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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

New initiative to improve the active offer of health services in French

New initiative to improve the active offer of health services in French

The CNFS, through their workshop, is reinforcing the integration of active offer concepts.

Last week, the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) at Laurentian University held a workshop on the active offer of health services in French. The workshop brought together more than 20 Francophone health sector professionals, faculty members from Laurentian University and key community stakeholders, and allowed participants to broaden their awareness of the need to incorporate the concept of active offer into the training of Francophone healthcare professionals, share their experiences and inspire new practices.

 

“Concrete progress made by the CNFS on the active offer initiative demonstrates the significant role played by postsecondary institutions to improve the quality of health services offered in French,” explained Laurentian University president and CNFS board member Dominic Giroux. “Thanks to the commitment of our faculty members and community partners, we are already in a position to better rally our future graduates so that they may enhance French-language health services offered in minority settings.”

 

Coming from different areas of the province, participants showed an interest in making their workplace an area where health services are offered proactively in both official languages from the very first contact. To that effect, future professionals graduating from programs supported by the CNFS who have received prior training on the importance of an active offer will play a crucial role in improving – and ensuring sustainability of – French-language health services.

 

The CNFS, through this workshop, is reinforcing the integration of active offer concepts which is indicated as a priority activity in the training and research component of its Phase IV (2013-2018).

Laurentian University names new Director, Planning and Capital Projects

Laurentian University names new Director, Planning and Capital Projects

Jason Ferrigan to play “leadership role” in University’s era of growth

FEBRUARY 17, 2015 – Laurentian University is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Ferrigan, MCIP, RPP as Director, Planning and Capital Projects. Mr. Ferrigan joins the leadership team of the University after seven years with the City of Greater Sudbury. As Senior Planner with the City, he led a number of strategic initiatives on downtown revitalization, brownfield generation and preservation of agricultural lands. 

Prior to his position with the City, Mr. Ferrigan worked as Planner in the Northeast Municipal Service Office of the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and was previously Senior Planner and Associate with Urban Strategies, Inc., a Toronto-based planning and urban design firm. Mr. Ferrigan has 16 years of experience in the public, private, institutional and not-for-profit sectors, and has worked in Ontario, Quebec, the United States and the Caribbean. 

“We are delighted to have someone with Jason’s experience, vision and energy in the Director’s role during this very important chapter in Laurentian’s history,” said Brad Parkes, Executive Director, Facility Services. “With our Campus Modernization program now underway, Jason will be playing a leadership role in an era of extraordinary growth and change at the university.” 

Mr. Ferrigan is active in the community and in the planning profession, serving as a Director on the Board at the Rotary Club of Sudbury and as Director on the Ontario Professional Planners Institute Council. In 2011, he was recognized as one of Sudbury’s Top 40 under 40 and in 2014 he was named the Sudbury Rotary Club’s Rotarian of the Year. 

“It’s really a pleasure to be back at Laurentian at such a momentous time,” said Mr. Ferrigan, who completed his Honours BA in Geography at Laurentian in 1996. “The University is going through a transformative period and I’m excited to be a part of these changes.” 

Laurentian’s $50M Campus Modernization program will entail major renovations to the Parker Building and Alphonse Raymond Buildings, construction of the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre and the Goodman School of Mines Executive Learning Centre, and upgrades to 35 classrooms and teaching labs. The Campus Modernization program is scheduled to be complete in 2016. Another major capital project, the $34M Phase Two of construction of the new School of Architecture, is scheduled for completion by Fall 2015. 

New office will support young entrepreneurs on Sudbury campuses

New office will support young entrepreneurs on Sudbury campuses

Laurentian University partners with Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, NORCAT Innovation Mill in new program

December 22, 2014 – A full-time Entrepreneurship Coordinator hired at Laurentian University will work to develop a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial culture for post-secondary students and recent graduates in the Greater Sudbury region. 

