Sept-Îles, December 17, 2024 — The Port of Sept-Îles (PSI), the Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics (FFGG), and the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) at Université Laval announced the winners of the ÉcoZone Achievement Awards on December 17, 2024, at a ceremony in the Gene-H.-Kruger Pavilion at Université Laval. The scholarships, which can total up to $50,000, reward students who have chosen to include the Bay of Sept-Îles in their master’s or doctoral research project.
To create the ÉcoZone Achievement Awards, presented upon thesis submission, the Port of Sept-Îles donated $50,000 to a fund under the Philanthropy and Alumni Relations Department of Université Laval. This new move also recognizes the port authority’s important contributions to the advancement of knowledge, promoting the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems affected by port, industrial, and maritime activities in Sept-Îles.
“On behalf of the Port of Sept-Îles, we would like to congratulate the recipients and graduates on their academic perseverance and thank them for their interest in one of North America’s most beautiful bays. We would also like to congratulate the Chair and her co-holder, respectively Émilie Saulnier-Talbot and Philippe Archambault, on the success and impact of the ÉcoZone Chair and the wealth of scientific knowledge acquired since its launch,” said PSI president and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon.
“The outstanding research training conditions created by the ÉcoZone Chair and its ÉcoZone Achievement Awards have helped us attract some of the most promising academic talent at Université Laval and internationally. The team’s research has demonstrated the scientific interest of Sept-Îles in better understanding the effects of rapid global change on coastal ecosystems,” said Émilie Saulnier-Talbot.
”The success of the ÉcoZone Chair students shows just how important this type of partnership between stakeholders can be in providing high-quality training for the next generation of scientists in Quebec,” added Chair co-holder Philippe Archambault.
Four master’s students and one doctoral candidate received awards:
- Neha Joshi, PhD in Geography (FFGG)
Assessing the historical anthropogenic impacts and current foraminiferal diversity in the Bay of Sept-Îles (Canada) using multi-proxy analysis and bioindicator approaches - Charlène Lefebvre, Master’s in Biology (FSE)
Assessing the potential of pigments as bioindicators of bacterial and algal diversity in an anthropized environment (Bay of Sept-Îles, Quebec) - Sabrina Allard, Master’s in Geography (FFGG)
Understanding winter ecosystems of subarctic port areas: The microbiome and diatoms of the Bay of Sept-Îles (Quebec, Canada)
- Lydiane Bélanger, Master’s in Biology (FSE)
Spatial and temporal analysis of microbial diversity in the Bay of Sept-Îles, Quebec
- Patricia Cloutier-Maden, Master’s in Geography (FFGG)
Paleotempestological study of the Gulf of the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
The awards come almost five years after the launch of the Chair in Coastal Ecosystems and Industrial, Port, and Maritime Activities (ÉcoZone Chair) by PSI, Université Laval, and the Northern Institute for Research in Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (INREST). PSI and INREST respectively confirmed annual contributions of $100,000 over five years to support the establishment and research work of the Chair.
”On behalf of Université Laval, I would like to sincerely thank the Port of Sept-Îles for its generous donation of $50,000 towards the creation of the ÉcoZone Achievement Award. This award encourages the next generation to undertake research as part of the Chair, and to disseminate knowledge about coastal ecosystems and port, industrial, and maritime activities. We are privileged to have a partner like the Port of Sept-Îles, with its strong commitment to research and philanthropy,” said Caroline Girard, Chief of the Philanthropy and Alumni Relations Department.
The ÉcoZone Chair’s mission is to improve knowledge of the functioning of coastal ecosystems in industrial and port areas, with a view to identifying sustainable management practices in these environments. More specifically, its objectives are to measure the footprint of human activities associated with industrial and port areas, to describe and quantify the impact of these activities on various sectors of the coastline, to develop methods and tools for distinguishing the effects of major natural environmental changes from those associated with human activities, and to advise and support organizations in planning and implementing sustainable solutions for adapting to the problems identified.
About the Port of Sept-Îles
Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume for 2024 of more than 40 million metric tons. It is also recognized as the largest primary aluminum port terminal in the Americas in terms of operational volume. The facilities at the Port of Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. The Port is also deeply committed to sustainable development and has pioneered the first environmental observatory on the St. Lawrence to monitor the marine ecosystem as well as a research chair with Université Laval to study coastal ecosystems and port operations.
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Sources:
Frédérick Jolicoeur-Tétreault
Communications and Public Relations Director
Port of Sept-Îles
Phone: 418-965-3764
ftetreault@portsi.com
Émilie Saulnier-Talbot, PhD
Assistant Professor
Departments of Biology and Geography
Research Chair in Coastal Ecosystems and Industrial, Port, and Maritime Activities (ÉcoZone Chair)
Phone: 418-656-2131, ext. 412301
emilie.saulnier-talbot@bio.ulaval.ca