Saskatchewan Polytechnic recognizes and celebrates faculty
This year Sask Polytech recognizes seven faculty members for excellence in teaching and applied research. Through the Faculty Award for Excellence: Teaching and Applied Research Award of Excellence Saskatchewan Polytechnic acknowledges outstanding faculty members and researchers who go above and beyond at our convocation celebrations.
Faculty Award for Excellence: Teaching 2023
Lynda Stykel and Adrienne Bodnarchuk, Business – Accounting specialty instructors at Moose Jaw campus, each received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Stykel and Bodnarchuk were recognized for treating students and colleagues with respect and kindness. They are excellent instructors and experts in their fields. Stykel and Bodnarchuk are both CPAs who are passionate about teaching. Stykel’s nominator shared she uses real-life learning experiences in the classroom, uses technology to its fullest potential and enriches her classes with her past professional experiences. Bodnarchuk was recognized for her vast knowledge of accounting practices, instructional skill, curriculum development and ability to connect with students in meaningful ways.
Macee Robertson, Primary Care Paramedic instructor at Regina campus, received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Robertson is described by students as someone who cares. She cares about her students, about integrity and about people. Robertson has developed new information night events for prospective students on the paramedic program waitlist and is a great communicator who is committed to student success. She lays out clear expectations for students and shares what steps they can take to increase their chances of success in the Primary Care Paramedic program. This includes creating labs for extra practice before big evaluations.
Nat Strom, Resource and Environmental Law instructor, received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching at Prince Albert campus. Strom has been an instructor of the program since its inception 20 years ago. Over the years Strom has molded a generation of conservation officers, environmental protection officers, sheriff personnel and police officers with exceptional careers in conservation law enforcement agencies across the country. Strom says that her career at Sask Polytech has been rewarding; conservation in Saskatchewan is saturated with Sask Polytech graduates who constantly give back to the program that trained them.
Cheryl Walker, Pharmacy Technician instructor, received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching at Saskatoon campus. Walker instructs the math, legislation and chemistry courses for the program. In the past three years, she has focused on peer assessment activities. This learning technique requires students to understand the information correctly to assess their peers properly. Walker goes out of her way to help students in the most difficult course of the Pharmacy Technician program. Her nominator shares that Walker brings her experience as a pharmacy manager to her role at Sask Polytech and is the go-to person to help students succeed in the program.
Applied Research Award of Excellence 2023
Lindsey Boechler, research chair for Cultural Empowerment, received the Applied Research Award for Excellence. Boechler is breaking new ground as a researcher in paramedicine and is making her mark as a leader in health research in Canada. Boechler began her career as a paramedic in northern Saskatchewan where she served rural and remote communities for twelve years. She is concurrently pursuing her PhD while serving as research chair of Cultural Empowerment for the Centre for Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS). Key to most of Boechler’s work is a strong focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and indigeneity, or EDII. Boechler’s current research team is empowering adolescents as patient partners throughout the research process with the goal of developing virtual-reality-delivered resources that are appealing to those who are experiencing mental health and wellness difficulties.
Dr. Abdul Raouf, Sustainability-Led Integrated Centres of Excellence (SLICE) research chair, also received the Applied Research Award for Excellence. Raouf has been with Sask Polytech for nearly a decade. In partnership with Cowessess First Nation, Raouf led a project using remote sensing technologies, specifically unmanned aerial vehicles with imaging sensors, together with traditional ground penetration radar to locate unidentified and unmarked grave sites at the site of a former residential school. The next step of the project was to collaboratively create an interactive, digital map of the graves that can be accessed online through a phone, tablet or laptop. The goal of the interactive cemetery map is to provide members of the community with a sense of closure for the family members or friends they lost.
“Through their unwavering dedication to our students and groundbreaking research, Sask Polytech’s faculty and researchers exemplify the true spirit of innovation and academic excellence,” says Dr. Larry Rosia, president and CEO. “Join me in celebrating the recipients of Sask Polytech’s Faculty and Applied Research Awards of Excellence. Thank you for helping inspire success in every learning journey and empowering a better Saskatchewan.”
Congratulations to this year's Faculty Award for Excellence: Teaching and Applied Research Award of Excellence recipients. We are extremely fortunate to have faculty that are not only experts in their fields, but also leaders in education. Thank you for all you do for our students and institution.