Lakehead University Orillia invites community to learn about local research

March 9, 2018 – Orillia, ON

Lakehead University celebrates its Research and Innovation (R&I) Week from March 19 to 21 at the Orillia campus with a variety of student and faculty presentations and special events.

Events happening at Lakehead’s University Avenue campus will showcase the exceptional research being undertaken at the university, and will highlight how we make our world a stronger place when we connect our knowledge, curiosity, and our findings. There will be something of interest for all ages.

The official kick-off to the week takes place on Monday, March 19 at 1 p.m. with an environmental sustainability panel in room 2008 hosted by Dr. Sree Kurissery, Lakehead University’s Sustainability Sciences Department Chair and Professor of Biology.

On Monday night at 7 p.m. Dr. Dalibor Misina from the Department of Sociology will be hosting a special screening of his film, Leonard Cohen: In His Own Words in room 1033.  The film offers an unmediated insight into Cohen’s thoughts on growing up, writing, love, monastic life, the human condition, and ‘the third act’.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Lakehead faculty and local community members will engage in public discussion about poverty, food insecurity, social justice and civic engagement on Tuesday, March 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The panel “Poverty and Civic Engagement” will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room 2019, and “Understanding Food (In)Security” will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 1025. The final forum of the day “The Global Food Chain” will feature a screening of the film Banana Split by Lakehead University history professor Dr. Ron Harpelle from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in room 1033.

The evening of Tuesday, March 20 will feature a presentation from Dr. Herman van den Berg, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business Administration, on “Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency hype or new asset class?” from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 1033.

One highlight of week will be the Undergraduate Research Presentation on Wednesday, March 21. Between 10 and 11:30 a.m., visitors will be able to hear presentations by student researchers and view an extensive poster presentation in the Learning Commons.

The week will close with a screening of the documentary, Food Evolution, from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 1022, followed by a facilitated question and answer session with Dr. David Law, Department of Biology and former research biochemist for Monsanto Co., Dr. Victoria Te Brugge, Department of Sustainability Sciences, and Ian Affleck, Vice-President - Plant Biotechnology at CropLife Canada.

Registration is not required unless mentioned above. All events take place at 500 University Avenue in Simcoe Hall and are free and open to the public.  Please visit lakeheadu.ca/ri for more information about all of the events happening this week.

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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. 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 2017, Research Infosource named Lakehead Research University of the Year in its category for the third consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Research and Innovation Week March 19 to 21 at Lakehead Orillia