Through its ERASMUS+ agreement with Ondokus Mayis University in Samsun, Turkey, Lakehead faculty and staff have the opportunity to undertake a teaching and/or training/professional development mobility experience. Up to five mobility opportunities are available to active full- and part-time Lakehead Faculty and Staff, to take place during spring/summer 2020 at OMÜ. Selected participants will receive a 1,500 Euro travel grant plus a 140 Euro per diem to cover the costs of the stay. Faculty and staff in the academic units of Biology and Education will have priority for three of the five spots, but applications for all fields offered at OMU will be accepted. The application deadline is February 7, 2020.

Teaching Mobility
This activity allows teaching staff to teach at OMÜ in any subject area/academic discipline offered at OMU.
• Teaching Period: from 2 days to 5 consecutive days (excluding travel time)
• Teaching hours: Minimum 8 hours teaching per week (or any shorter period of stay).

Training Mobility
This activity supports the professional development of teaching and non-teaching staff as well as the development of involved institutions.
• Training Period: from 2 days to 5 consecutive days (excluding travel time)
• Training hours: Minimum 4 hours per day

For more information about OMU, please visit their website, http://www.omu.edu.tr/en/our-university/about-us

For more details and an application form, please contact Jill Sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

Thunder Bay, Ontario — An up-and-coming researcher at Lakehead University has been recognized for his innovative work to develop a cutting-edge medical imaging technology that delivers high-resolution pictures at a much lower dose of radiation, providing a breast imaging alternative to mammography, positron emission tomography (PET) scan and other imaging devices.

The breakthrough work has earned Oleksandr Bubon the Mitacs & NCR-IRAP Award for Outstanding Commercialization, awarded by Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada for business and academia. The award will be presented at a ceremony in Ottawa on November 26.

Bubon — a postdoctoral fellow studying under Canada Research Chair, Professor Alla Reznik, at Lakehead University and Senior Scientist at Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute — is being recognized for developing a novel solid state imaging technology that exposes patients to 10 to 15 times less radiation than traditional PET scans. At the same time, the technology delivers highly sensitive, accurate images that can detect extremely small tumours in their earliest stages of cancer, particularly in women who have denser breast tissue than average.

“It is an honour to receive this award and have my research recognized in this way,” said Bubon, who serves as Medical Chief Technology Officer of Radialis Medical, a joint venture of Lakehead University and Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute co-founded by Bubon and Reznik in February 2016. “There is a huge need for this lower-dose, high-resolution imaging device and we’re only just beginning to see the incredible potential this technology has.”

The technology is currently being developed and tested by Radialis Medical. The latest prototype — a fully enclosed system on wheels — is in clinical trials at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto with validation results expected to be available before the end of the year. The company is now working to scale its manufacturing and quality control efforts, and expects to be firmly established as a medical device manufacturer ready to seek FDA and Health Canada approval by mid-2020, Bubon said.

The Mitacs & NCR-IRAP Award for Commercialization is presented to a Mitacs intern for an idea brought from research that is either on the market or soon to be commercialized. Bubon is one of eight Mitacs award winners nationally, chosen from thousands of researchers who take part in Mitacs programs each year. The remaining seven recipients were recognized for outstanding innovation or exceptional leadership in other areas of research.

“Innovation in Canada continues to be inspired by the groundbreaking work of up-and-coming researchers that touch all industry sectors and help to fuel the economy,” said Jennifer Wilkie, Mitacs interim CEO. “Their achievements are truly remarkable and Mitacs is honoured to support them, and broker important connections between industry, post-secondary institutions and government that make their leading-edge work possible.”      

“We know that employers are looking for students and graduates with real-world experience so they can make an immediate impact in the workforce,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “By working with Mitacs to support experiential learning and the innovative work of researchers like Oleksandr Bubon, we can help more people get the meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities they need to secure good jobs and support Ontario’s growing economy.”

For more information about the Mitacs awards and a full list of winners, visit www.mitacs.ca.

