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June 22, 2023

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Everyday Science

Seeing life through the scientific lens

From the most recent issue of Summit magazine, see how the ordinary and everyday inspires major breakthroughs and discoveries in science. 

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Peter Fenwick

Finding ways to capitalize on opportunities in hydrogen 

A partnership between Edmonton Global and Mount Royal University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has resulted in the development of the province’s first Hydrogen Innovation Accelerator program.

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Mauricio Latapi

Discovering the barriers to innovation in the shipping industry 

Dr. Mauricio Latapí, PhD, is part of a team studying the Nordic shipping industry and what factors might convince individual companies, many of them decades old and set in their ways, to switch to greener fuels.

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Bianca Veltri

Bringing order to group get-togethers 

JMH LaunchPad competitor and finance student Bianca Veltri has designed an innovative app called The Hive, which streamlines event planning while supporting local businesses.

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HealthTech Challenge

Igniting health technology innovation 

The inaugural HealthTech Challenge at MRU showcased the  potential of three cross-disciplinary student teams in driving cutting-edge advancements in health technology.

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Announcements

Featured collections from the Library

The Library is excited to share two featured collections for the month of June. The Indigenous History Month display includes fiction, poetry, children's books, podcasts and films that centre around Indigenous voices, stories and perspectives. Celebrate Pride Month by exploring materials in the 2SLGBTQIA+ collection, with resources by and about two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and other identities that intersect with sexuality and gender.

Temporary closure of Wyckham washrooms for renovations

The main washrooms in Wyckham House are temporarily closed for renovations and are expected to reopen on July 3. Please use the washrooms on the lower level of Wyckham and on Main Street. Questions can be directed to fm@mtroyal.ca.

Establishing Work-Life Harmony session

Gain skills and knowledge to deal with competing work and family demands at a virtual session on June 28 at 10 a.m. Presented by Employee Wellness, the one-hour Establishing Work/Life Harmony session helps identify key work/life stressors, clarify values and develop skills and strategies to effectively prioritize time and energy. Learn more and register.

Ya to the hoo

The morning — 8:30 a.m. to noon — of the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday, July 7 is a paid holiday for all Mount Royal employees. If your regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (summer hours), you’re expected to work the balance of the day (12:30 to 4 p.m.). If you’d like to take off the rest of Parade Day, please get approval from your supervisor and report the 3.5 hours as leave/vacation in your timesheet.

Summer hours

Summer hours come into effect July 1 and run through Aug. 14. The regular operating hours for most departments will be 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break. Employees taking part in the Hybrid Work Trial are encouraged to adopt these hours whenever possible.

Wildfire smoke and you

A new webpage features steps Mount Royal is taking to mitigate the effect of wildfire smoke in campus buildings and ways you can reduce your exposure. Learn more at mru.ca/WildfireSmoke.

Crowchild over Glenmore Bridge full closure June 24 to June 26

A full bridge closure is anticipated to start Saturday, June 24 at 5 a.m. and the bridge will re-open at or before 5 a.m. on Monday, June 26. The City of Calgary asks the public to continue to follow all posted signage in the construction area, including speed reductions, and to expect some delays. Regular project updates and a link to subscribe to the project newsletter will be posted on Calgary.ca/CrowOverGlenRehab.

More washroom choice on campus

Some multi-user washrooms in the Bissett School of Business building (EB) have been redesignated as all-gender, which means everyone can use them. The locations have signage indicating the facilities available in each space. Learn more about this step to provide a more equitable and inclusive environment for all members of the Mount Royal community.

Annual space audit underway

Facilities Management staff are entering all rooms on campus this month and over the summer to update space information. Pictures may be taken to record the condition of finishes, furniture layouts and equipment. Email fm@mtroyal.ca with any questions. Learn more and view a tentative schedule.

Free HIIT training for employees

Get your heart pumping with Employee Outdoor HIIT during Wellness Wednesdays in July. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts involve short bursts of exercise to get your heart rate up. Presented by Employee Wellness, these sessions take place from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. on July 5, 12, 19 and 26 at the TransCanada Amphitheatre. Learn more and register now.

Mount Royal University is now a member of The Conversation

The Conversation Canada combines academic and journalism expertise and is the perfect vehicle for “knowledge mobilization” by offering the general public a mix of expert analysis of current events and explanatory articles on a wide range of topics. The newsroom seeks out authors to write about ideas generated by their editors (callouts), and academics can also pitch ideas via a form on the website. Please email Ethan Ward (eward@mtroyal.ca) in the Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement if you would like to be forwarded callouts over the summer break.

