A powerful symbol is now visible on the Lakehead University Orillia campus.  The new tipi, raised by the University last week, serves as a sign that Lakehead is committed to ensuring it is a safe gathering space for Indigenous learners.

“Raising a tipi on campus is a culturally significant moment for Lakehead Orillia,” said Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans, Principal, Lakehead Orillia. “It symbolizes the University’s commitment to supporting and enhancing Aboriginal knowledge and culture through education, to help our students, faculty, staff, and community partners further understand and appreciate Aboriginal perspectives and traditions.”

In conjunction with the tipi already in place on the Thunder Bay campus, the tipi on the Orillia campus will serve as a meaningful and social space for students, faculty, and staff.

“Not only will the tipi help promote and share Indigenous culture and knowledge, it will also function as a place where other disciplines can interact with each other and bridge a sense of understanding of concepts that may be missed within certain classes,” said Winston Boudreau, Lakehead Orillia student and clan representative of the Turtle Island Student Circle.  “I think it is a step forward to having a strengthened partnership with neighboring communities and promoting a sense of inclusiveness within the campus.”

“The tipi and surrounding gardens are a part of a living, growing, gathering place for learning and sharing of ideas between students, faculty, and staff,” said Allysha Wassegijig, Aboriginal Initiatives Coordinator at Lakehead Orillia.  “We want to make sure that Lakehead University is a welcoming place, where Indigenous peoples, history, and way of life are celebrated through education, respect, and diversity.”

Traditional Helper Cliff Sharpe began the event with a smudging ceremony, using the cleansing smoke from sacred medicines, sage and tobacco, to bless the tipi and all those who attended.  Following the ceremony, staff, students, and faculty, participated in men’s and women’s teachings with Sharpe and Luanna Harper.

The tipi is the culmination of Turtle Island Student Circle’s goal to create a space embraced and supported by the community both inside and outside of Lakehead.

The tipi will eventually be painted with traditional designs and colours, as directed by local Elders.

Dr. Brian Stevenson, Lakehead's President and Vice-Chancellor, left, and Dr. Camillo Lento, from the Faculty of Business Administration, right, described the Economic Impact Study released on Monday, Oct. 23.

October 23, 2017 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, ON

A new report reveals that Lakehead University has an economic impact of more than $1.4 billion per year on Ontario’s gross domestic product (GDP). 

Dr. Brian Stevenson, Lakehead’s President & Vice-Chancellor, said the report confirmed his belief that the University’s impact was greater than previous estimates.

“Given the breadth and depth of Lakehead’s social and economic connections within our local and regional communities, we were interested in re-examining how we look at our role and impact,” Dr. Stevenson said. “The results were eye-opening.”

The new Economic Impact Study found that Ontario’s GDP benefits from the Lakehead’s Thunder Bay campus to the tune of $1.301 billion per year, and from its Orillia campus with $122.7 million per year.

The study’s leaders, Dr. Camillo Lento, Associate Professor in Lakehead’s Faculty of Business Administration, and the faculty’s Dean, Dr. Bahram Dadgostar, explained that the amounts were estimated based upon the University’s operating and capital spending, student and visitor spending, alumni spending, human capital development, and research and development.

“In preparing our estimates, we worked with various internal and external stakeholders to ensure that we adopted a robust, comprehensive, and accepted approach that was based on reliable data and multipliers,” said Dr. Lento.

“Working with Statistics Canada, we used an Input-Output Model to estimate the impact of our University’s spending on Ontario’s GDP,” he explained. “We also worked with the Council of Ontario Universities to adopt the same approach that was used in its recent economic impact study that looked at all Ontario universities.”

Dr. Dadgostar added that while this report illustrates how important Lakehead University is to the economy of Ontario, and to Thunder Bay and Orillia, “the social and cultural impacts of Lakehead University are of equal importance.  We should not forget about the social impacts of our University even though we are unable to quantify them."

Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans, who was appointed Principal of Lakehead’s Orillia campus earlier this year, said the study helped him further appreciate how connected his campus and University are to the city and region.

