Due to Dr. Brink’s involvement with this study, Ace Burpee (Host, Ace Burpee Show, 103.1 Virgin Radio) has recognized her as one of the top 100 most fascinating Manitobans in 2023. The full list can be found here.

Dr. Brink was recently interviewed about this accomplishment and discussed the inspiration behind her research.

She started her career with the University of Manitoba at the beginning of 2020 with a focus on vertebrate paleontology. Her interests include the evolution and development of teeth and bones.

“This is the only scientific field where you can ask the questions of ‘how’ and ‘why’ the planet is the way it is,” states Brink. “I always found it interesting how paleontologists study evolutionary life on Earth. When we look back in deep time, we are able to question why the planet became the way it is, and how we can project that information into the future. Can we predict what might come?”

When asked about her career and line of research, Dr. Brink was enthusiastic to share what makes it most exciting.

A juvenile Edmontosaurus disappears into the enormous, lipped mouth of the Tyrannosaurus. Illustration created by and in the copyright of Mark P. Witton.

“Being a paleontologist attracts the interest of younger generations, especially when you work on dinosaurs,” Dr. Brink said. “Often, dinosaurs are the first introduction to science, and it encourages curiosity when students start asking qualifying questions.”

The study of dinosaur lips has been an ongoing project throughout Dr. Brink’s academic career.

“The hypothesis behind this research came from looking at the media in 1993,” says Dr. Brink. “At the time, some other grad students and I were questioning the depiction of dinosaur teeth in Jurassic Park. We started by gathering data from a student who was working on Komodo Dragon teeth. I was researching the internal structure of the mouth and used some of the gathered information to figure out how the outer layer, the enamel, needed to stay wet with saliva in order to function. Most species have lips to help with that.”

Dr. Brink and her team investigated the evolutionary line of other similar reptiles with exposed teeth, like the crocodile, to find more evidence.

“Crocodiles live in water to keep their teeth wet, and they have a lot of scratches,” states Dr. Brink. “Dinosaurs have very beautiful teeth that are not scratched on outer surfaces. Instead, there are marks found on the inner surfaces, which would come from rubbing against food inside the mouth. This was a piece of evidence that their teeth had to be protected.”

Dr. Brink and the team were satisfied with their findings, stating that it was an expected outcome.

“Looking back, early iterations just looked and felt wrong. We had a hunch it should not be exposed, and everything made sense when we put it all together.”

T-Rex skull and head reconstruction. Illustration created by and in the copyright of Mark P. Witton.

When looking to the future, Dr. Brink is excited to start on her next big research undertaking. Her interests now lie in tooth pathologies, also understood as the development of teeth.

“There are lots of developmental things that happen in human teeth, which have been documented thanks to dentistry,” says Dr. Brink. “There is similar development that occurs with reptile teeth, but it hasn’t been researched or documented much before.”

Dr. Kirstin Brink is also the Adjunct Curator of Fossil Vertebrates at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, MB. Find out more about her research and other members of her lab here.

This story has been featured in headlines globally, including Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CBC, National Geographic, CNN, CBS and NBC, and more.

Full team list:

• Kirstin Brink: Assistant Professor of Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Manitoba; Adjunct Curator of Vertebrates at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre
• Thomas Cullen: Assistant Professor of Paleobiology in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University, Scientific Affiliate at the Field Museum of Natural History
• Derek Larson: Collections Manager & Researcher, Palaeontology at the Royal BC Museum
• Mark P. Witton: University of Portsmouth

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A new pro bono clinic at the University of Manitoba aims to help communities historically under-served by the justice system take on issues ranging from disability rights to Indigenous rights to environmental rights and everything in between.

Brandon Trask, the assistant professor of law behind the Rights Clinic, says the impetus came from seeing rights violations play out within Canada and globally.

“This idea… came from essentially seeing the whittling away of rights in Canada, yes, but around the world, recognizing that there are major barriers to access to justice.”

Trask also has concerns about the “politicization” of rights issues. The recent United States Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade is high-profile issue recently thrust into the public domain.

“The U.S. seems to be — as an observer from north of the border — unravelling,” Trask said. “In Canada, I don’t think that we’re quite as tenuous, but at the same time we have to make sure that we are not just protecting, but advancing, rights.”

Canadians are not immune to rights violations, Trask stressed, noting even on the issue of abortion, access to health care varies across the country.

Raven Richards, a second-year law student from Opaskwayak Cree Nation who is working as a research assistant with the clinical program, sees the clinic as “a great tool” to help marginalized communities access justice. Even taking the step to secure legal counsel can be “intimidating and difficult to initiate” for some, she said.

Richards hopes the clinic will address issues of inequality affecting Manitobans.

“If a community doesn’t have access to clean drinking water, that has to be a charter concern,” she said. “That impacts a lot of lives.”

