Solidifying the University’s’ reputation as a leader in arctic research, four Trent graduate students walked away from Canada’s largest annual arctic research conference with awards in the poster competition.
The students were part of a 20-person delegation of Trent graduate students, researchers and faculty members who attended the ArcticNet Scientific Meeting (ASM) in Halifax in December.
Boasting a consistently strong presence at the ASM each year, Trent University continued its legacy of award-winning graduate student research in 2013. This year, four awards of the ArcticNet ASM graduate student poster award competition went to members of the Health, Environment and Indigenous Communities (HEIC) Research Group directed by Trent professor Dr. Chris Furgal.
Amongst the award-winners was M.A. candidate in Sustainability Studies, Kristeen McTavish, who received the Inuit Partnership of Excellence Award, the most prestigious award to be given to a graduate student at the ASM and presented to the poster that best addresses Inuit priorities, involves Inuit partners and builds capacity.
Speaking of the honour, Ms. McTavish said: “I feel extremely honoured to have been selected for the Inuit Partnership Award. This work would certainly not be possible without the enthusiasm and drive of all of our community and organizational partners. I hope that this award helps to showcase the importance of engaging in this type of research, which produces relevant, useful, and implementable research results and benefits to communities.”
The poster award competition is held annually at the ASM to acknowledge excellence in research and presentation, encouraging students to continue in their meaningful contributions to research that ensures the stewardship of the changing Canadian Arctic. Additional Trent winners included: Kaitlin Breton-Honeyman, PhD candidate in Environment and Life Sciences, second place in the Marine-Natural Science category; Emily Willson, M.A. candidate in Sustainability Studies, first place in the Social Science and Human Health category; and Nicole Bilodeau, M.A. candidate in Sustainability Studies, third place in the Social Science and Human Health category. To view pictures of the winners, visit http://heicresearch.com/?p=1481
Janet Kivett Knight, a Trent M.A. candidate in Sustainability Studies, found attending the ASM an invaluable experience, and commented on the importance of allowing researchers in all stages of their careers to connect to others in the field while often making linkages across disciplines.
“It’s a unique opportunity to connect around a common focus on Northern issues, but with the involvement of multiple perspectives, which build out a more holistic picture of what is happening in the Arctic,” Ms. Kivett Knight said.
Posted on Friday, January 10, 2014.