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A Laurentian professor honoured

A Laurentian professor honoured

Author Thierry Dimanche receives the Prix Champlain 2015

April 9, 2015 – The Prix Champlain 2015 awards ceremony was held last night during the Salon international du livre de Québec. Thierry Bissonnette, professor in the Department of French Studies at Laurentian University, received the renowned award in the creative/fiction category under his pen name – Thierry Dimanche – for his book entitled Le milieu de partout, published by Prise de parole. Thierry Dimanche joins the ranks of Patrice Desbiens, Zachary Richard, Jean-Marc Dalpé and others who have received the Prix Champlain.

 

“While I’m particularly sympathetic toward Étienne Brûlé, our most memorable bad boy and controversial Franco-Ontarian prototype, I am very happy that Samuel de Champlain’s name is connected to this recognition, given that we’re celebrating this year the 400th anniversary of his presence in Huronia,” explained Thierry Dimanche. “The book represents for me a renewed fellowship with Sudbury and its surroundings, where the phenomenon of life just may have begun on our planet, and where I know, for certain, that my own life has been transformed many times over.”

 

The dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University, Elizabeth Dawes, added that: “Laurentian University once again sets itself apart thanks to our excellent faculty who reach far beyond the borders of our province or country. Year after year, our students benefit from the expertise and enviable reputation of experienced professors such as Thierry Bissonnette, who we applaud for receiving this prestigious award.”

 

About the Prix Champlain
Created in 1956 by the Conseil de la vie française en Amérique to encourage literary production among Francophones living outside of Quebec in North America, the Prix Champlain also aims to spark the interest of Québécois in other Francophones of America. The Prix Champlain is awarded each year to recognize the best works written in French in the two following categories: academic works considered “scholarly” (collection of papers, study or essay in the field of human sciences) and creative works (novel, fiction, collection of poems, short stories or plays, biography, children or youth literature).

Congratulations to Thierry Bissonnette, recipient of the Prix Champlain!

Congratulations to Thierry Bissonnette, recipient of the Prix Champlain!

His prize-winning book, Le milieu de partout, was published in 2014 by Éditions Prise de Parole.

Thierry Bissonnette is an associate professor in the Department of French Studies at Laurentian University. His book Le milieu de partout, published under his pen name Thierry Dimanche, is a collection of essays, poetic prose and poetry.

To learn more, click here: http://us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=591278a2802643de1fc6510a3&id=fd28f67da5

Laurentian graduate wins “Canada’s New Noah” Scholarship

Laurentian graduate wins “Canada’s New Noah” Scholarship

Wildlife Preservation Canada award sends Biology grad student to Mauritius

Laurentian University MSc Biology graduate Patrick Moldowan has been selected from a field of scores of candidates for a prestigious scholarship that will send him to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean to work for the recovery of endangered species.

 

The “Canada’s New Noah” Scholarship is funded by Wildlife Preservation Canada.   It gives young Canadian biologists the opportunity to study, train, and conduct field research while providing several months of practical experience with teams working to save species in Mauritius and its offshore islands.  Each year, Wildlife Preservation Canada considers more than 100 applications for the coveted scholarship, from candidates who include undergraduates, master’s and PhD students, practicing wildlife biologists and veterinarians.

 

“We were impressed by Patrick’s great enthusiasm, his scholarship, and his broad range of research interests, and we are excited about the contributions he will make through the Canada’s New Noah program,” said Wildlife Preservation Canada’s Executive Director, Elaine Williams. 

 

Moldowan completed his MSc at Laurentian University in 2014 under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Litzgus, Professor, Department of Biology. His research interests are herpetology (reptile and amphibian biology), conservation biology, evolutionary ecology, and natural history.  

“It is an incredible honour to be named Canada’s New Noah,” said Moldowan.  “Working collaboratively with Wildlife Preservation Canada, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and Mauritius Wildlife Foundation will be an exceptional opportunity for training and field research in one of the world’s greatest biodiversity and conservation hotspots.”

The full New Noah scholarship includes travel, living and training expenses for six months to enable the New Noah to participate in the Durrell Post-Graduate Diploma in Endangered Species Recovery (offered through Kent University), designed to provide the student with the field experience and species and human resource management skills necessary to run wildlife conservation projects.

