Most-read news stories of 2020

Each year, we round up the most-read news stories based on Google analytics. Here are the most-read news stories of 2020.

UCalgary breaks ground on Mathison Hall

Construction began May 1 for the Haskayne Capital Expansion project, which includes the new four-storey, 10,000-square-metre Mathison Hall building and renovations to Scurfield Hall. These buildings will combine to become a new home for the Haskayne School of Business when construction is completed for September 2022. The LEED Platinum project will add a dozen new classrooms — ranging in size from 40 to 100 seats — to the business school as well as new spaces for study, group work, student advising, food services and events. Read more

Dr. Malinda Smith appointed vice-provost (equity, diversity and inclusion)

Smith is a nationally recognized leader in equity, diversity and inclusion. She is widely regarded for her contributions to developing next-generation equity policies, including several task force reports and advisory roles in the post-secondary sector and at various levels of government. A 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow, her research, “A Seat at the Table: Engendering Black Canadian Pasts and Futures,” focuses on unearthing stories of Black hidden figures in Canadian politics, law and higher education. She is co-editor of the forthcoming volume, Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy. Smith also serves on Statistics Canada’s Expert Working Group on Black Communities in Canada, and on immigration and ethnocultural statistics. Read more

UCalgary No. 6 in Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities rankings

Re$earch Infosource Inc. places Canadian universities into one of four tiers (i.e., medical, comprehensive, undergraduate, and specialized) and then ranks their performance based on the total amount of sponsored research income they generate. This includes all funds to support research received in the form of a grant, contribution or contract from all sources external to the institution. The gap between UCalgary’s sixth-place performance ($487.8 million) and that of its closest top-five peer ($506.3 million) shrank to just $18.5 million or 3.7 per cent in this latest ranking. Read more

7 ways campus is looking different

While most of the campus community continues to work from home, some faculty and staff began gradual re-entry to campus in mid-July. During the summer months, UCalgary also hosted summer camps on campus. This was also followed by the return of some students and faculty to on-campus classes in September. Read more

Pregnant moms across Canada surveyed on COVID-19

To shed light on stress, depression and infant brain development during this time of extreme change, a research team at the Cumming School of Medicine and Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary is asking pregnant moms about the impact COVID-19 is having on their mental and physical health. Dr. Catherine Lebel, PhD, from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, is leading the study, building on her prior research on the prenatal environment and paediatric brain development. Read more

How aerobic exercise helps us keep our wits about us as we age

There’s no such thing as a panacea when it comes to maintaining brain health as we age, but exercise might come close according to a study published in the May 13, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study suggests older adults, even couch potatoes, can perform certain thinking and memory tests at the same level as someone four to six years their junior after just six months of aerobic exercise. Read more

Faculty of Kinesiology once again No. 1 sport science school in North America

UCalgary's Faculty of Kinesiology has maintained its position within an exclusive, international class of sports science schools. For the second time, the faculty is ranked No. 1 in North America according to the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments, and 11th out of 429 universities in the world. Read more

UCalgary study finds global trends in women’s breast cancer show cause for concern

A new study published in The Lancet Global Health includes data on women from 41 countries and found that in higher-income nations, including Canada, rates of breast cancer in premenopausal women are increasing, while postmenopausal breast cancer is increasing more rapidly in lower-income countries. Read more

UCalgary launches UCeed, a pre-seed and seed funding program

UCalgary is powering the path to commercialization for discovery and research with the launch of UCeed, a new pre-seed and seed funding program. Funded entirely through philanthropic support, UCeed will spur innovation, help commercialize new technologies, and accelerate University of Calgary startup companies. Read more

New re-entry protocols take effect as designated researchers return to campus

Since mid-March, UCalgary’s campuses have been relatively quiet as we focused on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, pivoting to remote learning and working, while a significant number of researchers carried on their work on campus in critical areas. June brought the welcome news that summer camps will go forward on campus for July and August with restructured program offerings. And more good news: an additional group of researchers will begin returning to campus soon under a rigorous new set of health and safety protocols, allowing them to move forward on campus with timely research vital to fighting the pandemic and solving other societal challenges. Read more