The Research and Innovation Bulletin is distributed weekly every Tuesday by the Office of Research Services and includes information on research funding opportunities, events and workshops and updates from our funding partners.
Check out the latest version of our bulletin, by clicking here.
The Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies is hosting the SES Biotechnology and Allied Sciences Symposium (SESBASS) on September 21, 22, 2023. SESBASS 2023 will be held in FB 2023 in the CASES building at Lakehead University.
We are inviting abstracts in the following areas:
Abstract Submission Deadline: July 20, 2023
Information about abstract submission and registration can be found on our website
https://www.lakeheadu.ca/programs/programs/biotechnology/2023-sesbass-symposium
June 8, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.
Four researchers and their community partners were honoured at the C2UExpo 2023 Gala Awards dinner held at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay on Wednesday, June 7.
Dr. Scott Hamilton, Professor in Anthropology at Lakehead University, with Dr. Jill Taylor-Hollings, Clarence Surette and Chris McEvoy from Anthropology, and William Dumas, Knowledge Keeper and main author of the book series Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak, received the Indigenous Research Partnership Award from Lakehead University.
The Six Seasons project is mainly funded by a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership grant, the major objective of which is to support the ongoing work of reclaiming Indigenous languages, histories, and knowledges among the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak (Rocky Cree).
This research is taking place now in the context of the calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) for, among many other things, the revitalization of Indigenous cultures, the relearning of Canada’s national history, and moving towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
At the heart of the Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak project is the development of a cycle of historical picture books set during the proto-contact period of the mid-1600s, a series of digital picture book apps that invite players to actively engage the Rocky Cree world, curriculum guides to support the use of both books and apps in classrooms.
The creation of the stories is rooted in archaeological field and collections research, as well as in historical research in archives and the documentation of oral histories held by Rocky Cree knowledge keepers.
A core value of the project is respect for historical and cultural accuracy.
Dr. Elaine Wiersma, Associate Professor in Lakehead University’s Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health (CERAH) and in the Department of Health Sciences, Dr. Nisha Sutherland, Associate Professor with the School of Nursing, Carlina Marchese, Knowledge Broker from CERAH, and the North West Dementia Working Group received the Community Engaged Research Award from Lakehead University.
Their research explores building capacity to enable people living with dementia to have meaningful participation in their community.
A diagnosis of dementia can lead to shame, fear, and isolation for people living with dementia.
The stigma that people living with dementia are cognitively incompetent can lead to exclusion, which can be emotionally and physically devastating.
For this project, researchers and community partners, the North West Dementia Working Group, used an asset-based community development approach to identify opportunities to strengthen community initiatives and make them inclusive of people living with dementia.
This project was building on work that has been ongoing since the inception of the North West Dementia Working Group in 2014.
The objectives of the project were to integrate and grow community initiatives that are inclusive and meaningful for people living with dementia, to evaluate the processes of building community initiatives, and to increase awareness of the impact of the stigma associated with dementia.
Community-Based Research Canada presented the Excellence in Community-Campus Research Partnership Award to Dr. Ruth Beatty, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University; Christina Ruddy from the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation; and Colinda Clyne, Anishinaabe kwe, Kitigan Zibi and Coordinating Principal of Indigenous Education for the Upper Grand District School Board.
Their project began in 2012 when research teams comprising Anishinaabe and Métis leaders, artists, and educators, as well as non-Indigenous educators, began working to explore connections between Anishinaabe or Métis cultural practices and the mathematics inherent within these practices.
These projects, known collectively as “First Nations and Métis Math Voices,” have taken place in different community settings that are varied in terms of contexts and participants.
Community partners developed deep understanding of complex mathematical concepts, which strengthened their awareness of the place mathematics has in Indigenous culture and strengthened their own cultural and mathematical self-identities.
These teams have built on their self-reflexive experiences and have become co-applicants on two SSHRC Connection Grants; co-planned an Indigenous Education and Mathematics Conference for 200 participants at Lakehead University’s Orillia Campus in 2019, a second virtual conference in April 2022, and held a face-to-face conference in April 2023.
They have co-authored journal articles and book chapters, have co-presented at provincial, national, and international academic and practitioner conferences – including keynote sessions.
Dr. Krystal Kehoe MacLeod from the University of Ottawa received the Emerging Community-Based Researcher Award from Community-Based Research Canada.
