Local Community Mourns Trent and Fleming Professor who Passed Away
/Beloved community-builder, sports fan and Trent University/Fleming College economics professor Dr. Tom Phillips passed away suddenly on Thursday.
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Peterborough Blogs
Trent University and Fleming College Create Four New College-to-University Pathways
/A collaboration between Trent University and Fleming College has created four new diploma-to-degree pathways for students in the environmental sector.
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Fleming students graduating from the college’s Fish and Wildlife Technician, Ecosystem Management Technician and Environmental Technician diploma programs will receive seven credits toward a 20-credit degree in Environmental and Resource Science from Trent University.
This long-standing partnership between Trent and Fleming gives students the opportunity to further their education at the University level. Pathway programs make this future transfer process more accessible and streamlined.
“This new agreement will provide students the opportunity to benefit from both hands-on learning and theoretical teaching, preparing students for success in fields that are growing across Canada,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson.
Dr. Stephen Hill, director of the Trent School of the Environment, says that studying at both the college and university level brings unique benefits.
“In the environmental sector, in particular, having both a strong foundation of theoretical knowledge and the technical skills and abilities to put that knowledge and thinking into action opens up career opportunities for college-to-university transfer graduates.”
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Trent University Joins Rare Winter Sampling Of The Great Lakes
/Trent University is joining Winter Grab, a first-of-its-kind coordinated winter research effort to collect and analyze ice and water samples from all five of the Great Lakes in order to paint a picture of water quality and life in and under the ice
Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos, Canada Research Chair of Global Change of Freshwater Ecosystems and professor of Biology at Trent University, looks out over the ice-covered Lake Superior. Photo courtesy of Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos
As one of 16 research institutions from Canada and the United states—and one of only three Canadian universities—Trent will venture onto the ice to support the largest coordinated winter sampling effort for these globally significant ecosystems.
“Not much winter research is done on lakes because the prevailing thought has been that everything is cold and frozen so there must not be much going on,” said Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos, Canada Research Chair of Global Change of Freshwater Ecosystems and professor of Biology at Trent University. “However, several recent studies have now shown that life under the ice is abundant and diverse, and large lakes are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. No one is exactly sure what the consequences will be with ice cover losses and increasing air and water temperatures. The need for winter research has never been greater, particularly to help inform management decisions.”
Professor Xenopoulos, one of two Canada Research Chairs involved in the project, will be leading the analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for ice and water samples from every site of the Winter Grab collaboration. DOC is a major component of the Earth’s carbon cycle and an important player in the functioning of aquatic systems. Prof. Xenopoulos has spent the last 20 years studying this sentinel variable in lakes and rivers across Ontario and the Great Lakes.
“Among its many functions, dissolved organic carbon fuels aquatic food webs and microbes respire it into carbon dioxide,” said Prof. Xenopoulos. “But knowledge of this in winter is virtually unknown.”
Upwards of 30 locations are expected to be sampled by research teams across all five of the lakes during the week of Feb. 14 – the date that has historically marked peak ice cover extent on the Great Lakes. Trent University researchers will sample Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte and the southern part of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay on the Canadian side.
Each research team will collect a large piece of ice and several litres of water for analyses of nutrients, carbon, phytoplankton and algae, and zooplankton. Teams will also submerge sensors to take on-site readings of water temperature, oxygen, chlorophyll and conductivity levels.
“Just looking at the number of sites that are being sampled, the distances being travelled, and analyses being completed, it is evident how significant this collaboration is,” said Dr. Nolan Pearce, a post-doctoral fellow working with Prof. Xenopoulos. “You need these partnerships to build a comprehensive understanding of what is happening across the Great Lakes because of the scale of area, but also because it brings together scientists with their own areas of expertise.”
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Trent University Launches Campaign To Encourage Booster Shots
/Trent University has launched the “One More Shot” campaign, leveraging the collective energy of the University’s Excalibur athletes, to rally for COVID-19 booster shots.
Photo by AngelaO’Grady.
The campaign is designed to further elevate campus health and safety, and increase peace of mind for students, faculty and staff returning to in-person learning this term.
“The Trent saying goes, ‘Together we are 1Excalibur.’ In support of our shared responsibilities and collective efforts, this ‘One More Shot’ campaign aims to get everyone possible to have their booster,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “We are reviewing our vaccine policies as we do this, and are excited to have our varsity athletes lead the campaign. They will mobilize the Trent community for boosters, in a way which will protect our community as we continue to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.”
The campaign, which will run across the University’s campus and social media accounts in February, amplifies ongoing calls for students, staff and faculty to get their booster: a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The University will hold on-campus booster clinics Feb. 8 and 9 at the Trent Athletics Centre on the Symons Campus. In Durham, members of the Trent community can register for the clinic at the Oshawa Centre, located one block from campus. Vaccines are also available through Ontario’s booking portal and at local pharmacies.
Trent University has also launched a new self-reporting tool now available for students who wish to report a positive result on a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test and have attended in-person classes. The information will be used by the University, out of an abundance of caution, to notify instructors and classes in the case of possible exposure to COVID-19.
