Vol. 29, No. 6
April 15, 2003
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STEACIE FELLOWS BLAZING TRAILS IN RESEARCH — The Steacie award to biologist Gary Saunders (F) was among six announced March 20 by Allan Rock, minister of industry and minister responsible for NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.) It's the second Steacie awarded to a UNB professor in recent years. Physics professor Bruce Balcom (F) received the award in 2000. "NSERC Steacie Fellows are blazing trails for themselves and for Canada on the international research scene," said Mr. Rock. "They are leading Canada towards its goal of becoming one of the top five countries in the world for research and development." |
"There's this view that a lot of people have, and remarkably a lot of biologists seem stuck with, that evolution always goes from simple to complex," said Dr. Saunders, one of Canada's few researchers in the taxonomy and systematics of algae.
"That's not always the case. What we've found, contrary to previous thinking, is that some of the simplest red algae are some of the most recently evolved ones. So at one level we're turning our understanding of algal evolution upside down."
Red algae (Rhodophyta) range from microscopic single-celled creatures to large algae such as Irish Moss. They are found worldwide in marine tidal zones, and there are as many as 7,000 species in total.
"I would say that the average person doesn't get through the day without red algae as part of his or her life," said Dr. Saunders, who has travelled to shorelines from British Columbia to Australia and Chile in search of new algal species.
The polysaccharides found in red algae are used to produce the emulsifiers and thickeners in products ranging from ice cream to cosmetics. Nori, the wrap used in making sushi rolls, is also made from red algae.
Dr. Saunders' research of the past decade has pioneered the use of new genetic analyses to reinterpret the evolutionary history and familial relationships of red algae, and several other algal groups.
In the past, mapping the red algal family tree has been stymied by two facts: these marine creatures are anatomically simple, so there are few features for comparison; and they generally don't fossilize, so there's almost no fossil record.
So, early 20th-century researchers turned to the diverse and cryptic reproductive strategies in these algae to classify them into biological groupings.
"The absence of clear, defining, physical features and the prevailing notion that these marine creatures were `simple' led to an `underclassification' of their diversity," said Dr. Saunders.
"I think a lot of this goes back to Linnaeus and beyond - the idea that algae are pond scum, that they're not that interesting, they're not that important, there's not that much diversity there.
"What we're finding is that some of these previous groupings are in fact a hodgepodge of very different sorts of lineages."
While an NSERC Steacie Fellow, Dr. Saunders will be looking for new genetic markers to plug holes in his ongoing gene-based reassessment of red algal relationships. The research is important in the search for new economically valuable red algae, he says. It provides information on which species of red algae are most closely related, and thus most likely to have similar properties.
The Steacie research will also make the link between the genetics of red algae and the algae's bizarre range of reproductive strategies, research that could further challenge commonly held notions about evolution.
"The animals and land plants are two little bumps on the tree of life from a planetary biodiversity perspective," noted Dr. Saunders. "I think a lot of our ideas on how evolution has shaped life may change when we look further at red algae."
For the past few years, Dr. Saunders and his graduate phycology students have been conducting biodiversity monitoring along the New Brunswick shoreline of the Bay of Fundy. They are keeping a watchful eye, he said, on the red algae, some of which have been disappearing from coastal sites in areas where the aquaculture industry has settled in.
"The bottom line is that the mainland coast is not looking that good. The flora is succumbing to anthropogenic pressures, a situation that requires further investigation."
An $848,856 contribution from the Province of New Brunswick's University Infrastructure Trust Fund will help make UNB Saint John a leader in the use of technology in education, says Premier Bernard Lord. The premier announced the infrastructure funding on April 15.
"This investment will help UNB Saint John improve its strategic infrastructure and embrace innovation, which are two building blocks of Greater Opportunity: New Brunswick's Prosperity Plan," Mr. Lord said. "As university education becomes more and more computer- and technology-driven, the institutions that embrace this trend will rise above the rest. We are pleased to contribute to making UNB Saint John a leader in technology-based education."
Thomas J. Condon, acting vice-president (Saint John), is extremely pleased with the government's support.
"UNB Saint John is a key player in creating opportunities that will contribute significantly to the province's prosperity plan," Dr. Condon said. "This funding is not only a tribute to the leadership role the university has played in electronic commerce and computer science education; it also recognizes the university's significant success in attracting international students.
"With the latest in technological and laboratory equipment, UNB Saint John will be able to continue to contribute to the province's workforce development by attracting top students, not only from New Brunswick but from away."
The $850,000 investment will fund eight projects to improve the teaching and research capacity of UNBSJ. Seven of them involve a significant enhancement to the university's wireless teaching environment.
Those projects include creating portable smart classrooms and meeting rooms, extending fibre optics to the annexes and residences, establishing a mobile business student laboratory, procuring new video-conferencing equipment, and funding a new wireless laptop program. The eighth project will receive $220,000 for refit of the refrigeration and water filtration equipment in the university's marine biology laboratories.
"By upgrading our marine biology labs, the government is facilitating the education of our students and the research of our faculty and graduate students," said Dr. Condon. "All of this will pay off for New Brunswick in terms of skilled aquaculture employees, new and improved methods for the industry, and more effective protection of our environment."
Although the formal performance measurements are not yet in for UNB's Making A Significant Difference (MASD) integrated marketing program, the interim outcomes are looking pretty significant themselves.
With the MASD program objectives of increasing awareness of the university and helping New Brunswickers understand the fundamental role UNB plays in the province, the country and the world, the messages of the program have been delivered in a variety of ways to internal and external audiences. Image-building advertising, alumni activities, relationship-building initiatives and other marketing elements have all been combined into what an external marketing expert from the United States has called "one of the best examples of an integrated marketing program I've ever seen."
The UNB message is obviously getting out.
"Since the launch of the program last September, the effectiveness of the branding, main messaging and the entire MASD program have appeared to generate new momentum both internally and externally," said Susan Mesheau, director of the Office of Student Recruitment and Integrated Marketing at UNBF.
"This integrated marketing program has already assisted in consolidating and positively affecting a number of significant outcomes."
In the last few months, UNB has seen a six per cent increase in overall student enrolment, increased funding from the provincial government, increased media attention, and excellent growth in active alumni and first-time donors.