THUNDER BAY — Researchers at Lakehead University have received new funding to work on projects ranging from the diagnosis of breast cancer to how habitat selection affects animals.
In total, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is providing more than $1.6 million in support of 14 faculty research projects and four graduate student awards.
Dr. Alla Reznik in the Department of Physics will receive $320,000 to continue her exploration of Positron Emission Mammography technology to help identify breast cancer earlier.
According to a news release from the university, Radialis Medical, a joint venture between Lakehead and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, will help commercialize the technology, and plans to assemble the first Canadian molecular breast-imaging system.
Dr. Douglas Morris in the Department of Biology will get $160,000 to learn more about animal habitats and the impact they may have on biodiversity and the risk of extinction.
The university's statement said he and his team will examine "how habitat and foraging behaviour can create new species" and enable the coexistence of competing species.
They are also investigating how habitat can predict the consequences of climate change on biodiversity
Another NSERC grant, $90,000, will fund the efforts of Dr. Abdulsalam Yassine of the Department of Software Engineering to develop new tools to allow utility companies understand how people consume energy, with the ultimate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
NSERC funding also generates support from the federal Research Support Fund which offsets the indirect costs of research incurred by universities.
In 2018/19, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million from this fund.
