Dr. Jason Rowe, of Bishop’s University’s Physics and Astronomy Department and one of the world’s leading experts on exoplanet astrophysics, has successfully renewed his Canada Research Chair for another five-year term.

The funding associated with Dr. Rowe’s Canada Research Chair in Exoplanet Astrophysics allows him to continue to discover and characterize exoplanets, to help understand their origins and composition, which may help determine if other habitable planets and life beyond Earth exist.

“Dr. Rowe is one of the world’s authoritative experts on exoplanet astrophysics, explains Michael Goldbloom, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Bishop’s University, and we’re very proud and delighted that he’s here with us at Bishop’s University, further demonstrating our commitment toward academic excellence.”

“The renewal of this Research Chair for Bishop’s University demonstrates that regional universities are also able to attract leading thinkers such as Dr. Jason Rowe and are just as conducive to bringing together creative teams that can be leaders in physics and astronomy.” – The Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, MNA for Compton-Stanstead, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

This research work will notably be conducted through the newly-launched Webb Space Telescope, for which Dr. Rowe is among a select group of privileged users based on his outstanding contributions to exoplanet astrophysics, and also likely in the future through the POET (Photometric Observation of Extrasolar Transits) mission, an upcoming Canadian microsatellite telescope which is being developed by Dr. Rowe and partners at Western University and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

MEDIA REQUESTS:
Olivier Bouffard
Communications Director
obouffar@ubishops.ca | 819-822-9600 ext. 2840

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Bishop’s University will make an announcement pertaining to research on Friday, November 25^th at 10 a.m. in the lobby of Centennial Theatre at Bishop’s University.

Guest speakers of this event will include, The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, Mr. Michael Goldbloom, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop’s University, Dr. Andrew Webster, Vice-Principal Academic & Research, Dr. Kerry Hull, Dean of Science.

MEDIA REQUESTS:
Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca | 819-342-2587

The Maple League of Universities is an academic consortium that has grown rapidly since 2018. The four university presidents believe that this inter-institutional collaboration is a strategic priority for each of their institutions, and that working together will continue to enhance the quality, innovation, and sustainability of their respective universities.

Due to rapid growth in multiple areas – including shared academic courses, supporting student leadership, leading a virtual teaching and learning centre, decolonizing education abroad, and attracting over $1 million of external funding – the Maple League is moving into a new phase of working together.

In light of these achievements, the four university presidents have designed a new governance model that will enable this academic consortium to continue to grow and become more deeply engrained in the four institutions.

This fall, the Maple League Presidents Council vested operational leadership to a Governing Board, which is composed of the Vice-Presidents Academic/Provosts of the four institutions. This new Governing Board will be chaired by Dr. Jeff Hennessy, Provost and Vice President Academic at Mount Allison University. The four universities have agreed to extend funding from 2023 to 2028 at the current level, and to operationalize inter-institutional collaboration through the intentional design of systems and structures.

The Maple League of Universities continue to model how excellence is achieved through collaboration. All four Maple League universities appeared in the top six spots in the category of primarily undergraduate universities in Canada for 2023. Moreover, four of the ten 3M National Student Fellowships awarded across Canada went to students attending a Maple League university. A project shared across the Maple League called the Online Teaching and Technology Consultants (OLTC) program won the D2L Award in June 2022, the highest recognition of innovation in higher education by a team.

On the heels of national and international achievements, Dr. Jessica Riddell finishes a stellar five-year term as Executive Director of the Maple League June 30, 2023; the governing board will initiate a search process for a new Executive Director in November 2022. Dr. Jeff Hennessy, new Chair of the Governing Board, states, “We are so grateful to Dr. Riddell for her tremendous leadership as the Executive Director of the Maple League. Under her direction, our consortium grew from a beautiful idea to a thriving, collaborative community of scholars, students, and staff. We would not be where we are today without Jessica’s leadership and vision, and we are sad to see her term come to an end. Her new book project, Hope University, will no doubt shape what excellence looks like in undergraduate education well into the future.”

