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Adversity into Opportunity - how Konan Blaise Koko overcame polio to change his fortunes.

Adversity into Opportunity - how Konan Blaise Koko overcame polio to change his fortunes.

International student, rights advocate, and world-class athlete, Koko’s story is inspirational.

(September 23, 2022) - Tenacity, resilience and courage. 

These are words that come to mind when people describe Konan Blaise Koko, a third year Biochemistry student at Laurentian University. A proud francophone from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Koko is a Fulbright scholar alumnus. He held this prestigious scholarship when undertaking his Master’s of Science in Nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“I love learning,” said Koko, who immigrated to Canada in 2018 with his wife and three daughters. For Koko, the decision to continue his studies in Greater Sudbury, made sense. “I am happy to be here and I feel supported in this community…. I chose Laurentian because of my future professional goals. I would like to work in the medical field, and I’m happy to study at a University that offers bilingual programs…. Keeping my career in mind, I felt that Biochemistry would be a program to help me get to where I want to be.” 

Considering that Koko already holds a Master’s degree, his first Bachelor of Science in Chemistry was obtained at the University of Felix Houphouet Boigny of Cocody in the Ivory Coast. 

While the achievement of one, let alone three degrees, is an impressive feat for any student, Koko’s lived experiences have been filled with challenges. 

At the age of three, Koko fell ill with polio. As a result, his physical mobility was significantly affected. Though he explained that having a wheelchair was essential to his mobility, he also described: “It was very very challenging to get a wheelchair back in my country. It was also difficult to get braces and it was not comfortable wearing braces either. I could not walk long distances. The best way to have freedom in my mobility was to get a wheelchair.” For Koko, this did not become a reality until he reached post-secondary. 

“I realized that I needed to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities,” said Koko. “It is important to help others because without the support of others, including not-for-profits, I don’t think I would have been able to achieve what I have achieved. This is why I try to do my best to be useful in my community and help inspire others.”

As a Master’s student, Koko has led fundraising initiatives to support the purchase and distribution of 120 wheelchairs for other polio survivors near his home community in Africa. “Next summer, I will visit my country and do a follow up on that project to see how the wheelchairs have been useful for recipients.” He is eager to continue this work that helps others, and attributed much of his caring disposition to his mother who he described as his primary motivator. 

While academics and advocacy are important to Koko, so is athleticism. Koko enjoys para-basketball and is also an experienced para-lifter. In fact, at the height of his para-lifting career, he ranked 8th worldwide in his class and nearly qualified for the Paralympic games.  

Now at Laurentian, Koko has taken on a new sport; para-rowing. Dr. Thomas Merritt, Full Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and head coach for the ParaSports program, part of the Sudbury Rowing Club based out of the Northern Water Sports Centre, spoke fondly of Koko’s talent: “Koko is a fantastic addition to the Sudbury Rowing Club accessible sport program. He has an impressive background in accessible sport, including experience with international competition, but he had never rowed before. He's been with the program for a few months now and we are all having a blast. Helping any athlete explore a new sport is one of the best parts of coaching. Working with an athlete with Koko's enthusiasm and joy for living is a treat. He has been an international calibre powerlifter. His power in the boat is amazing - and his laugh as he works through the motions of a completely new sport is infectious. Everyone's practice is better just for having Koko out rowing with us.” 

“It [para-rowing] is just amazing,” said Koko. “My main concern is understanding the technique of rowing but I am happy with the way Dr. Merritt is working with me, focusing on technique. I am feeling confident [in this sport] with the help of Dr. Merritt.” 

When it comes to his overall experience as a Laurentian student, Koko had much to say about the University’s sense of community. “For me, Laurentian is the best university because people have been so willing to help me reach my goals. I work very hard for good grades [and] the Biochemistry department has been supportive…. Faculty are available for students. That is rare in education in this world, [but] at Laurentian, lab technicians, professors, students, staff, they all look out for your success. I am a French student but I take courses in English because I love improving my bilingualism. In labs, sometimes the professor or technician helps me better understand by speaking to me in French…. And that is amazing.” 

Koko’s student and athletic journey is one to celebrate. He anticipates that he will soon be competing in para-rowing, and couldn’t be more excited about it. 

Read more about the ParaSports program at the Northern Water Sports Centre in Sudbury in this article published by Sudbury.com. 

Urbanization is driving evolution of plants globally, study supported by Laurentian U finds

Urbanization is driving evolution of plants globally, study supported by Laurentian U finds

Second year Biochemistry student, Danica Levesque, amongst researchers published in the journal, Science.

(March 21, 2022) - Humans re-shape the environments where they live, with cities being among the most profoundly transformed environments on Earth. New research now shows that these urban environments are altering the way life evolves.

A ground-breaking study led by evolutionary biologists at U of T Mississauga (UTM) examines whether parallel evolution is occurring in cities all over the world. In findings published in the journal Science, the Global Urban Evolution Project (GLUE) analyzed data collected by 287 scientists in 160 cities in 26 countries, who sampled the white clover plant in their cities and nearby rural areas. Included samples derived from Greater Sudbury; fieldwork and data analysis supported by Laurentian University Biochemistry professor, Dr. Thomas Merritt, Lila Elizabeth Merritt, and second year Biochemistry student, Danica Levesque. 

