Activities and information sessions at Trent University Oshawa sets students up for academic and social success
Friday, August 29, 2014, Oshawa, ON
Trent University Oshawa will welcome new and returning students to the Thornton Road Campus for the Fall Start-Up Orientation Program on Tuesday, September 2 and Wednesday, September 3. Hosted by the University and by the Trent Oshawa Student Association (TOSA), the orientation program is the first step in providing new students from high school, transfer students, mature students and international students with the tools and information they need for a strong university career.
Students, staff, and faculty have worked since early March to create this year’s Fall Start-up program. Helping to make orientation an outstanding experience for new students, 35 senior student volunteers dedicate their time to coordinate and run the various dynamic events, along with the support of faculty and staff.
Students who participate in the orientation will connect with their peers, upper-year students, faculty, and staff; learn of the many clubs, intramurals, and leadership programs they can get involved in; and prepare to be actively engaged with their peers and faculty in class. They will also receive academic support that will allow them to feel confident in their ability to succeed academically, including information on time management, academic integrity, and university-level expectations. Additionally, information will also be available to students about the variety of career options available with their major of choice
Highlights of Fall Start-Up Orientation are listed below, including exciting photo opportunities.
Welcome & Official Opening of the Trent in Durham Tipi PHOTO OPPORTUNITY!
Tuesday, September 2, 10:30am – 11:00am
Harold Ashkewe, Elder from the Mississaugas of Scugog Lake First Nation, will welcome guests to the territory, followed by a welcome to new students from Trent president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Leo Groarke. City of Oshawa Mayor John Henry and Joe Muldoon, head of Trent Oshawa, will also welcome students and reflect on post-secondary education. Harold Ashkewe will open the tipi with a traditional smudging
Boomwhacker Experience
Tuesday, September 2, 11:00am – 12:00pm
Boomwhackers are tuned acoustic tubes that create different harmonic tones. They are played by tapping the end of the tube against one’s hand or clashing two together, rather like cymbals. This low-risk, high-energy event is designed to connect our incoming students with their peers through interactive rhythm and music
Team Competitions
Tuesday, September 2, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Designed to ensure new- and upper-year students work together through a variety of physical, intellectual, and creative challenges. This activity will also provide students insights into the services and supports provided at Trent in Durham
Campus Fair PHOTO OPPORTUNITY!
Tuesday, September 2, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
A lively event held on the Trent Oshawa Thornton Road back yard includes a live band, inflatable obstacle course, carnival games, Campus Clubs fair, bannock cooking in the tipi, cotton candy, popcorn, and snow cones, Pan Am Games booth and mascot Patchi, Oshawa Athletics booth, and Durham Regional Transit booth.
Friendly Student/Faculty/Staff dodgeball game
Tuesday, September 2, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Trent Think Tank *NEW*
Wednesday, September 3, 10:30am – 11:15am
Students and faculty selected a text and a documentary for the Trent in Durham Think Tank. This programs connects all students through common texts and offers new students a chance to experience a seminar before classes begin.
Academic Sessions
Wednesday, September 3, 11:15am – 3:45pm
This is an important piece of orientation for all new Trent students as they learn many different academic skills through these specially-designed sessions and workshops in order to give them a strong head start on their first classes
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Friday, August 29, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Euglena, an Aquatic Organism that Eats Water Pollutants, to be Researched at Trent
An algae-like organism known as euglena is the star of an exciting new collaborative research initiative based at Trent University. The Euglena Research Program will bring together faculty and students at Trent to study the untapped potential of euglena, which have the ability to “eat” many different types of water pollutants like minerals, heavy metals, and phosphorus.
The new program was announced by Noble Purification Inc., a water filtration company based at Trent, during a gathering of community members and business development groups at Gzowski College’s Gathering Space on Tuesday, August 26. The work being done by Trent researchers will help increase the efficiency of Noble’s water purification technology, allowing communities to remove more pollutants from our fresh water supply, and will also provide an opportunity to sequence the genome of euglena, which could lead to further discoveries.