Read the full story in the Winnipeg Free Press.

The COVID-19 pandemic radically altered many Manitobans’ professional lives. The province’s 57 MLAs were no exception.

Over the course of the summer, we interviewed 22 of those MLAs about how they do their jobs as elected representatives; naturally, COVID-19 was a frequent topic of conversation. MLAs spoke at length about the consequences COVID-19 has brought to their jobs and to democracy in Manitoba.

Some political observers predicted the pandemic would lead to a “presidentialization” of provincial politics in Manitoba, as former premier Brian Pallister became, it seemed, the sole public face of the PC government. With the spotlight on the premier, backbench MLAs received less attention and seemed to fade into the background.

Despite this, MLAs continued their work behind the scenes. While they may not have gotten much credit for it, backbench MLAs continued to work as representatives of their ridings, and in many cases worked much harder than usual because of the increased needs of their constituents.

During the pandemic, MLAs have had to adapt how they reached out to those they were elected to serve. One adaptation MLAs made will be familiar to many Manitobans: the replacement of in-person meetings with online alternatives such as Zoom meetings.

Many MLAs emphasize hosting or appearing at events in their constituencies so that they can be accessible to their constituents. They will also meet in person with constituents who have concerns about policy or government services. Owing to gathering restrictions put in place during much of the pandemic, neither of these activities was possible, and MLAs had to quickly pivot to maintain a connection with the public they represent.

This shift to online platforms went well for some MLAs. The response to Zoom was mixed overall, but many found the convenience of being able to attend some meetings from home outweighed the downsides. Most MLAs preferred in-person meetings in situations where they were connecting with constituents on a one-on-one basis; however, Zoom and other platforms worked well for larger meetings.

Rural MLAs were able to cut down on travel times, and MLAs who were ill or had family commitments were able to attend meetings that they would otherwise have had to cancel.

Some MLAs told us they planned to integrate some of the pandemic adaptations into their jobs as representatives even after the threat of COVID-19 has subsided. Online meetings, event streaming and social media have made MLAs — who identified child-care demands, transportation problems and illness as barriers to meeting and conversing regularly and freely with their constituents — more accessible.

The convenience afforded by platforms such as Zoom helped to overcome those barriers; several MLAs said they hope to continue hosting some events online or in hybrid formats even after the pandemic ends.

For many MLAs, the pandemic changed their orientation to their role as a representative. Some, for example, felt that the experience of having to serve others during COVID-19 had made their approach more compassionate. While most MLAs felt the pandemic had negatively impacted their ability to connect with constituents in a universal sense, some thought the ties they developed with individual constituents were stronger and more personal than those developed in the past.

The severity of the pandemic created the conditions for MLAs to build stronger, more personalized bonds than would otherwise have been possible. Some thought the pandemic gave them greater empathy and compassion for the people they represented.

In addition, several MLAs told us that the pandemic had led to them forging relationships with local groups and communities with which they had not previously had close bonds. For example, one NDP MLA reported the adaptations made during the pandemic had developed a more trusting relationship with local businesses in his riding because of his efforts to listen to and act on their concerns.

How resilient are our democratic institutions during emergencies and other periods of extreme strain? Democracy in Manitoba appears strong, as our representatives continued to do their jobs despite the very substantial obstacles created by COVID-19. During the pandemic, MLAs adapted to new and challenging circumstances to continue to work for and represent their constituents. While the motives driving MLAs in how they represent their constituents remain the same, most had their approach to representation changed in some ways by the pandemic.

Manitoba’s MLAs passed, and even thrived as a result of, the stress test posed by COVID-19.

Five months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Winnipeg’s recreation options remain limited.

In March, the city closed its recreation centres, pools and libraries to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

As of this week, just one city swimming pool (Pan Am Pool) is offering swimming lessons and only six of its 12 indoor pools are open. (The closures include the Bonivital Pool and St. James Civic Centre pool, which are closed for maintenance.)

The city offered just 244 Leisure Guide programs this summer, compared with 2,540 last year.

Leisha Strachan, a University of Manitoba kinesiology and recreation management professor, said reduced access to recreation raises concerns.

“It can lead to sedentary behaviour. We know that childhood obesity, childhood diabetes are (both) on the rise. Without having an outlet for physical activity, for movement, that can definitely impact people throughout their lives,” said Strachan.

She’s concerned kids and youth will also have fewer physical education options at school this year, as educators scramble to find more space for classrooms so they can provide room for physical distancing.

“I’m hoping that schools do still consider keeping physical education as part of the curriculum, even if it’s doing it outside,” said Strachan.

She suggested Winnipeggers who wish to remain active should check what’s available at their local community centres and consider indoor options.

“We do have to think about how to live with (COVID-19) and have to re-imagine the role of recreation and sport and how we can still participate,” said Strachan.

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