The Biotechnology PhD candidate, Janak Raj Khatiwada will present his dissertation research on Thursday, Aug. 15 in ATAC 2021 at 1 p.m.

Thesis title:
Exploring Potential of Freshwater Microalgae in Northern Ontario for Bioremediation and
Bioenergy Production

Committee members:
Dr. Wensheng Qin (Supervisor)
Dr. Brian Ross
Dr. Robert Mackereth
External examiner: Dr. Wen Chen

This study explored the biodiversity of freshwater microalgae in Northern Ontario, focusing on their applications in bioremediation and bioenergy production. Microalgae play vital roles in aquatic ecosystems but are threatened by habitat loss and pollution. Canada occupies the diverse freshwater ecosystems, particularly in Northwestern Ontario, offers a rich habitat for microalgae. This study isolated, screened and identified the microalgal species from the Thunder Bay region and also evaluated their potential for wastewater treatment, biofuel production, and biomolecule synthesis. Among the different wastewater, unsterile diluted malting effluent found to be optimal for microalgal biomass and subsequent lipid and bioethanol production. Additionally, this study found the capabilities of microalgae cells in the adsorption of PET microplastic particles and formation of hetero-aggregation and facilitated the sedimentation. Likewise, this study optimized the physical, chemical and enzymatic pretreatment conditions of microalgae for the reducing sugar production using response surface method (RSM). Furthermore, the study also optimized the microalgal culture condition in Microalgae Microbial Fuel Call (MMFC) for higher bioelectricity production and optimized the condition for biomolecule production from wet microalgal biomass. The study highlights potential of microalgae to for wastewater treatment,
and production high-value biomolecules and biofuels, contributing to sustainable energy and environmental management.

Please contact Brenda Magajna at phd.ses@lakeheadu.ca for more information or the zoom link.

Superior Science, the not-for-profit STEM outreach organization run under Lakehead University’s Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, proudly commemorates its 25th anniversary in 2024.

We invite past and present campers, staff, families and Lakehead University faculty and staff, to join us August 20th to commemorate the past 25 years, and celebrate what's to come!

Superior Science 25th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Tuesday, August 20
Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Location: Lake Tamblyn Patio, at Lakehead University.

Activities and BBQ dinner are provided, registration required.

Register at: https://www.superiorscience.ca/25th-anniversary

About Superior Science
For 25 years, Superior Science has been inspiring a passion for STEM among youth in Northwestern Ontario. With humble beginnings of reaching 100 youth each summer, Superior Science has now grown to reach over 5,000 youth each year. Focusing on inspiring youth in grade 1 to grade 8, Superior Science offers summer camps, school workshops, local community outreach and outreach to Indigenous communities. From all-girls programming to barrier-free coding and technology programming, Superior Science continues to develop initiatives to reach a diverse population of youth.

The Career Services and Co-op team will be at the career zone between 1 and 4 p.m. on September 9 for our Career Services Open House. Students are welcome to drop by to ask any questions that they may have related to job search, co-op opportunities, or resume building, or even to hangout and socialize with other students and the career services team!

Zotero is a free and convenient tool that can be used to help you manage information for your research, insert citations into your writing and easily create bibliographies. This session will provide an overview of how Zotero can support your work throughout the research process, with hands-on opportunities to practice using the tool.

After attending this workshop, you will have learned how to use Zotero to:

• save time with the research process
• create better citations and bibliographies
• organize all the books / articles you find during the research process
• use advanced features in Zotero

Register at https://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3815873.

Please join us for Genevieve Berube's PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense on Friday, Aug. 30, 12 to 2 p.m. This is a hybrid defense, should you wish to attend in person it will be held in ATAC 5033.

Title: The Influence of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences on Outcomes of Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Compassion in Mental Health Clinicians.

Supervisor: Dr. C. Mushquash

Second Reader: Dr. Fred Schmidt

GSC Rep: Dr. Gordon Hayman

Please contact admin.psych@lakeheadu.ca for the zoom link and passcode.