The Noble team has an impressive group of Trent faculty members interested in euglena research and acting as scientific advisors to the program:
Founded by 20-year-old Adam Noble as a result of research he conducted for the Canada Wide Science Fair while in high school, Noble Purification Inc. initially focused on extracting silver nanoparticles from wastewater using Euglena’s unique properties. The company has also announced a new Euglena BioFiltration System, based on breakthrough research conducted at Trent, showing that euglena can absorb many different pollutants in water, from phosphates to lead.
Noble Purification Inc. is headquartered at The Cube incubator at Trent University, where it is part of the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster’s technology-focused business incubation program. There is great potential for future projects associated with Noble Purification, in partnership with the research capacity at Trent University.
The new program was announced by Noble Purification Inc., a water filtration company based at Trent, during a gathering of community members and business development groups at Gzowski College’s Gathering Space on Tuesday, August 26. The work being done by Trent researchers will help increase the efficiency of Noble’s water purification technology, allowing communities to remove more pollutants from our fresh water supply, and will also provide an opportunity to sequence the genome of euglena, which could lead to further discoveries.
The Noble team has an impressive group of Trent faculty members interested in euglena research and acting as scientific advisors to the program:
- Leading the group is Dr. Céline Guéguen, associate professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Sciences and Biogeochemistry, who has worked with Noble Purification Inc. to secure funding from the Ontario Centres of Excellence to conduct research on euglena’s ability to absorb a variety of heavy metals. Dr. Gueguen’s research sets the stage for future collaborations with Dr. Brent Wootton at the Fleming College Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment.
- Department of Forensics chair and professor, Dr. Barry Saville, will manage the euglena genetics research project.
- Dr. Neil Emery, vice-president research and international and professor of Biology, is one of the world’s leading scientists conducting research on cytokinins, a key plant hormone responsible for plant productivity. He will investigate cytokinins in euglena cells and their role in euglena cell division. This applied research will be vital in advancing the Noble technology used to produce euglena in the bulk quantities needed for municipal wastewater treatment. At its end of life, dead euglena’s composition contains approximately 20 -30% lipids, natural oils which have a high potential for utilization in many bio-energy or bio-materials applications.
- Dr. Suresh Narine, professor of Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry, and Ontario Research Chair in Green Chemistry and Engineering, will be providing scientific advice on how to maximize the economic value of bi-products created by the Euglena BioFiltration System.
Founded by 20-year-old Adam Noble as a result of research he conducted for the Canada Wide Science Fair while in high school, Noble Purification Inc. initially focused on extracting silver nanoparticles from wastewater using Euglena’s unique properties. The company has also announced a new Euglena BioFiltration System, based on breakthrough research conducted at Trent, showing that euglena can absorb many different pollutants in water, from phosphates to lead.
Noble Purification Inc. is headquartered at The Cube incubator at Trent University, where it is part of the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster’s technology-focused business incubation program. There is great potential for future projects associated with Noble Purification, in partnership with the research capacity at Trent University.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Trent Anthropologist’s Groundbreaking Research Points to Interactions between Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans
Paper co-authored by Professor Eugène Morin published in prestigious journal Nature
Thursday, August 21, 2014, Peterborough, ON
Neanderthals and modern humans would have co-existed long enough to allow for significant cultural and genetic exchange, according to a paper co-authored by Trent University anthropology professor Eugène Morin, published in the prestigious journal Nature.
The new data challenges the long-held view that modern humans simply replaced the Neanderthals as they expanded into Western Europe between 41,000 and 39,000 years ago. For the first time, the new paper provides a more refined timeline for the disappearance of Neanderthal populations from Western Europe than any previous research.
