Our third LELS GSA research spotlight focuses on Mitchell Marcelissen, an MSc Student in Geology.

Mitchell's research investigates the mineral chemistry of geological deposits from a number of different Indonesian islands. One of the main motivations behind Mitchell's work is to develop new techniques for assessing the prospectivity and fertility of geological regions. To read all about Mitchell's research and his path towards a graduate degree in Geology, visit our spotlight here.

The Faculty of Business Administration continues to make the online classroom a dedicated option for part-time MBA students. While the shift to virtual learning over the past couple of years has been a challenge for some, it has been unanimously supported by all current part-time MBA students. The students have embraced the ability to attend class from home, as it has allowed them to better balance their work and family lives. In addition, the change allows alumni and staff located in the Orillia area and throughout Canada the opportunity to pursue their MBA with Lakehead.

For more information about Lakehead's MBA program, please visit mba.lakeheadu.ca or email colin.kutchyera@lakeheadu.ca.

Evelyn Davenport performed at Carnegie Hall on Christmas Eve in 2017 as part of the American Protege Competition.

March 3, 2022 – Thunder Bay, Ont. 

A Lakehead University music student overcame great odds to place first in the Crescendo piano competition held in December 2021, allowing her to participate in an online winners’ recital on Monday, Feb. 14.

From September 2020 to June 2021, Evelyn Davenport dealt with a serious overuse injury in her back and left shoulder, requiring months of physical therapy. This injury prevented her from practicing long hours at the piano and learning physically demanding pieces.

“Brahms' Ballade was one of the first new pieces I learned since recovering from my injury,” Davenport said.

Competing with this piece motivated her and helped build back up her confidence.

“Rediscovering my physical and musical independence has been a lengthy and difficult process, so I feel incredibly blessed to have performed this piece to the best of my abilities.”

Last semester Davenport started learning all six pieces in Brahms' opus 118. The Ballade is the third piece in the set. Out of the six, it is one of the more animated and demanding pieces, Davenport said.

She practiced this piece for approximately four weeks. While playing it, she focuses on the dense, big chords.

“I am focused on maintaining a relaxed wrist and arm throughout the piece for a powerful sound. The piece also has long, vocal-like melodies that Brahms is well-known for. I strive for a singing quality to my playing so these melodies can shine through.

“It was a perfect concert piece to showcase my musicality and technique,” Davenport said.  

This is her fourth time playing and winning a prize in the Crescendo competition.

The judge appreciated Davenport’s interpretation, commenting on her technique and how she made a full and noble sound. The judge also said Davenport “presented this piece with maturity, great poise, and artistry.”

Due to the pandemic, Davenport was unable to travel to New York to perform in person this winter. Although this was disappointing at first, it gave her the opportunity to instead perform in an online concert as part of the winners’ recital on February 14, allowing family and friends who would not otherwise be able to hear her play to enjoy the concert.

“I will have the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in 2023 because I won first place in the American Protege competition in October 2021 with a different piece.”

Davenport may participate in the Crescendo exchange program in Italy this summer, although she is not sure if she can because she will already be in Italy to play a solo recital at the winners’ concert for the Cremona program and the dates may overlap.

While in Italy, she will be playing Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto with the Cremona Festival Orchestra.

Davenport is extraordinarily grateful for all of the help she received along the way.

“I would like to thank my piano teacher, Evgeny Chugunov, my parents, Eric and Karen Davenport, my chiropractor Dr. Michael Pustina, and my personal trainer Tanice Marcella. I would not be where I am without their continued guidance and support.”  

Follow this link for a video of Davenport performing Brahms Ballade op. 118 no. 3.

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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 10 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. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

March 2, 2022 – Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ont. 

Can mathematics help us design anti-viral medications or even repurpose viruses for genetic therapies?

On Monday, March 7 at 7 pm, Dr. Reidun Twarock, a professor of mathematical virology at the University of York in the UK, will present “Viral Disease through the Lens of Geometry” via Zoom, during Lakehead University’s Research and Innovation Week.

This talk is hosted by Lakehead’s Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies as part of its Science Speaker Series.

Dr. Twarock will discuss gaining new perspectives through mathematical modelling on how viruses assemble, evolve, and infect their hosts.