“We knew, intuitively, that Lakehead Orillia was deeply connected to the economic well-being of the region, however this report unequivocally demonstrates the critical role that we play as a public university,” he said.

President Stevenson added that as one of Canada’s top universities, Lakehead is attracting students, faculty, staff, and researchers from around the world, and that has real positive impacts.

“This study proves how our ongoing efforts to build and strengthen relationships with our municipal and regional partners, business and industry, non-profits, and First Nation and Métis communities, are helping enhance economic growth and quality of life for our communities, regions, and the province.”

 To read the report, click here.

– 30 –

Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean’s 2018 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities, as well as first in Total Research Dollars, second for Citations, and third for Scholarships and Bursaries. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 20, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University researchers are receiving more than $2.3 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for innovative research.  

The funding will support research projects that explore a variety of areas – from biology and chemistry and physics to engineering and geology and computer sciences.

“Our NSERC grant recipients demonstrate the breadth of high-calibre, innovative research being undertaken at Lakehead University,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “We are very proud of our recipients, who are exceptional scientists seizing opportunities to excel in their research.”

Dr. Laura Curiel, an assistant professor in Electrical Engineering, received $120,372 for a Verasonics Ultrasound device that will allow Dr. Curiel and her team to continue their work finding new materials, new electronics and new processes that will make significant improvements to ultrasound therapy and imaging.

“Our hope, in particular for Canada, is to make ultrasound therapy more affordable and more portable, to allow remote locations to benefit from it without having to move to urban centres,” she said.  “This will also be translatable to developing countries.”

Dr. Vijay Mago, an assistant professor in Computer Science, has received $100,000 to develop the software platform and hardware for a real-time analytic tool that will analyze large-scale social networking websites to determine the effectiveness of public health awareness social media campaigns.   

“We know that more and more people rely on online sources for health information including symptoms, treatments and general health-related advice,” said Dr. Mago.

“With this research we will be able to identify the effectiveness of public health awareness strategies used by health agencies and medical associations around the globe, by monitoring the reach and engagement with their content versus the onset of public health events.”

Dr. Amanda Diochon, an associate professor in Geology, is receiving more than $100,000 over the next three years to develop an outreach program that provides culturally responsive, hands-on learning opportunities for Indigenous youth in Northwestern Ontario.

“We hope that integrating Aboriginal and Western ways of knowing into learning will encourage Indigenous students to pursue careers in science,” Dr. Diochon said.

Funding from NSERC also generates support from the federal Research Support Fund to offset the indirect costs of research incurred by universities. In 2017/18, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million in assistance from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, which includes costs for supporting the management of intellectual property, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, and research facilities.

The following Lakehead University researchers have also been awarded NSERC grants and scholarships, for a total of $2,329,414.

Collaborative Research & Development Grant (four-year grant)

• Dr. Pedram Fatehi, Department of Chemical Engineering, Process Development for the Production of Lignin Based Flocculants and Dispersants, $320,000 (in partnership with FPInnovations).
  

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Grant (one-year grant)

• Dr. Laura Curiel, Department of Electrical Engineering, Increasing Efficiency of Focused Ultrasound Transducer Applications,   $120,372.

• Co-applicants:
• Dr. Carlos Christoffersen, Department of Electrical Engineering
• Dr. Samuel Pichardo, Department of Electrical Engineering, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI)
• Dr. Oleg Rubel, McMaster University
  

• Dr. Han Chen, Faculty of Natural Resources Management, LI-8100A-S2 Soil Gas Flux System Survey Package, $40,838.
  
  
• Dr. Pedram Fatehi, Department of Chemical Engineering, Particle Size Analyzer for Investigating Flocculation and Dispersion Systems, $121,393.
  

Discovery Grants – (five-year grants, unless otherwise indicated)

• Dr. Wensheng Qin, Department of Biology, $140,000, Understanding and optimizing enzyme efficiency for cellulose biodegradation.