(Pictured) Iain Stewart, President of National Research Council Canada, presents the Mitacs NRC  IRAP Award for Commercialization to Oleksandr Bubon of Lakehead University. Oleksandr is recognized for his work developing an innovative breast imaging alternative to mammography, pet scan, and other imaging devices. His invention delivers high-resolution pictures at a much lower dose of radiation than existing alternatives. His project was in collaboration with Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute and Radialis Medical with the support of the Government of Ontario.

 If interested in volunteering your time to mentor or tutor, please contact Outreach Coordinator Chelsey Commisso at outreach.amp@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University is a long-time member of the UArctic North2North mobility program. The North2North mobility program offers the opportunity for Lakehead University students, primarily at the undergraduate level, to participate in a student exchange experience at a partner university in another Nordic nation. You can read more about the north2north program and participating institutions through the following link:
https://education.uarctic.org/mobility/

If you are planning to apply to the North2North program, please submit your application to Lakehead University International as soon as possible as the deadline is quickly approaching on February 15, 2020.

If you are interested in finding out more about the North2North program, including how to apply, please contact an International Student Advisor at studyabroad@lakeheadu.ca.

A new book edited by Dr. Sonja Grover, Peremptory International Legal Norms and the Democratic Rule of Law, explores the risks to the democratic State inherent in the attempt to divorce the notion of democratic rule of law from respect for and adherence to peremptory international legal norms which allow for no derogation therefrom, such as the prohibition against torture and against inhumane treatment or punishment by the State.

The chapters address, with specific current case examples, in what ways the democratic rule of law within certain democratic States risks being undermined through those States acquiescing to the erosion of peremptory international law norms in the domestic and international context. The book therefore explores the question of in what ways such democratic State acquiescence in effect may ultimately disrupt the investment within the State in the shared culture of core human rights values that underlies democratic rule of law itself and highlights the fragility of that shared culture.

The contributors argue for a renewed commitment in principle and practice to the democratic rule of law and to its human rights international normative underpinnings.

Peremptory International Legal Norms and the Democratic Rule of Law will be of great interest to scholars of international law, human rights and democracy.

For more information about the book, please contact Dr. Grover at sonja.grover@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a long-time member of the UArctic North2North mobility program. The North2North mobility program offers the opportunity for Lakehead University students, primarily at the undergraduate level, to participate in a student exchange experience at a partner university in another Nordic nation. You can read more about the north2north program and participating institutions here.

If you are planning to apply to the North2North program, please submit your application to Lakehead University International as soon as possible as the deadline is quickly approaching on February 15, 2020.

If you are interested in finding out more about the North2North program, including how to apply, please contact an International Student Advisor at studyabroad@lakeheadu.ca.

Help shape the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's strategic priorities for the next five years. Take the survey.

The team members, from left to right, are Laura Polcyn, Weiqi Shi, Scott Magill, Derek Patterson, and André Gagné.

This fall, the Department of Economics took part in the fifth annual Bank of Canada Governor's Challenge. Twenty-eight universities from across Canada took part in the competition, which is designed to promote the understanding of the role that monetary policy plays in Canada's Economy.

This competition is a great example of the way the Department of Economics is engaging in experiential learning. We are happy to announce that the Lakehead team will be moving on to the final round in Ottawa in February.

Scott Magill, Laura Polcyn, Weiqi Shi, Derek Patterson, and André Gagné will visit Ottawa in February where they will compete to become the winner of the competition. The team was supervised and mentored by Dr. Karl Skogstad, Dr. Bakhtiar Moazzami, Dr. Michael Shannon, and Dr. Robert Petrunia

The team spent the semester preparing a presentation that they delivered via video conference to judges from the Bank of Canada. Given the high quality of the universities the team faced, moving on to the final round is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates the quality of Lakehead students and the quality of Economics training available at Lakehead.

November 20, 2019 – Orillia, Ont.

The theme of Lakehead University’s 2019 Report to the Community was Dare. Defy. Discover.