 

Previous recipients of the New Noah Scholarship have helped to save three species from almost certain extinction, according to Wildlife Preservation Canada.  They include the Mauritius kestrel, a tiny falcon that was once reduced to only four individuals in the wild, and is no longer classified as endangered.

 

Wildlife Preservation Canada was formed by the internationally-renowned conservationist and author Gerald Durrell in 1985.

Vale Living With Lakes Centre honoured with OAA awards

Vale Living With Lakes Centre honoured with OAA awards

Two prestigious design awards bestowed by Ontario Association of Architects

Laurentian University’s Vale Living With Lakes Centre (VLWLC) has been honoured with two prestigious awards from the Ontario Association of Architects.   The Centre is the winner of an OAA Design Excellence Award for 2015, as well as the OAA’s Sustainable Design Excellence Award for 2015.

 

The OAA’s Design Excellence Awards are based on considerations of creativity, context, sustainability and legacy, and were awarded this year to 10 buildings designed by Ontario architects.  The Sustainable Design Excellence Award is based on considerations of reduced dependence on fossil fuels, reduced use of virgin materials, reduced potable water usage, and high-quality interior environment, and was awarded solely to VLWLC. 

 

Ranked as one of Canada’s greenest buildings, the Vale Living With Lakes Centre was officially opened in 2011 on the southern shore of Ramsey Lake in Sudbury.  It was built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum standards, and was designed by architects J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd, in association with Perkins + Will Architects. The building was conceived as a unique centre of excellence for the study of freshwater aquatic systems, their health and remediation.  It was designed for the climate of 2050 and is estimated to be 70 per cent more energy-efficient than conventional buildings, using natural light and shade, geo-thermal heating and grey-water recycling systems to reduce its footprint.

 

“Dr. John Gunn and the Core Review Team challenged us to design a ‘Lakes Centre’ that was worthy of the Ramsey Lake watershed, and of the work performed within the building,” said architect Jeffrey Laberge of J.L. Richards and Associates.  “We responded through form, materials, and systems that have no detrimental impact on the health and well-being of Ramsey Lake, yet have a positive cultural impact within the city. We are very happy to be recognized by the OAA for both Design Excellence and Sustainable Design Excellence,” he added. 

 

The Vale Living With Lakes Centre houses faculty, researchers and students working in some of Laurentian University’s Biology and Environment programs, and is shared by research staff from Laurentian’s partners in the Co-operative Freshwater Ecology Unit, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change  and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

 

"The building itself is an affirmation of the mandate of the Vale Living With Lakes Centre.  The building lines, regionally sourced materials and the views over Lake Ramsey make this one of the most beautiful structures in the area,” said Brad Parkes, Director of Facility Services at Laurentian University.  “The Centre is used for many public events and I think that both Laurentian and the Greater Sudbury community are very proud of this unique facility."  

Research at Vale Living With Lakes Centre Contributes to Global Database

Research at Vale Living With Lakes Centre Contributes to Global Database

SUDBURY, ON (MARCH 18, 2015) – Dr. John Bailey and Jocelyne Heneberry of the Co-operative Freshwater Ecology Unit (Co-op Unit) at Laurentian University’s Vale Living with Lakes Centre are co-authors of a recently published article summarizing a new lake temperature database in the journal Scientific Data, published by Nature.   Dr. Bailey, adjunct professor and research scientist with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, and Ms. Heneberry, Co-ordinator of Lakes Monitoring, are part of the Global Lake Temperature Collaboration (GLTC), an international group assembled to provide increased access to global lake temperature records.  

“The GLTC group recognized that a new global database of lake surface temperatures was needed with “on the ground” lake temperature measurements from programs like ours at the Co-op Unit adding to existing satellite data,” said Dr. Bailey. “This improves our ability, at a global scale, to identify and examine patterns of change in the temperatures of lakes over time due to climate or other factors.” 

