Canada Research Chairs Program at Athabasca University — Backgrounder

Distance plays a role in all three of the Canada Research Chairs at Athabasca University. Whether it is how to use research and technology to improve distance education, or the impact of the distant aurora borealis on Earth, research at AU contributes to the institution’s academic excellence. These Canada Research Chairs advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields, not only through their own work, but also by teaching and supervising students and other researchers.

Athabasca University Canada Research Chairs – Biographies

Dr. Terry Anderson – Canada Research Chair in Distance Education
Tier 2 – September 1, 2001 – Social Sciences and Humanities

Distance learning has come a long way since the days of mail-out exams. Dr. Terry Anderson’s research involves developing new network-enhanced resources and techniques for both teaching and learning. Today’s technology allows for the near-instantaneous exchange of material between teacher and student and between students. The Internet has opened the door to an exponential increase in potential students and also challenges educators to devise ways to increase the quality aquantity of educational programming, improving teacher-student interaction and creating cost-effective learning experiences.

For over 30 years, Athabasca University has distinguished itself as a centre for research in distance education. The university employs print-based materials, telephone-tutoring, and Web-based courses in its teaching methods. Enhancing and expanding those methods through research is a continuing priority. Under the Canada Research Chairs Program, the university has acquired the services of a recognized innovator in academic technology.

This Canada Research Chair will permit Dr. Anderson to focus full time on this area of study, enabling him to design his own blend of research and practice in distance learning. This in turn will aid in his collaborations with institutions all over the world where professors are conducting similar research. It’s expected this research will result in new modes of distance education, with substantial improvements that will be tangible to both teachers and students.

"The Canada Research Chair has allowed me the freedom and incentive to grow my research program. I have been able to enlarge that program to include other distance education researchers at Athabasca and throughout Canada through the new Canadian Institute for Distance Education Research (CIDER). In addition, the CRC has greatly enhanced my national and international profile such that I am regularly invited to address professional groups and academic conferences around the world."

Dr. Martin Connors – Canada Research Chair in Space Science, Instrumentation and Networking
Tier 2 – November 1, 2002 –Natural Sciences and Engineering

Dr. Martin Connor’s study of outbursts of auroral activity and space weather will improve understanding of their effects on communications, pipeline function and other activities on Earth.

Despite decades of study, the cause of the aurora remains unknown. Dr. Connors’ approach uses ground-based measurements to provide information about electric currents and particle precipitation in the Earth’s magnetosphere. The data reduction methods he has developed allow characterization of the phenomena in terms of simple parameters. By coupling these data reduction and characterization methods with instrumentation networks on the ground, he can gain a view of the processes on a continental scale.

During the first two years of his project Dr. Connors has concentrated on acquiring, developing and deploying his instrumentation, and conducting data inversion studies that will allow characterization of the aurora. In the final three years, information gathered during the study will be disseminated, statistical and event studies will be conducted, and an assessment will be made of the data’s relevance to space weather.

“The Canada Research Chair provides significant freedom to explore new ideas both through time provided and support for the work. I am able to explore innovative ideas, outside of the normal funding structure, with CRC support. In addition, a Canada Foundation For Innovation (CFI) grant was attached to the CRC, allowing more needed instrumentation to be purchased.”

Canada Research Chairs Program

The Canada Research Chairs Programs enhances Canada’s competitiveness in the global, knowledge-based economy, enriching Canadian lives. To date, the Canada Research Chairs program has created 1,348 research positions at 73 Canadian universities since it was launched in 2000. The program helps universities attract and retain the best researchers and achieve research excellence in natural sciences and engineering, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.

The Canada Research Chairs Programs enables Canada to stand among the world’s top five countries for research and development. Each degree-granting institution nominates researchers whose work complements its research plan.

A CRC grant also comes with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), to fund essential research infrastructure, ranging from computer equipment for information databases to housing for laboratory facilities. The CRI is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure.

For more information on these Chairholders, please go to the Canada Research Chairs Program Website at: http://www.chairs.gc.ca/web/chairholders/profile_searchresults_e.asp?
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Updated July 17, 2012