KAMLOOPS – Thompson Rivers University faculty and students were among 10,000 Canadian professors and students to share in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) 2007 Grants and Scholarships announced today by Parliamentary Secretary Colin Carrie, MP, on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, and NSERC President Dr. Suzanne Fortier.
As a result of the current competition, TRU researchers will receive new funding to a total of $154,508 in Discovery and Research Tools and Instrument Grants.
“These grants, particularly the tools and instrument grants, indicate NSERC’s recognition that our researchers are cutting-edge,” said Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner, TRU’s Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies.
“They are creating new knowledge, and many extremely creative people at TRU are working on some very interesting projects. TRU’s integrated approach to graduate studies and knowledge creation distinguishes TRU as a university and creates a dynamic learning environment at all levels. When students come into the classroom of these world-class researchers, they are learning beyond the text book,” she added.
TRU microbiologist Dr. Jonathan Van Hamme, who is currently looking for a microbe that will break down toxic mustard gas, a wartime relic still active in ocean dumps and unmarked burial sites throughout Europe and even off BC’s coast, holds an ongoing Discovery Grant of $32,000 for his project, “Biocatalyst development for mustard gas bioremediation and detection.” He received new funding in the form of a Research Tools and Instrument Grant of $75,909 (new) for a gas chromatograph with electron capture detector for analysis of fluorinated organic compounds.
TRU computational chemist Dr. Nelaine Mora-Diez will receive a Discovery Grant of $27,000 per year for two years for her project, “Theoretical thermodynamic and kinetic studies of organic systems of interest” as well as a Research Tools and Instrument Grant of $24,599 for her investigations into “Linux parallel cluster for innovative research in chemistry.”
TRU researchers receiving annual funding related to grants established in previous years include mathematician Dr. Robb Fry (“Geometry of Banach spaces” $9,000); research chair Dr. Lauchlan Fraser (Effects of stress and disturbance on temperate grasslands: linking plant traits and ecosystem function $13,200); biologist Dr. Cynthia Ross “Viscin tissue of the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum (Viscaceae): how does it develop, what is it made of, and how does it function in explosive seed discharge” $24,000); computer scientist Dr. Roelof Brouwer (“Extraction of rules/equations from neural networks” $9,000); bioinformatics researcher Dr. Mila Kwiatkowska (“Integration of expert knowledge with data-driven methods to develop and visualise clinical prediction rules” $14,000); mathematician Dr. Richard Brewster (“Computational complexity of combinatorial problems $13,000), mathematician Dr. Mohamed Tawhid (“Mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints” $7,000); mathematician Dr. Roger Yu (“Extension property in graph theory” $6,000); and natural resource scientist Dr. Karl Larsen (“Natal dispersal in red squirrels: patterns & mechanisms” $10,000).
Five graduating students will have their study toward a master’s degree subsidized by NSERC: two students, Tiera Machell (natural resource sciences) and Kristi McBurnie (computing science) will receive Canada Graduate Scholarships, while students Amber Greenall (natural resource sciences), Morgan Rankin (natural resource sciences) and Chad Stewart (biological sciences) will receive Post-Graduate Scholarships.
Seven exceptional students still studying at TRU will receive Undergraduate Student Research Awards to help them get hands-on research experience in a laboratory: Samantha Keller (chemistry); Kristi McBurnie (computing science); Megan Enos (biochemistry); Samson Bassett (mathematics); Stacey Lamont (mathematics); Quinn Mason (biology); and Kristine Teichman (natural resource science).
TRU’s Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner, said, “I sincerely believe that every student should have the opportunity to engage in original research, scholarly activity and the production of creative works as part of their undergraduate experience. Student researchers generate new knowledge and ideas, and in the process develop creative and critical thinking skills, intellectual confidence, and the independence, initiative and enterprise that fosters career success.
“Furthermore, undergraduate students receiving research grants have done so because they are outstanding scholars and because they are also the product of the individual mentorship and coaching by provided by TRU faculty members. This individual mentorship makes TRU special; the one-on-one work these faculty members do with their students represents a tremendous commitment to providing students with exceptional undergraduate learning experiences. I thank and congratulate our faculty members on their commitment to their students and to the university.”
NSERC is a federal agency which has invested $6 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada’s next generation of scientists and engineers over the past 10 years.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Nancy Van Wagoner at 250-371-5586 or 250-828-5410 or by email.
Michael Dwyer Media and Public Affairs Officer NSERC at 613-992-9001 or 613-794-9170 or by email.
