Brian Stevenson stepping down as Lakehead President in December 2017

Photo of Dr. Brian Stevenson

April 28, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

After seven and a half exceptional years as Lakehead University’s President & Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Brian Stevenson has announced that he will step down on December 31, 2017.

Dr. Stevenson informed Lakehead’s Board of Governors at its monthly meeting, Thursday, before sharing the news in a letter to the University community, Friday morning.

Lakehead University Board of Governors Chair David Tamblyn accepted Dr. Stevenson’s decision with regret, adding that it is an opportunity to celebrate what the president has achieved over the course of his terms.

“From the moment Dr. Stevenson was appointed Lakehead’s President, his vision and leadership have only served to enhance and improve the quality of our University,” said Tamblyn.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors and the Lakehead University community, I profoundly thank Dr. Stevenson for his years of dedication and service,” Tamblyn added. “Our appreciation of all he has done for us runs deep, and we wish him and his family the best, going forward.”

Dr. Brian Stevenson was appointed Lakehead University’s sixth President & Vice-Chancellor on August 1, 2010, and was renewed for a second five-year term in 2015. Previously, he served as Provost & Vice-President Academic at the University of Winnipeg, as well as Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President at the University of Alberta.

An announcement regarding the search process for Dr. Stevenson’s successor will be forthcoming.

Achievement's during Dr. Stevenson's Presidency

Letter from President Stevenson

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Media:

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

ORILLIA: For more information, please contact Jaclyn Bucik, Communications and Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4008 ext. 2014or mediarelations@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.

Lakehead Orillia Convocation Ceremonies to Celebrate Honorary Degree and Civitas Recipients

April 26, 2017 – Orillia, ON

A journalism pioneer and a Lakehead alumnus will be among those recognized during Lakehead Orillia’s upcoming convocation ceremony, which will be held Saturday, June 10 at Rotary Place in Orillia.

Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell – who has worked as an academic, broadcaster, television producer, journalist and theatre artist – will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her contributions to Canadian journalism and media in general.

“Dr. Deverell’s strong work ethic has allowed her to have many exceptional achievements, such as being one of the first black women in Canada to be a television host and network executive,” said Dr. Brian Stevenson, Lakehead University’s President and Vice-Chancellor.

“This drive and commitment to excellence continues to be an inspiration for young media creators,” Dr. Stevenson added.

Lakehead University will also recognize alum Rob Jamieson with the 2017 Civitas Award, presented annually to a community member who has made a significant contribution to the Orillia campus.

A Lakehead University graduate, Rob has been actively engaged with Lakehead University through his work with the Alumni Association and the Lakehead University Orillia Campus Advisory Committee.

“Rob has been an incredible supporter of Lakehead University,” said Kim Fedderson, Principal of Lakehead University’s Orillia campus. “His effort and enthusiasm has been vital for the growth and development of our campus.”

Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell C.M., Ed.D. – Honorary Degree

Photo of Rita Shelton Deverell

Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell, C.M., Ed.D. is a theatre artist, broadcaster, scholar, and television producer/director/writer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Adelphi University (1966), a Masters of Arts in the History of Religions from Columbia (1968), and the Doctor of Education degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto (1985).

Dr. Deverell has received numerous awards, including two Geminis, the Black Women’s Civic Engagement Network Leadership Award, and she was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2005 for her pioneering work in broadcasting, notably being one of the founders of Vision TV and mentoring her Aboriginal successor at APTN National News.

She was the first CanWest Global Fellow at Western University. From 2009-2012 Dr. Deverell also held the title of Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, and she has taught in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead Orillia.

In the last 15 years Dr. Deverell has produced eight nationally broadcast independent TV dramas; written and performed three one-woman plays, authored or edited seven books; been an actor in 10 professional theatre productions, and executive produced a multi-media kit “Women, Contemporary Aboriginal Issues, and Resistance,” acquired by the National Film Board’s CAMPUS e-learning portal.

Her current projects include a theatre script, a screenplay, and a book on “American Refugees” to Canada. Dr. Deverell is an active volunteer with the Canadian Senior Artists Research Network, MediaSmarts, and a Trustee of the Royal Ontario Museum.

Rob Jamieson – 2017 Civitas Award

Photo of Rob Jamieson

Rob Jamieson graduated from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay with an Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation/ Bachelor Arts (Geography).

