March 21, 2024 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University researchers have received over $2.1 million from the Government of Ontario to advance innovative research in mining and mental health.

Dr. Peter Hollings and Dr. Noah Phillips from the Department of Geology are receiving $2 million from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence program to develop new models that will enrich mineral exploration in Northern Ontario.

Dr. Hollings is the NOHFC Industrial Research Chair in Mineral Exploration and Director of Lakehead’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining and Exploration. Dr. Phillips is an Assistant Professor in Geology.

“Noah and I are really excited to be starting this project,” Dr. Hollings said. “The funding will allow us to continue to develop mineral deposit research at Lakehead University, which in turn will establish us as an essential partner in the search for Ontario’s critical minerals and the training of the next generation of geoscientists.”

This research will study the geological processes leading to the formation of valuable mineral deposits in Northern Ontario. It will develop novel models for industry partners to seek new deposits that will be developed into mines.

With this project the researchers are focusing on two themes – one is nickel-copper-platinum and the other is gold.

The team will work on a range of sites where the researchers will develop models that can be applied to create more efficient exploration in Canada.

“We will develop an innovative research hub at Lakehead University that will train a diverse group of highly qualified people in a wide range of traditional and state of the art techniques,” Dr. Hollings said.

This group of highly qualified people will include approximately 30 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Collaborators include Dr. Mike Hamilton, University of Toronto; Dr. Wouter Bleeker and Dr. Jennifer Smith, both from the Geological Survey of Canada; and Dr. Andreas Kronenberg from Texas A&M University. Kaitlin Richard from Science North is the youth outreach collaborator.

Industrial collaborators include Goldshore Resources Inc., Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd., Romios Gold Resources Inc., Impala Canada Ltd., Generation Mining, Clean Air Metals Inc., and Enersoft Inc.

“Combined with undergraduate research projects, this will help reverse the current trend of declining numbers of graduate students working on mineral deposit studies in Canada,” Dr. Hollings said.

Dr. Aislin Mushquash, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, is receiving an Early Researcher Award (ERA). This $140,000 grant, supplemented by an additional $50,000 from the University, will support research aimed at supporting youth mental health.

“While we can’t rid life of stress or stressful situations, we can enhance individuals’ abilities to cope with the stressors they face in order to have a positive impact on their wellbeing and health,” she explains.

The five-year ERA, designed to bolster research capacity among emerging scholars, will help Dr. Mushquash build a team of graduate and undergraduate student researchers to examine youth and emerging adult stressors, coping mechanisms and outcomes and evaluate innovative interventions to support coping.

"This award not only supports our research endeavors but also provides crucial support for students," adds Dr. Mushquash. "It allows us to provide some funding to students to offset the costs they incur during their education and gives access to exciting training opportunities that may not have otherwise existed.”

Dr. Mushquash emphasizes the importance of involving student researchers in the research process. "The earlier we can get students involved, the more passionate they'll become about the research process," she says. "By engaging student researchers in developing research objectives, data collection and analysis, and knowledge translation activities, we are not only building their skills but also ensuring the sustainability of future projects and the field of mental health research."

Mushquash would also like to explore a multidisciplinary team approach that will facilitate collaboration across faculties, creating opportunities for innovative solutions to mental health challenges.

“My hope is to build health-related research capacity in Northwestern Ontario, producing future generations of researchers and clinician-researchers that will carry on this important work.”

“The real-world impact of the research being conducted at Lakehead University is only strengthened by these awards, and speaks to our commitment to research and innovation,” stated Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “Thank you to the Government of Ontario for recognizing the exceptional work that is being undertaken at Lakehead.”

March 20, 2024 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University will join the global community in raising awareness about the importance of fresh water on World Water Day.

The University will host its inaugural World Water Day celebrations on Friday, March 22 in Thunder Bay, to focus on the importance of protecting and respecting water and to raise awareness of those living without access to safe water.

“Water or ‘nibi’ is not merely a resource; it is a basic necessity and has such profound importance for all of us,” says Denise Baxter, Vice Provost Indigenous Initiatives. “On World Water Day, we will explore the work being done to address some of the challenges related to access to clean, safe water, whether that’s through advocacy, research, policy development, and more. Without nibi there is no life.”

The World Water Day celebrations will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Agora with Elder Sheila De Corte. Students, employees and the Thunder Bay community are invited to hear teachings and stories from Elder De Corte about the Water Walkers.

Then, from 11:50 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., attendees will hear from Dr. Juan Guillermo Sánchez Martínez, Associate Professor in the Department of Indigenous Learning; Maya Oversby and Katie Freeman, Master of Social Justice program students; and Dr. Glenda Bonifacio, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities.

• 11:50 a.m., Dr. Juan Guillermo Sánchez Martínez will recite his poem “Uranium/Uranio” (Cactus del Viento, 2023)
• 12:10 p.m., Maya Oversby and Katie Freeman will discuss how past and potential future industry have impacted the water, land and people of the Northwest
• 12:25 p.m., Dr. Glenda Bonifacio will discuss the intersections of gender with water and environmental militarism in island countries

The Lakehead University community is invited to attend and learn more about the collective responsibility of individuals, communities, governments, and organizations to ensure access to clean, safe water for generations to come.

Participate in the World Water Day celebrations

We have so many educational opportunities in this issue - most of which are free for health and social care providers working in Northwestern Ontario. Don't miss out on these events! Read the edition here.

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.

Check out the latest Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences newsletter for updates on our recent activity and upcoming events.

Check out the latest Lake Superior Living Labs Network (LSLLN) newsletter for updates on our recent activity and upcoming events. The LSLLN serves as a platform to connect academics and community groups to develop new partnerships and collaborative initiatives across the Lake Superior watershed. For more information visit www.livinglabsnetwork.org.