• Dr. Pedram Fatehi, Department of Chemical Engineering, $24,000, Design of lignin based flocculants/dispersants for various aqueous systems.*

• Dr. Md Nur Alam, Department of Chemistry, $110,000, Applications of highly-reactive chemical cellusloses and their derivatives with novel properties and unique functionalities.

• Dr. Mitchell Albert, Department of Chemistry, TBRHRI, $225,000, Hyperpolarized Xenon MRI biosensors development program.

• Dr. Zi-Hua Jiang, Department of Chemistry, $110,000, Modulation of innate immune responses.

• Dr. Xiaoping Liu, Department of Electrical Engineering, $110,000, Finite-time adaptive control of nonlinear systems and its applications.

• Dr. Peter Hollings, Department of Geology, $110,000, Geochemistry of pyroxene-phyric komatiites in the Southern Superior Province; implications for Archean geodynamics.

• Dr. Gautam Das, Department of Physics, $105,000, Investigation into optical fiber waveguides, lasers and applications.

• Dr. Hubert de Guise, Department of Physics, $105,000, Understanding quantum systems with higher symmetries.

• Dr. Vijay Mago, Department of Computer Science, $100,000, Reliable and efficient real-time tools for collecting and analyzing large health datasets.

 *One-year grant.

Discovery Development Grants (two-year grants worth $20,000)

• Dr. Carlos Christoffersen, Department of Electrical Engineering, Design of circuits for biomedical therapy devices.

• Dr. Eltayeb Mohamedelhassan, Department of Civil Engineering, Integrated electrokinetic-phytoremediation of contaminated soils.

Engage Grants (up to six months)

• Dr. Lew Christopher, Biorefining Research Institute, Department of Biology, Generating Sugar Streams from Pulp and Paper Mill Sludge, $25,000.00 (in partnership with Domtar Inc.).

• Dr. Ayan Sadhu, Department of Civil Engineering, Cost-effective Fault Diagnostics of Material Handling System in Critical Mining Site, $24,290.00 (in partnership with North American Palladium Lac des Iles Mine Ltd).

• Dr. Salama Ikki, Department of Electrical Engineering, Quadrature Spatial Modulation for Large-Scale MIMO Systems, $25,000.00 (in partnership with Ericsson).

• Dr. Ehsan Rezazadeh Azar, Department of Civil Engineering, Improving Productivity of Material Cutting and Movement in Steel Fabrication Plants, $22,198.00 (in partnership with Coastal Steel Construction Ltd.).

• Dr. Amir Hossein Azimi, Department of Civil Engineering, Innovative Methods for Condition Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems, $25,000.00 (in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay).

• Dr. Aicheng Chen, Department of Chemistry, In situ Electrochemical Determination of the Surface Area of Aluminum Targets, $25,000.00 (in partnership with Hupe Manufacturing Ltd.).

• Dr. Salama Ikki, Department of Electrical Engineering, Mine Safety System Using Wireless Sensor Networks, $25,000 (in partnership with GoldCorp Inc.).

• Dr. Baoqiang Liao, Department of Chemical Engineering, Identification of the Causes and its Control of Foaming in Membrane Bioreactors, $25,000 (in partnership with Goldcorp Inc.).
  

PromoScience Grants (three-year grants)

• Dr. Amanda Diochon, Department of Geology, Bridging Ways to Knowing Over Water, $100,758.00.
• Co-applicants:
• Dr. Robert Stewart, Department of Geography and the Environment
• Dr. Michael Rennie, CRC in Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries, Department of Biology
• Dr. Peter Lee, Department of Biology

• Dr. Christopher Murray, Sustainability Sciences (Orillia Campus), EcoReach,         $21,000.00.

• Co-applicants:
• Dr. Thamara Laredo, Sustainability Studies/Chemistry (Orillia Campus)
• Dr. Victoria Te Brugge, Laboratory Coordinator, Sustainability Studies (Orillia Campus)
• Dr. Rosario Turvey, Sustainability Studies/Geography (Orillia Campus)
• Dr. Maria Grazia Viola, Department of Mathematics (Orillia Campus)

Connection Grant (up to three months)

• Florence Bailey, Economic Development and Innovation Office, Lakehead University Industry Connections, $8,865.00.

