Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at a desk
We know that school kids spend too much time sitting at their desks. Now we have some evidence-based recommendations to counter that sedentary behaviour. They offer guidelines to educators, parents and caregivers to help school-aged children grow and thrive. “It kind of challenges traditional views of learning,” said Valerie Carson. “Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at…
Latest QS global subject rankings highlight a diversity of institutional strengths
The University of Alberta is the top institution in Canada for nursing and petroleum engineering, according to the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject. This year’s rankings also featured 15 subjects in the top 100 worldwide, highlighting a diversity of strengths for the U of A. Nursing has continually climbed the QS rankings over the…
The province is the only place in the world where its soon-to-be-official gem is mined commercially
Alberta may soon be getting an official gemstone, as the provincial government recently announced its intention to add ammolite to the Emblems of Alberta Act, along with current emblems such as the wild rose and petrified wood, Alberta’s official flower and stone. Though ammolite wasn’t officially recognized as a gemstone until 1981, it’s been around far longer than…
Kidney disease costs the health-care system more than $40 billion each year
Not many people think about the cost of kidney disease, says a University of Alberta researcher. But the toll on Canadians is high. Kidney disease will affect one in 10 Canadians and costs the health-care system more than $40 billion each year. The number of people living with end-stage kidney disease, which has no current…
Will help answer questions related to population density, foraging patterns and more
Biologists and ecologists often need to identify individual animals in the wild to help answer questions related to population density, foraging patterns and more. But there’s an issue: many of the markers they use, such as tags with colours or numbers, are only clearly visible in daylight – which poses a challenge for studying nocturnal…
Women stay in STEM when they have confidence and a sense of community, WISEST proves
While there have been efforts to increase female representation in STEM, the data show there’s still more to be done. The likelihood of a girl enrolled in Grade 1 in Canada going on to receive a PhD in the sciences or engineering is one in 225. When you’re up against those odds, it can be…New American Cancer Society guide for survivors highlights exercise, nutrition as key long-term factors
Engaging in regular physical activity and following a healthy diet could help cancer survivors increase their likelihood of long-term survival and reduce the odds of their cancer coming back, according to the American Cancer Society’s newly released guidelines for cancer survivors. “From a cancer patient perspective, these are the things you can do for yourself, to help…
Discovery provides insight into improving vaccines, understanding cancer
Researchers have uncovered new information about a cellular mechanism in the immune system that provides a critical step toward a better understanding of how antibodies evolve and improve in the human body. The antibodies our immune system produces need fine-tuning to reach maximum effectiveness. When a vaccine or pathogen is first introduced into our bodies,…
Paralympian Danielle Peers questions how to eliminate barriers that prevent athletes from getting involved in parasport
The 2022 Winter Paralympics will shine a brief spotlight on Canada’s elite athletes in China over the next 10 days. But much more is needed at the community level to get athletes involved in parasport before they can even dream of competing at an elite level, according to former Paralympian Danielle Peers. While changes are needed at the…
Funding boosts project to help accelerate time to market for advances in carbon capture, storage
Carbon capture and storage facilities can sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and prevent them from entering the atmosphere – but effective and cost-efficient monitoring technology is needed to ensure the CO2 being put into the ground is actually staying there. “The challenge here is that we want the CO2 to stay underground for…