Dr. Kehoe MacLeod is an emerging health services researcher focused on issues related to health equity – to help improve care and health outcomes for older adults, specifically those belonging to marginalized and/or minority communities.
She is currently leading six community-based research projects. Dr. Kehoe MacLeod has received $371,000 in research grants as the Principal Investigator/Acting PI/Co-PI.
In each of these projects, Dr. Kehoe MacLeod is working in close collaboration with community groups and knowledge users to consider various timely and relevant issues in health care for vulnerable populations (e.g., older adults, historically marginalized groups, people living with dementia, and caregivers from linguistic and ethnocultural minority groups).
In her ongoing postdoctoral work, Dr. Kehoe MacLeod is developing an independent program of community-based participatory research focused on the intersections of food security and public health.
She is also working on developing a new project in collaboration with community partners to co-design and pilot test an electronic medical records-linked food insecurity screening tool for patients from vulnerable groups in Carp and the surrounding area.
“Congratulations to all of the researchers who were honored at tonight’s awards ceremony and thank you to everyone who participated in C2UExpo 2023,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at Lakehead University.
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
Read here for the latest updates on what we have been busy with over the past few months (events, awards, presentations, publications and more!): https://mailchi.mp/07a43c06355a/newsletter-spring-summer-success-stories.
The Research and Innovation Bulletin is distributed weekly every Tuesday by the Office of Research Services and includes information on research funding opportunities, events and workshops and updates from our funding partners.
Checkout the latest version of our Bulletin, by clicking here.
June 13, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.
The Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station (LUARS) is testing new products that may benefit local farmers by improving soil health or crop yields while also minimizing environmental impacts.
This season, LUARS is testing three new products:
1. Utrisha N: is a nutrient efficiency biostimulant from Corteva Agriscience that provides crops with a unique way to capture nitrogen (N) from the air and provide it directly to the plant without the risk of loss, helping crops reach their full yield potential.
By utilizing Utrisha N in combination with soil nitrogen applications, farmers could get a sustainable alternative source of N that reduces the reliance on soil N uptake, and provides an integrated approach to ensure crops have access to nitrogen throughout the entire season. Since Utrisha N is not applied to the soil there are no chances of losses of N from it to the environment. LUARS is testing Utrisha N in spring wheat at three rates of N application; 0, 45 and 90 kg/ha.
2. Puryield 45-0-0: is a polymer coated urea. Because of its polymer coating, N is released slowly in the soil for uptake by crop plants matching with their N requirements and consequently N losses to the environment are minimal. LUARS is comparing Puryield with other sources of N (urea, ESN and their blends) in canola and will be testing it on winter wheat in the Fall 2023.
3. Holganix 800+: is a mixture of multiple soil organisms that improve soil health. LUARS is testing Holganix 800+ in four spring crops (wheat, barley, canola and soybean).
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
June 9, 2023 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.
The Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) has awarded over $560,000 to eight postsecondary institutions in Ontario to develop programs and supports for students impacted by the pandemic.
These projects include summer courses to help students recover pandemic-related academic gaps, coaching and mentorship programs to help students transition to and adjust to postsecondary studies, and specialized supports for Indigenous learners, mature students, and prospective students from historically unrepresented groups.
All are designed to support the successful experience of students whose academic journeys have been disrupted over the last few years.
“Postsecondary institutions are still navigating the impacts of the pandemic on the sector, and it is crucial for them to be able to adapt to their students’ ever-changing needs,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities.
“Through this funding provided by ONCAT, these eight institutions have created strategies to support students affected by the pandemic so they can reach their full academic potential.”
Led by Dr. Leigh Potvin and Dr. Julie Rosenthal from Lakehead’s School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, $98,594 has been awarded for a project to enhance pathway-transfer for Indigenous students in the North with an interest and/or career goals in outdoor recreation, parks and/or tourism.
Participating institutions/partners include Collège Boréal, Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology, Indigenous Tourism Ontario, Destination Northern Ontario, and Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (Sand Point First Nation).
“The results of this project will lead to opportunities for students to flow between and amongst partner institutions and also to choose from a robust set of mechanisms to enter post-secondary institutions,” said Dr. Potvin.