• Dr. Amir Hossein Azimi Department of Civil Engineering, Experimental and Numerical Modeling of Multiphase Flow Systems,    $2,700.00.

• Dr. Lew Christopher, Biorefining Biorefining Research Institute, Department of Biology, International Forest Bioeconomy Planning Summit, $15,000.00.

Graduate Student Awards

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral Program (two-year award)

• Eric Searle, Faculty of Natural Resources Management, $70,000.

NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships-Doctoral Program (three-year award)

• Islam Abu Mahady, Department of Electrical Engineering, $63,000.

Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's Program– (one-year awards)

• Jeffrey Andrew-Cotter, Electrical Engineering, $17,500
• Nicholas Frayn, Electrical Engineering, $17,500
• Sophie Kurucz, Geology, $17,500
• Zeke Sedor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, $17,500

– 30 –

Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean’s 2018 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities, as well as first in Total Research Dollars, second for Citations, and third for Scholarships and Bursaries. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 18, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University researchers are receiving nearly $900,000 in SSHRC funding for important projects that may change the way you think about the world. 

Dr. Matt Tocheri is receiving $305,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for a five-year project investigating pre-modern and modern humans.

Dr. Tocheri is an Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Lakehead University and the Canada Research Chair in Human Origins.

“We’re trying to determine if our species played a role, either directly or indirectly, in the extinction of Homo floresiensis,” Dr. Tocheri said.

The discovery of Homo floresiensis was announced to the world on October 28, 2004 in the journal Nature, which described another human species that also walked on two legs and made and used stone tools.

However, some of the major differences were that adults were only one metre tall and had extremely small, chimpanzee-sized brains, as well as body proportions and other primitive features not seen for the past 1.5 million years.

Homo floresiensis, which is thought to have gone extinct about 50,000 years ago, provides important perspectives on the ramifications of losing biological and cultural diversity, and helps society make informed decisions about preserving diversity of all species, Tocheri added.

Dr. Lindsay Galway, an Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, is receiving $54,478 to spend two years examining how to communicate climate change impacts and solutions to promote citizen engagement.

 The research will focus on the northern regions of Canadian provinces that are characterized by remoteness, political marginalization, dependence on natural resource extraction, tensions between economic and energy policy, and heightened vulnerability to climate change, in two case study communities: Thunder Bay (Northern Ontario) and Prince George (Northern British Columbia).

“We will document public beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of climate change and climate action in the case study communities,” Dr. Galway said. “Then we will develop climate change communication strategies aimed at promoting citizen engagement with climate change in the context of Canada’s Provincial Norths.”

Dr. Maya Gislason from Simon Fraser University and Dr. Chris Buse from the University of Northern British Columbia will assist with the research.

“This funding demonstrates that SSHRC recognizes the important research happening at Lakehead University,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “Thank you to all of our researchers for their dedication to finding answers to important questions.”

Funding from SSHRC also generates support from the federal Research Support Fund to offset the indirect costs of research incurred by universities. In 2017/18, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million in assistance from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, which includes costs for supporting the management of intellectual property, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, and research facilities.

New SSHRC Grants 2016-17

Faculty Member Grants

Insight Grant (five-year grant)

• Dr. Matthew Tocheri, Department of Anthropology, Investigating premodern and modern human dispersals to Island Southeast Asia: The Evidence from Liang Bua, Flores, $305,000.