“I will start off by introducing viral symmetry, inviting people on a journey into the ‘virosphere’ – the viral universe,” she said. “Although viruses can be very different from one another, they follow a few common rules. Once you put your finger on them, you have a lot of power over viruses.”

Mathematics can predict the lattice structures of viruses, and knowledge of those symmetries can be used to fight the viruses. Dr. Twarock will also show how this technique can be used to discover ways to use the virus as a shell for delivering genetic therapies – a type of bio nanotechnology.

Dr. Twarock said one characteristic that makes viruses successful is their ability to code for the protein components of the virus as well as how to efficiently put the virus together.

It’s sort of like IKEA furniture with the pieces and the instructions all contained in one small bundle. Once you understand the geometry involved in the rules governing virus assembly, you can then stop or modify the viruses.

“It’s finding the Achilles’ heel of the virus, if you wish, through the lens of mathematics – finding the rules of how viruses work,” she said.

“You can find ways of breaking their assembly.” Given that there may be millions or even trillions of different viruses, finding a shortcut to decode them all would be invaluable to fighting the dangerous ones.

The opportunities to use viral protein containers in nanomedicine as delivery vehicles are especially exciting.

“We can turn the tables to use viral containers to deliver therapeutic cargos,” Dr. Twarock said.

For example, you could use the shell of a hepatitis virus, which is efficient at entering liver cells, to fight liver cancer. You could replace the hepatitis genome inside the shell with genetic material engineered to repair liver cancer cells.

Dr. Twarock said that the modelling they are working on now won’t directly help against the coronavirus, which is bigger and more complex. But it could provide a Rosetta Stone of sorts.

“COVID-19 has a very large genome, so it applies a different genome packaging strategy. But the principles are similar, so you can get insights by analogy that you would not have otherwise.”

Dr. Twarock originally worked in quantum physics. She switched to viruses when she saw the similarities between the two systems.

“There are some similarities with strong mathematical links, especially with regards to symmetries. Then I saw that knowing about symmetries is almost like a secret weapon against viruses. You can visualize and understand mechanisms that you would not be able to see unless you use the mathematical microscope. It is so fascinating.”

For more information and (free) registration visit lakeheadu.ca/ri.

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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 10 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. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

You are invited to participate in Lakehead University’s 17^th annual Research and Innovation Week, being held virtually from Monday, March 7 to Friday, March 11.

Lakehead University will hold opening ceremonies on Monday, March 7 at 11:20 am with keynote speaker Seth Klein, team lead for the Climate Emergency Unit – a project of the David Suzuki Institute, whose talk is called Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency.

At 1 pm, Lakehead will post the first Ignite video on social media, featuring a research project by Dr. Muntasir Billah from Civil Engineering called Infrastructure Condition Assessment and Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Artificial Intelligence.

At 2 pm on Monday, March 7, the Graduate Student Conference Poster Presentation Live Chat will be held, followed by Mitchell Thomashow’s talk, To Know the World: A New Vision for Environmental Learning at 3:30 pm.

At 5 pm, Dr. Pauline Sameshima will lead a virtual art tour called Climate Action in Action!, then at 7 pm Dr. Reidun Twarock, Professor of Mathematical Virology at the University of York in the UK, will present a talk called Viral Disease Through the Lens of Geometry.

On Tuesday at noon, Drs. Ellen Field and Paul Berger and several graduate students will discuss Student Reflections on Climate Change Education Courses at Lakehead, followed by the 1 pm launch of Ignite video #2 featuring a research project by Dr. Angela Hovey called Shelter Access for all Women: Creating a Harm Reduction Framework.

At 1:30 pm, Semie Sama will host Teaching for Climate Action: The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is Catalyzing Communities of Future Climate Leaders.

At 3 pm, Dr. Ellen Field and collaborators will discuss the findings of Policy Incoherence and Uneven Coverage: A Review of Climate Change Education within Canadian Curriculum Texts, followed by the Three Minute Thesis (Graduate Student Conference) at 4:30 pm and Three Minute Research (Graduate Student Conference) at 6 pm.

At 7 pm, Lenore Keeshig will host Stories of the Land from Residential and Indian Day School to Present Day. Keeshig is Anishinaabekwe, a journalist, storyteller, poet, and children’s author.