Another project led by Andrea Tarsitano, Vice-Provost (Students) and Registrar, and Aimee Jaun, Associate Vice-Provost (Students), has been awarded $35,750 to enhance the transition of transfer and mature students to university. A team from both Lakehead campuses will work collaboratively with internal and external partners to develop a seminar course to help students develop awareness of university supports and academic expectations.
“The pandemic continues to impact students as they move along their academic pathways and we need to ensure that they are set up for success on their journey,” said Dr. Adrienne Galway, Executive Director at ONCAT.
“These funding initiatives give students a strong foundation to build upon, especially those experiencing ongoing barriers to postsecondary access exacerbated by the pandemic.”
Through the Seamless Transfer Program, a third project being led by Tarsitano and Jaun has received $76,450 for the development of a mature student orientation leaders’ model to increase capacity internally by creating a sustainable, broad support network of mentors and leaders.
Working collaboratively with Confederation College, this project will allow for early engagement in building awareness and offering of targeted supports for mature and transfer students in addition to students who face ongoing barriers.
“Once completed, both these projects will result in tangible supports for students who are experiencing academic life after a hiatus or who are new to the university context,” said Tarsitano.
“As a student-centred university, Lakehead recognizes the global pandemic has negatively impacted students in many ways, especially mature and transfer students,” said Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, Associate Vice-Provost (Academic).
“ONCAT’s support of these projects advances Lakehead University’s commitment to providing a transformative university experience that facilitates achievement and success of our unique learners,” said Dr. David Barnett, Provost and Vice-President (Academic).
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
Dr. Lindsay Galway helped open the new Climate Action Park on June 6, 2023.
June 6, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.
This afternoon, Lakehead University hosted the grand opening for its Climate Action Park at the newly expanded fire pit with members from the campus and community.
Lakehead’s Climate Action Park is a co-designed space that aims to restore aquatic habitat along the shoreline of the McIntyre River, improve stormwater management through Low Impact Development (LID) techniques like the bioretention site and riparian area, raise awareness of the climate crisis, and create a place for connection and learning.
“We are so pleased to be engaging a broad range of stakeholders including university students, high school students, respected Elders, and university faculty and staff in these co-operative efforts,” said Devon Lee, Lakehead’s Sustainability Coordinator.
“The climate crisis compels us to work together for change in the places where we live, work, and study, and this project is an excellent example of collaborative climate action.”
The park site is located along the McIntyre River corridor on Lakehead’s Thunder Bay campus.
The McIntyre River flows to Lake Superior and is one of the four major tributaries in the urban watershed. With 116 hectares of land and 38 buildings, the university campus is responsible for a sizeable volume of the city’s stormwater impact on the river and local watershed.
“Addressing the impacts of cumulative contaminants in our urban runoff is a priority for the health of our rivers and Lake Superior,” said Dr. Rob Stewart, Associate Professor in Geography and the Environment.
“The use of Low Impact Developments and shoreline naturalization are critical tools we can use to reduce the impact we have in our watersheds.”
Dr. Lindsay Galway, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, described the process of co-creating the park with help from the community.
“We conducted a series of visioning workshops with community partners and members of the university community to develop principles that would guide the design of the park.
“We heard a desire for a park that supports stormwater management and habitat restoration, which are of course key aspects of climate change adaptation, while also serving as a gathering space for connection and relationship-building among people and with the land. I see this dimension of connection and relationship-building as so important to our Climate Action Park specifically and to climate action broadly,” Dr. Galway said.
The development of the Climate Action Park at Lakehead University has been led by the Office of Sustainability, the Lake Superior Living Labs Network, and the Thunder Bay Remedial Action Plan.
It has also been funded and supported by the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, World Wildlife Fund Canada, EarthCare Thunder Bay, and Lakehead University departments such as the Provost’s Office, Office of Research and Innovation, Alumni Association, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, and Physical Plant.
The park is part of a broader effort in Thunder Bay that also includes the LRCA’s Climate Change Awareness Park at Fisherman’s Park West.
Lakehead University also acknowledges the many campus and community members who contributed to the visioning of this space, and in particular, Elders Gene Nowegejick, Peggy Smith, and Beatrice Twance-Hynes.
As part of the opening, earlier in the day local high school students participated in a planting and learning day at the Climate Action Park during C2U Expo’s Climate Action Field School, facilitated by outdoor education graduate students from Lakehead’s Faculty of Education and advisors Elder Gerry Martin and Greenhouse Manager Keri Pidgen-Welyki.
