Dr. Jeff Martin, © UWinnipeg
Dr. Nora Casson + student, © Cory Aronec Photography
WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg received research and scholarship funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) that will enable over $2.2 million in research projects. This funding comes via the Discovery Grants Program, Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Program, NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, and NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships — including a three-year $1,130,000 Subatomic Physics Discovery Grant awarded to Dr. Jeff Martin for his Ultracold Neutrons research at TRIUMF*.
Discovery Grants were awarded to seven other UWinnipeg researchers for a five year period, while one researcher received a one year RTI Grant. The faculty members receiving these grants, which total $988,100, are (in alphabetical order) Dr. Nora Casson, Spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen cycling in forests, Geography; Dr. Edward Cloutis, A New Field Portable Reflectance Spectrometer for Field and Laboratory-Based Planetary Research Geography; Dr. Douglas Craig, Single Molecule Enzymology, Chemistry; Dr. Renée
Douville, RetroExplorer: An Interactive Database of Endogenous Retroviruses in the Human Genome, Biology; Dr. Darshani Kumaragamage, Phosphorus release from alkaline soils to floodwater under simulated spring snowmelt conditions, Environmental Studies; Dr. Adam McCubbin, Boronic Acids for Transition Metal Free Organic
Synthesis, Chemistry; Dr. Ortrud Oellermann, Graphs and their structure: the interplay between local and global properties of graphs, Math/Stats; and Dr. Jacques Tardif, Trees as indicators of past climates and forest dynamics in Central Canada, Biology.
The NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship, Masters, which is valued at $17,500, was awarded to Bioscience, Technology & Public Policy student Adrienne Ducharme, supervisor: Dr. Nora Casson.
The prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship valued at $105,000 over three years was awarded to Bioscience, Technology & Public Policy graduate student Quinn Webber, supervisor: Dr. Craig Willis. Quinn will be going to Memorial University in the fall to pursue his doctoral studies.
Dr. Ortrud Oellermann, © UWinnipeg
“These awards exemplify the strong connection between research and teaching among UWinnipeg faculty and students,” said Dr. Jino Distasio, UWinnipeg Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “Our faculty continues to demonstrate excellence in research in science and in establishing research partnerships, such as the longstanding relationship with TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics and accelerator-based science. The funding announced will enhance and create new opportunities for cutting edge research at The University of Winnipeg.”
NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports some 30,000 post-secondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. It promotes discovery by funding more than 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,500 Canadian companies to participate and invest in post-secondary research projects.
Quinn Webber, © UWinnipeg
The University of Winnipeg gratefully acknowledges the funding received from the Government of Canada Research Support Fund in aid of research infrastructure. Every year, the federal government invests in research excellence in the areas of health sciences, engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities through its three granting agencies. The Research Support Fund (RSF) reinforces this research investment by helping institutions ensure that their federally funded research projects are conducted in world-class facilities with the best equipment and administrative support available. Please visit RSF.
*The UWinnipeg TRIUMF team also consists of Chris Bidinosti, Blair Jamieson, and Russ Mammei.
