March 21, 2024

The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology has received $20M from the Taylor Family Foundation to establish a state-of-the-art research facility focused on the study of human performance, movement, and sport science. The facility will provide a new home for the Human Performance Lab and feature modern equipment, including multiphoton microscopes, motion-capture systems, and instrument treadmills. “We look forward to opening this iconic new facility to further our leadership in human movement, sport, recreation and wellness,” said UCalgary President Ed McCauley. UCalgary says that with this donation, the Taylor family has become the largest individual donor to the university, with their total contributions exceeding $100M.

In a recent article for The Conversation, Shelley Legin (Royal Roads University) and Heather M Hachigian (RRU) discuss how “social financing” could help under-represented students pursue higher education. Legin and Hachigian write that social financing—which involves using private money to finance programs that create positive social or environmental impacts—provides an alternative approach to the current funding model, which they argue is failing under-represented learners. Funders are often motivated by the financial returns and broader social benefits of social funding models to help partner organizations such as universities achieve their desired outcomes. Legin identifies two key barriers to implementing social finance in higher education: a lack of familiarity with social finance and limited pressure to explore innovative financing approaches.

The University College of the North, the University of Manitoba, and Université de Saint-Boniface were recognized in the 2024 Manitoba’s Top Employers competition. The annual competition, which is produced by the editors of Canada’s Top Employers, recognizes the top 25 employers in Manitoba who offer exceptional places to work. The employers are reviewed on criteria relating to the workplace, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, and more. “We are incredibly honoured to be recognized as one of the top employers in Manitoba,” said UCN President Doug Lauvstad.

The Government of Saskatchewan has invested an additional $1M into the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC), bringing the total investment in the initiative to $22.4M. These new funds will support apprenticeship training in trades such as construction, plumbing, and sheet metal work. “This additional funding will create more capacity in our training system, supporting the Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy and ensuring Saskatchewan people benefit from the opportunities our economy is creating,” said SK Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison.

Toronto Metropolitan University has made two important announcements about its programs and partnerships recently. The university will launch a PhD program in architecture this Fall that emphasizes design as a primary mode of scholarly inquiry. TMU says that this is the first doctoral architecture program in the country with a central focus on design-driven research. Additionally, TMU’s Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst is partnering with BlackBerry Limited to offer the university’s Certifications for Leadership in Cybersecurity program in Malaysia starting this May. The partners will also team up with the SANS Institute to provide full-tuition scholarships for women in an effort to close the gender gap in the Malaysian cybersecurity sector.

Concordia University’s Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP) is spearheading a campaign to educate, inform, and spread awareness about sexual violence in postsecondary education. The campaign—titled On s’ecoute—includes a dedicated website that offers training on sexual consent and four video clips featuring experts discussing the issue and victims of sexual violence sharing their testimonies. On s’ecoute is currently only available in French, but campaign organizers are looking to acquire federal funding so that they can translate the campaign into English and share it across the country.

Ewen Callaway for Nature recently published two articles discussing the use of AI in scholarly research. In the first article, Callaway discusses the potential for AI-designed proteins to be weaponized. In discussion with researchers, Callaway concludes that the ethical and safe use of AI will require efforts that go beyond what natural scientists can do alone. In the second article, Callaway highlights a recent proof-of-principle study led by researchers from the University of Washington, wherein the researchers used generative AI to make completely new antibodies for the first time. While the work has yet to be peer reviewed, Callaway discusses how this study and other investigations could open up new opportunities for pharmaceutical research.

Western University has launched the Research Engagement Collaborative Alliance with Partners (RECAP) program to help foster research partnerships between different sectors. The initiative includes a learning platform with modules that cover themes such as the guiding principles of partnerships, the process of identifying partners and research, and forging collaborations. RECAP will also work with Western’s Research Institutes to co-host engagement events where researchers and non-academic partners can connect with one another. “We need to continue to find ways to authentically include and engage partners from various sectors if we’re to have real impact on society,” said Western VP (research) Penny Pexman.

Aurora College is reportedly increasing tuition for the 2024-25 academic year. Cabin Radio reports that most of the college’s programs will now cost $2,520 per term (up from $1,800) and that the fee per course will increase from $365 to $510. Fees for some programs will reportedly increase by as much as 40%. The college said that it has made the increases “in response to rising costs” and that they are within the amounts provided by the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Student Financial Assistance program. Aurora said that it will work with students who need additional resources, such as scholarships and bursaries. The college noted that international tuition will continue to be three times the cost of domestic tuition.

The University of New Brunswick Saint John has temporarily closed and professionally treated select areas of its campus after receiving reports of bed bugs on campus. A student who lived in the university’s residences told Global News that she woke up with an unexpected rash on her neck and later found a suspected bedbug in her dorm room. “The treated spaces were closed for twice as long as was recommended to ensure they were safe for faculty, staff and students when they reopened,” UNB VP of Administration Bill Best said in a note to students and faculty. “All spaces on campus have been deemed safe by the contractor, and we continue to monitor the situation carefully.”