The study has found the clearest evidence yet that humans in general, and cities specifically, are a dominant force driving the evolution of life globally. Discovered is that white clover is frequently evolving across the globe and in direct response to environmental changes taking place in urban settings. 

The GLUE study illustrates that the environmental conditions in cities tend to be more similar to each other than to nearby rural habitats. In that sense, downtown Sudbury is more comparable to downtown Tokyo in many ways than it is to surrounding farmland and forests outside of the city. Nevertheless and explained by Dr. Merritt, “similar to genetics, evolution is complicated. Patterns vary, but the more examples that we have of studies rooted in our real world, the easier it is to explain and understand the complexities of genetics and evolution.” 

Not only were researchers able to observe global adaptation to cities, they identified the genetic basis of that adaptation and the environmental drivers of evolution. White clover produces hydrogen cyanide as both a defense mechanism against herbivores and to increase its tolerance to water stress, and GLUE found that clover growing in cities typically produce less of it than clover in neighbouring rural areas due to repeated adaptation to urban environments. 

It is the changes in the presence of herbivores and water stress in cities that is pushing white clover to adapt differently than their rural counterparts. That finding holds true for cities across various climates, and the implications reach far beyond the humble clover plant.

Speaking about the inclusion of Greater Sudbury in GLUE, Dr. Merritt said that “one of the real strengths of Laurentian is that geographically, we are close to an edge. For many species, you don’t get a whole lot North of where we are. So, while this is something that we often think about as being a bit of a challenge, scientifically, our location is a real asset and we are able to be a part of these studies because we really are at the Northern edge of many things.” 

Impressively, Levesque was but sixteen years old and in grade 11 at École Secondaire Sacré-Coeur, when she got involved in GLUE. As a high school student, she advocated for her interest in the field of Biochemistry when she reached out to Laurentian to inquire about a research internship. “Having Danica on board has been incredible,” said Dr. Merritt. “One of the best parts of being a professor is watching a student generate their first data set. It’s the kind of thing that sticks with you.” Danica will be working in the lab this summer on an N-SERC USRA fellowship. 

“My participation in GLUE has been awesome. This experience was my first time ever in a lab. I was just very thrilled to be involved, get my hands dirty, see results, and contribute to this study,” said Levesque who is also on Laurentian’s Varsity Women’s Nordic ski team. “To be a part of a project of this magnitude has been amazing.” 

The project is a model for inclusive science. The team was equally split between women and men and included not just established researchers, but also students at all levels and from all inhabited continents across the world. This publication is just the beginning for GLUE that supports an unprecedented global collaboration. 
 

Laurentian University students volunteer to support Sudbury Ringette Association youth

Laurentian University students volunteer to support Sudbury Ringette Association youth

LU ringette players mentor ringette youth

(November 17, 2021) - With the support of their teammates, Laurentian University students and ringette athletes, Jenna Gilchrist (Sudbury, ON) and Katie Vandeloo (Richmond Hill, ON) led a conditioning camp for the Sudbury Ringette Association’s youth. The camp was organized by Gilchrist in support of youth aged ten to sixteen. “We wanted to give back to our community and run something for ringette youth to jump back into the game. During COVID, these youth didn’t have the opportunity to play, so we ran a conditioning camp to get them back into the swing of things. We really wanted to make it a fun experience for these youth to remember why they play ringette; why they love ringette.”

Gilchrist is a recent graduate from the Biochemistry program at Laurentian. Her educational journey continues at Laurentian, as a first year M.Sc. Biology student. Vandeloo is a third year Sports Administration student at Laurentian.

The camp was well received by all attendees, according to Sudbury Ringette Association’s Treasurer, Troy McLaughlin. “Not only was it extremely generous to have these students give back their time, [but] I know there was a lot of excited anticipation among our younger players to be able to be taught and look up to these older Ringette players.” For Vandeloo, volunteering her time in support of this initiative was rewarding. “I really hope that this continues in future years. It was amazing. I didn’t want to miss a thing.” 

The Laurentian Ringette Club has expanded in recent years, and the team’s dedication to their sport is impressive. In their season’s 2019 / 2020 University Challenge Cup - a national tournament for University Ringette teams across Canada, Laurentian Ringette won bronze in their division. The preceding season, the team earned the Sportsmanship Award at their provincial championship tournament. 

Both Gilchrist and Vandeloo have high hopes for Laurentian Ringette’s future and described enthusiastically the commitment of their team. “It’s amazing how dedicated our team is this year,” said Vandeloo. “Everybody shows up. It’s so great.”

The Laurentian Ringette Club’s next series of home games occur on Saturday, November 27th at Sudbury’s Countryside arena. They play Nipissing University at 10:15am, the Timmins Tornadoes at 4:15pm, and the Sault Ste. Marie Ice Hawks at 9:15pm. They hope to see you there!