Since its inception in 2010, the GLTC initiative has grown to a database of 291 lakes and reservoirs worldwide, providing summer-mean lake surface temperatures from 1985-2009, and roughly doubling the amount of data previously available from satellites alone. Seven Sudbury-area lakes monitored by Co-op Unit staff through a Vale/Sudbury Integrated Nickel/Ministry of Environment and Climate Change partnership are part of this database. This new dataset represents the first publicly available global compilation of in situ and satellite-based lake surface temperature data. The GLTC database also provides information on climatic drivers (air temperature, solar radiation, cloud cover), as well as geo-morphometric characteristics that may affect lake temperature (latitude, longitude, elevation, lake surface area, maximum depth, mean depth, volume). This unique, global dataset will offer an invaluable baseline perspective on lake thermal conditions for ongoing and future studies of environmental change.

 

World Theatre Day

World Theatre Day

Announcement of the events and a message from the Franco-Ontarian theatre.

Alain Doom is an actor, playwright and coordinator of the francophone Theatre program at Laurentian University. To learn more, and to read or listen to his message, click here: http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2595cd65b87f2fe132a4006f0&id=aa6ab84f52&e=42efdd2988

Laurentian Engineering students make history

Laurentian Engineering students make history

Both Bharti School’s Junior, Senior Design teams Win Canadian Engineering Competition

Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering makes history as both Junior and Senior Design teams win the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Results of the CEC were announced at an awards banquet at Memorial University on Saturday evening. 
 

After the Junior Design team won the Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) last month and the Senior Design team came in second, both teams qualified to represent Ontario at the nationwide 2015 CEC. Laurentian’s Junior Design team members are: Aidan Simpson, Colin Roos, Matthew Bennison and Stephane Labine. Members of the Senior Design team are: Caitlin Roos, Jasmin Lemieux, Louis-Francis Tremblay and Philip O'Connor.  
 

“This is truly an exceptional moment for Laurentian University and for the Bharti School of Engineering,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Bharti School of Engineering. “For the first time in our University’s history we had both Junior and Senior Design teams represent Ontario on a national stage in the same year and we are inspired by their performance,” he said. 
 

Teams competed in the following categories: Communications Engineering, Consulting Engineering, Innovative Design, Junior Design, Extemporaneous Debate, Re-Engineering, and Senior Design. 
 

“Engineering is a signature program at Laurentian and an area of significant growth in the past few years, now serving 700 students from the undergraduate to PhD levels,” said University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “Our students and faculty have truly differentiated themselves and we are most proud of the esteem they continue to bring to our institution,” he added. 


Students from Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering have distinguished themselves in numerous provincial, national and international competitions. They have won the Canadian Mining Games more often than any other university in Canada. In 2011, Laurentian’s team won the NASA Lunabotics Mining competition with their design for a remote lunar-mining module. 
 

The Canadian Engineering Competition was hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, March 5-8, 2015. The Canadian Engineering Competition is an annual competition involving more than 170 of the best and brightest engineering students from across Canada. The competition strives to expand and advance the education of our future engineers. Additionally, it is designed to test the competitors to become innovative and creative engineers that always consider environmental, social and economic impacts of their decisions. 
 

For more information about the Ontario Engineering Competition visit www.oec2015.ca and www.2015cec.ca to learn more about the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition. 

Junior Design Team     Senior Design Team

Laurentian professors honoured with Student's Choice Awards

Laurentian professors honoured with Student's Choice Awards

Two Laurentian University professors have been honoured for excellence in teaching

March 3, 2015 - Two Laurentian University professors have been honoured for excellence in teaching through the second annual Students’ Choice Teaching Awards. The recipients were recognized at “A Toast to Academic Excellence,” a ceremony organized by the University’s Centre for Academic Excellence. 

Professor Lissa Gagnon, RN, BScN, MScN, a faculty member in the School of Nursing was selected for the award by students in English-language programs and Associate Professor in Biologie Mery Martinez Garcia was selected by students in French-language programs. 

More than 400 nominations were received for the 2014 award. The Students’ Choice Teaching Awards were created in 2013 to allow students to recognize those faculty members who stimulate interest through effective teaching, enthusiasm and organisation. 

“I am humbled to be the recipient of the 2014 Students’ Choice Teaching Award,” said Professor Lissa Gagnon. “I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with delightful students, and I appreciated our class time immeasurably. I share this celebration with all my students, and I will hold this honour in my heart forever,” she added. 