This interactive and experiential one-day gathering presents an opportunity for members of the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), and Lakehead University communities and the community of veterinary professionals to come together to begin a dialogue around issues of Indigenization and decolonization in veterinary medical education. This event will provide an opportunity for us to learn, reflect, and take meaningful steps toward creating a more inclusive and culturally responsive educational environment.

The keynote speaker will be Sheila Cote-Meek, Director of Indigenous Educational Studies Program, Brock University.

Event details:

• Date: September 20, 2024 (all day)
• Format: Learning circles to explore key questions led by Indigenous facilitators. Attendees can participate in person or virtually.
• Closing session: Wrap-up with a focus on tangible next steps, individual action, and accountability.

Refreshments and lunch will be provided for those attending in person.

Let us come together to learn, share, and envision a curriculum that reflects Indigenous perspectives and knowledge. Once the final agenda is confirmed, information will be sent to registrants.

Space is limited, and participation will be honoured on a first come first served basis, so please register soon. Registration will close on July 31, 2024.

This event is a collaboration between OVC and Lakehead and sponsored by funding from the University of Guelph’s Office of Diversity and Human Rights EDI Enhancement Fund.

For more information, please contact Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, Associate Vice-Provost (Academic) at avp.academic@lakeheadu.ca

Ehsan Sobhani will have his Computer Science MSc defense on Tuesday, July 23 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. The presentation will take place over zoom. Please email Brenda at grad.compsci@lakeheadu.ca for the link.

With the growing focus on sustainable transportation, Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) have emerged as a viable solution. BEBs have received significant recognition as an environmentally conscious and sustainable means of transportation. Designing an effective strategy, which encompasses placing charging sites and implementing proper charging mechanisms, is crucial to ensuring the efficient and consistent charging of BEBs in an electrified public transit system.This research endeavours to tackle the challenge of efficient charging strategies including placement of charging stations, cost of running electric buses, and adhering to the bus timetable. To this end, this thesis outlines a four-step approach for transit system planners to attain optimal solutions, including worst-case energy consumption calculation, off-service charging site placement, off-service (overnight) charging mechanisms, on-route charging planning, determining the required number of BEBs, and their integration into a fully electric transit system. Four novel methods are designed for planning: the Constrained Greedy Clustering (CGC) algorithm, the Priority Charging Mechanism (PCM), the Constraint Affinity Clustering Algorithm (CACA), and timetable tuning. A case study based on the real-world Thunder Bay, ON transit system is discussed to validate the proposed methodologies and assess their effectiveness in improving the BEB fleet’s overall performance. The research results demonstrate significant improvements in operational efficiency, cost reduction, and environmental sustainability by implementing the proposed charging infrastructure optimization strategies.

Everyone is welcome

Zotero is a free and convenient tool that can be used to help you manage information for your research, insert citations into your writing and easily create bibliographies. This session will provide an overview of how Zotero can support your work throughout the research process, with hands-on opportunities to practice using the tool.

After attending this workshop, you will have learned how to use Zotero to:

• save time with the research process
• create better citations and bibliographies
• organise all the books / articles you find during the research process
• use advanced features in Zotero

Join us in celebrating Pride! Drop by the picnic tables outside the Dining Hall between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to take part in Show Your Pride event activities including:

Lawn Games
Crafts and donations for the Gilbert Centre
Painting picnic tables with designs in recognition of Two Spirited folks and Allies
Wellness information and supplies
Pizza and cake pops (will be available at 12pm)

This event is open to students, faculty, and staff

Zotero is a free and convenient tool that can be used to help you manage information for your research, insert citations into your writing and easily create bibliographies. This session will provide an overview of how Zotero can support your work throughout the research process, with hands-on opportunities to practice using the tool.

After attending this workshop, you will have learned how to use Zotero to:

• save time with the research process
• create better citations and bibliographies
• organize all the books / articles you find during the research process
• use advanced features in Zotero