On Wednesday, March 9 at 9 am, a group of researchers will participate in a panel discussion called Climate Change and Political Action: Lessons from India, Uruguay and Canada. At 10 am, Lakehead will hold the Undergraduate Student Conference Poster Competition Live Chat followed by the Undergraduate Student Conference Oral Presentations at 12:30 pm.

Then at 1 pm, Lakehead will post Ignite video #3 on social media, featuring Dr. Sam Salem’s research project called Towards Enhanced Fire-Resistant Mass Timber Buildings for Canadians.

On Wednesday, March 9 at 5 pm, Dr. Pauline Sameshima will host session 2 of the Climate Action in Action! art tour, and at 7 pm Dr. Kelsey Leonard will host a talk called Indigenous Water Justice for Planetary Wellbeing.

Then on Thursday, March 10 at 11 am, several Lakehead professors will discuss their exciting research in Celebrating Lakehead University’s Faculty Authored Monographs.

At 12:30 pm, 2021 Distinguished Researcher Dr. Ed Rawana will host a discussion called Strength-Based Strategies for Parents and Educators to Promote Mental Wellness and Resiliencies in Children and Youth, followed by 2021 Distinguished Researcher Dr. Mitchell Albert’s talk, How Hyperpolarized MRI Changed the Fields of Pulmonary and Neuro Imaging at 2 pm.

Then at 5 pm, Lakehead will hold the Research and Innovation Awards of Excellence.

On Friday, March 11, Dr. Rita Wong from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, will host a discussion called Follow the Water, Stand with the Land.

To register visit lakeheadu.ca/ri.

Check out the latest Lake Superior Living Labs Network (LSLLN) newsletter here for updates on our recent activity. The LSLLN serves as a platform to connect academics and community groups to develop new partnerships and collaborative initiatives across the Lake Superior watershed.

The Faculty of Education has published a document that lays out the foundations for flourishing, both within the Faculty and in its relationships with the wider world.

Flourishing as a Faculty encapsulates the values of the Faculty of Education and will guide the Faculty’s program reviews and the next iteration of the Faculty Strategic Plan (2023-2028).

Developed collaboratively over 14 months of conversations, the Faculty of Education has identified and come to understand the values that will promote sustainability and human dignity such as equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and empowerment, both within the Faculty and in its relationships with the wider world. A diversity of issues and challenges, both tangible and intangible, are discussed in the document, alongside pathways for change at both the individual and Faculty level.

Developing an understanding of the values that the Faculty aspires to, and the work that will be required to realize those values, commits the Faculty of Education “to helping create the conditions by which all humans, all life, and the land can flourish. We strive to work and act in accordance with these values for the benefit of all.”

The document can be viewed here.

Our second LELS GSA research spotlight focuses on Aristide Mokale, a PhD Candidate in Biotechnology. Aristide's research investigates novel methods of biodegrading lignocellulosic biomass into fructose, a common and necessary product used for countless purposes across the globe. To read all about Aristide's research and his path towards a graduate degree in Biotechnology, visit our spotlight here.

By: Nathan Taylor
Originally published in the Orillia Matters

An Oro-Medonte woman with a long track record in broadcasting, theatre and activism has received Canada’s top honour for the performing arts.

Rita Shelton Deverell is one of seven people to receive a 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. Hers is for lifetime artistic achievement.

Deverell has left her mark on the broadcasting and arts scenes for 55 years. She worked for CBC, where she produced Gemini Award-winning series, and was news director with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

One of her longest-lasting legacies has been Vision TV, the world’s first multifaith, multicultural network, which she co-founded. She is also one of the first Black women in the country to hold the positions of TV host and network executive.

Winning the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award is “immensely gratifying,” Deverell said.

“I was totally surprised,” she said. “It creates a kind of soft glow in my heart.”

Deverell, who currently serves as Lakehead University’s chancellor, has had to clear a number of hurdles throughout her career.

In a video posted to the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards YouTube page, she spoke of the “racism, sexism, and corporate power plays” she has had to deal with.

“I am a woman and I am Black, and I have been operating in professions where we know there is systemic racism and sexism,” she told OrilliaMatters.