Insight Development Grant (two-year grant)

• Dr. Lindsay Galway, Department of Health Sciences, Climate Change Communication and Engagement in Canada’s Provincial Norths: A Collaborative Place-based Approach, $54,478.
  • Co-applicants
    • Dr. Maya Gislason, Simon Fraser University
    • Dr. Chris Buse, University of Northern British Columbia

Partnership Development Grant (three-year grant)

• Dr. Vicki Kristman, Department of Health Sciences, Understanding Labour Force Participation, Work Productivity and Disability in the Indigenous Context: A Partnership with the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, $200,000.
  • Co-applicants
    • Dr. Lori Chambers, Department of Women’s Studies
    • Dr. Helle Moeller, Department of Health Sciences
    • Dr. Christopher Mushquash, CRC in  Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Department of Psychology
    • Dr. Rebecca Schiff, Department of Health Sciences
    • Dr. Mirella Stroink, Department of Psychology
    • Dr. Richard Matthews, Faculty of Medicine, West Campus
    • Dr. Monique Gignac, University of Toronto
• Partners
  • Institute for Work and Health
  • Nokiiwin Tribal Council
    

Connection Grants (one-year grants)

• Vicki Kristman, Department of Health Sciences, Enhancing big data skills at the Canadian Society of Epidemiology and Biostatistics National Student Conference, $24,000.
• Dr. Sonia Mastrangelo, Education (Orillia), The Self Regulation Summer Institute for Parents and Elementary School Teachers, $46,840.00.
• Dr. Frederico Oliveira, Department of Anthropology, Indigenous comparative approaches to culture-based tourism in Canada and Ecuador, $24,715.
  • Co-applicants
    • Dr. Brian McLaren, Faculty of Natural Resources Management
    • Dr. Rhonda L.P. Koster, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism
    • Professor Rosemary J. Coombe, York University

• Dr. Rebecca Schiff, Department of Health Sciences, Canada 150: At the Crossroads - Regional Centres and the Sustainability of Canada's Rural and Northern Landscapes, $18,150.00.

Graduate Student Grants

Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's Program (one-year grants)

• Jennifer White, An evaluation of toxic masculinity & violence prevention in Northwestern Ontario, Social Work, $17,500

• Allison Whately-Doucet, How might an examination of the influence of marketplace ideology on schooling lead to strategies to ameliorate contentious parent/teacher interactions?, Education, $17,500

• Kelsey Raynard, Reprogramming the Princess: Reclaiming Girl Power in a Patriarchal World, English, $17,500

• Jessie Lund, Female Canadian university sexual assault victims: Why they don't report, Psychology, $17,500

• Jordan Johnston, Border Stories: Reconciliation through Indigenous Literature, English, $17,500 

• Kevin Gardam, Influences of Older Adult Participation in an Outdoor Adult Playground, Public Health, $17,500

• Jackie Chan, The Untapped Potential of Traditional Martial Arts Programs for Student Well-being, Education, $17,500

• Jenna Carew, Health Care, Reproductive Services, First Nations, and the State in Northwestern Ontario, 1969 to 2000, Social Justice, $17,500

• Brooke Bigelow, Validity of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) Risk Tool with Indigenous Offenders, Psychology, $17,500

SSHRC - Doctoral Fellowships program

• Martha Moon, Learning Through Relationship: In-Context Development for Teachers of Indigenous Students, Supervisor: Paul Berger. One year – $20,000

• Jessica Tanner, Dispelling gambling myths in younger and older occasional and regular gamblers, Supervisor: Dr. Dwight Mazmanian. Two years – $40,000

Total: $890,683

– 30 –

Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies.

Maclean’s 2018 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities, as well as first in Total Research Dollars, second for Citations, and third for Scholarships and Bursaries.

In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities.

Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 12, 2017 – Orillia, ON

Lakehead University Orillia’s popular In Conversation Speaker Series returns to the Orillia Public Library this fall with a series of seven talks by Lakehead professors.

Dr. Tim Kaiser, professor with the Department of Anthropology, will kick-off the series on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 6:15 p.m. with his talk, “What’s Your Sign? The Oldest Zodiac in Europe and Other Adventures in Archeaology.” 

In 2002, while working in a cave on Croatia’s Mediterranean coast, Dr. Kaiser and a team of archaeologists made a remarkable discovery. They found fragments of an ivory astrologer’s board with several engraved signs of the zodiac, which was sequestered for more than two thousand years in an undisturbed cave chamber. What were they doing in this remote cave? Join Dr. Kaiser, a specialist in European and Mediterranean archaeology, as he recounts his experiences at Nakovana Cave and discusses the significance of the discovery in Croatia.