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Trent University Alumna Named Interim CEO Of National Non-Profit
/Palette Skills, a national non-profit dedicated to helping organizations access untapped talent and create pathways for unemployed or underemployed workers announced the appointment of Rhonda Barnet as its interim CEO, on Tuesday.
“This opportunity connects to and is an extension of my national and international work of leveraging untapped talent to fill vacancies in high demand jobs and foster an inclusive economic recovery in Canada,” said Barnet.
As Barnet transitions into this new role as interim CEO for Palette Skills, she will also be transitioning into a new role at AVIT Manufacturing in Peterborough.
Barnet will now be an executive chair for AVIT, this will allow her to still be apart of the company while she pursues her other avenues and opportunities.
Barnet is a graduate of Trent University with a B.Sc. in Mathematics & Computer Science and a Chartered Director. She received a distinguished Alumni Award from Trent University in 2020, the Inspiring Fifty Canada - Women in Technology Award in 2018 and a Business Hall of Fame Inductee in 2017.
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Trent Tops Undergraduate University Rankings in Ontario for Eleventh Consecutive Year Now 3rd in All of Canada
/Trent University has topped the charts as the number one undergraduate university in Ontario for the eleventh year and moved up to number three in its category in all of Canada in the 2022 Maclean’s University Rankings.
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“These rankings reaffirm Trent’s position a leader in the postsecondary sector in Canada,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor. “For eleven years in a row, we have been ranked as Ontario’s top undergraduate institution. This year’s rankings shine a further spotlight on our growing reputation, which is squarely founded on our faculty and staff commitment to a transformative student experience.”
The rankings also position Trent as an institution committed to student satisfaction and success, ranking as the top primarily undergraduate university in Canada for academic advising staff, and number one in Ontario for scholarships, administrative staff, course instructors, student services and extracurricular activities.
Trent ranks number one in Canada for promoting Indigenous visibility, number one in Canada for academic advising staff and number two in Canada for student satisfaction. St. Francis Xavier ranked first in student satisfaction.
To view the complete list of university rankings click here.
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Virtual Homecoming and Head of the Trent Rowing Regatta Return
/Trent University’s annual Homecoming will be virtual for the second year in a row, with the annual Head of the Trent Rowing Regatta being open to athletes and coaches only.
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‘Homecoming from Home’ will include virtual coffee houses, a virtual scavenger hunt and live streams of varsity games from Monday - Friday.
“While we are delighted to have our Trent University students back on campus for in-person learning, health and safety remains of paramount importance,” said Julie Davis, vice-president of External Relations & Development, Trent University. “We are looking forward to connecting with alumni virtually for Homecoming celebrations and to cheering on our Trent Excalibur student-athletes safely from home.”
To view the full virtual homecoming schedule click here.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Head of the Trent Regatta, due to last years event being cancelled.
The Head of the Trent Regatta, hosted by the Peterborough Rowing Club, will be open to athletes and coaches only.
The regatta beer garden will not take place and no social events will be held on campus or at the Rowing Club.
Visit the Regatta Central website for full details.
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Trent Athletics Centre Temporarily Closed to Update Vaccine Passport Screening Measures
/Following the Ontario government’s announcement of the enhanced Provincial COVID-19 vaccine certificate system, the Trent Athletics Centre will require all visitors and staff to provide proof of vaccination and identification to enter the facility.
Photo courtesy of Trent University.
The Athletics Centre will be closed on Wednesday to allow updates to their booking system to support these new screening measures to e made.
The centre will open again on Thursday.
Students who are fully vaccinated and have updated their Vaccine Profile through myTrent will be permitted to book workout times online. Data from the secure myTrent site will be integrated with the Athletics Centre’s online booking system to allow for a seamless transition to the new screening requirements for students.
Trent staff, faculty and community members with memberships will be required to show proof of vaccination and identification during the screening process at the door before entering the facility. This screening will be required each visit.
All students, staff and faculty must also complete, and pass, Trent’s mandatory screening each day before coming to campus.
Individuals wishing to visit the Planet Café will not be required to show proof of vaccination to gain access.
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Trent University Announces Vaccine Mandate
/Trent University has announced that as of September 7 anyone on campus must provide proof of both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo courtesy of Trent University
Anyone who does not have two vaccinations will have to complete COVID testing before coming on campus. Exemptions will be allowed on medical or other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
To encourage student participation in this initiative, the names of all students who submit proof of their two vaccinations by September 7 will be included in a draw which will provide the winning student with free tuition for the fall semester.
In addition to requiring proof of vaccine Trent will be enforcing the mandatory use of face masks in indoor settings, health screening, enhanced ventilation and air filtration, robust cleaning and sanitization, on-campus testing, and wastewater surveillance. The University is also partnering with Public Health to host on-campus pop-up vaccine clinics for staff, faculty and students.
For more on Trent’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic click here.
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Three Trent University Researchers Receive over $300,000 in Federal Funding through John R. Evans Leaders Fund
/Three Trent University researchers, Dr. Huy Dang, Dr. Marguerite (Maggie) Xenopoulos, and Dr. Carlo Bradac, received a combined $328,351 in funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
Photo courtesy of Trent University