Landscaping work along east side of the RLLC

Grounds will be installing a new irrigation system along the east side of the Riddell Library and Learning Centre, closest to Richard Road. This work will begin at the end of June and take approximately three weeks. There will be minimal noise and disruption. For more information, visit mru.ca/BuildingNotifications.

Discount code for earlybird continuing education registration

Please let external applicants know that they can use a coupon code (some exceptions apply) and save 10 per cent on continuing education courses until July 14. For new students, the code is EARLY2023 and for alumni the code is EARLYALUM. Find the continuing education options available at mru.ca/ContEd.

Library signs deal to waive open access fees in select journals

Faculty members can now take advantage of waived publication fees on select journals through a new publishing deal between the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and the Public Library of Science. Learn more.

All keyed door locks on campus to be changed throughout the summer

Work to change all keyed door locks on campus has already begun, however specific areas may not be affected for a few weeks. Work will be done between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., with each lock taking approximately five minutes to replace, and changes will be complete by mid-August. Keys will be prepared prior to the locks being changed and employees may pick them up from their area’s access administrator. Please reach out to the manager of Security Services, Manesha Sidhu, at msidhu@mtroyal.ca with any questions. Any operational questions or inquiries about specific doors should be directed to securitykeycontrol@mtroyal.ca.

Did you know?

More than half of the traffic to mtroyal.ca (53.5 per cent) is now from mobile devices. The site is also accessed from desktop devices 44.9 per cent of the time, and from tablets 1.7 per cent of the time. iOS is the most popular operating system (677,000 users), then Windows (426,000 users), then Macintosh (217,000 users), then Android (174,000).

 

MRU in the Media — In case you missed it

Indigenous students face systemic barriers as they pursue higher education: report

Calgary Herald — Nikki Ballantyne, alumna & Tori McMillan, faculty

10 years: The 2013 Calgary flood brought people together

Livewire Calgary — Tim Haney, faculty

Ten years since the big flood

630 CHED / QR77 Calgary — Caroline McDonald-Harker, faculty

David Parker: McInnis & Holloway — more than a century of dignity in the funeral business

Calgary Herald — Jeff Hagel, alum

Political Pondering 

CBC West of Centre podcast — Lori Williams, faculty (look for the episode titled "Political Pondering")

Mount Royal University, faculty, students and alumni are often featured in the media. To subscribe to the daily MRU Media report, email mediarelations@mtroyal.ca.

 

Bleed Blue

Council for Advancement and Support of Education recognizes Summit

The fall/winter 2022 edition of Summit has garnered a silver in the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards for its special section dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The award statement notes, “Judges appreciated the different approach to covering the content, with the subject matter of interest and value to its stakeholders and the broader community. We also enjoyed the variety of content, tone of the pieces, and the manner in which the deeper dive was included in the storyline.”

Kristen Schaffer, PhD selected as winner of dissertation award

Dr. Kristen Schaffer, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Education, was recently selected as the recipient of the SERG-GRÉS Dissertation Award, which was presented to her at the 2023 CSSE Conference. Schaffer completed her doctoral dissertation in 2022, titled, “Children Do Science: Learning to Recognize Children’s Funds of Science Knowledge Expressed in a Community-Based Research Club Initiative,” and was nominated for the award by her supervisors.

 

Events

Lunch & Learn: Celebrating Pollinator Week on Campus with Alexandria Farmer

Thurs., June 22, from noon to 12:50 p.m. — Memorial Garden

Join Alexandria Farmer in the Memorial Garden to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of pollinators while discovering practical ways to contribute to their preservation. Register.

FAST Financial Reporting and FOAP's Training

Tues., July 11 from 10:30 a.m. to noon — Virtual

An introduction to the chart of accounts (FOAP) and hands-on practice with the web-based FAST Reporting Application used at MRU for anyone responsible for monitoring or managing a budget. Register.

 

Have a story, announcement or info to share?

Summit and website stories

We would love to hear about your story! Go to the online story submission tool and guidelines.

MyMRU announcements

Please send announcements for MyMRU's homepage to mymru@mtroyal.ca. Review the guidelines.

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