Dr. Riddell reflects, “The privilege of seeing the inside of four institutions provided deep insights into how policies, systems, and structures operate and how they inform, shape, and reflect deep cultures. I have benefitted from a master class in policy development and implementation, governance, funding structures, and strategic planning. The experience has offered me a nuts-and-bolts understanding of systems – and constraints – as well as a greater understanding of how universities are striving to fulfill their mandate to contribute to the broader society. I am excited to take this knowledge into new spheres and share these insights with the Post-Secondary sector. The Maple League is in excellent hands, and I will continue to support these endeavors for many years to come.”

As the only academic consortium in Canada, the Maple League is proud to lead conversations on quality undergraduate education. Each institution is dedicated to graduating highly employable and deeply ethical individuals. The Maple League provides collaborative and innovative opportunities to students, faculty, and staff, which enhances resilience, engagement, and civic engagement.

“The Maple League consortium stands out as innovative in the landscape of higher education in Canada,” Hennessy remarks, “at Mount Allison University and across the four universities, we value inclusive, accessible, and high-quality undergraduate education: As four primarily undergraduate universities with common values and vision for 21st-century liberal education, our institutions are committed to helping students lead while they learn,” says Hennessy. “And the potential is simply extraordinary.”

About the Maple League

The Maple League is made up of four universities – Acadia, Bishop’s, Mount Allison and St. Francis Xavier – who together form an alliance of small, rural, undergraduate liberal education institutions with Francophone heritage and a commitment to truth and reconciliation with indigenous communities. By fostering reciprocal relationships across institutional boundaries, we provide extraordinary opportunities to transform as leaders, scholars, and institutions. The Maple League creates distinctive learning environments that ensure our graduates are capable of navigating an increasingly complex world as citizens and leaders dedicated to the values of a just and civil society. For more information, visit our website: www.mapleleague.ca.

For more information, please contact:

The 2022-2023 Donald Lecture Series continues with guest speaker Eva Kuper: Holocaust survivor and educator on Monday, November 21^st at 7 pm at Centennial Theatre on the campus of Bishop’s University.

Eva Kuper was born after the start of WWII in Warsaw, Poland.  She survived the war by a series of miraculous events, but mainly as a result of the courage and humanity of both family and virtual strangers. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1949 where she grew up in Montreal, with the Holocaust history always present in her life.

Mrs. Kuper spent her professional life as a teacher and educational administrator. Holocaust education has become her “calling” and a passion.  As a life-long student and teacher, Eva believes that education is the most powerful tool we have in combatting antisemitism, racism, and hate.

MEDIA REQUESTS:
Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca | 819-342-2587

Bishop’s University announced that it is now recognized as a fairtrade campus and received the designation from Loïc de Fabritus Gautier, a representative of FairTrade Canada. This designation is part of the actions prescribed by the University’s sustainable development plan. The FairTrade Campus designation aims to recognize, through official status, educational institutions committed to supporting fair trade.

Bishop’s University’s Office of Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Working Committee have work together to meet the three key requirements for FairTrade Canada’s fair trade campus designation:

• Since October 2021, Bishop’s has set up a steering committee made up of active volunteers and members of the administration who meet on a regular basis.
• Foodservice locations under campus control offer a range of FairTrade certified products, such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chocolate bars.
• The Bishop’s Sustainable Development Office supports the student-run Environmental club, which organizes events and activities to increase the visibility of fair-trade products available on campus and to raise community awareness of fair-trade issues

Fair Trade Campus designation

Trade in fair trade certified products is growing all over the world. The “fair trade” certification of these products, created towards the end of the 1980s, facilitated access to products from this alternative trade. This is a sustainable development approach integrating social development, environmental protection, and fair remuneration criteria.