The findings by Prof. Morin along with an international group, led by Professor Tom Higham of Oxford University, have important implications for research into the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans. “One potential implication is that interactions between distinct populations—even those as distinct as Neanderthals and early modern humans—are extremely complex and rarely result in simple and direct replacement of one group by another,” said Prof. Morin.
According to Prof. Morin’s research, as a consequence of extremely unfavourable climatic conditions, Neanderthals experienced severe population decline, yet succeeded in maintaining genetic ties with other neighbouring populations, including the incoming anatomically modern humans from Africa. This process allowed the diffusion of Neanderthal traits into the modern human gene pool. These findings provide support to the hypothesis that Neanderthals contributed, although to a moderate extent, to the emergence of modern humans.
Working on team projects of this kind across the globe provides many opportunities for the exchange of ideas and keeping up to date on the latest advances in the field, Prof. Morin said. “Pulling together all these data from a wide range of sites and regions is always a challenge, but the results are often quite productive. This paper fits nicely with my own research on Neanderthal and early modern human adaptation, and especially, their subsistence strategies.”
The research project was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Leverhulme Trust, through the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) project, the NRCF (NERC Radiocarbon Facility) programme, Keble College (Oxford), the European Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
The paper will be published online on Wednesday, August 20, and may be accessed at the following link: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7514/full/nature13621.html
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Thursday, August 21, 2014, Peterborough, ON
Neanderthals and modern humans would have co-existed long enough to allow for significant cultural and genetic exchange, according to a paper co-authored by Trent University anthropology professor Eugène Morin, published in the prestigious journal Nature.
The new data challenges the long-held view that modern humans simply replaced the Neanderthals as they expanded into Western Europe between 41,000 and 39,000 years ago. For the first time, the new paper provides a more refined timeline for the disappearance of Neanderthal populations from Western Europe than any previous research.
The findings by Prof. Morin along with an international group, led by Professor Tom Higham of Oxford University, have important implications for research into the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans. “One potential implication is that interactions between distinct populations—even those as distinct as Neanderthals and early modern humans—are extremely complex and rarely result in simple and direct replacement of one group by another,” said Prof. Morin.
According to Prof. Morin’s research, as a consequence of extremely unfavourable climatic conditions, Neanderthals experienced severe population decline, yet succeeded in maintaining genetic ties with other neighbouring populations, including the incoming anatomically modern humans from Africa. This process allowed the diffusion of Neanderthal traits into the modern human gene pool. These findings provide support to the hypothesis that Neanderthals contributed, although to a moderate extent, to the emergence of modern humans.
Working on team projects of this kind across the globe provides many opportunities for the exchange of ideas and keeping up to date on the latest advances in the field, Prof. Morin said. “Pulling together all these data from a wide range of sites and regions is always a challenge, but the results are often quite productive. This paper fits nicely with my own research on Neanderthal and early modern human adaptation, and especially, their subsistence strategies.”
The research project was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Leverhulme Trust, through the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) project, the NRCF (NERC Radiocarbon Facility) programme, Keble College (Oxford), the European Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
The paper will be published online on Wednesday, August 20, and may be accessed at the following link: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7514/full/nature13621.html
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Thank You for a Memorable Launch of Trent University's 50th Anniversary Celebrations
Trent University welcomed hundreds of alumni, faculty, staff, and special community guests to the 50th Anniversary Alumni & Friends Reunion Weekend from August 7-10, 2014. It was a wonderful opportunity for alumni to reconnect with classmates, meet new friends, and introduce their families to the University’s beautiful nature setting, its warmly inviting atmosphere, and the brilliant intellectual discussions that take place across campus and beyond.