In Conversation takes place at the Orillia Public Library.  This session is free and open to the public. Register by email to info@orilliapubliclibrary.ca or by phone at 705-325-2338.

- 30 –

Media contact:  Jaclyn Bucik, Marketing & Communications Associate, 705-330-4008 ext. 2014, or jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 10, 2017 – Orillia, ON

Dr. Paola Sartoretto, PhD, senior lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at Södertörn University, will deliver a lecture in Lakehead University’s Research Centre for Sustainable Communities (RCSC) 2017/18 Speaker Series.

Sartoretto will deliver her lecture, “Media and Mobilization in Brazil – Media Practices at the Intersection between Technology and Politics”, on Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. at Lakehead University Orillia campus.  The lecture will focus on how media practices emerge and change in connection to new technologies, the relationship between technologies and processes of cultural change within social movements, and the mediation between technologies and politics.  Participants will engage in dialogue about the diverse media practices and experiences of activists and collective social actors in different areas of the world.

“The series is an opportunity to expose people to new ideas, and to promote the diversity of topics involved in sustainability,” explained Dr. Nanda Kanavillil, Director of the RCSC.

Lakehead University established the Research Centre for Sustainable Communities in 2014 to focus on interdisciplinary research that supports sustainable communities. The centre’s unconventional approach to research, with an emphasis on multi-disciplines and collaboration, will be a catalyst for research funding and community partnerships.

This session is free and open to the public. For further information, please contact Dr. Nanda Kanavillil at nkanavil@lakeheadu.ca.

- 30 – 

Media contact:  Jaclyn Bucik, Marketing & Communications Associate, 705-330-4008 ext. 2014, or jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University has about 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 10, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University professors are receiving more than $1 million from the CIHR to assist older adults who stop driving and to help Indigenous people who experience violence in the workplace, among other important projects.

Dr. Michel Bédard is receiving a Project grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He will use $409,275 to spend five years researching the negative and positive impacts that older adults experience when they must stop driving. 

“We will have a better sense of what may protect older adults from the negative aspects and what may promote the positive aspects of not driving,” Dr. Bédard said.

“We will also obtain a better understanding of the impact on mobility and access to services. This information will put us in a better position to inform the development of interventions to support older adults as they transition from driving to non-driving.”   

Dr. Bédard, Director of Lakehead’s Centre for Research on Safe Driving and Dean of Health and Behavioural Sciences, said some of the negative impacts that older adults experience from not being able to drive can include depression, feelings of burdening others, and reduced involvement in community activities.

“An important aspect is that older adults will typically spend the last seven to 10 years of their lives as a non-driver. Maintaining independence and quality of life without driving can be particularly challenging in rural and remote regions,” he said.

And public transportation isn’t necessarily an option, either. “For most seniors who stop driving, using public transportation is equally challenging.  Often the health conditions that cause someone to stop driving also prevent the use of public transportation,” Dr. Bédard said.

Dr. Vicki Kristman, Associate Professor in Health Sciences, is receiving a $75,000 Catalyst Grant from the CIHR to spend one year working with the Nokiiwin Tribal Council to create a culturally-relevant app to assist Indigenous people who are experiencing violence or unkind behaviour in the workplace, whether they live on reserve or off.

“Maybe a colleague is harassing them and they’re not sure where they can turn for assistance,” Dr. Kristman said. “This app will help them determine what they should do by connecting them with someone in another Indigenous community who may offer advice or even suggesting they call 911.”

The app will also include a short questionnaire geared toward Indigenous people, to gauge their mental health in the workplace and provide suggestions for improvement.

“How often people use the app will provide the communities with an overall sense of the prevalence of mental health concerns in the workplace,” Dr. Kristman said, adding that initial reactions to the app idea have been positive.

“We want to understand the burden they are facing and find ways to assist,” she said.

