Arthur Newspaper

You’re Invited: Northern Studies Colloquium

Promotional poster/image for Trent University Northern Studies Colloquium on April 4 2018. Image via Northern Studies Colloquium - Trent University on Facebook.

The Trent Northern Studies Colloquium is inviting everyone in the Trent community out to our 8th annual event, showcasing the Canadian North!

Each academic year students and faculty at Trent University come together for a one-day event dedicated to showcasing, discussing, and celebrating Trent’s excellence in Northern research.

The purpose of the Colloquium is for graduate and undergraduate students to learn about the northern research being conducted by their peers at the university, and to exchange ideas regarding the future of research in the North.

The Colloquium seeks to promote balanced, inclusive, and multi-disciplinary understandings of the complex fabric of issues, ideas, agendas, and concerns that affect the North and that are increasingly woven into our work and imaginations as Canadians today.

There is a large and growing contingent of undergraduate, MA, MSc, and PhD researchers studying Northern issues at Trent, but we do not often have the opportunity to come together, interact, and learn from one another across our disciplinary boundaries. The Colloquium is trying to change that.

We are extending an invitation out to all undergraduate students who are interested in research at Trent, and research in the North, to attend the day’s events and to be involved throughout the day.

We’re happy to say that the day-time festivities will feature two undergraduate students at Trent who are currently working on their fourth year thesis: Sarah Elizabeth Haworth and Samantha Bird.

Haworth and Bird are enrolled in the Forensic Science program and will both be presenting on how the microbiome can be an important tool in understanding organismal health and drivers of adaptation in the muskox and mountain goats.

The evening event will include a panel discussion on “The Role of Northern Research in Reconciliation” exploring the issues such as research priorities and agendas, power and research relationships, and knowledge and ways of understanding. Featuring Dr. Chris Furgal as moderator, we’re thrilled to host an esteemed panel: Dr. James Schaefer (Trent University), Bill Albany (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation), Dr. Kaitlin Breton-Honeyman (Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board) and Dr. Suzanne Stewart (Waakebiness-​Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health).

This is a fantastic opportunity for members of the public to come learn more about Canada’s North and its importance to our country’s environment, culture, and future!

The day’s series of student oral and poster presentations from the sciences and social sciences will be held in the Trent Student Center Event Space from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 4, 2018. The evening panel discussion will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Canadian Canoe Museum, located at 910 Monaghan Road, Peterborough.

The event is free and open to everyone. Food and refreshments will be provided throughout the day and a light dinner will be served during the evening event.

For more details, see our website at https://trentnorthernstudies.wordpress.com and find the event on Facebook!