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Award Winning Scientist and Aboriginal Advocate Senator Lillian Dyck to Visit Trent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29 Schedule Includes Tour of Trent’s DNA Building and Discussions with Indigenous Studies Students

Friday, January 26, 2007, Peterborough

Senator Lillian Dyck, a well-known advocate for women and Aboriginal peoples and a leading figure in Canada’s scientific community, will be visiting Trent University on Monday, January 29.

During her visit, Dr. Dyck will be touring Trent’s new DNA Building, engaging in discussion with faculty and students from the Indigenous Studies Department, and meeting with University President Bonnie Patterson.

Dr. Dyck was appointed to the senate on March 24, 2005 on the recommendation of former Prime Minister Paul Martin. A member of the Gordon First Nations in Saskatchewan, Dr. Dyck is of Cree and Chinese heritage and was one of the first Aboriginal women in Canada to pursue an academic career in the sciences. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry (1966), an Honours degree in biochemistry (1968), a Master of Science Biochemistry degree (1970) and a Ph.D. in Biological Psychiatry, all from the University of Saskatchewan. She has also published numerous articles in the fields of neurochemistry and psychiatry and her research has contributed to developing and patenting new drugs which will be useful in helping to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Dyck is currently a professor in the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan.

Over the years, Dr. Dyck has been honoured with many awards, including: a House of Commons Citation as a Role Model for girls in science in March 1997; a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Science and Technology in March 1999; a Saskatchewan First Nations Women of the Dawn Award in Science and Technology in October 2000; and a Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan in 2005. In 1999, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation also honoured her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

One of Canada's top universities, Trent University is renowned for striking a unique balance between outstanding teaching and leading-edge research. Home to the First Peoples House of Learning, Trent is renowned for its Indigenous Studies program and offers Canada’s only Ph.D program in Indigenous Studies. The University is consistently recognized nationally for faculty who maintain a high level of innovative research activity and a deep commitment to the individual student. Distinguished by excellence in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and increasingly popular professional and graduate programs, Trent is dedicated to providing its students with an exceptional world view, producing graduates who are ready to succeed and make a difference in the world. Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River. Together with its satellite campus in Oshawa, Trent draws excellent students from throughout the country and around the world.

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For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Dyck during her visit to Trent, please contact:
Brittany Cadence, communications officer (media specialist), Trent University, (705) 748-1011 x5371