A prototype has been created, and the next step will be to complete the final version. Dr. Kristman said the app has the potential to increase Indigenous participation in employment, reduce workplace disability, and improve the mental health of the Indigenous population.

Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation, said he is impressed by the exceptional research happening at Lakehead University.

“These research projects in particular will have benefits in Northern Ontario, throughout Canada and perhaps even internationally. Thank you to the CIHR for recognizing this important research and thanks to our researchers for doing exceptional work.”

Funding from the CIHR also generates support from the federal Research Support Fund to offset the indirect costs of research incurred by universities. In 2017/18, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million in assistance from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, which includes costs for supporting the management of intellectual property, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, and research facilities.

New CIHR Grants 2016-17

Faculty Member Awards

Project Grant (five-year award)

Dr. Michel Bédard, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, “On the road to promoting mobility and health after driving cessation among older adults,” $409,275.

Co-applicants:

• Shawn Marshall, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
• Nadia Mullen, Lakehead University
• Gary Naglie, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
• Mark Rapoport, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Arne Stinchcombe, University of Ottawa
• Holly Tuokko, University of Victoria
• Bruce Weaver, Faculty of Medicine, West Campus, Lakehead University
• Shephanie Yamin, Saint Paul University

Catalyst Grants (one-year awards)

Dr. Michel Bédard, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Catalyst Grant:  Analysis of CLSA Data, “Buffering negative health outcomes following driving cessation among older adults: analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA),” $65,400.

Co-applicants:

• Sylvain Gagnon, University of Ottawa
• Gary Nagile, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
• Mark Rapoport, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Arne Stinchcombe, University of Ottawa
• Holly Tuokko, University of Victoria
• Bruce Weaver, Faculty of Medicine, West Campus, Lakehead University

Dr. Vicki Kristman, Health Sciences, Catalyst Grant:  Work Stress and Wellbeing Hackathon, “Designing an E-health intervention for Indigenous mental health in the workplace: a partnership with the Nokiiwin Tribal Council,” $75,000.

Principal Knowledge User:

Audrey Gibeau, Nokiiwin Tribal Council

Embedded Clinician Researcher Salary Award  (four-year award)

Naana Jumah, “Faculty of Medicine, West Campus, Addressing Transitions in Care: An Indigenous-based, Integrated Care Pathway for Opioid Dependence in Pregnancy in Northwestern Ontario”, $300,000.

Graduate Student Awards

Doctoral Research Award (three years) – Priority Announcement:  Research in First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit Health

Nicole Marshall, Department of Psychology (Dr. Chris Mushquash, supervisor), “Evaluating an On-Reserve Methadone Maintenance Therapy Program for First Nations Peoples,” $108,000.

Master's Award: Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships (one year)

Brittany A. Pennock, School of Kinesiology, (Dr. Derek Kivi and Dr. Carlos Zerpa, co-supervisors)"Examining the Effect of Isometric Cervical Strength, Head Impact Mechanism, and Head Impact Location, on Concussion Risk in Female Ice Hockey Players,” $17,500.

Chris Viel, Department of Health Sciences, (Dr. Vicki Kristman, supervisor) “The association between mental health training and supervisor accommodation and stigma,” $17,500.

Catherine Chambers-Bedard, Public Health, (Dr. Vicki Kristman, supervisor) “The combined effect of socioeconomic status and compensation policy on return to work following musculoskeletal injuries,” $17,500.

Grand Total:  $1,010,175

– 30 –

Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

October 10, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Officials from Lakehead University and the International Institute for Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration between the two organizations.

Thanks to this new MOU, Lakehead University faculty and students can visit and perform research at the IISD-ELA much more easily, staff from both organizations will be able to participate in seminars and workshops together, and students can benefit from being supervised by staff from both institutions.

Staff from both organizations hope to mutually benefit from their respective knowledge and to further understanding about what impacts fresh water systems, and what can be done to protect the world’s water supplies.

Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation, emphasized how beneficial this agreement will be for students.

 “The experiential learning that comes from performing research outside of the lab is invaluable,” Dr. Dean said. “I look forward to seeing the research that results from this agreement.”