The position has been created through an On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities grant awarded to Laurentian University in collaboration with Cambrian College and Collège Boréal, and in partnership with NORCAT. The new Entrepreneurship Coordinator, Matthieu Dasys, will build and implement a program to foster a strong entrepreneurial culture across all four institutions, creating experiential learning opportunities for students and recent grads, and helping them to start new businesses. 

“There are so many smart and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs in our midst, with terrific ideas,” said Dasys, who graduated in 2014 with an Honours B. Comm from Laurentian University. “We can help them to refine their ideas, test their models and launch viable enterprises, with the support of this program.” 

Funded through Ontario’s Youth Job Strategy and managed by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), the OCEA program is designed to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and cultivate opportunities for innovation in Ontario’s young people. 

“Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among students is a key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy, through programs that help transfer their ideas and skills to the marketplace while creating rewarding careers,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “By partnering with colleges and universities to support entrepreneurship, we are ensuring our province’s business leaders of tomorrow are getting the support they need to succeed today.” 

Among the initiatives and learning opportunities to be led by the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities office are boot camps and seminars in business development and funding; guest speakers; internship and mentoring possibilities, and a repository of best practice models. The OCEA grant will fund the position from December, 2014 to November, 2016. 

“This program was created to support students who are seeking to grow and expand new businesses. The promotion of entrepreneurship endeavors has been recognized as a shared interest among all three post-secondary institutions. Collège Boréal proudly supports all exercises facilitating the partnership and collaboration of educational institutions,” said Pierre Riopel, Collège Boréal President.” 
 

 “This much-welcomed government funding paves the way for Sudbury’s three postsecondary institutions to work together to support the entrepreneurs in our community,” said Cambrian College President Bill Best. “Small businesses create building blocks for economic growth in our communities, so by providing support for our students and grads through this new OCEA grant, we are taking an important step in ensuring their success.” 

“The NORCAT Innovation Mill is excited to be a part of the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities initiative here in Sudbury. We look forward to working with and supporting Laurentian, Cambrian and Boreal to foster entrepreneurism across their campuses,” said Kyle McCall, Coordinator, NORCAT Innovation Mill. 

“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario,” added Tom Corr, DBA, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. “I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success.” 

Counselling Available for Students

Counselling Available for Students

The Laurentian University community is saddened by the passing today of a Sudbury Campus student.

The Laurentian University community is saddened by the passing today of a Sudbury Campus student.  Our deepest sympathies go out to family and friends. Laurentian Health Services are offering counselling for all students. To schedule an appointment call 705-675-1151 ext. 6506 or by email healthservices@laurentian.ca. Students are also encouraged to call the Crisis Intervention Services 24 hour hotline at 705-675-4760 or Good 2 Talk, at 1-866-925-5454.  

 

More information can be found at Good2talk.ca. No other details are available at this time.  Next of Kin have been notified.

Laurentian Architecture students reap scholarship awards

Laurentian Architecture students reap scholarship awards

School invites community to end-of-semester Exhibition of student work

December 8, 2014 –  Students at the Laurentian University School of Architecture are sharing in scholarships and financial awards made possible by the generosity of numerous donors and supporters of the Laurentian Architecture program.  
 

Scholarships and awards totalling nearly $30,000 have been awarded to first- and second-year Architecture students in 2014. 
 

The awards include:

  • Build North Construction Inc. Architecture Scholarship (Anthony and Tracy Nutt)
  • Design-Build Fund Award (Blaine and Lis Nicholls)
  • F. Jean MacLeod Architecture Scholarship
  • Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Annual Scholarship
  • Peddler’s Pub Architecture Award (Dennis Gainer and Family)
  • RBC Architecture Award (RBC Financial Group)
  • School of Architecture Founders’ Design Award
  • Sudbury Construction Association Architecture Scholarship
  • Laurentian University School of Architecture Portfolio Award
     

“We are absolutely delighted by the extent of support for our architecture students within the Greater Sudbury community,” said Laurentian School of Architecture Founding Director, Dr. Terrance Galvin.  “These scholarships and awards help to strengthen our program while recognizing the excellence of our young architects.”
 