With the creation of Lakehead University’s Orillia campus in 2006, Rob re-engaged with the University, joining the Board of Directors of Lakehead’s Alumni Association (AALU), serving as Vice-President.

In 2012 Rob became the first person from outside Northwestern Ontario to serve as President of the AALU, a position he held until 2015. During that time Rob was also a member of the Lakehead University Orillia Campus Advisory Committee under the direction and leadership of Principal Kim Fedderson.

After graduating from Lakehead, Rob joined the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 1995. He has served in Dutton, Nottawasaga and Dufferin as a Platoon Sergeant and Central Region Professional Standards Bureau as a Detective Sergeant. He was Acting Staff Sergeant and Aboriginal Critical Incident Coordinator and Provincial Coordinator of the Crisis Negotiation Program.  Rob has provided policing services to community members in Pikangikum First Nations Territory on several occasions.

In 2015 Rob was elected President and CEO of the OPP Association, representing over 9,000 uniform and civilian members who provide community-based policing and specialized policing services across Ontario.

Rob is also a Board Member of the Canadian Police Association. He is actively involved in all OPP Association Board committees, focusing on government relations, negotiations, northern issues and the Future of Policing Advisory Committee.

Rob has served as Coordinator of Cops Kids and Community with Big Brothers Big Sisters while at Nottawasaga OPP. He continues to advocate for persons living with Epilepsy.  He credits his success to the support he received from family and friends, especially his wife Lea and daughters Josselyn and Eva.

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Media: For more information, please contact Jaclyn Bucik, Communications and Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4008 ext. 2014 or mediarelations@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.

Lakehead University’s Steel Bridge Team heading to the national competition again

 

Photo of the Steel Bridge Team.

From left to right, Conrad Hagstrom, Support Technologist; Samuel Gagnon; Derek Bulsink; Nicole Visser; Thomas Gobeil; Jonathan Morrow; Dr. Tony Gillies, Faculty Advisor.

 

April 13, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University’s Civil Engineering Steel Bridge Team is once again making waves.

The team placed first overall at the AISC/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition, Mid-West Region, which means Lakehead has qualified for the 2017 US National Competition, hosted by Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon in May.

Students Nicole Visser, Samuel Gagnon, Jonathan Morrow, Thomas Gobeil and Derek Bulsink are competing on the Lakehead bridge team, with Dr. Tony Gillies serving as the faculty advisor and Conrad Hagstrom as the support technologist. Kailash Bhatia acted as machinist advisor to the team.

“The competition allowed us to showcase knowledge attained from the outstanding Lakehead Engineering program,” Visser said. “All eyes were on us as Lakehead has had great success at the Midwest Regional competition throughout past years, frequently winning first place.

 “Through hard work and many long hours we are proud to once again achieve the Midwest Regional championship title. We have qualified for the National competition (at the end of May), which means there is more work ahead and we are looking forward to the challenge,” she added.

Dr. Gillies was excited that the team was doing exceptionally well again this year. 

“I am proud that the 2017 Lakehead University student team has maintained the University’s reputation for excellence during the years of participation in this competition, since first attending in 1998,” Dr. Gillies said.   

“They can now look forward to the 2017 National Competition where approximately 50 university teams from across North America will compete in Oregon for the top honours.”

The Lakehead team’s bridge took first place for display, second for lightness and stiffness, first for construction speed,  first for construction economy (based on construction time and bridge weight) and second for structural efficiency (based on bridge weight to stiffness ratio) – placing first overall.

The Lakehead team competed against eleven other universities from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, and others places, at the annual regional competition held in early April at North Dakota State University.

 

Overall ranking of the top five at Regional Competition

1)     Lakehead University

2)    North Dakota State University

3)    Iowa State University

4)    South Dakota State University

5)    University of Manitoba

 

The competition challenges students to design a bridge made of steel, and to fabricate a 20-foot long, 1:10 scale model of the proposed bridge that satisfies the 35-page specifications and site drawings provided to all teams last September.

The models are erected under simulated field conditions, and are then load-tested by the students at the host university. The specifications for the bridge change from year to year. This year the teams had to choose between a longer single span bridge or a shorter bridge with a cantilever extension.

 The teams had to evaluate both options and select the geometry that they felt would score best under the evaluation criteria.  The rules mirror what it would be like to build a full-sized version of the bridge, taking into account the materials cost (weight), labour cost (construction time), traffic load (simulated test load), and performance (measured deflection under load). 

Not only does the event test the students’ structural design capabilities, it also challenges them to fabricate and construct their design.   

