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Native Studies 30th Anniversary Association President's Message Trent's Outstanding Research Record Convocation 2000 Photo Collage What's New in Academic Programs |
by Geoff Matthews
Day or night, on campus and around the globe, Trent researchers
are involved in studies that are literally changing the world. Projects are as varied as the number of faculty, and include: Not only does Trent outperform every other university of its
size across Canada, but the university compares favorably on
a per capita basis with most of the big institutions as well.
Last year, for example, external research funding for Trent totaled
$5.5 million, or roughly double the amount received just five
years earlier. The numbers are even more impressive considering that most Trent faculty undertaking this research carry full teaching loads as well, compared with larger universities where some faculty work full time at research with little or no undergraduate teaching responsibilities. Government recognition The eight new chairs represent $6.7 million in new funding
for Trent researchers over the next five years. In addition to
funds for salaries and research expenses, each of the new chairs
will be eligible for up to $125,000 for infrastructure and equipment
related to their work from the Canada Foundation for Innovation
(CFI). Trent will concentrate on nominating candidates working in
the university's key strategic research areas. These will be
individuals with national and international reputations. Nominees
may include current Trent staff or researchers from other parts
of Canada or other countries. The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program is outstanding news
for Trent and other universities across Canada which are also
eligible for funding, and a key to helping stop the so-called
"brain drain" which has seen some of the country's
top researchers move to the U.S. for higher salaries and research
budgets. is will help Canada build a critical mass of staff in
key research areas. The fact that Trent is eligible for eight positions validates
once again the incredible work being carried out at the University,
said Graham Taylor, vice-president, academic. "is a remarkable
number for a small university like Trent and testimony to the
extraordinary quality of faculty research and scholarship." Around the clock and throughout the year, research at Trent
goes on, often in collaboration with faculty members from other
universities and government agencies around the world. Trent
faculty members are at the forefront of some very significant
research. at also means enhanced opportunities for Trent students, who
often play an active, hands-on role in the research or have the
benefit of the results. The eight areas of research priority, specified in the strategic
research plan approved by Senate in May are: Grants facilitate research Thirty-one science faculty will hold a total of more than
$890,000 in research grant support during the coming year from
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
and four equipment grants valued at close to $90,000, representing
a three per cent increase over 1999-2000. In addition, a Major
Facilities Access (MFA) grant of $193,500 was awarded to Doug
Evans (ERS) and a team of researchers to support the Trent University
Water Quality Centre. Finally, two faculty hold almost $150,000 from the Medical
Research Council, funding made all the more remarkable in that
MRC grants are usually reserved for universities with medical
programs. Taken together, these awards from the federal granting councils
support important research work across all subject areas, from
history, geography and native studies to biology, chemistry and
physics. Trent also receives millions in research funding from private industry and foundations, including support for three NSERC-industry research chairs. Looking at the environment Project leader is Tom Hutchinson (Biology/ERS), and the research
involves students, professors and researchers from the Ontario
provincial ministries of Natural Resources and the Environment.
They are studying the Kawartha lakes, especially ice conditions
and fish kills, and investigating the effects of air pollution,
climate change and warming (such as early springs), and the increase
in ultraviolet radiation. The Centre is expected to be the location for many research
studies over the years. It will be developed carefully so that
some areas are set aside for long-term research. In these areas,
experiments and observatories will be set up for studies of change
and response over periods of five, 10, 25, and 50 years. is presents
a unique opportunity as researchers so often have great difficulties
finding sites for even three to five-year studies. e Centre will
also provide quarters for graduate students and professors to
stay while doing their research. The Water quality Centre is another newly established research
institute within Trent University that focuses on research and
training that will enhance Canada's capacity to evaluate the
quality of our water. Senior members of the WQC include Profs.
Doug Evans (director), Holger Hintelmann, Ray March and Chris
Metcalfe. e Centre is primarily interested in developing techniques
to detect contaminants that are difficult to analyze or identify. The rough contributions from the CFI, the OIT and several
private sector donors, the Centre has purchased sophisticated
analytical instrumentation valued at approximately $2.3 million.
These instruments will allow analysis of aquatic contaminants
that few facilities in the world can analyze. Construction of
a dedicated facility to house the WQC is scheduled to begin soon
on the Symons campus. Examples of current research projects within the WQC include: Research afield Trent, for example, is collaborating with the University of
the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lawrence University
in New York on a project studying the relationships between geographic
areas and the global movement of people, capital and cultures
across political and cultural borders. For more than 20 years, Trent archaeologists have led teams
of researchers and students to sites in Belize, Peru and Ecuador.
e research has cast new light on the emergence of native civilizations
there prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century.
Funding from SSHRC for this research has been in excess of $1
million, providing unique work-study opportunities for undergraduate
and graduate students. Trent is also actively involved as the lead institution directing
a $9 million ecosystem rehabilitation project in Mexico and Ecuador,
placing the University at the forefront of international research
and education. The five-year project is just past the halfway
mark. Its goal is to work with local communities to give them
the foundation they need to improve their watersheds. e project
also means exciting opportunities for Trent students to study
and conduct research abroad, and brings students from Mexico
and Ecuador to Trent. Other examples of the University's research accomplishments
abound. History Professor Doug McCalla was awarded a Killam Research
Fellowship to write an economic history of Canada from 1600 to
1939. English and cultural studies professor Richard Dellamora won
a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for work on a book about citizenship
and the novel in Victorian England. Trent has more elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
(the pre-eminent scholarly group in Canada) than any other small
university, with six members. Don Mackay and Holger Hintelmann run the Canadian environmental
modeling centre. Peter Dillon is studying acid rain, combining studies in biology,
chemistry and geography. The variety and scope of the research work is indeed incredible, as described by Graham Taylor, vice-president, academic, and testimony to the extraordinary quality of Trent's faculty and scholarship. |
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One of the truly
remarkable accomplishments of Trent University is the success
faculty members continue to enjoy in their fields of research,
attracting millions of dollars annually from external funding
services.