Calgary Stampede rodeo safety to include shaded pens, heart monitors for horses
Based on scorching heat at the rodeo last summer, Ed Pajor, a professor of animal behaviour and welfare in the University of Calgary's faculty of veterinary medicine, says the animals could use a break.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thrill of the carnival ride comes down to physics: Calgary professor
EDMONTON – Gregg Korek knows a thing or two about roller-coasters. As vice-president of client services for North American Midway Entertainment, he has been part of bringing rides and attractions to one of Edmonton's signature summer events for nearly five decades. Korek said his company has brought back a lot of fan favourites for KDays, the decades-old exhibition that draws thousands yearly to Alberta's capital for rides, games, food and live music. There are familiar coasters, such as the Star Dancer and Crazy Mouse. For those who want something wet and wild, there's the Niagara Falls Flume. Others, such as the Polar Express, are geared towards fast-paced thrill-seekers. The best rides are the fast ones and the ones that go upside down and backwards, Korek said. 'When you're coming down the very first hill on that Crazy Mouse roller-coaster, you're alive,' he said Tuesday. 'The Wave Swinger, that's always been my favourite. It always reminds me of … those dreams that you have where you're flying.' That feeling of hurtling through the air at breakneck speeds is all about physics and your brain fooling you, says a Calgary physics professor. Dr. Phil Langill, an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Calgary, is an avid thrill-seeker and has closely studied midway rides. Langill said it all comes down to gravitational force, or G-force, which measures the acceleration or deceleration relative to the Earth's gravitational pull. When you get on a ride, he said, it's designed in such a way that the seat you're in makes you feel heavy or light. That translates to a feeling of being smashed into your seat and feeling heavier, or of weightlessness, as if you're going to fall out, he said. 'The rides try to play with your psychological being,' Langill said. While many chase the thrill of the ride, carnival classics like the ferris wheel continue to be enjoyed by people like Chris Scheetz, who is on a quest to ride it for 54 hours straight to raise $54,000 for chronically ill children. A self-proclaimed lover of rides, Scheetz said he's done a bunch of 'wild and wacky' stunts dating back to his time as a radio host, such as when he drove a Zamboni from Calgary to Edmonton. When his family found out his plan to break the 53-hour record ferris wheel ride, 'they went, 'Oh, no. Not again,'' he said. Aside from five-minute bathroom breaks every hour, he hasn't stepped off the wheel, even sleeping on it at night. Scheetz said he's had no trouble passing the time, between rides with sponsors, celebrities and media interviews. He's also had children on as part of the Alberta Dreams charity. His ride is expected to end late Wednesday afternoon. KDays runs through Sunday. — With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Calgary Herald
'Fighting fire with fire': Protecting data in the quantum age
As quantum computers threaten modern encryption methods, researchers at a Calgary company are developing the next generation of cyber-safeguards. Article content Quantized Technologies Inc., a quantum networking spin-out from the University of Calgary, has garnered investment of around $5 million since its founding in 2020 and full-fledged launch in 2023. Article content The company aims to leverage quantum technologies to secure data on today's networks from threats that emerge as a result of quantum computing, according to Jordan Smith, CEO and co-founder. Article content Article content He also expressed gratitude for support from the U of C, the City of Calgary, the Government of Canada and Government of Alberta over the years, among others. Quantized Technologies is also in the middle of another fundraising round, seeking $5.5 million from 'interested partners.' Article content But what are quantum technologies? Article content Quantum technologies is the overarching name for three separate 'loosely categorized' innovations: quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications and networking, according to Smith. Article content Quantum sensing, for example, can enable the detection of anything from gases in the mining process to national defense threats, earlier than currently possible, he said. Article content Article content The technology works by collecting data at the atomic level and sensing changes in motion, and both electric and magnetic fields. Quantum sensing can 'vastly improve the accuracy' of how we measure, navigate, study and more, according to aerospace company BAE Systems. Article content Quantum communications, on the other hand, uses the laws of quantum physics to protect data by allowing particles to take a state of superposition. Article content According to MIT Technology Review, superposition means particles can represent multiple combinations of one and zero simultaneously. Article content For computing, quantum computers don't rely on the binary (ones and zeros) system of conventional computers. Article content Instead, quantum computers rely on quantum bits (or qubits), which are not restricted to being one or zero.
16-07-2025
Alberta wastewater unlocked key information about COVID-19. Could it help with measles too?