This “Go Wild” project aims to engage youth in habitat restoration efforts on campus and is funded by the World Wildlife Fund Canada.
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
May 29, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.
Lakehead University’s Holly Prince has been selected to receive the Inclusion Vanguard Award at the annual Canadian Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award Ceremony on June 1 in Toronto.
Prince is an Anishinaabekwe and a member of Opwaaganisiniing in Northwestern Ontario. She has a master’s degree in Social Work and is a PhD candidate in Educational Studies at Lakehead University.
She is the Lead for the Indigenous People's Health and Aging Division at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University, where she works as a Project Manager.
A part of her role involves planning, implementing, and evaluating palliative care education and research for Indigenous peoples across Canada.
“I am extremely excited to have been awarded this honour and to be part of a community of such impactful leaders whose contributions help make Canada more equitable, diverse, and inclusive,” Prince said.
Her research focuses on decolonial and Indigenist education, Indigenous health, and community-based research. She has devoted the last 20 years to advancing the right of Indigenous peoples' access to culturally appropriate and equitable palliative care and has mobilized her efforts as a national champion of human rights and dignity for people at the end of life.
“I feel humbled and extremely responsible as an Indigenous scholar, ensuring that my work responds to community needs and contributes to more equitable health care for Indigenous peoples,” she said.
“I want to say miigwetch to my colleagues and peers who nominated me. Knowing that I have their support and dedication makes me a better person and makes the journey such a positive and rewarding experience.”
Prince’s work is guided by Elders and Knowledge Carriers and responds to the identified needs of Indigenous communities. It acknowledges that Indigenous peoples must lead the way forward in developing approaches to caring for people at the end of life to achieve equitable and culturally safer care.
“It was an honour for me and the team at CERAH to be part of the national group who nominated Holly for the Canadian Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award in the category of Inclusion Vanguard 2023,” said Dr. Katherine Kortes-Miller, Director of the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University.
“Holly is a courageous Indigenous woman and a powerful health equity activist, role model and changemaker focussing on accessing health services, especially palliative care, for Indigenous people across Canada.
“We are proud to work with her at CERAH and are grateful for the unique contributions she makes to the Lakehead community. It is fabulous to see her work and contributions recognized with this award,” Dr. Kortes-Miller said.
Prince also works closely with the Canadian Virtual Hospice, an organization that provides support and personalized information about advanced illness, palliative care, loss, and grief, to people living with illness, family members, healthcare workers, educators, and researchers through a web-based platform.
She is the Project Lead for the Indigenous Voices: Stories of Serious Illness and Grief project. With guidance from a national Elders and Knowledge Carriers Circle, resources on living with advanced illness, dying, grief and advanced care planning were developed to educate and empower patients, families, and communities.
A series of learning modules were also created to enhance healthcare providers’ capacity to deliver culturally safer care.
Prince will travel to Toronto for the ceremony with her husband and Dr. Mary Lou Kelley, a retired professor and researcher who Prince has worked closely with.
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Media contact: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
May 18, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.
Professors and students from Lakehead University’s Anthropology department are working with First Nations and Métis community members to excavate archaeological sites located beside the McIntyre River on the University’s Thunder Bay campus.
This is the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation, who have approved the project taking place on their ancestral lands. These sites recorded the daily lives of people from nearly 4,000 years ago, when the shoreline of Lake Superior was much higher than today.
“We are finding evidence of people quarrying and using local stone (taconite) to make tools,” said Dr. Matthew Boyd, Chair of Lakehead University’s Department of Anthropology.
“We believe that this occurred about 4,000 years ago when the shore of Lake Superior was higher than today and covered much of the city. Stone tools were important for survival because they provided people with equipment to hunt, prepare hide clothing and shelter, and other necessities,” Dr. Boyd said.
This unique training opportunity is a partnership between the Department of Anthropology, the Niijii Indigenous Mentorship Program, Woodland Heritage Northwest, the Ontario Archaeological Society, and Parks Canada.
It will provide training in basic archaeological field methods such as mapping, site surveying and excavation, and material culture identification.
Additionally, a new Indigenous Archaeological Technician training program developed by Woodland Heritage Northwest and the Ontario Archaeological Society for the Waasigan Transmission Line project will be running from May 15-19.
Members of the Lakehead community and the general public are invited to see the archaeological work in progress until Friday, May 19.
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@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 nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