This MOU will result in collaborative research projects that draw on the expertise of both institutions.

“What this means is that our two institutions can collaborate and share much more easily—all in the name of protecting the world’s freshwater supplies,” said Matthew McCandless, executive director, IISD Experimental Lakes Area.

“This is yet another step in IISD-ELA further opening its doors to the world, committing itself to educating the freshwater scientists of tomorrow, and building stronger partnerships with researchers across Canada and the globe,” McCandless said.

– 30 –

Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

IISD Experimental Lakes Area is the world’s living laboratory. Comprised of 58 lakes and their watersheds in a remote part of Northwestern Ontario, it is the only place on earth where researchers can research on whole lakes, in order to discover more comprehensive answers to what is affecting fresh water supplies, and what we can do to protect them.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017 – Orillia, ON

Lakehead University is excited to welcome alumni “home” to the Orillia campus during the biggest weekend of the year.

The University’s annual Homecoming celebration takes place from Friday, October 27 to Saturday, October 28, with activities taking place on and off campus.

From sporting events to campus tours, Alumni awards and a haunted house, and the Pancake Breakfast, Homecoming offers something for everyone.

“Homecoming draws many alumni back to campus to reconnect and reminisce about their time at Lakehead,” said Dr. Michel Beaulieu, President of the Alumni Association of Lakehead University. “We’re proud to welcome alumni, their families, and the broader communities to campus to take in our events and activities.”

Two highlights this year are the Alumni Awards Reception – where Lakehead will honour past President & Vice-Chancellor Dr. Fred Gilbert, and Rob Jamieson, Past President of the Alumni Association and 2017 Civitas Award Winner – and the first annual Pancake Breakfast, where alumni and current students will have the opportunity to meet and mingle.

A full list of Homecoming weekend events can be found at lakeheadu.ca/homecoming.

– 30 –

Media contact: Jaclyn Bucik, Marketing & Communications Associate, 705-330-4008 ext. 2014, or jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University has about 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

During Fall Reading Week, Lakehead University and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be hosting a mock active threat exercise on the Orillia campus - Friday, October 13, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Read the full OPP release below or click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

-------

Tuesday, October 3, 2017 - Orillia, ON

On Friday October 13, 2017 the Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will conduct a training exercise code named “Timberwolf” at Lakehead University in the City of Orillia.

Timberwolf will take place on October 13, 2017 The activity will involve community partners such as Orillia OPP, Central Region Emergency Response Team (ERT), Central Region In-Service Training (IST), Simcoe County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Orillia Fire and Lakehead University staff and students. 

It is a simulated active threat designed to test the training of emergency services and school staff.  In addition to testing the training, the exercise will aid in:

• Testing and validating existing plans, procedures, training, equipment and interagency communication;
• Improving interagency response, coordination and operation;
• Identifying gaps in training, resources and procedures as well as identify areas for improvement;
• Improving individual, organizational and community performance through practice; and
• Demonstrating community and organizational resolve to adequately prepare for, and respond to emergencies of all types.

In the fall of 2016, members of Orillia OPP Detachment attended school board protocol training together with local emergency services and support agencies. All Ontario schools are required to complete lockdown drills twice annually, as mandated by the Safe Schools Act. Officers receive yearly instruction on Immediate Rapid Deployment (IRD) at the OPP In-Service Training (IST).  The Emergency Service partners train in various situations with multiple casualties and scene management. Operation “Timberwolf” is a unique opportunity for these groups to train together. The exercise will focus on prevention of school violence and ensuring an effective, collaborative response in the event of a real threat.

The Orillia OPP and our Emergency Services partners are extremely grateful for this opportunity provided by Lakehead University. We are hoping these training exercises will set the bar for what we should all be striving for and that is safe communities and a secure Ontario.

Members of the Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police are committed to public safety, delivering proactive and innovative policing in partnership with our communities. Officers value your contribution to building safe communities. If you have information about suspected unlawful activity, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or visit Crime Stoppers at: www.crimestopperssdm.com or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).