As Alberta's measles outbreaks grow, researchers are now watching the province's wastewater for the highly contagious virus and hoping to determine if the technology could eventually serve as an early detection tool. The magnitude of Alberta's outbreaks and the speed at which cases are climbing has sparked widespread concern. As of midday Tuesday, 1,323 cases (new window) had been confirmed since the outbreaks began in March. Piggybacking off weekly wastewater samples, collected through the provincial COVID-19 surveillance program, the team has designed a test that can identify both the wild type measles virus (indicating actual infection) and vaccine-related shedding in the wastewater. Wastewater surveillance was shown to be very useful globally — internationally — during COVID-19, said Dr. Bonita Lee, a co-lead with the pan-Alberta Network for Wastewater Monitoring, which includes researchers from both the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. Samples are taken from 12 Alberta wastewater treatment plants sites each week and sent to the provincial lab for analysis. Once the testing for SARS-CoV-2 is complete, the researchers analyze the same samples for measles. Without any additional funding, the team began looking for the virus at the beginning of April, after the first cases were confirmed in Edmonton, according to Lee. They found measles virus signals in the water for that time period and they've since tracked provincial trends. Basically we have a lot of measles activity and it's increasing, said Lee, a professor of infectious diseases in the department of pediatrics at the University of Alberta. Scientists can't identify individual cases through this molecular testing. Instead they get a population-level view, she explained. Enlarge image (new window) Dr. Bonita Lee is a professor of infectious diseases in the department of pediatrics at the University of Alberta and a co-lead with the PAN Alberta Network for Wastewater Monitoring. Photo: Bonita Lee Alberta's official measles case count is widely believed, by doctors and scientists, to be an underestimate. And the provincial government's website (new window) acknowledges cases are likely going unreported and undetected in the hardest hit parts of the province. According to Lee, wastewater monitoring could be most helpful in areas where measles cases may be going undetected and public health officials want to better understand what's happening. It's never useful by itself. It will always be useful as a supplementary surveillance tool, she said. Early detection hopes Dr. Xiaoli Pang recently retired after working as a virologist in the provincial lab for 25 years and leading the wastewater surveillance program. Pang developed the initial SARS-CoV2 wastewater monitoring technology for the provincial lab and she designed the molecular test for measles as well. I believe measles is going to continue — probably getting worse and worse, she said, noting funding for wastewater monitoring has been dwindling since the peak of the pandemic. Our wastewater plays a very important role. So we really need to continue. The incubation period for measles can last up to two weeks, according to Pang, and this has sparked hopes that the technology could lead to earlier detection and provide information that could be used by health officials to take action. With SARS CoV2 monitoring, the team was able to identify peaks one to two weeks before actual case counts would rise, she said. They want to know if wastewater signals will work in the same way for measles. Enlarge image (new window) Dr. Xiaoli Pang is a professor in the department of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Alberta. She recently retired after working for 25 years as a virologist in the provincial lab and leading the provincial wastewater surveillanec program. Photo: University of Alberta More research is needed, she said, and it would require access to clinical case information data to determine the science behind how the wastewater signals correlate with actual confirmed case counts. We want to get clinical information … to compare the correlation. Are we really able to do earlier detection and provide useful information to public health [so they can] make some kind of decisions? said Pang, a professor in the department of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Alberta. For an effective monitoring program, more frequent sampling would be needed as well, according to the researchers. Alberta's wastewater surveillance program has been scaled back since the peak of the pandemic. Testing is done weekly rather than daily, she said, and they have to wait for access to the samples, which means real-time monitoring for measles is not possible. Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, premature delivery and even death. The vast majority of Alberta's cases are among the unimmunized and more than 100 Albertans have been hospitalized due to the illness this year. The team has shared its early findings with provincial health officials. A spokesperson from the Alberta government confirmed it is aware of the research. Researchers from the University of Alberta have been exploring the use of wastewater surveillance for measles, an emailed statement said. Public health officials are reviewing this data to assess its relevance in the context of the current outbreak. In the long-term, Pang believes wastewater could play a key role in fighting new and emerging pathogens and even help identify the next pandemic. She hopes funding will be increased. Something may be new coming. If something really causes a huge problem in the near future, I think wastewater [will] play some kind of important role, she said. Wastewater we see as a really important complementary tool, especially for pandemic preparation. Jennifer Lee (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Jennifer Lee is a CBC News reporter based in Calgary. She worked at CBC Toronto, Saskatoon and Regina before landing in Calgary in 2002. If you have a health or human interest story to share, let her know.