Emceed by fourth year Lakehead criminology program student, Courtney Holmes, the annual event featured students, faculty and alumni of the Orillia campus who dare to defy constraints and expectations to make discoveries about themselves and the world through unconventional scholarship and independent thinking.

“Through the Report to Community we have the opportunity to meet the people who make Lakehead Orillia such a special place – students, faculty and alumni,” stated Lakehead Chancellor Lyn McLeod. “Lakehead University is extremely honoured to serve the people of Orillia and Simcoe County and our students, both those who live here and the many who come from elsewhere to access a quality postsecondary education.”

Guests at this year’s event included Gia Spiropoulos, Master of Education student, alumna Dana Clark, and Lakehead’s Dr. Cheryl Lousley, Associate Professor and Research Chair in Environmental Humanities.

Dr. Lousley spoke passionately about storying the climate change emergency and provided examples of how environmental concerns have been woven into the narrative of Canadian fiction.  

In her talk, Spiropoulos shared her journey to Lakehead, her passion for basketball, and documented the incredible research opportunities she has participated in during her master’s program. Working with lecturer and SSHRC post-doctoral fellow Dr. Ellen Field, Spiropoulos is working on developing hands-on, inquiry-based learning resources for teachers to help introduce education around climate change into today’s classrooms.

Clark, a graduate of Lakehead’s media studies program, talked about her global social impact movement, Heroic Humans. The online platform inspires, celebrates, empowers and acknowledges acts of heroism big and small all over the world.  To date, it has featured almost 200 people from around the globe who show exceptional examples of courage, bravery, love, and resilience in everyday life.  Clark’s work on Heroic Humans earned her the 2018 Mindful Millennial Award from The Notable Life.

“This year’s Annual Report shows the exceptional impact our students, faculty, and alumni are having on the economy and society,” said Dr. Moira McPherson, Lakehead’s President & Vice-Chancellor. “Today was an opportunity to meet some of the people who learn, teach, and advance research, scholarly and creative work at Lakehead—each empowering themselves and our learners to become the next generation of leaders.”

“At Lakehead University we have a deep and authentic commitment to education, innovation and the dreams of our diverse population of students,” explained Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans, Principal of Lakehead Orillia. “This is supported by the significant milestones we’ve celebrated in 2018-2019.”

Those milestones included being named ‘Research University of the Year’ in the undergraduate category for the fifth year in a row by Research Infosource, and being included among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities by Maclean’s 2020 University Rankings.

In addition to celebrating the academic, research, and community accomplishments, Lakehead also celebrated the incredible financial impact it has on the province. Lakehead University adds approximately $1.4 billion per year to Ontario’s gross domestic product. The annual economic impact of the University’s Thunder Bay campus on the province was $1.3 billion, while its Orillia campus contributed $122.7 million. Lakehead University is responsible for 6,277 full-time equivalent jobs.

“The Report to the Community is a chance to celebrate the year’s successes and connect with the communities within Northwestern Ontario and Simcoe County,” said Ross Murray, Q.C., Chair of Lakehead University’s Board of Governors.

Visit daredefydiscover.ca to view Lakehead University’s 2018-2019 Report to the Community.

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Media: For more information or to request an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, 705-330-4008 ext. 2014 or jaclyn.bucik@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has ten faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. In 2019, Maclean’s 2020 University Rankings, once again, included Lakehead University among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities, while Research Infosource named Lakehead 'Research University of the Year' in its category for the fifth consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

The Raag-Rung Music Circle held its 36th annual Fundraising Evening of Fabulous Food and Marvelous Music on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Italian Cultural Centre, which raises funds for student scholarships and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Inder Nirdosh, front right, Raag-Rung President, and members of the Executive, Tammy Holmes, front, second from right, Kevin Sidlar, back left, and Rajesh Talpade, back middle, presented Lakehead's President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Moira McPherson, Deb Comuzzi, Vice-President, External Relations, and Dr. David Barnett, Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic), with a cheque for $5,000 for student scholarships.