The celebrations began on Thursday, August 7 with the Opening Reception and Book Launch, where alumni and friends were welcomed to campus by Trent’s eighth president, Dr. Leo Groarke; its founding president, Professor Tom Symons; and Julie Davis, vice president of External Relations and Advancement. D’Arcy Jenish, author of Trent University: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, spoke about the deep history he encountered while writing the book. From Trent’s very first students registered in 1964 to the newest graduates, alumni spent the weekend visiting the Symons Campus colleges as well as Peter Robinson College and Traill College, celebrating 50 years of sport at the Athletics Centre, and took in a special reunion show by Blue Rodeo and The Burning Hell at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
As Dr. Groarke put it in his introduction at the Symposium Keynote, “Any great party is enlivened with serious discussion.” On Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9, alumni and faculty were joined by community visitors for the Ideas That Change The World Symposium, led by a fascinating keynote address by Trent chancellor Dr. Don Tapscott on the topic of "Rethinking Civilization: Five Modest Proposals for a World that Needs Changing." The Symposium featured 15 focused panels with 75 of Trent’s renowned alumni and faculty leading insightful discussions on critical issues within the themes of Education, Critical Cultural Inquiry, Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Life and Health, and Sustainability and the Environment. Symposium attendees emerged feeling re-engaged in academic conversations, enlightened on important topics, and inspired to make a difference.
Trent University would like to extend a special thank-you to the many individuals and organizations who helped to make the weekend such a successful kick-off to the coming year of celebrations.
“I want to express my personal thanks to the hundreds of volunteers, to the speakers, to the overwhelming number of alumni who attended, and to everyone who supported the weekend's events in one way or another,” Dr. Groarke said. “I am impressed by the passion that Trent alumni have for their alma mater and their engagement with its ideals.”
Visit Trent University’s Facebook page to see photo galleries from all the events of the 50th Anniversary Kick-Off Weekend, and to watch videos of Symposium speakers. Find out more about all the exciting events to come as Trent embarks upon a year of anniversary celebrations, including the Chancellor’s Gala, a Community Parade, and fascinating lectures by distinguished alumni.
The celebrations began on Thursday, August 7 with the Opening Reception and Book Launch, where alumni and friends were welcomed to campus by Trent’s eighth president, Dr. Leo Groarke; its founding president, Professor Tom Symons; and Julie Davis, vice president of External Relations and Advancement. D’Arcy Jenish, author of Trent University: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, spoke about the deep history he encountered while writing the book. From Trent’s very first students registered in 1964 to the newest graduates, alumni spent the weekend visiting the Symons Campus colleges as well as Peter Robinson College and Traill College, celebrating 50 years of sport at the Athletics Centre, and took in a special reunion show by Blue Rodeo and The Burning Hell at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
As Dr. Groarke put it in his introduction at the Symposium Keynote, “Any great party is enlivened with serious discussion.” On Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9, alumni and faculty were joined by community visitors for the Ideas That Change The World Symposium, led by a fascinating keynote address by Trent chancellor Dr. Don Tapscott on the topic of "Rethinking Civilization: Five Modest Proposals for a World that Needs Changing." The Symposium featured 15 focused panels with 75 of Trent’s renowned alumni and faculty leading insightful discussions on critical issues within the themes of Education, Critical Cultural Inquiry, Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Life and Health, and Sustainability and the Environment. Symposium attendees emerged feeling re-engaged in academic conversations, enlightened on important topics, and inspired to make a difference.
Trent University would like to extend a special thank-you to the many individuals and organizations who helped to make the weekend such a successful kick-off to the coming year of celebrations.
“I want to express my personal thanks to the hundreds of volunteers, to the speakers, to the overwhelming number of alumni who attended, and to everyone who supported the weekend's events in one way or another,” Dr. Groarke said. “I am impressed by the passion that Trent alumni have for their alma mater and their engagement with its ideals.”
Visit Trent University’s Facebook page to see photo galleries from all the events of the 50th Anniversary Kick-Off Weekend, and to watch videos of Symposium speakers. Find out more about all the exciting events to come as Trent embarks upon a year of anniversary celebrations, including the Chancellor’s Gala, a Community Parade, and fascinating lectures by distinguished alumni.
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