Deverell was hired by the Globe Theatre in Regina in 1971. It was before many theatres had even thought about “non-traditional casting,” she said, referring to people of different colours, genders and backgrounds.

She wanted to change that.

“Who ever said a medical doctor had to be a white man, for example?”

As for the corporate power play, she referred to her co-founding of Vision TV, which, at the time, was a not-for-profit network.

“That’s a difficult thing to do in the communications industry, which is largely a profit-driven enterprise,” she said.

Deverell is often referred to as a social activist, and much of that work has been accomplished through her various jobs and her efforts to promote equity, diversity and inclusion.

“Most of the social activism that I have done is not because I am in love with being an activist; it’s that I had to do these things for someone like me to be able to do what I do,” she said.

There is better representation now than when Deverell started in broadcasting, but there is “still a long way to go.”

Just as important as who is seen is “who owns it, who’s in executive management and who’s on the board of directors,” she said.

APTN is a good example, she added, because its owners and directors are Indigenous.

All of her experiences over the years have contributed to her successful career.

“I recognize that I am among a very small, privileged group of human beings,” she said. “I have been able to work for more than 50 years at exactly the work I think is important to do for the good of the planet as well as for the good of me, and I have been able to be paid for almost all of that.”

While it has been rewarding to receive a variety of honours, including being named to the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award stands out.

“The award means I am being recognized by my colleagues for that work, and there is nothing more satisfying than that,” she said. “It means a great deal to me and I’m sure it means a great deal to all the other laureates as well.”

Joining Deverell on the list of 2022 laureates are Fernand Dansereau, David Foster, Tomson Highway, Crystal Pite, Linda Rabin and Michelle Smith.

Governor General Mary Simon will hand out the awards during a ceremony at Rideau Hall on May 28.

Lakehead University has been awarded $60,267 from the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) to develop new and remodel existing health and science diploma to degree pathways.

“Now more than ever, ONCAT recognizes the need to create accessible diploma-to-degree pathways in the health and sciences disciplines,” said Shauna Love, Operations Director and Co-Lead, Interim Executive Director at ONCAT.

“As the world looks to these fields to meet ever-changing health and well-being needs, strong transfer pathways respond to student interest in completing studies in chemistry, biology and kinesiology but will also help meet pressing labour-market demands,” Love said.

Dr. Carlos Zerpa, an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology, and PhD student Kaylin Kainulainen have been awarded $47,971 to remodel and strengthen diploma to degree pathways into the Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology (HBK) degree program.

“From a broader perspective, the current global pandemic has had, and continues to accumulate, countless negative consequences for health and well-being,” Dr. Zerpa said.

“Demand for skilled professionals who can assist individuals in improving and maintaining physical and overall health will likely increase in the near future. Creating opportunities for more students to enter this field and receive high-quality training and education will contribute to meeting this demand,” he said.

Participating partners include Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology, Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology, Collège Boréal, Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology, Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology, and Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology.

Dr. Craig MacKinnon, Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Heidi Schraft, Associate Professor of Biology, have received $12,296to work with Fanshawe College to develop a set of transfer pathways to and from Lakehead University in the Chemical Laboratory Technology - Science Laboratory Advanced Diploma and the Honours Bachelor of Science in Chemistry/Honours Bachelor of Science in Applied Life Science.

In addition, the project team will assess the viability of developing additional pathways into Lakehead University's medical concentration programs and related Engineering credentials.

“Graduates of both credentials often seek additional education to gain access to the workforce, access career advancement opportunities, and continue their journey of lifelong learning,” Dr. MacKinnon said.

“Currently, graduates of the advanced diploma do not have access to a formal transfer credit pathway into a straight Chemistry or Applied Sciences degree within Ontario and must leave the province (and sometimes the country) to access that type of credential,” Dr. Schraft said.

“Through ONCAT’s support for these projects, Lakehead University is able to continue to support the development of innovative health and science pathways to university,” said Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, Associate Vice-Provost, Academic.

“Once launched, the pathways from these projects will contribute to our commitment to supporting a strong and resilient society.”

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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 10 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. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Established in 2011, ONCAT was created to enhance academic pathways and reduce barriers for students looking to transfer among Ontario’s public colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes. For more information, visit www.oncat.ca. ONCAT is funded by the Government of Ontario.