Support Needed

The students appreciate the support from local companies, unions and associations to assist in meeting the costs to participate in the recent competition. The team would welcome additional sponsors for their upcoming competition at Oregon State University in May.  Anyone interested can contact the team’s faculty advisor Dr. Gillies at 343-8684.

 

 

 

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Visser and Dr. Gillies are available today for interviews. Unfortunately the bridge cannot be photographed or filmed, because the team will be bringing it to the national competition.

 

 

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 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.

 

Lakehead University students presented tourism project to City of Thunder Bay

Fourth-year students Meredith Davy, Alischa Bower, Jake O'Flaherty, and Karter Sutch presented to Paul Pepe, Manager of Tourism, City of Thunder Bay, on Tuesday.

Fourth-year students Meredith Davy, Alischa Bower, Jake O'Flaherty, and Karter Sutch presented to Paul Pepe, Manager of Tourism, City of Thunder Bay, on Tuesday.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - Thunder Bay

Fourth-year students Meredith Davy, Alischa Bower, Jake O'Flaherty, and Karter Sutch presented to Paul Pepe, Manager of Tourism, City of Thunder Bay, on Tuesday.

In the fall of 2016, students in Lakehead University’s School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism completed two major tourism projects for Tourism Northern Ontario.

One of these was focused on the Visiting Friends and Relatives market, which is an undervalued segment for many places, yet often forms the largest visitor segment.

Students developed a series of itineraries that could respond to the question, “what can we do when friends or family visit?”

They evaluated one of the itineraries by personally experiencing the activities and locations on the route. Being students without personal transport, they utilized their bus pass to reach all their destinations.

One outcome was they realized that small to medium sized cities may benefit from utilizing existing public transit as part of a tourism product.

As many people have witnessed in large urban centers, there are privately owned “on again, off again” buses that tour visitors around the city to see the major attractions. In a smaller center with fewer visitors, this may not be a feasible business.

However, by creating interesting tourism itineraries based on local attractions, restaurants, natural spaces, and shopping, and linking them through the use of public transit, it may provide the opportunity for cities to expand their tourism product offerings in a sustainable way.

During this winter’s term, four students within the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism undertook a project in partnership with City of Thunder Bay Departments of Tourism and Transit to examine the potential of public transit routes and the development of tourism itineraries within the city. 

The outcomes of their project was presented to both departments on Tuesday, April 11 at Lakehead University.

The group of students included Alischa Bower, Meredith Davy, Jake O’Flaherty, and Karter Sutch.

 

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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 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.

Study finds Lake Winnipeg plastics greater than or comparable to Great Lakes

Photo of Dr. Michael Rennie

Dr. Michael Rennie

April 10, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON 

The first ever study of microplastics in Lake Winnipeg has revealed concentrations higher than those reported in Lake Huron and Lake Superior, and similar to those reported in Lake Erie. 

Funded by the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, the results of three years of sampling across both basins of Lake Winnipeg were published last week in the journal Environmental Pollution by researchers at Lakehead University, The University of Manitoba, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Experimental Lakes Area. 

Dr. Michael Rennie, an assistant professor in Biology at Lakehead University and Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries, oversaw the research. Dr. Rennie is also a research fellow with the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area. 

 “I was surprised to see the levels so high compared to those reported in the Great Lakes, which were collected and analyzed using the same methodology,” he said. 

Counts of the plastics were consistently high across all three years sampled. Positioned prominently in the southern half of the Province of Manitoba, the Lake Winnipeg watershed supports approximately seven million people spread out over nearly one million square kilometers. 

By comparison, Lake Erie – the most comparable in microplastic pollution to Lake Winnipeg – supports 12 million people in a watershed 1/10th the size of Lake Winnipeg. 

“The comparable densities of microplastics, despite the big differences in the number of people and how spread out they are, suggests either a major role of long-range transport, or there’s a major source somewhere on the lake or in the watershed that we’re missing,” Dr. Rennie said. 

Unlike the microbeads that have attracted so much attention in the media, most of the particles found by the researchers were fibres. 

“Fibres can come from a number of different sources, but recent research has shown that the washing of synthetic fibres can release large quantities of plastic fibres into the waste stream,” Dr. Rennie said. 

“Wastewater treatment plants can remove a percentage of these fibres, but the large volume of wastewater coming from them means there’s still a lot making their way into waterways.” 