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MEDIA INQUIRIES :
Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications
sonia.patenaude@ubishops.ca | 819-342-2587

On this second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as “Orange Shirt Day”, Bishop’s University and Champlain College again organized the “Every Child Matters” memorial march to honour survivors as well as the memory of victims of residential schools and their families.

The event represents the culmination of the Week of Truth and Reconciliation that brought together member institutions of the Pôle régional en enseignement supérieur de l’Estrie (PRESE), including Champlain and Bishop’s as well as the CÉGEP de Sherbrooke, and the Université de Sherbrooke.

Vicky Boldo, Special Advisor – Indigenous Student Support, and Shawna Jerome, Assistant – Indigenous Student Support, will greet the community at the heart of the Bishop’s University campus. Camilla Rizzi, President of the Representative Council (SRC) of Bishop’s University, invites participants to march through the streets of the Borough of Lennoxville. Students and teachers from Lennoxville Elementary School and Sherbrooke Elementary School, Bishop’s College School as well as Alexander-Galt High School also signed up for the demonstration.

The end of the 60-minute is located at Coulter field at Bishop’s University with student athletes distributing orange cards to participants to form each letter of the phrase “Every Child Matters”, to allow a drone to capture an aerial photo of the moment.

The event includes speeches by students from Bishop’s University and representatives of PRESE member institutions, including Lois Dana, Student Life Advisor – Aboriginal and Intercultural Affairs, Champlain College Lennoxville, and Jesse Lepage from Université de Sherbrooke.

Orange Shirt Day

The meaning of Orange shirt day is based on the story of Phyllis Webstad, an Indigenous girl who was taken from her community in 1973 in British Columbia. Her grandmother gave her a new orange outfit for her first day of school. When she arrived at the residential school, all her belongings, including the outfit, were confiscated, and destroyed. Each year, Canadians are encouraged to wear orange on September 30 in memory of the tragic impact of residential schools, the missing children, the families affected and the survivors of these institutions.

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MEDIA REQUESTS:
Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications
spatenau@ubishops.ca
819-342-2587

Bishop’s University and Champlain College, along with fellow members of the Pôle régional et d’enseignement supérieur de l’Estrie (PRESE) CÉGEP de Sherbrooke and Université de Sherbrooke will hold the Annual Orange Shirt Day March on Friday, September 30^th.  The college, and university communities, as well as the general public (including elementary and high schools) are invited to gather between 11:30 a.m. The student communities, as well as the general public (including elementary and high schools) are invited to gather between 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at Bishop’s in the Quad, behind McGreer Hall, and to wear an orange shirt. A ceremony will begin at 12:00 p.m. and the walk is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. Participants are invited to bring their lunch.

The spokesperson for the event will be Shawna Jerome, Indigenous Student Support Assistant. She will be available for interviews on the premises exclusively from 11:30 am to 11: 50 am on Friday, September 30th.

MEDIA REQUEST:
Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications
spatenau@ubishops.ca  |  819-342-2587

Dr. Genner Llanes-Ortiz, Assistant Professor of the Department of Sociology at Bishop’s University is awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Digital Indigeneities, to investigate, how Indigenous peoples in Canada, Mexico and Guatemala develop and use digital technologies to reclaim, protect and stimulate their histories, languages, knowledges, and cultures.

“This initiative will be the first to bridge Indigenous researchers and activist networks from Latin America with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada to analyze and showcase the ways Indigenous peoples are using technological advancements to sustain and cultivate their identities, knowledge, life ways, languages, and traditions. Digital media adaptation and its possibilities to support Indigenous cultural and language revitalization are currently discussed by Indigenous scholars in North America, but relevant examples and academic contributions from Indigenous Latin America are still missing in these discussions”, explains Dr. Llanes-Ortiz.

“Conversations between North America and Latin America have been limited by their different colonial languages (English vs French, Spanish vs Portuguese), as well as by how differently Indigenous peoples express and protect their knowledge and identities”, continues Dr. Llanes-Ortiz. “As an Indigenous Maya researcher and now holder of a Canada Research Chair, I hope to facilitate these important conversations and build bridges across these different contexts.”

