New MRU labs explore 'environmental crime scenes', walking and runnning

The Foot-Ankle Stability Lab at Mount Royal University in Calgary studies walking and running and the research program of Dr. Michael Asmussen, Ph.D.

Here's a pitch for a new one-hour crime drama set in Calgary.

Thanks to a new lab dedicated to environmental forensics opening at Mount Royal University, the working title might be Environmental CSI: MRU.

That's the focus of one of two different labs the school has opened recently, it announced in a release issued Thursday.

The environmental forensics and arson lab will support the work of Dr. Gwen O'Sullivan, a professor in and the chair of the earth and environmental science department at MRU. O'Sullivan conducts analyses of complex organic contaminants in liquid, gaseous and solid samples to complete research on arson, biomonitoring, exposomics, occupational exposure, risk assessment and liability.

Dr. Gwen O'Sullivan of the Environmental Forensics & Arson Lab

The lab has already done litigation and case work in Canada and the U.S., investigated pipeline and off-shore spills, and supported reclamation and remediation projects.

FEET FIRST

The second of two new labs is the foot-ankle stability lab, which will support the research program of Dr. Michael Asmussen. Asmussen's research is "understanding the structure, function and neural control of the foot and ankle during locomotion in healthy, injured and diseased states," according to a release issued by the university.

"As part of the growth and evolution of research at MRU, we are proud to open these labs, which will serve as transformational spaces for discovery and collaboration," said Dr. Jonathan Withey,  dean of the faculty of science and technology.

"The work undertaken in these labs will strengthen relationships with industry and government partners, as we mobilize knowledge, solve problems and improve lives," he added. "At the same time, these spaces will create bold learning, engagement and training opportunities for our students, which is very much a signature of the MRU experience."