The research is the latest to report contamination of inland waterbodies contaminated by microplastics. However, the effects on aquatic organisms are still relatively unknown. 

The research provides important baseline information for future studies, and for understanding sources and transport of microplastics to the lake, the focus of ongoing research at the University of Manitoba by the authors. 

Dr. Rennie oversees the Community Ecology and Energetics Lab at Lakehead University, and research fellow with the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area. As a Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries, his research focus is to understand how human impacts affect rates and directions of energy flow through aquatic food webs.    

For more information, contact Dr. Rennie, Lakehead University at (807) 346-7860 or mrennie@lakeheadu.ca.

 

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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 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.

Canadian Bar Association awards Lakehead Law Professor grant for comparative human rights

Professor Miriam Cohen's photo.

April 7, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Assistant Professor Miriam Cohen in the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is the first person at Lakehead University to receive this competitive research grant from the Canadian Bar Association’s Law for the Future Fund.

Cohen was recently awarded $23,500 to create a database comparing human rights decisions from across Canada.

“The idea for this project came during my own research, when I often found it challenging to access cases concerning human rights in different jurisdictions,” Cohen said.

“To deliver and improve human rights in Canada we must inform, educate, and discuss. Yet, access to accurate, timely and high-quality information on human rights doctrine and practice in Canada is not widely available,” she said, adding that she hopes her research will change that.

Cohen’s research project includes the creation of an accessible research database on leading human rights decisions from tribunals across Canada and a scholarly article analyzing the case law on equality rights.

“My project will bridge the knowledge gap in human rights law in Canada by offering relevant and timely treatment of key human rights cases across the country, and draw some comparative analysis of how provinces align or diverge in their decisions on the interpretation of human rights, and what challenges lie ahead,” she said.  

Cohen’s research project aims to create a database with leading human rights cases, organized by theme, from jurisdictions across Canada. The goal is to provide a user-friendly tool for judges, practitioners, scholars, teachers and students to access and learn about human rights in Canada, from a comparative perspective. The database will be open-access and free of charge.

At the second stage, Cohen will use the database to compare and contrast human rights law in different jurisdictions in Canada and provide the results of this analysis in an article, drawing on lessons from a comparative perspective and making recommendations for future development.

She said the database is currently being created through a compilation and analysis of relevant laws and cases and it should be available to the public by the end of this year.

Students from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law will help build the database, which is also a way for them to learn more about human rights and engage with human rights issues in Canada.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our law students,” said Dean Angelique EagleWoman of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.  “Professor Cohen’s work will broaden their understanding of the development of human rights across Canada.”

The Law for the Future Fund grant is awarded annually to a limited number of Canadian researchers for innovative and timely research projects in the field of law, supporting Canadian research projects of national interest that are of benefit to the general public.

 “Human Rights is one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated issues of our times,” said George Hendy, Chair of the Law for the Future Fund. “LFFF is pleased to support an initiative which helps bring increased awareness to human rights law in Canada.”

 

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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 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.

Lakehead University Library and Scholars Portal collaborate on digital preservation pilot

April 6, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Scholars Portal and the Lakehead University Library are pleased to announce their collaboration on the development of Permafrost, a new preservation service to help protect the unique digital collections held by Ontario’s university libraries and archives.

Permafrost is a proposed cloud-hosted digital preservation service for members of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). It will provide the preservation processing system Archivematica in conjunction with OCUL’s cloud storage network, the Ontario Library Research Cloud.

“Most of the work of today is born digital, and that means that the records we leave behind now, that will be historically significant in the future, are in a digital format,” said Lakehead University Librarian Karen Keiller.

“Participating in Permafrost will help us preserve this history for the next 50 years, and beyond.”

Digital files need special processing and management with an eye towards future access, and files on media such as floppy discs and flash drives age rapidly. Permafrost will help make complex digital preservation activities accessible so that Ontario’s academic memory institutions can preserve their invaluable digital assets into the future.  

Lakehead University Library will participate as a pilot partner site to help Scholars Portal develop the infrastructure and processes needed to support this preservation service across OCUL libraries, including to develop a service model and terms of service for Permafrost, installing Archivematica, and testing the service.

Lakehead University Library has a number of units holding digital materials requiring long-term preservation, including digitized student theses, oral history interviews, and born digital archival materials from private donors.