Dr. Llanes-Ortiz’s participatory research program will thus explore four interrelated areas of Digital Indigeneities, which all focus on the reclamation of Indigenous languages and knowledges. Dr. Llanes-Ortiz and his team will work collaboratively with Indigenous partners to follow research protocols that support Indigenous ownership and control of data and information. In this way, they will create a repository of Indigenous language digital activism, which describes a wide range of initiatives (e.g., films, podcast, blogs, applications, etc.) that aim to prevent Indigenous language displacement and loss. They will also support the digitization of Indigenous cultural archives and collections in Canada to increase their accessibility.

This research program will also work on the creation of interactive digital maps of interest for First Nations in Canada and Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Guatemala, using for example audiovisual recordings and photographs, local knowledge and practice or environmental information. Finally, they will engage with Indigenous activists to discuss and analyze the impact that their activities have on Indigenous debates.

In collaboration with different Indigenous partners in Canada and in the Maya region (Mexico and Guatemala), Dr. Llanes-Ortiz’s Canada Research Chair research program will contribute to redressing the pernicious legacies of settler colonialisms in the Americas. The digital tools, methods, and platforms that his team will investigate and build up with Indigenous partners also have the potential to be used as pedagogic aids to develop culturally relevant education for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and youth.

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES: 

Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications
819-342-2587

MAPAQ support for Bishop’s and SeedChange research

Dr. Darren Bardati, from Bishop’s University Environment and Geography Department and Dr. Helen Jensen, of SeedChange – the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian seed security, are looking to develop new varieties of potatoes which would require less agricultural inputs to cultivate organically.

Towards that goal, they are planting over 1,000 tubers of different varieties on the Bishop’s University campus educational farm, to study which ones might be most promising in resisting Phytophtora Infestans fungi – also known as potato blight – while being attractive to potential consumers under organic cultivation methods. Should the research project succeed in identifying promising varieties, it could result in being able to cultivate organic potatoes requiring less fertilizers and pesticides.

Our research will use molecular markers to identify breeding lines that show resistance to disease. We’ll harvest in the Fall and keep some of the tubers to be replanted in 2023,” explains Dr. Bardati, who is Principal Investigator of the research project. “We’ll be observing the size of the plants and their characteristics, such as presence of disease, and we’ll also examine the tubers for their shape and appearance and other aspects. We’re planting different varieties of potatoes; some are quite colourful.”

The project is funded by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des pêches et de l’alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), in collaboration with the Consortium de recherche sur la pomme de terre du Québec (CRPTQ), and the Centre d’expertise et de transfert en agriculture de proximité (CETAB+), as well as SeedChange.

“SeedChange recently received a new $750,000 grant from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada to launch a dozen demonstration sites across Canada, including three in Québec, where people can discover the seeds developed by farmers through the Canadian program of SeedChange – the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security,” indicates Leticia Ama Deawuo, Executive Director of SeedChange.

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Sonia Patenaude
Communications Manager
Bishop’s University
819-342-2587
spatenau@ubishops.ca

A MAPAQ-funded research collaboration

Different varieties of biological potatoes tubers will be planted for a research project of Dr Darren Bardati, of Bishop’s University’s Department of Environment and Geography, in collaboration with Dr Helen Jensen of SeedChange – the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, as well as the Ministère de l’Agriculture des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, the Consortium de recherche sur la pomme de terre du Québec and the Centre d’expertise et de transfert en agriculture écologique et de proximité.

The aim of the project is to develop potato varieties for biological culture that are resistant to Phytophtora Infestans, also known as potato blight, which would be attractive to consumers while requiring less agricultural inputs to cultivate.

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MEDIA REQUESTS:
Sonia Patenaude
Manager of Communications
spatenau@ubishops.ca
819-342-2587