Lakehead University has received over $2.1 million from the provincial government to advance research in mining and mental health.
Dr. Peter Hollings and Dr. Noah Phillips from the university’s Department of Geology are receiving $2 million of the funding to develop new models that will enrich mineral exploration in Northern Ontario.
“Noah and I are really excited to be starting this project,” Dr. Hollings said. “The funding will allow us to continue to develop mineral deposit research at Lakehead University, which in turn will establish us as an essential partner in the search for Ontario’s critical minerals and the training of the next generation of geoscientists.”
The research will focus on the geological processes leading to the formation of valuable mineral deposits in Northern Ontario.
It will develop novel models for industry partners to seek new deposits that will be developed into mines, with the mineral focus for the project being nickel-copper-platinum and gold.
“We will develop an innovative research hub at Lakehead University that will train a diverse group of highly qualified people in a wide range of traditional and state-of-the-art techniques,” said Dr. Hollings.
The group working on the project with Dr. Hollings and Dr. Phillips is comprised of approximately 30 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
Dr. Mike Hamilton, University of Toronto; Dr. Wouter Bleeker and Dr. Jennifer Smith, both from the Geological Survey of Canada; and Dr. Andreas Kronenberg from Texas A&M University, are also set to collaborate on the project. Kaitlin Richard from Science North is the youth outreach collaborator.
Industrial collaborators include Goldshore Resources Inc., Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd., Romios Gold Resources Inc., Impala Canada Ltd., Generation Mining, Clean Air Metals Inc., and Enersoft Inc.
“Combined with undergraduate research projects, this will help reverse the current trend of declining numbers of graduate students working on mineral deposit studies in Canada,” Dr. Hollings said.
The remaining $90,000 of funding is going to an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology Dr. Aislin Mushquash.
Lakehead University is adding $50,000 to the remaining funding to create a $140,000 grant aimed at supporting youth mental health.
While we can’t rid life of stress or stressful situations, we can enhance individuals’ abilities to cope with the stressors they face in order to have a positive impact on their well-being and health,” explained Dr. Mushquash.
The funding is being delivered over five years aimed at bolstering research capacity among emerging scholars and will help Dr. Mushquash build a team of graduate and undergraduate student researchers to examine youth and emerging adult stressors, coping mechanisms and outcomes and evaluate innovative interventions to support coping.
“This award not only supports our research endeavours but also provides crucial support for students,” adds Dr. Mushquash. “It allows us to provide some funding to students to offset the costs they incur during their education and gives access to exciting training opportunities that may not have otherwise existed.”
“The earlier we can get students involved, the more passionate they’ll become about the research process,” said Mushquash. “By engaging student researchers in developing research objectives, data collection and analysis, and knowledge translation activities, we are not only building their skills but also ensuring the sustainability of future projects and the field of mental health research.”
Mushquash would also like to explore a multidisciplinary team approach that will facilitate collaboration across faculties, creating opportunities for innovative solutions to mental health challenges.
“My hope is to build health-related research capacity in Northwestern Ontario, producing future generations of researchers and clinician-researchers that will carry on this important work.”