The archival collections at Lakehead are a resource for students, faculty, and the public. The Archives acquires, preserves, and facilitates the use of original historical records that document the history of Lakehead University; organizations, individuals, and institutions closely affiliated with Lakehead University; and records that document the history of Northwestern Ontario.

This project will be a significant advance in Lakehead’s capacity to preserve historical material in an electronic format. 

The initial phase of the pilot will run until May 2017. A second phase will bring additional institutions online through to November 2017. Once the pilot is complete, the service will be made widely available to Ontario university libraries interested in preserving their digital collections.

Lakehead University Library provides services to over 8600 students on two campuses, including: access to journals and books; access to databases and data sets; research support; and spaces for study and group work. The Archives are on the Thunder Bay Campus as part of the Chancellor Paterson Library, and preserve and provide access to unique historical material.

Permafrost is part of OCUL and Scholars Portal’s commitment to preserving Ontario’s academic collections, both print and digital, for the benefit of current and future generations of scholars.

Further information about Permafrost is available on the Permafrost SPOTdocs space.

 

 

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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 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.

 

About OCUL’s Scholars Portal                                                                                                        

scholarsportal.info

 

Scholars Portal is a service of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). The Scholars Portal technological infrastructure preserves and provides access to information resources collected and shared by Ontario’s 21 university libraries. Through the Scholars Portal online services, Ontario’s university students, faculty and researchers have access to an extensive and varied collection of e-journals, e-books, social science data sets, geo reference data and geospatial sets. Scholars Portal continues to respond to the research needs of Ontario universities through the creation of innovative information services and by working to ensure access to and preservation of this wealth of information.

 

For further information contact Grant Hurley, Scholars Portal Digital Preservation Librarian

E: grant@scholarsportal.info P: 416-978-5648

Boosting Post-Secondary Research and Training in the North

New Facility for Engineering and Sciences to Support Innovation and Create Jobs

The Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, made the announcement on Friday, March 31.

The Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, made the announcement in the Senate Chambers.

March 31, 2017 - Thunder Bay

Ontario is supporting a new facility at Lakehead University to boost research and innovation, increase lab space and create 67 new local jobs.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines Bill Mauro made the announcement this morning at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. The support will allow the university to build its new Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering and Sciences, which will include space for advanced training programs for graduate students and modern research facilities.

The Centre will also provide services to assist local businesses in developing and commercializing their products and support the work of the university’s four new Canada Research Chairs. Ontario’s support will also help the university purchase specialized equipment for innovative research.

Supporting research, innovation and post-secondary education is part of Ontario’s plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

QUOTES

“Lakehead University continues to position itself as a leader in research and innovation. This investment in the Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering and Sciences will provide the modern space and equipment for researchers and students.”

– Bill Mauro, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the NOHFC

 

“Lakehead is proud to be one of Canada’s fastest growing regional research universities. We thank the province for investing in this project and helping us increase our research capacity, which will provide space for our talented researchers and students to conduct work in modern new labs with state-of-the-art equipment.”

– Dr. Brian J.R. Stevenson, President and Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University

 

QUICK FACTS

  • Ontario is investing $5 million in this project through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).
  • Since 2013, the province has invested more than $471 million through the NOHFC in over 3,050 projects, leveraging more than $1.5 billion in direct economic activity and creating or sustaining over 10,530 jobs in Northern Ontario.
  • In the Greater Thunder Bay area, the NOHFC has invested more than $72 million in 598 projects that have helped create or retain more than 1,800 jobs since 2013.


 

 

Lakehead University included in the Queen Elizabeth II Scholars Program

March 27, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University is one of 23 Canadian universities to be included in the new Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Advanced Scholars Program.

An award of $660,000 has been granted to Drs. Brian McLaren and Chander Shahi of Lakehead’s Faculty of Natural Resources Management in collaboration with Drs. Charles Levkoe and Mirella Stroink in the University’s Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Their project is entitled “Agrobiodiversity, Nutrition and Sustainable Marketing of Heritage Crops in Ecuador and Canada,” and is part of an extended collaboration with Dr. Liette Vasseur of Brock University, and ESPOCH, a partnered Ecuadorian university with Lakehead since 2015.

 "Our goal in supporting eight or more Queen Elizabeth II Advanced Scholars with this grant is to increase the international and cultural exchange opportunities in research at Lakehead University,” said Dr. McLaren.

“Researchers will learn how small-scale farming can be supported via market innovations to provide social, economic, ecological, and health benefits. More diverse farms and agroforestry make better use of marginal soils, irrigation, fertilizers, and pest control, and can produce a wider range of products, including organic and traditional food sources,” Dr. McLaren said.

