Ron Thring (Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Environmental Engineering) is conducting research that will lead to the creation of new value-added products from kraft lignins and hog fuel, the most under-utilized yet dominant wood wastes from wood processing operations. New products may include environmentally friendly fuels, chemicals, and bio-materials.
960-5804, thring@unbc.ca

Ian Hartley (Forestry) is assessing how different methods of drying wood affect the response of wood in temperatures ranging from -30 to +20 degrees Celsius. The research will add to knowledge about wood-water interaction and be of use in the design of structures in cold climates.
960-6054, hartley@unbc.ca

Liang Chen (Computer Science) is developing a new online search engine that will allow web users to search for documents written in languages different from the language used in a query. The search engine will also be able to generate document summaries using the languages of queries.
960-5838, chenl@unbc.ca

Richard Lazenby (Anthropology) is comparing the hand structures in humans and nonhuman primates to expand our understanding of human evolution. Some primates (such as chimpanzees) do exhibit handedness, but only at the level of the individual, not at the species level, which is unique in humans. Based on archaeological evidence, handedness is believed to extend as far back as 1 million years. The research will attempt to extend the search for the origin of handedness back 3-4 million years.
960-6696, lazenby@unbc.ca

Joe Ackerman (Canada Research Chair in Physical Ecology & Aquatic Science) is investigating how water flow and turbulence affect the transport of nutrients and foods to bottom-dwelling organisms in streams, lakes, and oceans. This research is aiming to better understand the functioning of aquatic ecosystems.
960-5839, ackerman@unbc.ca

Mark Shegelski (Physics) is undertaking a four-year project to enhance the imaging power of the low energy electron point source microscope, partially invented in Canada. The unit uses electrons to reconstruct clusters of atoms, but Dr Shegelski's research will work to improve the resolution of the microscope to reconstruct individual atoms.
960-6663, mras@unbc.ca

Kerry Reimer (Chemistry) will chemically synthesize small segments of plant polysaccharides, called oligosaccharides. The synthetic oligosaccharides, together with carbohydrate binding proteins, will be used by plant physiologists to study the biological roles of plant cell wall polysaccharides. These studies will lead to a better understanding of plant biology.
960-6675, reimerk@unbc.ca

All of the projects listed above are new, multi-year research projects receiving federal funding. A number of scientists at the University continue to be engaged in other ongoing research projects.