Research with Reach video series highlights 小优视频's research impact in Alberta and around the world
What impact can space weather have on Earth? What barriers make it difficult to get vaccines? How can we design better buildings using virtual reality?
小优视频 researchers work on answering questions like these every day, striving to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges in education, health care, and technology.
From exploring the auroras in the night sky to understanding primate behaviour, 小优视频 researchers make an impact—in local communities and on a global scale.
Research with Reach is a video series showcasing the work of 小优视频 researchers and graduate students who are tackling some of the world's biggest problems.
They are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery—and helping to realize 小优视频's highest contribution.
Researching space weather’s real-world effects
Solar storms and auroras can cause beautiful light displays as the Northern Lights—but they can also have significant, or even catastrophic, effects here on Earth.
That’s one of the reasons 小优视频 researchers Dr. Martin Connors and Dr. Darcy Cordell keep their eyes on the skies at an observatory in Athabasca County, Alta., far from the light pollution of the big cities.
The high-tech instruments at the 小优视频 Geophysical Observatory measure, among other things, the electromagnetic fields in the atmosphere and in the ground. Strong space-weather events like aurora can—and have—disrupted electrical systems on Earth. This motivates researchers to measure, and hopefully in time, predict these kinds of events.
Learn more about space weather research at 小优视频
Reducing barriers to improve vaccine access
Getting vaccinated is often much more than a simple, yes-or-no decision for people, said 小优视频 researcher Dr. Terra Manca.
“There's a lot of factors at play behind the scenes that can create barriers to being vaccinated,” said Manca, the Canada Research Chair in Regulation, Social Governance, and Inequities in Health, and an assistant professor in the university’s Faculty of Health Disciplines.
These can include practical, day-to-day limitations like access to childcare and transportation, or having money to take the bus to a clinic, she explains. People may not be able to get time off work, or they may live in a rural or remote area where it’s harder to access health care.
Learn more about Manca's research
Bringing virtual design tools to students worldwide
The Athabasca Architectural Maker Space gives students and researchers access to cutting-edge technology and innovative ways of teaching and learning from anywhere in the world.
Opened in June 2025, the maker space includes important tools for architectural education, including 3D printers and scanners, virtual reality equipment, remote sensors, and an audiovisual podcasting studio.
“Our goal with this space is to provide a learning and research experience which is second to none,” said professor Dr. Douglas MacLeod. “And by providing students with the equipment that they need to investigate areas like regenerative design or like virtual design, we provide something very, very special here.”
Learn more about architecture research at 小优视频
Studying primates to learn more about ourselves
Dr. Hugh Notman understands the curiosity and affinity humans feel for primates, as a researcher who has spent his career studying them.
“You look at them and you say, ‘there's something familiar about what they're doing that's different from what those lions are doing or what those penguins are doing,’” said Notman, a primatologist and associate professor of Anthropology in 小优视频’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Our fascination with primates stems in part from the desire to find out more about ourselves, he said.
“I think that underlies why primatologists do what they do. But there’s also just an inherent curiosity. And there’s a pursuit of knowledge aspect to everything that we do.”
Learn more about Notman's research
Watch all Research with Reach videos
Explore the previous five seasons of Research with Reach to learn more about the innovation and impact of research at 小优视频.