Nationally, more than 450 researchers at the doctoral, postdoctoral and early-career levels will undertake global research, contributing to improved global talent exchange between Canada and other nations.

This expanded second round of the Queen Elizabeth Scholars is the result of a $10 million contribution by Canada’s International Development Research Centre and a $2.5 million contribution from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This additional funding has allowed the Queen Elizabeth Scholars program to expand its reach to more low- and middle-income countries, and fund researchers at multiple stages of their careers to become the next generation of innovative leaders and community builders.

The Lakehead University project is built on the mandate of the community-based, ESPOCH partner EkoRural, which is to strengthen biodiversity in rural communities, while promoting market innovations. The resulting Alternative Food Networks have a context in Northwestern Ontario, as they seek to bridge rural and urban concerns on food production and consumption in a way that increases resilience and adaptability to expected climate change. Local partners include the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station, KBM Resources Group, and the Local Organic Food Co-ops Network.

Dr. Andrew Dean, Lakehead's Vice-President, Research and Innovation, said the researchers are doing excellent work and he is glad the University is receiving this recognition.

“Congratulations to Drs. McLaren, Shahi, Levkoe and Stroink for being named participants in the Queen Elizabeth II Scholars program. Opportunities such as the QES will continue to enhance our international research reputation.”

For a complete list of the winning proposals, please visit www.queenelizabethscholars.ca/news. Details of the Queen Elizabeth Scholars’ travel and research are also shared on the #QEScholars tagboard.

The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Advanced Scholars Program is managed through a unique partnership between Universities Canada, the Rideau Hall Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and Canadian universities. It is made possible with financial support from the International Development Research Centre and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

The Queen Elizabeth Scholars program aims to activate a dynamic community of young global leaders across Canada and the Commonwealth to create lasting impacts both at home and abroad through cross-cultural exchanges encompassing international education, discovery and inquiry, and professional experiences. To learn more visit www.queenelizabethscholars.ca.

 

 

 

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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 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.

Lakehead University and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Research Ethics Boards align

Photo of Dr. Abraham (Rami) Rudnick and Dr. Andrew P. Dean signing a reciprocal agreement on Monday that leverages the strengths of the Research Ethics Boards at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Lakehead University.
Dr. Abraham (Rami) Rudnick, left, and Dr. Andrew P. Dean signed a
reciprocal agreement on Monday that leverages the strengths of the Research Ethics Boards at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Lakehead University.

Monday, March 27, 2017 - Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Lakehead University have strengthened the research ethics review process. A new reciprocal agreement leverages the strengths of each organization’s Research Ethics Board (REB).

“We have harmonized our processes, making approval by one REB relevant for both organizations. Now, people interested in conducting research have enhanced access to approvals and increased coordination of activity,” said Dr. Andrew Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Lakehead University. “This new process has been put in place because of feedback from researchers and it will help to ensure efficient review and allow more time for meaningful research.”

“This better positions both Lakehead University and the Hospital to promote and pursue ethical research that is meaningful to Northwestern Ontario,” said Dr. Abraham (Rami) Rudnick, Vice-President, Research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “It also encourages more innovation, because applying to conduct research will now be more streamlined for students, clinicians and staff.”

Previously, applications had to be approved by both REBs. Now, applications to conduct research will be reviewed for approval by the most appropriate REB, which can result in a quicker review and response. For example, a Hospital physician who has a clinical affiliation with Lakehead University requires the approval of just one REB to conduct clinical trials research. A learner at Lakeheaed University wishing to interview Hospital staff about the impact of student placements will find the single application process more efficient. 

At the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, the REB is chaired by Dr. Peter Voros, Director of Adult Mental Health and Psychosocial Services Practice Head. Dr. Lori Chambers, Professor, is the Chair of Lakehead University’s REB.

Research Ethics Boards guide core ethical principles - respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice - to maintain balance between the necessary protection of participants and the legitimate requirements of research. Some key functions of REBs include:

  • Approve, reject, propose modifications, or terminate any proposed or ongoing research;
  • Review and make recommendations for approval of all proposed human subject research involving TBRHSC patients, staff, physicians, students, residents, and hospital information;
  • Safeguard the rights, safety, and well-being of participants in clinical research;
  • Educate, support, and mentor researchers regarding the process of ethical review.

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