Lakehead Leader Awards ceremonies were held with 26 students in Thunder Bay and 14 students in Orillia receiving awards. Award recipients were recognized for their achievements in one or more of the following categories: Community Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Sustainability, Academic Excellence, and Rising Star. In addition, nine students (five in Thunder Bay and four in Orillia) were recognized with a Lakehead Luminary award in recognition of achievements spanning multiple categories. Congratulations to all of the award winners!

The 2024 Lakehead Arts Integrated Research (LAIR) resident artist is Paul Edmonds. His painted stained glass series is featured on the LAIR website. Paul is a self-taught artist who started painting in the 1980s, as a means to convey hope, resiliency, and beauty in the face of adversity.

Paul is known worldwide as the “City of Hope Patient”. He is one of five people who have been cured of HIV. Of this very rare group, Paul is the eldest and had HIV the longest. Through a life-saving stem cell transplant of a rare genetic mutation that makes the body resistant to HIV, Paul is now cured and he no longer takes HIV medication.

Paul serves on the Community Advisory Board for RID-HIV, one of 10 Martin Delaney Collaboratories funded by the National Institutes of Health. He also works tirelessly, speaking at events and raising awareness of HIV cure research. He believes that art has the power to inspire, heal, and bring people together.

While stem cell transplantation is not an accessible cure, the five cured patients have provided scientists with an increased understanding of the virus. The World Health Organization reports that in 2022, 39 million people were living with HIV and 630,000 people died of HIV-related illnesses. WHO contends that “HIV continues to be a major global public health issue”. Through collaborative scientific research and community engagement efforts, HIV research awareness is growing. See related HIV arts integrated efforts in the LAIR Gallery.

The LAIR Galleries regularly feature juried artworks and artists, promoting the power of the arts in research and education. 

Pictured is Stained Glass No. 6, Paul Edmonds, 2023

Enactus Lakehead represented Lakehead University’s Thunder Bay campus at the Enactus Canada Central Region Regional Exposition in Mississauga on March 7 and 8. A team from the Orillia campus also participated this year for the first time.

Each year, Enactus Canada runs a series of regional and national expositions allowing teams to display their work from the past academic year. Enactus Lakehead was recognized as the runner-up in the TD-Entrepreneurship Challenge, an award last won by Enactus Lakehead in 2019.

This year, the team developed a new project called Brain Blitz, which focuses on educating high school and university students on the basics of entrepreneurship and soft skills through numerous activities such as speaker series, soft skills workshops, and hackathons. Enactus Lakehead would like to thank all the students who participated in these events and the faculty and staff who supported our activities! In total, since starting this project in June 2023, Enactus Lakehead impacted over 580 students.

Thanks to many different sponsors, four different competitions were run. The team participated in the Desjardins Youth Empowerment Challenge, TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and the Innovation and Impact Challenge Powered by Enactus Alumni. At the regional exposition, 29 teams competed for the title of regional champion in their given challenge.

Before the competition, our team ran a Pre-Regionals Community Showcase that was attended by numerous entrepreneurship mentors from across Thunder Bay. The showcase provided the team with valuable practice and feedback on their presentation.

Thanks to all this practice, Enactus Lakehead was recognized as the Runner-Up in the TD-Entrepreneurship Challenge, an award not won by Enactus Lakehead since 2019. Morgan Gordon, the project manager of Brain Blitz, expressed, “it is amazing to be recognized for our hard work and dedication to serving the student community of Lakehead University.”

At the regional exposition, the team also had the opportunity to network with upwards of 1,400 other university students with the same goal.

The Thunder Bay Enactus team will be traveling to the Enactus Canada National Exposition in May to compete with the same project, with the goal of being crowned National Champion, and the honour of representing Canada in the World Cup!

Enactus Lakehead would like to thank all the students, faculty, and staff who have volunteered numerous hours to advise and assist the team throughout all of its activities. Without the support of these individuals as well as our sponsors, inspirational trips like these would not be possible!

March 1, 2024 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Students, employees and the Thunder Bay community are invited to gather in celebration of Indigenous culture and dance at the Indigenous Cultural Traditions Club's (ICTC) 34^th Annual Powwow.

The annual Powwow takes place in the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse at Lakehead University from March 8 to 10. ICTC is honoured to have Rolling Thunder as the Host Drum.

Warm-ups will be held on Friday, March 8 from 6 to 8 pm. The Grand Entry will take place at 1 pm and 6 pm on Saturday, March 9. A traditional feast will be served at 5 pm. The Powwow will wrap up for the day around 9 pm. On Sunday, March 10, the Grand Entry will take place at 12 pm and the Powwow will end at 5 pm.

The annual Powwow is ICTC’s signature event that showcases tremendous talent and entertainment, free of charge, while reinforcing traditional aspects of Indigenous culture such as drumming, dancing, singing, and giving thanks. 

ICTC (formerly the Lakehead University Native Student Association) is a volunteer LUSU club. The club’s goal is to promote the spirit of unity among Indigenous students at Lakehead through social, cultural, and recreational events in addition to promoting cultural awareness between club members and the greater student population.

Agenda

Friday, March 8
Warm-ups, 6 to 8 pm

Saturday, March 9
Grand Entry, 1 pm and 6 pm
Traditional feast, 5 pm

Sunday, March 10

Grand Entry, 12 pm

Closing ceremonies until 5 pm 

Master of Ceremonies: Todd Genno
Arena Director: Brad Fyfe
Spiritual Advisor: Carmela Moses
Host Drum:  Rolling Thunder

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Media: For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 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 9,000 students in THE’s 2023 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.