University of Manitoba

What does wildfire smoke do to us? As climate change fuels record wildfire seasons, UM researchers are adopting more precise ways to measure the smoke’s impact on our health.

The AirSAFE Lab, opening later this year, will be Canada’s first multidisciplinary research centre on the topic. Scientists will drill down on details like how smoke can, surprisingly, worsen as it moves away from the hot spot, picking up other pollutants. The facility will use actual human lung tissue.

“It’s far more complicated than what I first imagined when I got the idea to do this,” says Andrew Halayko [MSc/88, PhD/97], who is a Canada Research Chair in Lung Pathobiology and Treatment.

Read more about the research on UM Today: https://brnw.ch/21x3srf

If you're gearing up to start a painting project this summer, it's more than likely Winnipeg-based Duha Group made the paint chip you'll tape to your wall to choose that perfect colour.

UM Chancellor Dave Angus sat down with Rick J Duha, ICD.D [BComm(Hons)/82] and son Rick G. Duha [MBA/2019], the company’s Chief Business Officer since taking the reins in 2020, for this latest installment of Bisons in Business, a series showcasing alumni who are leaders in their field.

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21x3qD0

Don't miss out! Register now for the UM Alumni Association AGM happening on Wednesday, June 17, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

Join us from anywhere in the world to hear President Michael Benarroch share exciting campus updates, including UM150, and reconnect with fellow alumni.

Register at https://brnw.ch/21x3ojf

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, an opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It's a time to honour the stories, excellence and resilience of Indigenous Peoples.

Lyle Ford, Senior Lead, Indigenous Engagement at UM Libraries, selected six recommended reads to help you in your learning:

1. Histories of Indigenous peoples and Canada
2. What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous stories of rebellion and renewal
3. 52 ways to reconcile: how to walk with Indigenous peoples on the path to healing
4. The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle : a true and exact accounting of the history of Turtle Island
5. mahikan ka onot: The Poetry of Duncan Mercredi
6. Thou Shalt Forget: Indigenous sovereignty, resistance and the production of cultural oblivion in Canada

https://brnw.ch/21x3iRd

Driven by a desire to help student parents succeed in medicine, Dr. John Embil and his family established the Embil Family Bursary for Parents with Children. The endowment supports medical students who are balancing the demands of raising a family while pursuing a career that requires years of intensive training.

For recipients like Maryana Kutuzova, this support is about more than financial assistance, it's a meaningful reminder that their community believes in them.

Read the story on UM Today: https://brnw.ch/21x3gPz
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Sleep apnea affects one-in-five adults in Canada, often disrupting sleep and contributing to risk factors for conditions like heart disease and accident rates worldwide.

Dr. Walid Ashraf, a recent UM PhD graduate, is working to pinpoint the elusive causes of sleep apnea in Dr. Zahra Moussavi's lab at the Price Faculty of Engineering. Ashraf recently published his design for a new test that uses sound to map a patient's airways, an important step toward faster, more effective diagnostic testing for everyone.

Read more about the research: https://brnw.ch/21x3eWi

As part of National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations, the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) celebrates Indigenous faculty, staff, students and community members whose leadership is driving transformational change and weaving Indigenous knowledges into all they do through an annual blanketing ceremony.

For our 10th anniversary, we are honouring a record number of 20 honourees. Read more about their incredible contributions to our UM community on UM Today: https://brnw.ch/21x3bmF

UM Indigenous