During this 90 minute online session, we will introduce you to a variety of research strategies and library tools, to help you succeed with graduate level research at Lakehead University. By the end of this session, you will be familiar with:

• selecting databases
• OMNI and Interlibrary loan options
• Zotero Citation Manager
• free research tools (Unpaywall, Lazy Scholar)
• Google Scholar - pros and cons
• Lakehead Knowledge Commons and finding theses and dissertations
• copyright - some things to keep in mind

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3711266

The Biotechnology PhD candidate Jonathan Alejandro Diaz Baca will present his doctoral research on Monday, January 16 at 9 am in FB 2023 and on zoom.

CROSSLINKED LIGNIN STARCH POLYMERS WITH ALTERNATIVE APPLICATIONS

''Lignin is a biopolymer widely investigated in recent years, such as the isolation process of lignin, the utilization of isolated lignin products, and the potential use of lignin are desirable. Starch is also a natural polymer used in many industrial processes and products. In the first research study of this thesis, a new process for isolating lignin from the tall oil soap generated in the kraft pulping process was developed (i.e., LignoTall). The properties and characteristics of the newly isolated lignin (tall oil lignin, (TOL)) were compared against kraft lignin, and a new application was proposed for TOL. In a subsequent study, TOL and starch were polymerized with a sulphonate-containing monomer to generate flocculants for colloidal systems. The monomer covalently polymerized TOL and starch to generate a three-block copolymer, as confirmed by NMR analysis. In addition, a temperature-responsive macromolecule (KLS) compounded by crosslinking of kraft lignin and starch (KLS) was generated and studied. The crosslinking of kraft lignin and starch was achieved through glycerol ether cross-bonds and confirmed by NMR and XPS analysis. Moreover, the viscoelastic properties of KLS water dispersions were determined by rheological analysis. Overall, the outcome of this thesis contributes to the knowledge of the production of soluble lignin-starch materials, describing new methods for generating covalently crosslinked lignin-starch macromolecules. Also, introducing the LignoTall process for generating TOL opens opportunities for the transformation and application of a new type of lignin with unique properties.''

Committee Members: Dr. Pedram Fatehi, (supervisor), Dr. Sudip Rakshit, Dr. Ehsan Behzadfar and Dr. Hongbin Liu (external), Dr. Ahmed Elshaer (chair)

Everyone is welcome

Contact Brenda Magajna at phd.ses@lakeheadu.ca for more information.

Develop practical knowledge and search skills for library research in Education. This session will be offered both in person (BL 2034) and online by Zoom. Learn about the different types of information resources specific to Education, how they can be located, and the effective use of search tools in Education.

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712261

Develop practical knowledge and search skills for library research in Education. This session will be offered both in person (BL 2034) and in online by Zoom. Learn about the different types of information resources specific to Education, how they can be located, and the effective use of search tools in Education.

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712260

Improve your literature search by learning to communicate better with databases to find the research articles you need. Skills learned will apply to databases in a range of disciplines. This workshop will cover advanced search techniques, identifying appropriate terminology, and broadening and narrowing your search.

By the end of this session you should be able to:

• familiarize yourself with individual database search functions and capabilities
• conduct an advanced search in a research database
• identify and combine keywords and subject terms effectively
• refine your search results using specific database features

To register visit this page: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712295

Zotero is a free and convenient tool that can be used to help you manage information for your research, insert citations into your writing and easily create bibliographies. This session will provide an overview of how Zotero can support your work throughout the research process, with hands-on opportunities to practice using the tool.

After attending this workshop, you will have learned how to:

• save time with the research process
• create better citations and bibliographies
• organise all the books / articles you find during the research process
• use advanced features in Zotero

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712187

Over the last two decades, data visualization has become an exciting and rapidly evolving field of practice, with incredible work being produced across disciplines and at all levels of scientific communication.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Describe what motivates researchers to visualize their data,
• Identify, access, and compare/contrast tools for learning how to visualize data, including applications, software, coding languages and instructional pathways.

Tools and resources discussed include: Excel/ Google Sheets, Tableau, Python, R, D3.js, Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape.

This workshop is a part of the “where to start” data workshop series. This means that the point of the session is not to deliver a step-by-step tutorial. Instead, we aim to help you to identify the best resources to begin a sustainable, practical journey to the form of data literacy that best suits your needs. Each workshop is a stand-alone experience, though they are offered in an intentional sequence.

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712572

The Lakehead University Student Union will soon announce a major gift to Lakehead University that will benefit students in perpetuity.

You are invited to attend this important announcement at Senate Chambers (UC 1001) on Thursday, Jan. 19. Please arrive at 11:15 am, with the event starting at 11:30 am.

R is a coding language reputed for its sophisticated statistical applications. It is particularly popular in academia and amoung statisticians particularly.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

Describe what motivates researchers to use R as opposed to other coding languages or statistical software, that is, we will discuss some practical circumstances that would best suit this particular tool
Identify, access, and compare/contrast resources for learning R, mainly instructional pathways and communities of learning. Tools and resources discussed include: R, R Studio, Free Code Camp, MOOCs, data communities including R Ladies, and more.

This workshop is a part of the “where to start” data workshop series. This means that the point of the session is not to deliver a step-by-step tutorial. Instead, we aim to help you to identify the best resources to begin a sustainable, practical journey to the form of data literacy that best suits your needs. Each workshop is a stand-alone experience, though they are offered in an intentional sequence.

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712569

Data cleaning, or the work of making a dataset ready for analysis, is a key componenet of learning to use data well (in fact, the adage goes that 80% of the work of a data professional is data cleaning!).

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

Describe what motivates researchers to clean their data and the practical circumstances that require data cleaning
Identify, access, and compare/contrast tools for learning how to clean data, including applications, software, code languages and instructional pathways. Tools and resources discussed include: Open Refine, Tableau Prep, Python, MOOCs, and Free Code Camp.

This workshop is a part of the "where to start" data workshop series. This means that the point of the session is not to deliver a step-by-step tutorial. Instead, we aim to help you to identify the best resources to begin a sustainable, practical journey to the form of data literacy that best suits your needs. Each workshop is a stand-alone experience, though they are offered in an intentional sequence.

Register: https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3712530