Enrichment Program Faculty
BIDINOSTI, Christopher
Department of Physics
Course #001: Snakes and Ladders: Learning to Make Video Games with Python (with Christopher Henry)
Dr. Christopher Bidinosti completed his undergraduate studies at Brandon University and obtained two graduate degrees from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Bidinosti was a postdoctoral fellow at Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, and Simon Fraser University before coming to The University of Winnipeg. His present research interests lie in novel methods of magnetic resonance and parallel computing.
BRADBURY, Hinton
Department of Psychology
Course #011: Freudian Personality Theory
Dr. Hinton Bradbury is a professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Winnipeg.
BURLEY, Ian
Department of Physics
Course #009: Astronomy (with Don Campbell)
Ian Burley is an instructor in the Department of Physics at The University of Winnipeg. His areas of interest include first year physics instruction and laboratory development; distance education pedagogy and associated technologies; and computers and the internet.
CAMPBELL, Don
Department of Physics
Course #009: Astronomy (with Ian Burley)
Don Campbell is an instructor in the Department of Physics at The University of Winnipeg.
DESROCHES, Amy
Department of Psychology
Course #012: Brain and Language
Dr. Amy Desroches is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research explores the development of reading and language. Dr. Desroches uses several different techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and eye tracking, to study how the brain develops as children are learning to read. Dr. Desroches earned her BA, MA, and PhD in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, and was a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University.
DIDUCK, Alan
Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Course #006: Environmental Changes, Challenges, and Solutions
Dr. Alan Diduck is a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at The University of Winnipeg. He is also a member of UWinnipeg’s Environment and Society Research Group, and is an adjunct professor in both the Department of Environment and Geography and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining UWinnipeg, Dr. Diduck was a lawyer and executive director of the Community Legal Education Association, a social profit organization providing public legal education and information services. Dr. Diduck’s teaching philosophy and practice have been shaped by his prior work as an adult educator and by his research program. His program focuses on community involvement in environmental governance, the learning implications of involvement (e.g. cognitive, value, behavioural, relational, and organizational change), and the consequences for social aspects of sustainability, such as equity, empowerment and capacity development.
FRANCK, Jens
Department of Biology
Course #002: An Introduction to Molecular Forensics: A Crime Scene Investigation
Dr. Jens Franck has been an associate professor in The University of Winnipeg’s Department of Biology since 2004. He obtained a BSc in genetics from the University of Alberta, and completed his PhD in molecular biology at Dalhousie University. Dr. Franck’s PhD thesis was focused on the molecular evolution of a class of repetitive DNA sequences in cichlid fish and he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Chicago and Stanford University, where he helped characterize the ryanodine receptor calcium release in fish. Along with his research colleagues, Dr. Franck determined that fish encode two versions of the skeletal ryanodine receptor gene that are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. One gene is solely expressed in fast twitch muscle while the other gene is solely expressed in slow twitch muscle. After his postdoctoral training and before returning to Canada, Dr. Franck taught as an assistant professor in biology at Occidental College, in Los Angeles, California. He continues to research the ryanodine receptor and its genetic regulation, and he has recently expanded his research into other proteins involved in calcium homeostasis and its association with thermogenesis – the ability of organisms to warm their body.
GAVRUS, Delia
Department of History
Course #007: Leeches and Mandrakes, Blood and Guts: Introduction to the History of Medicine
Dr. Delia Gavrus is an associate professor in the Department of History at The University of Winnipeg. She was appointed as the 2017 Chancellor’s Research Chair. Dr. Gavrus is a vibrant and expressive researcher who will be working on a biography of Dr. Wilder Penfield, a renowned Canadian neurosurgeon and Renaissance man, during her three-year term as Chair. Dr. Gavrus’ areas of research include the history of science, medicine, technology, as well as American and Canadian cultural and social history. Her work explores the ways in which theories about the human brain and mind have been fashioned in conjunction with the various scientific, clinical, social, and cultural realities of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
HENRY, Christopher
Department of Applied Computer Science
Course #001: Snakes and Ladders: Learning to Make Video Games with Python (with Christopher Bidinosti)
Dr. Christopher Henry is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Computer Science at The University of Winnipeg. He obtained his PhD from the University of Manitoba while studying in the Computational Intelligence Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The focus of Henry’s work is establishing theoretical frameworks for modeling human perception in applications that reproduce the human ability to make feature-based comparisons. Dr. Henry is a registered professional engineer in Manitoba.