“I am honoured to accept the Students’ Choice Award for 2014,” said Dr. Garcia. “As I say to all of my students at the start of every semester, teaching allows for a marvellous exchange that benefits me as much as my students. I am grateful to all those who took the time to write such fine testimonials, and I thank each of them sincerely.” 

Achievement in learning is supported and enabled by the achievements of our faculty, and we feel it is important to recognize their tremendous efforts. What they bring to the classroom is the result of extensive training, preparation, and a great sense of dedication,” said Christine Blais, Executive Director of the Centre for Academic Excellence. 

Laurentian Professor awarded 2015 3M Teaching Fellowship

Laurentian Professor awarded 2015 3M Teaching Fellowship

School of Education’s Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse honoured for contribution to teaching and leadership

March 2, 2015 - Laurentian University is pleased to congratulate Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, Associate Professor in the School of Education, on being named a 2015 3M National Teaching Fellow. These prestigious fellowships are awarded to up to ten recipients across Canada each year, through the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada. The 3M Teaching Fellowships are given to acknowledge contributions to teaching and learning in Canadian universities; as well as leadership in education at a provincial and national level. 

The 3M announcement describes Dr. Toulouse as “a role model amongst First Nations communities and a highly respected scholar in the areas of indigenous student success and interactive pedagogy. Since 2004, she has conducted 115 workshops and presentations, helping to guide the Ontario conversation about First Nations, Métis and Inuit education.” 

“As a First Nations woman I know, and have lived, all the negativity that schooling and life can offer. My family are survivors of a legacy of harm. I know that I have the ability to make a difference in my role as a teacher, researcher and human being,” said Dr. Toulouse. 

“We are delighted to see Pamela recognized for teaching excellence and educational leadership,” said Dr. Robert Kerr, Vice-President, Academic and Provost, Laurentian University. “She is indeed a role model to both students and colleagues, and we celebrate this honour with her.” 

Dr. Toulouse was recognized with the 2013-2014 Laurentian University Teaching Excellence Award for full-time Faculty Members. 

Dr. Toulouse will join the other 2015 3M National Fellows at the STLHE Conference in Vancouver in June, and at a three-day retreat in Banff in November. The full list of 2015 STLHE and 3M Canada Teaching Fellows can be seen here.

Laurentian Engineering students headed to Nationals

Laurentian Engineering students headed to Nationals

Bharti School’s Junior, Senior teams win at Ontario Engineering Competition

February 25, 2015 - Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering will send two teams to the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition in St. John’s, Newfoundland, next month, after strong showings by both the Junior and Senior teams at the Ontario Engineering Competiton. Results of the OEC were announced at an awards banquet at Ryerson University earlier this month.

Laurentian’s juniors, who are all first- and second-year engineering students, placed first in the OEC Junior Design category with a victory over competitors from Royal Military College and Queen’s University. Laurentian’s senior team, comprised of third- and fourth-year students, finished a close second to University of Guelph, with the University of Waterloo placing third.
 

“It’s really a tremendous showing for our students and we are all very proud of them,” said Dr. Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Bharti School of Engineering. “This is the first time that both our seniors and juniors have finished in the top three at the same OEC event, and the students are really pumped about taking their skills to the national competition next month,” he said.
 

Students from Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering have distinguished themselves in numerous provincial, national and international competitions. They have won the Canadian Mining Games more often than any other university in Canada. In 2011, Laurentian’s team won the NASA Lunabotics competition with their design for a remote lunar-mining module.
 

“This is another proud moment for Laurentian University and for the Bharti School of Engineering,” said University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “These students are proving that hands-on training, excellent faculty support and gritty determination are ingredients in engineering success. We will all be cheering them on,” he added.
 

An Open House event will be held on Thursday, February 26th from 1:30-2:30 pm in the Brenda Wallace Reading Room, where members of the University community, the media and the public can meet the members of both Junior and the Senior teams, and hear about their experiences at the OEC competition.
 

The Canadian Engineering Competition will be hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, March 5-8, 2015.

For more information about the Ontario Engineering Competition visit www.oec2015.ca. Visit www.2015cec.ca to learn more about the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition

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