LU research funding grows
Special to The Chronicle-Journal
Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 08:00
From left, Rui Wang, Harvey Lemelin and student Danielle Ransom celebrated Lakehead University’s success in securing research grants. (Brent Linton)
Harvey Lemelin wants to stick up for bugs.
The Lakehead University researcher is getting $110,900 for research into the roles of insects and people’s perception of them in Canadian society.
Lemelin said Wednesday he’s never really agreed with the negative perceptions that are often associated with insects. The outdoor recreation, parks and tourism professor says “part of my nature is to challenge these things.”
Lemelin’s research project is one of 12 at Lakehead that have received new funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The university earlier announced receiving more than $1 million for research projects and graduate student scholarships from SSHRC in 2010-11.
Lakehead vice-president of reserach, economic development and innovation Rui Wang said in addition to another $1.8-million grant announced in February, the university hasn’t seen this level of success from SSHRC in more than seven years.
“Probably, (if) you think about the total research funding, this could be the highest year in history for this university,” said Wang.
He said LU conducts research in the real world, which separates the university from others.
“You can look at all SSHRC research projects (at Lakehead), most are of Northern studies, Aboriginal studies, how people can interact with the community.”
Lemelin said he got the idea to look at people’s perception of insects after attending a symposium on dragonflies.
“There are some insects that aren’t desired . . . bedbugs are something people don’t like, but when we talk about butterflies and dragonflies and beetles, we’re looking at a multi-million dollar collecting industry. We’re looking at people that spend money willingly to go see butterflies and interact with them in pavilions,” Lemelin said.
“When you change your perception you change your approach to them. You change your behaviours, your interactions. You start to question these things.’’
Ulysses Patola, one of the 12 Lakehead students getting a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the SSHRC this year, is to receive $17,500 for the coming year.
“I was ecstatic. I didn’t think I was going to win, so when I got that letter in the mail and I opened it up, I was just super happy. I thought this is going to set me free for the whole year,” Patola said.
The first-year history master’s degree student said part of his research will be to look at the representations of concussions in hockey over time.
“If you watch the news, if you read the newspaper, there’s always an article about something that’s happening with hockey.’’
With all the attention given to concussions, most notably the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Patola said “it’s very interesting and I want to kind of be a forerunner of some of this analysis right now.”
Patola used Eric Lindros as an example.
“In the past, he had a whole bunch of concussions. Initially, he was told to go back on the ice. . . . He was almost made to look like a wimp.
“With the medical notion that more concussions mean you could have a shortened career, now it’s kind of looked upon differently.”
Patola saud he wants to document that shift in attitude over time.
“People are interested in this sort of research, so that’s why I want to get it out there.’’
Special to The Chronicle-Journal
Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 08:00
From left, Rui Wang, Harvey Lemelin and student Danielle Ransom celebrated Lakehead University’s success in securing research grants. (Brent Linton)
Harvey Lemelin wants to stick up for bugs.
The Lakehead University researcher is getting $110,900 for research into the roles of insects and people’s perception of them in Canadian society.
Lemelin said Wednesday he’s never really agreed with the negative perceptions that are often associated with insects. The outdoor recreation, parks and tourism professor says “part of my nature is to challenge these things.”
Lemelin’s research project is one of 12 at Lakehead that have received new funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The university earlier announced receiving more than $1 million for research projects and graduate student scholarships from SSHRC in 2010-11.
Lakehead vice-president of reserach, economic development and innovation Rui Wang said in addition to another $1.8-million grant announced in February, the university hasn’t seen this level of success from SSHRC in more than seven years.
“Probably, (if) you think about the total research funding, this could be the highest year in history for this university,” said Wang.
He said LU conducts research in the real world, which separates the university from others.
“You can look at all SSHRC research projects (at Lakehead), most are of Northern studies, Aboriginal studies, how people can interact with the community.”
Lemelin said he got the idea to look at people’s perception of insects after attending a symposium on dragonflies.
“There are some insects that aren’t desired . . . bedbugs are something people don’t like, but when we talk about butterflies and dragonflies and beetles, we’re looking at a multi-million dollar collecting industry. We’re looking at people that spend money willingly to go see butterflies and interact with them in pavilions,” Lemelin said.
“When you change your perception you change your approach to them. You change your behaviours, your interactions. You start to question these things.’’
Ulysses Patola, one of the 12 Lakehead students getting a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the SSHRC this year, is to receive $17,500 for the coming year.
“I was ecstatic. I didn’t think I was going to win, so when I got that letter in the mail and I opened it up, I was just super happy. I thought this is going to set me free for the whole year,” Patola said.
The first-year history master’s degree student said part of his research will be to look at the representations of concussions in hockey over time.