Many of the works designed and created by first- and second-year students during the 2014-15 first semester will be on view at a free Exhibition, to be held Saturday, December 13th.  Members of the community are welcome to stop in to view the work, enjoy refreshments and chat with students, staff and faculty of Laurentian Architecture.
 

“Last winter, the ice huts created by our first-year students for their design-build project were just so impressive,” said Dr. Galvin.  “This year, as the first-year class works on ice huts, our second-year students are building birchbark and carbon-fibre canoes, under the guidance of two expert canoe builders and in partnership with Wahnipitae First Nation.  This is another superb hands-on learning exercise, and our students are rightly proud of what they’ve achieved,” he added.
 

The Exhibition runs from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Laurentian University School of Architecture Studio, 85 Elm Street, and is free and open to the public. 

Dr. Gaetan Gervais receives the Order of Canada Award

Dr. Gaetan Gervais receives the Order of Canada Award

Dr. Gaetan Gervias, professor emeritus of Laurentian University's History department, received the Order of Canada Award on December 5, 2014. 

Laurentian appoints new Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety

Laurentian appoints new Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety

As Research Chair, Dr. Eger will be responsible for research growth and development at CROSH.

November 20, 2014 – Laurentian University today announced the appointment of Dr. Tammy Eger as Research Chair in Occupation Health and Safety effective January 1, 2015.  Dr. Eger is an Associate Professor at Laurentian University in the School of Human Kinetics and is currently Director of the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH). 

 

As Research Chair, Dr. Eger will be responsible for research growth and development at CROSH. Dr. Eger will also work closely with other members of the CROSH team to further develop national and international collaborations in Occupational Health and Safety research, training, and global best practices.

 

“Tammy has done an outstanding job of bringing attention and funding to this important area of research, which affects the lives of so many workers in our region and beyond,” said Acting Vice-President, Research, Dr. Anne-Marie Mawhiney.   

 

Dr. Eger has received over $2.8 million dollars in research funding as a principal and co-investigator from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and the Ontario Ministry of Labour. She has attracted an additional $1.9 million in funding as Director of the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health.   She is an invited member of the ISO standards committee concerned with human exposure to vibration, the Mining Legislative Review sub-committee on proximity detection, and a resource member to the hazards committee, and management of change committee of the Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review.

 

“Our industrial history here in Sudbury and across Ontario, has made this area of research a matter of urgency,” said Leo Gerard President, USW International and Chair of the CROSH advisory board.  “Dr. Eger’s appointment will provide the leadership needed to build upon successes and expand CROSH’s influence to respond to community needs identifying health and safety concerns and eliminating hazards and occupational disease from workplaces around the North.”

 

For over a decade, Laurentian University has been building on its expertise in the area of occupational health and safety, beginning with mining and expanding to other workplace sectors. Officially approved by Laurentian University’s Senate in 2008, CROSH is a multidisciplinary group of researchers, guided by an advisory board comprised of representatives from labour, industry and local health and safety organizations.  CROSH researchers are engaged in innovative studies aimed at identifying solutions to prevent occupational injuries and diseases of concern to northern Ontario workplaces.

 

“Dr. Eger brings depth, breadth, commitment and passion to her role as Research Chair, and on behalf of industry, we applaud her appointment,” said Jody Kuzenko, Director of Production Services for Vale’s Ontario Operations and member of the CROSH advisory board. “Under her leadership, CROSH is poised to meet its vision of uniting industry, labour, government and other key partners to find solutions that will support our collective goal of ensuring every worker gets home safe and healthy every day.”

 

“CROSH is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in Occupational Health and Safety and I look forward to taking on this new role and focusing my energy on research development,” said Dr. Eger.

 

Key funders for the position of Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety include:  the Northern Ontario Heritage Funding Corporation, Vale, United Steelworkers, TECK, Domtar and Unifor.

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