During the summer of 1998, a group of U of M graduates participated in an interdisciplinary summer research program at Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg. The program, run in collaboration with the university, allowed students to conduct research which often facilitates the transition to graduate school, and provides the opportunity to work with older adults. The students examined how lower body strength training can affect the ability to function and have an impact on the quality of life. One group of residents participated in a nine-week exercise program, and a control group did a non-physical program, developing a "life-album" with students. Students with backgrounds in human ecology, arts, physical education and recreation studies, and medicine participated in the research and in seminars led by experts in gerontology. The program was directed by Lorna Guse, nursing, and funded by Human Resources Development Canada, the Faculty of Nursing, CIBC, and donors to the Deer Lodge Foundation.