HUSSAIN, Aman
Department of Kinesiology and Applied Health
Course #008: Kinesiology: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities
Dr. Aman Hussain recently received his PhD from the University of Queensland. His research is focused on learning and performance of emergency physicians. His other research interests include high stress professions, performing arts, leadership, post-graduate medical education and qualitative research methods.
MAIER, Katharina
Department of Criminal Justice
Course #005: Punishment and Prisons
Dr. Katharina Maier holds a law degree from the University of Munster (Germany) and a master’s degree and PhD from the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto. As a qualitative researcher, she is interested in examining issues around punishment and penal governance, prisoner re-entry and penal supervision, urban poverty and social marginality, and the work of front-line criminal justice agents. Dr. Maier also has a special interest in comparative criminal justice theory and practice. Her work has been supported by the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. She has published on issues pertaining to prison violence and risk in Theoretical Criminology and Punishment & Society.
MILOSEVIC-ZDJELAR, Vesna
Department of Physics
Course #010: From Galaxies to Alien Lifeforms: The Consequences of the Big Bang Theory of the Universe
(with Dwight Vincent)
Vesna Milosevic-Zdjelar, a former astrophysicist from the National Observatory in Belgrade, Serbia, joined The University of Winnipeg’s Department of Physics in 2000. Her research interests are galactic astronomy and astrophysical cosmology. In Canada, she obtained a degree in science education, and has made important contributions teaching science courses to non-science and life sciences students, and creating community awareness by initiating science outreach programs. She teaches a broad range of courses including Astronomy, Concepts in Science, Physics for Life Sciences, and Physics of Music.
PANKRATZ, Curt
Department of Sociology
Course #013: The Use of “Terrorism” as a Concept for Social Control
Dr. Curt Pankratz is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of Winnipeg. His teaching statement advocates, “As teachers, we are sort of like ambassadors to critical thought. Part of the job is to demonstrate how an engaged life might look. It can be extremely rewarding to see students experience innovative ways of thinking, and if we’re lucky, we get to see how that reshapes their personalities. At the same time, we need to be conscious of the power we, as professors, bring into those relationships.” Dr. Pankratz’s teaching areas include welfare state politics, social stratification, inequality, and population health. He has taught a range of courses, and focuses on socialization and development, sociology of law and sociology of medicine. He is recipient of the 2017 Faculty of Arts Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
SINGH, Satyendra
Department of Business and Administration
Course #003: Luxury and Fashion Marketing
Dr. Satyendra Singh is a professor of marketing and international business, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Academy of Business and Emerging Markets Canada, and conference chair of the Academy of Business and Emerging Markets (ABEM) Conference Canada. During spring and summer, Dr. Singh volunteers to teach, speak, and train in developing countries and emerging markets on topics relating to international business.
SOARES, Tom
Department of Theatre and Film
Course #014: The Actor Who Listens
Tom Soares in a Winnipeg-based theatre educator, voice and speech specialist and actor. He holds an MFA in acting (a terminal degree in his field) with further specialization in voice and speech from York University. Soares has taught courses on acting, voice and speech and acting Shakespeare at York University, and currently teaches acting and voice for the Department of Theatre and Film at The University of Winnipeg. He has worked as a voice and presentations consultant and trainer for CTV News Winnipeg, for The Winnipeg School Division, and for The Civil Service Commission of The Province of Manitoba, and continues to coach individuals on voice and speech skills, public speaking and acting technique.
VINCENT, Dwight
Department of Physics
Course #010: From Galaxies to Alien Lifeforms: The Consequences of the Big Bang Theory of the Universe (with Vesna Milosevic-Zdjelar)
Dr. Dwight Vincent is an associate professor in the Department of Physics at The University of Winnipeg.
WOOD, Tabitha
Department of Chemistry
Course #004: Chemistry in the Marketplace
Dr. Tabitha Wood is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Winnipeg. She is an active promoter of public scientific literacy with a special interest in enhancing understanding of the role that chemistry plays in Canadian society and the world. Originally from Winnipeg, she completed her PhD in organic chemistry at Dalhousie University and worked as a post-doctoral fellow in medicinal chemistry at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto. She lectures in undergraduate organic chemistry, biochemistry, and enzymology at UWinnipeg. She and her team of research assistants conduct research into organic synthetic methodology, the design and synthesis of small molecule enzyme inhibitors, and the search for molecules with therapeutic biological properties.