“If you watch the news, if you read the newspaper, there’s always an article about something that’s happening with hockey.’’
With all the attention given to concussions, most notably the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Patola said “it’s very interesting and I want to kind of be a forerunner of some of this analysis right now.”
Patola used Eric Lindros as an example.
“In the past, he had a whole bunch of concussions. Initially, he was told to go back on the ice. . . . He was almost made to look like a wimp.
“With the medical notion that more concussions mean you could have a shortened career, now it’s kind of looked upon differently.”
Patola saud he wants to document that shift in attitude over time.
“People are interested in this sort of research, so that’s why I want to get it out there.’’
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 16:12
LU receives $1M in funding from research council By Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com
Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com
Philip Hicks speaks to a crowd at Lakehead University Wednesday morning.
NO BSWin $100 every hour, on the hour. Or be one of two Daily Double Winners of $200. Weekdays from 7:00 am - 5:00 pm.www.Rock94.com
Right or wrong, a university is judged mainly on its research funding.
Based on that merit, Lakehead University must be doing something right after receiving over $1 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanitarian Research Council. As a smaller university, Lakehead dean of graduate studies Philip Hicks said dozens of people are working constantly to come up with new ideas to attract funding from senior levels of government and industry.
The SSHRC funding, celebrated Wednesday morning at Lakehead, shows that the university can compete.
“This is a really good signal to us that we’re on the right track,” Hicks said. “We have to make sure that we continue.”
Lakehead is proof that a smaller university can make big contributions to new knowledge Hicks said.
“I think there is a perception out in the public that larger universities are the ones that should be doing all the research and the smaller universities should be content to just sit back and give bachelor degrees but we don’t accept that vision at Lakehead University.”
From women’s studies to geography, with projects ranging from internet policing to community-based forest management, students and staff at Lakehead will be able to study some interesting topics thanks to the SSHRC funding.
Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism professor Harvey Lemelin was one of a dozen Lakehead faculty and graduate students to receive a grant. With the $110,900 he was awarded, Lemelin is studying the relationship between humans and insects. While most people tend to think of insects in a negative way, it’s a mutli-million dollar industry that’s hardly ever studied.
“There’s so little research done on the social dimension that I thought I could contribute,” Lemelin, who got the idea after attending a symposium on dragonflies six years ago.
Lemelin will use the money to hire research assistants who will interview people in three different regions to gauge their reactions to photograph of insects with interviews before and after.
He’s hoping to show through the over 300 planned interviews, the public aren’t as negative about insects as most people think. Butterfly pavillions and dragonfly ponds are just a few of the attractions the insect industry has much to a region’s economic benefit.
“It’s a big big industry and no one’s really looking at it,” Lemelin said.
LU receives $1M in funding from research council By Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com
Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com
Philip Hicks speaks to a crowd at Lakehead University Wednesday morning.
NO BSWin $100 every hour, on the hour. Or be one of two Daily Double Winners of $200. Weekdays from 7:00 am - 5:00 pm.www.Rock94.com
Right or wrong, a university is judged mainly on its research funding.
Based on that merit, Lakehead University must be doing something right after receiving over $1 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanitarian Research Council. As a smaller university, Lakehead dean of graduate studies Philip Hicks said dozens of people are working constantly to come up with new ideas to attract funding from senior levels of government and industry.
The SSHRC funding, celebrated Wednesday morning at Lakehead, shows that the university can compete.
“This is a really good signal to us that we’re on the right track,” Hicks said. “We have to make sure that we continue.”
Lakehead is proof that a smaller university can make big contributions to new knowledge Hicks said.
“I think there is a perception out in the public that larger universities are the ones that should be doing all the research and the smaller universities should be content to just sit back and give bachelor degrees but we don’t accept that vision at Lakehead University.”
From women’s studies to geography, with projects ranging from internet policing to community-based forest management, students and staff at Lakehead will be able to study some interesting topics thanks to the SSHRC funding.
Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism professor Harvey Lemelin was one of a dozen Lakehead faculty and graduate students to receive a grant. With the $110,900 he was awarded, Lemelin is studying the relationship between humans and insects. While most people tend to think of insects in a negative way, it’s a mutli-million dollar industry that’s hardly ever studied.
“There’s so little research done on the social dimension that I thought I could contribute,” Lemelin, who got the idea after attending a symposium on dragonflies six years ago.
Lemelin will use the money to hire research assistants who will interview people in three different regions to gauge their reactions to photograph of insects with interviews before and after.
He’s hoping to show through the over 300 planned interviews, the public aren’t as negative about insects as most people think. Butterfly pavillions and dragonfly ponds are just a few of the attractions the insect industry has much to a region’s economic benefit.
“It’s a big big industry and no one’s really looking at it,” Lemelin said.